This paper highlights boys' underachievement in Botswana junior secondary schools. The paper argues that there is need to establish the root cause of boys' underachievement and institute possible remedies, while safeguarding the gains made in girls' education. Drawing from findings at school level, the discussion demonstrates a structured gender based performance which mirrors what happens in the final examinations. Findings showed that just as in the final examination, boys underperform in school internal examinations. The study concluded that there is need to mainstream the issues leading to boys' underachievement and mitigate them. Implication for practice is that schools should create child friendly environment where boys (and girls) can learn effectively.


The actinomycetes, mainly Streptomyces spp., have been widely studied as potential
biocontrol agents against plant pathogenic fungi. This project was undertaken to isolate
and select Streptomyces strains showing potential in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity.
Isolation was done from rhizosphere-derived soil of healthy and Colletotrichum-infested
chilli plants in Ulu Chechuh in Kuala Selangor and Sungai Burung in the state of
Selangor, Malaysia. The selected strains were evaluated for their ability to control chilli
anthracnose pathogen, Colletotrichum spp. in vitro, and the best strain among them was
chosen for green house experimental trials on chilli in vivo. A total of 130 isolates of
actinomycetes were isolated from healthy and Colletotrichum-infested chilli
rhizospheric soil on starch-casein, humic acid-vitamin and raffinose-histidine agar.
81.5% of the isolates produced abundant aerial mycelia and were categorized as
Streptomyces-like. Twenty-four colonies that lacked aerial mycelia and formed compact
orange or brown coloured colonies belonged to the genus Micromonospora. A high
proportion (67.9%) of the Streptomyces-like isolates was isolated from the Sungai
Burung's Colletotrichum-infested and healthy rhizospheric soil samples. Moreover,
50% of the Micromonospora-like isolates were obtained from the Sungai Burung's
Colletotrichum-infested rhizospheric soil samples. Four groups of aerial mycelia colour
observed in the Streptomyces-like isolates were grey (84.9%), white (8.5%), red (1.9%)
and pink (4.7%). 106 Streptomyces-like isolates were assayed for in vitro antagonistic
activity against three dominant species of Colletotrichum namely C. acutatum, C.
capsici and C. gloeosporioides. The majority of the isolates having pathogen-inhibitory
capabilities were from the grey colour group. Twelve isolates inhibited the growth of all
test fungi at varying degrees and among them four isolates, P8, P39, P42 and P115,
iv
showed the best inhibitory action. Isolate P42 was selected for further biocontrol studies
because of its strong antifungal activity against all tested Colletotrichum species with
the highest degree of antagonism. The antifungal compounds produced by isolate P42
were responsible for 81-94% reduction in mycelial growth of C. acutatum, C. capsici
and C. gloeosporioides. Whole cell hydrolysates showed the presence of LL-DAP,
classifying selected isolate P42 as a species of Streptomyces. Its aerial spore mass
colour was grey with spiral spore chain and smooth-ornamented spores, and the isolate
did not produce diffusible pigments. Good growth was observed on ISP2, ISP3, ISP4
and ISP6 agars with optimum growth at pH 7.0 and 28 ± 2°C. It degraded L-tyrosine,
xanthine, chitin and starch. Isolate P42 did not require NaCl for growth yet was tolerant
to 8% NaCl. It was susceptible to Neomycin, Nanamycin, Novobiocin, Gentamycin,
Tetracycline and Streptomycin with inhibition zones ranging from 10-50 mm. It grew
well on a variety of carbon sources including D-glucose, galactose, I-inositol, D-xylose,
L-arabinose, D-mannitol and rhamnose, but not on sucrose and raffinose. Polyphasic
taxonomic studies assigned the isolate under the Streptomyces rochei in the
phylogenetic tree. Genotypically it was similar with marker strains S. vinaceusdrappus
NRRL 2363T, S. rochei NBRC 12908T, S. plicatus NBRC 13071T and S. enissocaesilis
NRRL B-16365T, but differed in some phenotypic characteristics. The strain was
designated as Streptomyces rochei. Phytotoxicity effects of isolate P42 were assessed by
using low dosage (1.16×105 cfu/ml) and high dosage (1.16×107 cfu/ml) of strain P42
spore suspension on the growth of maize seeds. Isolate P42 in low dosage did not reveal
any adverse effect on the seeds and promoted maize seed growth significantly (p<0.05)
compared to a high dosage of the isolate. The treatment of the chilli seeds prior to
planting and 45 days after planting with 1.16×105 cfu/ml isolate P42 suspension,
significantly (p<0.05) reduced the Fruit Symptom Index (FSI) when matured fruits were
v
challenged with 105 spores/ml of three different Colletotrichum species. Disease
Severity Index (DSI) was reduced by 52-54% when plants were treated with low dosage
of isolate P42. Isolate P42-treated and untreated control plantlets which were not
challenged with Colletotrichum species were healthy.


: In order to eliminate asbestos adverse effect on workers' health it was necessary to use mineral rayon, primarily basalt fibre, instead of asbestos. During a chronic experiment on animals the oncogenicity of 2 kinds of basalt fibre was studied compared to chrysotile asbestos. The dust dose of 25 mg was twice administered by intraperitonial route. All types of dust induced the onset of intraperitonial mesotheliomas but neoplasm rates were significantly lower in the groups exposed to basalt fibre. There was no credible data on the differences between the groups exposed to various types of basalt fibre. Since the latter produced some oncogenic effect, it was necessary to develop a complex of antidust measures, fully corresponding to the measures adopted for carcinogenic dusts.


A stability augmentation system (SAS) to assist in the control of a remotely piloted aircraft in hover is described. The SAS includes a decoupler designed to reduce nonintuitive dynamic effects such as gyroscopic propeller moment through feedforward cancellation. Simulation results indicate that the controller is effective even with inaccuracies in estimates of the canceled moments.<<ETX>>


Suppose that we are given a quantum computer programmed ready to perform a computation if it is switched on. Counterfactual computation is a process by which the result of the computation may be learnt without actually running the computer. Such processes are possible within quantum physics and to achieve this effect a computer embodying the possibility of running the computation must be available, even though the computation is, in fact, not run. We study the possibilities and limitations of protocols for the counterfactual computation of decision problems (where the result r is either 0 or 1). If p⊂r denotes the probability of learning the result r 'for free' in a protocol, then one might hope to design a protocol which simultaneously has large p⊂0 and p⊂1. However, we prove that p⊂0 + p⊂1 ≤ 1 in any protocol of this type and derive further constraints on p⊂0 and p⊂1 in terms of N, the number of times that the computer is not run. In particular, we show that any protocol with p⊂0 + p⊂1 = 1 – ∈ must have N tending to infinity as ∈ tends to 0. We show that 'interaction–free' measurements can be regarded as counterfactual computations, and our results then imply that N must be large if the probability of interaction is to be close to zero. Finally, we consider some ways in which our formulation of counterfactual computation can be generalized.


An automated manipulation procedure for spherical nanoparticles with an atomic force microscope (AFM) in 2-D is demonstrated. Robust particle-center and contact-loss detection algorithms are developed using force feedback to improve speed and reliability issues of AFM-based nanomanipulation. Unlike blind manipulation techniques, contact-loss detection enables better control over the success of manipulation. For pattern formation and assembly operations, a fully automated multiple-particle-manipulation method is developed, based on a commanding task planner. The task planner minimizes the obstacles to manipulation trajectories for better efficiency. Forces during AFM tip-particle-substrate contact are analyzed theoretically to determine the mode of manipulation as well as the effect of cantilever normal stiffness. The developed system is used to form patterns and assemblies of 100-nm-diameter gold nanoparticles on a flat substrate.


Chloromethane (CH3Cl) is a widely studied volatile halocarbon involved in the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere. Nevertheless, its global budget still remains debated. Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool to constrain fluxes of chloromethane between various environmental compartments which involve a multiplicity of sources and sinks, and both biotic and abiotic processes. In this study, we measured hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation of the remaining untransformed chloromethane following its degradation by methylotrophic bacterial strains Methylobacterium extorquens CM4 and Hyphomicrobium sp. MC1, which belong to different genera but both use the cmu pathway, the only pathway for bacterial degradation of chloromethane characterized so far. Hydrogen isotope fractionation for degradation of chloromethane was determined for the first time, and yielded enrichment factors (ε) of −29‰ and −27‰ for strains CM4 and MC1, respectively. In agreement with previous studies, enrichment in 13C of untransformed CH3Cl was also observed, and similar isotope enrichment factors (ε) of −41‰ and −38‰ were obtained for degradation of chloromethane by strains CM4 and MC1, respectively. These combined hydrogen and carbon isotopic data for bacterial degradation of chloromethane will contribute to refine models of the global atmospheric budget of chloromethane.


Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain major public health problems globally. Appropriate laboratory diagnosis of STIs is rare in Ukraine. We investigated the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) using the US FDA‐approved Aptima Combo 2 and Aptima TV assays and compared the results with the conventional routine diagnostic tests (CDTs) in Ukraine. Urogenital swabs from consecutive mostly symptomatic females (n = 296) and males (n = 159) were examined. The prevalences were as follows: 10% (n = 47) of TV, 5.3% (n = 24) of CT and 1.5% (n = 7) of NG. The specificity of some CDTs was high, for example, 100% for NG culture, TV IgG ELISA, CT IgM ELISA and CT microscopy, but lower for other CDTs, that is, from 44% to 99.8%. The sensitivity of all CDTs was suboptimal, that is, 71% (n = 5) for NG microscopy, 57% (n = 4) for NG culture, 53% (n = 8) for CT IgG ELISA, 33% (n = 1) for TV IgG ELISA, 28% (n = 13) for TV microscopy, 25% (n = 1) for CT IgA ELISA, 20% (n = 3) for CT IgM ELISA and 0% (n = 0) for CT microscopy. The prevalences of particularly TV and CT were high, but substantial also for NG, in Ternopil, Ukraine. The sensitivities of all CDTs were low, and widespread implementation of validated, quality‐assured and cost‐effective molecular diagnostic STI tests in Ukraine is imperative.


Many indicators of gender inclusiveness show that Kerala has been much ahead of other states in ensuring the welfare of females. It needs to be reiterated that in both education and health, women in Kerala stand quietly at the receiving ends as the beneficiaries rather than the agents of economic and social change. The women's inclusive way of progress does not necessarily confine itself to the widening of education and health opportunities for women. Still, it largely and more positively depends on the effective participation of women in economic activities. It is disheartening that if we probe into the status of women from these yardsticks of 'active' economic participation, the picture of gender equality appears more discouraging in Kerala, which has been acclaimed as a 'model' for not only other states in the country but also for other countries in the world. A secular decline in the Work Participation Rate for women in the labor market clearly shows that education does not aid women to add themselves to the labor market. Economists and sociologists offer many plausible explanations for this absconding nature of educated and skilled women from the labor market. The real gender inclusion and women empowerment will be fulfilled only when women start actively engaging in productive fields using their knowledge and entitlements.


In an ever more connected and software controlled world, managing cyber security risks has become critical. Most industrial domains have grown a cyber security risk evaluation process combining its two risk factors (1) the impact on business domain assets and (2) the feasibility of threats at infrastructure level. Many available methods and tools to conduct such analysis rely on a rather bottom-up approach, anchored at the infrastructure level with only coarse grained links with the business domain. This paper explores the benefits of a more balanced approach combining a precise modelling of the business level using i* strategic rationale model, of the technical level using an infrastructure model and of the way the infrastructure layer supports the business layer. We show better reasoning and automation to conduct and update cyber security risks analysis. We implemented our approach on the EBIOS ISO27005 compliant methodology using the open source piStar and IriusRisk community toolset. We discuss our results on a water utility case in the light of related work.


In recent years, a number of reports have focused on the use of polyesters in drug delivery due to their intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this thesis, aliphatic polyesters were synthesized by polycondensation reaction and ring opening polymerization reactions. The properties of the polymers and drug delivery potential of the resultant materials were evaluated.
In the polycondensation reactions, a series of aliphatic polyesters of similar molecular weight were synthesized by reacting 1,10-decanediol with different ratios of succinic acid/phenylsuccinic acid and the effects of phenyl group side-chain substitution on polymer properties was investigated. A solvent-free melt polycondensation method using scandium (III) triflate as catalyst at an industrially relevant temperature (120 °C) was used. As the phenyl content increased, the polymers changed from semicrystalline to amorphous in state. The loading capability of polymers was checked by formulating nanoparticles containing coumarin 6 as a fluorescent dye analogue of active drugs. A polymer with a 70/30 ratio of succinic acid and phenylsuccinic acid showed the highest dye loading among the set of materials synthesised. This polymer was found to be degradable over time under selected experimental conditions. Amphiphilic block co-polymers from the PluronicTM class were used to stabilize, in PBS, nanoparticles formed from these polyesters by nanoprecipitation routes. The metabolic activity, cell membrane integrity and lysosomal functions of C3A cells dosed with the polymers were determined to observe the cytocompatibility of the highest dye-loaded nanoparticles. Activity relative to undosed C3A cells was retained at more than 80% in the all of the assays. Imaging of Pluronic coated and uncoated nanoparticles in C3A cells suggested that both types of the nanoparticles were endocytosed in the early stage of the study (within 10 min). The internalization of nanoparticles was increased progressively over the study time. These results indicated the possible utility of the selected polymers in diagnostic and delivery applications.
Ring opening polymerization (ROP) reactions were used for the synthesis of a diblock (mPEG-b-PeDL) and a triblock (PeDL-b-PEG-b-PeDL) copolymer from a seven membered e-decalactone (e-DL) monomer obtained from renewable sources. A diblock (mPEG-b-PeDL) copolymer was compared with structurally similar mPEG-b-PCL copolymer synthesized via ROP of e-caprolactone (e-CL) monomer, which can be considered as a non-renewable monomer. A six membered δ-decalactone (δ-DL) was also used for the synthesis of a diblock copolymer (mPEG-b-PδDL) to compare the reaction kinetics and properties of the copolymers. The copolymers were prepared via bulk polymerisation using 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) as a metal-free catalyst to replace the conventionally used stannous octoate [Sn(Oct)2]. A higher polymerization efficiency was achived with TBD compared to Sn(Oct)2 catalyst. However, a notable difference in the reaction temperature required for e-DL and δ-DL polymerization was observed. The comparison with a structural analogue, i.e. e-CL, demonstrated that the e-DL polymerization was inhibited due to the presence of the alkyl chain of e-DL monomer. However, a higher reaction time (12 h for TBD and 24 h for Sn(Oct)2) in CROP of e-DL was addressed by using microwave based ring opening polymerization (MROP) reaction.
The MROP was adopted as a 'green' and cheap heating method alternative to conventional heating (CROP) for the synthesis of mPEG-b-PeDL diblock copolymers using TBD as a catalyst. All the reactions were conducted in bulk. The MROP was designed based on the dielectric properties of all the reacting materials, as it was found that e-DL monomers showed good absorption of MW radiation (tanδ>0.5). Accordingly, MROP resulted in a higher rate of e-DL polymerization compared to CROP but comparison of the synthesis of mPEG-b-PCL copolymer by MROP indicated that the presence of the alkyl chain in e-DL monomer significantly reduced the rate of polymerization.
The synthesized mPEG-b-PeDL copolymer was investigated as a potential drug delivery vehicle for solubilization and controlled delivery of indomethacin. The indomethacin loading and release from mPEG-b-PeDL micelles (amorphous core) was compared against well-established mPEG-b-PCL micelles (semicrystalline core). The drug-polymer compatibility was also determined through a predictive computational approach to access the drug solubilisation (or drug loading) into hydrated micelles. The micelles were prepared by solvent evaporation method and characterized for size, morphology, indomethacin (IND) loading and release. Both of the micelle formulations showed a uniform distribution of spherical micelles with size sp (mPEG)> sp (PCL). The predictions suggested that more IND should encapsulate within the micelles with PCL core compared to PDL core, but the IND loading experiments revealed an overall higher loading in PeDL core (6.55 wt%) compared to PCL core (5.39 wt%) (P < 0.05, unpaired student's t-test). However, consideration of the IND loading per unit volume of the micelles revealed that the PCL cored micelles was able to load 1.5 times more compared to the PeDL cored micelles. This result illustrated the higher compatibility of the IND with PCL core in accordance with the solubility parameter calculations. These data also suggested that the overall higher IND loading in PeDL core was attributable to the amorphous nature of the core which increased the core volume by 1.81 times compared to the PCL core. Drug release studies showed the sustained release pattern from both of the micelle systems although the semicrystalline PCL core (80% drug release in 110 h) was able to release the drug for a longer period compared to PeDL core (80% drug release in 72 h). Cell viability tests demonstrated the cytocompatibility of the mPEG-b-PeDL polymer. The micelles were internalized effectively in the early stages of the study and progressively increased with time.
The results of the present thesis suggested that novel aliphatic polyester can be good candidates for the drug delivery applications and further studies can explore the possible applications of these polymers in the biomedical field.


Timm et al. (2001) argue that Pseudonovibos spiralis actually exists as a new bovine species, and identify as such two frontlets in the Kansas Natural History Museum, U.S.A. This is not the first time these specimens have been the subject of dubious taxonomic identification; they were previously misidentified by Hoffman (1986) as female kouprey Bos sauveli. A further irony is that the original unmasking (Dioli, 1995) was accomplished by an author of the current defense.


Over a 12-month period, we observed adult patients with suspected pulmonary embolism referred for lung scanning to determine variability in the diagnostic process. Among 269 studies, 157 lung scans were judged necessary by predetermined criteria. Ninety-three of these 157 patients had inconclusive results (low probability, intermediate probability, or indeterminate). Of these 93 patients, 42 had pulmonary angiograms, ten of which were positive. Of the 51 patients with necessary but inconclusive scans, five were poor candidates for angiography, 15 had other indications for anticoagulation, seven refused the study, and 24 had physicians who considered further studies unwarranted. Patients with and without pulmonary angiography were demographically and clinically similar. Although confirmatory testing such as pulmonary angiography was used frequently (45%) after an inconclusive lung scan, the question of pulmonary embolism was often left unanswered (55%). Methods for linking clinical judgment to lung scan results are necessary to select proper patients for invasive confirmatory testing.


Background: Previously, we reported an association between higher maternal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations and smaller thymus volume in newborns in a birth cohort residing in eastern Slovakia. Objective: In the present report we address whether thymus volume at later ages is influenced by prenatal and early postnatal PCB exposure. Methods: At the time of delivery, 1,134 mother–infant pairs were enrolled. Maternal and 6- and 16-month infant blood samples were collected and analyzed for 15 PCB congeners. Thymus volume was measured in infants shortly after birth and at ages 6 and 16 months using ultrasonography. Results: Higher maternal PCB concentration was associated with reduced thymus volume at birth [a 0.21 SD reduction in thymus volume for an increase in total maternal PCB concentration from the 10th to the 90th percentile; 95% confidence interval (CI): –0.37, –0.05], whereas maternal PCB concentration was not predictive of 6- and 16-month thymus volume. Six-month infant PCB concentration was associated with a 0.40 SD decrease in 6-month thymus volume (95% CI: –0.76, –0.04). There was also some suggestion that thymus volume at 16 months was positively associated with concurrent infant PCB concentration. Conclusions: The potential adverse effects of in utero PCB exposure on thymic development may extend beyond the neonatal period. Results from this highly exposed cohort provide suggestive evidence that postnatal PCB concentrations may be influential, but a smaller set of 6-month PCB measurements limited statistical power at that time point. Implications regarding impaired immunologic maturation or long-term clinical implications remain to be determined.


ABSTRACT Compost amendments to soils and potting mixes are routinely applied to improve soil fertility and plant growth and health. These amendments, which contain high levels of organic matter and microbial cells, can influence microbial communities associated with plants grown in such soils. The purpose of this study was to follow the bacterial community compositions of seed and subsequent root surfaces in the presence and absence of compost in the potting mix. The bacterial community compositions of potting mixes, seed, and root surfaces sampled at three stages of plant growth were analyzed via general and newly developed Bacteroidetes-specific, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis methodologies. These analyses revealed that seed surfaces were colonized primarily by populations detected in the initial potting mixes, many of which were not detected in subsequent root analyses. The most persistent bacterial populations detected in this study belonged to the genus Chryseobacterium (Bacteroidetes) and the family Oxalobacteraceae (Betaproteobacteria). The patterns of colonization by populations within these taxa differed significantly and may reflect differences in the physiology of these organisms. Overall, analyses of bacterial community composition revealed a surprising prevalence and diversity of Bacteroidetes in all treatments.


An ambulance dispatcher decides which ambulances to allocate to new calls, and how to relocate ambulances in order to maintain a good coverage. Doing this, it is valuable to have information about the future expected response times in different parts of the area of responsibility, as well as the expected number of available ambulances. We present a simulation model that can be used to predict this, and compare the results to a naïve forecasting model. The results show that while it is difficult to accurately predict the future system state, the simulation based prediction manages this better than the naïve model.


The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss soil physical, chemical and biological indicators at the national level, as well as the progres made in their use for sustainable development assessment. The population pressure adds to the need protect the existing soil resources. There is therefore a need for developing soil indikators in order to measure the sustainability of land use and management for different human activities. Efforts are made towards a better understanding of the factors that may affect the soil resource, and these factors are then translated into indicators. Only an integrated approach combining several relevant indicators can give answers to the complex questions of soil quality and sustainable soil use.


In 2016, 4,642 Pennsylvanians died from a drug overdose and 85% of these deaths were due to an opioid overdose (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy 2017). With a 37% increase in deaths from 2015, the Commonwealth's response to this epidemic has come from several fronts. One valuable resource has been the modernization and implementation of Pennsylvania's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). PDMPs are state-run programs that record dispensing of most controlled substances and provide this data to physicians and pharmacists (among others) to inform their practice about possible opioid use disorder by a given patient. This article discusses the role of Pennsylvania's PDMP in patient care and law enforcement to reduce opioid overdoses in the Commonwealth. Recent evidence is discussed that demonstrates the effectiveness of state-run PDMPs and their impact on opioid misuse and prescribing patterns. It is important to note that additional research into the effectiveness of PDMPs in preventing opioid-related morbidity and mortality is needed.


We construct a partial equilibrium model of a risk averse monopolist who faces an uninsurable uncertain foreign demand and a constant marginal cost, and makes an ex-ante production plan, committing ex-post to the ex-ante price. Optimal government intervention is considered when the good is only exported and income risk aversion differs for the representative consumer and the monopolist. If both agents are not too risk averse, or are identically so, the government should not intervene. If either or both agents are sufficiently risk averse, we find that a production tax will be optimal when the monopolist is more risk averse than the consumer. There is also a sensible range of parameter values for which the government will be indifferent between taxing or subsidising the monopolist. If the good is consumed domestically, the normal monopoly distortion adds a force for a subsidy.


The paper discusses a fundamental investigation of a noisy commercial spline driven disc brake using thermal and holographic techniques. A thermal camera is used to observe heat distribution within the sliding fist type brake system during a heavy braking situation. It is seen that the disc appears to exhibit localised hot areas and the pad is seen to vary in temperature along its length, it being hotter at the leading edge. Observations of the pad face after heavy braking gives some indication of the pressure distribution across its face during this operation. Interrogation of one image is able to indicate temperature variation across the hub region, even the splines being identified within the temperature profile.

A friction material with an artificially high coefficient of friction was used to promote noise. The whole body visual technique of holographic interferometry is used to investigate the modes of vibration of the principal component parts, mirrors being used to allow visual access to otherwise hidden areas. Holograms of the main vibrating components are presented and discussed. The images indicate the vibrational characteristics of the commercial brake are similar to those of a car brake and that positive cross-correlation of information may be a possibility. A fundamental analysis of the pad/disc interface geometry, as used on car brakes, is used to predict the probable instability frequency, this being the frequency generated during the tests


Stein, S.M.; Menakis, J.; Carr, M.A.; Comas, S.J.; Stewart, S.I.; Cleveland, H.; Bramwell, L.; Radeloff, V.C. 2013. Wildfire, wildlands, and people: understanding and preparing for wildfire in the wildland-urban interface—a Forests on the Edge report. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-299. Fort Collins, CO. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 36 p. Fire has historically played a fundamental ecological role in many of America's wildland areas. However, the rising number of homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), associated impacts on lives and property from wildfire, and escalating costs of wildfire management have led to an urgent need for communities to become "fire-adapted." We present maps of the conterminous United States that illustrate historical natural fire regimes, the wildland-urban interface, and the number and location of structures burned since 1999. We outline a sampler of actions, programs, and community planning and development options to help decrease the risks of and damages from wildfire.


The poor complementary breastfeeding is a risk factor directly related to the stunting. This study was aimed to know the effect of providing information to the baby's mother on the knowledge, attitudes, norms/culture, beliefs, and the actions in giving the complementary breastfeeding in preventing the potential stunting in Bima This study used quasy experiment, ie the pre-test and post-test with control group design. The samples were 40 mothers divided into four groups such as ie classes with modules while the control class researchers with KIA book, a group of researchers only use the modules and control group with KIA book. Questionnaire data collection of interviews and anthropometric measurements. Data were analyzed with the Wilcoxon test. The results showed the effect of information on knowledge, attitudes, norms / culture, significant trust began a second measurement of the classes either the mother or the book module KIA, changes in feeding patterns solids in class + KIA book significantly in the third measurement. In the group of modules, changes in knowledge, norms / culture, and significant confidence in the measurement, while attitudes and solids feeding patterns significantly in the third measurement. At KIA book group, a significant increase in knowledge begin in the second measurement, norms / culture and significant confidence in the third measurement, whereas his own attitude changes are significant in the fourth measurement.


PURPOSE
To investigate the specific molecular mechanisms and effects of curcumin derivative J147 on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

METHODS
We constructed streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DPN rat models to detected mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) in vivo using Von Frey filaments. In vitro, we measured cell viability and apoptosis, adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) expression using MTT, flow cytometry, qRT-PCR and western blot. Then, TRPA1 expression level and calcium reaction level were assessed in agonist AICAR treated RSC96cells.

RESULTS
The results showed that J147reduced MWT in vivo, increased the mRNA and protein level of AMPK, reduced TRPA1 expression and calcium reaction level in AITCR treated RSC96 cells, and had no obvious effect on cell viability and apoptosis. Besides, AMPK negative regulated TRPA1 expression in RSC96 cells.

CONCLUSIONS
J147 could ameliorate DPN via negative regulation AMPK on TRPA1 in vivo and in vitro. A curcumin derivative J147might be a new therapeutic potential for the treatment of DPN.


Although necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) carries significant morbidity/mortality in preterm babies, it is poorly understood and its identification is hindered by the lack of a single diagnostic test. Metabolomics offers innovative opportunities for biomarker discovery and improving pathogenetic insight. We implemented a novel pilot study to determine if metabolomics could identify preterm babies at risk of NEC. To aid data interpretation, we also assessed the impact of gestational age and feeding on the metabolome. We collected serum samples from 12 pre-terms (<30 weeks' gestation) and 8 controls (≥37 weeks'). Two serum samples were taken (before 7 days of age and when fully enterally fed) from each infant. A third sample was obtained only on developing NEC. Samples underwent gas/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/LC-MS) analysis before undergoing univariate, multivariate and pathway analysis. No metabolites could reliably identify infants at risk of developing NEC. Although the metabolome appears to alter in response to NEC, sample size prevented detailed analysis of this and of feeding. 3983 of 10419 and 54 of 166 metabolites, detected in LC-MS and GC-MS respectively, significantly differed between preterm and term babies, particularly fatty acids (Kruskal-Wallis p-value < 0.05). Furthermore, 12 significant metabolites detected by GC-MS were mapped to one network linked to carbohydrate/lipid metabolism (p = 1 × 10–30). Whilst we could not identify predictive biomarkers for NEC we observed significant differences in the metabolomes of preterms and terms. Provisional pathway analysis of these differences suggests altered insulin action in preterm infants. This pilot study indicates that metabolomics may be used to study glucose control in preterm babies.


Despite considerable progress over the past years, the detection of medium-energy X-ray photons (E>1 keV) with STJs near the energy-resolution limit, set by the Fano and tunnel noise, remains an elusive goal. There is presently little doubt that the spatially inhomogeneous response of the STJ is responsible for the degradation of the energy resolution. We review several proposed mechanisms against experimental data for Nb- and Ta-based STJs, of various sizes and in single or array-format. We argue against a single mechanism behind the resolution degradation. The experimental results presented here support a model in which quasi-particles are lost at the edges of the STJ, but also indicate that losses into the leads seriously degrade the energy resolution. Finally, an example is given of how fabrication details may play a role as well.


The effects of acute and subacute toxicity of 1,8-cineole in Kunming mice were studied. After acute oral administration, the LD50 value (95% CL) was 3849 mg/kg (3488.8~4247.1 mg/kg). In the subacute toxicity study, there were no significant differences in body weight and relative organ weight between the control group and 1,8-cineole treatment groups. The histopathological examinations showed that granular degeneration and vacuolar degeneration appeared in liver and kidney tissue after administration of high dose of 1,8-cineole. Under electron microscopy, a series of ultrastructural changes were observed: The electron microscopy assays indicated that the influence of 1,8-cineole on the target organ at the subcellular level were mainly on the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and other membrane type structure of liver and kidney.


This work presents a model predictive control (MPC) to coordinate connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) with a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication when they enter intersections. With the purpose of minimizing energy as well as passing the intersection smoothly, it uses an individual linear quadratic optimal controller for each CAV, with a predefined path, that will respect mixed-integer linear constraints to guarantee collision avoidance in relation to the nearby vehicles. This method solves different scenarios with a different number of CAVs crossing the intersection, coming from more than one road, including a platoon formation. The results show that MPC is an efficient technique to integrate multiple CAVs to collaborate with the mutual objective of join merging zones without accidents.


We aimed at identifying the distribution of periodicity and the reasons for the woman to attend a gynecological consultation and the level of the woman's understanding concerning the measures for uterus lap cancer prevention after the consultation. It is a quantitative study in with we interviewed 141 women, assisted at a health center, from April to May 1999. We notice that 80 (56,7%) of the women made the appointment due to gynecological complaints (pelvic pain, itch and vaginal running). We observed that 77 (64,7%) kept an interval of up to 1 year from one consultation to another. We concluded that the women ignore the measures for the prevention of uterine lap cancer, with led to the analysis of the importance of gynecological consultation as a means of education for the prevention of gynecological cancer.


As the implantable devices, like neural prostheses, become more powerful, the temperature increase caused by their operation is becoming a growing concern. For example, it is reported that a temperature increase greater than 1 C could damage the surrounding brain tissue for neural implants. Thus, it is important to model the thermal effect of implantable devices. Previous literatures model the heat transfer from the bioimplant to its surrounding tissue using the famous Pennes bioheat equation, which are then solved by methods like the Finite Difference Time Domain (FTDT). However, these methods have significant computational cost, which makes them not suitable for applications where online thermal effect prediction is required. Moreover, due to the time varying nature of the human body and the complicated relationship between the power dissipation of bioimplant and its temperature increase, a predetermined thermal model exhibits gradual performance degradation through time. In this paper, a real-time multi-step prediction method is proposed to model the thermal effect of bioimplants. Compared with other human body thermal modeling techniques like FDTD and Fourier transform based methods, the method proposed in this paper is much faster and the computational cost is much lower, so it can be implemented online. The developed method can adaptively update the thermal model based on the real time temperature measurement of the tissue having direct contact with the bioimplant, which is easily available by integrating a temperature sensor into the implant, and accurately predict the future tissue temperature under various operation conditions. The effectiveness of the developed method is demonstrated with a battery powered neural prosthesis, which stimulate the neural tissues with Utah Electrode Array (UEA). The thermal effect of UEA is emulated with a COMSOL model, which has been experimentally validated in previous literatures


Multi-hop Question Answering (QA) is a challenging task since it requires an accurate aggregation of information from multiple context paragraphs and a thorough understanding of the underlying reasoning chains. Recent work in multi-hop QA has shown that performance can be boosted by first decomposing the questions into simpler, single-hop questions. In this paper, we explore one additional utility of the multi-hop decomposition from the perspective of explainable NLP: to create explanation by probing a neural QA model with them. We hypothesize that in doing so, users will be better able to predict when the underlying QA system will give the correct answer. Through human participant studies, we verify that exposing the decomposition probes and answers to the probes to users can increase their ability to predict system performance on a question instance basis. We show that decomposition is an effective form of probing QA systems as well as a promising approach to explanation generation. In-depth analyses show the need for improvements in decomposition systems.


This paper presents a design and implementation of wind turbine imitation system using DC Motor. The idea is to imitate speeds from the DC Motor that could be provided by the practical wind turbines. An H-bridge PWM VSC is used in the system to control the DC Motor which is directly coupled to the Permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The control algorithm is realized in the DSP (TMS320F2812). The system is then employed to imitate the wind turbine with various wind speeds in the direct drive PMSG wind power generation model. Experimentation results and simulation verify the effectiveness of the system which provides a platform to be used in studying the control method of direct drive PMSG with various speed changes.


Sexual morphogenesis in Schizophyltum commune, a higher basidiomycete, is controlled by two incompatibility factors, A and B. A key event, the migration of nuclei from each mate throughout the mycelium of the other, is controlled by the B factor and occurs in A = B 4= matings. The distribution of nuclei in the resulting heterokaryon is irregular, and anucleate, uninucleate, binucleate and multinucleate cells are found. A similar distribution of nuclei is found in homokaryons carrying a mutation in the B factor. Because of their developmental history, strains that carry a mutated B factor offer a relatively simple system for the study of the events associated with nuclear migration. Growth of mutant-i? germlings occurs in three stages: (I) most cells are binucleate; (II) most cells are uninucleate; (III) cells contain varied numbers of nuclei. The ratio of nuclei: cells remains constant during the transition from stage II to stage III . Changes in nuclear distribution result from movement of the nuclei from cell to cell, and the movement is associated with the disruption of the dolipore septum. The mutant-fi system appears to offer an opportunity for the biochemical resolution of the events related to nuclear migration.


In this paper, the use of a neural network algorithm for the retrieval of the aerosol properties from ground-based spectropolarimetric measurements is discussed. The neural network is able to retrieve the aerosol properties with an accuracy that is almost comparable to that of an iterative retrieval. By using the outcome of the neural network as first guess in the iterative retrieval scheme, the accuracy of the retrieved fine- and coarse-mode optical thickness is further improved, while for the other parameters the improvement is small or absent. The resulting scheme (neural network + iterative retrieval) is compared to the original one (look-up table + iterative retrieval) on a set of simulated ground-based measurements, and on a small set of real observations carried out by an accurate ground-based spectropolarimeter. The results show that the use of a neural-network-based first guess leads to an increase in the number of converging retrievals, and possibly to more accurate estimates of the aerosol effective radius and complex refractive index.


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by exaggerated airway inflammatory responses and heightened susceptibility to influenza virus. The mechanisms of which are unknown. In this study we infected primary bronchial epithelial cells (pBECs) from COPD and healthy subjects with human influenza H3N2 or H1N1. Infection led to significantly higher activation of NF-κB and inflammatory cytokines production (IL-6/-8/-1β), but resulted in impaired induction of antiviral type I interferon (IFN)-β/-l in COPD, leading to higher viral replication. A20, an important negative regulator of NF-κB, was not induced by infection in COPD. Ectopic expression of A20 decreased NF-κB phosphorylation but minimally affected IFN-β induction. This reduced level of A20 was the result of increased induction of miR-125a/b. miR-125a/b antagomiRs increased A20 expression and decreased NF-κB phosphorylation, but IFN-β was also markedly increased. TargetScan analysis also showed the antiviral adaptor protein MAVS is a potential target of miR-125a/b. MAVS protein expression was reduced in COPD. By using MAVS-3′UTR-luciferase reporter constructs and miR-125a/b mimetics and immunoprecipitation, enhanced miR-125a/b targeted the putative binding region on 3′UTR, leading to reduced MAVS expression and IFN-β induction in COPD. In conclusion, influenza virus infection led to enhanced inflammatory but reduced antiviral responses in COPD. miR-125a/b targets A20 and MAVS, leading to enhanced NF-κB activation and impaired IFN response in COPD. miR-125a/b antagomiRs suppressed NF-kB activation and increased IFN-β induction via increased A20 and MAVS, respectively.


Unfavorable agro-climatic and edaphic conditions have led to the development of many adaptation strategies to climate change in the northern region of Burkina Faso. This study analyzed the determinants of goods practices adoption as regards adaptation to climate change (GPACC). It used panel data (2016-2018) collected from a sample of 1,221 women and 335 men within the operational farmer's organizations in the provinces of Zondoma and Passore. Results of the multinomial Logit model showed that adoption of GPACC is determined by the socio-economic characteristics of men and women including the institutional opportunities and farms characteristics. These factors included years of experience in farming, production costs, access to credit, the possession of ruminants, soils type and availability of inputs on time.  However, the relevance of the variables and the meaning of their influence partially varied depending on GPACC and the smallholder' gender. Therefore, it is essential to build-up technical, socio-economic and institutional capacities to reach a massive adoption of GPACC. However, all these capacity-building actions should take into account the findings as regards the specificity of each producer category.

 Key words: Determinants, adoption, goods practices, climate change, women, men, multinomial logit, Burkina Faso.


In the conventional evacuation planning process, evacuees are assigned to fixed destinations based mainly on the criterion of geographical proximity. However, such prespecified destinations (OD table) almost always lead to sub-optimal evacuation efficiencies due to uncertain road conditions such as congestion, road blockage, and other hazards associated with the emergency. By relaxing the constraint of assigning evacuees to pre-specified destinations, a one-destination evacuation (ODE) concept has the potential of greatly improving the evacuation efficiency. A framework for simultaneous optimization of evacuation traffic distribution and assignment is therefore proposed in this study. Based on the concept of ODE, the optimal destination and route assignment can be determined by solving a one-destination (1D) traffic assignment problem on a modified network representation. When tested on real-world networks for evacuation studies, the proposed 1D model presents substantial improvement over the conventional multiple-destination (nD) model. For instance, for a hypothetical county-wide evacuation, a nearly 80% reduction in the overall evacuation time can be achieved when modeling of traffic routing with en route information in the 1D framework, and the 1D optimization results can also be used to improve the planning OD tables, resulting in an up to 60% reduction in the overall evacuation time. More importantly, this framework can be actually implemented, and its efficiency enhancement can be realized simply by instructing evacuees to head for more efficient destinations determined from the 1D optimization performed beforehand.


One of the most influential storytellers of the last sixty years was the exuberant Stan Lee, who helped create Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Daredevil, Iron Man, the Black Panther, and the X-Men. In a short burst of creativity in the early 1960s, Lee created most of his iconic characters, and changed popular culture in the process. This essay, a review of Liel Leibovitz's Stan Lee: A Life in Comics (2020), explores Lee's astonishing creativity and distinctiveness, which can be found in a combination of joyful ebullience, capacity to wink, delight in human diversity, wit, commitment to human rights, and understanding of the essentials of the hero's journey, or the monomyth, as described by Joseph Campbell.


Background The European Society of Cardiology's guidelines "present all the relevant evidence on a particular clinical issue" to clinicians, being designed to be "helpful in everyday clinical medical decision-making".Statements are accompanied by one of three Levels of Evidence: A (multiple randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or meta-analyses), B (large non-randomised studies or one RCT) or C (expert opinion, small/retrospective studies or registry data). We evaluated the Levels of evidence underlying the guideline documents as a whole to establish whether, as time progresses, they are providing clinicians with recommendations of increasing scientific soundness. Methods We systematically analysed all current and past guideline documents from the European Society of Cardiology, which offered recommendations with Levels of Evidence or Class of Recommendation.We recorded the Level of Evidence available for each recommendation. Two independent observers extracted the Level of Evidence provided for each recommendation.A third observer settled any disagreements. Results There are now over 3000 active guideline recommendations to steer the practice of cardiologists. Almost half (49.6%) of recommendations are Level C and are based on no more than opinion or bias-vulnerable observational reports.Under a fifth (18.3%) have the highest recommendation level, A and are based on randomised controlled trials or meta-analyses.Level B accounts for the remaining 32.1%. There has been a large increase in the number of guideline recommendations over time (Figure 1). Revision of an individual guideline document increases the total number of recommendations (median of +7.5, IQR 0 to +49).Recommendations based on the lowest Level of Evidence (C) were more frequently added (median of +17.5, IQR 0 to +36) than Level B (+5.5, IQR -0.5 to +14.75), which were in turn more commonly added than recommendations with the highest Level of Evidence (A) (+3.5, IQR 0 to +11). Areas of cardiology differed substantially in Levels of Evidence. ACE inhibitors had the highest proportion of high-level evidence (86% Level A, 7% B and 7% C) whilst Aortic Dissection the lowest (100% Level C). Over 2/3 of guideline documents had less than 1/3 of their recommendations based on Level A.Only 2 had over 50% of recommendations based on Level A. Conclusions Cardiologists are faced with over 3000 evidence-based instructions to steer their clinical practice.Almost half have no RCT data whatsoever.Recommendations continue to be added, but these are most commonly based on opinion, not RCT proof. We recommend that if guidelines are to direct clinical action they should restrain themselves to making a smaller number of clear recommendations that are based on reliable (i.e. RCT) evidence. Abstract 110 Figure 1 There are increasing numbers of active guidelines with each Level of Evidence. Most recommendations added have the lowest Level of Evidence (C) rather than higher Levels of Evidence


It is a challenge to introduce building information modeling (BIM), as demanded from the industry, in an already packed curriculum for higher engineering education. There is therefore a need for alternative ways to include BIM in the curriculum, while at the same time strengthening – rather than supplanting – the traditional engineering subjects. The purpose of this study is increased understanding of how BIM can be integrated as part of an engineering curriculum in an efficient way. The study is based on an evaluation of the 'Introduction to Building Professions' course given to all civil engineering students in their first semester of the bachelor's degree programme at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences in Norway. Autodesk Revit was used as BIM-based software in the designing of a two-family timber dwelling, a compulsory group project in the course. Data for this paper are collected from multiple sources: a net-based questionnaire, course evaluations, interviews with students and teachers, and assessment of students' project work. Selected factors in Active Learning theories are used as a theoretical lens for analyzing the data in a systematic way. BIM enabled a design and 'virtual construction' process where students held professional roles in a design team, and contributed with their expertise toward a holistic solution. The students reported that the hands-on modeling with BIMbased software led to increased understanding of design parameters, load distribution, and construction detailing, as well as information requirements for collaboration within a design team. We conclude that BIM in higher engineering education can support understanding of professional content, which is the primary learning outcome. Software proficiency is seen as a necessary yet subordinate skill in higher education and should not be graded as a separate task. Use of BIM-based software should, however, be integrated to enhance problem understanding and relevant information processing. This integrated approach can lead to a more widespread implementation of BIM to support active learning in higher education.


Despite nearly universal agreement that ultra‐premium California wines have reached a quality level which is on a par with the world's best, these wines have not captured the hearts and minds of many traditional buyers of the best wines in the international marketplace. These California wines face several competitive disadvantages — the lack of a sustained track record over a long period of time; comparatively small production levels; the lack of an established pecking order; and, a less‐than‐optimal distribution system, among other factors. As a result, brand equity of California ultra‐premium wines has suffered. This paper modifies and extends the paradigms of both Aaker and Keller by specifying a brand equity model that captures the dimensions of brand equity for ultra‐premium California wine producers. Evaluating current marketing practice against the derived model, the authors suggest marketing strategies and tactics that may permit ultra‐premium California wines to overcome many of their competitive disadvantages with the objective of enhancing brand equity.


The purpose of this program and research award is to stimulate physicians-in-training to pursue a career in clinical research in hypertension. The research fellow must be conducting work in which he or she is the major senior investigator in any area of the researcher's choice, including clinical or laboratory aspects of the hypertensive diseases. The fellow's work would be supervised by the director of the research training program (the mentor), but the conduct of the investigation is primarily by the research fellow. The winning presentation receives $3,000, and the fellow's mentor receives $25,000 to support …


In the saltation regime where bed-shear stress is low, bed load moves by sliding, rolling, and saltating along the bed, while in the sheet-flow regime where bed-shear stress is high, it travels by a combination of saltation and sheet flow. In this paper a theoretical model is developed for predicting the onset of the sheet-flow regime as shear stress increases. This model is based on a new variable Pb representing the proportion of grains on the bed that are entrained as bed load. The model yields the equation Pb=2.56G 3 in which G=1c /, =dimensionless bed-shear stress; and c=critical value of at which grains begin to move. The equation shows that t, which is the value of at the onset of the sheet-flow regime and is assumed to occur when Pb=1, is around 0.5 with the exact value controlled by c. For example, when c=0.045, t=0.52. The theoretical model is verified by performing a nonlinear regression analysis on data from 285 flume experiments. Additional flume experiments with a high-speed video HSV system result in consistent values of for the onset of the sheet-flow regime, which support the theoretical model. The HSV images further reveal that: 1 the sheet-flow regime is characterized by granular sheets or laminations; and 2 a zone of mixed saltation and rolling grains exists not only in the saltation regime but also in the sheet-flow regime.


Abstract The provision of public goods is an important aspect of public sector management, and it is a subject of specific conditions. Public Goods should be provided efficiently and in accordance to consumer demand and should meet the provider's political and financial priorities as well as other obligatory commitments. An important role also play the citizens that are increasingly appealing on the provision of high-quality, accessible and cost-effective public goods in line with the principle of "value for money". The evaluation of the provided public goods is, therefore, a topical issue. A particular case would be the provision of mixed public goods. This article deals with the topic of evaluation of mixed public goods provided in the cultural sector, specifically in the field of theatres. The basis of the economic value of cultural goods (products) and services is their rarity and utility value. Major difficulties are associated with the evaluation of freely available cultural goods or cultural services provided for non-equivalent admissions. Cultural goods often are of a high spiritual value in the eyes of the public, but, at the same time, their financial value is low. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the level of mixed public goods provided by Czech professional theatres from the perspective of technical and financial availability to citizens. For the assessment of the level of provided cultural goods, the multi-criteria evaluation method WSA is used. In terms of technical and financial aspects, the results of the research demonstrate a great variability across organizations associated in the Professional Theatres Association. The organizations are ranked according to the level of provided mixed public goods from best to worst.


The present study investigated identification of cultivars through phylogenetic analysis of 108 Citrus varieties and related cultivars using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Two hundred three SSR primer pairs were used to detect polymorphic markers among 8 Citrus cultivars consisting of 4 mandarins, 1 orange, 1 tangor, 1 tangelo, and 1 pumelo. Eighteen SSR primer pairs were reproducible and showed highly polymorphic alleles. These markers were applied to assess genetic variations of the 108 varieties. Each marker detected 5-14 alleles, with an average of 9.28. The polymorphism information content varied from 0.417 to 0.791 with an average of 0.706. Cluster analysis with SSR markers resulted in 13 major groups reflecting cultivar types and pedigree information. Twelve orange cultivars in the I-1st sub-cluster and 23 mandarin cultivars in the II-1st sub-cluster, respectively, were not discriminated using the SSR markers. This could be due to narrow genetic backgrounds originated through bud mutation or nucellars seedlings. The SSR profile database of Citrus cultivars will be useful as a tool for protection of plant breeders' intellectual property rights in addition to assessing genetic diversity in Citrus cultivars and germplasms.


Abstract We report CCD photometry of 2060 Chiron from two apparitions. A partial light curve was obtained in 1985 January, when the object was intrinsically fainter (Hv = 6.84) than it has ever been seen before or since. Nonetheless, there was some evidence for cometary activity even then; the bare nucleus may be fainter still. A complete light curve was obtained over 10 hr on 1991 January 08. Similar in character to the 1990 lightcurve of J. X. Luu and D.C. Jewitt (1990, Astron. J. 100, 913-932), it differed in three important respects. The amplitude was lower (0.04 mag), the mean brightness level was higher than recent trends would predict (mean HR = 5.65), and the mean remained constant over 1 1 2 rotations to within better than 0.005 mag. The light curve shows reproducible structure of relatively high-frequency (∼15-min time scale), formerly attributed to noise. These features repeat within the night and also may be discerned in light curves dating back to 1986 (S. J. Bus, E. Bowell, A. W. Harris, and A. V. Hewitt, 1989, Icarus 77, 223-238). We believe this structure to be evidence that Chiron is more aspherical (faceted?) than the small-amplitude lightcurve otherwise implies. The rotational lightcurve now is sufficiently well-characterized that it is no longer necessary to obtain data over a complete rotation to monitor the so-called "outburst" behavior of the object. We hope that this will encourage observers to study the cometary behavior of Chiron on time scales of days to weeks. An updated mean synodic period of 5.917813 ± 0.000007 hr has been derived, and a revised nucleus + coma photometric model is constructed using the new data. The results of this model, along with the observed rapid "dropouts" in the rotational lightcurve, are together taken as evidence for a relatively low-obliquity viewing geometry over the past decade.


This paper presents the basic concepts of a new fault diagnosis technique which has the following features: 1) is applicable to both single and multiple faults, 2) does not require fault enumeration, 3) can identify faults which prevent initialization, 4) can indicate the presence of nonstuck faults in the D.U.T., 5) can identify fault-free lines in the D.U.T. Our technique, referred to as effect-cause analysis, does not require a fault dictionary and it is not based on comparing the obtained response of the D.U.T. with the expected response, which is not assumed to be known. Effect-cause analysis directly processes the actual response of the D.U.T. to the applied test (the effect) to determine the possible fault situations (the causes) which can generate that response.


In the medico-legal context, expert witnesses are required, under the Practice Direction supplement to the Civil Procedure Rules Part 35 for Experts and Assessors (2005), to "indicate if … they are not satisfied that an opinion can be expressed finally and without qualification" (p.10). This declaration in an expert report for the courts in the UK requires that the expert would have assessed the confidence they have in the opinion expressed in their report. While experts preparing a medico-legal report will therefore draw upon their specific professional expertise as the basis for their confidence in the opinions expressed, few experts will have formal training in the assessment of deception, and not all will be readily familiar with the broader literature,1–5 theory and research relating to assessment of deception and malingering. There is an established literature6–9 in psychology on "lying" which addresses key aspects relevant to the evaluation of an individual's presentation at interview. This psychological literature can play a key part in the necessary knowledge base for interviewers who must evaluate the validity of an individual's reported difficulties, and assess the confidence they have in the interview process. This article briefly reviews research relating to malingering, lying and deception in so far as it relates to the medico-legal setting.


As investment activities increase and investment types diversify in China, equity investment is expected to undergo a greater development. However, there is a serious inadequacy in terms of standardization of accounting treatment and disclosure for equity investment, which, this paper argues, is contributive to maintaining a fair and efficient capital market, safeguarding state-owned assets, optimizing business administration structure, and facilitating optimal allocations of social resources. Therefore, it is necessary to revise some of the terminology and regulations currently used in China's accounting systems concerning equity investment accounting treatment and disclosure so as to make them consistent with international conventions.


(from the chapter) One of the main motivations for companies to form inter-firm alliances is learning, that is, the integration of a resource, a routine, or, more generally, knowledge into a firm. To explain learning in alliances, most research has used firm-level concepts, among which we can cite the absorptive capacity of the firm, its experience in dealing with alliances, its knowledge base, its intent to learn, the alliance content and governance, and the relative scope of an alliance. We argue that these concepts are partially redundant and a shift to the micro-level of analysis shows that they are based on overlapping components. In this chapter, we propose that these micro-level components of inter-partner learning in alliances determine two essential abilities: a learning ability and a protection ability, which in turn influence the actual transfer of resources between the partner firms. The empirical setting chosen to test our model is e-commerce alliances, defined as alliances created between companies in order to conduct activities on the internet. After several rounds of interviews with managers of e-commerce companies and industry experts, a web-based questionnaire was developed, and 124 usable responses were collected. We find support for the existence of two distinct abilities, an ability to learn and an ability to protect in alliances. We show that both the firm's ability to learn from its alliances and its ability to protect in its alliances rely on a blend of firm-specific and alliance-specific micro-components. In addition to these two hypothesized abilities, we empirically show the existence of a third ability, the firm's ability to simultaneously learn and protect in alliances.


P2P network is autonomous of sharing file quickly and easily. In recent years, a large number of free-riding nodes and malicious nodes emerge in P2P network, which can't provide services and have malicious damage to the network system, the result is significant declines of system performance and user satisfaction. In order to solve the problems, a P2P incentive mechanism based on static game of incomplete information is proposed in this paper. The new proposed mechanism has been analyzed and simulated with a series of tests. Experimental results show that the proposed P2P incentive mechanism can solve problem simply and effectively.


The new technology of composite perforation, which combines together the conventional perforation and the high energy gas fracturing, can effectively increase the hydrocarbon production and improve the enhancement of the oil/gas recovery. In recent years, the composite perforation technique has been widely used worldwide. However, this technology was not used extensively in Chinese oil filed because its research on the combustion characters of propellant is rare and the corresponding optimal perforation design is not practical. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the propellant's burning features, we establish a new combustion model for the propellant used in composite perforation, which takes into account that the combustion consists of the cylinder layer burning and circular burning along the perforation tunnels. Using the actual well data from oilfield and the conventional parameters of domestic propellant, we use this new model to perform numerical simulations and analyze in detail the process of related pressure change. The simulation results are accordance with the actual data from field operation, which further confirms the reliability of the model. The established model can provide better references for the optimum design of composite perforation.


Iran has 1,700km of coastline that borders the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea in the northwest Indian Ocean. Apart from a handful of records, almost nothing is known about which marine mammal species occur in Iranian waters. This review was conducted to fill this information gap. A total of 127 marine mammal records of 14 species were compiled from Iranian coastal waters. Ninety-nine were from the Persian Gulf, 26 from the Gulf of Oman and 2 were of unknown location. Records of finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ) (25), Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis ) (24) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops aduncus ) (22) were by far the most numerous, a probable reflection of their inshore distribution and local abundance. Other species recorded were long-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus capensis tropicalis ), rough-toothed dolphin ( Steno bredanensis ) , striped dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ), spinner dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ), Risso's dolphin ( Grampus griseus ) , false killer whale ( Pseudorca crassidens), sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ) and dugong ( Dugong dugon ) . Records of 26 mysticetes were compiled, 10 of which were tentatively identified as Bryde's whales ( Balaenoptera edeni ), 1 possible fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ), 3 humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) and the remainder were not identified to species. The largest threat to small cetaceans in Iran is likely to be incidental capture in fishing gear. Nine finless porpoises were recorded as bycatch and this and other coastal species may be declining due to unsustainable mortality rates. Some of the world's busiest shipping lanes pass through Iranian waters and ship strikes are likely to be the largest threat to mysticetes in the area. ABSTRACT Iran has 1,700km of coastline that borders the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea in the northwest Indian Ocean. Apart from a handful of records, almost nothing is known about which marine mammal species occur in Iranian waters. This review was conducted to fill this information gap. A total of 127 marine mammal records of 14 species were compiled from Iranian coastal waters. Ninety-nine were from the Persian Gulf, 26 from the Gulf of Oman and 2 were of unknown location. Records of finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ) (25), Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis ) (24) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops aduncus ) (22) were by far the most numerous, a probable reflection of their inshore distribution and local abundance. Other species recorded were long-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus capensis tropicalis ), rough-toothed dolphin ( Steno bredanensis ) , striped dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ), spinner dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ), Risso's dolphin ( Grampus griseus ) , false killer whale ( Pseudorca crassidens), sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ) and dugong ( Dugong dugon ) . Records of 26 mysticetes were compiled, 10 of which were tentatively identified as Bryde's whales ( Balaenoptera edeni ), 1 possible fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ), 3 humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) and the remainder were not identified to species. The largest threat to small cetaceans in Iran is likely to be incidental capture in fishing gear. Nine finless porpoises were recorded as bycatch and this and other coastal species may be declining due to unsustainable mortality rates. Some of the world's busiest shipping lanes pass through Iranian waters and ship strikes are likely to be the largest threat to mysticetes in the area. ABSTRACT Iran has 1,700km of coastline that borders the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea in the northwest Indian Ocean. Apart from a handful of records, almost nothing is known about which marine mammal species occur in Iranian waters. This review was conducted to fill this information gap. A total of 127 marine mammal records of 14 species were compiled from Iranian coastal waters. Ninety-nine were from the Persian Gulf, 26 from the Gulf of Oman and 2 were of unknown location. Records of finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ) (25), Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis ) (24) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops aduncus ) (22) were by far the most numerous, a probable reflection of their inshore distribution and local abundance. Other species recorded were long-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus capensis tropicalis ), rough-toothed dolphin ( Steno bredanensis ) , striped dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ), spinner dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ), Risso's dolphin ( Grampus griseus ) , false killer whale ( Pseudorca crassidens), sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ) and dugong ( Dugong dugon ) . Records of 26 mysticetes were compiled, 10 of which were tentatively identified as Bryde's whales ( Balaenoptera edeni ), 1 possible fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ), 3 humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) and the remainder were not identified to species. The largest threat to small cetaceans in Iran is likely to be incidental capture in fishing gear. Nine finless porpoises were recorded as bycatch and this and other coastal species may be declining due to unsustainable mortality rates. Some of the world's busiest shipping lanes pass through Iranian waters and ship strikes are likely to be the largest threat to mysticetes in the area. ABSTRACT Iran has 1,700km of coastline that borders the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea in the northwest Indian Ocean. Apart from a handful of records, almost nothing is known about which marine mammal species occur in Iranian waters. This review was conducted to fill this information gap. A total of 127 marine mammal records of 14 species were compiled from Iranian coastal waters. Ninety-nine were from the Persian Gulf, 26 from the Gulf of Oman and 2 were of unknown location. Records of finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ) (25), Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis ) (24) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops aduncus ) (22) were by far the most numerous, a probable reflection of their inshore distribution and local abundance. Other species recorded were long-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus capensis tropicalis ), rough-toothed dolphin ( Steno bredanensis ) , striped dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ), spinner dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ), Risso's dolphin ( Grampus griseus ) , false killer whale ( Pseudorca crassidens), sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ) and dugong ( Dugong dugon ) . Records of 26 mysticetes were compiled, 10 of which were tentatively identified as Bryde's whales ( Balaenoptera edeni ), 1 possible fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ), 3 humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) and the remainder were not identified to species. The largest threat to small cetaceans in Iran is likely to be incidental capture in fishing gear. Nine finless porpoises were recorded as bycatch and this and other coastal species may be declining due to unsustainable mortality rates. Some of the world's busiest shipping lanes pass through Iranian waters and ship strikes are likely to be the largest threat to mysticetes in the area.


We demonstrate the controlled manipulation of the 2D-electronic transport in the surface state of Bi(111) through the deposition of small amounts of Bi to generate adatoms and 2D islands as additional scatterers. The corresponding increase in resistance is recorded in situ and in real time. Model calculations based on mean-field nucleation theory reveal a constant scattering efficiency of adatoms and of small 2D Bi islands, independent of their size. This finding is supported by a detailed scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study at 5 K which shows a highly anisotropic scattering pattern surrounding each surface protrusion.


We explore the in- and out-of-sample robustness of tests for choice inconsistencies based on parameter restrictions in parametric models, focusing on tests proposed by Ketcham, Kuminoff, and Powers (2016). We argue that their nonparametric alternatives are inherently conservative with respect to detecting mistakes. We then show that our parametric model is robust to KKP's suggested specification checks, and that comprehensive goodness of fit measures perform better with our model than the expected utility model.Finally, we explore the robustness of our 2011 results to alternative
normative assumptions highlighting the role of brand fixed effects and unobservable characteristics.


This article considers the practice of Guadeloupe-based Indo-Caribbean artist Kelly Sinnapah Mary. Her ongoing project Notebook of No Return, as with her other works, conveys her complex subjectivity, forsaking both mournful and celebratory narratives of Indians living in the Caribbean after Indentureship, and foregrounding the fast-moving, ever-evolving, and rootless character of our existence. Sinnapah Mary creates visual images which both assert the presence of an underrepresented people and reveal the spaces in which pleasure and violence are simultaneously generated and entwined. I argue that Sinnapah Mary's representation of the Indo-Caribbean body—in relationship to and continuous with those of animals, and as animalistic—provides a provocative and promising agenda for Indo-Caribbean life after Indentureship.


Demand response (DR) has shown to be a promising tool for balancing generation and demand in the future power grid, specifically with high penetration of variable renewable generation, such as wind. This paper evaluates thermostat setpoint control of aggregate electric water heaters (EWHs) for load shifting, and providing desired balancing reserve for the utility. It also assesses the economic benefits of DR for the customers through time-of-use pricing. Simulation results reveal the achievement of the economic benefits to the customers while maintaining their comfort level and providing a large percentage of desired balancing reserve at the presence of wind generation.


A effective method for the precision electrochemical removal of thin film nanostructures from LCD panels using a gear-shaped electrode tool has been developed. This ultra-precise process effectively removes defective Indium-Tin-Oxide layers allowing LCD panels to be returned to the production line and significantly reduces costs. In the current experiment a 7th Generation TFT-LCD panel was used. A high rotational speed of the gear-shaped negative electrode elevates discharge mobility and improves the removal effect. Pulsed direct current can improve the effect of dregs discharge and is advantageous when combined with a fast workpiece feed rate. A fast feed combined with a high current flow results in very effective removal of the color filter layer. A negative electrode of large diameter with a small edge radius provides higher current density and also improves the removal affect. This novel design using electrochemical removal as a precision recycling process for removing ITO layers from LCD panels is clean, effective and very fast.


There are lots of smart-phones and mobile devices are continuously increases and fully interconnected to city or town population is more and more addicted to these appliance to develop and arrange their daily lives. These applications preferred locations of particular users or a group of users to create the required service, that jeopardizes their privacy; users don't essentially wish to expose their preferred or current position to the service provider or to different, presumptively untrusty users. In this paper, we tend to offer secrecy-conserving algorithms for deciding Associate in nurturing best meeting area for a group or bunch of users. We try to execute a radical privacy analysis by formally measuring secrecy-loss of the projected approaches. So as to verify the operation of our algorithms during a genuine readying, we tend to improve and notice at their execution capability on Nokia smart-phones. By the study of targeted users we try to plan to get Associate in nurturing insight into the privacy-cognizance of users in area based mostly services and also the ability to use the projected solutions.


Deterioration significantly affects the structure performance and safety. A signal-based pattern-recognition procedure is applied for structural damage detection with a limited number of input/output signals. The method is based on extracting and selecting the sensitive features of the structure response to form a unique pattern for any particular damage scenario, and recognizing the unknown damage pattern against the known database to identify the damage location and level (severity). In this study, two types of transformation algorithms are implemented separately for feature extraction: (1) Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT); and (2) Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT). Three pattern-matching algorithms are also implemented separately for pattern recognition: (1) correlation, (2) least square distance, and (3) Cosh spectral distance. To demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the procedure, experimental studies are conducted on a simple three-story steel structure. The results show that the features of the signal for different damage scenarios can be uniquely identified by these transformations, and correlation algorithms can best perform pattern recognition to identify the unknown damage pattern. The proposed method can also be used to possibly detect the type of damage. It is suitable for structural health monitoring, especially for online monitoring applications.


Megakaryocytopoiesis involves proliferation and maturation of committed precursors that increase their size by polyploidy, a process that is believed to be critical for the efficient production and release of platelets. Thrombopoietin has been shown to act on proliferation, maturation, and survival pathways in megakaryocytopoiesis. Less is known about the role of Flt3/Flk-2-ligand in this development. Apoptosis has an important role in hematopoiesis in general. It has been shown to have an effect on senescent megakaryocytes but not megakaryocyte progenitor cells. In this study, a serum-free culture model was developed, differentiating bone marrow CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells into megakaryocytes, using thrombopoietin and Flt3/Flk-2-ligand. The model was used to study the effect of these growth factors on expansion of megakaryocyte progenitor cells, differentiation of megakaryocytes, and ploidy. Our results demonstrate that bone marrow CD34(+) cells cultured with thrombopoietin and Flt3/Flk-2-ligand show a lower developmental rate into MK cells compared to cells cultured with thrombopoietin alone. Cells cultured with thrombopoietin and Flt3/Flk-2-ligand expressed less CD41, the ploidy level was lower, and they appeared less mature. On the other hand, the cells showed up to 10-fold increase in cell numbers compared to five-fold increase when cultured with thrombopoietin alone. These results suggest that Flt3/Flk-2-ligand in synergy with thrombopoietin may slow down megakaryocyte development by causing increased proliferation of megakaryocyte progenitor cells.


Several species of fish, aggregate around DFADs in marine tropical waters. We captured three predatory species: yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacares), wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) and
dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) from aggregations under DFADs in the Western Indian Ocean to characterize their diet and determine whether they fed on other DFAD associated organisms. Yellowfin tuna did not feed on DFAD-associated prey, while wahoo and dolphinfish did exploit resources aggregated by the DFADs, though they predominantly fed on other non-associated organisms. Opportunistic feeding on surface swarming stomatopod crustaceans was observed in yellowfin tuna and dolphinfish associated with FADs, but was not observed in wahoo.


The joint observation of GW170817 and GRB 170817A indicated that short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) can originate from binary neutron star mergers. Moreover, some SGRBs could be detected off axis, while the SGRB jets are highly structured. Then, by assuming a universal angular distribution of the jet emission for all SGRBs, we reproduce the flux and redshift distributions of the cosmological SGRBs detected by Swift and Fermi. For self-consistency, this angular distribution is simultaneously constrained by the luminosity and event rate of GRB 170817A. As a result, it is found that the universal jet structure of SGRBs could approximately have a two-Gaussian profile. Meanwhile, the intrinsic luminosity function (LF) of the on-axis emission of the jets can be simply described by a single power law with a low-luminosity exponential cutoff. The usually discovered broken-power-law apparent LF for relatively high luminosities can naturally result from the coupling of the intrinsic LF with the angular distribution of the jet emission, as the viewing angles to the SGRBs are arbitrarily distributed.


This paper presents an approach for the automated extraction of process patterns from Event-driven Process Chain (EPC) models in engineering domains. The manually extraction of process patterns (semantically described reference building blocks) is a labor-intensive, tedious and cumbersome task. The introduced approach comprises the three stages knowledge acquisition, process pattern extraction and generic pattern construction that are conducted automated. The presented approach is characterized by exploiting the implicit semantics of natural language terms associated with EPC model elements. Semantic patterns are employed to analyze the lexical structure of these terms and to relate them to instances of a reference ontology. Thus semantically annotated EPC model elements are input for subsequent process pattern extraction. The semantic annotation allows during pattern extraction to identify process goals of EPC functions and to organize goals into hierarchies. During generic process pattern construction, common goals of different process patterns give rise to construct generic process patterns.


Enterprise social networking (ESN) platforms have been implemented by organizations to support employees' collaboration. However, there has been a reported lack of user participation on these platforms. This study focuses on interventions that can be used to overcome barriers of usage. A case study was conducted at IBM to investigate the effect of several interventions to positively influence ESN acceptance within IBM's Human Resources (HR) function. In this study we combined two rounds of interview data with activity log data. We interviewed the initiators of interventions, and we interviewed the employees targeted by those interventions. The activity logs allowed us to contrast actual usage of the ESN by employees from HR vs. other organizational functions. Compared to other ESN studies this study explicitly identifies factors driving or inhibiting ESN use, and shows how these factors can be addressed by interventions to significantly increase ESN use. Our results can inform and enable other organizations interested in the design of interventions to increase the use of ESN.


Processing parameters of micro thixoforming, such as height-diameter ratio, die/punch temperature, billet temperature, and punch speed, have direct and complex impact on final quality of the workpiece, which is to be applied as the reaction plate of a microreactor for hydrogen production from methanol steam reforming. The micro/meso features of the workpiece, which is for catalyst loading, are micro-pin-fin arrays. Size of the surface area and uniformity of the pin-fins are quantified by average height (Ha) and relative standard deviation (RSD). An orthogonal experiment design is adopted to investigate the influence of the parameters on the semi-solid forming process. The results of the orthogonal experiment show that the optimum parameters are 150 °C for die/punch temperature, 576 °C for billet temperature, 0.14 for height-diameter ratio and 8.33 mm/s for punch speed. The experimental results validate that the optimized processing parameters can improve the quality of the reaction plate with micro-pin-fin arrays.


Intensive efforts have been devoted to the synthesis of thermoresponsive polymers with terminal N-alkyl-substituted groups. Furthermore, an investigation into polymers with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) controlled by CO2 tuning is important to many applications; yet, this technology cannot advance without understanding the critical impact that N-alkyl-substituted groups has on the polymer. These polymers have been synthesized by polymerization of (co)monomers (e.g., acrylamide or methacrylate) with N-alkyl-substituted groups in a block or random configuration. Complicated synthesis procedures and unconfirmed biocompatibility may limit their desired properties. In this work, a general post-synthetic modification strategy is developed to functionalize poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with a series of pendant alkyl or N-alkyl-substituted carbamates under facile conditions. The resulting PVA derivatives show excellent biocompatibility. The mechanism study shows that the LCST behavior of the PVA derivatives with pendant N-alkyl-substituted carbamates is attributed to the hydrogen bonding effect and hydrophobic interactions with terminal tertiary amines. However, a PVA derivative without terminal tertiary amines will likely exhibit globular conformation in solution, even at low temperatures (e.g. 15 °C). Heating induces slow agglomeration, but no changes in the hydrogen bonding occur. In addition to the conformation changes, heating can induce fluctuations in the pKa of tertiary amines contained in PVA derivatives, which facilitates the CO2 absorption/desorption cycles. Below the phase transition temperature, most amines in PVA derivative solutions are capable of being protonated in the presence of CO2, resulting in a significant increase in the LCST. Above the phase transition temperature (70 °C), the hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic transition of PVA derivatives lowers the pKa, thereby resulting in an almost complete desorption of CO2 upon N2 bubbling. This work demonstrates a general post-synthetic modification in the synthesis of responsive polymers, the significance of the alkyl amine motif in the solution behavior and the potential of thermoresponsive polymer solutions to capture CO2.


Objective: Constructing an internationally applicable short-scale of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Methods: Subjects were 1,052 patients with 5 different types of voice disorder groups from Belgium, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, and the USA. Different 9- and 12-item subsets were selected from the 30 VHI items using (1) the first factor of an unrotated factor analysis (narrow range subsets) and (2) the first three factors after promax rotation (broad range subsets). Country-specific subsets were selected to test deviations from the international subsets. For all subsets, reliability was investigated using Cronbach's alphas and correlations with the total VHI. Validity was investigated using regression on voice disorder groups. All analyses were performed for the total and for all country-specific subject samples. Results: Reliability was high for all item subsets. It was lower for the international compared to the country-specific subsets and for the broad range compared to the narrow range subsets. Validity was best for the broad range subsets. Validity was better for the international than for the country-specific subsets. For all statistics the 12-item subsets were not essentially better than the 9-item subsets. Conclusion: The international broad range 9-item subset forms a scale which approximates well the total VHI.


Author(s): Ward, Alastair I.; Massei, Giovanna; Cowan, David P. | Abstract: Food security and international trade require healthy livestock. A wildlife reservoir can compromise control of livestock disease. When disease is suspected in wildlife, initial questions include whether their behaviour, ecology and proximity to livestock pose a significant risk. Then, what options are there for mitigating risk? If we respond, how should we measure success? Following action, lessons must be learned so that we are more effective during the next disease outbreak. At least 4 discrete populations of feral swine currently exist in England at relatively low densities. In the event of a suspected classical swine fever (CSF) outbreak, investigation zones and control strategies may need to be initiated, and so new models need to be created to fit these English populations. Here, we present an approach to using data collected during scientific research projects and wildlife management exercises to aid decisions on how to resource a program of disease detection and control if CSF was suspected to have broken out in feral swine populations in England. Culling efficiency was estimated through trapping and shooting records. Results were used to create predictive models which determined resources and costs required to carry out an efficient cull within various possible scenarios. Trapping over 26 months at one 427-ha site resulted in the capture of 130 swine at an average of 0.21 swine per trap-night and US$477 per animal. Shooting by two government hunters over 12 months at another site resulted in the culling of 56 swine, equating to 1 swine shot for every 18 hrs 40 mins; total effort was 41 hrs 44 mins with total cost around US$75,628 (US$1,350) per animal. Using simulation models, we estimated the costs of delivering a cull via a combined approach of trapping and shooting to detect CSF at 1% and 5% seroprevelance. Costs ranged widely, depending on scenario, with minimum costs of US$51,404 and $69,029, and maximum costs of US$231,545 and $203,109, respectively. Results suggest that at present it is feasible to deliver a sampling strategy that could detect and potentially resolve the occurrence of CSF in feral swine in England.


Summary: Cells of Gram-negative bacteria undergo lysis when treated with lysozyme in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and tris buffer, as shown by Repaske. However, contrary to the prevalent assumption, lysis is not necessarily preceded by formation of a spheroplast as the cell wall is damaged. Treatment of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the lytic system was shown to cause the formation of osmotically fragile rods, rather than spheres. The extent of destruction of the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria by lysozyme in this system is, at least in some cases, less than has been generally supposed.


Ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles across a complex linear dune in the Namib Sand Sea have been used to image sets of cross-stratification and their bounding surfaces. A combination of radar facies analysis and radar stratigraphy has been used to interpret the radar profiles and define a relative chronology. Thick sets of cross-stratification indicate when the dune was most active, whereas thin sets of cross-stratification are interpreted to indicate the increased prevalence of wind reversals and lower rates of dune migration, with bounding surfaces formed during periods of stabilization, non-deposition or erosion. A drilling and dating campaign was designed on the basis of the dune stratigraphy as defined by the GPR survey. Sampling was targeted at large sets of cross-stratification formed when the dunes were most active, and avoiding bounding surfaces formed when the dune was stable or even eroded. The results from optical dating give ages between 0.34 ± 0.02 ka and 1.57 ± 0.07 ka, indicating a time-averaged dune migration rate of 0.12 m a−1 over the past 1600 years.


Corrosion has a vast impact on the global and domestic economy, and currently incurs losses of nearly $300 billion annually to the U.S. economy alone. Because of the huge impact of corrosion, it is imperative to have a systematic approach to recognizing and mitigating corrosion problems as soon as possible after they become apparent. A proper failure analysis includes collection of pertinent background data and service history, followed by visual inspection, photographic documentation, material evaluation, data review and conclusion procurement. In analyzing corrosion failures, one must recognize the wide range of common corrosion mechanisms. The features of any corrosion failure give strong clues as to the most likely cause of the corrosion. This article details a proven approach to properly determining the root cause of a failure, and includes pictographic illustrations of the most common corrosion mechanisms, including general corrosion, pitting, galvanic corrosion, dealloying, crevice corrosion, microbiologically-influenced corrosion (MIC), corrosion fatigue, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), intergranular corrosion, fretting, erosion corrosion and hydrogen damage.


Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy)thiophene-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) was used as the conductive component in a matrix of chemically different insulating polymers to form an array of vapor detectors. Such composites produced larger relative differential resistance responses when exposed to polar analytes than did the corresponding carbon black filled polymer composite detectors. However, the PEDOT-PSS composites produced smaller responses than carbon black composites when exposed to nonpolar analytes. The resolving power of a PEDOT-PSS detector array was compared to that of a carbon black composite array for a broadly construed set of organic vapors. The PEDOT-PSS array exhibited better, on average, discrimination between pairs of polar analytes and polar/nonpolar analytes than did the carbon black composite array. The carbon black composite array out-performed the PEDOT-PSS array in discriminating between nonpolar compounds. The addition of PEDOT-PSS composites to an array of carbon black composite detectors therefore can produce improved overall discrimination in a vapor sensor system when used in tasks to differentiate between of a broad set of analyte vapors.