The HEXPANDO is an expanding-head hexagonal wrench designed to retain fasteners and keep them from being dislodged from the tool. The tool is intended to remove or install socket-head cap screws (SHCSs) in remote, hard-to-reach locations or in circumstances when a dropped fastener could cause damage to delicate or sensitive hardware. It is not intended for application of torque. This tool is made of two assembled portions. The first portion of the tool comprises tubing, or a hollow shaft, at a length that gives the user adequate reach to the intended location. At one end of the tubing is the expanding hexagonal head fitting with six radial slits cut into it (one at each of the points of the hexagonal shape), and a small hole drilled axially through the center and the end opposite the hex is internally and externally threaded. This fitting is threaded into the shaft (via external threads) and staked or bonded so that it will not loosen. At the other end of the tubing is a knurled collar with a through hole into which the tubing is threaded. This knob is secured in place by a stop nut. The second assembled portion of the tool comprises a length of all thread or solid rod that is slightly longer than the steel tubing. One end has a slightly larger knurled collar affixed while the other end is tapered/pointed and threaded. When the two portions are assembled, the all thread/rod portion feeds through the tubing and is threaded into the expanding hex head fitting. The tapered point allows it to be driven into the through hole of the hex fitting. While holding the smaller collar on the shaft, the user turns the larger collar, and as the threads feed into the fitting, the hex head expands and grips the SHCS, thus providing a safe way to install and remove fasteners. The clamping force retaining the SHCS varies depending on how far the tapered end is inserted into the tool head. Initial tests of the prototype tool, designed for a 5 mm or # 10SHCS have resulted in up to 8 lb (.35.6 N) of pull force to dislodge the SHCS from the tool. The tool is designed with a lead-in angle from the diameter of the tubing to a diameter the same as the fastener head, to prevent the fastener head from catching on any obstructions encountered that could dislodge the fastener during retrieval.


Paraxial ray methods have found broad applications in the seismic ray method and in numerical modelling and interpretation of high-frequency seismic wave fields propagating in inhomogeneous, isotropic or anisotropic structures. The basic procedure in paraxial ray methods consists in dynamic ray tracing. We derive the initial conditions for dynamic ray equations in Cartesian coordinates, for rays initiated at three types of initial manifolds given in a three-dimensional medium: 1) curved surfaces (surface source), 2) isolated points (point source), and 3) curved, planar and non-planar lines (line source). These initial conditions are very general, valid for homogeneous or inhomogeneous, isotropic or anisotropic media, and for both a constant and a variable initial travel time along the initial manifold. The results presented in the paper considerably extend the possible applications of the paraxial ray method.


Background Alcohol consumption among youth is a major public health problem due to its association with negative outcomes which are generally preventable. Schools can play an important role in increasing health knowledge and promoting healthy behaviours that can reduce alcohol-associated risks. This paper describes and evaluates an innovative experiential project that aims to augment existing alcohol high school educational programmes. Methods Students of 11th grade classes, age 16–17 years, participated in a one-school-day programme which included: a lecture on alcohol related risks; an enacted scenario of violent behaviour related to alcohol use; meeting with a disabled person injured in an alcohol-associated road accident, and discussion of two video movies regarding consequences of excessive alcohol drinking. The students filled a preintervention alcohol-related knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire, a feedback questionnaire at the end of the one-day programme, and a 3-months postintervention questionnaire on their alcohol-related behaviours. Results 665 eleventh grade students participated in the project. The preintervention questionnaire revealed adequate knowledge on alcohol-related risks by 65% of the students. The feedback questionnaire revealed that most students felt that the programme added to their knowledge and that it might change their alcohol use behaviour. The postintervention questionnaire filled by 195 students revealed that 81% would not refrain from alcohol drinking following the project; however 47% reported consuming alcohol in moderation, and 24% specified decrease in the amount of alcoholic beverages. Conclusions An experiential educational programme regarding negative outcomes of alcohol consumption resulted in reported alcohol-related behaviour change in a proportion of high school students.


Apoptosis is a regulated "programme" by which cells are induced to die in a manner which does not result in pathological inflammatory reactions, and involves dismantling of the cell into membrane-bound fragments that are removed by phagocytosis. This process is induced in order to remodel tissues and maintain homeostasis in cell numbers. Apoptosis may be induced via many pathways, many of which are redox-regulated, and is dysregulated in cancer cells, mainly due to mutational inactivation of certain pathways. Cancer cells also have a non-linear response to redox imbalance, a potentially exploitable characteristic for the therapeutic selective induction ofapoptosis in cancer cells in mixed cell populations. Model cell culture systems are required for the selective toxicity testing of anti-cancer drugs, many ofwhich work by inducing redox stress. In the current study, hydrogen peroxide was selected as the redox stress-inducing agent, and the test cells were an immortal, non-invasive breast epithelial cell line (MCFlOA) and its rastransfected, pre-malignant derivative (MCFlOAneoT). A reliable, sensitive, costeffective and least.time-consuming system for detection of apoptosis in such a system was sort and two novel methods, cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activity assays, were fmally selected and' compared with results seen by conventional DNA laddering and morphological examination at the light and electron microscopic level. No single procedure was found to be reliable individually. For the model system used, a combinati9n of electron microscopy and DNA laddering was sufficient for simply detecting apoptotic cell death and necrosis. The caspase activity assay distinguished between apoptosis and necrosis, and cytochrome c release proved the most sensitive indicator of cell response. However, since cytochrome c release may be reversible and may not necessarily proceed to the downstream events of apoptosis in the time frame used in the current assays, it is not certain that cytochrome c release ultimately leads to apoptosis. However, three forms of cytochrome c were observed on western blots, the nature and significance of which remains to be determined. A comparison of the results of different methods allowed a model for the sequence of specific apoptotic events to be proposed.


What We Already Know about This TopicFacet blocks, including intraarticular and medial branch blocks, are frequently used before radiofrequency ablation, but their validity as a predictive tool is unprovenRecently, the evidence supporting radiofrequency ablation has come under great scrutiny What This Article Tells Us That Is NewThis randomized study establishes the lack of long-term efficacy for intraarticular and medial branch facet blocks but suggests the possibility that when used as prognostic tools, these injections may possibly provide superior outcomes before radiofrequency ablation on some measures compared to control blocks Background: With facet interventions under scrutiny, the authors' objectives were to determine the effectiveness of different lumbar facet blocks and their ability to predict radiofrequency ablation outcomes. Methods: A total of 229 participants were randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to receive intraarticular facet injections with bupivacaine and steroid, medial branch blocks, or saline. Those with a positive 1-month outcome (a 2-point or more reduction in average pain score) and score higher than 3 (positive satisfaction) on a 5-point satisfaction scale were followed up to 6 months. Participants in the intraarticular and medial branch block groups with a positive diagnostic block (50% or more relief) who experienced a negative outcome proceeded to the second phase and underwent radiofrequency ablation, while all saline group individuals underwent ablation. Coprimary outcome measures were average reduction in numerical rating scale pain score 1 month after the facet or saline blocks, and average numerical rating scale pain score 3 months after ablation. Results: Mean reduction in average numerical rating scale pain score at 1 month was 0.7 ± 1.6 in the intraarticular group, 0.7 ± 1.8 in the medial branch block group, and 0.7 ± 1.5 in the placebo group; P = 0.993. The proportions of positive blocks were higher in the intraarticular (54%) and medial branch (55%) groups than in the placebo group (30%; P = 0.01). Radiofrequency ablation was performed on 135 patients (45, 48, and 42 patients from the intraarticular, medial branch, and saline groups, respectively). The average numerical rating scale pain score at 3 months was 3.0 ± 2.0 in the intraarticular, 3.2 ± 2.5 in the medial branch, and 3.5 ± 1.9 in the control group (P = 0.493). At 3 months, the proportions of positive responders in the intraarticular, medial branch block, and placebo groups were 51%, 56%, and 24% for the intraarticular, medial branch, and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.005). Conclusions: This study establishes that facet blocks are not therapeutic. The higher responder rates in the treatment groups suggest a hypothesis that facet blocks might provide prognostic value before radiofrequency ablation.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To provide preliminary data on a diffusion of psychosocial benefit to women diagnosed with breast cancer when only their partners receive a psychoeducational intervention focused on the breast cancer experience.

DESIGN
Single-group, pretest/post-test pilot study; participants served as their own controls.

SETTING
Communities in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

SAMPLE
9 women with a first diagnosis of breast cancer within the previous six months whose partners received the Helping Her Heal intervention.

METHODS
Data were collected from women pre- and postintervention via standardized questionnaires with established reliability and validity. Confidential exit interviews were conducted after postintervention data were returned.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
State anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y [STAI-Y]), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale [CES-D]), and marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale [DAS]; Mutuality and Interpersonal Sensitivity scale).

FINDINGS
Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed significant improvements on the CES-D (p = 0.01), STAI-Y (p = 0.01), and DAS affectional expression subscale (p = 0.03) in women from pre- to postintervention. Review of exit interview transcripts indicated that women generally were positive about the impact of the program and viewed their partners' gains in communication skills as the greatest benefit of participating.

CONCLUSIONS
This study offers preliminary support for a diffusion of psychosocial benefit to women with breast cancer when a psychoeducational intervention is delivered to their partners.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Diffusion of benefit should be examined in a large, randomized, clinical trial to provide evidence for focusing some clinical efforts on partners alone, rather than adding to diagnosed women's burden of multiple clinical encounters.


Palestinian cities face the challenges of land scarcity, high population growth rates, rapid urbanization, uneven development and territorial fragmentation. Due to geopolitical constrains and the absence of an effective Palestinian planning institution, urban development in Palestinian cities has not followed any discernable planning scheme. This has led to a number of internal contradictions in the structure of cities, and adversely affected land use, the provision of urban services, and the quality of the living environment. This paper explores these challenges, and the potential that exists for introducing a more sustainable urban development pattern in Palestinian cities. It assesses alternative development approaches with a particular focus on sustainable development, promoting ecodevelopment imperatives, limiting random urbanization, and meeting present and future challenges, including fulfilling the needs of the people and conserving the scarce land and limited natural resources. This paper concludes by offering conceptual proposals and guidelines for promoting sustainable physical development in Palestinian cities. Keywords—Palestinian Cities, Rapid urbanization, Sustainable urban development.


Facebook's founding is legend: In a Harvard dorm, wunderkind Mark Zuckerberg invented a new way to connect with friends?and the rest is history. But for the people who actually molded this great idea into a game-changing $300 billion company, the experience was far more tumultuous and uncertain than we might expect.
Mike Hoefflinger was one of those Facebook insiders. As a computer engineer turned marketing innovator who worked with COO Sheryl Sandberg, Hoefflinger had a front-row seat to the company's growing pains, stumbles, and reinventions.
Becoming Facebook tells the coming-of-age story of the now venerable giant. Filled with insights and anecdotes from crises averted and challenges solved, the book tracks the company's development, uncovering lessons learned on its way to greatness:

How Facebook recovered from its ?disastrous? IPO
How the growth team achieved the impossible
Why Facebook's News Feed ads were the company's most important business decision ever
How Google+ attacked and lost
Why—and how—Instagram and WhatsApp were added to the mix
What the company does to win the talent wars
What makes Zuckerberg, Sandberg, Cox, and other A-teamers tick
Which products and technical advancements are on the horizon and why
And much more

Intimate, fast-paced, and deeply informative, Becoming Facebook shares the true story of how Zuckerberg joined the ranks of iconic CEOs like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Jeff Bezos—as Facebook grows up, overcomes setbacks, and works to connect the world.


Food, energy, and water (FEW) are essential for human health and economic development. FEW systems are inextricably interlinked, yet individualized and variable. Consequently, an accurate assessment must include all available and proposed FEW components and their interconnections and consider scale, location, and scope. Remote Alaska locations are examples of isolated communities with limited infrastructure, accessibility, and extreme climate conditions. The resulting challenges for FEW reliability and sustainability create opportunities to obtain practical insights that may apply to other remote communities facing similar challenges. By creating energy distribution models (EDMs), a methodology is proposed, and a tool is developed to measure the impacts of renewable energy (RE) on small FEW systems connected to the microgrids of several Alaska communities. Observing the community FEW systems through an energy lens, three indices are used to measure FEW security: Energy–Water (EW), Energy–Food (EF), and Sustainable Energy (SE). The results indicate the impacts of RE on FEW infrastructure systems are highly seasonal, primarily because of the natural intermittence and seasonality of renewable resources. Overall, there is a large potential for RE integration to increase FEW security as well as a need for additional analysis and methods to further improve the resiliency of FEW systems in remote communities.


Purpose: The mechanisms involved in the coordination of muscle activity are not completely known: to investigate adaptive changes in human motor cortex Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was often used. The sport models are frequently used to study how the training may affect the corticospinal system excitability: Karate represents a valuable sport model for this kind of investigations for its high levels of coordination required to athletes. This study was aimed at examining possible changes in the resting motor threshold (rMT) and in the corticospinal response in karate athletes, and at determining whether athletes are characterized by a specific value of rMT. Methods: We recruited 25 right-handed young karate athletes and 25 matched non-athletes. TMS was applied to primary motor cortex (M1). Motor evoked potential (MEP) were recorded by two electrodes placed above the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. We considered MEP latencies and amplitudes at rMT, 110% of rMT, and 120% of rMT. Results: The two groups were similar for age (p > 0.05), height (p > 0.05) and body mass (p > 0.05). The TMS had a 70-mm figure-of-eight coil and a maximum output of 2.2 T, placed over the left motor cortex. During the stimulation, a mechanical arm kept the coil tangential to the scalp, with the handle at 45° respect to the midline. The SofTaxic navigator system (E.M.S. Italy, www.emsmedical.net) was used in order to correctly identifying and repeating the stimulation for every subject. Compared to non-athletes, athletes showed a lower resting motor threshold (p < 0.001). Furthermore, athletes had a lower MEP latency (p < 0.001) and a higher MEP amplitude (p < 0.001) compared to non-athletes. Moreover, a ROC curve for rMT was found significant (area: 0.907; sensitivity 84%, specificity 76%). Conclusions: As the main finding, the present study showed significant differences in cortical excitability between athletes and non-athletes. The training can improve cortical excitability inducing athletes' modifications, as demonstrated in rMT and MEP values. These finding support the hypothesis that the sport practice determines specific brain organizations in relationship with the sport challenges.


Although research has been undertaken into the effects of manual intervention on common respiratory conditions, very little research has been undertaken into whether manual therapy can produce a significant improvement in the respiratory function of asymptomatic volunteers one week after the manual intervention. To test whether a relationship exists between the effects of thoracic HVLA and rib raising (RR) on the pulmonary function of asymptomatic volunteers one week after the manual intervention, 38 participants (males = 25, females = 13) were randomly assigned to either a HVLA (n=11), RR (n=14) or a HVLA + RR group (n=13). Statistically significant increases were observed in both FVC (p=0.005) and FEV1 (p=0.002) within each of the three groups over time (pre-test, post-test, 1 week). However, no significant increases were found neither in the chest diameter values within the three treatment groups with respect to time nor between the three groups at any of the three time periods. The greatest increases in percentage change occurred in FEV1 and FVC values at the 1 week time period, particularly for the HVLA + RR and the RR group in which respective FEV1 increases of 10.5% and 7.41% occurred. The results of this study suggest that HVLA and rib raising ought to be equally effective in improving the pulmonary function of asymptomatic individuals , given that no statistically significant difference was found between the mean FEV1 and FVC values within the 3 groups over time. Since previous research shows that rib raising produces within subject increases in both FEV1 and FVC over time that are statistically significant in asthmatics, it may be possible to infer that HVLA may be as useful an adjunct as rib raising in the long-term management of stable asthma.
This minor thesis was written by a post-graduate student as part of the requirements of the Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) program.


The paper summarises the refereed contributions of seven articles reviewed for publication in the IJETP - Special Issue on 'Reactive compensation for wind farms'. The main goal of the special issue is to provide a forum to exchange information on the reactive power compensation requirements for wind farms and introducing possible price mechanisms for today's deregulated power industry. Uncompensated reactive power causes stress on the hosting utility grid as well as added expenses, which create in difficulties for power purchasing agreements from independent wind energy producers. Wind power producers need to comply with the hosting utility grid interconnection standards, e.g., voltage and frequency, as well as to provide controllable active and reactive sources of power. Active power supply is mainly dependent on the potential of wind power produced and the turbine design. Reactive power demand on the other hand depends on the conversion devices and the recovered power quantity fed to the grid. Static Var Compensators (SVC), Unified Power Quality Conditioners (UPQC), Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC), and the Distributed Static Synchronous Compensators (DSTATCOM) are all new emerging devices aimed at regulating the reactive power requirements. The excellent controllability of these devices has paved the way to flexible and dynamic controllers that are capable of regulating the flow of active and reactive power components. These devices are now suggested for the control of the reactive power requirement of wind generators. Studies have demonstrated acceptable voltage stabilisation results. This has increased the penetration level of wind power into existing distribution networks in many countries.


Semantic segmentation of medical images aims to associate a pixel with a label in a medical image without human initialization. The success of semantic segmentation algorithms is contingent on the availability of high-quality imaging data with corresponding labels provided by experts. We sought to create a large collection of annotated medical image datasets of various clinically relevant anatomies available under open source license to facilitate the development of semantic segmentation algorithms. Such a resource would allow: 1) objective assessment of general-purpose segmentation methods through comprehensive benchmarking and 2) open and free access to medical image data for any researcher interested in the problem domain. Through a multi-institutional effort, we generated a large, curated dataset representative of several highly variable segmentation tasks that was used in a crowd-sourced challenge - the Medical Segmentation Decathlon held during the 2018 Medical Image Computing and Computer Aided Interventions Conference in Granada, Spain. Here, we describe these ten labeled image datasets so that these data may be effectively reused by the research community.


Purpose We previously showed that a sequential chemotherapy with dose-dense oxaliplatin (FOLFOX7) and irinotecan (FOLFIRI; irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin) is not superior to FOLFOX4 in patients at advanced stage of colorectal cancer with liver metastases. Here we aimed to determine whether time to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) score definitive deterioration (TUDD) differs by study arm. Methods HRQoL was evaluated using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 at baseline and every 4 cycles until the end of the study or death. Functional scale, symptom scale, global health status, and financial difficulties were analyzed. The TUDD was defined as the time interval between randomization and the first decrease in HRQoL score ≥ 5-point with no further improvement in HRQoL score ≥ 5 points or any further HRQoL data. TUDD was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the long-rank test. Cox regression analyses were used to identify HRQoL items influencing TUDD. Sensitivity analyses were done using a multiple imputation method and different definitions of TUDD. Results Of the 284 patients, 171 (60.2%) completed HRQoL questionnaires. Cox multivariate analysis showed no statistically significant difference in TUDD for most of the QLQ-C30 scales between treatments. Patients with dyspnea and those without symptoms at baseline had a significantly longer TUDD when there was a delay >12 months between diagnosis of the primary tumor and metastases (HR 0.48 [0.26–0.89]) and when there was diarrhea (HR 0.59 [0.36–0.96]), respectively. Conclusion This study shows that TUDD does not differ significantly according to type of treatment. The TUDD method produces meaningful longitudinal HRQoL results that may facilitate effective clinical decision making in patients with mCRC. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00268398


The UK higher education research excellence framework and teaching excellence framework both recognise Interdisciplinary working as a means of helping students prepare for employment and understand a broader range of approaches to problem solving. This has been accompanied by a drive to improve accessibility leading to increased use of flexible learning. The change to students funding their own education via tuition fees has led to higher learner expectations of the student experience.
This paper explores the interdisciplinary learning that takes place between staff when they work together to create and perform good teaching and the impact on learners when they begin to recognise and appreciate the extent of the 'team behind good teaching.' Based loosely on Goffman's work on 'Identity' and the concepts of 'frontstage and backstage' work, the paper will explore the shift in culture to using technology enhanced learning approaches to enable staff to engage students in learning, maximise time in the classroom and create higher quality learning products to support collective and personalised learning. The paper will explore the tensions around understandings of learning and teaching and what it means to be a ' good teacher' arguing that increasingly teaching is collaborative by design ( if not delivery) and the result of interdisciplinary skill sharing amongst staff working in learning technology and educator roles. This teamwork approach to learning is shifting the culture of approaches to learning to enable increased creativity and responsiveness to student needs.


In this paper we explore available tools for integrating intelligent tutoring communications in game-based learning platforms and examine theory-based techniques for delivering explicit feedback in such environments. The primary tool influencing the design of this research is the open-source Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), a modular domain-independent architecture that provides the tools to author, deliver, and evaluate intelligent tutoring technologies. Influenced by social cognitive theory and cognitive load theory based research, the resulting experiment looks at varying approaches for using an Embodied Pedagogical Agent (EPA) defined as a tutor in a game-based training environment. Treatments were authored to examine tradeoffs between embedding an EPA directly in a game, embedding an EPA in GIFT's browser-based Tutor-User Interface (TUI), or using audio prompts alone with no social grounding. A condition effectiveness evaluation is presented examining treatment effects on performance, reported mental demand, and perceived usefulness of feedback. Outcomes support the use of an EPA present in GIFT's TUI when compared to effectiveness scores on audio prompts alone and the game embedded EPA.


Abstract Integrated palynological, organic and inorganic geochemical and petrographical methods have been used for deciphering the depositional redox conditions and character of organic matter of the Famennian Dasberg event horizon from the deep-shelf Kowala succession of the Holy Cross Mountains. The ages of the investigated samples have been established, using miospore data, as VF (Diducites versabilis–Grandispora famenensis) and LV (Retispora lepidophyta–Apiculiretusispora verrucosa) miospore Zones of the Middle/Upper Famennian. In the standard conodont zonation, this corresponds to the uppermost postera to lowermost praesulcata Zones. The presence of green sulphur bacteria biomarkers and dominance of small-sized framboids together with the presence of large framboids and low values of the U/Th ratio may indicate that during sedimentation of the lower Dasberg shale, intermittent anoxia occurred in the water column, or the anoxic conditions prevailed in the upper part of the water column, while the bottom waters were oxygenated, at least briefly. Deposition of the upper Dasberg shale was characterized by both bottom water and water column anoxia. The lack of acritarcha taxa from these intervals could have been due to anoxia in the photic zone. Moreover, organic content is high in those samples. There is no geochemical evidence for anoxia during sedimentation of the deposits sandwiched between the lower and upper Dasberg shales, or in the deposits which underlie and overlie both Dasberg shale horizons. The two discrete anoxic events are interpreted to be the result of major transgressions and the blooming of primary producers. Above the Dasberg shales, small fragments of charcoal and raised concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are detected. This supports the presence of wildfires during deposition of shales just above the boundary of VF/LV palynological zones. Temperatures calculated from the fusinite reflectance values suggest that the charcoal was formed in low-temperature ground and/or surface fires. The typical marine character of sedimentation combined with the high proportion of charcoals suggests that wildfires were large-scale, and that there was intensive transport of terrestrial material. The main causes of intensive wildfires were a significant rise of O2 in the atmosphere and important progress in the land plant diversity during Late Devonian times. Palynofacies studies suggest that the transgression corresponds to the part IIf of the Late Devonian sea-level curve.


Capturing and modelling 3D information of the built environment is a big challenge. A number of techniques and technologies are now in use. These include EDM (Electronic Distance Measurement), GPS (Global Positioning System), and photogrammetric application, remote sensing and traditional building surveying applications. However, the use of these technologies cannot be practical and efficient in regard to time, cost and accuracy. Furthermore, a multi disciplinary knowledge base, created from the studies and research about the regeneration aspects is fundamental: historical, architectural, archeologically, environmental, social, economic, etc. In order to have an adequate diagnosis of regeneration, it is necessary to describe buildings and surroundings by means of documentation and plans. However, at this point in time the foregoing is considerably far removed from the real situation, since more often than not it is extremely difficult to obtain full documentation and cartography, of an acceptable quality, since the material, constructive pathologies and systems are often insufficient or deficient (flat that simply reflects levels, isolated photographs,..). Sometimes the information in reality exists, but this fact is not known, or it is not easily accessible, leading to the unnecessary duplication of efforts and resources.
Systems that measure range from the time-of-flight of a laser pulse have been available for about 25 years, so this does not constitute new technology. However, the development of fast measurement (up to 10000 measurements per second) and a scanning mechanism (using rotating mirrors) has only occurred in this decade or so. Packaging these components into a robust and reliable instrument has resulted in the innovation of a 3D laser scanner.
In this chapter, we discussed 3D laser scanning technology, which can acquire high density point data in an accurate, fast way. Besides, the scanner can digitize all the 3D information concerned with a real world object such as buildings, trees and terrain down to millimetre detail Therefore, it can provide benefits for refurbishment process in regeneration in the Built Environment and it can be the potential solution to overcome the challenges above. The chapter introduces an approach for scanning buildings, processing the point cloud raw data, and a modelling approach for CAD extraction and building objects classification in IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format. The approach presented in this section can lead to parametric design and Building Information Modelling (BIM) for existing structures. In this chapter, while use of laser scanners are explained, the integration of it with various technologies and systems are also explored for professionals in the Built Environment


In 1906, at a prosperous Long Island summer home, a family falls ill and typhoid is diagnosed. When Dr George Soper is called in to find the source of the contagion, he notices that the household cook has gone missing. She is Mary Mallon, the woman who would become known as Typhoid Mary. Soper, sanitary engineer turned sleuth, sees Mary as his Moriarty. He finds there has been an outbreak of typhoid fever in every household she has worked in over the past decade. Mary is a 'carrier', a seemingly healthy individual who passes on her dangerous germs, sometimes with fatal consequences. Now Soper must hunt the cook down before she can infect more unsuspecting victims. A poor Irish immigrant, Mary refuses to believe that she can harbour typhoid in her strong and healthy body, and she doesn't intend to go quietly. In this fascinating true story Bourdain, in an homage from one cook to another, follows Mary through the kitchens of New York, putting a human face to a desperate and unintentional murderer, and examines a time, and a life, with his inimitable style.


Abstract Flowing waters receive substantial nutrient inputs, including both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), in many parts of the world. Eutrophication science for rivers and streams has unfortunately lagged behind that for lakes, and results from lakes might inform those interested in stream eutrophication. A key controversy in lake eutrophication science is the relative importance of controlling P and N in water quality management, and we are interested how the science of this controversy transfers to flowing waters. A literature review indicates (1) stream benthic chlorophyll is significantly correlated to both total N and total P in the water column, with both nutrients explaining more variance than either considered alone; (2) nutrients have increased substantially in many rivers and streams of the United States over reference conditions, and strong shifts in N and P stoichiometry have occurred as well; (3) bioassays often indicate N responses alone or in concert with P responses for autotrophic (primary production and chlorophyll) and heterotrophic (respiration) responses; (4) both heterotrophic and autotrophic processes are influenced by the availability of N and P; and (5) N-fixing cyanobacteria usually do not seem to be able to fully satisfy N limitations in rivers and streams when P is present in excess of N. These data suggest both N and P control should be considered in the eutrophication management of streams.


It is important in meteorology to be able to establish a link between various features. This link in its strongest form would be referred to as 'cause‐and‐effect' but this is extremely difficult to establish for atmospheric flows. A weaker, but nonetheless powerful, link is 'attribution' which attempts to provide a way to associate various fundamental features, such as potential‐vorticity anomalies, to weather events involving regions of ascent. Attribution is not new and it is implicit in the way that atmospheric evolution is usually described. In this paper an attempt is made to define more precisely what are the steps and assumptions being made in such a method. These ideas become more concrete by applying them to a simple model of a two‐dimensional front at which there is a tropopause fold. the aim is to find the vertical motion attributable to the descended tropopause fold in an extra‐tropical cyclone. This is the first step in a longer programme of research designed to provide a test of the hypothesis that such a descended tropopause can trigger mesoscale phenomena such as convection and cyclones.


Fair and equitable benefit-sharing is emerging in various areas of international environmental law (biodiversity, oceans, climate change, water, food and agriculture), as well as in international processes on human rights and corporate accountability. Benefit-sharing seeks to fairly and equitably allocate economic as well as socio-cultural and environmental advantages arising from the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, or from their regulation, among different stakeholders. Notwithstanding mounting evidence that benefit-sharing is emerging in different areas of international law, varying understandings of the concept are articulated and no systematic study discusses its evolution and diffusion. This paper proposes norm diffusion as a lens for understanding how fair and equitable benefit-sharing is articulated in different sites, and discusses mechanisms, frames and actors in an interdisciplinary perspective by drawing on literature from sociology, international relations and law. A model for mapping norm diffusion in a dynamic way, considering whether actors, mechanisms and paths are active or passive, formal or informal, top-down, bottom-up or horizontal is proposed. Framing is discussed as crucial to understanding the content and embeddedness of a norm. The article uncovers underlying similarities in work on norm diffusion across the disciplines considered, and reflects on the value of an interdisciplinary approach that encourages legal scholars to consider the implications of power structures in the diffusion of law, while the nuances of legal knowledge may lead other social scientists to revisit accepted findings on norm diffusion. An in-depth understanding of how benefit-sharing is diffusing is argued to be an indispensible step before an informed assessment of its potential to promote the protection and sustainable use of natural resources in a fair and equitable manner in the face of power asymmetries.


This paper presents experiments aiming at improving the automatic transcription of oral presentations through the inclusion of the slides in the recognition process. The experiments are performed over a data set of around three hours of material ( 33 kwords and 270 slides) and are based on an approach trying to maximize the similarity between the recognizer output and the content of the slides. The results show that the upper bound to the Word Error Rate (WER) reduction is 1.7% (obtained by transcribing correctly all words co-occurring in both slides and speech), but that our approach does not produce statistically significant improvements. Results analysis seems to suggest that such results do not depend on the similarity maximization approach, but on the statistical characteristics of the language.


Objectives In addition to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), tobacco companies have recently begun to sell heat-not-burn tobacco products, Ploom and iQOS in Japan. Previous research has reported an inverse association between combustible cigarette smoking and educational attainment, but little is known about the association for e-cigarettes, especially heat-not-burn tobacco products. Our objective was to analyze the relationship between educational attainment and e-cigarette and heat-not-burn tobacco use. Setting An internet survey (randomly sampled research agency panelists) in Japan. Participants A total of 7338 respondents aged 18–69 years in 2015 (3632 men and 3706women). Primary measures Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of educational attainment for current smoking (combustible cigarettes), e-cigarette ever-use, and heat-not-burn ever-use were calculated by multivariable logistic regression models using covariates including socio-demographic factors. Stratified analyses according to smoking status (combustible cigarettes) were additionally performed for e-cigarette ever-use and heat-not-burn tobacco product ever-use. Results Associations between educational attainment and e-cigarette ever-use or heat-not-burn tobacco ever-use are not straightforward, although these associations are not statistically significant except for one cell. For example, using "graduate school" education as a reference category, adjusted ORs for "high school" were 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85–2.44) for e-cigarettes ever-use and 0.75 (95% CI:0.19–2.97) for heat-not-burn tobacco product ever-use. Among current smokers, compared with "graduate school" (reference), those with lower educational attainment showed 0.6 to 0.7 ORs for e-cigarette ever-use: e.g.,"4-year university"(OR = 0.54, 95% CI:0.24–1.24) and "high school" (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.30–1.60). Among former smokers, lower education indicated higher ORs for both e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco ever-use. Conclusions This study provides baseline information on educational gradients of e-cigarette and heat-not-burn tobacco products, ever-use. As heat-not-burn tobacco products are increasing their market share in Japan, continuous monitoring of these products will be necessary.


The accounting profession is a field that functions through a set of complex and contradictory standards. As a result of the ever-increasing complexities brought on by a rules-based standard approach, several countries and regions including Japan, China, Hong Kong, the European Union, and the United States have all begun to converge their respective generally accepted accounting standards towards more principles-based accounting standards. The research conducted examines through a comparison of various nations and regions generally accepted accounting principles for important issues to determine which, if any, are deemed to have an objective-oriented standard; also, if the comparison does not result in an objective-oriented standard, then derive any modifications that may need to be made to have the particular standard qualify as an objective-oriented or principles-based standard. The important concepts compared included: intangible assets, accounting for impairment, related party transactions, financial instruments with a specific focus on derivatives and hedges, stock options and share-based payments, business combinations, and segment reporting. This study serves as a preliminary comparison for principles-based standard setting. Taking into consideration that definitive plans for revision of current regional and national accounting standards have not been finalized, this particular study gives some insight as to the possible direction or possible revisions that will be made to implement a unified, principles-based accounting standard set.


Web search engines respond to a query by returning more results than can be reasonably reviewed. These results typically include the title, link, and snippet of content from the target link. Each result has the potential to be useful or useless and thus reviewing it has a cost and potential benefit. This paper studies the behavior of a rational agent in this setting, whose objective is to maximize the probability of finding a satisfying result while minimizing cost. We propose two similar agents with different capabilities: one that only compares result snippets relatively and one that predicts from the result snippet whether the result will be satisfying. We prove that the optimal strategy for both agents is a stopping rule: the agent reviews a fixed number of results until the marginal cost is greater than the marginal expected benefit, maximizing the overall expected utility. Finally, we discuss the relationship between rational agents and search users and how our findings help us understand reviewing behaviors.


Do the gains in confidence and economic well being that can come from participation in a microfinance programme reduce clients' vulnerability to HIV infection? Until now practical experience and an evidence base relating to such activities have been limited. This article reviews the evidence supporting an enhanced role for microfinance in HIV prevention activities. It describes the Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity (IMAGE) – a South African case study that has been specifically designed to explore these relationships. The paper discusses the operational integration of microfinance and HIV prevention – highlighting challenges, emerging lessons and limitations in the light of international best practice and several years of field experience.


Use of secondary-treated municipal wastewater for crop irrigation south of Dodge City, Kansas, where the soils are mainly of silty clay loam texture, has raised a concern that it has resulted in high nitrate-nitrogen concentrations (10-50 mg/kg) in the soil and deeper vadose zone, and also in the underlying deep (20-45 m) ground water. The goal of this field-monitoring project was to assess how and under what circumstances nitrogen (N) nutrients under cultivated corn that is irrigated with this treated wastewater can reach the deep ground water of the underlying High Plains aquifer, and what can realistically be done to minimize this problem. We collected 15.2-m-deep cores for physical and chemical properties characterization; installed neutron moisture-probe access tubes and suction lysimeters for periodic measurements; sampled area monitoring, irrigation, and domestic wells; performed dye-tracer experiments to examine soil preferential-flow processes through macropores; and obtained climatic, crop, irrigation, and N-application rate records. These data and additional information were used in the comprehensive Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) to identify key parameters and processes that influence N losses in the study area. We demonstrated that nitrate-N transport processes result in significant accumulations of N in the thick vadose zone. We also showed that nitrate-N in the underlying ground water is increasing with time and that the source of the nitrate is from the wastewater applications. RZWQM2 simulations indicated that macropore flow is generated particularly during heavy rainfall events, but during our 2005-06 simulations the total macropore flow was only about 3% of precipitation for one of two investigated sites, whereas it was more than 13% for the other site. Our calibrated model for the two wastewater-irrigated study sites indicated that reducing current levels of corn N fertilization by half or more to the level of 170 kg/ha substantially increases N-use efficiency and achieves near-maximum crop yield. Combining such measures with a crop rotation that includes alfalfa should further reduce the amounts of residual N in the soil, as indicated in one of the study sites that had alfalfa in past crop rotations.


The deep integration of IIS7 and ASP.NET provides both IIS7 administrators and ASP.NET developers with new and exciting programming tools, techniques, and approaches that were not possible with earlier versions of IIS. With this book, Dr. Shahram Khosravi presents you with the only resource to focus exclusively on the key features of this exciting integration. Youll get in-depth coverage of all the major systems that make up the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated infrastructure, detailed explanations on how they work, guidance on how to use them in your own applications, and techniques for extending them to meet your application requirements. Packed with detailed code walkthroughs and in-depth analyses of numerous real-world examples - all written and tested with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, ASP.NET 2.0, and ASP.NET 3.5 (Visual Studio 2008), this book helps you gain the skills, knowledge, and experience you need to use and to extend the major systems that make up the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated infrastructure. Some of the key topics covered include: How to write integrated IIS7 and ASP.NET code that works with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, ASP.NET 2.0, and ASP.NET 3.5 (Visual Studio 2008) Techniques for implementing and plugging custom HTTP modules, handlers, and handler factories into the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated request processing pipeline How to manage the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated configuration system from IIS7 Manager, appcmd.exe, and managed code Tips for using the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated declarative schema extension markup language (, , , , and so on) to implement custom configuration sections Techniques for using and extending the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated managed code system (ConfigurationElement, ConfigurationElementCollectionBase, ConfigurationSection, ApplicationPool, Site, Application, ServerManager and so on) to add support for custom managed classes Tips for extending the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated graphical management system (ModuleServiceProxy, ModuleDialogPage, ModuleListPage, TaskForm, Module, ModuleService, ModuleProvider, TextTaskItem, MethodTaskItem, and so on) to add new graphical components to IIS7 Manager Techniques for using and extending the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated providers system (ProviderConfigurationFeature, ProviderConfigurationSettings, IProviderConfigurationService, ConfigurationModuleProvider, and so on) and ways to implement and to plug custom provider-based services into this system and IIS7 Manager Ways to use the IIS7 and ASP.NET integrated tracing and diagnostics - TraceSource, SourceSwitch, IisTraceListener, EventTypeFilter, RSCA, Request, WorkerProcess, Failed Request Tracing, and so on ASP.NET and Windows Communication Foundation integration in IIS7


In the preceding Papers I, II and III a revised columnar high-order modelling approach to model gas-aerosol-turbulence interactions in the convective boundary layer (CBL) was proposed, and simulation results of two synthetic nucleation scenarios (binary vs. ternary) on new particle formation (NPF) in the anthropogenically influenced CBL were presented and discussed. The purpose of the present finishing Paper IV is twofold: Firstly, an attempt is made to compile previous observational findings on NPF bursts in the CBL, obtained from a number of field experiments. Secondly, the scenario simulations discussed in Paper III will be evaluated with respect to the role of CBL turbulence in NPF burst evolution. It was demonstrated, that completely different nucleation mechanisms can lead to the occurrence of NPF bursts in the surface layer, but the corresponding evolution patterns strongly differ with respect to the origin, amplitude and phase of the NPF burst as well as with respect to the time-height evolution of turbulent vertical fluxes and double correlation terms of physicochemical and aerosoldynamical variables. The large differences between the binary and ternary case scenario indicate, that ammonia (NH 3 ) can not be considered as a time-independent tuning parameter in nucleation modelling. Its contribution to the evolution of the NPF burst pattern is much more complicated and reflects the influence of CBL turbulence as well as the strong non-linearity of the ternary nucleation rate. The impact of water (H 2 O) vapour on the nucleation rate is quite varying depending on the considered nucleation mechanism. According to the classical theory of binary nucleation involving H 2 O and sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ), H 2 O vapour favours NPF, according to the classical theory of ternary nuncleation involving H 2 O, H 2 SO 4 and NH 3 and according to organic nucleation via chemical reactions involving stabilised Criegee intermediates (SCIs), H 2 O vapour disfavours nucleation, and according to the parameterisation of the collision-controlled binary nucleation rate proposed by Weber et al. (1996), H 2 O vapour does not explicitly affect the particle formation. Since the H 2 SO 4 concentration is overpredicted in the simulations presented in Paper III, the nucleation rates are too high compared to previous estimations. Therefore, the results are not directly comparable to measurements. Especially NPF events, where organics are suspected to play a key role, such as those observed at the boreal forest station in Hyytiala (Southern Finland) or at Hohenpeissenberg (mountain site in Southern Germany), can not be explained by employing simple sulphur/ammonia chemistry. However, some valuable hints regarding the role of CBL turbulence in NPF can be obtained. In the literature a number of observations on the link between turbulence and NPF can be found, whose burst patterns support a strong contribution of CBL turbulence to the NPF burst evolution simulated here. Observations, that do not correspond to the scenarios are discussed with respect to possible reasons for the differences between model and observation. The model simulations support some state-of-the-art hypotheses on the contribution of CBL turbulence to NPF. Considering the application of box models, the present study shows, that CBL turbulence, not explicitly considered in such models, can strongly affect the spatio-temporal NPF burst evolution. The columnar high-order model presented here is a helpful tool to elucidate gas-aerosol-turbulence interactions, especially the genesis of NPF bursts in the CBL. An advanced description of the cluster formation and condensation growth is required as well as a comprehensive verification/validation study using observed high-order moments. Further scenario simulations remain to be performed.


Application of 3D printing technologies for manufacturing metal products, are receiving ever-increasing attentions in advanced manufacturing fields e.g. aerospace, automobile and biomedical engineering. Laser metal deposition (LMD) is one of the promising 3D printing techiques suitable for depositing fully-densed critical metal components of complex geometry layer-by-layer. Based on directed energy deposition, LMD sprays metal powders into a moving molten pool generated by energy-intensive laser and consequently deposits solid tracks on the substrate surface with the movement of laser spot. Accurate numerical modelling of this 3D printing process is really a challenge due to involving in multiple physical-mechanical actions along with the mass and heat flows. This research reviews the existing 3D printing technologies using metal powders and especially focusing on the LMD process. To facilitate the numerical modelling, the 3D printing process for LMD is decomposed into several interlinked physical stages, including (1) powders convey and dynamics, (2) laser- metal powders interaction, (3) formation of molten pool due to laser irradiation with mass and heat addition; (4) solidification of molten pool and formation of solid tracks on the substrate. In this research, gas-powder flow within the internal passages of laser deposition head and powder dynamics after being ejected from the nozzles are modelled and analyzed to give a better understanding of the key physics during the LMD process. An in-depth study of the powder flow and its dynamics in LMD via numerical simulation will definitely facilitate subsequent formation mechanism of molten pool and deposited tracks. The proposed CFD model of powder convey and dynamics will finally assist in accurately simulating the whole LMD process and consequently help enhance the functionality-related performance of LMDed components.


Introduction: Decreases in muscle mass, strength and power are associated with ageing, all of which increase the risk of falls, and
cause a loss of independence. Creatine supplementation is often used in younger athletes to improve anaerobic performance, power
and strength, however the potential benefits of creatine supplementation in older individuals are less clear.
With an ageing population comes age-related losses in skeletal muscle mass, sarcopenia and associated risks of falls, morbidity
and mortality. Importantly many older individuals still regularly perform aerobic and resistance training which serves to maintain
this muscle mass and reduce these risks however a large proportion do not partake in regular exrecise [1]. There is evidence that
creatine supplementation may maintain muscle mass and function in older adults [2], but an important question is whether
resistance training and creatine supplementation have an additive effect on muscle structure and function or can older adults
receive the same degree of benefit by just partaking in one of these protocols?
Creatine
Creatine is important for energy metabolism, and is thought to be an effective ergogenic aid in physical performance [3]. Creatine
is synthesised within the body and ingested naturally from meat [3] or artificially through supplements. 94% of total body creatine
is located in skeletal muscles and is stored as either free (40%) or phosphorylated creatine (PCr; 60%) [4].
Within skeletal muscles, creatine is hypothesised to shuttle high energy phosphogens between the mitochondria and cytosol
[5], increasing the efficiency of cross-bridge cycling and thereby enhancing skeletal muscle contraction (Figure 1). Firstly, ATP
synthesised in the mitochondrial matrix is transported via creatine kinase (CK) to the mitochondrial intermembrane space where
CK catalyses the formation of ADP and PCr; Figure 2 reveals the equation from which ATP is then generated from stores of
PCr via creatine kinase during periods of intense exercise. The ADP produced is transported back to the matrix where it is
rephosphorylated when required. Liberated PCr migrates to the cytosol to sites of ATP consumption, where local CK enzymes
regenerate ATP to allow for increased contraction. The liberated creatine then diffuses back to the mitochondria to allow for
subsequent phosphorylation if required. This "transport" process is thought to occur in endurance-type activities [6-8]. Creatine
supplementation has been shown to increase PCr regeneration [9], increasing ATP availability, thus facilitating prolonged physical
activity [4].
Aim: This review assesses the current literature on whether creatine supplementation in the presence of resistance training enhances
physical performance in older adults above and beyond those undertaking resistance training alone or only taking creatine supplements.
Results: Whilst reports are conflicting, there is good evidence to suggest that creatine supplementation with resistance training
increases muscular endurance, lower body strength and lean body mass; this is above results obtained with creatine supplementation
or resistance training alone. The increased muscle mass observed with training has previously been shown to lead to increased bone
mineral content and an associated reduced fracture risk; however, the additional benefits of creatine supplementation on this are less
clear, and more work is needed to confirm whether exogenously taken creatine will benefit bone mineral density.
Conclusion: Creatine supplementation in the elderly may lead to increased muscle mass, endurance and performance, and those who
undertake resistance training may show further improvements with creatine supplementation. However, for elderly subjects who do
not partake in resistance training, creatine supplementation offers significant improvements in increasing muscular mass and strength,
and increasing their quality of life, whilst these benefits are lower on the whole than those who undertake regular resistance training.


The aim of this study was to establish the correlates of PA in children who are physically active andmeeting the current physical activity guidelines for health. Despite the increasing recognition of thehealth benefits associated with regular physical activity (PA) many children do not meet the currentPA recommendations for health. By identifying the correlates of PA in the first year at school moreinformed interventions to encourage active behaviours for children could be achieved. Methods. A sample of 102 school children (55 boys; 47 girls) aged 4-5 years wore a sealed pedometer for 6 consecutive days to measure mean daily step counts and parents completed the Northern Ireland Young Hearts Study questionnaire to assess correlates. Results. Boys performed more steps per week day (14,331) than girls (12,631) (p≤.0.05), no significant differences were found at weekends. Of the sample, 34.9% of boys and 48% of girls met or exceeded the recommended number of steps per day required for health. Time spent outdoors was positively correlated with PA, while the amount of television viewing by parental report was negatively correlated. Discussion/Conclusions. Interventions aimed at increasing PA for children should consider gender as boys are more active than girls but more boys fail to meet the steps per day recommendations for health. Also reducing television viewing time and increasing time spent outdoors should be considered.


London in the eighteenth century was a new city, risen from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1666 that had destroyed half its homes and great public buildings. The century that followed was an era of vigorous expansion and large-scale projects, of rapidly changing culture and commerce, as huge numbers of people arrived in the shining city, drawn by its immense wealth and power and its many diversions. Borrowing a phrase from Daniel Defoe, Jerry White calls London "this great and monstrous thing," the grandeur of its new buildings and the glitter of its high life shadowed by poverty and squalor. A Great and Monstrous Thing offers a street-level view of the city: its public gardens and prisons, its banks and brothels, its workshops and warehouses--and its bustling, jostling crowds. White introduces us to shopkeepers and prostitutes, men and women of fashion and genius, street-robbers and thief-takers, as they play out the astonishing drama of life in eighteenth-century London. What emerges is a picture of a society fractured by geography, politics, religion, history--and especially by class, for the divide between rich and poor in London was never greater or more destructive in the modern era than in these years. Despite this gulf, Jerry White shows us Londoners going about their business as bankers or beggars, reveling in an enlarging world of public pleasures, indulging in crimes both great and small--amidst the tightening sinews of power and regulation, and the hesitant beginnings of London democracy.


A number of methods are currently used for the design and testing of hypersonic vehicles, of particular focus in this research is those techniques employed in hypersonic wind tunnels. Current approaches to this testing use fixed sting mounted models, tethered models, and free-flight models to study its behaviour. An addition to these testing techniques and the focus of this project is the use of models with actuated control surfaces to allow the study of a hypersonic vehicle under dynamic conditions. This project aimed to design, construct, and validate; through demonstration of a pitching manoeuvre, a subscale model with an on-board control surface actuation system suitable for use in the University of Southern Queensland hypersonic wind tunnel (TUSQ). A tethered model with actuated control surfaces would indicate how the full-scale vehicle would behave whilst undertaking a manoeuvre.

The first phase of design was a development of a semi-analytical analysis to determine the expected forces and therefore response of the model. This provides data to later compare with the experimental results and parameters for the design of the model. The design of the model covered all components including the fin actuation system, tethering and support system and model housing design. The final phase was building and testing of the model in the
TUSQ facility.

Two runs in the hypersonic facility were completed as part of the research. Unfortunately neither run resulted in a demonstration of an entire successful manoeuvre. Analysis of the results revealed that the motor controlling the fin
operations was providing insufficient torque and the fin control was not occurring as expected. In addition the model exited the Mach cone of developed flow during its pitching manoeuvre. These two factors caused discrepancies between theoretical calculations and experimental data. Analysis of the results and high-speed footage of the model indicate that the technique has the potential to be valid however it will require some further work to make it practical and effective for use in design of hypersonic vehicles.


Beyond possible sovereignty disputes resulting from melting Arctic ice, very little is said or written about the maritime security implications of climate change. What does climate change mean for Canadian maritime security, and how can Canada adequately prepare to ensure continued safe and secure use of the world's oceans in an era of climate change?Climate change is relevant to maritime security through two chief dimensions. First, navies will more frequently be tasked to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the wake of more intense natural disasters. Second, increasing disorder on land will 'slop over' into the world's oceans, threatening the safety of maritime commerce.Canada has stakes in both of these dimensions, and so there is great impetus for preparedness. The recommended model for preparedness sees Canada's navy adopting a more varied fleet structure, one better suited for constabulary and diplomatic functions as opposed to traditional military functions.


Forty years after its initial description, the clinical definition of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has changed but its aetiology and treatment are still debated.1 2 The incidence of BPD is greatest in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants of <28 weeks' gestation.1 The severity of BPD has decreased with advances in care, including surfactant treatment, but primary prevention of BPD by avoiding premature birth remains elusive. Targets for decreasing the incidence of BPD include reducing oxygen exposure, avoiding lung infection/inflammation and avoiding ventilator-induced lung injury.

Oxygen exposure is linked to the occurrence of BPD.3 Preterm human neonates have oxidant stress from birth, and animal data demonstrate poor antioxidant defences.4 5 Thus avoidance of unnecessary oxygen exposure from birth is recommended.6 7 However, BPD can develop when continuous supplemental oxygen is not administered.1

Fetal/neonatal inflammation, infectious and non-infectious, has been causally linked to BPD,1 2 but treatment with postnatal steroids is problematic. A reduction in BPD with inhaled nitric oxide may be limited to neonates with birth weights >1000 g.8–10

Although some neonates can develop BPD despite minimal mechanical ventilation, a significant association exists between invasive artificial ventilation and BPD.1 Indeed, room air artificial ventilation of the fetal lamb results in lung injury similar to BPD.11 Measures to minimise ventilator-induced lung injury must begin from birth.6 12–14 Reducing the duration of artificial ventilation by early extubation to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) can minimise lung injury in immature baboons.15 However, extubation failure occurs with NCPAP mainly owing to apnoea,16 despite caffeine treatment that is associated with decreased BPD.17 Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) increases successful extubation by ∼30%.18–20 Although no strong evidence confirms that NIPPV reduces the occurrence of BPD, …


The Amami Plateau is a remnant arc situated in the northwestern part of the Philippine Sea Plate. The convergent rate of the Philippine Sea Plate relative to the Ryukyu Arc is 5.0 to 7.0cm/yr in a N50° W direction (Seno et al., 1993). The morphology of the continental slope of the collision area between the Amami Plateau and the Ryukyu Arc is characterized by a wide variety of tectonic landform.Since 1983 HDJ (Hydorographic Department of Japan) has conducted geophysical surveys by S/ V TAKUYO and S/ V MEIYO under the Continental Shelf Surveys Project and the Earthquake Prediction Project in the adjacent water of Japan. The area surveyed by these projects includes the northern part of Ryukyu forearc and the northwestern part of the Philippine Sea Plate. HDJ obtained SeaBeam swath bathymetric data, single channel seismic reflection profiles, and magnetic and gravity data in the collision area. These surveys reveal the process of the formation of the tectonic landforms caused by the collision between the plateau and the arc.The continental slope of the collision area is characterized by two tectonic landforms, ridges and minor ridges. Ridges are distributed on the topographic high including the Kikai Island, which are NE-SW trending straight ridges and valleys. The north and south ends of the topographic high are consistent with these of the Amami Plateau. Minor ridges are distributed on the gentle continental slope in the east of the topographic high with the ridges. These minor ridges are divided into two groups by the strike of the ridge axis, which are NE-SW and NW-SE trending ridges. The NE-SW trending ridges are distributed on three blocks in the gentle slope bordered by NW-SE trending ridges and valleys. A subducted seamount, which is estimated from the magnetic anomaly, lies below the central block, and the Kikai Seamount borders on the northeastern block on the trench.The collision between the Amami Plateau and the arc results in large tectonic effects to the Ryukyu Arc. In the collision area the continental slope is uplifted in two difference processes correspondent with two tectonic landforms, one is uplift caused by the buoyant subduction of the plateau, the other is uplift caused by the subduction of seamounts on the plateau.


The Resolution for a National Language Policy Programme 2014-2018 was adopted by the Slovene parliament in the summer of 2013, and was intended to set a common agenda in the area of state language policy. In this thesis, I investigate its trajectory from inception to (attempted) implementation. My study analyses policymaking practices during a time of political, social and economic instability in Slovenia, and investigates how the roles of various actors involved with the policy changed along with the political landscape. It focusses particularly on the traditional role of linguists as authorities on language in Slovenia. To analyse these processes, I develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for language policy analysis, drawing on social field theory, social action theory, state theory, interpretive policy analysis, critical discourse studies, and critical sociolinguistics. The framework analyses policy as a set of practices which occur across different social spaces, such as fields and nexuses of practice. It also takes into account the changeability of such spaces, particularly how transformations in the broader socio-political context open and close opportunities for agency. The thesis includes four case studies, each exploring a different aspect of the policy process, consisting of the media discourse about language policy in Slovenia, the drafting of the policy text, a parliamentary committee meeting about it, and its implementation. The studies draw on a broad data-set comprised of media texts, documentary data, correspondence, interview data and observation data. For my analysis, I combine the discourse historical approach in critical discourse analysis with mediated discourse analysis to develop a methodology which enables analysis of discourse from the perspective of text as well as social action. My analysis of the public discourse surrounding language policy in Slovenia finds an ongoing ideological debate between two groups of linguists. I find that members of both groups were successful in inserting their own ideology in the policy text, but that opportunities to do so occurred at different times. I find that linguists voicing the established language ideology were particularly successful in using their symbolic capital to exert influence on policymaking across different sites.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the optimal energy profile for and to assess the feasibility and efficacy of ultrasonographic and laparoscopic guidance for microwave ablation (MWA) of clinically normal canine ovaries.

SAMPLE
44 extirpated ovaries from 22 healthy dogs.

PROCEDURES
In the first of 2 trials, 13 dogs underwent oophorectomy by routine laparotomy. Extirpated ovaries underwent MWA at 45 W for 60 (n = 11) or 90 (12) seconds; 3 ovaries did not undergo MWA and served as histologic controls. Ovaries were histologically evaluated for cell viability. Ovaries without viable cells were categorized as completely ablated. Histologic results were used to identify the optimal MWA protocol for use in the subsequent trial. In the second trial, the ovaries of 9 dogs underwent MWA at 45 W for 90 seconds in situ. Ultrasonographic guidance for MWA was deemed unfeasible after evaluation of 1 ovary. The remaining 17 ovaries underwent MWA with laparoscopic guidance, after which routine laparoscopic oophorectomy was performed. Completeness of ablation was histologically assessed for all ovaries.

RESULTS
2 ovaries were excluded from the trial 1 analysis because of equivocal cell viability. Six of 11 ovaries and 10 of 10 ovaries that underwent MWA for 60 and 90 seconds, respectively, were completely ablated. In trial 2, laparoscopic-guided MWA resulted in complete ablation for 12 of 17 ovaries. Dissection of the ovarian bursa for MWA probe placement facilitated complete ablation.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Laparoscopic-guided MWA at 45 W for 90 seconds was feasible, safe, and effective for complete ablation of clinically normal ovaries in dogs.


The rapid evolution of information and communication technology has always been a source for challenging new research questions in computer science. The vision of the emerging research field of semantic 3D is to establish the notion of generalized 3D documents that are full members of the family of generalized documents. This means that access would be content-based rather than based on metadata. The purpose of this article is to highlight the research issues that impede the realization of this vision today. The seven research challenges include: (1) '3D data set' can have many meanings, (2) a sustainable 3D file format, (3) representation-independent stable 3D markup, (4) representation-independent 3D query operations, (5) documenting provenance and processing history, (6) consistency between shape and meaning, and (7) closing the semantic gap


Yogurts are prepared by bacterial fermentation of milk using bacterial cultures composed of a mixture of Streptococcus ssp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus . In the regions where small ruminants are important to the economy, the development of new products may and the diversification of the offer might represent good strategies to attract new consumers since it allows producers to go beyond the usual cheesemaking. Those were the reasons that led to the production of a yogurt that would include different proportions of sheep and goats milk, a final product with the right physicochemical quality properties and sensory attributes. The addition of sheep milk is meant to attract more and more potential consumers and to additionally improve the nutritional value of the product, mainly with respect to the amount of fatty acid and mineral contents. Consumers tend to prefer yogurts made of cow milk, but this work shows that people enjoy and accept yogurts produced with goat and sheep milk as well. Therefore, it seems evident that the milk produced by these small ruminants can be an alternative and has the potential to become a good food product.


This paper proposes a set of VaR models appropriate to capture the dynamics of energy prices and subsequently quantify energy price risk by calculating VaR and ES measures. Amongst the competing VaR methodologies evaluated in this paper, besides the commonly used benchmark models, a MC simulation approach and a Hybrid MC with Historical Simulation approach, both assuming various processes for the underlying spot prices, are also being employed. All VaR models are empirically tested on eight spot energy commodities that trade futures contracts on NYMEX and the Spot Energy Index. A two-stage evaluation and selection process is applied, combining statistical and economic measures, to choose amongst the competing VaR models. Finally, both long and short trading positions are considered as it is extremely important for energy traders and risk managers to be able to capture efficiently the characteristics of both tails of the distributions.


Eruptions through debris-filled vents produce deposits containing magmatic juvenile lithic and recycled clasts. Recycled clasts are exposed to multiple transportation and fragmentation events. We used experiments with multiple subsurface explosions to track clasts and highlight dominant recycling processes in eruptions through analog debris-filled vents. Recycled clasts include those that fall back into and reside in the vent for extended time periods and those that return to the vent through crater growth or collapse. Clasts are recycled by any combination of lofting and fallback of material in the crater by explosion jets, mixing and churning of material at depth in the debris fill, and redistribution of extra-crater deposits by explosion-induced excavation or slumping. We compare experimental processes with natural deposits that preserve recycling signatures from discrete explosions through debris-filled vents such as maar-diatremes, Strombolian vents, and hydrothermal craters. Clasts may not preserve textures diagnostic of their complete recycling histories, but can be used to infer if that history occurred in part in the vent debris or in the eruptive jet. Experiment results and natural deposits suggest that for volcanic craters that undergo multiple explosions, clasts likely undergo some form of recycling before final deposition outside the craters. The underestimation of recycled clast contributions to deposits can lead to inaccurate estimates of thermal budgets and eruption processes.


The study examined the effects of researchers' job characteristics on linkage activities in Nigeria due to the fact that many fish farmers have not been properly reached with technologies and the problem of poor food production has been attributed to the weak linkages existing between research, extension and fish farmers. A simple random sampling technique was used to select aquaculture researchers and their responses on involvement in linkage activities and level of job characteristics were elicited through a questionnaire. The result showed that researchers were satisfied with qualification for job (mean =4.50), opportunities to advance education and publish research (mean = 4.02 and 4.0). No significant relationship exist between linkage and researchers job characteristics (p<0.05). The paper concludes with the need to look into factors that will improve on the job characteristics and staff retention in the institute.


Actinobacillosis due to Actinobacillus lignieresi, has been reported in domestic animals including cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, horses and dogs (Carmalt et al., 1999; Kennerman et al., 2006; Muhammad et al., 2006; Brown et al., 2007). The causative agent is a gram-negative aerobic rod and a normal inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants (Radostits et al., 2007; Smith, 2009). The most frequent clinical presentation is granulomatous or pyogranulomatous lesion of the tongue or subcutaneous tissues in the head and neck region. A typical manifestation of the disease have been reported affecting other body tissues / organs usually associated from lacerations, dehorning, nose-rings, intravenous injections and lymphadenitis (Aslani, et al., 1995; Holzhauer and Roumen, 2002). Outbreaks of the disease have also been reported (Campbell et al., 1975; Nakazawa and Azuma 1977). This paper outlines an atypical case of actinobacillosis of soft tissue swelling of the head in a cow without any exudation from the lesion, which is a challenge to confirming the etiological agent and treatment.


The plant Ampelocissus latifolia (Roxb.) Planch. belonging to the family vitaceae, is an example of ethnomedicinal plant species which is the source of dye and a range of traditional medicines that cure various diseases. The plant has high medicinal value and is used for indigenous treatment of numerous diseases including bone fractures, dysentery, leucorrhoea, dental problems, stomach pain, gout, tuberculosis, dyspepsia indigestion, body weakness and for bone strengthening. The plant contains some pharmacologically active constituents that have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activities. The plant is identified in trade for its dye. Plant is also sold as wild species of medicinal plant and is direct or indirect source of income for the tribal people. The plant needs phytochemical and pharmacological investigations on a wider range which may have great scope in near future. Thus, efforts are needed to conserve, and cultivate the plant. This paper reviews the plant's medicinal and economic aspects.


Leadership Strategies and Initiatives for Combating Medicaid Fraud and Abuse by Krista K. Laursen MS, University of Washington, 1992 BS, University of Oregon, 1989 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University July 2013 Abstract An estimated 3-10% of the $2 trillion spent annually on health care in the United States is lost to fraud. Improper payments undermine the integrity and financial sustainability of the Medicaid program and affect the ability of federal and state governments to provide health care services for individuals and families living at or below the poverty level. This study explored how health care leaders in the state of Arizona described factors contributing to the invisible nature of Medicaid fraud and abuse and necessary strategies for counteracting the business opportunities of Medicaid fraud and abuse. The institutional choice analytic framework grounded the study. Data were gathered from the review of documents and information received from 10 interviews with health care leaders responsible for the administration, delivery, and regulation of Medicaid services in Arizona. Collected data were coded to identify underlying themes. Key themes that emerged from the study included the need for health care leaders to use modern technologies to combat Medicaid fraud and abuse and concentrate and strengthen Medicaid fraud and abuse mitigation efforts at the state level. Study data might contribute to social change by identifying Medicaid fraud and abuse mitigation strategies that willAn estimated 3-10% of the $2 trillion spent annually on health care in the United States is lost to fraud. Improper payments undermine the integrity and financial sustainability of the Medicaid program and affect the ability of federal and state governments to provide health care services for individuals and families living at or below the poverty level. This study explored how health care leaders in the state of Arizona described factors contributing to the invisible nature of Medicaid fraud and abuse and necessary strategies for counteracting the business opportunities of Medicaid fraud and abuse. The institutional choice analytic framework grounded the study. Data were gathered from the review of documents and information received from 10 interviews with health care leaders responsible for the administration, delivery, and regulation of Medicaid services in Arizona. Collected data were coded to identify underlying themes. Key themes that emerged from the study included the need for health care leaders to use modern technologies to combat Medicaid fraud and abuse and concentrate and strengthen Medicaid fraud and abuse mitigation efforts at the state level. Study data might contribute to social change by identifying Medicaid fraud and abuse mitigation strategies that will protect the financial and structural integrity of the Medicaid program, ensuring Americans living at or below the poverty level have access to quality health care services. Leadership Strategies and Initiatives for Combating Medicaid Fraud and Abuse by Krista K. Laursen MS, University of Washington, 1992 BS, University of Oregon, 1989 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration


Due to the large penetration and continuous improvement in the wind power technology, wind farms are asked to operate similar to the conventional power plants. In emerging electricity market, wind power generators are now seen differently and should sustain with/without limited government support. Although cost reductions due to technological improvements bring wind power in competitions to conventional fossil-fuel generation, but until now various incentives are required to overcome wind power's cost disadvantage and these incentives may play a significant role in improving the competitiveness of wind power. However, the use and trade of wind power in the market is complicated because of the lack of guarantees of generation, mainly in the wind farms. This paper discusses several key issues and challenges which can be faced by the wind power in the competitive power market. With suitable market mechanism, wind power can be helpful in mitigating the market abuse up to some extent.


Temporary protection programs can provide haven to endangered persons while states and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) work to create durable solutions in sending, host and third countries.1 They have the potential to further the interests of forced migrants in protection, states in effective and coordinated migration management, and the international community in solidarity. US temporary protection programs rest primarily on executive discretion and have not been substantially revisited for nearly 25 years. "Parole" represents the primary vehicle for temporarily admitting noncitizens for emergency and humanitarian reasons.2 Prior to 1980, the United States used parole to admit large refugee and refugee-like populations to whom (in most cases) it later extended lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. The 1980 Refugee Act made the US refugee resettlement program the primary vehicle for refugee admissions, limited the use of parole to individuals (not groups), and created a presumption against granting parole to refugees. The United States provides immigrant (permanent) visas to abused, neglected and abandoned children, as well as to certain Iraqis and Afghanis who worked for the US military or for military contractors. It can also award up to 5,000 nonimmigrant (temporary) "T" visas each year to victims of human trafficking and up to 10,000 nonimmigrant "U" visas to survivors of crime who assist law enforcement officials in investigating and prosecuting crimes. However, since 1980, the United States has lacked a dedicated legal vehicle for admitting other refugee-like populations. Temporary protected status (TPS) applies to noncitizens from states experiencing armed conflict, the aftermath of natural disaster, or other extraordinary, temporary conditions that make it unsafe to return. The TPS statute allows the secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate states or regions within states for TPS, although the United States has never limited TPS to substate groups. TPS does not cover persons from designated states who arrive following the effective date of the designation, even those who fled great peril. TPS recipients cannot petition for the admission of close family members. In addition, TPS cannot be granted to persons in substantial need of protection from undesignated states. Like refugees and asylees, TPS recipients receive work authorization. Unlike refugees or asylees, they are not eligible for resettlement benefits or deemed "qualified" for most federal public benefit programs. They can apply for political asylum and immigration benefits. However, TPS does not, in itself, lead to permanent status or other durable solutions. Beyond TPS, the executive branch can exercise its discretion not to remove persons who fall outside its law enforcement priorities, including persons who might otherwise suffer violence, extraordinary hardship, or death at home. This paper outlines international standards for the design and operation of temporary protection programs, describes the US refugee protection program writ large, and identifies gaps in protection. It recommends that Congress create a nonimmigrant "protection" visa for noncitizens who are at substantial risk of persecution, danger, or harm in their home or host countries, and that DHS expand its use of parole for de facto refugees and individuals in refugee-like situations. It also argues that the United States should prioritize the reconstruction and development of TPS-designated states and work to establish regional migration and development agreements covering North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Congress should also pass legislation to extend LPR status to long-term recipients of temporary protection. In particular, it should advance the "registry" date to January 1, 1999 (which would provide LPR status to most noncitizens in the country since that date) and it should automatically move up the registry cut-off date each year thereafter by one year. It should also pass broad immigration reform legislation, including a legalization program that would credit years in receipt of temporary protection toward the time required to "earn" legalization. And it should allow temporary protection recipients to apply affirmatively for "cancellation of removal" (which brings LPR status) after 10 years. DHS should also create a more inclusive TPS determination process by hosting quarterly public hearings on conditions in TPS-designated and TPS-eligible nations. It should also re-designate more states for TPS in order to allow persons from designated states who have fled dangerous conditions and entered the United States between the initial designation and re-designation periods to qualify for TPS.


ATI corrosion-resistant commercially pure (CP) titanium represents a family of unalloyed (Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4) and palladium alloyed (Grades 7, 11, 16 and 17) CP titanium that is produced as plate, sheet and strip. It is the material of choice for many corrosive chemical environments, including oxidizing chloride solutions (such as seawater) and chlorine-based bleaches. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, and elasticity. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as forming and joining. Filing Code: Ti-162. Producer or source: ATI.


This thesis is centred on the complex arena of heart failure diagnosis and management across the primary-secondary care interface, including service delivery models and the utility of natriuretic peptides in triage of patients. The thesis combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to identify barriers to heart failure care and to test strategies for overcoming these. The findings were:1. GPs found heart failure difficult to diagnose and treat due to clinical uncertainty, lack of awareness of the relevant research evidence and organisational issues including lack of access to diagnostics.2. With regard to specialists variable opinions and practice in diagnosis and management of heart failure in hospitals and across primary- secondary care were confirmed, these centred on diagnostic difficulties, treatment issues and service delivery problems.3. A GP-specialist led one-stop diagnostic clinic facilitated expedient, accurate diagnosis of left ventricular systolic dysfunction.4. An integrated heart failure service across primary and secondary care delivered evidence based therapy, patient and carer education and access to social and palliative care for patients with heart failure.5. Natriuretic peptide measurement had high negative predictive value for excluding heart failure in a consecutive GP referred cohort.6. Electrocardiography was not as accurate at excluding heart failure as suggested by national guidelines. 7. Use of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide as a pre-screening test for secondary care referral may have reduced potential referrals, but the low specificity of the test and high prevalence of confounding factors in the screened population increased demand on diagnostic services and did not lead to cost savings. Conclusions The diagnostic and treatment difficulties identified by GPs and hospital specialists are dependent on a complex interplay of patient, clinician and organisational factors. Barriers need to be overcome in locality specific and multi-faceted implementation strategies across primary-secondary care. This thesis described an integrated heart failure diagnosis and management system that overcame these barriers and delivered accurate diagnosis and modern evidence based treatment. The relatively poor positive predictive value and low specificity of natriuretic peptides in real life practice meant that large numbers of patients with raised BNP/NT proBNP did not have heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. This thesis demonstrated that the prognostic power of BNP/NT proBNP extended beyond LVSD to most cardiac conditions. Ideally, all patients with raised natriuretic peptides deserve a full cardiac assessment including echocardiography, followed by optimal use of evidenced based pharmacotherapy and health professional support. We need to find ways of providing expedient diagnostic and treatment services to these patients especially in rationed health care systems such as the NHS. Until this issue is addressed widespread natriuretic peptide use is unlikely within the UK.


Abstract. Reconstructions of Quaternary climate are often based on the isotopic content of paleo-precipitation preserved in proxy records. While many paleo-precipitation isotope records are available, few studies have synthesized these dispersed records to explore spatial patterns of late-glacial precipitation δ18O. Here we present a synthesis of 86 globally distributed groundwater (n = 59), cave calcite (n = 15) and ice core (n = 12) isotope records spanning the late-glacial (defined as ~ 50 000 to ~ 20 000 years ago) to the late-Holocene (within the past ~ 5000 years). We show that precipitation δ18O changes from the late-glacial to the late-Holocene range from −7.1 ‰ (δ18Olate-Holocene > δ18Olate-glacial) to +1.7 ‰ (δ18Olate-glacial > δ18Olate-Holocene), with the majority (77 %) of records having lower late-glacial δ18O than late-Holocene δ18O values. High-magnitude, negative precipitation δ18O shifts are common at high latitudes, high altitudes and continental interiors (δ18Olate-Holocene > δ18Olate-glacial by more than 3 ‰). Conversely, low-magnitude, positive precipitation δ18O shifts are concentrated along tropical and subtropical coasts (δ18Olate-glacial > δ18Olate-Holocene by less than 2 ‰). Broad, global patterns of late-glacial to late-Holocene precipitation δ18O shifts suggest that stronger-than-modern isotopic distillation of air masses prevailed during the late-glacial, likely impacted by larger global temperature differences between the tropics and the poles. Further, to test how well general circulation models reproduce global precipitation δ18O shifts, we compiled simulated precipitation δ18O shifts from five isotope-enabled general circulation models simulated under recent and last glacial maximum climate states. Climate simulations generally show better inter-model and model-measurement agreement in temperate regions than in the tropics, highlighting a need for further research to better understand how inter-model spread in convective rainout, seawater δ18O and glacial topography parameterizations impact simulated precipitation δ18O. Future research on paleo-precipitation δ18O records can use the global maps of measured and simulated late-glacial precipitation isotope compositions to target and prioritize field sites.


In the AFM based nanomanipulation, the main problem is the lack of real-time sensory feedback for an operator, which makes the manipulation almiost in the dark and inefficient. For solving this problem, the AFM probe micro cantilever-tip is used not only as an end effector but also as a 3D nano forces sensor for sensing the inter:active nano forces between the AFM probe tip and the object or substrate in nanomanipulation. In addition, for a sample-scanning AFM even with a strain gauge position feedback sensor for x-y close-loop displacement control of sample stage, scanning size error will still be generated, which is destructive to lateral positioning accuracy of AFM probe. For improving probe lateral positioning accuracy, an error compensating method is adopted according to system error quantitative annlysis based on the authors¿ previous work. With 3D nano force:s sensing through a hapticlforce device and probe positioning acciuracy improvement, the efficiency and accuracy of nano manipulation can be significantly improved. Experiments are prewnted to verify the effectiveness of the nanomanipulation system.