The important impact of reading strategies on second language reading has been acknowledged by many researchers for decades. The current study addresses two research questions: (1) What are the types and the frequency of strategy use dominating the students' approach to reading? (2) Is there a relationship between reported strategy use and reading achievement? 50 subjects of a selected group of ESL tertiary learners participated in this study. The Reading Strategy Questionnaire (Puvaneswary, 2001 and Monos, 2003) was adapted for use in this research. The adapted RSQ contained 25 items that measure the frequency and types of strategy use by the students. The items were subdivided into three macro-strategies: Global (G), Problem-Solving (PS) and Support Strategies (S). A TOEFL reading comprehension test was also employed to seek
students' achievement in reading. The study conceived interesting results. It has proven that the selected students adopted all three types of strategies. Advanced students mainly employed support strategies, in comparison to their use of problem-solving and global strategies. They, however, displayed strategic use of these strategies (top-down and bottom-up strategies). Elementary and intermediate students, on the contrary, showed poor and infrequent use of all three reading strategies. They frequently utilized problemsolving and support strategies (bottom-up strategies) which explained their low reading achievement. The important impact of reading strategies on second language reading has been acknowledged by many researchers for decades. The current study has the following suggestions: (1) students' awareness on the important-use of reading strategies should be raised, (2) students should be taught on how to use these strategies, strategically, (3) students should be encouraged and trained to report on their strategy use while reading, (4) trainers or teachers must frequently motivate their students because highly-motivated students will become better or strategic readers.


Widely cited ecological analyses of autism have reported associations with mercury emissions, with precipitation, and race at the level of counties or school districts. However, state educational agencies often suppress any low numerical autism counts before releasing data—a phenomenon known as "administrative censoring." Previous analyses did not describe appropriate methods for censored data analysis; common substitution or exclusion methods are known to introduce bias and produce artificially narrow confidence intervals. We apply a Bayesian censored random effects Poisson model to reanalyze associations between 2001 Toxic Release Inventory reported mercury emissions and 2000-2001 autism counts in Texas. Relative risk estimates for autism decreased from 4.44 (95% CI: 4.16, 4.74) per thousand lbs. of air mercury emissions using a naive zero-substitution approach to 1.42 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.78) using the Bayesian approach. Inadequate attention to censoring poses a serious threat to the validity of ecological analyses of autism and other health outcomes.


In a competitive market dairy production will shift to that region which is the most productive. Thus, this paper reports the measurement of productivity of dairy production in the various states of the U.S using recent Census data and non-parametric Malmquist index techniques. These are total factor productivity measures that do not require the assumption of cost or profit maximization behavior for aggregation. The Malmquist approach utilizes distance functions and can be used to measure technical and efficiency differences over time and between regions at a point in time. Using two output and six input variables, the distance functions were calculated via linear programming methods. The scalar values from those distance functions were used to calculate indexes for efficiency, technical, and productivity changes across the time periods. Individual state estimates of changes in efficiency, technology, and productivity from 1987 to 1992 were computed, divided by 1987 values. Over these states the average increase in productivity was 3.6 percent, or about 0.7 percent per year. Almost all of the productivity increase occurred from technological change, since the average increase in efficiency was only 0.1 percent. Technological change averaged 3.5 percent over the five year period, or about 0.7 percent each year. Ifthere is a significant decrease in the number of farms in a state, it might be expected that the remaining farms are more efficient, under the assumption that the least efficient farms are those that exit the industry. This was tested by regressing the percent change in efficiency on the percent change in farm numbers. The results were statistically insignificant. Likewise, if the output of the average farm increased it might be expected that efficiency might fall. This was tested by regressing the percent change in efficiency on the percent change in output per farm. Again the results were statistically insignificant. It was further expected that states that increased output per farm might have done so by using new technology. This was tested by regressing percent technological change on the percent change in output per farm. These results were also statistically insignificant.


As organizations grow, decision support systems face a surging demand for information; information that must be integrated into the corporate data warehouse. Incremental integration allows for a gradual evolution of data warehouse schemas.
 Heterogeneous schemas complicate the integration task. Traditional modeling approaches require heterogeneities in the data warehouse schema to be eliminated, or they lack expressiveness when capturing heterogeneous information. When dwelling on homogeneous schemas, however, valuable information is lost. In contrast, the hetero-homogeneous modeling approach preserves the clarity of homogeneous schemas while offering the flexibility that is needed to model large companies with diverse sub-entities.
 In this paper, we demonstrate the application of well-accepted object-oriented design principles to data warehousing. We examine the incremental integration of data warehouses, and we sketch the fundamentals of our prototype implementation. Following the hetero-homogeneous approach, we preserve schema heterogeneities as much as possible while avoiding common pitfalls of heterogeneous data warehouse modeling.


Deforestation is currently among the most critical ecological issues, which need to be addressed urgently. Hence, identification of effective environmental monitoring methods is of top priority, especially in locations where no precise ground-based data are available. Constant development of remote sensing technology provides an increasing number of tools needed for that purpose, based on extraction of information about Earth's surface. One of the most advanced Earth Observation (EO) programs is Copernicus, established by European Space Agency (ESA). It incorporates a constellation of Sentinel satellites continuously delivering imagery, which can serve as input data for further environmental analyses. They can be performed in the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP), the software also developed by ESA. The Sentinel-2 (S-2) mission was designed specifically for Earth's surface observation. It acquires high-resolution data within visible and infrared range of electromagnetic spectrum (EMS), which has found applications in forest cover monitoring. In this paper, S-2 imagery was processed in SNAP software to determine its potential for deforestation observation on the example of 2017 tree logging in Bialowieza Forest. For this purpose, images from October 2016 and 2018, covering the area of interest, were downloaded from the Copernicus Open Hub Platform. They then underwent pre-processing, involving atmospheric correction, resampling, and subset operations. As a part of environmental analysis, a set of chosen radiometric and biophysical indices was computed to preliminarily determine their usefulness for deforestation mapping. Index values were extracted from tree logging areas using pinpoints and region of interest (ROI) mask. The most effective indicators were the MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) and the Brightness Index (BI). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), as well as the Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI), also displayed promising results. The results were visualized in Quantum GIS (QGIS) software, provided by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo).


Introduction Childhood obesity is one of the most serious global public health challenges. However, obesity and its consequences are largely preventable. As parents play an important role in their children's weight‐related behaviours, good communication between parents and health care professionals (HCPs) is essential. This systematic review provides a meta‐synthesis of qualitative studies exploring the barriers and facilitators experienced by HCPs when discussing child weight with parents. Methods Searches were conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE (OVID), Psych INFO (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), Web of Knowledge and CINAHL. Thirteen full‐text qualitative studies published in English language journals since 1985 were included. Included studies collected data from HCPs (e.g., nurses, doctors, dieticians, psychologists, and clinical managers) concerning their experiences of discussing child weight‐related issues with parents. An inductive thematic analysis was employed to synthesize findings. Findings Emerging subthemes were categorized using a socio‐ecological framework into intra/interpersonal factors, organizational factors, and societal factors. Perceived barriers and facilitators most commonly related to intra/interpersonal level factors, that is, relating to staff factors, parental factors, or professional–parent interactions. HCPs also attributed a number of barriers, but not facilitators, at the organizational and societal levels. Conclusion The findings of this review may help to inform the development of future weight‐related communication interventions. Whilst intra/interpersonal interventions may go some way to improving health care practice, it is crucial that all stakeholders consider the wider organizational and societal context in which these interactions take place. Statement of contribution What is already known on the subject? Childhood obesity is one of the United Kingdom's most serious current public health challenges. Health care professionals are in a prime position to identify child weight issues during routine consultations. However, they often feel unable or unequipped to raise the topic and provide information on child weight management. What does this study add? To our knowledge, this is the first review to synthesize barriers and facilitators to discussing child weight. This review interprets key barriers and facilitators in the context of the socio‐ecological model. Supports the development of interventions matched to the appropriate level of the socio‐economic model.


The mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a key multi-enzyme assembly linking the glycolytic pathway to the TCA cycle via the specific conversion of pyruvate to acetyl CoA and, as such, is responsible for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis in humans. PDC comprises a central pentagonal dodecahedral core of 60 dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2) and 12 E3 binding protein (E3BP) subunits. Presently, two conflicting models of PDC (E2+E3BP) core organisation exist: the 'addition' (60+12) and 'substitution' (48+12) models. In addition to its catalytic role, the multi-domain E2/E3BP core provides the structural framework to which 30 pyruvate decarboxylase (E1) heterotetramers and 6-12 dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) homodimers are proposed to bind at maximal occupancy. The formation of specific E2:E1 and E3BP:E3 subcomplexes are characteristic of eukaryotic PDCs and are critical for normal complex function. Despite the availability of limited structural data, the exact subunit organisation and mechanism of operation of the mammalian E2/E3BP core remains unknown.

This thesis describes the large-scale purification of tagged, recombinant human PDC cores, full-length rE2 and rE2/E3BP, truncated E2/E3BP, peripheral rE3 enzyme as well as native E2/E3BP core (bE2/E3BP) purified from bovine heart. The ability to purify large amounts of pure protein has enabled the characterisation of the individual cores as well as the E2/E3BP:E3 complex using a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques.

Full-length rE2/E3BP, rE2, bE2/E3BP, truncated E2/E3BP (tLi19/tLi30) and rE2/E3BP:E3 were analysed in solution by analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). While AUC of the cores supported the substitution model of core organisation, the stoichiometry of interaction was determined to be 2:1 (rE2/E3BP:E3). This was further complemented by gel filtration chromatography (GFC) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS), implying the possible existence of a network of E3 'cross-bridges' linking pairs of E3BP molecules across the surface of the E2 core assembly. Low resolution solution structures obtained for rE2/E3BP, bE2/E3BP and tLi19/tLi30 by small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and SANS revealed the presence of icosahedral cores with open pentagonal faces favouring the substitution model of core organisation. These solution structures also indicated high structural similarity between the recombinant and native cores, as well as with the crystal structure obtained previously for the truncated bacterial E2 core. In addition, homology modelling and superimpositions of high- and low-resolution structures of the core revealed conservation of the overall pentagonal dodecahedral morphology despite evolutionary diversity. Evidence for the substitution model of core organisation was further substantiated by negative stain EM of the recombinant and bovine E2/E3BP cores.

SANS stoichiometry data indicated the binding of 10 E3 dimers per E2/E3BP core. Although this could correspond to approximately 1:1 stoichiometry between E2/E3BP:E3, subsequent radiolabelling studies suggested possible variation in core subunit composition between the native and recombinant E2/E3BP cores. Therefore, as opposed to the 48E2+12E3BP substitution model based on AUC and SAXS studies with the recombinant E2/E3BP core, rE2/E3BP cores produced in this study indicated a higher level of incorporation of E3BPs with a maximum core composition of 40E2+20E3BP. On the basis of this new finding we have proposed the 'variable E3BP substitution model', wherein the number of E3BPs within the core can range from 0 to a maximum of 20, thus resulting in variable populations of E2/E3BP cores. Despite this core variability, the highly controlled regulatory mechanisms in vivo may bias the core composition towards an average of 48E2+12E3BP. However, as the over-expression of the recombinant E2/E3BP core in our study is not as tightly regulated as in vivo, higher number of E3BPs (>12) is observed to be integrated into the core. This new level of architectural complexity and variable subunit composition in mammalian PDC core organisation is likely to have important implications for the catalytic mechanism, overall complex efficiency and tissue-specific regulation by the intrinsic PDC kinases (PDKs) in normal and disease states.

The E2 cores of the PDC family are known to be highly flexible, exhibiting inherent size variability reflective of the 'breathing' of the core. Integration of E3BP into the E2 core assembly would then be expected to have significant consequences for the structural assembly, affecting the 'breathing' and in turn the function and regulation of the complex. Unfolding studies to assess core stability via circular dichroism (CD) and tryptophan fluorescence revealed lower stability of the rE2/E3BP core as compared to cores composed exclusively of rE2 subunits, thus implying the contribution of E3BP towards core destabilisation. In addition, crosslinking studies indicated weak dimerisation of rE3BP, which may be a key factor promoting core destabilisation. The lower stability of the E2/E3BP core may be of benefit in mammals where sophisticated fine tuning is required to obtain cores with optimal catalytic and regulatory efficiencies.

SAXS solution structures of E2/E3BP cores obtained were unable to locate the exact positions of E3BP within the core. However, SANS in combination with contrast matching of selectively deuterated components as well as cryo-EM, EM tomography and single molecule studies could be used in future for determination of the exact locations of E3BP, and validating the importance of E2/E3BP core organisation and subunit composition for overall PDC function and regulation.


Young fruits of Garcinia mangostana L. from Guttiferae family and leaves of Piper
betle from Piperaceae family were phytochemically studied and screened for their
biological activities. The young fruits of Garcinia mangostana L. were collected from
Negeri Sembilan while the leaves of Piper betle were collected from Sabah. The
phytochemical works involved extraction of the plant materials with organic solvents of
different polarity and chromatographic separation of the extracts with several techniques
to obtain pure compounds. The structures of the compounds were determined by using
spectroscopic techniques such as IR, MS, NMR and UV. The crude extracts from both
plants were screened for antimicrobial (against four pathogenic bacteria and 3
pathogenic fungi), cytotoxic activities and antioxidant using disc diffusion method,
Tetrazolium Salt (MTT) assays and 1,2-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrayl (DPPH) respectively.
Three isolated compounds, epicatechin (39), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (114) (both from
mangostana L.) and 2-allyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (115) (from P. betle) were
tested for antioxidant by using DPPH.Separation of the extracts of young fruits of Garcinia mangostana L. afforded seven
chemical compounds identified as methylparaben (110), methyl 3,4,5-
trihydroxybenzoate (111), parvifoliol A1 (112), methyl 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate (113), 4-
hydroxybenzoic acid (114), epicatechin (39) and a xanthone, mangostanin (20) after
extensive various chromatographic techniques. Two compounds, methylparaben (110)
and methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate (111) have not been previously reported to occur in
Garcinia mangostana. This is the first report on the occurrence of these compounds in
Garcinia mangostana and the proper technical name for methylparaben (110) is methyl
4-hydroxybenzoate. On isolation and purification of the leaves extracts of Piper betle
led to the isolation of four compounds chavibetol (77), 2-hydroxychavicol (80), β-
sitosterol (47) and 2-allyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (115).
The antimicrobial activity test for both plant extracts was carried out using seven
microbes namely, methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Bacillus substili,
Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus
ochraceaus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, no activity was observed in the
crude extracts of both Garcinia mangostana L. and Piper betle. The same results were
obtained for the cytotoxic activity using Tetrazolium Salt (MTT) assay. When tested for
antioxidant by using 1,2-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrayl (DPPH), all the crude extracts failed
to exhibit any activity. However two of the isolated compounds, epicatechin (39) and 2-
allyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (115) showed strong activity with IC50 < 7.81 μg/mL
in comparison with the standard, ascorbic acid (IC50 < 11.70 μg/mL).


Among the most fundamental barriers to the aggressive participation of many married women in the work force are the disincentives for secondary income earners embedded in the federal tax code. Specifically, the current code contains a marriage penalty, which is aggravated by the progressive nature of taxation and any potential increases in income taxation. Meanwhile, child care expenses, a prerequisite for entry to the labor market, are treated inadequately. Although these immortal problems persist despite political pushes for relief, new attention to this topic is warranted given the Obama Administration's pledge for tax law reform. If the principle to be prioritized is that married women should not face tax disincentives to pursue paid work, then the tax code must finally deal with these issues effectively.


The objective was to analyse population structure and to determine genetic diversity of Erysiphe necator (syn. Uncinula necator) populations obtained from some vineyards located in the South-East Po valley (Italy).
Powdery mildew is one of the most important fungal diseases of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) throughout the world. The causal agent is the haploid, heterothallic ascomycete E. necator. It is an obligate biotrophic fungus and it can be found only on green organs of plants belonging to the family Vitaceae.
For this pathogen, two sympatric populations (groups A and B) have been described in Europe and Australia. The two genetic groups differ at multiple genetic loci and previous studies reported a lack of interfertility among isolates of the two groups. There are now several well documented examples of plant pathogen species, such as Leptosphaeria maculans, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, Botrytis cinerea and Erysiphe syringae, which are indeed composed of genetically differentiated clades, that have led to the description of new groups or even new species.
Several studies have suggested that genetic E. necator group A and B correlated with ecological features of the pathogen; some researchers proposed that group A isolates over-winter as resting mycelium within dormant buds, and in spring originate infected shoots, known as Flag shoots, while group B isolates would survive as ascospores in overwintering cleistothecia. However, the association between genetic groups and mode of over-wintering has been challenged by recent studies reporting that flag-shoot may be originated indifferently by group A or group B isolate. Previous studies observed a strong association between the levels of disease severity at the end of the growing season and the initial compositions of E. necator populations in commercial vineyards. The frequencies of E. necator genetic groups vary considerably among vineyards, and the two groups may coexist in the same vineyard.
This finding suggests that we need more information on the genetics and epidemiology of E. necator for optimize the crop management
In this study we monitored E. necator populations in different vineyards in Emilia – Romagna region (Italy), where the pathogen overwinters both as flagshoots and as cleistothecia.
During the grape growing season, symptomatic leaves were sampled early in the growing season and both leaves and berries later during the epidemic growth of the disease. From each sample, single-conidial isolate was obtained.
Each isolates was grown on V. vinifera leaf cv. Primitivo and after harvesting the mycelium, the DNA was purified and used as template for PCR amplification with SCAR primers (Sequences Characterised Amplified Region ), -tubulin, IGS sequences and Microsatellite markers (SSR). Amplified DNA from b-tubulin and IGS loci was digested with AciI and XhoI restriction enzymes, respectively, to show single-nucleotide polymorphisms specific for the two genetic groups.
The results obtained indicated that SCAR primers are not useful to study the epidemiology. of E. necator conversely the b-tubulin IGS sequences and SSR.
Summarize the results obtained with b-tubulin, IGS sequences, in treated vineyards we have found individuals of group B along all grape growing season, whereas in the untreated vineyard individuals of the two genetic groups A and B coexisted throughout the season, with no significant change of their frequency. DNA amplified from ascospores of single cleistothecia showed the presence of markers diagnostic for either groups A and B and were seldom observed also the coexistence of both groups within a claistothecium. These results indicate that individuals of the two groups mated in nature and were able to produced ascospores.
With SSR we showed the possibility of recombination between A and B groups in field isolates.
During winter, cleistothecia were collected repeatedly in the same vineyards sampling leaves fallen on ground, exfoliating bark from trunks, and from soil. From each substrate, was assess the percentage of cleistothecia containing viable ascospores.
Our results confirmed that cleisthotecia contained viable ascospores, therefore they have the potential to be an additional and important source of primary inoculum in Emilia-Romagna vineyards.


Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca (NBHA): The papers published in Issue 1, Volume 49, 2021 represent new exciting researches in different topics of life science, respectively in plant science, horticulture, agronomy and crop science. Among the interesting articles we invite you to find news about:
Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals gene network regulation of TGase-induced thermotolerance in tomato; Characterization the coding and non-coding RNA components in the transcriptome of invasion weed Alternanthera philoxeroides; Morphometric analysis and sequence related amplified polymorphism determine genetic diversity in Salvia species; Viral diagnosis in cultivars of Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.; Influence of fertilizer and salicylic acid treatments on growth, physiological, and antioxidant characteristics in green and red Perilla frutescens varieties; In-vitro evaluation of antioxidant and antiradical potential of successive extracts, semi-purified fractions and biosynthesized silver nanoparticles of Rumex vesicarius; Zoophagous entomofauna and entomopathogenic agents reported on Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) in north-western of Romania; Vegetative propagation and ex-situ conservation of Acantholimon androsaceum and Limonium chersonesum, two promising local endemics of Crete (Greece) available for floricultural and pharmaceutical sustainable exploitation; Quality attributes during maturation of 'Golden Delicious' and 'Red Delicious' apples grown in two geographical regions with different environmental conditions, etc.
The Impact Factor communicated by ISI Clarivate, June 29, 2020, is IF 2019 = 1.168 (position 149 of 234 journals, Q3 in Plant Sciences). The metrics in Scopus – Elsevier (June 22, 2020): CiteScore 1.40 (#43/84 in Horticulture); SJR 0.35 - Q2, #41/90 in Horticulture (SJR Scimago Journal).

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Announcement
From Volume 49, Issue 1, 2021, Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca journal will use article numbers in place of the traditional method of continuous pagination through the volume. This step helps us to maintain a rapid, efficient production process by being able to define pagination as soon as a paper is accepted.
For papers that use article numbers, the page number of full-text articles will start from 1 to the last page and the citation needs only to list the article number. The journal will continue to appear quarterly, as before, with four annual numbers (see Publication Frequency).


A digital-computer algorithm is described for synthesizing Fourier transform holograms to be used as spatial frequency filters. The spatial frequency content of the hologram is reduced over that obtained by the conventional off-axis method. Experimental results are shown where a "TI" pattern is reconstructed. An optical analog is also described.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Focusing on one state university academic health center (AHC) located in a rural setting in the southeastern United States, this case study investigates the strategic response to the increasingly turbulent and competitive environment in the healthcare industry. The qualitative research reported here involved a review of pertinent documents and archival data and interviews with key informants including AHC executives and staff, community leaders, and others. Additional information was obtained from published sources, including a literature review that covers a fiveyear period ending in 1997 and searches conducted using the key words "academic medical or health center." The AHC in this case study demonstrates how it is possible to respond proactively to changes in the environment without sacrificing the multiple missions of the institution. This AHC implemented strategies that ensure access for both inner city and rural underserved populations while providing venues for primary care training and educational programs. In addition, the AHC positioned itself to compete more effectively by implementing a continuous quality improvement program that is aimed at maximizing quality while controlling costs. Administrators in not only AHCs but also other healthcare organizations, such as community hospitals and competing systems, should consider the findings from this case study useful in evaluating existing strategies and possible alternatives. In particular, the use of an affiliation strategy for growth in a resource‐poor environment may encourage organizations located in rural areas to consider innovative expansion strategies to develop integrated systems of care.


Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time, as it threatens the survival of human civilisation. With the increasing number of initiatives trying to address climate change, it is important to examine how effective they are and what other roles these initiatives can serve in transitioning society towards sustainability. This thesis investigates the role of one such initiative, carbon neutrality, within a strategic approach to sustainable development, based on the case study of the North American Credit Union (NACU). A scientific understanding of climate change and sustainability provide a strict evaluation of the carbon neutrality concept with its benefits and challenges, including the role of carbon offsets. Within this context, recommendations are provided for roles and actions that a financial organisation such as NACU can take in order to set high standards in this new and still evolving market of voluntary carbon offsets, while striving for full sustainability and leadership within the community.


Foundational certified code systems seek to prove untrusted programs to be safe relative to safety policies given in terms of actual machine architectures, thereby improving the systems' flexibility and extensibility. Using the Twelf metalogical framework, we have constructed a safety policy for the IA-32 architecture with a trusted runtime library. The safety policy is based on a formalized operational semantics. We have also developed a complete, foundational proof that a fully expressive typed assembly language satisfies that safety policy.


Post-Keynesians emphasise the critical roles of institutional structures and production in economic life. An assumption of the plasticity of production has led to the neglect of the underlying physical and ecological requirements of production and the dependence of human economies on nature's resources and production. The task of developing an environmental economics cannot be separated from the development of a production theory grounded in the physical and ecological connections and constraints of natural systems. Post-Keynesian theories of production must be extended to include the material and energy resources and contributions of natural systems to economic activity. Fortunately, these ideas were given a considerable development in the pre-classical and classical period. Early economic production theories can provide critically important ideas for the development of the critical links between resources, economy, and environment. Post-Keynesians should work together with the new discipline of Ecological Economics to develop a unified approach to resources and environment.


The local electric fields on a semicontinuous metal film are shown to experience giant fluctuations in the visible and infrared spectral ranges when the dissipation in metallic grains is small. The field fluctuations result in strongly enhanced Raman scattering. The scattered local fields at the Stokes frequency are concentrated in sharp well-separated peaks and are enhanced up to giant values, ∼1014, that exceed by many orders of magnitude the average enhancement, ∼106. This opens a fascinating possibility for Raman scattering spectroscopy of single molecules on a semicontinuous metal film. A developed scaling theory for surface-enhanced Raman scattering from a semicontinuous film successfully explains the experimental observations.


We describe the Bayesian user-friendly model for palaeo-environmental reconstruction (BUMPER), a Bayesian transfer function for inferring past climate and other environmental variables from microfossil assemblages. BUMPER is fully self-calibrating, straightforward to apply, and computationally fast, requiring ~2 s to build a 100-taxon model from a 100-site training set on a standard personal computer. We apply the model's probabilistic framework to generate thousands of artificial training sets under ideal assumptions.We then use these to demonstrate the sensitivity of reconstructions to the characteristics of the training set, considering assemblage richness, taxon tolerances, and the number of training sites. We find that a useful guideline for the size of a training set is to provide, on average, at least 10 samples of each taxon. We demonstrate general applicability to real data, considering three different organism types (chironomids, diatoms, pollen) and different reconstructed variables. An identically configured model is used in each application, the only change being the input files that provide the training-set environment and taxon-count data. The performance of BUMPER is shown to be comparable with weighted average partial least squares (WAPLS) in each case. Additional artificial datasets are constructed with similar characteristics to the real data, and these are used to explore the reasons for the differing performances of the different training sets.


This essay chronicles Vladimir Putin's successful efforts to transform Russia from the flawed democracy of the 1990s to the fully fledged authoritarian regime it is today, with falsified elections; censorship of the major media outlets; and repression of the opposition. Yet there are growing numbers of Russians—especially among the young generation—who are prepared to stand up against autocracy and corruption, as demonstrated by the nationwide protests that began in 2017. In the author's view, the trends (and the demographics) are not in the Kremlin's favor, and this emerging movement will eventually succeed in bringing the rule of law and democracy to Russia. It is important for Western leaders to maintain dialogue with Russian society and to avoid equating Russia with the current regime.


In this insightful book, which is a revisionist math history as well as a revisionist art history, Tony Robbin, well known for his innovative computer visualizations of hyperspace, investigates different models of the fourth dimension and how these are applied in art and physics. Robbin explores the distinction between the slicing, or Flatland, model and the projection, or shadow, model. He compares the history of these two models and their uses and misuses in popular discussions. Robbin breaks new ground with his original argument that Picasso used the projection model to invent cubism, and that Minkowski had four-dimensional projective geometry in mind when he structured special relativity. The discussion is brought to the present with an exposition of the projection model in the most creative ideas about space in contemporary mathematics such as twisters, quasicrystals, and quantum topology. Robbin clarifies these esoteric concepts with understandable drawings and diagrams. Robbin proposes that the powerful role of projective geometry in the development of current mathematical ideas has been long overlooked and that our attachment to the slicing model is essentially a conceptual block that hinders progress in understanding contemporary models of spacetime. He offers a fascinating review of how projective ideas are the source of some of today's most exciting developments in art, math, physics, and computer visualization.


This paper presents novel empirical evidence on the labor market integration of migrants across Europe. It investigates how successfully migrants integrate in 13 European countries by applying a unified framework to analyze a rich micro dataset with over ten million individuals surveyed between 1998 and 2016. Focusing on employment outcomes, we document substantial heterogeneity in the patterns of labor market integration across host countries and by migrant gender and origin. Our results also point to the importance of cohorts and network effects, initial labor market conditions, and the differential impact of education acquired domestically and abroad in determining migrants' subsequent employment prospects. The analysis has implications for the design of effective integration policies.


We are in the swirling center of the most life-changing technological revolution the Earth has ever known. In only 60 years, an eye-blink of human history, a single technological invention has launched the proverbial thousand ships, producing the most sweeping and pervasive set of changes ever to wash over humankind; changes that are reshaping the very core of human existence, on a global scale, at a relentlessly accelerating pace. And we are just at the very beginning. Silicon Earth introduces readers with little or no background to the many marvels of microelectronics and nanotechnology, using easy, non-intimidating language, with an intuitive approach using minimal math. The general scientific and engineering underpinnings of microelectronics and nanotechnology are addressed, as well as how this new technological revolution is transforming a broad array of interdisciplinary fields, and civilization as a whole. Special "widget deconstruction" chapters address the inner workings of ubiquitous micro/nano-enabled pieces of technology such as cell phones, flash drives, GPS, DVDs, and digital cameras.


This study sought to determine the suitability of fractionation and consequence-selective processing (separation of long fiber and short fiber, beating long fiber, and remixing with short fiber to target freeness) as a new approach to use of kenaf whole stem pulp for paper and paper-board production. A laboratory Bauer-McNett Classifier with screen 18 mesh was used to separate short fibers and long fibers of the unbeaten kenaf whole stem soda-anthraquinone high kappa and low kappa pulps. For comparison, the initial unbeaten pulps were beaten in the PFI mill to the same freeness (300 mL CSF). Results of our patented method showed that the fractionation process was able to provide a good opportunity to beat the long fiber portion at higher PFI revolutions and to achieve better fibrillation, significantly improving all paper properties of kenaf pulps except for tear index and producing sheets with better drainage and strength properties compared to conventionally beaten pulps, especially in the case of kenaf high kappa pulp.


Aim To assess the relative effects of different types of exercise and other non-pharmaceutical interventions on cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients during and after cancer treatment. Design Systematic review and indirect-comparisons meta-analysis. Data sources Articles were searched in PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL and published meta-analyses. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised studies published up to January 2017 evaluating different types of exercise or other non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce CRF in any cancer type during or after treatment. Study appraisal and synthesis Risk of bias assessment with PEDro criteria and random effects Bayesian network meta-analysis. Results We included 245 studies. Comparing the treatments with usual care during cancer treatment, relaxation exercise was the highest ranked intervention with a standardisedmean difference (SMD) of −0.77 (95% Credible Interval (CrI) −1.22 to −0.31), while massage (−0.78; −1.55 to −0.01), cognitive–behavioural therapy combined with physical activity (combined CBT, −0.72; −1.34 to −0.09), combined aerobic and resistance training (−0.67; −1.01 to −0.34), resistance training (−0.53; −1.02 to −0.03), aerobic (−0.53; −0.80 to −0.26) and yoga (−0.51; −1.01 to 0.00) all had moderate-to-large SMDs. After cancer treatment, yoga showed the highest effect (−0.68; −0.93 to −0.43). Combined aerobic and resistance training (−0.50; −0.66 to −0.34), combined CBT (−0.45; −0.70 to −0.21), Tai-Chi (−0.45; −0.84 to −0.06), CBT (−0.42; −0.58 to −0.25), resistance training (−0.35; −0.62 to −0.08) and aerobic (−0.33; −0.51 to −0.16) showed all small-to-moderate SMDs. Conclusions Patients can choose among different effective types of exercise and non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce CRF.


Rigidity theory deals in problems of the following form: given a structure defined by geometric constraints on a set of objects, what information about its geometric behavior is implied by the underlying combinatorial structure. The most well-studied class of structures is the bar-joint framework, which is made of fixed-length bars connected by universal joints with full rotational degrees of freedom; the allowed motions preserve the lengths and connectivity of the bars, and a framework is rigid if the only allowed motions are trivial motions of Euclidean space. A remarkable theorem of Maxwell-Laman says that rigidity of generic bar-joint frameworks depends only on the graph that has as its edges the bars and as its vertices the joints.
We generalize the "degree of freedom counts" that appear in the Maxwell-Laman theorem to the very general setting of (k, e)-sparse and (k, e)-graded sparse hypergraphs. We characterize these in terms of their graph-graph theoretic and matroidal properties. For the fundamental algorithmic problems Decision, Extraction, Components, and Decomposition, we give efficient, implementable pebble game algorithms for all the (k, e)-sparse and (k, e)-graded-sparse families of hypergraphs we study.
We then prove that all the matroids arising from (k , e)-sparse are linearly representable by matrices with a certain "natural" structure that captures the incidence structure of the hypergraph and the sparsity parameters k and e.
Building on the combinatorial and linear theory discussed above, we introduce a new rigidity model: slider-pinning rigidity. This is an elaboration of the planar bar-joint model to include sliders, which constrain a vertex to move on a specific line. We prove the analogue of the Maxwell-Laman Theorem for slider pinning, using, as a lemma, a new proof of Whiteley's Parallel Redrawing Theorem.
We conclude by studying the emergence of non-trivial rigid substructures in generic planar frameworks given by Erdos-Renyi random graphs. We prove that there is a sharp threshold for such substructures to emerge, and that, when they do, they are all linear size. This is consistent with experimental and simulation-based work done in the physics community on the formation of certain glasses.


This paper intervenes in recent debates on humanitarianism and security in migration by introducing the notion of 'pop-up governance'. It reflects on our two year-long fieldwork on Lesbos, Greece at the peak of Europe's migrant reception crisis (2015–2017). We present recent developments in border and migration management in the EU and we position these within recent migration debates. We then present the two main facets guiding migrant reception and governance in Lesbos, namely humanitarianism and security. Through our interviews with humanitarian and security actors we show how top-level government decisions followed and resembled the flexibility and adaptability of humanitarian and security operations. We define this turn as 'pop-up governance', which comprises a practice-based, abruptly introduced and retractable set of governance mechanisms responding to the situation at hand. We argue that the seemingly disorganised management of migration actually bore hallmarks of a new, flexible and adaptable mode of governance. Finally, we show how 'pop-up governance' can help move beyond present understanding of governance based either on the rule or its exception. This has important implications for our comprehension of migration, humanitarianism, security and the governance of vulnerable populations and contemporary socio-political crises.


Atmospheric convection can result in weather conditions capable of making a pilot lose control of the aircraft. An example of such weather is thunderstorms. This study was made to evaluate weather forecasts for aircraft pilots during days of convective activity. For this purpose, a literature study was conducted to identify the weaknesses of numerical weather prediction models in their handling of convection, and limita-tions of aviation targeted forecast products were addressed. The study also includes remarks and insights received from experienced aviation forecasters on the subject. The study is limited to Sweden and the forecasts made by the Swedish Meteoro-logical and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).Four main results have been found. Firstly, the numerical weather prediction models in use in Sweden today are insufficient for making detailed forecasts of convection. Secondly, the required additional input from human forecasters is restrained by the imperfections of so-called convective indices. Thirdly, convection forecasts issued more than a few hours ahead of time cannot be trusted as being accurate. Finally, the forecast products available to pilots were found to lack valuable information about convective events. It was concluded that pilots cannot access enough information from these forecast products to be able to plan an altogether safe flight through convective weather beforehand. Hence, it is important to improve forecasts of convection for the purpose of enhancing aviation safety.


Metabolism, like other aspects of life, involves tradeoffs. Oxidant by-products of normal metabolism cause extensive damage to DNA, protein, and lipid. We argue that this damage (the same as that produced by radiation) is a major contributor to aging and to degenerative diseases of aging such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune-system decline, brain dysfunction, and cataracts. Antioxidant defenses against this damage include ascorbate, tocopherol, and carotenoids. Dietary fruits and vegetables are the principal source of ascorbate and carotenoids and are one source of tocopherol. Low dietary intake of fruits and vegetables doubles the risk of most types of cancer as compared to high intake and also markedly increases the risk of heart disease and cataracts. Since only 9% of Americans eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, the opportunity for improving health by improving diet is great.


When food irradiation is carried out under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions, is commended as an effective, widely applicable food processing method judged to be safe on extensive available evidence, that can reduce the risk of food poisoning, control food spoilage and extend the shelf-life of foods without detriment to health and with minimal effect on nutritional or sensory quality. This view has been endorsed by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation(WHO), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Codex Alimentarius. Food irradiation is the processing of food products by ionising radiation in order to control foodborne pathogens, reduce microbial load and insect infestation, inhibit the germination of root crops, and extend the durable life of perishable produce. The use of irradiation has been approved for about 50 different types of food and at least 33 countries are using the technology commercially. Despite the fact that irradiation has been used for decades for food disinfection that satisfies quarantine requirements in trade, health concerns over the consumption of irradiated food continue to attract attention. This study reviewed the basic principles, applications and the associated potential health risk, if any, posed to consumers as a result of consumption of irradiated food. Review of the available evidence showed that although irradiation processing leads to chemical changes and nutrient losses, the safety and nutrient quality of irradiated foods are comparable to foods that have been treated with other conventional food processing methods such as heating, pasteurisation and canning when the technology is used as recommended and good manufacturing practices are followed.


The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including residential furnaces and residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether more-stringent, amended standards for these products would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. In this notice, DOE proposes energy conservation standards for residential furnaces and for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps identical to those set forth in a direct final rule published elsewhere in today's Federal Register. If DOE receives adverse comment and determines that such comment may provide a reasonable basis for withdrawing the direct final rule, DOE will publish a notice withdrawing the direct final rule and will proceed with this proposed rule. DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding the proposed standards no later than October 17, 2011.


Abstract. Simulated multi-model "diversity" in aerosol direct radiative forcing estimates is often perceived as a measure of aerosol uncertainty. However, current models used for aerosol radiative forcing calculations vary considerably in model components relevant for forcing calculations and the associated "host-model uncertainties" are generally convoluted with the actual aerosol uncertainty. In this AeroCom Prescribed intercomparison study we systematically isolate and quantify host model uncertainties on aerosol forcing experiments through prescription of identical aerosol radiative properties in twelve participating models. Even with prescribed aerosol radiative properties, simulated clear-sky and all-sky aerosol radiative forcings show significant diversity. For a purely scattering case with globally constant optical depth of 0.2, the global-mean all-sky top-of-atmosphere radiative forcing is −4.47 Wm−2 and the inter-model standard deviation is 0.55 Wm−2, corresponding to a relative standard deviation of 12%. For a case with partially absorbing aerosol with an aerosol optical depth of 0.2 and single scattering albedo of 0.8, the forcing changes to 1.04 Wm−2, and the standard deviation increases to 1.01 W−2, corresponding to a significant relative standard deviation of 97%. However, the top-of-atmosphere forcing variability owing to absorption (subtracting the scattering case from the case with scattering and absorption) is low, with absolute (relative) standard deviations of 0.45 Wm−2 (8%) clear-sky and 0.62 Wm−2 (11%) all-sky. Scaling the forcing standard deviation for a purely scattering case to match the sulfate radiative forcing in the AeroCom Direct Effect experiment demonstrates that host model uncertainties could explain about 36% of the overall sulfate forcing diversity of 0.11 Wm−2 in the AeroCom Direct Radiative Effect experiment. Host model errors in aerosol radiative forcing are largest in regions of uncertain host model components, such as stratocumulus cloud decks or areas with poorly constrained surface albedos, such as sea ice. Our results demonstrate that host model uncertainties are an important component of aerosol forcing uncertainty that require further attention.


We present a model for interstellar extinction dust, in which we assume a bimodal distribution of extinction carriers, a dispersion of core–mantle grains, supplemented by a collection of PAHs in free molecular form. We use state–of–the–art methods to calculate the extinction due to macroscopic dust particles, and the absorption cross–sections of PAHs in four different charge states. While successfull for most of observed Galactic extinction curves, in few cases the model cannot provide reliable results. Paradoxically, these failures appear to be very promising, suggesting that the whole body of dust extinction features might be described within the cycle of carbon in the interstellar medium.


Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) behaves like a two-edged sword, at low concentrations it has beneficial and cytoprotective effects, while at higher concentrations it exhibits toxicity. Hence there is a keen interest in developing light responsive H2S donors with a spatio-temporal controlled release. Herein, we report visible light activatable tetraphenylethylene conjugated p-hydroxyphenacyl (TPE-pHP-H2S) nanoparticles for the release of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with a real time monitoring ability. Our newly designed photoresponsive single component organic nanoparticle based H2S donor is built by integrating the tetraphenylethylene (TPE) moiety and p-hydroxyphenacyl (pHP) group so that it can display both aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) properties. Aggregation-induced emission enhancement was exhibited by our TPE-pHP-H2S NP donor, which was then explored for the cellular imaging application. The ESIPT by the pHP moiety provided unique advantages to our TPE-pHP-H2S NP donor which include (i) the excitation wavelength extended to >410 nm (ii) a large Stokes shift (iii) a low inner filter effect and (iv) real-time monitoring of H2S release by a simple fluorescent colour change. In vitro studies showed that the TPE-pHP-H2S NP donor presents excellent properties like real-time monitoring, photoregulated H2S release and biocompatibility.


Twelve cases of the Katayama syndrome or toxaemic stage of bilharzia are descriptionbed. The clinical picture of fever, headache, cough, abdominal pain, urticaria, enlarged liver, enlarged spleen and a high blood eosinophilia is descriptionbed in detail. The syndrome in this country is caused by S. haematobium or S. mansoni. Mixed infections also occur. Of 10 cases in which ova were found 7 had S. mansoni in the stools and it is suggested that this infection is becoming more prevalent in this area. The eosinophilia is usually very high and may reach 80%. The bilharzial complement-fixation test may be a useful diagnostic test. In areas where bilharzia is endemic the Katayama syndrome should be considered when an unexplained fever presents. The impression has been gained that treatment with large doses of 'nilodin' (100 mg. per Ib body weight over 8 days) is at least as satisfactory as intramuscular antimony in cases due to S. haematobium. In those due to S. mansoni it is thought best to follow 'nilodin' with antimony and to repeat the course later.


Introduce Forecastable Component Analysis (ForeCA), a novel dimension reduction technique for temporally dependent signals. Based on a new forecastability measure, ForeCA finds an optimal transformation to separate a multivariate time series into a forecastable and an orthogonal white noise space. I present a converging algorithm with a fast eigenvector solution. Applications to financial and macro-economic time series show that ForeCA can successfully discover informative structure, which can be used for forecasting as well as classification.

The R package ForeCA accompanies this work and is publicly available on CRAN.


As Mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) has become a very important technology the security problem, especially, intrusion detection technique research has attracted many people's effort. MANET is more vulnerable than wired network and suffers intrusion like wired network. This paper investigated some intrusion detection techniques using machine learning and proposed a profile based neighbor monitoring intrusion detection method. Further analysis shows that the features collected by each node are too many for wireless devices with limited capacity. We apply Markov Blanket algorithm [1] to the feature selection of the intrusion detection method. Experimental studies have shown that Markov Blanket algorithm can decrease the number of features dramatically with very similar detection rate.


Megan Testerman's Note, A World Wide Web of Unwanted Children: The Practice, the Problem, and the Solution to Private Re-Homing ( 67 Fla. L. Rev. 2103 (2015)), offers a detailed overview of private re-homing, provides an analysis into the root causes, and offers child-centered solutions to the practice. Private re-homing is the process of engaging in the transfer of children from one adoptive home to a non-licensed caregiver for the purposes of permanently altering the child's family make-up. In many instances, this treats children as commodities. Testerman explains that parents eager to relinquish custody of their children often advertise their children online, offering them to individuals who would likely not be able to adopt through legal means. Many of these children face repeated physical, sexual, and emotional trauma. While some states have taken steps to curb this practice, private re-homing remains largely unregulated, and endangers children who fail to thrive in adoptive placements. Testerman proposes legal solutions and calls for better pre- and post-adoption state support. My response expounds on the key issues raised in Testerman's Note and offers additional insights into pre-adoption practices and postadoption concerns.


Here we present the results of a study on the effects of population size, seed predation, and plant size on male and female reproductive success in ten Vincetoxicum hirundinaria populations in southwestern Finland. We investigated male reproductive success by recording pollinia removal, and studying pollen quality and quantity. Pod and seed production, and the number of ovules per ovary were counted to estimate female reproductive success. Both pollen quality and pollinia removal were higher in small V. hirundinaria populations compared to large populations. In contrast, the quantity of pollen was higher in large populations than in small populations. Pod initiation was higher in large populations. However, large populations had higher abortion rates and proportionally fewer intact pods. Plant size did not affect male reproductive success whereas pod and seed production correlated positively with plant size, although only in large populations. Population size had no clear impact on seed predation intensities. Variation was, however, observed among populations. Larger plant individuals suffered from an increased risk of being attacked only in two populations. This correlation was not clearly attributed to plant population size. The results of this study suggest that reproductive success in V. hirundinaria may be highly variable and this variation is to some extent explained by population size. Further, population size affected male and female reproductive success differently.


In this course, we will take a detailed look at various breeds of spatial navigation interfaces that allow for locomotion in digital 3D environments such as games, virtual environments or even the exploration of abstract data sets. We will closely look into the basics of navigation, unraveling the psychophysics (including wayfinding) and actual navigation (travel) aspects. The theoretical foundations form the basis for the practical skillset we will develop, by providing an in-depth discussion of navigation devices and techniques, and a step-by-step discussion of multiple real-world case studies. Doing so, we will cover the full range of navigation techniques from handheld to full-body, highly engaging and partly unconventional methods and tackle spatial navigation with hands-on-experience and tips for design and validation of novel interfaces. In particular, we will be looking at affordable setups and ways to "trick" out users to enable a realistic feeling of self-motion in the explored environments. As such, the course unites the theory and practice of spatial navigation, serving as entry point to understand and improve upon currently existing methods for the application domain at hand.


The noise issue in manufacturing system is widely discussed from legal and health aspects. Regarding the existing laws and guidelines, various investigation methods are implemented in industry. The sound pressure level can be measured and reduced by using established approaches in reality. However, a straightforward and low cost approach to study noise issue using existing digital factory models is not found.
This thesis attempts to develop a novel concept for sound pressure level investigation in a virtual environment. With this, the factory planners are able to investigate the noise issue during factory design and layout planning phase.
Two computer aided tools are used in this approach: acoustic simulation and virtual reality (VR). The former enables the planner to simulate the sound pressure level by given factory layout and facility sound features. And the latter provides a visualization environment to view and explore the simulation results. The combination of these two powerful tools provides the planners a new possibility to analyze the noise in a factory.
To validate the simulations, the acoustic measurements are implemented in a real factory. Sound pressure level and sound intensity are determined respectively. Furthermore, a software tool is implemented using the introduced concept and approach. With this software, the simulation results are represented in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE).
This thesis describes the development of the approach, the measurement of sound features, the design of visualization framework, and the implementation of VR software. Based on this know-how, the industry users are able to design their own method and software for noise investigation and analysis.


The potential of tin-loaded poly(hydroxamic acid) ion exchange resin (SnPHA), hydrous tin dioxide (SnO2.xH2O) and hydrous tin dioxide-loaded poly(hydroxamic acid) resin (SnOPHA) to remove heavy metals As(V), As(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution was investigated. Poly(hydroxamic acid) resin was prepared from poly methyl acrylate-divinyl benzene copolymer (PMA). The ester group of the PMA was converted to the hydroxamic acid using the hydroxylamine in an alkaline solution. The SnPHA was prepared by shaking the PHA resin with SnCl4 solution. SnO2.xH2O was prepared by neutralizing a Sn(IV) chloride solution with ammonia solution. The XRD result proved that the SnO2.xH2O prepared is pure. The SnOPHA was produced by direct treating SnPHA with ammonia solution. The XRD result also contributed clear information about the oxidation stated of Sn(IV) in the PHA resin.

In order to understand the sorption characteristics of As(V), As(III) and Cr(VI) by the sorbents, batch and column studied were performed under various experimental conditions.

The parameters studied were pH, temperature, contact time, isotherm
study, sorbent dosage, presence of competitive anions, flow rate and sorption-desorption cycles. The sorbents were also tested to remove arsenic and chromium from industrial waste water samples.

The results of batch study indicated that the sorption process by the sorbents was pH dependent and endothermic. It was found that the SnO2.xH2O sorbent has the highest sorption capacity for As(V), As(III) and Cr(VI), followed by SnPHA and SnOPHA. Kinetic study showed that uptake of As(V) ion by the sorbents reached equilibrium after about 13 hours and about 10 hours for Cr(VI) sorption. The maximum sorption capacity of the SnPHA for As(V) and Cr(VI) at room temperature determined from the Langmuir isotherm were 38.50 mg-As/g-resin and 22.12 mg-Cr/g-resin, respectively. Meanwhile, the maximum sorption capacity of the SnOPHA were 8.30 mg-As/g-resin and 14.93 mg-Cr/g-resin and the maximum sorption capacity of the SnO2.xH2O were 64.10 mg-As/g-sorbent and 28.57 mg-Cr/g-sorbent. The uptake increased with increasing sorbent dosage. In the presence of phosphate, sulphate and chromium anions, As(V) uptake decreased.

In desorption study, As(V) and Cr(VI) could be removed almost quantitatively from SnPHA and SnOPHA by eluting with a 0.2M NaOH solution. However, a rather low flow rates have to be applied for sorption using the column method. The SnPHA column could be used at least for 3 cycles and 2 cycles for SnOPHA for removal of As(V) ions. More than 86 % of arsenic and chromium were successfully removed from industrial waste water samples by SnPHA.


You have not opened the wrong journal!

The police have a duty to protect the public and to investigate any, and all, serious crimes. The article by Lynoe and Leijonhufvud raises important issues about the interaction between hospital staff and police in cases in which suggested medical negligence crosses into the arena of serious legal offences, which range from murder and homicide to serious assault.1

Although arising in Sweden, the issues raised in this case are generalisable. While our understanding is limited to the journal article there seem several uncontested facts: a children's intensive care doctor was arrested, charged and acquitted of the mercy killing of an infant in a Swedish hospital. The baby had sustained severe brain injury prior to this clinician's involvement, either due to birth asphyxia or to an accidental overdose of salt. The baby died after withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) with parental agreement. At a later stage, the family asked the police to investigate the initial salt incident. Despite the team attending the baby after WLST stating that only a morphine infusion was administered, a 25-day postmortem femoral artery sample showed 'an extremely high level of thiopentone' (a powerful barbiturate), although no control sample (eg, intracardiac) was analysed.

Healthcare staff are subject to the laws of their country. However, Lynoe and Leijonhufvud raise the issue of a conflict between what they term 'soft law'—the rules, regulations and ethics of healthcare practice and the law of the land. …


Abstract We present trichotomy results characterizing the complexity of reasoning with disjunctive logic programs. To this end, we introduce a certain definition schema for classes of programs based on a set of allowed arities of rules. We show that each such class of programs has a finite representation, and for each of the classes definable in the schema, we characterize the complexity of the existence of an answer set problem. Next, we derive similar characterizations of the complexity of skeptical and credulous reasoning with disjunctive logic programs. Such results are of potential interest. On the one hand, they reveal some reasons responsible for the hardness of computing answer sets. On the other hand, they identify classes of problem instances, for which the problem is "easy" (in P) or "easier than in general" (in NP). We obtain similar results for the complexity of reasoning with disjunctive programs under the supported-model semantics.


BACKGROUND
Endoscopic sphincterotomy is commonly used to remove bile-duct stones and to treat other problems. We prospectively investigated risk factors for complications of this procedure and their outcomes.

METHODS
We studied complications that occurred within 30 days of endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy in consecutive patients treated at 17 institutions in the United States and Canada from 1992 through 1994.

RESULTS
Of 2347 patients, 229 (9.8 percent) had a complication, including pancreatitis in 127 (5.4 percent) and hemorrhage in 48 (2.0 Percent). There were 55 deaths from all causes within 30 days; death was directly or indirectly related to the procedure in 10 cases. Of five significant risk factors for complications identified in a multivariate analysis, two were characteristics of the patients (suspected dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi as an indication for the procedure and the presence of cirrhosis) and three were related to the endoscopic technique (difficulty in cannulating the bile duct achievement of access to the bile duct by "precut" sphincterotomy, and use of a combined percutaneous-endoscopic procedure). The overall risk of complications was not related to the patient's age, the number of coexisting illnesses, or the diameter of the bile duct. The rate of complications was highest when the indication for the procedure was suspected dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi (21.7 percent) and lowest when the indication was removal of bile-duct stones within 30 days of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (4.9 percent). As compared with those who performed fewer procedures, endoscopists who performed more than one sphincterotomy per week had lower rates of all complications (8.4 percent vs. 11.1 percent, P=0.03) and severe complications (0.9 percent vs. 2.3 percent, P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
The rate of complications after endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy can vary widely in different circumstances and is primarily related to the indication for the procedure and to endoscopic technique, rather than to the age or general medical condition of the patients.


Water level fluctuations in open channels can cause serious problems for conveyance systems which lead to economical and performance issues. The problem of water level stabilization in open channels containing two pumping stations at both ends is investigated in this paper. The optimal control that should be imposed at one end of the channel to minimize water surface fluctuations due to sudden increase in water demand at the other end is determined. Chebyshev polynomials are effectively hybridized with a modern teaching–learning-based optimization algorithm for the first time to estimate the optimal control. An efficient shock-capturing model is used to evaluate the value of the objective function. Results are compared with those obtained by the variational approach. The optimal control found by the proposed method shows fewer fluctuations in water level than that found by the variational method. Moreover, the proposed approach is easier to implement and to extend for solving more general problems.


Papers in a variety of disparate literatures have recently suggested that habit formation in consumption may explain several empirical puzzles, ranging from the level and cyclical variability of the equity premium (Abel, 1990, 1999: Constantinides, 1990; Jerman, 1998; Campbell and Cochrane, 1999) to the 'excess smoothness' of aggregate consumption (Fuhrer, 2000) to the apparent fact that increases in economic growth cause subsequent increase in aggregate saving rates (Carroll and Weil, 1994: Bosworth, 1993; Attanasio, Picci, and Scorceu, 2000; Rodrik, 1999; Layza, Schmidt-Hebbel, and Servén, 2000) This paper examines an implication of these models that has mostly been overlooked: Habits strong enough to solve these puzzles imply an immediate marginal propensity to consume out of permanent shocks of much lees than one. When the model is calibrated to roughly match the rise in the Japanese saving rate over the postwar periode, it implies that the immediate MPC out of Permanent tax cuts may be as low as 30 percent, suggesting that calls for a permanent income tax cut as a quick means of stimulating aggregate demand in Japan may be misguided. [D11, D81, D91, E10, E17, E21, H31]


Thirty years ago, in Youngberg v. Romeo, the Supreme Court recognized that those who are involuntarily committed in a state institution enjoy a constitutionally protected liberty interest, which protects the right to reasonably safe conditions of confinement, freedom from unreasonable restraint, and minimally adequate training sufficient to ensure these liberty interests. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that when government officials make decisions that constitute a substantial departure from professional judgment, causing injury to these liberty interests, the officials violate the substantive due process guarantee of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Despite the Supreme Court's admonition that those who are civilly committed in state institutions do not lose their core liberty interests and that they enjoy greater protection than convicted criminals, many lower courts have seriously eroded the substantive due process protection recognized in Youngberg. Two Supreme Court decisions, DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services and County of Sacramento v. Lewis, have fueled this erosion. This Article seeks to revitalize Youngberg's protection of liberty for the civilly committed by explaining why neither DeShaney nor Lewis should be interpreted to limit the fundamental liberty interests recognized in that case.


The purpose of this paper is to present a model for maximizing a retailer's total expected profit using actual motor carrier freight rates and estimates of environmental costs associated with the transportation of a seasonal product. It is assumed that a single seasonal product is sold at a fixed price and demand for that product is normally distributed. Prior to the selling season, the retailer must determine how many units of the seasonal product to purchase from the supplier—therefore, the newsvendor model is appropriate for analyzing this problem. It is assumed that the retailer arranges and pays for transportation, i.e., the product is shipped free on board (FOB) Origin, Freight Collect from the supplier. Items unsold at the end of the season can be sold at a reduced price (salvaged). Actual freight rates are incorporated in the model by considering less-than-truckload discounts, fuel surcharges for both less-than-truckload (LTL) and truckload (TL) shipments, and over-declaring of shipments. All-units purchase quantity discounts are assumed also. Due to the nonlinear nature of motor carrier freight rates, this problem does not have a closed-form solution. Therefore, we present an Excel-based model for solving this problem. As demonstrated in the model solution, when environmental costs are considered, the buyer's optimal purchase quantity decreases


In this volume, Nicholas G. Piotrowski demonstrates the narratological and rhetorical effects of the Old Testament quotations in Matthew's prologue which establish a redemptive-historical context, and develop expectations for David's son to end Israel's exile and rule the nations.


This page is a introductory tutorial of the Structured Query Language (also known as SQL) and is a pioneering effort on the World Wide Web, as this is the first comprehensive SQL tutorial available on the Internet. SQL allows users to access data in relational database management systems, such as Oracle, Sybase, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, Access, and others, by allowing users to describe the data the user wishes to see. SQL also allows users to define the data in a database, and manipulate that data. This page will describe how to use SQL, and give examples. The SQL used in this document is "ANSI", or standard SQL, and no SQL features of specific database management systems will be discussed until the "Nonstandard SQL" section. It is recommended that you print this page, so that you can easily refer back to previous examples.


Background The aim of this study was to investigate whether melatonin is involved in brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Material/Methods An SAH model was established and TUNEL assays were utilized to detect the effect of melatonin on cell apoptosis. Western blot analysis was used to detect the effect of melatonin on expression of autophagic markers and apoptotic factors. Real-time PCR, Western blot analysis, and luciferase assay were performed to study the effect of melatonin on nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (NRF2) expression. Results The SAH group displayed a lower neurological score and a higher brain water content, while melatonin treatment increased the neurological score and decreased the brain water content. The administration of melatonin also inhibited the apoptosis of neurons in the brain. In addition, higher Beclin-1 expression and higher conversion ratio from LC3- II to LC3-I were observed in the SAH group. The activation of Beclin-1 and the conversion from LC3-II to LC3-I was further enhanced by melatonin treatment. Furthermore, in the SAH group, the level of Bcl-2 was decreased while the level of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were increased. However, following melatonin treatment in the SAH group, the level of Bcl-2 was increased while the levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were decreased. Conclusions Our study indicated that, by increasing the expression of NRF2, the mitophagy induced by melatonin provided protection against brain injury post-SAH.


ABSTRACT Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of polymicrobial origin affecting the tissues supporting the tooth. The oral anaerobic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis, which is implicated as an important pathogen for chronic periodontitis, triggers a series of host inflammatory responses that promote the destruction of periodontal tissues. Among the virulence factors of P. gingivalis, hemoglobin receptor protein (HbR) is a major protein found in culture supernatants. In this study, we investigated the roles of HbR in the production of inflammatory mediators. We found that HbR induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) production in the human gingival epithelial cell line Ca9-22. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2) were activated in HbR-stimulated Ca9-22 cells. Inhibitors of p38 MAPK (SB203580) and Erk1/2 (PD98059) blocked HbR-induced IL-8 production. Additionally, HbR stimulated the translocation of NF-κB-p65 to the nucleus, consistent with enhancement of IL-8 expression by activation of the NF-κB pathway. In addition, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting activating transcription factor 2 (ATF-2) or cyclic AMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) inhibited HbR-induced IL-8 production. Moreover, pretreatment with SB203580 and PD98059 reduced HbR-induced phosphorylation of CREB and ATF-2, respectively. Combined pretreatment with an inhibitor of NF-κB (BAY11-7082) and SB203580 was more efficient in inhibiting the ability of HbR to induce IL-8 production than pretreatment with either BAY11-7082 or SB203580 alone. Thus, in Ca9-22 cells, the direct activation of p38 MAPK and Erk1/2 by HbR caused the activation of the transcription factors ATF-2, CREB, and NF-κB, thus resulting in the induction of IL-8 production.


The idea of an intelligence specific to humans has not always existed but grew from pre-modern ideas of cultural and religious status, becoming fully established at the end of the seventeenth century as part of the application of logic to natural history categories. John Locke, seeing empirical learning as the route towards human reason, also helped establish modern notions of intellectual disability and deficiency. The late nineteenth century began to see these as hereditary traits, capable of moulding by eugenics. Its attachment of 'intelligence' to an existing statistical abstraction (the Gaussian curve) enabled this metaphysical concept to be correlated with the physical phenomenon of genetic material, as both were now apparently measurable. The 'nature/nurture' and 'normal/abnormal' frameworks dominating today's cognitive genetics are not trans-historical but outcomes of this eugenic mind-set.

Key Concepts

The idea that there is a peculiarly human intelligence defining and circumscribing the species dates only from the early modern period.
Intelligence denotes primarily a status group, which has evolved from earlier categories of status that were social and religious in character.
Definitions of intelligence, including current ones, are historically contingent.
Definitions of intelligence in the last resort have no common denominator.
Theories of heredity and genetic explanations of cause are the product of social anxieties around status.
Theories aligning intelligence with heredity can only be understood in relation to theories of intellectual disability that are equally historically contingent.

Keywords:

intelligence;
intellectual disability;
heredity;
eugenics;
history


The study revealed that resettlement has found to create fragmentation on the social organization, kinship ties, and the informal networks. Yet, the social capital as one of the asset for rural households in the resettlement area has great impact on the improvement of their livelihood and resilience capacity. Cognizant to that, this study mainly aimed to indentify the determinant factors for the growth of social network in the resettlement area using the binary logistic regression analysis. The result finds that age of the household head, family size, total farm size, livestock possession and mobile phone possession found to influence the growth of social network positively and significantly on the other hand language difference found to influence social network negatively and significantly.


Contests over the meaning and application of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act ("CFAA") expose long-standing, complex questions about the sources and impacts of the concept of authority in law and culture. Accessing a computer network "without authorization" and by "exceeding authorized access" is forbidden by the CFAA. Courts are divided in their interpretation of this language in the statute. This Article first proposes to address the issue with an insight from social science research. Neither criminal nor civil liability under the CFAA should attach unless the alleged violator has transgressed some border or boundary that is rendered visible or "imageable" in the language of the research on which the argument draws. That claim leads to a second, broader point — emphasizing the potential "imageability" of computer networks, including the Internet, has implications that go beyond one statute because of what that emphasis may teach those who create and implement those networks and who shape the authority that relevant computer code exercises. "Authority" and "authorization" are social practices, continuing negotiations between those who produce them and those who acknowledge and recognize them. "Imageability" is a way of translating that observation into a normative claim in a specific statutory context. Recognizing the social dimensions of "authority" implicates both what kind of Internet society wants and what kind of Internet society will get.


This dissertation documents research into the meaning and implementation of strategic alignment in a division of a global motor company. The issues central to the research originated in the researcher's earlier professional experience in another company which forms the basis for an initial case study in this thesis. Another case study from the literature (the well-known Intel study by Robert Burgelman and debated by Chris Argyris) had previously concluded with the articulation of a similar set of issues. Comparison of the issues identified in the two case studies resulted in a set of defining topics which guided the subsequent literature review. This review established an inventory of gaps in the literature resulting in the formulation of research questions and hypotheses concerning the nature of strategic alignment and how it is most effectively implemented. This then formed the basis for the interpretation of three interventions at the research site, aimed at improving employee engagement through increased strategic alignment, as sequential Action Research (AR) cycles. The research presents a number of interesting features. • It applies a multi-methodological approach that combines inductive cross-case analysis to unearth research issues, a review of the literature to crystallise the issues into research questions, and an interpretive participant-observation project to develop concepts and tools to address those questions. • It focuses on three interventions in a host organisation, one at the organisational level and two at the departmental level, that are interpreted as AR cycles to generate valuable insights despite the limitations of participant observation. • The project was informed by the recent articulation of a theoretical basis for a methodology that integrates Pepper's World Hypotheses, Peirce's pragmatism, Emery's Open Systems Theory and Dewey's iterative experiential learning cycle. • Its conclusions are based on the triangulation of data from multiple sources, including quantitative data from independently conducted surveys and qualitative data from documentation generated during the interventions, semi-structured interviews and personal observations of the researcher and other participants. • An innovative feature of this project is the development and application of an evaluation framework to the project. The framework integrates the single-, double- and triple-loop learning model; the FMA model for AR; and a number of other frameworks and models. The evaluation framework was tested by applying it at the level of each individual intervention as well as across the three interventions. This research makes the following contributions to management theory, the practice of management and methodology for research in management: • Theory: The research proposes a theory for strategic alignment, a concept identified in the literature as associated with organisational effectiveness. • Practice: The research recommends the use of learning interventions that are based on the contextualist, pragmatist model of experiential learning. • Methodology: The research operationalizes and strengthens a recently articulated model for inductive top-down theorising for research in management.


In literature on wetland design it is often recommended to use design elements to improve the hydraulic performance, which is linked to the pollutant removal efficiency. To investigate the effect these elements have on the hydraulic performance, a case study was carried out on two wetlands located in southern Sweden. The two main questions of the study were how the performance differs between the two wetlands and how it is affected by the use of deep zones and islands. Field measurements and computer simulations were carried out to obtain residence time distributions (RTD) and flow patterns. As analytical parameters, normalized peak time and effective volume ratio were used to interpret the results. The conclusion is that islands and deep zones as design elements can improve the hydraulic performance, but also that it is important to use them wisely. In one of the wetlands, the bad location of several islands led to severe short-circuiting and large areas of dead zones.


Governments all over the world are spending millions in information technology to collect and distribute valuable information to their citizens. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is a useful model for managers to assess the likelihood of acceptance of a new technology within an organization. In this paper, we consider organizational culture as an antecedent to the UTAUT model to evaluate factors that influence users' acceptance and use of the Internet technology. We investigated the role of organizational culture in the adoption of Internet technology in a government agency in a developing country, India. We found that organizational culture influences adoption of Internet technology. We also found that the UTAUT is a valid model that can explain technology adoption in a developing country.


This paper is a co-written paper by masters' students at a university in the Midlands region of England. In it the authors, all practicing teachers, explore via a series of interlinked research stories how they conceptualise: 'international' and 'local' in their research. This paper by focusing, sharply on this aspect of their research positioning, reveals that this was in complex, nuanced and idiographic ways. The Midlands is one of the most multi-cultural and multi-ethnic regions of Britain and is therefore one where embracing and interpreting intersectionality is at the heart of navigating personal and professional life. One interpretation of these terms that emerged therefore interwove 'the local' and 'the international' and emphasised using research that focuses on the localised detail of classroom practice to find paths towards building inclusive classrooms within a multicultural context. However, another perspective that emerged drew conceptual boundaries between these terms, seeing internationally conducted research as a distinct but illuminating route into understanding local issues; while a third took as its starting point 'the local' and from this built an aspirational goal that good practice grounded in locally conducted research could inform international debates. These are just three illustrative examples of different ways that these teacher researchers interpreted the dichotomy of the global and the local. As is common and appropriate with patchwork presentations there is no attempt to impose a single methodological framework on the multiple authors and the research vignettes are rich and varied. This paper reveals that to practitioner researchers the concepts of international and local are richly contested and are utilized in varied ways. It will contribute to building an understanding of how practitioner research, too often perceived as localised and distinct from international research, can define its place in the international research community.


An evaluation of the impedance of ground electrodes under dc, ac or impulse conditions requires reliable and accurate measurement of the current and earth potential rise (EPR) at the point of injection. This is commonly achieved in wired systems by arranging current-injection and measurement circuits in quadrature, but such wide-area test arrangements are not always possible due to prohibitive environmental conditions or site access restrictions. This problem has been encountered in establishing a large-scale test facility in the lower lake of the Dinorwig pumped-storage power station in Llanberis, North Wales. The geography of the site restricts the location of both current source and data acquisition equipment to a common location on the lake shore, with all wired circuits confined to a narrow corridor along a floating pontoon. Simulations have shown that wired systems arranged in this way lead to significant measurement error due to circuit coupling, increasing with both the frequency and magnitude of the injected current. This paper presents work undertaken to evaluate alternative non-wired measurement systems for application to high current testing of ground electrodes in harsh environments. Technical details of the developed long-range wireless data transmission system are discussed and field data acquired from high-voltage impulse tests at the Cardiff University earthing facility at Llanrumney fields are presented, showing good agreement with both simulation and measured ground resistance data acquired using conventional wired systems.


Realism's theoretical dominance in International Relations (IR) – especially its focus on the power of superpowers and its state-centric view of international society – has been challenged by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the global transformations characterising the post-Cold War era. One of those transformations is the way in which "states neither great nor small" are gaining increased recognition amid the disruptive multi-polarity of the current global disorder. Scholars such as Martin Wight and Carsten Holbraad, whose earlier writings about middle powers were overlooked in mainstream IR, are now acknowledged for their scholarly prescience. Bringing middle powers back into mainstream IR theorising is obviously overdue. There are two problems in the theorising of middle powers in contemporary IR scholarship that obscure their positioning and potential in post-Cold War international politics: (1) its intellectual history has been neglected; (2) "middle power" itself is a vague concept.


Blunt innominate artery injury is a rare but often lethal complication of severe deceleration trauma. We report the case of a 38-year-old man with such an injury who was successfully operated on an emergency basis. In cases of brachiocephalic vessel trauma, a high index of suspicion in chest deceleration injuries may lead to a proper investigative process and an accurate diagnosis. Clinical signs as blood pressure gradient between the arms and widening of the mediastinum on chest X-ray is highly suggestive of trauma of the thoracic aorta and its great vessels. A chest CT scan may contribute to the diagnosis and can rule out major trauma of the aorta, but the procedure of choice for the definite diagnosis is usually the angiography. Subsequent early repair is favorable to avoid complications and fatal events. Cardiopulmonary bypass use in selected cases favors the outcome.


The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a New World primate that is becoming increasingly popular as a preclinical model. To assess functional connectivity (FC) across the marmoset brain, resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) is often performed under isoflurane anesthesia to avoid the effects of motion, physiological stress, and training requirements. In marmosets, however, it remains unclear how isoflurane anesthesia affects patterns of FC. Here, we investigated the effects of isoflurane on FC when delivered with either medical air or 100% pure oxygen, two canonical methods of inhalant isoflurane anesthesia delivery. The results demonstrated that when delivered with either medical air or 100% oxygen, isoflurane globally decreased FC across resting-state networks that were identified in awake marmosets. Generally, although isoflurane globally decreased FC in resting-state networks, the spatial structure of the networks was preserved. Outside of the context of RS networks, we indexed pair-wise functional connectivity between regions across the brain and found that isoflurane substantially altered interhemispheric and thalamic FC. Taken together, these findings indicate that RS-fMRI under isoflurane anesthesia is useful to evaluate the global structure of functional networks, but may obfuscate important nodes of some network components when compared to data acquired in fully awake marmosets.


Chris Marsden argues that co-regulation is the defining feature of the Internet in Europe. Co-regulation offers the state a route back into questions of legitimacy, governance and human rights, thereby opening up more interesting conversations than a static no-regulation versus state regulation binary choice. The basis for the argument is empirical investigation, based on a multi-year, European Commission-funded study and is further reinforced by the direction of travel in European and English law and policy, including the Digital Economy Act 2010. He places Internet regulation within the regulatory mainstream, as an advanced technocratic form of self- and co-regulation which requires governance reform to address a growing constitutional legitimacy gap. The literature review, case studies and analysis shed a welcome light on policymaking at the centre of Internet regulation in Brussels, London and Washington, revealing the extent to which states, firms and, increasingly, citizens are developing a new type of regulatory bargain.


AN INTEGRATED MEMBRANE-BASED CHROMATOGRAPHIC PROCESS FOR BIOMOLECULE ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION by Xiaoping Dai Biomolecules obtained from fermentation and cell-culture processes are present in low concentrations in a complex medium/broth. For intracellular products, cells are first harvested. Subsequently, cell lysis and homogenization are undertaken to produce a homogenate. The biomolecules are next separated from the cell debris by lysate clarification. For extracellular products, the biomolecules are separated from the whole cells by clarification. The overall yield is reduced with each additional step. As the cost of bioseparation process accounts for 50-80% of the final product cost, innovations in and improvement of bio-downstream processing are greatly needed. In this research, a cyclic process integrating a commercially available hollow fiber ultrafiltration (UF) cartridge and chromatographic resin beads was developed to reduce the number of devices and steps in bioseparation. This device consisted of ion exchange beads carefully packed on the shell side of a hollow fiber UF module. Loading of proteins on the beads on the shell side was carried out for a period of 10 30 minutes from the UF permeate on the shell side produced from a tube-side feed containing protein mixtures in buffer or in a cellular suspension. The eluent was next introduced either from the shellside inlet or tube-side inlet. The chromatographic fractions were collected from the shellside outlet. Continuous cyclic processes were also studied by repeatedly loading, washing and eluting protein(s) without applying cleaning agents to the membrane cartridge at the beginning of each cycle except the first one. A yeast-based cellular suspension containing a binary protein mixture was also applied to this device. The target proteins were recovered and purified successfully by the continuous cyclic process. A general mathematical model has been developed to predict pressure, flow rate and flux profiles in a bead-filled UF/MF hollow-fiber membrane module. The model was studied for a variety of operational modes in such modules, e.g., UF/MF, permeate flow control, Starling flow, elution, backflushing, etc. By using this model, preliminary mathematical descriptions for protein loading and elution behaviors in the bead-filled device have also been developed. AN INTEGRATED MEMBRANE-BASED CHROMATOGRAPHIC PROCESS FOR BIOMOLECULE ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION