Although international teacher education partnerships necessitate relationships with host education communities, much of the literature addresses only the impact of the overseas teaching experiences on the American university intern. For this project, we investigated the benefits of participation in an international teacher education program for the Italian cooperating teachers and students in the host schools. The findings reveal that the Tuscan students profited by not only enhancing their English communication skills, but also by beginning to develop global awareness and understanding of their learning. Cooperating teachers were challenged in mentoring American interns, but ultimately benefited professionally and wanted to strengthen the partnership. Implications for engaging host teachers and primary students when building international education partnerships are shared.


In this letter we investigate the packet delay statistics of a fully reliable selective repeat ARQ scheme by considering a discrete time Markov channel with non-instantaneous feedback and assigned round-trip delay m. Our focus is on studying the impact of the arrival process on the delay experienced by a packet. An exact model is introduced to represent the system constituted by the transmitter buffer, the m round-trip slots, and the channel state. By means of this model, we evaluate and discuss the delay statistics and we analyze the impact of the system parameters, in particular the packet arrival rate, on the delay statistics


Treated wastewater is increasingly being reused to achieve sustainable water management in arid regions. The objective of this study was to quantify the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in recycled water, particularly after it has passed through the distribution system, and to consider point-of-use implications for soil irrigation. Three separate reclaimed wastewater distribution systems in the western U.S. were examined. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to quantify ARGs corresponding to resistance to sulfonamides (sul1, sul2), macrolides (ermF), tetracycline [tet(A), tet(O)], glycopeptides (vanA), and methicillin (mecA), in addition to genes present in waterborne pathogens Legionella pneumophila (Lmip), Escherichia coli (gadAB), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ecfx, gyrB). In a parallel lab study, the effect of irrigating an agricultural soil with secondary, chlorinated, or dechlorinated wastewater effluent was examined in batch microcosms. A broader range of ARGs were detected after the reclaimed water passed through the distribution systems, highlighting the importance of considering bacterial re-growth and the overall water quality at the point of use (POU). Screening for pathogens with qPCR indicated presence of Lmip and gadAB genes, but not ecfx or gyrB. In the lab study, chlorination was observed to reduce 16S rRNA and sul2 gene copies in the wastewater effluent, while dechlorination had no apparent effect. ARGs levels did not change with time in soil slurries incubated after a single irrigation event with any of the effluents. However, when irrigated repeatedly with secondary wastewater effluent (not chlorinated or dechlorinated), elevated levels of sul1 and sul2 were observed. This study suggests that reclaimed water may be an important reservoir of ARGs, especially at the POU, and that attention should be directed toward the fate of ARGs in irrigation water and the implications for human health.


Plasmodium vivax populations are more resistant to malaria control strategies than Plasmodium falciparum, maintaining high genetic diversity and gene flow even at low transmission. To quantify the impact of declining transmission on P. vivax populations, we investigated population genetic structure over time during intensified control efforts and over a wide range of transmission intensities and spatial scales in the Southwest Pacific. Analysis of 887 P. vivax microsatellite haplotypes (Papua New Guinea, PNG = 443, Solomon Islands = 420, Vanuatu =24) revealed substantial population structure among countries and modestly declining diversity as transmission decreases over space and time. In the Solomon Islands, which has had sustained control efforts for 20 years, significant population structure was observed on different spatial scales down to the sub-village level. Up to 37% of alleles were partitioned between populations and significant multilocus linkage disequilibrium was observed indicating substantial inbreeding. High levels of haplotype relatedness around households and within a range of 300m are consistent with a focal and clustered infections suggesting that restricted local transmission occurs within the range of vector movement and that subsequent focal inbreeding may be a key factor contributing to the observed population structure. We conclude that unique transmission strategies, including relapse allows P. vivax populations to withstand pressure from control efforts for longer than P. falciparum. However sustained control efforts do eventually impact parasite population structure and with further control pressure, populations may eventually fragment into clustered foci that could be targeted for elimination.


The United Nations Secretary-General's adoption of a Guidance Note on Reparations for Conflict-related Sexual Violence (2014) marks an important supplement to recent normative developments in the area of gender-sensitive reparations. Despite these progressive normative advances, there remain conceptual gaps in the legal and policy framework for reparations addressing conflict-related sexual violence and, consequently, ongoing challenges in the implementation of gender-sensitive reparations, which this Article identifies. Challenges include the exclusion of women from legal remedies due to definitional, operational, and enforcement bias in the creation and implementation of reparation regimes. Moreover, a limited understanding of who can be the victim of sexual harm means that violence against men is often unseen and unaccounted for when states and other international actors conceive and implement reparations. This Article comprehensively reviews international and domestic practices, addressing legal rules, policy debates, and reparations programming for conflict-related sexual violence. In doing so, the analysis mediates the gap between norm and implementation by surveying common approaches and promising innovations in reparations delivery. The Article concludes that a commitment to transformative reparations is critical to gender-sensitive reparations. Transformative reparations address the immediate reparative needs of survivors of sexual harm, while also being fully cognizant of the social and economic barriers to full equality for women in many societies. Thus, transformative reparations go beyond the immediacy of sexual violence, encompassing the equality, justice, and longitudinal needs of those who have experienced sexual harms. To this end, we propose ten practice-based principles to inform future reparations practice in judicial, peacemaking, and programming contexts for conflict-related sexual violence.


Abstract. Various downscaling techniques have been developed to bridge the scale gap between global climate models (GCMs) and finer scales required to assess hydrological impacts of climate change. Such techniques may be grouped into two downscaling approaches: the deterministic dynamical downscaling (DD) and the statistical downscaling (SD). Although SD has been traditionally seen as an alternative to DD, recent works on statistical downscaling have aimed to combine the benefits of these two approaches. The overall objective of this study is to assess whether a DD processing performed before the SD permits to obtain more suitable climate scenarios for basin scale hydrological applications starting from GCM simulations. The case study presented here focuses on the Apulia region (South East of Italy, surface area about 20 000 km2), characterised by a typical Mediterranean climate; the monthly cumulated precipitation and monthly mean of daily minimum and maximum temperature distribution were examined for the period 1953–2000. The fifth-generation ECHAM model from the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology was adopted as GCM. The DD was carried out with the Protheus system (ENEA), while the SD was performed through a monthly quantile-quantile correction. The SD resulted efficient in reducing the mean bias in the spatial distribution at both annual and seasonal scales, but it was not able to correct the miss-modelled non-stationary components of the GCM dynamics. The DD provided a partial correction by enhancing the spatial heterogeneity of trends and the long-term time evolution predicted by the GCM. The best results were obtained through the combination of both DD and SD approaches.


Cloud cover effects on most other meteorological variables. It effects on the amount of radiation entering the boundary layer of the atmosphere and thus it controls the amount of energy within this range. Evaporation is also an important factor in the formation of clouds and directly affects the energy equation. This study was based on daily data of cloud cover and evaporation values taken from Iraqi meteorological organization and seismology for the period 2000 to 2005 for the city of Baghdad, as well as the solar radiation data of the three components (direct - diffuse - reflected) and the same location and period time period taken from European center of solar energy services for professionals study (soda), monthly and annual rates were calculated to show the correlation between these variables.
To carry out statistical operations and convert the values of the cloud cover to the proportions of eight parts to indicate the proportion of clouds in the sky and drawing diagrams, the results showed that there is a significant effect of the evaporation processes on the formation of the cloud cover. High evaporation values are associated with high values of the cloud cover and have a high positive correlation coefficient value hits (0.74). The results showed that the cloud cover values are inversely proportional to the direct and diffused radiation compounds and have a negative correlation coefficient of  (-0.93). This effect is less on the reflected radiation component. In general, the cloud cover can be used to estimate the values of some other meteorological variables, especially in winter seasons.


Shirl is a single mother who urges her son's baby-sitter to swat him when he misbehaves. Helena went back to work to get off welfare, then quit to be with her small daughter. Kathy was making good money but got into cocaine and had to give up her two-year-old son during her rehabilitation. Pundits, politicians, and social critics have plenty to say about such women and their behaviour. In this book we hear what these women have to say for themselves. It is an account from the front lines of poverty, which offers a firsthand look at how single mothers with the slimmest of resources manage from day-to-day. We witness their struggles to balance work and motherhood and watch as they negotiate a bewildering maze of child-care and social agencies. For three years the authors followed the lives of 14 women from poor Boston neighbourhoods, all of whom had young children and had been receiving welfare intermittently. We learn how these women keep their families on firm footing and try, frequently in vain, to gain ground. We hear how they find childcare and what they expect from it, as well as what the childcare providers have to say about serving low-income families. Holloway and Fuller view these lives in the context of family policy issues touching on the disintegration of inner cities, welfare reform, early childhood and pro-choice poverty programmes.


Brexit poses major institutional and governance challenges for the island of Ireland, not least in the area of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and the cooperative governance and integrated management of shared marine spaces and ecosystems. To date, MSP scholarship has not delved into the complex processes that construct marine borders and has failed to acknowledge how the same border may have different boundary qualities across a range of institutional contexts. Using the case of transboundary marine governance on the island of Ireland, we evaluate recent marine governance innovations in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (NI) to assess if they promote integration. We then illustrate how the boundary characteristics of marine borders are context dependent, with the same border being both hard and soft in differing contexts, and we discuss how this may be impacted by Brexit. We argue that the development of integrated marine management is not a priority in these jurisdictions and that the resulting complex, multiple constructions of marine borders has largely been ignored by MSP researchers.1 We conclude that developing a more nuanced understanding of borders in order to advance integrated marine management is crucial for post-Brexit MSP planning practice and research.


AirwayAirway obstructive diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cause the airways to narrow and make it difficult to breathe. Broncodilators are used to treat these conditions, but they often don't work in severe cases and can cause serious side effects, such as abnormal heart rhythms and increased blood pressure. Recently, scientists discovered a potential alternative to currently available bronchodilators. These compounds act on bitter taste receptors in the airways called TAS2Rs, a class of proteins long thought to be restricted to taste buds on the tongue for the purpose of detecting and avoiding harmful toxins. Bitter substances are more effective than existing bronchodilators at causing the relaxation of smooth muscle cells—which control the diameter of the airways—and opening up the airways in a mouse model of asthma. But the mechanism of action of these promising compounds has been under dispute, limiting the potential of developing them into a new class of drugs for patients.

Bitter tasting compounds, synthesized or natively present in plants such as bitter melon, act on bitter taste receptors (TAS2R) in airway smooth muscle cells, which can inhibit L-type calcium channels and lead to muscle cell relaxation.

In this issue of PLOS Biology, a team led by Ronghua ZhuGe of the University of Massachusetts Medical School has uncovered how bitter compounds open up the airways. They found that these substances stimulate TAS2Rs to affect calcium signaling and contraction in smooth muscle cells. The study reveals a new cell-based screening method for quickly identifying bitter compounds that have the potential of becoming powerful broncodilators for the treatment of airway obstructive diseases.

ZhuGe and his team used freshly dissected smooth muscle cells and tissues, which should more accurately reflect calcium signaling and cell contraction than the cultured cells used in another recent study. Similar to the previous study, ZhuGe and his collaborators found that bitter compounds produced a counterintuitive effect: they stimulated TAS2Rs to cause a rise in calcium levels in smooth muscle cells, which might be expected to cause these cells to contract because broncoconstrictors also increase calcium levels in these cells. But unlike the previous study, the researchers discovered that the rise in calcium was not sufficient to cause the cells to contract.

Moreover, bitter compounds actually reversed the effects of broncoconstrictors by inhibiting L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels, thereby blocking calcium influx into smooth muscle cells and causing them to relax. Thus, bitter substances stimulate TAS2Rs to activate two opposing calcium signaling pathways, depending on the circumstances. Under normal conditions, the compounds can modestly raise calcium levels in smooth muscle cells without causing contraction, but they reverse the rise in calcium levels caused by broncoconstrictors. Together, these findings resolve the paradox about how bitter substances can cause airway dilation even though they raise calcium levels in smooth muscle cells.

By revealing the mechanisms by which bitter compounds open up the airways, the study paves the way for developing safer and more effective therapies for airway obstructive diseases. For one, the results suggest that bitter compounds should be explored as a more effective asthma treatment than currently available L-type calcium channel blockers, which don't work very well. And by simultaneously measuring calcium signaling and cell contraction, scientists will be able to efficiently identify the most promising bitter compounds. Because there are thousands of available bitter substances, some of which can stimulate TAS2Rs at extremely low concentrations, it is likely that very strong bronchodilators can be identified in future studies.

Zhang C-H, Lifshitz LM, Uy KF, Ikebe M, Fogarty KE, et al. (2013) The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Bitter Tastant-Induced Bronchodilation. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001501


How can secular Western IR theory deal with religion? Bringing in the debates on religion in the public sphere, the paper's goal is to foster a deeper understanding of the nexus between religion and international relations. Religion in global politics challenges the notion of a secular world order based on contract and custom in a system of states, as they had developed since the Westphalian settlement. According to this foundational myth religion mattered only domestically, and there only within the "private" realm. The forces of globalization inevitably transcend the traditional boundaries of the state and also the fundamental distinction between the public and the private. The ongoing IR debate based on terrorism, and asymmetric conflict is decidedly too narrow to understand this fundamental challenge. It is here that the discussion in political theory which focused on the changing configuration of the public sphere (public/private distinction) attains it importance for the IR debate about religion in a global perspective. It supplements the debate in international relations that addresses the re-drawing of boundaries that had traditionally marked the internal/ external (global) distinction, but offers more than Huntington or Norris and Inglehart. For both of them the decisive breaks in the tectonics of world politics are cultural fault-lines where a secular segment of the world population is facing a religious one. The problem with this kind of argument is that of a dangerous selffulfilling prophecy. Contrary to others who still hope to round up the wagons and fight back the passing raids of the challengers, Habermas has understood that it does not make much sense trying to push religion into the camp of fundamentalism. In our paper we use Habermas's notion of a post-secular society in a global perspective to understand the challenge of the Westphalian system without running into the trap of a clash of civilizations. To do so, we contrast Habermas's suggestion of a post-secular society with Berger's claim of the desecularization of the world and Connolly's deep pluralism and politics of becoming. Based on Chambers's interpretation of Habermas we offer a strong and a weak reading of the concept of a post-secular society and argue that only a strong reading can meet the needs of a global public sphere.


This article reports findings from research on children's perspectives of the transitions from preschool to compulsory school via the preschool class. In this article transitions as possible threats, continuity and 'smooth transition' and are discussed. As in many countries around the world, there are indications that preschool and school in Sweden are moving closer together in terms of assignments and content - movements that are likely to affect even the youngest children. The results highlight the complexity of transitions and its implications for educational practice, but also shed light on the organizational conditions which children have to cope with in transitions.


Three years of optical monitoring of the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) 4U 1957+11 is presented. The source was observed in V, R and i bands using the Faulkes Telescopes North and South. The light curve is dominated by long-term variations which are correlated (at the >3σ level) with the soft X-ray flux from the All Sky Monitor on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. The variations span 1 mag in all three filters. We find no evidence for periodicities in our light curves, contrary to a previous short-time-scale optical study in which the flux varied on a 9.3-h sinusoidal period by a smaller amplitude. The optical spectral energy distribution is blue and typical of LMXBs in outburst, as is the power-law index of the correlation β= 0.5, where Fν,OPT∝FβX. The discrete cross-correlation function reveals a peak at an X-ray lag of 2-14 days, which could be the viscous time-scale. However, adopting the least-squares method we find the strongest correlation at a lag of 0 ± 4 d, consistent with X-ray reprocessing on the surface of the disc. We therefore constrain the optical lag behind X-ray to be between −14 and +4 d. In addition, we use the optical-X-ray luminosity diagram for LMXBs as a diagnostic tool to constrain the nature of the compact object in 4U 1957+11, since black hole and neutron star sources reside in different regions of this diagram. It is found that if the system contains a black hole (as is the currently favoured hypothesis), its distance must exceed ∼20 kpc for the optical and X-ray luminosities to be consistent with other soft-state black hole systems. For distances <20 kpc, the data lie in a region of the diagram populated only by neutron star sources (black hole systems are 10 times optically brighter for this X-ray luminosity). 4U 1957+11 is unique: it is either the only black hole LMXB to exist in an apparent persistent soft state or a neutron star LMXB which behaves like a black hole.


In a previous work, I argued that all human beings should possess the right to adequate health protection and that we have good reasons to believe that not all human beings are or will be able to enjoy this right. I introduced the 'Global Health Impact' or 'GHI' concept as a unit of measurement to evaluate the effects of human actions on the health of human and nonhuman organisms and argued that the negative GHIs produced by our current generation jeopardise the right to adequate health protection of future generations unjustifiably. In this article, this incomplete theory of human justice is applied to the negative GHIs associated with the consumption of farmed animal products. Since the negative GHIs of such products generally exceed those associated with other diets, I argue that those who exceed their fair share of negative GHIs might curtail their consumption and that the costs of reducing negative GHIs in this domain might be lower than the costs associated with other things that could be done to reduce negative GHIs.


03/07/2020 10:00 Room 1 #themphThis research is an
original investigation into the empirical phenomenon of how Greek mythological
suffering and punishment dialogues have seeped into the way mental health is
understood. How Greek mythology contributes to the narratives and vocabularies
that are used to explain certain complexes and mental health conditions in a
way that maintains stigma. The classics are everywhere, and so ingrained are
they in our language and in the way we understand ourselves that we have ceased to be aware of their
presence, the gods have become our diseases.

The
methodology of the project will fuse text with drawing practice to raise awareness on
ingrained stigma and shared narratives that underpin prejudices and seek to
normalise the prevalence of varied mental states. Combining drawing and writing
is highly suited to this task because it mirrors the concept and use of the
mental health therapeutic journal where the patient is encouraged to record the
process of their therapy. Using drawing can be effective in pinpointing an
essence of a feeling or event, which can evade the written word. Using these
textual and drawing methods the immortal figure of Sisyphus will be
psychoanalysed in his quest to unearth his metaphoric connection to
meaninglessness and lack of free will.


Abstract Dermacentor andersoni Stiles embryogenesis was observed using fluorescent and scanning electron microscopy for eggs held under laboratory conditions (25°C and at 93% relative humidity). Early embryonic cell divisions appeared to be synchronous and holoblastic, giving rise to a uniform blastoderm surrounding the yolk. The cells of the blastoderm became concentrated on one side of the embryo, forming the segmented germ band. Distinct opisthosomal and prosomal segment morphologies, which are characteristic of chelicerate embryos, were observed during germ band elongation. Mouth and leg appendages grew from the prosomal segments. As development progressed, the segments were fused into the idiosoma and capitulum of the free-living larval form. An embryo staging system was established based on embryo developmental morphology and the timing of morphogenetic events. The staging system will serve as a basis for future studies directed at understanding morphogenetic mechanisms or for observing the impact of abiotic factors, such as temperature or humidity, on tick development.


We propose and demonstrate white-light-generating nonradiative energy transfer (ET) from epitaxial quantum wells (QWs) to colloidal quantum dots (QDs) in their close proximity. This proof-of-concept hybrid colorconverting system consists of chemically synthesized red-emitting CdSe/ZnS core/shell heteronanocrystals intimately integrated on epitaxially grown cyanemitting InGaN/GaN QWs. The white light is generated by the collective luminescence of QWs and QDs, for which the dot emission is further increased by 63% with nonradiative ET, setting the operating point in the white region of CIE chromaticity diagram. Using cyan emission at 490 nm from the QWs and red emission at 650 nm from the nanocrystal (NC) luminophors, we obtain warm white light generation with a correlated color temperature of Tc = 3135 K and tristimulus coordinates of (x, y) = (0.42, 0.39) in the white region. By analyzing the time-resolved radiative decay of these NC emitters in our hybrid system with a 16 ps time resolution, the luminescence kinetics reveals a fast ET with a rate of (2 ns)−1 using a multiexponential fit with χ2 = 1.0171. 4 Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed. New Journal of Physics 10 (2008) 123001 1367-2630/08/123001+10$30.00 © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft


Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopic compositions are heterogeneous among comet 81P/Wild 2 particle fragments; however, extreme isotopic anomalies are rare, indicating that the comet is not a pristine aggregate of presolar materials. Nonterrestrial nitrogen and neon isotope ratios suggest that indigenous organic matter and highly volatile materials were successfully collected. Except for a single 17O-enriched circumstellar stardust grain, silicate and oxide minerals have oxygen isotopic compositions consistent with solar system origin. One refractory grain is 16O-enriched, like refractory inclusions in meteorites, suggesting that Wild 2 contains material formed at high temperature in the inner solar system and transported to the Kuiper belt before comet accretion.


An investigation of the iconography and inscriptions in over 800 tombs and objects with provenances, from Old Kingdom Egypt throws light on the roles of women, marriage and inheritance amongst the elite class. The institution of marriage, including instances of divorce and polygamy are explored. This includes the roles of wives, mothers and sisters and the role of the 'eldest' child in inheritance. Instances of more than one eldest child are explored to try to determine the family situation. Changes over time to the family structure including divorce and polygamy are revealed.


The rule of Islam is simple: if you advance a loan, you are entitled to receive your capital only and nothing more. If you wish to secure profit you should enter into a partnership and become a shareholder. Prohibitions against interest are not peculiar to Islam. If we were to trace back through history, a number of examples of such prohibitions can be found in the early Greek, Roman and Rabinnical thought. As a consequence of the decline of the influence of the Catholic Church and the Jewish aphorism that the taking of interest from gentiles is a commendable practice, laws were subsequently drafted for legalizing interest transactions. As a result, industrial, financial and commercial power become concentrated in the hands of giant Western corporations and a worldwide dominance of capitalist imperialism followed. This practice has created widespread acceptance of the practice of charging interest (usury) and has dominated Western law and ethics for over a millennium. But, the Western or capitalist economic system has proven a failure in its quest for economic justice, which serves to benefit all in society, both the rich and the poor. In particular, capitalism is currently causing a terrifying scenario of making the rich richer and the poor poorer due to interest charges. The fundamental motivation for the paper is to examine whether an alternative banking or economic system could contribute in alleviating the global financial crisis we face. This alternative banking model is to rest on social justice. It is necessary to reassert that this banking system is based on the avoidance of all forms of financial exploitation and on having as its principal object the combined purpose of the creation of wealth and the alleviation of poverty.


Expander graphs are highly connected sparse graphs which lie at the interface of many different fields of study. For example, they play important roles in prime sieves, cryptography, compressive sensing, metric embedding, and coding theory to name a few. This thesis focuses on the connections between sparse graphs and coding theory. It is a major challenge to explicitly construct sparse graphs with good expansion properties, for example Ramanujan graphs. Nevertheless, explicit constructions do exist, and in this thesis, we survey many of these constructions up to this point including a new construction which slightly improves on an earlier edge expansion bound. The edge expansion of a graph is crucial in applications, and it is well-known that computing the edge expansion of an arbitrary graph is NP-hard. We present a simple algorithm for approximating the edge expansion of a graph using linear programming techniques. While Andersen and Lang (2008) proved similar results, our analysis attacks the problem from a different vantage point and was discovered independently. The main contribution in the thesis is a new result in fast decoding for expander codes. Current algorithms in the literature can decode a constant fraction of errors in linear time but require that the underlying graphs have vertex expansion at least 1/2. We present a fast decoding algorithm that can decode a constant fraction of errors in linear time given any vertex expansion (even if it is much smaller than 1/2) by using a stronger local code, and the fraction of errors corrected almost doubles that of Viderman (2013).


alpha-Cells were identified in preparations of dispersed mouse islets by immunofluorescence microscopy. A high fraction of alpha-cells correlated with a small cell size measured as the average cell diameter (10 microm) and whole-cell capacitance (<4 pF). The alpha-cells generated action potentials at a low frequency (1 Hz) in the absence of glucose. These action potentials were reversibly inhibited by elevation of the glucose concentration to 20 mmol/l. The action potentials originated from a membrane potential more negative than -50 mV, had a maximal upstroke velocity of 5 V/s, and peaked at +1 mV. Voltage-clamp experiments revealed the ionic conductances underlying the generation of action potentials. alpha-Cells are equipped with a delayed tetraethyl-ammonium-blockable outward current (activating at voltages above -20 mV), a large tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ current (above -30 mV; peak current 200 pA at +10 mV), and a small Ca2+ current (above -50 mV; peak current 30 pA at +10 mV). The latter flowed through omega-conotoxin GVIA (25%)- and nifedipine-sensitive (50%) Ca(2+)-channels. Mouse alpha-cells contained, on average, 7,300 granules, which undergo Ca(2+)-induced exocytosis when the alpha-cell is depolarized. Three functional subsets of granules were identified, and the size of the immediately releasable pool was estimated as 80 granules, or 1% of the total granule number. The maximal rate of exocytosis (1.5 pF/s) was observed 21 ms after the onset of the voltage-clamp depolarization, which is precisely the duration of Ca(2+)-influx during an action potential. Our results suggest that the secretory machinery of the alpha-cell is optimized for maximal efficiency in the use of Ca2+ for exocytosis.


Lehman Brothers' failure and bankruptcy deepened the 2008 financial crisis whose negative effects the United States' economy suffered from for several years. Yet, while Congress reformed financial regulation in hopes of avoiding another crisis, bankruptcy rules such as those that governed Lehman's failure, have persisted unchanged. When Lehman failed, it lost considerable further value when its contracting counterparties terminated their financial contracts with Lehman. These broad terminations degraded Lehman's overall value to its creditors beyond the immediate losses that caused its downfall. Lehman's financial portfolio was thought to be running a paper profit of over $20 billion when it filed, and is said to have lost up to $75 billion as a result of the post-filing liquidation by Lehman's counterparties of their deals with Lehman. How such a vast value loss can occur and how bankruptcy can ameliorate the problem are the subjects of this Article.For bankruptcy to handle a systemically important financial institution successfully, it must be able to market those parts of the failed institution's financial contracts portfolio that are saleable at its fundamental value, i.e., other than at fire sale prices. Current law prevents this marketing, however. It allows only two polar choices: sell the entire portfolio, intact, or allow for the liquidation of each contract, one-by-one. The latter is what happened for Lehman, disrupting markets worldwide. The former — sale intact — cannot be accomplished as a business matter for a very, large financial contracts portfolio (and the most serious are embedded in the world's biggest financial institutions) and would be economically undesirable even if possible. Bankruptcy needs authority, first, to preserve the failed firm's overall portfolio value, and, second, to break up and sell a very large portfolio that is too large to sell intact.Congress and the regulators have said that bankruptcy is the favored means for financial resolution. Yet, while regulatory initiatives have sought to make failure less likely and resolution more viable than it proved during the crisis, bankruptcy law has neither been fixed nor even updated here since the financial crisis. If a major financial institution were to fail today, the same bankruptcy problems that arose during the past crisis and vexed Lehman could again disrupt the country's and the world's financial systems. We here outline one critically needed fix: authorizing bankruptcy to break up a large derivatives portfolio by selling its constituent product lines, one-by-one, instead of limiting bankruptcy to its current constraints of either a sale of the entire portfolio or a Lehman-style close-out of each contract, one-by-one.


The Alaskan Way Viaduct, which runs along the Seattle waterfront, is highly susceptible to damage during earthquakes. Previous studies have shown that extensive soil liquefaction could cause collapse of sections of the Viaduct through a complex mechanism that involves the seismic performance of a nearby seawall. Occurrence of such collapse events would be expected to occur at some time after the initiation of earthquake shaking, thereby providing some period of time in which motorists could potentially be kept from entering the Viaduct. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the feasibility of instrumenting the Viaduct to (a) provide warning of potentially unsafe situations, and (b) reduce post-earthquake closure times by speeding the process of evaluating the condition of the Viaduct following earthquake shaking. Because of the numerous and significant sources of uncertainty in the prediction of collapse, a probabilistic approach to the warning system problem was adopted. This procedure accounted for, to the extent possible given available information, uncertainties in ground shaking characteristics, uncertainties in soil properties, uncertainties in seawall behavior, uncertainties in Viaduct foundation behavior, and uncertainties in structural response. The results are expressed in estimated collapse probabilities for various warning system triggering levels. Selection of triggering levels will require balancing the costs and benefits of successful and unsuccessful collapse predictions. Structural analyses of specific sections of the Viaduct were used to develop recommendations for performance monitoring instrumentation. Proposed response levels for inspection and inspection/closure are also presented.


abstract This article contributes to growing scholarship on fluidity, embodiment and the politics of festivals. Such scholarship is crucial to understanding belonging as an embodied, visceral experience. Extending on this work, this paper seeks to draw further attention to the fluidity of festival boundaries and experience, by exploring how belonging holds the potential to become detached from location, and be manifested forcefully through movement to and from events. I focus on a group of six Dykes on Bikes members, who rode motorbikes 1800 kilometres as part of a larger group from Brisbane to the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade. Through this exploration I illustrate how attention to the visceral experience of belonging on the move allows geographers to address what holds individuals 'in place' so to speak, when attachment takes place through movement. In doing so I argue that the visceral is crucial to understanding belonging as mobile because it provides a framework to stand against universalised discourses that locate belonging within the temporal and spatial confines of events.


Sampling systems for population studies of subterranean woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) (Homoptera : Aphididae), are not available. Therefore, a system for monitoring underground population levels of this species was developed. A standard soil sample was taken to a depth of 15 cm using an auger with an internal diameter of 5 cm. Either a hand or mechanical auger may be used. Distance from the trunks of apple trees, and the amount and nature of root material in the samples, affected the number of aphids recorded. More aphids were recorded in soil samples containing root material, particularly if the roots had galls resulting from the feeding of E. lanigerum, than in samples in which there were no roots. The number of E. lanigerum in samples decreased as the distance from the trunk at which they were taken increased. The distance from the trunk at which samples were taken was standardized to 30 cm. The system will be suitable for detecting changes in subterranean population levels over time and for comparing soil treatments for woolly apple aphid control, but not for decision making regarding the necessity for control actions.


Of all animals, it is perhaps planarians that have the greatest ability to regenerate. These once classical classroom organisms have now become the subject of advanced molecular genetic studies that have the potential to inform us about our own biology. Regeneration relies upon a population of pluripotent adult stem cells, called neoblasts. These collectively pluripotent stem cells underpin the regenerative capacity of planarians. The underlying molecular mechanisms controlling their proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation are now being described. In particular, progress has been made in describing the expression profile of these cells and identifying some of the molecular mechanisms that regulate their behaviour leading to a better understanding of how these cells power regeneration.

Key Concepts

Planarians are bilaterians and share many cell and tissue types with other animals including vertebrates.

Planarians are able to mount a profound regenerative response to wounding allowing even small fragments to regenerate whole new worms.

Planarian regeneration requires the proliferation and differentiation of a population of pluripotent stem cell population called neoblasts.

Expression profiling of the neoblast population shows they are a heterogeneous population and express gene regulatory networks in common with both somatic and germline stem cells

Many cell biological and molecular genetic approaches can be used to study gene function in planarians allowing novel biological insights to be made, relevant to our own biology.

Current research has uncovered many important regulatory processes that regulate stem cells, including those regulated by transcription factors, chromatin modification and RNA binding proteins.

Future work will uncover the detailed mechanisms that control stem cell proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation as well as how missing structures are accurately restored.

Keywords:

pluripotency;
regeneration;
stem cell;
progeny;
RNA interference;
differentiation


This second volume in the AOSpine Masters Series balances critical appraisal of current evidence in spine oncology with the opinions of experienced spine surgeons to create a unique clinical reference for spine oncology surgeons. The book provides expert guidance to help clinicians make the right treatment decisions and provide the best care for their patients. The chapters have been written and researched by key leaders in spine oncology and range from general evaluation, staging, and decision making principles to histology-specific oncologic patient management. Key Features: * Editors are internationally-recognized authorities on the treatment of primary spine tumors* Synthesizes the best available evidence and consensus expert advice on primary spine tumors, leading to optimal clinical recommendations * Each chapter includes clinical pearls, tips on complication avoidance, and "top 5 must-read references" The AOSpine Masters Series, a co-publication of Thieme and the AOSpine Foundation, addresses current clinical issues whereby international masters of spine share their expertise and recommendations on a particular topic. The goal of the series is to contribute to an evolving, dynamic model of an evidence-based medicine approach to spine care. All neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neuro-oncologists, and orthopedic oncologists specializing in spine, along with residents and fellows in these areas, will find this book to be an excellent resource that they will often refer to in their treatment of patients with primary tumors of the spine.


1. The position of the oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve has been related to erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) concentrations in twenty-seven patients with both acute and chronic respiratory failure. 2. The average values of both 2,3-DPG concentration and of the oxygen tension for one-half full saturation (P 50 ) in these patients were normal, but values both above and below the normal range were encountered. 3. P 50 values correlated positively with erythrocyte 2,3-DPG concentrations, but negatively correlated with the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration in these patients. 4. Multiple regression, including the above two variables and also the blood oxygen capacity as major factors, accounted for just under half of the variance in the position of the dissociation curve, and this was little improved by addition of the minor effects of the arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions. 5. The intraerythrocytic pH bore a similar relationship to plasma pH, in both studies in vitro of blood from normal subjects and patients with chronic hypercapnia, and studies in vivo in hypercapnic subjects.


Rock climbing routes have become increasingly difficult over the last twenty years. In rock climbing manuals and articles, specific techniques for making arm movements on steep, overhanging routes are suggested as offering the climber noticeable performance benefits. The techniques recommended generally depend on the orientation of the ipsilateral foot. Decisions on technique are important, as the results are cumulative and can impact on the overall
performance of the climber on the route. The overall purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of different ipsilateral foot orientations on reaching tasks in overhanging rock climbing situations.
As the research base for technique analysis is limited in rock climbing, a qualitative study was initially conducted to confirm the existence of the different techniques and to provide a base from which to ascertain the performance variables for technique comparison. Comparison Study
1 involved a 3D kinematic study, modelling the climber as a 14-segment rigid body model, comparing the techniques in terms of centre of mass displacement and velocity as well as joint angular changes. Comparison Study 2 compared the techniques in terms of the identified performance measures of postural demand, trajectory efficiency and work/power.
Statistically significant differences were found in centre of mass characteristics and body geometry, with differing orientations of the ipsilateral foot. Variations in complexity and in strategies of joint angular change were demonstrated, but the coordination in the reaching arm
and the final arm posture were found to be invariant with technique. The postural demands within each technique varied significantly, however, in terms of trajectory efficiency and bioenergetics; differences between the techniques were small.
The overall conclusion was that, although reaching arm movements are not affected by foot orientation, the overall technique and performance of a reaching task is.
The study has practical and theoretical implications for rock climbing as well as for theories of grasping.


The amygdalar complex is a medial temporal lobe structure in the brain which is widely considered to be involved in the neural substrates of emotion. Selective bilateral damage to the human amygdala is rare, offering a unique insight into its functions. There is impairment of social perception after amygdala damage, with defective recognition of facial expressions of emotion1–4. Among the basic emotions, the processing of fear and anger has been shown to be disrupted by amygdala damage1,2,5. Although it remains puzzling why this not found in all cases6, the importance of the amygdala in negative emotion, and especially fear, has been confirmed by conditioning7, memory8 and positron emission tomography (PET) experiments9,10. Central to our understanding of these findings is the question of whether the amygdala is involved specifically in the perception of visual signals of emotion emanating from the face, or more widely in the perception of emotion in all sensory modalities11. We report here a further investigation of one of these rare cases, a woman (D.R.) who has impaired perception of the intonation patterns that are essential to the perception of vocal affect, despite normal hearing. As is the case for recognition of facial expressions, it is recognition of fear and anger that is most severely affected in the auditory domain. This shows that the amygdala's role in the recognition of certain emotions is not confined to vision, which is consistent with its being involved in the appraisal of danger and the emotion of fear12,13.


We present detailed results of analytical and numerical investigation of the Shockley surface states in photonic crystals doped with a chain of alternating s- and p-type defects. Conditions for the existence and control of such surface states are studied using the empirical tight-binding model and verified by the finite-difference time-domain technique. We show for the first time, to our knowledge, that, in contrast to the case of solids, the Shockley states in photonic crystals with complete unit cells of defects do not appear simultaneously with the opening of the inverted bandgap between s and p bands. Rather, the width of the inverted bandgap must reach a critical value equal to the separation between the discrete levels. This results in a system size effect of the Shockley states in photonic crystals. We show how such system size effect can be used to control the surface states. We also demonstrate the control of the Shockley states by controlling the overlap of s and p bands, achieved through change in either the radius of one of the defects or the refractive index via electro-optical effects.


Background Transitions between wakefulness and anesthesia are accompanied by profound changes in brain functioning. A key challenge is to disentangle neuronal mechanisms specific to loss and recovery of consciousness, from more general effects that are not directly related to the capacity for conscious experience. Measures of neuronal diversity have been recently proposed to constitute a robust correlate of the global states of consciousness. In the present study we investigated whether EEG signal diversity is indeed related to behavioral responsiveness during propofol sedation, or rather to the general drug-related effects. Methods We reanalyzed data collected from 20 subjects sedated with propofol. Based on the responsiveness to auditory stimuli all subjects were subdivided into two subgroups - responsive (n = 13), who remains awake throughout the experiment, and drowsy (n = 7), who becomes unresponsive during moderate sedation. Resting state EEG recorded during wakefulness and sedation was characterized by the Mean Information Gain - an information-theory measure estimating signal diversity. Results In line with our hypothesis, the drowsy group exhibited a decrease in diversity during sedation but, unexpectedly, the responsive group exhibited a robust increase in diversity (ANOVA group x state interaction: F(3) = 7.81, p < 0.001; BF10 > 100). Conclusions We revealed that propofol sedation is initially related to an increase in EEG signal diversity, and that only upon loss of responsiveness EEG diversity decreases. The qualitatively different pattern of changes in the responsive and drowsy groups makes EEG diversity a robust indirect index of responsiveness and, presumably, consciousness.


PURPOSE
A new model of service and support has been developed between our institution and a linear accelerator vendor. Previously, a user would report machine breakdown events verbally by telephone to a dispatch center, which then coordinated repair actions with the technical helpdesk and local service engineer. In the new model, events are reported electronically directly to the vendor technical helpdesk, who can then contact the user immediately to coordinate a response. The purpose of this work is to report on a new model for vendor/institution collaboration to improve clinical operations.

METHODS
We developed a new on-line event recording system that connected our clinic events directly to the linear accelerator vendor. Between February 2012 and 2013, our institutional electronic quality reporting database was reviewed. A machine down event was defined as a technical problem with the linear accelerator that interrupted, prevented, or required rescheduling or cancellation of patient treatments. Machine down time, vendor support response time, and whether the event was resolved by a service engineer visit or by physicists liaising with the technical helpdesk, were recorded.

RESULTS
Over 259 clinical days, there were 76 machine down events, with 45 before introduction of the new service model and 31 after. Under the new model, the average time for service response decreased by 92%, from 128 to 10 minutes and the number of times a service engineer had to be dispatched decreased by 70%. The down time per event decreased by 47% from 135 minutes to 71 minutes. Treatment cancellations or rescheduling decreased by 54%.

CONCLUSION
A new model of linear accelerator support and service delivery was implemented and was found to decrease vendor response time and reduce the number of on-site visits required by service engineers. These performance gains resulted in decreased machine downtime and decreased patient treatment cancellations. The work was undertaken in cooperation with Varian Medical Systems.


Abstract A total of 102 honey samples collected from small apiaries (≤ 20 hives) in Poland were analysed for the presence of Clostridium botulinum spores. The samples were prepared using the dilution centrifugation method and cultured in parallel in cooked meat medium (CMM) and tripticase peptone glucose yeast (TPGY) enrichment broths. Identification of toxin types A, B, and E of Clostridium botulinum strains was performed with the use of the multiplex PCR method. Positive samples were also subjected to quantitative analysis with the use of Clostridium botulinum Isolation Agar Base (CBAB). The prevalence analysis showed 22 (21.6%) samples contaminated with C. botulinum spores. The major serotype detected was botulin neurotoxin type A – 16 (72.7%) whereas type B was found in 3 (13.6%) honey samples and type E also only in 3 (13.6%) honey samples. Dual-toxin-producing strains were noted. The average quantity of spores in PCR - C. botulinum positive samples was 190 in 1 gram of honey.


We use national scale data to test the hypothesis that nitrogen (N) deposition is strongly negatively correlated with plant species richness in a wide range of ecosystem types. Vegetation plots from a national ecological surveillance programme were drawn from heathland, acid, calcareous and mesotrophic grassland habitats. Mean species number and mean plant traits were calculated for each plot and related to atmospheric N deposition. There was a significant reduction in species richness with N deposition in acid grassland and heathland even after fitting covarying factors. In acid grassland and heathland, evidence from trait changes suggested that acidification rather than increased fertility was responsible for species loss. In contrast, calcareous grassland showed evidence of eutrophication in response to increasing N deposition. Loss of species richness from chronic N deposition is apparent in infertile grasslands and heathland. Mechanisms associated with loss of species richness differ between habitats so mitigation of N deposition should be targeted to habitat type.


Amenhotep III's "Aegean List," found on a statue base at his mortuary temple at Kom el- Hetan nearly fifty years ago, is critical for the studyof Egypto- Aegean relations during the Late Bronze Age. This article reconsiders the Aegean List's toponyms and possible function in light ofrecent archaeological discoveries made at the site as well as the publication of a recently updated version of Elmar Edel's classic volume on thesubject. Among the most important insights in the latter study is the realization that three of the Aegean List's names were recarved at somepoint. This article weighs the possibility that the inscription reflects the itinerary of an Egyptian expedition to the Aegean region and raisesquestions about its proper interpretation. DOI:10.2458/azu_jaei_v03i2_cline


From 1650 to 1900 Paris was the undisputed center of fashion and taste in Europe. Home to a unique concentration of artists, designers, patrons, critics, and a keen buying public, Paris was the city where trends were made and where novel types of objects, devised for new ways of life, were invented. This book traces the wonderful story of Parisian decorative arts from the reign of Louis XIV to the triumph of art nouveau, through a selection of 150 breathtaking, and often little-known, masterpieces from the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It features an exhilarating mixture of furniture, gilt bronze, tapestries, silver, watches, snuff-boxes, jewellery, Sevres porcelain, and other ceramics, as well as some design drawings and engravings. Specially taken photographs reveal the daring design and beautiful execution of the work of some of the greatest artists and craftsmen of their time. Reinier Baarsen discusses the history and significance of each object, presenting the findings of much new research.


Abstract. Using a convective-cloud differential (CCD) method, developed in-house and applied to retrievals of total ozone and cloud data from three European satellite instruments (viz. GOME/ERS-2, 1995–2003; SCIAMACHY/Envisat, 2002–2012 and GOME-2/MetOp-A, 2007–2015), monthly mean tropical tropospheric columns of ozone (TTCO) have been retrieved, which are in good agreement with ozonesondes (biases less than 6 DU). As small differences in TTCO between the individual instruments were evident, it was necessary to develop a scheme to harmonise the three datasets into one consistent time series starting from 1996 until 2015. Correction offsets (biases) between the instruments using SCIAMACHY as intermediate reference have been calculated and six different harmonisation or merging scenarios have been evaluated. Depending on the merging approach, the magnitude, pattern and uncertainty in the trends strongly vary. The harmonisation or merging represents an additional source of uncertainty in the trends (2 DU decade−1 on average, in most of the cases exceeding the uncertainty from the regression). For studying further details on tropospheric ozone trends on various spatial scales in the tropics, we stick with one preferred merged dataset that shows best agreement with ozonesondes. In this merged dataset, no correction was applied for GOME, and mean biases with respect to SCIAMACHY in the overlapping period (2007–2012) were calculated and applied for GOME-2 in each grid box (2.5°  × 5°). In contrast with other studies we found that the tropospheric trend averaged over the tropics (−15° S to 15° N) is not statistically significant. The mean tropospheric ozone trend equals −0.2 ± 0.6 DU decade−1 (2σ). Regionally, tropospheric ozone has a statistically significant increase of  ∼  3 DU decade−1 over southern Africa ( ∼ 1.5 % yr−1), the southern tropical Atlantic ( ∼ 1.5 % yr−1), southeastern tropical Pacific Ocean ( ∼ 1 % yr−1), and central Oceania ( ∼ 2 % yr−1) and by  ∼ 2 DU decade−1 over central Africa (2–2.5 % yr−1) and south India ( ∼ 1.5 % yr−1). On the other hand, tropospheric O3 decreases by  ∼ 3 DU decade−1 over the Caribbean Sea and parts of the North Pacific Ocean ( ∼ 2 % yr−1), and by less than 2 DU decade−1 over some regions of the southern Pacific and Indian oceans ( ∼ 0.5–1 % yr−1).


Cause related marketing (CRM) is becoming a popular marketing strategy used by brand managers, retailers and service companies. It can be described as a marketing strategy that links charities or 'causes' with the sales of a product, brand or service. The charity is mentioned in promotional campaigns and a certain percentage is donated to the cause in accordance with unit sales or turnover. A study was conducted in the eThekweni region of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa to gather information on this issue. The study was a quantitative survey and data was collected by means of an interview process. The overall objective of this study was to gain an understanding of consumer behaviour towards companies using CRM in the greater eThekweni region. This objective was made up of three sub-objectives. The first subobjective was to identify whether eThwekeni consumers would switch brands to a company involved with CRM, if price and quality were equal. This was followed by subobjective two, which was to establish whether particular socio-demographic characteristics of consumers would be related to their evaluation of a CRM offer. Finally, sub-objective three was to establish whether those same socio-demographic characteristics would be related to the selection of specific causes.


The size and crystal orientation of Sn grains in Pb-free, near eutectic Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints were examined. A clear dependence of the thermomechanical fatigue response of these solder joints on Sn grain orientation was observed (Sn has a body centered tetragonal crystal structure). Fabricated joints tend to have three orientations in a cyclic twin relationship, but among the population of solder balls, this orientation triplet appears to be randomly oriented. In thermally cycled joints, solder balls with dominant Sn grains having the particular orientation with the c-axis nearly parallel to the plane of the substrate were observed to fail before neighboring balls with different orientations. This results from the fact that the coefficient of thermal expansion of Sn in the basal plane (along the alpha-axis) is half the value along the c-axis; joints observed to be damaged had the maximum coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between solder and substrate at the joint interface, as well as a tensile stress modes during the hot part of the thermal cycle. Localized recrystallization was observed in regions of maximum strain caused by differential expansion conditions, and its connection with crack nucleation is discussed.


Introduction: In the Asia Pacific region, because of variation in topography and climatic conditions, India is a disaster-prone country. The identification of an individual is one of the most important aspects of forensic medicine. There are different methods for identification of a person's age and gender. However, there are relatively fewer methods to estimate the stature of an individual. Stature correlation to skull and jaw dimensions is less frequently reported. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between height of the person and diameter of the head (DH) and circumference of the head with the combined mesiodistal (MD) width of maxillary anterior teeth using minimum and easily available armamentarium. Materials and Methods: Fifty model casts of students were considered to measure the MD width of the anterior teeth along with the circumference of the head and DH (distance from glabella to inion) with the help of a nonstretchable measuring tape. Heights of the students were recorded in inches. All the findings were tabulated and statistically analyzed. Observations and Results: When combined MD width of the maxillary anterior teeth was plotted against height, a statically significant correlation was seen. When head circumference was plotted against height, a higher correlation was seen. When two measurements were added and plotted against height, improved elevated correlation was seen. Similarly, when the MD width was added to circumference of the head and DH, a greater correlation was observed. Conclusion: It can be safely concluded that with more data to prove the study, a formula can be drawn to estimate the height of the person using MD width of the anterior teeth, DH, and circumference of the head.


We analyze a variant of the coupon collector's problem, in which the probabilities of obtaining coupons and the numbers of coupons in a collection may be non-uniform. We obtain a finite expression for the generating function of the probabilities to complete a collection and show how this generalizes several previous results about the coupon collector's problem. Also, we provide applications about computational complexity and approximation.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this research was to examine relationships between the Pepperian worldviews of people with chronic pain and the health care choices that they make.

DESIGN
A convenience sample survey was done.

SETTING
University Medical Center Pain Clinic, Tucson, Arizona.

SUBJECTS
Men and women patients (n = 96) with nonmalignant chronic pain.

OUTCOME MEASURES
World Hypothesis Scale; Health Care Choice List.

RESULTS
Findings indicate that the combination of age and formistic worldview are statistically significant predictors of conventional health care choices by participants in this study. Older patients and persons with a predominantly formistic worldview were less likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a choice among this sample with chronic nonmalignant pain. Borderline significant associations were noted between persons with formistic or mechanistic worldviews and conventional health care choices, and persons with contextualistic, organismic, or equal scores in two worldview categories and CAM health care choices. Although rates of CAM use did not significantly differ from conventional choices, the prevalence rate for CAM use was high (55.2%) based on national findings.

CONCLUSIONS
Results of this study provide a link to understanding how underlying philosophies can contribute to the reasons people with chronic pain make health care decisions. Further exploration of worldviews might very well contribute to best practices for consumer health care by engaging in communication styles and belief systems consistent with consumers' personal schemas.


Population viability analysis (PVA) entails calculation of extinction risk, as defined by various extinction metrics, for a study population. These calculations strongly depend on the form of the population growth model and inclusion of demographic and/or environmental stochasticity. Form of the model and its parameters are determined based on observed population time series data. A typical population time series, consisting of estimated population sizes, inevitably has some observation error and likely has missing observations. In this paper, we present a likelihood based PVA in the presence of observation error and missing data. We illustrate the importance of incorporation of observation error in PVA by reanalyzing the population time series of song sparrow Melospiza melodia on Mandarte Island, British Columbia, Canada from 1975-1998. Using Akaike information criterion we show that model with observation error fits the data better than the one without observation error. The extinction risks predicted by with and without observation error models are quite different. Further analysis of possible causes for observation error revealed that some component of the observation error might be due to unreported dispersal. A complete analysis of such data, thus, would require explicit spatial models and data on dispersal along with observation error. Our conclusions are, therefore, two-fold: 1) observation errors in PVA matter and 2) integrating these errors in PVA is not always enough and can still lead to important biases in parameter estimates if other processes such as dispersal are ignored.


This research paper presentation is to bring the awareness of the biggest challenges in eliminating the world hunger of 815 million people. The focus is to explain existing challenges faced by 500 million small farms depending on the mercy of rain and related natural blessings to make their ends meet from traditional farming methods. The issues of vulnerability of these farms in facing frequent natural calamities are further aggravated by climate change caused by increasing global warming. The study indicates that seventy five percent of crop diversity were lost in these farms mainly attributed to resource constraints to
protect the crops and frequent natural calamities. The study also found that over 4 billion people in the world still do not have access to clean water for drinking and irrigation, with no access to electricity either, most of them living in rural areas depending their livelihood on traditional farming methods. The increasing rate of water and energy poverty are found in those 500 million small farms, mostly in Southern Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa, which have further aggravated the growing problems of hunger and malnutrition among all ages of 815 million people. UN reports indicate that in 2016-2017, 281 million people in Southern
Asia and 23 percent population in entire Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from undernourishment. The same reports added that 45% of child mortality under age 5 worldwide are caused by malnutrition, which is about over 3 million deaths per year, of which 66 million children in developing nations go to schools hungry. In order to achieve food sustainability by achieving zero hunger policy initiative by the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, this research study has explored an integrated approach of policy strategy to provide adequate technological, financial and management resources to these 500 million small farms.


This study aimed to evaluate particle emission characteristics and to evaluate several control methods used to reduce particle emissions during three-dimensional (3D) printing. Experiments for particle characterization were conducted to measure particle number concentrations, emission rates, morphology, and chemical compositions under manufacturer-recommended and consistent-temperature conditions with seven different thermoplastic materials in an exposure chamber. Eight different combinations of the different control methods were tested, including an enclosure, an extruder suction fan, an enclosure ventilation fan, and several types of filter media. We classified the thermoplastic materials as high emitter (>1011 #/min), medium emitters (109 #/min -1011 #/min), and low emitters (<109 #/min) based on nanoparticle emissions. The nanoparticle emission rate was at least 1 order of magnitude higher for all seven filaments at the higher consistent extruder temperature than at the lower manufacturer-recommended temperature. Among the eight control methods tested, the enclosure with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter had the highest removal effectiveness (99.95%) of nanoparticles. Our recommendations for reducing particle emissions include applying a low temperature, using low-emitting materials, and instituting control measures like using an enclosure around the printer in conjunction with an appropriate filter (e.g., HEPA filter) during 3D printing.


Storage and drainage characteristics of the Dokriani Glacier (9.66 km2) located in the Garhwal Himalayas have been studied. In order to understand these characteristics, clear weather (non-rainy) days data for three ablation seasons (1996–1998) are used because discharge is melt-driven on such days. Moreover, diurnal variations in the discharge on clear days represent the true picture of glacier response to streamflow. Results indicate that meltwater storage characteristics of the glacier lead to high discharges in the stream during the night. Consequently, night-time discharges are comparable with those observed during daytime throughout the melt season. Meltwater storage characteristics of the glacier are much stronger in the early part of the melt season and they weaken as the melt season progresses.

Diurnal variations in the discharge are observed to be clearer with advancement of the melt season providing variations in the timing of peak flow. Maximum discharge for different years was observed between 1700 and 1900 hours, showing a lag of 2 hours in the timing of maximum flow over the ablation period. The time to peak flow varied from 8.5 to 11 hours. For all the years, a strong seasonal trend towards increasing diurnal amplitude in discharge until August and thereafter a decreasing trend, was observed. The time lag between Qmax and Tmax varied from 3–6 hours over the ablation season and recession of melt water became faster with time. The time lag is higher at the beginning of the melt season and reduces as the melt season progresses. Recession trends of the hydrographs with time suggested a similar hydrological response of the glacier in June and September. The basin behaved like a single conceptual linear reservoir for these two months, while for July and August it behaved like two conceptual linear reservoirs, namely, accumulation and ablation reservoirs.


We introduce new techniques for modelling with interpolating implicit surfaces. This form of implicit surface was first used for problems of surface reconstruction and shape transformation, but the emphasis of our work is on model creation. These implicit surfaces are described by specifying locations in 3D through which the surface should pass, and also identifying locations that are interior or exterior to the surface. A 3D implicit function is created from these constraints using a variational scattered data interpolation approach, and the iso-surface of this function describes a surface. Like other implicit surface descriptions, these surfaces can be used for CSG and interference detection, may be interactively manipulated, are readily approximated by polygonal tilings, and are easy to ray trace. A key strength for model creation is that interpolating implicit surfaces allow the direct specification of both the location of points on the surface and the surface normals. These are two important manipulation techniques that are difficult to achieve using other implicit surface representations such as sums of spherical or ellipsoidal Gaussian functions ("blobbies"). We show that these properties make this form of implicit surface particularly attractive for interactive sculpting using the particle sampling technique introduced by Witkin and Heckbert. Our formulation also yields a simple method for converting a polygonal model to a smooth implicit model, as well as a new way to form blends between objects.


Verb-particle constructions (phrasal verbs) are a notoriously difficult aspect of English to acquire for second-language (L2) learners. This study was conducted to assess whether L2 English speakers would show sensitivity to the subtle semantic properties of these constructions, namely the gradations in semantic transparency of different verb-particle constructions (e.g., finish up vs. chew out). L1 French, L2 English bilingual participants completed an off-line (explicit) survey of similarity ratings, as well as an on-line (implicit) masked priming task. Bilinguals showed less agreement in their off-line ratings of semantic similarity, but their ratings were generally similar to those of monolinguals. On the masked priming task, the more proficient bilinguals showed a pattern of effects parallel to monolinguals, indicating similar sensitivity to semantic similarity at an implicit level. These findings suggest that the properties of verb-particle constructions can be both implicitly and explicitly grasped by L2 speakers whose L1 lacks phrasal verbs.


Objectives: To estimate the extent, nature and consequences of adverse events in a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital, and to evaluate the reliability of a two-stage casenote review method in identifying adverse events. Design: A two-stage structured retrospective patient casenote review. Setting: A large NHS hospital in England. Population: A random sample of 1006 hospital admissions between January and May 2004: surgery (n = 311), general medicine (n = 251), elderly (n = 184), orthopaedics (n = 131), urology (n = 61) and three other specialties (n = 68). Main outcome measures: Proportion of admissions with adverse events, the proportion of preventable adverse events, and the types and consequences of adverse events. Results: 8.7% (n = 87) of the 1006 admissions had at least one adverse event (95% CI 7.0% to 10.4%), of which 31% (n = 27) were preventable. 15% of adverse events led to impairment or disability which lasted more than 6 months and another 10% contributed to patient death. Adverse events led to a mean increased length of stay of 8 days (95% CI 6.5 to 9). The sensitivity of the screening criteria in identifying adverse events was 92% (95% CI 87% to 96%) and the specificity was 62% (95% CI 53% to 71%). Inter-rater reliability for determination of adverse events was good (κ = 0.64), but for the assessment of preventability it was only moderate (κ = 0.44). Conclusion: This study confirms that adverse events are common, serious and potentially preventable source of harm to patients in NHS hospitals. The accuracy and reliability of a structured two-stage casenote review in identifying adverse events in the UK was confirmed.


Forest Trees of Australia is the essential reference for observing, identifying and obtaining information on the native trees in this country. It describes and illustrates over 300 of our most important indigenous trees, which have been carefully selected for their environmental significance, their importance to the timber industry, or their prominence in our landscape.

This new and thoroughly revised edition has been fully updated throughout and includes treatments of 72 additional species. New maps and photographs show us a wonderfully diverse range of forests, from mangrove swamps, tropical regions and deserts, to alpine areas and majestic stands of temperate forests. A colour section illustrates some of the major forest types of Australia and bark from a diverse range of species.

Forest Trees of Australia is an unsurpassed guide to identification for horticulturists, botanists, foresters, students, farmers, environmentalists and all those who are interested in our native trees.


Planning optimal paths for large numbers of robots is computationally expensive. In this thesis, we present a new framework for multirobot path planning called subdimensional expansion, which initially plans for each robot individually, and then coordinates motion among the robots as needed. More specifically subdimensional expansion initially creates a one-dimensional search space embedded in the joint configuration space of the multirobot system. When the search space is found to be blocked during planning by a robot-robot collision, the dimensionality of the search space is locally increased to ensure that an alternative path can be found. As a result, robots are only coordinated when necessary, which reduces the computational cost of finding a path. Subdimensional expansion is a exible framework that can be used with multiple planning algorithms. For discrete planning problems, subdimensional expansion can be combined with A* to produce the M* algorithm, a complete and optimal multirobot path planning problem. When the configuration space of individual robots is too large to be explored effectively with A*, subdimensional expansion can be combined with probabilistic planning algorithms to produce sRRT and sPRM. M* is then extended to solve variants of the multirobot path planning algorithm. We present the Constraint Manifold Subsearch (CMS) algorithm to solve problems where robots must dynamically form and dissolve teams with other robots to perform cooperative tasks. Uncertainty M* (UM*) is a variant of M* that handles systems with probabilistic dynamics. Finally, we apply M* to multirobot sequential composition. Results are validated with extensive simulations and experiments on multiple physical robots.


Regularities of the reflection of optical rays upon reflection from a plane-parallel crystalline plate are established. It is shown that in general four rays are formed in the direction of the reflected rays. On a screen, these rays create points lying at the vertices of a parallelogram. © 2005 Optical Society of America


Purpose

With the developments of e-commerce markets, novel recommendation technologies are becoming an essential part of many online retailers' economic models to help drive online sales. Initially, the purpose of this paper is to undertake an investigation of apparel recommendations in the commercial market in order to verify the research value and significance. Then, this paper reviews apparel recommendation techniques and systems through academic research, aiming to acquaint apparel recommendation context, summarize the pros and cons of various research methods, identify research gaps and eventually propose new research solutions to benefit apparel retailing market.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes empirical research drawing on 130 academic publications indexed from online databases. The authors introduce a three-layer descriptor for searching articles, and analyse retrieval results via distribution graphics of years, publications and keywords.

Findings

This study classified high-tech integrated apparel systems into 3D CAD systems, personalised design systems and recommendation systems. The authors' research interest is focussed on recommendation system. Four types of models were found, namely clothes searching/retrieval, wardrobe recommendation, fashion coordination and intelligent recommendation systems. The forth type, smart systems, has raised more awareness in apparel research as it is equipped with advanced functions and application scenarios to satisfy customers. Despite various computational algorithms tested in system modelling, existing research is lacking in terms of apparel and users profiles research. Thus, from the review, the authors have identified and proposed a more complete set of key features for describing both apparel and users profiles in a recommendation system.

Originality/value

Based on previous studies, this is the first review paper on this topic in this subject field. The summarised work and the proposed new research will inspire future researchers with various knowledge backgrounds, especially, from a design perspective.


The k-means algorithm is well known for its effectiveness in clustering large data sets. However, working only on numeric values prohibit it from being used to cluster real world data containing categorical values. In this paper we present two algorithms which extend the k-means algorithm to categorical domains and domains with mixed numeric and categorical values. The k-modes algorithm uses a simple matching dissimilarity measure to deal with categorical objects, replaces the means of clusters with modes, and uses a frequency-based method to update modes in the clustering process to minimize the clustering cost function. With these extensions the kmodes algorithm enables the clustering of categorical data in a fashion similar to k-means. The k-prototypes algorithm, through the definition of a combined dissimilarity measure, further integrates the k-means and kmodes algorithms to allow for clustering objects described by mixed numeric and categorical attributes. We use the well known soybean disease and credit approval data sets to demonstrate the clustering performance of the two algorithms. Our experiments on two real world data set with half a million objects each show that the two algorithms are efficient when clustering large data sets, which is critical to data mining applications.


Functional γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors are composed of heterodimers of two similar subunits GB1 and GB2. The NH2-termini of both subunits have a domain that is highly similar to the one found in bacterial periplasmic amino acid-binding proteins (PBPs); however, only the PBP-like domain in GB1 is essential for binding GABA. Two papers this week further elucidate the functions of GB1 and GB2 in the GABAB receptor. Two models have been posited to explain the transmission of receptor occupancy to the activation of G proteins associated with the GABA receptor. The peptide-linker model suggests that signaling depends on a shift in the peptide linker segment between the PBP and the heptahelical structures of each receptor subunit. The direct contact model predicts that the PBP-like domains contact the heptahelical domains and that these contact points shift upon ligand binding. Margeta-Mitrovic et al. showed that perturbations in the peptide-linker region did not affect GABAB receptor function, suggesting that the peptide linker model might not account for GABAB receptor activation. Additionally, combinations of GABAB receptors composed of wild-type GB1 and a GB2 chimera containing the GB1 PBP-like domain had ligand-independent basal activity, whereas receptors composed of wild-type GB2 and a GB1 mutant containing the GB2 PBP-like domain did not respond to GABA. Receptors containing GB1 and GB2 whose PBP-like domains were swapped responded to GABA in a manner similar to wild-type subunit-composed receptors. Thus, heterodimerization of subunits composed of different PBP-like domains seems to be important for the normal function of GABA receptors. In an accompanying paper, the same group evaluated the roles of the COOH-termini of GB1 and GB2 in the activation of the GABAB receptor. The deletion of the GB1 COOH-terminus did not affect receptor activity, nor did the replacement of GB1 intracellular loops with the same region from GB2, indicating that at least the COOH-terminal region of GB1 might not be required for the activation of G protein-activated K+ channels (GIRKs). Removal of the GB2 COOH-terminus or replacement with the same region from GB1 resulted in nonfunctional GABAB receptors. Thus, the GB1 subunit may be responsible for binding GABA (through the PBP-like domain), whereas GB2 might be responsible for signaling to GIRKs through the activation of G proteins. These findings may underscore the essential nature of subunit heterodimerization for proper GABAB receptor functioning. M. Margeta-Mitrovic, Y. N. Jan, L. Y. Jan, Ligand-induced signal transduction within heterodimeric GABAB receptor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98, 14643-14648 (2001). [Abstract] [Full Text] M. Margeta-Mitrovic, Y. N. Jan, L. Y. Jan, Function of GB1 and GB2 subunits in G protein coupling of GABAB receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98, 14649-14654 (2001). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Background In Rwanda, an estimated one million people were killed during the 1994 genocide, leaving the country shattered and social fabric destroyed. Large-scale traumatic events such as wars and genocides have been linked to endemic post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidality. The study objective was to investigate whether the 1994 genocide exposure is associated with suicide in Rwanda. Methods We conducted a population-based case–control study. Suicide victims were matched to three living controls for sex, age and residential location. Exposure was defined as being a genocide survivor, having suffered physical/sexual abuse in the genocide, losing a first-degree relative in the genocide, having been convicted for genocide crimes or having a first-degree relative convicted for genocide. From May 2011 to May 2013, 162 cases and 486 controls were enrolled countrywide. Information was collected from the police, local village administrators and family members. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, having been convicted for genocide crimes was a significant predictor for suicide (OR=17.3, 95% CI 3.4 to 88.1). Being a survivor, having been physically or sexually abused during the genocide, and having lost a first-degree family member to genocide were not significantly associated with suicide. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that individuals convicted for genocide crimes are experiencing continued psychological disturbances that affect their social reintegration into the community even 20 years after the event. Given the large number of genocide perpetrators reintegrated after criminal courts and Gacaca traditional reconciling trials, suicide could become a serious public health burden if preventive remedial action is not identified.


The studies contained in this folio sought to assess English as a foreign language (EFL) learning motivation in Japanese engineering students. While a great deal of research has been conducted into language learning motivation in recent years, little inquiry has explored the specific motivational characteristics of this population of learners. Due to the various challenges inherent in assessing a phenomenon as complex as language learning motivation, a folio was chosen due to its utility in providing multiple perspectives through the use of a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. Of the four studies presented in this folio, the first two conducted (Elements 3 & 4) were exploratory in nature. Due to the dearth of empirical inquiry into the specific motivational characteristics of Japanese engineering students learning EFL, these studies represent foundational research as they sought to explore, establish, and examine some of the overall motivational characteristics of this segment of learners. The initial two studies conducted were approached from two distinct methodological paradigms. The study presented as Element 3 was conducted from a traditional quantitative perspective, measuring many of the established motivational variables that have come to be considered foundational in the field. The findings revealed significant variations across yearly cohorts in a number of variables, and an inconsistent motivational core in the learners, with participants expressing positive attitudes and desire toward English learning, but low motivational intensity. Participants across all cohorts were also demonstrated to have high instrumental and international orientations. The second exploratory study (Element 4) set out to evaluate and explore how and why EFL motivation changes in Japanese EFL learners over time. This study was qualitative in nature, assessing motivational change longitudinally over a two year period through semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that students experienced fluctuations in their EFL learning motivation both prior to, and during, university. These fluctuations were attributed to a variety of factors including variables within the learning environment, future career considerations, changing academic priorities, feelings of social-responsibility, outside activities, and variations in self-efficacy related to class difficulty. Drawing on the results of the first two exploratory studies, this folio's central study (Element 2) was designed to assess the impact of a single classroom environmental factor, instructional materials, on the EFL learning motivation of Japanese engineering students. This mixed-method study examined learners' motivational responses to two different genres of instructional materials (general communicative EFL materials, and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) materials).

Data were collected using Keller's (2010) Instructional Materials Motivational Survey (IMMS), short post-class questionnaires, instructor observations, and semi-structured interviews. Data collected across these instruments indicated that learners preferred ESP materials due to their perceived relevance, appeal, necessity, and ease of use. Additionally, instructional materials' genre, characteristics, content and design features, as well as individual and group factors, contributed to a preference for ESP materials. Element 5 describes a study which used adapted instruments from the central study to evaluate a different set of materials and instructional design with the target segment of learners. Using a questionnaire consisting of a modified version of the IMMS and open-ended items, the study sought to evaluate learners' motivational response to an online extensive reading program. Results revealed positive endorsement of the four cognitive variables represented in the IMMS, as well as provided insight into learners' graded reader preferences. Combined, the four studies presented in this folio shed light on the specific EFL learning motivational characteristics of Japanese engineering students, and provide insight into the types of curricular choices that may contribute to more positive learning behaviours and attitudes that promote motivational engagement in the classroom.


There are few institutions in the world which are able to assemble officers from all the countries of the globe, who wear their own uniforms and live and work together for two weeks. One of these is the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy. This non-governmental organization was set up in 1970 for the purpose of promoting the dissemination and development of international humanitarian law. The choice of the Italian seaside resort of San Remo was not accidental. It was there that Alfred Nobel spent the last years of his life, and he left all his property to the humanitarian cause. The villa he occupied until his death became the headquarters of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law.


Restoration of degraded peatland ecosystems (by rewetting) is undertaken to bring back key ecosystem services. However, the restoration process can have a range of ecohydrological effects, due to the associated physical and biogeochemical disturbance. In the case of northern peatlands drained by large and deep ditches, the rewetting effects are relatively unknown. The raised bog Grande plée Bleue (1,500 ha) is one of the largest pristine bogs in the St‐Lawrence lowlands in North America; however, it contained an old (>60 years), 750 m long, 3.5 m deep, and 8 m wide ditch. Rewetting of the area affected by the ditch was carried out by the construction of six dams at 40 cm elevation intervals and felling of all trees (with diameter at breast height >10 cm) within 30 m. Water table was restored to levels similar to intact bog reference sites, only at elevation differences up to 17 cm from the nearest lower dam, while rewetting did not affect pore‐water chemistry. Five to 6 years post‐rewetting, the cover of both pioneer mosses, and late successional mosses (Sphagnum) had not changed significantly compared with pre‐rewetting. This may have been due to the presence of dense shrub cover. For more effective ecohydrological restoration, dams should be spaced at smaller elevation intervals (e.g., every 20 cm of elevation or less), to allow recovery of water table along the entire length of the ditch, and vegetation introduction using the moss layer transfer technique may accelerate Sphagnum recruitment, especially in the few first metres from the ditch.


BACKGROUND Cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) is often complicated by autonomic instability and life-threatening bradycardia. &bgr;-adrenergic receptors offer a potential target for modulating cardiac vagal activity and heart rate. Enteral albuterol may mitigate symptomatic bradycardia in CSCI patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of enteral albuterol on the frequency of symptomatic bradycardia and the need for rescue therapy in CSCI patients. METHODS The charts of CSCI patients admitted to a Level I trauma center from February 2008 through March 2012 were reviewed for demographics, episodes of symptomatic bradycardia (defined as heart rate < 60 beats per minute and systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg), use of enteral albuterol, hospital days requiring chronotropic use, and total atropine administered. In the albuterol group, patients received scheduled enteral albuterol after experiencing symptomatic bradycardia, with chronotropic agents used as needed for rescue treatment. In the no-albuterol group, only chronotropic agents were used as needed for rescue treatment. The albuterol and no-albuterol groups were compared using independent-samples Kruskal-Wallis test for total number of bradycardic episodes, hospital days requiring chronotropic use, and total atropine administered. RESULTS Eighteen patients with CSCI-induced bradycardia were identified. Eight patients received treatment with enteral albuterol, and 10 patients did not. The median age did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was higher in the albuterol group (median ISS, 36.5; interquartile range, 35–66.5 vs. median ISS 26; interquartile range, 27–37.25 in no-albuterol group). Patients receiving albuterol experienced 1.8 symptomatic bradycardic episodes versus 4.3 episodes in those patients not receiving albuterol (p = 0.08). Hospital days on chronotropic agents were significantly less in the albuterol group (1.8 vs. 8.6, p = 0.01). One patient, in the no-albuterol group, required pacemaker placement. CONCLUSION Enteral albuterol may reduce the frequency of symptomatic bradycardia in patients with CSCI, resulting in less rescue therapy using chronotropic agents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV.


Metal ions play a key role in living systems and are used to perform different physiological activities in our body. Complexation of drugs with metal ions is known to influence the bioavailability and other pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. In the present work, complexation of two essential cations, Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ with zidovudine (AZT), the first approved antiretroviral drug for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been studied by conductometry and spectrophotometry. The plots of molar conductance versus the mole ratio of [AZT]/[M 2+ ], Job's method of continuous variation and mole ratio method showed the stoichiometry to be 1:1 (M 2+ :AZT) for both the cations. The metal ion-AZT complexes formed through the nitrogen of the azide group were further ascertained by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis. The formation constants of the complexes as evaluated by the conductance method and the Rose-Drago method were in good agreement. The values of thermodynamic parameters (∆H and ∆S) for the formation of complexes were obtained from the Van't Hoff plots. The results revealed that both the complexation reactions were spontaneous, endothermic and entropy stabilized. KEY WORDS : Zidovudine, Conductometry, Spectrophotometry, Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, Formation constant, Thermodynamic parameters Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2017 , 31(3), 423-433. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v31i3.6


In surveillance systems, the situation awareness of decision makers is often a crucial point in making appropriate decisions. For supporting the situation assessment process, modules performing an automatic interpretation of the observed environment can be used. However, there is still a need for an optimal solution for the definition of such modules. In this article we describe how situations of interest can be modeled in a human-understandable way and how their existence can be inferred from sensor observations by the use of dynamic Bayesian networks. A crucial point of modeling such networks is the definition of the parameters, namely the conditional probabilities. We present a method for an automatic definition of the parameters that can be easily used by a human operator when designing a new network. By using this approach, we define two example networks that are able to recognize situations of interest in the VIRAT dataset. Finally, the two networks are applied to the VIRAT dataset and we present an evaluation of the performance of the automatic situation assessment.