Despite extensive research into rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known aboutstructural transformation1 in rural areas on the continent. Zambia was chosen as one of threecase study countries2 in order to identify and to analyse rural transformation processes and theirmain influencing forces aiming at defining strategies and measures to influence such processestowards social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability until 20303.Zambia shows a persisting copper-dependent mono-structure with selective transformation processestowards commercial agricultural production in specific regions. It thus follows a very differenttrajectory than historical transformation processes in Europe or East Asia – it is neithercharacterized by increasing agricultural productivity and depopulation of rural areas, nor by anincreasing share of industry for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or employment, and neither bydeclining birth rates.


Blackstrap molasses has been used for centuries in the preparation of food products and have also been used to treat numerous ailments such as high blood pressure, arthritis, ulcers, dermatitits, eczema, constipation, colitis, varicose veins and many other health problems. Reports suggest that blackstrap molasses may have endocrine disruptive effects in cattle. The present study investigated the effect of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarium) molasses on steroidogenesis in testis cell culture. Testis cell cultures were incubated with various concentrations of molasses. Luteinizing hormone was used to stimulate the production of testosterone in the testes cell culture. Supernatants of the testes cell cultures were then assayed for testosterone, oestradiol and cytotoxicity using commercially available kits. Results showed that low concentrations (12 - 50 ug/ml) of molasses increase testosterone secretion relative to control cultures (P < 0.05). None of the molasses concentrations tested were cytotoxic. This study has shown that molasses stimulate testosterone production. Therefore, molasses may potentially be used as a diet supplement to increase testosterone levels.


Abstract: The Late Jurassic was a time of increasing aridity in NW Europe. Here, a new clay mineral dataset is presented from a 600 m thick composite core through the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, southern England. Clay mineral assemblages comprise mainly illite and kaolinite, with minor randomly interstratified illite–smectite mixed-layer clays. SEM observations indicate that clay minerals are mainly detrital, except in silty strata of late Tithonian age, which contain abundant pore-filling kaolinite aggregates. Th/K ratios determined from gamma-ray spectrometry mirror palaeoclimatically significant variations in kaolinite/illite ratios, with notable exception where diagenetic kaolinite occurs. Comparison with age-equivalent strata identifies regional cyclic variations in clay minerals at the 100–300 m scale. Small-scale (10–20 m) variations in clay minerals and Th/K also occur. It is proposed that the region experienced progressively intense humidity through the Kimmeridgian, followed by a return to more arid conditions during the early Tithonian. Following a mid-Tithonian peak in aridity (the 'Hudlestoni Event'), more humid climatic conditions returned prior to the development of latest Tithonian intense aridity. Late Jurassic climate was apparently subject to synchronously cyclic changes across a broad area of the Laurasian continent. Such changes could not have resulted from mountain building or continental rotations. Supplementary material: Clay data are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18376.


Novel crash element designs, composing of packing of foam-filled multi tubes, were investigated through compression testing at quasi-static deformation rates. Multitube designs involved the hexagonal and cubic packing of Al foam-filled deep drawn Al tubes inside rigid cylindrical and rectangular dies. For comparison purposes, empty Al tubes, Al and polystyrene foam-filled single tubes, Al and polystyrene foam-filled bitubular tubes and empty multi-tube designs of hexagonal and cubic packing were also tested under the similar test conditions. The Al-closed cell foams used for the filling of tubes were prepared in house using a patented foaming process. For each tube geometry investigated the average crushing load and specific energy absorption was calculated and the results were compared. It was shown that although foam filling resulted in higher energy absorption than the sum of the energy absorptions of the tube alone and foam alone, it was not more effective in increasing the specific energy than simply thickening the tube walls. The lower specific energy absorptions of the Al-foam filled single tubes based on the equal mass criterion were due to the relatively lower plateau stresses of the filler material used. The experimental results have further shown that both multi-tube and bitubular geometries exhibited higher specific energy absorption capabilities than those of foamfilled single tubes. The increased strengthening coefficients of the multi-tube geometries with foam filling were solely due to the frictional loads between the adjacent tube walls, tube walls and die wall and constraint effect of die itself. The frictional loads were also found to increase the specific energy absorption of empty multi-tube geometries. The effect of Al foam density was found to increase the specific energy absorption in multi-tube geometries.


Lithium substituted W type ferrites having common chemical formula SrMe(LiFe)0.5-W where Me is a divalent cation such as Zn, Ni, Cd, Cu, Fe were prepared by standard solid state reaction method and their dc electrical properties such as conductivity, activation energy were studied and the type of carriers responsible in each was determined from thermoelectric studies. The higher resistivity of the compounds SrMe(LiFe)0.5W where Me = Cu, Zn and Ni, suggests less presence of mixed valency cations on equivalent lattice. While with Me = Fe and Cd show low value due to the ferrous ions present on the octahedral sites along with ferric ions.


Extensive modification of coastal vegetation at the Pineapples and Cape Deslacs rookeries is related to the burrowing,trampling and guano deposition of short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirodtris).Ordination and classification of the associated vegetation and measurement of soil nutrient levels demonstrate two distinct but interactin phases of vegetation succession. These are affected by coastal influence, edaphic factors and the presence or absence of nesting areas.


River channel substrate size and mobility are important to Atlantic salmon spawning and rearing success. We compare morphology and bed sediment between two North American Atlantic coastal streams (Narraguagus River, Maine, USA and Jacquet River, New Brunswick, Canada). The watersheds have similar drainage areas and mean annual precipitation, but differing relief structure, channel longitudinal profiles and numbers of returning salmon. The lower‐relief Narraguagus River is segmented into steeper (gradient >0.002) and flatter reaches (gradient <0.0005). Flat reaches, including mainstem lakes, act as sediment sinks, preventing the continuity of downstream sediment transport. Based on field measurements, the Narraguagus River has a larger high‐flow width to depth ratio than the Jacquet River, but this difference is principally the result of outliers from low‐gradient channel reaches. Measurements of substrate grain size reveal finer river‐bed sediments on the Narraguagus River, however, Shields parameter calculations indicate that bed sediment should be mobile during high flows in both streams. We use the Shields equation to predict grain size based on channel slope, width and drainage area measured from digital elevation models (DEM) and aerial photographs. Predictions of median grain size agree with field measurements within a factor of 2 for 62–70% of the survey stations. We suggest ways that model misfits may provide opportunities to prioritize reach‐based restoration efforts. Based on expected grain size, we estimate 62% spawning and 68% rearing habitat along the length of the Narraguagus River, and 28 and 95% respectively on the Jacquet. Overall, glacial history and relief structure appear to be the first‐order controls on substrate grain size and habitat quality in these two rivers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Old movies suffer from various types of degradation: severe noise, blurred edges of objects (low contrast), scratches, spots, etc. Finding an efficient denoising method is one of the most important and one of the oldest problems in image sequence processing. The crucial thing in image sequences is motion. If the motion is insignificant, then any motion noncompensated method of filtering can be applied. However, if the noise is significant, then this approach gives most often unsatisfactory results. In order to increase the quality of frames, motion compensated filters are usually applied. This is a very time consuming and awkward approach due to serious limitations of optical flow methods. In this paper, a review of various filters with motion detection when applied to the processing of image sequences coming from old movies is presented. These filters are nonlinear and based on the concept of multistage median filtering or mathematical morphology. Some new filters are proposed. The idea of these new filters presented here is to detect moving areas instead of performing full estimation of motion in the sequence and to apply exclusively 2D filters in those regions while applying 3D motion noncompensated filters in static areas, which usually significantly reduces the computational burden.


The concept of the "natural" long-term interest rate, a rate that is determined by the underlying production capability of the economy, provides a way to check the internal consistency of mediumterm economic projections. Forecasters who use a neoclassical growth model to project the level of real Gross Domestic Product, as does the Congressional Budget Office, are implicitly projecting the natural rate, because the growth model simulates the production capability of the economy. The assumptions that are embedded in the growth model can be used to calculate the natural rate. In addition, economists have long noted that medium-term changes in inflation are related to the degree the natural rate is above or below people's expectations about the inflation-adjusted rate of return they will get on financial instruments. If the natural rate is above the expected real rate, inflation will tend to increase; if below, it will decrease. Therefore, the natural rate concept links the assumptions of the growth model, the projected change in the rate of inflation, and the projected change in the rate of interest.


About the book:
Offering evidence of women's extensive contributions to the theatrical landscape, this volume sharply challenges the assumption that the stage was 'all male' in early modern England. The editors and contributors argue that the pervasiveness of female performance affected cultural production, even on the professional London stages that used men and boys for women's parts. English spectators saw women players in professional and amateur contexts, in elite and popular settings, at home and abroad. Women acted in scripted and improvised roles, performed in local festive drama, and took part in dancing, singing, and masquing. English travelers saw professional actresses on the continent and Italian and French actresses visited England.

Essays in this volume explore: the impact of women players outside London; the relationship between women's performance on the continent and in England; working women's participation in a performative culture of commerce; the importance of the visual record; the use of theatrical techniques by queens and aristocrats for political ends; and the role of female performance on the imitation of femininity.

In short, Women Players in England 1500–1660 shows that women were dynamic cultural players in the early modern world.


Since the early days of relational databases, it was realized that acyclic hypergraphs give rise to database schemas with desirable structural and algorithmic properties. In a by-now classical paper, Beeri, Fagin, Maier, and Yannakakis established several different equivalent characterizations of acyclicity; in particular, they showed that the sets of attributes of a schema form an acyclic hypergraph if and only if the local-to-global consistency property for relations over that schema holds, which means that every collection of pairwise consistent relations over the schema is globally consistent. Even though real-life databases consist of bags (multisets), there has not been a study of the interplay between local consistency and global consistency for bags. We embark on such a study here and we first show that the sets of attributes of a schema form an acyclic hypergraph if and only if the local-to-global consistency property for bags over that schema holds. After this, we explore algorithmic aspects of global consistency for bags by analyzing the computational complexity of the global consistency problem for bags: given a collection of bags, are these bags globally consistent? We show that this problem is in NP, even when the schema is part of the input. We then establish the following dichotomy theorem for fixed schemas: if the schema is acyclic, then the global consistency problem for bags is solvable in polynomial time, while if the schema is cyclic, then the global consistency problem for bags is NP-complete. The latter result contrasts sharply with the state of affairs for relations, where, for each fixed schema, the global consistency problem for relations is solvable in polynomial time.


The effects of changing strain rate regime from quasi-static to medium on hydrogen susceptibility of aluminum (Al) 7075 were investigated by means of tensile tests. Strain rates were selected as 10−3 s−1 and 1 s−1 and tensile tests were conducted on both hydrogen uncharged and hydrogen charged specimens at room temperature. Electrochemical hydrogen charging method was utilized and diffusion length of hydrogen inside Al 7075 was modeled. Material characterizations were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX) and microstructural observations of hydrogen uncharged and hydrogen charged specimens were performed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). As opposed to previous studies hydrogen embrittlement was more pronounced at high strain rate case. Moreover, hydrogen enhanced localized plasticity was the more dominant hydrogen embrittlement mechanism at slower strain rate but coexistence of hydrogen enhanced localized plasticity and hydrogen enhanced decohesion was observed at a medium strain rate. Overall, the current findings shed light on the complicated hydrogen embrittlement behavior of Al 7075 and constitute an efficient guideline for the usage of Al 7075 that can be subject to different strain rate loadings in service.


Two cyclothems contain an unusual suite of disrupted fabrics. This study9s interdisciplinary integration of coal maceral and sedimentological information offers significant new interpretations of coal-limestone interchange, both depositionally and diagenetically. Disrupted fabrics within the Herrin Coal and Providence Limestone are interpreted as representing previously undocumented interactive processes between coals and limestones. The Herrin Coal contains brecciated beds that are the result of marine transgression over a coastal-plain mire, representing high-energy conditions at the swamp-beach interface. This interface has rarely been documented in detail. Peat is inherently unstable prior to its conversion to coal, and we document this by interpreting conglomeratic beds in overlying strata. Differential compaction of Herrin peats generated subaqueous debris flows in the overlying Providence Limestone. This mechanism for syndiagenetic and early diagenetic sediment deformation has not been previously recognized. In addition, near-surface and surface processes produced other disrupted fabrics in the Providence Limestone, such as in situ mosaic breccias, nodular fabrics, and calcrete horizons. This study also documents that stratigraphically adjacent, alkaline carbonate sediments were further altered by undersaturated acidic pore waters, derived from compacting peats during early diagenesis. Our interdisciplinary approach to distinguishing and interpreting all of these disrupted fabrics led to a new appraisal of the importance of depositional and postdepositional interactions between coal and limestone. The presence of mire deposits can have a significant influence on the thickness, distribution, and fabrics in overlying strata. In cyclothems, climatic and eustatic changes may control overall depositional patterns, but peat compaction may determine certain facies.


The synthesis of homothymine PNA-oligomers can be plagued by the occurrence of a significant amount of truncation products, probably because on-resin aggregation hinders access during the coupling reactions. The use of low resin loading and the addition of the chaotropic salt KSCN in DMF allowed a partial remedy by conferring enhancements to the coupling yields. However, protection of the imide group by using O-allyl-protected thymine Fmoc-t(All) provided the most significant improvements to the yields, even in cases where the use of non-protected thymine building blocks resulted in 70% truncation products. Deallylation occurs during the TFA cleavage step. Thus, O-allyl-protection can be applied in combination with standard protocols used in automated PNA synthesis.


Technology offers unique sets of opportunities, from human flourishing to civilization survival, but also challenges, from partial misuse to global apocalypse. Yet technology is shaped by the social environment in which it is developed and used, prompting questions about its desirable governance format. In this context, we look at governance challenges of large technical systems, specifically the peaceful use of high-power lasers in space, in order to propose a conceptual framework for legitimate global governance. Specifically, we adopt a context-based approach to legitimacy to address the trade-offs between effectiveness (output legitimacy) and inclusivity (input legitimacy) in the governance of large technical systems. We show that distinguishing two basic phases of space laser policy which call for different legitimacy criteria helps balance out the trade-offs without sacrificing either effectiveness or inclusivity. Finally, we construe LTSs' governance as a tool for creating globally networked spaces which may enable coordinated global democratic governance.


In this research, I have explored the retirement experience of 6 humanitarians who had retired from a humanitarian organization after a career characterised by frequent, global relocation and the need to live and work in physically and emotionally challenging conditions. I used a narrative methodology which viewed their written stories and conversations with me as situated in specific organizational, social and cultural contexts. I have also identified themes which arose in their narrative in the three areas of enquiry which has framed this research: finding meaning and identity in retirement, the importance of relationships in retirement and dealing with existential questions. The issue was becoming more relevant to the organization because of changes in the mandatory retirement age which are currently being implemented and the implications of this for individuals themselves, their decision making and the options for providing organizational support in the years prior to a later retirement. Each of the retiree's stories was as unique as the person who wrote it but nevertheless interesting conclusions were drawn which may be relevant for others: the inner, emotional journey of retirement can be as important and eventful as the exterior, practical journey. This group of men and women may be on the vanguard of globalization in that they assimilate at a deep level into their identities the idea of global citizenship during retirement. The organizational career management of humanitarians towards the end of their careers needs to reflect to a greater extent the challenges they have faced during their careers and those they will continue to face in retirement.


We investigate the terms of exchange between the legislative branch of the government and an administrative bureau with standard operating procedures. An administrative bureau is a not-for-profit public organisation responsible for the production of a non-marketable good. Such a bureau is tax-financed and the budget appropriations can be linked directly to a verifiable measure of the agency's performance. Also, the tax-financed transfer must not be less than the monetary cost of running the public agency. When standard operating procedures are central to the workings of the bureau, the agency is unencumbered by moral hazard. Yet, such agency is likely to have superior information over its production technology relative to the legislature. In such an information environment, we focus on how the legislature could minimise its welfare losses. Our results come in striking contrast to those in the literature on bureaucracies and to the received adverse selection findings. In a setting where the agency can be either of two cost-types, the principal finds it optimal in most cases to distort the production performance of the beureau regardless of its cost-type. Also the distortions are not of the same direction.


The problem of automatically selecting simulation models for autonomous agents depending on their current intentions and beliefs is considered in this paper. The intended use of the models is for prediction, filtering, planning and other types of reasoning that can be performed with simulation models. The parameters and model fragments of the resulting model are selected by formulating and solving a hybrid constrained optimization problem that captures the intuition of the preferred model when relevance information about the elements of the world being modelled is taken into consideration. A specialized version of the original optimization problem is developed that makes it possible to solve the continuous subproblem analytically in linear time. A practical model selection problem is discussed where the aim is to select suitable parameters and models for tracking dynamic objects. Experiments with randomly generated problem instances indicate that a hillclimbing search approach might be both efficient and provides reasonably good solutions compared to simulated annealing and hillclimbing with random restarts.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether passively acquired antibodies prevent development of a protective immune response to live virus in calves.

ANIMALS
18 calves.

PROCEDURES
Calves were caught immediately after birth and tested free of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and serum antibodies against BVDV. Within 48 hours, 12 calves were fed colostrum that contained antibodies against BVDV and 6 calves received BVDV antibody free milk replacer. Three milk replacer fed and 6 colostrum fed calves were exposed to virulent BVDV2-1373 at 2 to 5 weeks of life when passively acquired serum antibody titers were high. After serum antibody titers against BVDV had decayed to undetectable concentrations (at 7 to 9 months of age), the 3 remaining milk replacer fed calves, 6 colostrum fed calves previously exposed to BVDV2-1373, and 6 colostrum fed calves that had not been exposed to the virus were inoculated with BVDV2-1373.

RESULTS
Passively acquired antibodies prevented clinical disease in inoculated colostrum fed calves at 2 to 5 weeks of life. Serum antibody titers did not increase in these calves following virus inoculation, and serum antibody titers decayed at the same rate as in noninoculated colostrum fed calves. Inoculated colostrum fed calves were still protected from clinical disease after serum antibody titers had decayed to nondetectable concentrations. Same age colostrum fed calves that had not been previously exposed to the virus were not protected.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
A protective immune response was mounted in calves with passive immunity, but was not reflected by serum antibodies titers. This finding has implications for evaluating vaccine efficacy and immune status.


This book covers the fundamental concepts of data mining, to demonstrate the potential of gathering large sets of data, and analyzing these data sets to gain useful business understanding. The book is organized in three parts. Part I introduces concepts. Part II describes and demonstrates basic data mining algorithms. It also contains chapters on a number of different techniques often used in data mining. Part III focusses on business applications of data mining.Methods are presented with simple examples, applications are reviewed, and relativ advantages are evaluated.


ABSTRACT This paper focuses on accountability in school-based education in England. It explores notions of accountability and proposes a new framework for its analysis. It then identifies a number of types of accountability which are present in school-based education, and discusses each in terms of who is accountable to whom and for what. It goes on to examine the sanctions associated with each type of accountability and some possible effects of each type. School performance cross-cuts virtually all facets of accountability, but is fundamental to hierarchical and market accountability where it is associated with a high likelihood of severe sanctions. This, it is argued, means that schools are likely to focus on these forms of accountability as opposed to participative or network accountabilities that involve collaboration with others. The final section proposes that there is a case for accountability systems to focus more broadly on a variety of processes and outcomes related to the overall goals of education. The existing regime in England is heavily focused on hierarchical and market accountability: a greater focus on participative and network accountability may foster a less individualistic approach to education and greater social cohesion.


There were two main aims of the project. A surface replacement prosthesis was previously designed at the University of Durham for the metacarpo-phalangeal joint (MCPJ). Tools were required to assess the joint prosthesis pre-operatively and postoperatively. The areas of assessment which the author was involved in were joint stiffness and a self-assessment questionnaire. The Durham arthrograph had previously been used for many clinical trials to assess joint stiffness objectively. However, the computer system was not portable. Hence a new computer system was developed, in Lab VIEW, for a lap-top computer. Ten normal individuals were assessed to validate the system. A questionnaire was also developed for patients to self-assess the performance of their joints. The questionnaire assessed parameters such as range of movement, hand strength, stiffness and pain on visual analogue scales. The difficulty in performing activities of daily living were assessed on simple descriptive scales. The second part of the project was to develop a surface replacement prosthesis for the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ). Since there was inadequate information in the literature on the architecture of the PEPJ bearing surfaces and phalangeal bone shafts, a detailed study was performed on the bones from 83 PIPJs. Proximal and middle phalangeal bones were dissected, modelled in bone cement, sectioned and shadowgraphed. The shadowgraphs were measured and models of the proximal phalangeal heads were produced. These models were then used to design four PIPJ surface replacement prostheses over a range of sizes which covered 97.6% of the sample population of PIPJs. It was proposed that the MCPJ and PIPJ prostheses would be made entirely from cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE). Hence wear tests on pin-on-plate apparatuses were carried out to investigate the wear characteristics of XLPE-on-XLPE compared with other biomaterial combinations. The wear of XLPE-on-XLPE was comparable with UHMWPE-on-stainless steel. XLPE-on-stainless steel wore 10 times faster than XLPE-on-XLPE, and UHMWPE-on-UHMWPE wore 100 times faster than XLPE-on- XLPE. Hence it was concluded that all XLPE joint prostheses were feasible as far as the wear considerations were concerned.


Based on experimental results and existing resources, the paper explored and identified the major contributing factors to the email notice issue, including local administrator status, Aleph client, mail server, Aleph system files, and security settings. The paper elaborated the troubleshooting process, and how to find the solution to the issue. The authors suggested recommendations based the lessons learned from the project experience. The project experience presented in this paper should be instructive for libraries solving the similar problems.


This article seeks to identify some of the uses of "the index of books to be immediately excluded" issued by the Ministry of Culture and Arts in 1951. At that time, decrees of the sort specified inventories of books permitted to be included on the shelves of Polish. In the process, many books were to be removed for good both from libraries and from native heritage. Additionally, the procedure of "purification", as it was called by the officials, bore significant similarities to the repressive practices of the German and Russian occupants used during WWII. The author argues that analogies were drawn wittingly or impulsively at least for the effectiveness of German and Russian inventions. The 1951 list of books forbidden for the Polish common reader offers their obsolete character as the reason for exclusion. Up to date did not mean "contemporary" but up to the demands of state authorities. Administrative pressure to reflect the political agenda converted books into somewhat fatter newspapers and in this way seriously damaged book, which had always been the important vehicle of national and cultural memory.


We introduce and analyze a new technique for model reduction for deep neural networks. While large networks are theoretically capable of learning arbitrarily complex models, overfitting and model redundancy negatively affects the prediction accuracy and model variance. Our Net-Trim algorithm prunes (sparsifies) a trained network layer-wise, removing connections at each layer by solving a convex optimization program. This program seeks a sparse set of weights at each layer that keeps the layer inputs and outputs consistent with the originally trained model. The algorithms and associated analysis are applicable to neural networks operating with the rectified linear unit (ReLU) as the nonlinear activation. We present both parallel and cascade versions of the algorithm. While the latter can achieve slightly simpler models with the same generalization performance, the former can be computed in a distributed manner. In both cases, Net-Trim significantly reduces the number of connections in the network, while also providing enough regularization to slightly reduce the generalization error. We also provide a mathematical analysis of the consistency between the initial network and the retrained model. To analyze the model sample complexity, we derive the general sufficient conditions for the recovery of a sparse transform matrix. For a single layer taking independent Gaussian random vectors of length $N$ as inputs, we show that if the network response can be described using a maximum number of $s$ non-zero weights per node, these weights can be learned from $\mathcal{O}(s\log N)$ samples.


Background Newer approaches to genetic counselling are required for population-based testing. We compare traditional face-to-face genetic counselling with a DVD-assisted approach for population-based BRCA1/2 testing. Methods A cluster-randomised non-inferiority trial in the London Ashkenazi Jewish population. Inclusion criteria Ashkenazi Jewish men/women >18 years; exclusion criteria: (a) known BRCA1/2 mutation, (b) previous BRCA1/2 testing and (c) first-degree relative of BRCA1/2 carrier. Ashkenazi Jewish men/women underwent pre-test genetic counselling prior to BRCA1/2 testing in the Genetic Cancer Prediction through Population Screening trial (ISRCTN73338115). Genetic counselling clinics (clusters) were randomised to traditional counselling (TC) and DVD-based counselling (DVD-C) approaches. DVD-C involved a DVD presentation followed by shorter face-to-face genetic counselling. Outcome measures included genetic testing uptake, cancer risk perception, increase in knowledge, counselling time and satisfaction (Genetic Counselling Satisfaction Scale). Random-effects models adjusted for covariates compared outcomes between TC and DVD-C groups. One-sided 97.5% CI was used to determine non-inferiority. Secondary outcomes: relevance, satisfaction, adequacy, emotional impact and improved understanding with the DVD; cost-minimisation analysis for TC and DVD-C approaches. Results 936 individuals (clusters=256, mean-size=3.6) were randomised to TC (n=527, clusters=134) and DVD-C (n=409, clusters=122) approaches. Groups were similar at baseline, mean age=53.9 (SD=15) years, women=66.8%, men=33.2%. DVD-C was non-inferior to TC for increase in knowledge (d=−0.07; lower 97.5% CI=−0.41), counselling satisfaction (d=−0.38, 97.5% CI=1.2) and risk perception (d=0.08; upper 97.5% CI=3.1). Group differences and CIs did not cross non-inferiority margins. DVD-C was equivalent to TC for uptake of genetic testing (d=−3%; lower/upper 97.5% CI −7.9%/1.7%) and superior for counselling time (20.4 (CI 18.7 to 22.2) min reduction (p<0.005)). 98% people found the DVD length and information satisfactory. 85–89% felt it improved their understanding of risks/benefits/implications/purpose of genetic testing. 95% would recommend it to others. The cost of genetic counselling for DVD-C=£7787 and TC=£17 307. DVD-C resulted in cost savings=£9520 (£14/volunteer). Conclusions DVD-C is an effective, acceptable, non-inferior, time-saving and cost-efficient alternative to TC. Trial registration number ISRCTN 73338115.


A strong mandate and need for socioeconomic monitoring are expressed in the NPS strategic goals for science, in statements by the NPS leadership, and the report of the Second Century Commission. This mandate resulted in a pilot socioeconomic monitoring study in 2015/2016 at a sample of park units across the U.S; the current study uses outcomes from the first stage of the pilot program and progresses into a second stage of the pilot process at 24 NPS units across the United States. Catoctin Mountain Park (Catoctin Mountain Park) was selected as one of these units. This report informs core issues of visitor use management and develops a deeper, contemporary understanding of who visits Catoctin Mountain Park and what they do during their visit. It uses a two-phased survey methodology to capture a representative sample of visitor information, characteristics, and behavior: (1) an on-site intercept survey conducted via tablet, and (2) a follow up (mail-back and/or online survey) for full trip details. The results are organized by these two phases and are aimed to assist park managers in understanding current utilization and perception of park resources, operations and potential issues, as well as facilitating communication and decision-making processes within the park and between the park and its local partners and stakeholders.


Dedicated to the people's movements who are in the forefront of the struggle to realise their aspirations and full potential, to resist oppressive, repressive and exploitative systems and institutions. It is also to the people's movement to reclaim rights to land and productive resources, food sovereignty, gender justice and environmental sustainability. "Realise, Resist and Reclaim" captures one valuable stream of a galaxy of social transformation movements that is fed and facilitated by the Pesticide Action Network in Asia and the Pacific (PANAP). It has led the global campaigning for safer food, sustainable agricultural practices and for a pro-people ecologically sustainable future. Significantly, it also sought to ensure that the rights of women are not only respected but that women are empowered to resist and develop their future vision and frameworks of action. All too often, social movements forget to document such important expressions of the long and difficult journey for transformational change.


By using an econometric approach this paper looks at the evolution of the world wine industry in the period 1961-2005. A particular stylized fact is the appearance of non-traditional producing and exporting countries of wine from the beginning of the nineties. We show that the success of these new producing and exporting countries can be explained by the importance of the demand from non-producing countries with little or no tradition of wine consumption, relative to the world demand. This stylized fact is consistent with a testable implication of the switching cost literature and to the best of our knowledge this is the first time that this implication is tested.


I take advantage of a sharp discontinuity in the probability of admission to an elite university at the admission score threshold, to estimate causal returns to college education quality. I use a newly constructed dataset, which combines individual administrative records about high school, college admission, college attendance and tax returns. Students with score just above the admission threshold have 52% higher yearly income with respect to just-below-threshold students. This premium is equivalent to a jump from the 44th percentile to the 74th percentile of the income distribution. The richness of the data allows me to explore the counterfactual college career of not admitted students and the potential mechanisms underlying the estimated income premium. I find that students with a just-above-threshold score are less likely to be college dropouts, take six fewer months to graduate, choose different majors and are more likely to have income in the top quartile of the distribution. Cumulated over fifteen years, the time span of income data for my sample, the net premium of attending the elite university amounts to around $120,000.


This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the line shapes and signal-to-noise ratios obtained in two-tone optical heterodyne spectroscopy with tunable lead-salt diode lasers. The theory is described in terms of the frequency-modulation (FM) index β, the amplitude-modulation (AM) index M, their relative phase shift ψ, and the ratio of modulation frequency to the absorption-line half-width ν¯m. Synthetic spectra are presented for both Gaussian and Lorentzian line shapes and show considerable structural variation with the theoretical parameters. Experimental two-tone optical heterodyne spectra were obtained by modulating a specially modified lead-salt diode laser in the radio-frequency region. The experimental spectra obtained from NH3 absorption lines confirm the theoretical results.


Art Tatum defined the limits of the possible in jazz piano. Gunther Schuller called Tatum's playing "a marvel of perfection.... His deep-in-the-keys full piano sonority, the tone and touch control in pyrotechnical passages...are miracles of performance." Whitney Balliett wrote "no pianist has ever hit notes more beautifully. Each one--no matter how fast the tempo--was light and complete and resonant, like the letters on a finely printed page." His famous runs have been compared to the arc left against the night sky by a Fourth-of-July sparkler. And to have heard him play, one musician said, "was as awe-inspiring as to have seen the Grand Canyon or Halley's Comet." Now, in Too Marvelous For Words, James Lester provides the first full-length biography of the greatest virtuoso performer in the history of jazz. Before this volume, little was known about Tatum, even among jazz afficionados. What were his origins, who taught him and who provided early pianistic influences, how did he break into the jazz field, what role did he play in the development of other jazz players, and what was he like when he wasn't playing? To answer these questions, Lester has conducted almost a hundred interviews for this book, with surviving family, childhood friends, school teachers, and the famous jazz musicians who played with him or knew him. Lester creates a memorable portrait of this unique musician and of the vibrant jazz world of the 1930s and 1940s, capturing the complexity and vitality of this remarkable performer. Tatum, who was virtually blind, suffering between 70% and 90% visual impairment, emerges as cheerful, fun-loving, energetic and out-going, with none of the demonic self-destructiveness that seemed to haunt such jazz greats as Charlie Parker or Billie Holiday. He often joked about his blindness, but did not like it mentioned as a handicap and preferred to pre-plan his entrance to the piano in a club, rather than have someone lead him there. He was simply inexhaustible and had a life-long habit of staying up all night after a gig, usually seeking an after-hours club in which to listen and play until daybreak. Lester also reveals that Tatum was generous with younger players, but his extraordinary technical brilliance often devastated them. No less a talent than Oscar Peterson remembers that after first hearing Tatum, "I gave up the piano for two solid months, and I had crying fits at night." And Les Paul remarked that after hearing Tatum for the first time, he quit piano completely and began playing guitar. Perhaps most important, Lester provides a thorough, knowledgeable discussion of Tatum's music, from his early influences, such as stride pianist Fats Waller, to his mature style in which Lizst, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Waller, and Earl Hines all became grist for his harmonic mill. From unexceptional origins in Toledo, Ohio, Art Tatum evolved into a world-class musician whose importance in jazz is comparable to Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker and whose command of the piano captured the admiration of Horowitz and Paderewski. Too Marvelous For Words is the first full portrait of this extraordinary musical genius.


It is a well known fact that economic development and distance to the equator are positively correlated variables in the world today. It is perhaps less well known that as recently as 1500 C.E. it was the other way around. The present paper provides a theory of why the "latitude gradient" seemingly changed sign in the course of the last half millennium. In particular, we develop a dynamic model of economic and physiological development in which households decide upon the number and nutrition of their offspring. In this setting we demonstrate that relatively high metabolic costs of fertility, which may have emerged due to positive selection towards greater cold tolerance in locations away from the equator, would work to stifle economic development during pre-industrial times, yet allow for an early onset of sustained growth. As a result, the theory suggests a reversal of fortune whereby economic activity gradually shifts away from the equator in the process of long-term economic development.


Domestic air conditioner equipment run long time a day to create a comfortable environment during hot summer weather. Instead of this, using such units may involve lots of risks. Air condition unit is one of the high electric power consumption appliances. This power surges each time the refrigerant compressor starts up leads to increase the temperature of electric connections. Coupled with the extreme hot weather put the resident's lives and their properties in real danger. A well-known heating-cooling cycle of the electric connections due to increasing-decreasing electric current cycle passing through the connections as a result of inrush current each time the compressor starting up leads to weak them. With the time, these connections become hotter and hotter to a specific temperature at which fire may ignite and/ or poisoning gases may emit from sockets and joints. Manufacturers start using inrush current limiters in the power circuit and an active bypass circuit that is activated after the inrush current peak decays. This paper presents an investigation of a simple method to manage the inrush current during the compressor starting up each start-stop cycle. This procedure includes switch OFF the unit's fan just before the compressor starting up to provide an extra power to minimising the unit total inrush current. While the fan is continue rotating by its inertia and when the compressor reaches its steady state current or just before it, the fan is reconnected. Inrush current of the fan in this case will significantly reduce because it is continue rotating. High inrush current is needed to start any electrical motor from its idle to rotating state at its steady state speed.


Revised guidelines for the use of antimicrobial therapy in patients with intra-abdominal infections were recently developed by the Therapeutic Agents Committee of the Surgical Infection Society (Mazuski et al., Surg Infect 2002;3:161-173). These were based, insofar as possible, on evidence published over the past decade. The objective of this document is to describe the process by which the Committee identified and reviewed the published literature utilized to develop the recommendations and to summarize the results of those reviews. English-language articles published between 1990 and 2000 related to antimicrobial therapy for intra-abdominal infections were identified by a systematic MEDLINE search and an examination of references included in recent review articles. If current literature with regard to a specific issue was lacking, relevant articles published prior to 1990 were identified. All prospective randomized controlled trials, as well as other articles selected by the Committee, were evaluated individually and collectively. Data with regard to patient numbers, types of infections, and results of interventions were abstracted. Studies were categorized according to their design, and all included trials were graded according to quality. On the basis of this evidence, the Committee formulated recommendations for antimicrobial therapy for intra-abdominal infections and graded those recommendations. After receiving comments from invited reviewers and the general membership of the Society, the guidelines were finalized and submitted to the Council of the Surgical Infection Society for approval. The final recommendations related to the selection of patients needing therapeutic antimicrobials, acceptable antimicrobial regimens, duration of antimicrobial use, and the identification and treatment of higher-risk patients. Although numerous publications pertaining to these topics were identified, but nearly all of the prospective randomized controlled trials represented comparisons of different antimicrobial regimens for the treatment of intra-abdominal infections. A few prospective trials evaluated the need for therapeutic antimicrobial therapy in patients with peritoneal contamination following abdominal trauma. The quality of these prospective trials was highly variable. Many did not limit enrollment to patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections, lacked blinding of treatment assignment, did not provide a complete description of the criteria used to determine therapeutic success or failure, failed to identify the reasons why patients were excluded from analysis, or did not include an intention-to-treat analysis. For many issues, no prospective randomized controlled trials were encountered, and guidelines had to be formulated using evidence from studies with historical controls or uncontrolled data, or on the basis of expert opinion


A novel MEMS variable optical attenuator (VOA), which has completely different attenuation mechanism from those in literatures, is proposed and demonstrated in this paper. The basic operation principle is that the optical power coupled between two initially aligned single-mode fibers will be continuously attenuated while the end of one of the fibers is deflected from the initial position. A micromachined solenoid type inductor with a U-shaped permalloy magnetic core is used to attract the deflectable fiber that has a permalloy coat on its end. To fabricate the multi-layer three-dimensional inductive component, a new UV-LIGA process for thick photoresists is developed, combining advantages of both SU-8 and AZ-4000series photoresists. The inductive component is approximately 1.7 mm×1.3 mm×50 ?m in size and has a low resistance value (~2.1 ?). The whole size of the VOA before packaging is 30 mm×2 mm×0.6 mm. The first prototype shows less then 3-dB insertion loss at 0-dB attenuation and nearly 40-dB attenuation range with less than 20 mW electrical input power at wavelength 1550 nm.


This paper aims to disseminate the results and the findings of two projects, partially funded by the European Commission, one on computer based training and another on e-learning. Both projects have been focused on training employees of the wider marine and maritime community. Different approaches have been used for attacking specific needs and several methodologies have been employed. Both projects are described and presented to the academic community as well as to professionals. Their results and findings are thoroughly discussed. The importance of distance working in modern societies and its intertwined role in relation with the development e-learning are also discussed from the point of view of the wider maritime industry.


DETERMINATION OF GEOTECHNICAL PROPERTIES OF SEAFLOOR SEDIMENT USING A FREE FALL P E N E T R O M E T E R by Gopala Krishna Mulukutla University of New Hampshire, May, 2009 A study was conducted to determine the penetration behavior of a cylindrical probe free falling to the seafloor and to utilize the data obtained to evaluate the engineering properties of surficial sediment. Two experimental probes, each equipped with accelerometers, pressure sensors and optical backscatter sensors were deployed in different sediment regimes. The data collected was used to derive the sediment type and determine physical properties such as undrained shear strength, coefficient of consolidation and shear modulus for soft fine-grained sediment. Acceleration signals from drops of a free fall penetrometer contain information about the nature of the seafloor. A simple sediment classification model was proposed using data from field deployment tests as well as literature.This model, though applicable only to the probes used in this study, presents an approach that can expand the usage of free fall penetrometers. Rapid penetration with rigid probes in saturated sediments usually results in an increase in measured penetration resistance. This effect, called the strain rate effect, xiii was studied for soft fine-grained sediments by formulating a model to determine undrained shear strength profiles. Excess pore pressure dissipation seen in post-arrest pressure sensor signals in fine-grained sediments were studied to predict the coefficient of consolidation and by extension permeability and shear modulus. A dissipation model using a cylindrical cavity expansion method was formulated for this purpose. A field study was conducted to validate the sediment classification model and undrained shear strength models. Field vane shear tests at the location of the probe drops were used to validate the strain rate dependent strength model. This work facilitates the expanded use of free fall penetrometers as part of geotechnical, geophysical and geological studies of the seafloor.


James Newitt is currently Head of the Visual Communication studio at the Tasmanian School of Art. He creates work through social engagement, predominantly using strategies such as interview, observation, facilitation and subtle direction. By engaging in particular social, political and environmental situations, James produces videos, photographs and installations that explore the spaces between individual and collective identity; memory and history; documentary and fiction; as well as subjective and objective experience.

Since graduating with a PhD from the Tasmanian School of Art in 2007, James has undertaken an Australian Council for the Arts international residency in Los Angeles. He has exhibited nationally in exhibitions such as the 2008 Biennial of Australian Art, as well as internationally in Berlin and Croatia. In 2010 he was invited to participate in the prestigious Primavera exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. He has been awarded prizes such as the 2009 Qantas Foundation Encouragement of Contemporary Art Award and in 2010 he won the City of Hobart Art Prize in the digital media category.

James will be speaking about his experiences of continuing an arts practice after finishing a PhD, as well as reflecting on recent international exhibitions and travels which were supported by the Qantas Foundation Award.


A city offers thousands of social events a day, and it is difficult for dwellers to make choices. The combination of mobile phones and recommender systems can change the way one deals with such abundance. Mobile phones with positioning technology are now widely available, making it easy for people to broadcast their whereabouts, recommender systems can now identify patterns in people's movements in order to, for example, recommend events. To do so, the system relies on having mobile users who share their attendance at a large number of social events: cold-start users, who have no location history, cannot receive recommendations. We set out to address the mobile cold-start problem by answering the following research question: how can social events be recommended to a cold-start user based only on his home location? To answer this question, we carry out a study of the relationship between preferences for social events and geography, the first of its kind in a large metropolitan area. We sample location estimations of one million mobile phone users in Greater Boston, combine the sample with social events in the same area, and infer the social events attended by 2,519 residents. Upon this data, we test a variety of algorithms for recommending social events. We find that the most effective algorithm recommends events that are popular among residents of an area. The least effective, instead, recommends events that are geographically close to the area. This last result has interesting implications for location-based services that emphasize recommending nearby events.


Four instrumented sites, with a total of 14 instrumented piles, have been analysed to understand the structural behaviour of the piles and the geotechnical behaviour of the stabilised slopes. Vibrating wire strain gauges are used for the calculation of the bending moment applied to the piles, while inclinometers are used to measure the displacements. A review of the instrumentation has been carried out and a methodology for processin and analysing strain gauges data has been developed. Concrete is a material with a complex behaviour. Shrinkage, creep, cracking, temperature variations, strength and modulus of elasticity of concrete are critically analysed to understand their influence on the concrete pile behaviour and on the function of the strain gauges. The results show that creep and shrinkage effects can be neglected in underground reinforced concrete structures in saturated clay, while cracking effects and temperature variations have to be analysed case by case. A correction method has been developed to consider the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the strain gauges and that of the concrete. Two types of pile have been analysed, standard reinforced concrete piles and circular concrete-filled steel tubular piles. A review of their behaviour in bending that considers the development of cracking is presented. Two methods for the calculation of bending moment in the piles have been developed taking into account realistic stress/strain curves and the effects of concrete cracking. The bending moment results are compared with the inclinometer profiles using an improved version of an existing curve fitting method. The comparison shows good agreement between the two instrument results. A critical analysis of the pile/soil behaviour has been carried out comparing the results from the instrumented sites with theoretical mechanisms for landslide stabilising piles presented elsewhere. The results show a good match with the theoretical mechanisms as well as showing that the slopes have been successfully stabilised. Other observations have been made during analysis of the monitoring data. These include the seasonal effects of climate and vegetation on stabilised slopes and the structural effect of the external grout ring in laterally loaded circular concrete-filled steel tubular piles


Weeds have an important role in maintaining farmland biodiversity. This needs to be balanced with their potential negative impact on crop yield and quality. Mechanistic models of crop-weed competition are an important tool in striking this balance. A range of common UK annual weeds were screened for the eco-physiological traits required by the models. Using multivariate techniques, a number of functional groups with a similar pattern of productivity and competition were identified, based on trade-offs between traits. A scheme was developed to assign species outside of the data set to one of the groups, based on life cycle, seed mass, maximum height and time of first flowering. As well as having a similar competitive ability, species within a group also appeared to have a similar ecosystem function, in terms of supporting higher trophic groups. Two beneficial groups of species were identified that combined a relatively low competitive ability with a high importance for invertebrates and birds. The identification of functional groups in the UK arable flora is a useful tool for assessing a weed community in the context of reconciling biodiversity provision with crop production. Preserving beneficial plant functional types within the crop would complement non-cropped wildlife refuges, such as field margins.


This paper explores the paradox that whilst the quantitative measures of prison performance in relation to 'race relations' indicate substantial improvements in service delivery, more qualitative measures of the quality of prison life appear to indicate little substantive improvement in race relations. Using the underrepresentation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) prisoners in accredited offending behaviour related prison programmes as a case study to explore understandings of race relations, the paper reflects on whether the under representation indicates the operation of racial discrimination by prison staff or a refusal to participate by prisoners. It also explores other explanations for this phenomenon relating to the enactment of positive ethnic identities and resistance to programmes that ignore such identities. The paper concludes by considering the challenge of developing an active prison culture that validates all ethnic identities in culturally appropriate ways.


Abstract Objectives To investigate the tracking of sugar-sweetened, carbonated soft drinks intake from age 15 to 33 years and the association between this intake and lifestyle factors and body weight. Design A longitudinal study with 18–20 years of follow-up. Data about diet, physical activity, smoking and dieting were collected in 1981/1979, 1991 and 1999. Body weight and height were measured in 1981/1979 and self-reported in 1999. Setting Oslo, Norway. Subjects Four hundred and twenty-two men and women. Results Tracking of soft drinks intake from adolescence into early adulthood (age 25 years) and from early adulthood into later adulthood (33 years) was moderate to high, while tracking from adolescence into later adulthood was low. Comparing those reporting a high intake of soft drinks in both 1991 and 1999 with those reporting a low intake at both times, male long-term high consumers were more likely to smoke (48 vs. 21%, P = 0.002) and reported higher intakes of energy (12.2 vs. 10.2 MJ day−1, P = 0.005) and sugar (142 vs. 50 g day−1, P < 0.001) in 1999 than did long-term low consumers. Women high consumers were less likely to be physically active (14 vs. 42%, P = 0.03) and had higher sugar intake (87 vs. 41 g day−1, P < 0.001) in 1999 than did women low consumers. There were no differences in body mass index, overweight or obesity in 1999 between long-term high and low consumers. Conclusion In this study, stability of soft drinks intake from age 15 to 25 years and from age 25 to 33 years was moderate to high, while from age 15 to 33 years it was low. Soft drinks intake from age 25 to 33 years was associated with smoking and physical inactivity, but not with body weight.


We present a study of 16 H I-detected galaxies found in 178 h of observations from Epoch 1 of the COSMOS H I Large Extragalactic Survey (CHILES). We focus on two redshift ranges between 0.108 ≤ z ≤ 0.127 and 0.162 ≤ z ≤ 0.183 which are among the worst affected by radio frequency interference (RFI). While this represents only 10 per cent of the total frequency coverage and 18 per cent of the total expected time on source compared to what will be the full CHILES survey, we demonstrate that our data reduction pipeline recovers high-quality data even in regions severely impacted by RFI. We report on our in-depth testing of an automated spectral line source finder to produce H I total intensity maps which we present side-by-side with significance maps to evaluate the reliability of the morphology recovered by the source finder. We recommend that this become a common place manner of presenting data from upcoming H I surveys of resolved objects. We use the COSMOS 20k group catalogue and extract the filamentary structure using the topological DisPerSE algorithm to evaluate the H I morphology in the context of both local and large-scale environments and we discuss the shortcomings of both methods. Many of the detections show disturbed H I morphologies suggesting they have undergone a recent interaction which is not evident from deep optical imaging alone. Overall, the sample showcases the broad range of ways in which galaxies interact with their environment. This is a first look at the population of galaxies and their local and large- scale environments observed in H I by CHILES at redshifts beyond the z = 0.1 Universe.


a) Summary of observational study results

Aims: Aspirin is recommended in secondary prevention (SP) in diabetes and macrovascular disease. Recommendation in primary prevention (PP) remains controversial as does the dose of aspirin prescribed. To ascertain whether these controversies are reflected in clinical practice, we conducted a survey of healthcare professionals' views on aspirin prescribing in diabetes.

Methods: An anonymous online survey consisting of 26 questions (Likert scale) covering demographic characteristics and aspirin prescribing habits in primary prevention and secondary prevention was circulated via email.

Results: 152 people responded with variable response rates: Primary care (96/152, 63%) - mixture of doctors/Diabetes Specialist Nurses; Secondary care were predominantly diabetes specialists (56/152, 37%).

Primary prevention (PP): 39/103(37%) did not routinely prescribe aspirin whilst 16/121(13.2%) would consider using aspirin in all diabetes patients as primary prevention. Using Chi-square contingency tables showed that there were differences when prescribing aspirin with regards to hypertension as a risk factor in primary prevention between primary care (20/68[29.4%] opting for aspirin) and secondary care (24/49 [48.98%], p-value-0.03) and doctors and nurses (38/60 vs 16/58, p=0.0009) and also with microalbuminuria - primary care vs secondary care (15/67vs 21/48, p=0.015), and doctors versus nurses (26/60 vs 11/59, p=0.004). Nurses were less likely to prescribe aspirin as primary prevention in smokers (11/57[19.2%] vs 22/60 [36%]; OR-0.41 [0.16-1.03], p=0.042).

Secondary prevention (SP): Despite no contraindications 8/125(6.4%) would not give aspirin. 75mg/day or 300mg/day preferred doses in various settings. There were no statistically significant differences between primary and secondary care (62/73 vs 47/52 or 84.9% vs 90.4%, p=0.36) but doctors prescribed aspirin more often compared to nurses (59/67 vs 51/85 or 60% vs 88.1%, p=0.006).In patients with history of peptic ulceration respondents recommended a) use of PPI cover in PP-37/103(35.9%) and SP-60/103(58.3%), b) enteric coated aspirin PP- 13/103(12.6%) and SP-11/103(10.7%), c) not use any anti-platelet agents in PP-53/103(51.5%) and SP-8/103(7.8%).

Enteric coated aspirin recommended by respondents as follows: Always-8/109(7.3%), sometimes-16.5%, occasionally-37.6%, and never-35.8%. 89/103(86.5%) had stated their patients had raised issues with them regards aspirin use. 27/103(26.2%) would definitely take aspirin themselves if they had diabetes. The differences were not significant either in a primary prevention setting or a secondary prevention setting when primary care was compared to secondary care but doctors were more likely to prescribe aspirin with PPI cover or in the enteric coated form compared to nurses (48/57[84.2%] vs 23/46 [50%]; OR=0.188 (0.067-0.511), p<0.001).

Conclusions: This survey confirmed that the controversy with regards to aspirin use particularly in primary prevention was reflected in a heterogeneous prescribing of aspirin in patients with diabetes. Further clarification and guidance on the optimum dose of aspirin in diabetes is required.

b) Summary of Interventional Results

Aims: To study the effects of aspirin at different doses on markers of oxidative stress, insulin resistance, dysglycaemia, endothelial function, and vascular inflammation in the primary prevention setting in a population with type 2 diabetes and high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Methodology: Following baseline assessment subjects had aspirin (75mg, 300mg, 3.6 gm) or placebo (with minimum 2 week washout) and pre-intervention and post-intervention assessment of markers for metabolic indices (Blood pressure, weight, BMI, Fructosamine, Lipids, Creatinine),oxidative stress (TAOS, FRAP, & Glutathione assays), insulin resistance (HOMA), vascular inflammation (HsCRP, sVCAM-1), and endothelial function (photoplethysmography).

Results: (reported in Mean±1SD or Median and Interquartile ranges) (See Table 28, P114) 17 Caucasians, 12 males, 5 females with age range between 40 and 75 years, completed the study. Mean age of the cohort was 57.4±9.1yrs (mean±1SD), with baseline characteristics
summarized in Table-6 & Appendix B. Briefly HbA1c was 7.9±1.2%, blood pressure systolic- 130.8±11.5 mmHg & diastolic-73.95±6.97 mmHg, total cholesterol-4.57±1.01 mmol/l, and HDL-C-1.13±0.46 mmol/l. At baseline TAOS concentration was 59.3±9.7 (ascorbate equivalent antioxidant concentration micromolar or AEAC (μM)), total glutathione-302.2±183.3μM, FRAP- 0.86±0.23 (mM Fe II), HOMA-IR-1.41±1.04 Units, HOMA-S–76.27±45.20 %, Fructosamine- 282.9±50.6 μM/l, RI-GTN- 7.17% (3.17-12.83), RI-Salbutamol- 18.5% (13-21.5), Hs-CRP (15 subjects)=0.66 mg/L (0.41 to 2.06 mg/L, Median & IQR), and sVCAM-1 (15 subjects)=487.04 ng/ml (IQR = 450.4 to 572.3). There was a trend towards significance for the TAOS assay with an increase in antioxidant capacity but it did not reach significance. Reduced glutathione (GSH): p=0.12, oxidised glutathione (GSSG): p=0.38, or Glutathione ratio (GSH:GSSG): p=0.367 were not significantly different following any of the interventions. Differences in FRAP were nonsignificant following any of the interventions. Measurements of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) seemed to improve with aspirin 75mgs/day & 300mgs/day but did not reach significance (see figure 18, 19). Neither the different doses of aspirin nor placebo had a significant impact upon glycaemic control (Fructosamine, P=0.39), endothelial function (photoplethysmography, RI-GTN-p=0.36, RI-Salb-p=0.46), Vascular inflammation (Hs-CRPp> 0.05, sVCAM-1>0.05), fasting glucose, BMI, blood pressure, or lipid parameters. Multiple regression analyses showed a good correspondence between the metabolic factors at baseline but were not repeated with different doses as there were no significant differences demonstrated with any of the parameters.

Conclusions: Aspirin at the doses studied and over the 2 week duration caused no significant changes in any of the markers studied. Good metabolic control (blood pressure, glycaemia, lipids), and widespread use of statins may be responsible for the lack of effect demonstrated.


The nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMB) are a group of bacteria that can infect the cervical lymph nodes, skin, soft tissues, and lung. Pulmonary NTMB disease is increasing in prevalence and is most commonly caused by Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare or M kansasii. Occasionally, M xenopi, M fortuitum, or M chelonae also causes pulmonary disease. Diagnosis of pulmonary NTMB infection is often difficult because isolation of the organism from sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid can represent airway colonization. The radiologic manifestations of pulmonary NTMB infection are protean and include consolidation, cavitation, fibrosis, nodules, bronchiectasis, and adenopathy. Pulmonary NTMB infection has five distinct clinicoradiologic manifestations: (a) classic infection, (b) nonclassic infection, (c) nodules in asymptomatic patients, (d) infection in patients with achalasia, and (e) infection in immunocompromised patients. Although classic NTMB infection may be indistinguishable from active tuberculosis, it is usually more indolent. The radiologic features of nonclassic NTMB infection are characteristic: bronchiectasis and centrilobular nodules isolated to or most severe in the lingula and middle lobe. In patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, mediastinal or hilar adenopathy is the most common radiographic finding. Knowledge of the full spectrum of clinical and radiologic features of pulmonary NTMB infection is important to facilitate diagnosis and treatment.


Purpose The outcome and proportion of patients with bone-only (BO) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has not been well described. We sought to describe the differential outcomes of patients with BO MBC in clinical trials and explore whether there was a discrepancy in radiographic reads between investigator and blinded independent central review. Methods We pooled and analyzed data on 10,521 patients from 13 prospective trials submitted for MBC treatment in initial or supplemental New Drug or Biologics License Applications from 2005. Three subsets were evaluated: BO, bone with other metastases (BWO), and no bone metastases (NBM). Early discordance rate and late discordance rate were calculated from 3,733 and 2,813 patients subject to a blinded independent central review, respectively. Results Bone metastases were identified in 49% (range: 42% to 73%) of patients across trials. BO disease was present in 12.5% (range: 4% to 26%), dependent on subtype. Investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for the pooled trials demonstrated improved outcomes for the BO subgroup compared with other subgroups (BO v BWO PFS hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.591 to 0.696; BO v NBM PFS HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.76; BO v BWO OS HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.61; BO v NBM OS HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.76). The BO subgroup has a higher early discordance rate and lower late discordance rate than the BWO and NBM subgroups. Conclusion To our knowledge, this review is the largest analysis to date of the BO subgroup of MBC and suggests this subgroup may have a distinct natural history. There also seems to be a difference in how the local investigators assessed progression events in the BO subgroup when compared with the other two groups.


Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether the environmental exposure to pyrethroids affects semen quality and the level of reproductive hormones in men. Methods: The study population consisted of 334 men who attended the infertility clinic for diagnostic purposes and who had normal semen concentration of 15 to 300 mln/mL. Participants were interviewed and provided a semen sample. The pyrethroids metabolites—3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA), cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (CDCCA), trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (TDCCA), and cis-2,2-dibromovinyl-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (DBCA) were analyzed in the urine using a validated gas chromatography ion-trap mass spectrometry method. Results: Urinary pyrethroids metabolites levels were significantly associated with an increase in the percentage of sperm with abnormal morphology and decrease in sperm concentration, the level of testosterone, and computer-aided semen analysis parameters. Conclusions: Environmental pyrethroids exposure may affect semen quality and the level of reproductive hormones.


I propose a lunar network of modest (approximately 1 m), robust telescopes designed for and dedicated to precise, time-serial monitoring of variable sources. Unhampered by atmospheric effects and the earth's day/night cycle, an array of lunar automatic photoelectric telescopes (LAPTs) could reliably detect both short and long period cyclic variations and sporadic outbursts. These relatively inexpensive instruments would complement larger optical ones and monitoring instruments at other wavelengths. The scientific payoff would derive from the clean power spectral decomposition (in the time domain) of multiple periodic structure. Applications include: monitoring the magnetic activity cycles of sun-like stars and, optically violent variable galactic nuclei, and searches for extragalactic supernovae.


Aim To present a systematic review on the validity of triage systems for paediatric emergency care. Methods Search in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Nursing Database Index (BDENF) and Spanish Health Sciences Bibliographic Index (IBECS) for articles in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish with no time limit. Validity studies of five-level triage systems for patients 0–18 years old were included. Two reviewers performed data extraction and quality assessment as recommended by PRISMA statement. Results We found 25 studies on seven triage systems: Manchester Triage System (MTS); paediatric version of Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PedCTAS) and its adaptation for Taiwan (paediatric version of the Taiwan Triage and Acuity System); Emergency Severity Index version 4 (ESI v.4); Soterion Rapid Triage System and South African Triage Scale and its adaptation for Bostwana (Princess Marina Triage Scale). Only studies on the MTS used a reference standard for urgency, while all systems were evaluated using a proxy outcome for urgency such as admission. Over half of all studies were low quality. The MTS, PedCTAS and ESI v.4 presented the largest number of moderate and high quality studies. The three tools performed better in their countries or near them, showing a consistent association with hospitalisation and resource utilisation. Studies of all three tools found that patients at the lowest urgency levels were hospitalised, reflecting undertriage. Conclusions There is some evidence to corroborate the validity of the MTS, PedCTAS and ESI v.4 for paediatric emergency care in their own countries or near them. Efforts to improve the sensitivity and to minimise the undertriage rates should continue. Cross-cultural adaptation is necessary when adopting these triage systems in other countries.


This paper investigates how individual service quality attributes under specified dimension rendered by Arik Airline determine the image of the airline and passengers' loyalty to the airline. To achieve this, a well-structured questionnaire was designed in line with SERVQUAL dimension scale to capture the airline opinion of the passengers about the service rendered to them, their opinion on whether the quality of service has any effect on the image of the airline and finally if the nature of the airline image has any effect on repeat  patronage. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed to a randomly selected sample out of the average weekly passenger volume of 2465 passengers that utilize the Arik air carrier. Data collected were analyzed first using Factor analysis in order to factor out the three major service quality dimensions and Pearson correlation coefficient was determined to ascertain the significant relationship between the factored service quality dimensions and the airline image. Finally, a relationship was further determined between the airline image and the passengers' loyalty to the airline. Result from the analysis proved that there existed a strong statistically significant relationship between the service quality variables and the airline image, indicating that the quality of the service the airline offers has a positive relationship with the airline image and the airline image also has a positive relationship with the passengers repeat patronage. The study thus recommended that airline managers should improve on the quality of service rendered to passengers since it is one of the determinants of the airline image and the airline image also determines the passengers' choice of repeat patronage.

 Key words: Loyalty, SERVQUAL, modelling, image dimension, patronage


The Macquarie Ridge extends over 1200 km from southern New Zealand to a triple junction of the Pacific,
Australian and Antarctic plates near 61 ° 30'S, 161 0 00'E. Large earthquakes occur frequently on the ridge, with an
average return period of one year for an event of magnitude 6.2 or more and 10 years for one of magnitude 7.2 or more.
Analysis of 16 focal mechanism solutions indicates that the direction of the principal stress is consistently horizontal, and
along the northern and central ridge segments it strikes east-west. In the southern ridge segment, its azimuth is poorly
defined but appears to rotate towards the northeast with increasing southerly latitude. North of 51 oS, the characteristic
fault displacement is along reverse dip-slip faults, whilst south of 51 0 S, fault motion is predominantly by right-lateral
strike-slip; throughout, the strike direction is parallel to the ridge axis.


Background: Several fast food companies have made commitments to reduce the levels of salt in the foods they serve, but technical issues are often cited as a barrier to achieving substantial reductions. Our objective was to examine the reported salt levels for products offered by leading multinational fast food chains. Methods: Data on salt content for products served by six fast food chains operating in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States were collected by survey in April 2010. Mean salt contents (and their ranges) were calculated and compared within and between countries and companies. Results: We saw substantial variation in the mean salt content for different categories of products. For example, the salads we included in our survey contained 0.5 g of salt per 100 g, whereas the chicken products we included contained 1.6 g. We also saw variability between countries: chicken products from the UK contained 1.1 g of salt per 100 g, whereas chicken products from the US contained 1.8 g. Furthermore, the mean salt content of food categories varied between companies and between the same products in different countries (e.g., McDonald's Chicken McNuggets contain 0.6 g of salt per 100 g in the UK, but 1.6 g of salt per 100 g in the US). Interpretation: The salt content of fast foods varies substantially, not only by type of food, but by company and country in which the food is produced. Although the reasons for this variation are not clear, the marked differences in salt content of very similar products suggest that technical reasons are not a primary explanation. In the right regulatory environment, it is likely that fast food companies could substantially reduce the salt in their products, translating to large gains for population health.


Over half of domestic solid waste is compostable and represents a significant potential for reduction of waste to landfill and for production of good quality compost. The composting process can be carried out by the householder using a home composting unit, or at a centralised facility treating separately collected garden and organic waste or whole waste. Each can have its niches of application depending on local factors, and can contribute to efforts to reduce waste to landfill by more than 50%.

Several different types of home composting units are now available on the market and many local councils are promoting their use. There is an advantage in waste being composted where it is produced, saving transport, treatment and landfilling cost. It can contribute significantly to reduction in waste to landfill, with an average of 350kg/year/household of waste that can be composted in the backyard. Only mesophilic aerobic composting is generally achieved at best. Unless carried out properly anaerobic conditions can develop resulting in odour and fly infestation problems.

Separately collected garden and organic waste can produce high quality compost, but will necessitate an additional collection bin. An advantage with a centralised composting facility is the ability to ensure operating conditions in the thermophilic range ensuring destruction of weed seeds and pathogens.

Composting of whole waste will necessitate pretreatment at the centralised plant to remove and recover metals, plastics, glass and other non-compostables. The compost may still be contaminated by heavy metals. A novel clay-composting process has been developed at Murdoch University to fix the heavy metals making them less available for leaching and plant uptake. The clay component also increases moisture and fertiliser holding capacity of the compost.


Perfectly matched layer (PML) boundary conditions are incorporated into the full-vectorial beam propagation method (BPM) based on a finite element scheme for the three-dimensional (3-D) anisotropic optical waveguide analysis. In the present approach, edge elements based on linear-tangential and quadratic-normal vector basis functions are used for the transverse field components. To show the validity and usefulness of this approach, numerical examples are shown for Gaussian beam propagation in proton-exchanged LiNbO/sub 3/ optical waveguides. Numerical accuracy of the present PML boundary condition is investigated in detail by comparing the results with those of the conventional absorbing boundary condition (ABC).


Canadians have relatively few binding national myths, but one of the most pervasive and enduring is the conviction that the country is doomed. In 1965 George Grant passionately defended Canadian identity by asking fundamental questions about the meaning and future of Canada's political existence. In Lament for a Nation he argued that Canada - immense and under-populated, defined by a shared border, history, and culture with the United States, and torn by conflicting loyalties to Britain, Quebec, and America - had ceased to exist as a sovereign state. Nonetheless, Lament for a Nation became the seminal work in Canadian political thought and Grant became known as the father of Canadian nationalism. The fortieth anniversary edition introduces Lament for a Nation to a new generation. A major introduction by Andrew Potter explores Grant's arguments in the context of changes in ethnic diversity, free trade, globalization and post-modernism. Potter discusses the shifting uses of the terms "liberal" and "conservative" and closes with a look at the current state of Canadian nationalism. George Grant's Lament for a Nation remains essential reading for anyone interested in questions of Canadian identity, sovereignty, and national unity.


A survey of the weed flora of the campus sites of the Olabisi Onabanjo University was undertaken. Several visits were made to the disturbed and undisturbed vegetation of the sites for collection of weeds after which the weeds were prepared in accordance with conventional herbarium practice. A total of seventy-three (73) weed species belonging to twenty-seven (27) families were identified and found to be present within the area of study. The family Poaceae seems to have the highest number of weed species (twelve) available within the area followed by Asteraceae with ten (10) species. Amaranthaceae, Cyperaceae and Euphorbiaceae are also in abundance. These weeds have been discovered to be useful, against the mindset of the uninformed that they are useless or 'vagabond' plants. Medicinal uses as well as percentage occurrence of each family are presented. From this study it is obvious that the University sites are not only rich in plant biodiversity but that the plants are also very rich in socio-economic values. It is therefore advisable that these plants should be protected from going into extinction so that all would not be lost due to developmental activities.


This contribution presents new data about the natural history of the Dasypus hybridus (Desmarest, 1804) (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Dasypodidae). A seasonal monitoring using the capture and release method was performed over the course of three years in a 100 ha of four cattle farms in the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Data were collected on food habits, space and time use, behavior, thermoregulation, population data, and morphology. A total of 71 captures were made. The main food items recorded were plant matter, ants and coleopterans, and did not occur seasonal differences in food habits. Dasypus hybridus concentred their activities during daytime, and were recorded a low frequency of activities during cold seasons (fall and winter). The long-nosed armadillo prefer humid soils and grasslands with high vegetation cover, and selected forest to refuge. The southern long-nosed armadillo were asocial. Rectal temperature was positively correlated with environmental temperature. The sex proportion was near to one, and no sexual dimorphism was observed. In general, the results of this study are in agreement with previous observations of other species of the same genera, but is necessary to highlight the trend observed in food habits and thermoregulatory strategy. This work provides new information about different aspects of a poor studied species that occur in a habitat subjected to high pressure to modification and use.


In this paper a new exploration algorithm using two cooperating robots is introduced. The new technique is a combination of wall-following exploration algorithm and frontier-based exploration algorithm. Furthermore, robots sweep the line-of-sight between them continuously; if they can see each other then the area between them is assigned as free. The aim is to decrease the exploration time and energy consumption. The proposed algorithm is divided into two stages: Firstly, one of the robots follows (detects) the entire of the environment walls. And secondly, they employ frontier-based algorithm to complete exploring the remained unexplored areas. During these two stages, the robots sweep the line-of-sight between them in each step to maximize the exploration efficiency.


Perovskite oxides have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) which limits the efficiencies of rechargeable energy storage technologies and hydrogen production from water splitting. Understanding materials characteristics that affect OER activity is of paramount importance for the optimization of perovskite oxides for the OER. Herein, a series of Sr2Fe1.3Ni0.2Mo0.5O6−δ (SFNMs) decorated with oxygen vacancies and Fe–Ni alloy nanoparticles were designed to increase both the number and the reactivity of active sites in the perovskite catalysts. Theoretical calculations reveal that oxygen vacancies have a beneficial effect on the OER by increasing the adsorption energy of H2O, in line with the experimental results that the SFNM sample enriched with oxygen vacancies possesses a high intrinsic OER activity. SFNM decorated with metallic nanoparticles, which was prepared by reducing SFNM in 5% H2/Ar, shows a Tafel slope of 59 mV dec−1 and an OER overpotential of 0.36 V at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. This performance is superior to that of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ (BSCF) and close to that of commercial IrO2. The outstanding performance is attributed to the fact that the oxygen vacancies together with the exsolved alloy nanoparticles on the perovskite backbone can increase both the number and the reactivity of active sites.


In order to increase the precision of visual settings with the class of instruments employing the Senarmont compensator, two types of half-shade eyepieces have been utilized. The first is the biquartz, placed between the quarter-wave plate and analyzer, which rotates the plane of polarization by a fixed amount in opposite directions on the two sides of the field. The second consists of a single thin plate of birefringent material such as quartz placed before the quarter-wave plate and arranged to cover half of the field. The dividing line is made to appear very narrow by employing the principle used in the Lippich prism, namely, that if both sides of the edge are illuminated by the full cone of rays the edge will tend to disappear. The theory of the optimum half-shade angle has been applied to determine the thickness of the plate in each type of eyepiece.


In a case pending in the Ninth Circuit, the government argues that the Tax Court has applied overly restrictive standards of review to IRS denials of equitable innocent spouse relief under section 6015(f). However, the government accepts that those standards of review are proper under the same grant of jurisdiction when applied to IRS denials of relief under section 6015(b) and (c). There is no satisfactory justification for this inconsistency. There is an equally unjustified inconsistency in the government's position that the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) dictates less restrictive standards of review for denials of relief under section 6015(f) than for denials under section 6015(b) and (c). Moreover, the government's APA argument is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the provisions of APA section 559 on the relationship between the APA and other law.


BACKGROUND
Animal studies demonstrate teratogenic effects of caffeine, whereas human studies are inconclusive.

METHODS
Associations between maternal caffeine consumption and neural tube defects (NTDs) by type of NTD (anencephaly, spina bifida, or encephalocele) were examined using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). Total average daily caffeine from coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate consumption during the year before pregnancy was estimated for 768 mothers of infants with NTDs and 4143 mothers of infants without birth defects who gave birth during 1997 through 2002. Periconceptional use of caffeine-containing medications was evaluated separately. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with consumption of total caffeine and each caffeine source were estimated from logistic regression models.

RESULTS
Positive associations were observed between spina bifida and total caffeine consumption (OR 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9) and each caffeine source except caffeinated tea, which showed a negative association with spina bifida (OR 0.7; 95% CI: 0.6-0.9). Associations with modestly increased risk of NTDs and encephalocele were also observed. The association between caffeine consumption and anencephaly differed by maternal race/ethnicity. No dose effects were found.

CONCLUSIONS
Additional studies should confirm whether women who consume caffeine are at increased risk for pregnancies complicated by NTDs.


Over the past decade, several experienced Operational Researchers have advanced the view that the theoretical aspects of model building have raced ahead of the ability of people to use them. Consequently, the impact of Operational Research on commercial organisations and the public sector is limited, and many systems fail to achieve their anticipated benefits in full. The primary objective of this study is to examine a complex interactive Stock Control system, and identify the reasons for the differences between the theoretical expectations and the operational performance. The methodology used is to hypothesise all the possible factors which could cause a divergence between theory and practice, and to evaluate numerically the effect each of these factors has on two main control indices - Service Level and Average Stock Value. Both analytical and empirical methods are used, and simulation is employed extensively. The factors are divided into two main categories for analysis - theoretical imperfections in the model, and the usage of the system by Buyers. No evidence could be found in the literature of any previous attempts to place the differences between theory and practice in a system in quantitative perspective nor, more specifically, to study the effects of Buyer/computer interaction in a Stock Control system. The study reveals that, in general, the human factors influencing performance are of a much higher order of magnitude than the theoretical factors, thus providing objective evidence to support the original premise. The most important finding is that, by judicious intervention into an automatic stock control algorithm, it is possible for Buyers to produce results which not only attain but surpass the algorithmic predictions. However, the complexity and behavioural recalcitrance of these systems are such that an innately numerate, enquiring type of Buyer needs to be inducted to realise the performance potential of the overall man/computer system.


Abstract Given species inventories of all sites in a planning area, integer programming or heuristic algorithms can prioritize sites in terms of the site's complementary value, that is, the ability of the site to complement (add unrepresented species to) other sites prioritized for conservation. The utility of these procedures is limited because distributions of species are typically available only as coarse atlases or range maps, whereas conservation planners need to prioritize relatively small sites. If such coarse‐resolution information can be used to identify small sites that efficiently represent species (i.e., downscaled), then such data can be useful for conservation planning. We develop and test a new type of surrogate for biodiversity, which we call downscaled complementarity. In this approach, complementarity values from large cells are downscaled to small cells, using statistical methods or simple map overlays. We illustrate our approach for birds in Spain by building models at coarse scale (50 × 50 km atlas of European birds, and global range maps of birds interpreted at the same 50 × 50 km grid size), using this model to predict complementary value for 10 × 10 km cells in Spain, and testing how well‐prioritized cells represented bird distributions in an independent bird atlas of those 10 × 10 km cells. Downscaled complementarity was about 63–77% as effective as having full knowledge of the 10‐km atlas data in its ability to improve on random selection of sites. Downscaled complementarity has relatively low data acquisition cost and meets representation goals well compared with other surrogates currently in use. Our study justifies additional tests to determine whether downscaled complementarity is an effective surrogate for other regions and taxa, and at spatial resolution finer than 10 × 10 km cells. Until such tests have been completed, we caution against assuming that any surrogate can reliably prioritize sites for species representation.


The improved synthesis and olefin metathesis activity of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-coordinated ruthenium alkylidenes of the form (NHC)(L)x(Cl)2Ru=CHR (x = 1 or 2) are reported. In order to circumvent the handling of highly sensitive free carbenes, N-heterocyclic carbene "adducts" were prepared in high yields by the reaction of nucleophilic bases with N,N'-diarylimidazolium salts. Most notably, the addition of trichloromethyl anion to N,N'-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazolium chloride produced an air-, moisture-, and temperature-stable crystalline adduct, 2-trichloromethyl-4,5-dihydro-imidazolidine. When this species is heated above the critical temperature of 55 degrees C in the presence of (PCy3)2(Cl)2Ru=CHPh, a single, clean phosphine substitution reaction occurs to form the NHC-coordinated benzylidene (NHC)(PCy)3(Cl)2Ru=CHPh in 84% isolated yield. This procedure has been successfully scaled up to industrial production and remains the most effective catalyst synthesis to date. The NHC-coordinated catalysts show dramatically expanded activity relative to their bis-phosphine counterparts. The high yielding, trans-stereoselective cross metathesis of various acroyl substrates is the first example of the ruthenium-catalyzed metathesis of olefins directly substituted with electron-withdrawing functionality. Ring-opening cross metathesis of acroyl species with relatively high ring strain cyclooctadiene and norbornene monomers has also been achieved in good yields and perfect regioselectivity when the norbornene is asymmetrically substituted with a bridgehead methyl group. Further expansion of the substrate scope was achieved when the catalyst's phosphine ligand was replaced with more weakly bound 3-bromopyridine (3-Br-pyr) ligands. The resulting catalyst (NHC)(3-Br-pyr)2(Cl)2Ru=CHPh produced synthetically useful yields (>= 67%) in the cross metathesis of acrylonitrile and terminal olefins (as opposed to less than 30% yield with the phosphine-coordinated catalyst). NHC-coordinated catalysts therefore allow both electron-rich and electron-poor olefins to undergo metathesis in the same pot, potentially leading to synthetically valuable products containing electronically differentiated olefins. The lower activity of phosphine-coordinated catalysts relative to those coordinated with 3-bromopyridine can be addressed by the addition of "phosphine scavengers" to the former. Higher pKa carboxylic acids (such as acetic and benzoic acids) are capable of accelerating catalysis as effectively as the much stronger hydrochloric acid, without concomitant catalyst decomposition. These properties make carboxylic acids the optimal choice for use with sensitive organic substrates.