How are older adults presented in print and in the electronic media? Are they underrepresented? Are they accurately portrayed? Based on our examination of several forms of media over a four-month period, we discuss the role of the media in shaping our views on aging. Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal that media representations often contribute to misunderstandings and stereotypes. We hypothesize that, as America ages, media representations of aging and the aged will be more accurate, and will lead to a better understanding of the varied interests, abilities and needs of older adults. ********** It is said that the media both reflect and shape our culture. It follows that the representation of older adults and aging in the media may serve two purposes--it may reveal common stereotypes that exist in our society, and it may actually teach or reinforce existing stereotypes. Children and young adults who often have limited contact with older adults, other than their grandparents, may develop beliefs about aging based on what they see in the media. If older adults are under-represented (Maas & Hasbrook, 2001; Robinson & Skill, 1995; Robinson & Anderson, 2006), or the majority of the representations are negative (Bishop & Krause, 1984; Dail, 1988), then negative stereotypes are likely to develop. Our study was an exploratory study designed to assess potential bias in the media. We did a quantitative and qualitative comparison of some of the media sources to which young adults are exposed. Method During the spring semester of 2008, the students enrolled in an introductory gerontology course had the option of completing a media scrapbook to satisfy one of their course requirements. The other options that the students could consider were to volunteer to work with older adults, keeping a journal and reflecting on that experience; or to learn about career opportunities in their major field, considering the benefit of a background in gerontology. The media scrapbook was, by far, the most popular choice, with 19 of the 27 students electing to complete a scrapbook. The second most popular choice was to research career options; there were seven students who chose that option. Only one student volunteered to work with older adults and reflect on the experience. Over a four-month period, the 19 students who selected the scrapbook option reviewed various forms of electronic and print media, identifying items that dealt with aging and older adults. They collected what items they could, such as articles, print advertisements and cartoons, and wrote descriptions of the items that could not be placed in a scrapbook, such as movies, billboards and radio reports. Items organized in the scrapbooks formed the basis for quantitative and qualitative analyses of the representation of aging and the aged in the media. Results We categorized the scrapbook items by whether they presented aging and older adults in a positive, neutral, or negative way. We also separated the items by media type. Articles were the most common items (328), followed by cartoons (60), and then advertisements (158). Other types of media, such as songs, poems, movies, and blogs, were less common and were grouped together as "other" (96). …


OBJECTIVE Plasma protein N-glycan profiling integrates information on enzymatic protein glycosylation, which is a highly controlled ubiquitous posttranslational modification. Here we investigate the ability of the plasma N-glycome to predict incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs; i.e., myocardial infarction and stroke). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Based on the prospective European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Potsdam cohort (n = 27,548), we constructed case-cohorts including a random subsample of 2,500 participants and all physician-verified incident cases of type 2 diabetes (n = 820; median follow-up time 6.5 years) and CVD (n = 508; median follow-up time 8.2 years). Information on the relative abundance of 39 N-glycan groups in baseline plasma samples was generated by chromatographic profiling. We selected predictive N-glycans for type 2 diabetes and CVD separately, based on cross-validated machine learning, nonlinear model building, and construction of weighted prediction scores. This workflow for CVD was applied separately in men and women. RESULTS The N-glycan–based type 2 diabetes score was strongly predictive for diabetes risk in an internal validation cohort (weighted C-index 0.83, 95% CI 0.78–0.88), and this finding was externally validated in the Finland Cardiovascular Risk Study (FINRISK) cohort. N-glycans were moderately predictive for CVD incidence (weighted C-indices 0.66, 95% CI 0.60–0.72, for men; 0.64, 95% CI 0.55–0.73, for women). Information on the selected N-glycans improved the accuracy of established and clinically applied risk prediction scores for type 2 diabetes and CVD. CONCLUSIONS Selected N-glycans improve type 2 diabetes and CVD prediction beyond established risk markers. Plasma protein N-glycan profiling may thus be useful for risk stratification in the context of precisely targeted primary prevention of cardiometabolic diseases.


This paper concerns the high-level mechanical, electrical, and control requirements for the proposed novel design of a railway track switch. The track switch is being designed as part of the Repoint project, with the aim of investigating methods of increasing railway capacity and improving network delay performance through the application of technologies common to other industries. The basic mechanical design of the novel switch is discussed. The mechanical considerations are discussed in the context of the electrical and control system requirements, which are then investigated and justified. For the electrical and control design, the requirements focus on the functional performance, sustainability, fault tolerance and fault diagnostics. The requirements presented in this paper are being used to inform the design of a laboratory scale technology demonstrator, which will be completed by August 2014.


To ensure adequate access to sanitation in developing economies, off-grid single household sanitation has been proposed which obviates the need for significant infrastructure capital investment. Whilst treatment at this scale is most efficient when coupled to source separation (i.e. urine from faeces), existing source separation solutions have proved difficult to implement in this context. In this study, screw extrusion is therefore investigated to provide 'post-flush' source separation. Both screw characteristics and operational boundary conditions were evaluated. Preferential screw characteristics included tapering of the shaft and progressive pitch reduction, linked to a small extrusion aperture, the combination of which enhanced solids extrusion efficiency and promoted higher solids concentration in the extruded fraction. Whilst maximum extrusion efficiency was observed at high rotational speeds (over 400 rpm), this also promoted free water transport. Operating below 300 rpm instead introduced selectivity for transport of faecal sludge over urine, enabling phase separation. Constraining the volumetric ratio of urine to faeces also enhanced the extrusion rate of faecal sludge by increasing feed viscosity sufficient to overcome backpressure imposed by unmasticated food particles that would otherwise restrict separation. Importantly, this study demonstrates the feasibility of screw extrusion for 'post flush' separation of urine and faeces which constitutes a significant advancement towards realising sanitation at a single household scale.


The tea shot-hole borer is an Asian ambrosia beetle introduced to Florida in the early 2000s. In Florida it does not have any known economic impact, but it is a serious pest of tea around the world and is one of the few ambrosia beetles that can infest healthy plants. The tea shot hole borer has a symbiotic relationships with the ambrosia fungus Fusarium ambrosium (Gadd & Loos), which is also a weak plant pathogen. This 4-page fact sheet includes a diagnosis section with guidance for avoiding misidentification. Written by You Li, Andrea Lucky, and Jiri Hulcr, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015.


In this study, a mathematical model of the human finger grasp system was proposed on the basis of physiological findings as part of studies on the force feedback micromanipulator. Specifically, we considered the nerve-musculoskeletal control system of the fingers to be a mixed system of a length-control system using the muscle spindle and a tension-control system using the tendon organ. In the field of physiology, the former is known as stretch reflex involving the reflex pathway of reciprocal antagonist inhibition, and the latter as tendon organ reflex involving the connection of group Ib fibers into the spinal segment. We proposed model of how these two reflex systems are mingling. Then, the model was evaluated through an experiment. The results revealed that the model in this study can reproduce the operation of the finger more faithfully than the conventional compliance model for fingers. However, the method for determining the parameters of the model has yet to be established.


Aim The aim of the study was to develop a method for the survey of play movement demands and temporal patterns in order to enable a descriptive study of the defensive players in American Football. The overall aim was to improve the understanding of how American Football is played to create opportunities for enhancement of current or developing new training methods to better suit football. Method Fifty plays from a Division 3 college football game on video from 2005 was divided into sequences of action for one player each from the defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs and analyzed with the video analyzing software cSwing. Every players sequence of action was recorded in a spreadsheet and noted on a scaled football field where distances were measured and together with time stamps from cSwing velocity was calculated. Results Using this method it was possible to describe the play movement demands and temporal patterns which was the main task of the study. The defensive end worked on an average 4.61 seconds per play, the distance was 12.4 meters and average speed 2.5 m×s-1. The linebacker worked on an average 4.35 s per play, 13.7 m and at a mean speed of 3.0 m×s-1. The free safety worked on an average 4.38 s per play, 14.7 m and at a mean speed of 3.3 m×s-1. The Linebacker had a more varied movement pattern than the other two positions. Discussion With the developed method both quantitative variables and qualitative assessments of play movement demands and temporal patterns could be done. With the aid of this information the coach can develop or enhance training methods that better emulates the demands games puts on the players. Using a GPS to enhance the quantitative analysis can lead to more extensive measurements of temporal patterns. Zoomed in video uptakes could lead to a better analysis of movement patterns Conclusion The developed method gives the American Football coach a tool to analyse the demands put on certain categories of players based on different types of and frequencies of play sequences and their temporal patterns. This enhanced knowledge the coach can use to improve practices


Governments may exclude vendors from procurement awards for many reasons, including poor performance and corruption. Excluding a vendor, whether from a particular procurement (deciding that the vendor is not qualified for award) or from an entire procurement system (suspending or debarring the vendor), calls for a complex assessment of the performance and reputational risks posed by that vendor, and of the costs of exclusion. As the EU's Member States shape their exclusion systems consistent with the EU's procurement directives, the Member States may wish to draw on U.S. strategies for managing risks in contractor qualification: requiring that contractors establish strong internal controls, centralizing the management of vendor exclusions, and using administrative agreements and independent monitors which allow agencies to mitigate risks even as they, and their vendors, avoid the disruption that suspension and debarment may cause. These U.S. strategies align well with the EU procurement directives, and in many cases reflect a natural extension of strategies that EU Member States are already using to address the risks posed by bad or corrupt contractors.


In this paper, we propose a novel imaging system that enables the capture of photos and videos with sparse informational pixels. Our system is based on the projection and detection of 3D optical tags. We use an infrared (IR) projector to project temporally-coded (blinking) dots onto selected points in a scene. These tags are invisible to the human eye, but appear as clearly visible time-varying codes to an IR photosensor. As a proof of concept, we have built a prototype camera system (consisting of co-located visible and IR sensors) to simultaneously capture visible and IR images. When a user takes an image of a tagged scene using such a camera system, all the scene tags that are visible from the system's viewpoint are detected. In addition, tags that lie in the field of view but are occluded, and ones that lie just outside the field of view, are also automatically generated for the image. Associated with each tagged pixel is its 3D location and the identity of the object that the tag falls on. Our system can interface with conventional image recognition methods for efficient scene authoring, enabling objects in an image to be robustly identified using cheap cameras, minimal computations, and no domain knowledge. We demonstrate several applications of our system, including, photo-browsing, e-commerce, augmented reality, and objection localization.


This paper attempts to analyse the efficacy of the water treaties of the Nile in light of the principles of international law. The following critical examination of the treaties brings to light numerous legal defects associated with fraud, coercion, exclusivity and the deficiency of many of the precepts of the international law. Moreover, the lower riparian states' advocacy for the succession of colonial treaties, which is branded as the re-affirmation of colonialism, is found to be incompatible with the principles of the clean-slate theory adopted by the upper riparian states. Therefore, the region lacks an efficacious regime that could address the interests of all riparian states.


Fiber Bragg gratings fabricated in pristine SMF-28e fibers using pulsed ArF-excimer and cw 244-nm Ar+ laser were annealed using tempering rates from 0.0038 to 0.25 K/s. Demarcation energy mapping allowed for the determination of the frequency factors and the master curves for the SMF-28e fiber under different irradiation conditions. A Gaussian decomposition of the underlying energy distribution revealed several individual activation energy distributions characteristic for the fiber with peak energies and widths that were independent of the laser used. From a fit of the integrated Gaussian distributions to the master curves the relative contributions of the individual energy distributions that appeared in both irradiation conditions were calculated. The difference in the activation energy spectra obtained from the two laser irradiations is explained by the relative contributions of the individual distributions that differ. Using the analytical description of the master curve, thermal stability maps were obtained.


A descriptive epidemiological survey was made in Nineveh governorate 1999-2004 for determination of broiler clinical caecal coccidiosis incidence in broiler chickens. Out of total 3594 broiler patches reared in this period, 1918 (53.36%) were positive to caecal coccidiosis. The highest percentages (35.34%) of coccidial cases were recorded in the year 2000. There was a decreasing tendency in recording caecal coccidiosis from 24.29% in 1999 to 6.77% in 2004. There was a positive relationship between the patch size (number of birds) in each year and the incidence of caecal coccidiosis. Of the main 7 NINEVAH governmental localities, Kara kosh, practiced the highest incidence of caecal coccidiosis through 1999-2004, in which 1615(49.21%) broiler patches were reared out of the total 3594 broiler patches reared in all 7 localities. Seasonal effect on the incidence of caecal coccidiosis show that the highest were reported in Spring then Autumn, followed by Winter and Summer months. Most of the broiler patches experienced caecal coccidiosis between 3-6 weeks of age. From 1918 positive broiler patches to coccidiosis, 1344 patches were fed diets without anticoccidials, while 574 positive broiler patches were fed diets with anticoccidials. There was a decreasing tendency in caecal coccidiosis with increasing number of broiler patches fed diets amended with anticoccidials from 1999 till 2004. The hygienic significance in reducing clinical caecal coccidiosis was discussed.


...Mysticism intends a state of "possession, " not action, and the individual is not a tool but a "vessel" of the divine. Action in the world must thus appear as endangering the absolutely irrational and other-worldly religious state. Introduction Millions of Japanese people visit Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples on the first day of January every year, wishing to receive from gods or Buddha such worldly benefits as prosperity, longevity, or financial security, which are collectively known as gensei rieki in Japanese. It is also a common practice for Indonesian Muslims to go on a pilgrimage to the burial site of a saint or wali to ask for protection from unfavorable occurrences and the realization of their worldly wishes. In authentic Islamic tradition, however, the practice of supplication, known as tawassul, is only allowed by appealing to Allah and not any other entity. Nonetheless, the practice of incorrect tawassul is popular among Indonesian Muslims, who expect to be granted some fortune (kabul) from their patron wali. In Jakarta, a popular sanctuary for fcaowZ-seeking pilgrims is the five-hectare complex of the grave of Mbah Priok, a descendant of Nabi Muhammad. This complex is situated in Koja of Tanjung Priok, the bustling port area of north Jakarta, and has been maintained by the family of self-proclaimed descendants of Mbah Priok, Habib Ali and Habib Abdullah. The name of Mbah Priok has become even more prominent nationally ever since the clashes on April 14, 2010 between young pious Muslims living in the complex and local residents of Koja and Jakarta police forces on the other. The land on which Mbah Priok's grave is built is legally owned by a state-owned enterprise, P.T. Pelabuhan Indonesia II, or Pelindo II. With the intention of launching a development project in the area including the complex of Mbah Priok, this company has requested that Habib Ali and his family vacate the site. The family, however, refuses to leave me site, insisting that the ownership of the land had been illegitimately approved by the Dutch colonial government. This conflict regarding the ownership of the land has caused the clash between the two parties. Since this incident, the site of Mbah Priok has become even more popular with visitors. Religious gatherings held both inside and outside the complex attract a huge number of followers. Pilgrims from all over the country visit the site every day. The incident on April 14, 2010 did not produce any concrete solution to this land dispute, with the situation remaining much the same as it has been since the colonial era. Rather than focusing on the issue of the land dispute per se, this paper is an attempt to account for the popularity of the religious group based in Koja where Mbah Priok is thought to be buried. In other words, it is our interest to explain how religion and civilization interact in a given society. Religion has two distinct domains: theological and sociological. The former is more closely related to the understanding of what constitutes authentic doctrines to adherents, while the latter is concerned with their socio-religious behaviors. From the sociological perspective, doctrines are flexible, given that they may be influenced by the condition of society, the course of civilization, and probably the psychology of the people. It is our assumption that the social aspect of religion would be a determining factor in the behaviors of both Japanese visitors to the temples on New Year's Day and the followers of Mbah Priok. Hypothetically speaking, religion as a social construct would somehow function to enable people to adapt to changes in a given society. The content of Habib Ali 's teachings and that of a 12 century Japanese Buddhist group led by Shinran show impressive similarities. They both deal with the worldly interests of the people and offer tolerance and forgiveness for any human beings, including evildoers. …


Abstract. The Ciénaga Grande, Santa Marta is the largest and most diverse ecosystem of its kind in Colombia. Its primary function is acting as a filter for the organic carbon cycle. Recently, this place has been suffering disruptions due to the anthropic activities taking place in its surroundings. The present study, the changes in the surface of Ciénaga Grande, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia between 2013 and 2018 were determined using semiautomatic detection methods with high resolution data from remote sensors (Landsat 8). The zone of studies was classified in six kinds of surfaces: 1) artificial territories, 2) agricultural territories, 3) forests and semi-natural areas, 4) wet areas, 5) deep water surfaces & 6) wich is related to clouds as a masking method. Random Forest classifiers were utilized and the Feed For Ward multilayer perceptron neuronal network (ANN) was simultaneously assessed. The training stage for both methods was performed with 300 samples, distributed in equal quantities, over each coverage class. The semi-automatic classification was carried out with an annual frequency, but the monitoring was carried out throughout the analysis period through the performance of three indicators Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). It was found from the confusion matrix that the Random Forest method more accurately classified four classes while Neural Networks Analysis (NNA) just three. Finally, taking the Random Forest results into account, it was found that the agricultural expansion increased from 7% to 9% and the urban zone increased from 20% to 30% of the total area. As well as a decrease of damp areas from 27% to 12% and forests from 4% to 3% of the total area of study.


The conservation of species requires preservation of natural habitats. Where the integrity of natural habitats has been upset, species go extinct. All natural habitats are continuing to decline, both inside and outside of reserves. Habitat change is partly a natural process (e.g., succession), but human activities have accelerated the process of decay so that natural rates of renewal are insufficient to maintain natural habitats. We argue that our only recourse, in light of these scenarios, is to adopt a new conservation strategy that considers the importance of habitat renewal in addition to habitat preservation. Accordingly, in our management decisions we must not only choose the size of area to preserve but also the size of area that balances habitat loss with habitat renewal. We also suggest that this habitat equilibrium point, H*, needs to be decided upon urgently, otherwise many species will become extinct in the next 50 yr according to numerous predictions. There are two ways to achieve H*. The first is to set habitats aside in protected areas in perpetuity. There are two reasons why this protection alone is insufficient: (1) protected areas continue to decline, albeit at a slower rate than outside of their boundaries, and (2) achieving H* simply by setting aside protected areas is no longer an option in many areas where severe habitat degradation or fragmentation has already occurred. The other way to achieve H* is to promote the restablishment of natural habitats, or "habitat renewal." This concept is il- lustrated using a simple trade-off model that balances habitat decay and habitat renewal. We then provide examples of habitat loss outside and inside of protected areas and discuss the potential for habitat renewal to offset these losses. We conclude that continued emphasis needs to be placed on setting aside natural habitat in protected areas. However, our examples of habitat loss show that this policy alone is most likely doomed to failure, so a policy of habitat renewal is also required.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to investigate influence of different scanning speeds on measurements of photon beam flatness and symmetry.

METHODS
Commissioning and quality assurance of linear accelerators require extensive beam measurements. To increase efficacy, we evaluated flatness, symmetry and penumbra of 6MV photon beam using the Varian-TrueBeamTM system. Scanning speeds were 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, and 2.5cm/s. Measurements were performed in water phantom (BluePhantom2 , IBA-Dosimetry) at depths of maximum dose, 5,10, and 20cm, for 10×10 cm field size. For each scanning speed and depth, measurements were repeated five times to give results sufficient statistical significance, in both crossline and inline directions. Beam flatness was calculated using variation over mean (80%), whereas symmetry was calculated using point difference quotient (IEC) algorithm. After filed scanning chamber (Wellhofer) was fully stopped, system was paused for stabilization time of 15s to avoid buildup of ripples.

RESULTS
It was noticed for all measurements that minimum and maximum flatness and symmetry were recorded when scanning speeds were 0.3cm and 2.5cm, respectively. For depth of maximum dose, maximum flatness and symmetry were 0.82% and 100.58% (crossplane), and 0.94% and 100.96% (inplane). The average was 0.76% and 100.38% (SD 0.04 and 0.12) for crossplane; 0.89% and 100.87% (SD 0.04 and 0.06) for inplane measurements. As the scanning depth increased, flatness and symmetry increased, but SD for all measurements was within the same range (0.04-0.07 and 0.04-0.12). The maximum absolute difference for flatness and symmetry for maximum and minimum speed were 0.16% and 0.34%.However, for scanning speeds from 0.5-1cm/s, results were almost identical with maximum SD 0.03 for both flatness and symmetry. Use of different scanning speeds did not influence penumbra; SD was 0 for all measurements.

CONCLUSIONS
This study reveals small influence of scanning speed within predefined range. Consequently, difference in measurements does not have clinical significance.


This article seeks to explore the relationship between the growing phenomenon of globalization and the field of housing rights. I begin with a general description of globalization, and move on to discuss its effect on homelessness, and on housing systems across the world. I examine the role of global corporations; the globalization of housing finance and real estate investment; the reordering of cities and slums; the idea of the minimalist state; and the effects of privatization. I examine the rise of governance networks and how they have created new patterns of making law; globalization's effect on housing policy; and its effects on the movement of people. Next I look to the idea of housing rights and some specific instances of their development through the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. These rights may offer the possibility of mediating the excesses of neo-liberal globalization and promote social equality and inclusion. I conclude with a call to reconsider traditional liberal legal models and housing-as-property regimes, and recommend the legal concept of the "home" may be a more appropriate base model for housing rights in a globalizing world.


Authoritative coverage of the latest version of Microsoft?s fastest-selling productImagine being able to perform a task that requires dozens of clicks with just a single command, or automate a series of identical tasks rather than repeat them. This book shows you how to do just that?and more?by using Windows PowerShell cmdlets with SharePoint 2010. Focused on everyday and frequently performed tasks, this invaluable guide provides PowerShell solutions for maintaining a SharePoint environment and explains how more than 500 cmdlets that come with SharePoint 2010 allows you to automate just about anything. Step-by-step instructions walk you through the necessary concepts and real-world examples enhance your learning process. Highlights the ways in which PowerShell cmdlets take the tedium out of executing frequently performed commands in SharePoint 2010 by automating everyday tasks Explains how to install and configure a SharePoint environmentDetails the steps for deploying and managing Web applications, site collections, authentication, and solution packagesShows you how to manage operational settings and back up and restore dataAutomating SharePoint 2010 with Windows PowerShell 2.0 helps you save time and effort performing common tasks so that you can be more productive.


The work pattern of North Sea oil workers (typically, 2–3 weeks offshore alternating with a similar period of leave) imposes significant demands on the families concerned. The effects of 'intermittent husband absence' were recognized in the 1980s, but little recent research has focused on the adaptation of offshore families in spite of changes in the industry, in local communities, and in society more widely. The material reported here was derived from survey responses (N = 245), and from telephone interviews (N = 39) with spouses of men working offshore in 2001–2002. Demographic data, descriptive material, and literature findings are drawn together and illustrated with quotations to present a picture of spouses' perceptions, both positive and negative, of offshore lifestyles. Particular areas of interest are responses to the repeated partings and reunions involved in offshore work; the impact of intermittent father absences on children; communications with the absent partner; and employment outside the home and its role in the lives of offshore spouses. Spouses' concerns about offshore safety and job security are also noted. Relative to earlier research, the findings present a more favourable impression of the adaptation and satisfaction of offshore families.


Recent advances in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have shown that BCIs have the potential to provide a powerful new channel of communication, completely independent of muscular and nervous systems. However, while there have been successful laboratory demonstrations, there are still issues that need to be addressed before BCIs can be used by nonexperts outside the laboratory. At IDIAP Research Institute, we have been investigating several areas that we believe will allow us to improve the robustness, flexibility, and reliability of BCIs. One area is recognition of cognitive error states, that is, identifying errors through the brain's reaction to mistakes. The production of these error potentials (ErrP) in reaction to an error made by the user is well established. We have extended this work by identifying a similar but distinct ErrP that is generated in response to an error made by the interface, (a misinterpretation of a command that the user has given). This ErrP can be satisfactorily identified in single trials and can be demonstrated to improve the theoretical performance of a BCI. A second area of research is online adaptation of the classifier. BCI signals change over time, both between sessions and within a single session, due to a number of factors. This means that a classifier trained on data from a previous session will probably not be optimal for a new session. In this paper, we present preliminary results from our investigations into supervised online learning that can be applied in the initial training phase. We also discuss the future direction of this research, including the combination of these two currently separate issues to create a potentially very powerful BCI.


During the late Precambrian the Dalradian environment evolved from a relatively stable subsiding shelf into a series of fault-bounded blocks and basins. This increase in tectonic instability can be interpreted as a precursor to the continental rifting which led to the inception of the Iapetus Ocean at the end of the Precambrian, or base of the Cambrian, and was marked in the Dalradian terrain by the eruption of the Tayvallich Volcanics. A comparison of the late Precambrian history of the areas now adjacent to the Iapetus suture suggests that prior to this rifting the Greenland–northern Britain–NW Newfoundland area and Scandinavia formed part of the same plate with northern Norway lying close to northern Britain. As the evolution of all these areas was dominated by the opening of Iapetus during the Cambrian followed by closing initiated by subduction in the early Ordovician, many aspects of their history are similar. Southern Britain and SE Newfoundland, however, had a quite different late Precambrian history. They probably formed a microcontinental plate which originated at a considerable distance from northern Britain and which, until the closure of the Iapetus Ocean, was never in contact with the rest of the Caledonian belt.


Alloreactive T cells require costimulatory signals via CD40 ligand (CD40L). The tissue-destructive properties of allogeneic CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells were inhibited by anti-CD40L mAb. Fewer CD4+ thoracic duct lymphocytes (TDL) were obtained in mAb-treated recipients. Kinetic studies revealed that CD4+ T cell expansion was reduced or delayed which may account, in part, for the partial graft-vs-host disease protective effect of anti-CD40L mAb. TDL were found to have diminished anti-host-specific proliferative responses. The frequency of donor TDL and splenocytes that expressed the Th1 cytokines IL-2, IL-12 p40, and IFN-gamma mRNA was markedly diminished in mAb-treated recipients, demonstrating that Th1-driven alloresponses were susceptible to CD40L targeting. Perforin mRNA-expressing T cells were undetectable in mAb-treated recipients, consistent with reduced in vivo lethality after the adoptive transfer of allogeneic CD4+ T cells. Similar findings were observed in both B cell-replete or -deficient recipients, indicating that allogeneic T cell expansion and priming can be sustained by a non-B cell, CD40+ host cell population. Mice receiving CD40L-deficient allogeneic CD4+ T cells had survival rates comparable to the rates of those given anti-CD40L mAb treatment. Because anti-CD40L mAb also was found to prevent host anti-donor-mediated marrow allograft rejection, in vivo blockade of CD40L-CD40 interactions may provide a highly beneficial approach to improving the outcome of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.


We present a series of axisymmetric, magneto-hydrodynamical simulations for the rotational core collapse of a massive star accompanying the QCD phase transition. To elucidate the implications of a phase transition against a supernova, we investigate the waveforms of gravitational wave derived from the quadrupole formula that includes the contributions from the electromagnetic fields. We adopt a phenomenological equation of state above the nuclear matter density ρ0 that includes two parameters to change the hardness of the matter before the transition. We assume that the first order phase transition is the conversion of bulk nuclear matter to a chirally symmetric quark-gluon phase described by the MIT bag model. In most models with the phase transition, the first peak amplitudes are higher by a few percents to nearly ten percents than those without the transition. However, it is found that under the condition of the very strong differential rotation, the height of the peak becomes lower by several percents if the phase transition is included. In the paper, we show the typical models of our calculations.


3D-controllable portrait synthesis has significantly advanced, thanks to breakthroughs in generative adversarial networks (GANs). However, it is still challenging to manipulate existing face images with precise 3D control. While concatenating GAN inversion and a 3D-aware, noise-to-image GAN is a straight-forward solution, it is inefficient and may lead to noticeable drop in editing quality. To fill this gap, we propose 3D-FM GAN, a novel conditional GAN framework designed specifically for 3D-controllable face manipulation, and does not require any tuning after the end-to-end learning phase. By carefully encoding both the input face image and a physically-based rendering of 3D edits into a StyleGAN's latent spaces, our image generator provides high-quality, identity-preserved, 3D-controllable face manipulation. To effectively learn such novel framework, we develop two essential training strategies and a novel multiplicative co-modulation architecture that improves significantly upon naive schemes. With extensive evaluations, we show that our method outperforms the prior arts on various tasks, with better editability, stronger identity preservation, and higher photo-realism. In addition, we demonstrate a better generalizability of our design on large pose editing and out-of-domain images.


Workplace management of whole-body vibration exposure requires systematic collection of whole-body vibration data in conjunction with the numerous variables which influence vibration amplitudes. The cost and complexity of commercially available measurement devices is an impediment to the routine collection of such data by workplaces. An iOS application (WBV) has been developed which allows an iPod Touch to be used to measure whole-body vibration exposures. The utility of the application was demonstrated by simultaneously obtaining 98 pairs of whole-body vibration measurements from both the iPod Touch application and a commercially available whole-body vibration device during the operation of a variety of vehicles and mobile plant in operation at a surface coal mine. The iOS application installed on a fifth-generation iPod Touch was shown to provide a 95% confidence of +/− 0.077 m/s2 r.m.s. constant error for the vertical direction. Situations in which vibration levels lay within the ISO2631.1 health guidance caution zone were accurately identified, and the qualitative features of the frequency spectra were reproduced. The low cost and relative simplicity of the application has potential to facilitate its use as a screening tool to identify situations in which musculoskeletal disorders may arise as a consequence of exposure to whole-body vibration.


One of the main objectives of developed countries is rational and economical use of energy. Despite the low development level of renewable energy today and disadvantages of energy strategy, Ukraine has good preconditions for further development of renewable energy and in particular bioenergy. Hundreds of tons of waste paper packaging are annually produced in Ukraine. Time of decomposition of paper packaging is from 1 to 400 years in the case of exclusion of film and foil lamination. Biogas released as a result methane fermentation of any organic matter. Therefore, studies to solve this problem by recycling paper packaging by means of fermentation and fermentation anaerobic fermentation in biofuels is important. Biogas – is a product of metabolism as a result of Vital Functions many groups of organisms of bacterias, that is a mixture of gaseous substances obtained by anaerobic, namely without air, and methane fermentation of organic matter. This mixture consists of approximately 65 % methane, 30 % carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and 1 % minor impurities of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Regularities of methane fermentation process is extremely complex and depends on many factors, the most important of which are temperature, pH and concentration of dry matter. Highlight the four most important stages, namely: hydrolysis, a cidogenesis or biological oxidation or aceto genesis or acid fermentation and the last stage, methanogenesis, at this stage 90 % methane is synthesized, 70 % of which comes from acetic acid. Among the technological parameters on the speed decoupling most valuable impact is the temperature of the substrate, for her, there are three modes, each of which has the speed of substrate cleavage and the speed of biogas. Temperature is the main parameter in terms of research and process optimization for the temperature regimes. The aim of this article is analytical research of the kinetics of the concentration field of the liquid and gas phases in bioreactors operating without stirring. Developed a mathematical model of the biogas process of recycling waste of paper packaging , the analytical solution of a mathematical model for a given initial and boundary conditions, which provides new biogas dependence of selected depending on the time and temperature at a given solids concentration and amount of enzyme. In order to conduct a pilot study to confirm the adequacy of dependency, the analytical solution of the mathematical model developed laboratory setup consisting of insulated bioreactors periodic operation and the gas container, which are interconnected. From Dependence found that most slow release biogas process takes place at a temperature of 20 о С, the maximum rate is observed at 50 о С. However, the specific biogas yield at different temperatures remains the same, changing only the rate of release of biogas. Analysis of the theoretical and experimental dependences shows that temperature influences the rate of biogas yields during biochemical processing of laminated paper packaging. A mathematical model with sufficient accuracy describes the kinetics of the process at different temperatures of the substrate. Adequate theoretical dependences experimental data was checked and confirmed by the Fisher criterion. Keywords : biogas, utilization, biomass


We have developed a Fresnel diffraction analysis that provides an analytic expression for the passband response of virtually imaged phased-array (VIPA) demultiplexers. Our analysis shows that although the passband can be inherently symmetric, a strong asymmetry can develop when the output plane is detuned longitudinally. The symmetric passband has the minimum -3 dB transmission bandwidth. We also identify a spatial chirp effect that arises when the passband becomes asymmetric. Our theoretical predictions are confirmed via experiment. The experimental results include a demonstration of a hyperfine wavelength demultiplexing response with 10 pm (1.25 GHz) -3 dB transmission bandwidth.


Introduction: Bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective way to treat obesity. The outcome of weight-loss surgeries primarily focuses on reducing weight, and improving comorbidities and quality of life of patients. Postoperative nutritional deficiencies are well known complications of sleeve gastrectomy. Deficiencies of protein, iron, and vitamins B12 and D are often reported and may occur despite supplementation. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on metabolic and nutritional changes among obese patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods and Subjects: This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy surgery between January 2013 and January 2016 at KAUH, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Perioperative characteristics, biochemical profile [glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), calcium, parathyroid (PTH), albumin, B12, lipid, and iron profile], and details on subsequent weight loss in terms of body mass index (BMI) and weight loss (kg) of the patients were obtained. Results: Sixty-six patients were included in the study. Forty-two (63.4%) were female with a mean age of 35.1 ± 10.3 years. Our results demonstrated a significant statistical reduction in weight and BMI with improvement in HbA1c, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein, and decrease in cholesterol level. On the contrary, other metabolic elements such as ferritin and vitamin B12 showed a significant decrease, whereas calcium, PTH hormone, and albumin showed no change. Conclusion: This study showed that sleeve gastrectomy had significant improvements of some biochemical markers in addition to reduction in weight and BMI.


Commentary based on the article, "Experimental Design for Engineering Dimensional Analysis" by Mark C. Albrecht, Christopher J. Nachtsheim, Thomas A. Albrecht & R. Dennis Cook published in the journal Technometrics, volume 55, issue 3.


Building on the successes and shortcomings of previous experiences with computerized psychotherapy, we have attempted to extend the paradigm of intelligent tutoring systems to the domain of therapeutic interaction. Based on canonical examples, I present three dimensions of .the task of tutoring systems: teaching problem-solving vs. domain knowledge; teaching isolated domains vs domains where students have prior misconceptions; teaching with the use of functional models of the domain vs no functional models. I then show how implications of these dimensions have helped us determine the specifications of a tutoring system for sexual therapy. Our approach has consisted of engaging patients in a tutoring dialogue driven by the identification of problem areas and their associated misconceptions. A diagnostic module, implemented as a traditional expert system, uses an extensive bug library to derive an internal model of patients. A dialogue driver relies on a hierarchy of dialogue plans and demons in order to preserve a logical grouping of related topics while remaining flexible to adapt itself, at each level of the dialogue hierarchy, to the unfolding case.


The paper discusses the theory behind the dual-tree transform, shows how complex wavelets with good properties can be designed, and illustrates a range of applications in signal and image processing. The authors use the complex number symbol C in CWT to avoid confusion with the often-used acronym CWT for the (different) continuous wavelet transform. The four fundamentals, intertwined shortcomings of wavelet transform and some solutions are also discussed. Several methods for filter design are described for dual-tree CWT that demonstrates with relatively short filters, an effective invertible approximately analytic wavelet transform can indeed be implemented using the dual-tree approach.


Sex differences in the brain appear to play an important role in the prevalence and progression of various neuropsychiatric disorders, but to date little is known about the cerebral mechanisms underlying these differences. One widely reported finding is that women demonstrate higher cerebral perfusion than men, but the underlying cause of this difference in perfusion is not known. This study investigated the putative role of steroid hormones such as oestradiol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) as underlying factors influencing cerebral perfusion. We acquired arterial spin labelling perfusion images of 36 healthy adult subjects (16 men, 20 women). Analyses on average whole brain perfusion levels included a multiple regression analysis to test for the relative impact of each hormone on the global perfusion. Additionally, voxel-based analyses were performed to investigate the sex difference in regional perfusion as well as the correlations between local perfusion and serum oestradiol, testosterone, and DHEAS concentrations. Our results replicated the known sex difference in perfusion, with women showing significantly higher global and regional perfusion. For the global perfusion, DHEAS was the only significant predictor amongst the steroid hormones, showing a strong negative correlation with cerebral perfusion. The voxel-based analyses revealed modest sex-dependent correlations between local perfusion and testosterone, in addition to a strong modulatory effect of DHEAS in cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions. We conclude that DHEAS in particular may play an important role as an underlying factor driving the difference in cerebral perfusion between men and women.


Fish growth is influenced by photic environments, including light intensity, cycle (photoperiod), and wavelength. Here, we investigated the effects of photic conditions on somatic growth of the juvenile goldlined spinefoot Siganus guttatus. Rearing 3and 11-month-old juveniles under three different light intensities (10%, 0.5–1.0%, and < 0.1% of natural sunlight at culmination) for 8 weeks resulted in little difference in the growth parameters of individuals (specific growth rate [SGR] and condition factor [CF]). High SGR was observed in 4-month-old juveniles reared under constant light (LL) and long-day (LD=14:10), but not under short-day (LD=10:14), for 8 weeks, and in 1and 9month-old juveniles exposed to long-day of green LED lights for 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that mRNA abundance of growth hormone in the pituitary and insulin-like growth factor-I in the liver increased in the juveniles reared under long-day, suggesting that the endocrine axis is stimulated under this condition. Thus, somatic growth of the juveniles can be manipulated by alternating the photoperiod and light wavelength. Finally, growth manipulation is more effective in younger fish.


Social class and its affiliated indicators such as geographical mobility and strength of network ties have been treated as prominent, if not overarching variables in sociolinguistic research on spatial diffusion of linguistic features. There are nonetheless grounds, in the light of linguistic data on the Black and White divide in the U.S, for regarding ethnicity as a factor of language variation across space operating independently of these variables in certain defined contexts. A point of comparison for the linguistic Black and White divide in the U.S. is found in the Afrikaans speech community, i.e. a bi-ethnic community composed of Whites and Coloureds, who generally form socio-economically distinct networks. This contribution is based on an ethnically representative corpus of spoken Afrikaans involving three age cohorts. Its purpose is to reveal how far membership of the White or Coloured community determines grammatical variation across the Afrikaans language area. The Milroys (1985) have shown that strength or weakness of social network ties have become a determining factor in language variation while historical patterns of geographic differentiation have, most especially in highly mobile societies, often lost much of their relevance (see further Milroy 2002; Britain 2002). The multiethnic character of certain societies does however raise the question whether ethnicity leaves its imprint on language variation regardless of strength or weakness of social network ties. This question seems warranted in the light of Fought's observation that "[e]ven where, on the surface, extensive interethnic contact and integration seem to be the norm, the study of linguistic variation reveals the underlying preservation of identities divided along ethnic lines" (2002: 452). A question, originally raised in the U.S. and as yet unanswered, is how far such identities divided along ethnic lines are preserved across space within the same speech community. This question has been posed repeatedly in reference to the relationship between African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Anglo varieties. It became particularly topical in the wake of the momentous, yet controversial finding by Labov & Harris (1986) that Black and White vernaculars are not only systematically different, but also diverging countrywide. South Africa and Namibia's Afrikaans speech community is a mainly bi-ethnic community composed of roughly equal proportions of Whites and Coloureds, who generally form socio-economically distinct networks. Afrikaans dialectology or variation studies never attempted to chart variation in Afrikaans in terms of both Coloured and White varieties, one notable exception being Klopper's research on urban Cape Afrikaans (Klopper 1983). The questions I want to ask here is whether there may be a question of a Coloured Afrikaans and of a White Afrikaans, and, if so, how the relationship between these two varieties can be described across space. This contribution is based on an ethnically representative corpus of spoken Afrikaans aimed to give a picture of apparent-time trends in language variation over the main Afrikaans historical dialect zones as well as across the urban/rural divide. Trends will be illustrated using a range of Afrikaans morphosyntactic variables, against which predictions based on variationist postulates and local sociological data will be tested. We will finally discuss whether our findings on ethnic variation in Afrikaans speak in favour of treating ethnicity as a possible independent factor of variation. In the first paragraph we will briefly introduce Afrikaans against Southern Africa's multiethnic background. This is followed by an overview of findings on the relationship between ethnicity, space and other social factors in language variation. After a presentation of the corpus and the selected morphosyntactic variables, the ethnic factor will be tested against similarities and differences across age cohorts between a range of geographically defined White and Coloured samples.


The increased interconnectedness and possibilities for travel and communication that characterise the current, global age have strongly affected scholarly ways of understanding contemporary forms of identification and belonging. Literature on the subject strongly challenges the notion of home as a fixed place, particularly where migration is concerned. The case study of Senegalese migration, however, contrasts this argument. Based upon ethnographic research and in depth interviews with migrants conducted in Senegal and in Italy between 2004 and 2007, this article shows that for many Senegalese the ultimate home still remains strongly identified with the country of origin. Questioned on the issue at stake, Senegalese migrants unanimously express the eventual goal of return to the homeland. The perceived importance of an anchorage in Senegal is expressed even more strikingly than in words, in the practices of migrant investment in housing. Migrants invest massively in the home country, significantly altering the landscape of local cities. This article shows that the intensity and features of construction activities undertaken by migrants in the capital city of Dakar are provoking a veritable process of urban makeover, which is transforming the physiognomy of the built environment. Alongside transforming the landscape of many peripheral neighbourhoods by altering mainstream architectural features of buildings and importing Western styles and taste in local construction practices, migrants are also contributing towards the creation of new symbols of success.


Using a combination of insights from innovation studies, sociotechnical transitions theory and the STEPS pathways approach, this paper analyses the evolution of the Kenyan photovoltaics (PV) market.
Considered by many to be an exemplar of private sector led
development, the Kenyan PV market has witnessed the adoption of more than 300,000 solar home systems and over 100,000 solar portable lights. The notion of an entrepreneurially driven unsubsidised solar market has proved to be a powerful narrative amongst development actors who, paradoxically, have provided millions of dollars of funding to encourage the market's development.
We argue that this donor support has been critical to the success of the market, but not simply by helping to create an enabling environment in which entrepreneurs can flourish. Donor assistance has been critical in supporting a range of actors to build the elements of a PV innovation system by providing active protection for experimentation, network-building, and the construction of shared
visions amongst actors throughout supply chains and amongst users.This analysis gives important clues for designing climate and development policies, with implications for the governance of energy access pathways that are inclusive of poor and marginalised groups in low income countries.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an increasingly prevalent opportunistic human pathogen. It secretes a variety of hydrolases, many of which contribute to virulence or are thought to play a role in nutrition of the bacterium. However, potential roles of these extracellular enzymes in biofilm formation or composition of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have not been studied. The aim of this study was to compare biofilms of the mucoid P. aeruginosa strain SG81 and its derivatives overexpressing different extracellular hydrolases. For this the genes for lipases LipA and LipC, the esterase EstA and elastase LasB were moderately overexpressed from plasmids in strain SG81. Biofilms were grown in flow-cells, analyzed by confocal laser-scanning microscope (CLSM) and the effects on EPS composition and physicochemical properties were investigated. Whereas lipA overexpression revealed no significant differences, the other enzymes influenced biofilm structure and/or EPS properties. In contrast to the parent strain, cells overproducing LipC were more heterogeniously distributed in the biofilm which was predominently composed of microcolonies consisting of highly packed cells. However, LipC overproduction had no influence on the EPS composition. Overproduction of EstA led to differences in biofilm architecture and resulted in premature biofilm dissolution. Compared to the parent strain the EPS showed differences in the concentrations of carbohydrates and rhamnolipids. Moreover, hydrophobicity and viscosity of the EPS were significantly increased. Overproduction of LasB had the most pronounced effects on biofilms: a drastically reduced ability to form an elaborate biofilm architecture resulting in a monolayer of unevenly distributed cells even after prolonged times of growth. Furthermore, the concentration of alginate was reduced, whereas the total concentration of carbohydrates increased. Like in the EstA overproducing strain the hydrophobicity and viscosity of the EPS were increased.
With Gfp-enzympromotor-fusions it was possible to located a continuous transcription of lipA in all cells of the biofilm. In Contrast the transcription activity of the estA gene occurred only in a few cells at a later state of biofilm developement.
These results clearly indicate that overexpression of extracellular enzymes can affect EPS composition and properties, thereby influencing biofilm development. Altogether, this data provides strong evidence that extracellular enzymes, in addition to their roles in virulence and nutrition, have a key role in the differentiation of microbial biofilms.


Heterostructures fabricated from atomically thin crystalline layers are new materials which offer exciting possibilities for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic sensors and devices. The idea of heterostructures is not new and traditional semiconductor heterostructures have already played an important technological role in many modern electronic components. It is possible to fabricate new and exciting structures by stacking single atomic layers of different materials into heterostructures. This technology can be used to create materials and devices with a wide variety of properties. The stacking order, thickness, doping and crystal orientation play the major roles in determining the characteristics of these new materials. The experimental work for this thesis involves the electrical characterisation of several different heterostructures.i Investigation of boron nitride as an atomically thin tunnel barrier, including its homogeneity across micron sized areas. The area normalised conductance was found to depend on boron nitride thickness, changing by 1.5 decades per layer.ii Graphene-based tunnelling transistors which exhibit current modulation by external gate voltage. With boron nitride as the tunnel barrier an on-off ratio of up to 40 was acheived.iii Resonant tunnelling devices which show negative differential conductivity in their current-voltage characteristics.iv Photodetection and solar cell devices using semiconducting tungsten disulfide. The maximum external quantum efficiency observed was 0.1 A/W which was approximately constant across the visible spectrum. The enormous array of possibilities made available by this technology means that there is huge scope for further investigation with more exploratory research to make proof-of-principle functional devices for application in technology.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the graft success rates and audiological outcomes of bilaterally performed type 1 tympanoplasty using cartilage palisades or temporal fascia in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty at Medical Park Hospital between May 2007 and February 2013. 27 patients (54 ears) were enrolled in the study: 15 (30 ears) in the palisade cartilage group and 12 (24 ears) in the fascia group.

RESULTS
The graft success rate for the fascia group was 79.2%, and that for the cartilage group was 96.7%. The difference was statistically insignificant (p=0.078). Audiological improvements were seen in both groups, and the difference was statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSION
The use of temporalis fascia grafting has similar outcomes to palisade cartilage tympanoplasty for both success rate and audiological values in children who have bilateral disease.


Human impacts to water resources occur in a variety of instances and are often associated with, but not limited to, nor always a result of, industrial processes. Manufacturing of Cr compounds for use as a corrosion inhibitor require the transformation of Cr into a toxic state, requiring extreme safety and caution during processing and handling. Historical processing of chromite ore at the Mouat Industries site led to Cr-contaminated groundwater within the city limits of Columbus, MT. After the site was listed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priority List in 1986, soil remediation was conducted at the site in 1994. Contaminated soils were excavated, mixed with an acid/ferrous sulfate solution (reducing hexavalent Cr (CrVI) to trivalent Cr (CrIII)), neutralized with lime (CaO), secured into blocks with cement, and the blocks were buried in an on-site in a repository. Portions of the contaminated soils that were below the clean-up threshold were not treated, but were used to backfill the excavated area. A synthetic liner was placed above the repository, and the cover is clean foreign soil and gravel or grass. Aqueous Cr(VI), a carcinogen, remains present at variable concentrations, locally above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) within and rarely down-gradient of the site. Groundwater monitoring and sampling has been ongoing since 1996; however concerns remain about Cr mobility and transport off-site. As part of the field investigation, water quality samples were collected from 22 wells in June and 15 wells in September, 2015; groundwater levels were monitored in 26 wells; well measuring point elevation and surface water elevations were surveyed. As part of the laboratory investigations, leaching and sorption tests were performed, and a groundwater flow model (GMS-MODFLOW) was constructed using field and laboratory data to simulate groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Leaching studies show that Cr is available to be leached from the repository at similar concentrations to groundwater; sorption batch test results suggest that Cr(VI) is not adsorbed onto aquifer soils; and Cr(VI)/Cr(III) speciation data provide spatial variation and confirmation of the existence of Cr(VI) at high concentrations in the repository and low concentrations in the point of compliance wells. The model results indicate a range of transport time between 5 and 13 months for Cr(VI) to reach POC wells at the MCL of 100μg/L.


Background Implementing concussion assessment programs for youth athletes are necessary to manage clinical care in sports. However, confounding factors such as cognitive maturity and socioeconomic status may complicate clinical interpretation of testing following concussion. Objective Determine the stability of test scores between low socioeconomic athletes and non-athletes. Design Prospective longitudinal between-groups cohort design. Setting Youth Sports. Participants High school students (n=783) were recruited either prior to their competitive season or during the academic year to establish baseline cognitive function. Interventions All participants were administered annual baseline testing on computerized neuropsychological test battery (ImPACT) to track the effect of cognitive maturity. Using SPSS, a one-way ANOVA with repeated measures (group×time) was run on ImPACT composite scores, using an alpha level of .05 for all tests. Main Outcome Measurements ImPACT composite scores. Results Significant interactions of group and time existed for composite visual motor (Wilks' λ=0.97, F(1,782)=20.53, p<.001, η2=.03) and composite reaction time (Wilks' λ=0.99, F(1,782)=5.65, p<0.05, η2=0.01.) between athletes and non-athletes. Significant main effects for time were seen in composite impulse control (Wilks' λ=0.99, F(1, 782)=4.05, p<0.05, η2=0.01.) with lower scores during year one. Significant differences existed between 10th and 12th grade participants compared to 9th grade participants on composite visual motor (p=0.006), and total symptoms (p=0.043) with older participants performing better. Conclusions Cognitive maturity does not appear to affect composite ImPACT scores, however there is a break in composite visual motor scores between older and ninth grade participants. The need for annual baseline testing may not be warranted beyond tenth grade. Future research should examine test scores across a high school career to gain more understanding of changes related to cognitive maturity.


Although cardiac arrest in pregnancy is rare, all members of the healthcare team who care for pregnant women should be aware of the maternal adaptations of pregnancy. Also, more women with preexisting medical conditions are attempting pregnancy. Perinatal nurses, especially those practicing in level III (high-risk) perinatal centers should be trained in dysrhythmia recognition and ACLS protocols. Rapid intervention sometimes can save two lives.


When we were invited by Sage to identify published work in human geography that represents what is best and most distinctive about the field it seemed an impossible task (it still does) because there is such a rich volume of material to draw from. We decided to focus on Englishlanguage and to a lesser extent other European contributions, although we are acutely aware of the irony, even the imperialism, of limiting a field like human geography to knowledges rooted in only a fraction of the world. We discuss below the dangers of delimiting Geography as a European or Euro-American science, and several of our selections return to this issue again and again. If there is a much richer geography of Geography than this, there is also a much longer history than our selections might imply. Our focus on the last thirty years is not an exercise in progressivism or triumphalism which treats the present as the climactic moment in a chain of contributions that reaches back into an ever more distant and ever more imperfect past. Here too our decision was a purely pragmatic way to confine our search.


Stressful life events such as the loss of a job can lead to depression, but not everyone shows this response. A study of a large group of young adults in New Zealand by Caspi et al. provides evidence that stress is more likely to cause depression in individuals who carry a particular allelic variant of the gene encoding the serotonin transporter, a protein that controls serotonin levels at brain synapses. These results reinforce the emerging view that mental illness and other complex diseases cannot always be explained by genetic or environmental factors alone, but more likely arise from an interaction between the two. A. Caspi, K. Sugden, T. E. Moffitt, A. Taylor, I. W. Craig, H. Harrington, J. McClay, J. Mill, J. Martin, A. Braithwaite, R. Poulton, Influence of life stress on depression: Moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science 301, 386-389 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Martha Hayes (1786-1871) came to Australia in 1803 as the daughter of a female convict. She
formed a liaison with Lt. John Bowen and had two daughters by him. Later she married Hobart settler
Andrew Whitehead and, after his death, police clerk Barnard Williamson.
Martha lived in Hobart Town from 1804 onward, and her life is closely interwoven with many
colourful characters who lived in Hobart during the first few decades.


The Shias of Pakistan are the world's second largest Shia community after that of Iran, but com- prise only 10-15 per cent of Pakistan's population. In recent decades Sunni extremists have increasingly targeted them with hate propaganda and terrorism, yet paradoxically Shias have always been fully integrated into all sections of political, professional and social life without suffering any discrimination. In mainstream politics, the Shia- Sunni divide has never been an issue in Pakistan. Shia politicians in Pakistan have usually downplayed their religious beliefs, but there have always been individuals and groups who emphasised their Shia identity, and who zeal- ously campaigned for equal rights for the Shias wherever and whenever they perceived these to be threatened. Shia 'ulama' have been at the forefront of communal activism in Pakistan since 1949, but Shia laymen also participated in such organisations, as they had in pre-partition India. Based mainly on Urdu sources, Rieck's book examines, first, the history of Pakistan's Shias, including their communal organisations, the growth of the Shia 'ulama' class, of religious schools and rivalry between 'orthodox' 'ulama' and popular preachers; second, the outcome of lobbying of successive Pakistan governments by Shia organisations; and third, the Shia-Sunni conflict, which is increasingly virulent due to the state's failure to combat Sunni extremism.


ABSTRACT The literature on the links between innovation and productivity at the firm level in agriculture is almost nonexistent. In this paper, we analyze the factors behind the innovation effort of farms and the impact that innovation effort has on farm's productivity, exploiting a unique farm-level agricultural innovation survey carried out in Uruguay. The results indicate that farm size, cooperation with other agents to perform R&D, the education of the owner of the farm, the participation of foreign capital and the existence of links with other organizations, in particular scientific, horizontal and vertical ones, are positively correlated with innovation effort. Public and private financial support are not clearly linked with innovation effort. The innovation effort has a positive effect on farm's productivity. Some heterogeneities across industries in agriculture are found.


Pharyngeal trauma in cattle can occur during the administration of oral medication using a balling gun. The number of cases of severe complications due to bolus application that have been referred to our hospital has increased from nil between 1996 and 2008 to three or four per year. In our experience, reports by bovine veterinarians of patients with severe and often fatal pharyngeal trauma, which were not referred to the clinic, have become more common in recent years as well. The incidence of this complication is likely to be higher than this number of referrals suggests. Diagnosis without the help of imaging techniques, such as radiography and endoscopy, may be difficult, especially in cases where exploration of the pharynx cannot be carried out, or is unable to confirm the absence or presence of a lesion. Prognosis is often poor in cases where perforation has been confirmed. Boluses are increasingly administered by the owners or farm personnel without the supervision of a veterinarian. In order to prevent losses due to balling gun-induced injuries, the veterinarian plays a crucial role in giving advice to his clients. Five cases of cattle suffering from varying degrees of balling gun-induced trauma are presented, and consideration is given to incorrect application techniques.


We describe the results of experiments on mushy layers grown from aqueous ammonium chloride solution in normal, micro, and hyper gravity environments. In the fully developed chimney state, the chimney plume dynamics differ strikingly when conditions change from micro to hyper gravity. In microgravity, we find fully arrested plume motion and suppressed convection. As gravity exceeds Earth conditions, we observe a host of phenomena, ranging from arched plumes that undergo forced Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities to in-phase multiple plume oscillatory behavior. For the same initial solute concentrations and fixed boundary cooling temperatures, we find that, in runs of over two hours, the averaged effects of microgravity and hypergravity result in suppressed growth of the mushy layers, a phenomenon caused by a net enhancement of convective heat and solute transport from the liquid to the mushy layers. These behaviors are placed in the context of the theory of convecting mushy layers as studied under normal laboratory conditions.


"Lo Somni" (The Dream) is a dream allegory divided into four chapters or books. It was written ca. 1399 and is considered Bernat Metge's best work. It is extremely innovative within the context of Catalan (and Iberian Peninsular) literature of the 1300's. It consists of a dialogue between Metge-the-character and several participants (in fact the book is a dialogue between Metge and the Classical and Biblical tradition) on the topics of the immortality of the soul, the essence of religion and the dignity and moral essence of the human being. In addition to using many Classical and medieval literary sources, Lo Somni can be considered one of the first (if not the first) Humanist books to be ever written in the Iberian Peninsula. Metge wrote Lo Somni supposedly while in prison (house arrest?) following a dubious accusation about his involvement in the death of King Joan I. Metge wrote this work as a personal defense to exonerate himself and as an attempt to gain the confidence of the new King Marti l'Huma and his wife Queen Maria de Luna. Lo Somni ends when Metge-the-character is awaken from his dream. This foundational work also touches upon political themes pertaining to the Crown of Aragon, literary fashion and reception of Italian humanist works at the court, as well as on matters of fashion, cultural customs, taste and style.


Mechanisms of constitutional development have recently attracted significant attention, specifically, instances where popular involvement was central to the constitutional change. Examples include attempts by British Columbia, the Netherlands, and Ontario at electoral reform, in addition to the more sweeping reforms sought in Iceland and Ireland. Each of these countries' attempts exemplifies varied innovative avenues to reform involving participatory and partially citizen-led processes aimed at revitalizing politics. The little legal scholarship on these developments has provided an insufficient analytical account of such novel approaches to constitution-making. This Essay seeks to build upon the current descriptive work on constitutional conventions by focusing on the cases of Iceland and Ireland. The Essay further aims to evaluate whether the means undertaken by each country translates into novelty at a more substantive level, namely, the quality of the process and legitimacy of the end product. The Essay proposes standards of direct democratic engagements that adequately fit these new developments and further identifies lessons for participatory constitution-making processes in the digital twenty-first century.


The financial crisis of 2008 raised the politics of regulation to a new level of practical and scholarly attention. We find that recent reforms in U.S. financial markets hinge on intellectual resources and new organizational actors that are missing from existing concepts of regulatory capture or business power. In particular, small advocacy groups have proven significantly more successful in opposing the financial services industry than existing theories predict. By maintaining the salience of reform goals, elaborating new analytic frameworks, and deploying specialized expertise in post-enactment debates, smaller organizations have contributed to a diffuse but often decisive network of pro-reform actors. Through the rule-writing process for macroprudential supervision and derivatives trading, these small organizations coalesced with other groups to form a new stability alliance that has so far prevented industry groups from dominating financial regulation to the degree that occurred in earlier cases of regulatory reform.


Real-time systems are those whose correctness depends not only on logical results of computations, but also on the time at which the results are produced. This thesis provides a formal definition for real-time systems and includes the following original contributions on real-time scheduling algorithms.
The first topic studied in the thesis is minimizing the total penalty to be paid in scheduling a set of soft real-time tasks. The problem is NP-hard. We prove the properties of any optimal scheduling algorithm. We also derive a number of heuristic algorithms which satisfy the properties obtained. Moreover, we obtain a tight upper bound for the optimal solution to the problem. Numerical results that compare the upper bound with the optimal solution and the heuristic algorithms are provided.
In the second part of this thesis, we study the problem of minimizing the number of processors required for scheduling a set of periodic preemptive independent hard real-time tasks. We use a partitioning strategy with an EDF scheduling algorithm on each processor. The problem is NP-hard. We derive lower and upper bounds for the number of processors required to satisfy the constraints of the problem. We also compare a number of heuristic algorithms with each other and with the bounds derived in this research. Numerical results demonstrate that our lower bound is very tight.
In the third part of the thesis, we study the problem of uplink scheduling in telecommunication systems with two dimensional resources. Our goal is to maximize the total value of the packets sent in uplink subframe such that system constraints and requirements are satisfied. The packets have various QoS requirements and have either soft or hard deadlines. We take two approaches, namely 0-1 and fractional approaches, to model the problem. Considering the properties of the application, we derive globally optimal solutions in polynomial time for the models. We also present a method to fine-tune the models. Numerical results are provided to compare the performance of the various optimal algorithms each corresponding to a model.


The presence of NGOs and development agencies is often considered an apolitical phenomenon, and that the very presence of NGOs within a country is a symbol of a global humanity in action; in short, NGOs equal charity which equals good work. Unfortunately, the reality is often much more complicated as NGOs can also be found to be self-serving, anti-democratic and strictly in pursuit of their next funding source. In this thesis I advance the central hypothesis that the international community's continued pursuit of an NGO-led neoliberal economic development model has systematically failed to contribute to the sustainable development of Haiti because they pursue the wrongs means of achieving poverty alleviation goals. Throughout its history, Haiti has continuously been caught between the aspirations of its people and the legacy of foreign interventions. The recent trend of implementing neoliberal development goals and strategies, supported and executed by NGOs, has focused on the promotion of economic growth as a means to eradicate poverty. However, this strategy is an ineffective method at producing positive changes in well-being, the economy, or the environment (Edmonds, 2010; Shamsie, 2012). I argue that the relationship between NGOs and their donors continuously undermines the Haitian's right to self-sufficiency that would lead to self-determination and enable the Haitian people to control their own destiny. A new approach for addressing extreme poverty in Haiti must be rooted in a different set of values and beliefs; a different outlook that puts morality, humanity, equality and the environment at the forefront. A new development path that is not based on a growth economy but focused on human well-being and environmental conservation. NGOs will need to enact increasingly participatory and transparent practices that allows for a development path that can regulated and determined by the Haitians themselves.


Transient luminous event (TLEs) observations have been conducted in mainland China since 2007, with a number of TLEs documented. This study analyzed a very unusual and unique positive sprite event, that may be produced jointly by two distinct positive cloud-to-ground lightning flashes (+CGs) occurring within a short time difference but with different locations separated by about 27 km. This observation is different from previous studies reporting that most of the sprites were triggered by a single +CG flash and its possible following continuous current. Detailed analysis on extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field shows that combined charge moment change (CMC) due to the two +CGs is smaller (~1478 C km) than those of the parent CGs for the other two sprites (1582 and 2134 C km, respectively) recorded over the same thunderstorm. The vertical extension and brightness of the sprites correspond well with the CMC of their parent CGs, namely, the larger the CMC value the brighter the sprite, and the larger the CMC value the larger the vertical extension. Negative lightning flashes dominated during the thunderstorm life cycle. The three sprites occurred during a time window in which both negative and positive flashes were active. The three sprites occurred over the thunderstorm stratiform region. Article history: Received 13 February 2016 Revised 14 July 2016 Accepted 22 July 2016


Background Ingestion of a lithium coin cell battery can result in serious injuries and the incidents are on the rise. Small size and coin-like appearance of the batteries make it very difficult to be aware of the ingestion promptly, which hinders a timely medical treatment. Aims/Objectives/Purpose To cope with the growing health threat this research focuses on responsive polymer materials and reactive structure of coin cell batteries through an interdisciplinary approach of industrial design and chemical engineering. Methods We designed a safer lithium coin cell battery to discourage swallowing and, even if ingested, provide a visible alarm instantly to nearby caregivers. In addition, the battery may remain inactive in an alimentary canal to minimise the likelihood of injuries associated with the ingestion. Results/Outcome In simulation experiments, our prototypes emitted an easily noticeable warning immediately after ingestion and remained inert for more than 8 h, showing a stark contrast to untreated batteries that caused a pH spike. The result suggests that the safety features may help an ingested battery be evacuated safely without inflicting injury on the body. Significance/Contribution to the Field Our design may contribute to decreasing the ingestion cases and their consequent injuries through industrial application.


The need to provide agricultural information to farmers has led to emergence of numerous ICTbased MIS projects in developing country. These projects aim at promoting commercialization of smallholder agriculture and subsequently their welfare. This study examines the how the environment in which such ICT-based MIS affect their performance. It specifically uses the DrumNet project, an ICT-based MIS, to assess how the socio-economic, physical, political and physical environment in the project areas affected its performance. The study finds that those transaction-related problems, especially strategic default, deriving from these environmental factors greatly undermined the performance of DrumNet forcing it to relocate severally. It discusses policy implications of these findings.


Purpose
Despite the increasing utilization of webpages for the purposes of information seeking, customers' concerns have become a crucial impediment for online shopping. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the effectiveness of web assurance seals services (WASS) and customers' concerns on customer's willingness to book hotels through perceived website trust and perceived value.

Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was administrated to measure the study variables. Using partial least squares–structural equation modeling approach to analyze the data collected from 860 users of online hotel websites.

Findings
The results indicate that WASS influence positively on perceived website trust and negatively on consumers' concerns. As well as, perceived value and trust play a mediating role in the link between WASS and consumers' concerns and their intentions. Finally, perceived website trust and perceived value have greater effect on intention to book hotel for low-habit consumers.

Research limitations/implications
This study ignored the cross-culture issue as it concentrates on the customers from developing countries, so further research may need to compare between two or more than two samples from different societies that could give a significant insights. Second, this study stresses on the WASS to predict customers booking intentions that indicates significant results, so further research may need to examine the role of online reviews as a predictor of customers purchase decision as well.

Originality/value
To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first empirical research that investigates and examines the influence of the effectiveness of WASS and consumers' concerns on consumers' intentions through perceived value and trust. This research also investigates the moderating role of habit in the link between perceived website, perceived value and consumers' intentions.


Homelessness is best understood as a dynamic process, yet researchers and governments have tended to focus on how many people are homeless and who they are. Many questions, critical for resolving homelessness, remain unanswered. Drawing on longitudinal data and a rich body of material, Johnson, Gronda and Coutts take us into the day-to-day lives of homeless people. They highlight the creativity and resilience of the homeless and how stigma shapes the experience of homelessness, breaking down and challenging many myths and stereotypes.


High alumina cement was used widely in the UK after World War I, expressing its higher content of aluminum oxide in comparison to Portland cement. Several descriptions of investigations on calcium aluminate cements appeared, starting around 1850, with a first patent field in 1888 (Scrivener and Capmas, in Hewlett 1998). More widely known is the work of Bied (1909, 1926) filing a patent in 1909 for the fabrication of cement using bauxite or some similar aluminum or iron-rich material, with low SiO2-contents and limestone. In 1918, the trade name Ciment Lafarge Fondue was used for the first time. Meanwhile in the USA, Spackman (1908, 1910a,b) developed cementitious material marketed under the name of Alca natural cements. Several patents were applied and granted (Bates 1921). A description of non-Portland cements was given by Muzhen et al. (1992).

The reason for looking into alternative cement materials was to develop cements with improved stability against sulfate corrosion. Nowadays, calcium aluminate cements are used specifically for their distinct properties (Brown and Cassel 1977), some of which are presented in Table 1.

Calcium aluminate cements do have special applications and are therefore widely used despite the fact that worldwide fabrication is by no means comparable to OPCs (Hohl et al. 1936; Garces et al. 1997; George 1976, 1980a,b, 1983, 1990, 1997; George and Montgomery 1992; George and Racher 1996; Gartner et al. 2002). Scrivener and Taylor (1990) and Scrivener et al. (1997a,b) described calcium aluminate cements and their use and microstructural developments. The use for experimental purposes was described by Auer et al. (1995). Thermal analyses for thermogravimetry of CAC-fraction and formation was discussed by Chudak et al. (1982, 1987). The …


The aim of the study is twofold: First and main aim was to develop a valid and reliable Turkish version of the DIT which is one of the most important instruments in the psychology and education research; second is to explore the relationships between moral development and age, gender, education, and parental education. The study group consists of 584 volunteer participants from three universities. As an instrument of the present study, developed and validated Turkish version of the DIT which is "Degerleri Belirleme Testi (DBT)" was used. Three schémas, personal interests, maintaining norms, and post conventional, were obtained from the instrument. For three schémas obtained from the DIT, the values of Cronbach's alpha and test-retest correlation coefficients change in the range of .53 to .60. Face and content validity of the DIT were also provided. The relationships between moral development and other selected variables (age, education, gender, and parental education) were presented in the findings section.


The Commonwealth of Learning e-learning for International Organizations (COLeLIO) (www.col.org/colelio) Initiative engages appropriate technology to custom design and deliver just-in-time (JIT) workplace e-learning for adult learners based in field offices and headquarters of international organizations spread all over the world. To ensure reliable and easy access to learning, COLeLIO chooses appropriate technologies to underpin course design, development and delivery taking into consideration bandwidth and access issues. Responding to constantly changing learning environments and learners' needs, eLIO learning materials have evolved from print to digital over the last decade. In recent years, eLIO saw the need to streamline the delivery operation for their 1,000 learners annually, involving 40 tutors and teams of course administrators. Recognizing that the conduits supporting online learning have mushroomed in recent years and that more affordable and robust open source learning management platforms are available to support and sustain online learning for transparency, accountability and quality results, COLeLIO spent 12 months searching for and adapting a technology solution to create a one-stop access to resources, support, discussions, and records for learners, tutors and administrators. This paper captures the story of change management by eLIO and shares some key lessons learned.


COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONALISATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN CHINA AND ENGLAND:
INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS

ABSTRACT
This thesis set out to discover if comprehensive forms of internationalisation in higher education have been adopted in recent years in China and England. It is also a response to calls (Yang 2014, 2016, Marginson 2014d, Ryan 2011a) for western researchers to develop more nuanced understanding of the cultural, historical and political forces influencing the development of internationalisation in China. The study adopts a case study form of inquiry; three higher education institutions (HEIs) in China and three HEIs in England were selected as the case institutions. Respondents were all selected as internationalisation enthusiasts (Warwick 2014) with senior management responsibility for internationalisation within their institutions. Vice –presidents, Deans of Faculties of Education (or equivalent) and mangers of International Offices (or equivalent) were interviewed in both countries.

The research is located in a broad range of literature so that the contested and symbiotic nature of globalisation and internationalisation can be reviewed, including an examination of the dark side of internationalisation as conceptualised by Hudzik (2015) with specific reference to inequities faced by institutions in China. A rationale for the identification of comprehensive internationalisation as the seminal definition underpinning this study is presented and the development of 3 iterations of a conceptual framework designed to support the data analysis is identified.

A narrative analysis of the single case institutions provides context and background for the multi-case analysis of three institutions in China and three comparable institutions in England. The findings and discussion from the multi-case analysis are presented in three chapters structured under three themes. Theme A Student and staff mobility including student and staff recruitment, Theme B Internationalisation of the curricula and Theme C Strategic co-operation, partnerships and capacity building. The findings and discussion chapters confirm that the six institutions involved in the study were adopting comprehensive approaches to the implementation of internationalisation. Approaches were changing at an unprecedented rate and there were distinct signs that the balance of power in Anglo-Sino collaborative partnerships was shifting.


With almost 5000 island and islets, the Mediterranean comprises one of the largest groups of islands in the world. With its wealth of species, high degree of endemism, long history and tolerance of all kinds of disruptions, it is of extremely high value to global biodiversity. However, over the last few decades, major socio-economic changes have increased the negative impact of human activity in the region and today, the islands are extremely vulnerable. This conservation strategy for island plants and habitats is intended to provide one of the basic components of an overall biodiversity conservation programme covering the entire Mediterranean Basin, in order to assist towards sustainable development and to help combat existing or potential threats such as climate change and desertification. It is intended to assist nature conservation managers and decision-makers in building and implementing their conservation programmes.


Various engine and shock tube studies have reported increased NOx emissions from the combustion of biodiesels than from regular diesel, and linked it to the degree of unsaturation or the number of double bonds in the molecular structure of long chain biodiesel fuels. We report herein a numerical investigation on the structure and emission characteristics of triple flames burning saturated and unsaturated surrogate diesel fuels. The surrogate fuels include n-heptane, 1-heptene, methyl decanoate, and methyl decenoates, N-heptane and 1-heptene represent, respectively, the hydrocarbon side chain of the saturated (methyl octanoate) and unsaturated (methyl octenoate) biodiesel surrogates. The other two C10 methyl esters have close chemical kinetics to real biodiesel fuels, which usually consist of heavy methyl esters. Our objective is to examine the effect of unsaturated (double) bond on NOx and soot emissions in a flame environment containing regions of lean premixed, rich premixed and non-premixed combustion. For n-heptane and 1-heptene study, which is the main part of this work, a validated detailed kinetic model with 198 species and 4932 reactions was used to simulate triple flames in a counterflow configuration with different levels of premixing and strain rates. Results indicate while while the global structures of n-heptane and 1-heptene triple flames are quite similar, there are significant differences with respect to NOx and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) emissions from these flames. The NOx production rates in the rich premixed, lean premixed, and non-premixed zones are higher in 1-heptene flames than in n-heptane flames, and the differences become more pronounced as the level of premixing is increased. The NOx formed through the prompt, thermal, N2O, and NNH mechanisms is also higher in 1-heptene flames. NOx formation in the rich premixed zone is primarily due to the prompt NO, that in the nonpremixed zone is through the thermal NO, and that in the lean premixed zone is due to the NNH and N2O routes. The PAH species are mainly formed in the rich premixed zone, and their emissions are significantly higher in 1-heptene flames than in n-heptane flames. The reaction pathway analysis indicated that the dominant path for benzene formation involves the combination of two propargyl (C3H3) radicals, and the presence of double bond in 1-heptene provides a significant route for its production through the formation of C3H5. This path is not favored in the oxidation of n-heptane, as it decomposes directly to smaller alkyl radicals. While the NOx and PAH emissions decrease with the increase in strain rate, they are consistently higher in 1-heptne flames than in -heptane flames, irrespective of the strain rate. For the study of methyl decanoate and methyl decenoates, reduced mechanism recently developed by three different institutions was used. The result shows that the effect of unsaturated bond on NOx emissions in methyl esters is similar to that in long alkene hydrocarbons.