Abstract Dokuchaevite, ideally Cu8O2(VO4)3Cl3, was found in the Yadovitaya fumarole of the Second scoria cone of the North Breach of the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption (1975–1976), Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Dokuchaevite occurs on the crusts of various copper sulfate exhalative minerals (such as kamchatkite and euchlorine) as individual prismatic crystals. Dokuchaevite is triclinic, P$\bar{1}$, a = 6.332(3), b = 8.204(4), c = 15.562(8) Å, α = 90.498(8), β = 97.173(7), γ = 90.896(13)°, V = 801.9(7) Å3 and R1 = 0.057. The eight strongest lines of the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are (d, Å (I)(hkl): (15.4396)(18)(00$\bar{1}$), (7.2762)(27)(0$\bar{1}$1), (5.5957)(43)(012), (4.8571)(33)($\bar{1}\bar{1}$1), (3.1929) (29)(023), (2.7915)(30)(202), (2.5645)(21)(032), (2.5220)(100)(1$\bar{3}$0), (2.4906)(18)(130) and (2.3267)(71)(2$\bar{2}$2). The chemical composition determined by electron-microprobe analysis is (wt.%): CuO 60.87, ZnO 0.50, FeO 0.36, V2O5 19.85, As2O5 6.96, SO3 0.44, MoO3 1.41, SiO2 0.20, P2O5 0.22, Cl 10.66, –O = Cl2 2.41, total 99.06. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 17 anions per formula unit is (Cu7.72Zn0.06Fe0.05)Σ7.83(V2.20As0.61Mo0.10S0.06P0.03Si0.03)Σ3.03O13.96Cl3.04. The crystal structure of dokuchaevite represents a new structure type with eight Cu sites, which demonstrate the remarkable diversity of Cu2+ mixed-ligand coordination environments. The crystal structure of dokuchaevite is based on OCu4 tetrahedra that share common corners thus forming [O2Cu6]8+ single chains. Two of the eight symmetrically independent copper atoms do not form Cu–O bonds with additional oxygen atoms, and thus are not part of the OCu4 tetrahedra, but provide the three-dimensional integrity of the [O2Cu6]8+ chains into a framework. TO4 mixed tetrahedral groups are located within the cavities of the framework. The structural formula of dokuchaevite can be represented as Cu2[Cu6O2](VO4)3Cl3.


The lumped-parameter thermal model is used to predict both the steady-state and transient solution to the temperatures within a 7.5-kW induction machine. The system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations and algebraic equations which describe the thermal behaviour of the machine in transient and steady states, respectively, were solved numerically using the Fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and the Gauss-Siedel method, respectively. The model performance is validated by experimental measurements on the test machine at rated load operation. The results show that there is a good agreement between the measured and predicted steady and transient states temperatures at rated load condition.


An adapted version of the taxonomy of power developed by Starhawk and Uri Gordon can help us to construct an integrated model of power that is consistent with anarchist principles. Rather than conceptualising power as a pyramid, in which power emanates from the apex and cascades down
 the ranks, we should see it as a dynamic matrix within which power is continually shifting both in quantitative and qualitative terms. The overall power (power-to) of individuals and groups is derived from a combination of coercive power (power-against), social power (power-with) and power-from-within.
 We will only be able to survive as a species if we can find ways to limit the exercise of all forms of coercive power, to unleash the multiplier effect of social power, and to distribute power-to as widely as possible. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to reconceptualise the nature of
 power itself.


In this podcast, in conversation with Gurnam Singh, Sarah Amsler, Lecturer in Sociology at Aston University shares some of her own praxis in this area critical pedagogy. In particulalr, she discusses the relationship between critical pedagogy, critical theory and the sociology of 'hope'. In doing so she talks about how critical pedagogy come to life in many roles as a teacher/researcher/activist/citizen.


Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) can provide a vehicle for chemical imaging by coupling chemically sensitive dyes and quenchers. The mechanism for coupling of two anthraquinone dyes, Calcium Red and Alizarin Red S, was investigated as a function of pH. The green emission band of the UCNPs was quenched by a pH-dependent inner filter effect (IFE) while the red emission band remained unchanged and acted as the reference signal for ratiometric pH measurements. Contrary to previous expectation, there was little evidence for a resonance energy transfer (RET) mechanism even when the anthraquinones were attached onto the UCNPs through electrostatic attraction. Since the UCNPs are point emitters, only emitters close to the surface of the UCNP are within the expected Förster distance and UC-RET is <10%. The theoretical and experimental analysis of the interaction between UCNPs and pH-sensitive quenchers will allow the design of UCNP pH sensors for determination of pH via IFE.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the marginal gap of E-max press, and E.max computer-aided design and computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD-CAM) lithium disilicate (LD) ceramic crowns fabricated by using conventional technique and CAD-CAM technique. Materials and Methods: This was an in vitro experimental study carried out in Riyadh Elm University and King Saud University. A marginal gap of 30 LD crowns was evaluated by Stereomicroscopy. A total of 15 pressable LD (IPS E.max Press [Ivoclar Vivadent]) ceramic crowns were fabricated by using conventional lost wax pattern method (Group A). Digital impressions of the prepared dies were scanned and transferred to the milling machine. IPS E.max CAD (IPS E-max, Ivoclar, Amherst, NY, USA) LD blocks in shade Vita A2 were then milled by using DWX-50 machine for CAD-CAM crowns (Group B). Descriptive statistics of mean and standard error of marginal gaps for both groups were recorded and compared by applying Mann–Whitney U-test. All the data were analyzed by using statistical analysis software SPSS version 21.0 (Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp). Results: The LD crowns prepared by CAD-CAM technology (26.80 ± 3.4 μm) had significantly lower (P < 0.001) marginal gap than the LD pressed crowns (38.8 ± 2.3 μm) fabricated by conventional technique. The marginal gaps between CAD-CAM versus conventional groups exhibited significant differences at (42.68 μm vs. 52.46 μm, U = 51.500, P = 0.011), Mesiobuccal (15.94 μm vs. 30.13 μm, U = 45.500, P = 0.005), distolingual (26.70 μm vs. 43.86 μm, U = 63.500, P = 0.042), and distal (12.38 μm vs 31.45 μm, U = 47.500, P = 0.006). Conclusions: Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that LD all ceramic crowns fabricated by using CAD-CAM techniques showed lesser marginal gap and better marginal fit compared to the conventional technique.


The diagnostic sensitivity of visually interpreted and computer-analyzed 201Tl myocardial perfusion images was compared to that of exercise electrocardiograms in 8 angiographically normal subjects and 24 patients with significant coronary artery disease. Visual interpretation was not significantly better than exercise ECGs. An index of perfusion homogeneity, derived from computer analysis of the 201Tl images, was more sensitive than visual interpretation (79% vs. 58%) and much more sensitive (p less than 0.05) than the exercise ECG (79% VS. 46%). The best overall sensitivity (88%) and specificity (75%) were achieved by combining computer analysis with exercise electrocardiography. The computer also permits enhanced detection of subtle perfusion changes which may not seem significant to the eye.


Background Infant formula means a breast-milk substitute specially manufactured to satisfy, by itself, the nutritional requirements of infants during the first months of life up to the introduction of appropriate complementary feeding. We aimed to determine the cost and burden of formula feeding on the family in Al-Amara city, Iraq. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional analytic study was carried out in Al-Sadder Teaching Hospital in Al-Amara city, Iraq, during period from August/2015 to February/2016. The study performed on 100 mothers of infant less than 6 months who were attended the pediatric ward. Data was collected then calculating the average of ounces consumed per a day for each age group with calculating their cost per a day. Results The mean cost of ounces consumption per a day for each infant who was exclusively on formula feeding during the first month of age was (1,584 IQD: Iraqi Dinar), while for the second month and 3-6 months age group were (1,806 IQD) and (2,322 IQD) respectively. The cost was significantly higher than those infants on mixed feeding in all age groups, the P-values are 0.007, 0.005 and 0.002 in 1st month, 2nd month and 3-6 month of age respectively. Conclusion In general the cost of formula milk feeding in infancy was high and causing a burden on the family. Saving money, health and emotional wellbeing will direct our vision toward breast feeding.


Combining single-joint hybrid assistive limb (HAL-SJ) with botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) therapy is novel and has great therapeutic potential for the rehabilitation of stroke patients with upper limb paralysis. The purpose of this observational case series study was to evaluate the effect of BTX-A and HAL-SJ combination therapy on different exoskeleton robots used for treating upper limb paralysis. The HAL-SJ combination received a BTX-A injection followed by HAL-SJ-assisted rehabilitation for 60 min per session, 10 times per week, during 2 weeks of hospitalization. Clinical evaluations to assess motor function, limb functions used during daily activities, and spasticity were performed prior to injection, at 2-week post-treatment intervention, and at the 4-month follow-up visit. The total Fugl-Meyer assessment-upper limb (FMA-UE), proximal FMA-UE, action research arm test (ARAT), Motor Activity Log (MAL), and Disability Assessment Scale (DAS) showed a statistically significant difference, and a large effect size. However, the FMA distal assessment at 2-week post-treatment intervention showed no significant difference and a moderate effect size. The FMA-UE scores of the extracted systematic review articles showed that our design improved upper limb function. The change in the total FMA-UE score in this study showed that, compared to previous reports in the exoskeletal robotic therapy group, our combination therapy had a higher score than five of the seven references. Our results suggest that BTX-A therapy and HAL-SJ combination therapy may improve upper limb function, similar to other treatment methods in the literature.


Following his success with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the author continues his association with Hamlet by taking the most well-known and best-loved lines from Shakespeare's play and condensing them into a hilarious version of the play lasting approximately thirteen minutes. The miraculous feat is followed by an encore which consists of a two-minute version of the play! The vast multitude of characters is played by six actors with hectic doubling, and the action takes place at a shortened version of Elsinore Castle.


The relationships between PCO2 and pH were determined in cell-free undiluted haemolymph of the arachnids Eurypelma californicum, Pandinus imperator and Cupiennius salei. The pH/bicarbonate diagrams and the CO2 equilibrium curves were calculated, using the HendersonHasselbalch equation, for haemolymph sampled at rest and during recovery from exercise. The calculations of solubility (alphaCO2) and dissociation constant (pK"') were based on additional ion concentration measurements. Blood gas analyses corroborate these results: after locomotor activity, there is a metabolic acidosis linked to the accumulation of lactate in the haemolymph. The concentration of bicarbonate in the haemolymph of resting individuals is quite different in the three species and is related to the extent of post-exercise bicarbonate depletion. During early recovery, buffering in the haemolymph strongly depends upon CO2 release. Potassium and magnesium concentrations in the haemolymph increase after exercise. During cold-acclimation (to 10 °C), there is a metabolic acidosis in the tarantula's haemolymph that is linked to the accumulation of acetate.


Advances in wireless technologies have led to the development of sensor nodes that are capable of sensing, processing, and transmitting. They collect large amounts of sensor data in a highly decentralized manner. Classification is an important task in data mining. In this paper a Nearest Neighbour Classification technique is used to classify the Wireless Sensor Network data. Our experimental investigation yields a significant output in terms of the correctly classified success rate being 92.3%.


The following are the specifications for intraoperative sonography equipment: Small, easy-to-manipulate 7-10 mHz probes which can be gas-sterilised. The sound head contact surface should be 2 X 3 X 1 to 2 cm. Three probes of different shape. Transmission cable 2-3 m in length. Gas-sterilisable ultrasound unit, cable and plug. Large screen monitor. Control panel which can be encased with a plastic foil according to sterility requirements. 8 step gray scale. Integrated image storage. Documentation possibility using videotape and/or photographic unit. For intraoperative sonography the body parts to be examined are sonographed at a distance of 1-2 cm using a precursor water gap. Interpretation of sonographic images can be performed only in connection with the palpation findings of the surgeon.


Significant quantities of food are being wasted by people in day to day life which cause real environmental problems. These food wastes can be used as a potential feedstock for ethanol production and this could also be an alternate for disposal of the polluting residues, which is the primary aim of the project. Secondly, diesel fuel and ethanol were blended for this investigation and injection was done through continuous manifold injection. It reduces exhaust emissions and shows better lube oil quality as compared together tested fuels. This is mainly due to the effect of fuel additive in the blended fuel. The specific objective of this investigation is to develop the performance of fuel by using as in-house-formulated fuel additive. Rice ranks first among the most significant food followed by corn, banana and Mango and milk. It is a stable food among south India. The rice is more prone to wastage at place like marriage halls, hostels, restaurants. To determine the performance, combustion and emission analysis are performed on the single cylinder diesel engine, diesel, ethanol 10, ethanol 20 and ethanol 30. Index Terms :Ethanol, emission, transesterification alternative fuel, bio-diesel


The effect of selective agents on the efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of pear was shown. The transformation frequency of the pear stock PS no. 217 by a binary vector carrying the nptII gene conferring kanamycin resistance was 0.4 or 3.1%, while the hpt gene for hygromycin resistance used as a selective marker increased transformation frequency to 6.2 (11.5%). In addition, upon selection on hygromycin B, the proportion of pseudotransgenic regenerants considerably decreased. In four transformation experiments, twenty independent clones were recovered, and their transgenic nature was confirmed by PCR, histochemical, and fluorometric analyses of GUS activity. The presence of introns in the coding region of a heterologous gene was shown to influence the efficiency and stability of transgene expression in plant tissues. Fluorometric determination of GUS activity conducted for a period of two years demonstrated a threefold increase in transgene expression in the case that an intron-containing construct was used for transformation. The expression level was rather stable across several years. The transformation procedure developed may be used for successful expression of heterologous genes controlling agronomic characters in pear plants.


The overall aim of this thesis was to study the effects of electrical stimulation, age, gender and training on the torque- and EMG-velocity relationships during eccentric knee extensor muscle actions in man. An isokinetic custom-built dynamometer was evaluated and used throughout the thesis. During maximal voluntary efforts eccentric torque output was similar to isometric and did not change with velocity. Superimposing electrical stimulation onto a maximal effort caused a specific increase in eccentric torque output. Submaximal electrical stimulation alone also produced a relatively higher eccentric than concentric torque. These results indicate the presence of a neural tension-regulating mechanism during maximal voluntary eccentric muscle actions in man. The hypothesis that such a mechanism would be more pronounced in children than adultswas not corroborated by the results from children, pre- and postpuberty. The adult pattern of interdependence between torque, EMG and muscle action type seemed to be established before puberty in both males and females. Comparisons between genders indicated a higher eccentric to concentric ratio of electromechanical eficiency at high velocity in postpuberty and adult females. Training with either pure eccentric or concentric maximal isokinetic muscle actions resulted in mode and velocity specific adaptations, particularly for eccentric training, in peak torque, muscle cross-sectional area, electromechanical efficiency and cross education, that is increase in strength of the contralateral leg. On the other hand, no or only minor training effects were seen on mean torque, muscle fibre morphology, eccentric to concentric EMG ratios and antagonist muscle activity. The expression of net eccentric torque output during maximal voluntary eccentric knee extensor actions have shown several distinct features separating it from concentric and isometric actions. Clarification of the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms remains a challenge for future research.


In the wave of globalization, as a way of the international transfer of capital, outsourcing is developing very rapidly. There are many researches on the economic effects of outsourcing, this article use the China's economic data during the economic development and build a regression model of the economic effect, and analysis the four effect of outsourcing on our country. The results show that outsourcing has a relationship with productivity, trade, employment and innovation of our country. We should accelerate the development of high-tech industries while maintain its current level of outsourcing. Keyword: Outsourcing, Economic effect, Regression analysis


A 20-year-old man with a germ cell tumor who experienced an ischemic stroke as a complication of cisplatin/etoposide/bleomycin based chemotherapy is reported. The previously reported cases are reviewed as well as the different physiopathologic mechanisms associated with vascular toxicity of this regimen.


To reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, the combustion of hydrogen and oxy-fuel is a development direction for the gas turbine systems. Because the fuels are different from the traditional gas turbine which uses natural gas as fuel, the compositions of the working fluid are different, which can lead to differences in heat transfer characteristics. Furth more, in order to get higher overall efficacy, the turbine inlet temperature is becoming higher and higher. The radiation becomes an important factor then must be considered seriously.
 To study the influence of different gas compositions on heat transfer characteristics, three gas compositions, representing the combustion products of IGCC system, hydrogen turbine system, and the oxy-fuel turbine system, respectively, is chosen in this paper. Based on a real turbine first stage vane, the influence of radiation and gas compositions are both researched using CFD simulations. The results show that different gas compositions can lead to different heat transfer characteristics on the vane. The radiation effect can be dealt with as an independent factor in the turbine heat transfer analysis.


The pre-operative assessment is used to clarify issues prior to surgery that can change management provided by a multidisciplinary team. A high proportion of rheumatoid arthritis patients are elderly requiring orthopaedic surgery which requires further investigations, assessment of risk through functional capacity and several anaesthetic considerations. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often provide a variety of medical issues that can be found on careful and thorough pre-assessment that can be accommodated for by the surgical and anaesthetic team, however aspects of holistic management is an important considerations for efficient and effective management.


This work studies the dynamic behavior of the health status of some elderly hosted in different nursing homes. Specifically, we consider a dataset gathered from the Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF) Programme, a longitudinal study carried on in Umbria (Italy). The final goal of our analysis is to understand whether the evolution of elderly' health conditions significantly change across different nursing homes. To this end, an ordinal Latent Markov model accounting for both dropout and intermittent missing data patterns is proposed. Then, some performance measures are computed on a standardized elderly population in order to rule out the effect of patient case-mix.


In the above-named article [ibid., vol. 16, pp. 920?935, Oct. 1998] there is an error in the experimental results reported for the Hou 3&4 (clustered) benchmark, due to a typographical error in its task collection input file. The last line of the The Hou 3&4 (clustered) row of Table IV on page 932 of the original article should be replaced with Table I of this short paper. For this example, average price increases when the effort level is changed from three to four. In general, solution quality increases, i.e., the price decreases, with increasing optimizer effort. This trend is not expressed in this case as a result of the limited number of samples (30). When run with 500 samples, price strictly decreases with increasing effort. The Hou 3&4 (clustered) row of Table VI on page 933 of the above paper1 should be replaced with Table II of this short paper.


Levodopa is considered to be the most effective symptomatic drug for Parkinson's disease (PD). As the disease progresses, however, the patients are likely to experience a reduced response to levodopa and develop motor fluctuations (i.e., end-of-dose wearing off and unpredictable "on-off"). Protein-rich diets and elevated plasma concentrations of large neutral amino acids have been proved to impair the therapeutic effect of levodopa by reducing its absorption and influx into the brain. On the other hand, the protein-restricted diets including low-protein diet (LPD), protein-redistribution diet (PRD) and PRD with use of low-protein products can all improve the efficacy of levodopa in patients with motor fluctuations. However, it should be noted that protein-restricted diets may also contribute to several side effects, including dyskinesia, weight loss, and malnutrition (e.g., protein and calcium insufficiency). Together, protein-restricted diets are an effective approach to improve motor fluctuations in PD patients, while long-term adherence to these diets requires monitoring for side effects.


Summary Fluoroquinolones are a class of antibiotics that are widely used in the treatment of a number of severe infections frequently observed in intensive care units (ICU). From a pharmacodynamic point of view, the optimal conditions for guaranteeing clinical recovery and preventing the occurrence of resistance to this class of antibiotics are represented by the ratios of Cmax/MIC >12.2 and AUC24h/MIC equal to 100–125 hours for Gram-negative bacteria, and about 30-40 hours for Gram-positive cocci. Taking this into consideration, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics shown in healthy volunteers suggest that with the use of standard doses of the various fluoroquinolones, an optimal AUCfree/MIC ratio for Gram-negative bacteria may be ensured with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) <0.25–0.5 mg/L and for Gram-positive bacteria with an MIC <0.5–1 mg/L. The need to increase the dosage, or to combine them with other antibiotics is therefore recognized, when it is necessary to ensure adequate coverage of intermediately sensitive microorganisms (MIC 1–2 mg/L). In addition, patients recovered in the ICU often present some peculiar pathophysiological conditions that increase the distribution volume and/or the renal clearance of the drug. Thus it is likely that in this situation it would be reasonable to increase daily dosages, independent of the in vitro pattern of drug sensitivity (e.g. 500 mg b.i.d. for levofloxacin). Data from various clinical and pharmacological studies suggesting a potential role for fluoroquinolones both in monotherapy and combination therapy in the treatment of different clinically severe conditions are presented and discussed. This offers the dual opportunity to evaluate the role of quinolones as an alternative to aminoglycosides in combination with a beta-lactam and, at the same time, to consider their use in a periodic rotation program of anti-Gram-negative antibiotic therapy when there is a high risk of resistance selection, such as in the ICU. In conclusion, the role of fluoroquinolones in the treatment of multiple infectious diseases, such as bacteremia/sepsis, pneumonia and severe urinary tract infections in an environment such as the ICU is growing stronger, while there are convincing data indicating that these molecules might play a role in the treatment of meningitis in the near future.


The focus of the paper is on internal governance and management at UBCO as it has evolved since 2005, in particular with respect to traditions of shared academic governance in university management. The paper is informed by the analysis of Ginsberg (2011), and is divided into four sections. The first discusses the insights of Ginsberg and how they can be applied in this case. The second discusses general issues of consultation, communication and commitment to shared academic governance by the senior administrators of the new campus. Third, budgetary management, accountability and transparency is discussed. Finally, strategic academic planning is analyzed, along with academic program review and performance. The paper ends with some concluding comments. To anticipate the results of the analysis, the paper tends to confirm the words attributed to Professor Henry Rosovsky, economic historian and past Acting President of Harvard University, that the quality of a university campus is likely "negatively correlated with the unrestrained power of administrators" (Ginsberg, 2011, p. 3). On this slope of correlation, UBCO is not an outlier.


Aims, Objectives and Background Reliable risk assessment in patients presenting to emergency departments (ED) with suspected infection is of utmost importance to support clinical decisions. Vital sign-based scoring systems such as NEWS2 or qSOFA enable a rapid first assessment of patient urgency at triage. However, their inherent high sensitivity might drive over-utilization of healthcare resources. Our aim was to evaluate if adding the result of a transcriptomic severity classifier can synergistically improve current score-based risk assessment in the ED. Method and Design We performed a secondary analysis of a patient cohort (n=312) enrolled in the Charité University hospital ED (Berlin, Germany) with suspected infection and at least one vital sign alteration. The expression of 29-host mRNAs in PAXgene-stabilized whole blood was quantified using NanoString nCounter® SPRINT. The proprietary machine learning classifier IMX-SEV-3 was applied to calculate a score that falls into pre-defined interpretation bands: low/moderate/high severity. NEWS2 and qSOFA were documented on admission and combined with the classifier results to analyze the incidence of two clinical endpoints: 'need for critical care' (composite of need for ventilation, dialysis, and/or vasopressors) within 7d and '28d mortality'. Results and Conclusion Among enrolled patients, 22 (7.1%) died and 66 (21.1%) required ICU-level care. Of patients with a high NEWS2 (≥5 points; n=184), there was a stepwise increase in mortality among the low (0%; n=0/47), medium (10.1%; n=12/119) and high (44.4% n=8/18) IMX-SEV-3 severity subgroups. A similar stratification was achieved across the low (17%), moderate (31%), and high (61%) IMX-SEV-3 subgroups for prediction of critical care. More granular risk stratification could also be confirmed when using IMX-SEV-3 in combination with high qSOFA (≥2 points; n=76): 0/10.6/50% mortality and 23.5/40.4/66% need for critical care in the low/moderate/high subgroups, respectively. In summary, the combined use of immune-based IMX-SEV-3 results for ED patients with high clinical scores allows improved prediction of mortality and the need for critical care.


Over the past 3 yr, the fading non-thermal emission from the GW170817 remained generally consistent with the afterglow powered by synchrotron radiation produced by the interaction of the structured jet with the ambient medium. Recent observations by Hajela et al. indicate the change in temporal and spectral behaviour in the X-ray band. We show that the new observations are compatible with the emergence of a new component due to non-thermal emission from the fast tail of the dynamical ejecta of ab-initio binary neutron star merger simulations. This provides a new avenue to constrain binary parameters. Specifically, we find that equal mass models with soft equations of state (EOSs) and high-mass ratio models with stiff EOSs are disfavoured as they typically predict afterglows that peak too early to explain the recent observations. Moderate stiffness and mass ratio models, instead, tend to be in good overall agreement with the data.


Water pollution has become a major environmental concern for public and environmental health in developing countries. Water resources are being contaminated mainly due to mixing of domestic, municipal, and industrial wastewaters. The wastewater management and treatment situation is deplorable mainly because of financial constraints, the unavailability of technically trained human resources, and electricity shortages. Moreover, there is a challenge for the scientific community and wastewater management experts to explore cost-effective, simple, reliable, and efficient wastewater treatment systems. Therefore, the present review highlights the option of trickling filter (TF) systems for wastewater treatment in developing countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and African regions, etc. In addition, the solutions to the operational/performance issues of the TF system are explored and discussed in greater detail for designing/construction of new TF systems and retrofitting the existing TFs.


The effect of training on lactate transport capacity was studied in giant vesicles obtained with collagenase treatment of rat skeletal muscles. Marker enzyme analyses demonstrated that these vesicles are predominantly of sarcolemmal origin. Treadmill training induced significant adaptations in the capacity of rat skeletal muscles to transport lactate but swimming [low-intensity training, approximately 50% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max)] did not. After 7 wk of moderate (90% of VO2max)- and high-intensity (112% of VO2max) interval treadmill training the carrier-mediated equilibrium exchange flux with 30 mM lactate was increased by 58 and 76%, respectively. During 5 wk of detraining the capacity to transport lactate decreased to near control level. It is concluded that physical training can increase the capacity to transport lactate in rat skeletal muscles and that the training intensity is of great importance. The adaptation appears to include both an increased number of transport proteins and a higher affinity of the individual transporters.


Diet pattern and lifestyle of modern society has triggered various diseases associated with hypertension and coronary heart disease. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of two probiotic lactobacilli strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus SKG34 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus FBB42) isolated from different sources(fermented milk and feces of healthy infants) , on the blood lipid profile of rats, fed with high fat containing diet. The ability of these strains to reduce the cholesterol content of rats blood was also investigated in this study. Four groups of 6 rats were fed for 28 days with high fat containing diets (HF), high fat containing diets supplemented individually either with L. rhamnosus SKG34 or L. rhamnosus FBB42, and high fat containing diets supplemented with a combination of those strains. During these treatments, the amount of food intake and the body weight gain of rats were measured. On day 28, all rats were saccrified and the population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in ceccal content and lipid profile of rats were determined by dilution plating method on MRS agar and CHOD-PAP enzymatic method, respectively. The results showed that administration of probiotics, either singly or in combination, was found to increse the population of LAB and this resulted in a slight decrease in the pH of the cecal content (P>0,05). It was also found in this study that the probiotics L. rhamnosus SKG34 and L. rhamnosus FBB42, either applied singly or in combination, significantly lowered the total content of cholesterol, TG and HDL-c, but increased HDL-c in rats fed with high fat containing diet. Besides that, administration of L.rhamnosus SKG34 and L. rhamnosus FBB42 reduced (with equivalent results) the ratios of TC: HDL-c, TG: HDL-c, and LDL-c: HDL-c which are normally used as a predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This indicated that L. rhamnosus SKG34 and L. rhamnosus FBB42 are potential to be developed as probiotics to be used in improving blood lipid profiles.


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Although migrant workers in Malaysia account for a large proportion of the workforce, the Malaysian government is criticised as facilitators of their abuse. This has placed a significant strain on the Malaysian government's relationships with migrant workers' origin countries. In order to improve these important political relationships and retain migrant workers, the Malaysian government should consider immigration policy reforms that will improve the treatment of migrant workers. One key recommendation includes providing an impartial data source on migrant workers by creating a new migrant research subdivision in the Department of Statistics. The current Migration Survey Report is irregular and insufficient and Malaysian media is generally prejudiced against migrant workers. Another useful recommendation is to provide migrant workers with leaflets (in different languages and in simple terms) on their labour rights. This should be distributed at the border as well as online to ensure that migrant workers are entering the country aware of their rights and how to enforce them. This would help prevent common exploitative practices like passport retention. Foreign domestic workers should be provided with a separate guidebook as their labour situation is significantly more vulnerable and different to typical migrant workers. Nevertheless, exploitation often begins prior to arrival through recruitment agencies via debt bondage and forced labour situations. The Malaysian government should seek to diversify away from these agencies towards memorandums of understandings: a cheaper and better regulated alternative to ensure migrant workers' safety.


The paper contributes to the understanding of the role of economic sectors in employment growth by examining the extent to which sectoral employment influence employment development in the rural southeast United States over the period 1970 through 2007. The analysis employs two specifications of OLS regression to understand the role of economic sectors in employment growth processes. The first specification (number of jobs) explained approximately 36 percent of the variability in employment growth while the second specification (number of enterprises) explained roughly 43 percent of the variability over the studied period. Overall, the results suggest that although the share and the social role of agriculture are shrinking in almost all rural areas, agriculture is still an important sector in rural employment growth.


This essay begins with the formation of solidarities among women's movements in Turkey during the period of the peace process. It focuses on events that took place between March 8, 2013, the beginning of the peace process, and March 8, 2017, when women activists in Turkey joined the International Women's Strike. Despite the collapse of the peace process and the resumption of war in the summer of 2015, women activists continued to struggle under the Turkish government's emergency regime. This essay addresses the ways in which the peace process and its termination affected relations among activist women, both Kurdish and non-Kurdish, as they have sought to confront Turkey's "new" emergency regime. Many women's groups lost their institutional footing due to the emergency regime's forced closure of women's organizations and its arrest of numerous activists, parliamentarians, and co-mayors. In this context, the essay demonstrates, women are left with no choice but to strengthen their alliances and to radicalize their movements against the state's authoritarian regime.


Hydraulic fracturing is a process that often is used to stimulate the production of oil and natural gas from low permeability formations. The process is controversial. Some people passionately support the use of hydraulic fracturing, while others fervently oppose it. Much of the controversy arises from the fact that many people fear that hydraulic fracturing might cause contamination of underground sources of drinking water. In part, the public debate and disagreement regarding hydraulic fracturing is fueled by competing opinions regarding how society should balance the tradeoffs between economic development and environmental protection. But this is only part of the disagreement.


Polaritons—confined light–matter waves—in van der Waals (vdW) materials are a research frontier in light–matter interactions with demonstrated advances in nanophotonics. Reflection, as a fundamental phenomenon involving waves, is particularly important for vdW polaritons, predominantly because it enables the investigation of polariton standing waves using the scanning probe technique. While previous works demonstrate a rigid phase ≈π/4 for the polariton reflection, herein is reported the altering of the polariton reflection phase by varying the geometry of polaritonic microstructures for the case study of hyperbolic surface polaritons (HSPs) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Specifically, it is demonstrated that the polariton reflection phase can be systematically altered by varying the corner angle of the hBN microstructures, and that it experiences a π jump around a specific angle. This behavior, which is a consequence of the mathematical nature of the reflection coefficient, is therefore expected in other physical phenomena.


The influence of Na+ excretion and race on casual blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure patterns was examined in a biracial sample of healthy, normotensive children and adolescents (10–18 years; n=140). The slopes relating 24-hour urinary Na+ excretion to systolic blood pressure were different for both black and white subjects for casual blood pressure (p<0.001) and blood pressure during sleep (p<0.03). For casual blood pressure, the slope was significant for black subjects (β=0.17;p<0.001) but not for white subjects. For blood pressure during sleep, the slope was again significant for black subjects (β=0.08; p<0.0l) but not for white subjects. Na+ excretion was also related to awake levels of systolic blood pressure for black subjects (β=0.08, r=0.36; p<0.01), although the slopes for both black and white subjects were not significantly different. Further analyses indicated the results were not due to racial differences in 24-hour urinary K+ excretion. However, plasma renin activity was marginally related to Na+ excretion in white subjects (r=0.22; p<0.06) but not black subjects, a finding that is consistent with previous studies. Na+ excretion was not associated with diastolic blood pressure or heart rate in either group under any condition. The results of this study support research that has demonstrated a stronger relation between Na+ handling and casual blood pressure in black subjects and extend these findings to blood pressure while the subject is both awake and asleep.


"Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) polymorphisms especially rs7903146(C/T) are related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and other metabolic diseases; Metabolic Syndrome(MetS), atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, this study is performed in order to evaluate the relationship between TCF7L2 polymorphism rs7903146 to Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and CVD risk. Blood samples were collected from the MetS (n=92) and control (n=80) subjects. The subjects were characterized according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP-III). Blood DNA was extracted and genotyped by mismatch PCR-RFLP. A logistic regression model was performed to analyze the data. T-TEST and ANOVA (Analysis Of Variance) were used to compare differences between CC and CT+TT rs7903146 genotypes. The biochemical factors showed that BMI, SBP, DBP, FBS, TG levels in the MetS subjects were meaningfully higher than Normal subjects (P=0.001, P=0.000, P=0.000, P=0.031, P=0.000) and HDL level in the MetS subjects was Lower than Normal subjects (P=0.003). The biochemical factors and genotype analysis indicated that FBS and TG levels in the CT+ TT genotypes were significantly higher than that of CC genotype in MetS subjects (P =0.000); The HDL level and BMI in CC genotype were higher (P=0.003, P=0.002). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis of the genotype frequencies for people with a history of cardiovascular disease and people without cardiovascular disease in metabolic syndrome subjects, showed that the odds ratios (OR) of CT+ TT genotypes carriers for CVD risk were higher than those of CC genotypes carriers (OR: 2.8889; 95 % CI : 1.0344 - 8.0680; P = 0.0429). There was relative risk for CT+ TT genotypes versus CC genotype (RR: 1.3542; 95 % CI: 1.0386 - 1.7656; P = 0.0251). Results of this study revealed that the CT+ TT genotypes carriers rs7903146 variation could be predisposed to CVD risk."


The Constitutional Court in National Credit Regulator v Opperman confirmed the Cape High Court's decision in Opperman v Boonzaaier to declare section 89(5)(c) of the National Credit Act unconstitutional. Therefore, the forfeiture to the state of an unregistered creditor provider's right to claim restitution of monies advanced in terms of an unlawful (and void) credit agreement, was held to amount to an arbitrary deprivation of property in contravention of section 25(1) of the Constitution – the property clause. The provision in effect prohibited courts from deviating from the common law's strict par delictum rule in as far as the effects of unlawful contracts are concerned, the result being that creditors could not retrieve any of the amounts extended to the debtor, despite there being no turpitude or bad faith present. The purpose of this provision was to discourage the concluding of unlawful credit agreements – for instance, agreements concluded by unregistered credit providers – so as to protect consumers against unscrupulous behaviour. Although the broad purposes of the Act are undeniably valid, the Court held that there was no "sufficient reason" for the effects that the Act had in this case, since the credit provider in question was not guilty of the behaviour that the Act tried to combat. In other words, the effects of the Act were over-broad and not proportionate to its stated purposes. This case note comprehensively analyses these decisions in view of interpreting the "confused and confusing" wording of section 89(5)(c), with a specific focus on the application of the section 25(1) non-arbitrariness test. Reference is also made to the earlier judgments in the matter of Cherangani Trade and Investment 107 (Edms) Bpk v Mason . The Opperman decisions illustrate well how the non-arbitrariness test should be conducted in consitutional property cases generally but particularly also in the credit context. Of significance is the fact that the Court for the first time recognised that personal rights sounding in money (an enrichment claim in this instance) should qualify as "property" for constitutional property law purposes. In certain circumstances, therefore, credit regulation may involve deprivation of property such as must satisfy the requirements of the property clause. It is contended that recognising the role of section 25 in the credit context is a positive development that can be explored further. The constitutional provision also calls for lawmakers to draft legislation in such a way that regulatory mechanisms are rational and sufficiently proportionate to its stated goals. Keywords : National Credit Act; Constitution; property; arbitrary deprivation; forfeiture; restitution claim; unregistered credit provider; unlawful credit agreement.


Children with high abilities could have emotional and behavioral instability. This can cause problems while adapting at transitional conditions or disadaptation in middle school. The aim of the research is to find out relationships between school anxiety features and high abilities. Abilities were measured by Raven's Progressive Matrices, and school anxiety was assessed by R. Philips's school anxiety test. Participants were divided into two groups: children with high abilities- G1 and children with average abilities - G2. T-test was used for statistics. 34 students(age- 11-13) from middle school were enrolled. G1 had high school anxiety level (75% and higher by R. Philips's test), especially at the scale of "Experiences of social stress", "Fear of self expression" and "The fear of situation of knowledge testing". G2 had an average and lower levels of school anxiety(low that 50% by R. Philips's test). G1 had higher level of school anxiety, than G2. (p<0.05). Study shows the relationship between high abilities and school anxiety. The main contribution for school organization is the plan for individual education for high developed children and educational program for teachers.


In high density digital magnetic recording systems, the nonlinear effects in the write process appear in the readback waveform as shifts in the peak positions and changes in the amplitude. The pulse shift causes a nonlinear intersymbol interference (ISI) on the readback signal. In this paper, a Volterra-DFE, in which a Volterra filter is used in the feedback section of decision feedback structure, is proposed to equalize the nonlinear ISI. By theoretical analysis, the minimum mean squared error (MSE) of the Volterra-DFE is found to be a function of sampling phase. This will affect the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the playback system. A baud-rate timing recovery system in conjunction with a channel estimator is used to operate the sampling clock on the optimum phase. By computer simulation, Volterra-DFE is found to outperform conventional DFE in both output SNR and BER in a high density magnetic recording system. >


I am delighted to introduce Allied academies journal Gynecology and Reproductive endocrinology (ISSN: 2591-7994) a peer reviewed scholarly journal that addresses various aspects of menstrual disorders, adenomyosis, postpartum purulent-inflammatory diseases, neuroendocrine syndromes, infertility problems, etc. and I am pleased to announce that all the issues in volume 3 were published within the stipulated time along with print issues brought out and dispatched within 30 days of publishing the issue online.
All published articles of this journal are included in the indexing and abstracting coverage of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), CiteFactor and Secret Search Engine Labs.

The objective of AAGRE is to publish up-to-date, high-quality and original research papers alongside relevant and insightful reviews. As such, the journal aspires to be vibrant, engaging and accessible, and at the same time integrative and challenging.

The journal is bringing a special issue on ongoing pandemic Coronavirus under the title 'Assessment and management of Pregnant woman with suspected or confirmed COVIID-19'. Authors are cordially invited to submit their current research activities and outcomes in the form of any article type of science communication such as original research, review, expert opinion, commentary, short note communication to our Journal.

During the calendar year of 2019, AAGRE received a total of 20 manuscripts, out of which 10 articles were rejected in the preliminary screening due to plagiarism or being out of the format and peer review process. During 2019 around 10 articles were subjected for publication after they are accepted in the peer review process. A total of 10 articles were published (at an average of 3 articles per issue) from authors all around the world. Globally articles have been accessed by the research scientists and also cited.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of (Dr. Lesia Ostapiuk) during the final editing of articles published and the support rendered by the editorial assistant, in bringing out issues of AAGRE in time. Our reputation and visibility in the academic community continues to broaden, and our editorial board constantly reassesses and revises the editorial process to ensure the most efficient and satisfying experience for both authors and staff. It is due to the support of our faculty advisors, the hard work of our editorial staff that we were able to bring out issues of AAGRE in time and look forward to their unrelenting support to bring out the Volume 4 of AAGRE in scheduled time.
We are open to cooperation from all researchers, that deal with the reproductive health of the women in order to improve it, which is very important nowadays.


The most widely accepted models for ocean-crust formation and composition fail to predict the thickening of the oceanic crust with age, yet such thickening has been described in the Pacific Ocean for years. To reconcile this apparent long-standing conflict, we have reexamined the evidence for the thickening of the Pacific crust by using a statistical treatment of a large number of seismic profiles and by doing a detailed reanalysis of several profiles fanning a transect across the southern Pacific Ocean. From the statistical studies, we find that crust younger than 30 Ma has a mean thickness of 5.67 km, whereas crust between 30 and 100 Ma has a mean thickness of 6.01 km. This 0.34-km difference, although statistically significant, is far less than that reported in several previous studies. Our results from the South Pacific transect suggest that changes in the crustal thickness are not systematic, and from both studies it appears that crustal thickening is not particularly important. The small thickening that we do observe is probably the result of isolated processes that are not active under the oceanic crust as a whole. As a result, arguments favoring a large component of serpentinite in the crust cannot be based upon evidence for crustal thickening beneath the Pacific Ocean.


This study examines the nature of Libyan managerial work and the effects of external environment factors on it. It is interested in understanding managers' work and behaviour, and in exploring and investigating the impact of national context on the role and work of managers.
The study adopts an interpretive approach and uses qualitative methods to collect data on the perceptions of Libyan managers with regard to their work and behaviour. It seeks to understand the effect of the external environment on the work of these managers, which was considered to consist of economic, legal, political and regulatory constraints as well as cultural and social obligations and responsibilities.
The oil and banking industries were chosen based on a number of factors: these two sectors are the backbone of the Libyan economy and represent the nation's main source of income and the means of its disbursement; they are both affected by foreign partners and competitors; they provided ease of access for the researcher.
In the pilot study, a questionnaire survey of 111 Libyan executives as well as five interviews with key individuals within the banking and oil sectors were carried out in Libya in order to elicit their views about the main issues affecting the nature of Libyan managerial work in general and the influences of external environment on their work in particular.
The existing literature and the findings from the first phase (the pilot study) informed the second stage of the empirical work of this thesis (the main study) examining the managerial work of Libyan executive managers in four different organisations in Libya: two banks and two oil companies. The research collected qualitative data from 25 Libyan managers based on semi-structured interviews designed to investigate their attitudes to their managerial work. These data were supported by observations made by the interviewer during the data collection and by analysis of documentary evidence. Initially, grounded analysis of the individual interview data collected from the main study established 24 constructs of managerial work in Libya, which the researcher divided into five categories. Grounded analysis was adopted due to the shared cultural and language background of the researcher and interviewees, and because it enabled the organisation of large quantities of data into emerging constructs. Then, case study analysis was undertaken on and within each of the four companies and the constructs.
The most important findings of the study include: the work of Libyan managers is strongly affected by the external environment; these effects result in a division in Libyan managerial work between functions that fulfil the formal requirements of their roles and others that fulfil their informal (tribal, familial and social) obligations; managers devise individual strategies to balance their divided responsibilities; in terms of managerial work and job roles there is a lack of
vii
structural clarity and designated responsibility within Libyan organisations that results in confused and inefficient allocation of workloads and resources.
The key contributions of the study lie in the findings outlined in the paragraph above; these findings are discussed in chapter 8 and result in a diagram of Libyan managerial work (see figure 8.2) that reflects the data captured in the study, and builds on previous models of managerial work derived from the literature, particularly that of Mintzberg (1973). This diagram reflects the findings that in Libya the external environment influences managers' work not only at a formal but at an informal level, and this has the effect of shaping managers' work activities in ways that may be at odds with the aims and intentions of their employers. As a further theoretical contribution, a diagram illustrating the impacts of the external environment upon the work of Libyan managers has been developed (see figure 8.3), which will enable Libyan managers to better understand the forces and constraints they operate under, and help other researchers to take account of the forces at work in their own national contexts and develop culturally sensitive management practices as a result.


The power take off for wave energy remains one of the key technical challenges that must be overcome before technical maturity. The low speed reciprocating nature of many devices combined with the challenging environment require the development of bespoke electrical machines in a direct drive system. This paper describes a research project that is developing a small direct drive wave energy device. The aim is to prove that electrical machines can reliably operate in the marine environment.
Heaving buoys are wave energy converters where power is extracted by applying a force to oppose the vertical motion of a floating or submerged prime mover. The force is applied by the power take off which requires provision of an inertial reference, for example a drag plate or the sea bed.
Linear direct drive power take off in heaving wave energy converters can suffer from end stop problems, where large uncontrolled oscillations and forces between the prime mover and the inertial reference damage the power take off. For example, over extending either a hydraulic or electric power take off in storm waves off can cause irreconcilable damage. One way of avoiding this is to remove the inertial reference in rough seas.
In an IPS buoy the inertial reference is provided by a piston coupled to water entrapped by an open ended cylinder. If the piston leaves the cylinder, it is no longer coupled to the water mass and its inertial reference drastically reduces. In this case the piston can simply 'follow' the prime mover oscillation. An IPS buoy therefore presents an excellent device to demonstrate direct drive power take off.
In the direct drive demonstrator proposed in this paper, the electrical power take off is integrated with the inertial piston and tube of an IPS buoy. The piston acts as the electrical translator and the cylinder houses the stator coils.
A number of design challenges are presented. For example, the piston/translator either needs to be neutrally buoyant, or must be held in position by an external force. Neutral buoyancy imposes constraints on the size and solidity of the translator, whereas the length and radius of the cylinder directly effects the amount of power that can be captured. It is an integrated design problem. A hydrostatic model to size the piston and a linear hydrodynamic model to size the cylinder are presented. The active area of the electric power take off is constrained by the parameters of the piston and cylinder, so design requires integrated hydrostatic, hydrodynamic and electromagnetic modelling. Oscillation results are compared to predictions from commercial software for validation and used to inform the electrical design.
The electrical generator will oscillate slowly compared to conventional generators implying the use of some form of magnetic gearing, challenging for mass constrained designs, or reliance on a large amount of rare earth magnetic materials, which has a significant cost implication. A number of electrical machine topologies are investigated in the paper (surface mounted PM machines, Halbach array, and flux concentrated).


This article conceives and describes a Land Use Stabilization Wedge: a strategy that aggregates five wedges and further organizes strategic energies. This builds on Robert Socolow's optimistic assertion that "an excuse for inaction based on the world's lack of technological readiness does not exist." I assert that the existing legal authority of state and local governments to regulate and guide land use and building is a powerful "technology already deployed somewhere in the world." The Land Use Stabilization Wedge aggregates several of Socolow's initiatives and employs multiple mitigation techniques available to citizens in every locality in the country.


To determine the ability of ultrasound (US) to help characterize brain lesions and determine the best site for biopsy, intraoperative sonographic examination of nine intracerebral gliomas was performed and correlated with the preoperative computed tomographic (CT), gross intraoperative, and histopathologic findings. Real-time US provided a precise and rapid method for intraoperative localization of intracerebral neoplasms in all cases. While the sonographic appearance of gliomas is nonspecific, US added information on tumor characterization to that provided by CT. All gliomas were sonographically echogenic compared with surrounding brain. US permitted good characterization of the cystic components of tumors; portions of the operation therefore involved surgical drainage rather than resection. Autopsy specimens from five anaplastic cerebral gliomas were examined with US and found to be echogenic. The central portions of all five tumors were echogenic and corresponded to areas of tumor necrosis; thus they were poor sites for biopsy. Alternatively, the best site for biopsy was the inner portion of the echogenic margin of the mass, which usually represented areas of active tumor growth. The information obtained from both preoperative CT and intraoperative US is beneficial in characterizing lesions and predicting the best site for biopsy.


RNA editing in plant organelles post-transcriptionally alters single nucleotides by C-to-U or U-to-C conversions at highly specific sites. Plant editing is generally viewed as a repair mechanism acting at the transcript level by restoring conserved amino acid residues. Here we report that an editing reaction within the ndhB transcript (encoding a plastid NAD(P)H dehydrogenase subunit) is strictly dependent on active photosynthesis. Employing non-photosynthetic mutants, we show that in the absence of photosynthesis, the site remains unedited, whereas it is fully edited when the photosynthetic apparatus is intact. Moreover, the site also remains unedited during the etiolated stage of seedling development, suggesting that two different NdhB proteins are synthesized under photosynthetic versus non-photosynthetic conditions. This is the first case where RNA editing in plants appears to regulate gene expression qualitatively, resulting in the production of two different proteins from one and the same gene in a developmental stage-dependent manner.


Rice crop is adversely affected by cold stress which is a common problem in the highland areas of central East Africa (Uganda, Rwanda, north east Tanzania and Kenya) and Madagascar. Cold stress is known to cause 26% to 80% yield loss. Currently, rice production in Uganda is mostly growing to the low altitude areas as there is lack of cold-tolerant varieties that can grow in the higher altitudes of the country. None of the released varieties in Uganda are tolerant cold. The few cold-tolerant lines that have been identified are short-grain types, though Ugandan consumers generally prefer long-grain size. This research aimed at identifying new sources of cold tolerant rice genotypes with preferred traits. A total of 50 lines arranged in a 5x10 alpha lattice design with two replications were used for both stressed and non-stressed experiments. Twenty one (21) days old seedlings were stressed at 10oC in cold air for 10 days and the other remained under normal ambient temperature. IRRI Standard Evaluation System (SES, 2013) was used to score the effect of cold stress on leaf morphology (leaf wilting score) and on leaf color (leaf yellowing score) after 7 day recovery. This study revealed eight highly cold tolerant (SCRID091-20-2-2-4, GIZA 177, NERICA 1, MET P27, MET P23, MET P60, MET P20 and MET P5) in which only GIZA 177 was short grain and fifteen tolerant varieties (MET P32, MET P11, MET P2, MET P17, MET P3, MET P24, MET P16, MET P37, MET P18, MET P9, MET P40, MET P31, MET P39, MET P22, MET P36) were identified.


The stationary Oseen equations are studied in R3 in its general form, that is, with a non-constant divergenceless function on the convective term. We prove existence, uniqueness and regularity results in weighted Sobolev spaces. From this new approach, we also state existence, uniqueness and regularity results for the generalized Oseen model which describes the rotating flows. The proofs are based on Laplace, Stokes and Oseen theories.


A transfer matrix methodology to determine the acoustic properties of multi-layered absorbers in different environments is proposed in this paper. The methodology allows inclusion of grazing flow and the boundary layer effects on the surface properties, avoiding the need of several complementary methods to obtain the surface properties of a sound reducing material in a specific environment. The predicted surface properties are given as a function of angle of sound incidence, allowing for arbitrary sound fields to be simulated. This is a useful tool in for example automotive applications such as engine bays where multi-layered bulk reacting sound absorbing materials are exposed to flow and complex sound fields. Correct prediction of the acoustic performance of absorbing material where flow is present enables optimization of the noise reducing components for which conflicting requirements such as weight and space constraints are present as well.


The purpose of writing this article is to know the law, muzara'ah cooperation model, applications such contract in the modern economy and how the opportunities and challenges in its implementation. Muzaraah in the agricultural sector is essential applied in Islamic banking as a superior product Indonesia Islamic bank as a real form of Islamic economic jurisprudence that benefit the community because the agricultural sector is a sector that can absorb large and very influential in food commodity and world economies. To realize the need for synergy between academia (universities), the association of Islamic banking, the association / community of farmers, agricultural ministries, NGOs, cooperatives sharia and sharia insurance deign to consider the creation of new products in Islamic banks that are specific to the agricultural sector given the low financing agriculture and the majority of farmers in the village with a little knowledge.


The impetus and reason for this study has been a desire to discover and capture the 'spark' that causes Māori children specifically, to have a love of reading, to be enthusiastic about reading and, in turn to be confident and competent beginning readers. Research in Maori education often focuses on problems of student underachievement. This study by contrast has aimed to highlight aspects of positive practice by recording the learning behaviours of a group of Maori children across two low decile primary schools, who are not only engaged in the beginning approach to reading but who are clearly motivated by and enjoying the process. This study explores the reasons why Māori children are engaged and motivated beginning readers and aims to see if it is possible to capture any of these attributes in order to support other Māori learners in becoming successful readers. The value of this research is in its potential to contribute to frameworks or initiatives that support Māori children achieving well, in this case, in the area of literacy. This study is a qualitative research under the tradition of a case study inquiry and is embedded within a Kaupapa Māori paradigm. A total of 17 participants (two literacy advisers, two teachers, six children and seven parents) were interviewed using flexibly structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analysed through themes that came from the data itself. Common themes from each participant group allowed for analysis in relation to the key research questions: What is the spark that causes Māori children to have a 'love of reading? What does this spark look like? What sparks Māori children into enjoying reading? And what are the factors and influences that contribute to reading engagement and motivation for Māori children? Classroom observations and video filming were also methods of data gathering in order to gain full and deep contexts of descriptive data of the children and teachers in their natural everyday classroom environment. The six children observed in this study were strongly engaged in classroom reading contexts and motivated to read. Both teachers and parents had a firm but relaxed approach to the reading experience. Strong and supportive home-school relationships with open communication were evident. Māori tikanga (practice) was incorporated naturally into planning. Teacher planning and practice was in line with best evidence for effective literacy practice. The practice of the two Pakeha teachers was in many ways consonant with Maori pedagogical approaches and this gave support to the children as Māori learners. The observations and interviews showed beginning readers who were comfortable and relaxed in their learning. They were making clear progress in reading, and approaching national norms in achievement. The 'spark' that leads children to be highly motivated readers, concentrating on reading tasks and clearly loving the process of learning to read is an intangible quality, hard to jmeasure in practice. But high levels of concentration, enjoyment of reading, and a desire to learn can be observed and recorded. All these things were seen in this study. It is possible to nurture and grow the enthusiasm, engagement and motivation that these children have if teachers demonstrate open hearts and minds in wanting to know their learners. The 'spark' or motivation in this study was also nurtured through the interconnected relationships the children had with their teachers and families and the effective teaching and learning practices displayed by the teachers. Using te reo (language) and tikanga Māori as a 'normal' part of daily practice contributed to the holistic wellbeing of the Māori children in this study, alongside strong home-school relationships. The combination of good teaching practice, good relationships and a firm but relaxed approach provides a model in action for success in supporting Maori children's beginning reading.


Let $I$ be any index set. By using some existence theorems of maximal elements for a family of set-valued mappings involving a better admissible set-valued mapping under noncompact setting of $FC$-spaces, we first present some nonempty intersection theorems for a family $\{G_{i}\}_{i\in I}$ in a product space of $FC$-spaces. Next we give a coincidence theorem and a Fan-Browder type fixed point theorem. Finally, as applications, some equilibrium existence theorems for a system of generalized vector equilibrium problems are proved in product $FC$-space, some existence theorems of solutions for a system of Ky Fan type minimax inequalities involving a family of $G_{\cal B}$-majorized mappings defined on the product space of $FC$-space are also obtained. Our results improve and generalize some recent results.


The explosion of Internet-based commerce significantly changes the way business is done and creates a huge demand for efficient market mechanism design. The purpose of this study is to design online trading systems focusing on economic characteristics. This study explores the development of an Internet-based auction institution with a novel matching and execution mechanism. Our research points to a more powerful intermediary model enabled by rapidly developed computing systems, and aims to formulate a basic theoretic framework for the design of future electronic markets. The new market mechanism is analyzed from various perspectives: Pareto-optimality, allocation of trade surplus in various market setting, market liquidity and the asymptotic incentive compatibility of the proposed market mechanism are studied.
The second part of my dissertation is to apply the model to different electronic commerce settings. A new financial intermediation model is developed to implement an electronic centralized exchange market to trade heterogeneous options written on non-traded assets. This work contributes to the financial intermediation theory by specifying how the intermediary would take advantage of the new technology to achieve lower cost. This study also investigates the application of the proposed new market model to the deregulated electricity market redesign and reengineering, which can solve the inefficient dispatch and congestion caused by the exposure risk when electricity and transmission are traded in separate markets.


Abstract The color of variscite from three different localities (Pannecé, France; Sarrabus, Sardinia; Ervedosa, Portugal) and metavariscite from Utah was investigated by diffuse reflectance and EPR spectroscopy. These samples contain low levels of transition elements such as V, Cr, and Fe, the relative concentration of which varies with origin, although they remain in the wt% range. The presence of peculiar antiresonance features indicates that octahedral Cr3+ ions are responsible for the absorption bands that cause the green coloration of variscite and metavariscite. Trivalent iron ions, which give only a weak absorption band in some samples, and V3+ ions do not contribute to the green coloration of the samples from these locations. The crystal-field splitting and B Racah parameter of Cr3+ in variscite and metavariscite are 1590 and 657 cm-1 and 1610 and 575 cm-1, respectively. These values indicate a weak crystal field and an important Cr-O covalence. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra show the presence of minor amounts (300.500 ppm) of vanadyl groups substituted for Al. The absence of V3+ indicates that variscite and metavariscite formed in an oxidizing environment.


The fungus Mucor hiemalis F-1156, which is believed to be monomorphic, was found to be able to grow dimorphically in a liquid medium that is free of chemical agents influencing morphogenesis. The growing mycelium produced arthrospores in large amounts. The lipids of the mycelium, yeastlike budding cells, and arthrospores differed in the contents of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and in the proportion of polar and neutral lipids. The arthrospores contained more monoenoic fatty acids in the total lipids, more triacylglycerides and sterol esters in the neutral lipids, and more phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in the polar lipids than the yeastlike cells. These differences in the lipid composition of different types of fungal cells should be taken into account in the studies of the lipogenesis of M. hiemalis.


Social Medias these days have become the instant communication platform to share anything; from personal feelings to the matter of public concern, these are the easiest and aphoristic way to deliver information among the mass. With the development of Web 2.0 technologies, more and more emphasis has been given to user input in the web; the concept of Geoweb is being visualized and in the recent years, social media like Twitter, Flicker are among the popular Location Based Social Medias with locational functionality enabled in them. Nepal faced devastating earthquake on 25 April, 2015 resulting in the loss of thousands of lives, destruction in the historical-archaeological sites and properties. Instant help was offered by many countries around the globe and even lots of NGOs, INGOs and people started the rescue operations immediately; concerned authorities and people used different communication medium like Frequency Modulation Stations, Television, and Social Medias over the World Wide Web to gather information associated with the Quake and to ease the rescue activities. They also initiated campaign in the Social Media to raise the funds and support the victims. Even the social medias like Facebook, Twitter, themselves announced the helping campaign to rebuild Nepal. In such scenario, this paper features the analysis of Twitter data containing hashtag related to Nepal Earthquake 2015 together with their temporal characteristics, when were the message generated, where were these from and how these spread spatially over the internet?


This report describes the close relationship that obtains between the ICL, PRISM and SLP frameworks. The common feature of these frameworks is that a purely probabilistic component and a purely logical component are connected to produce a hybrid model. A hidden Markov model (HMM) is used as a running example. The Uniqueness Condition, which allows these frameworks to represent statistical models is discussed, and the consequences of using a weakened version of the Uniqueness Condition briefly explored. 'Lazy' sampling, based on SLD-resolution, is discussed.


This essay explores the representations of crime and madness in the work of three German dancers during the interwar years. Before World War I, public displays of nudity were illegal, but after 1918 a window of opportunity appeared. This article analyses the work and reception of Celly de Rheydt, Anita Berber and Valeska Gert – contemporaries whose works differed greatly from one another but who all displayed contempt for onstage sexual norms. All three used the female body as a site where notions of art, pornography, legality and illegality were contested, both on stage and in the courtroom. The Nackttanz (nude dance), as performed by Celly de Rheydt, who along with her producer– husband was convicted of lewdness, possessed a self-awareness of the potential for artistic catharsis which she then played upon sexually. She performed in a small space where the performers and audience were in close physical proximity, and in which drugs and alcohol were consumed, thereby setting the space apart from the traditional stage. Yet some women performers took offence at such dehumanization and abstraction. Valeska Gert danced in the guise of prostitutes, corpses, and ruined young girls as an alternative to the quasi-pornography of the Ballet Celly de Rheydt. She did not titillate, but rather forced her audience to examine ugly bodies and characters that had been debauched. Drugs also found their way into performances: Anita Berber's Kokain paid homage to the drug that would later contribute to her early death. This paper looks at these dancers and the performances that tested the boundaries of representative mores in the interwar period. It shows how popular dancers, by presenting scenes of delinquency and insanity as the centre of their art, utilized it to refl ect on and criticize their society.


Biological treatment of table olive processing wastewater (TOPW) may be problematic due to its high organic and polyphenolic compound content. Biomass acclimatization is a necessary, yet sensitive, stage for efficient TOPW biological treatment. Next-generation sequencing technologies can provide valuable insights into this critical process step. An aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) system, initially inoculated with municipal activated sludge, was acclimatized to treat TOPW. Operational stability and bioremediation efficiency were monitored for approx. three months, whereas microbial community dynamics and metabolic adaptation were assessed through metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis. A swift change was identified in both the prokaryotic and eukaryotic bio-community after introduction of TOPW in the MBR, and a new diverse bio-community was established. Thauera and Paracoccus spp. are dominant contributors to the metabolic activity of the stable bio-community, which resulted in over 90% and 85% removal efficiency of total organic carbon and total polyphenols, respectively. This is the first study assessing the microbial community dynamics in a well-defined MBR process treating TOPW, offering guidance in the start-up of large-scale applications.


The orphan receptor GPR126 is activated by binding to type IV collagen. This Podcast features an interview with William Talbot, senior author of a Research Article that appears in the 12 August 2014 issue of Science Signaling, about the identification of a ligand for the orphan receptor GPR126. G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are integral membrane proteins that, upon binding to extracellular ligands, activate intracellular G protein signaling pathways. GPCRs transduce signaling in diverse developmental, physiological, and behavioral processes, and aberrant GPCR signaling is implicated in many diseases. The ligands for many GPCRs have been identified, but the natural ligands that activate some GPCRs in vivo have not been identified. GPR126 is one of these orphan receptors, and it is involved in myelination of peripheral nerves and in development of the heart and inner ear. Paavola et al. identified type IV collagen as a ligand for GPR126 and identified the domains of GPR126 required for binding to this ligand.


BACKGROUND
We have previously reported on a malformation-prone Sprague-Dawley rat substrain (U), which presents a high frequency of micrognathia in the offspring of diabetic mothers. This malformation is related to impaired development of the cranial neural crest cells (NCC); the defect may be prevented by antioxidative treatment of the mother.

METHODS
We have therefore investigated whether fetuses of diabetic rats display other malformations associated with altered cranial NCC development and whether maternal vitamin E supplementation may affect such malformations.

RESULTS
Fetuses of diabetic rats showed low-set external ears, severely malformed Meckel's cartilage, small thyroid and thymus, and absence of parathyroid glands. Cardiac anomalies were frequently observed, including rightward displacement of the aorta, double outlet right ventricle (DORV), persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA) combined with ventricular septal defects due to a malaligned outlet septum. The malformations in the outflow tract included abnormalities of the great arteries; right-sided aortic arch/descending aorta, and double aortic arches. These defects tended to occur together within individual fetuses. Maternal dietary treatment with 2% vitamin E markedly reduced the severity of the malformations.

CONCLUSIONS
The phenotypic appearance of these defects is strikingly similar to the DiGeorge anomaly in humans, which has been found in children of diabetic mothers together with an overrepresentation of PTA and DORV. The malformations associated with defective NCC development in the offspring of diabetic U rats show several morphological similarities to those in humans; hence the teratogenic mechanisms may be similar and accessible for study.


Seasonal range prediction over North America has been based on intraseasonal and interannual variability related to the Pacific North America (PNA) pattern and El Nino and Southern Oscillation (ENSO), respectively. These phenomena have an impact on the occurrence of atmospheric blocking and the long-term conditions for North America. Similar relationships may be found for seasonal range prediction over South America. Previous studies have examined ENSO-related variability of the South Pacific Jetstream as well as atmospheric blocking. Using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalyses, the character of the monthly circulations were studied over the South Pacific/South America sector from 2000–2016. Initial results show that there is a negative correlation in the upper air circulation over the East Pacific and South America during winter for ENSO. Also, the interannual variability in the jet-stream pattern for the region as related to ENSO shows a 180° phase difference. Finally, there is evidence that the circulation pattern for the 2000–2016 may be different from that of the latter part of the 20th century as indicated by a recent reversal of the interdecadal variability of atmospheric blocking over the South Pacific Region.


It is widely acknowledged that town centres in the United Kingdom currently face numerous challenges and are evolving at a time of prolonged economic uncertainty. Many are struggling for long-term survival, facing threats from changing patterns of consumer behaviour and increased reliance on internet retailing. In consequence, local policymakers are searching for solutions to these problems and various strategies aimed at reviving the fortunes of declining centres have been developed and implemented. Cultural events such as fairs, festivals or markets are being used to increase town centre footfall in the hope that this will translate into improved economic activity for their, sometimes struggling, businesses. The staging of cultural or sporting events is a policy that has been used previously at city or regional level and much evidence exists of the impacts of these larger-scale or megaevents. Far less is known about impacts of smaller-scale cultural events hosted specifically in smaller settlements such as market towns. There is a pressing need, therefore, for such evidence so that informed decisions can be made. This thesis employs case study methodology to examine the impacts of three small-scale cultural events staged in three different market towns in the Test Valley Borough Council area of the south of England. It reveals that although expenditure-related economic impacts are minimal, other contributory factors are evident and influence such activity. It concludes by proposing a framework for evaluating economic impacts more holistically. This research makes a timely and important contribution to the ongoing British town centre and high street debate by providing evidence to illustrate the ways in which small-scale cultural events function within a market town setting. It also contributes to methodological knowledge by proposing that evaluating expenditure-related impacts in isolation is a narrowly-focused perspective, as it fails to account for other impacts and associated factors, such as the motivations behind visitor expenditure or the effect of both an event's and a town's reputation.


Firstly the pavement compound system model of steel beam and steel-concrete combined section are established based on structure characteristics of long-span hybrid girder bridge, and the worst loading locations and their characteristics of two beams are obtained. Then, mechanical responses of pavement under the worst loading locations are analyzed to compare mechanical control indices and stress distribution of two beam model. parameters and suggestions are provided for formulation of standards of long-span hybrid girder bridge pavement, at the same time theoretical basis is and selecting pavement materials and pavement structural optimization design.


In this thesis, a theoretical and numerical study of the use of rare-earthdoped photonic crystal fibres as optical amplifiers and lasers, has been performed. Photonic crystal fibres or microstructured optical fibres is a new kind of optical fibre in which the cladding region typically consist of a periodic microstructure, resulting in a fibre with very different properties compared to conventional optical fibres. The properties of photonic crystals fibres are described, with focus on the advantages this technology provides compared to conventional fibres, within the area of optical amplification. The thesis also presents the basic properties of optical amplification, and describes the numerical model developed to model the behaviour of lasers and amplifiers based on photonic crystal fibres. The developed numerical tools are then used to investigate specific applications of photonic crystal fibres. Their novel properties allow for design of optical fibre amplifiers and fibre lasers with superior performance, compared to solutions based on conventional fibres. The primary applications considered are high efficiency fibre amplifiers based on index guiding photonic crystal fibres, and cladding pumped airguiding fibre lasers, based on photonic bandgap guiding fibres.


Recombination activating gene 1/2 endonuclease (RAG) initiates V(D)J recombination in developing B and T lymphocytes via "on-target" activity at bona fide recombination signal sequences (RSSs) to generate diverse antibodies. "Off-target" RAG activity is thought to be rare, but can cause oncogenic interstitial deletions or chromosomal translocations that contribute to immature B and T lymphocyte cancers. Given that potential RAG off-target sites occur frequently in the genome, it has been a mystery how this potentially dangerous activity is suppressed. We generated mice with a pair of bona fide V(D)J RSSs ("V(D)J cassette") in the first intron of c-myc on mouse chromosome 15. When introduced into an ATM-deficient background, the c-myc V(D)J cassette-containing mice recurrently develop B cell lymphomas with oncogenic c-myc translocations/amplifications involving the Igh locus on chromosome 12. These amplifications are generated by breakage-fusion-bridge ("BFB") cycles from dicentric (15;12) chromosomes formed through fusion of RAG-generated Igh double-stranded breaks (DSBs) to sequences downstream of c-myc. Notably, the translocations downstream of c-myc occurred exclusively on V(D)J cassette-containing alleles, but did not involve the cassette. Based on this finding, we proposed that the V(D)J cassette mediates DSBs downstream of c-myc by activating RAG cutting at linked cryptic RSSs. We developed a linear amplification-mediated ("LAM") version of our high-throughput genome-wide translocation sequencing approach ("LAM-HTGTS") to robustly identify "prey" endogenous DNA DSBs that join to introduced or endogenous "bait" DSBs. We used LAM-HTGTS to reveal genome-wide DSBs that joined to RAG-generated bait DSBs. We found that translocations between RAG-induced DSBs in the c-myc V(D)J cassette to Igh occur only in the absence of ATM. Strikingly, however, we discovered a large number of deletions from the c-myc cassette to sequences just upstream of c-myc (1 kb) and up to 1.7 Mb downstream of c-myc in WT and ATM-deficient cells. Moreover, insertion of a pair of bona fide RSSs into 12 random sites genome-wide induced large numbers of RAG-initiated DSBs leading to cassette involved deletions and inversions spreading upstream and downstream of a given cassette from 200 kb to over 2 Mb, respectively. In each case, regions of RAG off-target activity fell into a well-defined topologically associated domain (TAD) into which the cassette integrated. Such domains generally were flanked by convergent CTCF binding sites (CBEs), such as those our lab implicated in Igh locus V(D)J recombination control, but sometimes also involved sub-domains of a CTCF-defined TAD. We showed these TAD-associated DSBs to enrich at "cryptic RSSs" determined by conserved "CAC" motifs. We also captured these DSBs via LAM-HTGTS from Cas9/gRNA DSBs within a TAD and proved them to be RAG-generated. We found dramatic changes of on-target profiles and expansion of off-target RAG-generated Igh locus DSBs when CBEs acting as boundary of DH-JH recombination domain were deleted. Based on these overall findings, we propose that antigen receptor loci exploit fixed CBE-based TADs to restrict RAG activity within them, but also evolved "regulated" sub-domains to further focus and re-focus RAG activity developmentally. We also used LAM-HTGTS to identify 89 RAG off-targets that participate in chromosomal translocations and show RAG off-targets occur in pairs in highly accessible regions such as enhancers and promoters within a TAD. Beyond providing a mechanisms for the generation of recurrent B cell lymphomas in ATM-deficient mice with a V(D)J cassette in c-myc, our findings help explain the origin of certain recurrent interstitial deletions and translocations in tumors that arise from human developing lymphocytes. Citation Format: Jiazhi Hu, Yu Zhang, Lijuan Zhao, Richard Frock, Zhou Du, Robin M. Meyers, Feilong Meng, David G. Schatz, Frederick W. Alt. Topologically associated domains genome-wide restrict the off-target activity of recombination activating gene 1/2 endonuclease. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A180.


This paper deals with the succession to the prophet Muḥammad. After a sketch of the historical developments connected with the succession of Muḥammad, it discusses an episode that is said to have taken place late in Muḥammad's career at the pond of Khumm (the so-called Ghadīr Khumm episode). From what Muḥammad said there, Shiites deduce that, indeed, his cousin ʿAlī should have become his successor, while Sunnis, although generally accepting the episode (ḥadīth) as genuine, explain that Muḥammad wanted to stop any critique of ʿAlī, but did not intend to invest him as his successor. This leads to the third part, a discussion of events that took place in the early tenth century CE, when the Shiite Fatimids conquered what today is Tunisia and installed a Shiite caliphate in a Sunni environment. This paper will show how the ḥadīth of Ghadīr Khumm was used in this situation to argue for or against the Shiite claims.


Staying with the themes of people-to-people contact and educational exchange, the last chapter in this collection argues that there is an important, two-fold, learning-dimension in EU-Asia relations: partners in East and West learn both from, and with one another. Against this background, this chapter offers an exploration of the roles of learning and exchange, and of cultural and academic interaction, within wider EU-Asia cooperation. The author examines, in particular, the relevant EU strategies in regard to Higher Education, and their potential for the formulation and implementation of EU foreign policies towards Asia. This section also critically assesses the educational content, and practical relevance, of many of the Union's Asia Strategies, in term of academic EU-Asia collaboration and research. It further examines issues such as cultural presence, entrenched stereotypes and dissemination of values in the EU-Asia relationship. The chapter includes a number of shorter case studies, which focus on the dynamic, inter-disciplinary and expanding, subject-area of European Studies in Asia.


Power production from solar photovoltaic systems is constantly increasing. In the last few years concentration photovoltaic (CPV) system using III–V multijunction cells appeared on the market, promising doubled efficiencies compared to traditional silicon PV solar panels. For CPV systems to be competitive on the market, they must be reliable to assure long-term operation. This paper presents the design and construction of a test bench for thermal cycling characterization of dense array receivers employing III–V multijunction cells mounted on a microchannel heat sink. Instead of a climatic chamber, the proposed test bench employs forward bias injection (FBI) to heat the cells, in order to better mimic on-field operating conditions. The experimental results of the accelerated ageing test are coherent with preliminary on-field trials, with a good agreement on the fault mechanism.


Abstract The exploding popularity of mobile devices has led to a market where new devices are being released, new programs are being developed, and new features are gaining and losing popularity very rapidly. This chapter of Libraries and Mobile Services helps to make sense of the current market in mobile devices while explaining some of the basic principles of how these devices work and are differentiated. ********** Many of us in the library world have been monitoring developments in mobile technology for some time. We've recognized that these devices offered new and compelling means for access to information and have long sought to take advantage of them with, let's be honest, limited success. You could be forgiven for feeling that mobile technology for libraries is old news. You might be concerned that despite the dramatic shifts in device ownership and usage outlined in the previous chapter, our responses are limited to tools like SMS messaging. Thankfully, the shifts in adoption and usage have been mirrored by dramatic evolution in mobile devices themselves. I agreed to write this issue of Library Technology Reports in September 2009. I'm completing it in late 2010 for publication in early 2011. The eighteen months that have passed between when I undertook this project and its publication are a lifetime in the mobile world (in the case of a few mobile companies, quite literally a lifetime). In September 2009, Android released the software development kit (SDK) for its 1.6 update. Since then there have been no fewer than five more new SDKs released, and many Android phones are now running OS 2.2. The Palm Pre, running the proprietary webOS operating system, had been on the market just a few months, and the GSM variant of the phone, which allowed it to run on AT&T's network, had just been released. Palm has since released two new versions of its phone, the Pre Plus and the Pixi. In 2010 the company was bought by Hewlett Packard, and in October, HP announced the Pre 2 and webOS 2.0. In the summer of 2009 Apple released the iPhone 3GS and celebrated the first birthday of the iPhone App Store, announcing that over 65,000 applications were available in the store and over 1.5 billion had been downloaded. (1) Two months later those numbers were 85,000 and two billion, respectively. (2) The most recent information available shows that by September 2010, the App Store had over 250,000 applications which had been downloaded over 6.5 billion times. (3) If it seems that a lot has changed since I undertook this project, think of how different the mobile device landscape is from when Ellyssa Kroski wrote her LTR. (4) The devices available gratis with new mobile contracts have a hardware and software feature set the like of which was unthinkable in 2007. We used to talk about "smartphones" and "feature phones." Smartphones were those few devices that had PDA, e-mail, and rudimentary Web connectivity. Feature phones (sometimes referred to as "dumb phones") were those that were single-function devices, good primarily for making calls and texting. At best, feature phones sometimes had a very rudimentary WAP web browser, many of which were restricted to accessing a portal created by the wireless carrier, devoted to add-on services like paid ringtone downloads. The era of the feature phone is at an end, and the dramatic difference between the devices Kroski addressed in her LTR and today's mobile devices can hardly be overstated. Today virtually every phone offered by the major U.S. wireless providers has a wide range of hardware and software capabilities, including unrestricted access to the open Web. [FIGURE 9 OMITTED] The opportunities for libraries have likewise expanded. Improved screen technology allows better reading experiences. Third-party application markets are hotbeds of new information access models. High-resolution cameras turn any mobile device into a barcode scanner. …