The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Treaty aims at achieving regional integration, poverty alleviation and economic growth. Water is a catalyst to these aims, thus making it key for the region to manage and develop water resources. Water in the SADC region is a shared resource among the countries, making joint development of the resource important for peace and prosperity. SADC has been promoting transboundary water resources management among its member states. The region has done a lot of work in establishing an enabling environment for the management of water resources. The SADC Protocol for Shared Watercourses (the "Watercourses Protocol"), the Regional Water Policy (the "Water Policy") and the Regional Water Strategy (the "Water Strategy") are all instruments that have been developed to support the management of water resources. However, the region remains heavily under-developed in terms of water infrastructure and in order for the region to develop its water resources, the SADC secretariat has developed a Regional Strategic Water Infrastructure Development Programme (referred to as the "SADC Programme for water infrastructure development" in this study). The Programme is aimed at responding to the lack of infrastructural development in the region and identifies regional water projects to be implemented. Water is a sector that struggles in attracting private sector funding and involvement. This study aims to look into ways that the private sector can been attracted to participate in the Programme for water infrastructure development and also proposes ways they can be engaged. Private-sector involvement varies from project identification to project implementation and funding. To attract the private sector to participate in the SADC Programme for water infrastructure development, SADC and the member states have to build on the enabling environment established in the region and also on relationships based on existing institutions. The private sector needs to be assured of good market potential and sound financial returns. This can be achieved if the region better co-ordinates the prioritization of regional projects through integrated planning. NEPAD and SADC working closely together, to issue that a consistent development agenda is communicated to potential investors, could add value and avoid duplication. It is also important to link to national development priorities in order to ensure that local issues are addressed. Capacity of the public sector to support regional projects is also important – capacity to develop bankable projects, develop financing mechanisms and to implement the projects is required at all levels. The SADC region lacks capacity to participate in complex infrastructure projects and this has to be addressed through establishing a Private Public Partnership Unit at the SADC Secretariat. Capacity to also manage and regulate water services is lacking in a number of countries in the region. These are important issues to ensure fair pricing and to give the private sector confidence on issues of tariff setting.


This paper examines the changes in regional and sectoral inequality that accompanied economic transformation in Russia and China throughout the 1990s. The experiences of the two countries are widely viewed as having been polar opposites. While the Soviet collapse had adverse consequences for many parts of the post-Soviet population, the Chinese experience produced a continuing rise of average living standards. Nevertheless, both countries experienced a drastic increase in economic inequality. In both cases, regional inequalities rose more sharply than inequalities across sectors but within regions. In particular, major urban centers gained dramatically relative to the hinterlands. Also, in Russia as in China, those sectors exercising the largest degrees of monopoly power gained the most (or lost the least) in relative terms. In both countries, the respective position of finance improved greatly, while that of agriculture declined. The decline of agriculture in China, however, was not as precipitous as in Russia, and certain sectors, such as education and science, maintained their position in China in a way that was not possible for them in Russia.


EUROCRIM 2015 CONFERENCE Porto, September 2015 Criminological analysis of the principle of judicial opportunity of the art. 57.7 of Spanish Immigration Law: Waiving of criminal proceedings and primacy of administrative expulsion Elisa García España (Universidad de Málaga, Spain) María Contreras Román (Universidad de Málaga, Spain) y Pablo Rando Casermeiro (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain) Spanish Immigration Law provides (art. 57.7) that where a foreigner, on which is pending an administrative expulsion order, is accused in a penal procedure with a misdemeanour or felony which entails a punishment less than six years of imprisonment or any alternative penal sanction, administrative authority will request to the criminal judge to renounce continuing with the penal procedure and allowed the expulsion, and judge will renounce unless some circumstances will be appreciated to justify the continuation of the process. This regulation, manifestation of the principle of judicial opportunity, has been widely analyzed from a legal perspective, but little research has been done about its effective implementation in practice and about the costs and benefits derived from this ius puniendi's renunciation from the point of view of the purposes of punishment. With the overall aim of deepening the knowledge of this topic, the research we are doing aims to: 1) determine the prevalence of its application; 2) identify the profile of foreigners and offenses for which it is applied; and 3) identify which criteria are guiding the assessment of the court decision. Our hypothesis are that: i) there are some dysfunctions that hampered the application and also the knowledge of the exact number of authorizations granted and that ii) in practice, the assessment of costs and benefits that implies authorization in each case, is omitted. To achieve the first objective we are reviewing official statistics and judiciary/prosecutors instructions and conducting interviews with key stakeholders. To achieve the second and the third objectives, we are reviewing a sample of selected case files of trial courts of Madrid and Malaga, which also allows us to make comparisons between practices of both jurisdictions. The results obtained would allow us to develop good practices that could be useful for legal actors in the assessment of approval or denial the expulsion.


Teaching Software Engineering is not a trivial duty since several pedagogical strategies can be used and sometimes the impact of these on students is uncertain. Hackathons are similar to marathons, however used to produce solutions to solve a specific problem in a short period of time and based on intense collaboration. Educational hackathons aim to promote learning in such an environment. The Undergraduate computing programs of PUCRS decided to use a hackathon as a pedagogical strategy aiming to motivate the students to practice the adoption of software development practices and to work in groups as a means to practice the development of social skills. Therefore, we conducted a case study to investigate: 1) The motivations to students to attend or not attend an educational hackathon, 2) The students perceptions about this hackathon, 3) The Software Engineering practices adopted by students. In this study, we identified factors that may affect students motivation to participate (e.g., improve the teamwork skills), some students expectations about the hackathon (e.g., work in teams), and the practices adopted by the students (e.g., pair programming). Some of our findings include that students enjoy participating in an informal educational environment (e.g., hackathons) to improve their technical skills and to build network with some colleagues. This study can provide insights to teachers that wants to organize some activity than traditional teaching and the students perspective about this kind of strategy.


We investigate practical algorithms for inconsistency-tolerant query answering over prioritized knowledge bases, which consist of a logical theory, a set of facts, and a priority relation between conflicting facts. We consider three well-known semantics (AR, IAR and brave) based upon two notions of optimal repairs (Pareto and completion). Deciding whether a query answer holds under these semantics is (co)NP-complete in data complexity for a large class of logical theories, and SAT-based procedures have been devised for repair-based semantics when there is no priority relation, or the relation has a special structure. The present paper introduces the first SAT encodings for Pareto- and completion-optimal repairs w.r.t. general priority relations and proposes several ways of employing existing and new encodings to compute answers under (optimal) repair-based semantics, by exploiting different reasoning modes of SAT solvers. The comprehensive experimental evaluation of our implementation compares both (i) the impact of adopting semantics based on different kinds of repairs, and (ii) the relative performances of alternative procedures for the same semantics.


We propose the implementation of Galileo group symmetry operations or, in general, linear coordinate transformations in a quantum simulator. With an appropriate encoding, unitary gates applied to our quantum system give rise to Galilean boosts or spatial and time parity operations in the simulated dynamics. This framework provides us with a flexible toolbox that enhances the versatility of quantum simulation theory, allowing the direct access to dynamical quantities that would otherwise require full tomography. Furthermore, this method enables the study of noncausal kinematics and phenomena beyond special relativity in a quantum controllable system.


An investigation has been conducted out on the information success of SmartStream Systems at the Central Information Technology Office in Belmopan through questionnaires. This research offers an analytical examination of the application of Delone and Mclean; a performance guide for the SmartStream Information System. The model consists of eight (8) constructs which are information quality, system quality, complementary technology quality, computer self-efficiency measure, service quality, user satisfaction, use, and perceived benefits. The SmartStream Information System utilized by the Central Information Technology Office helps managers, administrators, and support workers to perform accounting, staffing, payroll and conventional of day-to-day activities with more computerized processes much more effectively and efficiently.  The ultimate aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of this initiative for all government agencies and to evaluate the profit and importance that SmartStream Systems has contributed to the performance of the Central Information Technology Office, which has been productive. The conclusion of this paper addresses the success of the majority of the responses, which show that more staff at the Central Information Technology Office find SmartStream systems to be useful and beneficial.


Supported housing facilities (SHF) are among the most common housing solutions for people with severe mental illness (SMI). A poor level of physical-environment qualities and the re-creation of institutional atmospheres in these settings have been found in recent studies. The research focus in the psychiatric field has, however, largely neglected these topics and the available knowledge does not provide sufficient evidence to draw any conclusions in terms of which physical environmental aspects support the well-being of people with SMI. The aim of this thesis is thus to reduce this knowledge gap and identify physical-environment affordances for psychosocially supportive housing facilities. The HEI model and a salutogenic approach are the thesis' theoretical backgrounds that have led to the identification of physical-environment affordances, which have proven to be crucial for people's well-being. Such affordances are operationalized in terms of visual pleasantness, homelikeness and indirect environmental effects. SHF (N = 20) were investigated with a multi-place approach by experts (N = 5), user-group panel (N = 3), people with SMI (N = 72) and staff (N = 117) (social actors). Four papers contribute to test the influence of the selected affordances on people with SMI: comparison of the views of different social actors (Paper I), evaluation of their impact on social climate (Paper II), observed behaviors (Paper IV) and on place attachment and quality of life (Paper III). Results suggest that SHFs with perceived greater physical affordances (visual pleasantness and indirect environmental effects) were associated with positive social climate perceptions. Moreover, the indirect environmental effects were found to be supportive for observed behaviors of interactions, attachment to place and quality of life responses. Place attachment and social climate mediated the effects of the physical environment. These findings suggest that future planning of SHF should focus on a housing design that sustains possibilities for social interaction, privacy regulation and restoration (indirect environmental effects) in order to support well-being outcomes among people with SMI. Methodological, theoretical and practical design implications are discussed.


The automatic detection of clusters of calcifications in digital mammograms has been investigated using image analysis techniques. The calcifications were segmented from the background of normal breast structure in the mammogram using a local area thresholding process. This procedure also identified other breast structures and the digital image properties of all segmented objects were analysed to extract clusters of calcifications. Seventy five clinical mammograms were digitised. These were divided into training and test sets of 25 and 50 films respectively. The results for the test set of 50 complete clinical mammograms show that the computer system achieves a 25/25 true positive film classification (i.e. those containing clusters of calcifications) with false positive clusters detected in 4/50 films. There were no false negative film classifications.


Antibodies specifically reacting with the link proteins, the hyaluronic acid-binding region and chondroitin sulphate-peptides were used to design specific radioimmunoassay procedures. The sensitivity of the method used for the link protein was about 20 ng/ml, and the other two components could be determined at concentrations of about 2 ng/ml. The radioimmunoassay procedures were tested by using proteoglycan subfractions or fragments thereof. The procedures used to quantify link protein and hyaluronic acid-binding region showed no cross-interference. Fragments of trypsin-digested proteoglycan monomers still reacted in the radioimmunoassay for hyaluronic acid-binding region. Subfractions of proteoglycan monomers separated according to size had a gradually higher relative content of the hyaluronic acid-binding region compared with both chondroitin sulphate-peptides and uronic acid, when the molecules were smaller. The proteoglycans therefore may contain a variably large chondroitin sulphate-rich region, which has a constant substitution with polysaccharide side chains.


Studying geographic variation in the rate of hybridization between closely related species could provide a useful window on the evolution of reproductive isolation. Reinforcement theory predicts greater prezygotic isolation in areas of prolonged contact between recently diverged species than in areas of recent contact, which implies that old contact zones would be dominated by parental phenotypes with few hybrids (bimodal hybrid zones), whereas recent contact zones would be characterized by hybrid swarms (unimodal hybrid zones). Here, we investigate how the hybrid zones of two closely related Chinese oaks, Quercus mongolica and Q. liaotungensis, are structured geographically using both nuclear and chloroplast markers. We found that populations of Q. liaotungensis located around the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China, an inferred glacial refugium, were introgressed by genes from Q. mongolica, suggesting historical contact between the two species in this region. However, these introgressed populations form sharp bimodal hybrid zones with Q. mongolica. In contrast, populations of Q. liaotungensis located in North China, which show no sign of ancient introgression with Q. mongolica, form unimodal hybrid zones with Q. mongolica. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that selection against hybrids has had sufficient time to reinforce the reproductive barriers between Q. liaotungensis and Q. mongolica in Northeast China but not in North China.


The purified frog skin peptides were tested on leukemic patients lymphocytes, which revealed effects of cytotoxicity. Four frogs (Rana ridibunda) were stimulated by single intra-peritoneal injection of norepinephrine-HCl . Five different peptides;1(18) A, 2(19) L, 3(20) I,4(21) E and 5(22) Y were isolated and quantified. The peptide 3(20)I had 5.87% of hemolysis, while healthy human lymphocytes cytotoxic activity was for 2(19)L with inhibition( -10.4%).All peptides were subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results revealed peptides 1(18)A, 2(19)L, 3(20)I which appeared as low as 10 KDa  marker. Theoretically, the whole polypeptide had a molecular weight 7488.61 Dalton and contained on 62.405 amino acid (a.a). The peptide 4(21)E had a highest inhibitory effect(46%) on tumor cell line L20B. Furthermore , peptides effects on acute  and  chronic  myeloid  lymphocytic  leukemia  patients cell cultures  revealed  peptides selectivity  in  their  action according  to  their net charge  and functional  group as  reactant  proton  donor by the  evidence  of peptide 5(22)Y, 16.22 Dalton  so  it  was  either N—terminus (--NH2) or  C—terminus (--OH)  that  led  to  cross  cell  membrane then acted as antigen mediated and activated  cells in a high significant  value (-142.37± 47.69)for acute myeloid  lymphocytic leukemia .Both  of peptides  3(20) I  and  2(19) L were revealed  a  highly significant  differences  within  Chr.40  and Chr. 22 of  inhibition  effects  by testing  volumes 15 µl and 10 µl . Those inhibition  effects  were due to  peptides  reaction  with  mitochondrial  membrane  which  led  to apoptosis . Conclusion; Frog skin peptides have a therapeutically worth for malignant diseases. Also some of peptides were activated lymphocytes may to cure immunodeficiency.


Evidence from a psychological approach to the study of wisdom is reviewed with regard to the relationship between age and wisdom. Between 20 and 75 years, age has been demonstrated to show a zero relation with wisdom-related knowledge and judgement. A complex pattern of person characteristics and experiential features have to coalesce in order for wisdom to emerge. However, it is not only growing experience that (on average) comes with age but also decreases in basic intellectual functioning and changes in the personality make-up that seem to undermine rather than facilitate the development of wisdom-related knowledge and judgement. However, there is also some evidence indicating that under certain supportive conditions it may indeed be older people who hold the greatest potential for wisdom.


Automatic abstractive summary generation remains a significant open problem for natural language processing. In this work, we develop a novel pipeline for Semantic Abstractive Summarization (SAS). SAS, as introduced by Liu et. al. (2015) first generates an AMR graph of an input story, through which it extracts a summary graph and finally, creates summary sentences from this summary graph. Compared to earlier approaches, we develop a more comprehensive method to generate the story AMR graph using state-of-the-art co-reference resolution and Meta Nodes. Which we then use in a novel unsupervised algorithm based on how humans summarize a piece of text to extract the summary sub-graph. Our algorithm outperforms the state of the art SAS method by 1.7% F1 score in node prediction.


This study examines a wide variety of core indices of the consumer price index (CPI). The quality of the indices is examined from the aspect of simplicity of calculation, and their ability to describe and assess the present inflation environment and to predict the future inflation environment. For the purpose of examining the appropriateness of monetary policy ex post, and also to help determine policy for the future, it is important to focus on core inflation, i.e., inflation excluding unexpected fluctuations that are not affected by monetary policy. The study reviews twenty-three indices, most of which are generally accepted in the literature. In line with the findings in other countries, it was found that no single index stands out as preferable to the others. The indices that give weight to the CPI's components according to their volatility and the index that trims twenty percent of the upper and lower tails of the distribution contribute to the understanding of the current inflation environment. The index that excludes energy and food prices, the index that excludes also fruit and vegetable prices, and a more complex index based on an estimate of a VAR system provide information that improves the ability to predict the overall index.


ABSTRACT The study aimed to investigate trends and explanatory factors for socio-economic inequalities associated with disability during the transition to young adulthood. A sample of 2606 participants (56% females and 44% males) was prospectively followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Disability status, age, gender, mental health problems, scholastic competence and social acceptance were measured from the longitudinal survey Young in Norway, while socio-economic indicators such as participants' and their parents' levels of education, annual income, unemployment and welfare benefits were extracted from the National Population Register in Norway. Regression models were applied to estimate associations between disability and socio-economic outcomes. The findings show that disabled adolescents have a significantly greater risk of achieving lower levels of education and are unemployed and over-represented in welfare benefits during the transition to young adulthood. Most of these associations between disability and socio-economic outcomes were explained by mental wellbeing and self-perceptions. The study suggests that interventions addressing mental wellbeing and social competence might reduce the development of socio-economic inequalities among young people with disability.


Remote sensing of the atmospheric variables with the use of Lidar is a relatively new technology field for wind resource assessment in wind energy. A review of the draft version of an international guideline (CD IEC 61400-12-1 Ed.2) used for wind energy purposes is performed and some extra atmospheric variables are taken into account for proper representation of the site. A measurement campaign with two Leosphere vertical scanning WindCube Lidars and metmast measurements is used for comparison of the uncertainty in wind speed measurements using the CD IEC 61400-12-1 Ed.2. The comparison revealed higher but realistic uncertainties. A simple model for Lidar beam averaging correction is demonstrated for understanding deviation in the measurements. It can be further applied for beam averaging uncertainty calculations in flat and complex terrain.


The occupied zone of a ventilated room constitutes a large volume, and the temperature, velocity, and concentration cannot be mapped simultaneously over a whole field with standard point (local) measuring techniques. The situation is improving due to the introduction of whole-field measurement techniques. Whole-field techniques are relatively new and under development; therefore, this paper describes the principles behind the techniques and their pros and cons. All techniques are optical techniques in the sense that pictures are taken by an array of sensors responsive to different wavelengths of light depending on the application. The velocity components can be recorded with particle image velocimetry (PIV) or particle streak velocimetry (PSV). Both methods are based on adding tracer particles, which ideally follow the air motions; a digital camera records their displacement during a specified time interval. Recording the displacement corresponds to the Lagrangian formulation of fluid mechanics. With PIV, the displacement of groups of particles is recorded, in contrast to the PSV method, where the displacement of a single particle is recorded. PIV can provide high-resolution information over small regions, whereas the PSV method can cope with large areas. The two-dimensional concentration distributions of certain contaminants can be obtained by using tomography. The attenuation of light along a bundle of lines (rays) directed in a certain direction (view) and crossing the region with the contaminant is recorded. The measurements are repeated for several other angles. Based on the one-dimensional information in the form of attenuation of light along rays running in different directions, the two-dimensional concentration can be reconstructed by a reconstruction algorithm. The temperature distribution can be recorded and visualized with an infrared camera and a measuring screen that ideally attains the room air temperature. New development of the classical Schlieren technique has made it possible to visualize the air temperature distribution over large fields.


The Dutch labour market is the European leader in part-time employment. Both for men and women the incidence of part-time work is higher than in most other European countries. However, this does not imply that traditional employment – i.e. full-time jobs – have disappeared in the Netherlands. In fact, looking at aggregate figures masks the enormous heterogeneity in the incidence of atypical work across different occupations. This paper investigates trends in atypical work in the Netherlands in the period 1994-2008, where specific attention has been paid to differential trends across different occupations over time. We find that there is a huge amount of variety in atypical work across Dutch occupations. To a certain extent this matches the preferences of employees and employers in the Dutch labour market. However, some workers – in particular low-skilled workers – suffer from job insecurity and a lack of career prospects due to their limited possibilities to move to better jobs. The current economic crisis and the rising unemployment rate make their situation even more uncertain.


Japan's experience with modern capitalism and finance is characterized by a remarkable combination of shocks and adaptation. After being steamrolled by Western institutions and financial technologies, the country attempted to retaliate against this intrusion. However, regaining financial sovereignty proved a protracted process of trial and error. In the 1880s and 1890s, under the auspices of Matsukata Masayoshi, Tokyo seemed to get it right. The establishment of the Bank of Japan and related institutions, on the one hand, and the adoption of the gold standard, on the other, appeared designed to lift Japan out of its peripheral status. In reality, however, they mostly served to emphasize its role as an enabler of the British-led international order. Only in the 1930s, during the worldwide Great Depression, would it break with this role, if only to find that its autonomy had been compromised from the very beginning. Japan's disastrous loss in World War II drove the country into the arms of the newly arisen global hegemon: the United States. In the early 21st-century, Japan remains a linchpin in the still surviving American-led world order and the corollary "dollar standard."


We study the properties of a pricing rule for irrigation water with two variables:the volume consumed by the farmer and the volume he/she reserves before the plantation. With a simple deterministic model, we show how this pricing rule allows the Water User Association manager to anticipate any possible usage conflict thanks to farmer information revelation, to guarantee his/her association budget equilibrium. We show too how farmers are incited to restrain their use of water. Moreover this pricing method is fair (all farmers are equally treated), flexible through the possible change of the value of the parameters, and moreover simple and easily understandable (when for example translated in a double entry table). Therefore, it compares favorably to other classical water pricing methods.


During the life cycle of an API steel there are occasions when it will be submitted to thermal cycle. For tubes produced by the UOE process, for the oil and gas industry, severe thermal cycles occur during the welding procedure and when the tube requires hot induction bending. It is therefore of interest to learn about the influence of different cooling rates on the microstructure of these steels, produced by TMCP (Thermomechanical Controlled Process), since these changes can be reflected in a variation in the mechanical properties and hence in the performance of the pipeline. In this work three steels of class API 5L X80, with additions of, Nb-Cr, Nb-Cr-Mo and Nb-Cr-Mo-V, and otherwise similar alloy content, produced by TMCP without accelerated cooling were investigated. These alloys were submitted to austenitization at 900oC for 1 hour followed by three different cooling rates of 1.5oC/s, 30oC/s, 115oC/s, in air, oil and water respectively. It is well known that the main strengthening mechanism in TMCP, which allows a simultaneous increase in strength and toughness, is the reduction of the grain size. Other mechanisms such as solid solution hardening, precipitation and increasing dislocation density also contribute. For the steels in this study, all having a similar base chemical composition and yield strength, all the different thermal cycles applied promoted a reduction in the grain size, and only for the higher cooling rate (115oC/s) were there significant observable phase transformations. The Nb-Cr-Mo-V system exhibited a higher percentage of martensite than the Nb-Cr and Nb-Cr-Mo systems.


In this paper we describe the mechanism of the charged particle acceleration in space plasma systems. We consider the interaction of nonrelativistic particles with a sub-Alfvenic plasma jet originated from the magnetic reconnection. The sharp front with increased magnetic field amplitude forms in the jet leading edge. Propagation of the jet in the inhomogeneous background plasma results in front braking. We show that particles can interact with this front in a resonance manner. Synchronization of particle reflections from the front and the front braking provides the stable trapping of particles in the vicinity of the front. This trapping supports the effective particle acceleration along the front. The mechanism of acceleration is potentially important due to the prevalence of the magnetic reconnection in space and astrophysical plasmas.


The imminent global energy crisis and continuing inefficient energy utilization are driving the development of smart energy-efficient devices for display and lighting applications. Energy-efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are considered one of the most competitive candidates for next-generation smart displays and particularly for future energy-saving lighting sources. Recently, much effort has been devoted to attempts to generate white OLEDs comprising both fluorescent and phosphorescent materials. Efficient blue-emitting materials are extremely essential for the commercialization of white OLEDs and play a vital role in energy-efficient solid-state lighting and smart display devices. The molecular designing of efficient deep-blue materials is limited due to their intrinsic wide bandgap, poor carrier charge balance, and low efficiency in the solid state. In recent decades, phenanthroimidazole (PI)-based materials have attracted tremendous interest (due to the ease of their chemical/structural modification at the N1 and C2 positions) to produce efficient deep-blue OLEDs (satisfying the color purity criteria given by the National Television System Committee (NTSC)) (CIE: 0.14, 0.08) and European Broadcasting Union (EBU) (CIE: 0.15, 0.06). This review mainly focuses on the design of PI-based blue/deep-blue emitting materials and their applications in OLEDs. Here at first, some of the PI-based blue-fluorescence emitters endowed with unipolar and bipolar-transporting abilities are comprehensively reviewed. Then attention is focused on the typical PI-based host materials for phosphorescent OLEDs. Finally, PI-based hybridized local and charge-transfer (HLCT) active fluorescent emitters are presented in brief. The rational molecular design concepts and general synthetic routes for PI-based materials are briefly discussed.


The buffer layer in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells can improve cell performance. In this work we make CdS buffer layer by chemical bath deposition (CBD) without ammonia. CBD without ammonia were sought out since ammonia is a volatile compound.Different recipes for making CdS were tested; only one of the tested recipes actually produced something that is worth further investigating. This recipe used sodium citrate, an innocuous compound instead of ammonia. The best performance was 0.15 % off from the reference.This is almost as good as the used baseline process. However the worst almost completely killed the solar cells. Cell performance dropped by more than absolute 10 %.This demonstrates that chemical bath deposition can have profound effects on the solar cell performance. When trying to improve the best cells only detrimental effects showed up. This might show that, a part in the recipe used, NaOH has detrimental effects on solar cells.Ammonia free chemical bath deposition is possible, however so far it has not produced as good results as the reference. The difference is however very small, which makes it worth further investigating with moreand better solar cell material.


SUMMARY

The geological evolution of length of day (LOD) variations is mainly controlled by the frictional tidal torque responsible for the secular slowdown of the Earth's rotation and for the receding of the Moon. Superimposed on this variation, which has existed since the early history of the planet, there are, at shorter timescales (less than 1 Myr), LOD perturbations induced by the glaciation–deglaciation cycles. In this paper, we investigate the influence of mantle dynamics on LOD at the geological timescale. We use the complete non-linear equations to compute the influence of mantle density heterogeneities on the angular velocity of the rotation, that is to say on the LOD. We discuss the degree zero coefficient of the spherical harmonic expansion of the mantle mass anomaly, which is strongly dependent on the conservation of mass of the Earth.

We first compute the effects induced by upwelling domes and subducted plates sinking into the mantle, which are known to induce geological variations in the orientation of the rotation axis with respect to a fixed terrestrial frame (the so-called True Polar Wander). We find that the time-variable mantle density heterogeneities associated with the large-scale pattern of plate tectonic motions since 120 Ma and with the upwelling domes can perturb LOD by about per year, that is, with an order of magnitude smaller than the effects induced by the last deglaciation. Superimposed on this linear trend, we show that there are fluctuations around 0.1–0.2 s Myr−1 on a timescale of a few tens of millions of years.

We then combine a spherical model of mantle circulation with solutions for the equations governing the rotation of a viscous planet, to improve the constraint of mantle mass conservation.

Finally, we compare our results with other effects.


Via analyzing the characteristics of life sign, a novel method of life detection based on constant false alarm ratio and clustering is proposed in this paper. The signal to noise and clutter ratio (SNCR) is greatly improved. The nonstatic clutter can be removed effectively. The good performance of the new method is proved numerically and experimentally. The range location and frequency information of life sign can be estimated automatically and accurately in low SNCR environment.


A new asymmetric pseudocapacitive deionization (CDI) cell was assembled with date seed-derived activated carbon (DSAC) as an anode and MAX (Ti3AlC2) as a cathode for the deionization of the Cr(VI) ions from industrial effluents. A simple pyrolysis method was used for the synthesis of mesoporous DSAC from the date-seed feedstock. The commercially available Ti3AlC2 possessed stacked multilayered arrangements of metal-carbide 2D frameworks with a specific capacitance of 347 F g−1 in a 1 M Na2SO4 solution at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1 with excellent stability and low internal resistance. The designed asymmetric DSAC//MAX-based CDI system exhibited high Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of 38.6 mg g−1 with high removal efficiency and significant regeneration behavior at 1.2 V in a 120 mg L−1 Cr(VI) solution at neutral pH. In this asymmetric CDI system, DSAC generated hydrogen ions via electrolysis of water, which contributed to the reduction of the Cr(VI) ions. Furthermore, the toxic Cr(VI) ions were electrochemically converted into Cr(III) on the surface of the stacked layers of Ti3AlC2. The present work shows the potential of using an asymmetric DSAC//MAX-based CDI system for the abstraction of hazardous pollutants from industrial effluents.


We have established the integrase of the Streptomyces phage ϕBT1 as a tool for eukaryotic genome manipulation. We show that the ϕBT1 integrase promotes efficient reciprocal and conservative site-specific recombination in vertebrate cells and in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, thus establishing the utility of this protein for genome manipulation in a wide range of eukaryotes. We show that the ϕBT1 integrase can be used in conjunction with Cre recombinase to promote the iterative integration of transgenic DNA. We describe five cycles of iterative integration of a candidate mouse centromeric sequence 80 kb in length into a human mini-chromosome within a human-Chinese hamster hybrid cell line. These results establish the generality of the iterative site-specific integration technique.


Accurately identified and carefully stored diagnoses could eventually supply important pointers to still unknown laws governing the incidence of cancer. Unfortunately, however, diagnoses which are formulated in a simplified manner, are often overrated. If differentiated analyses are concerned with the large spectrum of variety of cancer, they are often disregarded or, rather, ignored. Hence, the risks involved in the storage of conventional and commonplace concepts in computers are indeed very high. Even if a sharply defined concept such as pregnancy diagnosis during the first three months of pregnancy under the viewpoint of terminator is employed, this may involve the programming of errors which are absolutely weird. It follows from this that utmost caution is advised when propagating the concept of a computerized "cancer register" which is now "en vogue", since this may lead to the institutionalisation of glaring errors and misinterpretations. It would be particularly inane to set up registers as appendices to so-called cancer centres, as suggested by the Federal German Ministry of Labour. Only few persons will be able to imagine and assess the possible consequences of such action.


Childhood obesity is increasing worldwide at rates of epidemic proportion (1, 2). Previously a public health concern of only the modern, industrialized world, this problem now increasingly affects children and adolescents of poor, developing countries. This new and somewhat baffling phenomenon urgently begs the question: How is it that impoverished children around the world become obese? Recent studies suggest that rapid globalization and urbanization account for significant shifts in dietary patterns and physical activity levels that tend to increase risks for obesity in children. Industrialized agro-food systems established by global corporations have made cheap calorie-dense foods, fats, and oils widely available across the world and have caused what researchers call a nutrition transition . This new global diet has led to increases in fat consumption worldwide (2, 5). Rapidly increasing urbanization has resulted in greater dependence on mechanized transportation and the loss of safe, open spaces for physical activity (2, 5). The combination of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and a lipid-rich diet is documented both in children of poor countries, as well as among impoverished children of the US and other industrialized nations. The global nature of this epidemiological trend indicates that global interventions will be necessary to adequately address the social, economic, and political forces that impact access to healthy food, and voluntary participation in physical activity and consequently lead to increasing rates of childhood obesity worldwide.


Computational fluid dynamics has proven to be a viable tool for simulating the processes that take place in fluidised beds. Increased computational power allows for non-invasive simulations for complex geometries and wide parameter ranges to be carried out which would be difficult and expensive to perform experimentally. Whilst Eulerian-Lagrangian modelling of the gaseous and particulate phases provides detailed information of the particle dynamics on a micro-scale its application to fluidised bed technologies is computationally exhaustive due to the large number of particles present within the bed. Eulerian-Eulerian modelling reduces the computational time and expense significantly and the inclusion of the kinetic theory of granular flow provides information on the particle collisions thus proving to be a viable tool for the modelling of fluidised bed technologies. Its utilisation in the studies of hydrodynamic and heat transfer processes in fluidised beds has been widely researched, however, the inclusion of reaction kinetics is still in the early stages due to its complexity. The present work expands on our previous study of an Eulerian-Eulerian model of the gasification processes in a coal bubbling fluidised bed, which included limestone calcination, to include additional gaseous species that subsequently promote additional reactions. The inclusion of SO2 as a species activates the desulphurisation process which follows limestone calcination and is important in the reduction of SOx emissions. The present results highlight the effects of additional species on the local reactions and overall compositions of exiting emissions. Furthermore, an investigation is carried out to determine how the inclusion of additional species and reactions affect the computational performance of the simulations, which leads to discussions on whether the improvements in the results of more detailed models warrant the increase in computational time and cost.


In this study, the authors investigate the expected complexity of increasing radii algorithm (IRA) in an independent and identified distributed Rayleigh fading multiple-input-multiple-output channel with additive Gaussian noise and then present its upper bound result. IRA employs several radii to yield significant complexity reduction over sphere decoding, whereas performing a near-maximum-likelihood detection. In contrast to the previous expected complexity presented by Gowaikar and Hassibi (2007), where the radius schedule was hypothetically fixed for analytic convenience, a new analytical result is obtained by considering the usage of multiple radius schedules. The authors analysis reflects the effect of the random variation in the radius schedule and thus provides a more reliable complexity estimation. The numerical results support their arguments, and the analytical results show good agreement with the simulation results.


Recognition of DNA viruses, such as cytomegaloviruses (CMVs), through patternrecognition receptor (PRR) pathways involving MyD88 or STING constitute a first-line defense against infections mainly through production of type I interferon (IFN-I). However, the role of these pathways in different tissues is incompletely understood, an issue particularly relevant to the CMVs which have broad tissue tropisms. Herein, we investigated anti-viral effects of MyD88 and STING in distinct cell types that are infected with murine CMV (MCMV). Bone marrow chimeras revealed STING-mediated MCMV control in hematological cells, similar to MyD88. However, unlike MyD88, STING also contributed to viral control in non-hematological, stromal cells. Infected splenic stromal cells produced IFN-I in a cGAS-STING-dependent and MyD88-independent manner, while plasmacytoid dendritic cell IFN-I had inverse requirements. MCMV-induced natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity was dependent on MyD88 and STING. Thus, MyD88 and STING contribute to MCMV control in distinct cell types that initiate downstream immune responses.


Romantic love is a social fact in the Muslim world. It is also a gender politics impinging on religious and patriarchal understandings of female modesty and agency. This paper analyzes the rise of love as a basis of mate selection in a number of Muslim-majority countries: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Palestine, Tunisia, and Turkey where we have conducted Web-based anonymous surveys of Facebook users. Young people increasingly want love in their married lives, but they and the communities in which they live remain uncomfortable with the mating practices through which such love has traditionally been achieved in the Western world. The paper explores the religious contradictions and the gender politics of modern heterosexual love.


Abstract The study is focused on environmental assessments of impacts by former briquette factory at the Nagymányok area in South Hungary. The (former) industrial zone is located in a northern valley of the Eastern Mecsek Mountains. Until the 1990s this company was the largest briquette factory in Hungary and the demolition works are still incomplete. former investigations were based on only five samples. our sampling sites were selected on the basis of the source of the contaminations and then we covered the whole area in equal distribution. We used the A1-F6 codes for the sample places. We have started from southwest to northeast. The samples were analyzed for Total Petrol Hydrocarbons (TPHs), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and for heavy metals. The area was heavily contaminated by TPHs and moderately heavy metals (such as Cu, Cr, Zn and Pb). Highest contaminant concentrations were found around the former industrial buildings, especially between the boiler-house and the coal-pillbox. In the industrial area the mean of the detected values is below the upper limit of the legal exposure values, but among the former industrial buildings higher (e.g. toxic level) concentration values were detected in multiple samples. Based on our investigation the pollutant can be transported by wind or by water on the surface (stream bed) or underground. The hazardous material can easily reach some part of the city, therefore reclamation is necesarry.


If humanity is to reduce the rate of climate change, it is essential that our societies switch to a more sustainable production of fuels and chemicals, which in turn depends on technological development. Oleochemical production via microbial catalysts – such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae – can use a considerably broader range of renewable substrates compared to the conventional production processes. Additionally, it enables optimization of the catalytical properties of the chosen host via metabolic engineering. Oleochemicals are derived from fatty acids (FAs), whose biosynthesis depends on the conversion of a substrate to cytosolic acetyl-CoA – the precursor for FA synthesis. FA synthesis additionally requires large amounts of the reducing cofactor NADPH. The primary aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate metabolic engineering strategies with potential to positively influence FA production of S. cerevisiae, mediated via an increased supply of acetyl-CoA or NADPH. A major portion of the thesis is focused around a heterologous metabolic pathway to produce acetyl-CoA based on the activity of a phosphoketolase (XFPK) and a phosphotransacetylase (PTA). This pathway theoretically allows to reduce carbon and energy losses compared to the native yeast system. We identified several efficient XFPK candidates with potential to generate a high flux through the pathway. Furthermore, we show that two endogenous proteins – Gpp1 and Gpp2 – efficiently degrade the XFPK-formed produced acetyl-phosphate (AcP) to acetate, accumulating during cultivation. We show that this limits the benefit of the heterologous pathway, likely due to increased proton decoupling and ATP consumption during acetate activation. When we co-expressed XFPK and PTA, deletion of GPP1 appeared to be required to enable a significant flux towards acetyl-CoA during growth on glucose, reducing acetate accumulation. While a 25% increase in FA production was observed at the end of the glucose phase, the final titer was reduced by 20% compared to the control. We suggest that PTA expression negatively affects FA production during ethanol consumption due to low level of AcP during such conditions, leading to net flux from acetyl-CoA to AcP. Therefore, we propose that ethanol formation should be avoided in order to optimize XFPK/PTA use. Regarding cofactor supply, we investigated if increasing activity of Stb5 – a transcriptional activator of genes involved in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and NADPH production – could influence FA synthesis positively. STB5 overexpression had a beneficial effect on FA production in the glucose phase, an effect shown to be independent of flux through the PPP. However, final titers were affected negatively, and transcriptomic analysis indicates that mechanisms were activated in cells to counteract a Stb5-imposed redox imbalance. This suggests that an effective drain of NADPH – e.g. during product formation – is required to prevent systemic negative effects of STB5 overexpression. The results produced within the scope of this thesis will serve as an aid in future metabolic engineering strategies targeting compounds relying on acetyl-CoA or NADPH.


Background: It is well established that leukocytosis is a predictor of infection and inflammation, and that leukopenia is a marker of immunocompromise. However, it is possible that the degree of leukocytosis may provide additional information to clinicians treating critically ill patients. Our aim was to determine if peak white blood cell (WBC) count could help clinicians in diagnosing patients' conditions and determining their prognoses.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of six adult intensive care units (ICUs) at a US academic medical center. Patients admitted to an adult ICU between 2001 and 2012 were analyzed. Our primary aim was to determine which diagnoses were most commonly encountered in patients with different peak WBC counts during their stay. In our secondary analyses, we determined the length of stay and mortality associated with peak WBC count across diagnoses and used multiple logistic regression to determine whether peak WBC count was more predictive of mortality than other diagnostic and demographic variables.
Results: There were 45,340 patients in our cohort. There was substantial variation in the disease prevalence and risk of mortality across peak WBC count categories. Interestingly, the rate of C. difficile was substantially higher in patients with extreme leukocytosis (peak WBC ≥40,000; 12% compared to 1-2% in all other groups, p<0.001). In our multivariate regression, extreme leukocytosis was associated with very high mortality rates (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 10.4, 95% CI: 8.5-12.7, p<0.001).
Conclusions: Degree of peak leukocytosis in critically ill patients provides valuable diagnostic and prognostic information. Having an understanding of the conditions associated with each category of peak WBC count can help clinicians in caring for patients in the intensive care unit. In particular, extreme leukocytosis signals a very high risk of mortality and may, in appropriate clinical contexts, indicate the need for more aggressive or urgent intervention.


Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum is one of the most important vegetable crops consumed in Algeria. Tomato crops are often infected by Alternaria alternata, which causes early blight disease. Chemical pesticides are intensively used to protect this plant, which lead to environmental pollution that might endanger animal and human health. The main objective of this study is to select potential biocontrol agents from arid soil as an alternative to chemical products. The phytopathogenic fungus which was isolated from infested tomato leaves, stems and fruits cultured in Constantine-Algeria, was identified as Alternaria cf. alternata. Thirty five bacteria isolates were obtained from arid soil in the south of Algeria. Three of the isolates inhibited the growth of A. alternata. However, the most potent isolate, E1B3 reached a 75% inhibition rate. The molecular identification of this isolate showed that it was closely related to Bacillus mojavensis (KC977492). This strain does not produce chitinase, but does produce lipase, protease and lipopeptides. The interaction between A. alternata and B. mojavensis was investigated for the first time in this work by flow cytometric analysis. In conclusion, B. mojavensis strain was antagonistic to A. alternata which could possibly be exploited as a biopesticide in tomato crops management.

 Key words: Tomato, Bacillus mojavensis, early blight, Alternaria alternata, flow cytometry.


This paper explores the impact of HVDC converter station faults on the torsional torques induced in turbine-generator shafts. In this context, investigations have been conducted on a large turbine-generator unit connected to an HVDC system. Faults considered are firethrough, misfire and a short-circuit across a nonconducting valve. The effect of the fault incidence time on the maximum turbine-generator torsional torques is also investigated. The results of these investigations are presented in the form of typical time responses as well as parametric studies.


Existing models for describing knot morphology are typically based on polynomial functions with parameters that are often not biologically interpretable. Hence, they are difficult to integrate into tree growth simulators due to the limited possibilities for linking knot shape to external branch and tree characteristics. X-ray computed tomography (CT) images taken along the stems of 16 jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees and 32 black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B. S. P.) trees were used to extract the three-dimensional shape of 3450 and 11 276 knots from each species, respectively. Using a nonlinear approach, we firstly fitted a model of knot geometry adapted from a Weibull function. Separate equations were used to describe both the curvature and the diameter of the knot along its pith. Combining these two equations gave an accurate representation of knot shape using only five parameters. Secondly, to facilitate the integration of the resulting model into a tree growth simulator, we extracted the parameters obtained for each knot and modelled them as functions of external branch and tree characteristics (e. g., branch diameter, insertion angle, position in the stem, tree height, and stem diameter). When fitted to a separate data set, the model residuals of the black spruce knot curvature equation were less than 2.9mmin any part of the knot profile for 75% of the observations. The corresponding value from the diameter equation was 2.8 mm. In jack pine, these statistics increased to 5.4mmand 3.2 mm, respectively. Overall, the ability to predict knot attributes from external tree-and branch-level variables has the potential to improve the simulation of internal stem properties.


A vehicle parking manoeuvre is characterized by low or zero speed, small turning radius and large yaw velocity of the steered wheels. To predict the forces and moments generated by a wheel under these conditions, the Pacejka Magic Formula model has been extended to incorporate the effect of spin (turn slip model) in the past years. The extensions have been further developed and incorporated in the MFTyre/MF-Swift 6.2 model. This paper describes the development of a method for the identification of the turn slip parameters. Based on the operating conditions of a typical parking manoeuvre, the dominant parameters of the turn slip model are firstly defined. At an indoor test facility, the response of a tyre under the identified operating conditions is measured. An algorithm is developed to identify the dominant turn slip parameters from the measured responses. Wherever possible, the algorithm is based on direct analytical relationships between the turn slip model parameters and the measured signals, otherwise an iterative method is applied. By means of comparing vehicle simulation results to instrumented vehicle measurements, the turn slip model, including the identified parameters, is validated. The results show the effectiveness of the developed method.


The thermal fatigue fracture of engine exhaust manifold will affect its service life and engine work, to prevent and resolve this problem, finite element analysis software ANSYS was used to establish a finite element model for exhaust manifold work environment, and calculate the steady-state temperature distribution under the thermal field. Through the thermal stress analysis of manifold, identified the region most prone to the generate thermal stress and fracture, conducted failure analysis, for the existing problems analyzed the reason of thermal fatigue fracture on exhaust manifold, and provided a reliable basis for the optimization of the exhaust manifold. The thermal fatigue failure of exhaust manifold got good improvement after the structure improvement.


5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a natural product derived from the degradation of sugars in e.g. milk, honey and raisins. Recent studies have shown that this compound has several beneficial physiological effects including antioxidant activity. In the present paper, the antiradical properties of 5-HMF were systematically investigated by using the M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) model chemistry in the gas phase, in water solution and, for a lipid-mimetic environment, in pentyl ethanoate solvent. The thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of the reactions of 5-HMF with a range of reactive oxidative species revealed that 5-HMF scavenges HO˙ and HOO˙ radicals. The overall rate constants for the HO˙ radical scavenging in the gas phase and water and pentyl ethanoate solvents are 2.39 × 1012, 5.92 × 109 and 5.28 × 109 M−1 s−1, respectively, whereas those for the HOO˙ radical scavenging in these environments are low with k = 1.27 × 102, 12.1 and 5.48 M−1 s−1, respectively. The radical adduct formation mechanism plays an important role in the reactions of 5-HMF with HO˙ radicals in all of the studied media.


It is very important for reservoir management to estimate the sedimentation amount deposited in a reservoir. Firstly, the formula for estimating the bed load transport rate in the bed of sand waves of prototype by model experiment was derived based on the similarity of grain Froude number; Secondly, several model experiments that the bed forms is similar with the prototype were carried, and the formula was verified. As a result, when the ratio of grain diameter in the prototype and model is great enough, and the bed forms in the model is similar with that in the prototype, a satisfactory result can be obtained by using the estimation formula for estimating the bed load transport rate of the prototype that sand waves occur in the bed.


Abstract Efforts to improve women's health and to reduce maternal mortality worldwide have led to a notable reduction in the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) over the past two decades. However, it is clear that maternal health outcomes are not equitable, especially when analyzing the scope of maternal health disparities across "developed" and "underdeveloped" nations. This study evaluates recent MMR scholarship with a particular focus on the racial and ethnic divisions that impact on maternal health outcomes. The study contributes to MMR research by analyzing the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the US, especially among Asian and Pacific Islander (API) subgroups. The study applies exclusionary criteria to 710 articles and subsequently identified various maternal health issues that disproportionately affect API women living in the US. In applying PRISMA review guidelines, the study produced 22 peer-reviewed articles that met inclusionary and exclusionary criteria for this review. The data analysis identified several maternal health foci: obstetric outcomes, environmental exposure, obstetric care and quality measures, and pregnancy-related measures. Only eight of the 22 reviewed studies disaggregated API populations by focusing on specific subgroups of APIs, which signals a need to reconceptualize marginalized API communities' inclusion in health care systems, to promote their equitable access to care, and to dissolve health disparities among racial and ethnic divides. Several short- and long-term initiatives are recommended to develop and implement targeted health interventions for API groups, and thus provide the groundwork for future empirically driven research among specific API subgroups in the US.


Insect-specific fungi can be used to deliver a range of toxins, antibodies, and other agents to kill vector-born pathogens. Metarhizium anisopliae infects mosquitoes through the cuticle and proliferates in the hemolymph. To allow M. anisopliae to combat malaria in mosquitoes with advanced malaria infections, we produced recombinant strains expressing molecules that target sporozoites as they travel through the hemolymph to the salivary glands. Eleven days after a Plasmodium-infected blood meal, mosquitoes were treated with M. anisopliae expressing salivary gland and midgut peptide 1 (SM1), which blocks attachment of sporozoites to salivary glands; a single-chain antibody that agglutinates sporozoites; or scorpine, which is an antimicrobial toxin. These reduced sporozoite counts by 71%, 85%, and 90%, respectively. M. anisopliae expressing scorpine and an [SM1]8:scorpine fusion protein reduced sporozoite counts by 98%, suggesting that Metarhizium-mediated inhibition of Plasmodium development could be a powerful weapon for combating malaria.


High-voltage poles made in 1956 had to satisfy the cross-sectional geometry related standard (GOST 8509-57 confirmed later). However, the stricter requirements weren't applied for the microstructure. In this paper a strength analysis of the pillars' material is provided. The technological specificities of profile manufacturing were mostly determined by differences in mechanical properties influenced by differences in microstructures of pillars' material investigated. Although the confirmed standard of steel CT3 (GOST 380-71) had new requirements and clear criteria of microstructure acceptance but made pillars with the non-homogeneous microstructure remained standing. The differences in microstructural components create conditions for appreciable differences in mechanical properties such like yield stress and ultimate stress, fracture strain. In this paper, the limits of elastic and plastic strains are identified in order to quantify the changes in elastic and plastic properties with the differences in their intensity for selected step-like stress range. Corrosion depth and width play the large role and ones often determine the fracture location of samples. The end of this work is dedicated to conclusion based on the relation of experimental part and analytical calculations presented.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.15.2.16092


The number of adults aged 65 and over has increased by 2% across Europe in the past 15 years, and in Northern Ireland by 22% between 2003-2013. The proportion of the population in this age group is projected to increase by 63% to just under 0.5 million by 2033 – which will be a quarter of the population in Northern Ireland. Given Northern Ireland's Active Ageing Strategy (2015-2021), there is an increasing focus on encouraging physical activity as we get older to preserve mobility and motor skills, and to enjoy the benefits of living longer and to minimise health problems associated with ageing. Over the last two years, we have been investigating the role of wearable activity tracking technologies in self-monitoring of activity by people aged over 55. Example technologies include activity trackers from Fitbit, Garmin and Samsung, and smart watches. Typically, these devices record steps walked, sleep patterns, calories expended and heart rate.

Based on empirical investigations, this policy paper describes the benefits of activity monitors for people aged over 55 for self-monitoring of physical activity, for adopting healthy lifestyles, and for increasing or maintaining physical activity as a way to avoid high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and other medical conditions associated with weight or lower physical activity. It outlines the role of activity trackers in post-operative monitoring of mobility during rehabilitation, in caring, and for possible use of the data for diagnosis and medical interventions. It then discusses the challenges for adoption of these technologies, given currently, off-the-shelf devices are designed and calibrated for use by physically fit (typically young active people) with unrealistic fitness targets for the older generation.


Purpose West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-born RNA virus first recognized in Uganda in 1937. It has since emerged as an increasing threat across the United States. There have been 15,824 reported cases in the U.S. with 619 human deaths. Human disease manifestations range from a mild febrile illness to severe neurological disease with meningitis or encephalitis. Studies focusing on survivors of WNV have shown persistence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) against WNV. This study investigates whether or not the persistence of IgM can be explained by persistent viremia. Persistent viremia, if present, would have implications for increased blood and organ donation transmission and may explain persistent disease symptoms. Methods Patients identified by the NM State Laboratory with acute WNV infection as demonstrated by positive IgM in serum or cerebrospinal fluid with persistent symptoms after acute infection were eligible for the study. Convalescent immunoglobulin levels were measured with Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbant Assay. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum were collected from eleven patients with persistent or equivocal IgM levels. RNA was extracted from PBMCs and serum. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific WNV primers is presently underway. Agarose gel electrophoresis will be performed to evaluate RT-PCR product and viral sequencing will be performed for confirmation. Results Of the twenty-six WNV convalescent patients in the study, 23% remained IgM positive several months after initial diagnosis. An additional 19% of patients had equivocal IgM levels. All but two patients had persistence of IgG, one of which was equivocal. Conclusion Nearly one-fourth of WNV patients with persistent symptoms months after acute infection have persistent IgM antibodies. RT-PCR presently underway will determine whether or not persistent viremia provides an explanation for persistent IgM levels. If RT-PCR indicates the presence of positive WNV RT-PCR products in PBMCs or serum of convalescent WNV patients, the natural history of the disease will be different than initially presumed, possibly increasing disease morbidity and increasing the transmission risk.


ABSTRACT The remains of fortified archaeological sites abound in hilltop locations on the island of East Timor (Timor-Leste). Archaeologists have linked the emergence of these fortified settlements with environmental change. Some point to a period of reduced rainfall and increased environmental fluctuations beginning about AD 1000, while others cite relatively large-scale climate change during the post-AD 1300 transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age. Both groups link environmental change to resource unpredictability which in turn leads to inter-group conflict. Of course environmental change is not the only possible trigger for conflict; a variety of social or economic factors could also be responsible. Here we present data on three fortified sites in East Timor, two of which have been dated, and combine these new data with previous work to develop a new chronology for fortifications in eastern East Timor. We then evaluate potential environmental and social factors against this chronology and other archaeological, historical, and ethnohistoric evidence. This assessment indicates that social factors, particularly the impact of increased sandalwood trade, were likely more important drivers of fortification and conflict in East Timor than environmental change.


Baltimore-For patients with total PSA levels in the range of 2.5 to 4.0 ng/mL, measuring the proportion of precursor forms of PSA (pPSA) relative to free PSA (fPSA) may significantly lower the number of unnecessary biopsies compared with measuring percent-free PSA (%fPSA) alone, a new study suggests.


This issue of the JSE includes a retraction of a paper by Alejandro Parra that we published in 2017. As far as I can determine, it's the journal's first official retraction of a published paper. The reason for this action is the author's extensive plagiarism, both in that paper and in other published work (including a recent book whose publisher has since recalled all copies). It's a sad state of affairs, of course—and perhaps the first of its kind in this particular and admittedly minor scientific domain.
            But it reminds me that six years ago, in Volume 29(2), we published a paper on retractions in science, and in that issue I seized the opportunity to editorialize further on the subject. I recycle that Editorial below. But before that, I must note that careful examination has found no additional evidence of plagiarism in the one other research article (in 2018) and the one book review we've published by Parra. I must also mention that, henceforth, the JSE will run routine plagiarism tests on papers accepted for publication. I thought this was a chore I'd left behind when I retired from teaching. However, I don't want the JSE to emulate the person who said "I've learned from my mistakes, and I'm certain I can repeat them exactly."
EDITORIAL FROM JSE VOLUME 29(2), 189–192


Diffuse flow velocimetry (DFV) is introduced as a new, noninvasive, optical technique for measuring the velocity of diffuse hydrothermal flow. The technique uses images of a motionless, random medium (e.g., rocks) obtained through the lens of a moving refraction index anomaly (e.g., a hot upwelling). The method works in two stages. First, the changes in apparent background deformation are calculated using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The deformation vectors are determined by a cross correlation of pixel intensities across consecutive images. Second, the 2‐D velocity field is calculated by cross correlating the deformation vectors between consecutive PIV calculations. The accuracy of the method is tested with laboratory and numerical experiments of a laminar, axisymmetric plume in fluids with both constant and temperature‐dependent viscosity. Results show that average RMS errors are ∼5%–7% and are most accurate in regions of pervasive apparent background deformation which is commonly encountered in regions of diffuse hydrothermal flow. The method is applied to a 25 s video sequence of diffuse flow from a small fracture captured during the Bathyluck'09 cruise to the Lucky Strike hydrothermal field (September 2009). The velocities of the ∼10°C–15°C effluent reach ∼5.5 cm/s, in strong agreement with previous measurements of diffuse flow. DFV is found to be most accurate for approximately 2‐D flows where background objects have a small spatial scale, such as sand or gravel.


New ways are suggested in studies into the cell being in various natural states, differing in the intensity and completeness of life processes--from the active life to the non-active state of anabiosis. Besides, possibilities of investigating viable structures in a non-functioning state at anabiosis and some results of such investigations are set forth. Special attention is paid to the study of the interaction of viable structures with water as the basis of the life process, and to the study of the activity of a self-regulating cell system in ranges of natural states, in addition to the leap-like boundaries between anabiosis, intermediate states (mesabiosis) and active states.


We analyze how two well-known development policies—international trade and aid—affects the 'culture of contracting.' The culture of contracting refers to those cultural characteristics—trust, respect, level of self-determination, and level of obedience—which allow for the impersonal exchange necessary for growth and development. Theoretically, trade and aid may affect the culture of contracting for better or worse. We empirically analyze both possibilities and find that international trade generates, on net, positive effects while foreign aid generates negative effects on the culture of contracting. The more open a country is to trade and the less aid it receives, the more likely it is to possess a stronger culture of contracting. JEL Codes: F15, O10, P50, Z1


Soil dilution plate techniques were used to compare the numbers of bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi in the rhizospheres of Acacia pulchella, Banksia grandis and Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah). The most frequently isolated microorganisms and those detected in significantly different numbers in the rhizospheres of the three species were tested for their effects on sporangium production, zoospore discharge, zoospore germination and mycelial growth of the jarrah dieback pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. The total population of fungi in rhizosphere soil from B. grandis was much greater than that found in the rhizospheres of the other two species while the convesse was true for bacteria and actinomycetes, of which the largest populations were associated with A. pulchella. Penicillium spinulosum outnum- bered the combined population of other fungi in the Banksia rhizosphere but formed a much smaller proportion of the jarrah and Acacia rhizosphere microfloras, particularly the latter. P. spinulosum had no effect on mycelial growth or zoospore discharge in P. cinnamomi; it had some ability to stimulete sporangium production and, although it partly suppressed spore germination, the inhibitory effect was less pronounced than that noted for most other microorganisms. In contrast, microorganisms which strongly inhibited mycelial growth, zoospore discharge and germination represented a greater proportion of the Acacia rhizosphere microflora compared with the other microfloras, especially that of B. grandis. While some actinornycetes and fungi produced antibiotics that inhibited vegetative growth of P. cinnamomi in dual cultures, mycelial inhibition was often attributable to nutrient depletion of agar media by the test microorganisms. Similarly, nutrient deprivation resulting from microbial competition for substrates was also considered to be the stimulus for sporangium production in liquid media. The results are discussed in relation to previously reported suppression of P. cinnamomi in forest soils beneath stands of A. pulchella and the associated implications of this for biological control of jarrah dieback.


Framed by various folktales, "Contemplating Flight" explores established female representations and further tests the limitations of participation in a challenging narrative grammatology.

Like previous artworks on 6amhoover.com "Contemplating Flight" explores the interplay between digital narrative, image and interaction. It aims to question the paradigm of interaction equating to empowerment.

Bettelheim like many ponders the importance of the forest "Since ancient times the near impenetrable forest in which we get lost has symbolized the dark, hidden, near-impenetrable world of our unconscious. If we have lost the framework which gave structure to our past life and must now find our way to become ourselves, and have entered this wilderness with an as yet undeveloped personality, when we succeed in finding our way out we shall emerge with a much more highly developed humanity." The Uses Of Enchantment: The Meaning And Importance of Fairy Tales 1976.

Using the symbolically charged ancient image of a forest as a context—the artwork creates a space to explore the notion of transformation. It also continues my interest in the repositioning of established protagonists. Using female folk representations the project presents different narrative instances of a singular archtype—the bird. The emotional arc of this artwork is also explored via a newly designed and commissioned audio. Built in sets of sonic loops the audio helps to enforce a looping "trapped" premise.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether alterations in myoplasmic calcium regulation can be identified in muscle cell cultures (myotubes) and intact muscle fiber bundles derived from Thoroughbreds affected with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER).

ANIMALS
6 related Thoroughbreds with RER and 8 clinically normal (control) Thoroughbred or crossbred horses.

PROCEDURES
Myotube cell cultures were grown from satellite cells obtained from muscle biopsy specimens of RER-affected and control horses. Fura-2 fluorescence was used to measure resting myoplasmic calcium concentration as well as caffeine- and 4-chloro-m-cresol (4-CMC)-induced increases in myoplasmic calcium. In addition, intact intercostal muscle fiber bundles were prepared from both types of horses, and their sensitivities to caffeine- and 4-CMC-induced contractures were determined.

RESULTS
Myotubes of RER-affected and control horses had identical resting myoplasmic calcium concentrations. Myotubes from RER-affected horses had significantly higher myoplasmic calcium concentrations than myotubes from control horses following the addition of > or = 2mM caffeine; however, there was no difference in their response to 4-CMC (> or = 1 mM). Caffeine contracture thresholds for RER and control intact muscle cell bundles (2 vs 10mM, respectively) were significantly different, but 4-CMC contracture thresholds of muscle bundles from RER-affected and control horses (500 microM) did not differ.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
An increase in caffeine sensitivity of muscle cells derived from a family of related RER-affected horses was detected in vitro by use of cell culture with calcium imaging and by use of fiber bundle contractility techniques. An alteration in muscle cell calcium regulation is a primary factor in the cause of this heritable myopathy.


Geometric morphometrics is the study of the form and/or shape of objects, or
subjects, capturing their geometry. Within the landmark methods developed so
far, Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis (EDMA) is a coordinate-free method
that enables the study of form avoiding the nuisance parameters of translation
and rotation existing in the landmark coordinates data. However, EDMA exhibits
several weaknesses in the study of shape. The present paper links EDMA with
compositional data analysis in what is here called Compositional EDMA and illustrates
the present approach with the study of anthropomorphic sculptures from
the pre-Hispanic site of Teotihuacan (Mexico)


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Overexpression of the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair gene RAD51 was identified as part of a 13-gene signature predictive of rapid brain metastasis development (≤3 years vs. >3 years after diagnosis, HR=3.03, p=0.0008) in primary tumors of chemotherapy-naive HER2+ metastatic breast cancer patients. We also found RAD51 mRNA overexpressed (1.5-fold, p=0.001) in resected brain metastases compared to primary breast tumors from the same patients. In addition, RAD51 expression was significantly higher (1.4-fold, p=0.008,) in brain metastases compared to systemic (bone/lung) metastases. We therefore hypothesize that RAD51 promotes brain metastasis development in breast cancer patients. Given the known role of RAD51 in homologous recombination, important for the repair of DNA DSBs, it was unknown whether RAD51 would promote brain metastasis of breast cancer only in the presence of DNA-damaging chemotherapy or, alternatively, have endogenous biological functions in tumor cells. To functionally evaluate whether RAD51 promotes brain metastases, RAD51 was overexpressed at physiologically relevant levels in a brain-metastatic variants of triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma (231-BR) cells. In vitro, this resulted in a ∼30% increase in clonogenic colony formation (p=0.004), without affecting cell proliferation rates. RAD51 overexpression also conferred chemoresistance to DNA DSB inducing agents such as 25uM carboplatin (p=0.03) and 25nM doxorubicin (p=0.02), but not to agents that do not cause DNA DSBs, such as 2.5nM paclitaxel. In vivo, overexpression of RAD51 in 231-BR cells increased formation of large brain metastases, the equivalent of clinically detectable lesions, (4.0 and 3.3-fold, p=0.01 and p=0.005) and micro-metastases (3.1 and 3.5-fold, p=0.01 and p=0.001) in two independent xenograft experiments. Importantly, this brain-metastasis promoting effect occurred without drugs to induce DSB. This effect was recapitulated in a second animal model based on a brain-metastatic subline of 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells (4T1-BR). In this model, RAD51 overexpression increased large brain metastases (3.3-fold, p=0.02) and micro-metastases (2.0-fold, p=0.04) compared to vector control. ShRNA-mediated RAD51 knockdown in 4T1-BR cells resulted in the opposite effect, reducing large brain metastases (1.8-fold, p=0.1) and micro-metastases (2.5-fold, p=0.04). Together these data suggest a driving role for RAD51 in the development of brain metastases from breast cancer.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5306. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5306


A statistical formula can be applied to aid clinical judgment in decisions regarding the advisability of lymphadenectomy in gynecologic cancer. If benefit (B) factors in a given case do not exceed debit (D) factors, the procedure is ill-advised. In unilateral vulvar cancer, for example, if the ipsilateral inguinal nodes are negative, the risks from routine contralateral or deep pelvic node dissection appear to exceed the benefits.


Surrogate models can be used to approximate complex systems at a reduced cost and are widely used when data generation is expensive or time consuming. The accuracy of these models is dependent on the samples used to create them. Therefore, proper sample selection within the parameter space is paramount. Numerous design of experiments (DOE) methodologies have been developed with the aim of identifying the optimal sample set to capture the system of interest. Adaptive sampling techniques are a subclass of DOE methods that identify optimal locations for new samples by leveraging response information from existing samples. By exploiting knowledge of the system, adaptive sampling methods have been demonstrated to significantly reduce the number of samples required to build a surrogate model of a given accuracy. However, utilizing the response information of the previous samples adds a computational cost associated with determining the ideal sample locations. Additionally, this cost typically grows with the sample count. This article presents techniques to reduce the cost associated with the adaptive sampling procedure so that the cost savings provided by adaptive sampling are maximized. A new K-fold cross-validation (KFCV)-Voronoi adaptive sampling technique is proposed to reduce the sample selection costs by adding a global KFCV filter to the cross-validation (CV)-Voronoi technique. The costs are further reduced through an innovative Voronoi batch sampling technique that is demonstrated to outperform naïve batch sampling. The proposed adaptive sampling acceleration techniques are evaluated using benchmark functions of increasing dimension and aerodynamic loading data.


Sedentary lifestyle is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A compelling body of evidence demonstrates the amelioration and prevention of such conditions with increased levels of physical activity (PA). Despite this evidence, many public health initiatives aimed at increasing PA have failed to demonstrate clinically relevant effects on public health. It has been hypothesized that the highly controlled environments in which PA and health research is conducted limits its replicability in real-world community settings. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community fitness center-based interventions on inactivity-related diseases in adults. Data from 11 investigations highlighted 3 factors: 1) a lack of community-based PA studies, 2) a lack of clinically relevant data, and 3) further reliance on self-report and rudimentary measurements. It is concluded that the current laboratory-based evidence for PA and health is to be replicated yet in real-world settings and that rigorous and clinically relevant naturalistic research is required.


In this work, we focused on the manufacture of artificial bone for medical replacement based on the combination of individual properties of ceramic and polymer. Here, periosteum was fabricated with a HAp (Hydroxylapatite) frame, while compact bone was fabricated from multi-layer electro-spun PS (polystyrene)/PCL (polycaprolactone) using biocompatible collagen glue. Spongy bone is formed from PCL/PLGA spongy loading BCP (Biphasic Calcium Phosphate) powder coated collagen. SEM images showed successful fabrication of the artificial bone scaffold through a combination of electro-spinning, extrusion, and use of the slurry method.


In this paper, the development of a spectrum-based nonlinear dynamic analysis, named as incremental substitution procedure (ISP), is presented for the seismic vulnerability assessment of tall buildings. The proposed procedure is derived from a special case of nonlinear time-history analysis, where the seismic responses of a structure can be captured from a series of equivalent linear systems and ordinary response spectra. Case studies are conducted and the results show very good agreement with the field observations. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made for the reconstruction work of earthquake-stricken areas and the vulnerability assessment of buildings in the nearby regions. Keywords—seismic vulnerability assessment, tall buildings


A new chelating agent namely, 2-[2-(5-nitro thiazolyl) azo]-8 hydroxyquinoline (5-NTA8HQ), was synthesized, characterized and used for the determ ination of iron species in rice and black tea samples by combination of cloud point extraction method and spectrophotmetric techniques. The method involved a selective hydrophobic complex formation between iron (II) and 5-NTA8HQ at pH 5, which can efficiently be extracted in surfactan t-rich phase of Triton X-114 and determined sepectrophotometrically at λ max 650 nm. Also, Iron (III) can selectively form a chelate with 5-NTA8HQ at pH 6 and extracted with Triton X-114 but with less sensitivity than with Fe(II) counterpart. Thus, this limitation is treated via the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II) with ascorbic acid and the amount of Fe(III) in samples is found by subtraction. All significant factors for both Fe(II) and Fe(III) species that influence the separation and determination steps were investigated in detail by one factor-at-a-time (OFAT) optimization. At optimum conditions, the enrichment factors of 126 and 52 fold were obtained for Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions respectively, leading to detection limits of 0.35 ng Fe(II) mL -1 and 3.96 ng Fe(III) mL -1 in aqueous solution. The linear dynamic range, relative standard deviation (n = 7 at 10 ng Fe(II) mL -1 and 30 ng Fe(III) mL -1 ), and the recoveries by the standard addi tions method were of 0.5-50 ng mL -1 and 10-150 ng mL -1 , 0.54% and 1.58%, 98.3 ± 2.9 and 98.5 ± 1.26 for Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions, respectiv ely. The described method is sensitive, easy to apply and has a slight interference; thereby, th e determination of iron speci es in rice and black tea samples were performed.


The European Union (EU) is the main source of remittances world wide and Albania, struck by abject poverty, is Europe's number one country sending out migrants. Albania's economy as well as its households' welfare strongly depend on remittances. Consequently, the topic of migration is cutting-edge for EU and Albanian policy makers. Thus, up-to-date information is decisive for taking effective policy measures. This poster paper aims at making a fruitful contribution to understanding the varied context of migration in Albania. It presents recent data on socio-economic characteristics of households with absent family members. A binary logistic regression is employed to identify determinants of participation in international migration in Northern Albania.


Images of nano-structures are often noisy. On the other hand, in many settings there is quite a lot of model knowledge regarding the observed structures. This paper proposes a method for segmenting an image using a geometric model of the the observed structure. The resulting segmentation is guaranteed to be globally optimal, for an explicitly specified score function. This property provides a great deal of robustness to the algorithm. The algorithm presented explores a pre-defined space of segmentations using a branch-and-bound algorithm. It eliminates those parts of the space that are provably poor and explores in further detail the more promising parts of the space. An example of a segmentation that can be obtained in this way is a straight line segmentation of an image into 2 regions that minimizes the intensity variation within the regions. Results showing extraction of specific nano-structures are presented. A trivial variation on the algorithm can find a maximum a-posteriori probability estimate of the segmentation when there exists an a-priori distribution over the segmentations and the objective function is interpreted as the likelihood of the image given the segmentation.


In this paper we show that the optimal exercise boundary/free boundary of the American put option pricing problem for jump diffusions is continuously differentiable (except at maturity). This differentiability result was established by Yang, Jiang, and Bian [European J. Appl. Math., 17 (2006), pp. 95–127] in the case where the condition $r\geq q+\lambda\int_{\mathbb{R}_+}\,(e^z-1)\,\nu(dz)$ is satisfied. We extend the result to the case where the condition fails using a unified approach that treats both cases simultaneously. We also show that the boundary is infinitely differentiable under a regularity assumption on the jump distribution.


Recently incremental sheet metal forming (ISF) has used widely in making prototypes and small-volume products in automotive industry etc. We apply the ISF to make a 1/4 sized automobile body-in-white. First, ISF tests for rectangular shaped cup have been performed to clarify the formability denoting the relationship between the component wall angle and maximum cup height of safe forming. Next, a CAD model for the automobile was designed and segmented into several components in order to accommodate the working space of the CNC machine we adopted and the formability of the sheet metal. Then, a CAM software was employed to generate the tool path for manufacturing wooden dies and all the small parts. Finally, the different parts were joined into a single component by laser welding after the ISF process. By using the ISF we successfully produced the 1/4 sized automobile body-in-white.


Evidence is growing that Wales was a distinctive 'welfare region' under the New Poor Law. Higher rates of out-relief, tense relations with London and a deep dislike of the workhouse system marked the Principality out as different. This article considers Welsh distinctiveness in the context of the 'crusade against out-relief'. Launched in the early 1870s, the crusade saw out-relief numbers tumble nationally. Little is known about the crusade in Wales but it is often assumed that it was a non-event. It is argued here that this is entirely incorrect. Official statistics reveal that tens of thousands of outdoor paupers in Wales had their relief stopped. Crusaders were successful partly due to the misleading way the Poor Law inspectorate used official figures to portray Wales as a district on the brink of crisis. The turning of outdoor paupers into 'folk devils' by sections of the Welsh press was also pivotal. Welsh distinctiveness was not eradicated during the crusade, but it was eroded.


We have carried out a multiwavelength observational campaign demonstrating some of the remarkable properties of the infrared-bright variable star BP Psc. Surrounded by a compact dusty, gaseous disk, this little-studied late G (or early K) type star emits about 75% of its detected energy flux at infrared wavelengths. Evidence for accretion of gas in conjunction with narrow bipolar jets and Herbig-Haro objects is apparently consistent with classification of BP Psc as a pre-main-sequence star, as postulated in most previous studies. If young, then BP Psc would be one of the nearest and oldest known classical T Tauri stars. However, such an evolutionary classification encounters various problems that are absent or much less severe if BP Psc is instead a luminosity class III post-main-sequence star. In this case, it would be the first known example of a first-ascent giant surrounded by a massive molecular disk with accompanying rapid gas accretion and prominent jets and HH objects. In this model, the genesis of the massive dusty gaseous disk could be a consequence of the envelopment of a low-mass companion star. Properties in the disk may be conducive to the current formation of planets, a gigayear or more after the formation of BP Psc itself.


The wear characteristics of cutting tools is affected by the machining factors such as the magnitude of the cutting speed, extent of the cutting tool movements in the feed direction, the geometry of the cutting tool etc. This research paper presents some original research into the wear
types, as well as the phenomena that occurs in the cutting tool/work material interface zone and their relationships to cause different wear mechanisms (adhesion, abrasion and diffusion) in hole machining process. A wear mechanism map involving the tool wear characteristics of uncoated
High Speed Steel (HSS) drill of 6mm diameter is constructed for the drilling of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester (GFRP) composite laminates. Different wear modes observed and identified by the surface micrograph image of land / flank of uncoated HSS drillsto describe a number of
wear mechanisms. The dominant wear mechanisms include adhesive wear, adhesive and abrasive wear, abrasive wear and fatigue / thermal wear. In the wear mechanism map, a wear region was identified, which is called "safety cutting zone" or "mild wear zone", where the minimum flank
wear of the HSS drill tool occurs. In order to carry out the drilling operation on the GFRP composite in the "safety cutting zone" or "mild wear zone", it was found that the spindle speed should be set in the range of 1200-1590 rpm and feed rate must be set to 0.10 – 0.16 mm/rev. Thus,
the wear mechanism map constructed here can be used as a reference for selecting suitable drilling
parameters of uncoated HSS drill tools for GFRP composites


It is well known that Gravity's Rainbow was initial entitled Mindless Pleasures. what is not so well know is how this fact has been assessed by the considerable critical industry which has already grown up around the text. "It is the very rhythm of what is read and what is not read," writes Roland Barthes, "that creates the pleasure of the great narratives: has anyone ever read Proust, Balzac, War and Peace, word for word?" Possibly not. But many have read Gravity's Rainbow this way. It is already one of the most massively explicated narratives of the century. Not only does it have a reader's guide; chronological errors in the dating I certain movies have been noted, mistakes in the German have been identified, and textual sources for such matters as the imaginative recreation of Peenemunde of the semantics of Herero have been traced. There may pleasure in the enterprise, but finally it is pleasure of a quite familiar, academic kind. Concerning one of the sequences in the Zone, Douglas Fowler writes: "some of the references in this scene's last paragraph escape me." These words are the very voice of critical consternation, if not despair: something in the text has escaped, and cannot be located in terms of either knowledge or elucidation. An intellectual rhythm has been disrupted which ideally seeks to process every word. What is potentially mindless in the text must be converted into mind. The title of one of the first books of Pynchon criticism discloses the energies of what continues to sponsor it as well as have thoroughly the earlier title of Gravity's Rainbow has been transformed: Mindful Pleasures.