Platinum and platinum alloys, due to their good electrical and mechanical properties, are commonly used in fields such as jewellery, catalysis and electronics. In this work, a two-layer system of Pt and V, deposited on Si substrates by electron beam deposition technique, were investigated amongst others for residual stress development in the coating. The investigation was carried out using diffraction techniques employing laboratory X-rays on the BRUKER D8 Discover instrument equipped with a High Star detector and analyzed with LEPTOS v6 software. The results showed the stress state to be tensile, relaxing significantly on annealing. In addition, complementary results of phase composition, and coating morphology will also be presented.


: This paper is addressed to the gynecologist, who is generally the first to be consulted by the patient because of her failure to conceive. Early in the study there arises the problem of assigning individual factors. Is the patient involved solely, or is there also a male factor? Excluding the female's role to bear and nurture the fertilized cell until maturity, the frequency of subfertility in the male is just as great as it is in the female. Evaluation of the male should be done early in the study of the childless couple because it is less complex and less time consuming. Assignment of the relative fertility of husband and wife depends on the correlation of the findings in each. For that reason, also, treatment of the subfertile husband should not be undertaken until it is definitely determined that his wife is either reproductively normal or has remediable abnormalities. On the other hand, improvement of the fertility of one partner may be sufficient to induce pregnancy. Frequent communication between gynecologist and urologist is of utmost importance. An attempt is made to clarify for the gynecologist the abnormalities that may be encountered, the treatment to be employed and the prognosis. The mere fact that hormone administration is generally not effective in the male should not lead to the conclusion that treatment of the male is useless and that nothing can be done to improve his semen quality.


Mergers and acquisitions have become perhaps the most pervasive and important business activity in the healthcare industry. Physicians, however, frequently dread becoming involved in mergers because they fear loss of autonomy, income, and even their jobs. In merged organizations, the best managers look for ways to extend the benefits of mergers to physicians to prevent them from perceiving themselves as victims and becoming alienated from the organization.


This paper dealt with a novel anti-hypertensive collagen peptide from Chinese soft-shelled turtle ( Pelodiscus sinensis ), which was an efficient inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE, EC 22.214.171.124). ACE plays an important physiological role in the regulation of blood pressure by virtue of the rennin angiotensin system. In traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese soft-shelled turtle possesses many health-function properties. This study investigated the effects of Chinese soft-shelled turtle hydrolysate (CTH) on ACE inhibition. The CTH showed limited inhibition effect on ACE with an IC 50 value at 280 ± 8 μg/ml, while its graded fraction of molecular weight less than 5000 Da (CTH5K) obtained through membrane ultra filtration exhibited better inhibitory activity (IC 50 = 190 ± 5 μg/ml). The antioxidant activity of CTH was also determined by radical scavenging ability. The CTH5K showed higher antioxidant activity. These results indicate that CTH5K possesses potent antihypertensive and antioxidant activity, and provides a bioactive peptide material with potential applications as ingredients in functional foods. Key words: Chinese soft-shelled turtle, collagen peptide, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, antihypertensive, antioxidant.


Introduction : Due to the high prevalence of low-risk breast cancer (BC) and the side effects affecting families in Iran, related researches are necessary. BC is one of the main leading causes of death in women, causing 40,000 to 50,000 deaths per year. Therefore, the recognition of prognostic factors, biomarkers and preventive factors can be useful for selecting appropriate therapies and clinical decisions. Materials and Methods: According to Keywords: Breast Cancer, Biomarkers, Early detection and cancer Stem cell that utilized the valid databases, such as: Scopus, NCBI and Elsevier. The papers collected and then was ranking based on appropriate criteria. Results : In this study, according to key words in the field of Biomarkers involved in Breast Cancer 65 articles were selected. After completing the final analysis, 15 studies from other research more relevant to their subject, were assessed. Conclusions: The heterogeneous and difficult nature of the BC is becoming a leading condition to define, in accordance with its growing incidence and poor. According to of Results, identify CD44 as a biomarker that is important in the early detection of Breast Cancer.


We report a single-crystal Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) study of a sample of pollucite from Maine, USA. Prior to our work, the sample had been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and electron-probe microanalysis. It is cubic Ia3̄d, with a crystal-chemical formula Na1.93(Cs10.48Rb0.31K0.04)S=10.83(Al14.45Si33.97)S=48.42O96·3.92H2O, and an H2O content, determined by thermogravimetric analysis, of 1.6 wt.%. The single-crystal FTIR spectrum has a doublet of intense bands at 3670 and 3589 cm , which are assigned to the n3 and n1 stretching modes of the H2O molecule, respectively. A very intense and sharp peak at 1620 cm 1 is assigned to the n2 bending vibration. In the near-infrared region there is a relatively intense peak at 5270 cm , which is assigned to a combination (n2 + n3) mode of H2O, and a weak but well defined doublet at 7118 and 6831 cm , which is assigned to the first overtones of the fundamental stretching modes. A relatively weak but extremely sharp peak at 2348 cm 1 shows that the pollucite contains CO2 molecules in structural cavities. Mapping the sample using FTIR indicates that both H2O and CO2 are homogeneously distributed. Secondary ion mass spectrometry yielded an average CO2 content of 0.09 0.02 wt.%. On the basis of this value, we determined the integrated molar absorption coefficient for the spectroscopic analysis of CO2 in pollucite to be eiCO2 = 11,000 3000 l mol 1 cm ; the linear molar absorption coefficient for the same integration range is elCO2= 1600 500 l mol 1 cm .


An adjoint gradient-based optimization method is used for optimizing a pin-fin heat exchanger mounted in a domestic boiler. The advantage of this method is that an improved shape of the pins can be reached with respect to the operational conditions at the same cost as the CFD simulation. The optimum shape is computed within the boundary that encloses the cross-section of the pins. A modification of this boundary is realized via the adjoint optimization method and a new shape is obtained. This process of shape optimization and its functionality is investigated by optimizing a simplified model of a pin-fin heat exchanger which represents the main goal of this thesis. This is done via a CFD numerical simulation tool ANSYS Fluent. The study is carried on by optimizing heat transfer rate and pressure drop. The optimization of these objectives is done by analyzing its changes due to a modification in the shape. The changes in flow field are analyzed as well to understand its effects on the variation of the objectives.
This study used a two dimensional simplified model for the optimization of each objective. The results show that an extremely accurate converged flow solution as well as using constant thermophysical properties improve the predictability of the optimized objectives. However, the predictability is decreasing as the degree of shape change increases. The predictability is also affected by the choice of discretization scheme used in the flow solver. It was concluded that the pressure drop is more sensitive to changes in shape than the heat transfer rate for the same percentage of optimization. Furthermore, modifying the shape in the direction of heat transfer rate improvement is done at the cost of higher pressure drop. A sufficiently high change in the objective leads to a computation of a different improvement direction. A new optimum geometry with a different improved shape is obtained.
Further study investigates the multi-objective optimization. Different combinations of pressure drop and heat transfer rates have been used as a multi-objective optimization. The difference in magnitude of each objective optimization shows that heat transfer rate improvement is higher in magnitude near the heat exchanger`s entrance. The pressure drop direction of improvement is lower in magnitude and is more uniformly distributed along the heat exchanger domain. The total direction of improvement for multi-objective optimization is determined by the summation of each objective`s direction of improvement. Multi-objective optimization is possible and a higher optimization rate is achieved for a certain combination of the objectives. Also, due to large changes in shape after a high number of optimization cycles (>30) highly distorted cells appear. An improvement in mesh quality is required. Moreover, the results obtained from the two dimensional domain allow for a successful approximation of the three dimensional domain.
The optimization of the three dimensional geometry results in improved heat transfer rate and pressure drop. An influence of the area chosen as an enclosed boundary for optimizing the pins gives different results. A larger area provides more degree of freedom for the movement of the shape boundary, leading to a higher optimization of the objectives. Finally, the end geometry is obtained for the optimized solutions.


The key technologies of CAD/CAM integration of mechanical parts which include parametric modeling technology, model transformation of CAD/CAE and finite element modeling were studied. Based on redevelopment of UG, the process of parametric modeling about typical part was achieved. The identification, selection, extraction, and removal of the details in the CAD model were analyzed. The extraction approach of the mid-surface in the dimensional reduction of the CAD model was executed. The CAD/CAE integration system of the design and finite element analysis for mechanical parts was established by the redevelopment of UG and ANSYS with Visual C++, UG/Open and APDL as tools. The parametric design and automatic finite element analysis for mechanical parts were implemented.


After several decades of deliberation, the US Food and Drug Administration updated the Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Rule in 2015, eliminating the prior A, B, C, D, X grading system for medication use in pregnancy. Although physicians and patients liked the relative ease of use of this system, it was often misconstrued and not updated to include new data suggesting greater compatibility of medications with pregnancy. The new label is designed to include more clinically relevant data, including data from human studies and registries, and fewer animal data. A key goal of the new label is to assist physicians and patients as they weigh the risks and benefits of medications vs the risks of pregnancy in a woman with a chronic, untreated illness. As such, each label now includes a section outlining the pregnancy risks of the diseases that the medication treats. This review includes a historical perspective on the label change and a guide to the interpretation of the new label. It also includes an assessment of the baseline risk of pregnancy in women with SLE and RA, to help balance the consideration of medication risks and benefits in pregnancy.


Growth of a wild-type strain (KD14) started after a lag of approximately 15 h when glucose-grown cells of Candida albicans were incubated at 25 degrees C, with succinate as a sole energy/carbon source. No growth was observed, however, for a sterol 14 alpha-demethylation mutant (KD4900). During the lag period, the wild-type cells retained their respiratory activity, as measured with glucose as an added substrate, and developed the capacity to incorporate labelled succinate. In contrast, incubation with succinate for 15 h resulted in diminished respiratory activity and failed to induce the succinate uptake capacity of the mutant cells. These two differences from the wild-type seem to account for the inability of the mutant to grow in the presence of a non-fermentable substrate.


One of the possible functions of intonation is its capacity to clarify textual structure. It may indicate, for instance, that a sentence is likely to be the last one in a sequence of statements that build a discourse unit. In order to investigate the perception of melodic cues to ''finality,'' a series of three listening experiments was performed with short sentences, the intonation of which was manipulated with respect to different melodic variables. The actual testing was done in two ways (1) by pairwise comparison and (2) by absolute rating. A linear least‐squares estimation method brought to light that in both tests finality judgments were influenced significantly by differences in pitch register (experiment 1), pitch range (experiment 1), and shape of the pitch contour (experiments 1, 2, and 3). The results of the data analysis suggest strongly that these different variables generally combine additively in producing finality judgments, though the effect of one is sometimes conditional on the value of...


With parallelizable attention networks, the neural Transformer is very fast to train. However, due to the auto-regressive architecture and self-attention in the decoder, the decoding procedure becomes slow. To alleviate this issue, we propose an average attention network as an alternative to the self-attention network in the decoder of the neural Transformer. The average attention network consists of two layers, with an average layer that models dependencies on previous positions and a gating layer that is stacked over the average layer to enhance the expressiveness of the proposed attention network. We apply this network on the decoder part of the neural Transformer to replace the original target-side self-attention model. With masking tricks and dynamic programming, our model enables the neural Transformer to decode sentences over four times faster than its original version with almost no loss in training time and translation performance. We conduct a series of experiments on WMT17 translation tasks, where on 6 different language pairs, we obtain robust and consistent speed-ups in decoding.


Background Streptococcus pyogenes is a major cause of severe, invasive infections in humans. The bacterial pathogen harbors a wide array of virulence factors and exhibits high genomic diversity. Rapid changes of circulating strains in a community are common. Understanding the current prevalence and dynamics of S. pyogenes lineages could inform vaccine development and disease control strategies. Methods We used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize all invasive S. pyogenes isolates obtained through the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) in 2016 and 2017. We determined the distribution of strain features, including emm type, antibiotic resistance determinants, and selected virulence factors. Changes in strain feature distribution between years 2016 and 2017 were evaluated. Phylogenetic analysis was used to identify expanding lineages within emm type. Results Seventy-one emm types were identified from 3873 isolates characterized. The emm types targeted by a 30-valent M protein-based vaccine accounted for 3230 (89%) isolates. The relative frequencies of emm types collected during the 2 years were similar. While all isolates were penicillin-susceptible, erythromycin-resistant isolates increased from 273 (16% of 2016 isolates) to 432 (23% of 2017 isolates), mainly driven by increase of the erm-positive emm types 92 and 83. The prevalence of 24 virulence factors, including 11 streptococcal pyrogenic toxins, ranged from 6 to 90%. In each of three emm types (emm 49, 82, and 92), a subgroup of isolates significantly expanded between 2016 and 2017 compared to isolates outside of the subgroup (P-values < 0.0001). Specific genomic sequence changes were associated with these expanded lineages. Conclusions While the overall population structure of invasive S. pyogenes isolates in the United States remained stable, some lineages, including several that were antibiotic-resistant, increased between 2016 and 2017. Continued genomic surveillance can help monitor and characterize bacterial features associated with emerging strains from invasive infections.


A general scale of solute hydrogen-bond basicity has been constructed using a vast body of 1:1 hydrogen-bond equilibrium constants taken from literature. The data is assembled as a series (or set) of log K values for bases measured against a given hydrogen-bond acid in dilute tetrachloromethane solution. 34 such sets have been collected and a computational method regresses the log K data into 34 optimized equations of the form; log K[(set1)] = LA[i]. log K[H][B] + De[i] (1) For each set, the constants (LA and De) characterize the particular reference acid and the log K HB values characterize (and thereby scale) the bases over all sets. Certain acid-base combinations must, however, be excluded from equation 1 and this provides evidence that the log K HB scale is not entirely general towards all reference acids. In the regression procedure, use has been made of the novel observation that the lines represented by equation 1 intersect at a point where log K = log K HB = -1. 1. It is further shown that this condition enables the estimation of 1: 1 hydrogen-bond log K values in tetrachloromethane via equation 2; log K = 0.3421. (log K HA + 1. 1)(log HB + 1. 1) - 1.094 (2) where log K HA is a scale of solute hydrogen-bond acidity. The log K HB scale has been analysed in terms of the two principle factors of basicity according to the method devised by Maria and Gal et al. This analysis is shown to be informative in establishing and interpreting the relationships of log K HB with other basicity-dependent properties. For the most part, the experimental studies undertaken are concerned with a critical examination of the existing methods of determining G and H for 1:1 hydrogen-bond formation. The customary assumption of an exclusive 1:1 model of acid-base association in dilute solution has been tested with respect to the interaction of cyclohexanone with 3,5-dichlorophenol in cyclohexane. Using infrared spectroscopy, evidence for higher complex formation is presented and a method has been developed for determining simultaneously the formation constants of both the 1: 1 (AB) and 2: 1 (A2B) complexes (K1 and K2, respectively). 2:1 complex formation is also shown to interfere significantly with the K and H values obtained from a classical calorimetric titration procedure, limiting its application to hydrogen-bonding studies. For this reason, an improved calorimetric method for the independent determination of 1:1 hydrogen-bond enthalpies has been developed. Application of the devised methods to the interaction of 3,5-dichlorophenol with series of aliphatic ketones and aliphatic ethers in cyclohexane has yielded the values of K1 and K2, together with the thermodynamic parameters (G1, H1 and S1) of 1:1 hydrogen-bond formation. Within each series, the small differences in K1 and H1 resulting from the very subtle structural variations in the base component are discussed in terms of electronic and steric effects. The values of K1 and K2 are found to be consistent with a theoretically derived equation predicting a linear relationship between log K1 and log K2, and the values of H1 are used to critically appraise the validity of the Badger-Bauer relationship.


Normal pregnancy is associated with significant hemodynamic changes in the cardiovascular system in order to meet the metabolic demands of mother and fetus. These changes include increased cardiac output, decreased vascular resistance, and vascular remodeling in the uterine and systemic circulation. Preeclampsia (PE) is a major complication of pregnancy characterized by proteinuria and hypertension. Several risk factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of PE including genetic and dietary factors. Ca2+ is an essential dietary element and an important regulator of many cellular processes including vascular function. The importance of adequate dietary Ca2+ intake during pregnancy is supported by many studies. Pregnancy-associated changes in Ca2+ metabolism and plasma Ca2+ have been observed. During pregnancy, changes in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) have been described in red blood cells, platelets and immune cells. Also, during pregnancy, an increase in [Ca2+](i) in endothelial cells (EC) stimulates the production of vasodilator substances such as nitric oxide and prostacyclin. Normal pregnancy is also associated with decreased vascular smooth muscle (VSM) [Ca2+](i) and possibly the Ca2+-sensitization pathways of VSM contraction including protein kinase C, Rho-kinase, and mitogen-activated protein kinase. Ca2+-dependent matrix metalloproteinases could also promote extracellular matrix degradation and vascular remodeling during pregnancy. Disruption in the balance between dietary, plasma and vascular cell Ca2+ may be responsible for some of the manifestation of PE including procoagulation, decreased vasodilation, and increased vasoconstriction and vascular resistance. The potential benefits of Ca2+ supplements during pregnancy, and the use of modulators of vascular Ca2+ to reduce the manifestations of PE in susceptible women remain an important area for experimental and clinical research.


Cobalt Chromium alloy L605 is an underlying biomaterial for most new generation drug eluting stents (DES) and bare metal stents (BMS). Suboptimal biocompatibility of stents clinically manifest as thrombosis and restenosis. We optimized a plasma-activated coating (PAC) technology to modify alloy L605 material surface (PAC-L605), for the first time, for enhanced biocompatibility. This study details in vitro characterization to identify and optimize the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the modified material surface PAC-L605. Surface hydrophilicity characterized post-modification with water contact angle and plasma kinetics, showed improved hydrophilicity for PAC-L605. Surface chemistry of PAC-L605 vs. L605, quantified with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), showed comparatively higher percent weight of carbon and nitrogen on PAC surfaces. The microscale, isotropic surface roughness of PAC-L605, was computed with NanoMap white light interferometry (WLI). Surface stiffness computed via nanoindentation at minimum compression load 0.19 mN - increasing to maximum load 50 mN, showed similar stiffness for PAC- L605 and L605 at higher load. Nanoindentation results confirmed robust adhesion of PAC to L605, and unique non-delaminating character of PAC under compression. Furthermore, surface modification at PAC-L605 interface was visualized via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Improvements of surface character for implantable cardiovascular materials could be achieved by plasma-activated coating (PAC). Optimal surface modifications may trigger desirable biological responses in vitro and in vivo . 1


Aspirin ingestion was followed by hyperventilation, cerebellar signs, and fatal brain stem dysfunction in a patient with sickle cell disease. Autopsy showed a swollen, recently infarcted cerebellum with tonsillar herniation compressing the medulla. We propose that hypocapnea from aspirin-induced hyperventilation caused carotid artery constriction and focal cerebral hypoxia, resulting in cerebellar sickling nad infarction. Hypocapnea should be treated promptly to prevent brain damage in patients with sickle cell disease.


The use and importation of genetically modified (GM) crops and products derived from these crops are regulated by national and international policies, which unfortunately are often not properly implemented in some countries. Given the ongoing globalization of trade and increasing availability of GM plant products, countries like Cameroon with a weak system to regulate the importation of these products face the threat of these products entering local markets. This study investigated the presence of GM cereals and cereal-based products circulating in the local markets and supermarkets in Yaounde, Cameroon. An inventory of cereal based products from these markets was conducted and one of the products was labeled as being derived from GM cereals crops. DNA was extracted from 26 products with a protocol using SDS guanidine thiocyanate to assess the presence of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the DNA fragment associated with Bt gene. Majority of the products were maize-soya based and wheat-soya based. The Bt gene was present in four of the 14 maize based products tested. The presence of the Bt gene in these cereal based products suggest the need for these products to be labeled according to international regulations.

 Key words: Bt gene, invertase gene, polymerase chain reaction, guanidine thiocyanate cereal, cereal based


Objective Autoantibodies are detected in most patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and can be of the IgM, IgG or IgA subclass. Correlations between IgA autoantibodies and more severe disease activity have been previously reported, but the functional role of IgA autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of RA is ill understood. In this study, we explored the effect of IgA immune complexes on osteoclast mediated bone resorption. Methods Anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) and anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibody levels of the IgA and IgG isotype and rheumatoid factor (RF) IgA were determined in synovial fluid (SF) of RA patients. Monocytes, neutrophils, and osteoclasts were stimulated with precipitated immune complexes from SF of RA patients or IgA- and IgG-coated beads. Activation was determined by neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release, cytokine secretion, and bone resorption. Results NET formation by neutrophils was enhanced by SF immune complexes compared to immune complexes from healthy or RA serum. Monocytes stimulated with isolated SF immune complexes released IL-6 and IL-8, which correlated with the levels of ACPA IgA levels in SF. Osteoclasts cultured in the presence of supernatant of IgA-activated monocytes resorbed significantly more bone compared to osteoclasts that were cultured in supernatant of IgG-activated monocytes (p=0.0233). Osteoclasts expressed the Fc receptor for IgA (FcαRI; CD89) and Fc gamma receptors. IgA-activated osteoclasts however produced significantly increased levels of IL-6 (p<0.0001) and IL-8 (p=0.0007) compared to IgG-activated osteoclasts. Both IL-6 (p=0.03) and IL-8 (p=0.0054) significantly enhanced bone resorption by osteoclasts. Conclusion IgA autoantibodies induce release of IL-6 and IL-8 by immune cells as well as osteoclasts, which enhances bone resorption by osteoclasts. We anticipate that this will result in more severe disease activity in RA patients. Targeting IgA-FcαRI interactions therefore represents a promising novel therapeutic strategy for RA patients with IgA autoantibodies.


Aims & Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate genetic relatedness, antibiotic resistance pattern, and virulence characteristics of different types of S. aureus isolated from air, surfaces, staff, and patients in a Public hospital in Ilam. Methods & Materials: A total of 88 of 140 staphylococci identified as S. aureus by conventional and molecular methods were used in this study. Isolate samples were obtained from surfaces, staff, patients, and hospital indoor air. The sampling from staff and surfaces was done through using swab and air by standard pump. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and presence different resistant and virulence determinants was assessed. Isolates were then typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and SCCmec typing methods. Results: Out of 88isolates, 36 of them (40.9%) were MRSA. Among MRSA isolates, the range of resistance to antibiotic was 0% in vancomycin to 83.3% in gentamycin. The most prevalent resistant genes among gentamicin resistant S. aureus were acc (6')/aph (2")Ia and aph(3")IIIa. The most common erythromycin resistant gene was ermC. Surprisingly, SCCmec types I (30.5%), II (25%)were highly distributed. PFGE analysis showed 33 different pulsotypes. Conclusion: This study confirms that different isolates of MSSA and MRSA circulate in Ilam which differ in antimicrobial susceptibility, content of resistance, and virulence determinants.


Degradation in concrete bridge decks is typically manifested as rebar corrosion, concrete delamination, and surface cracks. Nondestructive evaluation and testing (NDE/NDT) technologies have been increasingly used in concrete bridge deck evaluation to identify, localize, and quantify deterioration in bridge decks. Each NDE method has its advantages and limitations on the type of defect that can be detected. Therefore, combining multiple NDE technologies is needed in order to give comprehensive and reliable information about the bridge deck condition. For effective application of multiple NDE tests, we need to use automated positioning for each NDE to facilitate post-processing and data fusion of different NDE data. In this research work, the research team developed an NDE platform that will allow multiple NDE data collections either simultaneously or in sequence, with real time position information on bridge decks. The NDE platform consists of two main components: the data collection unit and the localization box. The data collection unit is made of a series of single board computers that were linked together to acquire data from many different channels. Any NDE technology with open data connection can be connected to the platform. The localization box incorporates localization devices including LiDAR, DGPS, and a camera as distancemeasurement instrument to accurately locate the signals captured by data collection unit. The moving NDE platform can be attached to hitch extension of a vehicle to provide a completely mobile solution. Three Nebraska bridges were surveyed using four NDE technologies: Vertical Electrical Impedance (VEI), GPR, acoustic scanning system, and high definition imaging. Each bridge has different overlay type: no overlay, concrete overlay, and asphalt overlay. For each bridge deck, post-processed NDE data were analyzed, combined using two advance data fusion algorithms, and the final results are presented in 2D image maps.


In addition to global developments and food policy changes, 2014 also saw important developments with potentially wide repercussions in individual countries and regions. This chapter offers perspectives on major food policy developments in various regions including Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The individual regional sections cover many critical topics: 1. Renewed focus on the role of agriculture in broad economic growth, poverty reduction, and food and nutrition security in Africa 2. Policy reforms in fuel subsidies, agriculture, and food trade in the Middle East and North Africa 3. Economic challenges and opportunities for Central Asia's food system 4. Responses to high food inflation and climatic risk in South Asia 5. Laying of the groundwork for multilateral cooperation on food policy in East Asia 6. Progress in South-South learning initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean tempered by weather and other shocks


Much of the burgeoning distress of the 1990s in the United States retail space markets reflects a growing mismatch in the amount and location of retail space demand and supply. Understanding the demand and supply for retail space is critically important to academics, professionals and others associated with owning, operating and financing retail space. Using data from nineteen major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for the period 1986-95, this article develops a simultaneous model of retail space demand and supply which includes the influence of vacancy rate. The model and results provide evidence about how demand and supply for retail space respond to changes in retail sales, rental prices, land-use regulation and land availability, and the cost of capital. The results show inelastic price elasticities of demand and supply for retail space.


An outbreak of hepatogenous photosensitization occurred in 40% of sheep grazing Tribulus terrestris in southern Buenos Aires province. Postmortem examinations revealed diffuse jaundice and ochre discoloration of the liver. Histopathological liver lesions consisted of fibroplasia, periductular lamellar fibrosis, hyperplasia of small bile ducts and diffuse swelling of hepatocytes. A crystalloid material was observed in some bile ducts. Aspartate aminotransferase and gamma glutamyltransferase serum activities were elevated in all tested animals while serum bilirubin content was elevated only in the most severely affected sheep. These findings are consistent with reports of geeldikkop, a photosensitivity of sheep which occurs in South Africa and Australia.


While the global seafood business is valued at approximately $148 billion, many commercial fishing stocks are struggling to recover. Large seafood-importing States such as the United States should avoid fish that have been illegally captured or that are harvested using poor environmental practices, such as not reporting discards associated with the harvest. Traceability is a critical component of food law: to inform consumers not just of the origin of the food but also of the transit of a food through a complex supply chain. The United States has recently adopted a new rule on traceability designed to combat illegal fishing imports. As this Article suggests, the federal rule, as drafted, will be unlikely to change much in industry practice without additional targeted investments in traceability, including better implementation of wildlife crime whistleblower statutes, a more comprehensive set of environmental reporting standards for seafood sold in the United States or transiting through the United States, and additional support for the industry to better manage fishery-related processing waste.


Background Despite recent progress in the treatment of ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction, data on geographic disparities application of the evidence‐based therapy remain limited. Methods and Results The J‐PCI (Japanese Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) registry is a nationwide registry to assure the quality of delivered care. Between January 2014 and December 2018, 209 521 patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction in 1126 institutions. The patients were divided into tertiles according to the population density (PD) of the percutaneous coronary intervention institution location (low: <951.7/km2, n = 69 797; medium: 951.7–4729.7/km2, n = 69 750; high: ≥4729.7/km2, n = 69 974). Patients treated in high PD administrative districts were younger and more likely to be male. No significant correlation was observed between PD and door‐to‐balloon time (regression coefficients: 0.036 per 1000 people/km2; 95% CI, −0.232 to 0.304; P = 0.79). Patients treated in low‐PD areas had higher crude in‐hospital mortality rates than those treated in high‐PD areas (low: 2.89%; medium: 2.60%; high: 2.38%; P < 0.001); PD and in‐hospital mortality had a significantly inverse association, before and after adjusting for baseline characteristics (crude odds ratio [OR], 0.983 per 1000/km2; 95% CI, 0.973–0.992; P < 0.001; adjusted OR, 0.980 per 1000/km2; 95% CI, 0.964–0.996; P = 0.01, respectively). Higher‐PD districts had more operators per institution (low: 6; interquartile range, 3–10; medium: 7; IQR, 3–13; high: 8; IQR, 5–13; P < 0.001), suggesting an inverse association with in‐hospital mortality (OR, 0.992; 95% CI, 0.986–0.999; P = 0.03). Conclusions Geographic inequality was observed in in‐hospital mortality of patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Variation in the number of operators per institution, rather than traditional quality indicators (eg, door‐to‐balloon time) might explain the difference in in‐hospital mortality.


Amy and Dan are hot on the trail of the fourth Clue, but their ruthless relatives will stop at nothing to eliminate them from the competition. Their hunt leads them to an ancient city that has been a hot bed of Cahill activity for centuries. All that stands between the siblings and the Clue is a cryptic riddle, a missing relic, and the secret of their grandmother's past. The clock is ticking for Amy and Dan, but can they really solve a mystery that has eluded their ancestors for generations?


To investigate the tumoricidal activity of dendritic cell (DC) stimulated by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) against freshly isolated myeloid leukemia cells and its mechanism, the peripheral blood monocytes collected from healthy donors were cocultured with interleukin-4 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in medium to induce DC for 7 days. After 12 hour culture in the absence or presence of IFN-gamma, the changes of costimulatory molecules were analyzed with flow cytometry. To assay the cytotoxicity of DC against freshly isolated acute myeloid cells, they were cocultured at various effector-to-target ratio for 18 hours, then the percentage of tumoricidal activity was measured with (51)Cr release assay. To explore the mechanism of DC-mediated cytotoxicity, the change of DC surface or intracellular protein expression of Fas ligand (Fas L), TNF-alpha and TNF related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) were analyzed with flow cytometry. The results showed that IFN-gamma enhanced cytotoxicity of DC against AML cells was (33.8 +/- 1.6)% at E:T as 20:1, compared with unstimulated DC (P < 0.05); IFN-gamma up-regulated expression of costimulatory molecules of DC surface such as CD86 and CD83; after stimulation with IFN-gamma, expression of intracellular TRAIL of DC was significantly enhanced, but expression of TRAIL on cell surface of DC was low; while the significant changes of Fas L and TNF-alpha expression neither on cell surface or in cells were not observed before or after stimulation with IFN-gamma. It is concluded that DC stimulated by IFN-gamma exhibit tumoricidal activity against AML cells. The cytotoxicity is partially related to maturation of DC and TRAIL inducing apoptosis, but not associated with death domain-independent mechanism of Fas L and TNF-alpha.


In marine seismic acquisition, air guns are the most common source and, in recent years, research on their impact on the marine environment has increased. The main focus is on the reduction of emitted high frequencies, approximately greater than 200 Hz, which are normally not useful for seismic imaging. Therefore, potential ways to reduce the high frequencies from air guns are investigated and the development of alternative source types has increased. We have investigated the impact of bubble curtains on the source signature from seismic air guns because bubble curtains are known to mitigate high frequencies in other applications, e.g., pile driving for offshore wind farms. We have conducted tank experiments with two different configurations of bubble curtains around a single air gun and compared the results to the conventional source signature without a bubble curtain. The two different bubble curtains vary in size and in the way they are attached to the air gun. The amount of injected air into the bubble curtains is varied for both configurations. We compare the measured results to simulated data using a common model for air-gun source signatures. The results indicate a reduced peak amplitude with increasing air injection through the bubble curtain. This corresponds to a gradually decreasing frequency content for frequencies greater than 50 Hz. The frequencies of the source signal of less than 50 Hz are practically unaffected by the bubble curtain. In addition, the bubble time period of the source signal is slightly increased with an increasing amount of air injection through the bubble curtain. The main cause for the reduced peak amplitude is likely to be a buffer effect of the bubble curtain on the released air. Hence, a bubble curtain concentrated around the air-gun ports could be an efficient and practical solution to reduce the high-frequency acoustic emission from air guns.


BACKGROUND--A study was undertaken to produce reference values of lung function in Chinese children and a means of calculating adjusted standard deviation scores of lung function for Malay and Indian ethnic groups. METHODS--A cross sectional study of lung function (forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity) measured with a Jaeger spirometer was performed in a representative sample of Singaporean children made up of 1403 Chinese, 335 Malays, and 206 Indians. RESULTS--The relation between natural logarithms of lung function and height was approximately linear until 150 cm in boys and 140 cm in girls. At these heights there were abrupt changes in the gradients of both lines. Separate regression lines were derived for heights above and below these inflection points. Significant differences in lung function were seen in Chinese compared with Malay and Indian children. In particular, values were considerably lower among Indian boys. CONCLUSIONS--The relation between lung function and height in Chinese children is best described by two regression equations over separate height ranges. Information is provided for the calculation of reference values and standard deviation scores, together with the correction factors that need to be applied to derive these values in Malay and Indian children.


In 1776, while fighting for independence from British rule, Americans framed a Constitution that championed "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." To the north, however, 9 decades elapsed before Canada's provinces persuaded their colonial masters to pass the British North America Act and created a federation with "peace, order, and good government" as the unofficial motto. These deep-seated political differences persist in health care governance, as evidenced by Canada's more regimented and cautious approach to maintaining competence and professionalism for the approximately 80 000 physicians practicing in Canada.


Evolutionary deep intelligence has recently shown great promise for producing small, powerful deep neural network models via the organic synthesis of increasingly efficient architectures over successive generations. Existing evolutionary synthesis processes, however, have allowed the mating of parent networks independent of architectural alignment, resulting in a mismatch of network structures. We present a preliminary study into the effects of architectural alignment during evolutionary synthesis using a gene tagging system. Surprisingly, the network architectures synthesized using the gene tagging approach resulted in slower decreases in performance accuracy and storage size; however, the resultant networks were comparable in size and performance accuracy to the non-gene tagging networks. Furthermore, we speculate that there is a noticeable decrease in network variability for networks synthesized with gene tagging, indicating that enforcing a like-with-like mating policy potentially restricts the exploration of the search space of possible network architectures.


Thin Film Mechanics Ryan C. Cooper This doctoral thesis details the methods of determining mechanical properties of two classes of novel thin films suspended two-dimensional crystals and electron beam irradiated microfilms of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Thin films are used in a variety of surface coatings to alter the opto-electronic properties or increase the wear or corrosion resistance and are ideal for microand nanoelectromechanical system fabrication. One of the challenges in fabricating thin films is the introduction of strains which can arise due to application techniques, geometrical conformation, or other spurious conditions. Currently, inadequate models exist to model strain within thin films, making it difficult to produce structurally robust thin films and to prevent premature failure of a coating or device. It is thus imperative to understand and quantify thin film behavior under strain, both to aid in the development of new materials and processing techniques, as well as to enable the implementation of thin films into new designs. Chapters 2-4 focus on two dimensional materials. Two dimensional materials represent the intrinsic limit of thin films–being constrained to one atomic or molecular unit of thickness. These materials have mechanical, electrical, and optical properties ideal for microand nanoelectromechanical systems with truly novel device functionality. As such, the breadth of applications that can benefit from a treatise on two dimensional film mechanics is reason enough for exploration. This study explores the anomylously high strength of two dimensional materials. Furthermore, this work also aims to bridge four main gaps in the understanding of material science: bridging the gap between ab initio calculations and finite element analysis, bridging the gap between ab initio calculations and experimental results, nanoscale to microscale, and microscale to mesoscale. A nonlinear elasticity model is used to determine the necessary elastic constants to define the strain-energy density function for finite strain. Then, ab initio calculations–density functional theory–is used to calculate the nonlinear elastic response. Chapter 2 focuses on validating this methodology with atomic force microscope nanoindentation on molybdenum disulfide. Chapter 3 explores the convergence criteria of three density functional theory solvers to further verify the numerical calculations. Chapter 4 then uses this model to investigate the role of grain boundaries on the strength of chemical vapor deposited graphene. The results from these studies suggest that two dimensional films have remarkably high strength–reaching the intrinsic limit of molecular bonds. Chapter 5 explores the viscoelastic properties of heterogeneous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfilms through dynamic nanoindentation. PDMS microfilms are irradiated with an electron beam creating a 3 μm-thick film with an increased cross-link density. The change in mechanical properties of PDMS due to thermal history and accelerator have been explored by a variety of tests, but the effect of electron beam irradiation is still unknown. The resulting structure is a stiff microfilm embedded in a soft rubber with some transformational strain induced by the cross-linking volume changes. Chapter 5 employs a combination of dynamic nanoindentation and finite element analysis to determine the change in stiffness as a function of electron beam irradiation. The experimental results are compared to the literature. The results of these experimental and numerical techniques provide exciting opportunities in future research. Two dimensional materials and flexible thin films are exciting materials for novel applications with new form factors, such as flexible electronics and microfluidic devices. The results herein indicate that one can accurately model the strength of two dimsensional materials and that these materials are robust against nanoscale defects. The results also reveal local variation of mechanical properties in PDMS microfilms. This process allows one to design substrates that flex with varying amounts of strain on the surface. Combining the mechanics of two dimensional materials with that of a locally irradiated PDMS film could achieve a new class of flexible microelectromechanical systems. Large-scale growth of two dimensional materials will be structurally robust–even in the presence of nanostructural defects–and PDMS microfilms can be irradiated to vary strain of the electromechanical systems. These systems could be designed to investigate electromechanical coupling in two dimensional films or for a substitute to traditional silicon microdevices.


Since it was introduced to North America, the Asian woodwasp has become the most common wood wasp in Florida. It is not considered an economically important pest because it only attacks dying or dead trees, but the species may someday prove to be a pest and its ecological impacts in North American forests remain unknown. This 4-page fact sheet was written by You Li and Jiri Hulcr, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015. (Photo credit: You Li, UF/IFAS)
EENY 628/IN1095: Asian Horntail Eriotremex formosanus (Matsumura) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Siricidae: Tremicinae) (ufl.edu)


In the current marketplace, products are required to proceed rapidly from conceptualization to production. This has put a great deal of pressure on the current state of computer software systems. These include computer-aided design and manufacturing systems, design for assembly systems, design for manufacture systems, and manufacturing simulation systems. Modern product development processes call for rapid designs and adapting designs to suit ever changing customer requirements. Virtual prototyping is allowing engineers to quickly create digital prototypes, allowing for quick evaluation of conceptual designs. New technologies such as virtual reality are now being used to aid engineers in the area of virtual prototyping. Existing systems using virtual reality technology are limited in their expandability, customization, or usability with current design software systems. This paper discusses an expandable and customizable architecture aimed at integrating virtual product development tools.


Armed violence and genocide are among the on-going problems that are still facing contemporary Africa and the world. In the aftermath of the outrages, devastation and appalling carnage of the Second World War, member states of the United Nations (UN) undertook radical steps, inter alia, "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights". Subsequently, the International Bill of Human Rights was proclaimed in order to lay down international human rights norms and standards of conduct and to prevent the recurrence of mass killings. Although Burundi is a State Party to the UN and African Union and is a signatory to a number of international and regional human rights treaties, the post-colonial history of Burundi is an epic tale of indescribable human suffering and misery as a result of systematic mass killings. At least every family or household in Burundi has been negatively affected by the mass killings of the 1960s, 1972, 1988 and 1990s, which have created a significant number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).This article traces the root causes of Burundi's systemic armed violence and argues that despite several UN Security Council Resolutions and peace agreements aimed at national reconciliation and reconstruction, mass killings and other heinous crimes remain unaddressed. The article recommends that a comprehensive transitional justice model is required in post-conflict Burundi in order to bring about national reconciliation, healing and reconstruction.


Having entered the recent public and research zeitgeist, microdosing involves consuming sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs, allegedly to enhance performance, creativity, and wellbeing. The results of research to date have been mixed. Whereas most studies have reported positive impacts of microdosing, some microdosers have also reported adverse effects. In addition, research to date has revealed inconsistent patterns of change in personality traits. This prospective study explored the relationship between microdosing, personality change, and emotional awareness.Measures of personality and alexithymia were collected at two time points. 76 microdosers participated at baseline. Invitations to a follow-up survey were sent out after 31 days, and 24 participants were retained.Conscientiousness increased, while neuroticism decreased across these time points (n = 24). At baseline (N = 76), neuroticism was associated with alexithymia. In addition, neuroticism correlated negatively with duration of prior microdosing experience, and extraversion correlated positively with both duration of prior microdosing experience and lifetime number of microdoses.These results suggest that microdosing might have an impact on otherwise stable personality traits.


The article deals with the problems of government regulation of advertising industry in the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The main purpose of the study includes evaluation of attitudes to the moral issues in advertising practice as well as government policy on the problem of unethical advertising. The study applies methodological framework of policy analysis toward the regulation of unethical advertising in the countries of the EAEU. The authors find out that there is no coherent public policy in this field in the EAEU. While Russia attempts to apply international standards with self-regulation mechanisms in order to deal with unethical advertisements, the other member states prefer to use strict governmental control. In Russia, there are two opposite tendencies: while mass media assign part of regulation to the government, the government does not want to adopt this role. The courts in Russia prefer reactive regulation of advertising, usually trying to evade even obvious law cases. At the same time, facing no resistance from either governments or societies, some part of advertising industry tends to abuse ethic norms. The authors claim that this situation undermines the process of integration and differs significantly advertising industry in the countries of EAEU from advertising, for example, in the member states of the European Union. Keywords: Eurasian Economic Union, advertising, government regulation, ethics, policy analysis JEL Classifications: M3; K2; F2; F6


The various Geneva Conventions were designed to protect both combatants and noncombatants from unnecessary suffering during wartime. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, nations developed treaties like the Red Cross Treaty of 1929 to outlaw unacceptable actions and behaviors during war and to alleviate suffering during war. The Hague Convention of 1907 specifically outlined nontraditional forms of warfare considered inhumane and the responsibility of occupational forces. Nonetheless, the historical record reveals that both combatants and noncombatants alike have suffered barbarism and degradation during wartime. In the Second World War, the Japanese neglected and refused to implement these laws which resulted in countless atrocities against allied POWs in the Japanese occupied territories. Though a signatory to the 1929 Geneva Convention concerning sick and injured POWs, the Japanese government did not ratify the convention. In its place, the Japanese established their own laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to prisoners of war that emerged from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. These regulations, while not as liberal as the Geneva Convention, did outline the proper treatment that prisoners should receive while incarcerated. Nevertheless, throughout the Second World War Japan often violated these regulations while simultaneously claiming that POWs received proper treatment. Beginning in December 1937, the Japanese military began an unprecedented campaign of military expansion into China, killing hundreds of thousands of both Chinese civilian and military personnel. Japan circumvented the Geneva Convention during this time by declaring their campaign not as an invasion, but rather an \incident\ depriving captured Chinese soldiers the right to use the ICRC for aid. The Japanese military authorities labeled captured Chinese soldiers as \rebels\ and \bandits\ thus depriving them of access to the Red Cross. In 1941, the United States entered the war against Japan and Allied service men hoped that they would receive humane treatment. However, after the fall of Hong Kong, Malaya, and the Philippines, Japanese forces marched the majority of captured servicemen into prison and labor camps, where they effectively became slave labor for their captors. The prison camps exhibited brutality, inhumane treatment, malnourishment, harsh labor conditions, widespread disease, and inadequate medical supplies. More Allied servicemen died from malnutrition, disease, and exhaustion while prisoners than from combat itself. While regulations concerning disciplinary measures remained strictly enforced, other areas remained ignored or disregarded. Japanese regulations described explicitly the treatment prisoners were to receive concerning housing, food, medical treatment, working conditions, and visits by relief organizations. These regulations were enforced rarely and Allied prisoners did not have access to them to understand their rights. Yuki Tanaka argued that the basis for this disregard of regulations was that POW's were seen and treated as military supplies by the Japanese military. At the beginning of the war between Japan and the allied powers the Swiss Legation and the ICRC became primary players in the plight of Allied prisoners of war. Throughout the war, the Swiss Legation and the ICRC became intermediaries between the allied powers and Japan. Early in the war, Japan publicly pledged to the allied powers to observe the Geneva Convention. Acting as intermediaries between the warring powers, the Allied nations used both the Swiss Legation and the ICRC to continually point out Japanese violations of the Geneva Convention against allied POWs. Despite this pledge, Japan's leaders would not allow either the Swiss Legation or the ICRC to intervene on behalf of the prisoners. Throughout the war, Japan continually refused to allow full access to the prison camps for inspection by neutral observers. Despite repeated protests and ample physical evidence of brutality and various atrocities that took place in Japanese controlled areas the Japanese refused to believe them. Consequently the laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to the fair treatment of POWs established by the Japanese government and military were ignored resulting in the deaths of thousands of Allied prisoners of war. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the Japanese POW regulations and to gain an understanding of why these regulations were neglected and how Allied POWs were reflected by those decisions during the War.


How and when sediment moves from terrestrial sources to deep-water sinks is a significant area of research. We have used an array of seismic, borehole, and gravity core data sets to explore the timing and magnitude of sediment-routing to Pearl River slope over the last 478 k.y. As predicted by existing sequence stratigraphic models, most sediment dispersal to deep water is shown to have occurred during glacial sea-level falls; however, clastic detritus was still being transported into deep water during interglacial sea-level rises. We suggest that sediment routing to deep water during interglacial sea-level rise is caused by summer monsoon strengthening and resultant warmer and wetter climates, both of which have enhanced effective precipitation and sediment supply. Although some models for the delivery of sediment to deep-water basins stress the importance of proximity of canyon heads and coeval shorelines, we observed that sediment routing to deep water could occur regardless of the distance between channel head and coeval shorelines. In the present case, the success of delivery is related to the combined effects of (1) the short duration and high amplitude of sea-level oscillations during the past 478 k.y. and (2) the enhanced sediment supply caused by more humid climates and greater temperature difference between glacial and interglacial period. This hypothesis is supported by (1) observations that outer Pearl River deltas prograded as an apron over preexisting shelf edges for 10–15 km (6–9 mi) and (2) the occurrence of slope channels extending back to prodelta reaches of Pearl River shelf-edge deltas.


The purpose of this study was to determine the current performance of activity monitoring devices on New Zealand pasture-based farms and investigate the potential for improved detection using additional automatically captured data. The data consisted of heat events that were assigned from pregnancy diagnosis and mating records, and from milk progesterone levels collected twice weekly during mating period. Daily milk production, milking order, milk flow rate and milk conductivity records were also collected during the mating period. The best single predictor of oestrus was 24 hour milk yield difference (P <0.01) for Herd 1 and normalised milking order (P <0.01) for Herd 2. The normalised pedometer data was the next best predictor of oestrus in both herds (P <0.01). A linear logistic regression model was fitted within each herd. The best model included normalised milk production, milking order, milk flow rate and pedometer variables. Machine learning models with balanced bagging were also fitted to the data. The machine learning models provided a better fit than traditional statistical models. Pedometer data can aid in the detection of cow oestrus, however the power of detection improves significantly with the addition of milk yield, milk flow and milking order data.


Although maintaining assets is now recognized as a significant engineering function, attention has usually been focused, particularly in the developing countries, on the acquisition of assets. Maintenance Standardization for Capital Assets explores maintenance management systems, stressing the need for manufacturers and maintenance engineers to develop a maintenance policy and systems as early as the design stage, and suggests ways to approach this need. Also included are strategies for developing countries and their donors to organize systems which can minimize failures and predict maintenance problems.


The development of "green" industries is commonly seen as a necessary even though not sufficient condition for the transition towards ecologically sustainable paths of economic development. It is also a recurrent view that proactive and successful policy action in this domain will not only promote sustainable development but also secure competitive advantage of successful countries in these industries. However, a complex constellation of path-dependencies in systems of production and (negative) externalities constrain the emergence and expansion of environmental technologies. This paper presents evidence that path-dependencies in systems of production have a dual role in the development of new industries. They are not only a source of structural lock-in, but also a potential starting point for new developments. The paper shows that factors causing path dependence in systems of production are also an important source of competitiveness both for all traded commodities and for environmental technology industries. Hence, policies supporting the emergence of industries producing environmental technologies should try to exploit this mechanism. Drawing on this evidence a counterfactual analysis is carried out to investigate potential trajectories of development of the EU 28 countries in the environmental technologies. The results indicate that some countries that up to recent times have been pioneers in environmental technologies may lose their strong position in these technologies. In other countries instead new strengths in environmental technologies have the potential to emerge, as some environmental technologies can draw on untraded interdependencies that have not been brought to full fruition so far.


Administration of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the main biological methyl donor, has been shown to exert favourable effects on liver disorders in man and animal models. The mechanism of action of AdoMet has, however, remained elusive, mainly owing to controversies with respect to its capacity to enter intact liver cells. Incubation of isolated rat hepatocytes with 2 or 50 microM -methyl-14C-AdoMet showed that it was utilized predominantly to methylate cellular phospholipids, forming mainly phosphatidylcholine, although less than 0.2% of labelled AdoMet was found inside the cells. The concentration of neither AdoMet nor S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), its demethylation product, was significantly elevated inside the cells. A slight elevation of intracellular AdoMet was only recorded on incubation with concentrations of AdoMet above 200 microM. AdoHcy, which does not penetrate cells, inhibited phospholipid methylation from [methyl-14C]AdoMet but not from [methyl-14C]Met. Elevation of intracellular AdoHcy by adenosine dialdehyde, an inhibitor of AdoHcy hydrolase, inhibited phospholipid methylation from [methyl-14C]Met, but virtually not at all from [methyl-14C]AdoMet. Taken together, these data indicate that exogenous AdoMet does not penetrate hepatocytes significantly but is utilized for phospholipid methylation on the outer surface of the plasma membrane.


The determinants of migrants' remittances are the subject of this study based on German SOEP data (2001-2006). In contrast to previous studies we analyze the motives for remittances not only for foreigners but also for the broader group of individuals with a personal migration background. Major findings are: First, concerns about xenophobia lead to higher remittances. Second, income and gender has no impact on the probability to remit. Third, the acquisition of German citizenship is positively related to the amount remitted. All in all, remittances seem to be part of a personal financial allocation scheme for risk reduction. JEL-classification: F22, J61, D10


In the following paper, the solution of the optimization problem that relied on the determination of the optimal geometry of two cylindrical coil arrangement evoking magnetic field of specific parameters was presented. The objective of the task was to generate, in a defined active area, the magnetic field of the largest possible gradient and simultaneously keep this gradient relatively constant. The computations were performed using the classical particle swarm optimization as well as the modified method with the correction sensitive to the fitness function gradient introduced to the formula describing the movement of the specific swarm particles. As a result, a considerable enhancement of the optimization process was achieved.


Note: Publications reviewed in this section are not available from the IEEE Computer Society; they must be ordered directly from the publisher. To request ordering information, circle the appropriate number on the Reader Service Card. This book, by a well-known computer scientist, is not merely another introduction to computers and their applications. Primarily, it is an expression of the author's misgivings over what he sees as abuses of the powers that computers have conferred upon their users. Recent publicity has linked computerized data banks to the invasion-of-privacy issue, but Weizenbaum's concerns are more comprehensive. His comments extend to technological developments that are not now directly related to computers, and he advises fellow scientists to renounce certain lines of research, namely those that "dehumanize" people. "An individual is dehumanized," he writes, "whenever he is treated as less than a whole person.'" Slogans of this sort have a certain rhetorical appeal but are too vague to yield specific directives in concrete situations. To illustrate what I mean, I will use a specimen from the class ofcomputer applications that Weizenbaum finds unacceptable as a test case and use it to examine his position. Computers should not, he says, be programmed and employed to act as surro-gates for human therapists in the treatment of psychiatric patients. One of his own programs, constructed only for experimental purposes, is designed to imitate the interaction between a patient and a nondirective psychotherapist. He is dismayed by the response of some psychiatrists , who hope or expect that from this beginning a comprehensive program of computerized therapy may eventually be developed. He thinks that an essential ingredient of psychotherapy is for the therapist to have an empathic understanding of a patient's problems, "an imaginative projection into the patient's inner life." Anything less is an immoral capitulation to the "mechanical conception of man," which allegedly dominates modern thinking and is a major cause of our current troubles and problems. Scientists , he advises, must learn to say "No!" to such projects and prospects, just as some of them have done in recombinant DNA research, another instance of folly in which life itself is treated as a mere object. These issues, in his view, should not be debated in the mundane language of costs and risks versus benefits. That would be a capitulation to the new "conformism," which forbids reference to the living truth. The living truth, we are told, …


Aims. We aim to characterize the circular depressions of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and investigate whether such surface morphology of a comet nucleus is related to the cumulative sublimation effect since becoming a Jupiter family comet (JFC). Methods. The images from the Rosetta/OSIRIS science camera experiment are used to construct size frequency distributions of the circular depression structures on comet 67P and they are compared with those of the JFCs 81P/Wild 2, 9P/Tempel 1, and 103P/Hartley 2. The orbital evolutionary histories of these comets over the past 100 000 yr are analyzed statistically and compared with each other. Results. The global distribution of the circular depressions over the surface of 67P is charted and classified. Descriptions are given to the characteristics and cumulative size frequency distribution of the identified features. Orbital statistics of the JFCs visited by spacecraft are derived. Conclusions. The size frequency distribution of the circular depressions is found to have a similar power law distribution to those of 9P/Tempel 1 and 81P/Wild 2. This might imply that they could have been generated by the same process. Orbital integration calculation shows that the surface erosion histories of 81P/Wild 2, and 9P/Tempel 1 could be shorter than those of 67P, 103 P/Hartley 2 and 19P/Borrelly. From this point of view, the circular depressions could be dated back to the pre-JFC phase or the transneptunian phase of these comets. The north-south asymmetry in the distribution of the circular depressions could be associated with the heterogeneous structure of the nucleus of comet 67P and/or the solar insolation history.


This paper addresses the bias characteristics of estimators produced from Monte Carlo simulations. If the computer time allocated to the simulation is t, then Nt, the number of replications completed by time t, is a renewal process. The simulation implications of a known exact expression for the expected value of a sample mean based on Nt replications are explored and a similar exact expression for a sample mean based on Nt + 1 replications is derived. Bias expansions for a sample mean based on Nt or Nt + 1 replications are obtained. The bias in the sample mean based on Nt replications is at most of order o1/t. Under suitable moment conditions, the bias decreases at a much faster rate than o1/t; on the other hand, the estimator based on Nt + 1 replications has bias of order 1/t. The exact expressions also lead to simple and totally unbiased estimators. Using Taylor series, the bias expansions of a general function of means based on Nt or Nt + 1 replications are determined. The leading terms in these expansions are of order 1/t, although the coefficients are different. Based on these expansions, a Tin-style adjusted estimator is proposed to reduce the bias. These expansions are specialized to the case of ratio estimation in regenerative simulation. Due to a cancellation effect, the ratio estimator based on Nt + 1 cycles is biased only to order o1/t providing confirmation and reinterpretation of a result of M. Meketon and P. Heidelberger.


Bee species diversity and pollen sources of Apidae (Hymenoptera) in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, lower northern
Thailand, were studied from 2011 to 2012. The forest types encountered were deciduous dipterocarp, deciduous with
bamboo, seasonal evergreen and dipterocarp - pine forests. Sweep nets and honey bait traps were used to collect bee
samples. The beta diversity of native bees was high with 22 recorded insect species from 12 genera and pollen grains
collected by native bees were 62 plant species from 28 families. The plant family Fabaceae (Leguminosae) contained the
greatest number of species (9 species). The main pollen source of native bees was Hopea odorata Roxb. (Dipterocarpaceae)
which was collected by 19 bee species. The result from biodiversity indices i.e. species diversity (H'), species evenness
(J'), similarity habitat (Ss
) and species richness (D) indicated that this area has relatively high species diversity. In
addition, the dwarf honey bees, Apis florea Fabricius, 1787, are the main pollinator at the study site with the highest
number of pollinated plant species (46 species). Thus, this bee could be used as a biological indicator for future studies.


Animals are able to flexibly adapt to new environments by controlling different behavioral patterns. Identification of the strategy used for this control (behavioral strategy) is important for understanding animals' decision making, but methods available for quantifying such behavioral strategies have not been fully established. In this study, we propose a computational approach to identify an animal's behavioral strategy from behavioral time-series data. To this end, we utilized inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) of a linearly-solvable Markov decision process (LMDP), with the assumption that animals behave optimally by minimizing costs, i.e., state cost and control cost. As a particular target, we focused on the thermotactic behaviors in C. elegans under a thermal gradient. After identifying the behavioral strategy dependent on thermosensory state, we found it comprised mixture of two strategies: directed migration (DM) and isothermal migration (IM). First, the DM is a strategy that the worms efficiently reach to specific temperature, which not only explained observation that the worms migrate toward the cultivated temperature, but also clarifies how the worms control thermosensory state through the migration. Second, the IM is a strategy that the worms track along a constant temperature, which reflects isothermal tracking well observed in previous studies. Furthermore, we applied our method to thermosensory neuron-deficient worms, which then identified neural basis of the DM strategy. Therefore, we believe this novel approach can quantitatively visualize hidden strategies extracted from the behavioral time-series data.


We present new multiscale structural, mineral chemical, and U-Pb isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) data in order to unravel part of the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Shuswap complex in the southern Canadian Cordillera. We reconstructed the pressure-temperature-deformation-time ( P - T - d - t ) history of the Joss Mountain domain within the Shuswap complex. The west-dipping Greenbush shear zone separates the Joss Mountain domain from the structurally lower Thor-Odin culmination to the east, the southern culmination of the Monashee complex, and one of the structurally deepest parts of the Shuswap complex. At Joss Mountain, the protolith of an orthogneiss crystallized at ca. 360 Ma which is consistent with Late Devonian arc magmatism along the western paleomargin of North America. Joss Mountain metasedimentary rocks and orthogneiss were transposed at ∼21–29 km depth over a period of at least 20 m.y., and possibly more than 38 m.y., during Late Cretaceous to Paleocene mature stages of Cordilleran continental collision. This mature collision took place while slow detachment of the subducted oceanic lithosphere occurred and thermal conditions were approaching those of a crust undergoing postorogenic thermal relaxation. Transposition at Joss Mountain ended earlier and exhumation started earlier than in the Monashee complex. Exhumation occurred under conditions of near-isothermal decompression and geothermal gradients consistent with lithospheric thinning. Earlier and slower exhumation of the Joss Mountain domain than of the adjacent northwestern Thor-Odin culmination may have resulted from normal movement along the Greenbush shear zone contributing to the exhumation of the Shuswap complex.


Investigations on combustion processes occurring in the end-burning, low-gas, multi–increment pyrotechnic delay element of the depth charge dropped from the helicopter and in the end-burning, high-gas pyrotechnic tracer with combustible body of the anti-tank guided missile using Real-Time X-ray Radioscopy (RTR), are presented. RTR detection, operating at 30 frames per second, registered the shape and movement of burning zone respectively in the delay element and in the tracer. The burning zone separated unburnt (unreacted) and burnt part (combustion products) of tested pyrotechnic item. The burning zone propagating along the delay element was much more difficult to be registered by RTR because of much lower differences between densities of its unburnt and burnt parts in comparison with analogical parts of the tracer.


Abstract The Siwalik formations of northern Pakistan consist of deposits of ancient rivers that existed throughout the early Miocene through the late Pliocene. The formations are highly fossiliferous with a diverse array of terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates, which in combination with exceptional lateral exposure and good chronostratigraphic control allows a more detailed and temporally resolved study of the sediments and faunas than is typical in terrestrial deposits. Consequently the Siwaliks provide an opportunity to document temporal differences in species richness, turnover, and ecological structure in a terrestrial setting, and to investigate how such differences are related to changes in the fluvial system, vegetation, and climate. Here we focus on the interval between 10.7 and 5.7 Ma, a time of significant local tectonic and global climatic change. It is also the interval with the best temporal calibration of Siwalik faunas and most comprehensive data on species occurrences. A methodological focus of this paper is on controlling sampling biases that confound biological and ecological signals. Such biases include uneven sampling through time, differential preservation of larger animals and more durable skeletal elements, errors in age-dating imposed by uncertainties in correlation and paleomagnetic timescale calibrations, and uneven taxonomic treatment across groups. We attempt to control for them primarily by using a relative-abundance model to estimate limits for the first and last appearances from the occurrence data. This model also incorporates uncertainties in age estimates. Because of sampling limitations inherent in the terrestrial fossil record, our 100-Kyr temporal resolution may approach the finest possible level of resolution for studies of vertebrate faunal changes over periods of millions of years. Approximately 40,000 specimens from surface and screenwash collections made at 555 localities form the basis of our study. Sixty percent of the localities have maximum and minimum age estimates differing by 100 Kyr or less, 82% by 200 Kyr or less. The fossils represent 115 mammalian species or lineages of ten orders: Insectivora, Scandentia, Primates, Tubulidentata, Proboscidea, Pholidota, Lagomorpha, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and Rodentia. Important taxa omitted from this study include Carnivora, Elephantoidea, and Rhinocerotidae. Because different collecting methods were used for large and small species, they are treated separately in analyses. Small species include insectivores, tree shrews, rodents, lagomorphs, and small primates. They generally weigh less than 5 kg. The sediments of the study interval were deposited by coexisting fluvial systems, with the larger emergent Nagri system being displaced between 10.1 and 9.0 Ma by an interfan Dhok Pathan system. In comparison to Nagri floodplains, Dhok Pathan floodplains were less well drained, with smaller rivers having more seasonally variable flow and more frequent avulsions. Paleosol sequences indicate reorganization of topography and drainage accompanying a transition to a more seasonal climate. A few paleosols may have formed under waterlogged, grassy woodlands, but most formed under drier conditions and more closed vegetation. The oxygen isotopic record also indicates significant change in the patterns of precipitation beginning at 9.2 Ma, in what may have been a shift to a drier and more seasonal climate. The carbon isotope record demonstrates that after 8.1 Ma significant amounts of C4 grasses began to appear and that by 6.8 Ma floodplain habitats included extensive C4 grasslands. Plant communities with predominantly C3 plants were greatly diminished after 7.0 Ma, and those with predominantly C4 plants, which would have been open woodlands or grassy woodlands, appeared as early as 7.4 Ma. Inferred first and last appearances show a constant, low level of faunal turnover throughout the interval 10.7–5.7-Ma, with three short periods of elevated turnover at 10.3, 7.8, and 7.3–7.0 Ma. The three pulses account for nearly 44% of all turnover. Throughout the late Miocene, species richness declined steadily, and diversity and richness indices together with data on body size imply that community ecological structure changed abruptly just after 10 Ma, and then again at 7.8 Ma. Between 10 and 7.8 Ma the large-mammal assemblages were strongly dominated by equids, with more balanced faunas before and after. The pattern of appearance and disappearance is selective with respect to inferred habits of the animals. Species appearing after 9.0 Ma are grazers or typical of more open habitats, whereas many species that disappear can be linked to more closed vegetation. We presume exceptions to this pattern were animals of the mixed C3/C4 communities or the wetter parts of the floodplain that did not persist into the latest Miocene. The pace of extinction accelerates once there is C4 vegetation on the floodplain. The 10.3 Ma event primarily comprises disappearance of taxa that were both common and of long duration. The event does not correlate to any obvious local environmental or climatic event, and the pattern of species disappearance and appearance suggests that biotic interactions may have been more important than environmental change. The 7.8 Ma event is characterized solely by appearances, and that at 7.3 Ma by a combination of appearances and disappearances. These two latest Miocene events include more taxa that were shorter ranging and less common, a difference of mode that developed between approximately 9.0 and 8.5 Ma when many short-ranging and rare species began to make appearances. Both events also show a close temporal correlation to changes in floodplain deposition and vegetation. The 7.8 Ma event follows the widespread appearance of C4 vegetation and is coincident with the shift from equid-dominated to more evenly balanced large-mammal assemblages. The 7.3 to 7.0 Ma event starts with the first occurrence of C4-dominated floras and ends with the last occurrence of C3-dominated vegetation. Absence of a consistent relationship between depositional facies and the composition of faunal assemblages leads us to reject fluvial system dynamics as a major cause of faunal change. The close correlation of latest Miocene species turnover and ecological change to expansion of C4 plants on the floodplain, in association with oxygen isotopic and sedimentological evidence for increasingly drier and more seasonal climates, causes us to favor explanations based on climatic change for both latest Miocene pulses. The Siwalik record supports neither "coordinated stasis" nor "turnover pulse" evolutionary models. The brief, irregularly spaced pulses of high turnover are characteristic of both the stasis and pulse models, but the high level of background turnover that eliminates 65–70% of the initial species shows there is no stasis in the Siwalik record. In addition, the steadily declining species richness and abrupt, uncoordinated changes in diversity do not fit either model.


The consolidation behavior of Ti-6A1-4V matrix SCS-6 silicon carbide fiber metal matrix composites fabricated using the foil/fiber/foil technique was studied by both experimental physical modeling and finite element analysis. The experiments were carried out at 8750C (T/Tm = 0.597 for the matrix material) for varying levels of uniaxial compressive stress and times to characterize the stages of consolidation observed prior to reaching full density. Three stages of consolidation were identified: (1) instantaneous plasticity, (2) time-dependent foil deformation prior to establishing contact between neighboring foils, and (3) time dependent consolidation to close the pores at each side of the fiber that remain after neighboring foils have contacted between the fibers. Finite element analysis using the commercial code ABAQUS was employed to model the process and to examine the role of fiber spacing and applied stress level on the time required to densify the composite. The simulation predictions for the times necessary to achieve various densities were in good agreement with the experimental observations. The FEA results were used to establish analytical relations that describe the entire densification process. These equations are quite general and can be used to characterize any foil/fiber/foil composite fabrication process since they include as variables the matrix flow properties, processing stress and temperature, foil thickness and fiber diameter. The results predicted a slowing in densification at the latter stages of pore closure. This slowing was attributed to the low stresses in the matrix near a pore. Also, as the fiber spacing decreases, the time to densify increases because the load per fiber is now smaller.


Using isoelectrical focusing, studies have been made on native and heat denatured plasma albumin in two breeds of hens and in their hybrid. Analysis of isoelectrical spectra indicates that hybrid albumin is more heterogeneous and exhibits a shift of pJ value for the main component to more acid pH values as compared with the protein of the paternal breed; with respect to these properties, hybrid protein is more close to maternal one. Albumin of the hybrids exhibits higher stability to heat denaturation, being similar in this respect also to the maternal protein.


This study aimed at assessing "the effects for using E-procurement system in enhancing project performance among private sector organizations, a case study of
Applied technology Co. Ltd (ATL)" A case study approach was selected and used due to the nature of the study. Total sample of 30 which is 42% of the population was picked from Applied Technology Dar es Salaam and Arusha by simple random and purposive sampling methods. Data were collected by questionnaires, interviews, and review of documents with a response of 30 staffs which is 99.9% of the sample, and
qualitative analysis method was used to process the data. The study revealed a number of factors that may lead to effective adaptation of E-procurement in private organization; but can mainly be grouped into two: - First, Organization factors such as, sufficient training to employees, high sensitization of employees on existing
training program, adequate training budget, and high training programs evaluation; Second, Sociological interaction, such as; age characteristics, marital status, team building programs and high level of education. To enhance further effective improvement of training programs it is recommended to;- Develop a uniform TNA exercise improve the level of efficiency of training function and eventually have clarity in scope and objectives; Conduct evaluation after every training session and give feedback to trainees; increasing employee capacity by allocating sufficient budget; Implement training function openly and involve every individual in determining the kind of training they need and adapt the "Blended Learning Program
Model". Garvey (2011) and Kirkpatrick's (1975) Evaluation Model as analyzed in the paper.


Trace debugging is a software diagnostic technique for embedded real-time systems. It is developed to give embedded software developers the ability to trace the activity of the processor even when it is operating out of cache. This ability is lost on many high performance processors and in real-time systems. Tools for debugging real-time systems are scarce (Lee, E., 2000; Zhang, L. and Yuan, P., 1999). This paper describes work that was performed on a new method of trace debugging that can be used to aid in real-time debugging of embedded software. The technique described uses non-intrusive measurements that are supplemented with deductive algorithms. The technique developed in the study differs from traditional debuggers by utilizing the a-priori information that is available. The study utilized a Motorola 68020 as a model of a high performance processor, but the processes are applicable to many "high performance" processors.


As a kind of lightweight shield, mesh bumper had been used to protect International Space Station(ISS) against space debris. In some documents, it is concluded that meshes comminute hypervelocity projectiles with efficiencies comparable to contiguous targets. This is partially validated by hypervelocity impact experiments in the paper, and the hypervelocity impact characterization of mesh bumper is studied by numerical simulation, it is found that mesh bumper can effectively comminute projectile and disperse debris cloud. Next, the sensitivity of major variables such as impact velocity, the area-density of single mesh bumper, and multi-layer mesh bumper will be studied.


The methanol extracts of Sphenocentrum Jollyanum organs were assessed for their anti-oxidant and anti -angiogenic activities using DPPH and CAM assays respectively. The results indicated the stem bark as the most active organ with an IC 50 of 1.80 ± 0.25 and 1.00 ± 0.20 score (at 500 μg/pellet) on DDPH and anti -angiogenesis assays respectively. Further fractionation of the stem bark revealed the chloroform fraction to have the highest IC 50 1.54 ± 0.15 and the most important score on anti - angiogenesis assay with 1.3 ± 0.10 at 250 μg/pellet when serially diluted between 250 and 36.2 μg/pellet. Moreover, the effects were found to be dose-dependent. These results bring to the fore the need for further studies towards confirming the anti -oxidant and anti-angiogenic potentials of the plant as well as identifying and characterizing the active principles for drug development. African Journal of Biomedical Research Vol. 8(1) 2005: 4750


We develop a performance model for an optical burst switch employing fiber delay lines (FDLs) to enhance system performance. An M/M/k queueing model with balking is derived to predict the system behavior for both classless and prioritized traffic. Simple closed-form expressions are obtained for the burst loss probability of classless traffic. Using a conservation relation, the balking model is extended to model the performance of prioritized traffic classes. A discrete event-driven simulator is constructed to verify the accuracy of the proposed models. Numerical results show that the classless model fits simulation results very well. The model for prioritized traffic provides an accurate fit for the performance of the highest traffic class and lower bounds for the other traffic classes that are tighter than earlier known results.


This comment discusses two essential conditions in order to make the social investment strategy proposed by Hemerijck successful. First, a certain administrative capacity must be in place. This may be problematic in some southern European countries. Second, social investment policies must be designed and targeted so as to maximise returns. Empirical research on this aspect is arguably crucial in determining the success of the social investment strategy.


We investigate the problem of sparse signal medium access control in the wireless sensor networks. The proposed sparse signal Aloha (SSA) transmits sampled compressive data to the fusion center using Aloha random access protocol. In order to maximize the overall data transmission rate in the presence of packet collision, redundant data are randomly subsampled at individual sensor nodes according to an optimal subsampling rate before transmission. Data loss due to random subsampling and collision in the wireless channel are compensated using compressive sensing recovery method at the fusion center. Simulation results verify the theoretical analysis and show the significant improvement of SSA compared with existing CS-based random access method.


Agriculture and aquaculture have common features associated with their biological nature affecting risk exposure of the businesses. The aim of this paper is to compare risk exposure in salmon farming and agricultural enterprises in Norway by using an implicit error component model to examine the risk structure of yields, prices and economic returns at the farm level. Results indicate a higher farm-level year-to-year variability in yields, prices and economic returns in salmon farming than in agricultural enterprises. The variability in livestock enterprises was generally lower than for crop enterprises. Return on assets was highest in salmon farming with an average annual return of 9.2%. All of the agricultural farm types exhibited a negative average return on assets on average. Stochastic dominance tests of the distribution of economic returns from aquaculture and agricultural farm types showed salmon farming to be the most risk efficient alternative and salmon farming was most attractive from an investor's perspective.


Purpose: Recruitment to trials is often difficult. Many trials fail to meet recruitment targets resulting in underpowered studies which waste resources and the time of those who participated. While there is evidence that many people are willing to take part in research, particularly if it involves a condition from which they suffer, researchers are unable to easily contact such people often relying on busy clinicians to identify them. Many clinicians perceive themselves as too busy to take part in research activities. The Scottish Health Research Register SHARE adopts an approach which asks the public to consent to their data held in National Health Service databases to be used to determine their suitability for research projects. Additionally, participants can consent for spare blood, left after routine venepuncture to be automatically identified in the laboratory and stored for future research studies. Participants: Anyone over the age of 16 years in Scotland can participate. Participants are approached through a range of methods including directly at outpatient clinics and general practitioners practices, leaflets with hospital letters and personal email from employers. Findings to date: SHARE has recruited around 130 000 people. SHARE has demonstrated


Animal Welfare Science began to gradually develop in the 60´s, probably as a consequence of the publication of the book "Animal Machines" by Ruth Harrison [1], which denounced several practices that were done without regard for animal suffering. Since then, much research has been conducted aiming to identify the welfare states of animals. Firstly, an animal was considered to have good welfare when it was physically healthy, feeding, and producing well. Everyone can easily understand the importance of these characteristics and believe they may be part of animal welfare considerations, but welfare may not be restricted to this. How the animal behaves may also indicate if it is in a better or a worse condition. Thus, a healthy and productive animal or even an animal that is feeding well may be in a poor welfare condition if it is, for example, expressing some stereotypic behaviour. Stereotypies are defined as a series of movements regularly repeated with no apparent purpose or goal [2], probably induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope and/or brain dysfunction.


Abstract : The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has conducted experiments using acoustic sensor arrays suspended below tethered aerostats to detect and localize transient signals from mortars, artillery and small arms fire. The airborne acoustic sensor array calculates an azimuth and elevation to the originating transient, and immediately cues a collocated imager to capture the remaining activity at the site of the acoustic transient. This single array's vector solution defines a ground-intersect region or grid coordinate for threat reporting. Unattended ground sensor (UGS) systems can augment aerostat arrays by providing additional solution vectors from several ground-based acoustic arrays to perform a 3D triangulation on a source location. The aerostat array's advantage over ground systems is that it is not as affected by diffraction and reflection from man-made structures, trees, or terrain, and has direct line-of-sight to most events.