Much interest has been shown by industry and in the literature regarding the analysis of complex planar components such as are found in modern (M)MIC's. Many of the published results have, however, required the use of a large computer. In this contribution a technique is described whereby rigorous analyses of moderately complex planar circuits may be obtained on a relatively small desktop computer. Results obtained using a personal computer are presented for several planar filter geometries. These are in good agreement with published results which use more computationally expensive techniques. INTRODUCTION HE REQUIREMENT to predict the behavior of T planar microwave components and circuits has existed for many years. Recently, however, as the complexity, component density and operating frequencies of these circuits has increased dramatically, the problems posed to the designers of CAD tools have become much more difficult. No longer is it adequate to treat a circuit as a set of isolated components or to use models based on quasi-static formulations. The interactions between different parts of a circuit make it necessary to perform a rigorous full wave analysis which takes into account all the couplings which exist. A number of techniques are available which are capable, in principle, of providing such a rigorous solution to almost any electromagnetic problem, including the analysis of microstrip circuits. These include the Spectral Domain Method [ 11, [2], [SI, [lo], Finite Difference Time Domain [3], [9], [12], Transmission Line Matrix [4], Bergeron's Method [ 5 ] , [ 1 11, and Space Domain Methods [6]. They are, however, all limited by the requirement for a large amount of computer resources. Notwithstanding the rapid increase in the availability of computer power, work is still necessary to increase the efficiency of the algorithms used. In this contribution, a technique is described which is capable of characterizing microwave circuits, such as filters, using only a small desk-top computer. The technique which is based on the Spectral Domain Method (SDM), exploits the asymptotic behavior both of the Green's function for the shielded slab-loaded waveguide and of the current distribution in the vicinity of electrically small geometrical features, such as edges and comers, in order to speed up the computation and to reduce the number of unknowns required. Manuscript received August 2, 1991; revised November 15, 1991. The authors are with the Center for Communications Research, Faculty of Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 ITR, United Kingdom. IEEE Log Number 9106766. THE SPECTRAL DOMAIN METHOD Analyses of complex planar circuits using various implementations of the SDM are well described in the literature e.g. [ 11, [2] , [7]. In many of these treatments, the unknown currents on the metal parts of the circuit are expressed as a linear combination of a set of basis functions, often rooftop functions. Making use of the slab-loaded waveguide Green's function, the unknown current coefficients can be found using the Method of Moments. This may be done either in the spectral domain or the space domain [6]. Either approach requires the calculation of the elements of a large impedance matrix followed by the solution of the resulting set of simultaneous equations. Unfortunately, the amount of computer time and memory required by this process increases very rapidly with the complexity of the geometry being analysed. This means that a level of complexity is reached at which it rapidly becomes impractical to use the SDM in its basic form. Once this point is reached, means of enhancing the basic method are essential. This is particularly important in modem densely packed microwave integrated circuits where interactions between components cannot satisfactorily be ignored. One such enhancement which has already been described in connection with open structures [ 11, [7], is the exploitation of the redundancy inherent in the impedance matrix in order to reduce the number of calculations which need to be performed. Recently, the use of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) has been reported [2] to speed up the calculation of the impedance matrix elements. In this contribution, the basic method will be further enhanced in two ways: Firstly the calculation of the impedance matrix elements is greatly sped up by using asymptotic forms of both the Green's functions and the rooftop basis functions, in conjunction with the FFT. Using this technique, it is necessary to calculate only five 2-D fast fourier transforms, and this only once for each geometry. In contrast to this, in [2], twelve 2-D FFT's must be calculated for each frequency point. Secondly, a means will be described for reducing the number of unknowns in the formulation by using basis functions which incorporate a priori knowledge of the current distribution. FAST CALCULATION OF THE IMPEDANCE MATRIX The Method of Moments formulated in the spectral domain and applied to a planar structure leads to a set of equations of the following form: C a , ~ , , = V, for all t (1) S 0018-9480/92$03.00


The validity of the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) was examined in a preschool community sample (N = 925) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Factorial invariance across genders was also investigated as was concurrent and discriminant validity. Indicators of validity were teacher-rated social competence, problem behavior, and mental health, as well as the children's score on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Results showed that the original three-dimensional model of the STRS was not satisfactorily confirmed. However, a slightly modified 25 items, 3-factor version of the STRS showed an acceptable fit. Model fit was acceptable for both boys and girls. The modified three-factor model evidenced good concurrent validity. The discriminant validity of the dependency versus the conflict subscale was somewhat unsatisfactory, mainly due to imperfections in the dependency subscale.


Final treatment of fine detail surfaces remains an important problem in modern machine building. As a solution to such a task a super finishing processing is widely used. The proposed system is dedicated to creating an oscillating movement of a detail or tool in super finishing wide scale of processing details - crankshaft, cylinder shaped details. This device can create detail or tool amplitudes equal to a detail surface or tool micro relief pitch. In difference to classical systems, the proposed system is operating on sound frequency and enables one to perform a surface treatment during one cycle.


Abstract Multistage magmatic thermal events occurred in the Yardoi Dome and contain important information on the tectonomagmatic processes. The dome has played a crucial role in understanding the collisional evolution of the Tethyan Himalayan. We present new geochronological and geochemical data for muscovite-granite exposed in the Liemai area, Eastern Tethyan Himalayan Belt. Liemai muscovite-granite is strongly peraluminous, with A/CNK values characterized by evolved geochemical composition with high contents of SiO2-enriched large-ion lithophile elements, and is depleted of high-field-strength elements. These geochemical features indicate that granites possibly derived from partial melting of metasedimentary rocks and plagioclase fractional crystallization probably played a critical role in production of peraluminous granitic melts. Zircon U–Pb dating from muscovite-granite yielded ages of approximately 48.5 ± 1.1 Ma, representing its crystallization ages. This age is the oldest age of Tethyan Himalayan leucogranite from the Yardoi Dome and adjacent areas. However, the inherited zircon cores have ages of 135.7–3339.2 Ma. The εHf(t) values of all zircons vary from –6.4 to –2.3 and have varying Hf-isotope crustal model ages of 731–839 Ma. The geochemical and isotopic compositions indicate that magma of the Liemai granite can most likely be interpreted as products of the break-off related to thermal perturbation along the break-off window associated with the subduction of Neo-Tethyan slab. These magmas were derived mainly from the anatexis of ancient crustal materials under contraction and thickening conditions due to subduction of the Indian continent beneath southeastern Tibet.


Transformerless grid-connected inverters have attained a lot of research interest in renewable energy interface applications, due to certain promising properties like greater efficiency, light weight, affordable price, and tolerable power density. Among various types of transformerless grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) inverters, multilevel inverters (MLIs) are mostly popular due to their ability to transmit reactive power, small filter size for reducing total harmonic distortion (THD) and their common-ground (CG) configuration to mitigate the detrimental leakage current due to the parasitic capacitances of the PV array. Again, among different types of MLIs for PV systems, switched-capacitor (SC) based multilevel inverter topologies are the burning topic in current decades due to their single source requirements for producing multilevel output voltage. However, for mostly used single-phase five-level inverters, most of the existing SC based topology requires at least two SCs for power conversion. In this paper, a five-level transformerless inverter based on a single SC is proposed, requiring only seven switches, no diode, a single capacitor, and one dc voltage source. The proposed transformerless MLI also has auto-boosting capability. Notably, the number of power switches operating at high frequency is limited to three, which lowers down the switching losses of the inverter. Rather than a new single SC based five-level transformerless inverter topology, a control scheme is also presented to inject a precisely regulated current into the grid that can govern both the active and reactive power support modes. In-depth comparisons between the proposed and cutting-edge MLIs are also provided. All these claims are validated through MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS computer simulation environments. A laboratory-scaled prototype is also built and tested to support the simulated claims further and validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed five-level transformerless inverter topology.


Dynamical models of interand intra-cellular processes contain the rate constants of the biochemical reactions. These kinetic parameters are often not accessible directly through experiments, but they can be inferred from time-resolved data. Time resolved data, that is, measurements of reactant concentration at series of time points, are usually affected by different types of error, whose source can be both experimental and biological. The noise in the input data makes the estimation of the model parameters a very difficult task, as if the inference method is not sufficiently robust to the noise, the resulting estimates are not reliable. Therefore "noise-robust" methods that estimate rate constants with the maximum precision and accuracy are needed. In this report we present the probabilistic generative model of parameter inference implemented by the software prototype KInfer and we show the ability of this tool of estimating the rate coefficients of models of biochemical network with a good accuracy even from very noisy input data.


The foundation for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is to access the peritoneal and other body cavities through the wall of the alimentary tract via natural orifices, with the goal of performing procedures within the peritoneum and other cavities, without the need to make incisions in the abdominal wall. We have made great progress in the field of NOTES since the publication of the White Paper in 2006. There are still major fundamental goals as outlined by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons/American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy joint committee that need to be evaluated and answered before NOTES is ready for widespread clinical use. These include prevention of infection, instrument development, creation of a multitasking platform, and the ability to recognize and treat intraperitoneal complications such as hemorrhage and other physiological adverse events. In response to this need, recent abstracts and papers have focused on the management of intraoperative complications. The next phase is to focus on controlled prospective multicenter clinical trials that compare defined NOTES procedure to standard laparoscopy. The goal is to produce reliable and convincing data for the United States Food and Drug Administration, insurance companies, the physician community and the general public. At the present time, we still have many important milestones that still need to be met. Most investigators agree that a hybrid technique and not a pure NOTES practice should be advocated until devices can meet the current and new challenges in this field.


ABSTRACT
 The house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), continues to be a primary pest of livestock facilities worldwide. This pest also has shown a propensity for pesticide resistance development when under high selection pressures. In this study the house fly strain FDm was created by a 20% contribution from each of five colonies collected from dairies in Florida with known imidacloprid resistance. The FDm strain was used to evaluate the level of imidacloprid resistance after five selections near the LC70 value of each selected generation. Overall, the mean selection mortality was 72.7, with males being considerably more susceptible than females. The unselected (F0) FDm strain showed considerable susceptibility to imidacloprid after its creation, compared with the five parental strains. Between 9,500 and 14,000 virgin house flies were used in each selection. After the fifth and final selection, a 331-fold increase in imidacloprid resistance at the LC70 was observed over the parental FDm strain. In parallel studies, the FDm strain showed increasing tolerance of the commercial imidacloprid product QuickBayt. These results suggest that livestock producers should use caution when choosing pesticides and consider rotating fly baits, as is encouraged with other pesticide treatment regimes on farms.


Cell viability depends on the correct folding of the proteins involved in metabolism. Proteins are synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum and must follow a pathway to a correct, metastable, tridimensional structure. Changes in structure or in environmental conditions can drive an instability of the folding conditions and produce non-active aggregates that in principle are proteolysed by the cellular mechanisms. However, these aggregates can be even more stable than the native proteins, escaping the cellular control. They can be classified as amorphous, if there is not a well-organized structural pattern, or ordered if a repetitive pattern is produced. These ordered structures, known as fibrils, are involved in many diseases. Infrared spectroscopy is a method of choice to study its formation because it is not affected by turbidity or the formation of high molecular weight aggregates. Moreover, in both cases, two bands characteristic of intermolecular β-sheets allow the monitoring of the aggregate formation. In both cases, the appearance of these bands involves a non-reversible path in protein folding. It has been suggested that a difference in the ordered structures involves an increasing in band intensity. This change can be the origin in variations on the 2DCOS maps. The synchronous map gives an overall idea of the process involved. The asynchronous is more informative because reflects the kinetic changes produced. The outcome of both processes, amorphous or ordered is that 2DCOS can provide a further insight to the knowledge of the kinetic processes giving rise to aggregated structures. This outcome could consist on the order in which the different secondary structures are prone to form the aggregates.


Introduction
Amount and vertical distribution of leaf area are essential for estimating interception and utilization of solar radiation of crop canopies and, consequently dry matter accumulation (Valentinuz & Tollenaar, 2006). Vertical distribution of leaf area is leaf areas per horizontal layers, based on height (Boedhram et al., 2001). Above-ground biomass is one of the central traits in functional plant ecology and growth analysis. It is a key parameter in many allometric relationships (Niklas & Enquist, 2002). The vertical biomass distribution is considered to be the main determinant of competitive strength in plant species. The presence of weeds intensifies competition for light, with the effect being determined by plant height, position of the branches, and location of the maximum leaf area. So, this experiment was conducted to study the vertical distribution of leaf area and dry matter of soybean canopy in competition with weeds and cover crops.
Materials and methods
This experiment was performed based on complete randomized block design with 3 replications in center of Agriculture of Joybar in 2013. Soybean was considered as main crop and soybean and Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum–graecum L.), chickling pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and winter vetch (Vicia sativa L.) were the cover crops. Treatments were included cover crops (Persian clover, fenugreek, chickling pea and winter vetch) and cover crop planting times (simultaneous planting of soybean with cover crops and planting cover crops three weeks after planting of soybeans) and also monoculture of soybeans both in weedy and weed free conditions were considered as controls. Soybean planted in 50 cm row spacing with 5 cm between plants in the same row. Each plot was included 5 rows soybeans. Cover crop inter-seeded simultaneously in the main crop. Crops were planted on 19 May 2013 for simultaneous planting of soybean. The dominant weed species were green foxtail (Setaria viridis L.), foxtail grass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds), and red root pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) in the experimental field. The other weed was considered as the others. At the soybean canopy closure stage, a vertical card board frame marked in 20-cm increments was used in the field as a guide to cut standing plants including soybean, cover crops and weeds. In each vertical layer of canopy, leaves and stem samples were separated. The leaf area both crops and weeds were measured with a leaf area meter LICOR-3000A (LI-COR, Lincoln, NE, USA). Stem and leaf samples oven dried.
Results and discussion
The results showed that the maximum leaf area and dry matter of soybean was varied in different layers of canopy depending on the type of cover crop and cover crop planting time, while delaying in planting of cover crop causes lower leaf area and dry matter than the plants were planted at the same time with soybean. In most cases, the maximum leaf area index and dry matter accumulation of weeds were obtained in primary layer (0-20 cm). The maximum weed leaf area (290.4 cm2) was observed in simultaneous planting of soybean with fenugreek and maximum of total weed dry matter (12.4 g.plant-1) was observed in soybean without weeding, while the minimum of weed total leaf area and total weed dry matter (0 cm2 and 0 g.plant-1, respectively) was achieved in planting of winter vetch after 21 days of soybean planting. Also delayed planting of winter vetch produced the maximum grain yield (3792.6 kg.ha-1) of soybean in weedy plots, where it had the greatest weed suppressive ability than other cover crops.
Conclusion
Winter vetch can suppress weed with competition and allelopathic mechanism, so we can conclude that winter vetch planting21 days after soybean planting is suitable replacement for weed suppression in sustainable agriculture.


This study is a systematic literature review of geographical origin authentication by elemental analytical techniques. Authentication and certification of geographic origin of agri-food products is a useful tool toward the protection of the quality for products. The aim of this work was to map the current state of research in the area of agricultural products and food, identifying emerging fields to the geographical origin of products. The article is divided in three parts. The first part of the article deals with the analytical techniques applied in the food authentication. Special mention is made to elemental analysis and multiple isotope ratio. The second section focuses on statistically published data concerning published research for geographical origin authentication for the period 2015–2019. Specific results are presented inter alia: number of articles according to the type of product, articles according to the type of the analytical techniques, and others. The third part contains characteristic results from articles that were published in the period 2015–2019, on certification of geographical origin on specific agricultural products.


To test the hypothesis that individual susceptibility to carcinogen exposure is a risk factor for breast cancer, we measured DNA adduct formation in normal breast tissues treated in vitro with 4 M benzo(a)pyrene in 76 cancer cases and 60 noncancer controls. We found a significantly higher level of adducts (134.6 21.2/10) among cases compared with controls (66.9 7.5; P 0.007). The level of adducts was significantly associated with the risk of breast cancer (odds ratio, 4.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 18.50; P 0.044) after adjusting for confounders. Stratified analysis and regression analysis demonstrated that race, pack-years of smoking, family history of breast cancer, and CYP1B1 genotype were significant predictors of the level of benzo(a)pyrene-induced adducts in the breast tissues. These observations suggest that genetic susceptibility to carcinogen exposure may play an important role in breast carcinogenesis.


Numerical simulation and field measurement were carried out to investigate into laws of deformation and movement and the evolving characteristics of the plastic region around the roadway based on engineering conditions of deep soft rock roadway in Wangfenggang colliery, Huainan Mining area. The mechanism of controlling the surrounding rock stability of soft rock roadway in deep coal mine was demonstrated. The supporting of soft rock roadway in deep coal mine must be compatible with deformation and failure characteristics of surrounding rock, and it can keep the stability of surrounding rock. The combined supporting with high strength and prestress bolting-anchoring and integral surrounding rock grouting reinforcement can effectively control the surrounding rock deformation of soft rock roadway in deep coal mine. But every working step must be pay attention to sequence on the time and space so that it can play an integral supporting effect. Research results are put into practice accordingly and good control effect has been achieved.


Ligation of the lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR) has been shown to induce both tumor growth inhibition and promotion. The functions of LTβR in these two contrasting cellular processes require further study. We demonstrated here that mice deficient in LTβ R ligands, LTα, LIGHT or both LTβ and LIGHT, exhibit greater susceptibility to methylcholanthrene-induced tumor development. LTα, LTβ and LIGHT were expressed in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and LTβR was expressed on human colon carcinoma and soft tissue sarcoma (STS) cells. Human LTβR agonist monoclonal antibody (mAb) BS-1 induced both growth inhibition and NF-κB activation in human colon carcinoma, mammary carcinoma and STS cells. Interestingly, BS-1 also significantly inhibited growth of doxorubicin-resistant and radiation-resistant human STS cells in vitro. In the molecular mechanism level, we demonstrated that BS-1 induces caspases 8 and 3 activation and cytochrome c release in tumor cells, suggesting that the LTβR mediates apoptosis at least partially through a caspase-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, mouse LTβR mAb ACH6 suppressed colon carcinoma cell metastatic potential in an experimental metastasis mouse model. Although blocking NF-κB activation did not alter tumor cell growth rate and tumor cell response to LTβR mAb-induced growth inhibition in vitro, surprisingly, blocking NF-κB activation significantly enhanced colon carcinoma cell metastatic potential in vivo, suggesting that the LTβR-mediated apoptosis pathway and NF-κB signaling pathway might cooperate to suppress tumor growth in vivo. In summary, our findings deter mine that LTβR mediates tumor cell apoptosis in colon carcinoma, mammary carcinoma and sarcoma and that LTβR-activated NF-κB potentially functions as a tumor suppressor.


Currently solid wastes generated from manufacturing process of thermosetting composite have caused environmental problems because they are non biodegradable product and cannot be recycled or remolded due to chemically crosslinked. Thus, the aim of this research is to convert glass fiber reinforced epoxy composite waste to fuel gases by gasification process. The composite waste was first grounded and its thermal decomposition behavior was then investigated using isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) from an ambient to 900°C at heating rate of 10°C/min under nitrogen atmosphere. The results showed that major decomposition temperatures of the epoxy matrix were ranging from 300 to 450°C. The composite sample was then mixed with two different catalysts, olivine (LiFePO4) or 10%NiAl2O3 in order to study the effect of catalyst on gas conversion efficiency before it was gasified in a fixed bed reactor at final temperature of 500, 600, 700, and 800°C under nitrogen mixed with air at total flow rate of 200 mL/min. Gasification process indicated that solid residues were mainly brittle black containing residual glass fiber. The significant increasing of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide conversion was achieved from sample mixed with olivine catalyst at gasification temperature of 700°C, when compared with result without catalyst at baseline conversion of 500°C as. Therefore, it can be expected that gasification process is a promising method to deal with epoxy composite for producing renewable energy.


The above essay embraces the modern phenomenon of Yiddish-Hebrew bilingualism in poetry through an examination both of its origins and its current form. It begins with Bialik and his writings in Yiddish, undertaken as a way of reaching the people, not in order to replace Hebrew with Yiddish. The former was, after all, the heart and soul of Bialik's poetic career. It was, likewise, extremely important for Aaron Zeitlin, who was a translator of Bialik's Yiddish work into Hebrew while remaining an influential Yiddish poet himself. Also, it was the lifeblood of Uri Zvi Greenberg, formerly an Expressionist Yiddish poet and finally a renewer of the Hebrew language. The article examines the literary motivations and linguistic and social environments of these three poets as "translators of themselves" — "autotranslators"— and renderers of their tradition.


The evaluation methods for the degree of rusting on stainless steels in architectural applications are reviewed. Conventionally, the atmospheric corrosion resistance of stainless steels has been ranked based on so-called rating number methods, which is either the evaluation of the percentage of area rusted, or the comparison of the specimen surface with the standard panels having different levels of dirtiness due to rusting. However, it is impossible to extract information about the corrosion mechanism that is contained in the rust form by using these methods. On the other hand, by showing relationship between the percentage of area rusted and the number of the rust spots on the xy-coordinate, the change in rust morphology can be characterized from the inclination of the locus of each datum point. Also, it can be known the quantitative dirtiness of specimen from the relationship between the logarithm of area percentage and the logarithm of the number of rust. Furthermore, it is mentioned about the application of digital image processing to measure the rust morphology.


In Chunhuhub, the Conquest is not a done deal. Unlike many small tropical towns, Chunhuhub in rural Quintana Roo, Mexico, has not been a helpless victim of international forces. Its people are descendants of heroic Mayans who stood off the Spanish invaders. People in Chunhuhub continue to live largely through subsistence farming of maize and vegetables, supplemented by commercial orchard, livestock, and field crop cultivation. They are, however, also self-consciously modernizing? by seeking better educational and economic opportunities. Political Ecology in a Yucatec Maya Community tells the story of Chunhuhub at the beginning of the twenty-first century, focusing on the resource management of plants and animals. E. N. Anderson and his Maya co-authors provide a detailed overview of Maya knowledge of and relationships with the environment, describing how these relationships have been maintained over the centuries and are being transformed by modernization. They show that the Quintana Roo Mayas have been working to find ways to continue ancient and sustainable methods of making a living while also introducing modern techniques that can improve that living. For instance, traditional subsistence agriculture is broadly sustainable at current population densities, but hunting is not, and modern mechanized agriculture has an uncertain future. Bringing the voice of contemporary Mayas to every page, the authors offer an encyclopedic overview of the region: history, environment, agriculture, medicine, social relations, and economy. Whether discussing the fine points of beekeeping or addressing the problem of deforestation, they provide a remarkably detailed account that immerses readers in the landscape. Mayas of the Yucatan Peninsula have had more than their share of successes, nd some failures as well, nd as a study in political and cultural ecology, Political Ecology in a Yucatec Maya Community has much to tell us about tropical development and about the human condition. Their experience tells us that if we wish to have not only farms but also mahogany, wildlife, and ecotourism, then further efforts are needed. As Anderson observes, traditional Maya management, with its immense knowledge base, remains the best?indeed, the onlyeffective system for making a living from the Yucatan's harsh landscape. Political Ecology in a Yucatec Maya Community is a compelling testament to the daily life practices of modern peasant farmers that can provide us with clues about more efficient management techniques for the conservation of biodiversity worldwide.


Each lot history give the original lot number, original owner, the current address, the owner of the lot in 1860, a description of the lot or dwelling in 1860, a recital of ownership with as much detail as is known, a comprehensive lot history, any known residents in 1860 (may be different than lot owner), and any family notes on any residents mentioned in the lot history. The research is comprehensive, but not necessarily exhaustive. Thorough information for all lots was not always available to the researcher.


The anther culture technique as a biotechnological application was combined with conventional breeding methods in order to improve tobacco varieties' resistant to powdery mildew prevailing in the Aegean region of Turkey. For this, resistance was transferred to two varieties from a genitor by the backcross method leading to derive haploid plants from the cultured anthers of BC1 plants firstly, and dihaploid plants by acenaphthene or colchicine treatments secondly. A total of 14 dihaploid lines out of 67 DH lines developed were found to be resistant to powdery mildew in disease screening tests. They were later subjected to field experiments to compare their morphological, yield and quality characteristics. In relation to dry leaf yield, 3 lines performed better than both of the standard varieties, while 7 lines of the same group were better than the standard Karabaglar 6265 only. As to quality characteristics, 4 lines by reducing sugar content and 4 lines by total alkaloid content performed better than standard. Finally, 8 DH lines with powdery mildew resistance and reasonable yield, quality and morphological characteristics were selected for further yield and quality trials.


Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) lower the environmental impact of cement and concrete but react more slowly than Portland cement, which therefore limits the levels of substitution possible as reasonable early strengths are necessary. One of the main factors affecting the reaction of the SCMs is the alkalinity of the pore solution. However, alkalis do not only affect SCMs, but also the clinker phases. It is generally accepted that alkalis accelerate the hydration of Portland cement but may have a detrimental impact on strength at later ages. The aim of this work is to clarify the impact of alkali salts (NaOH and Na2SO4) on the kinetics and microstructural development of cementitious systems to better understand their effect on the mechanical properties. The study of many different systems, from models such as alite to more realistic cement-slag systems, allows a general overview of the trends in each parameter. The novelty of this thesis is the study of the relationship between the development of the porosity over time, as well as the evolution of the phase assemblage, and the resulting mechanical strength in the presence of alkalis. Moreover, the use of 1H NMR brings new insights on the impact of alkalis on the amount of water and density of C-S-H in non-dried samples. For a same degree of hydration of cement, the addition of Na2SO4 leads to the same compressive strength as the alkali-free system while NaOH clearly lowers it. Ettringite is suggested as responsible for the differences. While Na2SO4 promotes the precipitation of ettringite, NaOH clearly inhibits it. Therefore, a higher volume of hydrates can better fill the space, the porosity decreases and consequently the strength is increased. Moreover, the addition of sodium gluconate to the cement-slag systems with Na2SO4 improves the strength development which seems to be related to the formation of a less dense C-S-H that better fills the space and lowers the porosity. The presence of Na2SO4 or NaOH does not affect the bulk density of C-S-H but major differences are observed in the morphology of C-S-H. Sulfate uptake leads to a divergent needle-like C-S-H while NaOH promotes a C-S-H that tends towards a foil-like morphology. Also, alkalis lead to a lower and more stable Ca/Si in C-S-H. However, the mechanical strength appears to be independent on the morphology and chemical composition of C-S-H. Alkali salts clearly accelerate the hydration rate at early ages but decrease the degree of hydration at later ages. From the studies on alite, white cement and white cement-slag systems, it has been observed that a slowdown in hydration kinetics could not be explained by changes in the relative humidity, i.e. the water activity. The increased concentration of aluminate ions could explain some of the slowdown but it appears there are other effects.


The SLIT family (SLIT1-3) of highly conserved glycoproteins were originally identified as ligands for the Roundabout (ROBO) family of single-pass transmembrane receptors, serving to provide repulsive axon guidance cues in the nervous system. Intriguingly, studies involving SLIT3 mutant mice suggest that SLIT3 might have crucial biological functions outside the neural context. While these mutant mice display no noticeable neurological abnormalities, they present pronounced connective tissue defects, including congenital central diaphragmatic hernia, membranous ventricular septal defect, and osteopenia. We recently hypothesized that the phenotype observed in SLIT3-deficient mice may be tied to abnormalities in fibrillar collagen-rich connective tissue. Further research by our group indicates that both SLIT3 and its primary receptor, ROBO1, are expressed in fibrillar collagen-producing cells across various non-neural tissues. Global and constitutive SLIT3 deficiency not only reduces the synthesis and content of fibrillar collagen in various organs but also alleviates pressure overload-induced fibrosis in both the left and right ventricles. This review delves into the known phenotypes of SLIT3 mutants and the debated role of SLIT3 in vasculature and bone. Present evidence hints at SLIT3 acting as an autocrine regulator of fibrillar collagen synthesis, suggesting it as a potential anti-fibrotic treatment. However, the precise pathway and mechanisms through which SLIT3 regulates fibrillar collagen synthesis remain uncertain, presenting an intriguing avenue for future research.


The main purpose of this work was to investigate methods of producing nanoparticles with higher magnetic moments and saturation magnetisations than in current commercially available (Fe-oxide) nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles could be used to realise novel treatment of cancer, magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia (MNH). These particles can also be optimized for use as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents and in a novel imaging system called magnetic particle imaging (MPI). It is advantageous to use pure Fe as the nanoparticle material as it has a much higher magnetisation than Fe-oxide, so these nanoparticles should perform better in MNH. In medical applications however, pure Fe needs to be encapsulated in a biocompatible shell, so high-performance nanoparticles need to be produced as core-shell particles. Here, data is presented from Fe@Cu, Fe@Ag, Fe@Al, Fe@Mg core-shell nanoparticles, and a set of pure Fe nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were utilised for obtaining detailed nanoparticle size and shape distributions, and, specifically, were also analysed using a novel parameter: the geometry factor. The geometry factor is the ratio of the true area of the nanoparticle (in 2-D), divided by its maximum possible area if it were scaled to a sphere: a less subjective manner to judge particle shape than by eye. Composition analysis was performed using energy dispersive x-rays (EDX). The magnetic nature of our nanoparticles was investigated through magnetometry. Measurement of the magnetisation (M-H curves) enabled the magnetic moments of the samples to be determined. Our best performing nanoparticles were pure Fe with a saturation magnetisation higher than that of bulk pure Fe (0.220 Am/g) of 0.262 ± 0.026 Am/g at 300 K. These nanoparticles were produced at room temperature (21 ± 2 C), a mean diameter of ~18 nm, and a geometry factor of ~0.8, indicating they are likely to contain mostly cuboctahedral shapes.


Electronically triggered fault-current limiters have been used in medium- and high-voltage power distribution systems to limit the available short-circuit current to a lower level, so that the underrated switchgear can be operated safely. However, to insure a safe and proper usage of these devices, the following major operating parameters need to be considered: (1) selection of trigger level; (2) selection of di/dt; (3) effect of the capacitor bank and stray capacitances; and (4) coordination between these devices and phase overcurrent (o/c) relays at the faulted breaker. This paper will examine these major operating parameters, evaluate the performance of the current limiters under various simulated fault conditions, and develop application guidelines for current limiters.


OBJECTIVE
Differences in iodine intake could account for the variable prevalences reported for somatic TSH receptor (TSHR) mutations in toxic thyroid nodules (TTNs). However, this question has not been settled, since no study has yet determined the TSHR mutation prevalence in regions with different iodine supplies in the same population using the same methodology. Therefore, we studied the prevalence of somatic TSHR mutations in TTNs from patients living in iodine-deficient or -sufficient regions in Turkey.

DESIGN AND METHODS
We screened 74 TTNs for somatic TSHR mutations. Exons 9 and 10 of the TSHR and 7 and 8 of the Gsalpha were screened by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Determination of X-chromosome inactivation was used for clonality analysis.

RESULTS
TSHR mutations were identified in 52 (70.2%) of 74 TTNs. A Gsalpha mutation was identified in one TTN. Three new TSHR mutations were detected (A627V, I640K, I486N). No significant difference between frequencies of TSHR mutations in iodine deficient/sufficient regions was found. The frequency of non-random X-chromosome inactivation was similar in iodine-sufficient or -deficient regions and in TSHR mutation positive or negative hot nodules.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that TTNs in iodine deficient/sufficient areas predominantly arise from aberrant growth of a single cell. Our results suggest that neither the prevalence of TSHR mutations nor that of monoclonal TTNs is related to iodine supply.


More than one third of the European Union's total budget is spent on socalled Cohesion Policy via the structural funds. Its main purpose is to promote the development of the EU and to support convergence between the levels of development of the various European regions. Investigating the impact of European Cohesion Policy on economic growth and convergence is a wide research topic in applied econometric research. Nevertheless, the empirical evidence has provided mixed, if not contradictory, results. Against this background, the aim of this chapter is to provide a fundamental review on this topic. Taking fundamental methodological issues into account, we review the existing econometric evaluation studies, draw several conclusions and provide some remarks for future research.


We extend the work by Appl and Camenzind for special relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) jets to fully general relativistic studies of standing shock formation for accreting MHD plasma in a rotating, stationary, and axisymmetric black hole magnetosphere. All the postshock physical quantities are expressed in terms of the relativistic compression ratio, which can be obtained in terms of preshock quantities. Then, the downstream state of a shocked plasma is determined by the upstream state of the accreting plasma. In this paper sample solutions are presented for slow magnetosonic shocks for accreting flows in the equatorial plane. We find that some properties of the slow magnetosonic shock for the rotating magnetosphere can behave like a fast magnetosonic shock. In fact, it is confirmed that in the limit of weak gravity for the upstream nonrotating accretion plasma where the magnetic field lines are leading and rotating, our results are very similar to the fast magnetosonic shock solution by Appl and Camenzind. However, we find that the situation becomes far more complicated because of the effects of strong gravity and rotation, such as the frame-dragging effects. We show the tendency that the large spin of the black hole makes the slow magnetosonic shock strong for the accretion solutions with the same energy flux.


The use of technology in teaching and learning for students in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is important in bridging the gap between the student, the lecturer and the content. Furthermore, technology enhances communication between staff and students and among students to improve the quality of learning experiences. The study sought to establish institutional and personal factors promoting or hindering ODL students" utilisation of the Moodle Learning Management System at the University of Eswatini. A concurrent triangulation design located in the pragmatic research paradigm combining the quantitative and qualitative research approaches was utilised in the study. One hundred and ninety-eight (198) students studying different programmes offered through ODL responded to a questionnaire. The semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a stratified random sample of ODL students at different levels of study in the university. Quantitative data were analysed using the SPSS software and reported in descriptive statistics. The identified factors were correlated with students" usage of the LMS to assess whether there was any relationship. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The study found that ODL students" perceived usefulness and ease of use, trust and satisfaction affected their usage of Moodle albeit there was weak to moderate positive relationships. Qualitative data on challenges experienced by students in using Moodle unearthed institutional factors such as inadequate technological infrastructure and insufficient student training and support. The study recommends improvement of the institutional internet bandwidth soon as well as continuous training and support for both students and course instructors.


Spectral Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) are a generalization of convolutional networks to learning on graph-structured data. Applications of spectral GCNs have been successful, but limited to a few problems where the graph is fixed, such as shape correspondence and node classification. In this work, we address this limitation by revisiting a particular family of spectral graph networks, Chebyshev GCNs, showing its efficacy in solving graph classification tasks with a variable graph structure and size. Chebyshev GCNs restrict graphs to have at most one edge between any pair of nodes. To this end, we propose a novel multigraph network that learns from multi-relational graphs. We model learned edges with abstract meaning and experiment with different ways to fuse the representations extracted from annotated and learned edges, achieving competitive results on a variety of chemical classification benchmarks.


Wastewater composition and characteristic in a northern university of China were analyzed according to the sampling and analysis of sewage discharged from the different function units. The sewage discharge quantities and principles of different time points and seasons were monitored. The results showed that the concentrations of pollutants in northern campus sewage changed in a certain pattern with the alteration of sampling time and season. Different function units had significant effect on wastewater composition. The influence degree depends on the concentration of characteristic contaminant. The study will helpful to design different campus sewage treatment system due to the principle of partition and dispersion.


The grain-scale morphology of river sediments and their size distribution are important factors controlling the
efficiency of fluvial erosion and transport. In turn, constraining the spatial evolution of these two metrics offer
deep insights on the dynamics of river erosion and sediment transport from hillslopes to the sea. However, the size
distribution of river sediments is generally assessed using statistically-biased field measurements and determining
the grain-scale shape of river sediments remains a real challenge in geomorphology. Here we determine, with new
methodological approaches based on the segmentation and geomorphological fitting of 3D point cloud dataset,
the size distribution and grain-scale shape of sediments located in river environments. Point cloud segmentation is
performed using either machine-learning algorithms or geometrical criterion, such as local plan fitting or curvature
analysis. Once the grains are individualized into several sub-clouds, each grain-scale morphology is determined
using a 3D geometrical fitting algorithm applied on the sub-cloud. If different geometrical models can be conceived
and tested, only ellipsoidal models were used in this study. A phase of results checking is then performed to remove
grains showing a best-fitting model with a low level of confidence. The main benefits of this automatic method are
that it provides 1) an un-biased estimate of grain-size distribution on a large range of scales, from centimeter to
tens of meters; 2) access to a very large number of data, only limited by the number of grains in the point-cloud
dataset; 3) access to the 3D morphology of grains, in turn allowing to develop new metrics characterizing the size
and shape of grains. The main limit of this method is that it is only able to detect grains with a characteristic size
greater than the resolution of the point cloud. This new 3D granulometric method is then applied to river terraces
both in the Poerua catchment in New-Zealand and along the Laonong river in Taiwan, which point clouds were
obtained using both terrestrial lidar scanning and structure from motion photogrammetry


In cell therapy and regenerative medicine, a reliable source of stem cells together with cytokine growth factors and biomaterial scaffolds seem necessary. As adipose tissue is easy accessible and is abundant source of adult stem cells and can differentiate along multiple lineages, it can be considered as a good candidate in aesthetic medicine. The clinical application of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) is reviewed in this article.


Myelinating glia cells support axon survival and functions through mechanisms independent of myelination, and their dysfunction leads to axonal degeneration in several diseases. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal motor neurons undergo retrograde degeneration, and slowing of axonal transport is an early event that in ALS mutant mice occurs well before motor neuron degeneration. Interestingly, in familial forms of ALS, Schwann cells have been proposed to slow disease progression. We demonstrated previously that Schwann cells transfer polyribosomes to diseased and regenerating axons, a possible rescue mechanism for disease-induced reductions in axonal proteins. Here, we investigated whether elevated levels of axonal ribosomes are also found in ALS, by analysis of a superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)G93A mouse model for human familial ALS and a patient suffering from sporadic ALS. In both cases, we found that the disorder was associated with an increase in the population of axonal ribosomes in myelinated axons. Importantly, in SOD1G93A mice, the appearance of axonal ribosomes preceded the manifestation of behavioral symptoms, indicating that upregulation of axonal ribosomes occurs early in the pathogenesis of ALS. In line with our previous studies, electron microscopy analysis showed that Schwann cells might serve as a source of axonal ribosomes in the disease-compromised axons. The early appearance of axonal ribosomes indicates an involvement of Schwann cells early in ALS neuropathology, and may serve as an early marker for disease-affected axons, not only in ALS, but also for other central and peripheral neurodegenerative disorders.


This research addresses the influence of various processing parameters on the post cure quality of carbon fibre composites. Four processing parameters were investigated in the study, in terms of their impact on void content and overall compressive strength. The first parameter distinguishes between laminates cured in a vacuum oven and those cured in an autoclave under high positive pressure. The second parameter describes the impact on voids of differing fibre architectures, comparing a unidirectional fibre structure to that of woven cloth. Thirdly, the influence of compaction during manufacture is analysed and lastly, variation in cure temperature was tested to determine its effect on final laminate quality. The quality of the cured laminate samples was assessed from visual inspection, and in terms of compressive strength and void fraction calculated by Micro-CT X-ray Tomography. The results show that autoclave-cured samples feature significant quality improvements in terms of void fraction and compressive strength when compared to oven-cured samples. Unidirectional laminates incur higher sensitivity to void inclusion than cloth laminates due to the influence of fibre wrinkling. Compaction has no effect on laminate strength; it does however reduce variability in certain cases. Temperature affects different fibre structures in different ways, these being highly dependent on curing method. Finally, it was discerned that curing by autoclave was the dominant processing parameter. Thus, regardless of other manufacturing techniques, the autoclave samples featured almost zero voids and were consequently of the highest quality.


. I conducted a high-precision comparison at the 0.2% to 0.3% level with samples supplied by the radiocarbon laboratory of the Quaternary Research Center at the University of Washington (QRC). Four samples with ages ranging from modern to > 50,000 BP were dated in a blind test. The absence of cosmic-radiation background in AMS dating is a major advantage for dating samples > 35,000 BP. The reliability of AMS dates > 35,000 BP depends entirely on understanding the contamination processes. By comparing results with laboratories capable of sample enrichment, such as QRC, it is possible to identify and estimate the intrinsic 14C in the background samples as well as the contamination introduced by sample preparation. ABSTRACT. I conducted a high-precision comparison at the 0.2% to 0.3% level with samples supplied by the radiocarbon laboratory of the Quaternary Research Center at the University of Washington (QRC). Four samples with ages ranging from modern to > 50,000 BP were dated in a blind test. The absence of cosmic-radiation background in AMS dating is a major advantage for dating samples > 35,000 BP. The reliability of AMS dates > 35,000 BP depends entirely on understanding the contamination processes. By comparing results with laboratories capable of sample enrichment, such as QRC, it is possible to identify and estimate the intrinsic 14C in the background samples as well as the contamination introduced by sample preparation.


Given the importance of considering context in development, the goal of the present study was to develop and provide initial validity evidence for the Kids' Church Survey (KCS), a new measure of children's church-based social support. Data were collected from 1253 children ages 6–14 attending mainline Protestant, evangelical Protestant, and Catholic churches. Parallel and exploratory factor analyses supported a three-factor solution: received (emotional) church support, perceived church support from peers, and perceived church support from adults. Confirmatory models conducted with independent samples provided an excellent fit for the data. All three scales evidenced acceptable internal (.78–.92) and test–retest (.88–.95) reliability. Measurement invariance was demonstrated across genders and age groups, with the exception of the perceived peer support scale, which was not invariant across ages. The KCS was sensitive to between-church differences in children's programs and incrementally predicted self-esteem, prosocial behavior, and spirituality. Applications for researchers, mental health practitioners, and clergy are discussed.


AA5754 sheet has been processed by asymmetric rolling and the development of grain structure and texture in subsequent annealing studied at 240-500°C. It has been found that asymmetric rolling facilitates the formation of ultra-fine grain structure (1-2µm grain size) by shear strain promoted continuous recrystallization, which is a process of extended recovery and subgrain/grain growth. The ultra-fine grain structure is not thermally stable, and when the annealing temperature or time increases, the grain size eventually grows to its Zener limit. The deformation texture is similar to the typical f.c.c. cold rolling texture but rotated about the transverse direction. Along with the formation of an ultra-fine grain structure and subsequent grain growth, the deformation texture is retained.


Abstract. This paper reports an experimental study designed for the in-depth investigation of how the radial basis function network (RBFN) estimates snow cover thickness as a function of climate and topographic parameters. The estimation problem is modeled in terms of both function regression and classification, obtaining continuous and discrete thickness values, respectively. The model is based on a minimal set of climatic and topographic data collected from a limited number of stations located in the Italian Central Alps. Several experiments have been conceived and conducted adopting different evaluation indexes. A comparison analysis was also developed for a quantitative evaluation of the advantages of the RBFN method over to conventional widely used spatial interpolation techniques when dealing with critical situations originated by lack of data and limited n-homogeneously distributed instrumented sites. The RBFN model proved competitive behavior and a valuable tool in critical situations in which conventional techniques suffer from a lack of representative data.


Guinea-Bissau has rich resource endowments and an advantageous geographical location, suitable for a diversified range of agricultural production across the country. Yet both the agri-food sector and the overall economy show little diversification. Economic growth has been low and volatile for decades, while poverty remains widespread. Over time cashews have gained importance in the country's economy, in terms of fiscal revenue, exports (95 percent of total export revenue comes from Raw Cashew Nuts-RCN) and rural employment (75 percent of rural households). The economy is now concentrated in the production and sale of RCN, making both the country and farmers highly vulnerable to production and market risks. Guinea-Bissau has long been caught in a vicious cycle of fragility, poor governance and weak public sector capacity. Frequent instances of political instability impose large costs on the economic and social development of the country. The country's fragility is reinforced by the high concentration in and high dependence of Guinea-Bissau's economy on a single commodity - RCN. The agri-food sector plays a central role in Guinea-Bissau's economy, comprising almost half of GDP, the vast majority of the labor force and is critical to addressing both poverty and food insecurity, especially for the 120,000 small-scale farmers in the country. Global historical evidence confirms agriculture's key role in propelling the structural transformation of national economies, mostly relying on increased land and labor productivity in agriculture, which in turn opens opportunities outside of the agriculture sector. Yet, Guinea-Bissau's agriculture performance is suboptimal, with weak agricultural productivity compared to the region. Given these trends, it is important to consider whether the environment in which the agri-food sector operates is conducive to sustainable and inclusive growth. Beyond RCN, the country has few alternatives in the short term for generating jobs, foreign exchange and widespread growth. Nevertheless, the agri-food sector has seen little technological advance and remains locked in a low-input, low-output equilibrium. Agricultural diversification, both horizontally (expanding the range of agricultural products) and vertically (adding-value to specific products, particularly RCN) could be transformative and strengthen economic resilience while addressing some of the key drivers of the country's fragility.


English language performance of Malaysian students is still below satisfactory level and many studies have been conducted to investigate the factors. Research indicates that demotivation is one of the major factors of language learning failure in many ESL classrooms. The problem is that despite the link between demotivation and language learning failure, very little is known about this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which demotivating factors discourage the students in learning English in the ESL classroom. This study employed a primarily quantitative research design and utilized questionnaire together with a semi-structured interview. A total of 120 Pre-University students from a private university in Selangor were involved in this study. Findings revealed that students had been demotivated to a greater or lesser extent, most on several occasions and it was found that the most negative demotivating factor was Learners' Attitude towards learning English. A significant difference was found between male and female students with regards to Learning Environment and Implementation of lesson. The results also revealed that students, teachers, and institutions should play their vital role in developing more effective strategies to prevent ESL learners from being discouraged in learning English language. It is hoped that the study can contribute to the body of knowledge related to education towards minimizing demotivation among ESL learners.


This chapter presents the preparation of a new kind of biocement based on the biophos- phate minerals, which have cementation, by the bacteria reacting with the substrate. Ammonia/ammonium can be changed into environment-friendly struvite when the solu- ble phosphate is added to biocarbonate cement. After that, struvite and carbonate, which can be considered as composite cements, are applied to cement loose particles. The bioce- ment is environmentally friendly, which has important application prospects. Based on mixing-precipitation process, the injection process was adopted to bind loose sand par- ticles. Permeability, porosity, compressive strength, and internal microstructure of the biosandstones cemented by composite cement were determined under different number of injections. Mixing-precipitation process was inferior to injection process according to compressive strength of the biosandstones caused by the particle size and morphology of composite cement. Permeability, porosity, compressive strength, and fixation ammonia ratio of the biosandstones were compared when three different formulations of compos - ite cement (CJ1, CJ1.5, and CJ2) were adopted to bind sand columns. The results show that the CJ2 has the best overall performance. The molar ratio of K 2 HPO 4 ·3H 2 O and urea was 2:1 in the CJ2 formulation.


The Deutsche Bahn doctrine holds that EU actions, as opposed to Member State actions, are immune from state-aid scrutiny. This interpretation has a textualist grounding: Because the EU Treaty bans only "aid granted by a Member State," it does not constrain aid granted by the EU itself.

This comment pairs the textualist grounding for Deutsche Bahn deference with a legal-process justification. Because high voting requirements to pass EU legislation give the states the tool they need to defend themselves from anti-competitive actions taken at the EU level, Commission state-aid oversight is not needed for EU legislation.

While the same political-process argument could support deference to EU legislation in fundamental freedoms cases, this comment distinguishes state-aid from the fundamental freedoms, arguing that the values underlying the fundamental freedoms—including political unity, and dignitary and personal rights values—cannot be adequately protected even by unanimous voting rules at the EU level.


Understanding the relationships between microstructures and properties of materials is a key to developing new materials with more suitable qualities or employing the appropriate materials in special uses. In the present world of material research, the main focus is on microstructural control to cost-effectively enhance properties and meet performance specifications. This present work is directed towards improving the fundamental understanding of the microscale deformation mechanisms and mechanical behavior of metallic alloys, particularly focusing on face centered cubic (FCC) structured metals through a unique computational methodology called three-dimensional dislocation dynamics (3D-DD). In these simulations, the equations of motion for dislocations are mathematically solved to determine the evolution and interaction of dislocations. Microstructure details and stress-strain curves are a direct observation in the simulation and can be used to validate experimental results. The effect of initial dislocation microstructure on the yield strength has been studied. It has been shown that dislocation density based crystal plasticity formulations only work when dislocation densities/numbers are sufficiently large so that a statistically accurate description of the microstructure can be obtainable. The evolution of the flow stress for grain sizes ranging from 0.5 to 10 µm under uniaxial tension was simulated using an improvised model by integrating dislocation pile-up mechanism at grain boundaries has been performed. This study showed that for a same initial dislocation density, the Hall–Petch relationship holds well at small grain sizes (0.5–2 µm), beyond which the yield strength remains constant as the grain size increases.


This paper studies the relationship between land tenure for smallholder agriculture and deforestation in Vietnam. We combine high resolution satellite data on deforestation with rich household and commune-level, biannual panel data. We study two margins of tenure security, whether a household has any land title (extensive) and the share of a household's land held in title (intensive). Using a household-fixed effects model, we find the increases in crop production and land investment associated with holding land title are driven by the intensive margin. We then aggregate the survey data to the commune-level and find evidence that marginal increases in extensive tenure (share of households with any land title) increase deforestation holding constant the average intensive tenure (average share of land held in tenure among those with land title). We find some evidence that increasing the intensive margin of tenure (holding constant the extensive tenure) decreases deforestation. These results present a more nuanced view of the tenuredeforestation relationship than is prevalent in the existing literature.


The HOPE VI Program for redeveloping public housing has been in operation since 1993. Previous studies have shown weak and inconsistent benefits for families forcibly displaced by the program, despite the fact that families are uniformly moved into better neighborhoods (as measured on a range of indicators at the census-tract level). This article reviews studies of HOPE VI and presents the findings of an additional case study, in Duluth, Minnesota. Improving on the design of most previous studies, this study connected changes in outcomes at the individual level with changes in neighborhood conditions. The results confirm the conclusion of previous studies: the degree of neighborhood change is not statistically related to changes in individual-level outcomes. These findings suggest that the HOPE VI model of dispersal reflects an oversimplified view of urban poverty and, in particular, may neglect the importance of informal networks of support and attributes at the individual level in determining the outcomes of forced relocation.


This paper focuses on the pulp properties obtained from ThermoMechanical Pulp (TMP) CD refiners. Undersampled pulp variables are expanded into an oversampled set of process data, which makes it possible to analyze pulp properties in a dynamic time frame. It is shown that, in order to gain deeper insight into the defibration/fibrillation at a specific energy input, one needs to know the fiber residence time and the consistency profile. Moreover, the fiber residence time in the flat zone (FZ) and conical zone (CD) are intertwined with the consistency out from FZ and CD. Together with an external variable (production), these internal variables are essential for predicting the pulp properties. It is also shown that internal process conditions from different test series can be manipulated in the operating window using a low-frequency gain description obtained from an ARX model. The same mapping procedure can be applied to pulp and handsheet properties (in this paper represented by the tensile index), and this opens for implementation of new optimization routines to find more energy efficient operating points while maintaining pre-specified pulp quality.


Impulse generation mechanisms in pulsed laser ablation were experimentally studied using the velocity interferometer system for any reflector and framing Schlieren visualization. The impulse was estimated from the rear surface velocity at the center of the laser irradiated spot. The fluence was from 13 to 24 J/cm 2 . In most cases, the propulsive force generated even after the primary laser power peak significantly contributed to the total impulse. With the combination of transversely excited atmospheric CO 2 laser and aluminum target, only air breakdown was induced on the target surface without ablation and the impulse level was low. With decreasing ambient pressure P 0 , the impulse also decreased, and eventually vanished. With the combination of Nd:YAG laser and aluminum target, the ablation jet contributed to impulse generation and the impulse did not vanish even at vanishing P 0 . When a transversely excited atmospheric CO 2 laser pulse was directed onto the polyacetal target, the impulse increased by a factor of 10 in comparison with the aluminum target, yielding a momentum coupling coefficient exceeding 400 μN ·s/J. When P 0 was at atmospheric pressure, the laser plasma shielded the target surface against the proceeding laser power transmission and the impulse saturated at a lower value than at P 0 = 10 -2 Pa.


The Swiss Feed Data Warehouse is a public service for companies, farmers and research institutions that provides detailed and up-to-date information about the concentration of nutrients in animal feed from all across Switzerland. The core of the Swiss Feed Data Warehouse is a carefully curated data warehouse with more than 2 million chemical analyses of 600 feed types and 400 nutrients. The nutrient measurements are enriched with geographical (as postal code and altitude), temporal (as harvesting and analyses dates), biological (as variety and botanical composition) and technical information (as conservation and production methods). We propose a solution that offers to users a fast, effective and intuitive approach to query and analyze large amounts of high dimensional feed data. An interactive web-application enables dynamic query construction and offers multiple charts to visualize feed data. Techniques such as radius search and charts allow non-expert users to detect local correlations and trends in the feed data. Historical information makes it possible for advanced users to analyze changes in the feed quality and determine the balance of nutrients in feed mixes that minimizes the load of severe nutrients from animal excreta into ecosystems.


Between June 2009 and March 2010, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) carried out an archaeological watching brief on behalf of The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester within and adjacent to the Lower Byrom Street Warehouse,
which forms part of the museum's premises on Liverpool Road (centred on NGR SJ 83172 97870). The warehouse is a Grade II listed building, and the archaeological watching brief was required as a condition of listed building consent to carry out a proposed scheme of improvements to the premises. The watching brief was also required to assess the nature of the sub-surface archaeological resource of the study
area. In particular, it aimed to establish the presence or absence of any surviving Roman remains, as the site lies close to the focus of Roman activity in Manchester, which was centred on the Roman fort at Castlefield.
It was proposed that the archaeological watching brief monitored the excavation of two trial pits for geo-technical purposes adjacent to the south-facing elevation of the
Lower Byrom Street Warehouse, and another trial pit that was to be excavated through the floor of the basement of the building. These were intended to ascertain the nature
of the sub-surface deposits in the areas adjacent to the south-facing elevation of the Lower Byrom Street Warehouse, and beneath the floor of the basement, in preparation
for the addition of two lifts and an internal stairway. In addition, dynamic window samples were taken from the area to the south of the warehouse, and these demonstrated that the solid bedrock lies at depths ranging from 2.60 – 2.90m below
the modern ground surface. The window samples also indicated that the solid geology was overlain by a layer of sandy-clay, and sealed by deep deposit of made ground,
which was up to 2.5m thick.


Petty trading is such a type of economic activity operating abundance of the low-earning population in new urbanizing developing countries like Nepal. The main aim of this study is to explore factors affecting the household income of petty traders during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dhahran city. This investigation had used descriptive analysis, and Pearson correlation test to identify the relationship between dependent and independent variables. There were 48 petty traders conveniently selected for the convenient sampling to collect primary data by survey method. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics by using SPSS. It is found a significant relationship between daily household income and marital status of petty traders. But there was no significant relationship between the daily household income and the size of the family, investment of capital of the petty traders. Similarly, the above results of this study suggest that this study is helpful to the planners and policymakers in Dharan city to formulate suitable policy and manage the micro-business sector including petty traders. And the government should create programs that preserve and establish the economic rights of petty traders and reduce the various complications and taxes which they usually impose on them. The study concluded that there is a significant difference between the household income of petty traders and the marital status of petty traders. Moreover, it established that there was no relationship between the household income and the family size, the investment of capital, and the income before COVID 19 of petty traders.


The effective stress range (ESR) and the number of stress cycles (NSC) are two key parameters in fatigue damage evaluation. The inaccuracies in predicting remaining fatigue life can be attributed to either one of these two parameters. A sensitivity analysis is described to address the effects of four cycle-counting methods on ESR and NSC for various fatigue details, which including rain-flow counting (RF), mean-crossing-peak counting (MCP), level-crossing counting (LC) and simple-range counting (SR). Using field monitoring data under normal traffic of Wei River Bridge, the comparative results of four methods showed that RF was more conservative than MCP and SR. The relationships between RF and other three counting methods were determined in the form of a correlation coefficient and a linear regression line. Therefore, values obtained for ESR and NSC by MCP, LC and SR can be converted to values for RF, which is used for comparison and transformation of fatigue life evaluation results using different cycle-counting methods.


OBJECTIVE
This report describes ambulatory visits for asthma in the United States across three ambulatory care settings. The primary focus is on visits to office-based physicians.

METHODS
The data sources include the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), a national probability survey of visits to office-based physicians in the United States, and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), a national probability survey of visits to hospital emergency and outpatient departments in the United States. Most estimates presented are annual averages for the 2-year period, 1993-94. Visits for asthma are defined as those for which asthma was the first-listed diagnosis. A trend analysis compares office visit data collected in 1993-94 to data in the 1980-81 NAMCS.

RESULTS
There was an average annual estimate of 13.7 million ambulatory care visits for asthma in 1993-94, an annual rate of 53.4 visits per 1,000 persons. Four-fifth of ambulatory care utilization for asthma was conducted in physician offices. Relative utilization of office-based physicians was less for adolescent and black patients. The office visit rate for asthma increased 50 percent between 1980-81 and 1993-94. During 1993-94, use of office visits for asthma averaged 43 visits per 1,000 persons of 11 million office visits per year. The office visit rate in the Northeast was almost 2.5 times that in the South, although the prevalence of asthma was similar among regions. There were 5.8 return asthma visits for every new problem encounter. More than 40 percent of asthma visits had one or two comorbidities, mostly other respiratory conditions. Spirometry was used in 28 percent of asthma visits by new patients. Bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents were the most common medications prescribed. The use of corticosteroids and beta2-adrenergic agonists, either alone or in combination, increased substantially since 1980-81. The rate of utilization of methylxanthines decreased 61 percent between 1980-81 and 1993-94.

CONCLUSIONS
The patient populations receiving care for asthma vary depending on the ambulatory care setting. Patients relying on hospital outpatient care for chronic asthma conditions may receive differential treatment and have different outcomes compared with patients of office-based physicians. For office-based ambulatory care, visits for asthma have increased substantially since 1980. Medication is the primary method of treatment with an increasing use of anti-inflammatory agents. The preferred bronchodilator has changed from methylxanthines to beta2-adrenergic agonists.


Native Hawaiians and other residents living in economically disadvantaged communities suffer disproportionately from many health conditions, especially chronic diseases. Reversing this trend requires a comprehensive approach encompassing more than just improvement in healthcare delivery. Indeed, societal changes at multiple levels must occur, including environmental, systems, and policy change, in order to bring about sustainable improvements in community health and wellness. A key strategy to accomplish these upstream changes is an increase in the capacity of community-based organizations to provide leadership in health advocacy, support community health promotion, prioritize resource allocation, and participate in community health research. In disadvantaged communities where health disparities are the most severe, community health centers (CHC) are well positioned to take a pivotal role in these efforts. This report is a case study to describe processes taking place at Hawai'i's largest CHC to build organizational capacity and bring about upstream changes that improve community health and wellness. Ongoing processes at the CHC include (1) Institutional: commitment to address health disparities, expand the CHC research infrastructure, and develop a comprehensive worksite wellness program (2) Collaborative: development of a network of community partners committed to the common goal of improving the health and wellness of community residents, and (3) Systems and Policy: activities to strengthen the CHC's and community's ability to influence systems changes and policies that reduce health disparities. Preliminary results are encouraging although the processes and timelines involved require a long-term commitment in order to affect tangible results that can be measured.


In this paper we study the problem of evaluating if the flight plan assigned to an aircraft is "safe", i.e., if it guarantees that the aircraft will neither enter any forbidden region of the airspace nor come closer than a minimum prescribed distance to another aircraft. We address the general case when the flight plan possibly involves altitude changes. The aircraft future position during the flight time is predicted based on a stochastic model that incorporates the information on the aircraft flight plan, and takes into account the presence of wind as the main source of uncertainty on the aircraft actual motion. Based on the aircraft predicted motion, we estimate the probability that an unsafe situation will occur during the aircraft flight by a stochastic approximation method. Some examples are presented to illustrate the proposed methodology for safety analysis. As expected, the examples show that the wind spatial correlation needs to be taken into account when evaluating the safety of aircraft encounters.


team explosion pulping was evaluated for oil palm empty fruit bunches fiber. The fiber morphology was observed by SEM and TEM. Results indicated that lignin was molten and the cell wall damaged after the steam explosion pulping and that the fiber was partly separated at the same time. The results of handsheet tests showed that the steam exploded pulp had a high yield (78.2%), good physical properties (especially for ring crush 8.6 N·m/g), and low effluent load (SS=910 mg/L; BOD5=3952 mg/L; CODCr=8140 mg/L). The SEP pulp from oil palm EFB fiber was very suitable for packaging paper when combined with American OCC pulp.


This paper presents a kinematic based Lagrangian approach to generate the equations of motion and design an adaptive control law for multi-body systems. This methodology is applied to dynamic analysis and controller design study for a Stewart platform. Novel means of utilizing automatic differentiation are employed to generate and solve the equations of motion, using only high level geometric and kinematic descriptions of the system. Based on deriving and coding only the kinematic descriptions of the system, the nonlinear motion of the platform is solved automatically and the analyst is freed from deriving, coding, and validating the lengthy nonlinear equations of motion. Lyapunov stability theory and concepts from adaptive control are used to formulate a nonlinear feedback control law. The control law is of the model reference adaptive structure, designed to track a prescribed smooth trajectory. By designing an adaptive update rule for the system mass and inertia parameters, the tracking errors are proven to be asymptotically stable for arbitrary parameter errors. Also, a PID adaptive control law is designed to guarantee bounded stability in the presence of bounded disturbances. Numerical results are included to illustrate the performance of the algorithm in the presence of large parameter errors and external disturbance.


Shape optimisation of a wing-in-ground airfoil would be required to improve its aerodynamic characteristics under various flight conditions. Identification of an optimised shape at various heights above ground (h/c) and angles of attack (α) could be helpful in developing morphing wing capabilities for such airfoil. Prior to conducting shape optimisation a suitable turbulence model have to be selected for such studies. We have performed In-ground-effect (IGE) simulations using four turbulence models, viz., Spalart Allmaras, SST k-ω, Standard k-ε and Transition SST model, to compare their advantages and disadvantages during such analysis. For an unaltered NACA4412 airfoil, while all the models predicted coefficient of lift (Cl) in close agreement with experimental results, Transition SST model was able to predict fine details like laminar separation bubble formation. There was a generic discrepancy in predicting drag coefficients (Cd) with all these turbulence models. However results from Transition SST were the closest to experiments. Spalart Allmaras and SST k-ω were better in the prediction of Cd when compared to standard k-ε model. We consider such studies would be helpful to generate a database of optimised airfoils for a variety of flight conditions near to ground.


In this paper, we propose a novel meta learning approach for automatic channel pruning of very deep neural networks. We first train a PruningNet, a kind of meta network, which is able to generate weight parameters for any pruned structure given the target network. We use a simple stochastic structure sampling method for training the PruningNet. Then, we apply an evolutionary procedure to search for good-performing pruned networks. The search is highly efficient because the weights are directly generated by the trained PruningNet and we do not need any finetuning at search time. With a single PruningNet trained for the target network, we can search for various Pruned Networks under different constraints with little human participation. Compared to the state-of-the-art pruning methods, we have demonstrated superior performances on MobileNet V1/V2 and ResNet. Codes are available on https://github.com/liuzechun/MetaPruning.


METALLICmercury, generally regarded as inert, is known to stimulate the formation of granulomatous lesions. 1 We have recently treated a patient in whom intestinal obstruction was caused by mercury granulomas. It is clear from our experience and from a review of the literature that rupture of the mercury-filled balloon fixed to the end of a long intestinal tube may lead to serious complications. In this communication, we list practices which we now follow in such cases. Report of a Case A 68-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with symptoms and physical signs of intestinal obstruction. The diagnosis was confirmed by roentgenograms. Three years before, the patient had had sigmoid colectomy for chronic volvulus. Two months later, he had mechanical intestinal obstruction, which, during a 48-hour trial, failed to respond to intestinal decompression with a Miller-Abbott tube. Abdominal exploration was required for enterolysis. Two enterotomies had to be done to decompress


This study was performed to investigate the effect of rice bran dietary fiber powder on serum lipid levels, bowel function, and mineral absorption in rats. Four weeks old male Sprague Dawley rats(SD rat) were divided into four groups : control group fed 5% cellulose as a fiber source, RB10 fed 5% of cellulose and 10% of rice bran dietary fiber powder, RB20 and RB30. The animals were fed the experimental diets for 4 weeks. Serum lipid levels were not significantly different among the groups. But, fecal total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c) excretion increased in the RB30 group. Fecal weight and fecal water content were higher in the rice bran added groups than those in the control group. Transit time was significantly shorter in the rice bran fiber-added groups than that in the control. Weight of the stomach and large intestine in the RB20 and RB30 groups were significantly greater than those in the other groups. Absorption rates of Ca, Mg, P, and Zn decreased significantly in the RB30 group compared to those in the other groups. A high amount of rice bran increased fecal lipids, including TC, TG and HDL-c. Rice bran increased fecal weight and fecal water content and shortened gastrointestinal transit time. However, a high level of rice bran diet decreased mineral absorption rates.


We design a double quantum-dot(QD) shuttle(DQDS) model including two rigidly connected QDs that are softly linked to two leads via deformable organic materials. Based on the full quantum mechanical approaches we explore the influences on the electron transport induced by the electrical and mechanical degrees of freedom. First of all the modified rate equations of the DQDS are derived theoretically and then a numerical investigation on the quantum transport through the DQDS is performed. For the classical DQDS, the time-dependent evolutions of the electronoccupation probabilities and the currents flowing through the DQDS show the periodic oscillations with their periods determined by the oscillation period of the DQDS. Both the mechanical oscillation amplitude and the interdot coupling can play crucial roles in adjusting the peak shapes of the currents and the probabilities. For the quantum DQDS,the current and electron-occupation probabilities of the DQDS evolve into a stationary state as time goes on, with no periodical oscillations observed. As a consequence, the sharp differences of the time-dependent properties between the classical and quantum DQDS systems are clearly demonstrated, which should be greatly helpful in designing new nanoelectromechanical devices. Also, this work is of great significance to understanding the kind of rigidly connected QD shuttle systems that have more than two QDs.


Strengthening levels of innovation is one of the cornerstones of the Scottish Government"s Economic Strategy. Innovation is a key catalyst for productivity growth as new ideas drive enterprise, create new products and markets and improve efficiency, delivering benefits to firms, customers and society. It is a crucial factor in determining competitiveness and national progress. Until recently, the most common and well known measure of innovation has been the ratio of national expenditure on R&D to GDP. Data shows that there has been a significant gap in business research and development (R&D) expenditure between Scotland and the UK, EU and OECD averages in recent years. Scottish Business Enterprise R&D (BERD) expenditure was 0.56% of Scottish GDP in 2009, lower than the rate for the UK as a whole (1.11%) and the EU (1.17%). Compared to other UK Government regions, Scotland ranked in 10th place out of the 12 regions. However, while R&D is useful for measuring technology-based activities, it is increasingly recognised that this is only one element of the broader concept of innovation and is frequently more relevant for manufacturing than for services. Evidence shows that firms introduce new products and services onto the market without necessarily performing R&D. A lot of innovation activity is based on (or embodied in) advanced machinery and computer systems purchased to implement new or improved processes and deliver new products and services. Innovation can also be purchased through rights to use patents, licences, trademarks and software. Innovation can also encompass training and new design and marketing processes. Evidence also shows that many firms adopt multiple, complementary innovation strategies, with the most innovative firms introducing both product and process innovations as well as marketing or organisational innovations. Therefore, productivity growth can be achieved through advances in technology combined with new approaches to creating and delivering of goods and services. There is now a solid body of evidence describing the relationship between research, innovation and economic development. The evidence suggests that investment in "intangible assets" that give rise to innovation (R&D, software, human capital and new organisational structures) now accounts for up to 12% of GDP in some countries and contributes as much to labour productivity growth as investment in tangible assets such as machinery and equipment. According to OECD estimates, investment in intangible assets accounted for around a quarter of labour productivity growth in the UK and other countries between 1995 and 2006. The Community Innovation Survey (CIS) allows an assessment of business innovation performance, wider than just R&D expenditure, across European Union countries. CIS collects a range of information from businesses on the types of innovation they are involved in, motivation for innovation, spending on a range of innovation activities beyond R&D, collaboration and linkages between businesses or with public research organisations, as well as data on sales from product innovations. In light of the growing recognition that innovation encompasses a wider range of activities, and that broader metrics are required to reflect this, the Innovation Survey provides a key data set to measure innovation within businesses.


The development of information technology has penetrated into various aspects of human life that it can perform an active role on information technology. In learning, for instance in the world of education, there are many simply interactive applications run on Android operating system . This application employs Unity 3D software as an editor. The initial step of making this final project is creating a design of user interface application. Waterfall Development used as methodology for developing this application. Stages of research method, requirements, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. User application is capable to run all menus contained on the application of "3D Visualization of Human Skeleton Structure System". With this application android-based user can exercise anytime and anywhere, and this application can run well when tested using black-box and got positive results when tested to application user.


IntroductionRoutine data sources are increasingly being explored as an alternative to surveys for governmental censuses. Censuses are useful, but only capture one snapshot in time. For research, changes in state over time can be important. This is particularly true for households, where changes in both composition and location are routine.
Objectives and ApproachThe Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank at Swansea University holds anonymised address data tied to Welsh General Practice (GP) registrations. The dataset has the individual's unique identifier (ALF), address identifier (RALF), and moving in and moving out dates. This can be securely linked to other demographic and health data.
Using this data, a finite, deterministic household model was developed. This model implements a set of rules for establishing, advancing, and terminating households. The rules cover different types of households, including transient and multi-generational, but not communal residences such as student halls or residential care homes.
ResultsThe model was implemented in Python, and operates over finite moving in/out transactions undertaken by actors (ALFs) on specific properties (RALFs). The roles also help to diminish data issues, such as infants moving into an address before their parents.
The model creates and updates histories of households for each RALF. This allows researchers to identify unstable versus stable households, or to look at possible environmental health factors over time.
The script also provides a running count of the total number of residents at each RALF at any given time. This makes it useful for time-specific research, or for linking to censuses.
Conclusion/ImplicationsThe ability to have a longitudinal record of households can provide additional detail to research which can be costly to obtain otherwise. This method shows promise as a useful tool for linked population data research. Further validation against surveys, and work to identify and model communal residences is needed.


A latex agglutination assay for the detection of protein A-secreting Staphylococcus aureus strains or strains with protein A in the cell wall is described. The assay utilizes latex particles coated with chicken anti-protein A antibodies. Chicken antibodies do not react with protein G-producing streptococci or rheumatoid factor, thus avoiding false-positive reactions.


We used data on grassland plant community composition over a 90-yr period in the history of the Park Grass Experiment, England to look for relationships between variation in composition and annual variation in rainfall and biomass. This was investigated by regressions of biomass and rainfall on each other, and of these variables separately on each of three different measures of variation in plant community composition. Two of these measures, principal components analysis scores based on variation in species abun- dance and the ratio by mass of nongrass/grass species, showed significant relationships with biomass variation on many experimental plots, although relationships with rainfall were relatively slight or nonexistent. The third measure employed similarity indices to detect changes in species composition in response to variation in biomass, but failed to find any. Biomass was significantly increased by rainfall on all plots. We propose that variation in community composition was more closely related to biomass variation than to rainfall because rainfall selectively favored the grasses in the community, which we believe com- peted asymmetrically (for light) with the other species when rainfall was high. The severity of this competition would depend upon biomass more directly than upon rainfall, although it is rainfall that enhanced grass growth. In effect, asymmetric competition magnified the effect of rainfall on community composition.


This is a textbook for a survey course in physics taught without mathematics, that also takes into account the social impact and influences from the arts and society. It combines physics, literature, history and philosophy from the dawn of human life to the 21st century. It will also be of interest to the general reader.


BACKGROUND
Nonsignificant findings are reported in approximately half of the studies examining correlations between environmental characteristics and walking. One reason could involve spatial incongruence in which environments examined are not necessarily the ones where the behavior occurred.

PURPOSE
To study correlates of perceived neighborhood size and the congruence between perceived and investigator defined neighborhood areas.

METHODS
Door-to-door surveys were conducted in 12 U.S. Census block groups with 18- to 87-year-old adults. Participants were asked about exercise participation and to draw a map representing their neighborhood. Geographical information software was used to construct maps, calculate neighborhood areas, and analyze congruence.

RESULTS
Neighborhood sizes perceived by women were smaller than those perceived by men and positively related to min/wk of biking and education. Education and age were negatively and perceived neighborhood support for exercise was positively associated with perceived neighborhood size in men. Approximately 90% of perceived neighborhood areas overlapped with neighborhood areas defined by circles with 1200-m radii from participants' homes.

CONCLUSIONS
Several individual characteristics including exercise are associated with perceptions of neighborhood size. Standard investigator-defined neighborhoods using a 1200-m radius (15 min walk) from a participant's home is sufficient to capture a majority of perceived neighborhood areas.


Violence is prevalent in Australian society. Victims often present to general medical practitioners for care of the physical, psychological and social consequences. It is, therefore, important to be able to identify potential offenders in order to anticipate aggression and prevent it, if possible. A motivational cycle for violence is proposed, some common predictors examined and the problem of reliable prediction discussed. Language: en