Molecular dynamic simulations have been performed to explore contact behavior, microstructure evolution and sintering mechanism of Al-Ni dissimilar nanoparticles under high-velocity impact. We confirmed that the simulated contact stress, contact radius, and contact force under low-velocity impact are in good agreement with the predicted results of the Hertz model. However, with increasing the impact velocity, the simulated results gradually deviate from the predicted results of the Hertz model due to the elastic-plastic transition and atomic discrete structure. The normalized contact radius versus strain exhibits a weak dependence on nanosphere diameter. Below a critical velocity, there are very few HCP atoms in the nanospheres after thermal equilibrium. There are two different sintering mechanisms: under low-velocity impact, the sintering process relies mainly on the dislocation slip of Al nanospheres, while the dislocation slip of Ni nanospheres and the atomic diffusion of Al nanospheres predominate under high-velocity impact.


This thesis focuses on the political economy of development, in particular on the causes and consequences of political selection of leaders. It analyses how different electoral systems can determine the type of politician that runs in elections, and the effects of electing different politician types.
The first paper studies the consequences of electoral victory of newcomer political parties in a context of newly-introduced local elections and weak institutions. Using a regression discontinuity approach, we find that narrow electoral victories of previously excluded left-wing parties to local executive office in Colombia result in an almost one-standard-deviation increase in violent attacks by right-wing paramilitaries against municipalities that elected-left wing parties. Violence can surge as a de facto reaction of traditional political and economic elites when there is a victory of radically different groups and in the absence of monopoly on violence. This paper shows that the introduction of elections does not necessarily lead to less violence, but can lead to more violence when the electoral winner are newcomers with radically different ideas.
The second paper focuses on the consequences of electing a politician funded by donors, and how such politicians may benefit his/her donors disproportionately. Using a novel dataset that uniquely identifies campaign donors and recipients of public contracts during a mayor's incumbency period in Colombia, I find that barely electing a politician who received donations more than doubles the probability of donors receiving contracts from a mean of 5.9% to 15.5%. Moreover, electing a donor funded politician does not lead to lower local government deficit, nor increasing investment, but it does increase the probability of having a disciplinary sanctions against them, and investigations related to public procurement. I then study the role that campaign contribution limits can play in undermining the role of money in politics. Results indicate that campaign limits lead to less participation of donor funding in campaigns, and as a result reduces the number of contracts that the mayor will reward to donors. This paper shows evidence of the consequences of electing a donor funded politician, and how campaign limits can reduce the influence of campaign contributions.
The third paper studies how open or closed lists in proportional representation systems can affect electoral performance and political selection. In open lists, a candidate's internal party ranking is determined by voter preferences, in contrast to closed lists, in which ranking is predetermined by party preferences. Colombia provides a unique electoral system where parties can field open or closed lists in municipal elections, producing a mixed-list type of electoral system. Using qualitative interviews and constructing a new dataset on politician characteristics and campaign investment, we find that open lists (vs closed lists) produce better electoral returns to the party, induce higher campaign efforts by candidates, and select higher-quality candidates–that are less likely to have registered illegally to vote, and have more political experience. This paper shows that voter discretion – trough open lists – can have a dramatic effect on party performance and on the type of politicians ranked in elections.


This study assesses climate change impacts on water balance components of the regional unconfined aquifer systems in south-western Australia, an area that has experienced a marked decline in rainfall since the mid 1970s and is expected to experience further decline due to global warming. Compared with the historical period of 1975 to 2007, reductions in the mean annual rainfall of between 15 and 18 percent are expected under a dry variant of the 2030 climate which will reduce recharge rates by between 33 and 49 percent relative to that under the historical period climate. Relative to the historical climate, reductions of up to 50 percent in groundwater discharge to the ocean and drainage systems are also expected. Sea-water intrusion is likely in the Peel-Harvey Area under the dry future climate and net leakage to confined systems is projected to decrease by up to 35 percent which will cause reduction in pressures in confined systems under current abstraction. The percentage of net annual recharge consumed by groundwater storage, and ocean and drainage discharges is expected to decrease and percentage of net annual recharge consumed by pumping and net leakage to confined systems to increase under median and dry future climates. Climate change is likely to significantly impact various water balance components of the regional unconfined aquifer systems of south-western Australia. We assess the quantitative climate change impact on the different components (the amounts) using the most widely used GCMs in combination with dynamically linked recharge and physically distributed groundwater models.


The wave-modes in isotropic elastic media are easy to get separated by using Helmholtz decomposition. This method, however, fails in TI (transverse isotropic) media due to the anisotropy, and more sophisticated operators are required. Most of these existing operators are implemented and limited in FD (finite-difference) stencil. We propose a Poynting-vector based method, which separates wave-modes pointwisely, independent of the modeling stencils. In TI media, the Poynting-vector indicates the group-velocity direction while the wave-modes get separated in the polarization-vector direction. We write the relationship between these two directions into a small numerical table by ex-ploiting the phase-velocity direction as a bridge prior to wavefield propagation. During the modeling process, it is easy to estimate the group-velocity direction from the Poynting vector, and then we can get the polarization-vector direction to separate wave-modes by checking the numerical table. We test our method on several TI models. We furthermore apply our method to elastic reverse-time migration (RTM) in TI media.


Background: There is an urgent need to develop more effective and safer antipsychotics beyond dopamine 2 receptor antagonists. An emerging and promising approach is TAAR1 agonism. Therefore, we will conduct a living systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize and triangulate the evidence from preclinical animal experiments and clinical studies on the efficacy, safety, and underlying mechanism of action of TAAR1 agonism for psychosis. Methods: Independent searches will be conducted in multiple electronic databases to identify clinical and animal experimental studies comparing TAAR1 agonists with licensed antipsychotics or other control conditions in individuals with psychosis or animal models for psychosis, respectively. The primary outcomes will be overall psychotic symptoms and their behavioural proxies in animals. Secondary outcomes will include side effects and neurobiological measures. Two independent reviewers will conduct study selection, data extraction using predefined forms, and risk of bias assessment using suitable tools based on the study design. Ontologies will be developed to facilitate study identification and data extraction. Data from clinical and animal studies will be synthesized separately using random-effects meta-analysis if appropriate, or synthesis without meta-analysis. Study characteristics will be investigated as potential sources of heterogeneity. Confidence in the evidence for each outcome and source of evidence will be evaluated, considering the summary of the association, potential concerns regarding internal and external validity, and reporting biases. When multiple sources of evidence are available for an outcome, an overall conclusion will be drawn in a triangulation meeting involving a multidisciplinary team of experts. We plan trimonthly updates of the review, and any modifications in the protocol will be documented. The review will be co-produced by multiple stakeholders aiming to produce impactful and relevant results and bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research on psychosis.


Tadeusz Rachwa l Food and Labour. Eating Epistemology . Summary Food exists, so to speak, epistemologically, its actual existence ending in the process of digesting which, in turn,  transforms food, at least partly, into ourselves. All this boils down to a simple statement of the fact that we cannot  live without food, without consuming the nourishing outside which, for some reason, we simultaneously exclude as irrelevant to the epistemological constitution of ourselves. Man, the subject and object of Alexander Pope's  well known "knowing thyself', for example, is, again for some reason, posited away from, and above food and  eating as an inconsumable, permanent entity that itself does eat, but only for sustenance whose task it is to sustain  productivity, including the production of food. This production has become a culturally gendered activity. If, as Thorstein Velben claims, in the predatory order of things it was "the office of men to consume what the women produce," with the rise of the modern bourgeois subject it is the masculine which becomes responsible for pro duction, while the mob and the aristocracy, gendered as feminine, acquire the qualities of passivity resulting in  the inability to function by themselves, even to properly feed themselves.


Background: CW002 is an investigational nondepolarizing, neuromuscular blocking agent with a rapid onset and intermediate duration of action in animals. This is a single ascending dose, healthy subject study exploring tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and potency. Methods: Population pharmacokinetic and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models were developed using plasma drug concentration data from a previously published dose–response study in 28 healthy subjects receiving single doses of CW002 during sevoflurane anesthesia. Subjects included in the models were from five different dose cohorts (cohorts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 receiving 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10, and 0.14 mg/kg, respectively). Serial arterial plasma concentrations and muscle twitch heights were monitored. Results: A four-compartment model was fit to the concentration–time data, whereas a transit compartment with a sigmoid Emax model was fit to the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data. The population pharmacokinetics of CW002 was linear with very low interindividual variability in clearance (10.8%). Simulations were conducted to predict the onset and offset of effect at 2×, 3×, and 4× ED95. The time to 80% block was predicted to be 1.5, 0.8, and 0.7 min for 2×, 3×, and 4× ED95 doses, respectively. The simulated 25 to 75% recovery index was independent of dose. Conclusions: CW002 has predictable pharmacokinetics and is likely to have a rapid onset with an intermediate duration of action at 3× ED95. This model provides information to inform critical decisions (e.g., dose, study design) for continued development of CW002.


High-energy trauma patients often have multiple injuries and are frequently seen by a physiatrist following their acute care. Acetabular fractures are common in this patient population. Following surgical treatment of acetabular fractures, a very high incidence of heterotopic ossification can occur. We describe 94 patients who underwent posterior surgical fixation of an acetabular fracture. Of these, 87 received heterotopic ossification prophylaxis in the form of irradiation or indomethacin; 5 did not receive prophylaxis. Seven of the 45 patients who were initially started on indomethacin had their medication discontinued for various reasons. Of the 12 patients who did not receive adequate prophylaxis, 5 developed disabling heterotopic ossification. We present our experience with this patient population, and we discuss the importance of adequate prophylaxis for heterotopic ossification.


We report 12 cases of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma that invaded the trachea. In all of these cases, we performed a hemithyroidectomy, including the isthmus, with an accompanying neck dissection and resection of the trachea. Six of 12 patients experienced hemoptysis, and a diagnosis of tracheal invasion was made preoperatively in nine patients by tracheal endoscopy and computed tomography. Histologic diagnosis was confirmed by a preoperative biopsy in one case only. An end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea was performed in five patients, an anastomosis between the cricoid cartilage and the trachea was performed in five patients, and an anastomosis between the thyroid cartilage and the trachea was performed in two patients. One patient with a recurrence of tumor died of tracheal bleeding 11/2 years later. One patient died of massive gastrointestinal bleeding postoperatively. The remaining ten patients have been doing well from three months to five years two months postoperatively.


We report a fucose α(1−2) galactose-mediated pathway for the modulation of neuronal growth and morphology. Our studies provide strong evidence for the presence of Fucα(1−2)Gal glycoproteins and lectin receptors in hippocampal neurons. Additionally, we show that manipulation of Fucα(1−2)Gal-associated proteins using small-molecule and lectin probes induces dramatic changes in neuronal morphology. These findings may provide a novel pathway to stimulate neuronal growth and regeneration.


Historically, review of migraine‐related vestibular symptoms has focused on the various clinical presentations that occur and the results of diagnostic studies of vestibular function. Treatment of vestibular symptoms related to migraine has been proposed similar to that used for headache control, but few examples of the effectiveness of this therapy have been published. The purpose of this study is to present the various approaches that can be used to manage vestibular symptoms related to migraine, and to evaluate the overall effectiveness of these treatment approaches. This was a retrospective review of 89 patients diagnosed with migraine‐related dizziness and vertigo. The character of vestibular symptoms, pattern of cochlear symptoms, results of auditory and vestibular tests, and comorbidity factors are presented. Treatment was individualized according to symptoms and comorbidity factors, and analyzed regarding effectiveness in control of the major vestibular symptoms of episodic vertigo, positional vertigo, and nonvertiginous dizziness. Medical management included dietary changes, medication, physical therapy, lifestyle adaptations, and acupuncture. Complete or substantial control of vestibular symptoms was achieved in 68 (92%) of 74 patients complaining of episodic vertigo; in 56 (89%) of 63 patients with positional vertigo; and 56 (86%) of 65 patients with non‐vertiginous dizziness. Similarly, aural fullness was completely resolved or substantially improved in 34 (85%) of 40 patients; ear pain in 10 (63%) of 16 patients; and phonophobia in 17 (89%) of 19 patients. No patient reported worsened symptoms following medical management. The conflicting concept of a central disorder (migraine) as the cause of cochlear and vestibular dysfunction that often has peripheral features is discussed.


The Open Championship has returned to St Andrews, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious golf courses and one that has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability. Last month's men's US Open was held at Chambers Bay in Washington state, a course built on reclaimed land in what was once a sand and gravel pit. This transition from "pit to prince" has also earned Chambers Bay recognition from the environmental organisation Audubon International.


Test case prioritization (TCP) plays an important role in identifying, characterizing, diagnosing, and correcting faults quickly. The TCP has been widely used to order test cases of different types, including model inputs (also called abstract test cases). Model inputs are constructed by modeling the program according to its input parameters, values, and constraints, and has been used in different testing methods, such as combinatorial interaction testing and software product line testing. The Interaction coverage-based TCP (ICTCP) uses interaction coverage information derived from the model input to order inputs. Previous studies have focused generally on the fixed-strength ICTCP, which adopts a fixed strength (i.e., the level of parameter interactions) to support the ICTCP process. It is generally accepted that using more strengths for ICTCP, i.e., mixed-strength ICTCP, may give better ordering than fixed-strength. To confirm whether mixed-strength is better than fixed-strength, in this paper, we report on an extensive empirical study using five real-world programs (written in C), each of which has six versions. The results of the empirical studies show that mixed-strength has better rates of interaction coverage overall than fixed-strength, but they have very similar rates of fault detection. Our results also show that fixed-strength should be used instead of the mixed-strength at the later stage of software testing. Finally, we offer some practical guidelines for testers when using interaction coverage information to prioritize model inputs, under different testing scenarios and resources.


Recent breakthroughs in synthetic data generation approaches made it possible to produce highly photorealistic images which are hardly distinguishable from real ones. Furthermore, synthetic generation pipelines have the potential to generate an unlimited number of images. The combination of high photorealism and scale turn synthetic data into a promising candidate for improving various machine learning (ML) pipelines. Thus far, a large body of research in this field has focused on using synthetic images for training, by augmenting and enlarging training data. In contrast to using synthetic data for training, in this work we explore whether synthetic data can be beneficial for model selection. Considering the task of image classification, we demonstrate that when data is scarce, synthetic data can be used to replace the held out validation set, thus allowing to train on a larger dataset. We also introduce a novel method to calibrate the synthetic error estimation to fit that of the real domain. We show that such calibration significantly improves the usefulness of synthetic data for model selection.


In this study, we present a new module built for users interested in a programming language similar to BUGS to fit a Bayesian model based on the piecewise exponential (PE) distribution. The module is an extension to the open-source program JAGS by which a Gibbs sampler can be applied without requiring the derivation of complete conditionals and the subsequent implementation of strategies to draw samples from unknown distributions. The PE distribution is widely used in the fields of survival analysis and reliability. Currently, it can only be implemented in JAGS through methods to indirectly specify the likelihood based on the Poisson or Bernoulli probabilities. Our module provides a more straightforward implementation and is thus more attractive to the researchers aiming to spend more time exploring the results from the Bayesian inference rather than implementing the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. For those interested in extending JAGS, this work can be seen as a tutorial including important information not well investigated or organized in other materials. Here, we describe how to use the module taking advantage of the interface between R and JAGS. A short simulation study is developed to ensure that the module behaves well and a real illustration, involving two PE models, exhibits a context where the module can be used in practice.


The paper reports a technique used to construct a reference time series for the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically-active radiation (FAPAR) based on remotely-sensed data in the largest Russian arid wetland territory. For the arid Volga-Akhtuba wetlands, FAPAR appears to be an informative spectral index for estimating plant cover health and its seasonal and annual dynamics. Since FAPAR algorithms are developed for multiple satellite sensors, all FAPAR-based models are suggested to be universal and useful for future studies and long-term monitoring of plant cover, particularly in wetlands. The model developed in the present work for FAPAR temporal dynamics clearly reflects the field-observed seasonal and annual changes of plant cover in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain wetlands. Various types of wetland plant communities were categorized by the specific parameters of the model seasonal vegetation curve. In addition, the values derived from the model function allow quantitative estimation of wetland plant cover health. This information is particularly important for the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, because its hydrological regime is regulated by the Volzhskaya hydropower plant. The ecosystem is extremely fragile and sensitive to human impact, and wetland plant cover health is a key indicator of regulatory efficiency. The present study is another step towards developing a methodology focused on arid wetland vegetation monitoring and conservation of its biodiversity and natural conditions.


Pharmaceutical analysis a practical chemistry which mainly involves the series of process of identification, determination and purification of a substance. Any type of pharmaceutical agent either animals, plants, microorganisms, minerals or various synthetic products can be easily identified by using the chromatographic technique. Chromatography is the technique which mainly separates the mixture with components based on their travelling time through the stationary phase when carried by the mobile phase. The main principle involved in the separation of the components in chromatographic technique especially HPLC is adsorption.


In Europe there is a growing concern among educators and policy makers that students are not well-prepared to start a Master programme. This study draws on longitudinal research conducted at four universities in the Netherlands and a follow-up exploratory purposively chosen from one of the study sites. In Study 1, differences in academic performance between 146 Dutch and 215 international students were identified by focussing on their levels of academic and social integration. Afterwards, students from 53 countries were clustered into ten geographical clusters using Hofstede culture difference scores. In Study 2, a questionnaire about perceived transitional barriers was completed by 159 Master students at one of the four institutes. The results of Study 1 indicate that academic and social integration scores of Western European and domestic students were comparable. Eastern European, non-European and in particular Southern Asian and Confucian Asian Master students had significantly lower academic and social integration scores. Follow-up regressions showed that academic adjustment is the main predictor of study- performance, irrespective of cultural differences. Study 2 indicates that half of the Master students experienced a substantial change in their learning strategies, language and research methods. We encourage UK higher educational institutes to conduct more research on whether the specific needs of international Master students are sufficiently supported.


Cancer patients are now more often long-term survivors and their needs for returning to social and productive activities have become a primary focus of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to propose an objective evaluation test for predicting endurance capacity in breast cancer patients after surgery, in order to optimize return to work or previous daily activities, and for monitoring changes during rehabilitation. Twenty female patients (mean age: 44 +/- 5), who underwent radical breast surgery 2 months before being referred to our Unit, participated in the study. In addition to the measures of the circumferences in the arm-forearm and manual muscle strength test, we performed the following functional evaluations: 0-100 Constant scale for shoulder function; instrumental evaluation of daily/occupational upper limb activities (Lido WorkSET). We monitored the mechanical parameters, the perception of effort, pain or discomfort, and the range of movement while performing a 3-minute steady daily/occupational task chosen by the subject. Patients were asked to perform the 3-minute test at three different intensities ("moderate", "somewhat hard", "hard") until the perception of fatigue, pain or discomfort was rated > 3 on the 10 point Borg's scale. The 'power-duration' product (Watt x min) defined by the three tests (see Fig. 1) represented the individual tolerable work load, since subjective indicators of pain/discomfort remained within tolerable limits during the exertion. On this basis, patients were encouraged to return to levels of daily physical activities compatible with the individual tolerable work load. The second evaluation, although no statistical analysis was performed, confirmed that the "guided" daily activity in a 2-month period increased patients' capacities and "trust" in their physical capacity.


CARDI E-Bulletin: August 2010Our e-bulletin provides up-to-date information on ageing research including seminars, funding opportunities, latest research and innovation.More detailed information is available on our website. www.cardi.ie


Creating and utilizing simple links between items and locations in map-based systems has become a mainstream component of modern computing. In this paper, we explore support for "art mapping", an activity that requires consideration of more complex interpretations of spatial relationships as users engage with identifying locations of relevance to artworks. Through a user study of the ArtMaps platform, and an exploratory study with professional artists, we identify diverse interpretations of spatial meaning in relation to art. We find that art mapping highlights potential for more active engagement with art through technology, but challenges existing systems for spatial representation. Through connecting our findings with work on designing for interpretation, and on space and place in HCI, we contribute new understanding of creating engagement through the spatial interpretation of art, and define potential characteristics and uses of holistic "footprints" for artworks.


Background and aims : Based on various studies, the noise can have a significant effect on human health. Annoyance is the most common bad effect that may be caused by the noise and traffic is the most important source that may cause annoyance. Awareness of costs of traffic noise has various advantages in decision making and on control measures to reduce the traffic noise. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the costs of traffic noise on the residents' health in city of Tabriz in 2011. Methods : Contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to obtain willingness to pay (WTP). First, the effects of noise on people, including individual dissatisfaction to noise, harassment and other effects of traffic noise was obtained using a questionnaire. Two methods were then applied to obtain the costs of noise effect on human health. One, directly from investigation of the relationship between WTP and annoyance caused by noise, and the other one, by investigating the relationship between annoyance and Level day-evening-night (Lden). The results were then compared with the determined thresholds. Results : The results showed that 60% of individuals show medium and medium to high levels of annoyance. For groups with moderate annoyance (39% of cases) the amount of Lden was 67 dB with 65,593,125€, for groups with high level annoyance, Lden was 71 dB with the cost of 38,513,160 €. Conclusion : Since the burden of the costs' of noise placed on the people of Tabriz are so heavy, control measures are suggested for policy makers that may yield worthy results in the long term.


Tuberculosis is a common clinical problem which can involve virtually any organ and mimic a multitude of clinical conditions. Colonic tuberculosis is a type of intestinal tuberculosis which involves the colon and mimics inflammatory bowel disease. Occasionally, it is also confused with colonic malignancy. We report the case of a young female who presented with abdominal pain, bleeding per rectum. Abdominal X-ray showed evidence of thumb-printing. A possibility of ischemic colitis was entertained. However, further investigation unraveled the presence of tubercular colitis. The patient improved with anti-tubercular therapy. Colonic tuberculosis can mimic a number of clinical entities and should be considered in differential diagnosis of colonic lesions in endemic areas.


I use experimental data for the evaluation of Oportunidades to study the determinants of domestic violence and alcohol abuse. The program, a combination of cash transfers to women and human capital investments, decreases husbands' alcohol abuse by 15% and changes their aggressive behavior depending on transfer size, husbands' education, and spousal age gap. While small transfers decrease violence by 37% for all households, large transfers increase the aggressive behavior of husbands with traditional views of gender roles, probably because their wife's entitlement to a large transfer threatens their identity. This evidence rejects standard unitary, collective, and bargaining models for this latter group of households. It also shows that, while targeting women as recipients of micro-credit or other welfare programs may have additional beneficial effects by reducing alcoholism and domestic violence in most households, the risk of violence may increase for some. Szeidl for many helpful conversations. I thank Caroline Hoxby and two anonymous referees for their useful comments. The usual disclaimer applies.


OBJECTIVE To compare minimally invasive endoscopic and open surgical procedures, to improve informed consent of parents, and to establish a baseline for further targeted improvement of surgical care, this study evaluated the complication rate and blood transfusion rate of craniosynostosis surgery in our department. METHODS A prospective complication registration database that contains a consecutive cohort of all pediatric neurosurgical procedures in the authors' neurosurgical department was used. All pediatric patients who underwent neurosurgical treatment for craniosynostosis between February 2004 and December 2014 were included. In total, 187 procedures were performed, of which 121 were endoscopically assisted minimally invasive procedures (65%). Ninety-three patients were diagnosed with scaphocephaly, 50 with trigonocephaly, 26 with plagiocephaly, 3 with brachycephaly, 9 with a craniosynostosis syndrome, and 6 patients were suffering from nonsyndromic multisutural craniosynostosis. RESULTS A total of 18 complications occurred in 187 procedures (9.6%, 95% CI 6.2-15), of which 5.3% (n = 10, 95% CI 2.9-10) occurred intraoperatively and 4.2% (n = 8, 95% CI 2.2-8.2) occurred postoperatively. In the open surgical procedure group, 9 complications occurred: 6 intraoperatively and 3 postoperatively. In the endoscopically assisted procedure group, 9 complications occurred: 4 intraoperatively and 5 postoperatively. Blood transfusion was needed in 100% (n = 66) of the open surgical procedures but in only 21% (n = 26, 95% CI 15-30) of the endoscopic procedures. One patient suffered a transfusion reaction, and 6 patients suffered infections, only one of which was a surgical site infection. A dural tear was the most common intraoperative complication that occurred (n = 8), but it never led to postoperative sequelae. Intraoperative bleeding from a sagittal sinus occurred in one patient with only minimal blood loss. There were no deaths, permanent morbidity, or neurological sequelae. CONCLUSIONS Complications during craniosynostosis surgery were relatively few and minor and were without permanent sequelae in open and in minimally invasive procedures. The blood transfusion rate was significantly reduced in endoscopic procedures compared with open procedures.


This paper aims to explore the emergence of a political and social phenomenon, namely political parties, during a specific period in the history of contemporary Iran, in order to move beyond simple analyses and present a deeper and more accurate understanding of political parties in Iran. The question thatthis paper aims to answer pertains to the emergence of the Executives of the Construction of Iran Party (Kargozaran-e Sazandegi-e Iran) and the role of the Hashemi Rafsanjani administration's modernization efforts. In order to do so, among three main theories, modernization theory has been selected as the theoretical framework. The paper also uses secondary data analysis as its methodology. In new theories of modernization, instead of focusing on 'ideal types', the focus is shifted toward historical features specific to each society. The findings of this research demonstrate that there is a direct link between the HashemiRafsaniani administration's modernizations and the emergence of the Executives of the Construction of Iran Party (Kargozaran Party). This administration's modernization efforts caused a significant shift in Iran's development indexes, which resulted in the revival of Iran's new middle class and provided a basis for the foundation of Kargozaran Party and its victories in subsequent elections. The party became the major proponent of political and economic reform, social liberties, and cultural tolerance in Iran's political arena.


Over the past few years, there has been much public concern about the bacterial contamination of nurses' uniforms, especially when they are worn outside hospitals.


We introduce Gillian, a platform for developing symbolic analysis tools for programming languages. Here, we focus on the symbolic execution engine at the heart of Gillian, which is parametric on the memory model of the target language. We give a formal description of the symbolic analysis and a modular implementation that closely follows this description. We prove a parametric soundness result, introducing restriction on abstract states, which generalises path conditions used in classical symbolic execution. We instantiate to obtain trusted symbolic testing tools for JavaScript and C, and use these tools to find bugs in real-world code, thus demonstrating the viability of our parametric approach.


This paper attempts to distinguish between two alternative views of the labor market problems faced by young workers in a number of industrialized countries in the 1970s and early 1980s. The first view is that the low relative earnings and high unemployment rates experienced by these workers were largely "age" related. Although this view carries the implication that the problems will disappear for recent youth cohorts as they grow older, it also implies that the problems will be "handed over" to successive waves of youth cohorts as they enter the labor market. The second view is that the labor market problems of recent youth cohorts are a consequence of their large size. This view has very different implications since generational crowding can permanently or temporarily depress the economic position of large cohorts but need not have an adverse effect on later waves of smaller youth cohorts. On the basis of a multicountry empirical analysis of patterns ofcohort size, earnings, unemployment, and the distribution of young workers across industries, we have four main sets of findings to report. First, the baby-boom was not uniformly experienced across OECD economies - in terms of either its timing or magnitude. While some countries, such as Canada, the U.S., and Belgium had large increases in the youth share ofthe population from 1965 to 1980, others, notably Japan and Switzerland, had large decreases. Second, our empirical results indicate that large cohort size tends to have a negative effect on the "expected relative earnings" of the cohort, where expected relative earnings is defined as the product of the earnings and the employment-to-labor force ratio of a young cohort relative to the same product for an older cohort. There is, moreover, a marked trade-off betweenthe relative earnings effect and the relative employment effect with large cohort sizes reducing relative earnings in some countries and reducing reiative employment in others. Third, at least for the U.S., the relatively low wages and high unemployment of the "unlucky cohorts" tend to converge to the patterns that would have resulted had the cohorts been more "normal" in size, with the convergence occurring within a decade or so. Fourth, our results show that baby-boom cohorts were absorbed inthe U.S. and other OECD economies quite evenly across a wide range of industries. This finding contradicts the popular belief that large youth cohorts were absorbed primarily through expansion of those industries that have been traditionally youth-intensive.


This study is concerned with road traffic offence information management in Nigeria. It focused on trends in road traffic offences information and carried out a critical review of current information and communication and technology compliance state of FRSC with a view to identifying its defects in road traffic offence information management. A system to correct road traffic offence information management failure as identified in the existing system was then proposed. Road traffic offence records and details of current safety measures obtained from FRSC and online in addition to research works, provided the basic data for the study. The system was designed using the object OOAD methodology and implemented using rapid Php IDE on a Windows 7 system, using PHP, HTML,CSS and mySQL technologies and Apache server as the application server. The result showed the high rate of road traffic offence as a result of poor road traffic offence information management and failure to improve on the existing road traffic information management.


The paper presents the results of research of technology of alkylation of hydroquinone, propyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and tert-butyl alcohols in the presence of concentrated phosphoric acid. The temperature of the alkylation reaction was maintained between 70–72 °С. On the basis of literature data and preliminary investigations the reaction was performed for 4 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, we removed the unreacted hydroquinone, aliphatic alcohol and phosphoric acid are added to a solution of distilled water (solvent corresponding connections) and sodium bicarbonate to slightly acidic (pH 5–6). For separation from the reaction medium of alkylhydroquinones in the reaction mixture was added benzene in which the original hydroquinone dissolves much less. Concentration of the benzene extract alkylhydroquinones conducted by Stripping the solvent under vacuum at temperatures above 70 °С in air atmosphere. Higher temperature vacuum distillation AIDS in the oxidation of alkylhydroquinones to alkylphenones. Precipitated after crystallization, alkylhydroquinones were dried under vacuum in a drying pistol at 56 °С. Dried products were identified by defining the melting temperature, the study of spectral characteristics and qualitative reactions with FeCl3. We also studied the solubility of alkylhydroquinones in various solvents, which showed low solubility of alkylhydroquinones in water, benzene, toluene and higher solubility in propyl and isopropyl alcohols and in acetone. Analysis of the results shows that the obtained alkylhydroquinones are not chemically pure compounds, and contain in their composition of admixture source of hydroquinone. Qualitative reactions of solutions of alkylhydroquinones with FeCl3 solution differ from the corresponding reaction of a solution of hydroquinone. The results of investigations of electronic absorption spectra of alkylhydroquinones and source of hydroquinone in isopropyl alcohol solution did not significantly differ from each other and have a maximum absorption at ? = 210 nm. From the presented investigations it follows that the maximum efficiency of the alkylation of hydroquinone was studied aliphatic alcohols in acidic medium is observed for t-butyl alcohol.


Chronic pain {CP} is a major health problem that affects about 20% of adults worldwide. Unlike acute, physiological pain, which resolves promptly once the painful stimulus is removed, CP can last for months, years or even a lifetime. CP, which includes inflammatory pain {IP} that is associated with both tissue injury and the accompanying inflammation and peripheral neuropathic pain {NP} that is a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the peripheral nervous system {PNS}, often is a constant burden, degrades peoples' quality of life, and costs billions of pounds. Patients with CP usually complain of either: a) continuous or intermittent spontaneous, un-provoked pain; or b) hypersensitivity, due to either increased pain from a stimulus that normally provokes pain or pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain. Successful therapy for CP, particularly NP, remains a challenge because the currently available drugs are largely ineffective and many result in adverse side effects. Therefore, there is a pressing need to understand the pathophysiology of CP, in order to devise appropriate palliative and curative strategies.
CP is believed to be due, at least partly, to increased excitability of normally quiescent dorsal root ganglion {DRG} neurons, which convey sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system {CNS}. However, the underlying ionic and molecular mechanisms of this neuronal hyperexcitability and spontaneous activity {SA} are poorly understood. The aim of this research project was to examine the hypothesis that during peripheral CP states, hyperexcitability in DRG neurons could be due to increased expression of hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated {HCN} channels, possibly in combination with a change in their activation properties. This is because these channels, which are composed of 4 subunits {HCN1-4}, produce an excitatory inward current, termed the hyperpolarisation-activated {Ih} current in neurons, that depolarizes the membrane potential toward the threshold of action potential {AP} generation. To test this hypothesis, several integrated approaches, including behavioural pharmacology, in vivo electrophysiology, and immunofluorescent staining, were used in two rat models of CP that were compared to appropriate controls. The rat models of CP were: a) chronic inflammatory pain {CIP} model, which involved induction of hindlimb inflammation with complete Freund's adjuvant {CFA}; and b) chronic neuropathic pain {CNP} model that involved L5 spinal nerve {SN} axotomy, in addition to loose ligation of the L4 SN with neuro-inflammation inducing chromic gut, referred to as modified SN Axotomy {mSNA}. The objectives of the current project were to:
(i) evaluate, using behavioural pharmacology, the influence of modulating the HCN channels with the Ih-specific blocker, ZD7288, on pain hypersensitivity in both CIP and CNP.
(ii) determine, using in vivo intracellular voltage and current recordings, the difference in AP parameters between normal and mSNA-treated L4 DRG neurons and the effect of ZD7288 on SA in the mSNA-treated L4 DRG neurons.
(iii) determine, using immunofluoresence, the types of DRG neuron that express HCN1-HCN3 subunits in normal rats and whether expression of these subunits is altered in both CIP and CNP.
The results showed:
1. In both CIP and CNP, peripheral administration of ZD7288 resulted in
significant attenuation of mechanical hypersensitivity and a non-significant absence of spontaneous pain {SP}.
2. In the L4 DRG neurons of mSNA-treated animals with CNP, ZD7288 had
no effect on the frequency of SA from low-threshold mechanoreceptors {LTM} and induced changes in hyperpolarisation-associated AP parameters in Aα/β-fibre DRG neurons.
3. In both CIP and CNP, an increased proportion of small and medium sized DRG neurons express HCN2, but not HCN1 or HCN3, channel protein.
Taken together, the findings suggest that HCN channels, particularly HCN2, in
specific sub-populations of DRG neurons contribute to the development!of CIP and CNP.


: A new apparatus for postoperative pulmonary care was compared to one in common use. Vital capacity, a common clinical indicator of pulmonary status in the postoperative patient, was used as an index of improvement or deterioration. In patients using the device with increased dead space and expiratory pressure, there was a significantly greater increase in vital capacity than in those of the group who used blow bottles. Since increased vital capacity is indicative of improved pulmonary function, it is suggested that the use of the dead space-expiratory pressure device should result in a decreased incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications.


Many companies are often faced with the problems associated with distribution system. This problem arises because consumers are in geographically dispersed locations, this resulted in the need to keep inventories in multiple locations so that it can cause problems on management in coordinating the distribution system from the marketing department, also in the production that will produce the best product. It required a good distribution system and supply the right products for customer satisfaction and corporate profits can be maintained. UD DUA SAUDARA is a medium scale company that is developing, engaged in the production of paving and capable of supplying the product in Surabaya and its surrounding areas such as earth Sari Stores, Putra Makmur, Sinar Jaya, and Nusa beautiful, even now start reaching markets outside the island. The company has various kinds of products, but in this study we take two types of products namely Paving gray box (PKA), and Paving the red box (PKM). UD DUA SAUDARA�s distribution system which is currently run by a company has several weaknesses. Among them are frequent delays in product delivery for an order Given these problems, then conducted research with the method of Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) in the hope to be distributing the product from the company to optimally store. Distribution Requirements Planning is a method to handle the procurement of supplies in an echelon distribution network. The purpose of the Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP), which make planning and scheduling activities of a good distribution, so that success in meeting customer demand will be more optimal, increase sales performance in fulfilling orders in a timely and appropriate amount so that distribution costs can be reduced seminimun possible. Results for comparison of distribution costs by using the method the company is Rp. 12.496.500,00 and for the DRP method is Rp. 9.156.200,00, with a savings of 26,71. The results obtained planning and scheduling Sari earth distribution is as follows, PKA Products: Shipping found in March, June, September and December 297 m2, PKM Products: Shipping found in March, June, September, November and February as much as 256 m2. Putra Makmur, PKA Products: Shipping found in April, July, October and January as much as 294 m2, PKM Products: Shipping found in March, June, September and December as many as 259 m2. Sinar Jaya, PKA Products: Shipping found in April, July, October and January, 296 m2, PKM Products: Shipping found in March, June, September and December 262 m2. Nusa Indah, PKA Products: Shipping found in April, July, October and January as much as 289 m2, PKM Products: Shipping found in March, June, September and December 255 m2.


The argument put forward in this research is that in so far as ownership and competition are important, they impact on performance through an internal adjustment process. In other words, they affect the performance of a privatised firm through a number of mediating factors. It is further argued that each of these factors is the outcome of a gradual process of development which is conditioned by the particular situation of the firm in question, i.e. its product market, its labour market, its managerial labour market and its credit market.
This study further shows that an organisation which has functioned as a de facto or de jure government or municipal agency (even if financed by fees) for a long period of time has, as a rule, developed characteristics and behavioural patterns - that which we call the institutional identity of the organisation - which must undergo a fundamental change if the organisation is to function as a successful company. The mediating factors mentioned before, are the instruments for transforming the old institutional identity to a new one.
A specific sector of the Swedish economy, information technology (IT) sector, was selected for the purpose of this research.


The motor nervous system of Astropecten iregularis, lodged within the mesothelial linings of the coelomic body cavities, has a bilateral and metameric arrangement in conformity with the longitudinal seriation of the tube feet and of the ossicles and muscles of the ventral wall of the arm. Bilateral and metameric groups of central distributory motor neurons, lodged above the radial nerve cord in the floor of the radial perihaemal sinus, have long axon processes which extend outwards on either side of each body segment through the lateral perihaemal canals to circumscribe the base of the foot. The central distributory axons may be regarded as pre-ganglionic fibres since they terminate in one or other of two ganglionic complexes: (a) the lateral motor complex on the outer side of the foot in the perihaemal cavity and (b) the foot complex within the foot cavity. The former is interposed into the tracts which supply the arm musculature, the latter serves as a relay to the several muscle systems of the foot and ampulla. The post-ganglionic innervation of the arm musculature is effected through chains of distributory internuncial neurons linked in series. They form clearly defined tracts, each of which terminates in ultimate motor neurons. The axons of these neurons, initially of small diameter (c. 0.5μ and circular in section, expand distally into broad ribbons (20 to 30 x 0.5μ) which invest the muscle fibres and have a continuous surface of synapsis with them. Some of the fibres of each muscle system are supplied by collateral branches of the ribbon axons. The neurons of the foot complex are lodged in two more or less bilaterally disposed bulbs of supporting tissue within the base of the foot. One is lateral, the other (bilobed) medial. There are three component series of neurons in each bulb complex, α neurons synapse with and are in receipt of excitation from the central distributory axons external to the foot in the adjacent perihaemal canals. They transmit excitation to a β neuron complex which functions as a relay to the foot and ampulla musculature. Chain neurons conduct excitation from the β neurons to the ampulla. They terminate in ultimate motor (ribbon axon) neurons whose ribbon axons and axon collaterals innervate the ampulla musculature. The ultimate neurons serving the retractor muscles are in direct contact with the relay neurons of the β complex. Those supplying the postural muscles connect with the β complex through radially arranged fibres. The latter provide, in all probability, for the sectorial contraction of the musculature by which a 360° range of pointing and stepping can be effected. Circular fibres connecting the ultimate neurons of the various muscle sectors are thought to play a role in the display of autonomous and individual patterns of pointing. The fine structure of the unique ribbon axons is described. Of particular interest is the presence of an axiolemma sheath. Comparison is made of the echinoderm nervous system with that of other invertebrates.


For newcomer youth (i.e., those who have recently migrated to Canada with their families), high school integration has a marked influence on postsecondary preparation. This descriptive phenomenological study aimed to answer the following research question: How do newcomer youth's experiences in high school impact their transition to postsecondary education? In total, 10 participants, ages 18 through 24, completed in-depth qualitative interviews. Data analysis revealed 5 structures: 3 related to decision-making processes (i.e., high school influence, personal ambitions, and family factors), and 2 centred on experiences in postsecondary education (i.e., areas of growth and postsecondary challenges). Results point to the need for increased support for newcomer youth both in high school and university.


A clinical and genetic database for management of familial adenomatous polyposis Cachon-Gonzalez et al (7 Med Genet 1991;28:681-5) describe their experience with four linked DNA markers (x227, Cl ip 1, YN5.48, and ECB27) flanking the familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) locus. They conclude that "lod scores are sufficiently high to allow the use of these probes in presymptomatic diagnosis". In the absence of large bowel adenomas or extra-colonic manifestations of the FAP gene, a Bayesian approach to risk assessment, incorporating age of onset and DNA data, may guide clinical screening policy. We have developed a computerised regional register for FAP (called 'MegaBASE/FAP') which facilitates both risk assessment and coordination of screening examinations for the extended families of index patients. The core of the register software is the pedigree and this can be viewed on screen and printed out for use in the clinic. The main database contains information relating to administrative, screening, surgical, pathological , and genetic aspects of patient management, and this can be viewed and edited either on a text based screen or directly on the pedigree. From the genotypes stored on each family member, input files for the LINKAGE' programs can be written automatically within the database, which also contains a built in age of onset curve specified as 20 liability classes. The time consuming and error prone manual creation of LINKAGE files is thereby avoided, making risk evaluation both simpler and more reliable. Cachon-Gonzalez et al have suggested that closely linked markers might now be usefully incorporated in the modern management of FAP. By integrating clinical and genetic information our database has facilitated this development for families with FAP in our region.


Methylmercury (MeHg) is well-known for its neurodevelopmental effects both in animals and in humans. As an alternative to utilizing conventional animal models, this study evaluated behavioral and biochemical parameters using the nymphs of the lobster cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea. Animals were exposed to MeHg at 0, 0.03125, 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 mg per g feed for 35 consecutive days. Locomotor activity and exploratory profiles were analyzed using video-tracking software during a 10 minute trial. Subsequently, biochemical estimations were carried out using cockroach heads. MeHg exposure caused behavioral impairment as evidenced by a significant decrease in distance travelled, time spent walking, turn angle and body rotation. The marked decrease in the exploratory profiles of MeHg-exposed cockroaches was confirmed by track plots, whereas occupancy plot analyses revealed a gradual dispersal in home-base formation, starting from 0.0625 mg per g feed. Biochemically, MeHg exposure significantly decreased acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE), an enzyme which plays a pivotal role in neurotransmission. Moreover, MeHg caused increased oxidative stress as evidenced by decreased total thiol levels and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, along with increased 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein (DFCH) oxidation and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) production. In conclusion, these data demonstrated that Nauphoeta cinerea mimics the behavioral and biochemical deficits observed in rodents exposed to MeHg, thus highlighting its validity as an alternative model for basic toxicological studies.


This paper is about Bakery algorithm for mutual exclusion. Three variants of the algorithm for two processes are discussed, formally modelled with a simple process algebra and then verified. Two methods of verification are given. In the first one, the processes representing behaviour of the algorithms are minimised with regard to testing equivalence and then examined. In the second approach, the properties are expressed with temporal logic ACTL and then verified using a model checker. Because we bounded the possible values of variables, the paper contributes new results and knowledge to the well-known facts about Bakery algorithm.


The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is integral for embryonic development and normal cell maintenance. However, aberrant expression of the Hh pathway is recognized as the oncogenic driving force for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Current chemotherapeutic treatments that inhibit Hh signaling allow treatment of only locally advanced and metastatic BCCs via inhibition of the transmembrane protein, smoothened. It is further recognized that downstream mutations often lead to chemoresistant tumor recurrence. The Gli proteins are the ultimate regulators of Hh signaling and belong to a family of Cys2His2 zinc finger transcription factors (ZnFTFs) that we have shown can be irreversibly inhibited by a series of cobalt(III) Schiff base-DNA (CoSB-DNA) conjugates. However, a significant challenge is the delivery of CoSB-DNA complexes in mammalian tissues. Herein, we report a polyethyleneimine-functionalized graphene oxide nanoconjugate (GOPEI) that delivers CoGli, a CoSB-DNA complex that targets Gli specifically. We describe the characterization of the surface functionalization of GOPEI and accumulation in ASZ murine BCC cells via confocal microscopy and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Lysosomal escape of CoGli is further confirmed by confocal microscopy. We report the successful targeting of Gli by CoGli and a 17-fold improvement in potency over small-molecule Gli inhibitor GANT-61 in inhibiting Hh-driven migration of ASZ murine BCC cells. This study provides a promising starting point for further investigating CoGli inhibitors of Hh signaling in developed mammalian tissues.


The satellite attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) can be designed with success by linear control theory if the satellite has slow angular motions and small attitude maneuver. However, for large and fast maneuvers, the linearized models are not able to represent all the perturbations due to the effects of the nonlinear terms present in the dynamics and in the actuators (e.g., saturation). Therefore, in such cases, it is expected that nonlinear control techniques yield better performance than the linear control techniques. One candidate technique for the design of AOCS control law under a large maneuver is the State-Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE). SDRE entails factorization (that is, parameterization) of the nonlinear dynamics into the state vector and the product of a matrix-valued function that depends on the state itself. In doing so, SDRE brings the nonlinear system to a (nonunique) linear structure having state-dependent coefficient (SDC) matrices and then it minimizes a nonlinear performance index having a quadratic-like structure. The nonuniqueness of the SDC matrices creates extra degrees of freedom, which can be used to enhance controller performance, however, it poses challenges since not all SDC matrices fulfill the SDRE requirements. Moreover, regarding the satellite's kinematics, there is a plethora of options, e.g., Euler angles, Gibbs vector, modified Rodrigues parameters (MRPs), quaternions, etc. Once again, some kinematics formulation of the AOCS do not fulfill the SDRE requirements. In this paper, we evaluate the factorization options (SDC matrices) for the AOCS exploring the requirements of the SDRE technique. Considering a Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) typical mission, in which the AOCS must stabilize a satellite in three-axis, the application of the SDRE technique equipped with the optimal SDC matrices can yield gains in the missions. The initial results show that MRPs for kinematics provides an optimal SDC matrix. Key-Words: SDRE, nonlinear, control, attitude


Manual point placement for vertebral morphometry is time-consuming and imprecise, and morphometric methods for vertebral fracture diagnosis are unreliable. Automatic computer determination of the detailed vertebral shape could enable more powerful quantitative classifiers of osteoporotic vertebral fracture. The shape and appearance of vertebrae on 250 digitised lumbar radiographs were statistically modelled, using a sequence of active appearance models (AAMs) of overlapping triplets of vertebrae. To automatically locate the vertebrae, the sequence of models was matched to previously unseen scans. Accuracy results (0.64mm mean point-to-line error) were found to be similar to previously published results for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), but a low fracture prevalence meant that the shape models were undertrained for the few moderate and severe fractures. However mild fractures were fitted with good accuracy (mean 0.84mm). The results confirm the feasibility of substantially automating vertebral morphometry measurements on radiographs, despite the projective effects of the divergent X-ray beam. Use of the shape and appearance parameters of the models could in future provide a quantified form of some of the more subtle aspects of visual or semi-quantitative expert reading of vertebral fractures.


OBJECTIVE: To assess serum interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) concentrations in patients with ischaemic heart disease, to characterise subgroups of patients with raised IL-1 beta concentrations, and to examine whether serum IL-1 beta concentrations correlate with non-specific indices of inflammation. DESIGN: Survey study of patients with ischaemic heart disease. SETTING: Cardiac catheterisation laboratory of a tertiary medical centre. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients with angina pectoris and patients recovering from uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction and undergoing elective coronary angiography. RESULTS: Mean(SD) serum IL-1 beta concentrations were higher (P < 0.001) in patients with angina and < 50% coronary artery stenosis (n = 11; 18.8(19.9) pg/ml), patients with angina > or = 50% stenosis (n = 23; 10.2(11.4) pg/ml), and patients 8(0.8) days post-infarction (n = 13; 4.4(5.8) pg/ml) than in 15 healthy, age-matched controls (0.3(0.5) pg/ml). Serum IL-1 beta concentrations did not correlate with total blood leucocyte counts (r = -0.07, P = NS), blood lymphocyte counts (r = -0.24, P = NS), and blood monocyte counts (r = -0.29, P = NS), or with fibrinogen (r = -0.16, P = NS) and C-reactive protein concentrations (9(10.5) mg/dl v 14.1(19) mg/dl for patients with undetectable and detectable concentrations, respectively, P = NS). CONCLUSION: Serum IL-1 beta concentrations are raised in patients with ischaemic heart disease, in particular in those with minimal coronary artery disease and angina. The precise role of IL-1 beta in coronary artery disease remains to be determined.


We consider vertical restraints in the context of an intrabrand competition model in which a single manufacturer deals with two vertically differentiated retailers. We establish two main results. First, if the market cannot be vertically segmented and the cost difference between the two retailers is not too large, then the manufacturer will foreclose the low quality retailer either directly by making the high quality retailer an exclusive distributor, or indirectly by imposing a sufficiently high minimum resale price, or a sufficiently high franchise fee to ensure that the low quality retailer will be unable to earn a positive profit. Second, if the market can be vertically segmented, the manufacturer will impose customer restrictions and require the low quality retailer to serve consumers whose willingness to pay for quality is below some threshold and requiring the high quality retailer to serve consumers whose willingness to pay for quality is above that threshold. We show that this restriction benefits the manufacturer as well as consumers with low willingness to pay for quality, including some that are served by the high quality retailer, but it harms consumers with high willingness to pay.


The objective of this study was to explore the mathematical relationships between independent variables (patient morphometrics and treadmill speed) and dependent variables (accelerometer or pedometer output) when evaluating data from accelerometers and pedometers in dogs. Twenty dogs took part in 3 randomized activities, consisting of exercise on a treadmill at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m/s for a total distance of 1 km at each speed. Dogs simultaneously wore both an accelerometer and a pedometer. Statistical analysis used multiple regression models to discover the relationships between independent and dependent variables. A formula was developed to predict the distance traveled by a dog based on its morphometrics and activity monitor output. Shoulder height had stronger correlations to accelerometer and pedometer outputs than other morphometric variables. As shoulder height increased, all accelerometer and pedometer outputs decreased. As treadmill speed increased, both accelerometer and pedometer step counts decreased, while accelerometer activity counts increased. According to a formula derived to predict the total distance traveled using patient shoulder height and accelerometer or pedometer output, pedometer steps were the most accurate predictor of distance traveled. Accelerometer steps were less accurate when using the same model. Accelerometer activity counts did not reveal a meaningful predictive formula. The results of this study indicate that patient morphometrics and treadmill speed (as a measure of intensity) influenced accelerometer and pedometer data. The pedometer data more precisely and accurately estimated the distance traveled based on step counts and patient shoulder height. In normal dogs, accelerometer and pedometer steps may reasonably estimate distance traveled.


Authority-based surgery is slowly being replaced by evidence-based surgery. New and existing interventions are increasingly being studied in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs allow not only for comparison of different types of surgical interventions but also for comparison with non-surgical interventions and adjuvant therapies. Surgical RCTs have many methodological limitations, such as inherent difficulties with randomisation and blinding, and ethical limitations in using placebo controls. Choosing appropriate intervention groups, providing adequate training for participating surgeons and ensuring a high volume per surgeon reduces the risk of complications due to inexperience. Unplanned cross-over is a potential source of bias in explanatory RCTs comparing surgical interventions. Conducting a surgical RCT requires good collaboration between large and small hospitals due to organisational complexity, ethical limitations, funding and long term follow-up. Acceptance and implementation of the results from surgical RCTs through evidence-based guidelines depends heavily on local opinion leaders and the training of surgical residents.


Recognition of the huge variation between professional graduate degree programmes and employer requirements, especially in the construction industry, necessitated a need for assessing and developing competencies that aligned with professionally oriented programmes. The purpose of this research is to develop a competency mapping framework (CMF) in this case for quantity surveying honours degree programmes. The graduate competency threshold benchmark (GCTB) is a key component of the CMF. Therefore, the CMF contains the mapping process, the template documents and the benchmark. The research adopted literature review, pilot study, case studies (including semi-structured interviews) and expert forum in developing the framework. The framework developed in this research provides new insight into how degree programmes map against competencies. Thus, the framework can be applied more widely, to other professional degree programmes, for monitoring and improving the quality and professional standards of construction degree programmes by accrediting bodies. This should connect construction graduates more effectively to the industry.


The current work is devoted to studying the evolution of deep level defects in the lower half of the 4H-SiC bandgap after high temperature processing and ion implantation. Two as-grown and pre-oxidized 4H-SiC sets of samples have been thermally treated at temperatures up to 1950 °C for 10 min duration using RF inductive heating. Another set of as grown samples was implanted by 4.2 MeV Si ions at room temperature (RT) with different doses (1-4×108 cm-2). The so-called "D-center" at EV+0.6 eV dominates and forms after the elevated heat treatments, while it shows no change after the ion implantations (EV denotes the valence band edge). In contrast, the concentration of the so-called HK4 level at EV+1.44 eV increases with the implantation dose, whereas it anneals out after heat treatment at ≥ 1700 °C.


The numerous allegations of sexual misconduct—unwanted, unwelcome, often aggressive sexual behavior—levied against Donald Trump merit attention and redress. Despite obstacles to civil remedies, there has been some litigation, but it has mostly been unsatisfactory. The many allegations reported in the media have not been amenable to judicial, legislative, executive, or political resolution. Women, including women who allege Trump committed sexual misconduct against them when they were minors, have generally not been afforded the remedies to which they are entitled.

Because litigation and media accounts have proven inadequate to the task of addressing Trump's sexual misconduct, there should be a government inquiry and resulting Report. Such a Report—a Misogyny Report focused on Donald Trump—would assist the nation in assessing and contextualizing the troubling and persistent allegations of his sexual misconduct. An inquiry and Report could provide a forum for considering each individual woman affected and as part of a pattern of Trump's conduct. Further, an inquiry and Report could ameliorate the silencing of women—through isolation, threats, and nondisclosure agreements— and propose remedies to empower these women as well as other women. A Misogyny Report could also suggest specific correctives to obstacles in the path of bringing and completing litigation that could address the alleged sexual misconduct of Trump and ultimately of others. A government Misogyny Report initiated by Congress or some other governmental body could provide a much-needed reckoning.


Research to facilitate industry efforts to safely use natural gas as a locomotive fuel is being directed by the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA's) Office of Research, Development, and Technology. This research is being conducted cooperatively with the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The research results are being shared with the AAR's Natural Gas Fuel Tender Technical Advisory Group (NGFT TAG), which includes AAR, Member Railroads, and FRA, with support from ARA and Volpe Center. The NGFT TAG is developing industry requirements, including crashworthiness requirements, for revenue-service natural gas fuel tenders.Five accident scenarios have been drafted by the NGFT TAG: a train-to-train collision, a grade-crossing collision, rollover, shell impact, and head impact. Each scenario includes a description of the equipment, the impact conditions, and the prescribed outcome. Conceptually, these tender scenarios parallel the scenarios described in 49 CFR Part 229 Appendix E for locomotive crashworthiness.The focus of the NGFT TAG discussions has expanded to include alternative static requirements. Conceptually, the tender static requirements parallel the requirements for locomotive crashworthiness in AAR S-580. Requirements in S-580 for locomotive structure include static load capacities, material properties, and material thicknesses. For conventionally-designed locomotives, meeting the static requirements of S-580 is accepted as meeting the dynamic requirements of Appendix E. The tender static requirements under development are intended to provide the same level of crashworthiness as the previously proposed dynamic requirements.The primary advantage of static crashworthiness requirements is that compliance can be shown with classical closed-form engineering analyses. A disadvantage is that design features are presumed, such as the inclusion and location of collision posts in a conventional locomotive design. Design features are not presumed in dynamic crashworthiness requirements; however, compliance must be shown with a design-specific validated computer simulation model. So while dynamic requirements allow for a wide range of design approaches, showing compliance often requires extensive effort.This paper focuses on technical information to help support development of alternative static requirements for the train-to-train collision scenario. The goal of the static requirements is to provide the same level of crashworthiness as the dynamic requirements under discussion by the NGFT TAG. Tender features capable of providing the desired level of performance are proposed. These features have been selected such that a tender with these features would be crashworthy-compatible with a wide range of new and existing locomotive structural designs.© 2016 ASME


Altered expression of the facilitated glucose transporter GLUT1 affects pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. There is indication that variation of GLUT1 gene (SLC2A1) contributes to development of microangiopathy in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM) patients. A genetic association study involving Caucasians was carried out to investigate the role of XbαI polymorphism in the GLUT1 gene in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Study population (n = 240) consisted of 148 unrelated patients with DM (92 cases with diabetic nephropathy (DN)), and of 92 matched healthy control subjects. Diabetic nephropathy was defined as persistent albuminuria (> 300 mg/24 h) and/or renal failure, in the absence of non-diabetes induced renal disease. The analysis showed that the risk of developing DM and DN in XbaI(−) carriers, when healthy individuals were considered as controls, was two-fold: odds ratio (OR) 2.08 [95% confidence interval (1.14–3.79)]. However, there was no evidence of association between XbaI(−) and DN when patients with DM and without DN were considered as controls: OR = 1.12 (0.55–2.26). Thus, the GLUT1 XbaI(−) allele is associated with DM, and possibly with a more severe form of the disease that can lead to development of DN.


Distribution of eggs and larvae and feeding and growth of
larvae of Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) were investigated in relation to their prey in the Sea of Hiuchi, the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, in 1995 and 1996. The abundance of S. niphonius eggs and larvae peaked in late May, corresponding with that of clupeid larvae,
the major prey organisms of S. niphonius larvae. The eggs were abundant in the northwestern waters and the larvae were abundant in the southern waters in late May in both years, indicating a southward drift during egg and yolksac stages by residual f low in the central part of the Sea of
Hiuchi. Abundance of clupeid larvae in southern waters, where S. niphonius larvae were abundant, may indicate a spawning strategy on the part of first-feeding S. niphonius larvae to encounter the spatial and temporal peak in ichthyoplankton prey abundance in the Seto Inland Sea.
Abundance of the clupeid larvae was higher in 1995 than in 1996. Feeding incidence (percentage of stomachs with food; 85.3% in 1995 and 67.7% in 1996) and mean growth rate estimated from otolith daily increments (1.05 mm/d in 1995 and 0.85 mm/d in 1996) of S. niphonius larvae in late May were significantly higher in 1995. Young-of-the-year S. niphonius abundance and catch per unit of fishing effort of 1-year-old S. niphonius in the Sea of Hiuchi was higher
in 1995, indicating a more successful recruitment in this year. Spatial and temporal correspondence with high
ichthyoplankton prey concentration was considered one of the important determinants for the feeding success, growth, and survival of S. niphonius larvae.


The English language has fast become a global language. In Asia, from the far steppes of Mongolia to the beaches of Thailand, to the shores of the Caspian Sea, English print, music, and along with language, Western values, have spread and multiplied. New technology and media, especially the Internet (Crystal, 1996/2003), have helped carry English to people of all nationalities and economic classes. But many scholars feel that the rise of English is connected with the downfall of indigenous languages (Fishman, 1996; Crawford, 1996; McCarty, 2003). Minority languages face extinction as English rides the wave of increasing globalization (Romaine, 2001). Since 2007, Newsweek, The China Daily, and other international media sources have been citing English as the language of economic success in China. Adherents of English claim that it brings positive social change, economic opportunities, consumer goods, and new technologies (Castells, 2001). Such materialistic temptations cause some minority youth to discount the value of their languages and traditions. In Native America, for example, a small minority of Native Americans youth may feel that exchanging, dismissing, or even abandoning their native language and culture for English and a Western lifestyle represents progress and success in the form of material goods and a modern lifestyle (Crawford, 1996; McCarty, 2003). Similarly, in China, English is viewed as the language of economic success by many young Chinese. Opponents of the rise of English view the language, and its underlying cultural messages, as imperialistic. Phillipson (1992) accuses ESL educators of making a negative cultural impact upon unsuspecting indigenous peoples all over the world. Skutnabb-Kangas (2000) asserts that English can be used as a tool by Western nations for global dominance.


In the present work, we investigate the behavior of the equatorial F region zonal plasma drifts over the Peruvian region under magnetically disturbed conditions during two solar minimum epochs, one of them being the recent prolonged solar activity minimum. The study utilizes the vertical and zonal components of the plasma drifts measured by the Jicamarca (11.95°S; 76.87°W) incoherent scatter radar during two events that occurred on 10 April 1997 and 24 June 2008 and model calculation of the zonal drift in a realistic ionosphere simulated by the Sheffield University Plasmasphere‐Ionosphere Model‐INPE. Two main points are focused: (1) the connection between electric fields and plasma drifts under prompt penetration electric field during a disturbed periods and (2) anomalous behavior of daytime zonal drift in the absence of any magnetic storm. A perfect anticorrelation between vertical and zonal drifts was observed during the night and in the initial and growth phases of the magnetic storm. For the first time, based on a realistic low‐latitude ionosphere, we will show, on a detailed quantitative basis, that this anticorrelation is driven mainly by a vertical Hall electric field induced by the primary zonal electric field in the presence of an enhanced nighttime E region ionization. It is shown that an increase in the field line‐integrated Hall‐to‐Pedersen conductivity ratio ∑H∑P , which can arise from precipitation of energetic particles in the region of the South American Magnetic Anomaly, is capable of explaining the observed anticorrelation between the vertical and zonal plasma drifts. Evidence for the particle ionization is provided from the occurrence of anomalous sporadic E layers over the low‐latitude station, Cachoeira Paulista (22.67°S; 44.9°W)—Brazil. It will also be shown that the zonal plasma drift reversal to eastward in the afternoon two hours earlier than its reference quiet time pattern is possibly caused by weakening of the zonal wind system during the prolonged solar minimum period.


The relation between the geometry of a two-dimensional sample and its equilibrium physical properties is exemplified here for a system of noninteracting electrons on a Mobius strip. Dispersion relation for a clean sample is derived and its persistent current under moderate disorder is elucidated, using statistical analysis pertinent to a single sample experiment. The flux periodicity is found to be distinct from that in a cylindrical sample, and the essential role of disorder in the ability to experimentally identify a Mobius strip is pointed out.


This paper introduces a sustainable way of using Recycled Glass Powder (RGP) as a cement replacement in concrete.

 In Australia, almost one million tons of glass waste is collected annually for recycling purpose. However, the inconsistency in chemical composition and the presence of impurities make glass recycling process difficult. Besides, the lack of local recycling plants coupled with high transportation costs makes the recycling process expensive.

 For the successful use of recycled glass in concrete for industrial applications, it is therefore, important to characterize the physical and chemical properties of recycled glass collected by the local councils. Furthermore, the effects of replacement levels of cement with recycled glass on the strength and durability properties of concrete need to be assessed as well.

 Mechanical strength and durability properties of concrete with 10%, 20% and 30% of RGP as a partial cement replacement were tested and compared with typical concrete and fly ash blend concrete. The relative strength test of mortar was conducted to assess the reactivity of glass powder with the cement.

 RGP concrete showed an improvement in strength over time like fly ash. Using RGP significantly improved the resistance against chloride penetration with increasing glass powder content. Furthermore, RGP also met the relative strength requirement as per Australian Standard requirement to be considered as a supplementary cementitious material.

 This research showed that the use of RGP as cement replacement is feasible for replacement level up to 10%.
 The outcome of this research aims to contribute towards sustainable development by reducing the consumption of cement, as well as reduction of glass waste going into landfill.


Since the establishment of the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) in 1999, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has made significant strides in meeting the good practice standards established by the Evaluation Co-operation Group (ECG) that represents the evaluation arms of the major multilateral development banks (MDBs). At the same time, the Panel concluded that "because feedback and learning loops are weak, the IDB evaluation system is not achieving its goal of contributing to the improvement of development results." The panel noted the absence of a tracking system for recommendations from evaluations and included in its recommendations the development of such a system as a matter of urgency to improve the follow-up to recommendations. The proposed objectives for such a system focused on the panel's findings of the need for a deeper interaction between management and OVE, as well as a stronger accountability tool for the implementation of recommendations endorsed by the IDB's Board.


The purpose of this work is to study the usage trends of Data Mining (DM) methods in education. It discusses different data mining techniques used for different types of educational data. The related papers were initially selected from the metadata containing words like Online Learning (OL) and Educational Data Mining (EDM). The papers were then filtered on the basis of DM algorithms, the purpose of study, and the types of data used. The findings suggested that EDM is the most commonly used technique for the prediction of students' academic success, and the most used purpose is classification, followed by clustering and association. Further, this research also contains the study conducted on moodle data to find anomalies. K-means clustering was applied to find the optimal number of clusters on moodle data that consists of log and quiz dataset. The growth in the number of Internet users has increased learning through the online process. Hence, several activities are performed in OL systems, which generate a massive amount of data to be analysed to obtain useful information. Therefore, this type of research is very beneficial to academicians and instructors to identify the learner's behaviors and develop suitable models.


BACKGROUND
The role of dietary habits on esophageal cancer risk has been rarely considered in terms of dietary patterns.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We analyzed data from an Italian case-control study, including 304 cases with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and 743 hospital controls. Dietary habits were evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire. A posteriori dietary patterns were identified through principal component factor analysis performed on 28 selected nutrients. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained from multiple logistic regression models applied on quartiles of factor scores, adjusting for potential confounding variables.

RESULTS
We identified five major dietary patterns, named 'animal products and related components', 'vitamins and fiber', 'starch-rich', 'other polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D', and 'other fats'. The 'animal products and related components' pattern was positively related to esophageal cancer (OR = 1.64, 95% CI:1.06-2.55, for the highest versus the lowest quartile of factor scores category). The 'vitamins and fiber' (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32-0.78) and the 'other polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D' (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31-0.74) were inversely related to esophageal cancer. No significant association was observed for the other patterns.

CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that a diet rich in foods from animal origin and poor in foods containing vitamins and fiber increase esophageal cancer risk.


The paper presents an efficient Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system using color and texture. In proposed system, two different feature extraction techniques are employed. A universal content based image retrieval system uses color, texture and shape based feature extraction techniques for better matched images from the database. In proposed CBIR system, color and texture features are used. The texture features were extracted from the query image by applying block wise Discrete Cosine Transforms (DCT) on the entire image and from the retrieved images the color features were extracted by using moments of colors (Mean, Deviation and Skewness) theory. The proposed system has used Corel database of 1000 images. The feature vectors of the query image will then be compared with feature vectors of the database to obtain similar images. Individual and combined vectors using color and texture features were computed and the combined feature vector results were comparatively better. The proposed system provides an efficiency of 60%.


Double loop computer networks are widely used in the design and implementation of local area networks and parallel processing architectures. However, the embedding problems on double-loop networks have not been well studied due to the complexity of doubleloop networks. Since the traditional L-shape, designed to compute the diameter of double-loop networks, is not efficient to solve embedding problems, we propose a novel tessellation approach to partition the geometric plane of double-loop networks into a set of parallelogram shaped tiles, called P-shape. Our proposed tessellation technique, P-shape, is a useful theoretical tool for embedding meshes on double-loop networks, and can be extended to analyze other problems as a bridge between regular graphs and double-loop networks.


: A retrospective study of 118 cases of haemorrhoids (77 cases), fissures (7 cases) and fistulas (34 cases) was done to demonstrate epithelial changes in each of the three microscopic components (transitional, rectal mucosa and keratinized squamous epithelium) of the anal canal. Histopathologically the three main lesion were metaplasia (16.9%), dysplasia (13.5%) and Koilocytotic changes (11.8%). On the other hand, the metaplastic lesion was found only on the rectal mucosa (100%), dysplasia was demonstrated on the rectal mucosa (9.8%) and on the transitional zone (21.5%). Finally koilocytosis was diagnosed only on the anal skin. The authors believe that the histopathology study (biopsy) is the best choice for the establishment of the preneoplastic lesions (dysplasia) in terms of an early detection of malignancy on the anal canal.


We are living in a period of technological advancement that is both unprecedented and widely disruptive. Rapid transitions from the previous ages of centralised traditional publication and broadcast media to the present day digital participatory media has been surprising for many especially those working in education. Many things have changed, including the design of computer interfaces, the processing speed and portability of devices, the accessibility of information and knowledge, our methods of communication, the maintenance of our relationships, commerce, the protection of personal privacy, creative processes, publication of content, and the emergence of new digital tribes and virtual clans. In schools, colleges and universities, change is being promoted that is profound and wide reaching. This paper discusses these changes and exposes some of the issues, challenges and opportunities we now need to meet as professional educators.


'Monumental!' - Bob Ross, Australian Sailing High Performance Sailing is now regarded as the bible of racing sailors and carries a string of endorsements from high achievers. Since its publication in 1984, racing yachts and dinghies have developed out of all recognition - a new high-tech breed of 'apparent wind' fast racers has claimed the water and so far no-one has applied themselves seriously to analysing what makes these boats sail fast (and what will make them faster). This is Frank Bethwaite's ground-breaking achievement in Higher Performance Sailing. By means of extensive research, and working with sailors of different racing calibre, Bethwaite analyses how to harness the apparent wind for increased speed and better position on your rivals. Higher Performance Sailing will provide the key to racing sailors' dreams. Praise for Bethwaite's High Performance Sailing: 'It represents a breakthrough...It is a book that my Olympic squad will benefit from.' Rod Carr, former British Olympic Sailing Team Manager 'Allowed only one "if only" in yacht racing, it would have been to have read Higher Performance Sailing years ago.' Bob Fisher, journalist, broadcaster and international championship winner


Private Charles B. Henry, of the United States Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, was put to death by a summary military execution on 6 June 1884, at Camp Clay, near Cape Sabine, Ellesmere Land, in the High Arctic. An execution is an extremely rare event in Arctic and Antarctic history. Shrouded in mystery for over 125 years, Henry's execution has been told in two contradicting accounts. By considering the actions of key persons, presenting new details, and identifying related artifacts for the first time, the author concludes that the lesser-known account is likely more accurate and that the participants in the execution had their reasons for not sharing the actual version publicly until many years later.


Since that fateful week of war in June 1967, when Israel's speedy military victory over the Arab states redrew the map of the Middle East, Europe, at least in terms of its influence in this crucial region, has been a cause looking for an opportunity (to borrow Henry Kissinger's classic description of Russian foreign policy). Europe's ongoing attempt to assert itself as a key player in the Middle East conflict has come to nought and it has failed to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table. For the most part it has not even been able to arrive at a united and coherent view regarding how to act vis a vis this conflict. Even when it has overcome this obstacle it has rarely succeeded in turning this united position into effective action. Though successive generations of European leaders have shared Joschka Fischer's belief that 'solving the Middle East and developing a real vision of peace is the major, major challenge for Europe', nowhere has the contrast between rhetoric and action been more obvious than in its attempts to meet this challenge. Inglorious Disarray tells the story of Europe's evolving, albeit stilted and often frustrating, involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict over the last half century. It doing so it sets out how Europe's role has affected its relationship with Israelis, Palestinians and the wider Arab world, not to mention Europe's Muslim population, and how it has influenced Europe's political development in the decades since it became an economic powerhouse.


We present a novel design for a biplanar permanent-magnet assembly suitable for use in hybrid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The key feature of our design is a large cylindrical hole that is longitudinally bored through the entire magnet assembly. The presence of the bore permits the potential inclusion of additional peripheral devices within or near the magnet structure that may benefit from being placed along, or oriented parallel to, the main magnetic field. In particular, the magnet assembly can be considered for use in an integrated system consisting of a 6 MV medical linear accelerator (linac) coupled to an MRI system for state-of-the-art real-time image-guided adaptive radiotherapy. We use magnetic field calculations based on the finite-element method (FEM) to quantify the detrimental effects of the bore on the field homogeneity in the imaging volume for pole-piece designs found commonly in industry. We then demonstrate that shape optimization of the pole pieces yields novel pole designs that lead to suitable levels of field homogeneity. We examined the resultant magnetic field within the bore for the optimized design and found that it has maximum field homogeneity.


In this study, the post-disturbance coherency of buses is added to the conventional phasor measurement unit (PMU) placement problem to find the minimum number of PMUs at different depths of unobservability. To do that, different scenarios are defined based on probabilistic parameters. Then, in each scenario, central buses are determined based on the similarity of post-disturbance variations using subtractive clustering algorithm. The central bus in each area is the bus that its post-disturbance variations are similar to the highest number of buses in the area. The PMU placement problem is then solved considering the number of scenarios where each bus has been selected as a central bus. The resulted placement scheme is more suitable for monitoring the power system dynamics compared to the conventional method. In order to reduce the number of PMUs, the placement problem is solved for higher depths of unobservability. In each depth, the voltage phasor of unobservable buses is obtained using state estimation methods. The results of applying the proposed methodology on 68-bus, 16-machine system show its better performance compared to the conventional method.


Non-British migrants and their communities were an integral part of the multifaceted and multicultural nature of the British Empire. Their history, however, goes beyond a clearly delineated narrative of the Empire and includes transnational and truly global dimensions. German migrants and their transnational network creation within the structures of the British Empire, pursued over more than two centuries in a multitude of geographical settings, is the constitutive framework of the present volume. Eight contributions cover economic, cultural, scientific and political themes. The book questions traditional nation-centred narratives of the Empire as an exclusively British undertaking.


Discovered almost forty years ago, inflation has become the leading paradigm for the early universe. Originally invented to avoid the fine-tuning puzzles of the standard model of cosmology, the so-called hot Big Bang phase, inflation has always been the subject of intense debates. In this article, after a brief review of the theoretical and observational status of inflation, we discuss the criticisms that have been expressed against it and attempt to assess whether inflation can really be viewed as a successful solution to the above mentioned issues.