Production of energy from biomassis an attractive alternative to conventional fossil fuels. Use of solid organic wastes to produce biofuel is seen as a promising route from the sustainability point of view. Pyrolysis is one of the possible thermochemical methods to convert solid biomasses to valuable liquid and gas products.
In this study, the slow pyrolysis process of poultry litter was investigated using different experimental and analytical techniques. A fixed bed reactor was used for the simulation of the slow pyrolysis process up to a constant temperature (400-800°C) under nitrogen flow. Yields of the different product fractions were determined. Several analytic methods were used to characterise the products. On-line FTIR techniques were used to detect the most significant compounds in the evolved gas. GC-MS results allowed the identification of the most important categories of compounds in the liquid condensate. HCNS composition of the products was revealed by elemental analysis and the fate of nitrogen and sulphur, present in relevant amounts in the original substrate, was studied. The energy transfer from the original biomass substrate to the different product fractions was also investigated.
However, the bio-oil obtained from pyrolysis can be used as biofuel only after an upgrading step. A suitable method for upgrading bio-oil is catalytic cracking of the pyrolysis products, which converts high molecular weight compounds of the bio-oil into lower-weight molecules. Therefore, in the following step of the present study in-situ catalytic pyrolysis of poultry litter was studied by zeolites (zsm-5) catalyst. In order to study the effect of influential factors (temperature and catalyst to biomass ratio) on the obtained products, experimental design techniques were used.
Overall, the results achieved shed some light on the potential use of the slow pyrolysis process for sanitation and waste-to-energy valorization of poultry litter.


Objective.

To develop an approach to comprehensive analysis and presentation of data on antibiotic resistance of zoonotic bacteria to minimize antibiotic resistance in the medical and veterinary fields using the AMRcloud platform.
Materials and Methods.

Isolates of E. coli, Salmonella spp., Enterococcus spp. and Campylobacter spp. were taken from farm animals, food and feed. AST was performed by broth microdilution method. Genes of resistance were detected by whole-genome sequencing or PCR. Data analysis and visualization was made using AMRcloud online platform.
Results.

During veterinary monitoring from 2017 to 2019 resistance to ~50 antimicrobial agents was determined of totally 854 isolates of 11 bacterial species taken from more than 20 types of samples from 6 animal species in 22 regions of Russia. Genes of resistance were determined for 126 isolates. Data is presented in open access VGNKI project on AMRcloud online platform: https://amrcloud.net/en/project/vgnki/.
Conclusions.

The use of AMRcloud allowed us to complete all tasks of the project in short time. The platform takes methodology of data analysis to a fundamentally new level comparing to traditional tools and increases the efficiency of monitoring for controlling spread of AMR.


Abstract: In real world applications most of the success rates depend on the right decision making at right time. There are certain pre-triage decision support improvement strategies to provide an optimized workflow structure. System integrated decision making becomes increasingly important while dealing with complex problems. Decision making is the ability to know the context without applying analytical reasoning. Web-centered decision support functions provide a strong platform to achieve a better decision support system. Third order analytics demand the collaboration of Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics Tools. Tools such as Decision Matrix provide an opportunity to analyze Subjective quantization versus Objective quantization. Pugh Matrix is one of the qualitative techniques which provide the advantage of multi-dimensional choices for an option set. It facilitates Sensitivity Analysis also. Efficient Decision making mechanisms always focused on implementing cognitive intelligence to analyze deeply and to attain Optimized Decision Support System.


The traditional way to address the problem of sentiment classification is based in Machine Learning techniques; however, these models are not able to grasp all the richness of the text that comes from different social media, personal web pages, blogs, etc., ignoring the semantic of the text. Knowledge Graphs give a way to extract structured knowledge from images and texts, in order to facilitate their semantic analysis. In this work, we propose a new hybrid approach for Sentiment Analysis based on Knowledge Graphs and Deep Learning techniques, to identify the sentiment polarity (positive or negative) in short documents, particularly in tweets. We represent the tweets using graphs, then graph similarity metrics and a Deep Learning classification algorithm are applied to produce sentiment predictions. This approach facilitates the traceability and explainability of the classification results, since it is possible to visually inspect the graphs. We compare our proposal with character n-gram embeddings based Deep Learning models to perform Sentiment Analysis. Results show that our proposal is able to outperforms classical n-gram models, with a recall up to 89% and F1-score of 88%.


A problem commonly encountered in stock assessments of tropical marine resources
in developing countries is data paucity, which invariably results from the lack of both
human and economic capacity within the government to implement and maintain
programmes for data collection and analysis. With special reference to the demersal
fishery of Brunei Darussalam, this thesis examines approaches for extracting useful
information from data-poor fisheries to assess the state of resources and inform
fishery management actions. By using official fishery statistics, augmented by local
ecological knowledge (LEK) obtained from fishers engaged in either the large-scale
(LS) or small-scale (SS) fisheries in Brunei, changes in demersal fishery resources
over the years were assessed. The sustainability of Brunei's demersal capture fishery
was evaluated in the face of its ongoing development and climate change.
Using trophodynamic indicators such as mean trophic level (MTL), Fishing-in-
Balance (FiB), trophic spectra (TS) and community structure analyses, LS fishery
catches of Brunei between 2000 and 2009 revealed a deteriorating state of the coastal
demersal ecosystem. Closer examination of the abundance of overall demersal finfish
stocks, using the Catch-Per-Unit-Effort (CPUE) index – standardised for other
factors not related to abundance – indicated a declining trend, even when total
catches remained stationary, although trends in abundance of the different demersal
fish families varied. This rapid significant change in recent years is further supported
by fishers' LEK on relative abundance of Brunei marine resources. The study on
LEK has also revealed the 'shifting baseline syndrome' (SBS) among currently
active fishers and their exploited populations, a phenomenon not previously reported
for Brunei fisheries.
Findings from the study are synthesised with other information, where a number of
key issues and policy options are discussed, and recommendations for the
management of the fishery are made. This thesis demonstrates that researchers in
data-poor fisheries can utilise different assessment tools, given the resources at their
disposal, to assist in the management of marine resources.


A good metric, which promises a reliable comparison between solutions, is essential for any well-defined task. Unlike most vision tasks that have per-sample ground-truth, image synthesis tasks target generating unseen data and hence are usually evaluated through a distributional distance between one set of real samples and another set of generated samples. This study presents an empirical investigation into the evaluation of synthesis performance, with generative adversarial networks (GANs) as a representative of generative models. In particular, we make in-depth analyses of various factors, including how to represent a data point in the representation space, how to calculate a fair distance using selected samples, and how many instances to use from each set. Extensive experiments conducted on multiple datasets and settings reveal several important findings. Firstly, a group of models that include both CNN-based and ViT-based architectures serve as reliable and robust feature extractors for measurement evaluation. Secondly, Centered Kernel Alignment (CKA) provides a better comparison across various extractors and hierarchical layers in one model. Finally, CKA is more sample-efficient and enjoys better agreement with human judgment in characterizing the similarity between two internal data correlations. These findings contribute to the development of a new measurement system, which enables a consistent and reliable re-evaluation of current state-of-the-art generative models.


ABSTRACT Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) show minimal evidence of treatment efficacy in curbing post-intervention recidivism. These interventions demonstrate even less significant treatment potential for Immigrant Male Batterers (IMB) who contend with intersecting pre- and post-migration barriers to intervention uptake in BIPs in their host countries. Accordingly, best practices on treatment components of BIPs with promising results among IMB remain inconclusive. A search for quantitative and qualitative outcomes/intervention studies conducted in ten electronic databases revealed only eight studies that met inclusion criteria. Findings showed interventions targeting IMB compared the effects of new or modified curricula to standard curricula with immigrant vs. non-immigrant group comparison. Participants were typically newly migrated Hispanic men in the United States. Low to moderate partner violence was commonly reported. Culturally-specific programs utilized hybridized BIP curricula, bilingual facilitators, leveraged positive aspects of culture, and included batterers in the subsequent design of interventions. Allowing for group negotiations of cultural expressions of masculinity produced promising short-term results in changing IPV-tolerant attitudes. However, long-term impact remains inconclusive. Findings have implications for culture-congruent IMB intervention programs designed to address immigrant IPV outcomes and improve treatment uptake. Suggestions for future IMB intervention design are discussed.


We consider the problem of tracking multiple maneuvering targets in clutter using switching multiple target motion models. A novel suboptimal filtering algorithm is developed by applying the basic interacting multiple model (IMM) approach, the joint probabilistic data association (JPDA) technique and coupled target state estimation to a Markovian switching system. The algorithm is illustrated via a simulation example involving tracking of two highly maneuvering, at times closely spaced, targets.


This study was designed to investigate a 10-week training effects of Tai-Chi-Soft-Ball (TCSB), a novel Chinese exercise which combined the elements of Tai Chi and badminton, on physical functional health of private institutionalized older adults. Thirty-four participants were recruited in the training group with 60 minutes per session and two sessions per week TCSB training. Thirty-two participants were recruited simultaneously in the control group (no training). The measurements included the Senior Fitness Test (SFT), AAHPERD Soda Pop Test, self perceptive functional health. Two-way ANOVA/ ANCOVA with repeated measure in one factor was conducted to examine the testing factor (pre-test and post-test of TCSB training) and the effect of groups (training and control group) as well as their interaction effects. The significant training effects were found in training group (six out of eight items of SFT, AAHPERD Soda Pop Test and self perceptive functional health). In control group, significant functional deteriorations were found in SFT (back scratch test, 8-foot up-and-go) and self perceptive functional health. The previous findings showed that TCSB was not only effective in improving; but also in maintaining and decelerating the deterioration of physical functional health of sedentary Chinese older adult.


Abstract The purpose of this study is to discuss the originality of the Catalan literature at its beginnings in relation to the poetry of the Occitan troubadours, and to explain why some Catalans today do not feel connected to the Castilian heritage. The paper presents the Occitan-Catalan political and cultural relations in the time between 993 and 1213, with particular emphasis on the 12th century when the Great Occitan War took place. The historical Occitania at that time was divided into numerous principalities affected by constant internal struggles. That unstable political situation encouraged powerful neighbours – as the rulers from the House of Barcelona – to attain their domination over the region. The successful military and diplomatic engagements of the Catalan sovereigns allowed them to create a relatively homogeneoas Occitan-Catalan community based on cultural similarity and feudal dependence.


The basic helix‐loop‐helix (bHLH) transcription factor Ascl1 plays crucial roles in both oligodendrocyte development and neuronal development; however, the molecular target of Ascl1 in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) remains elusive. To identify the downstream targets of Ascl1 in OPCs, we performed gene expression microarray analysis and identified Hes5 as a putative downstream target of Ascl1. In vivo analysis revealed that Ascl1 and Hes5 were coexpressed in early developmental oligodendrocytes in both the telencephalon and the ventral spinal cord. We also found that Hes5 expression was reduced in the OPCs of Ascl1 mutant mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Ascl1 directly binds to an E‐box region within the Hes5 promoter and regulates Hes5 expression at the transcriptional level. Taken together, these in vivo and in vitro data suggest that Ascl1 induces Hes5 expression in a cell‐autonomous manner. Considering the previously known function of Hes5 as a repressor of Ascl1, our data indicate that Hes5 is involved in the negative feedback regulation of Ascl1. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Objectives: To examine at molecular, biochemical, and muscle pathology level the striking clinical heterogeneity resulting from acid α-glucosidase deficiency. Methods: We investigated 23 patients with infantile-onset or late-onset glycogen storage disease type II by enzyme activity, protein expression by immunoblotting, GAA gene mutations, and muscle pathology including immunolabeling for Golgi and sarcolemmal proteins. Results: The enzyme activity was absent or minimal in infantile-onset cases and variably reduced in late-onset patients. Genotype-phenotype correlation (seven novel mutations were found) showed that most late-onset patients had the heterozygous IVS1 leaky splicing mutation (one patient was homozygous), but the course of the disease was often difficult to predict on the basis of the mutations alone. All patients showed an abnormal pattern of enzyme protein processing, with increased amounts of the inactive forms and very low or absent amounts of the mature forms. The molecular weight of the mature and the intermediate forms appeared higher in patients' samples than in the control muscle. We observed a Golgi proliferation in muscle fibers possibly caused by the retention of inactive forms of enzyme protein that cannot be correctly targeted from Golgi to lysosomes. The vacuolar membranes expressed sarcolemmal proteins in late-onset but not in infantile-onset patients, suggesting an extensive autophagy and vacuolar membrane remodeling in late-onset patients. Conclusions: The different protein molecular weight between patients and controls could be due to an excessive sialylation of mutant enzyme: this might be possibly caused by a delayed transport and longer transit of the inactive proteins in the Golgi apparatus.


Marine ascidian metabolite perophoramidine has since its isolation in 2002 attracted the interest of several research groups. The complex polycyclic structure with vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters and two amidine functionalities constitutes a formidable synthetic challenge. In this project a new synthetic approach to dehalogenated perophoramidine has been investigated. The vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters were introduced via a samarium mediated reductive dialkylation, in which the stereochemistry was determined by the metal chelate that formed, as outlined below. Several of the steps suggested in the synthetic approach have been successfully evaluated. Future work is needed to assess the remaining steps of the suggested route to dehalogenated perophoramidine.


Twenty patients with unilateral exophthalmos secondary to orbital tumors underwent fundus photography; 16 underwent fluorescein angiography. Choroidal folds were found in 15 eyes. The location of each tumor with respect to the globe was determined by computed tomography. In addition, most patients underwent B-scan ultrasonography and surgical exploratory procedures. Choroidal folds were more common in patients with greater amounts of exophthalmos and with anteriorly located tumors. Moreover, the pattern of choroidal folds generally reflected the location of the tumor within the orbit. Comparison with the uninvolved fellow eyes showed that preoperative refractive errors were usually shifted toward hyperopia with intraconal tumors, whereas extraconal tumors were typically associated with higher astigmatic errors on the involved side.


Our biodynamics laboratory group has conducted large cohort biomechanical-epidemiological studies targeted at identifying the complex interactions among biomechanical, biological, hormonal, and psychosocial factors that lead to increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The findings from our studies have revealed highly sensitive and specific predictors for ACL injury. Despite the high incidence of ACL injuries among young athletes, larger cohorts are needed to reveal the underlying mechanistic causes of increased risk for ACL injury. In the current study, we have outlined key factors that contribute to the overall success of multicenter, biomechanical-epidemiological investigations designed to test a larger number of athletes who otherwise could not be recruited, screened, or tested at a single institution. Twenty-five female volleyball players were recruited from a single high school team and tested at three biodynamics laboratories. All athletes underwent three-dimensional motion capture analysis of a drop vertical jump task. Kinematic and kinetic variables were compared within and among laboratories. Reliability of peak kinematic variables was consistently rated good-to-excellent. Reliability of peak kinetic variables was consistently rated goodto-excellent within sites, but greater variability was observed between sites. Variables measured in the sagittal plane were typically more reliable than variables measured in the coronal and transverse planes. This study documents the reliability of biomechanical variables that are key to identification of ACL injury mechanisms and of athletes at high risk. These findings indicate the feasibility of executing multicenter, biomechanical investigations that can yield more robust, reliable, and generalizable findings across larger cohorts of athletes.


Sex ratio theory provides a powerful source of testable predictions about sex allocation strategies. Although studies of invertebrates generally support predictions derived from the sex ratio theory, evidence for adaptive sex ratio biasing in vertebrates remains contentious. This may be due to the fact that most studies of vertebrates have focused on facultative adjustment in relation to maternal condition, rather than processes that might produce uniform sex biases across individuals. Here, we examine the effects of local resource enhancement (LRE) and local resource competition (LRC) on birth sex ratios (BSRs). We also examine the effects of sex differences in the costs of rearing male and female offspring on BSRs. We present data from 102 primate species and show that BSRs are skewed in favour of the dispersing sex in species that do not breed cooperatively, as predicted by the LRC model. In accordance with the LRE model, BSRs are generally skewed in favour of the more beneficial sex in cooperatively breeding primate species. There is no evidence that BSRs reflect the extent of sexual size dimorphism, an indirect measure of the costs of rearing male and female offspring. These analyses suggest that adaptive processes may play an important role in the evolution of BSRs in vertebrates.


While banking system of Kazakhstan has been reformed during the past two decades to transition to the international standards, privacy of financial information seems to be left neglected. With the advent of the technological era and, hence, the rapid growth of computer crime, privacy of financial information has become a primary necessity in the context of relationship between financial institutions and their customers. However, collecting, storing, processing and transferring such data raises issues regarding security and privacy of customer's data. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the extent, to which privacy of credit card and cardholder data was considered and implemented in the banking sector of Kazakhstan. The research also sought to explore perceptions of banks (as in bank employees) in terms of data privacy awareness and their understanding of its significant importance, as well as concerns of bank customers in terms of privacy of their banking information. This data was collected through the qualitative analysis of 23 participant interviews. The participants came from three areas, which built the context of the research– legal, banking sector and its customers. The findings of the study demonstrated that data privacy was not paramount in the bankcustomer relationship. It was explained by the lack of regulatory approaches in the sphere of data privacy within government and industry levels. Consequently, financial institutions lacked data privacy awareness. The findings also suggested that a knowledge gap in terms of data privacy existed between banks and their customers, whose level of privacy concerns was driven either by trust or indifference. This paper proposes constructive suggestions for the banks on how to better address the current issues of data privacy and associated requirements. This thesis is dedicated in loving memory of my grandfather, Zhashibek Dospol-uly, who wanted to see me achieving this goal.


Around 60% of migrants make it across the U.S-Mexico border each year. On the other hand, only 3% of Mexican applicants, who apply for a green card, are granted residency. Many Mexicans who desire to come to the United States are faced with this dilemma of choosing the illegal route or the legal process. The path to the United States for immigrants is neither an easy nor a cheap one for both types of migrants. Naturalization is a process that many do not have the opportunity to complete as limitations such as costs, quotas, and time requirements leave only a select few immigrants the chance to gain a green card. The price tag for freedom is a hefty one as immigrants are forced through many complications that are too risky to justify acting on the desire that America exports to immigrants. The research shows with the use of analyzed statistics and cost found in the immigration process that the legal process must be improved; therefore, the United States must reduce barriers for immigrants and create a more simple process for granting visas. The United States should make reforms to the legal process in order to make it more efficient and less costly to migrants. This will encourage more immigrants to go through the legal process rather than the illegal way. By taking part of the budget for border protection and investing in increased quotas and lower fees, more immigrants would be inclined to get a green card, which would lessen the issue of border control. An immigration tariff may be the solution to many immigration problems instead of the current system in place. Reform to the legal process would not only benefit the immigrants but also the United States, as more legal immigrants would boost the economy by building businesses, creating more jobs for Americans and balance out the aging population thus strengthen social security.


Abstract. This paper deals with the seasonality of hydroclimatic extremes and with the problem of accounting for their non-homogeneous character in determining the design value. To this aim we devise a simple stochastic experiment in which extremes are produced by a non-homogeneous extreme value generation process. The design values are estimated in closed analytical form both in a peak over threshold framework and by using the standard annual maxima approach. In this completely controlled world of generated hydrological extremes, a statistical measure of the error associated to the adoption of a homogeneous model is introduced. The sensitivity of this measure, named return period ratio, to the typology and strength of seasonality is investigated. We find that neglecting seasonality induces a downward bias in design value estimators. The magnitude of the bias may be large when the peak over threshold approach is adopted, while the return period distortion is limited when the annual maxima are considered. An application to rainfall data from a 30 000 km2 region located in North-Western Italy is presented to better clarify the effects of disregarding seasonality in a real case.


In this study, factors affecting the college choice of international students (CCIS) are investigated based on the opinions of international students at a state university (Anadolu University) in Turkey. A case study design is employed and opinions of students are analyzed in accordance with whether they are scholarship or non-scholarship students. In the findings, three main themes emerge; intent to study abroad, choosing to study in Turkey, and choosing to study at Anadolu University. These themes cover several factors affecting the CCIS. In this regard, there are no critical differences between the factors affecting the opinions of scholarship and non-scholarship students. However, some factors could differentiate in accordance with the background characteristics of the students and whether they are from high-income or non-high-income countries.


Background Thalidomide is a chemotherapeutic agent approved by the EMA for multiple myeloma treatment. It is considered a high risk drug and should be prescribed and dispensed within a special pharmacovigilance programme. Purpose To evaluate the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to thalidomide; to analyse their type and severity. Materials and Methods Retrospective cohort study, conducted between January 2008 and December 2011 in a university hospital. Patients treated with thalidomide were selected through the Pharmacy Department Outpatient Unit medicines records. Patient clinical records were reviewed. Any doubts were checked with the attending physicians. Data recorded: personal data (age, gender), main diagnosis, thalidomide ADRs, start and end dates of both thalidomide treatment and ADRs. ADR incidence was calculated. Association between ADRs and thalidomide discontinuation was determined. ADR causal relation was determined by the Karch Lasagna algorithm (definite, probable, possible, conditional). ADR type was classified according to the Rawlins and Thompson classification (type A: dose-dependent or type B: not dose-dependent) and ADR severity and outcome according to Spanish Pharmacovigilance System criteria. Results Twelve patients were included (mean age 59 ± 12 years, 50% men). Medical diagnosis: multiple myeloma 91.66% (11 patients) and cutaneous, vascular and digestive systemic sclerosis 8.3% (1). The incidence of thalidomide ADRs was 83.3%. 8.3% (1) of treatment discontinuations were due to thalidomide ADR. 64.71% (11) of patients showed neurotoxicity, 17.64% (3) blood disorders, 11.76% (2) oedema and 5.88% of them (1) digestive disorders. ADRs detected were type A (dose-dependent) in 100% of cases (17 patients), probable in 41.18% (7), and possible in 58.82% (10) of them. Overall, 41.18% of ADRs were severe (7). ADR outcomes: 64.70% of ADRs (11 patients) were resolved, 17.65% (3) unresolved and 17.65% (3) were classified as 'death unrelated to the drug'. Every ADR detected was notified to the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System. Conclusions Although the incidence of thalidomide ADRs was high (83.3%), ADRs only caused treatment discontinuation in 8.3% of cases. Neurotoxicity was the most frequent ADR. Almost half of patients had severe ADRs and these did not resolve in 17.65% of cases. No conflict of interest.


We analyze how voluntary disclosure of information by bidders affects the outcome of optimally designed auctions. In a single-object auction environment, we assume that before the revenue-maximizing auctioneer designs the auction, bidders noncooperatively choose signal structures that disclose information about their valuations. We show that an equilibrium exists in this two-stage game and that in every equilibrium the object is sold with probability one. Our main result concerns the consequences of information disclosure for the auctioneer's revenue. If in the benchmark without disclosure the object remains unsold with positive probability, then disclosure yields strictly higher revenue in every equilibrium. (JEL D44, D82, D83)


Next generation multi-media broadcast standards use encoded high-bandwidth streams of data to efficiently utilize the spectrum, at the cost of computation intensive processing. For battery powered portable devices this is challenging, as the energy source has limited capacity. By optimizing the computationally intensive kernels within an application, the energy consumption can be reduced significantly. A highly parallel Multi-processor System-on-Chip architecture is proposed, consisting of processors which communicate over Network-on-Chip via a Network Interface, a component that converts the communication protocols and synchronizes the processor and network.
With multiple processors on a single chip, the available processing power increases and the processors can be used simultaneously. Another advantage of using a multi-processor architecture besides parallel processing, is concurrency in computation and communication. To utilize this concurrency efficiently, the Network Interface should support this concurrency.
The programming model for such an architecture differs from conventional single processor systems. Partitioning of the applications into multiple concurrent threads is important to obtain high utilization of the computational resources. The application can be modeled as a set of independent kernels connected by communication channels, where kernels are mapped on processors, and communication channels are mapped on the Network-on-Chip. In this thesis, the design flow that enables modeling of streaming applications is discussed. The application model is based on a functional programming language, which has a strong resemblance with mathematics such that the application can be gradually translated from a mathematical specification to a partitioned realization. To verify the performance of a mapped application, a simulation model is created containing information about the application and architecture model.
To illustrate the efficiency of the presented Network Interface and to demonstrate the data flow modeling technique, two wireless communication receivers are discussed. One receiver is a Digital Radio Mondiale receiver for handheld devices, where energy-efficiency is a key design goal, and the other is a Digital Video Broadcast for Satellite receiver targeting at the car infotainment domain. Both receivers are implemented on the same Multi-processor System-on-Chip, to show that such architectures are flexible for running different applications.


Open Access is an international movement to support unrestricted online access to peer-reviewed scholarly research. This guide provides resources and information for the UNT community about this emerging trend in the way that researchers communicate their


Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) are rapidly becoming more popular in industrial applications where variable speed is required because of their simple construction, ease of maintenance, low cost and high efficiency. However, the operation of the SRM is heavily dependent upon precise information about rotor position, measurement of which may be very expensive or prohibited because of the nature of the application. The paper investigates the use of observer theory to eliminate the problems of having to measure the rotor position. For this purpose, observer algorithms based upon the extended Luenberger observer theory have been developed. These include plant nonlinearities which naturally lead to an estimator with improved performance over the existing estimation schemes. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, both theoretical study and practical implementation were done and satisfactory results were obtained.


Purpose: The aim of this article is to present the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on water safety services in selected municipalities in the area of the southern Baltic Sea by analyzing changes in the nature of services commissioned before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approach/Methodology/Design: Desktop-based research that consisted in a document and database review of available information, statistics and other data from national and regional sources. The statistical analysis performed on the basis of qualitative data collected from Poland via statistical databases. The research relied on the public procurement procedures for water safety services in the following municipalities, Międzyzdroje, Dziwnów, Ustka, and the rural municipality of Ustka. Findings: The analysis of the data presented in this paper shows that the pandemic changed economic circumstances of providing water rescue services, which in consequence directly or indirectly impacted water safety conditions. Practical Implications: This paper identifies that the pandemic not only unequivocally changed economic circumstances of providing water rescue services, but also deteriorated the training conditions, for instance, by rendering swimming pools out of service or banning in-person training. Originality/Value: The presented overview may be useful for improving the management of bathing water safety in Poland, as it contributes to its proper current diagnosis.


The preparation of high-permselectivity membranes is still a challenging task due to the limitations of conventional polymeric membranes. Herein, a chelation-assisted interfacial reaction (CAIR) was used to construct an MOF/polymer hybrid layer on a hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (HPAN) substrate to form a ZIF-8/PEI–HPAN composite membrane. Due to the strong chelating ability of polyethyleneimine (PEI) to metal ions, the formed ZIF-8/PEI selective layer showed high hydrophilicity and super wettability. Moreover, its surface morphology changed from a smooth structure to a ridge-and-valley structure via controlling the interfacial reaction conditions, leading to enhancement in the permeable area. As a result, the prepared ZIF-8/PEI–HPAN composite membrane exhibits a rejection of 99.2% for Congo red aqueous solution with a permeance of up to 78 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, which is 5–8 times that of the reported polymeric membranes with excellent dye rejection as well as good long-term stability. We anticipate that the CAIR method can be used as a potential strategy for the preparation of polymer-supported MOF membranes with both highly enhanced permeability and good retention.


We evaluate the suitability of three domain transforms, DFT, DCT and DWT for recognition of human promoter sequences. We use genomic segments covering [-512,+512] relative to transcription start sites (TSSs), and also non-promoter sequences of the same length. We used a total of 14,001 promoter sequences with TSS locations determined based on experimental transcript data. Sequences were extracted from the human genome using PromoSer and FIE2 tools. The non-promoter set has the same number of sequences. We used the total count of mono-, di- and tri-nucleotides in the sequences, as well as the coefficients of domain transforms. The promoters and non-promoters were divided into 22 disjoint groups based on their GC-content. Feature selection procedures were separately applied to the data for each group and we opted to use 30 best ranked features. In each group, the data is first divided into training and test sets after random ordering of positive and negative data before it is further divided into two sets. Linear discriminant analysis is used to predict sequences as promoter (positive) and non-promoter (negative) ones. Three general observations can be made based on the experiments performed: i) the ability to recognize promoters degrades with the reduction of GC-content, ii) there are no significant differences in the prediction performance when any transform is used, and iii) the best performance was achieved by combining all three transforms. We show that the use of domain transforms in predicting human promoters is promising and thus should be combined with predictions of biological features for even better performance results.


The subjectivity of a modern artist as it was ideated in fin-de-siècle Europe was of a decontextualized creative persona striving to express its innermost feelings. The rationale thus created imbued with a belief in the universality of creative genius in man was successful in maintaining self-perpetuating concepts of international modernism which could perform a decisive role in the transnational and temporal frame work of the discourse on Art. The exclusiveness and elitism with regard to the Euro-centric views felt within this dominant discourse were, however, confuting its rationale. Moreover, the numerous alternative narratives emerged out of the encounter with the project of imperial modernization in the 'underprivileged' regions had their own versions of modernism which had to primarily uphold their national or ethnical loyalties. Large part of art history written in the early twentieth century in these regions can be seen getting to grips with the dilemma of modern artists over reconciling national loyalties and international aspirations. By citing two contexts of India and Poland, one from a former colony of Europe and the other from within Europe, this paper tries to elucidate the formation of subjectivity in modern art.


Underground Coal Gasification represents an alternative for conventional coal mining. This technology is also less expensive than traditional mining. It is expected that coal will be an important energy source in the coming decades. In requirement to improve the gasification process we must ensure that the combustion reactions generated enough energy to heat the reactants. This can be achieved by controlling the flow of oxidizing agents and the underpressure control at the exit of the reactor UCG. This paper aims to propose the stabilization of air flow as a main gasification agent injected to the gasifier, underground temperature and concentration of O2 in syngas. Also there is proposed the mechanism that could cope with uncertainties in the process of UCG and its control on stabilization level. Paper presents utilization of discrete controller with adaptation in order to stabilization of UCG process variables. The controllers were verified on experimental ex-situ reactor (generator).


This paper proposes a deterministic importance sampling algorithm that is based on the recognition that delta-sigma modulation is equivalent to importance sampling. We propose a generalization for delta-sigma modulation in arbitrary dimensions, taking care of the curse of dimensionality as well. Unlike previous sampling techniques that transform low-discrepancy and highly stratified samples in the unit cube to the integration domain, our error diffusion sampler ensures the proper distribution and stratification directly in the integration domain. We also present applications, including environment mapping and global illumination rendering with virtual point sources.


The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the transfer efficiency of α-linolenic acid (ALA) from the abomasum into milk fat, its interaction with milk fat content and yield, and the relationship between ALA and C16:0 in milk fat. Three rumen-fistulated multiparous Holstein cows at midlactation were used in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Treatments consisted of abomasal infusion of (1) 110 mL of water/d (control), (2) 110 mL of flaxseed oil/d (low flaxseed oil, LFO), and (3) 220 mL of flaxseed oil/d (high flaxseed oil, HFO). Experimental periods were continued for 2 wk and fat supplements were infused abomasally during the last 7 d of each period. Average dry matter intake and milk yield were not affected by oil infusion. Milk fat and lactose content tended to be greater with flaxseed infusion compared with the control. Plasma ALA was 2.9- and 4.0-fold greater with LFO and HFO, respectively. The apparent transfer efficiency of ALA to milk was 44.8 and 45.7% with LFO and HFO, respectively. The C16:0 content in milk fat was decreased by 3.59 and 5.25 percentage units, whereas the ALA content was increased by 1.68 and 3.09 percentage units with LFO and HFO, respectively. Similarly, C18:2n-6 was increased by 0.95 and 1.31 percentage units with LFA and HFO, respectively, without changes in other fatty acids (FA). Total polyunsaturated FA was 4.4 and 2.7% lower in the HFO and LFO, respectively, than in the control. Furthermore, C16:0 content in the milk fat was reduced to a greater extent than the increase in ALA content, as a 1.68 and 3.09 percentage unit increase occurred in ALA compared with a 3.6 and 5.25 percentage unit decrease in C16:0 for LFO and HFO, respectively, such that a negative correlation existed between ALA and C16:0 (r = −0.72). In conclusion, abomasal infusion of flaxseed oil dramatically increased the ALA content in plasma and milk fat. Because the replacement of C16:0 with ALA and C18:2n-6 occurred without changes in other FA presumed to be synthesized de novo in the mammary gland, this suggests that the preformed C16:0 was replaced, rather than being caused, by an overall suppression of de novo FA synthesis in the mammary gland.


For Tanzanians, modern bodies bear complicated toxic loads not only because of the dumping of capitalism's harmful by-products but also because of the social-material effects of efforts designed to address insecurity, poverty, and disease. Dawa lishe(nutritious medicine) is forged in this double bind. Producers of dawa lisheproblematize toxicity as the condition under which life is attenuated, diminished, depleted, exhausted, or drained away. Therapies attend not only to individual bodies but also to relations among people, plants, and the soil. The efficacy of herbal remedies and of gardens full of therapeutic foods and nutritious herbs rests in the cultivation of the forms of strength that make places, times, and bodies livable again (and again). This essay examines how Tanzanians are laboring over, and reflecting on, the toxic and its relationship to remedy and memory through dawa lishe. In the process, it argues, they are redefining healing through a politics of habitability.


William Preston "Bill" Longley (1851-1878), though born into a strong Christian family, turned bad during Reconstruction in Texas, much like other young boys of that time, including the deadly John Wesley Hardin. He went on a murderous rampage over the last few years of his life, shotgunning Wilson Anderson in retribution for Anderson's killing of a relative; killing George Thomas in McLennan County; and shooting William "Lou" Shroyer in a running gunfight. Longley even killed the Reverend William R. Lay while Lay was milking a cow. Once he was arrested in 1877, and subsequently sentenced to hang, his name became known statewide as an outlaw and a murderer. Through a series of "autobiographical" letters written from jail while awaiting the hangman, Longley created and reveled in his self-centered image as a fearsome, deadly gunfighter—the equal, if not the superior, of the vaunted Hardin. Declaring himself the "worst outlaw" in Texas, the story that he created became the basis for his historical legacy, unfortunately relied on and repeated over and over by previous biographers, but all wrong. In truth, Bill Longley was not the daring figure that he attempted to paint. Rick Miller's thorough research shows that he was, instead, a braggart who exaggerated greatly his feats as a gunman. The murders that could be credited to him were generally nothing more than cowardly assassinations. Bloody Bill Longley was first published in a limited edition in 1996. Miller separates fact from fancy, attempting to prove or disprove Longley's many claims of bloodshed. Since the time of the first edition, diligent research has located and identified the outlaw's body, the absence of which was a longstanding myth in itself. This revised edition includes that part of the Longley story, as well as several new items of information that have since come to light.


KRAS-induced lung cancer is a very common disease, for which there are currently no effective therapies. Direct targeting of KRAS has failed in clinical trials and intense efforts are underway to identify KRAS targets that play a crucial role in oncogenesis. One promising KRAS-regulated pathway that has so far been overlooked is the microRNA pathway. Even though many microRNAs that regulate expression of KRAS are known, microRNAs regulated by oncogenic KRAS remain largely unknown. Our goal was to identify microRNAs regulated by oncogenic KRAS in lung cells that could contribute to the oncogenic phenotype. Due to a reported positive correlation between microRNA486-5p (miR-486-5p) expression and the presence of KRAS mutations in colon cancer specimens, we decided to investigate in lung cells whether KRAS regulates miR-486-5p. For that purpose we used an immortalized human primary lung epithelial cell line (SALEB) and its isogenic KRAS-transformed counterpart (SAKRAS), as well as lung cancer cell lines with either gain-of-function or loss-of-function of KRAS. We found, in all models tested, a positive correlation between expression of oncogenic KRAS and expression of miR-486-5p. We also found a negative correlation between expression of oncogenic KRAS and expression of miR-486-5p targets, including FoxO1, a tumor suppressor. In order to evaluate how miR-486-5p affects Ras-induced oncogenic properties, we transfected miR-486-5p inhibitor oligonucleotides into KRAS-positive lung cancer cell lines H358 and A549. Inhibition of miR-486-5p expression leads to reduced growth in clonogenic assays and reduced MTT viability. This reduction is not associated with increased cell death, but, as measured by 3H-Thymidine incorporation, it is associated with decreased cell proliferation. Interestingly, transfection of miR-486-5p double-stranded RNA mimic oligonucleotides into KRAS negative lung cancer cell line H1703 or into H358 cells with loss of function of KRAS by RNA interference leads to enhanced proliferation and clonogenicity. Taken together, these results indicate, not only that miR-486-5p is a KRAS target in lung cancer, but also that miR-486-5p acts as an oncomiR contributing to KRAS-induced cell proliferation. Further understanding of miR-486-5p targets could uncover novel pathways for KRAS-induced lung cancer therapy design. Citation Format: Mateus N. Aoki, Amanda C. P. Salviatto, Tatiana C. C. Lobo, Ana Claudia O. Carreira, Mari C. Sogayar, Daniela S. Basseres. MicroRNA486-5p is a KRas target involved in promoting cell proliferation in lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 533. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-533


STUDY OBJECTIVES
Previously we have shown that optimal pulmonary gas exchange can be sustained at normal airway pressures in a model of severe acute respiratory failure (ARF), using intratracheal pulmonary ventilation (ITPV), with weaning to room air. In an identical model of ARF, we have now explored whether ITPV, combined with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), can sustain adequate ventilation, with weaning to room air.

DESIGN
Randomized study in sheep.

SETTING
Animal research laboratory at the National Institutes of Health.

INTERVENTIONS
ARF was induced in 12 sheep, using mechanical ventilation at peak inspiratory pressure of 50 cm H2O, but excluding 5 to 8% of lungs. Sheep were then randomized into two groups: the CPAP-ITPV group (n=6), in which ITPV was combined with a novel CPAP system; and a control group (n=6) in which the same CPAP circuit was used, but without ITPV.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
All sheep in the CPAP-ITPV group were weaned to room air in 38.7+/-14 h. PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) progressively increased from 108.8+/-43 to 355.7+/-93.1; PaCO2 remained within normal range; respiratory rate (RR) ranged from 18 to 120 breaths/min, and tidal volume (VT) was as low as 1.1 mL/kg. All sheep in the control group (CPAP alone) developed severe respiratory acidosis and hypoxemia after 4.8+/-4 h. PaO2/FIO2 decreased from 126.6+/-58.2 to 107.2+/-52.5 mm Hg, with a final PaCO2 of 166.8+/-73.3 mm Hg.

CONCLUSIONS
All sheep treated with CPAP-ITPV maintained good gas exchange without hypercapnia at high RR and at low VT, with weaning to room air. All control animals treated with CPAP alone developed severe hypercapnia, respiratory acidosis, and severe hypoxemia, and were killed.


Global governance rests on the exercise of public authority by a myriad of actors. In the international order, the more powers and influence these actors acquire, the more their legitimacy proves to be controversial. It is submitted here that the legitimacy of international, regional, and domestic actors that partake in global governance - those considered here as global actors - must be appraised from a two-fold standpoint. Their legitimacy can first be gauged through the lens of the origin of their powers. This is what this Article calls the legitimacy of origin. The origin of the power may often prove an insufficient indicator of an actor's legitimacy. For this reason, legitimacy is also evaluated in light of the way in which the actor exercises its power. This is what this Article calls the legitimacy of exercise. This Article is based on the assumption that failing to recognize this dual character of legitimacy of actors involved in global and regional governance can undermine any endeavor to grasp the contemporary complexity of the latter. After sketching some of the contemporary features of legitimacy in international law in Part I, this Article focuses on the extent to which the so-called principle of democratic legitimacy has impinged on how legitimacy of global actors is conceived today in Part II. In Part III, this Article then turns to assessing how, against that backdrop, legitimacy of global actors is evaluated in contemporary practice. Although not ignoring that the question of legitimacy may arise in connection with other actors, this Article focuses on two public global actors in particular, namely governments and international intergovernmental organizations, with a view to demonstrating that the appraisal of the legitimacy of governments differs from that of the legitimacy of international organizations. This Article argues that while the legitimacy of origin has constituted the classical measure to evaluate the legitimacy of governments, recent practice has shifted the paradigm toward the legitimacy of exercise. This Article also submits that the exact opposite paradigm shift is simultaneously taking place in the context of the legitimacy of international organizations, for the legitimacy of international organizations is incrementally reviewed from the vantage point of the legitimacy of origin, despite having classically been based on the legitimacy of exercise.


Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular proliferative disorders. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are one of the cell types that produce PDGF-B chain in proliferative lesions, although the mechanism of regulation of PDGF-B chain production in these cells is not well understood. In the present study, we demonstrate that angiotensin II (Ang II), which is also implicated in vascular stenosis after angioplasty and atherosclerosis, markedly stimulates PDGF-B chain mRNA expression in cultured newborn rat medial VSMCs and neointimal VSMCs via an AT(1), but not in adult rat VSMCs. In newborn rat VSMCs, Ang II activates extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. The mitogen-activated protein/ERK (MEK) inhibitor PD98059, but not the p38 inhibitor SB203580, abrogates Ang II-induced PDGF-B mRNA expression. Transient transfection analysis using a PDGF-B promoter-luciferase gene reporter construct reveals that Ang II induces transcriptional activation of PDGF-B chain gene, which is abolished by the expression of a dominant negative form of either ERK or JNK, but not of p38. The expression of a dominant negative form of Ras abolishes the stimulatory effects of Ang II on ERK activity and PDGF-B mRNA expression. In adult rat VSMCs, Ang II activates ERK and JNK, but weakly induces Egr-1, a transcription factor implicated in PDGF-B chain gene expression, compared with newborn VSMCs. These data indicate that Ang II activates PDGF-B chain gene expression in VSMCs through mechanisms involving Ras-ERK and JNK.


We identified an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) gene product which functions in transient-expression assays as a nonspecific trans activator. In Vero cells, cotransfection of the BglII J DNA fragment of EBV together with recombinant constructs containing the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene gave up to a 100-fold increased expression of CAT activity over that in cells transfected with the recombinant CAT constructs alone. The BglII J fragment acted promiscuously, in that increased CAT synthesis was observed regardless of whether the promoter sequences driving the CAT gene were of EBV, simian virus 40, adenovirus, or herpes simplex virus origin. Cleavage of cloned BglII-J plasmid DNA before transfection revealed that activation was dependent upon the presence of an intact BMLF1 open reading frame. This was confirmed with subclones of BglII-J and with hybrid promoter-open reading frame constructs. This region of the genome is also present in the rearranged P3HR-1-defective DNA species, and defective DNA clones containing these sequences produced a similar activation of CAT expression in cotransfection experiments. The heterogeneous 45-60-kilodalton polypeptide product of BMLF1 may play an important regulatory role in expression of lytic-cycle proteins in EBV-infected lymphocytes.


In this paper, we report a new lateral trench sidewall Schottky (LTSS) rectifier on SOI utilizing the sidewall Schottky barrier contact of a trench filled with a metal. Using a two-dimensional (2-D) device simulator (MEDICI), the performance of the proposed device is evaluated in detail by comparing its characteristics with that of the compatible lateral conventional Schottky (LCS) rectifier. Based on our simulation results, we demonstrate that the proposed device provides double the breakdown voltage with reduced reverse leakage current as compared to the LCS rectifier. The forward voltage drop of a 60 V LTSS rectifier is as low as 0.28 V at a current density 100 A/cm/sup 2/. An important feature of the proposed Schottky structure is that its reverse breakdown is very sharp similar to that of a pin diode. Furthermore, at higher operating temperatures, the power losses in the LTSS rectifier are found to be significantly lower as compared to the LCS rectifier.


This doctoral thesis will present the results of work into optimisation algorithms. We first give a detailed exploration of the problems involved in comparing optimisation algorithms. In particular we provide extensions and refinements to no free lunch results, exploring algorithms with arbitrary stopping conditions, optimisation under restricted metrics, parallel computing and free lunches, and head-to-head minimax behaviour. We also characterise no free lunch results in terms of order statistics. We then ask what really constitutes understanding of an optimisation algorithm. We argue that one central part of understanding an optimiser is knowing its Bayesian prior and cost function. We then pursue a general Bayesian framing of optimisation, and prove that this Bayesian perspective is applicable to all optimisers, and that even seemingly non-Bayesian optimisers can be understood in this way. Specifically we prove that arbitrary optimisation algorithms can be represented as a prior and a cost function. We examine the relationship between the Kolmogorov complexity of the optimiser and the Kolmogorov complexity of it's corresponding prior. We also extended our results from deterministic optimisers to stochastic optimisers and forgetful optimisers, and we show that uniform randomly selecting a prior is not equivalent to uniform randomly selecting an optimisation behaviour. Lastly we consider what the best way to go about gaining a Bayesian understanding of real optimisation algorithms is. We use the developed Bayesian framework to explore the affects of some common approaches to constructing meta-heuristic optimisation algorithms, such as on-line parameter adaptation. We conclude by exploring an approach to uncovering the probabilistic beliefs of optimisers with a "shattering" method.


Paediatrics for the Practitioner. Under the general editorship of Wilfrid Gaisford, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.P., and Reginald Lightwood, M.D. F.R.C.P., D.P.H. Volumes I, lI, and JIl + Index. (Volume I-pp. 563 + xv + 34 pp. index; Volume II-pp. 533+ix+32 pp. index; Volume IIIpp. 632+xi+38 pp. index; Index-pp. 119+v. Illustrated. £13 lOs. the set.) London: Butterworth and Co. Ltd. 1953, 1954, and 1955. The last of the three volumes of this work has now appeared along with an index volume, and a set is completed that will be of value to practitioners in many lands. The articles are written by experts in the different subjects, and naturally the descriptions of diseases and their diagnosis and treatment are authoritative. The books are said to be planned and written for the family doctor, but they constitute a small reference library to the present practice of paediatrics in its medical, dermatological, psychiatric, and other. branches. Surgical conditions and the diseases of the eye, nose, ear, and throat are dealt with-and rightly so in a comprehensive work on the health and diseases of children. Tropical conditions and illnesses are well described. Throughout the work pathology, by intention, is dealt with very briefly, and only the more important references are given. About sixty contributors from Britain and other parts of the Commonwealth have written the various chapters, but the volumes have been well edited and the multiple authorship is not very noticeable, although some of the articles are better written than others. Rubrics and the good index make the volumes easy of rapid consultation, and the plentiful photographs and radiographs will prove very helpful to practitioners. The three volumes and the index are printed on good art paper and are well bound. The price is high, however, and one wonders if it could have been reduced by getting the articles and the index into, say, two volumes. The repetition of the appointments held by the contributors and the needless list of contents at the heads of the chapters, however small, might have been dispensed with and space thereby saved. Family doctors will consult these good books with profit to their patients and pleasure to themselves, and the initial cost appears less when it is remembered that the work is to be kept up to date by regular supplements. JOHN CRAIG.


We studied the effect of N fertilization on yellow berry (YB) triticale (✕ Wittmack) and the anatomical, protein, and amino acid differences between YB and normal kernels of several triticale lines. Some bread (L.) and durum (L.) wheats were also included for comparison. Increased fertilization significantly reduced YB incidence. Tritlcale lines differed significantly in YB incidence, implicating genetic factors in YB expression. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that normal kernels have a more dense endosperm protein matrix than do YB types. Endosperm and aleurone cells generally fractured around the starch granules and cytoplasm, respectively, in YB kernels. The total protein content of YB kernels was generally 1 to 1.5% lower than in normal kernels. The YB kernels contained significantly more lysine as percentage of protein, but less aspartic acid and glutamic acid than normal kernels


This article takes form following an exchange of letters in which the Chickasaw and Hopi authors reflected on an Indigenous mentorship relationship in higher education as the embodiment of a carved-out space for Indigenous ways of knowing and being. They begin the story of their faculty mentor-doctoral mentee relationship with the memory of the mentee's graduation from the doctorate program and the gifting of a shawl. This moment was both a culminating and rebirthing of a relationship, an Indigenization of the institutional university hooding graduation ceremony. The authors privilege an Indigenous gift paradigm based in values of care and notions of kinship. Together, they ask and explore questions of how such a gift paradigm is created, enacted, and sustained in higher education. They reflect on practices which cultivated, nurtured, and sustained the mentorship relationship through the years from admission and leading up to the doctoral graduation ceremony, and beyond.


Sackville & Neave Australian Property Law is the authoritative work on property law in Australia. It provides a comprehensive review of land law and some aspects of personal property law in all Australian States and Territories. The 9th edition Sackville & Neave Australian Property Law retains the structure adopted in the eighth edition. Chapter 1 deals with conceptual issues that underpin and define the ambit of property law. Later chapters examine four broad issues with which the law of property is concerned: the fragmentation of proprietary interests (Ch 2, 3 and 6); the acquisition and transfer of proprietary interests (Ch 4); and the enforceability of proprietary interests and related priority issues (Ch 4 and 5). The book also examines the rules regulating the creation and enforcement of particular interests in land, including leases, easements, restrictive covenants and mortgages.


Summary form only given. Illustrates first the languages and models of computation available to the system-level. designer to capture precisely and unambiguously requirements. We discuss for what application domain and platform each language is most appropriate, focusing mostly on platform-independent languages and MOCs, since they support the greatest freedom in mapping choice. We will then discuss how the architecture of the platform, and the services it offers to the application designer, can also be formally and compactly captured and specified. We will show how the mapping paradigm can be used to select an implementation for the functional blocks and their communication, and how simulation and implementation methods can be derived automatically. In particular, we will describe how software estimation and synthesis for reactive real-time systems can be competitive with hand design, while retaining the ease of re-use typical of high-level specifications. In the next part of the tutorial, we will establish the importance of on-chip communication architectures in determining the performance of System-on-Chips (SoCs). We will track several on-chip communication architectures that are in use today.


This paper furthers a discussion about the ways in which idealised versions of gender permeate the aesthetic presentation and impression management strategies of elite private schools. Specifically, we consider how the written text, layout and images used in 12 Australian private girls' school prospectuses function in constructing discourses of 'natural' femininity. Far from being merely factual sources of information, we see school prospectuses as strategic texts that idealise and commodify gendered subjectivities that are likely to appeal to the perceived clientele of a particular school. Drawing on feminist and poststructuralist theoretical frames and utilising social semiotic techniques, we analyse how these promotional texts align the feminine subject with nature and the natural world. This alignment serves the dual function of constituting femininity as naturally beautiful, fragile, passive and vulnerably at-risk, while at the same time ameliorating such risk through more empowered (yet constrained) notions of interconnectedness. The tensions between such contradictory discourses of traditional and neoliberal femininity create impossible subject positions for girls, as in order to succeed with one version of femininity, they must simultaneously fail at another.


Diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission is a viable tool to probe cosmic rays and their propagation in the Milky Way. In the MeV to GeV energy range the Galactic diffuse emission has been explored in great detail by Fermi-LAT. At very high energies (VHE), $\gamma$-ray sources dominate the TeV sky. Any VHE large-scale diffuse emission is thus likely to consist to a large fraction of $\gamma$-ray sources that are unresolved due to limited instrument sensitivity and the resulting inability to resolve the Milky Way to its full depth. The H.E.S.S. experiment has performed a first measurement of Galactic diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission at TeV energies outside of known $\gamma$-ray source regions. Interpretation of such a signal requires disentangling of the contributions of "truly diffuse'' emission stemming from cosmic-ray propagation and the emission associated with unresolved sources. This can only be achieved by invoking model assumptions for both contributions. While sophisticated codes for cosmic-ray propagation already exist, unresolved-source emission has long been neglected due to its little impact at MeV to GeV energies.
In this contribution first steps towards an estimation of the emission of unresolved $\gamma$-ray sources at TeV energies are presented. A VHE $\gamma$-ray source population is simulated, which follows the spiral structure of the Milky Way. The simulations are constrained by the sum of the detected Galactic VHE $\gamma$-ray sources in the range of completeness and the accumulated $\gamma$-ray emission of this population is compared to the measurement of diffuse TeV emission.


This study analyzes the spillover effect of the spatial concentration of subprime lending on the performance of recently originated community reinvestment mortgages targeting low- to moderate-income borrowers. The level of subprime lending in a census tract is found to be a significant predictor of the default and prepayment probability of the community reinvestment loans in the same neighborhoods. The results suggest that the concentration of subprime lending and the resulting clusters of foreclosed properties reduce neighborhood property values and increase price volatility. The lowered property values and the increased volatility increase the default probability of borrowers holding any loan product, including community reinvestment mortgages. This study provides new evidence concerning the negative impacts of the concentration of subprime lending in certain neighborhoods.


The promotion of the Persianate normative model of imperial kingship was the major ecumenical contribution of the Persian bureaucrats who served the Saljuq and Mongol rulers of Iran and Anatolia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries to state-building. The phenomenal growth of popular Sufism in Timurid Iran and early Ottoman Anatolia had a highly paradoxical impact on the legitimacy of kingship, making its conception increasingly autocratic. Both in the Ottoman and the Safavid successor empires, the disintegrative tendency of nomadic patrimonial empires was countered by variants of Persianate imperial monarchy. It is argued that the decisive event in sundering the ecumenical unity of the Persianate world was not the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, but the Mahdist revolution of the Safavid sheykhoghlu , Shah Esmāʿil, half a century later. The parting of ways stemmed from the variant of mystically enhanced autocracy adopted in the two cases—one with orthodox, Sunni, and the other with heterodox, Shiʿite inflection. The latter model became the Safavid model of autocracy under Shah Esmāʿil, and was quickly adopted by the Timurids after their conquest of India in 1526.


A novel electroactive fluorinated poly (amic acid) (EFPAA) was firstly synthesized in a single step from 4,4'-(Hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (HFDA) and electroactive diamine monomer (EDA). The structure of EFPAA was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The electroactivity of EFPAA was evaluated by performing electrochemical cyclic voltammetry in 0.5 M H2SO4 confirming a surface-controlled process. EFPAA/ITO electrode displayed good electrochromic behavior with high contrast value, moderate switching times, acceptable coloration efficiency. Moreover, anticorrosion performance of the EFPAA coatings on the stainless steel (SS) in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution was investigated by tafel plot analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A comprehensive and detailed study of corrosive protection of EFPAA will provide an insightful tool for developing electrochromic displays and anticorrosive paint.


MacPICT is an interactive program written in LPA Prolog which has encoded within it the rules of Martin-Lof's constructive type theory (CTT), a formal system based on the constructive or intuitionistic mathematics of Brouwer, Heyting and others. It allows us to specify and express any total, computable function, so from a computer science point of view we can write both specifications and programs, along with the derivations which lead from one to the other, in a single language. MacPICT is a reconstruction of PICT [Ham92] and is intended to support the teaching of CTT. It has been developed and improved over the last five years, during which time it has been used to support teaching in an M.Sc. course on CTT at QMW. Many of the developments and improvements were suggested by students since they used the system to work on substantial courseworks. As we shall see, MacPICT can be used to assist in the development of derivations in CTT and so it is called a derivation assistant (DA). In this paper I show how MacPICT can be used for supporting derivations in CTT and consider what current experience suggests for future improvement. The examples in this paper will not require any knowledge of CTT since the meaning will either be clear to anyone with experience of logic and programming notations in general or will be explained as necessary.


A study was carried out for the production of Mg-based amorphous/nanostructured thin films from multi-elemental evaporation sources via thermal evaporation. Sources produced were Mg-Cu, Mg-Cu-Ni, Mg-Cu-Al, Mg-Cu-Al-Ni and all prepared by traditional powder metallurgy routes. The powder compacts in the as-sintered state were made of equilibrium phases and individual elements, but upon deposition, due to interaction in the vapor phase, refined structure yielded amorphous like thin films. The structure further refined by the sorption of hydrogen. The study showed that the powder metallurgy approach is applied with success to deposit amorphous/nanostructured thin films via thermal evaporation, and further implies that if the phase analysis were to be used as an evaluation method for hydrogen sorption characteristics, some other techniques instead of X-ray diffraction analysis have to be considered


BACKGROUND
Respiratory Tract infections continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality world wide. There is a failure to treat respiratory infections due to the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains among the most common respiratory pathogens.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activities of two traditionally used plants: Albizia gummifera (Ambabesa-Muka, Oromifa, Sessa-Amharic.) and Ferula communis (Doge-Oromifa, Dog-Amharic) against clinical isolates of S. pyogenes and S. pneumoniae.

METHODS
The study involving the antibacterial susceptibility test of traditionally used plant species against Gram-positive bacterial pathogens was conducted over a period of 5 months (January - August, 2004) at the Ethiopian Health, and Nutrition Research Institute. The in vitro antibacterial activities of 80% methanol crude extracts prepared from the seeds of Ablizia gummifera and, roots of Ferula communis as well as their respective hydro alcoholic solvent fractionates of both plant species were tested for inhibitory activity against the clinical isolates of six S. pneumonae and twenty two S. pyogenes using agar dilution method.

RESULTS
Eighty percent ethanol solubilized fractions of both plants were found to have antibacterial effects to all assayed bacteria while aqueous solubilized fractions did not exhibit any effect. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the 80% ethanol solubilized fractions was determined and the MIC of the fractions ranged from 500 mg/ ml to 1000 mg/ml for both plants showing the extracts may contain bioactive compounds of therapeutic interest.

CONCLUSION
All extracts showed antibacterial activities against clinical isolates of S. pyogenes and S. pneumoniae. The extracts may contain compounds with potential therapeutic activity. Further purification and identification are needed to be tested using animal models.


The microstructure, texture and basic stamping properties of AZ31 magnesium sheet are studied in this paper with optical microscopy (OM), scan electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and MTS universal tester. The results show that the basal texture (0002) is enhanced and the grain size decreases as the thickness of sheet decreases. However the texture depresses in the 0.52mm sheet due to the complete recrystallization under deep rolling reduction. The strength and elongation decreases and the strain hardening index (n value) increases as the thickness increases. The precipitation decreases and the basal texture depresses after annealing treatment. The peak value ratio of crystal plane (0002) of 1.3mm sheet reduces from 67% to 53% when annealing treated at 300°C for 2h. In addition, the strain hardening index (n) value reduces from 0.2535 to 0.2053 and the anisotropic index (r) value increases from 1.966 to 2.108 when the sheet is treated at the same condition.


The bomb eventually goes off. The Arabs refute the conception, especially widespread in the West, that their religion or culture hampers democracy. Though the Arab movement towards democracy comes late, it becomes crystal clear Arab peoples can achieve what peoples already achieved in Latin America or Eastern Europe. The so-called 'Arab Spring' takes place when several regimes in the Arab world mirror inability to meet the rising expectations of population in the era of globalization. Arabs today want to vote, speak freely, and participate in the country's life. They appear not to still allow authoritarianism suppress the universal human rights. On the contrary, they prove ability to defend their interests and democratize. The Arab despots have for decades maintained complete monopolization over the state; spinning a Para-family structure over the power. The Syrian regime is by no elucidation exceptional. The regime has controlled the army, the security services, and the economy. The power has been employed for the merit of the regime. The record of the interaction between the regime and population in Syria tells massacres, deprivation of citizenship, single-party systemâSetc. These reasons helped to move the spark of the 'Arab-Spring' into Syria. Millions have for months taken into streets chanting loudly and heatedly for transformation. They are on streets to witness the regime vigorously struggles to contain and shut them up. As the Syrian regime cracks down the protests, it faces increasing pressure from international and regional forces. Several Western states, led by the United States, called on the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside after he paid a deaf ear to constant calls to respond the demands of his people. On the other hand, several Arab countries re-called their ambassadors from Damascus for similar reasons. Turkey and Iran have since the beginning of the protests acted cautiously. Tehran and Ankara are two players of particular concerns and significance on the Syrian case. Being empire's descendants and influence aspirants, Damascus solicits vital opportunities for Ankara and Tehran's strategic priorities. However, the situation in Syria is now a zero-sum game since the interests of Turkey and Iran do not converge, in some sense. This thinking propelled Turkey and Iran to have important instruments invested in making their agendas successful vis-A -vis each other.


The development lifecycle of Deep Learning (DL) models requires humans (the model trainers) to analyze and steer the training evolution. They analyze intermediate data, fine-tune hyperparameters, and stop when a resulting model is satisfying. The problem is that existing solutions for DL do not track the trainer actions. There are no explicit data relationship between trainer action with the input data and hyperparameters to the output performance results, throughout the training process. This jeopardizes online training data analyses and post-hoc results reproducibility, reusability, and understanding. This paper presents DL-Steer, our first prototype to aid trainers to fine-tune hyperparameters and for tracking trainer steering actions. Tracked data are stored in a relational database for online and post-hoc data analyses.


This review is focused on mouse models for prostate cancer that have been designed on the basis of genetic alterations that are frequently found in human prostate cancer. It begins with an analysis of the similarities and differences in the gross and microscopic anatomy of the mouse and human prostate glands, and extends to the pathologies induced in the genetically manipulated mouse prostate in comparison with the sporadic development of the disease in humans. Major achievements have been made in modeling human prostate cancer in mice in recent years. There are models which display slow, temporal development of increasingly severe preneoplastic lesions, which are remarkably restricted to the prostate gland, a property similar to the aging-related progression of these lesions in humans. Other models rapidly progress to local invasive adenocarcinoma, and, in some of them metastasis is manifested subsequently with defined kinetics. Global assessment of molecular changes in the prostate of the genetically manipulated mice is increasingly underscoring the validity of the models through identification of 'signature' genes which are associated with the organ-confined primary or distant metastases of human prostate cancer. Taken together, various 'natural' models depicting stages of the disease, ranging from the early preneoplastic lesions to metastatic prostate cancer, now provide new tools both for exploring the molecular mechanism underlying prostate cancer and for development or testing of new targeted therapies. Endocrine-Related Cancer (2004) 11 225–254


Carpooling is a sustainable daily mobility mode, implying significant reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, although it remains an uncommon practice. With the aim of stimulating this green transportation mode, this paper focus on understanding why certain individuals will agree to share a car to a common destination, apart from the obvious environmental benefit in emissions. It first describes the profile of users and then explores the relationship between this transportation mode and the participants' well-being. To that end, we have selected two countries, the UK and the US, where the use of cars represents a high proportion of daily commuting. We use the UK Time Use Survey (UKTUS) from 2014-2015 and the Well-Being Module of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) from 2010-2012-2013 to identify which groups in the population are more likely to pool their cars, and with whom those individuals enjoy carpooling more. Results indicate that individuals with certain socio-demographic characteristics and occupations are more likely to commute by carpooling, but the profile seems to be country-specific. Furthermore, our evidence reveals a positive relationship between carpooling and well-being during commuting.


The paper deals with the construction of an implant for complete thigh joint removal. The implant works on a new principle, i.e. division of the major parts of the prosthesis into load-carrying and bearing parts which are isolated all the way with damping silicone gaskets. The implant has a fundamentally new construction. It is accessible for commercial production by advanced technologies and readily applicable in clinical practice. The estimated results of its application are positive as when used, the implant brings a considerably less pressure to bear on the bone than do the well-known Russian and foreign implant models.


Afferent neurons within cardiac sympathetic nerves can reflexly excite central sympathetic outflow. However, their contribution to cardiovascular control remains unclear because they are potentially opposed by inhibitory reflexes of cardiac vagal or arterial baroreceptor afferent origin. It was considered that sympathetically mediated, excitatory responses might be more prominent when initiated by chemical stimulation. In chloralose-anesthetized, vagotomized, sinoaortic-denervated cats, epicardial or intracoronary administration of bradykinin or potassium chloride evoked renal nerve excitation and pressor responses mediated by cardiac sympathetic afferent nerves. When upper thoracic sympathetic nerves were severed, and vagal afferent nerves remained intact, bradykinin and potassium chloride produced inhibition of renal nerve activity and depressor responses. When sympathetic and vagal components of cardiac innervation remained intact, these substances produced excitation, inhibition, or no change in sympathetic outflow. Excitation occurred as often as inhibition. A similar pattern was observed when arterial baroreceptor nerves remained intact. These data illustrate that cardiac sympathetic afferent neurons can have significant excitatory influences on the cardiovascular system in spite of opposition by inhibitory afferent groups.


In this article, two original studies of the alumina as porous substrate and PLD (pulsed laser deposition) thin films in view of its biomedical and tribological applications are presented. The first biomedical study aimed to evaluate the role of Al2O3 on thin deposited nanostructures. For this purpose, cerium stabilized zirconia doped hydroxyapatite thin films were deposited by PLD onto high purity, high density alumina substrates with different low porosities. For deposition, an UV KrF* (λ=248 nm, τ ~ 25 ns) excimer laser was used for the multi-pulse irradiation of the targets. The nanostructured surface morphologies of the thin films with micro droplets were evidenced by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy and the compositions with a Ca/P ratio of 1.7 by energy dispersive spectroscopy. The films were seeded with mesenchymal stem cells for in vitro tests. The cells showed good attachment and spread and covered uniformly the surface of the samples. Different functions of substrate porosities are observed in the efficiency of developing long filopodia and of obtaining the optimal intracellular organization. The second study aimed to understand the influence of micro-structural and mechanical characteristics on the tribological behaviour of stainless steel samples with PLD alumina coatings produced using an UV KrF* (λ=248 nm, τ ~ 20 ns) excimer laser and a sintered alumina target. Various microscopic observation techniques were used in order to connect the tribological response to the amorphous microstructure of the coatings. The results correspond to the determination of the mechanical characteristics by nanoindentation tests, scratch tests, and a tribological behaviour analysis of the treated steel against 100Cr6. The films were stoichiometric, partially crystallized with an amorphous matrix and their surfaces had few particulates deposited on. The obtained values of hardness and elastic modulus of the films were in good agreements with literature data.


Danish civil procedure is based on a number of procedural law principles that affect the taking of evidence, including the principle of party presentation, the principle of disposition, and the principle of free assessment of evidence. The nature of Danish procedural law tends towards the adversarial model rather than the inquisitorial model. Evidence is taken during the hearing and the principle of directness applies to the procedure. Danish civil procedure is governed by the 1916 Administration of Justice Act, which was originally strongly influenced by German law. The role of the judge is to lead the process and also to intervene in proceedings when uncertainty exists, rather than just to facilitate the process by ensuring the parties abide by the laws of civil procedure.


The report is a one stop shop for learning about key developments and prospects of existing and emerging carbon initiatives. There is a continued momentum for carbon pricing. As of 2017, over 40 national and 25 subnational jurisdictions representing almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are putting a price on carbon. Over the past decade the number of jurisdictions with carbon pricing initiatives have doubled. On average, carbon pricing initiatives cover about half of the emissions in these jurisdictions, which translates to a total coverage of about 8 Gigatons of carbon dioxide or about 15% of global emissions (a fourfold increase over the past decade).


This paper examines mark-up and productivity of retail trade industries under imperfect competition. Applying a newly developed approach by Martin (2010) to Japanese retail trade firm data, we estimate the firm-specific mark-up and productivity without price information and discuss their dispersion. Our results reveal that some assumptions largely used in productivity analysis such as constant returns to scale and perfect competition possibly bias estimates of productivity. Higher mark-up do not always mean higher productivity while firms with lower mark-ups are less productive. Relative levels of firm-specific mark-up and productivity are persistent. The performance of mark-up and productivity are heterogeneous across various retail trade industries. Among them, food retailers have both lower market power and lower productivity. Furthermore, regression results indicate that effects of deterministic factors on mark-ups do not coincide with those of productivity. It implies that competition-friendly policies possibly lead to unsuccessful results where firms pursue profit maximisation by pursuing pricing power rather than by raising productivity. Ignoring market power may produce misunderstandings concerning how various factors affect productivity and may thus lead to misleading policy implications.


This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of soil amendments and watering management on growth and yield of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). This field study used a completely randomized design as factorial experiment which took about 6 months from July to December 2012. The two factors were: (i) soil amendments viz. sand, biochar and biochar+sand (ii) watering management viz. watering in the morning and evening (30ml+30ml watering volume), watering only in the morning (60ml watering volume), and watering only in the evening (60ml watering volume). There were a total of nine treatments and each treatment was replicated four times. Plant height, vegetative dry weight, root dry weight, number of days to flowering, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit fresh weight and soil pH were measured. Data were analyzed by two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of Significance and Tukey's Test for mean separation. There was significant interaction between soil amendments and watering management on mean of plant height at the 6th week and root dry weight. Treatment T6 (biochar amendment; watering only in the evening) showed the highest mean of plant height (65.93cm), 41% higher compared to the control treatment, T1 (sand amendment; watering both in the morning and evening). Treatment T8 (Biochar+sand amendment; watering only in the morning) showed the highest mean of root dry weight (9.55g), which was 69% higher than control treatment. There was significant effect of soil amendment on mean of vegetative dry weight, number of fruits per plant and soil pH. Biochar+sand amendment showed the highest mean of vegetative dry weight (20.92g), 64% highe than sand amendment. Biochar amendment showed the highest mean of number of fruit per plants (log10 0.55), 40% higher than sand amendment. The potential yield of treatment T7 (biochar+sand amendment; watering both in the morning and evening) was the highest (8.11 tonnes ha-1 ), 35% higher than the control treatment (5.29 tonnes ha-1) and 19% higher than the optimal yield of okra (6.6 tonnes ha-1). The best treatment that can be recommended to farmers is treatment T6. Compared to control treatment (T1), treatment T6 showed 41% higher mean of plant height, 68% higher mean of root dry weight and 34.5% higher in potential fruit yield per hectare. It can be concluded that biochar amendment application into soil enhanced plant growth and yield of okra plant. Treatments with biochar and biochar+sand amendment showed higher mean of vegetative part dry weight, total plant dry weight, number of fruit per plants. Soil amended with biochar and biochar+sand also increased soil pH from Ph 4.9 to the range between pH 6 and pH 7. For future studies it is recommended that drought stress study can be done by using more sophisticated method such as drip irrigation, in order to study the effect of water deficit on plant grown on biochar amended soil.


This paper proposes an approach to developing agents that can be reused in a number of collaborative applications. It particularly concerns those applications that evolve rapidly over time and need continual reconfiguration. This particularly applies to knowledge intensive processes in virtual environments, which requires quick reconfiguration to make then sustainable. It bases the agents architecture on a collaborative metamodel, which provides the ontology for building reusable software agents within collaborative environments. The paper describes the collaborative metamodel, an example and a prototype implementation and ways to integrate the model with agent systems.


In this talk we present our workflow for the first feature length oil-painted animation movie Loving Vincent. The production involved more than 50 painters, which produced near 64.000 paintings. The magnitude of the project required us to designed new workflows and tools for the artists in order to ease their decision making process and reduce their fatigue. We developed a method to produce animation guidelines from the original filmed footage, designed special work stations, and provide the material in several useful forms to the painters. The result of this pipeline is a unique look for the first movie of its kind. We present the insights we learned during this production and the tools and processes specifically developed for this film.


Tracking the direction of arrival (DOA) of an acoustic source in an impulsive noise environment is a challenging problem due to the non-Gaussian characteristic of the noise process. In this paper, a particle filtering (PF) with fractional lower order moment (FLOM) likelihood model is developed to solve this problem. A constant velocity model is employed to model source dynamics and alpha-stable processes are used to model the impulsive noise environment. Since the second order statistics of alpha-stable processes do not exist, the FLOM matrix of the received array data is used to replace the covariance matrix to formulate a spatial spectra based pseudo likelihood. The likelihood is further exponentially weighted to enhance the weight of particles at high likelihood area and thus reduce the effect due to noise. The simulated experiments show that the proposed PF tracking algorithm significantly outperforms the existing PF as well as the Capon likelihood based PF under different impulsive noise environments.


Algorithms for approximate Bayesian inference, such as
Monte Carlo methods, provide one source of models of how
people may deal with uncertainty in spite of limited cognitive
resources. Here, we model learning as a process of sequential
sampling, or 'particle filtering', and suggest that an individual's
working memory capacity (WMC) may be usefully modelled
in terms of the number of samples, or 'particles', that are
available for inference. The model qualitatively captures two
distinct effects reported recently, namely that individuals with
higher WMC are better able to (i) learn novel categories, and
(ii) flexibly switch between different categorization strategies


The problems associated with the treatment of premature ejaculation are discussed. The types of men who present with premature ejaculation are described. Behavioural procedures and the role played by clomipramine (Anafranil) in the treatment of the condition are mentioned, and a rational approach to treatment is presented.


The sonic data provide significant rock properties that are commonly used for designing the operational programs for drilling, rock fracturing, and development operations. The conventional methods for acquiring the rock sonic data in terms of compressional and shear slowness (ΔTc and ΔTs) are considered costly and time-consuming operations. The target of this paper is to propose machine learning models for predicting the sonic logs from the drilling data in real-time. Decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF) were employed as train-based algorithms for building the sonic prediction models for drilling complex lithology rocks that have limestone, sandstone, shale, and carbonate formations. The input data for the models include the surface drilling parameters to predict the shear and compressional slowness. The study employed data set of 2888 data points for building and testing the model, while another collected 2863 data set was utilized for further validation of the sonic models. Sensitivity investigations were performed for DT and RF models to confirm optimal accuracy. The correlation of coefficient (R) and average absolute percentage error (AAPE) were used to check the models' accuracy between the actual values and models' outputs, in addition to the sonic log profiles. The results indicated that the developed sonic models have a high capability for the sonic prediction from the drilling data as the DT model recorded R higher than 0.967 and AAPE less than 2.76% for ΔTc and ΔTs models, while RF showed R higher than 0.991 with AAPE less than 1.07%. The further validation process for the developed models indicated the great results for the sonic prediction and the RF model outperformed DT models as RF showed R higher than 0.986 with AAPE less than 1.12% while DT prediction recorded R greater than 0.93 with AAPE less than 1.95%. The sonic prediction through the developed models will save the cost and time for acquiring the sonic data through the conventional methods and will provide real-time estimation from the drilling parameters.


The field of bioacoustics is rapidly developing and characterized by diverse methodologies, approaches and aims. For instance, bioacoustics encompasses studies on the perception of pure tones in meticulously controlled laboratory settings, documentation of species' presence and activities using recordings from the field, and analyses of circadian calling patterns in animal choruses. Newcomers to the field are confronted with a vast and fragmented literature, and a lack of accessible reference papers or textbooks. In this paper we contribute towards filling this gap. Instead of a classical list of "dos" and "don'ts", we review some key papers which, we believe, embody best practices in several bioacoustic subfields. In the first three case studies, we discuss how bioacoustics can help identify the 'who', 'where' and 'how many' of animals within a given ecosystem. Specifically, we review cases in which bioacoustic methods have been applied with success to draw inferences regarding species identification, population structure, and biodiversity. In fourth and fifth case studies, we highlight how structural properties in signal evolution can emerge via ecological constraints or cultural transmission. Finally, in a sixth example, we discuss acoustic methods that have been used to infer predator–prey dynamics in cases where direct observation was not feasible. Across all these examples, we emphasize the importance of appropriate recording parameters and experimental design. We conclude by highlighting common best practices across studies as well as caveats about our own overview. We hope our efforts spur a more general effort in standardizing best practices across the subareas we've highlighted in order to increase compatibility among bioacoustic studies and inspire cross-pollination across the discipline.