Summary and comments ("Research Highlights" in News and Views of the journal "Biomarkers in Medicine") on :
Combining the "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches in pharmacokinetic modelling: Fitting PBPK models to observed clinical data.
Nikolaos Tsamandouras, Amin Rostami-Hodjegan, Leon Aarons
BJCP, Sep 2013, on line
doi: 10.1111/bcp.12234

"How to link biomarkers: by using PBPK models"
Translational Medicine approaches impose to use many biomarkers from in vitro ones to clinical endpoints. The integration and articulation of those biomarkers are typically organized by "modelling and simulation" techniques. In this article, the authors delineate the process by which they can combine different approaches of modelling, using the specific example of pharmacokinetics.

The article summarizes well the 3 levels of complexity of modelling techniques. The first level is the empirical approach i.e. data are described by a mathematical model chosen on the "best fit". The second level is best described by being between level 1 and level 3 i.e. it is a so-called "semi-mechanistic" model using in some parts an empirical approach and in other parts a mechanistic approach. The level 3 is the mechanistic model and in pharmacokinetics, it is the complex physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. In this case, all key pathways through which a test drug is expected to go in a living organism, is computed.

Recent tendency in drug development is to use more the level 3. This was made possible by improvements in computers and softwares, by increased use of in silico methods and by development of in vitro in vivo extrapolation methods.

Numerical sensitivity of a model is often assessed by sensitivity analysis. This type of analysis tries to evaluate the origin of the variability of the model output by assessing different sources of variation included in the model. Ultimately, there is the good advice that all PBPK models should be assessed on the plausibility of the physiological parameters and their assigned range of values.

Correlation between parameters must be carefully examined. If there is a high correlation, one of the parameters should be quantified, using a physiologically plausible value.

For parameter estimation, 2 aspects are underlined. The authors are suggesting that most of the parameters should be fixed from physiological values and only a few should be estimated by model optimization techniques. Additionally, the reliability of the estimate should be described and this is often a challenging task for non physiologically parameterized values.

A very interesting clarification is made between the 2 terms, uncertainty and variability. "Variability refers to differences attributable to environmental or genetic factors" when "Uncertainty is variation that derives from errors in the experimental procedure, measurement, modelling and assumptions of the studied system".

A possibility to incorporate Bayesian statistics approaches into PBPK is discussed. One key advantage is to bring a distribution of probability perspective i.e. sort of variability description. However, a disadvantage is the need for high power, high speed computers and highly (or at least specifically) skilled scientists.

Ultimately, good PBPK models are sometimes considered overparameterized because they include many different parameters. The whole body system, sometimes described, encompasses too many dimensions in comparison to the available data. Then, it is reasonable to use techniques such as lumping procedures and semi-mechanistic models instead.

The conclusion is driven by common sense and proposes "to develop mechanistically sound models with clinical relevance". In drug development, mechanistic approaches are often key to resolve difficult hurdles because they permit to identify the key parameter(s) driving the failure of a particular molecule.


Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETS) are multi hop wireless networks, where a packet hops through a number of intermediate nodes within coverage range of each other to reach the intended destination. The novel application of MANET routing protocols in the marine environment using available technology is one of the contributions of this work. The high cost of other available technologies which require direct connection to IP networks make our approach an attractive proposition for small craft. In this paper we investigate the effect of different maritime traffic patterns on the performance of three different MANET routing protocols which are Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Ad hoc On-Demand Multi Path Distance Vector (AOMDV) and Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector (DSDV). The traffic patterns are represented by different node densities and mobility behaviours which are likely to be found in the marine environment. Performance evaluation of the MANET protocols is compared in terms of packet delivery ratio.


An NNC-Tree is a decision tree (DT) with each nonterminal node containing a nearest neighbor classifier (NNC). Compared with the conventional axis-parallel DTs (APDTs), the NNC-Trees can be more efficient, because the decision boundary made by an NNC is more complex than an axis-parallel hyperplane. Compared with single-layer NNCs, the NNC-Trees can classify given data in a hierarchical structure that is often useful for many applications. This paper proposes an algorithm for inducing NNC-Trees based on the R/sup 4/-rule, which was proposed by the author for finding the smallest nearest neighbor based multilayer perceptrons (NN-MLPs). There are mainly two contributions here. 1) A heuristic but effective method is given to define the teacher signals (group labels) for the data assigned to each nonterminal node. 2) The R/sup 4/-rule is modified so that an NNC with proper size can be designed automatically in each nonterminal node. Experiments with several public databases show that the proposed algorithm can produce NNC-Trees effectively and efficiently.


In this paper we build a controller for a Tetris game. A model inspired by control theory is used and a control law derived. This control law has certain degrees of freedom, i.e. some parameters to tune. Stochastic approximation is used to derive the "optimal" controller within this framework. An implementation of this control law with an existing Tetris game has been done and all code is available inorder for more control schemes to be proposed. This process is also proposed as a test case for discrete event methods.


This article review provides an insight into the main signals that will be responsible for the coming recession that will start from developed countries and will reflect negatively on developing countries that witness a decreasing level of development. The paper starts with the main seven signals that will initiate the recession. The second section will provide an analysis of the applied procedures and the economic reform that the government adopted to attract investment to overcome the previous and the coming challenges. Finally, the paper provides future expectations and paths for developing countries to overcome the recession.


In this article, we report high-speed multi-band direct-detection (DD) transmission over a hollow-core nested antiresonant nodeless fiber (NANF). Thanks to the ultrawide bandwidth of the NANF, we demonstrate dual-band transmission across the O- and C-bands over a ∼1-km length of a hollow-core fiber for the first time. Eight wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) channels were transmitted using 100-Gb/s/λ Nyquist 4-ary pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) signals, which to the best of our knowledge, is the highest aggregate capacity ever transmitted in a DD hollow-core fiber-based transmission system. Optical pre-amplification was adopted for signal reception in both bands, achieved using an in-house built bismuth-doped optical fibre amplifier (BDFA) and a commercial erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) in the O- and C-band, respectively. We further demonstrate beyond 100-Gb/s/λ adaptively-loaded discrete multitone (DMT) transmission over the S+C+L-bands using the same NANF, without the use of optical amplification. Our experiments show that apart from fiber loss, the use of the NANF did not introduce any additional transmission penalties. The demonstrated results validate the ultrawide bandwidth and excellent modal purity of the fabricated NANF, which allow beyond 100-Gb/s/λ penalty-free transmission over multiple bands, highlighting the potential of this fiber technology for high-speed short- to intermediate-reach applications.


Video compression systems use prediction to reduce redundancies present in video sequences along the temporal and spatial dimensions. Standard video coding systems use either temporal or spatial prediction on a per block basis. If temporal prediction is used, spatial information is ignored. If spatial prediction is used, temporal information is ignored. This may be a computationally efficient approach, but it does not effectively combine temporal and spatial information. In this letter, we provide a framework where available temporal and spatial information can be combined effectively to perform joint spatial and temporal prediction in video coding. Experimental results obtained from one sample realization of this framework show its potential.


The paper introduces the actuation requirements of an active tendon concept that is being developed under the Horizon 2020 SABRE project (Shape Adaptive Blades for Rotorcraft Efficiency). The basic idea of the concept is to incorporate a tensile structural member (referred to as a tendon) into a rotorcraft blade to introduce a means of controlling the blade's effective stiffness and hence its dynamic properties. This control mechanism should ensure that potentially harmful rotor resonances in various flight regimes are effectively and adaptively avoided. In previous studies, free vibration analysis for the blade-tendon system was conducted numerically and validated against non-rotating experiments. The resulting models are used here to support conceptual design and sizing of the tendon loading system. The actuation requirements in terms of the actuator force, stroke, power and other measures are discussed for simplified representations of the Bo105, Lynx XZ170 and EH101 helicopter rotor blades. It is shown that electro-mechanical linear actuator technology offers realizable loading approach and nominal peak loads of around 6 kN allow adaptive decrease of the in-plane and out-of-plane bending natural frequencies between 0.05/rev and 0.2/rev.


Hydrologic systems change in response to volcanic activity, and in turn may be sensitive indicators of volcanic activity. Here we investigate the coupled nature of magmatic and hydrologic systems using continuous multichannel time series of soil temperature collected on the flanks of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, one of the most active volcanoes in Central America. The soil temperatures were measured in a low-temperature fumarole field located 3.5 km down the flanks of the volcano. Analysis of these time series reveals that they respond extremely rapidly, on a time scale of minutes, to changes in volcanic activity also manifested at the summit vent. These rapid temperature changes are caused by increased flow of water vapor through flank fumaroles during volcanism. The soil temperature response, ~5 °C, is repetitive and complex, with as many as 13 pulses during a single volcanic episode. Analysis of the frequency spectrum of these temperature time series shows that these anomalies are characterized by broad frequency content during volcanic activity. They are thus easily distinguished from seasonal trends, diurnal variations, or individual rainfall events, which triggered rapid transient increases in temperature during 5% of events. We suggest that the mechanism responsible for the distinctive temperature signals is rapid change in pore pressure in response to magmatism, a response that can be enhanced by meteoric water infiltration. Monitoring of distal fumaroles can therefore provide insight into coupled volcanic-hydrologic-meteorologic systems, and has potential as an inexpensive monitoring tool.


Spaces in the traditional Balinese house were not only places for accommodating domestic and socio-cultural activities, but also locations for handing down traditions. In this transmission process, people taught and learned by participating in collaborative activities where the young generation observed, helped or imitated their elders. Central to this argument is an exploration of how the old generations transfer their traditions to the next, based on new conditions. This transmission was a learning process which started from an early age in which parents and grandparents played a predominant role. However, along with the growth of tourism, there are now known to be a substantial number of houses that have been transformed into tourist facilities by demolishing and relocating social and ceremonial spaces in the house. As a cultural phenomenon, the transformation involves an interrelated complexity of aspects and gives rise to the question about the continuity of the transmission process in these new settings. Using visual documentation and interviews, dynamic cultural activities over time could be collected and inventoried to reconstruct the transformation of the house and contextualize the handing down process of traditions. This article found that the transformation has happened in various ways, both as physical and socio-cultural aspects. The change in the tourist industry has meant the space and the time people dedicate to voluntary work to perform traditions is limited, so that their preservation is at risk. It is an indication of the process of waning traditions in the traditional house and is likely to affect the continuity of Balinese culture in the future.


High tensile strength aluminum offers great potential as a conductor material for Medium Voltage power cables within subsea umbilicals. Its excellent fatigue performance makes it suitable for dynamic umbilicals and its high tensile strength and light weight make it an ideal candidate for deepwater dynamic umbilicals either as an independent load bearing member or as an electrical conductor taking load share in an armoured or steel tube umbilical.
 Umbilicals, are the bundles of electrical and hydraulic components that connect and control elements of a subsea Oil and Gas production system.
 6000 series aluminum conductors, commonly known as AAAC (All Aluminum Alloy) conductors are widely used on high voltage overhead transmission lines, primarily on long spans due to their increased tensile strength. They have been widely used in various environments and possess an excellent track record. However, the use of AAAC 6000 series in a subsea umbilical system is novel. The cable located inside an umbilical bundle is normally of a wet insulation design, and an area of concern is that the seawater may permeate through the cable insulation allowing the conductor material to be in contact with water throughout its design life. Hence the corrosion resistance of the AAAC 6000 series in a seawater environment is of paramount importance and therefore must be assessed.
 This paper details the corrosion assessment of the 6000 series aluminum power cable conductor at RINA Consulting Ltd's laboratories together with complimentary field testing. The presented test results are based on long term (6–12 months) laboratory testing. The test programme investigated permeation, impact of temperature, effect of hydrostatic pressure and galvanic corrosion, with the tests being performed on material coupons and cable samples in a simulated seawater environment. Also detailed is the outcome of a full-scale cable field immersion test, 6 months under 1000m depth at seabed temperature of 10°C.
 The results demonstrated that there was no Cl− and Na+ ion permeation through the insulation layer. Also, there is no sign of aluminium conductor corrosion and no drop-in insulation resistance witnessed for all tested samples at temperatures up to 90°C and under a high pressure of 300bar after a one year test period, which is sufficient to qualify use in a subsea application.
 Based on the results of the presented laboratory testing and field immersion testing, it can be concluded that 6000 series aluminium conductors within 'wet design' Medium Voltage power cables will not be susceptible to corrosion in a subsea environment and could be used in other applications such as renewables.


This Memoir presents a detailed account of one of the most critical and interesting parts of the Lewisian complex of NW Scotland; a detached fragment of a supercontinent made up of Laurentia, Siberia and Baltica, which existed at the end of the early Proterozoic period. The Gairloch area, together with neighbouring Loch Maree, is the only part of the mainland Lewisian outcrop where Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rocks (the Loch Maree Group] and their relationships to the Archaean basement can be studied, and has been the subject of a considerable amount of research, spanning a period of more than forty years. The Loch Maree Group represents an amalgamation of oceanic, trench, and arc assemblages with continental basement, and forms part of a Palaeoproterozoic collisional orogen stretching from Labrador through South Greenland to Scandinavia.

The author is Emeritus Professor of Tectonic Geology at Keele University, England, and has studied the structural geology of Precambrian terrains in many parts of the world. He has mapped the area covered by the Memoir in detail, at a scale of 1:10 000, and has an intimate knowledge of the geology, acquired over many years.


A146 Background
 >Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA), a type II transmembrane metallo-peptidase highly overexpressed in prostate cancer cells has been studied as a targeting molecule in prostate cancer. Recently, it has been found to be also expressed in the neo-vasculature of multiple non-prostatic solid tumors. Because of its unique expression pattern limited to tumor-associated endothelial cells, PSMA may be an interesting molecule for vascular targeting. Here we investigated the protein expression and cellular distribution of PSMA in a large number of cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) and liver metastasis.
 >Methods
 >130 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of patients with colorectal cancer and 18 samples of metastatic liver lesions of were immunostained with antibodies directed against PSMA and the pan-endothelial marker CD31. Immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively based on staining intensity and distribution. Using whole coding region spanning primers, mRNA expression of PSMA was further determined in colorectal cancer and normal mucosa biopsy material. To test the tumor-specificity of PSMA expression, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis and granulation tissue, all know to be associated with neo-angiogenesis as well as normal colon mucosa were evaluated for PSMA expression. Confocal-immuno-fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the expression pattern of CD31 and PSMA in tumor associated vessels.
 >Results
 >High endothelial PSMA expression was observed in tumor-associated neo-vasculature of 94 of 130 CRC samples (72 %). 15 of 18 liver metastasis (83%) were positive for PSMA. Interestingly, tumor adjacent vasculature, normal colorectal mucosa as well as inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis showed no PSMA expression. Confocal-immuno-fluorescence microscopy revealed co-expression of CD31 and PSMA in the majority of tumor-associated endothelial cells. A subpopulation of PSMA positive vessel-lining-cells however, did not show CD31 staining. In addition, 15 (12%) colorectal cancer samples showed strong epithelial PSMA expression.
 >There was a trend for high grade tumors to higher PSMA expression (Spearman r = 0.18, P = 0.046) and men generally had higher PSMA level than women (Spearman r = 0.23, P = 0.009). No statistically significant association between PSMA expression and overall survival was observed (P = 0.375).
 >Conclusion
 >This study gives new insights in PSMA expression pattern in colorectal cancer. Because of its highly tumorspecific expression and its accessibility to antibody based therapies, PSMA represents an excellent target for anti-angiogenic therapy in colorectal cancers. The potential of an anti-PSMA directed therapy warrants testing in clinical trials.


Disease therapy based on genetic materials is now a reality. The technique of gene silencing also called as RNA interference (RNAi) keeps our hopes alive. RNAi based drugs have now advanced steps closer towards clinical trials. The powerful in-vivo RNAi machinery and its delicate factors apprehend that RNAi-dependent therapies might create a billion dollar business against the pathogenic organisms and disease for which treatment options are currently restricted conventionally. Recent years have highlighted both the promises and challenges in delivery of different RNAi therapeutics. Apart from the delivery, the design, stability and degradation of RNAi based effective molecules appears to be the major lime light to challenge the conventional drug safety concerns and ensures to be the most powerful gene recovery in future which execute billion dollar business hope.


Probiotics are defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as "living microorganisms which, when ingested in certain amounts, provide health benefits to the host" [1]. The consumption of probiotics positively influences the growth of targeted microorganisms in the host gastrointestinal tract, eliminates harmful bacteria or fungi, and boosts the naturally occurring defence actions of the host's immune system. Additionally, it also helps in the treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastrointestinal dysbiosis, as for other intestinal disorders [2,3,4]. Most of the known probiotics are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, and certain yeast strains such as Saccharomyces boulardii, S. cerevisiae CNCM I-3856, and Lipomyces starkeyi VIT-MN03 [3,4,5,6]. Several mechanisms are proposed on how these microorganisms are beneficial to the host wellbeing. Some examples are: by the production of antimicrobial or antifungal peptides; by stimulating changes in the intestinal environment which make it unfavourable for other microorganisms, including pathogens; as well as by competing for nutrients and for attachment to intestinal epithelial cells [7,8,9]. Probiotic microorganisms are also required to have certain features, such as: genetic stability; resistance to the gastric environment (acid and bile tolerance); adhesion capability to a mucosal surface; good in vitro/in vivo growth properties; maintaining high viability at processing; survival during storage, among others. These features ensure the survivor of a large number of these beneficial microorganisms for the successful colonization of the host's colon. Strict safety criteria are also compulsory, such as origin, the lack of pathogenicity and infectivity, or presence of virulence factors (toxicity, metabolic activity, and intrinsic properties, i.e., antibiotic resistance) [10,11]. Microencapsulation with edible coatings is often used to carrying a wide variety of products, such as: probiotics, flavours, fragrances, enzymes, antioxidants, antimicrobials, lipids, minerals, edible pigments, nucleic acids, etc. [12,13]. During the last decades, the microencapsulation has arisen as a trendy method for enhancing the survival of probiotic microorganisms. Probiotic microcapsules, when ingested, should result in more efficient probiotic delivery to the host gastrointestinal tract [14,15]. The term "microencapsulation" is defined as a process in which tiny particles or droplets of liquid or solid material are surrounded by a coating, or embedded in a homogeneous or heterogeneous film of polymeric matrix, to give small capsules with many useful properties [16,17]. According to the size, the capsules can be classified as: macro(>5000 μm), micro(0.2 to 5000μm), and nanocapsules (<0.2 μm) [18]. The protection efficiency provided by microencapsulation depends on many parameters, such as the probiotic microorganism strain, the method of microencapsulation, the coating material, among others. Microencapsulation has proven to reduce probiotic cell damage and enhance survival in simulated gastrointestinal fluid (SGIF) models. [14]. Coating material gives protection to the microorganism through the control of stress response mechanisms against gastric environment, which involve: moisture, solute migration, gas exchange, oxidative reaction rates, etc. It also offers protection from adverse external conditions as UV light and heat. Many technical approaches based on several physical and chemical principles have been explored for the microencapsulation of probiotic microorganism. Successful methods of microencapsulation include: spray drying; spray chilling; spray freeze drying; extrusion; electrospraying; layer-by-layer; fluidised bed drying; and other physicochemical techniques such as emulsification and coacervation. Furthermore, most of the coating materials currently used in the microencapsulation of probiotics mainly comprises proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids. These naturally occurring polymers, or their chemically modified versions, are often used alone or in blends to form the structural coatings [19]. A successful probiotic microencapsulation mainly depends on the compatibility of all the components, namely the type of microorganism, the method of microencapsulation and the coating material. Little changes in the composition of coating and/or core material, as well as in the physical and/or chemical treatments that the capsules are subjected to, make great differences in the final properties of the microcapsule [20]. The consumption of probiotics has been associated with a wide range of health benefits for consumers. Products containing probiotics need to have effective delivery of the microorganisms for their consumption to translate into benefits to the consumer. In the last few years, the microencapsulation of probiotic microorganisms has gained interest as a method to improve the delivery of probiotics in the host as well as extending the shelf life of probiotic-containing products. The microencapsulation of probiotics presents several aspects to be considered, such as the type of probiotic microorganisms, the methods of encapsulation, and the coating materials. The aim of this review is to present an updated overview of the most recent and common coating materials used for the microencapsulation of probiotics, as well as the involved techniques and the results of research studies, providing a useful knowledge basis to identify challenges, opportunities, and future trends around coating materials involved in the probiotic microencapsulation.


The aim of this work is to study the global existence of solutions for some coupled systems of reaction diffusion which describe the spread within a population of infectious disease. We consider a triangular matrix diffusion and we show that we can prove global existence of classical solutions for the nonlinearities of weakly exponential growth.


OBJECTIVE
To update the previous systematic review of the use of clopidogrel in combination with aspirin for patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), investigating the optimal duration of treatment and effects of withdrawal from treatment.

DATA SOURCES
Ten electronic databases and internet resources were searched from 2003 to February 2007, including MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, EMBASE, BIOSIS, CENTRAL and CINAHL.

REVIEW METHODS
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of clopidogrel plus aspirin compared with aspirin alone were used to evaluate clinical effectiveness and safety. Inclusion criteria included any comparator trial for duration of treatment studies, and any study design conducted in patients with NSTE-ACS, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), stroke, peripheral artery disease (PAD) or ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) for evidence of rebound on withdrawal of treatment. The existing model was updated to provide a more robust approach to evaluating the cost-effectiveness of alternative durations of clopidogrel and to assess the potential value of further research using value of information approaches.

RESULTS
Two RCTs were included for the review of clinical effectiveness and safety. The only RCTs identified that evaluated different durations of clopidogrel treatments were conducted in patients with stroke, PAD, STEMI or PCI. Two small RCTs and one uncontrolled retrospective cohort study were identified for the review of rebound after thienopyridine withdrawal in patients with medically-treated NSTE-ACS. On broadening the criteria, five RCTs, two observational cohorts, nine case series and 33 case reports were identified in patients post-PCI, and two case series and two case reports were identified in patients with stroke, PAD or STEMI. The CURE trial reported that the proportion of patients experiencing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction or stroke was lower in the clopidogrel group at 30 days [relative risk (RR) 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-0.92] and from 30 days to 12 months (RR 0.82; 95% CI 0.70-0.95). Clopidogrel seems to be effective in reducing adverse cardiovascular events in patients with NSTE-ACS at intermediate and high risk of ischaemic events, and appears to increase the risk of bleeding when compared with aspirin in patients with intermediate risk of ischaemic events. In terms of the cost-effectiveness of alternative durations of clopidogrel, the updated model reinforced the conclusions from the earlier analysis, i.e. a policy of 12 months of clopidogrel for patients with NSTE-ACS appears to be cost-effective in both 'average' patients and higher-risk patients. The incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) of 12 months' duration ranged from 13,380 pounds to 20,661 pounds per additional quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) across the different scenarios. For lower-risk patients, treatment beyond 3 months does not appear to be cost-effective. The ICER of 12 months' treatment with clopidogrel varied between 49,436 pounds and 58,691 pounds per QALY. Estimates of expected value of perfect information (EVPI) were higher for the combined analysis and for analysis of high-risk patients alone (between 48.69 million pounds and 108.4 million pounds at a threshold of 30,000 pounds per QALY). At a threshold of 20,000 pounds-30,000 pounds per QALY, total EVPI ranged between 3.27 million pounds and 20.38 million pounds in the lower-risk group.

CONCLUSIONS
The review was limited by the lack of available data. There is considerable variation in the costs of uncertainty surrounding the different scenarios and populations considered. The validity of these may also be less reliable in the higher-risk groups owing to changes in clinical practice. An adequately powered, well-conducted RCT that directly compares different durations of clopidogrel treatment in patients with NSTE-ACS would ideally be required to provide more robust evidence in relation to the impact of clopidogrel withdrawal.


Triple assessment of breast is based on clinical examination, histological and radiological study where in our study, the pattern of breast swelling in a premenopausal and postmenopausal woman was compared. A total of 150 female patients with palpable breast lump went through clinical examination, FNAC, USG breast while mammogram & core needle biopsy was done in selected patients. Histopathological examination of the specimen was done for all post-operative patients. Benign & malignant breast lesion accounted for 82(54.6%) & 68(45.3%) respectively. Based on the incidence of benign breast lump & malignant breast lump among pre menopausal women, it was 79% & 21% respectively while in post menopausal women it was  21.9% & 78.1%. The most common type of breast lump among the pre and post menopausal women was fibroadenoma 56.9% & Invasive ductal carcinoma 59.3% respectively. The most common benign breast lump & malignant breast lesion based on the histological pattern among the premenopausal women was fibroadenoma 72% & Invasive ductal carcinoma 50% while in postmenopausal women it was fibroadenosis 71.4% & Invasive Ductal Carcinoma 76%. Based on the hormonal status(ER/PR) of pre and postmenopausal women positivity was seen majorly in post menopausal women 82.3% compared to premenopausal women 17.7%. In our study, the malignant breast disease was more common in post menopausal, while benign breast disease was common in pre menopausal women.  Triple assessment in evaluating a breast lump is per se a reliable & valid tool in the armamentarium of treating clinician with very high diagnostic accuracy.


We present a novel 2‐D magnetotelluric (MT) inversion scheme, in which the local weights of the regularizing smoothness constraints are based on the envelope attribute of a reflection seismic image. The weights resemble those of a previously published seismic modification of the minimum gradient support method. We measure the directional gradients of the seismic envelope to modify the horizontal and vertical smoothness constraints separately. Successful application of the inversion to MT field data of the Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides (COSC) project using the envelope attribute of the COSC reflection seismic profile helped to reduce the uncertainty of the interpretation of the main décollement by demonstrating that the associated alum shales may be much thinner than suggested by a previous inversion model. Thus, the new model supports the proposed location of a future borehole COSC‐2 which is hoped to penetrate the main décollement and the underlying Precambrian basement.


The modern world is complex and difficult to understand for voters, who may hold beliefs that are at variance with reality. Politicians face incentives to pander to voters' beliefs to get reelected. We analyze the welfare effects of this pandering and show that it entails both costs and benefits. Moreover, we explore optimal constitutional design in the presence of imperfect information about how the world works. We compare indirect democracy to direct democracy and to delegation of policy making to independent agents. We find that indirect democracy is often welfare maximizing.


Beyond the fundamental identification and characterisation of faults and joints in chalk, the fine description of fracture permeability, by means of analysing roughness, preferential flow channels and related tortuosity, is crucial in multiple applications such as underground stability studies, tunnelling, oil and gas production and related water injection, pollution control around contaminated zones, etc. Chalk exhibits a plastic behaviour beyond the elastic limit. The shearing, potentially extensive pattern of failure, leads to frequent and abundant fractures. As dynamic plate tectonics give form to various tectonic contexts, the resulting fractures can provide important flow channels within the porous media. Fracturing and alteration processes induce specific surfaces. Structures such as hackles, striations, or plumose patterns may emerge. Fault surfaces can display ridges or deep linear channels affecting the chalk matrix. The understanding of fractures surface geometry by observation and qualification is hence crucial, as it directly affects fluid transport. Textural modifications and surface properties (such as fracture plane roughness) derive directly from the fracturing mechanism and the flow process. As a result, the description and classification of rock fractures can be conducted via systemic cause-to-effect approach. In this study, we use a cross-motion table with CCD laser sensor to scan natural fractures in chalk as well as lab generated fractures. Working with samples collected in extensions of the North West European basin, the 3D characteristics of the surfaces are put in context with the tectonic background. Surface measurements will be compared to conventional techniques such as the JRC and other current methods (fractal and statistical fracture description), in view to consider an extension of fracture characterisation methods in three dimensions. Establishing a semi-automated method, this study will enable visualisation and classification of natural joints and faults, in view to improve fracture permeability depiction in fundamental studies or practical applications.


Abstract The wood protective action of citrus wax, a waste from the citrus industry that is a mixture of citrus fruit epicuticular waxes and essential oils, was evaluated against the termite Cryptotermes brevis Walker (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae). The antifeedant index (AI) of the total wax and fractions was calculated. The total citrus wax exhibited an AI50 value of 24.69 mg/cm3, the wax after hydrodistillation showed the strongest antifeedant property (AI50 11.68 mg/cm3). Fractionation of the wax and gas chromatography—mass spectrometric analysis allowed the identification of coumarins and furancoumarins as the active compounds. These results suggest the potential use of these industrial residues as a natural approach to termite control.


In this Thesis, we describe the development of a three-dimensional radiative transfer code using Monte Carlo technique and its application to various astrophysical problems. This code is capable of simulating the radiation spectra coming out of the electron cloud of an accretion disk around compact objects, such as black hole X-ray binaries (XRBs). Physical processes included in this code are the relativistic Maxwell-Juttner momentum distribution of the electrons, Compton scattering with these electrons, and gravitational red shift of the photons. Due to general nature of the code, processes like synchrotron radiation, bremsstrahlung radiation, Coulomb coupling and the pair production are also possible to incorporate. Various types of photon energy distribution (e.g., mono-energetic, power-law, black-body and multi-colour black body) and geometry of the photon source (e.g., point or disk) can be used. In this Thesis, we have mainly used multi-color black body photons coming out of a Keplerian disk as the source of soft radiation. This soft radiation is intercepted by the electron cloud. Depending on the optical depth of the cloud, and energy of the electrons, the soft photons may get Comptonized and inverse-Comptonized via multiple scattering or may suffer no scattering at all, and they emerge out of the cloud as a relatively harder radiation. Our simulations provide information regarding the accretion disk and the central compact object.


Introduction: The Spanish university population is vulnerable in their eating habits for various reasons. This would in many cases the abandonment of a traditional Mediterranean diet. Objective: To determine the adherence to the Mediterranean diet (adm) of a university population of future Teachers and analyze various factos that may condition its nutritional quality. Methods: Distribution Kidmed test to a sample of 212 university aged between 21 and 24. The Kidmed index (012) indicate whether the ADM was low (0 to 3), medium (4-7) or high (8 to 12). Each respondent was recorded age, weight, height and body mass index, and weekly physical activity. For comparison of the data was used Chi square test, the Mann Whitney test and ANOVA factor using SPSS 15. Results: 15.1% had a low Kidmed index, 60.4% intermediate and 24.5% higher. The difference between the different levels of ADM is due to the consumption of fruits and vegetables (p < 0.05) mainly. Among the degrees of ADM and nutritional status (BMI) were not significantly different. The differences between those students who perform physical activity (66%) and no (34%) over the Kidmed index (< 0.05), were due primarily to breakfast consumed more cereals and cereal and pastries least). Conclusions: 75.5% of future Teachers needed improved ADM. In general, enhance a quality breakfast and minimum daily physical activity would be two core aspects in improving habits. It would be appropriate to provide nutritional education campaigns for this population and especially considering their future social role as educators.


This study aimed to determine the methicillin resistance and some genotypic characteristics of staphylococci in dogs and their owners. A total of 132 swab samples from 33 healthy dogs and their owners were taken. Isolated staphylococci were identified by PCR. The antibiotic sensitivities of the isolates were determined by disc diffusion method. Determination of pvl, mecA, bla , and fem genes and SCC mec types was performed by PCR. Isolates were genotyped according to coa and spa gene polymorphisms by PCR. Fortyfive isolates were identified as Stapyloccoccus spp. Among them, 8 isolates were identified as S. aureus and 23 isolates were identified as S. pseudintermedius. According to the disc diffusion tests, methicillin resistance methicillin-resistant was determined in all S. aureus (MRSA). Among the methicillin-resistant strains, 8 were S. pseudintermedius (MRSP). However, methicillin resistance was determined genotypically in 10 strains and of these 5 were MRSA and 2 were MRSP. Two S. aureus strains and 7 S. pseudintermedius strains were mec A negative but bla positive. No strain carried the fem gene. Ten different coa types were detected among the strains. All MRSA strains carried pvl genes. In conclusion, MRSP should be considered to pose a risk for humans living with dogs or in contact with them.


This article is based on my keynote speech presented at the 2018 Journal of International Accounting Research Conference held at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy. The worldwide adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards in 2005 represents a "quasi-experimental" shock for thousands of companies around the world. This "Big Bang" event provided accounting researchers with an opportunity to gain insights into the fundamental qualitative characteristics of accounting that users find valuable. This research identifies several qualitative characteristics that help explain "why accounting matters," including: (1) reliability, as captured by strong legal institutions, (2) accruals, (3) increased disclosure, (4) greater comparability, and (5) the use of historical costs (at least for contracting purposes). Notably, the overarching characteristic, which is necessary for all of the other characteristics to matter, is strong legal institutions.


An optical power coupler is one of the most well-used components in integrated photonics. Although couplers with an output power ratio 1:1 have been widely studied in the past, constructing asymmetric-ration optical power couplers is still an issue that is difficult to be addressed by using traditional Y-branch waveguides. Artificial intelligence (AI) assisted design is an effective technique for realizing complex optical structures. In this work, we have designed asymmetric-ration optical power couplers by using AI assisted design. Two couplers with the targeted splitting power ratio as 1:9 and 1:99 have been designed, respectively. In the AI assisted design, the coupler area was divided into discrete nano-pixels in the shape of circular holes with the same dimension. The AI controlled each pixel to be occupied by waveguide or air and trialed the occupation of each pixel one by one. In a 3.4 × 3.2 µm2 area, it took 1452 trials to obtain one optimized coupler. As a result, a splitting power ratio of 1:9.007 and 1:99.004 for the two couplers has been confirmed by using the finite-difference time-domain method. In addition, the waveguide configuration was further modified as the excess loss of the AI-designed coupler was a bit high, more than 3.50 dB. The way to reduce the loss is as follows: 1) positioning optimization of the output waveguide to avoid light scattering at the boundary between the coupler and the output waveguide, and 2) widening the output waveguide width to avoid insufficient light coupling. As a result, a scattering loss reduction of 1.7 dB by position optimization, and a coupling loss reduction of 1.6 dB by width widening were confirmed. The achieved design also exhibited a wide operation wavelength ranging from 1500–1600 nm in addition to sufficient fabrication tolerance of ±10 nm (± 11%).


Open Educational Resources (OERs) are freely accessible, openly licensed multimedia documents or interactive tools that can be typically integrated in Learning Management Systems to support courses. With social media platforms becoming the central piece of the students' digital ecosystem, there is an emerging need to provide resources that can be integrated in various general-purpose open platforms. Courses are also deconstructed in smaller learning units for personal learning activities or in Massive Open Online Course sessions. As a consequence, rich self-contained educational resources embedding their pedagogical context and modality are required (these elements not being elicited anymore from the course itself). This paper presents Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILSs)-pedagogically structured learning environments that can contain labs, apps and resources-as rich OERs. Teachers can create ILSs for their students (as standalone resources or embedded in other platforms) and share them with other teachers who can adapt the ILS to their needs.


Water systems all over the world experience water losses. Leakage is the most common reason of water loss. Problems associated with water main leaks are a growing concern around the globe. These problems include water and energy loss, in addition to considerable properties damage. In current practice, not all water leaks can be detected due to intensive time and expensive cost associated with the leak detection process; consequently, some leaks are still occurring and lead to problems mentioned above. Management of water leaks can be improved if leaks can be detected effectively then rectified efficiently. This paper presents a study conducted for detection of water leaks, and identification of their respective locations in underground pipelines using Thermography IR camera. The paper describes the field work and the experimental protocol, which will be carried out in different locations and these study will help to investigate factors that affect the applicability and limitations of the IR technology used in this study. Keywords— Water pipelines; Thermography; Water Leak detection; Failure investigations


Social networks among actors and stakeholders are gaining attention in studies of natural resource management, particularly those of adaptive management based on different forms of participation and co-management. In this sense, social networks have primarily been envisioned as enabling different actors to collaborate and coordinate management efforts. Here, we continue the discussion initiated by Newman and Dale (2005), which highlighted the fact that not all social networks are created equal. We discuss the relation between some structural characteristics and functions of social networks with respect to natural resource management, thus focusing on structural implications that are often overlooked when studying social networks within the context of natural resource management. We present several network measures used to quantify structural characteristics of social networks and link them to a number of features such as learning, leadership, and trust, which are identified as important in natural resource management. We show schematically that there may be inherent juxtapositions among different structural characteristics that need to be balanced in what we envision as social network structures conducive to adaptive co-management of natural resources. We argue that it is essential to develop an understanding of the effects that different structural characteristics of social networks have on natural resource management.


Despite considerable research into the etiology of neuroblastoma, the molecular basis of this disease has remained elusive. In contrast to the absence of expression of the known tumor suppressor CDKN2A (also known as p16 and INK4A) in a wide variety of tumor types we have found in previous studies that CDKN2A protein is paradoxically highly expressed in many advanced stage neuroblastomas and unrelated to RBI status. In the present study, we sought to identify the mechanistic relationships that might influence CDKN2A expression and negate its influence on tumor cell proliferation. In this regard, we examined the role of the tumor-suppressor gene CDKNIB (also known as p27 and Kip1) and the oncogene ID2 in relationship to CDKN2A expression, MYCN amplification, and neuroblastoma pathogenesis in 17 neuroblastoma cell lines and 129 samples of primary tumors of all stages. All neuroblastoma cell lines expressed the ID2 transcript and protein. However, although the majority of primary neuroblastomas also expressed the ID2 transcript, expression of the ID2 protein was undetectable or only barely detectable, regardless of transcript expression. In both cell lines and primary tumors, ID2 expression was independent of both CDKN2A and MYCN expression. In primary neuroblastomas, CDKNIB protein was expressed in significantly fewer advanced-stage neuroblastomas than early-stage neuroblastomas, but its expression had no relationship with CDKN2A expression or MYCN amplification. We concluded that the paradoxical expression of CDKN2A in neuroblastoma cannot be explained by inactivation of the tumor-suppressor gene CDKNIB or overexpression of the oncogene ID2. We further concluded that ID2 is not a target of MYCN regulation nor is it a prognostic factor for neuroblastoma. Finally, the loss of CDKNIB in advanced-stage neuroblastoma suggests this protein may play a role in the neuroblastoma disease process. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


The descriptive longitudinal feasibility study compared two teaching methods focused on inpatient unit orientation. Once admitted, 20 patients were randomly assigned to one of two methods (written or video) that provided unit orientation information. Survey data, which assessed retention of the information and satisfaction with the instructional method, were collected 24 hours later. Descriptive analyses of these data determined that patients who received unit orientation information by video achieved a slightly higher knowledge score, but a slightly lower satisfaction with instruction score. These data demonstrate that the teaching modality has an effect on patient knowledge retention and satisfaction with care. Correlating the descriptive patient demographic and admitting diagnosis data to the study variables revealed that when the admitting diagnosis was alcohol-related there was a negative influence on knowledge retention, which was a surprising result. Coordinating the mode of instruction to patient data, and/or allowing the patient to choose their instructional method may enhance the inpatient experience.


The nanoparticles of ZnO (n-ZnO) have been synthesized by a sol-gel
 method and characterized by UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopy, scanning
 electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-Ray spectrometry (EDX) and
 powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Precursor of n-ZnO particles were
 prepared via a non-aqueous route, which was calcined at 500oC. These
 particles were then deposited on a glass substrate for adsorption and
 photodegradation of a typical textile dye, Remazol Red R (RRR). Especially,
 the high surface to volume ratio of nanoparticles has appealed much
 attention to use these particles both as an adsorbent and a photocatalyst. A
 comparative study was carried out between n-ZnO and a commercially available
 ZnO (c-ZnO) to investigate the removal efficiency of RRR from its aqueous
 solution under different conditions. The removal efficiency has been
 optimized by varying several operating variables and the highest performance
 has been obtained with 0.115 g/slide of ZnO and 0.5 × 10-4 M aqueous
 solution of RRR under sunlight irradiation. It is important to note that the
 use of the films of ZnO in the presence of solar light makes it suitable for
 recycling and causes no secondary environmental pollution.


[1] The Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) sampled surface-atmosphere flux exchanges and related ecohydrometeorological processes at several flux tower sites in the Amazonian region between 1999 and 2006. This extensive database is now being analyzed to investigate, for example, the carbon balance of the Amazon basin and the effect of land use change in the basin on climate. It is therefore important to establish whether the period during which these data were collected is representative of the long-term climatology for the region. This study analyzed long-term climate station data for stations located nearby the LBA eddy flux tower sites. Measurements taken during the period of data collection were compared with the longterm station climatology using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and analysis of histogram from random samples from the long-term climatological record. In terms of precipitation, the LBA data collection period is statistically consistent with the climatology for all LBA study sites. In terms of temperature, the same result is true for most flux station sites; the main exception being the Bananal Island site where the temperature during the LBA period is significantly warmer by about 1C. There were some short periods when temperature in the region of other LBA flux sites was also statistically different (higher) during the LBA data collection period and an average but not statistically significant tendency toward higher temperatures across the whole region during the LBA period relative to previous years. This is probably because there has been significant land cover change near some of the LBA study sites, but a contribution from climate warming cannot be ruled out.


The aim of this paper is the use and validation of artificial intelligence techniques to predict the temperature of a thin-film module based on tandem CdS/CdTe technology. The cell temperature of a module is usually tens of degrees above the air temperature, so that the greater the intensity of the received radiation, the greater the difference between these two temperature values. In practice, directly measuring the cell temperature is very complicated, since cells are encapsulated between insulation materials that do not allow direct access. In the literature there are several equations to obtain the cell temperature from the external conditions. However, these models use some coefficients which do not appear in the specification sheets and must be estimated experimentally. In this work, a support vector machine and a multilayer perceptron are proposed as alternative models to predict the cell temperature of a module. These methods allow us to achieve an automatic way to learn only from the underlying information extracted from the measured data, without proposing any previous equation. These proposed methods were validated through an experimental campaign of measurements. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the proposed models can predict the cell temperature of a module with an error less than 1.5 °C.


Toll-like receptors (TLR) and the downstream adaptor protein MyD88 are considered crucial for protective immunity during bacterial infections. Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae is a human respiratory pathogen and a large majority of clinical pneumococcal isolates expresses an external polysaccharide capsule. We here sought to determine the role of pneumococcal capsule in MyD88-mediated antibacterial defense during S. pneumonia pneumonia. Wild type (WT) and Myd88-/- mice were inoculated intranasally with serotype 2 S. pneumoniae D39 or with an isogenic capsule locus deletion mutant (D39∆cps), and analysed for bacterial outgrowth and inflammatory responses in the lung. As compared to WT mice, Myd88-/- mice infected with D39 demonstrated a modestly impaired bacterial clearance accompanied by decreased inflammatory responses in the lung. Strikingly, while WT mice rapidly cleared D39∆cps, Myd88-/- mice showed 105-fold higher bacterial burdens in their lungs and dissemination to blood 24 hours after infection. These data suggest that the pneumococcal capsule impairs recognition of TLR ligands expressed by S. pneumoniae and thereby partially impedes MyD88-mediated antibacterial defense.


Objective Imaging genetic studies demonstrated that some genes implicated in emotional processes may have an effect on the brain structure and functioning. The role of serotonin transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) marker and catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene was highlighted in separate studies. There is less evidence of a possible interaction (epistasis) of the above genes. In this study we have examined an interaction of 5-HTTLPR and COMT markers on effective connectivity and brain volume within neural circuitry associated with emotion processing. Method Ninety one healthy Caucasian adults underwent functional MRI (fMRI) and structural MRI. In fMRI study the participants were presented with video clips of dynamic emotional facial expressions of fear, sadness, happiness and anger. The effective connectivity within the emotion processing circuitry was assessed with Granger causality method. This method allows an exploration of temporal relationship between the activity in different regions, which sheds light on possible causality of the brain events. In the structural neuroimaging part of the study we applied diffeomorphic anatomic registration through exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) which has better sensitivity compared with the earlier VBM methods. Results We have demonstrated that in the fear processing condition, an interaction between 5-HTTLPR (S) and COMT(met) low activity alleles was associated with reduced effective connectivity within the circuitry including bilateral inferior prefrontal cortex, right superior temporal gyrus, bilateral fusiform/inferior occipital regions, and right amygdala. The results of the structural data analysis showed an interaction of COMT and 5-HTTLPR genotypes with regional grey matter volume in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum and right putamen. In particular, the gray matter volume in these regions was smaller in individuals who were both COMT-met and 5-HTTLPR-S carriers, as compared to those carrying either 5-HTTLPR-L/L, or COMT-val/val. Conclusion The epistatic effect of COMT-met and 5-HTTLPR-S markers impacts on both the brain function and structure and is associated with: (1) reduced effective connectivity within the frontal-limbic emotion processing circuit. (2) reduced volumes of key temporal-limbic regions involved in emotion processing. These genetic effects may underlie an inefficient emotion regulation that places the individuals carrying low activity alleles of both COMT and 5-HTTLPR at greater risk for depressive disorders.


Formation energies of various defects in Al2O3 and SiO2 are calculated by using the plane-wave pseudopotential method. Also, the formation energies of Schottky defects and Frenkel defects are evaluated on the basis of these calculations. It is shown that formation energies of these defects are higher in SiO2 than in Al2O3. In other words, less defects are formed in SiO2 than in Al2O3. It is also found that the principal defect is the cation Frenkel defect in Al2O3 but the anion Frenkel defect in SiO2. These results agree with the experimental results that Al ions diffuse preferably in Al2O3 but oxygen ions diffuse in SiO2 at high temperatures.


In the North Sea, during autumn-winter, intertidal flats often receive a massive influx of migratory shorebirds (wildfowl, waders and seabirds), which utilise the high prey densities that are available. The present study was conducted at Culbin Sands lagoon, NE Scotland, in 1994-1996, to investigate benthic invertebrate standing stock, and the energy flow from benthic invertebrates to shorebirds. Benthic invertebrate standing stock was estimated to be 500 kJ m -2 yr -1 , and shorebird consumption efficiency to be 18% of the available standing stock. A series of manipulative field experiments were then conducted to test the effects of shorebirds on benthic invertebrate densities and community structure. Birds were excluded from caged areas (exclosures), and benthic invertebrate densities (total and by class size) in caged and uncaged areas were compared for each season separately. During autumn-winter, especially the gastropod Hydrobia ulvae and larger-sized (>15 mm) clams Macoma balthica were observed to be the most impacted species, being significantly more abundant in bird-exclosures than in bird-accessed areas.


We introduce a new model of two-way finite automaton, which is endowed with the capability of resetting the position of the tape head to the left end of the tape in a single move during the computation. Several variants of this model are examined, with the following results: The weakest known model of computation where quantum computers recognize more languages with bounded error than their classical counterparts is identified. We prove that two-way probabilistic and quantum finite automata (2PFAs and 2QFAs) can be considerably more concise than both their one-way versions (1PFAs and 1QFAs), and two-way nondeterministic finite automata (2NFAs). For this purpose, we demonstrate several infinite families of regular languages which can be recognized with some fixed probability greater than 1 2 by just tuning the transition amplitudes of a 2QFA (and, in one case, a 2PFA) with a constant number of states, whereas the sizes of the corresponding 1PFAs, 1QFAs and 2NFAs grow without bound. We also show that 2QFAs with mixed states can support highly efficient probability amplification.


The transport of glutamate, apparently a primary energy source for Coxiella burnetii, has been examined. C. burnetii is shown to possess a pH-dependent active transport system for L-glutamate with an apparent Kt of 61.1 microM and Vmax of 8.33 pmol/s per mg at pH 3.5. Both L-glutamine and L-asparagine competitively inhibited transport of glutamate, but D-glutamate, L-aspartate, L-glutamate-gamma-methyl ester, methionine sulfoximine, or alpha-ketoglutarate did not compete. This transport system is both temperature and energy dependent. Uptake of glutamate is highly sensitive to uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation such as 2,4-dinitrophenol and carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone that decrease the proton motive force across the cytoplasmic membrane. ATPase inhibitors such as dicyclohexylcarbodiimide or metabolic poisons such as KCN, NaF, or arsenite were much less effective as inhibitors of glutamate transport. Uptake of glutamate did not appear to be coupled to Na+ symport as in Escherichia coli since no monovalent cation requirement could be demonstrated. Instead, the Vmax of glutamate transport showed good correlation with the transmembrane pH gradient (delta pH). From these results, we propose that L-glutamate transport by C. burnetii is energized via a proton motive force.


Galanin‐immunoreactive profiles were localized within the monkey and human central nervous system. In the monkey telencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya were seen within the anterior olfactory nucleus, basal forebrain, endopiriform nucleus, hippocampus, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. The caudate nucleus and putamen contained galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya whereas the nucleus accumbens displayed only galanin‐immunoreactive fibers. In the diencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive profiles were seen within the medial preoptic area, periventricular, suprachiasmatic, paraventricular, and arcuate nuclei as well as the lateral hypothalamic area. Within the thalamus, only galanin‐immunoreactive fibers were seen within the midline paraventricular, reuniens, and rhomboid nuclei. In the mesencephalon, scattered galanin‐immunoreactive fibers were seen in the periaquaductal gray, ventral tegmental area, and midbrain reticular formation. In the metencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive neurons were observed in the medial vestibular nucleus and nucleus prepositus. In the myelencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya were seen within the nucleus of the tractus solitarius and hypoglossal nucleus. Dense collections of galanin‐immunoreactive fibers were found in the spinal descending tract of V, nucleus of the tractus solitarius, and dorsal motor nucleus of X. Galanin immunoreactivity was also observed within all circumventricular organs. Spinal anterior horn neurons expressed galanin immunoreactivity, and immunopositive fibers were seen within the tract of Lissauer and the substantia gelatinosa. Although the distribution of galanin immunoreactivity was generally similar between monkeys and humans, there were a few striking exceptions. The human supraoptic nucleus contained galanin‐immunoreactive neurons, whereas the monkey supraoptic nucleus displayed only immunopositive fibers. Similarly, galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya and fibers were seen in the human locus coeruleus and subcoeruleus, whereas in monkeys these regions contained only fibers. These data demonstrate a widespread distribution of galanin‐containing profiles in primates, suggesting that galanin may modulate cognitive, sensory, motor, and autonomic processes. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


INTRODUCTION
Prehospital medical teams encounter patients with varying states of shock that require the use of vasopressors for hemodynamic support during transport. Selection of a vasopressor is challenging due to the absent comparative literature in prehospital medicine, as well as practical limitation of use in an ambulance.

AREAS COVERED
This article discusses specific challenges in the delivery of vasopressor support for hemodynamically compromised patients in the prehospital environment. Discussion includes the current state of vasopressor use in prehospital medicine, use of a patient-specific agent selection or "one-vasopressor-fits-all" modality, as well as considerations for each vasopressor based on practical, pharmacologic, and comparative evidence-based evaluations.

CONCLUSIONS
There are currently many limitations to assessment of shock etiology in the prehospital setting. A "one-vasopressor-fits-all" strategy may be most feasible for most prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) systems. No clear difference in extravasation exists amongst agents. Based on current evidence, norepinephrine may be more efficacious and have a better safety profile than other vasopressors in cardiogenic, distributive, and neurogenic shocks. Due to its suitability for most shocks, norepinephrine is a reasonable agent for EMS systems to employ as a "one-size-fits-all" vasopressor.


This paper presents an inclinometer-based deflection curve reproduction system which can reconstruct the deflected shapes of bridges directly. Because the conventional deflection-measuring methods are performed by collecting the deflection data at just a few discrete points along the bridges, the bridges' deflected curves are not smooth enough. The operation of the proposed system is performed by utilizing the displacement transducer to determine the measuring intervals, using inclinometer to collect the angles of the measured points, calculating the deflection values, further applying Gradient Mean Prediction Filtering (GMPF) algorithm to filter the deflection data, and finally reproducing the deflection curves of bridges. The precision, feasibility, reliability, and effectiveness are verified by laboratory tests and field applications.


Molecular communications (MC) is a bio-inspired paradigm that aims to utilise molecules to exchange information among nano-machines. Given the tiny devices used in a MC system and the feasibility of MC in biological environments, MC can be applied to many applications ranging from the healthcare to manufacturing fields.

In order to better realize these applications in the future, this Ph.D. research is dedicated to the investigation of a more functional, precise and reliable Diffusion-based Molecular Communications (DBMC) system. To achieve this goal, the contributions of this thesis are as follows. Firstly, the point-to-point (PTP) DBMC system with the absorbing receiver model is established and investigated. A study of the accuracy of the analytical channel model is also introduced. Secondly, dependent on different types of the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX), three different communication scenarios are proposed. Thirdly, to enhance the reliability of the information at RX, the Error Correction Codes (ECCs), as the most prominent technique is employed within the DBMC system to control or correct any errors introduced during the transmission process. Fourthly, due to the limitation of the power budget of the nano-machines, the energy efficiency of the system is also taken into account. Finally, a two-receiver broadcast DBMC system is established with an absorbing interfering receiver (RI) and an absorbing target receiver (RT). By analysing the performance of the communication link between TX and RT (target communication link), the impact of the positions of RI on RT is studied.

This study indicates that the application of ECCs does enhance the performance of PTP DBMC systems. In addition, the encoder and decoder design, and the BER performance are shown to be the two primary factors for selecting the most suitable ECC for the application. Finally, considering a two-receiver broadcast DBMC system with absorbing receivers, the existence of RI does affect the performance of the target communication link which is crucial result for the field moving forward.


This paper discusses about reactive power compensation and harmonic mitigation in a grid connected system with a non-linear load by using STATCOM (Static synchronous compensator). The main objective of this paper is to show that there the harmonic distortion and the unbalance caused due to non-linear load is not affected at the grid side. Also it provides a control to maintain the dc link voltage as constant. The unbalance of dc capacitor voltage is caused due to switching loss. The control strategy used is using PI (Proportional Integral) controller and hysteresis control. This control scheme has the advantage of good stability and strong regulation capacity. The simulations are done in the MATLAB/SIMULINK. The graph shows that voltage is stabilized to a constant value also reactive power is compensated and THD (Total Harmonic Distortion analysis) is done both in the grid side and load side.


Geophysical data acquired on the conjugate margins system of the Gulf of Lion and West Sardinia (GLWS) is unique in its ability to address fundamental questions about rifting (i.e. crustal thinning, the nature of the continent-ocean transition zone, the style of rifting and subsequent evolution, and the connection between deep and surface processes).

While the Gulf of Lion (GoL) was the site of several deep seismic experiments, which occurred before the SARDINIA Experiment (ESP and ECORS Experiments in 1981 and 1988 respectively), the crustal structure of the West Sardinia margin remains unknown. This paper describes the first modeling of wide-angle and near-vertical reflection multi-channel seismic (MCS) profiles crossing the West Sardinia margin, in the Mediterranean Sea. The profiles were acquired, together with the exact conjugate of the profiles crossing the GoL, during the SARDINIA experiment in December 2006 with the French R/V L'Atalante.

Forward wide-angle modeling of both data sets (wide-angle and multi-channel seismic) confirms that the margin is characterized by three distinct domains following the onshore unthinned, 26 km-thick continental crust : Domain V, where the crust thins from ~26 to 6 km in a width of about 75 km; Domain IV where the basement is characterized by high velocity gradients and lower crustal seismic velocities from 6.8 to 7.25 km/s, which are atypical for either crustal or upper mantle material, and Domain III composed of "atypical" oceanic crust.

The structure observed on the West Sardinian margin presents a distribution of seismic velocities that is symmetrical with those observed on the Gulf of Lion's side, except for the dimension of each domain and with respect to the initiation of seafloor spreading. This result does not support the hypothesis of simple shear mechanism operating along a lithospheric detachment during the formation of the Liguro-Provencal basin.


For vehicle-to-grid (V2G) frequency regulation services, we propose an aggregator that makes efficient use of the distributed power of electric vehicles to produce the desired grid-scale power. The cost arising from the battery charging and the revenue obtained by providing the regulation are investigated and represented mathematically. Some design considerations of the aggregator are also discussed together with practical constraints such as the energy restriction of the batteries. The cost function with constraints enables us to construct an optimization problem. Based on the developed optimization problem, we apply the dynamic programming algorithm to compute the optimal charging control for each vehicle. Finally, simulations are provided to illustrate the optimality of the proposed charging control strategy with variations of parameters.


This research addresses the ways in which film might be used to investigate senses of place and representations of place and ritual. It focuses on two seasonal performative folk traditions in rural England, Haxey Hood in North Lincolnshire and Mayday in Padstow. By considering the experiential qualities of these annual rituals and their significance for local communities as seen in their wider socio-economic contexts, this research raises broader questions regarding place and belonging in contemporary society, and how film as a medium capable of directly conveying phenomenological experience, might transmit the sensual qualities of lived experience, place, and landscape to an audience. Drawing on Sobchack's conception of the film as a body in itself, the role of embodied experience is central in this study in exploring interconnections between the bodies of the filmmaker, the film itself, subjects and audience and their empirical possibilities.

The research at the same time is wary of realist approaches to representation, instead seeking to consider the ways in which this "wild meaning" is then manipulated, fragmented and transformed in the process of filmmaking, both 'in the field' and in the editing process. Through the use of experimental ethnographic methods, key conceptual aspects of this thesis such as performance, the embodied camera and auto-ethnography are used to investigate the complex ways that place and ritual might not only be known and understood, but are also performed and imagined anew through film.

Place and belonging are themes of great contemporary relevance in current academic and art practice, and the outcome of this study has been the creation of my film Folk in Her Machine (2013). By exploring both the sensual qualities of lived experience, and other forms of meaning through experimental ethnographic methods, it is argued that fruitful insights have been gained into both the embodied nature of filmic representation and its performative possibilities, or in MacDougall's words, film's interplay "between meaning and being".


The genus Crotalus is well represented in all biogeographic provinces including most major vegetation communities and climatic zones described for Mexico. For this reason, we use the assumptions of panbiogeography with the objective to establish a biogeographic framework for the 26 species of rattlesnakes native to Mexico. On the basis of 1472 records, 26 individual tracks derived from the distribution of each species resulted in two generalised tracks. The first is located in the Peninsula of Baja California, in the biogeographic provinces of California and Baja California, and is identified by three species (C. enyo, C. mitchellii and C. ruber). The second generalised track is located on the eastern portion of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt, the Balsas Basin, and Sierra Madre del Sur, supported by C. ravus and C. intermedius. An analysis of partition of variance found that vegetation explains the most variation in the distribution of species. Very similar results were obtained by analysis of ancestral reconstruction for biogeographic provinces, vegetation types and elevation. Our results are consistent with different climatic events during the Pleistocene, and tectonic events such as the lifting of the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental. In addition, our results showed similarities with historical distributions of birds, mammals and beetles. Further studies of the distribution and phylogeography of other groups of reptiles with significant information gaps in their historical and current distribution are needed to shed further light on the biogeography and diversity of reptiles of Mexico.


The conceptual work of the project "NutriMat" will be presented. The project aims to examine the applicability and quality of fouling organisms on offshore submerged structures to serve as an alternative protein and lipid source in aquaculture. An additional goal is the development of a harvest device and a processing procedure.
The constantly rising demand on fishery products from aquaculture raises the problem of feeding those organisms. Stagnating catches meet rising demands and intensify the costs for fishmeal which is an essential ingredient of aquaculture feeds. Due to the rising prices and the request for ecologically sustainable feed stuff, alternative protein and lipid resources need to be established.
Due to the soaring offshore wind energy business the newly built artificial substrates offer a habitat for Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) dominated fouling communities in the North Sea. The fouling community involves several disadvantages for the submerged structures of the platforms like an increased weight-load, aggravated corrosion and a restricted possibility to survey the structures. As specified by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency each year 25 % of the windmills per park have to be inspected, consequently the removal of the biofouling is reasonable and necessary. Harvesting the biofouling of the high number of planned offshore wind turbines in the North Sea opens an enormous protein and lipid source.
M. edulis offers a highly valuable nutrient composition and presents an alternative renewable resource from the marine realm whose application has no obvious disadvantage for the ecosystem nor is it ethically questionable. It has a high potential to serve as a sustainable, organic feed stuff which not only meets the western aesthetics but also offers a species-appropriate feed, originating from the same milieu.
The consortium working on this project for the next two years is composed of companies from Bremerhaven/Cuxhaven and combines expertise on operating offshore wind parks, maritime engineering, processing marine resources, economics, recirculation aquaculture and biochemical analytics.


Multi-marker approaches are currently gaining a lot of interest in genome wide association studies and can enhance power to detect new associations under certain conditions. Gene and pathway based association tests are increasingly being viewed as useful complements to the more widely used single marker association analysis which have successfully uncovered numerous disease variants. A major drawback of single-marker based methods is that they do not consider pairwise and higher-order interactions between genetic variants. Here, we describe novel tests for multi-marker association analyses that are based on phenotype predictions obtained from machine learning algorithms. Instead of utilizing only a linear or logistic regression model, we propose the use of ensembles of diverse machine learning algorithms for constructing such association tests. As the true mathematical relationship between a phenotype and any group of genetic and clinical variables is unknown in advance and may be complex, such a strategy gives us a general and flexible framework to approximate this relationship across different sets of SNPs. We show how phenotype prediction obtained from ensemble learning algorithms can be used for constructing tests for the joint association of multiple variants. We first apply our method to simulated datasets to demonstrate its power and correctness. Then, we apply our method to previously studied asthma-related genes in two independent asthma cohorts to conduct association tests.


The present study investigated the aerodynamic pitching stability of sedan-type vehicles under the influence of A- and C-pillar geometrical configurations. The numerical method used for the investigation is based on the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method. Whilst, the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method was employed to realize the prescribed pitching oscillation of vehicles during dynamic pitching and fluid flow coupled simulations. The trailing vortices that shed from the A-pillar and C-pillar edges produced the opposite tendencies on how they affect the aerodynamic pitching stability of vehicles. In particular, the vortex shed from the A-pillar edge tended to enhance the pitching oscillation of vehicle, while the vortex shed from the C-pillar edge tended to suppress it. Hence, the vehicle with rounded A-pillar and angular C-pillar exhibited a higher aerodynamic damping than the vehicle with the opposite A- and C-pillars configurations. The underlying aerodynamic damping mechanism has been verified through flow visualization of phase-averaged results.


Biotechnology confronts us with ethical questions, that cannot be satisfactorily answered on the basis of traditional ethics in every case. The reason is that the development of technology influences traditional ethical conceptions and often gives rise to a wide variety of ethical views (abortion, euthanasia). After a general discussion of the causes of ethical differences, the role of technological developments in this regard is examined. This leads to the conclusion that technology is not ethically neutral. The increase of science and technology is ethically good. This conclusion does not imply that each of science or technology is also good. After the discussion of the relationship between ethics and technology in general, the results are applied to biotechnology.


Glacier retreat leads to changes in channel pattern during deglaciation, in response to changing water, sediment and base level controls. Recent ongoing retreat at Skaftafellsjökull, Iceland (c. 50 m per year since 1998) has resulted in the formation of a sequence of river terraces, and several changes in river channel pattern. This paper compares widely used models of river channel pattern against the changes observed at Skaftafellsjökull. Doing this reveals the role of topographic forcing in determining proglacial channel pattern, whilst examining the predictive power and limitations of the various approaches to classifying river channels. Topography was found to play a large role in determining channel pattern in proglacial environments for two reasons: firstly, glacier retreat forces rivers to flow through confined moraine reaches. In these reaches, channels which theory predicts should be braided are forced to adopt a single channel. Secondly, proximal incision of proglacial rivers, accompanied by downstream aggradation, leads to changes in slope which force the river to cross channel pattern thresholds. The findings of this work indicate that in the short term, the majority of channel pattern change in proglacial rivers is due to topographic forcing, and that changes due to changing hydrology and sediment supply are initially relatively minor, although likely to increase in significance as deglaciation progresses. These findings have implications for palaeohydraulic studies, where changes in proglacial channel pattern are frequently interpreted as being due to changes in water or sediment supply. This paper shows that channel pattern can change at timescales faster than hydrological or sediment budget changes usually occur, in association with relatively minor changes in glacier mass balance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Exormotheca bischleri Furuki & Higuchi is described as new to science from Sichuan Province, China. This is the first record of Exormothecaceae from China and the easternmost locality of the family in Eurasia. This new species is characterized by (1) air chambers twice as tall as the septa, (2) septa of air chambers as tall as the chlorophyllose filaments, (3) ligulate to lunulate ventral scales with oil-cells, (4) 1-2 filiform appendages on the ventral scales, (5) tubers absent, (6) dioicous sexual condition, (7) sessile archegoniophores, (8) large spores, 100-120 μm in diam. and (9) elaters with mostly 1(-2) spiral(s). Exormotheca bischleri belongs to sect. Corbierella.


Physical mechanisms responsible for nondestructive single-event effects in digital microelectronics are reviewed, concentrating on silicon MOS devices and integrated circuits. A brief historical overview of single-event effects in space and terrestrial systems is given, and upset mechanisms in dynamic random access memories, static random access memories, and combinational logic are detailed. Techniques for mitigating single-event upset are described, as well as methods for predicting device and circuit single-event response using computer simulations. The impact of technology trends on single-event susceptibility and future areas of concern are explored.


The complexity of the video background of moving target tracking algorithm led to the robustness of the important reasons is not high for the limitations of existing algorithms, a framework based on the movement of particle filter tracking algorithm. In order to reduce the impact of occlusion for the algorithm, the algorithm of moving objects make full use of color and motion characteristics of moving target detection, and to avoid the interference of the complex background, within the framework of particle filter in the object color histogram analysis. Finally, given an effective comparison of the calculation. Experimental results show that particle filter based target tracking algorithm can effectively remove the interference of the complex background, the context for any trace detection of high robustness.


Respiration influences the oscillometric cuff pressure waveform from which blood pressure (BP) is estimated. However, there is little information available on the phase shift between reference respiration signal and respiratory modulation signal from oscillometric cuff pressure pulses (OscP) during BP measurement. This study aimed to provide this information and investigate the effect of breathing pattern on the phase difference. Two manual BP measurements were performed on 20 subjects under both normal and deep breathing conditions. During linear cuff deflation, OscP and respiration signal (Resp) were digitally recorded. Respiratory modulation signal was derived from pulse interval of OscP. After filtering the Resp and respiratory modulation signal with a band pass filter, phase shift was calculated by cross spectral analysis, and then compared between the two measurement conditions. Experimental results showed that there was phase shift between Resp and respiratory modulation signal from OscP under both normal (phase difference 0.20±0.09 rad) and regular deep breathing (phase difference 0.64±0.19 rad) conditions. Statistical analysis showed that deep breathing significantly (p<0.05) increased phase shift in comparison with normal breathing. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the presence of phase shift between respiration signal and respiratory modulation signal from OscP during BP measurement and that the phase shift is associated with breathing pattern.


Microtubules are essential for the mitotic division of cells and have been an attractive target for antitumour drugs due to the increased incidence of cancer and significant mitosis rate of tumour cells. In the past few years, tubulin-colchicine binding site, as one of the three binding pockets including taxol-, vinblastine- and colchicine-binding sites, has been focused on to design tubulin-destabilizing agents including inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates and degradation agents. The present review is the first to cover a systemic and recent synopsis of tubulin-colchicine binding site agents. We believe that it would provide an increase in our understanding of receptor-ligand interaction pattern and consciousness of a series of challenges about tubulin target druggability.


The Dark Factor of Personality (D) is the basic disposition that gives rise to specific personality traits related to antagonistic, malevolent, or socially aversive behavior, thereby representing the common core of dark personality. Whereas existing evidence clearly supports the conceptualization and utility of D, the assessment of D was possible only indirectly and with extensive effort, so far. Applying rational item selection techniques to seven large and highly heterogeneous samples (total N > 165,000), we herein identified sets of items (comprising 70, 35, and 16 items, respectively) that allow for a psychometrically sound and more concise assessment of D. Results indicate that all identified item sets are characterized by high internal consistencies and high retest-reliabilities, clearly map on a single factor in line with the definition of D, and exhibit substantial associations to various relevant criteria, including three assessments of actual behavior. In particular, the item sets showed substantial associations with behavioral measures of individual utility maximization disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking disutility on others, and were also related to various justifying beliefs, thereby mirroring the defining features of D. In sum, the identified item sets allow for a concise, reliable, and valid assessment of D.


Aim Demographic changes, decreasing availability of general practitioners, and at least regional shortage of qualified emergency medical service (EMS) physicians led to increasing arrival times and quality problems. Telemedical solutions could help to solve some of the problems. Methods Overall safety and feasibility of prehospital telemedically guided care was already proven in two research projects from 2007 to 2013.1–3 Their results led to implementation of a multifunctional mobile telemedicine system in the city of Aachen, Germany. From 04/2014 to 03/2015 all ambulances were equipped with a telemedicine system connected to a teleconsultation centre staffed with anesthesiologists experienced in emergency care. Audio, real-time vital data, 12-lead-ECG, picture transmission, and video streaming from ambulances was accomplished with encrypted and parallelized transmission using. Mission numbers prior and after implementation were compared to evaluate systematic influence. Results From 04/2014 to 06/2016 overall 4.901 EMS missions were supported and guided telemedically: n=4.151 emergency missions (85%) and n=750 (15%) inter-hospital transfers. Prior to implementation (04/2013–03/2014) 17.305 solely ambulance missions (68.7%) and 7.882 ambulance plus EMS physician unit missions were performed (31.3%). After implementation (04/2015–03/2016) 20.102 ambulance missions (76%) and 6.360 ambulance plus EMS physician missions (24%) were conducted which revealed a significant difference between both phases, p<0.0001. Conclusion The implementation of a telemedicine system into routine care led to a significant decrease in conventional on-scene physician missions as well as to an overall decrease in physician guided EMS cases. Therefore, the approach can be judged resource optimising and holds a potential for economic improvements although highly qualified physicians carry out the service. References Brokmann JC, Conrad C, Rossaint R, Bergrath S, Beckers SK, Tamm M, Czaplik M, Hirsch F. Treatment of acute coronary syndrome by telemedically supported paramedics compared with physician-based treatment of acute coronary syndrome: a prospective, interventional, multicentre trial. J Med Internet Res2016;18(12):e314doi:10.2196/jmir.6358 Felzen F, Brokmann JC, Beckers SK, Hirsch H, Tamm M, Rossaint R, Bergrath S. Technical performance of a multifunctional prehospital telemedicine system in routine emergency medical care – an observational study. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare2016; pii: 1357633X16644115. Bergrath S, Reich A, Rossaint R, Rörtgen R, Gerber J, Fischermann H, Beckers SK, Brokmann JC, Schulz JB, Leber C, Fitzner C, Skorning M. Feasibility of Prehospital Teleconsultation in Acute Stroke – a pilot study in clinical routine. PLoS ONE2012;7(5):e36796. Conflict of interest None declared. Funding None declared.


The purpose of the UCW project inter-agency meeting on Good Practices in Combating Child Labour was to review the experiences with good practices approaches in the three UCW agencies (IPEC, UNICEF, and the World Bank) and to discuss how this can be taken further into a joint process. The workshop had three specific objectives: to review experiences with developing and working with good practices so far; to discuss the potential for a common or at least a complementary approach across the three agencies that will provide for the sharing of good practices; to identify some concrete initiatives for the current and possibly the next phase of the UCW initiative.


We present a dynamic model of simultaneous passive coherent beam combining and passive mode locking for coupled fiber lasers. The presence of a saturable absorber in the composite cavity results in the generation of packets of mode locked pulse trains. Within each packet the repetition rate of the pulses is determined by the length difference between the fibers.


The Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) is a research method with great potential to complement existing methods for collecting data on driver performance and behavior in normal, impaired and safety-critical situations. However, to date, no large-scale NDS projects have been undertaken in Australia. In this paper, naturalistic driving studies that have been undertaken previously are reviewed, the advantages for Australia in running large-scale naturalistic driving studies are discussed, and a project, led by the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, is described that will culminate in the countryrs first large-scale NDS.


Two early 16th-century manuscripts of the Trivulzio family's private library in Milan, MSS Triv. 2079 and Triv. 2096, transmit works composed by Arcangelo Madrignani and Francesco Scauro and dedicated to Gian Giacomo Trivulzio (1440-1518). Both MSS appear to have been written by the Milanese copyist Giovanni Battista Lorenzi and are to be added to the corpus of manuscripts attributed to his hand by Albinia de la Mare and Jonathan J.G. Alexander. Moreover two parchment documents held in the Archivio di Stato of Milan (Diplomi e dispacci sovrani, Milano, cart. 9, s. d. and Cimeli, cart. 1, c 20, 1 oct. 1511) are here identified as written by the same copyist. In 1515 Lorenzi was a secretary of Massimiliano Sforza.


In this report, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of a rooftop, grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system has been conducted. The primary objective has been to assess the environmental impacts resulting from the PV system over its entire lifetime, while the secondary goal has been to perform a sensitivity analysis on selected parameters and compare the results with the impacts from wind power. Four different cases have been assessed: Mc-Si Sim, mc-Si ESS, CdTe and CIGS. The difference between the multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) cases were the production method for solar grade silicon: One case used the most common, chemical method; the modified Siemens process (mc-Si Sim), while the other case used the metallurgical route developed by Elkem Solar (mc-Si ESS). With a few minor exceptions, mc-Si Sim gave the highest environmental impacts, including the global warming impacts (GWP). The thin film technologies, CdTe and CIGS, had significantly lower impact potentials than the mc-Si cases, while the difference between the two were small. The relative contribution from processes to the impacts scores were different within each case investigated: The energy intensive steps for silicon purification were large contributors in the mc-Si cases, in addition to the PV module manufacturing, which was the dominating contributor in the thin film cases. In all cases, the metal depletion potential was dominated by the inverter and cabling components, due to their use of metals like copper and tin. Metallizarion pastes used in the mc-Si solar cell production contributed to toxicity potentials. Contributions from other processes in the PV value chains were less significant. The GWP-scores in kg CO2-eq./m2 of PV system were found to be 260 for mc-Si Sim, 155 for mc-Si ESS, 75 for CdTe and 86 for CIGS. Main contributors were the energy feed stock used in the solar grade silicon production (mc-Si cases), and the primary aluminium and glass used in manufacturing of the PV module (all cases). A base case was used for comparison with existing LCA studies, giving corresponding GWP-scores of 42,5, 30,8, 16,8 and 20,6 g CO2-eq./kWh, which are within the range of published values. The current thin film technologies are already competitive with wind power in terms of GWP. By performing different combinations of improvement measures, all cases, except mc-Si Sim, could achieve GWPs as low as 5,1-5,8 g CO2-eq./kWh (below the minimum value of wind power). Switching the electricity supply towards a higher share of renewable energy and improving in the conversion efficiencies will have a significant effect in reducing the GWP. To improve the material efficiency, manufacturing waste should be reduced and recycled, and the solar cells should be made thinner. The silicon purification methods need to be made more energy efficient by e.g. implementing energy recovery, using biogenic carbon sources as reduction agents or switch from using the modified Siemens method to using more energy efficient methods like the Elkem Solar Silicon production process or the Fluidized Bed Reactor process. Recycled aluminium or steel should be used for the frame of the PV module and the mounting structure. End-of-life PV modules should be recycled to reduce the demand for primary material, e.g. aluminium, glass and rare metals.