Viral manipulation of transduction pathways associated with key cellular functions such as survival, response to microbial infec-tion, and cytoskeleton reorganization can provide the supportive milieu for a productive infection. Here, we demonstrate thatvaccinia virus (VACV) infection leads to activation of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/extracellular signal-regulatedkinase (ERK) 4/7 (MKK4/7)–c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) pathway; further, the stimulation of this pathwayrequires postpenetration, prereplicative events in the viral replication cycle. Although the formation of intracellular mature vi-rus (IMV) was not affected in MKK4/7- or JNK1/2-knockout (KO) cells, we did note an accentuated deregulation of microtubuleand actin network organization in infected JNK1/2-KO cells. This was followed by deregulated viral trafficking to the peripheryand enhanced enveloped particle release. Furthermore, VACV infection induced alterations in the cell contractility and mor-phology, and cell migration was reduced in the JNK-KO cells. In addition, phosphorylation of proteins implicated with early cellcontractility and cell migration, such as microtubule-associated protein 1B and paxillin, respectively, was not detected in theVACV-infected KO cells. In sum, our findings uncover a regulatory role played by the MKK4/7-JNK1/2 pathway in cytoskeletonreorganization during VACV infection.


Listeria monocytogenes is of notable concern to the food industry, due to its ubiquitous nature and ability to grow in adverse conditions. This study aimed to determine the genotypic profile of L. monocytogenes strains isolated from refrigerated chickens marketed in the southern part of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The strains of L. monocytogenes isolated were characterized by serotyping and Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Three different serotypes (1/2a, 1/2b and 4e) were evaluated by PFGE, and the macrorestriction patterns utilizing enzymes AscI and ApaI, revealed five different pulsotypes. The presence of such varied genotypic profiles demonstrates the prevalence of L. monocytogenes contamination of chicken processing environments, which combined with ineffective cleaning procedures, allowing the survival, adaptation and proliferation of these pathogens, not only in the processing environment, but also in local grocery stores.


Purpose The plant Trigonella foenum-graecum, well-known as fenugreek, has been shown to control type-2 diabetes, the level of cholesterol, inflammation of wounds, disorders related to gastrointestinal tracts, and cancer as well. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer potential of methanolic fenugreek seed extract (FSE) and its possible molecular mechanism of action in breast cancer cells. Methods The anticancer potential of FSE was evaluated in MCF-7 and SK-BR3 breast cancer cells through various cellular assays after selecting the IC10, IC25, IC35, and IC50 doses by the cell cytotoxicity assay. Furthermore, the oral acute toxicity of FSE was examined in mice, according to the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Results FSE exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity, as the IC50 was found to be 150 and 40 μg/mL for MCF-7 and SK-BR3 breast cancer cells, respectively. The cytological observations showed the typical apoptotic morphology in both of the breast cancer cells upon treatment with FSE, as it inhibited the migration and adhesion, in a dose-dependent manner. The flow cytometry analysis revealed that FSE induced a significant shift from G2/M, and polyploidy (>G) at higher concentrations that suggested the activation of p53-mediated mitotic catastrophe, consequently leading to apoptosis. FSE induced a significant increase in the mitochondrial depolarization, ROS as well as a Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and also exhibited the mitochondrial associated p53 signaling pathway. The in vivo acute toxicity data revealed that the oral administration of FSE did not induce any toxic effect in mice. Conclusion This study, for the first time, reports the mechanistic details of the anti-cancer potential of FSE. It requires a detailed analysis to understand the effect of FSE to induce the apoptosis through the multiple signaling pathways at varying concentrations. The nontoxic effect of FSE in mice suggests to utilize it safely for pharmaceutical formulations in different cancer systems.


One of the hallmarks of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is the decline in CD4+ T lymphocytes which precedes the progression from an asymptomatic state to AIDS. Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is one of the mechanisms proposed to mediate this depletion. Infectious and inactivated preparations of HIV-1LAI were compared for their potential to induce apoptosis. Analysis with fluorescence-activated cell sorting using the DNA intercalative compound propidium iodide demonstrated that apoptosis occurred only with infectious HIV-1, implying that cell surface binding and signalling by the virus alone were insufficient to trigger apoptosis. Apoptosis was further confirmed by the presence of characteristic digestion of host cell DNA and morphologically by nuclear condensation observed by transmission electron microscopy. HIV infection of CD4+ T cell lines generated an accumulation of the cells in G2/M phase of the cell cycle and cells undergoing apoptosis appeared to originate from the pool of cells in the G1 phase. Inhibitors of HIV replication were used to identify the point in the virus replicative cycle at which apoptosis is induced. The reverse transcriptase inhibitor, ddI, or the HIV protease inhibitor, RO31-8959 (Saquinavir), were added either 2 h before or 6 h after HIV inoculation. Only ddI inhibited HIV-induced apoptosis when added before inoculation; however, neither treatment was effective in preventing HIV-induced apoptosis when applied 6 h after inoculation. These data indicate that apoptosis requires a single round of reverse transcription and the expression of virion proteins, but not the maturation of progeny virions. Two agents which compete with HIV for binding to CD4+ T cells, dextran sulphate and the anti-CD4 MAb Leu3a, were effective at preventing apoptosis when added 6 h after infection, implying that a subsequent gp120-CD4 interaction at the surface of an infected cell was required to complete the apoptotic process.


The IDB Group supports the region through nature-based in Central America to address development challenges which are exacerbated by climate change. With a portfolio of about US $ 200 million, the Bank supports the design and implementation of REDD strategies focused on protection and management sustainable forest, value chain support and climate finance resource mobilization. These programs support countries to meet not only commitments under their NDCs, but also with national development priorities.


A data acquisition and experiment control system for experiments at the Biology Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Station at the National Synchrotron Light Source has been developed based on a multiprocessor, functionally distributed architecture. The system controls an x-ray monochromator and spectrometer and acquires data from any one of three position-sensitive x-ray detectors. The average data rate from the position-sensitive detector is ~ 106 events/sec. Data is stored in a one megaword histogramming memory. The experiments at this Station require that x-ray diffraction patterns be correlated with timed stimuli at the sample. Therefore, depending on which detector is in use, up to 103 time-correlated diffraction patterns may be held in the system memory simultaneously. The operation of the system is functionally distributed over four processors communicating via a multiport memory.


The relationship between heart rate (f(H)) and rate of oxygen consumption (V(O2)) was established for a marine diving bird, the common eider duck (Somateria mollissima), during steady-state swimming and running exercise. Both variables increased exponentially with speed during swimming and in a linear fashion during running. Eleven linear regressions of V(O2) (ml kg(-1 )min(-1)) on f(H) (beats min(-1)) were obtained: five by swimming and six by running the birds. The common regression was described by V(O2)=10.1 + 0.15f(H) (r(2)=0.46, N=272, P<0.0001). The accuracy of this relationship for predicting mean V(O2) was determined for a group of six birds by recording f(H) continuously over a 2-day period and comparing estimated V(O2) obtained using the common regression with (i) V(O2) estimated using the doubly labelled water technique (DLW) and (ii) V(O2) measured using respirometry. A two-pool model produced the most accurate estimated V(O2) using DLW. Because of individual variability within mean values of V(O2) estimated using both techniques, there was no significant difference between mean V(O2) estimated using f(H) or DLW and measured V(O2) values (P>0.2), although individual errors were substantially less when f(H) was used rather than DLW to estimate V(O2). Both techniques are, however, only suitable for estimating mean V(O2) for a group of animals, not for individuals. Heart rate and behaviour were monitored during a bout of 63 voluntary dives by one female bird in an indoor tank 1.7 m deep. Tachycardia occurred both in anticipation of and following each dive. Heart rate decreased before submersion but was above resting values for the whole of the dive cycle. Mean f(H) at mean dive duration was significantly greater than f(H) while swimming at maximum sustainable surface speeds. Heart rate was used to estimate mean V(O2) during the dive cycle and to predict aerobic dive limit (ADL) for shallow dives.


textabstractFollowing the popularisation of dance music in the 1990s, and the consolidation of disc jockeys (DJs) as global stars, this article examines the attachment of music audiences to this decade by examining the popular flashback dance parties held in the Netherlands. By drawing on theories of cultural heritage, memory and nostalgia, this article explores 1990s-themed parties as spaces where music audiences construct cultural identities and engage with their musical memories. Based on in-depth interviews with audience members, DJs and organisers of dance events, this study examines the meaning of cultural memories and the manner in which nostalgia arises in specific sociocultural settings. The findings indicate two ways in which cultural memories take shape. At early-parties, DJs and audiences return to the roots of specific genres and try to preserve these sounds. Decade-parties offer an experience of reminiscence by loosely signifying the decade and its diverse mix of music styles and fashions.


Variational inference is a powerful paradigm for approximate Bayesian inference with a number of appealing properties, including support for model learning and data subsampling. By contrast MCMC methods like Hamiltonian Monte Carlo do not share these properties but remain attractive since, contrary to parametric methods, MCMC is asymptotically unbiased. For these reasons researchers have sought to combine the strengths of both classes of algorithms, with recent approaches coming closer to realizing this vision in practice. However, supporting data subsampling in these hybrid methods can be a challenge, a shortcoming that we address by introducing a surrogate likelihood that can be learned jointly with other variational parameters. We argue theoretically that the resulting algorithm permits the user to make an intuitive trade-off between inference fidelity and computational cost. In an extensive empirical comparison we show that our method performs well in practice and that it is well-suited for black-box inference in probabilistic programming frameworks.


The Pinios river basin is a major agricultural area in Greece, which faces environmental issues with water scarcity and nutrient pollution. Recent Earth Observation satellite data and ground truth information were combined to produce an updated land use map, focusing on irrigated crop areas. A process-based hydrological model (SWAT) was set up using the produced land use map. The model was calibrated and validated using observed streamflows and nutrient concentrations at selected gauging stations. Four irrigation and nutrient management practices related to resource efficiency (i.e. deficit irrigation, reduced fertilization, combination of deficit irrigation and fertilization, precision agriculture) were modelled and simulated. The sustainability of the management practices was assessed using indicators to quantify their impacts on the water-energy-land-food nexus of the river basin. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the EWaS2 International Conference on Efficient & Sustainable Water Systems Management toward Worth Living Development.


Monte Carlo analysis of surface roughness in electromagnetic scattering problems is presented by using the principles of transformation electromagnetics/optics in finite methods. The main motivation in the proposed approach is to eliminate the need of mesh generation for each surface in repeated Monte Carlo realizations, and hence, to devise a faster model in predicting surface roughness. A single, simple and uniform mesh is employed assuming a smooth surface and ignoring the actual surface, and thereafter, a transformation medium is designed on the smooth surface to make this problem equivalent to the original problem with actual surface. The material parameters of the transformation medium are determined by transforming the smooth surface to the actual surface through a specially-defined coordinate transformation. The technique is demonstrated via various finite element simulations.


The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in France has had a large death toll. It has not affected all regions similarly, since the death rate can vary several folds between regions where the epidemic has remained at a low level and regions where it got an early burst. The epidemic has been slowed down by a lockdown that lasted for almost eight weeks, and individuals can now move between metropolitan French regions without restriction. In this report we investigate the effect on the epidemic of summer holidays, during which millions of individuals will move between French regions. Additionally, we evaluate the effect of strong or weak seasonality and of several values for the reproduction number on the epidemic, in particular on the timing, the height and the spread of a second wave. To do so, we extend a SEIR model to simulate the effect of summer migrations between regions on the number and distribution of new infections. We find that the model predicts little effect of summer migrations on the epidemic. However, all the reproduction numbers above 1.0 and the seasonality parameters we tried result in a second epidemic wave, with a peak date that can vary between October 2020 and April 2021. If the sanitary measures currently in place manage to keep the reproduction number below 1.0, the second wave will be avoided. If they keep the reproduction number at a low value, for instance at 1.1 as in one of our simulations, the second wave is flattened and could be similar to the first wave.


This chapter presents an overview of the literature on the effect of phosphorus modification of ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) such as MCM-41, HMS, SBA-15, and SBA-16 to be used as supports for hydrotreating catalysts based on transition metal sulfides (TMS). The influence of the support modification with variable quantities of phosphorus on the performance for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitroge‐ nation (HDN) reactions is outlined and discussed considering the changes in the structural and textural properties (SBET), acidity, reducibility, etc., of the substrate brought about by phosphorus incorporation.


: Micropuncture studies conflict as to whether the proximal volume reabsorptive defect of acute hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis corrects when the acidosis is repaired with NaHCO3. Whether NaHCO3 improves the elevation in urinary solute and water excretion rates induced by acidosis in euvolemic animals, reflecting normalization of proximal reabsorption, has not been previously examined. In these studies in awake rats, NH4Cl caused the plasma bicarbonate concentration to fall from 22 to 11 mEq/l concomitantly with a 1 1/2- to 3-fold increase in sodium, potassium, chloride and volume urinary excretion rates. Isotonic NaHCO3 (5% body weight) infusion restored the plasma bicarbonate concentration to 21 mEq/l and urinary electrolyte and volume excretion rates returned to control values. Comparable volume expansion with NaCl did not correct the acidosis or improve urinary excretion rates. We conclude that correction of acute metabolic acidosis by NaHCO3 therapy repairs the natriuresis, kaluresis, chloruresis and diuresis, presumably by improving proximal reabsorption.


Embedding algorithms used to solve nonlinear systems of equations do so by constructing a continuous family of systems and solving the given system by tracking the continuous curve of solutions to the family. Solving nonlinear equations by a globally convergent embedding algorithm requires the evaluation and factoring of a Jacobian matrix at many points along the embedding curve. Ways to optimize the Jacobian matrix on a hypercube are described. Several static and dynamical strategies for assigning components of the Jacobian to processors on the hypercube are investigated. It is found that a static rectangular grid mapping is the preferred choice for inclusion in a robust parallel mathematical software package. The static linear mapping is a viable alternative when there are many common subexpressions in the component evaluation, and the dynamic assignment strategy should only be considered when there is large variation in the evaluation times for the components, leading to a load imbalance on the processors. >


CONTEXT: Postoperative sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances were associated with prolonged postoperative convalescence, respiratory, and cardiovascular morbidity. Sleep disturbances have been shown to be due to decreased levels of circulating melatonin after surgery. If this sleep pattern and circadian rhythm are recycled, outcome after surgery could be improved. AIMS: The aim of this study was to observe the effect of melatonin on the quality of sleep in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Hundred patients of LC participated in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial. Patients were randomized equally into Group A who received 6 mg melatonin tablets 45 min before sleep for 3 days after surgery and Group B who received placebo. RESULTS: Melatonin usage results in decrease in sleep latency (SL) as compared to placebo (13.6 ± 14.95 vs. 20.10 ± 16.18 min, P = 0.04). There was also increased total sleep duration (TSD) on postoperative day (POD) 1 (P = 0.004) and POD 2 (P = 0.001) in Group A. There was a decrease in daytime naps and night awakenings after surgery in Group A though it was not significant statistically. Subjective assessment of sleep on visual analog scale showed reduced sleep scores (P = 0.001 on POD 1 and 2) and decreased pain (P = 0.02 on POD 1) in Group A. Statistically significant difference was not observed in fatigue or general well-being among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Results in this study could demonstrate that melatonin as a single agent could improve the quality of sleep after LC by decreasing SL and increasing TSD.


The Oscar Pistorius trial has been the most sensational and dramatic televised trial since the OJ Simpson trial almost 20 years ago. In Judge President Mlambo's groundbreaking and somewhat controversial decision, he granted permission to media houses to broadcast the trial live on radio and television. Parts of certain court cases have previously been televised in South Africa but this judgement is the first ruling of its kind in our country. Mlambo's judgement is now a leading precedent for broadcast access to criminal trials around the world.


We characterize the optimal debt-maturity management problem of a government in a small open economy. The government issues a continuum of finite-maturity bonds in the presence of liquidity frictions. We find that the solution can be decentralized: the optimal issuance of a bond of a given maturity is proportional to the difference between its market price and its domestic valuation, the latter defined as the price computed using the government's discount factor. We show how the steady-state debt distribution decreases with maturity. These results hold when extending the model to incorporate aggregate risk or strategic default.


An encryption relation f Z Z with decryption function f 1 is "group-homomorphic" if, for any suitable plaintexts x1 and x2, x1+x2 = f 1 ( f (x1)+ f (x2)). It is "ring-homomorphic" if furthermore x1x2 = f 1 ( f (x1) f (x2)); it is "field-homomorphic" if furthermore 1=x1 = f 1 ( f (1=x1)). Such relations would support oblivious processing of encrypted data. We propose a simple randomized encryption relation f over the integers, called DoubleMod, which is "bounded ring-homomorphic" or what some call "somewhat homomorphic." Here, "bounded" means that the number of additions and multiplications that can be performed, while not allowing the encrypted values to go out of range, is limited (any pre-specified bound on the operation-count can be accommodated). Let R be any large integer. For any plaintext x 2 ZR, DoubleMod encrypts x as f (x) = x + au + bv, where a and b are randomly chosen integers in some appropriate interval, while (u; v) is the secret key. Here u > R 2 is a large prime and the smallest prime factor of v exceeds u. With knowledge of the key, but not of a and b, the receiver decrypts the ciphertext by computing f 1 (y) = (y mod v) mod u. DoubleMod generalizes an independent idea of van Dijk et al. 2010. We present and refine a new CCA1 chosen-ciphertext attack that finds the secret key of both systems (ours and van Dijk et al.'s) in linear time in the bit length of the security parameter. Under a known-plaintext attack, breaking DoubleMod is at most as hard as solving the Approximate GCD (AGCD) problem. The complexity of AGCD is not known. We also introduce the SingleMod field-homomorphic cryptosystems. The simplest SingleMod system based on the integers can be broken trivially. We had hoped, that if SingleMod is implemented inside non-Euclidean quadratic or higher-order fields with large discriminants, where GCD computations appear di cult, it may be feasible to achieve a desired level of security. We show, however, that a variation of our chosen-ciphertext attack works against SingleMod even in non-Euclidean fields.


Abstract Background The G protein-coupled receptor, adenosine A2A, signals through the stimulatory G protein, Gs, in platelets leading to activation of adenylyl cyclase and elevation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and inhibition of platelet activation. Objective This article investigates the effect of A2A receptor activation on signalling by the collagen receptor glycoprotein (GP) VI in platelets. Methods Washed human platelets were stimulated by collagen or the GPVI-specific agonist collagen-related peptide (CRP) in the presence of the adenosine receptor agonist, 5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) or the adenylyl cyclase activator, forskolin and analysed for aggregation, adenosine triphosphate secretion, protein phosphorylation, spreading, Ca2+ mobilisation, GPVI receptor clustering, cAMP, thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and P-selectin exposure. Results NECA, a bioactive adenosine analogue, partially inhibits aggregation and secretion to collagen or CRP in the absence or presence of the P2Y12 receptor antagonist, cangrelor and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin. The inhibitory effect in the presence of the three inhibitors is largely overcome at higher concentrations of collagen but not CRP. Neither NECA nor forskolin altered clustering of GPVI, elevation of Ca2+ or spreading of platelets on a collagen surface. Further, neither NECA nor forskolin, altered collagen-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Syk, LAT nor PLCγ2. However, NECA and forskolin inhibited platelet activation by the TxA2 mimetic, U46619, but not the combination of adenosine diphosphate and collagen. Conclusion NECA and forskolin have no effect on the proximal signalling events by collagen. They inhibit platelet activation in a response-specific manner in part through inhibition of the feedback action of TxA2.


Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is a significant and cheap source of protein (40%) and soy vegetable oil (20%) is another important product of processing the soybean crop for both human consumption and industrial application. Present study was conducted with the objectives to study the genetic diversity for various morphological traits and seed longevity in 225 accessions of soybean. Clustering pattern of 225 genotypes was grouped into 8 clusters and 6 clusters with 62 genotypes in concern to seed longevity. High range of intra clusters (0-314.62) and inter clusters (324.61-3514.91) distances showed high diversity among the genotypes for various characters. Seed yield per hectare contributed maximum of (23.6%) towards total genetic divergence. Cluster V showed minimum days to maturity with high test weight (13.98g) and cluster VI found to be included genotypes with high oil (19.20%) and seed yield per hectare (4294.44kg). The cluster VIII involved highest number of pods per plant (71.52) with high seed yield per hectare with less reduction in germination (24.19%) in other words with high seed longevity.


This letter reports on the chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) of boron-doped polysilicon and silicon. Successive polishing was carried out to investigate how the removal rate correlates to the boron concentration as a function of depth in the polysilicon and crystalline silicon. It is found that the removal of boron-doped samples is significantly retarded and strongly correlated with the doping concentration. To the author's knowledge, this work is the first report discussing the retardation effect of boron in the Si-CMP process. This effect is attributed to the activated dopant atoms which are conjectured to inhibit the hydrolysis reaction of Si-Si bonding in the alkaline aqueous solution. In our study, the retardation effect is evident for boron concentration higher than 5/spl times/10/sup 18/ cm/sup -3/. As a consequence, it may become an issue in the CMP process for those layers of selected or complemented doping.


Social studies education (SSE) is placed among the major academic disciplinary subjects within the school curriculum even from the primary/basic to the secondary level. It is a compulsory subject in the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) as well as it was also in the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) Examination. Importance of the subject itself has no question, despite that the content inside the subject and the delivery of the subject to the student are the major concerns. By the principle, the SSE is the combination of knowledge, skill and values of the society. It is the composition of the academic disciplinary subjects of social sciences, such as, geography, history, sociology, anthropology, civics, economics, psychology, culture including numbers of social issues and agendas in an integrated form including the past events in the study enables and inspires students to understand the present and become the bona fide citizens. The present paper has focused the position of geography content in the social studies of school education curriculum in Nepal. It has been over viewed in the context of content incorporated inside the subject according to the grades from basic to the secondary level and the delivery systems in each chapter. At the end, the final outcomes have been summarized as a form of suggestions to improve the disciplinary development of geography content in the social studies of school education curriculum. The Third Pole: Journal of Geography Vol. 17: 1-20, 2017


A simple and economical powder metallurgy forming process known as warm compaction was employed to fabricate a Cu-Ti3SiC2 particulate reinforced copper matrix composite for electro-friction purpose. Copper matrix composites reinforced with 5, 10, 15 mass% Cu coated Ti3SiC2 particulate were prepared by compacting the powder mixture with a pressure of 700 MPa at 145°C, and then sintered at 1000°C under cracked ammonia atmosphere for 60 minutes. Their density, hardness, tensile strength, elongation and electrical resistivity were studied. Result showed that within a reasonable limit, the addition of Ti3SiC2 particulate can increase the hardness of the composite without losing much of electrical conductivity. Sintered composite with 5 mass% Ti3SiC2 has an ultimate tensile strength of 182 MPa with an elongation of 10%, a hardness of HB 68 and a resistivity of 8.0×10-8Ωm. Compared with the samples using uncoated Ti3SiC2 particulate, the resistivity of the samples prepared by using the Cu coated Ti3SiC2 particulate have a better conductivity, but have a slightly lower mechanical property.


We show that Entropy-SGD (Chaudhari et al., 2017), when viewed as a learning algorithm, optimizes a PAC-Bayes bound on the risk of a Gibbs (posterior) classifier, i.e., a randomized classifier obtained by a risk-sensitive perturbation of the weights of a learned classifier. Entropy-SGD works by optimizing the bound's prior, violating the hypothesis of the PAC-Bayes theorem that the prior is chosen independently of the data. Indeed, available implementations of Entropy-SGD rapidly obtain zero training error on random labels and the same holds of the Gibbs posterior. In order to obtain a valid generalization bound, we show that an e-differentially private prior yields a valid PAC-Bayes bound, a straightforward consequence of results connecting generalization with differential privacy. Using stochastic gradient Langevin dynamics (SGLD) to approximate the well-known exponential release mechanism, we observe that generalization error on MNIST (measured on held out data) falls within the (empirically nonvacuous) bounds computed under the assumption that SGLD produces perfect samples. In particular, Entropy-SGLD can be configured to yield relatively tight generalization bounds and still fit real labels, although these same settings do not obtain state-of-the-art performance.


Jerger's method for classifying Bekesy audiograms is the most widely accepted clinical classification system. The audiologist types the Bekesy audiogram based upon visual inspection of the relation between the continuous- and interrupted-tone tracings. To determine the extent of agreement among audiogram type, four expert judges, using a forced-choice, blind procedure, independently typed 170 audiograms. Contingency coefficients were between 0.89 and 0.90 for the six sets of paired judges. Contingency coefficients between each judge and a numerical criterion classification system ranged from 0.86 to 0.94 representing the validity of the visual method. The visual method is a valid procedure for typing Bekesy audiograms


A failure in providing human rights is generally due to at least four factors: bad governance, vested interests, cultural factors and poverty. We cannot eliminate human rights violations without a local countervailing power sustained by good governance. Local entrepreneurs, who are essential for creation of sustainable broad-based wealth, can provide just such countervailing power. This paper studies joint action by advocates for entrepreneurship on the right side of the political spectrum with advocates for human rights on the left. The statistically testable hypothesis here is that joint advocacy will not be at cross-purposes. Accordingly, we analyze data for seven variables dealing with governance, corruption, entrepreneurship activity, human rights, capital markets and economic freedom. The significant correlations between pairs of variables from left and right wings support a joint action. Somewhat surprisingly, borrowers from countries having a poor human rights record do not pay a significantly higher interest rate penalty in capital markets. An appendix lists 50 items involving economic freedoms, of which only 10 might lead to disagreements. If the two sides focus on what they agree and support a centrist position, they can become a formidable joint force in favor of higher living standards and improved human rights around the world.


Understanding the nature of the instabilities of LBVs is important to understand the late evolutionary stages of very massive stars.
We investigate the long term, S Dor-type variability of the luminous blue variable GR290 (Romano's star) in M33, and its 2006 minimum phase.
New spectroscopic and photometric data taken in November and December 2006 were employed in conjunction with already published data on GR290 to derive the physical structure of GR290 in different phases and the time scale of the variability.
We find that by the end of 2006, GR 290 had reached the deepest visual minimum so far recorded. Its present spectrum resembles closely that of the Of/WN9 stars, and is the hottest so far recorded in this star (and in any LBV as well), while its visual brightness decreased by about 1.4 mag.
This first spectroscopic record of GR290 during a minimum phase confirms that, similarly to AG Car and other LBVs, the star is subject to ample S Dor-type variations, being hotter at minimum, suggesting that the variations take place at constant bolometric luminosity.


The world's audit industry is concentrated in the hands of four big accounting firms: PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Ernst & Young, and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (the Big 4). These firms are in a strong position in that they audit the financial statements of nearly all the global public companies in the world and, arguably, are the only audit firms able to do so. They are huge, privately-owned, international networks with robust revenues, vast resources, and expertise. The firms have two major burdens. They are heavily regulated by governments, and they are vulnerable to massive lawsuits when investors and creditors suffer large losses due to fraud or error. Since the dual shocks of the collapse of Arthur Andersen (reducing the Big 5 to 4) and the enactment of stringent regulations by the U.S. Congress in 2002 in reaction to corporate accounting scandals, there is great concern in the financial community that another of these companies could be forced out of business, further reducing the choice of auditors for multinational corporations and causing disruptions in the marketplace. First, this paper briefly reviews the regulation of audit firms and their exposure to massive lawsuits. Then it takes a fresh look at various proposals intended to avert loss of another major audit firm, to reduce concentration and to stimulate greater competition in the audit industry. Until smaller competitors or new competitors can build viable networks and reputations for high quality audits, global public companies will continue to face a limited choice of auditors. The paper suggests that it would be appropriate for the U.S. Congress to include consideration of the Big 4 audit firms in its review of regulation of banks and other financial institutions, particularly those regarded as "too big to fail." The paper proposes that, if the Congress were to consider limiting the liability of audit firms, no such relief should be granted without setting conditions that are likely to make the auditing of public companies more competitive. One way to do this would be to set incentives for voluntary structured divestitures as a means of reducing heavy concentration in the audit industry in an orderly manner. This could serve as a starting point for determining how the open season for divestiture would operate and how to deal with the inevitable questions and issues as they arise during the legislative process.


Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite significant comorbidity, the previous diagnostic criteria prohibited the simultaneous diagnosis of both disorders. Sleep problems are highly prevalent in both disorders; however, these have been studied independently for ADHD and ASD. In the context of revised criteria in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5) that allows combined diagnosis of ADHD and ASD, this short review presents an overview of relationship between sleep problems, ADHD and ASD, as well as conceptualizing the shared pathophysiology. The practical considerations for clinical management of sleep problems in combination with ADHD and ASD are also discussed.


Civic virtue is a bulwark against authoritarianism, but also against the worst excesses of democracy. It has been appropriated by the proponents of republicanism and communitarianism, focusing upon duties rather than rights, and the collective rather than the individual. This paper demonstrates, however, that republicanism and community values are not mutually exclusive with the concept of universal individual human rights. It considers traditional interpretations of civic virtue from both West and East, then introduces a conceptualization of the relationship between rights and responsibilities which alienates neither the liberal concept of individuals as universal human rights bearers, nor the communitarian perspectives.


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An 11-year-old white boy had symptomatic erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and Klinefelter's syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such an association. The patient's relatives were screened for EPP with use of fluorocyte counts. Erythropoietic protoporphyric patients with active disease respond poorly to antihistaminics, antimalarials, and topically applied sunscreens. Recently, however, beta-carotene has been shown to be effective in suppressing the photosensitivity of these patients. Consequently, our patient was instructed to drink three to four large glasses of carrot juice or mixed vegetable juice daily. He became carotenemic within three weeks and his sunlight tolerance increased from 10 to 30 minutes to an almost indefinite exposure time.


Anterior cricoid split was described in 1980 by COTTON and SEID as an alternative to tracheotomy for managing neonatal laryngeal stenosis. Seven patients managed in our unit using this technique since 1989 were reviewed. Five evolved favorably. Two patients in whom the technique failed underwent successful laryngotracheal reconstruction. Complications were minimal, the most important being persistent tracheocutaneous fistula. The most common complication was accidental postoperative extubation. The success of the technique depends on the availability of a pediatric intensive care unit staffed by experienced personnel and with suitable equipment.


ABSTRACT TUGRAL-ICEMER, G and TOPALOGLU, A., 2011. Levels of Yeast Mold and Pseudomonas spp. in Antalya Beaches. In: Micallef, A. (ed.), MCRR3-2010 Conference Proceedings, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 61, pp. 452-457. Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy, ISSN 0749-0208. The risk of illness has increased due to humans that affect coastal site quality and contaminated areas, such as knee-deep sand, wave zone and dry sand. Most of the risk is caused by pathogen bacteria. In the present study, microbiological indicators (yeast, molds and Pseudomonas spp.) are monitored to assess microbiological beach quality in central Antalya. The beach sands showed great differences in bacterial colonization during June and July. At stations on Konyaalti beach, the highest concentrations of yeast, molds and Pseudomonas spp. were found both in the seawater and sand zones. Children in particular those of the age group 1 to 5 years, are exposed to considerable pathogen risk. Therefore, yeast, molds and Pseudomonas spp. should be analyzed both at the wave zone and in sand, because these zones are areas of recreational activity for bathers and children. It is also important, in terms of public health protection, to include Pseudomonas spp., yeast and molds in the beach sand indicators at swimming and recreational areas, especially in city centers and frequently used beaches.


The Murray is Australia's longest river and drains a catchment of over 1 million square kilometres. Before sea dykes were built across the five channels that converge on the Murray's sea mouth in the 1930s, mulloway, Agyrosomus japonicas, were a mainstay of the local fishery. Back then, Lake Alexandrina was the central basin of a barrier estuary. Now, the lake is managed as a freshwater reservoir and there are no mulloway. This history is, however, ignored in the Australian Commonwealth government's Native Fish Strategy for the Murray Darling Basin 2003-2013. There is no mention of mulloway in The Strategy, yet its overriding objective is ostensibly the restoration of fish populations. In this study, progress in implementation of The Strategy is reviewed, ten years after its inception. It is suggested that despite significant expenditure The Strategy has failed in key areas. In 2003, when The Strategy was launched it explained native fish numbers were at 10% of pre-European settlement levels (before 1788). This may still be the case. Even for flagship species like Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii, there remains no data on the contribution of a significant restocking effort to recruitment. It is concluded that water quality remains a key issue, in particular, cold-water pollution in the upper reaches and the absence of a salt-water gradient in the lower Murray.


Abstract The algebraicity conjecture for simple groups of finite Morley rank, also known as the Cherlin–Zil'ber conjecture, states that simple groups of finite Morley rank are simple algebraic groups over algebraically closed fields. In the last fifteen years, the main line of attack on this problem has been Borovik's program of transferring methods from finite group theory, which has led to considerable progress; however, the conjecture itself remains completely open. In Borovik's program, groups of finite Morley rank are divided into four types, odd, even, mixed, and degenerate, according to the structure of their Sylow 2-subgroup. For even and mixed type the algebraicity conjecture has been proven.


Lateral habenula (LHb) neurons signal negative "reward-prediction errors" and inhibit midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. Yet LHb neurons are largely glutamatergic, indicating that this inhibition may occur through an intermediate structure. Recent studies in rats have suggested a candidate for this role, the GABAergic rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), but this neural pathway has not yet been tested directly. We now show using electrophysiology and anatomic tracing that (1) the monkey has an inhibitory structure similar to the rat RMTg; (2) RMTg neurons receive excitatory input from the LHb, exhibit negative reward-prediction errors, and send axonal projections near DA soma; and (3) stimulating this structure inhibits DA neurons. Surprisingly, some RMTg neurons responded to reward cues earlier than the LHb, and carry "state-value" signals not found in DA neurons. Thus, our data suggest that the RMTg translates LHb reward-prediction errors (negative) into DA reward-prediction errors (positive), while transmitting additional motivational signals to non-DA networks.


The intention with this article is to explore how visuals and written text may combine to further understandings about complex matters such as gendered aspects of the human condition. To do so, I bring together my professional practices as researcher and artist by theorizing, conceptualizing and visualizing aspects of children's gender identity making. As such, this article is conceptual rather than empirical and covers issues about learning, existentialism, social constructivism, children, identity, and gender. It also exemplifies what I call Art Blended Research, an approach that draws on the insight of that there is more to see than meets the eye. In conclusion, the strength of this approach does not lie in the ability to explain what is. Instead, the strength of Art Blended Research is found in possible explorations and inspirations of what might be.


Weeds is one of the important parts of agricultural ecosystem of Chinese materia medica. Weeds is a double-edged sword with advantages and disadvantages for the cultivated medicinal plants. In this study, we firstly analyzed the positive and negative effects of weeds on the yield and quality of Chinese materia medica. We then explored the possible mechanisms for the weeds' positive effects from the aspects of interspecific relationship, soil microecological environment, light environment, natural control of pests and so on. We also summarized three basic principles of weed control, that is, "making medicinal plants and weeds coexist harmoniously, achieving the overall optimum growth of medicinal plants", "prevention first, integrated control" and "preserving beneficial weeds and increasing their beneficial effects, removing harmful weeds and control their adverse effects". Finally, we introduced several common weed ecological control technology in field of the cultivated medicinal plants in China, including technology of controlling weeds by no-tillage, stral mulch, rotation, alternative herbs, competitive crops, and allelopathy. This study is aimed to apply the ecology theory to guide weed management and control, so as to achieve the goal of advantages promotion and disadvantages elimination of weeds to cultivated medicinal plants, making weeds into treasure and to promote the sustainable and healthy development of Chinese medicinal materials production and the protection of weed diversity.


Poet Alice Notley once remarked, 'like many writers I feel ambivalent about words, I know they don't work, I know they aren't it' (Notley 2010: n.pag.). Over centuries, in both East and West, poets, mystics, philosophers, and worshippers have developed a semantics of negation—apophasis—to deal with what lies beyond language, to draw closer to uttering what cannot be said. As part of my PhD research I am experimenting with apophasis as a poetic strategy, exploring representations (in both poetic form and content) of absence through space, silence, and denial. Taking Notley's statement as a reference point, this paper contemplates, from a practitioner perspective and through examples of my creative work, the idea that every poem is an attempt to write into the unsayable.


Data from several recent clinical trials have suggested a beneficial effect of antihypertensive medications on preservation of cognitive function. Eprosartan, an angiotensin type‐1 receptor antagonist (ARA) with dual action on both pre‐ and postsynaptic angiotensin type 1 receptors, may be effective in the control of SBP and the prevention of cognitive decline. The OSCAR (Observational Study on Cognitive function And SBP Reduction) study is an international longitudinal observational study with a duration of 6 months intended to examine the impact of the ARA eprosartan on cognitive function (assessed using the Mini‐Mental State Examination [MMSE]) and control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a large international population of hypertensive patients managed in a standard primary care setting. A total of 100 000 hypertensive patients, aged ≥50 years and with SBP of >140 mmHg will be recruited by more than 20 000 primary care physicians in 27 countries. These patients will receive eprosartan 600 mg once a day for 6 months. The MMSE, a globally validated cognitive screening test, will be performed at baseline, and after 6 months of treatment. After the first month of monotherapy, eprosartan treatment may, at the absolute discretion of individual investigators, be supplemented with other antihypertensive medications for the remainder of the study. The primary outcome indices are the mean relative change in MMSE score and the absolute change from baseline in SBP in the study population as a whole and in subsets of patients according to various factors among them: ethnicity, comorbidities (i.e. target organ damage, diabetes), baseline cognitive level and baseline blood pressure level. The secondary objectives are to identify factors influencing SBP and MMSE changes. The OSCAR trial is the first international observational study focusing on MMSE in a wide international cohort of hypertensive patients. The results are expected in 2007.


According to our knowledge, there are only few existing mobile games for learning Viena Karelian dialect and culture. Karelian is classified as a minority and endangered language. Different actions for revitalizing the Karelian language and culture have been made during the several past years in Finland and Russia. However, more effort is needed, especially to developed digital and easily accessible ways to learn and teach Karelian. This paper presents simple games developed for beginners to learn Viena Karelian. We also present findings from a small-scale user study. In addition, we propose a concept idea of the tool for teachers to create simple learning exercises.


Due to the increased prevalence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), difficult cases and unexpected events have become more common during long-term follow-up. Herein we reported four cases that exhibited poor progress during long-term follow-up. All the cases were diagnosed with PTC and treated with total thyroidectomy before several years, and the patients had been newly diagnosed with recurrent and metastatic PTC. These four cases included recurred PTC with invasion of large blood vessels, a concomitant second malignancy, malignant transformation, and refractoriness to treatment. Physicians should closely monitor patients to promptly address unforeseen circumstances during PTC follow-up, including PTC recurrence and metastasis. Furthermore, we suggest that the development of a management protocol for refractory or terminal PTC is also warranted.


Influenced by typological exegesis and traditions of theological-philosophical speculatio, medieval people understood materials and material things as participants in powerful economies of signification. In his landmark 1958 essay, "Vom geistigen Sinn des Wortes im Mittelalter" (On the Spiritual Sense of the Word in the Middle Ages), the cultural philologist Friedrich Ohly described the medieval meaning of things (Dingbedeutung) as authorized by modes of scriptural analysis but exceeding the boundaries of sacred texts to include monuments, artifacts, and materials. This essay serves as an introduction to Friedrich Ohly's life and work and offers an analytic orientation to the methodological and historical questions taken up by this special issue of Gesta dedicated to medieval conceptions of signifcationes rerum (the signification of things). Reflecting on both the insights and limitations of Ohly's penetrating account of medieval significs (the meaning of things in the world as expressed through words), the essay poses several art historical challenges to Ohly's vision of medieval works of art and architecture, while arguing for the continuing relevance of his thought for art historical consideration of the meaning of things in the Middle Ages.


Background Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a major public health problem affecting children under the age of five in many low- and middle-income countries, and its resolution would contribute towards achieving the several sustainable development goals. The etiology of SAM is pluri-factorial, including delayed maturation of the gut microbiota, suboptimal feeding practices and dysfunctional breastfeeding. The recent serendipitous detection of Listeria monocytogenes in the breast milk of Malian women, in contrast to French women, suggests a possible association with SAM. Methodology/ Principal findings To investigate the possible association of L. monocytogenes carriage in breast milk and SAM, a case-control study was performed in Senegal, with subjects recruited from two areas. Using 16S amplicon sequencing, a culture independent method, 100% (152/152) of the mothers were positive for L. monocytogenes in their breast milk while qPCR analysis gave lower recovery rates. Interestingly, after enrichment in Fraser broth and seeding on PALCALM agar, all 10 isolated strains were isolated from the milk of 10 mothers who had SAM children which also had a significantly increased relative abundance of L. monocytogenes (0.34 (SD 0.35) vs 0.05 (SD 0.07) in controls, p<0.0001). The high genomic similarity between these strains and Malian breast milk strains from a previous study supports the hypothesis of endemic clone carriage in West Africa. Moreover, the in vitro growth inhibition of L. monocytogenes using breast milk samples was obtained from only 50% of the milk of mothers who had SAM children, in contrast to control samples which systematically inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes with a higher inhibition diameter (15.7 mm (SD 2.3) in controls versus 3.5 mm (SD 4.6) in SAM, p = 0.0001). Lactobacillus and Streptococcus isolated from the breast milk of controls inhibit L. monocytogenes in a species-dependent manner. Conclusions/Significance Our study reveals a previously unsuspected carriage of L. monocytogenes in the breast milk of West African women, which is associated with SAM. The inhibitory effect of human selected lactic acid bacterial species against L. monocytogenes might provide new therapeutic and inexpensive options to prevent and treat this neglected public health issue.


When considering the relationship between the Nazis and the Christian Churches, it could be assumed that it would be one of barely concealed hostility. Many of the fundamental beliefs of the Nazis should have proved abhorrent to the Christian Churches of Germany. Nazism was a movement based on strength, military might, racial hatred and intolerance towards any forms of weakness. This contrasted starkly with Christianity's espousal of forgiveness, love, charity and humility. Hitler himself condemned the Christian faith by scathingly remarking that, 'taken to its logical conclusion, Christianity would mean the systematic cultivation of human failure'. So it would seem natural that the Christian Churches would stand up against the Nazi regime and resist it as resolutely as possible. In reality, however, the relationship between the Nazis and the Churches was much more ambiguous.


Indigenous Malawi goats were reared to five slaughter weight points (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 kg). Half of these animals were raised on natural grass pastures while the other half were raised on natural grass pastures supplemented with maize bran. A normal pattern of tissue change was shown to occur, bone changes being relatively slow and muscle changes being relatively fast. Fat deposition paralleled muscle changes from 15 kg to 30 kg but above this body weight, fat deposition exceeded that of muscle. Supplementation with maize bran did not have any significant effect on the percentage of muscle or bone but produced significant (P < 0.05) differences in percentage carcass fat (9.82 and 8.04% for supplemented and unsupplemented, respectively). The influence of supplementation was more pronounced when total body fat (tissue plus internal cavity fats) was examined. This showed a greater increase in body fat when the goats were supplemented (1283.2 ± 231.8) compared to no supplementation (1259.6 ± 192.6). Muscle:fat ratio dropped from 13.48 ± 2.94 to 3.43 ± 0.59 as body weight changed from 15 kg to 35 kg. Actual amount of muscle and fat increased with an increase in body weight. Internal fat (r = 0.91) and muscle tissue (r = 0.96) appeared to be good indicators of live weight with the internal fat offering a more practical method on live weight prediction. Bone growth coefficients were much lower than unity (0.4015 and 0.5159 for unsupplemented and supplemented, respectively), indicating that bone was becoming a smaller proportion of carcasses as live weight increased. The growth coefficients of muscle tissue were much higher and closer to unity (0.8369 and 0.8763 for unsupplemented and supplemented, respectively). This supported the increase in lean:bone ratio (l.93:2.86) with an increase in live weight. Fat tissue growth coefficients were much greater than unity (2.6254 and 2.2860 for supplemented and unsupplemented, respectively), indicating that fat was increasing at a much faster rate and becoming a greater proportion of carcass as live weight increased. The differential growth rate of carcass fat exceeded that of muscle above live weights of 29 kg and 34 kg for the supplemented and unsupplemented, respectively.


This paper develops a model to study the design, characterization and dynamic implications of stabilization policies in a dynamic general equilibrium model of the business cycle for an economy tainted by the Dutch disease. The model incorporates a stabilization scheme for the producer price of an export crop in a three- sector RBC model. Stabilization funds have been very popular instruments in developing countries to deal with export price instability. This paper shows that such schemes cannot improve the functioning of the economy, notwithstanding the assumed suboptimality of private outcomes and the possibility of having welfare enhancing policies.


There is a need for new solutions in wood protection against marine wood borers and termites in Europe. A new solution could be the esterification of wood with sorbitol and citric acid (SCA) since these are inexpensive and readily available feedstock chemicals and have shown protective properties against fungal wood degradation in earlier studies and prevented macrobiological degradation, as shown in this study. Protection of wood products in the marine environment lacks available wood preservatives that are approved for marine applications. Termite infestation is opposed mainly by biocide treatments of wood. Several wood modification systems show high resistance against both marine borers and subterranean termites. However, the existing commercialized wood modification products are costly. Both macrobiological forms of degradation represent a great threat for most European wood species, which are rapidly and severely degraded if not properly treated. This study investigated esterified wood in standard field trials against marine wood borers, and against subterranean termites in laboratory trials in a no-choice and choice test. The treatment showed good resistance against wood borers in the marine environment after one season and against subterranean termites in the laboratory after eight weeks. The low termite survival rate (SR) in the no-choice test during the first week of testing indicates a mode of action that is incomparable to other wood modification treatments.


Forestland concession has been the dominant governance tool for the acquisition of natural state-owned forest resources in many tropical countries, including Bangladesh. Moreover, the forestland concession process confers the holder a bundle of rights. The Sal forests of Bangladesh are treated as some of the greatest concession forests, as a number of ethnic minorities use these forests for their daily living. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to assess the impacts of Sal forestland concession and land rights on the livelihood development of the ethnic minorities living in the Madhupur Sal Forest (MSF) area of Bangladesh. Using both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, the study found out that about two thirds of the original Sal forestland was grabbed by the state and non-state actors. As a result, the ethnic minority inhabitants have lost their traditional land and free access rights to the Sal forests. The process of losing ethnic minorities' land and forest access rights has been enhanced by the institutional arrangements of the state, which had also created severe conflicts between the Forest Department and the ethnic communities. The study also revealed that the forestland concession has negatively affected the five livelihood capitals development of the ethnic minorities, consequently, their forest-based livelihood has shifted to non-securing jobs or poor income sources, like daily wage labor and subsistence agriculture. Despite this, the development drivers have emphasized the Sal forests and biodiversity conservation, while the livelihood development of the ethnic minorities has been ignored from every level. Therefore, this study would recommend establishing a legitimate process in order to settle the issue of traditional land and the forest rights of ethnic minorities, which could also attain the conservation and development goals of the Sal forests.


The use of technology has become an important part of the learning process in and out of the class. Every language class usually uses a form of technology. It has been used to both help and improve language learning. This study focuses on the important role of using new technologies in the process of learning a foreign language. The participants were 20 university professors of English, who teach in various Moroccan private and public institutions. The instruments used in the present study was a questionnaire. It also tackles different attitudes, which support learners of English to substantially increase their learning skills through using technologies. It aims at emphasizing the significance of the integration of technology in learners' language learning strategies. It summarizes the background of language learning strategies, in addition to defining the concept of a language learning strategy and outlining the taxonomy of language learning strategies proposed by several researchers. It also takes into account the teachers' role in strategy training while providing a number of questions for further research on language strategies and stating certain recommendations for the most convenient use of those technologies, which are likely to assist learners in enhancing their learning skills. The Findings of the study are clearly noteworthy; for instance, passion and motivation are two fundamental keys to lift students' learning process. Besides, it is very significant to consider a cherished element in the research and that is "motivation" without which no learning could take place. Learners would not learn anything if they are not encircled by inspiring teachers who are ready to help, who encourage their students to do their utmost while enjoying learning. Teachers do not have to be perfect teachers who know how to use technology, they have to be human beings and love their noble job.


In sub-Saharan Africa, crop production has continued to decline due to soil infertility, limited arable land, among other factors. This has necessitated the use of inorganic farm inputs, which are expensive and have detrimental environmental effects. Rhizobia technology can enhance legume crop production. The present study aimed at assessing the potential of native rhizobia isolates from different Kenyan agroecological zones to enhance legume production. Native rhizobia were isolated from root nodules of cowpea grown in soils from Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties. Based on morphological and biochemical characteristics, 53 bacterial isolates were identified and placed into 11 groups. The isolates were tested for symbiotic efficiency in the greenhouse using Glycine max, Vigna unguiculata, and Vigna radiata grown in sterilized and unsterilized soils. The treatments comprised native rhizobia isolates, commercial rhizobia inoculum and un-inoculated control. The experiments were laid out in a completely randomized design with four replicates. Remarkably, forty five rhizobia isolates induced nodulation and influenced the growth of the test crops. Symbiotic efficiencies differed among the isolates (p<0.05) in all the crops. There was a significant difference on growth parameters between sterilized and unsterilized soils after inoculating the test crops with native rhizobia isolates (p < 0.05). Some native rhizobia isolates such as IsAS11, IsM and IsAS14 performed similarly to the commercial inoculum in soya bean, cowpea and green gram. These findings demonstrate the potential use of native rhizobia isolates in the development of low-cost biofertilizers for enhanced smallholder legume production.


The laser-induced microbubble technique (LIMBT) has recently been developed for micro-patterning of various materials. In this method, a laser beam is focused on a dispersion of nanoparticles leading to the formation of a microbubble due to laser heating. Convection currents around the microbubble carry nanoparticles so that they become pinned to the bubble/substrate interface. The major limitation of this technique is that for most materials, a noncontinuous deposition is formed. We show that continuous patterns can be formed by preventing the microbubble from being pinned to the deposited material. This is done by modulating the laser so that the construction and destruction of the microbubble are controlled. When the method is applied to a dispersion of Ag nanoparticles, continuous electrically conductive lines are formed. Furthermore, the line width is narrower than that achieved by the standard nonmodulated LIMBT. This approach can be applied to the direct-write fabrication of micron-size conductive patterns in electronic devices without the use of photolithography.


In contrast to conventional manufacturing, digital manufacturing is not affected by marginal costs; that is, the cost for producing a single prototype is not different from producing several thousand ones. Digital manufacturing consequently eliminates the requirement for large sums of capital necessary for conventional manufacturing. Digital manufacturing combined with cloud platforms and cloud-enabled databases will allow large-quantity virtual product development while minimizing costs, which will consequently reflect on the efficient manufacturing of physical products.


The 34MW New Martinsville Hydroelectric Project is presently under construction in West Virginia. Located at Hannibal Locks and Dam near river mile 126 downstream from Pittsburgh, PA, it will be the third hydroelectric facility to be built at an existing navigation structure on the Ohio River in recent years. The project is owned jointly by the City of New Martinsville and Catalyst Energy Development Corporation of New York. Construction is being undertaken by Bechtel National, Inc. under the terms of a 61-million fixed price guaranteed performance contract. Two bulb turbines will use the twenty-one feet of head between the Hannibal pool and the Willow Island pool, immediately downstream. The power plant is a run of the river type that will take river flow for power generation whenever it exceeds the flow requirements needed for lockage and leakage at the site. Average annual energy production is estimated to be 219 GWh and will be purchased by Monogahela Power Company.


ABSTRACT Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus [GBS]) is a Gram-positive bacterium that colonizes the cervicovaginal tract in approximately 25% of healthy women. Although colonization is asymptomatic, GBS can be vertically transmitted to newborns peripartum, causing severe disease such as pneumonia and meningitis. Current prophylaxis, consisting of late gestation screening and intrapartum antibiotics, has failed to completely prevent transmission, and GBS remains a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in the United States. Lack of an effective vaccine and emerging antibiotic resistance necessitate exploring novel therapeutic strategies. We have employed a host-directed immunomodulatory therapy using a novel peptide, known as EP67, derived from the C-terminal region of human complement component C5a. Previously, we have demonstrated in vivo that EP67 engagement of the C5a receptor (CD88) effectively limits staphylococcal infection by promoting cytokine release and neutrophil infiltration. Here, using our established mouse model of GBS vaginal colonization, we observed that EP67 treatment results in rapid clearance of GBS from the murine vagina. However, this was not dependent on functional neutrophil recruitment or CD88 signaling, as EP67 treatment reduced the vaginal bacterial load in mice lacking CD88 or the major neutrophil receptor CXCr2. Interestingly, we found that EP67 inhibits GBS growth in vitro and in vivo and that antibacterial activity was specific to Streptococcus species. Our work establishes that EP67-mediated clearance of GBS is likely due to direct bacterial killing rather than to enhanced immune stimulation. We conclude that EP67 may have potential as a therapeutic to control GBS vaginal colonization.


Abstract Current research in bilingual children's language development with one language dominant has shown that one linguistic system can affect the other. This is called Crosslinguistic Influence (CLI). This paper explores whether CLI is experienced by a bilingual child raised in two typologically distinct languages in terms of phonological development. It uses data from the study of a child simultaneously acquiring Indonesian and German between the ages of 12 months - 20 months, with Indonesian as the dominant language. The sound segments developed by the child showed universal tendencies, with the appearance of bilabials prior to alveolar sounds, followed by velar sounds. The sounds were produced mostly in the form of stops, nasals and glides. Three phonological processes were displayed by the child: substitution, assimilation and syllable structures. The front rounded vowel [ʏ], which exists in German but not in the Indonesian sound system, was systematically replaced by the palatal approximant [j]. This approximant exists in the Indonesian sound system but not in the German phonemic inventory. This provides evidence that, in terms of phonological development, the child experienced CLI, but only for certain sound transfers.


In this study, a double volute centrifugal pump with relative low efficiency and high vibration is redesigned to improve the efficiency and reduce the unsteady radial forces with the aid of unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The concept of entropy generation rate is applied to evaluate the magnitude and distribution of the loss generation in pumps and it is proved to be a useful technique for loss identification and subsequent redesign process. The local Euler head distribution (LEHD) can represent the energy growth from the blade leading edge (LE) to its trailing edge (TE) on constant span stream surface in a viscous flow field, and the LEHD is proposed to evaluate the flow field on constant span stream surfaces from hub to shroud. To investigate the unsteady internal flow of the centrifugal pump, the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS) are solved with realizable k-epsilon turbulence model using the CFD code FLUENT. The impeller is redesigned with the same outlet diameter as the baseline pump. A two-step-form LEHD is recommended to suppress flow separation and secondary flow encountered in the baseline impeller in order to improve the efficiency. The splitter blades are added to improve the hydraulic performance and to reduce unsteady radial forces. The original double volute is substituted by a newly designed single volute one. The hydraulic efficiency of the centrifugal pump based on redesigned impeller with splitter blades and newly designed single volute is about 89.2%, a 3.2% higher than the baseline pump. The pressure fluctuation in the volute is significantly reduced, and the mean and maximum values of unsteady radial force are only 30% and 26.5% of the values for the baseline pump.


This updated edition has been prepared to complement the previous guidelines issued by the World Bank that were designed to support the successful implementation of the recommendations of the world report on road traffic injury prevention. The first guidelines were issued in 2004, soon after the launch of the World Report, in the form a brief transport note. Based on the lessons learned with their application they were subsequently revised and expanded and published as a major document in 2009 (hereafter referred to as the 'core guidelines'). The updated edition reissues the core guidelines (without amendment, but minus their detailed annexes) and summarizes the lessons learned in their application so far. It also provides a streamlined approach to support country investment operations where there is already a country commitment to strengthen road safety management capacity and significantly invest in a related road safety project designed to address capacity strengthening priorities. Over the coming decade of action for road safety 2011, 2020 country road safety performance objectives will be aligned with the five pillars of the global action plan that has been prepared to address key priorities (road safety management capacity, infrastructure safety, vehicle safety, road user behavior and post-crash care). As promoted in the core guidelines, the World Bank focus over the Decade will be on mainstreaming road safety projects that address these five pillars as an integral part of road infrastructure and urban transport investments, to help accelerate knowledge transfer and scale up country investment to improve road safety results. Furthermore, under the Multilateral Development Bank Road Safety Initiative, the World Bank is partnering with the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank to leverage investment over the decade in safe system road safety projects, and the updated edition is designed to support this initiative.


This paper presents repetitive and adaptive motion control schemes for rigid-link robot manipulators, when the manipulator's joint velocities cannot be measured by the control system. The control objective consists in tracking a prescribed desired trajectory. In the case of repetitive control, the desired trajectory is periodic and it is required that the robot achieve the control objective through repeated learning trials. We assume that the robot inverse dynamics are totally unknown, except that they can be represented by an integral of the product of known differentiable kernel and an unknown influence function. In the case of adaptive control, it is assumed that only the manipulator inertia parameters are unknown and that the desired trajectory jerks are available to the control system. In both control schemes, a velocity observer, which is formulated based on the desired input/output relation of the manipulator, is used to estimate the manipulator joint velocities. A stability analysis of the repetitive and adaptive control schemes with velocity estimation is presented. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed repetitive control algorithm is successful in achieving the control objective without direct measurement of the joint velocities.


Reaction bonded silicon carbide (RB-SiC) was fabricated by phenol resin, starch, solidified agent and silicon powder through the following steps: first, carbonizing at high temperature for 7-9h, infiltrating silicon at 1450-1600oC for 0.5-2h, and then removing excessive silicon at 1700oC for 0.5h. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were employed to characterize and analyze the microstructures and phase composition of the preforms and the final RB-SiC products. In addition, the effect of carbonization temperature, the amount of starch and solidified agent on strength and apparent porosity of final RB-SiC were also discussed. The results showed that the carbonization process of phenol resin can be divided into three steps: at temperatures from 400oC to 600oC, the structure of polymer changes less; at temperatures from 600oC to 1000oC, the fundamental chain of polymer is destroyed, and inverts to glass-like carbon; at temperatures from 1000oC to 1200oC, with the increasing of carbonization temperature, the structure of glass-like carbon changes into the structure of disorder graphite. And the increased micro-pores could be obtained by adding starch.


Background Mannose binding lectin MBL deficiency, encoded by variant MBL2 genotypes, seems to influence severity and outcome of lung disease in cystic fibrosis CF patients. Literature data are uncertain regarding the role of MBL deficit as a predictor factor for poor outcome in CF. Objectives The assessment of serum MBL levels among CF children with severe lung disease and evaluation of MBL deficiency as risk factor. Methods Group 1 included 15 children with classic CF, F508 homozygotes, age between 618 years, with severe lung disease. Group of controls included 14 healthy children. Patients were age and gender matched. Children associating diseases who influence MBL level were excluded. Clinical data, lung function parameters and microbiology results were obtained from our National CF Centres database. MBL was dosed using MBL ELISA Oligomer kit. Data were statistically analyzed with ANOVA and Students t test. Results Among group 1 children with CF serum MBL levels average was 3042.747ngml, with 30 lower comparing to controls. Deficit of MBL serum levels was recorded in 57 CF children others had normal or increased MBL levels. Conclusions Lower MBL average in CF patients sustains MBL deficiency as associated factor for severe CF lung disease. Possible explanation of increased MBL level in CF patients could be increased growth hormone levels in childhood or predominance of wild MBL2 genotype in our patients. Longitudinal evaluation of MBL levels and MBL2 genotyping would be useful to identify the patients predisposed to worse lung disease outcome.


Objective To review the existing evidences regarding the management of pregnancy associated malignancies. Materials and Methods The authors conducted a literature search of MEDLINE/PUBMED database. The authors used the keywords "gynaecological cancers", "pregnancy", "malignancies", "treatment", "prognosis". The authors obtained additional studies from reference lists of retrieved articles. Results Endometrial cancer can be diagnosed during pregnancy, incidentally in cases of spontaneous abortion. Before pregnancy, fertility sparing treatment with progestagones is used for a well-differentiated stage IA. During pregnancy, a surgical treatment should be offered. Women with cervical cancer >24 weeks, have an early CS and a hysterectomy. Women <12 weeks pregnant start treatment immediately. Second trimester diagnosis poses a treatment challenge. Ovarian cancer can be treated with surgery at an early stage. Adnexectomy and omentectomy are performed early in pregnancy. If more advanced, surgery should be followed by chemotherapy. Conclusion The management of patients with a malignant tumor during pregnancy depends on the type, the stage of the tumor, and the term of the pregnancy.


The structural elements that now exist in RNA must have evolved to provide chemical stability and to facilitate their biological functions. Structural biologists believe that determining the conformation and stability of the structures adopted by RNA will provide a better understanding of their functions. This belief is based mainly on the success of Watson and Crick with double strands for DNA. Even this archetype only shows that complementary base-pairing makes replication easy; the details of helix twist and of A-form, B-form, … or Z-form geometry are less useful. Nevertheless, we continue to be optimistic and to study RNA structure in the hope that it will provide hints about how RNA does its many jobs. The main value of a structure is to suggest new experiments. The structure allows predictions about the effect of mutations, inhibitors, and enhancers, and about the mechanisms of the reactions. The overall goal is to learn the general features of RNA structure that can be inferred from the sequence and then to relate these structures to biological functions. It is important to recognize that a molecule is not a rigid object; structural elements are dynamic. Single-stranded loops are mobile, base pairs can form and break, and even base-paired helical regions can bend and flex. The presence or absence of structure depends not only on the sequence, but also on the temperature and the environment in general. This means that knowledge of the thermodynamics of structure formation is crucial (for review, see Turner and Bevilacqua, this volume).


The emergence of substantial fiscal deficits and a large build up of government debt in major advanced economies will inevitably lead to a period of fiscal consolidation in coming years. In an earlier paper, McKibbin and Stoeckel (2010) explored the effects of this fiscal adjustment in advanced economies on the global economic outlook. This paper focuses on the differences between the impacts of fiscal policy in advanced versus emerging economies. In particular, the need for more fiscal spending on infrastructure in emerging economies and the need for fiscal consolidation in advanced economies leads naturally to the question of what this asymmetric fiscal adjustment might do to global trade balances as well as global economic growth over the coming decades. The adjustment needed in both regions is substantial and the asymmetry of the adjustment implies important consequences for trade and capital flows between regions as well as asset price adjustments within and between regions.


The identification of BRCA1/2 mutations represents a major milestone in understanding breast cancer and its inheritance, but germline mutations are estimated to be present in only 5-10% of cancers. Increasing evidence indicates that epigenetic modifications affecting the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that regulate imprinted genes, link environmental exposures during early development to adult disease formation, including breast cancer. As cellular differentiation is essentially an epigenetic process that establishes and maintains cell-type specific gene regulation, the loss of cellular identity and runaway growth of cancer cells may be viewed as a loss of epigenetic control. Environmental factors involved in such epigenetic aberrations will vary by geography and lifestyle, and have differing impacts on health through interaction with underlying genetic factors. Investigation of epigenetic variation in relation to these environmental and genetic variants may prove key to understanding health disparities in breast cancer, with regard to incidence, tumor types, progression, and response to treatment regimens. Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic form of gene regulation that results in diploid genes being rendered functionally haploid by parent of origin specific silencing of one allele. As imprinted genes are markedly enriched for growth effectors that interact in a coordinated way to regulate early growth and development, they form a particularly interesting set of genes in studying complex human diseases, particularly in regard to environmental influences. Imprinted gene expression is downregulated to prevent somatic tissue overgrowth, indicating that imprinted genes function in a co-regulated biological system or network to precisely regulate the onset and termination of growth in developing tissues. Combined with this coordinate control, the functionally haploid status of these genes suggests a one-hit model of deregulation that could cascade through multiple growth regulatory genes. Therefore, defining the human repertoire of imprinted genes and elucidating their epigenetic control mechanisms that maintain monoallelic expression is critical to better comprehending the etiology of complex diseases such as cancer. The imprinted gene KCNK9 (TASK3) is a member of a gene set computationally predicted to be imprinted, and was one of the first from this set to have monoallelic expression confirmed. The initial monoallelic expression was observed in brain tissue, and we have since found monoallelic expression in breast tissue, which is also of ectodermal origin. This demonstration of KCNK9 imprinting is significant for cancer research, as KCNK9 has been shown to be overexpressed and subject to gene duplication in several cancer types, including colorectal and breast. If, as is suggested by these findings, KCNK9 dosage and expression level is significant, we hypothesize that loss of imprinting, and subsequent biallelic expression, is functionally equivalent to duplication of an active allele of KCNK9, suggesting multiple mechanisms for KCNK9 involvement in cancer formation. By cross-species homology comparisons and analysis of ENCODE data on regulatory regions and chromatin structure, we identified several regions within the KCNK9 as potential DMRs for KCNK9, with allele specific differential methylation found for one site. The methylation state of the DMR also correlates to open/closed chromatin status at a proximal region that ENCODE data indicates as binding multiple transcription factors. Initial tests on tumor core biopsies showed bialleleic expression of KCNK9 in some samples, and frequent loss of methylation at the KCNK9 DMR. Given the regulatory potential of this region, we investigated methylation of this DMR in breast cancer patients as well as women at high risk for breast cancer, to determine if changes in methylation levels correlate to cancer type, and if methylation changes occur early in cancer development, prior to tumor formation. From these patients, DNA from white blood cells (WBCs) and random periareolar fine needle aspiration (RPFNA) were collected for analysis. By comparison of methylation between RPFNA and WBC samples, and between right and left breast RPFNA samples, it could be seen whether any methylation alterations were localized or systemic. Localized changes would indicate late or cell-type specific alteration of the epigenetic state, whereas systemic methylation change would indicate an event early in embryonic development that could predispose individuals to develop breast cancer. Our results demonstrated loss of methylation at the KCNK9 DMR in these patient samples – of 14 women for whom RPFNA samples were available for both breasts, 5 showed complete loss for both breasts, and 5 showed complete loss for one breast. Comparison of KCNK9 DMR methylation loss and cancer sub-type showed differences between Caucasian and African American patients, with Caucasians having methylation loss more frequently in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) cancers and Her2/neu overexpressing (HER2+) cancers. However, in TNBC, 90% of African American patients showed methylation loss, compared to 67% of Caucasians. African American women have a higher incidence rate of TNBC than Caucasians, with African Americans also having younger average age of occurrence, larger tumors, greater proliferation, more lymph node involvement, and a higher death rate. Further characterization of KCNK9 in different tumor types from different ethnicities will clarify its role in tumor development and progression. The methylation state of the DMR may have use as a diagnostic or prognostic factor, particularly in at risk African Americans. These results for the DMR of one imprinted gene provide additional impetus for analysis of DMRs of the entire human imprintome in cancer, given the number of known and predicted imprinted genes involved in growth, development, and disease. DMR patterns distinguishing cancer subtypes may be identified, creating new diagnostic and treatment options. The roles of environmental exposures and genetics, and their interaction, in tumorigenesis would be better understood. This would work towards the goal of improving prevention and treatment options to close the disparity gap for individuals disproportionately at risk for these aggressive tumor subtypes. Citation Format: David Skaar, Michael Gould, Randy Jirtle, Victoria Seewaldt. Altered imprinted gene DMR regulatory methylation in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr CN02-03. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-CN02-03


This issue of the Infant Mental Health Journal presents the first papers from a tripartite evaluation study of state-sponsored infant mental health home visiting program in Michigan, United States. This series of studies has been led by Kate Rosenblum PhD and Maria Muzik MD, Department of Psychiatry, the University of Michigan and faculty from the Michigan Collaborative for Infant Mental Health Research for the State of Michigan, Department of Health and Human Services, Mental Health Services for Children, to fulfill the requirements of state legislation (State of Michigan Act No. 291, Public Acts of 2013) that required that all home visiting programs meet certain requirements to be established as an evidence-based practice. In this introduction, we provide a historical context for the delivery of infant mental health home visiting through the community mental health system in the state of Michigan.


Our internationally acclaimed journalist Sanguinia has returned safely from her historic assignment. Travelling from Homeric Greece to British Romanticism, she was witness to blood drinking, letting, bathing, and transfusion. In this report, she explores connections between the symbolic and the sadistic; the mythic and the medical--all in an effort to appreciate the layered meanings our culture has given to the movement of blood between our bodies.


Anger is a frequently experienced emotion that has been shown to influence perceptions, beliefs, ideas, reasoning, and ultimately choices and actions. It has the potential to become a serious problem if it reaches dysfunctional levels. This study examines the role of biological sex, gender role, and extraversion-introversion in the expression, experience and control of anger. A sample of 110 persons drawn from the Australian community were administered the Staxi-2, EPQ-R and the BSRI. Results showed that extraversionintroversion accounted for most variance associated with anger expression, while gender role accounted for most variance associated with anger control. Biological sex was not significant in accounting for anger variance. This research has highlighted factors that correlate with different aspects of anger, and provides for a better understanding of anger as both an emotional and socially constructed force. The results are consistent with the view that biological factors probably best explain the expression of anger, but that socially constructed factors such as gender role may best explain the control of anger. Sustained research in this area will provide for improved understanding of how biological and social determinants interact in the expression and control of anger. Anger Experience and Expression IV COPYRIGHT AND ACCESS DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i)


Abstract:This article examines visual representations of kisaeng (courtesans) in photographs and photo postcards, produced by Japanese entrepreneurs and kisaeng themselves, by viewing them as a contentious site of the historical memory of Japanese colonialism. It problematizes the nation-focused narratives on kisaeng in postcolonial South Korea as these narratives fail to recognize the complex dimension of the image-making process that cannot be fully grasped by the dialectic of the colonial aggressor and its victim. Instead, this article shows how kisaeng exercised their agency by actively engaging in producing visual images of themselves as a politically conscious response to the colonial reality. The author pays special attention to visual images appearing in the magazine Changhan, which was established by a group of kisaeng, to underscore women's political intervention in the visual regime of colonial capitalism. The women's voices embedded in Changhan are crucial, since they not only problematize their othered social position constructed by colonial capitalism and patriarchy but also lead us to investigate their interventions in the politics of representation that moved strategically across tradition and modernity while shifting their position from object to subject, and vice versa, revealing their tactical maneuver of the technological implications of visual politics.


The late Holocene distribution of agglutinated foraminifera and freshwater thecamoebians was documented within a 12.26-m piston core (VEC02A04) deposited between 1090 to ~4560 cal. yr BP, collected from the glacier-carved Frederick Sound, Seymour-Belize Inlet Complex (SBIC), British Columbia. Core sediments contained unevenly distributed, massive and laminated intervals interrupted by occasional slumps and turbidites. The microfauna was characterized by low diversity and low abundances of agglutinated foraminifera (Shannon Diversity Index ≤1.36) with rare allochthonous freshwater thecamoebians. The predominance of low-oxygen-tolerant agglutinated foraminifera, and absence of calcareous species indicate that dysoxia was the main environmental stressor. Abundant organic matter in the core sediments provides additional evidence of low-oxygen conditions that excluded most organisms that might have utilized this rich food resource.

A moderate up-core increase in the abundance of glaciomarine indicator species (e.g., Spiroplectammina biformis , Recurvoides turbinatus , Portatrochammina bipolaris , and Cribrostomoides jeffreysii ) after 3125 cal. yr BP (above 7.19 m) indicates a subtle shift to progressively cooler bottom-water conditions. The presence of varying proportions of thecamoebians through this upper core interval was likely related to increased spring snowmelt or early summer precipitation, resulting in increased terrestrial erosion (e.g., reworking of marsh sediments into the fjord). Development of relatively cooler/drier climate conditions in the SBIC during the late Holocene corresponds to the neoglacial advances in the NE Pacific, which is directly linked to a weakened and/or westward shift in the center of action of the Aleutian Low Pressure System.


The aim of this study is to investigate the bouncing dynamics of a small elastic ball on a rectangular stairway and to determine if its dynamics is chaotic. We derive a simple nonlinear recursion for the coordinates of the collisions from which the type of dynamics cannot be predicted. Numerical simulations indicate that stationary bouncing always sets in asymptotically, and is typically quasi-periodic. The dependence on the coefficient of restitution can be very complicated, yet the dynamics is found to be nonchaotic. Only elementary mathematics is required for the calculations, and we offer a piece of userfriendly demo software on our website, http://crnl.hu/stairway, to facilitate further understanding of this complex phenomenon.