High-Speed and Low-Power Techniques for Successive-Approximation-Register Analog-to-Digital Converters Eric Lee Swindlehurst Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Broadband wireless communication systems demand power-efficient analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) in the GHz and medium resolution regime. While high-speed architectures such as the flash and pipelined ADCs are capable of GHz operations, their high-power consumption reduces their attractiveness for mobile applications. On the other hand, the successive-approximation-register (SAR) ADC has an excellent power efficiency, but its slow speed has traditionally limited it to MHz applications. This dissertation puts forth several novel techniques to significantly increase the speed and power efficiency of the SAR architecture and demonstrates them in a low-power 10-GHz SAR ADC suitable for broadband wireless communications. The proposed 8-bit, 10-GHz, 8× time-interleaved SAR ADC utilizes a constant-matching DAC with symmetrically grouped unit finger capacitors to maximize speed by reducing the total DAC capacitance to 32 fF and minimizing the bottom plate parasitic capacitance. The capacitance reduction also saves power as both the DAC size and the driving logic size are reduced. An optimized asynchronous comparator loop and smaller driver logic push the single channel speed of the SAR ADC to 1.25 GHz, thus minimizing the total number of timeinterleaved channels to 8 to reach 10 GHz. A dual-path bootstrapped switch improves the spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of the sampling by creating an auxiliary path to drive the non-linear N-well capacitance apart from the main signal path. Using these techniques, the ADC achieves a measured signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) and SFDR of 36.9 dB and 59 dB, respectively with a Nyquist input while consuming 21 mW of power. The ADC demonstrates a record-breaking figure-of-merit of 37 fJ/conv.-step, which is more than 2× better than the next best published design, among reported ADCs of similar speeds and resolutions.


Housing is one of the key issues that normally forefront the scene when considering challenges of urbanisation and urban growth. It is a fundamental aspect of human life and a major factor in delivering healthy and attractive communities as it serves to define the life space of individuals. Increasing interest is now shown towards the study of how people think of their housing and how it affects their lives. Therefore, measuring the housing quality has become an important tool to assess the efficiency of housing provision and the extent to which people are satisfied with it.

This research is about examining housing quality and exploring the set of aspects through which it influences people's quality of life (QOL). It stems out of a general concern about the state of life in cities and the general factors that shape and outline such life. It starts from some apparent observations regarding the socio-economic transformations accompanied with urban growth and development taking place in Amman, capital of Jordan, and the alterations that are soundly reforming the profile of housing provision in the city. Such alterations are seen to be adjoined with implications and challenges that are strongly influencing the state of housing sector and the overall state of life that people are living in the city.

The research aims to critically investigate housing quality and the impact it has on QOL experienced by residents in Amman. In doing so, it employs an integrated conception of housing quality that poses three types of qualities: quality of provision, quality of context and quality of dwelling, and explored the implications of each of these qualities, in order to provide an overarching understanding of the influences of housing on QOL. Such understanding implies identifying the most influential aspects within each of the three types of qualities, and interpreting the impact of these aspects on QOL, taking into consideration the impact of the socio-demographic and housing provision factors. The research adopted a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods to collecting and analysing data in order to achieve a deep understanding of the influence of housing quality in QOL.

Results revealed a variation in the extent and nature of influence posed by the different housing quality components and a disparity in the response of households towards these components attributed to the differences in the socio-demographic and housing acquiring factors. It is argued that the perception of good QOL can be strongly derived from good housing quality and the set of material, social and psychological benefits obtained from it. It is suggested that the current housing provision system in Amman is in need of a reappraisal, in order to come out with a responsive housing provision scheme that provides more flexibility, equity, diversity and capability to choose among different community groups, which can help archiving better QOL.


Objective: This paper examines maternal knowledge regarding perinatal and infant mental health amongst mothers in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. The applicability and utility of these Western-derived concepts in a low socio-economic South African setting is examined. Method: A concurrent mixed methods approach was used. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on the responses of 255 mothers on a structured questionnaire, designed to elicit levels of knowledge about the relational needs and awareness of infants and the psychosocial needs of mothers, to determine trends in mothers' knowledge. A thematic content analysis was also conducted on the responses to determine themes and understandings within the mothers' responses. Results: Maternal knowledge in Alexandra regarding perinatal and infant mental health correlates with maternal education levels. Cultural, contextual and psychological factors appear to influence maternal understandings of infant sentience and maternal ambivalence. Conclusions: Further research is required to determine possible contributions of the denial of negative maternal affect post-birth to elevated levels of post-natal depression found amongst South African mothers parenting in adverse circumstances. There is a need for education regarding key messages from the neuroscience of development, to give these parents opportunities to raise their children in a way that supports healthy cognitive and emotional development.


Participatory evaluation of aspiring sustainable schools and their pedagogical potential has recently come into focus. A few authors have made a significant start in examining schools as both environmentally and socially sustainable environments, which might simultaneously represent the 'third teacher'. However, discussion around this idea is new in Spain. This paper describes a participatory post-occupancy study conducted with teachers and pupils in Fort Pienc School, Barcelona, Spain. Findings reveal the pedagogical potential of the school's spaces and fabric, characterised as 'sustainable', and highlight the aspects that the research participants feel are performing and underperforming. The paper concludes that if we want sustainable schools to be a strategy for renovating the educational process and for leading us towards a better tomorrow globally and locally,  new models for exploring the pedagogical potential of sustainable schools should be developed and the efforts of all relevant parties synchronised; from architects to governments, from pupils to teachers.


Under pressure from senior management to do more with less, middle managers are faced with the difficult task of reducing costs while improving processes and enhancing service. Meanwhile, as organizations flatten their hierarchies, many middle managers are assuming more responsibilities and supervising larger staffs with increasingly diverse needs and abilities. With demands from people both above and below them in the organization, middle managers would seem to be in a tough place. Yet many healthcare executives are finding success and career fulfillment as middle managers in today's healthcare environment.


Objectives – The objectives of this study were to establish the level of computer utilization skills of Makerere University (Uganda) Library and Information Science (LIS) students; to determine the use of electronic information resources by LIS students; to determine the attitudes of LIS students towards electronic information resources; and to establish the problems faced by LIS students in accessing electronic information resources.

Methods – A questionnaire survey was used for data collection.

Results – The majority of Library and Information Science students at Makerere University depend on university computers for their work, and very few of them access the library's e-resources. The few who access e-resources are self-taught. The majority of students surveyed were unaware of Emerald and EBSCO databases relevant to Library and Information Science students, and they found accessing e-resources time-consuming.

Conclusion – The study concluded that a concerted effort is needed by both LIS lecturers and university librarians in promoting use of the library's electronic resources.


We describe the binding and neutralization properties of a new set of human monoclonal antibodies derived from memory B cells of 10 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent donors in the first pandemic wave of prototype SARS-CoV-2. There were 12 antibodies targeting distinct epitopes on spike, including two sites on the RBD and one on the N-terminal domain (NTD), that displayed cross-neutralization of VOCs, for which distinct antibody targets could neutralize discrete variants. ABSTRACT Several severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have arisen that exhibit increased viral transmissibility and partial evasion of immunity induced by natural infection and vaccination. To address the specific antibody targets that were affected by recent viral variants, we generated 43 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from 10 convalescent donors that bound three distinct domains of the SARS-CoV-2 spike. Viral variants harboring mutations at K417, E484, and N501 could escape most of the highly potent antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD). Despite this, we identified 12 neutralizing mAbs against three distinct regions of the spike protein that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern (VOCs), including B.1.1.7 (alpha), P.1 (gamma), and B.1.617.2 (delta). Notably, antibodies targeting distinct epitopes could neutralize discrete variants, suggesting that different variants may have evolved to disrupt the binding of particular neutralizing antibody classes. These results underscore that humans exposed to the first pandemic wave of prototype SARS-CoV-2 possess neutralizing antibodies against current variants and that it is critical to induce antibodies targeting multiple distinct epitopes of the spike that can neutralize emerging variants of concern. IMPORTANCE We describe the binding and neutralization properties of a new set of human monoclonal antibodies derived from memory B cells of 10 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent donors in the first pandemic wave of prototype SARS-CoV-2. There were 12 antibodies targeting distinct epitopes on spike, including two sites on the RBD and one on the N-terminal domain (NTD), that displayed cross-neutralization of VOCs, for which distinct antibody targets could neutralize discrete variants. This work underlines that natural infection by SARS-CoV-2 induces effective cross-neutralization against only some VOCs and supports the need for COVID-19 vaccination for robust induction of neutralizing antibodies targeting multiple epitopes of the spike protein to combat the current SARS-CoV-2 VOCs and any others that might emerge in the future.


This paper aims to investigate generated themes associated with talent management processes (TMPs) in Australian higher education. This is because of the practical advantages for educational institutions which are focused on TMPs within their activities. For example, talent is the main source of competitive advantage for educational institutions. Furthermore, talented individuals contribute to increased rankings and profits for higher education institutions. For data collection, this paper completely depends on the brainstorming method. The sample comprised six information communication technology managers who work at the University of Southern Queensland. A brainstorming session was transcribed and thematically analyzed using NVivo 11. Four key themes and eleven subthemes of TM were explored. The key themes were talent retention, talent development, talent attraction, and talent acquisition. Each one of themes and subthemes is examined. A small size sample is a key limitation of this study. Aus. Aca. Busi & Eco. Rev Vol  4(3),  July 2018, P 188-200


[1] Rocks on the floor of Gusev crater are basaltic in composition, as determined from measurements by the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit. On the basis of compositional data, models of the basaltic lavas at the time of their emplacement suggest viscosities of 2.3 to 50 Pa · s (dependent on the number of phenocrysts and vesicles that were present), which would be more fluid than terrestrial tholeiitic lavas and comparable to mare lavas on the Moon or Archean high-Mg basalts on Earth. Morphological data and crater counts derived from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express and other orbiters suggest that the lavas flooded Gusev crater at about 3.65 b.y. and postdate older floor materials, such as putative sediments emplaced by Ma'adim Vallis.


: A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique applied to the turbulent flow of wastewater sludge in horizontal, smooth-wall, circular pipes is presented. The technique uses the Crank-Nicolson finite difference method in conjunction with the variable secant method, an algorithm for determining the pressure gradient of the flow. A simple algebraic turbulence model is used. A Bingham-plastic rheological model is used to describe the shear stress/shear rate relationship for the wastewater sludge. The method computes velocity gradient and head loss, given a fixed volumetric flow, pipe size, and solids concentration. Solids concentrations ranging from 3 to 10% (by weight) and nominal pipe sizes from 0.15 m (6 in.) to 0.36 m (14 in.) are studied. Comparison of the CFD results for water to established values serves to validate the numerical method. The head loss results are presented in terms of a head loss ratio, R(hl), which is the ratio of sludge head loss to water head loss. An empirical equation relating R(hl) to pipe velocity and solids concentration, derived from the results of the CFD calculations, is presented. The results are compared with published values of Rhl for solids concentrations of 3 and 6%. A new expression for the Fanning friction factor for wastewater sludge flow is also presented.


The potential of abrasive waterjet technology was investigated as a method to polish Z-blocks of synthetic quartz crystals. The polished surfaces were characterized by surface roughometer and scanning electron microscopy. The main factors affecting the surface roughness and the erosion mechanisms related to material removal were analysed. It is found that abrasive mesh, water pressure and jet incidence angle are the main factors affecting the surface roughness. By contrast, the influence of traverse speed on the surface roughness is small. Under certain controlled conditions, the erosion mechanisms of synthetic quartz crystals are plastic flow, leaving a crack-free surface by low-middle pressure micro abrasive waterjet.


The authors present clinical, demographic and laboratory characteristics of 62 patients with proven tuberculous meningoencephalitis admitted at Couto Maia Hospital, reference for patients with infectious diseases in the State of Bahia. The patients' age varied from 2 months to 50 years, 59.7% of the cases with ages ranging from 0 to 4 years, no sex predominance. The time length for the disease varied from 0 to 90 days, average around 13 days. The most common signs and symptoms were fever and neck stiffness in 86.7 and 81.8% of the cases respectively. The cerebrospinal fluid showed cells varying from 4 to 1549/mm3, average of 406; glucose from 20 to 70 mg/dL, average of 37.3, protein from 30 to 500 mg/dL, average of 203; lymphocyte predominance occurred in most cases, however in 21.3% there was predominance of neutrophils.


The yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera produces a glucoamylase which belongs to sequence family 15 of glycosyl hydrolases. The structure of the non-glycosyl-ated recombinant enzyme has been determined by molecular replacement and refined against 1.7 A resolution synchrotron data to an R factor of 14.6%. This is the first report of the three-dimensional structure of a yeast family 15 glucoamylase. The refinement from the initial molecular-replacement model was not straightforward. It involved the use of an unrestrained automated refinement procedure (uARP) in combination with the maximum-likelihood refinement program REFMAC. The enzyme consists of 492 amino-acid residues and has 14 alpha-helices, 12 of which form an (alpha/alpha)6 barrel. It contains a single catalytic domain but no starch-binding domain. The fold of the molecule and the active site are compared to the known structure of the catalytic domain of a fungal family 15 glucoamylase and are shown to be closely similar. The active- and specificity-site residues are especially highly conserved. The model of the acarbose inhibitor from the analysis of the fungal enzyme fits tightly into the present structure. The active-site topology is a pocket and hydrolysis proceeds with inversion of the configuration at the anomeric carbon. The enzyme acts as an exo-glycosyl hydrolase. There is a Tris [2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol] molecule acting as an inhibitor in the active-site pocket.


Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is an animal welfare and public health concern due to its ability to parasite livestock and potentially contaminate pork products. To reduce Salmonella shedding and the risk of pork contamination, antibiotic therapy is used and can contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Here we hypothesized that immune system education by the microbiota can play a role in intestinal resilience to infection. We used amoxicillin (15mg/Kg) to modulate the intestinal microbiome of 10 piglets, paired with same age pigs that received a placebo (n = 10) from 0 to 14 days of age. Animals were euthanized at 4-weeks old. Each pig donated colon sections for ex vivo culture (n = 20 explants/pig). Explants were inoculated with S. Typhimurium, PBS or LPS (n = 6 explants/pig/group, plus technical controls). The gut bacteriome was characterized by sequencing of the 16S rRNA at 7, 21 days of age, and upon in vitro culture. Explants response to infection was profiled through high-throughput mRNA sequencing. In vivo antibiotic treatment led to β-diversity differences between groups at all times (P<0.05), while α-diversity did not differ between amoxicillin and placebo groups on day 21 and at euthanasia (P<0.03 on day 7). Explant microbiomes were not different from in vivo. In vitro challenge with S. Typhimurium led to lower necrosis scores in explants from amoxicillin-treated pigs, when compared to explants placebo-treated pigs (P<0.05). This was coupled with the activation of immune-related pathways in explants from amoxicillin-treated pigs (IL-2 production, NO production, BCR activation), when compared to placebo-treated pigs. In addition, several DNA repair and intestinal wound healing pathways were also only activated in explants from amoxicillin-treated pigs. Taken together, these findings suggest that immune education by the amoxicillin-disturbed microbiota may have contributed to mitigate intestinal lesions following pathogen exposure.


The reliability and lifetime of machine elements such as gears and rolling bearings depend on their wear and fatigue resistance. In order to screen the wear and surface damage, three finishing processes: (i) brushing, (ii) manganese phosphating and (iii) shot peening were applied on three disc pairs and long-term tested on a twin-disc tribometer. In this paper, the elastic contact of the disc surfaces (measured after only few revolutions) was simulated and a number of functional and roughness parameters were correlated. The functional parameters consisted of subsurface stresses at different depths and a new parameter called 'pressure spikes' factor'. The new parameter is derived from the pressure distribution and takes into account the proximity and magnitude of the pressure spikes. Strong correlations were found among the pressure spikes' factor and surface peak/height parameters. The orthogonal shear stresses and Von Mises stresses at the shallowest depths under the surface have shown the highest correlations but no good correlations were found when the statistics of the whole stress fields was analyzed. The use of the new parameter offers a fast way to screen the durability of the contacting surfaces operating at similar conditions.


The pigment ß-phycoerythrin is useful as a natural pigment in food and cosmetics, and also serves as a fluoroprobe for laboratory analyses. This study evaluated the effectiveness of ceramic hydroxyapatite as a stationary phase to purify ß-phycoerythrin using medium-pressure liquid chromatography. The microalga, Porphyridium cruentum, was cultivated in artificial sea water consisting of 20% effluent biogas of tapioca waste water, as well as in modified F2 nutrient medium consisting of NaH2PO4 2H2O and NaNO3, stock solution of trace elements (Na2EDTA, NaMoO4 2H2O, CoCl2 6H2O, FeCl3 6H2O, CuSO4 5H2O, ZnSO4 7H2O, MnCl2 4H2O), and stock solution of vitamins (biotin, cyanocobalamin, and thiamine HCl). P. cruentum biomass was harvested after 8 days by centrifuging at 8000 g for 10 min at 4C. Fresh biomass was resuspended in buffer solution and sonicated for 30 min. Then the slurry was centrifuged at 12000 g for 4 min. ß-phycoerythrin-rich supernatants were pooled and treated as a crude extract. The crude extract was then passed over a ceramic hydroxyapatite column at medium pressure. Ceramic hydroxyapatite was prepared using a precipitation method and sintering at 1200C. The composition and microstructures of the ceramic were characterized with a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The purity of ß-phycoerythrin was confirmed using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Ceramic hydroxyapetite offers a scalable method for isolation of ßphycoerythrin. Moreover, effluent biogas of tapioca waste water should be considered as an alternative cultivation medium for sustainable production of microalgae. This study succeeded in cultivating P. cruentum in modified F2 media with 20% biogas waste and utilizing ceramic hydroxyapatite to recover 60% of ß-phycoerythrin with an A546/A280 ratio of 3.995.


This paper deals with the design of an observed based optimal state feedback controller having pole location constraints for an active vibration mitigation problem of an aircraft system. An eleven-degree-of-freedom detailed full aircraft mathematical model having active landing gears and a seated pilot body is developed to control and analyze aircraft vibrations caused by runway excitation, when the aircraft is taxiing. Ground induced vibration can contribute to the reduction of pilot's capability to control the aircraft and cause the safety problem before take-off and after landing. Since the state variables of the pilot body are not available for measurement in practice, an observed based optimal controller is designed via Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) approach. In addition, classical LQR controller is designed to investigate effectiveness of the proposed controller. The system is then simulated against the bump and random runway excitation. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed controller provides significant improvements in reducing vibration amplitudes of aircraft fuselage and pilot's head and maintains the safety requirements in terms of suspension stroke and tire deflection.


Author(s): Diaz, Jesse | Advisor(s): Mirande, Alfredo | Abstract: The three largest mass mobilizations ever witnessed in this country occurred in 2006 on March 25th, April 10th, and May 1st, when undocumented immigrants and supporters marched against repressive enforcement-only antiimmigrant legislation and then for immigration reform. Academics have since scrambled to understand these mobilizations. Some misguidedly labeled the Latino community as a "Sleeping Giant." Contrarily, interviewed in this research were dozens of veteran Immigrant Rights Movement (IRM) activists who illustrated that there is a longstanding immigrant rights struggle in the cradle of the IRM, Los Angeles, the majority of which have been mobilizing against repressive antiimmigrant legislation as far back as the 1960's. Drawing from the social movement literature, this dissertation utilizes two dominant concepts to examine the IRM - the political opportunities and resource mobilizations models. From the dual perspective of a participant and researcher, the present researcher examines the IRM's organizational history in order to understand the decision-makers, while paying closer attention to the efforts leading up to and during the spring 2006 mobilizations, thus providing a unique contribution to this literature based on an insider perspective of the Movimiento. In this analysis, two factions in the IRM emerge, the leftist faction that includes both the radical and traditional factions of the Movement, and the moderate faction that represents the elite level of the IRM. The traditional faction by itself has gained much respect amongst the immigrant rights community in LA and has a history of working with either the radical or moderate factions. This research found the necessity for a future examination of the immigrant community's response to join in the IRM's mobilizations to investigate more systematically the effectiveness of leaders and organizations in their mobilizing efforts by which to guide the immigrant rights community's future endeavors. It also challenges other students of social movements and Latino Studies to involve themselves in the Movimiento to garner first an insider perspective that would draw a more in-depth look into the inner-workings of the IRM, thus reliably adding to the extant social movement literature, the burgeoning literature on the IRM, and Latino Studies.


The paper presents a control system of the FANUC S-420F, a six-axis robot. Its control system is based on gesture monitoring and recognition using the Microsoft Kinect Motion Controller. The motion of the operator's/controller's hand can naturally and intuitively control the robot that performs day-to-day pick-and-place operations. The system was implemented in the Matlab/Simulink environment with Kinect for Windows Runtime and Kinect SDK & Developer Toolkit library. To investigate the system, a set of gestures used to control the robot was developed. The influence of light, distance from the robot, the speed of gestures performed by the operator on the system was tested. The paper presents test results and elaborates on the advantages and potential problems of the proposed control system.


Transitioning to a renewable energy economy requires the widespread integration of solar and wind power, which are intermittent, into the electricity grid. To this goal, it is paramount to develop cost-competitive, reliable, location-independence, and large-scale energy storage technologies. The hydrogen bromine flow battery (HBFB) is a promising technology given the abundant material availability and its high power density. Here, the aim is to perform a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of a 500 kW nominal power/5 MWh HBFB storage system, based on the levelized cost of storage approach. Then, we systematically analyze stack and system components costs for both the current base and a future scenario (2030). We find that, for the base case, HBFB capital investments are competitive to Li-ion battery technology, highlighting the potential of large-scale HBFB market introduction. Improving the stack performance and reducing the stack and system costs are expected to result in ~62% reduction potential in capital investments. The base-case levelized cost of storage, $0.074/kWh, is sufficiently low for a wind-solar storage system to compete with a fossil-based power plant, with potential for reduction to $0.034/kWh in the future scenario. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the levelized cost of storage is most sensitive towards the stack lifetime, which motivates research efforts into advanced electrocatalysts with higher durability and ion-exchange membranes with improved selectivity.


The Federal Integrated Water Sector-Interaguas Project of Brazil aims to contribute to the safety of water management in Brazil by: (i) the sustainability of water and improving productivity, (ii) improved quality of public expenditures in the water sector, and (iii) improving access and efficiency of water services, (iv) strengthening the institutional capacity to manage environmental and social issues, and (v) greater integration of the federal system and cooperation between different levels of government. Special emphasis will be placed on targeting areas where the issues of vulnerability of the poor to water and the risks are higher, especially in the northeast and the scarcity of water in metropolitan areas. Given that the project area potentially encompasses the entire country, any of Brazil's estimated more than half a million indigenous peoples may potentially be affected, even though there is no direct impact on the human environment resulting from the direct and immediate intervention of the project.


Background: Bite jumping appliances (BJA) are a common treatment modality for Class II malocclusions and yet studies have shown that the results are limited to mostly dentoalveolar correction. A better understanding of the role the muscles of mastication play in the action of these appliances is warranted. Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) is a useful research tool to decrease muscle function without impeding blood supply or causing scarring. //

Objectives: BoNT/A was used in this study in combination with BJA to assess cephalometrically the effects that muscular stretch have on the skeletal outcomes of bite jumping therapy. //

Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight inbred, juvenile, male, Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were randomly assigned to either: one of six short-term groups, or one of ten long-term groups (n = 8 per group). The short-term groups consisted of C (control), S (saline injection), B (BoNT/A injection), M (BJA), MB (BoNT/A injections plus BJA), MS (saline injection plus BJA). The long-term groups consisted of CL (control), BL (BoNT/A injection), BLR (BoNT/A repeat injection), SL (saline injection), SLR (saline repeat injection), ML (BJA), MBL (BoNT/A plus BJA), MBLR (BoNT/A repeat injection plus BJA), MSL (saline injection plus BJA), and MSLR (saline repeat injection plus BJA). In the BoNT/A injection groups the temporalis and deep masseter muscles were injected bilaterally with Dysport®. Equivalent volumes of saline were used within the sham injection groups. In the repeat injection groups, the injections were repeated weekly for the duration of the study. Digital lateral and dorsoventral cephalometric radiographs were taken at baseline (T0 = 28 days old) and weekly thereafter for 3 weeks until T3 (49 days of age) at which time the short-term groups were culled and all appliances removed. Additional radiographs were taken in the long-term groups at T4 (56 days of age), T5 (70 days of age), T6 (98 days of age), and T7 (126 days of age). The cephalometric program Viewbox 3.1® was used to create cephalometric analyses and obtain linear and angular measurements. After an initial repeatability study the variables were restricted to those deemed more accurate. Multiple comparisons between and within groups were conducted using one-way ANOVA with post-hoc test Tamhane. //

Results: Importantly, the total mandibular length (Co↔Dg) and horizontal projection of the mandible were increased in the MBL and MBLR groups. The condyles also maintained a more anterior position in the MBL and MBLR groups. //

Conclusions: The length of the mandible was only slightly affected in the experimental groups. The mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa of the rat does possess some adaptive capacity to altered extrinsic forces.


Introduction This study explores the predictive power of macro-structural characteristics on quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) outcomes of Family Day Care (FDC) services in Australia. Methods The dataset consisted of 441 FDC National Quality Standard (NQS) ratings from all Australian states and territories, with overall ratings of Exceeding NQS, Meeting NQS, Working Towards NQS, or Significant Improvement Required. Results Multinomial logistic regressions confirmed that management type, community socioeconomic status (SES), level of urbanization, and government jurisdiction explained 6.9 to 19.3% of the variation in QRIS outcomes. Results indicated that lower FDC NQS ratings were more likely for (1) private for-profit vs. not-for-profit; (2) low-SES vs. high-SES area; and (3) regional or remote area vs. metropolitan. State/territory jurisdiction also influenced NQS ratings. Discussion These findings imply the need for policy attention to inequalities in FDC quality associated with systemic and organizational differences. Greater effort is needed to promote equality and equity in FDC services.


Abstract The study explores how changes in process variables, residence time and pulp consistency in refining influence the pulp properties. The equipment utilized in this study was a conical disc chip refiner (RGP82CD) producing thermomechanical pulp (TMP). The focus was on the ratio between tensile index and specific energy consumption. Pulp properties were measured for composite pulp samples taken from the refiner blow line. Residence times and pulp consistencies were estimated by use of the extended entropy model. This showed that the CD-refiner, with the flat and conical refining zone, has a process performance similar to that of a two-stage refiner set-up, and that the consistency in both refining zones is of high importance. Comparing different periods revealed that even if the values of measured blow line consistency are similar, significant differences in the estimated consistency in the flat zone can prevail. Therefore, only monitoring blow line consistency is not enough. Specifically, it was found that the pulp consistency after the flat zone could be very high, considerably higher than in the blow line, and this could have negative effects on tensile index and fibre length.


Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the middle ear-mastoid is a highly lethal neoplasm of childhood in most cases, which clinically simulates a chronic infection. Extensive hemorrhage and necrosis in the biopsy specimen may obscure and often delay the diagnosis. Two of the six embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas in this study showed histologic evidence of differentiation. These same two patients were the only long-term survivors. Similar examples of "differentiated" embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas of the middle ear-mastoid with prolonged survival have been recorded individually in the literature. Therapeutic implications of this finding have been discussed.


Abstract The insect parasitic nematode, Steinernema scapterisci Nguyen and Smart, is a non-chemical alternative to pest mole cricket control in the southern United States. These ambush nematodes can become established after one application and spread into untreated areas through host movement in the soil. However, the nematode's persistence from previous inoculative applications in 1988 and 1989 and the effectiveness of subsequent augmentative applications on intensively managed golf courses were unknown. In 2001, two linear pitfall traps were placed in the roughs of 10 holes on each of two golf courses (20 traps per course) near areas of adult mole cricket activity, and half of the plots with traps were treated with S. scapterisci. Ten to 15% of mole crickets trapped before the augmentative nematode applications were infected by S. scapterisci. After this application, the percentage of infected mole crickets was higher than the baseline for 8 mo at one golf course and 17 mo at the other. The percentage of mole crickets infected on treated plots equaled or exceeded pretreatment levels about 4-8 wk post-application. The percentage of infected mole crickets in untreated areas at both sites equaled the percent infection in treated areas after about 5 mo. Mole cricket trap catches and percent of infection declined in the second year, but continued to fluctuate with mole cricket population density, age, and environmental conditions. Augmentative applications of S. scapterisci for pest mole cricket control can enhance mole cricket mortality on golf courses.


The major construction and initial-phase operation of a second-generation gravitational-wave detector, KAGRA, has been completed. The entire 3 km detector is installed underground in a mine in order to be isolated from background seismic vibrations on the surface. This allows us to achieve a good sensitivity at low frequencies and high stability of the detector. Bare-bones equipment for the interferometer operation has been installed and the first test run was accomplished in March and April of 2016 with a rather simple configuration. The initial configuration of KAGRA is called iKAGRA. In this paper, we summarize the construction of KAGRA, including a study of the advantages and challenges of building an underground detector, and the operation of the iKAGRA interferometer together with the geophysics interferometer that has been constructed in the same tunnel.


Aging is characterized by systemic declines in tissue and organ functions. Interventions that slow these declines represent promising therapeutics to protect against age‐related disease and improve the quality of life. In this study, several interventions associated with lifespan extension in invertebrates or improvement of age‐related disease were tested in mouse models to determine if they were effective in slowing tissue aging in a broad spectrum of functional assays. Benzoxazole, which extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans, slowed age‐related femoral bone loss in mice. Rates of change were established for clinically significant parameters in untreated mice, including kyphosis, blood glucose, body composition, activity, metabolic measures, and detailed parameters of skeletal aging in bone. These findings have implications for the study of preclinical physiological aging and therapies targeting aging. Finally, an online application was created that includes the calculated rates of change and that enables power and variance to be calculated for many clinically important metrics of aging with an emphasis on bone. This resource will help in future study designs employing novel interventions in aging mice. © 2021 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


This book provides an in-depth insight into the new architectures and concepts of current Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp technologies for central provisioning of desktops and applications. It is aimed both at newcomers to the Citrix virtualization world and at those upgrading from previous versions. All the necessary steps for the creation of a design, and the development and operation of a complete, scalable virtualization environment are discussed in a detailed and practical manner. Valuable advice and comprehensive background information also feature in this solution-oriented compendium, making it an indispensable companion for IT-solution architects, consultants and administrators.


Extensive electrophysiology studies have shown that many V1 simple cells have nonlinear response properties to stimuli within their classical receptive field (CRF) and receive contextual influence from stimuli outside the CRF modulating the cell's response. Models seeking to explain these non-classical receptive field (nCRF) effects in terms of circuit mechanisms, input-output descriptions, or individual visual tasks provide limited insight into the functional significance of these response properties, because they do not connect the full range of nCRF effects to optimal sensory coding strategies. The (population) sparse coding hypothesis conjectures an optimal sensory coding approach where a neural population uses as few active units as possible to represent a stimulus. We demonstrate that a wide variety of nCRF effects are emergent properties of a single sparse coding model implemented in a neurally plausible network structure (requiring no parameter tuning to produce different effects). Specifically, we replicate a wide variety of nCRF electrophysiology experiments (e.g., end-stopping, surround suppression, contrast invariance of orientation tuning, cross-orientation suppression, etc.) on a dynamical system implementing sparse coding, showing that this model produces individual units that reproduce the canonical nCRF effects. Furthermore, when the population diversity of an nCRF effect has also been reported in the literature, we show that this model produces many of the same population characteristics. These results show that the sparse coding hypothesis, when coupled with a biophysically plausible implementation, can provide a unified high-level functional interpretation to many response properties that have generally been viewed through distinct mechanistic or phenomenological models.


Problems experienced with website usability can prevent users from accessing and adopting technology, such as e-Government. At present, a number of guidelines exist for e-Government website user experience (UX) design; however, the effectiveness of the implementation of these guidelines depends on the expertise of the website development team and on an organisation's understanding of UX. Despite the highlighted importance of UX, guidelines are rarely applied in South African e-Government website designs. UX guidelines cannot be implemented if there is a lack of executive support, trained staff, budget and user-centred design processes. The goal of this research is to propose and evaluate a methodology (called the "Institutionalise UX in Government (IUXG) methodology") to institutionalise UX in South African Provincial Governments (SAPGs). The Western Cape Government in South Africa was used as a case study to evaluate the proposed IUXG methodology. The results show that the IUXG methodology can assist SAPGs to establish UX as standard practice and improve the UX maturity levels.


Dental treatment (of Aline Kohll) and a pair of spectacles (for Nicolas Decker) recently drew public attention throughout the whole of Europe. It is certainly true that the reactions following the Court of Justice's judgements in both cases were not only to be felt in the profession but in the general public most especially in political circles. Some authors even went as far as to place these judgements on a par with those in the Costa/ENEL and Cassis de Dijon cases. In the meantime these decisions have persistently been upheld by two further judgements (Vanbraekel and Smits/Peerbooms). The essence of the judgements lies in the observation that the Member States must respect an insured person's right to freedom of services despite being entitled to organise their own social security services. The following article is a critical analysis of this approach. The author pleads for a solution to the problems to be found within the ambit of the rules and principles of coordination whose further development he calls for.


OBJECTIVE
We assessed the efficacy and safety of the new, long-acting dopamine agonist drug cabergoline during long-term therapy of hyperprolactinaemia.

DESIGN
Open, prospective, multicentre study.

PATIENTS
One hundred and sixty-two females with either a microprolactinoma (n = 100), idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia (n = 54), empty sella syndrome (n = 7) or residual hyperprolactinaemia after surgery for a macroprolactinoma (n = 1). All had previously been treated with cabergoline or placebo for 4 weeks as part of a dose-finding study.

MEASUREMENTS
Menstrual pattern, adverse symptoms, blood pressure and pulse, serum PRL, blood count, liver and renal function were assessed after one month and subsequently at two-monthly intervals.

RESULTS
Treatment was started at doses of 0.25 mg (n = 3), 0.5 mg (n = 8), 1 mg (n = 150) or 2 mg (n = 1) per week, given either as a single weekly dose (n = 8) or divided into twice-weekly doses (n = 154), and was continued for at least 49 weeks in 123 patients. Final treatment doses ranged from 0.25 mg fortnightly to 2 mg twice weekly: most patients finished the study taking 0.5 mg once (n = 31) or twice (n = 77) weekly. Stable normalization of PRL levels was achieved in 138 subjects (85%), in 129 of whom the effective dose was < 1 mg per week. In the subset of 114 patients completing 49 weeks of therapy and having dose adjustments according to the protocol, the biochemical success rate was 92%. Fifty-nine of the 65 previously amenorrhoeic women (91%) and 44 of the 49 (90%) who were previously oligomenorrhoeic resumed regular menses and/or became pregnant during the study. Adverse events were reported in 64 patients (39.5%). In 84% of cases with adverse events, the symptoms were of mild or moderate severity and most occurred during the first few weeks of therapy; five patients (3%) discontinued treatment because of poor tolerance. The most frequent symptoms were dizziness (13% of patients), headache (13%), nausea (10%) and weakness and/or fatigue (10%). Of 27 patients who had previously been poorly tolerant of other dopamine agonists, 17 (63%) did not experience any side-effects and only one was intolerant of cabergoline. No adverse haematological or biochemical effects were detected except for a slight downward trend in haemoglobin which may have been related to the resumption of regular menses in previously amenorrhoeic or oligomenorrhoeic women. A mild hypotensive effect was observed, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures falling by 5 and 4 mmHg respectively during treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
The results provide evidence for the long-term effectiveness and safety of cabergoline in the treatment of hyperprolactinaemia. Its ability to normalize PRL and restore gonadal function compares favourably with reported data on reference compounds while its tolerability profile and simple administration schedule offer potential advantages in terms of patient acceptability.


Cannibalism is sometimes practiced by particularly violent offenders. This article discusses this behavior as it presents across 26 individual offenders convicted of murder. The similarities examined among these offenders present uniting features within the sample. These features include similar murder methods utilized, parts of the body consumed, and presence of sexual assault and/or necrophilia. Discussion of these similarities concludes that, while there are a variety of uniting characteristics across these offenders, it is necessary to utilize empirical phenomenological interview techniques in order to understand the significance of these behaviors to the individuals practicing them.
Keywords: cannibalism, violent crime, paraphilia, homicide, serial murder


Prediction of glaucomatous visual field loss has significant clinical benefits because it can help with early detection of glaucoma as well as decision-making for treatments. Glaucomatous visual loss is conventionally captured through visual field sensitivity (VF ) measurement, which is costly and time-consuming. Thus, existing approaches mainly predict future VF utilizing limited VF data collected in the past. Recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been adopted to measure retinal layers thickness (RT ) for considerably more low-cost treatment assistance. There then arises an important question in the context of ophthalmology: are RT measurements beneficial for VF prediction? In this paper, we propose a novel method to demonstrate the benefits provided by RT measurements. The challenge is management of the two heterogeneities of VF data and RT data as RT data are collected according to different clinical schedules and lie in a different space to VF data. To tackle these heterogeneities, we propose latent progression patterns (LPPs), a novel type of representations for glaucoma progression. Along with LPPs, we propose a method to transform VF series to an LPP based on matrix factorization and a method to transform RT series to an LPP based on deep neural networks. Partial VF and RT information is integrated in LPPs to provide accurate prediction. The proposed framework is named deeply-regularized latent-space linear regression (\em DLLR). We empirically demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art technique by 12% for the best case in terms of the mean of the root mean square error on a real dataset.


Abstract Thaumasite, Ca3Si(OH)6(CO3)(SO4)⋅12H2O, is recognized as a secondary-alteration mineral and indicator of sulfate attack in Portland cement in contact with sulfate-rich groundwater, especially in cold regions. The hydrogen positions in thaumasite have been determined from single-crystal neutron diffraction structure refinements at 300 and 22 K. No phase transitions occur within the temperature range investigated. The structure of thaumasite is largely held together by hydrogen bonding. The major structural units [CO3 groups, SO4 tetrahedra, Si(OH)6 octahedra, and Ca(OH)4(H2O)4 polyhedra] are interconnected via 10 distinct hydrogen bonds. Analysis of the difference-Fourier maps of the nuclear density reveals the positions of all 10 hydrogen atoms in the structure, and the hydrogen bonding becomes shorter (stronger) upon decreasing temperature to 22 K. The SO4 tetrahedron expands upon decreasing temperature (i.e., negative thermal expansion at the molecular level), driven by shortening of the hydrogen bonding between [Ca3Si(OH)6(H2O)12]4+ columns. Polarized Raman spectra of thaumasite show that the ν1 symmetric stretching modes of Si(OH)6, SO4, and CO3 occur at 658, 983, and 1066 cm-1, respectively. In addition, the out-of-plane bending mode (ν2) and asymmetric stretching mode (ν3) of the carbonate group are tentatively assigned to bands at 887 and 1400 cm-1, respectively. Bands at 418 and 455 cm-1 (and possibly at 477 cm-1) are attributed to the symmetric bending modes (ν2) of the sulfate group, and we observe a possible asymmetric stretching mode (ν3) of SO4 at 1090-1100 cm-1. Splitting of some sulfate and carbonate vibrational modes may occur due to hydrogen bonding on all the oxygen sites. At 1685-1710 cm-1 we observe the H2O bending modes (H-O-H), and from 2900-3600 cm-1 there are 13 distinct bands associated with bending overtones and the O-H stretching vibrations corresponding to H-positions determined in the neutron diffraction study. The effect of the low-temperature stability of thaumasite on the pronounced "thaumasite sulfate attack" of Portland cements observed in cold regions is discussed.


This article gives insights into immigrants' incorporation into the French and British labor markets in the 1990s and the 2000s, using British and French Labor Force Surveys harmonized by the authors. It compares inequalities in earnings and employment between natives and immigrants in the two countries, but also among immigrant groups. These two countries are among the most commonly included in comparative studies of immigration, but we still have surprisingly little comparative evidence on immigrants' socioeconomic disadvantage. The results suggest that labor market inequality is sharper in the UK, especially with respect to earnings. More precisely, the most underprivileged immigrant groups in the UK (Pakistanis, Bangladeshis) are disadvantaged to a greater extent than their counterparts in France (Turkish and African immigrants). At the same time, diversity within the immigrant population is much more marked in the UK; some groups have very little labor market disadvantage or even do better than natives, which is almost never the case in France. The French labor market is characterized by a significantly higher level of gender inequality, particularly in earnings, and this compounds the labor market disadvantage of immigrant women.


Aim: Inflammation shows an important character in illnesses such for example cardiovascular diseases, asthma, malignant and diabetes. Food can guidance different phases of inflammation and can have an important influence on numerous inflammatory illnesses. Increasing scientific suggestion has displayed that polyphenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, which are originate in vegetables, fruits, cocoa or legumes, can have antiinflammatory activity. Current researches prevent enzymes or transcription factors significant for regulatory intermediaries involved in inflammation. Flavonoids are also famous as effective antioxidants with the potential to weaken tissue injury or fibrosis. Subsequently, frequent studies in vivo and in vitro models shows that flavonoids have the prospective to prevent the beginning and development of inflammatory activity. Materials and Methods: In the present research work, a series of flavones merge with Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs were synthesized from resorcinol through Baker- Venkataraman Method, characterized and calculated there in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by protein denaturation technique. Results: The outcome is protein denaturation studies shown that the compound FS found to be most potent anti-inflammatory activity. The percentage inhibitions were 97.66%.


By optimizing construction process, the laminated lift-slab method that means to lift two slabs one time upgraded from the traditional layer by layer lifting was proposed, the method in optimizing the construction process, shorten the construction period and improve the stability of group column has the significant advantages. Studied the application of computer synchronous control technology and solved the non-synchronization difficult problems in lifting slab, by controlling the lifting height error, which can reduce the board's destruction, reduce the burden uniformity of hoist, increase the stability of group column and speed up the construction progress. Therefore, the application of computer synchronous control technology in construction process has obvious economic and technical advantages.


Data analysis tools have become essential to the study of biology. Here, we applied language workbench technology (LWT) to create data analysis languages tailored for biologists with a diverse range of experience: from beginners with no programming experience to expert bioinformaticians and statisticians. A key novelty of our approach is its ability to blend user interface with scripting in a single platform. This feature helps beginners and experts alike analyze data more productively. This new approach has several advantages over state of the art approaches currently popular for data analysis: experts can design simplified data analysis languages that require no programming experience, and behave like graphical user interfaces, yet have the advantages of scripting. We report on such a simple language, called MetaR, which we have used to teach complete beginners how to call differentially expressed genes and build heatmaps. We found that beginners can complete this task in less than 2 hours with MetaR, when more traditional teaching with R and its packages would require several training sessions (6-24hrs). Furthermore, MetaR seamlessly integrates with docker to enable reproducibility of analyses and simplified R package installations during training sessions. We used the same approach to develop the first composable R language. A composable language is a language that can be extended with micro-languages. We illustrate this capability with a Biomart micro-language designed to compose with R and help R programmers query Biomart interactively to assemble specific queries to retrieve data, (The same micro-language also composes with MetaR to help beginners query Biomart.) Our teaching experience suggests that language design with LWT can be a compelling approach for developing intelligent data analysis tools and can accelerate training for common data analysis task. LWT offers an interactive environment with the potential to promote exchanges between beginner and expert data analysts.


A bipolar pulsed-dc power supply has been designed and constructed for used in a magnetron sput- tering system and for thin film synthesis. The power supply consists of three major parts: (1) two high voltage direct current (dc) power supplies utilizing a phase control circuit for power delivery, (2) pulse generator and two power switching circuits, and (3) feedback circuits for current and voltage controls, displays, and safety measures. For a high level of safety operation, optical connections were employed in the circuit design to iso- late between the low and high voltage parts. The constructed power supply was tested using a test load con- sisting of ten 100 W 250 V light bulbs with tungsten filaments connected in series. It was found that the power supply was capable of supplying either symmetric or asymmetric pulsed-dc power of maximum peak-to-peak voltage of 1250 V. The negative and positive pulse widths were selectable between 10-100 s, with maximum pulse frequency of 25 kHz. This frequency limit is due to the limited speed of the power transistors used in the power switching circuit operating under high voltage. It is anticipated that the constructed power supply can be used as a plasma generator in a magnetron sputtering system for the deposition of oxide thin films such as Al2O3, NaxCo2O4, ITO and ZnO. This will be further investigated. .


Introduction The SAMMPRIS trial demonstrated that intracranial stenting for symptomatic intracranial stenosis ICS (70-99%) with the Wingspan system is significantly more dangerous than best medical management with a 30 day stroke or death rate of 12.5 % for stenting vs 5.3 % for medical management. Deployment of the Wingspan stent is a complicated four step procedure, including an exchange procedure. In contrast, the balloon mounted coronary stent (BMCS) is a single step process without the need for an exchange procedure. Based on our single centre experience, we hypothesise that intracranial stenting with BMCS is a less complicated, clinically viable alternative for patients with symptomatic ICS who fail best medical therapy. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients at our centre with symptomatic ICS (defined as >70%) and attempted placement of BMCS (n=39) between 12/2005-6/2012. The review was independent and conducted by members of the department of neurology, not members of the treatment team. Pretreatment ICS was measured by conventional cerebral angiography in all cases. Clinical outcomes included peri-procedural stroke or death prior to hospital discharge and all cause stroke or mortality within serial follow-up. Procedural outcomes included complications of stent placement and long-term stent patency. Follow-up was available up to 72 months with a mean follow-up of 21.8 months. Clinical outcomes were independently adjudicated by a stroke neurologist. Pre-treatment and follow-up angiography was adjudicated by an independent diagnostic neuroradiologist. Following the procedure, all patients are treated with combination aspirin 325 mg for life and clopidogrel for 90 days following stent placement. Results BMCS was attempted in 39 patients (15 women, 24 men; age range 30–80 years, mean 60.8 years). The technical success rate for the procedure was 95%. None of the patients who were treated for stenosis of the anterior circulation suffered a neurologic event. Four patients treated for posterior circulation stenosis suffered small peri-procedural infarcts. (2 basilar, 2 vertebral) None of the infarcts were haemorrhagic in nature. There were no periprocedural deaths. Clinical and angiographic follow up was available in 35 of the 39 patients. Beyond 30 days there were no stroke related deaths. Two late infarcts occurred. In one case the infarct occurred in the left MCA territory five months after placement of a left ICA stent. In the second case, the patient suffered a small right insular territory infarct three months following right MCA stent placement. In both cases angiograms revealed that the stents were patent. Thirty one of the thirty five patients available for follow up had no significant restenosis with an average follow up time of 25 months. There was one asymptomatic stent occlusion seen on 3 months follow-up. Three patients were successfully treated for restenosis. Conclusion This small single centre experience suggests that BMCS may be a safer alternative to the Wingspan stent for patients with symptomatic ICS who fail best medical therapy. Treatment of posterior circulation lesions was significantly more dangerous. Long term restenosis rates are low. Disclosures A. Evans: None. S. Geraughty: None. J. Gaughen: None. L. Jensen: None. M. Wintermark: None.


In this paper, we classify relatively minimal genus-$1$ holomorphic Lefschetz pencils up to smooth isomorphism. We first show that such a pencil is isomorphic to either the pencil on $\mathbb{P}^1\times \mathbb{P}^1$ of bi-degree $(2,2)$ or a blow-up of the pencil on $\mathbb{P}^2$ of degree $3$, provided that no fiber of a pencil contains an embedded sphere. (Note that one can easily classify genus-$1$ Lefschetz pencils with an embedded sphere in a fiber.) We further determine the monodromy factorizations of these pencils and show that the isomorphism class of a blow-up of the pencil on $\mathbb{P}^2$ of degree $3$ does not depend on the choice of blown-up base points. We also show that the genus-$1$ Lefschetz pencils constructed by Korkmaz-Ozbagci (with nine base points) and Tanaka (with eight base points) are respectively isomorphic to the pencils on $\mathbb{P}^2$ and $\mathbb{P}^1\times \mathbb{P}^1$ above, in particular these are both holomorphic.


Wikis, a popular tool for sharing knowledge, are basically collaborative editing systems. However, existing Wiki systems offer limited support for co-operative authoring, and they do not scale well, because they are based on a centralised architecture. This paper compares the well-known centralised MediaWiki system with several peer-to-peer approaches to editing of wiki pages: an operational transformation approach (MOT2), a commutativity-oriented approach (WOOTO) and a conflict resolution approach (ACF). We evaluate and compare them, according to a number of qualitative and quantitative metrics.


Land consolidation is a strategy for the development of Iranian rice-growing regions. The most important targets of the program are reducing rice farmers' expenses and increasing their income. The object of this article is to conduct a factor analysis of Iranian paddy-field consolidation. The research was conducted in the form of a survey study. The data was collected from188 farmers participating in a farm-development program in Guilan province, sampled using a stratified random sampling method. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using a Cronbach alpha coefficient (alpha >0.78) for different sections after conducting a pilot study. Factor analysis for farmers with rice fields in projects showed that five factors explained 63.92% of total variance. These factors were: 1) social, 2) instructional, 3) environmental, 4) economic and 5) institutional effects. Social effects alone, the factor with the greatest effect, explained 34.84% of total variance.


Abstract Within the international political economy (IPE) literature on global supply chains, there is growing debate about the effectiveness of private global supply chain solutions to address social and environmental problems. Most scholarship takes supply chain solutions at face value, investigating the circumstances under which they are effective, lacking, and how effectiveness could be incrementally improved. These studies have helpfully investigated operational and procedural issues associated with private governance and relationships between stakeholders in standard-setting processes. But the literature often loses sight of broader and more fundamental questions about whether or not private governance initiatives are actually working to solve the problems they've been established to address, like pollution, modern slavery, and global North and South inequalities. In this introduction to the Review of International Political Economy special issue on the hidden costs of global supply chains, we analyse key trends in the effectiveness of private governance solutions, drawing on our literature review of 290 academic journal articles and contributions within this collection. We argue that not only are global supply chain solutions falling short when it comes to many of the indicators that matter most, but they come with hidden costs – including unintended consequences, perverse effects, and unacknowledged impacts.


Cotton yield monitors are a new technology and their costs have not been thoroughly evaluated. This research evaluated yield gains and input savings required to cover the cost of a monitor. Spreading monitor costs over multiple VRT decisions reduces the required yield gain or cost savings for any one decision.


LC8 is a dimeric hub protein involved in a large number of interactions central to cell function. It binds short linear motifs--usually containing a Thr-Gln-Thr (TQT) triplet--in intrinsically disordered regions of its binding partners, some of which have several LC8 recognition motifs in tandem. Hallmarks of the 7-10 amino acid motif are a high variability of LC8 binding affinity and extensive sequence permutation outside the TQT triplet. To elucidate the molecular basis of motif recognition, we use a 69-residue segment of the human Chica spindle adaptor protein that contains four putative TQT recognition motifs in tandem. NMR-derived secondary chemical shifts and relaxation properties show that the Chica LC8 binding domain is essentially disordered with a dynamically restricted segment in one linker between motifs. Calorimetry of LC8 binding to synthetic motif-mimicking peptides shows that the first motif dominates LC8 recruitment. Crystal structures of the complexes of LC8 bound to each of two motif peptides show highly ordered and invariant TQT-LC8 interactions and more flexible and conformationally variable non-TQT-LC8 interactions. These data highlight rigidity in both LC8 residues that bind TQT and in the TQT portion of the motif as an important new characteristic of LC8 recognition. On the basis of these data and others in the literature, we propose that LC8 recognition is based on rigidly fixed interactions between LC8 and TQT residues that act as an anchor, coupled with inherently flexible interactions between LC8 and non-TQT residues. The "anchored flexibility" model explains the requirement for the TQT triplet and the ability of LC8 to accommodate a large variety of motif sequences and affinities.


TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. BACKGROUND A. FCPA Rules B. Companies Subject to the FCPA C. FCPA Liability in Mergers and Acquisitions II. PROBLEM AND PARTIAL SOLUTION A. Problem: Potential FCPA Liability Is a Significant Risk 1. Expensive Due Diligence Slows Transactions 2. Companies May Be Forced to Abandon Deals 3. Select Case Studies a. Pre-Acquisition Issues b. Post-Acquisition Issues B. Partial Solution: A Safe Harbor in Opinion Procedure Release 08-02 C. 2012 FCPA Guidance 1. Promotion of a Safe Harbor 2. Lingering Uncertainty III. COMPLETE SOLUTION: A SAFE HARBOR PROVISION IN THE FCPA A. Uncertainty Creates Need for Consistency B. A Proposed Safe Harbor Provision 1. Provision Text 2. Hypothetical Provision Explained 3. Comparison with Other Laws C. The Proposed Safe Harbor Provision in Practice IV. A SAFE HARBOR PROVISION WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH BUSINESSES AND THE GOVERNMENT A. Benefits for Companies 1. Lower Transaction Costs 2. Facilitating Mergers and Acquisitions B. Furthering the Purpose of the FCPA C. Alternatives and Counterarguments CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION In November of 2012, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) jointly issued a widely demanded and unprecedented resource guide to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). (1) "The Guidance" came in response to a letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of over thirty business organizations, representing the views of over three million businesses, that identified areas in critical need of clarification regarding the Agencies' enforcement of the FCPA. (2) Among several other requests, the Chamber of Commerce letter asked for particular guidance in mergers and acquisitions. The letter claimed, "[t]he threat of successor liability even if a thorough investigation is undertaken prior to a transaction has had a significant chilling effect on mergers and acquisitions, and therefore clearer parameters for successor liability under the FCPA are needed." (3) The letter, claiming that the FCPA reduces merger and acquisition activity, further explained that there "has been a chilling effect on legitimate business activity" as a result of uncertain enforcement practices. (4) In response, the Guidance pays close attention to FCPA enforcement in mergers and acquisitions and takes a significant step toward reducing uncertainty for businesses engaged in cross-border mergers and acquisitions. The Guidance, however, is not entirely clear and still presents companies with significant legal questions that they must weigh when considering cross-border transactions. This Note argues that although the Guidance dramatically reduces uncertainty in some instances, the FCPA still lacks clarity. To increase clarity and transactional certainty, the DOJ and SEC should provide additional clarification or include a provision that grants safe harbor from successor liability for FCPA violations in certain transactions. (5) Such change is especially necessary in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, in which proper pre-acquisition due diligence is inherently more difficult and sometimes impossible. (6) Part I presents the background of the FCPA and its impact on mergers and acquisitions. Part II discusses how unanticipated successor liability for FCPA issues can be difficult to discover and can be a significant barrier to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) (7) activity. This Part also notes the unique safe harbor from liability that was granted for a transaction in 2008 and analyzes the 2012 Guideline's expansion of this safe harbor. Part III argues that a clear safe harbor provision should be added to the FCPA and discusses how that provision should be structured, and Part IV explains how a safe harbor provision, whether as extended in the Guidance or as proposed in Part III, is good economic and legal policy. …


Abstract : The end of the Cold War has presented the free world unique opportunities to create new order and security in Europe. The U.S. National Security Strategy advances the notion that global integration will bring stability and it advocates the use of military engagement activities to promote democracy and build relationships with nations that were once our former adversaries. Developing the trust and confidence of both political and military institutions are key to the promotion of democratic ideals. The National Guard's State Partnership Program is an engagement tool that exemplifies the democratic process through the citizen-soldier and their connection to the heart of America's communities. The involvement of the National Guard in helping new nations build democratic institutions is a sound concept that capitalizes on the strengths that Guard members bring through the combination of their military and civilian acquired skills. The reserve component model also offers emerging nations an economical alternative to more costly active forces and conveys a non-threatening defensive posture to their neighbors. The utility of reserve forces in providing military support to civil authorities during emergencies is another benefit demonstrated through partnership engagement activities. The military and civilian contacts conducted through the State Partnership Program offer great potential for building relationships that promote regional stability while providing the Guard opportunities for overseas deployments in a coalition environment. This paper will examine the California National Guard's partnership with Ukraine under the U.S. engagement strategy and the benefits associated with this national security objective.


A nonsmooth (hybrid) 3-D mathematical model of a snake robot (without wheels) is developed and experimentally validated in this paper. The model is based on the framework of nonsmooth dynamics and convex analysis that allows us to easily and systematically incorporate unilateral contact forces (i.e., between the snake robot and the ground surface) and friction forces based on Coulomb's law of dry friction. Conventional numerical solvers cannot be employed directly due to set-valued force laws and possible instantaneous velocity changes. Therefore, we show how to implement the model for numerical treatment with a numerical integrator called the time-stepping method. This method helps to avoid explicit changes between equations during simulation even though the system is hybrid. Simulation results for the serpentine motion pattern lateral undulation and sidewinding are presented. In addition, experiments are performed with the snake robot ldquoAikordquo for locomotion by lateral undulation and sidewinding, both with isotropic friction. For these cases, back-to-back comparisons between numerical results and experimental results are given.


The coal-fired power stations are particularly complex, important polluting agents. The chimneys for evacuation of burning gases represent the high polluting sources on the environment, while the ash dumps low sources. The Rovinari coal-fired power stations has an installed power of 1720 MW, including several energetic groups built in 1972-1979 period and it use as a fuel the lignite extracted by surface mining in the respective area. From the geomorphological viewpoint, this area belongs to the Câlnic-Câmpul Mare interhilly depression whose altitude, at the Rovinari, is 150 m. The soil forming factors causing the soil evolution have been the rock, parental material and relief, all of them determining the evolution of lithomorphic zonal soils. The soils in the analyzed area represented by the classes: luvisols, hydrisols, cambisols and protisols. The subject of this paper is dealing with the loading degree of soils in the territory affected by the emissions from the Rovinari coal-fired power station. In this, soil samples have been collected from 40 main soil profiles oriented to all the cardinal directions. These soil samples have been analyzed in order to know: pH, base saturation degree, humus, total nitrogen, mobile phosphorus and potassium, heavy metals and sulfur. Within the zone influenced by the Rovinari coal-fired power station, the main pollutants are sulfur dioxide, coal dust and the ash which contains carbon as well as silicon dioxide, aluminium oxides, and alkaline and alkaline earth metals (Ca, Mg, K). Secondary pollutants are heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd), pollution which affects the normal contents of soil, on the one hand, and the concentrations in plants and the human health, on the other hand.


Background Activity monitoring is a necessary technique to ensure stroke survivors' activity levels in the hospital are within optimal levels as this is important for enhanced motor recovery. However, this could be time-consuming for healthcare professionals like physiotherapists. Activity monitoring by caregivers could be an alternate option. Therefore, our aim was to compare the activity monitoring of stroke survivors by caregivers and physiotherapists during early phase in a hospital setting. Methods An observation study was carried out in the neuroscience ward in a tertiary care hospital among 17 stroke survivors. Physiotherapist and caregivers were instructed to use an activity log chart that was developed during previous research conducted by the same authors for observing the activities performed by the patients every 15 minutes from 8 AM to 5 PM across one day. Data collected were analysed using Stata 15. Kappa statistics were carried out to determine the agreement of the observations between the two raters. Results A total of 10 male and seven female caregivers of stroke survivors with a mean age of 40.11 ± 9.2 years and a trained physiotherapist participated in the study. A total of 272 observations of caregivers were in agreement with that of the physiotherapist. Inter-rater Kappa statistics showed 60% agreement between the physiotherapist and the caregivers (p<0.05). Conclusions There was moderate agreement between the physiotherapist and caregiver for activity monitoring of stroke survivors. This suggests behavioural mapping by caregivers may be a potential alternative solution in healthcare settings.


Cuba is a large neighbor of the U.S. Southeast with substantial export potential when the embargo is lifted. The present paper estimates the potential gains from trade in Southeastern agricultural export markets calibrating linear excess supply and excess demand to observed prices, outputs, exports, Cuban imports, and price elasticities in the literature. Linear excess supply and demand gauge market gains from trade in rice, grains, soybeans, poultry, pork, and meat. This paper is the first direct application of excess supply and excess demand with its focus on the international market and total surplus gains from trade. A brief review of Cuban trade history provides perspective on trade potential and motivates major assumptions of the model. The largest gains are for rice, grains, and soybeans with moderate gains for poultry and pork. Across these markets, total surplus increases over 3%.


This paper investigated perceptions of self-instructional radio (SIR) materials by learners of English in the Japanese context and factors affecting completion and non-completion of the materials. The study found that the major advantage of the materials is that the fixed on-air schedule helps learners maintain a regular learning schedule. However, the same characteristic was perceived by other learners to be a major drawback, as these materials seem inflexible. Within the materials, the skit section was perceived to be the most useful and the most interesting, since the section provided learners with English conversations that have useful expressions in a context. For future materials, I report learners' suggestions for new sections with the goal of minimizing the drawbacks of the medium (e.g., adding a test section that confirms learners' understanding of the materials). Finally, the paper provides suggestions to the three kinds of stakeholders, namely teacher-figures, material designers and learners, as to how to lower the relatively high drop-out rates of the format. By maximizing the advantages and minimizing the drawbacks, radio materials could possibly serve as a major type of second language self-instructional materials in the era of lifelong learning. TAKAHASHI – JAPANESE LEARNERS' PERCEPTIONS OF SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL RADIO MATERIALS 2


The extension of technological progress to small-scale agricultural producers is an unavoidable issue in any strategy aimed at changing production patterns with equity in the rural environment. With a few exceptions, analysis of the achievements of public policies in this area reveals that they have fallen far short of their goals even in periods when the restrictions on public spending were nothing like as severe as those faced by the economies of the region today. One option which has not yet been sufficiently explored is that of involving agroindustry in the task of bringing technological progress to small-scale farmers who could become suppliers of raw materials, although to judge from some spontaneous experiences there are some forms of linkages which could raise the levels of production and productivity of such farmers. This article seeks to show that there is a need for the adoption of policies designed to incentivate agroindustry to play the role of an agent of technical progress in the small-scale- agriculture sector and gives some guidelines for the design of such policies.


In this study, a novel reduced degree-of-freedom (rDOF) aortic valve model is employed to investigate the fluid-structure interaction and hemodynamics associated with aortic stenosis. The dynamics of the valve leaflets are determined by an ordinary differential equation with two parameters and this rDOF model is shown to reproduce key features of more complex valve models. The hemodynamics associated with aortic stenosis is studied for three cases: a healthy case and two stenosed cases. The focus of the study is to correlate the hemodynamic features with the source generation mechanism of systolic murmurs associated with aortic stenosis. In the healthy case, extremely weak flow fluctuations are observed. However, in the stenosed cases, simulations show significant turbulent fluctuations in the asending aorta, which are responsible for the generation of strong wall pressure fluctuations after the aortic root mostly during the deceleration phase of the systole. The intensity of the murmur generation increases with the severity of the stenosis, and the source locations for the two diseased cases studied here lies around 1.0 inlet duct diameters ($D_o$) downstream of the ascending aorta.


In the past two decades, the rejection of the fidelity criterion has led to the release of a multitude of films that rework and appropriate canonical literary works to suit local political goals. The works of William Shakespeare have been some of the main beneficiaries of this new direction, as indicated by the significant number of appropriations, remediations, and 'tradaptations' (translations-adaptations) that have turned Shakespeare into a global figure. In this article I focus on two film adaptations of Othello, O (Nelson, 2001) and Omkara (Bhardwaj, 2006), that recontextualize the play's narrative content into two different settings at the turn of the millennia: the American South and India. My aim is to highlight the manner in which the two films repurpose the content of the play in order to reveal the tensions that mark the two local cultures. Early modern concerns such as miscegenation, female sexuality, and religious and racial otherness are appropriated and represented along new cultural coordinates that reflect the anxieties of the two new local cultures. For example, in O, the issue of miscegenation is translated in accordance with the racism that marks the conservative American South, while in Omkara miscegenation is translated as the conflict between two Indian views on marriage: the traditional one that advocates arranged marriages, and the modern one that supports love marriages.


SoCTRix is a research demonstrator project, defined and run under the Swedish Socware program. SocTRix serves as a vehicle and focal point for the development of the Socware network, forming a common platform for the active cooperation between partners from national and international industry, universities and research institutes. Acreo is responsible for the management and technical coordination of the project and also takes the responsibility for the system design and development of the actual transceiver hardware and software. This paper briefly describes the scope and some of the achieved results half way into the project.


Peripheral nervous system abnormalities occur in 5% of patients with lymphoma and have a wide differential diagnosis. Herpes zoster is the commonest cause. Vinca alkaloids are the only drugs used in lymphoma which commonly cause neuropathy. Compression or infiltration of nerve roots by lymphoma is a rare presenting feature but becomes more common with advanced disease. Radiation plexopathy does not usually develop until at least 6 months after irradiation and can be difficult to distinguish from neoplastic infiltration. Either multifocal infiltration of nerves or lymphoma-associated vasculitis may present as a peripheral neuropathy. The incidence of Guillain-Barré (GBS) syndrome, and possibly chronic idiopathic demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, appears to be increased in association with lymphoma, especially Hodgkin's disease. Subacute sensory neuronopathy and subacute lower motor neuronopathy have both been reported as paraneoplastic syndromes associated with Hodgkin's disease. Treatment of the underlying lymphoma is only rarely followed by recovery of the associated neuropathy.


With an estimated present global market of US$ 86.3 billion and expected annual increase around 7.9 % from now to 2020, sensors are nowadays one of the most active areas of research and technological developments [1] and a basic pillar of the emerging mobile health strategy that is expected to be revolutionizing healthcare in the near future. The biosensor and chemical sensor category is one of the most growing segment of this market, mainly due to increased use for medical purposes. Wearable electrochemical sensors conform a particularly flourishing category that benefits from the improvements in micro and nano fabrication of electrodes and instrumental components based on a range of new electrode materials (e.g. graphene). They are also expanding thanks to the widespread availability of advanced signal processing and management technologies on smartphones, tablets and similar portable devices. The aim of this contribution is to highlight the most outstanding recent progresses in the field of wearable electrochemical sensors for decentralized bioanalysis and show some examples of research trends that will shape the sector and expand applicability fields in the near future.


Sports competitions are widely researched in computer and social science, with the goal of understanding how players act under uncertainty. While there is an abundance of computational work on player metrics prediction based on past performance, very few attempts to incorporate out-of-game signals have been made. Specifically, it was previously unclear whether linguistic signals gathered from players' interviews can add information which does not appear in performance metrics. To bridge that gap, we define text classification tasks of predicting deviations from mean in NBA players' in-game actions, which are associated with strategic choices, player behavior and risk, using their choice of language prior to the game. We collected a dataset of transcripts from key NBA players' pre-game interviews and their in-game performance metrics, totaling in 5,226 interview-metric pairs. We design neural models for players' action prediction based on increasingly more complex aspects of the language signals in their open-ended interviews. Our models can make their predictions based on the textual signal alone, or on a combination with signals from past-performance metrics. Our text-based models outperform strong baselines trained on performance metrics only, demonstrating the importance of language usage for action prediction. Moreover, the models that employ both textual input and past-performance metrics produced the best results. Finally, as neural networks are notoriously difficult to interpret, we propose a method for gaining further insight into what our models have learned. Particularly, we present an LDA-based analysis, where we interpret model predictions in terms of correlated topics. We find that our best performing textual model is most associated with topics that are intuitively related to each prediction task and that better models yield higher correlation with more informative topics.


This thesis deals with the derivation of the basic reproduction number (R0) for vector-borne diseases, in the context of studying the effect of climate change on the risk of emergence diseases. Vector-borne diseases are transmitted from an infected individual to another individual by vectors, usually arthropods. Striking examples of emergence of vector-borne diseases are the introduction and spread of West Nile virus in the New World, the bluetongue epidemic in the Netherlands and surrounding countries, and the recent outbreak of chikungunya in Italy. The (re-)emergence of vector-borne diseases has often been linked to climate change, as the survival and development rates of vectors and the development rates of pathogens are often highly sensitive to temperature and other climatic factors. Within the framework of a large multidisciplinary research project, we developed epidemiological models and/or risk maps for various diseases, including West Nile virus, Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, bluetongue and canine leishmaniasis. The common underlying methodology in all studies is the use of the next-generation methodology to derive an expression for the basic reproduction number (R0). R0 is defined as the average number of secondary cases caused by one typical infectious individual placed in a population consisting entirely of susceptible individuals. R0 is a measure of the success of invasion of a pathogen into a population of susceptible individuals; if an average case infects more than one other individual, a chain reaction starts and a large outbreak is possible, whereas if a case causes on average less than one new case, the introduction will fail. The next-generation matrix is a method used to overcome problems that arise from the fact that vector-borne diseases involve different types of infected individuals: at least one vector species and one host species. The dominant eigenvalue of a next-generation matrix equals R0. Here, the next-generation method is applied to various vector-borne diseases. In Chapters 2, 3 and 4, the focus is on the correct derivation of an expression of R0 and on quantifying the contribution of different transmission routes to R0; this was done for West Nile virus and for several tick-borne diseases. Another important aim of this project is the development of a methodology to construct risk maps, with which the effect of changes in climate or land use on the risk of vector-borne disease can be studied. In Chapters 5 and 6, the construction of R0 maps is demonstrated for bluetongue in The Netherlands and for canine leishmaniasis in a region in France. An R0 map gives the value of R0 for each area or point on the map, indicating the risk that an introduction in this area will lead to an outbreak. To construct these maps, all relevant biological, epidemiological and environmental information for each disease had to be brought together in a Geographical Information System. This is now possible, what is now needed is proper validation and more standardized, long-term field work and lab work to inform such systems. After all, a model is as good as the data that it based upon.


OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the effect of a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser treatment on the clinical parameters and crevicular Interleukin-1 (IL-1beta) levels when used in combination with gingival flap surgery.

METHODS
Twelve patients with moderate to advanced periodontitis were selected for this study. Three quadrants in each patient were randomly assigned to one of the following study groups: 1) flap surgery only as the (control); 2) flap surgery and laser treatment using an energy level of 0.8 W as (group 1); 3) flap surgery and laser treatment using an energy level of 0.5 W as (group 2). The gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was collected at the baseline and biweekly for 6 weeks and the amount of IL-1beta concentration in the sulcular fluid was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The clinical parameters such as the probing pocket depth, the clinical attachment level, the gingival recession and the bleeding on probing were recorded at the baseline, 3, 6 months.

RESULTS
Marked reductions of the bleeding on probing, the probing pocket depth, the clinical attachment level and a reduction in the crevicular IL-1beta concentration were found in all groups. However, the differences between the groups in terms of bleeding on probing and the probing pocket depth were not significant (p<0.05). The clinical attachment level and the crevicular IL-1beta level were significantly lower in group 1 (0.8 W) than in the control (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The additional use of a carbon dioxide laser on the root surface during gingival flap surgery may enhance the clinical attachment and reduce the crevicular IL-1beta concentration.


Research ethics, once a platform for declaring intent, discussing moral issues and providing advice and guidance to researchers, has developed over time into an extra-legal regulatory system, complete with steering documents (ethics guidelines), overseeing bodies (research ethics committees) and formal procedures (informed consent). The process of institutionalizing distrust is usually motivated by reference to past atrocities committed in the name of research and the need to secure the trustworthiness of the research system. This article examines some limitations of this approach. First, past atrocities cannot provide the necessary justification unless institutionalized distrust is a necessary or efficient means to prevent future ones – and there are several reasons to doubt this. Second, the efficacy of ethics review in safeguarding morally acceptable research depends on the moral competence and integrity of individual researchers – the very qualities that institutionalized distrust calls into question. Third, ethics guidelines cannot, as is sometimes assumed, educate or guide researchers in moral behaviour unless they already possess considerable capacity for moral judgment. Fourth, institutionalized distrust is a potential threat to the moral competence and integrity of researchers by encouraging a blinkered view of ethical issues, inducing moral heteronomy through incentives, and alienating them to research ethics. We conclude that the moral problem posed by inappropriate short-term behaviour on behalf of researchers is dwarfed by the potential long-term consequences if their moral competence is allowed to deteriorate. Measures must therefore be taken to ensure that researchers are equipped to take their individual responsibility and are not obstructed from so doing.


Anthropogenic activities and their influences on aquatic systems is an important topic, especially considering the growing interest in using the earth's resources in a sustainable way. One of those anthropogenic activities is the introduction of renewable technologies into the aquatic environment such as instream turbines. Environmental studies around those technologies are often still ongoing due to their novelty. During the spring of 2018, juvenile individuals of two salmonid species, Atlantic salmon and brown trout were released upstream a vertical axis instream turbine in the river Dal (Dalälven) in eastern Sweden. The aim of this study was to investigate the swimming behavior of the salmonids around a small‐scale prototype vertical axis instream turbine. The swimming pattern and the possible response of avoiding the vertical axis instream turbine were documented with a multi beam sonar. A control area, next to the turbine, was used as reference. No consistent results were shown for trout as they were passing the control area with a statistically high variation, and specimens were rarely observed in proximity of the turbine, neither if the turbine was operating nor at stand still. Salmon clearly avoided the operating turbine, but did not avoid the turbine when it was at stand still, and was often observed swimming straight through the turbine area. These findings indicate that operating this type of instream turbine in a river affects the swimming behavior of Atlantic salmon but is unlikely to affect its migration paths. For brown trout, the statistical results are inconclusive, although data indicate a response of avoiding the turbine. The species are in little risk to suffer physical harm as no fish entered the rotating turbine, despite very turbid water conditions.


Haemophilus is an extremely rare cause of endophthalmitis in the immediate postoperative period, but it is a well-established causative agent of late-onset endophthalmitis associated with either intentional or inadvertent filtering blebs. 1,2 To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of endophthalmitis due to Haemophilus aphrophilus in a patient with an inadvertent bleb following cataract extraction. Report of a Case. —A 51-year-old white man presented with a 5-day history of a red, painful right eye associated with decreased visual acuity of approximately 48 hours' duration. His ocular history was significant for an uneventful extracapsular cataract extraction in the right eye with a posterior chamber intraocular lens placement 2 years earlier. He denied any recent history of fever, chills, local eye trauma, cardiac valvular disease, recent sinusitis, or oral soft-tissue infections. Visual acuity was light perception in the right eye and 20/20 OS. There was no evidence of an afferent