The research developed during my PhD can be inserted within the activities of the Archaeometry Laboratory of the Physics Department of the University of Ferrara, where works of art are studied using non invasive and non destructive techniques for diagnostic purposes. In particular, in the most recent years the attention has been focused on contemporary artworks.
Concerning contemporary art, it is well known that one of the most important aspects is authentication and, as a consequence, identification of fakes. Sometimes a simple artistic style is not sufficient to solve this issue; therefore the support of scientific analyses is widely requested. In this framework, during my PhD, the capability to solve authentication issues by radiocarbon (14C) dating in an univocal way has been tested.
The possibility to use the radioactive isotope 14C in contemporary art is given by the so called Bomb Peak, which is the huge increase of the radiocarbon concentration happened in atmosphere after the end of the Second World War. Actually, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as a consequence of hundreds of nuclear weapon tests, large amounts of neutrons were produced in the atmosphere, thus significantly increasing the radiocarbon production rate. This artificial 14C input caused a global increase of the 14C/12C ratio in the atmospheric CO2 and in all the other reservoirs, i.e. in the oceans and in the biosphere. The increase was so large that the atmospheric radiocarbon concentration was almost doubled in less than 10 years. Then, after 1963, when the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treat was signed, the 14C concentration started to decrease due to the rapid exchanges with the carbon reservoirs. This is just the peculiar trend of the 14C concentration that is exploited in forensics to date samples with a very high precision.
In order to verify the possibility to use radiocarbon dating for contemporary artworks, several measurements were performed on paper and canvas samples collected from artistic objects of the XX century. The radiocarbon measurements were performed by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) at INFN-LABEC (Laboratorio di Tecniche Nucleari per i Beni Culturali) in Florence, where a 3 MV Tandem accelerator and a sample preparation laboratory are installed.
In these three years, several hardware developments concerning the experimental set-up were also performed. One of the hardware developments concerned the installation of a new graphitization line; thanks to this upgrade, the radiocarbon concentrations measured in blank samples were satisfactory and of the same order of magnitude of the pMC values measured in the first years of the operation of the AMS facility at LABEC. In addition, thanks to the new silicon photodiode installed as rare isotope detector on the AMS beam line, a remarkable improvement of the energy resolution was achieved, paving the way also to the measurement of rare isotopes other than 14C. Moreover, two new chemical pre-treatments were tested: these procedures were especially dedicated to deteriorate cellulose-based materials (alpha cellulose extraction protocol) and to restore artworks (chloroform-based procedure). Besides radiocarbon measurements on several test samples, the effectiveness of these new pre-treatments was also confirmed by using other techniques, i.e. Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy, FTIR, and Attenuated Total Reflectance, ATR. Since these techniques are non destructive (ATR) or require just a very small quantity of sample (FTIR), their use during the sample preparation steps to verify the applied protocols can be proposed as a routine practice. The improvements regarding the experimental set up, especially the new chemical pre-treatments, and the radiocarbon measurements performed on paper and canvas samples collected from objects of the XX century were done in order to verify advantages and limits of radiocarbon dating for contemporary artworks. As far as paper is concerned, we analyzed samples collected from Italian newspapers published since 1930s until present and from fine papers used in limited edition drawing prints realized in the second half of the 20th century. The canvas samples were collected from contemporary art paintings. The measured 14C concentrations were compared to the expected concentrations estimated on the basis of the year indicated on each sample (i.e. the year of publishing/printing or the year signed by the painter), allowing us to highlight advantages and limits of the use of this dating method.
The experimental data have clearly pointed out that we can easily discriminate between samples of the first half and samples of the second half of the 20th century, giving us the possibility to use radiocarbon to solve authentication issues. Important differences between materials derived from long-living plants (dailies paper from wood) and from short-living plants (fine paper from cotton and canvas from cotton or flax) have been shown.
In particular, as far as newspaper samples are concerned, comparing the experimental results with the reference Bomb04NH1 curve, lower 14C concentrations than the atmospheric values were generally measured (in fact, in this case, the raw material is wood). Thus, even though we were able to perform radiocarbon measurements with a high precision, we have verified that, due to the characteristic manufacturing processes of paper, it is not possible to match each measured radiocarbon concentration to the corresponding calendar year in which the paper was produced. In the case of fine paper and canvas samples, we have noticed a general agreement between the measured radiocarbon concentrations and the expected values, although an offset of few years with respect to the expected date has been found. This discrepancy can be related to a reasonable time gap between the year when the plant, from which paper or canvas were manufactured, was cut and when these materials were really used.
All these radiocarbon measurements have been supported by a characterization of the samples by optical and electron microscopy (SEM), to study the state of preservation and the raw materials. This is very important to choose the better chemical protocol to apply for the sample preparation and to better interpret the radiocarbon results.
The results achieved with this work have demonstrated to be very important also for some real cases. The 14C measurements performed on a canvas sample collected from a restored painting have confirmed the effectiveness of the new chloroform-based sample preparation protocol. The dating of a painting attributed to F. Leger (1881-1955), that has been measured to be a fake, has shown how powerful radiocarbon can be for contemporary art authentication issues, i.e. for the identification of forgeries made in the last decades of the 20th century of artworks that are supposed to be of the first half of the same century.
The research developed in these three years has shown advantages and limits of radiocarbon dating in studying of artworks of the 20th century. In particular, we have proved that it is possible to solve authentication issues especially for samples obtained from annual plants. This important result can be very useful for the art critics, the curators of the museum and the art merchants. It is obvious that the radiocarbon measurements and the other scientific techniques have always to be supported by the knowledge of other independent information concerning for example the story of the sample to be dated.


This paper discusses the challenges of implementing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support strategies during COVID-19 in the Americas. Services strategies were modified to Information and Technology approaches. Tele-service information, and brief emotional interventions were offered, Tele-consultation and psychoeducation ere offered through webinars, and computer platforms (Teams and Zoom). Concludes with three suggestions for achieving MHPSS strategies as a strategy for hope.


This volume brings together leading political scientists to explore the distinctive features of the American political economy. The introductory chapter provides a comparatively informed framework for analyzing the interplay of markets and politics in the United States, focusing on three key factors: uniquely fragmented and decentralized political institutions; an interest group landscape characterized by weak labor organizations and powerful, parochial business groups; and an entrenched legacy of ethno-racial divisions embedded in both government and markets. Subsequent chapters look at the fundamental dynamics that result, including the place of the courts in multi-venue politics, the political economy of labor, sectional conflict within and across cities and regions, the consolidation of financial markets and corporate monopoly and monopsony power, and the ongoing rise of the knowledge economy. Together, the chapters provide a revealing new map of the politics of democratic capitalism in the United States.


We describe observed properties of the Type Iax class of supernovae (SNe Iax), consisting of SNe observationally similar to its prototypical member, SN 2002cx. The class currently has 25 members, and we present optical photometry and/or optical spectroscopy for most of them. SNe Iax are spectroscopically similar to SNe Ia, but have lower maximum-light velocities (2000 ≲ |v| ≲ 8000 km s−1), typically lower peak magnitudes (−14.2 ⩾ MV, peak ≳ −18.9 mag), and most have hot photospheres. Relative to SNe Ia, SNe Iax have low luminosities for their light-curve shape. There is a correlation between luminosity and light-curve shape, similar to that of SNe Ia, but offset from that of SNe Ia and with larger scatter. Despite a host-galaxy morphology distribution that is highly skewed to late-type galaxies without any SNe Iax discovered in elliptical galaxies, there are several indications that the progenitor stars are white dwarfs (WDs): evidence of C/O burning in their maximum-light spectra, low (typically ∼0.5 M☉) ejecta masses, strong Fe lines in their late-time spectra, a lack of X-ray detections, and deep limits on massive stars and star formation at the SN sites. However, two SNe Iax show strong He lines in their spectra. The progenitor system and explosion model that best fits all of the data is a binary system of a C/O WD that accretes matter from a He star and has a deflagration. At least some of the time, this explosion will not disrupt the WD. The small number of SNe in this class prohibit a detailed analysis of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of the entire class. We estimate that in a given volume there are SNe Iax for every 100 SNe Ia, and for every 1 M☉ of iron generated by SNe Ia at z = 0, SNe Iax generate ∼0.036 M☉. Being the largest class of peculiar SNe, thousands of SNe Iax will be discovered by LSST. Future detailed observations of SNe Iax should further our understanding of both their progenitor systems and explosions as well as those of SNe Ia.


The design of code-division multiple-access (CDMA) transmission systems for satellite communications requires an appropriate consideration of the distortion effects due to on-board nonlinear amplification. The aim of this paper is to provide an analytical framework for the evaluation of the in-band nonlinear distortion effects on the performance of CDMA systems. Both synchronous systems with orthogonal codes and asynchronous systems are considered. It is first shown that, when the users accessing the channel have the same power and their number is sufficiently large, the nonlinear distortion in the decision variables at the receiver can be simply described by a complex scale factor, which depends on the high-power-amplifier (HPA) characteristics only, and an additive noise, which is uncorrelated to the useful signal. Moreover, an analytical formulation of the bit error probability and the total degradation as a function of the output back-off and number of users is given. In the results, which are obtained for three classes of HPA models (i.e., the traveling wave tube amplifier, the solid-state power amplifier, and the amplifier with ideal predistortion), the performance and the capacity of power-limited systems is also discussed.


Many of us nowadays invest significant amounts of time in sharing our activities and opinions with friends and family via social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter or other related websites. However, despite the availability of many platforms for scientists to connect and share with their peers in the scientific community the majority do not make use of these tools, despite their promise and potential impact and influence on our careers. We are already being indexed and exposed on the internet via our publications, presentations and data and new "AltMetric scores" are being assigned to scientific publications as measures of popularity and, supposedly, of impact. We now have even more ways to contribute to science, to annotate and curate data, to "publish" in new ways, and many of these activities are as part of a growing crowdsourcing network. This presentation provides an overview of the various types of networking and collaborative sites available to scientists and ways to expose your scientific activities online. It will discuss the new world of AltMetrics that is in an explosive growth curve and will help you understand how to influence and leverage some of these new measures. Participating online, whether it be simply for career advancement or for wider exposure of your research, there are now a series of web applications that can provide a great opportunity to develop a scientific profile within the community." Building an Online Profile Using Social Networking and Amplification Tools for Scienti\nsts" from US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CHEMISTRY  PRESENTATION: Building an Online Profile Using Social Networking and Amplification Tools for Scientists


Objectives: Colchicine has been proposed as a COVID-19 treatment, but its effect on time to recovery is unknown. We aimed to determine whether colchicine is effective at reducing time to recovery and COVID-19 related hospitalisations/deaths among people in the community. Design: Prospective, multicentre, open-label, multi-arm, adaptive Platform Randomised Trial of Treatments in the Community for Epidemic and Pandemic Illnesses (PRINCIPLE). Setting: National trial run remotely from a central trial site and at multiple primary care centres across the United Kingdom. Participants: Adults aged [≥]65, or [≥]18 years with comorbidities or shortness of breath, and unwell [≤]14 days with suspected COVID-19 in the community. Interventions: Participants were randomised to usual care, usual care plus colchicine (500g daily for 14 days), or usual care plus other interventions. Main outcome measures: The co-primary endpoints were time to first self-reported recovery, and hospitalisation/death related to COVID-19, within 28 days, analysed using Bayesian models. The hypothesis for the time to recovery endpoint is evaluated first, and if superiority is declared on time to recovery, the hypothesis for the second co-primary endpoint of hospitalisation/death is then evaluated. To determine futility, we pre-specified a clinically meaningful benefit in time to first reported recovery as a hazard ratio of 1.2 or larger (equating to approximately 1.5 days benefit in the colchicine arm, assuming 9 days recovery in the usual care arm). Results: The trial opened on April 2, 2020, with randomisation to colchicine starting on March 04, 2021 and stopping on May 26, 2021, because the pre-specified time to recovery futility criterion was met. The primary analysis model included 2755 SARS-CoV-2 positive participants, randomised to colchicine (n=156), usual care (n=1145), and other treatments (n=1454). Time to first self-reported recovery was similar in the colchicine group compared with usual care with an estimated hazard ratio of 0.919 [95% credible interval 0.72 to 1.16] and an estimated increase of 1.14 days [-1.86 to 5.21] in median time to self-reported recovery for colchicine versus usual care. The probability of meaningful benefit in time to recovery was very low at 1.8%. Results were similar in comparisons with concurrent controls. COVID-19 related hospitalisations/deaths were similar in the colchicine group versus usual care, with an estimated odds ratio of 0.76 [0.28 to 1.89] and an estimated difference of -0.4% [-2.7% to 2.4]. One serious adverse event occurred in the colchicine group and one in usual care.. Conclusions: Colchicine did not improve time to recovery in people at higher risk of complications with COVID-19 in the community. Trial registration: ISRCTN86534580.


This chapter seeks to provide an account of the attitudes hampering Turkish accession from both the Turkish as well as the European perspectives. It focuses on the road to full Turkish membership, utilizing the Copenhagen Criteria (CC) to summarize and highlight the potential obstacles and irritations for both sides. In the economic field, Turkey has, even despite the February 2001 crisis, 'achieved most of the hallmarks of a market economy'. The European Union (EU) has to realize that the pace of human rights reform, and the o democratization of politics, must be commensurate with the institutional and financial capacity of the state to implement these reforms, while taking into account the mood of Turkish public opinion. The portion of the guidelines in CC about 'institutional preparedness' is a minefield of competing values and norms between Turkey and the EU, and trouble always lurks just beneath the surface.


A dynamic composite model for a soil-water system that can be used to simulate the movement of leachate from a landfill. The composite model includes nine sub-models that trace water movement and the migration and transformation of five pollutants (organic N, NH4-, NO3-, NO2-, and Cl-) in saturated and unsaturated soil. The model to simulate the movement of leachate from a landfill in Laogang Town, Shanghai City was used. In this application, the values for the model parameters were obtained by performing a laboratory simulation experiment of water movement and pollutant migration and transformation in soil columns. Soil and leachate obtained from the landfill site and its vicinity were used in the laboratory experiments. The model was then used to simulate leachate movement and pollutant activity during the ten-year period when the landfill was in operation and in the twenty-year period following its closure. The simulation results revealed that the leachate migrated into the groundwater at the rate of 90-100 meters per year. This model can be applied in the design of future landfills in China for the purpose of assessing and forecasting leachate plumes.


While there is general agreement on the necessity to measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in many clinical situations, there is less agreement on the best method to achieve this purpose. As the gold standard method for GFR determination, urinary (or renal) clearance of inulin, fades into the background due to inconvenience and high cost, a diversity of filtration markers and protocols compete to replace it. In this review, we suggest that iohexol, a non-ionic contrast agent, is most suited to replace inulin as the marker of choice for GFR determination. Iohexol comes very close to fulfilling all requirements for an ideal GFR marker in terms of low extra-renal excretion, low protein binding and in being neither secreted nor reabsorbed by the kidney. In addition, iohexol is virtually non-toxic and carries a low cost. As iohexol is stable in plasma, administration and sample analysis can be separated in both space and time, allowing access to GFR determination across different settings. An external proficiency programme operated by Equalis AB, Sweden, exists for iohexol, facilitating interlaboratory comparison of results. Plasma clearance measurement is the protocol of choice as it combines a reliable GFR determination with convenience for the patient. Single-sample protocols dominate, but multiple-sample protocols may be more accurate in specific situations. In low GFRs one or more late samples should be included to improve accuracy. In patients with large oedema or ascites, urinary clearance protocols should be employed. In conclusion, plasma clearance of iohexol may well be the best candidate for a common GFR determination method.


Spatial representation capable of learning a myriad of environmental features is a significant challenge for natural spatial understanding of mobile AI agents.

Deep generative models have the potential of discovering rich representations of observed 3D scenes.

However, previous approaches have been mainly evaluated on simple environments, or focused only on high-resolution rendering of small-scale scenes, hampering generalization of the representations to various spatial variability.

To address this, we present PlaceNet, a neural representation that learns through random observations in a self-supervised manner, and represents observed scenes with triplet attention using visual, topographic, and semantic cues.

We evaluate the proposed method on a large-scale multimodal scene dataset consisting of 120 million indoor scenes, and show that PlaceNet successfully generalizes to various environments with lower training loss, higher image quality and structural similarity of predicted scenes, compared to a competitive baseline model.

Additionally, analyses of the representations demonstrate that PlaceNet activates more specialized and larger numbers of kernels in the spatial representation, capturing multimodal spatial properties in complex environments.


We derive a full analytical approximation to the stochastic gravitational wave background generated by the loops that are produced throughout the cosmological evolution of cosmic string networks. We show that this approximation not only predicts the amplitude of the radiation-era plateau exactly, but also provides a good fit to the high-frequency cutoff and to the low-frequency peak generated by the loops that decay during the matter era, irrespective of cosmic string tension and of the length of loops created. We then find that it provides a good quantitative description of the full stochastic gravitational wave background across the relevant frequency range.


The need for transformation has led kingdom to envision and encode the Saudi Vision 2030 document; it is not merely an idealistic divination but a manuscript with an appropriate plan to accomplish its anticipated economic and social goals. In fact, planning is a critical factor in the document, which shapes it as a discourse of realization and fascination, made in the public interest. The present research aims to investigate the ways strategic planning has been articulated in the Vision 2030 document. It can help to get a deep linguistic understanding of this ideological discourse as well as to make it comprehendible for familiar readers. The core purpose of the present study is to examine this ideological discourse for the linguistic items that encapsulate the planning factor. For this purpose, the text has been reviewed using the foundational document model projected by Holland (2014). This semantic-grammatical based linguistic model helps to investigate the ideological strand of planning in the selected text. The research design is quantitative, using a content analysis method. The results reveal that planning strategies are well voiced in the Vision 2030 document, using a variety of vocabulary items; Investment, support, cooperation, provision, and increment are found as the fundamental strategies. The study suggests that other linguistic features can also be investigated to explain this document in the public interest.


People often regulate their feelings by striving for particular emotional states. The self-regulation of emotions should be influenced by self-awareness, which is a primary instigator of self-regulation. Because the outcome of self-regulation depends, in part, on the relevant comparison standards, self-focus will have a flexible effect on emotional intensity depending on the standard. But an earlier view (Scheier & Carver, 1977) argues that self-focused attention will always amplify emotional intensity because self-focus makes emotional states more salient. An experiment tested these different predictions. Participants were pre-selected for extreme emotionality standards: One group felt that emotions should be unregulated, and the other group felt that emotions should be inhibited. All persons were led to feel happy; self-focus was then manipulated using a large mirror. Consistent with the self-regulation view, persons with "inhibition" standards were significantly less happy when highly self-focused. Persons with "no regulation" standards, in contrast, were unaffected by high self-focus; the two groups didn't differ when self-focus was low. Someimplications for the intersection of self-awareness and emotional experience are considered.


Alfvén wings are known to form when a conducting or mass‐loading object slows down a flowing plasma in its vicinity. Alfvén wings are not expected to be generated when an inert moon such as Rhea interacts with Saturn's magnetosphere, where the plasma impacting the moon is absorbed and the magnetic flux passes unimpeded through the moon. However, in two close polar passes of Rhea, Cassini clearly observed magnetic field signatures consistent with Alfvén wings. In addition, observations from a high‐inclination flyby (Distance > 100 RRh) of Rhea on 3 June 2010 showed that the Alfvén wings continue to propagate away from Rhea even at this large distance. We have performed three‐dimensional hybrid simulations of Rhea's interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere which show that the wake refilling process generates a plasma density gradient directed in the direction of corotating plasma. The resulting plasma pressure gradient exerts a force directed toward Rhea and slows down the plasma streaming into the wake along field lines. As on the same field lines, outside of the wake, the plasma continues to move close to its full speed, this differential motion of plasma bends the magnetic flux tubes, generating Alfvén wings in the wake. The current system excited by the Alfvén wings transfers momentum to the wake plasma extracting it from plasma outside the wake. Our work demonstrates that Alfvén wings can be excited even when a moon does not possess a conducting exosphere.


A well-defined and flexible supply chain reference model forms the basis for promoting supply chain collaboration. This study integrates the concepts of supply chain, collaborative product commerce, and supply chain operations reference model(SCOR) to propose collaborative supply chain operations reference model (CSCOR) in the product lifecycle. The CSCOR consists of four hierarchical levels: collaborative business model; collaborative cooperative model; collaborative process model; and, a collaborative operational model. Based on project management(PM), the CSCOR has five core procedures plan, source, make, delivery and return. This study also assesses the effectiveness of the CSCOR by applying it to the regional manufacturing industry in China.


Overactive bladder (OAB) is a highly prevalent symptom syndrome, with considerable personal and health economic impact. Conventional management requires conservative interventions, including adherence to fluid advice and bladder training (1). Medications can then be used, with antimuscarinics forming the mainstay of drug interventions for many years. The recent introduction of a beta-3 agonist established a new drug class for the indication, with a differing side effect profile from the antimuscarinics. Beta-3 agonists do not affect the cholinergic receptors responsible for salivation, so problems of dry mouth symptoms are unusual with the first-in-class agent, mirabegron.


The variety of solutions to organize economic activities is striking, and underexplored. This paper proposes a framework that combines transaction cost and relational contracts models to capture this variety while characterizing some representative forms. The framework distinguishes between organizational structures differing according to the intensity of control exercised over the rights to use resources, and the modalities of governance through which these structures operate. The combination of these two dimensions provides tools for understanding the existence, characteristics, and conditions under which some organizational arrangements tend to prevail. Based on these premises, the paper proposes an analysis that goes beyond the dichotomy between "markets†and "hierarchies.†This framework is inclusive of those hybrids arrangements that play such an important role in the agrifood industry and it explores two modalities that are particularly challenging to standard theories: cooperatives and plural forms. [EconLit citations: D 230; L 0; Q 100].


An advanced conditioning technique was developed to precisely and effectively condition the nickel electroplated mono-layer coarse-grained diamond grinding wheel of 46m and 91m grain size with an aim to fabricate Diamond Micro Tool Arrays (DMTA), to meet the high demands of form accuracy, surface quality and low subsurface damage in ductile machining of silicon carbide (SiC). The precision machining experiments on SiC were carried out on a precision grinder to determine the applicability of these fabricated diamond micro tool array (DMTA). The experimental result indicates that the newly developed DMTA is applicable and feasible to realize ductile machining on SiC with high efficiency and low diamond tool wear rate, which shows a good prospect to apply this new concept diamond tool type in precision machining of SiC, as well as the other brittle and hard-to-machine materials.


We read with great interest the article "Emphysematous pyelonephritis: Is nephrectomy warranted?" by Alsharif M. et al .[1] This article highlights interesting updated in managing emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) from radical surgery to medical management. Similar finding was published earlier by Ubee SS et al. in their literature review. [2] They noted the trend towards medical management was begun since late 1980s. This change in management trend was associated with improve in mortality from 40-50% in 1970s to 13.5% recently. [2] It was similar in this paper which had the rate of 30% and 100% for overall mortality and radical nephrectomy rate respectively. This trend of management seems to be widely accepted all over the world.
In our opinion, early nephrectomy had its own rule in managing EPN, especially in case where the renographic clearance is <10%.[3] The percentage of EPN patients undergone surgery will be markedly reduced with early detection and aggressive medical management. However, the comparison between medical management and early nephrectomy in term of mortality cannot be ascertained except similar group of EPN patient being subjected for each arm of treatment options. Patients with multiple co-morbidities and in sepsis certainly had higher mortality rate regardless of whatever treatment given.


ABSTRACT In this article, we deal with landscape activities in relation to changing landscape identity after a major wildfire in Sweden in 2014. The aim was to investigate the relationships between 22 landscape activities (before the fire) and 2 components (emotion and cognition) of landscape identity (before and after the fire). A total of 656 respondents living nearby the fire area participated in this study. Before the fire, a positive association was found between the activities of enjoying nature and foraging, and both components of landscape identity. This suggests that the more participants enjoyed nature and picked berries and mushrooms, the stronger their attachment to the landscape (emotion), and the more they remembered and reasoned about the landscape (cognition). Post fire, these relationships were found only between the two components of landscape identity and foraging. This implies a significant role of this type of activity for keeping 'alive' landscape identity.


Following the economic downturn of 2008/2009, the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) was introduced to promote commercial agriculture and to complement other existing special initiatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria. After 3 years of its operation, the sum of N175.525 billion has been disbursed to 222 projects/ promoters. The distribution of the fund disbursed showed that 68% went to the processing segment of the value chain while 29% went to the production segment. While the CACS was found to be contingent to an increase in bank lending to the agricultural sector in Nigeria, there seem to be no significant effect of the fund on agricultural sector growth rate. It was therefore recommended that the 7 year tenor of the Scheme be extended and the need to set milestones (Specific targets and timelines) for deliverables like the right quantum of funds to be deployed, expected increase in flow of credit to agriculture, number of jobs to be created, expected growth rate in agricultural sector GDP etc. The need to build the capacity of bank staff and value chain actors and invocation of sanctions on erring banks to discourage infractions cannot be overemphasized.


The accuracy of measuring the basic parameters of neutron stars is limited in particular by uncertainties in the chemical composition of their atmospheres. For example, the atmospheres of thermally emitting neutron stars in supernova remnants might have exotic chemical compositions, and for one of them, the neutron star in Cas A, a pure carbon atmosphere has recently been suggested by Ho & Heinke. To test this composition for other similar sources, a publicly available detailed grid of the carbon model atmosphere spectra is needed. We have computed this grid using the standard local thermodynamic equilibrium approximation and assuming that the magnetic field does not exceed 108 G. The opacities and pressure ionization effects are calculated using the Opacity Project approach. We describe the properties of our models and investigate the impact of the adopted assumptions and approximations on the emergent spectra.


Digital currencies have attracted strong interest in recent years and have the potential to become widely adopted for use in making payments. Public authorities and central banks around the world are closely monitoring developments in digital currencies and studying their implications for the economy, the financial system and central banks. One key policy question for public authorities such as a central bank is whether or not to issue its own digital currency that can be used by the general public to make payments. There are several public policy arguments for a central-bank-issued digital currency. This paper proposes a framework for assessing why a central bank should consider issuing a digital currency and how to implement it to improve the efficiency of the retail payment system.


BACKGROUND
Menopausal hormone therapy is widely used to alleviate climacteric symptoms but may increase the risk of venous and arterial vascular events.

OBJECTIVE
The objective was to synthesize the evidence about the risk of vascular events in postmenopausal women who use oral estrogen therapy (ET) and transdermal ET.

METHODS
We searched bibliographical databases through August 2013 for longitudinal comparative studies that enrolled postmenopausal women using either oral or transdermal ET and reported the outcomes of interest: venous thromboembolism (VTE), pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. Two reviewers independently selected and appraised studies. Outcomes were pooled using random effects meta-analysis and were reported as risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS
We included 15 observational studies at moderate risk of bias with follow-up of 3 to 20.25 years. When compared to transdermal ET, oral ET was associated with increased risk of a first episode of VTE (RR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.40-1.90; I(2) = 53%), DVT (RR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.35-3.23; I(2) = 0 %), and possibly stroke (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.48; a single case-controlled study), but not MI (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.80-1.71; I(2) = 74%).

CONCLUSION
Observational evidence warranting low confidence suggests that compared to transdermal ET, oral ET may be associated with increased risk of VTE and DVT, but not MI.


In recent years, there has been an apparent alteration in tourists' destination preferences. The reasons for this are, of course, very diverse. Due to discomforting environment of the coastal regions, people may prefer to spend their holidays in bioclimatologically more comfortable areas, such as mountain or plateau resorts. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of climate and weather on tourism and recreational activities via a questionnaire survey in the city of Erzurum, Turkey. It was found that although people who participated the survey live in a city, which is a well-known winter sports center and where extreme climatic features in winter are prevalent and have to experience, at least, an eight-month cold period (from late October to late May), they would still prefer summer season for recreation and tourism even if they were given full year recreation opportunities. This condition was thought to result from the lack of efficient winter recreation facilities and it was suggested that this kind of facilities should be constructed.


Scrapie prion infectivity can be enriched from hamster brain homogenates by using limited proteolysis and detergent extraction. Purified fractions contain both scrapie infectivity and the protein PrP 27-30, which is aggregated in the form of prion rods. During purification, PrP 27-30 is produced from a larger membrane protein, PrPSc, by limited proteolysis with proteinase K. Brain homogenates from scrapie-infected hamsters do not contain prion rods prior to exposure to detergents and proteases. To determine whether both detergent extraction and limited proteolysis are required for the formation of prion rods, microsomal membranes were prepared from infected brains in the presence of protease inhibitors. The isolated membranes were then detergent extracted as well as protease digested to evaluate the effects of these treatments on the formation of prion rods. Neither detergent (2% Sarkosyl) extraction nor limited proteinase K digestion of scrapie microsomes produced recognizable prion amyloid rods. Only after combining detergent extraction with limited proteolysis were numerous prion rods observed. Rod formation was influenced by the protease concentration, the specificity of the protease, and the duration of digestion. Rod formation also depended upon the detergent; some combinations of protease and detergent did not produce prion amyloid rods. Similar results were obtained with purified PrPSc fractions prepared by repeated detergent extractions in the presence of protease inhibitors. These fractions contained amorphous structures but not rods; however, prion rods were produced upon conversion of PrPSc to PrP 27-30 by limited proteolysis. We conclude that the formation of prion amyloid rods in vitro requires both detergent extraction and limited proteolysis. In vivo, amyloid filaments found in the brains of animals with scrapie resemble prion rods in their width and their labeling with prion protein (PrP) antisera; however, filaments are typically longer than rods. Whether limited proteolysis and some process equivalent to detergent extraction are required for amyloid filament formation in vivo remains to be established.


Understanding the causes and contributing factors leading to outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with contamination of fresh produce is a worldwide challenge for everyone from the growers of fresh-cut produce through the entire production and delivery process. The premise of this book is that when human pathogen contamination of fresh produce occurs, it is extremely difficult to reduce pathogen levels sufficiently to assure microbiological safety with the currently available technologies. A wiser strategy would be to avoid crop production conditions that result in microbial contamination to start. These critical, problem-oriented chapters have been written by researchers active in the areas of food safety and microbial contamination during production, harvesting, packing and fresh-cut processing of horticultural crops, and were designed to provide methods of contamination avoidance. Coverage includes policy and practices in the US, Mexico and Central America, Europe, and Japan. *Addresses foodborne contaminations from a prevention view, providing pro-active solutions to the problems *Covers core sources of contamination and methodologies for identifying those sources *Includes best practice and regulatory information


Prolonged lifespan and decreased fertility will lead to an increased proportion of older adults in the world population (population aging). An important strategy to deal with population aging has been to promote healthy aging; not only to prevent mounting health care costs, but also to maintain independence and quality of life of older populations for as long as possible. Close to the opposite of the healthy aging is frailty. A major component of (physical) frailty is sarcopenia: age-related loss of muscle mass. Decreased muscle size and strength has been associated with a wide variety of negative health outcomes, including increased risk of hospitalization, physical disability and even death. Therefore, maintaining muscle size and strength is very important for healthy aging. Nutrition and physical activity are possible strategies to maintain or even improve muscle function with age. The effect of nutrition, age, frailty and physical activity on the function of skeletal muscle is complex. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved can provide new insights in potential strategies to maintain muscle function over the life course. This thesis aims to investigate these mechanisms and processes that underlie the effects of age, frailty and physical activity by leveraging the sensitivity and comprehensiveness of transcriptomics and metabolomics. Chapter 2 and 3 describe the effects of age, frailty and resistance-type exercise training on the skeletal muscle transcriptome and metabolome. Both the transcriptome and metabolome show significant differences between frail and healthy older adults. These differences are similar to the differneces between healthy young men and healthy older adults, suggesting that frailty presents itself as a more pronounced form of aging, somewhat independent of chronological age. These age and frailty related differences in the transcriptome are partially reversed by resistance-type exercise training, in accordance with the observed improvement in muscle strength. Regression analysis revealed that the protocadherin gamma gene cluster may be important to skeletal muscle function. Protocadherin gamma is involved in axon guidance and may be upregulated due to the denervation-reinnervation cycles observed in skeletal muscle of older individuals. The metabolome suggested that resistance-type exercise training led to a decrease in branched-chain amino acid oxidation, as shown by a decrease in amino acid derived carnitines. Lastly, the blood metabolome showed little agreement with the metabolome in skeletal muscle, indicating that blood is a poor read-out of muscle metabolism. We assessed the effect of knee immobilization with creatine supplementation or placebo on the skeletal muscle transcriptome and metabolome in chapter 4. Knee immobilization caused muscle mass loss and strength loss in all participants, with no differences between creatine and placebo groups. Knee immobilization appeared to induce the HDAC4-myogenin axis, which is primarily associated with denervation and motor neuron diseases. The metabolome showed changes consistent with the decreased expression of energy metabolism genes. While acyl-carnitine levels tended to decrease with knee immobilization, one branched-chain amino acid-derived acyl carnitine was increased after knee immobilization, suggesting increased amino acid oxidation. Vitamin D deficiency is common among older adults and has been linked to muscle weakness. Vitamin D supplementation has been proposed as a strategy to improve muscle function among older populations. In chapter 5, supplementation with vitamin D (calcifediol, 25(OH)D) is investigated as nutritional strategy to improve muscle function among frail older adults. However, we observed no effect of vitamin D on the muscle transcriptome. These findings indicate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on skeletal muscle may be either absent, weak, or limited to a small subset of muscle cells. Transcriptomic changes due to different forms of muscle disuse are compared in chapter 6 (primarily knee immobilization and bed rest). The goal was to determine the similarities and differences among various causes of muscle atrophy in humans (primarily muscle disuse). Both knee immobilization and bed rest led to significant changes in the muscle transcriptome. However, the overlap in significantly changed genes was relatively small. Knee immobilization was characterized by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and induction of the HDAC4/Myogenin axis, whereas bed rest revealed increased expression of genes of the immune system and increased expression of lysosomal genes. Knee immobilization showed the highest similarity with age and frailty-related transcriptomic changes. This finding suggests that knee immobilization may be the most suitable form of disuse atrophy to assess the effectiveness of strategies to prevent age-related muscle loss in humans. The transcriptome and metabolome are incredibly useful tools in describing the wide array of biological systems within skeletal muscle. These systems can be modulated using physical activity (or lack thereof) as well as nutrition. This thesis describes some of these processes and highlights several unexplored genes and metabolites that may be important for maintaining or even optimizing muscle function. In the future, it may be possible to optimize both exercise and nutrition for each individual using these techniques; or even better, cheaper and less invasive alternatives.


Abstract: According to the Austrian art historian Alois Riegl (1857–1905), cultural heritage possesses age value (Alterswert) based on the perception of an object's visible traces of age. His 1903 essay "The Modern Cult of Monuments" became a classic, and age value has ever since been constitutive for cultural heritage. Closer scrutiny, however, reveals that clever copies, reconstructions, and imaginative inventions can possess age value too. I therefore suggest "pastness" as a useful term for denoting the perception that a given object is "of the past." Pastness is not immanent in an object but, rather, results from its appearance (for example, patina), its context (for example, in a museum), or its correspondence with preconceived expectations among the audience. In this article, I review the concept of pastness and discuss its implications for the global heritage sector. Age value emerges as being less universal than Riegl thought and was linked to a very particular intellectual and cultural context.


Fifth International Conference on Integrated Design and Manufacturing in Mechanical Engineering (IDMME 2004) 5±7 April 2004 University of Bath, UK University of Bath Miss Angela K. Harrington, Conference Secretary, Department of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Tel: +44(0) 1225 386196 Fax: +44(0) 1225 386098 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Internet: http://IDMME04.bath.ac.uk


Improvement of soil properties by means of chemical grouting, cement grouting, and cement/fly ash stabilization has been widely used in practical geotechnical applications. Knowledge of dynamic behavior of cemented soil is essential for seismic research and design. A laboratory testing program is conducted for determining the low-strain dynamic properties of artificially cemented soils. The major significances of this research are: 1. Focusing on the effect of confining pressure because confining pressure is one of the most important factors affecting the dynamic properties of cemented soils and directly implies the in-situ depth of soil, which is also significant in a practical grouting project. 2. Defining the "degree of cementation" as a percentage of void space between soil particles occupied by cementing material instead of the percent weight of cementing material to total weight of the soil to be cemented as normally used in previous research. Degree of cementation by volume as defined in this study gives clearer description regarding the soil-cement-void interaction of a cemented sand. 3. Using various types of cementing materials and soils to cover sufficient range of parameters involved in the study. 4. Two methods for preparing cemented sand specimens are developed in compliance with the methods practically used in the field for the testing materials selected in the study (injection method and "mix-compact" method).


Background: The accepted aim of radical surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is the achievement of macroscopic complete resection (MCR) whilst reducing perioperative morbidity by preserving normal tissue. Whilst preservation of the lung by pleurectomy/decortication (PD) has become widely utilised, there remains debate regarding the management of the diaphragm. Muscle-sparing complete excision of the diaphragmatic pleura is technically challenging; thus, surgeons may proceed to extended PD with phrenectomy and possible increased morbidity or to preserve the diaphragmatic pleura at the expense of MCR with potential survival deficit. We aimed to evaluate the effects of an intentional change in protocol to diaphragm-sparing PD whilst maintaining MCR as the treatment of choice for MPM. Methods: In a series of 136 patients (111M:25F, median age 68(63–73) years) undergoing radical surgery for MPM, we identified 28 patients (22M:6F, median age 67(60–71) years) in whom MCR was achieved without phrenectomy (PD group). We compared their perioperative outcomes and survival with a historical control group of 18 patients (18M:0F, median age 69(57–78) years) in whom MCR had been achieved with phrenectomy (EPD group) but in whom there was no histological evidence of diaphragm muscle invasion and who, in retrospect, could have undergone muscle-sparing MCR if this procedure had been attempted. Results: There was no significant intergroup difference in demographics or tumour cell type; the majority of both groups were found to be epithelial (PD 85.7%, EPD 77.8%). The EPD group was found to be more locally advanced (T3 55.56%) than the PD group (T1 46.43%) (p = 0.03). All the following parameters were significantly reduced after PD compared to EPD: operative time (188 vs. 220 min, p = 0.007); duration of air leak (5 vs. 10 days, p = 0.001), duration of inotrope (p = 0.009) and post-operative hospital stay (8 vs. 13 days, p = 0.034). There were no significant differences (p = 0.123) in overall survival (OS) between the two groups, but the median survival in the PD group had not been reached at a median follow up of 33.9 (24.2–46) months. Conclusions: A surgical strategy of attempting to spare the diaphragm whilst still achieving MCR wherever possible is justified by improved perioperative outcomes without compromising OS.


The hydrothermal reactions of Zn(SO4)·5H2O, V2O5 and 2,4,6-tri(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (tpytrz) yield [Zn(tpytrz)2V2O6]
(1) at pH 6.5 and [Zn3(tpytrz)3(H2O)2V6O18]·6H2O (2·6H2O) at pH 3.5. Substitution of Cu(II) as the secondary metal in the reaction of Cu(SO4)·5H2O, V2O5 and tpytrz yields [Cu3(tpytrz)2(H2O)2V8O23]·3H2O (3·3H2O). The structure of 1 consists of a bimetallic oxide layer, decorated on both surfaces by monodentate tpytrz groups. The structure of 2 is three-dimensional and constructed from a 3-D bimetallic oxide framework with the organic subunit entrained within larger channels in the oxide scaffolding. While the structure of 3 is grossly similar to that of 2, the different coordination preferences of Zn(II) and Cu(II) are manifested in the detailed structural features. Thus, while the vanadate substructure of 2 is one-dimensional, that of 3 is two-dimensional. Similarly, 2 exhibits both tetrahedral and octahedral secondary metal sites, while 3 possesses only '4 + 2' axially distorted Cu(II) sites.


This study proposes a tomography-based method for evaluating grouting performance after injection. Tomography is a convenient approach for solving the boundary measurement inverse problem of capturing discrete pixels and synthesizing these pixels into a unified image. Four arrays of eight electrodes are installed into large triaxial cell specimens to simulate in-situ crosshole resistivity testing. Sand is used as a base material and a wet cement mixture is grouted into the specimens. Electromagnetic waves are used as a means of accumulating the physical properties of the specimens. Each measured electrical resistivity is considered as a discrete signal. The electrical resistivity distribution is calculated and optimized through an iterative modified least-squares inversion based on a forward solution of Coulomb and Gauss's law equations. Results show that the electrical properties of an injected grout material and its location and size can be effectively estimated from a series of resistance measurements.


In this study, the optical and structure properties of MgxZn1-xO thin films is reported. The MgxZn1-xO thin films were prepared on Glass substrates by Q-switch second harmonic Nd:YAG laser deposition technigue with wavelength of 532nm from a ZnO target mixed with Mg of (0-0.3) wt% , and the films deposited at temperature (250°C). The optical properties were characterized by transmittance and absorption spectroscopy measurements. For all the films the average transmission in the U.V (200-900) nm wavelength region was over 85% and the absorption edge shifted to a shorter wavelength as the magnesium concentration increased. The optical energy gap of MgxZn1-xO thin films, measured from transmittance spectra could be controlled between (3.3eV and 4.2eV) by adjusting magnesium concentration. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the structure of the film. The refractive index of hexagonal MgxZn1-xO thin films decreases with the Mg concentration increase, such as at the wavelength of (500nm) the refractive index decreases from 1.93 to 1.85 as x increase from 0.15 to 0.3. The extinction coefficient and the complex dielectric constant were also investigate.


Artificial intelligence chatbots are the vanguard in technology-based intervention to change people's behavior. To develop intervention chatbots, the first step is to understand natural language conversation strategies in human conversation. This work introduces an intervention conversation dataset collected from a real-world physical activity intervention program for women. We designed comprehensive annotation schemes in four dimensions (domain, strategy, social exchange, and task-focused exchange) and annotated a subset of dialogs. We built a strategy classifier with context information to detect strategies from both trainers and participants based on the annotation. To understand how human intervention induces effective behavior changes, we analyzed the relationships between the intervention strategies and the participants' changes in the barrier and social support for physical activity. We also analyzed how participant's baseline weight correlates to the amount of occurrence of the corresponding strategy. This work lays the foundation for developing a personalized physical activity intervention chatbot.


Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which is used in psychiatry since 1903, has been widely used as an alternative treatment only in recent years. This method is being used in many psychiatric illnesses, mainly in depression. The data of its efficiency in treatment is contraversial.


Seedling dynamics of the Macaronesian laurel forest have been monitored for the first time in a long-term study to determine whether the survival of the seedling community is affected by slope aspect and forest structure. More than 4000 seedlings were monitored monthly from 2000 to 2003 in well-preserved laurel forest stands on Tenerife, Canary Islands. Trees and seedling bank species composition differed between windward and leeward slopes. On both slopes, differences in species composition between the canopy and the seedling bank suggest future shifts in canopy species composition towards a more advanced successional stage. Surprisingly, seedling survival was higher on the drier leeward than on the wetter windward slope. This seems to be related to environmental and structural differences of the forest stand between slope aspects (e.g. larger trees, higher canopy cover and tree density and lower light penetration in windward plots). Analysed species have long-lived seedling banks with survival rates of 12 per cent and 5 per cent in the long term (12 years) for leeward and windward slopes, respectively, with significant differences among species. This result reflects the high regeneration potential of the forest in wellpreserved stands, indicating that no management interventions are required to ensure the regeneration of this endemic forest.


A feature of the 2008 International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE) World Congress is the launch of the IFHE Position Statement - Home Economics in the 21st Century (IFHE, 2008) - hereafter referred to as he21C. This paper reports on findings of a survey administered to investigate home economics teachers' level of agreement with the propositions in the Position Paper using extracts taken verbatim as triggers, along with general questions about home economics. The survey was administered to a convenience sample in Scotland and in Australia, with a total of 264 responses. A cross-cultural comparison of findings identifies similarities and differences, revealing a high level of agreement with many of the extracts taken from the Position Paper, both within and across cultures. The overwhelming majority (93%) concur that home economics is multidisciplinary and located within the human sciences, while 96% of respondents agree that home economics prepares individuals for their personal and professional lives. However, several aspects were clearly contentious, including the lack of agreement about the retention of home economics as the preferred name of the field. These findings offer valuable insights into the degree of connection the IFHE Position Paper makes with home economics teacher professionals, potentially highlighting the areas where most focus is required for development work by the IFHE. The clearly contentious issues relate to the stance in he21C to focus on re-branding and repositioning as well as renaming the profession, presenting a strategic challenge for the Institute. The survey findings and subsequent discussion lead to the recommendation that IFHE extend the present research to Africa, Asia and the Americas and use the findings to build professional learning communities in all five (including Europe and the Pacific) IFHE regions to reculture members of the profession, so that the beliefs espoused in he21C are adopted.


Software-Defined Radio (SDR) is a rapidly evolving technology. SDR have been widely studied as a solution to support multiple competing and in compatible air interface standard in future wireless communications. In this paper, we present the design of a Digital Down Converter (DDC) module for triple-mode WCDMA, CDMA2000 and GSM. The designed module consists of digital mixer, CIC filter, and decimation filter and frequency converter. Theses submodules are software reconfigured in architecture to be compatible with WCDMA, CDMA2000 and GSM. The design is software configured with minimum hardware and maximum operating speed.


It is well known that the traditional block transform can only have at most one degree of regularity. In other words, by retaining only one subband, these transforms, including the popular discrete cosine transform (DCT), can only capture the constant signal. The ability to capture polynomials of higher orders is critical in smooth signal approximation, minimizing blocking effects. This paper presents the theory, design, and fast implementation of regularity constrained pre-/post-filters for block-based decomposition systems. We demonstrate that simple pre-/post-filtering modules added to the current block-based infrastructure can help the block transform capture not only the constant signal but the ramp signal as well. Moreover, our proposed framework can be used to generate various fast symmetric M-band wavelets with up to two degrees of regularity.


Signaling via the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE)—though complex and not fully elucidated in the setting of diabetes—is considered a key injurious pathway in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We report here that RAGE deletion resulted in increased expression of fibrotic markers (collagen I and IV, fibronectin) and the inflammatory marker MCP-1 in primary mouse mesangial cells (MCs) and in kidney cortex. RNA sequencing analysis in MCs from RAGE−/− and wild-type mice confirmed these observations. Nevertheless, despite these gene expression changes, decreased responsiveness to transforming growth factor-β was identified in RAGE−/− mice. Furthermore, RAGE deletion conferred a more proliferative phenotype in MCs and reduced susceptibility to staurosporine-induced apoptosis. RAGE restoration experiments in RAGE−/− MCs largely reversed these gene expression changes, resulting in reduced expression of fibrotic and inflammatory markers. This study highlights that protection against DN in RAGE knockout mice is likely to be due in part to the decreased responsiveness to growth factor stimulation and an antiapoptotic phenotype in MCs. Furthermore, it extends our understanding of the role of RAGE in the progression of DN, as RAGE seems to play a key role in modulating the sensitivity of the kidney to injurious stimuli such as prosclerotic cytokines.


The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is mediated by genetic susceptibility along with a variety of cardiovascular risk factors and environment influences. As atherosclerotic lesions progress, they manifest several features typical of chronic inflammation, such as the presence of monocyte/macrophages, T-cells and inflammatory cytokines. This inflammatory response is fueled and enhanced by oxidative stress, which may be the link between lipid disorders and inflammation. Oxidation of lipoproteins is intimately involved in all stages of atherosclerosis and oxidative byproducts co-localize with inflammatory cells. When low density lipoprotein enters the subintimal space, it is oxidized by several mechanisms, including both enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways and becomes a ligand for scavenger receptors on macrophages leading to generation of foam cells. Oxidized LDL is not only pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic, but several of the neoepitopes generated during oxidation are highly immunogenic and result in the generation of autoantibodies. Autoantibodies to OxLDL are found within atherosclerotic lesions and in apparently healthy subjects, as well as patients with various manifestations of cardiovascular disease. In this article, the role of circulating autoantibodies to OxLDL in cardiovascular disease will be reviewed. Although controversy still exists, the overall evidence supports the notion that IgG autoantibodies to OxLDL are associated with pro-atherogenic properties and IgM autoantibodies to OxLDL with atheroprotective properties. Whether such antibodies have a modulating role or are merely reflectors of atherogenesis has not been fully determined. Data is also emerging on the role of natural antibodies, which are primarily of the IgM class, that recognize oxidation-specific epitopes. Among other properties, these antibodies may be involved in housekeeping functions in binding and clearing pro-inflammatory oxidized lipids and therefore may be atheroprotective. Several studies have also recently evaluated the potential therapeutic role of antibodies to OxLDL either through active immunization using OxLDL or model oxidation-specific epitopes as immunogens or through passive immunization with human antibodies directed to oxidation-specific epitopes. Although these investigation are at an early stage, they show promise that immune modulation may lead to novel approaches to treat atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.


In this paper, we propose a new method to recognize gestures of cartoon images with two practical applications, i.e., content-based cartoon image retrieval and interactive cartoon clip synthesis. Upon analyzing the unique properties of four types of features including global color histogram, local color histogram (LCH), edge feature (EF), and motion direction feature (MDF), we propose to employ different features for different purposes and in various phases. We use EF to define a graph and then refine its local structure by LCH. Based on this graph, we adopt a transductive learning algorithm to construct local patches for each cartoon image. A spectral method is then proposed to optimize the local structure of each patch and then align these patches globally. MDF is fused with EF and LCH and a cartoon gesture space is constructed for cartoon image gesture recognition. We apply the proposed method to content-based cartoon image retrieval and interactive cartoon clip synthesis. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.


This Article explores the narrative that the scholarly literature on wrongful convictions uses to talk about prosecutors. In the prevailing narrative of the wrongful conviction literature, stories of bad prosecutorial decision making in the cases against Genarlow Wilson, the Jena Six, and three Duke lacrosse players are merely high-profile examples of misconduct that happens every day in America's prosecutors' offices and courtrooms. What emerges from the current discourse on wrongful convictions is a language of fault — fault placed on prosecutors who fail to value justice at each turn of the proceedings. Separate from the empirical question of how widespread intentional misconduct is among prosecutors, this Article questions the efficacy of fault-based rhetoric in a world in which prosecutors view wrongful convictions as statistical anomalies, their antagonists as uncommonly bad apples, and themselves as ethical lawyers. The rhetoric of fault is counterproductive because it alienates the very parties who hold the power to initiate many of the most promising reforms of the movement. In contrast, this Article suggests the use of a "no-fault" rhetoric that focuses on structural and cognitive impediments to neutral prosecutorial decision-making. A "no-fault" rhetoric that emphasizes how even ethical prosecutors might inadvertently contribute to wrongful convictions carries the potential to fold prosecutors into the movement while simultaneously pressuring them to initiate self-focused reforms.


Fructose intake has increased steadily during the past two decades. Fructose, like other reducing sugars, can react with proteins through the Maillard reaction (glycation), which may account for several complications of diabetes mellitus and accelerating aging. In this study, we evaluated the effect of fructose intake on some age-related variables. Rats were fed for 1 y a commercial nonpurified diet, and had free access to water or 250 g/L solutions of fructose, glucose or sucrose. Early glycation products were evaluated by blood glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine concentrations. Lipid peroxidation was estimated by urine thiobarbituric reactive substances. Skin collagen crosslinking was evaluated by solubilization in natural salt or diluted acetic acid solutions, and by the ratio between beta- and alpha-collagen chains. Advanced glycation end products were evaluated by collagen-linked fluorescence in bones. The ratio between type-III and type-I collagens served as an aging variable and was measured in denatured skin collagen. The tested sugars had no effect on plasma glucose concentrations. Blood fructose, cholesterol, fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin levels, and urine lipid peroxidation products were significantly higher in fructose-fed rats compared with the other sugar-fed and control rats. Acid-soluble collagen and the type-III to type-I ratio were significantly lower, whereas insoluble collagen, the beta to alpha ratio and collagen-bound fluorescence at 335/385 nm (excitation/emission) were significantly higher in fructose-fed rats than in the other groups. The data suggest that long-term fructose consumption induces adverse effects on aging; further studies are required to clarify the precise role of fructose in the aging process.


Options for the treatment of subcapital femoral neck fractures basically fall into two categories: internal fixation or arthroplasty (either hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty). Historically, the treatment option has been driven by a diagnosis-related approach (non-displaced neck fractures versus displaced neck fractures). More recently, the traditional paradigm has changed. Instead of a diagnosis-related approach, it has become more of a patient-related approach. Treatment options take in to consideration the patient's age, functional demands, and individual risk profile. A simple algorithm can be helpful in terms of directing the treatment. Non-displaced fractures, regardless of age of the patient, should be treated with closed reduction and internal fixation. For displaced femoral neck fractures, the treatment differs depending on the age of the patient. The younger patient should be treated with urgent ORIF with the goal of an anatomic reduction. For displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly, cognitive function should be determined. For those who are cognitively functioning, total hip arthroplasty appears to be the best option. In the cognitively dysfunctional, a bipolar hemiarthroplasty or a total hip arthroplasty with use of larger heads (32 mm or 36 mm) and/or constrained sockets are a viable option.


Abstract. Biomass burning emissions are a major source of trace gases and aerosols. Wildfires being highly variable in time and space, calculating emissions requires a numerical tool able to estimate fluxes at the kilometer scale and with an hourly time step.
Here, the APIFLAME model version 2.0 is presented.
It is structured to be modular in terms of input databases and processing methods.
The main evolution compared to version 1.0 is the possibility of merging burned area and fire radiative power (FRP) satellite observations to modulate the temporal variations of fire emissions and to integrate small fires that may not be detected in the burned area product.
Accounting for possible missed detection due to small fire results in an increase in burned area ranging from ∼5 % in Africa and Australia to ∼30 % in North America on average over the 2013–2017 time period based on the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 6 fire products. An illustration for the case of southwestern Europe during the summer of 2016, marked by large wildfires in Portugal, is presented.
Emissions calculated using different possible configurations of APIFLAME show a dispersion of 80 % on average over the domain during the largest wildfires (8–14 August 2016), which can be considered as an estimate of uncertainty of emissions.
The main sources of uncertainty studied, by order of importance, are the emission factors, the calculation of the burned area, and the vegetation attribution.
The aerosol (PM10) and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations simulated with the CHIMERE regional chemistry transport model (CTM) are consistent with observations (good timing for the beginning and end of the events, ±1 d for the timing of the peak values) but tend to be overestimated compared to observations at surface stations.
On the contrary, vertically integrated concentrations tend to be underestimated compared to satellite observations of total column CO by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instrument and aerosol optical depth (AOD) by MODIS. This underestimate is lower close to the fire region (5 %–40 % for AOD depending on the configuration and 8 %–18 % for total CO) but rapidly increases downwind.
For all comparisons, better agreement is achieved when emissions are injected higher into the free troposphere using a vertical profile as estimated from observations of aerosol plume height by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) satellite instrument (injection up to 4 km). Comparisons of aerosol layer heights to observations by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) show that some parts of the plume may still be transported at too low an altitude.
The comparisons of the different CTM simulations to observations point to uncertainties not only on emissions (total mass and daily variability) but also on the simulation of their transport with the CTM and mixing with other sources. Considering the uncertainty of the emission injection profile and of the modeling of the transport of these dense plumes, it is difficult to fully validate emissions through comparisons between model simulations and atmospheric observations.


TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION II. NETWORK NEUTRALITY AND THE DEBATE OVER BSPS' FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS A. The Debate Over the Order B. First Amendment Protections for Speech Transmitters 1. Free Speech Rights for Newspaper Editors, Radio Broadcasters, and Cable Television Operators 2. The First Amendment Is Not Absolute: Justifying Free Speech Restrictions III. ANTI-BLOCKING AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATION RULES WOULD SURVIVE FIRST AMENDMENT SCRUTINY A. BSPs' Transmission of Internet Content Does Not Constitute Protected Speech 1. The Physical Qualities of the Internet Eliminate the Need for an "Editor" 2. BSPs Do Not Engage in Active Editorial Discretion, but Instead Merely Act as Conduits of Speech Because Their Transmission of Third-Party Original Content Does Not Involve Any Identifiable Message B. Even if BSPs' Transmissions Are Speech, Network Neutrality Rules Do Not Violate the First Amendment Because They Serve a Substantial Government Interest 1. The FCC Has the Statutory Authority to Impose No Blocking and Nondiscrimination Rules on BSPs 2. Anti-Blocking and Anti-Discrimination Rules Further Important Government Interests 3. The Government's Interests in Preserving an Open Internet Are Unrelated to the Suppression of Free Speech 4. The Incidental Restriction on Alleged First Amendment Freedoms Is No Greater Than Is Essential to the Furtherance of That Interest IV. MOVING FORWARD: CLARIFYING FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS IN THE INTERNET AGE V. CONCLUSION I. INTRODUCTION The emergence and continued pervasiveness of the Internet has sparked a controversy over whether there is a substantial social interest in maintaining open access to that Internet through network neutrality. (1) Put simply, network neutrality is "the principle that broadband networks should not discriminate between favored and disfavored Internet content, services, and applications." (2) The archetypical example of a non-neutral network is when broadband service providers ("BSPs"), such as Verizon or Comcast, treat one kind of Internet traffic differently from another. (3) For example, if Netflix--a website providing on-demand streaming of movies and television shows--forms a partnership with Comcast, Comcast may treat this traffic more favorably, allowing for faster streaming and ultimately a more enjoyable experience for Internet users. Further, if Netflix does not form a partnership with Verizon, Verizon might treat Netflix traffic less favorably, slowing the speed at which these videos stream. This slowing could lead Verizon users who wish to stream on-demand videos but hope to avoid the slow streaming rate on Netflix to select a competing video service--one that has partnered with Verizon and therefore offers faster streaming speeds. To address concerns about such network discrimination, in December 2010, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") issued the Open Internet Order ("Order"). (4) It contains three rules--a "Transparency" Rule, a "No Blocking" Rule, and a "No Unreasonable Discrimination" Rule--that act together to generally prohibit BSPs from prioritizing some Internet content over other content. (5) In January 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the No Blocking and No Unreasonable Discrimination Rules in Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission, holding that these rules exceeded the FCC's authority under the Communications Act to regulate providers of "information services." (6) Although the court agreed with the FCC that section 706 of the Act (7) furnishes the agency with considerable authority to regulate BSPs, (8) the court nevertheless held that the FCC's rules impermissibly treated BSPs as common carriers. …


ABSTRACT Case history Dogs (n = 15) that were presented to a single veterinary teaching hospital with elbow dysplasia-associated lameness between September 2021 and May 2022, and were determined to require arthroscopy based on imaging results, were prospectively recruited into the study. The median duration of lameness was 4 (min 1, max 24) months. Clinical findings Various breeds were represented with a median body weight of 31.6 (min 15, max 46.4) kg and median age at presentation of 14 (min 8, max 83) months. Results of imaging modalities (CT) were consistent with medial coronoid disease with fissured or fragmented medial coronoid process in all dogs. Arthroscopic findings Feasibility of the needle arthroscopy (NA) procedure was firstly assessed in a preliminary cadaveric study in forelimbs (n = 10) collected from 10 adult dogs euthanised for reasons unrelated to the study. Elbow exploration was performed through a medial approach beginning with NA (1.9 mm 0° angle scope) followed by standard arthroscopy (SA; 2.4 mm 30° angle scope). The quality and extent of visualisation (scored through the number of anatomical structures visualised) were recorded and statistically compared. As the cadaver study indicated that NA allowed safe inspection of all structures in medial/caudal compartments, this procedure was then used in the dogs requiring treatment. In the clinical setting, elbow exploration was successful in all dogs and the treatment (removal of osteochondral fragments) was performed without requiring conversion into SA. One month after surgery, all dogs had an improvement in their lameness score (0–5) and 12/15 dogs were no longer lame. There was a reduction in Canine Orthopaedic Index scores measured a median of 99 (min 47, max 180) days after surgery (24 (IQR 19.5–31.5)) compared to the pre-operative period (49 (IQR 46.5–57); p < 0.001). Clinical relevance Needle arthroscopy-assisted removal of osteochondral fragments was performed in all dogs with satisfactory short-term clinical outcome. NA is a feasible technique for diagnosis and lesion assessment in dogs with a fissured or fragmented coronoid process. Larger clinical studies with longer follow-up are necessary to validate the NanoScope operative arthroscopy system as an alternative strategy to SA for video-assisted treatment of medial coronoid disease.


This study aimed to make projections, for the next 30 years, of future numbers of older people with cognitive impairment, their demand for long-term care services and the future costs of their care under a range of specified assumptions. Cognitive impairment is one of the manifestations of dementia. The most common dementia syndrome is Alzheimer's Disease (AD), followed by vascular dementia (Henderson and Jorm, 2000). It also set out to explore the factors that are likely to affect future long-term care expenditure associated with cognitive impairment. These factors include, not only future numbers of older people and future prevalence rates of cognitive impairment, but also trends in household composition, provision of informal care, patterns of care services and the unit costs of care.


Summary

The efficacy of 30% aqueous urea solution, borax powder and spore suspensions of Phlebiopsis gigantea and Trichoderma harzianum against establishment of artificially inoculated Heterobasidion abietinum on Abies cilicica was tested both in the field and in a simulated stump treatment experiment carried out in a growth chamber. In the field, in each of the four selected stands 20 fresh stumps per control agent were treated and 20 stumps were left as untreated controls. In two of the stands, the treatments were applied in June and in the two others in November. Stumps were sampled twice, at 6- and 12-months after treatment. In the growth chamber, 10 log pieces per treatment and control were used, and sampling performed after 6-week incubation. Results of the urea and borax treatments were consistent between the experiments; the mean efficacies were 98.8 and 99.4% in the growth chamber, and 80.2–91.3 and 89.4–90.1% in the two samplings of the field experiment, respectively. Despite the high efficacies of the P. gigantea (85.9%) and T. harzianum (97.5%) treatments in the growth chamber, efficacies of these biological control agents in the field were 47.1–49.2 and 61.3–65.5%, respectively.


This paper demonstrates a workflow used by the U.S. Army Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory to quickly generate high-resolution flood inundation maps nearly anywhere in the world. Previous research illustrates that hindcast and forecast streamflow for nearly any river/stream in the world is possible by combining global runoff datasets from land surface models (LSMs) with hydrography datasets from hydrologically corrected global elevation datasets. Recent research has also shown that flood inundation estimates are possible through combining resulting streamflow estimates with high-resolution terrain and land cover data. This paper provides a detailed workflow of how near global flood inundation maps runoff data are generated using the HRES/LAND LSM data from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts; hydrography datasets from the Shuttle Elevation Derivatives at multiple Scales as well as derived from the World Wildlife Federation terrain data; Visual Navigation (VISNAV) land cover data; and the newly-collected TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements (TanDEM-X) digital elevation model (DEM) datasets. This current research discusses the inputs and outputs for this flood modeling methodology, limitations, and provides an example for Typhoon Lionrock that hit North Korea in late August 2016.


Abstract This paper introduces expressive writing as a new tool to build psychological resilience in nurses by helping them to reduce the negative impact of the primary sources of stress in their jobs. Delivering care to patients exposes nurses to intense stressors including staffing and workload problems, communication breakdowns, death, bereavement, and medical error. Not surprisingly, these conditions contribute to job dissatisfaction and burnout which are primary causes of nurse turnover. There is an acute need for low cost and simple interventions that enhance nurses' coping with problems leading up to burnout and turnover. We found almost 2 out of 3 RNs reported trouble sleeping, almost half reported feeling burned out, and 1 out of 4 were depressed. Expressive writing has been widely used and is well validated in many non-nursing populations in helping people cope more effectively with job-related stress and traumatic events. Writing improves health in several ways. One way is through exposure, the process by which difficult emotions become less potent and more manageable. Second is cognitive restructuring, which brings about new ways of thinking about stress that makes painful events less upsetting. Third is improved self-regulation, which is the ability to cope with and regulate one's emotions. The well-being of nurses directly affects the quality of patient care. Expressive writing is a time-efficient and easy-to-use intervention to help nurses cope with job upheavals in an effort to reduce job distress, turnover and, ultimately, improve the work environment and patient outcomes.


Two‐dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2‐D DIGE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) was used to investigate tumor‐specific changes in the proteome of human colorectal cancers and adjacent normal mucosa. For each of six patients with different stages of colon cancer, Cy5‐labeled proteins isolated from tumor tissue were combined with Cy3‐labeled proteins isolated from neighboring normal mucosa and separated on the same 2‐D gel along with a Cy2‐labeled mixture of all 12 normal/tumor samples as an internal standard. Over 1500 protein spot‐features were analyzed in each paired normal/tumor comparison, and using DIGE technology with the mixed‐sample internal standard, statistically significant quantitative comparisons of each protein abundance change could be made across multiple samples simultaneously without interference due to gel‐to‐gel variation. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) and tandem (TOF/TOF) MS provided sensitive and accurate mass spectral data for database interrogation, resulting in the identification of 52 unique proteins (including redundancies due to proteolysis and post‐translationally modified isoforms) that were changing in abundance across the cohort. Without the benefit of the Cy2‐labeled 12 sample mixture internal standard, 42 of these proteins would have been overlooked due to the large degree of variation inherent between normal and tumor samples.


Bitcoin and its decentralized computing paradigm for digital currency trading are one of the most disruptive technology in the 21st century. This article presents a novel approach to developing a Bitcoin transaction forecast model, DLForecast, by leveraging deep neural networks for learning Bitcoin transaction network representations. DLForecast makes three original contributions. First, we explore three interesting properties between Bitcoin transaction accounts: topological connectivity pattern of Bitcoin accounts, transaction amount pattern, and transaction dynamics. Second, we construct a time-decaying reachability graph and a time-decaying transaction pattern graph, aiming at capturing different types of spatial-temporal Bitcoin transaction patterns. Third, we employ node embedding on both graphs and develop a Bitcoin transaction forecasting system between user accounts based on historical transactions with built-in time-decaying factor. To maintain an effective transaction forecasting performance, we leverage the multiplicative model update (MMU) ensemble to combine prediction models built on different transaction features extracted from each corresponding Bitcoin transaction graph. Evaluated on real-world Bitcoin transaction data, we show that our spatial-temporal forecasting model is efficient with fast runtime and effective with forecasting accuracy over 60 percent and improves the prediction performance by 50 percent when compared to forecasting model built on the static graph baseline.


The purpose of this paper is to propose a graph-theoretic mathematical model to measure how conducive the environment of a hospital is for decision-making. We propose a 4-C model, developed from four interacting factors: confidence, complexity, capability, and customer. In this graph-theoretic model, abstract information regarding the system is represented by the directed edges of a graph (or digraph), which together depict how one factor affects another. The digraph yields a matrix model useful for computer processing. The net effect of different factors and their interdependencies on the hospital's decision-making environment is quantified and a single numerical index is generated. This paper categorizes all the major factors that influence clinical decision-making and attempts to provide a tool to study and measure their interactions with each other. Each factor and each interaction among factors are to be quantified by healthcare experts according to their best judgment of the magnitude of its effect in a local hospital environment.A hospital case study is used to demonstrate how the 4-C model works. The graph-theoretic approach allows for the inclusion of new factors and generation of alternative environments by a combination of both qualitative and quantitative modeling. The 4-C model can be used to create both a database and a simple numerical scale that help a hospital set customized guidelines, ranging from patient admittance procedures to diagnostic and treatment processes, according to its specific situation. Implementing this methodology systematically can allow a hospital to identify factors that will lead to improved decision-making as well as identifying operational factors that present roadblocks.


The rising cost of college textbooks over the last decade provides an opportunity for alternatives. Electronic or online textbooks are an effective substitute to the traditional paper-based textbooks, although students have been slow to transition to the new method. A custom, professor-written online textbook not only addresses the reduction in cost, but also creates a better connection to the material in the course and allows for frequent updates and error corrections. Issues related to reading an online textbook are explored and evidence of methods of student use of the text is provided.


The hydrodynamic boundary layer encountered in many practical engineering systems is turbulent in nature and known to play a significant role in governing the induced friction drag and species transport. In turbulent boundary layer flows, heat transfer is often involved which increases flow complexity due to the influence of buoyancy. When the buoyant force is sufficiently large in magnitude, thermals carrying heated fluid are known to detach and rise from the wall. Literature review shows that in mixed convection, thermals have been primarily identified through qualitative flow visualizations and there is a scarcity of their quantitative assessment. Furthermore, the evolution of thermals in the boundary layer with respect to flow inertia and viscous shear is not well-understood. Hence, there is a need for a better understanding of the dynamics of thermals in mixed convection turbulent boundary layer flow.
 The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the three-dimensional nature of thermals rising from a turbulent boundary layer flow over a heated smooth horizontal flat plate. Experiments were performed in a closed loop low-disturbance wind tunnel with a test section featuring a 1 m long heated bottom wall. The multi-plane particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique was used to capture images in multiple planes with respect to the turbulent boundary layer mean flow direction for three-dimensional characterization. The measurements were conducted at Richardson numbers (Ri) of 0.3, 1.0, and 2.0. Flow visualization images are used to describe the nature of thermals and the dynamical processes involved during their interaction with bulk boundary layer flow. An image processing algorithm to detect thermals is then detailed and applied to experimental images. The performance of the new algorithm is then assessed in its ability to detect thermals.


Objective: To evaluate hearing preservation (HP) outcomes in adult cochlear implant recipients with a mid-scala electrode. Setting: Tertiary academic center. Patients: Adult patients implanted with a mid-scala electrode between May 2013 and July 2015. Interventions: Cochlear implantation. Main Outcome Measure(s): Age, sex, surgical approach, residual hearing changes post cochlear implantation, HP rates using different published classifications, and speech perception scores. Results: Fifty ears for 47 patients (mean age, 58.2 yr; range, 23–86) were implanted with the electrode. Recognizing that not all patients were true HP candidates and/or underwent generally accepted HP surgical techniques, 39 ears had preoperative low-frequency hearing (audiometric threshold ⩽85 dB HL at 250 Hz), 24 preserved acoustic hearing postoperatively (75.0%). Patients who had preserved acoustic hearing were implanted via round window (N = 18), extended round window (N = 4), or via cochleostomy (N = 2) approaches. Mean threshold elevation for low-frequency pure-tone average (125, 250, and 500 Hz) was 20.2 dB after surgery. 43.8% of patients had aidable low-frequency hearing at activation, 30.0% at 6-months postoperatively, and 30.8% 1-year postoperatively. Using a formula outlined by Skarzynski and colleagues, at 6-months postoperatively, 15.0% of patients had complete HP, whereas 40.0% had partial HP. At 1-year, these percentages decreased to 0% and 38.5%, respectively. Age, type of approach, and perioperative steroid use were not correlated with HP outcomes at activation and 6-months postoperatively (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The mid-scala electrode evaluated allows preservation of low-frequency hearing in patients undergoing cochlear implantation at rates and degrees of preservation close to other reports in the cochlear implant literature.


In order to understand the generation of rail oblique crack, based on vehicle-track coupling dynamics theory, the coupling dynamics system with vehicle, rail, sleeper and roadbed was constructed. By using new fast explicit numerical integration method, movement differential equations of system were solved, and wheel-rail forces and contact geometry relation were obtained when power car crossing curve track. Results of calculation have shown that when power car is crossing curve track, lateral forces of outer rail at all wheelsets are pointed to outer rail, longitudinal forces are pointed to forward direction of wheelsets, and their resultant forces are pointed to the second quadrant. Wheel-rail contact points of outer rail at the first and third wheelset are located within 13mm radius of railhead, but at the second and fourth wheelset they are located within 80mm radius of railhead. Degree of wheel-rail interaction at the first and third wheelset is severer than that at the second and fourth wheelset. According to direction of resultant forces and location of wheel-rail contact points, it can be learnt that greater wheel-rail force at the first and third wheelset will easily cause generation and growth of rail oblique crack when power car crossing curve track.


Satellites offer synoptic views of the physical phenomena of interest to renewable energies. Satellite images are routinely used to map solar radiation. Wave height over the whole ocean can be imaged, and maps can be constructed which may be helpful to assess the swell close to seashore. Scatterometers aboard satellite provide maps of wind speed offshore. Sea surface temperature is mapped from space for many decades. Using such maps and solar irradiation and wind speed as inputs to a model yields vertical profile of the temperature, from bottom to surface, helpful to assess the potentail of a OTEC system. Satellite data can be assimilated into numerical models. They can be fused with in situ measurements, e.g. buoys, to produce maps of greater accuracy, such as for sea surface temperature. They can be fused with other satellite data having different properties. For example, scatterometers and SARs both provide wind speed but with different spatial resolution and time scale. Wind statistics obtained from scatterometers far from the coast can be enhanced in spatial resolution and brought to the coast by a fusion with SAR images.


Habitat destruction, biological invasions and their interaction are global drivers of biodiversity loss. The New Caledonian hotspot of biodiversity is threatened by both anthropogenic fires and invasive ants: it is important to understand their impacts on its biota. Because biodiversity spans several levels of organisation (from genes to communities) and relates to different attributes (compositional, structural and functional), this thesis takes a hierarchical approach to address this issue. Ants are of great ecological importance, especially in tropical biomes, and their classification into functional groups provides a global framework for analysing their response to disturbance. My aims were therefore to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic fires and invasive ants, and their interaction, on the native New Caledonian ant fauna at different spatial (global, regional, local) and temporal (short and long term) scales, and at different levels of biological organisation (community, species, genes). The study contributes to an improved knowledge of the New Caledonian ants, by revealing the lack of specialised subterranean species, and by investigating island-scale patterns of ant communities, in relation to habitat and invasion. The mechanisms by which fire impacts native ants, either as a standalone process or in association with invasion could be identified. In particular, I show that fire, by creating macro- and microhabitats favoured by invasive ants, facilitates invasion, which then causes further diversity declines, either in the short- (post burning) or long-term (forest fragmentation). The hierarchical approach used enabled the detection of contrasting traitderived responses at the species and genetic level, in addition to responses measured at the community level. This study highlights the advantage of a holistic approach to investigating biodiversity-related issues.