Studies of the fantastic and attempts to define the fantastic as a genre have always presupposed a human-centered ontology. But the anthropocentric hierarchies of Enlightenment thought, embodied by the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, are precisely what the fantastic seeks to undermine. The fantastic posits a flat ontology where humans and objects stand on equal ground, where objects act, and where human subjects are frequently objectified. After tracing a line from Kant to Théophile Gautier through E. T. A. Hoffmann, this article considers other fantastic narratives by Mérimée and Maupassant to suggest how the fantastic undermines an Enlightenment human-centered worldview while theorizing the hidden life of things. This reading leads us to tentatively redefine the fantastic as a form of speculative realism, as a genre that takes the presence and perspective of objects seriously and that embeds this object-oriented ontology into the texts in ways that trouble the reader's subject-centered consciousness.


This article details the results of a plausibility probe of a policy-media interaction model designed to identify instances of media influence. If sufficient evidence is found to support the model, it can be used as part of a wider study examining the impact of media coverage on decisions to intervene during humanitarian crisis, the so-called CNN effect. The model predicts media influence when policy is uncertain and media coverage is framed so as to be critical of government and empathizes with suffering people. In order to test the model, it is applied to two cases: US intervention in Bosnia in 1995 in order to defend the Gorazde `safe area' and Operation Allied Force in Kosovo in 1999. In the first case, the model highlights the impact of critical, empathizing media coverage and policy uncertainty in effecting the US decision to defend the Gorazde `safe area'. In the second case, the failure of critical newspaper coverage to change the Clinton Administration's air-war policy highlights the limits of media influence when there exists policy certainty. Overall, it is argued that the plausibility probe supports the prediction that media influence occurs when policy is uncertain and media coverage is critically framed and empathizes with suffering people. And that when policy is certain, media influence is unlikely to occur. As such, the policy-media interaction model should prove a useful tool in testing the claim that media coverage causes intervention during humanitarian crisis.


Natural graphite was oxidized via the Hummer's method and sonicated to obtain graphene oxide (GO). A three-step modification process was performed to attach a reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-agent onto the GO surface and obtain GO-RAFT nanosheets. RAFT polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and acrylic acid (AA) was performed by using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. After separation of free chains, GO-P(HEMA) and GO-P(HEMA-co-AA) were obtained. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the structure of modified nanosheets. These modified nanosheets showed dual pH- and thermo-sensitive properties as measured by UV-visible spectroscopy. Due to the dark nature of GO-P(HEMA) and GO-P(HEMA-co-AA) nanosheets, the UV-visible absorption of their solutions is an effective parameter to examine the stimuli responsive behavior as measured here at different pH (3–12) and temperature (25–55 °C) values. According to the results, UV-visible absorption of GO-P(HEMA) decreases slightly as pH decreases while the decrease is more significant for GO-P(HEMA-co-AA). Also, a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 30 and 34 °C is observed for GO-P(HEMA) and GO-P(HEMA-co-AA) nanosheets respectively.


In this paper, we derive concentration of measure inequalities for compressive Toeplitz matrices (having fewer rows than columns) with entries drawn from an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian random sequence. These inequalities show that the norm of a vector mapped by a Toeplitz matrix to a lower dimensional space concentrates around its mean with a tail probability bound that decays exponentially in the dimension of the range space divided by a factor that is a function of the sample covariance of the vector. Motivated by the emerging field of Compressive Sensing (CS), we apply these inequalities to problems involving the analysis of high-dimensional systems from convolution-based compressive measurements. We discuss applications such as system identification, namely the estimation of the impulse response of a system, in cases where one can assume that the impulse response is high-dimensional, but sparse. We also consider the problem of detecting a change in the dynamic behavior of a system, where the change itself can be modeled by a system with a sparse impulse response.


Purpose: Studies indicate that poor medication compliance often hinders positive treatment outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. Risperidone long-acting injectable and paliperidone palmitate theoretically aid compliance as they are given only once every two or four weeks, respectively. Because the two formulations share similar pharmacologic and pharmacokinetic properties, further evaluation is required to determine whether clinically significant differences in patient outcome exist and the impact of these variations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia receiving risperidone longacting injectable incur improved clinical outcomes or lowered costs than patients receiving paliperidone palmitate.
Methods: A retrospective cohort chart review was conducted on patients who had an encounter at our institution while receiving risperidone long-acting injectable or paliperidone palmitate from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012. The primary objective of this study was to determine the total cost of psychiatric-related care for patients receiving paliperidone palmitate versus risperidone long‑acting injectable. Secondary objectives included comparisons of hospitalization days and emergency department encounters in patient-days, time to discontinuation, and time to first relapse. A subgroup analysis was conducted on patients receiving injections through a local ambulatory psychiatric facility.
Results: A total of 47 patients were included in the primary analysis with 30 patients included in the ambulatory psychiatric subgroup analysis. Risperidone long-acting injectable patients incurred lower psychiatryrelated treatment costs per patient-day than paliperidone palmitate under the total (p=0.032) and ambulatory psychiatric subgroup (p=0.049) analyses. Ambulatory psychiatric risperidone long-acting injectable patients were found to require fewer psychiatric inpatient days (p=0.044) than paliperidone palmitate patients.
Conclusion: Use of risperidone long-acting injectable was associated with significantly fewer psychiatric inpatient days and lower psychiatryrelated costs than paliperidone palmitate in our population of communitydwelling patients with schizophrenia.


During summer 1994, the production regime at 2 sites located in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, one in the Permanent Open Ocean Zone (POOZ) at 52° S, and a second in the Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ) at 63° S, was dominated by regeneration (0.3 < f-ratio < 0.4). Two time series, each of about 4 d, were performed over pre-determined time intervals of 4 h using a free-floating sediment trap set at 200 m at the 2 sites. Hourly variations of C, N, chlorophyll a (chl a) and its degradation products, taxon-specific pigments, lipid classes and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) were measured simultaneously. Measurements in the water column were done during the sediment trap drifting. Fucoxanthin, a typical diatom pigment, was the major accessory pigment found in the trap material at the 2 stations, whereas, in the water column, the phytoplankton was dominated by flagellates in the POOZ and diatoms in the SIZ. This suggests selective grazing of diatoms by zooplankton and/or mass sinking of diatoms, at least in the POOZ. However, since the set of compounds exhibited strong diel cycles in the POOZ, the export flux appears to mainly result from the zooplankton. The results are ambiguous as to whether the intensified sedimentation at night resulted from vertical migration of euphausiids, since copepods crossing the pycnocline were rare, and/or the nocturnal increase of feeding activity of copepods and microzooplankton. At the SIZ, diatoms dominated in the mixed layer and at the deep phytoplankton maximum (DPM) located at the depth of the temperature minimum (50 to 100 m). However, pigment signature in the trap material suggested the selective sedimentation of nanoflagellates (essentially pelagophytes). Correspondingly, there was high proportions of sterols up to 40 % in the trap material. The diel variations somewhat resembling POOZs, the low chl a-to-phaeopigments ratio and the presence of phaeopigments in their most degraded forms were strong indications of the key role played by zooplankton in the export fluxes in the SIZ. Hence, the selective feeding of phytoplankton by zooplankton strongly influenced the sedimentation pathways in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean. Additionally, DMSP, which is produced by phytoplankton in superficial waters, is shown to be as labile as chl a when processed by grazers.


The control of nonlinear system is the hotspot in the control field. The paper proposes an algorithm to solve the tracking and robustness problem for the discrete-time nonlinear system. The completed control algorithm contains three parts. First, the dynamic linearization model of nonlinear system is designed based on Model Free Adaptive Control, whose model parameters are calculated by the input and output data of system . Second, the model error is estimated using the Quasi-sliding mode control algorithm , hence, the whole model of system is estimated . Finally, the neural network PID controller is designed to get the optimal control law. The convergence and BIBO stability of the control system is proved by the Lyapunov function. The simulation results in the linear and nonlinear system validate the effectiveness and robustness of the algorithm. The robustness effort of Quasi-sliding mode control algorithm in nonlinear system is also verified in the paper.


Summary: The capacity of culture filtrates of Mycobacterium smegmatis growing in iron-deficient medium to solubilize inorganic iron increases throughout the growth phase. When the source of iron, either ferric phosphate or ferritin, was contained within diffusion capsules, bacteria grew unimpeded indicating that freely-diffusible iron chelates were being produced which could support growth. The maximum production of the iron-binding compounds, termed exochelins, occurred with 0·03 μg iron ml-1 in the medium; with 1·0 μg iron ml-1 (giving iron-sufficient growth) the amount of exochelin produced was less than 0·1% of the maximum level. Using ion-exchange chromatography at least six exochelins were recovered from culture filtrates. The major compound, constituting about 60% of the total, was isolated, purified and partially characterized. It solubilized iron from inorganic and organic forms, stimulated growth of M. smegmatis in serum, was freely diffusible in both its ferri and desferri forms, and transferred the chelated iron to cells at a rate which was independent of its concentration.


Periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) is a disorder characterized by a cyclic pattern of motor phenomena and EEG changes (mostly arousals), both recurring at approximately 20- to 40-s intervals. The periodicity of the PLMS phenomena recalls the physiological EEG arousal rhythm of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep known as the cyclic alternating pattern (CAP). During CAP, arousals and arousal-equivalent features do not appear as isolated events but periodically intrude (phase A) between intervals of background EEG activity (phase B). Though the A phases can be expressed by a variety of EEG patterns, each with a different arousal impact on polygraphic parameters, overall CAP is a sequence of biphasic cycles reflecting a condition of unstable sleep. Twelve middle-aged PLMS subjects complaining of poor sleep were polygraphically compared with 12 age-matched and gender-matched healthy volunteers (controls). With respect to controls, the PLMS recordings showed an enhancement of the more powerful arousals and presented significantly increased amounts of CAP time (+45 min) and CAP rate (+15%). Of all the jerks detected in NREM sleep, 92% occurred in CAP, with the great majority of limb movements (96%) associated with phase A. Ninety-four percent of the nocturnal jerks coupled with phase A started jointly with the onset of the phase or when the latter had already begun. In particular, most of the myoclonic events (67%) occurred in the first 2.5 s of the A phase. The CAP cycles coupled with periodic movements were significantly longer than those without motor events (+6.4 s). Compared to the American Sleep Disorders Association's rules for scoring EEG arousals, the CAP framework offers a more extensive insight into PLMS. In effect, the present study indicates an entrainment of nocturnal myoclonus by means of CAP and sheds light on the complex interactions between arousal mechanisms and motor phenomena during sleep.


This study has been performed in Agricultural Research Directorate labs, Ministry of Science and Technology. Amid to develop a new method to differentiate between irradiated and non-irradiated potatoes. Our laboratory experiments were able to develop a new method for differentiation; this method depends on (volume, viscosity, and color intensity) measurements of potatoes water extract, together with the value of reduced pressure measurements during filtration of the water extract. Doses of (0.075, 0.15 and 0.20 kGy) were applied. The results obtained shows a considerable increase in volume, viscosity and reduced pressure values of the water extract of irradiated potatoes as compared to untreated control, with an increase values between treated samples as the dose increases. While the color intensity values of the water extract shows a considerable decrease in values as compared to untreated control. A gradual decrease in values was observed between treated samples as the applied doses increases. The results obtained appeared to be suitable to distinguish between irradiated and non- irradiated potato tubers, and also practically useful for the estimation of the applied doses.


This thesis aimed to study all available short-term load forecasting methods in an attempt to suggest a solution (algorithm/structure) which gives the most appropriate forecast output for a typical input data set containing historical load data with or without weather variables input data. In this study, matters such as forecast accuracy, speed, development/implementation costs, and historical data validation were observed very closely. The two most successful time series based (conventional) load forecasting methods namely, auto regressive moving average and general exponential smoothing have been thoroughly studied and implemented, using available power utility input data. The relevant forecasting results along with discussion highlighting the inherent problems associated with conventional methods are presented. To fully examine the operation of a neural network for short-term load forecasting, a brief introduction to its theory and its implementation techniques is presented. Two major types of neural network structure (connection) for one-hour and 24-hour ahead load forecasting were selected. This is supplemented by two learning algorithms that are used for training and testing of the networks. To obtain the best possible forecast results, some structure modification was implemented along with the introduction of a modified learning algorithm. The sample forecast results for a standard and a proposed systems are shown. The proposed 24-hour ahead neural network forecast was compared with the results obtained from the most accurate conventional method using the same input data for training of the neural network and for model identification using this conventional method. v


Some industrial and laboratory applications such as control, monitoring, test and measurements, and automation require real-time systems for their development. Embedded systems for acquisition and processing often require the participation of the embedded operating system and therefore are necessary techniques that can accelerate software execution. The latest field-programmable gate arrays' (FPGA) technology has blurred the distinction between hardware and software with embedded processors that allow the development of Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC) running on operating systems. The widespread adoption of wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Wi-Fi in the last years has facilitated the use of these technologies to the development of real-time monitoring applications that combined with FPGA devices which has the advantages of low cost, flexibility, and scalability as compared with other commercial systems.


Background There is a noticeable increase in the use of motorcycles in our communities for commercial transportation. It has been reported that the risk of dying for every kilometre travelled from a motorcycle crash is 20 times higher than from a motor vehicular crash. Objectives This study was done to determine the incidence and trend of Motorcycle Injuries (MCI) in our community. Methods A prospective study of patients presenting with MCI at a University Hospital in Nigeria over a 3-year period was done using a structured questionnaire. Results There were 432 MCI patients, 5 : 1 predominance of males over females, age range 3–80 years, median 30. The yearly incidence (morbidity n; mortality % of n) were (112, 7.0%), (158, 7.5%) and (162, 15.4%) for the first, second and third year respectively. Riders were (363, 84.1%) and pedestrians (69, 16.0%). Only one rider (0.3%) wore a helmet. Common Injuries sustained were extremities alone (168, 38.9%), head injuries alone (119, 27.5%), head and extremities (110, 25.5%). Twenty-four patients (5.6%) needed intensive care; all had head injury and about three-quarters died (p<0.05). Forty-five patients (10.4%) died overall, 91% of these were head injured and none had used a crash helmet. Significance There is an increasing incidence of and mortality from MCI. Poor use of crash helmets and Head injuries is common amongst mortalities. There is need for education of riders and enforcement of helmet use.


A detailed study of the wavelength dependence of the formation of lenslets by photo-expansion in chalcogenide glasses is reported. Photo-expansion in chalcogenide glasses offers a one-step fabrication process to record surface structures such as gratings and microlenses. The process is purely optical and requires no fixing and etching to get the desired surface structure. Two competing effects, namely large volumes accessed by low energy photons and large magnitudes of photostructural changes due to high energy photons, provide the possibility of using different fabrication techniques to obtain lenslets by the photo-expansion process. Strongly absorbed 514.5 nm light is used to record micro-optical lenslets in As/sub 2/S/sub 3/ glass and up to 10% relative volume changes are observed. The low power density requirements at this wavelength are used to demonstrate a parallel lithographic fabrication technique for recording lenslets with high repeatability and throughput, and with excellent control over curvature and dimensions. The magnitude of surface dilation is maximized at the photon energy that combines the advantage of short wavelength exposures in producing large percentage volume changes, with the advantage of low energy photons in irradiating large volumes of the glass matrix. A variety of wavelengths within the Urbach tail range of the optical absorption edge are employed to find the optimal wavelength for large absolute volume changes in As/sub 2/S/sub 3/ glass. Lenslets as high as 8 /spl mu/m are fabricated with focused light exposures from a dye laser operating at 584.5 nm. Lenslets are structurally characterized with alpha-step scanners and an atomic force microscope (AFM) and are optically characterized by testing the collimation of 1550-nm light emerging from a single-mode fiber with these lenslets.


OBJECTIVE--To determine the policies applied in genitourinary medicine (GUM) departments in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland with regard to hepatitis B vaccination. DESIGN--All genitourinary medicine consultants were sent a questionnaire requesting information concerning their selection criteria and the management of patients offered Hepatitis B vaccine. If no response was obtained a second questionnaire was sent. The survey was carried out in 1993. SETTING--All genitourinary medicine departments in UK and Ireland. PARTICIPANTS--234 consultants were sent the questionnaire. 153 consultants responded. RESULTS--Overall, there was a 65.4% response rate to the questionnaire. Almost all genitourinary physicians would offer the vaccine to male homosexuals and up to 74% offer it to all male homosexuals, intravenous drug users (IVDU) and prostitutes. Of the genitourinary physicians, 96% agreed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological markers should be checked prior to or simultaneously with vaccination, yet there was no agreement as to which marker should be performed. Up to 79% of consultants recalled the patients to check their response to vaccination but only 61% offered long term follow up after vaccination. CONCLUSION--HBV vaccine is offered to all male homosexuals, IVDU and prostitutes in GUM departments. Currently, the vaccine is not generally offered to patients who present with sexually transmitted diseases. Almost all genitourinary physicians (96%) agree that HBV serological markers should be checked prior to or simultaneously with the start of the vaccination course and 80% would request hepatitis B surface antibody levels after vaccination to identify inadequate responders and non-responders. From this survey, there appears to be a need for uniform post-vaccination HBV screening and timing and frequency of booster doses.


We have shown that Protease N treated Royal Jelly (ProRJ) and peptides from ProRJ (Ile-Tyr (IY), Val-Tyr (VY), Ile-Val-Tyr (IVY)) inhibited angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and they have an antihypertensive effect in repeated oral administration for 28 d on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). We investigated the contributive ratio of these peptides in ProRJ for antihypertensive effect in single oral administration on SHR. In single oral administration of each peptide and peptides mixture (MIX; IY, VY and IVY) at doses of 0.5, 1 and 10 mg/kg, systolic blood pressure (SBP) of SHR was reduced dose-dependently. This antihypertensive effect was held for 8 h. These results suggest that peptides contributed to the antihypertensive effect of ProRJ. And the contributive ratio of MIX in ProRJ for antihypertensive effect was computed to be about 38%. Therefore it is considered that intake of peptides, as a functional food would be beneficial for improving blood pressure in people with hypertension.


The principal focus of the study is to show the nature and extent of the incentives trade policy liberalisation could provide on the way to further boost the economy of Algeria. It also tries to find out what the economic position would be, should the trade regime be more or fully liberalisation by reducing or elimination the existing tariff. In this study, different types of external price shocks are also considered in order to test the response of the economy. Model results indicate that by reducing tariffs, domestic output increase in almost all the sectors but government revenue and saving decline significantly. Government revenue fall due to the reduction/elimination of tariff could be compensated by reducing net subsides to the corporate sector and also by increasing income tax in a progressive way. Exports also increase showing the justification of the liberalisation and also supporting the argument that tariffs bias exports. But the increase in total import is bigger than the increase in exports which causes a deterioration of the real balance of trade, but the elimination of tariff increase private consumption and total absorption. Export price shocks in petroleum sectors chow a fall in domestic output and consequently a fall in value added and total employment. Domestic terms of trade of exports deteriorate and exports fall. This also causes a fall in GDP, private consumption and total absorption. The government revenue declines and budget deficits worsen. A 10 percent devaluation in the real exchange rate shows a fall in domestic output in aggregate  agriculture and service whereas an increase in output in industry. GDP at factor cost also falls simultaneously with a fall in total absorption and private consumption. Devaluation pushes up exports in the majority of the sectors and brings down import in some sectors only.  Keywords: External Shocks, trade policies, Algerian Economy, Computable General Equilibrium Model.


The first part of the article is a lecture prepared for the 15th International Conference on Cosmic Rays (Plovdiv, Bulgaria, August 1977). In addition to historical aspects a number of questions are discussed in the lecture concerning the present state of the problem of the origin of cosmic rays. Among them are the following: proof of the existence of a cosmic ray halo and a radio halo of our Galaxy and a discussion of the relation between the homogeneous galactic model and the halo model as applied to radioactive nuclei (specifically, to 10Be nuclei). The Appendices present some information on the work of the 15th International Conference on Cosmic Rays and also a number of remarks complementing the lecture in the light of new data, etc.


The ascorbic acid (ASC) system functions dynamically in seeds, although the strategies for ASC production and utilization may vary according to seed developmental and functional stages. In orthodox seeds, ASC content and ASC peroxidase activity increase during the early stages of development, then decrease during the desiccation stage, so that, at quiescence, seeds have neither ASC nor ASC peroxidase, but retain a small amount of dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and significant activities of ASC recycling enzymes. ASC and ASC peroxidase activity re-start after a few hours from the onset of imbibition. In contrast, the ASC system is little affected during germination of recalcitrant seeds. Although the presence of the ASC system in seeds has often been considered only within the framework of seed antioxidant defences, ASC function in seeds is also likely to be related to its action as a specific co-substrate required for the activity of dioxygenases (e.g. 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylate oxidase, gibberellic acid hydroxylases and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases) involved in the synthesis of ethylene, gibberellins and abscisic acid, respectively. The possible role of ASC in coordinating the activities of these key enzymes is discussed.


Color image segmentation is probably the most important task in image analysis and understanding. A novel Human Perception Based Color Image Segmentation System is presented in this paper. This system uses a neural network architecture. The neurons here uses a multisigmoid activation function. The multisigmoid activation function is the key for segmentation. The number of steps ie. thresholds in the multisigmoid function are dependent on the number of clusters in the image. The threshold values for detecting the clusters and their labels are found automatically from the first order derivative of histograms of saturation and intensity in the HSI color space. Here the main use of neural network is to detect the number of objects automatically from an image. It labels the objects with their mean colors. The algorithm is found to be reliable and works satisfactorily on different kinds of color images.


OBJECTIVE: To study whether there will be a permanent lumbar nerve root scarring or degeneration secondary to continuous compression followed by decompression on the nerve roots, which can account for postlaminectomy leg weakness or back pain.

METHODS: The study was performed at the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 2003-2005. Twenty-six adult male New Zealand rabbits were used in the present study. The ventral roots of the left fourth lumbar nerve were clamped for 2 weeks then decompression was allowed by removal of the clips. The left ventral roots of the fourth lumbar nerve were excised for electron microscopic study.

RESULTS: One week after nerve root decompression, the ventral root peripheral to the site of compression showed signs of Wallerian degeneration together with signs of regeneration. Schwann cells and myelinated nerve fibers showed severe degenerative changes. Two weeks after decompression, the endoneurium of the ventral root showed extensive edema with an increase in the regenerating myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, and fibroblasts proliferation. Three weeks after decompression, the endoneurium showed an increase in the regenerating myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers with diminution of the endoneurial edema, and number of macrophages and an increase in collagen fibrils. Five and 6 weeks after decompression, the endoneurium showed marked diminution of the edema, macrophages, mast cells and fibroblasts. The endoneurium was filled of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers and collagen fibrils.

CONCLUSION: Decompression of the compressed roots of a spinal nerve is followed by regeneration of the nerve fibers and nerve recovery without endoneurial scarring


The evolution of exaggerated sexual ornamentation is classically thought to proceed as a compromise between opposing vectors of sexual and natural selection. In colour-based ornamentation, as exhibited by guppies (Poecilia reticulata), heightened trait expression may be beneficial in promoting attractiveness, but costly in terms of predation. Opportunities to reconcile this compromise will exist if there are differences between conspecifics and predators in their sensory systems; in such situations guppies should evolve to exploit the ways in which their ornamentation would appear maximally conspicuous to conspecifics. In the present study, we addressed this hypothesis via a study of geographic variation employing the most sophisticated colour analysis yet attempted for Trinidadian guppies. We made two paired contrasts, one between two Aripo populations that vary in the presence of the potential predator Aequidens pulcher, and another between Quare and Marianne populations that vary in exposure to a predatory prawn, Macrobrachium crenulatum. We predicted that, if ornamentation is constrained by the presence of either predator, then guppy conspicuousness should change most markedly across each of the two paired populations as viewed by that predator. Although disparity analysis of entire colour patterns indicated significant differences in both contrasts, this prediction was most clearly supported for the Marianne/Quare contrast. Marianne fish, which co-exist with prawns, exhibited larger black spots coupled with less extensive, less bright flank iridescence. The brightness reductions are notable because, as the only potential guppy predator with a dedicated ultraviolet (UV) photoreceptor, prawns may detect passing male guppies via their UV-bright blues, violets and 'UV/oranges'. We discuss our findings in light of the additional insights that might be obtained by combining spectral assessments and visual modeling with more traditional methods of colour pattern appraisal.


We present a new model for the two-photon photorefractive recording process. We solved the resulting set of nonlinear coupled partial differential equations of the model within a linear approximation of the steady state. We found very good agreement with experimental results.


We present a scheme of probabilistic dense coding using a quantum channel of general pure entangled states.Furthermore, the efficiency of information transmitted in this scheme is calculated.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the standard deviation of the nasalance scores in patients having normal and abnormal nasal resonance and to determine its potential value for clinical use. Additionally, the mean nasalance scores were examined across varying degrees of hypernasality.

DESIGN
Prospective study design.

SETTING
Pediatric tertiary care hospital.

PATIENTS
One hundred and forty-eight subjects, ranging in age from 4;0 to 37;0 years, having repaired cleft lip and/or palate and normal resonance, inconsistent, mild, or moderate/severe hypernasality.

PROCEDURES
Oral-nasal acoustic measurements were made using the Nasometer. The standard deviation and mean nasalance scores were calculated for subjects reading three standard passages (Zoo Passage. Rainbow Passage, Nasal Sentences).

RESULTS
The major finding in this study showed that the standard deviation score cannot distinguish speakers beyond a gross normal and abnormal resonance diagnostic category. The values obtained could not be used to distinguish among the varying degrees of hypernasality. A secondary finding was that a mean nasalance score in the high 20 s could be used to differentiate speakers with borderline velopharyngeal function from those who were non-nasal.

CONCLUSIONS
In general, the standard deviation value serves little overall clinical utility; however, it may be of benefit in some specific clinical situations. In support of previous research, the mean nasalance score continues to be the best measure of nasalance. It should serve as a supplement to but not a substitute for clinical judgments.


This study was carried out with 86 Bituminaria bituminosa genotypes collected from Central Black Sea Region of Northern Anatolia in Samsun in 2012. After seed cleaning, germination tests and scarifying the seeds with sandpaper, seeds were sown in small pots. In November of 2012, the seedlings were transplanted to experimental field. No fertilizer and water applied throughout the study and spring and autumn elongation, hay yield and harvesting number in the second year of the plants (2014) were observed during the study. According to correlation analysis, there was a negative and statistically significant linear correlation between altitude and spring elongation, autumn elongation, harvest number. There was also a negative statistically insignificant correlation between altitude and hay yield. A positive and significant correlation was found between hay yield and spring and autumn elongations, harvest number; between spring and autumn elongations and number of harvest. Some genotypes taken from high altitudes stayed dormant in winter period, furthermore they started elongation later than the others and a slight growth was recorded in autumn. In the light of these results, it is possible to develop dormancy groups for Bituminaria bituminosa cultivars in future.


Building footprints have been shown to be extremely useful in urban planning, infrastructure development, and roof modeling. Current methods for creating these footprints are often highly manual and rely largely on architectural blueprints or skilled modelers. In this work we use aerial LIDAR data to generate building footprints automatically. Existing automatic methods have been mostly unsuccessful due to large amounts of noise around building edges. We present a novel Bayesian technique for automatically constructing building footprints from a pre-classified LIDAR point cloud. Our algorithm first computes a bounded- error approximate building footprint using an application of the shortest path algorithm. We then determine the most probable building footprint by maximizing the posterior probability using linear optimization and simulated annealing techniques. We have applied our algorithm to more than 300 buildings in our data set and observe that we obtain accurate building footprints compared to the ground truth. Our algorithm is automatic and can be applied to other man-made shapes such as roads and telecommunication lines with minor modifications.


In recent years, the mobile data explosion and the evolution of the Web have changed the market landscape. New players are participating and creating a new value chain shaped by new business relationships and new and valuable enhancements to end user applications and experiences. As a result, finding a way to promote an environment of innovation and investment stability is a key requirement for our industry. To be successful in this new market reality, network providers must understand the strategic implications, strengths, risks and costs of typical and emerging business models, and also understand where they can be used most effectively to create market differentiation. This paper reviews the state of the industry, trends and lessons learned from the new environment to promote business models where innovation and investment co-exist in the new value chain. Using primary market research with network providers, end users, enterprises, and application and content providers (ACPs) the paper uncovers what each value chain player values, emerging industry norms, and the innovative business models being deployed for new revenue streams. It offers a new way to look at these business models to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.


The Open Internet Order is the result of a multi-year Federal Communications Commission (FCC) effort to address the challenge of net neutrality. This paper analyzes the impact of the Open Internet Order on universities in terms of standard operating procedures, costs, security, privacy, and quality of education. This paper only considers the US regulations that affect Internet access and their implications on universities. These regulations may also have wide-ranging international implications, which are not considered here.


A survey was undertaken in three districts of Zambia namely; Monze, Mpongwe and Chipata which are hosting the Agriculture Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) Sub-project titled "Developing Conservation Agriculture (CA) in Maize-Legume Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique". The overall objective of this study was to get farmer perceptions of CA practices in the study districts for key information and research gaps that will contribute towards the development of CA based research agenda. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from the respondents. Data generated was subjected to analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results revealed that the major hindrances to the application of CA practices lay in biophysical, technological, land, institutional and agro-climatic constraints. Generally, farmers reported weeds as a major biophysical constraint to the implementation of CA technologies with Monze standing at 81.6% of the respondents followed by Mpongwe 58.1% and Chipata 52.1% respectively. This study recommends strengthening social networks of the community in order for them to have access to CA technologies information. Enhancing institutional linkages between Research, Extension and Meteorology departments is critical for dissemination of weather information which would aid in decision-making as to when farm operations would be carried out for improved agriculture productivity and production in the APPSA Project areas of Monze, Mpongwe and Chipata districts.


Introduction: Asthma is an inflammatory disease, which can be exacerbated by stimuli such as viral infections and exposure to allergens. Asthma continues to be a profound public health problem due to asthma exacerbation in a low proportion of patients in need of more effective medications. Areas covered: The C5 complement pathway has been proposed as a new target for the treatment of asthma, supported by clinical observations of increased C5a levels in asthmatic airways, constitutive expression of C5 receptors on bronchial epithelium and smooth muscle cells, and preclinical studies in mice demonstrating inhibition of C5 cleavage reduced established airway inflammation and improves lung function. Eculizumab is a monoclonal antibody, which binds to the complement protein C5, thereby preventing the formation of C5a and C5b-9. The research discussed in this review describes development of eculizumab for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and the efficacy of eculizumab on allergen-induced asthmatic responses in a placebo-controlled study. Expert opinion: In an allergen-challenge model of asthma, there was a significant period effect with eculizumab, with inhibition of the late asthmatic response in subjects who received placebo treatment first. Although this study provides some evidence that eculizumab may be effective to attenuate allergen-induced responses, the role of C5 in asthma remains to be clarified.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Records is a market that can be used to brighten the future of lots of black people with jobs and higher prestige all over the country," Jimmy Liggins announced in 1976 to the readers of the Carolina Times, Durham, North Carolina's most prominent African American newspaper. Liggins, a minor rhythm and blues star of the 1950s, was publicizing his Duplex National Black Gold Record Pool, headquartered in Durham, which sought to "help and assist black people to own and sell the music and talent blacks produce." With the aid of this "self helping program," aspiring hit-makers could record and release music that Black Gold sold through mail order and at Liggins's shop, Snoopy's Records, in downtown Durham. (1) Kenny Mann vividly recalls his frequent trips to Snoopy's as a teenager in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Liggins "was like a god" to Mann and other young customers who patronized the store. "Everybody knew" Liggins and his two business partners, Henry Bates and Paul Truitt. "These guys, I was listening to them talk about bringing Tyrone Davis and Johnny Taylor and A1 Green to town ... It was fun to go [to their store] because it felt like the place to be; there were girls in there, and I was twelve, thirteen years old." Not only that, but Mann "never felt the pressure to buy something" like he did in stores in his hometown of Chapel Hill, where white shopkeepers frequently followed young African American shoppers around their businesses, suspecting they might shoplift. "They had a double standard," Mann remembers. Chapel Hill "really was set up as if they didn't want to do business with us black people." In sharp contrast, Liggins envisioned Snoopy's as "our mall"--a "hang out" where black consumers could buy black music in a record store owned and operated by African Americans. Black-owned record stores like Snoopy's represented a crucial nexus where African American enterprise, consumer culture, community, and of course, music all met. And by the early 1970s, Liggins was booking and promoting shows for Mann's band, which eventually became Liquid Pleasure, the popular Chapel Hill-based funk and soul outfit still active today. In the postwar United States, record stores were perhaps the place where consumers most commonly interacted with individuals who made their living from popular culture. Yet, while music writers and scholars have devoted much attention to black-oriented radio stations and record labels, we still know very little about the retail businesses from which African Americans purchased music, especially in the South. Conservative estimates would suggest that at least 400 to 500 black-owned record stores--and probably closer to one thousand--were in operation throughout the region during this period. An examination of the black-owned record stores in one southern state, North Carolina, not only reveals valuable insights about the southern marketplace for African American music, but also much about the broader role consumer culture played in southern black communities during these transitional decades. While desegregation measures were beginning to significantly alter the racial make-up of some areas of southern society, such as public schools, many African American record retailers and consumers hesitated to assimilate into white-dominated pop-music marketplaces. Black merchandisers envisioned the record trade as an arena in which African Americans could pursue a broader strategy of bolstering economic self-sufficiency and sustaining black public life. And by seeking out music from black-owned record stores, African American consumers partook in a vibrant form of commercial public life, a community-based consumer culture that welcomed shoppers regardless of their color, age, or financial means. (2) AFRICAN AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP African American entrepreneurship dates back centuries, but in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, black communities in the South expressed renewed interest in harnessing business' potential for self-empowerment. …


Cancer is a rare occurrence among neonates. NICU nurses must have the knowledge base and skills to comfortably and competently care for infants with this disease and their families. This case study provides an overview of neonatal malignancies and a review of clinical management and chemotherapeutic treatments.


We report the nematic and smectic ordering in an aqueous suspension of monolayer alpha -Zirconium phosphate platelets possessing a high polydispersity in diameter but uniform thickness. We observe an isotropic-nematic transition as the platelet volume fraction increases, followed by the formation of a smectic, an elusive phase that has been rarely seen in discotic liquid crystals. The smectic phase is characterized by x-ray diffraction high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. The phase equilibria in this highly polydisperse suspension are rationalized in terms of a theoretical approach based on density-functional theory.


Beginning with this article, our special issue advances the understanding of the role of professions in processes of institutional change and through this it proposes a retheorization of contemporary professionalism. Using institutionalist lenses in professional settings, we highlight the relationship between professionalization and broader institutionalization projects. We start by critically reviewing existing approaches in the sociology of the professions, identifying a functionalist and a conflict-based approach. Then, we build on and further elaborate an institutionalist perspective on professional work. Such a perspective affirms the importance of studying professions as institutions and connecting professionalization to broader patterns of institutionalization; it highlights the role of professions and professionals as agents in the creation, maintenance, and disruption of institutions, and recognizes the importance of accommodating contemporary patterns of professionalization within the organizational context. We also illustrate how, empirically, the eight papers in this issue advance our understanding of professional agency in contemporary change and, theoretically, contribute to the reconceptualization of the study of professionalism. Finally, we briefly summarize our contribution and identify a series of directions for further research.


The asymmetric reduction of ketones with pinacolborane (HBpin) has been catalysed by an enantioenriched borane catalyst, formed in situ from 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (H-B-9-BBN) and β-pinene. While previously only used stoichiometrically, this borane has now been rendered catalytic using a new turnover mechanism, B-O transborylation. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the key B-O/B-H transborylation showed this is a sub-class of σ-bond metathesis.


The new Cobalt-60 gamma-ray irradiator, recently installed at the Davis campus, is designed specifically for biological research. The first application of the new facility involves a study of possibilities for extending the storage life of fruits by irradiation. The irradiator has also been used in studies of genetic mutations and breeding programs for agricultural products. Desirable features for research include a large, uniform radiation field, temperature control, atmospheric modification, and safety of operation. Ten feet of de-ionized water in this pool-type unit maintains a constant radiation barrier against the 32,500 curies of Cobalt-60. The unit is one of the largest of its type in existence.


The mobile industry has experienced a dramatic growth; it evolves from analog to digital 2G (GSM), then to high date rate cellular wireless communication such as 3G (WCDMA), and further to packet optimized 3.5G (HSPA) and 4G (LTE and LTE advanced) systems. Today, the main design challenges of mobile phone antenna are the requirements of small size, built-in structure, and multisystems in multibands, including all cellular 2G, 3G, 4G, and other noncellular radio-frequency (RF) bands, and moreover the need for a nice appearance and meeting all standards and requirements such as specific absorption rates (SARs), hearing aid compatibility (HAC), and over the air (OTA). This paper gives an overview of some important antenna designs and progress in mobile phones in the last 15 years, and presents the recent development on new antenna technology for LTE and compact multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) terminals.


Focusing on the role of the investment horizon, we analyze the inflation-hedging abilities of stocks, bonds, cash and direct commercial real estate investments. Based on vector autoregression for the UK market we find that the inflation-hedging abilities of all assets improve with the investment horizon. For long horizons, real estate seems to hedge unexpected inflation as well as cash. This has implications for the difference between the return volatility of real returns versus the return volatility of nominal returns, and ultimately for portfolio choice. Portfolio optimizations based on real returns yield higher allocations to cash and real estate than optimizations based on nominal returns. Bonds tend to be less attractive for an investor taking into account inflation. Switching from nominal to real returns, the allocation to stocks is decreasing at medium investment horizon, but increasing at long horizons.


Abstract The reign of Sultan 'Alā' al-Dīn Kayqubād (1219-1237) is depicted by both mediaeval and modern sources as the apogee of the Saljūq Sultanate of Rūm (Anatolia) (c. 1081–1308). The later court historian, Ibn Bībī, reflected subsequent generations' perception of 'Alā' al-Dīn when he recorded that "the earth has never borne a king the like of him, nor have the high heavens looked down on such a one". Above all, his reign was remembered for the great military conquests that unified much of Anatolia under Saljūq rule. To the north, south and east neighbouring principalities, both Muslim and Christian, were either annexed outright or reduced to tributary status in a series of memorable campaigns.


Background Medicines with anticholinergic activity have been linked to a variety of adverse drug reactions in the elderly. Purpose To determine the anticholinergic burden in revised profiles, and the level of risk. Materials and Methods The Prescription Quality Unit (PQU), which is staffed by a doctor, two pharmacists, a nurse and other technical-administrative staff, is integrated into the geriatric care team. The Unit provides care to 6800 residents in 163 centres. The PQU provides training and support to different care teams by reviewing procedures and holding conciliation meetings. The process of rationalisation consists of systematically reviewing medicines plans according to the criteria of efficacy, safety and efficiency. The team suggests modifications in medicines plans and reports to the health care professionals involved. Anticholinergic drugs were selected from the review. These medicines were classified into four groups, according to the anticholinergic potency. Results A prospective study was undertaken during the period June 2011–June 2012: 7,347 patients were reviewed (some in duplicate). 959 patients were identified, and those patients were prescribed 1,984 drugs with anticholinergic activity (mean age 85 years (52–111 years)). In 162 patients, strong anticholinergic activity drugs were found: 62% oral antimuscarinics for urinary incontinence, 33% tricyclic antidepressants, 4% antispasmodics with anticholinergic properties and 1% systemic H1 antihistamines (dexchlorpheniramine); 252 patients with moderate anticholinergic activity drugs (70% paroxetine); 500 patients with mild anticholinergic drugs and 45 patients had drugs whose activity was concentration-dependent. Sixty-eight patients were simultaneously being prescribed more than one medicine with anticholinergic activity (17 patients on strong anticholinergic activity drugs simultaneously). Conclusions Due to the comorbidities and frailty of this population, medicines must be selected individually for each patient, selecting drugs with the lowest level of anticholinergic activity. We observed a group of patients at special risk who were being treated for pathologies related to the urinary tract. No conflict of interest.


Lens examinations were performed on 7 obligate and 7 possible carriers of the X-linked gene for Lowe's syndrome, and on 117 controls. By quantitatively grading punctate cortical opacities, it was possible to discriminate between the obligate carriers and the controls with a fair degree of confidence. In the age group most important for genetic counselling, that of child bearing, the data are too limited for the derivation of precise estimates, but may, nevertheless, be useful. More such data are needed.


Adaptation to periodic hypoxia (decompression 490 mm Hg) in a multiplace medical pressure chamber of patients with hypertension, cardial neurocirculatory asthenia, coronary heart disease produced a persistent hypotensive effect with improvement of central and peripheral hemodynamics, oxygen homeostasis, electrolyte balance of blood. In patients with neurocirculatory asthenia associated with ventricular and supraventricular extrasystole positive hemodynamic changes accompanied a persistent antiarrhythmic effect. In addition to the latter, CHD patients experienced improvement in myocardial contractility. Clinical effect of baroadaptation to hypoxia manifesting in symptom relief permitted the physicians to diminish the intensity of chemotherapy and to abolish it in patients with neurocirculatory asthenia.


ABSTRACT Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell density-dependent signaling mechanism used by many bacteria to control gene expression. Several recent reports indicate that the signaling molecules (autoinducers) that mediate QS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa may also modulate gene expression in host cells; however, the mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we show that two P. aeruginosa autoinducers, N-3-oxododecanoyl-homoserine lactone and N-butyryl-homoserine lactone, can both enter eukaryotic cells and activate artificial chimeric transcription factors based on their cognate transcriptional activators, LasR and RhlR, respectively. The autoinducers promoted nuclear localization of chimeric proteins containing the full LasR or RhlR coding region, and the LasR-based proteins were capable of activating transcription of a LasR-dependent luciferase gene. Responsiveness to autoinducer required the N-terminal autoinducer-binding domains of LasR and RhlR. Truncated proteins consisting of only the C-terminal helix-turn-helix DNA-binding domains of both proteins attached to a nuclear localization signal efficiently translocated to the nucleus in the absence of autoinducer, and truncated LasR-based proteins functioned as constitutively active transcription factors. Chimeric LasR proteins were only activated by their cognate autoinducer ligand and not by N-butyryl-l-homoserine lactone. These data provide evidence that autoinducer molecules from human pathogens can enter mammalian cells and suggest that autoinducers may influence gene expression in host cells by interacting with and activating as-yet-unidentified endogenous proteins.


Potential risk factors for Ureaplasma diversum in the vaginal mucus of 1,238 dairy cows were included in a multivariate logistic regression model, based on the cow level (i.e., granular vulvovaginitis [+GVV], yearly milk production [4500 kg or more], pregnancy, predominance of Bos taurus [+Bos Taurus], score of corporal condition [at least 2.5], concomitant positivity for Escherichia coli [+E.coli]), and farm level i.e., milking room hygiene (-Milking room), dunghill location, and replacement female). Ureaplasma diversum was present in 41.1% of the samples. Independent risk factors for U. diversum were +GVV (odds ratio [OR], 1.31); +Mycoplasma spp (OR, 5.67); yearly milk production (4500 kg or more) (OR, 1.99); +Bos taurus (OR, 1.68); +E. coli (OR, 4.96); -milking room (OR, 2.31); and replacement females (OR, 1.89). Ureaplasma diversum vaginal colonization was strongly associated with Mycoplasma spp., E. coli, and number of pregnant cows.


Field experimental observations from GPS Radiosonde, 3 meteorological towers and 16 automated weather stations were employed to validate boundary layer wind field simulations made with Weather Research and Forecasting (ARW) model in the tropical coastal Kalpakkam region in southern India during the Round Robin Exercise (RRE) field experiment period (14 -24 September 2010). Three nested domain with high resolution (18,6,2 km resolution) with 45 vertical levels are used. Four planetary boundary layer physics schemes (Yonsei University Scheme(YSU), Mellor-Yamada-Nakashini (MYN), Mellor-Yamada-Janjc and Asymmetric Convective Model (ACM2)) were tested. Model evaluations with available data indicated better simulation results with the Yonsei University scheme (YSU) PBL scheme. Simulations for the 10days period in 14-25 Sep'10 indicate that the model reproduces the trends in surface temperature, humidity, and winds with a reasonable good comparison with observations at most places. Overall, the model produced slightly warmer temperatures (MAE=1.2 C), slightly stronger winds (MAE= 1.75 ms-1) and with overestimation of winds by 15%. These simulations are reasonably good for air pollution dispersion application.


This thesis deals with the perception of the Cold War in selected German feature films. Sonnenallee (Leander Haussmann, 1999), Die Unberuhrbare (Oscar Roehler, 2000), Good Bye Lenin! (Wolfgang Becker, 2003), Herr Lehmann (Leander Haussmann, 2003) and Das Leben der Anderen (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006) have been selected for a comparative analysis that focusses on narratives of the Cold-War era after reunification, and for an examination of how the social impact of German unification has been addressed in these films. In terms of methodology, the thesis uses Pierre Sorlin's social history of cinema and Pierre Nora's concept of lieu de memoire to describe the social imagination and nostalgic representation of memories. There is a research gap in previous studies concerning how the Cold War has become a topic in recent German feature film production, and this study aims to complement those earlier works.


The Solar Decathlon is an international competition that challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design and build functioning, sustainable, solar powered houses. The competition is split into ten sub-contests which vary from competition to competition. Contests are a combination of juried (judged by a panel experts) or measured (such as energy usage and thermal comfort) contests. This paper will focus on the measured contests, in particular; energy management, comfort conditions and house functioning. To ensure optimal house performance during the competition, extensive energy and thermal modelling is required to ensure the solar PV and on-site energy storage can achieve net-zero energy while also ensuring the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system can meet the strict indoor thermal comfort requirements set by the competition. This paper will review the energy and thermal modelling process of Team UOW Australia's net-positive energy house, the 'Desert Rose', that achieved second place in the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) competition in 2018. Upon reviewing the energy modelling process, the results from the energy simulations will be compared to the real data that was obtained during the SDME competition to determine the validity of the energy simulations and the subsequent benefits of in-depth energy modelling for competing in a Solar Decathlon.


Working memory (WM) provides the neurobiological infrastructure for human cognition. Dominant models posit that prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports WM by coordinating control over distributed memory representations. In two studies, multimodal electrophysiology data reveal that PFC control over WM is rhythmic, fundamentally dynamic, and not altogether necessary. Direct brain recordings (n=10) demonstrate that PFC and medial temporal lobe (MTL) theta-band rhythms direct a complex system of higher-frequency neural activity across regions, uncovering initial support for bidirectional PFC-MTL interactions related to WM demands. Then, data from patients with unilateral PFC damage (n=14) challenge dominant models on the central role of PFC (note 8% accuracy decrease in patients). In healthy controls (n=20), delta-theta-band rhythms precess from PFC toward parieto-occipital sites, concurrent with alpha-beta-band rhythms precessing in the opposite direction. All PFC effects are diminished with unilateral damage, revealing an independent posterior WM mechanism. These results reveal that rapid, parallel processing governs WM.


Today, the constant search for aesthetics by most patients together with the difficult in obtaining a natural appearance at the anterior area, especially in Implantology, helps to develop new methodologies to solve these problems. The aim of this study was to demonstrate through case report the applicability of custom-made zirconia abutments in association with IPS eMax metal-free crowns. The prostheses at the anterior area of maxilla were made on four teeth and three implants. Implant abutments were customized in zirconia through CAD/CAM system. Metal-free crowns were obtained through IPS eMax system for all elements. The patient was clinically and radiographically followed-up at seven, 15, 30 and 60 post-operative days, when it was observed the aesthetic-functional stability of the case. The final results met the expectations of the patient.


This thesis describes research undertaken to improve computational modelling capability for the internal gearbox (IGB) of an aeroengine. Using the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS FLUENT modelling methodologies for regions within the IGB have been developed, applied and refined.

The IGB is a bearing chamber that houses the bearings that support the low pressure, intermediate pressure and high pressure shafts and in addition the spiral bevel gear pair that enable power to be taken from the high pressure shaft to power aircraft auxiliary systems. Within civil aeroengines parasitic power loss is a significant issue and as oil is used to lubricate and cool throughout the engine, this power loss largely manifests as increased heat-to-oil (HTO). A significant contributor to HTO is the IGB. The IGB contains complex geometry and a highly rotating two-phase flow consisting of films, droplets, ligaments and mist.

Central to the IGB is the spiral bevel gear pair. Previous modelling research has shown that detailed modelling of flow behaviour is too computationally expensive for domains larger than a few teeth. Modelling the meshing gears with full flow fidelity is not yet feasible. In this thesis a significantly less computationally expensive approach is explored. The complex gear-shroud geometry is replaced by a smooth cone with momentum sources used to generate the required fluid motion. In the single phase model these momentum sources were tuned/calibrated against a full tooth model spanning four teeth. The model was capable of generating flow behaviour to within 5% of the full tooth model. Oil was added as a discrete phase with a film model but was less successful as oil motion is strongly affected by geometrical detail.

A second approach to whole chamber modelling was proposed where the chamber is split into three zones and coupled via boundary conditions. Single phase investigation showed that the amount of swirl in the front chamber affects computed windage power loss with the maximum occurring at an inlet swirl number of around 0.5. The amount of swirl at gear entry does not however affect the amount of swirl at shroud exit and this shows that decoupling of the front chamber is viable.

The investigations into the zonal coupling of the IGB highlighted the importance of the geometry of the rear chamber (between gear and bearing) on the flow through the gear. A study to investigate how best to model the two-phase flow in this rear chamber was conducted. Transient models showed the volume of fluid approach (VOF) to be inadequate whereas a full two-phase Eulerian model converged, yielding viable results consistent with limited qualitative experimental data. The computational model predicts significant accumulation of oil towards the bearing side of the chamber, with this oil stripping periodically through shroud exit slots to the front chamber.

In the final part of the research a parametric study on several geometric features in the rear chamber was conducted using the developed two-phase modelling methodology. The chamber size, rear wall geometry, shroud exit slot location and size were investigated.

The work in this thesis improves IGB modelling capability through

- Establishing the capabilities and limitations of momentum source approach for full two-phase modelling of a shrouded gear

- Establishing that to some extent a bearing chamber can be productively modelled as separate but linked zones

- Identifying a successful modelling methodology for the high volume fraction two phase flow in the rear chamber

In addition the work in this thesis shows that

- For single phase flow the amount of swirl at gear inlet affects the windage power loss

- The behaviour of oil in the rear chamber, including the amount trapped and the exit condition, are strongly affected by chamber geometry

Guidelines for rear chamber design are also suggested.


The maximum entropy principle is a cornerstone of FRAME (filters, random fields, and maximum entropy) model considered at times as a first-ever step towards a universal theory of texture modelling or even as "the inevitable texture model". This paper disputes such opinions. That a wealth of exponential families of probability distributions is deduced from the ME principle is well known for decades. The ME properly by itself in no way leads to an adequate probabilistic description, and to model a particular texture, specific limitations have to be imposed on signal statistics. Frequency distributions of outputs from a bank of linear filters (the second FRAME'S cornerstone) are hardly the only choice outperforming all other alternatives. The paper points also to other hidden drawbacks of FRAME.


What did the great French film theorist Andre Bazin think of the collective experience in the cinema? What did he write about the influence co-viewers can have on the emotional engagement, the evaluation and the interpretation of a film? In short: What was his audience theory? To be sure, Bazin is not primarily known as a theorist of the (individual) viewer, and even less so as a theorist of the (collective) audience. And yet at various points in his roughly 2.600 articles he has dealt with questions concerning the cinema's collectivity. The main goal of this paper is to put together the most important puzzle pieces. In order to fully flesh out Bazin's theory of the cinema audience I will compare it to his views on the theater and television audiences.


The concept of action is playing an increasingly prominent role in attempts to explain how subjects can represent the world. The idea is that at least some of the role traditionally assigned to internal representations can, in fact, be played by the ability of subjects to act on the world, and the exercise of that ability on appropriate occasions. This paper argues that the appeal to action faces a serious dilemma. If the concept of action employed is a representational one, then the appeal to action is circular: representation has been presupposed rather than explained. However, if the concept of action employed is a non-representational one, then the appeal to action will be inadequate: in particular, the appeal will fail to account for the normativity of representation. The way out of this dilemma is to develop a conception of action that is normative, but where this normativity is not inherited from the action's connection to distinct representational states. The normative status of such actions would be sui generis. This paper argues that such a conception of action is available.


Macrophages are key mediators of innate immunity to infection and are also involved in the initiation of adaptive immune responses. Their functions include phagocytosis of invading microorganisms, killing of pathogens by the generation of toxic mediators such as reactive oxygen intermediates and nitric oxide (NO), and antigen presentation to lymphocytes. Activated macrophages also release various cytokines that can induce or direct lymphocyte activation. For example, the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha promote B and T cell activation, and the heterodimeric cytokine IL-12 drives the differentiation of IFN-?-producing type 1 T helper cells. Bacterial endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent activator of macrophages, has been used extensively to study macrophage function. Multiple intracellular signalling cascades are triggered following binding of LPS to the recently-identified Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), resulting in the induction of macrophage mediators including cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), the enzyme that catalyses NO synthesis. Pre-treatment or co-stimulation with interferon (IFN)-gamma, which is itself a potent inducer of iNOS, results in modulation of LPS-induced cytokine production, including priming for IL-12 production. The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are important intracellular regulators of a diverse range of cellular functions. In this study, the three major MAP kinase subfamilies - extracellular-regulated kinases (ERKs), p38 and c-Jun N-terminal/stress-activated protein kinases (JNK/SAPKs) - are shown to be activated by stimulation of macrophages with LPS in the presence/absence of IFN-gamma. Furthermore, regulatory roles for the ERK and p38 MAP kinases in the induction of IL-12, IL-6, TNF-alpha and iNOS are demonstrated. p38 MAP kinase activation is required for induction of all of these macrophage mediators, regulating the induction of IL-12 and iNOS at the transcriptional level, and the translation or release of TNF-alpha. Induction of TNF-alpha and iNOS, but not IL-12 p35 or IL-6, is also dependent on ERK MAP kinases. In contrast, transcription of the IL-12 p40 gene is negatively regulated by the ERKs to promote the formation of bioactive IL-12 heterodimer without excessive production of antagonistic p40/p40 homodimers. The modulation of macrophage activation by pathogens was also examined using the immunomodulatory products of two parasites: a surface glycoconjugate of intracellular Leishmania parasites and a glycoprotein secreted by an extracellular filarial nematode. Leishmania sp. parasites, which invade and parasitise macrophages, have been shown to evade NO-mediated killing by suppressing macrophage IL-12 production and thereby preventing the production of IFN-gamma by Th1 cells. In this study, the repeating phosphodisaccharide (phosphoglycan, PG) component of the Leishmania surface molecule lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is shown to be responsible for the suppression of bioactive IL-12 production and a mechanism for this inhibition is proposed. Following binding of a synthetic version of this portion of LPG (sPG) to macrophages, probably via interaction with either the mannose-fucose receptor (MFR) or complement receptor 3 (CR3), cellular levels of dual-phosphorylated ERK MAP kinases were enhanced, thereby suppressing the induction of bioactive IL-12 by preventing synthesis of the p40 subunit at the transcriptional level. The effects on macrophage function of an excretory-secretory product of the filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae (ES-62) were also investigated. ES-62 has previously been shown to modulate the activation of B and T lymphocytes and the differentiation of dendritic cells. In vitro and in vivo exposure of macrophages to ES-62 is shown to inhibit induction of IL-12, IL-6 and TNF-alpha by LPS. ES-62 targets the synthesis and activation of multiple signalling molecules including tyrosine kinases, MAP kinases and transcription factors such as NF-kappaB and IRF family members. The roles of MAP kinases in the ES-62-mediated suppression of cytokine induction were also investigated. The results described provide valuable information about the mechanisms underlying the production of cytokines and NO by activated macrophages, and demonstrate how pathogens target these responses to evade detection and destruction by the host immune system.


Abstract This article examines a mock trial I have developed and used in teaching the history of political thought. Mock trials have been underused but have great potential to become an effective and exciting tool for student learning in this area. In this mock trial, the plaintiff, defendant, attorneys, and witnesses are eminent political or economic thinkers or political leaders of the past. Active engagement in this mock trial helped my students immensely in gaining deeper insight into and a more nuanced understanding of the ideas of the thinker they represented, as well as enhancing their critical and analytical abilities and improving their research skills. As a teaching tool that is amenable to creative adaptation, a mock trial can be an engaging and effective exercise for delving into the history of political thought and making it more relevant.


Background Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection is still a health problem in Indonesia. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is often found together with STH. The effect of the deworming program on the vitamin A status of primary school children is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of albendazole on serum retinol concentrations in primary school children. Methods An experimental study of pre-post test design without control was carried out on 118 children from grades 3-5 at one primary school in North Jakarta, from July to September 2014. Flotac examination was used to determine STH infections and high performance liquid chromatography was performed to measure serum retinol concentration. Stool and blood samples were taken twice: before and three weeks after treatment with albendazole 400 mg single dose for three consecutive days given to all children either infected or uninfected. Paired t-test was used to analyze the data. Results Of the 118 children, the prevalence of STH was 71.2%. The prevalence of low retinol serum (<1.05 mmol/L) was 17 (17.2%) and of mild VAD was 2 (2.0%). Albendazole given in 3 consecutive days could not increase serum retinol concentrations (p=0.055). Serum retinol concentration significantly increased after albendazole treatment in children with low retinol serum at baseline (p=0.001). Conclusions In children with low serum retinol concentration, treatment with albendazole increased retinol concentration. Integrated deworming and vitamin A supplementation strategies should be evaluated in this population.


The paper presents a new algorithm for designinghelical gears with addendum modification. Several methodsare known for designing planar gears with addendummodifications in order to achieve better service lifetime. Atspatial gears, with addendum modifications, no such methodsare described in the technical literature. Wearing of thewheels are influencing the lifetime of the gears. Slidingcoefficients are used to measure the sliding between theteeth's flank. The algorithm is based on a theory that extendsthe determination of the sliding coefficients fromplanar gears to helical gears. Equalization of the slidingcoefficients is made at the points where the sliding is highestin order to make the wearing the same in these twopoints. The geometrical dimensions of the wheels are determinedwhile the sliding equalization is maintained. Implementationhas been achieved in MATLAB as this toolsupports directly the solving of nonlinear equations,nonlinear systems of equations, as well as optimizationusing genetic algorithms. The nonlinear solvers are used tocompute the geometrical dimensions, while the geneticalgorithm is used to minimize the equalized values of thesliding.


We study the performance of voting mechanisms from a utilitarian standpoint, under the recently introduced framework of metric-distortion, offering new insights along two main lines. First, if d represents the doubling dimension of the metric space, we show that the distortion of STV is O(d log log m), where m represents the number of candidates. For doubling metrics this implies an exponential improvement over the lower bound for general metrics, and as a special case it effectively answers a question left open by Skowron and Elkind (AAAI '17) regarding the distortion of STV under low-dimensional Euclidean spaces. More broadly, this constitutes the first nexus between the performance of any voting rule and the ``intrinsic dimensionality'' of the underlying metric space. We also establish a nearly-matching lower bound, refining the construction of Skowron and Elkind. Moreover, motivated by the efficiency of STV, we investigate whether natural learning rules can lead to low-distortion outcomes. Specifically, we introduce simple, deterministic and decentralized exploration/exploitation dynamics, and we show that they converge to a candidate with O(1) distortion.


Objective: Reviews have suggested that road noise exposure is associated with high blood pressure (hypertension). No reliable exposure–response relationship is as yet available. A meta-analysis was carried out in order to derive a quantitative exposure–response relationship between the exposure to road traffic noise and the prevalence of hypertension, and to gain some insight into the sources of heterogeneity among study results. Methods: Twenty-seven observational studies published between 1970 and 2010 in English, German or Dutch, were evaluated. Finally, the results of 24 studies were included into the data aggregation. Results: Road traffic noise was positively and significantly associated with hypertension: Data aggregation revealed an odds ratio (OR) of 1.034 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.011–1.056] per 5 dB(A) increase of the 16 h average road traffic noise level (LAeq16hr) [range 45–75 dB(A)]. Important sources of heterogeneity were the age and sex of the population under study, the way exposure was ascertained, and the noise reference level used. Also the way noise was treated in the statistical model and the minimum years of residence of the population under study, gave an explanation of the observed heterogeneity. No definite conclusions can be drawn about the threshold value for the relationship between road traffic noise and the prevalence of hypertension. Conclusion: Based on the meta-analysis, a quantitative relationship is derived that can be used for health impact assessment. The results of this meta-analysis are consistent with a slight increase of cardiovascular disease risk in populations exposed to transportation noise.


We find evidence of systematic optimism and pessimism among credit analysts, comparing contemporaneous ratings of the same firm across rating agencies. These differences in perspectives carry through to debt prices and negatively predict future changes in credit spreads, consistent with mispricing. Moreover, the pricing effects are the largest among firms that are the most opaque, likely exacerbating financing constraints. We find that MBAs provide higher quality ratings; however, optimism increases and accuracy decreases with tenure covering the firm. Our analysis demonstrates the role analysts play in shaping investor expectations and its effect on corporate debt markets.


BACKGROUND: Monoamines play important roles in decidualization, implantation, immune modulation and inflammation. Furthermore, monoamines are potent vasoactive mediators that regulate blood flow and capillary per-meability. Regulation of the uterine blood flow is important both during menstruation and pregnancy. Adequate monoamine concentrations are essential for a proper implantation and physiological development of pregnancy. Unlike most transmitter substances, monoamines are recycled by monoamine transporters rather than enzymatically inactivated. Their intracellular fate is influenced by their lower affinity for inactivating enzymes than for vesicular transporters located in intracellular vesicles. Thus, cells are capable not only of recapturizing and degrading mono-amines, but also of storing and releasing them in a controlled fashion. METHODS: The general objective of the present review is to summarize the role of the monoamine transporters in the female human reproduction. Since the transporter proteins critically regulate extracellular monoamine concentrations, knowledge of their distribution and cyclic variation is of great importance for a deeper understanding of the contribution of monoaminergic mechanisms in the reproductive process. MEDLINE was searched for relevant publications from 1950 to 2007. RESULTS: Two families of monoamine transporters, neuronal and extraneuronal monoamine transporters, are present in the human endometrium and deciduas. CONCLUSIONS: New knowledge about monoamine metabolism in the endome-trium during menstruation and pregnancy will increase understanding of infertility problems and may offer new pharmacological approaches to optimize assisted reproduction.


The study dealt on the application of cryptography to generic mobile phones to provide users a technology for the privacy, authentication, and security of communication sent or received. Thus, this research effort, which is focused on the implementation of symmetric cryptography on SMS messaging applicable in  generic  phones  using  J2ME  Platform,  intended  to  design a mobile phone application that can facilitate exchange of encrypted text through Data Encryption Standard (DES) cryptography algorithm. This process required both phones to be installed with encryption application that can encode and decode the text message using a password. Experimental development with descriptive approach was employed to realize the objectives set by the researcher. To gather primary data, a pre-interview was done involving randomly selected mobile phone users as participants, the results from which were used as basis for data analysis. Secondary resources derived from various Internet resources were integrated to support the findings. Results of the study revealed that the application was installed successfully in Nokia 5300, C3 and 2600 classic, where the user could create or write new message/s, view lists of received message/s and could also send. Problems were encountered though in terms of the inability of the mentioned Nokia units to receive any message/s from using the application.


: The survival, functions, and physiological diversity of autochthonous sediment microbiota were examined in situ at five stations along the Little Popo Agie River, WY; one station above, one at, and three below a discharge point for oil wastewater from Union Oil Company's Dallas Field. Below the oil wastewater discharge point there were increases in electron-transport activity, carbon dioxide production, and microbial populations of heterotrophs, ammonifiers, hexadecane degraders, starch hydrolyzers, protein hydrolyzers, and sulfate reducers. At a station 1420 m below the discharge point, however, overall sediment microbial activities and all of the physiological groups of bacteria, except hexadecane-degrading microbiota, were at levels comparable with those at the control station above the discharge point. Similarly, mineralization of glucose, amino acids, hexanoic acid, and hexadecane was elevated at stations directly below the discharge point, but appeared to subside rapidly. Xenobiotic biodegradation potential of the sediments varied with the chemical and the sample location and was not directly related to oil residue levels in the sediment. Microorganisms thus appeared to maintain physiological diversity and increased in numbers and activity in a riverine environment that contained petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations known to be deleterious to freshwater fish and macrobenthic communities.


A rapid and simple flow injection method for the determination of total water hardness using a cupric ion buffer and a flow-through type cupric ion selective electrode detector is proposed. The flow injection system was constructed with three stream channels. A sample solution of calcium or magnesium ion (200μl) was injected into a carrier (water) stream and was merged with a stream of 0.5 M sodium nitrate solution to maintain a constant ionic strength in the sample. This mixed stream was merged with the stream of cupric ion buffer solution consisting of 5×10-3 M cupric nitrate and 1×10-2 M EDTA adjusted to pH 9.4. The calcium or magnesium ion formed a complex with EDTA. In the reaction coil (0.5 mm i.d.×5.4 m) decreasing the concentration of EDTA in the buffer and as a result liberating the cupric ion from the EDTA-cupric ion complex. The change in the concentration of the free cupric ion was monitored with the cupric ion selective electrode and the concentration of the calcium or magnesium ion could be determined from the peak height of the electrode response. In order to make the sensitivity to the calcium ion equal to that to the magnesium ion, the pH of the cupric ion buffer was adjusted to pH 910 for determination of total water hardness. In this pH region, the amounts of EDTA reacted with the calcium and magnesium ions are almost the same and thus the change in the free cupric ion concentration is almost the same. A small amount of triethylenetetramine was added to the cupric ion buffer to suppress the effect of the chloride or bromide ion coexisting in the sample. The present method was successfully applied to determination of total water hardness in tap water with a sampling of 30 h-1 and a relative standard deviation of 0.7%. The results obtained by the proposed method were in good accordance with those obtained by the conventional chelate titration method.


Studies examining factors in religious conversion have focused on religious movements that are stigmatized or regarded as deviant and that stress communal lifestyles and exclusive commitment. The relevance of these factors is examined in the processes of recruitment and retention of clients in Landmark, a human potential organization that is world-accepting and non-communal. Affective bonds in social networks were found to be of crucial importance both in the recruitment of clients to Landmark and the maintenance of those clients beyond their participation in The Forum, the organization9s focal workshop. Human potential organizations such as Landmark are designated by sociologists as new religious movements, but the secular designation by the organization and its clients is relevant to its recruitment, especially in Israel where it attracts Israeli Jews who define themselves as secular.


Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) spectra provide insights into the small-scale structure and kinematics of neutral hydrogen (HI) within galaxies as well as the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). The former defines the intrinsic spectrum of a galaxy, which is modified by the latter. These two effects are degenerate. Using the IllustrisTNG100 simulation, we study the impact of the IGM on Ly$\alpha$ spectral shapes between $z\sim 0$ and $5$. We compute the distribution of the expected Ly$\alpha$ peaks and of the peak asymmetry for different intrinsic spectra, redshifts and large-scale environments. We find that the commonly used averaged transmission curves give an incorrect perception of the observed spectral properties. We show that the distributions of peak counts and asymmetry can lift the degeneracy between the intrinsic spectrum and the IGM absorption. For example, we expect a significant number of triple peaked Ly$\alpha$ spectra (up to 30% at $z\sim 3$) if the galaxies' HI distribution become more porous at higher redshift as predicted by cosmological simulations. We provide a public catalog of transmission curves to be used in future simulations and observations to allow a more realistic IGM treatment.


The use of oppositely charged colloidal nanoparticles to build multilayered structures is an approach in thin film science. In this work, uniform spherical nano-dispersions of gold (ca. 20 nm) and silica (ca. 30 nm) were synthesised with specific volume concentration to achieve colloidal stability. Exploiting the use of self-assembly, multilayers of these oppositely charged nanoparticles were built using alternate coating with chitosan. Gold nanoparticles have strong optical absorption in visible region of electromagnetic spectrum resulting from its surface plasmon resonance. Silica nanoparticles have low refractive index and absorb light mostly in the ultraviolet (UV) region. The optical absorption band of the fabricated thin films extends from UV to visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectral characteristics of these thin-film assemblies are a combination of thickness and the order of the layers in a stack. These films have potential applications as optical elements and in optoelectronics. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering


This book analyzes the links between political economics, governance structures and the distribution of political power in economic policy making. The book theoretically explains and empirically quantifies these interactions. The analysis includes both public good policies and redistributive policies. Part I of the book presents the conceptual foundations of political-economic bargaining and interest group analysis. After presenting the underlying theory, Part II of the book examines ideology, prescription and political power coefficients; Part III analyzes a number of specific structures; and Part IV presents a framework for political econometrics with a number of empirical applications and testable hypotheses. In all four parts of the book, four analytical dimensions of public policy are distinguished: governance structures, political economy, mechanism design and incidence.


Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is rapidly emerging as a prevalent liver disease that is associated with metabolic syndrome. NASH increases the risk for end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer and currently has no effective treatments. Despite this, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying NASH initiation and progression remain poorly understood. We and others have previously established a diet-induced NASH model in mice that recapitulates key aspects of human NASH pathologies, including hepatic steatosis, liver injury, inflammation, and liver fibrosis in the context of obesity and insulin resistance. Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq) analysis on liver cells isolated from healthy and diet-induced NASH mice to map the landscape of liver cell heterogeneity and reprogramming during NASH pathogenesis. Our analysis revealed a highly interconnected ligand-receptor signaling network among different liver cell types that is disrupted during NASH progression. Hepatic stellate cells are emerging as a hub of signaling in the liver by secreting "stellakines" and respond to vasoactive hormones. Finally, we identified TREM2-expressing macrophages as a unique disease-associated macrophage population that is linked to NASH severity in humans. This work reveals the transcriptomic landscape of liver cells at single-cell resolution and uncovers key aspects of NASH-associated reprogramming of liver non-parenchymal cells. Disclosure X. Xiong: None.


The overapplication of manure on agricultural soils leads to nitrogen and phosphorus discharge into the aquatic environment, resulting in serious eutrophication problems and decreased water quality. Piggery wastewater (PWW) can be treated by microalgae to recycle nutrients, but the toxic levels of ammonia and organic matter hinder their growth. Fresh water is usually used to dilute PWW, but it is a scarce resource. The implementation of a pretreatment step before microalgae-based treatment could make PWW suitable for microalgae growth. Electrocoagulation, ammonia stripping, photo-Fenton, and constructed wetlands were evaluated as pretreatment methods to reduce ammonia, chemical oxygen demand (COD), color, and total suspended solids. Moreover, the pretreated PWWs were tested to grow the microalga Tetradesmus obliquus. Photo-Fenton showed the best results among the other pretreatments, achieving removal efficiencies above 90%, except for ammonia. This resulted in T. obliquus being capable of growing on undiluted PWW, even at higher ammonia levels, achieving similar biomass productivity to synthetic medium (66.4 ± 17.8 mg·L−1·day−1 and 60.1 ± 10.4 mg·L−1·day−1, respectively) almost doubling with pH control (116.5 mg·L−1·day−1). Thus, this pretreatment seems to be the most promising one to incorporate into microalgae-based treatment systems and must be further explored.


The present investigation aims at beneficiating the run of the mined bauxite mineral for enhancing the purity of alumina which can be subsequently treated for aluminium extraction. The gangue constituents are to be reduced considerably to put in pace, a process for alumina extraction which can be accompanied at relatively lower cost with minimum affects on the ambience. Looking into the demerits of Bayer's process, the age old process for alumina beneficiation, the present process involves reduction of the bauxite mineral by molecular hydrogen, microwave assisted hydrogen plasma and hydrogen plasma smelting. The material after reduction subjected to leaching or magnetic separation with different magnetic field intensities. The products are characterized through chemical composition, XRD (X-ray Diffraction) analysis, XRF (X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy) analysis, thermal analysis, microscopic analysis (Optical & SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy)) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analysis. The results revealed that thermal hydrogen plasma reduction yielded the best figures concerning alumina yield which could be further treated for aluminium extraction. On the other hand the magnetic separation yielded an iron rich segment which can be considered for iron extraction. The magnetic separation is most effective at a magnetic field intensity of 14500 Gauss. Further, as revealed from chemical composition and XRD analysis, the non-magnetic portion after magnetic separation consisted of 88.67 % of alumina whereas the magnetic portion exhibited considerable enrichment of iron bearing constituents to the extent of 90 %. It was also observed that different conditions of hydrogen processing of the run of the mined bauxite mineral used in the present study could reduce only the iron oxide present in the bauxite mineral. However, the alumina obtained through hydrogen plasma processing followed by magnetic separation when subjected to hydrogen plasma smelting for hydrogen flow rate of 10 litres per minute for 25 minutes produced aluminium of 84.16 % purity. Acid leaching of the run of mined bauxite showed that more than 96 % of iron constituents can be removed from the raw bauxite with HCl concentration of 3 M at temperature of 90 oC.


In this article, I examine jurisprudence textbooks and related works written in the British Empire in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, focusing mostly on British India, but also discussing Mandatory Palestine and British-ruled Egypt. Some of the jurisprudential works from the British Empire were merely summaries of the leading English books. However, there were also more original works, characterized by several unique features. First, some of the works produced in the Empire were more influenced by Continental and American legal theories than the equivalent English textbooks (for example, by early-20th-century French and American sociological approaches to law). Second, the need to mention non-English legal systems in these works sometimes led their authors to question key English notions about the nature and development of law (critiquing, for example, Henry Maine's description of Hindu law). Finally, some nationalist local legal scholars also created a unique genre of jurisprudential works: texts that used western jurisprudential theories to describe the main features of non-western legal systems, such as Hindu, Jewish and Islamic law.

These unique aspects of colonial jurisprudential works illustrate a broader phenomenon: the fact that legal scholars in imperial peripheries were not always simply passive receivers of ideas produced at the center of empires, but in some cases created works containing interesting jurisprudential insights. The notion that the British Empire was a "legal laboratory" in which legal scholars experimented with new ideas has already been discussed in the literature, largely based on examples taken from the fields of legislation (the codification of English law in 19th-century India), or forensic science. This article explores the extent to which the British Empire was also a site of jurisprudential innovation.