This study considers the features of modern development of economic systems – intensification of offshoring of economy, which forms the relevance of the study. The purpose of the study is to perform a theoretical analysis of offshoring, to establish its impact on the national economic security and to develop ways to de-offshoring the economy. The methodological basis of the study were general scientific and special methods of cognition, including methods of dialectical cognition, theoretical generalisation and abstraction, methods of economic and statistical analysis, induction, deduction, and synthesis. The study analyses the volume of offshore capital outflows, the volume of tax asymmetry and the volume of offshore economies of different countries, including Ukraine. Proceeding from the analysis data, the study indicated the threatening volumes of offshoring in the modern economy. In addition, the study provided the theoretical analysis of the offshoring process in the system of national economic security, establishing the main reasons, advantages and disadvantages of this process for the national economy. The main threats posed by offshoring the economy and national economic security are highlighted. The definition of the concepts of offshoring and deoffshoring is formed taking into account their security-related importance. It was discovered that a considerable share of the withdrawn capital is returned to the national economy in the form of so-called "round-trip" investments. It is concluded that it is necessary to factor in their safety value for the economy when implementing measures to reduce their volume. The study analysed the ratio of withdrawn capital and external debt of different countries and found that Ukraine is one of the leading countries according to this indicator. The main ways of de-offshoring the Ukraine's economy and ensuring the economic security of the state have been developed


An increased rate of cardiac symptoms at combat theater hospitals brings concerns about the predeployment health of Army National Guard (ARNG) soldiers on the basis of older age, lower fitness level, and sedentary lifestyle than active duty troops. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of physical fitness, reported physical activity (PA), and coronary risk factors to calculated 10-year hard coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in 136 ARNG soldiers, aged 18-53 years, who failed the 2-mile run of the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The APFT score, derived from a composite of 2-mile run time, sit-ups, and push-ups, related inversely to 10-year CHD risk (r = -0.23, p < 0.01) but no relationship with CHD risk was observed for PA. APFT scores were positively associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and inversely with triglycerides, total cholesterol:HDL ratio, diastolic blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI). No relationship existed between PA and any of the CHD risk factors. We conclude that a higher APFT score is associated with a healthier CHD risk factor profile and is a predictor of better predeployment cardiovascular health.


Purpose of reviewMast cell disease is markedly heterogeneous in its underlying molecular pathogenesis, clinical presentation, natural history, and specific treatment. Skin-only disease (cutaneous mastocytosis) is infrequent in adults and systemic mastocytosis may be broadly classified as an indolent or aggressive variant based on the absence or presence of impaired organ function. Urticaria pigmentosa and mast cell mediator release symptoms can occur in all categories of mast cell disease and may not be prognostically detrimental. The purpose of this review is to summarize current concepts and recent advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of adult mast cell disease. Recent findingsA series of laboratory investigations has revealed that mast cell disease is a clonal stem cell disorder, and at least two genes (c-kit and PDGFRA) with pathogenetically relevant mutations have been identified. FIP1L1-PDGFRA+ mast cell disease responds completely to imatinib mesylate. Both Asp816Val c-kit+ and molecularly undefined cases have been shown to respond to 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine therapy after failing treatment with interferon-&agr;. SummaryA partial molecular calssification of mast cell disease is now possible; Asp816Val c-kit+, FIP1L1-PDGFRA+, and molecularly undefined cases. Such molecular classification is therapeutically relevant.


Broadband communication satellites in Ka-band commonly use four reflector antennas to generate a multispot coverage. In this paper, four different multibeam antenna farms are proposed to generate the complete multispot coverage using only two multibeam reflectarrays, making it possible to halve the number of required antennas onboard the satellite. The proposed solutions include flat and curved reflectarrays with single or dual band operation, the operating principles of which have been experimentally validated. The designed multibeam reflectarrays for each antenna farm have been analyzed to evaluate their agreement with the antenna requirements for real satellite scenarios in Ka-band. The results show that the proposed configurations have the potential to reduce the number of antennas and feed-chains onboard the satellite, from four reflectors to two reflectarrays, enabling a significant reduction in cost, mass, and volume of the payload, which provides a considerable benefit for satellite operators.


Yuriko Furuhata explores the fog sculptures of artist Nakaya Fujiko. Nakaya's deployment of fog and smoke recalls other expanded cinema practitioners and environmental artists in the postwar period, yet her experiments take on a different significance when seen not as a descendant of the phantasmagoria but as part of an assemblage linked to the development of smoke screens for aerial warfare. Paying particular attention to the dual function of fog screens—which obfuscate visibility yet also make visible such qualities as temperature, humidity, and wind—Furuhata historicizes the epistemological and political conditions behind the turn to fog and smoke within expanded cinema and the environmental arts during the Cold War. In so doing, Furuhata provides a geopolitically nuanced twist to the recent interest in 'atmospheric media' and 'elemental media'.


AIM
The objective of the paper is to present of ideas on relationships between sexual orientation and sanity of individuals.

METHOD
The authors present a review of scientific news published by researchers, enhanced with case studies and formation of crucial factors leading to the evolution of psychiatric perturbations of the described cases.

RESULTS
Analysis of the papers and self made research lead to the conclusion, that the most important risk factor for psychopathologic syndrome evolution in homosexuals and bisexuals is their social stigmatisation.


OBJECTIVES
To study glibenclamide as a treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and its impact on newborn birth weight and neonatal glycemia as compared to insulin.

METHODS
A randomized and open-label clinical trial, conducted from October 1st, 2003 to March 8, 2005. Seventy-two pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus requiring drug therapy were randomized and allocated into two groups--insulin and glibenclamide.

RESULTS
The general characteristics in both groups were similar, except for the results of the 75 g OGTT, which were higher in the glibenclamide group (p= 0.02). Maternal fasting and postprandial glucose levels presented no difference. Six (18.75%) pregnant women received the maximum dose of glibenclamide with no glycemic control. The birth weight was higher in the group treated with glibenclamide (p= 0.01), and the incidence of macrosomic newborns statistically different (p= 0.01). Neonatal hypoglycemia was more frequent (p= 0.01) in newborns of glibenclamide group, with one single case of persistent hypoglycemia.

CONCLUSION
Glibenclamide can be the first line drug for glycemic control in most GDM patients. The birth weight and incidence of hypoglycemia were higher in the glibenclamide group, but with one single case of persistent hypoglycemia that required intravenous infusion of glucose.


A first-order spectral perturbation theory of resonant modes that evolve with periodically amplified optical fiber solitons is presented. In contrast with the modulational instability, these modes exhibit a linear growth in amplitude with respect to propagation and have a tuning characteristic that follows an inverse square-root dependence on the amplification period. Numerical results based on a complete solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation are also presented that confirm and quantify this behavior.


Multihollow hydroxyapatite (HAp)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanocomposite microspheres were readily fabricated by solvent evaporation from a "Pickering-type" water-in-(dichloromethane solution of PLLA)-in-water multiple emulsion stabilized with HAp nanoparticles. The multiple emulsion was stabilized with the aid of PLLA molecules used as a wettability modifier for HAp nanoparticles, although HAp nanoparticles did not work solely as particulate emulsifiers for Pickering-type emulsions consisting of pure dichloromethane and water. The interaction between PLLA and HAp nanoparticles at the oil-water interfaces plays a crucial role toward the preparation of stable multiple emulsion and multihollow microspheres.


The increasing incidence of metabolic diseases such as obesity or diabetes made them a major public health problem. Increasing oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species, which initiate the oxidative adverse changes in the cell, is mentioned, among other risk factors, to underlie these diseases. Vitamin A, C and E are listed among non-enzymatic mechanisms counteracting this phenomenon. Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the risk of vitamin A, C, E and D deficit in plasma of metabolic syndrome (MS) patients. Material and methods: The study included 191 patients with MS and 98 subjects without MS. Log-linear analysis was used in the assessment of mutual interactions between the vitamin concentration and the analysis of classification by ROC curves to predict the frequency of vitamin deficiency in MS patients. Results: A correlation was found between the plasma level of vitamins in the group of MS patients. Vitamin A concentration correlated with that of vitamin C (r=0.51, p=0.0000), vitamin D (r=0.49, p=0.0000) and E (r=0.32, p=0.0001). The plasma level of vitamin D correlated with the level of vitamin E (r=0.46, p=0.00000) and vitamin C (r=0.37, p=0.0000). Regression analysis showed a correlation between the concentration of the tested vitamins in patients with MS. Interactions were observed between vitamins C-A and C-D. HDL cholesterol level was lower in patients with vitamin A deficiency compared to patients with its normal level. Conclusions: The plasma levels of vitamin A, C, E and D were significantly lower in patients with MS than in healthy subjects and they mutually correlated with each other. The normalization of glucose and HDL level may contribute to the regulation of the concentration of vitamin A in patients with MS.


POM-copolymer bond breaking leads to change depending with respect to processing methodology and material geometries. This paper present the oversights effect on the material integrity due to different geometries and processing methodology. Thermo-analytical methods with reference were used to examine the degradation of thermomechanical while Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to judge the thermal stability of sample from its major decomposition temperature. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) investigation performed to identify the thermal behaviour and thermal properties of materials. The result shown that plastic gear geometries with injection molding at higher tonnage machine more stable thermally rather than resin geometries. Injection plastic gear geometries at low tonnage machine faced major decomposition temperatures at 313.61°C, 305.76 °C and 307.91 °C while higher tonnage processing method are fully decomposed at 890°C, significantly higher compared to low tonnage condition and resin geometries specimen at 398°C. Chemical composition of plastic gear geometries with injection molding at higher and lower tonnage are compare based on their moisture and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) content, polymeric material content and the absence of filler. Results of higher moisture and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) content are report in resin geometries (0.120%) compared to higher tonnage of injection plastic gear geometries which is 1.264%. The higher tonnage of injection plastic gear geometry are less sensitive to thermo-mechanical degradation due to polymer chain length and molecular weight of material properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, fatigue strength and creep resistance.


A now operational data rationalization system using the international scientific instrument standard IEEE 488 is introduced from a management perspective. Adoption of an existing standard rather than developing a new one has allowed us to very quickly solve the majority of data collection problems in major projects. Interconnection of IEEE 488 nests have never before been accomplished to the level implemented here.


This paper introduces Web1T5-Easy, a simple indexing solution that allows interactive searches of the Web 1T 5-gram database and a derived database of quasi-collocations. The latter is validated against co-occurrence data from the BNC and ukWaC on the automatic identification of non-compositional VPC.


Planar cell polarity (PCP), the ability of a tissue to polarize coherently over multicellular length scales, provides the directional information that guides a multitude of developmental processes at cellular and tissue levels. While it is manifest that cells utilize both intra-cellular and intercellular mechanisms, how they couple together to produce the collective response remains an active area of investigation. Exploring a phenomeno-logical reaction-diffusion model, we predict a crucial, and novel, role for cytoplasmic interactions in the large-scale correlations of cell polarities. We demonstrate that finite-range (i.e. nonlocal) cytoplasmic interactions are necessary and sufficient for the robust and long-range polarization of tissues — even in the absence of global cues — and are essential to the faithful detection of weak directional signals. Strikingly, our model re-capitulates an observed influence of anisotropic tissue geometries on the orientation of polarity. In order to facilitate a conversation between theory and experiments, we compare five distinct classes of in silico mutants with experimental observations. Within this context, we propose quantitative measures that can guide the search for the participant molecular components, and the identification of their roles in the collective polarization of tissues.


Heavy metal (HM) contamination of soils is a worldwide problem with adverse consequences to the environment and human health. For the safe production of vegetables in contaminated soil, efficient soil amendments need to be applied such as nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAP) and poly γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), which can mitigate heavy metal uptake and enhance crop yield. However, the combined effects of soil amendments and indigenous microorganisms (IMOs) on HMs immobilisation and accumulation by crops have received little attention. We established a pot experiment to investigate the effects of IMOs combined with n-HAP and γ-PGA on coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) growth and its Cd and Pb uptake in two acidic soils contaminated with HMs. The study demonstrated that applying n-HAP, with and without IMOs, significantly increased shoot dry biomass and reduced plant Cd and Pb uptake and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) extractable Cd and Pb concentrations in most cases. However, γ-PGA, with and without IMOs, only reduced soil DTPA-extractable Pb concentrations in slightly contaminated soil with 0.29 mg/kg Cd and 50.9 mg/kg Pb. Regardless of amendments, IMOs independently increased shoot dry biomass and soil DTPA-extractable Cd concentrations in moderately contaminated soil with 1.08 mg/kg Cd and 100.0 mg/kg Pb. A synergistic effect was observed with a combined IMOs and n-HAP treatment, where DTPA-extractable Cd and Pb concentrations decreased in slightly contaminated soil compared with the independent IMOs and n-HAP treatments. The combined treatment of γ-PGA and IMOs substantially increased shoot dry biomass in moderately contaminated soil. These results indicate that solo n-HAP enhanced plant growth and soil Cd and Pb immobilisation, and mitigated Cd and Pb accumulation in shoots. However, the combination of n-HAP and IMOs was optimal for stabilising and reducing HMs' uptake and promoting plant growth in contaminated soil, suggesting its potential for safe crop production.


Surgical treatment of the gastric crises of tabes dorsalis has only recently offered promising and definite results. It is now recognized that the usual types of antisyphilitic therapy have little effect on such crises. Stokes 1 stated that "marked amelioration of symptoms is possible in 24 per cent, the usual response consisting in reduction in severity and length of attack with or without an increase of intervals between them.—Fever therapy and especially malaria often afford striking temporary relief and the response may even be prolonged." In outlining intelligently any form of surgical therapy, one must take into account the physiology and the pathologic physiology involved. At present, concepts concerning the physiologic mechanism of visceral pain are controversial, so that in a measure surgical efforts have been of the trial and error type. Indeed, it is more likely that the results of carefully controlled clinical experiences will solve certain physiologic problems


ABSTRACT Primary hippocampal neuronal cells were used to establish cell model of cerebral ischemia under oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) treatment. After the cell model was pre-treated with short hairpin (sh)-circ_NLRP1 or mmu-miR-199b-3p inhibitor, LDH release and cell apoptosis were detected by LDH kit and TUNEL staining, respectively, while the expression of NLRP3 pyroptosis-related makers was analyzed through immunofluorescence (IF) assay and Western blot, respectively. The binding sites between circ_NLRP1 and mmu-miR-199b-3p were predicted and further validated by Dual Luciferase Reporter assay. Additionally, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was also analyzed by means of Western blot assay. Neuronal cells under OGD conditions released less lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and showed less apoptosis status by silencing circ_NLRP1. In addition, gasdermin D (GSDMD)-N immunofluorescence staining showed weaker fluorescence intensity and decreased expression of pyroptosis-related mediators. We further found that mmu-miR-199b-3p-inhibitor could alter the effects of sh-circ_NLRP1 on hippocampal neuronal cells. In addition, in this process, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/EGR1 pathway was also significantly affected. In conclusion, OGD stimulation induced neuronal damage and pyroptosis through enhancing circ_NLRP1 expression and further downregulating mmu-miR-199b-3p levels. The present study provided a novel insight for understanding the potential mechanism of ischemia-induced neuronal damage and for developing new drugs for treating brain ischemia damage. Graphical Abstract


The complex interrelationships among ritual, life course transitions, and altered states of consciousness (ASCs) are examined on a theoretical level. ASCs are an important and relatively new concept in anthropological studies of transition and change. Hypersuggestibility, a characteristic of ASCs, is the key element of this analysis.

Birthday parties are analyzed as a life course ritual. Their efficacy in facilitating transition is evaluated in light of the issue of the potential of a series of less intense rituals versus the potential of one major ritual for effecting change. Stress is a crucial element of this problem. A symbolic analysis of those elements of birthday parties relevant to the main thesis supports the conclusion that birthday parties are a significant life course ritual in American culture.


We explore properties of the entropy, Kullback-Leibler information, and mutual information for order statistics. The probability integral transformation plays a pivotal role in developing our results. We provide bounds for the entropy of order statistics and some results that relate entropy ordering of order statistics to other well-known orderings of random variables. We show that the discrimination information between order statistics and data distribution, the discrimination information among the order statistics, and the mutual information between order statistics are all distribution free and are computable using the distributions of the order statistics of the samples from the uniform distribution. We also discuss information properties of spacings for uniform and exponential samples and provide a large sample distribution-free result on the entropy of spacings. The results show interesting symmetries of information orderings among order statistics.


Attention models are typically learned by optimizing one of three standard loss functions that are variously called -- soft attention, hard attention, and latent variable marginal likelihood (LVML) attention. All three paradigms are motivated by the same goal of finding two models -- a `focus' model that `selects' the right \textit{segment} of the input and a `classification' model that processes the selected segment into the target label. However, they differ significantly in the way the selected segments are aggregated, resulting in distinct dynamics and final results. We observe a unique signature of models learned using these paradigms and explain this as a consequence of the evolution of the classification model under gradient descent when the focus model is fixed. We also analyze these paradigms in a simple setting and derive closed-form expressions for the parameter trajectory under gradient flow. With the soft attention loss, the focus model improves quickly at initialization and splutters later on. On the other hand, hard attention loss behaves in the opposite fashion. Based on our observations, we propose a simple hybrid approach that combines the advantages of the different loss functions and demonstrates it on a collection of semi-synthetic and real-world datasets


Rural Saving and Credit Cooperatives (RuSACCOs) are the main financial solution of the people who have low income level.Rural saving and credit cooperatives are considered to have immense potential in financing short term loans for agricultural production technologies and undertake off-farm income generating activities in rural areas where both the state and the private sector have failed. Cooperatives and socio-economic development in Ethiopia has its own Economic significance, Employment creation, income generation and poverty reduction, Social protection, Cooperative representation. Cooperatives have a long history in Ethiopia. Traditional forms of collective action such as iqub found that a traditional form of rotating savings and credit association; work groups such as jige, wonfel, and debo, which help in mobilizing labor resource (Labour sharing); and idir, a traditional association which provides insurance for members during death and other accidents. . Rural saving and credit cooperatives have their own challenges that retard their financial solution to their members and the economical contribution to a country. In Ethiopia, the development of SACCOs is low due to the existence of different challenges. Some of the most important challenges include lack of capacity for providing competent managerial services, limited participation of members in decision making and controlling activities (because of limited capacity and skill), and lack of finance, basic infrastructure, and market information against the need for a better linkage of cooperative members. And recommending Government cooperative agency offices, Unions, and NGOs should provide sustainable technical training for cooperatives technical staffs on financial planning, financial management, and inventory handling issues are the possible recommendations. Saving and credit cooperatives play a crucial role in economic and social development for rural farmers in Ethiopia.


Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are susceptible to silica scaling, resulting in irreversible degradation of membrane performance. This work covered the fabrication of MIL-101(Fe) for silicic acid adsorption to alleviate the silica scaling of RO membranes. The effect of pH, mixing time and initial concentration on silicic acid adsorption of MIL-101(Fe) was appraised in detail. The adsorption experiments demonstrated that MIL-101(Fe) possessed an excellent adsorption ability for silicic acid with the maximum adsorption capacity reaching 220.1 mgSiO2·g−1. Data fitting confirmed the pseudo-second-order equation and Freundlich equation were consistent with silicic acid adsorption on MIL-101(Fe). Finally, a simulated anti-scaling experiment was carried out using a feed solution pretreated by MIL-101(Fe) adsorption, and the permeance exhibited a much lower decline after 24 h filtration, confirming that MIL-101(Fe) exhibits an excellent application potential for silica-scale mitigation in RO systems.


Computer simulation has, over the last thirty years, developed into a new branch of science which links fundamental theory with experiment on complex systems. Simulation techniques are now used in all areas of physical, biological and engineering sciences. But in no field has the impact been greater than in Chemistry. Computational techniques can routinely calculate, with high accuracy, the structures and properties of complex molecules; polymer (especially biomolecular) modelling is a well established if challenging field; modelling is an indispensable tool in contemporary studies of liquids; and in solid state chemistry, as this review will show, simulation techniques are increasingly integrated with experimental synthetic and characterization studies.


This paper presents a method and an algorithm for generation of a parallel multiplier, which is optimized for speed. This method is applicable to any multiplier size and adaptable to any technology for which speed parameters are known. Most importantly, it is easy to incorporate this method in silicon compilation or logic synthesis tools. The parallel multiplier produced by the proposed method outperforms other schemes used for comparison in our experiment. It uses the minimal number of cells in the partial product reduction tree. These findings are tested on design examples simulated in 1 /spl mu/ CMOS ASIC technology.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children and approximately half of all children with NB are designated as high-risk patients. Most high-risk children experience metastatic recurrence despite aggressive treatment and nearly all children who relapse eventually die from disease progression. Clearly, there is a great demand for novel specific therapeutics against NB and the metastasis in particular. This relies on our understanding of the molecular mechanism that leads to metastasis. Unfortunately, this area is still largely unexplored. Based on the modern biological view of metastasis, cancer cells undergo multiple steps, including survival in circulation, to spread to distant organs. We have reported that Bin1 expression is frequently reduced in NB cell lines and forced Bin1 overexpression by transfer of an ectopic Bin1 gene into a NB cell line (SA-N-AS), designated SK-N-AS(pBin1), enhances cell death in suspension culture. This result implies that tumor cells with Bin1 loss may gain a survival advantage in blood or lymphatic system, thus allowing for distant metastasis. We therefore hypothesized that Bin1 can suppress NB metastasis via enhancing cancer cell apoptosis in circulation. Apoptosis induced by loss of cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is termed anoikis. The molecular mechanism by which Bin1 enhances cell death in suspension was investigated in this study. Flow cytometric analysis of floating SK-N-AS(pBin1) cells revealed that the nature of Bin1-enhanced cell death is anoikis. The anoikis was found to be mediated by a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p38. By use of an antibody specific for p38 phosphorylated at threonine180 and tyrosine182, we show that p38 was phosphorylated (activated) in floating SK-N-AS(pBin1) cells but not in the vector control SK-N-AS(pcDNA3). Phosphorylation of p38 at these sites was undetectable in both cell lines under an adherent condition. These results indicate that (a) p38 acts as a stress kinase in NB cells; (b) Bin1 does not stimulate p38 phosphorylation without a stress induction; and (c) Bin1 enhances anoikis, at least partly, via the p38 MAPK pathway. We also show that the MEK-ERK MAPK survival pathway was inhibited by ECM-detachment, and the inhibition is, at least in part, mediated by p38 activation because pharmacological inhibition of p38 activity in floating SK-N-AS(pBin1) reactivated this pathway. Additionally, the MEK-ERK pathway was inhibited by a specific MEK inhibitor, which provides a potentially useful therapeutic target against metastasis. In conclusion, these results identify a novel link between Bin1 and MAPK pathways in NB anoikis and provide an insight into the molecular mechanism of metastasis. Further defining the involved pathways could offer multiple novel molecular targets that can be manipulated to control NB metastasis and improve the survival for this deadly disease in young children.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1258.


Pollution by lead (Pb) is an environmental and health threat due to the severity of its toxicity. Microbial bioremediation is an eco-friendly technique used to remediate contaminated soils. This present study was used to evaluate the effect of two bacterial strains isolated and identified from Bizerte lagoon: Cupriavidus metallidurans LBJ (C. metallidurans LBJ) and Pseudomonas stutzeri LBR (P. stutzeri LBR) on the rate of depollution of soil contaminated with Pb from Tunisia. To determine this effect, sterile and non-sterile soil was bioaugmented by P. stutzeri LBR and C. metallidurans LBJ strains individually and in a mixture for 25 days at 30°C. Results showed that the bioaugmentation of the non-sterile soil by the mixture of P. stutzeri LBR and C. metallidurans LBJ strains gave the best rate of reduction of Pb of 71.02%, compared to a rate of 58.07% and 46.47% respectively for bioaugmentation by the bacterial strains individually. In the case of the sterile soil, results showed that the reduction rate of lead was in the order of 66.96% in the case of the mixture of the two bacterial strains compared with 55.66% and 41.86% respectively for the addition of the two strains individually. These results are confirmed by analysis of the leachate from the sterile and non-sterile soil which showed an increase in the mobility and bioavailability of Pb in soil. These promising results offer another perspective for a soil bioremediation bioprocess applying bacterial bioremediation.


The rapid spread of Zika virus in the Americas, where there is little population immunity, is a major concern, especially given the possible link between infection during pregnancy and the congenital abnormality microcephaly, the World Health Organization has warned.

Margaret Chan, WHO's director general, said, "Although a causal link between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly has not been established, the circumstantial evidence is suggestive and extremely worrisome. An increased occurrence of neurological syndromes, noted in some countries coincident with arrival of the virus, adds to the concern."

Travellers should stay informed about Zika virus and take measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, particularly if they are pregnant, WHO has said, but it is not recommending restrictions on travel to affected countries, which include Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Because of the possible heightened risk to …


The characteristic modes of coupled waveguide arrays with a simple layered structure are examined using the approximate coupled wave theory. It is shown that evanescent waves may arise from total internal reflection at a boundary between two semi-infinite arrays. The transmission and reflection coefficients for this process are derived. If a suitable, finite, array is sandwiched between two semi-infinite arrays so that total internal reflection occurs at both boundaries, "guided" characteristic modes may arise. These have most of their power confined between the boundaries. The theory is used to specify an array distribution suitable for use in a transverse-mode-locked array laser.


In this paper, we study two problems of providing reliable data transmission and developing aggregation techniques for correlated data in wireless sensor networks. A system with forward error correction (FEC) can provide an objective reliability while using less transmission power than a system without FEC. Because of the additional parity bits and encoding/decoding energy consumptions, we study the effect of FEC on energy efficiency. We propose to use LDPC codes for FEC. We show that wireless sensor networks using LDPC codes are almost 45% more energy efficient than those that use BCH codes, which were shown to be 15% more energy efficient than the best performing convolutional codes. Then we study the problem of providing aggregation for two and three correlated nodes in wireless sensor networks. We propose to use LDPC codes in wireless sensor networks for source and channel coding to obtain a two-fold energy savings. For two correlated nodes, we study both distributed source coding and joint source-channel coding. While distributed source coding using LDPC codes was studied before, joint source-channel coding using LDPC codes is introduced for the first time. The difference between our work in distributed source coding using LDPC codes and the previous work lies in the LDPC code design procedure. The simulation results show that our proposed design criteria improves the performance of the source coding. The convergence of the non-uniform LDPC code of our design technique is almost 60% closer to the Slepian-Wolf limit. For three correlated nodes, we study distributed source coding using LDPC codes. We simplified the problem of design procedure to randomly punctured LDPC codes. This is a new approach for designing LDPC codes and the simulation results for code of length 1000 shows that the convergence of the LDPC code is achieved at compression rate 0.3174 which is only 0.08 away from the Slepian-Wolf limit.


Objective To conduct a scoping review to synthesize evidence on food prescription programs. Data Source A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was conducted using key words related to setting, interventions, and outcomes. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Publications were eligible if they reported food prescription administered by a health care practitioner (HCP) with the explicit aim of improving healthy food access and consumption, food security (FS), or health. Data Extraction A data charting form was used to extract relevant details on intervention characteristics, study methodology, and key findings. Data Synthesis Study and intervention characteristics were summarized. We undertook a thematic analysis to identify and report on themes. A critical appraisal of study quality was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Results A total of 6145 abstracts were screened and 23 manuscripts were included in the review. Food prescriptions may improve fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce food insecurity (FI). Evidence for impacts on diet-related health outcomes is limited and mixed. The overall quality of included studies was weak. Addressing barriers such as stigma, transportation, and poor nutrition literacy may increase utilization of food prescriptions. Conclusion Food prescriptions are a promising health care intervention. There is a need for rigorous studies that incorporate larger sample sizes, control groups, and validated assessments of dietary intake, food security, and health.


Abstract Since its unintentional introduction during 2009, Megacopta cribraria (F.) has spread rapidly throughout the southeastern United States, mainly feeding and reproducing on kudzu, Pueraria montana Loureiro (Merr.) variety lobata (Willdenow), and soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Megacopta cribraria has become a serious economic pest in soybeans, forcing growers to rely solely on insecticide applications to control this insect. The main objective of this study was to investigate if variation in planting date and maturity group of soybeans had an impact on management of M. cribraria populations. Three experimental fields were located in North Carolina (2) and South Carolina (1), and the tests replicated during 2012 and 2013. Treatments consisted of three planting dates, four maturity groups, and insecticide treated versus untreated, at each location. More M. cribraria were found in untreated early planted soybeans than late planted soybeans. Generally, maturity group did not influence population densities of M. cribraria. Yield was significantly influenced by the interaction between planting date and maturity group. There was a negative linear relationship between M. cribraria populations and soybean yield. Although early planted soybeans may avoid drought conditions and potentially large populations of defoliators, these fields may be at greater risk for infestation by M. cribraria.


In Rayleigh-Bénard convection, the spatially uniform motionless state of a fluid loses stability as the Rayleigh number is increased beyond a critical value. In the simplest case of convection in a pure Boussinesq fluid, the instability is a symmetry-breaking steady-state bifurcation that leads to the formation of spatially periodic patterns. However, in many double-diffusive convection systems the heat-conduction solution actually loses stability via Hopf bifurcation. These hydrodynamic systems provide motivation for the present study of spatiotemporally periodic pattern formation in Euclidean equivariant systems. We call such patterns planforms. We classify, according to spatio-temporal symmetries and spatial periodicity, many of the time-periodic solutions that may be obtained through equivariant Hopf bifurcation from a group-invariant equilibrium. Instead of focusing on plan- forms periodic with respect to a specified planar lattice, as has been done in previous investigations, we consider all planforms that are spatially periodic with respect to some planar lattice. Our classification results rely only on the existence of Hopf bifurcation and planar Euclidean symmetry and not on the particular differential equation.


This study aimed to ascertain attitudes towards the use of social media in recruitment in Ireland. To this end, we surveyed 194 people across four different groups including in-house HR and recruitment professionals, agency recruitment professionals, jobseekers and non-HR professionals. The largest group surveyed was the HR professionals group with 107 people completing the survey.

Across all group the majority of respondents indicated that they had a positive attitude to the use of social media in recruitment with 78.9% of all respondents indicating such. In the human resourcers groups, which combined both inhouse and agency professionals, 98.1% of respondents reported they used Linkedln, with 86.6% of these using it at least once a week. 71.4% of jobseekers indicated they had a Linkedln account, with 57.1 % utilising Linkedln in their job seeking strategy.

The results of the study indicate that the use of social media in recruitment is becoming mainstream with both employers and jobseekers exploring new technologies in their respective strategies including Linkedln, Facebook and to a lesser extent Twitter. These technologies have not replaced traditional strategies, but have definitely added value to the process, securing their future place in the recruitment space.


This paper describes the functionalities and some implementation details of software tools to assist and to improve the process of note taking by students during a traditional lecture. The software tools allow professors to interact effectively with the students during lectures and help students to take relevant notes. They are based on a previously described software, and use a network of pen-based computers as well as a large screen projection system.


A metallic oblate spheroid is coated with a confocal layer of penetrable material that is either isorefractive or anti-isorefractive to the surrounding space. An exact solution is obtained in terms of infinite series of oblate spheroidal wave functions when the primary source is an electric or magnetic dipole located on the symmetry axis of the structure and axially oriented. Numerical results are presented and discussed.


Lake Diane is located near the southern edge of Hillsdale County and lies approximately four miles due south of the town of Woodbridge and about 13 miles due south of the City of Hillsdale (Figure 1). This reservoir was created by the construction of a dam on a tributary to Clear Fork Creek. Two natural lakes located on the tributary, Goforth and Hagerman, were inundated when the reservoir was created as part of a real estate venture in 1966. This lake sprawls over approximately 283 surface acres and has not been hydrologically mapped (see aerial photo, Figure 2). Lake Diane is located in the Maumee River watershed and has an outlet to Clear Fork Creek at the dam noted above.


Morphological asymmetry of olfactory bulbs (OBs) primarily based on quantitative estimate of different subcomponents of OBs of right and left side as well as sexual dimorphism is known. Here we report a unique case wherein an otherwise normal female adult albino rat had right-left gross anatomical asymmetry of OBs. Quantitative estimation of its olfactory glomerular subcomponent revealed that the means of glomerular diameter, cross-sectional area and number per 100 sq mm on the left side were 0.50 ±0.04 mm, 0.20 ± 0.03 sq mm, 496 ± 64 respectively as compared to 0.78 ± 0.07 mm, 0.48 ± 0.08 sq mm, and 213.16 ± 41.07 on the right side and the difference observed between two sides of these three comparable parameters were highly significant (p<0.001). Interestingly, all these parameters from apparently smaller looking OB closely matched with similar parameters from control and did not differ significantly. It is concluded that the asymmetry of OBs observed in the present case is due to an unprecedented enlargement of the glomerular subcomponent of the right OB and not due to hypoplasia of left OB warranting further study.


The golden proportion is a well-known phenomenon and is considered a proportion often cited as frequently occurring in nature. It has been demonstrated by various artists, mathematicians, scientists and even philosophers. The golden proportion revolves around living beings and inactive creatures; even synthetic components and designs seem to follow the golden proportion. Human beings are genetically developed so that they can easily recognize the proportion as pleasurable because it demonstrates delicacy and is associated with the number science. The optimal proportion is associated directly with the golden proportion. The golden proportion is recognized as a standard rule for facial delicacy, and its application may aid in simplifying the diagnosis related to different dentofacial disorders. Various techniques were utilized to quantify the size and kind of teeth, such as the golden proportion. The primary aim of this review is to demonstrate the golden proportion phenomenon and evaluate the relationship between maxillary-anterior teeth and golden proportion.


Over the past few years, the European Parliament (EP) has begun engaging in a novel form of parliamentary diplomacy: political mediation. Through three case studies (Albania, Ukraine and Macedonia), this paper explores how EP parliamentarians have sought to help find solutions to political disputes in non-EU countries. The cases evaluate these mediation efforts according to four factors: the level of MEP involvement, the role of the EP's secretariat, the amount of cooperation with other EU actors, and the extent to which the EP arrived with a defined outcome in mind for the negotiations. The conclusion suggests that the EP's increased institutionalization and formalization of its mediation activities through a new stand-alone Mediation Service will lead the Parliament to undertake more such missions in the future—and with higher rates of potential success.


April 2003 was the first time in Slovakia, when the vaccine derived poliovirus Type 2 was isolated from waste water sampled from the waste water disposal plant in Vrakun, which collects most waste from Bratislava. The examination in the Regional reference laboratory in Helsinki revealed an almost 15% divergence from the vaccine strain and genetic identity with the Sabine vaccine strain was only 86.6%. Various cases of paralytic poliomyelitis have been published in world literature, caused by mutants = vaccine derived polioviruses (VDPV). Sporadic diseases were described not only in persons who excreted genetically modified vaccine strains, but even examples of epidemic occurrence connected with circulation and transfer of VDPV in non-vaccinated or insufficiently vaccinated population. Epidemiologist of the State Faculty Public Health Institute of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia immediately accepted measures to strengthen surveillance of poliomyelitis at all levels in order to minimize the risk for the origin of paralytic disease in the population. The world-wide activities aimed at eradication of poliomyelitis may eliminate the wild virus from human community as well as from the environment. It will be difficult to eradicate poliomyelitis completely before the potentially infectious oral vaccine is substituted with inactivated vaccine.


Physical models of wildfires are of particular interest in fire behaviour research and have applications in firefighting, rescue and evacuation. However, physical models present a challenge as a result of the large computational resources they often require, especially for the analysis of large areas or when multiple scenarios are investigated. The objective of this paper is to explore the opportunity to reduce the computation time requested by physical wildfire models through application of a model order reduction technique, specifically the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) technique. POD is here applied to a simple one-dimensional physical model. The full physical model for illustration of the concept is first tested with experimental data to check its ability to simulate wildfire behaviour; it is then reduced using the POD technique. It is shown that the reduced model is able to simulate fire propagation with only small deviations in results in comparison with the physical model (~6.4% deviation in the rate of spread, ROS) and a drastic reduction (~85%) in computational cost. The results demonstrate the advantages of applying effective reduction techniques to create new generations of fire models based on reduced physical approaches. The potential applicability of POD to more complex models is also discussed.


This research is concerned with the effect of titanium in the range 0.01 to 0.13 wt.% on the base plate and weldability properties of laboratory hot-rolled cold-formable steels with yield strengths in the range 500 – 900 MPa (S500MC S900MC). Different strength levels were achieved by varying the contents of boron, chromium, molybdenum and manganese. For the base metal, titanium had a small strengthening effect and it also raised the impact transition temperature. In MAG-welding (t8/5 = 5 s), titanium had a strengthening effect probably due to precipitation strengthening which was seen both in the strength of the welded steels and in the lower hardness difference between the base metal and the HAZ. Titanium, especially with higher concentrations, had a clear negative effect on the impact toughness of the fusion line and a somewhat smaller negative effect on the impact toughness of the fusion line + 1 mm position. This was probably due to the presence of large angular TiN inclusions promoting cleavage crack nucleation. Also unlike TiN precipitates, these inclusions are ineffective in preventing austenite grain coarsening in the coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ). Overall, high titanium contents have been shown to have a detrimental effect on HAZ properties: although titanium reduces the softening of the HAZ experienced in these types of steels, it has a clear negative effect on the HAZ impact toughness with low heat input.


In the Russian financial literature there is no unanimity of views on the conceptual apparatus. The notion of finance arose in the Russian financial science in the early XX century and was strongly influenced by the ideas of Marxism. Today most of the coursebooks continue to focus on this approach. Though in recent years in the scientific literature there is a movement attesting to the desire of the scientific community to change the established views. This is due to the fact that part of the conceptual apparatus is inconsistent with its generally accepted counterparts in the global financial theory. The paper proves the need to clarify the conceptual apparatus in finance theory in terms of its unification with the definitions given by foreign sources, in particular the definition of finance. The paper considers different views on the notion of finance and its functions including the author's opinion.The author believes that the financial science in Russia must evolve to meet the financial globalization trends and factors which have an impact on science.


Sharī'ah governance is a unique element of the Islamic financial system in which Ulama (Islamic scholars) play a fundamental role. Deeni Madaris (religious seminaries) are the major channels for the education of the Ulama. This study analyzed and compared the syllabi of Deeni Madaris (religious seminaries) taught in Dars-e-Nizami (full-time) and Takhasus fil Fiqh /Takhasus fil Ifta (specialization in Islamic jurisprudence and Fatwa granting process) as offered by different schools of Islamic thought regarding Islamic finance education. A survey was conducted among the academics of these religious institutions regarding the structure of the syllabus followed in their respective institutions. The questionnaire focused on exploring the respondents' opinions about the status of the curriculum concerning Islamic finance and their efforts for the inclusion of contemporary studies in it, specifically those regarding Islamic finance and jurisprudence issues.


Experiments showed that foods of plant and animal origin differently influenced on the size of stages in Micraspis discolor life cycle. Fed on Aphis craccivora, adult females laid bigger eggs and larvae, pupae and emerged adults were larger in size in comparison with those fed pollen of Bidens plant. The fecundity in adult females fed on Aphis craccivora was also higher than those fed on Bidens plant pollen, viz. averagely 117.9 ± 5.9 eggs in 10.45 ± 0.56 times versus 18.5 ± 4.15 eggs in 2.16 ± 0.47 times. Longevity after ovipositor in females fed on Aphis craccivora was on an average 31.72 days.


Abstract The nutrient intakes of mammalian herbivores depend on the amount and the nutrient content of the plant species and plant parts which they eat. We review the merits of oesophageal-fistulated (OF) animals, microhistological procedures, stable C-isotope discrimination and plant cuticular-wax markers as methods for estimating diet composition and intake in both ruminant and non-ruminant herbivores. We also briefly discuss methods based on grazing behaviour measurements or on H2O or Na turnover, and methods for estimating supplement or soil intake. Estimates of intake in ruminants are often based on separate measurements of faecal output and herbage digestibility. We review this approach and emphasize that, under some circumstances, the applicability of in vitro digestibility estimates based on OF extrusa is questionable. We discuss how plant-wax marker patterns can be used to check whether OF and test animals are consuming similar diets, but also emphasize that a major advantage of the use of plant-wax markers is that this approach may obviate altogether the need for OF animals. Estimates of total herbage intake can be partitioned into the intakes coming from different plant species and/or parts, provided diet composition can be measured. Diet composition estimates based on C-isotope discrimination have the major disadvantage that they cannot be taken to species level. By contrast, microhistological methods can identify many plant species in extrusa, digesta or faeces, but often a large proportion of plant fragments remains unidentifiable. Plant-wax hydrocarbons show great promise as markers for estimating diet composition and intake. However, we suggest that to be applicable in complex plant communities there is a need with this method either to recruit a wider range of wax markers (e.g. alcohols, sterols, fatty acids) or to use it in combination with other methods. We suggest that, in turn, this generates an urgent need for research on statistical aspects of the combined use of markers or methods, in relation to the error structures of the data or methods being combined and the standard errors of the resultant estimates of diet composition and intake. We conclude by discussing the extension of intake and/or diet composition measurements to the measurement of nutrient transactions within the gut, particularly in relation to the supply of absorbable nutrients.


Objectives: To evaluate changes in respiratory function in patients with ALS after using high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO). Methods: This was a 12-week randomized, controlled trial of HFCWO in patients with probable or definite ALS, an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale respiratory subscale score ≤11 and ≥5, and forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥40% predicted. Results: We enrolled 46 patients (58.0 ± 9.8 years; 21 men, 25 women); 22 used HFCWO and 24 were untreated. Thirty-five completed the trial: 19 used HFCWO and 16 untreated. HFCWO users had less breathlessness (p = 0.021) and coughed more at night (p = 0.048) at 12 weeks compared to baseline. At 12 weeks, HFCWO users reported a decline in breathlessness (p = 0.048); nonusers reported more noise when breathing (p = 0.027). There were no significant differences in FVC change, peak expiratory flow, capnography, oxygen saturation, fatigue, or transitional dyspnea index. When patients with FVC between 40 and 70% predicted were analyzed, FVC showed a significant mean decrease in untreated patients but not in HFCWO patients; HFCWO patients had significantly less increased fatigue and breathlessness. Satisfaction with HFCWO was 79%. Conclusion: High-frequency chest wall oscillation was well tolerated, considered helpful by a majority of patients, and decreased symptoms of breathlessness. In patients with impaired breathing, high-frequency chest wall oscillation decreased fatigue and showed a trend toward slowing the decline of forced vital capacity.


Based on 495 minutes of audioand video-recorded data from television variety shows, this paper intends to illustrate and discuss the pragmatic/interpersonal functions of laughter and smiling from an interactional linguistic perspective. Laughter and smiling are not only expressions of emotion or subconscious responses to stimuli (Van Hooff 1972, Kendon 1975, Ekman & Friesen 1982, Glenn 2003, Holt 2011, Bavelas, Gerwing & Healing 2014, Warner-Garcia 2014). While laughter can show appreciation of another one's humor/teasing, it can also be used as a prompt, indicating that the utterance is laughable, thereby inviting others to join in. Laughter can also be faked, produced by imitating the sound of natural laughter that displays pleasure and happiness. This type of laughter is often used for showing disagreement. Smiling, on the other hand, can be used to politely reject another one's humor/teasing. It can also be used to mark non-verbal sarcasm. Its sarcastic nature results from the listener's attempt at suppressing the desire to mock the current speaker while at the same time showing it in a passive-aggressive manner. Finally, smiling can also be used to show contempt. This type of smiling is produced by slightly raising one corner of the mouth and is characterized by looking somebody up and down, accompanied by different forms of verbal aggression and hand gestures.


A correlation between accelerated motion and a noncompact 5th dimension is proposed. The curvature invariants and the stress energy tensor in the bulk depend only on the 5th dimension $w$ and vanish asymptotically while the proper acceleration of a static observer is proportional to $1/w$. The brane (located at $w = w_{0}$) metric is conformally flat (of AdS type) with $\Lambda = -3/w_{0}^{2}$ and the invariant acceleration $a = \sqrt{a^{b}a_{b}} = 1/w_{0}$. Therefore, we assume that a hyperbolic observer with the rest-system acceleration $a$ is embedded in the 5th dimension at $w_{0} = 1/a$.


On-demand sources of entangled photons for the transmission of quantum information in the telecom C-band are required to realize fiber-based quantum networks. So far, non-deterministic sources of quantum states of light were used for long distance entanglement distribution in this lowest loss wavelength range. However, they are fundamentally limited in either efficiency or security due to their Poissonian emission statistics. Here, we show on-demand generation of entangled photon pairs in the telecom C-band by an InAs/GaAs semiconductor quantum dot. Using a robust phonon-assisted excitation scheme we measure a concurrence of $91.4\,\%$ and a fidelity of $95.2\,\%$ to $\Phi^+$. On-demand generation of polarization entangled photons will enable secure quantum communication in fiber-based networks. Furthermore, applying this excitation scheme to several remote quantum dots tuned into resonance will enable first on-demand entanglement distribution over large distances for scalable real-life quantum applications.


Genetically engineered plants expressing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis can provide safe and effective pest control, but they will also select intensely for insect adaptation to the toxins. Mallet & Porter (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 250, 165 (1992)) used a model to compare two planting strategies for delaying crop failure: 'seed mixtures' of toxic and toxin-free plants within fields, and - 'refugia' of toxinfree fields. They concluded that 'if insects can move from plant to plant, seed mixtures may actually hasten insect resistance compared with pure stands of toxic plants'. In the present study, the model of Mallet & Porter was used to evaluate pure stands of toxic plants, seed mixtures, refugia, and mixtures + refugia. Across a broad range of conditions, seed mixtures delayed development of insect resistance compared with pure stands of toxic plants. The relative merits of seed mixtures and refugia depend upon untested assumptions about pest movement, mating, and inheritance of resistance. Minimizing exposure of pests to toxins in space and time is the surest way to preserve the efficacy of transgenic plants.


The main question considered is the extent to which extra-glacial Britain had a permafrost environment in the Devensian, so the three features used in identifying contemporary permafrost are discussed. These are ice wedge polygons, pingos and thaw lakes. As their environments have been studied estimates of temperatures may be made when they are found in a Devensian context. A theoretical case can be made for regarding some involutions as representing the former active layer of permafrost but they have not been related to a contemporary environment. They cannot therefore give a measurement of Devensian conditions. Fossil ice wedges are very widespread in Great Britain, being found from the English Channel to the Scottish Highlands, and associated with late Early, Middle and Late Devensian deposits. Today ice wedges grow in continuous permafrost where the mean annual air temperature is — 6 to — 8 °C or lower. Remains of pingos of the open system type which today develop in discontinuous permafrost with a mean annual air temperature of — 3 to — 6 °C, are found in Wales and East Anglia. These continued to form until the end of the Younger Dryas, and indicate that discontinuous permafrost in England and Wales thawed completely only with the beginning of the Flandrian. The pingos must have begun to form after the transition from continuous to discontinuous permafrost, which probably took place with the rise in temperatures ahead of the Allerod. The area of continuous permafrost and ice wedge formation in Alaska is almost limited to the tundra. Apart from the coastal zone, discontinuous permafrost carries boreal forest with mean July air temperatures of around 15 °C, so that periods of tree growth in the Devensian do not necessarily imply the temporary disappearance of permafrost. Continuous permafrost in southern England implies a minimum fall in mean annual air temperatures of 16-17 °C, and a fall in the July mean of 4-5 °C. During the maximum ice advance the fall in mean annual air temperatures is estimated to be as much as 25 °C, with a fall in the July mean of 10 °C.


In patients infected by Fasciola hepatica, total IgE and specific IgE antibodies have been determined by radioimmunoassays, and IgG, IgA, IgM levels by radial immunodiffusion test (Mancini, 1965). Moreover, total and specific IgE levels have been related to parasite egg burden, age, clinical features and eosinophilia. Elevated total IgE and specific IgE antibodies levels have been found respectively in 76% and 48% of the patients whereas there was no significant variations in other immunoglobulins levels. However, though the amount of total and specific IgE was lower than in other helminthic diseases, it appears to be a significant data of the immune response to parasites as it has been reported and discussed previously. It has been shown a significant relationship between total and specific IgE levels, the number of lines by immunoelectrophoresis, and the results of the indirect haemagglutination and indirect fluorescent antibody techniques; each method appeared to be in equal value to perform the early diagnosis of human Fasciola hepatica. In addition, specific IgE antibodies levels were correlated with eosinophilia specially when it exceeds 15%. This results demonstrate the availability of their measurement in the diagnosis of fascioliasis versus other diseases with marked eosinophilia.


Europe has successfully extended its competencies in key enabling technologies for electric mobility in recent years, especially in the field of information and communication technologies, components and systems (ICT). Small and medium size companies (SMEs) have played a crucial role as sources of creativity at all stages of the supply chain. Given the new supply chains for e-mobility being established worldwide, many potential target markets are located outside of Europe, e.g. in highly innovative regions such as the United States, Japan and South Korea or in emerging markets like China and India. In light of this situation, "Global Opportunities for Small and Medium Size Companies in Electric Mobility" (GO4SEM), coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), is aimed at giving policy advice to sustain and enhance the successful access of European SME's in supply chains in the abovementioned global markets. For this purpose the GO4SEM consortium (consisting of SMEs and regional clusters, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, and research institutions from all around Europe) intends to spread awareness of international market developments and technological trends in the electric mobility context, triggering an engagement of European SMEs in global FEV value chains by indicating potential and to show opportunities for bringing in expert knowledge. Furthermore, recommendations on standardization, education, and research matters are formulated. In a broader sense, the project will support to strengthen the global competitiveness of the European industry being active in the domain of electric mobility by linking the relevant stakeholders, preparing them for and increasing the awareness of the opportunities and challenges of worldwide developments. This contribution will present the output of the first term of the project. Firstly, in terms of mapping the global e-mobility supply chains and identifying possible entry points considering the above-mentioned target markets.


SALL4 (sal-like protein 4) is a pluripotency transcription factor, which is highly expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells and which is essential for mouse preimplantation development. In adult mouse organs, Sall4 mRNA is highly expressed in the testis and ovary, while there is only little or no expression in other organs. There is also a high expression of SALL4 in human testicular germ cell tumors. However, there is as yet no detailed analysis of SALL4 expression during mammalian testicular development. We analyzed SALL4 expression in ES cells, preimplantation embryos, and the developing and adult testis of a nonhuman primate (NHP) species, the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus). Immunofluorescence revealed SALL4 in the nuclei of marmoset ES cells and preimplantation embryos. Marmoset SALL4 isoform analysis in ES cells and newborn and adult testis by RT- PCR and Western blotting showed two different isoforms, SALL4-A and SALL4-B. Immunohistochemistry localized this transcription factor to the nuclei of primordial germ cells and most gonocytes in the prenatal and early postnatal marmoset testis. In the pubertal and adult testis SALL4 was present in undifferentiated spermatogonia. In the developing and adult human and mouse testis SALL4 expression mimicked the pattern in the marmoset. Adult testes from additional NHP species, the treeshrew, the cat and the dog also exhibited SALL4 in undifferentiated spermatogonia, indicating a conserved expression in the mammalian testis. Taking into account the importance of SALL4 for mouse development, we conclude that SALL4 may play an important role during mammalian germ cell development and is involved in the regulation of spermatogonial proliferation in the adult testis.


This thesis explores the role of gender and explains how gender agreement operates in Polish and presents the possible agreement that particular gender can provide when conjoined with a noun of different gender or with a hybrid noun. The linguistic representation of specific gender is connected not only with the morphological shape but also the inherent semantics of a given noun.
In the Polish language a great deal of information about possible masculine-personal or masculine-non-personal agreement is provided by the value 'person' for a given noun, and recent research on gender agreement in Polish has shown that some of the proposed rules for gender resolution and agreement between subject and predicate do not describe all the agreement possibilities. Likewise, with regard to hybrid nouns in Polish little research has been done on their agreement. This thesis thus examines the interaction of nouns of different genders, their values and their verbal agreement.
Drawing mostly on primary questionnaire work with native speakers of Polish, I argue that semantics has a predominant impact on gender agreement. I support my claim by presenting data from the Polish corpus.
 The thesis provides the most comprehensive description of Polish gender agreement in sentences with conjoined noun phrases and agreement with hybrid nouns to date, by investigating their morphological status, their semantic restrictions, and their use in discourse.
Building on previous analyses of agreement possibilities in the Polish language, I argue for an additional rule in gender resolution. I provide a description of various types of hybrid nouns in Polish and check the impact of semantic agreement versus formal agreement on Polish hybrid nouns using Corbett's Agreement Hierarchy.


Abstract. Photosynthesis (gross primary production, GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) are ecosystem processes with global significance for climate, the global carbon and hydrological cycles and a range of ecosystem services.
The mechanisms governing these processes are complex but well understood. There is strong coupling between these processes, mediated directly by stomatal conductance and indirectly by root zone soil moisture content and its accessibility.
This coupling must be effectively modelled for robust predictions of earth system responses to global change. Yet, it is highly demanding to model leaf and cellular processes, like stomatal conductance or electron transport, with response times of minutes, over decadal and global domains.
Computational demand means models resolving this level of complexity cannot be easily evaluated for their parameter sensitivity nor calibrated using earth observation information through data assimilation approaches requiring large ensembles.
To overcome these challenges, here we describe a coupled photosynthesis evapotranspiration model of intermediate complexity.
The model reduces computational load and parameter numbers by operating at canopy scale and daily time step. Through the inclusion of simplified representation of key process interactions, it retains sensitivity to variation in climate, leaf traits, soil states and atmospheric CO2.
The new model is calibrated to match the biophysical responses of a complex terrestrial ecosystem model (TEM) of GPP and ET through a Bayesian model–data fusion framework.
The calibrated ACM-GPP-ET generates unbiased estimates of TEM GPP and ET and captures 80 %–95 % of the sensitivity of carbon and water fluxes by the complex TEM. The ACM-GPP-ET model operates 3 orders faster than the complex TEM. Independent evaluation of ACM-GPP-ET at FLUXNET sites, using a single global parameterisation, shows good agreement, with typical R2∼0.60 for both GPP and ET.
This intermediate complexity modelling approach allows full Monte Carlo-based quantification of model parameter and structural uncertainties and global-scale sensitivity analyses for these processes and is fast enough for use within terrestrial ecosystem model–data fusion frameworks requiring large ensembles.


During the period extending from November, 1911, to January, 1913, there were treated in the Babies' Hospital thirty-four cases of hereditary syphilis by salvarsan alone. In all this series of cases the injections were given intravenously at the bend of the elbow. The technic was as follows: General anesthesia; a careful dissection of the vein and injection through a fine glass cannula which was substituted for the needle. In other respects the procedure followed was that usually observed in salvarsan injections. This method of injection was found rather troublesome, tedious and somewhat difficult owing to the small size and fragile condition of the veins of these patients. The difficulties were, however, in a measure overcome with experience, and the time consumed in the operation was usually from fifteen to twenty minutes. In our later cases this method of injection was abandoned and the injections made with a needle directly into


The control of postharvest gray mold on detached table grape berries by treatment with carbonate and bicarbonate salt solutions, alone or with chlorine, ozone, or ethanol, was evaluated. Sodium carbonate (SC), potassium carbonate (PC), sodium bicarbonate (SBC), potassium bicarbonate (PBC), and ammonium bicarbonate (ABC) were tested without control of pH for their toxicity to spores of Botrytis cinerea in vitro, and the concentrations that stopped germination of 95% (EC 95 ) of the spores were 16, 17, 36, 58, and 163 mM, respectively. When bicarbonate solutions were adjusted to pH 7.2 (±0.2), the mean EC 95 concentrations for two B. cinerea strains of ABC, SBC, and PBC were 48, 102, and 112 mM, respectively. In 1.5 µg/ml of ozone in water, 50% and 95% mortality of spores of B. cinerea occurred after 21.3 and 35.6 sec, respectively. In tests to control gray mold on grapes, among the bicarbonates, each applied at 500 mM, ABC was significantly more effective than SBC and PBC. It was also superior to PC (100 mM) and chlorine (200 µg/ml) and equal in effectiveness to SC (100 mM) and ethanol (70% wt/vol). The addition of 200 µg/ml chlorine to the bicarbonate salts significantly decreased gray mold incidence. Ozone in water at 10µg/ml significantly controlled gray mold, although its efficacy was irregular and dependent on grape condition. Among all the treatments, berry condition was an important factor; for example, there was significant decrease in control when wounded berries were treated compared to unwounded berries. The quality of grapes after treatment with ABC, SBC, ethanol, and chlorine was acceptable; ozone in water caused minor rachis injury; while severe injuries, mostly brown spots on berries, occurred after SC, PC, and PBC treatments.


Animal well-being issues are addressed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through a variety of agencies and in various formats. Most farmers are good stewards of their animals and will raise them according to societal demands as supported by market choices. Management standards that are perceived to improve upon current practices are being demanded of farmers by buyers of animal products, including corporate restaurant chains and groceries. Professional organisations, USDA, and university representatives, help to address well-being issues and help to create and evaluate standards. The USDA provides leadership in several cooperative programs involving activists and industry, coordinates certification programs, and provides liaisons to multi-state university research committees. A USDA Animal Well-Being Work Group facilitates communications among agency personnel. The USDA developed the Animal Welfare Issues Compendium, a national animal well-being symposium, and cooperates with industry, activists and universities on projects. The USDA provides grant funds for projects that are encouraged to include a component on animal well-being. Special grant funds from Congress have resulted in educational and research projects that complement existing USDA national research and educational initiatives. Regulatory commitments by USDA include the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.


Appalachian identity is often portrayed as an either/or proposition in popular perception, while at the same time backwoods stereotypes stick hard to that identity. In this essay, I offer my own complicated Appalachian narrative alongside analysis of the literary and social positions of Fred Chappell and Silas House to discuss how contemporary individuals talk back against stereotype and expectation. I argue that an ideological construct of hillbillies seeks always to hold Appalachia in a frozen state of backwardness, which serves certain national narratives of power. By talking back, writers like Chappell and House break those narratives, work to defuse the political capital of stereotype, and ease limitations on what constitutes authentic Appalachian identity.


The specific demands of high-performance computing (HPC) often mismatch the assumptions and algorithms provided by legacy operating systems (OS) for common workload mixes. While feature- and application-rich OSes allow for flexible and low-cost hardware configurations, rapid development, and flexible testing and debugging, the mismatch comes at the cost of --- oftentimes significant --- performance degradation for HPC applications.The ubiquitous availability of virtualization support in all relevant hardware architectures enables new programming and execution models for HPC applications without loosing the comfort and support of existing OS and application environments. In this paper we discuss the trends, motivations, and issues in hardware virtualization with emphasis on their value in HPC environments.


Sylvia D. HAMILTON is a multi award-winning filmmaker, writer, and educator who is known for her documentaries which explore the little known history, contributions and experiences of African Canadians. Her first two films, Black Mother Black Daughter and Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia, each garnered extensive critical and public praise, and opened a window upon the African Canadian experience for audiences in Canada and in venues as diverse as New York, Paris, Melbourne and Tokyo.
Her one-hour documentary film, Portia White: Think On Me, is the first major cinematic view of the extraordinary life of the legendary Canadian contralto Portia White, known as 'Canada's Marian Anderson'. Her newest film, The Little Black School House, unearths the story of the women, men and children who studied and taught at Canada's racially segregated schools.

She has been an invited filmmaker and keynote speaker for conferences in variety of venues including Norway, Sierra Leone, Guadeloupe, the Republique de Mauritius (Indian Ocean), New York City, Kingston, Jamaica, Mexico City and Paris. In Canada, she has lectured and presented her work in a variety of settings – schools, libraries, conferences and festivals – from Happy Valley, Labrador to Nanaimo, BC. Major awards include a Gemini, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation's Maeda Prize, the Progress Women of Excellence Award for Arts and Culture, the CBC Television Pioneer Award, Nova Scotia's coveted Portia White Prize for Excellence in the Arts, and the Expression Awards/ Les Prix Expression - Trailblazer Award.


Five phases of deformation D1–5 are recognized in the Tollie gneisses. D1–2 are probably Scourian (s.l.)and ante-date a set of basic dykes. The pre-dyke metamorphism was highgrade, in part granulite facies. D3 was accompanied by almandine–amphibolite facies metamorphism and caused minor folding F3 on nnw–sse axes with an associated penetrative foliation of variable dip. The basic dykes were intruded either before or during D3. D4 produced widely-developed steep penetrative foliation S4 with associated folds F4 and lineation L4 having a nw–se trend slightly oblique to that of F3 and causing widespread transposition of S3. The associated metamorphism was retrogressive over part of the area to lower almandine–amphibolite facies. D5 comprises late- or post-metamorphic structures without penetrative foliation. The Tollie antiform hinge is an F4 fold superimposed on a pre-existing major structure the nature of which is investigated by analysing the variation in L4 attitude using lineation-pitch isogons, and by studying the geometry of the dykes. It is deduced that the F4 folds were superimposed on an upright box-shaped anti-form described by the S3 foliation in the gneisses and by the dykes. Alternative hypotheses are proposed to account for the pre-F4 variation in attitude of the dykes.


Permafrost regions, and especially thermokarst lakes, play a major role in the global carbon cycle and in the context of global warming. Thermokarst lakes and lagoons are sources of methane to the atmosphere. This process is restricted by an ice cover during the winter. However, the fate of methane below and in the ice of shallow thermokarst lakes, lagoons and coastal waters is poorly understood.
This study focuses on winter ice from two different water bodies in a region of thawing permafrost in northeast Siberia. One is a shallow thermokarst lagoon and the other a bay underlain by submarine permafrost. The two water bodies are semi-closed and open water systems, respectively, with different stages of permafrost degradation. Ice cores were used as records of the freezing process and methane pathways. Hydrochemical parameters, as stable water isotope composition, electrical conductivity, dissolved organic carbon and temperature as well as methane concentrations and stable carbon isotopic signature in the ice were analyzed.
Measured parameters differed between and within the two water bodies. The hydrochemical parameters indicated freezing in a semi-closed system for the thermokarst lagoon, where ice growth eventually cuts off exchange between the lagoon and the sea. In the bay, hydrochemistry indicated an open system. Ice on both water bodies was mostly methane-supersaturated with respect to the atmospheric equilibrium concentration. Methane concentration in the ice of the Lagoon varied greatly with highest concentrations at the ice-water interface. Stable isotope signatures indicated that methane above the ice-water interface was oxidized to concentrations close to or below the calculated atmospheric equilibrium concentration. In comparison to the Lagoon, the Bay ice had generally lower methane concentrations. Nevertheless, methane oxidation in ice is a potentially effective process in decreasing methane concentrations in shallow thermokarst lagoons during the winter.
As further warming of the Arctic shortens the duration of ice cover, methane pathways will probably shift. An understanding of the limits of methane oxidation in lake and sea ice is critical to understand their role in mitigating Arctic feedbacks to global warming.


Web Services are the most emerging distributed applications which can be published and invoked using standardized protocols over the public or private registries. Due to rapid development of the Web, there are numerous functionally similar Web Services available, which made the selection of the Web Service based on functional properties is not reliable. To select the functionally similar Web Service, the non functional criteria such as Quality of Service (QoS) will be considered. However, most of the clients are not experienced enough to acquire the best selection of Web Service based on its described QoS properties. In this paper we are proposing QoS-Broker architecture to find the best Web Service, which will get Web Service client's query along with QoS requirements, and then it will use an efficient mechanism to find the best Web Service.


In this study, we compared new testate amoeba records produced by the conventional water-based wet-sieving method to testate amoeba data from previous palynological analyses of two Holocene peat profiles from British Columbia, Canada. We used 132 paired samples from the same peat cores to compare the composition of testate amoeba assemblages between the two methods and evaluate the potential of palynological testate amoeba records as quantitative paleohydrological proxies in peatlands. Our results suggest that the palynological treatments (acetolysis, 10% KOH and 150 µm sieving) substantially reduce test concentrations, diversity and richness in most pollen-slide samples. The smaller sieve size used in the palynological treatment (i.e. 150 µm) removed only a small fraction of the total tests, but could introduce a species-specific bias in assemblage composition. However, major shifts between wet and dry conditions, as shown by the water table depth (WTD) reconstructions using wet-sieved samples, were relatively well captured by the palynological datasets in most instances. The palynological assemblages with counts of >50 tests ( n = 30) provided WTD estimates similar to those inferred from the wet-sieved samples as the most dominant hydrophilous and xerophilous taxa were relatively well represented in the pollen-slide samples in the two studied peat cores. Testate amoeba data from pollen slides can provide useful paleohydrological information particularly when combined with other paleoenvironmental proxies. Nonetheless, if the goal is to generate quantitative paleohydrological reconstructions, we recommend that testate amoeba analyses be conducted using the wet-sieving method, as testate amoeba concentrations, diversity and richness are typically much lower in samples prepared with palynological treatments.


Implementation of technology in commerce and business is absolutely necessary as a strategy to increase sales and expand marketing through online services in the form of web e-commerce. Zerroart is a distro that tries to take advantage of technology in sales services to compete and increase sales results. Sales conventional during the Covid 19 pandemic are felt to be unable to increase sales results and the number of buyers is limited. This study analyzes the needs of Zerroart in achieving its goals and develops a web-based system using the Framework for the Application of System Thinking (FAST) model. The method used in analyzing uses object-oriented methods with UML modeling. Based on the test results, the e-commerce website can be used easily by users and real-time transactions. The developed web displays features that match the needs of Zerroart where consumers can see all available products, place orders and make payments.


The Ebola crisis in West Africa is a story of people: the 11,000 who died, the 28,000 who were infected, the millions uninfected but devastated by the collapse of their countries and countrymen, the billions who feared the global spread of the disease, and those who risked everything to help. It's a story of health workers treating patients, many losing their lives while doing their jobs; of mothers dying in childbirth, unable to get the healthcare they need; of children out of school, missing a year of learning; of farmers fleeing their fields, fishermen unmoored from their boats, construction workers without buildings to build; and of businesses shuttered, dreams deferred. It's also a story of people holding onto hope. Nearly three years after Ebola began its spread across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the countries are recovering from the most devastating health event in recent history. The countries' people are resilient despite their uphill climb, now steepened by a catastrophic crisis in three of the world's poorest countries. Pandemics like Ebola pose some of the biggest threats in the world to people's lives and economies, but they are preventable. The Ebola crisis taught all of us that author must be much more vigilant to outbreaks and respond immediately to save lives and protect economic growth.


The study was conducted to identify the antecedents and outcomes of psychological safety and feeling trusted with some additional mediators, resulting in positive and negative outcomes. The study is novel as it was the first attempt to test the dual pathways in terms of psychological safety and trust. The study used the positivism research philosophy followed by the deductive approach to meet the objectives of the study. The survey method was used to collect the data. 400 questionnaires were distributed among subordinates and 318 returned, representing a response rate of 79.5%. On the other hand, we also took the responsibility of supervisors to rate the level of creativity of their subordinates (dyadic), with an average of 8-10 employees working under one supervisor, so we selected 40 supervisors after collecting subordinate level data and distributed questionnaires using the questionnaire coding method. The response rate from supervisors was 98%. The results suggested that supervisor support through feeling trusted and voicing behavior on employee creativity is having a significant relationship and supervisor support through feeling trusted and perceived workload on employee creativity is also having a significant relationship supporting partial mediation. Subsequently, another relationship i.e. supervisor support and employee creativity was also tested and results identified that the relationship is mediated by perceived workload and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, supervisor support relationship with employee's creativity mediated by psychological safety and voicing behavior is also having the mediation effects. Therefore, our entire hypotheses were accepted.


In June 2019, Hahnemann University Hospital (HUH) in Philadelphia became the largest U.S. teaching hospital to announce its closure and the closure of all of its graduate medical education (GME) programs, which displaced more than 550 residents and fellows and other trainees. In addition to the displaced trainees, the HUH closure involved many stakeholders at both the closing hospital and hospitals willing to accept transferred residents and fellows--program directors and coordinators, designated institutional officials (DIOs), and hospital executives--as well as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the National Resident Matching Program, and other organizations. Given the rarity of such events, those involved had little experience or expertise in dealing with the closure of so many GME programs at one time. In this Invited Commentary, the DIOs of HUH and four other area teaching hospitals detail their experiences working to find new training opportunities for the displaced residents and fellows, discussing lessons learned and providing some recommendations to prepare for any future teaching hospital closures. Stakeholder organizations should work together to develop a "playbook" for use during future closures so that the chaos that occurred this time can be avoided.


Background CRP and ESR are the most commonly and probably the most studied inflammatory markers among patients with inflammatory arthritis. In contrast to rheumatoid arthritis, however, these markers are raised in less than 50% of people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Little is known about the long term significance of elevated inflammatory markers during the course of PsA disease. Objectives In a well characterised PsA cohort with a long term follow up, we examined the association of CRP and ESR over the disease course with demographics, clinical and radiographic features, patient reported outcome measures and the number of comorbid conditions. Methods A cohort of 283 PsA patients all meeting CASPAR criteria and attending rheumatology clinics were evaluated. All underwent detailed skin and rheumatologic assessments, along with cardiovascular risk factor evaluation. Moreover, we documented the presence/absence of comorbidities using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). All of these patients had CRP and ESR laboratory values assessed along with the other routine laboratory parameters during the disease course. For each patient, we documented CRP and ESR values at 3 different time points: firstly, at the time of the initial diagnosis; secondly, the highest value of CRP and ESR recorded during the disease course; and thirdly at the time of full assessment for this study. Cumulative inflammation over time was represented by the cumulative averages of CRP (ca-CRP) and ESR (ca-ESR) which were calculated from the AUC (Area Under the Curve) of the 3 documented measurements divided by the total number of months of follow-up. Variables significantly associated at a Bonferroni-corrected p-value were included in the multiple linear regression modelling CRP and ESR. Results A total of 283 PsA patients [mean age 54.6±12 years; 52% female; mean PsA duration of 19±9 years; 25% with sacroiliitis; 44.5% with peripheral joint erosions; 60% of patients requiring TNFi for PsA] attended for detailed assessments. The median (IQR) and mean (SD) Ca-CRP was 8.8 (4.6–14.8) and 11.72 (10.52), respectively. The median (IQR) and mean (SD) Ca-ESR was 13.8 (7.8–20.1) and 15.78 (10.46). The variables were also checked for multicollinearity. On multiple linear regression, erosions, sacroileitis, and the CCI were most significantly associated with Ca-CRP (unstandardised coefficient B=6.4, 2.9, 1.05, respectively, p<0.01), when controlled for all other variables in the model [(F=77.6, p<0.001), 72% (R-square)]. There was borderline significant association with the higher number of DMARDs and TNFi used (p=0.09, 0.08, respectively). Moreover, on multiple linear regression analysis, the erosions, extent of joint involvement (oligoarthritis/polyarthritis), number of TNFi used and the CCI were most significantly associated with Ca-ESR (unstandarised coefficient B=3.8, 1.8, 1.8, 0.76, respectively) when controlled for all other variables in the model [(F=130, p<0.001), 77% (R-square)]. Conclusions PsA is a heterogeneous disease with <50% of patients developing radiographic damage. Elevated inflammatory markers, CRP and ESR, can help identify patients with a severe PsA phenotype. Such patients experience more radiographic damage, they have more comorbidities and their disease is more resistant to DMARDs and TNFi. Disclosure of Interest M. Haroon Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Pfizer, UCB, M. Ahmad: None declared, O. Mason: None declared, O. FitzGerald Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Abbvie, MSD, Roche, UCB, Janssen and Cellgene


Partially shaded photovoltaic (PV) modules have multiple peaks in the power-voltage (P-V) characteristic curve and conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm, such as perturbation and observation (P&O), which is unable to track the global maximum power point (GMPP) accurately due to its localized search space. Therefore, this paper proposes a differential evolution (DE) based optimization algorithm to provide the globalized search space to track the GMPP. The direction of mutation in the DE algorithm is modified to ensure that the mutation always converges to the best solution among all the particles in the generation. This helps to provide the rapid convergence of the algorithm. Simulation of the proposed PV system is carried out in PSIM and the results are compared to P&O algorithm. In the hardware implementation, a high step-up DC-DC converter is employed to verify the proposed algorithm experimentally on partial shading conditions, load variation, and solar intensity variation. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is able to converge to the GMPP within 1.2 seconds with higher efficiency than P&O.


Artificial neural networks (ANNs), as techniques that mimic the processing way of information in human brain have emerged as promising methods in dealing with non-linear and complex relations. The ability to learn, tolerance to data noises and capability to model incomplete data have made them unique analyzing approaches in many scientific procedures. When employing neural nets, once the network has been trained, new data in similar domain may be analyzed and predicted avoiding the timeand moneyconsuming experiments. Taking into account that to solve problems, ANNs may combine the data from literature and experiments, the potential of this approach can be easily estimated in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Two types of training are commonly employed when using ANNs. While in unsupervised networks, the training procedure is not affected by the output(s) of the network; supervised networks attempt to modify the neurons weights so that the network output(s) becomes as close as possible to the desired output. As application in nanotechnology, supervised associating networks may be considered as alternatives to conventional response surface methodology (RSM). The unsupervised feature-extracting networks are alternatives to principal component analysis (PCA) and are able to map multidimensional data sets onto two-dimensional spaces. Therefore, ANNs not only have attracted the attention of many computer scientists, but also a huge number of successful applications of them is found in the literature, reporting problems solving in various areas of sciences, engineering and business. Although increasing number of ANNs applications are now observed in diverse scientific fields, nanotechnologists do not generally appear to be interested or fully aware of the potentials of such approaches. Here we have described principles of the ANNs in dealing with certain properties of nano-materials. To present the 'state of the art', available publications on nanotechnology and nanoscience which have used the advantages of ANNs have been evaluated. In this chapter, a brief description about importance of nanotechnology has been given. We then have summarized common applications of ANNs and tried to identify various areas in nanoscience and nanotechnology where the successful application of ANNs can be envisaged, followed by the areas of future developments.