Context. At least 492 central stars of Galactic planetary nebulae (CSPNs) have been assigned spectral types. Since many CSPNs are faint, these classification e fforts are frequently made at low spectral resolution. However, the stellar Balmer absorption lines are contaminated with nebular emission; therefore in many cases a low-resolution spectrum does not enable the determination of the H abundance in the CSPN photosphere. Whether or not the photosphere is H deficient is arguably the most important fact we sho uld expect to extract from the CSPN spectrum, and should be the basis for an adequate spectral classification system. Aims. Our purpose is to provide accurate spectral classifications and contribute to the knowledge of central stars of planetary nebulae and stellar evolution. Methods. We have obtained and studied higher quality spectra of CSPNs described in the literature as weak emission-line star (WELS). We provide descriptions of 19 CSPN spectra. These stars had been previously classified at low spectral resolutio n. We used medium-resolution spectra taken with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS). We provide spectral types in the MorganKeenan (MK) system whenever possible. Results. Twelve stars in our sample appear to have normal H rich photospheric abundances, and five stars remain unclassified. The rest (two) are most probably H deficient. Of all central stars described by other authors as WELS, we find that at least 26% of them are, in fact, H rich O stars, and at least 3% are H deficient. Thi s supports the suggestion that the denomination WELS should not be taken as a spectral type, because, as a WELS based on low-resolution spectra, it cannot provide enough information about the photospheric H abundance.


For more than five decades, we have been refining advances in pancreas whole organ and islet cell transplantation as clinical therapies to treat the ever-increasing number of patients suffering from type-1-diabetes. Research and clinical practice have contributed to making both whole organ and cellular transplantation viable therapeutic options for a broader range of patients. Furthermore, both forms of clinical transplantation results have progressively improved, due to the ongoing refinement of organ donation and its various technical processes, combined with the evolution of immunosuppression and patient care now offering excellent long-term treatment for both type-1-diabetes and concomitant renal failure. This chapter provides an overview on how this has been undertaken and achieved over decades to ultimately provide outstanding outcomes on par with other organ transplantation results. Briefly, we cover the history of pancreas retrieval procedures, the importance of donor selection, the intricate processes of the organ donor operation, preservation of the pancreas, and the ideal ways to best improve outcomes for transplantation. Improving and providing the optimal donor and preservation conditions underpinning the success of subsequent whole pancreas or islet trans- plantation as a safe, effective, and feasible therapeutic option for an increasing number of patients suffering from type-1-diabetes.


Abstract Life originated in an anoxic, Fe2+-rich environment. We hypothesize that on early Earth, Fe2+ was a ubiquitous cofactor for nucleic acids, with roles in RNA folding and catalysis as well as in processing of nucleic acids by protein enzymes. In this model, Mg2+ replaced Fe2+ as the primary cofactor for nucleic acids in parallel with known metal substitutions of metalloproteins, driven by the Great Oxidation Event. To test predictions of this model, we assay the ability of nucleic acid processing enzymes, including a DNA polymerase, an RNA polymerase and a DNA ligase, to use Fe2+ in place of Mg2+ as a cofactor during catalysis. Results show that Fe2+ can indeed substitute for Mg2+ in catalytic function of these enzymes. Additionally, we use calculations to unravel differences in energetics, structures and reactivities of relevant Mg2+ and Fe2+ complexes. Computation explains why Fe2+ can be a more potent cofactor than Mg2+ in a variety of folding and catalytic functions. We propose that the rise of O2 on Earth drove a Fe2+ to Mg2+ substitution in proteins and nucleic acids, a hypothesis consistent with a general model in which some modern biochemical systems retain latent abilities to revert to primordial Fe2+-based states when exposed to pre-GOE conditions.


BACKGROUND
In the last decade an increasing number of asylum-seeking children arrived in Europe and local healthcare systems have been challenged to adapt to their health needs. The aim of this study was to compare the spectrum of disease and management of asylum-seeking and non-asylum-seeking children requiring hospital admission.

METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study including health data from recently arrived asylum-seeking and non-asylum-seeking children admitted between January 2016 and December 2017. Data were collected using electronic administrative and medical records.

RESULTS
Of 11,794 admissions of 9407 patients, 149 (1%) were asylum-seeking and 11,645 (99%) from non-asylum-seeking children. In asylum-seeking children the median age was 4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 0–13) with 61% males and in non-asylum-seeking children 4 years (IQR 0–11) years with 56% males. Respiratory infections accounted for 17–19% of admissions in both groups. Rare infectious diseases were more frequent in asylum-seeking children (15 vs 7%; difference in proportions 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02–0.14; p <0.001,). Injuries were more frequent in non-asylum-seeking children (22 vs 13%; difference in proportions 0.09, 95% CI 0.04–0.014; p <0.01). Admissions for mental health disorders were infrequent but more common in asylum-seeking children (6 vs 3%; difference in proportions 0.03, 95% CI −0.01 – 0.07; p = 0.02) Prescription of analgesics was lower in asylum-seeking than non-asylum-seeking children (3.4 vs 6.5 accounting units per admission). Antibiotic prescription was comparable in both groups.

CONCLUSION
Asylum-seeking children represent a small number of total admissions. Age distribution and main reason for admission being diseases of the respiratory system were comparable in asylum-seeking and non-asylum-seeking children. Rare infections and mental health disorders are important diseases in asylum-seeking children and require special attention and training of staff working with paediatric asylum seekers.


Avid Web site browser and Profiles publisher Donald Johnson comments on the site of Concord Hospital, Concord, N.H. He looks beyond the hospital's "warm and fuzzy home page" to find useful innovations and discusses some planned improvements.


Neuronal precursors play an important role in potential regenerative therapeutic strategies in different neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. Parkinson's disease. To understand proliferation and differentiation of these cells in vitro and in vivo, it is important to characterize functional properties of neuronal precursors in detail. The aim of the present study was to analyse the electrophysiological characteristics of ligand‐gated channels of neuronal precursors prepared from the rat ventral mesencephalon (VM) of embryonic stage 12.5 during their in vitro differentiation. For the experiments we used the patch‐clamp technique in combination with a system for ultrafast solution exchange and immunocytochemistry. It could be shown that functional active AMPA‐type glutamate as well as GABAA receptor channels are expressed at an early stage of neuronal development. In culture we observed excitatory as well as inhibitory postsynaptic currents (defined by their different kinetics) which correspond to the activation of AMPAergic and GABAergic receptor channels. Two populations of glutamate‐activated currents could be differentiated by their different time course of desensitization whereas the time course of resensitization and deactivation was normally distributed in all cells. GABAergic currents could be blocked by bicuculline and their kinetics correspond to that of GABAA receptor channel currents. Summarizing the results, in the present study it was shown for the first time that neuronal embryonic precursors of the rat VM express both functional AMPA‐type glutamate and functional GABAA receptor channels in vitro.


Results are presented here from an experimental investigation on tube side two-phase characteristics that took place in four tested tubes—the 1EHT-1, 1EHT-2, 4LB, and smooth tubes. The equivalent outer diameter of the tube was 9.52 mm and the inner diameter was 8.32 mm. Condensation tests were conducted using refrigerant R410A at a saturation temperature of 318 K, over a mass flow range of 150–450 kg m−2 s−1, with inlet and outlet vapor qualities of 0.8 and 0.2, respectively. Evaporation tests were performed at a saturation temperature of 279 K, over a mass flow range of 150–380 kg m−2 s−1, with inlet and outlet vapor qualities of 0.2 and 0.8, respectively. Pressure drop data of the four tested tubes were collected to evaluate five identified prediction correlations based on the separated flow model and the homogeneous flow model. The separated flow approaches presented predictions with average MAEs of 24.9% and 16.4% for condensation and evaporation data, respectively, while the average MAEs of the homogeneous flow model were 31.6% and 43.4%, respectively. Almost all the identified correlations underestimated the frictional pressure drop of the 4LB tube with MAEs exceeding 30%. An earlier transition of different flow patterns was expected to occur in the EHT tubes while developing a new diabatic flow pattern map is needed for the 4LB tube. A new correlation was presented based on the two-phase multiplier Φ and the Martinelli parameter Xtt, which exhibited excellent predictive results for the experimental data.


Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease of the retina, most often seen among people over the age of 50. The disease is typically manifested by the loss of central vision and as such represents a major threat to the quality of life to those suffering with it. This report reviewed the evidence concerning the economic impact of macular degeneration in the developed world, examining reports on direct and indirect medical costs, as well as those that have attempted to estimate non-health care costs. It also aimed to review reports of the cost-effectiveness of treatment of the disease, examining nutritional supplements, photodynamic therapy, and anti-VEGF treatments.


For practice it is important to leverage ideas of high quality from Virtual Ideas Communities (VIC). Therefore, firms that run such VIC have a strong interest in understanding which factors impact customers' ideation outcome. This research investigates the influence of customers' motivation factors for developing ideas on the quality of their ideas. So far, empirical studies that provide evidence on this association are neglected, although these insights would be highly beneficial for firms in their role as operator of VIC. Knowing the factors that have a positive influence will provide valuable insights into how to design effective incentive strategies that attract corresponding customer motivations and, in turn, will lead to higher levels of idea quality. In this research-in-progress paper we build a theoretical model explaining which of customers' motives for developing ideas have a positive impact on their ideation outcome.


Relative life expectancy (i.e. the average life expectancy of a species expressed as a percentage of the maximum longevity ever reported for this species) may describe husbandry success in captive populations. By correlating the relative life expectancy with biological characteristics and husbandry factors for different species, reasons for variations in relative life expectancy can be detected. We analysed data for 166,901 ruminants of 78 species and demonstrated the presence of such a correlation between relative life expectancy and percentage grass in the species' natural diet (not necessarily the diet fed in zoos). This suggests that species adapted to grass (so-called grazers, such as bison and wildebeest) can be managed more easily when compared to species that feed on leaves and twigs (so-called browsers, such as giraffe and moose). Another finding of our analysis is a true success story of zoo animal management: the relative life expectancy was higher in species that were managed by an international studbook than in species not managed this way. This highlights the positive effect of intensive studbook management on the overall husbandry success of the respective species. Translating these results into husbandry recommendations, our approach can help to improve zoo animal husbandry.


This dissertation investigates important and cutting-edge issues surrounding new product development failure and its consequences for market values of innovation-driven firms. Although a substantial body of literature demonstrates that new product development failure harms some companies more than others, this dissertation examines which factors, specific to a firm, impact this variance in investor reactions to new product development failure. Moreover, this dissertation investigates how innovative firms can foster or mitigate financial consequences when they have to announce that promising new product development projects have failed to achieve desired milestones. Using a unique dataset of publicity traded US biotechnology companies experiencing new product development failures during the period of 1994-2008, four different event studies provide insights to management scholars, firm managers, and biotech investors. The results of these studies show that investor reactions to new product development failure are more complex than many previous studies have assumed, and that firm resources and capabilities at different organizational levels interactively impact these reactions. This dissertation concludes with implications for practise and suggestions for new avenues for future research on new product development failure and their financial consequences for innovative firms.


The objective of this study was to develop a rapid, sensitive detection assay for the quarantine pathogen Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni, causal agent of stone fruit bacterial spot, an economically important disease of Prunus spp. Unique targets were identified from X. arboricola pv. pruni genomes using a comparative genomics pipeline of other Xanthomonas species, subspecies and pathovars, and used to identify specific diagnostic markers. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was then applied to these markers to provide rapid, sensitive and specific detection. The method developed showed unrivalled specificity with the 79 tested strains and, in contrast to previously established techniques, distinguished between phylogenetically close subspecies such as X. arboricola pv. corylina. The sensitivity of this test is comparable to that of a previously reported TaqMan assay at 10 CFU mL, while the unrivalled speed of LAMP technology enables a positive result to be obtained in <15 min. The developed assay can be used with real-time fluorescent detectors for quantitative results as well as with DNA-staining dyes to function as a simplified strategy for on-site pathogen detection.


The maximum rate of carboxylation, Vcmax, and the maximum rate of electron transport, Jmax, describe leaf‐level capacities of the photosynthetic system and are critical in determining the net fluxes of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the terrestrial biosphere. Although both Vcmax and Jmax exhibit high spatial and temporal variability, most descriptions of photosynthesis in terrestrial biosphere models assume constant values for Vcmax and Jmax at a reference temperature ignoring intraseasonal, interannual, and water stress‐induced variations. Although general patterns of variation of Vcmax and Jmax have been correlated across groups of species, climates, and nitrogen concentrations, scant theoretical support has been provided to explain these variations. We present a new approach to determine Vcmax and Jmax based on the assumption that a limited amount of leaf nitrogen is allocated optimally among the various components of the photosynthetic system in such a way that expected carbon assimilation is maximized. The optimal allocation is constrained by available nitrogen and responds dynamically to the near‐term environmental conditions of light and water supply and to their variability. The resulting optimal allocations of a finite supply of nitrogen replicate observed relationships in nature, including the ratio of Jmax/Vcmax, the relationship of leaf nitrogen to Vcmax, and the changes in nitrogen allocation under varying water availability and light environments. This optimal allocation approach provides a mechanism to describe the response of leaf‐level photosynthetic capacity to varying environmental and resource supply conditions that can be incorporated into terrestrial biosphere models providing improved estimates of carbon and water fluxes in the soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum.


In this experimental research, we investigated the influence of processing history on the development of structural gradients in injection-molded syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS). The structures formed during injection molding of this slow-to-crystallize polymer are explained by the complex interplay between the mechanical history of the sample and the cooling conditions dictated by such variables as mold temperature, cavity geometry, and injection speed. When crystallized under shear, sPS exhibits unusually high preferential chain orientation along the flow direction; this orientation gradually decreases toward the core. The mechanical properties are related to the degree of orientation and crystallinity. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Although obesity is especially common in African-American women, the relationship between body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and mortality primarily has been studied in Caucasians, and almost exclusively in average weight populations. In order to examine the relationship between race and mortality in a predominately overweight population, we assessed mortality in 6,602 parents of obese African-American and Caucasian subjects. Most parents of both races were overweight or obese: 87.8% of African-American mothers (mean BMI = 37.7) and 78.6% of Caucasian mothers (mean BMI = 34.9) had a BMI > or =27.3; 61.9% of African-American fathers (mean BMI = 31.5) and 63.6% of Caucasian fathers (mean BMI = 31.8) had a BMI > or =27.8. Even though African Americans had equivalent (fathers) or higher (mothers) average BMI and percentage overweight or obesity than Caucasians, unadjusted mortality rates were consistently lower in African Americans than in Caucasians. In a combined sample, income, age (linear, quadratic and cubic effects), gender, BMI (linear and quadratic), and race were significant predictors of mortality. Linear and quadratic effects of BMI were significant within race and in the combined sample, after controlling for the effects of all other predictor variables. Therefore, the mortality differences cannot be due to differences in age, income, BMI, or gender distributions. In addition, there was significant heterogeneity between races for all models examined, suggesting interactions between race and all other predictor variables. Moreover, there was a strong residual effect for race after accounting for the other variables. The highly selective and cross-sectional nature of this sample limits our ability to make specific BMI-associated risk estimates. However, the consistent differences between comparably ascertained racial groups sampled from the upper extreme of the BMI distribution provide support for a lower BMI-associated mortality rate in African Americans relative to Caucasians.


The foundation of the (now Royal) Institute of Philosophy coincided with my own entry into the ranks of academic philosophers. It may therefore on this special occasion be of some interest if I cast some retrospective glances at philosophy's daily life in and after the middle 1920s. I shall not steal from the proper hands the task of sketching the history of the Royal Institute itself; but I have some now fairly rare qualifications for describing the philosophical world into which it was born.


This work proposes a simple method for the determination of Cd in macro-algae by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. An acid digestion procedure in a thermostatic bath has been developed using only small volumes of HNO3 and H2O2. The acid and oxidant concentrations as well as the bath time have been optimized using multivariate analysis, aiming at a total extraction of the analyte without spending much time with sample preparation. Ir has been employed as the permanent chemical modifier for improving performance and sensitivity. The accuracy of the proposed method has been evaluated by comparison with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion, showing results without statistical difference (based on a t-test with a confidence interval of 95%). The results were also compared with a certified reference material, BCR 679 (white cabbage), and the value obtained with the proposed method did not show any statistical difference with the certified one. The limit of detection of the method was 7.5 ng g−1 Cd. The proposed procedure can be described as safe, reliable, fast, accurate and low-cost, mainly when compared with microwave-assisted digestion, which demands a relatively large volume of acids, specific instrumentation and significantly more time.


Governments are responsible for making policy decisions, often in the face of severe uncertainty about the factors involved. Expert elicitation can be used to fill information gaps where data are not available, cannot be obtained, or where there is no time for a full‐scale study and analysis. Various features of distributions for variables may be elicited, for example, the mean, standard deviation, and quantiles, but uncertainty about these values is not always recorded. Distributional and dependence assumptions often have to be made in models and although these are sometimes elicited from experts, modelers may also make assumptions for mathematical convenience (e.g., assuming independence between variables). Probability boxes (p‐boxes) provide a flexible methodology to analyze elicited quantities without having to make assumptions about the distribution shape. If information about distribution shape(s) is available, p‐boxes can provide bounds around the results given these possible input distributions. P‐boxes can also be used to combine variables without making dependence assumptions. This article aims to illustrate how p‐boxes may help to improve the representation of uncertainty for analyses based on elicited information. We focus on modeling elicited quantiles with nonparametric p‐boxes, modeling elicited quantiles with parametric p‐boxes where the elicited quantiles do not match the elicited distribution shape, and modeling elicited interval information.


The talk considers alternative possibilities for ADS drivers. The energy and current
required for a typical design are somewhat beyond the reach of conventional cyclotrons
and synchrotrons; linear accelerators can supply the required power but they are expensive, and their price is a barrier to the wide adoption of the ADSR concept. The Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) combines the best features of cyclotron and synchrotron performance: the rationale is outlined and a review given of the current state of development.
The talk also considers the proposal to use electron accelerators for ADSR, generating neutrons through
excitation of the giant dipole resonance by bremsstrahlung photons, and shows how this may have applications
for low power systems.
{Alternative designs for ADS drivers: FFAGs and electrons


Aims: To establish the frequency and risk factors for visual loss in a primary referral cohort of hospital patients with uveitis. Methods: 561 consecutive uveitis patients attending three district hospitals were recruited and the acuity at the end of the study period recorded. A retrospective case-control study of risk factors for visual loss (permanent loss of acuity <6/9) was performed. Risk factors examined included type of uveitis, age at onset of uveitis, race, type of systemic inflammatory disease, length of follow up, and treatment variables. Results: Visual loss of at least 6/12 in one eye was found in 111 patients (19.9%). Only four patients (0.7%) suffered severe bilateral visual loss (6/36 or less). Visual loss was associated with age at onset >60 years (odds ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2 to 7.0, long follow up 2.0 (1.2 to 3.3) and a history of cataract surgery 3.9 (2.1 to 7.2). It was less likely in patients with acute anterior uveitis 0.2 (0.1 to 0.3). Conclusion: The frequency of visual loss associated with uveitis in a district hospital cohort is less than that found in referral centres and levels of legal blindness are low. Although acute anterior uveitis has a low frequency of visual loss it contributes significantly to the total burden. The ocular co-morbidity of the elderly may contribute to the increased visual loss of late onset uveitis.


The thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus (Tth) is an obligate aerobe with many important biotechnological applications and products. Thermostable proteins isolated from Thermus species have proven important in understanding adaptation to thermophilic environments. Thermophilic adaptations of respiratory electron transport chains (ETC) are not well characterized. Conventional homology-based, genetic, and biochemical techniques are limited in their ability to identify thermophilic Tth homologues of mesophilic respiratory ETC proteins due to the lack of a mutable facultative platform. We are attempting to generate this platform by increasing glycolytic flux through metabolic engineering techniques. Based on physiological studies, Tth HB27 demonstrates a low affinity for monosaccharide substrates, which limits glycolytic flux. We identify growth conditions suitable to increasing metabolic flux, as well as limitations to our current method for engineering a Tth mutable facultative platform. We also propose future direction in order to generate anaerobic derivatives of Tth HB27.


The sequences ofthe C-terminal octadecapeptides obtained by cyanogen bromide cleavage of the y-chains of myeloma proteins of the four subclasses, and a urinary heavy-chain-disease protein, have been determined. Although the sequences were markedly homologous, unique replacements were identified that distinguished between the y2b, y2c and y2d subclasses. The data are in accord with the postulated existence of four genetic loci or cistrons, these having arisen by the process of gene duplication.


Objectives:To assess the effect of early syphilis on HIV viral load (VL) and CD4 cell count in patients with HIV and to analyze factors associated with changes in HIV VL and CD4 cell count. Design:Multicenter study of a series of patients with HIV who were diagnosed with early syphilis infection during 2004 through 2005. Patients who started or changed their highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen during the analysis period were excluded. Results:One hundred eighteen patients were analyzed: 95.8% were men, mean patient age was 38.2 years, 83.9% were homosexual men, 50.8% were on antiretroviral therapy at the time syphilis was diagnosed, and HIV and syphilis diagnoses were coincident in 38 (32.2%) cases. CD4 cell counts were lower during syphilis than before (590 vs. 496 cells/μL; P = 0.0001) and after syphilis treatment (509 vs. 597 cells/μL; P = 0.0001). The HIV VL increased in 27.6% of patients during syphilis. The only factor associated with an HIV VL increase was not being on HAART, and the only factor associated with a CD4 count decrease >100 cells/μL during syphilis was the prior CD4 cell count. Conclusions:Syphilis infection was associated with a decrease in the CD4 cell count and an increase in the HIV VL in almost one third of the patients. In this series, more than two thirds of the syphilis cases were diagnosed in patients who were previously known to be infected with HIV.


In this paper, we study reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms to solve real-world decision problems with the objective of maximizing the long-term reward as well as satisfying cumulative constraints. We propose a novel first-order policy optimization method, Interior-point Policy Optimization (IPO), which augments the objective with logarithmic barrier functions, inspired by the interior-point method. Our proposed method is easy to implement with performance guarantees and can handle general types of cumulative multi-constraint settings. We conduct extensive evaluations to compare our approach with state-of-the-art baselines. Our algorithm outperforms the baseline algorithms, in terms of reward maximization and constraint satisfaction.


1. The mechanism of proteolysis of ornithine transaminase apoenzyme II by group-specific protease and the relation between the confirmations of ornithine transaminase and its susceptibility to group-specific protease were studied to elucidate the mode of action of the protease. 2. Differences in the conformations of ornithine transaminase apoenzyme II, molecular weight 67000, and ornithine transaminase holoenzyme, molecular weight 140000, were shown by studies on difference spectra produced by various concentrations of ethylene glycol. Increase of the titratable sulfhydryl groups on resolution of the coenzyme from ornithine transaminase also supports this finding. These results are consistent with the facts that the apoenzyme was sensitive to group-specific protease, while the holoenzyme was not. 3. Kinetics studies showed that ornithine transaminase apoenzyme II was degraded by limited proteolysis. Reaction of the native enzyme with group-specific protease resulted in a nick in the enzyme molecule with formation of one homogeneous large product and small peptides. The large product was not degraded further. The large product was indistinguishable from native ornithine transaminase apoenzyme II in various properties including its elution volume on gel filtration, its mobility on disc electrophoresis, its antigenicity, its estimated number of exposed tryptophan residues, and its titratable number of sulfhydryl groups. But unlike the apoenzyme the product did not show tetramerization with coenzyme or catalytic activity, although it retained the ability to bind with coenzyme and had the same number of bound pyridoxal phosphate as the native ornithine transaminase molecule. Thus, native ornithine transaminase apoenzyme II was degraded by limited proteolysis. Unfolded enzyme, denatured by 8 M urea, was degraded extensively. 4. The initial step of intracellular proteins degradation is discussed on the basis of these results.


Physical modification and chemical modification were used to modify fluorgypsum. Effect of physical modification and chemical modification on the performance of fluorgypsum was studied, and the mechanism of modification was discussed by testing the phase composition and microstructure of modified fluorgypsum, using XRD and SEM. The results showed that fluorgypsum activity was excited effectively by physical modification and chemical modification. Physical modification decreased CaSO4 grain size and structure regularity, and increased fluorgypsum specific surface area, and the optimum specific surface area was 4600-4900cm2/g. Chemical modification accelerated fluorgypsum hydration and CaSO4•2H2O growth, and increased CaSO4•2H2O grain size and slenderness ratio. The strength of fluorgypsum was exerted effectively by chemical modification.


The shapes of evolutionary trees are influenced by the nature of the evolutionary process, but comparisons of trees from different processes are hindered by the challenge of completely describing tree shape. We present a full characterization of the shapes of rooted branching trees in a form that lends itself to natural tree comparisons. The resulting metric distinguishes trees from random models known to produce different tree shapes. It separates trees derived from tropical vs USA influenza A sequences, which reflect the differing epidemiology of tropical and seasonal flu. We extend the shape metric to incorporate summary features such as asymmetry, or statistics on branch lengths. Our approach allows us to construct addition and multiplication on trees, and to create a convex metric on tree shapes which formally allows computation of average trees.


The cratonic cores of the continents are remarkably stable and long‐lived features. Their ability to resist destructive tectonic processes is associated with their thick (∼250 km), cold, chemically depleted, buoyant lithospheric keels that isolate the cratons from the convecting mantle. The formation mechanism and tectonic stability of cratonic keels remains under debate. To address this issue, we use P wave and S wave relative arrival‐time tomography to constrain upper mantle structure beneath southeast Canada and the northeast USA, a region spanning three quarters of Earth's geological history. Our models show three distinct, broad zones: Seismic wave speeds increase systematically from the Phanerozoic coastal domains, through the Proterozoic Grenville Province, and to the Archean Superior craton in central Québec. We also recover the NW‐SE trending track of the Great Meteor hot spot that crosscuts the major tectonic domains. The decrease in seismic wave speed from Archean to Proterozoic domains across the Grenville Front is consistent with predictions from models of two‐stage keel formation, supporting the idea that keel growth may not have been restricted to Archean times. However, while crustal structure studies suggest that Archean Superior material underlies Grenvillian age rocks up to ∼300 km SE of the Grenville Front, our tomographic models show a near‐vertical boundary in mantle wave speed directly beneath the Grenville Front. We interpret this as evidence for subduction‐driven metasomatic enrichment of the Laurentian cratonic margin, prior to keel stabilization. Variable chemical depletion levels across Archean‐Proterozoic boundaries worldwide may thus be better explained by metasomatic enrichment than inherently less depleted Proterozoic composition at formation.


Emergence and spread of malaria vectors resistant to the available insecticides required a new and efficacious insecticide. Residual efficacy of Fludora® Fusion was evaluated against insecticide susceptible Anopheles arabiensis in ten circular huts similar to the residential huts. Fludora® Fusion WP-SB 56.25, FICAM WP80 and Clothianidin WG70 were sprayed, by experienced technician, on interior wall surfaces: paint, dung, smooth mud, and rough mud. WHO cone bioassays were carried out a month after spraying and thereafter on monthly intervals for 12 months. Knockdown was recorded at 60 minutes and mortality at 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours holding time post-exposure. Fludora Fusion induced 100% An. arabiensis mortality during the first four months post-treated on all surface types at 24 hours holding time post-exposure. Its activity remained over 80% from the fifth to the twelfth month post-treated on the surfaces with the exception of two assessment points, at seventh month and eleventh month, on paint and smooth mud surfaces. FICAM induced 100% mortality rate during the first 4 months and 92% mortality during the fifth month post-treatment on painted surfaces. Its activity was over 96% mortality 1-month post-treatment on smooth mud and rough mud surfaces and 92% mortality 2-month post-treatment on dung surfaces. Clothianidin caused 89% and 86% mortality 1-month post-treatment on smooth mud and rough mud surfaces. Fludora Fusion can be used as alternative indoor residual insecticide spraying against An. arabiensis in Ethiopia.


Several years ago a Papua New Guinean student asked me, 'Why aren't Papua New Guinean women writing?' I replied that, like her, they were writing, but Papua New Guinea did not have many publishers to prepare materials, outlets to distribute them, and customers who could pay the current price of books and periodicals. It still does not; nor are there many foreign publishers that have the resources and interests to take on the market risks. To borrow from Grace Molisa (1992), often women have picked up the bag and carried it themselves. At the Pacific Science Inter-Congress in 1997, Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop asserted that rather than investing largely in one project as men tend to do, Pacific women sustain their livelihoods by putting their eggs in many baskets. The same holds for writing and publishing: women tend to write and publish in a variety of genres — from language to administration, from poetry to politics — across a mix of church, education, government, and business. This serial is available in Kunapipi: http://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol27/iss2/10


We installed a dense array of 41 digital seismographs in San Jose, California, to evaluate in detail the effects of a deep sedimentary basin and shallow sedimentary deposits on earthquake ground motions. This urban array is located near the eastern edge of the Santa Clara Valley and spans the Evergreen sedimentary basin identified by gravity data. Average station spacing is 1 km, with three stations initially spaced 110 m apart. Despite the high-noise urban environment, the stations of the array successfully triggered on and recorded small local earthquakes ( M 2.5–2.8 at 10–25 km distance) and larger regional events such as the M 5.0 Bolinas earthquake (90 km distance), M 4.6–5.6 earthquakes near Mammoth Lakes (270 km distance), M 4.9–5.6 events in western Nevada (420 km distance) and the M 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake (590 km distance). Maps of spectral ratios across the array show that the highest amplitudes in all frequency bands studied (0.125–8 Hz) are generally observed at stations farther from the eastern edge of the Santa Clara Valley. Larger spectral amplitudes are often observed above the western edge of the Evergreen Basin. Snapshots of the recorded wavefield crossing the array for regional events to the east reveal that large, low-frequency (0.125–0.5 Hz) arrivals after the S -wave travel from south to north across the array. A moving-window, cross-correlation analysis finds that these later arrivals are surface waves traveling from the south. The timing and propagation direction of these arrivals indicates that they were likely produced by scattering of incident S waves at the border of the Santa Clara Valley to the south of the array. It is remarkable that the largest low-frequency phases at many of the valley sites for regional events to the east are basin surface waves coming from a direction about 70 degrees different from that of the epicenters. Basin surface waves emanating from the eastern edge of the valley are also identified by the cross-correlation analysis.


BACKGROUND: Medicine is generally perceived as very stressful course as compared to other courses. Previous studies have reported that pressure of a challenging academic curriculum is very stressful for first year medical students. High level of stress is a risk factor for a wide range of physical and mental health-related consequences.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of academic stress in first year medical students of the International Islamic University Malaysia (Academic session 2012/13) and to explore the most stressful time and coping strategies in these students.
METHODOLOGY/STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was carried out involving the first year medical students of IIUM in March, 2013, while they were in the third block of the academic programme.
RESULTS: One-hundred and ten students (75.3 %) participated. About fifty percent (50.9%) reported high level of academic stress. Female medical students experienced more stress. The majority of students found that "near exam day" was a most stressful period for them. Praying was the most frequently used coping strategy.

CONCLUSION: Reducing the psychological distress of medical students prior to examination may help them to perform better in the examination. Review of curriculum and exam schedules, extracurricular activities, proper mentor system and counselling service might reduce the academic stress.

KEYWORDS: Academic stress, first year medical students, coping strategies, IIUM


We reviewed the long-term outcomes of treatment of fibrous dysplasia of the proximal part of the femur in twenty-two patients (twenty-seven femora). There were fifteen male patients and seven female patients. Patients who had monostotic disease had no involvement of the calcar femorale, fewer microfractures, less deformity, and stronger bone that could support internal fixation. Patients who had polyostotic disease had frequent involvement of the calcar femorale; more microfractures; severe deformity, including shepherd's crook deformity; and, in many instances, bone that could not support internal fixation. Twenty-two of the twenty-seven femora had a microfracture at the time of the initial presentation. At least one osteotomy was performed in four femora that had monostotic disease and in nine femora that had polyostotic disease. Curettage and cancellous or cortical bone-grafting did not appear to have any advantage compared with osteotomy alone in the treatment of symptomatic lesions, as all grafts resorbed with persistence of the lesion. At the time of the latest follow-up evaluation, no lesion had been eradicated or had decreased in size. A satisfactory clinical result was achieved in twenty patients (twenty-four femora): nine who had monostotic disease and eleven who had polyostotic disease. Two patients who had polyostotic disease and an endocrinopathy (one of whom had bilateral involvement) had an unsatisfactory result. All three femora in these two patients had a neck-shaft angle of less than 90 degrees at the time of the most recent follow-up evaluation. Varus deformity of the proximal part of the femur is best treated with valgus osteotomy and internal fixation early in the course of the disease. If the calcar of the femoral neck is involved or if the quality of the bone is such that internal fixation is not possible, a medial displacement valgus osteotomy can provide a more mechanically favorable position for healing of the microfracture.


Abundance and frequency of dinoflagellate cysts in 19 surface sediment samples from the northern part of the Swedish west coast has been related to physical and chemical characters of the sediment, hydrography of the overlying water column, and plankton species data from the area. Density of cysts varied between 5000 and 101 000 cysts g -1 dw, and the most commonly encountered species were Lingulodinium polyedrum and Protoceratium reticulatum. In all, 46 environmental variables were tested for their relation to dinoflagellate cyst densities, proportion of autotrophic and heterotrophic taxa, and individual species distribution and frequency. The outcomes of multivariate analyses, projection to latent structures (PLS) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were consistent with each other and the actual cyst count. The density of the total cyst assemblage (>90% autotrophic taxa) was primarily related to surface temperature, macronutrients, and inversely to phytoplankton competitors, such as diatoms. The abundance of heterotrophic taxa was governed by the preferences of their prey, i.e. diatom-favourable conditions, and, in most cases, higher propor- tions of heterotrophic taxa were found at well-mixed sites. Some possible effects of anthropogenic contaminants were also noted. Several taxa showed distinct distribution patterns with respect to the environmental variables. A discrepancy between the species constituting the planktonic and the benthic community was revealed when data from 6 yr of plankton monitoring was compared to the data on distribution of dinoflagellate cysts. In particular, cyst-forming species were only a minor part of the plankton, suggesting that these dinoflagellates spend much of their life in the sediments.


A cylindrical cerium doped CaSc2O4 bulk single crystal with a diameter of 20 mm and a total length of 70 mm was grown from the melt by the Czochralski method. Due to competitive growth and grain selection, the crystal shows high crystalline quality, verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve measurements and by the energy dispersive Laue mapping (EDLM) method. Rocking curve measurements revealed full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of 24, 28 and 34 arcsec for 200, 020 and 002 reflexes, respectively. The anisotropic optical and thermal properties of the biaxial material were investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy, ellipsometry and by the laser flash technique along the main crystallographic orientations. TEM measurements confirmed that cerium is preferentially incorporated into the Ca-site.


This artifact is a modified version of Scala-AM, an abstract interpretation framework implemented in Scala. Specifically, we extended Scala-AM with several implementations of machine abstractions that each employ a different approach to abstract garbage collection. These include traditional (tracing-based) approaches to abstract garbage collection, as well as our own novel approach using abstract reference counting. In particular, using the machine abstraction that employs abstract reference counting (with cycle detection) results in a garbage-free abstract interpreter can greatly improve both the precision and performance of the corresponding machine abstraction in the original version of the Scala-AM framework. We have set up the framework in such a way that one can easily run a variety of experiments to use, evaluate and compare these approaches to abstract garbage collection. This artifact contains documentation on how these experiments can be configured, specifically to reproduce the results presented in the companion paper. 2012 ACM Subject Classification Theory of computation → Program analysis


the domain of Art critique and becoming a philosophical argument. How can we think of Perspective as symbolic Form? Is Perspective really a symbolic form? Why is Perspective so important? Because at the beginning of the Modern Age, Perspective as spiritual figure grounds many symbolic or even many scientific constructions. We could we say that perspective open the foundation of modern science as such. The "Geometrization" of Vision, beginning with perspective, will be for us the interpretative key in order to understand the Modern Age as a whole.  This understanding will allow us to understand the anthropologic dimension arising from the Modern Age, called "Perspectivism". Assuming that perspective was neither only an invention of painting nor of geometry nor of philosophy, taken as singular fields of human inquiry, we will try to sketch the genesis of "perspective" from an interdisciplinary point of view. By doing so, we will also try to fix its deep significance for the anthropology of the Modern Age. Living and feeling in a perspectival world is the real invention of the Modern Age, one that overcame the closed Cosmos of the Middle Ages in order to reveal to mankind its own potential. Our interdisciplinary approach will proceed from many points of view (history of art, science, theology, anthropology) and converge on the idea of a new kind of human experience. Such an interdisciplinary approach will open new questions about our present time. Are we justified in thinking of our experience today as perspectival? What does it mean today to think from perspectives in the manifold dimensions of our living and to face to the complexity of our times?


We introduce gtTAL, a graphical tool implemented on top of a distributed multilayer architecture which is specifically suitable for multiple-antenna hardware testbeds. gtTAL helps in teaching digital communications by allowing interaction with the hardware testbed at an abstraction level suitable for undergraduate students. Instead of using the low-level interfaces provided by hardware manufacturers, the multilayer software architecture supplies a high level interface access for testbeds, releasing students from the necessity of knowing low-level details of the hardware to start to practice with it. Therefore, they can easily test algorithms without developing a new program from scratch, speeding up the time needed for both the implementation and the debugging tasks. Indeed, the multilayer software architecture allows learning how to deal with real-world digital communication systems at different abstraction levels, varying from the lowest level software running in real-time in DSPs or FPGAs, to the highest level software like gtTAL. These three elements: hardware testbed, multilayer software architecture and graphical tool (gtTAL), constitutes what we termed testbed-assisted learning.


1. Blind goldfish, sticklebacks, eels and Xenopus laevis are insensitive to rectilinear displacements, but respond to all passive curvilinear movements which involve rotation about one of the major axes of the body. In all cases the response is of a dynamic compensatory type in which the animal moves along a curved path, the curvature being in a direction opposite to that of the passive rotation.

2. The ability of blind fish to maintain a fixed position in space when placed in a rotating mass of water is the result of asymmetrical reflex locomotory activity whose rotary and translocatory components tend to be equal and opposite to that induced by the water. This response is almost certainly determined by the semicircular canals of the labyrinth.

3. When a fish is displaced head first by a rotary current of water, marked over-compensatory rotation occurs as soon as the fish comes into contact with a solid surface. A solid surface does not have this effect when the fish is orientated with its head upstream.

4. In the species examined there is no evidence of true "rheotropism".


Natural fibre reinforced polymer composites are attracting the attention of various industrial fields due to both their environmental and economic advantages. Bio-composites, which refer to composites that combine natural fibres with either biodegradable or non-biodegradable, provide numerous benefits. The natural fibres in the bio-composites could be kenaf, jute, hemp or sisal.

Investigations on the use of hemp fibres as reinforcement, to increase polypropylene performance, have introduced many applications for hemp fibre polypropylene composites in automotive and construction industries.

The aim of this project was to utilise cheap waste hemp fibres (noil) to produce short fibre polypropylene composites and to carry out detailed investigations into the various parameters that contribute to composite performance characteristics.

The microstructural, chemical and tensile characterizations of noil hemp fibre and normal hemp fibres were first studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) and Dynamic Mechanical Analyser (DMA). Noil hemp fibre reinforced polypropylene composite samples with different noil fibre contents (10-60 wt%) were fabricated using an intermixer/extrusion and injection moulding machines. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) and maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene octane (MAPOE) were used as coupling agents for modifying the matrices.

X-ray micro-tomography, image analysis and Weibull statistical methods were employed to characterise the size distributions of noil hemp fibres in the
polypropylene matrices. X-ray micro-tomography provided direct observations and accurate measurements of length and width of noil hemp fibres within the hemp-polypropylene composites. The effects of the weight content of the noil hemp fibre and the addition of compatibilisers on the fibre breakage, due to the manufacturing process of the composites, were studied using X-ray micro-tomography in this project.

Tensile, impact and flexural tests were carried out to study the mechanical properties of samples. Free vibration testing and dynamic mechanical analysis methods were also used to study the damping and thermo mechanical properties of the composites. Furthermore, the influence of fibre content and compatibiliser addition on interfacial shear strengths (IFSS) was evaluated by means of the modified Bowyer and Bader model. Finally, the influence of the type and initial length of the hemp fibre (0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 mm) on mechanical properties of the composites was studied.

The results indicated that the tensile strength of the noil hemp fibre reinforced composites without the coupling agents was lower than that of pure polypropylene. High noil hemp fibre content caused more fibre breakage due to the fibre-fibre interaction mechanism.

The addition of coupling agents improved the tensile strength of the composites by the enhanced fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion. This was confirmed by SEM observations. It was also shown that the addition of MAPP reduced the fibre breakage due to the better dispersion of fibres.

DMA revealed no noticeable changes in the α-transition temperature when the fibre content increased or coupling agents were added. The composites revealed better temperature resistance at higher fibre content. However, the increase in storage modulus was negligible in composites reinforced with more than 40 wt% hemp fibres due to the agglomeration of the fibres. The results of the damping ratio analysis revealed that higher interfacial bonding was achieved by the addition of MAPP coupling agent in comparison with the addition of MAPOE coupling agent. The storage modulus of the composites increased with the increase in hemp fibre content. However, the maximum damping ratio was obtained from the composite with 30 wt% noil hemp fibre. The addition of coupling agents reduced the damping capacity of all composites. However, 30 wt% noil hemp fibre reinforced polypropylene coupled with 2.5 wt% MAPOE revealed the highest damping ratio among coupled composites.

Finally, the noil hemp fibre composites indicated slightly lower tensile properties than the alkali-treated ones. However, the difference was not significant. The analysis of the tensile, flexural and impact results indicated the optimum initial fibre length of 0.2 mm produced the ideal composites due to better dispersion of fibres (powders). This test methodology can be extended to different types of natural fibres.


In this paper, we present a sample distributed
greedy pursuit method for non-convex sparse
learning under cardinality constraint. Given the
training samples uniformly randomly partitioned
across multiple machines, the proposed method
alternates between local inexact sparse minimization
of a Newton-type approximation and centralized
global results aggregation. Theoretical
analysis shows that for a general class of convex
functions with Lipschitze continues Hessian, the
method converges linearly with contraction factor
scaling inversely to the local data size; whilst
the communication complexity required to reach
desirable statistical accuracy scales logarithmically
with respect to the number of machines for
some popular statistical learning models. For nonconvex
objective functions, up to a local estimation
error, our method can be shown to converge to
a local stationary sparse solution with sub-linear
communication complexity. Numerical results
demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of our
method when applied to large-scale sparse learning
tasks including deep neural nets pruning


Background Lower urinary tract infections are common in dogs, and Escherichia coli is the most common bacterial pathogen isolated. The literature has conflicting evidence regarding the inhibitory effects of urine concentration and pH on E. coli growth. Hypothesis/Objectives To determine the effect of different pH and urine concentrations on E. coli growth in vitro. Animals Voided urine samples from 10 apparently healthy spayed female dogs were used. Methods A matrix of 9 urine specific gravity (USG; 1.010, 1.020, and 1.030) and pH (5.5, 7.0, and 8.5) combinations was prepared by diluting and titrating filtered voided urine samples. Three E. coli isolates were obtained from urine of female dogs with signs of lower urinary tract infection and cultured at different urine pH and USG combinations in wells of a microtiter plate. The number of E. coli colony‐forming units (CFU) per mL of urine was calculated after aerobic incubation of the urine at 37°C for 18 hours, and statistically compared. Results Significant differences were identified in the mean log CFU/mL among different combinations of pH and USG. The lowest log CFU/mL were observed in alkaline concentrated urine (pH 8.5 and USG 1.030). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Escherichia coli in vitro growth was higher in neutral to acidic and diluted urine compared to alkaline and concentrated urine. The impact of non‐alkalizing diluting diets on the incidence of E. coli lower urinary tract infections should be further explored.


Respiratory failure is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). We performed a study to investigate the aetiology, prognostic factors, and short- and long-term outcome of AIDS patients with life-threatening respiratory failure and pulmonary infiltrates. Forty-two AIDS patients (29 of whom required mechanical ventilation), admitted to a Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from 1985 to 1992 because of severe respiratory failure (arterial oxygen tension/fractional inspiratory oxygen (Pa,O2/FI,O2) ratio at hospital admission 19 +/- 14 kPa (mean +/- SD)) and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, were studied for evaluation of the aetiology and outcome. Necropsy studies were performed in 14 out of 23 (61%) patients who died. Pneumocystis carinii was the most common aetiology of pulmonary infiltrates (28 patients (67%)). Overall, 19 patients survived (45%) and 23 (55%) died. A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors influencing the outcome of the whole population showed that the presence of P. carinii pneumonia and the requirement for mechanical ventilation (MV) were the major determinants of outcome for this type of patient. The median survival time after ICU discharge for P. carinii pneumonia patients was lower (49 days) when compared to that of the remaining patients (154 days). Median survival time after ICU discharge for patients needing MV (112 days) did not differ from that observed in patients not requiring artificial ventilatory support (154 days). Although the ICU survival rate in this study was reasonable, 55% for the whole population, and 36% for P. carinii pneumonia patients, the poor outcome after ICU discharge, in particular for P. carinii pneumonia patients, deserves the reassessment of ICU admission criteria for this type of AIDS population.


Rat thoracic duct lymphocytes altered by trypsin in vitro do not circulate normally. At early intervals after transfusion of lymphocytes labeled with chromium-51 selective accumulation of radioactivity in the lymph nodes is abolished, while uptake in the spleen is not reduced. Later, the cells appear to "home" to lymph nodes and recirculate to the lymph.


Designing a power-aware, well-organized path planning algorithm is one of the most challenging research issue in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). During investigation and tackling of these challenges, multi-type energy efficient path planning algorithms have been proposed. In this regards, cluster-based path planning algorithms have shown significant improvement in battery lifespan of WSNs as compared to the flat and geographical-based path planning protocols. Still cluster-based path planning algorithms face multiple design and performance challenges. Existing cluster-based algorithms that utilize distributed cluster formation cannot provide guaranteed selection of the optimal number of cluster-heads for all iterations of the network. In this paper, we propose two algorithms, namely Centralized Energy Efficient Clustering (CEEC) and Advanced heterogeneity-aware CEEC (ACEEC) path planning protocol, for three levels heterogeneous WSNs. The proposed protocols can also be used in multi-level heterogeneous wireless networks. These central control algorithms are executed simultaneously at the Base Station (BS) for cluster formation. Extensive simulation results show that CEEC and ACEEC acquire better performance in battery life extension as compared to the conventional path planning algorithms. Extensive simulation results show that CEEC acquires 130% better performance in extension of network stability period as compared to the conventional path planning algorithm, such as DEEC. ACEEC outperforms the CEEC and provides 5% more network stability period. Moreover, the proposed algorithms are intelligent enough to distribute energy resources evenly across the sensor network.


The author describes a fact-finding visit
 to Colombia by a group of UK lawyers in August 2008. The author
 is a Law Society Council Member, member of the Law Society's
 International Human Rights Committee with responsibility for
 Colombia, Director of Pro Bono at the College of Law, and an
 Associate Professor. Article by Sara Chandler published in Amicus
 Curiae - Journal of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The
 Journal is produced by the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at
 the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of
 London.


In this work we describe an approach of using physical design and test failure knowledge to localize defects in random logic. We term this approach computer-aided fault to defect mapping (CAFDM). An integrated tool has been developed on top of an existing commercial ATPG tool. CAFDM was able to correctly identify the defect location and layer in all 9 of the chips that had bridging faults injected via FIB. Preliminary failure analysis results on production defects are promising.


By making simultaneous use of macro-economic data (from the national financial accounts) and micro-economic statistics (from the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) and the Central Individual Credit Register), this article takes a closer look at the evolution and distribution of Belgian household debt in comparison with the euro area. In particular, it focuses on identifying certain groups of households with a problematic debt position, using various liquidity ratios: debt-to-income ratio, debt-service-to-income ratio, and solvency ratios: debt-to-asset ratio. The macro-economic statistics show that the debt situation of Belgian households is fairly favourable compared to the euro area. Thus, the debt ratio of Belgian households (56.5% of GDP) at the beginning of 2014 was lower than in the euro area (63.7% of GDP). On average, the various debt ratios are below the euro area level. That is particularly the case for the solvency ratios as a result of the substantial assets held by Belgian households. However, over the past ten years the debt of Belgian households has risen sharply: in nominal terms, it doubled to € 217 billion at the beginning of 2014, and the debt ratio has risen from 40 % to 56.5 % of GDP, narrowing the gap with the euro area. However, the micro-economic data reveal that there are certain groups of borrowers with a vulnerable debt-to-income ratio, in a proportion roughly the same as in the euro area. Households with a debt-to-income ratio of more than 3 represent 15% of households with debt in Belgium and 16% in the euro area. In both Belgium and the euro area, households with a debt-service-to-income ratio of more than 0.4 represent 8 % of households with debt. Furthermore, it is evident from the HFCS data that it is mainly young and low-income households that face relatively high debt in relation to their income. Thus, more than a third of households with debt in the lowest income quintile have a debt-service-to-income ratio of more than 0.4: they spend more than 40 % of their household income on debt payments. However, these groups make relatively little use of the credit market, and if they have debts, it is often in the form of small loans, so that the macro-economic or prudential implications are not necessarily important. Of the households with outstanding mortgage loans, it is the youngest low-income groups that have the highest debt in relation to their income. However, most of those households do not face an excessive volume of debt as a ratio of their assets. Among households with at least one non-mortgage loan, it is again the younger low-income households that often have high or excessive debt-to-income ratios. Furthermore, many of those households have insufficient assets covering the debt. This group of households therefore has the highest risk of default, especially in the event of a negative income shock. The sustainability of the debt position of Belgian households is relatively more sensitive to income shocks than in the euro area. Factors relevant here are that certain groups already have relatively high debt-to-income ratios, and that it is mainly the younger groups that have a high debt burden. Younger people have generally not yet acquired sufficient assets that they can turn into cash if they encounter a negative income shock. The data from the Central Individual Credit Register confirm that a higher proportion of younger people have to contend with arrears on loans. For this group there is also a closer link between the arrears and the unemployment situation, illustrating their sensitivity to income shocks. The income sensitivity of younger people is reflected primarily in consumer credit. The importance of income and the labour market is also evident from the high (positive) correlation between the aggregate arrears and the unemployment situation. Thus, the rise in arrears since the crisis mirrors the rise in unemployment fairly closely with a lag of a few.


During terminal differentiation of skeletal myoblasts, cells fuse to form postmitotic multinucleated myotubes that cannot reinitiate DNA synthesis. Here we investigated the temporal relationships among these events during in vitro differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts. Cells expressing myogenin, a marker for the entry of myoblasts into the differentiation pathway, were detected first during myogenesis, followed by the appearance of mononucleated cells expressing both myogenin and the cell cycle inhibitor p21. Although expression of both proteins was sustained in mitogen-restimulated myocytes, 5- bromodeoxyuridine incorporation experiments in serum-starved cultures revealed that myogenin-positive cells remained capable of replicating DNA. In contrast, subsequent expression of p21 in differentiating myoblasts correlated with the establishment of the postmitotic state. Later during myogenesis, postmitotic (p21-positive) mononucleated myoblasts activated the expression of the muscle structural protein myosin heavy chain, and then fused to form multinucleated myotubes. Thus, despite the asynchrony in the commitment to differentiation, skeletal myogenesis is a highly ordered process of temporally separable events that begins with myogenin expression, followed by p21 induction and cell cycle arrest, then phenotypic differentiation, and finally, cell fusion.


Process capability indices (PCIs) and parts per million (PPM) nonconforming (NC) levels are widely used in quality improvement programs for quantifying the capability of a process to meet specification requirements. Calculation of PCIs requires knowledge of the process parameters, however, true parameter values are often unknown in practice and therefore estimates obtained from a sample of observations are utilized. On the other hand, as often done in practice, expected PPM NC levels may be evaluated by using a given value of a PCI. However, such estimates of the PPM NC levels might be significantly different from the actual levels due to the additional variability introduced through parameter estimation. In this paper, the effects of estimated PCIs on the PPM NC estimates are quantified. Through evaluating the distributions of PPM NC estimates, it is demonstrated that estimation error is critical and might have significant effects on the PPM NC estimates. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Purpose: To develop a proniosomal carrier system of curcumin for transdermal delivery. Methods: Proniosomes of curcumin were prepared by encapsulation of the drug in a mixture of Span 80, cholesterol and diethyl ether by ether injection method, and then investigated as a transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS). The formulated systems were characterized for size, drug entrapment, angle of repose, hydration rate and vesicular stability under various storage conditions. In vitro release studies were performed using albino rat skin. Results: The method used for preparing proniosome resulted in an encapsulation yield of 82.3 – 86.8%. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the surface of the particles was smooth. Stability data following storage under different conditions showed that the drug content of the proniosomes varied from 99.5% under refrigerated condition to 99.2 and 93% at room and elevated temperatures, respectively. One of the formulations (PG1) showed prolonged in vitro drug release of 61.8% over a period of 24 h. Conclusion: It is evident from this study that proniosomes are very stable and promising prolonged delivery system for curcumin. Keywords: Proniosomes, Curcumin, Drug stability, In vitro release, Transdermal drug delivery.


Abstract The first part of this paper presents two contrary views on the Arab-Islamic culture : The first one claims the essential otherness of the Orient against the Occident, which causes the historian of cultures to focus more on differences than similarities between Arab-Islamic world, on one hand, and Europe which developed out of the Greek-Roman-Byzantine cultural traditions, on the other. In opposition, the other view stresses a poetic and mystical unity between the two cultural realms. According to this position, the spiritual aspects of Islam and the Orient are emphasized. In the second part, the author presents a new approach to deal with the Orient, based on conceptualizing predominant cultural phenomena which have direct impact on the life of societies. Through the investigation of the concept of time in the Qurʾān and influential Arab literary works, the paper attempts to demonstrate that questions about the relationship between cultures and peoples can be answered more accurately by analyzing the concepts which shape the mentality of the people.


Scientists require means of exploiting large numbers of grid resources in a fully integrated manner through the definition of computational processes specifying the sequence of tasks and services they require. The deployment of such processes, however, can prove difficult in networked environments, due to the presence of firewalls, software requirements and platform incompatibility. Using the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) standard, we propose here an architecture that builds on a delegation model by which scientist may rely on middle-tier services to orchestrate subsets of the processes on their behalf. We define a set of inter-related workflows that correspond to basic patterns observed on the eMinerals minigrid. These will enable scientists to incorporate job submission and monitoring, data storage and transfer management, and automated metadata harvesting in a single unified process, which they may control from their desktops using the Simple Grid Access tool.


The aim of this research is to design a multi-job control system for controlling on different job on home or office by using a simple scientific technique. Making more holes on walls of home to connect a wire or control cable for any job does not desired.The research is aiming to design a wireless control system. This control system can send any command to any device in the home or office without making any more holes in walls.This research depends on using the 220 VAC 50 Hz wires, which had been provided in home or office. The frequencies used to control the devices will be carried by the 50 Hz current used in home. These frequencies have been chosen between 30-110 kHz, and we can use (8) channels in this band to prevent interference of commands. The wireless control on the devices will be done by using a PC computer and simple BASIC program. ON-OFF command can be sent by the operator to any device by a transmitter built and interface with that compute.


We present an efficient method for facial recognition using hyperspectral imaging and orthogonal subspaces. Projecting the data into orthogonal subspaces has the advantage of compactness and reduction of redundancy. We focus on two approaches: Principal Component Analysis and Orthogonal Subspace Projection. Our work is separated in three stages. First, we designed an experimental setup that allowed us to create a hyperspectral image database of 17 subjects under different facial expressions and viewing angles. Second, we investigated approaches to employ spectral information for the generation of fused grayscale images. Third, we designed and tested a recognition system based on the methods described above. The experimental results show that spectral fusion leads to improvement of recognition accuracy when compared to regular imaging. The work expands on previous band extraction research and has the distinct advantage of being one of the first that combines spatial information (i.e. face characteristics) with spectral information. In addition, the techniques are general enough to accommodate differences in skin spectra.


This paper outlines a number of key lessons learned from an investigation into the techniques malicious executable software can employ to hinder digital forensic examination. Malware signature detection has been recognised by researchers to be far less than ideal. Thus, the forensic analyst may be required to manually analyse suspicious files. However, in order to hinder the forensic analyst, hide its true intent and to avoid detection, modern malware can be wrapped with packers or protectors, and layered with a plethora of antianalysis techniques. This necessitates the forensic analyst to develop static and dynamic analysis skills tailored to navigate a hostile environment. To this end, the analyst must understand the anti-analysis techniques that can be employed and how to mitigate them, the limitations of existing tools and how to extend them, and how to employ an appropriate analysis methodology to uncover the intent of the malware.


Background Predicting the survival of non-cancer related end-stage-liver-disease patients in general practice has been difficult for physicians because of the extremely variable trajectories due to multiple complex clinical factors, hence it remains a challenging issue to date. This study aimed to develop and validate a specific prognostic scoring system to early recognize the prognosis and improve the quality of end-of life care for non-cancer end-stage-liver-disease population. Materials and methods A multicentre, retrospective cohort study was conducted during January 2010 ~ December 2012 and continued follow-up until December 2014. A cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to derive and validate an optimized model. The main outcome measures were the 28-day, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month mortality prediction. The performance of the novel model was evaluated, including discrimination and calibration. Results A total of 4,080 consecutive subjects were enrolled. The AUROCs for the 3-month survival discrimination in the MELD, MELD-Na and novel model were 0.787, 0.705 and 0.804 (P<0.001); the 6-month survival discrimination were 0.781, 0.702 and 0.797 (P<0.001); the overall survival discrimination were 0.771, 0.694 and 0.785 (P = 0.002) respectively, whereas the novel model showed a significantly higher discrimination power than did the MELD and MELD-Na for the 3-month, 6-month and overall survival prediction. In addition, calibration of external validation cohort showed no statistical difference in all 5 groups compared with the observed groups. Conclusion This is a clinically relevant, validated scoring system that can be used sequentially to stratify the prognosis in non-cancer cirrhotic populations, which may help the patients along with medical team in decision making to improve the quality of end-of-life care.


Background and aims: Transition to motherhood is a stressful and challenging process in the postpartum period, so that mothers not only face with new maternal tasks but also with significant changes in their bodies. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of training packages on maternal self-confidence in the postpartum period. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 136 primiparous women who were referred to health centers in Tabriz, Iran, for their second postpartum care (10–15 days after delivery). Primiparous women aged 18–35 with singleton pregnancy and term birth (37–42 weeks) were randomly assigned to training (n=68) and control (n=68) groups. The education group was provided with a face to face training session, three phone sessions, and a booklet. The control group received the routine postpartum care in days 1–3, 10–15, and 42–60. Participants completed the Lips maternal self-confidence questionnaire before the intervention and eight weeks postpartum. ANCOVA with adjustments for baseline score was used for analysis. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of socio-demographic characteristics except for infant's gender (p>0.05). At 6 weeks after the intervention and by adjusting for baseline scores, mean scores of maternal self-confidence (Adjusted mean difference: 16.6; CI 95%:13.8 to 19.3, p<0.001) in educational group were significantly higher than the control. Conclusion: Results showed that training women have a positive effect in increasing their self-confidence.


Convolutional and Recurrent, deep neural networks have been successful in machine learning systems for computer vision, reinforcement learning, and other allied fields. However, the robustness of such neural networks is seldom apprised, especially after high classification accuracy has been attained. In this paper, we evaluate the robustness of three recurrent neural networks to tiny perturbations, on three widely used datasets, to argue that high accuracy does not always mean a stable and a robust (to bounded perturbations, adversarial attacks, etc.) system. Especially, normalizing the spectrum of the discrete recurrent network to bound the spectrum (using power method, Rayleigh quotient, etc.) on a unit disk produces stable, albeit highly non-robust neural networks. Furthermore, using the $\epsilon$-pseudo-spectrum, we show that training of recurrent networks, say using gradient-based methods, often result in non-normal matrices that may or may not be diagonalizable. Therefore, the open problem lies in constructing methods that optimize not only for accuracy but also for the stability and the robustness of the underlying neural network, a criterion that is distinct from the other.


The participants in a democratic system have a right to know what, how and why of any decision, change or continuity, regarding or of its functioning. The right is inherent in citizens by virtue of their owning the system. Therefore, citizen's right to information follows, as a natural corollary in a democracy and any attempt to wide information or to create opacity cannot augur well for its health. Some conscious citizens and civil society organization have constantly raised the demand for an effective provision for the right to information. Dwelling on the relation of constitutional right to freedom of expression and the right to life, various judicial pronouncements endorsed its legal justification. It is expedient to provide for furnishing certain information to citizen who desires to heave it. In a government where all the agencies of the public must be responsible for their conduct, there cannot but few secrets. The people have a right to know every public act, everything that is done in a public way, by their public functionaries. The present research work is based on the theoretical study of the topic. The theoretical work will deal with the literature relating to right to information of the citizen from their government. A comprehensive study shall be conducted through the websites, journals, and newspapers and books. On the basis of the above discussion it is proposed to divide the research paper into the following parts:


Highly congested epoxysulphones with stereoselectivity were synthesized from unsaturated sulphones. A comparison of diastereoselectivity has been made between the epoxysulphones synthesized using m-CPBA and H2O2. The synthesized compounds were characterized by using elemental analysis, IR, 1H-NMR and Mass spectral studies. The results indicate that m-CPBA epoxidations are sterically controlled and provide crude model for determination of the operation of hydrogen bonding in the reaction of H2O2 epoxidations. All these new compounds exhibited differential antibacterial and antifungal activities.


We investigate strong-coupling properties of a trapped two-dimensional normal Fermi gas. Within the framework of a combined $T$-matrix theory with the local density approximation, we calculate the local density of states, as well as the photoemission spectrum, to see how two-dimensional pairing fluctuations affect these single-particle quantities. In the BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer)-BEC (Bose-Einstein condensation) crossover region, we show that the local density of states exhibits a dip structure in the trap center, which is more remarkable than the three-dimensional case. This pseudogap phenomenon is found to naturally lead to a double peak structure in the photoemission spectrum. The peak-to-peak energy of the spectrum at p=0 agrees well with the recent experiment on a two-dimensional 40K Fermi gas [M. Feld, et al., Nature 480, 75 (2011)]. Since pairing fluctuations are sensitive to the dimensionality of a system, our results would be useful for the study of many-body physics in the BCS-BEC crossover regime of a two-dimensional Fermi gas.


Ovalbumin is a member of a superfamily of serine proteinase inhibitors, known as the serpins. It is, however, non-inhibitory towards serine proteinases, and lacks the loop insertion mechanism common to the serpins due to unknown structural factors. Mutant ovalbumin, R339T, in which the P14 hinge residue is replaced, was produced and analyzed for its thermostability and three-dimensional structure. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the mutant ovalbumin, but not the wild-type protein, undergoes a marked thermostabilization (DeltaT(m)=15.8 degrees C) following the P1-P1' cleavage. Furthermore, the crystal structure, solved at 2.3 A resolution, clearly proved that the P1-P1' cleaved form assumes the fully loop-inserted conformation as seen in serpin that possess inhibitory activity. We therefore conclude that ovalbumin acquires the structural transition mechanism into the loop-inserted, thermostabilized form by the single hinge mutation. The mutant protein does not, however, possess inhibitory activity. The solved structure displays the occurrence of specific interactions that may prevent the smooth motion, relative to sheet A, of helices E and F and of the loop that follows helix F. These observations provide crucial insights into the question why R339T is still non-inhibitory.


The theme of food might seem futile in view of the questions generally addressed by philosophy. However, in Cyrano de Bergerac's utopian novels, Les États et Empires de la Lune and Les États et Empires du Soleil, the theme of food is strongly linked to the author's philosophy. This is certainly related to Cyrano's materialistic position. To the extent that thought is nothing more than a function of the body, one becomes somehow what one eats. In the same way, death is no longer to be considered as the liberation of a soul, but as a physical transformation process of beings: the putrefaction of a being nourishes plants and worms which will feed birds, which themselves will feed certain mammals. Not only does the distinction between man and animal disappear, but the plants themselves acquire the status of sensitive and reasoned beings.


Cigarette smoking in pregnancy was the single most important preventable factor identified when determinants of birth weight were studied in 375 pregnancies. Current professional intervention was not effective in reducing cigarette consumption in pregnancy in these mothers in Londonderry, of whom only 19 (5%) became ex-smokers. Present health education, which emphasises impaired fetal growth and wellbeing, had its greatest effect amongst primigravid smokers of whom 32% made some reduction in cigarette consumption. Maternal expectation of birth weight differed significantly between non-smokers, light to moderate, and heavy smokers (8.2 lb, 7.9 lb, 7.3 lb respectively). 54% of multiparous smokers expected the birth weight to be similar to the birth weight in previous pregnancies. Of the women who reduced smoking, 57% did so for the baby, 23% because they found the habit less pleasurable during pregnancy and 13% because of professional advice. Maternal expectation of birth weight is one factor which negates the slant of current health education advice in pregnancy. An anti-smoking programme aimed at protecting the fetus from the harmful effects of cigarettes may produce optimal results when targeted at primary school-aged children in whom the smoking habit is less firmly established.


We report the first results of the analysis of maternal mortality at the university hospital of Donka, Conakry, Guinée. This paper details the mortality rate [12.47/1,000] in a consultant service which has very limited facilities. It outlines the causes of death, the dramatic circumstances in which the accidents occur and it discusses the notion of responsibility and above all the means to reduce these terrible mortality figures: an increase in primary health care, peripheral obstetrical services, training of health personnel and of traditional birth attendants, as well as education of the population.


Baker Institute founding director Edward P. Djerejian spoke Thursday evening at Faneuil Hall in Boston for the third annual K. George and Carolann S. Najarian, M.D., Lecture on Human Rights. Djerejian's address discussed his experiences as a practitioner of U.S. foreign policy and the ongoing challenges for Armenia and the Caucasus. The lecture is a public program of the Armenian Heritage Foundation and celebrates the opening of the Armenian Heritage Park on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. The purpose of the endowed lecture series is to advance understanding of human rights issues and societal abuses worldwide, and to increase awareness of the work of individuals and organizations so that we are all more actively engaged.


An univariate analysis of pathologic data of 987 patients with primary colorectal carcinoma treated over a period of 22 years was performed. Six variables such as tumor site, histologic type, depth of invasion, nodal involvement, distant metastases, histologic grade and tumor stage were tested for their prognostic value. 5-year survival rate was investigated. Patients with tumors in the left colon and rectum have shown a better prognosis than patients with tumors in the right colon (53-51% vs. 38% p = 0.0007). As regard histologic type non significant differences between mucinous and non-mucinous carcinoma was observed (44% vs 48% respectively p = 0.4). The depth of tumor invasion was an important prognostic factor; according to tumor infiltration patients can be divided in four groups (T1, T2, T3, T4) with 5-year survival rates of 80%, 74%, 39% and 16% respectively (p = 0.0000). Highly significant decrements in survival occurred when lymph node metastases were demonstrable (20% vs. 67% p = 0.0000). Prognosis was still strongly related to histologic grade, with significant difference in survival rates between G1 and G2-G3 tumors (71% vs. 48%-42% p = 0.0000). Finally prognosis was closely related to the stage of spread at the time of diagnosis.


Cellular biology abound with filaments interacting through fluids, from intracellular microtubules, to rotating flagella and beating cilia. While previous work has demonstrated the complexity of capturing nonlocal hydrodynamic interactions between moving filaments, the problem remains difficult theoretically. We show here that when filaments are closer to each other than their relevant length scale, the integration of hydrodynamic interactions can be approximately carried out analytically. This leads to a set of simplified local equations, illustrated on a simple model of two interacting filaments, which can be used to tackle theoretically a range of problems in biology and physics.


New data are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 36.8 kg of CF$_3$I and located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. PICO-60 is the largest bubble chamber to search for dark matter to date. With an analyzed exposure of 92.8 livedays, PICO-60 exhibits the same excellent background rejection observed in smaller bubble chambers. Alpha decays in PICO-60 exhibit frequency-dependent acoustic calorimetry, similar but not identical to that reported recently in a C$_3$F$_8$ bubble chamber. PICO-60 also observes a large population of unknown background events, exhibiting acoustic, spatial, and timing behaviors inconsistent with those expected from a dark matter signal. These behaviors allow for analysis cuts to remove all background events while retaining $48.2\%$ of the exposure. Stringent limits on weakly interacting massive particles interacting via spin-dependent proton and spin-independent processes are set, and most interpretations of the DAMA/LIBRA modulation signal as dark matter interacting with iodine nuclei are ruled out.


Background : Receptivity of endometrium has a critical role in the establishment of pregnancy after embryo transfer in the treatment process of infertile couples. As the glycoprotein CA-125 is a product of human endometrium and is measurable in the pe-ripheral circulation, it is investigated whether it might serve as an indicator of endo-metrial receptivity and predictor of pregnancy following Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods : In an observational diagnostic study, over a twelve-month period (from Au-gust 2013 to July 2014), all couples with male-factor infertility who attended to infertility clinic of Moheb Yas Hospital, Tehran and were candidate of performing ICSI, were invited to participate in the study. Based on the inclusion criteria of study, 64 women were eligible to take part in the study. They were assessed for serum CA-125 levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration and also on the day of oocyte retrieval. After ICSI, the possibility of pregnancy was assessed by measuring serum concentration of β-HCG on 14 days after embryo transfer and also by visualizing the gestational sac by trans-vaginal ultrasound examination on four to five weeks after transfer. The pregnancy rate was compared between those with normal and high CA-125 levels. Results : Among the subjects, 15 patients (23.4%) had high CA-125 levels, and totally 19 patients (29.7%) experienced pregnancy. Among those with normal and high CA-125 levels, 16 patients (32.7%) and 3 subjects (20%) experienced pregnancy, respec-tively, that showed no statistically significant difference according to Chi-square test (P=0.348). Also, according to the Fisher's exact test, there was no correlation between CA-125 levels and the rate of pregnancy on the basis of body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: Totally, according to the obtained results in current study, it may be con-cluded that serum CA-125 levels has no prognostic value in prediction of the outcomes of ICSI among infertile couples with male-factor infertility. Abstract


The use of arthroscopy and arthrography in order to describe the stifle joint lesions causing lameness in dogs was studied, and a comparison of the results of these techniques was made. For the experimental part of the study,survey radiographs were taken, arthrography and arthroscopy were performed consencutively in 20 stifle joints of 10 clinically healthy dogs of different breed, sex, age, and weight. The same procedures were performed in 3 cases which were referred to the Department of Surgery. According to the results,while it is possible to detect the bony tissue and stifle joint space in direct radiography,the suprapatellar pouch,plate of tibia,meniscus,joint cartilage and capsula were detected with arthrography. However, the best visualisation of the joint and related structures can be obtained by using arhroscopy. In conclusion,arthrography alone is not thought to be sufficient for a reliable diagnosis, but using arthrography with arthroscopy together was decided to be the most suitable technique for the diagnosis of joint diseases in dogs.


Bees and other pollinators play a major role in maintaining the biodiversity in almost all environments. Pollinators support the reproduction of nearly 85 % of the world's flowering plants. However, these important species are endangered through the use of pesticides. In late April 2008, dust drift containing insecticide resulted in the largest bee poisoning in Germany for 30 years. The reason for these incidents was the contamination of flowering bee forage plants with dust particles abraded from maize seeds treated with the insecticide Clothianidin. Thus highly specialist techniques should be used when treating seeds with plant protection products to avoid such problem. The aim of this study was to improve the seed treatment methodology to reduce the drift generated from seeds by drilling and hence saving of bees and other pollinators as well as reducing the risk of people handling the treated seeds during the sowing activities and people located in the vicinity of the sowing site. The current study investigated the amount of drift generated from seeds of two varieties of cotton using two formulations of the neonicotinoid insecticide imadocloprid using the Heubach methods. The increase in percentages of drift generated with the use of Heubach Meter, through tested formulation of imadocloprid relative to the control treatment were found to be in the range of 336–378% and 221–287% for the water dispersible powder formulation (WS) for Hamid and Barakat cotton varieties, respectively. For the Flowable Concentrate (FS) formulation the percentage increase in the drift over the control was ranging 82–95 % and 15–445 for Hamid and Barakat varieties respectively. The Heubach vaules were higher in case of WS formulations. They were ranging between 13.5–24.5 for Hamid variety and 23.3–25.4 for Barakat variety. The values for the FS formulation ranged between 7–8.8 and 2.64–14.7 for Hamid and Barakat, respectively. The pesticide residues measured were found to be more for WS formulation compared to FS formulation for both tested varieties. The results of the study indicated indicated that the Flowable concentrate formulation for seed treatment is better than the Water dispersible powder formulation and can play important role in improving seed dressing technology to save various pollinators


The subject of this master thesis is non-linear optimization using the Space Mapping method with an interpolating surrogate model. The Space Mapping method is useful in optimization problems, where the fine model we wish to optimize is very computationally expensive. The interpolating surrogate is based on a cheap coarse model and serves as a replacement for the expensive model in order to minimize the number of function evaluations. An important part of the Space Mapping algorithm is the Parameter Extraction, which involves minimization of the residual between the surrogate and the fine model, which we aim to align. The Parameter Extraction problem does not always have a unique solution, and different formulations are presented in order to ensure this uniqueness.
 The thesis provides a presentation of the mathematical theory followed by the Space Mapping algorithm. We then make a number of theoretical and practical investigations concerning different formulations of the residual defining the Parameter Extraction problem. The step length in forward difference approximations is analyzed, and the optimal step length suited for the considered problems is found to be approximately 10(-5). We make an analysis of the solutions to underdetermined and overdetermined problems, hereby an analysis of the Marquardt equations and of least squares problems with and without weighting factors. We look at the effect of adding a regularization term to the residual vector and find, that this residual formulation corresponds to a special case of the Marquardt equations with the damping parameter 1(+u). The presented Space Mapping algorithm is tested in the various versions on three test problems, and the results are compared. The convergence is faster than with classical optimization algorithms. It is not possible to make general conclusions on the performance of the different algorithm versions based on the included test problems.


This study aims to provide a greater insight into how formative assessments are experienced and understood by students. Two different formative assessment methods, an individual, written assessment and an oral group assessment, were components of a pathology course within a medical curriculum. In a cohort of 70 students, written accounts were collected from 17 students and group interviews were carried out to explore the students' experiences of these two forms of assessment. All students were engaged in both assessment methods, which were conducted a few weeks apart, and data were collected soon after each assessment. Our findings suggest that formative assessments motivate students to study, make them aware of what they have learned and where they need to study more. Thus, formative assessment can act as a tool for learning, contributing to the process and outcomes of learning. A closer look at students' experiences of each form of assessment reveals interesting differences.