The Internet of Things (loT) has paved the way for significant efficiency gains in the oil and gas industry. One concept that has garnered significant attention is the "digital twin". However, there remains a great deal of confusion surrounding what a digital twin actually is and how it can be harnessed to add value to oil and gas operations. Some use digital twin as a synonym for their 3D plant models, others for their predictive maintenance solutions, or their simulation models. The bottom line is that the digital twin is all of these and more and unless operators look at it holistically, they are likely to miss out on some of the benefits.
 Digital twins afford companies a number of advantages that would otherwise not be possible, including the ability to run risk analyses, health assessments, and what-if scenarios in real-time; the ability to train personnel in a 3D immersive, risk-free environment; and the capability to detect faults early before control limits are reached. This paper/ presentation will elaborate on how digital twins can be used to enhance efficiency and will address their use in the wider context of the oil and gas industry – with a particular focus on its impact on reducing risk and cost during both the project and operational phases of the asset lifecycle.
 The objective is to demystify the digital twin, outline the advanced capabilities it enables and illustrate how oil and gas operators can use this concept to improve their competitive advantage.


INTRODUCTION
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a rare event in people younger than 25 years of age, but is probably more frequent in competitive athletes. We analyzed the presence of AF, paroxysmal or chronic, in a population of young elite athletes, including previous Olympic and World champions, who were studied for arrhythmias that endangered their athletic careers.

METHODS AND RESULTS
From 1974 to June 1977, 1,772 athletes identified with arrhythmias (1,464 males and 308 females; mean age 21 years) underwent individualized work-ups. Among these, 146 (122 males and 24 females; mean age 24 years) were young elite athletes. They were studied from 1985 to 1997, with a mean follow-up of 62 months. Of the 146 young elite athletes, 13 (9%) had AF (paroxysmal in 11 and chronic in 2); all were male. The paroxysmal AF occurred during effort (n = 7), after effort (n = 1), or at rest (n = 3) and was reinduced by transesophageal pacing or endocavitary electrophysiologic testing under the same clinical circumstances. AF was the cause of symptoms in 13 (40%) of 22 young elite athletes with long-lasting palpitations. Five young elite athletes had a substrate for AF: Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) in 3, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) in 1, healed myocarditis in 1, and was considered idiopathic in 8. All elite athletes are alive with a mean follow-up of 62 months and 7 continue in their sports: 3 after radiofrequency catheter ablation (of WPW in 2 and AF with maze-type nonfluoroscopic approach in 1) and 4 after a period of de-training.

CONCLUSIONS
AF, occurring in young elite athletes and affecting only males, is one of the most frequent causes of prolonged palpitations and is reproduced easily by transesophageal atrial pacing or electrophysiologic testing. AF may be a cause of disqualification from sports eligibility, but may disappear if the athletic activity is stopped for an adequate period of time, if trigger mechanisms are corrected (i.e., WPW), or if the substrate is modified.


Historians believe that societal or implicit racism appeared very early, as a consequence of pre-existing European attitude towards blacks. Economic Necessities in America which called for some sort of controlled labor made Africans slaves. By 1640 it was clear that English Settlers kept Negroes as hereditary slaves for life. When English confronted with Africans, they did not realize that Africans were potentially subjects for a special kind of obedience and subordination which was to arise as adventurous Englishmen sought to possess for themselves and their children one of the most bountiful territories of the earth. In England the concept of blackness was full with intense meaning. Englishmen found in the idea of blackness a way of expressing some of their ingrained values.


Optical gain changes as a function of distance along a long distributed erbium-doped fiber amplifier were measured, using optical-time-domain reflectometry. Two dispersion-shifted erbium-doped fibers with fiber lengths of 9-19 km and doping concentrations of 0.5 (0.5 x 10(-4) wt %) and 0.1 (0.1 x 10(-4) Wt %) parts in 10(6) have been tested, using 1.48-microm InGaAsP laser diode and 0.98-microm Ti:sapphire laser pump sources. It is shown how local gain and loss change with an increase in pump power.


This paper is an extension to a recent paper Zhu and Lian (2009), in which a closed-form exact solution was presented for the price of variance swaps with a particular definition of the realized variance. Here, we further demonstrate that our approach is quite versatile and can be used for other definitions of the realized variance as well. In particular, we present a closed-form formula for the price of a variance swap with the realized variance in the payoff function being defined as a logarithmic return of the underlying asset at some pre-specified discretely sampling points. The simple formula presented here is a result of successfully finding an exact solution of the partial differential equation (PDE) system based on the Heston's (1993) two-factor stochastic volatility model. A distinguishable feature of this new solution is that the computational time involved in pricing variance swaps with discretely sampling time has been substantially improved.


Background: Differential diagnosis of thyroid lesions with predominantly follicular pattern is one of the most common problems in thyroid pathology. Development of more objective and reproducible tools for diagnosis is needed. This work is aimed at studying the role of nuclear morphometry in differential diagnosis of different thyroid lesions having predominant follicular pattern. Material and methods: Semiautomatic image analysis system was used to measure a total of 8 nuclear parameters in 48 thyroid lesions including seven nodular goiter (NG), 14 follicular adenoma (FA), 14 follicular carcinoma (FC) and 13 follicular variant papillary carcinoma (FVPC). Results: The parameters related to nuclear size (area, perimeter, MaxD, MinD, nuclear size) and shape (L/S ratio, Form_AR) were significantly higher in neoplastic group (FA, FC, FVPC) when compared to non-neoplastic group (NG) P<0.05. The perimeter was the most reliable parameter (area under the cure (AUC)=97%) followed by area, MaxD, and size (all have AUC= 96%) then form-AR (90%), LS ratio (86%) and the least reliable was Min D (79%). Within the neoplastic group, most parameters related to size and shape of the nuclei was significantly higher in FVPC than in FA and FC (p ≤ 0.05). Nuclear area and size (AUC 77%) were the most reliable parameters for differentiation between FVPC and FA. The best cut off values for diagnosing FVPC are nuclear area ≥39.9μm2 and nuclear size ≥27.7μm2. However, there was no quantitative difference between FC and FA. Conclusion: Nuclear morphometric parameters may help in the differentiation between neoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid lesions and between FVPC and follicular neoplasms (FC and FA) but they have no value in the differentiation between FC and FA.


Subaqueous slope and base-of-slope depositional systems are a major component of most marine and many lacustrine basin fills, and constitute primary targets for hydrocarbon exploration and development. Seven basic facies building blocks comprise slope systems: (1) turbidite channel fills, (2) turbidite lobes, (3) sheet turbidites, (4) slide, slump, and debris-flow sheets, lobes, and tongues, (5) fine-grained turbidite fills and sheets, (6) contourite drifts, and (7) hemipelagic drapes and fills. The grain size of supplied sediment is a primary control on channel and lobe morphologies and on the scale and importance of slump and debris-flow deposits. Two general families of siliciclastic slope systems occur. Constructional (allochthonous) systems, including fans, aprons, and basin-floor channels, are built of sediment supplied from superjacent delta, shore-zone, shelf, or glacial systems. The facies architecture of allochthonous systems is determined jointly by the sediment texture and pattern of supply to the shelf margin. Point sources of supply create fans; line sources create strike-elongate prisms of slope sediment called slope aprons. Shelf-margin deltas provide a particularly common intermediate source geometry, forming offlapping delta-fed aprons. Autochthonous systems, including retrogressive aprons, canyon fills, and megaslump complexes, record slope reworking and resedimentation.


I. INTRODUCTION The global war on drugs has been deemed a failure, an apt categorization considering the billions in exorbitant expenditures applied to its supply-side campaign with little statistics to effectuate its cause. (1) In fact, evidence persistently suggests that the ardent prohibitionist style of the United States may be the leading cause for the current global drug epidemic. (2) The disheartening current state of the international drug problem has lead to the global erosion of support for the U.S.-style war on drugs; furthermore, the emergence of new empirical data has generated a series of advocates for reform who seek fiscally responsible policies grounded in science, health, security, and human rights. (3) Part and parcel of this argument is the encouragement of governments to experiment with the legal regulation of marijuana because of its vast global consumption and low level of associated criminality. (4) Evidence suggesting there are more pragmatic and less punitive approaches to the drug issue, coalescing with various global commissions advocating the assimilation of this data into policies, represents a shift in the global drug consensus. (5) This shift in global consensus places the United States, in the necessary sociopolitical context that may be needed to actually manage the drug epidemic. (6) This Note argues that the United States has severely aggravated the global drug control problem by forcefully imposing a prohibitionist ideology onto other countries around the world. (7) To remedy this error, the United States should take accountability and stand at the forefront of drug policy reformation by implementing demand side policies within its own nation, something that is within its own capacity. (8) Part II of this Note will set forth all of the pertinent facts that are necessary for understanding the current global drug epidemic, how the epidemic arrived at this state, and what the United States can do to manage it. (9) In Part III, this Note traces the history of international drug control and attempts to correlate the demise of control over the issue with U.S.-led supply-side policies. (10) Part IV provides an analysis of how the United States exacerbated the problem and suggests an avenue the United States can take to place the issue in a manageable position. (11) Part V concludes that the United States should take accountability for its mistakes and reform its policies from a regime of prohibition to one of regulation. (12) II. FACTS The ineffectiveness of the war against drugs, both domestically and internationally, is not a relatively new or veiled problem (13) Despite the continual emergence of empirical evidence, little has been done to assimilate this information into drug control policies since the war was first waged by international policymakers and President Richard Nixon over forty years ago. (14) Recently, case studies and evidence have accumulated to a level that can no longer be ignored, and the debate concerning more efficient alternatives and revisions to current drug control policies has intensified. (15) International commissions such as the Global Commission on Drug Control Policy are chastising global drug control regimes for their lack of leadership on drug policy and are advocating for multilateral debate on this issue. (16) Essential to the progression of this issue is the United States, who within the past forty years has spent over $2.5 trillion dollars fighting the war, with little empirical data to support meaningful results. (17) In fact, research has consistently indicated that the United States supply-side policies are instead a leading cause of the current international epidemic. (18) A. The First Step to Solving a Problem is Recognizing That There is One--Current State of International Drug Control With the implementation of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ("UNSCND") nearly fifty years ago, it was clear that the ultimate objective was to improve the "health and welfare of mankind. …


Hair loss represents one of the most diffuse aesthetic issues among the worldwide population, with 50% of men and nearly 50% of women affected by pattern hair loss by age of 50. The loss of hair is not life-threatening, and it is a natural part of the ageing process. However, it can adversely affect the individual's quality of life. The integrity of normal hair function relies largely on an adequate and balanced nutritional intake, essential trace elements deficiency, genetic conditions, hormonal imbalance or stressful events, which can alter the hair growth cycle equilibrium. Dietary supplements, as well as the intake of specific nutrients, have traditionally been used to improve hair growth, even if the connection between the use of specific substances and the prevention or the treatment of hair loss not always is supported by scientific studies. Indeed, the use of specific vitamins and minerals for the treatment of hair loss is often based on popular traditions or commercial reasons, and several nutrients are part of the dietary supplements composition to adhere to the rule of "one size fits all". On the contrary, the non-pathological treatment of hair loss requires an in-depth analysis of the nutritional deficiencies of each individual in order to restore the biological functions of hair and to reach the normal physiological conditions. A review of the state of the art in hair loss and nutrients relationship was done, highlighting minerals and vitamins which may concretely contribute to prevent or treat this unpleasant event.


During the 1970s the Israeli weather modification program came to be viewed as a unique demonstration of the ability of cloud seeding to increase rainfall at the ground. This distorted view of its importance may have hampered the development of cloud seeding technology in the United States and in the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Precipitation Enhancement Project (PEP). Recent work has led to more conservative estimates of its relevance to the possibility of successful weather modification in other parts of the world.


Objectives Noncompaction cardiomyopathy is characterized by hyper-trabeculation of the myocardium. The patients present with heart failure and variable combination of arrhythmias and thromboembolism. Although several articles have shed light on the medical aspect of this disease, none have highlighted its surgical relevance. A death following ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus prompted us to evaluate the surgical aspects of this disease. Methods Autopsy records from 2003 to 2012 were reviewed, and cases identified as noncompaction cardiomyopathy were retrieved and analyzed. Cases with obligatory hyper-trabeculation were excluded. Results Thirteen patients were found to have noncompaction cardiomyopathy in 9427 autopsies performed. Their ages ranged from 4 months to 55 years; 10 were children, and all 3 adults were over 45 years of age. Only one patient had an antemortem diagnosis of noncompaction cardiomyopathy on echocardiography. There were 7 postoperative deaths. Conclusions Although noncompaction cardiomyopathy is rare, missing its diagnosis in a patient operated on for another indication can spell disaster postoperatively. As the clinical picture is nonspecific and the disease is not very well known, it needs vigilance on the part of the echocardiographer and surgeon.


The time domain response of an infinite fluid‐filled pipe to an impulsive line force of various azimuthal distribution (circumferential modes 0 and 1) is first derived, based on the Donnell–Mushtari shell equations fully coupled to interior acoustic field and computing a double Fourier integration in the wave number and the frequency domain. The transient radial displacement of the shell is then used to compute the coupled pressure field in the fluid and investigate the instantaneous intensity vectors in the near field closely hugging the wall. These vectors, evaluated at several distances from the input force, give insight into the exchange of energy between the structure and the fluid as the various waves propagate through the system. [Work supported by ONR.]


Aggressive behavior is the behavior that leads to acts of violence directed to yourself, other people or objects outside itself, either physical or verbal violence, directly or indirectly. Aggressive behavior that appears in children should receive appropriate treatment immediately because it will be very dangerous when children with aggressive behavior adulthood. Therefore, the world's children are playing, then
treatment with group play therapy is one means of appropriate therapy for children who behave aggressively. The purpose of this study is to determine how effective play therapy group (group play teraphy) can reduce levels of child aggressive behavior tendencies. The research method used was experimental causality, with a pure experimental design. While the types of experiments used is re experimental (pretest-posttest control design). The subject of his research are boys aged 10-11 years who have high levels of aggressive behavior tendencies that are high in the supervision of the Milky Way Foundation Stone Malang, as many as 16 people. The sixteen subjects were divided into two groups using random assignment method, ie a control group of 8 persons and the experimental group as many as 8 people. Data collection instrument used in this study is the scale of aggressive behavior are given at the pre-test and post-test. While the analytical technique used is discriminant tests or different test with t test Based on the results of experiments and data analysis can be concluded that play therapy significantly affect the tendency of decreasing the level of aggressive behavior of children. Conclusions are based test value t calculate equal to 17.667 at a significance level (p = 0.000) which means that there are different levels of aggressive behavior in a significant trend in the experimental group between pre-test and post-test. As in the control group there was no difference in the level of aggressive behavior tendency, as indicated by the t value of -0.691 with a significance level (p 0.512> p value 0.05), thus in the control group there were no differences in levels of aggressive behavior tendency between pre- test and post-test. The difference results from the test value t is due to the experimental group receive treatment in the form of play therapy group, whereas the control group did not receive treatment.


This paper introduces a new method to account for the stocks and flows of road infrastructure at the national level based on material flow accounting (MFA). The proposed method closes some of the current shortcomings in road infrastructures that were identified through MFA: (1) the insufficient implementation of prospective analysis, (2) heavy use of archetypes as a way to represent road infrastructure, (3) inadequate attention to the inclusion of dissipative flows, and (4) limited coverage of the uncertainties. The proposed dynamic bottom‐up MFA method was tested on the Norwegian road network to estimate and predict the material stocks and flows between 1980 and 2050. Here, a supervised machine learning model was introduced to estimate the road infrastructure instead of archetypical mapping of different roads. The dissipation of materials from the road infrastructure based on tire–pavement interaction was incorporated. Moreover, this study utilizes iterative classified and regression trees, lifetime distributions, randomized material intensities, and sensitivity analyses to quantify the uncertainties.


The collapse of the active crater at Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Reunion Island, 5th April 2007, offers a rare opportunity to observe frequent rock fall and granular landslides, and test new monitoring techniques. Events concern volumes ranging from single blocks to more massive cliff collapse. The purpose of the presentation is two fold: first, we present a comparison between a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) obtained prior to crater collapse and a DTM extracted from aerial photographs shot in October 2010 (before the eruptive crisis of November 2009 and January 2010). This provides an assessment of morphological changes at the scale of the crater. The second purpose is to describe slope instabilities on the south-western flank of the crater observed since October 2009. These ground-based observations were obtained from a pair of photogrammetric stations deployed along the northern and eastern edges of the crater. These works were conducted within UNDERVOLC project. With this monitoring system we mapped zones affected by rockfalls (departure and accumulation areas) and propose a first estimate of volumes of lava produced by the eruption affecting the inside of the crater since January 2.


As the use of fiber-reinforced polymer composites grows in aerospace structures, there is an emerging need to implement damage tolerant approaches. The use of in-situ synchrotron X-ray tomography enables direct observations of progressive damage relative to the microstructural features, which is studied in a T650/5320 laminate composite with varying layup orientations (using 45o and -45o plies) in a compact tension specimen geometry. Specifically, the interactions of micromechanical damage mechanisms at the notch tip were analyzed through 3D image processing as the crack grew. First, monotonic tests were conducted where X-ray tomography was acquired incrementally between the unloaded state and maximum load. The analysis of the monotonic tension specimens showed intralaminar cracking was dominant during crack initiation, delamination became prevalent during the later stages of crack progression, and fiber breakage was, in general, largely related to intralaminar cracking. After the monotonic tension analysis, modifications were made to the specimen geometry and the loading assembly, and fatigue tests were conducted, also using in-situ synchrotron X-ray tomography. Specifically, tomography images were acquired after select intervals of cyclic loading to examine the crack growth behavior up to 5802 cycles. The analysis of the fatigue tests showed that intralaminar cracking was also dominant, while localized delamination allowed ply cross-over. A finite element analysis was conducted by comparing the crack profile at varying intervals of loading, and the change in stored energy per cycle, dU/dN, was calculated. The combined experimental and simulation analysis showed that when the per ply values of dU/dN were examined, the intralaminar cracking rate collapsed to one curve regardless of the ply orientation, where direct observations of fiber bridging were characterized and associated with a reduction in crack growth rate for the influenced ply. Overall, this work provides a physical understanding of the micromechanics facilitating intralaminar crack growth in composites, providing engineers the necessary assessments for slow crack growth approaches in structural composite materials.


Uganda since 1986, in Mbarara district in southwest Uganda nobody talks about their war experience; there is one big conspiracy of silence. According to the people who live there, it is not good to talk, it can be dangerous and can make you ill. This article deals with the question why these people keep silent about their horrifying war experiences. It appears that the community and the social and cultural institutions have been destroyed. People have no public space to share their memories of the war. Together with the economic, political and psychological aspects, this all contributes to a situation in which keeping silent might be the best thing to do.


: Accurate and reliable fault diagnosis is one of the key and difficult issues in mechanical condition monitoring. In recent years, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has been widely used in mechanical condition monitoring, which is also a great breakthrough in the field of bearing fault diagnosis. However, CNN can only extract local features of signals. The model accuracy and generalization of the original vibration signals are very low in the process of vibration signal processing only by CNN. Based on the above problems, this paper improves the traditional convolution layer of CNN, and builds the learning module (local feature learning block, LFLB) of the local characteristics. At the same time, the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) is introduced into the network, which is used to extract the global features. This paper proposes the new neural network —improved CNN-LSTM network. The extracted deep feature is used for fault classification. The improved CNN-LSTM network is applied to the processing of the vibration signal of the faulty bearing collected by the bearing failure laboratory of Inner Mongolia University of science and technology. The results show that the accuracy of the improved CNN-LSTM network on the same batch test set is 98.75%, which is about 24% higher than that of the traditional CNN. The proposed network is applied to the bearing data collection of Western Reserve University under the condition that the network parameters remain unchanged. The experiment shows that the improved CNN-LSTM network has better generalization than the traditional CNN.


In heterogeneous media, standard one-way wave equations describe only the kinematic part of one-way wave propagation correctly. For a correct description of amplitudes, the one-way wave equations must be modified. In media with vertical velocity variations only, the resulting true-amplitude one-way wave equations can be solved analytically. In media with lateral velocity variations, these equations are much harder to solve and require sophisticated numerical techniques. We present an approach to circumvent these problems by implementing approximate solutions based on the one-dimensional analytic amplitude modifications. We use these approximations to show how to modify conventional migration methods such as split-step and Fourier finite-difference migrations in such a way that they more accurately handle migration amplitudes. Simple synthetic data examples in media with a constant vertical gradient demonstrate that the correction achieves the recovery of true migration amplitudes. Applications to the SEG/EAGE salt model and the Marmousi data show that the technique improves amplitude recovery in the migrated images in more realistic situations.


Amongst the principal metabolic situations that can require emergency attention in the oncology patient we find: hypercalcaemia, hyponatraemia, tumoural lysis syndrome, lactic acidosis, hyperuricaemia, renal failure, hyperammonaemia, hypermpotasaemia, etc.
Hypercalcaemia is the most frequent metabolic complication in oncology, appearing in 10-30% of these patients. It has two main mechanisms, tumoural lysis and humoural hypercalcaemia mediated by PTHrP (a protein related to parathormone). The principal factor for its diagnosis is suspicion, since some symptoms are non-specific and can be attributed to other causes such as somnolence, constipation, etc. Treatment will be based on intensity and is started with calciuretic measures with an intense hydration with physiological serum and on some occasions with furosemide. Anti-reabsorptive measures include calcitonin, bisphosphonates, mithramycin, gallium nitrate and on occasions corticoids. Bisphosphonates such as pamidronate and zoledronate seem to be highly useful in these cases.
Hyponatraemia is classified depending on plasmatic osmorality; when this is low we find ourselves facing an authentic hyponatraemia that can develop with an extra-cellular volume that is high (cardiac insufficiency, cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome and renal insufficiency), low (renal and extra-renal sodium losses) and normal (principally SIADH, related to a high elimination of sodium in the urine with high urinary osmolarity in spite of this being low in blood). Several types of tumour and different chemotherapy drugs can produce this SIADH. Treatment will vary according to the type and intensity, but in general this is based on hydric restriction and the replacement of the sodium deficit, either through physiological serum or through hypertonic saline serums depending on the case, and on occasions furosemide for the elimination of excess water.


The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of variation of polypropylene fibres ranging from 0.1% to 0.4% along with 0.8% steel fibres on the behaviour of fibrous concrete. The mechanical properties of the concrete such as compressive and tensile strength have been investigated. The result shows that addition of polypropylene fibre has a little effect on the compressive strength, but there was significant increase in the tensile strength with increase in fibre volume fraction. The present investigation shows an increase of 47% of split tensile strength and 50% of flexural strength. The result shows that ultimate load mainly depended on percentage volume fraction of fibre.


The increasing power feed-in from renewable energy sources entails an impact on the operation of transmission and distribution grids as well as the energy market and its players. It offers new opportunities for existing market players to expand their business and supports the market launch for new market players with new products. In this paper, different electricity products which are tested within the field testing deployment of the German research project "Development and Demonstration of Locally Networked Energy Systems to the E-Energy Marketplace of the Future" (E-DeMa) will be described. To provide these demand-oriented tariffs, an appropriate well dimensioned information and communication infrastructure and its components are required and therefore described in detail. Three scenarios and four topologies are defined for the analysis of the technical and economic potential for market players regarding these products. At the end, the results for the market players customer, retailer and aggregator are presented.


This article outlines and discusses the key elements of the draft Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress in the context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, tabled for adoption at the fifth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Biosafety Protocol to be held in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. The first section describes the role of liability and redress under the Biosafety Protocol, followed by an overview of the draft Supplementary Protocol's key elements. The subsequent section looks at outstanding issues and the final section gives an outlook on the Supplementary Protocol's adoption and ratification requirements and its potential impact and effectiveness.


Nigeria is blessed with many indigenous languages that are mainly used in communication, including English as her second language. These languages had never remained static; they develop simultaneously with the developing nature of Nigeria. Communication therefore dominates the various functions performed by language in different societies. Through communication, language helps to ensure social cohesion. Against this background, the importance of language is often assessed from its ability to solve the complex human interactive possibilities. Even in multilingual society where languages co-exist, some languages attract higher recognitions than others, arising from possibility of use in the ever elastic human transactions. Similarly, standardization is a prime index in according a language respect and recognition. Although the history and status of English language in Nigeria may no longer form a new discourse, the extent and manner it has responded to the dynamics in the Nigerian society form the thrust of this paper. It examines the state of the language against the background of current influences like telecom messaging, peer group language use, with emphasis on intelligibility. This paper therefore submits that given the noticeable effects of these influences, Nigeria is heading to a state of great linguistic confusion in the name of language development.


This study investigates the development and sustainability of a firm's information technology (IT) capability reputation from an IT executive's standpoint. Building on institutional theory, we argue that IT executives will try to achieve external legitimacy (i.e., project an image of superior IT capability to external stakeholders) in the hope that the top management team and board members will reciprocate by elevating the internal legitimacy of IT executives. Firms that develop such a culture of reciprocity with their IT executives are more likely to sustain their IT capability reputation. Econometric results based on panel data for 1,326 large U.S. firms from a wide spectrum of industries over a 13-year period (1997-2009) validate these predictions. More specifically, we find that IT executives with greater structural power (e.g., higher job titles) or IT-related expert power (e.g., IT-related education or experience) are more likely to attract public recognition for their firm's IT capability. Firms that build such an IT capability reputation are more likely to promote their IT executives, and IT executives who are promoted are more likely to stay longer with their firms. This continuity in IT strategic leadership is positively associated with the firm's ability to sustain its IT capability reputation. Our findings have important practical implications related to a firm's IT reputation strategy as well as the motivation and career of IT executives. Firms wanting to develop and sustain their IT capability reputation would do well to foster the creation of a cycle of positive reciprocity with their IT executives. IT executives hoping to increase their power within their firm's top management team and improve the legitimacy of the firm's IT organization need to project an image of IT superiority to external stakeholders.


ABSTRACT This impact evaluation tests the effects of community policing, with an emphasis on problem-oriented policing, on perceived social and physical disorder in a disadvantaged Caribbean community. We use a pre-post, quasi-experimental design with two groups. The data include three waves of citizen surveys carried out in both groups. We use outcome measures developed from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes in perceived social and physical disorder over time between residents in the treatment and comparison areas. Both the treatment and comparison areas experienced statistically significant small to modest reductions in perceived social and physical disorder between wave 1 (2006) and wave 2 (2007); the decrease was more pronounced in the treatment area. No significant changes in perceived social or physical disorder occurred between wave 2 (2007) and wave 3 (2008). Item-level analyses indicated that the composite measures of disorder masked important changes at the item level. The results suggest that community policing with a problem-solving approach can improve residents' perceptions of social and physical disorder. The findings highlight the need to consider the nature of the community policing intervention and the quality and dosage of its implementation.


The concentrations of phosphocreatine and inorganic phosphate in the cytosol, the cytosolic pH, and the left ventricular developed pressure were measured in isolated guinea pig heart, before and during 35 min normothermic ischemia and during the reperfusion. The phosphorylation potential and its ratio to the left ventricular developed pressure were calculated. The ratio was increased after reperfusion, indicating a change in the regulation of energy supply and demand, with a relatively higher work efficiency at a lower phosphorylation potential. In fact, after 35 min ischemia, the left ventricular developed pressure recovered to 60 +/- 8%, while the phosphorylation potential recovered to 25 +/- 10% of their original values, whereas the heart rate returned to its pre-ischemic values. This apparent inconsistency is discussed in terms of an increased Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile system after ischemia.


It is shown that the light intensity distribution in the image plane of an optical system producing a moire patterns the relevant information is the phase angle. The above described analysis forms the basis of a method for data retrieval. The intensity of light distribution on a pattern is recorded in the form of density changes in a photographic film negative. The changes of density are then retrieved by a light sensor. If one analyzes the density record, one can see that the trace is not only modulated by the relevant quantities but also by various other processes. Furthermore the effect of the nonlinear characteristic curve of the recording film is to generate for each narrow-band componet of the signal, an infinite number of narrow-band high order components of the fundamental argument. To eliminate the effect of unwanted componets, of the fundamental or the effect of unwanted comonents, the digitalized vision of the signal is filtered by numerical narrow-band pass filters in-quadrature. The computer program gives the strains in the case of moire patterns and relative retardations in the case of photoelasticity. The given examples of application show that the proposed data retrieving and data processing technique increases both the sensitivity and the accuracy of the moire and photoelasticity. This result is of great practical value particularly in the moire method since it extends its applicability to the ranges of interest of practically all engineering materials.


The paper presents an investigation of the extent and nature of cross-linguistic influence on both L2 and L1 phraseological competence of advanced Polish learners of English. We review relevant research studies, which describe various types of collocational deviation from native speaker norms in the language production of advanced learners, and indicate that the collocational choices of learners may be affected by their L1, which results either in incorrect collocations, or in patterns of underuse or overuse. We administered two acceptability judgment tests to 91 Polish advanced learners of English, aged 20–22. The collocations used in the test could be classified with respect to two criteria: firstly, they were either typical or unusual collocations; secondly, they were either congruent with their L1 or L2 equivalents or not. Despite the fact that there is both empirical and theoretical support for the idea that learners may show a preference for those L2 collocations which are congruent with L1, our findings do not support this hypothesis. There is no obvious pattern of cross-linguistic influence emerging from the data. The results of this study seem to give the picture of advanced learners who function in their L2 independently of the L1.


Purpose of review Asthma is likely to be due to many aetiological factors, the effect of each varying considerably with age. Now that there are well established candidate genes for asthma, using genetics to examine age-related susceptibility to asthma offers a new approach to understanding the basic underlying mechanisms. Recent findings Since few long-term, longitudinal asthma studies exist, opportunities to examine age-related genetic susceptibility have been limited, but have produced some specific findings. The CCR5Delta32 polymorphism renders the chemokine receptor nonfunctional and is associated with reduced asthma susceptibility in children but not adults. In CD14 C-159T, the -159C allele has been associated with increased atopy in mid-childhood, but not in young adults. IL-12beta is a promoter polymorphism associated with reduced lung function in girls but not boys in mid-childhood only. Regarding the beta(2)adrenoceptor, results from three studies suggest that Arg16 can be associated with impaired airway function in infancy and Gly16 with asthma and wheeze in mid-childhood. Summary Age-related genetic susceptibility studies are likely to make a major contribution to understanding basic mechanisms in asthma, but the limited number of suitable cohorts has meant that to date few studies have been reported.


There are different types of hernias that can develop at certain sites in the abdominal wall. Spigelian hernia (SH) is a protrusion of abdominal contents through a defect in the spigelian aponeurosis, in proximity to the external margin of the rectus muscle. Usually, abdominal wall hernia sac contains the omentum but may also contain small intestine that might become trapped in the hernia. When ischemia of herniated contents is suspected, urgent surgical treatment is advocated. Elective laparoscopic repair of SH is still under discussion. However, a recent randomized study comparing open and laparoscopic repair as elective treatment suggested that extraperitoneal laparoscopic repair is the technique that offers best results for the patients. Recent development of new biologic materials and technologies in laparoscopy has led to improved results. We report the successful repair of incarcerated low SH that was successfully managed by urgent laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay polytetrafluoroethylene mesh hernioplasty.


The act of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social event, shaped by a complex web of social conditions and intersections. Consequently, a theory that is sensitive to the socio-historical context in which IPV occurs is necessary, as well as recognition that a man who perpetrates violence against a woman partner, does so in relationship to other men and women, to a family, community and society. In this paper, we employ the theory of social representations to gain new insight into this multifaceted phenomenon, and to unearth representations of partner violence against women amongst male perpetrators and their social networks in Cape Town, South Africa. Individual interviews were conducted with eleven men, recruited from a men's programme at an NGO, and focus group discussions were conducted with the men's social networks. The findings shed light on the polarity of human thought in defining gender-appropriate performances for men and women, whilst excluding the 'other' who fails to conform to such 'gendered laws'. Gender role norms were represented as static categories confining men to violent performances of masculinity, and women to subordinate positions in relation to men. The findings also demonstrated the extent to which men's representations about violence were influenced by an audience of networks and community representations that make violence permissible. The value of studying the community, relationships and individuals as inseparable spheres is a key outcome of this paper, and the contextualised analysis of power and oppression is shown to open possibilities for social change.


Thiosemicarbozone complexes that have a broad spectrum of biological activity are formed as a result of condensation reaction between thiosemicarbazide [H2N(C=S)-NH-NH2] and carbonyl-containing compounds. A new Nickel(II) complexes with N1-acetylacetone, N4-4-methoxy-salicylidene-thiosemicarbazidato ligand was synthesized and characterized. We studied the antileukemic activity of the Ni(II) thiosemicarbazone compound and assessed their potential for drug development. Specifically, the effects of this Ni(II) thiosemicarbazone compound on intracellular signal nodes and apoptotic pathways were investigated. According to our results, the Ni(II) thiosemicarbazone compound has apoptotic activity against HL60 cells. Moreover, while Ni(II) thiosemicarbazone compound significantly increased levels of p53 and cleaved caspase-3 proteins, it decreased level of Phospho-Akt1 protein in HL60 cells. The Ni(II) thiosemicarbazone compound could induce HL60 cell apoptosis through inhibiting of PI3K/Akt pathway. These results showed that Ni(II) thiosemicarbozone compound might be an antileukemic agent.


From bacteria to mammals, different phospholipid species are segregated between the inner and outer leaflets of the plasma membrane by ATP-dependent lipid transporters. Disruption of this asymmetry by ATP-independent phospholipid scrambling is important in cellular signaling, but its mechanism remains incompletely understood. Using MD simulations coupled with experimental assays, we show that the surface hydrophilic transmembrane cavity exposed to the lipid bilayer on the fungal scramblase nhTMEM16 serves as the pathway for both lipid translocation and ion conduction across the membrane. Ca2+ binding stimulates its open conformation by altering the structure of transmembrane helices that line the cavity. We have identified key amino acids necessary for phospholipid scrambling and validated the idea that ions permeate TMEM16 Cl- channels via a structurally homologous pathway by showing that mutation of two residues in the pore region of the TMEM16A Ca2+-activated Cl- channel convert it into a robust scramblase.


Word representations trained on text reproduce human implicit bias related to gender, race and age. Methods have been developed to remove such bias. Here, we present results that show that human stereotypes exist even for much more nuanced judgments such as personality, for a variety of person identities beyond the typically legally protected attributes and that these are similarly captured in word representations. Specifically, we collected human judgments about a person's Big Five personality traits formed solely from information about the occupation, nationality or a common noun description of a hypothetical person. Analysis of the data reveals a large number of statistically significant stereotypes in people. We then demonstrate the bias captured in lexical representations is statistically significantly correlated with the documented human bias. Our results, showing bias for a large set of person descriptors for such nuanced traits put in doubt the feasibility of broadly and fairly applying debiasing methods and call for the development of new methods for auditing language technology systems and resources.


This paper addresses performance estimation and architecture exploration issues within the context of hardware/software codesign. We introduce a new methodology to rapidly explore the large design space encountered in hardware/software systems. The proposed methodology is based on a fast and accurate estimation approach. This estimation approach takes advantage of both system and RT levels of abstraction, and combines both static and dynamic analysis techniques, in order to obtain the best trade-off between speed and accuracy. It has been implemented as an extension to a hardware/software codesign flow to enable the exploration of a large number of multiprocessor architecture solutions from the very start of the design process. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is illustrated by a significant application example. Experimental results indicate strong advantages of the proposed methodology.


Propped by Norway's diplomatic breakthrough in getting Israel and the PLO to forego their protracted state of war and negotiate their way toward a peaceful coexistence, this study focuses on small state mediation. It is an intellectual endeavor to shed light on a small state intervening as a third party mediator in some conflict-ridden international disputes. Because of the normative and legalistic approach that has dominated the study of international relations for quite some time, it is not surprising that the process of mediation can be difficult to grasp or, at least, subject to misunderstanding. Highlighting the small state mediation paradigm, the essay sets out Us background and offers an interpretative analysis of Us value. It addresses a number of questions pertaining to this avenue for international conflict management. For instance, where does international mediation fit within the larger spectrum of international peace mechanisms ? What are the distinguishing features of a small state's style of intervention, and how does a small state mediation differ from other mediatory schemes such as those intiated by other actors ? Most importantly, where does a small state's wherewithal to bring about a peaceful settlement of an international dispute stem from ? These and other questions are carefully probed in an attempt to grasp the dynamic of small state mediation.


The ability to correctly interpret facial expressions is key to effective social interactions. People are well rehearsed and generally very efficient at correctly categorizing expressions. However, does their ability to do so depend on how cognitively loaded they are at the time? Using repeated-measures designs, we assessed the sensitivity of facial expression categorization to cognitive resources availability by measuring people's expression categorization performance during concurrent low and high cognitive load situations. In Experiment1, participants categorized the 6 basic upright facial expressions in a 6-automated-facial-coding response paradigm while maintaining low or high loading information in working memory (N = 40; 60 observations per load condition). In Experiment 2, they did so for both upright and inverted faces (N = 46; 60 observations per load and inversion condition). In both experiments, expression categorization for upright faces was worse during high versus low load. Categorization rates actually improved with increased load for the inverted faces. The opposing effects of cognitive load on upright and inverted expressions are explained in terms of a cognitive load–related dispersion in the attentional window. Overall, the findings support that expression categorization is sensitive to cognitive resources availability and moreover suggest that, in this paradigm, it is the perceptual processing stage of expression categorization that is affected by cognitive load.


Recent studies on the planet-dominated regime of Type II migration showed that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, massive planets can migrate outwards. Using 'fixed-planet' simulations these studies found a correlation between the sign of the torques acting on the planet and the parameter K′ (which describes the depth of the gap carved by the planet in the disc). We perform 'live-planet' simulations exploring a range of K′ and disc mass values to test and extend these results. The excitation of planet eccentricity in live-planet simulations breaks the direct dependence of migration rate (rate of change of semi-major axis) on the torques imposed, an effect that 'fixed-planet' simulations cannot treat. By disentangling the contribution to the torque due to the semi-major axis evolution from that due to the eccentricity evolution, we recover the relation between the magnitude and sign of migration and K′ and argue that this relation may be better expressed in terms of the related gap depth parameter K. We present a toy model in which the sign of planetary migration changes at a limiting value of K, through which we explore planets' migration in viscously evolving discs. The existence of the torque reversal shapes the planetary system's architecture by accumulating planets either at the stalling radius or in a band around it (defined by the interplay between the planet migration and the disc evolution). In either case, planets pile up in the area 1 − 10 au, disfavouring hot Jupiter formation through Type II migration in the planet-dominated regime.


Recent decades have witnessed a booming film industry portraying the Nanjing Massacre, both within and outside Mainland China, which is closely related to contemporary Chinese political, socioeconomic, and cultural transformations. This article examines the USC Shoah Foundation's 2018 documentary film The Girl and the Picture, featuring the well-known Nanjing Massacre female survivor Xia Shuqin. It argues that the cinematic rendition of Xia's family stories serves as a piercing incision into Nanjing Massacre historical memories and weaves together the personal with the national, and transgenerational with transnational memories. The Girl and the Picture radicalizes cinematic discourses on the Nanjing Massacre from multiple angles and not only sheds light on the emerging field of Nanjing Massacre studies but also contributes to our understanding of the ongoing memory boom of the Nanjing Massacre in the context of globalization. By delivering the stories of Xia along both family and transnational lines, The Girl and the Picture points out a new way to cope with the memory crisis of the Nanjing Massacre, and to take responsibility for transmitting the memories across generational, national, gender, and ethnic boundaries.


Problems with meaning arise when symbols interact in digital communication on social media between users. Different messages may be interpreted differently due to symbolic exchanges between social media users. This paper examines how message meaning relates to current social media challenges. The data used to address the issue was obtained from an online survey of social media users, and the semiotics method was employed (denotation and connotation). This study concludes that people who utilize social media have a higher propensity to read the news and become more authentic by sharing it. To read social media text messages denotatively has ideological consequences for users and connotative implications. Social media messaging's ideological impact creates the purpose of action (change of view on an issue, for example, COVID-19 vaccination). This paper contributes to digital media literacy, which develops critical thinking abilities based on digital knowledge by choosing to read news content. Besides, this paper contributes to the capacity to critically create content based on digital culture (positive news content) and offer critical commentary based on digital ethics (politeness in providing language). This article discusses the benefits and importance of news content comments and the ability to share news content critically based on digital safety by safely evaluating information before sharing it.


In recent years and decades, a widespread assumption that the world is experiencing a global rise of religion has persisted. Yet, the hypothesis of a "global resurgence of religion" has not been tested by means of empirical evidence. This study uses statistical time series and crosscountry data to test the hypothesis of "a global religious resurgence," and to assess its scope. To address this question, the study examines global trends in religious adherence, and measures change of religious behavior and values over time in a multitude of countries spanning across six continents. The study identifies seven criteria by which the degree of religiosity among a certain population can be measured, using time-series and cross-country data. The study also examines other global religious trends, including a comparative overview over the relationship between religion and state in most countries, scanning variables such as the performance of religious parties in elections; preferential treatment of religions; countries with an official state religion; references to religion in constitutions; and countries under Sharia law. The study concludes that there is ample evidence that the argument of a "global resurgence of religion" can largely be sustained, with the notable exception to this trend being the postindustrial countries—where the trend towards secularization itself, however, is far from consistent.


Context. Solar flares are one of the most interesting phenomena of solar activity. Although many authors agree that their energy release is related to magnetic reconnection, the phases preceding the magnetic reconnection process are still unclear in several respects. Aims. We studied the magnetic flux evolution in 26 super active regions observed on the solar disc from Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2006, in order to determine a physical relationship between flares and some properties of the photospheric magnetic fields. Methods. This analysis is based on full disc line of sight MDI magnetograms. We measured the total magnetic flux, the magnetic flux imbalance, the horizontal magnetic gradient and the number of magnetic features characterized by a collection of pixels lying in the same bins of absolute strength. We also elaborated an algorithm for the identification and the length measurement of the magnetic inversion lines. Results. We found a correlation between the evolution of the analyzed parameters and the flare occurrence. The most intense phases of activity are associated with phases of emergence of a magnetic field in 15 super active regions and with phases of flux cancellation in 5 super active regions. Conclusions. Super active regions may be characterized by a different behavior depending on their morphology. Some of them show a continuous flare activity, while others present an alternation of active and quiet phases. The deviations from magnetic polarity balance and the length of the inversion lines characterized by a horizontal magnetic gradient greater than 0.3 G km -1 seem to have a major role in producing a magnetic field topology able to trigger flares.


Following a converter outage in a Multi-Terminal DC (MTDC) grid, it is critical that the healthy converter stations share the power mismatch/burden in a desirable way. A fixed value of power-voltage droop in the DC link voltage control loops can ensure proper distribution according to the converter ratings. Here a scheme for adapting the droop coefficients to share the burden according to the available headroom of each converter station is proposed. Advantage of this adaptive (variable) droop scheme for autonomous power sharing is established through transient simulations on an MTDC grid with four bipolar converters and DC cable network with metallic return. Results for both rectifier and inverter outages under two different scenarios are presented. Post-contingency steady-state operating points obtained from transient simulation are shown to be consistent with those derived analytically. Impact of varying droop coefficients on the stability of the MTDC grid is established. An averaged model in Matlab/SIMULINK which has been validated against detailed switched model in EMTDC/PSCAD is used for the stability and modal analysis.


BACKGROUND
Periodontal research has traditionally focused on the site level, regarding etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment outcome. Recently, some studies have indicated that the presence of periodontal disease is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of periodontal disease experience on the quality of life.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study includes 443 individuals. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed; in conjunction, the oral health-related quality of life of all participants was assessed using the Swedish short-form version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Based on marginal bone loss, measured on radiographs, three different groups were identified: participants with loss of supporting bone tissue of less than one third of the root length (BL-), loss of supporting bone tissue of one third or more of the root length in <30% of teeth (BL), or loss of supporting bone tissue of one third or more of the root length in ≥ 30% of teeth (BL+).

RESULTS
The effect of periodontal disease experience on quality of life was considerable. For the BL- group, the mean OHIP-14 score was 3.91 (SD: 5.39). The corresponding mean values were 3.81 (SD: 5.29) for the BL group and 8.47 (SD: 10.38) for the BL+ group. The difference among all groups was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.001). A comparison among the mean OHIP-14 scores in the different groups (BL-, BL, and BL+) revealed significant differences in six of seven conceptual domains.

CONCLUSIONS
The BL+ individuals experienced reduced quality of life, expressed as the OHIP-14 score, compared with the BL and BL- participants.


High affinity capture agents recognizing biomolecular targets are essential in the performance of many proteomic detection methods. Herein, we report the application of a label-free silicon photonic biomolecular analysis platform for simultaneously determining kinetic association and dissociation constants for two representative protein capture agents: a thrombin-binding DNA aptamer and an anti-thrombin monoclonal antibody. The scalability and inherent multiplexing capability of the technology make it an attractive platform for simultaneously evaluating the binding characteristics of multiple capture agents recognizing the same target antigen, and thus a tool complementary to emerging high-throughput capture agent generation strategies.


This thesis focuses on Stanley Hauerwas' thought about the church insofar as it represents a concrete ecclesiological approach. I argue first that concrete ecclesiology, while often appearing in the work of its proponents as methodological presuppositions rather than an explicit doctrine of church, is sufficiently distinctive that Hauerwas' ecclesiology can be placed within it. Through exploring Hauerwas' theology in Chapter 1, I suggest that his ecclesiology shares key influences with concrete approaches through Barth, Frei, Wittgenstein and Yale postliberalism. Hauerwas also shares concrete ecclesiology's concerns in terms of its interest in the concrete church as a valuable subject for theological reflection, attention to distinctive Christian practices, theologically therapeutic and pastoral-minded approaches to reflecting on the life of the church, and concern for how the church interacts with the world. In Chapter 2, I evaluate Hauerwas' work by seeing how his ecclesiology deals with the realities of sin, division and confusion within the church. I argue that Hauerwas' rhetoric idealises the practices of the church, so there are limitations to the concreteness of his ecclesiology. Combined with Hauerwas' problematic and overstated use of narrative, this idealisation results in insufficient focus on the provisional and fallible nature of the church's practices, and a deleteriously pugilistic attitude towards the world. In Chapter 3, I explore how Barth balances his ecclesiology by holding its theologically centrifugal elements in tension with the various creedal contexts in which it is set forth. This not only mitigates Hauerwas' criticisms of Earth's ecclesiology, but also proffers ways in which a robust doctrinal setting would maintain the prophetic force of Hauerwas' challenges to the church without allowing Christian practice to bear the weight of realising God's kingdom. I then argue that Christ's resurrection is a helpful doctrinal setting for a methodologically and pastorally wise concrete ecclesiology.


ABSTRACT : We want to study the circadian rhythm of dROMs and anti-oxidative power in dairy cattle during dry period and the possible involvement of the circadian organization of rest/activity cycles in the fluctua-tion of redox state. For this purpose we recorded TLA in five clinically healthy Bruna Italian dairy cattle by means of an actigraphy-based data logger, Actiwatch-Mini ® . Blood samples were collected every 3 hours over a 48-hour period for the assessment of free radicals (dROMs) and the antioxidant power: antioxidant barrier (Oxy-ads) and thiol-antioxidant barrier (SHp). All animals were in the same productive period (dry) and they were housed in the same stable under natural photoperiod and ambient temperature. One-way repeated measure ANOVA was used to determine a statistical significant effect of time on the studied parameters. A trigonometric statistical model was applied to characterize the main rhythmic parameters according to the single cosinor procedure. A significant effect of time on all studied parameters was observed. They showed a diurnal acrophase and different degrees of robustness of rhythms. In conclusion, we can claim that there is a synergism between the dROM circadian rhythm and the circadian rhythm of anti-oxidative power. These rhythms do not have any implication for the issue of causation with the TLA circadian rhythms.


From 1870 to 1935, the first true "catalogues raisonnes" of Rembrandt's paintings were produced, incorporating the results of individual connoisseurs' evaluations of authenticity and quality. This book, the first full-length study of this scholarly corpus, concentrates on the written connoisseurship of Wilhelm von Bode, Abraham Bredius, Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, and Wilhelm Valentiner, whose articles and catalogues first shaped the modern conception of Rembrandt as a painter. In addition to analyzing their written work, Scallen addresses the social context of their connoisseurial practices, as shaped by their museum careers and their relationships with dealers and collectors."


Field stars and star clusters contain a big part of the galaxy's history. To understand galaxy formation and evolution we need then to understand the parts of which galaxies are composed. It has commonly been assumed that most stars formed in clusters. However, the connection between these two systems is not clear, and the fraction of actual star formation happening in clusters is still uncertain. Through this thesis, we aim to use field stars and star clusters to attack different problems regarding galaxy formation and evolution, named: 1. the cluster formation efficiency and its (co-)relation with environment (i.e. the host galaxy), 2. the star formation rate in the arms and inter-arm regions of spiral galaxies, and 3. the indications of a possible interaction between two galaxies observed through their resolved stellar populations. We performed a systematic and homogeneous study over the galaxies NGC45, NGC1313, NGC4395, NGC5236 and NGC7793, where star clusters and field stars are analyze separately. For this aim, we used Hubble Space Telescope observations in the optical bands U, B, V and I, using the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Standard photometric procedures are use to study the properties of these two main parts of the galaxies. However, incompleteness constrains our results to ages younger than 100 Myr. Following the synthetic CMD method we recovered the star formation history for the last 100 Myr over the five galaxies. Comparing observed clusters properties with simple stellar population models, we estimate ages and masses of star clusters. We observe that the galaxies NGC5236 and NGC1313 show higher star and cluster formation rates, while NGC45, NGC4395 and NGC7793 show lower values. We found that the actual fraction of star formation happening in clusters presents low values (<10%), contrary to common assumptions, however in agreement with studies in other galaxies. Observations of the surface star formation rate in the arms and inter-arm regions of NGC5236 show high values for the former compared to the later. This result is in good agreement with predictions from the density wave theory. The use of field stars as fingerprints of an interaction process between NGC1313 and a disrupted satellite companion was observed through the fast increase of the star formation hisrtory during the past 100 Myr. The use of field stars and star clusters has shown to be a powerful tool when study the different processes that had shaped the spiral galaxies observed.


This paper is set against a background of research which evidences the gender segregation by industry, occupation and function, of women in employment, and within which there has been a major focus on the comparatively small number of women in management positions. The new research on which the paper is based highlights and examines the phenomenon of a much greater proportion of women managers than is the norm, many of whom started part‐time and in jobs for which no formal qualifications are required. It seeks to discover how the barriers to women's career progression have been removed or overcome in this instance. Three aspects of company policy are examined on the basis of questionnaire and interview data, and other factors are also considered. This research targets the pub retailing industry, an industry which has received little attention elsewhere, and analyses the data from a regional perspective across the Scotland/England divide.


X-ray spectra of highly-ionized xenon and krypton measured in a laser-irradiated gas jet are presented with a main purpose of line identification. The spectral range of 0.5 to 1 nm was covered using two flat Bragg crystal spectrographs. The very rich spectra of xenon cover the transitions 3p–nd and 3d–nf, with n = 5 to 10, of Xe26+ to Xe30+ (Ni-like to Cr-like). Transitions 2p–nd and 2s–np with n = 3, 4 of Kr24+ to Kr28+ (Mg-like to O-like) have also been recorded, in a range covering some unidentified lines. Ab initio detailed calculations performed with the RELAC code have permitted to identify lines of Xe and Kr, including transitions which were measured but not identified until now. Ionic fractions were deduced by adjusting the experimental spectra with a least-squares fit based on the RELAC data.


BACKGROUND
An understanding of causal relations between diet and health is hindered by the lack of robust biological markers of food exposure.

OBJECTIVE
We aimed to develop a data-driven procedure to discover urine biomarkers indicative of habitual exposure to different foods.

DESIGN
The habitual diet of 68 participants was assessed by using 4 food-frequency questionnaires over 3 mo, and participants were assigned to different consumption-frequency classes for 58 dietary components. Flow infusion electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry followed by supervised multivariate data analysis was used to determine whether the chemical composition of urine was related to specific differences in the consumption levels of each food.

RESULTS
Foods were eaten habitually in 1 of 5 basic patterns differing in range and distribution of consumption frequency. Overnight, 24-h, and fasting urine samples proved useful for biomarker lead discovery with habitual citrus exposure used as a paradigm. Exposure level discrimination robustness improved linearly as urine samples from low-frequency citrus consumers were compared with urine samples from participants reporting increasingly higher intakes. For all foods, distinctiveness and consumption-frequency range influenced the likelihood that differential dietary exposure could be detected. Model output statistics indicated foods for which biomarker lead discovery was feasible. Metabolites proposed previously as acute intake biomarkers of citrus (proline betaine), oily fish (methylhistidine), coffee (dihydrocaffeic acid derivatives), and tomato (phenolic metabolites) were also biomarkers of habitual exposure. A significance threshold in modeling output statistics was determined to guide the discovery of potential biomarkers for other foods.

CONCLUSION
This data-driven strategy can identify urinary metabolites associated with habitual exposure to specific foods. This trial has the UK registration number 4349 and was registered at isrtcn.org as CCT-NAPN-A13175.


ABSTRACT This article commences with a discussion of the concept of public interest generally and more specifically within the context of the common law. It then considers the role of public interest tests in the Freedom of information (FOI) legislation of Commonwealth countries and presents a taxonomy of public interest tests in Commonwealth FOI legislation. It concludes by considering the merits of the ground-breaking developments in the approach to public interest tests in Australian FOI law and argues that there are valuable insights to be gained from the experience of this early FOI adopter.


Increasing urbanisation and intensification of human activities are common
trends all over the world. The higher portion of impermeable urban surfaces
often leads to well known effects on storm water runoff and its polluting
potential for receiving waters. Despite the variety of structural solutions and
management practices proposed to mitigate the operational and environmental
impact of urban runoff, their application on existing drainage systems can often
be either ineffective at a metropolitan scale or unfeasible for a densely urbanised
territory. Among all the proposed alternatives, the real time control (RTC) of
drainage systems is proving more and more promising to dynamically regulate
the system capacity in response to intense rainfall. The combined sewer network
of Rome, historically built with high-capacity pipes to collect storm water from
both urban and natural catchments, holds significant potential for RTC of online
storage and combined sewer overflows, to optimise the global drainage capacity
and reduce the impact of discharges on local river quality. To assess the real
benefits, the potential limits and the feasibility of such a system for the city
sewers, a pilot study has been conducted on a 3,000 hectare sub-catchment. It
involved the development of a fast-response hydrodynamic simulation tool for
the sewer network, the definition and evaluation of RTC strategies and the
implementation of an environmental integrated telemetry system. As described
here, the study has highlighted significant margins for the optimisation of the
global network capacity without any major interventions on the physical assets,
as well as some critical issues to solve for a fully operational RTC application.


Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) represent a major portion within the infiltrate of atopic dermatitis (AD) lesions. As antigen-presenting cells they have the ability to regulate both the quantity and quality of T-cell responses and, thus, are likely to play a key role in the pathogenesis of T-cell-dominated skin diseases such as AD. Thus we sought to identify the DC repertoire occurring in AD patients. Methods: For this purpose, we phenotypically analyzed various defined DC subsets of AD patients and healthy controls in skin biopsies and peripheral blood by immunofluorescence staining. Results: In AD lesions, two inflammation-associated DC subsets with varying expression of costimulatory molecules occurred besides epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs) and dermal myeloid DCs (dmDCs) indigenously residing in normal skin: (1) CD1a+/CD1c+/FcεRI+/IgE+/CD207– myeloid DCs (mDCs) in the epidermis and dermis and (2) CD123+/BDCA-2+/CD45RA+/CD68+ plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in the dermis. In the peripheral blood of the patients, these cells exhibited an immature phenotype. Interestingly, we found FcεRI and cell-bound IgE to be expressed not only on myeloid, but also on plasmacytoid DCs from both the skin and peripheral blood of AD patients. Conclusions: It is tempting to speculate that the disease-regulating role of inflammatory DCs in AD is influenced by both FcεRI occupancy and their degree of maturity.


Considering that the traditional sensors can't work well in the field with spacial requirements, such as wind tunnel experiment, a research of small sensor to measure multidimensional aerodynamic load is carried out. Based on anisotropic elastic theory, the polarization field inside the square Y0-cut quartz wafer under multidimensional/six dimensional (6-D) forces is studied. With the method of splitting electrode, the mapping relationships between forces and the induced charges on each area are deduced. And then by using the piezoelectric effect models of ANSYS, simulation analysis about the quartz wafer under 6-D forces is made, obtaining the distribution of electric potential and electric field. The results of the theoretical and simulated analysis show that it exists a quantitative and mathematical relationship between the density of induced charges on each area and the tangential force and torque.The other stresses can be acquired by overlaying the wafer group. The study provides a new ideal for the production of small-size piezoelectric system to measure multidimensional forces.


A mesoscopic NiFe ring with nanoconstrictions of a wire was fabricated by electron beam lithography and lift-off techniques. Magnetic switching and reversal process have been measured by magnetoresistance as a function of the applied current. It is shown that the applied current has an effect on the switching fields and finally affects the reversal process. The decrease or increase in the switching field from the vortex state to the onion state depends on the electron flow with respect to the direction of domain propagation. The spin in the ring switches from an onion state to the opposite onion state in the low applied current via the double switching process. However, the spin in the ring switches directly from an onion state to the opposite due to the spin torque effect when the applied current is higher than the critical current density (of 107A∕cm2).


In the post-WWII period, industrial relations in advanced economies have gone through three main stages of development. During the first stage, corresponding to the rise of the Keynesian welfare state, two distinct models of regulation of labour emerged. What has been called the «institutionalization of class conflict», usually referred to as simply the European model, is based on strong industrial relations institutions such as encompassing trade unions, collective bargaining, works councils and, occasionally, tripartite concertation. On the other hand, what is often called the American model is based on a «de-radicalization of class conflict» due to extensive upward mobility and the creation of a middle class imbued with individualistic values. The historical turning point is traditionally seen in Margaret Thatcher's election in 1979, which spurred the neo-liberal wave that has characterized the second stage. In this period, the European model of regulation of labour has come under constant attack, whereas the American model has been explicitly suggested as the one towards which all advanced economies are bound to converge. This second stage lasted until the 2008 financial crisis, which has then turned into the current international economic crisis. Not much can be said yet about the longterm consequences of this crisis, in which we are fully immersed. However, as far as the regulation of labour is concerned, the key development in third stage seems to be the deepening crisis of the American model as well, for a series of factors that are discussed in this article. The conclusion is that, while the decline of European industrial relations institutions has not been halted, the American model has ceased to be a credible alternative, towards which, according to neo-liberal economists, as well as to most governments and supra-national institutions, the European model was inevitably bound to converge.


Specific and total activity of the digestive protease, chymotrypsin, was studied in cultured sharpsnout sea bream larvae (Diplodus puntazzo) for 35 days from hatching and in a variety of pH levels. Activity was detected upon hatching (2.8±0.34 mm total length), before the onset of exogenous feeding. Specific chymotrypsin activity exponentially increased from mouth opening on day 3 until day 25, then dropped until the end of the experiment. Total chymotrypsin activity sharply increased to day 10, then continued to increase, but slightly, until the end of the experiment. As expected, pH strongly affected both specific and total chymotryptic activity in the digestive tracts of larvae. Both were significantly lower when pH was acidic (1.5, 3.0, 4.0) than when it was alkaline (8.0, 9.0, 10.0) although there were no significant differences within either the acidic or the alkaline range. Our results indicate that chymotrypsin activity is capable of digesting protein before mouth opening and may be a valuable tool for better understanding the nutritional capabilities of young larvae.


Murine leukemia virus (MLV) specifically packages both genomic RNA (FL RNA) and a subgenomic RNA, which we call SD'. SD' RNA results from alternative splicing of FL RNA. It is reverse-transcribed, and its DNA copy, integrated into the host genome, constitutes a splice donor-associated retroelement. FL and SD' RNAs share a common 5'-UTR that includes the packaging/dimerization signal (Psi). To investigate whether the mechanism of copackaging of these two RNAs involves RNA heterodimerization, we examined the spontaneous dimerization capacity of the two RNAs as large synthetic RNAs transcribed in vitro. We showed that SD' RNA not only formed homodimers with similar efficiency as the FL RNA, but that FL and SD' RNAs also formed FL/SD' heterodimers via Psi sequences. Comparison of the thermostabilities determined for these different dimeric species and competition experiments with Psi RNA fragments indicate the recruitment of similar dimer-linkage interactions within the Psi region. To validate these results, the dimeric state of the SD' RNA was analyzed in MLV particles. RNA capture assays performed with the FL RNA as bait revealed that SD', and not the host packageable U6 or 7SL RNAs, was associated with the FL RNA in virions. Heterodimerization of SD' RNA with FL RNA may argue for the recent concept of a nuclear dimerization at or near the site of transcription and raises the new hypothesis of RNA dimerization during splicing. Furthermore, FL/SD' heterodimerization may have leukemogenic consequences by influencing the pool of genomic dimers that will undergo recombinogenic template switching by reverse transcriptase.


The application of remotely sensed estimates of canopy minus air temperature (Tc-Ta) for detecting crop water stress can be limited in semi-arid regions, because of the lack of full ground cover (GC) at water-critical crop stages. Thus, soil background may restrict water stress interpretation by thermal remote sensing. For partial GC, the combination of plant canopy temperature and surrounding soil temperature in an image pixel is expressed as surface temperature (Ts). Soil brightness (SB) for an image scene varies with surface soil moisture. This study evaluates SB, GC and Ts-Ta and determines a fusion approach to assess crop water stress. The study was conducted (2007 and 2008) on a commercial scale, center pivot irrigated research site in the Texas High Plains. High-resolution aircraft-based imagery (red, near-infrared and thermal) was acquired on clear days. The GC and SB were derived using the Perpendicular Vegetation Index approach. The Ts-Ta was derived using an array of ground Ts sensors, thermal imagery and weather station air temperature. The Ts-Ta, GC and SB were fused using the hue, saturation, intensity method, respectively. Results showed that this method can be used to assess water stress in reference to the differential irrigation plots and corresponding yield without the use of additional energy balance calculation for water stress in partial GC conditions.


: No one knows if a person who already has HIV can be infected with a different strain. It is important to find out, for many reasons, and a new research project is looking for couples (of any sexual orientation) where both partners are HIV-positive.


The performance of lenses made from glass elements containing defects such as bubbles, streaks, striae, etc., has been measured and an attempt made to compare the effect of the various defects. Four defective lenses and a good or control lens were used. The performance in the image plane was determined by four different evaluation procedures. A summary evaluation showed that the lens containing striae, although the most difficult defect to detect, produced the lowest quality image.


The objective of this paper is to compile information that will help researchers and practitioners to use EFA (Exploratory Factor Analysis) in reference to the relevant anti-counterfeiting strategies in supply chain under deceptive buying environment, in order to make prudent decisions according to the "best industry practices" based on ISO (International Organization for Standardization) available in the automotive industry. Product counterfeiting is a worldwide business issue which effect firm's supply chain (supply chain sustainability) directly or indirectly. The study used a quantitative research design technique where categorical and numerical variables are used to determine relationships among variables where a survey is used as a main research method. Futuristically, the developed instrument using EFA would lead to the CFA (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) to answer questions regarding validity of the instrument in the concerned population subgroups. This empirical study is done after conducting Initial Survey where pilot testing procedure of Initial instrument was followed to make sure that questions asked were good enough (reliability analysis) to capture the impacts of ANCT-INT (Anti-Counterfeiting Strategies Initiative) on the FSP (Firms' Supply Performance). The Pilot test process of Initial Survey Instrument is conducted prior to an actual data collection (confirmatory survey) stage that can helps researcher in refining the confirmatory survey instrument. The pilot test is conducted under the patronage of PAAPAM (Pakistan Association of Automobile Parts and Accessories Manufacturers) secretariat in Lahore. The participants involved are the Automotive Engineering firms practicing as the permanent PAAPAM member firms.


This thesis is a collection of studies on higher-order resonances in an important class of dynamical systems called coupled oscillators systems. After giving an overview of the mathematical background, we start in Chapter 1 by presenting a study on resonances in two degrees of freedom, autonomous, Hamiltonian systems. Due to the presence of a symmetry condition on one of the degrees of freedom, we show that some of the resonances vanish as lower order resonances. After giving a sharp estimate of the resonance domain, we investigate this order change of resonance in a rather general potential problem with discrete symmetry and consider as an example the H´enon-Heiles family of Hamiltonians. We also study a classical example of a mechanical system with symmetry, the elastic pendulum, which leads to a natural hierarchy of resonances with the 4 : 1-resonance as the most prominent after the 2 : 1-resonance and which explains why the 3 : 1- resonance is neglected.
In chapter 2 of this thesis we study the performance of a symplectic numerical integrator based on the splitting method. This method is applied to a subtle problem i.e. higher order resonance of the elastic pendulum. In order to numerically study the phase space of the elastic pendulum at higher order resonance, a numerical integrator which preserves qualitative features after long integration times is needed. We show by means of an example that our symplectic method offers a relatively cheap and accurate numerical integrator.
In chapter 3 we study two degree of freedom Hamiltonian systems and applications to nonlinear wave equations. Near the origin, we assume that near the linearized system has purely imaginary eigenvalues: ±i[omega]1 and ±i[omega]2 with 0 <[omega]2/[omega]1«1 or w2/w1»1, which is interpreted as a perturbation of a problem with double zero eigenvalues. Using the averaging method, we compute the normal form and show that the dynamics differs from the usual one for Hamiltonian systems at higher order resonances. Under certain conditions, the normal form is degenerate which forces us to normalize to higher degree. The asymptotic character of the normal form and the corresponding invariant tori is validated using KAM theorem. This analysis is then applied to widely separated mode-interaction in a family of nonlinear wave equations containing various degeneracies.
In chapter 4 we present an analysis of a system of coupled-oscillators. We make two assumptions for our system. The first assumption is that the frequencies of the characteristic oscillations are widely separated, and the second is that the nonlinear part of the vector field preserves the distance to the origin. Using the first assumption, we prove that the reduced normal form of our system, exhibits an invariant manifold which, exists for all values of the parameters and cannot be perturbed away by including higher order terms in the normal form. Using the second assumption, we view the normal form as an energy-preserving three-dimensional system which is linearly perturbed. Restricting our selves to a small perturbation, the flow of the energy-preserving system is used to study the flow in general. We present a complete study of the flow of energy-preserving system and the bifurcations in it. Using these results, we provide the condition for having a Hopf bifurcation of one of the two equilibria. We also numerically follow the periodic solution created via the Hopf bifurcation and find a sequence of period-doubling and fold bifurcations, and also a torus (or Naimark-Sacker) bifurcation.
This chapter is a sequel to the study of the previous chapter, where a system of coupled oscillators with widely separated frequencies and energy-preserving quadratic nonlinearity is studied. However, in this paper we are more concerned with the energy-preserving nature of the nonlinearity. We also study a singularly perturbed conservative system in R [exp. n], which is a generalization of our system, and derive a condition for the existence of nontrivial equilibrium of such a system. Returning to the original system we start with for a different set of parameter values compared with those in [?]. Numerically, we find interesting bifurcations and dynamics such as torus (Naimark-Sacker) bifurcation, chaos and heteroclinic-like behaviour


Terahertz beam-splitters are fabricated from conductive polymers inkjet printed onto an acetate film substrate. The principle is a significant evolution of the recently proposed ultra-thin beam-splitter realized using silver conductive paint. The splitting ratios of the beam-splitters are dependent on the thickness and conductivity of the conductive polymer layer, allowing for any splitting ratio to be achieved accurately from a controlled printing process. As the processing technology of conductive polymers matures, this approach will allow for low cost and accurate fabrication of THz beam-splitters with a predefined near frequency-independent splitting ratio, in contrast to the commonly used float zone silicon wafers.


INTRODUCTION: It is known that antineoplastic treatment may induce early and late organ toxicities depending on treatment modalities and intensity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the cumulative incidence of sequelae within our cohort of patients treated within the EICESS-92 (European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study, 1992) treatment trial. METHODS: Since 1998, the Late Effects Surveillance System (LESS) of the German Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology has prospectively registered late effects in patients of all ages with relapse-free bone and soft tissue sarcoma in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The follow-up is conducted locally in accordance with LESS guidelines. Data are reported to the LESS center for collation and analysis. RESULTS: There were 67 patients available for analysis (42 male, 25 female) with a median age at diagnosis of 13 years and a median follow-up of 3.5 years. Registration had to be terminated for 17 patients as a result of relapse. In total, 43.3% (29 of 67) of the patients were reported to have at least 1 sequelae of treatment. Sixteen patients suffered toxicity in 1 organ system, 9 patients developed toxicity in 2 organ systems, and there were 3 organ systems affected in 4 patients. Nephrotoxicity was reported in 10.4% (7 of 67), cardiotoxicity in 8.9% (6 of 67), peripheral polyneuropathy in 5.9% (4 of 67), and other toxicities in 34.3% (23 of 67) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Sequelae of treatment for Ewing sarcoma within this cohort of the EICESS-92 study were not more frequent than reported previously. Patients are at risk for the development of several toxicities after treatment for Ewing sarcoma, and they should receive adequate medical follow-up.


The FixL proteins are heme-based bacterial oxygen sensors, distinct from globins in structure and ligand binding properties. To better understand the dynamics of ligand dissociation and binding within the PAS domain fold of FixL, we have carried out picosecond visible pump-midinfrared probe spectroscopy on the isolated PAS domain of FixL from Bradyrhizobium japonicum. We employ the diatomic ligand CO as a probe of the ligand-dissociation pocket dynamics; upon photoexcitation with a visible laser pulse, CO is released and the infrared-active stretch frequency of the CO molecule changes, as it is very sensitive to interactions with the surrounding protein. The infrared absorption difference spectra indicate that the escape of photolyzed CO to solvent is preceded by transient docking within the protein in a manner similar to globins. A small-scale spectral change of the CO molecule on a picosecond time scale is likely due to changes in heme-protein conformation associated with cooling. A larger scale spectral evolution on a nanosecond time scale indicates a structural change in the protein, possibly related to changes in the beta-strands associated with the transition from CO-bound to deoxy in BjFixLH (Key, J.; Srajer, V.; Pahl, R.; Moffat, K. Biochemistry 2007, 46, 4706).


Aim: This study evaluated the morphological changes caused by
internal bleaching agents on dentin surface. Methods: Twenty crowns
of bovine incisors were cut into slabs that were randomly distributed
in six experimental groups (n = 5), according to the bleaching agent
used: G1 – sodium perborate + water, G2 – sodium perborate
+ 2% chlorhexidine gel, G3 – sodium perborate + 30% hydrogen
peroxide, G4 – 30% hydrogen peroxide, G5 – 37% carbamide
peroxide and G6 – gel base without carbamide. Two Control Groups
were used: C1 with distilled water and C2 with 2% chlorhexidine gel.
The specimens were immersed in the respective test bleaching agent and
incubated at 37 °C for seven days. Following, they were prepared
for scanning electron microscopy and five images from each tooth
segment were recorded and analyzed for surface morphological
alterations, by three previously calibrated examiners. Inter-examiner
agreement was verified using the Kappa test. The rank averages obtained
for the groups were subjected to Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance at
5% significance level. Results: The analysis of the scores obtained
indicated that all tested materials caused some morphological
alteration on dentin, except for sodium perborate + water (G1) and
Control Groups 1 and 2. Hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide caused
significantly more severe alterations (p < 0.05) to dentin
structure, than the other bleaching agents evaluated. Conclusions:
Sodium perborate-based pastes seemed to be the most harmless agent to
dentin structures in non-vital tooth bleaching, while hydrogen peroxide
solutions and carbamide peroxide agents caused the greatest
alterations.


The current data acquisition rate of astronomical transient surveys and the promise for significantly higher rates in the next decade necessitate the development of novel approaches to analyze astronomical data sets and promptly detect objects of interest. The Deeper, Wider, Faster (DWF) program is a survey focused on the identification of fast-evolving transients, such as fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, and supernova shock breakouts. It employs multifrequency simultaneous coverage of the same part of the sky over several orders of magnitude. Using the Dark Energy Camera mounted on the 4 m Blanco telescope, DWF captures a 20 s g-band exposure every minute, at a typical seeing of ∼1″ and an air mass of ∼1.5. These optical data are collected simultaneously with observations conducted over the entire electromagnetic spectrum—from radio to γ-rays—as well as cosmic-ray observations. In this paper, we present a novel real-time light-curve analysis algorithm, designed to detect transients in the DWF optical data; this algorithm functions independently from, or in conjunction with, image subtraction. We present a sample of fast transients detected by our algorithm, as well as a false-positive analysis. Our algorithm is customizable and can be tuned to be sensitive to transients evolving over different timescales and flux ranges.


(17/10/2019) Effects of azole fungicides on the function of sex and thyroid hormones Azole-fungicides are frequently used in Denmark. Epoxiconazole, propiconazole, and tebuconazole had endocrine disrupting properties in cell based assays. In rats, epoxiconazole and tebuconazole increased gestational length, maternal progesterone level, and masculinized female-offspring. Besides, tebuconazole caused feminization of male-offspring. Similar effects were previously demonstrated for prochloraz. The results indicate that azole-fungicides in general have endocrine disrupting properties.