This research addresses an important methodological issue on patient safety and obesity for the purposes of examining clinical and administrative data for the reliability of using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnoses codes alone to reliably identify obesity as a comorbidity and risk factor in care and management. The findings of this research confirm ICD codes for the obese surgical populations were underutilized. Despite more than 70% of patients classified as overweight or obese, ICD-9 codes for obesity were assigned in less than 10% of the overall sample. Patients in the extreme category of obesity (body mass index [BMI] >40 kg/m2) were more likely to have a corresponding ICD-9 code compared with patients in the BMI range of 25 to 40 kg/m2. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision coding for obesity was underutilized in patients with a BMI of greater than 25 kg/m2. The associated health risks, costs, and potential adverse events associated with obesity make it imperative to continue to study the barriers to coding.


In this paper, we are considering the case of estimating the modal participation vectors from the operating response of a structure. Normally, this is done using a fitting technique either in the time domain using the correlation function matrix or in the frequency domain using the spectral density matrix. In this paper, a more simple approach is proposed based on estimating the modal participation from the correlation matrix of the operating responses. For the case of general damping, it is shown how the response correlation matrix is formed by the mode shape matrix and two transformation matrices T1 and T1 that contain information about the modal parameters, the generalized modal masses, and the input load spectral density matrix Gx. For the case of real mode shapes, it is shown how the response correlation matrix can be given a simple analytical form where the corresponding real modal participation vectors can be obtained in a simple way. Finally, it is shown how the real version of the modal participation vectors can be used to synthesize empirical spectral density functions.


Since the 1970s, there has been a broad shift from arm's length to long-term strategic alliance procurement practices across nations and industries. This has happened for sound commercial reasons. Peculiarities of agricultural production have slowed this shift in many food industry sectors, but it is now proceeding apace – driven primarily by rapidly globalising supermarket chains. In most Australian agri-food sectors, few firms have the scale or level of sophistication that would make them attractive strategic alliance partners either for international food retailers or for their category managers. The reasons for this include a combination of past government failures (inappropriate policies) and failures or inefficiencies in a range of information markets. The long-term nature of strategic alliances generates significant first-mover advantages for suppliers. Australian food producers risk being locked out of attractive opportunities if they fail to adapt to the new mode of contracting. For regional economies, the long-term benefits from accelerating strategic alliance adoption are likely to be large. Such benefits will flow on to many who are not usually considered private beneficiaries of that adoption. In other words, there are significant public benefits in prospect. While the results of past government intervention in this field have been mixed, there has been much learnt internationally from such experience. In Australia, many of the inappropriate policies have now been reversed and the prospects for cost-effective government assistance in the relevant information markets are good.


Background: Mobile learning (mLearning) and gamification are two potential pedagogical tools that are continuously evolving in Higher Education. Their efficiency as learning tools is not fully understood and their use by staff is sporadic and sometimes viewed poorly compared to traditional methods.

Aim: To determine a framework of best practice for the integration of mLearning app based quiz-games into the Higher Education (HE) teaching of anatomical sciences. This thesis presents three studies, which aim to 1) evaluate mLearning quiz-games as a revision tool for an anatomy online examination 2) and 3) investigate the effect of pre-seminar mLearning quiz gameplay on knowledge acquisition, retention and engagement in anatomy.

Method: The data collection was performed over a two year period in a level 4 anatomy module for Sport and Exercise Science students. All three studies employed an experimental mixed methods approach within an action research framework to allow the development of the project in a naturalistic way. Study One was completed over two cohorts, 2014-15 (n=125) and 2015-16 (n=121). The module has four assessment points, A1, A2, A3, A4 where A1-3 are online assessments with a mixture of Multiple Choice Questions, labelling and matching questions and A4 is a viva voce. Students did A1, A2 and A4 as normal but at A3 they were offered a choice to revise as normal, the control group (n= 164) or to play mLearning games (n=87) for 15 minutes prior to the assessment on a tablet or smartphone device. All students completed a modified Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) post-assessment and then for triangulation of data online focus groups were completed (n=84) as well as extended semi-structured interviews (n=9). Study Two was completed in 2015-16 using the same module as Study One. Over two consecutive weeks students were videoed in a two hour seminar session where in week one they did 15 minutes of no formal class preparation (n=87) and in week two they did 15 minutes of mLearning games (n=87). Students did a plenary and recap class Socrative quiz every week where the plenary scores indicate knowledge acquisition and the difference between the plenary and recap scores of subsequent weeks indicates knowledge retention. Observational behavioural engagement analysis was completed using an adapted coding system and students completed the National Survey of Student Engagement following each seminar. Study Three was completed on the same cohort in semester two using a randomised repeated measures design for the knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention scores over three weeks with three 15 minute interventions; Games, Control and Games plus question generation before class.

Results: Study One found that the Games group performed better at A3 with no difference at A2 or A1 (p<0.0.01) but no differences were found in the SPQ surface and deep learning motives and strategies. Students revealed reasons for using mLearning quiz-games were primarily the fun, visual stimulation, instant feedback and accessibility. Study Two found that playing quiz-games prior to class increased on-task behaviours and peer interaction and improved knowledge acquisition and retention scores (p<0.01). Study Three agreed but found no difference in the Games-plus questions group compared to the control or games groups.

Conclusions: The studies reveal the positive effect that mLearning quiz-games can have on achievement and engagement both in class and as a revision tool prior to assessment. The results of all three studies have been used to inform the proposed Mobigames framework for the integration of mLearning quiz-games in HE teaching. The framework has four key aspects: Information, Facilitation, Learning and Timing.


The great crisis of twentieth-century philosophy has been the loss of meaning as a criterion for conduct. With the collapse of the historical sociologies of the nineteenth century and their replacement by relativistic doctrines, contemporary thought has retreated to the fleeting present moment as the ground for describing action. In Meaning and Appreciation, Michael Weinstein traces the history of the failure of historical meaning, showing how the disappearance of collective purpose has altered our sense of time and made us aware that we are the creators of our time perspectives. Drawing upon the vitalistic tradition of Bergson, Weinstein returns to the intuition of the dur6e and argues that beneath practical life, we are rooted in successive lived presents. Weinstein identifies the lived present with appreciation, arguing that the life of expression, not nihilism, lies beyond the wreckage of historical teleology, The climax of Weinstein's work is an original vision of human existence, in which our essence is to express one another to ourselves. Vindicating our intrinsic sociality against the abstract and mechanistic claims of both individualism and collectivism, the author argues that our destiny is not to project meanings into a symbolic future, but to attend to and care for one another in the present. Weinstein's sensitive analysis offers new insights into such contemporary movements as existentialism, the sociology of knowledge, and cultural philosophy, evaluating all of them in terms of the fundamental tension in our society.


Part II of this paper provides an overview of the U.N. Charter's framework for collective security, with a particular focus on the Charter's provision for the. creation, command, and control of U.N. military forces. During the Cold War, this framework fell into desuetude, and U.N. forces that participated in enforcement actions, such as Korea and Iraq, as well as peacekeeping operations, were created in ad hoc fashion outside the Charter's framework. Part III examines this development and considers how the conclusion of an Article 43 agreement might alter the President's authority under international law to pursue U.S. interests while participating in a U.N. operation.International law is but one source of possible limitation on the President's authority to commit U.S. forces. Congress plays a central role as well. Part IV considers how the conclusion of an Article 43 agreement might alter the existing war powers balance between the President and Congress. Part V evaluates Article 43's future in light of the international and domestic legal consequences associated with the conclusion of an Article 43 agreement.


In 1940 Murray published his paper on the role of "heparin in surgical treatment of blood vessels". The introduction of heparin as a prophylactic antithrombotic in vascular surgery increased surgical interventions in the arterial circulation. Heparin reduces clotting of blood while clamping arteries and thereby reduces thrombo-embolic complications, local and systemic. Heparin is also considered essential during percutaneous endovascular interventions with balloons and stents. Heparin has a major, clinical, disadvantage: the prolonged clotting of blood causes an increase in bleeding complications, such as more blood loss and more blood transfusions. This also increases procedure time, leading to more (infectious) complications. The use of heparin can also lead to the development of heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) syndrome, an unpredictable response of the immune system on the administration of heparin, possibly resulting in arterial and venous thrombo-embolic complications. Another major disadvantage of the use of heparin is the fact that heparin has no linear dose-response curve. This results in an unpredictable therapeutic effect in at least 20% of patients. This underlines the necessity of performing measurements of the actual effect of heparin, also because heparin is used worldwide in all open and endovascular arterial procedures. To develop new, evidence based guidelines for vascular surgery and interventional radiology (IR), a study group was instituted in the Netherlands (CAPPA: Consensus on Arterial PeriProcedural Anticoagulation). This study group performed 2 surveys on anticoagulation amongst Dutch vascular surgeons and IR. Results showed variation on the use of anticoagulation before, during and after arterial open and endovascular procedures. Predominantly heparin was used by most surgeons and IR during procedures as an prophylactic antithrombotic but the applied doses varied importantly. Also for IR, the variety found for the use of heparin in the Netherlands, was not the same as the variety found in the United Kingdom. Systematic reviews of literature on the use of heparin by vascular surgeons during open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (AAA) and infra-inguinal bypass surgery (IABS) showed not much evidence for the beneficiary effect of heparin. During open AAA repair a trend was observed to harmful side effects such as more blood loss, longer operation time and more blood transfusion when heparin was used. Thrombo-embolic complications were not increased when no heparin was used. In the Netherlands a trial was performed to compare open and endovascular repair op AAA (DREAM trial). A sub-analysis from this trial in the open repair group showed no clinical differences in outcomes when heparin or no heparin was administered. The CAPPA group designed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the use of heparin during open AAA repair. Patients will be randomized to a heparin and a no-heparin group. Aim of this NANDA? trial (No Anticoagulation Needed During open AAA repair?), will be to determine if heparin is beneficial as an prophylactic antithrombotic. Multiple other trials on IABS and endovascular interventions are developed. Ultimate goal of these trials will be to create consensus and new guidelines on periprocedural prophylactic antithrombotics in arterial vascular surgery and IR.


Numerous books are available on the meaning and methods of preaching, but nothing has been written that specifically addresses the character of those who would preach. Preacher and Cross helps fill this gap in homiletic studies by examining the relationship between the message of Christian proclamation and the preacher, with specific attention to ministerial character and the preacher's use of self in sermons. Andr? Resner discusses the two dominant approaches to homiletics-the rhetorical approach typified by Augustine and the theological approach typified by Barth-and then compares and contrasts these approaches to what the apostle Paul says on the issue. Essential reading for those involved in ministry, this work offers invaluable insights into the relationship between preachers and the message they proclaim.


Abstract. Identification of terrestrial carbon (C) sources and sinks is critical for understanding the earth system and to mitigate and adapt to climate change results from greenhouse gas emissions. Predicting whether a given location will act as a C source or sink using terrestrial ecosystem models (TEMs) is challenging due to net flux being the difference between far larger, spatially and temporally variable fluxes with large uncertainties. Uncertainty in projections of future dynamics, critical for policy evaluation, has been determined using multi-TEM intercomparisons, for various emissions scenarios. This approach quantifies structural and forcing errors. However, the role of parameter error within models has not been determined. TEMs typically have defined parameters for specific plant functional types generated from the literature. To ascertain the importance of parameter error in forecasts we present a Bayesian analysis that uses data on historical and current C cycling for Brazil to parameterise five TEMs of varied complexity with a retrieval of model error covariance at 1 degree spatial resolution. After evaluation against data from 2001–2017, the parameterised models are simulated to 2100 under four climate change scenarios spanning the likely range of climate projections. Using multiple models, each with per pixel parameter ensembles, we partition forecast uncertainties. Parameter uncertainty dominates across most of Brazil when simulating future stock changes in biomass C and dead organic matter (DOM). Uncertainty of simulated biomass change is most strongly correlated with net primary productivity allocation to wood (NPPwood) and wood mean residence times (MRTwood). Uncertainty of simulated DOM change is most strongly correlated with MRTsoil and NPPwood. Due to the coupling between these variables and C stock dynamics being bi-directional we argue that using repeat estimates of woody biomass will provide a valuable constraint needed to refine predictions of the future carbon cycle. Finally, evaluation of our multi-model analysis shows that wood litter contributes substantially to fire emissions necessitating a greater understanding of wood litter C-cycling than is typically considered in large-scale TEMs.


ABSTRACT Context. Small population sizes and no possibility of metapopulation rescue put narrowly distributed endemic species under elevated risk of extinction from anthropogenic change. Desert spring wetlands host many endemic species that require aquatic habitat and are isolated by the surrounding xeric terrestrial habitat. Aims. We sought to model the occupancy dynamics of the Dixie Valley toad (Anaxyrus williamsi), a recently described species endemic to a small desert spring wetland complex in Nevada, USA. Methods. We divided the species' range into 20 m × 20 m cells and surveyed for Dixie Valley toads at 60 cells during six primary periods from 2018 to 2021, following an occupancy study design. We analysed our survey data by using a multi-state dynamic occupancy model to estimate the probability of adult occurrence, colonisation, site survival, and larval occurrence and the relationship of each to environmental covariates. Key results. The detection probabilities of adult and larval toads were affected by survey length and time of day. Adult Dixie Valley toads were widely distributed, with detections in 75% of surveyed cells at some point during the 3-year study, whereas larvae were observed only in 20% of cells during the study. Dixie Valley toad larvae were more likely to occur in cells far from spring heads with a high coverage of surface water, low emergent vegetation cover, and water temperatures between 20°C and 28°C. Adult toads were more likely to occur in cells with a greater coverage of surface water and water depth >10 cm. Cells with more emergent vegetation cover and surface water were more likely to be colonised by adult toads. Conclusions. Our results showed that Dixie Valley toads are highly dependent on surface water in both spring and autumn. Adults and larvae require different environmental conditions, with larvae occurring farther from spring heads and in fewer cells. Implications. Disturbances to the hydrology of the desert spring wetlands in Dixie Valley could threaten the persistence of this narrowly distributed toad.


We consider the estimation of binary election outcomes as martingales and propose an arbitrage pricing when one continuously updates estimates. We argue that the estimator needs to be priced as a binary option as the arbitrage valuation minimizes the conventionally used Brier score for tracking the accuracy of probability assessors. We create a dual martingale process $Y$, in $[L,H]$ from the standard arithmetic Brownian motion, $X$ in $(-\infty, \infty)$ and price elections accordingly. The dual process $Y$ can represent the numerical votes needed for success. We show the relationship between the volatility of the estimator in relation to that of the underlying variable. When there is a high uncertainty about the final outcome, 1) the arbitrage value of the binary gets closer to 50\%, 2) the estimate should not undergo large changes even if polls or other bases show significant variations. There are arbitrage relationships between 1) the binary value, 2) the estimation of $Y$, 3) the volatility of the estimation of $Y$ over the remaining time to expiration. We note that these arbitrage relationships were often violated by the various forecasting groups in the U.S. presidential elections of 2016, as well as the notion that all intermediate assessments of the success of a candidate need to be considered, not just the final one.


Abstract. Detecting surface coal mining areas (SCMAs) using remote sensing data in a timely and an accurate manner is necessary for coal industry management and environmental assessment. We developed an approach to effectively extract SCMAs from remote sensing imagery based on object-oriented decision trees (OODT). This OODT approach involves three main steps: object-oriented segmentation, calculation of spectral characteristics, and extraction of SCMAs. The advantage of this approach lies in its effective integration of the spectral and spatial characteristics of SCMAs so as to distinguish the mining areas (i.e., the extracting areas, stripped areas, and dumping areas) from other areas that exhibit similar spectral features (e.g., bare soils and built-up areas). We implemented this method to extract SCMAs in the eastern part of Ordos City in Inner Mongolia, China. Our results had an overall accuracy of 97.07% and a kappa coefficient of 0.80. As compared with three other spectral information-based methods, our OODT approach is more accurate in quantifying the amount and spatial pattern of SCMAs in dryland regions.


Purpose: This study is intended to investigate different factors related to technology innovations and particularly business model innovations and particularly its impact on small and medium sized enterprises to find out its relevance and possibilities of transforming the business according to Industry 4.0 technology requirements. Design/Methodology/Approach: Theoretical analysis and research model has been used to discuss the concepts and the literature study. This paper is primarily based on research journals, articles and relevant websites that provides the most updated information on the chosen topic. Findings: The technology innovations related to Industry 4.0 have different impact on different enterprises depending on the size and the resources it enjoys both internal and external. The fourth industrial revolution is transforming many industries globally. Big companies have potential as well as resources to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies and innovations, however, the small and medium sized businesses still need to develop and innovate their business models to be competitive in the international markets. Practical Implications: This paper is helpful in conceptual understanding on different forms of innovations in businesses, including technological and business model innovations while adopting Industry 4.0. The research findings provide an insight for future investigation in this direction. Originality/Value: The systematic literature analysis and the research performed in this study is useful for minimizing the research gap related to Industry 4.0 and enterprise level innovations.


Development of genomic and proteomic studies coupled with computational sciences could facilitate the discovery of various target proteins and potential inhibitor to be developed as drugs. Several researches by molecular docking method have been conducted to design disulfide cyclic peptide ligand as potential inhibitors for NS2B-NS3 protease (NS2B-NS3 pro) of dengue virus serotype DENV-2 in order to inhibit replication of dengue virus. This research studied and evaluated the interaction of ligands and the enzyme in the hydrate state using molecular dynamics simulations at two different temperatures. Simulations were performed using two disulfide cyclic peptide inhibitors KRK and RKR, along with one linear peptide Bz-Nle-K-R-R-H as standard ligand. The result shows that dynamic movement of three proposed ligand in hydrated state affects ligand interactions. RKR ligand has the best affinity with the enzyme than KRK and standard ligand. This is shown by the ligand interaction with enzyme active site which remains stable during the simulation. At the end of simulation 300 K, RKR formed a hydrogen bond with Asp75 and at the end of simulation 312 K, RKR also maintained hydrogen bond with Asp75


Book synopsis: This book explores the many approaches available to the study of law and literature.

An exploration of the many relationships between law and literature.
Looks at what law and literature can learn from one another.
Makes those involved in literary studies more conscious of the impact that law has had on literary history.
Treats subjects as diverse as Socrates and Marx.
Contributors are significant scholars from the fields of legal theory and critical theory.


The authors of the article present issues relating to innovation management in organisation. They discuss factors that determine making innovative decisions as well as new strategy, i.e. Europe 2020 that may be an opportunity to redefine Polish innovation policy and a chance for Polish enterprises to develop. The authors emphasize a fundamental role of capital in financing innovative activity conducted by enterprises, and present one of models for the implementation of public and private capital in financing this sphere.


A study was conducted to assess the responses of broiler chicks to the inclusion of dried rumen content (DRC) on broiler diet. One hundred and fifty unsexed one day old chicks (Cobb) were distributed randomly to five treatments in a completely randomised design. The experimental diets were formulated to meet the nutrient requirements for broiler chicks with inclusion of DRC at different levels: 0 %, 5 %, and 10% without enzymes and two diets containing 5% and 10% DRC with enzymes (amylase, protase, xylanase, glucanase) represented by A, B, C, D and E respectively. Feed and water were provided adlibtum. Weekly feed intake and body weight were recorded. Feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein intake and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were calculated. The experiment lasted for six weeks. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein during slaughtering chicks. Plasma was obtained to determine glucose, cholesterol, total lipids, protein and calcium. Carcass weight and some internal organs were weighed. Sensory evaluations of meat were conducted. The results showed that an increased feed intake and growth rate by increasing the levels of DRC in the diets. FCR, PER and Dressing percentage was not affected (P>0.05) by dietary treatments. Treatments had no significant (P>0.05) effect on plasma glucose, cholesterol, Total lipids, protein and calcium. Gizzard weight and length of Ceacum increased by increasing DRC in the diets. The carcass quality of all treatments was similar in color, flavor, tenderness, juiciness and acceptability. Broiler chicks can tolerate up to 10% DRC in the diets without adverse effect.


Hypoxic cells of solid tumors are relatively resistant to therapeutic assault. Studies have demonstrated that oxygen-deficient tumor cells exist in an environment conducive to reductive reactions making hypoxic cells particularly sensitive to bioreductive alkylating agents. Mitomycin C, the prototype bioreductive alkylating agent available for clinical use, is capable of preferentially killing oxygen-deficient cells both in vitro and in vivo. This phenomenon is at least in part the result of differences in the uptake and metabolism of mitomycin C by hypoxic and oxygenated tumor cells, with the ultimate critical lesion being the cross-linking of DNA by the mitomycin antibiotic. The combination of mitomycin C with X-irradiation, to attack hypoxic and oxygenated tumor cell populations, respectively, has led to enhanced antitumor effects in mice bearing solid tumor implants and in patients with cancer of the head and neck. More efficacious kill of hypoxic tumor cells may be possible by the use of dicoumarol in combination with mitomycin or by the use of the related antibiotic porfiromycin. The findings support the use of an agent with specificity for hypoxic tumor cells in potentially curative regimens for solid tumors.


Bacillus coagulans, a probiotic phage sensitive organism was subjected to random mutagenesis and several phage resistant mutants were isolated. Evaluation of mutants, in line with the WHO/FAO guidelines for probiotics, showed that Lactic acid production was not affected. Maximum sporulation efficiency was seen in mutant MIII (81% ± 2). Mutant MII showed least acid tolerance and tolerance to bile salts was lower in all the mutants compared to the parent (76% ± 0.5). All the cultures exhibited similar antibacterial activity (zones: 13-15 mm) against the pathogens used. For all the mutants bile salt hydrolase activity was positive and antibiotic susceptibility was similar to parental culture and all these mutants showed no hemolysis. Auto-aggregation potential of the mutants was somewhat higher than the parental strain except for mutant PIII (29.5% ± 1.2) whereas mutant PIII displayed highest co-aggregation potential (52% ± 0.7). MATS assay showed that mutant PIII had highest affinity for xylene (65% ± 2.1) and mutant MV for chloroform (66.1 ± 0.8%). Adhesion to Caco2 cell was highest for mutant MIII (20.4%). Comparison of the lipid profiles showed that Alpha-linoleic acid was produced only by the parent whereas PUFA like EPA was produced by only mutants PIII and MII. Mutants PIII also produced DHA. Parental strains as well as all the 7 mutants were found to be negative for siderophore production whereas Mutants MV showed highest anti-oxidative potential (32.3% ± 1.6). Thus, thorough functional characterization of the phage resistant mutants as probiotics coupled with evaluation for additional desirable attributes has helped in better understanding of these mutants in terms of their true potential.


Abstract Objectives Guarana (Paullinia cupana) from the Sapindaceae family, native to the Amazon basin, is a natural stimulant herb that can be found in popular energy drinks, pharmaceutical shops or local herb shops. With the use of natural health products increasing, guarana has gained a fair amount of popularity in the past years. In this systematic review, we examined the effects of guarana supplementation on cognitive performance. A secondary objective was to compare guarana with caffeine on cognitive performance. Methods Searches were made in PubMed using the terms 'Guarana' or 'Paullinia cupana'. Filters focused on Controlled Clinical trials. Inclusion criteria were met by studies using interventions with guarana, while focusing on guarana's effects on cognition. Participants needed to be young, healthy adults. Studies not published in English or Greek were excluded. The last date of our search was March 7, 2019. Results A total of 29 studies were identified and screened. After screening, 17 studies were excluded. The remaining 12 studies were found eligible for data extraction. After reading the full text of the 12 studies, 3 studies were excluded. In the end, 9 studies were found eligible for our systematic review (n = 369 participants). In these studies, guarana showed to improve reaction time and accuracy of performance at cognitive tasks. No significant differences were found when comparing guarana with caffeine. Conclusion Guarana seems to improve reaction time and accuracy of performance at tasks, but no significant effects were found when compared with caffeine. High quality randomized controlled clinical trials with a low risk of bias are needed to further study the herb.


We present a new approach for constructing the initial 3D geological models in the process of man-machine interactive interpretation for gravity and magnetic anomalies. Firstly, we introduced the steps of method. It includes some auxiliary vertexes and sections techniques. Then, the forward algorithm of the model is given. And the data structure of the model is devised, later the modifying method and visualization method is discussed. This method is realized in our 3D gravity & magnetic anomaly interpretation system based on VC++6.0 and OpenGL. Using this method, the geophysical interpreter can construct or modify the geological models easily under the three dimension environment. The tool can give them visual 3D models, so it enhances the efficiency of the interpretation.


Designing an efficient modeling tool is a key point for large 3D frequency-domain full-waveform inversion problems. We present a frequency-domain acoustic wave modeling using a hybrid direct-iterative solver based on a parallel domain decomposition method and Schur complement approach. The main interest of mixing solvers is to overcome the huge memory complexity of direct solvers while partially preserving efficient multi-RHS simulations and mitigating the iteration count in iterative solvers. To improve the convergence rate of the iterative solver, a preconditioning based on an additive Schwartz approach is used. Discretization of the Helmholtz equation is based on a parsimonious finite-difference method but the domain decomposition method could apply to any numerical scheme such as finite-element or finite-volume methods and to any media such as elastic, anisotropic ones ... To asses the efficiency of the hybrid approach, we computed simulations in the 2D Marmousi II and 3D SEG/EAGE Overthrust model, and compared results with that of a direct solver.


The recent boom in feminist comics by Swedish artists has produced a body of work that has only recently come to the attention of English-language readers. This article focuses on the comics of Liv Strömquist, specifically Fruit of Knowledge: The Vulva vs. The Patriarchy (2018), the first of her booklength works to be published in English translation. Strömquist's text is situated in the broader context of feminist comics, particularly the work of Julie Doucet. Drawing on Swedish sources including reviews, interviews and comics scholarship, the article examines how Strömquist uses the comics medium to challenge and re-signify dominant representations of gender, sexuality and the body.


Future manufacturing systems will be required to be agile, flexible and fault-tolerant. The next-generation intelligent manufacturing systems will be multi-agent systems containing distributed control and application entities that dynamically collaborate to satisfy both local and global objectives. This paper focuses on the development of a generic control system design based on IEC-1499 function block standards, for real-time distributed manufacturing environments. The paper first describes the related research into the control system architecture using multi-agent cooperation, then reports on the intelligent controller design interface and automatic control code generation.


This article investigates the distinct character of Randian constitutionalism and how it may have been inspired by American discourse on constitutional values. More specifically, the author examines how Justice Rand's brand of constitutionalism is distinguishable from the more dominant strain of Diceyan constitutionalism that was prominent among Canadian jurists during the twentieth century. The author argues that the difference between Randian and Diceyan constitutionalism can be explained largely by the central role that "citizenship" played in Justice Rand's understanding of the Canadian constitutional order. The author further argues that Justice Rand did not invent his conception of citizenship, but borrowed it from American constitutional jurisprudence regarding the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Accordingly, Justice Rand's opinion in Roncarelli and other cases shows how his constitutional vision was shaped by a series of strong dissenting opinions concerning the now-defunct Privileges or Immunities Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment. By doing so, Justice Rand sought to install in Canadian public law the same fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination that the American Congress intended to establish by adopting the Fourteenth Amendment.


Spectral filtering of chirped signals with an edge of a fiber grating filter improves propagation in nondispersion-shifted fiber. The improvement is due to a temporal shift of the frequency modulation with respect to the amplitude modulation. By filtering the chirped output of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) wavelength converter with a fiber grating edge we obtain error-free transmission of converted data through 100 km of nondispersion-shifted fiber at 5 Gb/s.


The impact of natural disasters on the older population is unlikely to diminish in the years to come due to the increasing number of older persons in Malaysia. Recent trends with respect to management of natural disasters have highlighted the role of NGOs in all phases of disaster management namely preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Research showed a notable difference emerged between the perceptions of the older persons, and those of the respondents from aid agencies (government and NGO) dealing with emergencies. In this research paper, information on specific needs and problems faced by older persons during the 2014 flood as well as the NGOs perceptions towards them were identified. It also studied the impact of flood disaster on older persons. Their preparedness to face emergencies and the suitability of the relief programs organized by NGOs were investigated. A mix method approach was adobted in this research which include qualitative (Focus Group Discussion) and quantitative (face-to-face interview) survey. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Based on findings from the FGDs conducted, there was no Standard Operating Procedure on flood relief for the older persons adopted by the NGOs. There is a clear need for SOPs to ensure proper guidelines and procedures in meeting the special needs of the older persons in times of disasters.


Signal Transduction![Figure][1]

CREDIT: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Systems biology provides insight into the complex regulatory networks within a cell, with the hope that such analysis will yield insight into how biological control systems work and how they may be modified for therapeutic benefit. Some network models suggest that the extent of connectivity of a transcriptional regulator indicates the essentiality of that protein in that system. Bhardwaj et al. propose an alternative view. They organized transcription factors in yeast or bacteria in a pyramidal hierarchy and then used information regarding the effects of the various factors on cell fitness to determine that the importance of a transcription factor is more related to its placement in the hierarchy than to its total direct connectivity to target genes. Thus, proteins at the top of the hierarchy exerted the greatest influence over cell fitness. The relative ease of testing network perturbations in biological systems suggests that this type of analysis may also be useful in understanding similar corporate, government, or social networks, where one cannot so easily intervene.

Sci. Signal. 3 , ra79 (2010).

 [1]: pending:yes


The newly described products of 5-hydroxyeicosanoid dehydrogenase, 5-oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (ETE) and 5-oxo-15(OH)ETE, induced directional migration and actin polymerization of human monocytes in vitro. At peak concentrations, the two eicosanoids had a chemotactic activity of about 40% of that observed in the presence of an optimal concentration of FMLP and twice the activity elicited by the related eicosanoid 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE). 15-Oxo-ETE showed a very low but detectable chemotactic activity. All of these chemotactic responses were blocked by Bordetella pertussis toxin, but were resistant to LY255283, a leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor antagonist. 5-Oxo-ETEs and 5-HETE induced homologous desensitization of chemotactic response, but did not cross-desensitize to other chemotactic agonists (e.g., monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 and LTB4). 5-Oxo-ETEs increased in a synergistic fashion the monocyte migration to MCP-1 and MCP-3. In the same range of concentrations, 5-oxo-ETE increased MCP-1-induced release of arachidonic acid from labeled monocytes. No synergistic interaction was observed when FMLP was used as chemoattractant. Thus, this study identifies monocytes as cells responsive to 5-oxo-ETEs and shows that monocyte activation by 5-oxo-ETEs occurs through an LTB4 receptor-independent mechanism that associates with pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins. The synergistic interaction between 5-oxo-ETEs and C-C chemokines, two families of mediators both synthesized by phagocytic cells, may be relevant in vivo for the regulation of monocyte accumulation at sites of allergic and inflammatory reactions.


Inspired by the unexpected - serendipitous learning
According to Dr. Allen Tough, futurist, scientist, professor at the University of Toronto, about 80% of learning is informal rather than professionally planned. Serendipitous learning might be considered as a subset of informal learning. Formal learning is experienced in an authority-based, course-oriented school, but nowadays, with the incredibly amounts of information that are available through the Web, a special kind of learning makes its presence felt, assuming eminence's learning that is discovery based. Serendipitous learning precipitates exploratory or informal learning which is less formal than objectives-driven approaches, but is still influenced by personal experience, goals and interests. Serendipity is the effect of discovering something really interesting, whilst looking for entirely something else, in other words a completely unintended but fortunate discovery. But serendipitous learning is associated with the idea that "we are more likely to be receptive to serendipitous discovery if our minds have undergone some prior training or preparation. Preparation, training and knowledge do not guarantee serendipitous discovery, but they do increase the probability of discovery. This skill is sometimes referred to as intuitive sagacity, in which seemingly disparate pieces of information undergo a process of mental incubation and are brought together by an external catalyst such as a research query ". This article aims to investigate and reflect on the exploratory hunger of the online learning fostered by the greatest serendipity engine in the history of culture - the Web - pointing out ssome powerful implications of this view.


GTA (Grand Theft Auto) is a video game containing sexual and violent content classified as a mature category (18+). However in Indonesia, this video game is often played by teenegers under 18 years old. This research purposes to describe teeneger's experience on playing GTA game and the factors influencing them to play the game. The informants of this research are 6 teenegers who have been playing this game with under 18 years old obtained by using snowball sample technique. The method used in this research is qualitative with phenomenological approach. The data were collected through semi-structured interview. The result of this research shows that teenegers who play this game said that they could gain new experiences like being outside of country situation. For teenegers it was exciting because they could perform things that they could not do in the real life like kill, rob, and fight beetwen gang. The factors influencing them to play GTA game come from their playmates, parent's supervision, and also education level. Playmates are the main cause for teenegers to play GTA game. Teenagers playing GTA game without parent's supervision will tend to get negative impact. While higher level of teeneger education decreases the intensity of playing GTA game. Therefore, in order to minimize negative impact obtained by teenegers in playing GTA game, it requires the parent supervision so that the teenegers know time limit to play and the certain behavior in the game that may or may not be imitated in the real life.


Abstract The post-orogenic extensional processes that affected the inner sector of the Northern Apennine orogenic wedge (i.e. the Northern Tyrrhenian region) were accompanied by the emplacement of chiefly anatectic intrusive rocks of Late Miocene to Mid-Pleistocene age. In this paper, we compare geological and structural data from Messinian-Pliocene monzogranitic intrusions located both offshore (Monte Capanne, Porto Azzurro, Montecristo and Giglio) and onshore (Gavorrano and Botro ai Marmi) in the Northern Tyrrhenian region to constrain modes of pluton emplacement. Offshore, eastward non-coaxial extensional shear zones active both in ductile and brittle conditions accompanied the emplacement of the monzogranitic intrusions, and accommodated extension oriented E-W to WNW-ESE. Onshore, N-S dextral strike-slip faulting was active both during and after the late stage of emplacement of both Botro ai Marmi and Gavorrano plutons, and controlled their rise in coincidence with releasing bends. In our interpretation, the N-S, Late Miocene-Pliocene strike-slip faulting constitutes a secondary shear feature in a context of generalized post-orogenic extension, accommodating in the brittle upper crust the non-coaxial ductile extension in the lower crust. In this framework, N-S strike-slip faults localized the rise of early anatectic magma, generated during regional post-orogenic extension and residing at the base of the extending crust.


The commercial called "Africa" is a social marketing campaign from the Swedish national defense. The purpose of the campaign is to attract persons to make them want to go through with military or civil duty in a foreign country. The purpose with this study is to find out what the receivers decoding of this commercial. What do the respondents think that the Swedish national defense wants to achieve with "Africa" and how would the commercial look like to attract the respondents? The respondents was chosen by a so called "snowball selection", and the empirical study consist of nine persons, both women and men, that has attended in personal interviews. Social marketing is about how to affect a target group to change a certain behavior. But one concept within social marketing is that target groups rarely agree with each other when it comes to opinions or responses, and it is because of this that the target groups should be divided into different segment. The conclusion show that "Africa" succeeds to create emotions at the receiver, but the campaign is not enough to reach all the way to the goal, the action. From theories about social marketing, KTH (emotions, thought and action) and the Seven Doors model, a question manual is created that are used at the interviews to further analyze to get to interesting conclusions about this social marketing campaign.


The sizes of large DNA fragments produced from genomes of members of the Mycoplasmataceae by digestion with restriction endonucleases having infrequent (1 to 3) cleavage sites within the genome were estimated from their mobility in contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) agarose gel electrophoresis by comparison with yeast chromosomal DNA markers. The estimates of total genome size for 7 strains of 6 species ranged from approximately 900 kilo base pairs (kb) for Ureaplasma urealyticum 960T to 1330 kb for M. mycoides subsp. mycoides, GC-1176. The values derived from this new method are considerably higher than those of approximately 500 Mdaltons or 750 kb previously reported for genome sizes in members of the Mycoplasmataceae.


Block adaptation techniques are investigated by computer simulation for decision feedback equalization on a rapidly fading dispersive channel. Tradeoffs between training sequence length and block length are found. Block adaptation supplemented by linear interpolation of coefficients, is found to be an attractive alternative to more complex continuously-adapting recursive least squares adaptation algorithms.


SUMMARY We examine whether the shape of the magnitude-frequency distribution for strike-slip faults is described by the Gutenburg-Richter relationship (log n = a - bM) or by the characteristic earthquake model, by analysing a data set of faults from California, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, China and Turkey. For faults within regional seismic networks, curves of the form log n yrpl= a - bM, where n yr-' is the number of events per year equal to magnitude M, are fit to the instrumental record of seismicity, and geological data are used to estimate independently the size and recurrence rate of the largest expected earthquakes that would rupture the total length of the fault. Extrapolation of instrumentally derived curves to larger magnitudes agrees with geological estimates of the recurrence rate of the largest earthquakes for only four of the 22 faults if uncertainties in curve slope are considered, and significantly underestimates the geological recurrence rates in the remaining cases. Also, if we predict the seismicity of the faults as a function of fault length and slip rate, and the predicted seismicity is distributed in accord with the Gutenburg-Richter relationship, we find the predicted recurrence rate to be greater than the observed recurrence rates of smaller earthquakes along most faults. If individual fault zones satisfy the Gutenburg-Richter relationship over the long term, our observations imply that, during the recurrence interval of the largest expected earthquakes, the recurrence of lesser-sized events is not steady but, rather, strongly clustered in time. However, if the instrumental records provide an estimate of the long-term rate of small to moderate earthquakes along the faults, our observations imply that the faults generally exhibit a magnitude-frequency distribution consistent with the characteristic earthquake model. Also, we observe that the geometrical complexity of strike-slip faults is a decreasing function of cumulative strike-slip offset. The four faults we observe to be consistent with the GutenburgRichter relationship are among those characterized by the least amount of cumulative slip and greatest fault-trace complexity. We therefore suggest that the ratio of the recurrence rate of small to large earthquakes along a fault zone may decrease as slip accumulates and the fault becomes smoother.


This paper studies the importance of the socialization environment – nest – for the career destinations of early career researchers. In a sample of research groups in the fields of science and engineering at universities in Germany, we identify research orientation, output, funding as well as openness to industry and commercialization as relevant components. Nests that attract more public funding and are led by professors with high research performance are more likely to produce researchers who take jobs in public research, while links to industry predict jobs in the private sector. In a more nuanced analysis that differentiates between types of industry employment, we find that larger firms also recruit from groups with higher scientific performance, while small and medium-sized firms recruit from nests with a higher patent productivity. A focus on experimental development instead is associated with academic start-ups, and an applied focus with employment in consulting. Recommendations for research training are discussed.


Hi-C is a common technique for assessing three-dimensional chromatin conformation. Recent studies have shown that long-range interaction information in Hi-C data can be used to generate chromosome-length genome assemblies and identify large-scale structural variations. Here, we demonstrate the use of Hi-C data in detecting mobile transposable element (TE) insertions genome-wide. Our pipeline HiTea (Hi-C based Transposable element analyzer) capitalizes on clipped Hi-C reads and is aided by a high proportion of discordant read pairs in Hi-C data to detect insertions of three major families of active human TEs. Despite the uneven genome coverage in Hi-C data, HiTea is competitive with the existing callers based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data and can supplement the WGS-based characterization of the TE insertion landscape. We employ the pipeline to identify TE insertions from human cell-line Hi-C samples. HiTea is available at https://github.com/parklab/HiTea and as a Docker image.


The present study directly tests the relationship between children's performance in an analogy-making task involving semantic analogies and their inhibitory-control capacities tested with the Day-Night test (Gerstadt, Hong, & Diamond, 1994). Our claim is that the development of analogy making can be best studied in terms of developmental changes in executive functioning, specifically, inhibitory control (Richland et al., 2006; Thibaut et al., 2010a,b). The selection of common relational structure requires the inhibition of other salient, semantically related matches. Our results show that children with lower inhibition scores had lower scores in an analogy task of the A:B::C:D type, especially for analogies constructed with pairs of weakly semantically associated items (e.g., man-bed). The results agree with our analogymaking account. We also show that analogies with perceptual distractors were easier to solve than those with semantic distractors.


Background: In England we have an ageing population and major health concerns for Older Adults (OA). The financial burden this places on the National Health Service (NHS), alongside government public spending austerity provides a compelling case for preventative medicine. PA offers a valuable method to tackle health concerns in OA. One approach to overcome OA barriers to PA opportunities has been to utilise football clubs as a vehicle to support OA in meeting recommended guidelines for PA. This report will detail an evaluation study that investigates the impact of Golden Goal Activity Club (GGAC), a pilot programme of PA-led health improvement for OA delivered by and at Burton Albion FC. Intervention: Sessions involved the delivery of a weekly moderate-intensity PA sessions led by health coaches employed by the club. Methods: At baseline and at week 12, participants (N=23 males (42.6%) and n=31 females (57.4%) with a mean age of 69.38 (±5.87) (n=40), ranging from 55-85 years engaged the evaluation) completed self-reports for demographics, health screening/complications and EQ5D (quality of life) using the EQVAS. Registers recorded attendance at 12 weekly sessions by the health coaches. Results: The mean attendance was 7.73 (±3.12) sessions for all (n=51). Participants with a number of health complications (two or more) (n=22, 42.3%) attended fewer sessions on average (6.91 ±3.322) compared to those reporting less than two health complications (8.65 ±2.694). EQVAS results highlighted self-rated health was much higher for women (87.32 ±9.573) compared to men (80.16 ±18.557). There was an increase in self-rated health scores by men between post-intervention compared to pre-intervention (81.16 ±17.270), while women reported a marginal decline (86.79 ±8.946). Conclusion: Burton Albion FC can recruit and engage both male and female OA. Whilst the participants appear predominantly healthy, GGAC was able to maintain engagement of those who reported a number of health issues throughout the duration of the intervention. Adopting flexible and varied, participant led PA opportunities worked for participants, notably those with two or more health complications. The key design characteristics of GGAC should be considered by other agencies delivering health improvement work with OA. The partnership with independent Public Health and Academic departments to inform delivery and evaluation of the intervention was both valuable to inform current and future delivery and is recommended. Whilst this pilot offered a unique insight in work of this ilk, further research and evaluation is needed to explore the potential of professional football clubs in engaging inactive OA into health-improvement programmes. Key words: Health, Older Adults, Football Clubs, Community


Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the anti-cancer effects of different fractions of Astragalus membranaceus (AM) in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Methods We isolated hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol fractions from crude ethanol extract of AM. The cell death was examined by MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion assay. Apoptosis was detected by DAPI staining, annexin V-PI double staining and cell cycle analysis. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was examined by western blot. Results Among various fractions of AM, the ethyl acetate fraction of AM (EAM) showed the strongest cytotoxic effect in NSCLC cells. EAM reduced the cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner in NSCLC cells. In addition, EAM induced the chromatin condensation, and increased the population of sub-G1 phase and annexin V-positive cells in a time-dependent manner, indicating that EAM induced apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Consistently, EAM enhanced the expression of cleaved caspase-8 and -9, and induced the accumulation of cleaved- poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Among MAPK proteins, only ERK was dephosphorylated by EAM, suggesting that ERK might be related with EAM-induced apoptosis. Conclusion Our results clearly demonstrate that EAM exhibited anti-cancer effects in NSCLC cells by induction of apoptosis. We provide a valuable evidence which suggests that AM could be a desirable therapeutic option for treatment of NSCLC.


1. The role of cyclic AMP in mediating the action of 5-HT on salivary glands has been studied by measuring transepithelial potentials. 2. The lumen of unstimulated glands is 4 mV positive but becomes 12 mV negative after treatment with 5-HT (10 -8 M). Both the potential and the secretory responses to 5-HT are dose-dependent over the same concentration range. 3. The electrical response of salivary glands to cyclic AMP is qualitatively different to that of 5-HT; instead of going negative the potential goes more positive. 4. An increase in positive potential is also observed after treatment with theophylline (10 -2 M), or when glands are stimulated with 5-HT in a chloride-free saline. 5. These results are consistent with the idea that 5-HT has two actions. One is to stimulate the enzyme adenyl cyclase to synthesize cyclic AMP, which, in turn, stimulates cation transport. The other is to increase anion transport by a mechanism which is independent of cyclic AMP.


Results: 8827 chromosomal analyses on 2762 miscarriage, 3661 prenatal, and 2404 postnatal samples were obtained. The majority (91.1%) were performed with whole genome SNP microarrays. The overall frequency of major chromosome abnormalities in the entire cohort was 28.5% (2512/8827). The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities declined significantly with advancing developmental stage, with the highest abnormality rate observed in miscarriages (47.3%) and the lowest rate in livebirths (14.4%)(chi2trend = 581.8, p < 0.0001). After excluding failed results/missing data and whole chromosome abnormalities detectable by conventional karyotype, the frequencies of pathogenic CNVs detected via microarray for the miscarriage, prenatal and postnatal cohorts were 3.0% (76/2518), 2.7% (83/3098) and 6.8% (152/2179) respectively. The prevalence of 22q11 deletion syndrome was 1 in 4300 births; more than 1 in 3 were diagnosed during pregnancy. Conclusions: Our study marks a complete transition in genomic testing from the G-banded karyotype era, with SNP microarray now established as the first line investigation for pregnancy losses, fetal diagnosis, and newborn/infant assessment in a high-income setting. With advancing development, overall diagnostic yield of chomosome analysis declines, but pathogenic CNVs comprise a greater proportion of results. Integration of prenatal and postnatal datasets provides important opportunities for accurate prevalence estimates of congenital syndromes such as 22q11 deletion syndrome.


The author starts with the observation that virtually every family of significant wealth lives within a family governance system, yet few know that this is the case and even fewer know how to ensure that they are in charge of the system and that it operates for their benefit. This article aims to assist families in understanding the systems that they are creating and learning how to manage them for the well-being of their family members. Drawing from the developing theory and practice of family governance, it provides a new framework (the "family governance pyramid"), an overview of the stages of development ("chaos" through cohesion), and practical steps to create and manage a family governance system that will work across generations.


Purpose This study aims to forecast findings showing the difficulty of operation in cholecystectomy through pre-operative examinations and reduce morbidity and mortality with the predictive data obtained. Materials and Methods In the preoperative period, the followings were measured in patients who will undergo cholecystectomy: C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), WBC, Neutrophil ratio (NR), erythrocyte distribution range (RDW), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB). Following the preoperative ultrasound (USG), the patients were recorded in two groups as patients with "normal" and "increased" gallbladder wall thickness. Also, the patients were asked if they underwent ERCP and whether they received antibiotic treatment in the last 10 days due to their disease in the preoperative period. The appearance of the peroperative gallbladder was recorded in two groups as "has a normal appearance" or "edematous and/or adherent to peripheral tissues". Whether or not there is a correlation between the preoperative findings and peroperative appearance was evaluated. The recordings and analyzes were made using SPSS statistics program. Correlation between the data were analyzed by Chi-square test. p<0.05 was considered significant. Results The study achieved statistically significant results for the correlation between the "gallbladder edema and/or adhesion to peripheral tissues" in the peroperative period and the following five parameters: increased WBC, increased NR, increased gallbladder wall thickness at USG, compulsory ERCP and receipt of antibiotic treatment for the disease in the last 10 days.(p<0,05). Conclusion Taking into consideration the presence, in the preoperative period, of some or all of the five criteria-namely, increased WBC, increased NR, increased gallbladder wall thickness at USG, receiving antibiotic treatment for the disease in the last 10 days and undergoing ERCP-in patients with cholelithiasis for whom cholecystectomy is envisaged would make it easier to estimate the degree of difficulty of the surgery and the possibility of encountering difficult and complicated cases.


Lithology describes the geochemical, mineralogical, and physical properties of rocks. It plays a key role in many processes at the Earth surface, especially the fluxes of matter to soils, ecosystems, rivers, and oceans. Understanding these processes at the global scale requires a high resolution description of lithology. A new high resolution global lithological map (GLiM) was assembled from existing regional geological maps translated into lithological information with the help of regional literature. The GLiM represents the rock types of the Earth surface with 1,235,400 polygons. The lithological classification consists of three levels. The first level contains 16 lithological classes comparable to previously applied definitions in global lithological maps. The additional two levels contain 12 and 14 subclasses, respectively, which describe more specific rock attributes. According to the GLiM, the Earth is covered by 64% sediments (a third of which are carbonates), 13% metamorphics, 7% plutonics, and 6% volcanics, and 10% are covered by water or ice. The high resolution of the GLiM allows observation of regional lithological distributions which often vary from the global average. The GLiM enables regional analysis of Earth surface processes at global scales. A gridded version of the GLiM is available at the PANGEA Database (http://dx.doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.788537).


The method of programmed constraints has recently been proposed as an executable specification language for robot programming. The mathematical structures behind such problems are viability problems for control systems described by ordinary differential equations (ODE) subject to user-defined inequality constraints. This paper describes a method for the numerical solution of such problems, improving and extending some of our previous results. The algorithm presented is composed of three parts: delay-free discretization, local control, and local planning. Delay-free discretizations are consistent discretizations of control systems described by ODEs with discontinuous inputs. The local control is based on the minimization of an artificial, logarithmic barrier potential function. Local planning is a computationally inexpensive way to increase the robustness of the solution procedure, making it a refinement to a strategy based on viability alone. Simulations of a mobile robot are used to demonstrate the proposed strategy. Some complementarity is shown between the programmed-constraints approach to robot programming and optimal control. Moreover, we demonstrate the relative efficiency of our algorithm compared to optimal control: Typically, our method is able to find a solution on the order of 100 times faster than an optimal-control solver.


Coupled shear walls are efficient in resisting lateral forces induced by winds and earthquakes. However, it is difficult to construct coupled shear walls particularly because current design codes require complex reinforcing details within coupling beams. The objective of this study was to develop simple reinforcement details for diagonally reinforced coupling beams; reducing transverse steel by use of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) and bundling diagonal bars are explored. Four coupling beam specimens with length-to-depth aspect ratios of 2.0 or 3.5 were fabricated and tested under cyclic lateral displacements. The test results revealed that HPFRCC coupling beams with bundled diagonal bars and widely spaced transverse reinforcement (one-half the amount of reinforcement required by current seismic codes) exhibited excellent seismic performance compared with ordinary concrete coupling beams having code-required distributed diagonal reinforcement and transverse reinforcement.


Spectroscopic studies of the upper atmospheres of the giant planets using infrared wavelengths sensitive to the H3+ molecular ion show that this species plays a critical role in determining the physical conditions there. For Jupiter, we propose that the recently detected H3+ electrojet holds the key to the mechanism by which the equatorial plasma sheet is kept in (partial) co–rotation with the planet, and that this mechanism also provides a previously unconsidered source of energy that helps explain why the jovian thermosphere is considerably hotter than expected. For Saturn, we show that the H3+ auroral emission is ca. 1% of that of Jupiter because of the lower ionospheric/thermospheric temperature and the lower flux of ionizing particles precipitated there; it is probably unnecessary to invoke additional chemistry in the auroral/polar regions. For Uranus, we report further evidence that its emission intensity is controlled by the cycle of solar activity. And we propose that H3+ emission may just be detectable using current technology from some of the giant extra–solar planets that have been detected orbiting nearby stars, such as Tau Bootes.


Classroom actions rely, among other things, on teaching habits and traditions. Previous research has clarified three different teaching traditions in science education: the academic tradition builds on the idea that simply the products and methods of science are worth teaching; the applied tradition focuses on students' ability to use scientific knowledge and skills in their everyday life; and the moral tradition opens up a relationship between science and society, focusing on students' decision making concerning socio scientific issues. The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss similarities and differences between the science curricula in Sweden, France and Western Switzerland in terms of teaching traditions. The study considers the following dimensions in the analysis: (1) the goals of science education as presented in the initial recommendations of the curricula; (2) the organization and division of the core contents; and (3) the learning outcomes expected from the students in terms of concepts, skills and/or scientific literacy requirements. Although the three traditions are taken into account within the various initial recommendations, the place they occupy in the content to be taught is different in each case. In the Swedish curriculum, our analyses show that the three traditions are embedded in the initial recommendations and in the expected outcomes. On the other hand, in the Western-Swiss and French curricula, the three traditions are embedded in the initial recommendations but only academic tradition can be found in the expected outcomes. Therefore, the Swedish curriculum seems to be more consistent regarding teaching traditions. This may have some consequences on teaching and learning practices, which will be discussed in the article. Moreover, our analyses enable us to put forward definitions of teaching tradition.


This document presents the results of nearly six years (2002-2008) of historical research and field studies concerned with evaluating potential environmental liabilities associated with U.S. Atomic Energy Commission projects from the Plowshare and Vela Uniform Programs. The Plowshare Program's primary purpose was to develop peaceful uses for nuclear explosives. The Vela Uniform Program focused on improving the capability of detecting, monitoring and identifying underground nuclear detonations. As a result of the Project Chariot site restoration efforts in the early 1990s, there were concerns that there might be other project locations with potential environmental liabilities. The Desert Research Institute conducted archival research to identify projects, an analysis of project field activities, and completed field studies at locations where substantial fieldwork had been undertaken for the projects. Although the Plowshare and Vela Uniform nuclear projects are well known, the projects that are included in this research are relatively unknown. They are proposed nuclear projects that were not executed, proposed and executed high explosive experiments, and proposed and executed high explosive construction activities off the Nevada Test Site. The research identified 170 Plowshare and Vela Uniform off-site projects and many of these had little or no field activity associated with them. However, theremore » were 27 projects that merited further investigation and field studies were conducted at 15 locations.« less


The use of administrative segregation in prison is a controversial correctional policy. Proponents argue this type of housing is necessary for maintaining institutional safety and order, whereas critics contend it is damaging to inmate mental health. Despite the increase in academic attention over the last decade, there is much that remains unknown about the uses and effects of this practice. This study addresses this gap in knowledge by content-analyzing the administrative segregation policies of 48 state and federal prison systems. The results provide evidence of consistency and discrepancy across key elements of these policies, including placement criteria and review procedures. Findings further highlight how basic information regarding mental health provisions and conditions of confinement are missing from a substantial number of policies. This investigation emphasizes a need for more governmental accountability and transparency in the use of this correctional policy and identifies several areas for future research.


It is shown that large and well faceted hexagonal crystallites can grow on Si and Ti substrates under higher nitrogen gas flow in the gaseous mixture of CH4 and H2 in the normal process of diamond deposition using microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (MP-CVD). Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDX), wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (WDX) and Raman analysis revealed that these crystals are silicon carbonitride rather than carbonitride as we expected and usually regarded. This indicates that the hypothetical covalent carbonitride is not as easily formed as the crystallite with Si substitution. Comparing films deposited on Ti alloy substrates, with and without Si chips present during the deposition, we found that the Si chips activated by the plasma sputtering provides Si sources for crystallite SiCN formation on Ti substrate. The hexagonal SiCN structure and its lower hardness are attributed to the C3v-symmetric quasi-tetrahedral nitride with a nonbonding lone pair. The involvement of the less electronegative Si specimen may make the SiCN form easier than the covalent carbonitride.


A practical multigram metal free synthesis of isoxazole-containing building blocks from commercially available amino acids was elaborated. The key reaction was a regioselective [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of in situ generated nitrile oxides with alkynes/enamines. The obtained building blocks were used in the preparation of bioactive compounds and peptidomimetics.


The goal of this paper is to provide some feedback on a VoIP project in the German research network. During the last couple of years we build up and managed an unusual large testbed for VoIP applications in Germany. Several universities, research institutes, and companies tied together to allow a common usage to different local VoIP installations. The primary goal of the tests was to identify problems emerging in such large installations. We evaluated the quality of service requirements of VoIP transmissions as well as to examine the interoperability of different VoIP components. Additionally, as a very main part of the investigations, the call routing possibilities were tested including redundancy options. This resulted in a reconfiguration of the whole VoIP network several times. A short discussion on current security questions around the voice over IP employment is rounding up the paper.


Workflow management technology has become a key means to improve enterprise productivity. More and more workflow systems are crossing organizational boundaries and may involve multiple interacting organizations. This article focuses on a type of loosely coupled workflow architecture with collaborative tasks, i.e., each business partner owns its private business process and is able to operate independently, and all involved organizations need to be synchronized at a certain point to complete certain public tasks. Because of each organization's privacy consideration, they are unwilling to share the business details with others. In this way, traditional correctness verification approaches via reachability analysis are not practical as a global business process model is unavailable for privacy preservation. To ensure its globally correct execution, this work establishes a correctness verification approach for the cross-organizational workflow with task synchronization patterns. Its core idea is to use local correctness of each suborganizational workflow process to guarantee its global correctness. We prove that the proposed approach can be used to investigate the behavioral property preservation when synthesizing suborganizational workflows via collaborative tasks. A medical diagnosis running case is used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approaches. Note to Practitioners—Cross-organizational workflow verification techniques play an increasingly important role in ensuring the correct execution of collaborative enterprise businesses. This work addresses the issue of correctness verification for loosely coupled interactive workflows with collaborative tasks. To ensure the globally correct execution, a behavioral correctness verification approach is established. All proposed concepts and techniques are supported by open-source tools, and evaluation over a medical diagnosis process case has shown their applicability. The proposed methodology is readily applicable to industrial-size workflow correctness verification problems.


An alternate thermal physical treatment was developed to destroy tumor tissue using liquid nitrogen cooling and RF heating treatment in our pervious study. Our pervious reports had shown that anti-tumor immunity was induced by the alternate treatment.Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a subset of heterogeneous, bone marrow derived hematopoietic cells that accumulate in the spleen, bone marrow, blood and tumor sites of tumor-bearing mice and cancer patients. MDSCs are one of the key suppressor cells that regulate anti-tumor immune responses in tumor-bearing hosts. MDSCs have been shown to inhibit the function of various types of cells mediating anti-tumor immunity, such as T cells, B cells, NK cells and dendritic cells. MDSCs are recruited specifically to the tumors and contribute indirectly to angiogenesis, growth and metastasis. MDSCs also exert resistance to cancer therapies, such as anti-VEGF strategies and cancer immunotherapy. Given the role of MDSCs in tumor invasion and metastasis and anti-tumor immune responses, therapeutics targeting MDSCs might offer a new strategy for cancer treatment.In this study, the therapeutic effect and MDSCs changes after the alternate cooling and heating treatment was studied using the 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma, a common animal model of human metastatic breast cancer. Due to its highly invasive and poorly immunogenic characters, the 4T1 tumor could cause death even after the primary tumor was surgically removed. The treatment was carried out when micro-metastases were well established. Comparisons were made with the results from the surgery and hyperthermia groups, respectively. The results showed that MDSCs in blood increased rapidly with time after tumor inoculation, and in 66 days, all the mice died in the control group. The statistical results indicated a significant increase in circulating MDSC numbers at different tumor growth stages. In the surgical resection group, MDSCs in blood did not decrease, but increased rapidly to a level much higher that of the control group in 39 day after tumor inoculation. In the hyperthermia group, MDSCs in blood increased rapidly with time after tumor inoculation, and in 39 day, MDSCs was up to 3 times higher than that of the control group. Mice died in 45 day after initial tumor inoculation. But in the alternate treatment group, the number of MDSCs decreased rapidly and recovered to the normal healthy level in 11 days after the treatment. No metastatic tumor could be observed in these mice, and they were in good physiological conditions as observed in the following 3 month.In conclusion, the alternate treatment was found extremely effective against MDSCs in the very aggressive and highly metastatic mouse mammary carcinoma. The good prognosis was expected in relation to the significant decrease in MDSCs and thus the relief of the immune suppression, induced by the alternate cooling and heating treatment. It could be further developed as a novel therapeutic method against metastatic tumor. On the other hand, combining the alternate treatment with other strategies, such as anti-VEGF and cancer immunotherapy, the best therapeutic effect would be achieved through synergy.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


This study of how people respond to the presence of an old building facade in new construction used Amos Rapoport's theory of place meaning to address the Important issues of what meaning people find in architecture, what elements of architecture help them to find meaning and how architects can use this knowledge. Seventy-three people who were encountered in a public square across from a new mega-structure were asked to do a multiple sort task with 6 photos that included the old facade, other elevations of the new building and other old buildings around the square using criteria of their own choice. Respondents chose to organize their comments about the elevations on the basis of windows, age and roof lines and on whether they liked them and how well they fit into the place. The old facade was the most positively regarded of the six elevations and was linked to the older building technology and styles of the district. The ways the old facade differed from the other elevations of the new building were noticed giving support to Rapoport's conclusion that people respond to the associations a place has with their own experience but they have to notice differences in what they see before they can make the association. The idea that place meaning would be effectively communicated by an obvious link to the community's past was not supported. Evidence of care being taken with the design of a building having an inviting public nature appears to be more important than explicit links to the past.


A two-step fermentation procedure for maize straw hydrolysis by Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trichoderma and Aspergillus nigerwere investigated in this study. 2 mL of P. chrysosporium (107spores/mL) wasadded to 50 mL medium for the first fermentation stage. The optimal culture conditions were 28°C of culture temperature, 4.0 of pH, 8 days of culture time, 2 mL of Trichoderma suspensions (107spores/mL) and 1 mL of A. niger suspensions (107spores/mL) of the inoculums size on the second fermentation stage. Under the optimal conditions, the crude degradation rate achieved 48.2%. Via sulfonation, oxidate-lignosulfonate alkali lignin (OLAL) was achieved from maize straw hydrolysate(MSH).OLAL and MSH can be partial substitution for common water reducers and OLAL was more efficient compared to that of MSH.


In this article we explore the widely held assumption that aestheticized consumption is bound to escalate. In our study of 20 years of representations of bathrooms in Norway's most popular interior design magazine Bonytt , we found support for the hypothesis that since the early 1990s new uses of bathrooms as sites for the construction and expression of identity and social aspirations have become more salient. We also have reason to believe that these new uses may be related to increased energy and water consumption. However, we also encountered aspects that indicate a more contingent and paradoxical relation. First, Bonytt calls explicitly for reflexive consumerism, enabling readers to deliberate the degree of aestheticization of their bathrooms. Second, while mostly showing large bathrooms, ' aesthetic fixes ' are proposed by Bonytt , which let small bathrooms appear larger - without increased energy consumption for space heating. Third, aesthetics is used to propagate new, energy saving technologies (e.g. LEDs). And fourth, water and energy wasting practices shown in newer Bonytt issues (e.g. large shower heads) have largely replaced wasteful practices present in older issues (e.g. whirlpools). Thus, at least in these cases the shifts in fashions promoted by Bonytt may only be surface phenomena, which leave more fundamental trends untouched. These four observations are examples of how a productive relation between design and sustainability can be achieved. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


In agile software development, functionality is added to the system in an incremental and iterative manner. Practitioners often rely on expert judgment to estimate the effort in this context. However, the impact of a change on the existing system can provide objective information to practitioners to arrive at an informed estimate. In this regard, we have developed a hybrid method, that utilizes change impact analysis information for improving effort estimation. We also developed an estimation model based on gradient boosted trees (GBT). In this study, we evaluate the performance and usefulness of our hybrid method with tool support and the GBT model in a live iteration at Insiders Technologies GmbH, a German software company. Additionally, the solution was also assessed for perceived usefulness and understandability in a study with graduate and post‐graduate students. The results from the industrial evaluation show that the proposed method produces more accurate estimates than only expert‐based or only model‐based estimates. Furthermore, both students and practitioners perceived the usefulness and understandability of the method positively.


Persistent chemical pesticides can provide an effective means of control against locusts and grasshoppers due to prolonged activity of the spray residue. However, use of these pesticides is now prohibited, and non-persistent chemical alternatives are substantially less successful. Here we show why it is expected that biological pesticides based on the fungal pathogen Metarhizium flavoviride will be highly effective in the control of both locust and grasshopper. We demonstrate, using novel population dynamic models containing measured estimates of horizontal transmission coefficients, that secondary cycling of the pathogen after a single spray application provides a biological substitute for chemical persistence. This has significant consequences for the economics of biopesticide use in pest control. Furthermore, by identifying that secondary cycling acts in a density-dependent manner, this study also highlights fundamental differences between conventional pesticides and biopesticides and how they might be used.


Recent discussions of school choice have revived arguments that the decentralization of governing institutions can enhance the quality of public services by increasing the participation of intended beneficiaries in the production of those services. We use data from the Schools and Staffing Survey to examine the extent to which the decentralization of authority to charter schools induces parents to become more involved in their children's schools. We find that parents are indeed more involved in charter schools than in observationally similar public schools, especially in urban elementary and middle schools. Although we find that this difference is partly attributable to measurable institutional and organizational factors, we also find that charter schools tend to be established in areas with above-average proportions of involved parents, and we find suggestive evidence that, within those areas, it is the more involved parents who tend to select into charter schools. Thus, while the institutional characteristics of charter schools do appear to induce parents to become more involved in their children's schools, such characteristics are only part of the explanation for the greater parental involvement in charter schools than in traditional public schools.


Fluid loss during subterranean drilling often occurs through fractures that develop or preexist around the wellbore. Particulate additives, known as lost circulation material (LCM), are commonly added to the drilling fluid to mitigate lost circulation. The LCM forms an impermeable agglomerate within the fractures while preventing further tensile failure of the wellbore wall. The outcome is enhancement in the wellbore breakdown limit.
 A semi-analytical elastic solution is developed to estimate the width of near-wellbore fractures that partially close on the LCM agglomerate. The solution uses stress-strain data from confined compression testing on LCMs. The compression test results are modeled through a modified form of Kawakita's (1971) powder compaction equation. The developed constitutive model is embedded within the described semi-analytical solution for the wellbore fractures. The solution adopts an incremental loading approach to treat the nonlinearities arising from the characterized LCM constitutive behavior, as well as large deformation of the LCM agglomerate within the partially closed fractures. At each incremental load, the nonlocal stress equilibrium along the fracture length is described via an integral equation. Successive solutions to these integral equations determine the unknown fracture width of partially closed fractures. A competition between the fractures tendency for propagation and the wellbore wall tendency for secondary tensile failure determines the overall stability of the fractured wellbore. Mechanical behavior of the LCM agglomerate under compression is identified as a key parameter that controls both mechanisms, thereby, the gain in breakdown limit of a fractured and LCM-treated wellbore.


Newly acquired 3D seismic datasets over the Eastern Mediterranean Basin are used to image the massive Messinian salt body. Accurate imaging of this salt body is critical to the precise definition of the prospective pre-salt geological section. The availability of recent well logs, which are the only ones to date to have penetrated the entire Messinian salt sequence, enables a clear definition of the highly deformed clastic units within the salt. This study shows that these highly reflective clay units cause a significant reduction in the overall seismic velocity of the salt. It also demonstrates why 3D pre-stack depth migration, including a tomographical velocity update inside the salt body, is recommended as the preferred imaging technique.


Foreword Acknowledgements Glossary of terms and context of analysis Glossary of terms Context of the analysis Introduction References CHAPTER 1: The need for a midwifery ethic of practice The metaphor Looking for the pool of ethics: a personal journey Ways of seeing: ways of acting The social construction of our world The nature of 'practice' References CHAPTER 2: On the sealed highway - mainstream ethics, medicalisation and midwifery The nature of midwifery practice The influence of moral philosophy, and nursing ethics Moral philosophy and mainstream ethical frameworks available to midwives Why midwives would be turning to mainstream ethical frameworks Summary References CHAPTER 3: The false trail - a critique of bioethics and the problem-solving approach for midwifery ethics Bioethics - its development and critics (the pool of ethics) Casuistry and context Quandary or dilemma-based ethics Contextualism A critique of the normative, dilemmic/problem-solving approach of bioethics for midwifery When the situation is stripped of context When the subject is depersonalised The abstract nature of principles What is ethically 'good'? Prior ethical practice , character, virtues and relationships Summary References CHAPTER 4: Midwifery's detour through nursing ethics - a critique of professional codes and influences that shape the midwifery ethics discourse Traditions of a professional practice, institutionalisation, and application of a code a critique of ethical codes Perceived strengths of codes Perceived weaknesses of codes How ethical discourse in midwifery is shaped Educational curricula and their ethical orientation The workplace setting and institutional influence Text books, journals and conference presentations: their ethical orientation CHAPTER 5: Off the beaten track - feminist virtue ethics and midwifery Values and assumptions of feminist theory - epistemology and ontology A feminist approach to ethics in midwifery Virtue Ethics - context, character and relationship Narratives, identity and traditions The public and private Privilege Difference Normal/Abnormal - The impact of linguistics Metaphors in childbirth reveal practice orientation Summary References CHAPTER 6: A conducted tour or independent travel? examining underlying assumptions and values Owners of the original knowledge Profiles of those women telling their experiences The informant-researcher relationship Constructing consensual meanings Mothers' and midwives' shared values Power in relationships Power 'over' - exploitative, manipulative Power 'for' - nutritive Power 'with' - integrative Summary References CHAPTER 7: Facing obstacles along the way - mothers' and midwives' narratives of unethical childbirth practices Institutional dominance Paternalism Lack of self-determination Fear, Safety, Mortality-Morbidity (negativity of attitude) Unsupportive of the woman Procedure-oriented approach 'system workers' Values conflict Workplace/service provider versus personal/professional midwifery ethics Not valuing individuals Emotions/feelings Summary References CHAPTER 8: Going to a comfortable place - the ethical voice of mothers and midwives 'Being with' woman Values-Virtues Supporting the woman Knowing the woman Woman's comfort: security, 'safe' for the woman Ways of seeing Metaphors used by mothers and midwives Personal transformation Summary References CHAPTER 9: Checking our course - values and philosophical foundations of the midwifery profession The philosophy and theory behind midwifery practice Ways of knowing: midwifery's epistemology Ethical theories and principles 'incorporated' Ways of seeing and construction: orientation Practitioner definitions of midwifery practice Practitioner identified philosophy of midwifery practice: values and beliefs Summary References CHAPTER 10: Plotting our practice - values and philosophical foundations of the birthing environment The power of language Birth language A concept analysis of normal labour Practice decisions and conflict between work place and personal/professional ethics The midwifery relationship Summary References CHAPTER 11: The discourse of other travellers - literature on women's experiences The birth: women's experiences The midwife's approach: women's experiences Summary References CHAPTER 12: Mapping a new ethic for midwives - from 'practice estate' to the pool and back, now a return journey travelled in tandem The ethic of engagement - a midwifery ethic The nature of engagement in ethical responses and relationships The centrality of concepts which emerged from real life experience and literature, in an ethic of midwifery Implications for practice and recommendations References Conclusion


Background: There are some defects in classification of scorpions. This review is focusing on the diagnostic clue for classification and statement of defects. Materials and Methods: Classification of scorpions has been varied during 5 years ago, repeatedly. By searching the internet, Journals' data bank and specific references, we reviewed 37 articles to design a diagnostic clue for classification. Conclusion: This diagnostic clue can be used to classify scorpions' species.


Forty-seven patients with acne, unresponsive to tetracycline and erythromycin, were treated with 100 mg minocycline daily. About one-quarter showed a 50% improvement or better. Five patients became dizzy during the first week of therapy, making it necessary to stop the medication in four instances. Two patients stopped treatment after several months because of esophagitis in one and headaches in another. Vestibular side effects are the most common complication of treatment. Patients should be warned about this side effect and if it occurs should avoid driving or handling machines. In some instances, dizziness may be so severe that the drug will have to be discontinued.


Sun photometer measurements taken in urban Jiaozuo in central China from July 2016 to February 2018 were used to investigate the aerosol optical and microphysical properties, including the climatological variation in properties, the types of aerosols and the properties during haze and dust events. The mean annual aerosol optical depth at 440 nm (AOD440 nm) and the Angstrom exponent (AE440-870 nm) were 0.84 ± 0.55 and 1.12 ± 0.17, respectively. The highest AOD occurred in summer, which may be associated with the hygroscopic growth of aerosols during enhanced relative humidity. Accordingly, a high volume of fine-mode particles was observed during this season. In addition, carbonaceous aerosols from biomass burning increased the volume of fine particles in June and September, but coarse-mode particles (mainly dust) dominated during spring, especially in May, with a maximum volume of 0.16 µm3 µm–2. At 440 nm, the mean seasonal single scattering albedo (SSA440 nm) was lower in spring (0.87 ± 0.05) and higher in summer (0.95 ± 0.04), whereas the absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD440 nm) displayed the opposite pattern, being higher in spring (0.079 ± 0.019) and lower in summer (0.045 ± 0.021). The increased absorptivity in spring and the strong scattering ability in summer of aerosols in this area may be related to particles originating from different sources. Using the method of classification based on the fine-mode fraction (FMF), SSA and AE, absorbing aerosols, both fine and mixed, were identified as the predominant type of particulate matter. The site was influenced not only by anthropogenic aerosols from local emissions and the surrounding regions but also by dust from northwestern China. The mean AOD and AE were 1.66 and 1.38 on hazy days, while a slightly low AOD of 0.95 and an extremely low AE of 0.18 were exhibited on dusty days. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of aerosol properties in this area, and the results will help to optimize the satellite aerosol inversion algorithm and promote regional climate change research.