Imagery is an important feature of mental simulation, which is central to human cognitive functions from decision making to joint action to language production. Imagery is often used as a mental rehearsal strategy in areas of expertise, such as music, athletics and surgery, but also in movement rehabilitation. Individual imagery abilities may vary by general, modalityunspecific imagery capacity, as well as by imagery types. Within the literature, multiple tests have been used to measure imagery ability in various modalities such as visual, auditory, motor and spatial imagery. Participants (n=301) completed common imagery questionnaires (MIQ3, VMIQ2, BQMI, VVIQ, MASMI, OSIVQ, BAIS, CAIS). Findings suggest that greater reported dance, video game or music experience is related to increased kinesthetic, spatial or auditory imagery ability respectively. Other individual differences were found across subscales of the same modality, suggesting issues with reliability between questionnaires. Further factor analyses may reveal commonalities between imagery types.


The main results of a study of pollen
representation in surface soils from different plant communities in the upland
savannas of Guayana were presented. The representation of savanna herb pollen mainly belonging to the
Poaceae and Cyperaceae was high in open communities such as
fernlands, grasslands and Mauritia palm swamps, but decreased as vegetation
structure became more closed and woody; from savanna-forest borders to
secondary forests and lastly, evergreen
montane forests; mimicking the gradient of vegetation openness observed in
living plant communities. Thus, the proportion of savanna herb pollen in
herbaceous communities: swamps, fernlands and grasslands, reached over 80% and
arboreal pollen contributed less than 10%. This ratio changed in savanna-forest
borders where savanna herb pollen decreased to 60% or less and the proportion
of arboreal pollen rose to 30% or higher. Lastly, in forest soils, pollen abundances
from trees (Dimorphandra, Protium, Schefflera), shrubs (Miconia and other Melastomataceae) and lianas contributed higher than 60% of the pollen
sum, even in open gallery forests and fallows. The lack of pollen from cassava, the main crop in the forests of the region, at
these sites was remarkable. The ordination of sediment samples from 4 records
from the Late Holocene with respect to the soil surface samples studied, showed
that the characterization of pollen rain was useful for identifying long-term
compositional and structural changes in the sedimentary records, thus providing
objective indicators for the interpretation of past vegetation structure.


The Lyapunov exponent (LyE) is a trending measure for characterizing gait stability. Previous studies have shown that data length has an effect on the resultant LyE, but the origin of why it changes is unknown. This study investigates if data length affects the choice of time delay and embedding dimension when reconstructing the phase space, which is a requirement for calculating the LyE. The effect of three different preprocessing methods on reconstructing the gait attractor was also investigated. Lumbar accelerometer data were collected from 10 healthy subjects walking on a treadmill at their preferred walking speed for 30 min. Our results show that time delay was not sensitive to the amount of data used during calculation. However, the embedding dimension had a minimum data requirement of 200 or 300 gait cycles, depending on the preprocessing method used, to determine the steady-state value of the embedding dimension. This study also found that preprocessing the data using a fixed number of strides or a fixed number of data points had significantly different values for time delay compared to a time series that used a fixed number of normalized gait cycles, which have a fixed number of data points per stride. Thus, comparing LyE values should match the method of calculation using either a fixed number of strides or a fixed number of data points.


This Article discusses systems thinking as an innovative approach to contextualizing legal advocacy. Systems thinking, a paradigm that emphasizes universal interconnectivity, provides a theoretical basis for parsing the structural environment in which law-related problems emerge and are addressed. From the array of conceptions about what it means to engage in systems thinking, this Article identifies four key tenets to this perspective: (1) every outcome is the product of some structure; (2) these structures are embedded within and connected to one another; (3) the structure producing an outcome can be discerned; and (4) these structures are resilient, but not fixed. This four-part framework provides a foundation for understanding systems as the contextual environment in which law is practiced. This Article defines surfacing and mapping as tools for engaging in systems thinking that, when incorporated into law school coursework, encourage students to address the presenting needs of a client in tandem with an assessment of the social and institutional systems that the client is a part of and affected by. Further, these tools promote reflection on the roles that attorneys play as both system participants and system architects. Learning objectives rooted in systems thinking promote understanding of organizational behavior, systemic functioning, and how these factors relate to effective advocacy. Systems thinking disrupts the tendency to screen out considerations of what is facilitated or hindered by the pressures and incentives that legal rules and social institutions create. Finally, this Article offers insights concerning the benefits of naming systems thinking as the theoretical core of efforts to recognize the broad social and political interdisciplinarities embedded in legal needs and tethered to the practice of law. Instruction in both the practice and paradigm of systems thinking equips law students to perceive and articulate these connections, as well as critique the role of attorneys in maintaining or disrupting them. Acknowledging systems thinking in legal education contributes to the evolving conception of what it means to "think like a lawyer".


Abstract. Results from GRAS (GNSS Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding) RO (Radio Occultation) data recorded in RS (Raw Sampling) mode processed at the GFZ (German Research Centre for Geoscience) Potsdam are presented. The experimental processing software POCS-X includes FSI (Full Spectrum Inversion) in order to cope with multi-path regions and enables in connection with RS data to retrieve atmospheric refractivity profiles down to the Earths surface. Radio occultation events observed between 30 September and 30 October 2007 are processed and the retrievals are validated against co-located ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) profiles. The intercomparison indicates good quality of the retrieved profiles. In the altitude range 8 to 25 km the standard deviation is below 1 %. The mean deviation in this altitude range tends to be negative. At 30 km the negative bias reaches about −0.4 %. Below 8 km the standard deviation increases, reaching 2.5 % at 2 km. Below 2 km the mean deviation tends to be negative, reaching −1.9 % close to the ground. The negative bias mainly stems from the tropical lower troposphere; there, the negative bias reaches −3 %. The tropospheric penetration depth obtained from RS data shows a vast improvement compared to the tropospheric penetration depth typically obtained from CL (Closed Loop) data; 50 % of all retrieved profiles reach 720 m.


This study investigates the use of written dialect among adolescents from four different locations in Norway, each representing one of the main dialect areas of the country (north, central, west, and east). The data are drawn from the larger study Multilectal Practices in Social Media where a total of 1532 students from 42 different upper secondary schools in all regions of Norway have completed an online questionnaire about their language competence, use and attitudes and where they have also provided short text samples of how they would have written in four imagined situations: (i) a cinema invitation to a friend, (ii) a social media post about the family's new pet, (iii) a message to the teacher informing him/her about absence due to illness, and (iv) a bio in a discussion forum. In our data we see that the cinema invitations contain a high degree of local/regional dialect features as well as other deviations from standard orthographical conventions whereas the messages to the teacher by and large are written in one of the two Norwegian written standards. Choice of platform also seems to influence the choice of features: messages to the teacher by SMS or Snapchat typically contain more dialect and other deviations from standard orthography than messages sent through the official learning management system of the school. For each of the four locations we evaluate the dialect writing against known features of the local/regional dialect, and we see that not all dialect features make their way into the students' dialect writing, a fact which we take to reflect changes in progress. In conclusion, we see that the students are very flexible and adaptive in their choice of features and codes in different situations and for different purposes.


A simple and effective one-pot tandem procedure that generates aryl iodides from readily available aryl amines via stable diazonium salts has been developed. The operationally simple procedure and mild conditions allow late-stage iodination of a wide range of aryl compounds bearing various functional groups and substitution patterns. A novel synthetic strategy involving the preparation of nitroaryl compounds followed by a chemoselective tin(II) dichloride reduction and the use of the one-pot diazotisation–iodination transformation was also developed. The general applicability of this approach was demonstrated with the preparation of a number of medicinally important compounds including CNS1261, a SPECT imaging agent of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and IBOX, a compound used to detect amyloid plaques in the brain.


With millions in public and private investments in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and Governor Cuomo's historic "Buffalo Billion" investment in economic development, the city of Buffalo, New York, is poised for resurgence. As is true in cities and regions across the country, communities of color are growing and buffering overall population loss. But if new investments do not address persistent racial and economic inequities, the city's long-term economic future is at risk. The Buffalo region's economy could have been over $4 billion stronger in 2014 alone if racial gaps in income were eliminated. Inclusive growth is the path to sustainable economic prosperity and health equity. To build a Buffalo economy that works for all, city and regional leaders must commit to putting all residents on the path to economic security through protections and policies that enable existing residents to remain in the city, connect to jobs and opportunities, and benefit from new development."


Abstract Context Concussion is among the most common injuries in athletes. Over the past 10 years, concussion knowledge has expanded, and guidelines for management have changed. Recent changes include recommendations against strict mental and physical rest after sustaining a concussion, a better recognition of preexisting conditions predisposing protracted concussion recovery, and the addition of preliminary patient counseling and education about the expected course of concussion recovery. Objective To assess the impact of changes in concussion management on the duration of symptoms in middle school and high school athletes after sustaining a first-time, sports-related concussion. Methods A retrospective review was performed of medical records of athletes who sustained a concussion between 2016 and 2018 and were treated by the same primary care physician (J.M.N) using the revised approach to concussion management described. Patients were included if they were 11 to 18 years old and had a diagnosis of first-time concussion sustained while playing organized sports. Athletes who sustained a concomitant injury or sustained a concussion outside of organized sports were excluded from the study; athletes lost to follow-up or with incomplete forms were also excluded. Each athlete's length of symptomatic time from his or her concussion was calculated. This data was then compared with a previously-published data set of athletes who sustained a concussion between 2011 and 2013, with the same inclusion criteria but a different approach to concussion management. Results A total of 110 male and 72 female athletes (N=182) met the study's eligibility criteria. Collectively, athletes of both sexes from the 2016–2018 data set reported a higher incidence of preexisting conditions associated with prolonged concussion recovery compared with the data set of 2011–2013 athletes. However, both sexes from the 2016–2018 data set also reported a shorter median duration of concussion symptoms compared with the 2011–2013 athletes (median duration 5 vs. 11 days for male athletes and 7 vs. 28 days for female athletes, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusion Recent changes in concussion management have led to decreased duration of symptoms among 11- to 18-year-old athletes with first-time, sports-related concussions. These management changes include advocating for early activity, recognizing preexisting conditions, and educating athletes about the realities of concussion recovery.


Semantic parsing is a fundamental problem in natural language understanding, as it involves the mapping of natural language to structured forms such as executable queries or logic-like knowledge representations. Existing deep learning approaches for semantic parsing have shown promise on a variety of benchmark data sets, particularly on text-to-SQL parsing. However, most text-to-SQL parsers do not generalize to unseen data sets in different domains. In this paper, we propose a new cross-domain learning scheme to perform text-to-SQL translation and demonstrate its use on Spider, a large-scale cross-domain text-to-SQL data set. We improve upon a state-of-the-art Spider model, SyntaxSQLNet, by constructing a graph of column names for all databases and using graph neural networks to compute their embeddings. The resulting embeddings offer better cross-domain representations and SQL queries, as evidenced by substantial improvement on the Spider data set compared to SyntaxSQLNet.


The ductuli efferentes of Sprague‐Dawley rats were studied by microdissection and microscopic evaluation to document the presence of blindending tubules (ductuli aberrantes) and to describe morphological and ultrastructural differences between normally open ductules and blind‐ending tubules. The branching patterns of the ductuli efferentes varied considerably between animals. A majority of the animals studied had either six or seven ductuli connected to the rete testis, with some animals having as few as four or as many as eight. Pairs of ductules began merging in the conus vasculosa, ultimately forming a single terminal duct within the capsule of the initial segment epididymidis. In a majority of animals, the junctions were unequally matched and located at various positions within the conus. Blind‐ending tubules, found in 60% of the animals, were surrounded by thick connective tissue, and had a smaller diameter (78.7 ± 1.4 μm) than normal ductules in the conus vasculosa (119.5 ± 2.1 μm) or the terminus (102.2 ± 1.5 μm). The lumina of blind‐ending tubules were contracted and did not contain sperm. Nonciliated cells in the epithelium of blind‐ending tubules contained fewer PAS‐positive granules and electron‐dense bodies (lysosomes) than nonciliated cells in normal ductules. Consideration of these characteristics will prevent blind‐ending tubules from being mistaken for pathological changes in efferent ductules.


The performance of two kinds of functional polymers were evaluated by lab experiments. Furthermore, relationship between viscosity and concentration, viscosity stability, flow characteristics of two kinds of functional polymers are studied. The results show that two functional polymers have a higher viscosity at different concentrations. The viscosity of functional polymer increases with the time. Flow characteristics show that functional polymers have a higher drag coefficient and residual resistance factor. Meanwhile, we conducted displacement efficiency experiments and expand swept volume experiments. The studies show that two kinds of functional polymer provide significant improvement in displacement efficiency, and after conventional polymer flooding, it also can expand swept volume of low permeability layers effectively.


A 33- year-old man was a victim of a high speed road traffic accident and he presented a traumatic upper cervical spinal cord injury. He was immobilized in a cervical collar, with tetraplegia and ventilatory assistance. Cervical CT scan showed an unstable dens fracture and distraction between the C1 and C2. Severe distractive hyperflexion or hyperextension accompanied by concurrent axial compression, which may be accompanied by associated rotation, appear to represent the injury mechanism. Dislocation of the cranio-cervical junction and atlanto-axial distraction are very serious injuries. The patient had an unfavorable evolution with death.


Spectrum trading markets are of growing interest to many spectrum management agencies. They are motivated by their desire to increase the use of market based mechanisms for spectrum management and reduce their emphasis on command and control methods. Despite the liberalization of regulations on spectrum trading in some countries, spectrum markets have not yet emerged as a key spectrum assignment component. The lack of liquidity in these markets is sometimes cited as a primary factor in this outcome. This work focuses on determining the conditions for viability of spectrum trading markets by considering scenarios with different market structures, number of trading participants and amount of tradable spectrum. We make use of Agent-Based Computational Economics (ACE) to analyze each market scenario and the behaviors of its participants. Our models indicate that spectrum markets can be viable in a service if sufficient numbers of market participants exist and the amount of tradable spectrum is balanced to the demand. We use the results of this analysis and the characteristics of the viable markets found to make recommendations for the design of spectrum trading markets. Further work will explore more complicated scenarios.


The curriculum in the University of Ruhuna Medical School is of the traditional type. Most teaching activities are faculty member-led activities. Since student-centered learning processes are considered to improve certain skills and attitudes, we introduced student-led group classes (SGCs) in physiology. Depending on the outcome of the SGCs, we planned to develop it further. We designed this study to compare student perceptions on newly introduced SGCs with traditional tutorials (TTs). Student perceptions were assessed using a mixed qualitative and quantitative method. Students recognized and appreciated some favorable features of the SGC, such as the opportunity for discussion, quality of the knowledge, active participation, improvement of presentation ability, and increased breadth of knowledge. However, the majority of students preferred the TT over the SGC despite the highlighted benefits of the SGC. Students appreciated the focused learning for examinations, written preparation, and more tutor involvement in the TT. Students requested a hybrid of the TT and SGC by incorporating mandatory written answers to the SGC with greater contributions from faculty members. Assessment methods that were not aligned with the SGC and ingrained passive didactic teaching-learning methods by students and faculty members had a negative effect on the implementation of SGCs. Cultural and economical factors also contributed adversely. In the second step of this Plan-Do-Check-Act process, we are planning to introduce new formative assessment to assess higher-order cognitive skills and a compulsory tutor training program. Some favorable components from the TT will be incorporated to the SGC.


2 Abstract: The technical research in the field of computational mechanisms for trust and reputation in virtual societies is a latest discipline oriented to increase the reliability and overall performance of electronic communities.Research in the area of trust and reputation systems has put a lot of effort in developing various trust models. In open multi-agent systems trust and reputation is fundamental to improve cooperation by enabling agents to select good partners. In this paper we provide and discuss existing works on trust and reputation models based on centralized and decentralized approach in the area of Multi Agent virtual societies and highlight the limitations as well.Each model presents specific ideas related to calculation of trust. These different trust models are studied and thus subjected to comparison.Trust models play a vital role in determining how communications take place between various agents.


The number of people with difficulty in walking has increased with ageing issues worldwide. It is possible to regain walking ability after persistent locomotion training. In decades, robotic devices have been suggested to enhance motor recovery by replicating clinical manualassisted training, which is labour-intensive and hard to persistent. This thesis presents a research work on a robotic-assisted training system based on overground walking (OGW), instead of the treadmill training. Proposed motion generation, control and evaluation of the lower limb rehabilitation are specified to the OGW training system for a more natural and effective gait training. In the present work, human motor control is first investigated to avoid a totally passive walking exercise on robotic system. In order to enhance effect of the active training, incorrect muscle activations on lower limbs for the pathological gait are identified. After investigating human motor control for one joint, motion generation algorithms of gait training are proposed for coordinating all joints on the pelvis and lower limbs. For different individual gaits and physical dimensions, an adjustable motion generation algorithm is proposed. Then, the intelligent control methods are also proposed for better tracking the generated motion under different walking speeds. All these proposed motion generation and control methods are implemented on an OGW gait system: NaTUre-gaits (Natural and TUnable rehabilitation gait system). The synchronized control is implemented for the modular systems, i.e. pelvic arm, robotic orthosis and mobile platform. Comparisons of lower limb muscular activation walking with and without the robotic device are studied and discussed. Results of successful clinical-trials show that the performance of the device is able to provide comparable performance obtained by manual assistance by gait rehabilitation training. Further quantifying assessment of muscle dysfunction of human gait is investigated, which works as an effective tool and contributes to qualified evaluation and bio-feedback for gait rehabilitation. In conclusion, the present work has dealt successfully with a full-range of new robotic-assisted gait rehabilitation methodology, which includes human gait locomotion study, development of motion generation and control strategy, system implementations, clinical applications, and quantitative assessment for an OGW rehabilitation training robot.


Background Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of permanent movement and posture disorders occurring from non-progressive injury to the fetal or developing brain. CP affects 3-4 per 1,000 children in the United States and the majority of those children have spasticity as a primary presentation. Though most children with CP are able to walk, with or without the help of an assistive device, many of them have trouble with toe clearance, which can lead to instability and increased fall risk. Learning new motor patterns is possible due to neuroplasticity, but requires a high number of repetitions with the proper challenge, and appropriate feedback. A NeuroGame Therapy (NGT) system was developed that utilizes surface electromyography (sEMG) as a biofeedback device that allows the participant to practice activation of any targeted muscle. The sEMG activation triggers a video game to make the practice enjoyable. Objectives The first objective was to determine valid and reliable outcome measures to assess walking children with CP. The second objective was to determine if a different method of assessing range of motion was valid and reliable. The final objective was to determine if using NGT to train the tibialis anterior muscles and pairing game play with immediate walking practice would affect balance, walking, and selective ankle movement in children with CP. Methods First, a scoping review was conducted to determine the most appropriate measures of gait in children with CP, based on the measures' validity and reliability when used with children with CP. Second, a study was conducted on children with CP and those who were typically developing to determine if using video recording was a valid and reliable method of measuring ankle range of motion. Finally, an intervention study was conducted where nine children with CP used NGT at home for 6 weeks to train their tibialis anterior muscles bilaterally. Results The results of the review indicated that the 6-minute walk test possessed the strongest evidence for use on children with CP when directly measuring walking capacity. Though the review showed that the Edinburg Gait Scale had the greatest evidence of appropriate psychometric properties in children with CP for measuring movement quality, the gold standard of 3-dimensional kinematic analysis was chosen for the intervention study. The study to determine the validity and reliability of using video recording to measure ankle range of motion revealed high validity and reliability when comparing measurements from video recording to real-time goniometry. Children who participated in the NGT study all showed improvement in at least one outcome measure assessing body structure and function (e.g. sEMG outcomes, muscle contraction force, selective motor control, etc.). Most, but not all, participants showed at least slight improvement in activity level measures (i.e. 6-minute walk test or reported falls). NGT to train the tibialis anterior muscles is feasible in children with CP. More NGT play appeared to yield better…


Purpose: To date, no guidelines have been proposed for the ideal treatment of postoperative larynx squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients with lymphovascular invasion due to a lack of similar studies. The present study was conducted to compare the survival and toxicity in LSCC patients with lymphovascular invasion receiving either postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) or postoperative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT). The results can be applied for more appropriate treatment of these patients. Patients and Methods: Three hundred eighty-eight eligible LSCC patients with lymphovascular invasion were enrolled in this retrospective study. Survival and treatment-related toxicities were compared in the POCRT and PORT group using propensity score matching (PSM) methodology (1:1). Results: Five-year overall survival (OS), disease-speci fi c survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of all patients were 48.7%, 58.2%, and 56.0%, respectively. Signi fi cantly, higher RFS rates (P=0.040) were found in the POCRT group than the PORT group in the PSM cohort. In the multivariate analysis, higher OS, DSS, and RFS rates were observed in the POCRT group than the PORT group (P=0.049, 0.024, and 0.011 respectively). Patients in the POCRT group presented more acute toxicities than those in the PORT group such as hematological toxicities (25.0% vs 0.9%, P<0.001) and mucositis (35.0% vs 19.1%, P=0.002). Conclusion: In the context of no ideal treatment for LSCC patients with lymphovascular invasion, the present study proposes POCRT as a preferable modality compared with PORT, as POCRT was associated with higher RFS rates. Higher RFS, DFS, and OS rates were also observed in the POCRT group in the multivariate analysis.


Abstract: The Baluch Mountain Frog, Chrysopaa sternosignata (Dubois and Khan 1979), is one of the least known amphibian species in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region. It is endemic to an area on the edge of the Palearctic region with harsh environment and with the long-term complicated security situation, where biodiversity research is difficult or virtually impossible. Thus, very little is known about the life history, ecology, and distribution of this frog, representing the monotypic genus Chrysopaa (Dicroglossidae). Similarly, data about the larva of this taxon are scarce. Thus, we provide the first detailed imagery and description of the larval stage of C. sternosignata (Dubois and Khan 1979) from Afghanistan. One tadpole was obtained from Jabul Saraj, Charikar, Afghanistan. Morphological and genetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA confirmed the identity of the larva as C. sternosignata. Tadpole characters were illustrated by photos. Basic measurements and details on oral apparatus provide relevant characteristics to delimit the larva of this species from other spiny frogs. This information should facilitate the identification of C. sternosignata larvae in museum collections and in the field.


Plane circular targets are widely used within calibrations of optical sensors through photogrammetric set-ups. Due to this popularity, their advantages and disadvantages are also well studied in the scientific community. One main disadvantage occurs when the projected target is not parallel to the image plane. In this geometric constellation, the target has an elliptic geometry with an offset between its geometric and its projected center. This difference is referred to as ellipse eccentricity and is a systematic error which, if not treated accordingly, has a negative impact on the overall achievable accuracy. The magnitude and direction of eccentricity errors are dependent on various factors. The most important one is the target size. The bigger an ellipse in the image is, the bigger the error will be. Although correction models dealing with eccentricity have been available for decades, it is mostly seen as a planning task in which the aim is to choose the target size small enough so that the resulting eccentricity error remains negligible. Besides the fact that advanced mathematical models are available and that the influence of this error on camera calibration results is still not completely investigated, there are various additional reasons why bigger targets can or should not be avoided. One of them is the growing image resolution as a by-product from advancements in the sensor development. Here, smaller pixels have a lower S/N ratio, necessitating more pixels to assure geometric quality. Another scenario might need bigger targets due to larger scale differences whereas distant targets should still contain enough information in the image. In general, bigger ellipses contain more contour pixels and therefore more information. This supports the target-detection algorithms to perform better even at non-optimal conditions such as data from sensors with a high noise level. In contrast to rather simple measuring situations in a stereo or multi-image mode, the impact of ellipse eccentricity on image blocks cannot be modeled in a straight forward fashion. Instead, simulations can help make the impact visible, and to distinguish critical or less critical situations. In particular, this might be of importance for calibrations, as undetected influence on the results will affect further projects where the same camera will be used. This paper therefore aims to point out the influence of ellipse eccentricities on camera calibrations, by using two typical calibration bodies: planar and cube shaped calibration. In the first step, their relevance and influence on the image measurements, object- and camera geometry is shown with numeric examples. Differences and similarities between both calibration bodies are identified and discussed. In the second step, practical relevance of a correction is proven in a real calibration. Finally, a conclusion is drawn followed by recommendations to handle ellipse eccentricity in the practice.


Andrew Motion was appointed Poet Laureate in 1999, but alongside his work as a poet he also had a significant career as a prize-winning biographer and an illuminating critic. "Ways of Life" celebrates this talent with a selection of his articles about painters and poets, as well as a number of striking personal pieces. The literary essays in "Ways of Life" look at a wide assortment of writers, from John Clare and Ivor Gurney, to marginal figures such as Leigh Hunt and Joseph Severn, and reassess the less well-known work of celebrated writers including John Donne, Christina Rossetti and Thomas Hardy. "Ways of Life" is an original, acute and emotionally-charged collection of writings, from a truly important and insightful writer.


The mathematical modeling of manually controlled teleoperator systems using the well-known optimal control model (OCM) is considered. An experienced human operator can be modeled as an optimal controller executing continuous control in an environment in which the system is subject to random external disturbances. The basic OCM theory is extended to allow the human operator to have an imperfect internal model of the system being controlled, and the effects of discrepancies between the system and human models are investigated. A mechanism for closed-form modeling of performance for systems equipped with predictor displays is also added to the original theory. To validate the model, model predictions are compared to the results of experiments with a simulated tetherless submersible. The experimental results show that the modified optimal control model (MOCM) holds promise as a tool for the design and analysis of teleoperated control systems. >


Emerging high speed Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks (B-ISDN) will carry traffic for services such as video-on-demand and video teleconferencing -- that require resource reservation along the path on which the traffic is sent. As a result, such networks will need effective {\em admission control} algorithms. The simplest approach is to use greedy admission control; in other words, accept every resource request that can be physically accommodated. However, in the context of symmetric loss networks (networks with a complete graph topology), non-greedy admission control has been shown to be more effective than greedy admission control. This paper suggests a new {\em non-greedy} routing and admission control algorithm for {\em general topology} networks. In contrast to previous algorithms, our algorithm does not require advance knowledge of the traffic patterns. Our algorithm combines key ideas from a recently developed theoretical algorithm with a stochastic analysis developed in the context of reservation-based algorithms. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm using extensive simulations on an existing commercial network topology and on variants of that topology. The simulations show that our algorithm outperforms greedy admission control over a broad range of network environments. The simulations also illuminate some important characteristics of our algorithm. For example, we characterize the importance of the implicit routing effects of the admission control part of our algorithm.


Several artificial intelligence architectures and systems based on "deep" models of a domain have been proposed, in particular for the diagnostic task. These systems have several advantages over traditional knowledge based systems, but they have a main limitation in their computational complexity. One of the ways to face this problem is to rely on a knowledge compilation phase, which produces knowledge that can be used more effectively with respect to the original one. We show how a specific knowledge compilation approach can focus reasoning in abductive diagnosis, and, in particular, can improve the performances of AID, an abductive diagnosis system. The approach aims at focusing the overall diagnostic cycle in two interdependent ways: avoiding the generation of candidate solutions to be discarded a posteriori and integrating the generation of candidate solutions with discrimination among different candidates. Knowledge compilation is used off-line to produce operational (i.e., easily evaluated) conditions that embed the abductive reasoning strategy and are used in addition to the original model, with the goal of ruling out parts of the search space or focusing on parts of it. The conditions are useful to solve most cases using less time for computing the same solutions, yet preserving all the power of the model-based system for dealing with multiple faults and explaining the solutions. Experimental results showing the advantages of the approach are presented.


Environmental gradients (such as average annual temperature increasing towards the tropics) are numerous across the globe. Here I propose a theory, comprised of progressive hypotheses, which links temperature and water availability to the maintenance of high genetic and phenotypic diversity in the tropics through enhanced biotic interactions. In terrestrial ecosystems higher temperatures and water availability, by allowing higher rates of mobility, growth and reproduction of organisms, should lead to higher rates of encounter among individuals in communities. Due to this, interactions in wet and warm environments, such as tropical rainforests, should be both more frequent and more diverse regardless of the number of species present. This diversity of interactions is illustrated at the genotype level, stressing whether genotypes interact positively or negatively with other genotypes, and considering species, as well as individuals, as genotypes. Such biotic interactions in environments can generate strong genotype-environment interactions that can promote the maintenance of high levels of (functional) genetic and phenotypic diversity. This can subsequently facilitate coexistence and speciation processes. The paper finishes by proposing future research to test the hypotheses and hence the overall theory presented here.


A systematic evaluation tool for natural fibers' capabilities based on moisture content criterion (MCC) was developed and introduced as a new evaluation method. This MCC evaluation tool is designed to predict the behavior of the available natural fibers regarding distinctive desirable characteristics under the effect of the moisture absorption phenomenon. Here, the capabilities of different natural fiber types commonly used in industry, in addition to date palm fibers, were systematically investigated based on MCC. The results demonstrated that MCC is capable of predicting the relative reduction of fiber performance regarding a particular beneficial property because of the effect of moisture absorption. The strong agreements between the predicted values of MCC and results reported in the literature verify its usefulness as an evaluation tool and demonstrate its added value steps in predicting the relative behavior of fibers with a minimal range of errors compared with experimental measurements. Therefore, MCC is capable of better evaluating natural fibers regarding distinctive criteria in a systematic manner, leading to more realistic decisions about their capabilities and therefore enhancing the selection process for both better sustainable design possibilities and industrial product development.


The role of progenitor/stem cells in pituitary tumorigenesis, resistance to pharmacological treatments and tumor recurrence is still unclear. This study investigated the presence of progenitor/stem cells in non‐functioning pituitary tumors (NFPTs) and tested the efficacy of dopamine receptor type 2 (DRD2) and somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) agonists to inhibit in vitro proliferation. They found that 70% of 46 NFPTs formed spheres co‐expressing stem cell markers, transcription factors (DAX1, SF1, ERG1) and gonadotropins. Analysis of tumor behavior showed that spheres formation was associated with tumor invasiveness (OR = 3,96; IC: 1.05–14.88, p = 0.036). The in vitro reduction of cell proliferation by DRD2 and SSTR2 agonists (31 ± 17% and 35 ± 13% inhibition, respectively, p < 0.01 vs. basal) occurring in about a half of NFPTs cells was conserved in the corresponding spheres. Accordingly, these drugs increased cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p27 and decreased cyclin D3 expression in spheres. In conclusion, they provided further evidence for the existence of cells with a progenitor/stem cells‐like phenotype in the majority of NFPTs, particularly in those with invasive behavior, and demonstrated that the antiproliferative effects of dopaminergic and somatostatinergic drugs were maintained in progenitor/stem‐like cells.


Aim: The pigmented vilionodular synovitis (PVNS) is a tumour like disease of unknown origin that often shows recurrence. The pathogenesis is still unknown and therefore the question of the right therapy is not resolved. Material: With a case report of a patient with recurrence after two arthroscopic synovectomies, PVNS is discussed against the background of the clinical, histological,and radiological features. Results: We perfomed an open synovectomy and cystic lesions in both condyles of the femur and proximal tibia were filled with homologous and autologous cancellous bone. Three months later the patient had no pain and the bone density in the former cystic lesions was appropriate. Discussion: The pathogenesis is still unknown. Diagnosis often is obtained much too late due to missing specific symptoms. PVNS occurs in local forms as well as in a diffuse growth pattern. Recurrence rates of up to 78% are very high. Besides arthroscopic and open synovectomy, the treatment with radiosynoviorthesis must be considered. Depending on the growth pattern, the tumour masses, and the affected joint, the therapy has to be chosen very carefully and sometimes different forms have to be combined if a recurrence-free result is to be achieved.


This paper discusses a point-distribution index, l, which measures the normalized minimum distance between sensors. Maximizing l of a set of points causes the Delaunay triangulation graph of these points to be a net of equilateral triangles. Such a structure indicates the lowest redundancy of coverage if each point represents the center of a disc. Thus l can serve as a promising measure for solving a critical problem in field coverage: How to group a set of sensor nodes into disjoint subsets so that each subset can cover the entire field? Based on the l index, we develop an effective algorithm, MAXINE (MAXimizing-l Node-redundancy Exploiting), for the sensor- grouping problem. We evaluate the performance of MAXINE through extensive simulations and compare it with existing algorithms. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of MAXINE and verify the superiority of employing i for the sensor-grouping problem.


Spiral inductors and different types of transmission lines are fabricated by using copper (Cu)-damascene interconnects and high-resistivity silicon (HRS) or sapphire substrates. The fabrication process is compatible with the concepts of silicon device fabrication. Spiral inductors with 1.4-nH inductance have quality factors (Q) of 30 at 5.2 GHz and 40 at 5.8 GHz for the HRS and the sapphire substrates, respectively. 80-nH inductors have Q's as high as 13. The transmission-line losses are near 4 dB/cm at 10 GHz for microstrips, inverted microstrips, and coplanar lines, which are sufficiently small for maximum line lengths within typical silicon-chip areas. This paper shows that inductors with high Q's for lumped-element designs in the 1-10-GHz range and transmission lines with low losses for distributed-element designs beyond 10 GHz can be made available with the proposed adjustments to commercial silicon technology.


Industrial robots have grown over the years making production systems more and more efficient, requiring the need for efficient trajectory generation algorithms that optimize and, if possible, generate collision-free trajectories without interrupting the production process. In this work is presented the use of Reinforcement Learning (RL), based on the Q-Learning algorithm, in the trajectory generation of a robotic manipulator and also a comparison of its use with and without constraints of the manipulator kinematics, in order to generate collisionfree trajectories. The results of the simulations are presented with respect to the efficiency of the algorithm and its use in trajectory generation, a comparison of the computational cost for the use of constraints is also presented.


Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has during the last two decades become more robust and been able to separate neutral analytes without compromising the downstream detection. An interesting aspect in CE compared to more commonly used high-performance liquid chromatography is the orthogonal separation mechanism provided by CE. Compounds are separated based on charge and size with extremely high separation efficiencies. However, since mass spectrometry (MS) has become one of the most important analytical detectors and play a key role for pharmaceutical- and in clinical applications it is of major importance that the two techniques successfully can be combined without any compromises. Improvements in existing ion sources must be made in order to fully take advantage of the potential in capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. One way is to miniaturize the ion source (paper I) in order to make it more compatible with the smaller liquid volumes and lower flow rates in CE. Despite these improvements challenges such as low sample concentrations, non-separated peaks, unspecific losses, and poor ionization still remain, and are addressed in this doctoral thesis.Separation of neutral analytes has previously been achieved with packed columns but with several disadvantages. Therefore, MS-compatible pseudostationary phases in the form of nanoparticles (paper II) are an interesting alternative with its minimized risk of clogging, reduced memory effects and better separation efficiencies. Particles or beads have also shown to be of importance when reducing the dynamic range in complex samples. By creating functionalized magnetic beads (paper III), complex samples such as human plasma can be fractionated in the manner that low molecular weight proteins are selectively enriched. Despite fractionation and enrichment of analytes of interest (paper IV) the ionization suppression could lead to biased sensitivity, increased baseline, retention variations and chromatographic distortion. Therefore the separation, as well as the ionization, is of major importance. For instance, in order to separate and detect monoclonal antibodies, which are an upcoming class of biotherapeutic drugs, the choice of capillary temperature and sheath liquid composition must be considered due to its major influence on charge state, peak intensity and memory effects (paper V).


This article describes a systematic process that is helpful in improving impact evaluation assignments, within restricted budgets and timelines. It involves three steps: a rethink of the key questions of the evaluation to develop more relevant, specific questions; a way of designing a mix of research methods to generate evidence that supports more valid conclusions; and a step that aims to make evaluation outputs more useful. The approach is illustrated through two examples: one on measuring income impacts in an irrigated horticulture programme in Nepal, Zambia and Ethiopia; and another on the assessment of changes in organizational capacities for collective marketing by smallholders in Bolivia. The article demonstrates that this simple, straightforward and structured three-step process helped to reduce the tendency to one-method designs. Enhanced critical reflection within the team allowed for greater sensitivity to validity threats and the creativity to find ways to handle them.


When the owner-manager of a business suddenly dies, who should take over? We address this fundamental but unanswered question by investigating how specific CEO successor characteristics and factors related to their relationships with the firm and the deceased ownermanager affect a firm's performance distress after the incumbent ownermanager's sudden death. Drawing on the resource-based view and information asymmetry literature and using a longitudinal sample from Sweden with over 1'500 sudden death events in the period 2000-2007, we reveal multiple interesting findings which offer important implications for theory and practice.


OBJECTIVE
Some rheumatic diseases are being influenced by weather conditions. We examined the relationship between oral ulcers and weather/season in Behçet's disease (BD) patients and evaluated the oral ulcers' characteristics by the patients' perspectives.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Patients with BD were evaluated using a self-questionnaire, including patients' clinical and demographical characteristics and detailed characteristics of oral ulcers and the association with season.

RESULTS
The most common site of oral ulcers was the tongue (89%). Of 90 patients, there were predisposing factors in oral ulcers. Among patients with BD, 30 believed that seasonal variation aggravated their oral ulcers, especially in winter and autumn.

CONCLUSION
The exacerbation of oral ulcers in patients with BD may be related to the seasons. The weather changes in our study are based on the patients' impression; these should be confirmed by objective findings and clinical assessment in further studies.


THE EFFECT OF TASK INTERRUPTIONS AND RELIABLE CUES ON DETECTING CHANGES WITHIN DYNAMIC SCENES Kimberly N. Perry Old Dominion University, 2019 Director: Dr. Mark W. Scerbo Interruptions are a common problem for attention and pose a threat to visual task performance. The Memory for Goals (MFG) theory suggests that strongly and accurately encoded cues can assist the ability to resume a primary task after an interruption (Altmann & Trafton, 2002). Encoded cues can undergo an activation decay during an interruption and become forgotten. Currently, there has been limited research on how visual interruptions affect cued recall within a dynamic environment. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine the effect of cuing and task interruptions on change detection within dynamic scenes. Undergraduate students watched 24 videos (12 with interruptions and 12 without) and answered general questions about the scene. Of the 24 videos, 8 contained a single object that underwent a perceptual feature change in color, brightness, appearance, or disappearance. Participants were assigned to one of three cueing conditions (reliable, unreliable, or no cue). It was predicted that the reliable cue group would report more changes than the unreliable and no cue groups. It was also predicted that more changes would be detected within uninterrupted than interrupted trials. Findings from the present study supported most of these predictions. Participants correctly detected more object changes during uninterrupted trials. Additionally, the reliable cue group correctly detected more object changes during uninterrupted trials. However, providing reliable cues had no effect when interruptions were present. Overall, these results support the MFG theory suggesting that visual interruptions may have allowed the encoded cues to decay resulting in poorer change detection performance compared to uninterrupted viewing conditions.


In this article we report on a pilot project investigating the presentation of speech, writing and thought in Early Modern English prose fiction and news writing. The aim of the project is to determine whether discourse presentation changes diachronically and what the function of the various discourse presentation categories were in the Early Modern period. To study this we have built and annotated a small corpus of Early Modern English writing using the model of speech, writing and thought presentation outlined in Semino & Short (2004). We are thus able to compare our findings against those of Semino and Short for Present Day English writing. The quantitative results of our pilot study and our initial qualitative analyses lead to a number of hypotheses which we suggest are suitable for testing on a larger corpus of data.


One way for teachers to develop their professional knowledge, which also focuses on specific science content and the ways students learn, is through being involved in researching their own practice. The aim of this study was to examine how science teachers changed (or not) their professional knowledge of teaching after inquiring into their own teaching in learning studies. The data used in this article consisted of interviews and video-recorded lessons from the six teachers before the project (PCK pre-test) and after the project (PCK post-test), allowing an analysis of if and if then how the teachers changed their teaching practice. Hence, this study responds to the urgent call to focus direct attention on the practice of science teaching. When looking at the individual teachers, it was possible to discern similarities in the ways they have changed their teaching in lesson 2 compared to lesson 1, changes that can be described as: changes in how the object of learning was defined and focused, changes in how the examples that were presented to the students were chosen and changes in how the lessons were structured which in turn influenced the meaning of the concepts that were dealt with. As such, issues for enhancing teachers' professional learning were unpacked in ways that began to demonstrate, and offer insights into, the extent of their PCK development over time.


This paper proposes a topology control algorithm for Ad-Hoc networks which have a large scale structure and widely distributed nodes. One of the main problems in topology control is power efficiency with consideration of connectivity. The proposed algorithm is aimed to find a topology with near optimum power consumption within reasonable convergence time. While game theory is exploited to prove convergence property of proposed algorithm, clustering concept is employed to reduce convergence time with the aid of parallel processing.


We report experimental results on simultaneous measurement of electron as well as hole transient transport in an Al0.3Ga0.7As-based p–i–n semiconductor nanostructure by using picosecond/subpicosecond Raman spectroscopy. Electron and hole velocity overshoots are directly observed. These experimental results are discussed and explained.


We have recently proposed attractor models for modulus fixing, inflation, supersymmetry breaking and dark energy based on no-scale supergravity. In this paper we develop phenomenological and cosmological aspects of these no-scale attractor models that underpin their physical applications. We consider models in which inflation is driven by a modulus field (T-type) with supersymmetry broken by a Polonyi field, or a matter field (ϕ-type) with supersymmetry broken by the modulus field. We derive the possible patterns of soft supersymmetry-breaking terms, which depend in T-type models whether the Polonyi and/or matter fields are twisted or not, and in ϕ-type models on whether the inflaton and/or other matter fields are twisted or not. In ϕ-type models, we are able to directly relate the scale of supersymmetry breaking to the inflaton mass. We also discuss cosmological constraints from entropy considerations and the density of dark matter on the mechanism for stabilizing the modulus field via higher-order terms in the no-scale Kähler potential.


Stimuli responsive hydrogels are very attractive for applications in sustained and/or targeted drug delivery systems. As the release of drugs is related to the swelling behavior of hydrogels, the swelling kinetic studies become of great importance to appreciate the release kinetics from hydrogel matrices. Hydrogels with high performance properties have been prepared from N-isopropylacryl amide (NIPAAm) and sodium alginate, crosslinked with N,N`-methylene-bis-(acrylamide) (MBAAm). This study is focused on the investigation of swelling and drug release kinetics, coupled by morphological studies. The kinetic parameters of the swelling at different temperatures for hydrogels samples have been evaluated and confirmed their temperature-responsive behavior. The swelling rate constant (ksw) decreases of with increasing temperature and slight increases with the alginate content in the samples. The drug release kinetic study from the prepared hydrogel matrices was performed in twice-distilled water and ethanol for bioactive agents as vanillin and ketoprofen, respectively. An increase of alginate content results in a slower rate and smaller percentage of vanillin and ketoprofen released. It has been established that the ketoprofen occurs according with case II of transport and vanillin release behavior occurs by an anomalous transport mechanism. The values of the release rate constant (kr) decreased by increasing swelling degree in case of 75/25 NIPAAm/alginate hydrogels and decreased also by increasing content of alginate in hydrogels with various compositions. Morphological studies performed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) evidenced a relaxed network at high relative humidity, which explain both swelling and release profiles.


The study aimed to improve the sailboat handling system of Melvest Marine Inc. Because of a large amount of time and manpower in handling the sailboats, the company incurs inconsiderable expenses for its operation. Fifty men and a rented telescopic crane were utilized by the company for its operation. To minimize the cost and improve the loading efficiency, the study concluded that the system can be enhanced by using the transportable jib crane inside the warehouse, the improved A-frame outside the warehouse, and an approximate of 30 men as the operators. The study recommended that the new system should be adopted to lessen the time and manpower in the loading operation. It would seem to have a great effect in the long run, thus, improving the sailboat handling system.


The establishment of corporate objectives regarding economic, environmental, social, and ethical responsibilities, to inform business practice, has been gaining credibility in the business sector since the early 1990's. This is witnessed through (i) the formation of international forums for sustainable and accountable development, (ii) the emergence of standards, systems, and frameworks to provide common ground for regulatory and corporate dialogue, and (iii) the significant quantum of relevant popular and academic literature in a diverse range of disciplines. How then has this move towards greater corporate responsibility become evident in the provision of major urban infrastructure projects?
The gap identified, in both academic literature and industry practice, is a structured and auditable link between corporate intent and project outcomes. Limited literature has been discovered which makes a link between corporate responsibility; project performance indicators (or critical success factors) and major infrastructure provision. This search revealed that a comprehensive mapping framework, from an organisation's corporate objectives through to intended, anticipated and actual outcomes and impacts has not yet been developed for the delivery of such projects. The research problem thus explored is 'the need to better identify, map and account for the outcomes, impacts and risks associated with economic, environmental, social and ethical outcomes and impacts which arise from major economic infrastructure projects, both now, and into the future'.
The methodology being used to undertake this research is based on Checkland's soft system methodology, engaging in action research on three collaborative case studies.
A key outcome of this research is a value-mapping framework applicable to Australian public sector agencies. This is a decision-making methodology which will enable project teams responsible for delivering major projects, to better identify and align project objectives and impacts with stated corporate objectives.


gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult mammalian central nervous system. However, GABA depolarizes immature rat hippocampal neurons and increases intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). Here we show, that GABA and the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol induce c-Fos immunoreactivity and increase BDNF mRNA expression in embryonic hippocampal neurons cultured for 5 days. In contrast, after 3 weeks in culture, GABA and muscimol failed to induce c-fos and BDNF expression. Fura-2 fluorescence microscopy revealed that muscimol produces a dihydropyridine-sensitive transient increase in [Ca2+]i, comparable to the effect of the non-NMDA receptor agonist kainic acid in neurons cultured for 5 days, but not in 3-week-old cultures. The increase in c-Fos immunoreactivity and BDNF mRNA levels by GABA were dependent upon the activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, as shown using the L-type specific Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine. The differential regulation of c-fos and BDNF expression by GABA and muscimol in developing and mature hippocampal neurons is due to a switch in the ability of GABAA receptors to activate voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. These observations support the hypothesis that GABA might have neurotrophic effects on embryonic or perinatal hippocampal neurons, which are mediated by BDNF.


Direction‐specific release induced through osmotic pressure inside giant microcapsules is realized and monitored at high and low concentrations of encapsulated polymer. A clear correlation between the release kinetics upon opening the shell and encapsulated polymer concentration is observed. This has been independently confirmed by shell opening via nanoindentation and laser radiation. To quantify these observations, the internal pressure of the capsules is determined by analysis of mechanical tests performed via colloidal probe AFM. As expected, larger amounts of encapsulated material lead to increased internal pressures and enhanced release kinetics. The results show how drug release can be accelerated by encapsulation of osmotic pressure generating species. Such pressurized capsules systems show large ejection velocities and are envisioned as an inexpensive biolistic transfection device for in vitro applications.


Urinary incontinence (UI) is a condition with a negative impact on self-esteem and quality of life of those affected. UI therapeutic approach can be pharmacological, behavioral and surgical. The paper reviews current pharmacological therapies for UI in a comparative manner and discusses the pharmacist's role as counselor for adults with urinary incontinence regarding the use of their medication.


This study analyzes the social impact of motor TPL insurance, focusing on direct costs. It presents the variables in motor TPL insurance and through a multiple regression model shows how they contribute to the average premium insurance. The analyses aim to: i) confirm the increase of the average premium insurance when moving from Northern to Southern Italy; ii) identify the main variables related to motor TPL insurance; iii) highlight a positive relationship between motor TPL insurance average premium and car thefts. These findings confirm that lower cost of motor TPL insurance is necessary to define, in Italy, a policy that combats the phenomenon of car thefts and insurance fraud, to issue suitable guidelines for insurance companies and introduce mandatory regulations forcing companies to effectuate product reformulation.


The article examines the status and operation of oil and gas industry especially in today\'s socio-economic development of Ukraine. Based on the performance of enterprises and national statistics the main trends in the financial position of companies in this industry. The features of state regulation of the financial condition of companies on the experience of the National Joint Stock Company \"Naftogaz of Ukraine\".


The guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) contents of 123 strains previously identified as Bacillus circulans Jordan 1890 were determined. Of the strains examined, only 18 had G+C contents of 37 to 41 mol%, a range that included the G+C content (38.1 mol%) of the type strain. A major portion of the strain (93 strains) had G+C contents in the range from 46 to 55 mol%. For seven strains the G+C contents ranged from 42 to 45 mol%, and for another small group of five strains the G+C contents ranged from 56 to 61 mol%. Deoxyribonucleic acid reassociation studies revealed that 10 of the 18 strains with G+C contents of 37 to 41 mol% were closedly related genetically to each other and to the type strain. This genetically related group was phenotypically quite homogeneous. Our results strongly suggested that most of the strains were misclassified as B. circulans. Consequently, the phenotypic heterogeneity of the species B. circulans Jordan 1890 was not due to inherent variability of genetically related strains, but to variability introduced by inclusion of genetically unrelated organisms.


ABSTRACT The genomic fine-typing of strains of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of the emerging human disease Buruli ulcer, is difficult due to the clonal population structure of geographical lineages. Although large sequence polymorphisms (LSPs) resulted in the clustering of patient isolates originating from across the globe, differentiation of strains within continents using conventional typing methods is very limited. In this study, we analyzed M. ulcerans LSP haplotype-specific insertion sequence elements among 83 M. ulcerans strains and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that differentiate between regional strains. This is the first genetic discrimination based on SNPs of M. ulcerans strains from African countries where Buruli ulcer is endemic, resulting in the highest geographic resolution of genotyping so far. The findings support the concept of genome-wide SNP analyses as tools to study the epidemiology and evolution of M. ulcerans at a local level.


We give general expressions for the vector asymmetry in the angular distribution of protons in the nonmesonic weak decay of polarized hypernuclei. From these we derive an explicit expression for the calculation of the asymmetry parameter, a{sub {lambda}}, which is applicable to the specific cases of {sub {lambda}}{sup 5}He and {sub {lambda}}{sup 12}C described within the extreme shell model. In contrast to the approximate formula widely used in the literature, it includes the effects of three-body kinematics in the final states of the decay and correctly treats the contribution of transitions originating from single-proton states beyond the s-shell. This expression is then used for the corresponding numerical computation of a{sub {lambda}} within several one-meson-exchange models. Besides the strictly local approximation usually adopted for the transition potential, we also consider the addition of the first-order nonlocality terms. We find values for a{sub {lambda}} ranging from -0.62 to -0.24, in qualitative agreement with other theoretical estimates but in contradiction with some recent experimental determinations.


Passive seismic monitoring is now a standard tool to follow the evolution of hydrocarbon, geothermal as well as CO2 geological storage reservoirs. Despite the fact that large volumes of data have already been acquired in one of the contexts just mentioned, our understanding of the relation of the microseismicity to the hydraulic fracture geometry is still very poor. Very precise location of seismicity is the first step to better understand and delineate hydraulic fracture geometry. Among many factors that contribute to microseismic location errors, the largest contribution is due to the lack of knowledge of the wave-propagation medium. Precise location of hypocenters requires a very accurate P and S velocity model, the calibration of this model is a difficult task but cannot be neglected. In addition, this required calibration/inversion of the velocities is a totally non-linear problem; taking into account this difficulty we developed a non-linear (Monte Carlo) tomographic inversion algorithm. This paper presents our non-linear calibration algorithm that updates the P and S velocity model in the context of Passive Seismic Monitoring. Furthermore the uncertainties associated to the velocity model are computed.


During percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO), longer fluoroscopic time as compared with PCI for non-CTO lesions may cause skin injury by increased radiation. We have performed a multi-center observational study comparing the exposed dose during the PCI of CTO (CTO group) and during the PCI of non-CTO lesions (non-CTO group). Exposure doses were assessed in 313 patients with CTO and 3,310 patients with non-CTO lesions. Total fluoroscopy time (59.0 ±35.5 vs 26.8 ±18.8 min, p<0.0001) and the total air kerma (2.76±2.11 vs 1.27±0.94 Gy, p<0.0001) were significantly greater in the CTO group than in the non-CTO group. The maximum air kerma of the CTO group was 13.62 Gy. Informed consent about the risk of transient depilation and the transient erythema is required for the case with radiation dose over 3 Gy. The frequency of the patient who received radiation >3 Gy was significantly higher in the CTO group as compared with the non-CTO group (34.1% vs 4.9%). Therefore, informed consent before an operation and postoperative follow-up are indispensable for the performed PCI of CTO. Moreover, comprehensive understanding of the exposure dose during operation and to record the final exposure dose may be extremely important for the radiological technologists.


The 2001–2007 Australian drought was the hottest on record with inflows to Australia's longest river system, the Murray‐Darling, reaching an historical low. Here we examine the relative importance of rising temperature and decreasing rainfall over its catchment, the Murray Darling Basin (MDB). Although annual‐total inflow is more sensitive to rainfall over the southern MDB, where rainfall since 2001, has been the lowest on record, this alone can not explain the observed inflow decline. A relationship exists between inflow variations and fluctuations of temperature not associated with rainfall in the austral winter and spring: a rise of 1°C leads to an approximate 15% reduction in the climatological annual inflow. Our results provide strong evidence that rising temperatures due to the enhanced greenhouse effect have a strong impact on southern Australia's water resources, in addition to any reduction in rainfall, and project a long‐term decline in inflows to this river system as the greenhouse effect continues.


A new process technology for stretch-forming of thin sheet metals is presented within this paper. This new technology is based on shock waves as a source for the forming energy, which are created through laser pulses. The results of some preliminary experiments show, that stretchforming with laser pulses is possible. The influence of parameters like defocussing, power density, pulse energy, number of pulses and material are worked out with excimer-laser pulses. The results show, that uniform shaped domes with a dome height over 250 µm with diameters of 1.4 mm could be produced. More recent studies show that even better results can be reached through the use of TEA-CO2-Lasers, since no confinement is needed and ablation at the surface is avoided. The absence of ablation at the surface makes this new technology even more interesting, since not only the surface remains accurate, but also since several pulses can be applied at one point and thus higher forming degrees can be reached without increasing the power density.


Research has shown that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent diagnosis for psychiatric patients, yet individualized care and treatment is limited in the inpatient acute care sector. Two case studies are presented which examine the use of Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy (ERRT) for chronic trauma-related nightmares, within a private acute care inpatient psychiatric hospital setting. ERRT is empirically supported with efficacy for veteran and civilian populations, however no research to date has been conducted with psychiatric inpatients. Two participants diagnosed with PTSD, suffering distressing trauma-related nightmares, completed ERRT over three sessions during their psychiatric hospital admission, with the aim of reducing the frequency and severity of nightmares and related psychological symptoms. PTSD, depression, sleep quality and quantity, and nightmare frequency and related distress, were measured pre-treatment, during treatment, and follow-up at one, 3 and 6 months. Only one participant reported ongoing nightmares by the third week of the intervention, with both participants reporting an absence of nightmares at the one and 3-month follow-ups, but mixed results by the 6-month follow-up. One participant also reported a reduction in PTSD symptoms and a mild improvement in depression. The results offer some preliminary support for the provision of ERRT for the treatment of trauma-related nightmares for psychiatric inpatients.


Dyslipidemia and insulin resistance are significant adverse outcomes of consuming high-sugar diets. Conversely, dietary fish oil (FO) reduces plasma lipids. Diet-induced dyslipidemia in a rhesus model better approximates the pathophysiology of human metabolic syndrome (MetS) than rodent models. Here, we investigated relationships between metabolic parameters and hypertriglyceridemia in rhesus macaques consuming a high-fructose diet (n = 59) and determined the effects of FO supplementation or RNA interference (RNAi) on plasma ApoC3 and triglyceride (TG) concentrations. Fructose supplementation increased body weight, fasting insulin, leptin, TGs, and large VLDL particles and reduced adiponectin concentrations (all P < 0.001). In multiple regression analyses, increased plasma ApoC3 was the most consistent and significant variable related to diet-induced hypertriglyceridemia. FO supplementation, which attenuated increases of plasma TG and ApoC3 concentrations, reversed fructose-induced shifts of lipoprotein particle size toward IDL and VLDL, a likely mechanism contributing to beneficial metabolic effects, and reduced hepatic expression of genes regulated by the SREBP pathway, particularly acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated ApoC3 inhibition lowered plasma TG concentrations in animals with diet-induced hypertriglyceridemia. In summary, ApoC3 is an important independent correlate of TG-rich lipoprotein concentrations in rhesus macaques consuming a high-fructose diet. ApoC3 is a promising therapeutic target for hypertriglyceridemia in patients with MetS and diabetes.


The quantum circuit model is the most widely used model of quantum computation. It provides both a framework for formulating quantum algorithms and an architecture for the physical construction of quantum computers. However, several other models of quantum computation exist which provide useful alternative frameworks for both discovering new quantum algorithms and devising new physical implementations of quantum computers. In this thesis, I first present necessary background material for a general physics audience and discuss existing models of quantum computation. Then, I present three new results relating to various models of quantum computation: a scheme for improving the intrinsic fault tolerance of adiabatic quantum computers using quantum error detecting codes, a proof that a certain problem of estimating Jones polynomials is complete for the one clean qubit complexity class, and a generalization of perturbative gadgets which allows k-body interactions to be directly simulated using 2-body interactions. Lastly, I discuss general principles regarding quantum computation that I learned in the course of my research, and using these principles I propose directions for future research. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)


by BRIGITTE E. TOWNSEND (Under the Direction of Lyndon M. West) ABSTRACT Pharmaceutical science has benefited from the variety of bioactive lead compounds discovered in marine organisms over the past several decades. The remarkable structural diversity of marine secondary metabolites brings marine natural product chemistry to the forefront of drug discovery. In search of novel therapeutic interventions, marine natural products research has converged with antioxidant studies to form an exciting new research focus. Phenolic antioxidants and indole alkaloids are among the most bioactive classes of marine metabolite, but relatively little has been done to thoroughly investigate the biomedical potential of organisms containing these types of metabolites. In this study, several compounds representing both of these structural classes were identified in marine sponges collected from the Western Atlantic. Several of the compounds were found to have high antioxidant potential when screened with the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Antioxidant activity of marine samples was detected primarily in shallow and intermediate-water sponges, but no correlation was found between activity and fraction polarity.


Seeds of Aquilegia chrysantha Gray were germinated under a variety of tempera- ture regimes. Germination was nearly 90% under a day/night cycle of 25/20C, but was reduced to ≤ 40% under constant 25C or a 25/10C day/night cycle. With days between 25 and 29C (night = 20C), germination percentage dropped gradually to ≈ 60% with increas- ing temperature. With days >29C, germination declined dramatically such that no germination occurred at 31C. Neither kinetin (4.6 to 46 µ M) nor ethephon (6.9 to 207 µM) was able to reverse the inhibitory effects of 33C days. Our results indicate that germination of A. chrysantha seed is sensitive to temperature and that germination ≈ 75% can be obtained under a 25 to 27C day/20C night regime. Chemical names used: 2- chloroethylphosphonic acid (ethephon); 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin).


To determine whether significant cardiovascular reflexes can be generated from gastric receptor stimulation, we developed an autoperfused canine stomach preparation from a dog anesthetized with a-chloralose so that capsaicin, a C fiber agonist, could be injected into the left gastroepiploic artery (ia) supplying the greater curvature of the stomach. Control injections were made into the inferior vena cava (IVC) to determine capsaicin's effects on areas downstream from the stomach. Significant cardiovascular reflexes were obtained in 37 of 42 dogs after ia injection and in 26 of 26 dogs after IVC injection. Capsaicin (25-500 jig) caused significant increases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) (15%), heart rate (HR) (4%), contractility (maximal dP/dt) (19%), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) (18%), whereas there were no changes in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) or aortic flow (AF). On the other hand, downstream IVC capsaicin injections caused significant decreases in SBP (28%), HR (34%), dP/dt (33%), and AF (41%), but no change in SVR or LVEDP. The dP/dt response to ia injection continued to occur after overdrive right atrial pacing. However, the responses of pressure, rate, and dP/dt were diminished to a large extent by diaphragmatic celiac nerve section and to a smaller extent by diaphragmatic vagus nerve section. We conclude that these results demonstrate that capsaicin, a potent C-fiber agonist, can stimulate gastric or perigastric receptors to induce a significant activation of the cardiovascular system. Thus, the potential of the stomach to function as a reflexogenic organ which regulates the cardiovascular system has been demonstrated. Circ Res 46: 780-788, 1980


Dairy production in the US has experienced a marked increase in the size of dairy operations over time. Even as total production has grown over time, smaller operations have been disappearing. Consequently, the viability of smaller dairy farms has become an important policy concern in regions like the Mid-Atlantic where small dairy farms account for a significant share of farm enterprises. Previous studies suggest that dairy farming based on intensive (rotational) grazing, as opposed to traditional confined-feeding operations, may make it possible for smaller operations to remain economically viable. However, the short term nature of the data used in these studies limits the robustness of these findings. We utilize a unique panel of financial data collected during a 15-year-long extension program in Maryland, which allows us to investigate relative performances of intensive grazing operations with more robustness and more in depth than previous studies. We compare technical efficiency, profitability, and risk in intensive grazing and confinement dairy operations. Using year-by-year data envelopment analysis, we assess returns to scale and compare intensive grazing and confinement systems in terms of technical efficiency. A test of returns to scale suggested by Simar and Wilson (2002) shows that constant returns to scale cannot be rejected, indicating that smaller farms are not necessarily at disadvantage at least in the observed range of operation scale in our data. A comparison of technical efficiency using non-parametric tests and regression indicates that grazers are as technically efficient as conventional confinement operators. A test of second order stochastic dominance suggested by Barrett and Donald (2003) shows that profitability is less risky in intensive grazing than in confinement operations. Overall, these results indicate that intensive (rotational) grazing is a promising approach for improving both the economic and environmental sustainability of dairy farming in regions like the Mid-Atlantic where the climate allows a relatively lengthy grazing season.


Enzyme structure and dynamics may play a main role in substrate binding and the subsequent steps in the CYP (cytochrome P450) catalytic cycle. In the present study, changes in the structure of human CYP2D6 upon binding of the substrate are studied using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence methods, focusing not only on the emission of the tryptophan residues, but also on emission of the substrate. As a substrate, MAMC [7-methoxy-4-(aminomethyl)-coumarin] was selected, a compound exhibiting native fluorescence. As well as the wild-type, the W128F (Trp128-->Phe) mutant of CYP2D6 was studied. After binding, a variety of energy transfer possibilities exist, and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to calculate distances and relative orientations of donors and acceptors. Energy transfer from Trp128 to haem appeared to be important; its emission was related to the shortest of the three average tryptophan fluorescence lifetimes observed for CYP2D6. MAMC to haem energy transfer was very efficient as well: when bound in the active site, the emission of MAMC was fully quenched. Steady-state anisotropy revealed that besides the MAMC in the active site, another 2.4% of MAMC was bound outside of the active site to wild-type CYP2D6. The tryptophan residues in CYP2D6 appeared to be less accessible for the external quenchers iodide and acrylamide in presence of MAMC, indicating a tightening of the enzyme structure upon substrate binding. However, the changes in the overall enzyme structure were not very large, since the emission characteristics of the enzyme were not very different in the presence of MAMC.


In a review of research on the relationship between shame and psychopathology it is
suggested that too little attention has been paid to the actual context in which shame is
experienced by people with psychological difficulties. An attempt is then made to link
existing models of pathological shame with recent literature on emotion and it is
suggested that shame associated with psychological disorder is of an enduring script like
nature, termed 'marker shame'. Literature on the relationship between shame and
disclosure is introduced. It is argued that in addition to presenting an opportunity to
investigate the operation of shame in a social context research on the dynamics of
shame and disclosure is important given the central role that emotional disclosure
plays in psychotherapy.
The empirical part of the thesis consists mainly of a diary and interview study
designed to explore the nature of shame in the context of psychotherapy patients'
daily lives and the role of shame in the context of disclosure or non-disclosure of
unpleasant emotional experiences. Quantitative data on the nature, context and
disclosure of shame and the other unpleasant emotional experiences is reported.A
major finding is that the majority of unpleasant emotions experienced by the
participants were not disclosed and that 'marker shame' appeared to play a role in this
non-disclosure. An empirical approach to qualitative data analysis is then introduced
and used to explore the apparent 'emotional isolation' of participants. The findings
again appear to illustrate the operation of 'marker shame'. A qualitative analysis of
participants' accounts of emotions that they did disclose is reported and a shame-related
account of disclosure dynamics is shown to compare favourably with a
number of alternative theoretical accounts of the benefits of disclosure. Qualitative
analysis from a second interview study focusing on significant emotional memories is
presented which appears to replicate most of the earlier findings in a seconds ample of
psychotherapy patients.


A systematic review of literature was conducted to identify the influence of diabetes mellitus on voice. The search was carried out on PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and Cochrane databases. Articles that discussed the effect of diabetes mellitus on voice were included in the review. Five studies were found to be suitable for inclusion. There is limited literature available on the effect of diabetes mellitus on voice. The studies pointed to a higher prevalence (12.5%) of voice problems among individuals with diabetes mellitus as compared to the general population, and higher gastro‐oesophageal reflux disorder related symptoms. Further, higher reflux symptom index and voice handicap index scores have been reported in these individuals. The other voice related changes reported across the studies include the presence of laryngeal involvement, hoarseness, and increased strained voice. Even though there is limited literature available, it points towards the presence of voice changes among people with diabetes. This information would help professionals to better counsel and refer patients with diabetes to laryngologists or voice therapists if they complain of voice changes. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons. Practical Diabetes 2019; 36(5): 177–180


We present a method to recover the shape and amplitude of the power spectrum of mass fluctuations, P(k), from observations of the high-redshift Lyα forest. The method is motivated by the physical picture that has emerged from hydrodynamic cosmological simulations and related semianalytic models, in which typical Lyα forest lines arise in a diffuse, continuous, fluctuating intergalactic medium. The thermal state of this low-density gas (δρ/ρ ≲ 10) is governed by simple physical processes, which lead to a tight correlation between the Lyα optical depth and the underlying matter density. To recover the mass power spectrum, we (1) apply a monotonic Gaussian mapping to convert the QSO spectrum to an approximate line-of-sight density field with arbitrary normalization, (2) measure the power spectrum of this continuous density field and convert it to the equivalent three-dimensional P(k), and (3) evolve cosmological simulations with this P(k) shape and a range of normalizations and choose the normalization for which the simulations reproduce the observed power spectrum of the transmitted QSO flux. Imposing the observed mean Lyα opacity as a constraint in step (3) makes the derived P(k) normalization insensitive to the choice of cosmological parameters, ionizing background spectrum, or reionization history. Thus, in contrast to estimates of P(k) from galaxy clustering, there are no uncertain "bias parameters" in the recovery of the mass power spectrum from the Lyα forest. We test the full recovery procedure on smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of three different cosmological models and show that it recovers the true mass power spectrum of the models on comoving scales ~1-10 h-1 Mpc, the upper scale being set by the size of the simulation boxes. The procedure works well even when it is applied to noisy (S/N ~ 10), moderate-resolution (~40 km s-1 pixels) spectra. We present an illustrative application to Songaila & Cowie's Keck HIRES spectrum of Q1422+231; the recovered P(k) is consistent with that of an Ω = 1, h = 0.5, σ8(z = 0) ≈ 0.5 cold dark matter model. The statistical uncertainty in this result is large because it is based on a single QSO, but the method can be applied to large samples of existing QSO spectra and should thereby yield the power spectrum of mass fluctuations on small and intermediate scales at redshifts z ~ 2-4.


Watkins, Lauren E. M.S.B.M.E., Purdue University, May 2016. Densified Collagen-Fibril Biomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering. Major Professor: Sherry Voytik-Harbin. Millions of craniofacial bone defects occur annually as a result of trauma, congenital defects, disease, or tooth extraction1, 2. When present in the oral cavity, these defects are associated with adverse impacts on speech, mastication, and aesthetics3, 4. Thus, there is a clinical need for interventional strategies to restore and preserve alveolar bone mass to improve the success of future treatment options intended to reestablish functionality and aesthetics. Guided bone regeneration using bone grafts and a membrane represent the current standard of care for repairing alveolar bone defects, but face a number of limitations related to resorption time and structural integrity. Improvements may be directed toward the development of bone graft substitutes that are patient-specific, provide structural support to the defect, and promote rapid bone regeneration. Here, we describe the design of a densified, oligomer collagen-fibril bone regeneration template inspired by the natural progression of bone defect healing. As the dominant component of the bone organic matrix and the soft callus formed first during bone fracture healing, type I collagen provides a physiologically-relevant material for promoting bone regeneration. The polymerizable oligomer collagen formulation preserves fibrillar and suprafibrillar microstructures necessary for directing mineral deposition and also facilitates cellular encapsulation with minimal shape distortion. The densified oligomer collagen-fibril materials promote accelerated and enhanced mineralization by encapsulated human adipose-derived stem cells in vitro when compared to conventional collagen-based bone regeneration


The aim of this paper is to account for the dilemmas and difficulties a social democratic approach to crime and security has always faced in the context of the modern state, to examine the historical solutions sought to these difficulties, to identify some of the new challenges to have emerged over the past 30 years or so - in particular the challenges posed by neo-liberalism and globalization, and to assess the prospects of a new wave of social democratic crime and security policy in the face of the combination of new and old challenges. Just as social democracy has always been ambiguously poised between reformism and more radical forms of socialism, social democratic crime and security policy has also always been uneasily located between its reformist premise - stressing consent, rehabilitation and cultural inclusion and its radical premise - stressing the material basis of any genuine programme of societal security. This tension, amplified by the recent challenges posed by neo-liberalism and globalization, underpins the explanation and the prognosis offered by the paper.


1 Schwartz, K, Medical Clinics of North America, 1976, 60, 745. 2 Kilness, A W, and Hochberg, F H, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1977, 237, 2843. 3Kilness, A W, personal communication. 4 Griffiths, N M, and Thomson, C D, New Zealand Medical Journal, 1974, 80, 199. 5 Watkinson, J H, Analytical Chemistry, 1966, 38, 92. Schwartz, K, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1977, 238, 2365. 7Kurland, L T, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1977, 238, 2305. 8 Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Data Sheet Compendium, pp 26 and 1096. London, ABPI, 1978.


This review analyzes studies on the negative effects of antibiotics on reproductive organs and their function. Many experimental studies record the negative effect of certain antibiotics, depending on the dose applied, on spermatogenesis. Unlike drugs of other groups, in which a direct cytotoxic effect on the testicular tissue occurs through a change in the level of hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis or through a direct effect on the testicle itself, when using some antibiotics, most often against the background of the inflammatory process, oxidative stress occurs in the testicular tissues, which leads to dystrophic lesions and violations of spermatogenesis indicators.


ABSTRACT Selected isolates of Cladosporium tenuissimum were tested for their ability to inhibit in vitro aeciospore germination of the two-needle pine stem rusts Cronartium flaccidum and Peridermium pini and to suppress disease development in planta. The antagonistic fungus displayed a number of disease-suppressive mechanisms. Aeciospore germination on water agar slides was reduced at 12, 18, and 24 h when a conidial suspension (1.5 x 10(7) conidia per ml) of the Cladosporium tenuissimum isolates was added. When the aeciospores were incubated in same-strength conidial suspensions for 1, 11, 21, and 31 days, viability was reduced at 20 and 4 degrees C. Light and scanning electron microscopy showed that rust spores were directly parasitized by Cladosporium tenuissimum and that the antagonist had evolved several strategies to breach the spore wall and gain access to the underlying tissues. Penetration occurred with or without appressoria. The hyperparasite exerted a mechanical force to destroy the spore structures (spinules, cell wall) by direct contact, penetrated the aeciospores and subsequently proliferated within them. However, an enzymatic action could also be involved. This was shown by the dissolution of the host cell wall that comes in contact with the mycelium of the mycoparasite, by the lack of indentation in the host wall at the contact site, and by the minimal swelling at the infecting hyphal tip. Culture filtrates of the hyperparasite inhibited germination of rust propagules. A compound purified from the filtrates was characterized by chemical and spectroscopic analysis as cladosporol, a known beta-1,3-glucan biosynthesis inhibitor. Conidia of Cladosporium tenuissimum reduced rust development on new infected pine seedlings over 2 years under greenhouse conditions. Because the fungus is an aggressive mycoparasite, produces fungicidal metabolites, and can survive and multiply in forest ecosystems without rusts, it seems a promising agent for the biological control of pine stem rusts in Europe.


"The increasing use of casual university academics has been an issue of concern to researchers and commentators for some time. Research to date has tended to focus on the plight of casuals who aspire to permanent positions, and emphasising issues such as career dissatisfaction, exploitation, and marginalisation. Little evidence has been gathered that quantifies the views of casuals more broadly. Less still has been gathered on the perceptions of the immediate supervisors of casuals. This article seeks to compare the perceptions of a cohort of casuals and their immediate supervisors. Both quantitative and qualitative data are gathered via a survey of academic staff employed in the business faculty of a large metropolitan university. The survey results indicate, among other things, a high level of mutual satisfaction between casuals and their immediate supervisors. Casuals also expressed a high level of general satisfaction with their work as casual staff. These and other findings are discussed in some detail."


Flight is a triumph of evolution that enabled the radiation and success of birds. A crucial step was the development of forelimb flight feathers that may have evolved for courtship or territorial displays in ancestral theropod dinosaurs. Classical tissue recombination experiments performed in the chick embryo provide evidence that signals operating during early limb development specify the position and identity of feathers. Here we show that a positional information gradient of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signalling in the embryonic chick wing bud specifies the pattern of adult flight feathers in a defined spatial and temporal sequence that reflects their different identities. We reveal that the Shh signalling gradient is interpreted into specific patterns of flight feather-associated gene expression. Our data suggests that flight feather evolution involved the co-option of the pre-existing digit patterning mechanism and therefore uncovers an embryonic process that played a fundamental step in the evolution of avian flight.