Work placements for students bridge the gap between school and the world of work and the vocational training system. They are part of a comprehensive set of measures for vocational orientation and are organized by a multi-professional team of different actors, such as teachers and other educational staff involved in the process of secondary education and professionals working in institutions that accompany the transition. Though little research has been done on inclusive vocational guidance, it can be assumed that complexity of this process will increase with new cooperations. This article presents results from multi-professional group discussions with participants from various institutions and derives competences for inclusive vocational guidance in schools. The results point to the necessity of identifying fields of action, investigating cooperation between actors within the school system and, above all, determining knowledge references that arise subject-specifically for inclusive vocational orientation from the needs of students with special educational needs.


The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which indicators on the language and literacy and mathematical thinking domains of a curriculumembedded performance assessment functioned differently for urban, African American and White male students. A sample of 852 first-grade male students in a large urban school district, located in the southeastern part of the United States, was included in the study. An ordinal logistic regression procedure was used to investigate differential item functioning for indicators on the domains. Results showed differences in the average ratings of African American and White male students on 25 of the 26 indicators. However, the indicators did not function differently for the ethnicity groups when students were matched on ability level.


Acetoin is a high-value-added industrial product and a promising bio-based platform chemical. The two chiral enantiomers of acetoin are important potential pharmaceutical intermediates. However, at present it is very expensive to produce optically pure acetoin using conventional chemical synthesis methods. While classical biocatalysis fulfils many key criteria of green chemistry, it also comes with many other disadvantages, e.g. complicated process engineering, the need for expensive substrates and/or inducers, problematic production strains, or unsatisfactory titers. By redirecting metabolic fluxes, fine-tuning the activities of key enzymes and improving the strains' genetic stability, the systematically engineered strain CGR5 was constructed, which offered improved D-(−)-acetoin production with optical purity surpassing 99.9%. Furthermore, acetoin production was increased significantly by the optimization of dissolved oxygen levels and culture medium components. Under aerobic conditions, the best strain CGR7 produced 96.2 g L−1D-(−)-acetoin, with a productivity of 1.30 g (L h)−1 in a 5 L batch fermenter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on producing optically pure D-(−)-acetoin with the highest titer, without multi-stage fermentation, concentration of cells by centrifugation or other complicated process steps. The process therefore is efficient and environmentally friendly. These results furthermore demonstrate that the biosafety level 1 microorganism C. glutamicum is a competitive choice for industrial-level production of optically pure D-(−)-acetoin.


The cingulum bundle (CB) is one of the brain's major white matter pathways, linking regions associated with executive function, decision-making, and emotion. Neuroimaging has revealed that abnormalities in particular locations within the CB are associated with specific psychiatric disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. However, the fibers using each portion of the CB remain unknown. In this study, we used anatomical tract-tracing in nonhuman primates (Macaca nemestrina, Macaca fascicularis, Macaca mulatta) to examine the organization of specific cingulate, noncingulate frontal, and subcortical pathways through the CB. The goals were as follows: (1) to determine connections that use the CB, (2) to establish through which parts of the CB these fibers travel, and (3) to relate the CB fiber pathways to the portions of the CB identified in humans as neurosurgical targets for amelioration of psychiatric disorders. Results indicate that cingulate, noncingulate frontal, and subcortical fibers all travel through the CB to reach both cingulate and noncingulate targets. However, many brain regions send projections through only part, not all, of the CB. For example, amygdala fibers are not present in the caudal portion of the dorsal CB. These results allow segmentation of the CB into four unique zones. We identify the specific connections that are abnormal in psychiatric disorders and affected by neurosurgical interventions, such as deep brain stimulation and cingulotomy.


One hundred fetuses of the Sprague‐Dawley rat were used: ten for each prenatal day, beginning with the twelfth day of gestation. Pregnant animals were sacrificed, fetuses removed and subsequently fixed in buffered formalin solution. Fetal heads were dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned serially in the rostrocaudal direction at 10 to 15 μ. Serial sections from fetuses representing each day of gestation were stained with either H and E, Mallory's trichrome procedure, Gomori's reaction for alkaline phosphatase, or Steedman's alcian blue reaction. At the twelfth day, the primary nasal cavities were first observed. One day later, the nasobuccal membrane was established, and the vomeronasal organ invaginated into the nasal septum. Following the rupture of the membrane, at the fourteenth day, the nasal and buccal cavities remained in communication until the palatal shelves fused with the septum, at the seventeenth day. Prior to the thirteenth day, the septal skeleton is mesenchymal. The ossification in the vomer started at the sixteenth day and expanded progressively throughout prenatal life. First glandular primordia, one on each side of the septum, were observed during the sixteenth day, the number increased to five at term. The ducts ended in single blind sacs, before the eighteenth day, afterwards, the ducts presented an increasing number of collateral and terminal branches. There was no evidence of mucigen secretion from the septal glands during prenatal life. The initial stratified olfactory epithelium differentiated morphologically into a vestibular, respiratory, and an olfactory epithelium prior to the sixteenth prenatal day.


VOLUME ONE: INDIAN SOCIOLOGY: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Foreword - T K Oommen Introduction - L Thara Bhai Sociology in Independent India - D P Mukerji Sociology of Development and Planning in India - R N Saksena Indian Sociology: Historical Development and Present Problems - Ramkrishna Mukherjee The Role of Social Sciences in India: A Sociology of Knowledge - Yogendra Singh Sociology of Indian Tradition and Tradition of Indian Sociology - Krishna Prakash Gupta Teaching and Research in Sociology in India - C Lakshmanna Reflections on Social Science Research in India - P C Joshi Indian Sociology: Search for Authentic Identity - A R Momin Indian Sociology and Sociology in India: Some Reflexions on Their Being - Jayant K Lele Sociology in India: A Plea for Contextualisation - T K Oommen Sociology in India and Its Future - M N Srinivas Beyond Fifty Years of India's Independence: Challenges to Scientific Sociology - Victor S D'Souza Indian Sociology in Crisis: The Need for Regional Orientation - Hetukar Jha Locating the Humanities and the Social Sciences in Institutes of Technology - Ravinder Kaur Sociology and Current Affairs - Andre Beteille VOLUME 2: CHANGING CASTE: IDEOLOGY, IDENTITY AND MOBILITY Foreword - Dipankar Gupta Introduction - Surinder S Jodhka Part One: Conceptualizing Change Varna and Jati - Andre Beteille Caste and Class: Some Aspects of Continuity and Change - Yogendra Singh A Conceptual Framework for the Analysis of Caste - Yogesh Atal Sanskritisation Revisited - A M Shah Part Two: Dimensions of Change Caste in Transition - K M Kapadia Social Mobility among the Madiga of Karnataka - Lalita Chandrashekhar Social Mobility and Conversion of the Mahars - Sunanda Patwardhan Co-operatives and Caste in Maharashtra: A Case Study - B S Baviskar Part Three: Ideology, Identity and Political Sociology of Caste Ideology, Power and Resistance in a South Indian Village - N Sudhakar Rao The Dalit Sahitya Movement in Maharashtra: A Sociological Analysis - Uttam Bhoite and Anuradha Bhoite Caste and Democracy: Assertion and Identity among the Dalits of Rural Punjab - Surinder S Jodhka Caste, Ethnicity and Problems of National Identity in Sri Lanka - Kalinga Tudor Silva VOLUME THREE: AGRARIAN CHANGE AND MOBILIZATION Foreword - D N Dhanagare Introduction: Agrarian Studies in Indian Sociology - B B Mohanty Part One: Changing Agrarian Economy: Land, Labour and Credit Landholding Pattern and Power Relations in a Mysore Village - C Parvathamma Understanding Economic Exchanges in Rural India: Towards a Framework - Balgovind Baboo Agricultural Modernisation in Rural Orissa: Land Transfer and Ownership Pattern - B B Mohanty Mutual Exchange Labour in a Changing Agrarian Economy - G K Karanth Agrarian Relations in Tanjore District, South India - Andre Beteille Classes and Classification among the Peasantry of Central India: Relations of Production in Village Parsania, Madhya Pradesh - Ravindra K Jain Evolution of Agrarian Structure and Relations in Jalpaiguri District (West Bengal): A Case Study of Subsistence Setting - Virginius Xaxa Caste, Agrarian Relations and Agrarian Conflicts - Gail Omvedt Class Structure in Rural Orissa - Jaganath Pathy Caste and Agrarian Economic Structure-A Study of Rural Bihar - Gaurang R Sahay Part Two: Agrarian Change and Social Mobilization The Politics of Survival: Peasant Organizations and the Left-wing in India, 1925-46 - D N Dhanagare Agrarian Structure, Proletarianisation and Social Mobilisation - Partha Nath Mukherji and Manabendu Chattopadhyay Agrarian Structure and Peasant Mobilisation: The Bataidari Struggle in Madhubani, 1967-75 - M N Karna Agrarian Classes and Political Mobilization in India - T K Oommen VOLUME FOUR: ON THE MARGINS: TRIBES, CASTES AND OTHER SOCIAL CATEGORIES Foreword - Virginius Xaxa Introduction - Abhijit Dasgupta Part One: The Socio-Cultural Marginality: Dalits and Tribes The Weaker Sections of Society: The Scheduled Castes in India - C Parvathamma Understanding the Modern Dalit Movement - John C B Webster Socio-cultural Marginality: A Theory of Urban Slums and Poverty in India - Victor S D'Souza Meaning and Process of Tribal Integration in a Democratic Society - B K Roy Burman Homecoming: Ho Women, Work, and Land Rights in Jharkhand - Ritambhara Hebbar Part Two: The Working Class The Field of Labour - N R Sheth Rajasthani Contract Labour in Delhi: A Case Study of the Relationship between Company, Middleman and Worker - Maren Bellwinkel Organising Unorganised Workers: The Case of Bindery Workers in Calcutta - Biswajit Ghosh Part Three: Marginal and Liminal Categories On Some Aspects of Family Structures of the Refugees of West Bengal 1947-48 - Kanti Pakras Foreigners, Refugees and Outsiders in the Indian Context - T K Oommen Negotiating Gender and Disability in Rural Haryana - Nilika Mehrotra VOLUME FIVE: THEMES IN SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION Foreword - A R Vasavi Introduction: Themes in Sociology of Education (1959-2010) - R Indira Part One: Debates and Perspectives Sociology of Education-An Attempt at Definition and Scope - B V Shah Education, Social Structure and Culture - Asoke Basu Feminist Pedagogy and Sociology for Emancipation in India - Sharmila Rege For Sociology in Teacher Education - Karuna Ahmad In Search of Relevant Education - Mala Khullar Part Two: Women and Minorities: Educational Experiences Ethnicity and Education: A Socio-historical Perspective on the Educational Backwardness of Indian Muslims - N Jayaram The Gender Gap in Literacy and Education among the Scheduled Tribes in Jharkhand and West Bengal - Arun Kumar Ghosh Women Research Scholars in IITs: Impact of Social Milieu and Organizational Environment - Namrata Gupta Part Three: Policy and Pedagogies Educational Policy in India: Critical Issues - A R Kamat Lessons from Contemporary Schools - Nita Kumar Part Four: Environment Teaching of Sociology through the Regional Language - Neera Desai and Sudha Gogate The Changing Roles of Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century - Rajendra Pandey VOLUME SIX: SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL MOVEMENT Foreword - Partha Nath Mukherji Introduction - D R Sahu Part One: Conceptual and Theoretical Social Movement and Social Change: Towards a Conceptual Clarification and Theoretical Framework - Partha Nath Mukherji Sociological Issues in the Analysis of Social Movements in Independent India - T K Oommen Movements of Protest, Construction of Centres and State Formation in India and Europe - S N Eisenstadt and Harriet Hartman Part Two: Agrarian Agrarian Social Structure and Peasant Unrest: A Study of Land-grab Movement in District Basti, East U.P. - Rajendra Singh Traditional Institutions and Cultural Practices vis-a-vis Agrarian Mobilisation: The Case of Bhartiya Kisan Union - Gaurang R Sahay Politics of Class (ness) in the Farmers' Movement in India: Validity of the New Social Movement Paradigm - Vibha Arora Part Three: Adivasis/Minorities The Janajati/Adivasi Movement in Nepal: Myths and Realities of Indigeneity - Gerard Toffin Social Origins of the Sri Lankan Tamils' Militant Movement - Chitra Sivakumar Part Four: Environment Parks, People and Protest: The Mediating Role of Environmental Action Groups - Ranjit Dwivedi Global Discourses and Local Mobilisations: The Case of 'Barh Mukti Abhiyan' - Manish K Thakur Revisiting the Baliraja Dam Struggle: A Study of an Environmental Movement in Maharashtra - Satyapriya Rout VOLUME SEVEN: INDIAN SOCIOLOGY OVER THE YEARS: SELECTED PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES OF ALL INDIA SOCIOLOGICAL CONFERENCES (1967-20120) Foreword - T N Madan Introduction - Jacob John Kattakayam Sociology and Sociologists in India Today - M N Srinivas Modernization and Development: Trends in India - R N Saksena The Sociologist and the Social Reality - Ramkrishna Mukherjee Indian Sociology at the Turning Point - S C Dube The Concept of Desired Type of Society and the Problems of Social Change - I P Desai Relevance of the Marxist Approach to the Study of Indian Society - A R Desai Social Policy and the Sociologist - M S Gore Problems and Perspectives in the Study of Sociology - Y B Damle Sociology and Social Transformation in India: The Neglect of the Idea of Fraternity - Victor S D'Souza Rural Probings: The Launching Base and the Rockets - Brijraj Chauhan Some Reflections on Sociological Research and Teaching in India - A M Shah Sociology and the Emerging Challenge of Change - Yogendra Singh The Future of Independent India: What Can Sociologists Do? - Indra Deva Conceptualising Nation and Nationality in South Asia - T K Oommen NGOs and Civil Society in India - B S Baviskar Social Policy Concerns in Indian Sociology - D N Dhanagare Sociology for What? Rethinking Sociology in an Era of Transformatory Changes - Partha Nath Mukherji Sociology's Quest for 'Society': An Enquiry into the Current Pursuits and Needed Concerns in the Discipline - P K B Nayar Higher Education in India: A System on the Verge of Chaos - Uttam B Bhoite Development, Polity, and Social Tensions - Jacob John Kattakayam


We study, longitudinally and ethnographically, the construction of legitimacy and identity during the life cycle of an entrepreneurial Internet firm, from inception to death. We utilize organizational scripts to examine how social actors enact identity and legitimacy, maintaining that different scripts, both contested and consent–oriented, become the source of action for acquiring legitimacy and creating organizational identity. We show that scripts enable entrepreneurs and other social actors to invoke a set of interactions within and outside the organization. Scripts construct values and interests, form social bonding and consented actions, and eventually shape and reshape the individual and institutional contexts of identity and legitimacy. We found that the strategic action of organizational members in pursuing and enacting their preferred scripts depends on their position and role in the organization. We observed that the institutionalization of simultaneously competing scripts created a path–dependent process leading to organizational conflict and eventual failure.


Breaking the class ceiling? A case study of a university mathematics student from a non-academic background. In this paper we report from a case study of a student from non-academic background, who has continued on to study mathematics in higher education. Bourdieu's concepts of capital, habitus, and field were used to analyse the student's trajectory into university mathematics, with a particular focus on mathematics specific capital. Data was collected through classroom observations and three semi-structured interviews, over a period of three years. The analysis showed how the student acquired mathematics capital by acting as an informal teaching assistant, thus receiving recognition from both peers and teachers for his mathematical abilities. The longitudinal interviews also demonstrated how the student has continuously been able to expand his social capital related to mathematics and science. We argue that it is important for higher education researchers and teachers to consider disciplinary specific capital, and also to provide students with opportunities to acquire such capital.


The first prototype of a technologically improved integrated waveguide absorbance optode (IWAO) was developed and tested with a membrane based on a new H+-selective ketocyanine dye and a cadmium ionophore. It was designed with curved instead of rectilinear planar waveguides. Results demonstrated the suitability of the new IWAOs to be employed as sensing platforms, which confer versatility, robustness, and mass production capabilities besides high sensitivity on conventional bulk optodes, as well as the usefulness of such dyes in developing ion-selective membranes in combination with a selective ionophore. The sensor integration as a detector in a flow injection system (FIA) was proposed to obtain an automated, simple, and sufficiently reproducible (RSD <5%) analytical methodology with a sample throughput of 55 h(-1). Very sensitive optodes were obtained, and detection limits on the order of 20 ppb were achieved. Because of the ionophore employed, the optode system showed excellent selectivity over alkali and alkaline-earth metals with the exception of samples containing lead and cadmium ions, where the membrane responded to both analytes. The proposed procedure combines all the advantages of the FIA systems, the simplicity of optical detection, ion recognition selectivity, and sensitivity of ketocyanine dyes, and the features achieved using the integrated device, which comprise an improved sensitivity and short response times as well as robustness, easy handling, and mass production.


A formal Devonian chitinozoan biozonation for western Gondwana is proposed. This palaeogeographic province corresponds to South America, and was located in medium to high latitudes during the Devonian. Devonian chitinozoans are known from northern Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and eastern Paraguay. Altogether 230 localities (including wells and outcrops) are included in this study, and 171 species have been encountered. One new species, Angochitina praedensibaculata , is described. A biozonation based on the first occurrence of critical chitinozoan species is introduced. Thirteen biozones are defined: the Angochitina praedensibaculata , Angochitina strigosa , Urochitina loboi , Ramochitina magnifica , Ancyrochitina pachycerata, Ancyrochitina parisi , Alpenachitina eisenacki , Ramocllitina stiphrospinata ,  Fungochitina microspinosa - Ancyrochitina taouratinensis , Hoegisphaera glabra , Urochitina bastosi - Sommeroci1itina langei , Fungochitina fenestrata and Fungochitina ultima zones. These biozones are compared with known spore zones from the same area, and chitinozoan biozones on a global basis.


The choice of rubber material for use in sealings and hoses in the fuel system is of great importance. If a wrong type of rubber is used, premature failure during service may occur. This impacts the environmental performance, the safety during driving, uptime and economy of the transport. In this diploma work, rubbers for use in sealing and hoses in the fuel system have been evaluated to assess which materials have the potential to be used under long-term use in contact with commercial fuels. Three commercial fuel hoses, nitrile rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR), ethylene-acrylic rubber (AEM) and fluorocarbon rubber (FKM) of varying types and compositions have been evaluated in diesel with 7% RME (rapeseed methyl ester), 100% biodiesel of RME and ethanol fuel. Tests were performed by immersing the materials in fuel and measure the compression set and changes in properties like volume, hardness, tensile strength and elongation at break. The results showed that one NBR material, one AEM and all FKM are potential materials for long term use in diesel with 7% RME. All types of NBR and two types of FKM (terpolymers, peroxide cured) may be used in ethanol fuel. NBR and HNBR were the only rubbers evaluated in biodiesel. NBR and HNBR with an ACN content of ~30% might be used in 100% RME at lower temperatures for shorter periods. The aging resistance in air was good for HNBR, AEM and FKM but poor for NBR. Life assessment of rubber articles in fuels


Objectives: Bone defects following tumor resection and osteolysis due to dental and bone lesions and periodentium tissue disorders are serious challenges. One of these materials used is chitosan, a derivative of crustaceans' exoskeleton. The aim of this study was to assess effects of chitosan on socket repair after dental extraction. Methods: Twenty four dental sockets of 15-24 years old patients were visited by a maxillofacial surgeon for extracting premolar teeth for orthodontic purposes. The sockets in one side were filled-in by chitosan. In the other side, the sockets were left unfilled. After 10 weeks, periapical radiographs were obtained from the repair sites, were digitalized and then evaluated for densitometry using Adobe Photoshop Software. Each socket was divided into coronal, middle and apical. Dental density of each socket in case and control groups was recorded. The density of regenerated bone was compared against the maximum bone density of each individual. Wilcoxon signed range test and paired t-test were used for data analysis. Results: Bone density in middle and apical sections in case group was significantly more than control group. In apical section in case group regenerated bone reached up to 98.2% of normal bone density. In each patient, the bone density in epical and middle sections was increase 29.3% and 10.8% of normal bone density.
Conclusions: Chitosan significantly increased bone density in epical and middle sections. Chitosan can be used for bone repair in cases of bone loss. Various densitometry studies for evaluating chitosan effects in different bone defects are suggested.


Security critical applications of wireless sensor networks stipulate more efficient and secure architectures for security. Hybrid security system using both public and private key cryptography along with cluster based key management can be a step further in achieving more security and efficiency at a lower cost. The paper analyzes and evaluates the hybrid security system with cluster based key management for wireless sensor networks.


In 1983 Congress changed the way Medicare pays for hospital care. Under the new prospective payment system, hospitals are paid a fixed rate, set in advance, to cover a patient's stay. If costs are less than the fixed rates, the hospital keeps the profit; if the costs are more, it absorbs the loss. From the beginning, prospective payment was recognized as a revolutionary change in Medicare. Congress wanted a system that would make federal expenditures more predictable and controllable, and expected hospitals to respond by becoming more efficient. Some observers have hailed it as a successful way to control the spiraling costs of the Medicare program. Others have criticized it as arbitrary and a threat to the health of the elderly. In the six years since prospective payment was introduced, a substantial amount of evidence has accumulated about its effects. Russell looks at the major characteristics of the rate payment system, how it has changed the pattern of medical service, how these changes have affected the health of the beneficiaries, and the system's effects on Medicare outlays. She reviews what is known and what needs to be learned to arrive at a valid assessment of the system. Moreover, she contributes to the larger debate on Medicare by making what are frequently quite technical evaluations accessible to the general public.


Oxytocin (OT) is known to exert a facilitatory effect on its own pulsatile release during the milk ejection reflex. Several experimental approaches strongly suggested that this effect occurred in the supraoptic and paraventricular magnocellular hypothalamic nuclei where the OT neurones are concentrated. In these nuclei autoradiographic techniques failed however to detect OT receptors. In the presently reported data, OT binding sites were visualized in the supraoptic, paraventricular and accessory magnocellular nuclei in lactating rats, suckled or not, after acute intracerebroventricular injection of an OT antagonist. No such labelling occurred either in untreated lactating rats or in OT antagonist treated male rats. The combined application of histoautoradiographic and immunocytochemical techniques revealed that the OT binding sites were concentrated on magnocellular OT cell bodies and dendrites but not on their axons and endings in the pituitary neural lobe. The presently detected somatodendritic autoreceptors on OT neurones probably mediate the facilitatory effect of OT on its own release during the milk ejection reflex.


Introduction Narcotic drugs are widely prescribed by both GPs and hospital physicians, but little consideration is afforded to the potential longterm issues when starting patients off on these addictive therapies. has escalated throughout UK. Between June–November 2014, 32,956 prescriptions had been provided for strong opioid therapy in the Luton CCG catchment area. Not only is this a costly unchecked market, but much of this is taken for abdominal pain. Narcotic Bowel Syndrome (NBS) is under recognised and believed to be increasing in prevalence worldwide. NBS is a subset of opioid bowel dysfunction, characterised by chronic or frequently recurring abdominal pain that worsens with continued or escalating dosages of narcotics. We attempted to assess some of the financial cost implications of this condition on our local district general hospital in 2014. Method In 2014 we started to collect the names of patients seen in gastroenterology clinics or during hospital admission where the clinician felt the patient was suffering from NBS. This was either thought to be the main cause or contributing factor to their symptomatology. During that year a retrospective analysis was performed reviewing the burden and cost of outpatient appointments and inpatient hospital admissions, using the hospital coding system and financial analysis. Results A database collated the names of 41 patients with NBS. From the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2014, this cohort of patients made 78 hospital admissions (1.9 per patient) with an average length of stay (LOS) of 4.1 days. This was costed at £91,310, or an average of £2,227 per patient per year. In addition to that the same 41 patients made 159 outpatient appointments (3.9 per patient), costing £15,639, or an average of £381 per patient per year. This small group of 41 patients cost a total of £106,949 in 2014 or an average of £2,608 per patient per year, in hospital inpatients admissions and outpatient appointments alone, before adding in their prescription costs. Conclusion NBS is a poorly recognised condition that places a huge demand on the NHS system with regards to time, resources and finances. The prevalence of this condition is thought to be increasing. Early recognition could prevent a costly and potentially fatal pathway of deterioration. On average the annual financial cost of hospital base care for each NBS patients is £2,608. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


: The reproducibility of micro-assays for ILTV was assessed. The standard deviation of the virus assay in three successive determinations was 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3 log TCID50. The micro-neutralisation test produced standard deviations of 0.6, 0.8, 0.5, 1.2 and 1.1 log2 in various experiments. Preincubation for 24 hours at 39 degrees C, rather than for sixty minutes at 22 degrees C, which was suggested by Bitsch to enhance sensitivity, resulted in antibody titres which were approximately 1 log2 higher, though the specificity of the test declined markedly. The dose-response relationship between virus and antibody titre was curvilinear, the steepest part of the slope being in the lower range. Thermal inactivation and freezing and thawing resulted in a significant reduction of serum titres (P less than 0.01). The following method is suggested as a practical standardised procedure: freezing of sera prior to processing: omission of thermal inactivation and preincubation for sixty minutes at 22 degrees C.


Abstract Oryzaephilus surinamensis is one of the stored product insect that commonly found in Malaysia. The biological study through host range or food preferences of O. surinamensis is important for the development of sustainable management practice to control its infestation. The objective of this study was to identify the food preference of O. surinamensis to different plant products in relation to food type and moisture content. Twenty adult of O. surinamensis were exposed to three different group of food; dried fruits (date, raisin, apricot, fig), grain/cereals (rice, barley, oat grout, dried maize), and nuts (almond, ground nut, walnut, cashew nut) for 240h in laboratory Kulliyyah of Science, IIUM Kuantan. Moisture content in each food was also measured. It was found out that the most preferred food by O. surinamensis is oat groat of cereal grain group with medium level of moisture content. Further analysis on food moisture suggested that under current experimental conditions (temperature of 27℃ and 64% relative humidity within 240h of exposure), food moisture content does not affect pest infestation and distribution.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the operating performance of crop residue cutting discs with distinct cutting edges in the no-tillage system, in relation to the travel speed of the tractor/tool holder set. The experiment was carried out in an experimental area, the soil classified as Paleudalf. The experiment consisted in a factorial arrangement of 4x4, totaling 16 combinations of treatments and three replications, composed by the interaction of the factors: crop residue cutting discs (plain flat disc, wavy disc, rippled disc, and helical wavy disc coulter) and travel speed (1.11; 1.67; 2.22 and 2.78 m s -1 ). It was used a mobile tool holder structure for the coupling of the active organs, which was pulled by a farm tractor. For the collection of data on traction force and hourly fuel consumption, it was used electronic instrumentation; as for the measurement of the soil mobilization variables, it was used a microprofilometer. The cutting disc factor showed significant influence on all the variables. The travel speed factor only did not provide significant difference for mobilized soil area. The average requirement of traction demand for the wavy disc, rippled disc, helical wavy disc coulter and plain flat disc was 1.35, 1.27, 1.25 and 1.15 kN, respectively, being increased with the increase in speed. The use of discs with edges that provide larger contact area with the soil, in addition to increasing the traction force demand, makes the process more sensitive to sudden increases in speed, possibly caused by soil impositions. The wavy cutting disc showed the highest hourly fuel consumption. As for the mobilized soil area, it was proven the greater mobilization (42.84 cm 2 ) for the wavy disc and the lowest (20.62 cm 2 ) for the plain flat disc. For all the variables in the study, the highest values were obtained when using the wavy cutting disc and the lowest values when the plain flat cutting disc was used.


In this paper, spatially resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy with various excitation wavelengths is presented as a nondestructive and versatile technique providing access to the individual subcells of multijunction solar cells. This method is demonstrated on a state-of-the-art monolithic tandem solar cell composed of a planar perovskite solar cell and a silicon heterojunction solar cell. It is shown that the lateral distribution of inhomogeneities can be attributed unambiguously to the individual cells and be related to the manufacturing process. The approach of depth-selective probing of the silicon bottom cell is verified by comparison to reflection maps and by comparison to measurements of the silicon cell after removing the perovskite top cell. Analyzing subcells integrated into a monolithic tandem solar cell is challenging though crucial in order to identify performance limiting loss mechanisms. This method can be used to improve the study of the mutual influence of adjacent subcells in the fully fabricated device, which has been an unfeasible task up to now.


We report the 2.4 Å crystal structure for lipoamide dehydrogenase encoded by lpdC from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on the Lpd structure and sequence alignment between bacterial and eukaryotic Lpd sequences, we generated single point mutations in Lpd and assayed the resulting proteins for their ability to catalyze lipoamide reduction/oxidation alone and in complex with other proteins that participate in pyruvate dehydrogenase and peroxidase activities. The results suggest that amino acid residues conserved in mycobacterial species but not conserved in eukaryotic Lpd family members modulate either or both activities and include Arg-93, His-98, Lys-103, and His-386. In addition, Arg-93 and His-386 are involved in forming both "open" and "closed" active site conformations, suggesting that these residues play a role in dynamically regulating Lpd function. Taken together, these data suggest protein surfaces that should be considered while developing strategies for inhibiting this enzyme.


Democracy is a term that is used to denote a variety of distinct objects and ideas. Democracy describes either a set of political institutions or an ideal of collective self-rule. Democracy can also be short for a normative principle of either legitimacy or justice. Finally, democracy might be used to denote an egalitarian attitude. These four uses of the term should be kept distinct and raises separate conceptual and normative issues.
 The value of democracy, whether democratic political institutions or democratic self-rule, is either instrumental, non-instrumental, or both. The non-instrumental value of democracy derives either from the alleged fairness of majority rule or from the value of the social relationships enabled by participation in democratic procedures. The instrumental value of democracy lends support from a growing body of empirical research. Yet, the claim that democracy has a positive causal effect on public goods is inconclusive with respect to the moral justification of democratic institutions. Normative reasons for democracy's instrumental value must instead appeal to the fact that it contributes to equality, liberty, truth, or the realization of popular will.
 Democracy as a principle of either political legitimacy or justice is a normative view that evades concerns with the definition and value of democracy. Normative democracy is a claim about the conditions either for legitimacy or justice of either public authority or coercion. Debates in normative democracy are largely divorced from the conceptual and empirical concerns that inform studies of democracy elsewhere.
 The boundaries of the people entitled to participate in collective decisions is a question that applies to all four uses of democracy. The boundary question raises three distinct issues. The first is the extent of inclusion required among the members of the unit. The second is if membership in the unit is necessary for inclusion or if people that are not recognized as members are on certain conditions also entitled to participate. The third and final issue concerns the boundaries of the unit itself.


The use of silicon compilers for the generation of systems which contain analog subsystems is relatively novel; and the expected performance levels are not well known. A description is given of the actual performance obtained from switched-capacitor filter modules generated using the CONCORDE silicon compiler. An array of eight switch-capacitor biquadratic filters was fabricated utilizing a 3- mu m two-layer poly process and tested along with several filters from previous fabrication runs. Measurements of transfer function, noise floor, harmonic distortion, dynamic range, and temperature effects have been carried out.<<ETX>>


The aim of our study is to develop an approach to both experimental and numerical modeling to the thermal behavior of a material by identifying these thermal parameters. The theoretical part is based on the finite element method which is a starting point to solve a two-dimensional inverse heat. The experimental measurements are performed by infrared thermography. All these experimental and numerical techniques give this method properties valued in the industrial world as the non-intrusive measurements and real-time calculations. For this, we have supported a system of equations and the temperature field, so before starting the inverse problem, we addressed the direct problem by finite element method that has been compared to measures experimental infrared thermography well to check the validity of equations, so it's the purpose of this work.


Objective: To study the somatic and mental health in patients who had leg lengthening (LL) in a 10-year follow-up and to compare it with the 1 year-follow-up. Earlier studies have demonstrated severe maladaptive reactions in children and adolescents on a short term basis but also that they tolerate it without sustained psychological impact. Cohort sequential longitudinal studies, in which individuals from different age groups are followed over time, are needed to tease apart aging and cohort effects. Methods: This was a prospective study with 28 patients, mean age of 20, who had undergone leg lengthening (LL) between 1997-2005 at the Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Uppsala University Hospital. The somatic health was studied by a structured medical assessment of the reconstructed leg and an interview focused on the patient's experiences of surgery, outcome and function. The mental health was studied by Beck depression- and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventories and a specially designed questionnaire for patient with LLI. Results: When the patients rated their mental health, 20 were within a normal level and 7 had symptoms of depression. Patients' self-esteem was on a median level. Those who had scored highly on the depression inventory also had high levels on both State- and Trait anxiety scale. Conclusion: One fourth of the patients reported themselves to be depressed at the 10-year follow-up, while 7% of the patients were depressed one year after LL. Self-esteem results for the cohort were on a median level, both one and ten years after LL. Interview data demonstrated that the majority of patients were preoccupied with their LLI and more psychological support during the lengthening period would have been desirable. From available data we cannot conclude that the leg lengthening per se caused the depressive symptoms in the patients.


Background: Thyroid follicular cells share similar cytomorphological features with parathyroid. Without a clinical suspicion, the distinction between a thyroid neoplasm and an intrathyroidal parathyroid can be challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the distinguishing cytomorphological features of parathyroid (including intrathyroidal) and Bethesda category IV (Beth-IV) thyroid follicular lesions, which carry a 15%–30% risk of malignancy and are often followed up with surgical resection. Methods: A search was performed to identify "parathyroid" diagnoses in parathyroid/thyroid-designated fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) and Beth-IV thyroid FNAs (follicular and Hurthle cell), all with diagnostic confirmation through surgical pathology, immunocytochemical stains, Afirma® analysis, and/or clinical correlation. Unique cytomorphologic features were scored (0-3) or noted as present versus absent. Statistical analysis was performed using R 3.3.1 software. Results: We identified five FNA cases with clinical suspicion of parathyroid neoplasm, hyperthyroidism, or thyroid lesion that had an eventual final diagnosis of the parathyroid lesion (all female; age 20–69 years) and 12 Beth-IV diagnoses (11 female, 1 male; age 13–64 years). The following cytomorphologic features are useful distinguishing features (P value): overall pattern (0.001), single cells (0.001), cell size compared to red blood cell (0.01), nuclear irregularity (0.001), presence of nucleoli (0.001), nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio (0.007), and nuclear chromatin quality (0.028). Conclusions: There are cytomorphologic features that distinguish Beth-IV thyroid lesions and (intrathyroidal) parathyroid. These features can aid in rendering correct diagnoses and appropriate management.


ABSTRACT Cao, H.; Feng, W., and Chen, Y., 2016. Numerical modeling of wave transformation and runup reduction by the coastal vegetation of the South China Sea. Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 830–835. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The aim of this study is to examine wave transformation and runup using a numerical model of coastal conditions including vegetation. Based on the previous field study, the drag coefficient was estimated using an analytical model. After that, numerical modeling of wave dissipation in SWASH (Simulating WAves until SHore) was conducted and validated with the observed data. Furthermore, calibrated SWASH was used to inspect the wave runup under vegetated and non-vegetated cases. For the flexibility of numerical modeling, We also used the numerical model to assess various vegetation parameters and beach slopes to inform the characteristics of wave runup reduction. The results of the model indicate that SWASH with proper parameters accurately simulated wave dissipation. Wave runup and setup were significantly reduced by the coastal vegetation. The numerical results suggest that vegetation parameters and beach slope are important factors when analyzing the wave runup reduction rate.


This study examines whether non-need, merit-based scholarship programs are effective in encouraging students to enroll in postsecondary education and, more specifically, attend an in-state college. National residence and migration data from 1992 to 2004 (alternating even years) were used within a fixed effect regression framework. This approach, combined with interaction terms that capture different program implementation periods, is an attempt to enhance the current understanding of scholarship programs on college enrollment. The results suggest that these programs have a significant impact on college enrollment after controlling for state-level factors, but the effect depends on when the program was implemented, who is eligible to receive aid, and how much aid these students are awarded.


The paper first categorizes public policy interventions to improve traffic in cities, through quantity and price management focussed on public and private transport. It notes that availability of both information and skills in planning staff can bias the policy choice. Thereafter the paper focuses on price management of public transport. Public transport pricing has two basic elements: the pricing of inputs (such as road space) and the pricing of output (fares). Road space should ideally be priced at its marginal cost, or as a second best solution where otherwise public subsidies would be required to cover capital costs, via price discrimination, for instance with two-part pricing for fares, to increase revenues. An important point is recalled, that traffic management can be an alternative to pricing and achieve the same results. Fare regulation, on the other hand, introduces a variety of distortions, as does the regulation of provision of services. The cost of distortions can be measured in various ways. One way is through supply and demand functions for public and private transport; the example of the high cost of distortions in London is given. Other ways are through measuring gains of traffic management systems and of deregulation processes. In addition to distorting resource allocation, fare regulation has an impact on income distribution. Fare regulation normally involves subsidies to improve mobility of the poor; however, the objectives are seldom met and the costs are high. Better alternatives to granting subsidies are to improve public transport efficiency and, thereby, to reduce the cost of service; to adopt unregulated fare policies; and to improve the system of route allocation to improve service.


Experimental studies were undertaken to investigate the mechanisms for circular sawing of refractory bricks with diamond segmented saw blades. Three kinds of diamond segments of different hardness were fabricated for the saw blades. The vertical and horizontal force components and the spindle power were measured in sawing. Based on the measurements of force and power, the specific energy and the normal force per diamond grit were obtained. The normal force per grit in the sawing of refractory bricks was found to be only 5% of the static compressive strength of diamonds used in the present study, but fractures of diamonds were still popular on the segment working surfaces after sawing. The power, horizontal force, and the specific energy were found to increase with segment hardness. The specific energy obtained from the measured power was basically comparable to the values obtained from a theoretical equation to calculate the specific energy associated with slurry erosion to the bond matrix of segments.


It is well known that the college enrollment rates of blacks have historically trailed those of whites, although in recent decades the actual size of the racial gap has fluctuated. Prior research has shown that blacks are more likely than whites to attend college after high school graduation, net of socioeconomic background and academic performance. It has been suggested that this "net black advantage " may be spurious—due to blacks' relatively high enrollment rates in historically black colleges and universities. With data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988–1994, this hypothesis is tested by examining black-white differences in enrollment in different types of colleges: any college, four-year colleges, non-black four-year colleges, and academically selective four-year colleges. Overall, results confirm the existence of a net black advantage at low levels of family socioeconomic background. The implications of these findings for racial equality in access to higher education are explored.


The effects of silvicultural regimes on leaf area and biomass distribution were analyzed in 16-year old Pinus radiata trees growing in the semiarid zone of Chile. Three stands with different silvopastoral management were compared with a conventionally managed stand. Data were obtained through destructive sampling of 36 trees and analyzed by MANOVA and regression models of ANCOVA. Results show that the management regime affects the leaf area. Specific leaf area was affected by both silvicultural regime and crown position. Total biomass per tree under the silvopastoral regime was 2.1 to 2.5 times larger than in the conventional forestry regime. However, aboveground biomass partitioning was neither affected by the silvicultural regime nor by the schemes of silvopastoral management. The most important allometric change was in fine root biomass, which was greater under the conventional forestry regime than in the silvopastoral one. Fine root biomass increases with a regular distribution of the plants in the field, and decreases with the clumping of trees. Similarly, the fine root biomass decreases with fertilization. Both plantation design and fertilization regimes explain the changes in the fine root biomass to components of the crown. However, crown structure influences the magnitude of these changes.


Salinas Valley lettuce growers are adopting automated lettuce thinners to improve labor efficiency. We conducted field studies in 2014 and 2015 to compare the time involved in automated and manual thinning of direct-seeded lettuce and any differences in lettuce quality and yield. We recorded the number of doubles (two closely spaced plants) left behind after thinning, time taken to remove the doubles, final crop stand, efficiency in weed removal, crop yield and disease incidence. Using an automated thinner in place of manual hoeing reduced the thinning labor requirement from 7.31 ± 0.5 person-hours per acre to 2.03 ± 0.5 person-hours per acre. Automated thinning left more doubles than manual thinning, resulting in additional time to remove them, but was overall more labor-efficient and had no impact on yield or disease incidence.


Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) have been a recognized problem after surgical valve replacement since prosthetic valves were first implanted for aortic and mitral valve disease 5 decades ago.1 Although the reported incidence varies considerably, it is generally estimated that a PVL of some magnitude is present in ≈7% to 17% of mitral and 2% to 10% of aortic valve replacement prostheses.2–5 Most PVLs are small and inconsequential, but anywhere from 1% to 5% of aortic or mitral valve replacement procedures are complicated by a clinically relevant PVL.2–5 Although the use of transcatheter devices to close prosthetic PVLs was described >20 years ago,6 this procedure remained relatively rare until recently, but with the availability of nitinol mesh devices designed for occlusion of various other communications, transcatheter PVL closure has become a regular, although still somewhat uncommon, procedure for many structural interventional cardiologists.4,5,7–12 Moreover, as transcatheter aortic valve replacement has become increasingly widespread, and paravalvar regurgitation has been recognized as one of its most frequent and significant complications,13 an entirely new domain has opened up, namely, management of PVLs after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Literature on PVL device closure comprises a handful a modest-sized, single-center series and many more single or small case reports.4,5,7,14–20 Based on these series, device closure is technically unsuccessful in 5% to 35% of cases, for various reasons, including inability to cross the defect with a wire or delivery catheter, dislodgement/embolization of the device, incomplete closure of the defect, or interference by the device with the prosthetic valve. Even if the device is delivered, remains in place, and reduces flow, the treatment may be clinically inadequate, sometimes because of persistent or new hemolysis, and …


It is of therefore hardly surprising that patents have in recent years been the subject of fierce controversy. From the Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) of the Uruguay round to the patentability of living organisms and of software (not to mention the exchange of music and movies via the Internet) numerous disputes have drawn attention to the delicate trade-offs involved in the public granting of property rights over discoveries or inventions. But most of these debates have focused on the trees and missed the wood. There has been much less discussion about the overall performance of the patent regime, the consistency of rules across countries and global governance questions concerning international cooperation among patent offices, though these are of major importance for competitiveness and growth. These matters are the focus of Bruno van Pottelsberghe's analysis. He first addresses a specific European issue, and brings bad news: in spite of the supposed ending of the linguistic dispute that for decades prevented its rationalisation, the European patent system is still far from satisfactory. Forget the fact that only 15 of the 35 members of the European Patent Convention have signed the London Agreement on translation requirements. Even in these countries, patents are still at least three times more expensive than in the US or Japan. Fragmentation across European countries, and the ultimate power of countries over patent validity decisions, furthermore results in legal uncertainty and unevenness in the quality of the patents that are enforced. There is room for discussion on the scope, the breadth and the duration of patents. But a costly and fragmented system that grants national property rights of dubious quality and uncertain solidity is an unwarranted tax on innovation that is detrimental to both entrepreneurs and consumers. Van Pottelsberghe makes a number of simple proposals to improve upon the current situation in Europe, such as the Community patent, a centralised litigation system, reforms in the governance of the European Patent Office and an SME status. These should be at the top of the list for policymakers looking for ways to spur an innovation-based recovery and encourage research in Europe. Van Pottelsberghe's second topic is what he calls global patent warming and what could equally be called inflation. Here again, issues are first order and numbers speak volumes: in the US, Europe and Japan combined, about one million patents are filed each year. There is overwhelming evidence that this ballooning of patenting activity does not reflect an increase in innovation activity but rather a deterioration in the quality of patents that results from strategic use of patenting, especially in the US.


Electrically tunable high-temperature superconductor microstrip resonators incorporating YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ superconductor and SrTiO/sub 3/ ferroelectric films have been fabricated and characterized. The resonators consist of two collinear microstrip line sections separated by a 5- mu m gap. The capacitance of the gap influences the frequencies of the odd-order coupled resonances. Inductively choked DC bias lines are attached to each line section so that a bias voltage can be applied to the gap. When the gap is filled with a ferroelectric material, the odd resonances can be tuned. Frequency shifts of 300 MHz have been observed with a bias voltage of 50 V for resonances at 5.6 GHz and 11.6 GHz. The tunability is independent of temperature from 4 K to 80 K. An upper bound for the loss tangent of the SrTiO/sub 3/ capacitor is extracted from the resonance Q, and tan delta <0.07 at 4 K is found.<<ETX>>


Significant morbidity and mortality of South African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis, can be caused by parasitism of the epidermis by a capillarid nematode. These worms produce an erosive dermatitis that is complicated by infection with gram-negative microorganisms. The nematode apparently has a direct life cycle that can be completed within the epidermis of the frog. These characteristics are suggested by the lack of an intermediate host and failure to detect visceral migration. Another unique feature of the parasite was the presence of larvated eggs, in utero. Some have named the parasite Capillaria xenopodis, whereas others called it Pseudocapillaroides xenopi to distinguish it form the typical members of the genus Capillaria.


This dissertation examines Swedish welfare workers' attitudes towards migrants and migration, their perceptions of welfare work with migrants and organisational working conditions. The dissertation is based on original survey data capturing attitudes and views of welfare workers in two Swedish welfare organisations. The thesis' conceptual framework draws on three perspectives: street-level bureaucracy theory, racial attitude studies and ontological security theory. All three perspectives bring different dimensions to the understanding of welfare workers' attitudes towards migrants. The research has four interlinked focuses, which are presented in four empirical papers. The first focus is on (1) how individual and organisational factors are associated with welfare workers' attitudes towards migrants, and how these attitudes are linked to perceptions of welfare work with migrants. (2) In order to get a better understanding of the role of individual attitudes in relation to migrants the study investigates how welfare workers' colour-blind attitudes are associated with anti-immigration attitudes and perceptions towards welfare work with migrants. (3) Furthermore, in order to deepen the understanding of how organisational and individual factors intercept and influence welfare work with migrants the study explores in what way discretion plays an intervening role for the relation between workload, anti-immigration attitudes and perceptions towards work with migrants. (4) Lastly, the study focuses on expressions of uncertainties and insecurities caused by global transformations (e.g. migration) using the concept ontological security in order to explore how welfare workers express themselves about their work and about migration in general by studying open-ended survey responses and how we can understand these perceptions. The findings indicate that welfare workers with more negative attitudes towards migrants also tend to perceive their work with migrants as more burdensome. Simultaneously, the results show that higher levels of colour-blindness are linked to a higher likelihood to report negative attitudes toward immigrants. However, at the same time higher levels of colour-blindness are linked to a lower likelihood to report difficulty in working with migrants. This suggests that colour-blind attitudes function as interactive social norms that welfare workers deploy to perform what the organisation and society wants to communicate. The findings also show that heavier perceived workload increase the likelihood to perceive work with migrants as difficult, and that perceived discretion mediates the relation between perceived workload and perceived difficulty in working with migrants, suggesting that it functions as a buffer for organisational demands. Finally, the results suggest that welfare workers use different identity strategies, namely, retreatism in the form of distancing oneself, essentialism in the form of resentment towards migrants, and engagement in the form of mutual dialogue. These strategies are used to handle uncertainties and overcome complexities not only as professionals in their work life, but also as private individuals. This thesis contributes with incorporating individual and organisational factors when studying perceptions towards welfare work and migration. The thesis integrates racial attitude studies into understandings of organisational processes and links these processes to global structural transformations. Thereby the thesis contributes to a growing line of research that is shifting the focus from internal organisational processes solely to integrating the role of individual attitudes but also external transformation processes in order to understand how welfare work with migrants is shaped.


Karen Blixen was by no means a passive observer of social and political processes that were taking place around her, as is testified by her essays and articles like "Breve fra et Land i Krig" (1940), "En Baaltale med 14 Aars Forsinkelse" (1952), "Fra Laegmand til Laegmand" (1954), etc. The situation is different with regard to her fiction in which she completely avoided contemporary political and social topics, showing disapproval of realism in literature and the novel as its dominant form. Posing herself as another Scheherazade who neglected social questions and yet created immortal stories, Blixen has succeeded in establishing this image of herself as one of the most durable cliches in her reception. However, this is not to say that political and social issues are totally absent in her fictional texts. In "The Deluge at Norderney" and "Babette's Feast," for example, we hear the echoes of the French Revolution and the Paris Commune with all the great political, social and ideological changes these processes have brought about, while "Sorrow Acre" sets against each other two historical epochs and social structures − the feudal and the liberal. Out of Africa is in its own turn full of comparisons and contrasts between the native African and the European world concerning their ethical values, mentality, social and cultural practices, which has naturally turned it into an object of scrutiny in postcolonial studies. This list can be continued, however, it is important to note that in Blixen's texts, the highlighting of social or political issues never seems to be a goal in itself. They are integrated into the overall narrative design both as means of creating the atmosphere (when they are viewed from the distance of time), and also, as a background for expressing certain aesthetic concepts and approaches. Even Blixen's essays, which address social matters directly, rest on aesthetic arguments. The present paper will investigate from this perspective one of Blixen's early texts – the essay "On Modern Marriage." It will be demonstrated that by combining together the discussion of different models of man–woman relationship and different artistic traditions, the essay opens itself up as metatext suggesting an original typology of art. It becomes impossible to decide which of the two discourses – the social or the aesthetic one has the dominant voice in the text, and by foregrounding this ambiguity, the essay subverts the practice of reducing literature to its social function − as simple manifestation of ideology.


Nodular expansion of glomerular mesangium with increased amounts of extracellular matrix (ECM) material is pathognomic of diabetic nephropathy. The precise mechanisms involved in this accumulation are unknown. Recently, we reported using a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique that glomerular mesangial cells, the principal cell type residing in glomerular mesangium, accumulate 50-60% more fibronectin (FN), laminin (LM), and type IV collagen (T-IV) when cultured in medium containing high glucose (30 mM) (S. H. Ayo, R. A. Rodnik, J. Garoni, W. F. Glass II, and J. I. Kreiberg. Am. J. Pathol. 136: 1339-1348, 1990). ECM assembly is controlled by its rate of synthesis and degradation, as well as its binding and rate of incorporation into the ECM. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, pulse-chase experiments were designed to estimate ECM protein synthesis from the incorporation of Trans-35S [( 35S]methionine, [35S]cysteine) into immunoprecipitated FN, LM, and T-IV. mRNA levels were examined, and degradation rates were estimated from the disappearance of radioactivity from matrix proteins in mesangial cells previously incubated with Trans-35S. One week of growth in 30 mM glucose resulted in approximately 40-50% increase in the synthesis of all three matrix proteins compared with 10 mM glucose-grown cells. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the transcripts for all three matrix proteins (approximately twofold). The specific activity of the radiolabel in trichloroacetic acid-precipitable cell protein showed no difference between cells grown in 10 or 30 mM glucose, indicating that total protein synthesis was unchanged. After 1 wk, the rate of FN, LM, and T-IV collagen degradation was unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This paper proposes a framework for assessing quantitatively the error-proneness of computer program modules. The model uses an information theory approach to derive an error proneness index, that can be used in a practical way. Debugging and testing rake at least 40% of a software project's effort, but do not uncover all defects. While current research looks at identifying problem-modules in a program, no attempt is made for a quantitative error-proneness evaluation. By quantitatively assessing a module's susceptibility to error, we are able to identify error prone paths in a program and enhance testing efficiency. The goal is to identify error prone paths in a program using genetic algorithms. This increases software reliability, aids in testing design, and reduces software development cost.


The Indian FMCG sector is the fourth largest sector in the economy with a total market size in excess of US$ 20.1 billion. It has a strong MNC presence and is characterized by a well-established distribution network, intense competition between the organized and unorganized segments and low operational cost. Availability of key raw materials, cheaper labour costs and presence across the entire value chain gives India a competitive advantage. Also, increase in the urban population, along with increase in income levels and the availability of new categories, would help the urban areas maintain their position in terms of consumption. At present, urban India accounts for 66% of total FMCG consumption, with rural India accounting for the remaining 34%. However, rural India accounts for more than 40% consumption in major FMCG categories such as personal care, fabric care, and hot beverages. newline Family income is one of the variables which should be considered while designing sales promotion schemes more specifically cash discount. There is significant difference between consumer preference of cash discount and free gift as sales promotion schemes. It is also very clear that consumers prefer cash discount as a sales promotion schemes compare to free gift as a sales promotion scheme. It is found that Consumer deal proneness differs according to marital status. Furthermore, it is also proved that married are more deal prone compare to Unmarried. Added to it Brand Equity perception differs according to employment categories. It is concluded that male prefers the newspaper and point of purchase material as a source to know sales promotion schemes over female. newline Overall, Sales promotion scheme on international brand, awareness spread out by word of mouth, Scheme is value added type with immediate benefit is preferred by the customers


Background: Jampersal program was launched in Indonesia in January of 2011 by Permenkes No.631/Menkes/PER/III/2011. The aim was to improve the coverage of antenatal care, delivery, postpartum care, postnatal, and family planning by health professionals free of charge. After over a year Jampersal program runs, The ANC figures of Jampersal utilization were still very low. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative research on socio- cultural factors in relation to the selection of health personnel by utilizing Jampersal conducted in 2012 which was then followed by a round table discussion to review the policy options related to the Jampersal utilization of the 6 rural districts. Results: Policy options suggested in Jampersal socialization activities need Intersectoral Commitment:The Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and BKKBN, followed by a clear and decisive political commitment. They need active partnerships of the midwives, TBAs and cadres in Jampersal socialization. Midwives in the health center level should be prohibited from private practice, but the total amount of compensation of midwife in helping delivery should be adjusted. Regulations are required and procedures should be set for Jamkesnas, Jamkesda, and Jampersal; They need regulation on cooperation between the health centers staffs and village chiefs to further reinforce ID requirement;The transportation cost to refferal unit; TBAs services (division of task and cost); Financial restrictions to cover by Jampersal on second or third delivery. Additionally need a regulation of reward and punishment for midwives,TBAs and cadres involvement in serving pregnancy and delivery. In village level, they need to establish regulation, that TbaS AND Cadres should write the pregnat women data at the board office of village chiefts. Lastly, MoU between head of district health center and midwife assosiation related to midwife understanding of cultural approaches and on the job training for midewife should be established. Conclusion: Culture-Based Approach has important role to improve Delivery By Health WorkersIn Rural Areas. Recommendation:Shorterm and longterm priority of policy should be set up.


Ingestion of plastics and microplastics by marine organisms may have physical and toxicological noxious effects creating a serious threat to marine species. There is a need to develop methods to evaluate the plastic exposure in free-ranging marine wildlife particularly related to microplastic ingestion. To this aim, seven phthalate esters (PAEs) were analysed, as plastic tracers, in neustonic/planktonic samples and skin biopsy samples of four cetacean species from the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. Among all phthalates, the highest frequency of detection was obtained from DEHP (78.9%), followed in descending order by MBzP (57.9%), MEHP and BBzP (both 52.6%), DIOIP (47.4%) and MBP and DNHP (both 42.1%). All 19 superficial tows analysed presented microplastic debris, confirming the widespread distribution of microplastics on the seawater surface in the Mediterranean Sea. The abundance of the smallest items (<0.5 mm) found in the samples was significantly correlated with MEHP, MBzP and BBzP, while the abundance of 0.5–1 mm and 2.5–5 mm items were related to BBzP and MBP, respectively. Regarding the PAEs, detected in the neustonic/planktonic samples correlated with microplastics (MEHP, MBzP, BBzP and MBP), appreciable levels of these compounds were found in all the four cetacean species. The present results represent a step forward in the application of a new non-invasive analytical method to evaluate PAEs as tracers of plastic exposure/ingestion in marine wildlife.


The September 11th 2001 attact in the United States has become the world's turning point, from how terrorism actors operate globally through networks to how states and international relations actors response towards it. This article about the challenges for intellegence in counter-terrorism in Indonesia and the preventive actions needed especially in the use of information technollogy, as the form of detection effort and early warning for the terrors. Through the literature reviews, it is found that in practice the Indonesians intellegence activities are tend to not well organized from one institution to another because of the trust-deficit, overlapping activities and accuration of intellegence, and the lack of concrete actions in eliminating the terrorism threats in cyber sphere. It can be concluded that the comprehensive and integrative efforts are needed in organizing the intelligence in Indonesia. On the other hand, the national strategy on counter-terrorism in cyber area through the comprehensive use of information technology on the cyber terrorism threats.


Abstract This article discusses the issue of labour discipline in a Christian Orthodox organisation in Russia. The sisterhood which I analyse is the meeting point of two types of 'work': the 'secular work' of employed workers is embedded into the 'religious work' of the sisters who live a monastic life. I argue that the religious–economic mix of the sisterhood suggests that three employment models are evident: 'work more, get less', 'work less, get more' and 'work for free'. Religious and economic spheres are mediated by labour which takes different forms, creating distinct, but related disciplinary labour spaces. I thread the concept of discipline through religious and economic discourses in the monastic workplace, the conflicts between the religious and economic motivations to work and the role of 'emotional work'. The analysis is based on the participant observation, conducted over a period of four months while I was a staff member of the sisterhood.


: Surgical treatment of patients with thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms is one of the most difficult and topical problems of up-to-date cardio-vascular surgery. Right choice of surgical approach is important condition for effective surgery. This study is dedicated to comparative evaluation and definition of clear indication for choice of surgical approach in reconstruction of thoracic aneurysms. It is concluded that thoracotomy through 3(rd) intercost is preferable in isolated lesion of isthmus and proximal part of descending aorta. Approach through 5(th) intercost is not recommended in this localization of aneurysm. Prosthesis of all descending thoracic aorta (from arch to diaphragm) must be performed through double left-sided thoracotomy with single skin incision (left-sided double thoracotomy through 3(rd) and 6(th) intercosts from single S-type skin incision). This approach always permits to perform surgical reconstruction of distal part of aortic arch, isthmus and all descending aorta, forms optimal conditions for creation of proximal and distal anastomosis.


The aim of this study was to model the fatty acid composition of vegetable oils by using the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural network (ANN) based on rheological measurements. For this aim, seven different refined vegetable oils (hazelnut, soybean, sunflower, olive, canola, corn, and cotton seed) were used. Olive oil had the highest viscosity value of 0.067 Pa s. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to determine the correlations among the fatty acids of the oils to reduce parameters which were modeled. PC1 composed of C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C20:0 as PC2 composed of C16:0, C18:3, and C22:0. After determination of the fatty acid composition and the rheological properties of the oils, ANN and ANFIS models were established. The inputs were selected as oil type, shear rate and shear stress and the outputs were C16:0 and C18:2. The root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and determination coefficient (R2) were used for testing the accuracy of the models. This comparison showed that ANFIS and ANN achieved a satisfactory prediction for fatty acid composition of the vegetable oils studied and ANFIS is better than ANN.

Practical applications: Determination of the fatty acid composition of vegetable oils is important for the assessment of the purity of the oils as well as the nutritional quality. The fatty acid composition of the oils affects their rheological characteristics. Rheological measurements are easier than chromatographic analysis. Therefore, we aimed to establish a model for prediction of the fatty acid composition of the oils based on their rheological behaviors.


TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 3—In an action that is being hailed by women's and health groups as an important symbolic victory, the Florida Legislature has enacted what is apparently the first state measure guaranteeing women the right to breast-feed their children in public.
 By a unanimous vote, the Florida Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that amends the state's statutes on indecent exposure, lewd and lascivious behavior and obscenity to exempt and protect nursing mothers from arrest or harassment by law-enforcement or private security officials.
 The bill also endorses breast-feeding as the preferred method of nurturing an infant and condemns "the vicious cycle of embarrassment and ignorance" and "archaic and outdated moral taboos" surrounding the practice.
 The measure has been praised by organizations like La Leche League, a breast-feeding advocacy group, which describes it as the first instance in the nation of a state's codifying support for breast-feeding.


In the final phase of the Second World War, Antonio Pedro became one of the most emblematic voices of the BBC's Portuguese Section, mainly due to his "Monday Chronicles" in which he presented his views on British society along with comments on military and geopolitical developments occurring at that time. He achieved a high level of popularity among listeners in Portugal during the almost two years he was a regular on the microphones, i.e. between January 1944 and October 1945. His chronicles were considered the most important programme of a political nature in the broadcasts to Portugal. Part of this success was due to Pedro himself, his style of writing and way of talking at the microphone, but it is also important to remember that broadcasts from London in Portuguese, which had begun in June 1939, achieved great success right from the start of the Second World War because they were the main source of information on the developments in the conflict. The number of BBC listeners increased even more after the opening of the Eastern Front, which coincided with a tightening of censorship in Portugal and the consequent omission of news in the national media about Russian military advances. This obviously generated greater interest in listening to foreign broadcasts, especially the Voice of London, the station that had the greatest impact in Portugal during the war. Antonio Pedro joining the BBC marked a change in the editorial line of the Portuguese Section, and he contributed decisively to familiarising Portuguese listeners with words like "democracy". It is however undeniable that the success of the broadcasts he made from London can only be truly understood in the context of the role played by the BBC in Portugal during the Second World War. The present article relies on document research conducted in archives located in Portugal and the UK. Due to the absence of recordings from the BBC Portuguese Service, the quotes from Pedro's "Monday Chronicles", with the sole exception of the texts that were censored and that can be found at the BBC Written Archives, were taken from the manuscripts the author himself prepared for publication after the war and that are held at the Portuguese National Library.


A radar system is considered in which the detection and tracking functions are completely integrated. The system parameters are then chosen to minimise the mean-square tracking error of the integrated system. An analytical result is applied which allows the impact of detection errors on tracking accuracy. This was the first known result of this nature, as usually detection and tracking are viewed as independent functions, with the detection process regarded as perfect in assessing tracking accuracy. The result is partly empirical, and herein we test it in a digital-computer simulation. The performance objective of the integrated detection and tracking system is to minimise the mean-square tracking error, subject to the constraint that the probability of a track not being lost exceeds a prescribed value. We also consider multitarget environments and show how to allocate radar resources such that the average tracking error is minimal. Using a digital-computer simulation, our results show that considerable performance improvement results when radar resources are optimally allocated relative to a scheme where every target shares the radar resources on an equal basis. An electronic scanning capability for the radar is assumed throughout our work. A shortcoming of the research is the assumption that radar returns, when detected, are always associated with the true track. However, false alarms as a degradation in the track-measurement process are included in our work.


Loading Docs is a New Zealand documentary initiative that supports the development, production and distribution of three-minute documentary films. Loading Docs is also a development and innovation initiative, building the capabilities of local filmmakers to fund, promote and distribute their work and increase their presence online. More broadly, Loading Docs aims to create a supportive community of filmmakers, increase opportunities for feature documentary development, and cultivate audience awareness of and appetite for New Zealand documentaries. This paper presents an account of the development of Loading Docs from the author's perspective as co-founder, co-executive producer and practice-led researcher. Reflecting on the experience of acting as both researcher and producer in the capacity of an experimental initiative, this article argues that research/practice partnerships create beneficial opportunities for knowledge-transfer and innovation.


The application of a fractionally sampled autocorrelation receiver (AcR) is proposed for the demodulation of transmitted-reference (TR) signals, to simplify synchronization and suppress nonlinear intra-symbol-interference and inter-symbol-interference (ISI) by means of linear weighting. A system model is presented for the TR system and its statistical properties are derived, taking into account both noise and ISI. The weighting coefficients are computed in closed form and a method is presented to compute the bit error probability. Multiple ultra-wideband TR systems are compared, which differ with respect to correlation lag, bandwidth, sampling rate, and bit rate. In the absence of ISI, a 250-MHz bandwidth system outperforms the larger bandwidth systems. On the other hand, the larger bandwidth systems are found to be inherently less sensitive to ISI. Furthermore, increasing the fractional sampling ratio is shown to enable the AcR to equalize more (nonlinear) ISI.


This work explores a sequential decision making problem with agents having diverse expertise and mismatched beliefs. We consider an $N$-agent sequential binary hypothesis test in which each agent sequentially makes a decision based not only on a private observation, but also on previous agents' decisions. In addition, the agents have their own beliefs instead of the true prior, and have varying expertise in terms of the noise variance in the private signal. We focus on the risk of the last-acting agent, where precedent agents are selfish. Thus, we call this advisor(s)-advisee sequential decision making.
We first derive the optimal decision rule by recursive belief update and conclude, counterintuitively, that beliefs deviating from the true prior could be optimal in this setting. The impact of diverse noise levels (which means diverse expertise levels) in the two-agent case is also considered and the analytical properties of the optimal belief curves are given. These curves, for certain cases, resemble probability weighting functions from cumulative prospect theory, and so we also discuss the choice of Prelec weighting functions as an approximation for the optimal beliefs, and the possible psychophysical optimality of human beliefs. Next, we consider an advisor selection problem wherein the advisee of a certain belief chooses an advisor from a set of candidates with varying beliefs. We characterize the decision region for choosing such an advisor and argue that an advisee with beliefs varying from the true prior often ends up selecting a suboptimal advisor, indicating the need for a social planner. We close with a discussion on the implications of the study toward designing artificial intelligence systems for augmenting human intelligence.


A narrative approach for moral formation must take the shortcomings of abstract reason seriously. Two specific attempts to a narrative approach, narrative as a means to an end and the supra-narrative approach, do not address these shortcomings and are inadequate approaches for moral formation. An open ended narrative approach considers reason as an important phenomenon for moral formation. The shortcomings of using abstract reason such as the neglect of tradition, community and the particular finds relevance in the way reason is used in an open ended narrative approach. Reason is not rejected, but it is used in a more holistic way that includes critical reflection.


Educational expansion and the closing of gender gaps in education are key objectives in national and international policy agendas. Monitoring progress towards these goals requires comparable data across countries and over time. The availability of international census and survey microdata allows for cross-national comparisons of education participation and completion. However, we lack systematic analyses of how trends vary across data sources and of the extent to which these data sources offer a consistent account of progress in education. In this paper, we examine coherence in estimates of educational attainment among women aged 25 to 29 in 75 countries across the three main repositories of international population microdata: IPUMS International, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Coherence analysis of 535 census and survey observations from 1960 to 2017 shows high levels of consistency overall but also identifies observations misaligned with trends. Results provide practical information to the research community about the validity of comparative investigations using three important data sources for demographic studies. The data also serve as benchmarks for assessing the quality of education information obtained in data sources not included in our analysis and the trend alignment of future estimates.


With over 16 million readers in France, comic strips, long considered a minor genre, now enjoy a huge readership there: over three quarters of French people say they have already read comic strips, and over a quarter of these (29%) have done so within the last twelve months. Book publishing has seen an unprecedented boom in this area since the 1990s with the number of titles published constantly expanding, whilst the genres represented within comic books are becoming ever more diverse: in addition to the traditional books, over the last few years there has been an emergence of manga, graphic novels, comics, etc. This study gives an outline of the comic strip readership: overwhelmingly young and male, and with a penchant for reading books and cultural outings; it also points up reading trends within this practice such as re-reading.


Mediation-Arbitration ("med-arb") is a seldom-used ADR procedure in Canadian civil litigation. The reluctance to employ it is rooted in preconceptions about legal bias. In a Canadian justice system challenged by problems of access to justice and cost, lawyers must learn to use med-arb as a hybrid dispute resolution method that uses one neutral instead of several and removes cases from the public court docket. This imperative requires a fresh look at the nature of med-arb's structural bias to determine the extent to which bias is a real obstacle to a just resolution.The analysis begins with the origin of the med-arb structure in final-offer arbitration, in order to identify the justice expectations med-arb is suited to meeting. The author then brings med-arb's structural bias within recent treatment of the general theory of impartiality in the Canadian legal system. The emergence of issue-alignment bias as a concept withstanding objective scrutiny helps one understand the nature of med-arb's structural bias. This analysis yields the result that bias in med-arb is not inherently fatal to a just result. Rather, once one understands the suitability of med-arb to certain expectations of a just result, the structural bias becomes part of the bargain and the efficacy of the hybrid procedure becomes more evident.


Peace Corps' Information Collection & Exchange (ICE) was established so that the strategies and technologies developed by Peace Corps Volunteers, their co-workers, and their counterparts could be made available to the wide range of development organizations and individual workers who might find them useful. Training guides, curricula, lesson plans, project reports, manuals and other Peace Corps-generated materials developed in the field are collected and reviewed. Some are reprinted "as is"; others provide a source of field based information for the production of manuals or for research in particular program areas. Materials that you submit to the Information Collection & Exchange thus become part of the Peace Corps' larger contribution to development.


Although its definition has not been fully accepted, polypharmacy at advanced age appears as a significant worldwide problem in terms of both elderly health and general health systems and there are still many question marks / gaps with respect to this issue. We have insufficient data on its definition and thus its prevalence and complications. Non-prescription drugs are usually ignored in the studies. Health care professionals should be aware of the risks and interventions aiming to reduce exposure and minimizing the risk associated with potentially harmful drug combinations are needed. This article addresses these issues and proposes practical recommendations regarding the rational drug use for elderly age groups.


We present measurements of the velocity distribution of calcium atoms in an atomic beam generated using a dual-stage laser back-ablation apparatus. Distributions are measured using a velocity selective Doppler time-of-flight technique. They are Boltzmann-like with rms velocities corresponding to temperatures above the melting point for calcium. Contrary to a recent report in the literature, this method does not generate a subthermal atomic beam.


Abstract Introduction: More than 80% of patients who visited Emergency Department (ED) was not urgent in Taiwan in 2019. It causes insufficient medical services and a latent fiscal threat to the Nation Health Insurance (NHI). This study adopted simulation-based educating modules to explore the effect in teaching competence among primary and middle school teachers for efficient AEDRU (adequate emergency department resource usage) education in the future. Method: The subjects were 414 elementary and junior high school teachers in Taiwan. 214 participants attended the simulation-based workshop as the simulation-based group, whereas 200 participants took an online self-learning module as the self-learning group. The workshop was created by an expert panel for decreasing the unnecessary usage amount of ED medial resources. The materials are lecture, board games, miniature ED modules, and simulation-based scenarios. A teaching competence questionnaire including ED knowledge, teaching attitude, teaching skills, and teaching self-efficacy was conducted among participants before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed via McNemar, paired t test and the generalized estimating equations (GEE). Results: The study showed that teachers who participated in the simulation-based workshop had improved more in teaching competence than those who received the online self-learning module. In addition, there were significant differences between the pre-test and post-test among the two groups in teaching competence. Conclusion: The simulation-based workshop is effective and it should be spread out. When students know how to use ED medical resources properly, they could affect their families. It can help the ED service to be used properly and benefits the finance of the NHI. The health care cost will be managed while also improving health.


In this paper we propose a VoIP study case to evaluate the impact of different radio propagation models on performance parameters of application layer in simulation studies of Wireless Mesh Backbones. For each presented model, we carried out experiments taking into account the credibility aspects suggested by simulation theory of stochastic processes. Results showed that, for the same scenario, using different propagation models, voice speech quality can switch from acceptable to unacceptable.


Plasma renin activity (PRA), the plasma aldosterone (PA) level, and serum and urinary electrolytes were measured in 39 elderly pregnant women of greater than or equal to 35 (Group 1) and in 60 pregnant women less than 35 (Group 2) every four weeks from the 20th week of gestation to the fourth week postpartum. The PRA and PA levels increased in both groups. The PA levels increased after the 20th week and reached a peak at the 32nd week of gestation, while PRA decreased after the 20th week of gestation. This dissociation was observed in both groups. Daily urinary sodium excretion in Group 1 was higher than that of Group 2, while daily potassium excretion was not different between the two groups. Higher aldosterone secretion was observed after the 20th week of pregnancy in Group 1. It is concluded that pregnancy in older women is associated with higher sodium excretion and aldosterone secretion.


Humanity has been discussing aspects like environment, sustainable development, public health, leisure and work. Connections between these aspects are increasing its importance to decision makers. Urban air quality levels are one of the most important items, concerning public health in urban environment. The knowledge of pollutants influence on human health is a matter of major importance nowadays, and it is known that personal exposure to particle concentration is a key factor in citizens' health. Aspects like street geometry, motorways, pedestrian ways, traffic strategies, time and schedules, can influence air quality levels and consequently human exposure. This paper studies the influence of street geometry, wind direction, daily car traffic, pedestrian trajectories and particle matter concentration (PM10) levels in short-term personal exposure on a busy street of Barreiro City in Portugal. Ansys Fluent was used to simulate particle dispersion in Bocage Street. Buildings' height, width, length and geometry, as well as distance between buildings and road width were considered in the simulation work. Different meteorological conditions were simulated, namely, wind direction and wind velocity. The results show that pollutant concentration is highly dependent on street geometry and wind conditions. The pedestrian trajectories and their time schedules also play a major rule in short-term personal exposure to PM10. It was noticed that when the building's orientation is the same as the wind, good pollutant dispersion is promoted. Also different size in buildings promotes recirculation that can be positive, increasing the wind velocity and promoting pollutant dispersion, if the wind direction is from North, or negative trapping pollutants when the wind is from South. It is also possible to conclude that pedestrian trajectories that correspond to crossing the road in the centre of the


In this paper, we experimentally analyzed the feasibility of estimating soil hydraulic properties from 1.4 GHz radiometer and 0.8-2.6 GHz ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. Radiometer and GPR measurements were performed above a sand box, which was subjected to a series of vertical water content profiles in hydrostatic equilibrium with a water table located at different depths. A coherent radiative transfer model was used to simulate brightness temperatures measured with the radiometer. GPR data were modeled using full-wave layered medium Green's functions and an intrinsic antenna representation. These forward models were inverted to optimally match the corresponding passive and active microwave data. This allowed us to reconstruct the water content profiles, and thereby estimate the sand water retention curve described using the van Genuchten model. Uncertainty of the estimated hydraulic parameters was quantified using the Bayesian-based DREAM algorithm. For both radiometer and GPR methods, the results were in close agreement with in situ time-domain reflectometry (TDR) estimates. Compared with radiometer and TDR, much smaller confidence intervals were obtained for GPR, which was attributed to its relatively large bandwidth of operation, including frequencies smaller than 1.4 GHz. These results offer valuable insights into future potential and emerging challenges in the development of joint analyses of passive and active remote sensing data to retrieve effective soil hydraulic properties.


Western Tennessee is an important region for waterfowl during non-breeding periods, supporting >40% of the Mississippi Flyway population of American black ducks (Anas rubripes). Understanding habitat selection and activities of waterfowl during the non-breeding period is important for directed habitat management on national wildlife refuges and in other wetlands important in meeting regional waterfowl conservation objectives. During November–February 2011–2013, we investigated diurnal habitat selection and activities of dabbling ducks (Anatini) among 5 common wetland types relative to emergent cover, water depth, and energetic carrying capacity (i.e., duck energy days [DEDs]) in western Tennessee, USA. We observed waterfowl daily and sampled food resources monthly at Tennessee and Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuges. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), gadwall (A. strepera), northern pintail (A. acuta), and American green-winged teal (A. carolinensis) selected moist-soil wetlands over wooded, aquatic bed, and open water wetland types. Gadwall also selected deeper wetlands containing submersed aquatic vegetation. Foraging was the dominant activity of all dabbling ducks in mudflats and moist-soil wetlands, and it was also dominant in wooded wetlands for green-winged teal and gadwall. Deep, open water was avoided by dabbling ducks. Selection of wetland types was negatively correlated with increasing water depth and positively correlated with increasing emergent cover and DEDs. Shallowly flooded moist-soil and wooded wetlands provide high-energy foods and dense emergent cover, and are important to a diversity of dabbling ducks during winter. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.