Botanical, soil chemistry and soil microbiology variables were tested as predictors of in situ soil respiration rate in the various terrestrial habitats on sub-Antarctic Marion Island (47oS, 38oE). Inorganic P and total N concentration were the best predictors amongst the chemistry variables and bacteria plate count the best of the microbiology variables. However, while these chemistry and microbiology variables could accurately predict soil respiration rate for particular habitats, they proved inadequate predictors across the whole range of habitats. The best suite of predictors comprised only botanical variables (relative covers of five plant guilds) and accounted for 94% of the total across-habitat variation in soil respiration rate. Mean field soil respiration rates (2.1 - 15.5 mmol CO2 m-2 h-1) for habitats not influenced by seabirds or seals are similar to rates in comparable Northern Hemisphere tundra habitats. Seabird and seal manuring enhances soil respiration rates to values (up to 27.6 mmol CO2 m-2 h-1) higher than found at any tundra site. Glucose, N, P or N plus P were added to three habitats with contrasting soil types; a fellfield with mineral, nutrient-poor soil, a mire with organic, nutrient-poor soil and a shore-zone herbfield heavily manured by penguins and with organic, nutrient-rich soil. Glucose addition stimulated soil respiration in the fellfield and mire (especially the former) but not in the coastal herbfield soil. N and P, alone or together, did not stimulate respiration at any of the habitats, but adding glucose to fellfield soils that had previously been fortified with P or NP caused a similar increase in respiration rate, which was greater than the increase when adding glucose to soils fortified only with N. This suggests that fellfield soil respiration is limited by P rather than N, and that there is no synergism between the two nutrients. For the mire and coastal herbfield, adding glucose to soils previously fortified with N, P or NP did not enhance rates more than adding glucose to soils that had received no nutrient pre-treatment.


High transmission data rate, spectral efficiency, and reliability are necessary for future wireless communications systems. In a multipath-rich wireless channel, deploying multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver achieves high data rate, without increasing the total transmission power or bandwidth. When perfect knowledge of the wireless channel conditions is available at the receiver, the capacity has been shown to grow linearly with the number of antennas. However, the channel conditions must be estimated since perfect channel knowledge is never known a priori. In practice, the channel estimation procedure can be aided by transmitting pilot symbols that are known at the receiver. System performance depends on the quality of channel estimate, and the number of pilot symbols. It is desirable to limit the number of transmitted pilot symbols because pilot symbols reduce spectral efficiency. This thesis analyzes the system performance of coded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems for the quasi-static fading channel. The assumption that perfect channel knowledge is available at the receiver must be removed, in order to more accurately examine the system performance. Emphasis is placed on developing channel estimation strategies for an iterative Vertical Bell-Labs Layered Space Time (V-BLAST) architecture. The channel estimate can be sequentially improved between successive iterations of the iterative V-BLAST algorithm. For both the coded and uncoded systems, at high signal to noise ratio only a minimum number of pilot symbols per transmit antenna are required to achieve perfect channel knowledge performance.


We present Native Chinese Reader (NCR), a new machine reading comprehension (MRC) dataset with particularly long articles in both modern and classical Chinese. NCR is collected from the exam questions for the Chinese course in China's high schools, which are designed to evaluate the language proficiency of native Chinese youth. Existing Chinese MRC datasets are either domain-specific or focusing on short contexts of a few hundreds of characters in modern Chinese only. By contrast, NCR contains 8390 documents with an average length of 1024 characters covering a wide range of Chinese writing styles, including modern articles, classical literature and classical poetry. A total of 20477 questions on these documents also require strong reasoning abilities and common sense to figure out the correct answers. We implemented multiple baseline models using popular Chinese pre-trained models and additionally launched an online competition using our dataset to examine the limit of current methods. The best model achieves 59% test accuracy while human evaluation shows an average accuracy of 79%, which indicates a significant performance gap between current MRC models and native Chinese speakers. We release the dataset at https://sites.google.com/view/native-chinese-reader/.


ABSTRACT
Epilepsy is a common disease that affects 1.5 million women of childbearing age in the United States. Approximately 24,000 women with epilepsy give birth each year. The challenges for women with epilepsy extend from menarche to postmenopause, including prepregnancy, pregnancy, intrapartum and postpartum periods, menopause, and postreproductive age. The most up-to-date neurology and epilepsy guidelines provided in this monograph will enable obstetrician-gynecologists to provide care to women with this complex condition across the life span.


Received: July 2016, Accepted: October 2016 Background: In recent decades, due to the increase in users of roads and inadequate attention to the creation and development of appropriate passageways for traffic, there has been a growing trend in traffic accidents and casualties caused by them. The traffic accidents among pedestrians to take necessary measures in a timely fashion should be well studied. This study was conducted with the goal of survey traffic accidents among pedestrians in 2014. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the National Accidents Record Program regarding 2013. In this study, all traffic accidents in which the injured person was referred to a public or private hospital in the country to receive health services or was transferred to the hospital by EMS 115 and received remedial measures on an outpatient or inpatient basis in all provinces were considered. The incidence of pedestrian-vehicle accidents was calculated per ten thousand. Map GIS software package was used for the mapping of occurrence of events and Microsoft EXCEL and Stata software were used for data analysis. Results: In this study, the 82066 pedestrians who were injured in road accidents consisted of a total of 53240 men and 28826 women. The rate of traffic accidents was higher in men than in women (64.87% and 35.13%, respectively) and the majority of individuals affected were in the age group of 20 to 24 years. Most pedestrian-vehicle accidents had occurred on the street (89.8%). Conclusion: Pedestrians are at risk of the irreversible outcomes of traffic accidents; therefore, effective and regular training on the prevention of injury and secure environment is essential to reduce injuries.


Abstract High-performance computing (HPC) has been applied in many fields of science and engineering and has demonstrated major advantages in terms of improved understanding, reliability, and safety and reduced cost of deployed engineering systems. The U.S. Department of Energy is now embarking on major efforts to develop HPC simulation capabilities for broad application to nuclear energy systems. It is fully expected that these capabilities can be developed, but a question remains about how effectively these can be used in a regulated industry. This paper explores the role of modeling and simulation in the nuclear power industry from a historical perspective and posits insights from that experience to delineate essential attributes of future advanced modeling and simulation necessary to promote its widespread use (value proposition) and its acceptability to the nuclear industry and its regulator, such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (credibility), as well as to better inform the general public.


The purpose of the study was to explore differences between dairy cattle farmers in Bulgaria, according to certain factors. Information about the social characteristics of the farmers (educational level, gender, and age), and about the farm characteristics (number of cows in the main herd, average milk yield, and the rate of return on investment) was collected. Sixty percent of the farmers were up to 50 years of age. Fifty percent of the farmers had had a secondary education and the rest had gained a university degree. The study found that only one of the 20 farmers was a woman. It was found that the group of farmers with a university degree had lower average age than the group of farmers with secondary school. There was no significant difference in the rate of return between the two groups of farms in terms of the effectiveness of the farm. The difference in the number of cows in the main herd was not significant too. The research identified a need for additional training for farmers in order to reduce their dependence on hired workers. It was found that farmers attend basic courses in the field of agriculture and livestock breeding in order to fill the gap between the existing levels of knowledge of farmers and the necessary skills for the effective management of dairy farms.


The focus of this study is to present the adherent transients that accompany the combustion of waste derived fuels. This is accomplished, in large, by developing a dynamic model of the process, which can then be used for control purposes. Traditional control measures typically applied in the heat and power industry, i.e., PI (proportional-integral) controllers, might not be robust enough to handle the the accompanied transients associated with new fuels. Therefore, model predictive control is introduced as a means to achieve better combustion stability under transient conditions. The transient behavior of refuse derived fuel is addressed by developing a dynamic modeling library. Within the library, there are two models. The first is for assessing the performance of the heat exchangers to provide operational assistance for maintenance scheduling. The second model is of a circulating fluidized bed block, which includes combustion and steam (thermal) networks. The library has been validated using data from a 160 MW industrial installation located in Västerås, Sweden. The model can predict, with satisfactory accuracy, the boiler bed and riser temperatures, live steam temperature, and boiler load. This has been achieved by using process sensors for the feed-in streams. Based on this model three different control schemes are presented: a PI control scheme, model predictive control with feedforward, and model predictive control without feedforward. The model predictive control with feedforward has proven to give the best performance as it can maintain stable temperature profiles throughout the process when a measured disturbance is initiated. Furthermore, the implemented control incorporates the introduction of a soft-sensor for measuring the minimum fluidization velocity to maintain a consistent level of fluidization in the boiler for deterring bed material agglomeration.


Objective To research the value of colposcopy examination for all kinds of cervical lesions. Methods Analyze the results of 3,258 cases of patients, who have taken the colposcopy examination in our hospital from Jan, 2005 to Jun, 2008. Results Among the 3,258 cases colposcopy examination, there were 458 cases with the abnormal colposcope and having the needle biopsy through the colposcopy,including 137 cases of low degree lesion by the pathological diagnosis, 84 cases of high degree lesion(CIN2~ CIN3) , 18 cases of cervical invasive carcinoma, 79 cases of chronic inflammation, and 150 cases of cervical benign tumor. Conclusion The colposcope picture has higher coincidence rate in the colposcope xgc and the histopathology diagnosis, and is important in finding the cervical cancer, cervical precancerous lesion, human papillomavirus infection and complicated precancerous lesion in the early stage.

Key words:
Colposcopy; Cervical Lesions; Diagnosis


The paper explores selected monetary transmission channels in the case of transition economies. Namely, an exchange rate channel, an interest rate channel, direct and indirect influence to an exchange rate, are focused. Specific (former) transition economies are differentiated according the combination of implemented monetary and exchange rate regimes: exchange rate as a nominal anchor and rigid exchange rate regimes, exchange rate as a nominal anchor and intermediate exchange rate regimes, and implicit/explicit inflation targeting monetary regime and floating (managed/free) exchange rate regime. The monetary transmission is tracked during different phases in a transition process towards the EU and compared between different nominal anchors and exchange rate regimes. In order to track the influence of a monetary policy instruments (impulses) to different goals of a monetary policy (responses) during the period from 6-24 months, we use VAR and VEC models. Monthly frequency of following time series are used in the models: nominal exchange rates, consumer price indexes, foreign exchange reserves, and reference interest rates. The aim of the paper is to point to the distinction between de jure and de facto exchange rate regimes, and to the adequacy of used combination of monetary and exchange rate regimes having in mind revealed features of investigated monetary transmission channels.


This paper details the success that can be gained from links between primary and secondary schools, particularly concerning CAD/CAM. Brookside Primary School undertook regular visits to their local secondary school to make use of their design and technology equipment and resources. The School reaped plentiful rewards, eventually securing equipment of their own, which would revolutionise the way the School approached primary design and technology.


In this work, we explore the problem of generating fantastic special-effects for the typography. It is quite challenging due to the model diversities to illustrate varied text effects for different characters. To address this issue, our key idea is to exploit the analytics on the high regularity of the spatial distribution for text effects to guide the synthesis process. Specifically, we characterize the stylized patches by their normalized positions and the optimal scales to depict their style elements. Our method first estimates these two features and derives their correlation statistically. They are then converted into soft constraints for texture transfer to accomplish adaptive multi-scale texture synthesis and to make style element distribution uniform. It allows our algorithm to produce artistic typography that fits for both local texture patterns and the global spatial distribution in the example. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our method for various text effects over conventional style transfer methods. In addition, we validate the effectiveness of our algorithm with extensive artistic typography library generation.


CarTech MP35N is a wrought Co-Ni-Cr-Mo alloy that possesses a unique combination of ultra-high tensile strength (up to 2070 MPa, or 300 ksi), good ductility and toughness, and excellent corrosion resistance. The unique properties of CarTech MP35N are developed through work hardening, phase transformation, and aging. If the alloy is used in the fully work hardened condition, service temperatures up to 400 °C (750 °F) are suggested. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: Co-134. Producer or source: Carpenter Technology Corporation.


The design specification, development and manufacture of a Byelorussian (Russian) peat corer constructed from carbon fibre composite (CFC) are described. The availability of this new composite material introduces new possibilities for constructing field instruments that are as strong as, or stronger than, equipment made from steel and other metals. One advantage is a significant weight reduction. A 10.5 metre coring set in standard stainless and soft steel weighs around 16 kg, whereas the total weight of a similar CFC set is 5.2 kg, giving a weight reduction of almost 70%. The CFC sample chamber is 500 mm long with internal diameter 65 mm, and so contains almost twice the volume of peat that can be collected with a standard 45 mm diameter steel corer. The diameter of the rods is 30 mm, which improves ergonomics, and the CFC has better thermic properties for winter use. Another advantage is that the contamination of samples (notably by chromium and nickel) associated with the use of steel corers is eliminated. The CFC sampler works well in soft peats such as Sphagnum and Carex types. It is less suitable for little-decomposed fibrous and forest peats (e.g. Polytrichum type) and those containing hardwood remains, especially in the more compacted bottom layers. It should be totally satisfactory for organic lake sediments, but probably not for stiff and coarse mineral deposits.


The present work aims to evaluate the occurrence of postharvest diseases of 15 mango varieties, cultivated in Pindorama, state of Sao Paulo, without chemical products. Fruits were individualized and kept in a humid chamber for 24 h, previously at nine days period at 25±2oC and 70-80% RH. The incidence of postharvest diseases and the severity of anthracnose were evaluated in three days intervals. At the beginning of the storage period, the fruits were also characterized as to soluble solids and titratable acidity content. Anthracnose was the main disease in the fifteen varieties of mangos, with 100% of incidence one day after harvest, followed by stem-end rot, with average among the varieties of 20.8% at the end of the storage. Smaller anthracnose severity was observed in the Surpresa and Zill varieties, while smaller incidence of the stem-end rot was observed in Winter and Pele de Moca varieties. Correlation analyses among the soluble solid and titratable acidity parameters of the varieties with the intensity of the anthracnose and stem-end rot were just significant only between acidity and anthracnose, before and after the storage period.


Soil nematode feeding groups are a long-established trophic categorisation largely based on morphology and are used in ecological indices to monitor and analyse the biological state of soils. Stable isotope ratio analysis (13C/12C and 15N/14N, expressed as δ13C and δ15N) has provided verification of, and novel insights into, the feeding ecology of soil animals such as earthworms and mites. However, isotopic studies of soil nematodes have been limited to date as conventional stable isotope ratio analysis needs impractically large numbers of nematodes (up to 1,000) to achieve required minimum sample weights (typically >100 µg C and N). Here, micro-sample near-conventional elemental analysis–isotopic ratio mass spectrometry (μEA–IRMS) of C and N using microgram samples (typically 20 µg dry weight), was employed to compare the trophic position of selected soil nematode taxa from four feeding groups: predators (Anatonchus and Mononchus), bacterial feeders (Plectus and Rhabditis), omnivores (Aporcelaimidae and Qudsianematidae) and plant feeder (Rotylenchus). Free-living nematodes were collected from conventionally and organically managed arable soils. As few as 15 nematodes, for omnivores and predators, were sufficient to reach the 20 µg dry weight target. There was no significant difference in δ15N (p = 0.290) or δ13C (p = 0.706) between conventional and organic agronomic treatments but, within treatments, there was a significant difference in N and C stable isotope ratios between the plant feeder, Rotylenchus (δ15N = 1.08 to 3.22 mUr‰, δ13C = –29.58 to –27.87 mUr) and all other groups. There was an average difference of 9.62 mUr in δ15N between the plant feeder and the predator group (δ15N = 9.89 to 12.79 mUr, δ13C = –27.04 to –25.51 mUr). Isotopic niche widths were calculated as Bayesian derived standard ellipse areas and were smallest for the plant feeder (1.37 mUr2) and the predators (1.73 mUr2), but largest for omnivores (3.83 mUr2). These data may reflect more preferential feeding by the plant feeder and predators, as assumed by classical morphology-based feeding groups, and indicate that omnivory may be more widespread across detritivore groups i.e. bacterial feeders (3.81 mUr2). Trophic information for soil nematodes derived from stable isotope analysis, scaled as finely as species level in some cases, will complement existing indices for soil biological assessment and monitoring, and can potentially be used to identify new trophic interactions in soils. The isotopic technique used here, to compare nematode feeding group members largely confirm their trophic relations based on morphological studies.


ABSTRACT Approximation of the model evidence is well known to be challenging. One promising approach is based on thermodynamic integration, but a key concern is that the thermodynamic integral can suffer from high variability in many applications. This article considers the reduction of variance that can be achieved by exploiting control variates in this setting. Our methodology applies whenever the gradient of both the log-likelihood and the log-prior with respect to the parameters can be efficiently evaluated. Results obtained on regression models and popular benchmark datasets demonstrate a significant and sometimes dramatic reduction in estimator variance and provide insight into the wider applicability of control variates to evidence estimation. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


Since their emergence peer-to-peer (P2P) applications have been generating a considerable fraction of the over all transferred bandwidth in broadband networks. Residential broadband service has been moving from one geared towards technology enthusiasts and early adopters to a commodity for a large fraction of households. Thus, the question whether P2P is still the dominant application in terms of bandwidth usage becomes highly relevant for broadband operators. In this work we present an adaption to a previously published method for classifying broadband users into a P2P- and a non-P2P group based on the amount of communication partners ("peers") they have in a dedicated timeframe. Based on this classification, we derive their impact on network characteristics like the number of active users and their aggregate bandwidth. Privacy is assured by anonymization of the data and by not taking into account the packet payloads. We apply our method to real operational data collected 2007 and 2010, respectively, from a major German DSL provider's access link which transported all traffic each user generates and receives. In 2010 the fraction of P2P users clearly decreased compared to previous years. Nevertheless we find that P2P users are still large contributors to the total amount of traffic seen especially in upstream direction. However in 2010 the impact from P2P on the bandwidth peaks in the busy hours has clearly decreased while other applications have a growing impact, leading to an increased bandwidth usage per subscriber in the peak hours. Further analysis also reveals that the P2P users' traffic still does not exhibit strong locality. We compare our findings to those available in the literature and propose areas for future work on network monitoring, P2P applications, and network design.


This thesis introduces a novel paradigm in artificial intelligence: decision-centered teamwork. Decision-centered teamwork is the analysis of agent teams that iteratively take joint decisions into solving complex problems. Although teams of agents have been used to take decisions in many important domains, such as: machine learning, crowdsourcing, forecasting systems, and even board games; a study of a general framework for decisioncentered teamwork has never been presented in the literature before. I divide decision-centered teamwork in three fundamental challenges: (i) Agent Selection, which consists of selecting a set of agents from an exponential universe of possible teams; (ii) Aggregation of Opinions, which consists of designing methods to aggregate the opinions of different agents into taking joint team decisions; (iii) Team Assessment, which consists of designing methods to identify whether a team is failing, allowing a "coordinator" to take remedial procedures. In this thesis, I handle all these challenges. For Agent Selection, I introduce novel models of diversity for teams of voting agents. My models rigorously show that teams made of the best agents are not necessarily optimal, and also clarify in which situations diverse teams should be preferred. In particular, I show that diverse teams get stronger as the number of actions increases, by analyzing how the agents' probability distribution function over actions changes. This has never been presented before in the ensemble systems literature. I also show that diverse teams have a great applicability for design problems, where the objective is to maximize the number of optimal solutions for human selection, combining for the first time social choice with number theory. All of these theoretical models and predictions are verified in real systems, such as Computer Go and architectural design. In particular, for architectural design I optimize the design of buildings with agent teams not only for cost and project requirements, but also for energy-efficiency, being thus an essential domain for sustainability. Concerning Aggregation of Opinions, I evaluate classical ranked voting rules from social choice in Computer Go, only to discover that plurality leads to the best results. This happens because real agents tend to have very noisy rankings. Hence, I create a ranking by sampling extraction technique, leading to significantly better results with the Borda voting rule. A similar study is also performed in the social networks domain, in the context of influence maximization. Additionally, I study a novel problem in social networks: I assume only a subgraph of the network is initially known, and we must spread influence and learn the graph simultaneously. I analyze a linear combination of two greedy algorithms, outperforming both of them. This domain has a great potential for health, as I run experiments in four real-life social networks from the homeless population of Los Angeles, aiming at spreading HIV prevention information. Finally, with regards to Team Assessment, I develop a domain independent team assessment methodology for teams of voting agents. My method is within a machine learning framework, and learns a prediction model over the voting patterns of a team, instead of learning over the possible states of the problem. The methodology is tested and verified in Computer Go and Ensemble Learning.


Value chain development is increasingly perceived as an important approach for agricultural development in developing countries. This paper uses a Rural Investment and Policy Analysis (RIAPA) model for the mainland Tanzania economy to identify the agricultural activities and value-chains whose expansion will be most effective at fostering economic development along four dimensions: generating economic growth in the agricultural-food sector of Tanzania; reducing national and rural poverty; generating employment; and improving nutrition by diversifying diets. The results of scenarios run through the model suggests that there is no single value-chain that can achieve all of the policy objectives. Instead, a more balanced portfolio of value-chains would not only enhance agriculture's future contribution to poverty reduction and economic growth, but also promote faster rural transformation and dietary diversification, both of which are needed to create job opportunities and improve nutrition outcomes over the longer-term. The analysis suggests that vegetables, coffee, milk, cotton, nuts, and oilseeds should be considered as "priority" value-chains, because these are the most effective at achieving multiple policy objectives. Other value-chains that meet several of the development objectives considered include maize, fishing, wheat and barley, rice, cattle, and poultry and eggs.


Recent acceleration in the retreat of the Greenland ice sheet under a warming climate has caused unprecedented challenges and threats to coastal communities due to the rising sea level and increasing storm surges. This raises a critical question from a climate mitigation perspective: Would there still be a chance to stabilize the Greenland ice sheet if the carbon reduction goals of the Paris Agreement could be met? Here, we show that there is indeed a possibility for stabilizing the Greenland ice sheet with the low‐emission scenario of RCP2.6. In particular, RCP2.6 would potentially limit the warming in Greenland below 1°C within next 30 years and constrain its loss of ice sheet coverage below 10%. After 2050, the annual mean temperature in Greenland is likely to be stabilized and no further loss is expected to its ice sheet. However, the effective window for this chance will be closing after 2020. If no effective carbon reduction policies are being taken now, we are very likely to enter a continuous warming pathway and lose the chance of stabilizing the Greenland ice sheet.


The liver is a highly quiescent organ, which has made the existence of hepatic stem cells debatable (1). However, upon injury, the liver shows a remarkable regenerative capacity unmatched by most human organs (2,3). Recent findings shed new light on the origins of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) and source of new hepatocytes during homeostasis and repair. Numerous groups have found that mature hepatocytes (MHs) themselves are the source of hepatic progenitor cells that contribute to liver regeneration (4,5). These findings highlight the plasticity of hepatocytes and a potential target for cell-based therapy in patients with severe liver dysfunction. If hepatocytes have that capacity in vivo , reprogramming of MHs in vitro might be a step in attaining liver regeneration.


ABSTRACT Dabie bandavirus (DBV), previously known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, induces a characteristic thrombocytopenia with a mortality rate ranging from 12% to as high as 30%. The sero-prevalence of DBV in healthy people is not significantly different among age groups, but clinically diagnosed SFTS patients are older than ~50 years, suggesting that age is the critical risk factor for SFTS morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, our immune-competent ferret model demonstrates an age (4 years old)-dependent DBV infection and pathogenesis that fully recapitulates human clinical manifestation. To protect the aged population from DBV-induced SFTS, vaccine should carry robust immunogenicity with high safety profile. Previous studies have shown that glycoproteins Gn/Gc are the most effective antigens to induce both neutralizing antibody (NAb)- and T-cell-mediated immunity for full protection from DBV infection. Here, we report the development of a protein subunit vaccine with 24-mer self-assembling ferritin (FT) nanoparticle to present the DBV Gn head region (GnH) to enhance immunogenicity. Anion exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography readily purified the GnH-FT nanoparticles to homogeneity with structural integrity. Mice immunized with GnH-FT nanoparticles induced robust NAb response and T-cell immunity against DBV Gn. Furthermore, aged ferrets immunized with GnH-FT nanoparticles were fully protected from DBV challenge without SFTS symptoms such as body weight loss, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and fatality. This study demonstrates that DBV GnH-FT nanoparticles provide an efficient vaccine efficacy in mouse and aged ferret models and should be an outstanding vaccine candidate targeted for the aged population against fatal DBV infection. IMPORTANCE Dabie bandavirus (DBV) is an emerging tick-borne virus that causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in infected patients. Human SFTS symptoms progress from fever, fatigue, and muscle pain to the depletion of white blood cells and platelets with fatality rates up to 30%. The recent spread of its vector tick to over 20 states in the United States increases the potential for outbreaks of the SFTS beyond the East Asia. Thus, the development of vaccine to control this rapidly emerging virus is a high priority. In this study, we applied self-assembling ferritin (FT) nanoparticle to enhance the immunogenicity of DBV Gn head domain (GnH) as a vaccine target. Mice immunized with the GnH-FT nanoparticle vaccine induced potent antibody responses and cellular immunity. Immunized aged ferrets were fully protected from the lethal challenge of DBV. Our study describes the GnH-FT nanoparticle vaccine candidate that provides protective immunity against the emerging DBV infection. Dabie bandavirus (DBV) is an emerging tick-borne virus that causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in infected patients. Human SFTS symptoms progress from fever, fatigue, and muscle pain to the depletion of white blood cells and platelets with fatality rates up to 30%. The recent spread of its vector tick to over 20 states in the United States increases the potential for outbreaks of the SFTS beyond the East Asia. Thus, the development of vaccine to control this rapidly emerging virus is a high priority. In this study, we applied self-assembling ferritin (FT) nanoparticle to enhance the immunogenicity of DBV Gn head domain (GnH) as a vaccine target. Mice immunized with the GnH-FT nanoparticle vaccine induced potent antibody responses and cellular immunity. Immunized aged ferrets were fully protected from the lethal challenge of DBV. Our study describes the GnH-FT nanoparticle vaccine candidate that provides protective immunity against the emerging DBV infection.


Product Description Inspired by the leading authority in the field, the Centre for Process Systems Engineering at Imperial College London, this book includes theoretical developments, algorithms, methodologies and tools in process systems engineering and applications from the chemical, energy, molecular, biomedical and other areas. It spans a whole range of length scales seen in manufacturing industries, from molecular and nanoscale phenomena to enterprise–wide optimization and control. As such, this will appeal to a broad readership, since the topic applies not only to all technical processes but also due to the interdisciplinary expertise required to solve the challenge. The ultimate reference work for years to come. From the Back Cover This fifth volume in the series is the first comprehensive source on energy systems engineering for the process industries. As such, it combines key contributions from leading research groups to form a single source of vital information otherwise dispersed among specialized journals. Inspired by the leading authority in the field, the Centre for Process Systems Engineering at Imperial College London, this interdisciplinary work explores new technologies of sustainable energy sources and their optimization as energy sufficient systems. The innovative technologies thus covered are crucial for the continued growth of already established multi–billion–dollar commercial markets: oil and gas, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, food and beverage and consumer goods. From the contents: ∗ Polygeneration systems engineering ∗ Integrated oil & gas optimization ∗ Technologies for hydrogen production and storage ∗ Wind farm modeling, control and optimization ∗ Thermo–economic design ∗ Energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction ∗ Energy systems solutions in the pulp and paper industry ∗ CO2 capture from natural gas ∗ Hydrogen infrastructure design and optimization ∗ Chance–constrained optimization of investment planning problems in the electric power industry For chemical, process and automation engineers, as well as those working in measurement and control, and for lecturers in these fields, this is the ultimate reference work for years to come.


Background Dorsal compressive lesions at the atlantoaxial junction (ie, AA bands) occur in dogs with Chiari‐like malformations (CMs), but their clinical relevance is unclear. Objective Investigate the influence of AA bands on clinical status and syringomyelia (SM) in mature cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS). Animals Thirty‐six CKCS, 5–12 years of age, including 20 dogs with neuropathic pain. Methods Dogs were examined and assigned a neurologic grade. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the craniocervical junction was performed with the craniocervical junction extended and flexed (ie, normal standing position). Imaging studies were assessed for the presence of an AA band, CM, SM or some combination of these findings. Band and SM severity were quantified using an objective compression index and ordinal grading scale, respectively. Results Of 36 CKCS imaged, 34 had CM. Atlantoaxial bands were present in 31 dogs and were more prominent in extended than flexed positions. Syringomyelia was found in 26 dogs, 23 of which also had AA bands. Bands were associated with both the presence (P = .0031) and severity (P = .008) of clinical signs and SM (P = .0147, P = .0311, respectively). Higher compression indices were associated with more severe SM (P = .0137). Conclusions Prevalence of AA bands in older CKCS is high. Positioning of dogs in extension during MRI enhances the sensitivity of the study for detecting this important abnormality. There were significant associations among AA bands, clinical signs, and SM in dogs with CM; additional work is needed to understand whether or not this relationship is causal.


Towards the late 90's, together with overcoming the shock of transition, most countries in Central and Eastern Europe began a process of profound reform of the pension systems. The aim of these reforms was mainly ensuring the financial sustainability of the pension systems often without taking into account their primary goal: to provide adequate retirement incomes, to allow the elderly to maintain a decent living standard after retirement and to have economic independence. However, a successful pension system is not the one that involves little spending but the one achieving its primary goal while limiting the future pressures on public finances. The economic crisis has increased the vulnerability of the pension systems. The economic recessions or slow economic growth, budget deficits and debt burdens, low employment rates have led to rising the concern about the ability of pension systems to fulfil their purpose. In this context, most Central and Eastern European countries have recently been forced to take up new changes in pensions. In our study we accomplished a comparative analysis of the pension systems' performance based on calculating a composite indicator that includes three components: the indicator of adequacy, the financial sustainability indicator and the indicator of modernity. Each of these components is obtained by aggregating a selection of sub-indicators. The purpose of this analysis is to identify best practices for successful reform, but also to highlight potential hazards or imbalances that might face various emerging countries.


The capability of the current Union Catalogue application, which assists the cooperation between 232 libraries throughout Greece, is discussed. Using this application, librarians can search for desired scientific journals, locate possible provider libraries and select some of them. Afterwards they can monitor the status of the order until it is completed. The librarians providing articles can examine their pending orders in their screen and handle them by locating the printed journal, sending the article in the designated way and updating the order status. The capability of a successor application, already under preparation, is also discussed. This new version will allow easier – and independent of other libraries – updating of journal data, the capability of using external sources of journal collections and also information about article details, for detecting articles in journals, as well as the exploration of electronic sources of full text archives for providing articles without human intervention.


We present a map interpretation system for automatic extraction of high level information from the scanned images of Chinese land register maps. Our map interpretation system consists of three main components: text/graphics separation, parcel extraction, and rotated character recognition. Our approach to text/graphics separation is based on a simple yet effective rule: the feature points of characters are more compact than those of graphics. In the parcel extraction process, the proposed algorithm traces the branches between feature points to extract polygon structure from line drawings. Our character recognition method is based on the matching of extracted strokes using a neural network. The techniques of text/graphics separation and character recognition are robust to the rotation and writing style of characters. Another advantage of our separation algorithm is that it can successfully extract a character connected to a graphical line. Experimental results have shown that the proposed system is effective for the data capture of geographic information systems.


This book provides an in-depth introduction to, and analysis of, the issues relating to the implementation of the recent Responsibility to Protect principle in international relations The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) has come a long way in a short space of time. It was endorsed by the General Assembly of the UN in 2005, and unanimously reaffirmed by the Security Council in 2006 (Resolution 1674) and 2009 (Resolution 1894). UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has identified the challenge of implementing RtoP as one of the cornerstones of his Secretary-Generalship. The principle has also become part of the working language of international engagement with humanitarian crises and has been debated in relation to almost every recent international crisis - including Sudan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Georgia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur and Somalia. Concentrating mainly on implementation challenges including the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, strengthening the UN's capacity to respond, and the role of regional organizations, this book introducing readers to contemporary debates on R2P and provides the first book-length analysis of the implementation agenda. The book will be of great interest to students of the responsibility to protect, humanitarian intervention, human rights, foreign policy, security studies and IR and politics in general.


We consider the use of randomised forward models and log-likelihoods within the Bayesian approach to inverse problems. Such random approximations to the exact forward model or log-likelihood arise naturally when a computationally expensive model is approximated using a cheaper stochastic surrogate, as in Gaussian process emulation (kriging), or in the field of probabilistic numerical methods. We show that the Hellinger distance between the exact and approximate Bayesian posteriors is bounded by moments of the difference between the true and approximate log-likelihoods. Example applications of these stability results are given for randomised misfit models in large data applications and the probabilistic solution of ordinary differential equations.


Introduction. Arterial hypertension is a rather common illness that affects a huge number of our population, which when associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus raises the cardiovascular risk of the patient. Aim. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the compliance and the enforcement of the cardiovascular prevention guidelines among high risk individuals. Materials and method. We have created a retrospective study on consecutive patients, diagnosed either with high blood pressure or dsylipidemia, or with diabetes mellitus type 2, but without proven atherosclerotic disease, interviewed in our clinic between January and December 2014. Results. Out of 454 patients which met the inclusion criteria we have selected a smaller lot (32) which had both high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. Less than half of the patients were smokers (31.25%), the vast majority had grade I obesity (37.5%) and there weren't any patients who reached target systolic blood pressure level (<140 mmHg). Around half of the patients had statin treatment (53.12%) but less than half of them (40,6%) reached the target fasting glucose levels below 7 mmol/L. Conclusions. On a population level, reaching guideline targets for high risk individuals warrants a sustained effort from the cardiologist, diabetologist and general practitioner in order to raise the compliance of the patient in terms of lifestyle and therapy management.


The world is fast becoming increasingly digital, networked, and mobile.
The use of mobile devices is a growing educational trend and determines how
knowledge is taught and used when teaching and learning. This article presents
the results of a comparative analysis of web and mobile educational content, which
focuses on instructional issues that affect learning in a mobile context—namely,
length, density, complexity, purpose, and structure. It then demonstrates that
mobile content is shorter, denser, and more complex than the content of other
types of educational media, and it proposes a critical assessment of how such content
should be designed.


This thesis looks at how 'the Muslim woman' is produced in social policy discourses in the
UK. It is a qualitative study based on interviews, observation and interpretive analysis of
policy material. It focuses specifically on initiatives to empower Muslim women in order to
combat terrorism which formed part of the UK's Preventing Violent Extremism Agenda
(Prevent). In January 2008 the National Muslims Women's Advisory Group (NMWAG) was
established and Local Authorities were encouraged to fund projects aimed at 'empowering
Muslim women'. The thesis begins by situating the research within a wider policy
framework. At the national level it relates to debates on community cohesion, Britishness
and multiculturalism; at the global level it relates to the UK's involvement in the 'war on
terror'. The research examines local inflections in how the initiatives worked in practice,
considering the impact of diversity within diversity. A key objective of these initiatives was
to 'give the silent majority a stronger voice'. The thesis considers the extent to which this
objective was achieved, particularly in relation to the establishment of NMWAG. Through
an analysis of the initiatives overseen by NMWAG it considers how empowerment is
conceptualised and, therefore, also by definition, disempowerment. It suggests that
empowerment is positioned as individualised in the form of neoliberal meritocratic
aspiration. At the same time, however, it is collectivised in relation to religious affiliation;
Islam emerges both as a source of disempowerment and as a potential solution. The thesis
argues that these initiatives have worked to privilege religion at the expense of other
salient axes of difference, particularly those embedded in socio economic and regional
variations. Moreover, this privileging constitutes part of a broader gendered anti-Muslim
racist rhetoric. Finally the thesis argues that deconstructing the trope of 'the Muslim
woman' and attending to the differences between Muslim women opens up the possibility
of building solidarities across religious boundaries and harnessing an "alternative politics of
recognition".


The contribution of three different cell size classes of picoplankton: 0.74-2 μm, nanoplankton:2–20 μm and microplankton, >20 μm of the phytoplankton population and their relationship to environmental conditions were studied over two annual cycles at one station in Bandar Khyran Bay, Sea of Oman, from May 2006 to August 2008. Nanoplankton was the most important class contributing 54.4% to total Chl a (range 6-82%). Its seasonal highest concentrations was during the cold periods when temperature ranged from 28-29 °C in fall and near 24 C in winter when the supply of nutrients was sufficient to sustain their growth. Picoplankton had the second level of the contribution, comprising (23.5%, range 4-74 %) of the total Chl a. and their concentration was generally constant (0.04-.06 μg l–1) throughout the study period. The drop of picoplankton population coincided with an increase in the microplankton and nanoplankton populations indicating a high grazing pressure exerted on the picoplankton population. Microplankton size-class occupied the third level of the contribution comprising (22.2%, range 3-65 %). Their general concentration was below 0.1 μg l–1 and only dominant when temperatures were lowest and nitrate, nitrite, silicate and phosphate concentrations were the highest. The temporal variability observed was associated with changes in the nanaoplankton indicating that in some cases, it is the small fraction of phytoplankton that drives changes in abundances and productivity.


A prophetic warning against the foolishness of crusades, John Gray's "Black Mass" challenges our belief in human progress. Our conventional view of history is wrong. It is founded on a pernicious myth of an achievable utopia that in the last century alone caused the murder of tens of millions. In "Black Mass" John Gray tears down the religious, political and secular beliefs that we insist are fundamental to the human project, examines the interaction of terrorism, declining world resources, environmental change, human myths of redemption and a flawed belief in Western democracy, and shows us how a misplaced faith in our ability to improve the world has actually made it far worse. "Brilliant, frightening, devastating". (John Banville, "Guardian"). "A brilliant polemic...Gray's most powerful argument yet". (J.G. Ballard, "Guardian", Books of the Year). "Causes vertigo when it does not cause outrage". ("Sunday Times"). "Exhilarating, invigorating". ("Literary Review"). "Savage. Gray raises profound and valid doubts about the conventional "plot" of modern history". ("Financial Times"). "A load of bollocks ...could hardly be more bonkers if it was crawling with lizards". ("Sunday Telegraph"). John Gray has been Professor of Politics at Oxford University, Visiting Professor at Harvard and Yale and Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics. His books include "False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism", "Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals" and "The Immortalization Commission: The Strange Quest to Cheat Death". His selected writings, "Gray's Anatomy", was published in 2009.


A plant ultraviolet-B photoreceptor uses a tryptophan-based chromophore. Numerous plant photoreceptors act in the visible wavelengths of light. Now, Rizzini et al. report the discovery of a plant ultraviolet (UV)–B photoreceptor with distinctive mechanistic features. The plant UV-B photoreceptor, the Arabidopsis UVR8 protein, used a specifically positioned aromatic amino acid, tryptophan, as its chromophore. The UV-driven monomerization of UVR8 dimers signaled receptor activation. Furthermore, this plant UV perception system could be transplanted into yeast and mammalian cells. L. Rizzini, J.-J. Favory, C. Cloix, D. Faggionato, A. O'Hara, E. Kaiserli, R. Baumeister, E. Schäfer, F. Nagy, G. I. Jenkins, R. Ulm, Perception of UV-B by the Arabidopsis UVR8 protein. Science 332, 103–106 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]


A common ideology of consumption is that more things translate to a higher quality of life. This paper challenges this ideology. We explore the consumption resistance (anti-consumption) of ''cheap and low-quality'' goods experienced by consumers living in former East Germany. We interviewed men and women who lived in East Germany about their consumption experiences before, during, and after Reunification. We present three emergent themes: ''consumer resistance – emergence of anti-consumption,'' ''continued frugality – resistance to contemporary throwawayism?,'' and ''Western Brand Resistance.'' Our research reveals a deep aversion among East Germans to the modern, bureaucratic and obligatory practice of throwawayism and hyperconsumption. We find feelings of resentment and betrayal and discover a much deeper issue with consumption: the fact that consumption is often a disillusioning experience and that material possessions and abundance are actually driving East Germans apart – making them feel less socially connected. As East Germans are swept up in the global economic juggernaut of capitalism, they find that their collective identity and sense of community is also swallowed up. Upon this realization, dialogism appears, and we uncover this as resistance to Western practices of hyperconsumption, frugality-as-an-ethic and an aversion to low quality throwaway-type products. Based on our findings, we make suggestions for marketing practice and for future research.


The long-term economic impacts of the AIDS epidemic on orphans have been major concerns in countries hit by the epidemic. Responding to these concerns, previous studies have investigated the schooling of orphans. Yet, few studies have investigated the impacts of orphan status into adulthood. Therefore, this paper examines the education attainment and land inheritance of former orphans, who have lost at least one parent before reaching 15, by using a survey of 889 households in Kenya in 2004. In the survey, we have asked the ages of household members when they lost their parents, if they have suffered such a loss, and identified former orphans. Among individuals who started schooling before the Free Education Program introduced in 1974, we find about a one year lower educational attainment among former maternal orphans compared with former non-orphans. We do not find a similar difference in education attainment among the younger cohorts, who started schooling after 1974. Even the Cost-Sharing Scheme introduced in 1988 does not seem to lower the educational attainment of former orphans. On inherited land, we find no significant difference between households headed by former orphans and non-orphans.


Abstract The inference of surface reflectance from satellite observations requires the knowledge of the double-way transmittance through the atmosphere. Since the existing pyranometer networks routinely provide measurements of the incident transmittance over sensitive climatic regions, it would be useful for subsequent applications to relate this ground-based measurement to the corresponding double-way transmittance. A variety of satellite radiance simulations corresponding to clear sky conditions has been made in order to derive a suitable parameterized expression between the two quantities. The accuracy of this expression when making use of additional meteorological observations is shown and discussed. Finally, the derived expression is used to improve a method recently proposed by Pinty et al. for retrieving surface albedo over the African Sahel from METEOSAT radiances.


Data stewards seeking to provide access to large-scale social science data face a difficult challenge. They have to share data in ways that protect privacy and confidentiality, are informative for many analyses and purposes, and are relatively straightforward to use by data analysts. We present a framework for addressing this challenge. The framework uses an integrated system that includes fully synthetic data intended for wide access, coupled with means for approved users to access the confidential data via secure remote access solutions, glued together by verification servers that allow users to assess the quality of their analyses with the synthetic data. We apply this framework to data on the careers of employees of the U. S. federal government, studying differentials in pay by race. The integrated system performs as intended, allowing users to explore the synthetic data for potential pay differentials and learn through verifications which findings in the synthetic data hold up in the confidential data and which do not. We find differentials across races; for example, the gap between black and white female federal employees' pay increased over the time period. We present models for generating synthetic careers and differentially private algorithms for verification of regression results.


Marine oil spills may cause major environmental damage. SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) sensors seem to be one of the most effective instruments for oil spills monitoring. SAR imagery, provided by large satellites carrying SAR instruments, has been successfully employed in this task. But the fabrication and deployment issues associated with placing a large SAR satellite into orbit are not compatible with the growing demand for spaceborne SAR imagery. Any failures in these satellites can cause irreparable damage to the user community, because its replacement into orbit is expensive and time consuming. These constraints might open a "market window" for a new technology which has recently been developed: the constellations of small SAR satellites. The present paper proposes an analytical tool for exploring the diffusion of this innovation in the global market of marine oil spills SAR monitoring: a hybrid model based on Bass Model and Social Network Analysis.


In this paper we assess the system-wide economic impact of the key financial instruments adopted by the European Union for the implementation of the regional policy: The Structural funds and The Cohesion Funds. We take a bottom-up approach by aggregating the 86 categories of expenditures defined in the Structural and Cohesion Funds into six main policy variables. The outcomes of the simulations are the results of a combination of demand-and-supply-side shocks that are implemented into the RHOMOLO spatial and dynamic general equilibrium model calibrated on a set of inter-regional Social Accounting Matrices for the year 2010. In our analysis we document the direct, indirect, and general equilibrium effects of the EU regional policy at the regional, national, and EU level. In the short-run, our simulation exercise suggests a pronounced variegate patters across EU regions. In the long-run, a more homogenous spatial distribution is detected. Moreover, we identify and quantify the interregional spillover effects arising from trade links and capital mobility.


Title of Dissertation: Application of Plasmon Resonances to Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS), Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR), and All-Optical Magnetic Recording Ling Hung, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Dissertation directed by: Professor Isaak Mayergoyz Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UMIACS and AppEl Center In this work, we perform the analytical and numerical analyses of the plasmon modes in different metallic nanostructures for the applications to surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) and all-optical magnetic recording. We start with the introduction of physical origin of plasmon resonances in nanoparticles and the eigenmode analysis technique adopted throughout this work in Chap. 1. The excitation of the plasmon modes in nanoparticles subject to optical radiation is also presented. In Chap. 2, we study the dispersion in the SERS enhancement factors with silver nanocube dimers. We perform the mode analysis and calculated the resonance wavelengths of the dipolar plasmon modes in silver nanocube dimers with different configurations. The results show that the SERS enhancement factors are related to the resonance frequencies of the dimers, which are determined by their gap distances and orientations. In Chap. 3, we analytically derive the formula for the computation of resonance permittivities of plasmon modes in spheroidal nanoshells. The dipolar plasmon modes in spheroidal nanoshells possess rotational symmetry which preserves the helicity of circularly polarized light, and consequently, they are useful in all-optical magnetic recording. We have also derived the formulas which indicate how the dipolar plasmon modes in ellipsoidal nanoshells can be excited by uniformly incident field. Light intensities of the optical spots generated by the circularly polarized plasmon modes in spherical nanoshells are computed and compared with those generated by circularly polarized plasmon modes in spheroidal nanoshells. In Chap. 4, we study the plasmon resonances in T-shaped aperture metallic nanofilms and lollipop metallic nanodisks placed nearby different dielectric substrates used in heat-assisted magnetic recording. We developed a constrained eigenvalue problem for specific coupled boundary integral equations to take into account the effect of the surrounding finite dielectric objects. By solving this problem, the resonance frequencies of such metallic nanostructures as well as the corresponding plasmon modes can be computed. The effect of heat sink layers on the plasmon resonances is also discussed. Finally, in Chap. 5, we study the radiation corrections of plasmon resonances in nanoparticles. The red-shifts in resonance frequencies of dipolar plasmon modes with nanocube size are computed and compared with experimental measurement. The results suggest that different dipolar modes have different sensitivities to the rounding of the cube corners and edges. Application of Plasmon Resonances to Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS), Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording(HAMR), and All-Optical Magnetic Recording


Abstract. Millennial-scale variability associated with Dansgaard–Oeschger events is arguably one of the most puzzling climate phenomena ever discovered in paleoclimate archives. Here, we set out to elucidate the underlying dynamics by conducting a transient global hindcast simulation with a 3-D intermediate complexity earth system model covering the period 50 to 30 ka BP. The model is forced by time-varying external boundary conditions (greenhouse gases, orbital forcing, and ice-sheet orography and albedo) and anomalous North Atlantic freshwater fluxes, which mimic the effects of changing northern hemispheric ice volume on millennial timescales. Together these forcings generate a realistic global climate trajectory, as demonstrated by an extensive model/paleo data comparison. Our results are consistent with the idea that variations in ice-sheet calving and subsequent changes of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation were the main drivers for the continuum of glacial millennial-scale variability seen in paleorecords across the globe.


We argue that the conjectured dark matter in the Universe may be endowed with a new kind of gravitational charge that couples via a short-range gravitational interaction mediated by a massive vector field. A model is constructed that assimilates this concept into ideas of current inflationary cosmology. The model is also consistent with the observed behaviour of galactic rotation curves according to Newtonian dynamics. The essential idea is that stars composed of ordinary (as opposed to dark) matter experience Newtonian forces due to the presence of an all-pervading background of massive gravitationally charged cold dark matter. The novel gravitational interactions are predicted to have a significant influence on pre-inflationary cosmology. The precise details depend on the nature of a gravitational Proca interaction and the description of matter. A gravitational Proca field configuration that gives rise to attractive forces between dark matter charges of like polarity exhibits homogeneous isotropic eternal cosmologies that are free of cosmological curvature singularities thus eliminating the horizon problem associated with the standard big-bang scenario. Such solutions do, however, admit dense hot pre-inflationary epochs each with a characteristic scale factor that may be correlated with the dark matter density in the current era of expansion. The model is based on a theory in which a modification of Einsteinian gravity at very short distances can be expressed in terms of the gradient of the Einstein metric and the torsion of a non-Riemannian connection on the bundle of linear frames over spacetime. Indeed, we demonstrate that the genesis of the model resides in a remarkable simplification that occurs when one analyses the variational equations associated with a broad class of non-Riemannian actions.


Investigation of Performance and Symptom Validity Testing in Children Utilizing Control, Simulation, and Clinical Groups Elisabeth M. Vogt Marquette University 2018 Integral to neuropsychology, assessment relies on valid self-report and credible performance on neuropsychological tests. Symptom exaggeration and misrepresentation of abilities confound interpretation of neuropsychological test data, subsequent diagnosis, and treatment. Measures evaluating performance and symptom validity have been extensively studied in adult populations; however, similar research in child and adolescent populations is limited. In accordance with recommended research methodology, this study utilized a simulation design with community recruited and medical center clinical criterion groups, which included 191 children and adolescents (7 to 16 years old). Sensitivity, specificity, and proposed cut-off scores are described for the Victoria Symptom Validity Test, Digit Span Age Corrected Scaled Score, Reliable Digit Span, Reliable Digit Span-Revised, Rey Fifteen Item Test, and Automatized Sequences Task. Novel embedded performance validity indicators for WRAML-2 Verbal Learning were developed, and cut-off scores are proposed for recognition discriminability, d prime, and forced choice measures. Additionally, symptom validity scales from parentand child-report questionnaires suggested that select parent-report BRIEF and BASC-2 and child-report BASC-2 validity scales distinguished simulators from control and clinical participants. This study meaningfully and substantially adds to the current understanding of objective validity measurement in youth neuropsychological assessment and provides a framework for future development and investigation of youth performance validity tests and youth and parent symptom validity tests.


Fluctuations of protein three-dimensional structures and large-scale conformational transitions are crucial for the biological function of proteins and their complexes. Experimental studies of such phenomena remain very challenging and therefore molecular modeling can be a good alternative or a valuable supporting tool for the investigation of large molecular systems and long-time events. In this minireview, we present two alternative approaches to the coarse-grained (CG) modeling of dynamic properties of protein systems. We discuss two CG representations of polypeptide chains used for Monte Carlo dynamics simulations of protein local dynamics and conformational transitions, and highly simplified structure-based elastic network models of protein flexibility. In contrast to classical all-atom molecular dynamics, the modeling strategies discussed here allow the quite accurate modeling of much larger systems and longer-time dynamic phenomena. We briefly describe the main features of these models and outline some of their applications, including modeling of near-native structure fluctuations, sampling of large regions of the protein conformational space, or possible support for the structure prediction of large proteins and their complexes.


The purpose of this review is to provide an historic record of the author's experience from the 1960s through the 1990s with coral reefs and the impacts of land-based pollution and other actions by man on this important ecosystem, from the islands of the Caribbean and Central America to the West/East Coasts of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. This is tied into the concept of Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), its origins in Southern Africa tied to Africa's mega-fauna and how it can apply to fisher communities in the tropics. It concludes that unless human population pressures and the current forms of "development and conservation" both linked to pollution and habitat degradation are addressed, the future for both man and these unique ecosystems are in jeopardy. A key to this solution is how the Developed World relates to the Developing World. It is hoped that this review will provide insight to future generations of ecologists, researchers, resource managers, politicians donors and NGOs (non- governmental organizations) as to the issues they will confront if both mankind and nature are to have a viable future, living in harmony. Currently, they appear to be in conflict with each other and only man can resolve these issues based upon how he interacts with Mother Nature.

http://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/An historical overview of impacts from land-based pollution on community based natural resource management (CBNRM) as it applies to marine fisheries & coral reefs in the tropics.pdf


There are many books on the First World War, but award-winning and bestselling historian Peter Englund takes a daring and stunning new approach. Describing the experiences of twenty ordinary people from around the world, all now unknown, he explores the everyday aspects of war: not only the tragedy and horror, but also the absurdity, monotony and even beauty. Two of these twenty will perish, two will become prisoners of war, two will become celebrated heroes and two others end up as physical wrecks. One of them goes mad, another will never hear a shot fired. Following soldiers and sailors, nurses and government workers, from Britain, Russia, Germany, Australia and South America - and in theatres of war often neglected by major histories on the period - Englund reconstructs their feelings, impressions, experiences and moods. This is a piece of anti-history: it brings this epoch-making event back to its smallest component, the individual.


The article described the activities and the effects of successive editorial offices of Geographia Polonica from its foundation in 1964 to the present. The topics of the contents of the periodical were analyzed and information compiled on the structure and the qualitative characteristics of the published materials, including an analysis of the geographic origins of the authors. Information regarding the editors and the editorial bodies were collected and the editorial-publishing changes were analyzed. Finally, the challenges to be faced by the editorial office in the coming years, connected with the periodical's profile and its influence, were identified.


Using unique recently released nationally representative high-quality longitudinal data at the enterprise level for Germany, this paper presents the first comprehensive evidence on the relationship between exports and profitability. It documents that the positive profitability differential of exporters compared to non-exporters is statistically significant, though rather small, when observed firm characteristics and unobserved firm specific effects are controlled for. In contrast to nearly all empirical studies on the relationship between productivity and exports we do not find any evidence for selfselection of more profitable firms into export markets. Due to the sampling frame of the data used we cannot test the hypothesis that firms which start exporting perform better in the years after the start than their counterparts which do not start. Instead, we use a newly developed continuous treatment approach and show that exporting improves the profitability almost over the whole range of the export-sales ratio. Only firms that generate 90 percent and more of their total sales abroad do not benefit from exporting in terms of an increased rate of profit. This means, that the usually observed higher productivity of exporters is not completely absorbed by the extra costs of exporting or by higher wages paid by internationally active firms.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To measure the total amount of cyclophosphamide (CPA) excreted in the urine of patients with cancer and their cohabitating family members seven days after CPA administration.

DESIGN
Biological monitoring.
.

SETTING
Home setting with outpatients receiving chemo-therapy.

SAMPLE
8 patients administered CPA, 10 cohabitating family members, and 10 control participants.

METHODS
During the first seven days after CPA administration, urine samples were collected from the participants. The samples were analyzed for the unchanged form of CPA using gas chromatography in tandem with mass spectroscopy.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
CPA levels
.

FINDINGS
CPA was detected in 112 of 276 patient urine samples. The last sample containing detectable CPA levels was collected after more than 48 hours in 63% of the patients, with a maximum length of five days post-treatment. In addition, 243 urine samples were collected from family members, and CPA was detected in the samples of five family members (17-252 ng per member). CPA was not detected in any control participants.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that family members in close contact with patients receiving CPA are at high risk for drug exposure as many as seven days post-treatment
.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Nurses should educate patients and their family members about preventing exposure to antineoplastic drugs in the home setting.


The current state of forced displacement today, with record numbers and rising levels of need, poses challenges of a scope and complexity that we have not had to face since the Second World War. Yet, if we make every effort to place refugee protection at the heart of our response, these challenges are not insurmountable. The international refugee regime provides us with tried and tested tools to address them. What is needed now is to put our collective resources and capacities to their most effective use. We are already seeing this in the recent move towards creating a proposed Global Compact on Responsibility Sharing for Refugees, as set out in the UN secretary-general's report, In Safety and Dignity: Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants. We are also seeing this with innovative directions in protection, assistance, and solutions for refugees that are helping us to operationalize long-standing principles of protection, transforming them into tangible results for refugees. New forms of group determination, combined with community-based protection and other measures, can help to ensure an appropriate legal status while at the same time identifying specific protection needs. Protection strategies can inform frameworks for governing migration and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable migrants. The integration of services to refugees within national systems and the expansion of cash-based programming can meet essential needs for assistance more effectively. Finally, the humanitarian-development nexus, the progressive realization of rights — including the right to work, and the creation of complementary pathways for admission — can provide the building blocks for achieving longer-term solutions, which remain, as ever, the ultimate aspiration of the international refugee protection regime.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To describe the presence, frequency, severity, and distress of symptoms in outpatients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma toward the end of life, and the variability in psychological and physical symptom distress between and within patients over time.
.

DESIGN
A prospective, longitudinal, descriptive design.
.

SETTING
Outpatient clinics at two healthcare institutions.
.

SAMPLE
18 patients (15 men and 3 women) with hepatocellular carcinoma and a mean age of 63.3 years (range = 54-81 years).
.

METHODS
Data were collected monthly for six months. Patients completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, which reports a total score, and three subscales that provide global distress, psychological distress, and physical distress scores.
.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Global, psychological, and physical distress.
.

FINDINGS
Patients reported lack of energy and pain as the most frequent and distressing symptoms. Problems with sexual interest or activity was the fourth most present symptom after drowsiness. Global Distress Index mean scores had notable variability between and within patients over time. During data collection, six patients died. None were referred to palliative care.
.

CONCLUSIONS
Gaining knowledge about symptom distress and prevalent symptoms experienced by patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma is critical for designing symptom management strategies that are comprehensive and tailored to patients to optimize their quality of life as they approach death.
.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Nurses play a vital role in advocating for, initiating, and providing comprehensive holistic care based on individual patient needs by facilitating discussions about apparent and less apparent distressing symptoms, including those related to sexuality.


This case study describes a project in which we aimed to contextualise the teaching of electronics to a large student group that does not major in in the discipline through a case study design approach developed across the entire module. The target circuit design measures mechanical force or load - important phenomena in the students' core study area. Design ideas and analysis tools are introduced as required to progress the design rather than being grouped towards the front of the teaching as is often the case. A pilot study has been completed and a large group activity is currently underway.


Human beings have always tried to create new, innovative things so as to gain profit out of them. Companies which are following the human beings nature strive to satisfy customers' demand for high-quality products and services. Developing a new product is always a complex and experimental process. The process of introducing new products to an international market is as risky as it is vital for the long-term success of many companies. The number of new products introduced globally is increasing every year, but great majority of them fail.

The main purpose of this thesis is to develop an effective marketing plan for the new product introduction to an international market - a successful launch of the Georgian Gurieli tea to the Slovenian market. Market research gave us a business view of the tea industry on the Slovenian market. By means of secondary research and market analysis, we identified potential customers, understood market conditions and competitive landscape. The main steps of proposed marketing strategy are segmentation, targeting and successful positioning (STP). STP focuses on commercial effectiveness, selecting the most valuable segments of the Slovenian market and developing the marketing mix and product positioning strategy for each recognized segment. Planned implementation of a subtle advertising campaign for the Gurieli tea would be a vital component of the strategy - through an innovative marketing communication mix the product would be successfully introduced and promoted to target customers.


BACKGROUND:Recurrent miscarriage is a common complication of pregnancy and when the cause is unknown; relationship of autoimmune thyroid disease to pregnancy loss has been the object of considerable interest.OBJECTIVE:To estimate whether thyroid auto-antibodies (thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase antibodies) could be used as a marker for detection of abortion in cases with unexplained recurrent miscarriage.METHODS:This study was carried out at the department of obstetrics and gynecology in AL- Kadhymia Teaching Hospital from March 2008 through September 2009. Fifty pregnant women in their first trimester (7th – 12th weeks) were followed up till 20th weeks of gestation by the researcher himself (they have three previous unexplained first and second trimester miscarriages).Thyroid peroxidase (TPOAB) measurement by ELISA and thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAB) by slide methods with flourescein were done to the patients, cases with abortions were reported and the status of thyroid antibodies was evaluated. Free T3; free T4, TSH measured by RIA technique.RESULTS:In eighteen patients the antibody titer was positive while thirty-two had negative tests for thyroid auto-antibodies. TGABS (thirty-six) were negative, (thirty-three) continue pregnancy and only (three) aborted. TGABS (fourteen) were positive, (four) cases continue and (ten) aborted. TPOABS (forty-one) were negative (thirty-nine) cases continue pregnancy and only (two) aborted. TPOABS (nine) cases were positive, (seven aborted and only (two) cases continue pregnancy. This study showed a significant association between AB. Positivity and maternal age.CONCLUSION:Thyroid auto antibodies can serve as a useful biochemical marker for cases with unexplained recurrent miscarriage and there is a positive relation with increasing maternal age (thyroid auto antibodies).


Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), also known as Duhring-Brocq dermatitis, is an autoimmune, chronic subepidermal blistering disorder characterized by an intensely pruritic, papulovesicular eruption. It is linked to gluten sensitivity and considered to be a cutaneous manifestation of celiac disease. It has been demonstrated that sera from most patients with DH demonstrate autoantibodies against epidermal transglutaminase (eTG) and tissue transglutaminase (tTG). Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of eTG and tTG immunohistochemistry in identifying patients with DH. A total of 15 skin biopsies from patients with an established diagnosis of DH confirmed by histopathology and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) studies were evaluated. Six cases were used as controls in which the clinical differential included DH and were found to be nondiagnostic by both histopathology and DIF evaluations. Eight (55%) of the DH cases were positive for eTG expression, while none of the controls showed any immunoreactivity (P = 0.0456). All 15 (100%) DH cases showed faint granular staining for tTG in the epidermal basal layers with similar results in all 6 (100%) control cases. Our study indicates eTG immunohistochemistry may aid in identifying patients with DH, with a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 55% and 100%, respectively. tTG does not appear to be a useful immunomarker in this setting.


The protective effect of converting enzyme inhibitors in experimental hypertensive glomerular injury is associated with decreased systemic arterial and glomerular capillary pressure. Although calcium channel blockers effectively lower systemic blood pressure, their effect on glomerular capillary pressure and on hypertensive glomerular injury is uncertain. We compared equihypotensive treatment with the calcium antagonist TA 3090 or the converting enzyme inhibitor captopril in post-salt hypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats for up to 5 weeks after five sixths nephrectomy. Before the nephrectomy, all rats demonstrated hypertension (mean 177 mm Hg), proteinuria (mean 175 mg/day), and mild glomerulosclerosis (mean injury score 35). Rats treated with captopril or TA 3090 demonstrated a significant and equivalent decrease in systolic blood pressure compared with untreated rats at 2, 3, and 5 weeks after five sixths nephrectomy; however, only captopril reduced proteinuria. Final proteinuria was actually increased in rats treated with TA 3090 compared with untreated rats. Glomerular injury score was significantly decreased in captopril-treated compared with untreated rats at 2 weeks (33 +/- 9 versus 117 +/- 10, p less than 0.05) and 5 weeks (46 +/- 9 versus 94 +/- 24, p less than 0.05), whereas treatment with TA 3090 delayed but did not prevent progressive glomerular injury (2-week score 35 +/- 7, p less than 0.05 versus untreated; 5-week score 109 +/- 19, p = NS versus untreated). Thus, in hypertensive DS rats after subtotal nephrectomy, treatment with a converting enzyme inhibitor reduced systemic blood pressure, proteinuria, and glomerulosclerosis. However, equihypotensive treatment with a calcium channel blocker did not reduce proteinuria and delayed but did not prevent glomerulosclerosis. Thus, in the rat similar reductions in systemic blood pressure with these two classes of agents have disparate effects on the progression of chronic renal failure.


This GSoD In Focus Special Brief provides an overview of the state of democracy of Latin America and the Caribbean at the end of 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, and assesses some of the preliminary impacts that the pandemic has had on democracy in the region in 2020. Key findings include: • Democratically, the region was ailing prior to the pandemic, with some countries suffering from democratic erosion or backsliding, others from democratic fragility and weakness. Overall, trust in democracy had been in steady decline in the decade preceding the pandemic. Citizen discontent has culminated in a protest wave hitting several countries in the region at the end of 2019. • The COVID-19 pandemic has hit a Latin American and Caribbean region plagued by unresolved structural problems of high crime and violence, political fragmentation and polarization, high poverty and inequality, corruption, and weak states. • Long-overdue political and socio-economic reforms have compounded the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic. This, coupled with heavy-handed approaches to curb the virus, risk further entrenching or exacerbating the concerning democratic trends observed in the region prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. • The challenges to democracy Latin America and the Caribbean during the pandemic include: the postponement of elections; excessive use of police force to enforce restrictions implemented to curb the pandemic; use of the military to carry out civil tasks; persistent crime and violence; new dangers for the right to privacy; increases in gender inequality and domestic violence; new risks posed to vulnerable groups; limited access to justice; restrictions on freedom of expression; executive overreach; reduced parliamentary oversight; political polarization and clashes between democratic institutions; new openings for corruption; and a discontented socially mobilized citizenry that rejects traditional forms of political representation. • Despite the challenges, the crisis ultimately provides a historic opportunity to redefine the terms of social contracts across the region, and for governments to think innovatively about how to open up spaces for dialogue and civic participation in order to build more inclusive, sustainable and interconnected societies, as well as more accountable, transparent and efficient democratic systems of government. The review of the state of democracy during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 uses qualitative analysis and data of events and trends in the region collected through International IDEA's Global Monitor of COVID-19's Impact on Democracy and Human Rights, an initiative co-funded by the European Union.


The trend of socioscientific issues (SSIs) has been emergent in the science- and technology-dominated society of today. Accordingly, during the past 20 years, students' skills of argumentation and informal reasoning about SSIs have achieved greater emphasis and profile in school education. Based upon the importance of SSIs, more and more researchers have investigated how students reason and make arguments about SSIs, and also explored the dimensions influencing students' arguments and also involved in the various SSIs. This article has a threefold purpose. Firstly, we want to address the different roles of SSIs in science education nowadays, and secondly, after reviewing the divergent dimensions involved in SSIs from previous literature, we want to provide a holistic view to represent the essence of SSIs via the SEE-SEP model (connecting six subject areas of Sociology/culture, Environment, Economy, Science, Ethics/morality and Policy with three aspects of value, personal experience and knowledge) developed here. Thirdly, to support the SEE-SEP model, examples extracted from former studies are presented. The implications for research and for school science education are discussed.


One of the characteristic functions of modern government is to administer declarations of attachment. Many of these declarations are compulsory, and they span a wide range. In order to receive some social benefit-a license, citizenship, education, employment, a right to cohabit-one must declare one's allegiance to a person or entity. Declarations of attachment are often backed by the force of law. Membership in private organizations, including fraternities, religious groups, and clubs, may also be conditioned on compliance with requirements of this sort. Compulsory oaths have been a prominent source of controversy in the latter half of the twentieth century. Consider, for example, recent debates over the pledge of allegiance, loyalty oaths, the marriage vow, and oaths of citizenship for new Americans. Civil libertarians have criticized compulsory declarations in some or all of these settings on the ground that they impose requirements of uniformity and obedience that are inconsistent with important principles of pluralism and individual freedom. Defenders of compulsory declarations respond that oaths serve important unifying, educative, and even celebratory functions, inculcating in participants a sense of the solemnity and importance of such central institutions as citizenship and marriage. In this view, otherwise plausible principles of freedom and pluralism should not be permitted to override the legitimate functions performed by compulsory oaths. Indeed, freedom and pluralism may ultimately depend on the social cohesion brought about by institutions that perform precisely those functions. My goal in this essay is to explore the diverse social functions of compulsory declarations of attachment. The treatment will be tentative and speculative; it will also be largely descriptive rather than normative. I want to provide some preliminary answers to the following questions: What social tasks do compulsory declarations carry out? To what problems and needs, and to whose problems and needs, are they an attempted response?


Sufficiency is not a goal of environmental policy-making as is efficiency. In view of the planetary boundaries, this paper instead proposes that sufficiency should amend the notion of liberal society. The classic vision of liberal societies has been based on the core values of individual freedom, the no-harm principle and social justice together with the related virtues of courage, prudence and justice. By adding sufficiency, we introduce a fourth core value, one which is necessary for dealing with planetary boundaries. Temperance, the virtue linked to sufficiency, becomes an important part of this.


Several studies have shown a benefic effect of the power exercise on the reduction in the post-exercise blood pressure (BP), but there are insufficient researches involving hypertensive individuals. Thus, the present study has as main purpose to compare the BP responses on medicated hypertensive individuals after two sessions of power exercise with different training volumes. For this, it was studied 20 individuals of both genders (61 ± 12 years) with their hypertension controlled through medication, and who participated in an exercise program, but with no experience in power training. The study was performed in three non-consecutive days. First, it was determined ten maximal repetition load in each exercise of the sequence (straight supine, horizontal leg-press, stand-up-rowing, and triceps curl). In the remaining days, the same exercises were performed in one (SER1) or three (SER3) series. The BP measurement was performed through the auscultatory method in the pre-exercise period, immediately after each session, and within 60 minutes after ending the exercises. The repeated ANOVA measurements has identified in both sessions that the systolic (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) values measured right after ending the exercises were higher (p < 0.05) than in the pre-exercise. The 60 minutes follow-up after the SER1 showed a reduction in the SBP only in the 40th minute, while it was found no reduction in the DBP. After the SER3, it was noted a fall in the SBP levels that lasted for the whole monitoring period. As to the DBP, it was found reductions in the 30th and 50th postexercise minute. It can be concluded that a power training session can promote reductions in the levels of the SBP on medicated hypertensive individuals, and it seems to be necessary a higher training volume for that effect to occur.


The problems of ergodicity and internal consistency in the centroid and ring-polymer molecular dynamics methods are addressed in the context of a comparative study of the two methods. Enhanced sampling in ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) is achieved by first performing an equilibrium path integral calculation and then launching RPMD trajectories from selected, stochastically independent equilibrium configurations. It is shown that this approach converges more rapidly than periodic resampling of velocities from a single long RPMD run. Dynamical quantities obtained from RPMD and centroid molecular dynamics (CMD) are compared to exact results for a variety of model systems. Fully converged results for correlations functions are presented for several one dimensional systems and para-hydrogen near its triple point using an improved sampling technique. Our results indicate that CMD shows very similar performance to RPMD. The quality of each method is further assessed via a new chi(2) descriptor constructed by transforming approximate real-time correlation functions from CMD and RPMD trajectories to imaginary time and comparing these to numerically exact imaginary time correlation functions. For para-hydrogen near its triple point, it is found that adiabatic CMD and RPMD both have similar chi(2) error.


How should actions to redress absolute human deprivation be framed?1 Current international coordinated actions on absolute poverty are framed by human rights or by goals such as the Millennium Development Goals. But appropriate, effective and sustained responses to needs require localized participation in the definition of those rights/goals/needs and in measures taken to redress them. Human rights or the MDGs do not seem necessarily to require such processes. For this reason some argue that no universal framework can describe economic, social, or cultural rights. Yet to address absolute poverty purely from the local perspective still requires the identification and prioritization of capabilities or needs, and often requires actions by greater-thanlocal institutions, so in practical terms a framework is not rejected without cost. This paper argues that the identification and prioritisation of rights or MDGs can and should be done at an international level, but that they might be framed as capabilities, and that far greater attention need be given to the iterative specification of these rights, and to the ongoing protection of certain agency freedoms. The paper explores how Wiggins' account of need can fruitfully inform the specification of needs claims. It also draws significantly on Sen's work to identify the intrinsic importance of process and opportunity freedoms, and to identify how these can relate to universal priorities.


Introduction to Neural Networks with C#, Second Edition, introduces the C# programmer to the world of Neural Networks and Artificial Intelligence. Neural network architectures, such as the feedforward, Hopfield, and self-organizing map architectures are discussed. Training techniques, such as backpropagation, genetic algorithms and simulated annealing are also introduced. Practical examples are given for each neural network. Examples include the traveling salesman problem, handwriting recognition, financial prediction, game strategy, mathematical functions, and Internet bots. All C# source code is available online for easy downloading.


Summary

1
Koala Phascolarctos cinereus populations sometimes exhibit eruptive dynamics, increasing to peak abundance and then crashing to low abundance. This dynamic is considered unacceptable because koalas die from starvation and food trees are killed by defoliation. There is concern that such dynamics may be occurring at a number of sites in south-eastern Australia. The only management option is fertility control of females.

2
We constructed a simulation model of koalas interacting with their food supply (manna gum Eucalyptus viminalis) in Mount Eccles National Park, Victoria, Australia. The amount of manna gum leaves consumed changed the survival and fecundity rates of koalas, and the amount of leaves removed changed the survival and transition rates of manna gums.

3
Without fertility control the koala population was predicted to increase to peak abundance within 10–18 years before crashing. The predicted dynamics of manna gum were more variable but abundance increased in most simulations for up to c. 5 years before declining to c. 25% of peak abundance within 20–30 years and then increasing subsequently. The maximum rate of koala population decline was an important determinant of the interaction between koalas and manna gum.

4
The best management strategy that was analysed involved estimating the number of unsterilized females in the population annually and then sterilizing a variable number to maintain a population of 1000 koalas: this strategy generated the least decline in manna gum at a consistently low cost. However, there was a delay between imposing fertility control and consequent reduction in koala abundance because of high adult female survival rates. Hence manna gum was predicted to decline for 5–10 years before increasing.

5
Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight important time-lags between implementing fertility control, reducing the abundance of a herbivore with high survival rates and subsequent changes in the abundance of its food supply. Our model is useful for understanding how controlling 'overabundant' herbivores impacts upon the dynamics of both the herbivore and its food supply.