Background/Context Dealing mostly in aggregate statistics that mask important regional variations, scholars often assume that district property taxation and the resource disparities this approach to school funding creates are deeply rooted in the history of American education. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This article explores the history of district property taxation and school funding disparities in California during the 19th and 20th centuries. First, the article documents the limited use of district property taxation for school funding in California and several other Western states during the 19th century, showing that the development of school finance was more complicated than standard accounts suggest. Then, the article examines how a coalition of experts, activists, and politicians worked together during the early 20th century to promote district property taxation and institutionalize the idea that the wealth of local communities, rather than the wealth of the entire state, should determine the resources available for public schooling. Research Design This article draws on primary source documents from state and regional archives, including district-level funding data from nine Northern California counties, to complete a historical analysis. Conclusions/Recommendations The history of California's district property tax suggests the need for continued research on long-term trends in school finance and educational inequality. Popular accounts minimizing the historical role of state governments in school funding obscure how public policies, not just market forces shaping property values, create funding inequalities. In turn, these accounts communicate powerful messages about the supposed inevitability of funding disparities and the responsibility of state governments to correct them. Through increased attention to long-term trends in school funding, scholars can help popular commentators and policymakers avoid assumptions that naturalize inequality and narrow the possibilities for future funding reforms.


The geometric formulation of quantum mechanics is a very interesting field of research which has many applications in the emerging field of quantum computation and quantum information, such as schemes for optimal quantum computers. In this work we discuss a geometric formulation of mixed quantum states represented by density operators. Our formulation is based on principal fiber bundles and purifications of quantum states. In our construction, the Riemannian metric and symplectic form on the total space are induced from the real and imaginary parts of the Hilbert–Schmidt Hermitian inner product, and we define a mechanical connection in terms of a locked inertia tensor and moment map. We also discuss some applications of our geometric framework.


There are applications of structural engineering where tolerances of structural shape and internal forces, under changing service conditions, are not only important but actually impinge on the structure's serviceability limit state. Such structures could be supporting sensitive and demanding scientific or communications equipment. These structures are typically pin-jointed assemblies, since length actuations can be more readily incorporated to bring about the shape and/or bar force changes.

A direct method for controlling nodal displacements, internal bar forces, and simultaneously both nodal displacements and internal bar forces, of a prestressable pin-jointed assembly under load, is presented in this paper. The method is based on the force method of structural analysis, and revolves around the solution to a matrix equation of the form: d=Yeo+dP, where Y is a lengthy but straightforward expression involving the compatibility and flexibility matrices, and the states of selfstress, dP is the vector of nodal displacements of the structure due only to the load, and d is the desired resultant nodal displacements which can be obtained when elongation actuation eo is applied. The problem then is typically that of looking for a suitable eo to apply that takes the structural displacement from dP to d in at least some of the components, without incurring additional bar force violations.

The paper discusses the method to identify which are the most effective bars for actuation (i.e. what should eo be) so that the desired structural shape can be obtained, without incurring violation in bar forces, through both a minimal number of actuators and minimum actuation in those actuators. The method can also be used for adjustment of bar forces to either reduce instances of high forces or increase low forces, for example in a cable nearing slack.


We present the first class of perfect sampling (also known as exact simulation) algorithms for the steady-state distribution of non-Markovian loss systems. We use a variation of dominated coupling from the past. We first simulate a stationary infinite server system backwards in time and analyze the running time in heavy traffic. In particular, we are able to simulate stationary renewal marked point processes in unbounded regions. We then use the infinite server system as an upper bound process to simulate the loss system. The running time analysis of our perfect sampling algorithm for loss systems is performed in the quality-driven (QD) and the quality-and-efficiency-driven regimes. In both cases, we show that our algorithm achieves subexponential complexity as both the number of servers and the arrival rate increase. Moreover, in the QD regime, our algorithm achieves a nearly optimal rate of complexity.


The authors have designed a testbed system that creates a series of automatically generated panels that depict in chronological order the important events in the history of a users session with Chimera, a graphical editor. The authors' system heuristically determines the contents of each panel and the actions that it illustrates. The user can scroll through the sequence of panels, reviewing actions at different levels of detail, and selectively undoing, modifying, and redoing previous actions.<<ETX>>


The purpose of this project is to develop an interactive online grocery shopping system for the eGrocer Company. eGrocer is a specialist grocery retailer in the Kedah state of Malaysia that wants to transform its single store business into a thriving online brand. Presently, the
majority of eGrocer business comes in the form of grocery retail. By establishing a local reputation for stocking the fresh non-perishable grocery products and understanding customers' requirements, eGrocer gets a lot of customers as a result of word-of-mouth recommendation by satisfied customers. However, the location for eGrocer store is away from the main shopping district and so it does not attract a lot of people who were just passing. In the offline model, eGrocer buys stocks it expects to sell. When the eGrocer model goes online, it is able to sell a greater range of grocery products, cross-sell and up-sell a number of items to a national market. Therefore, the system provides a user-friendly web pages and effective advertising medium to promote grocery products at cheaper costs. Addtionally, eGrocer can build online community features that bring together shoppers from around the world to chat, share ideas, and learn about new products. The online community features enable eGrocer to has an alternative route for potential customers to come into the site. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology is used to develop the online grocery system.


Cryptocurrency exchanges are frequently targeted and compromised by cyber-attacks, which may lead to significant losses for the depositors and closure of the affected exchanges. These risks threaten the viability of the entire public blockchain ecosystem since exchanges serve as major gateways for participation in public blockchain technologies. In this paper, we develop an economic model to capture the short-term incentives of cryptocurrency exchanges with respect to making security investments and establishing transaction fees. Using the model, we derive conclusions regarding an exchange's optimal economic decisions, and illustrate key features of these conclusions using graphs based on real-world data. Our security investment model exhibits horizontal scaling properties with respect to reducing exposure to losses, and may be of special interest to exchanges operating in markets with high price volatility.


mHealth – Mobile phones in HIV prevention in Uganda by Axel Salomonsson Abstract The use of "new" interactive media like the Internet and cell phones in health education is not an entirely new phenomenon and studies shows promising results from such information campaigns in developed countries[1]. In the area of HIV/AIDS prevention, however, no scientific studies have been made on the effects of mobile phone-based information campaigns in developing countries. This study can therefore be seen as a pilot study in this area. As mobile phone ownership has multiplied in Africa over the last decade, it has become one of the most reliable mediums for mass communication about health issues. This is a case study of one HIV/AIDS prevention campaign from 2009, where two NGO's used a multiple choice SMS quiz to ask questions about HIV/AIDS to ten thousand mobile phone owners in the Arua region in North-Western Uganda. The targeted population could send their answers back and win prizes. They were also encouraged to seek out HIV counseling and testing services at a local clinic. By using a qualitative method consisting of a literature study combined with semi-structured interviews with the people who organized the intervention, as well as with respondents to the SMS quiz , the effectiveness and future potential of using mobile phones in HIV prevention in the East African setting are examined. Additional qualitative interviews with a number of experts from the Ugandan telecom sector, the Ugandan Ministry of Health, and an HIV/AIDS researcher from Makerere University in Kampala was also conducted in order to get a better understanding of the context in which this HIV prevention intervention was implemented. The results show that mobile phones are a feasible medium in HIV prevention, and that it offers an additional channel for information dissemination. By allowing two-way communication, the audience is empowered to participate in the exchange of information, which seems to have a positive effect on attitude and behavior change. Further, by receiving answers via SMS from the targeted population, the mobile can at the same time be used as a monitoring and evaluation tool for measuring knowledge levels on different topics. This information can then help to tailor HIV prevention messages in future campaigns. [1] See Bull, S: Internet and other computer technology-based interventions for STD/HIV prevention, in Communication Perspectives on HIV/AIDS for the 21st Century. Edgar et al. 2008.


The study aims to identify the reasons why the Arab youth prefer to use Twitter and whether their age, gender, educational level and country of origin play a crucial role in their use of Twitter. In order to answer the aforementioned questions, a descriptive survey method was conducted using a digital survey, which was distributed via Twitter, Google+, Facebook and LinkedIn. The study presents a number of outcomes regarding the preferences of Twitter usage by Arab youth; the analysis and discussion related to the first research question shows that Arab youth prefer Twitter because it is easy to use and gives them more room to explain their opinions and thoughts freely. Regarding the variety of Twitter usage among the research sample, the analysis and discussion associated with the second research question claims that there are statistically significant differences in the usage of Twitter amongst the Arab youth that can be attributed to age, gender, educational level and their home country.


Abstract Tobacco plants were separately treated with 0.75 lb./acre and 1.50 lbs./acre of endosulfan I, endosulfan II and endosulfan sulfate. Leaves from the tobacco plants were analysed for endosulfan and its metabolites at the harvesting stage, and later, when flue-cured. From the residue data obtained we conclude that [1] In green tobacco leaf endosulfan I, found in very small amounts, is the only metabolite of endosulfan sulfate, and that endosulfan II is the main endosulfan sulfate metabolite in flue-cured tobacco leaf; [2] The loss of residues during the curing process depends largely on the residue level of this pesticide in the green tobacco leaf: [3] The loss of pesticide during the curing process is mainly due to volatilization; and [4] Smallest amounts of residues are left in tobacco Ieaf with endosulfan I treatments.


Quantum computers have recently made great strides and are on a long-term path towards useful fault-tolerant computation. A dominant overhead in fault-tolerant quantum computation is the production of high-fidelity encoded qubits, called magic states, which enable reliable error-corrected computation. We present the first detailed designs of hardware functional units that implement space-time optimized magic-state factories for surface code error-corrected machines. Interactions among distant qubits require surface code braids (physical pathways on chip) which must be routed. Magic-state factories are circuits comprised of a complex set of braids that is more difficult to route than quantum circuits considered in previous work [1]. This paper explores the impact of scheduling techniques, such as gate reordering and qubit renaming, and we propose two novel mapping techniques: braid repulsion and dipole moment braid rotation. We combine these techniques with graph partitioning and community detection algorithms, and further introduce a stitching algorithm for mapping subgraphs onto a physical machine. Our results show a factor of 5.64 reduction in space-time volume compared to the best-known previous designs for magic-state factories.


A collection of self contained state-of-the art surveys. The authors have made an effort to achieve readability for mathematicians and scientists from other fields, for this series of handbooks to be a new reference for research, learning and teaching. * Written by well-known experts in the field * Self contained volume in series covering one of the most rapid developing topics in mathematics * Informed and thoroughly updated for students, academics and researchers


Results: The number of the referred cases was 28 in NT of 95th –99th centile (group 1;G1), 27 with NT of 3.5–4.4 mm (group 2;G2), 21 with NT of 4.5–5.4 mm (group 3;G3), and 66 for NT > = 5.5 mm (group 4;G4). Chromosomal anomalies were detected in 2 cases (Down syndrome) of G1, 2 cases (Down syndrome) of G2, 3 cases (2 Down syndromes, 1 trisomy 18) of G3, and in 21 cases (5 of Down syndrome, 10 of trisomy 18, 6 of Turner syndrome) of G4. In the normal karyotype fetuses the major cardiac defects were diagnosed prenatally and confirmed after birth in 2 cases of G3 and 5 cases of G4. Only 1 case of G4 developed bilateral hydronephrosis and thereafter hydrops in the third trimester. No structural abnormalities were detected in G1 and G2 fetuses with normal karyotype. Conclusions: The prevalence of chromosomal and cardiac anomalies increased with the thickness of NT. A detailed ultrasound examination, especially fetal echocardiography, should be offered even if the karyotyping proved normal. The long-term prognosis appeared normal if the fetus with thick NT had normal karyotype and no structural abnormalities.


The visual arts played a critical role in the cultural awakening that began with the Second World War and flourished in the aftermath of the Watts riots. In searching for new means of expression rooted in and relevant to the communities from which they came, black artists based in Los Angeles pushed the parameters of consciously black art by offering a fundamental reevaluation of the meaning art could have in black lives. Much like avant-garde jazz musicians, visual artists developed a unique mixed-media language that combined themes of political insurgency, communitarian engagement, and familiar cultural tropes of migration, musical, spirituality, and family. Augmented by a cross-generic engagement with sound and text, this bricolage avoided the formal limits of realist representation while producing a culturally specific aesthetics that artists could take as emblematic of the black liberation movement's broader critique of the limits of American society for what Duke Ellington had called "the sun-tanned tenth of the nation."


In terms of accuracy and efficacy Uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) resections are comparable to standard VATS. In standard three-ports VATS, the geometric configuration of a parallelogram generates interference with the optical source, creating a plane with a torsion angle not favorable on the flat two-dimensional vision of currently available monitors. The potential advantages of single-port VATS approach include not only the one intercostal space incision (reduction of postoperative pain) but also a translational approach of VATS instruments along a sagittal plane. Accordingly, the Uniportal approach enables VATS instruments to draw two parallel lines on the plane, bringing them to approach the target lesion from a caudo-cranial perspective thus achieving a projective plane. As a consequence, taking advantage of the unique spatial features specific to uniportal VATS, the surgeon is enabled to bring the operative fulcrum inside the chest to address the target lesion in a fashion similar to open surgery.


With the purpose to increase the productivity, all elements tat support the productivity have to be concerned, they are wage and supervision. The productivity improvement being disposed on management maintenance. management runs its programmes while at the same time, this tries to carry on a well relation between the employer.
The result of this study shows that the variables of wage and supervision, have influence toward the employees' productivity on PT. Tongan Tiur Putra Kragan. The calculation of Anova test using a multiple reression, shows that the value for F count as 227.033, and value for F table as 0.9946 for the F count > F table, with the probabiliy level much lower thatn 0.05, this can be concluded that, together, both wage and supervision have their influences toward the employees' pri=oductivity. The SPSS shows the value for R2 as 0.05, and this means that 87.1 & of productivity variation, might be expalined from the variation of both two independent variables; wage and supervision. While hte rest (100%- 87,1% = 12,9) can be expalined from other causes beyond both two variables. Thecalculation result as seen from the table shows that SR X1 and SR X2 for wage as 0,62674 and for supervation as 99,37352. These results support that supervision has more influence toward employees' productivity.


The awareness is growing of health hazards and pharmaceutical benefits of micro-/ nano-aerosol particles which are mostly nonspherical and hygroscopic, and categorized as "unconventional" vs. solid spheres. Accurate and realistic numerical models will significantly contribute to answering public health questions. In this chapter, fundamentals and future trends of computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) models for lung aerosol dynamics are discussed, emphasizing the underlying physics to simulate unconventional inhaled aerosols such as fibers, droplets, and vapors. Standard simulation procedures are presented, including reconstruction of the human respiratory system, CFPD model formulation, finite-volume mesh generation, etc. Case studies for fiber and droplet transport and deposition in lung are also provided. Furthermore, challenges and future directions are discussed to develop next-generation models. The ultimate goal is to establish a roadmap to link different numerical models, and to build the framework of a new multiscale numerical model, which will extend exposure and lung deposition predictions to health endpoints, e.g., tissue and delivered doses, by calculating absorption and translocation into alveolar regions and systemic regions using discrete element method (DEM), lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), and/or physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. It will enable simulations of extremely complex airflow-vapor-particle-structure dynamics in the entire human respiratory system at detailed levels.


Findings of epidemiologic studies indicate an increased risk of ovarian cancer among women who use powders applied to perineal areas. Although African American (AA) women have a high prevalence of powder use, this relationship has not been thoroughly investigated in this group of women. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between use of genital and non-genital powder in invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Subjects are women enrolled in the African American Epidemiology Cancer Study (AACES), an ongoing, population-based case-control study of EOC in AA women in 11 geographic locations in the U.S. Newly diagnosed EOC cases were identified by SEER and state cancer registries, gynecologic oncology departments or hospitals, and were between the ages of 20-79 years. AA controls were identified through random digit dialing and frequency matched to cases on state of residence and five year age groups. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between genital powder and non-genital powder exposure and risk of EOC, while controlling for several confounders, including age at diagnosis/interview, study site, education, tubal ligation, parity, BMI, duration of oral contraceptive use, first degree family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and interview year. Due to experimental models suggesting a relationship with inert particulates and estrogen, we also examined potential effect modification of this relationship by hormone therapy use among postmenopausal women. Body powder use was common in this study population (62.8% of cases and 52.9% of controls). Any genital powder use was associated with a 44% increased risk of EOC (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.11-1.86) and a dose-response relationship was present for duration of body powder use applied to genital areas, p Citation Format: Lauren C. Peres, Sarah E. Abbott, Anthony J. Alberg, Elisa V. Bandera, Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, Melissa Bondy, Michele L. Cote, Ellen Funkhouser, Edward S. Peters, Ann G. Schwartz, Paul D. Terry, Sydnee Crankshaw, Fabian Camacho, Frances Wang, Patricia G. Moorman, Joellen M. Schildkraut. Body powder use and ovarian cancer: the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1754.


Pneumococci, H. influenzae, and S. hemolyticus are known to be frequent inhabitants of the upper respiratory tract, but most workers have not recognized any definite relationships between their presence and coryza, sore throat, influenzal, and sinusitis attacks (2–5). Dochez, Shibley, and Mills, however, in their experimental studies of common cold, state that in both the spontaneous and experimentally induced "colds" in anthropoid apes, the "most significant change observed has been the increase of activity on the part of the potential pathogens habitually present in the throat flora. Coincident with the appearance of symptoms, pneumococci, S. hemolyticus, and B. pfeifferi have developed in greatly increased numbers and have spread over a wide area of the nasopharyngeal mucous membranes. These organisms became at this time conspicuous even in the nose, where they are seldom or never present under normal conditions. The same phenomena have not been observed in human beings" (6, 7). The essential facts of the present observations are that persons free of pneumococci, H. influenzae, and S. hemolyticus are in general free of coryza, sore throat, influenzal and sinus attacks; that persons who are occasional or periodic carriers of these organisms may be negative on tests over long healthy periods, but generally become positive during or following attacks and subsequently become negative again; finally, that persons who are chronic carriers show during these illnesses increasing numbers of organisms in the throat and extension of the organisms to the nose. That these organisms may be the actual incitants has been claimed by Park (8); that they are secondary invaders is the view of Shibley, Mills, and Dochez who state as a result of their experimental work on this subject that "the most important significance of viruses of this type [common cold] seems to lie in their capacity to incite activity on the part of the more dangerous pathogenic organisms that infect the upper respiratory tract" (7). The present observations bring out the intimate relationship between these pathogens and upper respiratory tract symptoms, but do not disclose the nature of this relationship. Finally, an addition has been made to the knowledge of the mode of spread of these organisms. A focus of growth and dissemination has been determined in the nasal passages and throat of individuals with chronic upper respiratory tract disease and increases in numbers of the organisms at the focus and their spread to contacts have been related to the winter season and to the occurrence of symptoms in the carrier. The observations suggest that the dosage of these organisms in a community is controlled by the resistance of the carrier and of the contacts. This view is in agreement with the facts derived from studies of native animal infections (9).


This paper considers genetically modified (GM) seed adoption decisions by farmers in a developing country under two alternative information regimes (with and without perfect information regarding production conditions) that allows the monopolist producer of GM seeds to either practice perfect discrimination or uniform pricing. Under each regime we analyze two scenarios: when the government can and cannot credibly commit to the announced form of welfare enhancing intervention in the domestic seed market. We show that the optimal policy under either information regime is to subsidize the price of conventional seeds. The optimal size of the conventional seed subsidy depends systematically, in turn, on the (i) marginal cost of GM and conventional seeds, (ii) price of chemical pesticides, (iii) degree to which GM seeds increase productivity, (iv) range of pest pressure among farmers, and (v) intensity of seed usage (GM and conventional). Nonetheless, our findings pinpoint time-inconsistency of government policies as a possible reason for sub-optimal coverage of GM seeds in developing countries.


The term schizophrenia was coined by Eugene Bleuler. Symptoms of schizophrenia are arranged into groups or clusters called as domains. The domains of dysfunctions are positive symptoms, negative symptoms, cognitive impairments, mood and suicidity, and aggression. Cognition is the sum total of mental processes that makes us acquire knowledge and keeps us aware of our surroundings and thus enables us to arrive at appropriate judgments. Cognitive deficits are recognized as enduring and persistent features in schizophrenia and can be neuro-cognitive or relating to social cognition. Neurocognitive deficits are deficits in speed of processing, attention / vigilance, working memory, verbal memory, visual memory, reasoning and problem solving, social cognition. Cognitive function can be assessed by various methods like experimental approach, neuropsychological and psychometric and ecologic approach. Cognitive deficits are present at onset of illness producing substantial impairment. Unlike psychotic symptoms, which remit with treatment, functional impairments remain stable over time. Detail understanding of such symptoms will help in disability limitation. Various cognitive remediation programmes are underway with such intent. Articles till March, 2012 were searched through PubMed and Google Scholar, which were studied in an attempt of understanding the topic. The information was structured and organized.


From the horizons of media and communication studies, this article begins with the premise that the media, and the in particular the Web, as central features of a turbulent late modernity. The Web has become ubiquitous and central to our sense of who we are, how we live, think, relate to others and experience the world. This process of mediatization is complex and historically without parallel; it affects all aspects of society, culture and politics. Most rese- arch on these developments are firmly based in the social sciences. The argument is made here that to fully grasp the implications of these transformations – which are even beginning to alter traditional noti ons of 'the human' – we would benefit from more assistance from the humanities. While acknowledging the difficult institutional position that the humanities find themselves in, the contention is that their intellectual perspectives are needed, especially in history, philosophy, and aesthetics. These could help us to better place the developments in broader contexts and illuminate what is at stake. The latter part of the article offers a set of themes that exem- plify some of the key dilemmas that are emerging as the Web becomes all the more central to our lives – dilemmas that would benefit from serious attention from the humanities.


The objective was to test whether exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields from mobile phones may cause head pain or discomfort and whether it may influence physiological variables in individuals attributing symptoms to mobile phones, but not to electromagnetic fields in general. Seventeen eligible individuals, who experienced these symptoms in an open provocation test, took part in a double-blind, randomized provocation study with cross-over design. Sixty-five pairs of sham and mobile phone RF exposures were conducted. The increase in pain or discomfort (visual analogue scales) in RF sessions was 10.1 and in sham sessions 12.6 (P = 0.30). Changes in heart rate or blood pressure were not related to the type of exposure (P: 0.30-0.88). The study gave no evidence that RF fields from mobile phones may cause head pain or discomfort or influence physiological variables. The most likely reason for the symptoms is a nocebo effect.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of presenting Wada memory stimuli at different times after intracarotid amobarbital injection on Wada memory asymmetries.

DESIGN
Wada memory asymmetries from three timing series were related to the laterality of eventual temporal lobectomy.

SETTING
Academic institution epilepsy surgery program.

PATIENTS
Forty-three patients with complex partial seizures who later underwent anterior temporal lobectomy (left temporal lobectomy, 24 patients; right temporal lobectomy, 19 patients). No patient included had abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging scans to suggest a lesion other than gliosis.

RESULTS
Memory performance for objects whose presentation began approximately 45 seconds after amobarbital administration differentiated laterality of seizure onset. Memory for items presented later and after partial return of language (on average 3 minutes 40 seconds postinjection) also differed as a function of ipsilateral vs contralateral injection, but at a lower level of statistical significance. Memory for items presented last during the procedure (on average 6 minutes postinjection) discriminated seizure groups at a still lower level of statistical significance. When used to predict lateralized temporal lobe impairment in individual patients, early object memory performance was significantly better than memory performance employing either middle (56%) or late (43%) stimulus presentation timings.

CONCLUSION
The results of early object memory testing are superior to those obtained from stimulus presentation later in the procedure in documenting temporal lobe dysfunction associated with a lateralized seizure onset.


Affiliation-hiding authenticated key exchange protocol, also called secret handshake, makes two parties from the same organization realize mutual authentication and key agreement via public key certificates without leaking the organization information to any others. Moreover, if the peer involved in the protocol is not from the same group, no any information of the affiliation can be known. In previous secret handshakes protocols, there is a problem which is linkability. That is to say, two activities of the same people can be associated by the attackers. It is not desirable for privacy because the association may deduce it's affiliation with some other information. In this paper, an unlinkable affiliation-hiding authenticated key exchange protocol is brought out to conquer the linkability. Security analysis is given finally.


Estimates of the power level of a nuclear reactor based on measurements from an independent monitoring sensor system can help in the compliance verification of its declared operations. We present a three-level fusion method to estimate the power level of a nuclear reactor using features derived from infrared, electromagnetic, and acoustic sensor measurements collected in proximity to the reactor. Based on a simplified analytical model of the secondary coolant system of the reactor, we identify partial regression functions of the power level in terms of the temperature difference between inlet and outlet of coolant pipes, and the activity levels of four fans and four pumps, which are estimated as features from the sensor measurements. The power level estimator employs a combination of aggregate and complementary fusion steps at three levels to incorporate the multi-modal features in a structure that reflects the secondary cooling system and its partial regression functions. Using the measurements from a test campaign at an operational reactor, we show that this estimator achieves 3.47% or lower root mean square error under 5-fold cross validation. More generally, these results illustrate a progressive reduction in estimation error as additional modalities are appropriately incorporated, and that the fuser outperforms single modality features and their sub-combinations.


AIM
To compare the degree of asthma control in 2001 and 2005 in a primary care setting in Sweden.

METHOD
Two similar questionnaire surveys were performed in 2001 and 2005 with 1,012 and 224 asthma patients aged 18-45 randomly selected from 42 and 56 primary health care centres, respectively. A classification of asthma control similar to the GINA guidelines was made using information obtained from the questionnaire.

RESULTS
In 2001, 36.6% had achieved asthma control, 23.8% were partly controlled and 39.6% uncontrolled. In 2005, the corresponding figures were 40.2%, 26.8% and 33.0%, respectively, with no difference between the two surveys (p=0.114). Uncontrolled asthma was more common in women (p<0.001 in the first and p<0.05 in the second survey) and smokers (p<0.01 in the first and p<0.01 in the second survey). The use of combination corticosteroid/long-acting bronchodilator inhalers had increased - 34.2% and 48.2%, respectively (p<0.001) - and many patients used their inhaled corticosteroids periodically.

CONCLUSION
In spite of treatment guidelines many patients in Swedish primary care still have insufficient asthma control.


Optimization design was a technology that searched and determined the optimal design. Parametric model of headstock was established in Pro/E, and the parametric model was imported into the ANSYS Workbench. Then multi-objective optimization design was carried out in DesignXplorer module based on test technology, response surface that the combinations of design variables aimed at the objective function was obtained, the situation which design variables changes impacted on performance parameters from the response surface was viewed, a relatively ideal optimal design result was chosen. The mass of improved headstock was reduced, under the condition that performance in all aspects was not diminished.


Two experiments show that eliciting taxpayer preferences on government spending—providing taxpayer agency--increases tax compliance. We first create an income and taxation environment in a laboratory setting to test for compliance with a lab tax. Allowing a treatment group to express nonbinding preferences over tax spending priorities, leads to a 16% increase in tax compliance. A followup online study tests this treatment with a simulation of paying US federal taxes. Allowing taxpayers to signal their preferences on the distribution of government spending, results in a 15% reduction in the stated take-up rate of a questionable tax loophole. Providing taxpayer agency recouples tax payments with the public services obtained in return, reduces general anti-tax sentiment, and holds satisfaction with tax payment stable despite increased compliance with tax dues. With tax noncompliance costing the US government $385billion annually, providing taxpayer agency could have meaningful economic impact. At the same time, giving taxpayers a voice may act as a two-way "nudge," transforming tax payment from a passive experience to a channel of communication between taxpayers and government.


This Ph.D. thesis in Physics is focused on the study of the thermal and mechanical performances of the silicon pixel detector used in the NA62 experiment at CERN. This detector, named GigaTracker, is very important, because it is enclosed in a tracking system which has to measure the impulse of incident particles; this system has also to track the trajectories of the particles.
In the first chapter (NA62 physics) the motivations of the experiment are discussed; initially the discussion is focused on the discrete operators C, P, T. Afterwards the CP and CPT symmetries are explained. Finally there is a discussion about the CP violation and its consequences. The CKM matrix is presented as well, with the existing relation between its structure and the CP violation. The NA62 experiment is realized in order to allow the measurement of the branching ratio (BR) of the rare decay K+ → π+ . The purpose is to reveal at least 80 of such events, in order to test the validity of the Standard Model; the verification is performed by means of the measurement of the |Vtd| parameter, which is inserted in the CKM (Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa) matrix.
In the second chapter (experimental setup and revealers) the technological aspects regarding the experiment are explained in detail. First of all, a discussion about the revealers is given, especially about their mechanical structure. The NA62 experiment takes place at the CERN SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron); the optics of the K12 line is discussed: the line convoys the beam up to the revealers.
In the third chapter (The Gigatracker and the problem about its heat power consumption) the GigaTracker's mechanical structure is explained in detail; the electrical aspects are discussed as well. The silicon pixel detector utilized in the GigaTracker stations is interested by a very high particle rate. This causes a relevant heat generation and consequently the temperature of the silicon detector increases. There is the necessity of a high performance cooling system, able to keep the temperature at a low level; in this way the life durability of the detector is expected to be about one hundred days.
In the fourth chapter (simulations with the I-DEAS 12 software) the explanation of a proper cooling system for the GigaTracker is given. The project has been carried out using a CAD (Computer Aided Design) named I-DEAS 12. Some different kinds of cooling systems are presented and discussed: in these projects, a pipe convoys a cooling gas (nitrogen). Finally there is a dissertation regarding the GigaTracker prototype realized in the mechanical laboratory of the section of Ferrara of the INFN.


Shallow-water equations with bottom drag and viscosity are used to study the dynamics of roll waves. First, we explore the effect of bottom topography on linear stability of turbulent flow over uneven surfaces. Low-amplitude topography is found to destabilize turbulent roll waves and lower the critical Froude number required for instability. At higher amplitude, the trend reverses and topography stabilizes roll waves. At intermediate topographic amplitude, instability can be created at much lower Froude numbers due to the development of hydraulic jumps in the equilibrium flow. Second, the nonlinear dynamics of the roll waves is explored, with numerical solutions of the shallow-water equations complementing an asymptotic theory relevant near onset. We find that trains of roll waves undergo coarsening due to waves overtaking one another and merging, lengthening the scale of the pattern. Unlike previous investigations, we find that coarsening does not always continue to its ultimate conclusion (a single roll wave with the largest spatial scale). Instead, coarsening becomes interrupted at intermediate scales, creating patterns with preferred wavelengths. We quantify the coarsening dynamics in terms of linear stability of steady roll-wave trains.


Clemens Cavallin's text takes as its point of departure the theme of interiorized ritual and its relation to changes in religious and ritual practices in early India, especially the tendency to shift focus towards the person or human being. He argues that such interiorizations of ritual practice and discourse need to be placed in a larger comparative context that is based on a theoretical model of ritualization and forms of interiorization. Cavallin employs a notion of abstract action, as formulated by Caroline Humphrey and James Laidlaw in their analysis of the Jain puja (1994). He develops a theory of the relationship between the abstraction of meaning (concepts) and of action (ritual acts) as they are connected to the religious principles of sacralization and personification.


Northern peatlands provide important global and regional ecosystem services (carbon storage, water storage, and biodiversity). However, these ecosystems face increases in the severity, areal extent and frequency of climate‐mediated (e.g. wildfire and drought) and land‐use change (e.g. drainage, flooding and mining) disturbances that are placing the future security of these critical ecosystem services in doubt. Here, we provide the first detailed synthesis of autogenic hydrological feedbacks that operate within northern peatlands to regulate their response to changes in seasonal water deficit and varying disturbances. We review, synthesize and critique the current process‐based understanding and qualitatively assess the relative strengths of these feedbacks for different peatland types within different climate regions. We suggest that understanding the role of hydrological feedbacks in regulating changes in precipitation and temperature are essential for understanding the resistance, resilience and vulnerability of northern peatlands to a changing climate. Finally, we propose that these hydrological feedbacks also represent the foundation of developing an ecohydrological understanding of coupled hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological feedbacks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


How are civil society organizations responding to COVID-19's impacts on informal settlements? In Latin America, civil society organizations have developed a repertoire of collective action, seeking to provide immediate and medium-term responses to the emergency. This paper aims to map these initiatives and identify strategic approaches to tackle the issues, given the strengths of those undertaking the initiative, and the scope, purpose and sphere of intervention. Using direct contact, a survey, and a virtual ethnography with social organizations has allowed us to identify and characterize the initiatives. The repertoire focuses on emergency measures around food security, and pedagogies for prevention, sanitation and income relief at the neighbourhood and district levels. We argue that the civil society response repertoire is diverse in form and resources but limited in scope; meanwhile the urgency of the situation and the mismatch with state action mean that crucial spheres of informality, vital to cultivating grounds for a healthy recovery phase, are being neglected.


Objectives : This study was performed to develop a standard instrument of oriental medical evaluation for jing ji and zheng chong. Methods : The advisor committee on this study was organized by 17 neuropsychiatry professors of oriental medical colleges. The items and structure of the instrument were quoted from the instrument of pattern identification for jing ji and zheng chong. We took consultation twice from the advisor committee and we also took additional advices by e-mail. Results : We discriminated between bian-zheng and su-zheng from the answers of the advisor committee. We got the mean weight of each symptom and sign from the answers of the advisor committee. We got the final weight from the combination of the ratio of bian-zheng to the number of all answers of the advisor committee and mean weight. Conclusions : The instrument of oriental medical evaluation for jing ji and zheng chong was developed through experts' discussion. If the validity and reliability of this instrument is confirmed through additional clinical trial, the instrument of oriental medical evaluation for jing ji and zheng chong is expected to be applied to the subsequent research.


This [paper] documents age-adjusted mean earnings by detailed field of study among 25- to 54-year-old university and college graduates who worked full year, full time in 2010. The data are drawn from the 2011 National Household Survey. The results suggest that management sciences and quantitative methods graduates were the top earners among male and female bachelor's degree holders in 2010. The study also finds that earnings vary considerably among graduates from specific fields of study that are typically grouped together (e.g. economics graduates earn more than graduates from other social science programs, such as sociology and psychology).


A potassium tetratitanate–based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared by surface molecule–imprinting technique, which involves coating potassium tetratitanate whiskers with silica and modification with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The structural properties of the synthesized MIP were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy. Adsorption behaviour studies were conducted on the prepared MIP, the results of which showed that it has a porous and large surface area. In addition, the prepared MIP showed good adsorptive capacity and selectivity for dibenzothiophene; the adsorption equilibrium time was 180 minutes and the equilibrium adsorption capacity was 20.86 mg/g at 318 K. The adsorptive behaviour followed the Lagergren pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. Thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Thus, based on the study results it can be concluded that the synthesized adsorbent (i.e. MIP) has potential applications for deep desulphurization of gasoline.


Paper aimed to consider of approaches to big data (social network content) utilization for understanding of social behavior in the conflict zones, and analysis of dynamics of illegal armed groups. Analysis directed to identify of underage militants. The probabilistic and stochastic methods of analysis and classification of number, composition and dynamics of illegal armed groups in active conflict areas are proposed. Data of armed conflict – antiterrorist operation in Donbas (Eastern Ukraine in the period 2014-2015) is used for analysis. The numerical distribution of age, gender composition, origin, social status and nationality of child militants among illegal armed groups has been calculated. Conclusions on the applicability of described method in criminological practice, as well as about the possibilities of interpretation of obtaining results in the context of study of terrorism are proposed. Yuriy V. Kostyuchenko National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine Maxim Yuschenko National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine Methods and Tools of Big Data Analysis for Terroristic Behavior


We develop techniques of computing the asymptotics of the moments of the number $T_N$ of coupons that a collector has to buy in order to find all $N$ existing different coupons as $N\rightarrow \infty.$ The probabilities (occurring frequencies) of the coupons can be quite arbitrary. After mentioning the case where the coupon probabilities are equal we consider the general case (of unequal probabilities). For a large class of distributions (after adopting a dichotomy) we arrive at the leading behavior of the moments of $T_N$ as $N\rightarrow \infty.$ We also present various illustrative examples.


Urologic dysfunction is a common and devastating feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). For many MS patients, urinary symptoms may be the most socially disabling features of the illness. In this chapter, we describe the urologic dysfunctions seen in MS, and discuss appropriate management for patients with MS. Sexual dysfunction is also common in MS and will be discussed in this chapter. Several safe and effective non-surgical modalities are now widely available for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.


Eventhough Fe-6.5 wt.% Si alloy shows excellent magnetic properties, magnetic components made of the alloy with the composition are not totally commercialized because of its extremely low ductility. In order to overcome this demerit of alloy, 6.7 wt.% Si alloy powders were produced by gas atomization and then post-processed to form magnetic cores. By doing so, the total core loss could be minimized by reducing both hysteresis and eddy current loss, which were attributed to both grain size adjustment and particle size control. From our experiments, we were able to achive a core loss of 390 mW/cm3 at an induction of 0.1 T and 50 kHz through proper processes and a permeability μeff of 68 at low frequency was kept up to 700 kHz. These properties are compatable with the properties of well-known soft magnetic materials such as Fe-Si-Al and Ni- Fe alloys. From the above results, it can be concluded that Fe-Si alloy powders with high Si content have very high potential for the commercialization and application of the core.


In order to determine whether a hostile attitude is associated with hypertension in post-menopausal women, we conducted a cross-sectional study of a sample of post-menopausal women enrollees from the Group Health Cooperative (Seattle, Washington). Out-patient medical records were reviewed for all subjects. Hypertension was defined as a recorded diagnosis of hypertension and treatment with an anti-hypertensive drug. Borderline hypertensives were excluded. Women were interviewed by telephone and asked the 14 questions comprising the Hostile-Affect (HOS) and Aggressive-Responding (AGGR) factors of the Cook-Medley hostility scale. Scores were grouped into high vs low HOS and AGGR. The AGGR score was available for 430 hypertensives and 628 normotensives. The HOS score was available for 436 hypertensives and 616 normotensives. High AGGR scores had a borderline association with hypertension (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.26; 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 0.97-1.62). HOS was not associated with hypertension. Adjusting for age, physical activity, diabetes mellitus, cholesterol level, tobacco and alcohol use, weight and race, changed the association of AGGR with hypertension only slightly (OR = 1.22; CI = 0.92-1.63). We found a weak association between the prevalence of treated hypertension and AGGR in post-menopausal women. There was no association between the HOS component and hypertension. The results of this study support the need for prospective studies of the role of psychological factors in the development of hypertension in post-menopausal women. If this association is confirmed, AGGR measures may help identify women at high-risk who are most likely to benefit from hypertension screening and primary prevention.


This doctoral thesis examines the history of the Iraqw'ar Da/aw area in the Mbulu Highlands of northern Tanzania. Since the late nineteenth century this area has been known for its intensive cultivation, and referred to as an "island" within a matrix of less intensive land use. The conventional explanation for its characteristics has been high population densities resulting from the prevention of expansion by hostility from surrounding pastoral groups, leading to a siegelike situation. Drawing on an intensive programme of interviews, detailed field mapping and studies of aerial photographs, early travellers' accounts and landscape photographs, this study challenges that explanation. The study concludes that the process of agricultural intensification has largely been its own driving force, based on self-reinforcing processes of change, and not a consequence of land scarcity.


In a deconstructionist perspective of law, it is necessary to question what is taken for granted, whether by legal professionals or by the general public. In the legal area, one of the commonly admitted beliefs is the one relating to the pacifying role of law, and of its violence-channelizing purpose. It is therefore necessary to question the relationship between law and violence. It appears that the two classical positions, the ontological opposition of law and violence on the one side, and the identity of law and violence on the other side, can be overcome by a third approach. Indeed, it is possible to apprehend this relationship as a reciprocal construction: on the one hand, violence is shaping the law by intervening in the legal actor's interpretation of the normative statements; on the other hand, law defines what it considers to be violent by qualifying a situation as violent and therefore legally admitting it. Violence can thus create law by modifying a pre-existing interpretation of a statement, but it can also be conservative of the law by leading to the condemnation of a situation considered to be violent. In order to be able to rule on the change or on the conservation of an interpretative state, a general consensus between the legal actors is required. Indeed, the relationship between law and violence is a moving one, whether in time or space. It is nevertheless still necessary to relocate any analysis of the relationships between law and violence in the interpretative context at stake. This is fully illustrated in the field of (public) international law through the right to self-defence.


— Many anticipate a future wireless world filled by a multitude of user devices and wireless technologies. Effective management of this kind of heterogeneous, mobile, and rapidly changing ad hoc networks will be a challenging task. We present and evaluate the Ambient Networks Gateway Selection Architecture (GSA), which provides support for gateway discovery, management, and selection for mobile nodes within dynamic routing groups. A routing group (RG) is a cluster of nodes in physical proximity, aware of the group membership, with a common goal of optimizing mobility management and routing functionality in the group. A gateway is a mobile node that provides packet relaying and connectivity services to other nodes in the RG. GSA can be also used outside the Ambient Networks architecture, and we present how it can be used with two existing mobility management protocols, namely Mobile IP and Host Identity Protocol, especially in the case of moving networks. Our simulation studies show the benefits gained from group formation when compared to same functionalities implemented in every individual node. We also compare the GSA hybrid signaling strategy with proactive and reactive approaches; the simulation results show that the hybrid approach scales better when the routing group size grows.


A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in 615 nonobese pregnant women (mean ± SD age 29.7 ± 4.3 yr) who were referred to the Division of Internal Medicine at our diabetes center because of glycosuria. Seventy-seven cases were found to have urinary glucose at the first trimester, 185 at the second trimester, and 353 at the third trimester. With their 75-g OGTT results, the diagnostic criteria of borderline (formulated by the Japan Diabetes Society), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT; defined by the World Health Organization [WHO]), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM; determined by the Japan Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology standards) were compared through blood glucose (BG) curves and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) responses. Borderline (fasting BG ≥6.1 and <7.8 mM and 2-h BG ≥6.7 and <11.1 mM) is neither diabetes nor normal. IGT is as referred to by the WHO. GDM exceeds two points of fasting BG ≥5.6 mM, 1-h BG ≥10.0 mM, or 2-h BG ≥8.3 mM. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is as referred to by the Japan Diabetes Society (same as the WHO). The prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance among all 615 pregnant women was 54.6% in borderline, 24.5% in IGT, 7.3% in GDM, and 3.4% in DM. The 2-h BG levels in IGT during the first trimester were higher than in borderline (P< 0.01). The 1- and 2-h levels in GDM without DM in a given trimester were higher than in borderline (P< 0.001–0.05). However, there were low responses of IRI at the early phase in each group. The prevalence of low responders whose 30-min ΔIRI (pM)/ΔBG (mM) was < 54 was 47% in borderline, 52% in IGT, 83% in GDM, and 100% in DM at the first trimester. Moreover, among 7 cases who were low-IRI responders during their first pregnancy, 3 developed GDM or DM during their second pregnancy. Although it is difficult to clarify which criteria for GDM are better, these data indicate that a low 30-min ΔIRI/ΔBG on 75-g OGTT is an important piece of evidence predicting the future onset of non-insulin-dependent DM.


Business process modelling has gained widespread acceptance, particularly in

large IT-enabled business projects. It is applied as a process design and

management technique across all project lifecycle phases. While there has been

much research on process modelling, there has been little attention on 'how to'

conduct process modelling effectively, or on the evaluation of process modelling

initiatives and outcomes. This study addresses this gap by deriving a process

modelling success model that contains both the success factors (independent

variables) and success dimensions (dependent variables) of process modelling.

The study employs a multi-method approach, blending both qualitative and

quantitative research methods. The research design commenced with a

comprehensive literature review, which includes the first annotated bibliography

in process modelling research. A multiple case study approach was used to build

the conceptual process modelling success model which resulted in a model with

eleven (11) success factors (namely Modeller Expertise, Team Structure, Project

Management, User Competence, User Participation, Management Support,

Leadership, Communication, Modelling Tool, Modelling Language and Modelling

Methodology), two (2) moderating variables (namely Process Complexity and

Project Importance) and five (5) process modelling success dimensions (namely

Modeller Satisfaction, Model Quality, User Satisfaction, Model Use and Modelling

Impact). This conceptual model was then operationalised and tested across a

global sample, with an online survey instrument.

290 valid responses were received. The constructs were analysed seeking a

parsimonious, valid and reliable model. The statistical analysis of this phase

assisted in deriving the final process modelling success model. The dependent

variables of this model consisted of three (3) contextual success factors (namely

Top Management Support, Project Management and Resource Availability), two

(2) Modelling specific success factors (namely Modelling Aids and Modeller

Expertise), and two (2) moderating variables (namely Importance and Process

Complexity). The dependent variable; Process Modelling Success (PMS) was

derived with three (3) success measurement dimensions (namely Model Quality,

Process Impacts and Process Efficiency). All resulting success factors proved to

have a significant role in predicting process modelling success. Interaction

effects with the moderating variables (Importance and Process Complexity)

proved to exist with Top Management Support (TMS) and Resource Availability

(RA). A close analysis to their interaction relationship illustrated that Importance

(IMP) moderated the relationship between Top Management Support (TMS) and

Process Modelling Success (PMS) in a linear manner and that Process Complexity

(PC) moderated the relationship between Resource Availability (RA) and Process

Modelling Success (PMS), also in a linear manner.

This is the first reported study with empirical evidence on process modelling

success. The progressive outcomes of this study have been readily accepted by

the practitioner and academic community, with 16 published internationalrefereed-

conference papers [including best paper award at the Pacific Asian

Conference on Information Systems (PACIS 2004)], 2 journal publications, and

over 5 major industry presentations made upon invitation.


This collection of Raymond Carver's interviews reveals him to have been perhaps the premier short-story writer of his generation, a lyric-narrative poet of singular resonance, and a staunch proponent of realistic fiction in the wake of postmodern formalism. The twenty-five conversations gathered here, several available in English for the first time, include craft interviews, biographical portraits, self-analyses, and wide-ranging reflections on the current literary scene. Carver discusses his changing views of his widely influential fiction collections What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981), Cathedral (1983), and Where I'm Calling From (1988). Carver explains how at the height of his fame as a fiction writer he turned to poetry, producing three prize-winning books in as many years. Finally, in the closing months of his life, he talks about the coming of his last triumphant stories, the ones that secured his reputation.


An antibody-drug conjugate targeting LGR5 effectively treats intestinal cancer in preclinical models. Stemming the progression of cancer LGR5 is a well-known marker of intestinal cancer stem cells, which makes it an attractive target for anticancer treatments. Unfortunately, it is also found in healthy intestinal stem cells, giving rise to concerns about the potential toxicity of such treatments. Now, Junttila et al. used preclinical models of intestinal cancer to demonstrate that targeting LGR5 with an antibody-drug conjugate is effective for shrinking tumors without damaging the surrounding normal tissues. These observations of preclinical effectiveness as well as safety suggest that targeting LGR5-expressing cells may be a viable therapeutic strategy and a candidate for evaluation in human studies. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are hypothesized to actively maintain tumors similarly to how their normal counterparts replenish differentiated cell types within tissues, making them an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer. Because most CSC markers also label normal tissue stem cells, it is unclear how to selectively target them without compromising normal tissue homeostasis. We evaluated a strategy that targets the cell surface leucine-rich repeat–containing G protein–coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), a well-characterized tissue stem cell and CSC marker, with an antibody conjugated to distinct cytotoxic drugs. One antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) demonstrated potent tumor efficacy and safety in vivo. Furthermore, the ADC decreased tumor size and proliferation, translating to improved survival in a genetically engineered model of intestinal tumorigenesis. These data demonstrate that ADCs can be leveraged to exploit differences between normal and cancer stem cells to successfully target gastrointestinal cancers.


Global warming has an impact on the high room temperature, that can cause excessive use of air conditioning (energy). This directly give contribution not only on the high electricity usage but also energy consumption which is related to the decreasing environmental quality (greenhouse gases emission). In this study, the main concern is to see the potential in maximizing the role of recycled water as air conditioning elements for cooling system. The recycled water referred to this study is the used water originating from the swimming pool area, in which the pool itself acts as a part of the recirculating water system. The system consists of pipe grids in different lengths and widths in suspended ceilings or concealed has possibility to adjust the heat radiation from tempered walls directly to the room. The pipe grids itself serves as a cooling agent. This research was conducted adopting basic equations for radiant heat transfer, the equations makes it easier when application in the field so it can be used to determine the cooling effect produced. Calculation method conducts analysis to the surface of the panel which was exposed to the radiation load which would then be transfered by recycled water from swimming pool. The calculation method obtained through this study is expected to be used as a reference in recycled water for the cooling system to the room. An assumption calculation is done to see the potential of the radiant panels surface cooling efficiency, particularly by looking from the pipe type variable aspect that showed Copper with a surface cooling efficiency value of 3,080 should be used as pipe type for future research with purpose to achieve a higher surface cooling efficiency without cost limitation. This research was carried out by adopting various methods that can overcome ecological problems so that the results will not only provides comfort for the user of the room, but also as a reference for environmentally friendly building designs.


In 2006–2007, I interviewed elderly Singaporeans on their experiences of resettlement from an urban kampong (village) to emergency public housing after a great fire in 1961. I learned much about the lives of semiautonomous dwellers in an unauthorized settlement and the individual and social transformation following their rehousing. My informants also highlighted what the experiences meant to them and their identity in a modern city-state. This paper treats the testimonies as both source and social memory and seeks to avoid the essentialism into which many social historians, oral history practitioners, and memory scholars have fallen in their approach toward the craft. As a source of social history, when used in conjunction with other historical sources, the reminiscences are patently useful for understanding the role of public housing in transforming a marginal population into an integrated citizenry. This enables the writing of a new social history of postwar Singapore that departs from the discursive official accounts of urban kampong life and of the 1961 inferno. At the same time, the oral history also underlines powerful social and political influences on individual memory, being marked by nostalgia for the kampong and ambivalence toward the imagined character of younger Singaporeans. Statements on the rumors of government-inspired arson in the 1961 calamity, however, constitute a significant countermyth in contemporary society, revealing a more critical side to the social memory.


— There are currently a large variety of wireless access networks, including the emerging Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs). A large variety of applications utilizing these networks will demand features such as real-time, high-availability and even instantaneous high-bandwidth in some cases. Therefore, it is imperative for network service providers to make the best possible use of the combined resources of available heterogeneous networks (WLAN, UMTS, VANETs, Wi-MAX, etc.) for connection support. When connections need to migrate between heterogeneous networks for performance and high-availability reasons, seamless vertical handoff is a necessary first step. In the near future, vehicular and other mobile applications will expect seamless vertical handoff between heterogeneous access networks. With regard to vertical handoff performance, there is a critical need for developing algorithms for connection management and optimal resource allocation for seamless mobility. In this paper, we develop a vertical handoff decision algorithm that enables a wireless access network to not only balance the overall load among all attachment points (e.g., Base Stations (BSs) and Access Points (APs)) but also to maximize the collective battery lifetime of Mobile Nodes (MNs). In addition, when ad hoc mode is applied to 3/4G wireless data networks, VANETs and IEEE 802.11 WLANs for more seamless integration of heterogeneous wireless networks, we devise a route selection algorithm to forward data packets to the most appropriate attachment point in order to maximize the collective battery lifetime as well as maintain load balancing. Results based on a detailed performance evaluation study are also presented here to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithms.


Few quantitative diagnostic and monitoring, tools are available to clinicians treating patients with Alzheimer's disease. Further, many of the promising quantitative imaging tools under development lack clear specificity toward different types of Amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology such as vascular or oligomeric species. Antibodies offer an opportunity to image specific types of Aβ pathology because of their excellent specificity. In this study, we developed a method to translate a panel of anti-Aβ antibodies, which show excellent histological performance, into live animal imaging contrast agents. In the TgCRND8 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, we tested two antibodies, M64 and M116, that target parenchyma aggregated Aβ plaques and one antibody, M31, that targets vascular Aβ. All three antibodies were administered intravenously after labeling with both poly(ethylene glycol) to enhance circulation and Cu to allow detection via positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. We were clearly able to differentiate TgCRND8 mice from wild type controls by PET imaging using either M116, the anti-Aβ antibody targeting parenchymal Aβ or M31, the antivascular Aβ antibody. To confirm the validity of the noninvasive imaging of specific Aβ pathology, brains were examined after imaging and showed clear evidence of binding to Aβ plaques.


A neoplastic human salivary intercalated duct cell line (HSG) and its derivatives, HSG with a myoepithelial cell phenotype (HSG-AZA1) and HSG with an acinar cell phenotype (HSG-AZA3), which were induced by 5-azacytidine treatment of HSG cells, were cultivated in the presence of epidermal growth factor (EGF). Morphological changes occurred; cells that were spindle shaped or stellate and had long cytoplasmic processes appeared in all of the treated cells. Major alterations, such as expression of neuron-specific enolase, neurofilaments, or synaptophysin as well as formation of neurite-like structures densely packed with microfibrils and microtubules, were observed in these cells with a phenotype similar to that of neuron-like cells. Both the anchorage-independent and anchorage-dependent growths of the treated HSG cells and only anchorage-dependent growth of the treated HSG-AZA1 cells were suppressed, whereas the anchorage-dependent growth of the treated HSG-AZA3 cells was enhanced according to the increasing concentrations of EGF. In addition, it has been found by statistical analysis that the growth of HSG cells in culture is suppressed and that of HSG-AZA3 cells in culture is stimulated according to the increasing concentrations of EGF added, whereas the growth of cultured HSG-AZA1 cells is hardly affected by EGF treatment. The HSG, HSG-AZA1, and HSG-AZA3 cell had 1.8 x 10(5), 1.83 x 10(5), and 1.34 x 10(5) EGF receptors, respectively. The amounts of the EGF internalized into cells were larger in HSG-AZA3 cells than in HSG or HSG-AZA1 cells. These findings indicate that the conversion of HSG, HSG-AZA1, and HSG-AZA3 cells into neuron-like cells occurs in growth medium containing EGF, with a concomitant modulation of the growth potentials of the cells which were examined in a different manner.


This study describes the results on the fabrication, testing and analysis of curved micro nozzle/diffuser. First, we use different polymers, SU-8 and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for the fabrication of curved micro nozzle/diffuser. By using the low-temperature bonding technique, we can combine the structure with the glass and accomplish the component. In order to understand the investigation and analysis of fluid dynamics characteristics, we measure the pressure and flow of curved micro nozzle/diffuser and the commercially available software CFD was adopted for analyzing the performance of straight and curved micro nozzle/ diffuser. If we have a given Reynolds number, the experimental data shows the pressure loss of the diffuser is lower than that of the nozzle due to the change of momentum. Furthermore, the results also indicate that the pressure loss coefficient of both curved nozzle and diffuser decrease with the Reynolds number. All the experimental and numerical data Eventually are compared with each other. The numerical data was found good agreement with previous analytic solution and experimental results. In sum, the theoretical analysis and design basis from this study can be formulated as the reference in the fabrication of micro nozzle/diffuser.


Welcome to the world of Edie Dudman, girl in a rut, circa 1985. Edie's life would be great if it weren't for the fact that everything always goes a bit wrong. She's the girl whose tights go twisty at the crotch. She's the girl whose mum has bits of crisp permanently glued to her teeth, whose boyfriend is a two-timing bastard and whose rabbit, Flopsie, is always swiping at her nastily with its paw. Still, at least she has a perfect ex-best friend to highlight her flaws even more intensely and a mean old one-legged neighbour to make her life hell. Throw in a dull job selling cream horns at Crustie's the Bakery and appreciate that it's a miracle Edie ever drags herself out of bed in the morning. But Edie needs a sharp kick up the backside - and maybe a sprinkling of good fortune and a Bach Flower Remedy or two - to make it off the Estate and into the Big Wide World. "Just a Little Disco on an Open-Top Bus" is a sheer delight with characters who will, almost literally, spring off the page and show you their faces with glee.


Argumentation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) builds on formal approaches to reasoning argumentatively. Common to many such approaches is to use argumentation frameworks (AFs) as reasoning engines, with AFs being composed of arguments and attacks between arguments, which are instantiated from knowledge bases in a principle-based manner. While representing what can be argued for in an AF provides a conceptually clean way, this process can face challenges arising from generating a large number of arguments, which can act as a barrier to explainability. Inspired by successful approaches to model checking where the state explosion is mitigated by applying existential abstraction, we study an adaption of existential abstraction in form of clustering arguments in an AF to address an associated "argument explosion". In this paper, we provide a foundational investigation of this form of existential abstraction by defining semantics of the resulting clustered AFs, which balance two inherent aspects of existential abstractions: abstracting from concrete AFs and not permitting too much spuriousness (i.e., conclusions that hold on the abstraction but not on the original AF). Moreover, we show properties of clustered AFs, including complexity results, discuss use of clusterings for explaining results of reasoning tasks, and employ the recently introduced methodology of abstraction in answer set programming (ASP) for obtaining and reasoning over clustered AFs.


Aim of the present study is to investigate two important issues on urban concentration in Turkey. First, we investigate whether population tend to have an uneven distribution across cities between 1965-2012, second, we analyze the determinants of city-size growth by relating it to the process of trade liberalization and to a range of other socio-economic and geographical factors. In terms of methodology, we employ various cross sectional and spatial econometric tools to implement our analysis. Our results indicate three major conclusions: First, urban concentration tends to increase recently, leading to an unevenly growing cities and creating urban giants (i.e. Istanbul). Second, trade liberalization is shown to intensify this process since metropolitan areas, which are more open to trade, tend to grow faster than others. Third, specialization of cities in industrial activities (i.e. manufacturing) and economies of agglomeration are likely to reinforce the spatial concentration of population around larger c


The option to store value and to transact from a safe savings account is the foundation of financial inclusion. There is a need for developing banking models that allow poor people to save daily, as they earn money, right from their neighbourhoods and villages. This requires leveraging existing non-bank retail outlets to serve as cash transaction points acting on behalf of licensed financial institutions, and mobile operators acting as channel managers and transaction aggregators. Such schemes need to be commercially viable for all players involved, without having to rely on credit as a driver of profitability.


The dominant metaphor used to describe and situate MMORPGs, or massively multiplayer online role playing games (e.g. Ultima Online, EverQuest, World of Warcraft, Second Life, etc.), has been "new world" and "new frontier." By deploying this powerful imagery, game developers, players, the popular media, and academic researchers draw explicit connections between the technology of MMORPGs and the European encounter with the Americas and the western expansion of the United States. Although providing a compelling and often recognizable explanation of the innovations and opportunities of this new technology, the use of this terminology comes with a considerable price, one that had been demonstrated and examined by scholars of the Internet, cyberspace, and virtual reality over a decade ago. This essay explores the impact and significance of the terms "new world" and "frontier" as they have been deployed to explain and describe MMORPGs.


The development of autoimmune diseases in some patients treated with D-penicillamine (DPA) suggests that the reported occurrence of a conduction disorder at the neuromuscular junction and the development of a reversible myasthenia gravis in rheumatoid disease, progressive systemic sclerosis or Wilson's disease after the use of DPA are part of a general predisposition for autoimmune disease related to DPA therapy. The case reported is an example. The DPA- induced myasthenia gravis (MO) is similar to the spontaneous MG clinically and electrophysiologically, though ocular signs prevail in the former. Antibodies to acetylcholine receptor have been demonstrated and thymic hyperplasia also has been formed. Regarding the onset of myasthenic manifestations the duration of the treatment with DPA varies from 6 to 10 months. The action of DPA on the neuromuscular junction is different from that occurring in spontaneous MG. The pathogenesis of the DPA induced MG is still obscure. The chemical properties of DPA permit it to react with many proteins and some alteration of proteins may appear, with structural changes in the composition and antigenicity of the collagen fibers. In vitro DPA causes disorder of acetylcholine receptor bridges to a,b,g sub-units with reduction of the S-S bridges in the g-subunit. This decreases the linkage of high affinity and abolishes its positive cooperative system, reducing the S-S connection in the a-unit near the acetylcholine linkage. The interation between DPA and receptor may induce antigenic alteration in this latter, starting the autoimmune phenomena. The other possibility is the stimulation of prostaglandin E-l synthesis by DPA may fill the allosteric place of ACh receptor, interfering on the neuromuscular junction.


What factors determine firms' attitudes toward trade policy? This paper considers producers' policy preferences and political behavior in light of two key patterns in modern international trade: industries that face import competition often have many exporters, and foreign sales are concentrated in the hands of a small number of "superstar" exporters. Using a new survey of Costa Rican firms matched to systematic firm-level data on export behavior, we find that firm features are generally more important predictors of attitudes toward trade liberalization than industry-wide comparative advantage. We also show that export intensity is strongly associated with interest and lobbying activity on trade policy. The largest exporters, who are the strongest supporters of global integration, dominate trade politics.


With aim to investigate the effect of the content of Ni on erosion behavior of the TiC-xNi coating at elevated temperatures, The TiC-xNi (x=0, 5, 10, 15 , 20wt.%) composite coatings were in-situ synthesized on nickel-based alloy substrate by the self-developed electro-thermal explosion ultra-high speed spraying (EEUSS) device with the cored wire. Erosion properties of the coatings were assessed by the erosion tester under 90° incidence angle and 650°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microhardness tester were used to investigate the coating phases and microhardness. The coatings consisted of TiC phase and Ni binder phase, as well as the residual C. The microhardness of TiC-xNi coating with the Ni content from 5 wt.% to 20wt.% decreased with the increase of the content of Ni. Elevated temperature erosion test indicate that the spiculate quartz particles impact the surface of the coating which lead to the loss of material. The erosion resistance of the TiC-xNi coatings increased first and decreased afterwards with the increase of the content of Ni. The relative erosion resistance of coating with 10 wt.% Ni addition is excellent which is about 2 times than that of TiC-20Ni coating under 650°C and 90° incidence angle.


Abstract The conclusions of EFSA following the peer review of the initial risk assessments carried out by the competent authorities of the rapporteur Member State, the Netherlands, and co‐rapporteur Member State, Denmark, for the pesticide active substance Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain MA 342 are reported. The context of the peer review was that required by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 844/2012. The conclusions were reached on the basis of the evaluation of the representative uses of Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain MA 342 as a seed treatment in cereals (wheat, rye and triticale), carrots and peas against seed‐borne diseases and foliar application in cereals against foliar and ear pathogens. The reliable end points, appropriate for use in regulatory risk assessment, are presented. Missing information identified as being required by the regulatory framework is listed. Concerns are identified.


The problem of diagnosis and treatment of acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients 65 years of age or older is assuming greater importance as an increasing proportion of the population lives beyond the sixth decade. The purpose of this communication is to analyze our experience in this group relative to the causes of bleeding and the results of treatment, which indicate that a vigorous and optimistic surgical approach can be achieved with an acceptable risk. We have reviewed the case records of 92 patients 65 years of age or older who were admitted to the Lincoln Hospital during 1954 to 1958 with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage manifested by hematemesis or melena, or both. A positive final diagnosis was established in 79 patients of this group. Thirteen patients were classified as unknown. Among the 13 "unknown" patients a presumptive diagnosis of benign etiology was made in 7, carcinoma of the stomach


Plant nutrient management can influence the type and level of polyphenolic compounds within leafy vegetables. Therefore, we investigated the effects of fertilizer micro-dosing and harvest time on antioxidant activities of aqueous polyphenolic extracts from Amaranthus cruentus, Ocimum gratissimum and Solanum macrocarpon. Plants were cultivated using urea alone or combined with cattle manure for three staggered harvest periods. Polyphenolics profile (RP-HPLC), DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide radical scavenging activities, ferric ion reducing power, ferrous ion chelation and inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation were determined. Polyphenolic contents of A. cruentus (caffeic acid, myricetin, quercetin and rutin) and O. gratissimum (catechin and gallic acid) as well as antioxidant activities of the vegetables extracts (except hydroxyl radical scavenging by A. cruentus) were fertilizer micro-dose and harvest timedependent. Thus, combination of both factors highlighted the screening of optimal farming conditions for these vegetables in order to get leaf extracts possessing higher polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities.


Soil properties are governed by biotic and abiotic components including land use management. Hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered to be primary soil nutrient promoters and there is a positive correlation between AMF hyphae and soil fertility in natural systems. Both past and recent evidences prove that, these symbiotic fungi are present in most terrestrial ecosystems especially in tropics and play a major role in both the growth of plants and important ecosystem processes. AM has a cementing capacity to maintain soil health. Acquisition of minerals by AM in the soil ensures increased crop productivity. This paper traces the role of AM on soil physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties that influence the sustainable agriculture.


Has inquiry into the meaning of life become outmoded in a universe where the other-worldiness of religion no longer speaks to us as it once did, or, as Nietzsche proposed, where we are now the creators of our own value? Has the ancient question of the "good life" disappeared, another victim of the technological world? For Luc Ferry, the answer to both questions is a resounding no. In What Is the Good Life? Ferry argues that the question of the meaning of life, on which much philosophical debate throughout the centuries has rested, has not vanished, but at the very least the question is posed differently today. Ferry points out the pressures in our secularized world that tend to reduce the idea of a successful life or "good life" to one of wealth, career satisfaction, and prestige. Without deserting the secular presuppositions of our world, he shows that we can give ourselves a richer sense of life's possibilities. The "good life" consists of harmonizing life's different forces in a way that enables one to achieve a sense of personal satisfaction in the realization of one's creative abilities.


This paper proposes an enhanced adaptive FEC (EAFEC) algorithm implemented in the access point (AP) to improve video delivery over wireless networks. Unlike traditional static FEC mechanisms, which add redundant data to transmission data in a fixed number, the number of redundant FEC data for the EAFEC mechanism is determined by the AP, which is based on both network traffic load and wireless channel state. The algorithm is based on two factors. One of them is the queue length in the access point, indicating network traffic load; the second factor is packet retransmission times, indicating wireless channel state. EAFEC usage would tune FEC data number generated in such a way that it would not unnecessarily add more traffic to the network in already congested scenario. Our work shows that the EAFEC algorithm improves system performance by dynamically tuning FEC strength to the current loss in the wireless channel. We use NS-2 simulation experiments to prove our algorithm


Investigations were made into the stabilization of water in oil emulsions using crystalline particles of paraffin wax and fully hydrogenated canola and cottonseed oils. A model system was studied to develop a methodology of study and provide a benchmark for a subsequent study of a real-world system. The model system involved the use of light mineral oil, purified water, paraffin wax and glycerol monooleate emulsifier. The wax was crystallized prior to and following emulsification. Prepared emulsion samples were monitored for sedimentation and flocculation behaviour. Measurements of coalescence were obtained by pulsed field gradient NMR. Formation of the solid crystalline wax phase following emulsification resulted in emulsions more stable to flocculation and coalescence than samples containing the same amount of wax crystallized prior to emulsification. Analysis of emulsion samples with polarized light microscopy showed the wax crystals were associated with the water droplet interfaces rather than dispersed freely within the continuous oil phase. Another investigation employed similar experimental protocols but incorporated food-grade materials. Two different solid fats were used, chosen for their differing polymorphic (crystal habit) behaviour. Solid crystals of canola stearine (ß-tending) and cottonseed stearine (ß-tending) were compared in their abilities to stabilize emulsions at levels of addition between 0 and 2%. Each type of fat was incorporated into the emulsion in a pre-crystallized state, or while melted and crystallized following emulsification. Cottonseed stearine was found to be in the ß polymorph when quickly crystallized following emulsification from 45⁰ to 5⁰C over 6 minutes. Further calorimetric and X-ray diffraction investigations revealed this crystallization behaviour was a result of a solid-state transformation via an imperfectly formed ß̕ intermediate. With respect to the post-crystallized emulsions, where the polymorphism of the two fats were both in the ß-form, the canola stearine provided better stabilization against coalescence than the cottonseed stearine. This observation coincided with a stronger energy of interfacial attachment for crystallized canola than for cottonseed as calculated from measurements of contact angle and interfacial tension. With the pre-crystallized system, incorporation of cottonseed stearine resulted in reduced sedimentation and coalescence compared to samples containing pre-crystallized canola stearine. This difference was attributed to the presence of fine shards of ß̕-form crystals. The system that imparted the highest degree of overall stability incorporated the use of canola stearine srystallized following emulsification.


The given reference includes an information about a nourishment, an average daily nutrient and energetic content of foodstuffs in the menu of students in boarding schools on Tajmir. It is determined that there is a disbalance of the main components and the fatty acid, mineral, vitamin contents in the menu of the children of all the ages. The nourishment of the children living in the condition of the Far North has been demonstrated to need correcting.


Regulatory pressure on international banks to fight money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) increased substantially in the past decade. At the same time there has been a rise in the number of complaints of banks denying transactions or closing the accounts of customers either based in high risk countries or attempting to send money there, a process known as de-risking. In this paper, we investigate the impact of an increase in regulatory risk, driven by the inclusion of countries on an internationally-recognized list of high risk jurisdictions, on subsequent cross-border payments. We find countries that have been added to a high risk greylist face up to a 10 percent decline in the number of cross border payments received from other jurisdictions, but no change in the number sent. We also find that a greylisted country is more likely to see a decline in payments from other countries with weak AML/CFT institutions. We find limited evidence that these effects manifest in cross border trade or other flows. Given that countries that are placed on these lists tend to be poorer on average, these impacts are likely to be more strongly felt in developing countries.


Water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is the most widely cultivated yam species globally. The major limitation to the profitable and sustainable production of D. alata is its susceptibility to anthracnose disease. The availability of resistant varieties could potentially form the cornerstone of an integrated management strategy for yam anthracnose; however, anthracnose resistance breeding is hampered by the dearth of knowledge on pathogen identity and diversity. Four forms of Colletotrichum are now known to be associated with foliar anthracnose of yam: the slow-growing grey (SGG), the fast-growing salmon (FGS), the fast-growing olive (FGO), and the fast-growing grey (FGG) forms. The close phylogenetic relationship of the first three forms to reference isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and the fact that only strains of these forms have been observed to induce typical anthracnose symptoms on D. alata, recently confirmed that C. gloeosporioides is the causal agent of yam anthracnose disease. The FGG form possibly represents a distinct, endophytic, species as indicated by morphological, biological and molecular criteria. Previous research emphasized epidemiology and control but limited progress was made in understanding yam anthracnose disease based on this classical approach. Molecular approaches have started to unravel the systematics and ecology of Colletotrichum strains associated with yam anthracnose, as well the population biology of C. gloeosporioides on yam. Sexual recombination is a likely mechanism contributing to the high genetic diversity of C. gloeosporioides in yam-based cropping systems. Studies have been initiated to understand the mechanisms that generate genetic variation in C. gloeosporioides, and to gain some insight into the biochemistry of the interactions between the pathogen and yam. Our thesis in this article is that integrating traditional and molecular approaches to understanding C. gloeosporioides systematics, epidemiology and population genetics will lead to a much better understanding of yam anthracnose disease, and thus to the development of effective and sustainable control measures. Research successes and challenges are discussed, as well as their implications for future studies on pathogen evolutionary potential, anthracnose resistance breeding, and the deployment of resistance genes. Key words : Anthracnose, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Dioscorea spp., molecular markers, molecular systematics, population biology, resistance breeding, yam.
African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 2 (12), pp. 486-496, December 2003


Abstract Earth's climate is changing, and by the end of the 21st century in Europe, average temperatures are likely to have risen by at least 2 °C, and more likely 4 °C with associated effects on patterns of precipitation and the frequency of extreme weather events. Attention among policy-makers is divided about how to minimise the change, how to mitigate its effects, how to maintain the natural resources on which societies depend and how to adapt human societies to the changes. Natural systems are still seen, through a long tradition of conservation management that is largely species-based, as amenable to adaptive management, and biodiversity, mostly perceived as the richness of plant and vertebrate communities, often forms a focus for planning. We argue that prediction of particular species changes will be possible only in a minority of cases but that prediction of trends in general structure and operation of four generic freshwater ecosystems (erosive rivers, depositional floodplain rivers, shallow lakes and deep lakes) in three broad zones of Europe (Mediterranean, Central and Arctic-Boreal) is practicable. Maintenance and rehabilitation of ecological structures and operations will inevitably and incidentally embrace restoration of appropriate levels of species biodiversity. Using expert judgement, based on an extensive literature, we have outlined, primarily for lay policy makers, the pristine features of these systems, their states under current human impacts, how these states are likely to alter with a warming of 2 °C to 4 °C and what might be done to mitigate this. We have avoided technical terms in the interests of communication, and although we have included full referencing as in academic papers, we have eliminated degrees of detail that could confuse broad policy-making.


The purpose of this study is to verify the validity of sheet buckling design based on the effective width theory investigation of impact crushing properties in high strength steel sheets. We clarify the need to make full sections effectively without elastic buckling occurring and consider the application of the effective width theory under high speed deformation. We report our findings of our investigation into the sheet buckling phenomenon with numerical simulation by varying deformation strain rate, mechanical property of material and member configuration. The results demonstrate that, with increasing crush speed, the cross section of a steel sheet become effective, while there is a high possibility of the buckling phenomenon that does not function as efficient impact absorption and is not evaluated with the existing theory.