Group leaders often make extensive use of exercises and activities as part of the group counseling process. Experienced group leaders understand the critical importance of processing experiences with group members to help them reflect on, understand, and apply what has been learned to their lives outside the group. However, the basic skills required to process these experiences have been neglected both in the literature and in training for group leaders. This article presents the PARS model (focusing on Processing: Activity, Relationships, Self), a model for processing group activities that can be helpful in training beginning group leaders and that can provide a "road map" for group processing that can benefit even experienced group leaders.


We have demonstrated broad supercontinuum (SC) generation by using a highly nonlinear tapered tellurite microstructured fiber pumped by a 15-ps-pulsed laser with the peak power of 375 W. The fiber is characterized with a short section with a large diameter followed by a long section with a small diameter. The SC was mainly generated in the last 30-cm-long section which had a core diameter of 0.9 μm and a zero dispersion wavelength around the pump wavelength. Such a core size and a dispersion profile were chosen to ensure the SC was mainly broadened by phase matched four-wave mixing. The SC spans from UV to mid IR. The 10 dB spectrum is from 780 to 1890 nm. The input peak power is much lower than conventionally adopted in the picosecond regime. The constructed SC light source is cost-effective, since neither femtosecond pulsed laser nor high power picosecond pulsed laser is adopted.


In the past several decades, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) has seen an exponential increase in its evidence base. The growing volume of evidence in support of CPX has precipitated the release of numerous scientific statements by societies and associations. In 2012, the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation and the American Heart Association developed a joint document with the primary intent of redefining CPX analysis and reporting in a way that would streamline test interpretation and increase clinical application. Specifically, the 2012 joint scientific statement on CPX conceptualized an easy-to-use, clinically meaningful analysis based on evidence-vetted variables in color-coded algorithms; single-page algorithms were successfully developed for each proposed test indication. Because of an abundance of new CPX research in recent years and a reassessment of the current algorithms in light of the body of evidence, a focused update to the 2012 scientific statement is now warranted. The purposes of this update are to confirm algorithms included in the initial scientific statement not requiring revision, to propose revisions to algorithms included in the initial scientific statement, to propose new algorithms based on emerging scientific evidence, to further clarify the application of oxygen consumption at ventilatory threshold, to describe CPX variables with an emerging scientific evidence base, to describe the synergistic value of combining CPX with other assessments, to discuss personnel considerations for CPX laboratories, and to provide recommendations for future CPX research.


Glutathione (GSH) is a tripetptide consisting of the amino acids glutamate, cysteine and glycine. It is ubiquitous in the eukaryotic organism and plays a role in many fundamental cellular processes. GSH is metabolized in the gamma-glutamyl cycle in which six enzymes take part in its synthesis and turnover. The most common disorder of the gamma-glutamyl cycle is glutathione synthetase (GSS) deficiency. About 70 patients have been described worldwide. GSS deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner resulting in decreased levels of cellular glutathione and subsequent overproduction of 5-oxoproline which accumulates in body fluids and is excreted in urine. GSS deficiency is a heterogeneous condition with varying clinical severity. Based on the severity of the clinical symptoms it is classified into three groups. The most severe form is mainly associated with metabolic acidosis, usually present in the neonatal period, haemolytic anemia, 5-oxoprolinuria and central nervous system (CNS) damage. Diagnosis is established by measurement of enzyme activity and mutation analysis. Antenatal diagnosis is possible. Treatment is symptomatic and aims at correction of metabolic acidosis, prevention of haemolysis and support of endogenous defence against reactive oxygen species (ROS). The prognosis is difficult to predict, as the number of patients is limited and the clinical condition varies widely.


[1] The International Photolysis Frequency Measurement and Model Intercomparison (IPMMI) took place in Boulder, Colorado, from 15 to 19 June 1998, aiming to investigate the level of accuracy of photolysis frequency and spectral downwelling actinic flux measurements and to explore the ability of radiative transfer models to reproduce the measurements. During this period, 2 days were selected to compare model calculations with measurements, one cloud-free and one cloudy. A series of ancillary measurements were also performed and provided parameters required as input to the models. Both measurements and modeling were blind, in the sense that no exchanges of data or calculations were allowed among the participants, and the results were objectively analyzed and compared by two independent referees. The objective of this paper is, first, to present the results of comparisons made between measured and modeled downwelling actinic flux and irradiance spectra and, second, to investigate the reasons for which some of the models or measurements deviate from the others. For clear skies the relative agreement between the 16 models depends strongly on solar zenith angle (SZA) and wavelength as well as on the input parameters used, like the extraterrestrial (ET) solar flux and the absorption cross sections. The majority of the models (11) agreed to within about +/-6% for solar zenith angles smaller than similar to60degrees. The agreement among the measured spectra depends on the optical characteristics of the instruments (e.g., slit function, stray light rejection, and sensitivity). After transforming the measurements to a common spectral resolution, two of the three participating spectroradiometers agree to within similar to10% for wavelengths longer than 310 nm and at all solar zenith angles, while their differences increase when moving to shorter wavelengths. Most models agree well with the measurements (both downwelling actinic flux and global irradiance), especially at local noon, where the agreement is within a few percent. A few models exhibit significant deviations with respect either to wavelength or to solar zenith angle. Models that use the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science 3 (ATLAS-3) solar flux agree better with the measured spectra, suggesting that ATLAS-3 is probably more appropriate for radiative transfer modeling in the ultraviolet.


Connected embedded systems have added new conveniences and safety measures to our daily lives –monitoring, automation, entertainment, etc–, but many of them interact with their users in ways where flaws will have grave impacts on personal health, property, privacy, etc, such as systems in the domains of healthcare, automotives, avionics, and other personal devices with access to sensitive information. Designing these systems with a comprehensive model-driven design process, from requirement elicitation to iterative design, can help detect issues, or incongruities within the requirements themselves earlier. This paper discusses how safety, security, and performance requirements should be assured with a systematic design process, and how these properties can support or conflict with each other as detected during the verification process.


This paper presents a case study that explores the impact of a re-engineering project on a Small to Medium Enterprise in the United Kingdom as a means of delivering improved employee performance. In this paper, the link between the actions undertaken my teams of co-workers and the relationship with the environment provided by IT systems is considered. As an organization evolves over an extended period of time, both the IT systems and also the working practices employed to complete the day to day tasks essential to meet the needs of an organisation's customers, particularly in the service sector, rapidly become unfit for purpose. This soon becomes an issue both in meeting the needs of customers and also in meeting regulatory requirements. The case study considered in this paper reviews the requisite practices adopted by a service provider in the wet stock management industry, and the positive impact that the company realized through the re-engineering of both IT systems and business workflows. The central driver for the changes implemented was a need identified in the business to implement improved visualization of data relating to working practices in the organization and its clients. Through a regular review process, issues were identified in a key area of the business that impacted upon the time taken to complete essential tasks. The underlying reasons for this inefficiency were analysed and, through the Agile software engineering methodology, a solution was designed to resolve these issues.


In general, bubble surface instabilities (herein known as bubble transience), increase sonochemical (SC) processes and decrease processes, such as sonoluminescence (SL), that require higher collapse intensities. However, there is a limited understanding of how SL and SC processes are impacted by bubble transience in a practical sense. Thus, research and experimentation was based on the variation of parameters that would affect transience which, in turn, would determine ultrasound process outcomes. Firstly, the ultrasonic system was characterised using SL, and the SC processes of sonochemiluminescence (SCL) and potassium iodide (KI) dosimetry. Frequencies of 20 kHz (ultrasonic horn) and 44, 300 and 1000 kHz (ultrasonic plates) were used with applied flow rates of 0, 24, 228 and 626 mL / min. These frequency and flow settings were used throughout the work unless otherwise specified. The SCL and dosimetry showed disparities throughout, attributed to changes in the energy of collapse, fragmentation and oxygen concentration / solvated electrons. At low frequency, SCL and dosimetry increased under more transient collapse conditions, as measured by the minimisation of the more pyrolytic process of SL. Here, it was theorised that bubble fragmentation and radical transfer to solution, favoured dosimetry over SCL. Further, where SL and SCL activity overlapped they showed the expected reciprocal relationship of decrease / increase with bubble transience, but where activity differed there was poor correlation. Then, the impact of bubble transience on the intensity of collapse on SL from KI solutions (0.1, 1 and 2 M) under fluid flow and stabilised conditions were studied. At 20 kHz (horn) and 44 kHz (plate), flow reduced bubble coalescence and clustering, increasing SL intensity. However, for the 44 kHz system, at higher flow rates, bubble transience could also reduce SL. With an increase in KI concentration, at low frequency (44 kHz), localised activity could be expanded, then at higher frequencies (300 and 1000 kHz), SL activity increased towards the transducer. This indicated reduced attenuation of the sound field, attributed to a reduction in bubble size / clustering with the salt. An increase in standing wave formations (plate) or activity at the horn tip, with power (20 kHz), stabilisation (44 and 300 kHz) or flow (1000 kHz), allowed flow and salt concentration to reduce bubble coalescence / clustering in those regions. This effect could negate a decrease in SL, with increase in KI concentration at low frequency, as previously observed by other authors. To understand how bubble transience affected SC and SL processes, the degradation of phenol and SL from phenol under fluid flow (and stabilised) conditions was investigated. Flow could augment phenol degradation at all frequencies. For the 20 kHz (horn) and 300 kHz systems, phenol degradation correlated with iodide dosimetry which suggested an oxidative process, however, 44 and 1000 kHz showed poor correlation. At 44 kHz, degradation was hypothesised to occur inside the bubbles under transient (flow) bubble conditions, as indicated by SL quenching when degradation was maximised. This was theorised to occur via nanodroplet / rectified diffusion mechanisms. At 1000 kHz the disparity between phenol degradation and iodide dosimetry was attributed to a reduction in collapse intensity and fragmentation which affected the reaction schemes. Here, the fragmentation conditions with flow were not sufficient to increase the dosimetry, whereas for degradation, fragmentation was less influential. SL analysis for higher concentrations of phenol (horn and plate transducers) showed that intensity could be increased with flow / stabilisation. This was attributed a reduction in coalescence / clustering by both flow and the surface properties of the phenol. The methods of SC and SL characterisation were then applied to further understand the ultrasonic degradation of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). PFOS is a surfactant that will reside more readily at the bubbles surface than phenol. Therefore, effects at the bubble surface and bubble population may play more of a role. Plate transducers at frequencies of 44, 400, 500 and 1000 kHz, and a single input power (40 W) provided a range of SC and SL characteristics to measure against PFOS degradation. At higher frequencies, degradation of up to 96.9% (400 kHz) of the initial PFOS value was achieved, with similar, but slightly lower, degradations at 300 and 1000 kHz. However, at 44 kHz no degradation was observed. Therefore, an increase in the number of bubbles and bubble surface availability at the higher frequencies was favourable to the process, and further degradation did not take place inside the bubbles at low frequency. Comparison to SL and SC processes indicated that pyrolysis at the bubble surface may not be the only degradation mechanism, rather solvated electrons at the bubble surface likely contribute to PFOS degradation. Overall, bubble transience increased by fluid flow was, generally, favourable to SC processes. Also, flow could increase SL, in unison with the intrinsic properties of solutes (and stabilisation), by reducing coalescence / clustering in reinforced high pressure regions. Increases in bubble transience were also hypothesised to influence reaction pathways, bubble fragmentation or nanodroplet / diffusion mechanisms, more favourable to some SC processes than others. Then, the comparison of SC and SL to PFOS degradation suggested that solvated electrons may be contributing to bubble surface SC reactions. By the understanding of the fundamentals of ultrasound cavitation and bubble characteristics, both SL and SC processes have been augmented and new insights have been realised.


The southern portion of the Cape Peninsula is characterised by a number of geomorphic features that reveal evidence of fluctuating sea levels and past environments. These include pronounced wave-cut platforms and the remnants of fossilised dunes. This paper reports on a unique Late Quaternary sedimentary sequence preserved within a steep-sided ravine between Cape Point and Cape Maclear at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula. The site is situated headward of Dias Beach, where erosion has exploited a Cretaceous dolerite dyke that has intruded the Ordovician Table Mountain Group sandstone. The sediments have been incised during the Holocene, and the resultant gullies present exposed faces whose lithostratigraphy attests to a variety of geomorphic processes, which were active during the Late Pleistocene. The two main deposits reveal contrasting sedimentary structures, representing very different depositional environments. Immediately above the active dune cordon, which flanks the modern beach, a sequence of aeolianite (calcarenite) displays a variety of low-angle planar and high-angle cross bedding. This calcarenite is moderately cemented, but not completely lithified. Overlying this sequence, above an abrupt unconformity, is a massive colluvial deposit comprising unconsolidated, quartzose sand, as well as angular sandstone clasts in a number of lags. This deposit does not display any sedimentary structures. The uppermost section of the aeolianite was dated by thermoluminescence to 185 ka. The aeolian lithofacies is interpreted to be the product of aeolian deposition by onshore winds during the transition period following the 220 ka Penultimate Interglacial, the period when sea-level initiated its retreat towards the 150 ka Penultimate Glacial Lowstand. The colluvial deposit is interpreted as the midfan remains of an alluvial/colluvial fan formed by debris flow and sheetwash. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from the base (83 ka) and the top (32 ka) of the main fan exposure suggest emplacement during the Last Glacial. Whereas the aeolianite is regarded as the product of an onshore depositional phase, the emplacement process of the colluvial fan suggests the increased presence of moisture. This, in turn, may imply a wetter environment for the southwestern Cape during the Last Glacial. It is known that the Last Glacial was generally drier over the summer-rainfall region of South Africa, but the situation for the present winter-rainfall region remains unclear. The findings from this study support the notion that conditions for the winter-rainfall region of the southwestern Cape may have been wetter prior to the termination of the Last Glacial.


IN THE SUMMER OF 1997, the eyes of the world were on Hong Kong as China assumed control over the former crown colony. How China handles the transition there is widely viewed as a preview of what might happen if China achieves its long-term goal of "reunification" with Taiwan. Increased Chinese defense spending since the late 1980s has purchased advanced arms from Russia and developed advanced domestic systems and platforms. Further, more aggressive military activities claiming disputed territories in the Spratly islands exercises apparently intended to bully Taiwan have heightened regional anxiety.1 Over the past decade, China has emerged as a significant player in virtually every arena of international competition. However, key events during this period, especially the prodemocracy movement in China in 1989, the strong performance of the allies in the Gulf War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, have significantly influenced Chinese leaders. Chinese national strategy seeks to build "comprehensive national strength" by enhancing China's international standing, improving weapons and telecommunications and promoting continued economic development, while maintaining internal stability.2 For Chinese leaders, these objectives do not permit challenges to China's sovereignty or the internal authority of the Communist Party. Further, China seeks to ensure the widest possible latitude in trade, aid, diplomacy and military activity that will enhance its aims.3 As China grows militarily and economically, its leaders will have an increasingly credible arsenal to enforce policy objectives. Interpreting China's statements and actions in the international arena and developing the most appropriate responses are vitally important. Yet clearly understanding China's intentions is often difficult, obscured by differences in language, history, culture and ideology. This article examines elements of Chinese propaganda and public diplomacy that may have contributed to that lack of understanding, particularly the various deception and perception management programs China has used to gain advantage on sensitive issues. Current Chinese procedures encompass ideas from premodern Chinese views of strategy and statecraft, world view of modem totalitarianism, experience of communist leaders as they rose to power and more recent experiences meeting domestic and international challenges since the start of economic reform. Recent publications have also shown that China is interested in using psychological warfare to incorporate traditional strategic approaches, exploit the power of modem communications technology and support national policy objectives across diplomatic, economic and military spheres. Historical Perspectives China's premodern historical tradition produced extensive writings on military strategy. The best known by far is The Art of War, attributed to Sun Tzu, a 5th-century B.C. nobleman who lived in what is now Shandong Province. This widely read work emphasizes that the preferred strategy of all warfare is manipulating the enemy to create an opportunity for easy victory without combat. Sun Tzu advised that attacking the enemy's strategy is the best way to achieve victory, attacking his alliances is next, attacking his troops is next and attacking his fortified cities is the worst.' Modem Chinese sources often paraphrase the concept, "It is better to attack the enemy's mind than to attack his fortified cities," and it is considered the traditional origin of psychological warfare.' But achieving victory without combat requires careful planning, a prosperous and contented populace that fully supports the state, well-trained and highly disciplined troops and absolute secrecy within alliances and during operations. If a military campaign is required, it should seek to achieve its goals with minimum risk, destruction and suffering.6 The ability to use deception skillfully is a highly prized characteristic of a leader. …


In R (M) v Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council the House of Lords held that a local authority housing department which purported to provide accommodation to a 17 year old homeless young woman under section 188 of the Housing Act 1996, and failed to refer her to the children's services department to assess whether a duty to accommodate her was owed under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, had acted lawfully. This meant that the young woman did not become a 'looked after' child pursuant to section 22 of the Children Act 1989 and thus was not entitled to the duties which the local authority owes to children leaving their care. This commentary explores the reasoning of the House of Lords decision and considers whether an alternative outcome was possible, and examines in particular the relationship between housing departments/authorities and children's services departments/authorities. As M spent time in a custodial institution following a criminal conviction, the commentary also considers the duties of local authorities to children who have been accommodated by the state following their involvement with the criminal justice system.


Abstract—This research is a very essential towards transportation planning of Kabul New City. In this research, the travel demand of Kabul metropolitan area (Existing and Kabul New City) are evaluated for three different target years (2015, current, 2025, midterm, 2040, long-term). The outcome of this study indicates that, though currently the vehicle volume is less the capacity of existing road networks, Kabul city is suffering from daily traffic congestions. This is mainly due to lack of transportation management, the absence of proper policies, improper public transportation system and violation of traffic rules and regulations by inhabitants. On the other hand, the observed result indicates that the current vehicle to capacity ratio (VCR) which is the most used index to judge traffic status in the city is around 0.79. This indicates the inappropriate traffic condition of the city. Moreover, by the growth of population in mid-term (2025) and long-term (2040) and in the case of no development in the road network and transportation system, the VCR value will dramatically increase to 1.40 (2025) and 2.5 (2040). This can be a critical situation for an urban area from an urban transportation perspective. Thus, by introducing high-capacity public transportation system and the development of road network in Kabul New City and integrating these links with the existing city road network, significant improvements were observed in the value of VCR.


T cell adoptive transfer is an important procedure in immunotherapy. In immunocompromised patients, T cells may need to be developed from stem cells, requiring the induction of Notch signaling events responsible for native T cell differentiation in the thymus. Current methods to develop T cells in vitro fail to mimic the 3D thymic niche and are not mechanically tunable. In this study, we improve on these approaches with a 2D polymer system with controllable mechanical properties, and with a 3D system that more accurately mimics the thymic niche. 3D inverse opal poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGDA) scaffolds were fabricated with defined pores using poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres that are soluble in acetic acid, leaving negative space for cell growth. The PEGDA surface was made bioactive via biotinylation, followed by a streptavidin linker attaching biotinylated Notch ligand Delta-Like Ligand 4 (bDLL4). 2D polyacrylamide gels were prepared by sandwiching a pre-polymer droplet between two glass surfaces during redox initiation. Mechanical properties were modified by adjusting the concentrations of acrylamide and bis-acrylamide. Gels were functionalized by immobilizing streptavidin via a SANPAH linker and binding bDLL4. After fabricating the systems and demonstrating their chemical and mechanical tunability, RT-PCR was used to detect Hes-1 expression, a downstream target of Notch, and flow cytometry was used to detect T cell differentiation levels following incubation of T cell progenitors with functionalized polymer systems. We show that a) the thymic niche can be effectively mimicked by synthetic systems, b) these systems effectively induce Notch signaling, and c) Notch signaling results in early T cell differentiation. These data are promising and suggest the potential to develop T cell banks from stem cells for the purposes of immunotherapy.


Activation of the WNT/TCF signaling pathway is associated with brain and bone metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma. The ability of a cancer to spread to distant sites through metastasis is one of its most ominous properties; unlike localized disease, metastatic disease can only rarely be cured. Different forms of cancer show different propensities for metastasis; lung adenocarcinoma—which has a high mortality rate—can be found in multiple organs within months of its diagnosis. Nguyen et al. analyzed a cohort of 107 primary human lung adenocarcinomas and found that a gene expression signature denoting activation of TCF4 (T cell factor 4, a transcription factor that is an effector of the WNT signaling pathway) was associated with an increased rate of recurrence in multiple organs. Two highly metastatic sublines of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines established from lymph nodes (selected through repeated rounds of brain metastasis in immunodeficient mice, these sublines showed increased capacity for bone as well as brain metastasis) showed increased basal TCF transcriptional activity relative to their respective parental lines, as well as an increase in Wnt3a-stimulated activity. Expression of dominant-negative TCFs inhibited metastatic activity of these sublines in immunodeficient mice, without substantially affecting their growth in lung. The expression patterns of two WNT target genes, LEF1 and HOXB9, were consistent with constitutive hyperactivation of WNT signaling in one metastatic subline and enhanced sensitivity to Wnt3a stimulation in the other. Their knockdown with RNAi decreased the ability of both sublines to form brain and bone metastases in immunodeficient mice, whereas their overexpression promoted metastatic activity of the parental lines. Ex vivo analysis implicated LEF1 in growth of colonies in Matrigel, and both LEF1 and HOXB9 in invasion through Matrigel toward astrocyte-conditioned medium. The authors thus conclude that increased activation of the WNT/TCF signaling pathway enhances the ability of lung adenocarcinoma to metastasize to brain and bone. D. X. Nguyen, A. C. Chiang, X. H.-F. Zhang, J. Y. Kim, M. G. Kris, M. Ladanyi, W. L. Gerald, J. Massagué, WNT/TCF signaling through LEF1 and HOXB9 mediates lung adenocarcinoma metastasis. Cell 138, 51–62 (2009). [PubMed]


Objectives:The introduction of HAART leads to control of HIV replication to less than 50 copies/ml, similar to levels in 'elite controllers'. Low-level viral replication may be one of the contributing factors to persistent immune activation/inflammation in HAART-treated individuals. There are still gaps in our knowledge of whether low-level replication persists in systemic versus mucosal sites. Design and methods:Participants for this study were recruited from the Women's Interagency HIV Study. We evaluated 33 'elite controllers' who naturally controlled HIV replication and 33 matched HAART-suppressed recipients. This study employed a sensitive target-capture transcription-mediated-amplification assay to compare low-level virus concentrations in plasma and cervical-vaginal lavage (CVL) samples from HIV-positive HAART recipients and 'elite controllers'. Results:The median (interquartile range) plasma viral load signal/cut-off (S/Co) for 'elite controllers' was 10.5 (3.9–21.1), which was significantly (P <0.001) higher than the S/Co for HAART recipients [2.0 (1–4.9)]. The majority of CVL samples from both groups had undetectable HIV RNA and the proportion of CVL samples with a cut-off more than 1.0 was not different between 'elite controllers' and HAART-suppressed recipients. Conclusion:This study demonstrated persistent low-level HIV replication in 'elite controllers', suggesting potential value of HAART treatment for these individuals. Absent or very low levels of HIV RNA in CVL indicate very low risk of secondary sexual transmission for both groups.


In this paper, we present an in-depth investigation of the linguistic knowledge encoded by the transformer models currently available for the Italian language. In particular, we investigate how the complexity of two different architectures of probing models affects the performance of the Transformers in encoding a wide spectrum of linguistic features. Moreover, we explore how this implicit knowledge varies according to different textual genres and language varieties.


This historiography paper analyzes a sample of the body of writing regarding the causes of Soviet collapse that has appeared in the last 20 years. There are several themes that the time-period's histories address, but, for the most part, they conveniently tend to focus on the central question of "why did the Soviet Union collapse?" As most secondary sources tackle the question directly and coherently, this essay will argue that historiography is best classified by "factors of collapse". Furthermore, this essay will contend that there is a correlation between mediums of writing and the "factor of collapse" they tend to espouse.


Reasoning about uncertainty has been an active area of research for over thirty years. With the advent of networked systems, especially the Web, it became important to be able to combine uncertain information that comes from different sources. One of the hard problems in this area is combining evidence obtained from correlated, possibly conflicting, information sources.
This dissertation develops Belief Logic Programming (BLP), a novel form of quantitative logic programming that deals with uncertain and inconsistent information and is able to combine and correlate evidence obtained from non-independent information sources. BLP was inspired by Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence and belief combination functions. Our approach does not depend on a particular method of combining evidence and, in fact, different combination methods can be used simultaneously for different types of uncertain information. Most importantly, unlike previous efforts to integrate uncertainty and logic programming, BLP can correlate structural information contained in rules and provides more accurate estimates for certainty factors.
Together with declarative and fixpoint semantics for BLP, the dissertation develops optimized query evaluation algorithms. In addition, the monotonicity and non-monotonicity properties of BLP as well as the relationship to defeasible reasoning, paraconsistent reasoning, and Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence are discussed.
After developing the basic framework, the dissertation develops several extensions. One extension allows cyclic dependencies in BLP rules. Another extension captures quantitative correlation among the base facts. Since full correlation information might not always be available, we develop an approach that allows to approximate correlation information using only partial information. Under certain conditions, this approximate method yields the same results as the method that is based on full information. The query evaluation algorithms are then extended to cover the enhancements.


JONES, MICHAEL ANDREW. Factors Affecting Governmental / Trade Disparities Among Nations. (Under the direction of Dr. George Hodge and Dr. Robert Barnhardt.) As globalization takes hold in international trade, companies are impacted by factors that are often beyond the scope of their influence. These trade factors directly impact the competitiveness of companies in global markets. Global markets are becoming the norm as communication, technology, and infrastructure within developing countries improve. Textile and apparel companies are searching for the optimal locations to produce various products so that they will have the proper balance of quality and cost, in an attempt to increase profitability. This research focused on the bottom weights and bed/bath markets. These markets were selected because they have a significant manufacturing presence in the United States, and they possess different supply chain structures. This study used a two-phase mixed methods approach in order to gain secondary data from available resources and primary data from in-depth interviews with industry executives. Eighteen leading companies in the bed/bath and bottom weights markets were interviewed with 33 respondents whose average experience was 25 years in the industry. Comparisons and contrasts were analyzed regarding the two markets. The five trade factors that were analyzed in this research were: 1) currency exchange rates, 2) environmental and social compliance, 3) Intellectual Property theft, 4) federal government subsidies, and 5) employee benefit plans. All of the trade factors influence companies in international markets. American companies are at a competitive disadvantage with offshore companies in these markets due to these five trade factors. Government policy and regulations put tremendous strain on domestic textile and apparel companies to remain competitive in the dynamic global textile industry. This study is one section of a three part research project regarding economic competitiveness in the global textile and apparel industry. The three studies are: • "Factors Affecting Governmental / Trade Disparities Among Nations," by Michael A. Jones. • "Market Competitiveness in the Global Textile Supply Chain: Examination of Supply Chain Configurations," by C. Hope Nowell. • "Economic Competitiveness in the Global Textile Supply Chain: An Examination of Logistics Cost Structures," by Lynsey A. Cesca. FACTORS AFFECTING GOVERNMENTAL / TRADE DISPARITIES AMONG NATIONS


Abstract. Intrinsic permeability is an important parameter that regulates air exchange through porous media such as snow. Standard methods of measuring snow permeability are inconvenient to perform outdoors, are fraught with sampling errors, and require specialized equipment, while bringing intact samples back to the laboratory is also challenging. To address these issues, we designed, built, and tested a low-cost acoustic permeameter that allows computation of volume-averaged intrinsic permeability for a homogenous medium. In this paper, we validate acoustically derived permeability of homogenous, reticulated foam samples by comparison with results derived using a standard flow-through permeameter. Acoustic permeameter elements were designed for use in snow, but the measurement methods are not snow-specific. The electronic components – consisting of a signal generator, amplifier, speaker, microphone, and oscilloscope – are inexpensive and easily obtainable. The system is suitable for outdoor use when it is not precipitating, but the electrical components require protection from the elements in inclement weather. The permeameter can be operated with a microphone either internally mounted or buried a known depth in the medium. The calibration method depends on choice of microphone positioning. For an externally located microphone, calibration was based on a low-frequency approximation applied at 500 Hz that provided an estimate of both intrinsic permeability and tortuosity. The low-frequency approximation that we used is valid up to 2 kHz, but we chose 500 Hz because data reproducibility was maximized at this frequency. For an internally mounted microphone, calibration was based on attenuation at 50 Hz and returned only intrinsic permeability. We found that 50 Hz corresponded to a wavelength that minimized resonance frequencies in the acoustic tube and was also within the response limitations of the microphone. We used reticulated foam of known permeability (ranging from 2 × 10−7 to 3 × 10−9 m2) and estimated tortuosity of 1.05 to validate both methods. For the externally mounted microphone the mean normalized standard deviation was 6 % for permeability and 2 % for tortuosity. The mean relative error from known measurements was 17 % for permeability and 2 % for tortuosity. For the internally mounted microphone the mean normalized standard deviation for permeability was 10 % and the relative error was also 10 %. Permeability determination for an externally mounted microphone is less sensitive to environmental noise than is the internally mounted microphone and is therefore the recommended method. The approximation using the internally mounted microphone was developed as an alternative for circumstances in which placing the microphone in the medium was not feasible. Environmental noise degrades precision of both methods and is recognizable as increased scatter for replicate data points.


Submarine channels are often thought of as having relatively simple geometries, with significant along-channel morphologic and stratigraphic continuity. Using high-resolution seismic reflection data from offshore Angola and a kinematic model of channel evolution, we present evidence that channels on the seafloor can develop slope variability as a result of meander cutoff events. When cutoffs develop, the shortened flow paths produce locally steep gradients, thus initiating knickpoints. Waves of knickpoint retreat and the related channel incision explain the occurrence of terraces and associated remnant channel deposits above the youngest channel thalweg. The simple processes of meander cutoff followed by knickpoint retreat are intrinsic to submarine channels and result in significant morphologic variability, erosion, and stratigraphic complexity, without any external forcing. These insights highlight the early evolution of submarine channels, a phase with a record that is commonly fragmented or completely absent as a result of subsequent erosion, and allow a better understanding of the autogenic controls on deep-marine stratigraphy.


The seminar aims to introduce the newly developed Knowledge Management Model (SMART KM) which presents a unique integrated solution for the highly debated subject. SMART KM ensures that knowledge management becomes part of the organisational culture through the appropriate integration with number of organisation facets such as strategy, management systems, ICT and support services. SMART KM is a revolutionary model being driven by best-in-class KM practices from a number of industries in addition to well-founded theories. The framework contain number of business components which supports knowledge flow throughout the organisations which can be tailored to achieve the organisation specific goals and objectives in alignment with the adopted operating model. Throughout the seminar, number of key issues facing organisations in implementing KM initiatives will be introduced and you would also be able to realise the design principles supporting SMART KM and how it can be used to develop fit-for-purpose KM Framework.


Stray light contamination reduces considerably the precision of photometric of faint stars for low altitude spaceborne observatories. When measuring faint objects, the necessity of coping with stray light contamination arises in order to avoid systematic impacts on low signal-to-noise images. Stray light contamination can be represented by a flat offset in CCD data. Mitigation techniques begin by a comprehensive study during the design phase, followed by the use of target pointing optimisation and post-processing methods. We present a code that aims at simulating the stray-light contamination in low-Earth orbit coming from reflexion of solar light by the Earth. StrAy Light SimulAtor (SALSA) is a tool intended to be used at an early stage as a tool to evaluate the effective visible region in the sky and, therefore to optimise the observation sequence. SALSA can compute Earth stray light contamination for significant periods of time allowing missionwide parameters to be optimised (e.g. impose constraints on the point source transmission function (PST) and/or on the altitude of the satellite). It can also be used to study the behaviour of the stray light at different seasons or latitudes. Given the position of the satellite with respect to the Earth and the Sun, SALSA computes the stray light at the entrance of the telescope following a geometrical technique. After characterising the illuminated region of the Earth, the portion of illuminated Earth that affects the satellite is calculated. Then, the flux of reflected solar photons is evaluated at the entrance of the telescope. Using the PST of the instrument, the final stray light contamination at the detector is calculated. The analysis tools include time series analysis of the contamination, evaluation of the sky coverage and an objects visibility predictor. Effects of the South Atlantic Anomaly and of any shutdown periods of the instrument can be added. Several designs or mission concepts can be easily tested and compared. The code is not thought as a stand-alone mission designer. Its mandatory inputs are a time series describing the trajectory of the satellite and the characteristics of the instrument. This software suite has been applied to the design and analysis of CHEOPS (CHaracterizing ExOPlanet Satellite). This mission requires very high precision photometry to detect very shallow transits of exoplanets. Different altitudes and characteristics of the detector have been studied in order to find the best parameters, that reduce the effect of contamination.


The author responds to two discouraging position papers by F.B. Brooks, Jr. (see ibid., vol.20, no.4, p 10-19, 1987) and D.L. Parnas (see Commun. ACM, vol.28, no.12, p.1326-35, 1985) regarding the potential of software engineering. While agreeing with most of the specific points made in both papers, he illuminates the brighter side of the coin, emphasizing developments in the field that were too recent or immature to have influenced Brooks and Parnas when they wrote their manuscripts. He reviews their arguments, and then considers a class of systems that has been termed reactive, which are widely considered to be particularly problematic. He reviews a number of developments that have taken place in the past several years and submits that they combine to form the kernel of a solid general-purpose approach to the development of complex reactive systems.<<ETX>>


Abstract. We propose an approach to stochastic parameterisation of shallow cumulus clouds to represent the convective variability and its dependence on the model resolution. To collect information about the individual cloud lifecycles and the cloud ensemble as a whole, we employ a large eddy simulation (LES) model and a cloud tracking algorithm, followed by conditional sampling of clouds at the cloud-base level. In the case of a shallow cumulus ensemble, the cloud-base mass flux distribution is bimodal, due to the different shallow cloud subtypes, active and passive clouds. Each distribution mode can be approximated using a Weibull distribution, which is a generalisation of exponential distribution by accounting for the change in distribution shape due to the diversity of cloud lifecycles. The exponential distribution of cloud mass flux previously suggested for deep convection parameterisation is a special case of the Weibull distribution, which opens a way towards unification of the statistical convective ensemble formalism of shallow and deep cumulus clouds. Based on the empirical and theoretical findings, a stochastic model has been developed to simulate a shallow convective cloud ensemble. It is formulated as a compound random process, with the number of convective elements drawn from a Poisson distribution, and the cloud mass flux sampled from a mixed Weibull distribution. Convective memory is accounted for through the explicit cloud lifecycles, making the model formulation consistent with the choice of the Weibull cloud mass flux distribution function. The memory of individual shallow clouds is required to capture the correct convective variability. The resulting distribution of the subgrid convective states in the considered shallow cumulus case is scale-adaptive – the smaller the grid size, the broader the distribution.


Abstract This paper examines policy effectiveness as a function of leader identity. We experimentally vary leader religious identity in a coordination game implemented in India and focus on citizen reactions to leader identity, controlling for leader actions. We find that minority leaders improve coordination, and majority leaders do not. Alternative treatment arms reveal that affirmative action for minorities reverses this result, while intergroup contact improves the effectiveness of leaders of both identities. We also find that minority leaders are less effective in towns with a history of intergroup conflict. Our results demonstrate that leader and policy effectiveness depend on citizen reactions, conditioned by social identity and past conflict.


We propose a benchmark prior for the estimation of vector autoregressions: a prior about initial growth rates of the modelled series. We first show that the Bayesian vs frequentist small sample bias controversy is driven by different default initial conditions. These initial conditions are usually arbitrary and our prior serves to replace them in an intuitive way. To implement this prior we develop a technique for translating priors about observables into priors about parameters. We find that our prior makes a big difference for the estimated persistence of output responses to monetary policy shocks in the United States.


Excerpt] "In 1996, in Jaffee v. Redmond, the U.S. Supreme Court, pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Rule of Evidence 501, recognized a psychotherapist-patient privilege in the federal courts. In doing so, the Court acknowledged the essential role that confidentiality plays in a therapist-patient relationship and also recognized the important role that psychotherapy plays in the mental health of the American citizenry. However, in dicta set out in a footnote near the conclusion of the opinion (footnote 19 of the opinion), the Court suggested that the privilege might not be absolute, that it might need to "give way [in situations where] . . . a serious threat of harm to the patient or to others can be averted only by means of a disclosure by the therapist." In the years since this decision, the lower federal courts have wrestled with how to determine the contours of the psychotherapist-patient privilege, particularly in light of the Supreme Court's comments contained within footnote 19. Currently, the federal circuit courts are split over whether the Court intended to establish a dangerous-patient exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege and the situations in which this exception would be appropriate. A year and a half after Jaffee was decided, the Tenth Circuit, in United States v. Glass, crafted a dangerous-patient exception to the privilege, which was fashioned after the criteria set forth by the Jaffee Court in footnote 19. However, the Sixth and Ninth Circuits have refused to recognize the exception on the grounds that the footnote is dicta and that a dangerous-patient exception contravenes the rationale and the holding of the Jaffee opinion. This article addresses the dangerous-patient exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege and argues against the recognition of this exception. Parts I and II of this article present a discussion of the history of privileges and the development of the psychotherapist patient privilege, culminating with an in-depth discussion of the Supreme Court's opinion in Jaffee. This section also includes a brief discussion of the two distinct rationales supporting privileges: the deontological rationale and the utilitarian rationale espoused by Dean John Henry Wigmore and adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court. Part III of this article presents the opinions of the federal circuit courts that have grappled with the question of whether to recognize the dangerous-patient exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege. In Part IV, this article sets forth reasons why the Glass court and the other courts that have adopted the Glass test are wrong. It explains that the comments set forth in the Jaffee footnote are mere obiter dicta and, thus, have negligible value. It also demonstrates that interpreting this footnote as authorizing a dangerous-patient exception is wholly inconsistent with the Jaffee opinion and the Supreme Court's sanctioning of the legislative history of Federal Rule of Evidence 501, particularly the proposed but rejected rules related to privileges. Part IV also argues that the Part IV also argues that the Glass court erred in crafting the test by failing to conduct the proper legal analysis in light of the privileges that the Supreme Court set forth in Jaffee and, two years later, in Swidler & Berlin v. United States. Part IV also addresses the "reason and experience" requirement of Federal Rule of Evidence 501, which provides that privileges are to be governed by the principles of the common law "as they may be interpreted by the [federal] courts . . . in light of reason and experience." This section presents the reasons why "reason and This article is available in University of New Hampshire Law Review: https://scholars.unh.edu/unh_lr/vol9/iss3/3 experience" do not support the recognition of the dangerous-patient exception to the privilege. It shows not only that there is no clear consensus among the states with respect to a therapist's duty to protect third parties, but also that there is much confusion among the laws of the states with respect to the dangerous-patient exception. Finally, this section examines the "reason and experience" requirement of Rule 501 in light of the commonly recognized exceptions to the other federal communication privileges. It concludes that because neither the attorney-client privilege, the spousal privilege, nor the clergy-penitent privilege are subject to a "dangerous-person" exception, "reason and experience" do not support the recognition of this type of exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege. Part V of this article discusses the limited situations in which a therapist might be compelled to testify about a patient's confidential communications. This article concludes with a discussion of, and recommendation for, procedures that courts should follow when presented with challenges to the psychotherapist-patient privilege. It recommends that courts conduct in camera review of the evidence proffered in support of exceptions to the privilege and require that the proponent of the exception prove the necessary elements by a preponderance of the evidence. These procedures will provide protection against the needless public disclosure of confidential patient information and serve to protect the confidentiality of the therapist-patient relationship, which the Jaffee Court recognized is a "sine qua non for successful psychiatric treatment.""


This study describes the enhanced and simultaneous extraction of phycocyanin and phenolics from Arthospira platensis biomass. Ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction was investigated to determine its efficacy regarding phycocyanin and phenolics yield. An optimization experiment using response surface methodology revealed that the variables ethanol concentration (20%–95%, v/v), extraction temperature (15°C–65°C), sonicator amplitude (20%–100%) and extraction time (60–300 s) have a significant effect on phycocyanin and phenolics yield. The maximum yield of phycocyanin (29.9 mg/g) and total phenolics (2.4 mg/g) was predicted to occur at 40% ethanol concentration, 34.9°C extraction temperature, sonicator amplitude of 95% and extraction time of 104.7 s. The resultant extract exhibited a dose-dependent antioxidant response with an IC50 value of 85.75 μg/ml. This extract can be incorporated into functional foods as the extracting solvents ethanol and water have GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status.


An informative introduction to the history and culture of ancient Nubia from the Bronze Age through the Christian period. The author places Nubia in its historical and cultural context as an important African civilization. This book accompanied a traveling exhibit of the same name and includes black-and-white photographs of more than 300 objects as well as a selection of color photographs. Detailed line drawings of wall paintings, cemeteries, town plans, and architectural reconstructions help reveal the complexity of Nubian society.


Mass spectrometry-based methods offer an alternative means of determining allergens in foods. Whilst targeted methods are likely to offer the most robust approach for detection and quantification, little is known about how food processing may affect the behaviour of peptide targets. A systematic study has been undertaken to investigate the effects of thermal processing (boiling, roasting, frying) on the behaviour of a suite of peanut peptide targets representing the major clinically-relevant allergens. Initially the effect of thermal processing on protein extractability was investigated and a mass spectrometry-compatible buffer identified comprising 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.8 containing 50 mM dithiothreitol and 0.04% (w/v) acid labile detergent which was able to extract 45-100% of protein from raw, boiled, roasted and fried peanuts using sonication at 60 °C. Eight peptide targets were identified including two peptides from each cupin allergen, Ara h1 and Ara h3 and four peptides from the prolamin superfamily allergens Ara h2, 6 and 7. AQUA peptide standards were synthesised and used to undertake multiple-reaction monitoring experiments, giving assay sensitivities of 0.1-30 amoles of peptide on-column (3 : 1 signal : noise), calculated limits of quantification between 96-1343 amoles of peptide on-column and a linear dynamic range of 4-5 orders of magnitude. Absolute quantification of individual peanut allergens in thermally processed samples showed that peptide targets in the cupin allergens were more prone to processing-induced effects than those from Ara h2, 6 and 7. Targets flanked by arginine residues showed greater thermostability. Identification of processing-stable targets, coupled with more efficient extraction procedures and a wide dynamic range, shows that targeted mass spectrometry methods have great potential as an additional method for quantifying peanut allergens in complex food matrices.


Trace amounts (∼5 at%) of metal-containing diamond-like carbon films (DLC) have been deposited using a Off Plane Double Bend Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (OPDB-FCVA) system. The films prepared this way resulted in amorphous thin films where the metal atoms are randomly mixed in a DLC matrix. These films are sometimes called carbon composites. In this paper, the observation of self-assembled Ni nanoclusters by high resolution TEM in a DLC matrix is reported. This phenomenon has only been observed in Ni and not in other metals such as Al, W etc. These Ni nanoclusters have a diameter of ∼2 nm and XRD measurements confirms a (111) orientation while XPS shows that no carbide formation occurs between Ni and DLC.


Although the August 1998 currency crisis came as a surprise to at least some observers, the rapid recovery of the Russian economy after the crisis was even more unexpected. Unlike the experience of East Asian countries, Russia's economy enjoyed a boom after the currency crisis, not a recession. Output started to grow immediately after the crisis in October 1998, and continues to increase at a high rate for over two years now. In fact, gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.2% in 1999 and is expected to increase by an impressive 6 to 7% in 2000, whereas industrial output expanded by 8% in 1999 and will probably grow even faster in 2000 (fig. 1). This is the first period of solid economic growth after nearly a decade-long recession and stagnation (1989-98), and the period of fastest industrial growth since the 1950s.


Once again, it appears that Russia is marching to the forefront of the international stage. Anne L. Clunan's analysis of Russia's resurgence convincingly argues that traditional security concerns, historical aspirations, and human agency are coalescing around a new national identity and reconfigured national interests in the post-Soviet nation. Her work moves beyond balance-of-power and realist politics to posit a new, interdisciplinary theory: aspirational constructivism. This groundbreaking theory draws on international relations research and social psychology. Clunan argues that the need for collective self-esteem creates aspirations-often based in a nation's past-that directly shape its national and security interests. In applying this theory to Russia, she points to the nation's continuing efforts to exert influence over former Soviet satellite states and relates the desire for international status found in five broad Russian national self-images-Western, statist, Slavophile, neocommunist, and nationalist-to Russia's definition of its security interests with respect to Europe, Eurasia, and nuclear weapons. Clunan's examination of how sociology, social psychology, and traditional international politics affect post-Soviet Russian identity and security concerns is truly cross-disciplinary. A concluding chapter discusses the policy implications of aspirational constructivism for Russia and other nations and a methodological appendix lays out a framework for testing the theory.


This paper is intended to provide an updated discussion on a series of issues that the relevant literature suggests to be crucial in dealing with the challenges a middle income country may encounter in its attempts to further catch-up a higher income status. In particular, the conventional economic wisdom - ranging from the Lewis-Kuznets model to the endogenous growth approach - will be contrasted with the Schumpeterian and evolutionary views pointing to the role of capabilities and knowledge, considered as key inputs to foster economic growth. Then, attention will be turned to structural change and innovation, trying to map - using the taxonomies put forward by the innovation literature - the concrete ways through which a middle income country can engage a technological catching-up, having in mind that developing countries are deeply involved into globalized markets where domestic innovation has to be complemented by the role played by international technological transfer. Among the ways how a middle income country can foster domestic innovation and structural change in terms of sectoral diversification and product differentiation, a recent stream of literature underscores the potentials of local innovative entrepreneurship, that will also be discussed bridging entrepreneurial studies with the development literature. Finally, the possible consequences of catching-up in terms of jobs and skills will be discussed.


This innovative and unique book is a visual guide to the buildings that surround us, naming all the visible architectural features so that, unlike other architectural dictionaries, the reader doesn't have to know the name before looking it up. Clear line drawings and extensive colour photographs illustrate each of the main building types, from forts to churches, stately homes to skyscrapers. The individual structural elements and materials common to all buildings are then explained, whether in Classical, Gothic or Modernist style, before delving into the inner architectural details such as doors and windows, roofs and staircases. A comprehensive glossary completes the book. An original and accessible take on the architectural dictionary, this book takes you on a visual tour of the buildings around us, and will be useful not only to students but to anyone with a general interest in architecture.


We propose a method to detect and reconstruct multiple 3D objects from a single RGB image. The key idea is to optimize for detection, alignment and shape jointly over all objects in the RGB image, while focusing on realistic and physically plausible reconstructions. To this end, we propose a key-point detector that localizes objects as center points and directly predicts all object properties, including 9-DoF bounding boxes and 3D shapes – all in a single forward pass. The proposed method formulates 3D shape reconstruction as a shape selection problem, i.e. it selects among exemplar shapes from a given database. This makes it agnostic to shape representations, which enables a lightweight reconstruction of realistic and visually-pleasing shapes based on CAD-models, while the training objective is formulated around point clouds and voxel representations. A collision-loss promotes non-intersecting objects, further increasing the reconstruction realism. Given the RGB image, the presented approach performs lightweight reconstruction in a single-stage, it is real-time capable, fully differentiable and end-to-end trainable. Our experiments compare multiple approaches for 9-DoF bounding box estimation, evaluate the novel shape-selection mechanism and compare to recent methods in terms of 3D bounding box estimation and 3D shape reconstruction quality.


Abstract
The indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test for the detection of antibodies in amebic infection has proved to be sensitive and specific. It would be advantageous to have a stable, uniform preparation of sensitized erythrocytes available for use at any time. Erythrocytes were treated with glutaraldehyde, tanned and sensitized with Entamoeba histolytica antigen and used in the IHA test. Serum from uninfected persons and from patients with amebic colitic and liver abscess were used to ascertain the sensitivity and stability of the treated erythrocytes as compared with sensitized untreated erythrocytes. The sensitivity of the glutaraldehyde-treated erythrocytes in the detection of E. histolytica antibody was comparable to that of fresh erythrocytes. Treated sensitized cells were stable, when stored at -70°C, for 6 months.


Orchids are very popular ornamental plant because it has a diverse kind. The flowers are used for various purposes. One way to increase the growth of Dendrobium orchid by using a mixture of planting media and fertilizer through the leaves, because the fertilizer is already contained nutrients needed by plants orchid. The study aimed to obtain the composition of planting medium with a good concentration of liquid fertilizer for the growth of Dendrobium orchid (Dendrobium sp.) and conducted experimentally at Gerai Tanaman Hias Intan Bertuah in Jl. Arifin Ahmad, Pekanbaru, Riau by using Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) consist of 9 treatment (media fern, wood charcoal, coconut husk, broken bricks with Growmore concentrations of 0.5, 1. 5 and 2.5 g/liter of water) with 3 replications. Each experimental unit contained 3 plants and 81 population. The parameters measured were the number of shoots, plant height, stem diameter, leaf length and leaf number. The results showed that treatment with the composition of planting media with concentration of Growmore fertilizer had not significant effect on all parameters was observed that the number of shoots, plant height, stem diameter, leaf length and number of leaves, whereas treatment ferns planting media composition, wood charcoal, coconut fiber with Growmore 1.5 g/liter of water gives the best results for the parameters of the number of shoots, plant height and number of leaves on the growth of Dendrobium orchids (Dendrobium sp.).


The ability to measure 238U/235U to high precision presents an important new opportunity to study the fate and transport of uranium in the environment. The ratio of 238U/235U was determined by multicollector–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer in six uranium ore samples representing two different classes of deposits. Significant offsets in 238U/235U are observed between uranium ores precipitated from groundwaters at low temperature versus hydrothermal deposits precipitated at high temperatures, reinforcing an observation made previously but lacking the needed precision. Specifically, tabular sandstone-type uranium deposits were found to be depleted in 235U, with a total offset between low-temperature deposits and higher temperature deposits of ≈1.0‰. We attribute this offset to reflect a temperature-dependent fractionation related to the nuclear field shift effect during chemical reduction of uranium in ambient temperature groundwaters.


The aim of the paper is to point out that semantic inferentialism is a suitable semantic theory of moral discourse. This aim is pursued by comparison of semantic inferentialism with another two popular semantic approaches to moral discourse, namely representational and expressivist approaches. While the rep-resentationalism claims that statements gain their meanings by representing cer-tain states of affairs, the expressivist semantics claims that the meanings of moral statements consist in the emotions or desires we express by them. Thesis of this paper is that semantic inferentialism is a promising semantic theory of moral discourse because it allows us to take the position that moral statements are meaningful without assuming the existence of controversial entities in the form of objective ethical facts, and at the same time, it does not require us to interpret moral discourse merely as a means for expressing our emotions and desires.


For almost two decades, the conventional civil rights political empowerment agenda of black activists, lawyers, and scholars has focused on the election of black representatives. The belief that black representation is everything has defined litigation strategy under the Voting Rights Act. Through judicially enforced spurs to black electoral success, black voters gain political self-confidence and legislative influence.A set of submerged premises and assumptions concerning the goals and strategies for achieving black equality underlie this empowerment agenda. Through use of what I characterize as "the theory of black electoral success," this article identifies, organizes, and presents these related propositions. In black electoral success theory, empowerment is obtained through meaningful enfranchisement, which exists where blacks are elected. The theory thus promotes the election of individual black representatives as spokes models f or political e quality. Simply by virtue of election opportunities, black electoral success advances civil rights enforcement, government intervention on behalf of the poor, and black "role-model" development. Although pervasive and influential, the theory of black electoral success has not been explicitly endorsed as a strategy nor articulated as a coherent conceptual model. Neither political science nor legal academic literature has provided voting rights lawyers, courts, or activists with a clear theoretical understanding of their project. Instead, black electoral success has been pursued somewhat unselfconsciously as the inchoate rationale and frame of reference for black political and legal empowermentIn this article, my goal is to organize the divergent themes of black electoral success strategy with in one conceptual framework in order to give the themes more cogency and attention. Having exposed the existence of a coherent theory, I then argue that the theory posits many of the correct goals but fails to provide a realistic mechanism for achieving them. The article proceeds in three Parts. In Part I, I develop the ideological and statutory roots of black electoral success theory. In Part II, I analyze the inadequacies of current voting rights litigation and its failure to realize the statute's original goals. I conclude in Part III by arguing that contemporary Pre-occupation with black electoral success stifles rather than empowers black political participation for three reasons. First, black electoral success theory romanticizes black elected officials as empowerment role models. By ignoring problems of tokenism and false consciousness, the theory promotes black electoral success in order to legitimate the ideology of "equality of opportunity." Second, even in jurisdictions with proportionate black representation, black electoral success has neither mobilized the black community nor realized the promised community-based reforms. As an empowerment mechanism, electoral control of winner-take-all majority-black districts ignores critical connections between broad-based, sustained voter participation and accountable representation. In addition, although it claims legitimacy as a practical enforcement mechanism of the original goals of the civil rights movement, district based electoral ratification enforces only one of three original goals. While the current approach may result in the election of more black officials, it ignores the movement's concern with broadening the base of participation and fundamentally reforming the substance of political decisionsThird, the theory assumes that majority winners rule legitimately, even where such rule leads to permanent minority losers. The theory responds to minority disadvantage not by challenging majority rule but by providing a few electoral districts in which blacks are the majority.8 Consequently, black electoral success theory simply recon-figures winner-take-all electoral opportunities into geographically based, majority-black, single-member districts. Representing a geographically and socially isolated constituency in a racially polarized environment, blacks elected from single-member districts have little control over policy choices made by their white counterparts. Thus, although it ensures more representatives, district-based black electoral success may not necessarily result in more responsive government.In Part III, based on my critique of the black electoral success theory, I put forth suggestions for a different approach to voting rights reform. Relying on what I tentatively call "proportionate interest representation"9 for self-identified communities of interest, I propose to reconsider the ways in which representatives are elected and the rules under which legislative decisions are made.


We have been developing the novel short-term heating angioplasty in which sufficient artery lumen-dilatation was attained with thermal softening of collagen fiber in artery wall. In the present study, we investigated on the relation between the mechanical properties of heated artery and thermal denaturation fractures of arterial collagen in ex vivo. We employed Lumry-Eyring model to estimate temperature- and time-dependent thermal denaturation fractures of arterial collagen fiber during heating. We made a kinetic model of arterial collagen thermal denaturation by adjustment of K and k in this model, those were the equilibrium constant of reversible denaturation and the rate constant of irreversible denaturation. Meanwhile we demonstrated that the change of reduced scattering coefficient of whole artery wall during heating reflected the reversible denaturation of the collagen in artery wall. Based on this phenomenon, the K was determined experimentally by backscattered light intensity measurement (at 633nm) of extracted porcine carotid artery during temperature elevation and descending (25°C→80°C→25°C). We employed the value of according to our earlier report in which the time-and temperature- dependent irreversible denaturation amount of the artery collagen fiber that was assessed by the artery birefringence. Then, the time- and temperature- dependent reversible (irreversible) denaturation fraction defined as the reversible ((irreversible) denatured collagen amount) / (total collagen amount) was calculated by the model. Thermo-mechanical analysis of artery wall was performed to compare the arterial mechanical behaviors (softening, shrinkage) during heating with the calculated denaturation fraction with the model. In any artery temperature condition in 70-80°, the irreversible denaturation fraction at which the artery thermal shrinkage started was estimated to be around 20%. On the other hand, the calculated irreversible denaturation fraction remained below 5% and reversible denaturation fraction reached up to 20% while the artery softening occurred without shrinkage. We think that our model of arterial collagen thermal denaturation might be reasonable to estimate the artery mechanical properties during heating.


Does individual well-being depend on the absolute level of income and consumption or is it relative to one's aspirations? In a direct empirical test, it is found that higher income aspirations reduce people's utility, ceteris paribus. Individual data on reported satisfaction with life are used as a proxy measure for utility, and income evaluation measures are applied as proxies for people's aspiration levels. Consistent with processes of adaptation and social comparison, income aspirations increase with people's income as well as with the average income in the community they live in.


This article studies the optimal determination of bankruptcy exemptions for risk averse borrowers who use unsecured contracts but have the possibility of defaulting. In a large class of economies, knowledge of four variables is sufficient to determine whether a bankruptcy exemption level is optimal or should be increased or decreased. These variables are 1. the composition of households' liabilities, 2. the sensitivity of the credit supply schedule to exemption changes, 3. the probability of filing for bankruptcy with non-exempt assets, and 4. the value given by households to a marginal dollar in different states, which can be mapped to changes in households' consumption. I recover empirical estimates of the sufficient statistics using U.S. data over the period 2008–16 and find that increasing exemption levels improves overall welfare, although there is substantial variation in estimated welfare gains across U.S. states and income quintiles.


Various kinds of user and patient involvement are spreading in healthcare in most Western countries. The purpose of this study is to critically assess the actual conditions for patients' involvement in healthcare practice in Greenland and to point to possibilities for development. Patients' perspectives on their own conduct of everyday life with illness and their possibilities for participation when hospitalized are examined in relation to the conditions in a hospital setting dominated by biomedical practice. On a theoretical level, it is argued that the concept of 'participation' is preferable to the concept 'involvement' in healthcare. The study shows that there are several interconnected areas for development: the structural frames of hospital practice, including professionals' possibilities for handling patient participation, and the agency of the patients conducting their everyday lives when hospitalized. Consequences of the biomedical hegemony are discussed in relation to WHO ́s broader approach to disease, illness and health and the still existing postcolonial traces of power and hierarchy. Finally it is argued that patient participation during hospitalization will promote the patients ́ conduct of everyday life, the cultural knowledge of the professionals, and the democratization of the healthcare sector. Such changes might be connected to a more encompassing democratic societal development – in Greenland as well as globally.


Activity of amylase after application of insecticide combinations viz., profenofos + cypermethrin and deltamethrin + endosulfan at concentrations ranging from 0.0 to 10.0 kg ha-1 in black and red soils of groundnut were studied under laboratory conditions.Amylase activity was increased with increase in concentrations of insecticide combinations upto 5.0kg ha-1. Pronounced activity of amylase in terms of glucose formed from starch (2%) was observed at observed at 5.0 kg ha-1 of profenofos + cypermethrin and 2.5kg ha-1 of deltamethrin + endosulfan in both black and red soil. Higher levels of these were toxic to amylase activity. In soil samples receiving at 1.0 to 5.0kg ha-1 of insecticide combinations, the accumulation of glucose was significantly more at 20 days activity of enzyme decreased with increasing period of incubation. The increase was more striking when substrate was exposed to the soil sample for 72 hours of amylase enzyme activity. From obtained results it was concluded that the influence of the selected insecticide combinations on enzyme activity was dose dependent.


ABSTRACT Aim: The PD-1 receptor-ligand pathway can be used by tumors to evade immune surveillance, thereby allowing neoplastic growth. Pembro is a highly selective, humanized IgG4/kappa isotype monoclonal antibody designed to block PD-1 interaction with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, thus reactivating the immune system to eradicate the host tumor. In a phase 1b study (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01848834), we assessed the safety, tolerability, and antitumor activity of pembro in gastric cancer pts. Methods: Using a prototype immunohistochemistry assay, PD-L1 expression was assessed in archival tumor samples from pts with recurrent/metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction. Eligible pts with PD-L1 staining in stroma or ≥1% of tumor cells were enrolled and treated with pembro 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks for up to 24 months or until complete response, disease progression, or unacceptable toxicity. Enrollment was designed to include an equal number of pts from Asia Pacific (AP) and the rest of the world (ROW). Adverse events (AEs) were monitored and graded per the NCI CTCAE v4.0. Radiographic imaging was performed every 8 weeks. Primary efficacy end point was overall response rate (ORR) assessed by RECIST v1.1. Results: Of the 162 pts screened, 65 (40%) were PD-L1+ and 39 enrolled: 19 from AP, 20 from ROW. Median age was 63 y, and 72% of pts were men. Pts from AP were more heavily pretreated than pts from ROW (≥2 prior therapies in 79% vs 55%). Median follow-up duration was ∼6 mo. The most common AEs deemed treatment related by investigators were hypothyroidism and fatigue (n = 5 each). Grade ≥3 AEs deemed treatment related occurred in 3 pts (n = 1 each for hypoxia, peripheral neuropathy, and pneumonitis). ORR (confirmed + unconfirmed) was 32% in AP and 30% in ROW. Responses were ongoing for 6/6 AP pts and 5/6 ROW pts (median response duration not reached; range 8+ to 20+ wk). Evidence of an association between PD-L1 expression and PFS (P = 0.032) and ORR (P = 0.071) was observed. Conclusions: Pembro was generally well tolerated by and provided antitumor activity in pts with advanced gastric cancer that expressed PD-L1. The robust antitumor activity observed supports the further development of pembro in advanced gastric cancer. Disclosure: E.J. Gonzalez: Is employee of and holds stock in Merck & Co., Inc.; J. Pulini: Is former employee of Merck & Co., Inc.; A.B. Ray, M. Dolled-Filhart, K. Emancipator, K. Pathiraja, X. Shu and M.R. Koshiji: Is an employee of Merck & Co., Inc.; J. Cheng: Is an employee of and holds stock in Merck & Co., Inc. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


In our experience, insufficient consideration is often given to the way in which the questions in computer-based assessments are scored. The advent of more complex question-styles such as those delivered by the TRIADSystem (Mackenzie, 1999) has made it much more difficult to predict the distribution of possible scores and the base level guess factor than it has been for tests containing simple multiple-choice questions. For example the TRIADS drag and drop template allows each object to be allocated a different score (positive or negative) for each position as well as allowing dummy objects and dummy positions to be defined. The number of score possibilities for a random answer increases dramatically as the number of objects and positions is increased and although a 0 to 100 scoring scale is available, scores are likely to be concentrated about 'nodes' on this measurement scale. The positions of these 'nodes' will vary with the structure of the question and negative or penalty scoring may serve to 'smear' the mark distribution between 'nodes'. Many tutors may find it difficult to predict the guess factor and will not appreciate the effect that the structure of the question may have on the range and distribution of final scores achieved.
In order to demonstrate to test designers the effects of question structure and score allocation on the 'guess factor' and mark distributions, we are developing an empirical Marking Simulator. This program allows test designers/tutors to select a question type, enter the proposed structure and scores for each question then view the mark distribution and measurement scale that would result from a set of entirely random answers.
Use of the marking simulator should result in a more realistic setting of pass levels and generally enhance the quality of computer-based assessments.


ABSTRACT To study the cost of chromosomal drug resistance mutations to bacteria, we investigated the fitness cost of mutations that confer resistance to different classes of antibiotics affecting bacterial protein synthesis (aminocyclitols, 2-deoxystreptamines, macrolides). We used a model system based on an in vitro competition assay with defined Mycobacterium smegmatis laboratory mutants; selected mutations were introduced by genetic techniques to address the possibility that compensatory mutations ameliorate the resistance cost. We found that the chromosomal drug resistance mutations studied often had only a small fitness cost; compensatory mutations were not involved in low-cost or no-cost resistance mutations. When drug resistance mutations found in clinical isolates were considered, selection of those mutations that have little or no fitness cost in the in vitro competition assay seems to occur. These results argue against expectations that link decreased levels of antibiotic consumption with the decline in the level of resistance.


Users increasingly rely on their mobile applications to fulfill everyday activities. Processing of personal data through such tools poses a significant risk to the user's privacy and security. This stems mainly from the various sensors on the device, but also from the nature of it, because they are physically difficult to secure. As a result of this, implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into mobile applications may pose serious challenges. This study focused on how pharmaceutical and dating applications process user's personal data and if they do so in compliance with the GDPR. We followed a design science methodology and evaluated each application using predefined test cases. Our study revealed instances of personal data stored unencrypted on the device. This included user's social security number and sensitive personal data, such as political opinion and religious belief. This type of data warrants special consent under the new regulation. It further revealed that multiple application does not allow users to opt-out of automatic individual decision-making for direct marketing purposes. Lastly, the study revealed applications that have been updated specifically for the GDPR. The majority of the work for this study was conducted before the implementation date. It is therefore difficult to predict how Norway's supervisory authority will impose sanctions on infringements of the regulation. However, our study revealed infringements of provisions that are eligible for the administrative fines outlined by the GDPR.


Abstract We study the influence of a membrane filter's internal pore structure on its flow and adsorptive fouling behaviour. Membrane performance is measured via (1) comparison between volumetric flow rate and throughput during filtration and (2) control of concentration of foulants at membrane pore outlets. Taking both measures into account, we address the merits and drawbacks of selected membrane pore structures. We first model layered planar membrane structures with intra-layer pore connections, and present comparisons between non-connected and connected structures. Our model predicts that membrane filters with connected pore structures lead to higher total volumetric throughput than those with non-connected structures, over the filter lifetime. We also provide a sufficient criterion for the concentration of particles escaping the filter to achieve a maximum in time (indicative of a membrane filter whose particle retention capability can deteriorate). Additionally, we find that the influence of intra-layer heterogeneity in pore-size distribution on filter performance depends on the connectivity properties of the pores.


What impact do international state-building missions have on the domestic politics of states they seek to build, and how can we measure this impact with confidence? This article seeks to address these questions and challenge some existing approaches that often appear to assume that state-builders leave lasting legacies rather than demonstrating such influence with the use of carefully chosen empirical evidence. Too often, domestic conditions that follow in the wake of international state-building are assumed to follow as a result of international intervention, usually due to insufficient attention to the causal processes that link international actions to domestic outcomes. The article calls for greater appreciation of the methodological challenges to establishing causal inferences regarding the legacies of state-building and identifies three qualitative methodological strategies—process tracing, counterfactual analysis, and the use of control cases—that can be used to improve confidence in causal claims about state-building legacies. The article concludes with a case study of international state-building in East Timor, highlighting several flaws of existing evaluations of the United Nations' role in East Timor and identifying the critical role that domestic actors play even in the context of authoritative international intervention.


Arizona, along with other states, has begun enacting laws attempting to control the movement of undocumented non-citizens within and across its borders. This extraordinary new wave of legislation creates a serious vertical separation of powers problem, risking frustration of federal immigration policy. Although there are a number of reasons that the state action may be unconstitutional, this article focuses on the heretofore unexplored role of the Double Jeopardy Clause.The dual sovereignty exception to the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution allows for successive prosecutions for the same offense, so long as each prosecuting jurisdiction bases the prosecution on its own authority. Two jurisdictions may not prosecute the same offense if each is drawing from the same source of power. States do not have their own authority to enact laws that regulate immigration. Defenders of state regulation do not deny federal primacy in the immigration area, but propose that states have been implicitly invited to assist in carrying out federal policy by enacting state laws.This article suggests that courts should be slow to conclude that the federal government has invited the states to enact legislation. If states have the authority to prosecute immigration cases, that means that the federal government is divested of its power to act in any case where the state prosecutes first. A court, therefore, should uphold state immigration prosecutions only if it is convinced not only that the law is not preempted or unconstitutional for some other reason, but also that the United States intentionally decided to give the states authority to override federal decision making in the immigration arena.


Electricity supply database from the Afghan national authority for electricity supply shows that about only 20% of the population in Afghanistan had access to grid electricity by 2010. The national utility has a total capacity of about 842 MW, out of which about 696 MW was operational. Additionally, many decentralized units (Micro Hydropower (MHP) plants, diesel generators and solar home systems) supply electricity to about 7% of the population. The donors supported National Solidarity Programme (NSP) has promoted hundreds of rural electrification projects. MHP plants are the major renewable energy based projects among them. In order to identify the operational status of installed MHP plants in four North-eastern provinces (i.e. Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh and Takhar) and to assess their socio-economic impacts, an extensive field monitoring had been carried out. The major parameters studied were spatial distribution of MHP plants, investment costs, operational models, end user electricity tariffs, productive use of electricity, community satisfaction, etc. Altogether, 421 MHP installations (about 11 MW installed capacity) were visited. The outcomes obtained from those surveys are presented in detail in this paper.


Original title: "Eritrese statushouders in Nederland"

There are more and more refugees from Eritrea living in the Netherlands; since 2014 Eritreans have become the largest group after Syrian refugees to be granted residency status. There are indications from researchers, support workers, volunteers and local authority officials who have frequent contact with this group that Eritrean asylum status holders are largely adrift from Dutch society.

This report is the result of a qualitative study of Eritrean asylum status holders who have recently settled in the Netherlands, as well as experts who through their work or other involvement are familiar with the position of Eritreans in the Netherlands. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the background and life situation of recently arrived Eritreans, and in particular to present the perspective of asylum status holders themselves. With this in mind we describe their life in Eritrea before fleeing, their experiences during their flight, the sociocultural context within which Eritreans live in the Netherlands, their first steps towards integration in Dutch society and the opportunities and obstacles they encounter along the way.

This study forms part of a project involving a longitudinal cohort study of asylum seekers and asylum status holders. The aim of the project is to map the position of persons who obtained residency status in the Netherlands after 1 January 2014, and to monitor them over time. The project draws on register data, surveys and qualitative research. This study of Eritreans is the first qualitative study to be published as part of this project.


The meiotic spindle of Drosophila oocytes is acentriolar but develops an unusual central microtubule organising centre (MTOC) at the end of meiosis I. In polo oocytes, this common central pole for the two tandem spindles of meiosis II was poorly organised and in contrast to wild-type failed to maintain its associated Pav-KLP motor protein. Furthermore, the polar body nuclei failed to arrest at metaphase, and the four products of female meiosis all underwent repeated haploid division cycles on anastral spindles. This was linked to a failure to form the astral array of microtubules with which the polar body chromosomes are normally associated. The MTOC associated with the male pronucleus was also defective in polo eggs, and the sperm aster did not grow. Migration of the female pronucleus did not take place and so a gonomeric spindle could not form. We discuss these findings in relation to the known roles of polo like kinases in regulating the behaviour of MTOCs.


Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children worldwide.1 The most recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence asthma guidelines explicitly state that asthma should not be diagnosed on symptom history alone. It calls for spirometry and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) assessment to assist in making the diagnosis. National and international guidelines recommend PEFR monitoring to guide chronic management decisions and to stratify risk in acute exacerbations.2 3 Despite this, the use of objective measurements of airflow obstruction has not been common in paediatric care.

The aim of this article is to explore the role PEFR plays in the assessment and management of asthma and to understand its utility and limitations as an investigation.

PEFR is the maximum rate of flow in forced expiration starting from full inspiration. The peak flow rate usually occurs within the first 200 ms of expiration. PEFR is conventionally measured in litres per minute. Maximal airflow occurs during the effort-dependent portion of the manoeuvre; thus, PEFR not only reflects airway calibre but also muscle strength and voluntary effort.

PEFR reflects calibre of the large airways (proximal airways, with diameter >2 mm) compared with other spirometric measurements. More distal airways have a smaller diameter and no cartilaginous support. They are susceptible to mucus plugging and collapse. Asthma is now recognised to affect the small airways4 as well as the larger airways, and peak flow may not fully assess the full extent of airway obstruction in the bronchial tree.

The most common applications of PEFR monitoring are assessment of acute asthma and home monitoring of asthma. It can also be used in the diagnosis of asthma, identification of triggers and assessing response to treatment.

PEFR is generally recorded using a simple flow gauge device. Peak flow meters are inexpensive, with simple devices costing …


Background: Although depression is often considered as a single or unitary construct, evidence indicates the existence of several major subtypes of depression, some of which have distinct neurobiological bases and treatment options. Objective: To explore the incidence of five subtypes of depression, and to identify which lifestyle changes and stressor demands are associated with each of five established subtypes of depression, within a homogenous non-clinical sample. Method: 398 Australian university students completed the Effects of University Study on Lifestyle Questionnaire to identify their major stressors, plus the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale to measure their symptomatology. Regression analysis was used to identify which stressors were most powerful predictors of each depression subtype. Results: The five different subtypes of depression were predicted by a range of different stressors. Incidence of clinically significant scores for the subtypes of depression varied, with some participants experiencing more than one subtype of depression. Conclusions: Different depression subtypes were predicted by different stressors, potentially challenging the clinical validity of depression as a unitary construct. Although restricted in their generalisability to clinical patient samples, these findings suggest further targets for research with depressed patients (German J Psychiatry 2012; 15(1): 23-31).


Anemia due to worm infection is a major cause of loss in the sheep industry, due to deaths, drop in average daily gains and long recovery time following treatment. The present experiment was aimed at evaluating the oxidative status and the recovery of red blood cell (RBC) profile in lambs with induced anemia by bleeding, treated or not with dextran iron. Ten ram lambs 5 to 7 months old were used. Blood samples were drawn every other day and when reached packed cell volume (PCV) of 15% were randomly allocated (day zero) to one of the experimental groups. Treated group received a single dose of 25mg per kg body weight of a commercial formulation of dextran iron, the control group received no treatment. Blood samples were taken on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 after treatment. On days 7 an 21 treated animals presented higher thyobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) values, reduced non-protein thiol groups (NPTH) levels were found in the treated group on days 7, 14 and 21. Erythrocyte membrane resistance to osmotic challenge was improved on day 7 in treated animals. Recovery to normal values for the RBC profile was faster in the treated group with significant differences starting on day 7. It was conclude that althouth the iron treatment increased the oxidative stress, it also accelerated recovery of the hematological profile. Moreover, it did not increase hemolysis in anemic blood by the action of oxygen reactive species upon biological membranes.


In the last two decades in particular, climbing and walking robots have been the subject of important research activity worldwide. However, the practical use of these robots is still limited and only a few are in actual use in live situations. In the general framework of the CLAWAR Thematic Network, several working groups have been established to formulate requirements, to define specifications and to investigate those aspects of climbing and walking robot technology that are more relevant with respect to selected application domains. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the investigations carried out by the CLAWAR network, and to show various realizations that could offer a good picture of how to rise above the barriers to exploit this innovative class of robotic systems.