Wide central markings were implemented on an 11 km long road section of main road 8 at Laitila and on a 4 km long road section of main road 9 at Tampere in the summer of 2011. The width of the central area was 0.7 m. The width of the lane was reduced by 0.25 m with the new markings. A no overtaking zone was also marked on the test road section of main road 9. The average speed was measured at one location at both test road sections. On main road 8, following the implementation of the wide central area, average speed was reduced by 0.7 km/h towards Rauma and increased by 0.6 km/h towards Turku. On main road 9 the average speed was reduced by 0.5 km/h towards Jyvaskyla and stayed the same towards Tampere when the variable speed limit was 100 km/h. When the variable speed limit was at 80 km/h average speed was increased by 1 km/h. The speeds of passenger cars and vans were reduced more than the speeds of trucks and buses. The average speed was reduced with 1.0–3.4 km/h in every measuring point when it was dark. Cruising speed was reduced by 0.7 km/h on main road 8 and by 1.9 km/h on main road 9. The number of overtaking manoeuvres stayed the same. The vehicles' distance from the central line changed only at one measuring point. At the other points the distance stayed the same. In these three points the vehicles driving towards the opposite directions were already further away from each other than normally expected, prior to the implementation of the wide central area. Turning manoeuvres to the left were examined at a busy private road crossing. The wide central area markings seem to make overtaking the turning vehicle more difficult to a certain extent, particularly when the turning or overtaking vehicle is large. Drivers were interviewed in service stations near the test road sections. The number of interviewees was 128. Opinions about the wide central area markings were mainly positive. 74 % of the drivers interviewed considered the markings useful for traffic safety. 65 % of the interviewees also believed that the wide central area markings should be implemented more often. The criticism received was mainly about the decreased comfort in driving, probably because of the narrowed lanes. 50 % of the motorcyclists criticized skidding and vibration effects. The results of the study were compared to a study made in 2009 in which the wide central area was one meter wide. When the central area and the lanes were wider, the distance between vehicles driving in opposite directions increased significantly but the changes in driving speeds were insignificant. In this study, with narrower central area and lanes, the distance between vehicles driving in opposite directions did not increase in every measuring point, the cruising speed decreased and the changes in the spot speeds varied. Both increase in the distance between different travel directions and reduction of speeds is striven with wide central area markings. Therefore it is recommended that wide central area markings should be at least one meter wide in the future so that the distance between different travel directions would increase. This marking is estimated to reduce head-on collisions and drifts to the left with 10 %, and if the road section does not have centerline rumble strips, with 19 % altogether.


Natural ageing is accompanied by a decline in motor, sensory and cognitive functions, all impacting life quality. Ageing is the predominant risk factor for many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. We need therefore to gain a better understanding of the cellular and physiological processes underlying age-related neuronal decay. However, gaining this understanding is a slow process due to the long time required to age mammalian or vertebrate model animals. Here we introduce a new cellular model within the Drosophila brain where neurons show typical ageing hallmarks known from the primate brain, including axonal swellings, cytoskeletal decay, a reduction in axonal calibre and morphological changes arising at synaptic terminals. In the fly brain, these changes occur within just a few weeks, ideal to study the underlying mechanisms. We observe that decay of the neuronal microtubule cytoskeleton clearly precedes other ageing hallmarks. We show that the microtubule-binding factors Tau, EB1 and Shot, are necessary for microtubule maintenance in axons and synapses. Their functional loss during ageing triggers microtubule bundle decay followed by the decline in axons and synapses. Genetic manipulations that improve microtubule networks, slow down other neuronal ageing hallmarks and confer aged specimens with the ability to outperform age-matched controls. Our work suggests therefore that microtubule networks are a key lesion site in ageing neurons and offer promising opportunities to improve neuronal decay in advanced age.


The improving access to increasing amounts of biomedical data provides completely new chances for advanced patient stratification and disease subtyping strategies. This requires computational tools that produce uniformly robust results across highly heterogeneous molecular data. Unsupervised machine learning methodologies are able to discover de-novo patterns in such data. Biclustering is especially suited by simultaneously identifying sample groups and corresponding feature sets across heterogeneous omics data. The performance of available biclustering algorithms heavily depends on individual parameterization and varies with their application. Here, we developed MoSBi (Molecular Signature identification using Biclustering), an automated multi-algorithm ensemble approach that integrates results utilizing an error model-supported similarity network. We evaluated the performance of MoSBi on transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics data, as well as synthetic datasets covering various data properties. Profiting from multi-algorithm integration, MoSBi identified robust group and disease specific signatures across all scenarios overcoming single algorithm specificities. Furthermore, we developed a scalable network-based visualization of bicluster communities that support biological hypothesis generation. MoSBi is available as an R package and web-service to make automated biclustering analysis accessible for application in molecular sample stratification.


Fracture aperture change under stress has long been considered as one of primary causes of stress sensitivity of fractured gas reservoirs. However, little is known about the evolution of the morphology of fracture apertures on flow property in loading and unloading cycles. This paper reports a stress sensitivity experiment on carbonate core plugs in which Computed Tomography (CT) technology is applied to visualize and quantitatively evaluate morphological changes to the fracture aperture with respect to confining pressure. Fracture models were obtained at selected confining pressures on which pore-scale flow simulations were performed to estimate the equivalent absolute permeability. The results showed that with the increase of confining pressure from 0 to 0.6 MPa, the fracture aperture and equivalent permeability decreased at a greater gradient than their counterparts after 0.6 MPa. This meant that the rock sample is more stress-sensitive at low effective stress than at high effective stress. On the loading path, an exponential fitting was found to fit well between the effective confining pressure and the calculated permeability. On the unloading path, the relationship is found partially reversible, which can evidently be attributed to plastic deformation of the fracture as observed in CT images.


The modern embedded multimedia electronic devices rely on dynamically-allocated data structures to store and process their data, as a result, the demand of its memory capacity and dynamic are increasing unceasingly. In order to better solve the memory application optimization in embedded device, this paper represents multimedia application's dynamic data structures optimization flow and improved or modified NSGA-II multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MNSGA-II), and uses three objective functions: embedded device's memory accesses, memory use and energy consumption. The MNSGA-II algorithm adopts repeat crowded distance sorting tactics to improve NSGA-II based on keeping the advantage of the original NSGA-II for multi-objective optimization problem. The experiment results show that MNSGA-II has better performance of the convergence and the diversity of solutions than original NSGA-II, and the optimal dynamic data structure implementation is successful by performing our method for one real embedded multimedia device's memory application.


This paper proposes a novel two-stage denoising method for removing random-valued impulse noise from an image. First, an impulse noise detection scheme is used to detect the pixels which are likely to be corrupted by the impulse noise (called the noise candidates). Then the noise candidates are reconstructed by using the image inpainting method based on sparse representation in an iterative manner until convergence. The proposed method leads to a simple and very effective denoising algorithm for the random-valued impulse noise removal. It is experimentally shown that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art denoising techniques for the removal of impulse noise both visually and quantitatively.


Over 30 drugs and recipes were assessed in 440 provocative bicycle ergometry tests (PWC170) and individual tolerance (IT) tests proposed by the authors in which 63 healthy volunteers participated. In the study the IT test was physiologically substantiated, and performance evaluation based on PWC170, when heart rate influencing drugs were taken, was shown to be incorrect. In the course of normal and forced breathing (gas exchange measurements) quantitative variations of PWC170 were recorded. On the basis of the study the combination of the two tests, having criterion properties and subjected to the rank evaluation, can be recommended as a method for determining physical work capacity and testing drug efficiency. During an exposure to adverse environments or functional, humoral or integrative stresses the following drugs can be prescribed: drugs classified as adaptogens of the USSR flora; multicomponent tonic recipes, containing aminoacids, metabolites, adaptogens, vitamins and metal compounds: recipes containing aminoacids and anabolics as well as low doses of CNS stimulants. It is suggested that pretreatment with aminoacids and anabolics assuring the basal energy potential enhances the effective influence of stimulants on the energy forming capacity and neuromuscular function without nerve cell breakdown in cases of extremely heavy loads and ensuing fatigue.


Contents Editorial Preface Gerhard A. Ritter and Timothy Garton Ash Notes on Contributors Introduction Eduard Muhle The European East and Weimar Germany Peter Kruger Germany and the Soviet Union Manfred Hildermeier Germany and the Baltic Region in the Short Twentieth Century Gert von Pistohlkors Nazi Germany and Eastern Europe Gerhard Hirschfeld Poland and Germany from Interwar Period through to Time of Detente Michael G. Muller The European East on the Mental Map of German Ostforschung Eduard Muhle The Mutual Perception of Czechs and Germans from the Interwar Period until the Prague Spring Hans Lemberg Mending Fences: The Federal Republic of Germany and Eastern Europe Axel Schildt Notes on Contributors Manfred Hildermeier is Professor of East European History at the University of Gottingen he was Fellow of the Historische Kolleg in Munich and Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin and is currently Chairman of the Association of German Historians among his extensive writings on Russian and Soviet history are the books Die Russische Revolution 1905@1920 (1989), Geschichte der Sowjetunion 1917@1991. Aufstieg und Niedergang des ersten sozialistischen Staates (1998), Die Sowjetunion 1917@1991 (2001) and the collective volumes Stalinismus vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Neue Wege der Forschung (1998), Europaische Zivilgesellschaft in Ost und West: Begriff, Geschichte, Chancen (2000). Gerhard Hirschfeld is Director of the Library of Contemporary History in Stuttgart and Professor of History at the University of Stuttgart. He was a researcher at the German Historical Institute in London (1978@89), Fellow of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (1996@7) and is currently President of the Comite International d'Histoire de la Deuxieme Guerre Mondiale. His publications include the book Nazi Rule and Dutch Collaboration: The Netherlands under German Occupation, 1940@1945 (1988) and the collective volumes Der 'Fuhrerstaat'. Mythos und Realitat. Studien zur Struktur und Politik des Dritten Reiches (1981), The Politics of Genocide: Jews and Soviet Prisoners of War in Nazi Germany (1986), Lager, Zwangsarbeit, Vertreibung und Deportation. Dimensionen der Massenverbrechen in der Sowjetunion und in Deutschland (1999). Peter Kruger is Professor of Modern History at the University of Marburg. He was Fellow of the Historische Kolleg in Munich and has published on sixteenth-, nineteenth- and twentieth-century European history. His research interests include the history of international relations, constitutional and intellectual history. Among his publications are the books Deutschland und die Reparationen (1973), Versailles. Deutsche Ausenpolitik zwischen Revisionismus und Friedenssicherung (1986), Die Ausenpolitik der Weimarer Republik (2nd edition, 1993), and the collective volumes Deutschland, deutscher Staat, deutsche Nation (1993), Ethnicity and Nationalism (1993), Wege und Widerspruche der europaischen Integration (1995), Das europaische Staatensystem im Wandel (1996). Hans Lemberg was Professor of East European History at the University of Dusseldorf (1973@81) and Marburg (1981@98). He is Chairman of the German@Czech and German@Slovak Commissions of Historians. His numerous publications concentrate on Bohemian and Czechoslovak history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Russian history and on relations between Germany and East Central Europe. A selection of his publications has been published under the title Mit unbestechlichem Blick (1998) and Poruzmeni. Ce?i @ Nemci @ wychodni Evropa 1848@1948 (1999). He is editor of Ostmitteleuropa zwischen den beiden Weltkriegen (1997), Grenzen in Ostmitteleuropa im


The purpose of this article is to offer insights into current understanding of digital learning environments (DLEs) from a neuroscientific perspective. Cognitive neuroscience methods are increasingly applied in educational research to examine the neural underpinnings of learning. As such, neuroscientific evidence can play an important role in advancing current knowledge base from the existing self-reported data and behavioural measures in the field of educational technology. In this paper, we focus our review of neuroscience research on DLEs that can potentially transform the way we view learning and instruction. We discuss recent empirical studies done on DLEs using common cognitive neuroscience methods which included eye tracking, electroencephalography (EEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We offer recommendations for future applications of neuroscience methods in behavioural research within DLEs.


When potato tubers are subjected to impacts, the sub-surface tissue may become discoloured as damaged cells produce the blue-black pigment melanin. Bruising caused during harvesting and handling can lead to downgrading o f potatoes for the processing industry and quality retail trade. The two aims of this thesis were to reduce the time to detect bruising, and to develop a non-subjective method for the quantification o f bruising. Reflectance spectrophotometry was investigated as a rapid, non-subjective and noninvasive way o f detecting bruising. Wavelengths from ultraviolet to near infrared were selected by discriminant analysis to separate unbruised and bruised tubers. Neural nets were trained with these wavelengths to identify bruised tubers in a sample o f unbruised and bruised tubers. The detection of bruising gave inconsistent results in unpeeled tubers, but proved to be reliable in peeled tubers. The rate o f bruise development at air pressures up to 10 bar was measured by reflectance spectrophotometry and by a visual rating. The production o f dopachrome, an orange pre-cursor pigment o f melanin, was used as an early indication o f bruising. Dopachrome is visible to the human eye and the time for bruise detection can be reduced to approximately 3 hours when compressed air is used. Infrared and microwave thermography were used to measure possible rises in bruised tissue temperature. Thermography was used in conjunction with scanning laser Doppler imaging to detect changes in the biological zero o f bruised tissue. No significant differences could be detected between unbruised and bruised tubers using these techniques. Reflectance spectrophotometry was also used in combination with a colour digital camera to automatically measure bruise area in peeled tubers. While the camera alone could measure bruise area with precision, constant adjustments were needed. Reflectance spectrophotometry was faster but less precise than the camera for measuring bruise area. A new bruise index was formulated by taking measurements o f the volume o f a tuber removed per peeler stroke for the variety Record, and using the data to model the percentage volume lost for any variety. By counting the number o f peeler strokes to remove a bruise an estimate of the tuber volume lost could be derived. This method can accommodate any type and size o f bruise and results in an index that can be easily interpreted.


Background Mild elevation of serum amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) is associated with myocardial dysfunction. A significantly lower Smith–Madigan inotropic index (SMII) has been shown to accurately represent cardiac contractility among heart failure subjects. We aim to monitor the effect of fluid resuscitation on cardiac function among paediatric patients by measuring serum NT-pro-BNP and SMII. Methods This is an observational study on 70 paediatric shock patients. NT-pro-BNP and noninvasive bedside haemodynamic monitoring were done by using an ultrasonic cardiac output monitor (USCOM, USCOM, Sydney, Australia). The presence of cardiac diseases was excluded. SMII was obtained from the USCOM. An increase in the stroke volume index (SVI) of ≥15% indicates fluid responders. Measurements were taken before and after fluid loading. Results Preloading NT-pro-BNP and SMII category were significantly different between the fluid responsiveness group, p=0.001 and p=0.004, respectively. Higher median NT-pro-BNP (preloading NT-pro-BNP of 1175.00 (254.50–9965.00) ng/mL vs. 196.00 (65.00–509.00) ng/mL, p=0.002) was associated with fluid nonresponders (subjects >12 months old). Preloading NT-pro-BNP <242.5 ng/mL was associated with fluid responders (AUC: 0.768 (0.615–0.921), p=0.003), 82.1% sensitivity, and 68.7% specificity for subjects >12 years old. Delta NT-pro-BNP in fluid responders (15.00 (−16.00–950.00) ng/mL) did not differ from fluid nonresponders (505.00 (−797.00–1600.00) ng/mL), p=0.456. Postloading SMII >1.25 W·m−2 was associated with fluid responders (AUC: 0.683 (0.553–0.813), p = 0.011), 61.9% sensitivity, and 66.7% specificity, but not preloading SMII. Fluid responders had a higher mean postloading SMII compared to nonresponders (1.36 ± 0.38 vs. 1.10 ± 0.34, p=0.006). Conclusion Higher NT-pro-BNP and lower SMII in the absence of cardiac diseases were associated with poor response to fluid loading. The SMII is affected by low preload conditions.


A semi-structured interview process was combined with an econometric analysis to document the newly changed structure of the Holstein sector, to evaluate existing quality perceptions, and to assess the impact that recent changes in production practices have had on prices of Holstein steers. Results suggest that finished Holstein steer prices are driven by many of the same market factors as native steers, overturning some common quality misconceptions. The shift towards the calf-fed production model appears to have greatly affected the market for backgrounded Holstein steers, but had little impact on the prices for light Holstein feeder steers.


: In the age of sonography, there is increasing disapproval of radiologic examination of the hip in infancy and early childhood. Justifiably, the sonogram has replaced the X-ray in many examinations of the hip joint in infants and small children, thus sparing them radiation exposure. It must be remembered, however, that sonography is primarily a screening method for detecting congenital hip dislocation and dysplasia in infancy. There is still no substitute for radiologic examination of hip joints which require treatment or have been treated. Performance of survey radiograms, and if necessary arthrography, with a specific diagnostic goal permits an interpretation of all pathomorphologic changes associated with hip dislocation in infancy and early childhood. There is no place for computerized tomography in this context. It is still impossible to predict the extent to which, in the future, magnetic resonance imaging, with new coil configurations and shorter examination times, will open a new chapter in hip joint examination.


Models based on spatial game theory continue to attract interest as platforms for studying complex simulations such as ecological, socio-political and networked-agent systems. The well-known rock-paper-scissors game is one such model that can be played out by networked agents with individual strategies competing against their spatially-connected sites. Stochastic simulations of this 3-state game can be used to model discretely the chemical or organisational rate equations that would normally require continuous numerical methods. In this paper we study higher numbers of states and the interplay between cyclic interactions amongst the species. We find a complex domain layering pattern that varies with the even/oddness of the number of states and we use visualisation and statistical simulation techniques to explore this behaviour. We find that the vacant sites in the spatial model play a subtle and important role in controlling species population levels.


Background: Tissue expansion is a common reconstructive surgery especially in burned patients. This study has been designed to evaluate the rate of complications of this method in Hazrat Fatima Hospital between 1389-1391. Materials & Methods: In this cross sectional and retrospective study, 150 patients' records have been studied between 1389-1391 years, frequency rate and types of complications related to tissue expander have been surveyed in these patients. Results: Complications have been observed in about 7% of the patients included in this study. Exposure of tissue expander was the most common complication (81.8%). Other complications which are resulted from this issue are capsular contracture and infection. Age was the only factor which had significant relation with increasing complication among the other surveyed factors including age, sex, indication of operation, wound location and duration of anaesthesia.(p=0.033) Conclusion: The incidence of complication in patients that required tissue expander was not high and it was less than 10%. It should be noted that patient selection should be carefully in paediatric group and also strict observance of surgical principles is necessary to avoid complication.


In very broad terms, we can say that there are mainly three competing approaches to the examination of social phenomena in general and the economic phenomena in particular. One of them relies on the assumption that economic relations are governed by natural law-like regularities. In this approach, individuals as rationally motivated actors are regarded as agents of those economic relations. In this perspective, whether environment as the context of human agency may change is not a question that needs to be taken into account; hence, possible role of human agency in the change of environment is not also considered. Opposing to this position are materialist accounts that deal with the change of material conditions as the basis of human social relations. These materialist accounts do not grant human agency an autonomous role in the initiation of transformative processes of material context, and they construe human actions as motivated by the rational evaluations of existing material conditions, e.g. class actions motivated by class interests. Against these converging approaches in terms of their conception of rationalist human action, there are approaches that reject the assumption of rationalist human action as the basic form of human action. They argue for the need to explain how human beings develop particular forms of motives, if human agents are not rationally motivated by an external stimulus of the conditions. Therefore, there is also a need to give an account of how human actions and environment are interrelated in order to explain the change of environmental context. In this article, I aim to highlight the primacy of non-rationalist and non-teleological human action in the constitution of economic phenomena and economic change by discussing Veblen's social theory. I present Veblen's critiques of the marginalist utilitarian school and Marx (and Marxism). According to Veblen, both of these approaches conceive human actors as passively responding to the stimulus of environment by means of rational calculation of their economic interests. Thus, such approaches ignore the institutional conditioning of human actions, and therefore, within the terms of such approaches, economic change becomes unexplainable in terms of cause and effect relations in which human action has a place. On the basis of Veblen's criticisms of rationalist human agency, then, I argue that human action founded on the creative, active human agency is the central explanatory tool that makes possible Veblen's non-teleological evolutionary theory. I claim that Veblen's notion of human action in terms of habituation allows us developing a conception of human action which shapes and is shaped by the physical and institutional complex. Thus, human evolution appears as a non-teleological, cumulatively caused process. Then, I explicate the primacy of human action and active human agency in Veblen's conception of technological change through a critique of David Seckler's behaviouralist interpretation of Veblen's social theory. Seckler claims that Veblen's understanding of human evolution depends on a unilinear causality flowing from thoughts to action via the mediation of technological change, in which "idle curiosity" is the primary instinct. In contrast to Seckler, I show that the instinct of idle curiosity actualizes itself within the processes of human action in continuum.


Arsenic is a toxic metalloid which is widely distributed in nature. It is normally present as arsenate under oxic conditions while arsenite is predominant under reducing condition. The major discharges of arsenic in the environment are mainly due to natural sources such as aquifers and anthropogenic sources. It is known that arsenite salts are more toxic than arsenate as it binds with vicinal thiols in pyruvate dehydrogenase while arsenate inhibits the oxidative phosphorylation process. The common mechanisms for arsenic detoxification are uptaken by phosphate transporters, aquaglyceroporins, and active extrusion system and reduced by arsenate reductases via dissimilatory reduction mechanism. Some species of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms use arsenic oxyanions for their regeneration of energy. Certain species of microorganisms are able to use arsenate as their nutrient in respiratory process. Detoxification operons are a common form of arsenic resistance in microorganisms. Hence, the use of bioremediation could be an effective and economic way to reduce this pollutant from the environment.


In this paper, we propose a new method for the synthesis of robust proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control systems. The proposed method is based on the idea of partial model matching. The stability feeler, a tool for robust stability analysis, is used to stabilize closed‐loop systems with uncertainties. An advantage of the proposed method is that it guarantees robust stability of control systems. To clarify the effectiveness of the proposed method, two types of simulations are given. One is the case where the nominal plant is not stable. The other is the case where the plant is not robustly stable although the nominal plant is stable. The simulation results when the nominal plant is not stable show that the controller derived by the proposed method robustly stabilizes the closed‐loop system, whereas that derived by conventional partial model matching method cannot stabilize it. Moreover, when the plant is not robustly stable, it can be seen that the controller by the proposed method can robustly stabilize the system. Therefore, it is shown that the proposed method enables one to derive PID controllers robustly stabilizing closed‐loop systems. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


A method to synthesize shaped beams with antenna arrays is presented. Specifically, the element excitations are determined such that the array radiates a power pattern that approximates a desired shape. To efficiently solve this problem, an iterative algorithm is proposed. Each step is reduced to a simple convex optimization problem. The method can be readily implemented and efficiently solved using freely accessible routines. Moreover, any shaped power pattern can be synthesized. Numerical comparisons to known optimal solutions show the validity of the approach.


Background: Prolongation of the QT interval of the electrocardiogram (ECG), underlain by prolongation of the action potential duration (APD) at the cellular level, is linked to increased vulnerability to cardiac arrhythmia. Pharmacological management of arrhythmia associated with QT prolongation is typically achieved through attempting to restore APD to control ranges, reversing the enhanced vulnerability to Ca2+-dependent afterdepolarisations (arrhythmia triggers) and increased transmural dispersion of repolarisation (arrhythmia substrate) associated with APD prolongation. However, such pharmacological modulation has been demonstrated to have limited effectiveness. Understanding the integrative functional impact of pharmacological modulation requires simultaneous investigation of both the trigger and substrate. Methods: We implemented a multi-scale (cell and tissue) in silico approach using a model of the human ventricular action potential, integrated with a model of stochastic 3D spatiotemporal Ca2+ dynamics, and parameter modification to mimic prolonged QT conditions. We used these models to examine the efficacy of the hERG activator MC-II-157c in restoring APD to control ranges, examined its effects on arrhythmia triggers and substrates, and the interaction of these arrhythmia triggers and substrates. Results: QT prolongation conditions promoted the development of spontaneous release events underlying afterdepolarisations during rapid pacing. MC-II-157c applied to prolonged QT conditions shortened the APD, inhibited the development of afterdepolarisations and reduced the probability of afterdepolarisations manifesting as triggered activity in single cells. In tissue, QT prolongation resulted in an increased transmural dispersion of repolarisation, which manifested as an increased vulnerable window for uni-directional conduction block. In some cases, MC-II-157c further increased the vulnerable window through its effects on INa. The combination of stochastic release event modulation and transmural dispersion of repolarisation modulation by MC-II-157c resulted in an integrative behavior wherein the arrhythmia trigger is reduced but the arrhythmia substrate is increased, leading to variable and non-linear overall vulnerability to arrhythmia. Conclusion: The relative balance of reduced trigger and increased substrate underlies a multi-dimensional role of MC-II-157c in modulation of cardiac arrhythmia vulnerability associated with prolonged QT interval.


Relatively little is known about the small subset of peroxisomal proteins with predicted protease activity. Here, we report that the peroxisomal LON2 (At5g47040) protease facilitates matrix protein import into Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) peroxisomes. We identified T-DNA insertion alleles disrupted in five of the nine confirmed or predicted peroxisomal proteases and found only two—lon2 and deg15, a mutant defective in the previously described PTS2-processing protease (DEG15/At1g28320)—with phenotypes suggestive of peroxisome metabolism defects. Both lon2 and deg15 mutants were mildly resistant to the inhibitory effects of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on root elongation, but only lon2 mutants were resistant to the stimulatory effects of IBA on lateral root production or displayed Suc dependence during seedling growth. lon2 mutants displayed defects in removing the type 2 peroxisome targeting signal (PTS2) from peroxisomal malate dehydrogenase and reduced accumulation of 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, another PTS2-containing protein; both defects were not apparent upon germination but appeared in 5- to 8-d-old seedlings. In lon2 cotyledon cells, matrix proteins were localized to peroxisomes in 4-d-old seedlings but mislocalized to the cytosol in 8-d-old seedlings. Moreover, a PTS2-GFP reporter sorted to peroxisomes in lon2 root tip cells but was largely cytosolic in more mature root cells. Our results indicate that LON2 is needed for sustained matrix protein import into peroxisomes. The delayed onset of matrix protein sorting defects may account for the relatively weak Suc dependence following germination, moderate IBA-resistant primary root elongation, and severe defects in IBA-induced lateral root formation observed in lon2 mutants.


The methodology for testing hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) resistance of carbon steel in mild sour service is discussed. When H 2 S content is low, the use of steel grades with intermediate HIC resistance often presents many advantages, such as higher mechanical properties and economical benefits. As a counterpart, fit-for-purpose testing procedures are required in order to assess the HIC performance at the intended service conditions. With regards low H 2 S environments, time of exposure is recognised as the critical testing parameter. The environment encountered in the annular space of flexible pipelines is very often mildly severe. Due to the high confinement, pH level is higher than in bulk conditions with the same gas composition but a larger V/S ratio between the volume of electrolyte and the exposed steel surface. H 2 S content in the annulus is also less than in the fluid transported in the bore of the pipeline, due to permeation through inner thermoplastic sheaths and consumption. Qualification tests of very high strength steel wires are therefore usually conducted with one month exposure at the predicted pH and P H2S in the annulus, while standard testing procedures referenced in ISO 15156 specify 96 h immersion but a higher H 2 S level. In the present study, different grades of high strength steel wires were tested in environments containing as low as 100 ppmv H 2 S, with exposure times varying from 96 hours and up to 1 year. For the steels grades that have been studied, it is confirmed that the actual qualification procedure consisting in 1 month exposure is appropriate to detect HIC susceptibility.


Precautionary Principle: A Critique of Food Safety Regulation in the United States by Vern R. Walker A more substantive precautionary principle of international law is evolving as new treaties articulate new measures of precaution in different contexts. Although there is considerable controversy over how to articulate or define a precautionary "principle" of law, the goal is to ensure that the mere lack of scientific knowledge about risks cannot justify a failure to take appropriate precautions. Where we have sufficient evidence of risk, we often take precautions, despite a lack of certainty about those risks. The question arises, however, what the difference is between adopting a precautionary principle and merely taking precautions. Put another way, what is to be gained by adopting a precautionary principle at all, as compared to merely taking precautions? This Article explores that question by using the example of food safety regulation in the United States. My principal conclusion is that although precautionary measures for achieving food safety in the United States are some of the oldest and most successful in the world, even such measures fall short when they are evaluated from the unifying perspective of the precautionary principle. Any articulation of the precautionary principle would apply at two distinct levels of decisionmaking: (1) decisions about the factual situations that trigger justifiable recourse to precautionary measures; and (2) the management decisions to select the desired level of protection and to establish measures to achieve that level of protection. The first aspect involves primarily risk assessment, while the second is part of risk management. This Article examines these levels of decisionmaking in the regulation of food safety in the United States. My objective is not, of course, to provide a comprehensive survey of that regulatory structure. Rather, the goal is to use food safety regulation to find concrete examples of the difference between merely taking precautions and adopting the precautionary principle. A byproduct of this examination is a more detailed account of what it means to adopt the precautionary principle.


Abstract The Herodotus Basin is the deepest part of the SE Mediterranean and receives allochthonous sediments as turbidity currents and debris flows from around its margin. During the late Quaternary, characteristic supply has been from at least four sources. These are (1) dark coloured, calcium carbonate-poor fine-grained turbidites derived from the Nile Cone to the south and south-east, (2) lighter coloured, calcium carbonate-rich, slightly coarser-grained turbidites derived from the Libyan-Egyptian shelf to the south, (3) small, light brown foraminifer-rich, muddy-silty turbidites derived from the Cyprus-Eratosthenes seamount (Anatolian Rise) carbonate shelf to the east, and (4) small localized debris flow deposits derived from the Mediterranean Ridge to the north. During the late Quaternary (0–60 ka), and specifically the period of 0–27 ka, the basin has filled predominantly with allochthonous material derived from the Nile Cone, although one megaturbidite of basinwide extent was derived from the Libyan-Egyptian shelf. Turbidites have been correlated across the Herodotus Basin using the technique of chemostratigraphy. Matching the results of geochemical analysis may show whether or not the beds in different cores were deposited by the same mass-wasting event, for individual turbidites commonly have diagnostic and unique geochemical 'fingerprints' in terms of major, minor and trace element composition. Sediment budgets for the three main turbidite sources are calculated. The cumulative volume of the sedimentary input for the Nile Cone- derived turbidites over the last 27 ka is c. 500 km3, giving an average sedimentation rate of c. 45 cm ka−1, and a volume per unit time of 18 km3 ka−1. A megaturbidite, derived from the Libyan-Egyptian shelf, is of basinwide extent and has a volume of c. 400 km3.


Training a support vector machine (SVM) leads to a quadratic optimization problem with bound constraints and one linear equality constraint. Despite the fact that this type of problem is well understood, there are many issues to be considered in designing an SVM learner. In particular, for large learning tasks with many training examples, oo-the-shelf optimization techniques for general quadratic programs quickly become intractable in their memory and time requirements. SV M light1 is an implementation of an SVM learner which addresses the problem of large tasks. This chapter presents algorithmic and computational results developed for SV M light V2.0, which make large-scale SVM training more practical. The results give guidelines for the application of SVMs to large domains.


Animal migrations offer a unique opportunity for developing and testing hypotheses about the ecological requirements of different species and the tradeoffs that they make between conflicting life-history demands. There has been relatively little research into the causes and consequences of migrations by fruit bats, despite their potential significance for pollination and seed dispersal. We assessed the causes of one of the most spectacular migrations of fruit bats known: the annual influx of an estimated 5–10 million E. helvum into Kasanka National Park in Zambia. We tested several predictions based on the hypothesis that E. helvum migrates to exploit seasonal variations in food supply opportunistically. Phenological data, feeding observations and monitoring of fruit bat movements provided the first quantitative evidence in support of the hypothesis that the migration of E. helvum in Zambia is driven by food supply. The E. helvum colony exhibited several surprising behaviors, including a tendency for migratory satellite colonies to aggregate, rather than to disperse, during the time of peak food production, and a tendency to fly well beyond the most immediate food sources when foraging. Alternative hypotheses to explain the E. helvum migration were not supported, but further research is needed to clarify the results of this preliminary study. Both the size of the colony and its potential for large-scale movements suggest that this bat may play an important economic and ecological role over a significant portion of sub-Saharan Africa. Information is still lacking about migration routes, food sources, habitat requirements and the role of migration in disease transmission between colonies of E. helvum.


The article demonstrates that over a period of many years the development of national psychiatric care in Russia followed the course of centralization. During the Zemstvo self government period the principle of decentralization was proposed on purpose to make the psychiatric care more accessible for population.


There is still disagreement concerning the precise nature of the anterior ventricular chamber in "tricuspid atresia". Some argue that it is a right ventricle, while our own previous studies have suggested it is comparable to the outlet chamber seen in classical "single ventricle". We have compared the morphology of the anterior ventricular chambers in 48 examples of tricuspid atresia (absent right atrioventricular connection), 24 hearts with double inlet to the left ventricular chamber, and 15 hearts with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum. Since there is further disagreement concerning the nature of the coronary artery which delimits the posterior extent of the ventricular septum in these hearts, we analysed the position of this vessel relative to external reference points on the atrioventricular junction. No significant difference was found with respect to the morphometry of hearts with tricuspid atresia (absent right atrioventricular connection) and those with double inlet. In both groups, however, significant differences were shown between hearts with ventriculoarterial concordance and discordance. Coronary artery disposition was the same in both groups and different from that found in hearts with pulmonary atresia and intact septum. We conclude that the ventricular morphology is comparable in hearts with tricuspid atresia (absent right atrioventricular connection) and those with double inlet to a left ventricular chamber. The lesions are distinguishable by their atrioventricular connection which is nevertheless univentricular in both.


A straightforward and gram-scale synthesis method was developed to engineer highly sulfated hyperbranched polyglycerol bearing sulfated alkyl chains. The compounds with shorter alkyl chains showed multivalent virustatic inhibition against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), similar to heparin. In contrast, the compound with the longest alkyl chains irreversibly inhibited the virus.


The conflux of two growing areas of technology – collaboration and visualization – into a new research direction, collaborative visualization, provides new research challenges. Technology now allows us to easily connect and collaborate with one another – in settings as diverse as over networked computers, across mobile devices, or using shared displays such as interactive walls and tabletop surfaces. Digital information is now regularly accessed by multiple people in order to share information, to view it together, to analyze it, or to form decisions. Visualizations are used to deal more effectively with large amounts of information while interactive visualizations allow users to explore the underlying data. While researchers face many challenges in collaboration and in visualization, the emergence of collaborative visualization poses additional challenges, but it is also an exciting opportunity to reach new audiences and applications for visualization tools and techniques. The purpose of this article is (1) to provide a definition, clear scope, and overview of the evolving field of collaborative visualization, (2) to help pinpoint the unique focus of collaborative visualization with its specific aspects, challenges, and requirements within the intersection of general computer-supported cooperative work and visualization research, and (3) to draw attention to important future research questions to be addressed by the community. We conclude by discussing a research agenda for future work on collaborative visualization and urge for a new generation of visualization tools that are designed with collaboration in mind from their very inception.


1. Understanding the structure of ecological networks is a crucial task for interpreting community and ecosystem responses to global change. 2. Despite the recent interest in this subject, almost all studies have focused exclusively on one specific network property. The question remains as to what extent different network properties are related and how understanding this relationship can advance our comprehension of the mechanisms behind these patterns. 3. Here, we analysed the relationship between nestedness and modularity, two frequently studied network properties, for a large data set of 95 ecological communities including both plant-animal mutualistic and host-parasite networks. 4. We found that the correlation between nestedness and modularity for a population of random matrices generated from the real communities decreases significantly in magnitude and sign with increasing connectance independent of the network type. At low connectivities, networks that are highly nested also tend to be highly modular; the reverse happens at high connectivities. 5. The above result is qualitatively robust when different null models are used to infer network structure, but, at a finer scale, quantitative differences exist. We observed an important interaction between the network structure pattern and the null model used to detect it. 6. A better understanding of the relationship between nestedness and modularity is important given their potential implications on the dynamics and stability of ecological communities.


Geometrically a crystal containing dislocations and disclinations can be envisaged as a "fixed frame" Cartan-Einstein space-time carrying torsion and curvature, respectively. We demonstrate that electrons in defected graphene are transported in the same way as fundamental Dirac fermions in a nontrivial 2+ 1-dimensional space-time, with the proviso that the graphene electrons remember the lattice constant through the valley quantum numbers. The extra "valley holonomy" corresponds to modified Euclidean symmetry generators.


This paper considers an analysis of statistical coefficient sensitivity and frequency coefficient sensitivity of Periodically Time-Varying (PTV) state-space digital filters. A statistical coefficient sensitivity is defined by using a virtual PTV state-space digital filter in which the periodically time-varying coefficients are stochastically varying. In order to analyze frequency coefficient sensitivity, a transfer function, which is called Output Sampling Polyphase (OSP) transfer function, is defined and expressed in terms of the coefficients of PTV state-space digital filters in a closed form. A frequency coefficient sensitivity is defined as an integral measure of the OSP transfer function with respect to the coefficients. It turns out that although the definitions of the two kinds of coefficient sensitivities are extremely different, their expressions are the same and closely related to the controllability and observability Grammians of PTV state-space digital filters. Also, some considerations for the minimization of the coefficient sensitivity are discussed. Finally, a numerical example is given to verify the analysis above and to show the dependence of the coefficient sensitivity on structure of PTV state-space digital filters. >


Despite a growing body of research on the association between psychosis and homicide and between psychosis and sexual offending, research on psychosis and sexual homicide is limited. The objective of this review was to estimate the prevalence of psychosis in sexual homicide and to explore the extent to which prior research has investigated symptoms of psychosis as a motivating or causal variable leading to incidents of sexual homicide. We hypothesized that psychosis is present in a minority of sexual homicide cases. Articles were identified by searching literature databases (i.e., PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE) and references of relevant articles. Eight studies were included. The overall prevalence of psychosis among individuals who committed sexual homicide ranged from 0 to 27 percent as measured in a broad array of diverse samples. Given that five of the eight studies reported psychosis rates to be five percent or less, our findings suggest that psychosis occurs in a minority of sexual homicide cases. None of the studies directly examined the causal or motivational properties of psychosis in driving these types of offenses, and this represents an important area of inquiry for future research.


Each fall, a group of intrepid students converge in a classroom on the third floor of the University of Pennsylvania's Towne Engineering Building for what they know will be one of the most challenging courses in their academic career. That first class begins with a discussion of where it will end. In particular, we talk about what they will accomplish in the final project, where they will design, fabricate, assemble, program, and debug small teams of autonomous hockey-playing robots, complete with wireless communications, infrared puck sensing, and enough onboard computational power to handle just about any task that can dream up. Most of the students look incredulous; after all, many of them have never built a circuit or written C code before.


Consumer purchase behaviour toward foreign products has been for many years an area of ongoing interest in fields that span both consumer behavior and international
marketing. This thesis, which is based on the concepts of Theory of Reasoned Action(TRA) and ethnocentrism (CET), has the following objectives, (1) measure the level of the consumer ethnocentrism among Jordanian consumer in Amman, (2)determinants that influence consumer behavior towards foreign products, (3) explain the structural interrelationships between the external variables conservatism, interest in travel within TRA model, (4) validate and generate a research model that will be
able to demonstrate actual purchase consumer behaviour towards foreign products in Jordan. A questionnaire consisting of names of the variables (interest in foreign
travel, conservatism, consumer ethnocentrism, attitude toward foreign product, intention toward foreign product, and actual purchase toward foreign product) was used to collect the data for this study. Phone calls were made to 518 households' respondents in Amman. This was done based on systematic random sampling using the telephone directory of Jordan (Yellow Pages). The survey yielded 382 usable
questionnaires, with a response rate of 73.74%. Statistical analysis methods (SPSS) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with AMOS version 7.0 were used to analyse data. The findings indicate that the level of ethnocentrism among Jordanian consumers in Amman is low, (2) all three predictors (conservatism, attitude toward foreign product, and intention) are significant factors influencing purchase behavior, (3) all direct relationships were supported, except interest in travel, (4) all indirect effects were supported, except that intention was not found to be a mediator between "ATT" and "ACT", (5) the TRA with external factors can partially explain the research model (interest in travel is not a significant factor affecting attitude), (6) the results showed that our modified model "GM" predicts Jordanian behavior to buy foreign product more effectively than the original TRA model. Using SEM, the
Model Generating (MG) confirmed better fit and larger parsimony compared with the hypothesized (SC) and Alternative Model (AM), as shown in the GOF index,
CMIN/df = 1.049; GFI = 0.940; RMSEA = 0.011; TLI = 0.999; P-value = 0.259; SMC = 0.77. This study has several valuable implications. Telephone survey used in this study could be considered as a big contribution. Most previous discussions on Jordanian CET were mainly journalistic account in nature or non-academic findings. They are economic experts who proclaimed in different occasion about there vision
towards the Jordanian consumer preferences and the impact of these preferences. Our results contribute to the empirical research findings thus supporting narration and
previous proclamations made by Jordanian writers. SEM is strongly recommended for better quality model testing and generating with AMOS software. The two external variables were added, which increased the power of the TRA model and
helped towards the ongoing efforts of theory-building in this field. This approach should be continued in future research. In view of the low ethnocentrism, positive
attitude and high intention toward foreign product among local consumers in Amman which increases the cash flow toward foreign product (high deficit), it would be appropriate to suggest the following recommendations: (i) an increase in import tariff will unambiguously lead to a general increase in price, since, in equilibrium, tariffs
may be imposed to increase the cost of imported goods in relation to domestic production, thereby reducing the volume of imports and keeping the balance of payments in credit, or to protect domestic industry from foreign competition and will improve the demand on the home made products, (ii) launch a national campaign to increase the level and awareness of ethnocentrism among Jordanian consumers to encourage people to buy local and support local products Investigating the purchase behaviour toward foreign products based only on consumer perspective can be a
limitation of this study. Future research can investigate such fields as business purchase behaviour or government purchase behaviour, which may have been neglected here.


This article documents the purposes and reasons for the development of the Tribal Law Journal, the University of New Mexico School of Law's electronic journal created to promote scholarship on tribal law and the Indigenous legal tradition. It discusses the use of the internet for the work of the journal and of the need to increase an understanding and awareness of the law of Indigenous peoples. The diversity of indigenous peoples, in and of itself, requires unique approaches to the discussion of tribal law. The article considers how the Zapatista Movement in Chiapas utilized the internet. The Zapatista's engagement of the Mexican government has been described as a "shadow war" for its engagement in conflict in "symbolic rather than real terms." This early exploitation of the internet allowed the Zapatista to get their position across without having to rely on gatekeepers. The article describes how the Journal follows the same strategy in respect to tribal law. The important developments occurring in law at the tribal level require Indigenous Peoples' awareness of trends among Indigenous peoples in the United States and across the world. Electronic communication has significantly facilitated this. The article concludes with a discussion of the limitations that challenge electronic communication among Indigenous Peoples.


In this study, a new concept is introduced - gravitational cells. The body of a black hole consists of a huge number of such cells. Based on this hypothesis, using string theory, the Schwarzschild radius formula and the Coulomb formula, a formula for the gravitational constant was obtained. The new formula was used to determine the value of the gravitational constant in the region of black holes, and also confirmed the value of the usual gravitational constant. Also in this work, a new physical constant was obtained - the mass of the gravitational cell of a black hole. The results obtained made it possible to draw conclusions regarding the gravitational mass of the proton and the electron. In this study, the gravity cell hypothesis was organically integrated into string theory. As a result, it was possible to apply the Planck formula to the gravitational interaction. Thus, the formula for the vibration frequency of gravitational strings (the frequency of gravitational waves) was obtained, and their frequency was determined. The formula for the mass of an electron was obtained. The electron mass calculated by the formula coincided with the experimental value.


A method for highly efficient segment-specific mutagenesis is described. The method uses as target for sodium bisulfite mutagenesis the DNA single strands of a DNA restriction fragment that had been separated by cloning into base-comple- mentary regions of a pair of phage fd vectors. After repair syn- thesis in vitro, the mutagenized DNA fragment is recovered by cloning into a nonmutated plasmid vector and analyzed for se- quence and by functional tests. By using this method, the nucleo- tide sequence of a 109-base pair restriction fragment containing the lac promoter/operator from Escherichia coli was extensively modified. More than 90% of the 235 isolates obtained showed a change in phenotype; all of 22 analyzed for their nucleotide se- quence were found to carry multiple C -> T point mutations in up to 60% of the possible target positions. Nevertheless, few isolates showed major changes in promoter activity relative to the non- mutated promoter element, which indicates a high degree of flex-


Abstract The genus Prolagus is very common in the Neogene and Quaternary of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. However, the complexity of its systematics, mainly based on p3 characters that show great inter- and intraspecific variability, led to an under-utilization of Prolagus in biochronology and palaeogeography studies. A re-analysis of the species of Prolagus recorded in the Escobosa de Calatañazor karst fissure fillings (Duero Basin, northern Spain, MN7/8, late Middle Miocene) includes the introduction of new maxillary and mandibular morphological characters (position, shape and size of premolar and mandibular foramina) and new dental measurements (hypoflexus depth, distal hypercone length, and partial width of upper premolars; relative length of trigonid of lower molariform teeth) to be used for species discrimination within the genus Prolagus. The new morphological characters and measurements introduced in this paper allow for a more accurate taxonomic assignment of Prolagus species, thus improving the estimation of faunal palaeodiversity, detection of sympatric species and taphonomic mixing, and contributing to more reliable biochronological, palaeogeographical, and phylogenetic inferences based on Prolagus.


Sheila was born in Thetford, moved to Dursley and then to Cinderford by the age of 8. After attending East Dean Grammar School, she spent two years undertaking teacher training in Birmingham (to teach infants). She worked for three years in Birmingham (Marston Green) before health issues prompted a return to Gloucestershire to live and work.
She taught for several years at Coney Hill School, in Gloucester city, commuting each day from her family home in Cinderford. Sheila moved to teach at Walmer Hill School, remaining there until retirement at age 50. She was involved with the Guiding movement from age 10 (early entry to the Guides) on into adult life. Sheila was also involved with acting (Wesley Players, Cinderford) and the W.I.
She was a close friend of Elsie Olivey, who was key mover in development of the Dean Heritage Centre, Wesley Players, and Bilson W.I. etc. Elsie also undertook many recordings of older people from the Forest of Dean in the 1980s & 1990s which are currently in the process of being transferred to modern electronic storage systems. Sheila lived next door to Forest author Harry Beddington for many years, and also 'knew of' author Leonard Clark both of whom were from Cinderford.

Overview: The 'Voices from the Forest' collection represents a series of oral history recordings made between 2016 and 2019 (continuing) and funded as part of the Foresters' Forest project, a National Lottery Heritage Fund landscape partnership programme. The recordings take a biographical, life story approach to discover the occupational histories of men and women in the Forest of Dean in the last half of the twentieth century. It compliments a series of recordings, made in the 1980s by Elsie O'Livey in the Forest of Dean, that feature the life stories of people in the first half of the century. The recordings are a rich source of material for social geographers, social and cultural historians and those interested in the history of the Forest of Dean and the broad occupational history of the area. The recordings feature recollections of men who worked thorough the last days of large-scale coal mining in the area, forestry related work and their adaptation to new modes of employment in fabrication and manufacturing industries. The collection has made a special emphasis on recording the experiences of women in the domestic setting, their experiences in the factories that grew throughout the period and the diaspora providing domestic services in London, Cheltenham and elsewhere. The improvements in domestic utilities, education and opportunity are reflected across the recordings. The recordings also reflect the economic uncertainty that existed throughout the twentieth century and the persistence of traditional activities such as sheep commoning, freemining and small holding that provided alternative forms of sustainable family living. The experience of major events such as the Second World War, post war rationing, and the Foot and Mouth epidemics are covered. The recordings were made in the homes of the interviewees and consents and permissions were in accordance with GDPR (2019).


One of the design targets for the Tokamak Exhaust Processing (TEP) system of ITER is not to lose more than 10-5gh-1 into the Normal Vent Detritiation system of the Tritium Plant. The plasma exhaust gas therefore needs to be processed in a way that a tritium removal efficiency of about 108 with respect to the flow rate is achieved. Expressed in terms of tritium concentrations this corresponds to a decontamination from about 130 gm-3 down to about 10-4 gm-3 (about 1 Cim-3 = 3.7*1010 Bqm-3). The three step reference process for the TEP system of ITER is called CAPER and has been developed and realized at the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK). After the successful commissioning of the PERMCAT reactor as the key component of the third step detailed parametric tritium testing of the 3 steps involving the processing of more than 300 g tritium has been carried out and decontamination factors beyond the design requirements have been demonstrated for each process step and for the process as a whole. Not only the decontamination factor of 108 as required by ITER, but also the operational mode of TEP as a waste dump for gases from diverse sources has been experimentally validated with the CAPER facility.


Anthropogenic activities that annually release gigatonnes of carbon into the Earth's atmosphere have resulted in the change of environmental conditions on Earth including rise in seawater surface water temperature (SWT). Coastal ecosystems, including mangroves are especially vulnerable to rise in SWT. These changes are likely to affect bacterioplankton community structure and function in mangrove environments. The present study was conducted to understand the change in bacterioplankton community structure and diversity with seasonal variation in SWT. The study was undertaken across two predefined sampling stations of Sundarbans Biological Observatory Time Series (SBOTS) designated as Station 1 (Stn1) and Station 3 (Stn3) spanning over the pre-monsoon (June-July), monsoon (August-September) and post-monsoon (October) of 2014. Environmental parameters including SWT were measured in situ at the time of sampling. A clone library and sequencing approach using 16S rRNA was undertaken to understand the significance of SWT in shaping bacterioplankton communities across both stations. Based on molecular phylogeny of 200 clones sequenced, Proteobacteria were found to be the most dominant phylum with predominance of Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria across both stations. Besides Proteobacteria, sequences were found to be affiliated other bacterial phyla such as Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Sphingobacteria and Firmicutes as well as the domain Archaea. In total, 140 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were encountered based on the analysis of 200 clones sequenced as part of this study. Diversity of OTUs was found to be highest in the month of June (35 OTUs) and lowest in the months of September and October (28 OTUs for each month). Marinobacter and Hyphomonas-like 16S rRNA signatures (members belonging to Proteobacteria) were found in both stations from July to August irrespective of the changes in SWT. Overwhelming abundance of Muricauda-like 16S rRNA sequences (a member of the phylum Bacteroidetes) were encountered exclusively in the month of July in Stn1 when there was an increase in SWT. On the other hand, Arcobacter-like 16S rRNA sequences (a member of Proteobacteria) were encountered exclusively in Stn3 during the months of August and September when recorded SWT was lesser compared to July. A fall in Fusibacter-like 16S rRNA sequences (belonging to Firmicutes) was encountered in clone libraries during the postmonsoon (October) when surface water temperature started to decrease gradually. Incidentally, 27 OTUs belonging to Proteobacteria were always present in the study area irrespective of seasonal variation in SWT. To understand the influence of seasonal variation in SWT on bacterioplankton community structure, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. The PCA plots highlighted a strong correlation between SWT and bacterial diversity. A substantial portion of the variance in bacterioplankton diversity was also accounted for by other environmental factors such as dissolved nitrate concentration and salinity. Changes in surface water temperature can affect environmental parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and salinity, which can ultimately influence bacterioplankton community structure and their functions including aquatic nutrient cycling in Sundarbans ecoregion.


Hospitals presenting voluntarily for accreditation survey during 1993 submitted data on pulmonary embolism to the Australian Council on Health Care Standard (ACHS) Care Evaluation Program (CEP) as a part of their medical quality activities. The data were stratified by hospital type and bed-size, and compared to the provisional threshold of 1%. The mean duration of data collection was 24 weeks (range 8-74 weeks). Of hospitals with bed-size 1-50, 77% observed a zero pulmonary embolism rate. Hospitals with zero and non-zero pulmonary embolism rates were significantly different with respect to bed-size (P = 0.001). The rarity of pulmonary embolism and lack of prospective continuous monitoring poses considerable problems in interpretation of aggregate rates. Hospitals with a high patient throughout should continuously monitor their pulmonary embolism data to achieve a large denominator. For smaller hospitals with a low performance of major operations, collection of data on this clinical indicator is unlikely to be useful as a measure of quality of care.


It is well-known that multiuser detection techniques such as successive interference cancellation (SIC) can obtain significant performance improvement over traditional matched filter receivers in code division multiple access (CDMA) systems. Due to its simplicity and usefulness, the SIC structure has received significant attention for several years. In this letter, we make three contributions to the understanding of this receiver structure. First, we derive a closed form expression for received power profile of linear SIC with arbitrary spreading gain and SINR requirements. Second, using this expression we examine the performance of SIC under various ordering criteria based on spreading gain, path loss, and SINR/BER requirement. Third, we show that using a very simple and well-known sorting algorithm, we can obtain a cancellation order and set of power control levels which are very near the optimum in terms of minimizing total transmit power.


for the 2012 Berlin Conference on Evidence for Sustainable Development: Impact Assessment (IA) intends to collect evidence on the likely impacts of new policies and thereby minimize unwanted side-effects and maximize the benefits to society. Although it is a requirement in the EC and all OECD countries, the scope and methods vary considerably. Governments have invested considerably in research to support the evidence basis of policy making for sustainable development. However, the general picture shows a gap between the proliferation of IA tools from the scientific community and their actual use in the policy process. The FP7 network of excellence LIAISE (www.liaise-noe.eu) is designed to identify the causes for non-use of IA tools and bridge the gaps between researchers with a generally strong orientation towards their (disciplinary) peers and practitioners who tend to focus on their policy domain and policy problems. LIAISE aims at: 1) understanding of the policy process and the resulting needs for IA knowledge and IA tools; 2) description of IA tools and scientific IA expertise in a standardised way; 3) a shared IA toolbox targeted at the needs of both researchers and practitioners; 4) a shared IA research agenda integrating scientific knowledge gaps and the priorities for the development of new IA knowledge that arise from the future policy agenda; and 5) safeguarding the project results beyond the period of project funding, by developing an institutional setting and a business plan that facilitate the extension of the present consortium towards a broad centre of IA expertise with a structural permanence. A lively interaction between the different communities involved, is essential to realize these objectives. The Berlin Conference is an important opportunity to inform external research groups about the LIAISE approach to bridging the gap between science and policy. Their feedback and views on possible next steps in the further integration of the IA research community are highly valued, as well as their interest to become involved in this process.


Student success in college is undoubtedly contingent on students effectively enacting their college student role, making it important for faculty to understand how students construct this role. This study explored the dialectical tensions that students grapple with as they construct and enact the roles of good and bad students. Three tensions emerged from students' focus group discussions of construction and enactment of their student identities: (a) structure and agency, (b) individuation and solidarity, and (c) good-bad student and good-bad person. These tensions move beyond identifying successful good student strategies and focus on the contradictions negotiated by students as they (re)produce and share behaviors associated with good and bad student identities.


We present a new algorithm for solving the dense linear (sum) assignment problem and an efficient, parallel implementation that is based on the successive shortest path algorithm. More specifically, we introduce the well-known epsilon scaling approach used in the Auction algorithm to approximate the dual variables of the successive shortest path algorithm prior to solving the assignment problem to limit the complexity of the path search. This improves the runtime by several orders of magnitude for hard-to-solve real-world problems, making the runtime virtually independent of how hard the assignment is to find. In addition, our approach allows for using accelerators and/or external compute resources to calculate individual rows of the cost matrix. This enables us to solve problems that are larger than what has been reported in the past, including the ability to efficiently solve problems whose cost matrix exceeds the available systems memory. To our knowledge, this is the first implementation that is able to solve problems with more than one trillion arcs in less than 100 hours on a single machine.


Background: There is a lack of theoretical framework supporting stem cell transplant nurses in their assessment, judgment and caring interventions of sibling stem cell donors. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore sibling stem cell donors' main concerns and how they deal with them before and after donation. Method: Ten healthy sibling donors, 5 men and 5 women, with a median age of 54 years were included in this study when they were due to donate stem cells to a brother or sister. Data were collected prospectively on three occasions (before the donation and three and twelve months after it) through in-depth interviews, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis by the Grounded Theory method according to Charmaz. Results: This study describes the efforts of the ten donors to fulfil their duty as a sibling by doing what they considered necessary in order to help. Their efforts were summarised in a process wherein the grounded theory generated three main categories; Prepare, Promote and Preserve. A clear path of transition leading to fulfilment is evident, starting before the donation and continuing for one year afterwards. Conclusions: Being a sibling stem cell donor means doing what you have to do to fulfil your duty and if possible, saving the life of a seriously ill brother or sister. The relationship between the siblings is strengthened by the donation process. Sibling stem cell donation appears to be about fulfilment and the theoretical framework may support clinicians in their evaluation and support of donors.


Specialization in dentistry is appropriate for any country, in order to serve its primary functions--to provide a sound dental educational base, to meet the needs of special patients, to react to the complex needs of society on behalf of the dental profession, and to meet the growth needs of individual dentists. Each country must determine for itself the types and numbers of dental specialties it needs to meet the demands of its people. However, as specialties develop, attention should be directed toward preventing an unnecessary over commitment of resources to the education and training of more specialists than are needed. Such an excess of specialists would dilute or compromise the concept of the general practitioner, which must be maintained to insure for the public ready access into the dental health care system.


A new vector field smoothing algorithm for direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation of multiple coherent, underwater acoustic signals is proposed based on the array with vector hydrophones, which is located at or near a reflecting boundary. The performance of the proposed algorithm is examined in two practical applications: hull-mounted and seabed array. The advantage of the vector field smoothing scheme is no reduction in the overall array's spatial aperture.


The hydrolysis of ethyl (R)-2-(benzyloxycarbonylamino)-3-sulfamoylpropionate (blocked cysteic acid S-amide) by native and immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin was studied. The experiments were performed using a constant enzyme/substrate ratio of 1:8 and at a temperature of 10-40 degrees C; the immobilized enzyme was bound to a dialdehyde cellulose matrix. A kinetic equation (Eq.10) was found to be applicable which confirms that the mechanism of the enzyme reaction consists of several stages, irrespective of the enzyme state. The temperature dependence of the reaction velocity was investigated and applied using the Arrhenius equation. The constant value thus obtained for the activating energy showed that the active centres retained their character during immobilization. The differences between the velocities of the reaction with immobilized and with native enzyme corresponded to the different number of active centres during the reaction time. Based on these results a kinetic model of the mechanism of the studied reaction is presented which includes an initial balanced stage of the chemosorption type.


The demand for extremely-thin Si wafers is expanding. Current manufacturing technologies are meeting great challenges with the continuous decrease in Si wafer thickness. In this study, a novel single step thinning process for extremely thin Si wafers was put forward by use of an integrated cup grinding wheel (ICGW) in which diamond segments and chemo-mechanical grinding (CMG) segments are alternately allocated along the wheel periphery. The basic machining principle and key technologies were introduced in detail. Grinding experiments were performed on 8-in. Si wafers with a developed ICGW to explore the minimal wafer thickness and grinding performance. The experimental results indicate that the proposed grinding process with the ICGW is an available thinning approach for extremely thin Si wafer down to 15μm


. This article aims to propose a model of semantic annotation dedicated to the teacher. This model must adapt to the teacher's activity specificity, who needs to master both a pedagogical and domain expertise. In this paper, we analyze the particularity of the teacher's annotation language that enables the teacher to express his own expertise. First, we identify the concepts of this annotation language used by the community of teachers. Then we propose a conceptual model of this language based on ontologies. We use these ontologies to propose an annotation model (MemoNote) in order to enable the teachers annotating using their own language. In order to check the validity of this model (ontologies and annotation language) in representing the teachers' semantics, we describe the results of an investigation done with chemistry teachers. Finally we specify the external and internal representations of the annotation tool for the implantation.


Background: Over 80 countries worldwide have now implemented WHO recommendations to use Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy as a first-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The sexual stage of P. falciparum is responsible for the transmission of malarial parasites to infectious mosquitoes. Studies on gametocytes are generally based on microscopic detection, which is not sensitive, and there is a need for more sensitive molecular techniques that can detect and quantify gametocytes at densities as low as 0.02 to 0.1 gametocytes per micro-litre. The objective of this study was to determine the clearance rates of gametocytes after AL and DHA&P in uncomplicated P. falciparum and to compare the effectiveness of microscopy and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in gametocyte detection. Methods: In a randomised controlled clinical trial of samples collected, gametocyte densities were quantified by microscopy by counting against 500 leukocytes in the thick smear converted to numbers of parasites per micro-litre by assuming a standard count of 800 leukocytes per micro-litre of blood after staining with 10% Giemsa stain and by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using primers specific to the pfs25 gene. Results: There was no significant difference between the drug's gametocyte clearance (p<.082). The drugs cleared gametocytes in infected patients by day 28 as detected by microscopy. There was a significant difference in the detection of gametocytes by RT-PCR and microscopy (p<.001). Conclusion: This study showed that Artemether-Lumefantrine and Dihydroartemisinin piperaquine have gametocytocidal effects on P. falciparum and the study on the clearance of gametocytes using both artemether-lumefantrine and Dihydroartemisinin piperaquine may be carried out using a larger sample size for policy implementation. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction is more effective than microscopy in detecting low levels of gametocytes and the pfs25 gene can be used in the detection of gametocytes in the field to monitor the clearance of gametocytes.


This paper first investigates the stability and l 2-gain problems for a class of discrete-time switched systems with average dwell time (ADT) switching by allowing the Lyapunov-like functions to increase during the running time of subsystems. The obtained results then facilitate the studies on the issue of asynchronous control, where "asynchronous" means the switching of the controllers has a lag to the switching of system modes. In light of the proposed Lyapunov-like functions, the desired mode-dependent controllers can be designed since the unmatched controllers are allowed to perform in the interval of asynchronous switching before the matched ones are applied. The problem of asynchronous H infin control for the underlying systems in linear cases is then formulated. The conditions of the existence of admissible asynchronous H infin controllers are derived, and a numerical example is provided to show the potential of the developed results.


The time dependency of filter performance across a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter was experimentally studied. The experimental study was carried out using a HEPA filter (203×203×150mm) clogged with liquid particles (mosquito stick aerosol). The aerosol concentration for filter loading was 0.84mg/m3 and the size distribution was similar to lognormal distribution (CMD=0.21μm, δg=1.65). The mass loading was about 60g/m2 when the pressure drop across the HEPA filter reached twice the initial pressure drop. The DOP particle penetrations through the HEPA filter were evaluated when relative pressure drops (ΔP/ΔP0) were nearly 1.0, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.1. The most penetrating particle size (MPPS) was almost independent of the mass loading if the face velocity was constant. However, the DOP particle penetration increased remarkably with mass loading, and the tendency of increase was not affected by particle size or face velocity.


Longitudinal data were obtained from a nonclinical sample of 1,308 male and female adolescents covering the age range from 12 to 21. Factor analyses of 52 symptoms and/or consequences of alcohol use yielded three problem dimensions. In addition, a unidimensional, 23-item scale (the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, RAPI) was constructed with an internal consistency of .92. Correlations between RAPI and alcohol-use intensity were moderately strong for all age groups at each test occasion (ranging from .20 to .57), yet low enough to suggest that identification of problem drinkers requires both types of measures. The results suggest that the RAPI may be a useful tool for the standardized and efficient assessment of problem drinking during adolescence.


To cite: Ainslie M, Miller C, Brown B, et al. Heart 2014;100:363–369. ABSTRACT Implantable pulse generators and defibrillators have traditionally been considered contraindications to MRI. However, recent data have challenged this paradigm and demonstrated that patients with newer generation devices can safely undergo MRI, including cardiac MRI, provided basic precautions are taken. Indeed, the introduction of MRI conditional systems has led to a conceptual shift in clinical decision making—'can this patient undergo MRI safely?' is being superseded by 'should this patient be implanted with an MRI conditional device?'. This review outlines the risks associated with MRI in patients with implanted cardiac devices, and discusses practical measures to minimise risks and facilitate safe and diagnostic scanning.


Abstract Surveys on patients' experiences of cross-border fertility treatment have reported a range of positive and challenging features. However, the number of such studies is limited, and there is no detailed qualitative account of the experiences of UK patients who travel overseas for fertility treatment. The present study used a cross-sectional, qualitative design and in-depth interviews. Fifty-one participants (41 women and 10 men, representing 41 treatment 'cases') participated in semi-structured interviews. The experiences reported were broadly positive with a large proportion of participants (39 cases, 95%) citing a favourable overall experience with only two cases (5%) reporting a more negative experience. Thematic analysis revealed 6 major categories and 20 sub-categories, which described the positive and challenging aspects of cross-border fertility travel. The positive aspects were represented by the categories: 'access', 'control' and 'care and respect'. The more challenging aspects were categorized as 'logistics and coordination of care', 'uncertainty' and 'cultural dissonance'. The study confirms findings from others that despite some challenges, there is a relatively high level of patient satisfaction with cross-border treatment with participants able to extend the boundaries of their fertility-seeking trajectories and in some cases, regain a sense of control over their treatment.


Abstract Previous studies of insect-plant interactions have produced the contradictory Plant Stress Hypothesis (that stressed plants are more suitable hosts for phytophages) and Plant Vigor Hypothesis (that vigorous plants are more suitable hosts for phytophages). However, experimental studies of phytophage responses to host stress have involved only one, or a few, related phytophagous species, not whole communities of organisms associated with a particular plant species. We evaluated responses of various arthropods associated with creosotebush Larrea tridentata to manipulated water availability and plant stress in southern New Mexico during 1990–1991. Of 44 arthropod groups (taxa or functional groups) evaluated in our study only two taxa (including a lepidopteran folivore) showed significant negative response to water availability, thereby supporting the Plant Stress Hypothesis. Ten taxa (including eight phytophages) responded positively to water availability, supporting the Plant Vigor Hypothesis. One phytophage showed a nonlinear response, supporting neither hypothesis. Detrended Correspondence Analysis significantly distinguished the arthropod community on water-deprived shrubs from the communities on watered shrubs. The variation in responses among phytophagous insects on creosotebush indicated that the effect of plant water stress likely reflects the choice of phytophage, and perhaps the host plant, being studied. Therefore, neither the Plant Stress Hypothesis nor the Plant Vigor Hypothesis can explain responses of all phytophages on a particular plant species.


Several research findings indicate that basic cyber hygiene can potentially deter the majority of cyber threats. One of the ways cybersecurity professionals can prepare users to ensure proper hygiene is to help them develop their ability to spot the difference between normal and abnormal behavior in a computer system. Malware disrupts the normal behavior of a computer system. The lack of appropriate user training has been one of the main reasons behind the exposure of computer systems to threats, from social engineering to viruses, trojans, and ransomware. Basic knowledge about common behavioral characteristics of malware could help users identify potentially abnormal behavior in the systems they use on a daily basis. Games with a purpose beyond entertainment are becoming an integral part of educational training. This is even more relevant to the field of cybersecurity, where there are many threat agents targeting individuals and organizations. The purpose of this paper is to describe a game, MalAware Defensive, developed to increase users' awareness of common malware behaviors and their impact on a system, as well as to explain ways to combat various major types of malware. The game's design is based on research showing that content disseminated in an interactive game provides a lasting impact on the retention of concepts. The game provides relevant knowledge about various types of malware, the behavior and impact of malware on a computer system, and several ways to avoid infection and compromise. The game, through its interactive gameplay environment, with rewards for answering questions correctly, could potentially help players improve their understanding of malware, how to detect its presence, and how to defend against it.


Power structure optimization is to determine the planning time, the type and the capacity of power supply, thus the best way to meet the load demand for development. With the help of Markov decision-making process (MDP), it has been established based on the grid-connected PV system generation. Using the optimal strategy of MDP, one step transition probability matrix and the expected total reward criterion have been obtained. According to weather conditions, PV generation was distributed to load, grid power and batteries. The example result shows that the expected total reward criterion of MDP applying to grid-connected photovoltaic system is more powerful.


Purpose: Prostate cancer survivors (PCS) on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) experience adverse side effects such as skeletal muscle loss and adiposity gain, together called sarcopenic obesity, and changes in cardiometabolic factors that increase risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Resistance exercise can increase skeletal muscle mass, but no exercise interventions to date in PCS on ADT have concomitantly improved sarcopenic obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Utilizing a 12-week intervention of progressive resistance exercise designed to target skeletal muscle mass, this ongoing pilot trial investigates sarcopenic obesity and as a secondary analyses, MetS components, in PCS on ADT. Methods: Eighteen PCS (65.6±8.8 yr) on current or previous ADT were recruited from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and randomized to resistance training (RT; n=9) or a control stretching program (CS; n=9). Body composition, measured through dual-x-ray absorptiometry, and MetS outcomes, including waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and HDL, were assessed at baseline and after the 12-week intervention. Appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI), a common index of sarcopenia, was calculated from body composition. RT performed a supervised total-body resistance exercise and stretching program 3 times/week. CS performed home-based stretching 3 times/week. Baseline differences were tested with univariate ANOVA. Differences in all outcomes were tested with 2(group) x 2(time) ANOVA. Results: No significant differences in ADT duration, Gleason score, body fat, skeletal muscle mass, or MetS components were found between groups at baseline (P>0.05). RT program compliance was 98.3%, while CS program compliance was 75.5%. Post-intervention, significant increases were observed in RT compared to CS for appendicular skeletal mass (mean±SE; 0.8±.4 kg; P=0.04) and ASMI (0.3±.1 kg/m2; P=0.041). A nonsignificant decrease in body fat (%) was observed in RT compared to CS (1.3±.7 %; P=.067; d=0.89). No differences were found in MetS components. Conclusions: While 12 weeks of resistance exercise in PCS on ADT improved skeletal muscle mass, no changes in adiposity and MetS variables were observed. Future interventions are needed for PCS to determine the optimal exercise prescription to target both sarcopenic obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Citation Format: Jacqueline L. Kiwata, Tanya B. Dorff, E. T. Schroeder, Christina M. Dieli-Conwright. Effect of a supervised exercise intervention on sarcopenic obesity and metabolic syndrome in prostate cancer patients: A randomized pilot study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 988. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-988


Microcredit is a crucial tool for economic empowerment of women. In Kenya, the microcredit industry has supported more than 3 million small and medium enterprises for close to 30 years. Kenya Women Finance Trust is a leading microcredit institution dealing exclusively with financing needs of women. However, whether the services provided by the institution have spurred growth among women-owned enterprises remains undocumented. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of access to microcredit services on the growth of women-owned enterprises within the Central Business District of Kisumu City. To accomplish this, we sourced primary data from 190 women entrepreneurs. The study found that access to microcredit significantly associated with sales, net profit, number of paid workers and liabilities. Thus, access to microcredit had positive effects on the growth of women-owned enterprises. In addition, Kenya Women Finance Trust's lending policies were not responsive to financing needs of women and to changes in the business environment. This undermined the potential of funded enterprises to achieve sustainable growth. The study recommends the need to review the financial institution's lending policies, increase the amount of microcredit funds and encourage other actors to finance women-owned enterprises.


Pierre Constant Budin worked in France to improve the lives of newborns and their mothers during the late nineteenth century. Budin stressed the importance of proper nutrition in infants and educated new mothers on breastfeeding and infant care. Budin established infant care facilities and created a nutritional check-up system for infants. Budin helped design early artificial nipples, breast pumps, and incubators for premature newborns. He also began the practice of consulting with new mothers after they gave birth, redefining the roles of obstetricians.


Two methods of sonic boom predictions are used to compare predicted overpressures to measured sonic booms to quantify the effects of weather and flight variability on the lateral propagation of the booms. The sonic boom measurements were collected by the US Air Force at Edwards AFB, CA using a variety of supersonic aircraft. The testing included 43 flights from eight different aircraft at several Mach number and altitude combinations. The flights were planned for steady and level operation but some maneuvering of the aircraft caused focusing of the propagated booms at several measurement locations. The comparison of measured to predicted peak overpressures uses both Carlson and Full ray‐tracing algorithms. The comparison examines the lateral spread of the boom and the effects on local weather profiles and variability of the flight profile on the propagated boom. This analysis demonstrates that, in general, predictions are in good agreement with the measured values but tend to overestimate the peak overpre...


Nonlinear stress relaxation is far more difficult to model than creep. The present work shows that in the case of a polymer, focusing on the material's nonaffine local strains and stresses provides a sound basis for modeling stress relaxation in a physically realistic way. This new, though still simplified, model (1) describes a clearly nonlinear (strain-dependent) behavior that only becomes linear at very low strains, (2) has the potential to predict faster stress relaxation than creep, (3) is the first to account for the effect of reduced differences between the initial and the final plateau modulus, as in the case of semicrystalline materials, which increase the longest relaxation times, (4) explicitly quantifies the effect of temperature, when one considers the whole distribution of relaxation times, (5) may be extended to also account for the effect of changes in free volume, and (6) ensure very fast computation of relevant physical parameters and extrapolated long time behavior at any temperature, from experiments near room temperature spanning only a few hours. All predicted features generally agree with known experimental behavior, and initial comparisons with experimental stress-relaxation modulus data for a poly(methylmethacrylate) validate the formulation to within relative errors of 1.34%. The model may nevertheless still be upgraded beyond the much simplified physical picture adopted here by relaxing most the present assumptions (e.g., by upgrading the two-level process description) and, eventually, by also taking into account the effect of the fast initial strain ramp up to its nominal value. The work also discusses in detail the values and physical meaning of the model parameters. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:404–416, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers