Commentary on: Learning Design: A handbook on modelling and delivering networked education and training. (Koper and Tattersall, 2005) Abstract: Integrating the specifications and tools for IMS-Learning Design (IMS, 2003) into Moodle (Moodle, 2003), an open-source Learning Management System (LMS), is not just a technological question, but also relates to practical, pedagogical, and philosophical issues. This study documents the discussions and experiments of a team of teachers active in the Moodle community who are concerned with the development of international standards in future versions of Moodle. In the course (Moodle, 2005a) of studying the book, Learning Design (Koper and Tattersall, 2005), participants analysed the implications of integrating the LD specification into Moodle and the operation of various LD tools (CopperCore, Reload) and related tools (LAMS) within the Moodle environment. These differences were then summarized into general implications for future versions of both Moodle and Learning Design. This study concludes that continued, open dialogue between teachers and developers of both LD and Moodle is necessary to achieve transparent integration. Authors belong to the Moodle Community Learning Design Book Study Group. Editors: Colin Tattersall and Rob Koper.


The aging hardening behaviors of Al-8Si-3%Cu (wt%) and Al-3Cu (wt%) alloys have been investigated. Samples were solution treated at 500 for 24 h followed by water quenching before aging. Hardness has been measured for quenched samples aging at 150°C. Strong age hardening occurs for Al-3Cu alloy and hardness increases by about 60% after peak aging. There is a hardness decrease in the early aging stage of Al-8Si-3Cu alloy and hardness increases by about 15% after peak aging. The age precipitation behaviors have been analyzed using DSC and TEM. Effects of microstructure characteristics on age precipitation and age hardening response of Al-8Si-3Cu alloy have been discussed.


Research demonstrates resistance training produces significant improvement in cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max, economy of movement). To date no review article has considered the underlying physiological mechanisms that might support such improvements. This article is a comprehensive, systematic narrative review of the literature surrounding the area of resistance training, cardiovascular fitness and the acute responses and chronic adaptations it produces. The primary concern with existing research is the lack of clarity and inappropriate quantification of resistance training intensity. Thus, an important consideration of this review is the effect of intensity. The acute metabolic and molecular responses to resistance training to momentary muscular failure do not differ from that of traditional endurance training. Myocardial function appears to be maintained, perhaps enhanced, in acute response to high intensity resistance training, and contraction intensity appears to mediate the acute vascular response to resistance training. The results of chronic physiological adaptations demonstrate that resistance training to momentary muscular failure produces a number of physiological adaptations, which may facilitate the observed improvements in cardiovascular fitness. The adaptations may include an increase in mitochondrial enzymes, mitochondrial proliferation, phenotypic conversion from type IIx towards type IIa muscle fibers, and vascular remodeling (including capillarization). Resistance training to momentary muscular failure causes sufficient acute stimuli to produce chronic physiological adaptations that enhance cardiovascular fitness. This review appears to be the first to present this conclusion and, therefore, it may help stimulate a changing paradigm addressing the misnomer of 'cardiovascular' exercise as being determined by modality.


We present a new stability analysis for hybrid legged locomotion systems based on the "symmetric" factorization of return maps. We apply this analysis to two-degrees-of-freedom (2DoF) and three-degrees-of-freedom (3DoF) models of the spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) with different leg recirculation strategies. Despite the non-integrability of the SLIP dynamics, we obtain a necessary condition for asymptotic stability (and a sufficient condition for instability) at a fixed point, formulated as an exact algebraic expression in the physical parameters. We use this expression to characterize analytically the sensory cost and stabilizing benefit of various feedback schemes previously proposed for the 2DoF SLIP model, posited as a low-dimensional representation of running. We apply the result as well to a 3DoF SLIP model that will be treated at greater length in a companion paper as a descriptive model for the robot RHex.


Herbstein, Manu.  Brave Music of a Distant Drum . Red Deer, AB: Red Deer Press. 2012. Print.  A young African-American man, Zachariah Wiliams, comes to visit his mother, who has been enslaved all her adult life. He, too, is a slave, but views his Brazilian owners as benevolent Christians, who have taught him how to read and write, gave him some pay for his bookkeeping work, and have promised to set him free in the coming years. He is reticent to meet with his mother who has never converted to Christianity, and with whom he is not close; she calls him by the name Kwame Zumbi, and she is uninterested in his successes working for his owners. She has asked him to smuggle some paper from his office, for she is going to tell a story she wishes him to write down for his own daughter to read when she is older. Ama's story is brutal in a way that is familiar to many readers, but not predictable. She tells of a failed rebellion on the slave ship, the beatings and sexual assaults that were a part of her everyday life, and of her love for Tomba, Zacharias' father. She writes of her intimacy with the daughter of her owners, emphasizing the strangeness of a girl who attempts to treat Ama well as a slave, but who does not truly want Ama to have her freedom. Although Ama has some momentary victories against people involved in the slave trade, she is never ultimately free. The novel does not attempt to fulfill a reader's hope for Ama's emancipation, and in this way, is more realistic than some fictional narratives of slavery in the Americas; it also avoids 'containing' the issue of slavery by ending with an individual's escape. This makes for a difficult, but strong novel. This young adult novel is based on author Herbstein's earlier historical novel for adults, Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Herbstein has made an unusual move here, revising the original novel for a younger audience, and has made thoughtful choices in doing so. He has shortened the story significantly, skimming over much of Ama's experiences that take place between her kidnapping in her village, and her forced placement on a slave ship headed for Brazil. (He skillfully explains this change as the limited amount of paper that Zachariah been able to procure; Ama wishes to retain only the details of her brutal enslavement in Brazil.) Herbstein's use of shifting first-person perspective, alternating between Ama and Zacharias, efficiently conveys Ama's blunt telling with her son's change from disbelief to anger at the injustice she has endured—an injustice that implicates his Brazilian owners. Brave Music of a Distant Drum is a brutal, thoughtful, well-written book that would be excellent for teenage readers. Recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Allison Sivak Allison Sivak is the Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Library and Information Studies and Elementary Education, focusing on how the aesthetics of information design influence young people's trust in the credibility of information content.


The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) invited scientists interested in the application of genomics to bioenergy and environmental issues, as well as all current and prospective users and collaborators, to attend the annual DOE JGI Genomics of Energy & Environment Meeting held March 22-24, 2011 in Walnut Creek, Calif. The emphasis of this meeting was on the genomics of renewable energy strategies, carbon cycling, environmental gene discovery, and engineering of fuel-producing organisms. The meeting features presentations by leading scientists advancing these topics. Scott Hodges of the University of California, Santa Barbara gives a presentation on "Genomic Speciation and Adaptation in Aquilegia" at the 6th annual Genomics of Energy & Environment Meeting on March 23, 2011


Background: The transcription factor GATA-2 is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and counteracts the erythroid-specific transcription factor GATA-1 , to modulate the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells. During hematopoietic cell differentiation, GATA-2 exhibits dynamic expression patterns, which are regulated by multiple transcription factors. Methods: Stable LSD1-knockdown cell lines were established by growing murine erythroleukemia (MEL) or mouse embryonic stem cells together with virus particles, in the presence of Polybrene ® at 4 μ g/mL, for 24–48 hours followed by puromycin selection (1 μ g/mL) for 2 weeks. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis was used to test whether the TAL1 transcription factor is bound to 1S promoter in the GATA-2 locus or whether LSD1 colocalizes with TAL1 at the 1S promoter. The sequential ChIP assay was utilized to confirm the role of LSD1 in the regulation of H3K4me2 at the GATA-2 locus during erythroid differentiation. Western blot analysis was employed to detect the protein expression. The alamarBlue ® assay was used to examine the proliferation of the cells, and the absorbance was monitored at optical density (OD) 570 nm and OD 600 nm. Results: In this study, we showed that LSD1 regulates the expression of GATA-2 during erythroid differentiation. Knockdown of LSD1 results in increased GATA-2 expression and inhibits the differentiation of MEL and embryonic stem cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that LSD1 binds to the 1S promoter of the GATA-2 locus and suppresses GATA-2 expression, via histone demethylation. Conclusion: Our data revealed that LSD1 mediates erythroid differentiation, via epigenetic modification of the GATA-2 locus.


This important book revives core issues from age-old albeit recently half forgotten debates over urbanity, its problems and advantages. The author suggests that the city concept itself is ripe for being transcended, socio-material condensation serving as its successor. He further outlines a dialectics of today's hardships and comforts of city/condensation life, in the grand tradition of a Howard (1902), Mumford (1938), Le Corbusier (1935), or a Williams (1973). To-day's condensations are analysed as socio-material sediments, each with its political code. Sartre's thinking is the main theoretical basis. A number of hardships and their remedies are discussed and a proposal for reform outlined. As important, a whole family of new concepts are put to use, e.g. the sub-individual, the imaginary. We analyse the local reviews of the book as a "howl of hurt habitus": While most objections are repudiated, we


The conformation and dynamics of a protein are essential in characterizing the protein folding/unfolding intermediate state. They are closely involved in the packing and site-specific interactions of peptide elements to build and stabilize the tertiary structure of the protein. In this study, it was confirmed that trypsin inhibitor obtained from seeds of bitter gourd (BGTI) adopted a peculiar but plausible conformation and dynamics in the unfolding intermediate state. The fluorescence spectrum of one of two tryptophan residues of BGTI, Trp9, shifted to the blue side in the presence of 2–3 M guanidine hydrochloride, although the other, Trp54, did not show this spectral shift. At the same time, the motional freedom of Trp9 revealed by a time-resolved fluorescence study decreased, suggesting that the segmental motion of this residue was more restricted. These results indicate that BGTI takes such a conformation state that the hydrophobic core and loop domains arranging Trp9 and Trp54 respectively are heterogeneously packed in the unfolding intermediate state.


UCLA: The First Century is an extensively illustrated hardcover book which follows a chronological historical narrative with in-depth sections on campus traditions and the history of Bruin athletics. Since the UCLA History Project was launched in 2004, UCLA have been chronicling a full account of their alma mater, from humble beginnings to their current standing as one of the world's most prestigious public research universities. The research and editorial team for this publication delved into the untold number of historical documents and photographs preserved in UCLA's archives and beyond, interviewed numerous members of the UCLA community, and searched for materials and anecdotes that were on the verge of becoming permanently lost or forgotten. '100 years of UCLA on your coffee table.' Los Angeles Times "I wanted to create an authentic, historical account of our university. Every day I am inspired by the story of UCLA and I see its history as a collective, living legacy that we all share." Marina Dundjerski '94, Author 'The book is indeed beautiful. Thank you so much for all the work that went into it.' Rhea Turtletaub, Vice Chancellor, UCLA External Affairs


On-going discussions on food security as both an element of the right to food and a goal for agricultural policy focus on the situation of the respective rights holders and the corresponding duty-bearers, i.e. individuals and the state. Yet, the coincidence of the recent food crisis and the financial crisis revealed a substantial analytical lack in addressing the impact of the business sector on food security. So far, only limited research has been undertaken to understand how the private sector addresses situations where the public policies may not adequately take into account individual rights such as the right to have access to food. Moreover, the new "Protect, respect and remedy" framework ("Ruggie Framework") adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in 2008 and the respective Guidelines of 2011 raises the question to what extent states have an obligation to ensure responsible corporate behaviour. This paper contributes to the discussion on implementing the Ruggie framework in a trade context by adding a third layer of analysis to the existing focus on the individual as the holder of the right to food security and the state as the bearer of the corresponding duties both under human rights and international trade law. It will explore the role of business in acting as an intermediary between the individual, micro-level and public policy at the macro-level. As a result, the paper proposes a comprehensive three-dimensional approach towards the implementation of food security that goes beyond the Ruggie framework.Three proposals to overcome existing regulatory deficits and research gaps are submitted: (1) a need for analysing motivation and dynamics at the meso-level (business), (2) improving regulatory procedures by mainstreaming the Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework into business-related policies and regulations and (3) improving regulatory substance by including findings from meso-level analysis in the substance of regulations.


This thesis focuses on numerical methods for two-phase ows, and especially ows with a moving contact line. Moving contact lines occur where the interface between two uids is in contact with a solid wall. At the location where both uids and the wall meet, the common continuum descriptions for uids are not longer valid, since the dynamics around such a contact line are governed by interactions at the molecular level. Therefore the standart numerical continuum models have to be adjusted to handle moving contact lines.In the main part of the thesis a method to manipulate the position and the velocity of a contact line in a two-phase solver, is described. The Navier-Stokes equations are discretised using an explicit nite di erence method on a staggered grid. The position of the interface is tracked with the level set method and the discontinuities at the interface are treated in a sharp manner with the ghost uid method. The contact line is tracked explicitly and its dynamics can be described by an arbitrary function. The key part of the procedure is to enforce a coupling between the contact line and the Navier-Stokes equations as well as the level set method. Results for di erent contact line models are presented and it is demonstrated that they are in agreement with analytical solutions or results reported in the literature.The presented Navier-Stokes solver is applied as a part in a multiscale method to simulate capillary driven ows. A relation between the contact angle and the contact line velocity is computed by a phase eld model resolving the micro scale dynamics in the region around the contact line. The relation of the microscale model is then used to prescribe the dynamics of the contact line in the macro scale solver. This approach allows to exploit the scale separation between the contact line dynamics and the bulk ow. Therefore coarser meshes can be applied for the macro scale ow solver compared to global phase eld simulations, reducing the overall computational coasts.One of the major drawbacks of the level set method is that it does not conserve the mass of the uids. The application of the conservative level set method (CLSM) o ers a solution to this problem. Three of the attached articles address details concerning the implementation of the CLSM using a nite di erence method. A nite di erence discretisation of the CLSM based on stencils used in the Navier-Stokes solver is described and tested. Various methods to compute the curvature in the CLSM are assessed for the use in the ghost uid method. It is shown that the reinitialisation of the CLSM can lead to spurious deformations of the interface, a stabilised constrained reinitialisation is developed in an attempt to prevent the interface from deforming


Animal bones comprise the only category of evidence for Greek cult which is constantly significantly increasing. The use of ever more sophisticated excavation methods demonstrates the importance of zooarchaeological material for the study of Greek religion and how such material can throw light on texts, inscriptions and images, as the animal bones constitute remains of actual ritual actions and not mere descriptions or representations of these actions. This paper outlines some areas where the zooarchaeological evidence may be of particular pertinence, for example, in elucidating the complex and idiosyncratic religious terminology of shares of sacrificial victims mentioned in sacred laws and sacrificial calendars, or in providing a context for a better understanding of the representations of animal parts on Attic vases. The role of meat within ancient Greek society, the choice of sacrificial victims and the handling of "non-sacrificable" animals such as game, dogs and equids within Greek cult can also be clarified by comparisons with the animal remains.


In this paper, we propose 32 bit types of Brent-Kung, Kogge-Stone and a Ladner-Fischer parallel prefix adders. In general N-bit adders like Ripple Carry Adders (very inefficient processes of adders compare to other adders), and Carry Look Ahead adders (area consuming adders) are used in earlier days. As existing methods of an emerging computational paradigm, an inexact circuit offers a promising method to significantly reductions of the both dynamic and static power dissipation for error-tolerant applications. an inexact floating-point adder is by approximately designing an exponent sub-tractor and mantissa adder. But now the most integrated circuits are using parallel prefix adders because of their advantages compare to other adders. Parallel prefix adders are faster and area efficient. We simulate and synthesis different types of 32-bit prefix adders using Xilinx ISE 10.1i tool. We using these systems out performances, we noted the performance parameters like number of LUTs and delay.


Background The geriatric population is particularly vulnerable to being prescribed potentially inappropriate medication (PIM); however, the prevalence of this occurrence remains poorly investigated in Indonesia. Thus in this research, we focused on investigating the prevalence and predictors of PIM among the Indonesian geriatric population in a primary health care setting. Methods A retrospective observational study was conducted in 25 primary health care facilities in Karawang District, Indonesia. The medical prescriptions of patients aged ≥60 years during January–December 2014 were documented, and the PIM was assessed based on Beers and McLeod criteria. The influence of age, sex, number of diseases, and polypharmacy toward PIM was assessed using a logistic regression model. A P-value of <0.05 defined statistical significance. Results A total of 3,819 subjects were included in the study. PIM was highly prevalent (52.2%) among the Indonesian elderly. Chlorpheniramine, mefenamic acid, ibuprofen, and nifedipine were the most commonly prescribed PIM. Polypharmacy (odds ratio: 1.2 [0.6, 2.1]) was the only factor associated with the use of PIM, while sex, age, and multiple diseases did not show significant association. Conclusion PIM is a concern in the Indonesian geriatric population. Health care professionals are encouraged to review the medications of their geriatric patients using updated safety guidelines to prevent risks associated with PIM.


Does economic reform assist or retard growth? This article presents data on economic performance (aggregate and sectoral growth, inflation, investment and external account) for 20 countries. The data are classified on an annual basis according to the country's policy stance in that year – controlled economy, partially or fully liberalised. This approach allows both control-group and before-versus-after analyses which are combined with a review of growth regressions and an analysis of case study material on adjustment. The evidence suggests three hypotheses: first, countries with controlled economies have performed badly compared with those which have moved towards greater market orientation. Second, economic performance does not differ greatly between fully-fledged market economies and partially liberalised ones – partly as several countries have pursued liberalisation with or no improvement in performance. Third, given that there is little difference in manufacturing and agricultural growth between full and partial liberalisers yet overall growth is more rapid for the former, the additional growth must be in the service sector. These hypotheses suggest that the balance between state and market should be tilted more toward the market than is currently supported by international development agencies.


Background Respecting patients' preferences is seen as good palliative care. Aim Studying actual treatments in relation to preferences for starting or forgoing treatment of older people at the end of life. Methods Mortality follow-back study among relatives of deceased older people (2006–2009) of two cohorts representative for the older Dutch population (n=168) and for people with an advance directive (n=184). Preferences and actual treatment were studied for each of four treatments: starting or forgoing resuscitation, artificial nutrition/hydration, antibiotics, and artificial respiration. Results In most patients who preferred receiving treatment this preference was followed (88% to 100% for different situations). In about half of the patients who preferred that a treatment would be forgone, the preference was followed (except artificial respiration: 12% concordance). The majority of people for whom no preference was known received treatment (59% to 79% for different situations). People with a known preference for receiving a specific treatment (as opposed to forgoing that treatment) had a higher chance of preference being followed (OR 7.4). People with a preference for forgoing a treatment had higher odds (OR 6.3), and people with a preference for starting a treatment had lower odds (OR 0.28) of treatment being forgone compared to people having no known preference. Conclusions Concordance between preferred and actual treatment is high in older people who prefer treatment, and lower in people who prefer no treatment. Yet, making preferences for forgoing treatment known is useful as it increases the chance of treatments being forgone in those who wish so.


There is evidence suggesting that self harm among young people is beginning earlier, in childhood and adolescent years. This paper reports on a qualitative study of primary school staff responses to self harm among children. Some studies with adolescents show self harm presents challenges to education professionals who may lack training or resources to address this issue, yet research concerning self harm among primary school children is limited. The present study provides an analysis of education professionals' experiences and understandings of self harm in primary school children. Interviews with 15 staff members from six schools in the North of England were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Key themes discussed concern: how self harm affects staff emotionally; reasons staff ascribe to children's self harming; how self harm is managed. The present study indicates problems associated with a 'fire‐fighting' approach where self harm is only dealt with as it becomes visible. Instead, the authors advocate policy‐level initiatives proactively addressing self harm, as has happened in sex and drug education. Intervention around self harm in schools could usefully broaden staff members' understandings of self harm, allow opportunity for reflection and discussion, and make resources available to staff working with children who self harm.


We investigate the γ-ray and X-ray properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) 4C 50.11 at redshift z = 1.517. The Fermi-LAT data indicate that this source was in an active state since July 2013. During this active period, the source's emission appeared harder in γ-rays, with the flux having increased by more than a factor of three. We analyze two distinct flares seen in the active state and find that the variability is as short as several hours. The Swift-XRT data show that the source was variable at X-ray energies, but no evidence is found for flux or spectral changes related to the γ-ray activity. The broad-band X-ray spectrum obtained with Swift-XRT and NuSTAR is described well by a broken power law model, with an extremely flat spectrum (Γ1 ∼ 0.1) below the break energy, Ebreak ∼ 2.1 keV, and Γ2 ∼ 1.5 above the break energy. The spectral flattening below∼ 3 keV is likely due to the low energy cut-off in the energy distribution of the photon-emitting electron population. We fit the broad-band spectral energy distribution of the source during both the active and quiescent states. The X-ray and γ-ray emission from the jet is mainly due to the inverse-Compton scattering process, with seed photons provided from the broad line region, and the jet is estimated to be larger than the accretion power if the jet is mainly composed of electron-proton pairs.


Lactose intolerance has been a known cause of gastrointestinal distress for many years. Recently, it has come to attention that fructose intolerance elicits many of the same symptoms as lactose intolerance. The consumption of fructose has more than doubled in the past twenty years; conversely, the instances of fructose intolerance have also increased. Fructose and lactose intolerance are measured using similar methods. While there are common practices and guidelines used when testing fructose and lactose intolerance and malabsorptive issues, there is no official standard method including precise practices for before, during, and after the test. Therefore a standard system was created by comparing methods used in previous studies. If used on a wide scale, the standard system will enable researchers to compare results of different studies. Ultimately, this would enable researchers to gain a better understanding of lactose and fructose intolerance and malabsorptive issues in order to develop improved treatments and potential cures.


This paper presents a novel application of advanced machine learning techniques for Mars terrain image classification. Fuzzy-rough feature selection (FRFS) is employed in conjunction with Support Vector Machines (SVMs) to construct image classifiers. These techniques are for the first time, integrated to address problems in space engineering where the images are of many classes and large-scale. The use of FRFS allows the induction of low-dimensionality feature sets from feature patterns of a much higher dimensionality. Experimental results demonstrate that FRFS helps to enhance the efficacy of the conventional classifiers. The resultant SVM-based classifiers which utilise FRFS-selected features generally outperform K-Nearest Neighbours and Decision Tree based classifiers and those which use PCA-returned features.


The recent centennial of Albert Camus's birth has had little resonance in EU legal scholarship. Yet Camus's work is a natural entry point into the EU's trade relations with the global south, and Algeria's case is a particularly salient one, given the oft-ignored fact that for five years the Algerian nation was a part of the European Economic Community. The onset of a free trade regime between the EU and the former colonies or territories of its member states is often touted as the culminating point in a line of constant progress, from dependency to autonomy and from asymmetry to parity. But a closer look at the experience of Algeria reveals that massive trade diversion resulted, in a not so distant past, from the very birth of the Common Market, and that current policies are not adequately redressing the effects of such lopsided arrangements. The point of these pages, linking the 1960s death of Algeria's wine exports to the country's ongoing struggle to diversify its economy, is not to provide generalizable lessons or overarching guidelines for the trade policies of developed nations. The goal is rather to invite particularized, textured inquiries into the meaning of free trade between the EU and each of its partners, taking into account the specific legacies of older patterns of commerce.


Single cell manipulation can offer great insights into the whole of an organism, the rapidly growing -omics fields are illustrating the heterogeneity that can be found within cell populations and where these subtle differences may be exploited, from fundamental knowledge to diagnostics and therapeutics. The cutting edge of this single cell work requires the application of interdisciplinary research to fully exploit the boundaries being pushed. Biophotonics is one such body of interdisciplinary research, employing light to manipulate biological samples. This work seeks to make use biophotonic techniques as analogues for conventional biological methods. High throughput raster scan photoporation is utilised for attempted transfection, multiple trap optical tweezers are used in an attempt to optically drive mechanical injection of cells and the thermal impact of these optical tweezers, which require high energy densities to confine particles, is tested, via the exploitation of the temperature sensitive emission of quantum


Brookwood Cemetery was the largest burial ground in the world when it was opened in 1854 by the London Necropolis & Mausoleum Company. This work provides a guide to the art and architecture of Brookwood, and includes brief biographies of over 800 individuals who have been buried there.


In this paper, we contend that due to the particularities and widespread use of new ICT, traditional ways of explaining IT adoption in companies -rational decision making, technology diffusion models, and the psychology of the decision makerare insufficient to explain some observed cases of ICT diffusion. We prove that there is a new role played by the user community in the technology adoption process, brought about by factors like the existence of a strong development community in the case of OSS, or widespread access to Internet technology. A mixed two-phase method was used for this study. In the first phase, through a qualitative analysis of some significant cases we depicted under which conditions a significant adoption of a particular technology (OSS) might unfold, showing that in some circumstances user groups could play a significant role. In the second phase an exploratory quantitative analysis was carried out to verify the new dimensions of the technology adoption process. The results showed a high influence of social factors like peer group adoption and user's pressure. Due to reasons of geographical proximity the research was carried out in Spanish companies, but we believe that, like with similar adoption studies, the results are of general nature as there are no culturally specific dimensions that we could identify. Conclusions and further research are outlined.


Theory-based evaluation studies have long been promoted as increasing stakeholder knowledge of the program and improving decision-making (Bickman, 1987; Chen, 2004; Suchman, 1967; Weiss, 1998), but such advocacy has little empirical research support. This paper helps to redress this deficiency by reporting on an empirical study which investigated the relationship between the use of program theory as the basis for an evaluation study and the nature of the evaluation information generated and its utility.

The investigation followed three program evaluation studies through their term and focused on the extent of theory use and the nature and influence of the information from each evaluation. A model of factors which it has been suggested influence the use of program evaluation information was developed and investigated (Alkin, 1985; Cousins & Leithwood, 1986, 1993; Cummings, 1997; Leviton & Hughes, 1981; Hudson-Mabbs, 1993; Pawson & Tilley, 1997; Preskill & Torres, 1997). Structural equation modeling was used to test and further explore the model, while qualitative data were used to gain further insight into the study findings.

The investigation was not able to confirm that a greater use of program theory in an evaluation study improves the usefulness of evaluation findings. The study does, however, identify interactions between program theory and other predictor variables, such as the characteristics of the evaluation study, related to increased information use. It also provides further evidence regarding the importance of stakeholder involvement in an evaluation study on the extent to which they use and are influenced by evaluation information. Furthermore, this research provides insight into perceptions developed by many evaluators through experience and practice, such as the vulnerability of an evaluation study to contextual factors which typically are outside the control of the evaluation team.


In this chapter, I hold that today's conflict in northern Uganda, although fought on local grounds, is international and even global in character. Worldwide flows of imagery, weaponry and humanitarian aid entangle with local socio-political realities, in a way typical for most small-scale and low-intensity wars at the turn of the millennium. Alliances on the regional level add to the complexity of local battle scenes. In the local discontent, my informants articulated these complexities. "The surroundings are bad", they often said. In discussing important aspects of a life with bad surroundings, my chapter focuses on the local lifeworld, and on actions, interpretations and explanations that are essential to any understanding, academic or popular, of the conflict. In pursuing this aim I investigate how non-combatant people in the war zone understand and explain the rebels' violent practices on the ground, but also how they relate to the fact that the international community has become increasingly and inescapably entangled with the politics and practices of war. On the existential level, I propose people actively practice a kind of knowing by engagement. To be able to highlight this I put emphasis on meanings in use. Such meanings are never fixed but negotiated in an interactive socio-cultural and political process of interpretation and counter-interpretation, including not only the most influential agents, like the rebel movement, the Ugandan government or international relief organisations, but also the ordinary people with direct experience of the war.


Abstract Fungal decay alters the composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of wood cell walls. To understand better the structure-function relationships during fungal decay, selected annual rings of fungal deteriorated Scots pine sapwood were analyzed in terms of their composition, microstructure, and micromechanical properties. The datasets were acquired separately for earlywood and latewood concerning the S2 cell wall layer and the cell corner middle lamella (CCML) and analyzed by means of principal component analysis and partial least squares regression analysis. Links between cell wall stiffness and hardness and the composition and microstructure could be established. Increased mechanical properties in the CCML, as obtained by nanoindentation, were correlated to the degradation of pectins. In the S2 layer, the altered data were related to the degradation of hemicelluloses and lignin modification during fungal decay.


We demonstrate a mechanically robust and highly reactive water filter for treatment of cationic heavy metals (lead, copper, cadmium), using a surface-segregating surfactant to fabricate polymer nanofiber composites with embedded, surface-active iron oxide nanoparticles. The single-pot synthesis integrates commercially-available ∼3 nm amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Characterization suggested the benefits of SDS inclusion are two-fold. During electrospinning, SDS surface-segregation facilitates nanoparticle transport to nanofiber surfaces, thereby enhancing iron oxide surface concentration in the composite. Subsequent rinsing in water leads to SDS release from the polymer; thus, SDS also serves as a removable porogen that enhances composite pore volume. Metal removal performance was evaluated via kinetic, isotherm, and pH-edge sorption experiments, with benchmarks to nanofiber supports (unmodified PAN, SDS-modified PAN) and freely dispersed nanoparticles. SDS–iron oxide nanoparticle synergies enhanced the structural integrity and metal uptake capacity of composites. Notably, for the optimal precursor formulation (7 wt% PAN, 2 wt% iron oxide nanoparticles, 1 wt% SDS), embedded nanoparticles exhibited reactivity comparable to that of nanoparticle suspensions. Treatment of lead at drinking water-relevant concentrations (μg L−1) in a flow-through filtration system revealed that a relatively small amount of material can provide an individual's annual drinking water requirement (∼5 g composite per L per day for tap water containing ∼300 μg L−1 Pb), and effective regeneration can be achieved with small volumes of dilute acid (∼0.6 L of 0.1 N HNO3 per g composite). This work demonstrates the potential of surface-segregating surfactants and porogen-assisted fabrication of electrospun composites to allow practical deployment of nanoparticles within stand-alone, reactive filtration devices.


Animal‐mediated seed dispersal is important for sustaining biological diversity in forest ecosystems, particularly in the tropics. Forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging modify forests in myriad ways and their effects on animal‐mediated seed dispersal have been examined in many case studies. However, the overall effects of different types of human disturbance on animal‐mediated seed dispersal are still unknown. We identified 35 articles that provided 83 comparisons of animal‐mediated seed dispersal between disturbed and undisturbed forests; all comparisons except one were conducted in tropical or subtropical ecosystems. We assessed the effects of forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging on seed dispersal of fleshy‐fruited tree species. We carried out a meta‐analysis to test whether forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging affected 3 components of animal‐mediated seed dispersal: frugivore visitation rate, number of seeds removed, and distance of seed dispersal. Forest fragmentation, hunting, and selective logging did not affect visitation rate and were marginally associated with a reduction in seed‐dispersal distance. Hunting and selective logging, but not fragmentation, were associated with a large reduction in the number of seeds removed. Fewer seeds of large‐seeded than of small‐seeded tree species were removed in hunted or selectively logged forests. A plausible explanation for the consistently negative effects of hunting and selective logging on large‐seeded plant species is that large frugivores, as the predominant seed dispersers for large‐seeded plant species, are the first animals to be extirpated from hunted or logged forests. The reduction in forest area after fragmentation appeared to have weaker effects on frugivore communities and animal‐mediated seed dispersal than hunting and selective logging. The differential effects of hunting and selective logging on large‐ and small‐seeded tree species underpinned case studies that showed disrupted plant‐frugivore interactions could trigger a homogenization of seed traits in tree communities in hunted or logged tropical forests.


This thesis presents three essays in Bayesian Stochastic Frontier models for cost and production functions and links the fields of productivity and efficiency measurement and spatial econometrics, with applications to energy economics and aggregate productivity. The thesis presents a chapter of literature review highlighting the advances and gaps in the stochastic frontier literature. Chapter 3 discusses measurement of aggregate efficiency in electricity consumption in transition economies in a cost frontier framework. The underlying model is extended to a Spatial Autoregressive model with efficiency spillovers in Chapter 4, showing good performance in simulations. The model is applied to aggregate productivity in European countries, leading to evidence of convergence between eastern and western economies over time, as in the previous chapter regarding efficiency in electricity consumption. Finally, Chapter 5 proposes a spatial model which allows for dependence in the structure of the inefficiency component while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. This approach is applied to New Zealand electricity distribution networks, finding some evidence of efficiency spillovers between the firms. All essays explore the performance of the model using simulations and discuss the utility of the approaches in small samples. The thesis concludes with a summary of findings and future paths of research.


Their initial curvature make steel-cured girder bridges more susceptible to lateral-torsional bucking during construction. Critical in assessing the strength and fatigue life of the bridge components, predicting stresses in the main girders and the crossframes proves more complex than in straight bridges. In this project, researchers investigated the correlation between measured and computed results in a two-span, four-girder, continuous composite steel curved girder bridge with skew supports. A previous phase involved computing the stresses through a linear elastic grillage finite element computer project and comparing the results with a typical third-party curbed girder analysis program. The project's second phase further investigated the correlation between measured and computed stresses by running two additional live load tests on the bridge. This report summarizes research to investigate the behavior of the curved girder bridge system through all phases of construction, as well as to a series of live load field tests. In addition, researchers investigated the effects of change in temperature on the bridge behavior and tracked any changes in behavior of the bridge system over time and under service load conditions.


We report from experiments with wireless and mobile computing at the University of Oslo, Norway. We have established a wireless experimental metropolitan area network (WEMAN), based on Mobile IPv6 for mobility and IEEE 802.11 technology for wireless links and access. WEMAN is a wireless extension of the IPv6 based Internet 2 in Norway and enables flexible access for nomadic and mobile users. Using low noise amplifiers and antenna diversity, we obtain reliable performance on links longer than 15 km. We have experimented with four alternatives for automatic network configuration for mobile clients and report on initial feasibility and performance results.


Background Research into retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration and neuroprotection after optic nerve injury has received considerable attention and the establishment of simple and effective animal models is of critical importance for future progress. Methodology/Principal Findings In the present study, the optic nerves of Wistar rats were semi-transected selectively with a novel optic nerve quantitative amputator. The variation in RGC density was observed with retro-labeled fluorogold at different time points after nerve injury. The densities of surviving RGCs in the experimental eyes at different time points were 1113.69±188.83 RGC/mm2 (the survival rate was 63.81% compared with the contralateral eye of the same animal) 1 week post surgery; 748.22±134.75 /mm2 (46.16% survival rate) 2 weeks post surgery; 505.03±118.67 /mm2 (30.52% survival rate) 4 weeks post surgery; 436.86±76.36 /mm2 (24.01% survival rate) 8 weeks post surgery; and 378.20±66.74 /mm2 (20.30% survival rate) 12 weeks post surgery. Simultaneously, we also measured the axonal distribution of optic nerve fibers; the latency and amplitude of pattern visual evoke potentials (P-VEP); and the variation in pupil diameter response to pupillary light reflex. All of these observations and profiles were consistent with post injury variation characteristics of the optic nerve. These results indicate that we effectively simulated the pathological process of primary and secondary injury after optic nerve injury. Conclusions/Significance The present quantitative transection optic nerve injury model has increased reproducibility, effectiveness and uniformity. This model is an ideal animal model to provide a foundation for researching new treatments for nerve repair after optic nerve and/or central nerve injury.


Biofilm forms with the colonization of different microorganism resulting in a microbial community which is complex and diverse in nature. Biofilms are enclosed with different microbial colonies in a matrix known as extracellular polymeric substance. Microorganisms together in this complex structure communicate through cell signaling molecules. This process is known as quorum sensing which helps in maintaining the complexity and diversity. Biofilms are involved in causing various infections in human beings. Oral cavity and wounds are very common two sites where biofilm formation takes place. The complexity of a biofilm makes it tenacious and it's tough to eradicate completely. There are several conventional methods such as physical, chemical, antibiotics, antiseptics and anti-biofilm agents for the eradication of dental/periodontal biofilms and biofilms associated oral wounds. Thus, various novel approaches can be proposed, one of them is Nanotechnology. Its extensive application in dentistry can be very helpful in curing various periodontal and dental diseases. Nanoparticles are one of new emerging potent system which can be really helpful in the complete eradication of complex biofilms due to their high anti-microbial properties. In this review, we have attempted to discuss dental/ periodontal biofilms; oral wounds, their relation with oral biofilm microbes and their treatment as well as conventional methods of treatment available ti l l now. With this comprehensive review, it is proposed that with the help of nanotechnology, various nanoparticles can be designed and an improvement can be done to the available methods or some new method can also emerge.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to divulge the current knowledge about the nutritional and functional characteristics of Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen), in addition to its potential applications in the food industry since research studies related to it are still limited compared to other cereals of greater diffusion.

Design/methodology/approach
The scientific information was collected from Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases, using keywords such as nutrition value of Chenopodium pallidicaule, amaranth and pseudocereals. Consistent information was selected according to its relevance, year of publication and accuracy with the topic. A total of 49 research papers were selected.

Findings
Cañihua is a grain with high nutritional potential, considered a superfood because it has a high protein quality, a balanced composition of essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids, with a high concentration of linoleic and oleic acid. Besides, it has a good level of bioactive compounds with high antioxidant capacity. However, its production and consumption are limited outside its area of origin, although its cultivation is possible under harsh conditions.

Originality/value
This paper, through a systematic bibliographic review, highlights the potential of cañihua to be considered in the development of food products with high nutritional and functional value. The information compiled will help researchers and professionals become aware of the importance of this grain and join forces in its processing and enhancement of its attributes.


Appraisal of the results of treatment of 1,296 patients with bleeding ulcers among which 565 underwent operation, and the findings of endoscopic, morphofunctional, and immunological studies allowed the authors to suggest a more active surgical tactics and to substantiate the indications for emergency operations. The suggested tactics led to a significant increase of surgical activity, which made it possible to reduce the total mortality among patients with bleeding ulcers to 3.9%, postoperative mortality to 5.6%, and mortality after emergency operations to 6.7%.


The scope and limitations of surfactants as catalysts for the synthesis of quinoxalines using microreactors made of the surfactants in water has been assessed. The catalytic potential followed the order: non-ionic surfactants > anionic surfactants > Bronsted acid surfactants > cationic surfactants. The non-ionic surfactant, Tween 40, is the most effective catalyst affording excellent yields within a short reaction time at room temperature and is compatible with different variations of the 1,2-diketones and 1,2-diamines. The reaction medium (spent water) containing the catalyst, as well as the catalyst itself (recovered Tween 40) can be reused for five consecutive reactions. The better catalytic efficiency of the surfactant (Tween 40) compared to the various Lewis/Bronsted acids, as well as the surfactant combined Lewis acid, suggests that surfactants, which generate microreactor assemblies at the interface, are better suited as catalytic aids to promote organic reactions in water. The inferior results obtained in organic solvents, which provide a homogeneous reaction mixture compared to those obtained in water, indicate the specific role of water. This has been depicted as a synergistic dual activation through the hydrogen bond mediated formation of supramolecular assemblies involving a water dimer and the reactants. The catalytic assistance of the surfactant could be ascribed to the ability of the surfactant molecule to undergo hydrophobic and hydrogen bond forming interactions with water and the reactants in orienting the reactants at the water interface and encapsulating inside the microreactors to facilitate the cyclocondensation.


This study seeks to project the concept of avant-garde as a viable and radical approach to instilling creativity in a fashion design practitioner through putting together different materials to represent shape and form in the ultimate sculpting of a silhouette. Even though the concept of avant-garde in fashion has existed for over a century in Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia, the concept has not caught up well in Ghana in terms of practice and application. Meanwhile, it has a great potential to engender creativity in the teaching and practice of fashion. This is because avant-garde encompasses experimental processes as well as constantly being on the edge, thinking forward and exploring new materials and design possibilities. Reflecting the times in which we are operating provides a relevance to the form of expression of the fashion designer. The qualitative research methodology was utilised in this study, with observation and interviews as the data collection instrument. The study observed selected fashion practitioners thoroughly, using their philosophies and designs as sources of data. The findings and discussion touched upon on a wide array of visualisations and trends and present avant-garde as a creative concept for fashion design practice in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. The study, therefore, recommends that fashion design students be made more aware of the essence of trying new and unfamiliar materials every now and then to enable them to be more creative. The concept of avant-garde was explored in this study because of its potential for an extended enquiry into the many trajectories of fashion product outcomes.


One large gap in research related to hybrid org./inorg. frameworks pertains to the inability to rationally design materials with targeted structural features and hence properties, a problem that stems from a lack of knowledge of their crystn. processes. Little is known, for example, about how specific reaction conditions relate to framework crystn. or whether frameworks are derived from the addn. of single metal-ions or larger aggregates of metal-ions and ligands that first form in soln. Thus, materials synthesis cannot keep pace with computational efforts aimed at structure and property prediction. In recent work we have demonstrated that binary solvothermal conditions used in synthesis may result in partitioning of the solvent's around growing MOF crystallites, based upon the relative hydrophobicity of the crystallite and of the two solvents (Figure 1). The current work, which is a combined exptl. and theor. study, is examg. how solvent organization and solvation free energy changes for two MOF's made of the same building blocks, but with different topologies. For instance, MOF-235 and MIL-101 contain the same triangular Fe3O core interlinked by 1, 4 benzene dicarboxylate ligands. While MOF-235 is a cationic framework with charge balancing anions in the channels that render it effectively nonporous, MIL-101 is neutral mesoporous framework, 3.4 nm, with surface areas over 3000 m2/g. Of specific interest is whether the solvation favorability of the two frameworks influences the final product outcome, or whether a specific reaction pathway during crystn. is essential for control of which MOF is produced.


Jeff Fox, Chief Engineer of the Rapid Prototype Lab at the Johnson Space Center, tells the history and evolution of displays and controls in the space shuttle. Fox reveals details behind some of the new displays that are being designed to fly on the Orion spacecraft. HWHAP Episode 44


The Productivity Commission's recent Position Paper on the Economic Impacts of Migration and Population Growth examines the effects on productivity (output per hour worked) and GNP per capita of higher migration. It concludes that the effect of a 50 per cent increase in the numbers of skilled migrants over the twenty year period to 2024_25 will be to reduce average productivity slightly but increase GNP per capita slightly relative to current migration levels. However the Position Paper does not assess the implications of the extra migrants for Australian residents (or incumbents). This paper argues that the effect on GNP per capita for incumbents will be to lower it under the high migration scenario relative to the maintenance of current migration levels. Younger Australians will be the worst affected.


The invention belongs to a new boric fertilizer, referring to a boric fertilizer water dispersing granule and preparing method thereof. The invention comprises one or more than one boric fertilizers and at least one surfactant; the materials are processed as the regular or irregular granules water dispersing granule; the weight part of the boric fertilizer is 5-95 parts; the rest is the assistant. The preferable solution of the invention is following: the boric fertilizer comprises one of the boric acid, boron oxide, boric acid ammonium, sodium tetraborate, calcium borate side, partial sodium borate, sodium borate tetrahydrate, magnesium diboride, sodium perborate, zinc borate, boric acid manganese, high-sodium borate, partial acid potassium, boron and magnesium fertilizer, boron and magnesium phosphate and boron mud or the mixture of the two or more than two of the above. The preparing method of the invention is scaling the prescription, mixing, crushing, and granule and drying to obtain the product. The boric fertilizer water dispersing granule of the invention has a fast disintegration, dissolving (dispersing) completely, not plugging the nozzle and the dropping pipe lines, no heating while using, easy to absorb moisture, packaging, storage and transportation, measurement, the use of low cost, widely used in food crops, cash crops, horticulture, lawns and urban greening; the market prospect is very broad.


Video transmission on multiuser wireless channels faces manifold challenges in both source- and channel-coding. We propose a framework to analyze three facets of this idea: video distortion, transmit power, and delay. In the scenario considered here, both the transmitter and end-users are equipped with multi-antenna transceivers. The goal is to broadcast video to all users; however, the video is differentiated in quality to match the spatial and temporal variation of the channel. An emerging coding standard that is well-suited to this scenario is the Scalable Video Coding (SVC) extension of H.264. We employ the medium-grain scalability (MGS) feature of SVC, which allows us to generate quality-scalable layers from a single video sequence. For transport, the transmitter employs the block-diagonal zero-forcing (ZF) precoding technique, a well-known technique which yields good performance. With these assumptions, the idea here is to compute a precoder at fixed intervals. Crucially, the cross-layer framework allocates layers of video to the end-users jointly with precoder computation. The framework also ensures that delay and buffer constraints are met, which is necessary for real-time video. In terms of solution approach, the problem turns out to be a difficult mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem. However, we show that it is tractable via a primal-dual method. We analyze performance in various configurations, gaining insight into the relationship between the main system parameters.


Histamine exists in a multitude of foods and displays an emerging role within food intolerances. Our aim was to identify the activity of porcine diamine oxidase (DAO) required for the in vitro degradation of histamine amounts that are found in typical meals containing histamine (75 mg, equaled 150 mg/L). Furthermore, we investigated an actual dietary supplement that is commercially available for histamine intolerant individuals for its histamine reduction capability. Kinetic investigations of porcine DAO showed a substrate inhibition by histamine concentrations greater than 56 mg/L (0.5 mM). The stability of free porcine DAO was tested in a fed state simulated intestinal fluid and exhibited a half-life period of around 19 min. A total of 50 nanokatal (nkat) free porcine DAO, which equaled the amount of enzyme isolated from around 100 g pig kidney, were necessary for the in vitro reduction of around 90% of the histamine. The dietary supplement that contains a pig kidney extract did not show DAO activity. Instead, the used histamine (0.75 mg) was apparently reduced due to the adsorption of histamine onto a capsule component by 18.9 ± 2.3% within 5 hr. Although the capsule preparation retained its overall structure and shape for at least 90 min in simulated gastric fluid, the apparent histamine reduction was significantly reduced to 12.1 ± 2.3% (P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, an alternative to the pig kidney DAO or an improved capsule preparation is needed to ensure an adequate supplementation for histamine-intolerant humans. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Histamine intolerance is an emerging issue in our society and the intolerance-related physiological symptoms are currently not reliably treatable due to a lack of scientific investigation. A commercially available dietary supplement for histamine intolerance does not fulfil the requirements for a satisfactory histamine reduction in intolerant humans. The activity of the histamine degrading enzyme diamine oxidase, required for a satisfactory histamine degradation, is by far higher than the theoretical amount apparently given in the dietary supplement. With this knowledge, it is obvious that improved food supplements must be developed to help histamine intolerant humans.


Introduction Hordenine (N, N—dimethyltyramine) was found previously in the title plant. The detection of tyramine, N-methylty-ramine, and choline and the crystallization of candicine (N, N, N-trimethylty-ramine chloride) is now reported for this species.


Objectives Bicycling and helmet surveillance, research, and programme evaluation depend on accurate measurement by direct observation, but it is unclear whether weather and other exogenous factors introduce bias into observed counts of cyclists and helmet use. Methods To address this issue, a time series was created of cyclists observed at two observation points in Washington, DC, at peak commuting times and locations between September 2012 and February 2013. Using multiple linear regression with Newey-West SEs to account for possible serial correlation, the association between various factors and cyclist counts and helmet use was investigated. Results The number of cyclists observed per 1 h session was significantly associated with predicted daily high temperature, chance of rain, and actual rain. Additionally, fewer cyclists were observed on Fridays. Helmet use was significantly lower during evening commutes than morning and also lower on Fridays. Helmet use was not associated with weather variables. Controlling for observable cyclists characteristics weakened the association between helmet use and the time of day and day of the week, but it did not eliminate that association. Conclusions Direct observation to measure commuter cycling trends or evaluate interventions should control for weather and day of week. Measurement of helmet use is unlikely to be meaningfully biased by weather factors, but time of day and day of week should be taken into account. Failing to control for these factors could lead to significant bias in assessments of the level of, and trends in, commuter cycling and helmet use.


A spatial periodic adaptive control (SPAC) approach is developed to deal with rotary machine systems performing speed tracking tasks. Since the angular displacement is periodic when rotating by 2pi radians, most rotary machine systems present certain cyclic behaviors with a fixed periodicity which is either a fraction or multiple of 2pi . As a consequence, unknown system parameters and disturbances that characterize the system behaviors are also periodic in nature. By utilizing the spatial periodicity, the SPAC aims at improving the system performance. In the SPAC design, the dynamics of the rotary machine systems is first converted from the temporal to spatial coordinates in canonical form using the feedback linearization method. Then the new adaptive controller updates the parameters and the control signal periodically in a pointwise between two consecutive spatial cycles. Using a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, the convergence property of the SPAC can be analyzed for high order rotary systems and the periodic adaptation can be applied to rotary systems with pseudo-periodic parametric uncertainties. The effectiveness of the SPAC is verified through rigorous analysis and two numerical examples.


We have previously demonstrated that the administration of recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhIL-11) during resuscitation improves the blood pressure in a rodent model of hemorrhagic shock. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the effects of rhIL-11 could be reproduced in a large animal model and to elucidate the impact of rhIL-11 administration on the intravascular volume status and the degree of third space fluid loss after resuscitation. A 40% blood volume hemorrhage was induced in swine (n = 45, weight of 25-35 kg) followed by a 1-h shock period and resuscitation with 0.9% sodium chloride (three times the shed blood volume). The animals were randomized to receive sham hemorrhage (group I, sham); sham hemorrhage and 50 μg/kg rhIL-11 (group II, sham + IL-11); no drug (group III, saline); or 50 μg/kg rhIL-11 (group IV, IL-11). Blood and urine samples were obtained and analyzed at baseline, at the end of hemorrhaging, and thereafter once every hour. The pleural and peritoneal effusions were precisely quantified by using clinically accepted criteria. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) was higher postresuscitation (PR) in groups I, II, and IV (71.4 ± 7.5 mmHg, 71.0 ± 8.9 mmHg, and 72.9 ± 12.3 mmHg, respectively) than in group III (59.9 ± 10.9 mmHg), and the cardiac output of PR was higher in group IV (3.46 ± 0.56 L/min) than in group III (2.99 ± 0.62 L/min; P < 0.01). The difference in MAP between groups I and II became statistically significant at 40 min after rhIL-11 injection and such a difference persisted for 90 min. After resuscitation, the urine output was higher, and the urine specific gravity and third space fluid loss were lower in group IV (1434 ± 325 mL and 1.0035, 82 ± 21 mL) than in group III (958 ± 390 mL and 1.0053, 125 ± 32 mL; P < 0.05). In a porcine model of hemorrhagic shock, the administration of rhIL-11 at the start of resuscitation significantly improved the cardiac output and blood pressure. This strategy also significantly reduced the extent of third space fluid losses while also having a favorable impact on the intravascular volume status as evidenced by the improved urine output.


Background Progressive brain volume reductions have been described in schizophrenia, and an association with antipsychotic exposure has been reported. Methods We compared percentage changes in grey and white matter volume from baseline to month 12 in 23 previously antipsychotic-naïve patients with a first episode of schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder who were treated with the lowest effective dose of flupenthixol decanoate depot formulation, with 53 matched healthy individuals. Total antipsychotic dose was precisely calculated and its relationship with brain volume changes investigated. Relationships between volumetric changes and treatment were further investigated in terms of treatment response (changes in psychopathology and functionality) and treatment-related adverse-events (extrapyramidal symptoms and weight gain). Results Excessive cortical volume reductions were observed in patients [−4.6 (6.6)%] v. controls [−1.12 (4.0)%] (p = 0.009), with no significant group differences for changes in subcortical grey matter and white matter volumes. In a multiple regression model, the only significant predictor of cortical volume change was total antipsychotic dose received (p = 0.04). Cortical volume change was not significantly associated with the changes in psychopathology, functionality, extrapyramidal symptoms and body mass index or age, gender and duration of untreated psychosis. Conclusions Brain volume reductions associated with antipsychotic treatment are not restricted to poor outcome patients and occur even with the lowest effective dose of antipsychotic. The lack of an association with poor treatment response or treatment-related adverse effects counts against cortical volume reductions reflecting neurotoxicity, at least in the short term. On the other hand, the volume reductions were not linked to the therapeutic benefits of antipsychotics.


There is an urgent need for analgesics with improved efficacy, especially in neuropathic and other chronic pain conditions. Unfortunately, in recent decades, many candidate analgesics have failed in clinical phase II or III trials despite promising preclinical results. Translational assessment tools to verify engagement of pharmacological targets and actions on compartments of the nociceptive system are missing in both rodents and humans. Through the Innovative Medicines Initiative of the European Union and EFPIA, a consortium of researchers from academia and the pharmaceutical industry was established to identify and validate a set of functional biomarkers to assess drug-induced effects on nociceptive processing at peripheral, spinal and supraspinal levels using electrophysiological and functional neuroimaging techniques. Here, we report the results of a systematic literature search for pharmacological probes that allow for validation of these biomarkers. Of 26 candidate substances, only 7 met the inclusion criteria: evidence for nociceptive system modulation, tolerability, availability in oral form for human use and absence of active metabolites. Based on pharmacokinetic characteristics, three were selected for a set of crossover studies in rodents and healthy humans. All currently available probes act on more than one compartment of the nociceptive system. Once validated, biomarkers of nociceptive signal processing, combined with a pharmacometric modelling, will enable a more rational approach to selecting dose ranges and verifying target engagement. Combined with advances in classification of chronic pain conditions, these biomarkers are expected to accelerate analgesic drug development.


Shoaling behaviour is generally described as a trade-off between the anti-predator benefits of living in groups and the costs of increased foraging competition. An individual's fitness varies as a function of shoal size and shoal composition, and this relationship is potentially body length dependent. As teleost fishes show indeterminate growth, many populations exhibit a broad range of individual body lengths. The latter is used as a criterion in active choice of shoaling companions, and shoals are often size-assorted. This reduces predation risk through minimizing phenotypic oddity, and may reduce competition between size-classes. There is some evidence for a positive relationship between shoal size and the body length of shoal members, although it remains unclear whether this is a result of active shoal-size choice or a by-product of the body length distribution of the population. Shoal membership is highly dynamic and individuals may maximize their fitness by switching frequently between groups of varying size and composition in response to changes in their physiological stage and the external environment. Fish shoals provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the functions and mechanisms of group living, and future studies should aim to take an integrated view of individual behaviours, group size and phenotypic composition when investigating group choice decisions.


This article reconceptualises the Marxist notion of 'primitive accumulation', examining how settler colonialism and anti-Black racial domination structure American capitalism. The analysis intervenes in theorisations of primitive accumulation in both critiques of neoliberalism and the growing literature on racial capitalism. It shows how particular appropriations of primitive accumulation in the context of neoliberalism not only treat the concept as, ultimately, external to the core logic of capitalism, but also ignore the ways racial domination and colonisation configure capital's violence. Simultaneously, within racial capitalism scholarship, primitive accumulation is prone to conceptual stretching, often flattening disparate forms of land and labour expropriation. In contrast, through the analytic of 'racial/colonial primitive accumulation', the author elucidates how normative wage-labour exploitation is predicated on settler colonialism and racial slavery and its afterlives. This thus adds precision to received understandings of capitalist expropriation, while also pushing the literature on racial capitalism beyond a white/Black binary.


Changes in the large periodic structure of collagen were investigated with the aid of synchrotron radiation. Following results were obtained: 1) Macroscopic extension results in elastic deformation of the elements which are determinant for the structure. 2) The increase of the large period is not proportional to the macroscopic stress. 3) The interpretation of these facts requires a mechanical coupling between the structural units. Up to extensions of 4% this coupling is produced by means of a viscoelastic matrix. 4) In all probability the polypeptide helices are deformed in an inhomogeneous mode. The results were set against measurements on human tendon and on artificially crosslinked collagen. The relations between the mechanical behaviour and the change of the large period were compared with the properties of a mathematical model.


This volume, which brings together research by leading economists and labor market specialists, examines the role immigrants play in the U.S. workforce, how they fare in good and bad economic times, and the effects they have on native-born workers and the labor sectors in which they are engaged. The book traces the powerful economic forces at play in today's globalized world and includes policy prescriptions for making the American immigration system more responsive to labor market needs. Chapters examine employment outcomes for low-skilled, middle-skilled, and high-skilled workers; assess the economic effects of illegal immigration; trace immigrants' trajectories in the construction, health care, hospitality, and information technology sectors; and detail the impact of immigration in recession and economic expansion. Immigrants in a Changing Labor Market is the product of the Migration Policy Institute's (MPI) Labor Markets Initiative, which provides a comprehensive, policy-focused review of the role of immigration in the labor market. The initiative produces detailed policy recommendations on how the United States should rethink its immigration policy in the light of what is known about the economic impact of immigration - bearing in mind the current context of the economic crisis, growing income inequality, concerns about the effect of globalization on U.S. competitiveness, the competition for highly skilled migrants, and demographic and technological change. Contributors include: Jeanne Batalova (MPI), Michael Fix (MPI), Gordon H. Hanson (University of California-San Diego, USA), Harry J. Holzer (Georgetown Public Policy Institute), Pia M. Orrenius (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Demetrios G. Papademetriou (MPI), Giovanni Peri (University of California-Davis, USA), Madeleine Sumption (MPI), and Madeline Zavodny (Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)).


In a previous study, we demonstrated that women enjoyed and tolerated lower meal loads than men. Hence, we hypothesized that with the same meal load, their postprandial response is more pronounced than in men. We performed a randomized parallel trial in 12 women and 12 men comparing the postprandial responses to a palatable comfort meal. We measured homeostatic sensations (hunger/satiety, fullness) and hedonic sensations (digestive well-being, mood) on 10 cm scales, vagal tone by heart ratio variability and the metabolomic profile before and after meal ingestion. Gender differences were analyzed by repeated measures ANCOVA. Overall (n = 24), ingestion of the probe meal induced satiation, fullness, digestive well-being and improved mood (main time-effect p ≤ 0.005 for all). Women exhibited a more intense sensory experience, specially more postprandial fullness, than men [main gender-effect F (1, 21) = 7.14; p = 0.014]; hedonic responses in women also tended to be stronger than in men. Women exhibited more pronounced effects on vagal tone [main gender-effect F (1, 21) = 5.5; p = 0.029] and a different lipoprotein response than men. In conclusion, our data indicate that gender influences the responses to meal ingestion, and these differences may explain the predisposition and higher incidence in women of meal-related functional disorders.


OBJECTIVE--To investigate the effect of long term oral magnesium treatment on incidence of cardiac events among survivors of an acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN--Double blind, placebo controlled parallel study in which patients were randomised to treatment or placebo. SETTING--Two coronary care units and corresponding outpatient clinics. SUBJECTS--468 survivors of an acute myocardial infarction (289 men and 178 women) aged 31-92. INTERVENTIONS--One tablet of 15 mmol magnesium hydroxide or placebo daily for one year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Incidences of reinfarction, sudden death, and coronary artery bypass grafting in one year. RESULTS--There was no significant difference between treatment and placebo groups in the incidence of each of the three cardiac events, but when the events were combined and drop outs were excluded from calculations there was a significantly higher incidence of events in the treatment group (56/167 v 33/153; relative risk 1.55 (95% confidence interval 1.07 to 2.25); p = 0.02). When the timing of events was incorporated by means of a Kaplan-Meier plot the treatment group showed a significantly higher incidence of events whether drop outs were included or excluded (p < 0.025). CONCLUSION--Long term oral treatment with 15 mmol magnesium daily doses not reduce the incidence of cardiac events in survivors of an acute myocardial infarction and, indeed, seems to increase the risk of developing a cardiac event. Consequently, this treatment cannot be recommended as secondary prophylaxis for such patients.


Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) emerge from the aorta and migrate to the caudal hematopoietic tissue (CHT) of zebrafish larvae, the hematopoietic equivalent of the mammalian fetal liver, for their proliferation and differentiation. We previously reported that somite-derived stromal cells were a key component of the CHT niche. Here we found that the cell adhesion protein protocadherin-18a (Pcdh18a) is expressed in the stromal cell progenitors (SCPs) emigrating from somites toward the future CHT. Deletion of most of the intracellular domain of Pcdh18a caused a decrease in the number of SCPs, the directionality of their migration, and the cell-contact mediated repulsion that normally occurs between migrating SCPs. These defects were followed by abnormal morphogenesis of the venous plexus that forms the CHT framework, and the inability of the resulting CHT to function as a niche for HSPCs. Finally, we found that the extracellular domain of Pcdh18a mediates trans heterophilic adhesion of stromal cells to endothelial cells in vivo and thereby the reticular vs. perivascular fate of SCPs. Our study demonstrates that Pcdh18a expression in SCPs is essential for the proper development of the hematopoietic niche.


Two coyote species, Canis lepophagus and the modern coyote, Canis latrans are known from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of North America. Canis lepophagus generally is considered a Blancan species, and the oldest specimens that can confidently be allocated to C. latrans are Rancholabrean. Therefore, a significant stratigraphic interval (the Irvingtonian) exists in which fragmentary coyote specimens occur but their species affinities are difficult to evaluate because the variation between C. lepophagus and C. latrans is not adequately known. A relatively large number of coyote specimens recently recovered from the Irvingtonian sediments of Porcupine Cave, Park County, Colorado, are described herein and provided the emphasis to analyze the variation in C. lepophagus and C. latrans. Qualitative and quantitative osteological description of the Porcupine Cave coyotes indicates that they closely resemble recent specimens of C. latrans. The systematic importance of the qualitative variations is difficult to assess because of a general lack of osteological descriptions, especially in the post-cranial skeleton, of fossil and recent small-bodied Canis taxa. Stepwise discriminant analyses were run on a series of 88 measurements taken primarily from specimens of C. lepophagus from Cita Canyon, Texas, and recent coyotes from the three subspecies whose modern ranges include Colorado (C. l. latrans, C. l. lestes, and C. l. mearnsi). The variables and associated data were separated into four anatomical "regions" (cranial, upper dentition, mandibles, and lower dentition) and analyzed independently. The goal was to find what variables of each region contribute the most to interspecific variation so that fragmentary fossil specimens can be analyzed more efficiently and effectively. Canonical discriminant analyses, using the restricted set of variables, then analyzed how well those variables could discriminate the known species. The discriminant functions derived from cranial and mandibular data were able to correctly classify C. latrans and C. lepophagus with 100 percent efficiency, whereas those derived from the dentition were less successful. The measurements exhibiting the greatest variation between C. lepophagus and C. latrans are as follows: postorbital constriction width and braincase height (not including sagittal crest) (cranial); P3 length and P1 width (upper dentition); mandibular condyle depth and mandible width at m2 (mandibular); and m1 width and p3 length (lower dentition). Braincase height was the only variable identified that could provide complete morphologic separation between C. lepophagus and C. latrans. When added as an unknown to the analyses, a relatively complete skull from the Porcupine Cave sample consistently grouped with the modern coyotes, suggesting that Porcupine Cave does contain the oldest-known record of C. latrans.


Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) may inhibit undesirable quality changes of fruit and vegetables. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of MAP on selected quality parameters for sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) stored at simulated distribution chain temperatures. 'Lapins' sweet cherries with maturity grade 4-5 and 67 were packaged in macroperforated polyethylene "carry bags" (control) and in trays wrapped in a laser perforated film giving passive modified atmosphere (MAP). After packaging, the cherries were stored at 4 °C for 5 days and thereafter for 3 days at 4 °C (Chill) or 20 °C (Retail) simulating storage at chill or room temperature in the grocery stores. Headspace gas atmosphere in the MA packages, fruit quality, weight loss and amount of fungal fruit decay and other decays were recorded after 1, 5 and 8 days of storage. The gas atmosphere in MA packages was approximately 18% O2 and 4% CO2 at 4 °C and between 6-9% O2 and 12-14% CO2 at 20 °C. The weight loss was negligible in the MA packages at both storage conditions, whereas the cherries in carry bags showed a weight loss from 1% to 4%. The stem colour was significantly browner in the carry bags compared to the MA packages after 8 days of retail storage. Fungal decay was below 0.5% for both maturity grades stored at chill conditions for 8 days. At retail conditions, 4% and 6% decay was detected for maturity grade 4-5 in MA-packages and carry bags, respectively. For maturity grade 6-7, the MA-packages had 9% decay and the carry bags 7%. The overall picture was that MA packaging for sweet cherries better maintained the fruit quality than the carry bags during the storage period of 8 days at two simulated retail conditions.


This paper describes the algorithm and implementation of the Steady-State Stability Monitor Prototype-an innovative security application that quickly identifies the distance a power system state is from steady-state instability. Additional information provided by this software includes the: list of generators and synchronous machines that are critical for the system's steady-state stability; total amount of MW that can be generated while maintaining a specified stability margin; and the unit MW schedules that maximize the steady-state stability reserve. The method is fast enough to be used both in real-time and as a filter for operations planning simulations. The software has already passed common sense validation tests and points to a viable and useful tool. >


This note summarizes recent projections on the longer-term effects of the East Asia's financial crisis, and the significant effect already felt in developing countries. Five main points are examined, as follows: 1) though trade will drive the recovery, adjustment will be deep and protracted, in the region, mostly in Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand; 2) developing countries will be mostly affected, since reductions in growth are estimated to double due to high trade multipliers, terms of trade movements, as well as tight monetary and fiscal policies in those countries relying on private capital flows; 3) because of lower oil prices, oil importing countries stand to lose the most, with Latin America, the Middle East, and North and Sub-Saharan Africa the hardest hit; 4) the crisis will bear a significant effect on the world economy, though not nearly as damaging as the 1973 and 1978 oil shocks; and 5) increased risks, such as a spillover or cutoff in credit, for developing countries are estimated, though predicted to be manageable.


Critics indicate that the graphic memoir is uniquely capable of making an ethical appeal to the reader. But it remains unclear what this mechanism is or how it functions in the text. It is crucial that we recognize what representational practices do and do not communicate what Avery Gordon calls complex personhood. "Complex personhood," she notes, "means that all people . . . remember and forget, are beset by contradictions, and recognize and misrecognize themselves and others" (1997, 4). The graphic memoir, I aim to make clear, lends itself to the transmission of this complexity. In considering the ethics of the graphic memoir, I first trace the origin of the debate within comics criticism. Second, calling on Judith Butler's theorization of the Levinasian notion of 'the face,' I establish an ethical framework to substantiate the thus-far-unclear claims connecting formal destabilization to reader obligation. Third, I demonstrate this ethical import as it operates within Marjane Satrapi's émigré graphic memoir Persepolis.


Since 1999, several widely used building energy efficiency standards, including ASHRAE 90.1, ASHRAE 90.2, the International Energy Conservation Code, and California's Title 24 have adopted cool roof credits or requirements. We review the technical development of cool roof provisions in the ASHRAE 90.1, ASHRAE 90.2, and California Title 24 standards, and discuss the treatment of cool roofs in other standards and energy-efficiency programs. The techniques used to develop the ASHRAE and Title 24 cool roof provisions can be used as models to address cool roofs in building energy standards worldwide.


Mdm2 and Mdmx, both major repressors of p53 in human cancers, are predominantly localized to the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively. The mechanism by which subcellular localization of Mdmx is regulated remains unclear. In this study, we identify the E3 ligase Peli1 as a major binding partner and regulator of Mdmx in human cells. Peli1 bound Mdmx in vitro and in vivo and promoted high levels of ubiquitination of Mdmx. Peli1-mediated ubiquitination was degradation-independent, promoting cytoplasmic localization of Mdmx, which in turn resulted in p53 activation. Consistent with this, knockdown or knockout Peli1 in human cancer cells induced nuclear localization of Mdmx and suppressed p53 activity. Myc-induced tumorigenesis was accelerated in Peli1-null mice and associated with downregulation of p53 function. Clinical samples of human cutaneous melanoma had decreased Peli1 expression, which was associated with poor overall survival. Together, these results demonstrate that Peli1 acts as a critical factor for the Mdmx-p53 axis by modulating the subcellular localization and activity of Mdmx, thus revealing a novel mechanism of Mdmx deregulation in human cancers.Significance: Peli1-mediated regulation of Mdmx, a major inhibitor of p53, provides critical insight into activation of p53 function in human cancers. Cancer Res; 78(11); 2897-910. ©2018 AACR.


Genomic DNAs from Arctic fox were cleaved with restriction enzymes. The prominent ethidium-bromide stanined bands were cloned and sequenced after separation of DNA fragments by agarose gel electrophoresis. Forty-two satellite sequences were obtained by sequencing. Sequence analyses revealed that the satellite monomer in length was 737 bp, with an average G+C content of 51.9%. There were 91%-97% homology among the monomers, and the monomer consisted of three subrepeats of approximately 245 bp in length with 51%-54% homology. The satellite DNAs were specific for canidae, and had 74% homology to the dog centromere-associated nucleotide sequences. In order to distinguish from another satellite DNAs of canidae genome, the satellite was designated as alpha satellite DNA.


Autoimmune inner ear disease is an enigmatic disorder characterized by recurring episodes of sudden or progressive sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss can be improved by timely corticosteroid administration, but only half of those treated respond, and for many responders, that response is lost over time. The mechanisms that control corticosteroid responsiveness in this disorder are largely uncharacterized. We have previously identified that the induction by dexamethasone of IL-1R type II (IL-1R2) expression in PBMC predicts corticosteroid responsiveness in this disorder. In this study, we asked whether IL-1β was overexpressed, and whether clinical corticosteroid responders differentially regulated IL-1β expression or release in response to dexamethasone, as compared with nonresponders. IL-1β has been reported to induce matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression. Given that metalloproteinases can cleave IL-1R2, we also asked whether MMP-9 expression was altered in this disorder. In this study, we demonstrate that corticosteroid nonresponders have elevated plasma levels of IL-1β and MMP-9 as compared with clinically responsive patients (p = 0.0008 and p = 0.037, respectively). Increasing MMP-9 expression correlated with increasing IL-1β concentration, suggesting that IL-1β expression regulates MMP-9 expression. As expected, monocytes were the predominant producers of IL-1β. In vitro exposure of PBMC to dexamethasone from clinical corticosteroid responders suppressed IL-1β release. PBMC of corticosteroid nonresponders have substantially higher release of IL-1β into the conditioned media, and when exposed to dexamethasone, failed to repress IL-1β release (p = 0.05). Treatment of PBMC from clinical corticosteroid nonresponders with anakinra resulted in repression of IL-1β release, suggesting that IL-1β blockade may be a viable therapy for these patients.


A taxonomy is introduced and used as a backdrop against which current state-of-the-art in the requirements engineering field is reviewed. The emphasis is on identifying general trends and issues rather than offering the reader a literature survey. The contents of a requirements specification is presented in light of the consensus reached by both theoreticians and practitioners. The desirable proper ties of a requirements may alter the relative significance of difference properties. Finally, the classification of requirements specification techniques is approached from a total system design perspective. The paper shows that, despite significant growth, the requirements area still faces a number of important unresolved issues including the need for: broader formal foundation for both functional and non-functional requirements, greater degree of formality and automation, new requirements development methods, and higher level of integration in the overall design process. ... Read complete abstract on page 2.


Abstract. The demand of aerial photogrammetry has increased recently especially after the development of unmanned aerial vehicle system. This study explores the use of different UAV systems which comprised of conventional UAV, UAV RTK and UAV Lidar systems. This study also comprises of three experiments. The first experiment involved the mapping of Lingkaran Ilmu, UTM by using fixed wing Ebee UAV with 20megapixel digital camera. This first experiment used conventional UAV. The second experiment involved the fixed wing Ebee UAV equipped with real time kinematic (RTK) system on-board for mapping the study area. The last experiment is the used of octacopter UAV equipped with Riegl Lidar system for mapping the study area. The study area for all experiments is located in Lingkaran Ilmu of main campus Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Ebee UAV and Ebee RTK UAV are flown in autonomous mode at 200 meters altitude. Both systems are used to capture high resolution aerial photo of the study area. Riegl UAV Lidar system is flown at 100 meter altitude for capture high resolution and point cloud data. GPS rapid static method was used for establishing ground control points (GCP) and check point (CP) in the study area. Three different GCP configuration was applied in geometry correction. Meanwhile, CPs is used for accuracy assessment where RMSE equation was employed. The 15CGP configuration produce more accurate result compared to another. Where, the planimetric RMSE values of Ebee UAV, Ebee RTK UAV and Riegl UAV Lidar are 0.21 m, 0.09 m and 0.15 m respectively. For height RMSE values for Ebbe, Ebee RTK and Octacopter Lidar are 0.34 m, 0.13 m and 0.07 m respectively. In conclusion, Ebee RTK UAV is identified as a system that can produce an accurate digital orthophoto compared to other systems while Riegl UAV Lidar system can produce highest accurate DEM and DTM compared to other systems in 15GCP configuration.


1. Molluscan cells maintain constant volume in decreasing salinities by releasing intracellular free amino acids as osmotic solute.

2. During a salinity decrease both osmotic pressure and ion concentrations decline simultaneously. Either condition might initiate the amino acid release.

3. Under constant osmotic conditions a decrease in Na+, K+ or Cl- concentration in the medium surrounding the isolated bivalve heart, did not result in an amino acid efflux.

4. On the other hand, removal of Ca2+ and Mg2+ resulted in a vigorous amino acid efflux which continued until the divalent ion concentration was restored.

5. The hypo-osmotically induced amino acid efflux could be partially blocked by raising the external divalent ion concentration. Similarly, lanthanum proved to be an effective blocking agent, both in low osmotic pressures and in Ca2+- and Mg2+-free SW.

6. These results show that salinity-induced free amino acid regulation is initiated by a decrease in external osmotic pressure. The time course of the efflux is dependent on external divalent ion concentration.

7. Finally, the site of divalent ion action is at the external membrane surface.

8. A hypothetical membrane model is proposed.

Contribution No. 18 from the Tallahassee, Sopchoppy and Gulf Coast Marine Biological Association.


A switchable patch antenna is designed to provide polarization and pattern diversities. The performance of the device is predicted using a commercial simulator including a pin diode modelling and an optimisation procedure of the switched loads based on an equivalent flow graph. Measurements of the correlation factor and the diversity gain in an indoor environment are performed using a dedicated platform.


This paper discusses the methods of the investigators in film noir. They are different than those employed by the classic detective of mystery and crime fiction, which involve observation, the collection of clues, logical inference, and are generally modeled on the methods of the scientist. I illuminate the methods of the noir investigator by comparing them to those applied by Ludwig Wittgenstein to philosophical problems. Both the noir investigator and Wittgenstein deal with problems that are intractable to the methods of logic and science. Wittgenstein thought that philosophical problems could not be solved using these methods; I show that the problems that typically confront the noir investigator are similarly resistant to them. Wittgenstein and the noir investigator model alternative methods for solving epistemic problems and in doing so remind us of the limits of science and logic.


The influence of attendant anions on the transformation of zinc compounds in the soil was studied in a model experiment. The differences in the number of mobile forms of recoverable zinc in the soil, depending on its dose and form of addition were defined. Influence of associated anions on the content of metals mobile forms in the soil decreases in the order: PO42¯≈ Cl¯ > NO3¯ > SO42¯> СН3СОО¯> О¯. Transformation of zinc compounds during 2-year period after the receipt of the metal in the soil has been studied. There is no soil stabilization in ratio form for two years studying, indicating the low speeds transformation of metal compounds with soil components. Transformation of Zn in soil depends on the attendant anion, metal concentration in soil and time interaction with the solid phase of soils. The transformation process of metal adsorbed the soil goes toward to decrease of Zn mobility.