This thesis reports a qualitative study undertaken to explore the experiences of adults who grew up with a parent with a severe and enduring mental ill health. It fills a significant gap in the research literature in that it examines an experience that has been previously underexplored. It also provides a lifespan perspective, which gives insight into the impact on the individual and their understanding of their experiences through childhood and into their adult life.

The study uses a biographical method in order to elicit rich narratives from 20 individuals. When analysed through a combination of narrative and thematic methods, these narratives give insight into lived experiences and reveal how perceptions and needs shift throughout childhood and into adulthood.

Participants spoke of a sense of vulnerability, which threaded through the course of their lives influencing, and at times, defining significant points such as going to school, leaving home and becoming a parent. This vulnerability affected their relationships both within their family and with the world around them. Constructing an identity for themselves, participants developed a projected self that appeared competent, compliant and resilient. However, at times, this was built upon a flawed model of understanding and emotion, which is developed here into a model of acquiescence, within which the individual's needs are subjugated in response to others.

Participants did not regret remaining with their ill parent, but were frustrated that while they had been very involved in their parent's illness, their needs had not been considered nor had they been included in the care planning for their parent in a meaningful or genuine manner. Thus, support for children growing up with a parent with mental ill health needs to be readily accessible and responsive to their individual needs throughout not only childhood, but also continuing into adulthood.


The main objective of seed coating technology using polymers is to improve the physical, physiological and sanitary characteristics of seed performance. The objectives of the present study were to determine: the plantability of corn seeds treated with insecticide, fungicide and graphite, covered with a film coating; the dust retention on treated corn seeds; and the leaching of applied products on corn seeds covered by a film coating. Seed plantability was determined by counting the skips and double seeds; dust was determined by using fiberglass paper in mg.100 g-1 of seeds; and the leaching was determined by collecting the material leached in a 10 cm layer of sand after irrigation. The following conclusions were made: seeds covered with film coating effectively reduce skips and double seeds; film coating effectively  reduces the formation of dust from the seeds; film coated seeds minimize the leaching of the insecticide applied in seed treatment; and there are differences in effectiveness related to film coating type and dosage.


Dimethyl ether (DME) can be synthesized from natural gas and is suited for use as an automotive fuel since it forms a liquid at normal temperatures and low pressures. DME is usable as fuel of the diesel engine because the cetane number of DME is almost same as that of diesel oil. In addition, by partially improving the fuel injection system of a diesel engine, an engine powered by DME can achieve the same performance and specific fuel consumption as the base diesel engine. Because DME is pure substance with constant fuel composition, in comparison with the diesel oil, DME can control dispersion of ignition timing and can prevent the deterioration of after-treatment device caused by the sulfur component. And also for fuel characteristics of DME which has no carbon-carbon bond with oxygenated fuel, it generates virtually zero PM emissions, which eliminates the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Moreover, DME has a low carbon content (carbon/hydrogen ratio: 0.33), and produces less CO2 during its production than diesel synthesized from natural gas by the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process. This paper describes the results obtained from DME vehicles developed under the national project named EFV21, the public road testing program, the progress of studies into draft technical standards, the outlook for the production and supply of DME fuel, and the strategy for popularizing vehicles fueled by DME in the future. Key-Words: Alternative Fuel, DME, Emission, Engine Performance, Truck, NOx Emission, PM


This study examines the connectedness and time-frequency correlation of price volatility across the Chinese stock market and major commodity markets. This paper applies a DCC-GARCH-based volatility connectedness model and the cross-wavelet transform to examine the transmission of risk patterns in these markets before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as the leading lag relationship and synergistic movements between different time domains. First, the findings of the DCC-GARCH connectedness model show dynamic total spillovers are stronger after the COVID-19 outbreak. Chinese stocks and corn have been net spillovers in the system throughout the sample period, but the Chinese market plays the role of a net receiver of volatility relative to other markets (net pairwise directional connectedness) in the system as a whole. In terms of wavelet results, there is some connection to the connectedness results, with all commodity markets, except soybeans and wheat, showing significant dependence on Chinese equities in the medium/long term following the COVID-19 outbreak. Secondly, the medium-to long-term frequency of the crude oil market and copper market are highly dependent on the Chinese stock market, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, the copper market is the main source of risk for the Chinese stock market, while the wheat market sends the least shocks to the Chinese stock market. The findings of this paper will have a direct impact on a number of important decisions made by investors and policymakers.


Leveraged and inverse ETFs, which promise to deliver two or three times the return of a specified benchmark (in a positive or a negative fashion) on a daily basis, have become a fast-growing innovation in the ETF industry. In this article, a sample of 40 inverse and 28 leveraged ETFs belonging to Proshares family is examined to see how frequently these ETF types deliver their stated multiple, finding that they basically fail to meet their daily target. We then search whether there is any significant day-of-the-week effect on the effort of Proshares to achieve their investment goal. The results indicate that the discrepancy between the actual return and the predefined multiple is smaller on Wednesday. In the last step, we compare Proshares to regular ETFs tracking the same indexes, at first taking into account the daily volume, trading frequency, and expense ratios. The results demonstrate that the leveraged ETF market is less liquid than the regular ETF market (less volume and trading frequency) while the leveraged and inverse ETFs are more expensive than their regular counterparts. Secondly, we compare return and risk of Proshares and regular ETFs, taking into consideration the return and risk of the indexes as well. The findings show that, on average, the inverse ETFs underperform their regular ETF competitors and the corresponding indexes while they are more risky than them. On the other hand, the results of the study provide weak evidence that the leveraged ETFs, on average, outperform the regular ETFs and the indexes but they are more hazardous.


In Global Perspectives on Income Taxation Law, Reuven Avi-Yonah, Nicola Sartori, and Omri Marian cover basic, corporate and international tax law from a comparative perspective. The book both supplements readings in US tax law courses and serves as a textbook for a comparative tax law class. The book starts with a theoretical analysis of the field of comparative tax law. It then follows the usual order of topics covered in a basic tax course as taught in most U.S. law schools, and for each topic, the authors highlight possible alternatives or policy choices. The authors frequently consider the U.S. approach as a benchmark, comparing it with approaches used in other countries which form an interesting contrast, or a telling similarity. They consider the multiple purposes of studying comparative tax law: helping to advance successful tax reforms, cultural understanding, political values, legal harmonization, and a better understanding of domestic tax laws. Available in OSO: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/law/9780195321357/toc.html


A non-expanded theory is used for dispersion potentials between atoms and ions dissolved in a medium. The first-order dispersion interaction between two atoms in an excited state must account for the fact that the two atoms are coupled via the electromagnetic field and must include effects from background media, retardation and finite size. We show that finite-size corrections when two particles are close change the dispersion interactions in water by several orders of magnitude. We consider as four illustrative examples helium atoms, krypton atoms, phosphate ions, and iodide ions. We demonstrate that, due to large cancellation effects, retardation dominates the interaction for helium atom pairs in an isotropic excited state down to the very small atom-atom separations where finite-size corrections are also important.


This paper highlights the results of bioclimatic-envelope modeling of whiptail lizards belonging to the Aspidoscelis tesselata species group and related species. We utilized five species distribution models (SDM) including Generalized Linear Model, Random Forest, Boosted Regression Tree, Maxent and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines to develop the present day distributions of the species based on climate-driven models alone. We then projected future distributions of whiptails using data from four climate models run according to two greenhouse gas concentration scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). Results of A. tesselata species group suggested that climate change will negatively affect the bioclimatic habitat and distribution of some species, while projecting gains in suitability for others. Furthermore, when the species group was analyzed together, climate projections changed for some species compared to when they were analyzed alone, suggesting significant loss of syntopic areas where suitable climatic conditions for more than two species would persist. In other words, syntopy within members of the species group will be drastically reduced according to future bioclimatic suitability projections in this study.


Processing and performance of medium density fibreboards (MDF) with 12 mm thickness and 700 kg/m 3 density made of oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres (OPEFB) were studied in this project. OPEFB MDFs were made and tested using 12% of urea formaldehyde resin as the binder, 3% ammonium chloride as the hardener and 1% of wax. The samples were produced by using a hot press machine with three levels of pressure (130, 110 and 90 bar) and total pressing time (7, 8 and 9 min). Nine samples of OPEFB MDF were made with two replicates for each different setting of pressure and pressing time. The OPEFB MDF properties evaluated were modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bond (IB), thickness swell (TS), and water absorption (WA). A good result of MOR, IB and TS occurred at 90 bar of pressure and pressing time of 7 min. Pressure at 110 bar and pressing time of 7 min give the best result for MOE and good result for WA. The effects of changing pressure and pressing time on the press machine were significant in producing OPEFB MDF on the MOE, MOR, IB, TS, and WA.


Today it is clear that Virtual Products affect users in various dimensions from the activation of sensory mechanisms, the cognitive dimension, the execution of various temporary micro-processes of interaction, the way in which they transfer information until the experiences generated on them. Through the observation of the interaction processes carried out by a group of users on a website with a specific use in a learning environment and with the assignment of a task., There were detected at the end of the interaction the following factors: 1. People consciously described their experience accurately. 2) The activation of three dominant sensory mechanisms and their relationship with the emotional responses., The responses were derived from the experience. Networks were used to display and describe the information. The intention of these studies is to analyze how emotional responses are systemically related during the interaction processes of a person with virtual objects.


Developments in specialist acute care should lead to better quality of care for patients.

"Over the past few years there has been a growing realisation that there is a need for a senior medical presence in Medical Assessment and Admission units (MAUs). This has been manifest by the large number of appointments that have been made to MAUs at Consultant and other levels".1 A significant point in the development of acute medicine was marked on 3 July 2003. It was the day when the Specialist Training Authority recognised acute medicine as a sub-specialty of general (internal) medicine (G(I)M) and subsequently trainees have been appointed to specialist registrar programmes for higher training in both G(I)M and acute medicine. The development of acute medicine however has a much longer history.

There was a time when all physicians were expected to be competent in both the immediate and subsequent management of all common medical disorders, and thus were general physicians. However, fascination with the disorders of particular organ systems resulted in many clinicians developing more specific expertise and becoming "specialists". Formalisation of medical training in the 1970s defined specialty training, and facilitated the development of the physician with special interest in a particular specialty. With specialisation came the development of specialist societies and many physicians became more committed to their specialties than to the generalities of the acute intake. The creation of specialties within medicine should have raised concerns about the ability of specialists in one specialty to deliver the best care to patients suffering from the acute disorders of another specialty, but as the physicians involved in the acute intake practised general medicine as well as their specialty, it was assumed that acute medical care in all situations could still be delivered by all physicians. Acute medicine thus remained part of …


Background: Subungual splinter hemorrhage (SSH) is a common nail disorder and is difficult to differentiate from other nail diseases because of their similar characteristics. The epidemiological study of SSH is lacking and it is unclear whether SSH needs treatment or not. Aims: The aims of this study were to observe the clinical characteristics of SSH of toenails in Chinese adults and to provide a reference for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with SSH. Materials and Methods: We collected and followed up 63 SSH patients who were diagnosed through dermoscopic examination. The clinical and dermoscopic characteristics, disease course, and recovery results were recorded. Data sets were analyzed through the use of SPSS 16.0. Literature concerning SSH were reviewed and compared with the results in this study. Results: Sixty-three SSH patients were included with an age range of 17–58 years. Nearly 93.7% of SSH patients occurred in the right, left, or right and left first toenails; 66.7% of SSH patients occurred only in one toenail; there were 60.3% of SSH patients with a clear stimulus causing it and 31.8% of SSH patients with five types of comorbidities. The common characteristics of dermoscopy showed a reddish brown or brown stain with a clear boundary visible under the nail in which the color gradually faded outward from the center, with no blue or white structure. After following up for 24 weeks, the disappearance of hemorrhage was observed in 95.2% of SSH patients. For the recovered SSH patients, data analysis showed no significant difference in the course of SSH in males and females (P = 0.645); the statistical analysis showed that there was no significant correlation (r2 = −0.002) between age and course in recovered SSH patients (P = 0.986). Conclusions: It is unnecessary to do any special treatment during the 1st year. Measures ought to be taken for SSH patients if the course of the disease exceeds more than 1 year.


The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government.


The year 2021 marked the 40th anniversary of the so-called 23F, or the February 23, 1981, military coup d'état attempt that threatened democracy in Spain after the end of Francoism. In the last four decades, the canonical narrative about this event has been based on televisual images recorded in two main locations: the Congress, where a group of military men tried to seize power, and Zarzuela Palace, where King Juan Carlos I gave a speech supporting democracy. Radio Televisión Española (RTVE), then a monopolistic enterprise, captured and broadcast these events. This article analyzes the ways in which RTVE, a public service broadcaster (PSB), has managed this collective patrimony. Hence, it scrutinizes the role of PSBs and how they have evolved into digitally centered public service media. It compares RTVE's coverage and positioning in the contemporary digital mediascape with other audiovisual materials in the ongoing 23F narrations. For that purpose, it details the available contents on RTVE's website to determine how they are organized. Complementarily, it examines how 23F exists on YouTube to study alternative networks of exchange.


A cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) dispersion, the copolymer of acrylamide (AM) and acryloyloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC), has been synthesized through dispersion polymerization in aqueous ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) solution. The polymerization was initiated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and ferrisulfas (FeSO4) using poly(dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) (PDMDAAC) as the stabilizer. At the optimal reaction conditions, the relative molecular weight of the CPAM dispersion was 4.2×106, its charge density was 2.2 mmol·g-1, its average particle size was 6.01 μm, and its stability and dissolvability were both excellent. The CPAM dispersion was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Results indicated that the copolymerization was successful.


My recent compositional work consists of installed sound environments and pieces for performance by ensembles, soloists, and machines. Throughout my research period I have proposed musical and sonic art works as fields of and for phenomenological inquiry and reflection. From this perspective, my pieces become sites for enacting environmental encounters that unfold around listeners. These circumstances problematize the certainty of subject and object within aural and aesthetic experiences of sound situations. This commentary surveys material and thought processes in my recent compositional work and accompanies a portfolio of works from my research period to comprise my submission for partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

In the opening of this text to follow I review and contextualize key technical areas within my material and compositional processes of my portfolio work. Three main areas of research and their outcomes within specific pieces are considered in Chapter 1. First, a permutational and parametric technique for composing patterned musical material is discussed. Following this, I examine and contextualize sculptural approaches to temporality in recent works. Finally, I consider applications of indeterminacy at several structural levels within my recent pieces.

In Chapter 2, I discuss the conceptual development of my research and portfolio work, locating my own strands of inquiry and contributions to thought and practice within contemporary and historical practices in music and the sonic arts. I consider key sources of inspiration from visual art, perceptual psychology, and philosophy. Developing this, I demonstrate how phenomenological activity underlies, has developed within, or assists in my reflection upon the outcomes of my compositional and experimental strategies.

Chapter 3 offers further commentary on each piece within my portfolio submission. I then conclude with Chapter 4 by proposing further developments for my research and future compositional projects.


Studies of the Sendai virus haemagglutinin receptor on the human erythrocyte surface have confirmed that it involves 2 +3 linked sialic acid. Because the primary specificity of Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase is for this linkage, it is able to compete with the virus for the receptor, to which it adsorbs strongly at low temperatures. Corynebacterium diphtheriae neuraminidase, whose principal specificity is for a sialic acid linkage other than 2 +3, does not easily remove Sendai virus receptors, nor does it adsorb to the erythrocyte surface. A new definition of the term 'receptordestroying enzyme' is given which takes both enzyme and virus specificity into account, and a modified assay method is suggested in order to overcome the problems due to enzyme adsorption.


The Kangdian iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) metallogenic province contains a number of economically important Fe-Cu deposits in South China and northern Vietnam. Due to the lack of precise mineralization ages, the metallogenesis of this province has long been a matter of debate. In this study, molybdenite Re-Os, pyrite Re-Os, and Rb-Sr isotope methods are used to date the Yinachang and E'touchang Fe-Cu deposits in the central part of this province. Fine-grained (<0.1 mm) molybdenite occurs as veinlets along bandings or fractures of magnetite ores and hydrothermal veins in the Yinachang deposit. Molybdenite separates from magnetite ores have highly reproducible Re-Os model ages of 1654 ± 7 Ma, whereas those from hydrothermal veins have a much younger Re-Os model age of 1451 ± 6 Ma. Euhedral pyrite grains occur locally along foliations of hematite ores and their proximal alteration assemblages in the E'touchang deposit. Pyrite separates have an Re-Os isochron age of 1487 ± 110 Ma and a single-grain Rb-Sr isochron age of 1453 ± 28 Ma, both of which are compatible with the molybdenite Re-Os age of hydrothermal veins from the Yinachang deposit. The molybdenite age of magnetite ores is in good agreement with zircon U-Pb ages of dolerite intrusions in the region, and is considered to represent the timing of a major ore formation event at ~1655 Ma. The younger Re-Os and Rb-Sr ages likely record a secondary hydrothermal overprint event at ~1450 Ma, which has not been recognized before. The mineralization potential and implications of this event need to be investigated in future studies. Our new isotopic data set hence demonstrates that the Kangdian IOCG deposits were likely formed at ~1655 Ma, synchronous with the late Paleoproterozoic intracontinental rifting event of the western Yangtze block.


Hibiscus sabdariffa is a non-timber-forest-plant (NTFP) that has the potential of producing fibers good in paper-making. Germination and growth potentials of H. sabdariffa under farmland, fallowland, plantation and forest ecosystems were studied. Seeds of H. sabdariffa were sown to assess germination percentage, germination rate, germination time and velocity coefficient on established plots of each ecosystem. Seedlings were randomly selected to measure growth and yield parameters of height, diameter, leaf number, fresh and dry weights. Data were subjected to ANOVA and means separated by LSD at P = 0.05. Values of germination percentage for fallowland (17.5) were significantly different from those of farmland (19.4) and plantation (19.1) ecosystems, while natural forest (18.9) had an interactive significance with farmland, plantation and fallowland. There was no significant difference between germination times among the ecosystems, but the coefficient velocity and rate of germination among the ecosystems were significantly different. There was a significant variation in growth and yield values among the ecosystems. However, only seedlings on farmland and fallowland survived with a survival rate of 96 to 86%, respectively. H. sabdariffa can thus, be sustainably regenerated on farmland and fallowland ecosystems for the extraction of stem fibres for paper-making.

 Key words: Non-timber-forest-plants, fibres, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ecosystems, growth, germination, yeild, regeneration, sustainability.


In a problem solving environment (PSE), a scientific workflow management system (SWMS) provides a meta environment for managing activities and data in scientific experiments, for prototyping experimental computing systems and for orchestrating the runtime system behaviour. The realisation of a SWMS is often driven by domain specific applications and thus is at application level. Investigating the common characteristics in domain specific SWMSs and encapsulating them in a generic framework improve the reusability of the SWMS components and reduce the costs for introducing an e-science framework in a new science domain. In this position paper, we present our research in an ongoing project: virtual laboratory for e-science (VL-e). In the VL-e project, we are building a generic e-science framework which would support scientists from different domains to share their knowledge and to perform specific experiments. We summarise the lessons we have learned from a previous VL-e implementation, and discuss the plan for improving the quality of the SWMS support in the VL-e framework.


Two cell lines, RTL‐W1 and R1, from rainbow trout liver were used to investigate the effects of benzo[A]pyrene (BaP). BaP induced a catalytic measure of CYP1A, 7‐ethoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase (EROD) activity, in the rainbow trout liver cell line RTL‐W1 but not in R1. Geldanamycin inhibited EROD induction by BaP. Potential BaP metabolites, BaP‐7,8‐dihydrodiol (BDP) and 6,12‐BaP quinone (BQ) also induced EROD activity in RTL‐W1. Very low BaP concentrations slightly stimulated cell proliferation in both cell lines. Higher BaP concentrations caused cytotoxicity in RTL‐W1 but not in R1. Cytotoxicity was detected in a cell viability assay with 5‐carboxyfluorescein diacetate acetoxymethyl ester, and as a decline in cell number. In both cell lines, BaP exposure impaired the reduction of the redox dye, alamar Blue (AB). After BaP removal, AB reduction recovered. Similar results were observed with BQ. As AB monitors metabolic activity, this novel phenomenon was termed transitory metabolic disruption. This decline in AB readings that was caused by BaP was ameliorated in RTL‐W1 by α‐naphthoflavone and geldanamycin, which suggests a role for CYP1A, and in R1 by indomethacin, which suggests involvement of prostaglandin‐H‐synthase. The significance of the response to BaP that is detected with AB and whether other PAHs cause it will be interesting future questions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biochem Toxicol 14:262–276, 2000


We establish mild conditions under which a possibly irregular, sparse graph $G$ has "many" strong orientations. Given a graph $G$ on $n$ vertices, orient each edge in either direction with probability $1/2$ independently. We show that if $G$ satisfies a minimum degree condition of $(1+c_1)\log_2{n}$ and has Cheeger constant at least $c_2\frac{\log_2\log_2{n}}{\log_2{n}}$, then the resulting randomly oriented directed graph is strongly connected with high probability. This Cheeger constant bound can be replaced by an analogous spectral condition via the Cheeger inequality. Additionally, we provide an explicit construction to show our minimum degree condition is tight while the Cheeger constant bound is tight up to a $\log_2\log_2{n}$ factor.


PFI has successfully transformed the management of public sector construction projects by minimising construction risks and delivering projects with higher certainty in the price, cost, quality, and client satisfaction than is with the counterpart traditional approach. However, this has not entirely met the expectations of the procuring authorities or that of the government due to lack of consistency in achieving the desired and planned value for money. The analysis of case studies and official reports reveal that uncertainties in value for money (vfm) progress through all stages of the project life. The fluctuating vfm trend is mainly caused by turbulent market conditions, changing policies, and frequent shifts in the client requirements. Although clients have little control over external factors, a prudent management of the requirements and shorter appraisal and approval periods could potentially reduce the degree of uncertainties and improve long-term vfm.


Abstract Colocated sensors and actuators offer significant robustness and design benefits in distributed parameter vibration control. The concept of colocation is extended here to distributed transducers, and combinations of distributed and discrete transducers, affixed to self-adjoint distributed plants. It is shown that sensors and actuators are colocated only when they have both physically coincident spatial apertures and their "spatial derivative orders" are equal: these constraints are expressed mathematically as an integral equation, valid for multidimensional distributed plants. It is also shown that in satisfying these constraints the resulting transducer-augmented plant, if open-loop stable, is minimum phase. These results are demonstrated by a transducer placement study combining distributed piezoelectric actuators with both discrete and distributed sensors. Conditions under which various combinations of discrete and distributed devices are colocated are developed, with examples.


Traditional barcode scanners use analog edge detectors to detect the boundaries of dark and light areas. As long as the edge strength exceeds a given threshold, the detected edge is considered to correspond to a bar/space boundary. Such a hard decision often leads to errors, especially in scanning barcodes that are poorly printed or scanned from a distance. An earlier study showed that much better results can be obtained by working directly with samples of the analog data. However, that method requires storing the entire sampled waveform of a scan line in memory, which is not cost effective. The method described in the article attempts to combine the performance advantages of processing the samples of the analog waveform with the low-cost advantage of the traditional methods. We still rely on edge-detection circuits, however, in addition to saving the edge time we also store information about the edge strength. In this way, we have been able to produce many of the benefits of the approach described in Joseph and Pavlidis (1993) with only a small increase in cost.


The focus of this thesis is the aeroelastic dynamics of a rectangular cantilever wing with a NACA 0012 profile, whose base is free to rotate rigidly about a longitudinal axis. The wing is analytically modelled as part of a project to simulate the dynamics of an aeroelastic wind tunnel model. Structural geometric nonlinearities capture the essential effects of large deformation. The derivation closely follows common approaches from the literature, however new inertial terms arise from the kinematics of the added rigid body degree of freedom in pitch. Using an unsteady linear aerodynamics model, it is observed that the system undergoes coalescence flutter. The post-flutter behaviour is dictated by the structural geometric nonlinear terms which limit the oscillations to a limit cycle. Global sensitivity analysis is performed to study the effect of parametric uncertainty introduced by the rigid body base rotation on the flutter speed and associated frequency.


Seasonal influenza is a common, recurring respiratory disease that strikes with predictable regularity. Pandemic influenza is a rare, unpredictable occurrence. It occurs when a new influenza virus – to which humanity has no pre-existing immunity – appears. With nothing to contain it, a pandemic influenza virus can quickly spread to all parts of the world, causing a global epidemic. During the outbreaks of H5N1 influenza cases in 2006, it became clear to WHO Member States that a formal arrangement was needed to increase access to vaccines during influenza pandemics, particularly for countries in need. At the same time, Member States recognized that ongoing, systematic virus sharing was critical to ensuring continuous global monitoring and risk assessment and aid in developing safe and effective pandemic influenza vaccines. In 2007, Member States came together to start negotiating and interacting with industry, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders over the next 4 years to draft the PIP Framework.


Abstract The aim of the present research was to determine the basic composition of the organic compounds present in extracts from Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite of the honeybee. The total protein content was 9.16 ± 0.82 mg/100 mg of body weight, lipid content was 9.81 ± 1.99 mg/100 mg, and carbohydrate content was 26.67 ± 4.52 mg/100 mg. The triacylglycerol content was 2.40 ± 0.86 mg/100 mg and the cholesterol content was 0.14 ± 0.02 mg/100 mg. Thin layer chromatography indicated that phospholipids comprised the major part of the lipid component; cephalins (78%), cerebrosides (16%), and lecithins (6%) were identified in the phospholipid pool. Glucose (23.6 ± 4.52 mg/100 mg) was the main carbohydrate, followed by glycogen (5.43 ± 1.23 mg/100 mg) and trehalose (0.35 ± 0.07 mg/100 mg). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays detected two major glycogen metabolism enzymes, glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase. Among the enzymes metabolising disaccharides, maltase (24.7 ± 2.38 μmol/mg protein) and trehalase (14.81 ± 5.21 μmol/mg protein) presented the highest activity. Saccharose and lactose were hydrolysed to a minor extent. These are the first measurements of the basic composition of the mite body. Although these data are not exhaustive, they may serve as the basis for further research on the metabolism of V. destructor, particularly concerning lipid metabolism.


Dimethyl sulfate (DMS) and monomethyl sulfate (MMS) are potential genotoxic impurities created during synthesis of some active pharmaceutical ingredients. While there are a few methods to determine the genotoxic compound DMS, the determination of MMS has not been reported. Novel and sensitive methods to rapidly, simply and efficiently quantify both MMS and DMS impurities in API-salts to determine if patients could potentially meet the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC 1.5 μg per day) were developed and validated according to ICH guidelines. The extremely polar and charged analyte MMS was determined using LC-MS/MS based on reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography with no sample extraction required, and a 5 minute method run time. DMS was determined using liquid–liquid extraction using MTBE and analysed by GC-MS with a 6 minute method run time. These methods provide good recovery, accuracy, and precision over a wide concentration range (2 to 64 μg mL−1 for MMS and 0.1 to 20 μg mL−1 for DMS), which adequately cover the current threshold of toxicological concern.


In this paper, application of a piezoelectric vibration sensor to induction motor fault diagnostics is investigated. More specifically, a piezoelectric sensor is used to diagnose broken bar faults in squirrel-cage induction machines. The piezoelectric vibration sensor described in this paper offers a number of advantages when compared to other conventional vibration monitoring devices, such as accelerometers, velomitors, proximity probes, etc. These advantages can be summarized as follows: low cost, ease of implementation, and relatively high bandwidth. Use of a vibration signal as a medium for rotor fault diagnostics may result in a simplification of the diagnosis procedure, since both the fault index and the slip (speed) can be estimated from one signal. It is well known that rotor faults result in torque and possible consequent speed oscillations at twice the slip frequency, 2sf. These torque and speed oscillations/pulsations, in turn, produce detectable vibrations that can be utilized for purposes of rotor fault diagnostics. Moreover, radial forces produced as a result of such faults may result in increased vibration amplitude at the same, 2sf, frequency, which can further amplify the fault index, and hence make the proposed technique more reliable. Experimental results on broken bar diagnostics are presented here to demonstrate the validity and efficacy of this approach.


Abstract Resuscitation behavior of bacteria after starvation for carbon and nitrogen was investigated. In addition effect of carbon and nitrogen starvation conditions on the surface characteristics and adhesive properties of bacteria were studied. Two pure culture herbicide degrading bacteria were used in the study: Pseudomonas sp. strain A, and Rhodococcus corallinus strain 11. These bacteria are known to degrade cyanuric acid which is a derivative of s-triazine, a common herbicide used widely. Selected bacteria were starved for carbon (glucose) and nitrogen (cyanuric acid) in different bioreactors and their physiological responses to starvation and resuscitation were measured. Different resuscitation responses were observed under different starvation conditions such that long lag phase was observed for Rhodococcus corallinus strain 11 subjected to cyanuric acid starvation. Slow exponential growth rates were calculated for both microorganisms subjected to cyanuric acid starvation. The surface properties of both microorganisms were investigated using MATH test with two different hydrocarbons (hexadecane and octane). Hexadecane was observed to be the best organic attachment phase for these tests. Surface hydrophobiciy for all the microorganisms stayed unchanged during carbon starvation conditions. Significant decrease in hydrophobicity was observed for both cultures starved for nitrogen. When the hydrophobicity of the cultures decreased, the attachment capabilities of the microorganisms decreased. The decrease in attachment capabilities is a result of highly hydrated extracellular polysaccharides produced in the presence of carbon in the medium. Results of this study can be used as control tools in soil remediation applications.


different things. Among all deaths the sudden traumatic death of a young person tends to have the greatest impact on the bereaved, who therefore need particularly careful handling. Bereaved people should always be offered the chance to see the body, and generally this should be encouraged. It is an important part of accepting the reality and often helps to dispel the imagined disfigurement. Fact is generally preferable to fantasy, and what right have we to protect bereaved people? The deceased is their relative, and their feelings will tell them what they need to do. We are perhaps just protecting ourselves and hindering them in the process. Seeing the body is also a chance for the people to inspect, touch, hold, kiss, or say goodbye to their loved one. Staff should give permission for these free expressions, as well as allow the chance for bereaved people to be left alone with the body.2 Some may need several visits. Sheila Awooner-Renner was unnecessarily (and cruelly) kept waiting, and when she eventually got to her son she felt inhibited and was watched. There was no need to wait for the coroner's officer. How are we to avoid this well meaning but inappropriate handling of distressed relatives? The hospice movement has led the way, but the acute sector needs a system for coping 24 hours a day. Accident and emergency departments are increasingly recognising the needs of bereaved people, regarding them as unofficial patients (often led by nurses). As well as the senior accident and emergency staff hospital chaplains, social workers, and sometimes bereavement counsellors are available.3 Staff in other emergency specialties, such as intensive and coronary care and neurosurgery, should also have some training and awareness of these matters and be able to integrate their services with those of the hospital and community. Unresolved grief reactions may linger and might be reduced by good, early handling, which should include encouraging the bereaved to express their feelings as they say goodbye to their loved one.


Context . Understanding the nuclear growth and feedback processes in galaxies requires investigating their often obscured central regions. One way to do this is to use (sub)millimeter line emission from vibrationally excited HCN (HCN-vib), which is thought to trace warm and highly enshrouded galaxy nuclei. It has been suggested that the most intense HCN-vib emission from a galaxy is connected to a phase of nuclear growth that occurs before the nuclear feedback processes have been fully developed. Aims . We aim to investigate if there is a connection between the presence of strong HCN-vib emission and the development of feedback in (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs). Methods . We collected literature and archival data to compare the luminosities of rotational lines of HCN-vib, normalized to the total infrared luminosity, to the median velocities of 119 µ m OH absorption lines, potentially indicating outflows, in a total of 17 (U)LIRGs. Results . The most HCN-vib luminous systems all lack signatures of significant molecular outflows in the far-infrared OH absorption lines. However, at least some of the systems with bright HCN-vib emission have fast and collimated outflows that can be seen in spectral lines at longer wavelengths, including in millimeter emission lines of CO and HCN (in its vibrational ground state) and in radio absorption lines of OH. Conclusions . We conclude that the galaxy nuclei with the highest L HCN − vib / L IR do not drive wide-angle outflows that are detectable using the median velocities of far-infrared OH absorption lines. This is possibly because of an orientation e ff ect in which sources oriented in such a way that their outflows are not along our line of sight also radiate a smaller proportion of their infrared luminosity in our direction. It could also be that massive wide-angle outflows destroy the deeply embedded regions responsible for bright HCN-vib emission, so that the two phenomena cannot coexist. This would strengthen the idea that vibrationally excited HCN traces a heavily obscured stage of evolution before nuclear feedback mechanisms are fully developed.


Background Tuberculosis as a disease which demands long-term multidrug treatment, which can cause serious adverse drug reactions that can affect the course of therapy. Moreover, antituberculotic drugs interact with a variety of drugs, OTC preparations and food, all of which can significantly alter the effectiveness of patient's therapy. Patient's compliance and patient-tailored therapy are thus crucial for achieving effective treatment. In the University Clinic Golnik, clinical pharmacists are included in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis. They perform patient counselling on correct drug use, management of possible adverse drug events and drug therapy reviews. These most frequently include counselling on clinically important drug-drug interactions. Purpose Improving the quality of care for patients with tuberculosis with focus on drug-drug interactions. Materials and methods Data was collected from clinical pharmacist reports and other relevant clinical data. Drug interactions were checked by at least two distinct drug interactions databases and interpreted by clinical pharmacist for each patient individually. Clinical importance was defined as possible drug effect change that required either detailed drug effectiveness monitoring, dose adjustment, dosing regime adjustment or additional laboratory tests performed. Results From June to September 2011 clinical pharmacists performed 44 drug therapy reviews in 32 patients on the tuberculosis department. In 46,9% cases (15/32) at least one clinical important drug-drug interaction was observed, mostly with warfarin, calcium, levothyroxine and methadone. The detected interactions and adjusted therapy were documented in the hospital electronic clinical files as well as in the patients' discharge documentation. This allowed the patient's GP and local pulmonologist to be informed about the therapy adjustments and the need for readjustments at the end of antituberculotic treatment. Conclusions The collaboration of different healthcare professional in the healthcare team at the University Clinic Golnik aims at ensuring high quality patient care. At the tuberculosis department, clinical pharmacists counsel to patients and advise on the management of clinically important interactions on a daily basis and thus constantly improve the high quality of patient care.


The Oceanian plant genus Spiraeanthemum (Cunoniaceae) has a centre of diversity in New Caledonia, where it is represented by seven species. Its diversification was investigated using two low-copy nuclear genes, ncpGS and GapC, and phylogenetic analyses were based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and recombination networks. We detected several cases of gene recombination in both datasets, and these have obscured the history within the genus. For S. ellipticum and S. pubescens, accessions from southern populations on ultramafic soils were genetically distinct from accessions from northern populations on non-ultramafic soils. Given that no obvious morphological characters distinguish northern and southern populations in either taxon, both may be considered as examples of cryptic species. Incongruence between gene trees and species' delimitation may be explained by the parallel evolution of similar morphology, differential lineage sorting leading to differential fixation of alleles or different introgression patterns in the north and south leading to allele displacement. In New Caledonia, some species with broad ecological preferences may thus be artificial concepts. This suggests that they should be treated more critically in monographs and that the species' richness of the New Caledonian flora may be underestimated. Problems associated with the typification of S. ellipticum and evidence of hybridization events in the history of Spiraeanthemum are also discussed.


Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy causes heart defects, especially atrioventricular septal defects (AVSDs), in infants. Manifestation of AVSDs results from dysmorphogenesis of the endocardial cushions in the embryo, which is regulated by members of the transforming growth factor (TGF) β family. Among the TGFβs, we have previously observed that the inhibin βA gene, which encodes a protein to form homodimers as activin A, is markedly downregulated by maternal diabetes. To further determine the involvement of inhibin βA and its signaling in diabetic embryopathy, the levels of inhibin βA protein and activation of its downstream transcription factors, Smad2 and Smad3, were examined using immunohistochemical, proximity ligation, and immunoblot assays, and shown to be decreased in the embryonic hearts of diabetic mice induced via intravenous injection of streptozotocin. To investigate the role of activin A in hyperglycemia-induced cardiac malformations, mouse embryos at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) cultured in high glucose (22 mM) were treated with activin A (50 ng/ml) for 24 hours. The treatment rescued the development of the endocardial cushions and cell proliferation (BrdU-incorporation assay) in the myocardium, similar to those in normal glucose control (8.3 mM). The role of activin A in endocardial cell migration, an important process for cellularization of the cardiac jelly, was investigated by treating E10.5 endocardial cushion explants cultured in high glucose with activin A (50 ng/ml) in a collagen matrix-based assay system. The treatment significantly increased the number of migrating cells, compared with that in high glucose-treated group, to the level in the control group. These effects were associated with restoration of the activation of Smad2/3. The results demonstrate that the activin-Smad2/3 signaling system plays an important role in cardiac malformation in diabetic embryopathy.


Background: The hygiene hypothesis suggests that parasitic infections protect against allergic diseases by modulating the host's immune responses. Experimental studies indicate that this protection depends on the intensity of parasitic infection, but this observation has not been tested in human populations. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection is related to atopic responses and whether this relationship differs between populations with distinct parasite transmission dynamics. Methods: The study was conducted in two villages with different Schistosoma haematobium transmission dynamics, i.e. high (n = 365) and low (n = 307) transmission. Allergic reactivity to the common house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) was measured by skin prick tests and allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Atopic responses were related to current infection intensity and schistosome transmission levels. Results: Schistosome infection intensity was negatively associated with the skin prick reactivity, mite-specific IgE and the ratio IgE/IgG4 in the high-transmission village. However, when only low levels of infection were analyzed in the 2 villages, there was no correlation between mite-specific responses and infection intensity. Conclusion: The relationship between schistosome infection and atopic responses is dependent on the intensity of current schistosome infection. Thus, consistent with results from animal models, with an increasing parasite burden, the immunoregulation of immune responses to allergens appears to become more pronounced.


The noise-to-signal transitions belong to an exciting group of processes in physics. In Filip and Zemánek (2016, J. Opt. 18 065401) we theoretically analyse the stochastic noise-to-signal transition of overdamped Brownian motion of a particle in the cubic potential. In this part, we propose a feasible experimental setup for a proof-of-principle experiment that uses methods of optical trapping in shaped laser beams which provide cubic and quadratic potentials. Theoretical estimates and results from the numerical simulations indicate that the noise-to-signal transition can be observed under realistic experimental conditions.


We introduce the ELECTION ISOMORPHISM problem and a family of its approximate variants, which we refer to as dISOMORPHISM DISTANCE (d-ID) problems (where d is a metric between preference orders). We show that ELECTION ISOMORPHISM is polynomial-time solvable, and that the d-ISOMORPHISM DISTANCE problems generalize various classic rank-aggregation methods (e.g., those of Kemeny and Litvak). We establish the complexity of our problems (including their inapproximability) and provide initial experiments regarding the ability to solve them in practice.


The formation and evolution of gravitationally bound, star forming substructures in tidal tails of interacting galaxies, called tidal dwarf galaxies (TDG), has been studied, until now, only in idealized simulations of individual pairs of interacting galaxies for pre-determined orbits, mass ratios and gas fractions. Here, we present the first identification of TDG candidates in fully cosmological simulations, specifically the high-resolution simulations of the EAGLE suite. The finite resolution of the simulation limits their ability to predict the exact formation rate and survival time-scale of TDGs, but we show that gravitationally bound baryonic structures in tidal arms already form in current state-of-the-art cosmological simulations. In this case, the orbital parameter, disc orientations as well as stellar and gas masses and the specific angular momentum of the TDG forming galaxies are a direct consequence of cosmic structure formation. We identify TDG candidates in a wide range of environments, such as multiple galaxy mergers, clumpy high-redshift (up to z = 2) galaxies, high-speed encounters and tidal interactions with gas-poor galaxies. We present selection methods, the properties of the identified TDG candidates and a road map for more quantitative analyses using future high-resolution simulations.


Abstract Illegal exploitation of resources is a cause of environmental degradation worldwide. The effectiveness of conservation initiatives such as marine protected areas relies on users' compliance with regulations. Although compliance can be motivated by social norms (e.g. peer pressure and legitimacy), some enforcement is commonly necessary. Enforcement is expensive, particularly in areas far from land, but costs can be reduced by optimizing enforcement. We present a case study of how enforcement could be optimized at Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica, an offshore protected area and World Heritage Site. By analysing patrol records we determined the spatial and temporal distribution of illegal fishing and its relationship to patrol effort. Illegal fishing was concentrated on a seamount within the Park and peaked during the third year-quarter, probably as a result of oceanographic conditions. The lunar cycle in conjunction with the time of year significantly influenced the occurrence of incursions. The predictability of illegal fishing in space and time facilitates the optimization of patrol effort. Repeat offenders are common in the Park and we suggest that unenforced regulations and weak governance are partly to blame. We provide recommendations for efficient distribution of patrol effort in space and time, establishing adequate governance and policy, and designing marine protected areas to improve compliance. Our methods and recommendations are applicable to other protected areas and managed natural resources.


Objectives To study caries prevalence/severity in 12-year-old children in Latvia and potential risk indicators. Methods A cross-sectional oral-health national survey of 12-year-old children was conducted in 2016. A nationally representative stratified-cluster probabilistic sample of 2,138 pupils in 92 schools was selected. Children were examined by seven calibrated examiners (kappa inter-examiner, intra-examiner scores of 0.71–0.77, 0.81–0.97, respectively) at school. Enamel-non-cavitated decay (D1), enamel cavitation (D3), dentine cavitation (D5), missing (M) or filled (F) status at the tooth (T)/surface (S) levels were evaluated, and decayed, missing, and filled (DMF) index scores for severity, along with the Significant Caries Index (SiC), were calculated. An associated caries factor questionnaire was completed by participants. Results The prevalence of caries was 98.5% for D1MFT, 79.7% for D3MFT, and 71.9% for D5MFT. The means (standard deviations) for severity were 9.2 (5.3) for D1MFT, 3.3 (3.0) for D3MFT, and 2.4 (2.4) for D5MFT, and 5.6 (2.1) for the SiC. Indicators associated with a lower risk of caries (D5MFT) were irregular dental visits (prevalence odds ratio POR = 0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36, 0.56) and irregular use of mouthwashes (POR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.89). Conclusions We found a high caries prevalence and severity in 12 year-old children in Latvia. Although the WHO target for 2010 (D5MFT ≤ 3) is met, the values for caries prevalence (D5MFT > 0 = 71.9%) and severity (D5MFT = 2.5) in 12-year-old Latvian children are higher than the European averages (D5MFT > 0 = 52%, D5MFT = 1.1).


This paper provides an overview of the conception of power in critical discourse analysis (CDA). It is a conception influenced by the thought of Michel Foucault and realized in CDA as the study of the discursive construction of domination. The concern for power as domination links CDA to struggles against inequality and power abuse, and to the demystification in language of mechanisms of inculcation and control. The development of critical language awareness and critical consciousness as key CDA objectives, and the deliberate incorporation of socio-theoretical insights, associates CDA with a Marxist and neo-Marxist emancipatory problematic which has had a particular appeal for critical practitioners in education, who adopt its models for the teaching of CDA courses and for the classroom analysis of texts. Recent scholarly critiques have led to questions being raised about the limitations of CDA's negative understanding of power, and theoretical reformulations by prominent CDA scholars have seen CDA engage with the relativist challenges presented by poststructuralist thinking. In education in particular, but also in the CDA mainstream, the negative conception of power seems to narrow the range of objects which are open to a critical analysis of discourse due to the implicit need to focus on texts which carry traces of positions to which CDA is opposed. The paper discusses the theoretical and methodological implications for CDA of adopting a more positive interpretation of power and presents a critique of CDA's engagement with poststructuralism.


Rare granulitized eclogites exposed in the eastern Himalaya provide insight into conditions and processes deep within the orogen. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb, Ti, and rare earth element (REE) data from zircons in mafic granulitized eclogites located in the upper structural levels of the Greater Himalayan Sequence in Bhutan show that zircon was crystallized under eclogite-facies metamorphic conditions between 15.3 ± 0.3 and 14.4 ± 0.3 Ma, within a couple million years of the later granulite-facies overprint. In conjunction with pressure estimates of the eclogite- and granulite-facies stages of metamorphism, the age data suggest that initial exhumation occurred at plate-tectonic rates (cm yr−1). These extremely rapid synconvergence exhumation rates during the later stages of the India-Asia collision require a revision of theories for the transportation and exhumation of crustal materials during continental collisions. In contrast to western Himalayan examples, the eastern Himalayan eclogites cannot be tectonically related to steep subduction of India beneath Asia. Instead, they more likely represent fragments from the base of the overthickened Tibetan crust. Based on the zircon age and trace-element data, we hypothesize that the protolith of the mafic granulites was middle Miocene mafic intrusions into the lower crust of southern Tibet, linked to Miocene volcanism in the Lhasa block. We suggest that a transient tectonic event—possibly the indenting of a strong Indian crustal ramp into crust under southern Tibet that had been weakened by partial melting—may have promoted exhumation of the eclogitized lower crust under Tibet. The mafic magmatism and volcanism themselves may have been related to the convective thinning of the lithospheric mantle triggered by a reduction in the India-Eurasia convergence rate during the middle Miocene, which in turn could have facilitated the rapid extrusion of the lower crust over the earlier-exhumed middle crust.


The probability for simultaneously dissociating and efficiently ionizing the individual atomic constituents of molecular feed materials with conventional, hot‐cathode, electron‐impact ion sources is low and consequently, the ion beams from these sources often appear as mixtures of several molecular sideband beams. This fragmentation process leads to dilution of the intensity of the species of interest for radioactive ion beam (RIB) applications where beam intensity is at a premium. We have conceived an ion source that combines the excellent molecular dissociation properties of a thermal dissociator and the high ionization efficiency characteristics of an electron impact ionization source that will, in principle, overcome this handicap. The source concept will be evaluated as a potential candidate for use for RIB generation at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility, now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The design features and principles of operation of the source are described ...


The distally based anterolateral thigh flap has been used for coverage of soft-tissue defects of the knee and upper third of the leg. This flap is based on the septocutaneous or musculocutaneous perforators derived from the lateral circumflex femoral system. The purpose of this study was to examine the results of anatomical variations of the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and the retrograde blood pressure of the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery so that the surgical technique for raising and transferring a distally based anterolateral thigh flap to the knee region could be improved. The authors have actually used this flap in three cases. In 11 thighs of six cadavers, the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery had a rather consistent connection with the lateral superior genicular artery or profunda femoral artery in the knee region. The pivot point, located at the distal portion of the vastus lateralis muscle, ranges from 3 to 10 cm above the knee. In their three cases, the maximal flap size was 7.0 × 16.0 cm and was harvested safely, without marginal necrosis. The mean pedicle length was 15.2 ± 0.7 cm (range, 14.5 to 16 cm). The average proximal and distal retrograde blood pressure of the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery was also studied in another 11 patients, and the anterolateral thigh flap being used for reconstruction of head and neck defects showed 58.3 and 77.7 percent of proximal antegrade blood pressure, respectively. The advantages of this flap include a long pedicle length, a sufficient tissue supply, possible combination with fascia lata for tendon reconstruction, and favorable donor-site selection, without sacrifice of major vessels or muscles.


Overly regular module interfaces in object-oriented languages hamper modularization of complex applications. Aspectoriented programming tackles this problem by allowing module boundaries to span and partition classes in a flexible manner. However, not without a cost. In order to achieve this flexibility, common modularity mechanisms, such as encapsulation and external composition, are lost. The ability to separately compile or reason about a modular unit is also compromised. Combining aspects and modules restores these properties to the aspect-oriented programming language. In restoring the properties, the programming units—Aspectual Collaboration in our case—become more verbose: Encapsulation requires that all collaborations describe their interface to the rest of the application; and composition of collaborations similarly requires that each module's interface be reconciled with the other. We give a brief introduction to Aspectual Collaborations, however, the main part of the paper covers a comparison study of AspectJ, Hyper/J, and Aspectual Collaborations in solving an AOP programming challenge. We derive the comparative cost of using encapsulation.


The origin of the Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's disease is controversial with proponents of transformed lymphocyte and macrophage histiocyte derivations. Lectin receptors are potentially useful new cell markers in the investigation of lymphoproliferative disease. In this study, the lectin-binding properties of the Reed-Sternberg cell were investigated in an effort to clarify the cell of origin. Utilizing a simple peroxidase technique applicable to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue, lectin binding was studied in 13 cases of Hodgkin's disease. Reed-Sternberg cells were found to bind cytoplasmic concanavalin A, but not Arachis hypogaea (peanut agglutinin) or Lotus tetragonolobus (asparagus pea). These are the lectin-binding properties of macrophage histiocytes rather than transformed lymphocytes. Lectin-binding studies support the macrophage origin of the neoplastic cells of Hodgkin's disease.


This article is an attempt to utilize pragmatics in the analysis of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by using the "cooperative principle" and the "maxims" as developed by Paul Grice, and "speech acts theory" as clarified by J. L. Austin. The investigation has shown that by drawing upon such language analysis strategies, greater light can be shed on the meaning of the play, especially because it is one of Shakespeare's plays most amenable to pragmatic analysis. Furthermore, it has been found that this kind of analysis invites a special role for the reader to participate more creatively in the interpretation of the text besides providing an in-depth analysis to the play's scenes and speeches and highlighting certain aspects that may otherwise be overlooked. A pragmatic reading of the play enables us to understand the social function of language and consequently the relationships among the characters and their social status.


The effectiveness of tax incentives in attracting FDI remains one of the unsettled concepts in public finance. The importance of tax incentives in attraction of internationally mobile capital differs with the jurisdiction of the study and the methodology used in drawing conclusions. This study in reviewing both theoretical and empirical literature seeks to establish the merits and demerits of tax incentives. This is because though they receive a lot of criticism tax incentives continue to be used in most economies. Most of the empirical studies that this study explored concluded that though tax incentives might be important in attracting FDI they are more effective when combined with other non-tax factors. Macroeconomic conditions, infrastructure and strong institutions were found to be important non-tax factors that improve the attractiveness of an economy to FDI. The major weaknesses of using taxes in attracting FDI were discussed using the tax competition and tax harmonisation framework. Here it was noted that the use of tax incentives to attract FDI might improve the welfare of individuals in the jurisdiction that apply the incentives, but have external cost implications for residents in other competing jurisdictions that do not adopt tax incentives.


For too long, transnational higher education (TNE) has been linked to discourse predominately focused upon strategic implementation, quality assurance and pedagogy. Whilst these are important when designing and managing cross-border programmes, there is a lack of research which focuses on the way in which social interactions influence the pace, and development of TNE partnerships. How faculty members engage with each other across borders and interpret each other's actions and associate meanings are arguably critical to the way international partnerships develop. The research presented aims to positively contribute towards an understanding of how activity undertaken by faculty members at the operational stage of TNE 'joint' partnerships, affect the development of social capital, and the effect this has on a partnership's overall transformation.
Embedded within a critical realist paradigm, representing a stratified and transformational ontology, appreciative of both the objective and subjective dimensions of reality (Bhaskar, 2008) a multiple-case study design comprising of two Sino-British 'joint' partnerships provides the method in which to analyse the operational practices of faculty members. Drawing upon data taken from interviews conducted in China and the UK, data is analysed using various theoretical frameworks, including third generation cultural historical activity theory (CHAT)(Engestrom 2001), transformational model of social action (TMSA) (Archer, 1995) and elements of social action theory (Weber, 1978).
This research concludes, that for Sino-British 'joint' partnerships to positively progress and become institutionalised (Eddy, 2010) over time, those tasked with initiating international alliances should consider the development of relationships between operational faculty members. Partnership design and construction is critical in enabling these relationships to develop. Findings suggest that three underlying mechanisms, time, historicity (legacies), culture and motive, influence the activities of faculty members. Structures and systems that develop over time must consider these dimensions, so that faculty member communication and emotional responses remain positive, thereby encouraging the access and mobilisation of resources embedded in the partnership network. Moreover, the consequences of such social interactions are to produce affective regard, respect, trust and confidence amongst operational employees. Faculty member relationships are fundamental in ensuring Sino-British partnerships positively transform, and strengthen over time.


The error backpropagation learning algorithm (BP) is generally considered biologically implausible because it does not use locally available, activation-based variables. A version of BP that can be computed locally using bidirectional activation recirculation (Hinton and McClelland 1988) instead of backpropagated error derivatives is more biologically plausible. This paper presents a generalized version of the recirculation algorithm (GeneRec), which overcomes several limitations of the earlier algorithm by using a generic recurrent network with sigmoidal units that can learn arbitrary input/output mappings. However, the contrastive Hebbian learning algorithm (CHL, also known as DBM or mean field learning) also uses local variables to perform error-driven learning in a sigmoidal recurrent network. CHL was derived in a stochastic framework (the Boltzmann machine), but has been extended to the deterministic case in various ways, all of which rely on problematic approximations and assumptions, leading some to conclude that it is fundamentally flawed. This paper shows that CHL can be derived instead from within the BP framework via the GeneRec algorithm. CHL is a symmetry-preserving version of GeneRec that uses a simple approximation to the midpoint or second-order accurate Runge-Kutta method of numerical integration, which explains the generally faster learning speed of CHL compared to BI. Thus, all known fully general error-driven learning algorithms that use local activation-based variables in deterministic networks can be considered variations of the GeneRec algorithm (and indirectly, of the backpropagation algorithm). GeneRec therefore provides a promising framework for thinking about how the brain might perform error-driven learning. To further this goal, an explicit biological mechanism is proposed that would be capable of implementing GeneRec-style learning. This mechanism is consistent with available evidence regarding synaptic modification in neurons in the neocortex and hippocampus, and makes further predictions.


We have overexpressed and purified human dual-specificity phosphatase cdc25C from a prokaryotic expression system at high levels and in a soluble, active form, and have studied and quantified its potential to interact with cdks, cyclins and preformed cdk-cyclin complexes by fluorescence spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography. Our data indicate that human cdc25C forms stable complexes, through hydrophobic contacts, with cdk and cyclin monomers, as well as with preformed cdk-cyclin complexes. In vitro, cdc25C interacts with cyclin monomers with high affinity, with tenfold less affinity with cdks, and with intermediate affinity with cdk-cyclin complexes. Moreover, changes observed in the intrinsic fluorescence of cdks, cyclins and cdk-cyclin complexes upon interaction with cdc25C are indicative of concomitant conformational changes within cdks and cyclins. From our results, we propose that in vitro, in the presence of monomeric cdks and cyclins, cdc25C forms stable ternary complexes, first through a high affinity interaction with a cyclin, which may then help target cdc25C towards a cdk. We discuss the biological relevance of our results and propose that a similar, two-step mechanism of interaction between cdc25C and cdk-cyclin complexes may occur in vivo.


Abstract Background: In an applied engineering field like requirements engineering, the final goal of the research is its adoption by industry. For technology transfer to be possible practitioners need strong evidence for a technology's applicability and possible benefits. Therefore research on a technology should be done in a realistic setting so that practitioners can use the results to build a strong case for its adoption. Quality requirements are constraints placed on the software. Empirical results show challenges in handling quality requirements, e.g. include late discovery of quality requirements. In addition, we lack technologies that can be used to incorporate them into the final software. Functional and quality requirements differ in nature; treatment given to functional requirements will not always be applicable for quality requirements. Therefore practitioners need decision support material based on empirical evidence to incorporate the suggested technologies. Objective: The purpose of the thesis is to identify technologies for quality requirements that have been empirically evaluated. Methods in relation to elicitation, specification, metrics (or measurement) and testing will be identified with the aim of providing decision support material to practitioners for incorporating quality requirements in the software. To find possible future directions of requirements engineering research, the current state of technology adoption for quality requirements will be identified. Method: The presented research is explorative and investigative in nature. A systematic literature review method was employed to identify potential technologies for adoption. An empirical study was conducted with three participants from three companies to get an insight into the state of technology adoption. Results: The systematic literature review includes 46 papers published between 2000 and 2010. All in all only four of the 46 papers offer high realism and support for technology adoption, i.e. presenting evaluations in a realistic setting, with practitioners using real world industrial applications. Another three papers were found to have potential in terms of furthering technology transfer. A general finding common for many of the papers reviewed is a lack of scientific rigour which affects the credibility of the results. Among the participants in the three companies interviewed, none of the methods presented were used. Conclusions: Technology transfer support for quality requirements technologies is challenged by low strength of evidence. Evaluations of technologies lack descriptions of evaluation design - description of how evaluations have been performed - and validity. There is a need for more and better empirical evaluations of technologies to handle quality requirements. The results of industrial interviews shows the need for more empirical investigations, for example surveys, to identify current industrial practices and technologies able to handle or incorporate quality requirements in projects successfully.


HIV infection is diagnosed by demonstration of specific antibodies. During the acute HIV disease such antibodies are not yet detectable. So-called early manifestations are confined to skin and mucous membranes, in fact appearing several years after virus inoculation. Antiviral therapy with early intervention aims at the prevention of immunodeficiency. The achievement of prolongation of survival has been proven in controlled studies with azidothymidine (AZT). Several studies with low dose and early intervention have shown 500 mg/day to be the standard dose and to be efficacious in asymptomatic patients with CD4 cell count below 500/microliters. New studies have shown that combination therapy with different drugs might be superior to monotherapy with AZT.


Abstract Determination of quality parameters such as lignin and extractive content of wood samples by wet chemistry analyses takes a long time. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate calibration offers a fast and nondestructive alternative to obtain reliable results. However, due to the complexity of the spectra obtained from NIR, some wavelength selection is generally required to improve the predictive ability of multivariate calibration methods. Pinus nigra Arnold. Var. pallasiana is the second most growing pine species in Turkey. Even though its rotation period is very high, around 120 years, the forest products industry has widely accepted the use of Pinus nigra because of its ability to grow on a wide range of sites and its suitability to produce desirable products. In this study, 51 samples of Pinus nigra trees were collected and their lignin and extractive content were determined with standard reference (TAPPI) methods. Then, the same samples were scanned with near infrared spectrometer between 1000 and 2500 nm in diffuse reflectance mode. Multivariate calibration models were built with genetic inverse least squares method for both lignin and extractive content using the concentration information obtained from wet standard reference method. Overall, standard error of calibration (SEC) and standard error of prediction (SEP) were ranged between 0.35% (w/w) and 2.4% (w/w).


Interfering RNA (RNAi) is a powerful tool to silence gene expression on the level of mRNA. To knock-down gene expression by using RNAi two major methods of mRNA silencing exist. First method utilizes siRNA (small interfering RNA), a readily processed dsRNA, that enters RISC complex and destroy target mRNA after transfection into the cells. The second method based on the construction of plasmid DNA that expresses shRNA (short harpin RNA) from U6 or CMV promoter. shRNA gets processed by Drosha and Dicer RNAses inside the cell before it translocates to the cell cytoplasm and affects the level of target RNA. In this study we modified lentiviral vector pGIPZ expressing tFP-IRES-Puro-shRNA(mir30) cassette by introducing BamH I restriction site downstream of this cassette. This modification makes possible to clone specific shRNA sequences in pGIPZ vector using XhoI/BamHI restriction sites instead of the original recombination. Three shRNAs against phosphoprotein P of respiratory sinthitial virus (RSV) and shRNA against human CD43 as a control were generated and cloned into modified so-called pCIPD vector. Monkey kidney cells MA-104 were stably transduced with four shRNA constructs. In conclusion, the generated lentiviral vector pCIPD can be successfully used for efficient gene silencing and virus replication in a broad variety of cells.


Abstract Extra-tropical cyclones in the subantarctic play a central role in the poleward transport of heat and moisture into Antarctica, with the latter being a key component of the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet. As the climate in this region undergoes substantial changes, it is anticipated that the character of these synoptic features will change. There are a number of different methods used to identify and track cyclones, which can potentially lead to different conclusions as to cyclone variability and trends, and mechanisms which drive these features. Given this, it is timely to assess the level of consensus among 14 state-of-the-art cyclone identification and tracking methods. We undertake this comparison with the ERA-Interim data-set for the period 1979–2008 and find large differences in the number of tracks identified by different methods, but the spatial patterns of the system density broadly agree. Links between large-scale modes of variability, such as the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and subantarctic cyclones as suggested in the literature are confirmed by our analysis. Trends in the number of cyclone tracks show a more diverse picture. Robust trends are identified by almost all methods for austral summer over the region south to 60°S, mainly due to the strong relation to SAM, whereas in austral winter the methods disagree in the statistical significance of the trends. The agreement among the methods is greater when the comparison is confined to the stronger cyclones. This is confirmed by a moisture flux analysis associated with these strong synoptic systems. Our results indicate that multiple cyclone identification and tracking methods should be used to obtain robust conclusions for trends in cyclone characteristics as well as their relation to the large-scale circulation in the subantarctic region.


Objectives: Our study aimed to examine a subset of electively reduced twins and compare their outcomes with those of expectantly managed twins, along with a cohort of singleton pregnancies. The secondary aim was to ascertain the procedure-related miscarriage risks. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed at Apollo Centre for Fetal Medicine, New Delhi, comparing pregnancy outcomes in dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies which were reduced to singletons (group 1) with that of women with dichorionic twins managed expectantly (group 0) and women with a singleton pregnancy (group 2). Comparison of continuous and categorical variables was conducted using standard statistical tests. Results: We analysed 35 twins which were reduced to singletons, 421 expectantly managed dichorionic twins and 1915 women with a singleton pregnancy. In the reduction group, the rate of procedure related pregnancy loss<24 weeks was lower, compared to the expectantly managed twins, although the difference was not statistically significant (5.71% [2/35] vs. 7.13% [30/421]; p = 1.000). The median gestational age at delivery was significantly higher in reduced twins compared to expectantly managed twin pregnancies (38.0 vs. 35.4 weeks respectively, p < 0.001) with a higher mean birth weight at delivery, both of which were comparable to that among the singleton pregnancies (38.3 weeks). The rates of preterm birth <32 weeks and <34 weeks in the expectantly managed twins were significantly higher at 19.8% (66/334) and 25.7% (86/334) compared to the reduced twins, all of whom delivered beyond 34 weeks. The rates of preterm births <32 weeks, <34 weeks, and the late preterm births in the reduced twins were comparable to those in the singleton cohort. Conclusions: The obstetric and perinatal outcomes after reduction of a dichorionic twin are better than an expectantly managed twin without an associated increase in pregnancy loss rates. Fetal reduction of dichorionic twin to a singleton appears to be a safe procedure in expert hands.


Career development for full-time Health Sciences academics through to doctoral studies is a monumental task. Many academics have difficulty completing their studies in the minimum time as well as publishing after obtaining their degree. As this problem is particularly acute in the Health Sciences, the PhD Acceleration Programme in Health Sciences was piloted in 2009 by the Faculty of Health Science Research Office at the University of the Witwatersrand to provide deliberate support to staff members registered for a PhD to attain their goals. There is little research on such interventions using coaching and coaching-learning. This article discusses the programme structure, participants' evaluation of the yearlong intervention and some longitudinal data, using semi-structured interviews in a qualitative paradigm. The findings indicate that staff found the research writing course the most valuable of the skills courses and noted that the individual, goal-directed coaching helped them in many different ways in completing the thesis and managing their professional lives simultaneously. This structured support programme with coaching provides a low-cost, sustainable innovation for full-time academics during doctoral studies.


This paper attempts a resolution of the Fisher effect puzzle in terms of estimator choice. Using both short-term and long-term interest rates for 14 OECD countries, we find ample evidence supporting the existence of a long-run Fisher effect in which interest rates move oneto-one with inflation. Our results suggest that the reason why the Fisher effect has not found support internationally lies on the estimation method. When the hypothesis of a unit coefficient relating interest rates to expected inflation is tested within the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ADL) framework, which is invariant to the integration properties of the data, the Fisher effect easily survives the empirical evidence. Similar, but less robust, results are reached on the grounds of the Pre-Whitened Fully Modified Least Squares (PW-FMLS) or the Johansen's (JOH) estimators. JEL Classification: E40; E50; C12; C13;


Abstract. The fluorescent nature of aerosol at a high-altitude Alpine site was studied using a wide-band integrated bioaerosol (WIBS-4) single particle multi-channel ultraviolet – light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectrometer. This was supported by comprehensive cloud microphysics and meteorological measurements with the aims of cataloguing concentrations of bio-fluorescent aerosols at this high-altitude site and also investigating possible influences of UV–fluorescent particle types on cloud–aerosol processes. Analysis of background free tropospheric air masses, using a total aerosol inlet, showed there to be a minor increase in the fluorescent aerosol fraction during in-cloud cases compared to out-of-cloud cases. The size dependence of the fluorescent aerosol fraction showed the larger aerosol to be more likely to be fluorescent with 80 % of 10 μm particles being fluorescent. Whilst the fluorescent particles were in the minority (NFl∕NAll  =  0.27 p 0.19), a new hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis approach, Crawford et al. (2015) revealed the majority of the fluorescent aerosols were likely to be representative of fluorescent mineral dust. A minor episodic contribution from a cluster likely to be representative of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) was also observed with a wintertime baseline concentration of 0.1 p 0.4 L−1. Given the low concentration of this cluster and the typically low ice-active fraction of studied PBAP (e.g. pseudomonas syringae), we suggest that the contribution to the observed ice crystal concentration at this location is not significant during the wintertime.


In the protein purification, drug delivery, food industry, and biotechnological applications involving protein–polyelectrolyte complexation, proper selection of co-solutes and solution conditions plays a crucial role. The onset of (bio)macromolecular complexation occurs even on the so-called "wrong side" of the protein isoionic point where both the protein and the polyelectrolyte are net like-charged. To gain mechanistic insights into the modulatory role of salts (NaCl, NaBr, and NaI) and sugars (sucrose and sucralose) in protein–polyelectrolyte complexation under such conditions, interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS) at pH = 8.0 was studied by a combination of isothermal titration calorimetry, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and thermodynamic modeling. The BSA–NaPSS complexation proceeds by two binding processes (first, formation of intrapolymer complexes and then formation of interpolymer complexes), both driven by favorable electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged sulfonic groups (−SO3–) of NaPSS and positively charged patches on the BSA surface. Two such positive patches were identified, each responsible for one of the two binding processes. The presence of salts screened both short-range attractive and long-range repulsive electrostatic interactions between both macromolecules, resulting in a nonmonotonic dependence of the binding affinity on the total ionic strength for both binding processes. In addition, distinct anion-specific effects were observed (NaCl < NaBr < NaI). The effect of sugars was less pronounced: sucrose had no effect on the complexation, but its chlorinated analogue, sucralose, promoted it slightly due to the screening of long-range repulsive electrostatic interactions between BSA and NaPSS. Although short-range non-electrostatic interactions are frequently mentioned in the literature in relation to BSA or NaPSS, we found that the main driving force of complexation on the "wrong side" are electrostatic interactions.


This purpose of the study was to determine the effects of teachers using the Question Exploration Routine (QER) in regularly scheduled secondary-level English Language Arts classes to help students answer questions about the development and use of main ideas in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Questions were posed in both multiple-choice and written formats. On average, students representing diverse groups who received instruction with the QER correctly answered a significantly higher percentage of total questions than students receiving traditional lecture-discussion instruction (effect sizes were very large). Results are reported for total scores, subscores of multiple-choice and written responses, and for responses of subgroups of students. Students' mean satisfaction and confidence responses are reported.


Pubertal development of 200 normal girls, 7–17 years of age, was investigated in a partly longitudinal manner with two examinations 1·5 years apart. Samples from postmenarchal girls were taken on days 6–9 and 20–23 of the menstrual cycle. Serum pregnenolone, progesterone, 17‐hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, testosterone, 5α‐dihydrotestosterone, androsterone, oestradiol and cortisol as well as ACTH, FSH, LH and prolactin were measured radioimmunologically and were related to bone age, breast and pubic hair developmental stages, and gynaecological age. In the samples of premenarchal girls as well as at the follicular phase of postmenarchal girls the concentration of all the steroids increased with age. Of all the steroids measured, serum dehydroepiandrosterone and pregnenolone displayed the earliest increase, from the youngest age group of 7·5 years onwards. Serum oestradiol, testosterone and androstenedione increased rapidly from the bone age group of 9·5 years (subjects 9·0–9·9 years of age) onwards, in close association with the appearance of the first physical signs of puberty. A marked increase in these three steroids continued until 13·5 years, the age at which menarche took place. Menarche was followed by a plateau of 1–2 years duration and then a second increase took place up to the two oldest age groups (17·5 and 18·5 years bone age), a trend seen in the follicular phase levels of all the steroids measured. The 5α‐dihydrotestosterone/testosterone ratio decreased with increasing testosterone concentration. Serum oestradiol, testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone and FSH showed no overlapping in the 2·5–97·5% range of concentrations and androsterone and LH in the 16–84% range between pre‐pubertal and postmenarchal subjects. Pregnenolone, progesterone, 17‐hydroxyprogesterone, 5α‐dihydrotestosterone, cortisol, ACTH and prolactin overlapped even in the 16–84% range between these two groups of subjects. In postmenarchal girls, about 80% of the cycles were anovulatory in the first year after menarche, 50% in the third and 10% in the sixth year. The background of the majority of the anovulatory cycles seems to be a physiological variant of the pattern seen in the polycystic ovary syndrome: the levels of testosterone, androstenedione and LH were increased in anovulatory cycles compared to ovulatory ones.


PURPOSE
The authors studied the anatomic importance of the endoscopic prelacrimal recess approach (PLRA) to the pterygopalatine fossa (PPF) and infratemporal fossa (ITF).

METHODS
Ten adult heads (20 sides) from cadavers fixed in formalin were dissected using the PLRA. Anatomic dissections were detailed and several crucial landmarks measured.

RESULTS
Identification of the infraorbital neurovascular bundle is the crucial step for the detection of other branches of the maxillary artery. The distance from the base of columella to inferior orifice of the nasolacrimal duct, sphenopalatine foramen, pterygold canal, foramen rotundum, foramen ovale was (32.97 ± 3.44), (63.93 ± 4.52), (66.81 ± 3.44), (68.13 ± 4.43), and (85.23 ± 6.25) mm, respectively. The PLRA can be used to expose the entire maxillary sinus and PPF, most parts of the ITF (lateral pterygoid muscle, foramen ovale, mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve, and its divisions), maxillary artery and its branches, and the superior part of the medial pterygoid muscle (upon the floor of the maxillary sinus). The lateral boundary can be reached to visualize the temporomandibular joint and vertically oriented temporalis muscle.

CONCLUSION
Use of the PLRA to the PPF and ITF offers a clear visual field, wide range of exposure, as well as preservation of the integrity of nasal structures.


The leaf of Psidium guava is traditionally used in Asia to manage, control and treat diabetes. We designed this study to elucidate the effect of the administration of oral doses of aqueous and ethanol extract from Psidium guava leaves on plasma glucose, lipid profiles and the sensitivity of the vascular mesenteric bed to Phenylephrine in diabetic and non diabetic rats. Animals were divided into 5 groups (n = 10): two groups served as non-diabetic controls (NDC), while the other groups had diabetes induced with a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Psidium guavatreated chronic diabetic (PSG-CD) and Psidium guava-treated controls (PSG-C) received 1 g/l of Psidium guava added to the drinking water for 8 weeks. The mesenteric vascular beds were prepared using the McGregor method. Administration of Psidium guava caused Ca/Mg ratio, plasma glucose, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations to return to normal levels, and was shown to decrease alteration in vascular reactivity to vasoconstrictor agents. Our results support the hypothesis that Psidium guava could play a role in the management of diabetes and the prevention of vascular complications in STZ-induced diabetic rats.


About 820 bottom grab samples were collected at regular intervals over Howe Sound, a British Columbia fjord. These were analyzed for their complete grain-size distributions in order to perform a sediment trend analysis. This is a technique whereby net sediment transport patterns are determined by assessing statistically the relative changes in grain-size distributions along selected sample sequences. The analysis also provides an understanding of the behaviour of the sedimentary environment with respect to erosion, deposition or dynamic equilibrium. This information may be used to predict the build-up and/or dispersal of particle-associated contaminants. In Howe Sound, there are two pulp and paper mills which have been sources of dioxins and furans which have led to fisheries closures. In environments where total deposition is occurring (i.e., once deposited, a particle undergoes no further transport) contaminants are concentrated at locations relative to their source. Where sediment in transport becomes so fine (i.e., fine silt and clay) that size-sorting no longer occurs, contaminants have no preferred location for their deposition; rather, contaminated particles have an equal probability of deposition over the whole transport environment. In this study, the spatial distribution of existing contaminant data correlated extremely well with each of the transport environments as determined by the sediment trend analysis.


We investigate the problem of consistency of subsampling procedure for nonstationary almost periodically correlated (APC) processes. It is shown that an appropriately normalized estimator of covariance has a consistent subsampling version provided that some mild regularity conditions are fulfilled. The result allows to improve the tests related to APC models, and to get more exact confidence intervals for such models. At the end of the paper we discuss open questions related to the optimal choice of the subsampling window b and the speed of convergence of the procedure considered.


Media of Communication makes the diffusion of knowledge vital in the modern world and have over lasting influencing an political and economic patterns. Mass media represent an important variable in various processes of social change, because socialization is the process which brings about changes through socio-cultural  influences around us. Electronic media telecast news and opinions through news reports, interviews and panel discussions. Media are the source of political education and "market place" (1) of political thought and "without an extensive and swift system of mass communication, the economic life of a major industrial country cannot function properly" (2) Media fully saturate the lives of general masses in social setup. Women is an important and sensitive segment of society where they have been considered less capable and portrayed as an interior sex object on the media and victim of violence which take place in houses workplaces or elsewhere and may lead to psychological problems carrying them to the dark shadows of the world.


We consider a continuously monitored system that gradually and stochastically deteriorates. An alarm threshold is set on the system deterioration level for triggering a delayed preventive maintenance operation. A mathematical model is developed to find the value of the alarm threshold that minimizes the asymptotic unavailability. Approximations are derived to improve the numerical optimization.


Epics modeled on the Odyssey typically include a version of Homer's Circe episode. Edmund Spenser's variant, the Bower of Bliss, is unusual for ending in physical violence so pronounced that many readers have taken against its putative hero, Sir Guyon. This essay reviews the role of magic in similar episodes to show the enormity of Spenser's seemingly conservative storytelling. It also defends Spenser's hero from charges of intemperance and immaturity. The question of intemperance stems from misunderstanding Aristotle. That of immaturity is more complicated. In the economy of justice, youth counteracts complacency. One of Guyon's prototypes, the biblical king Josiah, is an example. Spenser pictures all his heroes as young, and growing up is part of his design for the epic as a whole. His attitude, though, is not condescending. The danger of sexual indulgence, which Guyon's critics sometimes dismiss, is one that the epic tradition took seriously and that Spenser himself connected with the recent downfall of public figures.