Background There is increasing interest in distributed medical campuses and engagement of physicians in these communities. To date, there has been suboptimal recruitment of physicians to participate in medical education at distributed campuses. The purpose of this project was to identify barriers to engagement in medical education by community physicians in the geographical catchment of the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster. Method In-depth, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with physicians not involved in teaching. Interview recordings were transcribed and analyzed using a closed-loop, iterative coding methodology and thematic analysis was performed. Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was achieved. Results Six interviews were conducted and coded. Nine key themes emerged: academic centre versus distributed sites, interest in teaching, financial considerations, administrative barriers, medical experience and knowledge currency, practice environment and schedule, training on teaching, setting up systems for learners in distributed campus settings, and student engagement and medical learner level. Conclusions Barriers to engagement in teaching primarily focused on differences in job structure in the community, administrative barriers both at the hospital and through the medical school, and lack of knowledge on how to teach. As medical schools look to expand the capacity of distributed campuses, misperceptions should be addressed and opportunities to improve engagement should be further explored.


Paraovarian cysts account for 10% of all adnexal masses. Small POC (Paraovarian Cyst) are common but large POC are rare and very rarely they undergo torsion. Fallopian tube and ovary being in close proximity to POC also undergo torsion along with it. It is usually found in child bearing age. High index of suspicion & prompt treatment is required to salvage the fallopian tube and ovary in such cases. We report a rare case of twisted paraovarian cyst with secondary torsion of ovary around infundibulopelvic ligament.


This paper presents and describes a case of Meckel's diverticulum. It was found in 10-year-old boy who was operated for appendectomy in surgery department. It was located 24 cm proximal to the ileocaecal junction. It was 4.3 cm in length with broad tip and 3 cm in diameter. It was attached to antimesentric border. The tip was not attached by any fibrous band to umbilicus.


The density and surface tension of liquid Ni–Cu–Fe alloys have been measured over a wide temperature range, including the undercooled regime. A non-contact technique was used, consisting of an electromagnetic levitator equipped with facilities for optical densitometry and oscillating drop tensiometry. At temperatures above and below the liquidus point, the density and surface tension are linear functions of temperature. The concentration dependence of the density is significantly influenced by a third-order (ternary) parameter in the excess volume. The surface tensions are rather insensitive to substitution of the two transition metals Ni, Fe against each other and depend only on the copper concentration. By numerically solving the Butler equation, the surface tension of the ternary system can be derived from the thermodynamic potentials EG of the binary phases (Ni–Cu, Fe–Cu, Ni–Fe) alone.


In this paper, strength evaluations and reliability analysis are conducted for different types of PSSS(Periodically Symmetric Struts Supports) based on the FEA(Finite Element Analysis). The numerical models are established at first, and the PMA(Prestressed Modal Analysis) is conducted. The nodal stress value of all of the gauss points in elements are extracted out and the stress distributions are evaluated for each type of PSSS. Then using nonlinear least squares method, curve fitting is carried out, and the stress probability distribution function is obtained. The results show that although using different number of struts, the stress distribution function obeys the exponential distribution. By using nonlinear least squares method again for the distribution parameters a and b of different exponential functions, the relationship between number of struts and distribution function is obtained, and the mathematical models of the stress probability distribution functions for different supports are established. Finally, the new stress distribution model is introduced by considering the DSSI(Damaged Stress-Strength Interference), and the reliability evaluation for different types of periodically symmetric struts supports is carried out.


Tackling illegal fishing through traditional state-centred approaches has proven difficult and largely ineffective in the extensive maritime environment of Southeast Asia, and particularly in the archipelagic state of Indonesia. This article focuses on the involvement of a new for-profit actor — a private tourism dive operator — in addressing illegal fishing in a small island archipelago in eastern Indonesia. The case study demonstrates that the dive operator has been able to employ conventional enforcement methods such as patrolling and the capture of illegal fishers, in combination with alternative approaches to addressing the root causes of illegal fishing. It also explores the relationship of the dive operator with civil society actors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and various state agencies involved in maritime security and conservation governance in the area. With a particular focus on the dive operator's relationship with government agencies, the case study shows that local governments are collaborating with private actors and providing opportunities for new kinds of enforcement agents since they themselves lack sufficient resources to patrol waters effectively. The dive operator, however, operates only within a space granted by the district government, and must invest considerably in this relationship to maintain his position.


A deep survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud at ∼0.1–100 TeV photon energies with the Cherenkov Telescope Array is planned. We assess the detection prospects based on a model for the emission of the galaxy, comprising the four known TeV emitters, mock populations of sources, and interstellar emission on galactic scales. We also assess the detectability of 30 Doradus and SN 1987A, and the constraints that can be derived on the nature of dark matter. The survey will allow for fine spectral studies of N 157B, N 132D, LMC P3, and 30 Doradus C, and half a dozen other sources should be revealed, mainly pulsar-powered objects. The remnant from SN 1987A could be detected if it produces cosmic-ray nuclei with a flat power-law spectrum at high energies, or with a steeper index 2.3–2.4 pending a flux increase by a factor >3–4 over ∼2015–2035. Large-scale interstellar emission remains mostly out of reach of the survey if its >10 GeV spectrum has a soft photon index ∼2.7, but degree-scale 0.1–10 TeV pion-decay emission could be detected if the cosmic-ray spectrum hardens above >100 GeV. The 30 Doradus star-forming region is detectable if acceleration efficiency is on the order of 1 − 10 per cent of the mechanical luminosity and diffusion is suppressed by two orders of magnitude within <100 pc. Finally, the survey could probe the canonical velocity-averaged cross section for self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles for cuspy Navarro-Frenk-White profiles.


Abstract This paper presents a review of current design tools used for thermoactive geotechnical systems, along with validation efforts. The capabilities of available analytical methods used for the thermal and thermomechanical design of these systems are evaluated and shortcomings of the existing methods are identified. Although the analytical methods permit accurate prediction of the thermal stress and strain response of thermoactive piles from readily available soil and concrete properties, current shortcomings consist of the ability of the methods to simulate cyclic heating and cooling effects, transient pore water pressure generation and dissipation, and the effects of radial stress changes. Recommendations are provided on how to properly address the current design requirements and the efforts to overcome shortcomings with the development of constitutive relationships from further full scale and laboratory scale experimental studies on thermoactive piles. Furthermore, the need for the development of both simplified analytical tools and advanced finite element models is emphasized. In addition, the existing analytical tools should be validated using field data from recently available case studies of thermoactive piles in varying soil deposits. An urgent need for an extensive design guide for energy geostructures was identified. The guidelines should be targeted towards practitioners and include field observations and measurements, as well as laboratory and numerical studies.


This paper will focus on developing a sort of concrete shrinkage-reducing agents that are generally some surfactants on the basis of some tests. By reference to the main chemical components of some domestic and foreign agents, the following chemicals are initially selecting : tert-butyl alcohol, triethanolamine and polyvinyl alcohol, and then some experiments about these substances were made, including liquid surface tension test, high-strength cement mortar shrinkage test, mortar strength test. Finally, the medicals that can significantly reduce drying shrinkage deformation but have little effect on the strenth of concrete blocks,are selected out as available concrete shrinkage-reducing agents.


There is limited research reported on the effect of cyclic loading on cement-based repair materials as conducting such tests is time consuming. To overcome this issue, this study utilized a novel loading regime consisting of cycle groups with increasing stress amplitude to accelerate the test process. The Palmgren-Minder rule was used to estimate the fatigue life of repaired specimens. Specimens repaired with Mix M (cementitious repair mortar), which was estimated to have the highest 2-million-cycle fatigue endurance limit (77.4%), showed the longest fatigue life (95,991 cycles) during the cyclic loading test, the highest slant, and splitting bond strength among all repair mixes. The estimated two-million cycle fatigue endurance limit of Mix S (70.8%) was very similar to that was reported in literature (71%) using the traditional loading method. This study confirms the usefulness of Palmgren-Minder rule on estimating the fatigue life of repaired specimens. Additionally, the use of the novel loading regime showed the benefit of shortening the test process while producing results similar to those from using traditional loading methods. To improve the prediction accuracy, future research is required to modify the failure criteria to accommodate specimens that may not fail even when the average flexural strength is met.


considerable increase in the excretion of certain unidentified iodoplatinate reacting compounds in the first 6-hour urine. When plasma homocyts(e)ine level was high, cyst(e)ine levels after the load were significantly lower than those when homocyst(e)ine was much reduced following administration of betaine. The results suggest that when plasma homocyt(e)ine and methionine are raised, the low levels of cyst(e)ine are due to the incorporation of a very significant proportion of dietary cyst(e)ine into homocysteine-cysteinedisulphide and other sulphur compounds (as yet unidentified) which are derived from homocyst(e)ine or methionine.


Recurrent flood events induced by typhoons are powerful agents to modify channel morphology in Taiwan's rivers. Frequent channel migrations reflect highly sensitive valley floors and increase the risk to infrastructure and residents along rivers. Therefore, monitoring channel planforms is essential for analyzing channel stability as well as improving river management. This study analyzed annual channel changes along two sediment-rich rivers, the Zhuoshui River and the Gaoping River, from 2008 to 2015 based on satellite images of FORMOSAT-2. Channel areas were digitized from mid-catchment to river mouth (~90 km). Channel stability for reaches was assessed through analyzing the changes of river indices including braid index, active channel width, and channel activity. In general, the valley width plays a key role in braided degree, active channel width, and channel activity. These indices increase as the valley width expands whereas the braid index decreases slightly close to the river mouth due to the change of river types. This downstream pattern in the Zhuoshui River was interrupted by hydraulic construction which resulted in limited changes downstream from the weir, due to the lack of water and sediment supply. A 200-year flood, Typhoon Morakot in 2009, induced significant changes in the two rivers. The highly active landscape in Taiwan results in very sensitive channels compared to other regions. An integrated Sensitivity Index was proposed for identifying unstable reaches, which could be a useful reference for river authorities when making priorities in river regulation strategy. This study shows that satellite image monitoring coupled with river indices analysis could be an effective tool to evaluate spatial and temporal changes in channel stability in highly dynamic river systems.


Dear Professor,I am herewith enclosing a research paper entitled "Electrochemical characteristics of BIS 2062 carbon
steel under simulated ocean acidification scenario." authored by Devika
KR, and me.

The research
paper highlights the behavior of carbon steel in acidified natural seawater. Ocean acidification is a burning issue under
climate change. Several studies have undertaken to understand the behavior
marine organisms and marine environment. No studies have initiated regarding
the deterioration of materials due to ocean acidification. Large number of materials
were deployed in the ocean with different objectives. These materials are under
risk as the ocean acidification continues. We believe this is the first attempt
to study the impact of ocean acidification on carbon steel.

The study
conducted to evaluate the impact of ocean acidification on BIS 2062 boat
building steel. The results showed that the carbon steel will deteriorate 2 to
3 times higher when pH was changed from 8.05 to 7.90. The data highlights the
immediate need to redesign the marine materials within 1-2 decade. The paper
also highlights the possible mechanism of deterioration under different pH
scenario.Thanking youSincerelyashrafp


fol:mat:int: sec explanation The development of the axiomatic method is a significant achievement in the history of science, and is of special importance in the history of mathematics. An axiomatic development of a field involves the clarification of many questions: What is the field about? What are the most fundamental concepts? How are they related? Can all the concepts of the field be defined in terms of these fundamental concepts? What laws do, and must, these concepts obey? The axiomatic method and logic were made for each other. Formal logic provides the tools for formulating axiomatic theories, for proving theorems from the axioms of the theory in a precisely specified way, for studying the properties of all systems satisfying the axioms in a systematic way.


More than one million mammograms are performed in the Netherlands each year. Today, these images are all in digital format and processed by various types of software for optimal display during radiological analysis. As a result of continuous quality control on national public health screening for breast cancer, approximately 1000 cases of interval carcinoma and any T2 tumours identified during this screening are re-assessed. The results of these retrospective analyses suggest that there is room for improvement in terms of the reliability of screening mammography without this resulting in an excessive increase of false positive results. Research has shown that the more radiological evaluators are involved, the better the results. Alternatively, a computer can be utilised for detecting abnormalities. Large-scale use of Computer-Assisted Detection (CAD) is already underway in some countries. For this reason, the option of adding CAD to the current practice of double assessment of mammograms could be considered a sensible option for the future.


Dryland crops grown in semiarid environments often do not completely cover the soil, leaving a portion of the soil surface exposed to a condition of rapid soil-water evaporation. Quantitative separation of soil evaporation and crop transpiration is important if cultural practices or cultivars are to be evaluated. This study was designed to evaluate a combined energy and water balance model, ENWATBAL, to describe the concurrent heat and water fluxes in a row crop. Inputs to the model include soil and plant variables and daily weather data. Measurements were made for a period of 74 d over a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) canopy during 1985 on an Olton soil (fine, mixed, thermic Aridic Paleustolls) at Lubbock, TX. Data collected included soil-water content, soil temperature, root distribution, soil evaporation with microlysimeters, and leaf area index, for both an irrigated and a dryland plot. The values for daily evaporation and evapotranspiration calculated with the model were within 1 standard deviation of the measured values. Cumulative evaporation and evapotranspiration from the model agreed with measured values within 7% for the dryland and 8% for the irrigated plot. Estimated soil-water and temperature profiles also agreed closely to measured values. Soil evaporation was found to be 30% of evapotranspiration, for both the irrigated and the dryland plot. The ENWATBAL model provides a reliable method of evaluating the effects of management practices and crop selection on the water-use efficiency of crop production in a semiarid area.


Antonio Gramsci argued that ruling classes stayed in power as much through cultural hegemony as through economic hegemony or brute force. Gramsci maintained that the dominant class established and maintained this cultural hegemony through negotiation and persuasion. Gramsci's theory offers much to sport communication scholars who try to ascertain why certain communities (especially their civic leaders) build stadiums to attract major-league sports teams and events despite mounting economic evidence that these ventures often fail to yield the financial benefits touted by their advocates. This paper uses Gramsci's theory to examine how the civic leaders of Atlanta enticed the populace and sporting press to use public funds to build a new sports stadium in the mid-1960s. Atlanta's leaders used the sports stadium not only to lure a Major League Baseball team to the city but also to persuade the city's populace that this move made the metropolis "big league."


Abstract We address the coupling of an advection equation with a diffusion-advection equation, for solutions featuring boundary layers. We consider non-overlapping domain decompositions and we face up the heterogeneous problem using an extended variational formulation. We will prove the equivalence between the latter formulation and a treatment based on a singular perturbation theory. An exhaustive comparison in terms of solution and computational efficiency between these formulations is carried out.


This paper introduces a novel joint clustering and multi-channel medium access control (MAC) protocol for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) based on a scalable two-phase coding scheme, where the first-phase code is used for differentiating the clusters and the second-phase code is employed to distinguish the nodes in a specific cluster. It mitigates the hidden terminal problem (HTP) during data transmission and efficiently incorporates the procedure of code assignment with adaptive clustering. We also introduce the connection detection and confliction resolution mechanisms for the allocation of the first-phase code in the control channel. Simulation results show that substantial improvement in terms of control overhead can be achieved by the proposed protocol over the traditional distributed code division multiple access (CDMA) based multi-channel MAC algorithms with clustering or without clustering


For low-cost isolated ac/dc power converters adopting high-voltage dc-link, research efforts focus on single-stage multilevel topologies. This paper proposes a new single-stage three-level isolated ac/dc PFC converter for high dc-link voltage low-power applications, achieved through an effective integration of ac/dc and dc/dc stages, where all of the switches are shared between two operations. With the proposed converter and switching scheme, input current shaping and output voltage regulation can be achieved simultaneously without introducing additional switches or switching actions. In addition, the middle two switches are turned on under zero current in discontinuous conduction mode operation, and the upper and bottom switches are turned on under zero voltage. Due to the flexible dc-link voltage structure, high power factor can be achieved at high line voltage. A 500 W/48 V prototype is designed to serve as the proof of concept, which exhibits 90.8% peak efficiency at low input line voltage.


Evidence for a low-frequency stochastic gravitational-wave background has recently been reported based on analyses of pulsar timing array data. The most likely source of such a background is a population of supermassive black hole binaries, the loudest of which may be individually detected in these data sets. Here we present the search for individual supermassive black hole binaries in the NANOGrav 15 yr data set. We introduce several new techniques, which enhance the efficiency and modeling accuracy of the analysis. The search uncovered weak evidence for two candidate signals, one with a gravitational-wave frequency of ∼4 nHz, and another at ∼170 nHz. The significance of the low-frequency candidate was greatly diminished when Hellings–Downs correlations were included in the background model. The high-frequency candidate was discounted due to the lack of a plausible host galaxy, the unlikely astrophysical prior odds of finding such a source, and since most of its support comes from a single pulsar with a commensurate binary period. Finding no compelling evidence for signals from individual binary systems, we place upper limits on the strain amplitude of gravitational waves emitted by such systems. At our most sensitive frequency of 6 nHz, we place a sky-averaged 95% upper limit of 8 × 10−15 on the strain amplitude. We also calculate an exclusion volume and a corresponding effective radius, within which we can rule out the presence of black hole binaries emitting at a given frequency.


The sub-saharan Sahel is one of the biggest areas in the world affected by increasing desertification, caused mainly by water runoff in the wet season and especially by processes of wind erosion. The quantification of wind erosion potentials of Sahelian surfaces was up to now carried out mainly in the framework of field experiments during naturally occurring dust storms or as long-term experiments. The comparability of the respectively gained data is difficult due to non-reproducible conditions during the specific storm events. Erosion potentials of different surfaces can nevertheless be compared by establishing standardised and reproducible, quasi-natural wind and flow conditions, thus minimising the variations of meteorological conditions. During the field experiments conducted by the Klimex work group of the IBS, these standardised conditions were created by the means of a mobile wind tunnel. Surfaces of the most representative geomorphological units were chosen as study sites. External factors like anthropogenous disturbance of topsoil structures were incorporated in the measurement program. The measured variables comprise the emitted sediment as a function of height, wind profiles at different flow intensities and specific surface roughness. The respective (top)soils were additionally analysed in the laboratory in order to provide input data for the model and to determine the physico-chemical composition of the eroded sediment. The next step was the regionalisation of the point-data with the help of classified Landsat satellite scenes and WEPS (Wind Erosion Prediction System) a wind erosion model, which was adapted to Sahelian conditions. First results of model runs / scenarios are presented.


This paper looks at how an atmosphere which encourages increased dialogue in teaching and learning situations can be of benefit to both staff and students. Use of active learning strategies, to encourage learners to engage with material, are widely used in Engineering education and when combined with classroom assessment techniques, can foster learning and allow formative feedback to be provided simultaneously to students and staff. Feedback is of course required by students to inform their learning, but the need for teaching staff to make use of feedback to evaluate and inform their practice is often overlooked. This paper looks at how the dual use of feedback can be more widely exercised in both large and smaller class teaching. Activities designed to generate feedback for students may also be evaluative for staff, supporting a reflective approach to teaching practice in both the short and long term. The opposite is also true; an opportunity planned to give staff information on their teaching can also be used to provide feedback to students. The paper will give examples of practice which have yielded an insight for staff as to student misconceptions and also their interests which may be immediately employed in subsequent teaching sessions.


This research attempts to explain the poor performance of the Colombian economy in the world markets during the late nineteenth century. Based on data on exportable production at the municipal level in 1892, coffee production in 1925 and of public land allocation and land conflicts during the nineteenth and twentieth century, we found that the greatest obstacle that faced Colombian export development was the weakness of settlers´ property rights in the frontier lands. The quantitative results show that in the absence of land conflicts, the municipality´s exportable production would have been at least twice as muchas that observed.


The increasing restrictions on natural aggregates have led to a demand for effective production of artificial sand and gravel. VSI crushers are established comminution machines often used in order to improve the sphericity of particles. Due to the difficulty in data collection, the full extent of the particle dynamics inside a VSI crusher has remained unexplored.
The aim of this paper is to use DEM simulations to model a full-scale crusher, generate a realistic material flow and make a number of crusher tests with different rotor tip speeds. Each particle's collision energy compared to its size will provide a spectrum which can be related to the probability of breakage. This will show how increasing rotational speed affects collisions and the impact energy of particles inside the crusher.
The result is an increased understanding that can allow optimization and modeling of VSI crushers with higher accuracy.


Purpose: Although 67% of high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC) express the estrogen receptor (ER), most fail antiestrogen therapy. Because MAPK activation is frequent in ovarian cancer, we investigated if estrogen regulates MAPK and if MEK inhibition (MEKi) reverses antiestrogen resistance. Experimental Design: Effects of MEKi (selumetinib), antiestrogen (fulvestrant), or both were assayed in ER-positive HGSOC in vitro and in xenografts. Response biomarkers were investigated by gene expression microarray and reverse phase protein array (RPPA). Genes differentially expressed in two independent primary HGSOC datasets with high versus low pMAPK by RPPA were used to generate a "MAPK-activated gene signature." Gene signature components that were reversed by MEKi were then identified. Results: High intratumor pMAPK independently predicts decreased survival (HR, 1.7; CI > 95%,1.3–2.2; P = 0.0009) in 408 HGSOC from The Cancer Genome Atlas. A differentially expressed "MAPK-activated" gene subset was also prognostic. "MAPK-activated genes" in HGSOC differ from those in breast cancer. Combined MEK and ER blockade showed greater antitumor effects in xenografts than monotherapy. Gene set enrichment analysis and RPPA showed that dual therapy downregulated DNA replication and cell-cycle drivers, and upregulated lysosomal gene sets. Selumetinib reversed expression of a subset of "MAPK-activated genes" in vitro and/or in xenografts. Three of these genes were prognostic for poor survival (P = 0.000265) and warrant testing as a signature predictive of MEKi response. Conclusions: High pMAPK is independently prognostic and may underlie antiestrogen failure. Data support further evaluation of fulvestrant and selumetinib in ER-positive HGSOC. The MAPK-activated HGSOC signature may help identify MEK inhibitor responsive tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 22(4); 935–47. ©2015 AACR.


The effect of extrusion and fermentation on the proximate composition and organoleptic properties of six combinations (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50) of sorghum - soya blend were investigated. A total number of 19 microorganisms were isolated during the fermentation of sorghum-soya extrudates; these comprise of twelve (12) bacteria, four (4) yeast and three (3) moulds. They include Flavobacterium rigense, Micrococcus icristinae, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter spp., Corynebacterium cystitidis, C. pilosun, Staphylococcus albus, Brevibacterium spp. , Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, B. brevis, B. megaterium, Candida famata, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Geotrichum candidium, C. utilis, Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus and Rhizopus stolonifer. The pH and the total titratable acidity (TTA) significantly varied during fermentation. The proximate composition of the raw flour blend, unfermented and fermented extrudates was assessed. The crude protein and moisture contents increased in the extruded and fermented samples whereas; extrusion and fermentation reduced the ash and carbohydrate contents. Crude fibre and fat contents varied among all the samples. The sensory evaluation of the unfermented extrudates indicated a good preference for the product in term of colour, texture, aroma and overall acceptability. Keywords: Fermentation, extrusion, sorghum-soya blend, proximate, orgnoleptic African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(40) 4008-4018


This study aims to recycle pure magnesium chips by a two-stage mechanical processing method. In the present study, the feasibility of recycling pure magnesium chips with the help of commercially pure magnesium powder was investigated. For this study, the magnesium chips mixed with di erent amount of magnesium powders in the range of 25 75 wt%, after mixing by hand and cold press, are subjected to hot extrusion to provide homogeneous microstructure. Furthermore, the e ect of magnesium powder and their amounts on the mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour of the recycled magnesium alloys were studied. The results of the mechanical and corrosion test showed that the hardness and compressive yield strength decreased with increasing chip content, while increase in the chip weight fraction in the initial mixture resulted in a signi cant increase of corrosion resistance.


The article presents threat analysis resulting from botnet activity on the Internet. Botnet networks are a very common tool among cybercriminals. They enable the acquisition of large amounts of data from computers infected with the virus that creates the given network entirely subordinated to its creator. Currently, many unidentified botnets are a threat to Internet users. Those identified and diagnosed answer the problem of how dangerous a botnet is in the hands of cybercriminals. The article presents statistics and analysis of selected botnets. Currently, there is a decline in the interest in botnets in cybercrime, although many new threats appear, suggesting that botnets will continue to be popular and are still a dangerous weapon in the hands of criminals.


It is generally agreed that the driving force (plastic strain energy) is much too small to allow "classical" nucleation during static and dynamic recrystallisation, and that rotation/growth of subgrains is an alternative. The latter explanation predicts that new grains should begin at low angles to old grains. We have used electron backscatter diffraction on an experimentally deformed quartz polycrystal that has deformed by dislocation creep and partially recrystallised. In a region shortened by about 30% new grains are at high angles (much greater than 15º) to adjacent parent grains. A histogram of misorientation versus number of boundaries shows a gap at 15-20º. In its simple form we expect the subgrain rotation model to predict a spectrum of misorientations but with most of them being low angle. Instead, the histogram suggests that new boundaries began life as high-angle structures, so current models for deformation-induced nucleation require refinement.


Does media ownership matter for the news that is produced? In the course of the twentieth century when journalistic professionalization advanced in most Western democracies, journalistic norms were thought of as a "firewall" between the management side and the journalistic side of a media company. Editors and media managers were expected to make decisions purely on professional criteria. However, recent developments, such as increasing commercialization and concentration of media markets, have let scholars to question the role of ownership in news production. Moreover, comparative research emerging in the field of journalism studies has shown that the parameters of news production differ between various countries—with ownership being one of them.


This study maps out and explores the reactions to and strategies of men working against men's violence against women and LGBTI people. It is based on interviews with men in gender-based violence prevention in South Africa and builds on previous research on women's organising and men's roles in feminism. It provides an analysis of dilemmas and challenges that they face and the strategies that they have developed, navigating in a feminist field and as men practising what could be seen as a challenge to the power and privileges of the social category of men. Using feminist theory and the theoretical concept "hegemony of men", I critically interpret the potential for men to undermine men's privilege, arguing that efforts to create new masculinities reinforce the gender order and that the gendered context leaves little room for men's counter-hegemonic practices. I argue, finally, that a feminist emancipatory project is better developed by seeking identifications beyond the social category of men than within a framework of reforming masculinity.


Flow characteristics in coastal regions are strongly influenced by the topography of the seabed and understanding the fluid dynamics is necessary before installation of tidal stream turbines (TST). In this paper, the bathymetry of a potential TST deployment site is used in the development of the a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model. The steady state k-ϵ and transient Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence methods are employed and compared. The simulations are conducted with a fixed representation of the ocean surface, i.e., a rigid lid representation. In the vicinity of Horse Rock a study of the pressure difference shows that the small change in height of the water column is negligible, providing confidence in the simulation results. The stream surface method employed to visualise the results has important inherent characteristics that can enhance the visual perception of complex flow structures. The results of all cases are compared with the flow data transect gathered by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). It has been understood that the k-ϵ method can predict the flow pattern relatively well near the main features of the domain and the LES model has the ability to simulate some important flow patterns caused by the bathymetry.


SYNTHESIS AND MECHANISTIC INVESTIGATIONS OF TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES AND LIGANDS FOR CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS Jimmie Lee Bullock Jr. Old Dominion University, 2016 Director: Dr. Alvin A. Holder Transition metal complexes have played a critical role in antitumor therapy with many complexes incorporating platinum, ruthenium, and lanthanum having been investigated in preclinical and clinical trials. The best known transition metal therapeutic is cisplatin, which is utilized in nearly 50% of all cancer therapies, despite its significant toxic side effects. The toxic side effects of current FDA approved platinum-based chemotherapeutics are often overlooked due to the "special status" granted to these drugs due to their ability to fight, what is often considered an incurable disease with life expectancies often measured in months. Oncology drug development has therefore now focused on developing new complexes with less toxicity and which inhibit cancer cell growth by different mechanisms of action when compared with platinum-based therapeutics. Understanding exactly how a biological agent elicits its observed activity is perhaps the most critical step in drug discovery and is a question left unanswered by many. Take for instance NAMI-A and KP1019, both Ru(II)-based chemotherapeutics currently in clinical trials, despite their unsolved mechanisms of action. Detailed mechanistic investigations have the potential to inform the design of next generation chemotherapeutics. Therefore, in the first half of this thesis, we investigated the mechanisms of actions of some transition metal complexes incorporating Co(III), Ru(II), and/or V(IV) metal centers. Utilizing spectroscopic, biophysical, and molecular biological techniques such as UV-visible and fluorescence binding assays, isothermal titration calorimetry, and flow cytometry, we investigated the ability of these unique transition metal complexes to interact with CT DNA, inhibit cellular proliferation in mammary breast cancer cells, and modify cell signaling pathways. This information provides valuable insight into the potential mechanism of action of these compounds, which is expected to be different for each unique molecular structure. Additionally, a novel localized ablation technique involving a transition metal therapeutic and nanosecond pulsed electric field technology was developed and investigated. In the second half of this thesis, we focused attention on the development of new ligands and complexes which can be screened for their potential chemotherapeutic activity. Using simple, clean, and efficient organic and inorganic reactions small libraries of molecules were synthesized and characterized using a variety of spectroscopic techniques including: H, C, and F NMR spectroscopy, high resolution mass spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography, where appropriate. From this work a new potential lead molecule(s) may be identified which may show enhanced chemotherapeutic activity. Additionally, structurally similar ligands and complexes will lead to structure-activity relationship studies which are also an integral part of drug discovery in lead optimization.


A novel approach is presented based upon the Linear Matching Method framework in order to directly calculate the ratchet limit of structures subjected to arbitrary thermo‐mechanical load histories. Traditionally, ratchet analysis methods have been based upon the fundamental premise of decomposing the cyclic load history into cyclic and constant components, respectively, in order to assess the magnitude of additional constant loading a structure may accommodate before ratcheting occurs. The method proposed in this paper, for the first time, accurately and efficiently calculates the ratchet limit with respect to a proportional variation between the cyclic primary and secondary loads, as opposed to an additional primary load only. The method is a strain‐based approach and utilises a novel convergence scheme in order to calculate an approximate ratchet boundary based upon a predefined target magnitude of ratchet strain per cycle. The ratcheting failure mechanism evaluated by the method leads to less conservative ratchet boundaries compared with the traditional Bree solution. The method yields the total and plastic strain ranges as well as the ratchet strains for various levels of loading between the ratchet and limit load boundaries. Two example problems have been utilised in order to verify the proposed methodology. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this research, it has been analyzed how variation in facet number affects reliability with the testing of reliability in generalizability theory by using different designs. The research data have been accessed with the scoring of performances towards non-routine problem solving of 132 6th, 7th and 8th grade students of a primary school in Kutahya in 2011-2012 spring term. In the research, p x t x r and p x t x r x a designs have been used in which (p=person) as a measurement object, and task, rater (t=task, r=rater) and rubric (a=rubric) have been seen as variation sources. The research results show that designs used in generalizability theory affect G and phi coefficients; as the number of source of variability increases, percentage of the description of total variance of the person which is the aim of testing decreases. Also, it has been found that the sort of rubric will affect reliability in testing, scores taken from analytical rubric have more reliability than the ones taken from holistic rubric.


Recent studies reveal that at large friction Reynolds number $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}$ the inertially dominated region of the turbulent boundary layer is composed of large-scale zones of nearly uniform momentum segregated by narrow fissures of concentrated vorticity. Experiments show that, when scaled by the boundary-layer thickness, the fissure thickness is $\mathit{O}(1/\sqrt{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}})$ , while the dimensional jump in streamwise velocity across each fissure scales in proportion to the friction velocity $u_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}$ . A simple model that exploits these essential elements of the turbulent boundary-layer structure at large $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}$ is developed. First, a master wall-normal profile of streamwise velocity is constructed by placing a discrete number of fissures across the boundary layer. The number of fissures and their wall-normal locations follow scalings informed by analysis of the mean momentum equation. The fissures are then randomly displaced in the wall-normal direction, exchanging momentum as they move, to create an instantaneous velocity profile. This process is repeated to generate ensembles of streamwise velocity profiles from which statistical moments are computed. The modelled statistical profiles are shown to agree remarkably well with those acquired from direct numerical simulations of turbulent channel flow at large $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}$ . In particular, the model robustly reproduces the empirically observed sub-Gaussian behaviour for the skewness and kurtosis profiles over a large range of input parameters.


Abstract Knowledge of the distribution of arable bryophytes lags behind that of bryophytes of many other habitats, and we have almost no information on their occurrence in relation to crop type and agricultural management regime. A survey of arable fields in Britain and Ireland carried out by members of the British Bryological Society in 2001–05 was designed to provide such baseline data. We surveyed a stratified random sample of 200 fields in the main areas of arable agriculture and a further 620 fields in these areas and in areas where arable fields are less frequent. The species present in each field were listed and their frequency within the field assessed. Data on the crop, the cover of vascular plants, bryophytes, trash and bare soil, and the pH and texture of the soil were recorded for each field. Six species assemblages are described on the basis of a classification of the species recorded in each field and their frequency values. The Tortula truncata–Anthoceros and Dicranella staphylina–Riccia glauca assemblages are the most species-rich and are concentrated on acidic soils in northern and western Britain and in Ireland. By contrast, the Barbula unguiculata–Bryum klinggraeffii and Phascum cuspidatum–Microbryum davallianum assemblages are mainly found on calcareous soils in southern and eastern England. The Bryum dichotomum–Marchantia polymorpha assemblage is characterised by widespread, weedy generalist species and is concentrated in East Anglia. The final assemblage, Brachythecium rutabulum–Fissidens taxifolius, characteristically occurs in late-successional fields and was scattered throughout the area sampled. A comparison of the results from Kent with those of a survey of Kentish fields (using a different methodology) by A.G. Side in 1973–74 suggests that the Bryum dichotomum–Marchantia polymorpha assemblage may possibly have replaced the Dicranella staphylina–Riccia glauca assemblage on acidic soils in the last 30 years. The considerable geographical variation within the arable flora of Britain and Ireland revealed by the survey should be taken into account when assessing the meagre evidence for historic changes in the arable bryophyte flora.


Over the last 25 years water markets in Australia have been used to transfer water entitlements and allocations between irrigators, helping them to manage the risks associated with water supply and the demand for structural change. More recently governments have entered entitlement markets to purchase water for the environment. This paper hypothesises that a focus on purchasing entitlements will not motivate a sufficient number of irrigators to engage in the provision of environmental water. It is hypothesised that governments may need to enter the allocation market to secure long-term arrangements for counter-cyclical provision of environmental water. Avoiding any negative impacts of interference on the traditional users of this market requires a greater understanding of how irrigators currently use allocations, and what drives their decisions to buy and sell. This paper provides the findings of qualitative research involving 39 irrigators in three states within the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia. The findings provide a preliminary assessment of the factors influencing irrigators' decisions to trade allocations and how these factors change across and within seasons. Irrigator attitudes toward government use of the allocation market to support counter-cyclic environmental water provision are also examined. Overall, irrigators appear comfortable with the notion of trading in allocations with the government, rather than in entitlements alone.


This paper is an investigation into a variation of the Twin Paradox in relativity. In this scenario the first twin is living atop Olympus Mons, at a height of 25km above the surface level, whereas the second twin is living on the surface of Mars. The purpose of this investigation is to ascertain whether or not there would be a discernable difference in the ages of the twins due to relativistic differences over of 25 Earth years. Due to the presence of a gravitational field, it was necessary to include the effect of general relativity as well as special relativity. It was found that there the first twin would be approximately 3 seconds older than the second twin.


Potdevin, FJ, Alberty, ME, Chevutschi, A, Pelayo, P, and Sidney, MC. Effects of a 6-week plyometric training program on performances in pubescent swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 25(X): 000-000, 2010-This study examined in pubescent swimmers the effects on front crawl performances of a 6-week plyometric training (PT) in addition to the habitual swimming program. Swimmers were assigned to a control group (n = 11, age: 14.1 ± 0.2 years; GCONT) and a combined swimming and plyometric group (n = 12, age: 14.3 ± 0.2 years; GSP), both groups swimming 5.5 h·wk−1 during a 6-week preseason training block. In the GSP, PT consisted of long, lateral high and depth jumps before swimming training 2 times per week. Pre and posttests were performed by jump tests (squat jump [SJ], countermovement jump [CMJ]) and swim tests: a gliding task, 400- and 50-m front crawl with a diving start (V400 and V50, m·s−1), and 2 tests with a water start without push-off on the wall (25 m in front crawl and 25 m only with kicks). Results showed improvement only for GSP for jump tests (Δ = 4.67 ± 3.49 cm; Δ = 3.24 ± 3.17 cm; for CMJ and SJ, respectively; p < 0.05) and front crawl tests (Δ = 0.04 ± 0.04 m·s−1; Δ = 0.04 ± 0.05 m·s−1; for V50 and V400, respectively; p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found for GSP between improvements in SJ and V50 (R = 0.73, p < 0.05). Results suggested a positive effect of PT on specific swimming tasks such as dive or turn but not in kicking propulsion. Because of the practical setup of the PT and the relevancy of successful starts and turns in swimming performances, it is strongly suggested to incorporate PT in pubescent swimmers' training and control it by jump performances.


Among all adverse consequences of sea-level rise (SLR), a most immediate one should be more frequent marine flooding of low lying coastal areas. However, a large number of different uncertainty sources affect the impact assessment related to SLR. Part of these originate from global sea-level rise SLR scenarios, their regional variability, and their interactions with solid earth deformation processes. Other are related to oceanographic processes underpinning extreme events and coastal geomorphic changes. In addition, local vertical ground motions may aggravate or moderate sea-level changes at the coast. This raises the following questions: what is the relative importance of each source of uncertainty in the final flooding projections? Which sources of uncertainty need to be considered? how to account for the lack of knowledge in these different sources? Hence, getting better insights in the role played by these uncertainties enables to ease their communication and to structure the message on future coastal impacts. In this view, we propose to explore the fesability of two advanced staistical methods.
The first one relies on probabilistic projections and variance-based global sensitivity (revisit of Le Cozannet et al., 2015). The method is applied on an urban low-lying coastal site located in the north-western Mediterranean, where the yearly probability of damaging flooding could grow drastically after 2050 if sea-level rise follows IPCC projections. The analysis shows that 1) coastal processes and particularly the wave set-up are dominant factors during the first part of the 21st century; 2) Sea-level rise and climate change scenarios dominate by 2080. Sea-level rise variability has its maximum contribution to the uncertainties in-between these two periods 3) The uncertainties on the upper limit of sea-level rise projections is important a few decades later.
The second method relies on new theories of uncertainty (here possibility theory) for representing our partial knowledge on projections of future SLR. These projections remain highly uncertain, especially due to large unknowns in the melting processes affecting the ice-sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Based on climate-models outcomes and the expertise of scientists concerned with these issues, the IPCC provided constraints to the quantiles of sea-level projections. Moreover, additional physical limits to future sea-level rise have been established, although approximately. However, many probability functions can comply with this imprecise knowledge. We show how possibility theory can provide a more flexible and less ambiguous framework than classical probabilities to represent in a concise representation of uncertainties in future sea-level rise and of their intrinsically imprecise nature, including a maximum bound of the total uncertainty (Le Cozannet et al., 2017).
We suggest that the probabilistic and possibilistic theories are complementary frameworks to support the communication of uncertainties on future impacts of sea-level rise: while the probabilistic framework captures average evolutions, the possibilistic approach appears appropriate to explore the fuzzy high-end (or low-end) sea-level scenarios and their impacts. The issue is of particular importance to coastal managers responsible for adapting to the adverse effects of SLR.

References

Le Cozannet, G., Rohmer, J., Cazenave, A., Idier, D., van De Wal, R., De Winter, R. Pedreros, Y. Balouin, C. Vinchon, C. Oliveros (2015). Evaluating uncertainties of future marine flooding occurrence as sea-level rises. Environmental Modelling & Software, 73, 44-56.

Le Cozannet, G., Jean-Charles Manceau and Jeremy Rohmer (2017). Bounding probabilistic sea-level projections within the framework of the possibility theory. Environmental Research Letters, 12, 1748-9326.


A simple and inexpensive method was developed using solid-phase extraction extraction, together with high performance liquid chromatographic method with UV detection for determination of Myclobutanil residues in cucumber. The evaluated parameters include the extracts by silica gel sorbent using Ethyl acetate and acetonitrile solvents. The method was validated using cucumber samples spiked with Myclobutanil at different fortification levels (0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg).Average recoveries (using each concentration six replicates) ranged 86-94%, with relative standard deviations less than 2%, calibration solutions concentration in the range 0.01-5.0 µg/mL and limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.003 mg/kg and 0.01 mg/kg respectively. Finally the cucumber samples were re analyzed by HPLC.


The teaching of general practice in the undergraduate medical curriculum now takes place in all medical schools in the United Kingdom. The main expansion has taken place after the Report of the Royal Commission on Medical Education in 1968. The teaching in general practice was introduced into already crowded curricula and it has therefore been important to justify this teaching. The developments at each University have been dependent on the local circumstances and this has led to a variety of teaching methods. The need for general practice teaching is discussed and this is followed by a description of the present teaching at all the Universities in the United Kingdom. Methods of evaluation have undergone recent changes and the methods used in this thesis are those that are accepted by educationalists. The undergraduate teaching of general practice presents difficulties in an evaluation. Firstly with the teaching being new, the literature is sparse on the subject and guide-lines are difficult to find. Secondly, almost all the teaching is carried out by full-time general practitioners; the students are in groups of two or four and observational data is impossible to obtain without a large team of evaluators. Thirdly, the teaching of general practice at present is not subjected to traditional examination techniques and therefore data cannot be compiled from that source. Traditional evaluation depended on measurable data and it is this which has had most criticism because it is too restrictive and misses the complexity of the teaching/learning situation. The current approaches give a more global view of the teaching but all evaluation procedures have advantages and disadvantages. In the present study a number of approaches have been useds utilising the advantages of the different methods and recognising some of the disadvantages. The teaching of general practice in Glasgow was expanding during the time of study; some parts were developing while others were an established part of the teaching and these factors had to be taken in account when choosing methods of evaluation. The teaching in third year, when the student is present at a patient's initial consultation in a new illness was introduced at the beginning of the present study. A pilot study was carried out to determine the feasibility and desirability of this teaching. As a result of this the teaching was given in the following academic year to the majority of students in the year. Further Valuation was carried out and as a result this teaching is now an accepted part of the curriculum. Any innovation in general practice teaching in Glasgow will continue to be assessed in this way and will not be introduced into the curriculum unless it adds a further dimension to the hospital teaching. The opinions of both students and tutors are sought early and any alterations can be introduced at an early stage. The teaching in fourth years the long-term care of the chronic sick, is an accepted part of the curriculum and the introduction of recording booklets allowed the teaching to be standardised and both the teaching and the students to be evaluated. The teaching in fifth year was at an early stage at the beginning of the present study and the methods chosen for evaluation were similar to those used in third year. The Department of General Practice in Glasgow introduced to the teaching of medical students the technology of a computer. This study was part of a National Programme and was an innovation in a British medical school. This new teaching method was evaluated and the print-outs of the students' performance which the computer could provide gave an additional method of evaluation. Computer-assisted learning is now being used in other Departments in the medical school and the teaching material and methods are being transferred to other Universities. This teaching method has considerable application in medicine and further development will continue. Any teaching method using high technology can be difficult to justify on an economic basis but in medicine with the high cost of training a doctor, this teaching can be cost-effective. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


Background: Glucocorticoid-induced diabetes mellitus (GIDM) is a serious side effect of glucocorticoid (GC) treatment that is associated with both increased mortality and morbidity, but not all patients develop GIDM when treated with GC. The reason is not known, and clinical risk factors predictive of type 2 diabetes do not predict GIDM. Previous metabolomics studies have found specific metabolic disturbances prior to clinical type 2 diabetes. This could also be true for GIDM. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether distinct metabolic patterns in patients treated with high dose GC can predict development of GIDM.
Material and Methods: Serum from 116 patients about to be treated with or in the first days of treatment with high-dose GC (>100 mg prednisolone equivalent) was analyzed with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based nontargeted metabolomics. Clinical data were collected at baseline and through a 3-week follow-up period. 52 patients developed GIDM and 64 did not (control group). A logistic regression model and a predictive model was build and differences in the metabolome due to treatment with GC was tested in serum from patients without GC treatment (n=6) and patients with GC treatment (n=107).
Results and Discussion: At univariate analysis three metabolites were associated with the development of GIDM. These metabolites could not be annotated to specific metabolites. A multi-metabolite approach could not predict GIDM, and this is different from previous findings in T2DM. This supports the hypothesis that the etiology of T2DM and GIDM is different. The biological significance of our finding remains unknown, but with the rapid development in the field of metabolomics and databases with increasing numbers of characterized metabolites, these metabolites may be identified. Conclusion: Our data indicate that the typical metabolic shifts in T2DM are not the same in GIDM. This supports the hypothesis that GIDM may have a pathophysiology different from T2DM. Furthermore, our data suggest that there is potential for identifying patients at risk of GIDM before clinical manifestation.


Sediments in the Pearl River delta have the potential to record the weathering response of this river basin to climate change since 9.5 ka, most notably weakening of the Asian monsoon since the Early Holocene (∼8 ka). Cores from the Pearl River delta show a clear temporal evolution of weathering intensity, as measured by K/Al, K/Rb, and clay mineralogy, that shows deposition of less weathered sediment at a time of weakening monsoon rainfall in the Early‐Mid Holocene (6.0–2.5 ka). This may reflect an immediate response to a less humid climate, or more likely reduced reworking of older deposits from river terraces as the monsoon weakened. Human settlement of the Pearl River basin may have had a major impact on landscape and erosion as a result of the establishment of widespread agriculture. After around 2.5 ka weathering intensity sharply increased, despite limited change in the monsoon, but at a time when anthropogenic pollutants (e.g., Cu, Zn, and Pb) increased and when the flora of the basin changed. 87Sr/86Sr covaries with these other proxies but is also partly influenced by the presence of carbonate. The sediments in the modern Pearl River are even more weathered than the youngest material from the delta cores. We infer that the spread of farming into the Pearl River basin around 2.7 ka was followed by a widespread reworking of old, weathered soils after 2.5 ka, and large‐scale disruption of the river system that was advanced by 2.0 ka.


Aims. We consider relativistic electrons in magnetospheric flows close to a supermassive black hole and study the mechanism of quasi-linear diffusion (QLD) to investigate the correlation between γ-ray and radio emission in active galactic nuclei. Methods. Moving in the nonuniform magnetic field, the particles experience a force that is responsible for the conservation of the adiabatic invariant. This force, together with the radiation reaction force, tends to decrease the pitch angles. Contrary to this, the QLD attempts to increase the pitch angle, and this maintains the synchrotron emission regime. To examine the balance between the QLD and the aforementioned dissipative factors we investigate the quasi-stationary state by applying the kinetic equation. Results. Considering the magnetospheric plasma close to the supermassive black hole, we examined the efficiency of the QLD for different parameters. By examining the cyclotron instability, we show that despite the efficient dissipative factors, the cyclotron modes excite transverse and longitudinal-transversal waves, which lead to the QLD. We find that the QLD provides a connection of emission in the γ-ray and radio domains. We show that under favourable conditions the radio emission from 22 MHz to 9 GHz on the mpc scale is associated with γ-ray emission from 900 GeV down to 9 GeV on the same scale.


The tropical semiring (R,min,+) has enjoyed a recent renaissance, owing to its connections to mathematical biology as well as optimization and algebraic geometry. In this paper, we investigate the space of labeled npoint configurations lying on a tropical line in dspace, which is interpretable as the space of nspecies phylogenetic trees. This is equivalent to the space of n × d matrices of tropical rank two, a simplicial complex. We prove that this simplicial complex is shellable for dimension d = 3 and compute its homology in this case, conjecturing that this complex is shellable in general. We also investigate the space of d × n matrices of Barvinok rank two, a subcomplex directly related to optimization, giving a complete description of this subcomplex in the case d = 3.


DTU Orbit (09/11/2019) Influence of test conditions and exposure duration on the result of ecotoxicological tests: Consequences for derivation of environmental quality standards Chemicals are used extensively and are part of many aspects of human life and society. They are useful and necessary for many purposes, but may also cause adverse effects on natural organisms if they are released to the environment during and after use. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a risk assessment to predict and prevent adverse effects. In Europe, chemical registration and safety is regulated by the European Commission by the implementation of different directives, such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and restriction of Chemicals, EC 1907/2006), the Biocide Directive (98/8/EC) or the Plant Protection Products Directive (EC 1107/2009). In addition to such risk assessment directives, the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) has been adopted with the objective to protect and improve the quality of European waters and aquatic habitats. This requires, among other things, an assessment of compliance with environmental quality standards (EQS) for xenobiotic chemicals and metals. The basis for the derivation of these EQS is the focus of this thesis. An EQS is the concentration of a chemical, below which no adverse effect of the ecosystem is expected to occur. It will often be calculated from results of ecotoxicological tests performed according to internationally approved guidelines, such as from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or International Standardization Organisation (ISO). Such guidelines were originally developed to enable classification and hazard ranking of chemicals, and therefore their focus is to measure the toxicity of an artificially maintained continuous exposure under test conditions that rarely reflect natural conditions. This may be in contrast to the aim of establishing EQS, i.e. to protect the natural ecosystem from chemical stress. In light of this possible contradiction, the aim of this thesis was to investigate whether EQS derived on the basis of guideline tests will be sufficiently protective of the environment. This was done by exploring the influence of a number of test conditions, such as temperature, light, pH and exposure duration on the toxicity recorded in tests using four sulfonylurea herbicides (SUs) and the aquatic macrophyte Lemna gibba as study objects. The study showed that changing the physical and chemical test conditions influenced the toxicity of sulfonylurea herbicides towards L. gibba. Lowering the temperature from 24 to 15°C caused a two-fold reduction in the toxicity of flupyrsulfuronmethyl, while no statistically significant changes was seen for metsulfuron-methyl, rimsulfuron, or thifensulfuron-methyl. Likewise, the introduction of a 12:12-hours light:dark cycle resulted in a two-fold reduction of the toxicity of thifensulfuronmethyl. Again, no clear trend or statistically significant change was observed for the other three test SUs. Finally, the toxicity of the four SUs was tested at three different pH levels (6, 7.5 and 9). Here, it was observed that the difference in toxicity between tests at pH 6 and 9 was in the range of a factor 2-10 for the four SUs, with the tests at pH 6 being most toxic. Hence, the conclusion of this study was that by performing only guideline tests there may be a risk of underestimating the toxicity of a compound. It was recommended to carefully evaluate the physico-chemical properties of the compound prior to testing and to design the test to include the influence of these on the toxicity observed. The effect of a 24-hour pulse of the four SUs was evaluated in another part of the study. It was shown that these short-term highconcentration exposures resulted in EC50 values that were 2-6 times higher than those obtained in guideline tests. Within the WFD, a short-term water quality standard (MAC-EQS) is derived, that should protect against effects from pulse discharges, however when this is compared to the result of the pulse tests from this study, it appears that the WFD approach is under-protective. Hence, a revision of the WFD approach should be considered because protection from pulsed discharges should not be based on the results of tests with a continuous exposure, even if they are short-term tests. Instead, the derivation of a MAC-EQS should be based on pulse tests and possibly also modelling and it should consider the recovery of the organism The overall conclusion of this thesis is that under the current approach for derivation of EQS, there will be cases where basing the value on results from guideline tests alone will not be sufficiently protective of the environment. However, there are also be cases where the choice of test design would possibly overestimate the toxicity, and consequently the resulting EQS would be too strict. Bringing more environmental realism into the testing by designing tests according to the physico-chemical properties, and taking the use pattern of the compound into consideration, would probably result in a better estimation of the effects and thereby the EQS.


The need to pay school fees remains a challenge for many secondary students despite the existence of the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme in Uganda and its associated capitation grants. Due to the variety of income sources for secondary schools, the average expenditures between public and other schools differ markedly. This brief examines the drivers of secondary school expenditures and whether private schools delivering USE services offer an opportunity to reduce the overall cost of secondary education in Uganda. The brief is based on the analysis of costs of secondary education undertaken as part of the 3 year impact evaluation of the Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) programme in Uganda—implemented under a Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) arrangement. We find that government schools on average have a total expenditure of UGX 548 million per year and this is about 60 percent more than what is spent on average in non-government schools. The large differences in expenditures between public and other schools is primarily attributed to higher teacher salaries in government schools as well as the provision to teachers of several non-salary benefits like meals and rent for accommodation —paid from the school dues. As such, the estimated per student recurrent expenditure is highest for government schools at UGX 1.4 million compared to UGX 1 million and UGX 736,000 for PEAS and private schools respectively. As such, strategic partnerships between Government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have the potential to significantly reduce the cost to households of sending their children to school.


This paper presents a dc microgrid including a switched-reluctance generator (SRG) with isolated boost dc-dc converter, a battery energy storage system, and a single-phase three-wire (1P3W) load inverter for generating ac 220/110 V 60-Hz outputs. The 400-V dc grid is established by the SRG with dc 48-V output followed by a current-fed push-pull (CFPP) dc-dc converter. The robust commutation and dynamic control schemes are developed for the SRG to have excellent output performances. For providing the domestic load power sources, a 1P3W transformerless 220/110 V inverter is established. A master and slave robust control schemes are proposed to yield balanced sinusoidal output voltage waveforms in both voltage outputs under varying load conditions. To improve the dc grid power supporting reliability, a battery energy storage system with bidirectional buck-boost interfacing converter is established. It can support the common dc bus voltage immediately when the main power source fault occurs. Conversely, the battery bank can be charged from the common dc bus through the same converter. Particularly, an auxiliary charger formed by a flyback switch-mode rectifier is equipped to allow the battery to be charged from the plug-in utility power as the long duration of microgrid fault occurs. Normal operation and good operating performance of the established microgrid are verified experimentally.


Present work deals with reducing secondary losses in turbine cascade by using boundary layer fences in two ways. Firstly, to reduce the strength of vortex which is incident at the leading edge of airfoil and hence reduce the strength of horse shoe vortex, and secondly, to reduce the pressure gradient between the pressure side and the suction side in the flow passage region between airfoils. In previous works, the boundary layer fence followed the profile of airfoil. In this publication, boundary layer fence does not follow the profile of airfoil i.e stagger and camber of boundary fence is different when compared to airfoil. A profiled boundary layer fence is proposed in the present work which reduces the incident voracity and also reduces pressure gradient from pressure side to suction side. Such boundary layer fence was checked on T106 test cascade which is available as open literature. Numerical work is carried out using commercial software Ansys CFX. Viscous RANS simulations are carried out using k-omega SST turbulence model with yplus value around unity on all walls. Coefficient of secondary kinetic energy (CSKE) and Secondary Kinetic energy helicity (SKEH) are used as target functions. Total pressure loss is also monitored. All the three functions show a reduction in secondary loss. The strength of horse shoe vortex is reduced by the fence protruding in front of leading edge. The converging flow passage created by the fence near the pressure side of airfoil reduces the pressure gradient from pressure side to suction side. The total pressure loss was reduced by 1.5 % and CSKE was improved by 36 % when the boundary layer fence was adopted. (Less)


After a long downturn, the economies of transition countries have bounced back with strong output growth and stable fiscal and monetary policies. The group ranges from large countries like Russia, with extensive resources to much smaller countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The change of their planned economic systems to market economies can be regarded, as one of the biggest socioeconomic transformations in the human history. This dissertation studies the dynamic transition process equipped with sophisticated econometric techniques to improve on the current empirical literature. In the first part I employ the structural VAR model of Clarida and Gali (1998) to a sample of transition countries in order to assess the importance of different types of externalities. In particular, I am interested in how much of the variances of output, real effective exchange rate and prices are explained by the three types of shocks before the Euro adoption. In the second part I use a regime switching autoregressive model to determine, whether CEE countries have put emphasis on stabilizing inflation or on output during the last decade of transition. I find that the monetary policy depended on the country specific structure and therefore monetary policy in transition countries before joining the euro had focused more on the output stabilization. This is of particular relevance for their prospective participation in a monetary union, where in contrast, the main focus will be on the union-level price stability. Finally, we estimate error correction model determining the long-run exchange rate elasticity in Russia and summarize my main theoretical and empirical findings.


There are two major difficulties in real‐time multicast connection setup. One is the design of an efficient distributed routing algorithm which optimizes the network cost of routing trees under the real‐time constraints. The other is the integration of routing with admission control into one single phase of operations. This paper presents a real‐time multicast connection setup mechanism, which integrates multicast routing with real‐time admission control. The proposed mechanism performs the real‐time admission tests on a cost optimal tree (COT) and a shortest path tree (SPT) in parallel, aiming at optimizing network cost of the routing tree under real‐time constraints. It has the following important features: (1) it is fully distributed; (2) it achieves sub‐optimal network cost of routing trees; (3) it takes less time and less network messages for a connection setup. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Context. Q 0151+048 is a physical quasar (QSO) pair at z ∼ 1.929 with a separation of 3.3 arcsec on the sky. In the spectrum of the brighter member of this pair, Q 0151+048A, a damped Lyα absorber (DLA) is observed at a higher redshift. We have previously detected the host galaxies of both QSOs, as well as a Lyα blob whose emission surrounding Q 0151+048A extends over 5×3.3 arcsec. Aims. We seek to constrain the geometry of the system and understand the possible relations between the DLA, the Lyα blob, and the two QSOs. We also aim at characterizing the former two objects in more detail. Methods. To study the nature of the Lyα blob, we performed low-resolution, long-slit spectroscopy with the slit aligned with the extended emission. We also observed the whole system using the medium-resolution VLT/X-shooter spectrograph and the slit aligned with the two QSOs. The systemic redshift of both QSOs was determined from rest-frame optical emission lines redshifted into the NIR. We employed line-profile fitting technique, to measure metallicities and the velocity width of low-ionization metal absorption lines associated to the DLA and photo-ionization modeling to characterize the DLA further. Results. We measure systemic redshifts of zem(A) = 1.92924± 0.00036 and zem(B) = 1.92863± 0.00042 from the H β and Hα emission lines, respectively. In other words, the two QSOs have identical redshifts within 2σ. From the width of Balmer emission lines and the strength of the rest-frame optical continuum, we estimate the masses of the black holes of the two QSOs to be 109.33 M and 108.38 M for Q 0151+048A and Q 0151+048B, respectively. We then use the correlation between black hole mass and dark matter halo mass to infer the mass of the dark matter halos hosting the two QSOs: 1013.74 M and 1013.13 M for Q 0151+048A and Q 0151+048B, respectively. We observe a velocity gradient along the major axis of the Lyα blob consistent with the rotation curve of a large disk galaxy, but it may also be caused by gas inflow or outflow. We detect residual continuum in the DLA trough, which we interpret as emission from the host galaxy of Q 0151+048A. The derived H0 column density of the DLA is log NH0 = 20.34 ± 0.02 cm−2. Metal column densities are also determined for a number of low-ionization species resulting in an overall metallicity of 0.01 Z . We detect C ii∗, which allows us to make a physical model of the DLA cloud. Conclusions. From the systemic redshifts of the QSOs, we conclude that the Lyα blob is associated with Q 0151+048A rather than with the DLA. The DLA must be located in front of both the Lyα blob and Q 0151+048A at a distance greater than 30 kpc and has a velocity relative to the blob of 640 ± 70 km s−1. The two quasars accrete at normal Eddington ratios. The DM halo of this double quasar will grow to the mass of our local supercluster at z = 0. We point out that those objects therefore form an ideal laboratory to study the physical interactions in a z = 2 precursor of our local supercluster.


We extend the construction and analysis of the non-overlapping Schwarz preconditioners proposed in Antonietti et al. [Math. Model. Numer. Anal., 41(1):21-54, 2007] and [Math. Model. Numer. Anal., submitted, 2006] to the (non-consistent) super penalty discontinuos Galerkin methods introduced by Babuska et al. [SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 10:863-875, 1973] and by Brezzi et al. [Numer. Methods Partial Differential Equations, 16(4):365-378, 2000]. We show that the resulting preconditioners are scalable, and we provide the convergence estimates. We also present numerical experiments demonstrating the theoretical results.


Introduction/Purpose After aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients are at risk for delayed ischemic neurologic deficits (DIND), that is thought to be secondary to vasospasm. DIND is suspected in the setting of depressed arousal or focal neurologic deficits and confirmed radiographically. Implanted brain monitors facilitate the detection of DIND and the assessment of treatment effectiveness when unable to follow neurologic examination. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of (1) continuous brain tissue oxygenation (PBTO2) monitoring, (2) glucose, and (3) lactate to pyruvate ratio (LPR) in detecting local vasospasm when confirmed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Materials and methods This retrospective observational study that includes 10 patients with high grade SAH, assessed over multiple time points. The extent of angiographic vasospasm for each vessel was subjectively graded by 5 different neuro-interventionalists. The grading then was quantified as 0 (no spasm) to 6 (severe spasm). The intracranial probes were placed at the Kochers point which lies at the watershed area between the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) on corresponding side closest focus to the pathology. The extent of vasospasm was estimated by the weighted average of (1 × ACA +2 × MCA+3 × internal carotid artery (ICA))/6. Presence of clinically significant spasm was defined to be equal or greater than 2 (mild spasms). PBTO2, glucose, and LPR measurements were averaged over the 24 hour period prior to each DSA. The bedside measurements from all patients were divided in the two groups with and without spasm and were compared in between patients using a two-tailed non-paired student T-test. Results Sixteen time intervals were evaluated for PBTO2 and 18 intervals for glucose and LPR. The average PBTO2 during spasm was significantly lower (17.6+/-5.5 versus 23.8+/-3.73, p=0.003). Glucose was non-significantly lower during spasm: 0.6 versus 1.1, p=0.15). LPR was also non-significantly higher in spasm (34.5 versus 28.6, p=0.24). In the subjects with multiple time intervals PbtO2 negatively correlates with degree of vasospasm (r=−0.97±0.05). Conclusion Multi-modality monitoring (MMM) of comatose patients with SAH yields potentially useful but difficult to interpret information in the setting of vasospasm, and clear diagnostic thresholds have yet to be determined. Quantitative comparison of MMM and DSA in the setting of vasospasm would be more reliable with more accurate approach to quantifying cerebral blood flow from angiography. Disclosures K. Khatibi: None. V. Szeder: None. G. Korbakis: None. M. Buitrago Blanco: None. S. Tateshima: None. R. Jahan: None. G. Duckwiler: None. P. Vespa: None.


AngloGold South Africa region currently consists of twelve gold plants. These plants use a combined total of $20 million of cyanide per annum. Of this, the major portion (60%) is consumed at two Ergo dump retreatment plants. Historically the primary motivation for cyanide control at Ergo has been one of leach/cost optimization. However, more recently, with the increased public awareness of cyanide in the environment, a secondary but increasingly important motivation for control has been to ensure that only the minimum amount of cyanide is added to the process whilst not compromising leach performance. Following a brief overview of the Ergo process, the methodology in determining the amount of cyanide to be added is descriptionbed. The paper then traces the developments in cyanide control from very basic manual systems to the current automated control system. In line with the increasingly sophisticated control systems, developments also took place in regards to the method of cyanide analysis. The development of these analysers is also discussed. Whilst cyanide is one of the major drivers, if not the major driver of gold dissolution, it cannot be viewed in isolation particularly with respect to the relationship between cyanide and oxygen as ascertained from the Elsneri?½s well-known equation. Consequently, in order to control cyanide addition, knowledge of the relative cyanide/oxygen profiles is necessary. Various means investigated at Ergo for pulp oxygenation have therefore been included for the sake of completeness. Finally a comparison is made of the control achieved from the current system compared to the original manual system. The knowledge and experience gained at Ergo is now being used to draw up guidelines for the installation and optimization work at the other AngloGold plants. The net effect of this will be reduced cyanide consumption for the region, which also, apart from the obvious economic benefit, translates into a reduced environmental risk.


Amphiphilic co-solvents can have a significant impact on the structure, organization and physical properties of lipid bilayers. Describing the mutual impact of partitioning and induced structure changes is therefore a crucial consideration for a range of topics such as anesthesia and other pharmacokinetic effects, as well as microbial solvent tolerance in the production of biofuels and other fermentation products, where molecules such as ethanol, butanol or acetic acid might be generated. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a key method for studying lipid and polymer bilayer structures, with many models for extracting bilayer structure (thickness, area per lipid etc.) from scattering data in use today. However, the molecular details of co-solvent partitioning are conflated with induced changes to bilayer structure, making interpretation and modeling of the scattering curves a challenge with the existing set of models. To address this, a model of a bilayer structure is presented which invokes a two-term partition constant accounting for the localization of the co-solvent within the bilayer. This model was validated using a series of SANS measurements of lipid vesicles in the presence of the co-solvent tetrahydrofuran (THF), showing several strategies of how to deploy the two-parameter partition constant model to describe scattering data and extract both structure and partitioning information from the data. Molecular dynamics simulations are then used to evaluate assumptions of the model, provide additional molecular scale details and illustrate its complementary nature to the data fitting procedure. This approach results in estimates of the partition coefficient for THF in 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine at 35°C, along with an estimate of the fraction of THF residing in the hydrophobic core of the membrane. The authors envision that this model will be applicable to a wide range of other bilayer/amphiphile interactions and provide the associated code needed to implement this model as a fitting algorithm for scattering data in the SasView suite.


Banknotes, or cash, can be used continuously by any person for nearly every transaction and provide anonymity for the parties. However, as digitization increases, the role and form of money is changing. In response to pressure produced by the increase in new forms of money and the potential for a cashless society, states are exploring potential substitutes to cash. Governments have begun to investigate the intersection of digitization and fiat currency: Central Bank Digital Currencies ("CBDC").

States have begun researching and developing CBDCs to serve in lieu of cash. Central banks are analyzing the potential for a CBDC that could be made available to the public and serve as a substitute for cash by providing an alternate, safe, and robust payment instrument. However, the greatest attribute of cash is that it protects purchaser anonymity. Fully eliminating cash, without a substitute that safeguards anonymity, would undermine privacy of individuals. The creation of a CBDC in response to the potential cashless society raises the question whether the anonymity previously provided by cash must be safeguarded by the state. This note posits that a central bank in a cashless society must opt for the token-based form of CBDC, which provides the most privacy to individuals. States that choose an account-based CBDC will be in violation of fundamental international privacy principles.

This note begins by drawing the crucial distinction between account-based and token-based currencies. Then, this note argues that the broad right to privacy in the digital age is inclusive of personal financial data; this data is subject to the lawful and arbitrary standards of article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ("ICCPR"). Applying the ICCPR framework, it becomes abundantly clear that the privacy of individuals must be protected, even in the rapidly changing landscape of payments in the digital age.


One of the goals of the study of music theory is to develop sets of rules to describe different styles of music. By formalising these rules so that their semantics are machine intelligible, it is possible to use computers to reason about and analyse these rules -- computational music theory. Anton is an automatic composition system based on this approach. It formalises the rules of Renaissance Counterpoint using AnsProlog and uses an answer set solver to compose pieces. This paper discusses Anton, presenting the ideas behind the system and focusing on the challenges of modelling and synthesising rhythm.


Isolated lateral knee osteoarthritis accounts for the 5% to 10% of patients suffering from unicompartmental knee arthritis. Unicompartmental knee replacement is one of the surgical option for this population. In this paper we analyze the indications, surgical aspects and promising results of this kind of surgery according to Literature.


The importance of software maintenance in managing the life-cycle costs of a system cannot be overemphasized. Beyond a point, however, it is better to replace a system rather than maintain it. We derive model and operating policy that reduces the sum of maintenance and replacement costs in the useful life of a software system. The main goal is to compare uniform (occurring at fixed time intervals) versus flexible (occurring at varying, planned time intervals) polices for maintenance and replacement. The model draws from the empirical works of earlier researchers to consider 1) inclusion of user requests for maintenance, 2) scale economies in software maintenance, 3) efficiencies derived from replacing old software technology with new software technology, and 4) the impact of software reuse on replacement and maintenance. Results from our model show that the traditional practice of maintaining or replacing a software system at uniform time intervals may not be optimal. We also find that an increase in software reuse leads to more frequent replacement, but the number of maintenance activities is not significantly impacted.


Abstract. The intertidal bivalve Katelysia rhytiphora, endemic to south Australia and Tasmania,
is used here for pulsed Sr-labelling experiments in aquaculture experiments
to visualize shell growth at the micro- to nanoscale. The ventral margin
area of the outer shell layer composed of (i) an outermost outer shell layer
(oOSL) with compound composite prismatic architecture with three
hierarchical orders of prisms and (ii) an innermost outer shell layer (iOSL)
with crossed-acicular architecture consisting of intersecting lamellae
bundles. All structural orders in both layers are enveloped by an organic
sheath and the smallest mineralized units are nano-granules. Electron
backscatter diffraction reveals a strong preferred orientation of the
aragonite c axes perpendicular to the growth layers, while the a and b axes
are scattered within a plane normal to the local growth direction and
>46 % twin grain boundaries are detected. The Young's modulus
shows a girdle-like maximum of elastically stiffer orientations for the
shell following the inner shell surface. For 6 d, the bivalves were subjected twice to seawater with an increased
Sr concentration of 18× mean ocean water by dissolving 144 µg g−1 Sr (159.88 Sr∕Ca mmol ∕ mol) in seawater. The pulse
labelling intervals in the shell are 17× (oOSL) and 12× (iOSL) enriched in
Sr relative to the Sr-spiked seawater. All architectural units in the shell
are transected by the Sr label, demonstrating shell growth to progress
homogeneously instead of forming one individual architectural unit after the
other. Distribution coefficients, DSr ∕ Ca, for labelled and unlabelled shells are similar to shell
proportions formed in the wild (0.12 to 0.15). All DSr ∕ Ca values are lower than
values for equilibrium partitioning of Sr in synthetic aragonite.


Continuously growing demand for natural flavors has led to a tremendous increase in biotransformation process employing microorganisms of different genera using ferulic acid (FA) as the precursor. In this study, potential of Lactobacillus farciminis (ATCC 29644) for biotransformation of FA to 4-vinyl guaiacol (4VG) was investigated. 4-vinyl guaiacol is a volatile phenol, reported to have 40 fold higher economic value than FA and is biotransformable to acetovanillone, ethylguaiacol and vanillin. Biotransformation process started after 5 h incubation of L. farciminis with FA in Man Regosa and Sharpe (MRS) broth at 37°C under 5% CO 2 . Production rate was observed at its maximum after 48 h. Formed 4VG was identified by GC-MS (QQQ) and quantification was done by HPLC UV-Vis. The impact of initial concentrations of FA and bacteria on the production of 4VG was studied. The results indicate that the production of 4VG is significantly affected by initial concentration of FA, and empirically 1, 15 and 50 mg/l of FA yielded 0, 3.34 and 10.26 mg/l of 4VG, respectively. The findings are a milestone towards safe high yielding means of biotransforming some common agro-industrial wastes to a value added product. Key words : Lactobacillus farciminis , ferulic acid, 4-vinyl guaiacol, biotransformation.


OBJECTIVE
To present our experience of endoscopic electrocoagulation of sphenopalatine artery for persistent posterior epistaxis despite conservative measures.

METHODS
Seven endoscopic electrocoagulation of sphenopalatine artery was done for four patients from early 2001 till the present for recalcitrant epistaxis despite conservative treatment. The basic principle of this surgical method is to identify the sphenopalatine artery via endonasal endoscopy and to electrocoagulate the vessel.

RESULTS
Seven procedures were carried out in four patients. Endoscopic coagulation of sphenopalatine artery was carried out unilaterally in one patient and bilaterally in three patients. The artery was identified in all cases with successful postoperative results.

CONCLUSION
This method is an effective surgical technique for persistent posterior epistaxis with low morbidity.


Given the rapid growth of social media websites and the ease of aggregating ever-richer social data, an inevitable research question that can be expected to emerge is whether different interaction patterns of individuals and their meaningful interpretation can be captured for social network analysis. In this work, we present a novel solution that discovers occurrences of prototypical 'ego network' patterns from social media and mobile-phone networks, to provide a data-driven instrument to be used in behavioral sciences for graph interpretations. We analyze nine datasets gathered from social media websites and mobile phones, together with 13 network measures, and three unsupervised clustering algorithms. Further, we use an unsupervised feature similarity technique to reduce redundancy and extract compact features from the data. The reduced feature subsets are then used to discover ego patterns using various clustering techniques. By cluster analysis, we discover that eight distinct ego neighborhood patterns or ego graphs have emerged. This categorization allows concise analysis of users' data as they change over time. We provide fine-grained analysis for the validity and quality of clustering results. We perform clustering verification based on the following three intuitions: i) analyzing the clustering patterns for the same set of users crawled from three social media networks, ii) associating metadata information with the clusters and evaluating their performance on real networks, iii) studying selected participants over an extended period to analyze their behavior.