Background: Diarrhea is the second most common cause of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years old worldwide. Most of the mortalities and morbidities due to diarrhea can be prevented. Accurate knowledge regarding signs and symptoms, timely and appropriate management at household, and in health services remains an important intervention for reducing mortality and morbidity. The present study was conducted with an objective to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers of under-five children regarding the diarrheal illness. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a Medical College Hospital, Mangaluru. A pretested questionnaire was given to mothers of under-five children when they attended hospital for treatment of their children either as outpatient or inpatient. Results were tabulated and analyzed statistically using frequency, percentage, and Chi-square test. Results: A total of 100 mothers were selected randomly. Majority (40%) of them were in the age group of 21–25 years. All of them were literate with 47% mothers completed high-school education. Majority (40%) of mothers belonged to Class III socioeconomic status. Most of the mothers (84%) had good knowledge regarding signs and symptoms, spread, and prevention. Majority of mothers (77%) had serious attitude toward diarrheal illness. Most of the mothers (76%) practiced good dietary and preventive measures during diarrheal episodes. Rotavirus vaccine was given by 35% mothers to their kids. A strong association is found between age group, educational status, and socioeconomic status and knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding diarrheal illness (P ≤ 0.0001). Conclusion: Maternal education in particular health education should be used as an effective tool to promote knowledge and good practice regarding diarrheal illness in children under 5 years of age. Inclusion of rotavirus vaccine in national immunization schedule will help in improving its coverage.


Changes to the amounts of certain proteins have resulted in several studies, among them the so-called heat shock proteins (HSP), which take many forms, most of them constitutive. However, other forms may be inducible by a particular stress factor. The 'Micro-Tom' tomato is considered a model for experimental studies due to having suitable characteristics, such as reduced size, short generation time, and ease of transformation. Growth and production components were therefore evaluated in 'Micro-Tom' tomato plants transformed for different levels of mitochondrial HSP (MT-sHSP23.6). Plants from genotypes of the 'Micro-Tom' tomato (untransformed, and transformed with overexpression and with expression silencing) were grown under controlled conditions of temperature, photoperiod and photon flux density. To obtain the data, successive collections were carried out at regular intervals (21 days) throughout the development cycle of the plants, starting from the 21st day after transplanting (DAT). Total dry matter, leaf area, dry-weight partitioning between the plant organs, and production components were determined in the three genotypes. From interpretation of the results, it was found that plants transformed with overexpression of MT-sHSP23.6 displayed greater production capacity, considering the fresh weight of the fruit; but in general, the data showed that genetic transformation did not bring about major changes in growth, since the three genotypes displayed similar behaviour.


The authors study the issues on distributed geographical packet forwarding in wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) using a stochastic optimal control approach. First, a distributed geographic-informed forwarding (DGIF) scheme is proposed that defines a set of distributed routing policies. Then, the distributed WSAN packet forwarding problem is modelled and analysed from the perspective of stochastic optimal control. The WSAN is viewed as a controlled stochastic system. The routing procedure is determined by the routing policy and system disturbance (e.g. the position uncertainty of remote nodes) jointly. An improved value iteration method is presented to accelerate the convergence of the optimal routing strategy. The reliability-driven routing algorithm (called DGIF-RRP) for emergency applications and the quality-of-service-aware routing algorithm (called DGIF-QRP) for real-time applications are proposed. Simulations are carried out to evaluate the proposed routing algorithms. The results show that DGIF-RRP and DGIF-QRP significantly outperform two enhanced versions of the Dijkstra's algorithm in emergency and real-time applications, respectively.


A new approach to generate ultrahigh-repetition rate optical pulses is proposed and analyzed theoretically. It is different from conventional approaches, which use fiber or integrated waveguide delay line circuits. The high-repetition-rate optical-pulse multiplication phenomenon occurs when the optical pulse's spectral width is greater than the transfer bandwidth of the coupler used. From the analysis, pulse doubling at repetition rates beyond the hundred-GHz range can be achieved using an all-fiber low-loss wavelength-division coupler with a looped end. The output repetition rate can be controlled by using fiber couplers with different equivalent transfer bandwidths.<<ETX>>


Primary sources were provided by the Kenyan Embassy to the U.S.A., Kenya tourist offices in the U.S.A. and West Germany, the Economics Department at the University of Nairobi, the Ministry of Finance in Kenya, the Institute of South Africa, and the United Nations. The first chapter provides a brief explanation of the historical and economic development Kenya has experienced since independence. Chapter II deals with the historical development of Kenya's economy. Chapter III discusses the major countries' donation of aid to Kenya. Chapter IV focuses upon aid from international organizations. Chapter V develops Kenya's efforts to use foreign aid efficiently. Chapter VI looks into Kenya's prospects for development through foreign aid. Chapter VII is the conclusion.


The Big Fish takes you fishing around NSW, with the best techniques, tips and tactics, whether you are a bait, lure or fly fisher, land based, estuary or off shore, we have it all covered with our experts, Snapper, Stinker, Bushy, The Weighmaster, Starlo, Gabe, Peter LaBlang and more. Some of the best anglers in the state.


Research examining how truth tellers' and liars' verbal behavior is attenuated as a function of delay is largely absent from the literature, despite its important applied value. We examined this factor across 2 studies in which we examined the effects of a hypothetical delay (Experiment 1) or actual delay (Experiment 2) on liars' accounts. In Experiment 1—an insurance claim interview setting—claimants either genuinely experienced a (staged) loss of a tablet device (n = 40) or pretended to have experienced the same loss (n = 40). Truth tellers were interviewed either immediately after the loss (n = 20) or 3 weeks after the loss (n = 20), whereas liars had to either pretend the loss occurred either immediately before (n = 20) or 3 weeks before (n = 20) the interview (i.e., hypothetical delay for liars). In Experiment 2—a Human Intelligence gathering setting—sources had to either lie (n = 50) or tell the truth (n = 50) about a secret video they had seen concerning the placing of a spy device. Half of the truth tellers and liars where interviewed immediately after watching the video (n = 50), and half where interviewed 3-weeks later (n = 50; i.e., real delay for liars). Across both experiments, truth tellers interviewed after a delay reported fewer details than truth tellers interviewed immediately after the to-be-remembered event. In both studies, liars failed to simulate this pattern of forgetting and reported similar amounts of detail when interviewed without or after a delay, demonstrating a stability bias in reporting.


In 1954, I began sketching on a very regular basis, as if it were a task I had assigned myself, using the small Fabriano sketchpads with the blue covers. But I used to draw on any kind of paper, preferably on used paper (I used the back of drawing sheets found at school, old forms, and wrapping paper). I drew my own hand, sketches of classmates, landscapes, portraits. By 1958, I had learnt to draw very well but I am no longer able to make drawings like those I used to sketch on old grey wrapping paper. I began to paint, then I enrolled at the Architectural Faculty and at University, they taught me another type of drawing, precise and regular, which I had never been able to draw before. I learnt to keep my drawings and ideas in order, like books in a library. The drawings of other people began to be part of my own [...]


In this study, two methods for the simulation of peroxide based crosslinking kinetics during lamination were investigated. Firstly, an experimental simulation approach utilizing a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) has been conducted; secondly a numerical simulation approach based on the Friedman method was applied. For comparison the same material has been cured with different lamination parameters. Mean accuracies of the two methods were found to be 3.1% and 4.5%, respectively. The simulation approaches may be a useful tool in rapid prototyping of new materials helping to find optimal lamination conditions without actual lamination experiments.


The work carried out in this thesis is concerned with photoexcitation of small and halogenated molecules in the gas phase with vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) radiation. For all the experiments described in this thesis, the source of radiation was from tuneable VUV radiation from a synchrotron source. The majority of the experiments used the UK national source located at Daresbury Cheshire. Fluorescence spectra were taken using the newly commissioned Wadsworth monochromator on beamline 3.1 of the Daresbury synchrotron radiation source. Dispersed florescence spectra were taken using a newly developed fluorescence apparatus incorporating a multi-channel CCD detection system. One of the objectives of this thesis is to compare the sensitivity and resolution of this new system with that of an apparatus used at the BESSY 1 synchrotron source in the 1990s. Many of the molecules studied here were chosen because previous data recorded at BESSY 1 were available for this comparison. Molecules studied include the MCl\(_4\) series (M = C, Si and Ge) where both the VUV photoabsorption and fluorescence spectra were recorded. A new analysis of the absorption spectra is presented. Emissions are observed in MCl\(_2\), MCl and the parent ion of SiCl\(_4^+\) and GeCl\(_4^+\). The CF\(_3\)X series (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I and SF\(_5\)) where the fluorescence spectra and some photoabsorption spectra were recorded. Emissions are observed in CF, CF\(_2\), CF\(_3\) and parent ion CF\(_4^+\), CF\(_3\)H\(^+\). Undispersed and dispersed fluorescence spectra of BX\(_3\) (X = F, Cl and Br) were also recorded. Emission is now observed in BX\(_2\), BX and parent ion BX\(_3^+\). Finally the fluorescence spectra of PX\(_3\) (X = F, Cl and Br) were recorded and are presented here. Emissions are observed in PX\(_2\), PX and parent ion PX\(_3^+\).


The concentration distribution of anthropocentric pollutants is favored by urban densification, affecting the micrometeorology in big cities. To examine this condition, chaos theory was applied to time series of measurements of urban meteorology and pollutants of six communes of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile, in two periods: 2010–2013 and 2017–2020. Each commune contributes, per period, six different time series: three for the meteorological variables (temperature, relative humidity, and magnitude wind speed) and three for the atmospheric pollutant concentrations (PM10, PM2.5, and CO). This qualitative study corroborates that each of the time series is chaotic through the calculation of chaotic parameters: Lyapunov exponent, correlation dimension, Hurst coefficient, correlation entropy, Lempel–Ziv complexity and fractal dimension. The variation in the chaotic parameters between the two periods can be interpreted in relation to the roughness change due to urban densification. More specific parameters, constructed from the Kolmogorov entropies and the fractal dimensions of the time series, show modifications due to the increase in the built surface in the most current period. This variation also extends to micrometeorology, as is clear from the Lempel–Ziv complexity and the Hurst coefficient. The qualitative picture constructed using chaos theory reveals that human interaction with nature affects diversity and sustainability and generates irreversible processes.


Limit state design (LSD) of composite structures is a common practice in industry where the strategy is to keep the loads on a structure such that the material in the structure does not exceed a selected limiting state. In composite laminates, one can identify certain states in damage evolution that can be used as limiting states depending on the structural design function. For instance, if the structure is to have no cracks at all, then the initiation of first crack in any of the plies of the laminate can serve as the limiting state. If the structure is stiffness critical, but can tolerate a certain loss of stiffness, then the limiting state corresponding to the maximum attainable crack densities in all plies of the laminate is a useful limiting state. This state is known as the characteristic damage state (CDS) and has been a focus of many studies. For strength-critical structures, the load bearing capacity of the laminate is a design variable, and its limiting values are given by an unstable progression of damage and total failure. In this work, we firstly address the CDS under static and fatigue loading for symmetric laminates containing plies in transverse as well as other off-axis orientations. Following previous studies of transverse cracking in cross ply laminates, we use attainment of a compressive stress between cracks as a criterion for the limiting state of cracking also for other off-axis cracks. We develop a beam-on-elastic-foundation model that analytically calculates the minimum crack spacing of transverse cracks in cross ply laminates and in combination with a three-dimensional finite element (3-D FE) analysis also calculates this spacing for other off-axis orientations. The model predictions agree well with available test data. For fatigue loading, it has been observed that the crack saturation may vary with the loading history. We discuss the mechanism of such a CDS in the plies. Finally, the potential application of the studied CDS for LDS is proposed.


We propose a quintessence model with a cosine-type potential,in which the scalar field Φ^a possesses an O(N) internal symmetry.The most prominent feature of this model is that it will not reduce to a cosmological constant even when |Φ^a| is spatially uniform and time-independent.since different values of the potential parameter will lead to different cosmic microwave background anisotropies,which may be detectable in future satellite experiments,one can decide by observations whether the cosine-type quintessence consists of one scalar field or many fields with a symmetry constraint.


The flavor and sensory profiles that influenced the selection of 4 commercial Thai lime cultivars ( Citrus aurantifolia Swingle cv. 'Pan Rumpai', 'Pan Puang', and 'Pan Pijit' and Citrus latifolia Tanaka cv. 'Tahiti') by Thai chefs were examined. Twenty-eight volatiles (7 monoterpenes, 13 sesquiterpenes, 4 monoterpene alcohols, 1 aldehyde, 2 monoterpene aldehydes, and 1 monoterpene ester) and 9 non-volatiles (citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, ascorbic acid, sucrose, fructose, glucose, limonin, and naringin) contributing to the flavor of Thai lime juice were identified using dynamic headspace-gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. An interview of master chefs and an acceptance test of culinary students revealed that Pan Puang was the most preferred lime cultivar owing to its moderate sour taste and its unique floral aroma contributed by terpinolene and linalool, along with its low content of β-myrcene, which contributes to balsamic and pungent aroma notes.


UNLABELLED:This article presents the results of testing of phenolic compounds (flavonoids, isoflavonoids, xanthones, phenolcarboxylic acids, tannins, coumarins, etc.) in the rhizomes of four Iris species (Iris sibirica L., Iris pseudacorus L., Iris imbricatа Lindl., Iris hungarica Waldst. et Kit.). With the use of paper and thin-layer chromatography, fifteen phenolic compounds were identified: gallic, coumaric, cinnamic, chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, ferulic, caffeic acids; kaempferol, quercetin, hispidulin, daidzein, genistein, formononetin, mangiferin and isomangiferin. Quantitative contents of flavonoids (1.2-3.7%), hydroxycinnamic acids (0.6-6.5%), γ-pyrones (0.01-0.8%), tannins (6-14%), isoflavonoids (1-2%), polyphenolic compounds (up to 3%) in the rhizomes of the Iris species were determined. Chosen plants belong to natural flora and have been often cultivated. However, this phytochemical analysis for the main groups of the biologically active substances shows a perspective use of the Iris species in medicine. KEY WORDS:Iris species Iridaceae phenolic compounds chromatography qualitative analysis quantitative contents.


Staying ahead of the pitch: an old baseball metaphor that means to anticipate where the ball is going to go so that the batter can score a hit. But to anticipate changes in a field as robust and challenging as information sciences, reflection and contemplation are often key to good planning. With simple day-to-day management of libraries already being a full-time task, true leadership and planning often comes with a real, physical break from the workplace and daily routines.

With this in mind, the leadership retreat should be employed by librarians to give themselves the luxury of deep reflection, camaraderie, and thoughtful planning in environments conducive to such work. This article outlines a simple process that can be used to run a planning retreat, at a reasonable cost, and within a modest time frame. To outline this process, a case study involving the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Schusterman Library will be described.


: In recent years, amount of evidence suggests that silibinin (SLB), an active constituent isolated from the seeds of Silybum marianum, possesses pleiotropic anticancer effects in different cancers. In this study, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymer was used to fabricate SLB containing nanofibers (NFs) by the electrospinning method. The NFs were characterized by their unique morphological features, degradation rate, and drug release profile. The cytotoxic effects, production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the gene expression of apoptotic proteins were investigated in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and normal human lung epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B cells) treated with free SLB and SLB-loaded PLGA NFs. The results indicated that both free SLB and SLB-loaded NFs had no effect on BEAS-2B cells, but were cytotoxic against A549 cells, increasing intracellular ROS levels in cancer cells. In addition, both agents induced the gene expression of apoptotic proteins, and the SLB-loaded NFs acted more efficiently than the free SLB. With further study, hence, the SLB-loaded NFs could be potentially used as an anti-cancer agent against human lung adenocarcinoma.


This study deals with the evaluation of egg and larval qualities for the Northern pike Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758 according to two dates during a spawning season, on March 16 (ST1) and 23 (ST2). A higher hatching rate (97% for ST1 vs 80% for ST2) associated to a stronger resistance to starvation (21.0 days for ST1 vs 19.1 days for ST2) and a better survival rate (72% for ST1 vs 59% for ST2) were found to characterize larvae hatched from eggs spawned earlier. Moreover, a significant female effect was observed for the egg weight, the fertilization rate, the initial total length, the final weight and the resistance to starvation, where some homogeneities were found between eggs and offspring of different females from the two spawning times. Our results suggest the existence of an early organization of pike larval quality, which gives rise, to two groups of larvae with different characteristics. Late season individuals were of a large size and a fast growth while early season ones were smaller but survived longer and resisted better to unsuitable feeding conditions. This particularity is likely to be related to a special metabolic ability allowing pike larvae hatched earlier on the spring season to decrease energetic costs in order to survive longer in the absence of adequate food.


This report presents the results of full-scale wind tunnel tests conducted to determine the ground-handling forces on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron." Ground-handling conditions were simulated by establishing a velocity gradient above a special ground board in the tunnel comparable with that encountered over a landing field. The tests were conducted at Reynolds numbers ranging from 5,000,000 to 19,000,000 at each of six angles of yaw between 0 degree and 180 degrees and at four heights of the model above the ground board. The ground-handling forces vary greatly with the angle of yaw and reach large values at appreciable angles of yaw. Small changes in height, pitch, or roll did not critically affect the forces on the model. In the range of Reynolds numbers tested, no significant variation of the forces with the scale was disclosed.


This article explores the internationalization of Japanese anime (animation) in an effort to help explain the cultural politics behind this popular cultural product. The internationalization of anime includes the incorporation of de-Japanized elements into anime's background, context, character design, and narrative organization. A theoretical framework for understanding anime's internationalization is developed, proposing that there are at least three kinds of cultural politics working behind anime's international success: one, de-politicized internationalization, which primarily serves as a commercial tactic to attract international audiences; two, Occidentalized internationalization, which satiates a nationalistic sentiment; three, self-Orientalized internationalization, which reveals a cultural desire to establish Japan as an ersatz Western country in Asia.


Engaging in exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) consistently reduces post-event cardiac risk and improves quality of life. Promoting patients' exercise self-efficacy is key as low self-efficacy inhibits self-care, prolonging symptoms and elevating risk. Support from a partner (spouse or caregiver) is seen as an important predictor of successful rehabilitation outcomes. Partner's perceptions of a patient's capabilities, known as other-efficacy, may also be important, as they may relate to the support partners provide. The current study explored whether partner's other-efficacy was related to how they supported the patient and in turn how this predicted patient's self-efficacy. Further, this project extended work in this area by drawing from attachment theory to examine whether the patient's attachment style may moderate the relationship between support and self-efficacy. CR patient and partner dyads (N=68) were recruited from a 10-week CR program, completing measures of self-efficacy, other efficacy, support, and attachment styles. The overall model was tested using an SPSS macro called PROCESS. Overall mediation was not found; however, other-efficacy was negatively associated with overprotective support (b=-.01, p=.03), and overprotective support was negatively associated with patient self-efficacy (b=-5.03, p=.02). A significant interaction was found between overprotective support and attachment anxiety when predicting patient's self-efficacy (b=4.47, p=.005), indicating that the self-efficacy of patients lower in attachment anxiety was more strongly negatively associated with overprotective support offered by the partner. The findings of this study provide insight into the dynamics between efficacy perceptions, support and attachment, which may help to inform tailoring of education and assistance in partner-based CR.Acknowledgments: SSHRC Small Institutions Grant


Residue Number System (RNS) is often adopted to implement long and repetitive multiplications of cryptographic and signal processing algorithms. To sustain the competitive advantages of RNS over two's complement system in pervasive computing platforms, the hardware cost of parallel modulo arithmetic operations must be lowered. In this paper, new low power and low area modulo multipliers for the well-established {2n - 1, 2n, 2n + 1} based RNS are proposed. The proposed modulo 2n-1 and modulo 2n + 1 multipliers are based on the radix-8 Booth encoding technique. The requisite hard multiples in the critical path are generated by fast customized parallel-prefix adders. In the proposed modulo 2n - 1 multiplier, the number of partial products is lowered to ⌊n/3⌋ + 1, which is around 33% reduction over radix-4 Booth encoded multiplier for n = 32-64 . For modulo 2n + 1 multiplication, the aggregate bias due to the hard multiple and the modulo-reduced partial product generations is composed of multiplier-dependent dynamic bias and multiplier-independent static bias. Both biases have been reduced by properties of modulo 2n + 1 arithmetic and merged into only three n-bit words. Consequently, the total number of partial products in the proposed modulo 2n + 1 multiplier is given by ⌊n/3⌋ + 6, which is 11% and 35% reduction over radix-4 Booth encoded multiplier for n = 32 and 64, respectively. From synthesis results for {2n - 1, 2n, 2n + 1} based RNS multipliers constructed from different modulo 2n - 1 and modulo 2n + 1 multipliers, our proposed modulo multipliers save 4%-40% and 24%-34% area as well as 21%-40% and 7%-19% total power dissipation over radix-4 Booth encoded and non-encoded modulo multipliers, respectively. These results are well correlated with the theoretical estimation based on the normalized area model.


We consider phase transitions and their contributions to vacuum energy in the manifestly local theory of vacuum energy sequestering. We demonstrate that the absence of instabilities imposes constraints on the couplings of gravitating and nongravitating sectors, which can be satisfied in a large class of models. We further show by explicit construction that the vacuum energy contributions to the effective cosmological constant in the descendant vacua are generically strongly suppressed by the ratios of space-time volumes of parent and descendant geometries. This means that the cosmological constant in de Sitter descendant vacua remains insensitive to phase transitions which may have occurred in the course of its cosmic history.


We study the Minimax Regret Uncapacitated Lot Sizing (MRULS) model, where the production cost function and the demand are subject to uncertainty. We propose a polynomial time algorithm which solves the MRULS model in O(n6) time. We improve this running time to O(n5) when only the demand is uncertain, and to O(n4) when only the production cost function is uncertain.


Mutations in the genes encoding the CNGA3 and CNGB3 subunits of the cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel of cone photoreceptors have been associated with autosomal recessive achromatopsia. Here we analyze the molecular basis of achromatopsia in two siblings with residual cone function. Psychophysical and electroretinographic analyses show that the light sensitivity of the cone system is lowered, and the signal transfer from cones to secondary neurons is perturbed. Both siblings carry two mutant CNGA3 alleles that give rise to channel subunits with different single-amino acid substitutions. Heterologous expression revealed that only one mutant forms functional channels, albeit with grossly altered properties, including changes in Ca2+ blockage and permeation. Surprisingly, coexpression of this mutant subunit with CNGB3 rescues the channel phenotype, except for the Ca2+ interaction. We argue that these alterations are responsible for the perturbations in light sensitivity and synaptic transmission.


The region of Eisenerz in the heart of Austria is currently in a state of post-industrial structural change. Migration, abandoned structures, vacancies and shrinking are displacing the centuries-long iron industry boom.
During the Rostfest 2012, an annual art and culture festival that focuses on regional development impacts, the art installation "re-light Eisenerz" was staged in the form of a do-it-yourself water power plant. The energy it generated was used to light an abandoned 18th-century building using LED technology. This joyful project started a dynamic public participation process on the topics of renewable energy production and future cityscapes. It created new perspectives on the city's resources and a resilient image for the broader region.
The team of oiXplorer is moderating this ongoing art-driven process. Together with local initiatives and citizens the group is currently working on the realization of a prototype, using innovative waterpower technology (gravitation water vortex power plant). The micro-implementation will power the local grid of streetlights and revitalize the vanished industrial water infrastructure of Eisenerz. In this sense, water makes light and light makes community.
In this paper we will, based on our own experiences, discuss the role of art practice related to planning culture. We pose the question of whether art does not replace urban development, but stimulates and pushes it to the next level. The artist might dig it out, but we all make it happen.


This paper presents the results of cycle life testing of 24-V, 15-Ah sealed lead-acid batteries intended far use in the B-1B aircraft. Test samples were procured from two different manufacturers and subjected to cycle testing at 33% and 100% depth-of-discharge (DOD). The cycle life at 33% DOD ranged from 500 to 750 cycles. The cycle life at 100% DOD ranged from 160 to 260 cycles.


Participation of stakeholders in planning processes is increasingly seen as an essential element in adaptive and integrated water management and sometimes a policy requirement from higher-level governance bodies. Despite an extensive literature on the advantages and disadvantages of public participation and criteria for effective participation, not much is known about how water managers should proceed in a given context. Water-management agencies have to face the challenge of effectively involving stakeholders in developing their water-management plans and must design and implement a balanced process approach among the available time, finances, organization, and facilitation without compromising their authority. This article presents a participatory planning process designed and implemented at Water Board "Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden" (HDSR) in the center of The Netherlands. For a period of 2 yrs, these three groups were involved in various ways, participating in different types of meetings and workshops, using a range of participatory tools and techniques. The process and results of the three groups were monitored and evaluated using a tailored evaluation strategy. This paper analyzes the way the design and implementation of the process is perceived by both the conveners and participants and suggests practical lessons for water managers. Based on our case, it is argued that a careful process design, a thorough and continuous stakeholder analysis, building reflective workshops within and after the process, and ensuring experienced and qualified process leaders can greatly enhance the adaptive capacity and successful outcome of the participatory planning process.


This study attempts to evaluate one of the important dimensions of regulation (i.e. regulatory governance) of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). For this purpose, the study considers some of major input attributes of regulatory governance (i.e. capacity, integrity, participation, and predictability) and output attributes of regulatory governance (i.e. legitimacy and credibility). To carry out this evaluation, a survey was conducted and questionnaire based was filled by 102 professionals (dealing with regulatory affairs) of the main players of power sector of Pakistan. The data analysis involved inferential statistics using SPSS (Statistical Program for Social Sciences) software. The Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient or simply correlation technique is used to investigate the strength and direction of relationship between the variable mentioned in hypothesis, The findings indicated that the legitimacy of NEPRA has significant positive correlation with the capacity, integrity and participation. Whereas credibility of NEPRA has significant negative association with integrity. However, credibility has strong positive association with predictability. The results of this study can be helpful for strengthening the regulatory governance of NEPRA and developing confidence to the stakeholders of power sector of Pakistan.


A major challenge in hematopoietic biology is the description and understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of the primitive stem cell compartment. In one sense there exists a wealth of functional and physical properties which provide insight into the biology of the stem cell and its clonal progeny. However, much of this information is descriptive and available only as a function of complex in vivo assays. In order to move beyond these limitations, in vitro systems which accurately recapitulate the self‐renewal, differentiation and proliferative behaviors of stem cells are required. We have approached this issue by focusing on the in vivo stem cell microenvironment. Dissection of this microenvironment into discrete cellular entities has yielded a cell line with in vitro stem cell supportive properties consistent with those which might be expected in a stem cell niche. Studies are summarized which suggest that a single stromal cell line provides a milieu which facilitates the in vitro maintenance of transplantable stem cells as well as the generation of large populations of committed progenitors. It is anticipated that this system will allow a direct analysis of stem cell regulatory pathways. Stem Cells 1997; 15(suppl 1): 63‐68


Emotional maturity is the tendency to deal with extreme emotions at adverse phase of life. Emotional ups and down are commonly observed at adolescent stage. It is a transitional period from childhood to being an independent adult; characterized by physical, psychological, social and emotional changes. Positive changes could only be achieved if parents maintain healthy home environment to rear their children. Adolescents tend to recognize with groups of peers based on common traits. Peer group has a great role to play in shaping the personality of adolescents. Adolescents flourish and become emotionally stable when parents understand and support, when the child is in dire need of it.  This paper explores the home environment and peer involvement and its influence on emotions of adolescents.


Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of female board membership on the profitability of corporate insider purchases. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors use a classic event study approach. They measure abnormal returns around the insider purchase events, and analyze the cross-sectional variation of this market impact in terms of female board membership, controlling for a range of other factors. Findings - – The authors find a strong positive market reaction in the aggregated data, and after decomposing transactions according to gender, they find that the profitability of female directors is statistically indistinguishable from their male counterparts. Additionally, they find evidence that with more females sitting on the board, the profitability of the male directors decreases but the profitability of their female counterparts does not. Originality/value - – The authors' findings suggest that having females on the board increases corporate governance of male directors. The results also suggest that female directors are no less inclined to exploit the asymmetric information advantage provided by board membership.


For the development of the new therapeutic device for the atrial fibrillation, implantable cooling device using Peltier element was developed in this study. An implantable cooling device had been consisted from Peltier element with transcutaneous energy transmission system (TETS). 1st coil can be contacted from outside of the body, when the patients will feel palpitation. Electrical current will be induced to the implanted 2nd coil. Peltier element will able to cool the surface of the atrium. For the confirmation of the effect of the cooling device, trial manufacture model was developed. Animal experiments using six healthy adult goats after animal ethical committee allowance was carried out. Fourth intercostals space had been opened after anesthesia inhalation, and various sensors had been inserted. AF was induced by the electrical current with battery. As the results, AF had been recovered to the normal sinus rhythm after cooling in all six goats. So, this cooling system for the control of AF showed evident effect in these experiments. Smaller size cooling device has been under development aiming at totally implantable type. Catheter type cooling device for the insertion by the use of fiber-scope type is now under planning for the clinical application. This new type device may be able to become good news for the patients with uncontrollable AF.


Spatiotemporal graph represents a crucial data structure where the nodes and edges are embedded in a geometric space and their attribute values can evolve dynamically over time. Nowadays, spatiotemporal graph data is becoming increasingly popular and important, ranging from microscale (e.g. protein folding), to middle-scale (e.g. dynamic functional connectivity), to macro-scale (e.g. human mobility network). Although disentangling and understanding the correlations among spatial, temporal, and graph aspects have been a long-standing key topic in network science, they typically rely on network processes hypothesized by human knowledge. They usually fit well towards the properties that the predefined principles are tailored for, but usually cannot do well for the others, especially for many key domains where the human has yet very limited knowledge such as protein folding and biological neuronal networks. In this paper, we aim at pushing forward the modeling and understanding of spatiotemporal graphs via new disentangled deep generative models. Specifically, a new Bayesian model is proposed that factorizes spatiotemporal graphs into spatial, temporal, and graph factors as well as the factors that explain the interplay among them. A variational objective function and new mutual information thresholding algorithms driven by information bottleneck theory have been proposed to maximize the disentanglement among the factors with theoretical guarantees. Qualitative and quantitative experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model over the state-of-the-arts by up to 69.2% for graph generation and 41.5% for interpretability.


Background: After the first evolution of Papanicolaou smear, it has been successfully used to screen cervical cancer. With modifications in the staining method of Pap stain, the lesser staining time and unequivocal cell morphology has been achieved by Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain. The aim of this study is to compare the UFP stain and SP stain in cervical pap smears on the basis of background, cell morphology, nuclear details and overall staining.Materials and methods: This is a prospective hospital based study conducted in a tertiary hospital, Nepal Medical College over a period of six months (January 2017 to June 2017). Cervical pap smears received in the department of Pathology is subjected to Standard papanicolaou (SP) stain and Ultrafast papanicolaou (UFP) stain for comparison.Results:  Total of 368 cervical pap smears were subjected to SP stain and UFP stain. Mean age of the patient was 36.57+-10.06 years. The quality of UFP stain was assessed by considering the background, cell morphology, nuclear details and overall staining. Difference in regards to the interpretation and background was not significant when SP stain was compared to UFP stain. However, cell morphology, nuclear details and overall staining were far better in smears stained with UFP stain.Conclusion: Pap smear is the simple and effective screening tool for cervical lesions. With modifications in staining method and introduction of UFP stain, the result is lesser staining time and excellent morphological quality. Hence, UFP stain has become the choice of stain and can be used on a regular basis.


Families with multiple problems (FMP), also defined as multiproblem families or multistressed families, face multiple, severe, chronic and intertwined problems in different areas of life. Content and provision of interventions targeting FMP in routine practice may largely deviate from guidelines in intervention manuals. The aim of this study was to identify practice and program elements provided to FMP in routine practice, including the intensity, manner of provision, and recipients, per intervention phase (starting-, careand end phase). We selected interventions with at least moderate (d ≥ 0.5) effect sizes in the Dutch context, yielding eight interventions. Practitioners of 26 Dutch organizations systematically registered information on practice and program elements, intensity, manner of provision, and recipients, using the taxonomy of interventions for FMP. Within 474 trajectories we found that elements regarding activation of the social network of FMP were provided least often (in less than 48–77% of the families). Elements were provided mainly through psycho-education (25–33%) and instruction (21–24%). Interventions focused more on parents (53–62%) than on children (26–32%). Program elements hardly changed between phases of interventions, although the number of visits decreased (from an average of six visits a month during the starting phase to four visits during the end phase). An inventory of elements that make part of interventions for FMP allows studying the effectiveness of these interventions in a more detailed way. This yields information that may help to identify the optimal sequence, intensity and duration of elements and enables to better understand outcomes of interventions for FMP.


Phenomenological relativistic optical models for scattering of nucleons from a spin-0 nucleus mainly use two different approaches. In the first, one essentially uses the Schroedinger equation incorporating appropriate relativistic kinematical terms. In the second approach, which is superior especially in reproducing spin observables, one starts with the Dirac equation and obtains an equivalent Schroedinger equation which forms a convenient basis for the calculation of experimental observables. Adopting a mathematical procedure developed earlier within the framework of potential scattering, we calculate the regionwise contribution to the reaction cross section for spin-1/2--spin-0 systems using both these types of relativistic optical models. The relative importance of different regions of intermediate energy optical potential in generating the total reaction cross section is examined using the method of regionwise absorption and it is found that reaction process is surface dominant. These findings are further elaborated by depicting the general features of [ital S] matrix and scattering amplitudes as a function of angular momentum.


Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, chronic neutrophilic dermatosis of unknown aetiology that usually presents with necrotising ulcers, although the evolution of the disease can be variable and is not always progressive. Its pathogenesis is poorly understood but an underlying immunological abnormality seems to be implicated in the genesis of the lesions. This hypothesis is supported by its frequent association with inflammatory bowel disease, malignancies, and rheumatological disorders. The diagnosis is challenging even for dermatologists as there are no specific tests or histological features. There are no clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of the different drugs used to treat the disease due to its rarity, and therefore there is no 'gold standard' therapy. In this mini-review we describe the main clinical aspects of PG, its pathophysiology, association with underlying diseases, diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis.


The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of social programs and cash transfer on the labor supply of non-farm family members, in poverty conditions, in rural areas of the Northeastern region, in Brazil. The hypothesis indicates that access to social programs and cash transfers may contribute to discourage the rural workers, in poverty, in their decision to participate and offer hours of work in non-agricultural activities. The methodology consisted on the use of models of Heckman (1979) and double hurdle, of Cragg (1971), which seek to associate the decision to participate in the labor market with the decision to allocate working hours. The database used was the National Survey by Household Sampling (PNAD), of 2006. Furthermore, the estimates for the parent and children showed that the programs have impacted negatively on the participation in non-agricultural activities. It has also been observed that the effects of Bolsa Familia programs reduce the chance of teenagers' participation in the non-agricultural activities, given that it is related to conditionality of school frequency.


O n 8 May 1902, searing gases and ash hurtled down the flanks of Mount Pelee on the Caribbean island of Martinique, killing all but two of the 28,000 inhabitants of St. Pierre. In seconds the nuees ardentes , or glowing clouds, of the massive pyroclastic flow transformed a vibrant town known as the Paris of the West Indies into a 20th century Pompeii. Ninety-five years later, another Caribbean town was wiped off the map, when pyroclastic flows from the Soufriere Hills volcano entombed Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat. But this time, no lives were lost: Plymouth had been evacuated. The volcano had given ample warning in a series of minor eruptions, and just as important, scientists had tuned in to subtler signals, including idiosyncratic patterns of seismic rumblings, which had given the volcano's game away.

Volcanologists have made great strides in recent years in their ability to predict eruptions and to gird communities for the consequences. This Special Issue examines the state of the art of volcanology—and indeed, it is as much an art as a science, for volcanoes often defy predictions. Insights into their behavior and the ability to devise sound civil defense plans derive as much from intuition grounded in years of volcano-watching as from the latest code-breaking methods applied to the cryptic geophysical chatter that scientists eavesdrop on.

Still, the balance is tilting in science's favor as new instruments and analytical approaches are brought to bear on restive volcanoes (see stories by Kerr, p. [2016][1], and Bachtold, p. 2026). And there are novel ways to collect data following an eruption: For the first time, scientists are drilling into the magma conduit of a recently active volcano, Unzen in Japan, to better understand why some eruptions are explosive (see story by Normile, p. [2018][2]).

Volcanologists do not address such questions idly, of course, as their findings are often the basis for life-and-death decisions about how and when to evacuate communities. The experiences on Montserrat show how well risk assessments can work, even with the threat there rising as the volcano builds a gigantic lava dome (see story by Stone, p. [2027][3]). The stakes are also high in urban settings; thus scientists are keeping a tense vigil at Italy's Mount Vesuvius, which could threaten hundreds of thousands of people near its base if it were to awaken (see story by Bohannon, p. [2020][4]).

It does not matter, however, how closely a volcano is watched if someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time during an eruption. Determining exactly how victims perish can lead to improved protection for volcanologists and others who must enter a danger zone and can even give them a shot at survival if caught in an eruption (see story by Stokstad, p. 2022). One big unknown on the health front is whether long-term exposure to ash and gases gives rise to chronic illnesses, a question now being tackled in earnest (see story by Pickrell, p. 2023).

Working on an active volcano is not for the faint-hearted, especially in Africa and other regions where a dearth of basic equipment means that field expeditions—and putting one's life on the line—are the only way to gather data (see story by Krajick, p. [2024][5]). But as the stories in this Special Issue show, volcanology is a rewarding endeavor in which scientific advances are making rapid gains on intuition. Just ask the former residents of Plymouth.

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5615.2016
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5615.2018
 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5615.2027
 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5615.2020
 [5]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5615.2024


The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of alternating home and away field advantage on selected performance indicators during the Six Nations Rugby Championship (2005-2009). The sample consisted of (n=75) games played over five seasons of the championship were analysed. The following factors were taken into account: the final match result, number of points scored, number of tries scored, number of drop goals, number of conversions, number of passes and number of possessions kicked. The results of the study indicated that: (i) in general, there is a tendency that teams that are playing at home achieve better results, except for the 2005 season (ii) performance indicators of the game showed statistically significant differences; (iii) the results further indicated that 50% or more of the total points scored are when they play at home. In conclusion, the study indicated that there is a tendency in the Six Nation Rugby Championship (2005-2009) teams will obtain favourable results when they play at home.


Appendicular tumors are rare, and lymphoma of the appendix is rarer. A 50-year-old female patient presented with vague abdominal discomfort and lump in the right iliac fossa. The diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was made after laparotomy and histopathological examination (HPE) supported by immunohistochemistry study. For appendicular neoplasms diagnosed postoperatively, including lymphoma, a meticulous grossing and HPE cannot be over emphasized. In case of wall thickening of >2.50-3 cm detected by the computed tomogram scan, the possibility of a neoplasm or lymphoma in particular should be included as the differential diagnosis irrespective of the clinical presentation.


Paroxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with antidepressant and anxiolytic properties. It is commercially available in both an immediate-release (paroxetine) and a controlled-release formulation (paroxetine CR). The latter product was developed to improve gastrointestinal tolerability. Paroxetine is the most potent inhibitor of the reuptake of serotonin among the available SSRIs. It has approved indications for the treatment of major depression, obsessive–compulsive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobia in adults. Paroxetine CR is approved for the treatment of major depression, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in adults. While the overall efficacy of paroxetine appears to be comparable with other SSRIs in the treatment of major depression, it is approved for use in a wider variety of anxiety disorders than any other antidepressant. Long-term data suggest that paroxetine is effective in preventing relapse or recurrence of depression for up to 1 year. Limited data show that paroxetine maintains a therapeutic response over 1 year in obsessive–compulsive disorder and up to 6 months in panic disorder. The side-effect profile of paroxetine is largely similar to that of the other SSRIs, although paroxetine tends to be more sedating and constipating in some patients, perhaps due to its anticholinergic activity. The potential for discontinuation syndrome and weight gain appears to be slightly higher with paroxetine than with other SSRIs. This review focuses on the immediate release and controlled-release formulations of paroxetine. It summarizes the efficacy and tolerability data for both formulations, with a particular emphasis on paroxetine CR which was introduced in 2002. It also discusses emerging evidence in other clinical areas and recent data that have led to modifications in the safety profile of paroxetine.


Abstract:Women's participation in medieval revolts has puzzled many scholars. Recent consensus is that women in the Low Countries were involved in a variety of insurgent activities, apart from violent actions. In this article, I will turn to a lesser-used source to investigate the different and often violent roles women played in various forms of sedition, factional wars, and uprisings in the late medieval County of Flanders. Chronicles have often been dismissed as unreliable. However, they offer an indirect insight into the stereotyped aspects of female and male roles in revolts. Various Flemish chroniclers point to the danger of female spies and secret messengers, particularly to the influence of the wives of aldermen on urban politics. These women were not described as anomalies. On the contrary, their capacity to disturb political order is a recurrent theme in narrative sources.


Abstract Medieval transport might strike the uninitiated as inherently primitive, but developments in the technology and infrastructure of getting goods and people around in the Middle Ages were constantly occurring. In the case of medieval England, they contributed critically to the commercialization in the country, particularly for the period from 1066 to around 1300. Nor was the story one of gradual and inexorable progress, but one of many twists and turns, as transport adjusted to major shifts in the social and economic environment, particularly when the Black Death struck in the middle of the 14th century. In broad terms, it appears that inland water transport developed quite significantly in the early medieval period (up to, say, 1300), but that land transport gradually improved to the extent that river navigation, while remaining important in certain parts of the country, especially the east, began an overall decline (although coastal shipping continued to be important). A key factor in this was the building of bridges, which were critical in integrating the road network. However, a particularly salient and as yet unexplained paradox was that, as commercial traffic increased, the legal and social framework for the upkeep of road and river transport networks seemingly relaxed, so that enforcement of the maintenance provisions of bridges and roads became more uncertain. Despite this, the excitement for travel continued to grow, for religious and other reasons, and began to be reflected in a growing popularity of maps, from displaying local institutions and communities to depictions of the world and cosmos (the so-called mappae mundi). Thus, over recent decades, medieval English transport has become situated more securely within larger social, economic and cultural visions of the period, as documentary, archaeological and iconographic studies with strong transport orientations have become more common and inventive.


As water resources from the Ogallala Aquifer continue to decline, alternative sources of water resources should be considered to extend the life of irrigated agriculture in the Southern High Plains. The Dockum is a minor aquifer located beneath the Ogallala at depths of up to 2,000 feet. The Dockum Aquifer may be a suitable water source for irrigation supplementation; however, the cost to pump from the Dockum may not be economically profitable due to deep pumping depths, poor water quality, and low well yields. Results show that in some areas of the Dockum, it may complement irrigation water from the Ogallala for water thirsty crops.


Abstract. The hydroxyl (OH), hydroperoxy (HO2), and organic peroxy (RO2)
radicals play important roles in atmospheric chemistry. In the presence of
nitrogen oxides (NOx), reactions between OH and volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) can initiate a radical propagation cycle that leads to the
production of ozone and secondary organic aerosols. Previous measurements of
these radicals under low-NOx conditions in forested environments
characterized by emissions of biogenic VOCs, including isoprene and
monoterpenes, have shown discrepancies with modeled concentrations. During the summer of 2016, OH, HO2, and RO2 radical concentrations
were measured as part of the Program for Research on Oxidants:
Photochemistry, Emissions, and Transport – Atmospheric Measurements of
Oxidants in Summer (PROPHET-AMOS) campaign in a midlatitude deciduous
broadleaf forest. Measurements of OH and HO2 were made by laser-induced
fluorescence–fluorescence assay by gas expansion (LIF-FAGE) techniques,
and total peroxy radical (XO2) mixing ratios were measured by the Ethane CHemical AMPlifier (ECHAMP) instrument. Supporting measurements of
photolysis frequencies, VOCs, NOx, O3, and meteorological data
were used to constrain a zero-dimensional box model utilizing either the
Regional Atmospheric Chemical Mechanism (RACM2) or the Master Chemical
Mechanism (MCM). Model simulations tested the influence of HOx
regeneration reactions within the isoprene oxidation scheme from the Leuven
Isoprene Mechanism (LIM1). On average, the LIM1 models overestimated daytime
maximum measurements by approximately 40 % for OH, 65 % for HO2,
and more than a factor of 2 for XO2. Modeled XO2 mixing ratios
were also significantly higher than measured at night. Addition of RO2 + RO2 accretion reactions for terpene-derived RO2 radicals to
the model can partially explain the discrepancy between measurements and
modeled peroxy radical concentrations at night but cannot explain the
daytime discrepancies when OH reactivity is dominated by isoprene. The
models also overestimated measured concentrations of isoprene-derived
hydroxyhydroperoxides (ISOPOOH) by a factor of 10 during the daytime,
consistent with the model overestimation of peroxy radical concentrations.
Constraining the model to the measured concentration of peroxy radicals
improves the agreement with the measured ISOPOOH concentrations, suggesting
that the measured radical concentrations are more consistent with the
measured ISOPOOH concentrations. These results suggest that the models may
be missing an important daytime radical sink and could be overestimating the
rate of ozone and secondary product formation in this forest.


We provide here the first direct evidence for in situ functional specificity of protein kinase C (PKC)-epsilon as a regulator of smooth muscle contractility. PKC is known to cause a Ca(2+)-independent contraction of ferret aortic smooth muscle, and the expression of two Ca(2+)-independent PKC isoenzymes, epsilon and zeta, has been demonstrated in this tissue. To test directly the hypothesis that one of these isoenzymes regulates contractility, constitutively active forms of PKC-epsilon and PKC-zeta were applied to saponin-permeabilized single ferret aortic smooth muscle cells. PKC-zeta caused no significant force response, but PKC-epsilon induced contraction of a magnitude (105 +/- 8 micrograms) similar to that produced by phenylephrine (110 +/- 10 micrograms), a relatively selective alpha 1-adrenergic agonist that triggers a PKC-dependent contraction. The PKC-epsilon-induced contraction was reversed by the PKC pseudosubstrate inhibitory peptide, PKC19-31. The myosin light chain kinase inhibitor 1-(5-chloronaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine (ML-9) did not affect the force response of PKC-epsilon-activated cells, suggesting that PKC-epsilon may induce this contraction solely via thin filament disinhibition. In support of this conclusion, calponin and caldesmon were shown to be good in vitro substrates of PKC-epsilon but not of PKC-zeta.


We present methods to control the lexicon size when learning a Combinatory Categorial Grammar semantic parser. Existing methods incrementally expand the lexicon by greedily adding entries, considering a single training datapoint at a time. We propose using corpus-level statistics for lexicon learning decisions. We introduce voting to globally consider adding entries to the lexicon, and pruning to remove entries no longer required to explain the training data. Our methods result in state-of-the-art performance on the task of executing sequences of natural language instructions, achieving up to 25% error reduction, with lexicons that are up to 70% smaller and are qualitatively less noisy.


Low-power design is essential for computation-intensive systems such as Digital Signal Processors (DSP) as well as battery-powered devices. This paper presents a novel low-power multiplier architecture, which exploits the effective dynamic range of the input data and performs a run-time multi-precision multiplication. Block-wise shutdown and voltage scaling techniques are combined to disable unused resources and adjust the supply voltage and clock frequency to reduce power consumption. This results in nearly a cubic reduction in dynamic power dissipation. Furthermore, by using modified Booth encoding scheme, partial products generating algorithm, and compression topology, our multiplier achieves both delay and power reduction. The design is synthesized using TSMC 0:18µm standard cell library and evaluated in Synopsys design environment. Reported results show that our multiplier achieves up to 75% power reduction with less than 10% overhead in terms of silicon area.


The dynamic nature of businesses across the world comes with increased risks. These risks are primarily shared through insurance and hence increase in insurance companies in the world and Ghana, a developing nation is not an exception. With the influx of insurance companies in Ghana, performance then becomes key in identifying which type of company can stand the test of time. Twenty-five (25) financial ratios are used to classify six (6) life insurance companies in Ghana; three being private and the other three (3) being publicly owned. Based on fuzzy clustering, the companies were grouped into seven (3) broad categories of financial performance. The results revealed of the 25 ratios, there are statistical significant differences public and private firms based on 18 of these ratios; giving indication of diverse practices in the public and privately owned firms.


Secure multiparty computation allows two or more parties to compute a function without leaking unnecessary information about their inputs to other parties. In traditional secure multiparty computation protocols, the function is represented as a circuit and each gate of the circuit is securely computed. The mixed mode model is a generalization where only some gates are computed securely, and other gates are computed in a local, unsecured manner. There are computations where mixed mode protocols are known to be just as secure and much more efficient, and so it is natural to ask if it is possible to automatically construct optimized mixed mode secure protocols for a given function. Previous results describe powerful compilation techniques to transform circuits into efficient mixed mode protocols, but the results are only secure against very restricted (passive) adversaries. These passively secure protocols can be secured against active adversaries using extensions of classic secure multiparty computation compilation techniques. However, this comes with a significant loss of concrete efficiency, which negates the mixed mode efficiency advantages. In this thesis, we describe novel techniques that can efficiently compile mixed mode two party protocols from passive to active security. The techniques exploit structural properties of the underlying circuits to reduce the overhead of compilation without compromising the security. The gain in efficiency varies based on the circuit that is being compiled, and although for some circuits the techniques will yield no gains, for others the resulting secure protocols have exponentially lower computation and communication cost.


The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is a system that converts chemical energy of hydrogen directly into electrical energy. 2020 targets set by the U.S. Department of Energy for light duty vehicles are already accomplished except for the cost, durability and efficiency. The efficiency can be improved by turning off the anode exit of the fuel cell (dead-ended anode mode) and forcing all the hydrogen to move to the cathode. Even though this maximizes the hydrogen utilization and the efficiency, the accumulated water and nitrogen causes local fuel starvation which leads to irreversible carbon support degradation and performance loss. One way to overcome this issue is to allow a very small amount of continuous purging in the anode (ultralow flow mode) which helps evacuation of the accumulated water and nitrogen. In this thesis, the effect of dead-ended anode and ultra-low flow modes on the performance loss was evaluated for two different types of samples. It was shown that the ultra-low flow mode damaged two times less than the dead-ended anode mode while yielding a 99.93 % hydrogen utilization. However, the amount of carbon corrosion is still more than the normal operation mode for a commercial sample. To improve the durability, research on new materials is necessary. An accelerated stress test designed specially to promote carbon corrosion was proposed so that novel materials can be evaluated for their performance against carbon corrosion under real operation conditions quickly and easily. To be able to realize such kind of a procedure, a high precision flow control set up that can maintain ultra-low flows was designed.


AI technologies for knowledge mining are commonly used in technical environments. Their application for social processes like learning processes, for example, is a quite a new challenge, which is characterized by having ldquohumans in the looprdquo. Humans' desires, preferences and decisions may be unpredictable and thus, not appropriate for modeling - at a first glance. However, in learning processes didactic variants can be anticipated and can become a subject of AI technologies. A semi-formal modeling approach called storyboarding, is outlined here. A storyboard represents various opportunities for composing a learning process according to individual circumstances, such as topical prerequisites (educational history), mental prerequisites (preferred learning styles, etc.), performance prerequisites (a requested success level in former learning activities, etc.), and personal aspects (needs, wishes, talents, aims). By storyboarding, various didactic variants can be validated by considering the average learning success associated with the different paths through a storyboard in a case study. Based on validation results, success chances can be derived for the different paths. Here, a concept and an implementation to pre-estimate success chances of intended (future) learning paths through a storyboard are introduced. They are based on a data mining technology, and construct a decision tree by analyzing former learners' paths and their degrees of success. Furthermore, this technology generates a supplement to a submitted path, which is optimal according to the success chances. This technology has been tested at a Japanese university, in which students had to compose their individual plan (subject sequences) in advance, and the technology helped them by predicting success chances and suggesting alternatives.


A study to assess farmers awareness and adoption of tree farming as
an agroforestry innovation in joint venture smallholder private
treefarming (JV SPTF) was conducted In the district of Kudat, Sabah.
The JV SPTF was introduced by SAFOOA to the farmers in Kudat to
help them to overcome the problems of environmental degradation
and poverty in the rural area. SAFOOA would provide planting stock
and technical advice, and would assure a market for the output at a
guaranteed agreed price. The trees planted were Acacia mangium,
whereby in Sabah the MAl can reach up to 28-44 cubic meters per
hectare per year. The JV SPTF project can provide many benefits to
society at large, nevertheless, adoption of JV SPTF will come at a
price that is, through political will and the action of many individual
farmers. In a survey, a total of 40 farmers were interviewed using a
structured questionnaire which focused on awareness, adoption and
participation of farmers in JV SPTF project. The importance of
government assistance which would limit farmers future adoption
was also explored. Majority of the respondents were found to be
aware of the concept and benefits of the innovation at all level of
farmer's education. The main cause driving the farmers to adopt JV
SPTF is children future, and higher profit regardless of full-time or
part-time farmer, as examined from the standpoints of financial,
biological, and institutional viability of the project. The study also
found out that expectation of government assistance is such that,
without subsidies of some kind, villagers often will not participate, and
when subsidies end, so does participation. Strengthening extension
education on tree farming, technical assistance, and financial support
can encourage future adoption of tree farming. However, these
programs must clearly define the problem and address the concerns
and needs of the farmers, are among the recommendations given in
this study.


Efforts to characterize the disease risk associated withobesity1suggest that related metabolic abnormalitiesare not uniform in all obese persons. The conceptsof"metabolically-healthy-"and"metabolically-abnormal-" normal-weight, overweight and obese havebeen used to characterize the phenotypes resulting fromthe cross-classification of individuals by body mass index(BMI) and metabolic status.2Studies, mostly from devel-oped countries, suggest each phenotype to represent asizable proportion of the population. However, evidenceon their association with cardiovascular disease (CVD)risk is inconclusive, and no study has assessed the preva-lence of obesity phenotypes and correlation with diseaserisk in Africans.3We assessed the prevalence of obesityphenotypes, and their association with sub-clinical CVDin mixed-ancestry South Africans


Background Exogenous sex steroids within hormonal contraception and menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) have been used for family planning and management of menopausal symptoms, without consideration of their effects on the vaginal microbiota. This is largely because their use predates our understanding of the importance of the vaginal microbiome on human health. We conducted a systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42018107730) to determine the influence of exogenous sex steroids, stratified by oestrogen-containing or progestin-only types of contraception, and MHT on the vaginal microbiome, as measured by molecular methods. Methods Embase, PubMed and Medline were searched for relevant literature published through to December 1st 2020. Eligible studies reported on the effect of specific exogenous sex steroids on the vaginal microbiome using a molecular method. Data regarding the 'positive', 'negative' or 'neutral' effect of each type of contraceptive or MHT on the vaginal microbiome was extracted and summarised. A positive effect reflected sex steroid exposure that was associated with increased abundance of lactobacilli, a change to, or maintenance of, an optimal vaginal microbiota composition, or a decrease in bacterial diversity (specifically reflecting a low-diversity optimal microbiota state), relative to the control group. An exogenous sex steroid was designated as having a negative effect on the vaginal microbiome if it resulted in opposing effects (i.e. loss of lactobacilli, a non-optimal microbiota state). When no significant change was found, this was considered neutral/inconclusive. Results We identified 29 manuscripts reporting on the effect of exogenous sex steroids on the vaginal microbiome; 25 investigating hormonal contraceptives, and 4 investigating MHT. Oestrogen-containing contraception, particularly reflecting the combined oestrogen and progestin-containing contraceptive pill, had a positive effect on the composition of the vaginal microbiota. Progestin-only contraception, particularly reflecting depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate, had mixed effects on the microbiota. Among post-menopausal women using MHT, exogenous oestrogen applied topically was associated with increased prevalence of lactobacilli. Conclusion Our findings suggest that oestrogen-containing compounds may promote an optimal vaginal microbiota, which could have clinical applications. The impact of progestin-only contraceptives on the vaginal microbiota is less clear; more data is needed to determine how progestin-only contraceptives contribute to adverse reproductive and sexual health outcomes.


Software intensive systems are an increasing part of new products, which make the business impact significant. This is especially true for the automotive industry where a very large part of new innovations are realized through the use of software. The architecture of the software intensive system will enable value creation when working properly or, in the worst case, prevent value creation. Lean thinking is about focusing on the increase of customer value and on the people who add value. This thesis investigates how system architecting is performed in industry and how it can be improved by the use of Lean thinking. The architecting process does not create immediate value to the end customer, but rather create the architecture on which value in terms of product features and functionality can be developed. A Lean tool used to improve the value creation within a process is Value Stream Mapping (VSM). We present a method based on VSM which is adapted to enable analysis of the architecting process in order to identify improvements. A study of architecting at two companies shows what effect differences such as a strong line organization or a strong project organization has on the architecting process. It also shows what consequence technical choices and business strategy have on the architecting process. In order to improve the understanding of how architecting is performed a study including architects at six different internationally well-known companies have been interviewed. The study presents the practices that are found most successful. The context of the different companies as well as the architecting practices are compared and analyzed. The early design decisions made when developing software-intensive systems are crucial to the outcome of development projects. In order to improve the decision making process a method was developed based on Real Options. The method improves the customer focus of critical design decision by taking the value of flexibility into account. This thesis provides a toolbox of knowledge on how Lean thinking can be applied to system architecting and also presents how architecting is performed in industry today.


Repression of target genes by the transcriptional repressor neuronal restrictive silencing factor (NRSF)/repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor (REST) contributes to enduring plasticity in the developing brain. However, the cofactor(s) interacting with NRSF to enable target gene repressor are not well understood, and may vary among neuronal populations and brain regions as well as with different contexts. Here we employed the novel designer drug mS-11 to block the interactions of the cofactor Sin3 with NRSF. We tested if NRSF-Sin3 interaction is required for repression of NRSF target genes in developing hypothalamus after activity-dependent modulation of NRSF function. In the hypothalamus in vitro, blocking glutamatergic neurotransmission robustly increased NRSF binding to the target gene Crh, resulting in its repression. Blocking the binding of NRSF to the chromatin with decoy NRSE-oligodeoxynucleotides abrogated this repression. In contrast, mS-11 at several concentrations did not impede Crh repression. NRSF-mediated repression may underlie disease processes such as the onset of epilepsy. Therefore, identifying small-molecule antagonists of NRSF is crucial for the development of disease-preventing or modifying interventions.


The sialic acids N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N- glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) are commonly found in the glycolipids and glycoproteins that cover all vertebrate cell surfaces. The brain, which has a higher concentration of sialic acids than any other tissue, exhibits some interesting features of sialic acid biology with evolutionary implications. In the brain of all vertebrate species tested to date, Neu5Ac is present at high quantities, whereas Neu5Gc is very low or even absent. This conserved exclusion suggests a selective pressure against Neu5Gc expression in the vertebrate brain. We have hypothesized that the mechanism for this pressure may be that Neu5Gc presence inhibits the appropriate enzymatic degradation of polysialic acid (polySia), a polymer of alpha2-8 linked sialic acid. PolySia is primarily found in brain tissue, and has been implicated in a wide array of important developmental processes including migration, neurite outgrowth, plasticity, and repair. In Chapter 3, we test the viability of this hypothesis in vitro. We demonstrate that Neu5Gc present in polySia does in fact exhibit a relative resistance to degradation by vertebrate and bacterial sialidases. To determine whether this process is meaningful in vivo, and to further understand the presumed detrimental effects of Neu5Gc on the vertebrate brain, we have developed transgenic mouse models that overexpress Neu5Gc in brain tissue. In Chapter 4, we describe these ongoing efforts. Studies in the near future will determine whether these mice exhibit problems with polySia degradation, and comprehensively characterize their behavioral and anatomical phenotypes. Lastly, in Chapter 5, we explore the potential role of polySia in human brain evolution. We focus on the effects of a single human-specific mutation in one of the biosynthetic enzymes of polySia, ST8Sia-II. Preliminary work suggests that this mutation decreases the stability of the enzyme while increasing the length of its synthesized polySia product. These effects may have implications for the regulation of polySia, and its associated processes, in the human brain. Together, the work discussed here examines potential roles that sialic acid metabolism may have played in mammalian brain evolution


From the Publisher:
Web developers and designers are bringing new life to the Web by using JavaServer Pages (JSP) to create and maintain dynamic content that leverages existing business systems. This powerful technology lets you change the overall Web page layout without altering the underlying content by separating the user interface from content generation. Following an innovative, task-based approach, this book will quickly show you how to develop these information-rich Web pages with JSP. As you progress through each chapter and complete the exercises, you gain the essential skills necessary for working with this technology. You also learn how to rapidly develop Webbased applications that are platform independent, and uncover the advantages of choosing JSP over other Web scripting languages such as ColdFusion and PHP.


When ingested in sufficient numbers, probiotics are expected to confer one or more proven health benefits on the consumer. Theoretically, the effectiveness of a probiotic food product is the sum of its microbial quality and its functional potential. Whereas the latter may vary much with the body (target) site, delivery mode, human target population, and health benefit envisaged microbial assessment of the probiotic product quality is more straightforward. The range of stakeholders that need to be informed on probiotic quality assessments is extremely broad, including academics, food and biotherapeutic industries, healthcare professionals, competent authorities, consumers, and professional press. In view of the rapidly expanding knowledge on this subject, the Belgian Superior Health Council installed Working Group "8651 Probiotics" to review the state of knowledge regarding the methodologies that make it possible to characterize strains and products with purported probiotic activity. This advisory report covers three main steps in the microbial quality assessment process, i.e. (i) correct species identification and strain-specific typing of bacterial and yeast strains used in probiotic applications, (ii) safety assessment of probiotic strains used for human consumption, and (iii) quality of the final probiotic product in terms of its microbial composition, concentration, stability, authenticity, and labeling.


Objective: The present trial aimed to compare the effects of the mobilisation of the nervous system (NS) to those of a soft-tissue intervention in subjects exposed to an experimentally induced hyperalgesia of the masticatory muscles. Methods: The study was a single-blinded randomised controlled trial. A total of 49 participants (mean ± SD age: 41 ± 11 years; 61% female) with latent myofascial trigger points (LMTrPs) in the craniofacial region were randomly assigned to one of three groups: neural mobilisation (NM), soft-tissues techniques and stretching (STT-S), and control group (CG). An initial assessment (baseline) was performed before the provocation chewing masticatory test. The pre-treatment measurements were registered 24 h later. Next, the randomised intervention was applied, and afterwards, post-treatment data were obtained. Outcome measures included pain-free maximum mouth opening (MMO), pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) in the trigeminal and cervical region, and trigeminal and cervical two-point discrimination (TPD). Results: ANOVA revealed significant differences for the time × group interaction for pain-free MMO and PPTs. The results showed an improvement in the MMO and the PPTs for NM and STT-S groups but not for the CG. There were no differences between the NM and STT-S groups. However, the effect sizes were large for the NM and medium for the STT-S. No differences were found for TDP between groups nor over time. Conclusions: The results show that with NM and STT-S techniques, we could influence motor and sensory variables in asymptomatic subjects with LMTrPs after a masticatory provocation test. Both techniques increased MMO and PPTs in the short term. These beneficial effects lead us to consider the importance of including these methods in clinical practice.


Task scheduling for parallel and distributed systems is an NP-complete problem, which is well documented and studied in the literature. A large set of proposed heuristics for this problem mainly target to minimize the completion time or the schedule length of the output schedule for a given task graph. An additional objective, which is not much studied, is the minimization of number of processors allocated for the schedule. These two objectives are both conflicting and complementary, where the former is on the time domain targeting to improve task utilization and the latter is on the resource domain targeting to improve processor utilization. In this paper, we unify these two objectives with a weighting scheme that allows to personalize the importance of the objectives. In this paper, we present a new genetic search framework for task scheduling problem by considering the new objective. The performance of our genetic algorithm is compared with the scheduling algorithms in the literature that consider the heterogeneous processors. The results of the synthetic benchmarks and task graphs that are extracted from well-known applications clearly show that our genetic algorithm-based framework outperforms the related work with respect to normalized cost values, for various task graph characteristics.


For too long, considerations of state formation in India have divided on the colonial threshold of history, and the British regime in the subcontinent has been treated as completely different from all prior states. The most important reason for this seems to be that the historiography of the British empire was created by those who ruled India; it was therefore a kind of trophy of domination. Other reasons include the vast and accessible corpus of records on the creation of the British colonial state, the recency of its emergence, and the foundational character of the colonial state for the independent states of the subcontinent. Continuity of the British colonial state with its predecessors is acknowledged only in the case of the Mughals owing, in part, to the prolonged process of separation of the Company's government from its Mughal imperial cover before the Mutiny. Thus, long after they had ceased as a governing regime, the Mughals were considered by contemporaries and subsequently by historians to be the old regime of India.


This essay will use visual representations to illuminate the process whereby seventeenth‐century Sweden became a great European power. During the seventeenth century, a new technology of visual representation had provided European leaders with the illusionist tricks so essential to image‐making. Throughout Europe, political imagery and propaganda assumed important roles in politics. In the Thirty Years War, Sweden projected a very masculine image. Visual representations stressed martial values and prowess, personified by Gustavus Adolphus. As a young female monarch, his daughter Christina did not fit this image. One immediate change during her reign was that the queen represented Sweden's political power, while the martial image was personified by the field marshals. In the late seventeenth century, during the absolutist era, the field marshals maintained their position in the visual representations of Sweden, then, however, in their role as servants to the king. During her reign, the representations of power also underwent several lasting changes. Christina was the first in the line of Swedish monarchs portrayed in her personal image, as a woman at leisure. Another important change was that royal imagery in her reign used visual representations of half‐real, half‐allegorical female figures, which prepared the way for a female allegory, Suecia, personifying Sweden from the era of royal absolutism in the 1680s.


Purpose: To investigate the relationship between associated injuries (AI) suffered at time of accident in femoral head fracture (FHF) patients with age, sex, location of FHF (right or left leg), height, weight and body mass index (BMI) with using Pipkin classification. Method: we retrospectively identified patients between January 2003 to September 2017 with FHF in our hospital database. The patients were divided in two groups; with AI and without AI. These two groups where then statistically studied against selected the variables. Results: 72 patients were eligible with an average followup of 17 months. There were 57 males (79.2%) and 15 females (20.8%). We had 33.8% cases of type I, 28.4% type II, 13.5% type III and 23.3% type IV. We found no association between age, sex, height, weight and location of FHF with the groups with or without AI. The ratio of lighter weight (<57 kg) to heavier weight (>57 kg) patients was 2:3 for AI respectively. Patients with height <167 cm had 72.2% reported cases of AI while 72.3% for those >167 cm. A 50-50% reported cases for with or without AI on left and right leg. However there is a significant association between BMI and the groups with or without AI. Patients with BMI <23 kg/m2 had higher chances of suffering from AI as well as having longer follow-up than their heavier peers (BMI >23 kg/m2). Conclusion: On the basis of this dataset, the BMI of FHF patient is a critical factor to consider in the diagnosis of associated injuries suffered at time of accident.


DAIRY CULTURE: INDUSTRY, NATURE AND LIMINALITY IN THE EIGHTEENTHCENTURY ENGLISH ORNAMENTAL DAIRY Ashlee Whitaker Department of Visual Arts Master of Arts The vogue for installing dairies, often termed "fancy" or "polite" dairies, within the gardens of wealthy English estates arose during the latter half of the eighteenth century. These polite dairies were functional spaces in which aristocratic women engaged, to varying degrees, in bucolic tasks of skimming milk, churning and molding butter, and preparing crèmes. As dairy work became a mode of genteel activity, dairies were constructed and renovated in the stylish architectural modes of the day and expanded to serve as spaces of leisure and recreation. Dairies were often lavishly outfitted to create a delicate and clean atmosphere, a fancy yet functional space pleasing to elite tastes. Ornamental dairies were distinctive structures incorporated into the ideologically-laden landscape gardens of the elite. While pleasure dairies have received some scholarly insights, this study is the first to exclusively treat the fashion for pleasure dairies in terms of English culture and attitudes of the era. It explores the cultural iconology of the ornamental pleasure dairy in England and its appropriation into the landscape parks of the elite. Ornamental dairies held significant ideological associations that were heightened and nuanced by their placement within the larger symbolic space of the country estate and its garden park. Their ornate and decorative quality referenced their intentionality of being displayed and viewed. As objects within the English landscape, they were sites to be seen and from which to see—not only the landscape beyond, but also ideologies about identity, class, gender and morality, key dialogues of eighteenth-century English culture. The dairy emerges as an intriguingly ambiguous space in which morality, innocence and sensuality can be celebrated simultaneously. This thesis explicates three different readings of the English dairy in the eighteenth-century cultural imagination. Dairies were structures whose contradictory fancy/functional nature referenced contemporary attitudes about the acceptable balance between industry and idleness among the gentility. The ornamental dairy was a space whose signification was employed by women to create an acceptable realm for productive yet pleasurable activity to counter stereotypes of idleness and decadence. As structures related to the dialogue of agricultural improvement and productivity when included on estates, these dairies held signification of industry and social beneficence for gentlemen as well. Placed within a class landscape, the virtue of the dairy space came to represent the identity of the aristocracy, as well as England itself. Its class allusions notwithstanding, the dairy remained a highly feminine space. Accepted attitudes about dairy labor created a gendered site whose activities and aesthetics referenced contemporary dialogues about the nature of women—biologically, emotionally and physically. As such, these dairies and their decorative accoutrements were metaphors for the elite women who worked within. They were social constructions of femininity and the expectations and ideologies regarding women's "natural" roles and reproductive responsibilities as mothers in society. Within a male-produced and governed landscape garden, dairies were venues in which cultural notions of propriety were enforced during a time when the roles of women were demanding reconsideration. However, even the gendered nature of the dairy had its dual significations. The ornamental dairy was a liminal space, a ritual realm that asserted female power and sexuality, as well as ideas of sanctity and chastity. The native femininity and its legacy as an intuitively feminine task also created an exclusive female space that resisted the male gaze, thus creating a dangerous space, an ambiguous space that operated outside the social norms of the time. This mystique of the dairy and its cultish practices was amplified when dairies were placed as independent structures in romantic and idyllic landscape parks. This liminal dairy realm was part of a landscape garden that was equally conflated as a site of liminality and ritual. The idealization and ornamentation of dairies within the garden space enhanced their imaginative distinction and allowed them to become spaces that were both sacred and sexual, pious and pagan. The dairy became an acceptable realm in which to enact varied notions of femininity and sexuality.


Questions of language are questions of power. Legal policy decisions on minority languages reflect concrete ethno-national political struggles, which use culture as a platform. They also reflect a global policy shift towards multiculturalism, which legitimizes diversity. Choices in the key parameters of territoriality, recognition, institutional scope, and obligations for newcomers balance competing interests of majority and minority individuals while pursuing the stability of state structures. European regional standards offer a menu of options for this end. A comparison of the cases of Spain, where Basque, Galician, and Catalan enjoy territorially defined co-officialdom, Bolivia, where a constitutional reform has entrenched indigenous language rights, and the mixed case of Finland, where minorities and indigenous peoples enjoy protection, demonstrate the need for complex arrangements to address historical and cultural specificities. It also exposes the vulnerability of migrants and weaker minorities not mobilized in ethno-national terms.

Sharp nostalgia, infinite and terrible, for what I already possess.

Juán Ramón Jiménez


In order to reduce the energy consumption and data congestion caused by flooding at the initial stage of the network, the cluster head and the boundary node are used as the key nodes to reduce the data flow in the network, so that the network has better delay performance. Various clustering algorithms in wireless sensor networks and the improved method of clustering protocols are introduced. On the basis of directed diffusion algorithm, a directed diffusion protocol based on CONID clustering is studied. Through the OMNeT++ basic platform, the wireless sensor network simulation platform is built on the basis of the MiXiM module. The platform uses a hierarchical structure, and its network layer implements a directed diffusion protocol based on CONID clustering. The application layer implements the two step WLS localization algorithm. The MAC layer uses the FIexiTP protocol. The physical layer uses the simplest flat path fading model. Because the sensor has both perception and data transmission characteristics, the dual channel communication model is adopted. The platform is suitable for wireless sensor network detection, localization and tracking algorithm simulation. Through the hierarchical function of the platform, it can analyze the practicability and effectiveness of the algorithm in more detail, and has certain value. It can also be used in the simulation of cross layer protocols, and can combine several parameters to perform joint analysis of system performance. Simulation results show that the CONID based directional diffusion protocol has better delay performance than the conventional directed diffusion protocol. Finally, the performance of the two step WLS location protocol is analyzed from several perspectives, which provides an example for the platform.


On the basis of a detailed model of yeast glycolysis, the effect of intercellular dynamics is analysed theoretically. The model includes the main steps of anaerobic glycolysis, and the production of ethanol and glycerol. Transmembrane diffusion of acetaldehyde is included, since it has been hypothesized that this substance mediates the interaction. Depending on the kinetic parameter, the single-cell model shows both stationary and oscillatory behaviour. This agrees with experimental data with respect to metabolite concentrations and phase shifts. The inclusion of intercellular coupling leads to a variety of dynamical modes, such as synchronous oscillations, and different kinds of asynchronous behavior. These oscillations can co-exist, leading to bi- and tri-rhythmicity. The corresponding parameter regions have been identified by a bifurcation analysis. The oscillatory dynamics of synchronized cell populations are investigated by calculating the phase responses to acetaldehyde pulses. Simulations are performed with respect to the synchronization of two subpopulations that are oscillating out of phase before mixing. The effect of the various process on synchronization is characterized quantitatively. While continuous exchange of acetaldehyde might synchronize the oscillations for appropriate sets of parameter values, the calculated synchronization time is longer than that observed experimentally. It is concluded either that addition to the transmembrane exchange of acetaldehyde, other processes may contribute to intercellular coupling, or that intracellular regulator feedback plays a role in the acceleration of the synchronization. for appropriate sets of parameter values, the calculated synchronization time is longer than that observed experimentally. It is concluded either that addition to the transmembrane exchange of acetaldehyde, other processes may contribute to intercellular coupling, or that intracellular regulator feedback plays a role in the acceleration of the synchronization.