Powder morphology affects the compacting behavior as well as the packing and the fluidity of powder. A quantitative analysis was carried out by evaluating the correlation between the compacting behavior and the morphological properties of metallic powder. The compacting behavior was quantified with the equation proposed by Cooper and Eaton, which expresses the behavior with two mechanisms of rearrangement and plastic deformation of powders. The powder morphology was characterized with the particle size-shape dispersion diagram. The rearrangement behavior of powder was quantitatively related with four factors of the morphological properties by using two linear equations. The plastic deformation behavior was characterized with the packing density and the hardness of powder.


This paper proposes the computation of the Tate pairing, Ate pairing and its variations on the special Jacobi quartic elliptic curve Y 2 = dX +Z. We improve the doubling and addition steps in Miller's algorithm to compute the Tate pairing. We use the birational equivalence between Jacobi quartic curves and Weierstrass curves, together with a specific point representation to obtain the best result to date among curves with quartic twists. For the doubling and addition steps in Miller's algorithm for the computation of the Tate pairing, we obtain a theoretical gain up to 27% and 39%, depending on the embedding degree and the extension field arithmetic, with respect to Weierstrass curves [2] and previous results on Jacobi quartic curves [3]. Furthermore and for the first time, we compute and implement Ate, twisted Ate and optimal pairings on the Jacobi quartic curves. Our results are up to 27% more efficient, comparatively to the case of Weierstrass curves with quartic twists [2].


approved: ______________________________________________________ Janet Tate Structure-specific synthesis processes are of key importance to the growth of polymorphic functional compounds such as TiO2, where material properties strongly depend on structure as well as chemistry. The robust growth of the brookite polymorph of TiO2, a promising photocatalyst, has been difficult in both powder and thin-film forms due to the disparity of reported synthesis techniques, their highly specific nature, and lack of mechanistic understanding. In this work, we report the growth of high-fraction (~95%) brookite thin films prepared by annealing amorphous titania precursor films deposited by pulsed laser deposition. We characterize the crystallization process, eliminating the previously suggested roles of substrate templating and Na helper-ions in driving brookite formation. Instead, we link phase selection directly to film thickness and average deposition rate, offering a novel, generalizable route to brookite growth that does not rely on the presence of extraneous elements or specific lattice-matched substrates. To further explore the growth process of brookite from amorphous precursors, in-situ XRD and in-situ optical microscopy/Raman spectroscopy are used to show that brookite is the first polymorph to form during annealing but that anatase growth is not far behind. Thus, the growth of these two polymorphs are difficult to separate via thermal treatment alone and suggests further that modifications to the amorphous precursor are needed to facilitate brookite formation. Then exploring different PLD parameters that could affect the amorphous precursor, such as average deposition rate and deposition oxygen pressure, we further show the combined structural and stoichiometric requirements for brookite stabilization. Once crystallized, highfraction brookite films further exposed to higher annealing temperatures (up to 700°C) show little transformation of brookite regions and no large scale polymorphic transformations. In addition to providing a new synthesis route to brookite thin films, our results take a step towards resolving the problem of phase selection in TiO2 growth, contributing to the further development of this functional material.


The selection of appropriate cancer models is a key prerequisite for maximising translational potential and clinical relevance of in vitro studies. An important criterion for this selection is the molecular resemblance of available models to the primary disease they represent. While studies are being increasingly conducted to comprehensively compare genomic profiles of cell lines and matched primary tumours, there is no data-driven, robust and user-friendly tool assisting scientists in such selection, by adequately estimating the molecular heterogeneity of a primary disease that is captured by existing models. We developed CELLector: a computational tool implemented in an open source R Shiny application and R package that allows researchers to select the most relevant cancer cell lines in a genomic-guided fashion. CELLector combines methods from graph theory and market basket analysis; it leverages tumour genomics data to explore, rank, and select optimal cell line models in a user-friendly way, enabling scientists to make appropriate and informed choices about model inclusion/exclusion in retrospective analyses and future studies. Additionally, it allows the selection of models within user-defined contexts, for example, by focusing on genomic alterations occurring in biological pathways of interest or considering only predetermined sub-cohorts of cancer patients. Finally, CELLector identifies combinations of molecular alterations underlying disease subtypes currently lacking representative cell lines, providing guidance for the future development of new cancer models. To demonstrate usefulness and applicability of our tool, we present example case studies, where it is used to select representative cell lines for user-defined populations of colorectal cancer patients of current clinical interest.


The search for strategies to mitigate undesirable economic, ecological, and social effects of harmful resource consumption has become an important, socially relevant topic. An obvious starting point for businesses that wish to make value creation more sustainable is to increase the utilization rates of existing resources. Modern social Internet technology is an effective means by which to achieve IT-enabled sharing services, which make idle resource capacity owned by one entity accessible to others who need them but do not want to own them. Successful sharing services require synchronized participation of providers and users of resources. The antecedents of the participation behavior of providers and users has not been systematically addressed by the extant literature. This article therefore proposes a model that explains and predicts the participation behavior in sharing services. Our search for a theoretical foundation revealed the Theory of Planned Behavior as most appropriate lens, because this theory enables us to integrate provider behavior and user behavior as constituents of participation behavior. The model is novel for that it is the first attempt to study the interdependencies between the behavior types in sharing service participation and for that it includes both general and specific determinants of the participation behavior.


This paper investigates the existence of possible causal linkages between the internal and external imbalances of the Greek economy, over the period 1960-2007, as well as the directions of the detected causal effects. Actually, it tests empirically the validity and rationale of the "twin deficits" hypothesis, taking into consideration the impact of the accession of Greece in the European Economic Community in 1981, which constitutes a great institutional change. By means of the ARDL cointegration methodology, error-correction modeling and Granger causality, we find evidence in favor of the "twin deficits hypothesis" for the Greek case over the pre-accession period (1960-1980), with causality running from the budget deficit to the trade deficit. However, over the post-accession period (1981-2007) the causal relationship is reversed, indicating changes in the linking mechanism of the two deficits and providing useful inferences for the national economic policy.


Giardia and Cryptosporidium have emerged as waterborne pathogens of concern. This study examined both parasites in actual water samples, which were taken from Cheng-Ching Lake waterworks in southern Taiwan. The Method 1623 was characterized by a higher recovery rate and lower detection limit compared with the ICR protozoan method. It was discovered that water turbidity reduced the recovery efficiencies, and raised the detection limits for both parasites, regardless of the method used. The concentrations of both parasites showed inconsistency for different recovery rates and detection limits between the two methods. A significant correlation between water turbidity and Cryptosporidium oocysts in raw water samples were found in this study.


The Reissner-Mindlin plate theory models a thin plate with thickness t. The condition number of finite element approximations of this model deteriorates badly as the thickness t of the plate converges to 0. In this thesis, we develop an overlapping domain decomposition method for the Reissner-Mindlin plate model discretized by Falk-Tu elements with a convergence rate which does not deteriorate when t converges to 0. We use modern overlapping methods which use the Schur complements to define coarse basis functions and show that the condition number of this overlapping method is bounded by C(1 + H δ )(1 + log h ). Here H is the maximum diameter of the subdomains, δ the size of overlap between subdomains, and h the element size. Numerical examples are provided to confirm the theory. We also modify the overlapping method to develop a BDDC method for the Reissner-Mindlin model. We establish numerically an extension lemma to obtain a constant bound and an edge lemma to obtain a C(1+ log h ) bound. Given such bounds, the condition number of this BDDC method is shown to be bounded by C(1 + log h ).


This article argues that animated notations are the most exciting new direction for music notation since the conception of the real-time score. The real-time score revolutionized performance practices in new music, with the composer Gerhard E. Winkler calling it a "third way" between improvisation and fixed scores. Developing upon the idea of dynamic notation epitomized by the real-time score, animated notation features movement as its foundation, and may be presented as an interactive program, video, or application environment generated in real time or preset. It extends the possibilities presented by graphic notations, engaging the processing power of computing toward new complexities of shape, color, movement dynamics, form, synchronicity, and the very performability of music scores. Beginning with a brief historic overview of trends and background that may have informed the development of animated notation, I then examine contemporary practices and their application to a range of music. I will argue that animated notation brings particular benefits for scoring music featuring electronics and aleatoric elements.


This study examines globalization of monitoring practices by focusing on how American (U.S.) influences on European firms impact the dismissal risk for these firms' CEOs. Specifically, we argue that the stronger short term orientation of the American corporate governance system increase the dismissal performance sensitivity faced by European CEOs, indirectly and directly. The former materializes via European firms cross-listing on U.S. exchanges, the latter results from European firms hiring U.S. independent board members. Both influences are expected to result in increased dismissal performance sensitivity. Based on data from the 250 largest European publicly traded firms we find a significant increase in the dismissal sensitivity of poorly performing companies with American board members and a support for migration of American executive pay practice. However, no significant increase in dismissal performance sensitivity was identified from U.S. cross-listing. In line with our agency theory based prediction, this indicates an institutional contagion driven by the presence of U.S. board members on European corporate boards. To policy makers the message is that internationalization of boards should not be banned or restricted, since it provides owners with more options to influence the corporate governance of the firm.


Background. Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare genetic disorder of impaired DNA repair that results in physical and haematological consequences in affected individuals. In South Africa (SA), individuals with Afrikaner ancestry are at an increased risk of inheriting disease-causing FA mutations, owing to the three common FANCA (FA, complementation group A) founder mutations present in this population subgroup. Objectives . To describe the physical phenotype of SA patients with FANCA mutations for the purpose of recommending appropriate care for affected individuals. Methods . A structured clinical examination and file-based review were used to evaluate the physical phenotype of 7 patients with compound heterozygous and homozygous FANCA founder mutations, and 1 patient with confirmed FANCA complementation analysis. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to determine the frequency of physical anomalies in Afrikaner patients and to compare the described phenotype to other FA cohorts, including a previously clinically characterised black SA FA cohort. Results . An earlier age of diagnosis of FA in Afrikaner patients, a high frequency of somatic anomalies and a higher-than-expected incidence of the VACTERL/H phenotype were noted. Conclusions . Based on our findings, recommendations for the care of FA patients with Afrikaner ancestry are made, including renal ultrasound evaluation at diagnosis and hearing screening


A new mineral association composed of metatyuyamunite, celestite, opal and several minor crystalline phases has been identified in the Caverns of Sonora (Texas). The minerals were identified by means of X-ray diffractometry and optical and scanning electron microscopy. The main component of this association is metatyuyamunite, a uranyl vanadate mineral that appears as aggregates of sub-millimeter platy-like crystals that are often covered by botryoidal opal coatings. The orthorhombic unit cell of the Sonora metatyuyamunite had parameters a = 10.418, b = 8.508, and c = 17.173 A. Opal and celestite formed either directly over the yellow crust or along the cracks that traverse the limy mud on which metatyuyamunite was precipitated. The secondary uranium-vanadium minerals described herein were precipitated in the final stages of cave development.


Interventions to improve caregiving may have different effects for persons with autonomous or nonautonomous attachment representations. The current study used the Adult Attachment Interview to investigate attachment representations of professional caregivers who participated in an intervention to improve interaction with children and adults with serious intellectual and visual disabilities. Caregivers (N = 51) completed a video-feedback interaction program. Twice during a baseline period and three times during the intervention period, each caregiver was videotaped during a standard situation with their client. Of the caregivers, 28 were classified as autonomous, 12 as dismissing, and 11 as preoccupied. Unresolved loss or trauma (n = 7) was not included in the analyses. Generally, interaction quality improved from baseline to intervention period as indicated by confirmation of signals, responsiveness to signals, and affective mutuality. Caregivers with dismissing classifications continued to show less confirmation of clients' signals. Caregivers with dismissing or preoccupied classifications improved their responsiveness to the level of caregivers with autonomous classifications. Attachment representations may modify in some ways the impact of interventions to improve caregiving.


The role and place of English in Singapore is shaped by a number of key cultural factors, including the nation's colonial legacy, its multi-racial and multi-lingual society (and how this is handled by government policy), the push to position Singapore as a global city attracting transnational capital and flows of talent, and similar issues. These factors combine to create cultural tensions between language and race identifiers (for example, being of Chinese ethnic origin, being a recent arrival from China, speaking Chinese dialects, and speaking the Mandarin Chinese endorsed by the government), between different racial-linguistic communities (for example, Anglophone Singaporeans and speakers predominantly of Asian languages), and the peculiar tensions between varieties of "standard" English affiliated to global cultural flows (American media, living and studying in the U.K. or Australia) and the local variety known as "Singlish" that is affiliated with a localized (and especially everyman or underclass) Singapore identity. An account of English vis-a-vis the cultural landscape of Singapore thus also becomes an account of the geopolitics of identity and culture, as Singapore attempts to come to terms with global flows and competitions.


From the Publisher:
On May 11, 1997, as millions worldwide watched a stunning victory unfold on television, a machine shocked the chess world by defeating the defending world champion, Garry Kasparov. Written by the man who started the adventure, Behind Deep Blue reveals the inside story of what happened behind the scenes at the two historic Deep Blue vs. Kasparov matches. This is also the story behind the quest to create the mother of all chess machines. The book unveils how a modest student project eventually produced a multimillion dollar supercomputer, from the development of the scientific ideas through technical setbacks, rivalry in the race to develop the ultimate chess machine, and wild controversies to the final triumph over the world's greatest human player.
In nontechnical, conversational prose, Fenghsiung Hsu, the system architect of Deep Blue, tells us how he and a small team of fellow researchers forged ahead at IBM with a project they'd begun as students at Carnegie Mellon in the mid-1980s: the search for one of the oldest holy grails in artificial intelligence -- a machine that could beat any human chess player in a bona fide match. Back in 1949 science had conceived the foundations of modern chess computers but not until almost fifty years later -- until Deep Blue -- would the quest be realized.
Hsu refutes Kasparov's controversial claim that only human intervention could have allowed Deep Blue to make its decisive, "uncomputerlike" moves. In riveting detail he describes the heighteing tension in this war of brains and nerves, the "smoldering fire" in Kasparov's eyes. Behind Deep Blue is not just another tale of man versus machine. This fascinating book tells us how man as genius was given an ultimate, unforgettable run for his mind, no, not by the genius of a computer, but of man as toolmaker.


To avoid generating an undesirably large set of frequent itemsets for discovering all high confidence association rules, the problem of finding frequent closed itemsets in a formal mining context is proposed. In this paper, aiming to these shortcomings of typical algorithms for mining frequent closed itemsets, such as the algorithm A-close and CLOSET, we propose an efficient algorithm for mining frequent closed itemsets, which is based on Galois connection and granular computing. Firstly, we present the smallest frequent closed itemsets and its characters, contain some properties and theorems, then propose a novel notion, called the smallest frequent closed granule, which can help the algorithm save reading the database to reduce the costed I/O for discovering frequent closed itemsets. And then we propose a novel model for mining frequent closed itemsets based on the smallest frequent closed granules, and a connection function for generating the smallest frequent closed itemsets. The generator function create the power set of the smallest frequent closed itemsets in the enlarged frequent 1-item manner, which can efficiently avoid generating an undesirably large set of candidate smallest frequent closed itemsets to reduce the costed CPU and the occupied main memory for generating the smallest frequent closed granules. Finally, we describe the algorithm for the proposed model. On these different datasets, we report the performances of the algorithm and its trend of the performances to discover frequent closed itemsets, and further discuss how to solve the bottleneck of the algorithm. For mining frequent closed itemsets, all these experimental results indicate that the performances of the algorithm are better than the traditional and typical algorithms, and it also has a good scalability. It is suitable for mining dynamic transactions datasets.


This dictionary contains terms covering the following fields and subfields: business economics, economic development and growth, economic history, economic systems, economic thought, financial economics, general economics, industrial organization, international economics, labor and demographic economics, law and economics, macroeconomics and monetary economics, mathematical and quantitative methods, microeconomics, natural resource economics, public economics, social economics, urban, rural and regional economics, welfare. The dictionary is supplemented by an exhaustive list of abbreviations in several languages. It will be an essential reference tool for business people operating within a new economic world order, who wish to understand global trade relations. The wide variety of economic terms presented makes this dictionary unique in the field.


Burrunan dolphins Tursiops australis are frequently targeted by tourism operations in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. This study aimed to provide first insights into whether swim-with-dolphin (SWD) vessels in Port Phillip Bay affect the behaviour of Burrunan dolphins via the use of Markov chain models. The presence of SWD vessels affected dolphins' travelling, foraging, milling and socialising behaviours. The time dolphins spent foraging in the presence of SWD vessels was significantly reduced, with average foraging bout length decreasing by 13.6%, foraging recovery time increasing by 47.6%, and the probability of transitioning from foraging to milling increasing 4-fold. Conversely, dolphins spent significantly more time milling and socialising in the presence of SWD vessels. The reduction in time spent foraging when SWD vessels are present could lead to a decrease in dolphins' rate of energy acquisition, whilst the increase in milling could increase their energy expenditure. Collectively, this may lead to reduced biological fitness with population level consequences. However, although the short-term behavioural budget of the dolphin population was significantly affected, SWD vessels did not significantly affect the cumulative (i.e. yearly) behavioural budget of Burrunan dolphins. Thus, the assumption that boat-based cetacean tourism has major negative effects on targeted populations may be flawed in some cases.


A recovering addict decides to go public with her story in the hope that others who are tempted to follow the same path might be spared the misery she has undergone. I am an addict. My friends and family beg me to quit. They point out that, to pursue my addiction, I abandon my loved ones several nights a week. I've missed many concerts, hockey games, and parent meetings because I just can't kick my habit. I feel guilty, my self-confidence wanes, my sense of inadequacy grows - but still I persist. The short-term "hit" is so pleasurable that I can't bring myself to consider the long-term costs. No one has to point out that my financial situation has deteriorated. Last year I sold our big house and moved the family into a two-bedroom basement apartment without a kitchen (though the parts are there, all in separate rooms). We are tenants for the first time in 23 years, and what we live in wouldn't pass a welfare inspection. It isn't as though people didn't warn me when I started down this road. "It's a doomed path," they insisted. "It leads to heartache and low self-esteem." They pointed to others who flirted with the same addiction and ended up in financial ruin. Still I cling to my habit. I've joined support groups in the past: one helped me complete my doctoral dissertation, and one nurtured me through a long and difficult divorce and the period of healing that followed. But no one seems to know of a support group to help kick this habit. My addiction springs from two fatal flaws: love and optimism. I love my habit; I crave the rush of adrenaline each night, even though I know I'll be feeble the next morning, barely able to click my computer's keys into coherent sentences. I won't regain my productivity until mid-morning. But never mind - nothing else gets me as high or makes me as happy. My second flaw is optimism. I was reared to believe that tomorrow will be better. But my highs and my hopes don't buy my family medical insurance, and my tenacity serves only to dig us deeper into debt. My name is Bette, and I'm a college teacher. I am addicted to teaching. I teach college courses in writing and composition, and - for the last four years - that has meant "piecework": a night course at school X, another couple of night courses at school Y. I have no benefits, no seniority, no tenure, no security. One year I taught at three different colleges. within a 12-hour period, shuttling more than 80 miles between classrooms, my "office" a milk crate of files in my trunk. They can cut my salary in half, citing budget shortfalls, but the mechanic who tends my car will not let me pay only half of my bill. I am lucky that my ex-husband is rich enough to foot all the college costs for our daughter and son, because I would never be able to afford to educate my own children. I wasn't always this way; I used to teach English in middle school and high school. Constantly struggling with class loads of 150 or more students per day, I chose to do the American thing: obtain a bigger and better degree. My passion for linguistics led to a master's degree and then to a doctorate with a 4.0 grade-point average in my field. I have published in respected journals and delivered papers at national conferences. I've learned how to play the academic game, but the rules don't seem to work anymore, and I've priced myself out of the secondary teaching market. I'm not alone. The American Association of University Professors claims that 38% of all college faculty members are in part-time positions. At the community college level, 52% of faculty members are part-timers. Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, hires 81% of its faculty on a part-time basis.(1) Most part-timers are paid only 40% of what full-timers make for the same work. Most part-timers are women: in the California state system in 1988-89, 61% of part-timers were female? At one university, my pay is based on enrollment. …


The study focuses on the importance of knowledge management or KM on sustaining continuous performance improvement in the public sector. From the top management at the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission, KM represents a critical success factor in driving high performance (e.g. responsiveness, efficiency, productiveness and flexibility), and sustainable improvement into public agencies. The surveys are distributed to Chief Knowledge Officer to help assess current KM practices in public agencies, to identify roadblocks for KM deployment and to pinpoint potential plans and initiatives to ensure that KM can be effectively integrated into public agencies. The overall finding shows that the use of information and communication technology has become an integral part of governmental operations. Nevertheless, the findings reveal several serious issues, especially a lack of awareness on possibly using external knowledge and of linking KM with performance measurement and analysis. Future plans are proposed to help overcome these barriers.


The book presents a comprehensive account of research and development activities in open, ditance and flexible learning from acknowledged experts from around the world. The use of open, distance and flexible learning materials is expanding dramatically, not just in schools, further and higher education but also in industry, commerce and the social services. Most higher education institutions now have an open learning unit or educational development centre, and major organisations such as british Steel, National Westminster Bank, Leeds Building Society, Rover Cars and the Inland Revenue have formed units to develop teaching and training materials. Internationally, growth is even more impressive, with new open universities planned for Singapore, Bangladesh, South Africa and india, whist those in Malaysia, Thailand and Australia continue to expand. But current and future practice must be based on research evidence rather than intuition. With contributions from all the leading names in this field, this book will be a key sourcbook for teachers, trainers and students.


Purpose of the article Presentation of the issue of brand sponsorship of events in the light of the use of social media for the purposes of brand management in the customer-based brand equity paradigm. Methodology/methods Two brands (CocaCola and Carlsberg) which were the official sponsors of a sports event (EURO 2016) were monitored in social media. For this purpose information gathered by socialmention.com  and likemore.pl were used. Presentation of the results of the analysis required the use of descriptive statistics as well as the Wilcoxon test and a network graph. Scientific aim Determination of the scope and nature of the influence of sponsorship of an international sports event on the way a brand is perceived by social media users based on a selected set of data derived from brand monitoring. Findings In case of Carlsberg the attitude of social media users did not change during EURO 2016, however, majority of their statements was connected with the issues related to this sports event. In case of Coca Cola, the perception of the brand by its clients changed within the studied period of time, however, the issues related to EURO 2016 were only one of many other issues raised by them. Conclusions Assessment of the influence of brand sponsorship of an event on social media users' perception faces the following difficulties: scope of monitoring and its efficiency, choice of data set generated by the monitoring tool for the analysis, level of recognition of brands, brand strategy and brand multi-sponsorship (parallel engagement of the brand in many events).


Resistant hypertension, uncontrolled blood pressure despite use of ≥3 antihypertensives including a diuretic or use of ≥4 antihypertensives regardless of blood pressure (BP), was studied. In this thesis, 1/3 of patients with chronic kidney disease, including kidney transplant patients, is shown to have resistant hypertension. Even intensive guidance by nurse practitioners, aimed at both optimization of antihypertensive drug use and life style adjustments, does not decrease the prevalence during follow-up. Risks of resistant hypertension are very high in this population, with an 1.5-fold increased risk for a composite cardiovascular endpoint and a 2.3-fold increased risk for reaching end stage renal disease. In patients with hypertension and a history of cardiovascular disease, 9% has resistant hypertension. A strong relationship with higher age, and with an adverse cardiovascular risk profile of increased BMI, presence of diabetes mellitus and burden of vascular disease was found. Also, resistant hypertension was significantly more frequent in patients with microalbuminuria or an eGFR below 60 ml/min/1.73m2. Risk for a composite of cardiovascular endpoint was 25% higher in this population, and cardiovascular death 1.5-fold more likely. These risks were similar in resistant hypertensive patients with controlled BP. The role of sympathetic hyperactivity in the pathophysiology of hypertension in chronic kidney disease is reviewed. Experimental studies show that renal denervation can abolish hypertension and have kidney protective effects. Sympathetic activity increases with decrease in kidney function in humans. Therefore, patients with chronic kidney disease are expected to have greater benefit from a new antihypertensive treatment aimed at decreasing sympathetic activity. Antihypertensive drugs have a variable effect on sympathetic activity, with diuretics and calcium channel blockers having a stimulating effect, whereas RAAS inhibitors, beta blockers and central acting drugs have an inhibitory effect. The SYMPATHY trial compared renal denervation (RDN) added to usual care with usual care in patients with resistant hypertension or uncontrolled BP due to intolerance for ≥2 of the major antihypertensive drug classes. The intervention was not found to be effective in decreasing BP, as the daytime systolic blood pressure (primary endpoint) decreased with 6.0 mmHg (95%CI -10.7 to -1.2) in the intervention group as compared with a 7.9 mmHg (95%CI -14.7 to -1.3) decrease in the controls. An interaction term did not show a differential effect with lower eGFR. As a secondary analysis, adherence to antihypertensive drugs, assessed by direct measurement of the compounds, was shown to be strikingly low in these patients. A post-hoc analysis showed that dietary sodium intake cannot be used to select patients with greater effectiveness of RDN. Decrease in salt sensitivity after RDN could not be demonstrated. In the last part of the thesis, a beneficial effect of RDN is found on kidney related pain in patients with polycystic kidney disease and loin pain hematuria syndrome. Overall conclusion is that resistant hypertension is an important issue and both an effective RDN procedure and effective measures to increase adherence to antihypertensive drugs are still to be found. RDN studies should be designed in ways minimizing nonadherence as an important source of bias.


A newly-derived iterative coupling procedure for the propagating exterior complex scaling (PECS) method is used to efficiently calculate the electron-impact wavefunctions for atomic hydrogen. An overview of this method is given along with methods for extracting scattering cross sections. Differential scattering cross sections at 30 eV are presented for the electron-impact excitation to the n = 1, 2, 3 and 4 final states, for both PECS and convergent close coupling (CCC), which are in excellent agreement with each other and with experiment. PECS results are presented at 27.2 eV and 30 eV for symmetric and asymmetric energy-sharing triple differential cross sections, which are in excellent agreement with CCC and exterior complex scaling calculations, and with experimental data. At these intermediate energies, the efficiency of the PECS method with iterative coupling has allowed highly accurate partial-wave solutions of the full Schrodinger equation, for L ≤ 50 and a large number of coupled angular momentum states, to be obtained with minimal computing resources.


In this paper, we developed a series of novel arylamino-containing spiro triplet state host materials for green and blue phosphorescent emitters. With high enough energy gap and compatible HOMO, LUMO levels, we demonstrated the green PHOLED with a low driving voltage of 2.5 V and a high power efficiency of 38.5 lm/W. We also demonstrated blue PHOLED with a very low driving voltage of 3.0 V and a current efficiency of 9.2 cd/A.


Proteins have the ability to assemble in multimeric states to perform their specific biological function. Unfortunately, characterizing experimentally these structures at atomistic resolution is usually difficult. For this reason, in silico methodologies aiming at predicting how multiple protein copies arrange to forma multimeric complex would be desirable. We present Parallel OptimizationWorkbench (POW), a swarm intelligence based optimization framework able to deal, in principle, with any optimization problem. We show that POW can be applied to biologically relevant problems such as prediction of protein assemblies and the parameterization of a Coarse-Grained force field for proteins. By combining POW optimizations, Molecular Dynamics simulations, Poisson-Boltzmann calculations and a variety of experiments, we subsequently study two bacterial nanomachieries: Aeromonas hydrophila's pore-forming toxin aerolysin, and Yersinia enterocolitica injectisome. These structures are challenging both for their size, and for the timescales involved in their functioning. Aerolysin is a pore-forming toxin secreted as an hydrophilic monomer. By means of large conformational changes, the protein heptamerizes on the target cell's surface, and finally inserts β-barrel into its lipid bilayer, causing cell death. The main hurdle in the study of this structure is the complexity of the mode of action, which spans timescales currently unreachable by classical molecular dynamics. We show that aerolysin C-terminal region has the dual role of preventing premature oligomerization and helping the folding of tertiary structure, qualifying therefore as an intramolecular chaperone. We study the transmembrane β-barrel properties and compare them with those of the homologous protein α-hemolysin. We show that aerolysin's barrel is more rigid than α-hemolysin's, and should be anion selective. We present models for aerolysin heptamer both in prepore and, for the first time, in membrane-inserted conformation. Our results are validated experimentally, and are consistent with known biochemical and structural data. The injectisome is an example of a type III secretion system. Its most striking feature is probably its size: hundreds of proteins assemble in a unique structure spanning the Gram-negative bacterial double membrane, and protruding outside the cell as a needle for tenth of nanometers. Obtaining an atomistic representation of this massive structure, and therefore some insights about its mode of action, is one of the greatest challenges. We show that the final length of injectisome's needle is determined by the secondary structure content of a ruler protein located inside its cavity during assembly. Using POW, we also produce the first model for Yersinia injectisome's basal body, highlighting the flexibility of this region in adapting between the inner and outer membranes. As a whole, this work demonstrates that a synergy of dry and wet experiments can provide precious insights into macromolecular structure and function.


Tropical deforestation contributes significantly to climate change. The concept of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in developing countries has now been accepted in the international climate regime as a strategy for mitigating the dangerous effects of climate change. Under an international 'REDD+' framework, it is proposed that developed countries will compensate developing countries for the carbon offsets generated by avoided deforestation and other forest conservation activities. Clarifying who owns the rights to the forest carbon is a complicated issue that must be resolved in heavily forested developing countries. Carbon rights have developed as a novel form of property from the western legal tradition that has become increasingly centred on individual ownership and transferability of assets and resources. While some developed countries have attempted to define carbon property rights, in most developing countries this remains a difficult notion to conceive in their property systems.

This situation is typified in Indonesia. As one of the world's largest sources of emissions from land use change, Indonesia has a long history of poor management and regulation of forest resources. The allocation of property rights in and around forests has been contentious for many years and contributed significantly to the vast deforestation of the Indonesian archipelago.

It is questionable whether Indonesian law is capable of supporting a carbon rights regime. A plural system combining several different legal sources, the operation of law in Indonesia has been dogged by contradictions and inconsistent and arbitrary application. The importation and transplantation of legal concepts into the Indonesian context has been particularly unsuccessful. In light of this 'shaky ground', successfully assigning rights to forest carbon in Indonesia appears a major challenge.


Abstract The case of a patient with an impairment in the ability both to generate visual images and to perform certain transformations upon visual images in reported. No impairment of long-term visual memory could be demonstrated, and the patient was able to perform various tasks on a perceptually derived image indicating that the visual buffer is probably intact. Either the patient has two distinct impairments: a generation deficit and transformation deficit, or these two problems are related and reflect an impairment of some form of imaged representation which is the repository both for images generated from long-term visual memory and for the images generated as a result of mental rotation on a perceptually given stimulus item. The imaged representation must be presumed to be distinct from the visual buffer. The case is also of interest since the patient (with a left hemisphere lesion) was impaired in mental rotations, a deficit typically associated with right hemisphere lesions.


Quenching experiments were performed to examine the effect of inclination angles and curvature on film-boiling heat transfer. The experiments employed a 294-mm-diam, 30-mm-thick stainless steel downward-facing hemisphere to substantiate the local film-boiling mechanism along the angular surface. Forty-six thermocouples were installed from 0 deg (the bottom) to 85 deg (near the equator) at three intervals: 10 deg (0 to 10 deg), 5 deg (10 to 55 deg), and 2.5 deg (55 to 85 deg) near the outer (1.5 mm) and inner (5 mm) surfaces of the test section. The angular film-boiling heat fluxes and heat transfer coefficients were obtained from the two-dimensional transient temperature profiles by solving a transient heat conduction equation in spherical coordinates. The test results were compared with those of the laminar and interfacial wavy film-boiling analysis. Undulating heat transfer coefficients were observed from the experimental data as the angle increases. These phenomena intensified near the equator, which has higher inclination angles than near the bottom. It was shown that the Helmholtz instability limited the vapor film thickness. In addition, the boiling mechanism on the downward-facing hemisphere was visualized utilizing a digital camera.


Abstract To clarify phylogenetic relationships among Aquanectria, Cosmospora, Fusicolla and other related taxa in Nectriaceae, we examined detailed morphological characters and performed cladistic analyses of a concatenated dataset based on the ITS, LSU and β-tubulin DNA sequences of fungal specimens collected from freshwater habitats in China. A new genus, Cosmosporella, is described to accommodate C. olivacea as its type species. Cosmospora obscura is transferred to Cosmosporella based on morphological similarities and phylogenetic support. Aquanectria jacinthicolor, a freshwater lignicolous taxon, characterized by its orange ascomata and ellipsoid ascospores with broad paraphyses is a newly described freshwater species. This species has affinities with other two known species of Aquanectria and can be distinguished based on ascospore morphology. A specimen with sexual morph of Fusicolla aquaeductuum is reported for the first time.


This special issue of Parallel and Distributed Computing Practices focuses on the topic of  Engineering Distributed Control Systems (DCSs) . The guest editorial discusses open problems in the DCS domain. The articles contained in this issue are selected papers from the Joint Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Real-time Systems, a forum for presentation of engineering techniques relevant to control systems that are distributed or parallel. Many difficulties confront those who must engineer the emerging generation of real-time computing systems. Such systems have rigorous Quality of Service (QoS) objectives. They must behave in a dependable manner, must respond to threats in a timely fashion and must provide continuous availability, even within hazardous environments. Furthermore, resources should be utilized in an efficient manner, and scalability must be provided to address the ever-increasing complexity of scenarios that confront such systems. The difficulties in engineering such systems arise from several phenomena, one of the most difficult being the dynamic environments in which they must function. Unfortunately, the classical paradigms for engineering real-time systems do not address this phenomenon. New paradigms, techniques and tools are needed! This article provides a justification of this viewpoint. Control systems perform actions in response to conditions detected in the environment that they inhabit. A typical control system consists of sensors that monitor external conditions and software that filters, correlates and evaluates the sensor data. Events detected by the evaluation software activate software that initiates responses via actuators and guides the actions to successful completion. The processing performed by a control system depends on the environment in several ways. The load of the  sensing  path is primarily a function of the number of items detected in the environment. The load of the  actuation  path depends on the rate at which environmental events occur and are detected by the  sensing  path. Thus, the characteristics of the control system's environment should be a fundamental consideration in the definition of a successful engineering paradigm. Real-time control systems, as their name implies, function in the  real-world . What is the characteristic of their environment? Occasionally, one may encounter a fully deterministic real-world system. One may also, perhaps, find a real-world system that predictably follows a statistical distribution. However, it is often the case that the real-world environment is dynamic; it cannot be modeled by a deterministic model, or even by a stochastic model based on a time-invariant statistical distribution. The environments of many control systems are dynamic. An individual software entity may therefore have large variations in its execution times (we have observed variations of three orders of magnitude among lower bounds and upper bounds on execution times of software paths through real-world control systems!). This makes analysis of timing conformance very difficult. Therefore, paradigms for the engineering of real-world distributed control systems should allow for dynamic behavior. Most of the existing paradigms are based on worst case assumptions regarding execution times and resource usage, and have assumed that all system behavior follows a statically known pattern. When applying the techniques to systems that function in unknown environments, it is sometimes impossible to obtain some of the parameters required by the models! Paradigms are needed to allow the modeling of systems that work in dynamic environments. On a separate note let me add two comments about the developments in the journal. First, on the next pages you will find short self-introductions prepared by six members of the Editorial Board. We plan to proceed with such introductions until all of the members are presented. Second, a new initiative is being introduced in the Calls for Papers and Participation area: Software Reviews. Dr. Hong Shen and Dr. Domenico Talia will be running this section. If you are interested in participating by submitting software for review or reviewing it, please contact them directly. Lonnie R. Welch Ohio University


An electronic journal published by the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town The scope of Biodiversity Observations consists of papers describing observations about biodiversity in general, including animals, plants, algae and fungi. This includes observations of behaviour, breeding and flowering patterns, distributions and range extensions, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and colouration/plumage variations. Biotic interactions such as pollination, fruit dispersal, herbivory and predation fall within the scope, as well as the use of indigenous and exotic species by humans. Observations of naturalised plants and animals will also be considered. Biodiversity Observations will also publish a variety of other interesting or relevant biodiversity material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist bibliographies, book reviews and any other appropriate material. Further details and guidelines to authors are on this website. Lead Editor: Arnold van der Westhuizen – Paper Editor: H. Dieter Oschadleus


Abstract. The "Campaign on Atmospheric Aerosol Research" network of China
(CARE-China) is a long-term project for the study of the spatio-temporal
distributions of physical aerosol characteristics as well as the chemical
components and optical properties of aerosols over China. This study presents
the first long-term data sets from this project, including 3 years of
observations of online PM2.5 mass concentrations (2012–2014) and 1
year of observations of PM2.5 compositions (2012–2013) from the
CARE-China network. The average PM2.5 concentration at 20 urban sites
is 73.2 µg m−3 (16.8–126.9 µg m−3), which was 3 times
higher than the average value from the 12 background sites (11.2–46.5 µg m−3).
The PM2.5 concentrations are generally higher in
east-central China than in the other parts of the country due to their
relatively large particulate matter (PM) emissions and the unfavourable
meteorological conditions for pollution dispersion. A distinct seasonal
variability in PM2.5 is observed, with highs in the winter and lows
during the summer at urban sites. Inconsistent seasonal trends were observed
at the background sites. Bimodal and unimodal diurnal variation patterns were
identified at both urban and background sites. The chemical compositions of
PM2.5 were analysed at six paired urban and background sites located within the most
polluted urban agglomerations – North China Plain (NCP), Yangtze River delta
(YRD), Pearl River delta (PRD), North-east China region (NECR), South-west China region (SWCR) – and the cleanest region of China – the Tibetan Autonomous Region
(TAR). The major PM2.5 constituents across all the
urban sites are organic matter (OM, 26.0 %), SO42- (17.7 %),
mineral dust (11.8 %), NO3- (9.8 %), NH4+ (6.6 %),
elemental carbon (EC) (6.0 %), Cl− (1.2 %) at 45 % RH and
unaccounted matter (20.7 %). Similar chemical compositions of PM2.5
were observed at background sites but were associated with higher fractions
of OM (33.2 %) and lower fractions of NO3- (8.6 %) and
EC (4.1 %). Significant variations of the chemical species were observed
among the sites. At the urban sites, the OM ranged from 12.6 µg m−3
(Lhasa) to 23.3 µg m−3 (Shenyang), the SO42- ranged from
0.8 µg m−3 (Lhasa) to 19.7 µg m−3 (Chongqing), the NO3-
ranged from 0.5 µg m−3 (Lhasa) to 11.9 µg m−3 (Shanghai)
and the EC ranged from 1.4 µg m−3 (Lhasa) to 7.1 µg m−3
(Guangzhou). The PM2.5 chemical species at the background sites
exhibited larger spatial heterogeneities than those at urban sites,
suggesting different contributions from regional anthropogenic or natural
emissions and from long-range transport to background areas. Notable
seasonal variations of PM2.5-polluted days were observed, especially for
the megacities in east-central China, resulting in frequent heavy pollution
episodes occurring during the winter. The evolution of the PM2.5
chemical compositions on polluted days was consistent for the urban and
nearby background sites, where the sum of sulfate, nitrate and ammonia
typically constituted much higher fractions (31–57 %) of PM2.5 mass,
suggesting fine-particle pollution in the most polluted areas of China
assumes a regional tendency, and the importance of addressing the emission
reduction of secondary aerosol precursors including SO2 and NOx.
Furthermore, distinct differences in the evolution of
[NO3-]/[SO42-] ratio and OC∕EC ratio on polluted days imply
that mobile sources and stationary (coal combustion) sources are likely more
important in Guangzhou and Shenyang, respectively, whereas in Beijing it is
mobile emission and residential sources. As for Chongqing, the higher
oxidation capacity than the other three cities suggested it should pay more
attention to the emission reduction of secondary aerosol precursors. This
analysis reveals the spatial and seasonal variabilities of the urban and
background aerosol concentrations on a national scale and provides insights
into their sources, processes and lifetimes.


Understanding community assembly and population dynamics frequently requires detailed knowledge of food web structure. For many consumers, obtaining precise information about diet composition has traditionally required sacrificing animals or other highly invasive procedures, generating tension between maintaining intact study populations and knowing what they eat. We developed 16S mitochondrial DNA sequencing methods to identify arthropods in the diets of generalist vertebrate predators without requiring a blocking primer. We demonstrate the utility of these methods for a common Caribbean lizard that has been intensively studied in the context of small island food webs: Anolis sagrei (a semi‐arboreal 'trunk‐ground' anole ecomorph). Novel PCR primers were identified in silico and tested in vitro. Illumina sequencing successfully characterized the arthropod component of 168 faecal DNA samples collected during three field trips spanning 12 months, revealing 217 molecular operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) from at least nine arthropod orders (including Araneae, Blattodea, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera). Three mOTUs (one beetle, one cockroach and one ant) were particularly frequent, occurring in ≥50% of samples, but the majority of mOTUs were infrequent (180, or 83%, occurred in ≤5% of samples). Species accumulation curves showed that dietary richness and composition were similar between size‐dimorphic sexes; however, female lizards had greater per‐sample dietary richness than males. Overall diet composition (but not richness) was significantly different across seasons, and we found more pronounced interindividual variation in December than in May. These methods will be generally useful in characterizing the diets of diverse insectivorous vertebrates.


Inflation at the time of the 1992 election was at its lowest level in 20 years. This fact might have been expected to give the incumbent Administration a significant advantage, since most previous research regarding voters' economic preferences has found that American voters have a strong preference for low inflation and a great willingness to tolerate unemployment to reduce inflation. Thus, the 1992 election results raise the possibility that voter preferences either have changed or were mistakenly estimated earlier. ; The author's goal is to obtain some estimates of the policies and inflation goals that voters deem optimal. He then uses these estimates of voters' preferred policy outcomes to determine the price that voters are willing to pay to achieve their desired inflation rate. His findings suggest that strong anti-inflation policies are politically quite feasible.


Using the conventional techniques of mineralogy, it has been a challenge to determine mineral identity, crystal orientation and spatial position of micrometer-sized crystals that are embedded in a rock, sediment or soil. Traditionally, the individual grains must be extracted and analyzed separately. Crushing or disintegrating a sample annihilates any possibility for gathering information from the texture of the porous media or the mineral assemblage close to the grains in question. A new method using three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3DXRD) microscopy can be successfully applied to natural materials. We combined X-ray microtomography (XMT) and 3DXRD to investigate a sample of very fine-grained chalk containing fracture minerals. The XMT technique provides three-dimensional images of the particles and pore structure at very high resolution (350 nm voxel dimension) on samples less than 500 μm in diameter. The minor phases present as crystals in fractures were determined nondestructively with 3DXRD microscopy. The chalk fragment investigated is composed predominantly of randomly oriented nanometric crystals of calcite that produce powder rings where no texture can be observed. Superimposed on this pattern, Bragg diffraction peaks from the other crystalline phases were observed. Individual crystals of barite and pyrite only a few micrometers in diameter are present in the fractures. Magnetite, celestine and siderite, other minerals that might have been expected based on the XMT absorption contrast, were not identified. The crystal shape and in-fracture location, derived from the microtomograms, and the mineral identity, derived from 3DXRD, allowed us to propose that the fractures are original in these tiny drill cuttings; they were not induced by drilling and filled with drilling mud particles, thus allowing reliable estimates to be made of rock porosity and permeability.


Platelet-derived growth factor-DD (PDGF-DD) is a recently discovered member of the PDGF family. The role of PDGF-DD in pathological angiogenesis and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, using different animal models, we showed that PDGF-DD expression was up-regulated during pathological angiogenesis, and inhibition of PDGF-DD suppressed both choroidal and retinal neovascularization. We also demonstrated a novel mechanism mediating the function of PDGF-DD. PDGF-DD induced glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) Ser9 phosphorylation and Tyr216 dephosphorylation in vitro and in vivo, leading to increased cell survival. Consistently, GSK3β activity was required for the antiangiogenic effect of PDGF-DD targeting. Moreover, PDGF-DD regulated the expression of GSK3β and many other genes important for angiogenesis and apoptosis. Thus, we identified PDGF-DD as an important target gene for antiangiogenic therapy due to its pleiotropic effects on vascular and non-vascular cells. PDGF-DD inhibition may offer new therapeutic options to treat neovascular diseases.


Resonance Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopic technique that utilises electronic absorption bands to dramatically enhance the magnitude of the signal. It has been used effectively to study protein structure and function. Resonance Raman spectroscopy performed in the UV spectral range can probe the structure of proteins by monitoring the local environment of aromatic side chains. Deep-UV resonance Raman spectroscopy with excitation wavelengths less than 200 nm can be used to determine secondary structure of proteins by monitoring the frequencies and intensities of amide backbone modes. The ability to monitor both proteins backbone and side chains in kinetic investigations makes this a very powerful technique for investigations of protein folding and amyloid formation.

Key Concepts:

Resonance Raman spectroscopy measures molecular vibrations, which provides information on local environment and H-bonding. The resonance effect leads to selective enhancement and a simplified spectrum.

Resonance Raman spectroscopy can be used to study samples in a variety of different physical forms such as solutions, gels and fibres.

Time-resolved techniques involving resonance Raman spectroscopy span a wide time range from picoseconds to seconds. Selective investigation of chromophores, protein backbones and sidechains provides a wealth of dynamic information.

Secondary structure of proteins can be determined using UV resonance Raman spectroscopy, which monitors the amide vibrational modes of the peptide backbone. In particular the amide III3 mode frequency has a sinusoidal dependence on the Ramachandran Ψ angle.

UVRR spectroscopy is increasingly being used to study protein folding and the association of proteins and peptides into amyloid fibres.

Keywords:

vibrational spectroscopy;
proteins;
time-resolved;
secondary structure conformation;
temperature jump


This material was originally published in a paper provided at the request of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament and commissioned by the Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union and supervised by its Economic Governance Support Unit (EGOV). The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. The original paper is available on the European Parliament's webpage. © European Union, 2016. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the question of how to handle a big bank's collapse has arisen. Large banks perform functions that if disrupted could seriously damage the financial sector and the real economy. The European Union's new resolution regime introduced by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) aims at orderly resolution of banks, with creditors – and to greatest the extent possible, not the taxpayer – bearing the cost of bankruptcy, while the banking functions crucial to the financial system and the economy continue to be performed. The Single Resolution Board (SRB) has been set up exactly to carry out this task in the banking union. This Policy Contribution evaluates the obstacles to resolvability that the legal and operational structures of the large euro-area banks could present, assuming that it is possible to liquidate smaller and medium-sized banks through transfer of their relevant activities to other banks. Dirk Schoenmaker classifies the large euro-area banks according to their number of legal entities, foreign assets and their governance. From this, he identifies three groups of banks - domestic banks with a limited number of entities; domestic cooperative banks with more complicated legal and decision-making structures; cross-border banks with complex structures operating in multiple jurisdictions. The paper focuses on specific aspects of the SRB's resolvability assessment process. The legal and operational structures of banks should facilitate the separation of critical and non-critical bank operations. Non-critical operations should be liquidated when a bank is in resolution. The SRB should take a strict line on critical functions and, if necessary, overrule national resolution authorities (NRAs). The SRB should not only simplify complex legal structures but also streamline protracted decision-making procedures within banks. Only when effective cooperation arrangements with foreign resolution authorities are in place, should the SRB rely on the efficient single-point-of-entry (SPE) approach. Otherwise, a multiple-point-of-entry (MPE) approach is more realistic. Within the banking union, the SRB should promote the more efficient SPE approach in cooperation with NRAs. There is currently no clarity on the provision of liquidity to a resolved bank. Liquidity is important if the resolved bank is to re-open for business. Dirk Schoenmaker recommends that the European Central Bank should clarify that it is prepared to provide emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) to properly resolved banks.


Investigations were conducted into the determination of optimum dilution ratio and water temperature for extracting oil from thevetia kernel (Thevetia peruviana) using a laboratory screw press capable of transmitting maximum pressure of 4.23×10-2MPa. Samples of 100g weight of the ground thevetia nuts were mixed with 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25ml of water (dilution ratios) at the water temperature levels of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100°C and pressing times of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes. Optimum value of dilution ratio and water temperature for extracting oil from thevetia kernel was found to be 10ml to 100g weight of thevetia meal and 100°C respectively. Maximum oil yield of 35.73g (35.73%) was also obtained for the same weight of thevetia meal. The thevetia oil is dark yellow colour in nature at room temperature. Data from the experiment was analyzed statistically using Analysis of Variance and Duncan Multiple Range test to establish the relationship between oil yield and the mentioned pre pressing conditions. It was found that dilution ratio, water temperature and pressing time were significant at 0.05 level. This means that they have significant effect on oil yield.


The evolution over the years of the mandates and missions of international organizations has reached an important milestone with the emergence and multiplication in the last decade of procedures and mechanisms having a direct impact on individuals and companies. This has gone together with the call for the creation of international remedies with judicial features. International organizations, including the World Bank, have established sanctions mechanisms in an effort to combat corruption and fraud. They are applicable to companies and individuals involved in activities with international financial institutions through procurement or consultancy activities. The World Bank experience offers an interesting example: the decision to sanction individuals and companies entailed the need to provide access to remedies to such non-state actors. External and internal pressures have pushed the institution into putting in place very quickly a mechanism with judicial features. Due process requirements have had a substantial impact on the profile of remedies available to non-state actors in this area.


Multiparameter data on drill cores have a range of useful applications for ore deposit modeling and mineral exploration. Density, magnetic susceptibility, eight major elements, seven trace elements (portable X-ray fluorescence [pXRF]), five mineral groups (near-infrared spectrometry), and average visible light reflectance were determined on rock cores from several drill holes. These are located near the Archean Lemoine auriferous volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit in the Chibougamau mining district, Abitibi subprovince, Quebec, Canada. This case study focuses on one particular drill hole that has been recently characterized in detail by conventional methods (laboratory geochemistry, petrography, and stable isotopes); this provides validation for the multisensor dataset. The best variables and immobile element ratios to distinguish between different lithological units in the multiparameter data are density, magnetic susceptibility, Ti/Zr, Al/Zr, and Zr/Y. Downhole profiles of these parameters allow the four different felsic units in LEM-37, many of which are visually similar, to be distinguished, and geologic contacts to be positioned precisely. Such methods would be even more useful in environments where recognition of primary characteristics is strongly hampered by intense hydrothermal alteration and superimposed deformation or metamorphism. Volcanic and intrusive rocks can be placed on classic diagrams to assign them names and magmatic affinities based on the corrected pXRF data. Downhole profiles of major and trace elements, combined with infrared mineralogy, allow hydrothermal alteration to be characterized, yielding results comparable to those of conventional techniques for the same drill hole, but with a much tighter spacing and within potentially shorter time frames.


The NEAM Tsunami Hazard Model 2018 (NEAMTHM18) is a probabilistic hazard model for tsunamis generated by earthquakes. It covers the coastlines of the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and connected seas (NEAM). NEAMTHM18 was designed as a three-phase project. The first two phases were dedicated to the model development and hazard calculations, following a formalized decision-making process based on a multiple-expert protocol. The third phase was dedicated to documentation and dissemination. The hazard assessment workflow was structured in Steps and Levels. There are four Steps: Step-1) probabilistic earthquake model; Step-2) tsunami generation and modeling in deep water; Step-3) shoaling and inundation; Step-4) hazard aggregation and uncertainty quantification. Each Step includes a different number of Levels. Level-0 always describes the input data; the other Levels describe the intermediate results needed to proceed from one Step to another. Alternative datasets and models were considered in the implementation. The epistemic hazard uncertainty was quantified through an ensemble modeling technique accounting for alternative models' weights and yielding a distribution of hazard curves represented by the mean and various percentiles. Hazard curves were calculated at 2,343 Points of Interest (POI) distributed at an average spacing of ∼20 km. Precalculated probability maps for five maximum inundation heights (MIH) and hazard intensity maps for five average return periods (ARP) were produced from hazard curves. In the entire NEAM Region, MIHs of several meters are rare but not impossible. Considering a 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years (ARP≈2,475 years), the POIs with MIH >5 m are fewer than 1% and are all in the Mediterranean on Libya, Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece coasts. In the North-East Atlantic, POIs with MIH >3 m are on the coasts of Mauritania and Gulf of Cadiz. Overall, 30% of the POIs have MIH >1 m. NEAMTHM18 results and documentation are available through the TSUMAPS-NEAM project website (http://www.tsumaps-neam.eu/), featuring an interactive web mapper. Although the NEAMTHM18 cannot substitute in-depth analyses at local scales, it represents the first action to start local and more detailed hazard and risk assessments and contributes to designing evacuation maps for tsunami early warning.


Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disease characterized by a combination of motor and vocal tics. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), already widely utilized for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, is an emerging therapy for select and severe cases of TS that are resistant to medication and behavioral therapy. Over the last two decades, DBS has been used experimentally to manage severe TS cases. The results of case reports and small case series have been variable but in general positive. The reported interventions have, however, been variable, and there remain non-standardized selection criteria, various brain targets, differences in hardware, as well as variability in the programming parameters utilized. DBS centers perform only a handful of TS DBS cases each year, making large-scale outcomes difficult to study and to interpret. These limitations, coupled with the variable effect of surgery, and the overall small numbers of TS patients with DBS worldwide, have delayed regulatory agency approval (e.g., FDA and equivalent agencies around the world). The Tourette Association of America, in response to the worldwide need for a more organized and collaborative effort, launched an international TS DBS registry and database. The main goal of the project has been to share data, uncover best practices, improve outcomes, and to provide critical information to regulatory agencies. The international registry and database has improved the communication and collaboration among TS DBS centers worldwide. In this paper we will review some of the key operation details for the international TS DBS database and registry.


In this paper, we show that too strong investor protection may harm small firms and, thus, entrepreneurial initiatives. This situation is particularly relevant in crowdinvesting, which refers to a recent financial innovation originating on the Internet. In general, securities regulation offers exemptions to prospectus and registration requirements. From an analysis of selected countries, we offer first evidence that portals shape the securities contracts they provide to startups based on these exemptions. This, in turn, can limit the amount of capital raised by the firms as well as the type of investors participating in the campaigns. Finally, we offer a 'law and finance' analysis of recent reforms of securities regulation in different countries that have been initiated as a means to encourage


Abstract. Numerical models solved on adaptive moving meshes have become increasingly prevalent in recent
years. Motivating problems include the study of fluids in a Lagrangian frame and the presence of
highly localized structures such as shock waves or interfaces. In the former case, Lagrangian
solvers move the nodes of the mesh with the dynamical flow; in the latter, mesh resolution is
increased in the proximity of the localized structure. Mesh adaptation can include remeshing, a
procedure that adds or removes mesh nodes according to specific rules reflecting constraints in the
numerical solver. In this case, the number of mesh nodes will change during the integration and, as
a result, the dimension of the model's state vector will not be conserved. This work presents a
novel approach to the formulation of ensemble data assimilation (DA) for models with this underlying
computational structure. The challenge lies in the fact that remeshing entails a different state
space dimension across members of the ensemble, thus impeding the usual computation of consistent
ensemble-based statistics. Our methodology adds one forward and one backward mapping step before and
after the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) analysis, respectively. This mapping takes all the ensemble members onto a fixed,
uniform reference mesh where the EnKF analysis can be performed. We consider a high-resolution (HR) and a
low-resolution (LR) fixed uniform reference mesh, whose resolutions are determined by the remeshing
tolerances. This way the reference meshes embed the model numerical constraints and are also upper
and lower uniform meshes bounding the resolutions of the individual ensemble meshes. Numerical
experiments are carried out using 1-D prototypical models: Burgers and Kuramoto–Sivashinsky
equations and both Eulerian and Lagrangian synthetic observations. While the HR strategy generally
outperforms that of LR, their skill difference can be reduced substantially by an optimal tuning of
the data assimilation parameters. The LR case is appealing in high dimensions because of its lower
computational burden. Lagrangian observations are shown to be very effective in that fewer of them
are able to keep the analysis error at a level comparable to the more numerous observers for the
Eulerian case. This study is motivated by the development of suitable EnKF strategies for 2-D models
of the sea ice that are numerically solved on a Lagrangian mesh with remeshing.


This paper investigates the performance of different low-complexity combining schemes in the context of dual-hop amplify-and-forward relaying networks. It is assumed that the relay uses single transmit (receive) antenna due to space limitation and to reduce the processing complexity. On the other hand, the transmitter and the receiver use antenna arrays to improve the overall diversity gain. However, this gain is achieved at the expense of increased processing complexity and power consumption. To this end, some combining schemes aiming at reducing the processing complexity and decreasing the number of active receive channels are investigated. Through the analysis, new formulas for the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio statistics in slowly varying and frequency flat Rayleigh fading channels are derived, which are then used to present some performance measures. Numerical and simulation results are presented to clarify the trade-off between the achieved diversity gain and the receive processing complexity.


The Sharpe ratio is widely used as a performance evaluation measure for traditional (i.e., long only) investment funds as well as less-conventional funds such as hedge funds. Based on mean-variance theory, the Sharpe ratio only considers the first two moments of return distributions, so hedge funds characterised by asymmetric, highly-skewed returns with non-negligible higher moments may be misdiagnosed in terms of performance. The Sharpe ratio is also susceptible to manipulation and estimation error. These drawbacks have demonstrated the need for augmented measures, or, in some cases, replacement fund performance metrics. Over the period January 2000 to December 2011 the monthly returns of 184 international long/short (equity) hedge funds with geographical investment mandates spanning North America, Europe, and Asia were examined. This study compares results obtained using the Sharpe ratio (in which returns are assumed to be serially uncorrelated) with those obtained using a technique which does account for serial return correlation. Standard techniques for annualising Sharpe ratios, based on monthly estimators, do not account for this effect. In addition, this study assesses whether the Omega ratio supplements the Sharpe Ratio in the evaluation of hedge fund risk and thus in the investment decision-making process. The Omega and Sharpe ratios were estimated on a rolling basis to ascertain whether the Omega ratio does indeed provide useful additional information to investors to that provided by the Sharpe ratio alone.


Baskerville and Myers (2002) recently suggested that the information systems (IS) field has "come of age" and that it can now serve as a reference discipline for other fields. In this article, the discourse about their vision is extended by considering the potential for the IS field to contribute to new product development (NPD) research. It is argued that the rapid infusion of information technology (IT) along four dimensions of product development process management, project management, information and knowledge management, and collaboration and communication raises several important NPD research issues. These issues could be addressed by drawing from extant theories and models in the IS field. By employing NPD as the context, other issues that underlie the new role envisioned for the IS field are also identified.


Cells can attenuate signals propagated through activated plasma membrane receptors by removing the receptors from the cell surface. Signal downmodulation can occur through internalization of activated receptors in which case the receptors must possess internalization motifs in their cytoplasmic tails. Di-leucine and tyrosine based motifs in the cytoplasmic tails of receptors have been identified that function as tags for internalization. Ubiquitination of plasma membrane receptors also tags proteins for internalization and subsequent endocytic pathway degradation. But it has not been established whether the process of ubiquitination causes the unmasking of a cryptic internalization motif or whether the presence of ubiquitin (Ub) itself is sufficient for internalization. After binding its cognate ligand, the yeast alpha factor receptor, Ste2p, is quickly ubiquitinated and internalized. By generating a chimeric Ste2p molecule whose the cytoplasmic tail is replaced by Ub, Shih et al. demonstrate that ubiquitination alone can mediate activation-dependent internalization of the receptor. Shih, S.C., Sloper-Mould, K.E., and Hicke, L. (2000) Monoubiquitin carries a novel internalization signal that is appended to activated receptors. EMBO J. 19: 187-198. [Abstract] [Full Text]


The aim of this article is to offer a general view of Hungarian terminology, using concrete examples to analyse the experiences gained in the Hungarian-speaking territories within Hungary and outside its borders. In Hungary, the ever-increasing number of new products and scientific achievements, and the broadening of conceptual systems of services, administration, education, etc. made quick and scientifically well-founded terminological classification necessary. The Hungarian economy and society have been transformed these past two decades. The two most important steps in the substantial changes of terminology were the change of political system in 1989, and accession to the European Union in 2004. In the paper I will focus on the terminological problems caused by such variable circumstances.


The EU is at a crossroads. Should it choose the path towards protectionism or the path towards free trade? This book convincingly argues that lobbying regulation will be a decisive first step towards fulfilling the European dream of free trade, in accordance with the original purpose of the Treaty of Rome. Without the regulation of lobbyists to try and prevent undue political persuasion, there is a greater risk of abuse in the form of corruption, subsidies and trade barriers, which will come at the expense of consumers, tax payers and competitiveness.


Mobile students face three related risks in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. First, in determining schools' academic progress, some mobile students may not be academically assessed or counted, reducing the likelihood that their academic needs will get attention. Second, some practices that schools might pursue to avoid accountability for lower achieving students may promote student mobility. Third, family mobility may make it harder for students and their families to access the required program elements and parent involvement provisions of Title I designed to ensure high-quality educational services. Although safeguards were included to minimize some of these risks, implementation problems will continue to plague the Act unless forcefully addressed. Will mobile students be left behind in the efforts to ensure that students become proficient in the challenging skills and knowledge that states say all children should master? The legislative language and accompanying regulations for Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) reflect awareness of that risk and include some efforts to reduce it. Whether those efforts are adequate is the subject of this article. There are three types of risk. First, there is some risk that mobile students may not be assessed or counted for purposes of determining whether schools, districts, and states are making adequate academic progress-thereby increasing the likelihood that they will receive less academic attention. Second, there is risk that lower achieving students may be moved from one school to another in order to avoid school accountability for their achievement. Third, there is the risk that students' mobility may make it less likely that they receive the adequate education and assistance services required under other provisions of Title I. THE RISK THAT MOBILE STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ASSESSED OR COUNTED FOR SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY There are two distinct questions here. First, will students' achievement be assessed? Second, will their assessment results count in determining whether the school, district, or state is performing adequately under NCLB's accountability provisions? Assessing Students If a student's academic proficiencies are not properly assessed, there is less likelihood that his or her academic needs will be adequately identified, understood, and addressed. A central premise of Title I is that relying only on students passing courses, for example, is not adequate when there is no assurance that those courses are actually teaching the full range of knowledge and skills that, under state standards, all students should learn. Further, NCLB requires that individual assessment results be shared with the child's teachers and parents, and used to improve that child's instruction, which cannot happen if the child is not assessed. NCLB requires that all students in certain grades1 be assessed in order to determine the extent to which they are proficient in the challenging academic skills and knowledge the state has said, through adoption of its academic standards, all students should master. No ambiguity exists on this point-all students, including mobile students, must be assessed. The risks here are related to implementation, and the possibility that, despite the clear provisions of the law, some students will not be assessed.2 This could happen because, for example, they do not happen to be in school on the days students are being assessed or, less innocently, because someone in the school has encouraged them not to come and participate, since their expected low scores will depress the school's achievement outcomes. These are risks shared by many other students as well, but students' mobility increases the likelihood they will not be in school or included when the assessments are conducted. Faulty reading of the NCLB may increase the potential that some students will not be assessed. A separate provision requires that, regardless of assessment results, a school will not be deemed to be making adequate progress, for accountability purposes, if less than 95% of its students or less than 95% of any subgroup-low-income students, students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, and students from each major racial and ethnic group-have been assessed. …


In recent years, the seismic verification of structures has dramatically evolved. Malaysia is surrounded by countries such as Indonesia and Philippine that has experienced many great earthquakes; hence it would be unwise to totally ignore the effects of earthquakes on structures in Malaysia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the vulnerability of existing Dams in Malaysia region under earthquake ground motion because In case of severe ground motions, substantial cracking is likely to develop across significant regions of the dam, and its consequences must be taken into account for a rigorous seismic evaluation. By evaluating the seismic performance of the dams we can predict dam's resistance to prevent economic damage and loss of human life in case of dam failure. In this study we present the results of the case studies of the earthquake response on various types of dams (Concrete, Rockfill and Earthfill Dams). To achieve this purpose, dams have been remodeled using SAP2000 and PLAXIS. Three different analysis methods (Free Vibration, Time History and Response Spectrum) have been implemented in this Project to study the behavior of these dams under earthquake loading, Seismic hazard was represented by the peak ground acceleration at the dam site. After analyzing the dams in SAP2000 and PLAXIS we will compare the existing stress from the output data with dams' capacity to identify the critical parts of the dams under earthquake loading. This problem can be efficiently tackled with necessary boundary conditions with finite element technique. The dams considered in the present investigation, are analyzed by two dimensional plane strain formulations with four node quadrilateral elements in SAP2000 and 15-noded triangular elements in PLAXIS. We have done the response spectrum and linear time history analysis by using SAP2000 and Non-linear dynamic analysis by means of PLAXIS. Both softwares have included soil-structure interaction in analysis.


Although many health communication researchers use the terms "shame" and "guilt" interchangeably, arguably these constructs are distinct and have widely divergent psychological consequences. The purpose of this study was to explore distinct cognitive and emotional outcomes resulting from shame relative to guilt appeals. Specifically, this paper provides empirical evidence that negative outcomes such as anger and perceived manipulative intent are more likely to be associated with shame than guilt. Using an experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to view either a shame or a guilt appeal about getting tested for STDs and completed an online questionnaire. Shame was correlated with both anger and perceived manipulative intent whereas guilt was not. Participants who viewed the shame appeal reported higher levels of shame, anger, and perceived manipulative intent. Tactics for creating shame-free guilt appeals and future research are discussed.


We use arcs found by Storme and van Maldeghem

in their classification of primitive arcs in ${\rm PG}(2,q)$

as seeds for constructing small complete arcs in these planes.

Our complete arcs are obtained by taking the union of

such a ``seed arc'' with some orbits of a subgroup of its stabilizer.

Using this approach we construct

five different complete 15-arcs fixed by $\Z_3$ in ${\rm PG}(2,37)$,

a complete 20-arc fixed by $\S_3$ in ${\rm PG}(2,61)$,

and two different complete 22-arcs fixed by $\D_5$ in ${\rm PG}(2,71)$.

In all three cases, the size of complete arcs constructed

in this paper is strictly smaller than the size of the smallest

complete arcs (in the respective plane) known so far.


Research has been carried out into the educational and training innovations resulting from the current implementation of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in institutions of higher education in order to understand how these innovations interrelate with teaching and learning; the implications at the institutional level; and the cross-cultural diversity within virtual learning environments, with an emphasis on those that combine face-to-face and virtual learning. In an attempt at innovating public educational institutions through the restructuring and promotion of educational co-operation at the European level, a study was made of nine institutions that provide tertiary education and postgraduate training in six European countries.


Tetrahymena, a free-living unicellular eukaryote, is a ciliate considered to be the most highly developed protozoan, because it possesses specialised organelles that perform each of the cell functions. This pear-shaped microorganism (30×50 μm) can be found in almost all freshwater environments, including even natural hot springs in which a thermotolerant strain can live. One distinct feature that sets ciliate apart from other multicellular eukaryotes is the possession of two functionally different nuclei – macronucleus, which is transcriptionally active and responsive for the somatic function of cells, and micronucleus, which is transcriptionally silent and serves as germinal nucleus during mating. Tetrahymena grows easily to high density. Its relatively large size, nuclear dimorphism and other unique genetic characteristics make it a good model system to study the molecular, cellular and genetic processes of cells.

Key Concepts:

Ciliates are unicellular organisms that execute many biological activities observed in multicellular organisms.

Tetrahymena cells can survive under extremely dangerous conditions such as cold, pH alterations and osmotic stress.

Tetrahymena cells possess rapid adaptation machineries to regulate biological processes including cell division, conjugation and cell death against intracellular and extracellular stresses.

Keywords:

protozoa;
Tetrahymena;
cell culture;
synchrony;
temperature shift;
starvation;
conjugation


Although many studies find that voting in Africa approximates an ethnic census in that voting is primarily along ethnic lines, hardly any of the studies have sought to explain ethnic voting following a rational choice framework. Using data of voter opinions from a survey conducted two weeks before the December 2007 Kenyan elections, we find that the expected benefits associated with a win by each of the presidential candidates varied significantly across voters from different ethnic groups. We hypothesize that decision to participate in the elections was influenced by the expected benefits as per the minimax-regret voting model. We test the predictions of this model using data of voter turnout in the December 2007 elections and find that turnout across ethnic groups varied systematically with expected benefits. The results suggest that individuals participated in the elections primarily to avoid the maximum regret should a candidate from another ethnic group win. The results therefore offer credence to the minimax regret model as proposed by Ferejohn and Fiorina (1974) and refute the Downsian expected utility model.


Pure gallium and pure boron (PureGaB) Ge-on-Si photodiodes were fabricated in a CMOS compatible process and operated in linear and avalanche mode. Three different pixel geometries with very different area-to-perimeter ratios were investigated in linear arrays of 300 pixels with each a size of 26 × 26 μm2. The processing of anode contacts at the anode perimeters leaving oxide covered PureGaB-only light-entrance windows, created perimeter defects that increased the vertical Ge volume but did not deteriorate the diode ideality. The dark current at 1 V reverse bias was below 35 μA/cm2 at room temperature and below the measurement limit of 2.5 × 10-2 μA/cm2 at 77 K. Spread in dark current levels and optical gain, that reached the range of 106 at 77 K, was lowest for the devices with largest perimeter. All device types were reliably operational in a wide temperature range from 77 K to room temperature. The spectral sensitivity of the detectors extended from visible to the telecom band with responsivities of 0.15 and 0.135 A/W at 850 and 940 nm, respectively.


In the first four years of LHD experiment, several encouraging results have emerged, the most significant of which is that MHD stability and good transport are compatible in the inward shifted axis configuration. The observed energy confinement at this optimal configuration is consistent with ISS95 scaling with an enhancement factor of 1.5. The confinement enhancement over the smaller heliotron devices is attributed to the high edge temperature. We find that plasma with an average beta of 3 % is stable in this configuration even though the theoretical stability conditions of Mercier modes and pressure driven low n modes are violated. In the low density discharges heated by NBI and ECR heatings, ITB(internal transport barrier) and an associated high central temperature (> 10 keV) are seen. The radial electric field measured in these discharges is positive (electron root) and expected to play a key role in the formation of the ITB. The positive electric field is also found to suppress the ion thermal diffusivity as predicted by neoclassical transport theory. The width of the externally imposed island (n/m=1/1) is found to decrease when the plasma is collisionless with finite beta and it increases when the plasma is collisional. The ICRF heating in LHD is successful and a high energy tail ( up to 500keV) has been detected for minority ion heating, demonstrating good confinement of the high energy particles. The magnetic field line structure unique to the heliotron edge configuration is confirmed by measuring the plasma density and temperature profiles on the divertor plate. A long pulse (2minute) discharge with an ICRF power of 0.4 MW has been demonstrated and energy confinement characteristics are almost the same as those in short pulse discharges.


In many cases, it is impractical to measure the vibrations directly at or close to their source. It is a common practice to measure the vibration at a location far from the source for condition monitoring purposes. The vibration measured in this way inevitably has high distortions from the vibrations due to the effect of the attenuation of signal paths and the interference from other sources. The suppression of the distortions is a key issue for the remote measurements based condition monitoring. In this paper, the influences of transducer locations are investigated on a typical gearbox transmission system for the detection of the faults induced to the gearbox. Several signal processing techniques' analysis results show that the attenuation and interference cause high influences on the gear transmission signals. However, time synchronous average (TSA) is very effective to detect the local faults induced to the gear system.


Students often come to a high school science classes without the skills they need to be successful in an inquiry based science class. These skills include the ability to write about science procedures and findings, read about and connect science content, and work collaboratively through science inquiry processes. This research used the Science Writing Heuristic to provide students with a template for inquiry based activities. With the SWH, students worked collaboratively on in inquiry based activity and then wrote about the science they did including procedures, observations, data, and results. Students then compared their findings with the findings of other groups. They used this information to make a claim about the content and supported the claim with evidence or data. Students were then asked to make a connection between the content and the activity through a reading assignment that explained the concept further, described a model of the content, or was a real-world application of the content. The goal of SWH was to improve students' understanding of science by reading, writing and collaborating about science. After a nine week pre-treatment and treatment phase data was collected to compare the skills students had gained and to determine if their understanding of science content had improved. Various methods were used to collect and analyze data including student surveys, field notes with observations about student collaboration, exam, quiz and lab grades, and a teacher reflective journal. Based on the data gathered, the students' ability to collaborate improved and they learned more through guided collaborative work. Student quiz grades did not change based on the SWH template, but exam grades did improve. The reading component of the SWH template did not produce the results I expected and students did not relate the reading to any of the content questions and many students did not read the assignments. In conclusion, the SWH approach provided me with information I can use as a teacher in the future. Despite the approach not being a complete success, parts of it can be used to help increase the skills students need to be successful in a science classroom.