Understanding how plant biomass is distributed between roots, stems, and leaves is central to many questions in life‐history evolution, ecology, and ecosystem studies. Current ecological dogma states that patterns of biomass partitioning result from environmental differences. However, there are methodological issues associated with the role of plant size. In addition, the importance of evolutionary history in biomass distribution is unclear. Here, we assess the relative importance of evolutionary history and growth form on how biomass not accounted for by plant size is partitioned between plant organs. Our analyses indicate that while growth form was significantly correlated with variation in biomass distribution and partitioning, phylogeny appears to be the strongest factor. Variation in biomass distribution is phylogenetically conserved for leaf mass but not for stems, roots, and annual production, suggesting that these factors may be more plastic. Leaf mass was the only organ with a considerable portion of the residual variation from growth form, which appears to be largely the result of differences in leaf traits. Our results have important implications for ecological studies because partitioning studies must first assess the role of plant size and evolutionary history in order to fully understand variability in biomass partitioning and distribution.


Limited research examined the factors and attributes of festivals or events that affect the transmission of traditional cuisine. This study aims to conduct the transmission ways of traditional cuisine relations not only how the traditional cuisine exists and transfer from generation to generation by a review. Traditional cuisines are a part of life and culture, especially they are the spotlight at specific occasions, celebrations, or festivals, and improve the development and sustainability of tourism in rural destinations. The implications of this paper can be useful for promoting stakeholders' implementations of traditional cuisines and providing to transmit traditional cuisines sustainably.


The Multi-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem (MDVRP), an extension of classical VRP, is a NP-hard problem for simultaneously determining the routes for several vehicles from multiple depots to a set of customers and then return to the same depot. The objective of the problem is to find routes for vehicles to service all the customers at a minimal cost in terms of number of routes and total travel distance, without violating the capacity and travel time constraints of the vehicles. The solution to the MDVRP, in this paper, is obtained through Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The customers are grouped based on distance to their nearest depots and then routed with Clarke and Wright saving method. Further the routes are scheduled and optimized using POS. A set of five different Cordeau's benchmark instances (p01, p02, p03, p04, p06) from the online resource of University of Malaga, Spain were experimented using MATLAB R2008b software. The results were evaluated in terms of depot's route length, optimal route, optimal distance, computational time, average distance, and number of vehicles. Comparison of the experimental results with state-of-the-art techniques shows that the performance of PSO is feasible and effective for solving the multi-depot vehicle routing problem.


Timber-concrete composite structures were originally developed for bridges and strengthening existing timber floors, but is today used extensively also in new buildings. The objective of this thesis was to look at the dynamic behavior of a timber-concrete composite system, where the concrete deck consisted of several prefabricated elements glued together. The shear connector used was a glued-in steel mesh, which had shown strong capacity in previous studies. The concrete was fibre reinforced concrete. A full-scale model was built in the laboratory, and the following tests were performed: A dynamic test (hammer impact test) and a deflection test with 1 kN load. In addition a direct shear test was performed on two asymmetrical specimen to find the stiffness of the shear connector. The fibre reinforced concrete was tested separately to find its characteristic properties. There was also made a numerical model in ABAQUS, to estimate the behavior of the composite beam. The hammer impact test showed that the composite beam satisfied the dynamic requirements sat for the beam. The shear connector proved to be weaker and more ductile than expected. It was discovered this was due to insufficient gluing during the assembly. The numerical analyses done in combination with the empirical tests proved to give good estimates on the behavior of the composite beam. The stiffness of the shear connector proved to be more decisive of the deflection of the beam than the frequency. Expanding the beam to a full-size floor in ABAQUS indicated that the composite beam gave smaller values for the frequency than what would be the case for a full floor. The overall performance of the timber-concrete composite system tested in this thesis was good. However, some adjustments should be made and more research has to be done, before developing this into a new floor system.


Central Asia is one of the seismically most active regions in the world. Its complex seismicity due to the collision of the Eurasian and Indian plates has resulted in some of the world's largest intra-plate events over history. The region is dominated by reverse faulting over strike slip and normal faulting events. The GSHAP project (1999), aiming at a hazard assessment on a global scale, indicated that the region of Central Asia is characterized by peak ground accelerations for 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years as high as 9 m/s 2 . In this study, carried out within the framework of the EMCA project (Earthquake Model Central Asia), the area source model and different kernel approaches are used for a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) for Central Asia. The seismic hazard is assessed considering shallow (depth < 50 km) seismicity only and employs an updated (with respect to previous projects) earthquake catalog for the region. The seismic hazard is calculated in terms of macroseismic intensity (MSK-64), intended to be used for the seismic risk maps of the region. The hazard maps, shown in terms of 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, are derived by using the OpenQuake software [Pagani et al. 2014], which is an open source software tool developed by the GEM (Global Earthquake Model) foundation. The maximum hazard observed in the region reaches an intensity of around 8 in southern Tien Shan for 475 years mean return period. The maximum hazard estimated for some of the cities in the region, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Tashkent and Almaty, is between 7 and 8 (7-8), 8.0, 7.0 and 8.0 macroseismic Intensity, respectively, for 475 years mean return period, using different approaches. The results of different methods for assessing the level of seismic hazard are compared and their underlying methodologies are discussed.


The aim of this thesis is to establish a numerical model capable of simulating combined infiltration and hydraulic discharge through grassed swales. The model is intended for making assessments of the hydraulics within urban drainage on a more detailed level than methods currently available. An initial literature survey has been conducted, finding that research on the scientific field of hydraulics within sustainable urban drainage is scarce. The research available on drainage systems, such as grassed swales, is mainly focused on pollutant control through empirical research. An assessment is made that the need for detailed hydraulic investigations in order to fully understand swale runoff response is present, in order to fill this knowledge gap. On this basis a numerical model implementing an explicit discretization St. Venant´s equation for dynamic overland flow, combined with Green Ampt´s infiltration equation for sloping surfaces has been established. This makes the model capable of handling varying flow conditions on a short time scale, as will be the case in urban runoff events. The model has been established in the MATLAB programming language and allows for a wide range of user input of hydraulic and infiltration parameters. Simulations have been conducted on constructed data in order to assess the effect of variations in input parameters and the model simulation range. The combined model yields results consistent with what is expected from the governing equations, given typical swale design parameters. Instabilities were encountered for high slopes combined with low Manning coefficients, and for infiltration media consisting of fine grained soil types. Some simplifications needed to be made in order to combine the infiltration and hydraulic flow, amongst the most important the introduction of an artificial threshold depth. This is due to the models inability to run as the flow depth approaches zero, and a stable threshold depth is set to 0.005 m. The main reason behind this is a severe limitation in computational time step range, where the hydraulic equations require very small time steps and the infiltration equation requires large time steps. Given a suitable time step, the model produces consistently satisfactory simulation results. The model is expected to concur well with observed swale flow, given the needed calibration and verification. At the time of this thesis, suitable field data were not available such that model calibrations could not be conducted. If detailed modeling of depth approaching zero is needed, it should be considered implementing an implicit discretization in the hydraulic step.


This paper addresses the problem of robust transmission of sensed data through a vast field of small and vulnerable sensors towards a sink node. It introduces a routing algorithm called P-GRAB relying on a probabilistic gradient broadcasting framework. Our aim is to improve the GRAB algorithm by accounting for the energy expenditure and the potential of a node for creating interference in the forwarding decision of the algorithm. It is the forwarding stage of P-GRAB that differs from GRAB: once a node has the proper cost for broadcasting a packet, it decides to forward it with a given probability depending on its remaining energy level and its interference potential. We show by simulations that P-GRAB outperforms the GRAB algorithm by providing similar robustness but with much fewer forwarding packets and latency for packet delivery.


This project discussed about a brain controlled robot based on Brain-computer interfaces (BCI). BCIs are systems that can bypass conventional channels of communication (i.e., muscles and thoughts) to provide direct communication and control between the human brain and physical devices by translating different patterns of brain activity into commands in real time. With these commands a mobile robot can be controlled. The intention of the project work is to develop a robot that can assist the disabled people in their daily life to do some work independent on others.


Almost half of a software maintainer's time is spent trying to understand programs. This means that software maintenance cost prediction depends on software understandability. We have proposed ripple complexity as a means to predict program understandability. This paper describes an experiment to prove the usefulness of ripple complexity. The result of this experiment has shown that ripple complexity is more closely related to program understandability than lines of source code, cyclomatic complexity and function point analysis.<<ETX>>


The temporal parameters of audiogenic seizures were compared in rats of different genetic strains (KM, Wistar, WAG/Rij, and GK). The probability of the origin of audiogenic fits was defined in each of the strains. It was found out that in Wistar, WAG/Rij, and GK rats the audiogenic fits developed as a double-wave pattern. In these strains the seizure intensity and their temporal parameters were the same but considerably differed from the intensive fits in KM rats, which developed as a one-wave pattern. The duration of the inhibitory pause between the first and the second wave in a double-wave fit was extremely stable, which could result from the spreading depression in one of the subcortical nuclei. Frequency spectra were compared of different kinds of stimuli applied for the audiogenic testing. Seizures were more easily provoked by the ultrasound signals with a complex structure. The resemblance is discussed between such signals and the natural communicative acoustic signals of rats as well as a possible role of emotional factor in the development of the audiogenic seizures.


Continuous seismic monitoring of the Earth's near surface (top 100 m), especially with improved resolution and extent of data both in space and time, would yield more accurate insights about the effect of extreme-weather events (e.g., flooding or drought) and climate change on the Earth's surface and subsurface systems. However, continuous longterm seismic monitoring, especially in urban areas, remains challenging. We describe the Fiber Optic foR Environmental SEnsEing (FORESEE) project in Pennsylvania, USA, the first continuous-monitoring distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber array in the eastern USA. This array is made up of nearly 5 km of pre-existing dark telecommunication fiber underneath the Pennsylvania State University campus. A major thrust of this experiment is the study of urban geohazard and hydrological systems through near-surface seismic monitoring. Here we detail the FORESEE experiment deployment and instrument calibration, and describe multiple observations of seismic sources in the first year. We calibrate the array by comparison to earthquake data from a nearby seismometer and to active-source geophone data. We observed a wide variety of seismic signatures in our DAS recordings: natural events (earthquakes and thunderstorms) and anthropogenic events (mining blasts, vehicles, music concerts and walking steps). Preliminary analysis of these signals suggests DAS has the capability to sense broadband vibrations and discriminate between seismic signatures of different quakes and anthropogenic sources. With the success of collecting 1 year of continuous DAS recordings, we conclude that DAS along with telecommunication fiber will potentially serve the purpose of continuous near-surface seismic monitoring in populated areas.


Introduction Teaching bedside procedure skills to medical students is typically done during inpatient ward rotations at the actual patient's bedside. We investigated the practicality of a short bedside procedure skills course using standardized patients for incoming third-year medical students. Methods The short bedside procedures course involved incoming third-year medical students (n = 198) at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and was part of the clerkship orientation week at the beginning of the 2004-2005 academic year. Students were tested prior to the orientation week with a 12 question on-line quiz that covered the following topics: arterial blood gas sampling, central line technique, thoracocentesis, paracentesis, and lumbar puncture. Questions on the pretest covered indications for the procedure, anatomical landmarks, technique, and complications. During the end of the week, students completed an on-line posttest. The posttest was matched to the pretest in terms of similarly worded questions and topics. Participation in the pretest and posttest was completely optional. Attendance of a one-hour didactic session at the beginning of the week was mandatory as well as a one-hour small group session demonstrating each bedside procedure. Students were divided into small groups of 5 for the bedside procedure demonstration sessions. Standardized patients were used during these one-hour small group sessions. Actual procedure kits were used during the demonstration. Needles were not uncapped during the demonstration. The standardized patients were used to demonstrate anatomical landmarks and body positioning. Results A total of 73 students completed both the pretest and the posttest. The mean score on the pretest was 62%, while the mean score on the posttest was 80%. Discussion From the results, it is apparent that these incoming third-year medical students improved their knowledge in bedside procedure skills after the short course. Students appreciated the opportunity to observe a mock demonstration of actual bedside procedures in a simulated environment. Conclusion A short bedside procedure course taught at the beginning of the third year can be very helpful for students in terms of improving their knowledge in indications, technique, and complications of bedside procedures. The on-line pretest also allowed students to identify areas of weakness in bedside procedures, while the on-line posttest allowed students to track their improvement and further identify areas of weakness.


This report examines the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of eight food value chains to glean practical lessons about how they operate, the challenges they face, and how they take advantage of emerging opportunities for marketing differentiated food products. A focus on the operational details of food value chains—business networks that rely on coordination between food producers, distributors, and sellers to achieve common financial and social goals—demonstrates how to facilitate moving differentiated products from regional food suppliers and buyers to customers. The key business practices of food value chains include: (1) Recruiting producers and developing producer networks; (2) Identifying, branding, and marketing differentiated farm products; (3) Managing infrastructure to transform, pack, and transport farm products; and (4) Negotiating with buyers to secure a fair return for the producers. By analyzing what has and has not worked within food value chains, this report gives organizations interested in building local food systems lessons to build on, blunders to avoid, and inspiration to draw from. Our eight case studies were selected to examine a variety of participating farmers, locations, product mixes, markets, and types of partnership or collaboration. They are categorized by the type of organization that drives the distribution operation. Retail -Driven Models La Montanita Co-op, based in Albuquerque, NM, established its Regional Foodshed Initiative in 2007 to expand purchases by the Co-op's four stores of sustainably grown regional products and to assist regional producers in accessing other wholesale market channels for its products. Co-op Partners Warehouse, located in St. Paul, MN, was started in 1999 by the Wedge Cooperative to provide high -quality organic produce to the Co-op, and now serves 200 consumer cooperatives, health food stores, buying clubs, and restaurants in the Upper Midwest. Nonprofit-Driven Models Appalachian Sustainable Development's Appalachian Harvest, located in in Abingdon, VA, has been selling organic produce to regional supermarket chains and specialty grocery chains in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions for 10 years. Minnesota Food Association's Big River Farm, based near Stillwater, MN, has provided production training and distribution/marketing services to aspiring immigrant and refugee farmers since 2007. Growers Collaborative was established by Community Alliance for Family Farms (CAFF) in 2005 to offer aggregation, distribution, market promotion, and education services to California family farms. In 2009 CAFF went from being a full -service distribution company to playing a matchmaker role, transferring distribution and marketing services to independent aggregators and distributors. Red Tomato, founded in 1996 and based in Canton, MA, arranges for the aggregation, transportation, and sale of a wide variety of produce supplied by 35–40 farmers to grocery stores and distributors throughout the Northeast. Its signature Eco AppleTM line of apples is grown using advanced Integrated Pest Management methods subject to third -party verification and accounts for more than half of Red Tomato's sales volume. Producer -Driven Model New North Florida Cooperative has been aggregating, processing, and selling produce in the Southeast since 1999. It sells primarily chopped fresh collard greens, sweet potatoes, and green beans from mainly small-scale minority farmers to 60 independent grocery stores and more than 30 school districts in the Southeast serving more than 200,000 students. Consumer -Driven Models The Oklahoma Food Cooperative has been operating an Internet-based buying club since 2003. It is a producer- and consumer-owned cooperative in which 200 producer members sell more than 4,000 individual items, including meat, produce, milk, and value-added items, to 3,800 Co-op members. Findings Four themes that cut across the eight case studies provide valuable insights for value chain practitioners: The level of investment in infrastructure should match the organization's stage of development and marketing capacities. How much and when an organization invests in infrastructure is vital to the success and even the survival of the enterprise. Whether it makes sense for food value chain distributors to invest heavily in infrastructure depends on operational scale, proximity to customers, availability of existing distribution assets, financial capacity, and its ability to capture value throughout the supply chain. The four nonprofit distribution models tended to overinvest in infrastructure because of its ability to solicit grants and donations and its tendency to focus on needs in the community rather than assets that could be mobilized. The four cooperative distribution models were much more conservative; they only invested in infrastructure in tandem with business growth and needs. Value-chain managers must ensure identity preservation from farm to market as a way to establish marketing claims and improve negotiating position with buyers. The type of identity preservation employed by the various distribution models to differentiate its products was largely dependent on its relationship with farmers, retailers, and individual consumers. When there is a great deal of preexisting trust between consumers and the seller, there is less need to specify which farmer produced an item or to create a third-party certification scheme. When there is less trust or social connection between consumers and sellers, identifying the farmer on each produce package helps establish marketing claims and better position products in a competitive selling environment. Distribution entities using informal producer networks can adapt to the constantly shifting demands of diversified, niche food markets. While agricultural cooperatives have played a major role in product aggregation and food marketing, new models of producer coordination are emerging that offer more flexibility to suppliers and buyers. With more informal supply networks, farmers benefit from a more diverse market channel mix by balancing risk and not "putting all its eggs in one basket," and the distribution entities are under no obligation to take all of its members' production. Informal farmer networks seem to be particularly appropriate for marketing diverse products like fruits and vegetables; more formal cooperative structures may be more appropriate when dealing with single, uniform products. A diverse range of products, each with its own separate costs of production, processing requirements, and prices, makes it difficult to allocate costs and benefits to cooperative members. Nonprofits and cooperatives can play key roles in value chain development but should recognize its organizational competencies and play to its strengths. As nonprofits and cooperatives engage in value chain activities, they should consider what roles are most suited to its capacities and recognize how its limitations can be mitigated through building strategic partnerships with other value chain actors. Cooperatives may benefit from partnering with nonprofits for training, education, and resource prospecting; nonprofits may find it worthwhile to partner with cooperatives or other business entities to provide infrastructure support or supply chain management services.


There are differences in male and female missionary children who have spent five or more years overseas. The variables that will be analyzed are the perceived social support of missionary children from social groups including their families, friends, and significant others. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support will be sent out to students of Liberty University who qualify as participants of this study. The scores of the female subjects will then be compared with those of the males concerning experiences on the mission field.


Epidemiological evidence strongly support a link between periodontal disease & cardiovascular disease, but the mechanism(s) remains poorly understood. Using the human periodontal disease associated bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) as a model, we carried out studies in macrophages & low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) KO mice. Pg associated similarly with macrophages from wild type & CD36 KO mice, but there were differences in responses dependent on Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2. We observed decreased NFkB activation & IL1beta generation following Pg treatment in CD36 KO macrophages, despite similar levels of TLR2 expression. OxLDL strongly inhibited Pg mediated IL-1beta generation in a CD36 dependent manner. Macrophage foam cell formation as a result of incubation with oxLDL & PgLPS was increased in a CD36 dependent manner.

LDLR KO & CD36/LDLR double KO mice were orally infected with Pg & fed a Western diet (12 weeks). There was a significant increase in the cemento-enamel junction of molars of infected compared with uninfected mice, demonstrating the validity of the model. Histological analysis showed inflammatory cell infiltrates in gums of infected mice after 12 weeks, supporting a chronic inflammatory process. Differences in plasma parameters & weight gain did not necessarily track with atherosclerosis burden, however blood neutrophils & cytokines were increased in infected LDLR KO mice compared with all other groups. Infected LDLR KO mice had significantly increased atherosclerotic lesion burden compared with uninfected LDLR KO mice, and all of the increased lesion was CD36-dependent.

Our data suggest that atherosclerosis associated with periodontal disease is mediated by cellular inflammatory responses involving both CD36 & TLR2. Pg enhances oxLDL mediated foam cell formation in a CD36 dependent manner, and this may explain increased lesion burden. Generation of IL1beta, a key pro-atherogenic cytokine, is altered as a result of CD36 expression. Periodontal disease affects more than 20% of the population of the US/Canada, & is associated with increasing age, which is also a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Targeting CD36 may provide important supplemental therapy to current lipid lowering strategies to reduce atherosclerosis.


CORROSIVE burns of the esophagus, secondary to ingestion of lye, constitute one of the most difficult. problems encountered in the pediatric service at Duke Hospital. The availability and the widespread use of this material account for the frequency of poisoning, especially in small children, despite the publicity regarding the dangers of its ingestion. Lye is commonly used by poor people as a cleansing agent, but caustic alkali also is present in washing powders, drainpipe cleaners and paint removers. Some persons do not realize until it is too late that a solution of lye which will "eat the stains from the boiling kettle" will have a much direr effect on the oral or the esophageal mucosa. In the great majority of cases of lye poisoning that we have seen, the blame could be placed directly on the parents who carelessly left a solution of lye in a familiar container within the


Abstract Background: A 2012 audit on labour epidural analgesia rates in Tygerberg Hospital (TBH) revealed that only 2.2% of labouring parturients received epidural analgesia. This unacceptably low number necessitated a dedicated epidural service that was subsequently initiated in June 2014 by the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care to improve the quality of care in labouring patients. Methods: A retrospective follow-up audit was conducted from June 2014 to December 2015 and included data on epidural rates, indications, complications and patient satisfaction. Comparison was made with the 2012 data to evaluate the impact of change on care provided and to recommend future changes. Results: Labour epidural rates improved to 5.16% for the audit period, with 2014 and 2015 rates of 7.44% and 3.89% respectively. Daytime epidurals doubled in 2014/2015 and complication rates decreased from 32.3% in 2012 to 16%. Primary indications for epidural analgesia included pre-eclampsia, morbid obesity, primigravidity and cardiac conditions. Although 99.8% of the complications were minor and transient, one fatality was reported during the audit period. This mortality emphasises the importance of team training in every aspect of epidural analgesia, so that the desired increase in epidural rate is associated with safe practice. Conclusions: An important increase in epidural rates as well as a decrease in minor complications was observed. The fatality indicates that the expansion of the service should be accompanied by in-depth training of the entire team, so that the process becomes routine and complications are reduced. A fatal drug error, a 'never event', should not occur.


Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) expresses three main classes of genes (immediate-early [IE], early [E] and late [L]) in a temporal cascade upon infection of tissue culture cells. These three groups of genes can also be defined by the sensitivity of their expression to metabolic inhibitors of protein or DNA synthesis. IE genes are transcribed in the absence of de novo protein synthesis and their transcription is stimulated by a component of the virus particle, Vmw65. IE gene products are required for the activation of later classes of viral genes, whose expression varies in sensitivity to inhibitors of viral DNA replication. Early genes are expressed at maximal levels in the absence of DNA synthesis, whilst true late genes are critically dependent on replication for expression. The predominant transcriptional regulatory protein specified by HSV-1 is the IE protein Vmw175, whose functions are essential for virus growth. Studies of viruses with temperature sensitive lesions in this protein have shown that Vmw175 is a complex multifunctional protein required for the transcriptional activation of many HSV-1 promoters and the repression of its own transcription. Cloned Vmw175 is a promiscuous transactivator of transcription of RNA polymerase type II promoters. In addition cloned Vmw175 represses transcription from its own promoter, probably by binding to a specific target sequence at the start site for transcription. The aim of the work described in this thesis was to investigate the relationship between the structure and function of this protein, and to define which regions of the protein are involved in each of its various activities. A panel of plasmid-borne in-frame insertion and deletion mutants of the gene encoding Vmw175 were constructed and assayed for their ability to regulate transcription in transient transfection assays. Fusions of HSV promoters to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene were used to assay the ability of each mutant to transactivate an HSV early promoter (that of the gene encoding glycoprotein gD) and to repress the promoter of its own gene, IE3, in transiently transfected cells. By this approach it was possible to define the regions of the Vmw175 amino acid sequence that are required for transcriptional activation and repression. Large stretches of the protein are relatively unimportant for either function, while the regions most sensitive to disruption correlate to sequences conserved between Vmw175 and VZV 140K, the corresponding transactivating protein of another alphaherpesvirus, varicella-zoster virus. The region from amino acids 275 to 495 is particularly important for both repression and transactivation; whilst that from around 840 to 1100 seems to be more important for transactivation than repression. A monoclonal antibody directed against Vmw175 was used to visualize expression and localization of Vmw175 in transfected cells by indirect immunofluorescence. This provided confirmation that each of the mutant plasmids expressed Vmw175. Each of the 39 insertion mutant proteins exhibited a pattern of nuclear localization indistinguishable from that of wild-type, but when amino acids 682-774 were deleted a signal essential for nuclear localization was lost. A strong candidate for a nuclear localization signal centres around amino acid 728 and is strongly conserved in the VZV homologue. This sequence PREGRKRKSP contains four consecutive arginine (R) and lysine (K) residues and is related to a signal in the SV40 large T antigen required for nuclear localization. Vmw175 is known to bind directly to a number of HSV-1 sequences, some of which contain the consensus sequence ATCGTC. The binding of Vmw175 to this sequence at the transcriptional start site of IE gene 3 is thought to be involved in the mechanism of autoregulation. In order to correlate the transcriptional activity of each mutant with its ability to bind to DNA, the site specific DNA binding activity of each mutant was assayed. In these experiments nuclear extracts of transfected cells were incubated with a DNA probe spanning the IE3 cap site and protein complexes detected using the gel retardation technique. The results show that a critical region of Vmw175, amino acid residues 275-495, includes structures which are essential for specific DNA binding, transactivation and repression.


Age-associated and sexual differences in the adrenocortical glomerular zone function of normal subjects were studied by radioimmunoassay. The blood plasma aldosterone content (13.46 +/- 1.18 ng%) of adult females (27) was 20.7% higher than that of the males (22) of the same age (11.15 +/- 0.56 ng%). An increase in the blood aldosterone content in menopause appears to be due to the hyperestrogenic phase (the first menopausal phase in women) and estrogen-stimulated aldosterone synthesis. Sexual differences in aldosterone secretion disappear with age. Aldosterone content is significantly lower in males and females, age over 80 years, than that in younger subjects, and sexual differences are absent.


The main goal of a durable and sustainable airfield is to withstand repeated aircraft traffic loading while minimizing the environmental impact. The objective of this study is to develop a design-life cycle assessment (LCA) framework considering a balanced evaluation of structural adequacy, minimizing emission, and optimizing total energy demand. To achieve this objective, three steps are introduced: an evaluation of the structural adequacy of the design using the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pavement design software FAA rigid and flexible iterative elastic layered design; a preliminary performance check using field instrumentation responses; and a LCA of airfield sections using both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. In addition to presenting the design-LCA methodology, this paper offers a comparative evaluation that covers two perpetual designs (LFP1-N and LFP4-N) and one conventional section (LFC5-N). These pavement sections were built and tested at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility as part of construction cycle 7, funded by the FAA. Responses collected from instrumentation were used to compute field-based coverages to failure. Moreover, life cycle inventories from secondary sources were used to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions and energy demand associated with the construction of these sections. Results show inconsistencies between the field-predicted and theoretically predicted performance. This suggests the need for the additional calibration of the currently used performance models. Moreover, this study shows that under a specific asphalt concrete (AC) thickness limit, conventional AC may be more eco-friendly than a perpetual design.


Fibroblast growth factor 16 (FGF16) is preferentially expressed in the heart after birth, suggesting its regulation is associated with tissue-specific chromatin remodeling and DNA-protein interactions. Here we have mapped the transcription initiation site of murine FGF16 to approximately 1.1 kilobases (kb) upstream of the translation start codon (ATG). Hybrid reporter genes directed by about 4.7 kb of upstream FGF16 DNA were expressed specifically in transfected neonatal rat cardiac myocytes, as well as in the heart of transgenic mice. A DNaseI hypersensitive site was mapped to a region about 1.2 kb upstream of the transcription initiation site in heart but not kidney tissue, and a nuclease protection assay gave evidence of a cardiac-specific protein-DNA interaction in this region. Deletion analysis indicated that a hybrid gene with 1205 bp but not 1054 bp of upstream DNA directed FGF16 promoter activity in transfected neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. We identified a putative myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2)-binding site at nucleotides -1159/-1148, confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and MEF2 antibody binding. Mutation of the MEF2 site resulted in a blunting of FGF16 promoter activity in transfected neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. These data suggest that chromatin remodeling and MEF2 binding in the FGF16 promoter contribute to expression in the postnatal heart.


In this article, the impact that a sales tax might have upon wine consumption and, hence, on the wine and grape growing industries, is analysed. Implications for government revenue are also considered. It is shown that the relative responsiveness of supply and demand, rather than the level in the marketing chain at which a tax is levied, determines where the tax burden finally falls. The imposition of a tax on wine might force certain sectors of the wine and grape industries to undergo a phase of adjustment. However, over the longer term, a tax would not necessarily alter the impact of other factors affecting the demand for wine. Additional taxes on wine of the form of a 10 per cent sales tax could be expected to increase government revenue from all indirect taxes by about 1 per cent.


In this paper we investigate the performance of new light-weight multispectral sensors for micro UAV and their application to selected tasks in agronomical research and agricultural practice. The investigations are based on a series of flight campaigns in 2014 and 2015 covering a number of agronomical test sites with experiments on rape, barley, onion, potato and other crops. In our sensor comparison we included a high-end multispectral multiSPEC 4C camera with bandpass colour filters and reference channel in zenith direction and a low-cost, consumer-grade Canon S110 NIR camera with Bayer pattern colour filters. Ground-based reference measurements were obtained using a terrestrial hyperspectral field spectrometer. The investigations show that measurements with the high-end system consistently match very well with ground-based field spectrometer measurements with a mean deviation of just 0.01-0.04 NDVI values. The low-cost system, while delivering better spatial resolutions, expressed significant biases. The sensors were subsequently used to address selected agronomical questions. These included crop yield estimation in rape and barley and plant disease detection in potato and onion cultivations. High levels of correlation between different vegetation indices and reference yield measurements were obtained for rape and barley. In case of barley, the NDRE index shows an average correlation of 87% with reference yield, when species are taken into account. With high geometric resolutions and respective GSDs of down to 2.5 cm the effects of a thrips infestation in onion could be analysed and potato blight was successfully detected at an early stage of infestation.


Writing is one of the most difficult skills because in the academic writing students have to consider that to be able to write a composition well they must undergo several processes in which they are asked to write an outline, they have to develop the outline into sentences and paragraphs and the last is they need to revise the paragraphs as necessary. Before students revise the composition, the teacher gives comments on the students' original composition which are mostly given in the form of hand-written comments. Based on this fact, a study on students' response towards the teacher's hand-written comments in writing class is conducted. There are three research questions which are going to be answered. They are: what types of the teacher's hand-written comments on students essay composition are; what the students do in responding toward the teacher's hand-written comments and whether the comments give any contribution to the improvement of the students' composition.
The object of this study is teacher hand-written comments on the students' original composition and revision. The data of the study are two kinds. The first are the students' written work, the original compositions and revisions then, the second are the teacher's noting on the both students' composition which are classified into the types of teacher's comments. They are; comment on content and organization, comment on notation, end comment and error correction.
From the result of data computation, it reveals that the occurrence of the teacher's comments on content and organization are 9,8% or 79 times, comment on notation occurs 37 times or 4,6%, the occurrence of end comment is 3,1% or 25 times and error correction occurs 665 times or 82,5%. Meanwhile, from the analysis of data it can be identified that the students' respond to the comments given by adding, substituting, rearranging and re-organizing sentences in the paragraph to make the idea clear.
In line with the finding above, it can be concluded that the teacher's comments contribute greatly to the improvement of the students' composition especially in elaborating ideas in the content and organizing the paragraphs on their revision.


The treatment of ulcerous colitis and Crohn's disease is based on suppression of various components of the immunoinflammatory cascade. In addition to aminosalicylates and glucocorticoids, drugs of primary immunosuppressive action are used for this purpose, which are adopted from clinical oncology and transplantation medicine: azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, cyclosporine A, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, thalidomide. Some of them are used for remission induction in case of hormonal dependence or resistance, while others are applied for its maintenance or at various stages of the inflammatory process course. The presented review discloses problems of clinical pharmacology of immunosuppressive drugs, side effects, results of pilot and clinical studies of ulcerous colitis and Crohn's disease. All this makes it possible to determine their role in the therapy of inflammatory diseases of the bowels.


Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major risk factor for prolonged humoral immunodeficiency and vaccine unresponsiveness after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, the underlying mechanisms for this immunodeficiency are poorly understood. In this article, we describe previously overlooked impacts of GVHD on lymph node (LN) stromal cells involved in humoral immune responses. In major- and minor-mismatched mouse allo-HSCT models, recipients with CD8+ T cell–mediated GVHD suffered severe and irreversible damage to LN structure. These mice were susceptible to pathogenic infection and failed to mount humoral immune responses despite the presence of peripheral T and B cells. These humoral immune defects were associated with the early loss of fibroblastic reticular cells, most notably the CD157+ cell subset, as well as structural defects in high endothelial venules. The disruption to these LN stromal cells was dependent on alloantigens expressed by nonhematopoietic cells. Blockade of the Fas-FasL pathway prevented damage to CD157+ fibroblastic reticular cells and ameliorated LN GVHD. However, blockade of CD62L- or CCR7-dependent migration of CD8+ T cells to the LN was insufficient to prevent stromal cell injury. Overall, our results highlight GVHD-associated loss of functional stromal cells and LN GVHD as a possible explanation for the prolonged susceptibility to infectious disease that is experienced by allo-HSCT patients.


Scanning tunneling microscope (STM)-induced selective bond breaking in individual molecules and conventional STM imaging are combined to determine the nature of chemisorbed O2 species formed during the initial stages of silicon (111)-(7×7) oxidation. A selective atomic-scale modification mechanism that involves dissociative electron attachment of tip-emitted electrons to empty adsorbate orbitals is introduced. Two molecular species were found: one involves O2 bonded to an already oxidized silicon adatom, and the other involves an O2 molecule that is bonded to a second-layer rest atom and interacting with two silicon adatoms.


The physical sizes of supernova remnants (SNRs) in a number of nearby galaxies follow an approximately linear cumulative distribution, contrary to what is expected for decelerating shock fronts. This phenomenon has been variously attributed to observational selection effects, or to a majority of SNRs being in 'free expansion', with shocks propagating at a constant velocity into a tenuous ambient medium. We compile multi-wavelength observations of the 77 known SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds, and argue that they provide a fairly complete record of the SNe that have exploded over the last ∼20 kyr, with most of them now in the adiabatic, Sedov phase of their expansions. The roughly linear cumulative distribution of sizes (roughly uniform in a differential distribution) can be understood to result from the combination of the deceleration during this phase, a transition to a radiation-loss-dominated phase at a radius that depends on the local gas density and a probability distribution of densities in the interstellar medium varying approximately as ρ −1 . This explanation is supported by the observed power-law distributions, with index ∼− 1, of three independent tracers of density: neutral hydrogen column density, Hα surface brightness and star formation rate based on resolved stellar populations. In this picture, the observed cut-off at a radius of 30 pc in the SNR size distribution is due to a minimum in the mean ambient gas density in the regions where supernovae (SNe) explode. We show that M33 has an SNR size distribution very similar to that of the Magellanic Clouds, suggesting these features, and their explanation, may be universal. In a companion paper, we use our sample of SNRs as an effective 'SN survey' to calculate the SN rate and delay time distribution in the Magellanic Clouds. The hypothesis that most SNRs are in free expansion, rather than in the Sedov phase of their evolution, would result in SN rates that are in strong conflict with independent measurements, and with basic stellar evolution theory.


1. The biliproteins C-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin were purified from the blue-green alga Anabaena variabilis by ammonium sulphate fractionation and gel filtration. 2. An assay procedure that enabled the proportion of the two pigments, present as a mixture, to be determined was devised by using the data provided by spectrophotometric analysis of the purified biliproteins. 3. The degree of association and relative proportions of the two pigments were analysed by the application of this procedure to the components separated by thin-layer gel filtration. 4. The C-phycocyanin/allophycocyanin ratio remained essentially constant in algal extracts prepared at various stages throughout the growth cycle or after growth under conditions of reduced illumination. 5. The behaviour of the C-phycocyanin aggregate species from Anacystis nidulans suggested that they were of appreciably lower molecular weight than those observed in extracts of Anabaena variabilis.


Cryptocurrencies represent a new type of digital asset that cannot be linked to the framework of fundamental and systematic factors of existing financial instruments of the traditional capital market. Due to the lack of strictly defined fundamental indicators, supported by the results of research by the academic community, considering cryptocurrencies as investment opportunities can put investors in a subordinate position, a situation of complete uncertainty. Cryptocurrencies and their entire technical infrastructure are still a kind of unknown to the general public. Due to this, but also the lack of a regulatory framework, investors have to rely on sometimes uncertain information gathered through various media platforms. However, regardless of the type of assets and the mentioned shortcomings, when constructing a portfolio, investors should consider the dynamics of returns of potential components of the portfolio in order to identify and quantify the assumed investment risk and define the expected return. Cryptocurrencies are based on the idea of decentralization initially introduced by bitcoin blockchain technology and as such have their own historical sequence of origin. Since bitcoin is the first digital currency based on asymmetric cryptography, the change in its value can serve as a leading indicator of the movement of the cryptocurrency market as a whole. Accordingly, this paper will formally identify and describe the performance of the cryptocurrency portfolio with different optimization goals taking into account the assumption of a significant systematic impact of bitcoin cryptocurrency on the dynamics of the value of the aggregate secondary cryptocurrency market. For this purpose, six optimization targets will be formed: MinVar, MinCVaR, MaxSR, MaxSTARR, MaxUT and MaxMean. The results of the formed portfolios will be compared with the results of portfolios with the same allocation objectives, but which include a limitation on the impact of BTC as a systematic factor. The results suggest that by controlling the exposure by factor, better overall portfolio performance can be achieved through higher returns and Sharpe Ratio in four of the six implemented optimization strategies, while in terms of absolute risk measure five out of six portfolios achieved lower overall risk. Also, the obtained results confirm that the bitcoin transaction system plays a major role in defining the future movement of the value of the secondary cryptocurrency market.


This paper describes an approach to controlling style of synthetic speech in HMM-based speech synthesis. The style is defined as one of speaking styles and emotional expressions in speech. We model each speech synthesis unit by using a context-dependent HMM whose mean vector of the output distribution function is given by a function of a parameter vector called style control vector. We assume that the mean vector is modeled by multiple regression with the style control vector. The multiple regression matrices are estimated by EMalgorithm as well as other model parameters of HMMs. In the synthesis stage, the mean vectors are modified by transforming an arbitrarily given control vector which is associated with a desired style. The results of subjective tests show that we can control styles by choosing the style control vector appropriately.


Author(s): Warda, Sherif | Advisor(s): Mallya, Sanjay; Pirih, Flavia | Abstract: Background: Periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease resulting in the destruction of the supporting structures of the teeth. It is currently well established that the host response to bacterial pathogens is the major cause in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease. Moreover, the seminal role of Vitamin D in calcium-phosphate hemostasis and bone metabolism has been well established. More recent studies suggested extraosseous effects of Vitamin D, showing association of Vitamin D deficiency with risk of multiple diseases including cancer, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, infections and more. The immunomodulating effects of vitamin D may explain the reported epidemiological associations between vitamin D status and a large number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.Purpose: To analyze the relationship between Vitamin D deficiency and its effect on LPS-induced periodontal bone loss in mice.Methods and Materials: Using the P. gingivalis LPS injection model to induce periodontal bone loss, we utilized 32 one month old male mice (C57BL/6J). The mice were divided into four groups. Group 1: Vitamin D adequate diet, No injection; Group 2: Vitamin D adequate diet and LPS injections; Group 3: Vitamin D deficient diet, No injections; Group 4: Vitamin D deficient diet and LPS injections. Test groups received 2 µl (20µg) of P. gingivalis–LPS injections in between the first and second maxillary molars on both sides of the maxilla, two times a week for 6 weeks. Animals were sacrificed one day after last injection,and maxillae were dissected and harvested. The MicroCT analysis was utilized for 3D reconstruction. Periodontal bone loss was measured using linear analysis (Dolphin Software) and volumetric analysis (CTAn Software).Results: Linear analysis showed statistically significant bone loss when comparing both LPS groups to control groups. However, no statistical significance was seen when comparing Vitamin D deficient and adequate LPS groups, even though slightly more bone loss was seen in the Vitamin D deficient group. Volumetric bone analysis similarly showed no statistical significance when comparing Vitamin D adequate and deficient LPS groups. Conclusion: In the present study, Vitamin D deficiency alone did not seem to have a strong association with LPS-induced bone loss in our mouse model, however, further investigation is needed to confirm these findings.


Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) are repeatedly exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and chance of exposure to it are invariably high than any other category of population. In this study, we investigated suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among eight HCWs involved in COVID-19 healthcare duty in Dibrugarh, Assam. Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 was done by Real Time RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen Detection Test at AMCH, Dibrugarh and ICMR-RMRC, Dibrugarh. Cases who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR or RAT for the second time and with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 were included in this investigation as
suspected cases of reinfection. SARS-CoV-2 IgG Ab titre and immune status ratio was estimated using a commercial SARS-CoV-2 Ig Ab detection ELISA kit. All eight cases were asymptomatic in first episode of infection with a CT value above 30 and were non-reactive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG Ab. The second episode was symptomatic and marginally severe in some cases with CT value less than 30 and with positive SARS-CoV-2 Ab titre. Most asymptomatic cases with CT value above 30 failed to elicit immune response during the first episode. This may suggest that SARS-CoV-2 in low amount might be harbored transiently as bystander in droplet particles before being expelled from the nasal cavity which can be detected by the highly sensitive Real Time RT-PCR test. They may be below the infectious dose that is necessary to cause a clinical or a sub-clinical infection and fails to illicit an immune response. It is therefore very important to critically analyze the suspected cases of reinfection to be labelled as true reinfections. In conclusion, not all resurgence of symptoms with positive SARS-Cov-2 result for the second time after recovery are true reinfections and may be labelled as retest positives rather than reinfections. Further, routine surveillance of SARS-Cov-2 Ab testing for HCW is recommended to ascertain their immune status as they are the frontline workers of managing COVID-19 patients and a


The inclusion of a person with intellectual disability, such as Down Syndrome (DS), depends not only on the skills of the person himself, but also on the attitude that other persons have to him. Most of the studies that focused on the attitude towards people with DS did not thoroughly investigate the beliefs on the competences of people with DS. Our aim is to identify the commonly held beliefs towards the social and cognitive competences of people with DS. Specifically, we want to verify if there are any differences among the beliefs held by parents of Typical Development (TD) children, parents of people with DS and people without children. A second aim is to evaluate a possible association between the level of knowledge about the Syndrome and related positive beliefs. 363 subjects from 18 to 70 years old (M = 37.56; S.D. = 14.73) were recruited. The sample was divided in three different groups: 1) subjects with TD children; 2) subjects with DS children and 3) subjects without children. An ad hoc self-report questionnaire was administered. Results show that people with Down Syndrome are considered more competent in terms of motor skills, but less competent in social skills. The level of knowledge of the Syndrome correlates positively with beliefs in all competences. There are differences in beliefs between the three groups: parents with DS children have more positive beliefs about all skills, especially as regards the socialization. Knowing the beliefs on the skills of DS people can be very useful, in order to improve inclusiveness of those with DS.


Background Acute respiratory virus infections are common precipitants of asthma exacerbations, with most asthma exacerbations in adults and children due to human rhinovirus infection (RV). Asthma exacerbations are not well controlled by conventional steroid therapies and there is much research interest in finding improved therapies or combinations of existing therapies for asthma exacerbations. CHF6001 is a new highly potent and selective phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) inhibitor designed for inhaled administration. Methods By using in vitro human normal bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) we investigated the potential anti-inflammatory effects of CHF6001 on RV-induced cytokines upregulation. Cytokines mRNA levels were measured by real time PCR, while protein release by ELISA. CHF6001 was used in 7 point dose response curves (1000-0.001nM) as a 1h pre-treatment prior to infection in comparison with roflumilast which was used as above but as pre-treatment and post-treatment since pre-treatment only was not sufficient to elicit anti-inflammatory effects. Results In BEAS-2B, both roflumilast and CHF6001 reduced RV1B induced IL-8, IL-29, IP-10 and RANTES/CCL5 mRNA and protein in a concentration dependent manner. Both CHF6001 and roflumilast had no effect on RV1B replication. Generally, CHF6001 was about 10-fold more potent (sub-nanomolar IC 50s values) than roflumilast at reducing IL-8, IL-29, IP-10 and RANTES/CCL5 mRNA and protein release and showed greater suppression at both 1 and 0.1nM for each cytokine. Conclusion The data support the idea that PDE4 inhibitors have anti-inflammatory activity against virus induced inflammatory mediators and that CHF6001 is more effective than roflumilast.


Air. Eight inches of air. Only that separated Tony Lazzeri's bat from the curve ball delivered by Grover Cleveland Alexander in the 1926 World Series. Those eight inches have defined Lazzeri's Hall of Fame baseball career for more than seventy-five years. Even today when Lazzeri's name is mentioned among knowledgeable baseball fans, the initial comment is almost reflexive. (1) The strikeout. Air. Eight inches of air. In terms of strikeouts Lazzeri's was Major League. In the seventh inning of the seventh game of the 1926 World Series, rookie second baseman Tony Lazzeri stepped to the plate to face pitcher Jess Haines. The bases were loaded with Yankee greats--Earle Combs on third, Babe Ruth on second, and Lou Gehrig on first. With two outs in the inning Lazzeri's Yankees trailed the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2. Despite bleeding fingers the knuckle ball specialist Haines gamely tried to finish the inning. St. Louis player-manager Rogers Hornsby had a different plan. In changing pitchers Hornsby exchanged one future Hall-of-Famer for another. Despite the fact that Grover Cleveland Alexander had pitched a complete game the previous day (and was probably suffering the effects of a long night on the town), Hornsby placed his money on Ol' Pete. This was the moment of the game and of the Series. Hero and goat stared each other down as Alexander began his windup. The drama is captured in Lazzeri's description of the encounter: The first ball Alex pitched was a bad one, high and wide, and Alex, figuring I would not swing at the next, grooved it, and the call was one ball and one strike. I fouled the third and then made up my mind to crack the next one. The Old Master must have read my mind, for he tossed a tantalizing curve on the outside, and although I did my best to resist, I was set to swing and I did. I missed the ball by eight inches. Of such moments obituaries are made. Cleveland pitched two more scoreless innings, and the Cardinals celebrated their Series win in front of a subdued crowd in Yankee Stadium. (2) The strikeout did not end Lazzeri's career, however. As the star second baseman of the Yankees for a dozen years, Lazzeri played in and won five World Series titles and was a standout player on perhaps the greatest baseball team ever. In 1991 he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As Yankees manager Miller Huggins related: "Any one can strike out, but ballplayers like Lazzeri come along once in a generation." (3) The strikeout was not Lazzeri's first moment in baseball's spotlight, however. His story trails back to his days spent toiling for the Salt Lake Bees of the Pacific Coast League. In 1925, just one year before the (in)famous strikeout, Lazzeri had one of the greatest Minor League seasons in history--202 base hits, 222 runs batted in, and 60 home runs. His remarkable success led one contemporary to declare that Lazzeri was the "greatest shortstop in PCL history." (4) Lazzeri's pre-Yankees baseball career has attracted little attention from baseball enthusiasts and historians, however. (5) A close examination of Lazzeri's 1925 season not only reveals his accomplishments but provides a glimpse into how the "Golden Age" of sports played out in cities and leagues far from the glare of the Major Leagues. But beyond that we can learn more about the relationship between sports and ethnicity by studying how the Italian-American Lazzeri fit into a predominantly Mormon community where anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment ruled the day. Moreover, Lazzeri's last year in Salt Lake City was also the Bees' last year in Utah, a coincidence that allows us to take a deeper look at the difficulties of maintaining Minor League baseball in the Intermountain West. THE ANONYMITY OF ANTHONY MICHAEL LAZZERI Perhaps we don't know much about Tony Lazzeri because he wanted it that way. He was a notoriously difficult interview. …


1.
Fish species are used globally for fundamental research, product and environmental testing, and education, but this use has not hitherto been documented. The number of fish used for research and education in North America currently represents approximately one-quarter of all animal use for these purposes; only mice are used in higher numbers. Data from the Canadian Council on Animal Care, various animal care committees from Canadian universities, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service are collated and summarized.

2.
In Canada nearly a half a million fish were used for research and education each year from 1996 to 2001. We estimated that the United States used over four times that amount for the same purposes, totalling approximately 2.8 million fish each year.

3.
At least 100 fish species, representing 27 taxonomic orders, were used for research and education in North America from 1996 to 2001. Close to one-third of the species had life-history characteristics that might make them particularly susceptible to over-exploitation. This potential vulnerability, coupled with data from animal care facilities in Canada suggesting that nearly half of all fish used for research and education were wild-caught, should prompt further documentation of such fish uses in order to assess their sustainability.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


EDITOR,-We have read with great interest the article by Lynch et al (Gut 1993; 34: 1075-80) examining the utility of colonoscopic surveillance in ulcerative colitis. We cannot agree, however, that their findings negate the value of regular surveillance in patients with ulcerative colitis. In their study, only one patient whose cancer was detected as a direct result of cancer surveillance was found to have a favourable Dukes's stage A cancer. In contrast, the patient who defaulted and developed carcinoma three years after the last surveillance colonoscopy died of metastatic disease. Similarly, most cancer patients who did not receive surveillance were found to have advanced disease. Instead of showing the futility of surveillance colonoscopy, we believe these results suggest a trend toward its benefit, although the number of patients may have been too small to derive a meaningful conclusion. Several explanations may be provided for their difficulty in showing the benefit of colonoscopic surveillance. For example, there was only one patient who developed cancer among patients under regular cancer surveillance. It is obviously very difficult to draw a firm conclusion on the utility of a surveillance programme based on such a small number. One explanation for the small number of carcinoma detected in their programme is that the study period may not have been sufficiently long. This is reminiscent of a similar difficulty we and others have encountered previously that could be overcome only after an extended study duration.' In addition, the comparatively short mean disease duration of 14-1 years suggests that these patients were at comparatively low risk for developing cancer.2 This aspect of the study may have been further compounded by the fact that 26% of patients in the surveillance programme had defaulted and 10% had had colectomy for failed medical treatment, leaving a smaller number of patients available for analysis. Taken together, their difficulty in detecting the benefit of surveillance may have been the result of the comparatively small sample size and short duration of study, rather than a true 'failure' of colonoscopic surveillance. We agree that the current surveillance technique may benefit from reassessment. Their recommendation, however, of screening colonoscopy at eight years followed by an expectant management may not be the optimal solution. The clinical course of the patient who developed metastatic disease after initial negative surveillance colonoscopies emphasises some of the problems with this approach. Others' 3 av also shown a similar problem with an expectant management after a negative 'screening' colonoscopy. Instead of abandoning it altogether, a method of improving the diagnostic yield of colonoscopic surveillance may be what is necessary. This may include adjustments of sampling interval and timing of colonoscopy to better utilise the rectosigmoid predominance of ulcerative colitis-related neoplasia4 and the duration dependent exponential increase in cancer risk.2 Other proposals have included analysis of various molecular markers of neoplasia in patients at increased risk. With the better understanding of the natural biology of colorectal cancer complicating ulcerative colitis, it is hoped that these modifications would further enhance our ability to predict patients at increased risk and thereby effectively reduce the mortality related to colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis.


The estimation of electrical parameters of a cage induction machine is studied. First, the steady-state parameters are estimated using two-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) with the assumption of sinusoidal time variation. Next, a numerical impulse response test using time-stepping FEA is utilised to produce the voltage–current data for the small-signal model parameter estimation. The method is based on the assumption of linear behaviour near the operating point and the choice for the suitable excitation signal is studied. To distinguish the influence of the skin effect, the impulse response test is also performed for the corresponding slip-ring machine. The parameters are estimated from the frequency response function of the stator line current using differential evolution. The results of the FE simulations are compared with measurements.


Psychophysical results in gap detection, forward masking, temporal integration, and modulation detection have been obtained in electrically stimulated listeners (both cochlear implant and brain‐stem implant) as a function of stimulus intensity. The results indicate that temporal processing is similar in normal‐hearing and implant listeners when the intensity scale is normalized. Recent loudness balancing and intensity discrimination experiments have demonstrated that loudness is coded by dual mechanisms depending on stimulus frequency. The loudness of low‐frequency (<300 Hz) electrical stimuli is a power‐law function of electrical amplitude and the mechanism is inferred to reside in the cochlear nucleus. In contrast, loudness of high‐frequency stimuli is an exponential function of electrical amplitude with a more peripheral mechanism. By comparing temporal processing at low and high frequencies the processing order of loudness and timing information in the auditory system can be inferred. [Supported by NI...


Clinical consequences of hypomagnesemia are manifold and include various neurological syndromes up to life-threatening conditions. Despite its importance, magnesium is generally not routinely determined leading to an under-recognition of hypomagnesemia-related disorders. In the past years, there are growing numbers of reports of hypomagnesemia-induced cerebellar syndromes (HiCS) with corresponding cerebellar edema, which might be a distinct disease entity. To provide further insights into HiCS, we describe a patient with HiCS and performed a literature review on cerebellar syndromes due to severe hypomagnesemia with regard to the clinical, MRI, and laboratory findings. We identified 17 cases, so including our case, 18 cases contribute to this review. Summarized, HiCS seems to be a distinct disease entity because of the remarkable similarities of clinical, MRI, and laboratory features. It should be diagnosed and treated early to avoid recurrent disease courses, residual symptoms, and potentially life-threatening conditions such as seizures. Physicians must be alert to HiCS as magnesium is usually not part of the routine electrolyte panel.


Hyperthermia treatment is used to treat the tumors. The objective of this treatment is to raise the temperature in tumor up to such a therapeutic level that the cell death occurs. The challenge in this specific treatment is how to make it possible to achieve the temperature increase in deeply seated tumors, while protecting the nearby healthy tissues from unnecessary heating. Because of this issue, limitations are put on the treatment for tumor patients. To meet with the above stated challenge, a new ultra wide band antenna array is presented. The aim of this thesis is to design an ultra-wide band antenna array that consists of single multilayered staked patch antennas working in the frequency range from 400MHz-1GHz. In order to increase the bandwidth a stacked patch antenna is designed and optimized by implementing various methods such as washer feeding, layered structures, using shorting pins, multilayered substrates and  -slot etching. These parameters have been optimized in order to find the optimal results to ensure good matching and reduced size of antenna. Along with design, the availability of components in open market with respect to cost and ease of access has also been taken into consideration during design process. In final part of this thesis, single antennas have been arranged in annular array placed in matching liquid between antennas and phantom to measure SAR distribution and level of hot spots on the surface of phantom. Furthermore, single stacked patch antenna has been investigated and compared with initially designed U-slot etched stacked patch antenna [17]. Also the comparison for arrays has been described with respect to matching, coupling and level of hot spots on surface of phantom Keywords: Hyperthermia, water bolus, phantom, patch antenna, annular array, SAR


To the Editor, Temporal bone metastasis would be rare. Although the occurrence of facial nerve palsy is frequently a result of cranial bone metastasis in a patient with cancer, the incidence of facial nerve palsy as a consequence of temporal bone metastasis is rare. When facial nerve palsy is accompanied by other cranial nerve palsies, especially of the neighboring cranial nerves V and VIII, temporal bone metastasis should be suspected. We report here a rare patient with facial nerve palsy due to temporal bone metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A 49-year-old man, with hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis, had suffered from ascites for several years. He was admitted to our unit in February 2003 because of upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to esophageal varices. Hemostasis was achieved by endoscopic ligation of the varices. The liver disease based on routine liver function tests was classified as Child-Pugh Grade C. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a small low-density area in the medial part of the liver, but no enhancement throughout dynamic study (Fig. 1a). Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was 39 ng/ mL, and protein induced by vitamin K deficiency and antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) was 118 mAU/mL. At that time, no further examination was performed. One to 3 days later, the patient presented with rightsided facial weakness with pain, showing peripheral paresis of the right facial nerve. There was no history of previous neurological deficit, and laboratory tests showed no evidence of viral infection such as cytomegalovirus or herpes virus. One month later, the symptoms and pain progressively worsened with trachyphonia and dysphagia. Neurological examination revealed right V, VII, VIII, IX, XI and XII cranial nerve palsies. Non-contrast CT of the brain showed a large lesion in the pyramidal part of the right temporal bone as an expansile osteolytic mass. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that the lesion was isointense on T1 and T2-weighted images compared with the brain parenchyma. In addition, the lesion was markedly enhanced with gadopentatate dimeglumine, suggesting malignancy of unknown origin (Fig. 1b). Because of poor hepatic reserve, it was difficult to perform surgery. Instead, the right temporal bone was irradiated with a total dose of 50 Gy. Although little improvement in facial paresis was noted, the patient reported marked pain relief. Three months later, the patient developed refractory ascites with poor general condition. Surprisingly, CT showed a well-enhanced large tumor around the medial part of the liver, suggesting a large HCC (Fig. 1c). Tumor markers were elevated with AFP of 580 ng/mL and PIVKA-II of 287 mAU/mL. Hepatectomy was ruled out because of poor hepatic reserve and rapid tumor progression. Two weeks later, the patient died due to deterioration of his general condition. Autopsy showed massive HCC with tumor thrombosis in the right portal trunk and small metastatic nodules throughout the liver. A tumor in the pyramidal part of the right temporal bone was identified, which invaded the cochlea. Histopathologically, the liver tumors were poorly differentiated HCC. The temporal bone tumor was diagnosed as a metastasis of HCC with histopathological features similar to the primary lesion (Fig. 1d). Other metastatic lesions were found in the lungs, peritoneum, sternum, mediastinal lymph nodes and hepatic hilar lymph nodes. Common primary cancers that metastasize to the temporal bone are breast and lung. Among bone metastases from HCC, the frequency of cranial bone metastasis is only approximately 1%, while the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, long bones and pelvis are frequent metastatic sites. A careful search of the Medline database showed only five patients of temporal bone metastasis from HCC. They showed advanced stage inevitably. The last patient had only a small focus of HCC exceptionally: temporal bone metastasis from HCC was presenting in a living post-transplanted liver. The incidence of HCC is increasing worldwide. Early detection by imaging procedures and curative treatment has improved survival. Improvement in cancer therapy, including liver transplantation, is associated with prolonged survival, and presentation at late age with metastases including bone metastases from HCC becomes more common. Thus, temporal bone metastasis from HCC would increase. Indeed, the largest autopsy study performed by Gloria-Cruz et al. demonstrated that temporal bone metastasis is not as uncommon as previously reported. Temporal bone metastasis should be included in the differential diagnosis of cirrhotic patients who present with facial nerve palsy, especially accompanied by other cranial nerve palsies, although the situation might be very rare.


The effect of atropine on cardiopulmonary changes induced by xylazine-ketamine anesthesia was studied in 7 male dogs. A consecutive i.v. injection of xylazine (1.1 mg/kg) and ketamine (11 mg/kg) induced an anesthesia of approximately 20 min, and increased PaCO2 but decreased PaO2 and pHa for 20 min. The xylazine-ketamine administration increased heart rate for 5 min, which was followed by a small but significant decrease at 30 min posttreatment. The xylazine-ketamine injection decreased left ventricular and mean aortic pressure for 1 to 2 min. The low pressures returned to normal and became higher than base line levels at 5 min posttreatment. The xylazine-ketamine injection increased peripheral resistance and decreased cardiac output and cardiac index for at least 40 min. An i.v. injection of atropine sulfate (0.04 mg/kg) potentiated the effect of xylazine-ketamine on PaCO2 and PaO2, but did not change the effect of xylazine-ketamine on pHa. The atropine injection did not change the transient low left ventricular and mean aortic pressures immediate after the xylazine-ketamine administration, but did potentiate the duration of the increased heart rate, left ventricular and mean aortic pressures induced by xylazine-ketamine between 5 to 40 min. Atropine did not change the effect of xylazine-ketamine on peripheral resistance. Atropine partially antagonized the effect of xylazine-ketamine on cardiac output and cardiac index. Interpretation of the results indicates that atropine may increase cardiac work and may potentiate the pulmonary effect of i.v. administration of xylazine-ketamine.


The content of fatty acids as well as the ratio between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids is important parameter for determination of nutritional value of certain oil. Therefore the newest trend in food processing industry is notifying the composition of edible oils and other food commodities for the content of each individual fatty acid. The main objective of this work was to identify the fatty acid composition of several vegetable oils and fats. Eleven vegetable oils and fats (n=121) were analyzed
for its fatty acid composition by gas chromatography (GC-FID) on HP-FFAP and SPBTM-1 column, respectively. Among the evaluated oils the higher contents of saturated fatty acids were found in palm kernel oil (76.0% ± 1.95) and coconut fat ( 90.5% ± 2.95) with predominant presence of lauiric acid (C12:0) and myristic acid (C14:0) compared to content of total saturated fatty acids in linseed oil (9.65% ±1.05), sunflower seed oil (8.8% ±0.8) and safflower oil (7.2% ± 0.73). The result showed that the sunflower oil, safflower oil and linseed oil contain the highest percentage of long chain mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids: oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). Two varieties of canola oil, high linolenic (44.0% ± 2.02, n=21) and high oleic acid (59.5% ± 1.907, n=20) were found. The highest P/S index (Polyunsaturated/Saturated index) was found for safflower oil (10.55) and the lowest P/S indexes were found for palm kernel oil (0.016) and coconut fat (0.005). The fatty acid composition of safflower and sunflower oil contains a healthy mixture of all the types of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid. The value of P/S index which is associated to the impact in the human health is also high for safflower (10.55) and sunflower oil (6.76), which makes them the most suitable edible oils for mass consumption.
Key words: Fatty acid, Lauric acid, Myristic acid, Oleic acid, Linoleic acid, Linolenic acid, P/S index, Gas chromatography


ABSTRACT Research on the use of performance measurement points to contradictory conclusions. Most municipalities self-report that they collect performance data on a regular basis but actually use the information only sparingly during the budget construction process. To explore what may be happening or not happening, the authors began with a case study of a medium-sized municipality in the southeast, then expanded to a survey of similar-sized cities in the same region. They conclude that most municipalities are indeed collecting performance data but are simply adding them to the budget document after the deliberation process is over. The role of the budget office in performance-based reform is discussed along with the organizational changes needed to embrace performance measurement during budget construction. INTRODUCTION Can performance measurement systems do for government what they, anecdotally, did for corporate America? The private sector can easily use performance measures to create incentives for individual and department productivity. It does it by linking good performance to rewards. The public sector might also link productivity to rewards but does not, according to the evidence. The hard part of meaningful performance measurement is not in derivation of indicators but in application of results. As Ammons (1999:106-107) states: The problem is this: unless a government ties its performance measures meaningfully into its management systems-unless those measures are something more than decorations for the budget document, as superficial reporting practices have been called derisively-any enthusiasm for measurement will quickly lose its luster, and probably deserves to. One implication of this observation is that budget staff and finance staff are critical to the integration of performance measurement into the management process through the budget cycle. This article presents the results of a survey of finance directors in medium-sized southeastern municipalities on the role of performance measures in their budget process. It suggests that line-item expenditures and historical data driven budget construction even in municipalities that report a strong commitment to performance-based management. An especially interesting finding from the survey is the finance directors' reasons for disregarding performance data during budget preparation, given that they also report that city managers and city council members are interested in performance information. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT Local governments are certainly encouraged to adopt performance measurement. Organizations like the Government Finance Officers Association (ICMA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) champion its use (Ammons, 19961 Hatry, 1980). The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) advocates the use of service efforts and accomplishment (SEA) reporting. Local performance measurement is an important management and accountability tool (Brown and Pyers, 1988; Poister and Streib, 1989; Wholey and Harry, 1992). As early as the mid-eighties, outcome-based performance had gained national acceptance. A survey of 460 municipalities revealed that 68% of the respondents were measuring performance and 77% were using either a program, zero-base or target-base budget (Poister and McGowan, 1984). Yet, in direct opposition to the Poister and McGowan (1984) study, Cope (1987) found that 78% of municipalities were using traditional line-item budgets and that performance measures were not critical to the budget construction process. Other self-reported survey data have suggested widespread collection of performance data but examination of actual performance documents revealed limited use (Grizzle, 1987; MacManus, 1984). Finally, Streib and Poiser (1998) reported that 62% of the respondents did not use performance measures at all in a survey of municipalities with populations greater than 25,000. …


A thermal diffusion column allows a recovery of 99�1 percent of the tritium originally contained in about 50 liters at standard temperature and pressure of hydrogen gas in a final volume of 3.8 liters over a 2-day period. After a tenfold enrichment by electrolysis, a tritium concentration of 10-18 with an experimental error of a few percent may be measured with a low-level Geiger counter. The results on some well-dated Antarctic snow samples (between 1941 and 1953) are in general agreement with published data.


Kidney Transplantation (KT) is one of the best treatments for patients with end-stage renal disease. The "new" organ starts functioning after transplantation, but this doesn't mean that the patient now lives without chronic illness. On the contrary, the patient is actually living with another chronic disease. KT not only keeps patients alive, but also encourages them to live their daily lives well, enjoying better psychological well-being and quality of life, and playing role functions and taking responsibilities based on their development tasks. But, KT patients encounter physical problems (infection, rejection, and long-term complications), psychological problems (social stresses, depression, low self-esteem, and altered family interaction), and unemployment issues. Nurses play an important role in assisting KT patients and should adopt appropriate interventions, education programs, and psychological counseling programs to help them to cope with their stresses. This article discusses the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social issues affecting KT patients and seeks to propose suggestions regarding future studies and KT care.


Visualization of recursively defined concepts is a general problem that appears in many areas. For example, drought areas based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and long-term air pollution areas based on safe and critical level standards are recursively defined concepts. We develop a general and efficient representation and visualization method for recursively defined spatio-temporal concepts. We illustrate our general method by visualizing drought and pollution areas.


The bark structure of Quercus faginea Lam. in trees 30-60 years old grown in Portugal is described. The rhytidome consists of 3-5 sequential periderms alternating with secondary phloem. The phellem is composed of 2-5 layers of cells with thin suberised walls and narrow (1-3 seriate) tangential band of lignified thick-walled cells. The phelloderm is thin (2-3 seriate). Secondary phloem is formed by a few tangential bands of fibres alternating with bands of sieve elements and axial parenchyma. Formation of conspicuous sclereids and the dilatation growth (proliferation and enlargement of parenchyma cells) affect the bark structure. Fused phloem rays give rise to broad rays. Crystals and druses were mostly seen in dilated axial parenchyma cells. Bark thickness, sieve tube element length, and secondary phloem fibre wall thickness decreased with tree height. The sieve tube width did not follow any regular trend. In general, the fibre length had a small increase toward breast height, followed by a decrease towards the top. Fibre width decreased with height in most of the cases, but in some trees a slight increase was noticed at the top.


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 The under-representation of girls and women among those studying and working in science, engineering and technology (SET) is a well-documented phenomenon. However, despite the widespread use of the internet in most Western societies, there is a dearth of research examining discourses of women scientists in online media. In this paper, we explore how the 'gender regimes' of online SET can be deemed transformative or, on the contrary, reproduce some of the most common cliches about men and women found in the wider 'gender order' (Connell, 1987). To do this, we explore in a systematic manner the construction of women and men in SET within 16 websites, with a particular focus on discourses of women in SET. We argue that the 'gender regimes' of these online SET spaces have failed to generate a more gender equal view of scientists. Yet, we also identify a variety of gender regimes across websites, both in terms of the numerical presence of women scientists and of the way they are represented, something which highlights the egalitarian potential of online media.


We undertook a randomized controlled trial comparing VasoSeal, a collagen vascular hemostasis device (VHD), with manual compression to assess its role and potential cost savings in the PTCA population. Of 460 patients, 359 were excluded due to clinical instability (30%), groin problems (18%), suboptimal PTCA result (15%), and other reasons (37%). The remaining 101 patients were randomized to either VHD (51) or manual compression (50). Hemostasis time, time to ambulation, duration of hospital stay, and nursing time and intensity were significantly reduced in the VHD group. There were no major groin complications in either treatment arm but there was a trend toward more minor groin complications in the VHD patients. The application of VasoSeal reduced resource use in this randomized study and may translate into significant cost reductions in the general coronary angioplasty population.


Lobster claw muscles undergo a process of fiber switching during development, where isomorphic muscles containing a mixture of both fast and slow fibers, become specialized into predominantly fast, or exclusively slow, muscles. Although this process has been described using histochemical methods, we lack an understanding of the shifts in gene expression that take place. In this study, we used several complementary techniques to follow changes in the expression of a number of myofibrillar genes in differentiating juvenile lobster claw muscles. RNA probes complementary to fast and slow myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNA were used to label sections of 7th stage (approximately 3 months old) juvenile claw muscles from different stages of the molt cycle. Recently molted animals (1-5 days postmolt) had muscles with distinct regions of fast and slow gene expression, whereas muscles from later in the molt cycle (7-37 days postmolt) had regions of fast and slow MHC expression that were co-mingled and indistinct. Real-time PCR was used to quantify several myofibrillar genes in 9th and 10th stages (approximately 6 months old) juvenile claws and showed that these genes were expressed at significantly higher levels in the postmolt claws, as compared with the intermolt and premolt claws. Finally, Western blot analyses of muscle fibers from juvenile lobsters approximately 3 to 30 months in age showed a shift in troponin-I (TnI) isoform expression as the fibers differentiated into the adult phenotypes, with expression of the adult fast fiber TnI pattern lagging behind the adult slow fiber TnI pattern. Collectively, these data show that juvenile and adult fibers differ both qualitatively and quantitative in the expression of myofibrillar proteins and it may take as much as 2 years for juvenile fibers to achieve the adult phenotype.


Patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen (HBO 2 ) therapy often experience middle ear barotrauma. Not infrequently this disrupts therapy and may require myringotomy tube placement. A new, simple, office-based procedure known as OtoScan Laser Assisted Myringotomy (OtoLAM) provides temporary middle ear ventilation, which offers significant potential benefis for HBO 2 patients. Five patients whose middle ear disease complicated their HBO 2 therapy have undergone nine OtoLAM procedures in 11 ears. All patients tolerated the procedure without complications and immediately returned to HBO 2 treatment. Based on this preliminary experience, we recommend OtoLAM for selected HBO 2 patients with problematic middle ear dysfunction.


Pulse-dipolar EPR is an appealing strategy for structural characterization of complex systems in solution that complements other biophysical techniques. Significantly, the emergence of genetically encoded self-assembling spin labels exploiting exogenously introduced double-histidine motifs in conjunction with CuII-chelates offers high precision distance determination in systems non-permissive to thiol-directed spin labelling. However, the non-covalency of this interaction exposes potential vulnerabilities to competition from adventitious divalent metal ions, and pH sensitivity. Herein, a combination of room-temperature isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and cryogenic relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME) measurements are applied to the model protein Streptococcus sp. group G. protein G, B1 domain (GB1). Results demonstrate double-histidine motif spin labelling using CuII-nitrilotriacetic acid (CuII-NTA) is robust against the competitor ligand ZnII-NTA at >1000-fold molar excess, and high nM binding affinity is surprisingly retained under acidic and basic conditions even though room temperature affinity shows a stronger pH dependence. This indicates the strategy is well-suited for diverse biological applications, particularly metalloproteins with divalent metal ion cofactors.


The effects of water deficit stress on accumulation of proline, as well as contents of chlorophyll, carbohydrates, malondialdehyde, and lignin were studied in leaves of Zea mays L. cv. 704. The experiments were conducted using six replications in a completely randomize design treatment including control and water deficit treatments before and after flowering. The results showed that under water deficit stress the proline, malondialdehyde, chlorophyll b, lignin and glucose contents of leaves were significantly higher than those of control plants, while protein, chlorophyll a (as well as total chlorophyll) and xylose contents were decreased by water deficit stress. The results suggested that water deficit stress affects adversely on normal plant metabolism through increasing of reactive oxygen species that resulted in peroxidation of membrane lipids in turn. 2009 Trade Science Inc. INDIA


Within the extensive body of literature on sustainable tourism (ST), its successful implementation is an emerging and important theme. The lack of or ineffective stakeholder participation is a major obstacle to ST realisation and there is little clarity as to how best to resolve this problem. This paper presents the findings of a purposive UK-based case study that evaluated stakeholder involvement in the implementation of ST. Using over fifty stakeholders' accounts drawn from eight primary stakeholder groups, a 'multi-stakeholder involvement management' (MSIM) framework was developed. The MSIM framework consists of three strategic levels: attraction, integration and management of stakeholder involvement. Six stages are embedded within the three levels: scene-setting, recognition of stakeholder involvement capacity, stakeholder relationship management, pursuit of achievable objectives, influencing implementation capacity and monitoring stakeholder involvement. These are supported by the overarching notion of 'hand-holding' and key actions [ e.g. managing stakeholder adaptability] that enhance stakeholder involvement in ST.


The grundy numbering of a graph is the maximum number of colors used by on-line first-fit coloring, under the worst order of arrival of vertices. The grundy numbering problem is to find this ordering. We prove that there is a constant c>1 so that approximating the grundy numbering problem within c is not possible, unless NP ⊆ RP


Abstract : This paper briefly reviews the public disagreement between President Truman and General MacArthur over civilian control of the military, the strategic direction of the Korean war, and the political overtones of their clash. Additionally, it examines the aftermath of MacArthur's relief. What effect, if any, did Truman's wartime relief of his senior field commander have on subsequent civil-military relations? Were later senior military leaders inhibited in presenting their views to their civilian superiors when those views conflicted with administration desires, preferred courses of action, or strategic decisions? Were the decisions of America's civilian leaders influenced or inhibited as they dealt with the desires, beliefs, and recommendations of their senior military leaders of the time? At least one historian has written about the shadow of MacArthur and the lingering effect of his relief That possible effect is explored by looking at four cases of civil-military conflict: (1) General Ridgway and Secretary Wilson, (2) General Westmoreland, the Joint Chiefs, and President Johnson, (3) General Singlaub and President Carter, and (4) General Powell and President Clinton. The conclusion is that MacArthur's relief has not had an adverse restraining effect on civil-military relations when leaders of character and strength of will were involved. Ridgway was the closest in time to MacArthur's relief, but he was the least affected by it. Only during Vietnam, a similarly limited war with unclear national security objectives, did the shadow of MacArthur clearly affect America's senior leaders- particularly President Johnson and General Westmoreland