The Lofoten Islands in northern Norway face challenges from increasing visitor numbers, congestion, environmental impacts, and growing host-visitor tensions. Benefits include increased local employment and growing revenues. Future tourism policy requires better documentation of the non-economic benefits and values associated with tourism in Lofoten; this information is important to the development of policy and management processes. We conducted 45 in-depth interviews with domestic and international visitors, using the cultural ecosystem services (ES) framework to ascertain the core elements of the tourism experience, as well as views on management needs and development. We probed reflections on place, aesthetics, recreational opportunities, inspiration, social relations, cultural heritage, knowledge, spirituality, and identity by offering a combination of statements and questions. All these categories of cultural ES were important to most visitors. However, the importance of the landscape was paramount. Policy implications include the need to include landscape in ES assessments, to map places of especially high scenic value, and to use the ES framework more extensively to identify and compare non-economic and economic tourism values and benefits.


Given the increased importance of knowledge as a production factor in many companies it is not surprising that there is a growing interest in the development of science and technology parks. In many cases these parks are developed by the private sector or by the private sector in collaboration with an university. These parks often have a high quality. The question comes up whether a science park is a real estate concept or an eenginei that stimulates the exchange of information and innovation. Research results (mainly in the United Kingdom) suggest that for entrepreneurs the importance of proximity to other firms and universities is limited when it comes to strategic knowledge. Being established on a science or technology park can nevertheless be interesting for firms: a stimulating informal circuit can occur and, moreover, the proximity of a university offers possibilities to attract young talent. With regard to attracting people in a labor market that will become more and more stressed in the coming decade, the high quality of the buildings and environment of a science park can be of importance. In that light a science park could be a real estate concept rather than an engine for innovation. If such a high quality development will have success attention has to be paid to, among others, location, market and target group identification, management and customer orientation. In this paper I will elaborate these ideas and I will present the results of research on some science parks in the Netherlands. Are these parks of importance for the regional economy (linkages, innovation) or are science parks mainly a real estate concept?


The purpose of this paper was to investigate the role of school organizational culture in the ability of elementary school teachers to succeed in teaching. This study is a descriptive-survey study conducted in the academic year of 2009-2010. The statistical population of the study included all primary school teachers in Abadeh. The research sample included 173 people who were selected by random cluster sampling. To collect the data, the Organizational Culture Questionnaire and the Teachers' Imagination Questionnaire were used in teaching success, the validity and reliability of which were confirmed. To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics (correlation coefficient, t-test and crucial Walis test) were used. Based on the data analysis, the following results were obtained: The average organizational culture of mixed primary schools is higher than that of girls and boys; there is a significant difference between the organizational culture of primary and secondary schools in urban and rural areas; There is a significant difference in the success of teaching; and elementary school teachers with higher education have more success in teaching. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to organizational culture in primary schools.


BACKGROUND
5-Fu resistance is a major obstacle in the treatment of malignant tumors. Therefore, combination therapy is employed to overcome this limitation. Since it was demonstrated that emodin could resensitize breast cancer to 5-Fu treatment, we aimed to investigate if emodin could reverse 5-Fu resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) in the current study.

METHODS
For the aim to explore the effect of emodin on 5-Fu resistant CRC, 5-Fu-resistant cell line (SW480/5-Fu) was established. CCK-8 assay and Ki67 staining were performed to evaluate the effects of emodin in combination with 5-Fu on cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of SW480/5-Fu cells. Additionally, the invasion and migration of SW480/5-Fu cells were tested by transwell assay and wound healing, respectively. Western-blot was performed to examine the protein expressions in SW480/5-Fu cells. Moreover, xenograft mice model was established to test the anti-tumor effect of emodin in combination with 5-Fu in vivo.

RESULTS
Emodin notably increased the anti-proliferation effect of 5-Fu in SW480/5-Fu cells. Similarly, the invasion and migration of SW480/5-Fu cells were further inhibited in the presence of emodin. In addition, the combination treatment (emodin plus 5-Fu) induced cell apoptosis via inhibiting Bcl-2 and activating cleaved caspase3 and Bax. Moreover, emodin reduced 5-Fu resistant in CRC via downregulation of PI3K/Akt signaling. Finally, in vivo study indicated that emodin could notably reverse 5-Fu resistance in CRC xenograft.

CONCLUSION
Our research revealed that emodin could reverse 5-Fu resistance in CRC through inactivating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Thus, this finding might provide a molecular basis for treating 5-Fu resistant CRC.


: Cytological aspects of metabolic processes between capillaries and nerve cells, as well as between different elements of neurons were studied electron microscopically. The sensomotor cortex, hippocampus, anterior tubercles of corpora quadrigemina, geniculate body were studied in rats, adult cats and 4-day-old kittens. Metabolic ultrastructure was demonstrated by means of vesicles formed by micropinocytosis, in the endothelial wall of the capillary, in the synaptic plaques, in the growth cones. Coincidence of pinocytic processes with active synaptic zones, especially in the developing nervous system, was revealed. The phenomena of intraneuronal metabolism by means of cytoplasmic fragments (clasmatosis) in the area of synapses were described. Endogenic (formed in the zone of the lamellar apparatus) and exogenic (pinocytic) trophic vesicles were compared. In young animals the exchange of the trophic vesicles was demonstrated to precede the synaptic transmission, while in adult animals it seemed to supplement a short-lasting synaptic interconnection.


Due to the increasing number of image-based multi-modal texts used in the English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms, teaching reading comprehension is becoming a growing challenge. Research suggests that defining the underlining graphic/written text relations that constitute image based multi-modal texts can help teachers meet that challenge. However, this area is under researched. This dissertation will propose a theoretical model of graphic/written text relations that can support reading comprehension in ELT classrooms. In order to create the model it will align two areas of research, systemic functional grammar and second language reading comprehension research. It then demonstrates how the model can be applied to an authentic multi-modal text to predict the effects the text will have on students reading comprehension. The study tests the predictions in a classroom context and discusses to what extent the model was successful. It also discuss the extent to which a definition graphic/written text relations is practical in an ELT classroom context. It suggests that further research into a more comprehensive definition of graphic/written text relations is an appropriate goal for ELT.


The purpose of this research is to obtain knowledge about whether corporate governance, corporate environmental concerns, and corporate environmental strengths have a significant influence on audit risk on public accounting firm in Jacarta. This research uses simple random sampling technique with 51 respondents. The data used in this research is primary data in the form of questionnaires distributed to auditors working in a Public Accounting Firm in Jacarta using google form. Data processing techniques using SmartPLS 3.0 and Microsoft Excel 2016. The results of this research show that corporate governance has a significantly positive effect on audit risk and corporate environmental concerns have a significantly negative effect on audit risk while corporate environmental strengths have no significant effect on audit risk.


Throughout the years, unaccompanied minor refugees have received increasing levels of attention in different contexts of society. In Norway, the phenomenon of immigration and integration are acknowledged as key elements at the top of the political agenda (Brekke & Mohn, 2018). This has particularly been the case in the aftermath of the European refugee crisis in 2015. There exist several opinions on how the youth are to successfully integrate, and this thesis seeks to explore the youth's own perspectives on the matter. More specifically, the main aim is to assess how the unaccompanied minor Afghan refugees' reflections and experiences of identity and citizenship may affect the process of integration. The data material derives from semi-structured interviews with eight unaccompanied minor Afghan refugees. The interviews were conducted in three different cities across Norway. The analyses are divided into three chapters – citizenship, identity and integration – and the findings point to the interaction between internal and external factors in the integrational process.


Herein, we present an optical cavity in the form of a prolate ellipsoid that can greatly enhance the performance of solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) systems. The geometrical parameters of the cavity can be designed to control the degree of photon recycling, the temperature of the emitter within the STPV system, gap distance and effective view factor between the PV cell and the emitter, and to minimize the emission losses. Numerical analysis shows the ellipsoidal optical cavity can be designed to achieve an effective view factor of 88.7% between the emitter and PV cell within an STPV system. Results show an efficiency of 5.62% in an STPV system with a GaSb PV cell and a black-body emitter under solar radiation at a concentration factor of 350X. Further, assuming the surface of the ellipsoidal optical cavity is capable of reflecting 99% of the radiation incident onto its surface, efficiencies of 15.54% can be attained when the solar concentration factor is 1400X. These results are attained for STPV systems without using selective absorbers, emitters or filters. The ellipsoidal optical cavity can be integrated into the design of advanced thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) systems and bring them closer to the high theoretical efficiencies TPV systems are capable of.


The investment industry has gained prominence as many governments in developed countries have shifted responsibility to individuals to provide for their own fi nancial security in retirement. Resourcerich and developing nations have also directed wealth receipts into fi nancial markets to mitigate the depletion of their resources and to address intergenerational burdens arising from ageing populations. Combined, these trends have created an immense pool of professionally managed investment capital seeking returns from global fi nancial markets. At the end of 2008, a pensions and investments survey of the world's 500 largest money management fi rms estimated they were entrusted with $53.3 trillion of client funds and International Financial Services London (IFSL) estimates the global funds management market is worth $61.6 trillion,1 a fi gure exceeding the world's gross domestic product (GDP) ($60.6 trillion).2 At their core, fi duciary institutions are collective investments governed to provide a specifi c investment proposition to consumers: they intermediate between savers in the real economy and the capital markets to achieve these economic bargains. A critically important feature of this intermediation function is that individual investment decisionmaking is surrendered to an independent party (usually a pension fund trustee, fund manager or fi nancial advisor). Concomitantly, the fi duciary duties typically imposed upon promoters and managers of fi duciary products create markedly diff erent customer– supplier relationships and attaching obligations compared to traditional fi nancial products issued by deposittaking institutions and insurers. The entrusting of funds in the hands of investment professionals has given rise to stakeholders' expectations about the investment industry's function as both a gatekeeper of investment value, and as an eff ective agent for change in standards of corporate governance and ethics within investee fi rms. The growth of the industry and market events has brought incredulity about the value proposition of fi duciary products and closer scrutiny of the many economic agents operating within the industry. Even before the formal capitulation of the global economy into recession


Archetypal cements from their deposition to the time they are sampled preserve a record of subsurface fluid evolution that can cover many millions of years. Their morphological development after nucleating on fissure walls is simulated by graphical models showing maturation from isolated to competitive to parallel growth. Graphical models are not available for the cementation of pores that are more complex and diverse. The reconstruction of cement growth in pores is accomplished here using multiple cathodoluminescent (CL) growth zones.

Sediment pores are filled in two stages separated by a cementation threshold associated with a rapid drop in permeability. Pre-threshold cement is centripetal ordered, regularly distributed, and nurtured by a megapore network. Post-threshold cement is disordered, sporadically distributed, and nurtured by labile micropore connections.

The crystallographic form of euhedral crystals at cement's growing front has environmental significance while the anhedral shape of aggregate crystals it leaves behind is controlled by geometrical selection.

Growth of seeded cement is divided into epitaxial and mantle stages; syntaxial when these two are not identified. The epitaxial stage begins with a seed at multiple points then coalesces, simplifies, and morphs towards the Wulff or equilibrium surface. The extent of epitaxial growth is correlated with the size of crystals forming pore walls. Increments of mantle growth can be initiated over the whole surface of a pre-existing crystal, or can be restricted to its edges and/or corners. Restricted seeding is often linked with changes of crystal habit resulting in the reorientation of the crystal's fastest growth direction and the direction of maturation.

Some impingement intercrystalline boundaries have offset growth zones explained by dissolution; such a self-cannibalization process is new. The existing explanation that some enfacial junctions are due to pauses in growth is confirmed by the arrangement of growth zones around triple points, but a new type is recorded formed from continuously growing crystals whose intercrystalline boundaries become modified.

The presence of the cement's internal growth surfaces allow its development to be reconstructed, providing the foundation for further cement studies; however, one example is presented where the disproportionate filling of pores in adjacent millimeter-thick layers is obscure because its crystals lack internal growth surfaces.


This article examines what explains the relative attractiveness of West European countries as a destination for asylum seekers. Individuals coming to Western Europe in order to lodge an asylum application are modelled as utility maximizers who choose the destination country that offers the highest net benefit. This benefit is seen as a function of economic attractiveness, generosity of welfare provisions, deterrent policy measures, hostility towards foreigners and asylum seekers, existing asylum communities, colonial and language links as well as geographical proximity. Results from a large dyadic panel over the time period from 1982 to 1999 demonstrate the impact that these fundamental determinants have on asylum destination choice. The implications of the results for the ongoing debates over fair burden-sharing are complex because they provide arguments for two conflicting interpretations of burden-sharing as either financial side payments or the physical reallocation of asylum seekers.


The title is slightly misleading, in that this book deals with free adaptations of Greek tragedy rather than orthodox productions. McDonald examines work by Suzuki Tadashi, Peter Sellars, Tony Harrison (Trackers and Medea), Theodoros Terzopoulos (directing Muller), and Thomas Murphy. Interviews with Harrison and Murphy and talks by Sellars and Terzopoulos are incorporated as chapters. McDonald's thesis is that 'Our past has shaped our present, and our present reshapes our past. Modern reworkings of ancient drama help inform the present' (p. 201). After reading this book, I was more informed about the present than about the past refracted through the present. For my taste, the book is too eclectic in its methodology, and focuses too much upon the content of ancient plays at the expense of their dramaturgy, but it does document an important body of modern experimentation.


Studying and Learning at University provides a concise and accessible introduction to the essential study skills for first-time undergraduates. Alan Pritchard focuses on the skills that every student will need to master to achieve succeess in their academic career. Practical, straight-forward advice is provided on subjects such as how to: " approach learning " use active reading techniques " use computers and the internet to support academic study " prepare for written assessment " prepare and deliver presentations This guide is essential reading for anyone new to study at undergraduate level. Students setting out on any undergraduate course will welcome the support and guideance provided here.


The structure and function of different cells lining the olfactory epithelium in Terapon jarbua (Forsskal, 1775) were investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy. The olfactory rosette is oval in structure and consists of 18-20 primary lamellae arranged on a median raphe. A large part of the lateral surface of the olfactory lamella is covered with nonreceptor epithelium, whereas the receptor epithelium occupies the middle region. The sensory receptor epithelium is made up of receptor cells, rod cells, microvillar cells, labyrinth cells, and mucous cells. The nonsensory epithelium consists of ciliated supporting cells, mucous cells, and stratified epithelial cells. Different cells on the olfactory epithelium were correlated with the functional significance of the fish concerned.


The Canadian Charter of Rights is composed of words that describe the foundations of a just society: equality, freedom, and democracy. These words of justice have inspired struggles for civil rights, self-determination, trade unionism, the right to vote, and social welfare. Why is it, then, that fifteen years after the entrenchment of the Charter, social injustice remains pervasive in Canada?Joel Bakan explains why the Charter has failed to promote social justice, and why it may even impede it. He argues that the Charter's fine-sounding words of justice are 'just words.' Freedom, equality and democracy are fundamental principles of social justice. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms entrenches them in Canada's highest law, the constitution. Yet the Charter has failed to promote social justice in Canada. In Just Words, Joel Bakan explains why. Sophisticated in its analyses but clearly written and accessible, Just Words is cutting-edge commentary by one of Canada's rising intellectuals.


Abstract Before invention of the printing process, architecture operated within society as a type of literal narrative. That does not mean that architecture is no longer the embodiment of meaning. Today the meanings, however, are simply different, corresponding to a different type of culture. This paper argues that it is still possible to approach, create, and understand architecture as a narrative discipline. Bernard Franken developed a series of spatial narratives derived from selected actual sites and implemented architectonic responses. Likewise, parallel ordering principles that included narrative elements, characterization, integration and imagination were examined, providing the structural framework for various formal and spatial experimentations. From a descriptive perspective the paper considers the architectural process as the imaginative opportunities of the narrative of architectural production in forms other than, but leading toward building.


Abstract: Noble gases are very rare elements in most relevant samples in geochemistry and cosmochemistry. Noble gases may perhaps also look rather boring to chemists, as they do not form any stable compounds. However, it is just their rarity and chemical inertness which makes noble gases versatile elements in a very wide range of fields, such as oceanography, climatology, environmental sciences, meteorite studies, rock dating, early solar system and early Earth history, and many others. Mass spectrometry is by far the main analytical tool in noble gas geochemistry and cosmochemistry, partly because the rarity of noble gases often allows researchers to recognize in the same sample different noble gas "components" of different origin and hence different isotopic composition. This contribution attempts to illustrate the wide range of applications of noble gas mass spectrometry in the Earth sciences with selected examples.


It is obvious that measurement and the performance evaluation represent nowadays a very important part of management, as well as, a majority of decision-makers will agree with the statement that performance measurement is an inevitable part of integrating and managing their company. So the purpose of this paper is to investigate how Performance measurement System of airline enterprises can be effectively measured by specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in their management and operations system. The study also examines whether the extent of KPI applications influence on the airline company performance. As well as, inspects the extent of these enterprises realization that perception of key performance indicators as a basis for its Performance measurement System. Also, this research examines model depending on an approach which derives its key performance indicators directly from the airline' strategic objectives, and goals which led to critical success factors (CSFs) and discusses the ability of implementation a sustained, structured process of airline enterprises that drive to enhancement the management system which depends on effective KPI. The research also assess the KPI within two categories (Management KPI & Operational KPI) For the mentioned above, some hypotheses were developed and tested to achieve the research aims. Questionnaire form was used for data collection purposes, and 192 forms were collected for testing purposes. The results indicate that Management KPIs and operational KPIs are significantly associated with the Performance measurement System. The results have important implications for managers and professionals interested in measuring performance using KPIs.


The transition of a student with a disability from school to work is the most crucial phase while moving from the stage of adolescence into early adulthood. In this process, young individuals face various difficulties and challenges in order to accomplish the next venture of life successfully. In this respect, this paper aims to examine the challenges encountered by the individuals with intellectual disabilities in transition to work in Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, this study has undertaken a qualitative research-based methodology; wherein interpretivist philosophy has been followed along with inductive approach and exploratory research design. The data for the research has been gathered with the help of semistructured interviews, whose findings are analysed with the help of thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of persons with intellectual disabilities, officials, supervisors and specialists of two vocational rehabilitation centres providing training to intellectually disabled students, in addition to that, directors of companies and websites in hiring those individuals. The total number of respondents for the interview was 15. The purposive sampling method was used to select the respondents for the interview. This sampling method is a non-probability sampling method which draws respondents from a known population and allows flexibility and suitability in selecting the participants for the study. The findings gathered from the interview revealed that the lack of awareness among their parents regarding the rights of their children who are intellectually disabled; the lack of adequate communication and coordination between various entities; concerns regarding their training and subsequent employment are the key difficulties experienced by the individuals with intellectual disabilities. Training in programmes such as bookbinding, carpentry, computing, agriculture, electricity and telephone exchange operations were involved as key training programmes. The findings of this study also revealed that information technology and media were playing a significant role in smoothing the transition to employment of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, religious and cultural attitudes have been identified to be restricted for people with such disabilities in seeking advantages from job opportunities. On the basis of these findings, it can be implied that the information gathered through this study will serve to be highly beneficial for Saudi Arabian schools/ rehabilitation centres for individuals with intellectual disability to facilitate them in overcoming the problems they encounter during the transition to work. Keywords—Intellectual disability, transition services, rehabilitation centre.


A colloidal system of spheres interacting with both a deep and narrow attractive potential and a shallow long-ranged barrier exhibits a prepeak in the static structure factor. This peak can be related to an additional mesoscopic length scale of clusters and/or voids in the system. Simulation studies of this system have revealed that it vitrifies upon increasing the attraction into a gel-like solid at intermediate densities. The dynamics at the mesoscopic length scale corresponding to the prepeak represents the slowest mode in the system. Using mode coupling theory with all input directly taken from simulations, we reveal the mechanism for glassy arrest in the system at 40% packing fraction. The effects of the low-q peak and of polydispersity are considered in detail. We demonstrate that the local formation of physical bonds is the process whose slowing down causes arrest. It remains largely unaffected by the large-scale heterogeneities, and sets the clock for the slow cluster mode. Results from mode-coupling theory without adjustable parameters agree semiquantitatively with the local density correlators but overestimate the lifetime of the mesoscopic structure (voids).


Abstract
The depth dimension of conventional geological maps is very difficult for non-geologists to appreciate. As a result, decision makers rarely take full account of subsurface geoscience issues in planning and development; nor do they fully exploit potential subsurface assets. With the advances of 3D software and ever increasing hardware processing power, it is now possible to combine large quantities of disparate geoscience data types for a wide range of applications, to display these data effectively and in ways that non-geologists can easily understand, to inform their decisions.
Using several 3D modeling packages, but primarily GOCAD® workflows, we have created 3D models designed to 'nest' within each other. Lower resolution regional and catchment models (1:50,000 to 1:250,000-scale equivalent) provide the context for higher resolution (1:10,000-scale equivalent), and site-specific, models, mainly of urban areas and infrastructure corridors. The geological framework models have been attributed with a wide range of parameters such as permeability, aquifer productivity and various engineering properties. They have also been exported to flow modelling packages to model time-series processes such as recharge and flow of groundwater, and will be used to model migration of contaminant plumes and carbon dioxide. Man-made objects, such as tunnels and mine workings have been embedded as 3D objects and placed into the 3D geological framework so their relationships to faults and other geological structures can be examined.
These multi-scalar models form an important component of the BGS's National Geolological Model. However, the greatest remaining challenge is both delivering such models in a format that a wide range of non-specialist users can understand, their use in risk management and conveying the varying certainty on any modeled surface.


 Abstract — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is heading towards a severe and rapidly expanding water crisis, which can have negative impacts on the country's environment and economy. Of the total water consumption in KSA, the agricultural sector accounts for nearly 87% of the total water use and, therefore, any attempt that overlooks this sector will not help in improving the sustainability of the country's water resources. KSA Vision 2030 gives priority of water use in the agriculture sector for the regions that have natural renewable water resources. It means that there is little concern for making reuse of municipal wastewater for irrigation purposes in any region in general and in water-scarce regions in particular. The use of treated wastewater is very limited in Saudi Arabia, but it has very considerable potential for future expansion due its numerous beneficial uses. This study reviews the current situation of water resources in Saudi Arabia, providing more highlights on agriculture and wastewater reuse. The reviewed study is proposing some corrective measures for development and better management of water resources in the Kingdom. Suggestions also include consideration of treated water as an alternative source for irrigation in some regions of the country. The study concluded that a sustainable solution for the water crisis in KSA requires implementation of multiple measures in an integrated manner. The integrated solution plan should focus on two main directions: first, improving the current management practices of the existing water resources; second, developing new water supplies from both conventional and non-conventional sources.


In this article we discuss the dilemmas of citizens in the Overdiep polder, a 'Room for the River' project in the Netherlands. Confronted with government plans for using their polder for water retention during peak river discharges, they took the initiative to redesign their polder to make it suitable for water retention in a way that also made possible continuation of their agricultural enterprises. Their plan would achieve three goals: reducing the water level in the River Meuse, improving 'spatial quality', and strengthening the agricultural structure in the polder by expanding farm size. Contrary to what has happened in other Room for the River projects, the citizens' plan was accepted by the government and implemented. However, planning and implementation also caused dilemmas, tensions and conflicts. While initially most farmers supported the plan, gradually the community became divided. Based on case study research, this article provides insight in the farmers' motivations to stay or to move out and the problems they face in moving out. Their motivations can be understood by analyzing their interests and actions and the role of the national and provincial government in the project. Finally, the impacts of the farmers' dilemmas on water governance practices are discussed.


This research looked at the thoughts and feelings expressed by visitors to pro-anorexic websites to find out how they felt about anorexia and why they used pro-anorexic sites. Using grounded theory (Strauss A, Corbin J. . Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. 2nd ed. London: Sage), the information expressed by 176 participants on two pro-anorexic message boards and one online journal over eight frequently occurring topics was analysed. People believe in pro-anorexia because they want anorexic behaviours and feel positive towards them, however, anorexia could also be considered a problem at times when for some it was constituted a disorder with negative implications. Depictions of anorexia were very diverse. It is suggested that health professionals need to take into account the anorexic individual's perspectives of their anorexia in order that more successful treatment can be given. Additional research into anorexic's perspectives needs to be conducted to further develop understandings of anorexia and the ways it is viewed by those who have it.


Abstract The crystal structure of johnbaumite, ideally Ca5(AsO4)3OH, was determined and refined using crystals from the Harstigen mine, Värmland, Sweden, on the basis of X‑ray diffraction data. The structure was refined to R1 = 0.038 in space group P63/m, with unit-cell parameters a = 9.7242(2), c = 6.9657(9) Å, and V = 570.43(2) Å3. The chemical composition of the sample, determined by electronmicroprobe analysis, is (Ca5.02Pb0.03)Σ5.05[As2.91P0.04Si0.02]Σ2.97O12(OH0.97Cl0.03). Johnbaumite belongs to the calcium arsenate apatites, together with svabite, Ca5(AsO4)3F, and turneaureite, Ca5(AsO4)3Cl. Johnbaumite is topologically similar to the other members of the apatite supergroup: columns of face-sharing M1 polyhedra run along c and are connected through TO4 tetrahedra, giving rise to a zeolite-like microporous framework, with channels hosting M2 cations and X anions. This is the first published single-crystal structure study of johnbaumite and the first report of this calcium arsenate apatite from the Harstigen mine. Actually, johnbaumite was identified at this locality at the end of the 19th Century but it was described as svabite.


Hearing one's own speech is important for language learning and maintenance of accurate articulation. For example, people with postlinguistically acquired deafness often show a gradual deterioration of many aspects of speech production. In this manuscript, data are presented that address the role played by acoustic feedback in the control of voice fundamental frequency (F0). Eighteen subjects produced vowels under a control (normal F0 feedback) and two experimental conditions: F0 shifted up and F0 shifted down. In each experimental condition subjects produced vowels during a training period in which their F0 was slowly shifted without their awareness. Following this exposure to transformed F0, their acoustic feedback was returned to normal. Two effects were observed. Subjects compensated for the change in F0 and showed negative aftereffects. When F0 feedback was returned to normal, the subjects modified their produced F0 in the opposite direction to the shift. The results suggest that fundamental frequency is controlled using auditory feedback and with reference to an internal pitch representation. This is consistent with current work on internal models of speech motor control.


PURPOSE
To determine the clinicopathologic behavior of gastric adenocarcinoma in Hispanics by comparing Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients treated at a single cancer center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Medical records of patients with invasive gastric cancer treated from 1985 to 1999 were reviewed. Diagnoses were pathologically confirmed. Differences in categorical variables were assessed using the chi(2) test. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analyses. Median survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess the impact of covariates.

RESULTS
Of 1,897 patients, 301 (15.9%) were Hispanic. Hispanics were significantly younger at diagnosis than non-Hispanic whites (53.1 +/- 14.4 years v 59.4 +/- 12.7 years, respectively; P < .005) or African Americans (57.6 +/- 15.3 years, P < .005). Hispanics were less likely to have proximal gastric cancers compared with whites (38.9% v 59.5%, respectively; P < .005). Hispanics were more likely to have mucinous/signet-ring type histology (42.5%) than whites (27.4%) and African Americans (32.5%; P < .005). Hispanics were more likely to require total gastrectomy (51%) compared with whites (38%), African Americans (38%), and Asians (36%; P = .039). Among patients with metastases at diagnosis, Hispanics were less likely to have liver metastasis than whites (30% v 44%, respectively; P = .009) but more likely to have peritoneal metastasis than whites and African Americans (54% v 41% and 47%, respectively; P = .002). In Cox analyses, Asian race, earlier stage, papillary/tubular histology, distal location, and younger age were favorable predictors of survival.

CONCLUSION
Hispanic ethnicity does not impact survival in gastric adenocarcinoma. However, histology, metastasis pattern, tumor localization, and other clinical parameters differ sufficiently to warrant further investigation into the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and molecular biology of gastric cancer in this population.


Agents collaborating to achieve a goal bring to their joint activity different beliefs about ways in which to achieve the goal and the actions necessary for doing so. Thus, a model of collaboration must provide a way of representing and distinguishing among agents' beliefs and of stating the ways in which the intentions of different agents contribute to achieving their goal. Furthermore, in collaborative activity, collaboration occurs in the planning process itself. Thus, rather than modelling plan recognition, per se, what must be modelled is the augmentation of beliefs about the actions of multiple agents and their intentions. In this paper, we modify and expand the SharedPlan model of collaborative behavior (Grosz & Sidner 1990). We present an algorithm for updating an agent's beliefs about a partial SharedPlan and describe an initial implementation of this algorithm in the domain of network management.


Statistical tests have been employed to identify genes differentially expressed under different conditions using data from microarray experiments. The variance of gene expression levels is often required in various statistical tests; however, due to the small number of replicates, the variance estimated from the sample variance is not accurate, which causes large false positive and negative errors. More accurate and robust variance estimation is thus highly desirable to improve the performance of statistical tests. In this paper, cluster analysis was performed on the microarray data using a model-based clustering method. The variance for each gene was then estimated from cluster variances. Since cluster variances are estimated from multiple genes whose microarray data have similar variance, the proposed estimation method pools the relevant genes together; this effectively increases the number of samples in variance estimation, thereby improving variance estimation. Using simulated data, it is shown that with the novel variance estimation, the performance of the t-test, regularized t-test, and a variant of SAM test, which is called the S-test here, can be improved. Using colon microarray data of Alon et al., it is demonstrated that the proposed method offers better or comparable performance compared with other gene pooling methods. Using the IHF microarray data of Arfin et al., it is shown that the proposed novel variance estimation decreases the significance of those genes having a small fold change but a high significant score assigned by the t-test using the sample variance, which potentially reduces false positive probability.


Four novel metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) built from alkaline-earth metal ions and the flexible tetrahedral carboxylate ligand tetrakis[4-(carboxyphenyl)oxamethyl]methane acid (H4L) were synthesized using solvothermal methods. A variety of three-dimensional frameworks were obtained when employing different alkaline earth ions with the formula [Mg2(L)(H2O)(DMA)]·DMA (1), [Ca4(L)2(DMA)3] (2), [Ca4(L)2(H2O)2(DMA)2]·(3DMA) (3) and [Sr4(L)2(DMF)4]·(2DMF) (4) reflecting the variation in the ionic radius of alkaline-earth ions as well as the key role of the synthetic conditions used. By removing the guest molecules, a framework shrinking was observed driven by the structural flexibility of the H4L ligand. This resulted in large diffusional resistances towards N2 over CO2 molecules, therefore leading to a good CO2/N2 separation selectivity. Both Ca-based MOFs were very stable up to 98% relative humidity, while Mg- and Sr-based MOFs were much less stable.


PURPOSE
An innovative strategy to improve the sensitivity of positron emission tomography (PET)-based treatment verification in ion beam radiotherapy is proposed.

METHODS
Low counting statistics PET images acquired during or shortly after the treatment (Measured PET) and a Monte Carlo estimate of the same PET images derived from the treatment plan (Expected PET) are considered as two frames of a 4D dataset. A 4D maximum likelihood reconstruction strategy was adapted to iteratively estimate the annihilation events distribution in a reference frame and the deformation motion fields that map it in the Expected PET and Measured PET frames. The outputs generated by the proposed strategy are as follows: (1) an estimate of the Measured PET with an image quality comparable to the Expected PET and (2) an estimate of the motion field mapping Expected PET to Measured PET. The details of the algorithm are presented and the strategy is preliminarily tested on analytically simulated datasets.

RESULTS
The algorithm demonstrates (1) robustness against noise, even in the worst conditions where 1.5 × 10(4) true coincidences and a random fraction of 73% are simulated; (2) a proper sensitivity to different kind and grade of mismatches ranging between 1 and 10 mm; (3) robustness against bias due to incorrect washout modeling in the Monte Carlo simulation up to 1/3 of the original signal amplitude; and (4) an ability to describe the mismatch even in presence of complex annihilation distributions such as those induced by two perpendicular superimposed ion fields.

CONCLUSIONS
The promising results obtained in this work suggest the applicability of the method as a quantification tool for PET-based treatment verification in ion beam radiotherapy. An extensive assessment of the proposed strategy on real treatment verification data is planned.


AIMS--To evaluate antibodies directed against CD31 (JC70/A) and CD34 (QBEND/10 and anti-HPCA-1) more extensively in Kaposi sarcoma; to assess their value in routine diagnosis; and to compare them with the traditional endothelial cell markers Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 (UEA-1) and factor VIII related antigen. METHODS--Twenty four cases of Kaposi sarcoma were studied retrospectively. All specimens had been fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin wax. The antibodies were applied using the Streptavidin biotin technique in all cases except for UEA-1, for which an indirect two stage method was used involving peroxidase conjugated anti-ulex as the secondary antibody. RESULTS--Tumours were classified into those showing angiomatoid or lymphangiomatoid elements and spindle cell lesions. Universal labelling of all lesions and virtually all elements within lesions was seen with the anti-CD34 antibodies QBEND/10 and HPCA-1. Labelling of spindle cells was less consistent with JC70/A but both markers were superior to the traditional endothelial cell markers UEA-1 and factor VIII related antigen. CONCLUSIONS--These data confirm that Kaposi sarcoma is a tumour of endothelial cell origin. They shed further light on the histogenesis of this complex tumour and demonstrate that immunostaining for CD34 and CD31 can be used as an aid to diagnosis in routinely processed tissue.


: The effect of low-level irradiation of tumor-bearing rats on the structural and functional organization of the cytochrome part of respiratory chain of mitochondria isolated from Guerin's carcinoma has been investigated. The maximal reduction in the mitochondrial cytochromes a, b and c content was observed at the terminal stage of Guerin's carcinoma. A low-level irradiation during initial stages of oncogenesis produced opposite changes in the mitochondrial cytochrome content. The possible mechanism of mitochondrial haem-containing cytochromes content reduction may be attributed to impairment in their formation caused by inhibition of the key enzyme of haem synthesis, 5-aminolevulinate synthase. The determined changes of the mitochondrial cytochromes quantitative content were accompanied by decreased activity of cytochrome oxidase. The preliminary low-level irradiation of the tumor-bearing animals produced further reduction in the cytochrome oxidase activity observed in all experimental periods.


Summary Glycoprotein (GP)VI, that binds collagen, together with GPIb- IX-V which binds von Willebrand factor, forms an adheso-signalling complex on platelets that initiates thrombus formation in haemostasis and thrombosis. In this study, we show that two snake venom metalloproteinases, crotarhagin and alborhagin, induce ectodomain shedding of GPVI by a mechanism that involves activation of endogenous platelet metalloproteinases. Alborhagin is a viper venom metalloproteinase from Trimeresurus albolabris, while crotarhagin is a previously undescribed toxin from the rattlesnake Crotalus horridus horridus (~60-kDa non-reduced and reduced). Like alborhagin, crotarhagin induces aggregation in human platelet-rich plasma (maximal activity, ~0.3 μg/ ml). Aggregation of washed platelets was inhibited by soluble GPVI ectodomain expressed as an Fc-fusion protein, confirming crotarhagin targeted GPVI. Treating washed platelets with crotarhagin or alborhagin resulted in time-dependent loss of surface GPVI and the appearance of an ~55-kDa soluble GPVI fragment in supernatants. Crotarhagin also induced shedding in GPVItransfected RBL-2H3 cells. Crotarhagin-induced shedding was metalloproteinase-dependent (inhibited by EDTA), but also blocked by inhibitors of GPVI signalling (Src kinase inhibitors, PP1 or PP2, or Syk inhibitor, piceatannol), indicating shedding required GPVI-dependent platelet activation. Together, the data suggest that the rattlesnake metalloproteinase, crotarhagin, and the viper toxin alborhagin, induce GPVI shedding by a mechanism involving activation of endogenous platelet metalloproteinases rather than direct cleavage of GPVI.


Title: Theoretical discussion on "periphery" in the European cross border perspective Abstract Title: The urban and the center – suitable analytical categories in defining the rural and the periphery? Abstract Title: Small cities in Hierarchies and Networks Abstract Title: Small towns in the economic relations networks of Abstract Title: On the interplay of firms and institutions in demographically declining regions of Germany: a first field study Abstract Title: Gender, knowledge and skills Abstract Title: The peripheralisation of the Danish vocational education system .......................... Abstract Title: Expenditure and displacement effects of students in the periphery: Impact on the Scottish Highlands and Islands Abstract title: The creation of experience spaces – in the context of small cities? Abstract Title: The darkening of places – comparison between former single-industry communities and ex-modern suburbs ……………………………………………..……… Abstract Title: How can a local facebook group provide opportunities to contribute to a socially sustainable society? Abstract Title: Cultural heritage and the mobile dimension representational perspectives on space, scale and experiences Abstract Title: From regional innovation and institutions to multi-scalar knowledge and networks: New rational perspectives on rural development.................................................... Abstract Title: The consept of cluster villages as planning tool in the rural districts of Denmark Abstract Title: Peripheralisation and Planning: an example from Northern Ireland Abstract Title: Virtual mobility in rural Denmark Abstract Title: Offshore but on track? Abstract Title: Telework centers as local Abstract Title: Migration and work-life balance in the periphery Abstract Title: Theoretical discussion on "periphery" in the European cross border perspective Human geographers and economists have been widely discussing the "Core-Periphery" theme throughout some decades. They have defined and re-defined this concept many times and have integrated within conceptual and econometric models. Theoretical understanding of the concept "core-periphery" has changed along with the economic development of spaces (regions, cities, nations). Taking departure from the traditional industrial location theories, central place theories (Christaller, Lösch) and later on the New Economic Geography models (Krugman), prove that there is the continues search to re-define this concept. John Friedmann in the 1960s elaborated the development stages of regions. In his model, he argued that there is a purpose why some regions develop into the centres and some into the peripheries. Friedmann's core-periphery model suggests that each stage reflects the change of economic relationship between the core and periphery. In the final stage of economic development of spaces, Friedmann identifies four types of areas. Core regions – that have urban and industrial concentration; upward transition regions – the peripheries that have high trickle-down effect from the core and rapid economic growth; resource frontier regions – part of the periphery that are developing; downward transition regions – that have stagnant or declining economies with exhausted resources. (Friedmann, 1966)i The regions, previously core, can become periphery and vice versa, due to the economic growth and reorganisation of the activities in space. Realizing the relevance of spatial aspects in the socio-economic development and planning draws attention to the theoretical contribution from time to time. "At the grand level, the uneven development of whole regions can be driven by cumulative processes that have increasing returns at their root," writes Paul Krugman (1991a)ii. Krugman is one of the economists that acknowledge the importance of location within the economic growth and opens up the discussion of core-periphery. Krugman defines the centripetal and centrifugal forces that affect the geographical location of production. (1991b)iii This paper serves as a theoretical review regarding the development of the "core-periphery" discourse among economic the some for centre-periphery cross-border Abstract This paper continues an effort of defining the concept of peripheral starting out in the anthology edited by Danson & de Souza (2012). One of the major elements of substance defining the concept, is its distinction as reflection and/or antonym of other concepts and terms – urban, central etc. Being peripheral, relate to something that is central, according to a certain specification of centre or urban , which indicates that a comparison of the term could be done through substantiating its common opposite. But, not only as counterpart, the nature of its unequal relation also appear as important. An approach of more differentiated categorisations, act as instruments creating ladders or scales of centrality, peripherality and marginality simultaneously in different appearances in different continuities. Abstract Title: 'Reconstructing Abstract : Peripherality and centrality, as labels attached to places, have become fluent denominators. Their use is contingent upon the applied scalar perspective and the specific spatial features of place that are taken into consideration. If a multiscalar and multimodal perspective is applied, it has the implication that a locality can be considered simultaneously central and peripheral. In definitional terms, then, absolute delineations of centres and peripheries cannot be meaningfully carried out, unless the issue at stake is of a very specific and bounded nature. Rarely can a locality as a whole be labelled as peripheral, as this would imply peripherality independently of scalar perspective and across all defining aspects. Beyond definitional issues, this situation makes it appropriate to wonder, how a multiscalar and multimodal reading of place can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of centre-periphery relations and their associated societal issues. The paper presents insights derived from the North Denmark Region, where the Frederikshavn municipality has been research subject of a broader case study on the roles of the local state in locality development and change. This broader study includes historical analysis of Frederikshavns positioning through time as a small city in the Danish urban system. A multimodal perspective is applied, inspired by the dual model of urban systems developed by Hohenberg & Lees (1995, 2005), and is combined with a multiscalar perspective that illuminates, how images of peripherality and centrality change across local, regional, national and international scales. Empirically the paper is based on document analysis (place descriptions, planning and strategy documents, media reports, historical accounts etc.), qualitative interviews (municipal officials and a local historian), as well as quantitative data for more descriptional purposes (i.e. commuting patterns as an indicator of functional peripherality/centrality for the laborforce). The contribution of the paper is to show, how the application of a multiscalar and multimodal perspective can produce contextualised knowledge that go Abstract Title: On the interplay of firms and institutions in demographically Germany: a first field study (Working title) Demographic decline has turned into one of the most important contemporary and future challenges for many rural-peripheral regions of Europe. This is particularly true for Germany where ageing and a decline in the population, due to low fertility rates and rising life expectancies, combined with outmigration, shape the growth prospects of many regions. Hence, in such constellations, demographic decline produces various and complex effects on regional economies, shaping their development trajectory. A core premise of recent approaches in economic geography is that firms, organizations and institutions are considered as important elements of regional economies and firms are embedded in regional institutional settings. In the context of demographic decline, institutional configurations are likely to be subject to change due to changing regional and market environments. Yet, it is not clear how institutions interact with economic agents such as firms in changing settings and how institutional change is produced. Using a case study of rural-peripheral and demographically declining German regions, the present paper sets out to make a first contribution to this promising perspective. It starts by revising important concepts on institutions and regional development (such as neoinstitutionalist theories and the more recent 'varieties of capitalism' school). Based on this conceptual framework, the main proposition of the study is developed: In the context of demographic decline, local and regional institutions that support firms in their endeavours and strategies will face new needs and problems formulated by local agents. As a result, bottom up initiatives may emerge which have not been addressed so far by established institutions (such as chambers, associations, regional development and consulting agencies, and the like). Conversely, new policy responses, initiated at the sub-national level, will probably target problems of firms and influence local and regional institutions. Therefore, institutional change can originate from different channels and will be produced in a variety of ways. The paper portrays and compares selected bottom up and top down initiatives from different case regions in East and West Germany. It highlights how local and regional responses to demographic decline are initiated, implemented and how they extend or alter Abstract Core questions: How is knowledge produced, in which context, for what purpose, and how are the acquired skills used at the local gendersegregated labour market? This paper is grounded in empirical findings in the Danish town Skagen. A type of locality that is loaded with work possibilities within harbo


Transient global amnesia (TGA) is characterized by a severe disturbance of memory, occurring rapidly, lasting less than a day and mainly affecting elderly subjects. During its acute phase, it is characterized by a severe anterograde amnesia, partial retrograde amnesia and anxiety with repetition of the same questions. The diagnosis is purely based on patient's clinical features. Complimentary examinations are only requested when atypical symptoms are present. The pathophysiology of TGA remains unknown, but it appears to be related to transient disturbances of the perfusion and oxygenation of the hippocampal structures, following a precipitating factor (stress, effort...). Spontaneous recovery is usual in less than 24 hours and without sequelae. Relapse is rare. Nevertheless, TGA represents a psychological traumatism pathology for the patients and their family.


We present orbital solutions for three low-amplitude spectroscopic binaries discovered in a sample of 20 solar-type IAU radial-velocity standard stars observed with the Digital Speedometers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. We update the orbital solutions for HD 114762 and HD 140913, and present a preliminary new solution for HD 29587. For all three orbits the minimum mass for the secondary is less than 0:08M , the border line between stellar and substellar masses. We consider the probability that all three binaries have small enough inclination angles so that their companions are above the substellar limit. To do so we treat the 20 IAU standards as a sample drawn from a population of binaries with a mass ratio distribution which does not allow any substellar companions. We 1 Some of the observations reported here were obtained with the Multiple Mirror Telescope, a joint facility of the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona. { 2 { calculate the probability that such a sample could still have three binaries with the low-amplitude orbits actually found within the IAU sample. We show that this probability is small, depending on the speciic mass-ratio distribution. For example, a at mass-ratio distribution which assumes that there are no substellar companions can be excluded at a high conndence level, 99.7%. We further show that our three detections may imply that the secondary-mass distribution rises near the substellar limit. However, the observations do not yet allow us to distinguish whether the unseen companions of HD 114762, HD 140913, and HD 29587 have stellar or substellar masses. In particular, recent attempts to estimate the mass of the companion of HD 114762 based on assumptions about the intrinsic rotation of the primary are inconclusive, and the companion could easily have a mass as low as 0:02M. We compare our three detections with the null results of four very precise radial-velocity searches for substellar companions. The diierence is indeed puzzling , but can be accounted for if just a small fraction of the solar-type stars, of the order of a few percent, have companions with masses near the substellar limit.


Neural-network techniques, particularly back- propagation algorithms, have been widely used as a tool for discovering a mapping function between a known set of input and output examples. Neural networks learn from the known example set by adjusting its internal parameters, referred to as weights, using an optimisation procedure based on the 'least square fit principle'. The optimisation procedure normally involves thousands of iterations to converge to an acceptable solution. Hence, improving the computational efficiency of a neural- network algorithm is an active area of research. It has been shown in the existing literature that the variation of the gain parameter improves the learning efficiency of the gradient-descent method. However, it can be concluded from previous researchers' claims that the adaptive-gain variation improved the learning rate and hence the efficiency. It was discovered in this research that the gain variation has no influence on the learning rate; however, it actually influences the search direction. A novel technique of integrating the adaptive-learning rate method coupled with an improved search direction for improving the computational efficiency of neural networks is presented. The new approach had shown that this modification can significantly enhance the computational efficiency of training process.


The relationship between tension and myosin 20,000-Da light chain phosphorylation in intact nonmuscle cells was investigated using a preparation of thrombin-activated, irreversibly aggregated platelets known as the platelet strip. Steady-state levels of tension generated by the platelet strip were found to be linearly related to the level of myosin phosphorylation. This relationship was observed during dose-dependent relaxation induced by the adenylate cyclase activators prostaglandin (PG) E1 and PGI2, and during contraction induced by ADP, epinephrine, and the prostaglandin endoperoxide analogue U-46619, which did not appreciably alter the basal level of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate in the preparation. The fully relaxed platelet strip, in the absence of external Ca2+, was associated with a level of 12% light chain phosphorylation, which increased to 72% on maximal contraction. During both relaxation and contraction, changes in myosin phosphorylation were also found to precede or coincide with tension changes. Furthermore, steady-state contraction induced by ADP was associated with a maintained elevation in the level of myosin phosphorylation. These results support the concept that myosin phosphorylation is an important regulatory mechanism for contractility in platelets.


An efficient built-in self-repair approach, column-block-level reconfiguration methodology, is proposed. It is based on the concept of divided bit-line (DBL) for high-capacity memories including SRAMs and DRAMs, widely used in low-power memory designs. However, the inherent characteristics (two or more memory cells are combined together to divide the bit-line into several sub bit-lines) of divided bit-line memories have not been used for fault-tolerant applications. Therefore the column_block_repair (CBR) fault-tolerant architecture is proposed based on the structure of DBL for high-capacity memories. The redundant columns of a memory array are divided into column blocks and reconfiguration is performed at the column block level instead of the traditional column level. The fault-tolerant architecture can improve the yield for memory fabrication significantly. Moreover, the characteristics of low power and fast access time of DBL memories are also preserved. The reconfiguration mechanism of the CBR architecture requires negligible hardware overhead. According to experimental results, the hardware overheads are less than 0.58% and 0.012% for 256-Kbit SRAMs and 8-Mbit DRAMs, respectively. The repair rate of the approach is compared with previous memory repair algorithms. It is found that the CBR approach improves the repair rate significantly. The yield improvement over traditional column-based approaches is also analysed. Simulated results show that the present approach can significantly improve fabrication yield.


The nonlinear harmonic method (NLH) for efficiently simulating unsteady turbomachinery fluid dynamics in the frequency domain is described, and the details of its application to inlet distortion are discussed. The method capabilities are then demonstrated on the NASA transonic fan Stage 67 with a generic inlet distortion. Comparison of the results with the available experimental data confirms that the reconstructed unsteady flow solution obtained by the nonlinear harmonic method captures the main flow characteristics of the inlet distortion interaction with the fan stage such as the swirl associated with the upstream flow redistribution, the total pressure distortion transfer, and the generation of the total temperature distortion. The method offers a cost saving of two orders of magnitude compared to conventional time-domain unsteady methods for this type of applications.


Novel high-hardness medium-carbon martensitic laboratory steel has been produced and tested for abrasive wear resistance. Different finish rolling temperatures (FRT) combined with either direct quenching (DQ) or interrupted quenching to 250 °C was applied to vary the content of retained austenite and hardness. The steel carbon content was set to 0.35 % to obtain a surface hardness of approximately 600 HB. Lowering the finish rolling temperature in the range 920–780 °C, i.e. into the non-recrystallization regime resulted in a more elongated prior austenite grain structure, which increased the hardness of the DQ variants without any significant loss of Charpy-V impact toughness. Although increasing the degree of autotempering by raising the quench stop temperature reduces the hardness of the martensitic microstructure, it was found that proper quenching stop temperature could be utilized to achieve balanced toughness and hardness properties. Impact-abrasive wear resistance as measured in impeller-tumbler tests with natural granite as the abrasive demonstrated that wear resistance increased with increasing surface hardness.


Amalgam was banned as a dental restorative material in Norway in 2008 due to environmental considerations. An electronic questionnaire was sent to all dentists in the member register of the Norwegian Dental Association (NTF) one year later, to evaluate dentists' satisfaction with alternative restorative materials and to explore dentists' treatment choices of fractured amalgam restorations. Replies were obtained from 61.3%. Composite was the preferred restorative material among 99.1% of the dentists. Secondary caries was the most commonly reported cause of failure (72.7%), followed by restoration fractures (25.1%). Longevity of Class II restorations was estimated to be ě10 years by 45.8% of the dentists, but 71.2% expected even better longevity if the restoration was made with amalgam. Repair using composite was suggested by 24.9% of the dentists in an amalgam restoration with a fractured cusp. Repair was more often proposed among young dentists (p < 0.01), employees in the Public Dental Service (PDS) (p < 0.01) and dentists working in counties with low dentist density (p = 0.03). There was a tendency towards choosing minimally invasive treatment among dentists who also avoided operative treatment of early approximal lesions (p < 0.01). Norwegian dentists showed positive attitudes towards composite as a restorative material. Most dentists chose minimally-or medium invasive approaches when restoring fractured amalgam restorations.


A re-entrant cylindrical cavity has been adapted to measure the dielectric constant and power factor of small disk samples of insulating materials. The methods of measurement, mechanical details, and electrical coupling and detecting circuits are all described. A single cavity can be utilized only over a frequency range of about 1.5:1 ratio from lowest to highest frequency. Therefore, several different sized cavities would be required to cover a range of frequency from 50 to 1000 megacycles. An accuracy of ±0.00005 in tan δ and ±1 per cent in dielectric constant may be obtained in routine measurements. Because the cavity has a very high Q (>2000), it is much more sensitive to low power-factor dielectric samples than any conventional coil-and-capacitor resonant circuit. The chief advantages of this method are that the operation of the apparatus is simple, very rapid, and similar to the susceptance-variation technique now used at lower radio frequencies. Also, the involved computations usually found in other methods operative in this frequency range are eliminated.


Utilizing piezoelectric energy harvesting to power autonomous wireless sensors has garnered significant attention recently. However, because the generated power for small form-factor piezoelectric devices is on the order of 10 µW, the use of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is imperative. Moreover, minimizing the power consumption of the maximum power point tracker is essential to increase the available power for the wireless sensor. To resolve this challenge, a digital MPPT controller is presented in this paper that is designed using subthreshold operation techniques. The MPPT controller is implemented and verified using a CMOS 0.35-µm process. The maximum power point tracker operates with a 1-V supply, consuming 3.71 µW while active. In addition, the proposed MPPT controller operates with 99.5% tracking efficiency.


Abstract
The 26"1 voyage of RV METEOR to the North Atlantic, the Skagerrak, the Norwegian, East
Greenland and Barents Seas consisted of three legs whose research programs served several
. large integrated, and multi-disciplinary projects. During the first leg, M 26/1, the programs
were related to WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment), specifically the North
Atlantic overturning rate determination and to the JGOFS project (Joint Global Ocean Flux
Study).
Of seven WOCE moorings three (M2, El and E2) had to be dredged because of release
problems and/or possible loss of buoyancy. Two of them (F2 and W2) released and surfaced
as planned; another two moorings (D2 and AZ) could not be located for different reasons.
Hydrographic parameters for characterization of water masses were also obtained at all sites
as well as at those of the JGOFS moorings (Ll, L2, L3). All three of these were successfully
redeployed during M 26/1 after they had been recovered in early summer of 1993 by the deep
submersibles MIR. Throughout most of M 26/1, a continuous and contamination-free
pumping system was deployed and a composite transect of chemical parameters measured.
Among them are the nutrients, organic acids, biomarkers and trace elements. They are
important basic data for several of the JGOFS subprojects which examine the interaction of
dissolved and particulate trace constituents in relation to seasonal and meridional particle
production and flux.

During the second and third legs, M 26/2 and M 26/3, the research programs served the
Sonderforschungsbereich 313 (Environmental Change in the northern North Atlantic) as well
as those of two European Community projects SEEP (Gas and Water Seepage on the
European Continental Margin) and ENAM (European North Atlantic Margin). Other projects,
addressing the well-known cold water carbonates of the Norwegian Sea (Boreale
Flachwasserkarbonate) and the history of post-glacial rebound of the Scandinavian shield
(Hebungsgeschichte Skandinaviens), were also part ofM 26.
The SFB-work concerned two long-term sediment trap moorings in the Norwegian and
Greenland Basins, the first of them was successfully recovered and redeployed, the second
one failed to surface. Work on the Norwegian, East Greenland, and Barents Sea margins
yielded many miles of shallow subsurface acoustic images, sufficient core material, surface
samples, hydrographic, plankton and benthos samples to serve the needs of five of the eight
SFB-subprojects. The micropaleontological and planktological assemblages of these samples
were further characterized by environmental parameters like nutrients, salinity and
temperature, from throughout the water column. The objectives concerned reconstruction of
Late Pleistocene temperatures, rates and controls of production of benthic and pelagic
biogenic carbonates and formation and imprinting of geophysical signals.

(...)


Cast shadow affects computer vision tasks such as image segmentation, object detection and tracking since objects and shadows share the same visual motion characteristics. This unavoidable problem decreases video surveillance system performance. The basic idea of this paper is to exploit the evidence that shadows darken the surface which they are cast upon. For this reason, we propose a simple and accurate method for detection of moving cast shadows based on chromatic properties in RGB, HSV and YUV color spaces. The method requires no a priori assumptions regarding the scene or lighting source. Starting from a normalization step, we apply canny filter to detect the boundary between self-shadow and cast shadow. This treatment is devoted only for the first sequence. Then, we separate between background and moving objects using an improved version of Gaussian mixture model. In order to remove these unwanted shadows completely, we use three change estimators calculated according to the intensity ratio in HSV color space, chromaticity properties in RGB color space, and brightness ratio in YUV color space. Only pixels that satisfy threshold of the three estimators are labeled as shadow and will be removed. Experiments carried out on various video databases prove that the proposed system is robust and efficient and can precisely remove shadows for a wide class of environment and without any assumptions. Experimental results also show that our approach outperforms existing methods and can run in real-time systems.


In this review the advantages and disadvantages of different variants of compression testing of trabecular bone are discussed. Factors affecting the precision and the accuracy of mechanical properties of trabecular bone derived from such tests are analysed. Below are listed some of the important conclusions which can be drawn. Conclusions based on the author's previous studies (I-IX) are shown in italic. 1) Trabecular bone is a viscoelastic solid. 2) Stiffness, strength, ultimate strain, and failure energy are derived from a standard compression test to failure. Viscoelastic properties such as energy dissipation and the relative energy loss (loss tangent) can be obtained from non-destructive cyclic tests. 3) A non-destructive test conducted between a lower load level (zero strain) and an upper strain limit of about 0.8% specimen strain has been developed. The reproducibility of such a test technique has been assessed at different conditions. The reproducibility was best after a number of conditioning cycles in order to achieve a viscoelastic steady state. Orthotropic properties can be determined by non-destructive testing in different directions of cubic specimens. The reproducibility of such testing has been established. 4) The stiffness derived from non-destructive tests will be lower than that obtained from a destructive test because of the non-linearity of the load-deformation curve, but the stiffnesses will be strongly correlated. 5) Stiffnesses derived from destructive and non-destructive tests have an elastic and a viscoelastic contribution. Since the viscoelastic contribution is time dependent, the results will be dependent on strain rate and loading frequency in cyclic tests. 6) Standard testing of small trabecular bone specimens is associated with systematic errors. The most significant of these errors are believed to be related to trabecular disintegrity at the surface of the specimen and to friction at the specimen-platen interface. Structural disintegrity causes an axial strain inhomogeneity resulting in a overestimation of axial strain and a corresponding underestimation of specimen stiffness. Friction at the interface causes an uneven stress and strain distribution in the layer nearest to the test platen resulting in a overestimation of stiffness. The net result of these systematic errors is a 20-40 per cent underestimation of stiffness. 7) The specimen geometry has a highly significant influence on mechanical properties such as stiffness, ultimate strain and energy absorption. A cube with a side length of 6.5 mm and a cylindrical specimen with a length of 6.5 mm and a diameter of 7.5 mm are suggested as standard geometries providing comparable results.


Drawn in by optimistic government campaigns, thousands of immigrants hopeful of the promised benefits of prairie living quickly sprawled across what would shortly become known as Saskatchewan. Rail lines stretched in every direction and villages began to sprout up every ten kilometers along the way. Within only a few decades however, the growth quickly turned into despair; years of widespread drought, the Great Depression, and land restructuring forced many to flee, leaving behind vacant homes and little hope for the few who stayed. Half a century later, the continuous decline in rural population has led to over 300 of these towns to now be considered "ghost towns," that are gradually becoming more invisible. With no likely intervention in sight, these fragments of our immigrant heritage will be all but invisible for the next generation.


The 1.8 A crystal structure of transducin alpha.GDP, when compared to that of the activated complex with GTP-gamma S, reveals the nature of the conformational changes that occur on activation of a heterotrimeric G-protein alpha-subunit. Structural changes initiated by direct contacts with the terminal phosphate of GTP propagate to regions that have been implicated in effector activation. The changes are distinct from those observed in other members of the GTPase superfamily.


Abstract Current knowledge of genetic alterations in glioblastomas is based largely on genetic analyses of tumors from mainly caucasian patients in the United States and Europe. In the present study, screening for several key genetic alterations was performed on 77 primary (de novo) glioblastomas in Japanese patients. SSCP followed by DNA sequencing revealed TP53 mutations in 16 of 73 (22%) glioblastomas and PTEN mutations in 13 of 63 (21%) cases analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed EGFR amplification in 25 of 77 (32%) cases and p16INK4a homozygous deletion in 32 of 77 (42%) cases. Quantitative microsatellite analysis revealed LOH 10q in 41 of 59 (69%) glioblastomas. The frequencies of these genetic alterations were similar to those reported for primary glioblastomas at the population level in Switzerland. As previously observed for glioblastomas in Europe, there was a positive association between EGFR amplification and p16INK4a deletion (p = 0.009), whereas there was an inverse association between TP53 mutations and p16INK4a deletion (p = 0.049) in glioblastomas in Japan. Multivariate analyses showed that radiotherapy was significantly predictive for longer survival of glioblastoma patients (p = 0.002). SSCP followed by DNA sequencing of the kinase domain (exons 18-21) of the EGFR gene revealed mutations in 2 ou of 69 (3%) glioblastomas in Japan and in 4 of 81 (5%) glioblastomas in Switzerland. The allele frequencies of polymorphisms at codon 787 CAG/CAA (Gln/Gln) in glioblastomas in Japan were G/G (82.4%), G/A (10.8%), A/A (6.8%), corresponding to G 0.878 versus A 0.122, significantly different from those in glioblastomas in Switzerland: G/G (27.2%), G/A (28.4%), A/A (44.4%), corresponding to G 0.414 versus A 0.586 (p < 0.0001). These results suggest that primary glioblastomas in Japan show genetic alterations similar to those in Switzerland, suggesting a similar molecular basis in caucasians and Asians, despite different genetic backgrounds, including different status of a polymorphism in the EGFR gene.


This thesis is concerned with the automatic generation of natural language descriptions
that can be used for video indexing, retrieval and summarization applications.
It is a step ahead of keyword based tagging as it captures relations between keywords
associated with videos, thus clarifying the context between them. Initially,
we prepare hand annotations consisting of descriptions for video segments crafted
from a TREC Video dataset. Analysis of this data presents insights into humans
interests on video contents. For machine generated descriptions, conventional image
processing techniques are applied to extract high level features (HLFs) from
individual video frames. Natural language description is then produced based on
these HLFs. Although feature extraction processes are erroneous at various levels,
approaches are explored to put them together for producing coherent descriptions.
For scalability purpose, application of framework to several different video genres
is also discussed. For complete video sequences, a scheme to generate coherent and
compact descriptions for video streams is presented which makes use of spatial and
temporal relations between HLFs and individual frames respectively. Calculating
overlap between machine generated and human annotated descriptions concludes
that machine generated descriptions capture context information and are in accordance
with human's watching capabilities. Further, a task based evaluation shows
improvement in video identification task as compared to keywords alone. Finally,
application of generated natural language descriptions, for video scene classification
is discussed.


In an analysis of the parametric decay of the fast magnetosonic wave to an ion Bernstein wave and a quasi-mode the amount of power converted non-linearly at the plasma edge during ion cyclotron heating is estimated. Low decay thresholds for the pump wave amplitude are obtained when the quasi-mode frequency is at the hydrogen cyclotron frequency and the fast wave frequency is near appropriate cyclotron harmonics (or their sums) of the edge plasma. To obtain an upper limit for the growth of the decay modes, non-linear Landau damping of the Bernstein wave as a secondary process is studied, in addition to the usual convective and linear damping processes of the decay waves. It is shown that because of the secondary process and the finite interaction geometry in the decay, a negligible power conversion from the fast wave to Bernstein modes may follow even if the pump wave amplitude clearly exceeds the threshold. At larger pump wave fields (>200 V·cm−1) a non-negligible power conversion could be obtained in spite of saturation of the instability. Since the wave fields of the fast wave at the plasma edge of JET are estimated to be less than 200 V·cm−1, no serious power losses for the heating wave due to the Bernstein wave decay at the edge are expected. This seems to be in accordance with recent observations on JET. These dependences are described and applications to hydrogen minority heating of deuterium and deuterium-tritium plasmas by ICRF waves in JET are presented.


Recently, the improvement of radiology systems along with the developing technologies has provided an important contribution in the diagnosis and treatment of numerous medical cases. In this study, we propose a new radiation dose measurement approach for patients and radiation workers on X-ray units. The approach is extremely important to correct the shortcomings in this area as well as to provide a "gold standard" for radiation quality control measurement of X-ray units. The implementation of the approach will allow to the elimination of concerns of patients and radiation workers about radiation. Also it will present the opportunity to work in a safe environment for radiologists and radiation workers.


Our study is an attempt to a scertain practical vertical and lateral resolution bounds with which geoelectric features in the subsurface can be resolved from lateral measurements of magnetotelluric (MT) fields. For this purpose, we have linearized the relationship between a perturbation in subsurface resistivity and the ensuing perturbation in the surface MT fields (Torres-Verdin and Bostick, 1990). Even though the linearized MT field solutions apply only to low-rontrast models, they hold for any geometrical complexity in the subsurface. In fact, the linear-system analysis yields a set of response equations than can be easily particularized to the cases of one-, two-, and three-dimensional (1-D, 2-D, and 3-D, respectively) subsurface resistivity distributions.


This study presents a kinetic model of microwave generated discharges sustained, under the conditions of a diffusion controlled regime, by the propagation of azimuthally symmetric surface waves. The effect of the plasma resonances, which can appear over the radial density profile in the vicinity of the walls and lead to sharp peaks in the radial component of the high-frequency wave electric field in the plasma, is introduced. This effect modifies the surface wave damping and results in a collisional as well as collisionless (quasilinear) transfer of energy from the radial field component to the plasma. In the Boltzmann equation the latter appears as a third channel of energy transfer, which is added to the Joule heating by the axial and radial wave field components. The spatially inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation for the electron-energy distribution function, which accoutns for the radial ambipolar field, is solved in the nonlocal approximation. A complete set of relations is formed by simultaneous consideration of the fluid equations for the ion motion and the field equations for the surface wave electric field. The problem is solved numerically. It yields self-consistent radial electron density profiles and radial electric field distributions. The obtained solutions evidence indeed the occurrence of plasma resonances. The study is extended also to obtaining results for the axial variation of the (radially averaged) electron density. It turns out that the widely used concept of approximate constancy of wave power absorbed by one electron in a diffusion controlled regime keeps its validity also in the presence of plasma resonances and of the corresponding collisional, as well as collisionless, power transfer to the plasma in the resonance regions.


Rootkits have become a growing concern in cyber-security. Typically, they exploit kernel vulnerabilities to gain root privileges of a system and conceal malwarepsilas activities from users and system administrators without any authorization. Once infected, these malware applications will operate completely in stealth, leaving no trace for administrators and anti-malware tools. Current anti-rootkit solutions try to either strengthen the kernel by removing known vulnerabilities or develop software tools at the OS or virtual machine monitor levels to monitor the integrity of the kernel. Seeing the failure of these software techniques, we propose, in this paper, an autonomic architecture called SHARK, or secure hardware support against rootkit by employing hardware support to provide system-level security without trusting the software stack, including the OS kernel. SHARK enhances the relationship between the OS and the hardware architecture, making the entire system more security-aware in defending rootkits. SHARK proposes new architectural support to provide a secure association between each software context and the underlying hardware. It helps system administrators to obtain feedback directly from the hardware to reveal all running processes, even when the OS kernel is compromised. We emulated the functionality of SHARK by using x86 Bochs and modifying the Linux kernel version 188.8.131.52 based on our proposed architectural extension. Several real rootkits were installed to compromise the kernel and conceal malware processes on our emulated environment. SHARK is shown to be highly effective in identifying a variety of rootkits employing different software schemes. In addition, the performance analysis based on our Simics simulations shows a negligible overhead, making the SHARK architecture highly practical.


Internet and digital technologies allowed for the emergence of new modes of production involving cooperation and collaboration amongst peers (peer production) and oriented towards the maximization of the common good as opposed to the maximization of profits. To ensure that content will always remain available to the public, the output of production is often released under a specific regime that prevents anyone from subsequently turning it into a commodity (the regime of information commons). While this might reduce the likelihood of commodification, information commons can nonetheless be exploited by the market economy. Indeed, since they have been made available for use by anyone, large online service providers can indirectly benefit from the commons by capturing the value derived from it. While this is not a problem as such, problems arise when the exploitation of the commons by one agent is likely to preclude others from doing the same often as a result of commodification. This is especially true in the context of cloud computing, where the content holder has become as powerful, if not more powerful than the copyright owner. Nowadays, regardless of their legal status, information commons are increasingly controlled by large corporations who can precisely define the manner in which they can be used or accessed. Digital communities need to be aware of these risks. This article proposes a theoretical and normative exploration of these issues, based on the analysis of recent trends in the area of cloud computing. It argues that, in order to reduce the likelihood of commodification, but still benefit from the advantages offered by cloud computing, digital communities should rely on decentralized platforms based on peer-to-peer architectures thereby escaping from the centralized control of large service providers while nonetheless preserving the autonomy of the commons they produce.


Nietzsche and Foucault have given us the idea of conducting a philosophical genealogy of a practice that varies across history. Foucault's work also implies that we can view some abstraction as a practice. These points jointly imply that we can conduct a genealogy of "abstractive practices." Indeed, a good deal of Foucault's work can be understood as exactly this sort of investigation. But a genealogy of abstractive practice raises a difficult methodological problem. This is the problem of how to determine which definitions of abstraction to use, from amongst the various theoretical accounts of abstraction that we find in the history of thought, to craft our genealogy of abstractive practices. In other words, what will count as an abstractive practice for the purpose of conducting such a genealogy will depend on what we identify as abstraction. This article seeks to expose this problem to demonstrate the methodological difficulties that must be confronted in order to steer a path between ignoring the historical-epistemological limits to the kinds of abstraction we can employ at any given present, on the one hand, and having our sensitivity to these limits halt our historical-philosophical reflections on abstraction as a historical practice, on the other.


Thanks to their semiconducting behavior, conjugated molecules are considered as an attractive candidate for future electronic devices. Understanding the charge transport characteristics through such molecules for different device applications would accelerate the progress in the field of molecular electronics. In addition, it would become more feasible to introduce/enhance specific properties of molecular devices. This theoretical paper focuses on atomistic simulation and characterization of novel molecular FET employing dithiolated oligo-phenylenevinylene molecules. The simulation is validated by its agreement with the experimental measurements conducted on the same molecules. The employed molecule has oxygen linkers, which are responsible for the strongly nonlinear current characteristics on the molecular device. We perform a thorough atomistic device analysis to illustrate the principles behind the nonlinear current characteristics and the gating effect.


Amphibian populations have declined worldwide. To pursue conservation efforts adequately, land managers need more information concerning amphibian habitat requirements. To address this need, we examined relationships between anurans and habitat characteristics of wetlands in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (LMAV). We surveyed chorusing anurans in 31 wetlands in 2000 and 28 wetlands in 2001, and measured microhabitat variables along the shoreline within the week following each survey. We recorded 12 species of anurans during our study. Species richness was significantly lower in 2000 than 2001 (t-test, P < 0.001) and correlated with an ongoing drought. We found species richness to be significantly greater at lake sites compared to impoundment, swale, and riverine sites (ANOVA, P = 0.002). We used stepwise regression to investigate the wetland types and microhabitat characteristics associated with species richness of chorusing anurans. Microhabitat characteristics associated with species richness included dense herbaceous vegetation and accumulated litter along the shoreline. Individual species showed species-specific habitat associations. The bronze frog, American bullfrog, and northern cricket frog were positively associated with lake sites (Fisher's Exact Test, P < 0.05), however wetland type did not significantly influence any additional species. Using bivariate correlations, we found that six of the seven most common species had significant associations with microhabitat variables. Overall, our findings support the view that conservation and enhancement of amphibian communities in the LMAV and elsewhere requires a matrix of diverse wetland types and habitat conditions.


Three cases of vaginal perforation after coitus are discussed. The most consistent clinical sign is a small amount of blood escaping from the vulvar lips immediately after breeding. Secondary infection and posttraumatic swelling may cause abdominal pain due to rectal impaction. Treatment with high levels of an appropriate antibiotic is important to reduce the risk of a severe infectious peritonitis. The use of artificial insemination or a breeding roll to prevent full intromission is recommended.


Abstract:This essay inquires into the meaning and usage of eikos, an important term in early Greek rhetorical theory Based on a survey of 394 uses of the verb eoika (of which eikos is the neuter perfect participle) in texts ranging from Homer to Isocrates, it argues that the traditional translation of eikos as "probability" is in some ways misleading. Specifically, the essay proposes: 1) that "to be similar" is the core meaning of eoika, 2) that all other senses of eoika can be seen as extensions of the "similarity" sense, 3) that the "befittingness" sense of eikos continued to be of great importance in the early Attic orators, and 4) that the sense of eikos as that which is befitting or socially expected, and the sense of eikos as that which is verisimilar, work in tandem in the "profiling" strategy of some eikos arguments.


Aims: Pains caused by the invasive actions such as intramuscular injection lead to the physical and mental tensions in the children. Therefore, such pains should be given relief. One of the main priorities in the nursing is to notice methods that reduce pains due to the invasive actions in the children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of injection displayed on a doll on the pain intensity due to the intramuscular injection in the preschool children. Materials & Methods: In the randomized controlled clinical trial, 62 kids aged between 4 and 6 years with pharyngitis were studied in the clinic of the health network of Khalil-abad Township in 2015. The intramuscular injection of penicillin 6.3.3 was administrated for the kids. The subjects, selected by simple lottery, were divided into two groups including experimental and control groups (n=31 per group). Data was collected using a demographic characteristic collecting form and Oucher standard pain assessment tool. In experimental group, the kid watching, one intramuscular injection was displayed on a doll by a nurse; then, the kid underwent an intramuscular injection. In control group, the routine injection method was done. Data was analyzed by SPSS 19 software using Mann-Whitney, independent T, and Chisquare tests. Findings: Mean pain intensity after injection in experimental group (3.22±0.90) was significantly lower than control group (4.19±0.83; p<0.001). Conclusion: The injection displayed on a doll before the intramuscular injection might lead to pain reduction in the preschool kids.


In the present study, a total of five species of Vibrio bacteria were isolated from diseased shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, collected from commercial shrimp cultured ponds of Eethamukkala, Chinaganjam and Pedaganjam areas, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. The isolated bacterial species were identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus , Vibrio harveyi , Vibrio alginolyticus , Vibrio mimicus and Vibrio vulnificus. The symptoms shown by diseased shrimps include loss of appetite, red coloration of the body and pleopods, gills often appear red to brown in colour, reduced feeding, empty gut and general septicemia. In diseased shrimp, hepatopancrocytes may appear poorly vacuolated, indicating low lipid and glycogen reserve. In affected shrimps, localized lesions were also observed in the cuticle. Experimental infection trials reveals that V . parahaemolyticus is highly pathogenic to L. vannamei while V. harveyi found to be moderate pathogenic to challenged shrimp and remaining three bacterial species namely V.alginolyticus , V.mimicus and V.vulnificus were less pathogenic in nature. Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(2): 217-222