The article by Dr. Pierce and colleagues offers initial evidence from qualitative data about the perceived problems of new caregivers of persons with stroke who live a distance from urban areas and services often offered in these areas. The three most commonly reported problems were related to addressing independence issues, emotions, and living with physical limitations. These are particularly important in light of emerging evidence and our better understanding of neuroplasticity and new intensive neurotherapeutic treatments. These new approaches are focused on helping persons with stroke regain independence and overcome physical limitations when possible. These new therapeutic approaches often involve intensive task practice to regain function. Although these approaches may help persons with stroke be more independent, the intensive approaches present another challenge for new caregivers to balance. In certain rural settings, persons with stroke, even if able to participate, may not have access to these new rehabilitative approaches. Many of the problems caregivers identified in this study are similar to those identified in other studies. The caregiver's goal of promoting a return to normalcy is certainly a universal phenomenon. This may be particularly true when care recipients are high functioning as most were in this study. As the authors point out, stroke is a sudden event with improvement often occurring within the early months post stroke. The uncertainty of how much recovery is possible linked with the expectation that if care recipients work hard they will get maximum results may create unrealistic expectations. This may be especially true when physical function improves, but there are persisting emotional and behavioral changes that may not improve at the same pace of physical recovery. The caregivers in this study identified the stroke as the reason for the resulting problems with little attribution to care recipients' co-morbidities. As the authors point out, the stroke is often blamed even when other comorbidities may affect care recipients' recovery. For example, persons with stroke and heart failure may experience fatigue associated with the heart failure that interferes with their ability to take part in physical therapy activities. Post stroke depression is a separate treatable illness; however, caregivers may not discuss care recipients' depressive symptoms with their healthcare provider if caregivers perceive these symptoms to be part of the stroke. Moreover, post-stroke depression may influence all aspects of stroke recovery. The problems caregivers identified are not unique to those individuals in a rural setting, particularly those problems that were associated with promoting normalcy. These problems were "independence issues" and "balancing it all"; however, in more rural settings access to expertise to help address these problems might be less available. For example, addressing emotions was listed as one of the common problems and access to neuropsychologist or psychiatrists who may have expertise in treating persons post stroke or with multiple comorbidities may be limited. As the authors point out, addressing the emotions and behaviors as a common problem was also identified by Bakas, Austin, Okonkwo, Lewis, and Chadwick (2002) and in our own work (Clark, Dunbar, Aycock, Courtney, & Wolf, 2006). The focus of stroke recovery still remains largely on the physical recovery, and the emotions or behaviors of persons with stroke receive little attention. Therefore, caregivers are not well prepared to respond to these changes when trying to manage at home. Dr. Pierce and colleagues are to be commended for testing a Web-based intervention (reported in previous articles) and making an in-depth examination of problems perceived by new caregivers in this current article. Identification of the challenges faced by persons with stroke and their caregivers will aid us in designing future interventions. Scientists working to develop these interventions need to be clear that the design of these interventions will require interdisciplinary cooperation to create effective interventions that fully address the physical and emotional recovery needs of persons with stroke without creating additional stress for caregivers-interventions designed to improve outcomes for both will be even more effective.


This research work, for the first time, investigated metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) zine oxide (ZnO) nanorod based ultra-violet (UV) detectors having a Wheatstone bridge design with a high responsivity at room temperature and above, as well as a responsivity that was largely independent of the change in ambient conditions. The ZnO nanorods which acted as the sensing element of the detector were grown by a chemical growth technique. Studies were conducted to determine the effects on ZnO nanorod properties by varying the concentration of the chemicals used for the rod growth. These studies showed how the rod diameter and the deposition of ZnO nanorods from the solution was controlled by varying the concentration of the chemicals used for the rod growth. Conventional MSM UV detectors were fabricated with ZnO nanorods grown under optimized conditions to determine the dependence of UV response on electrode dimension and rod dimension. These studies gave insights into the dependence of UV response on the width of the electrode, spacing between the electrodes, density of the rod growth, and length and diameter of the rods. The UV responsivity was affected by varying the number of times the seed layer was spin coated, by varying the spin speed of seed layer coating and by varying the annealing temperature of the seed and rod. Based on these studies, optimum conditions for the fabrication of Wheatstone bridge UV ZnO nanorod detectors were determined. The Wheatstone bridge ZnO nanorod UV detectors were fabricated in three different configurations, namely, symmetric, asymmetric, and quasi-symmetric. The transient responses of the symmetric, asymmetric and quasi-symmetric configurations at room temperature and above showed how the response stability differed. At high temperature the responsivity of quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge detector configuration did not drop after saturation and the responsivity drifted by 17% to 25% from the room temperature response. The responsivity of the symmetric, asymmetric (rods in one quadrant), asymmetric (rods in three quadrant), and quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge was approximately 3.25 A/W, 0.95 A/W, 15.00 A/W, and 1.20 A/W and the corresponding response time was 299 sec, 71 sec, 217 sec, and 159 sec, respectively. The responsivity of quasisymmetric Wheatstone bridge configuration with good temperature stability was 1.16 A/W, while those of conventional MSM UV detectors were approximately 60 A/W. However, the quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge with responsivity 1.16 A/W was higher than the commercially available detector having responsivity of only about 0.1 A/W. Though the response of quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge detector was higher than the detectors available commercially, the response time was very high. The response time of quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge was approximately 159 seconds at room temperature, while that of commercially available detectors is of the order of microseconds. If the quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge has to compete with current commercially available detectors, then the response time should be brought down from seconds to microseconds. Based on these studies, an improved design of the quasi-symmetric Wheatstone bridge UV detector with the ZnO rods oriented parallel to the substrate instead of oriented vertical to the substrate was proposed.


Sharing knowledge through inter-organizational relationships is one means of enhancing strategic competitiveness. It is generally agreed that the development of close relationships facilitates such sharing among partners. This paper presents a research model comprises five research hypotheses with four constructs, including moral orientation, opportunistic behavior, loss of competences risk and knowledge sharing. This study develops a conceptual model that relational risk as a mediating construct to examine the inter-relationship effects that affect knowledge sharing and these relationships. We analyze data collected from 281 major manufacturing firms in Taiwan, using structural equation modeling. The results of the empirical study suggest that the role played by moral orientation is critical in ensuring the knowledge sharing as it mitigates the opportunistic behavior and loss of competences risk in the process. The findings of the study provide useful insights into how supply chain members should reinforce their collaborative behaviors and activities so as to improve their moral orientation and in turn enhance knowledge sharing for the supply chain as a whole.


Summary There is a close association between obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The value of weight loss in the management of patients with T2D has long been known. Loss of 15% or more of body weight can have a disease-modifying effect in people with diabetes inducing remission in a large proportion of patients. Very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKDs) have been proposed as an appealing nutritional strategy for obesity management. The diet was shown to result in significant weight loss in the short, intermediate, and long terms and improvement in body composition parameters as well as glycemic and lipid profiles. The reported case is a 35-year-old man with obesity, dyslipidemia, and T2D for 5 years. Despite the use of five antidiabetic medications, including insulin, HbA1c was 10.1%. A VLCKD through a commercial multidisciplinary weight loss program (PnK method) was prescribed and all medications were discontinued. The method is based on high-biological-value protein preparations and has 5 steps, the first 3 steps (active stage) consist of a VLCKD (600–800 kcal/d) that is low in carbohydrates (<50 g daily from vegetables) and lipids. The amount of proteins ranged between 0.8 and 1.2 g/kg of ideal body weight. After only 3 months, the patient lost 20 kg with weight normalization and diabetes remission, and after 2 years of follow-up, the patient remained without the pathologies. Due to the rapid and significant weight loss, VLCKD emerges as a useful tool in T2D remission in patients with obesity. Learning points Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are conditions that share key pathophysiological mechanisms. Loss of 15% or more of body weight can have a disease-modifying effect in people with T2D inducing remission in a large proportion of patients. Diabetes remission should be defined as a return of HbA1c to <6.5% and which persists for at least 3 months in the absence of usual glucose-lowering pharmacotherapy. The very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD) is a nutritional approach that has significant beneficial effects on anthropometric and metabolic parameters. Due to the rapid and significant weight loss, VLCKD emerges as a useful tool in T2D remission in patients with obesity.


Abstract Most obligate cavity-nesting birds are considered to be nest-site limited, either by time or energy to excavate or to acquire suitable holes for nesting. We examined rates of nest-cavity reuse for a rich community of cavity-nesting birds in mixed forests in interior British Columbia. Using a sample of 402 cavity-reuse cases over five years, we measured cavity reuse for 20 cavity-nesting bird and mammal species (three guilds), and examined the relationship between nest-cavity reuse and features of cavities, nest trees, and forest stands. Eight percent of used cavities were destroyed between years. Reuse rates were 17% for the cavities of weak excavators such as nuthatches and chickadees, 28% for formerly active woodpecker nests, and 48% for cavities previously used by secondary cavity nesting birds, but there was considerable species variation within all guilds. Nest cavities in aspen that were deep with large entrances had the highest reuse. At the forest stand level, cavities in trees close to edges and in sites with more edge habitat had greater reuse. Reused cavities tended to be occupied in sequential years rather than being inactive for a year. With increasing amounts of managed landscapes, availability of suitable cavities for forest nesting vertebrates is decreasing. Reuse of existing cavities might help mitigate the problem of nest-site limitation.


Results are presented from a combined numerical and experimental study to assess the accuracy of six different methods of data reduction for the mixed-mode bending test. These include two methods in the literature that use only the load data from the test, a modification to one of these methods to improve accuracy, two variations of compliance calibration, and a newly proposed load-deflection method. First, the accuracy of the various methods were evaluated by comparison to finite element predictions for a typical laminate. Second, the various methods were applied to double cantilever beam and end-notched flexure test data that had previously been reduced by well-established techniques. Finally, five laminates were tested in the mixed-mode bending fixture at each of five mode ratios: G II /G = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0. The data from these tests were reduced by the various data reduction methods. The mean value of the critical energy release rate G e at G II /G = 0.4 was compared to the mean G c obtained by compliance calibration of a separate set of five single leg bending test specimens, and G c at G II /G = 1.0 was compared to the mean G c obtained by compliance calibration of a separate set of five end-notched flexure test specimens. By these comparisons, by physical considerations of the test results, and by examinations of the standard deviations of the various data pools, it was concluded that a method that uses only load data from the test is the most accurate. For improved accuracy, a modification to this method is suggested that involves only the experimental determination of the bending rigidities of the cracked and uncracked regions and the use of these results in the reduction of data.


The main idea of this study is to provide help to West and Central Africa port logistics authorities in making, evaluating and realizing their decisions on port development/management, all in an effort to guaranty port efficiency and operational brilliance to profit the different ports, their hinterlands and their related clients. Consequently, an examination is made as far as port sector is concerned, with an ever more demanding enhancement in operational efficiency. Moreover, a past research on West and Central Africa Ports, as well as an overview on port logistics was made, making it possible to determine what has been done (prospects) and what is still to be done (ineffectiveness), in prospective of a more reformed and efficient port. One of the principles of this paper is also to confer all the aspects that operate as obstacles to the WCA port's improvement and development; using thus the evaluation model called EWCA (Evaluation of West and Central Africa Ports), which gives a descriptive analysis of the present situation of the latter's port logistics, including the aid of multiple regression model to determine an impact of explanatory variables on the study probability. Applying the method of strategic development, this paper thus deals with exploring typical problems and quandaries of West and Central Africa ports. The findings suggested how to fight back or overcome the constrictions and strangulations; enabling West and Central Africa port logistics attain their desired strategic development aims, despite the ineffectiveness. Tremendous efforts were made, giving a vital shoot on African economy and development; even though there is still a lot to do, for the data and variables showed how the port logistics augment and descend frequently without a long period of stability.


Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is known to have a particularly poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of 8 months and a 10% survival rate at 2 years (1). Historically, treatment for metastatic NSCLC has been palliative chemotherapy (2) which has been shown to modestly prolong 1-year survival in comparison with best supportive care (3). Nowadays, with the advent of more sensitive imaging modalities, improvement in the specificity of radiation therapy delivery, and targeted systemic therapies, many patients with limited metastatic disease are being detected and treated more aggressively, in the absence of randomized, prospective data to support these practices. In patients with metastatic lung cancer, where obstructive or functionally limiting manifestations of disease can reduce performance status and diminish quality of life, there may be a uniquely important role for early enactment of locally directed therapy.


The study was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural University Dairy Farm, Mymensingh to find out the skin thickness in different regions of body of dairy cows and the relationship of skin thickness to milk yield. Twenty five crossbred milking cows of indigenous and Sahiwal were selected for experiment. The skin thickness was measured by Vernier calipers. The skin thickness of the same animals is varies at different regions of the body. The average skin thickness of neck, dewlap, chest, abdomen and hindquarter were 3.33, 4.12, 2.93, 4.23 and 4.20 mm, respectively and the average skin thickness was 4.20±0.90 mm at the five different regions and the milk yield were negative and was significant (p<0.05). The results of the present study indicated that 29% of the variation in milk yield of cows depend on skin thickness and 71% depends on another factors. Form the study it was found that milk production of low skin thickness group was higher then that of medium and high skin thickness group. This may be a fact that low skin thickness cows did not deposited extra fat in their body and utilized most of her energy for milk production.


As part of its BMW H2R research project, Studio Olafur Eliasson is preparing a dense publication comprising extensive visual material; excerpts from two seminars held in 2006/07; and conversations between Olafur Eliasson and a number of distinguished thinkers, such as architect and artist Yona Friedman, urban theorist Bart Lootsma, and Head of Design BMW Christopher Bangle. In the research project, Eliasson raises questions of formgiving and materiality, mobility, temporality, movement, and renewable energy. The aim is not so much to examine the car as object, as to integrate the vehicle in a complex set of social, historical, political, and economic relations. In 2005 a BMW H2R hydrogen-powered vehicle was delivered to Studio Olafur Eliasson and then stripped bare of its outer shell. To create a new skin several form studies have been carried out in a temporary geodesic dome, constructed in the yard of the studio. The final surface of the car consists of layers of ice, frozen around two intricate nets, mirrored plates and light. The a oeClimate cara can only exist in a microclimate with a temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius or below.


This study presents evidence for reconstructing two frescoes, including the well-known "Mykenaia," found at the Southwest Building at Mycenae. It argues that the Mykenaia did not depict a seated goddess facing right but a life-sized, standing woman striding to the left and that the other fresco portrays a half-life-sized enthroned woman, likely a goddess, facing right and holding a miniature female figure. The reconstructions are based on detailed examinations, drawings, and photographs taken to scale of the fragments and on comparanda. The argument is based on the innovative use of both experimental costume replications and digaital imaging that superimposes details from other well-documented frescoes onto the fragments to test possible poses and details. The reconstructions proposed here are based on costume details depicted by the frescoes and on textual data, including intriguing Linear B ideograms. These reconstructions are then set within the larger spectrum of cult scenes in Aegean art, and some details of the dress worn in these frescoes are connected to Aegean cult.


The lighting design, construction and acceptance of road or tunnel are based on "The standard of ventilation and lighting design for highway tunnel" and "Outdoor Lighting Measurement Methods". Which determined the methods: measured the point set on the road line with the luminance meter from a small field angle. This method only concern a few measuring points, but not the surrounding environment, so, it cannot reflect the vehicle drivers actual visual experience. This paper takes the small target visibility visual indicator into road and tunnel lighting evaluation system. Based on luminance threshold contrast simulation model, it analysis the positive and negative luminance contrast conditions and fits out the relationship between the identification probability with relative contrast. By increasing the contrast, can increase its visibility, so as to create better conditions for road transport safety.


Over the years, aluminum has been associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases, however, it is the association of the metal with Alzheimer's disease that has attracted the greatest attention and discussion in both the scientific literature and the lay press. In this chapter, we will discuss the background for this association and its implications for an understanding of its role in the etiopathogeneisis of age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Aluminum, although the most abundant metal in the earth's crust, comprising 8% of the geologic mantle, is unique among the elements of abundance in that it is not considered to be essential for life. Most of the earth's aluminum exists in forms that are not soluble at physiologic pH and are therefore relatively unavailable to mammalian species (Martin 1986). Aluminum-containing compounds are widely used in a large number of commercial products, are constituents of many food additives and medications and are extensively employed as a defloculant in the purification of water delivered to a large number of cities throughout the world. However, it should be understood that most ingested aluminum remains unabsorbed by the body and there are little in the way of aluminum stores in the tissues of mammalian species. This is particularly true of the brain where normal concentrations of the element are around 1 part per million. Despite this, in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, focal accumulations of aluminum have been identified using a number of different analytic techniques. When localized, these aluminum deposits have been identified within the specific pathologic lesions by which these diseases are characterized, especially neurofibrillary tangles. Such lesions consist of intraneuronal protein aggregates which once formed cannot be properly broken down by the nerve cells and eventually cause their destruction. Aluminum, with its high charge and small ionic radius, would be expected to bind …


Teach the course YOU want in LESS TIME! The primary goal of the GO! Series, aside from teaching computer applications, is ease of implementation, with an approach that is based on clearly-defined projects for students and a one of a kind supplements package.


Enumeration of nematode eggs in fecal samples using the McMaster technique and morphological identification of third stage larvae from fecal cultures have been extensively used with satisfactory results in the diagnosis of the gastrointestinal nematode infections in ruminants. In order to improve sensitivity and accuracy, other approaches for quantification of eggs have been employed, like the FLOTAC and Mini-FLOTAC techniques. Results obtained in different studies indicate that fecal egg counts are a reliable measure of the size of the worm burden. However, the immunological status of the animals should be taken into consideration to interpret the results of the fecal examination. Molecular techniques have also been useful in the diagnosis of parasitic diseases. The ultimate in diagnosis has been the development of robotic platforms that enable separation of eggs from feces. Because manipulation is minimal, good quality DNA from eggs is obtained, which is used for amplification, and finally, produces a result indicating the degree of the infection by the different parasite species in mix infections. The ideal method should be reliable, friendly to non-experts and quick to perform. With the advance in robotics, bioinformatics and molecular biology, methods with such characteristics are expected to become available and affordable to be used in laboratories for the routine diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematodes of ruminants.


Background Limited data in our multi-ethnic South East Asian society on the feasibility of advance care planning (ACP) where different cultures have disparate beliefs with regards to death. Aim A pilot study for the feasibility of basic ACP for patients with mild heart failure. Methods Patients were recruited from a heart failure clinic over a 4 month period if they are in New York Heart Association class I/II with no readmission in preceding 6 months. Results Of 58 patients, 83% had formal ACP while 17% declined to participate. Mean age was 57 years with predominance of male (72%). Ethnic distribution followed the national demographic (84% Chinese, 9% Indian, 7% Malay). The participation rate among the different ethnic groups were 86% for Chinese, 100% for Indians and 25% for Malay. For the participants, 90% had more than one ACP session with a mean duration of 60 min per session, and 17% had completed the ACP forms upon enrolment of the last patient. Significant challenges faced were low awareness of ACP among patients and caregivers as well as need for coordination across multiple disciplines. Discussion There is a high acceptance of ACP among patients with mild heart failure. But there is a disparity in the attitudes of different ethnic groups towards ACP where Malay are less willing to discuss it compared to Chinese and Indian. Conclusion Our study highlights the feasibility of implementing ACP in South East Asian patients with heart failure, and the need for further research on the observed impact of ethnicity.


We first introduce optical compensation into the field of interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes (IFOGs), using the opposite polarity of the disturbance between two orthogonal polarization states to suppress polarization-fluctuation-induced noise. A dual-polarized IFOG, in which the fast and slow axes of polarization-maintaining fiber work simultaneously, is implemented and tested. Interference signals of the two axes are added to achieve optical compensation. Experiments show that the IFOG's sensitivity is effectively enhanced in compensated output: all Allan variance indices are improved, among which bias instability is reduced from 0.335 and 0.227 deg/h(fast and slow axes output, respectively) to 0.061 deg/h.


For materials development and specification, accurate compressive property measurement with low variability is important, especially if the accuracy is improved by elimination of premature failure by buckling. Existing compression test methods do not satisfy these needs. For this reason the effectiveness of using 0/90 laminates for the determination of unidirectional (0°) compressive strength of composites was evaluated. The concept of using 0/90 laminates to evaluate lamina compressive strength exploits the transverse constraint provided by the 90° plies in combination with increased buckling stability obtained by positioning the 0° plies away from the neutral axis. The studies were conducted using the SACMA SRM-1 compression tests for several material types that represent a broad range of fiber and matrix performance combinations. Laminate configuration and stacking sequence effects were evaluated over a range of temperatures up to 120°C. Additionally, load introduction factors, including tab type, tab design, and adhesive, were examined for effects on strength. Under all conditions evaluated, the [90/0/0/90]s configuration was found to measure higher compressive strengths in the 0° plies than that determined for the same material using 0° coupons. The experimental findings could be explained by a numerical simulation of the SACMA type compression test. The simulation was based on a specially developed materials model designated COMPO-D which was implemented in the finite element code of DYNA-3D. The FEM analysis of the [90/0/0/90]s configuration explains the suppression of stress concentrations resulting in a more homogeneous distribution at the point of failure within the gage area.


All environmental regulators must confront the question: how can they best achieve compliance and enforcement within their resource constraints? This has become a particularly vexing enquiry, as public budgets shrink without a commensurate diminishment of regulatory responsibilities. Yet, the rapid innovation and diffusion of new technology has the potential to bring some relief to regulators, including making regulators' core business cheaper and faster, increasing the ability to prevent, reduce and treat pollution, and driving compliance through transparency and accountability. Despite these many benefits, there are potential obstacles to obtaining buy-in from regulated actors. A lack of buy-in from water users can have significant implications for the effective implementation of new monitoring and information technologies, and their compliance and enforcement benefits. For instance, at the political level, a lack of stakeholder support may lead to political pressure from industry groups that undermine the proposed reforms. Regulated actors who are unreceptive to new technology pose a potential risk to ongoing maintenance of many information and monitoring technologies. Regulated actors' acceptance and support of monitoring and real-time data access is also vital to enhancing on-site water management and efficiency. In the face of these potential implementation challenges, this Article considers the issue of metering and information diffusion, a prominent example of technology-based regulatory reform, from the perspective of water user buy-in. It identifies six priority areas where environmental regulators should direct their attention to improve stakeholder buy-in, including knowledge and capacity for using new monitoring and information technologies, costs, meter benefits, transparency and use of data, accommodating local and regional variation, and a focused communication strategy. In so doing, this Article fills a knowledge gap about new monitoring and information technologies in agricultural and water regulation.


We propose a new algorithm for approximate MAP inference on factor graphs, by combining augmented Lagrangian optimization with the dual decomposition method. Each slave subproblem is given a quadratic penalty, which pushes toward faster consensus than in previous subgradient approaches. Our algorithm is provably convergent, parallelizable, and suitable for fine decompositions of the graph. We show how it can efficiently handle problems with (possibly global) structural constraints via simple sort operations. Experiments on synthetic and real-world data show that our approach compares favorably with the state-of-the-art.


Finite-frequency ℋ2 analysis is relevant to a number of problems in which a priori information is available on the frequency domain of interest. This paper addresses the problem of analyzing robust finite-frequency ℋ2 performance of systems with structured uncertainties. An upper bound on this measure is provided by exploiting convex optimization tools for robustness analysis and the notion of finite-frequency Gramians. An application to a comfort analysis problem for an aircraft aeroelastic model is presented.


Buchanan Renewables (BR) established its operations in Liberia in 2006, a time when the country was just recovering from its devastating civil war, and when a new energy strategy based on the use of biomass as an important energy source had been developed in Europe. While the company actively promoted its business model of producing biomass from old unproductive rubber trees as a sustainable one, it also received criticism due to the fact that smallholder rubber farmers were not benefiting as much as they had expected. This research aims to assess how a number of stakeholders have been affected by the practices of BR, and to what extent these practices reflect the socially and environmentally sustainable public image of the company. The report evaluates four different issues related to BR's activities: The regulatory framework for BR's operations in Liberia; the impacts on smallholder rubber farmers; the impacts on the Liberian charcoal market; and tax avoidance through its corporate structure.BR's activities include the production of biomass from old rubber trees, which it sources from both smallholder rubber farmers and from large plantations, and the construction of a biomass-fueled power plant to supply the capital of Monrovia. The company agrees to clear the old trees from the smallholder farms, then replant new seedlings and provide maintenance for the first seven years. The power plant still has not been built, which means that all of the biomass that the company produces is currently being exported, mainly to Europe. The combination of renewable energy production and the rejuvenation of Liberia's rubber farms form the basis of BR's image as a socially and environmentally responsible company. Based on this image, BR has been able to secure loans and guarantees from development financing institutions, while Swedish utility Vattenfall has acquired a minority share of BR. The ultimate parent company of the group is a mailbox company in the Netherlands.This report has identified a number of issues that contradict BR's public image of a company that contributes to Liberia's sustainable development. Firstly, while BR has begun to address a number of the complaints by smallholder farmers, a number of other demands have yet to be addressed. Although the experiences of these farmers may not reflect the experiences of all the farmers that BR is involved with, the authors conclude that it does illustrate a need for more effective monitoring than is currently undertaken by the relevant government agencies.


Biological soil crusts (BSCs) composed of cyanobacteria, green algae, bryophytes, and lichens are a major biotic component of arid and semi-arid rangeland environments worldwide. They are recognized and studied in many parts of the world. However, they have been the subject of very few studies in Africa. The current study deals with the assessment of the influence of BSCs on soil chemistry in an arid ecosystem in Southern Tunisia. Our main objective is to test whether biological soil crusts are able to improve soil chemical properties. Our investigation showed that biological soils crusts had an expressive effect on soil chemistry. In fact, biologically crusted soils had higher levels of pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, Ca, K, Na, Cl and lower C: N ratio compared to biologically un-crusted soils. The differences between crusted and un-crusted soils were statistically significant at 95% confidence. The PCA results demonstrate further that BSCs significantly enhance soil surface properties. These data support other studies revealing an improvement of the soil chemical properties by means of biological soil crusts.


In opportunistic networks, end-to-end communication among users does not require a continuous end-to-end path between source and destination. Network protocols are designed to be extremely resilient to events such as long partitions, node disconnections, etc. which are very features of this type of self-organising ad hoc networks. This is achieved by temporarily storing messages at intermediate nodes, waiting for future opportunities to forward them towards the destination. Clearly, designing routing and forwarding schemes is one of the main challenges in this environment. In this article, we provide a survey of the main approaches to routing in purely infrastructure-less opportunistic networks, by classifying protocols based on the amount of context information they exploit. Then, we provide an extensive quantitative comparison between representatives of protocols that do not use any context information, and protocols that manage and exploit a rich set of context information. Mainly, we focus on the suitability of protocols to adapt to the dynamically changing network features, as resulting from the user movement patterns that are driven by their social behaviour. Our results show that context aware routing is extremely adaptive to dynamic networking scenarios, and, with respect to protocols that do not use any context information, is able to provide similar performance in terms of delay and loss rate, by using just a small fraction of the network resources.


Page | iii ABSTRACT Assessing the treatability of a textile effluent through the activated sludge process required the development of analytical protocols and evaluating their suitability in providing receiving municipal wastewater treatment plants with systematic methodologies for predicting: (i) soluble dye effluent decolourisation through the activated sludge process (ii) impact of surfactants on oxygen transfer in the activated sludge system (iii) subsequent biodegradability of these surfactant effluents. Decolourisation was assessed through spectrophotometric computations of the mass of dye remaining in the activated sludge supernatant. Oxygen transfer was quantified from estimates of volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients which were computed from the modified form of the Lewis-Whitman interfacial mass transfer model which took into account the oxygen uptake rate from the respiring microbial species Biodegradability of the surfactant effluent was computed from the mass of soluble biodegradable substrates assimilated by the active sludge system during exogenous respiration The mass of the dye particles removed from solution attained an asymptotic value after 1 h and this implied adsorption equilibrium. A comparison between the adsorption equilibrium attained after 1 h and the municipal activated sludge system hydraulic residence time of 6 h led to the conclusion that soluble colour removal in receiving municipal activated sludge systems is not rate limited and it was therefore not necessary to accurately predict the adsorption kinetics. Instead, the adsorptive capacity of the activated sludge and extent of dye effluent decolourisation is of greater significance. Instantaneously after dosing the activated sludge system with the surfactant effluent, computed estimates of the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient exhibited sudden and pronounced increments which simultaneously coincided with pronounced increments in the non-linear regression confidence level error bounds associated with each mass transfer coefficient computation. It was theorised that the surfactant effluent imparted some form of interference to the Clark dissolved oxygen sensor's dissolved oxygen measurement mechanism and this resulted in erratic data points that did not fit onto the model. Comparative computations of volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients in the presence of a nonsurfactant substrate such as CH3COOH should be conducted for purposes of elucidating increments in the mass transfer coefficients as a result of reaction-enhanced mass transfer from increments resulting from the impact of the surfactant effluent on either the liquid film mass transfer coefficient or the interfacial area or both. Further refinements are required in automating the methodology for computing volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients and generating scatter plots of the mass transfer coefficients as a function of time from automated real-time feeds of dissolved oxygen time series data logged by dissolved oxygen online instrumentation. Biodegradability numerical estimates were all far less than the estimates reported in literature by surfactant manufacturers and it was postulated that the erratic dissolved oxygen time series data points resulting from the dosing of the surfactant effluent were also extended to the biodegradability computations. It is also highly probable that the pronounced dissimilarities in biodegradability estimates were a result of either the presence of toxic components in the surfactant effluent which resulted in the gradual inhibition of microbial activity or a significant presence of slowly biodegradable and inert soluble substrates in the surfactant effluent which were not depleted through aerobic utilisation by heterotrophic microbial populations.Assessing the treatability of a textile effluent through the activated sludge process required the development of analytical protocols and evaluating their suitability in providing receiving municipal wastewater treatment plants with systematic methodologies for predicting: (i) soluble dye effluent decolourisation through the activated sludge process (ii) impact of surfactants on oxygen transfer in the activated sludge system (iii) subsequent biodegradability of these surfactant effluents. Decolourisation was assessed through spectrophotometric computations of the mass of dye remaining in the activated sludge supernatant. Oxygen transfer was quantified from estimates of volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients which were computed from the modified form of the Lewis-Whitman interfacial mass transfer model which took into account the oxygen uptake rate from the respiring microbial species Biodegradability of the surfactant effluent was computed from the mass of soluble biodegradable substrates assimilated by the active sludge system during exogenous respiration The mass of the dye particles removed from solution attained an asymptotic value after 1 h and this implied adsorption equilibrium. A comparison between the adsorption equilibrium attained after 1 h and the municipal activated sludge system hydraulic residence time of 6 h led to the conclusion that soluble colour removal in receiving municipal activated sludge systems is not rate limited and it was therefore not necessary to accurately predict the adsorption kinetics. Instead, the adsorptive capacity of the activated sludge and extent of dye effluent decolourisation is of greater significance. Instantaneously after dosing the activated sludge system with the surfactant effluent, computed estimates of the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient exhibited sudden and pronounced increments which simultaneously coincided with pronounced increments in the non-linear regression confidence level error bounds associated with each mass transfer coefficient computation. It was theorised that the surfactant effluent imparted some form of interference to the Clark dissolved oxygen sensor's dissolved oxygen measurement mechanism and this resulted in erratic data points that did not fit onto the model. Comparative computations of volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients in the presence of a nonsurfactant substrate such as CH3COOH should be conducted for purposes of elucidating increments in the mass transfer coefficients as a result of reaction-enhanced mass transfer from increments resulting from the impact of the surfactant effluent on either the liquid film mass transfer coefficient or the interfacial area or both. Further refinements are required in automating the methodology for computing volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients and generating scatter plots of the mass transfer coefficients as a function of time from automated real-time feeds of dissolved oxygen time series data logged by dissolved oxygen online instrumentation. Biodegradability numerical estimates were all far less than the estimates reported in literature by surfactant manufacturers and it was postulated that the erratic dissolved oxygen time series data points resulting from the dosing of the surfactant effluent were also extended to the biodegradability computations. It is also highly probable that the pronounced dissimilarities in biodegradability estimates were a result of either the presence of toxic components in the surfactant effluent which resulted in the gradual inhibition of microbial activity or a significant presence of slowly biodegradable and inert soluble substrates in the surfactant effluent which were not depleted through aerobic utilisation by heterotrophic microbial populations.


In 1997 my colleague Sally Wheelwright and I conducted a study involving nearly 2,000 families in the U.K. We included about half these families because they had at least one child with autism, a developmental condition in which individuals have difficulty communicating and interacting with others and display obsessive behaviors. The other families had children with a diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome, Down syndrome or language delays but not autism. We asked parents in each family a simple question: What was their job? Many mothers had not worked outside the home, so we could not use their data, but the results from fathers were intriguing: A D V E R T I S E M E N T I N B R I E F


Renewable energy subsidies are crucial for combatting climate change, and yet the world's international legal infrastructure is not designed to accommodate such subsidies. The world needs a renewable energy sector to develop and implement the technologies necessary to reduce carbon and renewable subsidies are one of the best ways to cultivate this sector quickly. At the same time, one country's unfair subsidies can harm another country's industry. To take a recent newsworthy example, China's subsidies for its solar exports has allegedly bankrupted solar companies in the United States (US) and European Union (EU), undermining this crucial sector in these countries as it takes root. Thus, renewable subsidies pit two legitimate policy concerns against each other: cultivation of renewable energy and prevention of unfair trade practices.The World Trade Organization (WTO) regulates most subsidies effectively, but was simply not designed with renewable subsidies in mind. The Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) – the heart of the WTO subsidies regime – treats renewable subsidies the same as all other subsidies, without an environmental exception in force that takes into account non-trade concerns. This environmental blind spot is unusual for the WTO: for example, Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) includes an environmental exception for tariffs and other non-subsidy measures. However, an environmental exception did not make it into the SCM, leaving the agreement ill-suited to balance trade and environmental concerns.This article proposes several legal solutions to fix the SCM's environmental blind spot – invocation of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) for some subsidies, using the SCM's definition of subsidies to exclude some forms of support for renewable energy — especially Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) - from the WTO's subsidies regime entirely, adopting a flexible interpretation of GATT Article XX's environmental exception such that it may apply to subsidies, and negotiating a new WTO agreement for renewable subsidies. Of all the solutions proposed, this article argues that the best approach would be to apply GATT Article XX to the SCM. This approach is not obvious, because WTO law does not make clear the relationship between the GATT and the SCM. Nevertheless, strong legal and policy reasons support this approach. This article proceeds as follows: Part II provides background, first on renewable subsidies, then on the current WTO regime governing subsidies. Part III discusses the proposed legal solutions to the WTO's green subsidy problem. Part IV compares the proposed solutions and concludes that applying Article XX to the SCM is the best approach.


This study focuses on improving the thermal comfort in Mosques in Iraq. Omar bin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Baghdad is taken as a case study. In general, the weather in Baghdad is hot-dry climate during the summer. the study was conducted at the time of noon prayer on Friday where the maximum number of people can be obtained inside the Mosque about 500 worshipers and severe environmental conditions. Numerical methods (CFD) are used for the simulation utilizing the package of ANSYS (FLUENT V. 18). As the results depending on the number of elements, 4 millions elements are used for dividing the physical domain. Thermal comfort was assessed by finding the values of the predicted mean vote (PMV), predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD), and ASHRAE standard-55. The adaptive redistribution of the air conditioning device strategy at five cases is used to obtain the best thermal comfort. Moreover, changing the angle of air intake of space by changing the angle inclination of the access blade at three different angles of 0o, 7.5o and 15o degree, and studying its effect on the thermal comfort in breathing level. The four case is the best in terms of thermal comfort when the angle of intake air at 0o.when the PMV was 0.35 and PPD is 7.5, which is lower than the original state. The improving percentage of PPD is 10 % and PMV 14 %.


We present here the development of a system that allows for in-situ studies inside the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Functionalized Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) used as sample carriers, referred to as Nano-Chips, contain up to eight electrodes used for simultaneous biasing and heating purposes, enabling electro-thermal characterization of various sample types inside the TEM under real life dynamic conditions. This operando approach is an ideal method to study failure analysis of semiconductor materials, performance of resistive switching devices, batteries, fuel cells, piezoceramics and many more.


The problem of detecting hazardous radioactive materials is receiving considerable attention due to emerging threats of clandestine nuclear attacks. Protection against these threats requires a multilayered defense approach, combining border security through cargo screening with overseas nonproliferation enforcement. Current technology is insufficient for applications that involve searching or mapping in unstructured environments. Instead of using large expensive radiographic imaging sensors at controlled security stations, many applications require the use of multiple less sophisticated sensors. These sensor networks can be mobile in general and can adaptively reconfigure themselves to collect more useful measurements (e.g. moving sensors closer to inspect a potential source). Determining how to optimally control sensor networks and process collected information for quick and confident detection is a difficult problem that has driven recent theoretical developments. And although the physics behind emission and sensing radiation is well understood and our models typically work well, there is still a need for experimental testing of newly developed theory. Not only can experimentation validate our expectations of system behavior, but it can also provide valuable insight for improving our models and control strategies. However, using actual fissile materials for experiments would be hazardous and impractical. The aim of this research is to develop a novel system that emulates the process of nuclear emission to use as an innocuous proxy for experimental testing. The device developed uses a modulated laser pointer to produce sporadic pulses of light and a rotating mirror that reflects each pulse in a random direction, mimicking the way in which gamma rays are emitted from a radiation source. The performance of this emulation is compared to that of a weakly radioactive source through side by side


This thesis draws on feminist and critical phenomenological perspectives to explore the issue of self-harm in men's prisons. In relation to what remains a "hidden problem" (Howard League, 1999, p. 1), the needs of men harming themselves with no apparent suicidal intent have been particularly overlooked, as have those of staff dealing with this
complex behaviour. In-depth interviews with 20 adult male prisoners and 38 members of staff explored participants' experiences, views and concerns in relation to repetitive, non-suicidal self-harm. A pluralistic methodological approach, drawing on the principles of thematic and discourse analysis, informed the analysis of interview data, to reveal dominant themes, as well as tensions, inconsistencies and possibilities for change. As shown by previous studies, the notion of non-suicidal self-harm as "attention seeking" was a recurrent theme amongst staff, especially officers, doctors and nurses. This was situated within multiple, and at times overlapping, discourses, including 'medication seeking', 'poor coping' and 'cry for help' themes. In many accounts, less stigmatising discourses also existed, but were applied to specific types of 'self-harmers' (often a minority) in a rigid and hierarchical manner. Interviews with specialists and prisoners challenged this "stereotypical view", re-positioning men who self-harm as 'victims' and/or 'survivors' of their "imported vulnerability" (Liebling, 1995), and of the "pains of imprisonment" (Sykes, 1958). Amongst the latter, difficult relations with staff, and negative reactions to self-harm, were reported to have important implications for prisoners and their self-harming behaviours. Locating these responses within the context of staffs roles and occupational cultures helped to further understand and deconstruct the sorts of reactions that prisoners identified as "dangerous" and dehumanising, and
also brought attention to their possible functions and effects for staff themselves. The wider context of work also provided a useful focus to consider how negative staff reactions to self-harm may be addressed. Eliciting staffs views and preferences for training, support and supervision revealed some of the tensions in supporting staff – and prisoners - in an under-resourced and over-crowded environment, and where a 'macho' form of managerialism, and actuarial conceptualisations of 'care', arguably hinder the welfare of both prisoners and staff. The thesis concludes by reflecting on these findings, the ways in which they were produced, and their wider implications for future policy and research.


Campylobacter jejuni produces a toxin called cytolethal distending toxin (CDT). The genes encoding this toxin in C. jejuni 81-176 were cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of the genes revealed that there are three genes, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC, encoding proteins with predicted sizes of 30,11-6, 28,989, and 21,157 Da, respectively. All three proteins were found to be related to the Escherichia coli CDT proteins, yet the amino acid sequences have diverged significantly. All three genes were required for toxic activity in a HeLa cell assay. HeLa cell assays of a variety of C. jejuni and C. coli strains suggested that most C. jejuni strains produce significantly higher CDT titers than do C. coli strains. Southern hybridization experiments demonstrated that the cdtB gene is present on a 6.0-kb ClaI fragment in all but one of the C. jejuni strains tested; the cdtB gene was on a 6.9-kb ClaI fragment in one strain. The C. jejuni 81-176 cdtB probe hybridized weakly to DNAs from C. coli strains. The C. jejuni 81-176 cdtB probe did not hybridize to DNAs from representative C. fetus, C. lari, C. "upsaliensis," and C. hyointestinalis strains, although the HeLa cell assay indicated that these strains make CDT. PCR experiments indicated the probable presence of cdtB sequences in all of these Campylobacter species.


—We consider a position estimation system for tar- gets that exist in near wide area. The system has multiple sensors and estimates position using multiple receivers. Previously, receivers arranged in a straight line would generate a large position error in the direction of the line. In order to reduce this error, we herein propose a novel estimation algorithm using the directivity information of the transmitter. The proposed system uses the directional emission of an array of antennas in a transmitter. In the present paper, the error characteristic to be solved is introduced. The proposed algorithm is then presented. Finally, the error reduction performance is demonstrated through computer simulations. The obtained results indicate good error reduction performance.


To each finite subset of a discrete grid $\mathbb{N}×\mathbb{N}$ (a diagram), one can associate a subvariety of a complex Grassmannian (a diagram variety), and a representation of a symmetric group (a Specht module). Liu has conjectured that the cohomology class of a diagram variety is represented by the Frobenius characteristic of the corresponding Specht module. We give a counterexample to this conjecture.
However, we show that for the diagram variety of a permutation diagram, Liu's conjectured cohomology class $\sigma$ is at least an upper bound on the actual class $\tau$, in the sense that $\sigma - \tau$ is a nonnegative linear combination of Schubert classes. To do this, we consider a degeneration of Coskun's rank varieties which contains the appropriate diagram variety as a component. Rank varieties are instances of Knutson-Lam-Speyer's positroid varieties, whose cohomology classes are represented by affine Stanley symmetric functions. We show that the cohomology class of a rank variety is in fact represented by an ordinary Stanley symmetric function.


New ways of thinking are required in teacher education to promote beginning teachers as change agents in education. Twenty years after the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) that called for schools to provide equitable opportunities for all children, teaching practices in many classrooms are informed by the deficit view of learning. Beginning teachers need to be prepared to challenge the ideological influences that operate in schools. Deleuze and Guattari's (1987) model of the rhizome is used to report one beginning teacher's journey as she learnt to negotiate structural and personal obstacles to create an inclusive learning environment. Data from reflective diaries, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations highlight contextual and personal factors in one case study that contributed to the nonlinear, complex process of becoming an inclusive educator. The paper concludes by arguing the voice of beginning teachers is essential for the ongoing movement towards the creation of just, inclusive schools.


Supporting Children's Learning in the Early Years is aimed at early years practitioners who are developing their knowledge and understanding of professional practice through studying at undergraduate level. The book encourages readers to consider their professional development as reflective practitioners, building on and supporting the government agenda to provide quality provision for young children and their families.
Combining theory and practice, and bringing together current research and thinking in a broad range of areas, the book covers:
Learning environments: young children as learners, assessment of learning, well being and children's rights, diversity and inclusion.
Learning and development: children's development including social and emotional development, literacy and mathematical development, the potential of ICT, fostering creativity, musical development and knowledge and understanding of the world.
Reflective practice: the learning environment, safeguarding and wellbeing, the reflective practitioner.
Throughout, the contributions in this book encourage the reader to consider the diverse range of experiences which young children bring to early years and early primary settings and suggest ways in which they can be supported. The book will also be a valuable and unique resource for training providers of a range of courses at further and higher education level that prepare people to work with, and lead in, early years settings in the UK.


Two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PhCs) at near-infrared wavelengths are promising candidates for novel integrated optics applications. The main focus being on 'all PhC' monolithically integrated optical circuits. Because of well established fabrication technologies particular emphasis is on 'quasi' 2D PhCs where a 2D lattice of air holes is etched through a planar step-index waveguide providing the optical confinement in the third dimension. This approach has been successfully demonstrated both in GaAs and InP-based systems. We have studied vertical low-index-contrast structures both in GaAs and InP. These structures suffer inherently from radiation losses that are strongly affected by the air hole depth and shape. A semi-analytical 'e"-model' enables out-of-plane scattering to be described by an effective imaginary dielectric constant in the air-holes which can be used in 2D finite difference time domain (FDTD) calculations. The model, once validated by 3D FDTD, allows us to deduce from optical simple slab transmission measurements the structural parameters (e.g. size, depth and form of the hole). The experimental transmission spectra are obtained with the so-called 'internal light source technique' (ILS), which allows for quantitative normalised transmission measurements, thus eliminating the uncertainties due to the in-out coupling arising in alternative characterisation techniques, i.e. end-fire. The ILS technique proved to be a versatile method without stringent limits for assessing the fabrication parameters (air-filling factor and loss) but also proved to be suitable for testing building blocks. In this thesis different building blocks were fabricated in the GaAs system and analysed using diverse modeling techniques (e.g. plane wave expansion, FDTD and coupled mode theory). The first building block was used to study contra-directional coupling of the fundamental mode with higher-order modes in channel waveguides. It is an extension of the work on waveguides with symmetric periodic corrugation to the case of multi periodicity. We showed that by breaking the translational symmetry in these structures referred to as hybrid waveguides, the number of mini-stopbands is increased and not, as one could have expected, decreased. A second building block analysed to guide light around the corner, are cavity resonant bends (CRBs). As our analysis showd that CRBs work best with non-degenerate cavity modes, different low-symmetry order cavities were studied with differ coupling coefficients between cavity and waveguides. Unfortunately, the resulting peak transmission and overall performance was below our expectations. An important building block in integrated optics are directional couplers. They have a potential for applications such as 3dB-intensity splitting or channel add-drop filtering. To reduce the coupling length, transmission measurements of a series of coupler structures of different lengths were taken. In the case of two W3 waveguides separated by a single row, the coupling length proved to be very dependent on the hole diameter in the single row. For this case the experimentally determined coupling length, which has been validated by both PWE and FDTD simulations, was of the order of 350 periods which corresponds to an absolute length of about 80 μm, a value that is small for conventional optics, but rather large for the domain of PhC optics where due to the unusually high propagation losses the integrated circuit has to be kept small. This value could, however, be reduced by a factor of at least three when reducing the ratio between the barrier hole and the nominal hole radius to 0.5. Finally we studied the waveguides needed to connect the different building blocks. The standard solution are channel waveguides, line-defects obtained by omitting a number of rows of holes. An alternative approach are coupled cavity waveguides (CCWs). They not only offer the potential for waveguiding but may also be used for non-linear optics by exploiting the special dispersion properties of CCWs (e.g. low group-velocity). A tight-binding model has been set-up that describes the interaction between the neighbouring cavities and that allows one to deduce the dispersion properties of the chain from the single cavity field distribution.


An "invention," as used in the United States patent laws, refers to anything made by man that employs or harnesses a law of nature or a naturally occurring substance for human benefit. A watermill, for instance, harnesses the power of gravity to run machinery. But legal methods, such as tax strategies, are not inventions in this sense, because they employ "laws of man" — not laws of nature to produce a useful result.


Problem Statement : While designing a learning environment it is vital to think about learner characteristics (learning styles, approaches, motivation, interests… etc.) in order to promote effective learning. The learning environment and learning process should be designed not to enable students to learn in the same manner and at the same level, but rather designed by giving thought to students' existing learning styles. Purpose of the Study : The aim of this study is to examine primary students' and inspectors' opinions on different learning environments designed according to students' learning styles and its effects on students' achievement. Method : Fifty-five seventh grade students and seven inspectors constituted the research sample. The data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire; a mathematics achievement test and the Pat Wyman Personal Learning Style Inventory were used as data collection tools in the research. Since the group consisted of less than 30 participants, the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test for Paired Samples was used. Findings and Results : The difference of pre-post test results of visual auditory learners, auditory-kinesthetic learners, and visual-auditory learners are statistically significant. When the ranked average of different grades and their sums are considered, the observed difference is in positive ranking, meaning it is in favor of post-test results. According to these results, different learning environments designed for visual-auditory-kinesthetic learners have a positive effect on student grades. The majority of the students stated that the aforementioned activities used in the mathematics lesson could also be used in other school subjects. Conclusions and Recommendations : Student responses emphasized that learning environments should be designed according to student learning styles. Inspectors underlined that learning styles designed according to students' individual learning styles may increase student success. In addition, inspectors thought that some of the advantages of designing learning environments according to students' learning styles included an opportunity to learn fairly, an increase in student motivation towards the lesson, and enabling students to learn at their own pace. In the upcoming studies, student behaviors and motivations towards environments designed according to students' learning styles will be analyzed. Keywords : Learning styles, achievement, students' opinions


The cellular immune response to tissue damage and infection requires the recruitment of blood leukocytes. This process is mediated through a classical multistep mechanism, which involves transient rolling on the endothelium and recognition of inflammation followed by extravasation. We have shown, by direct examination of blood monocyte functions in vivo, that a subset of monocytes patrols healthy tissues through long-range crawling on the resting endothelium. This patrolling behavior depended on the integrin LFA-1 and the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 and was required for rapid tissue invasion at the site of an infection by this "resident" monocyte population, which initiated an early immune response and differentiated into macrophages.


Mr John Njoroge

is one of three founder members of the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming, an NGO involved in the dissemination of information on organic agriculture to smallholder farmers in Kenya. He has been the Director since its formation. Previously he worked with Inades Formation Kenya, a pan-African organization involved in adult education and rural development.

In modern agriculture we have become dependent on purchased inputs to produce crops and livestock instead of utilizing the range of materials that are available, or could be made available, on the farms.

The result is that as production costs have become more expensive the margin left to the producer has become less. While farmers are persuaded to spend more on chemical plant foods and protectants and on purchased feeds, vaccines and medicines for livestock, nature provides an alternative option: abundant and healthy, production of crops and livestock at little or no financial cost.

In the natural bush and forest we can see that plants grow without the application of fertilizers. There is abundant growth and nutrients are recycled as plants shed their leaves and branches, animals leave their droppings and dead organisms return to the soil. All this organic matter combines with the naturally weathered rocks to form a healthy productive soil. If we remember that all things come from the earth and return to the earth we can begin to understand organic farming.

Organic farming is a form of agriculture which mimics the natural system of plant and animal growth and death. The natural system is a closed system since everything is recycled more or less where it grows. In agriculture, fertility is removed in the crops and livestock products consumed off the farm and that fertility must be returned. To achieve a fertile and productive soil on a sustainable basis farmers must put effort into proper cultivation, selection of pest resistant varieties, crop rotation, mixed cropping, growing trees on the farm, making compost and providing the right conditions for beneficial insects to control pests. Soil erosion must be prevented as the soil that erodes is the most fertile soil. Nitrogenfixation can be achieved through growing leguminous crops and trees. Trees also provide foliage for mulching and adding nutrients to soil and for feeding livestock, while composting provides a hygienic way of converting all available vegetable and animal waste matter into a form that both improves the physical structure and the nutrient status of the soil.

We waste so much that we could use to great benefit. Vegetation which could be composted and bring fertility to crop land is allowed to die and rot around homesteads and along roads. Livestock manure is left in kraals, when it could accelerate the composting of vegetable matter. Household wastes which could go back on the land via the compost pits are thrown aside or buried.

To make compost efficiently requires some knowledge. First, a series of three shallow pits is required so that the compost from Pit 1 can be turned into Pit 2 after 21 days and from Pit 2 into Pit 3 after a further 21 days. Following a final 21 days in Pit 3 the compost should be ready for use - 63 days from start to finish. The pits themselves should be 0.3 metres deep, 1 metre wide and 2-3 metres long.

The width is critical: it should be possible to reach to the middle of the compost heap without walking on it. At the bottom of each pit there should be a layer of fibrous vegetation to assist aeration, and whenever a layer of material is added it should be covered with a 10 cm layer of soil to stop gases escaping. Water can be added during dry weather to hasten decomposition, but too much water will cause the internal temperature of the compost heap to fall and not only will decomposition slow down or stop, weed seeds and disease spores will not be killed by the heat. To safeguard compost heaps in the rainy season they may be covered by plastic or corrugated metal sheets, or by banana leaves.

Organic farming is not easy, but it is sustainable. If more farmers were to keep their farms fertile through organic means, many of today's farm problems would be solved. The soil would have natural fertility restored for producing healthy crops and animals, it would hold more water and it would be easier to cultivate. Fertile soils contain more living micro-organisms which are beneficial to plant life, and they help plants resist or grow away from pests and diseases.

Modern agriculture has its limits. It does not acknowledge these issues and does not take into account specific problems of smallscale producers in developing countries. Imported fertilizers and pesticides are expensive both for the state and the producers. When utilized without care, particulary pesticides, they destroy the natural balance of the land.

There are many ways of benefiting from local resources while conserving the environment for a sustainable production of abundant and quality food products. This is the essence of organic farming. All concerned with agriculture development should bear this in mind in decision-making.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CTA.


When Festus said to Paul: 'Much learning doth make thee mad', Paul's answer was the instinctive defence of a scholar under attack: 'I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness'. Whether poets were mad or sober has been a question for critics ever since Gorgias pointed out the incompatibility; it is less frequently debated why scholars unlike poets should need to affirm their sobriety. I should like to concentrate on one aspect of ancient criticism, that of problem-solving, in order, as I hope, to put into a different perspective the whole business of what Alexandrians did with texts. Inevitably perhaps it will be argued that I am neglecting the vast philological and lexical labours of the Alexandrians and failing to appreciate their subtlety in textual criticism. I hope that my criticisms will not be construed in this way; yet I believe that the Alexandrians have been idealized and their critical attitudes over-simplified. By taking a problem from antiquity and setting it in its context, I will be trying to give what I consider to be a more correct perspective to the labours of our ancient predecessors.


ABSTRACT Through communication technology, users find themselves constantly connected to others to such an extent that they routinely develop a mind-set of connectedness. This mind-set has been defined as online vigilance. Although there is a large body of research on media use and well-being, the question of how online vigilance impacts well-being remains unanswered. In this preregistered study, we combine experience sampling and smartphone logging to address the relation of online vigilance and affective well-being in everyday life. Seventy-five Android users answered eight daily surveys over five days (N = 1,615) whilst having their smartphone use logged. Thinking about smartphone-mediated social interactions (i.e., the salience dimension of online vigilance) was negatively related to affective well-being. However, it was far more important whether those thoughts were positive or negative. No other dimension of online vigilance was robustly related to affective well-being. Taken together, our results suggest that online vigilance does not pose a serious threat to affective well-being in everyday life.


The relationship between the rise of the Andean mountain chain and the onset of aridity on its western margin is poorly understood. Canyon incision on both the eastern and western flanks of the chain is interpreted generally as a direct response to increased rock uplift, but may equally have been the result of climate change. Here we record some of the oldest canyon incision on the western Andean margin by tracking the downward migration of the local water table using (U-Th)/He hematite geochronology on vertical drill-core transects. Our data constrain the incision history of the Quebrada de Parca canyon in northern Chile from ca. 16 Ma to the present day. The erosional and topographic response of the Quebrada de Parca river suggests that incision was induced by a switch to a more arid climate in the middle Miocene, which reduced regional precipitation and river discharge. Geomorphic analysis of the modern river suggests that the Central Andes have gained only ∼700 m of elevation since incision began, and had therefore reached at least 50% of their current elevation by middle Miocene time. We thus conclude that the onset of aridity at ca. 16 Ma occurred subsequent to the main Andean uplift.


The P/E ratio has been used by practitioners and economists as an indicator of market valuations. Shiller [2000] warned that P/E ratios were dangerously high relative to their historical averages. This ratio, however, should in an efficient market vary with factors such as risk, time preferences, inflation, and market expectations. The authors use the residuals from a regression that controls for the effect of these factors on the E/P ratio to provide information about the behavior of the market. They find that the residuals from the model provide a reliable signal of future market behavior.


In this thesis we begin with the development and analysis of hydrodynamical models as they arise in the theory of water waves and in the modelling of blood flow within arteries. Initially we derive three models of hydrodynamical relevance, namely the KdV equation, the two component Camassa-Holm equation and the Kaup-Boussinesq equation. We develop a model of blood flowing within an artery with elastic walls, and from the principles of Newtonian mechanics we derive the two-component Burger's equation as our first integrable model. We investigate the analytic properties of the system briefly, with the aim of demonstrating the phenomenon of wave breaking for the system. In addition we construct a pair of diffeomorphisms which allow us to solve the system explicitly in terms of the initial data. Finally, we show that when we consider the dynamics of the arterial walls themselves, the pressure within the fluid is seen to satisfy the KdV equation. In the following chapter we investigate the trajectories followed by individual fluid particles in a fluid, as they are subject to the effects of an extreme Stokes wave. In the case of a regular stokes wave there are no stagnation points or apparent stagnation points, i.e. locations where the fluid velocity and wave velocity are equal, however this condition does no remain true in the context of extreme Stokes waves. The result for the regular Stokes wave then have to be extended to semi-infinite regions with corners, and in doing so we show that the horizontal component of the fluid velocity field is strictly increasing along any stream line, which in turn ensures the non-closure of particle trajectories over the course of a fluid wave. Next we begin with a review of the inverse scattering transform method of solving the Kortweg-de Vries equation. We construct the one-soliton solution explicitly. We then proceed to examine the Qiao equation, a non-linear partial differential equation with cubic non-linearities. We show that by a suitable change of variables and with a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv change of the spectral parameter of its associated spectral problem that we transform it into the spectral problem of the KdV equation. Having already analysed this spectral problem, we then proceed to construct the 1-soliton solution of the Qiao equation with this modified spectral problem. The soliton solutions decay to a non-zero constant value asymptotically. We also investigate the peakon solutions of the Qiao equation, and construct the 1 and 2-peakon profiles, the latter being in the form of travelling M-wave profile. We then go on to the analysis of a class of equations whose spectral problem are more complicated in the sense that the spectral problem has an energy dependant potential. We develop the inverse scattering transformmethod for these spectral problems, and construct the one-soliton solution explicitly, which in fact turn out to be a breather type solution. The hydrodynamical relevance of this problem arises from the fact that by an appropriate choice of one of the physical parameters of the system, we obtain the Kaup-Boussinesq equation, a partial differential equation with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities which arises in the theory of water waves in shallow water.


The media plays a very important role in the promotion of good governance and in minimizing corruption. It raises awareness of the public about corruption. The media can be effective if it has access to information and when there is freedom of expression, as well as professional and ethical cadre of investigative journalists.This paper examines the concepts of fraud and lies, the concept of corruption, the media, categories of media and the media's current role in combating future frauds and corruption. The papers considers, too, the benefits journalists gain by attending anti-corruption trainings/events and highlights some notable corruption and money laundry in Nigeria, Kenya and Cameroon, Methodology use in arriving at the conclusion was content analysis, which employ review of relevant books and articles on the subject of discussion.


The problem facing of spool used in high pressure wellhead is illustrated. The methods and steps of conventional design and autofrettage design for spool are introduced. Based on the 4rd strength theory, the wall thickness of spool under 103.5MPa is designed using the two methods. Compared with the conventional design, the wall thickness of spool is declined 16.6%, the gross weight is 60% of previous, the stress distribution is more uniform and the utilization rate of raw materials is increased by autofrettage. Thus it provides a theoretical basis for design of spool used in high pressure wellhead.


This study offers a critical account of the reasoning employed by the European Court of Human Rights, particularly its references to European consensus. Based on an in-depth analysis of the Court's case-law against the backdrop of human rights theory, it will be of interest to both practitioners and theorists.
 While European consensus is often understood as providing an objective benchmark within the Court's reasoning, this study argues to the contrary that it forms part of the very structures of argument that render human rights law indeterminate. It suggests that foregrounding consensus and the Court's legitimacy serves to entrench the status quo and puts forward novel ways of approaching human rights to enable social transformation.


In March 2001 the government announced that new disclosure rules relating to UK boardroom pay would be introduced. This paper critically evaluates these proposals. The new proposals emerged from the government's Directors Remuneration consultative document issued in July 1999. The current paper makes the following contributions to the governance literature. First, the new disclosure proposals are reviewed. I suggest that they are incomplete both in their detail and scope. I also suggest that the government has conceded that more US style executive compensation disclosure is required. Second, I describe US executive compensation disclosure practices. If convergence in disclosure practice is potentially desirable then a more systematic comparison and analysis of current disclosure policies in the two economies is warranted.


Conversion of perennial grasslands to shrublands is a desertification process that is important globally. Changes in aboveground ecosystem properties with this conversion have been well-documented, but little is known about how belowground communities are affected, yet these communities may be important drivers of desertification as well as constraints on the reversal of this state change. We examined nematode community structure and feeding as a proxy for soil biotic change across a desertification gradient in southern NM, USA. We had two objectives: (1) to compare nematode trophic structure and species diversity within vegetation states representing different stages of desertification, and (2) to compare nematode community structure between bare and vegetated patches that may be connected via a matrix of endophytic fungi and soil biotic crusts. The gradient included a perennial grassland dominated by Bouteloua eriopoda, the historic dominant in the Chihuahuan Desert, a duneland dominated by the shrub, Prosopis glandulosa, and the ecotone between them. We also sampled a relatively undisturbed, ungrazed B. eriopoda grassland at a nearby site to serve as an end member of our gradient. Nematode communities were sampled using soil cores to depth of 50 cm at each location in 2009 and 2010. Results showed that grasslands and mesquite dunelands had different trophic groupings and herbivorous nematode communities with lower species diversity and evenness compared with the ecotone. Nematode trophic structure and herbivore communities were significantly different in all vegetation states with the highest observed diversity in the undisturbed, ungrazed B. eriopoda grassland in 2010. Vegetated and bare ground patches within the two grassland sites had similar herbivore communities, especially species from the family Tylenchinae. However, the mesquite duneland showed the lowest sampled diversity of all sites, but had significantly larger nematode abundances in vegetated dunes than interdune areas that are void of vegetation and soil biotic crusts where bacteriovores dominated. Decreased nematode trophic structure and species diversity in the Jornada black grama grassland samples compared with the undisturbed grassland illustrate the effect of desertification on the soil biotic community. Our results show that nematodes can be used to identify changes in belowground community structure based on trophic interactions. Large-scale disturbances like desertification can have consequences on the diversity and soil biotic functioning at finer spatial scales.


Wi-Fi is the standard protocol for wireless networks used extensively in US critical infrastructures. Since the Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) security protocol was broken, the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) protocol has been considered the secure alternative compatible with hardware developed for WEP. However, in November 2008, researchers developed an attack on WPA, allowing forgery of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packets. Subsequent enhancements have enabled ARP poisoning, cryptosystem denial of service, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Open source systems and methods (OSSM) have long been used to secure networks against such attacks. This article reviews OSSMs and the results of experimental attacks on WPA. These experiments re-created current attacks in a laboratory setting, recording both wired and wireless traffic. The article discusses methods of intrusion detection and prevention in the context of cyberphysical protection of critical Internet infrastructure. The basis for this research is a specialized (and undoubtedly incomplete) taxonomy of Wi-Fi attacks and their adaptations to existing countermeasures and protocol revisions. Ultimately, this article aims to provide a clearer picture of how and why wireless protection protocols and encryption must achieve a more scientific basis for detecting and preventing such attacks.


A perennial bestseller by eminent mathematician G. Polya, How to Solve It will show anyone in any field how to think straight. In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out--from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams. Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft--indeed, brilliant--instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of the problem.


This paper takes an interest in the past, as depicted by family business owners, and how it is reflected in the governance of the firm. The purpose of this paper is to explore how family business owners express and perceive their family business story and the implications for the strategy formation of the firm. Through the storytelling from 20 cases, we conclude that they embrace their past through different degrees of adoption and their promotion or prevention focus. We construct four typologies: strategy formation through reinforcement, renewal, remembrance and rhetoric. The implications of storytelling and these typologies are discussed.


Empirical models of inflation often incorporate equilibrium correction effects based upon levels of prices and input costs. Such models assume that the steady-state price-cost markup is constant, but recent research suggests that this may not be true for the Euro area economy, which has undergone major structural reforms over the last 25 years. We allow for permanent shifts in the markup factor through estimating an inflation equation that includes a time-varying intercept. The model suggests that a reduction in the markup contributed to disinflation in the Euro area during the period 1981-2000.


Summary The study was devised to investigate certain regional relationships between geological and engineering index properties of the London Clay. Geological data including lithology, bed thickness and structural contours and an important new sedimentological and palaeontological zonation system of the London Clay were related to the detailed mineralogy of the clay. The mineralogical and lithological characteristics (mainly grading) were found to have a fairly close relationship to engineering index properties of the clay and from this various geological and geotechnical properties were linked. Geological data were mainly gathered from published information and geotechnical data from several Firms and Organizations working in the London and Hampshire Basin areas. Mineralogical data were obtained by analysis of over 300 samples from 22 field sections of the London Clay. Examples on a regional scale of computer and manual plots of clay zones are given as well as maps showing palaeogeography, mineralogy and engineering property distributions. Examples of the geological and geotechnical depth profiles which were used to establish relations between lithology, zonation, mineralogy and geotechnical properties are also given. The results of some laboratory experiments to study the processes and effects of sediment deposition, erosion and weathering are discussed and related to the field work. Although the work can only be considered as a pilot study the results in the form of maps, sections and general conclusions indicate that future development of the techniques should be of geological and geotechnical interest and value in predicting the general engineering conditions in new sites within the area.


Abstract Let I be an ideal of subsets of a Polish space X, containing all singletons and possessing a Borel basis. Assuming that I does not satisfy ccc, we consider the following conditions (B), (M) and (D). Condition (B) states that there is a disjoint family F ⊆ P(X) of size ϲ, consisting of Borel sets which are not in I. Condition (M) states that there is a Borel function f : X → X with f−1[{x}] ∉ I for each x ∈ X. Provided that X is a group and I is invariant, condition (D) states that there exist a Borel set B ∉ I and a perfect set P ⊆ X for which the family {B+x : x ∈ P} is disjoint. The aim of the paper is to study whether the reverse implications in the chain (D) ⇒ (M) ⇒ (B) ⇒ not-ccc can hold. We build a σ-ideal on the Cantor group witnessing (M) & ¬(D) (Section 2). A modified version of that σ-ideal contains the whole space (Section 3). Some consistency results on deriving (M) from (B) for "nicely" defined ideals are established (Sections 4 and 5). We show that both ccc and (M) can fail (Theorems 1.3 and 5.6). Finally, some sharp version's of (M) for invariant ideals on Polish groups are investigated (Section 6).


The approaches to develop methods of forecasting the income tax were researched while forming the Government budget of Ukraine. Based on foreign experience and domestic laws the method of calculating forecast charges was considered in the medium-term. A scenario approach was proposed to calculate predictive values depending on the external and internal factors for the 2013-2014 years.


For more than 100 years the public school system has been the foundation of our society. Millions of our nation's citizens have moved through the primary, middle and secondary schools which, although they vary slightly from region to region, provided a shared experience and are a part of Americana. History tells us the reasons that school systems used only a 10 month calendar were due to agrarian needs, but in recent years this rationale does not seem as applicable. In light of global competition and America's consistently poor international rankings, it would seem logical conclusion to extend the school year to increase instructional time. But the move to year-round schooling isn't so easy, nor is it unanimously embraced by parents, community members, businesses or politicians.


Title of dissertation: THE PRICE SENSITIVITY OF DEMAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AMONG NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS CHARLES BASCHNAGEL, 2015 Dissertation directed by: DR MELISSA KEARNEY Department of ECONOMICS This dissertation examines the price sensitivity of demand for higher education among non-traditional students in the United States. Chapter 1 discusses the issues related to the demand for higher education. It presents the recent trends and reviews the literature addressing these issues. A major conclusion that emerges from this chapter is that the price sensitivity of demand for higher education appears to depend on the source of the variation in price and the characteristics of the students who face the price change. The baseline estimate for the price sensitivity of demand is that a $1,000 (in year 2000 dollars) decrease in tuition costs should result in a 4 percentage-point increase in enrollment for the traditional 18to 24-year-old student. Chapter 2 examines the price sensitivity of demand for higher education for military spouses resulting from variation in tuition due to military-mandated moves across states. The data suggest that a $1,000 (in year 2000 dollars) decrease in the cost of 2-year schools is associated with a 1–1.5 percentage-point increase in the probability of attending college. This estimate is less than half the previous estimates due to in-state tuition price differences faced by the civilian 18to 24year-old population on a percentage-point basis. However, this represents a 7–10 percent increase for this population, and the magnitude of this metric is in line with previous estimates. This suggests tuition assistance can be an effective means of increasing enrollment for military spouses, but other barriers to education for this population may also need to be addressed. Chapter 3 examines the impact of a change in the tax treatment of savings set aside for higher education by those who decide to suspend their education and enter the workforce. The taxation of these funds appears to have increased the rate at which these funds are included in an employee's initial contract and the quantity of funds allocated. These results are counterintuitive if the tax preference was the primary reason for the savings plan. However, these results suggest the rationale for the savings plan was to offer targeted additional compensation to recruits with greater negotiating power. Taxation of funds previously set aside did not appear to have a statistically significant impact on their utilization. Point estimates of the price sensitivity of demand from changes in the out-of-pocket costs for higher education induced by the taxation of these funds were small and often not statistically significant. The results from this dissertation show responses to changes in the net cost of college that differ by the source of price variation and the population experiencing them. This is consistent with the previous literature. This dissertation contributes to the literature by providing estimates for the price sensitivity of demand for higher education to previously understudied non-traditional students. THE PRICE SENSITIVITY OF DEMAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AMONG NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS


Seaweed cultivation and processing industries could contribute to sustainable blue growth and the European bioeconomy. This article contributes a case study evaluation of environmental sustainability of preserved brown seaweed Saccharina latissima by means of environmental life cycle assessment of a pilot facility in Sweden. The study accounts for nutrient bioremediation and carbon capture and includes two alternative hatchery processes, a 2-ha longline cultivation, and four alternative preservation methods (hang-drying outdoors, heated air-cabinet drying, ensiling, and freezing). The study found that as a result of carbon capture and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake (bioremediation) by seaweed, more CO2 and PO4 equivalents are (temporarily) absorbed than emitted by the supply chain. The extent of emissions is most affected by preservation methods undertaken. Impact profiles of the supply chain show that the greatest impact shares result from freezing and air-cabinet drying, both the two most energy-intensive processes, followed by the cultivation infrastructure, highlighting strategic optimization opportunities. Hatchery processes, harvesting, and the low-energy ensilage and hang-drying outdoors were found to have relatively small impact shares. These findings presage the environmentally friendliness of seaweed-based products by documenting their potential to mitigate eutrophication and climate change, even when taking a life cycle perspective.


Cultural factors relevant to psychotherapy, although highly relevant, have been poorly studied in the local context, with little clarity regarding the socially shared meanings about this kind of treatment. The aim of this study was to identify beliefs about psychotherapy among adults from La Araucanía region, Chile. Through a bottom up cultural research approach, 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted and examined using thematic analysis. Participants held mostly positive beliefs about psychotherapy itself and its results. However, understandings that could hinder adherence to psychotherapy were identified, as well as negative emotions associated with attending it. Additionally, participants displayed negative beliefs about the psychotherapy delivered in the public health system. These results provide a characterization of beliefs about psychotherapy among adults, and could serve as an input to understand psychotherapy adherence in this particular context.