Abstract. Transformer explosions caused by dielectric failure account for over 50% of the disasters. The aim of this thesis is to examine, compare and outline the differences, in function, as dielectric insulators, vegetables oil has, with respect to the mineral oil used in high-power transformers. We will first consider the vegetable oil which has less dielectric capabilities than the mineral oil used in power transformers. Later in the experiments, we will focus mainly to examine the breakdown voltage property, as we try to alter some properties of the respective oils used. Considering the fact that vegetable oil has low viscosity, with its chemical compounds constituting less molecular masses compared to mineral oil, we endorse, from our experimental findings, that mineral oil is indeed worthy and reasonable to be used as a dielectric in high power transformers. In this write-up, we have considered eleven transformer oil properties. In the experiment proper, we considered only the acidity, whose concentration in the transformer oil increases with aging if the transformer, moisture, and a 'suitable' impurity like NaOH(aq). At first glance, one would be tempted to think, as we were, that since the increase in acid content of the oil deteriorates its dielectric performance, an increase in alkaline content of the transformer oil, would increase its dielectric ability; reversing the acid effect. But as we see in the results from our experiments, this is false. We think that the visible degradation of the insulating property of the oil, with the introduction of NaOH(aq), is because it acts as an impurity to suitable dielectric function. From the experiments, the heating procedures resulted in the production of toxic gases. This indicated the actual loss of chemical structure and significant breakage of chemical bonds. The resulting chemical composition of the oil does not produce the same dielectric properties as the initial oil sample. Also, here has been considerable inconsistency in the addition of NaOH(aq) or HCl(aq) to both oils. We only added HCl(aq), before every measurement, in two of the experiments. The other experiments were either with moisture, or a single addition of 2cm3 of either HCl(aq) or NaOH(aq) before heating; after which several measurements were taken, at specific intervals, as the mixture cools. We did so, in the latter, in which we had only one addition of a 2cm3 chemical, because in real life, given the short time frame of the experiment, the total amount of acid in the oil has a negligible change. So, in a functioning heated transformer, within a short time frame, there is actually deterioration in oil insulation properties


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report student attitudes and beliefs towards climate change adaptation and sustainability-related behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach
A paper-based questionnaire was completed by 247 first-year (students in their first semester of study) and third-year (students in their final semester of study) students in the same year (2012) of the study (Table I). A factor analysis shows that common themes previously identified failed to reflect the diverse range of influences on young people, including family, friends and news media.

Findings
Contrary to the literature, few significant differences were found in sustainability-related behaviours between first- and third-semester students, with an increase in scepticism regarding the reality of climate change among the latter.

Research limitations/implications
The study focused on Australian undergraduate university business students. As a single-institution case study, the results may not be generalised to all university students. As such the authors recommended that the study be completed in other universities from around the world. The study was undertaken over one year, but the participants may not have necessarily been the same students in third semester as they were in first semester. Therefore, it is recommended that the study be repeated in future years so that the same cohort can be measured over time, providing a more accurate account of the development of student knowledge and perceptions of sustainability during their time at university.

Practical implications
Achieving significant long-term changes in behaviours will be a substantial challenge for tertiary curricula. The findings of this study can inform instructors in higher education of student attitudes towards sustainability and climate change adaption and in turn inform changes to tertiary curriculum in sustainability and climate change adaption.

Originality/value
This paper reports on the second phase of a longitudinal research project examining the effects of an undergraduate business studies curriculum on student views of sustainability. The authors confirm that the research is original and that all of the data provided in the study are real and authentic. Neither the entire work nor any of its parts have been previously published.


Information literacy is a set of capabilities that requires individuals to know when they need information and the ability to locate, evaluate and effectively use the information they need. Informational literacy in the true sense can contribute to the empowerment of researchers in different academic fields. This research has been conducted to investigate the status of information literacy skills of the faculty members of Amin University. A survey method used to collecting data. The research population includes all the faculty members of Amin University. The data were collected through the American Information Literacy Questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire. The results showed that, in terms of "identifying information needs" with an average of 3.37, "effective and efficient access to information" with an average of 3.70, "evaluation of information and information channels" with an average of 3.18, "the effective use of information" with an average of 3.69, "observance of legal issues of information and citation practices" with an average of 3.94 are relatively favorable. In general, the information literacy of subjects under study was evaluated as higher than the optimal level with a mean percentage of 74.32 and a mean score of 3.71 out of 4. Therefore, it can be concluded that by presenting educational and research workshops, the inclusion of an information literacy course (theoretical and practical) at the top of the standards of skills and training of faculty members of the university, a great step would be taken in improving their information literacy.


A procedure is obtained for modifying given sampled-data parametric detectors to make them asymptotically nonparametric. Unlike standard nonparametric devices, these detectors do not require the assumption of independent samples but only a knowledge of the input spectral shapes. As examples of this technique, two types of conventional array detectors are modified to produce nonparametric systems.


Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is one of the most common motor disorder with a prevalence of approximately 6% in typical children of primary school age. This disorder is characterized by marked impairments in motor functions, however it is the poor capacity for balance and coordination that makes it a serious problem. This can not only affect the attainment of academic achievements and daily activities, but requires extra attention for the high risk of falls, limits physical activity and affects the development of other motor skills. Due to the importance of solving this disorder or at least reducing some of its consequences, there have been numerous studies with children affected by DCD in which participants follow a training protocol based on Taekwondo. The results are optimal, and it has been demonstrated that Taekwondo could be an effective tool with which to improve the balance and coordination skills of children with DCD. The problem arises from the fact that these studies have not identified the causes of this improvement directly related to Taekwondo, which makes the solution to the problem still imprecise. The aim of this work is precisely to determine which are the characteristics of Taekwondo that improve balance abilities, and then to be able to reproduce them in a robotic system so that they have the same effect as a complete Taekwondo training. To do this, it has made use of a free software developed by Stanford University called OpenSim, which have simulated characteristic movements of Taekwondo in a static way by a musculoskeletal model with standard man measurements. In addition, the model has been subjected to various external forces of imbalance in order to study the static balance and obtain the muscles that are activated. After analyzing the results obtained, it was concluded with a list of muscles in charge of maintaining balance in a static way and that have a close relationship with the improvement of coordination and balance. Finally, a possible integration of these results in a robotic solution has been proposed. In this way, by means of electrical stimuli, the activation patterns of each muscle observed in the simulations are faithfully reproduced as if they were Taekwondo training. The possibility of providing a solution that reproduces the conditions of Taekwondo training and thereby improves the ability to balance in people not only affected by DCD, would greatly improve the quality of life of people and eliminate the enormous risks that such disorders entail.


The interpretation of colonic biopsies can be challenging if the histologic presentation is not characteristic. The association between microscopic colitis and inflammatory bowel disease is weak and unclear. Collagenous colitis has been most frequently reported in association with ulcerative colitis either before or many years after ulcerative colitis is established. There are few reports of Lymphocytic colitis in association with Crohn's disease. To the best of our knowledge however Crohn's disease presenting as lymphocytic pattern colitis with granulomas has rarely if ever been reported. We present a case of a 34 year old male who presented initially with perianal abscess and fistula-in-ano and subsequent colonoscopic biopsies demonstrated minimal active chronic colitis with granulomas that progressed to lymphocytic colitis pattern inflammation with granulomas within a period of 6-8 months of suboptimal compliance with therapy. [N A J Med Sci. 2020;1(1):009-013.   DOI: 10.7156/najms.2020.1301009] Key Words : Microscopic colitis, Collagenous Colitis, Lymphocytic Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's disease


Numerous applications all the way from biology and physics to economics depend on the density of first crossings over a boundary. Motivated by the lack of general purpose analytical tools for computing first-passage time densities (FPTDs) for complex problems, we propose a new simple method based on the independent interval approximation (IIA). We generalise previous formulations of the IIA to include arbitrary initial conditions as well as to deal with discrete time and non-smooth continuous time processes. We derive a closed form expression for the FPTD in z and Laplace-transform space to a boundary in one dimension. Two classes of problems are analysed in detail: discrete time symmetric random walks (Markovian) and continuous time Gaussian stationary processes (Markovian and non-Markovian). Our results are in good agreement with Langevin dynamics simulations.


The balance of inverted pendulum on inclined surfaces is the precursor to their control in unstructured environments. Researchers have devised control algorithms with feedback from contact (encoders - placed at the pendulum joint) and non-contact (gyroscopes, tilt) sensors. We present feedback control of Inverted Pendulum Cart (IPC) on variable inclines using non-contact sensors and a modified error function. The system is in the state of equilibrium when it is not accelerating and not falling over (rotational equilibrium). This is achieved when the pendulum is aligned along the gravity vector. The control feedback is obtained from non-contact sensors comprising of a pair of accelerometers placed on the inverted pendulum and one on the cart. The proposed modified error function is composed of the dynamic (non-gravity) acceleration of the pendulum and the velocity of the cart. We prove that the system is in equilibrium when the modified error is zero. We present algorithm to calculate the dynamic acceleration and angle of the pendulum, and incline angle using accelerometer readings. Here, the cart velocity and acceleration are assumed to be proportional to the motor angular velocity and acceleration. Thereafter, we perform simulation using noisy sensors to illustrate the balance of IPC on surfaces with unknown inclination angles using PID feedback controller with saturated motor torque, including valley profile that resembles a downhill, flat and uphill combination. The successful control of the system using the proposed modified error function and accelerometer feedback argues for future design of controllers for unstructured and unknown environments using all-accelerometer feedback.


Michael Bernard Matthews—variously known as Ginger, Mick, MBM, and Mike—took an egalitarian and inclusive approach to all he worked with. He was patient centred long before it was a phrase and was loved for his gentle humour, compassion, and skills in communication and clinical examination.

Mike was born to Charles and Gertrude Matthews in Broadstairs, Kent, the youngest of three boys. After attending Marlborough College he gained an exhibition to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, then upgraded to a scholarship in 1940. His clinical training was at St Thomas' during the war, and there were frequent bombings, sometimes by buzz bombs (or doodlebugs). It was known that when the buzzing of the motor stopped, the bomb would then fall and explode on impact. On one occasion Mike and his colleagues were playing golf in an evacuated ward at the top of the hospital, chipping a ball from one end of the ward into an open fireplace at the other end. They heard a buzz bomb, which subsequently …


The solidification pressure is one of the most important factors in the counter-gravity casting process. Through testing and analyzing the microstructures of aluminum alloy castings under different solidification pressure, the effect of different solidification pressure on the secondary dendrite arm spacing and grain size is studied. The results show that with the increase of the solidification pressure, the secondary dendrite arm spacing and the grain size of aluminum alloy decreases. When the solidification pressure is 250 KPa, the secondary dendrite arm of aluminum alloy is thick, the SDAS is 37.9μm, but when the solidification pressure increases to 450 KPa, the refinement of grain is obviously, and the SDAS is 20.7μm, which is reduced by 45.3% comparing to solidification under 250 KPa. Moreover, when solidification pressure higher, the effect of feeding force becomes more evident, and the dendrite is broken when the feeding force higher than the strength of dendrite. Therefore, the grain size becomes more and more uniform and thin, and the (SDAS) of aluminum alloy are more and more small.


The geography subject in Swedish upper secondary school is in a marginalized position with just two national programs having it as a mandatory subject. No mention of the skill of spatial thinking is made in the regulation documents from the Swedish National Agency for Education. To investigate the spatial thinking in the Swedish upper secondary school, I constructed a test that 140 students conducted. From the results it was possible to deduct that the students performed well in areas of spatial thinking that deals with geographical features like points, lines and polygons, but not so well when faced with tasks concerning several spatial facts, overlay, and mentally visualizing 3-D images from 2-D information. Males generally scored higher than females in the test, especially if only answers that the students felt confident of were counted. Students from the Natural Science Programme outperformed the students from the Social Science Programme, even though the former didn't have any formal education in geography from the upper secondary school. The thesis argues that a larger focus on spatial thinking in the geography subject could benefit the development of both a stronger stance for the subject in the education system, and the abilities and knowledge tied to spatial thinking of the students, especially those that are lacking formal education in other subjects that train the spatial thinking, mostly mathematics and physics.


Output regulation problems for continuous-time linear systems with state and/or input constraints are studied. The problems are formulated in global and semi-global setting by using state or full information feedback. The goal of this paper is to develop solvability conditions for the posed problems. Moreover, appropriate regulators are constructed under the solvability conditions. To state the solvability conditions clearly, a taxonomy of constraints is introduced which delineates the constraints into several categories. Such a taxonomy of constraints provides a classification of linear plants with constraints and identifies what types of output regulation problems are solvable. Results developed here include as a special case the results obtained in the literature for systems with only input constraints. The constraint taxonomy also identifies some intrinsically hard constraints (non-right invertible constraints) for which the solvability conditions of global/semi-global output regulation problems are not clear yet. As a special case of output regulation, we also consider tracking problems with constraints. It is shown that if there exists a state feedback controller with a stabilizing domain of attraction, then one can find a regulator with a tracking domain of attraction arbitrarily close to the stabilizing domain.


On the basis of unpublished archive materials the post-revolution period of female charitable activities in social assistance is reviewed in the article. The analysis of female organizations in Udmurtia showed that in the first post-revolution decade societal activities of women were focused on the problems of child homelessness, female unemployment, and prostitution. The article contains materials, illustrating participation of Udmurt female organizations in the work of local committees aimed at aid for starving population, in establishing of child welfare facilities for homeless and neglected children, and in fight against female unemployment and prostitution


I study the effects of a major environmental shock on microfinance lending by analyzing the Irish Loan Funds during the Great Famine of Ireland. I find that funds in districts worse affected by blight experienced higher failure rates and greater credit retrenchment and flight-to-quality than funds in less affected districts. Though greater leverage was generally associated with a higher predicted probability of institutional survival, the reverse was true where blight infection was more severe, and though more profitable funds were generally no more likely to survive, higher pre-famine margins were positive predictors of institutional survival where blight infection was worse. Results further indicate that the primary mechanisms by which pre-famine balance sheet metrics influenced survival probabilities were differential balance sheet contraction and flight-to-quality during the famine. The results of this study therefore suggest that optimal lending models in ordinary circumstances may render MFI's more vulnerable to tail-probability aggregate shocks, with higher leverage, lower paid staff, lower economic rents, and more extensive liabilities limiting scope for credit retrenchment and flight-to-quality. Results further indicate that one cost of MFI resilience to adverse environmental change is substantially reduced outreach to borrowers of lower credit quality.


We analyse the recent EU experience in DTV policy-making, focusing on the introduction of the terrestrial platform (DTT) and the digital switch-over. The DTT launch campaign was actively supported by member states, while the EU Institutions have tried to shape the policy mix emphasising points such as market liberalization, facility-based competition, market-oriented and technologically neutral policy-making. The paper reviews the most important UE cases brought in front of the Commission, starting from the German case, which underwent the first negative decision concerning state aid in DTT deployment, since its policy was found violating the neutrality principle. Then, it moves to briefly sketch the France and UK cases, which were instead found compatible with the EU Treaty. Finally, it presents in detail the Italian case, where a peculiar mix of chronic policy mismanagement, institutional conflict and lobbying has significantly hampered new infrastructure roll-out and multiplatform competition. As a result, the country's DTT policy has been substantially challenged by the EU Institutions, both for illegal state aid and infringement to the UE law (especially in the realm of the New Regulatory Framework). On overall, the paper argues that the implementation of the EU policy mix is dramatically complex, both conceptually and procedurally. Moreover, it requires careful fine tuning, and presents some grey areas of competence intersection, where the national interest still plays a big role. As a result, the new DTV policy framework remains intrinsically prone to member states' particularisms and abuses, especially in the realm of state aid. A few suggestions, aimed at implementing a more rigorous economic approach to state aid control in media markets, are then presented. Finally, the Italian case stands as particularly multidimensional and complex to tackle, and requires a wider policy debate and treatment at the EU level. JEL Classification: H71, L41, L51, L82, O38


We welcome any discussion of our article which traces the emergence, especially in the United States of America, of exercise-associated hyponatraemia (EAH) as a novel disease, even though its aetiology had already been established by us. We appreciate that some may wish to distance themselves from involvement in this affair. But this is not a sound basis for an objective scientific debate. We choose to respond first to Dr Murray's letter.

In his position as Director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), Dr Murray is a full-time employee of PepsiCo, which is a publicly listed company in the USA. The principal accountability of a publicly listed company like PepsiCo and its subsidiary, Gatorade, is to increase the wealth of its shareholders. This follows from the landmark case of Ford versus the Dodge Brothers heard in the Michigan Supreme Court in 1916.1

In his otherwise uncritical review of the Gatorade phenomenon, Rovell2 touches on this legal accountability: "This lack of change (in the Gatorade formulation) has caused some people to be sceptical as to the true function of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) which has funded more than 120 studies in the past 17 years. Is GSSI there to develop the latest and greatest sports drink formula for the masses, or is it there to use science to best defend the status quo? Is it really possible that nothing substantial has come along in sports drink science in the past four decades that would make Gatorade a better drink? There are, after all, very few product categories that fail to evolve over four decades" (pp 194–195). "…..But it is undeniable that GSSI was also created to be part of Gatorade's powerful marketing arm" (p 195). "…..Having the Gatorade Sports Science Institute does mean walking a fine line …


Symbiota is a database management system for aggregating and displaying record-based biodiversity information from collections of widely varying sizes and integrating them with images of living organisms and image-based records. It is currently used by over 230 collections that collectively provide access to records of over 20 million specimens. Its popularity is attributable to the low financial and learning barriers to participation in a Symbiota network and the wide array of tools it offers for creating resources needed by different user groups. It has been developed through grants, contracts, and pro bono contributions but it suffers from a limited pool of developers (for a project of its size), lack of a coordinated training program, and absence of a structure creating and expanded funding base for maintenance of the program and the networks that adopt it. Symbiota2 is designed to address these issues but development of a business plan is in its preliminary stages. It requires articulation of an overall vision for development of the program, knowledge of its current and potential user base, critical funding needs, and identification of those it benefits, particularly those capable of providing financial support. This presentation was developed in response to an invitation to speak at the Symposium. It outlines our preliminary thoughts on the subject. ‡ § ‡ | ‡ © Barkworth M et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. One of the first needs is to establish an entity, provisionally the Symbiota2 Foundation (S2F), to speak for Symbiota2. Its primary task would be fundraising. S2F would have an advisory board comprising individuals willing to help support Symbiota2 development, both personally and by promoting it to their contacts, plus representatives of Symbiota2's developers, networks, and network users. The first goal of the Foundation would be raise the funds required to ensure that any established networks remain active and secure by maintaining the currency of network installations, responding to bug reports, informing network managers of changes to the program, and making minor enhancements as requested by users. Grant funding will still be needed to add significant new features. Enhancements requiring major changes in the underlying program or development of completely new apps would still require grant or contract support. Before launching S2F, we need to build more effective communication with network and collection managers; create flyers, booklets, and presentations explaining the power of the program and its benefits to many different user groups; develop case studies illustrating benefits derived from using the program; and create at least one monetized app. These resources will make clearer the benefits that the biodiversity sciences, particularly Symbiota2, provide for the public because, ultimately, it is public support that is needed. We must use all the tools at our disposal to encourage people's interest in the organisms around them if we are to maintain support for biodiversity science and the collections on which it is based. Symbiota2 can play an important role in this regard. It is, however, unrealistic to expect that Symbiota2 will be able to develop the basic funds needed solely from monetized apps; it is also unrealistic to think it can be supported by charging data providers because many of them are, at present, unfunded. Consequently, there is no choice. We need to look initiate a fund raising program.


This exploratory study examines the difference between two college persistence factors—resiliency and institutional engagement—for low-income, working, first-generation college students. Participants in the study consisted of 52 respondents to the Family History Knowledge and College Persistence Survey. Among respondents, 50 students reported participating in some form of employment, with 9 students in work-study, 22 students in off-campus employment, and 19 students in both work-study and off-campus employment. Data analysis shows a significant relationship between resiliency and employment type, but no significant relationship between institutional engagement and employment type. Our findings indicate students who balance academics and employment exhibit a higher resiliency toward attaining graduation.


George W. Bush hardly finished his declaration of war on terror when the U.S. government turned its attention toward a trinational region where Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay meet, called the triple frontera (Triple Border, in Spanish) and the tríplice fronteira (in Portuguese). My article traces how border residents of Muslim Lebanese origins responded to this post-9/11 U.S. counterterrorist encompassment. I suggest that Arabs publicly mobilized through three media- and state-sponsored initiatives that sought to combat U.S.-derived suspicions. Beginning in September 2001, they led the Peace without Frontiers movement, bringing together some forty-five thousand Triple Border residents; in late 2002, they participated in a border city government's lawsuit against the Cable News Network (CNN) for defamation; and in mid-2003, they supported the publicity campaign that satirized the alleged visit of Osama bin Laden. Arabs crossed ethnic and national boundaries in order to collaborate with South American media and state powers against the U.S. war on terror. At the same time U.S. counterterrorism traversed the continent, Brazilians and Paraguayans of Arab origins mobilized across the post-9/11 Americas as well.


Objective To assess whether an intervention to help patients prioritize goals for their visit would improve patient-provider communication and clinical outcomes. Design Randomized controlled pilot study. Setting Primary care clinic. Participants There were 120 adult hypertensive patients enrolled. Intervention Patients were randomized to receive either usual care or a previsit patient activation card developed through a series of focus groups that prompted patients to articulate their needs and set priorities for their clinic visit. Encounters were audiorecorded, transcribed, and assessed using duplicate ratings of patient activation and decision making. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in medication adherence as measured by pill count at 4 and 12 weeks after the initial visit. Secondary outcomes evaluated patient-provider interaction quality (patient satisfaction, patient activation, shared decision making, patient trust, and physicians' perceived difficulty of the encounter), functional status, and blood pressure control. Results Of the 120 enrolled patients, 106 completed the baseline visit (mean age of 66 years, 53% women, 57% Black, 36% White). Participants had multiple comorbidities (median number of medications = 8). During the visit, there was greater patient activation in the intervention arm than in the control arm (4.4 vs 3.8, P = .047; ratings were based on a scale from 1 to 10). However, after the visit there were no differences in medication adherence (4 weeks: 45.8% vs 49.5%; 12 weeks: 49.4% vs 51.1%), blood pressure control (4 weeks: 133/78 mm Hg vs 131/77 mm Hg; 12 weeks: 129/77 mm Hg vs 129/76 mm Hg), or encounter satisfaction (78.6% vs 73.8% fully satisfied; P = .63). There were also no differences in shared decision making, patients' trust, or perceived difficulty of the encounter. Conclusion A single previsit tool designed to prompt patients to set a prioritized agenda improved patient activation during the visit, but did not affect the quality of the interaction or postvisit patient-centred outcomes.


The idea of using brain activity as a path to communicate with external devices quickly evolved in the last decades. Brain-reading technologies are starting to be used in different life areas, since we have companies that launched such innovative tools on the market. In this matter, the most common method for measuring and observing the brain activity is the electroencephalogram (EEG), used mainly in the medical field with important research related to disability problems. In the enthusiastic attempt to discover the complexity of the brain, researchers sought for a way to reproduce all its intricated functionsas accurately as the possibilities of the latest tehnology can. A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) represents a direct communication path between the active brain and an external device, a graphic result of it's monitoring process in real time. This article presents a type of device of this kind, the MindWave Mobile by NeuroSky, through which we can observe and analyse the electrical activity of the brain. The different levels of frequency of the brainwave signal are related to cognitive function like attention, and meditation. Based on NeuroSky's own developed eSense algorithms, MindWave Mobile can detect even the very subtle levels of attention and meditation, each of them being calculated and updated every second, as seen on the monitor of the device that's paired with. This paper also presents a related experiment using the EEG device regarding the effect of music on different people, in terms of the concentration and relaxation levels.


When motoring was in its infancy in Sweden the main roads were located straight through towns – the first generation meeting between road and town. When traffic flows were growing, traffic problems along these roads were growing as well. The second generation meeting is when a by pass is built. Winners are heavy traffic, long distance travellers and inner city residents, getting less noise, exhaust fumes and vibrations. But by passes often cause encroachment on recreation areas for nearby residents. The third generation meeting occurs at substantial distances between built-up areas and continuous, broad roads passing towns. In southern Sweden, main roads often are built as such roads, but not in northern Sweden. There traffic flows are too low. "Environmental encroachment" is not yet valued monetarily in the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). The missing value includes physical encroachments in areas important for nature, recreation and/or culture, the barrier the road constitutes (towards an attractive area, river, lake etc.), and the impact on urban or rural landscape. Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) can be a suitable valuing encroachment, especially when winners and losers are different groups. Losers can state their willingness to pay (WTP) for getting environmental improvement (for example a road tunnel). Ex post studies are preferable. A road investment resulting in encroachment is usually controversial and respondents in ex ante studies tend to exaggerate their willingness to pay. In an ex post study they have no incentive for acting strategically. The development of a calculation model, from ex post studies with CVM, has been started. It shows that mean annual willingness to pay in a nearby area for getting a motorway that is a barrier between the dwelling and a lake in tunnel is about 4000 SEK (> 400 Euro).


The familial impact of imprisonment- An exploratory study examining how families of prisoners manage their identity.
The impact of imprisonment upon family members was first examined by Morris (1965) and although nearly half a century has lapsed since the initial publication there remains a distinct paucity of UK research in respect to what is known about the identity transitions families of prisoner's face.
This research explores how families of prisoners serving an indeterminate prison sentence for committing a serious crime construct and manage their identity. The unique feature of this research is that it seeks to capture a variety of familial perspectives on living with the consequences of having a member of the family imprisoned for committing a serious stigmatising crime resulting in an indeterminate sentence. It explores what factors influence how different family members all related to a prisoner manage their individual, familial and extra familial identity. More specifically, the research analyses the factors that influence the individual and familial appraisal of stigma, shame and guilt and how families manage their identity within and outside of their immediate and extended social network.
The research adopts a phenomenological paradigm utilising a combined method of semi structured interview and photo or artefact elicitation.
The preliminary findings of this research are usefully framed and analysed using literature on identity, family stress, shame, and loss theory.


Pathological mediastinal masses are usually unexpected, common findings. This discovery needs a wide range of diagnostic approach. The way of treatment depends on results of diagnostic tests and images and sometimes difficult decision has to be made as it was in a case report of 76 year-old man in whom according to echocardiogram and computed tomography a large postmyocardial aneurysm of left ventricle was found. But intraoperative finding revealed purulent pericarditis.


We calculate the neutral pion photoproduction on the proton near threshold in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory, including the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance as an explicit degree of freedom, up to chiral order $p^{7/2}$ in the $\delta$ counting. We compare our results with recent low-energy data from the Mainz Microtron for angular distributions and photon asymmetries. The convergence of the chiral series of the covariant approach is found to improve substantially with the inclusion of the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance.


Central bank communication has become an important monetary policy tool. This is because it helps to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy by sharing information, which reduces uncertainty. Previous research on the topic has concentrated on central banks in developed economies, such as the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, and the Federal Reserve. This research contributes to the literature by providing insights from the perspective of emerging economies, where communications of Chinese and Indian central banks are examined. The first empirical chapter investigates the effectiveness of communication of People s Bank of China (PBOC) on Chinese financial markets: the interbank money market, the equity market, and foreign exchange markets, are analysed using time-series models. The main focus of the chapter includes an analysis of PBOC s credibility, construction of a new communication index on global economic outlook, more detailed communication indexes, and addressing how-to-communicate questions in the PBOC s communication strategies. The results indicate that the PBOC has credibility and its communication generally reduces volatility in these markets. The second empirical chapter looks at the role of the PBOC s communication in predicting policy rates, using an ordered probit model. The communication indexes constructed in the chapter cover both formal and informal communications of PBOC for 2009 to 2015 and a new communication index on money supply was also constructed. The main finding is that PBOC s communications (particularly on inflation) are useful for predicting PBOC s monetary policy stance. The money supply communication index has some, but not much predictability powers. Finally, the third empirical chapter compares central bank communications in China and India. The contribution of the chapter lies in the comparative analysis of two central banks communications of developing economies, which were overlooked in the extant literature. It shows that the communications on the countries monetary policy inclination have influence on macroeconomic variables of the countries, particularly, the short-term inflation expectations. The findings, therefore, suggest the effectiveness of communications as an unconventional monetary policy tool in emerging economies.


Abstract Whereas previous treatments have considered Heteromys australis the only spiny pocket mouse present in Ecuador, morphological and morphometric analyses of specimens from Ecuador and southwestern Colombia reveal the presence of two species of the genus. Heteromys australis is distributed in evergreen forests from eastern Panamá and western Venezuela through Colombia to extreme northwestern Ecuador, where it inhabits wet, unseasonal areas of the Chocó and adjacent western slopes of the Andes. We here describe a new species, Heteromys teleus, found only in evergreen forests of central-western Ecuador, in areas less mesic and more seasonal than those characteristic of H. australis. Both species possess dark gray dorsal pelage, but H. teleus differs by larger (nonoverlapping) measurements of the hind foot and distinctive cranial proportions. Most notably, the rostrum of the new species is strikingly wide and massive, and the interparietal is narrow and rounded (in contrast to the wide, diamond-shaped interparietal of H. australis). The ranges of the two species together conform to the previously recognized Chocoan evergreen-forest fauna of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. However, the restriction of H. teleus to evergreen but seasonal forests of the southern Chocó (transitional between the relatively unseasonal evergreen forests of the central Chocó to the north and highly seasonal xeric regions to the south) is unique within currently recognized species of mammals. Biogeographic overviews hint at similar patterns in other groups, but more alpha-taxonomic research is necessary to evaluate mammalian distributional patterns in the region properly. Most suitable habitat for H. teleus has been converted to agricultural uses, and its current distribution is likely restricted to a handful of small-to-medium-sized forest patches.


This paper emerged from a group experience about a theme related to human care: the contact. The experience is described, unveiling feelings and memories perceived while constructing the activity, building a concept of contact, here seen as one of the fundaments of human care. Human care was studied on an anthropological approach, lived in a group technique. Our meanings of contact were expressed with the words: senses, sensibility, representation, confidence, relationship. Each significance was worked and detailed since our concept of contact arose from the interrelation of them. Some theoretical reflection about the theme was done and constructs of this kind of care were elaborated, since it is considered one of the fundaments of human care.


Globalization and technology have changed educational settings, and information and communication technology (ICT) literacy has become inevitable in this new era of teaching and learning. ICT is believed to help to transfer educational environments into learner-centered ones and to enhance the quality of teaching learning and management in education. Over the last fifteen years, Turkish education system has been undergoing some reforms both in schools and universities, trying to equip education settings with at least a projector, a computer and Internet access. The survey presented in this article examines language teachers' beliefs and attitudes towards ICT in teaching English at a state university. It aims to better understand the challenges teachers face in integrating ICT in teaching and learning and thus to search for the answer to the question 'What are the main components of quality management in ICT use in higher education language learning settings?'. A semi-structured interview and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Twenty-eight teachers participated in the survey and the results showed that the majority of the participants had positive attitudes towards the integration of ICT in language learning environments; yet some of the teachers found the practice not that easy concerning finding the most suitable materials while preparing and delivering lessons. They also stated that their lack of classroom management skills, bad student behavior hindering learning and students' lack of using ICT made the integration of ICT into education settings quite challenging and added that the lessons were quite short to implement ICT strategies appropriately. Another noteworthy result was that the majority of the teachers' understanding of effective use of ICT in class seemed rather limited and unproductive. Therefore, the teachers were looking for support from the management to provide them with the required equipment and technical support when necessary. They also needed exchange of experience in learning of ICT skills in language teaching, which all showing that quality management in ICT use needs developing. Concerning all these, the researcher suggests ideas to improve the quality management in ICT use in language learning in higher education institutions.


Formation and characterization of polyacetylene-based brushes that exhibit exceptional long term stability in air is presented here. Polyacetylene, structurally the simplest conjugated polymer, exhibits the highest conductivity among conjugated polymers but also very low stability. Both instability and difficulties in processing have ruled out polyacetylene from commercial applications so far. The brushes grafted here from gold via a self-templating surface-initiated method and having a ladder-like architecture showed after iodine doping high directional conductivity reaching up to 10−2 S cm−1 (measured using conductive atomic force microscopy) that was also practically independent of the grafting density. More importantly, conductivities of the brushes after 6 months storage in air at room temperature were reduced only by one order of magnitude as compared to the initial values. The surface grafting of ladder-like brushes containing polyacetylene chains reported here by addressing the instability and processability problems may again attract interest in this conductive polymer several decades after its discovery.


Depriving one eye of visual experience during a sensitive period of development results in a shift in ocular dominance (OD) in the primary visual cortex (V1). To assess the heritability of this form of cortical plasticity and identify the responsible gene loci, we studied the influence of monocular deprivation on OD in a large number of recombinant inbred mouse strains derived from mixed C57BL/6J and DBA/2J backgrounds (BXD). The strength of imaged intrinsic signal responses in V1 to visual stimuli was strongly heritable as were various elements of OD plasticity. This has important implications for the use of mice of mixed genetic backgrounds for studying OD plasticity. C57BL/6J showed the most significant shift in OD, while some BXD strains did not show any shift at all. Interestingly, the increase in undeprived ipsilateral eye responses was not correlated to the decrease in deprived contralateral eye responses, suggesting that the size of these components of OD plasticity are not genetically controlled by only a single mechanism. We identified a quantitative trait locus regulating the change in response to the deprived eye. The locus encompasses 13 genes, two of which – Stch and Nrip1 – contain missense polymorphisms. The expression levels of Stch and to a lesser extent Nrip1 in whole brain correlate with the trait identifying them as novel candidate plasticity genes. Visual experience during postnatal development has a major impact on how neurons in the primary visual cortex respond to visual stimuli later in life. Especially during a sensitive period of development, monocular deprivation (MD) can cause a severe loss of acuity and shift the ocular dominance (OD) toward the undeprived eye. In the last decade, the use of mice has advanced the study of the molecular mechanisms that underlie OD plasticity, greatly improving our understanding of cortical plasticity. Mutant mice with known deficits in other forms of synaptic plasticity or neuronal function have been analyzed for changes in OD plasticity leading to the identification of various important molecular and cellular mechanisms involved. This method of logical induction has been successful, but more systematic approaches are necessary to identify the remaining crucial molecular players. One such approach is a survey of differential genes expression using subtractive libraries or microarrays. Studies of temporal gene expression differences during the critical et al. 2006) have led to the identification of unsuspected pathways involved in experience-dependent plasticity. Some genes that play important roles in cortical …


Shorebirds are conspicuous and abundant at high northern latitudes during spring and summer, but as seasonal conditions deteriorate, few remain during winter. To the best of our knowledge, Cook Inlet, Alaska (60.6˚ N, 151.6˚ W), is the world's coldest site that regularly supports wintering populations of shorebirds, and it is also the most northerly nonbreeding location for shorebirds in the Pacific Basin. During the winters of 1997–2012, we conducted aerial surveys of upper Cook Inlet to document the spatial and temporal distribution and number of Rock Sandpipers ( Calidris ptilocnemis ) using the inlet. The average survey total was 8191 ± 6143 SD birds, and the average of each winter season's highest single-day count was 13 603 ± 4948 SD birds. We detected only Rock Sandpipers during our surveys, essentially all of which were individuals of the nominate subspecies ( C. p. ptilocnemis ). Survey totals in some winters closely matched the population estimate for this subspecies, demonstrating the region's importance as a nonbreeding resource to the subspecies. Birds were most often found at only a handful of sites in upper Cook Inlet, but shifted their distribution to more southerly locations in the inlet during periods of extreme cold. Two environmental factors allow Rock Sandpipers to inhabit Cook Inlet during winter: 1) an abundant bivalve ( Macoma balthica ) food source and 2) current and tidal dynamics that keep foraging substrates accessible during all but extreme periods of cold and ice accretion. C. p. ptilocnemis is a subspecies of high conservation concern for which annual winter surveys may serve as a relatively inexpensive population-monitoring tool that will also provide insight into adaptations that allow these birds to exploit high-latitude environments in winter.


The Bcl-2 family of proteins provide the most unambiguous link between mitochondrial functions and apoptosis, as their only (or principal) functions appear to be as regulators of this cell death pathway. Rational drug design to manipulate the functions of these proteins has been hampered by the lack of a clear understanding of a biochemical or molecular function, with disruption of intra-family protein-protein interactions as the only known, but daunting, objective. There has been substantial progress in this task using molecular modeling and drug leads. The prospects are also good for development of chemical tools for functional analysis of the Bcl-2 proteins.


Forest carbon sink strengths are governed by plant growth, mineralization of dead organic matter, and disturbance. Across landscapes, remote sensing can provide information about aboveground states of forests and this information can be linked to models to estimate carbon cycling in forests close to steady state. For aggrading forests this approach is more challenging and has not been demonstrated. Here we apply a Bayesian approach, linking a simple model to a range of data, to evaluate their information content, for two aggrading forests. We compare high information content analyses using local observations with retrievals using progressively sparser remotely sensed information (repeated, single, and no woody biomass observations). The net biome productivity of both forests is constrained to be a net sink with <2 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 variation across the range of inputs. However, the sequestration of particular carbon pool(s) varies with assimilated biomass information. Assimilation of repeated biomass observations reduces uncertainty and/or bias in all ecosystem C pools not just wood, compared to analyses using single or no stock information. As verification, our repeated biomass analysis explains 78–86% of variation in litter dynamics at one forest, while at the second forest total dead organic matter estimates are within observational uncertainty. The uncertainty of retrieved ecosystem traits in the repeated biomass analysis is reduced by up to 50% compared to analyses with less biomass information. This study quantifies the importance of repeated woody observations in constraining the dynamics of both wood and dead organic matter, highlighting the benefit of proposed remote sensing missions.


The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with other government and private organizations, is producing a conterminous U.S. land-cover map using Landsat Thematic Mapper 30-meter data for the Federal regions designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accuracy assessment is to be conducted for each Federal region to estimate overall and class-specific accuracies. In Region 2, consisting of New York and New Jersey, the accuracy assessment was completed for 15 land-cover and land-use classes, using interpreted 1 :40,000scale aerial photographs as reference data. The methodology used for Region 2 features a two-stage, geographically stratified approach, with a general sample of all classes (1,033 sample sites), and a separate sample for rare classes (294 sample sites). A confidence index was recorded for each land-cover interpretation on the 1 :40,000-scale aerial photography The estimated overall accuracy for Region 2 was 63 percent [standard error 1.4 percent) using all sample sites, and 75.2 percent (standard error 1.5 percent) using only reference sites with a high-confidence index. User's and producer's accuracies for the general sample and user's accuracy for the sample of rare classes, as well as variance for the estimated accuracy parameters, were also reported. Narrowly defined land-use classes and heterogeneous conditions of land cover are the major causes of misclassification errors. Recommendations for modifying the accuracy assessment methodology for use in the other nine Federal regions are provided.


A simple protocol which takes advantage of the inherent random times of detections in single photon counting modules is presented for random active basis choices when using entanglement-based protocols for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). It may also be applicable to the BB84 protocol in certain cases. The scheme presented uses the single photon detectors already present on a QKD setup, working on the same rate as the system is capable of detecting, and is, therefore, not limited by the output rates of quantum random number generators. This protocol only requires small hardware modifications making it an attractive solution. We perform a proof-of-principle experiment employing a spontaneous parametric down-conversion process in a χ(2) non-linear crystal to demonstrate the feasibility of our scheme, and show that the generated sequence passes randomness tests.


In modern democracies, the legislative power is vested in parliaments with diverse organizational structures. Bicameral legislatures, requiring concurrent deliberation by two bodies, are present in about one-third of the world's countries. Bicameralism typically serves the important purpose of accommodating the representation of heterogeneous interests from distinct social cleavages or geographic entities, but it is also associated with advantages such as greater stability of policies, increased accountability, and better quality of legislation. These benefits, however, only arise under specific circumstances, and the greater procedural complexity brought about by two chambers is not without costs. Disagreement between the two chambers often leads to costly legislative gridlock. Bicameralism can also open the door to pressure groups advancing their requests for favorable legislation when the chambers do not have time to carefully consider its consequences. The constitutional choice of bicameralism and its optimality ultimately rest on the subtle balance between its costs and benefits.


Flame made CuO–ZrO2 catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol were prepared such that only the Cu size was varied. Smaller CuO clusters in CuO–ZrO2 showed a higher activity for methanol synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation. Thus, the two-nozzle flame spray pyrolysis technique is a promising one-step preparation process for CO2 hydrogenation catalysts.


The vision for the future with advanced technology and science for easy and better treatments outcome motivating the clinicians to look-forward to practical the cutting edge tactics in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The results will be providing the patients with first-class medical services with reduction of the treatment morbidity. Greater progress has been made in the field of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In the last decades, the researchers were concentered on the improvement of the preoperative planning as it plays a vital role in the success rate of the surgical procedures. Now, as a result of the advanced computer technology, the researches extend beyond the scope of planning and moving toward the surgical procedures itself. Evolution over the last decades focused toward improvement of the preoperative planning, minimally invasive approaches, and minimizing the operation time. All aiming to decrease surgical complications and less post-operative pain and rapid return to normal life-style activities. As a result; remarkable recent advances in surgical and computer technology are evolving every day. Innovations in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery have allowed the professions to progress at a very fast rate and looked-for for more every day. The increased accuracy and speed of treatment, along with reduced discomfort, and decreased the complications will be the actual advantages to our patients. The aim of the current review is to give an insight about the cutting edge in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery to provide a more detailed physical manifestation of your mental picture and a new dimension of insight into the clinical situations you encounter every day.


In this paper we report the use of the dual beam thermal lens technique as a quantitative method to determine absolute fluorescence quantum efficiency and concentration quenching of fluorescence emission from rhodamine 6G doped Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), prepared with different concentrations of the dye. A comparison of the present data with that reported in the literature indicates that the observed variation of fluorescence quantum yield with respect to the dye concentration follows a similar profile as in the earlier reported observations on rhodamine 6G in solution. The photodegradation of the dye molecules under cw laser excitation is also studied using the present method.


Since their appearance two decades ago, PCFs have triggered a range of unique advances in light-matter interactions, including ultrabroadband supercontinuum generation, enhanced optomechanical nonlinearities, OAM-preserving twisted PCFs and diffraction-free pulse compression and nonlinear frequency conversion in gases.


Mechanistic studies relating to the photochemistry of 3-hydroxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one ( 3HF ) and 6-chloro-3-hydroxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one ( Cl-3HF ) have been reinvestigated in selected solvents. The UV-visible spectra of the photoproduct(s) of 3HF and Cl-3HF have been computed in situ via subtracting the spectra of unreacted substrates, with acetonitrile (ACN) and methanol (MeOH) as solvents. These spectra turn out to be different from the spectra of the corresponding isolated photo-products: 3-hydroxy-3-phenyl-indan-1,2-dione and 6-chloro-3-hydroxy-3-phenyl-indan-1,2-dione (referred to as dione). Analyses of the photoproduct(s) via GC-MS show the formation of a single detectable product, i.e., the corresponding dione. On the basis of some experimental observations, it is proposed that the primary photoproduct in situ is 2,3-epoxy-2-hydroxy-1-indanone (referred to as epoxide) instead of dione as reported in previous years. Earlier, epoxide has been proposed to be the intermediate in the mechanism for the formation of dione. This is the first report where the formation of epoxide has been directly detected in the selected solvents. On the other hand, both dione and epoxide (2:1) are shown to be formed with MeOH as solvent. The second important finding is that epoxide and dione interconvert in the dark, depending upon the environment. With ACN as solvent, pure dione in the dark is kinetically and partially converted to epoxide. With MeOH as solvent, epoxide is instantly and partially converted to dione until both are in equilibrium. However, a solution of dione in MeOH remains stable in the dark. The photoformation of epoxide is quantitative with ACN as solvent and it is sufficiently stable. It has been further observed that epoxide solutions of 3HF and Cl-3HF in ACN are quantitatively converted into 3-phenylisobenzofuran-1(3H)-one and 6-chloro-3-phenylisobenzofuran-1(3H)-one, i.e., the corresponding phthalides, through the loss of CO when kept in the dark for some days. A mechanism has been proposed where epoxide has been shown to give dione and/or phthalide via selective C–O or C–C bond cleavage in the oxiranyl ring, respectively. The selection of this cleavage depends mainly on the solvent system and the substituents in the parent flavones.


Speech recognition on smart devices is challenging owing to the small memory footprint. Hence small size ASR models are desirable. With the use of popular transducer-based models, it has become possible to practically deploy streaming speech recognition models on small devices [1]. Recently, the two-pass model [2] combining RNN-T and LAS modules has shown exceptional performance for streaming on-device speech recognition. In this work, we propose a simple and effective approach to reduce the size of the two-pass model for memory-constrained devices. We employ a popular knowledge distillation approach in three stages using the Teacher-Student training technique. In the first stage, we use a trained RNN-T model as a teacher model and perform knowledge distillation to train the student RNN-T model. The second stage uses the shared encoder and trains a LAS rescorer for student model using the trained RNN-T+LAS teacher model. Finally, we perform deep-finetuning for the student model with a shared RNN-T encoder, RNN-T decoder, and LAS rescorer. Our experimental results on standard LibriSpeech dataset show that our system can achieve a high compression rate of 55% without significant degradation in the WER compared to the two-pass teacher model.


Prostacyclin (PGI2) and its analogues are useful treatments for patients with secondary Raynaud's syndrome (RS). However, they have to be given intravenously, causing inconvenience to patients. Cicaprost is an orally available analogue of PGI2 and has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation in both in vitro and animal studies. We recently investigated the effects of cicaprost on whole blood platelet aggregation, red cell deformability, white cell function (polymorphonuclear cell aggregation, elastase release and free radical activity) and plasma fibrinolysis in 14 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and secondary RS. Patients received cicaprost (2.5 micrograms or 5 micrograms t.i.d.) or matching placebo tablets orally for 10 days. Blood samples were taken at baseline and 2 hours after administration of the last treatment for the above mentioned assays. No changes were observed in any of the cellular elements and parameters measured in the 3 groups of patients studied. Our study suggests that cicaprost, at doses up to 5 micrograms t.i.d., fails to modify the blood coagulation elements and factors in patients with RS secondary to SSc. Further studies using higher doses and longer study periods are planned.


Research of the lithosphere of the Western Carpathians, based on the analysis and interpretation of the complex geological and geophysical data, has brought several remarkable results that enable us to understand more precisely the development of the sedimentary basins. First, a tight relationship between gravity anomalies and sources originated from Tertiary sedimentary basins that creates substantial parts of the gravity effect. The main part of the gravity effects originating from both the Moho discontinuity and the boundary between lithosphere and asthenosphere is mutually compensated for in the region of the Carpathians, and therefore, it can be traced only with difficulties. In this chapter, basic information regarding the study of the gravity field of the Western Carpathians are presented, and these both describe the most significant anomalies and the features of the gravity field of basins and support the significance of gravity in the process of verification of interpretation of seismic, magnetotelluric, and geological models in the area of contact of the Inner and Outer Carpathians and the models of the lithosphere. The fundamental results of deep seismic sounding in the Carpathian–Pannonian region constitute the next part of the presented data, especially the observation of the Moho reflection by deep seismic reflection surveys (in 1955), the deepening of the crustmantle boundary under the surrounding mountain range inferred from international refraction and wide-angle reflection surveys (1964–1975), the detection of seismic reflection arrivals of several kilometers originating from the upper mantle and in quantifying the depth of the lithosphereasthenosphere boundary by determining the velocity-vs.-depth function of the P waves (1975–1981), the determination of a domal uplift of the lithosphereasthenosphere boundary, and the existence of shear zone systems cutting through a significant part of the lithosphere (1990–2000). The seismicity of the Carpathian Basin is summarized based on a comprehensive earthquake catalog with more than 20,000 events. The recurrence curve of earthquakes predicts an earthquake of magnitude M 5 every 1 yr, an earthquake of magnitude M 6 every 10 yr, and an earthquake of magnitude M 7 every 100 yr in the Carpathian Basin on average. Most of the shallow-depth events originate from the 5–15-km (3–10-mi) depth domain, whereas in the Vrancea region, roughly three groups can be outlined with depth centers of about 15, 80, and 130 km (10, 50, and 80 mi), respectively. The average yearly energy release is 6.1 1013 J in the whole basin, and the contribution of the Vrancea zone to this amount is 4.8 1013 J/yr, whereas 1.3 1013 J/yr is the product of the remaining large part of the studied area. The synthetic seismograms for the International Geotraverse II of the Eastern Carpathian lithosphere structure were calculated. Geology, seismic, heat, gravity, and electromagnetic data were considered. Vertical and horizontal variations of velocity, density, and energy dissipation were approximated by means of the finite-element method. Synthetic seismograms were compared with experimental ones registered by West Ukrainian Uszhorod, Kosiv, and Miszhirja seismic stations. Effects of change of the lithosphere structure characteristics in the Eastern Carpathian cross section were interpreted on the seismic patterns of waves spreading through the explored cross section. The most important part of the chapter compiles the data on the distribution of the electrical conductivity anomalies, which have been determined by magnetotellurics in the Earth's crust and upper mantle in the Carpathian–Pannonian Basin. Among them, the Carpathian conductivity anomalies, the Transdanubian upper crustal conductor, the middle to lower crustal conducting layer, and the updoming asthenosphere are discussed in detail. The interpreted resistivity model along the reflection profile 2T, which crossed the whole part of Western Carpathians in 1987–1988, has brought several surprising results that, in combination with reflection seismic, gravity, and other geophysical data, enable us to construct a more precise model of the Western Carpathian lithosphere. The complex set of basic information supplies heat flow, recent vertical movement, and paleomagnetic data. A new heat-flow map is presented for the Pannonian Basin, the Carpathians, and the surrounding region. A brief review summarizes the geodynamic and geothermal background of heat-flow pattern. The investigation on recent vertical crustal movements in the Carpathian region offers very important information. As a first presentation, a new color map of vertical movements is enclosed, with 1-mm/yr isoline interval (see below section on The Recent Vertical Movements in the Carpathian Region). In the investigation, repeated precise geodetic measurements and oceanographic data have been used. The characteristic data of the movement tendencies, including the reliabilities of measurements and adjustment, have also been presented. The most important paleomagnetic data are compiled and briefly discussed in this chapter. All these data suggest that the ALCAPA terrane rotated consistently counterclockwise but by different amounts, which indicates internal deformation of early to middle Miocene age. The Tisza unit underwent opposite rotation with respect to the northern unit. In conclusion, the rotation of the ALCAPA and Tisza–Dacia units with different sense occurred at a similar time between 19 and 15 Ma.


We analyse the sensitivity of quantum dot semiconductor lasers to optical feedback. While bulk and quantum well semiconductor lasers are usually extremely unstable when submitted to back reflection, quantum dot semiconductor lasers exhibit a reduced sensitivity. Using a rate equation approach, we show that this behaviour is the result of a relatively low but nonzero line-width enhancement factor and strongly damped relaxation oscillations.


In anesthetized cats, the cold block or coagulation of intermediate zones of the bulbar ventro-lateral surface (BVLS) resulted in profound decrease of the blood pressure (BP) level. The descending tonic activation of spinal vasomotor mechanism in formed by spontaneous discharges of antidromically identified output sympatho-activating neurons with mean firing rate about 14.4/sec. After coagulation of the intermediate zone, pressure reflexes of the BP and late somato-sympathetic response in white rami disappear whereas the spino--bulbo--spinal somato--somatic reflex remains unchanged. The reflex discharges of single sympatho--activating neurons were within the time limits of the late somato--sympathetic response and followed by the silent period. The preferable inhibition of the long-latency white rami discharges elicited by BVLS stimulation arise 200-250 msec after R-wave of the ECG. The inhibition of long-latency discharges was observed during the increase of the BP level induced with vasoconstrictor drugs. The intermediate zone structures of BVLS seem to play the key role in supporting of the BP level and organization of pressure reflexes. These structures are suggested to be the actual elements of the bulbar vasomotor center.


There are often practical limitations to measure the airtightness of a multifamily building as a whole as described in EN 13829. The building may be too large; the floors may not be connected with an internal airflow path; or there may be large leaks in the stairway. In such cases, the measurement is performed on a sample of apartments for compliance check purposes, which raises a number of questions especially as legal disputes may arise. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate the limitations of several sampling methods and suggest improvements based on a field data from ten new multi-family buildings, representing 208 units. In each building, we measured a) the air tightness on the whole building, b) in each apartment, and c) in the common areas of the building. The envelope area was found to be the most reliable parameter as a selection criterion for the sampling method, i.e., it is the best parameter we found to correlate airtightness with. Our analysis also confirms that the leakage in the common areas can have a significant impact on the air permeability of the whole building, especially in the presence of with lift shaft and/or basement parking.


Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) plants damaged by insects emit a blend of volatiles, predominantly sesquiterpenes, that are implicated in attracting natural enemies of the attacking insects. To characterize sesquiterpene biosynthesis in sorghum, seven terpene synthase (TPS) genes, SbTPS1 through SbTPS7, were identified based on their evolutionary relatedness to known sesquiterpene synthase genes from maize and rice. While SbTPS6 and SbTPS7 encode truncated proteins, all other TPS genes were determined to encode functional sesquiterpene synthases. Both SbTPS1 and SbTPS2 produced the major products zingiberene, β-bisabolene and β-sesquiphellandrene, but with opposite ratios of zingiberene to β-sesquiphellandrene. SbTPS3 produced (E)-α-bergamotene and (E)-β-farnesene. SbTPS4 formed (E)-β-caryophyllene as the major product. SbTPS5 produced mostly (E)-α-bergamotene and (Z)-γ-bisabolene. Based on the genome sequences of sorghum, maize and rice and the sesquiterpene synthase genes they contain, collinearity analysis identified the orthologs of sorghum sesquiterpene synthase genes, except for SbTPS4, in maize and rice. Phylogenetic analysis implied that SbTPS1, SbTPS2 and SbTPS3, which exist as tandem repeats, evolved as a consequence of local gene duplication in a lineage-specific manner. Structural modeling and site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that three amino acids in the active site play critical roles in defining product specificity of SbTPS1, SbTPS2, SbTPS3 and their orthologs in maize and rice. The naturally occurring functional variations of sesquiterpene synthases within and between species suggest that multiple mechanisms, including lineage-specific gene duplication, subfunctionalization, neofunctionalization and pseudogenization of duplicated genes, have all played a role in the dynamic evolution of insect-induced sesquiterpene biosynthesis in grasses.


Frailty is important in diabetes management but its impact on the cardiovascular (CV) effectiveness of SGLT-2i and GLP-1 RA as used in routine care is unexplored. Using Medicare claims data, we identified three pairwise 1:1 propensity score (PS) matched cohorts of people with type 2 diabetes who initiated a SGLT-2i, a GLP-1 RA, or a DPP-4i between 04/2013-12/2018. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse CV events (MACE) including acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or all-cause mortality. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and absolute rate differences (RD) per 1`000 person-years, with their 95% CI, in each PS-matched cohort by level of frailty, using a validated claims-based frailty index (3 strata: non-frail, <0.15; pre-frail, 0.15-0.24; frail, ≥0.25) , controlling for >150 baseline covariates. We used the Wald test for homogeneity to assess treatment heterogeneity across strata. The HR for MACE associated with SGLT-2i vs. DPP4i (n=91`141 PS-matched pairs) was 0.82 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.93) in frail, 0.71 (0.67 to 0.75) in pre-frail, and 0.78 (0.71 to 0.86) in non-frail people (p for homogeneity=0.033) . The HR for MACE associated with GLP-1 RA vs. DPP4i (n=90`988 pairs) was 0.84 (0.76 to 0.93) in frail, 0.77 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.81) in pre-frail, and 0.82 (0.74 to 0.91) in non-frail people (p for h.=0.150) . The HR for MACE associated with SGLT-2i versus GLP-1 RA (n=67`067 pairs) was 0.87 (0.75 to 1.01) in frail, 0.93 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.01) in pre-frail, and 0.90 (0.79 to 1.03) in non-frail people (p for h.=0.692) . Compared to DPP-4i, the absolute benefit of either SGLT-2i or GLP-1 RA was largest in frail people [RD, -25.0 (-42.1 to -7.9) , p for h.<0.001, NNT=20; and RD, -24.9 (-39.0 to -10.7) , p for h.<0.001, NNT=21; respectively]. While, compared to DPP4i, SGLT-2i and GLP-1 RA were associated with similar relative risk reductions in MACE among people with and without frailty, their absolute benefits were largest in frail people.

 A.Kutz: Research Support; Novo Nordisk. C.Gopalakrishnan: None. D.H.Kim: None. E.Patorno: Research Support; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, National Institutes of Health, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

 National Institute on Aging (K08AG055670)


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the validity and reliability of two self-report instruments: the Alcohol-Related Problems Survey (ARPS) and its shorter version the Short ARPS (shARPS) that identify older persons whose use of alcohol alone or with their comorbidities may be placing them at risk for or causing them harm.

METHOD
We compared the two measures against a "LEAD" (longitudinal evaluation done by experts employing all available data) standard among a sample of 166 drinkers aged 60 years and older in 10 internal medicine clinics. The LEAD standard included a medical record review, a clinical interview and a telephone interview with a collateral informant. We tabulated reasons the LEAD identified subjects as harmful or hazardous drinkers. We also compared the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test-Geriatric Version (SMAST-G) to the LEAD.

RESULTS
Sensitivity and specificity of the ARPS and the shARPS as compared to the LEAD were 93% and 63%, and 92% and 51%, respectively. After minor changes were made in the scoring rules, specificity increased to 66% for both the ARPS and shARPS while sensitivity remained stable, 93% and 91%. Harmful and hazardous drinkers were most often identified because of alcohol use with comorbidities, symptoms, and medication use. Sensitivity and specificity of the AUDIT and the SMAST-G as compared to the LEAD were 28% and 100%, and 52% and 96%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The ARPS and shARPS are quite sensitive in identifying older drinkers with a spectrum of alcohol use disorders. They are more sensitive than the AUDIT and the SMAST-G in identifying older persons who may be at risk or experiencing harm as a result of their alcohol use and comorbidities. They also provide information on specific risks associated with alcohol use not obtained by other screening measures and may therefore facilitate interventions by busy clinicians to reduce such risks.


Objectives: The aim was to explore the prognostic significance of IL-6 and markers of systemic inflammatory response (SIR), in particular C-reactive protein (CRP)


Provision of supplemental oxygen to maintain soft tissue viability acutely following trauma in which vascularization has been compromised would be beneficial for limb and tissue salvage. For this application, an oxygen generating biomaterial that may be injected directly into the soft tissue could provide an unprecedented treatment in the acute trauma setting. The purpose of the current investigation was to determine if sodium percarbonate (SPO), an oxygen generating biomaterial, is capable of maintaining resting skeletal muscle homeostasis under otherwise hypoxic conditions. In the current studies, a biologically and physiologically compatible range of SPO (1–2 mg/mL) was shown to: 1) improve the maintenance of contractility and attenuate the accumulation of HIF1α, depletion of intramuscular glycogen, and oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation) that occurred following ∼30 minutes of hypoxia in primarily resting (duty cycle = 0.2 s train/120 s contraction interval <0.002) rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in vitro (95% N2–5% CO2, 37°C); 2) attenuate elevations of rat EDL muscle resting tension that occurred during contractile fatigue testing (3 bouts of 25 100 Hz tetanic contractions; duty cycle = 0.2 s/2 s = 0.1) under oxygenated conditions in vitro (95% O2–5% CO2, 37°C); and 3) improve the maintenance of contractility (in vivo) and prevent glycogen depletion in rat tibialis anterior (TA) muscle in a hindlimb ischemia model (i.e., ligation of the iliac artery). Additionally, injection of a commercially available lipid oxygen-carrying compound or the components (sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide) of 1 mg/mL SPO did not improve EDL muscle contractility under hypoxic conditions in vitro. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that a biological and physiological concentration of SPO (1–2 mg/mL) injected directly into rat skeletal muscle (EDL or TA muscles) can partially preserve resting skeletal muscle homeostasis under hypoxic conditions.


The last few years have seen a significant growth in Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) deployments in telecommunication service providers. With growth of data traffic, network operators seek network-engineering tools to extract the maximum benefits out of the existing infrastructure. This has suggested a number of new optimization problems, most of them in the field of combinatorial optimization. We address here the Ring Loading Problem (RLP) - given a set of nodes connected along a bi-directional SONET ring, the objective is to minimize the maximum load on the edges (pair wise) of a ring. Our procedure includes some original features, including the application of Iterated Local Search and new methods of crossover and mutation when Genetic Algorithms are used.


In the last 10 years, the growing approval and marketing of biological agents has significantly ameliorated the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis patients suffering from active and refractory disease despite conventional treatments. As patent protection of many biopharmaceuticals will expire in the next years, biosimilars could be proximally introduced. Such agents could be marked only when they will be proven, through in vitro and in vivo studies, to be similar enough to the original comparator in term of quality, efficacy and safety. As biosimilars are less expensive than corresponding originators, a wider use of these drugs may substantially cut off the expenditure of biopharmaceuticals. Nevertheless, ongoing debate exists in scientific community: the intrinsic complex and large structure of biologic molecules besides the natural variability in the manufacturing processes might lead to a slightly different product respect to the original one, so that relevant implications for efficacy and safety concerns might arise, especially in the long-term period. Immunogenicity and extended indications of biosimilars represent further matter of discussion, too. Thus, before their approval and marketing, specific guidelines and steps imposed by national and/or international regulatory agencies should be followed along with the respect of scientific societies position in each specific contest.


The concept of innateness is a part of folk wisdom but is also used by biologists and cognitive scientists. This concept has a legitimate role to play in science only if the colloquial usage relates to a coherent body of evidence. We examine many different candidates for the post of scientific successor of the folk concept of innateness. We argue that none of these candidates is entirely satisfactory. Some of the candidates are more interesting and useful than others, but the interesting candidates are not equivalent to each other and the empirical and evidential relations between them are far from clear. Researchers have treated the various scientific notions that capture some aspect of the folk concept of innateness as equivalent to each other or at least as tracking properties that are strongly correlated with each other. But whether these correlations exist is an empirical issue. This empirical issue has not been thoroughly investigated because in the attempt to create a bridge between the folk view and their theories, researchers have often assumed that the properties must somehow cluster. Rather than making further attempts to import the folk concept of innateness into the sciences, efforts should now be made to focus on the empirical questions raised by the debates and pave the way to a better way of studying the development of living organisms. Such empirical questions must be answered before it can be decided whether a good scientific successor – in the form of a concept that refers to a collection of biologically significant properties that tend to co-occur – can be identified or whether the concept of innateness deserves no place in science.


The synthesis of Group 14 nanocrystals with controlled size dispersity and composition is an area of considerable interest due to their size-dependent optical and electronic properties, thought to enable their use in a wide range of applications such as fluorophores for biological imaging and photovoltaics. In this review, the use of sol-gel derived polymers as precursors for oxide-embedded Group 14 nanocrystals is presented. This versatile approach can yield tangible quantities of both oxide-embedded and freestanding materials with controllable size, narrow size distributions, and tailorable composition.


Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is promoting increased interest with regard to manufacturing parts of complex geometry. It is especially important with respect to manufacturing cost reductions for relatively expensive Titanium alloys. The rapid and directional cooling processes inherent with LMD produce nonhomogeneous microstructures and large residual stresses. Knowledge of the LMD process to optimise deposited microstructures is in high demand. The high-strength β-Titanium alloy, Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr (Ti5553), was deposited using LMD on to a heat-treated substrate of the same alloy. Two blocks of 15 x 15 x 6.4 mm3 were made with different laser power to powder feed rate ratios followed by microstructural analyses. Both blocks have almost identical geometry and density. Low ratios of laser power to powder feed rate resulted in pure β phase in the deposited layers and the re-melted material in the substrate. High ratios resulted in larger columnar β grains, the precipitation of nano-scaled α, and a pronounced increase in microhardness ≈1 mm above and below the substrate interface. This could be detrimental to the mechanical properties of the substrate and highlights the importance of the optimisation of LMD parameters.


Nest site selection is an important part of adult reproductive behavior because growth and survival of young are often affected by the local environment. In terrestrially nesting marbled salamanders, nest elevation is likely important to reproductive success because it is directly related to the time of hatching. We tested the hypothesis that females choose nest sites based on elevation and its correlates by controlling the availability of nesting cover, a potentially important factor in nest site selection which often covaries with elevation. Breeding adults were confined to field enclosures in which natural nesting cover had been removed and replaced with equal proportions of artificial cover in each of three elevation zones. In four enclosures that spanned from lowest to highest areas of a wetland breeding site, females used artificial nesting cover most frequently at low elevations. These results contrast with other studies in which intermediate elevations had highest nest densities, but are consistent with a conceptual model in which opposing selective forces result in locally adapted nest site selection.


Dual Work Roles: The Joint Effect of Hybrid Entrepreneurs' Regulatory Focus and Wage Work to Entrepreneurial Work Enrichment on Entrepreneurial Performance by ASANTE Eric Adom Master of Philosophy Hybrid entrepreneurial is phenomenal but remains under-studied in the management literature. This paper investigated the joint influence of hybrid entrepreneurs' trait regulatory focus and wage work to entrepreneurial work enrichment (WE enrichment) on their entrepreneurial engagement and the subsequent proficient, adaptive, and proactive performance in entrepreneurial work. I first interviewed 16 hybrid entrepreneurs to obtain the understanding of their reasons for being in hybrid entrepreneurship, their regulatory focus tendencies, and the resources they transfer from wage work to entrepreneurial work. To validate the measurement scales of promotion and prevention focus, I conducted a pilot study among 66 hybrid entrepreneurs. Then, I conducted a multi-source questionnaire survey among 329 hybrid entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial partners in Ghana. The final sample included 272 completed and matched responses. I used structural equation modeling of Mplus 7.4 to test the hypothesized model. Results of the questionnaire survey provided strong support to my hypothesized model. Promotion focus and prevention focus had positive and negative relationships with these three types of entrepreneurial performance, respectively. I also found that the opposite relationships of promotion focus and prevention focus with these three types of entrepreneurial performance were mediated by entrepreneurial engagement. Furthermore, hybrid entrepreneurs work across the wage-work and entrepreneurial roles, and I found that WE enrichment played a moderating role. Specifically, WE enrichment strengthened the positive relationship between promotion focus and entrepreneurial engagement as well as the positive indirect relationships between promotion focus and the three types of entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial engagement. In contrast, WE enrichment weakened the negative relationship between prevention focus and entrepreneurial engagement as well as the negative indirect relationships between prevention focus and the three types of entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial engagement. This research sheds light on how personality traits and dual-work context affect hybrid entrepreneurs' entrepreneurial processes and performance outcomes. Thus, I provide theoretical implications for the literature of hybrid entrepreneurial and dual work roles. Further, this research offers important practical implications for hybrid entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial partners, as well as investors. Hybrid entrepreneurship, regulatory focus, entrepreneurial engagement, crossrole enrichment.


We survey the techniques for image-based rendering (IBR) and for compressing image-based representations. Unlike traditional three-dimensional (3-D) computer graphics, in which 3-D geometry of the scene is known, IBR techniques render novel views directly from input images. IBR techniques can be classified into three categories according to how much geometric information is used: rendering without geometry, rendering with implicit geometry (i.e., correspondence), and rendering with explicit geometry (either with approximate or accurate geometry). We discuss the characteristics of these categories and their representative techniques. IBR techniques demonstrate a surprising diverse range in their extent of use of images and geometry in representing 3-D scenes. We explore the issues in trading off the use of images and geometry by revisiting plenoptic-sampling analysis and the notions of view dependency and geometric proxies. Finally, we highlight compression techniques specifically designed for image-based representations. Such compression techniques are important in making IBR techniques practical.


Loess is a typical natural mineral particle distributed widely around the world, and it is inexpensive, readily accessible, and harmless to the environment. In this study, loess was modified by surface grafting copolymerization of functional monomers, such as acrylic acid, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, and N,N-methylenebisacrylamide as a cross-linking agent, which afforded a novel loess-based grafting copolymer (LC-PAVP). After being characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, its adsorption capacity and mechanism of removing lead ions (Pb2+) were investigated. With the study of the optimal experimental conditions, it was demonstrated that the removal rate of Pb2+ by LC-PAVP can reach up to 99.49% in 60 min at room temperature. It was also found that the kinetic characteristics of the adsorption capacity due to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the thermodynamics conformed well with the Freundlich model. In summary, as a lost-cost and eco-friendly loess-based adsorbent, LC-PAVP is a good potential material for wastewater treatment.


A transition from the traditional planned economy to a mixed economy has taken place in socialist countries during the last 25 years. However, the changes in the operational mechanism of the economy, especially changes in the behavior of the government, households, and firms and changes in the relationship between plan and market(s) within the economy, have not been fully studied and recognized. The primary purpose of this study is to try to keep pace with these changes by using economic principles;This study focuses on the Chinese grain economy, which well represents the changing features of the socialist economy. The theoretical frameworks for both the planned grain economy and the mixed grain economy are developed separately. For each segment of the grain economy, the nature of the whole is determined by analyzing the separate parts. To begin with, each grain economy is naturally divided into the domestic economy and international trade. The domestic economy is separated into urban and rural parts according to the practical situation. Further, the rural economy is broken into two subparts, state farms (state farm households) and agricultural production teams (agricultural households) due to the difference in ownerships. For each basic unit within the economy, its behavior in the markets is illustrated and classified by mathematical and graphical analyses. The total grain demand and supply functions are derived by a unique method of two-stage aggregation. For the international trade, the behavior of the government is classified and the aggregate import grain demand/export grain supply functions are derived;To complete this study, a grain model for China is formulated by combining previous results. The model covers both periods of the planned economy and the mixed economy, contains both domestic and international markets with different characteristics, and provides a tool to assess the impacts of government policy instruments and the interactions of plan and markets;The basic conclusion is that the Chinese mixed economy, as a transition between the planned economy and the market economy, still belongs to the socialist category at present. Several new theoretical findings are obtained, and some conjectures by previous authors are more rigorously supported.


This paper presents experimental results showing that four-year-old Mandarin- speaking children draw free choice inferences from disjunctive statements, though they are not able to compute inferences of exclusivity for disjunctive statements or other scalar implicatures. The findings connect to those of Chemla & Bott (under review) who report differences in how adults process free choice inferences versus scalar implicatures and, prima facie, the findings pose a challenge to treatments that attempt to unify inferences of both kinds. Instead, the findings appear to favour accounts that invoke different analyses for each kind of inference, such as Zimmerman 2000a, Geurts 2005, and Barker 2010. The results, however, also support the recent approach in the experimental literature which attributes children's failures to compute scalar implicatures to a difficulty with alternatives: children may lack the lexical knowledge of alternatives, or these implicatures impose such a high processing cost that children are unable to handle the alternatives necessary to compute them (Gualmini, Crain, Meroni, Chierchia & Guasti 2001 Chierchia, Crain, Guasti & Thornton 2001 Reinhart 2006; Barner, Brooks & Bale 2011; Singh, Wexler, Astle, Kamawar & Fox 2012). If accessing alternatives is the source of children's difficulty, then they would be expected to perform better if the requisite alternatives are made explicit, as sub-strings of the asserted sentences. This is exactly what we found. Children were able to compute free choice inferences based on alternatives that were made explicit in the assertion, but children were unable to compute 'regular' scalar implicatures arising from alternatives lacking this property. We discuss the implications of these findings for the debate about the relationship between free choice inferences and scalar implicatures and children's knowledge of alternatives.


The university environment reinforces positive alcohol-related expectations and motivations for drinking among undergraduate students. High levels of hazardous consumption in this popula- tion lead to significant negative alcohol-related consequences, for individuals and those around them. This study sought to explore the contexts in which those who engage in hazardous drinking consume alcohol, their perceptions of safety and harm, and receptivity to health messages. Un- dergraduate university students (n = 69; aged 17 - 24 of both genders (57% female)) were purpo- sively recruited into one of seven focus groups after screening with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to select for hazardous drinking (score, >8) or moderate drinking. A focus group interview schedule was developed, which was informed by theory and tested for va- lidity by a panel of experts. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed four thematic clusters: posi- tive expectations; inescapable culture; defining situations; and permissible drunkenness. Drink- ing was associated with various personal and social advantages that reinforced participants' in- tentions and/or willingness to drink. Alcohol played a meaningful role in the way in which partici- pants identified with youth and university culture. Economical drinking was prominent, with stu- dents constantly negotiating pathways to intoxication within the confines of their budgets. Heavy drinking was viewed as permissible when in the home environment and/or in the company of trusted friends. Most students were unreceptive to health messages, and advice on restricting al- cohol consumption seemed to have limited impact on drinking behaviour. Our findings clarify why some university students maintain or increase drinking behaviour despite known negative out- * Corresponding author.