Even though currently the future use of biofuels in road transport (in terms of fossil fuel crisis) is much debated by specialists, biofuels can be successfully used on the farm by the ease with which they may be obtained and especially due to the effect polluter much lower than the fossil fuels. Reducing pollution from agriculture technological operations is a necessary condition to develop in the future agricultural development on a sustainable basis. To truly become a competitive fuel market, compared with fossil fuels, biofuels must optimize parameters related to characteristics of density, viscosity, freezing point and especially the specific calorific value. Global research about the efficient use of biofuels have emphasized only the immediate results of their use in supplying engines that equip tractors and agricultural machinery, related to consumption, pollution and wear of engines component parts. Theme and direction of research addressed in the paper represents an innovation in the field of national and global research on biofuels. Also, the degree of novelty of the work is defined by the methods and materials used in the research, managing to highlight first, the importance of parameters like speed of sound in biofuels (with subsequent implications in the possible development of "flexfuel" systems) and isotropic adiabatic coefficient (with direct implications in determining the exact time of injection process). This paper presents findings related to the influence of external energy intake in the form of ultrasound, electromagnetic field and ionization on the physical parameters of biofuels (biodiesel and bioethanol), the main parameters considered are (speed of sound, density, isotropic adiabatic coefficient, pH index). Practical implications of the work are found in the immediate applicability in the possibility of increasing the performance of agricultural tractors powered by biofuels and also open new directions in applied research on ways of streamlining the use of biofuels. Results and conclusions issued in the work are possible due to the unfolding of the first phase of research project PNII2008ID175, financed by CNCSIS.


Does internet usage activate or inactivate stock markets? On one hand, the vast and quick online information flow forces investors to trade more frequently. On the other hand, information overflow makes them anxious and shying away from decision making, thus hinders trading. This is the first paper to examine the internet effects on stock trading in 30 markets globally by spatial panel models. Empirical results indicate negative internet effects on stock trading. As a whole, internet usages hinder, rather than facilitate, stock trading. In addition, global stock trading demonstrates highly significant spatial correlations; spatial econometric models are more appropriate than OLS models in exploring global stock issues.


We introduce dodecaDialogue: a set of 12 tasks that measures if a conversational agent can communicate engagingly with personality and empathy, ask questions, answer questions by utilizing knowledge resources, discuss topics and situations, and perceive and converse about images. By multi-tasking on such a broad large-scale set of data, we hope to both move towards and measure progress in producing a single unified agent that can perceive, reason and converse with humans in an open-domain setting. We show that such multi-tasking improves over a BERT pre-trained baseline, largely due to multi-tasking with very large dialogue datasets in a similar domain, and that the multi-tasking in general provides gains to both text and image-based tasks using several metrics in both the fine-tune and task transfer settings. We obtain state-of-the-art results on many of the tasks, providing a strong baseline for this challenge.


The automated generation of feature pattern-based if-then rules is essential to the success of many intelligent pattern classifiers, especially when their inference results are expected to be directly human-comprehensible. Fuzzy and rough set theory have been applied with much success to this area as well as to feature selection. Since both applications of rough set theory involve the processing of equivalence classes for their successful operation, it is natural to combine them into a single integrated method that generates concise, meaningful and accurate rules. This paper proposes such an approach, based on fuzzy-rough sets. The algorithm is experimentally evaluated against leading classifiers, including fuzzy and rough rule inducers, and shown to be effective.


We present a remote sensing observational method for the measurement of the spatio-temporal dynamics of ocean waves. Variational techniques are used to recover a coherent space-time reconstruction of oceanic sea states given stereo video imagery. The stereoscopic reconstruction problem is expressed in a variational optimization framework. There, we design an energy functional whose minimizer is the desired temporal sequence of wave heights. The functional combines photometric observations as well as spatial and temporal regularizers. A nested iterative scheme is devised to numerically solve, via 3-D multigrid methods, the system of partial differential equations resulting from the optimality condition of the energy functional. The output of our method is the coherent, simultaneous estimation of the wave surface height and radiance at multiple snapshots. We demonstrate our algorithm on real data collected off-shore. Statistical and spectral analysis are performed. Comparison with respect to an existing sequential method is analyzed.


This paper proposes the use of two indicators of the predictability of the load series along with an accuracy value such as mean average percentage error as standard measures of load forecasting performance. Over the last 10 years, there has been a significant increase in load forecasting models proposed in engineering journals. Most of these models provide a description of the inner design of the model, the results from applying this model to a specific data base and the conclusions drawn from this application. However, a single accuracy value may not be sufficient to describe the performance of the model when applied to other data bases. The aim of this paper is to provide researchers with a tool that is able to assess the predictability of a load series and, therefore, contextualize the forecasting accuracy reported. Nine different data bases from the U.S. have been used; all of them include hourly load and temperature data.


Curly mesquite (Hilaria belangeri Steud.) Nash) is a palatable nutritious range grass in the southwestern United States. Early research assumed no afterripening occurred in caryopses of this species and suggested that all seed could germinate immediately. Germination trials were conducted at 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 weeks after harvest using seed cleaned either at harvest or just prior to each trial. Average increases in germination from 59 to 92% and 55 to 87% demonstrated an afterripening period of 12 weeks in seeds from 2 populations of curly mesquite. Maximum germinations of 94 and 90% occurred after 12 weeks for seeds cleaned at harvest and cleaned prior to each trial, respectively. Seeds not separated from fascicles at harvest displayed a rapid decline in total germination percentage after 24 weeks even though fascicles were removed just prior to germination trials. The extent and timing of the decline are greater if the fascicles are not removed prior to storage. Effects of the fascicle on germination remain unclear. Our findings suggest that seed storage periods and conditions should be taken into consideration when attempting to establish curly mesquite by seeding.


The characteristics of the extratropical transition (ET) of tropical cyclones and its impact on the midlatitude flow are examined in the THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) multimodel ensemble prediction system (EPS). Ten ensemble forecasts initialized prior to ET for five tropical cyclones in 2008 are investigated using an empirical orthogonal function analysis and fuzzy clustering methodology. Each forecast contains 231 members from eight different global EPS. The EPS contributing to TIGGE differ in their spread and their contributions to the different scenarios. Some of the individual EPS are generally confined to only a few scenarios, whereas others contribute regularly to almost all. TIGGE contains more development scenarios than European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) EPS but the full range of development scenarios is only found with the ECMWF included in the multimodel EPS.


Objective: To study the clinical profile and prescription pattern of drugs in the treatment of osteoporosis in a tertiary care centre in Karnataka, India. Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out in a multi-speciality tertiary care hospital in Karnataka. Information was collected from case record forms of 100 patients of osteoporosis during a 12 mo tenure regarding various signs and symptoms they presented with and treatment provided. Results: Majority of the subjects were females (90%). Low back ache was the most common presenting symptom. There was an increase in mean calcium (8.84±8.32 mg/dL) and phosphorus levels (2.45±1.83 mg/dL) as compared to baseline at the follow up visit. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation were the most commonly prescribed medications followed by analgesics, calcitonin and bisphosphonates. A total of 77 adverse reactions were reported, gastritis being the commonest one. Conclusion: Vitamin D and Calcium supplements were more commonly prescribed than specific anti osteoporotic medications.


: Synergistic killing effect of hyperthermia and radiation on human cecum adenocarcinoma cell line (HCe-8693) was studied as to cell growth curve, mitotic index, concentrations of potassium and beta 2-microglobulin, CEA content and cell morphology under light and electron microscopes. The cultured cells were randomly divided into 5 groups: control (C), radiation alone (R), hyperthermia alone (H), radiation followed by hyperthermia (RH), hyperthermia followed by radiation (HR). The preliminary results showed that (1) the killing effect of radiation alone was mild, (2) hyperthermia alone had more marked killing effect than radiation alone, but viable HCe-8693 cells were still able to grow, (3) combination of hyperthermia and radiation showed synergistic effect which was more pronounced in RH than HR.


This paper caters the need of acquiring the principal objects, characters, and scenes from a video in order to entertain the image based query. The movie frames are divided into frames with 2D representative images called "key frames". Various regions in a key frame are marked as key objects according to their textures and shapes. These key objects serve as a catalogue of regions to be searched and matched from rest of the movie, using viewpoint invariant regions calculation, providing the location, size, and orientation of all the objects occurring in the movie in the form of a set of structures collaborating as video profile. The profile provides information about occurrences of every single key object from every frame of the movie it exists in. This information can further ease streaming of objects over various network-based viewing qualities. Hence, the method provides an effective reduced profiling approach of automatic logging and viewing information through query by example (QBE) procedure, and deals with video streaming issues at the same time.


"Materials for Inspirational Design" provides today's designer with a myriad of material possibilities. The book introduces the properties of wood, metal, glass, ceramics and plastic, all in an informative and inspirational format. The book covers a wide range of information its inclusion of both everyday, familiar products and those that are new, exciting and unexpected. The book is highly informative in that each application is introduced with detailed authorial comment, and numerous interviews with the designers and manufacturers are also included. The book covers a wide range of areas, exploring the application of materials in architecture, interior design, product design, furniture design, fashion and applied arts, all combined with solid technical information. This informative and attractive book will provide education and inspiration for design professionals and students alike.


Fault Simulations are very important to study the nature of the systems in place and thus test the Protective Relays under those conditions. Omicron modules have very high accuracy in its class of Power System simulators, not only in the steady regions but the transient states as well. This paper focuses on the Fault Simulation on a Distribution Network through MATLAB and the Omicron module. The faults are simulated on a distribution model (using the Sim Power Systems® Tool) in MATLAB. MATLAB is interfaced with the Omicron module (using CM Engine®) for the real time testing of the relays. The GUI gives added functionality and ease of use to the user. A report generator is added, which generates a report of the simulation along with the waveforms.


Background A link between access and availability of different types of assets (i.e. human, physical, social) and impacts of extreme temperatures on human health is deemed to exist. Despite this, limited knowledge is available on the effect such assets have on vulnerability, resilience and adaptation. This study aimed to understand the role assets play in shaping older adults' vulnerability, resilience and adaptation to extreme temperatures. Methods We analysed primary data collected using surveys and interviews during 3 phases of research, with independently living men and women aged 65 years or older, resident in Lisbon, Portugal. A total of 52 surveys, 52 heat-related interviews and 46 cold-related interviews with the same participants were included in this study. We used quantitative and qualitative data to measure and assess older adults' baseline, extreme heat- and cold-related vulnerability and resilience, and adaptation to extreme temperatures. A multimethodological approach was used, descriptive statistics, thematic analysis and triangulation were conducted in PASW and NVivo. Results Overall, assets were found to be a key determinant of vulnerability, resilience and adaptation to extreme temperatures. Furthermore, extreme temperatures were found to threaten the baseline vulnerability, resilience and adaptation of older adults. Vulnerability was not found to be a key determinant of resilience, and both vulnerability and resilience were found to be key determinants of adaptation. Our quantitative findings suggest that both vulnerability and resilience to extreme heat and cold temperatures are shaped by health and social inequalities (34.6%, 50%), housing characteristics (38.5%, 50%) and energy costs for cooling/heating (34.6%, 50%), respectively. The qualitative findings main themes highlight that: older adults engage in common sense behaviours, and; are unable to act beyond these due to lack of access and availability of human (i.e. health status), financial (i.e. income), physical (i.e. housing tenure and quality), place-based (i.e. access to amenities) and social assets (i.e. social capital). As a result, assets were found to constitute barriers to both resilience and adaptation of older adults to extreme temperatures. Conclusion Our findings highlighted a strong relationship between access and availability of assets and vulnerability, resilience and adaptation to extreme temperatures, as well as the need for developing asset-based approaches to reduce vulnerability, build resilience and improve the adaptation. The vision for further research includes two goals: health and social systems that protect the most vulnerable and less resilient; and enable the less vulnerable and more resilient to preserve their status and retain or improve their adaptation strategies.


This paper presents the simulation and performance analyses of WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) system along with transmit antenna diversity technique using Alamouti coding scheme. Traditionally the design of wireless systems has been focused on increasing the reliability of the air interface where fading and interference are viewed as nuisances. Recent focus is now on spectral efficiency, associated with this shift is a new point of view that fading can be viewed as an opportunity to be exploited. In the initial stages, the single antenna system was used at transmitter and receiver in both the sides (SISO system) anticipating lower spectral efficiency and lesser capacity. It can be seen that root cause of the poor performance of these technique is that reliable communication depends on the strength of the single signal path only which may be in a deep fade under certain circumstances. A natural solution is to ensure that the information symbols pass through multiple signal paths, each of which fades independently, making sure that reliable communication is possible as long as one of the paths is strong. This technique is called diversity. The main objective of this paper is to achieve the greater reduction in bit error rate in 4G wireless system using antenna diversity principles along with efficient wireless channels. The quality based simulation models are developed for WiMAX system using antenna diversity technique and real time image input. The simulation results are presented along with the comparative analysis for several test cases.


Randomized start and withdrawal designs have been recently proposed to test the disease-modifying agents on Alzheimer's disease (AD). This article provides methods to determine the optimum parameters for these designs. A general linear mixed-effects model is proposed. This model employs a piecewise linear growth pattern for those in the delayed treatment or early withdrawal arm and incorporates a potential correlation between the rates of change in efficacy outcome before and after the treatment switch. Based on this model, we formulate the disease-modifying hypothesis by comparing the rate of change in efficacy outcome between treatment arms with and without a treatment switch and develop a methodology to optimally determine the sample size allocations to different treatment arms as well as the time of treatment switch for subjects whose treatment is changed. We then propose an intersection-union test (IUT) to assess the disease-modifying efficacy and study the size and the power of the IUT. Finally, we employ two recently published symptomatic trials on AD to obtain pilot estimates to model parameters and provide the optimum design parameters, including total and individual sample size to different arms as well as the time of treatment switch, for future disease-modifying trials on AD.


Technological developments are bringing interactive computer agents, such as Apple's Siri, into our everyday lives and routines. These interactive agents are designed to be the focus of our interactions – we can feel "present" with them. Yet current theories of "presence" in IS do not account for the question of what it means to be present with technology in an experiential sense. In response we draw on existential philosophy in order to generate a research agenda for conceptualising presence in the context of what we term human-computer engagement. We suggest that research from this new perspective requires focusing on the situated interaction rather than an a-priori assessment of the entities involved. We conclude by considering the ethical questions that emerge when technology is experienced as being an independent agent with which one can be present.


We developed and implemented a smartphone-based mobile application that uses speech recognition for the point-of-care ordering of radiological examinations. 21 out of 30 physicians completed a usability questionnaire including the Short version of the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-S) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The mobile application showed high user acceptance and superior user experience when compared to the conventional workflow. Due to the high usability of our mHealth solution, it might help to facilitate the physician's daily work.


In recent decades, liberal democracies have considerably expanded the scope for citizen participation, calling their citizens to vote in a growing number of popular votes. This research investigates the effects of the rising election frequency on electoral participation. It expands on the voting calculus and theorizes which, when, and how past votes affect current voter turnout. We argue that all election types contribute to a common factor of election frequency, whose high values depress turnout and reduce the effectiveness of party mobilization even in the most important elections. We find support for the new theory using an original database of all significant elections and referendums held in 22 European democracies between 1939 and 2019, two natural experiments, and survey data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems. Our findings shed light on contemporary participation trends and have major implications for democratic citizenship and democratic institutional engineering.


This article reviews the Bank's measure of Divisia money - a gauge of the money supply that gives greatest weight to those components most used in transactions -- and explains some recent changes to its calculation. These changes aim to make the Bank's series more theoretically appealing and to make use of some recently developed statistics. Five improvements have been made. First, a new approach has been introduced to determine the benchmark interest rate. Second, new effective interest rate data have been incorporated. Third, the level of aggregation has been changed slightly. Fourth, non break-adjusted levels are now used as the denominator in the Divisia calculation. Finally, a series for aggregate Divisia excluding other financial corporations, and a set of monthly series, have been introduced. In this article we begin with a discussion of the purpose of Divisia money, then we set out the changes that have been made, and the motivation behind them. Throughout we describe the impact of the changes on the Bank's series.


This essay will analyze Hollywood's imagined and violent Latino communities of the Lower East Side and the South Bronx as envisioned in films featuring Nuyorican poet, actor, and playwright, Miguel Piñero. Short Eyes (1977), Times Square (1980), Fort Apache The Bronx (1981), Alphabet City (1984) and Almost You (1986) all featured Piñero, who in the 1970s and 1980s served as Hollywood's "stand-in" representation of the poverty stricken, criminally minded Latino "other," responsible for the decay of once prosperous neighborhoods and the necessity for "white suburban flight." Piñero's legendary drug abuse and criminal activity conflicted with his successful acting and playwriting career and helped to define a generation of "Nuyorican gangstas" in film and television. The iconic persona of Piñero eclipses each of his roles; a "Grindhouse" representation carefully controlled by Piñero in what can now be viewed as Latinized self-branding. To experience performances by Piñero is to recall a history of manipulation, both by Hollywood and ironically, by Piñero himself. However, to deconstruct the chronology of his work is to stand witness to the eventual theft of his own voice, substituted by the cultural piracy of his self-made brand and later promoted by Hollywood packaged representations of urban Latinidad. PAROLE CHIAVE: Miguel Piñero, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Latina/o/x, Grindhouse


The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a bile acid-activated nuclear receptor that plays a major role in bile acid and cholesterol metabolism. To obtain an insight into the structure-activity relationships of FXR ligands, we investigated the functional roles of structural elements in the physiological ligands chenodeoxycholic acid [CDCA; (3α,7α)], cholic acid [CA; (3α,7α,12α)], deoxycholic acid [DCA; (3α,12α)], and lithocholic acid (3α) in regard to FXR activation in a cell-based FXR response element-driven luciferase assay and an in vitro coactivator association assay. Conversion of the carboxyl group of CDCA or CA to an alcohol did not greatly diminish their ability to activate FXR. In contrast, the 7β-epimers of the alcohols were inactive, indicating that the bile alcohols retained the ligand properties of the original bile acids and that the 7β-hydroxyl group diminished their FXR-activating effect. Similarly, hydroxyl epimers of DCA exhibited decreased activity compared with DCA, indicating a negative effect of 3β- or 12β-hydroxyl groups. Introduction of an alkyl group at the 7β- or 3β-position of CDCA resulted in diminished FXR activation in the following order of alkyl groups: 7-ethyl = 7-propyl > 3-methyl > 7-methyl. These results indicate that bulky substituents, whether hydroxyl groups or alkyl residues, at the β-position of cholanoids decrease their ability to activate FXR.


Objective To determine to what extent baseline measurements of the ratio receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL):osteoprotegerin (OPG) and C-terminal cross linking of type-I and type-II (CTX-I and CTX-II), in addition to traditional markers of disease severity, could predict annual radiological progression. Methods A cohort of 155 patients with early, active, untreated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who participated in the Combination Therapy in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis trial (COBRA trial) was followed up for 11 years. Urine was sampled at baseline and after 3 months from the start of treatment and analysed for CTX-I and CTX-II. Baseline serum samples were analysed for RANKL and OPG. Available traditional markers of disease severity included baseline measurements of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor and baseline radiological damage. A digital database of frequent radiographs was available, scored according to the Sharp/van der Heijde method. Individual annual progression rates were calculated and used as outcome variable. Multiple linear regression analyses identified the strongest predictors of annual radiological progression. Results In multivariable analyses the RANKL:OPG ratio and CTX-I or CTX-II proved to be independent predictors of annual radiological damage over 11 years. The prediction of annual radiological progression was strongest when the RANKL:OPG ratio and CTX-I or CTX-II were evaluated in the same model (36–39% explained variance). Adding the effect of treatment at 3 months to the baseline models improved the predictive ability of the models up to 44–46%. Conclusion Unfavourable baseline levels of the RANKL:OPG ratio as well as CTX-I and CTX-II in patients with early, active, untreated RA are strong independent predictors of rapid and persistent damage progression over the 11-year follow-up. Early improvement in bone markers by treatment predicts a better outcome.


Concepts like supply chain network complexity, interdependence and risk assessment have been prominently discussed directly and indirectly in management literature over past decades and plenty of frameworks and conceptual prescriptive research works have been published contributing towards building the body of knowledge. However previous studies often lacked quantification of the findings. Consequently, the need for suitable scales becomes prominent for measuring those constructs to empirically support the conceptualized relationships. This paper expands the understanding of supply chain network complexity (SCNC) and also highlights its implications on interdependence (ID) between the actors and risk assessment (RAS) in transaction relationships. In doing so, SCNC and RAS are operationalized to understand how SCNC affects interdependence and risk assessment between the actors in the supply chain network. The contribution of this study lies in developing and validating multi-item scales for these constructs and empirically establishing the hypothesized relationships in the Indian context based on firm data collected using survey–based questionnaire. The methodology followed included structural equation modeling. The study findings indicate that SCNC had significant relationship with interdependence, which in turn significantly affected risk assessment. This study carries both academic and managerial implications and provides an empirically supported framework linking network complexity with the two key variables (ID and RAS), playing crucial roles in managerial decision making. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and aims at guiding managers in better understanding transaction relationships.


The Grant Maintained Story: the final chapter Lesley Anderson In the early 1990s, the Conservative Government made grant maintained schools the flagship of their education policy, while the Labour Party pledged to abolish them if elected to power. However, during the run-up to the 1997 general election, it was evident that New Labour's attitude towards GM schools was changing. This was confirmed in the 1997 Labour Government's first White Paper on education which proposed that, within a new framework for all maintained schools in England and Wales, opted out schools would have the option of becoming 'foundation' schools, a category that was closely aligned to GM status. The research reported here is concerned with the views and perceptions of GM headteachers and chairs of governors about the future of their schools during the period following the election of a Labour Government. Thus, it documents the final chapter in the GM story. The data were generated through twelve interviews with the headteacher and chair of governor of six GM schools and a questionnaire survey using the same categories of informants in 126 schools. The findings suggest that, while there were some concerns about the effects of the changes on respondents' individual schools, these managers and governors generally adopted a pragmatic attitude to New Labour's education policy. In the final chapter, attempts are made to move beyond the data and develop a theory to describe the approach adopted at both government and school level. In doing this, it is suggested that the New Labour's strategy in respect of GM schools represents an example of its 'Third Way' politics, an approach that is not based on a particular ideology but rather adopts a pluralist, pragmatic outlook in its attempt to modernise the notion of government at the end of the 20th century.


Systematic exercise increased the organism's sensitivity to the metabolic effect of insulin. When trained animals were subjected to low doses of insulin they showed a more significant decrease in the blood sugar and the free fatty acid contents as compared with the control (i.e. unadapted to systematic exercise) animals. No visible difference in glycogen contents was found due to the effect of hypoglycemic seizures which developed rather rapidly and were more obvious in trained animals. Administration of large doses of insulin did not cause any difference in the metabolic reactions of trained and untrained animals.


This paper considers a tool provisioning problem in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) with an automatic tool transporter. The problem considered here is that of determining the number of copies of each tool type for a limited budget with the objective of minimizing makespan. This problem should be solved to decide the (additional) purchase of required tools when the FMS should be reconfigured due to change of part mix. To solve the problem, two heuristic algorithms are proposed. One is a composite search algorithm based on two greedy search methods, and the other is a search algorithm in which numbers of tool copies are determined based on tool groupings. In both algorithms, simulation results are used to find search directions. Computational experiments show that the latter search algorithm gives better results.


External shocks, such as disease occurrence, can be very disruptive in complex food producing value chains. To analyze this, a vertically linked dynamic partial equilibrium model was used to analyze market effects of outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in The Netherlands. Various shock inducing scenarios were analyzed, e.g control strategy, demand shocks and trade bans. The results showed that in densely populated poultry areas (1) market effects usually outweigh direct control costs, (2) vaccination could help mitigating total disease costs, particularly if (3) channeling to industrial processing is included. Moreover, large, and in some cases opposing differences in market effects between the various stakeholders could be observed. The result suggest a number of important policy factors that should be considered in HPAI control, e.g. the poultry density, the production structure and differentiation of stakeholders, the dependency on international trade and the potential capacity of industrial processing of eggs. General implications for other food producing value chains are discussed.


Background and Study Aims: When endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography fails, the bile duct is drained percutaneously or surgically. Evolution of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has provided the ability to visualize and also drain the biliary tree. The aim of this study was to review different techniques of EUS-guided bile duct access and drainage, and compare extrahepatic (EH) and intrahepatic (IH) approaches and benign with malignant indications. Patients and Methods: EUS-guided attempts at bile duct drainage from 6 international centers were reviewed. This is a multicenter, nonrandomized retrospective study. Results: Two hundred forty patients underwent EUS-guided bile duct access and drainage (EUS-BD) with a mean age of 67.3 years. The IH approach was used in 60% of the cases. In 99% of the subjects, a 19-G needle was used. Success was achieved in 87% cases, with a similar success rate in EH and IH approaches (84.3% vs. 90.4%; P=0.15). Metal stents were placed in 60% and plastic stents in 27% of the cases. A higher success rate was noted in malignant diseases compared with benign diseases (90.2% vs. 77.3%; P=0.02). Complications for all techniques included pneumoperitoneum 5%, bleeding 11%, bile leak/peritonitis 10%, and cholangitis 5%. No significant difference was noted between the IH and the EH approaches (32.6% vs. 35.6%; P=0.64), with similar rates in benign and malignant diseases (26.7% vs. 37.1%; P=0.19). Conclusions: The EUS-BD technique is currently limited by a lack of dedicated devices and large data reporting outcomes and complications. Larger prospective and multicenter studies are needed to better define the indications, outcomes, and complications. With greater experience and dedicated devices, EUS-BD can be an effective alternative.


An experimental program was carried out to investigate the influence of basalt FRP (BFRP) reinforcing mesh on the fire behaviour of thin high performance concrete (HPC) plates applied to sandwich elements. Samples with BFRP mesh were compared to samples with no mesh, samples with steel mesh and samples displaying a full sandwich structure. Final results confirmed the bond loss between concrete and BFRP mesh with temperature. The available void where the epoxy burnt away allowed the concrete matrix to release pressure and limit pore stresses, delaying spalling. It also reduced the mechanical resistance of the structure, since the ability of the mesh to bond on the concrete matrix was lost. A theoretical approach for numerical modelling is proposed based on the experimental observations. It describes the change of boundary condition at the vicinity of the mesh as an outer pressure dependent on a linear increase of the volume of melted epoxy and the outflow of moisture from the concrete matrix. It was concluded that the use of a BFRP mesh to reinforce HPC exposed to fire reduces the mechanical strength despite a beneficial effect related to spalling.


Zhang Taiyan is one of the most powerful thinkers in modern times. From the 1890s he began reading European works of philosophy, history, and thought as they became available in Japanese translation. He also began to assess this knowledge in the framework of his Chinese training and scholarship. Specializing in the study of the Confucian classics, by his early twenties he had distinguished himself through his philological research on ancient texts. Aware of his intellectual prowess, he had an uncompromising belief in the judgments of his subjective self. His notion of the self and its relationship with society was based on the Daoist philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi: An individual's actions are dictated by the self, not by any other person, or by the society, the nation, ideology, or religion; he saw himself as an individual, but also as being at one with society. Escalating foreign encroachments on Chinese territorial sovereignty and the extreme suffering of the people from the 1890s was for him a viscerally perceived experience. He therefore had no option but to engage in politics. However, his Daoist individualism made him unsuited to politics, and his liaisons with various agents of change inevitably failed. Nonetheless, his cogently argued essays calling for the expulsion of the Manchu rulers significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the revolutionary cause. In the post-Manchu era, his opposition to a Western-style parliamentary system in favor of the appointment of the meritorious and worthy either created enemies or fell on deaf ears. His entry into politics had resulted in ignoble failure, and this has consigned him to historical obscurity until very recent times. This study focuses on Zhang Taiyan as a rational human being acting in the context of extraordinary historical circumstances and seeks to demonstrate how his thinking remains relevant for understanding the nature of meaningful human existence not just in China in his times, but also in the globalized world of today.


The Na+, K+-ATPase is an ubiquitous plasma membrane protein complex that belongs to the P-type family of ion motive ATPases. Under normal conditions, it couples the hydrolysis of one molecule of ATP to the exchange of three Na+ for two K+ ions, thus maintaining the normal gradient of these cations in animal cells. Despite decades of investigation of its structure and function, the structural basis for its cation specificity and for conformational coupling of the scalar energy of ATP hydrolysis to the vectorial movement of Na+ and K+ have remained a major unresolved issue. This paper summarizes our recent studies concerned with these issues. The findings indicate that regions(s) of the amino terminus and first cytoplasmic (M2/M3) loop act synergistically to affect the steady-state conformational equilibrium of the enzyme. Although carboxyl- or hydroxyl-bearing amino acids comprise the cation-binding and occlusion sites, our experiments also suggest that these interactions may be modulated by juxtapositioned cytoplasmic regions.


Residual beta cell function was estimated in 35 young diabetic patients (25 Blacks and 10 Indians) and 22 controls by means of C-peptide assays using glucagon as a provocative agent. The basal C-peptide levels (mean 0,32 +/- 0,23 nmol/l) and the 6-minute post-glucagon levels (mean 0,56 +/- 0,47 nmol/l) were significantly lower in the diabetic patients than in the controls (mean values 0,49 +/- 0,20 nmol/l and 1.24 +/- 0,48 nmol/l respectively). None the less, residual beta cell function, as gauged by the presence of significant C-peptide increments in response to glucagon provocation (mean increase 75% of basal level), was present in most of the patients. The Black patients had significantly lower basal and 6-minute post-glucagon C-peptide levels than the Indian patients.


The two fundamental aims of managing educational resources are to enable resources to be reusable and interoperable and to enable Web-scale sharing of resources across learning communities. Currently, a variety of approaches have been proposed to expose and manage educational resources and their metadata on the Web. These are usually based on heterogeneous metadata standards and schemas, such as IEEE LOM or ADL SCORM, and diverse repository interfaces such as OAI-PMH or SQI. Also, there is still a lack of usage of controlled vocabularies and available data sets that could replace the widespread use of unstructured text for describing resources. On the other hand, the Linked Data approach has proven that it offers a set of successful principles that have the potential to alleviate the aforementioned issues. In this paper, we introduce an architecture and prototype which is fundamentally based on (a) Linked Data principles and (b) Service-orientation to resolve the integration issues for sharing educational resources.


Abstract This study examines the question of which school environment – special or mainstream school – is more favourable for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Sweden, when it comes to their well-being, and their social and academic inclusion. The aim is threefold: first to compare the well-being of adolescents who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and have additional disabilities, and who have no disabilities; second to compare the adolescents from the two deaf and hard-of-hearing groups and their experiences of inclusion and exclusion in school; and third to ascertain if any gender differences exist between the two groups of deaf and hard-of-hearing students concerning their experiences of inclusion and exclusion. A total of 7865 adolescents (13–18 years of age) answered a total survey about the life and health of young people in a county in Sweden. The results show that both boys and girls in the hard-of-hearing groups rated their well-being lower and were less satisfied with their lives than pupils without disabilities. They also show that the hard-of-hearing boys and girls attending special school were more satisfied with their lives and to a greater extent felt included both socially and academically than students in mainstream school.


Author(s): Enders, Laramy Sherian | Advisor(s): Nunney, Leonard | Abstract: Exposure to environmental stress is a common feature of the life of most organisms, making the ability to cope with such stress imperative to survival and persistence. In particular, small populations that experience inbreeding and inbreeding depression may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of environmental stress. However, we lack and understanding of the factors that contribute to the considerable variation in effects of stress on the expression of inbreeding depression. In this dissertation I examined the role of four factors in determining the outcome of inbreeding-stress interactions. First I investigated the relationship between stress level, measured as the reduction in fitness a stress causes relative to benign conditions, and the magnitude of inbreeding depression. I found a strong positive linear relationship both in laboratory populations and populations exposed to field conditions, whereby inbreeding depression increases as the level of stress increases. Contrary to initial predictions, in a three year field study I found winter conditions were more stressful and induced greater inbreeding depression relative to summer conditions. Second, I examined how different types of abiotic and biotic stresses affect the expression of inbreeding depression both during exposure (larval survival) and after exposure (male mating). I found that during exposure, only heat and competitive stress amplified inbreeding depression relative to benign conditions, while ethanol and bacterial stress did not. In addition, I found that exposure to stress during development significantly reduced inbreeding depression for competitive male mating success, but only for the two biotic stresses. Finally, I investigated how stress and sexual selection affect the expression of inbreeding depression in males versus females. I found a striking difference in the magnitude of inbreeding depression expressed in the sexes, with males suffering a two-fold higher cost to being inbred that females. This is presumably due sexual selection, via female choice and/or male competitive interactions, increasing selection against inbred males expressing deleterious alleles.


Magnetotactic bacteria contain chains of magnetically interacting crystals (magnetosomes), which aid navigation (magnetotaxis). To improve the efficiency of magnetotaxis, magnetosome crystals (which can consist of magnetite or greigite) should be magnetically stable single domain (SD) particles. Larger particles subdivide into nonuniform multidomain (MD) magnetic structures that produce weaker magnetic signals, while small SD particles become magnetically unstable due to thermal fluctuations and exhibit superparamagnetic (SP) behavior. In this study, we determined the stable SD range as a function of grain elongation and interparticle separation for chains of identical greigite grains using fundamental parameters recently determined for greigite. Interactions significantly increase the stable SD range. For example, for cube‐shaped greigite grains the upper stable SD threshold size is increased from 107 nm for isolated grains to 204 nm for touching grains arranged in chains. The larger critical SD grain size for greigite means that, compared to magnetite magnetosomes, greigite magnetosomes can produce larger magnetic signals without the need for intergrain interactions.


There is no global patent that will secure protection for an invention globally, and as the title of the book Global Patents: Limits of Transnational Enforcement (Oxford University Press, 2012) suggests, holders of national patents have a limited ability to enforce their patents across national borders. While national patent systems have undergone significant internationalization in the past 140 years, and international treaties and agreements among national patent offices have been designed to simplify the process of obtaining multiple parallel national patents, patent holders still face significant limitations on where they can protect their inventions, particularly if some holders, such as individuals or small and medium enterprises, are constrained by significantly limited resources.Because of the practical limitations on the territorial scope of patenting, patent holders seek ways to protect their inventions beyond the borders of the countries in which they have secured patents. The third chapter of the book Global Patents: Limits of Transnational Enforcement reviews the various possibilities for extraterritorial extensions of patent protection and their limitations; the chapter employs a comparative perspective of the problem and focuses on the laws of the United States and Germany.The chapter begins with an historical look at the protection of inventions in the means of transportation that have crossed national borders and continues with a discussion of the protection of inventions that are in transit through a country, including the recent controversy concerning customs border measures in the European Union. The chapter explains the extraterritorial reach of provisions that protect the right to offer to sell a patented invention and provisions that aim at preventing the assembly of inventions abroad or preventing secondary infringements of patents through acts committed abroad. To complete the analysis of the extraterritorial reach of patent protection, the chapter reviews instances of territorially divided infringements that consist of acts committed in multiple countries.


Over the last decade advances in laser and semiconductor technology has allowed us to investigate the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum as a potential tool for medical imaging. The terahertz frequency range covers the far infrared wavelengths and is sensitive to librational and vibrational modes of molecules. Terahertz radiation is non- ionizing and is not highly scattered like visible and near infrared light. Terahertz Pulse Imaging has already demonstrated it effectiveness in vivo and by differentiating between tissue types in particular, benign and malignant tissue in vitro.


The study set out to give a conceptual definition and assessment of Higher Order Thinking skills (HOTs), and establish the proportion of HOTs and Lower Order Thinking skills (LOTs) questions within the 20102016 Uganda Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) questions. The study used secondary literature to define HOTs and provide an assessment framework for HOTs. The assessment framework was then used to categorise all PLE questions for the years 2010 to 2016. All the examinable subjects within the PLE, English Language, Social Studies (SST), Science and Mathematics were categorised according to the HOT and LOT categories. The study reveals an overall mean value of 86.8% of LOT questions and a mean value of 13.2% of HOT questions. The study recommends the use of the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy framework in the categorisation of assessment items and that more HOT questions are included in the PLE.


Background and Aim: Many mothers consult physicians because of frequent infant regurgitation. Guidelines recommend reassurance and dietary treatment as first approaches. The aim of the present study was to test and compare the efficacy of 2 antiregurgitation formulae (ARF). Methods: A prospective, double-blind, randomized cross-over trial was performed for a 1-month period in 115 formula-fed infants (ages 2 weeks– 5 months) comparing 2 ARF (ARF-1: nonhydrolyzed protein, locust bean gum; ARF-2: specific whey hydrolysate, locust bean gum, specially treated starch). The primary endpoint was the incidence of regurgitation. Results: At inclusion, mean age was 9.1 weeks; anthropometric parameters did not differ between the groups. According to the intention-to-treat analysis, the mean number of episodes of regurgitation decreased from 8.25 to 2.32 with ARF-1 and to 1.89 with ARF-2 (statistically significant difference between both ARF, P1⁄4 0.0091). The mean score of regurgitated volume decreased significantly more with ARF-2 than with ARF-1 (P1⁄4 0.0265). There was no significant difference in stool frequency and consistency between both groups. Conclusions: The efficacy of both ARF was demonstrated by the decreased number and volume of regurgitations. ARF-2 was statistically more effective than ARF-1. Comparative trials enable the selection of the best therapeutic option.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a dreadful novel coronavirus with global health concerns among pregnant women. To date, the vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy remains controversial. We briefly report recent findings of placental response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and updates on vertical transmission. We systematically searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases according to PRISMA guidelines for studies reporting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the placenta and possibility of vertical transmission. We identified 45 studies reporting 1,280 human placentas that were analyzed by molecular pathology methods and 11,112 placenta-derived cells from a publicly available database that was analyzed using bioinformatics tools. The main finding of this study is that the SARS-CoV-2 canonical entry receptors (ACE2 and TMPRSS2) are abundantly expressed on the placenta during the first trimester, and this expression diminishes across gestational age. Out of 45 eligible studies identified, 24 (53.34%) showed no evidence of vertical transmission, 15 (33.33%) supported the hypothesis of very rare, low possibility of vertical transmission and 6 (13.33%) were indecisive and had no comment on vertical transmission. Furthermore, 433 placentas from 12 studies were also identified for placental pathology investigation. There was evidence of at least one form of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM), 57/433 (13.1%), fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM), 81/433 (18.7%) and placental inflammation with excessive infiltration of CD3+ CD8+ lymphocytes, CD68+ macrophages and CD20+ lymphocytes in most of the eligible studies. Decidual vasculopathy (3.2%), infarction (3.2%), chronic histiocytic intervillositis (6.0%), thrombi vasculopathy (5.1%) were also observed in most of the MVM and FVM reported cases. The results indicated that SARS-CoV-2 induces placenta inflammation, and placenta susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 decreases across the pregnancy window. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 infection in early pregnancy may adversely affect the developing fetus.


There is growing interest in the use of augmented reality (AR) to assist children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD); however, little investigation has been conducted into the safety of devices for AR such as smartglasses. The objective of this report was to assess the safety and negative effects of the Brain Power Autism System (BPAS), a novel AR smartglasses-based social communication aid for people with ASD. A sequential series of 18 children and adults aged 4.4 to 21.5 years (mean 12.2 years) with clinically diagnosed ASD of varying severity used the BPAS. Users and caregivers were interviewed about perceived negative effects and design concerns. Most users were able to wear and use the BPAS (n=16/18, 89%), with most of them reporting no negative effects (n=14/16, 87.5%). Two users reported temporary negative effects: eye strain, dizziness, and nasal discomfort. Caregivers observed no negative effects in users (n=16/16, 100%). Most users (77.8%) and caregivers (88.9%) had no design concerns. This report found no major negative effects in using an AR smartglasses-based social communication aid across a wide age and severity range of people with ASD. Further research is needed to explore longer-term effects of using AR smartglasses in this population.


A fast and efficient protocol for the palladium(II)-catalyzed production of aryl ketones from sodium arylsulfinates and various organic nitriles under controlled microwave irradiation has been developed. The wide scope of the reaction has been demonstrated by combining 14 sodium arylsulfinates and 21 nitriles to give 55 examples of aryl ketones. One additional example illustrated that, through the choice of the nitrile reactant, benzofurans are also accessible. The reaction mechanism was investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and DFT calculations. The desulfitative synthesis of aryl ketones from nitriles was also compared to the corresponding transformation starting from benzoic acids. Comparison of the energy profiles indicates that the free energy requirement for decarboxylation of 2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid and especially benzoic acid is higher than the corresponding desulfitative process for generating the key aryl palladium intermediate. The palladium(II) intermediates detected by ESI-MS and the DFT calculations provide a detailed understanding of the catalytic cycle.


The structure and properties of diphenylalanine peptide nanotubes based on phenylalanine were investigated by various
 molecular modeling methods. The main approaches were semi-empirical quantum-chemical methods (PM3 and AM1), and
 molecular mechanical ones. Both the model structures and the structures extracted from their experimental
 crystallographic databases obtained by X-ray methods were examined. A comparison of optimized model structures and
 structures obtained by naturally-occurring self-assembly showed their important differences depending on D- and L-chirality.
 In both the cases, the effect of chirality on the results of self-assembly of diphenylalanine peptide nanotubes was established:
 peptide nanotubes based on the D-diphenylalanine (D-FF) has high condensation energy E0
 in transverse direction and forms
 thicker and shorter peptide nanotubes bundles, than that based on L-diphenylalanine (L-FF). A topological difference was
 established: model peptide nanotubes were optimized into structures consisting of rings, while naturally self-assembled
 peptide nanotubes consisted of helical coils. The latter were different for the original L-FF and D-FF. They formed helix
 structures in which the chirality sign changes as the level of the macromolecule hierarchy raises. Total energy of the optimal
 distances between two units are deeper for L-FF (–1.014 eV) then for D-FF (–0.607 eV) for ring models, while for helix coil are
 approximately the same and have for L-FF (–6.18 eV) and for D-FF (–6.22 eV) by PM3 method; for molecular mechanical methods
 energy changes are of the order of 2–3 eV for both the cases. A topological transition between a ring and a helix coil of
 peptide nanotube structures is discussed: self-assembled natural helix structures are more stable and favourable, they have
 lower energy in optimal configuration as compared with ring models by a value of the order of 1 eV for molecular mechanical
 methods and 5 eV for PM3 method.


Search engines for storage systems rely on crawlers to gather the list of files that need to be indexed. The recency of an index is determined by the speed at which this list can be gathered. While there has been a substantial amount of literature on building efficient web crawlers, there is very little literature on file system crawlers. In this paper we discuss the challenges in building a file system crawler. We then present the design of two file system crawlers: the first uses the standard POSIX file system API but carefully controls the amount of memory and CPU that it uses. The second leverages modifications to the file systems's internals, and a new API called SnapDiff, to detect modified files rapidly. For both crawlers we describe the incremental differencing design; the method to produce a list of changes between a previous crawl and the current point in time.


Spěvackova V., Hradkova I., Smidrkal J., Filip V. (2012): Lipid oxidation of fat blends modified by monoacylglycerol. Czech J. Food Sci., 30: 527–533. Model dispersions of fat blends (FBs) with monoacylglycerols (MAG) of saturated fatty acids with different lengths of the acyl chain (MAG10–MAG18) and 1-octadecenoylglycerol and without MAG (as blank) were prepared. We find out the influence of the addition of monoacylglycerol on oxidation of the fat dispersion. Trihexadecanoylglycerol (tripalmitoylglycerol – TAG48) was used as the dispersive phase and soybean oil was used as the dispersive medium. Primary (conjugated diens) and volatile secondary (by SPME in connection with GC-MS) lipid oxidation products and oil stability index (OSI) were measured during autoxidation of the fat blends in storage conditions. MAGs with a shorter (or the same) acyl chain length (MAG10–MAG16) than the acyl chain length of the structured fat (TAG48) arrange tightly on the interface oil/crystals of structured fat, thus prevent lipid oxidation.


This study is about to see whether the two models representing the strategies of lean production is to use and apply in different companies. The models are structured in two different ways in which one of them is checking the softer elements of lean production in the form of leadership and strategies. This model is called Lesat and is based on interviewquestions. The second model, called "learning to see" is about identifying flows. This, together shall then give an idea of how mature companies are when it comes to a whole in the concept of lean production, and susceptibility to use these models to their respective companies. The study is conducted in two companies, SKF couplings systems and AQ parkoprint. SKF is a company that makes connections through a special method called the oil injection method. Parkoprint produces mainly parking meters of all kinds, this is done in close cooperation with customers and their preferences. The study has been carried out by means of interviews of individuals in leadership positions in each business. We also interviewed operations personnel and has developed facts through observation and computer systems to make the flow surveys. The results show that the models themselves are useful and functional. However, it became more difficult to use the Lesat showing soft data, rather than "learn to see" that focuses mostly on flows. This is for several reasons. One of the reasons was that the companies examined were not quite at the level existing strategies and leadership that Lesat calls, this makes it difficult to estimate where in the assessment firms ports when the people interviewed do not really are in line or understand how the model or concept works in some areas. In addition to this we experienced it difficult to make a fair assessment when the model in any way based on subjective assessments from companies and then marked in a way that also tends to be of subjective nature. From this perspective, we believe that Lesat model fit better in a study of the companies that has made more of work on lean production and has achieved a higher degree of maturity, and thus become a little easier to rate and provide a more realistic sense. It appears that the models worked with different conditions and also with different results. However, the two worked so well that it clearly has been able to see the potential strengths, weaknesses and possible improvements in the respective organization. This means that the combination of the two satisfactory to achieve a whole, and that any use, ie organization, can help to improve and lead organizations to more effectively work with and against the lean production.


Abstract This paper considers the effects of fathers' political influence on their offspring's labour market outcomes in China. Political influence refers to the ability to convert political power into economic benefits. This study identifies the dissolution of political influence by exploiting an age-based mandatory retirement rule in urban China. It exploits the variation of political influence in three dimensions: bureaucrat status, retirement status, and offspring gender. A difference-in-differences approach shows that the retirement of a bureaucrat translates into a 13 per cent decrease in offspring's income. A triple-differences approach suggests retirement of a bureaucrat father translates into a 27 per cent decrease in earnings among sons. Retirement of a bureaucrat father is associated with larger income losses for offspring working in the same industry sector as their father and in industries that have a high concentration of assets or that are controlled by the state. This paper adds evidence to the growing literature estimating the economic benefits of political connections.


Abstract. 3D building models including roofs are a key prerequisite in many fields of applications such as the estimation of solar suitability of rooftops. The accurate reconstruction of roofs with dormers is sometimes challenging. Without careful separation of the dormer points from the points on the roof surface, the estimation of the roof areas is distorted in a most characteristic way, which then let the dormer points appear as white noise. The characteristic distortion of the density distribution of the defects by dormers in comparison to the expected normal distribution is the starting point of our method. We propose a hierarchical method which improves roof reconstruction from LiDAR point clouds in a model-based manner separating dormer points from roof points using classification methods. The key idea is to exploit probability density functions (PDFs) to reveal roof properties and design skilful features for a supervised learning method using support vector machines (SVMs). Properties of the PDFs of measures such as residuals of model-based estimated roof models are used among others. A clustering step leads to a semantic segmentation of the point cloud enabling subsequent reconstruction. The approach is tested based on real data as well as simulated point clouds. The latter allow for experiments for various roof and dormer types with different parameters using an implemented simulation toolbox which generates virtual buildings and synthetic point clouds.


This article begins with a series of discussions on the identification of sacred sites in the locality of Iauarete, situated on the shores of the middle Uaupes River, between 2004 and 2011, involving the participation of local indigenous leaders and representatives of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN). The work of identifying these sites began with the institute's visit to the region in 2004 and the partnership established with the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN) and the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a non-government organization that has provided advice and support to indigenous peoples of the region for two decades. Following an evaluation of the effects of the listing of the Iauarete Falls as intangible heritage by IPHAN in 2005, as well as the preservation actions implemented subsequently, the article explores some aspects of the new collaborative dynamics between anthropologists and indigenous researchers/intellectuals which the experience brings to the fore, as well as the specific way in which this phenomenon is manifested in the context of the upper Rio Negro.


Nematocarcinus tenuirostris Sp. Bate, var. sibogae n.
Stat. 300. January 30, 1900. 10° 48'.6 S., 123° 23'.1 E. 918 m.
Bottom fine grey mud. 4 adult females, 3 of which are laden with eggs.
In the typical Nemat. tenuirostris, as described by Spence Bate (Report Challenger Macrura) and Miss Rathbun (The Brachyura and Macrura of the Hawaiian Islands. Wash. 1906, p. 926, Pl. XXIII, fig. 6), the rostrum is from two-thirds to one-half as long as the rest of the carapace, projecting horizontally forwards, the upper margin is slightly convex and it bears 9—13 dorsal and 1 or 2 ventral teeth. In the adult specimens, collected by the "Siboga" off the south coast of Rotti, the rostrum measures, however, somewhat more than two-thirds the length of the carapace proper and is more or less obliquely turned upward from the orbital margin to the tip; it is styliform, tapering, quite straight, not at all convex in front of the eyes and armed above with 8—10 teeth, beneath with one and of the dorsal teeth 3 or 4 stand on the carapace, posterior to the orbital margin. Length 146 mm.
Plesionika longipes A. M.-Edw., var. indica n.
Pandalus longipes, A. Milne-Edwards, Recueil de Figures de Crustaces nouveaux ou peu connus, Avril 1883, Pl. 20.
Stat. 254. December 10. 5° 40' S., 132° 26' E. Near the Kei-islands. 310 m. Bottom fine, grey mud. 1 male and 8 ova-bearing females.
When the figures in the quoted "Recueil" are indeed correct and accurate, the specimens, collected by the "Siboga", differ from the typical species that occurs in the West Indies, by the somewhat shorter rostrum, which is less strongly upturned and armed both dorsally and ventrally


Abstract The monotypic genus Manoao is erected to accommodate Lagarostrobos colensoi, silver pine, because the character-states of L. colensoi, endemic to New Zealand, and those of Huon pine, L. franklinii, endemic to Tasmania, are so divergent as to warrant treatment as separate genera distinct from Dacrydium and the other segregate genera Halocarpus and Lepidothamnus. As a consequence, Lagarostrobos is redefined to include the type and sole extant species, L. franklinii. The necessary new combination and transfer are made, and names previously assigned to both species are typified.


Collected 2218 medical records of cerebral infarction patients from 2007 to 2008 in a third-class hospital in Tang Shan as sample. A statistical analysis was made of the hospitalization expenses and its influencing factors by BP nerve network model to identify the factors affecting hospitalization expense by using BP nerve network model. The results showed that the major factors impacting the hospitalization expense included age, hospitalization day, therapeutic result and emergency medical treatment. The sensitivity were: age is 0.91426, hospitalization day is 0.32131, therapeutic result is 0.19722, emergency medical treatment is 0.27564. BP nerve network model is a powerful analytical tool for hospitalization expenses and its influencing factors analysis.


Papillomaviruses are epitheliotropic viruses causing proliferations in skin, mucosa and various internal organs in different animal species. Especially due to lesions it causes in teats of cattle, it leads to important economical losses in milk sector. In this study, the aim was to diagnose bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) causing teat papillomas in cattle by immunohistochemical, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular methods and to detect the defect on tissues by the virus using histopathological method. In addition to this, sequence analysis of the isolated field strains were to be carried out and their genetic and phylogenetic closeness with the strains within the literature were to be detected. After confirming teat papillomatosis in the collected samples using histopathological and immunohistochemical methods, other diagnosis methods were then used. During the TEM examination of teat lesions, intranuclear virus particles were seen in epithelium cells. After carrying out PCR using degenerate primers and type specific primers, 7 samples were detected as positive for BPV and these samples were used for typing using sequence analysis/PCR with type-specific primers. Within these analysis, three out of seven BPV isolates we collected from infected teat tissues of different cattle were detected as BPV-6, two as BPV-10, one as BPV-2 and one as BPV-8. Five isolates we isolated during sequence analysis of positive samples were found in Xipapillomavirus 1 genus, one in Epsilonpapillomavirus 1 genus and another in Deltapapillomavirus genus. As a result, in molecular diagnosis of BPV that takes place in etiology of teat papillomas, using type specific primers proved to be useful following the usage of genotyping in molecular diagnosis of BPV and generate primers in characterization. Detecting BPV types and their prevalence, taking biosafety measures in animal breeding and giving importance to vaccine studies was considered essential.


Objective: To find out the underlying causes of chronic diarrhea in soldiers and how it differs from general population.
Study Design: Prospective comparative study.
Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Multan and Pak Emeritus Military Hospital (PEMH) Rawalpindi, from Dec 2017 to Jan 2020.
Methodology: All soldiers in active service, having diarrhea more than 4 weeks in study and non-soldiers of the same age were included in the control group. There were inquired in details about the diarrhea symptoms and investigations carried out accordingly to find out the underlying cause. The two groups were compared to find out any differences. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 22.
Results: Seventy one in study and 50 patients in control had their mean ages of 34.61 ± 8.35 and 32.42 ± 10.28 years. Mean duration of symptoms were 18 and 15 months in study and control groups respectively. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) was more common in both groups i.e. 14 (20%) and 20 (40%) in study and control groups respectively but frequency was more in second one. Seropositive celiac disease 13 (18.5%), seronegative villous atrophy 10 (14%) in study and Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD 6 (12%) in control group were second most common conditions.
Conclusions: Irritable bowel syndrome is common in this age group. Celiac and seronegative villous atrophy is second common conditions in the study group.


ABSTRACT The abundance and size distribution of ecologically diagnostic foraminiferal species are ideal tracers of sediment transportation and storm processes on the windward shelf of Grand Cayman. During storm peak, sediment in the lagoon and fore-reef is suspended by large storm waves. Sediments of sand size and finer, including forereef foraminifera species, are moved shoreward by wind-driven currents and deposited in a blanket behind the reef. The fore-reef foraminiferal assemblage is winnowed and the mean and median sizes of Amphistegina gibbosa progressively decrease from the shelf edge into the inner lagoon. As the storm wanes, water piled in the lagoon drains via channels and sediment is transported offshore. Consequently, lagoonal sediment that includes lagoonal foraminiferal t sts is carried out of the lagoon and deposited on the fore-reef terrace and down the shelf escarpment. This process produces winnowed lagoonal sediments because suspended fine sediments are preferentially transported. During the long inter-storm periods, tranquil conditions are once again established and sediment exchange between the lagoon and on the fore-reef terrace ceases. During this time, lagoonal organisms once again colonize the lagoon and bioturbation causes mixing of surface and subsurface sediments.


The purpose of the study was to assess the employability and productivity of the graduates across programs in aid of policy
formulation and curricular enhancement. The study asked 630 randomly selected respondents from the colleges of
education, engineering, and architecture to respond to a questionnaire that sought information on the employability and
productivity of the graduates. The findings revealed that the graduates of Don Honorio Ventura Technological State
University are highly employable, and that a great majority of them have jobs aligned with their pre-service preparations.
The graduates were found to be highly productive in terms of their perceived readiness on the requirements of their jobs.
In terms of their performances in licensure examination, the education, civil engineering, and electronics and
communication engineering graduates performed much higher than the national passing rates, but not for the electrical and
mechanical engineering and architecture graduates. Some operational strategies and control mechanisms are deemed
exigent to further improve the productivity of the graduates.


The most serious drawback in wastewater treatment using membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is membrane fouling, which gradually leads to membrane permeability decrease and efficiency deterioration. This work is part of a research project that aims to develop an integrated methodology for membrane fouling control, using specific chemicals which enhance the coagulation and flocculation of compounds responsible for fouling, hence reducing biofilm formation on the membrane surface and limiting the fouling rate acting as a pre-treatment step. For this purpose, a pilot- scale plant with fully automatic operation achieved by means of programmable logic controller (PLC) has been constructed and tested. The experimental set-up consists of four units: wastewater feed unit, bioreactor, membrane (side-stream) filtration unit and permeate collection unit. Synthetic wastewater (BOD=1000 mg/L) was fed as the substrate for the activated sludge (F/M=0.2 kg BOD/kg MLVSS∙d). The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of the aerobic tank was maintained in the range of 2-3 mg/L during the entire operation by using aerators below the membrane module. Backflushing steps of 1 min were performed periodically after 10 min of filtration. Membrane reversible and irreversible fouling was pre-assessed in terms of filterability tests and SMP (soluble microbial product) concentration measurements conducted in mixed liquor samples before and after the addition of commercial and composite coagulants. Membrane fouling results in increased treatment cost, due to high energy consumption and the need for frequent membrane cleaning and replacement. Due to the widespread application of MBR technology over the past few years, it becomes clear that the development of a methodology to mitigate membrane fouling is of paramount importance. The present work aims to develop an integrated technique for membrane fouling control in MBR systems and, thus, contribute to sustainable wastewater treatment.


Colloquially, episodic memory is described as "the memory of personally experienced events". Here we ask how episodic memory should be characterized in order to be validated as a natural kind. We propose to conceive of episodic memory as a knowledge-like state that is identified with an experientially based mnemonic representation of an episode. We discuss selected experimental results that provide exemplary evidence for uniform causal mechanisms underlying the properties of episodic memory and argue that episodic memory is a natural kind. The argumentation proceeds along two cornerstones: First, empirical results support the claim that the principal anatomical substrate of episodic memory is the hippocampus. Second, we can pin down causal mechanisms onto neural activities in the hippocampus to explain the psychological states and processes constituting episodic memory.


The SPI was applied in food industry widely, but its functionalities may change during storage. The effect of store temperature, time, RH and package material on emulsibility and the component of SPI were studied, when SPI was packaged in 100% N2 and Al, 80%N2:20%CO2 and Al, 60%N2:40% CO2 and Al, vacuum and Al, white paper/plastic/HDPE, and PE and then stored for 5 months in the conditions of RH 80% and 30°C. It was observed by SDS-PAGE that the subunit of SPI disaggregated and molecules aggregated. Comparing the functionalities of SPI with different packaging material, it was shown that the sequence of the barrier property of material to T and RH was Al packaging>factory packaging>PE packaging. Analyzed by relatedness, it was shown that the 7S/11S of SPI with PE packaging storage was not significant with emulsibility. The content of -SH with PE was significantly positive with emulsibility (EAI 0.975**/ESI 0.985**), but the -S-S- of SPI in PE was significantly negative (EAI -0.975**/ESI -0.967**) correlation with emulsibility.


Oxidative stress is thought to be one of the causative factors contributing to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Previously, we showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is significantly increased in adipocytes from high-fat diet-induced obese and insulin-resistant mice (HF). ROS production was also associated with the increased activity of PKC-delta. In the present studies, we hypothesized that PKC-delta contributes to ROS generation and determined their intracellular source. NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) reduced ROS levels by 50% in HF adipocytes, and inhibitors of NO synthase (L-NAME, 1 mM), xanthine oxidase (allopurinol, 100 microM), AGE formation (aminoguanidine, 10 microM), or the mitochondrial uncoupler (FCCP, 10 microM) had no effect. Rottlerin, a selective PKC-delta inhibitor, suppressed ROS levels by approximately 50%. However, neither GO-6976 nor LY-333531, effective inhibitors toward conventional PKC or PKC-beta, respectively, significantly altered ROS levels in HF adipocytes. Subsequently, adenoviral-mediated expression of wild-type PKC-delta or its dominant negative mutant (DN-PKC-delta) in HF adipocytes resulted in either a twofold increase in ROS levels or their suppression by 20%, respectively. In addition, both ROS levels and PKC-delta activity were sharply reduced by glucose depletion. Taken together, these results suggest that PKC-delta is responsible for elevated intracellular ROS production in HF adipocytes, and this is mediated by high glucose and NADPH oxidase.


We present HAMLET, a suite of principles, scoring models and algorithms to automatically propagate metadata along edges in a document neighborhood. As a showcase scenario we consider tag prediction in community-based Web 2.0 tagging applications. Experiments using real-world data demonstrate the viability of our approach in large-scale environments where tags are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, HAMLET is the first system to promote an efficient and precise reuse of shared metadata in highly dynamic, large-scale Web 2.0 tagging systems.


A decentralized adaptive approximation design for the fault tolerant control of a class interconnected feedback linearizable nonlinear systems is considered in this technical note. Multiple faults may occur in the subsystems local dynamics as well as in the interconnections between the subsystems. Linearly parameterized neural networks are used to adaptively approximate the unknown interconnection effects and changes in model dynamics due to failures. A dead-zone modification in the adaptive laws is combined with an adaptive bounding method for addressing stability and robustness issues in the presence of residual approximation errors. Outside the coverage region of the approximators, a decentralized safety control scheme is designed to steer back the trajectory by using a sliding mode approach with adaptive bounds. A simulation example is presented for illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed fault tolerant control methodology.


Hydroelectric power is an important source of energy. This is particularly true for Quebec and some other provinces in Canada. In the event of a combination of power trip and wicket gate blockage, as an emergency response, it is necessary to close the intake gates in order to stop water flow through the penstock to the unit. Such emergency closure can cause air pressure inside the penstock chamber to drop so significantly that the safety risks to the power station structures and facilities become unacceptable. The purpose of this study is to develop analysis methods for the assessment of air pressure drop in emergency closure. The scope of this research work covers the determination of the following time-dependent quantities: water discharge beneath a sluice gate, dry air flow through air vents leading to the penstock chamber, amount of air entrained by turbulent water motions through the penstock, and the resultant changes of air pressure in the penstock chamber. The analyses are based on the energy principle and take into account a large number of variables including the upstream and downstream water levels, the geometry of the hydraulic passage, the time rate of gate closing, and features of downstream control structures. The analysis methods are applied to two cases of emergency closure of power generating stations in Quebec. The results of calculated air demand and pressure drop are in good comparison with field measurements. Emergency closure is shown to produce two significant impacts on penstocks and air vents: 1) intensified water jet in the first half of the time period it takes to close the gate; and 2) pressure drop in the last one third of the time period. Air entrainment by high-velocity flowing water is an important cause of pressure drop in emergency closure, and can be modeled using hydraulic jump entrainment equations. The values of air pressure drop calculated for the Isle-Maligne and La Tuque stations are below one third of the standard atmospheric pressure. However, there are significant air pressure fluctuations. This study has contributed to the development of quantitative framework and calculation procedures that can easily be extended for applications to other sites. The development is of engineering relevance to upgrade of existing air vents and the design of new air vents and to safe operations of emergency closure.


The paper considers the representation of probation themes in the British Journal of Social Work (BJSW) since the early 1990s, and reviews developments in probation policy and practice since then, with a focus on the relationship between probation practice and social work. It argues that emerging research evidence supports the view that effective probation practice is likely to be informed by values and skills that are recognizably within the tradition of social work, and concludes that despite pressures to abandon social work as a basis for probation practice, it is not obvious what the alternative could be.


In this article partial and complete substitution of cations in the interlayer region of clay with different amounts of hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide (HDTMABr) was performed. The aim was to investigate the influence of HDTMA/bentonite ratio on phenol electrooxidation. Multisweep cyclic voltammetry was applied to analyze the behavior of clay modified glassy carbon electrode. The influence of phenol concentration was investigated. HDTMA/clay ratio plays key role in phenol oxidation on these electrodes. There is definite amount of surfactant that should be present in bentonite sample in order to achieve good current response and prolonged life of the electrode. The reaction order in respect to phenol was determined to be around 2. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 32: 1124–1128, 2013


Yes indeed that we cannot neglect, that Hollywood?s Movie is a product of art which still on the top of popularity in entertaintment until now. That is because those movie is already dominate almost of the movie that have been showed on the movie theatre (including Indonesia). Those phenomenon undirectly have reflect that in all of Hollywood movie which showed on the theatre, consist of the things that makes the audience so attracted to watch. In this kind of research, there will be explain about the factors which makes the audience attracted to watching Hollywood?s Movies. Factor is the thing that always be the basis of every phenomenon that will be happened. Inherently, the existence of factor could be triggering or even enervating the phenomenon that will be happened. All of the activity that did by someone, it always based on the factors, whether it is came from the inside or outside of an individual. Hollywood Movie is the term for a movies which made by the biggest movie industry in one area that called Hollywood in United States of America, and it also be the role model for all movie industries in the entire of the world. Based on that phenomenon, this research is have a purpose to knowing the factors which are influence the audience to watching a Hollywood movies. The problem formulation of this research is the factors that influence the audience to watching a Hollywood Movie (a study on the audiences of Malang Town Square 21 Movie Theatre, in Malang City). So, based on those problem, the purpose of this research is for analyzing what kind of factors that could influence the audiences to watching a Hollywood Movie. This research method is use the quantitative approachment with the research?s subject is about 37 person who randomly choosed from the Matos 21 Movie theatre?s audiences. The research data collecting technic that used in this research is a questionnaire. Based on the result of data collecting and data analysis, the conclusion that can be obtained are the factors that could be influence audiences to watching a Hollywood movia are: main idea (45%), the story (44%), entertaint effect (44%). The action (42%), the performance from the actor and actress (33%), and the theme (32%), which are those factors is have a big influence to makes the audiences to watching Hollywood Movie. Hopefully, this research is could be more developed , especially for the University of Muhammadiyah Malang Communication major Student, who will do the similar research. And beside of that, it also hoped could be an input for an Indonesia movie creators, and they are could be applying the six factors that influence the audience to watching Hollywood Movie, in all of their movie. So the movie creator will be able to give a good quality movie and also give a brand new experience for the audiences, after watching movie in theatre, like what Hollywood movie already give. Keyword : Faktor-faktor; Film Hollywood; Mempengaruhi Link terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/301/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2009-pranowosun-15012-PENDAHUL-N.pdf


Sr isotopic data of Holocene glauconitic pellets suggest a twofold glauconitization process that is strongly linked to the detrital clay minerals from surrounding mud which act as precursors until the K2O content of the glauconitic material reaches 4%. Above that, a detectable sea-water influence becomes progressively predominant. The process seems to start with a dissolution-crystallization reaction in equilibrium with the precursor, which is followed by a maturation process in isotopic equilibrium with sea-water Sr, while the K2O content increases further. This chemical evolutionary process may also occur for other types of clay minerals.


Background: Overweight and obesity is a worrying issue in the present age and the cause of many chronic non-communicable diseases. Nutritional and non-nutritional factors involved in the development of this health crisis. One of the most important nutritional factors is dietary diversity.
Objective: The present study was conducted to report the relationship among dietary diversity score (DDS), obesity and abdominal adiposity among Tehranian young students.
Methods: This study was cross-sectional in which, 246 young men, according to the inclusion criteria, were selected. The study was conducted in April 2016. Demographic data were collected by questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were conducted according to international standards. For each participant recorded 24-hour recall food and calculated the DDS. Finally, nine food groups were measured for each person. The analysis was adjusted for confounding factors.
Findings: The means of BMI and waist circumference were 23.9±3.8 and 88.7±10.6. The probability of obesity decreased with quartiles of DDS (1.00, 0.53, 0.08 and 0.19; P=0.01).
Conclusion: The inverse relationship between the DDS and odds ratio of obesity and abdominal obesity was observed in young men. So that by increasing dietary diversity score, the odds ratio of obesity was lower. Further prospective investigations are needed to confirm this finding.
Keywords: Dietary diversity score, Obesity, Waist circumference, BMI


Statistical properties of certain parametric methods for array processing in wave fields are investigated. Potential applications are the classic location problem in underwater acoustics and wavenumber-spectrum analysis in geophysical work. Asymptotic normality of Fourier-transformed outputs of an array of sensors is applied to define approximate likelihood functions to be maximized for source-parameter estimation. Usually, the parameters are those of the spectral-density matrix. Liggett's estimates are approximations of maximum likelihood estimates in this sense. Another possibility is to use conditional likelihood functions. As a consequence, the source parameters can be found by solving nonlinear-regression problems. Approximate solutions of the latter, which enhance certain simple estimates by some iterations related to Fisher's scoring method, compare favorably with Liggett's estimates. Key Words-Array processing, beam forming, applications in passive sonar, radar and geophysical work; parametric methods: maximum likelihood and nonlinear regression; theoretical study and numerical experiments.


Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common neoplastic malignancies, which permutes a fourth of cancer-related mortality globally. RNA modification plays a significant role in tumorigenesis, the underlying molecular mechanism of how different RNA modifications directly affect the tumor microenvironment (TME) in GC is unclear. Here, we profiled the genetic and transcriptional alterations of RNA modification genes (RMGs) in GC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohorts. Through the unsupervised clustering algorithm, we identified three distinct RNA modification clusters and found that they participate in different biological pathways and starkly correlate with the clinicopathological characteristics, immune cell infiltration, and prognosis of GC patients. Subsequently, univariate Cox regression analysis unveiled 298 of 684 subtype-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are tightly interwoven to prognosis. In addition, we conducted the principal component analysis to develop the RM_Score system, which was used to quantify and predict the prognostic value of RNA modification in GC. Our analysis indicated that patients with high RM_Score were characterized by higher tumor mutational burden, mutation frequency, and microsatellite instability which were more susceptible to immunotherapy and had a favorable prognosis. Altogether, our study uncovered RNA modification signatures that may have a potential role in the TME and prediction of clinicopathological characteristics. Identification of these RNA modifications may provide a new understanding of immunotherapy strategies for gastric cancer.


Abstract This paper focuses on Sarojini Naidu's noteworthy 1924 visit to South Africa. She was the first high profile Indian to visit after the departure of Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1914. Her visit also highlighted that Indian political figures' visits to colonies often perpetuated a reliance on India for political redress. Naidu stood out because, even though she came as Gandhi's emissary, she went well beyond him in calling for a broad-based black alliance against white minority rule. She also emphasised that Indians in South Africa were national citizens and owed their allegiance to their adopted home. By emphasising the 'South Africanness' of Indians, she put paid to Gandhi's idea of imperial citizenship transcending the nation-state. Moreover, she was highly critical of Empire. The question is whether Naidu's visit should be understood within a particular historical trajectory or as the individual actions of an exceptional woman, feminist, and leader. This paper argues that she reflected changes in attitudes towards race in the colonies as well as feelings in India, including Gandhi's, of disillusionment with Empire. Rather than seeing Naidu's position as that of an outstanding individual, it should be contextualised within a specific historical conjuncture.


The aim of this study is to evulate our surgical results of Tetralogy of Fallot. Between 2001–2009, 35 patients with Tetralogy of Fallot underwent to total correction at our department. Five of them had Down syndrome (%14.2), 3 had patent ductus arteriousus (%8.5), 2 had pulmonary atresia (%5.7), 1 had hypothyroidism (%2.8) and 1 had coronary artery anomaly (%2.8). Five patients had Blalock-Tausing shunt in their medical history. Transannular approach was avoided because of causing pulmonary valve insufficiency in late period, but it was obliged to apply in 12 patients. Early mortality occured in 3 cases (%8.5) after repair. Twenty three patients were followed for mean 6.7 years. One patient with pulmonary gradient underwent reoperation at postoperative 15th month and died due to multiple organ failure. There were no complet atrioventricular block and disrhythm in long term. Second degree pulmonary insufficiency that was developed in 12 patients who underwent transannular patch closure was followed up to day. We think that ventricular septal defect and infundibular stenosis could be corrected via transatrial approach, if necessary via transpulmonar approach and in long term, pulmonary insufficiency and right ventricular disfunction could be prevented.


In response to the threat of global warming a variety of policy measures have been proposed to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). However, policies which reduce CO2 emissions will also decrease the emissions of greenhouse-relevant gases methane, nitrous oxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and sulfur oxides. When these additional effects are overlooked the net effect of CO2 reduction policies on global warming is understated. Thus, emissions of all greenhouse-relevant gases should be included when evaluating CO2 reduction policies. Other proposals which recognize the need to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases have called for the reduction of a "C0 2-equivalent" amount. Policymakers evaluate these policies by using a Global Warming Potential (GWP) which is an index that supposedly indicates the relative radiative power of a greenhouse gas with respect to CO2 . This method, however, is flawed, as calculation of the GWP depends critically on the lifetime of the gas as well as the radiative effect of CO2 which can change depending on the composition of the atmosphere. When analyzing the effect of gases on global warming, an atmospheric chemistry model which describes the interactions of all the gases should be used in place of the GWP. In this case, specification of future emissions of all greenhouse-relevant gases is also required. This thesis addresses these two problems by developing a model which forecasts emissions of all greenhouse-relevant gases. This emissions model uses the GREEN model as the underlying economic model and incorporates the emissions of greenhouse-relevant gases from activities in energy, agriculture, industry, and land use. The results of the model are then fed into an atmospheric chemistry model to evaluate the effect on warming. The atmospheric chemistry model is used to compare the results of a reference case with a Toronto-type agreement. The thesis finds that including other greenhouse-relevant gases results in an additional decrease of 40% in warming as compared to when only CO2 is specified. Additional analyses are performed to illustrate the interaction between chemical species and the importance of including all greenhouse-relevant gases when evaluating global warming policies. Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Henry Jacoby Title: Willam F. Pounds Professor of Management