Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of biological disorders with associated metabolic derangement. This study aimed to identify a pattern of metabolic perturbance in ASD using metabolomics in urinary specimens from 48 children with ASD and 53 age matched controls. Using a combination of liquid- and gas-chromatography-based mass spectrometry, we detected the levels of 82 metabolites (53 of which were increased) that were significantly altered between the ASD and the control groups using osmolality normalized data. Pattern analysis showed that the levels of several amino acids such as glycine, serine, threonine, alanine, histidine, glutamyl amino acids and the organic acid, taurine were significantly (p≤0.05) lower in ASD children. The levels of antioxidants such as carnosine were also reduced in ASD (p=0.054). Furthermore, several gut bacterial metabolites were significantly altered in ASD children who had gastrointestinal dysfunction. Overall, this study detected abnormal amino acid metabolism, increased oxidative stress, and altered gut microbiomes in ASD. The relationship of altered gut microbial co-metabolism and the disrupted metabolisms requires further investigation.


-With the emergence of advanced vehicles with Internet facilities the computational and communication problems have increased drastically. Fog computing is one such technique and a potential solution to increase the advanced offloading at the edge network. The offloading targets are offloading task granularity, offloading choice time, and force models for offloading dynamic. In this paper we have proposed fog-computing to minimise the power consumption of vehicles and that of computational facilities in the internet of vehicles. Errand granularity, offloading choice time, and force models for offloading dynamic. In contrast to a large portion of the current works, we consider both the postponement tolerant and delay-requirement benefits so as to accomplish the streamlined help inactivity and income. Besides, we consider the various needs to organize the edge administrations for ideal assistance offloading. We formulate the proposed scheme mathematically. Based on the force model, an offloading choice model is proposed to powerfully decide if a help summon ought to be offloaded.


The Zhuangzi is a collection of ancient Chinese anecdotes and fables that serves as a foundational Daoist text. The style in which it is written is significant because it obscures rather than reveals the text's philosophic positions. If the text cannot be translated into plain language while preserving its content, as the Mozi or the Mencius generally can be, then the writing style is not merely rhetorical. The style is itself indispensable to the content. In this study, I analyse a linguistic device mentioned in the Zhuangzi and use it to reflect the text's writing style—namely, "goblet words" (zhi yan 巵言). I argue that various logical forms of goblet words defy the act of fixing a definite answer in any conceptual distinction or disputation. The forms, which include dilemmatic questions, oxymora and double denial, all serve to preserve indeterminacy. Reading goblet words may affect readers by making them more open-minded towards distinctions. However, readers cannot ascertain that the text's authors produced this effect intentionally. Therefore, the text may cause readers to be open-minded while the authors remain free of commitment.


Printing nanosheet-network transistors Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and metal chalcogenides such as tungsten diselenide (WSe2) are attractive for use in low-cost thin-film transistors (TFTs) because they have high charge-carrier mobility. Kelly et al. printed TFTs from networks of exfoliated dispersions of 2D materials with graphene contacts, WSe2 as the semiconductor, and a boron nitride separator. Electrolytic gating with ionic liquids enabled higher operating currents than achieved with comparable organic TFTs. Science, this issue p. 69 Vertically stacked transistors made from printed networks of exfoliated nanosheets support high currents and on-off ratios. All-printed transistors consisting of interconnected networks of various types of two-dimensional nanosheets are an important goal in nanoscience. Using electrolytic gating, we demonstrate all-printed, vertically stacked transistors with graphene source, drain, and gate electrodes, a transition metal dichalcogenide channel, and a boron nitride (BN) separator, all formed from nanosheet networks. The BN network contains an ionic liquid within its porous interior that allows electrolytic gating in a solid-like structure. Nanosheet network channels display on:off ratios of up to 600, transconductances exceeding 5 millisiemens, and mobilities of >0.1 square centimeters per volt per second. Unusually, the on-currents scaled with network thickness and volumetric capacitance. In contrast to other devices with comparable mobility, large capacitances, while hindering switching speeds, allow these devices to carry higher currents at relatively low drive voltages.


Water-activated magnesium batteries possess several favorable attributes for energy storage and lighting sources. In this chapter, a portable-sized magnesium battery which consisted of MnO 2 cathodes and magnesium alloy anodes, being activated by drops of water, was investigated. The anode and cathode potential as well as their electrochemical impedance under a constant current load was monitored to evaluate the effect of water content, cell stacking, and discharging cycles. It was revealed that the discharge behavior was initially controlled by the depletion of water, followed by the cease of cathode reac - tion and the accumulation of Mg(OH) 2 at anode. The problem of low anode efficiency caused by stacking cells was analyzed, and its countermeasure was proposed. Several approaches to improve the battery performance were also presented.


Designed for quick, easy reference in the office or clinic, "Atlas of Vulvar Disease" is a robust pictorial and textual guide to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of vulvar diseases. Written by Edward J. Wilkinson, MD, a professor of pathology and expert in gynecologic pathology, and I. Keith Stone, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, this atlas is a must-have resource for both clinicians and pathologists focused on women's health. Organized by dermatologic findings, "Atlas of Vulvar Disease" presents a complete overview of diseases within each broader topic area. Each disorder includes a definition, general features, clinical presentation, microscopic features, differential diagnosis, clinical behavior and treatment, and progressive therapeutic options, to guide the diagnosis and treatment of various vulvar diseases. Hundreds of full-color clinical photographs and relevant histopathologic photographs illustrate the clinical appearance and histopathologic characteristics of the full spectrum of vulvar diseases. Tables on sexually transmitted diseases, vesicobullous disease, and the classification of vulvar diseases are included to assist in differential diagnosis. Clinical pathological correlations aid in the diagnosis and interpretation of laboratory findings. Two indexes facilitate quick look up a disease entity or a clinical presentation. A free companion web site features the full-text as well as an extensive image bank of clinical and histopathologic photographs from the book.


of a thesis at the University of Miami. Thesis supervised by Professor Gecheng Zha. No. of pages in text. (118) This study is focused on the experimental investigation of and extended rear view mirror and the development of near-wake flow in an effort to reduce the overall base pressure drag of the model. The passive flow control technique was employed through a circumferential slot of the rearward facing edge of a bluff body to deliver a passive jet in the direction of the free stream. The passive jet employs the surrounding high energy free stream air through an intake slot in the front of the model in order to enhance the mixing layer of the immediate wake region in addition to energizing the wake area flow through entrainment. These effects subsequently caused a reduction of the effects of adverse pressure gradients that are associated with separation of the free stream shear layer over the over the passive jet model surface. The jet produced along the rear surface not only increased the turbulence of the mixing layer, but can also be directly tied to the coherent nature of the wake area flow. Using Two Dimensional Two Component (2D2C) in addition to Two Dimensional Three component (2D3C) Particle Image Velocimetry applied to our model in an open circuit wind tunnel, results show a substantial reduction in the overall wake area for which we attribute to the enhancements due to mixing effects of the passive jet interacting with the free stream shear layer. Flow entrainment from enhanced vorticity through the production coherent structures are believed to initiate the mixing layer earlier, in addition to increase the growth rate of the mixing layer while also attributing to the increase in the overall shear layer thickness as well. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was carried out on an automobile mirror model with three configurations in order to investigate the effects of a baseline model including the absence of a passive jet mixing, a modified model including a small area circumferential jet and a heavily modified model including a large circumferential slot area jet. In combination with PIV, Partial Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) also referred to as the Karhunen Loeve expansion, was also applied in order to analyze the underlying large scale structures and dominant behaviors that would otherwise be hard to identify in the immediate wake flow structure. The mirror models used for testing was designed and produced to provide three specific testing configurations, baseline, Jet 1 and Jet 2. In order to proceed with the testing of the mirror models, the design and manufacturing of a reinforced force balance mounting apparatus was necessary in order to provide a more rigid and secure platform to measure aerodynamic loads of the mirror and future designs. The nature of the new design includes multiple support location in order to more equally distribute the loading in addition to bearings to assist in experiments that require a rotation of the model in order to increase the angle with respect to the free steam flow.


Direct oxidation alkaline fuel cells (DOAFCs) possess particular advantages on the possibility of employing low cost non-noble metal catalysts. A wide range of fuels can be used due to superior reaction kinetics in alkaline media. The development of DOAFCs was hindered by the carbonation of electrolyte due to the presence of CO2. The application of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) provides the possibility of reducing the effect of carbonation and fuel crossover which is an issue in the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The latest developments in alkaline fuel cells are examined in this paper, considering different types of fuels, novel catalysts and anion exchange membranes. Moreover, alkaline fuel cell systems and configurations are studied, particularly the new designs for portable or microelectronic devices. Further development of DOAFCs will rely on novel AEMs with good ionic conductivity and stability, low cost non-Pt catalysts with high activity and good stability for various fuels and oxidant. We envisage that DOAFCs will play a major role in energy research and applications in the near future.


The purpose of this paper is to highlight the significance of considering the organizational ecosystem in implementing wikis for knowledge sharing.The findings suggest that a prerequisite of an effective wiki is the appreciation of the factors that make up the organizational ecosystem; technical and organizational factors are variable elements of the ecosystem that can significantly impact the wiki; and the task of re-aligning an existing wiki taking into consideration these factors can be complex.The case study was based on knowledge sharing in a public project management organization, thereby limiting the generalizability to other organizations. Organizations which are keen to adopt wiki as part of their knowledge management initiative need to contextualize their wiki initiative within the organizational context.This research contributes to extending the knowledge-base of the factors that impact the effectiveness of wikis for knowledge sharing by linking the wiki to the broader organizational factors.


Finance is a key milestone for AI. Imagine coming back from vacation and talking to your virtual assistant about your investment portfolio and wondering how she does it, quarter after quarter, year after year. Managing money is the real test for human AI. It has to talk, it has to think, it has to have intuition and it has to make money. Despite the AI Game successes, there is no AI player with such capability today and it's unclear whether brain emulation under Strong AI is the preferred direction for achieving human AI. This paper uses a historical context to explain why it maybe time to denounce social systems, embrace system thinking, and explore simple ideas like computational linguistics to explore technologies that can teach computers to talk, think, assimilate knowledge and hence also manage money. Such technologies should set up the foundation for Web 4.0.


Summary form only given. Atmospheric pressure glow discharges have in the past decade been shown to be capable of inactivating a wide range of micro-organisms including vegetative bacteria and bacterial spores. This promises a generic plasma-based sterilization and sanitation procedure with application in both the healthcare and food industries. It also encourages an in-depth and systematic study of how plasma species may impact on cell viability and how different cellular conditions may influence inactivation efficacy. One of the greatest knowledge gaps surrounds the issue of whether the resistance of spores can be affected either by conditions prevailing at the time of sporulation, or by the environment in which the spores are subsequently exposed to the plasma. Also hitherto neglected is the effect of spore density on atmospheric plasma inactivation. Without a clear understanding of these issues, it will be difficult to arrive at robust procedures that can be used to achieve the desired levels of sterility. In this work, we report on the kinetics of inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores supported on membrane filters. Using a 20 kHz low-power atmospheric glow discharge, Bacillus subtilis spores of different initial cell densities were exposed to plasma treatment over different periods of time up to 10 minutes. It is shown that Bacillus subtilis of higher cell density were more resistant to plasma treatment. We also varied the physiological state of the spores by desiccation, and exposed the desiccated spores to plasma treatment to establish changes to inactivation kinetics. Fluorescence microscopy and scanning emission microscopy are also used to support the above studies and to enable new insights to be gained into plasma injuries of Bacillus subtilis. Finally plasma chemistry is studied using time-resolved emission spectroscopy to understand the make-up of plasma species to which Bacillus subtilis spores are exposed. The synergistic interplay of these studies is then used to attempt a coherent picture of the injuries inflicted by atmospheric glow discharges


In recent decades the American economy has experienced the worst peace-time inflation in its history and the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. These circumstances have prompted renewed interest in the concept of business cycles, which Joseph Schumpeter suggested are "like the beat of the heart, of the essence of the organism that displays them." In The American Business Cycle , some of the most prominent macroeconomics in the United States focuses on the questions, To what extent are business cycles propelled by external shocks? How have post-1946 cycles differed from earlier cycles? And, what are the major factors that contribute to business cycles? They extend their investigation in some areas as far back as 1875 to afford a deeper understanding of both economic history and the most recent economic fluctuations. Seven papers address specific aspects of economic activity: consumption, investment, inventory change, fiscal policy, monetary behavior, open economy, and the labor market. Five papers focus on aggregate economic activity. In a number of cases, the papers present findings that challenge widely accepted models and assumptions. In addition to its substantive findings, The American Business Cycle includes an appendix containing both the first published history of the NBER business-cycle dating chronology and many previously unpublished historical data series.


Medical and paramedical students need high qualities of mental health as a prerequisite of learning and also clinical performance. However, studying medicine and paramedicine, by themselves, seem to be stressful. The present research was conducted with the objective of determining and comparing the sources and severity of stress between medical and paramedical students. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was carried out among the 40 medical and 40 paramedical students of Hormozgan University of Medical Science (HUMS) in October, 2015. A three part self-administered questionnaire was used for data gathering. Part one was designed for demographic characteristics including age, gender, term and field of education while the second and third parts consisted of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and a 32-item list of potential stressors, respectively. Stress sources were determined using logistic regression analysis. The overall PSS mean score of the students was 20.04±11.57 (23.70±12.85 for medical and 16.38±8.88 for paramedical students). Among the 80 subjects, 22 cases (27.5%) had perceived stress (PSS-14 score more than 28), 6 cases were paramedical students while the others (16 cases) were medical students. Logistic regression analysis indicated phase of education, age, academic, psychosocial and health related factors as sources of stress in medical students while phase of education, age, gender and psychosocial factors were reported as the sources of stress in paramedical students. The prevalence of perceived stress was higher in medical students rather than paramedical ones mainly due to academic and health related factors.


Regular plural nouns rarely appear as the first member of a compound noun in English under any circumstances, while irregular plurals are more likely under certain conditions. One explanation holds that this is a consequence of the fundamentally different ways in which regular and irregular plurals are stored and processed, while an alternative explanation suggests that it may be rooted in phonological differences between regular and irregular forms. If the first part of a compound is phonologically restricted, the restrictions may interact with lexical access in a way that disfavors regular plurals (especially given that plurals of any sort are of low frequency in the first part of a compound, so processing is far from ceiling). This paper provides evidence from a case study of one child that the first part of a compound can be phonologically restricted compared to nouns when they appear as independent words. The data address compounds whose first elements are monomorphemic nouns, rather than plurals, but document the existence of phonological restrictions within compounds for at least one child This existence proof strengthens the hypothesis that differences between regular and irregular forms may derive partly from differences in phonological structure.


There are many activities performed in a repeated way and in a risk positions that cause fatigue and subsequently may origin cumulative trauma diseases and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Although the disorders may appear as a consequence of an intense effort, its development is a multifactorial process, but it usually occurs because the prolonged exposure in certain positions or movements. The disorders can be of different severity degree, since mild periodic symptoms to serious synchronous conditions. One of the main reasons why this kind of disorders occurs is due to the bad designed workplaces. In order to detect bad designed workplaces are important to evaluate consistently the jobs, especially the manual activities in the industry. Ergonomic assessments allow having a vision of the work situation in order to design safe, healthy and productive jobs. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the process expansion of the tube fabrication industry, and implement an evaluation system musculoskeletal complaint in the industry. The Quick Exposure Check (QEC) assessment is one of the observational tools, developed for health professional to detect risk exposure and it was used to evaluate the process expansion of the tube fabrication industry. The process was analyzed during two months, evaluating frequency, duration and load weight. The body segments evaluated were back, shoulder, arm, wrist and neck. The study was conducted among 30 workers. In this study we have evaluated the prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) symptoms among workers of the process expansion of the tube fabrication and the prevalence reported by the respondents was very high; 80% of respondents reported having pain in the shoulders at the end of the day. Shoulder pain is one of the most common presenting complaints in the daily clinical practice and in the process expansion of the tube fabrication; this accumulative trauma disease can be provoked. Our purpose was to implement the evaluation system CCR in the process expansion of the tube fabrication industry.


This paper examines how one primary school in the East Midlands region has worked to establish a culture of teacher-led, evidence-based teacher inquiry. It reports on a pilot year of research when the senior leadership team (SLT) decided to implement a strategic focus on evidence-based teaching, which would generate their own school knowledge, equip teachers to take more responsibility for their own teaching and professional development and to broaden their local and national networks. The SLT led the inquiry process using various initiatives as suggested vehicles for inquiry with the aim of galvanising teaching staff into making changes to their pedagogical approaches. Working with a local HEI academic as supporter of this process and advisor to the Head teacher, appropriate practice-based methodologies were deployed, trialled, role-modelled and evaluated by the SLT. A local HEI academic advised the SLT on the implementation of this approach, which was followed up by a small scale piece of research and evaluation to further inform the evidence base.


Unusual weather conditions over the southern Europe and the Mediterranean area in 2003 significantly impacted the oceanographic properties of the Adriatic Sea. To document these changes, both in the atmosphere and the sea, anomalies from the normal climate were calculated. The winter 2003 was extremely cold, whereas the spring/summer period was extremely warm. The air temperature in June was more than 3 standard deviations above the average. On the other hand, precipitation and river runoff were extremely low between February and August. The response of the sea was remarkable, especially in surface salinity during spring and summer, with values at least one standard deviation above the average. Analysis of thermohaline properties in the middle Adriatic showed the importance of two phenomena responsible for the occurrence of exceptionally high salinity: (1) enhanced inflow of saline Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) in the Adriatic, and (2) extremely low precipitation and river runoff, accompanied with strong evaporation. Two large-scale atmospheric indices: NAOI (North Atlantic Oscillation Index) and MOI (Mediterranean Oscillation Index), although generally correlated to the Adriatic climate, failed to describe anomalies in 2003. The air pressure gradients used for the definition of both indices significantly decreased in 2003 due to the presence of the high pressure areas over most of Europe and the northern Atlantic, and were actually responsible for the observed anomalies above and in the Adriatic.


The governments of resource rich states have several options for how to allocate oil and mineral revenues, including the direct distribution of revenues to their citizens. This paper discusses the political feasibility and political implications of such cash transfers in the specific context of resource-rich states. Identifying the contexts in which this policy is mostly likely to emerge, and understanding the potential governance risks and benefits, will help policymakers to consider the desirability of cash transfers as an allocation choice. Cash transfers could have positive political and governance effects, but they should not be taken for granted. Possible benefits include the creation of a constituency in favor of sound natural resource management, a more level playing field between the state and the citizens, the emergence of broad-based taxation and its positive accountability effects, and less of the principal-agent problems that currently keep resources from serving the public interest. These effects may not play out in all resource-rich states, as transfers could end up reflecting rather than reducing the extortion and rentierism that frequent these contexts. Careful country selection, strong understandings of the context, and politically aware program design could increase the likelihood that cash transfers contribute to more favorable governance outcomes.


We extend the concept of dynamic pricing by integrating it with overselling with opportunistic cancellation option, within the framework of dynamic policy. Under this strategy, to sell a stock of perishable product (or capacity) two prices are offered to customers at any given time period. Customers are categorized as high-paying and low-paying ones. The seller deliberately oversells its capacity if high paying customers show up, even when the capacity is already fully booked by low-paying customers. In that case, the sale to some low-paying customers is canceled, although an appropriate compensation must be provided. A dynamic programming approach is applied to formulate and solve this problem. We develop two models for continuous and periodic pricing, depending on the frequency of price changing. The advantage of this system over dynamic pricing model is investigated through some numerical examples. We also study some structural properties of the optimal policies.


ABSTRACT
 The sweetpotato weevil Cylas formicarius (F.) (Coleoptera: Brentidae) is one of the most serious insects causing damage to sweetpotatoes in the world. Small populations of these insects can cause severe damage to tubers of the crop. Without proper and effective control, weevil populations are likely to cause a huge or complete loss of sweetpotato production in sweetpotato growing areas. Consequently, there is an urgent need for development of an eco-friendly control method for this weevil. Although some control methods are effective, toxic pesticides applications are detrimental and damaging to our environment. Although pheromone traps are currently being used, no effective control of this weevil was achieved. Therefore, studies were carried out as part of the development of a trapping system for C. formicarius. Previous color-choice field tests have confirmed that C. formicarius preferred red traps over gray, green, brown, blue, white, yellow, or black; light red was more attractive than other shades of red. The current study aimed to know whether C. formicarius behavior changes in indoor conditions. Among the eight colored traps tested in the laboratory, green-colored traps were more effective in attracting C. formicarius than all other colors. It attracted nearly double the number of weevils than standard traps presently being used by growers. Based on these results, it is recommended to use green-colored traps to mass trap weevils (by attracting and killing) from sweetpotatoes grown under indoor (storage) conditions.


Currently, 250 000 men are affected by prostate cancer in the UK. Clinical guidance is crucial for nurses involved in the care delivery for men with advanced prostate cancer and for their families to maximize their quality and quantity of life. It is essential that nurses understand how prostate cancer is diagnosed, can recognize signs of disease progression, are familiar with disease management, and can educate patients and manage any symptoms appropriately and effectively. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review current evidence-based guidelines in relation to care delivery for men with metastatic prostate cancer in order to optimize best supportive care. A literature review was conducted in a range of electronic databases (DARE, Cochrane, MEDLINE, BNI, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CIHAHL) to identify studies employing qualitative and/or quantitative methods. National (UK) and European clinical guidelines were also reviewed. Methodological evaluation was conducted and the evidence-based recommendations were integrated in a narrative synthesis. Supportive care is a person-centred approach to the provision of the necessary services for those living with or affected by cancer to meet their informational, spiritual, emotional, social or physical needs during diagnosis, treatment or follow-up phases including issues of health promotion, survivorship, palliation and bereavement. A multidisciplinary and proactive approach to the management of men with metastatic prostate cancer ensures safe and effective supportive care delivery. Nurses involved in the care delivery for this patient group need to be aware of the complex physical and psychological supportive care needs, and evidence-based management care plans to ensure a personalized and tailored support to optimize quality of life.


The effects of cognitive strategies on pain tolerance and performance in subjects with muscle soreness were investigated. Female (n = 18) and male (n =12) subjects were matched for strength and then randomly assigned to dissociation, association, or control groups. Muscle soreness was induced in the quadriceps and hamstrings muscle groups by repeated eccentric contractions against heavy resistance, which resulted in significant decrements in peak torque (PT) and total work (TW). ANOVAs revealed no significant group differences (p < .05) in muscle soreness, state anxiety, and estimated strength and endurance performance 48 hr following the soreness induction. Association strategy subjects increased their quadriceps strength performance following cognitive intervention, whereas strength performance in the dissociation and control groups was not affected. No significant treatment effects were observed for hamstrings strength or quadriceps and hamstrings endurance. Both dissociation and association groups per...


In this Article, the Author explores current challenges to accessing and evaluating information about environmental risks to fetal development. She investigates these challenges within the context of the existing regulatory framework for environmental risks. As a result of this analysis, she highlights the need for and proposes creating an independent non-profit umbrella organization—a clearinghouse—to collect, distill, interpret, and make accessible the research on environmental threats to fetal development and to apply that research to evaluating relevant U.S. policy. The Author defines broadly the research on fetal development that lies within the charge of the clearinghouse to include not only research about chemical toxicant risks but also research involving environmental risks related to criminal and social justice policies.


C# has changed significantly since it was first introduced. With the many upgraded features, C# is more expressive than ever. However, an in depth understanding is required to get the most out of the language. C# in Depth, Second Edition is a thoroughly revised, up-to-date book that covers the new features of C# 4 as well as Code Contracts. In it, youll see the subtleties of C# programming in action, learning how to work with high-value features that youll be glad to have in your toolkit. The book helps readers avoid hidden pitfalls of C# programming by understanding behind the scenes issues.


Major changes take place in the planform and bed topography of the Jamuna River, Bangladesh, particularly during the flood season, and the effect of these changes are investigated in this paper in the form of a stability analysis by perturbation technique. A two-dimensional model of flow and sediment transport in an alluvial river
with erodible bed and non-erodible banks is developed and applied to the Jamuna River, Bangladesh. The effect of transverse slope resulting from the
effect of secondary currents, the effect of spiral motion due to curvature of the
channel on the bed shear stress, and the effect of frictional resistance occurring
from pure skin friction and friction due to bedforms, are considered in the model. The 2-D model can be used to check the instability due to the dunecovered
alluvial bed. A stability theory has been developed which determines the most unstable mode, the celerity and propagation of the sand dunes, and
the wave number corresponds to maximum instability. The theory is also capable of differentiating between braiding and meandering phenomena. Several implications of the proposed model are also discussed. The proposed
model is used to analyze both the meandering and braided patterns of the river. The results from the analyses of the Jamuna River show that instability
always exists in the Jamuna River under maximum instability conditions because of its very low aspect ratio (...1/1000) and more than three braids.


An adult female bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, from the Beaufort Sea, Alaska (USA), had necrosis of a well-demarcated portion of the mid-jejunum and adjacent mesentery, accompanied by fibrinous peritonitis. The veins within the mesentery adjacent to the affected intestine were severely dilated and hyperemic. There were no perforations of the gastrointestinal tract, nor any thromboses within the mesenteric veins. Death appeared due to the sequelae of intestinal volvulus and infarction; reduction of the displacement presumably occurred during handling of the animal.


Abstract. In addition to its mass concentration, the health effects of urban particulate matter may depend on its particle size distribution and chemical composition. Yet air pollution regulations rely on exclusively bulk PM 10 concentration measurements, without regard to their potentially different health effects under different conditions. Aerosols from various sources are well known to contain a plethora of toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic constituents such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Extensive public health studies established the link between mass concentrations of PM 2.5 / PM 10 and health problems within the population. However, little is known about the relative importance of PM from different sources and the effect of seasonality on the toxicity. Here we present the application of a simple and sensitive method for the direct assessment of the overall ecotoxicity of various PM 2.5 / PM 10 samples collected on filters. The method is based on the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition bioassay that has been standardized for solid samples, representing a relevant biological exposure route. Direct emission samples proved to be significantly more ecotoxic than photochemically processed aerosol, thus marked differences were observed between the ecotoxicities of urban PM 10 in summer and winter. These effects of urban PM 10 may be useful supplementary indicators besides the mass concentrations of PM 2.5 / PM 10 in cities.


This article briefly diagnoses the rapid growth of the production of soya in Argentina over the last twelve years, taking into account the geographic areas of expansion, as well as the social, economic, environmental and political consequences, and placing this phenomenon in the broader international context. Official statistics, bibliographic sources, and news reporting have been used in preparing the article. Also field work in rural areas has been conducted, including participation in several social events along with interviews with key informants. In Argentina, the nineties were synonymous with privatization, the regressive redistribution of wealth, the concentration of economic and political power, the demise of the railway network, external indebtedness, impoverishment, unemployment, de-industrialization and re-primarization of the economy, among many others plagues. Regarding the latter, the return to the primary economy includes more agriculture than livestock in rural production, with a 50% of the cultivated area occupied by soya crops. The critical point for the consolidation of the fast expansion of soya in the country was the 1996/97 campaign. During this campaign, the first transgenic soya seeds tolerant to glyphosate were released, along with the spread of direct sowing. The remarkable expansion of the area under cultivation made Argentina the third biggest world producer of grains after the U.S. and Brazil, and the world's leading exporter of soy oil. Uncontrolled expansion of soya crops has generated huge profits for transnational business and even for medium and small farmers, as well as those with interests in financial speculation (seed pools). At the same time, it has increased unemployment and an exodus to the cities, where the declining industrial sector cannot absorb the surplus rural population. Besides, it has produced soil deterioration, watershed damage, destruction of fauna and large forests, and so on. Furthermore, the shift to soya production by many rural enterprises has resulted in a dramatic reduction of the production of food stuffs to meet domestic needs. In March this year the government announced an increase in export taxes, affecting principally soya exports. The interest groups affected complained and launched a strike, including blocking of highways and disrupting the normal supply of the domestic market (this resulting in food stuff shortages in the cities and increasing speculation about drastic economic instability). Rural institutions representing diverse actors that formerly had conflicting interests, united to launch this strike, which has deeply affected public confidence in the government. The conflict expressed rural entrepreneurs' interests rather than the needs of rural workers, and it has worsened the economic and political stability characterizing the country in the years following the 2001–2002 crisis. Debate on this issue filled the front pages of the newspapers for many months, but it never dealt with issues of the working conditions of rural labor, the need for the production of food to alleviate hunger, solutions to the problem of unemployment, or the future of the soils and destruction of wildlife. Rather, with the large majority of media supporting rural institutions' interests, the logic that prevailed was that of the right to property. In face of this, a small segment of the society endorses the need to socialize the means of production to achieve food sovereignty, to improve living conditions for workers, and secure the proper management of natural resources. Only these people raised the issue of socialization of the means of production as the only way to oppose not only the expansion of soya crops, but also capital which, as asserted by Marx, strikes at the same time against earth and humans, which in the end are the real bases of production.


Proposal InformationIn this paper we discuss the physical interaction between teachers and students in Early Childhood Education from a sociological perspective.Physical interaction between teachers and students is an integral component of teachers' work in preschools, and numerous psychological and neuro-psychological studies have shown that touch benefits children's well-being (see e.g. Montagu 1986; Field 2003). Research has however also shown that while most teachers are confident that touch is beneficial for children, fewer of them actually use touch in their professional work. According to the teachers this is in part due to fears of being accused of 'inappropriate' touching (Owen and Gillentine 2011; cf. Stamatis 2011).Jones (2001) and King (2004) have shown that male preschool teachers are more likely than female teachers to be suspected of inappropriate touching of children (cf. Berill & Martino 2002; Foster & Newman 2005; Sargent 2005; Gilbert & Williams 2008). But this phenomenon also affects women (Andrzejewski & Davis 2007; Aberg & Hedlin 2012a).In an on-going project we are investigating how norms for gender are established, maintained and challenged through physical interaction between teachers and students in preschools. In this paper we will report preliminary results from the project.The study is inspired by Piper and Stronach's (2007) concept 'relational touch'. This concept does not presuppose the meaning of touch in teacher-student interactions. Rather, it opens for a dynamic analysis which search for social, cultural, organizational and material factors impacting on how touch is used and interpreted by teachers in relation to the pedagogical practice. The concept of 'relational touch' is in alignment with how we use the concept of gender in the study. The concept of gender deals with how verbal, bodily and material aspects of social relations create a dynamic pattern in gender relations, what Connell has called a gender order (cf. Connell 2009). Thus, we understand touch and gender as norms which are created by and create social, cultural and material practices (Butler 2004).Many European and Western societies have seen an expansion of the means to protect children. This has put focus on teachers' subjectivities. A safe environment for the child demands a 'safe' teacher (cf. Johnson 2001; Jones 2004; McWilliam & Jones 2005). Although it has been claimed that the Scandinavian countries has escaped the negative discourse of the 'safe teacher' (cf. Cameron 2001) we have indications that this discourse is impacting also on the supposedly gender equal Utopia of Scandinavia. For example, some preschools have regulated physical interaction by prohibiting children's nudity, and new legislation has been enacted to prevent sexual offenders to work with children (Aberg & Hedlin 2012). To understand touch in preschools it is important to grasp the globalization of this discourse, and in the paper we will relate the developments in Sweden and Scandinavia to the broader European context. We will explore the impact of external and internal governance, i.e. how media reports and changes in educational policies are connected to teachers' means of reflexivity and self-governance in relation to touch (cf. Alison 2004).Methodology or Methods/ Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe reserch questions which we investigate in on ongoing project are the following: A) How has physical interaction between teachers and students been discussed in Swedish newspapers and preschool teachers' professional journals in the last 30 years? B) How have the local policies of Swedish day care centers and preschools in relation to physical interaction between teachers and students changed over time? C) How do Swedish male and female preschool teachers with varying amounts of work experience reflect on touch as part of their work?We answer questions A) and B) through discourse analysis (Howarth 2000) of some 30 years of publications of nationally distributed newspapers and preschool teachers' professional journals. For question C) we conduct reflexive interviews (Thomsson 2002) with female and male preschool teachers with varying amounts of work experience.Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsMost of the data for this study will be gathered during the spring of 2013. Therefore we cannot yet say that much about the results of the study. However, results from a previous interview study (Aberg & Hedlin 2012; Hedlin & Aberg 2013) with student teachers currently training to be teachers have relevance for this paper. In that study we discovered three different discursively constructed subject positions which students enacted in relation to the risks of 'inappropriate touching'. The first was a self-disciplining position which men and women entered who felt anxieties that e.g. parents could use 'inappropriate touch' as a rhetorical power tool against teachers they didn't approve of. A second position was individualistic, where students – both men and women – refused to acknowledge that the teacher's gender had an impact on teachers' and students' physical interaction. The third position was a body-reflexive masculine position, entered by male students who had experienced that they had been limited or refused to perform certain 'sensitive' work tasks, due to their male bodies (Aberg & Hedlin 2012). In the present paper, we will further develop this analysis.ReferencesAndrzejewski, Carey E. & Davis, Heather A. (2007). Human contact in the classroom.Exploring how teachers talk about and negotiate touching students. Teaching and TeacherEducation. No. 24, pp. 779-794.Berill, Deborah, P., & Martino, Wayne (2002). "Pedophiles and Deviats": Exploring Issues ofSexuality, Masculinity and Normalization in the Lives of Male Teacher Candidates. In RitaM. Kissen (Ed.) Getting ready for Benjamin: Preparing teachers for sexual diversity in theclassroom. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.Butler, Judith (2004). Undoing gender. New York: Routledge. Foster, Tor & Newman, Elizabeth (2005). Just a knock back? Identity bruising on the route tobecoming a male primary school teacher. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice.Vol. 11, no. 4. pp 341-358.Johnson, Richard (2001). Rethinking risk and the child body in the era of 'no touch'. In.Alison Jones (ed.) Touchy subject. Teachers touching children. Dunedin: University ofOntago Press.Jones, Alison (2004). Social anxiety, sex, surveillance, and the 'safe' teacher. British Journalof Sociology of Education, Vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 53-66.King, James. R. (2004). The (im)possibility of gay teachers for young children. Theory IntoPractice, Vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 122-127.McWilliam, Erica & Jones, Alison (2005). An unprotected species? On teachers as riskysubjects. British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 109-120.Owen, Pamela M. & Gillentine, Jonathan (2011) Please touch the children. Appropriate touch in the primary classroom. Early Child Development and Care. Vol. 181, no. 6, pp. 857-868. Piper, Heather & Stronach, Ian (2007) Don't touch! The educational story of a panic. London: Routledge. Aberg, Magnus & Hedlin, Maria (2012a). Forskollararen – ett hot? (The preschool teacher – a threat?). Norsk pedagogisk tidskrift. Vol. 96, no. 6, pp 441-452.


Taking the 2019 EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) as its point of departure, this paper puts forward a number of specific proposals to further EU-Japan maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. It begins by discussing recent developments in EU and Japanese security policy, and briefly outlines the political and geo-strategic drivers of EU-Japan security cooperation, as well as its limitations. Next, it identifies maritime security and the Indian Ocean region as two areas that have a great potential for greater EU-Japan security cooperation. It then discusses a specific proposal to further EU-Japan security cooperation: the setting up of an Indian Ocean Maritime Capacity Building Initiative.


Opioids are not recommended as first-line treatments for chronic pain management in osteoarthritis (OA), but recent data suggest they are commonly used in routine practice in North America and northern Europe.To characterise the secular trends of opioid and strong opioids use in patients with incident OA from 2007 to 2016, and to explore the impact of patient characteristics on the use of opioid/s for OA.Data was obtained from the SIDIAP (The System for the Development of Research in Primary Care) database, which contains primary care records and pharmacy dispensing data for 80 % of the population in Catalonia (~ 6 million people). All persons aged 18 or older at the beginning of each calendar year with an incident OA diagnosis (including both peripheral and central joints) in the study period were included. Index date was the date of first OA diagnosis, and the observation period of opioid use was 1-year after index date. Opioids considered included codeine, tramadol, fentanyl, and morphine, with the latter three classified as strong opioids. The period prevalence of any opioid use was estimated in whole and sub-population stratified by sex, age, socio-economic status (U1 – U5, higher values of the indicator equivalent to deprivation) and residence area (rural/urban).The 1-year prevalence of any opioid use among incident OA patients was around 15% from 2007 to 2012. After that, this figure grew by 10% approaching 25% in 2016. However, strong opioid use increased continuously to nearly triple, from 8% in 2007 to 20% in 2016. The different subgroups followed similar trends over time, with women 4% higher than men, oldest 10% higher than youngest, most deprived 6% higher than least deprived, and rural 1% higher than urban.The use of opioids (and especially strong opioids) has substantially increased in recent years among newly diagnosed OA patients in Catalonia. Our findings call for urgent action for safe opioid prescribing to avoid opioid abuse in OA patients especially amongst older women living in deprived areas.Figure 1.Trends of 1-year prevalence of opioid/s use among incident OA patients, whole and subgroup population.Junqing Xie: None declared, Aleksandra Turkiewicz: None declared, Gary Collins: None declared, Martin Englund Consultant of: Advisory Board 1 day (2019) Pfizer (Tanezumab)., Victoria Y Strauss: None declared, Carlen Reyes: None declared, Daniel Prieto-Alhambra Grant/research support from: Professor Prieto-Alhambra has received research Grants from AMGEN, UCB Biopharma and Les Laboratoires Servier, Consultant of: DPA's department has received fees for consultancy services from UCB Biopharma, Speakers bureau: DPA's department has received fees for speaker and advisory board membership services from Amgen


The One-way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP), specified in RFC 4656, provides a common protocol for measuring one-way metrics between network devices. OWAMP can be used bi-directionally to measure one-way metrics in both directions between two network elements. However, it does not accommodate round-trip or two-way measurements. This memo specifies a Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP), based on the OWAMP, that adds two-way or round-trip measurement capabilities. The TWAMP measurement architecture is usually comprised of two hosts with specific roles, and this allows for some protocol simplifications, making it an attractive alternative in some circumstances. Hedayat, et al. Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 5357 Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol October 2008 Table of


We find ourselves in times where national leaders engage in fraudulent and deceptive behaviors for personal and political gains, and multinational corporations use unethical practices to maximize their profits. Where dangerously defective products are released onto the market endangering the health and lives of consumers, and where news channels become opinion channels. Where the motto of the free market is reduced to a simple 'grab all you can, any way you can.' In times such as these, it is difficult to teach and promote ethical behavior. A cursory look at the advertising messages and the spins put on issues by public relations people leaves one wondering if business ethics is anything more than an oxymoron – a self‑contradicting claim. In times such as ours (in 2017), it is crucial that institutions of higher learning continue to teach and foster ethical behavior and ethical responsibility. No doubt, it is an uphill struggle for educators to convince students to think and act in ethically appropriate terms when surrounded by corruption, deceit, and fraud. While no one will deny the need for ethical practices, teaching these values in a convincing manner remains a challenge. Using meta‑analysis of various University courses in ethics, the present paper attempts three goals. First, it builds a rationale for the importance of ethical behavior, the need for teaching it, and the criticisms of those who think it unnecessary to teach ethics. Second, it discusses various strategies used by universities and several educators in teaching and reinforcing ethical behavior. This section also offers a criticism of approaches and methodologies of teaching ethics. Third, it offers an outline for a syllabus for an introductory course in Ethics.


Invasive rats are known to threaten natural resources and human health and safety. Island-wide rat eradication attempts have been increasing in number and scale during the past several decades, as has the frequency of eradication success. The most common method to remove all rats from an island is to broadcast anticoagulant rodenticide bait into every rat's home range on the island. Broadcast of toxicants can put humans and other nontarget species in marine and terrestrial environments at risk of exposure. The persistence of anticoagulant residues is somewhat unknown, particularly in marine environments. Three years after ~ 18,000 kg of 25 mg/kg brodifacoum bait was broadcast across Wake Atoll to eliminate rats, we collected whole-body fish samples from six near-shore sites and one intermittently landlocked pond to test for brodifacoum residues. Of the 69 samples tested using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, 20 were suspected of brodifacoum contamination and therefore subject to more selective liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Of those 20 fish, brodifacoum was detected in two individuals of blacktail snapper ( Lutjanus fulvus ), although at levels too low to be accurately quantified. Both fish containing detectable brodifacoum residues were caught within an intermittently land-locked pond in an area of the island that received heavy brodifacoum baiting, and not truly in the "marine environment". Brodifacoum was not detected in any of the samples collected within the lagoon of the atoll or within near-shore waters outside the lagoon. These results demonstrate that under some circumstances very low levels of brodifacoum can occur in a low proportion of fish tissues for as long as three years after the application of the rodenticide to an environment. Such information is valuable in assessing the relative environmental risks associated with rodenticide use in rodent eradications for protection of threatened species and restoration of island ecosystems. The overall result is one of declining incidence and magnitude of residue concentrations over time and within limited environmental circumstances.


Embodied music cognition posits that there is a relationship between the emergent properties of a musical piece and the way musicians, dancers and listeners experience them in their body-minds. Musicological analyses assign kinetic properties to music, under the assumption that the sonic forms have the capacity to activate movement; in other words, that music 'moves' us. But, in which sense the movement elicited by music is indeed based on music? These questions are not fully answered so far. This paper analized comparatively musical and choreographic phrases in different ballet interpretations, with the aim of identifying the extent to which these two expressive modes convey similarities, regularities and/or synchronization features. Similarities in the performances were detected with respect to: correspondences between movement, musical phrase articulation and embedded levels of metric hierarchy; quality of movement production at the locus of maximal tension; a synchronized relationship between movement and music that implies anticipated gesture preparation and delayed gesture retraction with respect to the onset sound. The coherent relationship between movement and music is similarly communicated in the expert performances analyzed. The coupling between the emergent tension of movement and the tonal tension conveyed by music is produced in a consistent way and it is not dependent on the particular type of choreographic movement but instead on its gestural quality.


Abstract. Using a fully coupled global climate-carbon cycle model, we assess the potential role of volcanic eruptions on future projection of climate change and its associated carbon cycle feedback. The volcanic-like forcings are applied together with a business-as-usual IPCC-A2 carbon emissions scenario. We show that very large volcanic eruptions similar to Tambora lead to short-term substantial global cooling. However, over a long period, smaller eruptions similar to Pinatubo in amplitude, but set to occur frequently, would have a stronger impact on future climate change. In a scenario where the volcanic external forcings are prescribed with a five-year frequency, the induced cooling immediately lower the global temperature by more than one degree before it returns to the warming trend. Therefore, the climate change is approximately delayed by several decades, and by the end of the 21st century, the warming is still below two degrees when compared to the present day period. Our climate-carbon feedback analysis shows that future volcanic eruptions induce positive feedbacks (i.e., more carbon sink) on both the terrestrial and oceanic carbon cycle. The feedback signal on the ocean is consistently smaller than the terrestrial counterpart and the feedback strength is proportionally related to the frequency of the volcanic eruption events. The cooler climate reduces the terrestrial heterotrophic respiration in the northern high latitude and increases net primary production in the tropics, which contributes to more than 45 % increase in accumulated carbon uptake over land. The increased solubility of CO2 gas in seawater associated with cooler SST is offset by a reduced CO2 partial pressure gradient between the ocean and the atmosphere, which results in small changes in net ocean carbon uptake. Similarly, there is nearly no change in the seawater buffer capacity simulated between the different volcanic scenarios. Our study shows that even in the relatively extreme scenario where large volcanic eruptions occur every five-years period, the induced cooling leads to a reduction of 46 ppmv atmospheric CO2 concentration as compared to the reference projection of 878 ppmv, at the end of the 21st century.


This paper addresses the potential of integrating the existing oil wells and absorption chiller for the purpose of provision space cooling for the base camp of oil field at Block 9 located in Oman. The wellbore was used as a hot water feed to the chiller. Well S 347 was selected as the hot water source and well S 179 was selected to be the injection well for the outlet water.
 The existing wells were assessed via PIPESIM software. Using PIPESIM software, the fluid temperatures, well pressure and flow rates were obtained and analyzed throughout NODAL analyses. The water temperature of 100 °C, well head pressure of 100 psi and flow rate of 30 m3/h, were found to be the optimum operating parameters. The COP of the absorption chiller was obtained via ABSIM software. The variable operating conditions were investigated and elaborated as a function of the efficiency and capacity ratio. The designed system was configured to yield 0.733 COP and a capacity of 377 KW which met the cooling capacity of the admin building of block 9. The entire feasibility analysis was performed in terms of the overall cost as well as the saving that would be achieved from such homogeneity. The payback period of the entire system was found to be 7 years which emphasized a great potential of adapting the technology if the operating resources are available.


Fraud against the Commonwealth is a serious matter for all Australian Commonwealth entities and the Australian public. It prevents taxpayer dollars from reaching intended targets and affects the government's ability to deliver key services. In accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth) and s 10 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014, all non-corporate Commonwealth entities are required to provide the AIC with information concerning their experience of fraud during the preceding year and the fraud control measures that they employ. This report presents information gathered in respect of the 2016–17 financial year. The Australian government is committed to tackling fraud against the Commonwealth by supporting research into the extent of the problem and promoting the development and use of fraud control practices to reduce risks and to detect and deal with fraud in a timely and effective manner.


This paper integrates the evidential reasoning methodology with the parallel distributed learning paradigm of artificial neural networks (ANN). As such, this work presents an algorithm for the detection and, if possible, subsequent correction of the errors in the neuron responses in the output layer of the multiple adaptive linear element (MADALINE) ANN. A geometrical perspective of the MADALINE ANN processing methodology is provided. This perspective is then used to formulate a statistical specification to identify and quantify the sources of uncertainties in the MADALINE processing methodology. A new algorithm, EMRII, is then developed as an extension to the original MRII (MADELINE rule II) algorithm, to formulate support and plausibility measures based on the statistical specification. The support and plausibility measures, thus formulated, are indicative of the degree of confidence of the ANN, in regards to the correctness of its outputs. Based on the support measure, a scheme utilizing two thresholds is proposed to facilitate the interpretation of the support values for error prediction in the ANN responses. Finally, simulation results for the application of the EMRII algorithm in the prediction of erroneous responses in an example problem is presented. These simulation results highlight the error detection capabilities of the EMRII algorithm.


This paper draws on a case study of Achill Henge, County Mayo, Ireland, to examine the interplay between economic crisis, rebel creativity and shifting geographies of commemoration. Built in 2011 in a remote part of the west of Ireland, Achill Henge is a highly contested monument. Unfinished and under perennial threat of demolition, the Stonehenge-like structure was originally conceived as a 'tomb of the Celtic Tiger', in reference to Ireland's ill-fated economic 'miracle' of the 1990s and 2000s. This paper examines this economic context before adopting two perspectives. Firstly, drawing on critical ideas about commemoration, we identify how the Henge remembers economic and political failure, materialising a unique site of subaltern memory. Situating it within memorial landscapes in Ireland, we explore how it can serve to critically analyse practices of traditional and contemporary commemoration. Secondly, we examine how its unsanctioned liminality produces a valuable, exemplary site at which numerous unregulated, playful, performative and political practices can be carried out, away from mainstream convention and commercial banality.


This paper presents work on the development and verification of ASHRAE Guideline 36-2018 control sequences for single-zone variable air volume airhandling unit (AHU) systems. The Control Description Language, a subset of the Modelica Language, is used to implement those advanced control sequences. The sequences address control for components such as the economizer, supply air temperature setpoint reset, fan speed control, and zone heating/cooling states determination. Each component sequence is validated in open-loop tests and then used to compose a single comprehensive controller. This controller is also first validated in open loop and then tested in closed loop with an AHU system and building envelope model constructed using the Modelica Buildings library. The Guideline 36 controller is compared with a conventional control strategy applied to the same AHU and building model. Annual simulations show that the Guideline 36 control sequences yield 17.3 % of annual HVAC energy savings against the conventional control strategy in this case study.


The suborder Sternorrhyncba (Insecta: Homoptera) includes aphids, whiteflies, psyllids and scale insects; these are all large diverse groups of herbivorous insects that feed on plant sap and that include many of the most damaging agricultural pests. All of these insects are dependent on obligately intracellular procaryotic symbionts for their survival. In this collaborative project between Nancy Moran and Carol von Dohlen, both insect biologists, and Paul Baumann, a bacteriologist, molecular phylogenetic methods have been used to explore the evolutionary history of these mutualistic interactions. Using PCR amplification with procaryote-specific primers, DNA sequences have been obtained for the 16S ribosomal gene of the endosymbionts from approximately 20 species of Sternorrhyncha, including 13 aphids. On the basis of these sequences as well as published 16S sequences from representative procaryotes, a phylogenetic tree has been constructed, using parsimony methods. Results indicate that the primary endosymbionts of aphids belong to a single distinctive clade that has descended from a single infection of a common ancestor of aphids; this conclusion is based on complete congruence between the phylogenetic tree for the endosymbionts and that for the aphid hosts. Based on fossils that give minimal ages for certain of the aphid lineages, the association is at least 80 million years old. The rate of change of the 16S sequence is roughly constant among lineages within the aphid primary endosymbiont clade. Again using fossil dating, we have estimated absolute rates of substitution, and estimates are consistent for three different aphid clades. These rates have been used to test the hypothesis based on a biogeographic argument that the divergence between the Asian and American members of the Melaphidina dates to the Eocene (approximately 50 MY ago): the molecular data are highly supportive of the hypothesis. The 16S genes of secondary endosymbionts of aphids and of endosymbionts of mealybugs and whiteflies have also been sequenced, and results indicate that, for each insect group, endosymbiotic bacteria are descendants of independent infections by other members of the gamma-subdivision of the Proteobacteria for each insect group.


The elemental and biochemical composition of particulate organic matter (POM) was investigated in the Straits of Magellan during February-March 1991. Twenty-two stations were selected in order to identify different areas of the Magellan ecosystem from a trophic point of view. The Strait of Magellan can be divided into three subsystems characterized by different hydrological and geomorphological conditions. Seston concentrations were mostly constrained by physical events, particularly the influence of oceanic and land run-off water inputs and the strong vertical mixing and resuspension events. POM composition displayed quali-quantitative differences between the three areas. In the first subsystem, influenced by Pacific waters, the low seston and POM concentrations and the high POC/Chl-a ratio values indicated the general predominance of the detrital and heterotrophic fractions. In the second subsystem, characterized by superficial stratification, higher seston and organic matter concentrations and lower values of POC/Chl-a ratio were found, indicating that this subsystem was influenced by an active autotrophic component. Shallow waters with intense tidal regime and strong vertical mixing characterized the third subsystem, connected to the Atlantic Ocean, which displayed an increasing importance of the inorganic fraction (values of the POC/TSM ratio lower than in the other systems). Moreover, the third subsystem showed higher values of the RNA/DNA ratio, possibly indicating that resuspension events may enhance the metabolic state of the organic particles mainly dominated by heterotrophic components.


Conventional wisdom among museum professionals is that art museum visitors do not spend much time viewing works of art. The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate that question as well as to look at the relationship that age, gender, and group size have on viewing times. Visitors to The Metropolitan Museum of Art were observed as they looked at six masterpieces in the Museum's collection. A total of 150 individuals looking at six paintings comprised the sample for the study. The observations were of naturally occurring stops at the works of art. The gender, group size, estimated age, and time spent at the work of art were recorded for each encounter. The mean time spent viewing a work of art was found to be 27.2 seconds, with a median time of 17.0 seconds. Viewing time was not related to gender or age, but was strongly related to group size, with larger groups spending more time. There were also significant differences among paintings. Results are discussed in terms of how different types of looking patterns may be related to the amount of time spent in front of works of art.


The use of non-systematic reuse techniques in Systems Engineering (SE) leads to the creation of legacy products comprised of legacy assets like software, hardware, and mechanical parts coupled with associated traceability links to requirements, testing artifacts, architectural fragments etc. The sheer number of different legacy assets and different technologies used to engineer such legacy products makes reverse engineering of PLs in this context a daunting task. One of the prerequisites for reverse engineering of PLs is to create a family model that captures implementation aspects of all the legacy products. In this paper, we evaluate the applicability of a modeling paradigm called Multi-Level Modeling, which is based on the class-instance relation, for the creation of a family model that captures all the implementation concerns in an SE PL. More specifically, we evaluate an approach called Multi-Level conceptual Theory (MLT) for capturing different legacy assets, their mutual relations and related variability information. Moreover, we map PL concepts like variants, presence conditions and product configurations to MLT concepts and provide formal interpretation of their semantics in the MLT framework. The illustrative example used throughout the paper comes from a real case from the automotive domain.


In this chapter we consider mapping of local strains and tissue elasticity in optical coherence tomography (OCT) based on analysis of phase-sensitive OCT scans. Conventional structural OCT scans correspond to spatially resolved mapping of the backscattering intensity of the probing optical beam. Deeper analysis of such sequentially acquired multiple OCT scans can be used to extract additional information about motion of scatterers in the examined region. Such detailed analysis of OCT scans has already resulted in creation of OCT-based visualization of blood microcirculation, which has been implemented in several commercially available devices, especially for ophthalmic applications. Another functional extension of OCT emerging in recent years is the OCT-based elastography, i.e., mapping of local strains and elastic properties in the imaged region. Here, we describe the main principles of local strain mapping in phase-sensitive OCT with a special focus on the recently proposed efficient vector method of estimation of interframe phase-variation gradients. The initially performedmapping of local strains is then used for realization of quantitative compressional elastography, i.e., mapping of the Young modulus and obtaining stress-strain dependences for the studied samples. The discussed principles are illustrated by simulated and experimental examples of elastographic OCT-based visualization. The presented elastographic principles are rather general and can be used in a wide area of biomedical and technical applications.


Attack detection problems in industrial control systems (ICSs) are commonly known as a network traffic monitoring scheme for detecting abnormal activities. However, a network-based intrusion detection system can be deceived by attackers that imitate the system's normal activity. In this work, we proposed a novel solution to this problem based on measurement data in the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The proposed approach is called measurement intrusion detection system (MIDS), which enables the system to detect any abnormal activity in the system even if the attacker tries to conceal it in the system's control layer. A supervised machine learning model is generated to classify normal and abnormal activities in an ICS to evaluate the MIDS performance. A hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed is developed to simulate the power generation units and exploit the attack dataset. In the proposed approach, we applied several machine learning models on the dataset, which show remarkable performances in detecting the dataset's anomalies, especially stealthy attacks. The results show that the random forest is performing better than other classifier algorithms in detecting anomalies based on measured data in the testbed.


The notion of nonmalleable cryptography, an extension of semantically secure cryptography, is defined. Informally, in the context of encryption the additional requirement is that given the ciphertext it is impossible to generate a different ciphertext so that the respective plaintexts are related. The same concept makes sense in the contexts of string commitment and zero-knowledge proofs of possession of knowledge. Nonmalleable schemes for each of these three problems are presented. The schemes do not assume a trusted center; a user need not know anything about the number or identity of other system users.
Our cryptosystem is the first proven to be secure against a strong type of chosen ciphertext attack proposed by Rackoff and Simon, in which the attacker knows the ciphertext she wishes to break and can query the decryption oracle on any ciphertext other than the target.


Since the 1940s community courts have developed as alternative justice mechanisms in the black townships. The future regulation of these courts has recently become an issue. Against the background of the process of democratisation and the constitution with its bill of rights, it has become necessary to evaluate these courts with the aim of adapting them to the changing circumstances. The aim of this article is twofold: firstly, to look briefly at the feasibility of granting community courts a measurable degree of legitimacy by developing an officially recognised system, and secondly, to consider whether these courts should enjoy criminal jurisdiction, and if so, the restrictions which should be placed on such jurisdiction. These aspects will be discussed with reference to comparative research into informal courts in other jurisdictions, such as the informal Indian tribal courts in Michigan (America); the informal courts in Australia (Queensland and Western Australia), and others.


OBJECTIVES: Record review is the most used method to quantify patient safety. We systematically reviewed the reliability and validity of adverse event detection with record review. DESIGN: A systematic review of the literature. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library and from their inception through February 2015. We included all studies that aimed to describe the reliability and/or validity of record review. Two reviewers conducted data extraction. We pooled κ values (κ) and analysed the differences in subgroups according to number of reviewers, reviewer experience and training level, adjusted for the prevalence of adverse events. RESULTS: In 25 studies, the psychometric data of the Global Trigger Tool (GTT) and the Harvard Medical Practice Study (HMPS) were reported and 24 studies were included for statistical pooling. The inter-raterreliability of the GTT and HMPS showed a pooled κ of 0.65 and 0.55, respectively. The inter-rater agreement was statistically significantly higher when the group of reviewers within a study consisted of a maximum five reviewers. We found no studies reporting on the validity of the GTT and HMPS. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability of record review is moderate to substantial and improved when a small group of reviewers carried out record review. The validity of the record review method has never been evaluated, while clinical data registries, autopsy or direct observations of patient care are methods that can be used to test concurrent validity.


IntroductionIncreased levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were observed in various segments of histologically-intact small intestine in animal models of acute and chronic colitis. Whether these cytokines are produced locally or spread from the inflamed colon is not known. In addition, the role of gut innervation in this upregulation is not fully understood.AimsTo examine whether cytokines are produced de novo in the small intestine in two rat models of colitis; and to investigate the role of capsaicin-sensitive primary afferents in the synthesis of these inflammatory cytokines.MethodsColitis was induced by rectal instillation of iodoacetamide (IA) or trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Using reverse transcriptase (RT) and real-time PCR, TNF-α, and IL-10 mRNA expression was measured in mucosal scrapings of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon at different time intervals after induction of colitis. Capsaicin-sensitive primary afferents (CSPA) were ablated using subcutaneous injections of capsaicin at time 0, 8 and 32 h, and the experiment was repeated at specific time intervals to detect any effect on cytokines expression.ResultsTNF-α mRNA expression increased by 3-40 times in the different intestinal segments (p<0.05 to p<0.001), 48h after IA-induced colitis. CSPA ablation completely inhibited this upregulation in the small intestine, but not in the colon. Similar results were obtained in TNBS-induced colitis at 24 h. Intestinal IL-10 mRNA expression significantly decreased at 12 h and then increased by 6-43 times (p<0.05 to p<0.001) 48h after IA administration. This increase was abolished in rats subjected to CSPA ablation except in the colon, where IL-10 further increased by twice (p<0.05). In the TNBS group, there was 4-12- and 4-7-fold increases in small intestinal IL-10 mRNA expression at 1 and 21 days after colitis induction, respectively (both p<0.01). This increase was not observed in rats pretreated with capsaicin. Capsaicin-treated and untreated rats had comparable visual ulcer scores after colitis induction.ConclusionInflammatory cytokines are produced de novo in distant intestinal segments in colitis. CSPA fibers play a key role in the upregulation of this synthesis.


A multitude of multi-microphone speech enhancement methods is available. In this paper, we focus our attention to the well-known minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer, due to its ability to preserve distortionless response towards the desired speaker while minimizing the output noise power. We explore two alternatives for constructing the steering vectors towards the desired speech source. One is only using the direct path of the speech propagation in the form of delay-only filters, while the other is using the entire room impulse response (RIR). All beamforming methods requires some control information to be able to accomplish the task of enhancing a desired speech signal. In this paper, an acoustic event detection method using biologically-inspired features is employed. It can interpret the auditory scene by detecting the presence of different auditory objects. This is employed to control the estimation procedures used by beamformer. The resulting system provides a blind method of speech enhancement that can improve intelligibility independently of any additional information. Experiments with real recordings show the practical applicability of the method. Significant gain in fwSNRseg is achieved. Compared to using the direct path only, the use of the entire RIR proves beneficial.


BACKGROUND
The Active Healthy Kids 2014 England Report Card aims to provide a systematic assessment of how England is performing in relation to engaging and facilitating physical activity (PA) in children and young people.

METHODS
The systematic methods and processes that underpin the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card were used and adapted. Data and evidence were consolidated, reviewed by a panel of content experts, and used to inform the assignment of letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) to 9 core indicators related to PA.

RESULTS
Children's Overall Physical Activity received a grade of C/D. Active Transportation and Organized Sport Participation received grades of C and C-, respectively. The indicators of School and Community and the Built Environment were graded favorable with grades of A- and B, respectively. Active Play, Sedentary Behaviors, Family and Peers, and Government Strategies and Investments were graded as INC (incomplete) due to a lack of nationally representative data and/or as a result of data not mapping onto the benchmarks used to assign the grades.

CONCLUSIONS
Substantial provision for PA opportunities in England exists. Yet more effort is required to maximize use of these resources to increase PA participation.


In the late nineteenth century, the officers of the Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company provided north Australia with a cable connection to London via Java, Singapore, and India. The telegraph project prompted a new era of colonisation in tropical north Australia and the officers of the company sought to ensure that the north would be shaped according to their notions of Indian Ocean colonial culture. They insisted on employing Asian domestic servants in opposition to White Australian nationalists who advocated restrictions on Asian migration. Like the pearling industry, which was permitted ongoing access to Asian labour, the telegraph company drew on the support of liberal parliamentarians, and leveraged their privileged position as providers of imperial telecommunications to develop an elite colonial counter-culture in north Australia.


With the globalization of world business, China has become an appealing market for foreign investors. The problem of cross-cultural management arises as the cooperation between China and its culturally different Western partners continues to increase at an unprecedented rate. This paper presents an understanding on the general cultural differences between the west and China by applying the cultural dimensions of Hofstede and Bond. The author points out that the all-round impact of cultural difference over transnational operation of enterprises affects not only the cooperative strategy, but also the operation and management. It is only through cross-culture communication and management that enterprises can establish good reputation and attain success in its operation. Culture is one of the decisive factors for the success of operation. To realize cross-culture effective management, we must consider solving cultural conflict as the key. In the process of the management, we must pay more attention to the influences of cultural difference on the market choice, product service, entrance mode and system cost, and accordingly formulate a correct strategy, ignore and reduce the cultural difference, or adapt and make use of it. As economic globalization is driving cultural globalization, the culture in the multinational corporation will fuse gradually from differences.


ABSTRACT In the management of protected areas, stakeholders range from supra-national organisations, through to national and local-level decision-makers. Although there has been substantive research on stakeholders, there is limited inquiry on involving them in the development of nature-based tourism experiences in heavily visited protected areas. Drawing on stakeholder theory, this paper explores stakeholders' perspectives of developing alternative visitor experiences at an iconic mountain, namely the World Heritage listed Wollumbin-Mount Warning National Park in eastern Australia. Due to the popularity of climbing Wollumbin mountain, a number of issues have emerged related to sustainable visitor management, including overcrowding, environmental impacts and Indigenous sensitivities around the climb. Guided by an interpretive methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 key 'Wollumbin' stakeholders. Analysis of these interviews revealed that when developing alternative experiences in protected areas, it is important to balance natural and cultural priorities, develop appropriate summit alternatives and overcome tourism resource challenges.


With the increasing population and development of cities, addressing urban transportation is predicted to become a greater challenge. Cycling presents the opportunity to address urban mobility demands without the same degree of environmental, economic and social costs associated with conventional motorized transportation. The intent of this paper is to identify the commonalities and differences between cycling organisations, and what some examples of actions that take advantage of opportunities between these organisations could be. Backcasting from scientifically derived sustainability principles within the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development was used to validate our research topic. Qualitative research proceeded in four phases. Methods included: literature reviews, field visit, interviews, five-level and SWOT analyses, brainstorming and prioritisation. Research found communication and knowledge transfer within and between cycling organisations could be improved, but doing so requires leadership and resources that are usually lacking. Research also found that there is a desire to present cycling in an inspiring way, but there is a lack of expertise in doing so despite the current unprecedented increase in interest, initiatives and resource allocation related to cycling. As cycling gains more support, it will likely encourage a progressive shift throughout the entire transportation sector toward more sustainable development. This ultimately can play a significant role in moving toward a sustainable society.


Taking as its point of departure an examination of the representation and positioning of older people in Europe's Information Society (IS) policy discourses this chapter offers a critical perspective on the conceptualisation of the so-called 'non-users' of new media and information and communication technologies (ICTs). Older people's relationship with new media technologies is commonly framed in terms of age-based understandings, static and binary notions of media access and individualistic perspectives on media non-use(rs). Thus older adults are understood to be unable to obtain the literacies required to access and use new media technologies and services mainly because of their age. This kind of prevalent conceptualisations can be seen to define non-users as a homogenous group of isolated individuals, media use as a solitary activity and the nature and benefits of media access as a matter of absolutes. This chapter considers how such understandings may limit policy formation and analysis, and their consequences with regard to the further exclusion of disadvantaged groups who do not use today's new ICTs. Drawing on broadly interactionist perspectives it proposes that (non-)users are better understood as interacting individuals, who relate with the media in varied ways, including through forms of engagement that are mediated by other people.

Keywords: ICT access, media (non-)use, media literacy, age, public policy


This dissertation examines the pedagogical imperatives informing film exhibition within the Indian Residential School System in Canada between the years 1930-1969, and argues the medium was specifically employed to facilitate the system's culturally genocidal ideology and curriculum. Archival in methodology, I utilize a range of administrative documents from the Canadian government and varying religious organizations to write the history of film exhibition at residential schools. I situate this research in concert with postcolonial theory, suggesting the films exhibited intended to reimagine Indigenous identity in ways beneficial to the colonial powers dictating Canadian culture and privilege, and then to transfer this identity to the students through educational positioning of film. My introductory chapter outlines a brief history of the Indian Residential School System, and situates my study in conversation with scholarship on educational and colonial uses of cinema. Chapter One illustrates how film was incorporated into the residential schools, beginning in 1930 with the earliest reference to the medium's use, and extending to the late 1960s, in which rental receipts from schools in Ontario and Quebec suggest film's later prevalence throughout the system. Chapter Two examines the themes and patterns of the films exhibited, focusing on the frequency with which Hollywood Westerns, and films depicting indigeneity around the world, were screened. Chapter Three employs archival materials to demonstrate the interrelationship between the National Film Board of Canada and residential schools. I show that the Film Board's "rural circuit" method of distribution had contact with the schools, and that its films were positioned to educate the students regarding the distinctly Canadian identity of the system intended they adopt. Chapter Four concludes this dissertation by aligning film with a public relations campaign undertaken by the residential school system, Churches, and Indian Affairs. This campaign was meant to mislead Canadians, and thereby maintain, public support for the culturally genocidal institutions in their midst. Film and moving images, as I demonstrate throughout the entirety of this work, engaged a complex and multifaceted interaction with the residential school system, its assimilative efforts, and culturally genocidal ideology.


The total synthesis of natural (+)-hyacinthacine C5 was achieved, which allowed correction of its initially proposed structure, as well as six additional hyacinthacine C-type compounds. These compounds were readily accessible from two epimeric anti-1,2-amino alcohols. Keeping a common A-ring configuration, chemical manipulation occurred selectively on the B-ring of the hyacinthacine C-type products through methods of syn-dihydroxylation, SN2 ring-opening of a cyclic sulfate, and also employing either ( R)- or ( R, S)-α-methylallyl amine for the Petasis borono Mannich reaction. Our small analogue library was then assessed for its glycosidase inhibitory potency against a panel of glycosidases. (-)-6- Epi-hyacinthacine C5 and (+)-7- epi-hyacinthacine C5 (compound names are based on the corrected structure of hyacinthacine C5) proved most active, with inhibitory activities ranging between weak (IC50 = 130 μM) and moderate (IC50 = 9.9 μM) against the α-glucosidases of rat intestinal maltase, isomaltase, and sucrase, thus identifying potential new leads for future antidiabetic drug development.


Many forms of psychological trauma are known to develop interpersonally within important relationships, particularly familial. Within the varying theoretical constructs of psychological traumas, and distinct from the processes of diagnosis, there is a need to refine the scope and definitions of psychological traumas that occur within important familial relationships to ensure a cohesive evidence base and fidelity of the concept in application to practice. This review used a philosophical inquiry methodology of concept analysis to identify the definitions, antecedents, characteristics, and consequences of the varying conceptualizations of psychological trauma occurring within important relationships. Interactions between concepts of interpersonal trauma, relational trauma, betrayal trauma, attachment trauma, developmental trauma, complex trauma, cumulative trauma, and intergenerational trauma are presented. Understanding of the discrete forms and pathways of transmission of psychological trauma between individuals, including transgenerationally within families, creates opportunities for prevention and early intervention within trauma-focused practice. This review found that concepts of psychological trauma occurring within familial relationships are not exclusive of each other but overlap in their encompassment of events and circumstances as well as the effect on individuals of events in the short term and long term. These traumas develop and are transmitted in the space between people, both purposefully and incidentally, and have particularly profound effects when they involve a dependent infant or child. Linguistic and conceptual clarity is paramount for trauma research and practice.


The ecological farming and an increasing demand for healthy fruits free from chemical residuals necessitated the reevaluation of the existing cultivars and breeding suitable cultivars for the new requirements. We have gathered the old genotypes known in the Carpathian Basin, and we have selected the most suitable ones according to fruit quality and resistance to diseases in the last fifteen years. The main aim was the selection of resistant genotypes against fire blight and powdery mildew as gene sources for our breeding program. On the other hand, we consider the best quality traditional cultivars as extensive landscape elements (wayside tree rows or extensive squash producing plantations).
During the pathological evaluation 'Szemes alma', 'Ponyik', 'Sikulai', 'Tordai piros 'cavil' and 'Szabadkai szercsika' cultivars proved to be good resistance sources (due to their outstanding resistance to fire blight). The latter four cultivars are not susceptible even to fungal diseases, and their quality is also acceptable so those are commendable for ecological farming or for renewing the sparse orchards. According to fruit quality and low susceptibility to diseases 'Batul' and 'Vilmos renet' can also be offered for extensive organic production.
We have made original or renewed pomological descriptions of the selected cultivars, and we also publish their characters according to the terms of UPOV TG/14/8 based on to our evaluations.


The amount of fluvial input has important impacts on shelf regions. To understand how the magnitude of fluvial discharge affects plume ecosystems, particularly organic carbon consumption, data over 10 consecutive summers (2003–2012) were examined in the Changjiang River plume of the East China Sea. The area of the Changjiang River plume ranged from approximately 4.90 × 103 km2 to 94.83 × 103 km2 and varied in proportion to the freshwater discharge rate. Plankton community respiration was at the medium to high end of the values reported for coastal regions. Total organic carbon consumption over the Changjiang River plume was positively correlated with the Changjiang freshwater discharge. This scaling relationship might be associated with river flows delivering allochthonous organic carbon and dissolved inorganic nutrients into the East China Sea. However, plankton community respiration (per m3 basis) decreased as the area of the Changjiang River plume increased; this rate appeared to have been influenced by particulate organic carbon (POC) levels and/or total plankton biomass. Even though POC was dominated by phytoplankton biomass allometrically, bacteria contributed more to plankton community respiration, possibly signifying that these bacteria were more reliant on plankton‐derived organic matter. Even with high phytoplankton biomass and primary productivity, this plume ecosystem was heterotrophic, albeit close to a state of carbon balance. To support high organic carbon consumption, in addition to allochthonous sources from fluvial runoff, a large amount of organic matter might have been autochthonous and derived from plankton in the Changjiang River plume.


The hydroboration of benzo-, toluo-, p-methoxybenzo-, or pivalonitriles with bis(9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane)2 (9H-9-BBN)2 affords the corresponding 9-aldimino-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes (I) in about 80% yields. Compds. I (R = Ph, CMe3) readily react with and excess of (9H-9-BBN)2 to form the 1:1 adducts II contg. a NB2H four-membered ring (x-ray structure of II, R = Ph was obtained). The adducts II are thermally stable. II, R = Ph, is converted to benzylbis(1,5-cyclooctanediylboryl)amine only after 48 h at reflux in mesitylene. Compds. I are stable towards strong N-bases. I, R = CMe3 reacts with Et2O.BF3 to form 9-fluoro-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane and the 1:1 cyclic adduct III from (2,2-dimethylpropylideneamino)difluoroborane and I (R = CMe3).