The Culicidae are biting insects that are most harmful to people. They are almost all blood-suckers, and are responsible for the spread of many important diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and elephantiasis. Entomopathogenic microorganisms occupy an important place among the alternative methods of fighting against pests insect. The fungus, Beauveria bassiana is an entomopathogenic agent naturally present in the ecosystems and offers a very interesting potential for controlling populations of mosquitoes. Our study aims at showing the 4th stage larvae histological changes of the domestic mosquito Culex pipiens, treated with the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana in suspension which corresponds to a dose of 107 spore/mL. In fact, after developing the individuals in the fungal solution, histological study was carried out on the following parts; cuticle, intestine, adipose tissue and hemolymph. The histological studies showed many alterations and malformation in the treated 4th instar larvae body and tissues. The infection affected the different parts of the body, especially the cuticle, the adipose cells, and midgut, in addition to the development and the colonization of B. bassiana inside tissues. The application of B. bassiana on the cuticle of the larvae was dependent on an apparent disturbance in the structure of the cuticle or the degeneration of its different parts. The fungus infection does not stop at the level of the body walls, so it even goes to adipose tissue, epidermal cells and intestine. Based on these results, B. bassiana could be suggested as suitable biocontrol agent against C. pipiens.

 Key words: Beauveria bassiana, Culex pipiens, cuticle, histological study, midgut, adipose tissue.


The practitioners of traditional and indigenous medicine rely mainly upon medicinal plants and herbs for the preparation of therapeutic substances. The therapeutic properties of several medicinal plants and popular traditional medicine remedies are being investigated and validated. Present health care systems place people from developing countries in a dilemma. Countries can either continue providing a type of health care which cannot be extended to all in need or rethink and offer more inclusive types of medical care and delivery systems. Traditional medicine has a clear role to play in society, and even the World Health Organization supports the practice of traditional medicine to complement modern medicine. Traditional Malay medicine is the distillation of vast historical experience dating back more than 1000 years. It is often based upon observation, clinical trials, and experiments. The promotion and development of Malay traditional medicine can both foster dignity and self-confidence in communities through self-reliance, while considerably reducing the country's drug costs. The integrity and dignity of a people stems from self-respect and self-reliance. The practice of traditional medicine practitioners can help promote such conditions in many ways. It serves as an important focus for international technical cooperation and offers the potential for major breakthroughs in therapeutics and health care delivery. Effort should be taken to keep the practice of traditional medicine alive in Malaysia.


ccording to Jonathan Nitzan and Shimshon Bichler (2009), capital is not an economic quantity, but a mode of power. Their fundamental thesis could be summarized as follows: capital is power quantified in monetary terms. But what do we do when we quantify? What is the nature of money in a capitalist society? Indeed, what is power? In the following, we try to develop a concept of power as the ability of persons to create particular formations against resistance. The kinds of formations persons can think of depend on the society they live in, which can be identified by what Cornelius Castoriadis called its social imaginary significations (SIS). The core SIS of capitalism is rational mastery operating with computational rationality. Computational rationality in turn rests on a particular understanding of how signification works: it works through operational symbolism, as theorized by Sybille Krämer in analyzing the philosophy of Leibniz. When the concept of the SIS of modern rationality was developed in the 1950s and 1960s, bureaucracy was seen as the main organizational mode of rational mastery. We argue that there are two modes of rational mastery, capitalization and bureaucratization, that interact with each other in capitalist society. The paper concludes with deliberations on the future of rational mastery and possible ways out.


1. Labelled glycine and/or δ-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) were administered to a child with congenital erythropoietic porphyria (Gunther9s disease), to three normal children and to three patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria. 2. The utilization of [ 15 N]ALA for the synthesis of faecal 'urobilin' in the congenital erythropoietic patient was normal. 3. This suggests there is no significant increase of hepatic bile-pigment formation in congenital erythropoietic porphyria. 4. The utilization of glycine for synthesis of faecal 'urobilin' and protoporphyrin in all three patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria was increased. There was a similarly high utilization of [4- 14 C]ALA administered either orally or intravenously to one of the patients. 5. The utilization of [4- 14 C]ALA was not affected by phlebotomy. 6. Utilizations of both ALA and glycine for free erythrocyte and plasma protoporphyrins were low. 7. This study provides further evidence that in erythropoietic protoporphyria there is a greatly increased hepatic contribution to the early labelled fraction of bile pigment and that in this disease the excessive protoporphyrin is formed mainly in the liver.


Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility argues that the development of sustainable urban transport systems requires a conceptual leap. The purpose 'transportation' and 'mobility' is to gain access to destinations, activities, services and goods. Thus access is the ultimate objective of transportation. As a result, urban planning and design should focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, rather than simply increasing the length of urban transport infrastructure or increasing the movement of people or gods. Urban form and the functionality of the city are therefore a major focus of this report, which highlights the importance of integrated land-use and transport planning.


The increasing use of Internet access networks raises the demand for secure and reliable communication for both users and businesses. Traditionally, the aim has been to provide the strongest possible security. However, with the demand for low-power computing it has become desirable to develop security mechanisms which efficiently utilize available resources. The tradeoff between performance and security plays an important role. In general, strong security is added even if there is no attack. The implementation of strong and resource demanding security often implies more than a secure system; it may deteriorate the performance of a device with limited resources and pave the way for new threats such as resource exhaustion. It is, therefore, unwise to use strong cryptographic algorithms for devices with limited resources in the absence of an adversary. It is more efficient to begin with lightweight security, taking further measures when an attack is detected. The overall focus of this thesis is on adjustable and lightweight authentication protocols for network access control. The thesis studies the performance degradation of strong security using empirical tests on IP security (IPSec) with a visual bottleneck indicator based on the time-discrete fluid flow model and throughput histogram differences. The results emphasize the possibility of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack against IPSec itself. The redundant authentication performed in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) also motivates the development and evaluation of novel lightweight authentication protocols for the link and network layer. The developed authentication protocols are resource efficient, per-packet based, and robust in terms of handling packet loss. The protocols are further used as part of a hierarchical defense structure, which has been implemented and evaluated in order to mitigate protocol based DoS attacks. Finally, this thesis presents the concept of Always Best Security (ABS) and a practical decision making model based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The model takes a number of factors into consideration, including subjective and objective aspects of security in order to select an adequate authentication level. It is a flexible model which formalizes quantitative and qualitative considerations of a defined set of criteria, keeping Quality of Service in mind.


This paper reports the results of the second stage of the Citizenship Information research project funded by the BLR&IC: a nation‐wide survey, by personal doorstep interview, of the citizenship information needs of almost 900 members of the UK public. Major findings include: that the public obtain most of their information on current issues via the mass media, and that they generally feel well informed on these issues. The public feel, however, that government is not doing enough to inform them on European Monetary Union and on local government cutbacks. Small proportions of the sample had encountered problems concerning employment, education, housing or welfare benefits, and had consulted a range of information sources in order to overcome these problems. Over a quarter of respondents had experienced disadvantage through a lack of access to information. The majority of respondents felt well informed about areas relating to citizenship, but significant proportions were poorly informed in legal rights, welfare benefits and local politics. A highly significant majority (91.7 per cent) believed that freedom of information was important for exercising their rights as citizens. Respondents tended to overestimate their voting patterns, but there was little evidence of participation in other forms of political activity. Although access to computers in the home is presently limited, the majority of respondents would use computers to vote, convey opinions to government and obtain government information. Public libraries were the preferred source of government information, and were seen as appropriate locations for a range of other types of citizenship information.


This Letter demonstrates the capability of long short term memory (LSTM) network in capturing the complex hysteretic dynamics in piezoelectric actuators (PEAs). A LSTM network is constructed to model the PEAs' complex dynamics, which includes static hysteresis, creep, high-order dynamics. The network is trained and evaluated by data sets of input–output pairs with different frequencies and amplitudes. Preliminary results show that, even for the simplest topology, namely one layer with one cell, the LSTM network provides a satisfactory precision in a wide frequency range. Thus, LSTM networks may provide a new approach to approximate the dynamics in complex engineering systems.


AAV-mediated gene transfer to ependymal cells in a dog model of Batten disease provides sustained enzyme replacement and delays disease onset. Gene therapy for Batten disease Repeated enzyme replacement therapy via infusion of the enzyme into blood vessels is an established treatment modality for many lysosomal storage diseases but not for those with significant brain involvement. In new work, Katz and colleagues test gene delivery of the missing enzyme to cells that line the fluid-filled spaces of the brain and measure secretion of the enzyme into the cerebrospinal fluid. Using a dog model of a lysosomal storage disease, they show that this strategy delayed disease onset, extended life span, and protected dogs from early cognitive decline, suggesting that this approach could improve the lives of children suffering from the same or similar diseases. The most common form of the childhood neurodegenerative disease late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (also called Batten disease) is caused by deficiency of the soluble lysosomal enzyme tripeptidyl peptidase 1 (TPP1) resulting from mutations in the TPP1 gene. We tested whether TPP1 gene transfer to the ependyma, the epithelial lining of the brain ventricular system, in TPP1-deficient dogs would be therapeutically beneficial. A one-time administration of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) expressing canine TPP1 (rAAV.caTPP1) resulted in high expression of TPP1 predominantly in ependymal cells and secretion of the enzyme into the cerebrospinal fluid leading to clinical benefit. Diseased dogs treated with rAAV.caTPP1 showed delays in onset of clinical signs and disease progression, protection from cognitive decline, and extension of life span. By immunostaining and enzyme assay, recombinant protein was evident throughout the brain and spinal cord, with correction of the neuropathology characteristic of the disease. This study in a naturally occurring canine model of TPP1 deficiency highlights the utility of AAV transduction of ventricular lining cells to accomplish stable secretion of recombinant protein for broad distribution in the central nervous system and therapeutic benefit.


This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of NPM's aftermath. During the past few decades NPM has been highly influential on management accounting and control practices in the public sector around the world. As an unintended consequence in some public organizations, management accounting and control has become characterized by a strict command and control practice where e.g. attempts to decentralize have paradoxically led to increased centralized control and where focus on efficiency and results has resulted in detailed performance measurements. Some even argue that NPM is the 21st century's version of scientific management. However, NPM has more recently been challenged and alternatives have been suggested. Thus, different values as well as softer management accounting and control practices have been proposed. Based on a study of management accounting and control practices in the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, this paper analyzes whether the agency's Lean reform is just a lip-service to show that it is doing something to take action against negative consequences of previous NPM reforms – thus a continuation of NPM – or/and something new, a discontinuation of NPM.


Held annually since 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, is the largest global offshore-focused conference in the world, often drawing more than 100,000 attendees. The conference technical-session development and coordination is a collaborative effort among many professional societies, including SEG, that represent a broad spectrum of engineering and geoscience disciplines. This year's OTC is scheduled for 1–4 May at NRG Park in Houston.


This dashboard summarizes the progress made by partners involved in the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) and highlights trends affecting people in need. The Social Stability Sector in Lebanon is working to: OUTCOME 1) Strengthen municipalities, national and local institutions' ability to alleviate resource pressure, reduce resentment, and build peace; OUTCOME 2) Strengthen municipal and local community capacity to foster dialogue and address sources of tensions and conflicts; OUTCOME 3) Enhance the LCRP's capacities on tensions monitoring and conflict sensitivity.


'...dreaming of bears, or fire, or water...' The greatest of Elizabethan pamphleteers, Nashe had a magical ability with words, never more so than in The Terrors of the Night, where he mulls over ghosts, demons, nightmares and the supernatural. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Thomas Nashe (1567-1601). Nashe's The Unfortunate Traveller and Other Works is available in Penguin Classics.


Remarkable evolutions in pathogenic role of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in tumorigenesis have diverted the cancer research in the direction of COX-2 inhibitors. An expanding body of evidence indicates that down regulation of cyclooxygenase 2 will be an important strategy for preventing cancer because COX-2 catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins(PGs) and these prostaglandins have multiple effects that favor tumorigenesis. It is proved that during the process of chronic inflammation several cytokines and inflammatory mediators are released which act during the different stages of carcinogenesis. Among all these mediators COX 2 are the key player. COX2 is found to be over expressed in several malignancies like colorectal carcinoma, squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck, carcinomas of urinary bladder, liver, stomach, breast as well as hematological malignancies. Our review article aims to summarize the role of COX 2 in various cancers and the mechanisms responsible for carcinogenesis. The informations gathered in this review are taken mainly from articles published in different international journals.


Carbohydrates play vital roles in all forms of life. Attached to proteins and lipids they serve as recognition elements in several biological interaction processes, such as intercellular communication, immune response, viral and parasitical infections, signal transduction, and development. Synthetic mimics of natural oligosaccharides have contributed to a better understanding of these complex recognition events. In addition, these mimics can be used to modulate, or intervene in undesired (pathological) interaction processes. Glycopeptides have been demonstrated to be efficient oligosaccharide mimics. Moreover, they are readily prepared in a library format, which provides rapid access to a variety of potential high-affinity ligands for carbohydrate-binding proteins. This thesis describes the preparation of combinatorial solid-phase glycopeptide libraries, and their use for the identification of glycopeptides that mimic oligosaccharides in binding to a receptor. Several glycosylated amino acid building blocks having a nonnatural S- or N-glycosidic linkage were synthesized. These building blocks were used to prepare S-,N-glycopeptides that may have an enhanced stability towards acidic conditions and enzymatic degradation. Two combinatorial solid-phase glycopeptide libraries containing Gal(b1-O)Thr, and Gal(b1-S)Cys and Gal(b1-N)Asn, respectively, were prepared according to the split-and-mix method, combined with the ladder synthesis strategy. Their screening with Ricinus communis agglutinin indicated that O-, S-, and S-,N-glycopeptides were recognized by the lectin with similar recognition patterns, and with a similar affinity. In addition, the S-,N-glycopeptides were completely stable towards enzymatic degradation by a b-galactosidase, whereas O-glycopeptides were not completely stable. The two galactosylated glycopeptide libraries, and a library containing Lac(b1-O)Thr were screened with galectin-1 and galectin-3 to identify ligands that may have the potential to inhibit malignant galectin-carbohydrate interactions. The screening of the galactosylated glycopeptide libraries primarily yielded peptide hits, whereas the lactosylated glycopeptide library predominantly yielded glycopeptide hits. Subsequent SPR-based inhibition assays indicated that the lactosylated glycopeptides were more potent galectin inhibitors than lactose. The (galactosylated glyco)peptides were able to inhibit the binding of h-Gal-3, but displayed a different effect on the binding of h-Gal-1, which may be attributed to aggregation of h-Gal-1. Subsequent solid-phase inhibition assays indicated that some (glyco)peptides were more efficient galectin inhibitors than lactose, and intrafamily cross-reactivity was observed. Additionally performed cell assays with cells of human tumour lines indicated that some lead compounds could effectively inhibit the cell surface binding of the galectins. A glycopeptide library containing Fuc(b1-S)Cys and Fuc(b1-N)Asn was prepared and screened with a-L-fucose-specific Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I to study the effect of the configuration of the S- or N-glycosidic linkage on the strength and specificity of carbohydrate-protein interactions. The results indicated that the lectin was able to recognize nonnatural b-linked S-,N-fucosylated glycopeptides. Some RCA120- and h-Gal-1-specific glycopeptides were used to develop SPR-based biosensors for the sensitive detection of carbohydrate-binding proteins in solution. The best sensitivity was obtained on glycopeptide-derivatized self-assembled monolayers consisting of a 9:1 ratio of 3-mercapto-1-propanol/11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. Detection limits of 0.13 and 0.9 nM were obtained for RCA120 and h-Gal-1, respectively. Additionally, the effect of interfering compounds on the sensitivity of the optimized biosensor was investigated, demonstrating remarkably different behavior of the respective analytes in the presence of a model protein mixture.


The present study investigated the reliability of self‐reported rating of Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels compared with professional rating, and changes in gross motor function over time, in adults with cerebral palsy. Twenty‐nine females and 33 males aged between 18 years 5 months and 62 years 11 months (mean age 34y 7mo [SD 10y 6mo]) participated in the study. Participants rated their current gross motor function using the GMFCS and reported their judgement of their gross motor function at age 10 to 12 years. The project leader, a physical therapist, also classified participants'current GMFCS levels and conducted a chart review on all accessible medical records of participants'gross motor function when they were 10 to 12 years old, rating the GMFCS level accordingly. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) between self‐reported and professional ratings showed excellent agreement (ICC=0.93–0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89–0.97). More than half the participants experienced a stable gross motor function from the age of 10 to 12 years to the present. Those at GMFCS Levels II and III at the age of 10 to 12 years (according to the professional rating) had significant change for the worse in gross motor function over time, with odds ratios of 9.30 (95% CI 1.2–73.0, p=0.03) and 7.00 (95% CI 1.1–43.0, p=0.04) respectively. Interview data on circumstances regarding changes in gross motor function since childhood are also reported. Changes in GMFCS level were mostly associated with physical or social environmental factors.


Background Acute rheumatic fever is considered to be a heritable condition, but the magnitude of the genetic effect is unknown. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of twin studies of concordance of acute rheumatic fever in order to derive quantitative estimates of the size of the genetic effect. Methods We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar from their inception to 31 January 2011, and bibliographies of retrieved articles, for twin studies of the concordance for acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease in monozygotic versus dizygotic twins that used accepted diagnostic criteria for acute rheumatic fever and zygosity without age, gender or language restrictions. Twin similarity was measured by probandwise concordance rate and odds ratio (OR), and aggregate probandwise concordance risk was calculated by combining raw data from each study. ORs from separate studies were combined by random-effects meta-analysis to evaluate association between zygosity status and concordance. Heritability was estimated by fitting a variance components model to the data. Results 435 twin pairs from six independent studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled probandwise concordance risk for acute rheumatic fever was 44% in monozygotic twins and 12% in dizygotic twins, and the association between zygosity and concordance was strong (OR 6.39; 95% confidence interval, 3.39 to 12.06; P<0.001), with no significant study heterogeneity (P = 0.768). The estimated heritability across all the studies was 60%. Conclusions Acute rheumatic fever is an autoimmune disorder with a high heritability. The discovery of all genetic susceptibility loci through whole genome scanning may provide a clinically useful genetic risk prediction tool for acute rheumatic fever and its sequel, rheumatic heart disease.


As the need for appropriate alternative assessment techniques for general English students seems to be both obvious and critical, the researchers tried to put dynamic assessment (DA) theoretical principles into practice with Iranian medical students. The study's initial subjects were 58 freshmen at Paramedical Faculty of Gerash one of the branches of Shiraz University of Medical Science (SUMS) who were at the second semester of their university education and asked to participate in a general English test based on their course books. Seventeen participants out of fifty eight received less than half of the total mark and became the real subjects of the study. Inspired by DA mediational techniques, they were interviewed individually and provided with some guidelines, advices, and test performing techniques by the teacher/researcher. As the interviews were finished the subjects were asked to take the previous exam again after fifty days (the optimal temporal distance in which the extraneous factors such as test witness, practice effect, and cognitive maturation affect the study's performances minimally). With the aid of a paired-samples t-test it was revealed that subjects performed remarkably better on the second administration after being interviewed by the teacher/researcher about their performance problems. The study's general findings implied that teacher's mediation (derived from Vygotsky's "dialogue of unequals") within students' zones of proximal development (ZPD) can miraculously pave the way for teachers, students, and material developers to reach to the ultimate "aim" of all instructional courses which is students "learning".


A Band of Noble Women brings together the histories of the women's peace movement and the black women's club and social reform movement in a story of community and consciousness building between the world wars. Believing that achievement of improved race relations was a central step in establishing world peace, African American and white women initiated new political alliances that challenged the practices of Jim Crow segregation and promoted the leadership of women in transnational politics. Under the auspices of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), they united the artistic agenda of the Harlem Renaissance, suffrage-era organizing tactics, and contemporary debates on race in their efforts to expand women's influence on the politics of war and peace. Plastas shows how WILPF espoused middle-class values and employed gendered forms of organization building, educating thousands of people on issues ranging from U.S. policies in Haiti and Liberia to the need for global disarmament. Highlighting WILPF chapters in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Baltimore, the author examines the successes of this interracial movement as well as its failures. A Band of Noble Women enables us to examine more fully the history of race in U.S. women's movements and illuminates the role of the women's peace movement in setting the foundation for the civil rights movement.


Abstract Chemical signals may communicate information about discrete character states, such as species and sex, as well as continuously varying characteristics that affect mate assessment. Here, we investigate whether body size is assessed from chemical cues of Striped Plateau Lizards (Sceloporus virgatus). Preliminary evidence indicated that males may respond to female chemical cues in a size-dependent manner. Because larger females may be more fecund, we hypothesized that in choice tests, males would prefer chemical cues from larger females. We compared male response to pairs of chemical cues obtained from adult females that differed in body size by ∼12%. Males did not discriminate between cues based solely on relative body size of the donors, but male preference was correlated with the body size of the larger donor female, indicating that absolute body size also played an important role. The preference scores were positive (indicating a preference for the larger female) only when the pair of donor females was relatively large and were negative (indicating a preference for the smaller female) when the donor pair was relatively small. Thus, males had a stronger chemosensory response to cues from the largest "large" females and the smallest "small" females. Overall, male response was more complicated than expected; we did not find a consistent preference for the cue from the largest female, as was expected based on the selective advantage of mating with larger, more fecund females. We suggest that the chemical composition of the female cue may signal additional information such as reproductive state.


Abstract. Separation of concerns allows developers to manage large distributed systems by tackling one problem at a time. Model transformations refine models along one concern-dimension. Aspects encapsulate implementation details that cut across the boundaries of several components. In this position paper, after a short introduction to these emerging technologies, we explain how generic concern-oriented model transformations can meet aspect-oriented programming in order to complete the life-cycle of software application development in a pure MDA-compliant way based on separation of concerns. At the end, we present some requirements that tool vendors should provide if they decide to support such an approach.


The knots-quivers correspondence states that various characteristics of a knot are encoded in the corresponding quiver and the moduli space of its representations. However, this correspondence is not a bijection: more than one quiver may be assigned to a given knot and encode the same information. In this work we study this phenomenon systematically and show that it is generic rather than exceptional. First, we find conditions that characterize equivalent quivers. Then we show that equivalent quivers arise in families that have the structure of permutohedra, and the set of all equivalent quivers for a given knot is parameterized by vertices of a graph made of several permutohedra glued together. These graphs can be also interpreted as webs of dual 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories. All these results are intimately related to properties of homological diagrams for knots, as well as to multi-cover skein relations that arise in counting of holomorphic curves with boundaries on Lagrangian branes in Calabi-Yau three-folds.


Hearing loss is a common sensory disorder that typically illustrates genetic heterogeneity in human populations. The incidence of congenital hearing loss is estimated at 1 in 1,000 births of which approximately 60% of cases are attributed to genetic factors. Genetic hearing impairment can be classified as either syndromic or non-syndromic. Several hundred syndromes, for which hearing impairment is one of the clinical features, have been described. These account for 30% of hearing impairment cases with a genetic etiology. Among non-syndromic hereditary hearing impairments (NSHI), autosomal recessive inheritance predominates and accounts for approximately 75-80% of the cases, while autosomal dominant inheritance is observed in some 15% of cases. Non-syndromic hearing impairment is the most heterogeneous trait known and thus far over 90 loci have been mapped and 37 genes identified.

In the present study, ten families (A-J) from Punjabi and Sindhi speaking population of Pakistan, segregating non-syndromic recessive hearing impairment have been described. The hearing loss in the patients was prelingual, varied from severe to profound, and was not caused by inflammatory middle ear disease or environmental factors.

Linkage in these families was initially searched by using microsatellite markers corresponding to candidate genes involved in related autosomal recessive non-syndromic deafness phenotypes. Linkage was detected in seven families, i.e., D-J. In families D-E linkage was established to DFNBl locus on chromosome 13q12. In family F it was detected on chromosome 3p14-p21 at DFNB6 locus. In family G, linkage was established at DFNB7/11 locus on chromosome 9q13-q21. In family H, the linkage was detected on chromosome 9q32-q34 at DFNB31 locus. In family I, linkage was established at DFNB37 locus on chromosome 6q13. In family J, the linkage was detected on chromosome 17pl1.2 at DFNB3 locus. In other three families (A, B, C) linkage to all the known loci was conclusively excluded, thus indicating the involvement of novel loci, responsible for deafness in these families.

After excluding the disorder from linkage to known hearing loss loci in families A, B and C, genome-wide scan was performed by using the Mappairs sets of Micro satellite markers. In family A, screening of the human genome with markers spaced at 10 cM intervals led to the identification of a new autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss locus, DFNB45, on chromosome lq42.3-q44. Two-point linkage analysis generated LOD score of 2.61 with marker DlS547. Multipoint linkage analysis resulted in a maximum LOD score of 4.23 with marker DlS404 in this region. Examination of haplotypes defined a critical region of 15.28 cM and 20.26 cM according to decode and Marshfield genetic maps, respectively and is flanked by markers DlS1594 and D1S2836. The genetic interval for DFNB45 does not overlap with the regions of the previously mapped deafness loci on chromosome 1.

In family B, significant evidence of linkage to chromosomal region 5qI2.1-qI4.3 was found with two point LOD score of 3.76 and 4.02 with markers D5S629 and D5S2041, respectively. Saturation of the region with additional markers and analysis of haplotypes mapped the gene to an interval of 16.62 cM bounded by markers D5S2107 and D5S1397. This novel locus was designated as DFNB49. However, while the manuscript describing this locus was being written, the same was published by Ramzan et al. (2005).

In family C, initial genome wide scan revealed two regions D2S434 and D13S779 generating LOD score of 2.66 and 2.02, respectively. Saturation of these regions with additional markers, however, failed to generate a significant LOD score with any of the markers.

In two families where linkage was established to DFNB 1 locus, sequencing of the single coding exon of GJB2 gene led to the identification of two nonsense mutations. In family D, a G to A transition at nucleotide position 231, resulted in a premature termination codon (W77X). In family E sequence analysis of the GJB2 gene revealed a G to A transition at nucleotide position 71 (G71A), leading to premature termination codon (W24X).

In family F, sequence analysis of exon 3 of the TMIE gene in affected individuals revealed a C to T transition at nucleotide position 241 (C241 T). This missense mutation resulted in substitution of arginine to cystine at amino acid position 81 (R81C).

In family G, sequence analysis of exon 15 of the TMCI gene from affected individuals revealed a missense mutation involving A to G transition at nucleotide position 1114 (A 1114G). This missense mutation resulted in substitution of valine to methionine (V372M) at amino acid position 372.

In family H, sequence analysis of 12 exons and splice junction sites of the WHRN gene in affected individuals failed to detect a disease causing mutation in the family. However, sequencing data revealed five non-synonymous allelic variants.

In family I, linkage was established with DFNB37 locus harboring MYO6 gene on chromosome 6. Five exons and splice junction sites of MYO6 gene were sequenced. However, mutation screening revealed no disease causing allelic variant in the family.

In family J, linkage was established with DFNB3 locus harboring MYO15 gene on chromosome 17. Nine exons and splice junction sites of MYO 15 gene were sequenced. However, mutation screening failed to detect a disease causing mutation in the family 1.


The JRC as Community Reference Laboratory for GM Food and Feed (CRL-GMFF), established by Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, in collaboration with the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL), has carried out a collaborative study to assess the performance of a quantitative event-specific method to detect and quantify the Bt11 transformation event in maize DNA (unique identifier SYN-BTO11-1). The collaborative trial was conducted according to internationally accepted guidelines. In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed and with Regulation (EC) No 641/2004 of 6 April 2004 on detailed rules for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, Syngenta Seeds S.A.S. provided the detection method and the samples (genomic DNA of conventional maize and of maize event Bt11). The JRC prepared the validation samples (calibration samples and blind samples at unknown GM percentage [DNA/DNA]). The collaborative trial involved twelve laboratories from nine European countries. The results of the international collaborative trial met the ENGL performance requirements. The method is therefore considered applicable to the control samples provided, in accordance with the requirements of Annex I-2.C.2 to Commission Regulation (EC) No 641/2004. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national. LB -N A -2349-EN -C


An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of substituting Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) for sunflower seed meal (SSM) as a protein source of egg strain commercial chickens. The effects of substitution on feed intake (FI), dry matter intake (DMI), egg weight (EWT), Laying percentage (LP), egg mass production (EMP), and feed conversion ratio (KG FEED/KG EGGS) were investigated. Four dietary treatments based on MOLM and SSM as plant protein sources were formulated such that MOLM reciprocally replaced SSM at levels of 20, 15, 10 and 0% giving the dietary treatments containing 0, 5, 10 and 20% MOLM levels for MOLM-0 MOLM-10, MOLM-15 and MOLM-20 respectively. A total of 96 twenty-one weeks of age pullets were allocated to the dietary treatments in a randomised design. Each treatment consisted of three replicates and eight birds per replicate. The EWT was significantly highest in MOLM-0 and lowest in MOLM-10 .LP showed a significant progressive decreasing trend as MOLM proportion increased in the diet. Further, EMP showed a significant progressive decrease at 10 and 20% MOLM levels. DMI and DFI significantly increased progressively at 10 and 20% MOLM levels. Also, Kg feed/Kg eggs (g feed intake/g egg mass) were significantly highest in birds fed 20% MOLM levels. The results, therefore, suggest that MOLM could completely replace SSC up to 20% without any detrimental effect in laying chickens. However, for better efficiency 10% inclusion level is optimal and an addition of MOLM above 10% high energy based feeds are required for better utilization.


Elemental sulfur (S0) is commonly stored in aboveground blocks formed by pouring molten S0 in thin lifts. The long‐term storage of S0 blocks is a potential source of high acidity effluent as a result of the oxidation of S0 to H2SO4, resulting in effluent waters with low pH and elevated SO42− concentrations. These blocks are currently managed during operations within a secure, engineered, containment facility. Characterization of the accessibility of the S0 block to O2 and water ingress is required to fully understand the generation of H2SO4 within the block. The O2 and water ingress are defined by the gas (Kg) and liquid (Kl) conductivity of the S0 block. We present the results of in situ gas pumping tests in vertical and angled boreholes conducted on an aboveground S0 block to determine Kg within the block and to indirectly determine Kl. The Kg test results showed that the block is highly conductive in both the horizontal (geometric mean = 2.3 × 10−4 m s−1) and vertical (geometric mean = 1.7 × 10−5 m s−1) directions and heterogeneous with respect to Kg. Results of the cross‐hole tests were considered to yield more representative estimates of bulk Kg than single‐well tests because cross‐hole tests are relatively insensitive to high head loss associated with turbulent flow conditions that develop near the borehole. In addition, numerical modeling of cross‐hole test data provided insight into the anisotropic nature of Kg of the S0 block. Corresponding values of anisotropic Kl computed from Kg were 2.6 × 10−3 m s−1 (horizontal) and 1.9 × 10−4 m s−1 (vertical). Given that S0 blocks are constructed in a similar manner throughout the world, the results of this study should be generally applicable to other S0 blocks.


Funny what marketers and writers are doing these days for commercial advertising. What once was a competition between brand names has now become a reflection of tighter economic times. All of the morning news shows and years of blind tests have finally convinced consumers that the major manufacturers of all the popular products also produce the exact same product under generic labels, but at a much lower price. This realization hit home recently as I listened to a radio spot for a particular brand of ice cream. This brand wasn't selling itself as better than its competing brands; this brand was using the advertising tactic that the children would be able to tell the difference between generic ice cream and the brand name. Since mothers are still the primary target authence for grocery shopping, the writers of the spot used a mother's guilt about "going generic" with ice cream to sell the brand. Hence, "Mom, did you lowball the ice cream again?" Evil - or genius; I'm not sure which, but it sure caught my attention. In my house, we always shop generic, but we do have a saying: "There are some things where you just don't go cheap." Items like toothpaste, toilet paper, soda pop and mayonnaise, for us are items that you don't want to even take a risk that they may be substandard. It may seem random, but it's true. There are some things where the brand really does make a difference. So, how does that translate to agricultural education? After all, we're the only game in town, right? There isn't a substandard agricultural education program being offered in schools to compete with us - or is there? True, agricultural education in secondary and post secondary schools across the country is "sold" under the same brand, but that doesn't mean that they are all the same. There are programs out there growing out of their facilities and current staffing because they are so well known for serving students, teaching students, providing leadership to students and developing productive citizens out of students. On the other hand, there are classes being offered that wear the "storefront" of agricultural education and FFA, but the quality inside resembles little of what is held up as the premier program of all Career and Technical Education areas. In fact, those programs do ittle to teach all students and even less to expose them to all aspects of the total program. They may be running up and down the road to a variety of events, but how many unique students are in the vehicle. …


As an important tool to study practical problems of biology, engineering and image processing, the cellular neural networks (CNNs) has caused more and more attention. Some useful and interesting results about the existence of periodic solution for cellular neural networks have been obtained. In this paper, by means of iterative analysis, the existence and stability of periodic solution for cellular neural networks with impulsive effects are considered. Some new results are obtained.


For the last forty years, since the end of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has been committed to renewal. In Queensland, Catholic schools have responded to this commitment by undertaking cyclical renewal processes since the early 1980s. The focus of this research was the process of Catholic School Renewal in the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. The review of the literature focused on literature relating to school effectiveness and school improvement internationally and nationally, as well as Catholic School Renewal in Queensland generally and the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton specifically. The following research questions focused the research design: 1. How is the process of Catholic School Renewal a source of potential growth? 2. How does the process of Catholic School Renewal ensure quality Catholic education? 3. How is the process of Catholic School Renewal a useful quality assurance tool? The epistemological stance adopted for the research was constructionism. The research paradigm adopted was interpretivism with social interactionism as the selected orientation. As case study is congruent with an interpretivist tradition of research it was adopted as a useful way of gaining insight into the perspectives of the participants. The case was comprised of some staff members who worked in one of four Catholic primary schools situated in three of the four regions of the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton. Data collection took the form of semi-structured interviews and a survey questionnaire with the data being analysed using the constant comparative method. The study concluded that the process of Catholic School Renewal in the Diocese of Rockhampton is a useful quality assurance tool which helps to ensure quality Catholic education. Whether or not the process is a source of growth is dependent on a number of factors, paramount among which is the approach and ability of the Regional Supervisor of Schools. There were six major recommendations arising out of the research. These related to: 1. Ensuring the Regional Supervisor of Schools has certain attributes and knowledge. 2. Inservicing school staff on the purpose and nature of Catholic School Renewal. 3. Providing External Validation Team members with adequate inservice. 4. Permitting more involvement of the school principal in the process. 5. Initiating a review of the process of Catholic School Renewal in the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton.. 6. Rockhampton Catholic Education continuing to use the process.


A gene encoding the Carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) of a psychrophilic marine bacterium, Psychrobacter aquimaris LBH-10 was cloned in Escherichia coli JMB109. The optimal conditions of rice bran, ammonium chloride, and initial pH of the medium for cell growth of E. coli JM109/LBH-10 were 73.4 g/L, 5.8 g/L, and 6.5, respectively, whereas those for production of CMCase were 57.1 g/L, 6.4 g/L, and 6.7. The optimal temperatures for cell growth and the production of CMCase by E. coli JM109/LBH-10 were found to be and 40 and 35°C, respectively. The optimal agitation speeds and aeration rates of a 7 L bioreactor for cell growth and production of CMCase were 480 rpm and 1.0 vvm. In this study, the optimal conditions for cell growth and the production of CMCase by E. coli JM109/ LBH-10 were found to be different from those for its wild type, P. aquimaris LBH-10. The maximal production of CMCase by E. coli JM109/LBH-10 was 576.8 U/mL, which was 1.80 times higher than that by P. aquimaris LBH-10.


A 2-D hydrodynamic finite element model with a Lagrangian particle module is used to investigate the effects of dredging on the horizontal dilution of pollutant particles originating from a Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) in a tidal river. The model is driven by the semi-diurnal (M2) tidal component and includes the effect of flooding and drying of mud flats. The particle tracking method consists of tidal advection plus a horizontal random walk model of subgrid scale turbulent processes. Our approach is to perform continuous pollutant particle releases from the outfall, simulating three different scenarios: a basecase representing the present conditions and two different dredged channel / outfall location configurations. Lagrangian particle concentrations are simulated on finite elements and dilution improvement ratios are presented for both scenarios. Results show that although no particles leave the river in a single M2 cycle, flushing takes place in longer time scales. Simulated dilution maps show that relocation of the WWTF outfall into the dredged main channel is required for increased dilution performance. The addition of a pool at the head of the river also improves dilution by adding to the tidal volume. Case oriented short-term investigations of coastal hydrodynamic problems suitable for Lagrangian particle methods should be encouraged to improve our knowledge of estuarine processes and how we model them while providing solutions to the management community in time and budget constrained decision making.


Innovation of nursing record keeping processes and systems is needed to improve patient safety and care. Almost all of the NHS Scotland regions use paper-based nursing records, which causes problems such as loss of information, poor quality recording of care and lack of access to existing patient information. It also creates a large administrative overhead. This is against the well-understood backdrop of chronic underfunding and understaffing within the NHS.

An Experience Lab was held following several interviews with senior nursing staff to scope the current issues and existing improvement work around nursing. The Lab helped us move towards a group consensus on what innovative technologies may be suitable to help nursing staff and how to make progress. This report details the work and findings of the Experience Lab team.

The primary finding of the Experience Lab is a desire and need to move to electronic health records (EHRs). It is important that this should go hand-in-hand with work to increase the amount of professional judgement that nurses can use within care (as opposed to too many forms and task-based working). Ongoing work to make nursing records more person-centred should continue, with the obvious example being a move to a multidisciplinary record centred on the patient as a whole.

A particular problem for nursing staff is that they work with their hands and so record keeping is often delayed until after the time of care. This delay can be significant and can compromise the integrity of the records system. This is the case whether using paper or electronic record systems. We found no suitable existing solution for enabling time-of-care record keeping.

Finally, the methods of progress within NHS Scotland's regions are as important as the desired changes. "One shot" procurement should be replaced as far as possible by pre-procurement working with industry, and ideally with long-term working relationships.


A key challenge for future climate change mitigation efforts will be to ensure that industrializing countries make a successful transition from a fossil-heavy energy system to a more sustainable one, where renewable energy sources are predominant. Yet, great variation is observed in the degree of renewable energy spread in industrializing countries. What explains this variation? This report aims to shed light on the determinants of variation in renewable energy transitions in one key industrializing country: India, in hopes that explanations for renewable energy spread here can be applied to this group of countries in general. Through a comparative case study of the electricity sector of the Indian states Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, propositions derived from two different theoretical perspectives on societal transitions are tested, and linkages are drawn between proposed explanatory mechanisms and the degree of renewable energy spread in the two states. The report concludes that in the analyzed cases, clear and direct support policy instruments aimed at facilitating renewable energy greatly help its spread, as long as other contending political issues are not more salient and are taking precedence. One such contending political issue is rapid growth in energy demand. Differences in renewable energy spread in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu can largely be traced back to the more pressing energy demand situation in the former state, and the greater political saliency of renewable energy in the latter. At the end of the analyzed period, when these two aspects become more similar across cases, the differences in renewable energy spread also dissipate. A directly observed process is that higher power deficits and higher energy demand growth leads to pressure towards the ability of renewable energy to provide enough electricity. This in turn forces a shift in state priority towards fossil energy sources. Empirical observations throughout the analysis further indicate that a high coal dependency is linked to a generally lower spread of


Alteration of Behavior by Desert Bighorn Sheep from Human Recreation and Desert Bighorn Sheep Survival in Canyonlands National Park: 2002 – 2010 Kanalu Sproat Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, BYU Master of Science Human encroachment into wilderness areas can influence the persistence of wildlife populations by decreasing and degrading habitat, displacement, and decreasing survival. For bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), some human activities are detrimental, causing both physiological stress and habitat abandonment. Between 1979 and 2000, human recreation has increased over 300% in areas occupied by desert bighorn sheep (O. c. nelsonii) in southeastern Utah. We investigated if an increase in human activity in areas used by bighorns affected their behavior. We observed 34 bighorn sheep using focal-animal sampling for >14 hrs to compare time spent grazing and scanning between areas of high and low human use. We identified group size, presence or absence of a lamb, distance to escape terrain, and human use (high versus low) as potential explanatory variables that influenced grazing and scanning times, and created an a priori list of models based on these variables. We used Akaike's Information Criterion adjusted for small sample sizes (AICc) to rank models, and used model selection to find a best approximating model (lowest AICc value) for both behaviors. Desert bighorn sheep spent less time grazing and more time scanning in high human use areas (22% grazing, 29% scanning) than in low human use areas (54% grazing, 8% scanning). Caution should be taken when considering which areas or trails should be opened during these important seasons to minimize and reduce additional stresses to bighorns caused by human activity. Bighorn sheep populations experienced significant declines after European settlement in North America. Today, the primary practice of bighorn sheep conservation is through population restoration and augmentation from remnant source populations. We conducted a 9-year telemetry study for a source population of desert bighorn sheep in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. We captured and collared 58 bighorn sheep from 2002—2009. To estimate annual and seasonal survival, we used known-fate analysis in Program MARK 4.1. We used model selection to test hypotheses for bighorn survival, including sex, age, human use, year, and month, as possible explanatory variables. There were 20 mortalities during the study. Annual survival ranged from 83% – 88% with no significant variation among any of the years. Model selection results showed that the top six models included a temporal variable (e.g. season or month), and carried 92% of the AICc weight. Population persistence for bighorn sheep can be compromised by high levels of predation, habitat fragmentation, and disease transmitted from domestic sheep. We suggest that land managers continue to maintain the separation of domestic sheep from bighorns in CNP. We also recommend that survival studies continue to ensure that future translocation projects do not occur at the expense of the source population.


The reason for the abnormal wear between the vane-slot and the vane in the rotary compressor is analyzed in this paper. Firstly, the influence of lubrication at the clearance, the machining equipment accuracy and oil circulation (oil flow rate) is analyzed. Then the material characteristics including the hardness of the vane and vane-slot, the surface treatment of the vane and the deformation of the vane-slot after welding are discussed. After we find the main correlating factors, we will examine the results from the experiments. Eventually, problem of the abnormal wear is solved by inducing an innovative oil circulation.


The use of online educational courseware serves as an important teaching and learning aid among digital generation. It is increasingly becoming the focus of researchers in designing and developing new and up-to-date educational aids that cater to the learning needs of 21st century learners as well as keeping in-line with the transformation of latest technologies. This paper aims to analyze instructional feedback of an online virtual language learning platform through EZ-Arabic among Malaysian teachers of primary schools. It is a virtual Arabic virtual learning platform which is specifically designed for primary school?s learners in Malaysia. The respondents were purposively selected from 118 primary school teachers by using an adapted survey related to this study via an online virtual learning platform from 11 Jun until 22 October 2016. This interactive Arabic virtual learning tool prototype enables teachers and students access to additional Arabic language learning aids that complement traditional learning methods. It facilitates Arabic learning enhancement through a compendium and a variety of open-sources of learning tools such as e-book of Arabic text books, educational games, audio-video learning aids, online translator, online chat-box for discussion, link of Arabic keyboard for typing purpose, and links of various websites in learning Arabic for children. General findings indicate that teachers show a very good preference of using virtual language learning platform in teaching Arabic by using computer programmes with mixed competency levels and usages of ICT skills. Moreover, the respondents show promising expectation in using mobile learning. The implication of this study is to help educational stakeholders to better understand issues related to teaching and learning implementation of e-learning in their institutions.


Abstract Background An estimated 30% of the world's population is affected with anaemia. Anaemia in pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal deaths in developing countries. In developing countries, anaemia affects almost two thirds of the pregnant population. It is also estimated that anaemia is responsible for as much as 20% of all maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal anaemia is a risk factor for infant iron deficiency anaemia and, if left uncorrected, can be associated with adverse behavioural and cognitive development in children. The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy is estimated at between 35% and 75% in sub-Saharan Africa, however, the area-specific health problems during pregnancy are not known. In order to improve maternal health and the health of the foetus during pregnancy, knowledge of the prevalence or incidence of pregnancy-related conditions would be useful for district management teams, as well as for provincial and national maternal, child and women's health programme development. The objectives of this study were to describe haemoglobin levels and estimate the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at their booking visit. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using the antenatal clinic registers of primary healthcare (PHC) clinics in the Empangeni subdistrict of the Uthungulu Health District from July to December 2003. Data were gathered from 1 214 consecutive pregnant women who attended for antenatal care at three randomly selected primary healthcare clinics during the study period. We examined the distribution of Hb values to determine the percentages of women with anaemia (Hb < 10 gm/dL) and severe anaemia (Hb < 7 gm/dL), and compared this with the prevalence of anaemia according to the WHO definition (Hb < 11 gm/dL). Results In terms of the South African National Department of Health definition of anaemia in pregnancy, (haemoglobin < 10 gm/dL), 30.1% of the attendees were anaemic. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria (Hb < 11 gm/dL), the prevalence of anaemia was 57.3%. The difference in the prevalence of anaemia on the basis of the two different criteria was significant (p = 0.000). This finding was comparable to studies conducted in other Sub-Saharan African countries. Conclusion The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy in this community is high. The prevalence of anaemia varied greatly when the WHO definition was used. The pregnant women of this community attend the healthcare facility very late for their booking visit, in spite of free maternity services at public health facilities. There is an urgent need for health education and health promotion programmes in this population for early booking for antenatal care. Further investigations are needed to establish the risk factors for, causes of and preventive interventions for anaemia in pregnancy.


Summary: Non-toxic plain and cinnamon-flavoured carrots and cereal-based baits used in poisoning operations for control of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) were offered to seven species of captive rare birds at Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre. Some individuals of all species ate plain baits. Antipodes Island parakeets (Cyanoramphus unicolor) preferred carrot to cereal-based baits, North Island kokako (Callaeas cinerea wilsoni) and North Island saddlebacks (Philesturnus carunculatus rufusater) preferred cereal-based baits to carrots, but the other species showed no bait preference. Most baits eaten were greater than 2 g. Some individuals of all species also ate cinnamon-flavoured baits. However, cinnamon deterred North Island kaka (Nestor meriodionalis septentrionalis), Antipodes Island parakeets, and kokako from feeding on baits the first day offered, though not subsequently. Insufficient baits were eaten by North Island weka (Gallirallus australis greyi), red-crowned parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae novaezelandiae), and Reischek's parakeets (Cyanoramphus n. hochstetteri) to determine whether they were also deterred by cinnamon. Only saddlebacks were definitely not deterred. All species except red-crowned and Reischek's parakeets probably ate sufficient to receive a lethal dose if the baits had been toxic. Baits may be made less acceptable to birds by increasing the strength or slowing the release of cinnamon, or by using a more repellent flavour. Because baits may always be acceptable to some birds, wildlife managers need to know the chances of wild rare birds feeding on baits before approving poisoning operations in areas where they occur.


When consumers concentrate their purchases at a single firm, a firm that offers more products than its rivals can gain market share for all its other products, as well. These spillovers induce firms to compete by offering a greater variety of products rather than lower prices, and a natural form of industry concentration with few large firms offering many products can arise if spillovers are strong enough. This paper presents a simple model that illustrates this mechanism explicitly. The empirical analysis documents strong demand spillovers in the retail segment of the U.S. mutual fund industry, in which fees are non-trivial, families offer a large number of funds, and the market is quite concentrated. Instead, spillovers are weaker, fees are lower, families offer fewer funds, and the market structure is more fragmented in the institutional segment. The current design of employer-sponsored defined-contribution retirement plans likely accounts for these differential demand patterns between the retail and the institutional segments.


Deep neural networks usually require massive labeled data, which restricts their applications in scenarios where data annotation is expensive. Natural language (NL) explanations have been demonstrated very useful additional supervision, which can provide sufficient domain knowledge for generating more labeled data over new instances, while the annotation time only doubles. However, directly applying them for augmenting model learning encounters two challenges: (1) NL explanations are unstructured and inherently compositional. (2) NL explanations often have large numbers of linguistic variants, resulting in low recall and limited generalization ability. In this paper, we propose a novel Neural EXecution Tree (NEXT) framework to augment training data for text classification using NL explanations. After transforming NL explanations into executable logical forms by semantic parsing, NEXT generalizes different types of actions specified by the logical forms for labeling data instances, which substantially increases the coverage of each NL explanation. Experiments on two NLP tasks (relation extraction and sentiment analysis) demonstrate its superiority over baseline methods. Its extension to multi-hop question answering achieves performance gain with light annotation effort.


Molecularly imprinted technology (MIT) has the characteristics of specificity and high selectivity, which is one of the most promising methodologies. Besides, the polymers are made using MIT as the functional material of solid-phase extraction and chromatographic fractionating and sensor, because of the characteristics of the high selectivity, the better stability and easy preparation. This review introduces the progress in the application of MIT and summarizes its application in the chemistry.


A protocol that allows users and operators of a quantum computer to avoid revealing their methods has implications for the need of classical ideas in quantum mechanics. Suppose you have just come up with a killer application for a quantum computer and, by a stroke of amazing luck, a company announces that they have made the world's first large-scale quantum computer. You want them to run your app, but you don't want to disclose the code, your input, or the output. The company, on the other hand, would like to convince you—and the rest of the world—that they have a genuine quantum computer, but they don't trust you enough to show it to you (you might be a spy for a competitor). Neither of you trusts the other—can anything be done to break the impasse? Amazingly, the answer is "yes." On page 303 of this issue, Barz et al. (1) show experimentally that neither of you has to reveal anything, if you can manipulate single quantum bits (qubits).


Viral infection is detected by the innate immune system which mounts a rapid semi-selective defence involving inflammation and production of type 1 interferons. Several sensors, both cell surface and intracellular, exist to detect different types of viral motifs. Double-stranded RNA viruses and dsRNA replication intermediates are detected by toll- like receptor 3 (TLR3) as well as by retinoid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-I) like receptors. Binding of dsRNA or its synthetic analogue poly I:C to TLR3 recruits the adaptor protein TRIF and stimulates distinct pathways leading to activation of interferon regulatory factor (IRF) and NF- B. Here, we review the signalling cascades initiated by TLR3 and the modulation of these pathways.


ABSTRACT Research suggests that voters use identity markers to infer information about candidates for office. Yet politicians have various markers that often point in conflicting directions, and it is unclear how citizens respond to competing signals – especially outside of a few highly stigmatized groups in the US. Given the relevance of these issues for electoral behavior and patterns of representation, this article examines the impact of intersectional identities and less intensely stigmatized markers in Canada, the UK, and the US. It does so using a survey experiment that varies the race (white/East Asian) and class background (higher/lower) of a candidate for office. I then compare results across the cases, examining willingness to vote for the candidate as well as assumptions about his ideological proximity, relatability, and potential contributions. In doing so, I build from past research suggesting that voter ideology likely shapes reactions to candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. Results suggest that marginalized identity markers have relatively widespread effects among leftists and (to a lesser extent) centrists, but that, outside of the Canadian left, class seems to matter more than race. Overlapping marginalized identities, in turn, had little impact, with the lower-class white and East-Asian profiles eliciting similar reactions.


In this paper, we introduce STREETS, a novel traffic flow dataset from publicly available web cameras in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. We seek to address the limitations of existing datasets in this area. Many such datasets lack a coherent traffic network graph to describe the relationship between sensors. The datasets that do provide a graph depict traffic flow in urban population centers or highway systems and use costly sensors like induction loops. These contexts differ from that of a suburban traffic body. Our dataset provides over 4 million still images across 2.5 months and one hundred web cameras in suburban Lake County, IL. We divide the cameras into two distinct communities described by directed graphs and count vehicles to track traffic statistics. Our goal is to give researchers a benchmark dataset for exploring the capabilities of inexpensive and non-invasive sensors like web cameras to understand complex traffic bodies in communities of any size. We present benchmarking tasks and baseline results for one such task to guide how future work may use our dataset.


The Species File Group is a small, endowed team who seeks to provided software tools and related technical resources to communities dependent on biodiversity informatics. We will present an overview of the technical products and services the group provides, including software development, data migration, data hosting and data mobilization services. Given the modest size of the Species File group, we have identified our limitations and future capability needs. These include scaling user and technical support services, increasing capability to migrate bespoke legacy data, more rapidly developing rich user interfaces, increasing the speed and scope of our data processing, and providing archival services. Our vision leads us to conclude that different types of applications must be put into production and sustained for varying durations of time; plotting the various kinds of software tools needed on a temporal axis creates a picture of how software ecosystems might evolve, and further helps us to identify where we might focus increased funding. Currently however, there are important issues with software sustainability that, if addressed now, could multiply the utility and value of existing community software investments. These include: (1) architecting a software ecosystem that lowers barriers to entry for those willing to contribute to all aspects of a project, (2) improving the modularity of software ‡ § | © Yoder M et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. components, (3) educating scientists in "carpentry" related concepts, (4) increasing the engagement of experts from fields such as human-computer interaction, user-interface (UI) and user-experience (UX) design, and (5) narrowing the iteration time between new data standards and the new software that employs them in order to more rapidly improve both.


This paper presents a graphical model for learning and recognizing human actions. Specifically, we propose to encode actions in a weighted directed graph, referred to as action graph, where nodes of the graph represent salient postures that are used to characterize the actions and are shared by all actions. The weight between two nodes measures the transitional probability between the two postures represented by the two nodes. An action is encoded as one or multiple paths in the action graph. The salient postures are modeled using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). Both the salient postures and action graph are automatically learned from training samples through unsupervised clustering and expectation and maximization (EM) algorithm. The proposed action graph not only performs effective and robust recognition of actions, but it can also be expanded efficiently with new actions. An algorithm is also proposed for adding a new action to a trained action graph without compromising the existing action graph. Extensive experiments on widely used and challenging data sets have verified the performance of the proposed methods, its tolerance to noise and viewpoints, its robustness across different subjects and data sets, as well as the effectiveness of the algorithm for learning new actions.


Solvents are at the heart of many research and industrial chemical processes and consumer product formulations, yet an overwhelming number are derived from fossils. This is despite societal and legislative push that more products be produced from carbon-neutral resources, so as to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact. Biomass is a promising renewable alternative resource for producing bio-solvents, and this review focuses on their extraction and synthesis on a laboratory and large scale. Starch, lignocellulose, plant oils, animal fats and proteins have been combined with creative synthetic pathways, novel technologies and processes to afford known or new bio-derived solvents including acids, alkanes, aromatics, ionic liquids (ILs), furans, esters, ethers, liquid polymers and deep eutectic solvents (DESs)—all with unique physiochemical properties that warrant their use as solvation agents in manufacturing, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemicals, energy, food and beverage industries, etc. Selected bio-solvents, conversion technologies and processes operating at commercial and demonstration scale including (1) Solvay's Augeo ™ SL 191 renewable solvent, (2) Circa Group's Furacell ™ technology and process for making levoglucosenone (LGO) to produce dihydrolevoglucosenone (marketed as Cyrene™), (3) Sappi's Xylex ® technology and demonstration scale processes that aim to manufacture precursors for biosolvents and (4) Anellotech's Bio-TCat ™ technology and process for producing benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) are highlighted.


Occurrences, compositions and crystallization of polyhedral serpentine were investigated by SEM, AEM/TEM and μ-XANES analysis of samples from different ultramafic units. Polyhedral serpentines are identified in all of these contexts and form as an alteration product of orthopyroxene (enstatite) and as late veining events. They are always the last serpentine type to crystallize. Their formation requires a combination of three factors: 1) open space, 2) a relatively low temperature ( T < 200–300 °C), and 3) the presence of trivalent cations (Al3+ in this study, ⩾ 0.1 atoms per serpentine formula unit). μ-XANES data at the iron K -edge indicate that Fe is predominantly ferrous and octahedrally coordinated in our Al-rich samples. This microstructure therefore cannot be systematically used as a marker of oxidizing conditions. Textural and microstructural criteria suggest that polyhedral serpentine crystallizes via a "gel" precursor first reorganized into a poorly-crystallized proto-serpentine, in which onion nucleation takes place as nested, discontinuous sheets. Grains expand radially, inwards and outwards, by a layer-by-layer mechanism. Thick layers, made of tens of serpentine sheets, propagate laterally in the (001) plane and result in a pseudo-spherical "onion-like" morphology. By analogy with available clay synthesis experiments, the relatively low temperature conditions under which polyhedral serpentine form may favor a segregation of trivalent cations in the structure. This could create locally dioctahedral components in the structure that may explain the peculiar bending along 〈010〉 responsible for the faceted morphology of polyhedral serpentine.


Some crucial elements in the daylighting design of atrium buildings are the shape of the atrium, roof configuration, building orientation, roof transmittance, internal surface reflectivity, and glazing areas. Apart from the various internal design factors, the outdoor sky distribution also has significant impacts on indoor daylighting. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how typical modem construction techniques applied to atrium roofs attenuate daylight transmittance to predict the daylight performance of roof configurations for atrium buildings in Malaysia. An evaluation of the existing atrium roof systems and configurations for atrium buildings in the Klang Valley was conducted. Results show that the most preferred atrium form used for Malaysian buildings is the toplit and enclosed central rectangular shallow atrium with an average atrium height of 4storeys. A scaled model of an atrium building was built to emulate the characteristics of a typical atrium with a roof structure for tropical climates. Four models were developed to perform the daylighting performance analyses involving field experiments and computer simulations. The models used different roof fenestration designs and structural truss systems (flat, pitched, pyramidal-gridded and saw-tooth roofs) and were initially tested under real sky conditions to investigate the daylight distribution and illuminance levels on the horizontal surfaces in the atrium building. An internationally accredited Indoor Environmental Solutions Virtual environment (IES-VE) programme, specifically the IESRadiance application software was then used to simulate daylight penetration in the atrium space of the models. This software enabled the researcher to vary the design of various modem roof structures and constructions of the atrium to analyse their effects on daylight distribution patterns. The Daylight Factor/Daylight Ratio on horizontal surfaces under different types of sky conditions at different times of day and different days over a period of one year were obtained. The daylight distribution in the model atrium was consistent with current daylighting theory. Intermediate sky conditions, the predominant sky condition showed a generally linear relationship and good degree of correlation with the overall reduction of daylight levels in the atrium. Results showed that structured roof forms applied to the atrium model reduced daylight levels in the atrium well by 55% with similar patterns of losses for the four roofs studied. Internal roof obstructions created a relatively constant attenuation of daylight compared with the clear unobstructed roof for the four structured roofs. It was found that a high contribution of daylight penetration appeared at the centre nearest to the atrium opening, while the transmittance of the atrium roof structure decreased the illuminance level at the lowest comer by 50%. It was also found that under overcast skies, the illuminance levels greatly decreased at the comer of the atrium floor, especially for the northand west-facing atrium surfaces for all types of roofs. The flat roof performed well in maintaining the acceptable limit of maximum light utilisation and was more consistent in terms of light distribution across the atrium floor. Meanwhile, complex roof configurations of the pyramidal-gridded atrium type obtained better daylight contribution at approximately 50%. As the most vulnerable one, the pitched roof was found to be less consistent and had poor distribution, especially at low transmittance levels. For a low-rise atrium with a Well Index of up to 1, a top-lit transmittance roof obstruction plays a major role in either limiting, reflecting or splaying daylight away to the comers and works efficiently with 50% or higher solid wall transmittance. The discrepancy of light distribution was increased if measured between the unobstructed atrium well with complex configurations. This work has paved the way for more design strategies using complicated atrium roof fenestration constructions to be analysed with accuracy while combining aesthetics with energy efficiency.


A major difficulty in modeling molecular systems is that the number of dimensions, even for a small system, is commonly too large for computation to be feasible. To overcome this challenge, a combination of lower-dimensional representations of the system and improved computational methods are required. In this thesis, we investigate techniques to achieve both of these aims via three model problems. By exploiting an understanding of the mechanism and dynamics of reaction in the systems considered, we attain a low-dimensional description of the transition that captures the essential dynamics. For the ionization of a Rydberg atom we utilize concepts from dynamical systems theory that reveal the geometric structures in phase space that mediate the reaction. The gyration radius formalism captures the kinematic effects of the secondary particles in a coarse variable that reduces the number of dimensions of the model, thereby providing a simple description of our methane and oxygen dissociation example. These methods are applicable more generally and provide a coarse model of chemical reactions that can be combined with efficient computational tools, such as the set-oriented method employed in our Rydberg example, to efficiently compute reaction rates of previously difficult problems. The third model problem considered is the self-assembly of particles into an ordered lattice configuration under the influence of an isotropic inter-particle potential. With the aim of characterizing the transition from a disordered to an ordered state, we develop metrics that assess the quality of the lattice with respect to the target lattice configuration. The five metrics presented use a single number to quantify the order within this large system of particles. We explore numerous applications of these quality assessment tools, in particular, finding the optimal potential for self-assembly. The very noisy, highly variable nature of our expensive-to-evaluate objective function prompted the development of a trend optimization algorithm that efficiently minimizes the objective function, using upper and lower envelopes that are responsible for the robustness of the method and the solution. This trend optimization scheme is widely applicable to problems in other fields.


Introduction: Western medicine's cancer treatment focus on the destruction of the diseased cells. In traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cancer is the manifestation of the body's energy deficiency and Heat retention. Purpose: To demonstrate that cancer patients have energy deficiencies and Heat retention as root and also chakra's energy deficiencies in the lowest level. The balance of the energy deficiencies, taking out the Heat retention, replenishment of the chakras energies is important to prevent and treat cancer patients. Methods: Three clinical cases reports. All three patients with cancer diagnoses (case one: thyroid; case two: uterus; case three: lungs). All three patients were found to be at their lowest level of energy (through radiesthesia), rating one out of eight. Treatment consisted in reestablish the equilibrium between Yin, Yang, Qi, Blood and taking out Heat retention through Chinese dietary counselling, auricular acupuncture with apex-ear bloodletting, homeopathy according to the Constitutional Homeopathy of Five Elements Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and crystal-based medication Results: The first two case reports were cured of their cancer condition without any treatment by Western medicine, only with the treatment done. The third patient, though, was already under radiotherapy and chemotherapy but through the treatment previously described the metastasis disappeared and he achieved a better physical and emotional health state. Conclusion: TCM believes that energy deficiency and Heat retention causes cancer. Treatment with Chinese dietary counseling, auricular acupuncture, apex-ear bloodletting and recharge of the Chakras energy can be a path to prevention and treatment of cancer patients.


In The International Seabed Authority and the Precautionary Principle, Aline L. Jaeckel offers an insightful analysis of the work of the International Seabed Authority and examines whether the Authority is implementing the precautionary principle in regulating and managing deep seabed minerals.


Contemporary debates on divine impassibility generally offer two options: either affirm a suffering God who loves and cares, or uphold an impassible God who turns a blind eye to the cries of his people. For Thomas Aquinas, divine impassibility (along with the other divine attributes: simplicity, infinity, immutability, etc.) is not inconsonant with divine compassion. God's unchangeable nature affirms, not undermines, God's ability to love. This paper, acknowledging the inadequacy of these two incomplete and dichotomous categorizations, will argue that Thomas' understanding of the divine names in the Summa Theologiae, 1a, q. 13 illuminates the way in which he reconciles impassibility and compassion in God.It is not the goal of this paper to defend either the idea that God does or does not suffer, nor to affirm or deny the doctrine of divine impassibility on a scale any larger than the work of Thomas and selected contemporary scholars who assist in the project of unpacking and analyzing his thought. It is the goal of this paper to examine in as close a way as possible how Thomas' defense of divine impassibility can be placed in dialogue with his understanding of the way that humans know and name God, ultimately revealing the inadequacy in the polarizing assumption that an immutable God cannot love.I will begin by analyzing the structure and implications of Thomas' defense of divine impassibility in Question 9. This will be followed by an analysis of how, in Thomas' understanding, human knowledge of God, including God's attribute of impassibility, affects human capacity to name God, here drawing heavily on the insights David Burrell. I will then explore the theological and scriptural implications of Thomas' assertion that "The One Who Is" is the most appropriate name for God, ultimately arguing that an understanding of the Hebrew scripture from which this name is drawn reveals that God's love and compassion on behalf of his suffering people is not opposed to but rather relies upon his unchanging nature.


The characteristics of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks was tested and analyzed in comparing with Standards' requirements. The results of the study show that the actual thermophysical characteristics of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, cut from product samples of the three largest manufacturers, in most cases do not coincide with the values declared by the manufacturers and presented in the standards prepared with their direct participation. The mismatch between the calculated and actual values of the thermal conductivity of materials and products used in the installation of external walling, leads to an increase in transmission heat losses through the external walls and the waste of thermal energy for heating and ventilation of buildings. In this regard, a radical review of the values declared by manufacturers, as well as the standards on the basis of which the products are manufactured, and their correct presentation in the current regulatory documents are required.


Woolf Farming Company, a privately owned family farming business in California's Central Valley, found its business threatened by a lack of water, brought on by a combination of drought, poor quality well water and unavailability of surface water due to federally imposed pumping restrictions. Woolf had been farming crops for more than 30 years, but this was the first time they suffered a water shortage so severe that crops had to be abandoned in the field. Even if there was short-term relief in the form of an increased allocation of water from the government, Woolf was concerned about water reliability and the need for additional infrastructure to provide long term water security to the region. If convinced that the water problem would be resolved, then Woolf should move quickly to purchase more land which was currently available at distressed prices. Yet some board members questioned the logic of additional investment in the region whose resources were so uncertain and wondered whether it was more prudent to pursue growth elsewhere. At the same time, some of Woolf's owners began to believe that more of the company's resources should be prioritized for dividends and other distributions as opposed to purely growth. What, if anything, could Woolf and other farmers do to influence the outcome? Learning Objective: To understand the criticality of water for agriculture.


Numerical methods of calculating water flow in soils usually rely on solving Richards' equation, which is obtained by combining the equation of continuity with Darcy's law for water fluxes. In this study, the one‐dimensional equation of continuity was solved using tables of precomputed steady‐state fluxes read from disk. This results in simpler and faster code for applications such as field water balance models, which may use relatively large depth spacings and many repeated calculations. There is no speed penalty for the use of more complex property descriptions. Steady‐state flux tables were computed by integration of Darcy's law, which results in the same solution as Richards' equation, but in principle they could be obtained in some other way. The method is much faster and more stable than conventional iterative methods both because it is noniterative and because good estimates of steady‐state fluxes allow accurate solutions with larger vertical grid spacings, which in turn allow larger time steps. It is also both faster and simpler than other noniterative methods that provide good flux estimates because the fluxes are already available without the extra code and the time needed to compute them.


In this candid examination of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of America's leading religion journalists covers everyaspect of this little-understood community of faith whose family values, business success, and evangelistic missions have helped it become one of the world's fastest growing religions. Esteemed "Time" and Associated Press reporter Richard N. Ostling and fellow journalist Joan K. Ostling navigate the Mormon Church's complex origins and inner workings. They explore the dramatic changes in its policies on polygamy, its conviction in its manifest destiny as the true religion of America, its vocal dissenters, and the ways in which the church handles its vast financial, media, and educational resources. Richard and Joan Ostling give readers a comprehensive and insightful look into this intriguing religion, complete with the church's history, beliefs, culture, and plans for the future. They shed light on the church's phenomenal success and the strong appeal of its teachings, and provide previously unreported details about its financial investments, worldwide missions, and internal politics. "In Mormon America," Richard Ostling picks up where his widely read 1997 Time magazine cover story, "Mormons, Inc.," left off, by illuminating the church's continuing surge in power and popularity. The Ostlings assemble through their reportage the complete story behind the most prosperous religious group in contemporary America.


A new algorithm for dynamic routing of LSPs is proposed. While off-line algorithms are not suitable due to the necessary a priori knowledge of future LSP setup requests, our proposed algorithm, SPeCRA (stochastic performance comparison routing algorithm), does not assume any specific stochastic traffic model and does not require any knowledge of future demands. Both features are a must for the new Internet traffic. In order to analyze SPeCRA's performance, we compare the ISP rejection ratios of SPeCRA and MIRA (Kar, K. et al., IEEE J. on Selected Areas in Commun., vol.18, no.12, p.2566-79, 2000). SPeCRA is easy to implement. It can be implemented using only simple shortest-hop or shortest-cost algorithms, which are interesting solutions for vendors, and not as computationally heavy as other routing algorithms.


This thesis presents a study of the flavour-changing neutral-current radiative B+ to K+pi-pi+gamma decay performed using 3 fb-1 of data collected with the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV centre-of-mass energies. The study of radiative decays with three scalar hadrons in the final state gives access to the polarisation of the photon, one of the very few predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics that has not been precisely tested experimentally and that is sensitive to new physics effects in the b to s gamma penguin loop. Nearly 14 000 signal events, containing all possible intermediate resonances with a K+pi-pi+ final state in the [1,2] GeV/c2 mass interval, are reconstructed and selected in the data sample. The distribution of the angle of the photon direction with respect to the plane defined by the final-state hadrons in their rest frame is studied in intervals of K+pi-pi+ mass and the asymmetry between the number of signal events with the photon emitted on each side of the plane is obtained. The first direct observation of the photon polarisation in the b to s gamma transition is reported with a significance of 5.2 sigmaƒ. The contributions of the resonances populating the studied K+pi-pi+ mass interval are then disentangled by means of a three-dimensional amplitude analysis of the invariant squared masses of the K+pi-pi+, K+pi- and pi+pi-' systems, integrating out the angular dimensions that describe the direction of the photon. The results of this analysis are the most precise ever obtained in this decay channel, allowing for an accurate description of the decay modes of the intermediate resonances and their interference patterns: the K1(1270)+ to†' K+rho(770)0 channel has been found to be the dominant kaon resonance decay mode, followed by K1(1270)+ to†' K*ˆ—(892)0pi€+; the fraction of the K1(1270)+ decaying to K*ˆ—(1430)0pi€+ has been found to be much lower than the world average, analogously to already existing experimental and theoretical studies; a significant interference between the K1(1270)+ and K1(1400)+ kaon resonances decay modes is observed. Based on the results of these studies, the full five-dimensional amplitude analysis of the invariant masses and the angular variables is introduced, aiming at the first determination of a numerical value for the polarisation of the photon.


This new book shows how the use of terror by supporters of the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine was systematic, routine, and accepted by Jewish leaders as necessary to achieve their aims. At the height of the British Mandate in Palestine, terrorist acts were carried out at a frequency and with an intensity that has been largely forgotten, even though daily newspaper headlines in the US, Britain, and Palestine spoke of bombings, assassinations, and massacres against Arabs and British civilians, as well as soldiers. Suarez tells this story using the terrorists' own accounts in secret internal papers boasting of their successes, and quoting from contemporary intelligence briefings and secret diplomatic correspondence.


The economic crisis has led to increased demand and reduced resources for health sectors. The trend for increasing healthcare costs to individuals, the health sector and wider society is significant. Public health can be part of the solution to this challenge. The evidence shows that prevention can be cost-effective, provide value for money and give returns on investment in both the short and longer terms. This public health summary outlines quick returns on investment for health and other sectors for interventions that promote physical activity and healthy employment; address housing and mental health; and reduce road traffic injuries and violence. Vaccinations and screening programmes are largely cost-effective. Population-level approaches are estimated to cost on average five times less than individual interventions. This report gives examples of interventions with early returns on investment and approaches with longer-term gains. Investing in cost-effective interventions to reduce costs to the health sector and other sectors can help create sustainable health systems and economies for the future.