We examine the probability of an epidemic (the complement of the probability of disease extinction) in a stochastic host-vector model for dengue transmission. The host population is age-structured. Exposure to the vector population is weighted according to age. Initially we consider the introduction of a single infected individual into an entirely susceptible population. We use matrix methods, together with simulation, to calculate the epidemic probability. Initially we consider the model without seasonal variation. The way in which exposure to the vector population varies with host age has a strong impact on the epidemic probability associated with an infected host, but it has only a weak impact on the epidemic probability associated with an infected vector. In the model with seasonal variation, the probability of an epidemic is additionally dependent on the time at which an infected individual enters the population. We go on to extend the model to include two serotypes and consider the epidemic probability of when a single individual infected with serotype Y is introduced into a population in which serotype X is endemic. We conclude that understanding how age-structured and time-variable transmission affects the probability of an epidemic can help to identify targeted intervention strategies. Introducing simple structured control strategies that account for demographic or behavioural structures in the population, and vary over the course of the year, could lead to more efficient and effective epidemic prevention.


1. Models for predicting the distribution of organisms from environmental data are widespread in ecology and conservation biology. Their performance is invariably evaluated from the percentage success at predicting occurrence at test locations. 2. Using logistic regression with real data from 34 families of aquatic invertebrates in 180 Himalayan streams, we illustrate how this widespread measure of predictive accuracy is affected systematically by the prevalence (i.e. the frequency of occurrence) of the target organism. Many evaluations of presence-absence models by ecologists are inherently misleading. 3. With the same invertebrate models, we examined alternative performance measures used in remote sensing and medical diagnostics. We particularly explored receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) plots, from which were derived (i) the area under each curve (AUC), considered an effective indicator of model performance independent of the threshold probability at which the presence of the target organism is accepted, and (ii) optimized probability thresholds that maximize the percentage of true absences and presences that are correctly identified. We also evaluated Cohen's kappa, a measure of the proportion of all possible cases of presence or absence that are predicted correctly after accounting for chance effects. 4. AUC measures from ROC plots were independent of prevalence, but highly significantly correlated with the much more easily computed kappa. Moreover, when applied in predictive mode to test data, models with thresholds optimized by ROC erroneously overestimated true occurrence among scarcer organisms, often those of greatest conservation interest. We advocate caution in using ROC methods to optimize thresholds required for real prediction. 5. Our strongest recommendation is that ecologists reduce their reliance on prediction success as a performance measure in presence-absence modelling. Cohen's kappa provides a simple, effective, standardized and appropriate statistic for evaluating or comparing presence-absence models, even those based on different statistical algorithms. None of the performance measures we examined tests the statistical significance of predictive accuracy, and we identify this as a priority area for research and development.


Background Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is crucial to reducing tumor-related mortality. Evaluating aberrantly methylated DNA in stool is promising for CRC screening. However, DNA methylation in the colonic epithelium of background mucosa may compromise stool DNA (sDNA) test results. Thus, we compared aberrant methylation of cancer-related genes in preoperative and postoperative sDNA, with the aim of demonstrating that a cancer-specific methylated allele in sDNA originates from CRCs. Methods Patients who were to undergo CRC resection in Kyushu University Hospital during 2003-2010 were prospectively enrolled. Preoperative (pre) stool samples from 54 patients, postoperative (post) samples from 52 of the patients and tumor samples were collected. Aberrant promoter methylation of CDH4 and GATA5 was assessed in the primary tumors by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and in stool samples by real-time MSP. Results Aberrant methylation of CDH4 and/or GATA5 was detected in 45 of CRC tissue samples (83.3%) and identified in 23 pre sDNA samples (42.3%) from CRC patients. Aberrant methylation was not found in pre sDNA obtained from CRC patients without aberrant methylation of these genes or in post sDNA in any patient. The detection rate of methylated alleles did not correlate with depth of invasion or tumor stage. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that aberrantly methylated alleles identified in sDNA originate from CRCs. Although tumor-specific aberrant methylation is found in sDNA from patients harboring early and advanced CRC throughout the colon and rectum, the sensitivity of this test needs to be improved for early detection of CRC.


Purpose : The purpose of this research was to know the reasons or causes of lack or absence of Christian Education teachers
Design/methodology/approach : The method used in this research was explorative-descriptive case study. Case study procedure in this research had four stages: description (observing/studying), analysis (trying to understand), interpretation (interpretation of data), and action (action plan based on the result of research data).
Findings : the main obstacle to procurement of Christian Education teachers as Non-Permanent Teachers was lack or absence of budget
Research limitations/implications : This study was limited to the number of Christian students. Interview means that the researcher asked questions to school administrators to obtain information according to research variables. To complete the information required, the researcher observed on the implementation of Christian Education at Public Elementary School in Sub-district of Candisari, Semarang.
Practical implications : First, in Sub-district of Candisari there were 37 Public Elementary Schools. Thirty-six schools had Christian students. There were only six Christian Education teachers who teaching Christian Education at 16 schools. Six Christian Education teachers for 16 schools, mean 43% of schools had teachers who teaching Christian Education. That mean 57% or 20 Public Elementary Schools in Sub-district of Candisari had no Christian Education teachers.
Originality/value : the Government or the school administrators were less concerned with the implementation of Christian Education, then the church (Christian community) must be willing to assume the responsibility by sending and financing Christian Education teachers to schools that did not have Christian Education teachers yet


The representation of the RGB color space points in spherical coordinates allows to retain the chromatic components of image pixel colors, pulling apart easily the intensity component. This representation allows the definition of a chromatic distance. Using this distance we define a fuzzy gradient with good properties of perceptual color constancy. In this paper we present a watershed based image segmentation method using using this fuzzy gradient. Oversegmentation is corrected applying a region merging strategy based on the chromatic distance defined on the spherical coordinate representation.


(CVID) is the most frequent primary immunodeficiency, characterized by reduced levels of immunoglobulins [1,2]. Due to a heterogeneous presentation including a heightened rate of infections, the diagnosis is often delayed for 4–9 years. This delay may contribute to the increased morbidityandmortality in CVIDpatients [1,3]. Gastrointestinal manifestations – most often chronic diarrhea [2] – are seen in up to 50% of CVID patients. If performed, capsule endoscopy can reveal characteristic extensive nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the small intestine in up to twothirds of patients [4]. If only upper and lower endoscopy are used in the investigation of chronic diarrhea, nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the duodenum and the terminal ileum can be misinterpreted as celiac or Crohn's disease [5]. We present the first cases of patients diagnosed with CVID based on capsule endoscopy. Case 1 was a 40-year-old manwith severe symptoms including watery diarrhea, weight loss, recurrent gastrointestinal infections, and grave malnutrition. The symptoms did not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for celiac disease or other spruelike diseases. The patient's IgG level was low and IgA not measurable. Capsule endoscopy showed extensive focal nodular lymphoid hyperplasia throughout the entire small intestine (●" Fig. 1,●" Video 1). Biopsies from the small bowel revealed intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration (●" Fig. 2). Infusion of human IgG improved all gastrointestinal symptoms. Case 2 was a 60-year-old man with mild symptoms including watery diarrhea, abdominal distension, and recurring upper respiratory tract infections for the previous 25 years. He had low IgG and IgA. Colonic biopsies showed eosinophilia. Upper endoscopy was normal. Capsule endoscopy revealed extensive focal nodular lymphoid hyperplasia throughout the entire small intestine. These cases emphasize the need for gastroenterologists to be familiar with the link between CVID, chronic diarrhea, and extensive nodular lymphoid hyperplasia in the small intestine, especially because early treatment with human IgG can reduce morbidity and mortality. In evaluation of patients with known CVID or chronic diarrhea of unknown origin, we recommend capsule endoscopy as a diagnostic tool.


The subject of infantilism has come in recent years into ever increasing prominence. The term should be applied not only to adolescents or adults who possess in some degree the bodily and often the psychic characteristics of infancy, but to children of any age in whom there is a persistence of characters, especially sexual, which belong to a period of life decidedly earlier than the actual age of the patient. Further, a sharp distinction should be drawn between infantilism and nanism. There may be dwarfs who are in no respects infantile, such as those of a rachitic or achondroplastic nature. As Hastings Gilford 1 has pointed out, there has been in them an arrest of growth , but not of development . Less often there may be cases of infantilism which are the reverse of being dwarfs, as in one of the instances which I desire to record. Much confusion still exists,


Financed by the TEMPUS grant the ECDEAST project is aimed to ensure that Russian universities have advanced curricula for programs in line with new development in the chosen engineering areas and according to the Bologna Process (EQF) and European standards for the quality of engineering education (EUR-ACE). The EUR-ACE Framework standards define program outcomes for engineering degree programs. The alignment of EQF & EUR-ACE Standards with Russian educational standards requirements to structure of programs and graduates' competencies is one of the challenging tasks for Russian universities and the project partners as well. A methodology for engineering curriculum design based on the European standards was elaborated and piloted for three master programs. The paper reviews the project state-of-art and outputs.


Despite the common occurrence of sexual violence in intimate partner violence (IPV) and its association with increased risk of intimate partner homicide, intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is often overlooked in the literature. As a result, little is known about risk factors that may be unique to IPSV perpetrators. The present study utilizes a police-reported sample to compare the risk/need profiles of 36 IPSV and 36 IPV perpetrators by creating theoretically meaningful risk composites as proxies for a number of the central eight risk/need areas posited by Andrews and Bonta (2010, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018362). Results indicate that the risk/need profiles of the IPSV group are more severe than the IPV group, with higher scores in measures of substance abuse, relationship instability, sexual aggression, and mental health concerns. Potential implications for IPSV assessment and intervention at the level of policing and correctional programming are discussed, including the need for higher intensity treatments and the treatment of non-criminogenic needs.


Sarcomas are cancers arising from the mesenchymal layer that affect children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. Although most sarcomas are localized, many display a remarkable predilection for metastasis to the lungs, liver, bones, subcutaneous tissue, and lymph nodes. Additionally, many sarcoma patients presenting initially with localized disease may relapse at metastatic sites. While localized sarcomas can often be cured through surgery and often radiation, controversies exist over optimal management of patients with metastatic sarcoma. Combinations of chemotherapy are the most effective in many settings, and many promising new agents are under active investigation or are being explored in preclinical models. Metastatic sarcomas are excellent candidates for novel approaches with additional agents as they have demonstrated chemosensitivity and affect a portion of the population that is motivated toward curative therapy. In this paper, we provide an overview on the common sarcomas of childhood (rhabdomyosarcoma), adolescence, and young adults (osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor) and older adults (leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and undifferentiated high grade sarcoma) in terms of the epidemiology, current therapy, promising therapeutic directions and outcome with a focus on metastatic disease. Potential advances in terms of promising therapy and biologic insights may lead to more effective and safer therapies; however, more clinical trials and research are needed for patients with metastatic sarcoma.


In the BOSS experiment (biofilm organisms surfing space), which was performed in the context of the
successfully finalized EXPOSE-R2 mission, an international consortium of scientists investigated the ability
of a variety of organisms to survive in space and on Mars as a function of their life style. The question
in focus is whether there are different strategies for individually living microorganisms (planktonic state)
compared to a microbial consortium of the same cells (biofilm state) to cope with the unique mixture
of extreme stress factors including desiccation, gamma-, ionizing- and UV radiation in this environment.
Biofilms, in which the cells are encased in a self-produced matrix of excreted extracellular polymeric substances,
are one of the oldest clear signs of life on Earth. Since they can become fossilized they might also
be detected as the first life forms on other planets and moons of the solar system and are therefore ideal
candidates for astrobiological investigations. As an example for the organisms that attended the EXPOSER2
mission the results of the
ight and mission ground reference analysis of Deinococcus geothermalis
are presented. Deinococcus geothermalis is a non-spore-forming, gram-positive, orange-pigmented representative
of the Deinococcus family which is unparalleled in its poly-extreme resistances to a variety of
environmental stress factors on Earth. The results demonstrate that Deinococcus geothermalis remains
viable in the desiccated state over almost 2 years, whereas culturability was preserved in biofilm cells at
a significantly higher level than in planktonic cells. Furthermore, cells of both sample types were able to
survive simulated space and Martian conditions and showed high resistance towards extra-terrestrial UV
radiation. Additionally results of cultivation-independent investigations of pigment stability, membrane
integrity, enzyme activity, ATP content and DNA integrity will be discussed.To conclude, biofilms exhibit
an enhanced rate of survival compared to their planktonic counterparts when exposed to space and Martian
conditions. This seems to indicate an advantage of living as a biofilm when facing the poly-extreme
conditions of space or Mars. The findings will contribute to the understanding of the opportunities and
limitations of life under the extreme environmental conditions of space or other planets as function of
the state of life and aims to contribute to the understanding of the adaptation mechanisms that allow
microorganisms to survive in extreme environments, possibly including space and the surface of Mars.


Recent large-scale comparative analysis of cytosine DNA methylation across diverse eukaryotes suggest that early features of DNA methylation present in the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes some 1.6 to 1.8 billion years ago included the methylation of gene bodies and transposable elements (Zemach, McDaniel et al. 2010; Parfrey, Lahr et al. 2011). These potentially ancient patterns may reflect a primitive role of methylation in transcriptional fidelity and as a mechanism to protect the germ line from transposon, or repeat, mediated mutation. Because spurious transcription and mutation are hypothesized to be among the critical limiting factors to genome size, an ancient role for methylation in support of fidelity of transcription and genome stability suggests a possible link with the origin of eukaryotes. As a consequence, understanding the roles of methylation across diverse eukaryotes will be critical to understanding the evolution of methylation and its role in the evolution of genome complexity. In light of these observations it is perplexing that one of our key model eukaryotes, the nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) is assumed to lack active DNA methylation. In fact, C. elegans is often invoked to suggest the dispensability of methylation in multicellular animals (Feng, Cokus et al. 2010; Zemach, McDaniel et al. 2010). Historically, this view has been based on crude assays using methylation sensitive restriction enzymes (Simpson, Johnson et al. 1986) that lack the sensitivity to identify low levels of methylation. While it is clear that the genome of C. elegans is not highly methylated, in this thesis we used comparative genomics and genome wide bisulfite sequencing to show that: 1) The genome of C. elegans appears to encode at least three DNA methyltrasferases and a DNA methyltransferase associated protein; 2) the genome of C. elegans is methylated in a pattern consistent with the proposed basal eukaryotic pattern and 3) that that cytosine methylation is not a major contributor to the basal rate and pattern of mutation in the genome of C. elegans. Based on these observations we contend that C. elegans represents an ideal model for the study of the basal roles of DNA methylation shared by all eukaryotes.


This study aims to examine the effect of tax avoidance as an independent variable to firm value and agency cost as dependent variable and transparency of information as moderating variable.
The population in this study is the manufacturing companies in Indonesia that are listed on Bursa Efek Indonesia in the year 2016. Samples used in this study are 89 companies that are selected using the purpovise sampling method. This study used multiple liniear regression to examine the hypothesis.
The result of this study shows that tax avoidance has a significant negative effect to the firm value.Tax avoidance also has significantpositive effect to the agency cost. Lastly, transparency of information succeed to moderate the effect of tax avoidance on firm value become positive effect.


The design and implementation of globally asynchronous locally synchronous systems-on-chip is a challenging activity. The large size and complexity of the systems require the use of computer-aided design (CAD) tools but, unfortunately, most tools do not work adequately with asynchronous circuits. This article describes the successful design and implementation of SpiNNaker, a GALS multicore system-on-chip. The process was completed using commercial CAD tools from synthesis to layout. A hierarchical methodology was devised to deal with the asynchronous sections of the system, encapsulating and validating timing assumptions at each level. The crossbar topology combined with a pipelined asynchronous fabric implementation allows the on-chip network to meet the stringent requirements of the system. The implementation methodology constrains the design in a way that allows the tools to complete their tasks successfully. A first test chip, with reduced resources and complexity was taped-out using the proposed methodology. Test chips were received in December 2009 and were fully functional. The methodology had to be modified to cope with the increased complexity of the SpiNNaker SoC. SpiNNaker chips were delivered in May 2011 and were also fully operational, and the interconnect requirements were met.


The insistence that presentation technology should be incorporated into all areas of the curriculum applies to the teaching of History equally as to other subjects. Although technology has been placed in the hands of teachers, little training on how to adapt the technology to History has come with it. Three explanatory research questions were formulated for this study dealing with South African History teachers' experiences of presentation technology as teaching and learning tool, and the format of more history-friendly PowerPoint slides to maximise History learners' long-term retention and comprehension of the subject content. The purpose of this study was to put forward History teachers' opinion on the role of presentation technology as a mediator of learning, and to use the outcomes of the empirical study to identify ways in which PowerPoint slides can be best designed and used to improve the learners' long-term retention and comprehension. A qualitative intrinsic case study research design was used for the study. Individual one-toone interviews were conducted with two teachers. A deductive approach was used for the data analysis. The results of the data analysis revealed that both of the interviewees experienced the use of PowerPoint presentations as an improvement in their classes. However, both indicated that one of the greatest disadvantages of the use of PowerPoint slides was the lack of interactivity and discussions during the slide shows. Johnson's (2011) history-friendly PowerPoint pedagogy (interactivity, nutshell narratives, meta-cognition and timelines and flow charts) was put forward to promote interactivity and discussion during PowerPoint slide shows.


Fiscal correction is done by adjusting all income and expenses in the commercial income statement with tax regulations, resulting in a fiscal financial statements will be used as a basis in determining the tax payable. The case study of this research was conducted at PT Furaya Transport engaged in timber transport services. PT Furaya Transport has made fiscal correction for fiscal year 2013, but there are some accounts that are not corrected by the company. In the calculation of tax payable for the year 2014, the accounts that contained in the commercial income statement are adapted to tax regulations. The result showed PT Furaya Transport's profit before fiscal correction is Rp 2.215.903.888,-. After the fiscal correction in accordance with applicable tax regulations, the amount obtained Rp 18.104.22.1687,- of positive correction and Rp 2.011.809.275,- of negative correction, so the taxable income is Rp 3.306.254.530,- with tax payable amounted to Rp 768.455.936,- Key word : commercial income statement, fiscal income statement, income tax payable corporate tax payers


Struggles for social change have become much more complex and need to be fought at several fronts at the same time, on a local, a national, as well as on an international stage. In this paper the focus will be the international level and more specifically the tensions and lessons that can be learned from civil society involvement in (formal) multi-stakeholder processes. The case concerned here is the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and it's preparatory process. The paper will critically assess the summit in terms of outcomes and process from a civil society perspective and the role of the Internet in that process. To do this, some of the results of a worldwide survey into civil society participation will be considered and will provide an indicative picture of the way in which civil society actors perceive the implementation of participatory discourses within a context that goes beyond the nation state and the use of the Internet in that regard. Furthermore, this will be complemented by an in-depth analysis of the Internet Governance Caucus and their mailing list. From the survey a mixed image appears whereby some perceive the glass to be half-full, others half-empty and some even totally empty. In many ways this debate can be related to the difference between 'what ought to be', paraphrasing Gramsci, and 'what is possible'. This tension between utopia and realism also exists within civil society. A continuum can be observed, going from those that think already a lot has been achieved to those that feel (much) more needs to be done.


Seismic airgun arrays are among the most powerful sound sources used at sea, and they have the potential to disrupt the behavior of marine life. Little information is available on marine turtle responses to airgun sounds, and few regulations mandate specific actions to protect turtles from potential impacts of airgun exploration. As part of the French-Algerian project SPIRAL (Sismique Profonde et Investigation Régionale du Nord de l'Algérie) in September and October 2009, visual observations of 164 loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta were conducted during a seismic survey in the Mediterranean Sea off Algeria. The turtles were part of a large aggregation, basking at the surface in calm seas. All sightings occurred during airgun operations, in which shots were fired every 19.4 s (array source level 252 dB re 1 μPa [peak]). Recordings from 3 hydrophones allowed estimation of near-surface airgun sound levels. Of 86 turtles visually tracked until their passage >100 m behind the array, 49 (57%) dove at or before their closest point of approach to the airguns. At least 6 dove immediately following an airgun shot, often showing a startle response. Binomial regression indicated that turtle dive probability decreased with increasing distance from the airgun array. The observed diving behavior may be interpreted as an avoidance response to airguns.


The dominantly siliciclastic early Dinantian succession of East Fife contains numerous thin carbonate horizons which have been extensively dolomitized. The carbonates are generally bioclastic wackestones with restricted molluscan faunas. The dolomite is fine-grained and homogeneous in backcattered SEM images. It generally contains 7–11 mol% FeCO3, and 49–52 mol% CaCO3, and has δl8O = –6 to + l% (PDB) and δI3C= –11.5 to 1.5% (PDB). Allochems within, and veins cutting, dolomite horizons are chemically indistinguishable from the matrix dolomite and there is little regional variation in dolomite composition. Sandstones in the study area also contain dolomite as cements which appear to be of similar age to abnormally abundant authigenic pyrite. The pyrite has replaced siliciclastic grains, filled intergranular porosity and also occurs as 2 cm thick crusts on bedding plane and joint surfaces. The pyritization is most pronounced within synclines. There is evidence elsewhere in Fife, that hydrothermal activity, related to Namurian volcanism, overprinted the chemistry of early mixing-zone dolomite in late Dinantian carbonate horizons proximal to exposed vents. It is much harder to prove a similar overprinting in the older carbonate horizons of East Fife, although the chemical similarity of vein and bulk rock dolomites and the massive pyritization of sandstones are compatible with a regional hydrothermal model.


Introduction The People's Liberation Army (PLA, China) Navy is increasingly conducting military operations other than war overseas. Factors such as confrontations with pirates, special environments and long sailing times have resulted in mental health problems. However, the navy's actual utilisation of mental health services is low. This study examined members' rate of willingness to seek help and the factors that act as barriers to willingness to seek mental health services in the PLA Navy. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Zhoushan Base, operated by the East Sea Fleet, between March 2019 and April 2019. We distributed a 12-item questionnaire to examine participants' attitudes and perceived barriers to mental healthcare. We recruited 676 navy personnel. Participants' willingness to seek help if they had mental health problems was also assessed. Results The response rate was 99%. A total of 88.44% of the sample reported being willing to seek help. Univariate analysis suggested that those not willing to seek help were more likely to agree with the items, 'Mental healthcare does not work' and 'My unit leadership might treat me differently' and all organisational barriers, and they were more likely to have concerns about 'embarrassment' and 'being weak' than those willing to seek help. After controlling for demographic characteristics, binary logistic regression analyses confirmed that a lack of knowledge regarding the location of mental health clinics and being perceived as weak were the main factors preventing participants' willingness from seeking help. Conclusions Extensive efforts to decrease organisational barriers and stigma towards mental healthcare should be a priority for researchers and policymakers to improve the usage of mental health services. Psychoeducation aimed at de-stigmatising mental health problems should be delivered and the accessibility and availability of mental health services should be increased.


OF DISSERTATION VIRTUALIZED WELDING BASED LEARNING OF HUMAN WELDER BEHAVIORS FOR INTELLIGENT ROBOTIC WELDING Combining human welder (with intelligence and sensing versatility) and automated welding robots (with precision and consistency) can lead to next generation intelligent welding systems. In this dissertation intelligent welding robots are developed by process modeling / control method and learning the human welder behavior. Weld penetration and 3D weld pool surface are first accurately controlled for an automated Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) machine. Closed-form model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is derived for real-time welding applications. Skilled welder response to 3D weld pool surface by adjusting the welding current is then modeled using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), and compared to the novice welder. Automated welding experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed human response model. A virtualized welding system is then developed that enables transferring the human knowledge into a welding robot. The learning of human welder movement (i.e., welding speed) is first realized with Virtual Reality (VR) enhancement using iterative K-means based local ANFIS modeling. As a separate effort, the learning is performed without VR enhancement utilizing a fuzzy classifier to rank the data and only preserve the high ranking "correct" response. The trained supervised ANFIS model is transferred to the welding robot and the performance of the controller is examined. A fuzzy weighting based data fusion approach to combine multiple machine and human intelligent models is proposed. The data fusion model can outperform individual machine-based control algorithm and welder intelligence-based models (with and without VR enhancement). Finally a data-driven approach is proposed to model human welder adjustments in 3D (including welding speed, arc length, and torch orientations). Teleoperated training experiments are conducted in which a human welder tries to adjust the torch movements in 3D based on his observation on the real-time weld pool image feedback. The data is off-line rated by the welder and a welder rating system is synthesized. ANFIS model is then proposed to correlate the 3D weld pool characteristic parameters and welder's torch movements. A foundation is thus established to rapidly extract human intelligence and transfer such intelligence into welding robots.


The aim of the study is to analyse the mechanism for increasing staff engagement through broadcasting corporate values and internal PR. The article substantiates the relevance of informing as a verbal means of positive content. The paper gives an approximate list of proclaimed and denied values. The authors consider corporate events with the aim of conveying the mission, values and ideology of the company to all employees. The study notes the role of regular informing for uniting employees into a single team, forming a sense of pride in the company for the staff. The article reviews the option of monitoring the level of awareness through a feedback questionnaire, notes the need for analysis of incoming data. The paper focuses attention on the formation of personnel identity and loyalty, the use of company symbols, the creation of corporate values and traditions.


Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) amplification genomic DNA of 23 selected laboratory cultures of bacteria using RAPD revealed their polymorphism. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the bacterial 16SrDNA was performed using 704F GTAGCGGTGAAATGCGTAGA and 907R CCGTCAATTCCTTTGAGTTT primer, sequenced and accessed in NCBI (No. KY636356, KY631488, KY 860028, KX587470, KX665547, KY631489, KX608591, KY636360, KY671245, KY631490, KX587469, KY859856, KX665546, KX608590, KX587468, KY859798, KY636357, KY636361, KY 636359, KY631491, KY 859855, KY636358, KY636362) after submitting the contig. FASTA sequence in NCBI database was seen. All most all 23 bacterial strains (viz. TS-1-16, TS-4-23 DJ-1-22, DS-1-20, AS-1-4, DJ-1-24 , DJ-1-10, DJ-1-46) showed strong homology with free living nitrogen fixing soil bacteria, also showing (98 to 100%) identity and E-value of 00 with Burkholderia spp, Strain-S-9-19, Str-S-9-15, SP-2386, Stenotrophomonas maltophilla, strn-MM-3-3, Str-D-3,LP-05, Bacillus cereus Strn-FORC021and Azospirillum sp TSH51 gene, having good nitrogen fixing capacity. Phylogenetic tree analysis among the 23 isolates and between the different strains from GenBank showed close similarity. Most of the isolated bacterial strain identified as a member of the genus Burkholderia sp, Stenotrophomonas maltophila, Herbaspirillum sp, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Methylobacter, SP-T-20, and Bacillus cereus, Azospirillum sp would be consider to be the most suitable bioferiliser for organic and conventional tea gardens of North Bengal, India.

 Key words: Molecular phylogeny, RAPD, 16SrRNA sequencing, free living, N2 fixing soil bacteria.


Abstract Modern navigation heavily relies on technology. A modern ship's bridge is a high-tech centre with various equipment, such as Radar/ARPA, Automatic Identification System (AIS), Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communications, and so on. The ability to operate various maritime technologies is among the most important part of navigation officers' knowhow. However, as any technology can be an error, there will be failure happen on maritime technologies, such as navigational sensors and computer-based bridge systems. As an unsafe behaviour, over-reliance on technologies in watch keeping may have disastrous consequences. This article analysed the relationship between safe navigation of a ship and an increasing reliance placed on technology by master and officers. It identified at which stage a reliance on technology becomes an over-reliance, and the major causes of this, such as insufficient training and fatigue. Finally, it examines the consequences of an over-reliance on technology and makes some proposals on how these consequences can be prevented.


Bio-based composite were used in NPK biodegradable fertilizers. The composition of fertilizers contains 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% starch from wood flour and the form of them were sticks. For the plant test there were used Petunia hybrid and Dyanthus caryophyllus in 8 cm diameter pots filled with 1:1 peat and garden soil. At every pot was used 0.5 g fertilizer stick. The biodegradable process of sticks determines the slow release of fertilizers in the pot. During vegetation period there were made some biometrical determinations (length, number of shoots) and agrochemical analysis at substrates and plants. Comparison between petunia and carnation development show that petunia answer better at fertilization process. From the point of view of experimental variants the best results were at variants with with 15% and 20% wood flour.


Utilizing simple binomial modeling techniques, I consider the potential impact of technical analysis on expected returns, expected volatility, and higher moment risk. While limited as a practical evaluation tool, this approach allows for relatively intuitive observations relevant to the ongoing discourse regarding the efficacy of market timing. I demonstrate the impact that timeframe reference can have on the perception of risk, showing that market timing can resemble an option strategy in the short-run while it is more accurately described as an allocation shift away from the risky asset. Absent the presence of serial autocorrelation and over any time horizon, this allocation shift is highly inefficient as it can magnify volatility (measured as variance or standard deviation) relative to a return equivalent buy-and-hold allocation to the risky asset and provides inferior downside protection as well. However, market-timing's shortcomings as a down-side-protection strategy are likely to be masked over shorter observations periods, particularly if the analysis omits an apples-to-apple comparison to a return equivalent buy-and-hold strategy. Serial autocorrelation improves the outlook for market timing in terms of return, volatility and down-side risk, but the level required to reach a risk-adjusted break-even is likely to be higher than has been present in the empirical record. I utilize techniques which are admittedly elementary in order to develop and document the key observations in way that is hopefully more accessible to a specific target audience - students in early statistics / pre-calculus courses with an interest in continued studies in finance and investing and investors with less exposure to more formal conventions of notation. Advanced students/practitioners will find this treatment a bit unorthodox, but hopefully interesting nonetheless.


The present study examined the relationship between habitual physical activity, life events stress, and the cortisol: dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) ratio in older adults. Thirty six participants aged 65 and over reported their habitual physical activity, and also indicated if a particular event happened to them in the past year (stress incidence) and how stressful they perceived the event to be (stress severity). Older adults with higher stress severity for life events demonstrated a significantly higher cortisol:DHEA ratio. Those with higher stress incidence scores who did not participate in aerobic exercise had a significantly higher cortisol:DHEA ratio, compared to those with high stress incidence who regularly participated in aerobic exercise. This study suggests that life events stress may have a negative impact on the cortisol:DHEA ratio in older adults, and, under conditions of high stress exposure, exercise may buffer against the effects of stress on the cortisol:DHEA ratio.


Postcard with a photo of Andy Nelson in a wagon. He was born in slavery in 1862. His life spanned from slavery to the Civil Rights movement. Andy served for 35 years as the Worshipful Master of the Mosier Valley Masonic Lodge No. 103 until his death in 1960. He served on several grand juries in the 1950s. He posed for this postcard in 1912.


Objective. Beginning in 1995, Illinois law permitted targeted—as opposed to universal—blood lead screening in low-risk areas, which were defined by ZIP code characteristics. State guidelines recommended specific lead risk assessment questions to use when targeting screening. This study was designed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of Illinois lead risk assessment questions. Design. Parents bringing their 9- or 10- or 12-month and 24-month-old children for health supervision visits at 13 pediatric practices and parents of children (aged 6 through 25 months and who needed a blood lead test) receiving care at 5 local health departments completed a lead risk assessment questionnaire concerning their child. Children had venous or capillary blood lead testing. Venous confirmation results of children with a capillary level ≥10 μg/dL were used in analyses. Children. There were 460 children with both blood and questionnaire data recruited at the pediatric practices (58% of eligible) and 285 children (51% of eligible) recruited at local health departments. Of the 745 children studied, 738 provided a ZIP code that allowed their residence to be categorized as in a low-risk (n = 456) or high-risk (n = 282) area. Results. Sixteen children (3.5%) living in low-risk areas versus 34 children (12.1%) living in high-risk areas had a venous blood lead level (BLL) ≥10 μg/dL; 1.8% and 5.3%, respectively, had a venous BLL ≥15 μg/dL. For children living in low-risk areas, Illinois mandated risk assessment questions (concerning ever resided in home built before 1960, exposure to renovation, and exposure to adult with a job or hobby involving lead) had a combined sensitivity of .75 for levels ≥10 μg/dL and .88 for levels ≥15 μg/dL; specificity was .39 and .39, respectively. The sensitivity of these questions was similar among children from high-risk areas; specificity decreased to .27 and .28, for BLLs ≥10 μg/dL and ≥15 μg/dL, respectively. The combination of items requiring respondents to list house age (built before 1950 considered high risk) and indicate exposure to renovation had a sensitivity among children from low-risk areas of .62 for BLLs ≥10 μg/dL with specificity of .57; sensitivity and specificity among high-risk area children were .82 and .36, respectively. For this strategy, similar sensitivities and specificities for low and high-risk areas were found for BLLs ≥15 μg/dL. Conclusions. The Illinois lead risk assessment questions identified most children with an elevated BLL. Using these questions, the majority of Illinois children in low-risk areas will continue to need a blood lead test. This first example of a statewide screening strategy using ZIP code risk designation and risk assessment questions will need further refinement to limit numbers of children tested. In the interim, this strategy is a logical next step after universal screening.


The anti-capitalist movement is increasingly challenging the global hegemony of neo-liberalism. The arguments against the neo-liberal agenda are clearly articulated in Rethinking Welfare. The authors highlight the growing inequalities and decimation of state welfare, and use Marxist approaches to contemporary social policy to provide a defence of the welfare state.

Divided into three main sections, the first part of this volume looks at the growth of inequality, and social and environmental degradation.

Part Two centres on the authors' argument for the relevance of core Marxists concepts in aiding our understanding of social policy. This section includes Marxist approaches to a range of welfare issues, and their implications for studying welfare regimes and practices.

Issues covered include:

· Class and class struggle
· Opression
· Alienation and the family

The last part of the book explores the question of globalization and the consequences of international neo-liberalism on indebted countries as well as the neo-liberal agenda of the Conservative and New Labour governments in Britain. The authors conclude with the prospect of an alternative welfare future which may form part of the challenge against global neo-liberalism.


Background: In the randomised TATORT-NSTEMI trial routine thrombus aspiration in comparison with standard percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) did not reduce the primary endpoint of microvascular obstruction assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). So far, no data on long-term outcome of head-to-head comparisons between both treatment strategies in NSTEMI patients have been reported. Methods: The prospective, controlled, multicentre, randomised, open-label TATORT-NSTEMI trial assigned patients with NSTEMI and thrombus-containing lesions to aspiration thrombectomy plus PCI (n=221) or standard PCI only (n=219). The primary endpoint of the current analysis was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events defined as the composite of death, myocardial reinfarction, target vessel revascularisation, and new congestive heart failure at 12-month follow-up. In addition, functional outcome and quality of life were assessed. Results: At one year, major adverse cardiac events occurred in 19 patients in the thrombectomy arm and 29 patients in the standard PCI group (8.7% vs. 13.4%, relative risk 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.35–1.12, p=0.11). The individual components of the combined endpoint such as death (p=0.20), myocardial reinfarction (p=0.73), target vessel revascularisation (p=0.42), and congestive heart failure (p=0.18) were similar in both groups. Functional outcome and quality of life did not differ significantly between both groups (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class: p=0.68, New York Heart Association class: p=0.70 and EuroQol5D score: p=0.96). Post-hoc analyses revealed consistent results with regard to the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events across a wide range of subgroups (all p>0.05). Conclusions: In this first randomised trial on thrombectomy in NSTEMI patients, routine thrombus aspiration before PCI did not improve clinical outcome at 12-month follow-up.


The design of switching circuits for industrial control has been developed chiefly in terms of relays. Magnetic logic circuits, which are switching elements based on the single-core magnetic amplifier, have properties different from relays and therefore require somewhat different design methods. One possible form of switching algebra for magnetic logic circuits is suggested and simple examples of its use are given. The steps in designing a complete system are discussed. The advantages of performing the important step of design verification on a simulator are pointed out.


It is time to integrate quantitative atrocity forecasting more directly and systematically into the foreign policy processes of middle and major powers interested in preventing these terrible but all too common events. Sascha Nanlohy, Charles Butcher and Benjamin E Goldsmith discuss the potential utility of relatively reliable mid-to-long-term forecasts, using a number of examples to illustrate the main points.


The main aim of this study of pairs of lake and river names in the northern Swedish province of Medelpad is to establish whether, as a rule, the lake name or the river name is (in formal terms) the primary name. The study also seeks to ascertain whether there are geographical variations in 'name priority' in this sense within the region studied, and whether there are any signs of the priority pattern having changed over time. An additional aim is to shed light on other aspects of the water feature names of Medelpad. The area covered by the study comprises five parishes. Two of them (Borgsjo and Havero) are situated in the western part of Medelpad, the other three (Attmar, Njurunda and Tuna) in the south-east. In the hydronym pairs studied (just over 200 in all), the secondary names are most commonly formed by composition. In a few cases derivation may be involved instead, but here the element of uncertainty is quite large. Name pairs formed by composition have been affected by elliptical processes of various kinds, above all by reduction. The investigation of the name pairs shows that lake-name priority is more than ten times as common as river-name priority; this stock of names thus follows a pattern also found in more southerly parts of Sweden. The modern-day dominance of lake-name priority in Medelpad seems to be partly the result of a growing influence of this pattern in more recent times. The proportions of primary lake names and primary river names vary between the different parts of Medelpad studied; the further west one goes, the more common – or less uncommon – primary river names seem to become. The most important reasons for this difference probably have to do with the physical geography and settlement history of these areas.


In this study, the fractal behavior of crack development in damaged concrete materials and its application to structural damage assessment are experimentally investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that the crack evolving is closely related to the characteristics of fractal behavior, and the surface-crack distribution of the damaged concrete structures possesses fractal characteristics. It thus indicates that the fractal may be capable of performing quantitative characterization of crack development, which cannot be comprehended by Euclidian geometry. The application of fractal characteristics of surface-crack distribution in structural damage assessment is then investigated. By correlating the fractal dimension of surface-crack distribution with the model parameters (e.g., natural frequency) of different magnitudes of damage, a linear relationship exists between the fractal dimension and natural frequency. Since the natural frequency is one of the most fundamental damage characteristic factors, the above linear relationship shows that the fractal dimension of surface-crack distribution is able to effectively act as an effective damage characteristic factor. Different from the conventional damage characteristic factors generated from vibration tests, this factor reflects structural damage from a new perspective of fractal analysis, and provides a viable and novel approach for health monitoring and safety evaluation for concrete structures.


authority patients. Sophisticated bureaucratic props for the internal market such as those proposed by Clarke and McKee could spell yet another expensive diversion in the development of NHS information systems and bode ill for the health of the population. Moreover, since the NHS budget is cash limited, funds for improving purchaser and provider information systems would have to come from the resources allocated to patient care. In the United States, where spending on information systems and data analysis is high, administrative costs can be as high as 40% of provider budgets.3 Nevertheless, this has not resulted in cost containment or improved health care.45 The real questions that we have yet to address in our information systems are whether the internal market will preserve equity in health care and safeguard against implicit clinical rationing and queue jumping.


Background: UK Medical Research Council guidelines recommend end-user involvement in intervention development. There is limited evidence on the contributions of different end-users to this process. The aim of this Study Within A Trial (SWAT) was to identify and compare contributions from two groups of end-users - people with diabetes' (PWD) and healthcare professionals' (HCPs), during consensus meetings to inform an intervention to improve retinopathy screening uptake. Methods: A mixed method, explanatory sequential design comprising a survey and three semi-structured consensus meetings was used. PWD were randomly assigned to a PWD only or combined meeting. HCPs attended a HCP only or combined meeting, based on availability. In the survey, participants rated intervention proposals on acceptability and feasibility. Survey results informed the meeting topic guide. Transcripts were analysed deductively to compare feedback on intervention proposals, suggestions for new content, and contributions to the final intervention. Results: Overall, 13 PWD and 17 HCPs completed the survey, and 16 PWD and 15 HCPs attended meetings. For 31 of the 39 intervention proposals in the survey, there were differences (≥10%) between the proportion of HCPs and PWD who rated proposals as acceptable and/or feasible. End-user groups shared and unique concerns about proposals; both were concerned about informing but not scaring people when communicating risk, while concerns about resources were mostly unique to HCPs and concerns about privacy were mostly unique to PWD.  Fewer suggestions for new intervention content from the combined meeting were integrated into the final intervention as they were not feasible for implementation in general practice. Participants contributed four new behaviour change techniques not present in the original proposals: goal setting (outcome), restructuring the physical environment, material incentive (behaviour) and punishment. Conclusions: Preferences for intervention content may differ across end-user groups, with feedback varying depending on whether end-users are involved simultaneously or separately.


Larger and more perfect crystals in bone mineral from osteoporotic women have been described using biophysical methods. In search of the cause of this change, both chemical analysis and infrared spectrophotometry were used on iliac crest bone biopsies from 19 postmenopausal osteoporotic women. These women had each had a vertebral crush fracture and had a urinary hydroxyproline: creatinine ratio greater than 0.012. Lower than normal trabecular bone magnesium content and larger and more perfect crystals in trabecular bone mineral identified on infrared spectrophotometry were found in 16 out of the 19 women. Magnesium deficiency was confirmed by Thoren's magnesium load test in this subgroup of 16. Higher than normal bone magnesium content and smaller and less perfect crystals in bone mineral were found in five postmenopausal uremic women tested.


This paper defines underlying performance quality measures for designing, optimizing, setting and evaluating the protective relaying algorithms and equipment. The paper starts with evaluation of digital measuring algorithms and gradually introduces the performance indices for the operating principles, relays and protection systems. Multi-objective formal ranking methods based on fuzzy set theory are used to combine diverse measures into composite performance indices enabling evaluating and optimizing various functions of protective equipment.


Abstract Regional economic and social development is an important public issue in most countries, yet among the least successful. In Australia, some 40 years of trial and error regional strategy appear to have had limited success in securing long-range economic and social development leading to more diversified economies, population growth and converging regional wellbeing. The paper explores the nature of Australia's regional development problem and its causes as a prelude to summarising governments' changing capacity to influence and control events. Given this background, it sketches an emerging governance system, particularly in the State of New South Wales, designed to ameliorate regional adversity. Finally, it assesses the system's current and prospective functionality and impediments to system improvement.


Trichoadenoma is a benign cutaneous tumor that is asymptomatic, rare, and slow growing. There are few cases reported in the literature, and we could only identify one description of trichoadenoma occurring in the eyelid area. We describe the case of a patient with trichoadenoma in the outer corner of the lower eyelid that we treated with surgical excision associated with blepharoplasty.


AB STRACT The aim of this paper is to explore the use of an application that scaffolds the constructions of programs on a mobile device. The application was developed to support novice learners of programming outside the classroom. This paper reports on results of a first experiment conducted to evaluate the mobile application. The main research questions are: (i) whether the use of the application is effective in supporting construction of programs on a mobile device; and (ii) how the learners experienced the use of the mobile application. Data was collected by task completion, video and audio recording, and a questionnaire. A total of 18 first-year learners of programming from two African universities took part in the experiment by participating in focus groups. Almost two thirds of the learners completed two out of three programming exercises using the mobile application, with all the learners completing the first program. The results of the study suggest that the students found the mobile application useful, as evident from high rating of its features. The results also consisted of feedback from the learners on features that would make the application more usable. The findings suggest that the use of a mobile scaffolding application may support novice learners of programming outside the classroom. The outcomes of these results lead to a clearer understanding of how to design a mobile application that scaffolds the construction of programs on a mobile device.


In a contemporary world goods made from plastics and other polymeric materials are applied in many areas of our life. Growing practical applications are mainly stimulated by better properties of modified polymers, in a comparison with the polymeric materials used so far. On a world polymer market a biggest production concerns thermoplastics, thus modification of their properties has become one of a most important research challenges in a field of a polymer chemistry and technology, and materials science as well.


Abstract We describe a new numerical tool based on the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method which is aimed at modeling impacts and collisions involving small solid objects. Our goal is to develop a suitable tool for the study of strength-dominated interactions between solid bodies. Although giant impacts have recently received most of the attention, collisions and/or impacts involving small (≤50 km) objects are (and have been) the most frequent ones. We intend to apply this model to such studies as the formation of asteroid families, the disruption of ringmoons, the accretion of planetesimals, and spallation from large cratering events. In this first paper in a series, we present all physical and numerical aspects of our model as well as a number of tests performed in order to validate our method. We adopt a strength model and implement a yon Mises yielding relation for stresses beyond the Hugoniot elastic limit. At the lower stresses associated with brittle failure, we use a rate-dependent strength based on the nucleation of Weibull flaws. Our model propagates statistical cracks at the subparticle scale based on the model of Grady and Kipp (1980) and resolves real cracks in a resolution-independent manner. Our method ensures that increases in resolution do not alter the fracture physics, only the accuracy. The resulting system predicts the shapes, locations, and velocities of the largest fragments in simulated laboratory impact events with unprecedented accuracy.


In large-eddy simulations (LES) a computational-domain translation velocity can be used to improve performance by allowing longer time-step intervals. The continuous equations are Galilean invariant, however, standard finite-difference-based discretizations are not discretely invariant with the error being proportional to the product of the local translation velocity and the truncation error. Even though such numerical errors are expected to be small, it is shown that in LES of buoyant convection the turbulent large-scale flow organization can modulate and amplify the error. Galilean invariance of global flow statistics is observed in well-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS). In LES of single-phase convection under an inversion, flow statistics are nearly Galilean invariant and do not depend on the order of accuracy of the finite difference approximation. In contrast, in LES of cloudy convection, flow statistics show strong dependence on the frame of reference and the order of approximation. The error with respect to the frame of reference becomes negligible as the order of accuracy is increased from second to sixth in the present LES. Schemes with low resolving power can produce large dispersion errors in the surface-fixed frame that can be amplified by large-scale flow anisotropies, such as strong updrafts rising in a non-turbulent free troposphere in cumulus-cloud layers. Interestingly, in the present large-eddy simulations, a second-order discretization in the proper Galilean frame can yield comparable accuracy as a high-order scheme in the surface-fixed frame.


Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is increasingly gaining in popularity. However, the focus of aspect-oriented language research has been mostly on language design issues; efficient implementation techniques have been less popular. As a result, the performance of certain AOP constructs is still poor. This is in particular true for constructs that rely on dynamic properties of the execution (e.g., the cflow construct).In this paper, we present efficient implementation techniques for cflow that exploit direct access to internal structures of the virtual machine running an application, such as the call stack, as well as the integration of these techniques into the just-in-time compiler code generation process.Our results show that AOP has the potential to make programs that need to define control flow-dependent behavior not only more modular but also more efficient. By making means for control flow-dependent behavior part of the language, AOP opens the possibility of applying sophisticated compiler optimizations that are out of reach for application programmers.


Components of auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) may represent various aspects of the cortical processing of pitch. However, evidence hints an earlier representation of pitch perception in auditory ERPs of cortical origin. In this study, we examined whether earlier waves in cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) might reflect pitch-relevant features of both listeners and stimuli. CAEPs were elicited by pure tones and sweeping tones, and individual behavioral performance in pitch discrimination reflected by frequency difference limen (FDL) was also measured. Results show that CAEPs evoked by sweeping tones significantly correlate to FDL around ~50 ms, but CAEPs evoked by pure tones do not. Also, CAEPs are significantly affected by pitch-shift direction around ~130 ms. CAEPs evoked by ascending sweeping tones are larger in magnitude than those evoked by descending ones. Therefore, listeners' personal attributes relevant to pitch perception have already been reflected at a very early stage of cortical auditory processing, whilst certain pitch-related features of stimuli are recognized and represented at a later stage.


The correlation of climate variability; the change environment, in particular the change of coastlines; and the development of human societies during the last millennia can be studied exemplarily in the Baltic area. The retreat of the Scandinavian ice-sheet vertical crustal movement (glacio-isostatic adjustment), together with climatically controlled sea-level rise and a continuously warming atmosphere, determine a dramatic competition between different forcings of the environment that advancing humans are occupying step by step after the glaciation. These spatially and temporally changing life conditions require a stepwise adjustment of survival strategies. Changes in the natural environment can be reconstructed from sedimentary, biological proxy data and archaeological information. According to these reconstructions, the main shift in the Baltic area's environment happened about 8,500 years before present (BP) when the Baltic Sea became permanently connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Danish straits and the Sound, and changed the environment from lacustrine to brackish-marine conditions. Human reaction to environmental changes in prehistoric times is mainly reconstructed from remains of ancient settlements—onshore in the uplifting North and underwater in the South dominated by sea-level rise. According to the available data, the human response to environmental change was mainly passive before the successful establishment of agriculture. But it became increasingly active after people settled down and the socioeconomic system changed from hunter-gatherer to farming communities. This change, mainly triggered by the climatic change from the Holocene cool phase to the warming period, is clearly visible in Baltic basin sediment cores as a regime shift 6,000 years (BP). But the archaeological findings prove that the relatively abrupt environmental shift is reflected in the socioeconomic system by a period of transition when hunter-gatherer and farming societies lived in parallel for several centuries. After the Holocene warming, the permanent regression in the Northern Baltic Sea and the transgression in the South did affect the socioeconomic response of the Baltic coastal societies, who migrated downslope at the regressive coast and upslope at the transgressive coast. The following cooling phases, in particular the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA), are directly connected with migration and severe changes of the socioeconomic system. After millennia of passive reaction to climate and environmental changes, the Industrial Revolution finally enabled humans to influence and protect actively the environment, and in particular the Baltic Sea shore, by coastal constructions. On the other hand, this ability also affected climate and environment negatively because of the disturbance of the natural balance between climate, geosystem, and ecosystem.


Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is one of the most important supervised linear dimensional reduction techniques which seeks to learn low-dimensional representation from the original high-dimensional feature space through a transformation matrix, while preserving the discriminative information via maximizing the between-class scatter matrix and minimizing the within class scatter matrix. However, the conventional LDA is formulated to maximize the arithmetic mean of trace ratios which suffers from the domination of the largest objectives and might deteriorate the recognition accuracy in practical applications with a large number of classes. In this paper, we propose a new criterion to maximize the weighted harmonic mean of trace ratios, which effectively avoid the domination problem while did not raise any difficulties in the formulation. An efficient algorithm is exploited to solve the proposed challenging problems with fast convergence, which might always find the globally optimal solution just using eigenvalue decomposition in each iteration. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments to illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of our method over both of synthetic datasets and real-life datasets for various tasks, including face recognition, human motion recognition and head pose recognition. The experimental results indicate that our algorithm consistently outperforms other compared methods on all of the datasets.


Hash-based join is a compute- and memory-intensive algorithm. It achieves good performance and scales well to large datasets, if sufficient memory is available to hold the hash table and the distribution of computing had across nodes is balanced. We compare three adaptive algorithms that start with a partitioning of the hash table across a group of nodes and expand during the hash table building phase to additional resources, when memory on a node is used up. The split-based algorithm partitions the hash table range assigned to the node, on which memory is full, into two segments and assigns one of the segments to a new node in the system. The replication-based algorithm replicates the hash table range on a new node. The hybrid algorithm combines the first and second strategies in order to address each strategy's short comings. We perform an experimental performance evaluation of these algorithms on a PC cluster. Our results show that among the three algorithms, in most cases the hybrid algorithm either performs close to the better of the two or is the best algorithm.


Purpose The main objective is to analyse the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial practices in SMEs operating in a developing economy. The secondary objectives are to explore the relationship between these drivers and to draw out the implications for policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach The research is informed by the literature on sustainable entrepreneurship, and on the drivers of pro-environmental practices in SMEs. It reports on the results of an intensive multi-level empirical study, which investigates the environmental practices of SMEs in Pakistan's leatherworking industry using a multiple case study design and grounded analysis, which draws on relevant institutional theory. The study identifies that coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic pressures simultaneously drive sustainable entrepreneurial activity in the majority of sample SMEs. These pressures are exerted by specific micro, meso and macro level factors, ranging from international customers' requirements to individual-level values of owners and managers. It also reveals the catalytic effect of the educational and awareness-raising activities of intermediary organisations, in tandem with the attraction of competitiveness gains, (international) environmental regulations, industrial dynamism and reputational factors. The evidence suggests that, in countries where formal institutional mechanisms have less of an impact, intermediary organisations can perform a proto-institutional role that helps to overcome pre-existing barriers to environmental improvement by sparking sustainable entrepreneurial activity in SME populations. The findings imply that the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial activity do not operate in a 'piecemeal' fashion, but that particular factors mediate the emergence and development of other sustainability drivers. This paper provides new insights into sustainable entrepreneurship and motivations for environmental practices in an under-researched developing economy context. drive sustainable entrepreneurial activity in Pakistan's leatherworking The detailed findings reveal how particular micro, meso and macro level factors have combined to exert coercive, normative and isomorphic pressures on the sample firms. However, despite some evidence that micro-level factors played an independent role, it was noteworthy that these micro-level environmental drivers were generally mediated by specific meso and macro level forces. For example, the study demonstrates that the educational and awareness raising initiatives of Cleaner Production Institute (CPI) (meso level factor) and the environmental pressures from international buyers (macro level factor) activated sustainability-oriented values amongst SME owner-managers.


This study aimed to investigate the effect of project-based learning strategies on the metacognitive skills of Grade 5 students at Sumagonsong Elementary School during the School Year 2021-2022. This is an experimental research design that utilized the pre-test and post-test assessments. Sixty (60) grade 5 students were used as a respondent from two heterogeneous sections which were selected through matched-pairing using their second-quarter grades as a basis. The first group received case-based instruction, while the second group received just-in-time instruction. In this study, a 45-item validated metacognitive test was employed to assess whether there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the two groups. The study revealed that the pre-test scores of the respondents in the two experimental groups as to their metacognitive skills in terms of planning, monitoring, and evaluating were in the beginning and developing levels, indicating that students possessed poor metacognitive skills. The post-test results of the respondents in both groups revealed that they performed better after the treatment, which indicated that they had acquired enhanced metacognitive skills. Likewise, a significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test scores of both groups exposed to project-based strategies. However, there's no significant difference in the effectiveness of case-based teaching and just-in-time teaching in enhancing metacognitive skills such as planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Keywords: Project-Based Learning Strategies, Metacognitive Skills, T-test, Philippines


AIM
to find whether ST2 can be used to determine clinical improvement in patients with NYHA III and IV heart failure.

METHODS
this is a longitudinal, pre and post-test study without a control group. Study subjects are 23 NYHA III and IV heart failure patients. ST2 was tested at the start and end of hospital treatment.

RESULTS
of 23 heart failure patients, 70% were classified as NYHA III while 30% were NYHA IV. There were more male subjects than females (51.4% vs. 48.6%). Median age for NYHA III heart failure patients was 52 years and mean age for NYHA IV heart failure patients was 58 years. Heart failure was mostly caused by coronary artery disease (52%). ST2 levels did not correlate with age, length of care, sex and cause of heart failure. ST2 levels in NYHA IV heart failure patients (58.82±37.36 ng/mL) tended to be higher than the one in NYHA III group (30.75 [14.4-84.5] ng/mL), but the difference was statistically not insignificant (p=0.89). ST2 levels at the start of treatment was significantly higher than at the end (31.4 [14-129.2] ng/mL vs. 18.4 [7.6-77.8] ng/mL), p=0.001. This shows that clinical improvement is associated with significant reduction of ST2 levels.

CONCLUSION
ST2 can be used as a marker to determine clinical improvement in NYHA III and IV heart failure.


High technologies have helped so much in improving an optimizing the engine design and performance of the car. Improved isolation has helped to minimize the engine noise making other automotive part noises become more detectable. One of the noise sources are the wipers. When a wiper operates on a windshield, vibratory phenomena may appear due to flutter instabilities and may generate squeal noise. In order to obtain good wiping behaviour and characteristics, the rubber blade should be in complete contact with the glass and under uniform contact pressure while not generating vibration as it moves over the glass. A good wiping performance can be achieved by a proper design of the wiper structure as well as a good understanding of the mechanical behaviour of the rubber blade. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the dynamic behaviour and characteristics of rubber wiper blade performance in order to reduce the automotive windscreen wiper noise and vibration effects. In order to achieve the objective of this research, two types of wiper is used. One is hybrid type and second is conventional type. Then the behavior of wiper can be investigated. The force resistive sensor is used to measure the force distribution exerted on the windshield for the characteristics wiper noise for specific points. The obtain vibration data is processed by single-board microcontrollers. Behaviour movements of blade produce different vibration that can be investigated the maximum noise occurs on wiper blade operation using Uni-axial accelerometer A MMA7660. As a result, confirmation behaviour is shown the contact force distribution between rubber blade and glass is produce non-uniformly contact force and identical for hybrid type wiper and uniform contact force and not identical for conventional type wiper. In addition, characteristic of wiper rubber blade due to environment condition such as humidity, temperature and wiper stiffness are major factor in this research. As a conclusion, the results for behaviour of wiper blade depends on structural effect of the wiper blade related to the contact force distribution between the rubber blade and the glass. Secondly the characteristics of wiper rubber blade depends environment condition such as humidity and the temperature. The methodology is achievable to discovery the knowledge of dynamic behaviour and characteristics of wiper rubber blade in future.


This paper addresses the task of estimating the 6 degrees of freedom pose of a known 3D object from depth information represented by a point cloud. Deep features learned by convolutional neural networks from color information have been the dominant features to be used for inferring object poses, while depth information receives much less attention. However, depth information contains rich geometric information of the object shape, which is important for inferring the object pose. We use depth information represented by point clouds as the input to both deep networks and geometry-based pose refinement and use separate networks for rotation and translation regression. We argue that the axis-angle representation is a suitable rotation representation for deep learning, and use a geodesic loss function for rotation regression. Ablation studies show that these design choices outperform alternatives such as the quaternion representation and L2 loss, or regressing translation and rotation with the same network. Our simple yet effective approach clearly outperforms state-of-the-art methods on the YCB-video dataset.


Kleinia squarrosa has been used traditionally to manage several diseases including diabetes, however, its efficacy and safety is not well evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine in-vivo hypoglycemic activity and safety of the aqueous stem bark extracts of this plant in male swiss white albino mice. The antidiabetic activity was screened in alloxan induced diabetic mice using oral and intraperitoneal routes. The safety of the extract was studied in mice that were orally and intraperitoneally administered with 1 g/kg body weight daily for 28 days by recording changes in body and organ weights, hematological and biochemical parameters and histology. Mineral composition was estimated using total reflection X-ray fluorescence system (TRXF) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Phytochemical composition was assessed using standard procedures. The extract showed hypoglycemic activity at dose levels of 50, 100, 200, 300 mg/kg body weight. Administration of 1 g/kg body weight of the extract decreased the body weight gain using both routes, and altered the organ to body weight percentage of the liver and lungs for intraperitoneal route while oral route only altered the liver. Oral administration of the same dose caused a change in levels of RBC, ALP, AST, LDH CK and Creatinine while the same intraperitoneal dose caused a change in RBC, WBC, Hb, PCV, PLT, MCH, MCHC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, monocytes and biochemical parameters: AST, ALT, GGT, LDH, T-BIL, D-BIL, Urea and Creatinine. Moreover, intraperitoneal administration caused significant histological lesions to the kidney, liver and spleen. The extracts contained tannins, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids. Sodium, Chlorine, Potassium, Calcium, Titanium, Vanadium, Chromium, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Cadmium, Magnesium, Nickel and Lead were present in the extracts at levels below the recommended daily allowance. The observed hypoglycemic activity and slight toxicity could be associated with the phytochemicals present in this plant extract.


This Article argues that much of the discomfort surrounding the current marriage of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and global trade stems from the impossibility of ascertaining a static definition of either trade or intellectual property. In fact, the evolutionary nature of both fields renders fruitless any attempt at genuine stability where those fields intersect. Yet, the phrase "trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights" delineates the mandate of the World Trade Organization's IPR agreement, TRIPS. Most critics of the TRIPS mandate's breadth have focused on the historical meaning of the pertinent phrase at the time of negotiation. However, an historical focus ignores the most important part of the equation. The question is not what "trade-related aspects of IPR" meant then. The question, rather, is what the phrase means now, reflecting the evolution of that meaning through time. This Article posits that the two are not the same. Rather, marketplace externalities affecting both international trade and intellectual property transactions have expanded the original TRIPS mandate, creating a balloon effect. Parties' lack of identification of the balloon effect has contributed in large measure to perceptions that TRIPS is overreaching and underperforming, and has driven much of the discontent behind recent regime-shifting away from the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Article posits that this forum-shifting is premature because it reflects a lack of critical analysis and understanding of the underlying causes of TRIPS discontent. The Article illustrates that TRIPS actually is better-equipped to deal with the balloon effect than its critics realize, because it contains specific textual mechanisms — currently under-utilized by parties — that can provide balance in a trade-dominant world. The Article calls for a re-examination of the TRIPS mandate in the context of the balloon effect, greater utilization of that Agreement's assets in combatting the perceptions of overreaching and underperformance, and caution in forum-shifting through negotiation of new agreements likely to prove less effective and less malleable.


This study assess the local communities  perceptions of and attitudes  towards participatory  forest management approaches in the Chilim—Gaji  forest in Ethiopia and further analyses factors that affect  attitudes towards the forest and forest management. Data for the study was generated through household survey comprising of 265 respondents selected through simple random technique and substantiated by key informant interview and FGDs. Data analyzed by employing both descriptive and inferential statistics.  The study findings revealed that, generally the respondents held positive attitudes towards the forest and PFM approach. The results also depicted the association between socio-economic features of people living close to the forest and their use of forest resources and demonstrated the basis of attitudes towards those managing the forest. Sixty percent of respondents were found to agree with the idea of Chilimo-Gaji forest conservation; however, statistically significant differences were found between the villages in terms of supportive attitudes toward the forest conservation system (p = 0.02) and toward the PFM System (p = 0.01). However, those highly dependent on the forest to generate income remained reluctant and unsupportive, suggesting that high levels of support toward a conservation project by sections of the community may not translate into conservation success, because the drivers of the deforestation and forest degradation are not supportive. Regression results showed that these perceptions were influenced by different socio-economic, demographic and geophysical factors. These factors included: membership in social groups, wealth stratums, farm size, , livestock ownership and dependency on forest for extraction. A direct financial benefit accrues from the PFM system was found to be the main factor of the respondents' attitudes and perceptions.


Our previous study indicated that nontoxic doses of quercetin (Que) could increase the chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin (Dox) although the mechanism still remains elusive. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. MCF-7 cells and MCF-7/dox cells were exposed to PTEN inhibitor bpV (HOpic), Dox, or combination of Dox and Que with or without bpV (HOpic) intervention for 24 hours. Cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell invasion and expression of PTEN and phospho-Akt (p-Akt) were then assessed. bpV (HOpic) had little effect on cell proliferation at concentrations less than 1 μM. Compared to treatment with Dox alone, combined treatment with Dox and Que significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, increased cell apoptosis, up-regulated the expression of PTEN and down-regulated the expression of p-Akt. However, co-treatment with PTEN inhibitor bpV (HOpic) could revert the effects of Que on Dox. These data indicate that Que can increase the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to Dox through down regulation of p-Akt expression arising from increased expression of PTEN.


There is growing evidence of escalating wildlife losses worldwide. Extreme wildlife losses have recently been documented for large parts of Africa, including western, Central and Eastern Africa. Here, we report extreme declines in wildlife and contemporaneous increase in livestock numbers in Kenya rangelands between 1977 and 2016. Our analysis uses systematic aerial monitoring survey data collected in rangelands that collectively cover 88% of Kenya's land surface. Our results show that wildlife numbers declined on average by 68% between 1977 and 2016. The magnitude of decline varied among species but was most extreme (72–88%) and now severely threatens the population viability and persistence of warthog, lesser kudu, Thomson's gazelle, eland, oryx, topi, hartebeest, impala, Grevy's zebra and waterbuck in Kenya's rangelands. The declines were widespread and occurred in most of the 21 rangeland counties. Likewise to wildlife, cattle numbers decreased (25.2%) but numbers of sheep and goats (76.3%), camels (13.1%) and donkeys (6.7%) evidently increased in the same period. As a result, livestock biomass was 8.1 times greater than that of wildlife in 2011–2013 compared to 3.5 times in 1977–1980. Most of Kenya's wildlife (ca. 30%) occurred in Narok County alone. The proportion of the total "national" wildlife population found in each county increased between 1977 and 2016 substantially only in Taita Taveta and Laikipia but marginally in Garissa and Wajir counties, largely reflecting greater wildlife losses elsewhere. The declines raise very grave concerns about the future of wildlife, the effectiveness of wildlife conservation policies, strategies and practices in Kenya. Causes of the wildlife declines include exponential human population growth, increasing livestock numbers, declining rainfall and a striking rise in temperatures but the fundamental cause seems to be policy, institutional and market failures. Accordingly, we thoroughly evaluate wildlife conservation policy in Kenya. We suggest policy, institutional and management interventions likely to succeed in reducing the declines and restoring rangeland health, most notably through strengthening and investing in community and private wildlife conservancies in the rangelands.


Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the highest incident of primary liver cancer in the northeastern  Thailand. All of the treatment approaches remain poor. One attractive strategy is the discovery of new drugs from medicinal plants which have a potential growth inhibitory activity on cholangiocarcinoma cells. Objective: To examine the growth inhibitory activity of crude extracts and fractions from barks and fruits of Garcinia hanburyi on human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. Method: Growth inhibitory activity was assessed by sulforhodamine B assay. The mean IC 50 values of three independent experiments were reported. Results: The growth inhibitory activity of four extracts from barks and fruits of G. hanburyi on five human CCA cell lines was performed. It was found that the ethyl acetate extracts from barks (VR12874) and fruits (VR11626) of G. hanburyi exhibited strong growth inhibitory activity against five CCA cell lines with IC 50 values range from 1.84±0.10 to 2.49±0.03 mg/ml and 1.69±0.04 to 4.41±0.10 mg/ml, respectively whereas the methanol extracts from barks (VR12875) and fruits (VR11627) showed no growth inhibitory activity on CCA cell lines tested. Subsequent to these results eight fractions from VR12874 were examined for their growth inhibitory activities against 5 human CCA cell lines. It was found that five fractions including  VR12877, VR12878, VR12881, VR12882 and VR12883 showed strong growth inhibitory activity whereas VR12876 and VR12879 exhibited low growth inhibitory activity and VR12880 showed no effect. Discussion and conclusion: It could be concluded that the ethyl acetate extracts from barks and fruits of G. hanburyi showed strong growth inhibitory effect against 5 human CCA cell lines whereas the methanol extracts had no effect. These results indicated that the ethyl acetate extracts might contain active constituents. Variation in the growth inhibitory activities among fractions might  depend on the type or concentration of active constituents containing in each fractions. Key words: Garcinia hanburyi , growth inhibitory activity, cholangiocarcinoma cell lines


An overview of historical development of automatic milking, as well as the current situation and perceived challenges and opportunities for future development are discussed. Since the first commercial systems appeared in 1992, automatic milking systems (AM-systems) have been installed at an increasing rate. No other new technology since the introduction of the milking machine, has aroused so much interest and expectations among dairy farmers and the periphery. Reduced labor, a better social life for dairy farm families and increased milk yields due to more frequent milking are generally recognized as important benefits of automatic milking. Without doubt automatic milking changes many aspects of farm management since both the nature and organization of labor is altered. Manual labor is partly replaced by management and control, and the presence of the operator at regular milking times is no longer required. Visual control on cow and udder health at milking is, at least partly, taken over by automatic systems. Facilities for teat cleaning and separation of abnormal milk are incorporated into the automatic system and several adaptations are needed to accommodate continuous milking. Cow management including routing within the barn, the opportunity for grazing and the use of total mixed rations is altered. A high level of management and realistic expectations are essential to successful adoption of automatic milking. Results from commercial farms indicate, that milk quality is somewhat negatively affected, although bacterial counts and somatic cell counts remain well below penalty levels. In terms of quality control, AM-systems offer extra means to assure milk quality and food safety. No adverse effects of the transition have been found for body condition, lameness or teat condition. Automatic milking systems require a higher investment than conventional milking systems. However increased milk yields and reduced labor requirements may lead to a decrease in the fixed costs per kg milk. In recent years the first mobile automatic milking systems appeared on dairy farms in Denmark and The Netherlands. Automatic milking has gained widespread acceptance and is now estimated to be in use on more than 8000 farms in over 25 countries worldwide.


With the increasing amount of exposed information on the Internet, upon which everybody can post something, the evaluation of credibility and trustworthiness becomes difficult. The current phenomenon fake news does not make the access to reliable information easier. Little research has been done on when people actually believe fake news. Because of the vast amount of information in the online world, which could make the time to evaluate every item limited, it is questioned whether this has an influence on credibility evaluations. This study aimed to examine this scientific gap by investigating the dependence of type of information processing on credibility evaluations of fake news. It was hypothesized intuitive processing leads to higher credibility evaluations than deliberative processing. An online sample of 534 participants was recruited. In either an intuition or deliberation condition, participants evaluated credibility of fake news items in an online questionnaire. Results showed that processing information in an intuitive way leads to lower credibility evaluations (p < .05). The hypothesis was not supported, which makes more research necessary.


Entity synonym discovery (ESD) from text corpus is an essential problem in many entity-leveraging applications, e.g., web search and question answering. This paper aims to address three limitations that widely exist in the current ESD solutions: 1) the lack of effective utilization for synonym set information; 2) the feature extraction of entities from restricted receptive fields; and 3) the incapacity to capture higher-order contextual information. We propose a novel set-aware ESD model that enables a flexible receptive field for ESD by making a breakthrough in using entity synonym set information. The contextual information of entities and entity synonym sets are arranged by a two-level network from which entities and entity synonym sets can be mapped into the same embedding space to facilitate ESD by encoding the high-order contexts from flexible receptive fields. Extensive experimental results on public datasets show that our model consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art with significant improvement.


We propose SinIR, an efficient reconstruction-based framework trained on a single natural image for general image manipulation, including super-resolution, editing, harmonization, paint-to-image, photo-realistic style transfer, and artistic style transfer. We train our model on a single image with cascaded multi-scale learning, where each network at each scale is responsible for image reconstruction. This reconstruction objective greatly reduces the complexity and running time of training, compared to the GAN objective. However, the reconstruction objective also exacerbates the output quality. Therefore, to solve this problem, we further utilize simple random pixel shuffling, which also gives control over manipulation, inspired by the Denoising Autoencoder. With quantitative evaluation, we show that SinIR has competitive performance on various image manipulation tasks. Moreover, with a much simpler training objective (i.e., reconstruction), SinIR is trained 33.5 times faster than SinGAN (for 500 X 500 images) that solves similar tasks. Our code is publicly available at github.com/YooJiHyeong/SinIR.


We study first-order quantum phase transitions in models where the mean-field treatment is exact, and in particular the exponentially fast closure of the energy gap with the system size at the transition. We consider exactly solvable ferromagnetic models, and show that they reduce to the Grover problem in a particular limit. We compute the coefficient in the exponential closure of the gap using an instantonic approach, and discuss the (dire) consequences for quantum annealing.


Capitella sp. and Ophryotrocha craigsmithi received a diet of salmon feces to evaluatetheir potential to convert fish waste into valuable marine products, e.g. ingredients for fishfeed formulation. Production rate and body composition (focusing on fatty acid [FA] profiles)were determined for polychaetes fed fresh, acid-preserved or oven-dried salmon feces to evaluatetheir application in (de)coupled integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. Coupledproduction refers to direct integration of fish and polychaetes within the same (eco)system,while in decoupled production, units can be spatially or functionally separated. For decoupledproduction, preservation of fish waste is recommended. Although diets contained relatively lowpolyunsaturated FA (PUFA) levels (5−9% of total FAs), both species were rich in PUFAs (>30%of total FAs) and contained the essential FAs for fish. Feeding Capitella sp. the acid-preserveddiet enriched its FA profile. Accumulation of PUFAs, de novo synthesis and/or transfer via bacterialbiomass could have played a role in the upregulation of PUFA content. Amino acid profilesindicated that these polychaetes contained the amino acids essential for fish. Highest growth forboth species was observed when fed fresh feces, whereas preserved diets resulted in negativegrowth rates for O. craigsmithi, suggesting an important role of microbes in polychaete diets.Our results indicate that both species are potential valuable marine products. Given growth rateswith different diets, O. craigsmithi seems more suitable for integration in coupled systems, whileCapitella sp. is interesting for both coupled and decoupled integrated systems