P41 There is growing evidence that nitric oxide (NO) in the central nervous system functions as a local neuromodulator in water balance and osmotic regulation. However, the precise mechanisms by which these actions are mediated are still poorly understood. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is abundantly expressed in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei. nNOS expression is up-regulated in conditions known to stimulate oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) hormone release, such as salt loading and water deprivation. Since several studies have shown that NO mainly decreases the excitability of OT and VP neurons, NO may function as a local inhibitory feedback on activated SON neurons. In the present study we combined in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological studies to investigate whether NO-induced inhibition of SON neurons is mediated by activation of GABAergic inputs in the SON. In vivo retrodialysis of the NO-donor SNP into the SON inhibited the firing activity of both OT and VP neurons. This inhibition was largely blocked by retrodialysis of the GABA A receptor antagonist bicuculline. In order to understand the cellular mechanisms linking NO and GABAergic systems in the SON, in vitro patch clamp recordings of GABA A synaptic currents were obtained from immunochemically identified neurons in hypothalamic slices. The frequency and amplitude of miniature GABA A synaptic currents in both OT and VP neurons were significantly increased by SNP. These results suggest that NO inhibition of neuronal excitability of OT and VP neurons is largely mediated by pre- and postsynaptic potentiation of GABAergic synaptic activity in the SON. Thus, the proposed NO-GABAergic inhibitory feedback in the SON might constitute an important mechanism by which NO regulates osmotic and fluid balance homeostasis.


We present an easy-to-use webserver that makes it possible to simultaneously use a number of state of the art methods for performing multiple alignment and secondary structure prediction for noncoding RNA sequences. This makes it possible to use the programs without having to download the code and get the programs to run. The results of all the programs are presented on a webpage and can easily be downloaded for further analysis. Additional measures are calculated for each program to make it easier to judge the individual predictions, and a consensus prediction taking all the programs into account is also calculated. This website is free and open to all users and there is no login requirement. The webserver can be found at: http://genome.ku.dk/resources/war.


Abstract Using the finite-element code Elmer, we show that the full Stokes modeling of the ice-sheet/ice-shelf transition we propose can give consistent predictions of grounding-line migration. Like other marine ice-sheet models our approach is highly sensitive to the chosen mesh resolution. However, with a grid size down to <5 km in the vicinity of the grounding line, predictions start to be robust because: (1) whatever the grid size (<5 km) the steady-state grounding-line position is sensibly the same (6 km standard deviation), and (2) with a grid-size refinement in the vicinity of the grounding line (200 m), the steady-state solution is independent of the applied perturbation in fluidity, provided this perturbation remains monotonic.


The chronological vacillations in the stride to stride interval provide a noninvasive method to assess the influence of malfunction of human gait and its alterations with disease and age. To extract information from the human stride interval, various complexity analysis techniques have been proposed. In the present study, the comparison of two recently developed complexity analysis methodologies: multiscale entropy (MSE) and symbolic entropy (SyEn) has been made. These techniques were applied to stride interval time series data of human gait walking at normal and metronomically paced stressed conditions. Wilcoxon-rank-sum test (Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon (MWW) test) was used to find the significant difference between the groups. For each method of analysis, parameters were adjusted to optimize the separation of the groups. The symbolic entropy method provided maximum separation at wide range of threshold values and this measure was found to be more robust for analyzing the human gait data as compared to multiscale entropy in the presence of dynamical and observational noise. The results of this study can have implication modeling physiological control mechanism and for quantifying human gait dynamics in physiological and stressed conditions.


Cancer is one of the most important causes of death in the world corresponding to 63% annually, is the second in the Americas with 1.2 million deaths in 2008 and Chile in 2007 representing 25.6% of all deaths. Obesity is associated with a third of all cancers and is associated with body fat, abdominal fat, weight gain in adulthood, all modifiable factors through a healthy diet pattern and physical activity. The aim was to analyze the recommendations of Public Health issued by the International Fund for Cancer Research (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in 2007 to prevent cancer. Compare the recommendations of the report Food, Nutrition and physical activity and cancer prevention: a global perspective, "with the national situation regarding these recommendations. Then, we propose national recommendations in accordance with the proposals of WCRF. The analysis reveals that Chile has a population level cancer risks associated with lifestyle, diet, body mass index and physical inactivity. The pattern of food consumption and nutritional profile and behaviors associated with the lifestyles of the population does not reflect the recommendations of international organizations, on the consumption of protective (vegetables, fruits high in antioxidants, fiber) and high risk (sugary drinks and juices, processed, high in sodium, total fat). Is required to educate people about healthy eating and lifestyles to maintain health


Introduction: Several clinical and pathological scenarios like hemodynamic procedures, cardiac surgery in heart trauma and arrhythmias from coronary occlusive disease management have importance of variations in the origin of Right Coronary Artery (RCA). The RCA presents a wide spectrum of morphological expressions regarding its sites of origin, course, branches, length, size and termination. RCA usually arises from the Anterior Aortic Sinus (AAS) and traverses through the right atrio-ventricular (AV) groove. Subjects and Methods : In the present study, Computed Tomographic (CT) coronary angiograms of 50 routine subjects of different age groups who came to the Department of Radiodiagnosis, King George's Medical University UP, Lucknow in the year 2010- 2011 with known or suspected coronary artery disease, were analyzed. Coronary angiography (CA) was performed on a 64 slice Multidetector Computed Tomographic (MDCT) scanner, using retrospective electrocardiographic (ECG) gating. The incidence of different sites of origin of RCA was assessed. Results: In the present study, RCA originated from Anterior Aortic Sinus (AAS) in 47 (94%) subjects. In 3 (6%) subjects, RCA showed anomalous origin from Left Posterior Aortic Sinus (LPAS). These three subjects were males [3(9.38%)]. In all the subjects, the course of RCA was normal except three males having origin of RCA from LPAS. In these three males, the proximal part of RCA coursed between Right Ventricular Outflow Tract (RVOT) and aorta. Conclusion: Most common site for origin of RCA was AAS. Anomalous origin of RCA was seen only from LPAS. Anomalous origin of RCA was seen only in male subjects. In all subjects having anomalous origin of RCA from LPAS, RCA coursed between pulmonary trunk and ascending aorta. circumflex


This dissertation introduces the reform function of CNC grinding machine specially for automobile c.v joint inner race spherical processing. By analyzing the work piece machining accuracy requirements. In this paper, the overall reform program design and main components of structure were described. In addition, a simple structure, high productivity and high automatically CNC grinding wheel dressing spherical was precisely proposed.


The purpose of this book is to examine the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the financial crisis. First of all, it will explain their role in public policy and in the provision of mortgage financing for housing, as envisaged originally and subsequently. The aim will not be to examine this throughout the decades since the establishment of Fannie Mae in the 30s, but to highlight their role in the 90s as a result of political decisions, focusing on mortgage lending. Politicians found it easier to encourage/oblige them to comply, partly as a result of political appointees in senior executive and board positions. It is worth looking at the experience and skills which the appointees brought to these roles and the effects of possible lack of relevant experience in running these institutions, as well as changes in the legislative framework and the ways in which this affected bank lending. The former may explain the accounting scandals at both organizations in 2004 and 2005. Despite such very public problems, these government sponsored enterprises were able to engage in extensive lobbying throughout most of this decade. The effects of all these factors, including the lack of oversight of these two institutions and the political drive to increase home ownership, whatever the costs, should be seen as the seeds of the subsequent financial crisis. e lobbying, which had an impact on the light touch oversight. The outcome for the banking sector, for the many individuals who took out mortgages, and especially for politicians and public policy will be spelt out and the lessons to be learnt, from following expedient and probably self-serving political aims.


Russian lawyers have traditionally been politically pliant. The paper explores the potential for change. By focusing on the results of a survey of a cohort of 2015 graduates of law faculties across Russia, it asks whether lawyers might be prepared to use their expertise to challenge the Putin regime. About 30 percent of the sample were motivated to study law by a desire to change and improve society. The analysis shows that this group is more supportive of Putin's policies than the rest of the respondents. This suggests that they are unlikely to lead the charge for greater democracy or spark a resurgence of civil society.


We reviewed 23 cases of parapharyngeal space tumors that were treated at Kurume University Hospital between 1990 and 2006. Histological diagnoses were obtained by excision of tumors (21/23). Seventy-six percent of the parapharyngeal space tumors were benign, and 24% were malignant. Thirty-eight percent (8/21) of these tumors were pleomorphic adenoma, and 24% (5/21) were schwannoma. The trans-parotid approach and the trans-mandible approach were used in 88% (14/16) of benign tumors, the mandibular swing approach was used in one case of malignant tumor. Postoperative complications were identified in 16 of the 21 patients. The most common complication, facial nerve paralysis, was identified in 8 patients and 7 patients were demonstrated first bite syndrome. In consideration of the high incidence of postoperative complication, the surgical approach should be carefully selected when treating parapharyngeal space tumors.


The Harris Matrix - formulated by Dr. Edward C. Harris in 1973 - is the established way of representing the archaeological stratigraphy of an excavation. The Harris Matrix is a sequential diagram defining relations between stratigraphic units. It is an important method to document the stratification that is destroyed by the excavation process and hence a vital tool for analysis. In this paper a new application is introduced, called Harris Matrix Composer (HMC) that allows creating and editing Harris Matrices with an intuitive graphical interface. Dr. Harris was involved in the evaluation of early prototypes to guarantee compliance with his theory. User tests were undertaken to address usability problems. The HMC supports valid Harris Matrix creation and indicates invalid units and relations. The theory has been extended to allow for temporal relations as well. Furthermore units can be grouped into structural entities called phases and into periods, assigning them to a historical epoch.


'A comic novel on the grand scale written with tremendous confidence and verve. Mario, 18-year-old law student and radio news-editor, falls scandalously for his Aunt Julia, the 32-year-old divorced wife of a cousin, and the progressively lunatic story of this affair is interwoven with episodes from a series of radio soap-operas written by his friend Pedro Comacho. Llosa's huge energy and inventiveness is extravagant and fabulously funny.' - "New Statesman".


Al2O3·SiO2f/A356 composites contained La were fabricated by squeeze casting, and effect of La on the solute segregation and microstructure were researched. The results indicate that the microstructure in the composite can be refined by La, which enriches near the interface to be favorable to improve the wettability between the fiber and Al alloy. The phases RE-richening do not formed at the interface. There is no special influence of La on the Mg segregation in the matrix alloy. The distribution of Mg and La in the composite are near the interface.


Sport-related concussion typically resolves within a few weeks of the injury; however, persistent symptoms have been reported to occur in 10% to 15% of concussions. These ongoing symptoms can cause significant disability and be frustrating for the patient and family. In addition, factors other than brain injury can cause complications for these patients, such as adjustment disorder or exacerbation of preexisting conditions such as depression or migraine. Individuals with prolonged symptoms of concussion may be classified as having post-concussion syndrome. A careful and thoughtful evaluation is important, as the clinician must determine whether these prolonged symptoms reflect brain injury pathophysiology versus another process. Although there have been numerous studies on the acute management of concussion, much less is available on the treatment of persistent disease. This review will provide an evaluation approach for the patient with prolonged concussion symptoms and review recent literature on treatment strategies.


Continuous-wave oscillation in a Nd-doped tellurite glass microsphere laser at 1.06 /spl mu/m has been successfully demonstrated for the first time. Microspheres with diameters of 50 to a few hundred micrometres are fabricated by melting using an electric heater. Emission spectra reveal that the devices exhibit resonances corresponding to whispering gallery modes.


The CCNA is the first exam a candidate takes on the road toward becoming a Cisco certified professional or expert. While Cisco exams are considered very difficult, these exams are also very popular. The CCNA Practice Questions Exam Cram 2i¾ will provide youi¾ with 500 practice questions and a detailed explanation of correct answers as well as incorrect answers. These questions are provided in print as well as electronic format, complete with a versatile CD-ROM testing engine that provides readiness feedback and simulated test-taking conditions. Special features such as the popular Cram Sheet tearcard are also included toi¾ helpi¾ youi¾ better prepare for the exam.Coverage in CCNA Practice Questions Exam Cram 2, Second Edition applies to the 640-801 (INTRO/ICND), 640-821 (INTRO), and the 640-811 (ICND) exams, and is completely updated to match changes from Cisco Systems to these exams since their introduction in 2003.


As California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) continues to develop institutional capacity to improve sustainability within the contexts of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the university mission, and strategic objectives identified by the California State University (CSU), student activism has played a critical role in establishing the groundwork for current efforts. Despite progress towards an overarching goal of integrating sustainability into all parts of the institution, near constant turnover within the institution and student-led organizations often leaves uncertainties about institutionalization, with questions often arising about the respective roles of faculty, staff, and students. It is also often unclear whether the sustainability efforts contributed by students act to empower them or if it serves as an additional burden. In our research, we compare a case-study of our student-led efforts towards the integration of sustainability at Fresno State to a landscape analysis of integrative sustainability efforts findable across websites of all other CSUs. The aim of this paper is to examine the current roles that students are playing in both campus and system-wide sustainability efforts. Case study and landscape analysis results suggest that while students look to their campuses to provide sustainability leadership, youth-led efforts are apparently the most numerous in advancing efforts across the CSU system. This supports more contemporary views of students and the need for asset-mindedness, as well as the idea that educational institutions--who are charged with leading sustainability (i.e., AASHE)--can increase equity and reduce student burdens by recognizing, supporting, and intentionally collaborating with leading student efforts.


CELL BIOLOGY
During cell division, replicated chromosomes condense and are separated to daughter cells by the mitotic spindle. The dynamics of chromosome condensation and partitioning has been subjected to much scrutiny. Now two papers, by Gerlich et al . and Walter et al., independently confirm that chromosome arrangements are retained through mammalian cell division. By bleaching fluorescently labeled chromosomes in a variety of living mammalian tissue culture cells just before mitosis, Gerlich et al . revealed that a general retention of the chromosomal localization was maintained—chromosome regions in the "top" of the nucleus stayed at the top, and those at the "bottom" stayed at the bottom. Similarly, Walter et al. used "chromosome painting" to observe that in HeLa cells, the global distribution of chromosomes and chromosomal territories was retained throughout interphase even though during mitosis itself some rearrangements of specific chromosome territories were seen. Transmission of chromosomal position from mother to daughter might be mediated by controlling the timing of particular chromosomal partitioning during mitosis and could be important in maintaining gene expression patterns. — SMH

Cell 10.1016/s0092867403001892 (2003); J. Cell Biol . 160 , 685 (2003).


Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing (3DP), has ushered in a new era of advanced manufacturing that is seemingly limited only by imagination. In actuality, the fullest potentials of 3DP can only be realized through innovative breakthroughs in printing technologies and build materials. Whereas equipment for 3DP has experienced considerable development, molecular-scale programming of function, adaptivity, and responsiveness in 3DP is burgeoning. This review aims to summarize the state-of-the-art in stimuli-responsive materials that are being explored in 3DP. First, we discuss stimuli-responsiveness as it is used to enable 3DP. This highlights the diverse ways in which molecular structure and reactivity dictate energy transduction that in turn enables 3D processability. Second, we summarize efforts that have demonstrated the use of 3DP to create materials, devices, and systems that are in their final stage stimuli-responsive. This section encourages the artistic license of advanced manufacturing to be applied toward leveraging, or enhancing, energy transduction to impart device function across multiple length scales.


: In recent years, a number of illegal activities operated under the radar of conventional analysis have taken place in brazil. this study proposes an extended Keynesian Model in order to understand this phenomenon, a model that explains that crises happen because of the replacement of productive activities with unproductive and destructive activities. the model is used here to examine brazil's socioeconomic history since the institution of the economic plan that established the actual currency "real" (r$), concluding that as the plan's concern was predominantly with stabilization and not growth, productive activities have never been promoted on an appropriate scale. this has paved the way for the advancement of unproductive and destructive activities which have ultimately led to the country's increasing degradation.


Platelet activation and aggregation are key elements of the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes, of endothelial damage in chronic inflammatory and connective tissue disease (i.e. systemic sclerosis-SSc). Patients affected by chronic inflammatory diseases as well as by connective tissue diseases such as systemic sclerosis, often have the need to take anti-platelet therapy (e.g. ASA or clopidogrel). Current consensus recommendations state that patients prescribed clopidogrel plus aspirin should receive a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to reduce gastrointestinal bleeding. Although each single PPI has similar efficacy in many cases, differences between them should be considered when choosing a treatment regimen. Many studies show PPI and clopidogrel drug interaction, with clopidogrel non-responsiveness in about 25% of the population. Only pantoprazole, which does not inhibit CYP P450 2C19, doesn't seem to have interaction with clopidogrel or other drugs. Patients affected by systemic sclerosis have high frequency of oesophageal mucosal abnormalities and should take long-term PPI therapy. When addressing long-term therapy safety data are clearly needed. Two recent studies have reported increased hip fracture rates with long-term PPI use, raising concerns about adverse effects of this class of drugs on mineral metabolism. The use of PPIs is also associated with an increase in the risk of development of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and the use of PPIs during CDI treatment is associated with an increased risk of recurrence. In order to achieve the desired results and, as with all medications, PPIs should always be used appropriately taking care never to exceed correct dosage and duration. When necessary use of pantoprazole arises as one of the best possible choices.


Abstract. The spatial distribution of groundwater fluxes through a streambed can be highly variable, most often resulting from a heterogeneous distribution of aquifer and streambed permeabilities along the flow pathways. Using a groundwater flow and heat transport model, we defined four scenarios of aquifer and streambed permeability distributions to simulate and assess the impact of subsurface heterogeneity on the distribution of groundwater fluxes through the streambed: (a) a homogeneous low-K streambed within a heterogeneous aquifer; (b) a heterogeneous streambed within a homogeneous aquifer; (c) a well connected heterogeneous low-K streambed within a heterogeneous aquifer; and (d) a poorly connected heterogeneous low-K streambed within a heterogeneous aquifer. The simulation results were compared with a base case scenario, in which the streambed had the same properties as the aquifer, and with observed data. The results indicated that the aquifer has a stronger influence on the distribution of groundwater fluxes through the streambed than the streambed itself. However, a homogeneous low-K streambed, a case often implemented in regional-scale groundwater flow models, resulted in a strong homogenization of fluxes, which may have important implications for the estimation of peak mass flows. The flux distributions simulated with heterogeneous low-K streambeds were similar to the flux distributions of the base case scenario, despite the lower permeability. The representation of heterogeneous distributions of aquifer and streambed properties in the model has been proven to be beneficial for the accuracy of flow simulations.


This study reports on data from a larger-scale research project in one city in the West Midlands, England. The study was commissioned by the local education authority because of the rising incidence of parental withdrawal of Muslim girls from physical education. The aim was to provide evidence-based guidance to schools on improving the inclusion of Muslim girls in physical education and school sport. In-depth interviews in eight case study schools provided a thick description of the lived realities for 19 head teachers and teachers, 109 young people and 32 of their parents. Four additional focus group interviews were held with 36 Muslim young people in community/supplementary schools. Questionnaires were sent to 402 city schools and 12 supplementary schools (50 of which were returned). Methods focused on capturing views on experiences and concerns regarding the inclusion of Muslim girls in physical education. Content analysis and inductive and deductive analyses of data procedures were used. Responses indicated a diversity of positive and negative experiences across the community, with the majority of young people enjoying their school-based physical education lessons. Parental influences were strong across the age phases. Body and religious consciousness increased during adolescence. Common concerns centred on the need to improve recognition of religious requirements in schooling processes, policies and practices to provide inclusive learning environments for some Muslim young people. Problems such as poor communication, inflexible dress codes—particularly concerning wearing of the hijab (headscarf)—gender organisation and use of public swimming pools were identified. Patterns of good practice also emerged from across schools. Flexibility of approach, shared decision-making and situation-specific policies were most successful for supporting the inclusion of Muslim girls in physical education and school sport. Findings informed policy-orientated guidance for city schools.


The duration and geographic extent of Carboniferous glacial events in southern Gondwana remain poorly constrained despite recent evidence for a more dynamic glacial history than previously considered. We report 10 high-precision (2! ± <0.1%) U-Pb ages for the Permian-Carboniferous Paganzo Group, NW Argentina, that redefi ne the chronostratigraphy of the late Paleozoic Paganzo and Rio Blanco Basins, and signifi cantly refi ne the timing of glacial events and climate shifts in the western region of southern Gondwana. Radiometric calibration of the Paganzo Group indicates three pulses of Carboniferous glaciation in the mid-Visean, the late Serpukhovian to earliest Bashkirian, and between the latest Bashkirian to early Moscovian. An abrupt shift in depositional style from high-sinuosity single-storied fl uvial deposits and clay-rich paleosols to low-sinuosity multi storied feldspathic fluvial deposits inter calated with eolianites and calcic paleosols is constrained to the latest Moscovian and earliest Kasimovian. These constraints indicate a relatively abrupt climate shift from humid-subhumid to nonseasonal semiarid regional climate conditions that occurred signifi cantly earlier than previously inferred (Early Permian). This period of high-latitude aridity was contemporaneous with a shift to dryland depositional environments and a major vegetation regime shift documented throughout the Pangean paleotropics in the Pennsylvanian.


Monolayer field-effect transistors based on a high-mobility n-type polymer are demonstrated. The accurate control of the long-range order by Langmuir-Schäfer (LS) deposition yields dense polymer packing exhibiting good injection properties, relevant current on/off ratio and carrier mobility in a staggered configuration. Layer-by-layer LS film transistors of increasing thickness are fabricated and their performance compared to those of spin-coated films.


CONTEXT
Vitamin D deficiency is common among older adults, but the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and rates of bone loss is uncertain.

OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to test the hypothesis that lower 25(OH)D levels are associated with higher rates of hip bone loss in older men.

DESIGN AND SETTING
We conducted a prospective cohort study in six U.S. centers.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1279 community-dwelling men aged 65 yr or older with 25(OH)D levels (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy) and hip bone mineral density (BMD) (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) at baseline and repeat hip BMD an average of 4.4 yr later participated in the study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
We measured the annualized percentage rate of change in hip BMD.

RESULTS
After adjustment for multiple potential confounders, the average rate of decline in total hip BMD was -0.59%/yr among men with 25(OH)D levels below 15.0 ng/ml, -0.54%/yr among men with 25(OH)D levels 15.0-19.9 ng/ml, -0.35%/yr among men with 25(OH)D levels 20.0-29.9 ng/ml, and -0.37%/yr among men with 25(OH)D levels of at least 30 ng/ml (P trend = 0.008 for multivariable model). Evidence was strong to support an association among men aged 75 yr and older (P trend <0.001), but not among younger men (P trend = 0.55). Findings were similar when 25(OH)D level was expressed in quintiles and when BMD at hip subregions was substituted for total hip BMD.

CONCLUSIONS
In this cohort of community-dwelling older men, men with 25(OH)D levels below 20 ng/ml had greater subsequent rates of hip bone loss, but rates of loss were similar among men with higher levels. These results lend support to the view that low 25(OH)D levels are detrimental to BMD in older men.


A century can be understood in many ways - in terms of its inventions, its crimes or its art. In Opening Skinner's Box, Lauren Slater sets out to investigate the twentieth century through a series of ten fascinating, witty and sometimes shocking accounts of its key psychological experiments. Starting with the founder of modern scientific experimentation, B.F. Skinner, Slater traces the evolution of the last hundred years' most pressing concerns - free will, authoritarianism, violence, conformity and morality. Previously buried in academic textbooks, these often daring experiments are now seen in their full context and told as stories, rich in plot, wit and character.


To date, critics have tended to read late medieval depictions of Christ's bleeding, post-Passion body as representative of his suffering humanity and merciful divinity. Christ's open body is presented as nurturing, as welcoming and inclusive. However, as metaphor for the collective, the image of the wounded body of Christ did not always emphasize salvic inclusion. The wounded corpus mysticum , Christ's body the Church, presented itself as a community constantly in flux. Christ's wounds functioned not only as welcoming entryways but also as sites of purgation and excision, encouraging in individuals feelings of abjection, vulnerability, and fear.


Use of and trade in wildlife is a fact of life for human society around the globe. Article IV of the CITES Convention requires that exporting countries restrict trade in Appendix II species to levels that are not detrimental either to species' survival, or to their role within the ecosystems in which they occur (known as the "non-detriment finding"). Based on two workshops convened by IUCN to develop some pragmatic assistance for Scientific Authorities, this publication presents the background to the development of the non-detriment finding checklist and explains how the checklist itself is designed to work, in the hope that Scientific Authority staff will take and develop the parts of the approach that they find useful.


This paper offers an explanation for the phenomenon of declining democratic engagement. The paper assumes that what happens at work is the primary driver of what occurs outside of the workplace. If workers are exposed to the formalities of collective bargaining and union representation they also perhaps increase their attachment to, and willingness to participate in, structures of democratic governance outside of the workplace. Put another way, if workplace voice and civic voice are complements in the sense that they foster a shared understanding of democracy's value and common cause then we would expect the decline of union representation to affect the civic attitudes and democratic behaviours of individuals outside of the workplace as well. In order for this argument to hold one needs to first test whether individual union members are more prone to vote and participate in civil society than non-members: other research refers to this as the 'union voting premium'. Our finding is that the voice effect of unionism on democratic participation is significant and is larger for those groups which are significantly under-represented when it comes to voting; namely those with fewer years of education, immigrants and younger workers.


Background Health care systems have become increasingly more reliant on patients' ability to navigate the digital world. However, little research has been conducted on why some communities are less able or less likely to successfully engage with digital health technologies (DHTs), particularly among culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) populations. Objective This systematic review aimed to determine the barriers to and facilitators of interacting with DHTs from the perspectives of CaLD population groups, including racial or ethnic minority groups, immigrants and refugees, and Indigenous or First Nations people. Methods A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies was conducted. Peer-reviewed literature published between January 2011 and June 2022 was searched across 3 electronic databases. Terms for digital health were combined with terms for cultural or linguistic diversity, ethnic minority groups, or Indigenous and First Nations people and terms related to barriers to accessing digital technologies. A qualitative thematic synthesis was conducted to identify descriptive and analytical themes of barriers to and facilitators of interacting with DHTs. Quality appraisal was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results Of the 1418 studies identified in the electronic search, a total of 34 (2.4%) were included in this review. Half of the included studies (17/34, 50%) were conducted in the United States. There was considerable variation in terms of the CaLD backgrounds of the participants. In total, 26% (9/34) of the studies focused on Indigenous or First Nations communities, 41% (14/34) were conducted among ethnic minority populations, 15% (5/34) of the studies were conducted among immigrants, and 18% (6/34) were conducted in refugee communities. Of the 34 studies, 21 (62%) described the development or evaluation of a digital health intervention, whereas 13 (38%) studies did not include an intervention but instead focused on elucidating participants' views and behaviors in relation to digital health. From the 34 studies analyzed, 18 descriptive themes were identified, each describing barriers to and facilitators of interacting with DHTs, which were grouped into 7 overarching analytical themes: using technology, design components, language, culture, health and medical, trustworthiness, and interaction with others. Conclusions This study identified several analytic and descriptive themes influencing access to and uptake of DHTs among CaLD populations, including Indigenous and First Nations groups. We found that cultural factors affected all identified themes to some degree and that cultural and linguistic perspectives should be considered in the design and delivery of DHTs, with this best served through the inclusion of the target communities at all stages of development. This may improve the potential of DHTs to be more acceptable, appropriate, and accessible to population groups currently at risk of not obtaining the full benefits of digital health.


I take as a basic law of nature that "trees do not grow to the sky". In fact, the tree metaphor is very useful as we try to impose a science on the vaguely defined term, "sustainability." Trees make up forests and forests grow and recede according to many factors. Trees develop from seeds to saplings to mature trees, using nutrients and water in the soil and C02, O2 and light from the atmosphere to grow. They do not grow to the sky, and they eventually dies. Forests do not cover the earth; but they grow, recede, and are potentially sustainable. Trees and forests are a function of their environment. Homo sapiens are a function of their environment too, although we sometimes forget.


Charles Maclean's horror classic is finally back in print Friday, rush hour. Martin Gregory just manages to catch the 4:48 train. Tomorrow is his wife's birthday and he plans to devote the weekend to her and their beloved dogs. But when he rises in the morning, Martin does something so horrific, so inexplicable, and so out of character that his only option is to run. A lost horror classic back in print at last, "The Watcher" chronicles Martin as his quest for understanding plunges him through shifting realities and twisted corridors of time, and into the deepest recesses of the human mind. "The number one horror novel of all time!" --"The Guardian (London)" "An extraordinary book, unlike anything else I've read." --Charlie Higson, author of "The Dead" "I'm something of an insomniac. I read "The Watcher" and stopped sleeping altogether." --Paul Newman "If you are easily upset...stop right here." --"The New York Times"


Large-sized Ti/Ti-Al micro laminated thin sheet with thickness of 0.12mm was prepared by high-power electron beam physical vapor deposition technology, and then tensile tests of specimen after hot-pressing densification were carried out at room and high temperature, and tensile specimen was examined the fractured surfaces by SEM and OM. It was found that the tensile specimen under room temperature presents a compound quasi-cleavage and intergranular fracture, and a certain plastic deformation of Ti toughening layer was detected during fracture process. Tensile fractured surfaces under high temperature present the feature of compound dimple models and quasi-cleavage, furthermore, the size and the quantity of dimple exhibited an enhancing trend with test temperature increased. Results show that the cracks will stagger along the inter-laminar interface or the layer due to which micro-laminate expresses a good characteristic of delayed fracture. The toughening mechanisms are that the crack deflection and micro-bridge connection caused by the toughening layers increases crack propagation resistance.


Codon 72 polymorphism of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 has been associated with a higher risk in the development of several types of cancer. The polymorphism results in a variant protein with either an arginine (CGC) or a proline residue (CCC). The aim of this study was to analyze the association of the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism with the risk of developing gastric cancer in a high-risk population from the central-western region of Venezuela. DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded gastric adenocarcinoma biopsies (n=65) and endoscopic biopsies from chronic gastritis patients (n=87). TP53 codon 72 polymorphism was determined by PCR-RFLP from all samples. Patients with gastric cancer had a significantly higher frequency (P = 0.037) of the Arg allele than those with chronic gastritis. A logistic regression analysis suggested that Arg carrier individuals had a 4.6-fold higher risk (95% CI 1.0-21.3) of developing gastric cancer. An increment of the Arg/Arg genotype was observed in poor-differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma (OR: 3.1; 95% CI 1.0-9.2), and of the Arg/Pro genotype in well/moderate-differentiated adenocarcinoma samples (OR: 3.5; 95% CI 1.1-11.0), when comparing within the gastric cancer samples; and the last group also when contrasting it with chronic gastritis patients (OR: 2.4; 95% CI 1.1-5.2). The results of this study suggest that the carriage of the Arg allele could be associated with the development of gastric cancer in this Venezuelan population.


This article revisits critical encounters and engagements with educational research projects over a 10-year period. Drawing upon empirical data and project documentation, the article seeks to open up the powers of production that are at play and asks: What room is there for both experience and experiment in research? The problems that preoccupy us as researchers are often difficult to discern until they are well under way. There is a creative remembering that inevitably resides, and is residual, in any research endeavour. It is work within the milieu of texts rather than upon them and where the patterns could not have been known beforehand. It also acknowledges and works with data that doesn't usually fit in, whilst also working with affect, a dimension which is sometimes ignored at our peril. It is, in short, an invitation to consider how silence can trump the effort of words.


Soil erosion in olive groves is a widespread phenomenon in the Mediterranean Basin. Many studies have investigated the effects of tillage and herbaceous ground cover (spontaneous or seeded) in their effectiveness to reduce soil erosion in a wide range of Mediterranean sites under different pedoclimatic and topographic conditions. The present study was performed in Ferrandina, southern Italy: a small drip-type rainfall simulator was used on square microplots (0.25 × 0.25 m) to evaluate the propensity to erosion of a steep rain-fed olive grove (mean slope ~10%) with a sandy loam soil by measuring runoff and sediment load under extreme rain events. Two types of soil management were compared: (1) spontaneous grasses as ground cover (GC) providing a maximum ground cover close to 100%; and (2) tillage (T). In the tillage treatment, a further distinction was made between runoff and sediment produced 1 day (T1) and 10 days (T2) after tillage in order to assess the temporal evolution of tillage effects. The results show that GC reduced surface runoff to approximately one-third and soil losses to zero compared with T1. T2 microplots, tested 10 days after tillage, produced only one-tenth the sediment compared with T1 microplots that were subjected to rainfall simulations 1 day after tillage. Total runoff between the two tilled microplots was similar, although runoff on T1 microplots increased steadily over time whereas runoff on T2 microplots remained stable over the duration of simulations. Such findings may be useful to direct and strengthen the policy towards measures to prevent further soil degradation, as clearly requested by the European Union via the cross-compliance concept. A further economic recognition to the olive growers for the achievable environmental benefits could convince them to a shift towards alternative soil management strategies.


ABSTRACT This article examines how intersecting markers of difference shape differentiated whiteness. In so doing, it contributes to scholarship on whiteness and racialization. The authors draw on autoethnographic vignettes from fieldwork in Copenhagen to analyse the emergence of similar-yet-divergent researcher and migrant positionalities. Both authors are female researchers from Baltic countries living in Denmark and often perceived as Eastern Europeans—as not-quite-white and as "Europe's 'internal others'". Both of us conducted fieldwork in the same district of Copenhagen. Mantė carried out research on friendships among teenagersn a racially diverse public school and in youth activity clubs. Linda explored social inclusion and exclusion in contested urban spaces. However, our researcher positionalities played out differently. We analyse how ambiguous, contested and relational notions of (Eastern) Europeanness, together with intersecting racialized, classed and gendered tropes of Eastern European migration, made themselves manifest in our positionings and movements. Through an intersectional analysis of Eastern European racialized positionalities, our discussion of differentiated whiteness highlights how whiteness is intersectionally constituted, multiple and mouldable. These findings serve to nuance research on hegemonic whiteness in the Nordic setting.


Lester
 et al. report the results of a meta-analysis, which shows that prenatal cocaine exposure is associated with statistically significant but subtle effects on child IQ and language performance. Even these subtle effects will result in a substantial number of children annually who will need additional special education services at a considerable financial burden to society.


Limiting emissions of climate-warming methane from oil and gas (O&G) is a major opportunity for short-term climate benefits. We deploy a basin-wide airborne survey of O&G extraction and transportation activities in the New Mexico Permian Basin, spanning 35 923 km2, 26 292 active wells, and over 15 000 km of natural gas pipelines using an independently validated hyperspectral methane point source detection and quantification system. The airborne survey repeatedly visited over 90% of the active wells in the survey region throughout October 2018 to January 2020, totaling approximately 98 000 well site visits. We estimate total O&G methane emissions in this area at 194 (+72/-68, 95% CI) metric tonnes per hour (t/h), or 9.4% (+3.5%/-3.3%) of gross gas production. 50% of observed emissions come from large emission sources with persistence-averaged emission rates over 308 kg/h. The fact that a large sample size is required to characterize the heavy tail of the distribution emphasizes the importance of capturing low-probability, high-consequence events through basin-wide surveys when estimating regional O&G methane emissions.


The pilgrimage of Pangeran Samudra Tomb in Gunung Kemukus - Sragen, seems to store a lot of benefits for the people surrounding. As a part of tourist industry, the pilgrimage site stores a great amount of asset related to the original regional product, as to suffice the local developmental needs. Goal of the study is to gain the description of:1) the benefit of pilgrimage in terms of : obtaining parties, sorts of benefit, as well as the obtaining ways; 2) the circums-tances of ngalap berkah committed among the other men/women as a faith to the norms put on the society surrounding the tomb site. The qualitative approach with ethnography technique was applied to gather the data and information through in-depth interview. Besides, partici-pant observation and library research were used to study the material related to the object of study.


Participant Authors (listed alphabetically): Simran Bassra, Celine Castellino, Danielle Christie, Katherine Hubbard, Xintong Jia, Gabby Keating, Rosemary Lobban, Taoyuan Luo, Ankita Mishra, Nikki Moore, Becky Smith.Feminist psychological perspectives remain peripheral in mainstream psychological spaces and broader applied settings. This can make it difficult to do feminist psychological work. In this article, we discuss key challenges facing a group of feminist psychologists working in various specialist areas of theory and practice. The discussion was generated from a roundtable session facilitated by the authors at the Psychology of Women and Equalities Section Annual Conference in July, 2022 in response to the conference theme of 'Doing feminism on the ground'. The roundtable aimed to create space for participants to discuss the challenges of doing feminist work. The roundtable also aimed to generate shared strategies for resisting these challenges. Here, we were guided by Sara Ahmed's call to 'stay with the difficulty' of feminist work in order to learn from this. Challenges included professional exclusion, isolation, epistemic erasure, and self-censorship. Strategies included 'rewriting the questions', refusing to engage with over-simplistic requests, and (re)centering power and its implications. Roundtable participants are listed as participant authors, and their words co-construct and flow through this account. This article therefore presents a collaborative account of the challenges and opportunities facing this group in their efforts to do feminisms on the ground.


Lychee, a juicy, attractive and excellent fruit of Sapindaceae family, is preferred by consumers for its extraordinary taste and aroma. India, the second largest producer of the crop, has got an important position in the export of lychee as it possesses attractive colour, good size and excellent taste. However, fruit cracking is the most serious problem of quality lychee production in major lychee growing belts of India, viz. Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, etc. During seven years (2007-2013), systematic research on lychee fruit cracking at the Horticulture Research Station, BCKV, West Bengal, revealed that occurrence and extent of fruit cracking differed among the lychee cultivars and it was found that relatively early cultivars with more tubercle density and thin pericarp were more prone to cracking than late cultivars or with less tubercle density. High temperature during rapid growth period coupled with low relative humidity was the potential reason behind this disorder. It was observed that internal pressure of developing fruits had positive correlation with cracking whereas aril or peel calcium had no coinciding relationship with it. Fruits located at west and north side or at inner canopy had minimal cracking problem. Application of irrigation at 40% pan coefficient through sprinkler irrigation had significant effect to overcome the cracking problem of fruit. Drip irrigation and mulching with fallen lychee leaves was also found effective to tackle the disorder. Use of agro-shade net (50% light transmission) and foliar application of Boron at 0.5% had potential influence to control this disorder. Besides, delayed harvesting by the application of gibberellic acid (50 mg L(-1)) at 21 days after fruit set also reduced the problem.


Uplink scheduling in LTE systems is considered. A game theoretical formulation is derived where the scheduling problem is represented as a Nash bargaining solution. An algorithm to implement the proposed scheduling scheme is presented. Throughput and fairness analysis are performed via simulations. Results show that channel aware scheduling schemes outperform the round-robin scheme, but a tradeoff must be made between the increase of total throughput and fairness towards the different users.


This research is focused on the influence of high C/Si ratios and low pressure on n-type doping concentration and surface defects of 4H-SiC C-face epilayers. N-type doping concentration decreases as C/Si ratio increases from 3.0 to 4.0 and pressure reduces from 100 mbar to 50 mbar; defect densities decrease as pressure increases at both C/Si ratios of 3.0 and 4.0. RMS roughness is about 0.21 nm for all C-face samples, independent of C/Si ratios of 3.0 and 4.0 and pressure from 50 mbar to 100 mbar. However, the influence of growth temperature on doping concentration and surface defects can not be clearly observed in this work.


Calcium phosphate coating films were fabricated on Ti-6Al-4V plates and screw-type implants with a blast-treated surface using radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) and oxyapatite (OAp) films obtained in this study could cover the blast-treated substrate very efficiently, maintaining the surface roughness. For the in vitro evaluations of the calcium phosphate coating films, bonding strength and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were examined. The bonding strength of the coating films to a blast-treated substrate exceeded 60 MPa, independent of film phases except for the film after post-heat-treatment in silica ampoule. When compared with an uncoated substrate, the increase in the ALP activity of osteoblastic SaOS-2 cells on a calcium phosphate coated substrate was confirmed by a cell culture test. The removal torque of screw-type Ti-6Al-4V implants with a blast-treated surface from the femur of Japanese white rabbit increased with the duration of implantation and it was statistically improved by coating an ACP film 2 weeks after implantation. The in vitro and in vivo studies suggested that the application of the sputtered ACP film as a coating on titanium implants was effective in improving their biocompatibility with bones.


Rising healthcare costs have sparked debate about the best way to provide high-quality affordable health insurance. We discuss the potential for regulated insurance markets to outperform single-payer public insurance. We use as an example the private Medicare plans that now provide insurance to almost a third of seniors in the United States. The evidence suggests that private plans can limit costs and potentially appeal to enrollees, and that well-designed risk adjustment can mitigate market failures due to adverse selection. However, fostering competition between insurers, especially in smaller markets, is difficult. We discuss how future research might illuminate the relative advantages of public and private health insurance.


A growing body of research connects diversity to anti-welfare attitudes and lower levels of social welfare expenditure, yet most evidence comes from analyses of US states or comparisons of the United States to Europe. Comparative analyses of European nation-states, however, yield little evidence that immigration – measured at the country-level – reduces support for national welfare state programs. This is not surprising, given that research suggests that the impact of diversity occurs at smaller, sub-national geographic units. Therefore, in this article, we test the hypothesis that immigration undermines welfare attitudes by assessing the impact of immigration measured at the regional-level on individual-level support for redistribution, a comprehensive welfare state, and immigrants' social rights. To do this, we combine data from the European Social Survey with a unique regional dataset compiled from national censuses, Eurostat, and the European Election Database (13 countries, 114 regions, and 23,213 individuals). Utilizing multilevel modeling, we find a negative relationship between regional percent foreign-born and support for redistribution as well as between regional percent foreign-born and support for a comprehensive welfare state. Objective immigration, however, does not increase opposition to immigrants' social rights (i.e. welfare chauvinism). We discuss the implications of these results and conclude that traditional welfare state attitudes and welfare chauvinism are distinct phenomena that should not be conflated in future research.


We study the collective modes of the quantum Hall states in undoped bilayer graphene in a strong perpendicular magnetic and electric field. Both for the well-known ferromagnetic state that is relevant for small electric field E-perpendicular to and the analogous layer polarized one suitable for large E-perpendicular to, the low-energy physics is dominated by magnetoexcitons with zero angular momentum that are even combinations of excitons that conserve Landau orbitals. We identify a long-wavelength instability in both states, and argue that there is an intermediate range of the electric field E-c((1)) < E-perpendicular to < E-c((s)) where a gapless phase interpolates between the incompressible quantum Hall states. The experimental relevance of this crossover via a gapless state is discussed.


We describe our experiences running PFLOTRAN–a code for simulation of coupled hydro-thermal-chemical processes in variably saturated, non-isothermal, porous media– on leadership-class supercomputers, including initial experiences running on the petaflop incarnation of Jaguar, the Cray XT5 at the National Center for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. PFLOTRAN utilizes fully implicit time-stepping and is built on top of the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc). We discuss some of the hurdles to at scale performance with PFLOTRAN and the progress we have made in overcoming them on leadership-class computer architectures.


This paper presents a new low-weight trellis-based soft-decision iterative decoding algorithm for binary linear block codes. The algorithm is devised based on a set of optimality conditions and the generation of a sequence of candidate codewords for an optimality test. The initial candidate codeword is generated by a simple decoding method. The subsequent candidate codewords, if needed, are generated by a chain of low-weight trellis searches, one at a time. Each search is conducted through a low-weight trellis diagram centered around the latest candidate codeword and results in an improvement over the previous candidate codewords that have been already tested. This improvement is then used as the next candidate codeword for a test of optimality. The decoding iteration stops whenever a candidate codeword is found to satisfy a sufficient condition on optimality or the latest low-weight trellis search results in a repetition of a previously generated candidate codeword. A divide-and-conquer technique is also presented for codes that are not spanned by their minimum-weight codewords. The proposed decoding algorithm has been applied to some well-known codes of lengths 48, 64, and 128. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves either practically optimal error performance for the example codes of length 48 and 64 or near optimal error performance for the (128, 29, 32) RM code with a significant reduction in computational decoding complexity.


Polyoxometalate-TiO(2) composites have been successfully introduced into the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells to reduce the recombination of the electrons, which results in a longer electron lifetime. The performance of the cells with the polyoxometalate-modified photoanode is better than the cell with a pure P25 photoanode. The effect of the polyoxometalate was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open-circuit voltage decay measurement. The results show that the electron lifetime becomes longer following an increase in the amount of the polyoxometalate.


Comprehensive School Health (CSH) is an internationally recognized framework shown to be effective in improving health-enhancing behaviours and educational outcomes. The specific implementation strategies behind CSH, however, are vague. Knowledge exchange (KE) practices are essential to ensure that implementation is evidence-informed. The principal seemingly acts as a key player within KE, yet this role remains to be examined within a CSH framework. Through a cross-sectional examination of secondary survey data, this study set out to compare the extent of knowledge sharing and use of evaluation data by principals in both CSH schools (n=30) and other randomly selected schools throughout Alberta, Canada (n=73). Univariable logistic regression was performed and results showed that CSH principals had a statistically significant higher odds of: sharing the data overall; sharing the data outside of the school, particularly with parents; using the data in planning; as well as both sharing and using the data in general.


Membranes technology is widely applicable across a wide range of industries. The membrane is a positive barrier to rejected components; requires no extraneous chemicals, makes subsequent oil recovery easier. Ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes can be used in-many processes to allow recycling of selected waste streams within a plant, concentrates up to 40-70% oil and solids can be obtained. Since most oily wastes contain 0.1-1% oil, this means the volume of waste that has to be subsequently hauled away or treated is reduced to 1/40-1/200 the initial feed volume. The membrane equipment has a smaller foot print, energy costs are lower compared to thermal treatments, and the plant can be highly automated and does not require highly skilled operators [1].


Health workers have been at the forefront of treating and caring for patients with COVID-19 They were often under immense pressure to care for severely ill patients with a new disease, under strict hygiene conditions and with lockdown measures creating practical barriers to working In this article we consider measures that countries have put in place to support health workers and enable them to do their job We show that countries have implemented a range of measures, from mental health support, financial bonuses and practical support such as free accommodation and transport The effectiveness of these initiatives should be evaluated to inform future crisis responses and strategies for health workforce development


Sea ice algae play a critical role as major primary producers in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Each autumn, algae are incorporated into newly forming sea ice in vast numbers, but the mechanisms by which algal cells are incorporated into young sea ice remain unclear. Early experiments with ice-forming tanks suggested that frazilharvesting is the most significant process leading to algal accumulation. In the present study, both field and laboratory experiments are used to investigate factors related to algal inclusion in sea ice. Field experiments were used to evaluate the natural extent of algal cell incorporation, while laboratory experiments tested specific processes.
Field samples were collected in areas of new ice formation off eastern Antarctica during the spring of 1992 and the autumns of 1993 and 1996. One to three orders of magnitude higher algal biomass was found in ice and interstitial water samples than in the underlying water column. Diatoms contributed approximately two thirds of the biomass with small unidentified flagellates contributing the remainder. Field experiments indicate some diatom species were selectively incorporated into ice which forms in different conditions (ie that which forms in rough versus calm conditions). There was evidence of size specific incorporation of algae and microspheres into the natural and laboratory-formed sea ice. This size selectivity discriminated against large microspheres and large algal cells.
Experiments using a laboratory-based ice tank and a similar tank at Casey Station Antarctica, revealed that laboratory-based ice tanks are an effective way of simulating both sea ice production and the incorporation of phytoplankton into the sea ice. Experiments were conducted to simulate water being pushed through the ice matrix (similar to a wave field agitation system). Results of ice tank experiments indicate that there are several physical processes responsible for algal enrichment in sea ice, these are, 'pumping' of water through the newly forming ice, water circulation patterns and scavenging of phytoplankton by frazil ice crystals. The ability of phytoplankton to remain suspended in the upper water column is an important biological factor which influences algal incorporation into newly forming sea ice.
Laboratory-based experiments using temperate water diatom species revealed a level of incorporation into sea ice similar to that of Antarctic species. Experiments with glass microspheres indicate that microspheres < 53 µ.m in diameter were incorporated in to sea ice at levels above the microsphere numbers in the underlying water. Microspheres with a greater diameter rapidly settled out of the system. Despite the spatial and temporal constraints of laboratory-based tanks, Antarctic phytoplankton species were incorporated into slurry within the ice at concentrations as great as 7 times the levels in ice and water samples.
These results imply algae are actively incorporated into very young sea ice. Incorporation microspheres into sea ice at a similar level to Antarctic taxa indicates that in an agitated system the incorporation results from a physical process. The enrichment of specific species in calm conditions indicates there are important biological processes involved in the algal incorporation. Results of this study indicate that the 'pumping' of water through an ice matrix, water circulation patterns and algal cell harvesting, are important physical mechanisms responsible for algal enrichment in sea ice. Preferential incorporation of some species occurs in calm conditions as a result of a combination of biological and physical processes.


When American poet and dramatist W.H. Auden said the above line during the Great Depression, he must have been feeling great fear and worry about his self-existence. Today, we live in an age when there is no escape from fear, stress, frustration, and anger. Undoubtedly, every human being suffers a great deal in one way or another. In our everyday life, we need a variety of information from various sources, which in our age include social networking Web sites, news, blogs, and wikis. In this present era, knowingly or unknowingly, we consume a lot of information from these sources. We try to create, read, and write using these popular tools. Most of the time, it is not easy for us to distinguish the good from the bad and the bad from the ugly. On one hand, we feel happy and alive when we are "connected" in this "age of the Internet." On the other hand, we may be unaware of our own actions or behavior. S. Aydin suggests that the Internet in itself does not cause anxiety; rather, it is the users' participation "situation" that results in anxiety.


Theoretical basis
This case has three primary objectives. First, it allows students to think through a conceptual cost and benefit analysis associated with the decision-making process in line with basic economic thinking. Students will revisit core concepts of marginal benefit vs marginal cost, the notion of opportunity costs and the role of sunk costs in this type of analysis, while also highlighting the nature of market structure, oligopolies and competition across firms in an industry. The second goal of this case is to consider the role of business ethics in the DC-10 case: specifically, to consider the potential influence of moral awareness and moral disengagement in unethical decisions made by McDonnell Douglas. Students will develop an understanding of these concepts and solidify their learning by applying them to the case and engaging in active discussion. Finally, the third goal of the case allows students to explore organizational culture and specifically offer recommendations for organizations thinking about the link between decision-making, the role of ethics and culture.

Research methodology
The technical reports released by the National Transportation Safety Board along with secondary data such as available public data such as news reports were used to round out the synopsis of the case study.

Case overview /synopsis
This case explores the accidents of two McDonnell Douglas DC-10s in the early 1970s at the onset of the jumbo jet race between Boeing, Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas. It explores the series of events during the "Windsor Incident" in 1972 and the subsequent accident over Paris in 1974. It explores the reasons why the cargo door on the DC-10 was faulty and subsequently why the door was not fixed. It examines the interplay of industry suppliers such as McDonnell Douglas and how they interact with oversight authorities such as the Federal Aviation Authority. The Teaching Note focuses on the economic thinking at McDonnell Douglas, behavioral ethics and organizational culture.

Complexity academic level
This case is best explored over a 90 min session but could be expanded to take up one 3 h session. The authors have used this case format in an undergraduate organizational behavior class, an MBA Leadership and Organizational Change class, and an MBA Economics of Managers class. It works particularly well in the MBA setting, as students with work experience can see the links between the mistakes made by McDonnell Douglas and their workplaces.


Benthic macroinvertebrates play important roles in shallow lake ecosystems. Several studies based on qualitative comparisons of the amount of macrophytes were carried out to relate benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages to habitat conditions in shallow lakes. Our main aim was to analyze the effects of habitat type and trophic state on taxonomic composition and abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates in lowland shallow lakes based on quantitative classification of habitat types. The benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages were investigated in eight shallow lakes of eastern China in four seasons. A total of 33 species was collected from these lakes, including four Oligochaeta, eight Chironomidae, eight Gastropoda, four Bivalvia and nine other miscellaneous species. According to the ratio of the dry weight of macrophytes to the dry weight of phytoplankton, the study lakes were separated into three lake types; macrophytedominated, transitional, and algae-dominated regions. The total abundance of macroinvertebrates was significantly higher in the group of algae-dominated regions than in the macrophyte-dominated regions. Scrapers had the highest abundance in the macrophyte-dominated regions. Univariate and multivariate analyses results showed that abundance, biomass and characteristic species of benthic macroinvertebrates were affected by their habitat types. The abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrates showed significant positive correlations with the trophic state index (TSI). TSI and turbidity were significantly correlated with DC1 (Axis 1 of detrended correspondence analysis), while Chlorophyll a and the ratio of the dry weight of macrophytes to the dry weight of phytoplankton were significantly correlated with DC2. The findings indicated that the habitat type and trophic state were the key factors determining the structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages in lowland shallow lakes. Our study was one of the few studies that had demonstrated the distinct influence of habitat type on macroinvertebrate assemblages in shallow lakes according to the ratio of the dry weight of macrophytes to the dry weight of phytoplankton.


A total of 492 vegetable leaves samples made up of cabbage (27), bitter leaves (50), garden egg leaves (44), green leaves (66), green onion (47), lettuce (51), pumpkin leaves (111), parsley (26) and water leaves (70), bought randomly from various local markets in Port-Harcourt was analyzed for the presence of some parasite stages. About 145(29.5%) out 492 samples examined were contaminated with various parasite stages. Green leaves had the highest level of contamination (40.9%), followed by bitter leaves (38.8%), while cabbage recorded the lowest (7.4%). Out of 202 parasite stages identified, the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides were the most predominant 39 (19.3%), followed by the cysts of Entarmoeba histolytica 31 (15.3%), whereas the oocysts Cryptosporidium parvum and eggs of Strongyloides stercolaris had the least 4(1.9%). Green leaves and pumpkin leaves harboured 8 (80.0%) and 7(70%) respectively out of 10 different types of parasites obtained in this study; cabbage and parsley had only 3 (30.0%). Pumpkin leaves recorded the highest level eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides 18(30%), eggs of Fasciola species 10 (16.7%), cysts of Entamaeba histolytica 8 (50.0%), eggs of Giardia lambia 7(11.7%), whereas cabbage overall had the lowest percentage of parasites with Ancylostoma duodenale 2 (50.0%); eggs of Toxoplasma gondii 1 (25.0%) and eggs of Strongyloides stercolaris 1 (25.0%). The present study revealed the potential hazard of vegetable leaves sold in some local markets in Port – Harcourt. Though the vegetables are properly de-contaminated after sales at the point of preparation/cooking, it is also very necessary for the de-contamination to be done before sales. There is need for monitoring by educating both vendors and consumers on the good sanitary practices during processing displaying and sale of the vegetable products and possible danger of contaminated and spoiled vegetables.


Fresh Pond Reservation, at the northwest edge of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been described as a "landscape loved to death." Certainly it is a landscape that has been changed by its various uses over the years and one to which Cantabridgeans and Bostonians have felt an intense attachment. Henry James returned to it in his sixties, looking for "some echo of the dreams of youth," feeling keenly "the pleasure of memory"; a Harvard student of the 1850s fondly remembered skating parties and the chance of "flirtation with some fair-ankled beauty of breezy Boston"; modern residents argue fiercely over dogs being allowed to run free at the reservation and whether soccer or nature is a more valuable experience for Cambridge schoolchildren. In Fresh Pond, Jill Sinclair tells the story of the pond and its surrounding land through photographs, drawings, maps, plans, and an engaging narrative of the pond's geological, historical, and political ecology. Fresh Pond has been a Native American hunting and fishing ground; the site of an eighteenth-century hotel offering bowling, food and wine, and impromptu performances by Harvard men; a summer retreat for wealthy Bostonians; a training ground for trench warfare; a location for picnics and festivals for workers and sporting activities for all. The parkland features an Olmsted design, albeit an imperfectly realized one. The pond itself--a natural lake carved out by the retreating Ice Age about 15,000 years ago--was a center of the nineteenth-century ice industry (disparaged by Thoreau, writing about another pond), and still supplies the city of Cambridge with fresh drinking water. Sinclair's celebration of a local landscape also alerts us to broader issues--shifts in public attitudes toward nature (is it brutal wilderness or in need of protection?) and water (precious commodity or limitless flow?)--that resonate as we remake our relationship to the landscape.


In this paper, the flow inside an electric machine called a starter-alternator is studied parametrically with CFD in order to be used by a thermal lumped model coupled to an optimization algorithm using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). In the first case, the geometrical parameters are symmetric allowing us to model only one side of the machine. The optimized thermal results are not conclusive. In the second case, all the parameters are independent. In this case, the flow is strongly influenced by the dissymmetry. Optimization results are this time a clear improvement compared to the original machine.


OBJECTIVE
Thermal sensation and the physiological responses of women (follicular phase) exposed to 17 degrees C immersion for 120 minutes were investigated.

METHODS
The subjects were divided into 2 groups by percent body fat (low fat [LF] = 21% +/- 2% [mean +/- SD] vs high fat [HF] = 30% +/- 3%). A 2-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between the groups in metabolism, metabolism derived from carbohydrate, metabolism derived from fat, blood glucose, rectal temperature, skin temperature, and thermal sensation.

RESULTS
As anticipated, pooled metabolism increased across the 120-minute immersion. Metabolism derived from carbohydrate was significantly higher in the LF than in the HF group and increased across time. Blood glucose decreased significantly across time, yet there was no group difference, suggesting that the LF group may have utilized a greater proportion of intramuscular glycogen. The HF group demonstrated a higher rectal temperature compared to their LF counterparts. Overall, rectal temperature demonstrated a group x time interaction as immersion continued. However, rectal temperature for all subjects remained above 35 degrees C. Surprisingly, the HF group perceived significantly greater thermal discomfort than did their LF counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS
Since intramuscular glycogen utilization is associated with shivering thermogenesis, the suspected greater utilization of this fuel by the LF group may have contributed to less thermal discomfort than in the HF group. However, since glycogen utilization was not directly measured, this speculation cannot be validated. It is also possible that the modified thermal sensation scale we used may not be an adequate marker of thermal discomfort in females with a high percentage of body fat (28% to 35%) exposed to cold water immersion.


My intention in writing this article is to illustrate how I engage with the process of orienting to the meaning of pedagogy by inquiring into several moments in my life where I am able to fully experience its (moment)um. I begin this phenomenological inquiry by plunging into my experience on a teeter-totter as a young child, and use the sense of ups and downs as a metaphor for the tensions of weight and weightlessness, comfort and challenge that characterize the pedagogical world. I then attempt to gain a more perceptual understanding of pedagogy by narrowing in on the suspended moment, which becomes a metaphor for the pedagogical moments of support , vulnerability , and opening that emanate from this tension. In these particular moments, I am able to dwell in the spaces in-between my everyday ups and downs and become existentially conscious and pedagogically connected to the world around me. By metaphorically connecting each of these moments to my teeter-totter experience, I illustrate how embracing the tensions of life and allowing myself to dwell in a suspended moment, deepens my perceptual understanding of pedagogy and influences my current pedagogical practice as a new teacher and master's student.


PDZ motifs are modular protein–protein interaction domains, consisting of 80–120 amino acid residues, whose function appears to be the direction of intracellular proteins to multiprotein complexes. In skeletal muscle, there are a few known PDZ-domain proteins, which include neuronal nitric oxide synthase and syntrophin, both of which are components of the dystrophin complex, and actinin-associated LIM protein, which binds to the spectrin-like repeats of α-actinin-2. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a new skeletal muscle protein containing a PDZ domain that binds to the COOH-terminal region of α-actinin-2. This novel 31-kD protein is specifically expressed in heart and skeletal muscle. Using antibodies produced to a fragment of the protein, we can show its location in the sarcomere at the level of the Z-band by immunoelectron microscopy. At least two proteins, 32 kD and 78 kD, can be detected by Western blot analysis of both heart and skeletal muscle, suggesting the existence of alternative forms of the protein. In fact, several forms were found that appear to be the result of alternative splicing. The transcript coding for this Z-band alternatively spliced PDZ motif (ZASP) protein maps on chromosome 10q22.3-10q23.2, near the locus for infantile-onset spinocerebellar ataxia.


The effect of seed inoculation by Mycorrhiza and different levels of phosphorus fertilizer on growth and yield of sunflower (Azargol cultivar) was studied in experiment farm of Islamic Azad University, Pars Abad Moghan Branch during 2010 growing season. The experiment treatments were arranged in factorial based on a complete randomized block design with three replications. Four phosphorus fertilizer levels of 25%, 50% 75% and 100% P recommended with two levels of Mycorrhiza: with and without Mycorrhiza (control) were assigned in a factorial combination. Results showed that head diameter, number of seeds per head, seed yield and oil yield were significantly higher in inoculated plants than in non-inoculated plants. Head diameter, number of seeds per head, 1000 seeds weight, biological yield, seed yield and oil yield were increased with increasing P level above 75% P recommended in non-inoculated plants, whereas no significant difference was observed between 75% and 100% P recommended. The positive effect of mycorrhizal inoculation decreased with increasing P levels due to decreased percent root colonization at higher P levels. According to the results of this experiment, application of mycorrhiza in present of 50% P recommended had an appropriate performance and could increase seed yield and oil production to an acceptable level, so it could be considered as a suitable substitute for chemical phosphorus fertilizer in organic agricultural systems.


An important aspect in providing high performance distributed systems such as multimedia systems is the combined use of hardware and software in the end systems. System design techniques should allow hardware/software co-design to integrate both means of implementation. In this paper, we show how the standardized formal language Estelle can be used to facilitate co-design. The system will rst be designed in Estelle. At the point in time of nal decision on which parts to implement in software and which in hardware, the original speciication will be split into several partial speciications. The software parts are translated into C code, while the hardware parts are translated into VHDL code for further analysis and development. We present a tool environment which supports the protocol developer 1 2 in the design and implementation process. A simple Video-on-Demand example shows the usefulness of the tool environment.


This Essay argues the shortcomings of a debt-based market solution to the problem of global refugee responsibility sharing, shortcomings that originate in the fact of widespread xenophobia, and the legal fiction of state sovereignty. In Competing for Refugees: A Market-Based Solution to a Humanitarian Crisis, Joseph Blocher and Mitu Gulati argue that global refugee admissions would be improved if refugee-receiving countries could enforce "refugee debt" against refugees' countries of origin for each refugee admitted by the receiving countries. This Essay responds to that proposal, simultaneously addressing themes of general and significant importance in international refugee scholarship.Fact and Fiction's first contribution is to bring important nuance to the problem of refugee admissions that has implications for the success of refugee debt in solving the global refugee admission deficit. This nuance concerns who the priority targets of a proposal such as refugee debt ought to be in light of global displacement trends. I show why — if equity and sustainability concerns are taken into account — the priority targets of a proposal to increase refugee admissions are countries in the global north. Thereafter I argue that the problem of xenophobia — especially in the global north — makes it highly unlikely that the changes in rational incentives at the heart of refugee debt would result in a corresponding increase in refugee admissions. Identifying this efficacy concern is the second contribution of this essay.The final contribution of Fact and Fiction it to challenge the normative appeal of the world that refugee debt would create. I show how the legal fiction of state sovereignty, which operates centrally in the refugee debt concept, interacts with the geopolitics of refugee displacement to generate counterproductive consequences. Holding refugees' countries of nationality solely liable and culpable for refugee displacement ignores the reality that refugee displacement often implicates multiple sovereigns. This creates a complex accountability matrix within which liability and culpability cannot fall solely on the territorial sovereign. I argue that refugee debt risks reproduction of the very dynamic that compromises global refugee protection today: global south countries would continue disproportionate-ly to bear the cost of global refugee protection, while hegemons in the north would escape liability for (and perhaps even profit from) their direct involvement in producing refugee displacement.


We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array maps of the starless molecular cloud core Ophiuchus/H-MM1 in the lines of deuterated ammonia (ortho- ), methanol ( ), and sulfur monoxide (SO). The dense core is seen in emission, whereas the and SO distributions form a halo surrounding the core. Because methanol is formed on grain surfaces, its emission highlights regions where desorption from grains is particularly efficient. Methanol and sulfur monoxide are most abundant in a narrow zone that follows the eastern side of the core. This side is sheltered from the stronger external radiation field coming from the west. We show that photodissociation on the illuminated side can give rise to an asymmetric methanol distribution but that the stark contrast observed in H-MM1 is hard to explain without assuming enhanced desorption on the shaded side. The region of the brightest emission has a wavy structure that rolls up at one end. This is the signature of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability occurring in sheared flows. We suggest that in this zone, methanol and sulfur are released as a result of grain–grain collisions induced by shear vorticity.


This article observes the legalized character of the phenomenon popularly called "globalization." We examine what it means to be a legalized phenomenon, and observe that an important part of legalization is legitimation. In domestic legal regimes, legitimation is accomplished through the Rule of Law which makes certain claims about the nature of the society of which the legal regime is a part. In the international trading system of which globalization is the legalized regime, the legitimizing role is played by Ricardo's so-called Law of comparative advantage. This globalized legitimation, similar to domestic legitimation, makes certain claims about the nature of the system of which it is a part. We examine what features of globalization are supported by the Law of comparative advantage, and note how the legitimating role of that Law conceals the true nature of those features. We note that comparative advantage requires that both capital and labor be immobile and that, absent that dual mobility, WTO reliance upon the Law of comparative advantage seems foolish. We also note that comparative advantage requires that technology be freely transportable and that attempts such as TRIPS (paradoxically premised upon comparative advantage) to internationalize intellectual property and erect barriers to its free transport violate this fundamental principle in a similarly foolish manner. Unsurprisingly, the features we examine, contrary to their express claims, produce disastrous global resource disparities. We conclude that it is the legitimizing functions of the Law of comparative advantage that allows globalization to proceed in this manner while claiming to do the opposite. The legitimizing function of the global regime thus prevents a true understanding of globalization's nature. The Law of comparative advantage, in its rule-based legalism, condemns opponents, almost by definition, as lawless anarchists. But more progressive opposition must be seen as legitimate, as a traditionally Left effort to protect the weak and to oppose rules that owe their legitimacy only to the fact that they have been posited, without regard to whether they truly benefit a global citizenry. Much of globalization relies on intellectual incoherence, and the cause of Internationalism (certainly not globalization) deserves something more than that.


Penecontemporaneous folds, lineations, foliation, and fold interference patterns are found in part of the Pigeon Point Formation, a turbidite sequence occurring along the central California coast. These structures are associated with slumped sheets, and they formed while the rocks were largely unlithified. The foliation, which is commonly roughly axial planar to folds, is clearly shown in the hinges of slump folds and is defined by preferred alignment of inequant grains and silt-sand domains, the latter having formed from disrupted bedding laminae. Models that attempt to explain the genesis of penecontemporaneous foliation involve simple load compaction superimposed on pre-existing slump folds (model 1) or rotation of grains facilitated by slump folding (model 2). Evidence from this study indicates that a modified version of model 2 is commonly active. It is suggested that a critical content of interstitial water is necessary, whereby sufficient water pressure can build to decrease grain cohesion and induce liquefaction of layers. Further compaction in the hinge areas of slump folds then expels water during slumping such that preferred alignment of silt-sand domains and inequant grains is facilitated. All three of the basic fold interference patterns normally attributed to "hard rock" folding occur in these slumped sheets and, along with foliation and related structures, strongly resemble features generated by tectonic movement. These structures can persist into the higher metamorphic grades, where they may be misidentified as evidence for early repeated folding. In this case, the structural history of that part of the orogen may be reported as more complicated than it actually is.


While it has been established that imprisonment can have unintended consequences for prisoners, the unintended consequences of imprisonment for others, e.g. their romantic partners, have been severely neglected in the academic discourse. Consequently, there is a lack of knowledge on prisoners' partners and the ways that imprisonment may affect their lives. Using data from the Prison Project, this dissertation outlined a detailed profile of a population of female partners of male Dutch prisoners by studying their demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural and criminal characteristics. When we compared the characteristics of the prisoners and their partners, we found strong partner similarity. Prisoners and their partners are similarly educated and have a high similarity for a history of drug addiction and arrest. The largest partner resemblance was found for drug use and religion. This dissertation, moreover, examined the consequences of imprisonment for the social surroundings and wellbeing of partners of prisoners, using a longitudinal quantitative design. Firstly, it was found that most partners of prisoners experience negative reactions about the imprisonment and that they most often experience them from neighbours and family and least often from friends and family in law. Partners of prisoners experience more negative reactions if the prisoner was imprisoned for an offence from the least serious category, if the prisoner was previously imprisoned, and if the partner has a second stigmatising quality, such as receiving welfare or being in debt. Secondly, it was found that most partners of prisoners experience a change in social contacts after the start of the imprisonment. The changes in social contacts differ between network groups; while prisoners' partners' contact with their family most often increases, their contact with family in law, friends and neighbours most often decreases. These changes in social contact are related to the experienced negative reactions by partners of prisoners. If partners of prisoners experience negative reactions from family, family in law, friends or neighbours, their contact with these groups decreases. Moreover, cross-relationships were found; if partners of prisoners experience negative reactions from family, their contact with their friends increases and vice versa. This points to the importance of contact with family and friends in difficult times. Finally, this study identified factors that determine how imprisonment affects the development of the wellbeing of partners of prisoners. This dissertation examined the effects of factors from its previous empirical chapters, such as experiencing negative reactions, on the development of the wellbeing of prisoners' partners. It was found that for partners of prisoners, experiencing a deterioration in their financial situation has a negative effect on the development of their wellbeing. Moreover, experiencing an improvement in their financial situation and experiencing more peace and quiet at home positively affect the change that partners of prisoners experience in their wellbeing. This study thereby shows that changes in the wellbeing of partners of prisoners are not only a matter of changes in economic circumstances.


Feminists and other scholars have debated theoretically what exactly is being purchased in the prostitution transaction and whether sex can be `a service like any other', but they have scarcely tackled these questions empirically. This article draws upon field observations of and interviews with male clients of commercial sex-workers and state agents entrusted with regulating them to probe the meanings given to different types of commercial sexual exchange. Manifested by client arrests and re-education, vehicle impoundment, stricter laws on underage prostitution and the possession of child pornography, recent state efforts to problematize male sexuality throughout the USA and Western Europe have been developed alongside an increasingly unbridled ethic of sexual consumption, as evidenced by soaring demand for pornography, strip clubs, lap-dancing, escorts, telephone sex and `sex tours' in developing countries. By situating commercial sexual exchange within the broader context of post-industrial transformations of culture and sexuality, we can begin to unravel this paradox.


This paper considers the circumstance in which EU and third-country nationals may have their professional qualifications recognised under and in accordance with EU law. The analysis is structured as follows. First, it considers the principle underlying the recognition of qualifications in the single market, namely the principle of mutual recognition. It then outlines the different conceptions of mutual recognition which have been adopted for the purposes of facilitating the recognition of qualifications in the Single Market as a background to the current law, namely Parliament and Council Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications, as amended. The Recognition Directive is then addressed and discussed in detail. It considers the effects the application of the Recognition Directive has on regulated professions and the circumstances in which third-country nationals might benefit from the terms of the Recognition Directive.


Using the traditional method of calculating the dynamic balance of mechanical design optimization, the efficiency is not high and the calculation process is complex, and it's also prone to miscalculation. Pro/E behavior modeling allows designers greater control over the size of components to meet design requirements. In this article, the author try to solve a typical problem of balancing mechanical part through the use of Pro/E behavior modeling techniques. A new research and practice of Pro/E module to optimize the design of behavioral modeling is explored and practised.


Industry is now aware of the need for sustainable decision making and is being forced to meet newly imposed targets by legislation. To date, however, there has been no widely accepted methodology that enables stakeholders collectively to balance competing interests. As a proven decision-making framework that can be conducted throughout a project's life cycles, value management holds a strategic position in incorporating sustainability issues into investment decisions. As a process, value management requires key stakeholders to consider all the issues surrounding a project as well as to identify and examine all the engineering options available to them by considering their impact on the triple bottom line plus one, in other words socially, economically, environmentally and politically. However, its potential has not been fully realised by academics and practitioners. Through four case studies this paper demonstrates how value management has been successfully applied to community development projects as a catalyst for embedding a culture of sustainable decision making in both small- and large-scale projects, ranging from physical infrastructure to community capacity building. From the case studies presented it is evident that a value management framework has the potential to be the standard methodology for sustainable decision making.


The SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) problem is one of the essential challenges for the current robotics. Our main objective in this work is to develop a real-time visual SLAM system using monocular omnidirectional vision. Our approach is based on the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). We use the Spherical Camera Model to obtain geometric information from the images. This model is integrated in the EKF-based SLAM through the linearization of the direct and the inverse projections. We introduce a new computation of the descriptor patch for catadioptric omnidirectional cameras which aims to reach rotation and scale invariance. We perform experiments with omnidirectional images comparing this new approach with the conventional one. The experimentation confirms that our approach works better with omnidirectional cameras since features last longer and constructed maps are bigger


A 15-month-old girl presents for evaluation of macrocephaly and unusual facial features. Her prenatal and natal history are unremarkable. The child is now developing normally after mild gross motor delays during the first 6 months of life. Mild scoliosis was noted on a babygram taken at 8 months during an evaluation for possible nonaccidental trauma.


: The OASI eligibility provisions include a retirement test (or earnings test), and in 1979 aged beneficiaries who are under age 72 give up $1 in current benefits for each $2 of annual earnings above $4,500. If the retirement test were eliminated, total OASI payouts would increase because aged workers would no longer forfeit benefits. Aged workers also might increase earnings or delay retirement if this penalty on work effort were removed. Increased earnings would generate additional OASDHI taxes and individual income taxes. This article examines the fiscal effects on OASI benefit payouts and increased tax receipts if the retirement test were eliminated.