The energy performances of a smart air-conditioning plant installed at the University of Calabria, constituted by heat pumps and a storage tank, are introduced. The same plant is configured as an alternative electric storage system because connected, by means of an appropriate internal electric micro-grid, to a 4kWp PV generator. The electric microgrid manages the electrical fluxes in order to increase the self-consumed rate. The storage tank covers the mismatching between solar energy availability and heating requests, by accumulating the PV electricity surpluses under the form of hot/cold water. Moreover, a long-term storage system is represented by the conditioned building: a radiant system, in fact, is exploited to activate the building thermal mass. A suitable control strategy was developed to activate overheating or undercooling strategies in presence of a saturated tank, in order to avoid the transfer of PV electricity to the external grid, increasing the system profitability. The conceived system coordinates the operation of the air-conditioning plant with other electric loads, favoring the building-plant system to be less dependent from the external grid.


The immunologic mechanisms mediating intraocular inflammatory diseases are largely unknown. Certain cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of uveitis. For example, interleukin-2 (IL-2) in ocular tissues1and IL-6 in aqueous2,3have been demonstrated in several forms of intraocular inflammation. However, it is unclear whether these molecules play a primary rather than secondary role in the pathophysiologic processes of uveitis. We report a case in which therapy with IL-3 and IL-6 was associated with the development of bilateral uveitis and decreased visual acuity. Report of a Case. Anemia and thrombocytopenia due to myelodysplasia (subtype refractory anemia with excess blasts) that occurred 10 months after combination chemotherapy for nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease developed in a 67-year-old woman. At the time of enrollment into this trial, the patient was well, was without evidence of Hodgkin's disease or infection, had no other significant medical problem, and was receiving no medications other


The 6th of April 2009 a strong earthquake (rated 5.8 on the Richter scale) struck the Abruzzo region in central Italy, causing hundreds of casualties and devastating the historical city of L'Aquila and several small towns in the area. The toll in terms of structural damage was enormous, also considered that a vast amount of buildings was made of poorly arranged masonry composed by round pebbles and mortar of scarce mechanical characteristics. In particular, the buildings belonging to cultural heritage (e.g. churches and monumental buildings) were between the structures that suffered more from seismic damage, considered their dimensions, mass and general lack of adequate connections. Few weeks after the seismic event, a church in the historical city centre of L'Aquila, the S. Marco church, was "adopted" by the Italian Veneto Region, which paid and provided the necessary technical support for the first necessary provisional structural interventions. The paper describes the steps undertaken in order to provide the building with the minimum safety conditions necessary to face the aftershocks, and to survive without further collapses to be subsequently retrofitted. A static and dynamic structural monitoring system was also installed in the church since the beginning of the works, in order to control the safety conditions of the area during the execution of the interventions and to assess the damage progression or stationariness.


Part One. X-ray crystallography has benefited from the synthetic introduction of selenium to different positions within nucleic acids by easing the solving of the phase problem. Interestingly, its addition to the 2' position of the ribose ring also significantly enhances crystal formation. This phenomenon was investigated to describe the effect of selenium-based and other 2' modifications to the ribose ring of nucleosides in solution, as well as the incorporation of the selenium-modified nucleotides into a helical structure. This work correlates the difference in conformation propensity between the selenium containing nucleosides and oligomers towards a rationale behind the enhanced crystal forming behavior. Part Two. Recombinant protein production is a critical tool in laboratories and industries, and inducing extracellular transport of these products to the culture medium shows potential for improving cases where the yields are not sufficient in quality or quantity. This review incorporates current practices and systems with future perspectives. INDEX WORDS: Selenium-modified nucleic acids, NMR spectroscopy, Sugar puckering, Recombinant Protein Secretion CONFORMATIONAL BIAS IN 2'-SELENIUM-MODIFIED NUCLEOSIDES AND THE EFFECT ON HELICAL STRUCTURE AND EXTRACELLULAR RECOMBINANT PROTEIN PRODUCTION: CURRENT SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS


The scientific controversy generated around the destiny given to the fraction of hazardous industrial waste produced in Portugal and how the country dealt with this situation was the stand out point in Souselas case. Here, the dominant aspect of the analysis focused on the implementation of a solution for the treatment of hazardous industrial waste. These wastes result from industrial processes contain or are contaminated, by substances that, at certain concentrations, represent a risk to human health or to the environment. Their treatment can be done using co-incineration in existing cement factories. Having in mind the environment analysis of a controversial process, through the statements made by the different actors involved, the case of Souselas was our object of study. Initially, the actors involved in the process were identified and characterized, in terms of position, interests and / or concerns. This analysis has strengthened with the gathering of documentary elements of analysis. In a second phase the historical process was prepared. Only then, the conditions to make an interpretation of what really happened in the process were gathered, then , it was possible to identify which parts were successful and unsuccessful, and to interpret "why" these successes and failures occurred. Thus, after the identification of key variables and leverage points, a causal diagram and a schematic simulation of the behaviour of reference in case Souselas was designed. We conclude that the process of Souselas was a significant milestone with regard to social organization and spontaneous local actors in situations of opposition to central government decisions with local impact. It was also a turning point in governance according to the model of representative democracy, whose technocratic and elitist character is called into question. The Souselas case emphasized itself as a microcosm on the conflict of interests that we find at a global level heightened since the 90s and that opposes governments (and the actors that they are closer) to civil society organizations, to other scientists and citizens in general.


In this sociolinguistic study an attempt is made to relate
different levels of use of variant features of Educated Spoken Arabic (ESA) of Iraq to speakers' attitudes, and to link these variables with sex and regional differences in a group of informants. The informants are a number of educated Iraqis who are available in the U. K.

In the study of language attitude the methods used involved
a questionnaire on attitudes and an analysis of subjects'
reaction to samples of ESA containing the variant features to be studied which used semantic differential technique. Factor analysis was adopted as a data analysis device.

In the attitude study a presentation of the attitudes of
the informants towards different regional speech styles, of
Iraq, was provided. The study showed significant differences
between the attitudes of the male and the female informants
as well as among the informants who belong to the three regions of Iraq.

The second part of the study investigated the distribution
of chosen phonological variables. The effect of the sex and
the region of the speakers on their choice of standard /
stigmatized (colloquial) variants was studied.

The methodology adopted in this part involved recordings
of unprepared and unscripted speech by the informants discussing various informal topics. The data analysis involved the use of a text analysis package, Oxford Concordance Program (OCP).

The study established that the male speakers chose more
standard and less stigmatized variants than the female
speakers. This result contrasted with the findings of some
studies which have been conducted in the western world but
agreed with other studies conducted in similar Arab speech
communities. The study also revealed some differences among
speakers from different regions in the choice of the variants.


Highly selective and reconfigurable microwave filters are of great importance in radio-frequency signal processing. Microwave photonic (MWP) filters are of particular interest, as they offer flexible reconfiguration and an order of magnitude higher frequency tuning range than electronic filters. However, all MWP filters to date have been limited by trade-offs between key parameters such as tuning range, resolution, and suppression. This problem is exacerbated in the case of integrated MWP filters, blocking the path to compact, high-performance filters. Here we show the first chip-based MWP bandstop filter with ultrahigh suppression, high resolution in the megahertz range, and 0–30 GHz frequency tuning. This record performance was achieved using an ultralow Brillouin gain from a compact photonic chip and a novel approach of optical resonance-assisted RF signal cancellation. The results point to new ways of creating energy-efficient and reconfigurable integrated MWP signal processors for wireless communications and defence applications.


These data comprise anonymised Hindi transcriptions and English translations of interviews conducted as part of the Bhopal Survivors' Movement Study, which started in December 2007 (mostly between December 2007 and September 2008). These data are for public access and all participants have given their consent for these data to be publicly accessible under the condition of anonymity. Most transcriptions and translations have received a minimal edit in order to remove any information which would identify the interviewee, although there are some interviewees who have given permission for their names to be used.


Behavioral economics, which analyzes how behavior sometimes departs from the rational calculation of self-interest, can help Medicaid programs use targeted enrollment strategies more effectively by eliminating apparently modest procedural requirements, which can greatly reduce participation levels. It can also help health coverage applicants receive SNAP, even though demonstrating eligibility for health subsidies and choosing a health plan can tax many consumers' cognitive resources, making it hard to process information about SNAP. For example, health applicants could be given the option to have the state's food agency contact them later to complete a SNAP application by phone.


Within the scope of the piecewise homogeneous body model through the use of the three-dimensional geometrically non-linear exact equations of the theory of elasticity, an approach for the investigation of problems with the micromechanics of a periodically curved fiber near the free convex cylindrical surface is proposed and employed. The main difficulties in finding the solution to these problems are caused by the impossibility of employing the summation theorem for cylindrical functions to satisfy the boundary conditions on the cylindrical surface. For this purpose the cosine and sine Fourier series presentation of the sought values is proposed to satisfy the boundary conditions. The coefficients of these series are calculated numerically through the integrals of the cylindrical functions whose argument depends on the integrating variable in the complicated form. This approach is employed successfully both for the solution to the corresponding boundary value problems in the determination of the self-balanced stress, which is caused primarily by the periodical curving of the fiber, and for the solution to the problems of microbuckling near the surface through the use of the initial imperfection criterion.


Amartya Sen's approach to Welfare Economics argues evaluation of individual advantage should occur in the informational space of the freedom of choice individuals have in achieving valuable human functionings, that is in the space of capabilities. Furthermore, the identification of what is valuable involves taking into account ethical reasoning in the explanation of actual human behaviour, that is agency freedom, as well as the variety of human values. Despite of the recognition of such contribution to Economic Theory, unavailability of appropriate data and indicators challenges empirical investigations. This paper aims at overcoming such shortcoming through an assessment of the validity of an indicator measuring agency freedom as empowered autonomous choice. The empirical investigation is conducted on a random sample of 136 women in a rural patriarchal village in Uttar Pradesh, India, through a multi-topic survey instrument. Results indicate agency freedom differs across domains. In particular, individuals ranking high in the domain of resources simultaneously rank lower in the domain of empowerment. Furthermore, empirical evidence suggests a phenomenon of social exclusion of those more autonomous. Therefore, policy prescriptions at the community level identify enhancing collective capabilities as a viable strategy to accommodate the simultaneous coexistence of empowerment and social inclusion as well as the enhancement of principles of social justice rooted in a freedom-related metric.


Numerous energy balance (EB) algorithms have been developed to make use of remote sensing data to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) regionally. However, most EB models are complex to use and efforts are being made to simplify procedures mainly through the scaling of reference ET. The Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) is one such method. This approach has never been evaluated using measured ET data. In this study, the SSEB approach was applied to fourteen Landsat TM images covering a major portion of the Southern High Plains that were acquired during 2006 and 2007 cropping seasons. Performance of the SSEB was evaluated by comparing estimated ET with measured daily ET from four large monolithic lysimeters at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, Texas. Statistical evaluation of results indicated that the SSEB accounted for 84% of the variability in the measured ET values with a slope and intercept of 0.75 and 1.1 mm d-1, respectively. Considering the minimal amount of ancillary data required and excellent performance in predicting daily ET, the SSEB approach is a promising tool for mapping ET in the semiarid Texas High Plains and in other parts of the world with similar hydro-climatic conditions.


We analyze how variations in contractibility affect the design of contracts in the context of biotechnology research agreements. A major concern of firms financing biotechnology research is that the R&D firms might use the funding to subsidize other projects or substitute one project for another. We develop a model based on the property-rights theory of the firm that allows for researchers in the R&D firms to pursue multiple projects. When research activities are non-verifiable, we show that it is optimal for the financing company to obtain the option right to terminate the research agreement while maintaining broad property rights to the terminated project. The option right induces the biotechnology firm researchers not to deviate from the proposed research activities. The contract prevents opportunistic exercise of the termination right by conditioning payments on the termination of the agreement. We test the model empirically using a new data set on 584 biotechnology research agreements. We find that the assignment of termination and broad intellectual property rights to the financing firm occurs in contractually difficult environments in which there is no specifiable lead product candidate. We also analyze how the contractual design varies with the R&D firm's financial constraints and research capacities and with the type of financing firm. The additional empirical results allow us to distinguish the property-rights explanation from alternative stories, based on uncertainty and asymmetric information about the project quality or research abilities.


Although it is commonly expected that the citation context of a reference is likely to provide more detailed and direct information about the nature of a citation, few studies in the literature have specifically addressed the extent to which the information in different parts of a scientific publication differs. Do abstracts tend to use conceptually broader terms than sentences in a citation context in the body of a publication? In this article, we propose a method to analyze and compare latent topics in scientific publications, in particular, from abstracts of papers that cited a target reference and from sentences that cited the target reference. We conducted an experiment and applied topical modeling techniques to full‐text papers in eight biomedicine journals. Topics derived from the two sources are compared in terms of their similarities and broad‐narrow relationships defined based on information entropy. The results show that abstracts and citation contexts are characterized by distinct sets of topics with moderate overlaps. Furthermore, the results confirm that topics from abstracts of citing papers have broader terms than topics from citation contexts formed by citing sentences. The method and the findings could be used to enhance and extend the current methodologies for research evaluation and citation evaluation.


The structure of main gangliosides from normal and leukemic bovine blood lymphocytes was established. N-Glycoloylhematoside and a ganglioside containing N-glycoloylneuraminic acid and an oligosaccharide chain identical to that of erythrocyte sialosylparagloboside were found to be present both in normal and in leukemic bovine blood lymphocytes. In addition, the leukemic lymphocytes contained a ganglioside identical to N-acetylneuraminosylparagloboside and at least two disialosyllactosylceramides containing N-acetyl- and N-glycoloylneuraminic acids. It was assumed that lymphocyte maturation is accompanied by a loss of disialosyllactosylceramide and that the latter influences the immunological properties of the apparently less mature leukemic peripheral lymphocytes.


Forthcoming radio continuum surveys will cover large volumes of the observable Universe and will reach to high redshifts, making them potentially powerful probes of dark energy, modified gravity and non-Gaussianity. We consider the continuum surveys with LOFAR, WSRT and ASKAP, and examples of continuum surveys with the SKA. We extend recent work on these surveys by including redshift space distortions and lensing convergence in the radio source auto-correlation. In addition we compute the general relativistic (GR) corrections to the angular power spectrum. These GR corrections to the standard Newtonian analysis of the power spectrum become significant on scales near and beyond the Hubble scale at each redshift. We find that the GR corrections are at most percent-level in LOFAR, WODAN and EMU surveys, but they can produce O(10%) changes for high enough sensitivity SKA continuum surveys. The signal is however dominated by cosmic variance, and multiple-tracer techniques will be needed to overcome this problem. The GR corrections are suppressed in continuum surveys because of the integration over redshift — we expect that GR corrections will be enhanced for future SKA HI surveys in which the source redshifts will be known. We also provide predictions for the angular power spectra in the case where the primordial perturbations have local non-Gaussianity. We find that non-Gaussianity dominates over GR corrections, and rises above cosmic variance when f_(NL) ≳5 for SKA continuum surveys.


Childhood lead poisoning remains a significant public health issue, especially in the United States, where the most common source of exposure is lead-based paint (LBP). X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis is still the most widely used method for detecting LBP in the field. Although portable XRF instrumentation based on excitation from a 57Co radioisotope has been used for more than 30 years, there have been few reports documenting its performance. Here we describe a study that was conducted by the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center laboratory in response to concerns raised by field users of the RMD LPA-1 XRF analyzer (Protec Instrument Corp.) working across the state. The performance issues were investigated for ten field units: five reported as problematic based on user feedback, and 5 that were not. Accuracy was assessed against NIST SRM 2579 lead in paint, which was developed specifically for use with portable XRF analyzers. On average, the absolute bias found was within ±20% at the threshold value for LBP (1.0 mg cm−2) based on the NIST SRM 2579 data. Calibration blocks provided with each analyzer for quality assurance monitoring were evaluated using a different XRF analyzer (Niton XLT 3t 700s GOLDD) operated in painted products mode (μg cm−2). However, when the Niton XRF analyzer was checked against NIST SRM 2579, it was found to have a negative bias. That negative bias was easily corrected using a "calibration" curve with a quadratic fit to the data. NIST-corrected data obtained for the calibration blocks showed assigned values were within the manufacturer's stated tolerance range, albeit with a consistent positive bias. The root cause for 3 of the 5 problematic devices was likely incorrect positioning of the device. A low bias for a fourth device was likely caused by a deteriorated calibration block, and the fifth device, while just within the manufacturer's technical specifications, was the only one confirmed with a low bias. Increased operator training may resolve some of the issues reported in the field; on-going competency assessments may be warranted for this hand-held technology.


A distinctive carbonate shallowing-upward sequence occurs within the upper Riphean (750-800 Ma) Hunnberg Formation of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. Clastic limestones deposited in an open coastal marine environment pass upward into columnar stromatolitic bioherms, and these, in turn, are overlain by finely laminated lagoonal dolomites. Early diagenetic silicification has preserved microbiotas in each of the three major facies. The plankton assemblage found in open coastal cherts contains more than two dozen taxa. Fossil assemblages of the Hunnberg Formation are useful biostratigraphically; the open coastal plankton biota is clearly latest Riphean in aspect. They also contribute to our understanding of the paleoecological distribution of late Precambrian plankton. This distribution is of potential value in paleoenvironmental reconstruction and is equally important in helping to define the ecological context in which evolutionary interpretations of early microbes must be made. The Hunnberg microbiota contains 33 taxa, of which two are formally described as new; Cymatiosphaeroides kullingii n. gen. et n. sp. and Trachyhystrichosphaera vidalii n. sp.--Modified journal abstract.


Te Hanga Ora: a new vision for social housing built on an architecture of engagementThe failings of legacy social housing architecture scar communities across the country. New Zealand's social housing stock is neither desirable nor dignified - and yet, we haven't built enough of it! A new vision is for social housing needs to be accessible, to respect the dignity of its inhabitants, and to facilitate social interaction. It should be designed from the ground up to support the social bonds that are the building blocks of healthy communities. This thesis proposes a new vision for social housing: Te Hanga Ora.
Incorporating principles from trauma-informed architecture, universal accessibility principles and informed by engagement simulations using Fluid Sociability, Te Hanga Ora is built to inspire community.
Te Hanga Ora is a medium-density concept apartment building providing single, and double-bedroom apartments, for the 80% of the social housing register deemed to need such spaces. It incorporates an innovative approach to fostering community. It uses a mix of spatial continuity across indoor and outdoor environments, flexible social spaces on a spectrum from public to private and a rooftop community garden to promote social engagement. Te Hanga Ora has been designed illustratively for a site in Kilbirnie, Wellington but is presented as a scalable blueprint for national application.
Te Hanga Ora finds a balance between unsuitable high density development and unscalable low density development. It enables diverse needs to be met by an architecture of engagement and represents a step toward a social housing system that will build a stronger Aotearoa New Zealand for tomorrow.


The City of Georgetown is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you require assistance in participating at a public meeting due to a disability, as defined under the ADA, reasonable assistance, adaptations, or accommodations will be provided upon request. Please contact the City Secretary's Office, at least three (3) days prior to the scheduled meeting date, at (512) 930-3652 or City Hall at 808 Martin Luther King Jr. Street, Georgetown, TX 78626 for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711.


Objective: This paper reports the findings of a descriptive study of a patient population over a three-month period on an eight bed psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Western Australia. The report provides a quantitative insight into the profile of patients in PICUs. It provides information on patients' diagnoses, presenting signs, symptoms and/or behaviours, legal codes assigned to patients, treatment interventions and management. Method: Data were collected prospectively from August to October 1999. A total of 122 patients were admitted to the PICU during the review period. Data were entered into an Access program then exported to SPSS (Version 9 for Windows) for analysis and frequency distributions were obtained. Results: The results confirmed that the majority of patients admitted to the PICU were assessed as a high level of risk or needed containment. This finding is in line with the admission criteria developed by staff working in the PICU. It also supports the view that staff working in these units require expertise and confidence to communicate with and manage potentially aggressive and highly aroused patients. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the importance of ongoing evaluations of patient populations in promoting best practice initiatives in psychiatric care.


Pyrimidine derivatives are well known due to their remarkable pharmacological potential in various fields of science, and they are also present in some natural substances like DNA and RNA. These scaffolds manifest diversified biological activities such as antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, anti-HIV, antitubercular, antitumor, antineoplastic, and antimalarial. A pyrimidine ring is constructed when chalcones, amidines, guanidine, nitriles, isocyanates, urea, thiourea, and aminopyrazoles undergo condensation, coupling, or cyclization reactions. In this context, the present review illustrates a variety of novel and efficient synthetic approaches towards the synthesis of pyrimidine and its derivatives that were reported recently.


1. The distribution of ribosomal components between the soluble and membrane fractions of a preparation of exponential-phase cells of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens lysed with lysozyme in 0-05M-tris buffer, pH7*6, containing 00O1M-Mg2+, was strongly influenced by the addition of K+ to the buffer, in the range 0-01M. In the ofK+, 37 % ofthe ribosomal material was bound to the membrane and was not removed by repeated washing with the lysing buffer. The amount of bound material was progressively decreased on increasing the K+ concentration to 0-1M, when only 5% of ribosomal components remained attached to the mem- brane. About 87% ofthe material that remainedbound to the washed membranes prepared in the absence of added K+ was removed on suspension ofthe membranes in a buffer containing 0*1M-potassium chloride. 4. In the absence of K+, washed membranes, containing no detectable ribosomal material, were able to re-attach no more than half as much material as was found associated with membranes in the same buffer immediately after lysis. 5. There was no evidence of binding of specific components to the membrane. 6. In the presence of 0-05M-tris buffer, pH7-6, maximum incorporation of amino acids into protein by B. amyloliquefaciens polyribosomes is effected in the presence of 0O01M-Mg2+ and 0-07-0-1M-K+, under which less than 10% of the ribosomal material of a cell lysate would be membrane-bound.


Under the trend of innovative society and economic development, how to cultivate different types of innovative professional design talents in a more effective and practical way is an important problem of design education. There is an explosion of new interest in entrepreneurship from other disciplines such as engineering, design and even arts. The purpose of this paper tends to integrate entrepreneurship education into design education, gradually applies creative and entrepreneurial thinking to the process of teaching and learning in design education. Using creative and enterprise ability support the design thinking. Therefore, we will build a new system which connects interdisciplinary with practical application, professional teaching with innovation, and cultivate professional design talents with strong innovation and entrepreneurship ability.

The design education process begins with the problems finding and observation, then visualization and sense-making, prototyping, and testing. Design thinking is appropriate in uncertain, complex situations. It is not only an idea or mindset but also a process of business development. Sometimes it mentioned in passing as part of a problem-solving or start-up creation. Educational entrepreneurship can be as all kinds of experiences that give students the ability and vision of how to access and transform opportunities. Design education explores challenges and opportunities as entrepreneurship education cultivate the innovation, creative ability, risk-taking and so on. They should be in a dynamic term and requires linkage or relations because of their social application. In this perspective, the study tries to contribute to the following three problems: (1) What is an appropriate method to integrate design education with entrepreneurship education? (2) What kind of theoretical model could be used as a basis and creative support for design education? and (3) How to practice the integration of entrepreneurship education with design education?

Based on the above three questions, integrating entrepreneurship education into design education should get an embedded start point. According to embeddedness theory, cognition is very important for the integration. So, the embedded of entrepreneurship into design education may start at cognitive embeddedness, then curriculum, method and cultural embeddedness. To develop a system to support the integration, we want to construct a coupled embeddedness model from the micro, meso and macro levels. The model would begin with the cognitive concept, forming the embeddedness teaching objects. We would like to take students and teachers as individual micro level, department and university as organizational meso level, and social macro level as the main embeddedness body, merging the design thinking, business knowledge into teaching and learning process. This research tries to take two majors of the art design and fashion design undergraduate students as the research object, using workshop method to practice the integration. It is expected to cultivate students' design ability, to get problem-solving and observation skills which could benefit design students to survive in the business world.


Comparative evaluations of centralized, clustered and distributed architectures, for energy management in NoCs, are presented. The paper starts with the systematic examination of the monitoring, decision-making, and reconfiguration processes in building coarse and fine-grained self-adaptation architectures. With examining the physical support in modern technology, network-wide, cluster-wide and per-node energy-management architectures on NoCs are presented, utilizing either voltage regulators or multiple on-chip power delivery networks (MPNs). To identify the effectiveness and efficiency of energy-performance tradeoffs, extensive quantitative simulations are performed with various temporal and spatially changing traffics. Based on the results, we can first observe that the centralized architecture can not adapt to the traffic's spatial locality for effective energy-performance tradeoff. Second, the distributed energy management has the lowest energy-delay product mostly attributed to the fast voltage switching of MPNs, while the synchronization incurs noticeable energy overhead. The clustered architecture, last but not least, is a suitable alternative when the advanced MPN technology is not available. It has low energy and energy-delay product, with very small energy overhead from the monitoring communication.


The purposes of this survey research were to 1) investigate the perception of leader-member exchanges (LMX) among employees, and 2) compare differences in perception by gender, education level, age, marital status, work experiences, and job position among these respondents. The sample was 113 employees who worked in a nonprofit organization.
The findings showed that most employees agreed that "My working relationship with my supervisor is effective" (4.07). Support for statement that "My supervisor and I are suited to each other" was slight lower, with an average score of 3.89. No significant differences in perception were found based upon gender, age, marital status, and work experience, but there was a significant difference at the 0.05 level based upon employees' educational backgrounds and job positions. This study provides insight into the views of LMX from the perspective of a nonprofit organization's employees, along with implications, contributions, limitations, and suggestions for future research.


The paper is concerned with the use of selective catheterization of the bile ducts during endoscopic cholangiocholecystography. This method alongside with routine ones was employed for investigation of 82 patients with pathology of the hepatoduodenopancreatic area, that helped to avoid diagnostic errors.


A video game (54) and game System (50) incorporates a game character's Sanity level that is affected by occurrences in the game (54) Such as encountering a game creature or a gruesome situation. A character's sanity level (10) is modi fied by an amount determined based on a character reaction to the occurrence Such as taking a rest or Slowing game progreSS and/or an amount of character preparation. That is, if a character is prepared for the particular occurrence, the occurrence may have little or no affect on the character's Sanity level. AS the character's Sanity level decreases, game play is effected Such as by controlling game effects, audio effects, creating hallucinations and the like. In this context, the Same game can be played differently each time it is played.


This paper discusses the mechanism of rolling friction under conditions where the deformations involved are predominantly elastic. Experiments on the rolling of a metal cylinder over a rubber surface show that interfacial slip of the type described by Reynolds is minute and totally insufficient to account for the observed resistance to rolling. It is shown quantitatively that the rolling resistance under these conditions is due to elastic hysteresis losses in the rubber. This accounts for the ineffectiveness of lubricants in reducing the rolling friction. Similar results are obtained for hard spheres rolling on rubber surfaces. If, however, a sphere is rolled in a preformed rubber groove, interfacial slip between the ball and groove may occur since the central band on the ball measures out a larger circle than the bands at the edge of the groove. A simple quantitative theory of this effect is given. This type of slip, first described by Heathcote, is very marked when the groove is deep and of curvature very close to that of the ball; under these conditions a suitable lubricant can effect a considerable reduction in the rolling resistance. For shallower grooves the differential slip is reduced and the Heathcote contribution to the observed rolling resistance becomes trivial. These conclusions are applied to the rolling friction of a hard steel sphere in the equilibrium groove formed in the surface of a softer metal (part I). If the rolling friction is attributed to the Heathcote mechanism a coefficient of friction within the ellipse of contact of the order of u = 1 to 2 must be invoked even in the presence of the best boundary lubricants. This is impossibly high. If, on the other hand, the rolling friction is attributed to hysteresis losses, large loss factors, greater than 20 %, must be invoked for example for copper surfaces. In order to resolve this difficulty a new experimental approach has been adopted in which a copper ball is rolled over an identical copper ball. Because of symmetry conditions at the region of contact both the Reynolds and the Heathcote type of slip are eliminated. The equilibrium rolling friction is found to be as high as that observed when a hard steel sphere rolls in a copper groove. It is concluded that interfacial slip contributes little to the rolling friction although it may play an important part in surface wear. Consequently, lubricants may reduce the amount of wear but have little effect on the rolling resistance. The greater part of this arises from elastic hysteresis losses within the metals themselves.


The multi-subunit vacuolar ATPase pump uses ATP hydrolysis to move protons into membrane bound compartments. The pump is involved in a variety of cellular functions, including regulation of cytosolic pH, vesicular transport, endocytosis, secretion, and apoptosis. Here, we describe the cDNA cloning and chromosomal mapping of subunit D of murine V-ATPase. The mouse gene, designated Atp6m, maps to Chromosome 12, in a region of high homology with human chromosome 14q24. Evolutionary analysis of subunit D orthologs in a variety of other species reveals that this is a highly conserved protein that has been under remarkably strong negative selection during evolution, most likely reflecting its critical role in multiple cellular processes.


Spherical alumina powder and dispersant were mixed with distilled and deionized water, and ball milled to make alumina slurry. The slurry was dried in a high magnetic field to make a compact. Subsequently, the compact was cold-isostatic-pressed (CIP) to enhance the homogeneity in particle packing density. Anisotropy of shrinkage during sintering was examined for the alumina compacts in detail. Particle orientation existed in the spherical alumina powder compacts prepared in 10T, and made them shrink anisotropically during sintering. Sintering shrinkage was larger in the direction parallel to magnetic field direction (i.e., the c-axis direction of alumina crystal) than that in its perpendicular direction. The particle orientation structure in the compacts was confirmed with the immersion liquid method of polarized light microscope, and the grain alignment structure in the sintered bodies was also observed with X-ray diffraction, the c-plane was perpendicular to the magnetic field direction. On the other hand, isotropic sintering shrinkage occurred in the spherical alumina powder compacts prepared in 0T, which did not hold the particle orientation. The experimental results indicate that sintering shrinkage of spherical alumina powder compact depends on alumina crystal axis direction. Origin of the sintering shrinkage anisotropy for the spherical alumina powder compacts can be attributed to the particle orientation caused by high magnetic field.


Untethered magnetic manipulation has found applications in a rapidly increasing number of fields, ranging from minimally invasive surgery to assembly of industrial microelectromechanical systems. Despite this relevance, present-day literature on precise magnetic mapping is sparse, especially for magnetic fields affected by external disturbances. In this letter, we address this deficiency by introducing a model-free mapping technique. Remarkably, the presented spline-based approach is capable of addressing the presence of inhomogeneous static disturbances and the mapping of nonazimuthally symmetric electromagnets. This work is validated with the mapping of nine metal-core electromagnets in the presence of inhomogeneous static disturbances. A grid of 5120 measurements is collected by a custom-programed robotic arm and used for mapping. The values predicted by the approach are compared against 3430 independent field measurements with an R$^2$ value of 0.9884 and maximum relative errors of 7%. Overall, this spline-based approach provides a flexible technique for the precise mapping of electromagnetic fields and gradients even when, for reasons regarding coil shape or disturbances, the electromagnetic field does not present any axial symmetry.


Abstract Kilian, N. & Gemeinholzer, B.: Studies in the Compositae of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra — 7. Erythroseris, a new genus and the previously unknown sister group of Cichorium (Cichorieae subtribe Cichoriinae). — Willdenowia 37: 283–296. — ISSN 0511-9618; © 2007 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem. doi:10.3372/wi.37.37117 (available via http://dx.doi.org/) Two species of Socotra Island and N Somalia, respectively, known as Prenanthes amabilis and P. somaliensis, are identified by molecular (ITS and matK) and morphological analyses as the closest relatives to Cichorium, hitherto considered an isolated genus of the tribe Cichorieae. To accommodate these two species, the new genus Erythroseris is established, the new combinations E. amabilis and E. somalensis are validated, and the basionym Tolpis somalensis is neotypified. Morphological differences and accordances between Cichorium and Erythroseris are discussed. It is concluded from the micromorphological results that the scaly pappus of Cichorium is homologous with the setaceous pappus as present in Erythroseris. A key to the species, illustrations of achenes, pappus and pollen, and a distribution map of the new genus are given.


Introduction Endovascular therapy using IA tPA +/- Thrombectomy is an option for those who are either not a candidate or failed IV tPA. However, a little is known about age specific outcome. Our objectives are to describe the radiographic and clinical outcome of young patients (<65) who underwent acute stroke interventional therapy as well as evaluate the role of IA vasodilators in the process of recanalization. Methods Consecutive patients underwent acute stroke intervention from 2007 to 2010 were enrolled. Patients demographic, presenting NIHSS, use of IA thrombolytic, vasodilator, and recanalization rate were recorded. Patients' outcome using Glasgow Outcome Scale Score was measured at 30 days. Results 38 patients (mean age 38±14; median NIHSS 16) received intervention, 11 patients had failed IV tPA. Patients were offered therapy within 8 h except for five cases (stroke at awakening). IA tPA was given in 36, thrombectomy was done in 30, and 21 patients received IA vasodilator (16 Varapamil; 5 Nitroglycerine). Overall recanalization was near to complete in 92%. All patients received IA vasodilator have recanilized (TIMI III 13/21 and TIMI II 8/21). Overall 30-days outcome Good was observed in 51% (GOS 5 in 11, GOS 4 in 7), Dependence (GOS 3) in 34%, and Death (GOS 1) in 14%; vasodilators' group showed similar outcome with Good in 42% (7/17), Dependence in 41% (7/17) and Death in 17% (3/17). Poor outcome was associated with high NIHSS and poor recanalization. Conclusions Acute endovascular therapy achieves a high rate of recanalization in young acute ischemic stroke. IA vasodilators use during thrombectomy was associated with higher rate of recanalization. Further study is required to evaluate the role of vasodilators in acute stroke interventions. Competing interests None.


Depictions of children have had a prominent place in Chinese art since the Song period (960-1279). Yet one would be hard pressed to find any significant discussion of children in art in the historical documents of imperial China or contemporary scholarship on Chinese art. Children in Chinese Art brings to the forefront themes and motifs that have crossed social boundaries for centuries but have been overlooked in scholarly treatises. In this volume, experts in the fields of art, religion, literature, and history introduce and elucidate many of the issues surrounding child imagery in China, including its use for didactic reinforcement of social values as well as the amuletic function of these works. The introduction provides a thoughtprovoking overview of the history of depictions of children, exploring both stylistic development and the emergence of specific themes. In an insightful essay, China specialists combine expertise in literature and painting to propose that the focus on children in both genres during the Song is an indication of a truly humane society. Skillful use of visual and textual sources from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) period explains children's games and the meaning of depictions of boys at play. Gender issues are examined in an intriguing look at mothers and children in woodblock illustrations to Ming versions of the classical text Lie nu juan. Depictions of the childhood of saints and sages from murals and commemorative tablets in ancient temples are considered. The volume concludes with two highly original essays on child protectors and destroyers in Chinese folk religion and family portraits and their scarcity in China before the nineteenth century.


The aim of the paper was the comparison of slaughter value and muscle properties of dual-purpose cattle most common in Poland with that of beef type, from which high quality culinary meat is obtained. Four breeds were compared: two of them were dual-purpose type i.e. Holstein-Fresian of Black and White variety and Polish Red and the other two – of beef type i.e. Limousine and Hereford. There are discussed factors influencing cattle slaughter value and muscle properties, i.e. the impact of the utility type, gender, age, feeding systems, as well as maturation rate of animals. The slaughter value was presented using the dressing percentage and the content of main components in the carcass i.e. the muscle tissue, fat and bones. The tissue composition of analysed cattle breeds and the share of main cuts in their carcasses were presented. Higher daily gains of beef type or dual-purpose breeds are connected with a higher number of muscle fibers (hyperplasia) and also with a bigger size of their diameter (hypertrophy). These phenomena are accompanied by increased lightness of meat colour what is the result of changes in the muscle fibers metabolism and the proportion of myosin heavy chains (MHC) of the I, IIa and IIx type. Observed differences in the slaughter value existed not only between breeds, but also inside them indicating the need for further improvement of animal selection and deeper analysis of factors influencing it. It was stated that the amount of culinary meat obtained from carcasses may be increased not only through the selection of corresponding genotypes, but also through the modification of the system of carcass cutting. The performed analysis of the slaughter value emphasizes special significance of the domestic Polish Red cattle also as a breed for production of good quality meat similar to beef cattle breeds.


Fish processing is one of the fastest growing sectors of the agri-food processing industry in Poland after the accession to the EU. The branch is featured with increasing importance of raw material import for further processing and re-exports of derived this way products with higher value added. At the same time the share of the domestic market in shaping financial results of a large part of the companies is decreasing. The paper presents trends and current situation of demand and supply on the fish market and attempts to assess the impact of prices obtained in foreign trade on the economic and financial situation of fish processing units.


The evaluation of the spatial correlation of ground motions is the first step toward an assessment of the seismic risk on a regional scale. This short study focuses on the evaluation of the spatial correlation of ground motions recorded during intermediate‐depth earthquakes produced in the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source in Romania for eight spectral periods in the 0.0–3.0 s range. A recently developed ground‐motion model is used as reference, and the database consists of around 300 ground motions recorded during eight intermediate‐depth Vrancea earthquakes. An exponential model is fitted on the experimental semivariograms, and the resulting correlation ranges are compared with the values obtained in previous studies.


Cervical lymph node metastasis occurs frequently in patients with oral squamous-cell carcinoma (OSCC) and is a major determinant of prognosis and treatment planning. Accurate lymph node staging is therefore crucial. Current preoperative clinical assessment of the lymph nodes by physical examination and imaging is suboptimal. Depending on the techniques used, in approximately 20% to 40% of all patients with HNSCC, nodal metastases remain undetected during diagnostic work-up. Establishing optimal treatment of patients who are clinically assessed as having non-metastasizing (N0) disease is therefore challenging. If no nodal metastasis is detected, the preferred treatment in many centers is to electively treat the neck, in addition to treating the primary tumor in all patients. An alternative is to refrain from additional neck treatment, closely observe the patient (watchful waiting), and only treat the necks of patients who develop clinically apparent metastases during follow-up. Whichever strategy is chosen, suboptimal treatment may be given. The primary treatment of OSCC is surgery, in most cases followed by (chemo)radiotherapy on indication. Neck dissection is therefore also the most frequent mode for treatment of the neck in OSCC. In the case of elective neck dissection, the 60% to 80% of patients who are clinically assessed as N0 (cN0) and are indeed free of metastases receive unnecessary treatment of the neck, causing morbidity, including shoulder dysfunction, pain, lymphedema, contour changes, and lower lip paresis, even in more conservative types of selective neck dissection. Conversely, watchful waiting results in undertreatment of the 20% to 40% of patients with occult metastases, which may result in an unfavorable prognosis in the case of delayed treatment. Because there is no conclusive evidence to indicate which approach is best, the management of patients who are clinically assessed as having N0 disease is one of the major issues in the management of OSCC in particular, which is reflected in the different approaches between centers. Treatment of the N0 neck, both surgically and by radiotherapy, would greatly benefit from improved preoperative assessment of lymph node metastasis, which is the goal of this thesis. One of the studies in this thesis describes the validation of a gene expression signature for distinguishing metastasizing (N+) from non-metastasizing (N0) OSCC and oropharynx (OPSCC) in a large (n=222) multicenter Cohort. The signature performed well on the most relevant subset of early-stage (cT1-T2N0) OSCC (n=101), with an NPV of 89%. Several genes from this signature (KLK5, KLK7, SPINK5 and CTSK) were evaluated for their association with lymph node metastases as a solitary predictive marker. Especially CTSK shows promising first result with a NPV of 89% in the clinically relevant group of cT1-T2N0 OSCC, however these results need further validation in a larger cohort. The results presented in this thesis indicate that molecular markers for predicting lymph node metastasis in OSCC, after application in a prospective study, may usefully be implemented in a clinical setting.


Fifteen 2-substituted ethenesulfonic acid ester derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the inhibitory activities against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and T-Cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP). The structural activity relationship (SAR) of these compounds are discussed to clarify the impact of the linker and the optimized tail on the inhibitory activity of PTP1B and selectivity over TCPTP. Most of the compounds exhibit excellent inhibitory activities against PTP1B with IC50 values of 1.5-8.9 μM. SAR analysis reveal that the substituents at the hydrophobic tail significantly alter the inhibitory activity against PTP1 B and selectivity over TCPTP, e.g. compound 5d showed excellent inhibitory activity to PTP1B with IC50 = 7.8 μM, and -6-fold selectivity over TCPTP. Combined with our previous findings, we confirm that the linker length and the substituted hydrophobic tail have decisive influence on the PTP1B inhibitory activity and selectivity.


The effect of early undernutrition and dietary rehabilitation on [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid ([3H]GABA) binding in rat brain cerebral cortex and hippocampus was examined. Undernourished animals were obtained by exposing their mothers to a protein-deficient diet during both gestation and lactation. Saturation analysis of [3H]GABA binding in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus revealed high- and low-affinity components in the undernourished group, whereas control animals possessed only a low-affinity site. The concentration of low-affinity binding sites was greater in the undernourished animals. Rehabilitation of undernourished animals completely abolished the binding site differences. Treatment of brain membranes with Triton X-100 yielded two binding components in both the undernourished and control animals, although the concentration of lower affinity sites was still greater in the undernourished group. Neither the efficacy nor the potency of GABA to activate benzodiazepine binding in cerebral cortex was modified by undernutrition. These data suggest that early undernourishment modifies the characteristics of [3H]GABA binding, perhaps by reducing the brain content of endogenous inhibitors of the higher affinity binding site. The lack of effect on GABA-activated benzodiazepine binding suggests the possibility that neither the high- nor the low-affinity GABA binding sites are coupled to this receptor component.


LiDAR point clouds collected from a moving vehicle are functions of its trajectories, because the sensor motion needs to be compensated to avoid distortions. When autonomous vehicles are sending LiDAR point clouds to deep networks for perception and planning, could the motion compensation consequently become a wide-open backdoor in those networks, due to both the adversarial vulnerability of deep learning and GPS-based vehicle trajectory estimation that is susceptible to wireless spoofing? We demonstrate such possibilities for the first time: instead of directly attacking point cloud coordinates which requires tampering with the raw LiDAR readings, only adversarial spoofing of a self-driving car's trajectory with small perturbations is enough to make safety-critical objects undetectable or detected with incorrect positions. Moreover, polynomial trajectory perturbation is developed to achieve a temporally-smooth and highly-imperceptible attack. Extensive experiments on 3D object detection have shown that such attacks not only lower the performance of the state-of-the-art detectors effectively, but also transfer to other detectors, raising a red flag for the community. The code is available on https://ai4ce.github.io/FLAT/.


Background:Mortality is high among patients with hematologic malignancies admitted to intensive care units for acute respiratory failure. Early noninvasive mechanical ventilation seems to improve outcomes. Objective:To characterize noninvasive mechanical ventilation use in Italian intensive care units for acute respiratory failure patients with hematologic malignancies and its impact on outcomes vs. invasive mechanical ventilation. Design, Setting, Participants:Retrospective analysis of observational data prospectively collected in 2002–2006 on 1,302 patients with hematologic malignancies admitted with acute respiratory failure to 158 Italian intensive care units. Measurements:Mortality (intensive care unit and hospital) was assessed in patients treated initially with noninvasive mechanical ventilation vs. invasive mechanical ventilation and in those treated with invasive mechanical ventilation ab initio vs. after noninvasive mechanical ventilation failure. Findings were adjusted for propensity scores reflecting the probability of initial treatment with noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Results:Few patients (21%) initially received noninvasive mechanical ventilation; 46% of these later required invasive mechanical ventilation. Better outcomes were associated with successful noninvasive mechanical ventilation (vs. invasive mechanical ventilation ab initio and vs. invasive mechanical ventilation after noninvasive mechanical ventilation failure), particularly in patients with acute lung injury/adult respiratory distress syndrome (mortality: 42% vs. 69% and 77%, respectively). Delayed vs. immediate invasive mechanical ventilation was associated with slightly but not significantly higher hospital mortality (65% vs. 58%, p = .12). After propensity-score adjustment, noninvasive mechanical ventilation was associated with significantly lower mortality than invasive mechanical ventilation. Limitations:The population could not be stratified according to specific hematologic diagnoses. Furthermore, the study was observational, and treatment groups may have included unaccounted for differences in covariates although the risk of this bias was minimized with propensity score regression adjustment. Conclusions:In patients with hematologic malignancies, acute respiratory failure should probably be managed initially with noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Further study is needed to determine whether immediate invasive mechanical ventilation might offer some benefits for those with acute lung injury/adult respiratory distress syndrome.


Summary The fracture array in the Lewisian basement of NW Scotland is dominated by two orthogonal sets. Parallel to and perhaps in part reactivating these fractures are two sets of faults, each with apparent normal offset. The NE-trending faults are longer and regionally more significant. The NW-trending faults commonly terminate against NE-trending faults and divide the hanging wall rocks of NE-trending faults into independent blocks. The propagation of principal NE-trending faults into the basement was accommodated discontinuously by relative differential displacement of these crustal blocks. The limited data suggest that incremental slip episodes were down-dip and coaxial on the NE-trending faults, but not on the NW-trending faults. The presence of non-coaxial low-angle slip lineations on NW-trending faults suggests either that master NE-trending faults rotated during progressive deformation, or that the dip of these faults decreases with depth. The dominance of NE-trending faults, and the kinematics of fault movements suggest that movement on the faults accommodated NW-SE extension.


To automate the refactoring identification process, a large number of candidates need to be compared. Such an overhead can make the refactoring approach impractical if the software size is large and the computational load of a fitness function is substantial. In this paper, we propose a two-phase assessment approach to improving the efficiency of the process. For each iteration of the refactoring process, refactoring candidates are preliminarily assessed using a lightweight, fast delta assessment method called the Delta Table. Using multiple Delta Tables, candidates to be evaluated with a fitness function are selected. A refactoring can be selected either interactively by the developer or automatically by choosing the best refactoring, and the refactorings are applied one after another in a stepwise fashion. The Delta Table is the key concept enabling a two-phase assessment approach because of its ability to quickly calculate the varying amounts of maintainability provided by each refactoring candidate. Our approach has been evaluated for three large-scale open-source projects. The results convincingly show that the proposed approach is efficient because it saves a considerable time while still achieving the same amount of fitness improvement as the approach examining all possible candidates.


Immunoglobulin A (γA) myeloma proteins secreted by plasma-cell tumors of mice are of two types, a common four-chain molecule and a rare two-chain (3.9S) molecule. The close similarity between two-chain γA molecules and four-chain γA molecules and their polymers is demonstrated in tryptic peptide maps of isolated polypeptide chains and by precipitin reactions with rabbit antiserums to γA immzunoglobulins. However, a difference between these two types is distinguishable with homologous antiserums. Homologous antiserums to two-chain γA immunoglobulins are specific and do not cross-react with four-chain γA immutnoglobulins.


This thesis examines the capacity of the WTO for fostering cooperation between the EU and the US for the Agreement on Competition Policy. Given the successful conclusion of two bilateral competition arrangements between the two states, as well as their cooperation on the same subject in other international institutions such as the International Competition Network, the thesis sets out to assess the WTO's impact – as the immediate underlying platform on which the interactions unfolded – over terms of cooperation between 1997-2004.
The thesis accommodates its main inquiry using the theory of Neoliberal Institutionalism to test the fundamental claim that international institutions, such as the WTO, facilitate cooperation between sovereign self-reliant states by addressing cheating risks. The project further draws on the counter-argument put forward by Neorealists to furnish its maintained hypothesis over the claim that it needs more than enforceability of a deal to ensure cooperation. The concept of nesting institutions – endorsed by Neoliberal Institutionalism and Neorealism alike – was slotted in to help visualise the WTO as the catalyst of cooperation for the negotiations on a Competition Policy Agreement (CPA). The theory of Rational Design of International Institutions operationalises the research question.
Using the WTO's internal documents of the negotiations as the main sources of data, the empirical findings of this thesis suggest that the WTO had a substantial impact on the quality of interactions between the two countries as they unfolded over time. The WTO, as expected from an international institution, provided a workable solution for cheating concerns as well. However, that solution in its own right failed to ensure cooperation between the EU and the US for the Competition Policy Agreement.
The findings indicate that to remain relevant to intentional economic cooperation, the WTO must compete with other fora by improvising a wider space for possible enforcement solutions. On the theory side, the thesis suggests that a future research agenda over the international arrangements for competition policy must be informed by a revised understanding of the two rational theories of interstate cooperation, i.e., Neoliberal Institutionalism and Neorealism, so much so that the two are not substitutes but the former is subordinated to the latter.


This guide includes resources for researching issues such as adoption, child abuse, child support, custody and visitation, and juvenile justice.


This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of silver oxide films for use as bactericidal coatings. Synthesis parameters, dissolution/elution rate, and bactericidal efficacy are reported. Synthesis conditions were developed to create AgO, Ag2O, or mixtures of AgO and Ag2O on surfaces by reactive magnetron sputtering. The coatings demonstrate strong adhesion to many substrate materials and impede the growth of all bacterial strains tested. The coatings are effective in killing Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrating a clear zone-of-inhibition against bacteria growing on solid media and the ability to rapidly inhibit bacterial growth in planktonic culture. Additionally, the coatings exhibit very high elution of silver ions under conditions that mimic dynamic fluid flow ranging between 0.003 and 0.07 ppm/min depending on the media conditions. The elution of silver ions from the AgO/Ag2O surfaces was directly impacted by the complexity of the elution media, with a reduction in elution rate when examined in complex cell culture media. Both E. coli and S. aureus were shown to bind ~1 ppm Ag+/mL culture. The elution of Ag+ resulted in no increases in mammalian cell apoptosis after 24 h exposure compared to control, but apoptotic cells increased to ~35% by 48 and 72 h of exposure. Taken together, the AgO/Ag2O coatings described are effective in eliciting antibacterial activity and have potential for application on a wide variety of surfaces and devices.


Derrida's revolutionary work in the study of language has seriously challenged the way in which we see words being attached to meanings. This paper makes tentative steps towards examining how his work might assist us in understanding the way in which our attempts to describe or capture our mathematical experiences modify the experience itself. In doing this we draw on the work of Jacques Derrida and John Mason in locating possible frameworks through which to conceptualise the relationship between language and mathematical cognition. It concludes that mathematical meaning never stabilises since it is caught between the individual's ongoing experience and society's ongoing renewal of its conventions. That is, mathematics, language and the human performing them are always evolving in relation to each other.


ABSTRACT Pleasure is a key motivator for sex globally, while unsafe sex is the largest risk factor for young women's mortality and the second for young men. However, framing of sex education and sexual health programmes continues to be around avoiding danger, death and disease, rather than striving for pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences. Omission of pleasure and sex-positivity goes against growing evidence that shows that people with more positive views of sexuality are more likely to practice safer sex, use contraception consistently, have higher sexual self-esteem and be more assertive. The Pleasure Project and Rutgers, with GH SRHR Alliance (Ghana) and SRHR Alliance (Kenya), conducted a qualitative pilot study of sexuality education under the Get Up Speak Out programme, analysing the extent to which they included sex-positive content, with recommendations to enhance sex-positivity. Data were collected through interviews with facilitators, focus group discussions with learners, observation of sessions, and curricula content analysis. Findings reveal possibilities of sex-positivity in restrictive contexts, illustrating ways for sexuality education to become more sex-positive and pleasure inclusive. This study enables the development of a new tool for a 'pleasure audit', with markers of high-quality, sex-positive and pleasure-inclusive sexuality education or sexual health programmes.


The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), defined as the leading empirical orthogonal function of North Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies, is a widely used index for decadal variability. It is shown that the PDO can be recovered from a reconstruction of North Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies based on a first-order autoregressive model and forcing by variability of the Aleutian low, El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and oceanic zonal advection anomalies in the Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension. The latter results from oceanic Rossby waves that are forced by North Pacific Ekman pumping. The SST response patterns to these processes are not orthogonal, and they determine the spatial characteristics of the PDO. The importance of the different forcing processes is frequency dependent. At interannual time scales, forcing from ENSO and the Aleutian low determines the response in equal parts. At decadal time scales, zonal advection in the Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension, ENSO, and anomalies of the Aleutian low each account for similar amounts of the PDO variance. These results support the hypothesis that the PDO is not a dynamical mode, but arises from the superposition of sea surface temperature fluctuations with different dynamical origins.


Interaction of relativistically strong laser pulses with underdense and overdense plasmas is investigated by a semi-Lagrangian Vlasov code. These Vlasov simulations revealed a rich variety of phenomena associated with the fast particle dynamics induced by the electromagnetic wave as electron trapping, particle acceleration, and electron plasma wavebreaking. To describe the distribution of accelerated particle momenta and energy will require a very detailed analysis of the kinetic and time history of the plasma wave evolution. The semi-Lagrangian Vlasov code allows us to handle the interaction of ultrashort electromagnetic pulse with plasma at strongly relativistic intensities with a great deal of resolution in phase space.


Since 1990, laparoscopy and minimally invasive techniques in general, have been widely adopted in the field of digestive surgery. However, due to its technical limitations, the use of conventional laparoscopy remains limited to procedures of low (cholecystectomy, appendectomy) or intermediate (Nissen fundoplication, sigmoidectomy) complexity. This paper reviews the technical aspects of the da Vinci robot, as well as its potential applications to digestive surgery. While robotic-assisted cholecystectomy and fundoplication are feasible, this approach is not superior to conventional laparoscopy; by contrast, preliminary data suggest that robotic-assisted surgery might be superior to laparoscopy in more complex procedures, such as gastric bypass and total mesorectum excision for rectal cancer.


The river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.) inhabits riparian zones and associated floodplains throughout Australia. Following changes to hydrological regime due to river regulation and prolonged drought in south-eastern Australia, river red gum populations within the Murray–Darling Basin have suffered substantial decline. To better understand the effect of drought on river red gum genetic diversity, we examined single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation in 12 candidate genes among six red gum floodplain forest sites in Yanga National Park, which had experienced contrasting levels of drought and associated decline over an eight-year period. We also examined genetic diversity using these markers in five additional river red gum populations from the Murray–Darling Basin to place genetic diversity results from Yanga in a regional context. Tree condition was significantly lower and mortality higher in the most drought affected sites; however, differences in overall genetic diversity and divergence were not detected among sites. No evidence of genetic adaptation in response to drought in this set of candidate genes was detected when differentiation at individual SNP loci was examined. While the overall condition of E. camaldulensis was strongly influenced by hydrological regime, our results suggest the evolutionary potential of floodplain forests in Yanga were not immediately impacted by population decline linked with drought and changes in hydrological regime. We propose that due to low genetic structure among populations in the region, genetic diversity of river red gums within the Murray–Darling Basin might be effectively conserved during periods of extended drought by protecting representative populations.


Historically, heat and temperature observations have been occasionally used to help understand aquifer systems or constrain numerical flow models. However, the development of fiber optics (FO) as part of the Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) technology has spun a renewed interest in the use of heat as a groundwater tracer. Recent studies have shown the possibility to carry out an active heat tracer test using fiber optics and heating cables installed by direct push and to invert the resulting thermal responses to estimate a vertical profile of groundwater fluxes. However, a better understanding of how FO-DTS results compare to other aquifer characterization methods is needed to guide its future application and integration into a practical workflow. The objective of this study was thus to compare the information provided by FO-DTS with other direct and indirect measurements used to characterize the heterogeneity of granular aquifers at multiple scales.
The multiscale integrated characterization was carried out at a heterogeneous deltaic aquifer located north of Quebec City, Canada. This aquifer has been the object of a complete hydrogeological characterization and thus provides a wide range of existing data against which the acquired data can be compared. This communication will focus on the multiscale methodology for the granular aquifer characterization including FO-DTS measurements. Based on an existing numerical hydrogeological model, three sites with a range of horizontal groundwater fluxes were selected for active FO-DTS heat tracer experiments. At one of the sites, direct push monitoring wells were also installed downstream to measure the hydraulic conductivity of the hydrofacies and the arrival of the thermal front from the heat tracer test. A previous study established a relationship between the hydrofacies of the deltaic aquifer to cone penetration test (CPT) response. As such, each FO cable and monitoring well direct-push installation was preceded by a co-located CPT. Soil cores were also taken for laboratory measurements of hydraulic and thermal properties.
The vertical profiles of groundwater fluxes from FO-DTS were found to correlate well with the relative magnitude of permeability of the hydrofacies identified with CPT profiles. FO-DTS could thus provide a qualitative or quantitative proxy for hydraulic conductivity and allow the recognition of hydrofacies at a fine scale. At the aquifer scale, the total flux measured by FO-DTS can also be compared to fluxes obtained from numerical models and thus provide a constraint to validate models. Overall, this study shows that not only does FO-DTS provide coherent results with other characterization methods, but it also adds the key measurement of groundwater flux that cannot be easily obtained by other means. FO-DTS thus has the potential to become a significant addition to existing characterization methods for granular aquifers.


In situations of protracted armed conflict such as in sub-Saharan Africa, there exists a strong tendency to describe rebel violence as a senseless war of 'all-against-all'. This 'Hobbesian' violence (a theory that people have the fundamental right to pursue selfish aims but will relinquish those rights in the interest of the common good) is often illustrated by the sight of drugged and gun-toting youths engaged in the harassment of innocent civilians. Their sole motivation appears to lay in the benefit of organized plunder. However 'senseless' it may appear, the violence still has its functions. It is used to foster strategies of political control, and has an important identity and social dimension. This article explores both the political and socio-psychological functions of violence in the rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The analysis focuses on the provinces of North and South Kivu and on Ituri, where the authors have carried out extensive field research. Their analysis will be developed in particular regard to the current demobilisation and reintegration efforts that are carried out within the scope of the 'transition' process in the DRC, but which so far have seen limited results. Finally, the authors will explore some alternative methods to rethink war trauma and the rehabilitation of ex-combatants in (former) conflict areas such as the DRC.


We identified the sequence-specific starting positions of consecutive miscalls in the mapping of reads obtained from the Illumina Genome Analyser (GA). Detailed analysis of the miscall pattern indicated that the underlying mechanism involves sequence-specific interference of the base elongation process during sequencing. The two major sequence patterns that trigger this sequence-specific error (SSE) are: (i) inverted repeats and (ii) GGC sequences. We speculate that these sequences favor dephasing by inhibiting single-base elongation, by: (i) folding single-stranded DNA and (ii) altering enzyme preference. This phenomenon is a major cause of sequence coverage variability and of the unfavorable bias observed for population-targeted methods such as RNA-seq and ChIP-seq. Moreover, SSE is a potential cause of false single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calls and also significantly hinders de novo assembly. This article highlights the importance of recognizing SSE and its underlying mechanisms in the hope of enhancing the potential usefulness of the Illumina sequencers.


BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory illness (ARI) accounts for a large proportion of all visits to pediatric health facilities. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses allow sensitive detection of viral nucleic acids, but it is not clear to what extent specific viruses contribute to disease because many viruses have been detected in asymptomatic children. Better understanding of how to interpret viral findings is important to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: To compare viral qPCR findings from children with ARI versus asymptomatic control subjects. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children aged ≤5 years with ARI and from individually matched, asymptomatic, population-based control subjects during a noninfluenza season. Samples were analyzed by using qPCR for 16 viruses. RESULTS: Respiratory viruses were detected in 72.3% of the case patients (n = 151) and 35.4% of the control subjects (n = 74) (P = .001). Rhinovirus was the most common finding in both case patients and control subjects (47.9% and 21.5%, respectively), with a population-attributable proportion of 0.39 (95% confidence interval: 0.01 to 0.62). Metapneumovirus, parainfluenza viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus were highly overrepresented in case patients. Bocavirus was associated with ARI even after adjustment for coinfections with other viruses and was associated with severe disease. Enterovirus and coronavirus were equally common in case patients and control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: qPCR detection of respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumovirus, or parainfluenza viruses in children with ARI is likely to be causative of disease; detection of several other respiratory viruses must be interpreted with caution due to high detection rates in asymptomatic children.


1. Intact mussels and an in vitro preparation of isolated gill tissue were employed to study characteristics of the influx and net flux of amino acids in Mytilus californianus. 2. The kinetics of influx of 14C-labelled amino acids were complicated by the presence of a rapidly labelled extracellular compartment. 3. Correction of influx data for the extracellular compartment revealed influx of 14C-cycloleucine and 14C-glycine to be mediated by a transport mechanism adequately described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Passive diffusion plays no significant role in influx. 4. Influx and net flux of glycine into intact Mytilus were examined. From high concentrations (greater than 20 micronM) the influx of 14C-glycine was equivalent to the net influx of primary amine as determined by fluorescamine. At low ambient concentrations (greater than 20 micronM), influx of 14C-glycine occurred more rapidly than net influx as determined by fluorescamine. The data suggest that influx of labelled substrate is accompanied by efflux of unknown primary amine(s). In the absence of labelled substrate, efflux continues until a steady-state concentration of 2-5 micronM in the medium is achieved.5. The rate of influx of 14C-cycloleucine into isolated gill tissue, and the concentration gradient which can be developed by gill tissue are reduced when sodium is replaced in the medium. 6. The efflux of primary amines from isolated gill tissue is stimulated by the replacement of sodium in the medium with choline. 7. The data are consistent with a sodium-coupled mechanism for the transport of amino acid into gill tissue. However, energetic considerations cast doubt on the adequacy of such a mechanism to account fully for the observed trans-epidermal transport.


Ischaemia in Limb Injuries SIR,--I was interested to read the article on acutischaemia in limb injuries (April 2, p. 1001). No one could quarrel with the conclusions of Mr. E. G. Hardy and Mr. D. J. Tibbs that treatment mtust be urgent, that soft-tissue trauma often renders failure inevitable, and that firm and pulseless injured arterial segments are frequently thrombosed or occluded. One wonders, however, what induced them to carry out arterial reconstructions on limbs that were ischaemic for periods of 12 to 28 hours. They say they are disappointed at six failures out of nine cases under such conditions. Why ? What did they expect ? As they rightly point out, skeletal muscle is very sensitive to ischaemic conditions. This is due to its high metabolic activity and its high degree of specialization, lessons that we learnt in the physiology department. What did they think reconstructive arterial surgery would achieve after such long periods of deprivation of blood ? The pathology is parallel with that of frostbite or trench-foot. Must we learn all over again that to thaw out rapidly such cases means moist gangrene, toxic absorption, and finally amputation ? It would surely have been wiser to assist Nature's method of dealing with the problem-i.e., to persevere with a collateral circulation and to try to improve this gradually. The precise method to use would depend on the individual case. In this way one or two limbs might well have been salvaged. I would also take issue with Mr. Hardy and Mr. Tibbs on the question of arterial spasm. This is a definite entity, and those who taught it in the past knew what they were talking about. There is no doubt that a vessel of the calibre of the superficial femoral can contract down to the size of the lead in a pencil, that the anterior or posterior tibial can become as narrow as a piece of cotton thread. I have seen it happen. Spasm, especially spasm of collateral vessels, is an important feature in acuite ischaemia. As Sir George Pickering has pointed out, the important fact to remember is that arterial spasm is always associated with an organic cause. Finally, let it be remembered that authoritative writings are authoritatitve.-I am, etc.,


ABSTRACT Innovation policies' normative foundations have been little discussed in the academic literature, despite these foundations' impact on the priorities and consequences of innovation. Especially, the aim of sustainable development calls for discussion about innovation's normative foundations. This article discusses ethical principles drawn from ideas about Triple Bottom Line (TBL) accounting, human rights, and the New Sussex Manifesto. It discusses implications that these ethical principles have for innovation systems design and for innovation policies. Based on that discussion, the authors outline a principle of a human rights-based TBL in innovation. This principle implies that innovation systems, especially those involving vital resources, should look beyond science, technology, and competitiveness, and consider the needs and rights of those whose livelihoods depend on the resources in question. The article concludes with a set of general principles for the design of innovation systems in natural resource-based economies.


The main focus of this thesis is the large mosaic pavement in the East Church complex at Qasr el-Lebia in Cyrenaica, Libya. It sets out to establish whether the fifty panels which comprise the pavement constitute a coherent programme. In order to do that the literature is reviewed, the site is set in its Cyrenaican context in terms of its history, its physical geography, its settlement patterns and its principal Christian buildings. The dating of the mosaic is considered and a detailed panel-bypanel catalogue of the images is offered. An iconographical study looks closely at groups of panels and correspondences between panels with a view to establishing whether they were entirely independent, one of another, or whether they constituted an overall programme. Having concluded that there are, indeed, significant levels of coherence, the study addresses a number of apparent
discrepancies by looking at examples - in literature, sculpture and architecture – of a late antique predilection for disjunctions, puzzles and puns. After this wide-ranging review, the thesis returns to the most immediate context for the floor – its architectural setting. Inconclusive without further excavation, it nevertheless explores the possibility, based largely on the architectural evidence, that the pavement belonged to the ground floor of an episcopium. Finally, the study proposes an overall programme for the pavement and examines how the architecture constrained, and how the layout and iconography of the floor contributed to, a physical experience of the space in what may have been the consignatorium of a baptistery.


This dissertation focuses on two aspects of expressive affixes: their morphological/typological properties and their semantics. With regard to the former, it shows that the expressive morphology of many languages (including Bantu, West Atlantic, Walman, Sanskrit, English, Romance, Slavic, and others), has the following properties: 1) it is systematically anomalous when compared to plain morphology, or the ordinary processes of word-formation and inflection. From this, it follows that many familiar morphological arguments that adduce the data of expressive morphology ought to be reconsidered; and 2) it is far more pervasive than has been traditionally thought. For example, the Sanskrit preverb, and the Indo-European aspectual prefix/particle generally, are shown to have systematically expressive functions. With respect to the semantics of expressive affixes, it develops a novel multidimensional account, in the sense of Potts (2005, 2007), of Spanish "connotative affixes," which can simultaneously convey descriptive and expressive meaning. It shows that their descriptive meaning is that of a gradable adjective, viewed as a degree relation which includes a measure function, in the sense of Kennedy (1997). The expressive meanings of connotative affixes, and expressives generally, arise as they manipulate the middle coordinate, I, of expressive indices which, it is proposed, is inherently specified on all lexical items and canonically set to "neutral." It introduces a new mechanism, AFF, which is an algebraic operation for manipulating I, and which accounts for the well-known, and seemingly "contradictory," range of meanings that expressive affixes can express. Whereas prior work assumes that expressive affixes are inherently polysemous, this approach derives their many attested meanings and functions (e.g., "small," "young," "bad," deprecation, appreciation, hypocorism, intensification/exactness, and attenuation/approximation, as well as pragmatic effects like illocutionary mitigation) compositionally, from the interactions of their multidimensionality with the meanings of the roots to which they attach.


There is rising concern among health professionals and in legal circles to address gun ownership for older adults who display signs of cognitive decline, including dementia. However, elderly gun ownership remains underexamined, partly because incidents of gun violence among the elderly tend to occur in domestic settings and are much less visible than shootings in public areas. In contrast, there is widespread attention to curb mass gun violence through state legislation. Specifically, red flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, have doubled in 2018 with thirteen states enacting red flag laws and over thirty states having introduced or planning to introduce this legislation. Although red flag laws were not intended to address elderly gun ownership, they uniquely apply where other gun control laws fall short, as red flag laws provide the legal process to temporarily remove access to guns for persons believed to be at an elevated risk of harming themselves or others.

This Article surveys the thirteen states that have enacted red flag laws and analyzes key legislative elements across these states. The state laws have notable variations, including authorized persons who can petition a court for a protection order, standard of proof requirements, and the length of time an order is in effect. These variations have implications for elderly gun owners and their families, particularly in how they relate to the climbing rates of cognitive decline, suicide in late life, and elder abuse. The current wave of red flag laws across the country offer an opportunity to provide greater awareness around elderly gun ownership and prevent crises from becoming tragedies.


This study concerned the effects of partial substitution of clover silage with high starch forages on milk production and chemical composition, in vivo digestibility, rumen fermentation pattern and nitrogen excretion of dairy cows. Sixteen dairy cows were separated into two groups and were assigned to treatments in a two-period crossover design. Two forage supplements were used: corn silage (CS) and dry ground corn (DG). All animals received 4.5 kg of concentrate dry matter per day. Results showed no significant difference between the forage supplements for milk production, while significant differences (P<0.01) were observed for milk fat, milk protein and nitrogen utilisation efficiency (42 v. 4.0 g/kg, 3.5 v. 3.3 g/kg and 222 v. 188 g/kg, respectively, for DG and CS). Faecal N excretion did not differ between forage supplements, but urinary N excretion was higher for CS (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed between treatments for rumen fluid pH or for rumen fluid concentrations of ammonium nitrogen or of acetic, propionic or butyric acids. Dry matter intake and the in vivo digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre were all higher for CS compared with DG.


This article critically reviews the case law of the European Court of Justice from 2002 to 2006. It starts by examining the jurisprudence on restrictions internal to a Member State, i.e. those imposed on transactions which do not involve traders or goods in or from other Member States. The concept of a customs union is also looked at here. The article then reflects on whether the provisions of Article 28 et seq. apply to the legal relations of individuals and companies inter se. It explores the relationship between the legal regime on free movement of goods on the one hand and those relating to persons, services, and capital on the other. There follows a discussion of the continuing development in the Court's case law which started with Keck, drawing also on the Opinions of several Advocates General up to the most recent cases Commission v. Italy (Moped trailers) and Mickelsson. Moving from imports to exports, the authors analyse the judgments on Article 29 EC and call for clarifications in the Court's approach. Following this, the article contemplates the cases on justifications for restrictions on the free movement of goods, encompassing the concept of "mandatory requirements", the principle of proportionality, public health, public policy and fundamental rights as well as intellectual property. The authors conclude by commending the broad stability in the Court's case law on these aspects of the common market, while highlighting their concerns about some specific developments.


In this paper, a regional flood frequency analysis of Çoruh Basin was performed with the L‐moments method. Because the area of Çoruh Basin is large (21 100 km2), and the climatic, hydrologic, and topographic characteristics vary throughout the basin, it was divided into four sub‐regions for examination. Discordancy measure tests were performed for the sites located in each sub‐region. The H heterogeneity test was carried out by performing 500 simulations with the Kappa probability distribution for the homogeneity of the region. With the help of a diagram of the L‐moment ratios and by administering the Z goodness‐of‐fit measure test, the appropriate distribution was determined for each sub‐region. The distributions were used to identify the quintiles according to various probabilities of non‐exceedance. The accuracies of the estimated measured for the regional growth curves and quantiles were calculated using Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, the flow values determined from the quantiles estimated with the L‐moments method were compared with those estimated previously with an at‐site frequency analysis (Gumbel distribution) on the basin master plan for four large dams in the Çoruh Basin.


Based on the one-dimensional simulation model of lubricating oil system is established and analyzed by using FLOWMASTER software, this paper proposes a new method of optimizing lubricating oil system by PID technology. Ensure that the configuration requirements and control strategies of the relevant accessories of the simulation model are satisfied with the design requirements. Firstly, by simulating lubricating oil pressure fluctuation and lubricating oil flow distribution under Open/Close Valve in different opening and closing time, the optimal opening/closing time of Open/Close Valve is determined to be 0.2 s and 0.5 s respectively. Secondly, by writing the controller script file combined with a controller to realize automatic unloading relief valve simulation, determine the relief valve pressure regulating range of 0∼0.38 MPa, For precision of constant pressure valve of oil spill, the simulation results show that the average 10 m3/h flow caused by pressure changes of about 0.06 MPa. Under the flow sudden change signal of about 40 m3/h, the maximum pressure change is less than 0.1 MPa. Through the simulation results, it is found that most of the lubrication parts in the original design have the phenomenon of flow redundancy, which causes unnecessary pump power loss. The system is optimized by PID technology. By comparing the simulation results before and after optimization, it is found that the speed of constant displacement pump could be changed in time by PID controller, and the flow redundancy could be improved significantly, so the lubricating oil system could be lower consumption and achieve the purpose of optimization.


Current specialized planners for query processing are designed to work in local, reliable, and predictable environments. However, there are a number of problems that arise in gathering information from large networks of distributed information. In this environment actions can be executed in parallel to exploit distributed resources, new goals come into the system in the midst of execution, actions may fail due to exogenous events and need to be replanned, and there is incomplete information about the world. We have developed a planner called Sage that addresses the issues that arise in this environment. This system integrates previous work on planning, execution, replanning, and sensing and extends this work to support simultaneous and interleaved planning and execution. Sage has been applied to the problem of information gathering to provide a flexible and efficient system for integrating heterogeneous and distributed data and has been used in the domains of logistics planning and trauma care.


Young people's climate change protests in Aotearoa have been reported in the media but little is known about their personal experiences of resistance or the climate justice they seek. This study of a cohort of rangatahi engaged in a range of climate change resistance from environmental restoration to standing for political office addresses that gap in the research. Young climate activists are often portrayed as angry and bitter at older generations for failing to address climate change and bequeathing them a dangerous and uncertain future. This research finds however that these young people do not blame older generations for the climate crisis and have no time for intergenerational squabbles. They lay the blame squarely at the feet of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers and believe that the strength needed to fight the climate crisis comes from all generations collaborating to challenge the hegemony of the 'Big Oil' and big business dominated power structure that enables the despoiling of the environment and the exploitation of peoples. They seek structural reform to deliver equitable outcomes for all; climate justice for these rangatahi is social justice. This research argues that their voices should be prioritised in the policy debates and decisions that will determine the future they will have to endure but many of the policy makers will not.