Abstract Time-averaging can be a major obstacle in reconstructing fine-scale ecological processes in the fossil record. This study presents a technique, Neighbor Proximity Analysis that attempts, despite time-averaging, to elucidate fine-scale ecological information on a single bedding plane. The technique takes advantage of the tendency for most sessile organisms to cluster in conspecific clumps, and assumes that time-averaging will tend to overprint patterns of conspecific clustering given sufficient time. The fossil species of interest is mapped onto an appropriate grid, point-counted, and the number of conspecific neighbors for each individual is counted. The community distribution is then permuted randomly for multiple iterations; and for each iteration, the number of randomly generated conspecific neighbors is compared to the observed number of conspecific neighbors. Taxa that exhibit clustering greater than expected under the random model probably clustered in life, revealing features of the local spatial structure. An example of the method is presented, using bedding planes from the Rapid Member of the Little Cedar Formation at the Devonian Fossil Gorge, Coralville, Iowa. The results indicate that of the common brachiopod present, Spinatrypa bellula clustered conspecifically during life.


Abstract A comparative study for the year 1958 of 259 cyclones in the lee of major mountain barriers in Fast Asia, and of 146 cyclones in the lee of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, shows complex multiple-frequency maxima of initial cyclogenesis in juxtaposition to these major mountain systems. The initial formation of most lee cyclones occurred under a different, cross-barrier flow in the mid-troposphere. The difluent characteristics of the upper-level flow appeared to be intensified by the mountains. On the other hand, appreciable development or intensification of the cyclones begins with the approach of an upper-level cold trough or low. In general, this intensification occurs in regions away from the principal cyclogenetic zones. However, formation and intensification do take place in the same region in some instances. About 41% of the lee cyclones sampled in East Asia were weak, local cyclones of orographic origin. In western Canada, only 25% of the cyclones belong into this category. Many cyclones that...


The geometry of the set of restrictions of rank-one tensors to some of their coordinates is studied. This gives insight into the problem of rank-one completion of partial tensors. Particular emphasis is put on the semialgebraic nature of the problem, which arises for real tensors with constraints on the parameters. The algebraic boundary of the completable region is described for tensors parametrized by probability distributions and where the number of observed entries equals the number of parameters. If the observations are on the diagonal of a tensor of format $d\times\dots\times d$, the complete semialgebraic description of the completable region is found.


Based on new comparative and analytical frameworks, this book provides a comprehensive and transnational account of major structural developments that are changing the traditional features of the academic profession. It examines the wider changes in higher education such as new governance models, massification and marketization, identity formation, internationalization and globalization, as well as new forms of knowledge production and their effects on academic life. This collection analyses the effects these changes will have on academic careers, and on employment relationships and academic labour markets in Europe and America. The volume includes contributions by many of today's leading scholars within the international higher education research community.


A discontinuous Galerkin Method based on a Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) formulation is presented for the solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations on arbitrary grids. The idea behind this approach is to combine the robustness of the BGK scheme with the accuracy of the DG methods in an effort to develop a more accurate, efficient, and robust method for numerical simulations of viscous flows in a wide range of flow regimes. Unlike the traditional discontinuous Galerkin methods, where a Local Discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) formulation is usually used to discretize the viscous fluxes in the Navier-Stokes equations, this DG method uses a BGK scheme to compute the fluxes which not only couples the convective and dissipative terms together, but also includes both discontinuous and continuous representation in the flux evaluation at a cell interface through a simple hybrid gas distribution function. The developed method is used to compute a variety of viscous flow problems on arbitrary grids. The numerical results obtained by this BGKDG method are extremely promising and encouraging in terms of both accuracy and robustness, indicating its ability and potential to become not just a competitive but simply a superior approach than the current available numerical methods.


Cisplatin is a crucial agent in the treatment of many solid tumors, yet many tumors have either acquired or intrinsic resistance to the drug. We have used the homozygous diploid deletion pool of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, containing 4728 strains with individual deletion of all nonessential genes, to systematically identify genes that when deleted confer sensitivity to the anticancer agents cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and mitomycin C. We found that deletions of genes involved in nucleotide excision repair, recombinational repair, postreplication repair including translesional synthesis, and DNA interstrand cross-link repair resulted in sensitivity to all three of the agents, although with some differences between the platinum drugs and mitomycin C in the spectrum of required translesional polymerases. Putative defective repair of oxidative damage (imp2′Δ strain) also resulted in sensitivity to platinum and oxaliplatin, but not to mitomycin C. Surprisingly in light of their different profiles of clinical activity, cisplatin and oxaliplatin have very similar sensitivity profiles. Finally, we identified three novel genes (PSY1–3, "platinum sensitivity") that, when deleted, demonstrate sensitivity to cisplatin and oxaliplatin, but not to mitomycin C. Our results emphasize the importance of multiple DNA repair pathways responsible for normal cellular resistance to all three of the agents. Also, the similarity of the sensitivity profiles of the platinum agents with that of the known DNA interstrand cross-linking agent mitomycin C, and the importance of the gene PSO2 known to be involved in DNA interstrand cross-link repair strongly suggests that interstrand cross-links are important toxic lesions for cisplatin and oxaliplatin, at least in yeast.


Purpose

This paper sets out to understand the impact of the ambient environment on perceived comfort, health, wellbeing and by extension productivity in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The research combined an occupant survey considering satisfaction with the ambient environment, health and wellbeing and workplace behaviour with the monitoring of ambient environmental conditions.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that the ambient environment can have a significant impact on occupant comfort, health and wellbeing, which in turn has implications for built asset performance. Within the ambient environmental factors considered, a hierarchy may exist with noise being of particular importance. Occupant behaviour within the workplace was also found to be influential.

Research limitations/implications

The research was limited to a single commercial office building, and a wider range of case studies would therefore be of benefit. The research was also limited to the summer months.

Practical implications

The findings show that an active approach to asset management is required, by continuously monitoring internal environment and engaging with occupants. This must carefully consider how ambient environmental factors and workplace behaviour impact upon occupants' comfort, health and wellbeing to ensure the performance of the built asset is maximised.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates that both occupiers' workplace behaviour and ambient environmental conditions can have an impact on occupant comfort, health, wellbeing and productivity. The paper strengthens the case for the active management of the workplace environment through environmental monitoring and behaviour change campaigns supported by corresponding changes to workplace culture.


The success of neural network embeddings has entailed a renewed interest in using knowledge graphs for a wide variety of machine learning and information retrieval tasks. In particular, current recommendation methods based on graph embeddings have shown state-of-the-art performance. These methods commonly encode latent rating patterns and content features. Different from previous work, in this paper, we propose to exploit embeddings extracted from graphs that combine information from ratings and aspect-based opinions expressed in textual reviews. We then adapt and evaluate state-of-the-art graph embedding techniques over graphs generated from Amazon and Yelp reviews on six domains, outperforming baseline recommenders. Our approach has the advantage of providing explanations which leverage aspect-based opinions given by users about recommended items. Furthermore, we also provide examples of the applicability of recommendations utilizing aspect opinions as explanations in a visualization dashboard, which allows obtaining information about the most and least liked aspects of similar users obtained from the embeddings of an input graph.


This study is on the influence of a prior knowledge of mathematics principles on achievement in chemistry. The researcher investigated whether or not students' achievement in chemistry could be improved by teaching them selected mathematical principles before teaching chemistry or teaching them selected mathematical principles simultaneously with chemistry. The study was carried out in Anambra State Nigeria. The design is quasi-experimental involving 300 secondary 2 students from six secondary schools distributed into three groups. Group one was taught mathematics before chemistry, group two, was taught mathematics simultaneously with chemistry, while group three received no special mathematics lesson. The groups were pre-tested with an instrument comprised of 50 multiple choice questions in chemistry and post-tested with a reshuffled edition of the pre-test after experiment. The researchers used ANCOVA to analyze the results, which revealed that the students taught mathematics before chemistry outperformed other groups.


The two-dimensional expansion of a current carrying plasma jet in the interelectrode gap of a vacuum arc with an axial magnetic field is analysed by finding the steady state solution of the fully ionized plasma in the hydrodynamic approximation. Two models are presented: (1) expansion into a duct with known geometry and (2) free jet expansion. The first approach models the plasma jet expansion with a conical shape. In the second model the geometric position of the free boundary was determined by the free hydrodynamic jet expansion into vacuum without and with the influence of a magnetic field. In the case of plasma expanding into a conical guide, it was found that the flow field in the near-axis region does not depend on the cone angle for cone angles . The radial velocity becomes comparable to the axial velocity due to the expansion, depending on the cone angle and the initial axial velocity. A model of the free boundary plasma expansion was developed, based on the jet-like (i.e. axial velocity larger than the radial velocity) plasma flow in the vacuum arc near the cathode spot. The free jet boundary was calculated by solving the equations for the normal and tangential velocity components at the free boundary. It was found that the plasma jet had a conical shape, and for axial distances 3 - 4 times greater than the initial jet radius, the radial velocity becomes comparable with the axial velocity if no magnetic field is imposed. Imposition of a magnetic field reduces the radial component of the plasma velocity. The streamline angle is about for a 0.001 T magnetic field and about for a 0.01 T magnetic field. The plasma remains quasi-neutral in all regions except in the space charge boundary layer, where an outward directed electric field appears for low magnetic fields, and an inward directed field is present for strong magnetic fields.


In theoretical and experimental approaches to the study of sperm competition, it is often assumed that ejaculates always contain enough sperm of good quality and that they are successfully transferred and used for fertilization. However, this view neglects the potential effects of infertility and sperm limitation. Permanent or temporal male infertility due to male sterility, insemination failures, or failures to fertilize the ova implies that some males do not achieve sperm representation in the female reproductive tract after mating. A review of the literature suggests that rates of nonsperm representation may be high; values for the proportion of infertile matings across 30 insect species vary between 0% and 63%, with the median being 22%. I simulated P2 (the proportion of offspring fathered by the second male to copulate with a female in a double‐mating trial) distributions under a mechanism of random sperm mixing when sample sizes and rates of male infertility varied. The results show that nonsperm representation can be responsible for high intraspecific variance in sperm precedence patterns and that it can generate misleading interpretations about the mechanism of sperm competition. Nonsperm representation might be a common obstacle in the studies of sperm competition and postcopulatory female choice.


: The authors present a case of osteoma of the tongue. This tumor was discovered without any functional symptom. Surgical resection with histological examination gives the diagnostic. This choristoma is rare, benign and clinically poor. Osteoma of the tongue is a heterotopic bone tissue and his main differential diagnosis are lingual thyroid and thyroglossal cyst. There are several opinions concerning the histogenesis of this choristoma, but an embryological anomaly is probable. Surgical removal of the tumor is curative, without any reported local recurrence.


Within the last forty years, a significant amount of research has been completed about the artistic works of Albert Eckhout (c. 1610-1665) and Frans Post (c. 1612-1680) and their connection to Dutch colonialism in Brazil. This presentation will explore the paintings created by Post and Eckhout during their seven-year stay in Brazil as well as the images based on their visit to Brazil and completed after their return to the Netherlands. To European eyes, the landscape of Northeast Brazil would be described as beyond comparison. With its natural waterfalls, forests, and winding rivers, Brazil was like an exotic paradise to its colonial settlers. The native peoples that inhabited the Brazilian coast had utterly different languages, cultural values, clothing styles, and familial systems, and governing structures than the Dutch. The native population was completely unfamiliar and foreign. Fortunately, these Dutch artists choose to create images of costumes and customs they observed, and thus today, we have access to some of the first formally painted images of the Viceroyalty of Brazil and its inhabitants. During their stay in the port of Recife, Golden Age landscape artist, Post, and portrait artist, Eckhout, created images of the New World. The work of Post and Eckhout contributes to the larger understanding of Dutch colonialism and the value of intercontinental travel and representation of the exotic in Baroque-era Europe. Using early modern taxonomic frameworks and practices along with visual analysis and historical studies of indigenous peoples, this investigation goes beyond previous scholarly interpretations referencing images of inhabitants along the northeast Brazilian coastline during the Baroque era.


This thesis examines the evolution of the financial integration and contagion of international stock and bond markets. We focus on integration at the portfolio level, which is constructed by the stock market value, BE/ME ratio, and the bond maturity respectively, in addition to those at the aggregate national market level. The aim is to examine whether these asset characteristics (size effect, BE/ME, and bond maturities) are conductive to the systematic discrepancies in integration between these portfolios with the world market respectively. For financial contagion, this study attempts to investigate whether there exists any financial variables that are competent for identifying the crisis period, whether the contagion coefficient can be expressed as a function of these variables, and whether the contagion level is constant over time. To examine these issues, we model the time variation of integration within the Kalman filter framework extended to allow for GARCH effects in the innovations. The likelihood ratio test shows that our GARCH-filter model, which combines the Kalman filter and GARCH effect, is indeed more efficient than the traditional Kalman filter system. The main results show that large (/growth) stock portfolios are more integrated with the world than small (/value) portfolios. They also show bond portfolios with longer maturities are always more integrated with the world than short-term bonds. For testing contagion, focusing on the transmission of price shocks at times of financial crisis, we find that the conditional variance of assets returns and the increased level of integration are excellent variables for identifying the crisis period. Furthermore, the contagion levels based on these two variables vary dramatically all the time, but are significantly different from zero over time for most cases in our sample. Thus, this study offers more opportunities for investors and portfolio managers, who can benefit from new insight into the co-movements among different asset portfolios in different international markets. The study also provides a consistent platform for measuring financial contagion.


Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is mainly explained by four underlying pathophysiological phenomena: 1. Vasoconstriction, 2. reduction of pulmonary vascular bed, 3. reduction in vessel elasticity, and 4. obliteration of the vessel lumen by thrombotic material and subsequent cellular alterations of the vessel wall (vascular remodeling). Chronic right heart load is thus a consequence of increased pulmonary pressure and vascular resistance. Main targets of advanced therapeutic strategies are therefore first: resolution of chronically increased vascular tone by smooth muscle cell relaxation (vasodilators), second: reversal of vascular remodeling and third: prevention from pulmonary embolization and/or in-situ thrombosis (chronic anticoagulation). Long term administration of high dose calcium channel blockers (though operative only in a minority of 10 - 15 % of all patients), prostanoids (eg. prostacyclin, iloprost), and the recently approved unselective oral endothelin antagonist bosentan are regarded as established medical therapies for treatment of chronic PHT. However, applicability of these substances can be limited by potentially serious adverse events and/or necessity for elaborate parenteral application. Recent data are indicative for a strong pulmonary vasodilative potency of the selective phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor sildenafil. Smaller clinical studies and numerous case reports underline the good tolerability of this orally applied substance in various form of PHT. Based on these encouraging results, the simple availability, and the low costs (in comparison to "established therapies") of the drug, sildenafil is currently widely used in an "off-label" indication for treatment of PHT. Controlled randomized studies have to confirm the current findings, before general recommendations regarding the use of sildenafil for treatment of PHT can be made.


In this study, failure analysis of pipe system at a micro hydroelectric power plant is investigated. Failure occurred at the pipe system in the powerhouse during shut down operation of the water flow by a valve. This locking had caused a sudden shock wave, also called "Water-hammer effect", resulting in noise and inside pressure increase. After visual investigation of the effect of the shock wave on the system, a circumference crack was observed at the pipe flange weld region. To establish the reason for crack formation, calculations of pressure and stress values at pipe, flange and welding seams were carried out and concluded that safety factor was high (2.2), indicating that no faulty design existed. By further analysis, pipe system and hydroelectric power plant was examined. After observations it is determined that the plant did not include a ventilation nozzle (air trap), that prevents the system of sudden pressure increase inside the pipes which is caused by water-hammer effect. Analyses were carried out to identify the influence of water-hammer effect on inside pressure increase and it was concluded that, according Jowkowsky's equation, shut down time is effective on inside pressure increase. The valve closing time was uncertain but by a shut down time of even one minute, inside pressure would increase by 7.6 bar (working pressure was 34.6 bar). Detailed investigations were also carried out on the assembly of the pipe-flange system by considering technical drawings. It was concluded that the pipe-flange system was not installed according to the instructions. Two of five weld seams were not applied and one weld was carried out faulty. This incorrect and inadequate weld seams resulted in; insufficient connection of the pipe to the flange constituting a strong notch effect at weld seam regions, increase in stress values and the decrease of strength and safety factor. Keywords— Failure analysis, hydroelectric plant, water-hammer, crack, welding seam.


Cloud computing is a relatively new technology that facilitates collaborative creation and modification of documents over the internet in real time. Here we provide an introductory assessment of the available statistical functions in three leading cloud spreadsheets namely Google Spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel Web App, and Zoho Sheet. Our results show that the developers of cloud-based spreadsheets are not performing basic quality control, resulting in statistical computations that are misleading and erroneous. Moreover, the developers do not provide sufficient information regarding the software and the hardware, which can change at any time without notice. Indeed, rerunning the tests after several months we obtained different and sometimes worsened results.


We have implemented and evaluated a positron emission tomography (PET) demonstrator using two monolithic detector blocks operating in coincidence with dedicated application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) readout. Each detector is composed of a monolithic lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) scintillator coupled to a pair of Hamamatsu S8550-02 APD arrays. The front-end electronics of this demonstrator is based on the VATA240 ASIC readout, which sums the charge provided by each row and column of the APD array. The ASIC has been characterized obtaining a noise per row or column less than 2000 electrons rms with the APD at its inputs and a good linear response in the range from 5 fC to 30 fC. We have acquired energy spectra of 22Na and 137Cs radioactive sources, achieving energy resolutions between 13.2% and 14.1% full width at half maximum (FWHM) at 511 keV. We have estimated the interaction position over the surface of the monolithic blocks using Neural Networks (NN) position determining algorithms, obtaining spatial resolutions at the detector level down to 2.1 mm FWHM. By using this detector technology and electronics we have achieved images of point sources with spatial resolutions as good as 2.1 mm FWHM for filtered back projection (FBP) reconstructions methods with single slice rebinning (SSRB). Based on the results obtained with this demonstrator, we are developing a PET insert for existing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, to be installed in a collaborating hospital and used for clinical PET-MRI of the human brain.


Introduction. Part I: Arming Yourself with the Basics of Basic Math. Chapter 1: Playing the Numbers Game. Chapter 2: It's All in the Fingers - Numbers and Digits. Chapter 3: The Big Four: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division. Part II: Getting a Handle on Whole Numbers. Chapter 4: Putting the Big Four Operations to Work. Chapter 5: A Question of Values: Evaluating Arithmetic Expressions. Chapter 6: Say What? Turning Words into Numbers. Chapter 7: Divisibility. Chapter 8: Fabulous Factors and Marvelous Multiples. Part III: Parts of the Whole: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. Chapter 9: Fooling with Fractions. Chapter 10: Parting Ways: Fractions and the Big Four Operations. Chapter 11: Dallying with Decimals. Chapter 12: Playing with Percents. Chapter 13: Word Problems with Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. Part IV: Picturing and Measuring - Graphs, Measures, Stats, and Sets. Chapter 14: A Perfect Ten: Condensing Numbers with Scientific Notation. Chapter 15: How Much Have You Got? Weights and Measures. Chapter 16: Picture This: Basic Geometry. Chapter 17: Seeing Is Believing: Graphing as a Visual Tool. Chapter 18: Turning Geometry and Measurements into Word Problems. Chapter 19: Figuring Your Chances: Statistics and Probability. Chapter 20: Setting Things Up with Basic Set Theory. Part V: The X-Files: Introduction to Algebra. Chapter 21: Enter Mr. X: Algebra and Algebraic Expressions. Chapter 22: Unmasking Mr. X: Algebraic Equations. Chapter 23: Putting Mr. X to Work: Algebra Word Problems. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 24: Ten Key Math Concepts You Shouldn't Ignore. Chapter 25: Ten Important Number Sets You Should Know. Index.


In many basal metazoans both somatic and reproductive functions are performed by cellular derivatives of a single multipotent stem cell population. Reproduction can drain these stem cell pools, imposing a physiological cost with subsequent negative effects on somatic maintenance functions. In the freshwater cnidarian Hydra oligactis both asexual (budding) and sexual reproductive modes (production of resting eggs) are present, and both of these are dependent on a common pool of interstitial stem cells. Resting eggs tolerate abiotic conditions which neither the parental animals, nor asexual offspring can survive (e.g. freezing). Therefore, when facing unfavorable conditions and increased mortality risk, hydra polyps are expected to show higher differentiation of interstitial stem cells into germ cells (i.e. sexual reproduction), compared to other cell types needed for selfmaintenance or asexual reproduction. Here, by comparing sexually and asexually reproducing individuals to non-reproductives, we studied the physiological costs of reproduction (size of interstitial stem cell pools, their somatic derivatives and regeneration rate, which is dependent on these cell types) in H. oligactis polyps from a free-living Hungarian population prior to the onset of winter. Sexual individuals (but not asexuals) were characterized by significantly smaller interstitial stem cell pools, fewer somatic derivatives (nematoblasts involved in food capture) and lower regeneration ability compared to non-reproductives. We also found a negative correlation between germ cell counts and stem cell numbers in males (but not in females). These results show that the physiological costs of reproduction are higher for sexual individuals. They also suggest that increased differentiation of stem cells into gametes might limit investment into somatic functions in hydra polyps. Exhaustion of cellular resources (stem cells) could be a major mechanism behind the extreme post-reproductive senescence observed in this species.


Inland waters play an important role for the storage of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and outgassing of methane (CH4). However, to date, linkages between the optical dynamics of CDOM and dissolved CH4 levels remain largely unknown. We used multi-year (2012-2014) seasonal data series collected from Lake Taihu and 51 connecting channels to investigate how CDOM optical dynamics may impact dissolved CH4 levels in the lake. High dissolved CH4 in the northwestern inflowing river mouths coincided with high underwater UV-vis light availability, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), DOM aromaticity, terrestrial humic-rich fluorescence, in situ measured terrestrial CDOM, depleted dissolved oxygen (DO), stable isotopic δ2H, and δ18O compared with other lake regions. Our results further revealed positive relationships between dissolved CH4 and CDOM absorption at 350 nm, i.e. a(350), COD, DOC, terrestrial humic-rich fluorophores, and DOM aromaticity, and negative relationships between dissolved CH4 and DO, δ2H, and δ18O. The central lake samples showed a major contribution of terrestrial-sourced molecular formulas to the ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry data, suggesting the presence of allochthonous DOM sources even here. We conclude that an elevated terrestrial CDOM input likely enhances dissolved CH4 levels in Lake Taihu.


Prevalence and Relationship between Hyperglycemia Hypertension and Obesity in Libreville-Gabon: A Pilot Study
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate hyperglycemia hypertension and obesity in Libreville (Gabon).
Methods: 417 individual took part in this study (255 females and 162 males). Body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose and hemoglobin levels were measured in all participants.
Results: The prevalence of hyperglycemia was 9.5%. Hyperglycemia incidence was 5.8%. Hyperglycemia rate was higher in males (11.8%) as compared to females (8%). 22.2% screened individuals had high-blood pressure. Hypertension rate was found to be higher among male (22.9%) as compared to female (15.2%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity were respectively 29.1% and 24.8%. 4.1% of subjects were under-weight. Respectively 14% of males and 31% of females were obese. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) like conditions among the studied
population was 11%. The proportion of the females with the MetS like conditions was comparable to that of the males (10.6% vs 11.7%).
Conclusion: Diabetes, hypertension and obesity are rapidly rising in Africa; countries like Gabon need to seriously assess the extent of these conditions within their population in order to take the appropriate actions.


Infertility, the inability to have children when this is desirable, is reported to affect 1in 6 couples in the UK. The experience of infertility has become increasingly 'medicalised' (Conrad, 2004) in the context of rapid developments in assisted reproductive technologies, leading Greil et al., (2010) to posit that "the social construction of health and illness is perhaps even more striking in the case of infertility than it is for other conditions". While there is considerable work into the social aspects of infertilty, as yet there is almost no research into the linguistic or discursive representations of infertility, an absence addressed by this thesis, in the research question what are the discourses of infertility? The combination of corpus linguistics and discourse analysis (CADS) has been fruitfully employed previously in the study of a range of social phenomena (Partington et al., 2013; Baker et al., 2008), including health issues such as depression (Hunt, 2013) and is the approach adopted in this study. Crucial to CADS is the use of comparison, this requirement is met in this thesis by using three text types on the topic of infertility; 1) weblogs written by people experiencing infertility, 2) news reports on the topic of infertility, and 3) fertility clinic websites, all collected in the UK context. I apply a combination of corpus linguistic methods to identify salient linguistic features, and close reading of these features in context to identify traces of discourses (Sunderland, 2004) around the topic of infertility in the three text types. Unique to the methodology of the thesis is the use of the Patterns tool in the Wordsmith suite to identify repeated collocate patterns around a word of interest and identify features for close analysis. Through this process of linguistic analysis and contextual reading, four overarching discourses of infertility were identified; 1) the transformative effect of infertility, 2) medicalised (in)fertility, 3) the marketization of reproduction, and 4) parenthood as privilege and imperative. These discourses encompass multiple, intersecting subdiscourses which operate interdiscursively within and across the three text types studied. The increased awareness of these discourses has the potential to improve understanding of practitioners in the field of infertility, especially frontline staff and thus improve the experience of those accessing services. On a societal level, to critically appraise dominate discourses around a condition can be a conduit to challenging those discourses which are problematic.


Enclosing objects in the hand is a common and efficient way of haptic exploration. Recently, the importance of grasping for more realistic haptic perception of virtual objects has been recognised in haptic interface design. While several studies on haptic perception have addressed haptic exploration of a single object, perception of several objects grasped together in the hand has received almost no attention yet. In this study we focus on the importance of freedom to manipulate the objects in the hand for three-dimensional shape perception. Furthermore, we investigate differences in detection speed for different positions in the grasping hand. Subjects were asked to search for a cube among spheres or for a sphere among cubes. Response times were measured for different locations of target shape in the hand. Also, the way in which the items were fixed was varied from allowing small displacements and rotation of the shapes to rigidly fixed. There were only differences in search times between the different positions in the hand, when the centre item was difficult to access because of the surrounding items. Finally, we show that search was faster when the items were rigidly fixed than when displacement and rotation was possible. This shows that more exploratory freedom does not necessarily make search for a three-dimensional shape faster.


After analog television broadcasting was terminated in Japan, the frequency bands from 90 to 108 MHz (VHF-low band) and from 207.5 to 222 MHz (VHF-high band) were reallocated to mobile multimedia broadcasting (MMB). We propose three methods to improve the mobile reception performance with VHF-low MMB. These involve the extended time-interleaving length, space diversity reception technology, and iterative decoding technology between Viterbi decoding and Reed-Solomon decoding. This paper describes improvements of the mobile reception performance evaluated through laboratory and field experiments. As a result of laboratory experiments, the extension of time-interleaving length from I=4 (0.5 s) to I=32 (4 s) improved the mobile reception performance by 2.7 dB, three-fold iterative decoding improved it by 1 dB, and 2-branch space diversity reception improved it by 6.4 dB at a vehicle speed of around 30 km/h. Combining the three methods improved it by 8.9 dB. We conducted field experiments, and the results from these matched those from the laboratory experiments.


Aim

Questions about the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up regulation of populations have long occupied ecologists. Recent work has explored how the strength of consumer- versus resourced-based limitation can shift in strength across both time and space, and indicates the need for larger scales of study across spatial resource gradients. A better understanding of how climate gradients affect population regulation is integral to conservation ecology, particularly in the context of global change.

Location

California.

Methods

We examined the effects of bottom-up (water limitation) and top-down (small mammal herbivory) forces on valley oak (Quercus lobata) sapling recruitment. We used existing literature on valley oak planting experiments and field data on natural populations at 26 sites across the species' distribution to explore how the factors regulating oak populations shift along a regional precipitation gradient. This approach allowed us to study time-integrated ecological processes in a long-lived system that would be impossible to manipulate in a strictly experimental setting.

Results

We found that the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up forces in limiting oak recruitment shifted across the precipitation gradient, with small mammalian herbivory (top-down) more important as long-term mean site precipitation increased, and factors related to moisture stress (bottom-up) increasingly important at lower precipitation levels.

Main conclusions

Our findings emphasize the importance of expanding the spatial scale of studies on population and community dynamics in order to better understand patterned variation in the multiple factors regulating them across resource gradients.


Von Kármán crater (diameter = ~186 km), lying in the northwestern South Pole‐Aitken (SPA) basin, was formed in the pre‐Nectarian. The Von Kármán crater floor was subsequently flooded with one or several generations of mare basalts during the Imbrian period. Numerous subsequent impact craters in the surrounding region delivered ejecta to the floor, together forming a rich sample of the SPA basin and farside geologic history. We studied in details the targeted landing region (45.0–46.0°S, 176.4–178.8°E) of the 2018 Chinese lunar mission Chang'E‐4, within the Von Kármán crater. The topography of the landing region is generally flat at a baseline of ~60 m. Secondary craters and ejecta materials have covered most of the mare unit and can be traced back to at least four source craters (Finsen, Von Kármán L, Von Kármán L', and Antoniadi) based on preferential spatial orientations and crosscutting relationships. Extensive sinuous ridges and troughs are identified spatially related to Ba Jie crater (diameter = ~4 km). Reflectance spectral variations due to difference in both composition and physical properties are observed among the ejecta from various‐sized craters on the mare unit. The composition trends were used together with crater scaling relationships and estimates of regolith thickness to reconstruct the subsurface stratigraphy. The results reveal a complex geological history of the landing region and set the framework for the in situ measurements of the CE‐4 mission, which will provide unique insights into the compositions of farside mare basalt, SPA compositional zone including SPA compositional anomaly and Mg‐pyroxene annulus, regolith evolution, and the lunar space environment.


A structure model for volume rendering, called a shell, is introduced. Roughly, a shell consists of a set of voxels in the vicinity of the structure boundary together with a number of attributes associated with the voxels in this set. By carefully choosing the attributes and storing the shell in a special data structure that allows random access to the voxels and their attributes, storage and computational requirements can be reduced drastically. Only the voxels that potentially contribute to the rendition actually enter into major computation. Instead of the commonly used ray-casting paradigm, voxel projection is used. This eliminates the need for render-time interpolation and further enhances the speed. By having one of the attributes as a boundary likelihood function that determines the most likely location of voxels in the shell to be on the structure boundary, surface-based measurements can be made. The shell concept, the data structure, the rendering and measurement algorithms, and examples drawn from medical imaging that illustrate these concepts are described.<<ETX>>


Practice teachers within the UK National Health Service have had an unstable history during which their status has fluctuated. They belong to that category of occupations where there is a dual role identity, the practice teacher element being subordinate or secondary to a clinical role which is often aligned to additional leadership and management responsibilities. The secondary nature of the role contributes to the liminal status of this small professional group and this affects the professional identity of practice teachers and the extent to which the role can maintain itself and achieve recognition. This study seeks to reconcile identity and socio-material theory in order to offer innovative and original insights into how the practice teachers dual professional identity develops and how they learn and enact their role.

This study develops empirical insights into the role and attributes of practice teachers and the context in which they work in order to produce a body of knowledge which could inform their preparation for the role. One to one interviews were carried out with ten practice teachers, four managers and eight specialist community nursing students in one region of the UK. In addition a focus group interview was conducted with six specialist community nurse educators drawn from a national organisation, and one to one interviews were conducted with the chair of a body representing nurse educators and a regulatory body representative. The analysis was framed by the socio-material literature and this illuminated the broader range of factors influencing learning and their impact upon professional roles.

The findings suggest that health service reforms in recent years have led to the development of an efficiency driven model of health care and this impinges upon practice teacher roles and practice learning. The evidence indicated an absence of an infrastructure to support the practice teacher role in all its aspects and as a consequence the role is ambiguous and diffuse. A range of differing socio-material factors influence the specific localised contexts in which practice teachers experience and learn their role. As a consequence practice teacher roles are assembled in different ways and they are thus not a homogenous group. A corollary of this is that the professional identity of practice teachers is unstable and they have struggled to develop a shared identity. The findings depict practice teachers who have a capacity for self-determination and who are proactive in attempting to establish a more stable professional identity.


We study the effects of mandatory disclosure on competitive interactions in the setting of oil and gas (O&G) reserve disclosures by North American public firms. We document that reserve disclosures inform competitors: when one firm announces larger increases in O&G reserves, competitors experience lower announcement returns and higher real investments. To sharpen identification, we analyze several sources of cross-sectional variation in these patterns, the degree of competition, and the sign and the source of reserves changes. We also exploit two plausibly exogenous shocks: the tightening of the O&G reserve disclosure rules and the introduction of fracking technology. Additional tests more directly focused on the presence of proprietary costs confirm that the mandated reserve disclosures result in a relative loss of competitive edge for announcing firms. Our collective evidence highlights important trade-offs in the market-wide effects of disclosure regulation.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine that induces interferon-g (IFN-g) production by natural killer and T-lymphocytes. IL-12 also activates human B-cells through the IL-12 receptor (IL-12R) complex. Here we review the expression and function of IL-12 and IL-12R in human B-cells and in their malignant counterparts.

EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION SOURCES
The information provided derives from results both published and unpublished obtained in the laboratories of the Authors, and from a comprehensive review of all the pertinent articles published so far in Medline.

STATE OF ART
The two components of the IL-12R, i.e. the b 1 and b 2 chains, were found to be constitutively expressed in human naive, germinal center and memory tonsil B-cells; however, only naive B-cells were activated following interaction with IL-2. Here we show that the IL-12Rb2 gene is not expressed in EBV-transformed normal B-lymphocytes and in Burkitt's lymphoma B-cell lines. IL-12 p35 and p40 transcripts were detected in all tonsil B-cell subsets, but only naive and memory B-cells produced IL-12. In this study, biosynthesis of IL-12 was investigated in tonsil B-cells, showing that the molecular weight of the mature heterodimeric IL-12 was similar to that of monocyte-derived IL-12, with minor differences possibly related to glycosylation. Finally, malignant B-cells from follicular and marginal zone lymphomas expressed IL-12 p35 and p40 transcripts, whereas only p35 mRNA was detected in mantle cell lymphoma.

PERSPECTIVES
Taken together, the studies herein reviewed indicate that human B-cells, at variance with their murine counterparts, can produce IL-12 following CD40 ligation. IL-12 p35 and p40 transcripts are found in B-cells from different lymphoproliferative disorders, but the evidence that the cytokine is produced at the protein level is poor. IL-12R is expressed in the main human B-cell subsets, but it is functional only in naive B-cells. Finally, the failure of transformed B-cell lines to express IL-12Rb2 mRNA opens up new perspectives in the investigation of B-cell malignant transformation.


The QPQ complex salt bath treatment is a type of surface technology which contains mainly salt bath nitriding and post-oxidizing processes. The effect of QPQ oxidizing temperature and duration on the corrosion resistance of QPQ treated specimens has been explored by immersion tests and salt spray tests in this paper. All the specimens were post-oxidized after being nitrided at 570! for 2 hours. The material used in this study were 1020 steel. In the immersion tests, the specimens were immersed in 3‰ H2O2 and 10% NaCl water solution. In the salt spray tests, specimens were salt spray tested using 5% NaCl neutral solution. From the experimental data, for high corrosion resistance, conclusions can be drawn:(1) appropriate temperature should be selected carefully in post-oxidizing stage .Too low or too high temperature would decrease the corrosion resistance. (2) The best post-oxidizing duration should generate magnetite film in porous area and should not collapse. (3) In second oxidizing stage, the porous area has been partly eliminated, so the duration should be less than the duration of post-oxidizing.


ABSTRACT XF-73 is a dicationic porphyrin drug with rapid Gram-positive antibacterial activity currently undergoing clinical trials for the nasal decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In multistep (55-passage) resistance selection studies in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of XF-73, retapamulin, mupirocin, fusidic acid, and vancomycin against four Network on Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus MRSA strains, there was no >4-fold increase in the MIC for XF-73 after 55 passages. In contrast, there was an increase in the MICs for retapamulin (from 0.25 μg/ml to 4 to 8 μg/ml), for mupirocin (from 0.12 μg/ml to 16 to 512 μg/ml), for fusidic acid (from 0.12 μg/ml to 256 μg/ml), and for vancomycin (from 1 μg/ml to 8 μg/ml in two of the four strains tested). Further investigations using S. aureus NRS384 (USA300) and daptomycin demonstrated a 64-fold increase in the MIC after 55 passages (from 0.5 μg/ml to 32 μg/ml) with a >4-fold increase in the MIC obtained after only five passages. Sequencing analysis of selected isolates confirmed previously reported point mutations associated with daptomycin resistance. No cross-resistance to XF-73 was observed with the daptomycin-resistant strains, suggesting that whereas the two drugs act on the bacterial cell membrane, their specific site of action differs. XF-73 thus represents the first in a new class of antibacterial drugs, which (unlike the comparator antibiotics) after 55 passages exhibited a ≤4-fold increase in MIC against the strains tested. Antibacterial drugs with a low propensity for inducing bacterial resistance are much needed for the prevention and treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria both within and outside the hospital setting.


An atomistic model is presented for the melting behavior of a surface and a nanosolid, as well as their interdependence based on the recent "bond order−length−strength" (bond-OLS) correlation mechanism (J. Phys. D 2001, 34, 3470). It is suggested that the coordination number (CN) of a surface atom reduces whereas the remaining bonds of the lower-coordinated surface atom relax spontaneously associated with the single bond energy rise. Hence, the atomic cohesive energy (a single bond energy multiplies the CN) or the heat required for loosening the atom at the surface differs from the bulk value. Such a difference is suggested to be responsible for the fall (depression) or rise (overheating) of the melting point of a surface and a nanosolid of which the portion of surface atoms varies with the particle size. Being with few assumptions or freely adjustable parameters, the current premise is in good accordance with existing models and is perhaps able to link the existing models to the fact of surface CN imperf...


While the choice between secrecy and transparency has political and cultural salience, this paper questions the logic of such an opposition. Through a consideration of the different attitudes towards secrecy embedded in the Bush and Obama administrations, this paper argues that both positions fail to understand their own relation not only to secrecy itself, but also to each other. They are caught, that is, within the same commonsensical idea of the secret: one that assumes the secret is secreted away, waiting to be exposed. By introducing a third term – Jacques Derrida's "unconditional secret," a structuring secrecy beyond the logic of revelation – this article questions transparency's link with democracy and its cultural place today as a force of good. Through Derrida's work we must face the proposition that although the choice between secrecy and transparency is presented as one between lesser and greater democracy, both are in fact beholden to democracy's enemy: totalitarianism. This article ends by asking what a post-secret politics might look like.


Laminated composites, such as graphite-epoxy, are vulnerable to delamination. Through-the-thickness stitching can dramatically improve the interlaminar strength and fracture toughness of laminated composites. In some instances the fracture toughness is so high that conventional DCB tests cannot propagate the crack, instead the specimen fails in flexure. Recently a novel fixture has been developed and used successfully to measure Mode I fracture toughness of such stitched composites. Due to the stable propagation, the location of the crack front and the corresponding load can be precisely measured. The nonlinear differential equations of equilibrium of the new specimen were solved using an iterative procedure to obtain the strain energy release rate as a function of load and crack length. Results include, bending moment, transverse deflection and slope as a function of crack length. The analytical method in conjunction with experimental measurements has been successfully used to determine the instantaneous GIC of the specimen. It was found that the apparent fracture toughness of the specimens tested was roughly constant along the stitched zone, and was about sixty times that of unstitched specimen.


Almost all governments in the world nowadays are implementing e-government for the purpose of costs reducing, services improving, time saving and increasing effectiveness and efficiency in all sectors of the government. That is why e-government became one of the primary target for Saudi government and all its agencies. This paper will discuss the main strategies and their impact on economic development of the Saudi nation and the efforts taken for implementation and the consciences been made to fulfill the strategies of the Saudi initiatives. It will also define the EGovernment and presents the most common advantages of e-government. However, e-government program normally expected to face many challenges and barriers, may be technological, cultural, organizational, or social issues. These have also been discussed in this paper.


We discuss the appearance of odd-frequency spin-triplet s-wave superconductivity, first proposed by Berezinskii [J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 20, 287 (1974)], on the surface of a topological insulator proximity coupled to a conventional spin- singlet s-wave superconductor. Using both analytical and numerical methods, we show that this disorder robust odd-frequency state is present whenever there is an in-surface gradient in the proximity induced gap, including superconductor-normal state junctions. The time-independent order parameter for the odd-frequency superconductor is proportional to the in-surface gap gradient. The induced odd-frequency component does not produce any low-energy states.


Beefsteak Cave is located towards the southern end of the Rock of Gibraltar, along the cliff line between the wave-eroded platforms of Europa and Windmill Hill Flats. Set within the grey dolomites of the early Jurassic Europa Member, the Cave is almost certainly of marine origin. It was probably formed during a sea-level highstand earlier than 250 ky. The exposed brecciated deposits form part of an earlier gallery within a larger cave system that has since been eroded away. The Cave still contains almost 5m of brecchiated deposits, within which six broad levels are identified. At least three of these levels contain in situ lithic industry. The lithic tools are identified as Middle Palaeolithic, with flint, jasper and sandstone being used as raw materials. A sample from Level D was dated using Useries (alpha-spectrometry) and gave an age of 98.8 ±15.5 ky BP. The results here presented are the earliest known recorded Middle Palaeolithic artefacts from Gibraltar. During periods of human occupation, this cave would have commanded a strong position above Europa Flats with Windmill Hill Flats in close proximity. Fossil evidence from the area suggests that a diverse community of ungulate herbivores would have inhabited both plains and would have been an accessible food resource for the human inhabitants of the Cave.


The DL-Lite description logics allow for modeling domain knowledge on top of databases and for efficient reasoning. We focus on metric temporal extensions of DL-Lite_bool and its fragments, and study the complexity of satisfiability. In particular, we investigate the influence of rigid and interval-rigid symbols, which allow for modeling knowledge that remains valid over (some) time. We show that especially the latter add considerable expressive power in many logics, but they do not always increase complexity.


Sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na-K-ATPase) is associated with electrolyte transport in many tissues. To help delineate its role in intestinal transport, changes in rat intestinal electrolyte and water transport induced by injecting methylprednisolone acetate 3 mg/100 g or deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) 0.5 mg/100 g per day for 3 days were correlated with changes in Na-K-ATPase activity. Methylprednisolone increased sodium and water absorption, potassium secretion, transmural potential difference, and Na-K-ATPase activity in the jejunum, ileum, and colon. Examination of isolated epithelial cells demonstrated that the jejunal and ileal increase in Na-K-ATPase occurred in both the villus tip and crypermeability, Mg-ATPase, and adenylate cyclase activities were unchanged by methylprednisolone. DOCA increased sodium and water absorption, potassium secretion, transmural potential difference, and Na-K-ATPase activity in the colon alone. Colonic Mg-ATPase and adenylate cyclase activities were unaffected. Jejunal and ileal enzyme activity, electrolyte transport, and permeability were unchanged by DOCA. Methylprednisolone and DOCA were not additive in their effect on colonic Na-K-ATPase activity. Methylprednisolone and DOCA increased electrolyte and water transport and Na-K-ATPase activity concomitantly in specific segments of small intestine and colon. These data are consistent with an important role for Na-K-ATPase in intestinal electrolyte and water transport.


This paper examines the process of distress selling and asset market feedback. It splits this process into several stages, in order to analyse what triggers distress selling, why asset prices fall, and how falling prices generate additional rounds of selling. This framework enables us to understand and compare models relevant to distress selling from diverse literatures. The paper also considers what policy options are available at each stage to mitigate the adverse economic consequences of distress selling and asset market feedback.


Pinus contorta is considered one of the most invasive tree species worldwide, generating significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. In several Patagonian ecosystems in southern Chile, it has escaped from plantations established mainly in the 1970s, and is now invading both forests and treeless environments. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the invasion of P. contorta on microenvironmental conditions in Araucaria araucana forest and Patagonian steppe ecosystems, and assessed how these changes related to the richness and abundance of native and non-native plant species. In each ecosystem, 24 plots of 100 m2 were established along a gradient of P. contorta biomass, where 18 environmental variables and the composition of native and non-native vegetation were measured at a local scale. Our results indicated that increased pine biomass was associated with differences in microclimatic conditions (soil and air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and soil moisture) and soil properties (potassium, nitrate, pH, and litter accumulation). These changes were ecosystem dependent, however, as well as associated with the level of invasion. Finally, the reduction in the richness and abundance of native plants was associated with the changes in soil properties (accumulation of leaf litter, pH, and organic matter) as well as in the microclimate (minimum air temperature, PAR) generated by the invasion of P. contorta. Overall, our results confirm that the invasion of P. contorta impacts microenvironmental conditions (i.e., canopy cover, litter accumulation, minimum air temperature, and maximum soil temperature) and reduces native plant diversity. For future restoration plans, more emphasis should be given to how environmental changes can influence the recovery of invaded ecosystems even after the removal of the living pine biomass (i.e., legacy of the invasion).


In recent years, both the corporate sector and civil society organisations, particularly international NGOs, have become more influential in shaping development debates and policies. There is increasing awareness within the corporate sector of the need to demonstrate social responsibility; and growing acceptance among NGOs that business is essential to the economic growth which will fuel social development. This paper shows how the two sectors can engage constructively in order to establish and monitor standards, though it also argues the need for some pressure groups to retain an uncompromising and radical agenda in order to keep the critical debates alive.


The principle of the universal field oriented (UFO) controller, operating in an arbitrary reference frame, is applied to a CRPWM inverter. Due to its high degree of generality,the UFO controller is compatible with rotor, stator, and air-gap flux field oriented control. The authors compare the stability regions and the steady state performance of these three types of controllers applied to the same machine. The rotor flux based controller has been selected as the basic reference. Digital simulation results are carried out to show that the performance of the complete UFO system, i.e., combined direct and indirect UFO, in a nonrotor flux based reference frame leads to a robust high performance drive with no dependency on machine parameters in steady state. >


Purpose: Background noise can interfere with our ability to understand speech. Working memory capacity (WMC) has been shown to contribute to the perception of speech in modulated noise maskers. WMC has been assessed with a variety of auditory and visual tests, often pertaining to different components of working memory. This study assessed the relationship between speech perception in modulated maskers and components of auditory verbal working memory (AVWM) over a range of signal-to-noise ratios. Method: Speech perception in noise and AVWM were measured in 30 listeners (age range 31-67 years) with normal hearing. AVWM was estimated using forward digit recall, backward digit recall, and non-word repetition. Results: After controlling for the effects of age and average pure-tone hearing threshold, speech perception in modulated maskers was related to individual differences in the phonological component of working memory (as assessed by non-word repetition) but only in the least favorable SNR. The executive component of working memory (as assessed by backward digit) was not predictive of speech perception in any conditions. Conclusions: AVWM is predictive of the ability to benefit from temporal dips in modulated maskers: Listeners with greater phonological WMC are better able to correctly identify sentences in modulated noise backgrounds.


The ever-growing aging of the population has emphasized the importance of in-home AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) services for monitoring and improving its well-being and health, especially in the context of care facilities (retirement villages, clinics, senior neighborhood, etc). The paper proposes a novel simulation-driven platform named E-ALPHA (Edge-based Assisted Living Platform for Home cAre) which supports both Edge and Cloud Computing paradigm to develop innovative AAL services in scenarios of different scales. E-ALPHA flexibly combines Edge, Cloud or Edge/Cloud deployments, supports different communication protocols, and fosters the interoperability with other IoT platforms. Moreover, the simulation-based design helps in preliminary assessing (i) the expected performance of the service to be deployed according to the infrastructural characteristics of each specific small, medium and large scenario; and (ii) the most appropriate applications/platform configuration for a real deployment (kind and number of involved devices, Edge- or Cloud-based deployment, required connectivity type, etc). In this direction, two different use cases modeled according to realistic input (coming from past experience involving real testbed) are shown in order to demonstrate the potentials of the proposed simulation-driven AAL platform.


Abstract A two degree-of-freedom manipulator using actively constrained revolute joints is presented in this paper. Each revolute joint drive mechanism consists of two motor-driven worms coupled to a single worm wheel. A mathematical model of the manipulator system is used in order to develop a computed-torque control algorithm. Experimental results show that the position of the end-effector can be successfully controlled to track a path generated from a user-input force command signal while cancelling backlash at the gear interface. This system has been designed for the purpose of following a predefined path under the direct physical control of the user. The joint mechanism and control strategy used in this paper allow for backlash to be continuously cancelled. The safety of the user is ensured by enabling joint motions only if a user force is applied, and this force is in a direction that allows the controller to restrict joint motion along a predefined path.


Pump-and-treat (PAT) techniques are often applied to the remediation of dissolved
chemicals from shallow aquifers. A related management problem typically consists of
the selection of the pumping strategy and the most appropriate treatment method, in
order to minimize the total cleanup cost while meeting a set of technical, economic
and social constraints. However, due to scarcity of information about the
hydrogeological system, stochastic modeling approaches seem more appropriate. Of
primary concern is the inherent spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity. In
general, the implementation of a remediation strategy assessed based on uncertain
hydrogeological parameters leads to a decision involving the risk of constraint
violations. The decision-making process may then be formulated as a multiobjective
optimization framework where the optimality of a pumping pattern is traded off
against its reliability. Operations may be structured into a stochastic optimal
control problem, in which the remediation strategy is sequentially updated based
upon new measurements collected during the actual cleanup process. The procedure
requires the implementation of an inverse simulation model to estimate the
stochastic hydrogeological parameters based on a set of potential measurements. In
this work, we follow a geostatistical conceptual model where the spatial
distribution of hydraulic conductivity is represented as a realization of a log-
normally distributed stationary process, characterized by an exponential covariance
function. Using the maximum likelihood method, the parameter estimation problem is
solved by determining the set of geostatistical parameters -- average, variance,
and correlation scales. Available data may include direct measurements of hydraulic
conductivity, water table elevation at a number of monitoring wells, and
contaminant mass extracted from active remediation wells. A rigorous solution to
this optimization problem would require a stochastic flow and transport model to be
included in the optimization loop to calculate the expected values and the
covariance matrix of the available measurements as functions of the decision
variables. Because of the overwhelming computational effort involved, a surrogate
model or response surface is introduced to approximate the objective function. The
surrogate model is estimated using a multidimensional kriging interpolation over a
set of data points or measurements obtained from a series of stochastic flow and
transport simulations for pre-established combinations of the decision variables.
Since the goodness of the solution is ultimately determined by the error of
estimation of the objective function, which in turn depends on the number and the
location of measurements, an optimal search procedure is used in order to optimize
the pattern of data points. The method turns out to be computationally efficient
and produces results that well approximate the actual geostatistical distribution of
hydraulic conductivity.


Behavioral thermoregulation is an important defense against the negative impacts of climate change for ectotherms. In this study we examined the use of burrows by a common intertidal crab, Minuca pugnax, to control body temperature. To understand how body temperatures respond to changes in the surface temperature and explore how efficiently crabs exploit the cooling potential of burrows to thermoregulate, we measured body, surface, and burrow temperature data during low tide on Sapelo Island, GA in March, May, August, and September of 2019. We found that an increase in 1°C in the surface temperature led to a 0.70-0.71°C increase in body temperature for females and an increase in 0.75-0.77°C in body temperature for males. Body temperatures of small females were 0.3°C warmer than large females for the same surface temperature. Female crabs used burrows more efficiently for thermoregulation compared to the males. Specifically, an increase of 1°C in the cooling capacity (the difference between the burrow temperature and the surface temperature) led to an increase of 0.42-0.50°C for females and 0.34-0.35°C for males in the thermoregulation capacity (the difference between body temperature and surface temperature). The body temperature that crabs began to use burrows to thermoregulate was estimated to be around 24°C, which is far below the critical body temperatures that could lead to death. Many crabs experience body temperatures of 24°C early in the reproductive season, several months before the hottest days of the year. Because the use of burrows involves fitness trade-offs, these results suggest that warming temperatures could begin to impact crabs far earlier in the year than expected.


The close displacement of UHF RFID tags can be considered as an electromagnetic interconnected system having specific properties. The so denoted RFID Grid includes single-chip tags in close mutual proximity or a single tag with a multiplicity of embedded microchips. A multi-port scattering framework is used to derive the macroscopic parameters governing the system response which could be optimized for the specific application. Moreover, unique features are introduced, such as the possibility to improve the power scavenging and the generation of analog identifiers and fingerprint. The last ones are electromagnetic responses independent on the position and orientation of the reader and on the nearby environment, with great relevance for Sensing and Security.


Background Cellular immunometabolism among people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains under investigated. We assessed the relationships between mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and blood parameters associated with HIV immune dysregulation. Methods PLWH ≥40 years old and on stable ART ≥3 months were enrolled (N = 149). OXPHOS complex I (CI, NADH dehydrogenase) and complex IV (CIV, cytochrome c oxidase) protein levels in PBMCs were quantified using immunoassays. Monocyte subsets and markers of T-cell activation, senescence, and exhaustion were measured on PBMC by flow cytometry. Plasma inflammatory mediators were quantified using a multiplex assay. HIV-uninfected group (N = 44) of similar age, gender, and ethnicity had available OXPHOS levels. Results PLWH had a median age of 51 years. Majority were male (88.6%), Caucasian (57.7%), and with undetectable plasma HIV RNA <50 copies/mL (84.6%). Median CI level was lower in PLWH compared with the HIV-seronegative group (65.5 vs 155.0 optical density/μg protein x 103, p <0.0001). There was no significant difference in median CIV levels. Lower OXPHOS levels correlated with lower CD4% and CD4/CD8 ratio. On multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, current use of zidovudine/didanosine, and HIV RNA (detectable versus undetectable), lower OXPHOS levels were significantly associated with higher MPO, SAA, SAP, and sVCAM, and higher frequencies of intermediate (CD14++CD16+) monocytes and TIGIT+TIM3+ CD4 T-cell (p<0.01). Conclusion CI PBMC protein levels were decreased in PLWH on ART. Decreased OXPHOS correlated with disease severity and inflammation. Further studies on the relationship between immunometabolism and immune dysregulation in HIV are warranted.


The recent exciting publication by Kudo et al . (Nivolumab treatment for oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma: an open-label, multicenter, phase 2 trial) (1) has added yet another high mutational load tumor to the list of advanced cancers that benefit from immune check-point inhibition, and provides a greater impetus for clinical trials in these patients. The 1990's saw several studies out of Japan utilizing the "original" immune check-point inhibitor, Interleukin-2, in new and imaginative ways for patients with advanced esophageal cancer (2-5). An interest in immune activation continues, with strategies to block immune check-points or infuse activated tumor infiltrating lymphocytes following in the footsteps of such pioneering trials. Reports such as this not only give us insight into the potential benefits from this class of antibodies, but also provide an impetus to pursuing other avenues of targeted immune activation.


Users of social networking services often share their emotions via multi-modal content, usually images paired with text embedded in them. SemEval-2020 task 8, Memotion Analysis, aims at automatically recognizing these emotions of so-called internet memes. In this paper, we propose a simple but effective Modality Ensemble that incorporates visual and textual deep-learning models, which are independently trained, rather than providing a single multi-modal joint network. To this end, we first fine-tune four pre-trained visual models (i.e., Inception-ResNet, PolyNet, SENet, and PNASNet) and four textual models (i.e., BERT, GPT-2, Transformer-XL, and XLNet). Then, we fuse their predictions with ensemble methods to effectively capture cross-modal correlations. The experiments performed on dev-set show that both visual and textual features aided each other, especially in subtask-C, and consequently, our system ranked 2nd on subtask-C.


This research poster investigates the ways in which the creative processes involved in the production of archaeological visualizations engage with and develop the interpretive process.

Using a case-study from the visualisation of a 19th Century blackhouse on St Kilda in Scotland the poster will consider the nature of the artist's engagement with the archaeological record and site throughout the various stages of the reconstruction process (data collection in the field, creation of the 3D models and consumption of the resulting visualizations by various audiences). With the aim of understanding how this process of visualisation and the creation of subjective narratives influences the integrity of the captured record, the control of experience and the ways we model uncertainty.


The requirement of type I interferon (IFN) for natural killer (NK) cell activation in response to viral infection is known, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that type I IFN signaling in inflammatory monocytes, but not in dendritic cells (DCs) or NK cells, is essential for NK cell function in response to a mucosal herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection. Mice deficient in type I IFN signaling, Ifnar−/− and Irf9−/− mice, had significantly lower levels of inflammatory monocytes, were deficient in IL-18 production, and lacked NK cell–derived IFN-&ggr;. Depletion of inflammatory monocytes, but not DCs or other myeloid cells, resulted in lower levels of IL-18 and a complete abrogation of NK cell function in HSV-2 infection. Moreover, this resulted in higher susceptibility to HSV-2 infection. Although Il18−/− mice had normal levels of inflammatory monocytes, their NK cells were unresponsive to HSV-2 challenge. This study highlights the importance of type I IFN signaling in inflammatory monocytes and the induction of the early innate antiviral response.


Malignant breast cancer cells that have entered the blood circulation from primary mammary fat pad tumors or are grown in end-over-end suspension culture assemble a characteristic, multi-globular polymeric fibronectin (polyFn) coat on their surfaces. Surface polyFn is critical for pulmonary metastasis, presumably by facilitating lung vascular arrest via endothelial dipeptidylpeptidase IV (CD26). Here, we show that cell-surface polyFn assembly is initiated by the state of suspension, is dependent upon the synthesis and secretion of cellular Fn, and is augmented in a dose- and time-dependent manner by plasma Fn. PolyFn assembly is regulated by protein kinase Cϵ (PKCϵ), which translocates rapidly and in increasing amounts from the cytosol to the plasma membrane and is phosphorylated. PolyFn assembly is impeded by select inhibitors of this kinase, i.e. bisindolylmaleimide I, Ro-32-0432, Gö6983, and Rottlerin, by the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-mediated and time-dependent loss of PKCϵ protein and decreased plasma membrane translocation, and more specifically, by stable transfection of lung-metastatic MTF7L breast cancer cells with small interfering RNA-PKCϵ and dominant-negative PKCϵ constructs (e.g. RD-PKCϵ). The inability to assemble a cell surface-associated polyFn coat by knockdown of endogenous Fn or PKCϵ impedes cancer cells from metastasis to the lungs. The present studies identify a novel regulatory mechanism for polyFn assembly on blood-borne breast cancer cells and depict its effect on pulmonary metastasis.


Abstract : This dissertation developed four methodologies for computer-aided experimental design of two-level fractional factorial designs with requirement sets (DOE/RS). The requirement sets identify all the experimental factors and the appropriate interaction terms to be evaluated in the experiment. Taguchi graphs and similar manual methods provide techniques for solving the DOE/RS problem. Unfortunately, these methods are limited because they become difficult to use as the number of factors or interaction terms exceeds ten. This research showed that the DOE/RS problem belongs to a class of difficult-to-solve problems known as NP-Complete. It is the combinatorial nature of NP-Complete problems that causes them to become computationally challenging as the size of the problem increases. Heuristics are often used to find good solutions to large NP-Complete problems.


Normal type 1 radar echoes obtained from relatively large zenith angles have a power spectrum with a single narrow peak whose Doppler shift corresponds approximately to the acoustic velocity in the medium. On some occasions, however, this single maximum splits into two distinct peaks, separated in phase velocity on one occasion by 270 m/s. This bifurcation is most easily observed at large zenith angles during daytime when a narrow antenna beam is used. It has also been seen in a daytime experiment in which radars at Jicamarca and Huancayo simultaneously probed the same region from two different radar zenith angles. The bifurcation has been observed so far only to the west of Jicamarca, over the Pacific Ocean. This spectral splitting could be caused by vertical electron density gradients, such as those associated with 'blanketing' sporadic E layers. A sufficiently sharp (scale lengths of a few hundred meters or less) positive gradient on the underside of the layer and negative gradient on the topside would cause the type 1 velocity to be decreased and increased, respectively, during the day, by amounts as large as those observed.


The recrystallization texture of highly cold deformed IF steels is addressed. The latter is characterized by the //ND fibre and a certain spread towards the {311} orientation. The //ND fibre is the optimum texture for enhanced deep-drawing properties whereas the presence of any other component, such as {311}, will deteriorate the plastic anisotropy of the material. Previous works concluded that the recrystallized {311} orientation results from an oriented nucleation process related to the plastic instability of {001} deformed grains. In the present work, the microstructural nature of such plastic instability is investigated by high resolution orientation scanning microscopy on an annealed IF sample after cross-rolling. Present data indicate that localized deformation in near {001} grains plays an essential role in the nucleation of {311} orientations.


Objectives To determine the prevalence, causes and associated factors for visual impairment (VI) in rural population of Jhajjar district, Haryana, north India. Methods A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in two blocks of Jhajjar district. A total of 34 villages were selected using probability proportionate to size sampling method. Adults aged 50 years and above were selected using compact segment cluster sampling approach. Presenting visual acuity using LogMAR E chart was measured along with collection of other demographic details as part of the house-to-house survey. Subjective refraction and torch light examination were performed at a clinic site within the village to ascertain VI and its cause. VI was considered when presenting visual acuity was less than 6/18 in the better eye. Common causes of VI viz uncorrected refractive errors, cataract, central corneal opacity and others were noted by optometrists. Descriptive analysis was undertaken. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for determining associated factors with VI. Results Out of 2025 enumerated adults, 1690 (83.5%) were examined at the household level and 1575 (78%) completed all study procedures. The prevalence of VI was found to be 24.5% (95% CI 21.1 to 26.3) and blindness was 5% (95% CI 3.9 to 6.1). The most common causes of VI were uncorrected refractive errors (50%) and cataract (37%). The VI in study participants was found to be associated with age, gender, marital and educational status. Conclusions VI is still a public health problem in rural population of Jhajjar district, Haryana. Provision of spectacles and cataract surgical services are simple interventions to address this issue.


P-glycoproteins (P-gp) are transmemebrane glycoproteins associated with the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. The P-gp functions as an ATP-dependent transporter of a diverse xenobiotic and pharmologic compounds to effectively lower their intracellular concentration. As such, P-gp is believed to be a significant component of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) in mammals. We carried out a study to investigate whether P-gp could be detected in normal and in horses afflicted with equine motor neuron disease (EMND). Fresh samples were harvested at necropsy from seven horses diagnosed with EMND and three control horses and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen until processing. The samples included tissues from the adrenal gland, kidney, liver, small intestine, brain stem, and spinal cord. These tissues were evaluated for P-gp immunoreactivity using monoclonal antibody (C494). Normal and EMND afflicted horses expressed the P-gp at similar levels in the adrenal cortex (100%), the renal proximal tubules (57%), and small intestinal enterocytes (60%). There was no significant difference in the P-gp expression rates between the EMND affected horses and controls. None of the liver and central nervous tissue samples exhibited any P-gp staining. The overall results of our investigation indicate that abundant P-gp expression can be detected in some of the equine tissues using the immunohistochemical methods. The ability to detect P-gp in equine tissues might help in determining its specific role in the etiology of EMND.


This paper is a trialogue between three social historians who work on slaves, horses, and dogs in late medieval and early modern settings. Our aim is to critically assess the heuristic benefit of agency concepts and to discuss the consequences for a renewed social history if we paradigmatically include new actors, such as voiceless slaves and nonhuman animals. In our case studies, we do not simply add actors to the historical picture, but look at forms of interagency between different historical actors (master/slave, rider/horse, dog owner/dog). By focusing on the interactive modes of these "units", we are able to detect historically specific forms of social interaction, and also to include the multiple intermediary agents at work in facilitating, transforming, or even hindering the units' interagency (in our cases, These may include household goods, bits and saddles, dog leads, or spatial Arrangements). At the core of our Argument is a call for a symmetrical Attention to socially relevant historical interagency that does not mask strong asymmetrical relationships of power and hierarchy.


Based on an integration of morphological, molecular and ecological evidences (Delicado et al., 2015), the freshwater gastropod genus Pseudamnicola has been recently split into three different genera: (1) Pseudamnicola s. str. Paulucci, 1878 with around 60 species distributed throughout much of the Mediterranean islands and peninsulas, (2) Corrosella Boeters, 1970 with 13 known species restricted to the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, and (3) Didacus Delicado, Machordom and Ramos, 2015, a monospecific genus whose unique (type) species, Didacus gasulli (Boeters, 1981), was found at several streams from southeastern Spain and Ibiza island. Unfortunately, authors were not aware that the name Didacus was previously proposed by Collart (1935) to designate a subgenus of the fruit fly genus Dacus Fabricius, 1805 (Diptera: Tephritidae), and afterward only a few taxonomic studies have used Didacus Collart at genus level (e.g. Hering, 1940, 1941, 1952; Narayanan & Rattan, 1954). Consequently, the name proposed for the new spring snail genus Didacus Delicado, Machordom and Ramos, 2015 was not valid when the taxon was described, since it is a junior homonym. Hence, in order to fulfill the requirements of the Art. 23 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, we here propose Diegus nom. nov. as a replacement name for Didacus Delicado, Machordom and Ramos, 2015, named after our good colleague Diego Moreno as mentioned in the original description. Then Diegus gasulli (Boeters, 1981) comb. nov. becomes the valid name of the type species.


This paper describes central topics in our research program on social preferences. The discussion covers experimental designs that discriminate among alternative components of preferences such as unconditional altruism, positive reciprocity, trust (in positive reciprocity), negative reciprocity, and fear (of negative reciprocity). The paper describes experimental data on effects of social distance and decision context on reciprocal behavior and male vs. female and group vs. individual differences in reciprocity. The exposition includes experimental designs that provide direct tests of alternative models of social preferences and summarizes implications of data for the models. The discussion reviews models of other-regarding preferences that are and are not conditional on others' revealed intentions and the implications of data for these models.


Importance: The prescription of generic (non-proprietary) compared to brand-name drugs is increasing worldwide. In many developing and emerging countries, generics companies market products at similar costs as brand-name competitors benefiting from more flexible compliance rules and regulations for marketing their products in the health system. Together, this phenomenon may influence prescriber's behavior (e.g., maintaining the same treatment despite guideline's recommendations or despite evidence of disease progression). Objectives: To compare the prevalence of therapeutic inertia (TI) between primary prescription of brand-name vs. generic drugs in the management of MS in Argentina. Design: We conducted a population-based online study comprising 117 neurologists with expertise in MS. Participants answered questions regarding their clinical practice, most commonly prescribed disease modifying agents, and therapeutic choices of 10 simulated case-scenarios that assessed TI. Inertia was defined as the lack of treatment initiation or escalation despite evidence of clinical and radiological activity (8 case-scenarios, 720 individual responses). We created the generic-brand name score (GBS) according to the 5 most frequently prescribed generic (n = 16) vs. brand-name (n = 9) drugs for MS, where scores higher than 1 indicated higher prescription of generic drugs and scores lower than 1 indicated higher prescription of brand-name agents. Candidate predictors of prescribing generic drugs included demographic data, MS specialist vs. general neurologist, practice setting, years of practice, volume of MS patients, risk preferences, costs of annual treatment. Participants and setting: population-based prospective study using including neurologists who care for patients with multiple sclerosis across Argentina. Exposure: prescription of generic vs. brand-name MS drugs Main outcome of interest: Therapeutic inertia (TI), defined as lack of treatment escalation when goals are unmet. Secondary outcomes included factors associated with generic drug prescription and costs of MS treatment. Results: Ninety participants completed the study (completion rate 76.9%). TI was observed in 153 (21.3%) of participants' responses. The evaluation of aggregate responses revealed a mean GBS score (SD) of 3.44 (2.1), with 46 (51.1%) participants having a GBS equal to or higher than 1. Older age (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.00–1.42), being a general neurologist (OR 3.91; 95% CI 1.19–12.8), and being more willing to take risks in multiple domains (SOEP score OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.12) were associated with higher prescription of generic drugs in MS care. Costs of treatment were not associated with prescribing generic drugs. There was no difference in the annual costs of MS treatment for primary prescribers of brand-name vs. generic drugs (67,500 US$ vs. 67,496 US$; p = 0.99). The evaluation of individual responses revealed that participants with higher prescription of generics—reflected by a higher GBS—had higher incident risk of TI (mean GBS 3.61 for TI vs. 2.96 for no TI; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that a prescription of generic agents was associated with an increased incident risk of TI (OR 1.56; 95%CI 1.07–2.29). There was no difference in the annual costs of MS treatment for participants that exhibited TI vs. those without TI (67,426 US$ vs. 67,704 US$; p = 0.66). Conclusions: General neurologist, older age, and willingness to take risks were associated with increased prescription of generic drugs despite similar costs compared to brand-name agents. In our study, the prescription of generic-MS drugs was associated with a higher incident risk of therapeutic inertia.


At the interface between A15-phase layer and Nb solid-solution (NbS.S) region in a bulky Nb/Al composite, a layer of two-phase structure of Nb3Al plus NbS.S is formed when the composite is heated at 2073K, whereas it is not formed when heated at 2023K or less. The morphology and width of the two-phase structure layers are significantly influenced by the cooling rate from 2073K and by the heating time at that temperature. These facts, as well as the theoretical consideration, suggests that the two-phase structure is formed during the cooling process from 2073K. When cooled more slowly from 2073K than a certain cooling rate, there observed anomalous growth of A15-phase, which is strongly correlated with formation of the two-phase structure. Most favorite performance of the bulky Nb/Al composite as the super-conducting material is obtained by cooling it at the slowest cooling rate after 1 h heating at 2073K as far as the present study is concerned.


Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates in the world. In Sri Lanka, 67% of the amphibians are threatened with extinction largely due to anthropogenic activities. Fundamental to the conservation of amphibians is an understanding of habitat preferences and fine scale distribution of species. Pseudophilautus zorro is an endangered, endemic frog species restricted to Kandy district, Sri Lanka. Thus, a study was initiated to assess the (a) habitat preferences (type of vegetation, leaf litter thickness (LLT), percentage of canopy cover (PCC)), (b) model the fundamental ecological niche to unravel potential areas of occupancy using Ecological niche modeling (ENM) and then to (c) estimate the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) of P. zorro with new locality data and predicted data. Fieldwork was conducted in Gannoruwa Forest Reserve, Udawattakele Forest Reserve and Hanthana Conservation Area from December 2016 to August 2017. Habitat preferences were determined by randomly placing quadrats in different habitats and assessing the number of individuals in each quadrat. Occurrence localities of P. zorro from published records and localities from this study were used for ENM in Maxent. At α=0.05level, the results indicate that there is a positive relationship (r=0.427, p≤0.013) between LLT and number of individuals of P. zorro in quadrats. However, there was no significant relationship (r=0.078, p≥0.666) between PCC and number of individuals of P. zorroin quadrats and no significant variation (p≥0.404) in the occurrences of P. zorro among the three habitat types (forest, mahogany and pine plantations) suggesting that vegetation type is not a major determinant of P. zorro distribution. ENM predicted highly suitable areas (suitability >75%) in the central province in the Kandy and Matale districts. The EOO and AOO of P. zorro with new occurrence data was 22 km2 and 4 km2respectively, and with predicted data, 1,229.34 km2 and 117 km2, indicating an increase in EOO and AOO. However, the increase in EOO and AOO should be interpreted with caution as the presence of P. zorro is yet to be physically confirmed in the predicted areas. The data on habitat preferences and predicted habitats will be useful in formulating in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures, and serves as a useful starting point for future studies on niche modeling of endangered amphibians and similar taxa in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Maxent, Fundamental ecological niche, Leaf litter thickness, Extent of occurrence, Area of occupancy


The human ingestion bioaccessibility of As was measured on 50 representative samples of soils selected from a 281 soil sample geochemical survey of Northampton. The major and trace element content, pH and near infra-red (NIR) spectra of the 281 soils were determined. A multiple linear regression (MLR) model using total As, major element composition and pH identified total As, pH and P to be the significant predictor variables for bioaccessible As (r square = 0.72, median standard error of prediction=1.5 mg kg bioaccessible As). When spectral components (SC) derived from chemometric analysis of the NIR spectra were also included in the MLR, total As, pH, Mg and two NIR spectral components were found to be significant predictor variables (r square = 0.84, median standard error of prediction=1.2 mg kg bioaccessible As ). Correlation analysis of the SC with major element data suggested that the two NIR SC in the second model were related to different forms of Fe oxides in the soil. When plotted over a geological map of Northampton interpolated predictions of bioaccessible As showed clear geological control. The median total As concentration of the soils in Northampton was 30.2 mg kg and the median bioaccessible As was 3.0 mg kg. *Address correspondence to Mark Cave, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, UK;E-mail:firstname.lastname@example.com


Bluetongue (BT) is an important infectious, non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease of ruminants, and is classified as a 'List A' disease in the OIE Terrestrial animal health code. Since the first discovery and diagnosis of this disease in the Shizong County of Yunnan Province in 1979, the authors have developed systematic studies of the epidemiology, experimental epidemiology, aetiology, pathology, viral molecular characteristics (nucleic acid), diagnostic techniques, virus identification (grouping and typing) methods, vaccines and immunisation methods of BT in the People's Republic of China. Viruses have been isolated from seven provinces and the major serotypes have been identified. Epidemiological surveys have been conducted in sixteen provinces and a distinct type of BT virus (BTV) epidemiology has been found in China. Sentinel herds were established to monitor BTV regularly from 1995 to 1998. Experimental epidemiological studies have revealed the regional distribution of BTV serotypes and the dynamic spread of BTV in different habitats of distinct natural conditions, ecological environment and climate in China. A technical system of diagnosis of BTV infection also has been developed, including the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID), indirect ELISA, competitive-ELISA (c-ELISA) and virus neutralisation (VN) tests for detection of antibodies to BTV, and the serum neutralisation (SN), immunofluorescence (IF) and immunoperoxidase (IP), antigen capture-ELISA (ac-ELISA), virus inoculation methods for virus detection, and nucleic acid electrophoresis analysis, nucleic acid probe techniques, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for detection of BTV nucleic acid and/or proteins. Attenuated and killed vaccines of BTV serotypes 1 and 16 have been developed and new immunisation methods have been developed. The S7, S10 and portions of the L2 gene segment of Chinese prototype strains of BTV serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 15 and 16 have been sequenced and compared to the same strains of prototype and field strains of BTV from the United States of America and Australia. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the genetic relationships between these viruses correspond to their geographic origins or their serotype. The National Standards for Bluetongue Diagnosis, People's Republic of China has also been enacted. Remarkable social and economic benefits have been obtained through the application and dissemination of these achievements in China.


Bruguiera gymnorhiza fruit has potential as raw material for edible film production, because its availability in nature is quite abundant and has a quite high amylose and amylopectin content (31.56% and 26.17%, respectively). The purpose of this study were to determined the physic and chemical characters of B. gymnorrhiza fruit starch and to determined the physic characters of edible film added by glycerol as plasticizer and biopolymers (carrageenan and pectin). The edible film production was conducted by using commercial starch of B. gymnorrhiza fruit and B. gymnorrhiza fruit starch from North Halmahera. The first stage of this study was characterized of lindur starch by microscopic and chemical composition. The second stage is preparation of edible film contained by 4% starch, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6% carrageenan, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6% pectin, 1% glycerol, subsequently the edible film was characterized by microscopic and mechanic properties. The results showed that the thickness value of edible film ranged between 0.11–0.125 mm, the tensile strength value around 1.469-3.132 Kgf/cm2, percent of elongation around 8.38-19.6%, and water vapor transmission rate ranged around 0.0145–0.01775 g/s.m2.