Inferring human operators' actions in shared collaborative tasks plays a crucial role in enhancing the cognitive capabilities of industrial robots. In all these incipient collaborative robotic applications, humans and robots not only should share space, but also forces and the execution of a task. In this article, we present a robotic system that is able to identify different human's intentions and to adapt its behavior consequently, only employing force data. In order to accomplish this aim, three major contributions are presented: (a) a force based operator's intention recognition system based on data from only two users; (b) a force based dataset of physical human–robot interaction; and (c) validation of the whole system with 15 people in a scenario inspired by a realistic industrial application. This work is an important step towards a more natural and user-friendly manner of physical human–robot interaction in scenarios where humans and robots collaborate in the accomplishment of a task.


Biofouling by marine organisms such as algae and barnacles causes lots of significant problems in marine systems such as a rise of the maintenance-repair cost for the ship and the marine structures. In this work, a fluoropolymer, perfluoropolyether (PFPE), was applied as an anti-biofouling coating material that prevents the adhesion of marine organisms and facilitates the removal of them. Water contact angles of various surfaces were tested to examine the hydrophobicity of the PFPE-modified surface. The PFPE-modified surface showed the water contact angle of which is a remarkable rise from of amine-treated surface. When the substrate was treated with PFPE, the adhesion on the of the barnacle and other marine organisms were repressed around 15% by the enhanced hydrophobicity. In addition, the removal the of the adhered marine organisms were better comparing to that of the surface prepared by PDMS. Surfaces of the substrate treated by PFPE were characterized through physical and chemical methods to analyze the biofouling results. Degree of biomolecular adhesion to the substrate was quantified by the measurement the fluorescence intensity of marine organisms dyed with green fluorescence. PFPE is expected to be applicable not only to anti-biofouling systems but also to medical devices where the prevention of protein adhesion is required.


AbstractAfrican immigrants are arguably the most underserved subgroup within the United States. They have to date been largely ignored by researchers and public health agencies. While the number of African immigrants is relatively small they are one of the fastest growing groups in the United States and are likely to change the demographic makeup of the black American population. Even as there has been growing interest in African immigrant groups, existing literature does not recognize the heterogeneity within this diverse population. The result is an incomplete understanding of the factors that influence health, access and utilization of services among African immigrant groups.In this thesis, the dynamics of social and economic mobility of African immigrants' are examined to determine what effect they have on their ability to gain access to much needed public health services. Additionally, and of particular relevance to public health, factors that enable acclimation and quicken opportunities for social and economic mobility are discussed as they are predictors for health care access and utilization in both the short and long term. Results from a search of published research shows that inadequate acclimation to the various US systems can result in a protracted immigrant period and delayed economic and social incorporation. The result is reduced access and utilization of health and social services. Evident in the literature is the need for comprehensive immigration programs accompanied by educational curricula that facilitate the highest level of acclimation thereby enhancing knowledge, opportunities for economic mobility, access and utilization of health and social services. Recommendations are given to quicken immigrant acclimation and improve access and utilization of health and social services.


Situating itself in current debates over the international legal archive, this article delves into the material and conceptual implications of architecture for international law. To do so I trace the architectural developments of international law's organizational and administrative spaces during the early to mid twentieth century. These architectural endeavours unfolded in three main stages: the years 1922–1926, during which the International Labour Organization (ILO) building, the first building exclusively designed for an international organization was constructed; the years 1927–1937 which saw the great polemic between modernist and classical architects over the building of the Palace of Nations; and the years 1947–1952, with the triumph of modernism, represented by the UN Headquarters in New York. These events provide an illuminating allegorical insight into the physical manifestation, modes of self-expression, and transformation of international law during this era, particularly the relationship between international law and the function and role of international organizations.


A framework is proposed for generating interesting, musically similar variations of a given monophonic melody. The focus is on pop/rock guitar and bass guitar melodies with the aim of eventual extensions to other instruments and musical styles. It is demonstrated here how learning musical style from segmented audio data can be formulated as an unsupervised learning problem to generate a symbolic representation. A melody is first segmented into a sequence of notes using onset detection and pitch estimation. A set of hierarchical, coarse-to-fine symbolic representations of the melody is generated by clustering pitch values at multiple similarity thresholds. The variance ratio criterion is then used to select the appropriate clustering levels in the hierarchy. Note onsets are aligned with beats, considering the estimated meter of the melody, to create a sequence of symbols that represent the rhythm in terms of onsets/rests and the metrical locations of their occurrence. A joint representation based on the cross-product of the pitch cluster indices and metrical locations is used to train the prediction model, a variable-length Markov chain. The melodies generated by the model were evaluated through a questionnaire by a group of experts, and received an overall positive response.


Self-rated health is a powerful predictor of long-term health, but relatively little is known about what determines an individual's rating of her perceived health status. Psychoneuroimmunological research has found links between immune activity and behaviour, and a relation between low-grade inflammation and poor self-rated health, primarily in women. The principal aim of this paper was to examine the relation between self-rated health and inflammation, measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), in young men. A secondary objective was to investigate whether self-rated health and ESR may be associated to mortality. Pearson correlation and Cox regression analyses were used to examine data collected in 1969-70 when 49,321 men underwent military conscription, together with information from the national cause of death register in 2006. Background factors (BMI, emotional control, psychiatric diagnosis and smoking) were included in multivariate analyses. The results show that self-rated health was significantly related to ESR (r=0.08, p<0.001), also after control for background factors. Furthermore, subjects with poor self-rated health had a near two-fold increased risk of mortality during 37 years of follow-up. In addition, ESR was a significant predictor of mortality (beta=0.051, p<0.002). To conclude, in this cohort of young, healthy men, the association between self-rated health and inflammation was significant but modest. Instead, low emotional control showed a stronger independent correlation to poor self-rated health (r=-0.284, p<0.001). Moreover, adding to a growing body of evidence, poor self-rated health was a strong predictor of mortality.


This paper will present the results of an empirical study on the implementation of electronic learning in lower primary school classes (ELLPSC).The crucial goal of electronic learning is to enable children to learn more effectively, to be in charge of their learning process and to start learning throughresearch, to develop lesson plans on their own and to be encouraged to exchange information within the learning group; moreover, electronic learning should provide more effective feedback on learning success.The research started from the general assumption that electronic learning significantly influences the effectiveness of lower primary school classes, and it encourages thestudents to learn and participate in the classroom.Specific assumptions have been made that this research would determine that university students do not have sufficient knowledge to use ELLPSC and that there is a correlation between thesestudents' opinion about the contribution of electronic learning to the effectiveness of lower primary school classes, as well as to the learning and participation of primary school students in the classroom, and the academic success in their studies so far.In order to confirm this, a survey was conductedin the second half of 2019, on a sample of 105 students -future lower primary school teachers, at the Teachers' training faculty in Prizren (Republic of Serbia), which is presented in this paper.The data collected by using the ELLPSC Scale (? = .824) were analysed by using descriptive statistics and linear correlation.Descriptive statistics has shown that university students generally believe that they have medium knowledge of ELLPSC, as stated by 59 of them (56.20%), while 46 students (43.80%) felt that they had insufficient knowledge of ELLPSC.Linear correlation has identified a strong and positive correlation between the university students' opinion about the contribution of electronic learning to the effectiveness of lower primary school classes, as well as to the learning and participation of primary school students in the classroom, and the academicsuccess in their studies so far: r = .972; n = 105; p = .000, r? = .945; d = 94.478%cv.Based on the critical comparative analyzes presented in this paper, and the results of the empirical research, along with considering the didactic and methodological practice in the Republic of Serbia where electronic learning is still not used sufficiently, it was suggested that the ELLPSC should be more efficient (Table4; Graph 2).


In this paper we analyse the effect of a cutoff transaction size on the average inventory cost in a simple newsboy setting. It is assumed that customers with an order larger than a prespecified cutoff transaction size are satisfied in an alternative way, against additional cost. For compound Poisson demand with discrete order sizes, we show how to determine the average cost and an optimal cutoff transaction size. Because the computational effort to calculate the exact cost is quite large, we also consider an approximate model. By approximating the distribution of the total demand during a period by the normal distribution one can determine an expression for the average cost function that solely depends on the cutoff transaction size. A significant advantage of this approximation is that we can solve problems of any size. The quality of using the normal approximation is evaluated through a number of numerical experiments, which show that the approximate results are satisfactory.


The effect of two inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis, triparanol and AY 9944, on peripheral nerve myelination, was studied. Suckling mice were intraperitoneally injected with both drugs on 3 consecutive days and were sacrificed 6 hr after the last injection; others were suckled by an injected mother and sacrificed at 2½ days of age. A single mouse which had been injected with both drugs at 1, 2, and 3 days of age was sacrificed 2 wk after the last injection. Membranous and crystalline intracytoplasmic inclusions were observed in the Schwann cells of the sciatic nerves of all the experimental animals. Both the number of unmyelinated single axons and the number of myelin lamellae around each myelinating axon in the sciatic nerves were recorded for treated mice and of mice suckled by treated mothers. The sciatic nerve of the experimental mice contained a larger proportion of unmyelinated single axons and smaller numbers of myelin lamellae around the myelinating axons, when compared with age-matched controls. The results suggest that a decrease of endogenous cholesterol in suckling mice may affect peripheral nerve myelination in two ways: by retarding the "triggering" of myelination in unmyelinated axons and by decreasing the rate of myelination already in progress.


Two key advancements in improving the quality of primary care have been practice-based research networks (PBRNs) and Project Extension for Community Health care Outcomes (ECHO). PBRNs advance quality through research and transformation projects, often using practice facilitation. Project ECHO uses case-based telementoring to support community clinicians to deliver best-practice care. Although some PBRNs sponsor ECHO programs, the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN) has created a statewide network for ECHO programs (Oregon ECHO Network [OEN]). We facilitated a unique funding stream for the OEN by partnering with payers and health systems. The purpose of this article is to share our experience of how OEN programs and ORPRN research and transformation projects enhance practice recruitment and retention and improve financial stability. We describe the synergy between ORPRN projects and ECHO programs using 3 examples: tobacco cessation, chronic pain and opioid prescribing, and diabetes management. We highlight challenges and opportunities in these examples, beginning with their development, their implementation, and their ultimate alignment, despite varied funding streams and timelines. We believe that incorporating the OEN within ORPRN has been a success for both PBRN research and Project ECHO programs, allowing us to better support primary care practices across the state.


Food waste occurs when food is ready for consumption but not consumed. Food waste has considerable social, economic and environmental impacts. Even though it has become a global concern, no comprehensive studies on food waste in Kenya is available. This study sought to establish the sociodemographic determinants of households' food waste in Garissa sub-county, in Garissa County, Kenya. A total of 165 consumers were involved in the study. Bakery products were the most wasted. The per capita food wasted was 6.1 kg/person/year or approximately 5.1 tonnes (equivalent to 39,352,110 Kcal) for Garissa County. At a per capita consumption of 2360 Kcal/ person/day, the food wasted was enough to feed 16,674 people for one day. Males were more wasteful than females. Food waste was higher in households: headed by people aged 25 – 34 years; with higher income; with urban residency and with large sizes. Annually, Kshs 9600 (US$96) per household was lost from the wasted food translating to a loss of Kshs 1.4 billion (US$ 13.6 million) from the 141,353 households in Garissa County. With guidance and good policies, food waste can be managed since the majority of the consumers were concerned about food waste and had intentions to reduce it.


In lower vertebrates, cone retinomotor movements occur in response to changes in lighting conditions and to an endogenous circadian clock. In the light, cone myoids contract, while in the dark, they elongate. In order to test the hypothesis that melatonin and dopamine may be involved in the regulation of cone movement, we have used an in vitro eyecup preparation from Xenopus laevis that sustains light- and dark- adaptive cone retinomotor movement. Melatonin mimics darkness by causing cone elongation. Dark- and melatonin-induced cone elongation are blocked by dopamine. Dopamine also stimulates cone contraction in dark-adapted eyecups. The effect of dopamine appears to be mediated specifically by a dopamine receptor, possibly of the D2 type. The dopamine agonist apomorphine and the putative D2 agonist LY171555 induced cone contraction. In contrast, the putative D1 agonist SKF38393- A and specific alpha 1-, alpha 2-, and beta-adrenergic receptor agonists were without effect. Furthermore, the dopamine antagonist spiroperidol not only blocked light-induced cone contraction, but also stimulated cone elongation in the light. These results suggest that dopamine is part of the light signal for cone contraction, and that its suppression is part of the dark signal for cone elongation. Melatonin may affect cone movement indirectly through its influence on the dopaminergic system.


Development in industry is asking for improved resolution and higher accuracy in mechanical measurement. Together with miniaturization the demand for sub nanometer uncertainty on dimensional metrology is increasing rapidly. Displacement laser interferometers are used widely as precision displacement measuring systems. This thesis describes the error sources which should be considered when measuring with these systems with (sub-)nanometer uncertainty, along with possible methods to overcome these errors. Whenconsidering interferometricdisplacementmeasurementswithnanometer uncertainty over small distances (below 1 mm) the measurements are influenced by periodic deviations originating frompolarizationmixing. Inmeasurements with nanometer uncertainty over larger distances this errormay become negligible compared to errors introduced by the refractive index changes of the medium in which the measurement takes place. In order to investigate the effect of periodic deviations, models were developed and tested. A model based on Jones matrices enables the prediction of periodic deviations originating from errors in optical alignment and polarization errors of the components of the interferometer. In order to enable the incorporation of polarization properties of components used in interferometers, different measurement setups are discussed. Novel measurement setups are introduced to measure the polarization properties of a heterodyne laser head used in the interferometer system. Based on ellipsometry a setup is realized to measure the polarization properties of the optical components of the laser interferometer. With use of measurements carried out with these setups and the model it can be concluded that periodic deviations originating from different error sources can not be superimposed, as interaction exists whichmay cause partial compensation. To examine the correctness of the predicted periodic deviations an entire interferometer system was placed on a traceable calibration setup based on a Fabry-P´erot interferometer. This system enables a calibration with an uncertainty of 0,94 nm over a range of 300 µm. Prior to this measurement the polarization properties of the separate components were measured to enable a good prediction of periodic deviations with the model. The measurements compared to the model revealed a standard deviation of 0,14 nm for small periodic deviations and a standard deviation of 0,3 nm for periodic deviations viii 0. ABSTRACT with amplitudes of several nanometers. As a result the Jones model combined with the setups for measurement of the polarization properties form a practical tool for designers of interferometer systems and optical components. This tool enables the designer to choose the right components and alignment tolerances for a practical setup with (sub-)nanometer uncertainty specifications. A second traceable calibration setup based on a Fabry-P´erot cavity was developed and built. Compared to the existing setup it has a higher sensitivity, smaller range and improved uncertainty of 0,24 nm over a range of 1 µm, and 0,40 nm over a range of 6 µm. To improve the uncertainty of existing laser interferometer systems a new compensation method for heterodyne laser interferometerswas proposed. It is based on phase quadraturemeasurement in combination with a compensation algorithm based on Heydemann's compensation which is used frequently in homodyne interferometry. The system enables a compensation of periodic deviations with an amplitude of 8 nm down to an uncertainty of 0,2 nm. From measurements it appears that ghost reflections occurring in the optical system of the interferometer cannot be compensated by this method. Regarding the refractive index of air three measurement methods were compared. The three empirical equations which can be found in literature, an absolute refractometer based on a commercial interferometer and a newly developed tracker system based on a Fabry-P´erot cavity. The tracker was tested to investigate the feasibility of the method for absolute refractometry with improved uncertainty. The developed tracker had a relative uncertainty of 8 ·10-10. The comparison revealed some temperature effectswhich cannot be explained yet. However the results of the comparison indicate that an absolute refractometer based on a Fabry-P´erot cavity will improve the uncertainty of refractive index measurement compared to existing methods.


Three hundred eighty-four premature infants were examined by indirect ophthalmoscopy in a period of 38 months. Sixty-eight were found to have some degree of retrolental fibroplasia. Most pathologic changes resolved spontaneously to normal or near normal. A classification was formulated, based on peripheral vascular changes, to enable observers to interpret and quantitate the amount of disease present. The role of the ophtalmologist in the perinatal intensive care nursery is not to dictate the amount of oxygen administration during the acute phase of respiratory distress syndrome but to monitor peripheral fundus and posterior vascular changes of infants of low birth weight, or who have received oxygen, or both, at a time that is not detrimental to the health of the infant. To evaluate the possible indications and efficacy of surgical intervention, an understanding of the natural course of the disease process is mandatory.


The Field. Location and general Features .—The Mannington oil field is situated in Marion county, West Virginia, on the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio railway. It is an extension of the Mount Morris (Pennsylvania) field, which begins just north of the West Virginia state line and trends in a belt of varying width southwestward across Marion and Monongalia counties to the edge of Harrison county. Dolls run, Pedlars run, Jakes run, Fairview and Mods run are centers of development along the belt, which as now defined is from half a mile to three miles wide and about 35 miles long. The cross section on the accompanying map (plate 6) shows that the oil belt in question is found on the western slope of the Indiana anticline, and is from 15 to 20 miles distant from the great axis of Chestnut ridge. The dip is northwestward, and varies from . . .


1. Observation of movements of the metathoracic legs of the cockroach before and after section of peripheral nerves allowed identification of muscles involved in flexion and extension of the femur. 2. Extracellular recordings from the nerves to these coxal muscles show that during rhythmic leg movements bursts of activity in a number of levator motor axons were strongly reciprocal and generally non-overlapping with those of a slow depressor motor axon. 3. These reciprocal patterns persisted after removal of all sensory input from the legs. 4. The durations of levator bursts were relatively constant compared to those of the depressor, corresponding to the behavioural observations on leg protraction time. The pattern was asymmetric: levator bursts could be generated without depressor activity, but never the reverse. 5. No evidence was found for inhibitory collateral pathways between antagonist motoneurones. 6. It is proposed that levator motoneurones are driven by a group of bursting interneurones which simultaneously inhibit the ongoing depressor activity.


Uncontrolled postprandial hyperglycaemia increases the risk of vascular diabetic complications. One of the therapeutic approaches to control postprandial hyperglycaemia is by inhibiting a-amylase and a-glucosidase enzymes activity. In this study, 50 extracts from 23 Malaysian tropical plants were assayed for a-amylase and a-glucosidase inhibitory activities. A microscale a-amylase inhibition assay was optimized and established based on method previously described by Hasenah et ah (2006). In comparison with the previous method, the microscale assay is simple and consists of less steps, can screen up to 22 samples at a time, decrease consumption of chemicals up to 400 % and produced reliable results. Screening of 23 Malaysian tropical plants using method described by Haseanah et al. (2006) found eight plant species demonstrated potent a-amylase inhibitory activity. The plants were Burkillantus malaccensis (stem), Horsfieldia polyspherula (leaves and stem), Knema glauca (leaves and stem), Labisia pumila (leaves and root) and Phyllantus pulcher (stem). The IC50 values of these extracts ranging from 1.17 to 2.78 |ag/mL. Six plant species may be classified as strong a-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging from 3.4 to 6.1 jag/mL. The plants were Gironniera parvifolia (stem), K polyspherula (leave and stem), K. glauca (leaves and stem), Leea indica (root), P. pulcher (leaves and stem), Rothmannia schoemannii (stem). Extracts of P. pulcher (stem), K. glauca (leaves and stem) and H. polyspherula (leaves and stem) showed potent inhibitory activities against both enzymes. The leaves and stem extracts of K. glauca (Penarahan) belonging to family Myristicaceae were selected and examined further for cytotoxicity and in vivo antidiabetic properties. The leaves and stem extracts exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against normal cell lines of WRL-68 (human liver) with CC50 values of 26.55 and 89.49 |ig/mL, respectively. The leaves and stem extracts showed moderate cytotoxicity towards normal cell lines of Vero (African green monkey kidney) with CC50 values of 32.76 and 52.05 |ig/ml, respectively. Oral starch tolerance test in normal and diabetic rats showed the leaves extract at all doses (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly reduced (PO.05) blood glucose level. The similar test showed the stem extract significantly reduced blood glucose level in normal and diabetic rats at dose of 500 mg/kg. Oral sucrose tolerant test showed the leaves extract at dose of 500 mg/kg significantly suppressed (PO.05) blood glucose level in normal rats. Oral glucose tolerance test showed the leaves extract at all doses (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly suppressed (PO.05) blood glucose level in normal rats. In diabetic rats, the extract at dose of 500 mg/kg reduced blood glucose level significantly. The stem extract demonstrated significant reduction of blood glucose level in normal and diabetic rats at a single dose 500 mg/kg. In a 2-week antidiabetic experiment showed the leaves and stem extracts did not show significant effects on fasting blood glucose level and body weight. This study revealed the potential of K. glauca extracts to control postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic management.


Abstract Is infant looking behavior in ambiguous situations best described in terms of information seeking (social referencing) or as attachment behavior? Twelve-month-old infants were assigned to 1 of 2 conditions (Study 1); each infant's mother provided positive information about an ambiguous toy and an experimenter provided positive information. In Study 2, 12-month-old infants were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: mother provided positive information about the toy, mother was inattentive, or mother provided negative information; the experimenter was inattentive. The infants preferred to look at the experimenter in almost all conditions and they regulated their behavior in accordance with information obtained from the experimenter. None of the studies lends support for an explanation in terms of behaviors deriving from the attachment system, and they raise questions concerning social referencing interpretations of infants' looking behavior. Other alternatives for explaining infant looking behavior in soc...


Global aluminum demand is anticipated to triple by 2050, by which time global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are advised to be cut 50-85% to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. To explore mitigation strategies systematically, a dynamic material flow model was developed to simulate the stocks and flows of the U.S. aluminum cycle and analyze the corresponding GHG emissions. Theoretical and realistic reduction potentials were identified and quantified. The total GHG emissions for the U.S. aluminum cycle in 2006 amount to 38 Mt CO(2)-equivalence. However, the U.S. has increasingly relied on imports of aluminum embodied in various products. The in-use stock is still growing fast in most product categories, which limits current scrap availability for recycling and emissions saving. Nevertheless, there is still large emission mitigation potential through recycling. The potentials from "100% old scrap collection" and "low emission energy" were each calculated to be higher than all process technology potential. Total emissions will decrease dramatically and mitigation priorities will change significantly under a stock saturation situation as much more old scrap becomes available for recycling. The nature of in-use stock development over the coming decades will be decisive for the aluminum industry to reach deeper emission cuts.


New crown ether ligands of Schiff base type (4-11) have been synthesised by the reaction of two equivalents of henzalde-hyde, 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, 5-methoxy-2-hydroxyhenzaldehyde, 5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 5-nitro-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde or 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde with 2,3,5,6-di[4-aminobenzo]-1,7,10,13-tetraoxacyclopentadeca-2,5-dien (3). The ligand 2,3,5,6-di[4-N-(salicylidene)benzo]-1,7,10,13-tetraoxacyclopentadeca-2,5-dien (5) reacts with Mn I I , Fe I I , Co I I , Ni I I , Cu I I and Zn I I to yield 1 : 1 metal-ligand complexes. The structures of ligands and complexes have been investigated by elemental analysis, IR, UV-visible, 1 H NMR and 1 3 C NMR data. The tetradentate nature of the ligands is inferred from IR spectra. The UV-visible spectral data suggest octahedral geometry for metal complexes. The antimicrobial activities and yeast cultures of the ligands and metal complexes have been screened in vitro against the organisms Escherichia coli ATCC 11230, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 P, Bacillus cereus ATCC 7064, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 8427, Salmonella typhimurium DSM 554, Corynebacterium xerosis ATCC 373 and Hanseniaspora guilliermondii DSM 3432, Rhodotorula rubra DSM 70403 and Kluyveromyces fragilis ATCC 8608. The metal complexes are more fungitoxic than the free ligand.


There have been persistent interests in high performance actuators suitable for the actuation of control surfaces of small aircraft and helicopter blades and for active vibration control of aerospace and submarine structures that require high specific force and displacement. What really needed for active actuation is a large-displacement actuator with a compact source, i.e., much higher strain. A lot of effort has been made to develop better actuators with large displacement at a high force. LIPCA was introduced by Yoon et al as an improved actuator with enhanced performance. The LIPCA design offers the advantages to be applied as actuator for the small aerial vehicle comparing with any other actuators. The weight is one of the main concerns for aerospace field, and since LIPCA has lighter weight than any other piezo-actuator thus it is suitable as actuator for small air robot (SAR) control surface. In this paper, a conceptual design of LIPCA-actuated control surface is introduced. A finite element model was constructed and analyzed to predict the deflection angle of the control surface. The hinge moment that produced by the aerodynamic forces was calculated to determine the optimum position of the hinge point, which could produce the deflection as high as possible with reasonable hinge moment. To verify the prediction, a prototype of SAR control surface was manufactured and tested both in static condition and in the wind tunnel. The prediction and test results showed a good agreement for the control surface deflection angle.


The timeless and efficient vehicle data transmission are the two common requirements for the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), especially the Unnamed Aircraft Vehicle (UAV)-aided Vehicular Edge Computing (VEC) network. Moreover, since the Age of Information (AoI) performance greatly influences these two indicators, data quality should be guaranteed in vehicle communication. However, few researchers pay attention to the AoI performance optimization issue regarding wireless resource constraint, transmission interference, and vehicle cooperation in recent years. To close this research gap, we propose an AoI-oriented channel access strategy in the UAV-aided VEC network from the game theory viewpoint. Firstly, the UAV-aided VEC network model and edge computing-based AoI expression are established and derived in the closed form, respectively. Subsequently, we transform the AoI minimization problem into an AoI-based channel access issue from the game theory viewpoint. Moreover, the stochastic learning-based algorithm is proposed to find the Nash Equilibrium (NE) solution of the formulated problem. Finally, simulation results evaluate the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, where our scheme can achieve the better AoI value compared with baselines.


This article focuses on the dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Euro pean Union based on "common values" (legal sphere and the rule of law), which form the framework for the EU-Russia "common spaces" — on the economy, free dom, security and justice, as well as in the field of research and education (inclu ding cultural aspects). The author analyses the current state of the EU-Russia dia logue (section 1), East-West cooperation in the framework of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (section 2), and the position of the Council of Europe member states on the European Court for Human Rights (section 3). The author comes to a conclusion that the concept of "common values" is to a great degree fictitious, and its viability depends on whether Russia behaves as a European country. The complete internalisation of democratic values, human rights, and good governance is still unattainable for the Russian Federation, which uses the platform of common values predominantly to achieve strategic goals (section 4).


In this paper, the temporal and spatial variations of Fe and Mn in the water column and in the sediments of Arha Reservoir are analysed. The distributions of Fe and Mn concentration s with dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and SO^ ~ are discussed. The leaching and releasing potentials of Fe and Mn in the reservoir surroundings are experimented and calculated. The variation of Fe and Mn in the reservoir are found to have significant seasonal features. The oxido-reduction cycling of Fe and Mn on the sediment-water interface is the important mechanism for the seasonal changes in the concentration of Fe and Mn in the reservoir.


Abstract There is compelling evidence to believe that some gold ornaments in the South Mexican International Style found outside the Basin of Mexico, or without provenience, were made by goldsmiths in the urban centers of the Aztec empire, rather than by the Mixtec artisans to whom they are commonly attributed. The weight of gold dust and bullion recorded as tribute to the Aztec rulers in the Codex Mendoza and other sources was sufficient to produce 22,000–27,000 small and medium-sized ornaments annually, implying a large number of goldworkers in these urban centers. Ethnohistorical documents indicate that many gold ornaments were given to provincial leaders by Aztec rulers who used gifts of luxury items as an important part of their diplomatic strategies, and political patronage system; many more were exported by means of long-distance trade.


The Sensor Web vision refers to the addition of a middleware layer between sensors and applications. To bridge the gap between these two layers, Sensor Web systems must deal with heterogeneous sources, which produce heterogeneous observations of disparate quality. Managing such diversity at the application level can be complex and requires high levels of expertise from application developers. Moreover, as an information-centric system, any Sensor Web should provide support for Quality of Observation (QoO) requirements. In practice, however, only few Sensor Webs provide satisfying QoO support and are able to deliver high-quality observations to end consumers in a specific manner. This survey aims to study why and how observation quality should be addressed in Sensor Webs. It proposes three original contributions. First, it provides important insights into quality dimensions and proposes to use the QoO notion to deal with information quality within Sensor Webs. Second, it proposes a QoO-oriented review of 29 Sensor Web solutions developed between 2003 and 2016, as well as a custom taxonomy to characterise some of their features from a QoO perspective. Finally, it draws four major requirements required to build future adaptive and QoO-aware Sensor Web solutions.


The article presents an analysis on the budget balance as a key indicator of the fiscal sector processes. The text considers different techniques for its funding - from the fiscal reserve and via government debt. Total government revenues and expenditures, with their respective structure and trend patterns, are revealed as determinants of the budget balance. It is on this basis that major problems in the formation of government revenues and expenditures, which illustrate the dynamics of the budget balance, are highlighted. The structure of public budgets is a focal point in the analysis, which helps elaborate on factors generating surpluses (government budget and relations with the EU) and deficits - the municipal and social security sectors. This perspective allows us to consider the total budget deficit as a result of the inability of government budget deficits and relations with the EU to cover the deficits of municipalities and social security. Finally the analysis concentrates on the structure and current issues with tax revenues. The economic effects of income taxes are brought to the fore, as it is believed that they directly affect economic activity and economic growth. A strategy presenting a step by step solution to the issues discussed throughout the analysis of the fiscal sector is put forth.


Soil surface roughness (SSR) and porosity were evaluated from soils located in two farms belonging to the Plant Breeding Institute of the University of Sidney. The sites differ in their soil management practices; the first site (PBI) was strip-tilled during early fall (May 2010), and the second site (JBP) was under power harrowed tillage at the end of July 2010. Both sites were sampled in mid-August. At each location, SSR was measured for three 1 m2 subplots using shadow analysis. To evaluate porosity and aggregation, soil samples were scanned using X-ray computed tomography with 5 μm resolution. The results show a strong negative correlation between SSR and porosity, 20.13% SSR and 41.38% porosity at PBI versus 42.00% SSR and 18.35% porosity at JBP. However, soil images show that when soil surface roughness is higher due to conservation and soil management practices, the processes of macroaggregation and structural porosity are enhanced. Further research must be conducted on SSR and porosity in different types of soils, as they provide complementary information on the evaluation of soil erosion susceptibility.


The effect of the test gas on the flow field around a 120degrees apex angle blunt cone has been investigated in a shock tunnel at a nominal Mach number of 5.75. The shock standoff distance around the blunt cone was measured by an electrical discharge technique using both carbon dioxide and air as test gases. The forebody laminar convective heat transfer to the blunt cone was measured with platinum thin-film sensors in both air and carbon dioxide environments. An increase of 10 to 15% in the measured heat transfer values was observed with carbon dioxide as the test gas in comparison to air. The measured thickness of the shock layer along the stagnation streamline was 3.57 +/- 0.17 mm in air and 3.29 +/- 0.26 mm in carbon dioxide. The computed thickness of the shock layer for air and carbon dioxide were 3.98 mm and 3.02 mm, respectively. The observed increase in the measured heat transfer rates in carbon dioxide compared to air was due to the higher density ratio across the bow shock wave and the reduced shock layer thickness.


There is now sufficient work in the literature on emotional intelligence to suggest that this construct or series of constructs deserves serious attention, but several questions remain as to adequate construct validation as well as to the emergence and development of these constructs. There is a need to conduct convergent and divergent validity studies on a midlife sample that is likely to show the optimal level of differentiation of the new constructs. The reference domain of cognitive intelligence should be constructed in a multiple-construct manner, and the validation procedure should use confirmatory factor analysis and P. S. Dwyer's (1937) extension method. Once properly validated, there is a need to study the emergence, age differences, and age changes in the level and structure of emotional intelligence. A paradigm that investigates the invariance of factor structure across age and uses the model of differentiation-dedifferentiation would be useful for this purpose.


Airborne videography can be an effective tool for assessing the effects of catastrophic events on forest conditions. However, there is some question about the appropriate sampling intensity to use, especially when trying to develop correlations with probabilistic data sets such as are assembled through the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) surveys. We used airborne videography to assess damage to forest resources by Hurricane Andrew and the catastrophic February 8-1 1, 1994, ice storm; but, those efforts were limited by the absence of a direct link between video imagery and FIA field plots. In this study, we used the 1994 ice storm in northern Mississippi to test bias and accuracy at two sampling intensities-14.5by 14.5-km spacing (square) and a 14.5by 1.6-km spacing (rectangular). Results showed that the square pattern resulted in less biased estimates of damage. We suggest that this bias would be lessened fbrther if sampling was made on the 4.8-ktn sample grid of FIA data points. We assert that bias could be eliminated if imagery was acquired directly over FIA plots.


Diabetes is a common condition characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. High blood sugar primarily affects cells that have a limited capacity to regulate their glucose intake. These cells include capillary endothelial cells in the retina, mesangial cells in the renal glomerulus, Schwann cells, and neurons of the peripheral and central nervous systems. As a result, hyperglycemia leads to largely intractable complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, hypertension, and neuropathy. Diabetic pain neuropathy is a complex and multifactorial disease that has been associated with poor glycemic control, longer diabetes duration, hypertension, advanced age, smoking status, hypoinsulinemia, and dyslipidemia. While many of the driving factors involved in diabetic pain are still being investigated, they can be broadly classified as either neuron -intrinsic or -extrinsic. In neurons, hyperglycemia impairs the polyol pathway, leading to an overproduction of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, an enhanced formation of advanced glycation end products, and a disruption in Na+/K+ ATPase pump function. In terms of the extrinsic pathway, hyperglycemia leads to the generation of both overactive microglia and microangiopathy. The former incites a feed-forward inflammatory loop that hypersensitizes nociceptor neurons, as observed at the onset of diabetic pain neuropathy. The latter reduces neurons' access to oxygen, glucose and nutrients, prompting reductions in nociceptor terminal expression and losses in sensation, as observed in the later stages of diabetic pain neuropathy. Overall, microglia can be seen as potent and long-lasting amplifiers of nociceptor neuron activity, and may therefore constitute a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of diabetic pain neuropathy.


It has been shown that microscopic Lock-in-Thermography ( LiT) can be used for localization of electrical active defects like shorts and resistive opens in integrated circuits. This paper deals with the application of LiT for non-destructive failure analysis of fully packaged single and multi chip devices. In this case inner hot spots generated by the electrical defects typically can not be imaged directly because the mold compound or adhesives above are not IR transparent. Inner hot spots can only be detected by measuring the corresponded temperature field at the device surface. By means of failed and test devices will be shown, that LiT is sensitive enough to measure such temperature fields. In addition to the lateral localization of inner hot spots its depth can also be determined by measuring the phase shift between the electrical excitation and the thermal response at the device surface. Furthermore, the influence of the lock-in-frequency and mold compound thickness to lateral resolution and signal to noise ratio will be discussed. Using real failed single chip and stacked die devices two analysis flows were demonstrated to locate inner defects.


This paper presents a new classification technique of continuous EEG recordings, based on a network of spiking neurons. Human EEG signals published on the BCI Competition website were used for the study. The signals were pre-processed using Wavelet Transform to remove the noise and to extract the low frequency content. Analysis of the signals was performed on the ensemble EEG and the task of the neural network was to identify the P300 component in the signal. The network employed leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons as nodes in a multi-layered structure. The method involved formation of multiple weak classifiers to perform voting. Collective results are used for final classification. Results have shown the method to perform better than a genetic algorithm approach to the same problem.


From the Document: The equation is simple: we cannot effectively respond to a global pandemic when millions of people are still caught in warzones We cannot treat sick people when hospitals are being bombed, or prevent the spread of coronavirus when tens of millions are forced to flee from violence We must have a global ceasefire, and we must put our collective resources behind making that ceasefire a reality Armistices;COVID-19 (Disease);Peace;Violence--Prevention


We present an information-theoretic method to measure the similarity between a given set of observed, real-world data and visual simulation technique for aggregate crowd motions of a complex system consisting of many individual agents. This metric uses a two-step process to quantify a simulator's ability to reproduce the collective behaviors of the whole system, as observed in the recorded real-world data. First, Bayesian inference is used to estimate the simulation states which best correspond to the observed data, then a maximum likelihood estimator is used to approximate the prediction errors. This process is iterated using the EM-algorithm to produce a robust, statistical estimate of the magnitude of the prediction error as measured by its entropy (smaller is better). This metric serves as a simulator-to-data similarity measurement. We evaluated the metric in terms of robustness to sensor noise, consistency across different datasets and simulation methods, and correlation to perceptual metrics.


A 4/spl times/64 pixel 3-D CMOS imager based on time-of-flight (TOF) has been developed and successfully tested. The measurement range is up to 8 m with resolution of 1 cm. The scene depth is determined by measurement of the travel time of reflected laser pulses by employing a fast on-chip synchronous shutter (maximum shutter speed 30 ns). The multiple double short time integration (MDSI) algorithm enables suppression of the background illumination and correction for reflectance variations in the scene objects. The pixel size is 130/spl times/300 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. The sensor chip has been realized in a 0.5-/spl mu/m n-well standard CMOS process.


A traveler to Florence is all eyes. This city at the center of Machiavelli's political thinking is a world of architecture, sculpture, and painting. There is no choice but to embrace the visual. The student who encounters The Prince may not have walked through the streets of Florence, yet teachers of political theory can direct students to the visual aspects of his text. As a literary scholar interested in visual culture and a political theorist respectively, we propose an integration of iconographical and close textual readings. We model this multidisciplinary approach for the concepts of prudence, parsimony, liberality, and fortune by showing how the meaning of politicized concepts becomes intelligible through the study of allegorical images. We offer teachers a terminology for interpreting the text through its images. An embedded link offers access to a store of images relevant to the study of The Prince.


This study provides evidence that strong kin networks are detrimental for democratic participatory institutions and that the medieval Catholic Church's marriage regulations dissolved Europe's clan-based kin networks, which contributed to the emergence of participatory institutions. I show that weak ancestral kin networks are positively associated with ethnicities' democratic traditions in the past and countries' democracy scores today. At the same time, medieval Church exposure predicts weak kin networks across countries, European regions and ethnicities. In a historical difference-in-difference analysis, I provide evidence that exposure to the Church contributed to the formation of medieval communes – self-governed cities with participatory institutions. Moreover, within Christian Europe, stricter regional and temporal marriage prohibitions are associated with commune formation. Lastly, I shed light on one mechanism, civicness, and show that weak kin networks are associated with more political participation.


In this paper we examine the influence of spatial dependence on the estimation of the effect of standard measures of agglomeration on local growth. The hypothesis is that the forces of agglomeration do not use up their effects inside a single local area but extend to wider geographic areas, particularly on the adjacent territories. To account for these spatial effects, we propose a modification of the traditional agglomeration index, suggested by Maurel and Sedillot (1999), including both agglomeration of economic activity within an area and neighbour effects, that is, the effect of agglomeration that comes from neighbouring areas. In the empirical exercise we compute the a-spatial and the spatial indices for the set of Sicilian local labour systems (LLSs) using 21 manufacturing and services industries from the NACE-CLIO sectorial disaggregation. The results of the exploratory spatial analysis confirm the agglomeration index varies notably when spatial effects across areas are included: both the level of the index and the degree of spatial dependence increase when it is computed accounting for the spillovers across local areas. In addition, results from the estimation of a model of the local employment dynamics reveal the most of the residual spatial dependence - observed in this type of specification - can be accounted by the spa


This article addresses feminist solidarity between a daughter and a mother in academia. We are respectively a PhD student and aspirant early career academic, and a senior academic, both identifying as feminists and engaging in forms of activism to improve gender equality. We take an autoethnographical approach, drawing from vignettes and conversational dialogues, focusing on feminist perspectives, activism, our contested identities, fears and hopes. We reflect on the challenges of living feminist lives whilst working in gendered university institutions and highlight strategies to enact feminism whilst trying to progress and maintain an academic career at different positions on the career spectrum. Our contribution is to highlight differential experiences and understandings of academic activism between daughter and mother, early-career academics and senior leaders, in order to enhance mutual understanding and action on feminist solidarity and praxis in the academy.


The nucleation of recrystallization in deformed and annealed metals is reviewed. The main mechanisms are thought to involve the growth of subgrains by low angle boundary (LAGB) migration in an orientation gradient or the strain induced boundary migration (SIBM) of existing boundaries. Although these mechanisms are reasonably well understood, the details of the dislocation recovery mechanisms which are often required before migration can occur, particularly in metals in which recovery is slow, are poorly understood. Complete experimental investigation of the nucleation event requires a 3-d in-situ technique which will resolve dislocations, and this is not currently available. Although recrystallized grains of orientations not in the deformed structure have been reported, there is as yet no substantial evidence or theory to suggest the creation of new orientations by mechanisms other than annealing twinning. It is concluded that further understanding of the deformed state is required before adequate models of nucleation can be formulated and verified.


Thermal management in the fuel cell component was a critical issue in the operation of a solid oxide fuel cell gas turbine (SOFC/GT) hybrid system. The effective management of fuel cell cathode air mass flow was thought to be a potential method to improve the thermal management during transients.The U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) designed and built a hybrid performance (HyPer) facility by interfacing a real time solid oxide fuel cell system numerical model through hardware with a physical gas turbine system. Perturbations were accomplished by diverting part of the compressor discharge directly to atmosphere through the manipulation of a bleed-air bypass valve in open loop experiments using the HyPer facility. Two tests were performed: the fuel cell numerical simulation model was both decoupled and fully coupled with the gas turbine hardware component.The responses of both physical subsystem and virtual subsystem to the disturbances were evaluated in this paper. Distributed temperatures and current densities along the fuel cell were evaluated. Turbine speed and system pressures were analyzed. The application of bleed-air bypass valve was shown to have a minimal impact on cathode airflow, but a significant effect on turbine speed. Thus, the manipulation of compressor bleed was expected to be an effective means to mitigate the impact of a sudden increase in turbine speed, such as fuel cell load reductions or load trips.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Over the last few decades, molecular markers have been extensively used to study phylogeny, population dynamics, and genome mapping in insects and other taxa. Phylogenetic methods using DNA markers are inexpensive, fast and simple to use, and may help greatly to resolve phylogenetic
 relationships in groups with problematic taxonomy. However, different markers have various levels of phylogenetic resolution, and it's important to choose the right set of molecular markers for a studied taxonomy level. Acrididae is the most diverse family of grasshoppers. Many attempts to
 resolve the phylogenetic relationships within it did not result in a clear picture, partially because of the limited number of molecular markers used. We have tested a phylogenetic resolution of three sets of the most commonly utilized mitochondrial molecular markers available for Acrididae
 sequences in the database: (i) complete protein-coding mitochondrial sequences, (ii) concatenated mitochondrial genes COI, COII, and Cytb, and (iii) concatenated mitochondrial genes COI and COII. We then complemented the analysis by testing the nuclear ITS2 region. Adequate phylogenetic resolution
 of Acrididae subfamilies can be achieved using three (COI, COII, and Cytb) or more mitochondrial markers. Moreover, we found the ITS2 and concatenated COI/COII markers to be the least informative, providing a poor resolution. All the studied acridids fall into three well-supported phylogenetic
 groups that include 13 subfamilies. Acridinae, Gomphocerinae, Oedipodinae, and Catantopinae are shown to be polyphyletic, while the remaining subfamilies are in accordance with current Acrididae systematics. Our study provides a basis for more comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of Acrididae
 on the subfamily and lower levels.


We map the recently proposed notions of algorithmic fairness to economic models of Equality of opportunity (EOP)---an extensively studied ideal of fairness in political philosophy. We formally show that through our conceptual mapping, many existing definition of algorithmic fairness, such as predictive value parity and equality of odds, can be interpreted as special cases of EOP. In this respect, our work serves as a unifying moral framework for understanding existing notions of algorithmic fairness. Most importantly, this framework allows us to explicitly spell out the moral assumptions underlying each notion of fairness, and interpret recent fairness impossibility results in a new light. Last but not least and inspired by luck egalitarian models of EOP, we propose a new family of measures for algorithmic fairness. We illustrate our proposal empirically and show that employing a measure of algorithmic (un)fairness when its underlying moral assumptions are not satisfied, can have devastating consequences for the disadvantaged group's welfare.


The location of sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks plays an important role in most applications. In this paper, we address the localization problem by characterizing some sufficient conditions such that technical convenience for the collection of local information used for network localization can be enabled. The main contribution of this paper is as follows. Some latest research results on the graph rigidity theory are introduced and incorporated, and a feasible node localization scheme is presented. More specifically, a tree structure termed BN-tree is introduced to construct a localizable collaborative body. Especially, the localizable collaborative body can be constructed dynamically with the variety of the network topology. Simulation results, which show that the quality of localization is well bounded by the range of communication, are also provided to validate the proposed algorithm


ABSTRACT ABSTRACT ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Infectious diseases account for a third of all the deaths in the developing world. Achievements in understanding the basic microbiology, pathogenesis, host defenses and expanded epidemiology of infectious diseases have resulted in better management and reduced mortality. However, an emerging infectious disease, melioidosis, is becoming endemic in the tropical regions of the world and is spreading to non-endemic areas. This article highlights the current understanding of melioidosis including advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Better understanding of melioidosis is essential, as it is life-threatening and if untreated, patients can succumb to it. Our sources include a literature review, information from international consensus meetings on melioidosis and ongoing discussions within the medical and scientific community.


The mesh is one of the most widely used interconnection networks for multiprocessor systems. We propose an approach to partition a given mesh into m submeshes which can be allocated to m tasks with grid structures. We adapt two dimensional packing to solve the submesh allocation problem. Due to the intractability of the two dimensional packing problem, finding an optimal solution is computationally infeasible. We develop an efficient heuristic packing algorithm called TP-heuristic. Allocating a submesh to each task is achieved using the results of packing. We propose two different methods called uniform scaling and non uniform scaling. Experiments were carried out to test the accuracy of solutions provided by our allocation algorithm.


Seagrass meadows are highly productive habitats found along many of the world's coastline, providing important services that support the overall functioning of the coastal zone. The organic carbon that accumulates in seagrass meadows is derived not only from seagrass production but from the trapping of other particles, as the seagrass canopies facilitate sedimentation and reduce resuspension. Here we provide a comprehensive synthesis of the available data to obtain a better understanding of the relative contribution of seagrass and other possible sources of organic matter that accumulate in the sediments of seagrass meadows. The data set includes 219 paired analyses of the carbon isotopic composition of seagrass leaves and sediments from 207 seagrass sites at 88 locations worldwide. Using a three source mixing model and literature values for putative sources, we calculate that the average proportional contribution of seagrass to the surface sediment organic carbon pool is ∼50%. When using the best available estimates of carbon burial rates in seagrass meadows, our data indicate that between 41 and 66 gC m−2 yr−1 originates from seagrass production. Using our global average for allochthonous carbon trapped in seagrass sediments together with a recent estimate of global average net community production, we estimate that carbon burial in seagrass meadows is between 48 and 112 Tg yr−1, showing that seagrass meadows are natural hot spots for carbon sequestration.


: We present the patch test results of 2,623 patients treated at the Department of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, from July, 1984 to June, 1986. One test at least was positive in 680 patients (25.9%). 257 allergens produced a total of 1,450 positive reactions. (average: 2.1 per patient). 9.7% of the allergens caused 64.4% of the positive reactions. The 5 most frequent allergens were nickel sulfate, balsam of Peru, formaldehyde, neomycin sulfate, and cobalt sulfate. Mixed fragrances and Kathon CG were among the 20 most frequent allergens though only tested during half of the study period. Glyceril monothioglycolate was the leading allergen with hairdressers. Other allergens clinically relevant were rubber gloves, bufexamac, bronopol, and propolis.


This study investigated the acute circulating gut hormone, appetite and gastric emptying rate responses to a semi-solid meal following exercise at different intensities. Twelve men completed three trials in a randomised-crossover design, consisting of continuous cycling at 70% V˙O2Peak (HIGH), 40% V˙O2Peak (LOW) or rest (CONTROL). Baseline samples were collected after an overnight fast before undertaking the 60 min exercise or rest period, followed by 30 min rest before consumption of a standardised semi-solid meal (~242 kcal). During the 2 h postprandial period, gastric emptying rate of the meal was examined using the 13C-breath test method, appetite was measured using visual analogue scales, and serum concentrations of acylated ghrelin, pancreatic polypeptide, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and non-esterified fatty acids were assessed. Subjective appetite response was not different between trials (p > 0.05). Half emptying time of the meal was 89 ± 13, 82 ± 8 and 94 ± 31 min on CONTROL, LOW and HIGH, respectively (p = 0.247). In healthy un-trained adult males, responses to exercise at intensities of 70% and 40% V˙O2Peak did not differ to a non-exercise control for measurements of subsequent gastric emptying, circulating gut hormone response or appetite. These results suggest that exercise intensity has little effect on post-exercise appetite response to a semi-solid meal.


We consider the filtering problem in linear state space models with heavy tailed process and measurement noise. Our work is based on Student's t distribution, for which we give a number of useful results. The derived filtering algorithm is a generalization of the ubiquitous Kalman filter, and reduces to it as special case. Both Kalman filter and the new algorithm are compared on a challenging tracking example where a maneuvering target is observed in clutter.


This paper presents the pulse classification of the ECDM process using artificial neural networks (ANN). An Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) machine was modified by incorporating an electrolyte system and by modifying the control system. Gap voltage and working current waveforms were obtained. By observing the waveforms, pulses were classified into five groups. A feed forward neural network was trained to classify pulses. Various neural network architectures were considered by changing the number of neurons in the hidden layer. The trained neural networks were simulated. A quantitative analysis was performed to evaluate various neural network architectures.


OF DISSERTATION Measuring Effectiveness of Address Schemes for AS-level Graphs This dissertation presents measures of efficiency and locality for Internet addressing schemes. Historically speaking, many issues, faced by the Internet, have been solved just in time, to make the Internet just work [Han06]. Consensus, however, has been reached that today's Internet routing and addressing system is facing serious scaling problems: multi-homing which causes finer granularity of routing policies and finer control to realize various traffic engineering requirements, an increased demand for provider-independent prefix allocations which injects unaggregatable prefixes into the Default Free Zone (DFZ) routing table, and ever-increasing Internet user population and mobile edge devices. As a result, the DFZ routing table is again growing at an exponential rate. Hierarchical, topology-based addressing has long been considered crucial to routing and forwarding scalability. Recently, however, a number of research efforts are considering alternatives to this traditional approach. With the goal of informing such research, we investigated the efficiency of address assignment in the existing (IPv4) Internet. In particular, we ask the question: "how can we measure the locality of an address scheme given an input AS-level graph?" To do so, we first define a notion of efficiency or locality based on the average number of bit-hops required to advertize all prefixes in the Internet. In order to quantify how far from "optimal" the current Internet is, we assign prefixes to ASes "from scratch" in a manner that preserves observed semantics, using three increasingly strict definitions of equivalence. Next we propose another metric that in some sense quantifies the "efficiency" of the labeling and is independent of forwarding/routing mechanisms. We validate the effectiveness of the metric by applying it to a series of address schemes with increasing randomness given an input AS-level graph. After that we apply the metric to the current Internet address scheme across years and compare the results with those of compact routing schemes.


Abstract In wetlands, drought or managed late-summer drawdowns create exposed mudflats that provide an excellent substrate for germination of purple loosestrife seeds. If late-emerging purple loosestrife seedlings survive the winter, new or expanding populations of purple loosestrife will result. Spring survival was determined for overwintered purple loosestrife seedlings from seeds planted at weekly intervals in late summer or fall of the previous year. Seedlings of purple loosestrife that emerged from late July to early August had the greatest survival rates and the greatest shoot dry weight, and they were the tallest the following spring. However, 37% of purple loosestrife seedlings that emerged in late August, although stunted, generated a crown that was able to overwinter successfully and regrow the following spring. The number of growing degree days accumulated from planting date to October 6 (the average date of first frost for Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) was 1,424 for seedlings from seeds planted on July 21 but only 219 for seedlings from seeds planted on September 15. Purple loosestrife seedlings that emerge during late summer through early September in Minnesota may survive the winter to create additional purple loosestrife weed problems in wetland mudflats caused by artificial drawdowns or droughts. Nomenclature: Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria L. LYTSA.


This investigation studied effects of dance therapy on motor performance of children who have learning disabilities. An experimental group of five subjects who received dance therapy was compared with a control group of five subjects who received their usual sensory integrative therapy. Pretests and posttests of motor performance were given before and after a four-week treatment period to assess changes. Results indicate improved motor performance for both the experimental and control groups, with slightly greater gains made by the experimental group. Results of the study indicate that dance therapy could serve as a form of vestibular stimulation comparable to the usual play activities in a sensory integrative therapy program.


A new influenza strain called H7N9 that has killed 35 people in China and sickened close to a hundred more has raised an important question once again: Can we produce enough vaccine fast enough if this flu virus, or any other one, turns pandemic tomorrow? A group of scientists says we can improve our response and details their method in a paper in this week9s issue of Science Translational Medicine (http://scim.ag/PDormitzer). The paper shows that rather than wait for the arrival of a pandemic virus in their labs, companies can produce a vaccine from its gene sequence as soon as that becomes available online.


To the Editor. — I agree with Sheagren et al1that our "standard" medical database, at least as found in hospital charts, needs improvement. The authors do a fine service by pointing out how elaborate a good risk factor assessment really is. They also cure the misallocation of alcohol intake and cigarette use to the "social history" section of the record. I presume that they would include such data as frequency of breast self-examination, use of helmets with motorcycles or bicycles, and use of automobile seat belts. Unfortunately, I think that their "new database" is still seriously flawed by omitting "other current active problems" after the present illness. Few of our patients have one single major problem. If the patient appears with a herpes zoster outbreak but also has diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive lung disease, and hypertension, I see no place for those major active problems until one reaches


We examined how culture influences perceptions of applicant attributes when assessing employment suitability. In two studies (N = 408), we compared members from a collectivistic society (Singapore) to two samples from individualistic societies (the United States and Australia) on their perceptions of applicant attributes across job contexts. For each job, participants either chose between candidates with different attribute profiles or created ideal candidates by allocating a fixed amount of percentile points across different attributes. More often than Australians, Singaporeans chose the candidate with higher levels of the trait (e.g., openness to experience) uniquely associated with the job (e.g., graphic designer). More so than either Americans or Australians, Singaporeans prioritized having the trait most associated with each job. Members from collectivistic societies may require higher levels of the traits most associated with different jobs than members from individualistic societies, who prefer more well-rounded individuals for each job. As discussed, the study of lay perceptions may have implications for training hiring professionals and managers.


The paper discusses future experiments at super B factories. It presents the physics motivation and the tools, accelerators and detectors, and reviews the status of the two projects, SuperKEKB/Belle-II in Japan and SuperB in Italy.


Our recent clinical studies suggest that the U wave represents Purkinje repolarization. To test this hypothesis, transmembrane potentials of Purkinje fibers (P) and the ventricular muscle (V) were simultaneously recorded from canine P-V preparations perfused in a tissue bath, and effects of various factors causing prominent U waves were studied. These include low stimulating frequency (bracycardia), low potassium (K) concentration, hypothermia, and quinidine. Bracycardia increased the difference between action potential duration of P and V, and decreased the rate of repolarization in P. Similarly, the difference of P and V action potential duration was increased markedly by low K and hypothermia, and slightly by quinidine, while the slope of phase 3 was significantly decreased by all these factors. In several intact animals either hypokalemia or hypothermia was produced using hemodialysis or extracorporeal circulation, and recorded electrocardiograms were compared with the P and V action potentials obtained under similar perfusing conditions in subsequent tissue bath study. Such comparison revealed a good temporal correlation between phase 3 repolarization in P and the electrocardiographic U wave. These results, although indirect, appear to support the theory that P repolarization caused the genesis of the U wave.


Background. Obtaining a prehospital 12-lead ECG may improve triage andexpedite care of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Whether the ECG should undergo physician review prior to activation of a percutaneous intervention (PCI) team is unclear. Objective. To document the positive predictive value (PPV) of the prehospital 12-lead ECG when interpreted by paramedics versus emergency physicians. Methods. This was a prospective, observational study. In November 2003, our local health care andemergency medical services (EMS) systems implemented a prehospital "cardiac alert" program in which patients suspected of having ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) based on the prehospital 12-lead ECG were diverted away from receiving facilities without emergent PCI capability andthe PCI team was mobilized. For the first year, a cardiac alert was activated by paramedics (Phase I). After the first year, the ECG was transmitted to the ED, with the emergency physician (EP) responsible for activation (Phase II). The PPV for cardiac alerts in Phases I andII were compared by using three different "gold standards": cardiologist interpretation of the prehospital 12-lead ECG, disposition to emergent PCI, andcoronary lesions on angiography or arrest prior to emergent PCI. Results. A total of 110 patients were enrolled (54 in Phase I, 56 in Phase II). Cardiologist confirmation of a STEMI on the prehospital 12-lead EKG was 42/54 (78%) in Phase I and54/56 (96%) in Phase II. Disposition to emergent PCI occurred in 38/54 (70%) Phase I patients and51/56 (91%) Phase II patients. Lesions at catheterization or arrest prior to emergent PCI were observed in 41/54 (69%) of Phase I patients and50/56 (89%) of Phase II patients. All of these comparisons achieved statistical significance (p < 0.01). Conclusions. Transmission to the ED for EP interpretation improves the PPV of the prehospital 12-lead ECG for triage andtherapeutic decision-making.


The variation in foraging behaviour was investigated in the Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe in three structurally different habitats: early succession stages of spoil-banks, suburban wastelands, and grasslands. In each habitat, data were collected by visual observation of foraging behaviour and by assessment of foraging territories during two breeding seasons. Two searching modes were recorded: active foraging by hovering and running on the ground, and sit-and-wait foraging by perching. The foraging mode appeared highly flexible, varying from almost entirely active to almost entirely sit-and-wait. Also the importance of different searching techniques varied among the habitats. The proportion of perching decreased from grasslands through wastelands to spoil-banks. Running was more important in spoil-banks and wastelands than in grasslands, and hovering in grasslands than in wastelands and spoil-banks. The shift of foraging mode was related to density and height of vegetation cover. Foraging territories were larger in grasslands than in spoil-banks and wastelands. The results are discussed in the light of the syndrome hypothesis that predicts that species-specific constraints limit intraspecific variation in searching mode.


Higher Education transformation in South Africa requires a synergy of creative
strategies to engage issues of redress. Access to higher education remains one
mechanism for achieving this in South African higher education. While there is
clearly a need to enable access by improving student success (access with success),
as opposed to simply ensuring their participation (access as participation), the
adequacy of these initiatives needs to be evaluated in the context of institutional
transformation. By introducing a quality assurance framework, institutions can
ensure that access initiatives are institutionalised. Conceptions of access, however,
need to be situated within appropriate definitions of quality. This would enable
institutions to track the responsiveness of measures to achieve national
transformational objectives. It is argued that current Academic Development (AD)
initiatives as a means of achieving `access with success\' can only deal marginally
with the transformation agenda in South Africa. It is proposed that a comprehensive
quality assurance framework with embedded commitment to access is likely to
respond appropriately to national development prerogatives of higher education
access. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 21 (3) 2007: pp. 385-399


We present a beam dynamics simulation study on 1.6 cell,high gradient W-Band photocathode RF gun which is capable of generating and accelerating 300pC electron bunch. The design system is made up of 91.392GHz photocathode RF gun and 91.392GHz travelling wave linac cells. Based on the numerical simulation using SUPERFISH and PARMELA and the conventional RF linac scaling law,the design will produce 300pC at 1.74MeV with bunch length 0.72ps and normalized tranverse emittance 0.55mm mrad. We study the beam dynamics in high frequency and high gradient;due to the high gradient,the ponderomotive effect plays an important role in beam dynamics; we found the ponderomotive effect still exist with only the fundamental space harmonics (synchrotron mode) due to the coupling of the transverse and longitudinal motion.


The paragenesis of carbonates in the Cold Bokkeveld CM chondrite is determined from a detailed petrographic, chemical, spectroscopic, and isotopic study of nine associations of carbonates (aragonite, calcite, and dolomite) with other secondary minerals that occur within the meteorite. Our study reveals the existence of carbonates displaying petrographic features that are distinct from those of type 1 and type 2 carbonates commonly observed in CM2 meteorites. These include carbonates interstitial to octahedral magnetite crystals, for which a new designation of "type 1c" is suggested. The O isotopic values of dolomite (δ18O ranging from +21.1 to +25.8‰ and Δ17O from −4.9 to −4.0‰) are similar to those measured in dolomites from other CM chondrites. The presence of complex carbonates with a CaCO3 core and Mg‐enriched rim implies several generations of fluids and/or their evolving composition on the CM parent body(ies). Petrographic characteristics indicate at least six stages of potentially overlapping carbonate and phyllosilicate formation events. We show that type 1 and type 2 calcite have distinct Raman spectral characteristics. Type 1 calcite is characterized by very broad peaks, whereas type 2 calcite displays narrow peaks similar to those of typical abiotic terrestrial calcite, suggesting high crystallinity. A carbonate Raman spectrum showing features characteristic of both aragonite and calcite likely documents an aragonite‐calcite phase transition. Raman spectroscopy also reveals the presence of organic matter in the majority of carbonates. This indicates that organic carbon was mobilized by aqueous fluids for extended periods.


The novel SARS-CoV-2 uses ACE2 (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2) receptor as an entry point. Insights on S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) interaction with ACE2 receptor and drug repurposing has accelerated drug discovery for the novel SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finding small molecule binding sites in S protein and ACE2 interface is crucial in search of effective drugs to prevent viral entry. In this study, we employed molecular dynamics simulations in mixed solvents together with virtual screening to identify small molecules that could be potential inhibitors of S protein –ACE2 interaction. Observation of organic probe molecule localization during the simulations revealed multiple sites at the S protein surface related to small molecule, antibody, and ACE2 binding. In addition, a novel conformation of the S protein was discovered that could be stabilized by small molecules to inhibit attachment to ACE2. The most promising binding site on RBD-ACE2 interface was targeted with virtual screening and top-ranked compounds (DB08248, DB02651, DB03714, and DB14826) are suggested for experimental testing. The protocol described here offers an extremely fast method for characterizing key proteins of a novel pathogen and for the identification of compounds that could inhibit or accelerate spreading of the disease.


We give a transformation formula for certain infinite series in which some elliptic Dedekind-Rademacher sums arise. In the course of its proof, we also obtain a transformation formula for elliptic Dedekind-Rademacher sums. When a complex parameter $¥tau$ tends to $i ¥infty$, these represent some classical results which include the reciprocity formula for Apostol-Dedekind sums.


A 26-year-old female with ACTH deficiency, hyperprolactinemia and benign intracranial hypertension is reported. Her symptoms of adrenocortical insufficiency and persistent amenorrhea appeared after her last child birth one year previously. During an infectious disease she became critically ill with hypotension and was treated with iv penicillin. A bacterial infection was, however, not diagnosed. After 4 days she developed symptoms and signs of intracranial hypertension. She improved gradually within 10 days without specific therapy against the intracranial pressure. Endocrine investigation disclosed a secondary adrenocortical failure. The lesion appeared to be located in the pituitary gland since plasma ACTH and cortisol did not respond to CRH. A moderately elevated serum PRL was found, whereas the pituitary reserves of TSH, GH, LH and FSH were normal, as was a computed tomographic scan of the pituitary gland. The patient was given cortisone substitution therapy and recovered immediately. Within the following year she regained normal menstruations and became pregnant. A possible autoimmune etiology of her isolated ACTH deficiency precipitated in the puerperium is discussed.


This Paper presents a digital control based and remote controlled electronic ballast for electrode-less lamps. In order to control the power of lamp driven by high-frequency electronic ballast, remote control is necessary. For the group lighting system, especially, wireless remote control using RF modem is proper. In this paper, 2.4-㎓ ISM band RF modem based remote controlled electronic ballast is proposed. However, the cost of RF modem is relatively expensive as compared with the cost of electronic ballast. For the economic realization, one-controller two-lamps system is proposed. And the proposed control circuit of the ballast is implemented with fully digital circuit using low cost 16-bit DSP and small size EPLD. Detailed algorithms for the power control and protections for the commercial electronic ballast are described. Finally, the wire and wireless linked group lighting system using the proposed ballast is introduced.


38th International Conference on Organizational Science Development: Ecosystem of Organizations in the Digital Age The technology is the key enabler of the development. It stimulates different areas of organizations and changes the established business in terms of digital. The ecosystem of organizations interwines with the basic cell of society through various layers of individuals, society, national and global layers. It provides a basis for survival and sustainability. The life of employees, organizations and the society in general is changing positively due to cultural, social and economic changes, influenced with digital technology. Integrating organizations into ecosystems is the way to complex connections that create opportunities for long-term integration and the power of organizations. Organizational sciences introduce new principles for sustainable development and connection of human and technology by focusing on innovative actions supporting diverse organizations and establishing ecosystems as business models. The 38th International Conference on Organizational Science Development in 2019 brings a new impetus to the perception of an individual as an essential member of organizations as well as the technology that promotes the development of various aspects of digital transformation. Digital-supported employees, digitally-enabled work and digital technology support create new trends in organizations, while returning to the essence of their operation – the ecosystem as a paradigm of networking and linking individuals and organizations.


Stem cells are unspecialized cells or primitive cells that can replenish their number for long periods through cell division and can differentiate into specialized cells after receiving specific signals. Advancement in stem cell research generates knowledge on how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells. Stem cell research provides possibilities of cell based therapies to treat diseases. Application of stem cells in equine and canine therapeutics hold tremendous promise and are being extensively explored world wide. Strong policy should be made considering people's sentiments to avoid misuse of the technique.


The paper [1] shows that simple linear classifier can compete with complex deep learning algorithms in text classification applications. Combining bag of words (BoW) and linear classification techniques, fastText [1] attains same or only slightly lower accuracy than deep learning algorithms [2-9] that are orders of magnitude slower. We proved formally that fastText can be transformed into a simpler equivalent classifier, which unlike fastText does not have any hidden layer. We also proved that the necessary and sufficient dimensionality of the word vector embedding space is exactly the number of document classes. These results help constructing more optimal linear text classifiers with guaranteed maximum classification capabilities. The results are proven exactly by pure formal algebraic methods without attracting any empirical data.


Hemorrhagic shock results in inadequate tissue oxygenation. Plasma lactate (L) can characterize the degree of systemic oxygen debt (OD), but gives no information on local changes. The aim of this study was to characterize different degrees of hemorrhagic shock by microdialysis measurement of L and histamine (H) in small bowel circulation. Thirty-eight pigs were randomized to five groups of increasing OD ( 120 ml/kg). The OD was accrued by hemorrhage over 60 min and was followed by retransfusion and observation for 3 days. In parallel to plasma probes, subserosa(ss)-, submucosa(sm)-, and intraluminal(il)-L- and H-probes were obtained by small bowel microdialysis every 30 min for 210 min. Ss- and sm-L increased during hemorrhage from 1.2 +/- 0.06 and 1.18 +/- 0.06 to 2.57 +/- 0.15 and 2.96 +/- 0.27 mmol/L. Highest mean L > 3.5mmol/L resulted 90 and 120 min after induction of hemorrhage. Although ss- and sm- levels hardly differed, il-L was significantly decreased with 0.27 +/- 0.02 mmol/L at 0 min and highest mean il-L at 120 min: 2.45 +/- 0.51 mmol/L. Sm-L was significantly increased after 60, 90, 120, and 150 min of highest hemorrhage severity (OD > 100 mL/kg). In parallel, systemic L increased significantly during hemorrhage and correlated well with the severity of shock. Although systemic H increased significantly during hemorrhage (from 1.3 +/- 0.31 to 15.2 +/- 0.67 ng/mL), H-dialysates showed no effect either over time nor with the degree of hemorrhage. In conclusion, microdialysis allows evaluation of local L changes in small bowel circulation in pig hemorrhagic shock. Sm-L levels appear to correlate with the degree of shock. Local H changes were not observed during hemorrhagic shock in this study.


The importance of space robots in satellite servicing, in EVA assistance, in removing orbital debris and in space exploration is growing, driven by space commercialization and exploration efforts. A successful deployment of such robots requires analytical and experimental task validation. With this aim, we present the main characteristics of the software and hardware space robot emulator developed at the NTUA.


Large-volume granitic plutons in the Burro Mountains, southwestern New Mexico, cover an area of 1300 km 2 and include biotite leucogranite and biotite-hornblende granodiorite. These intrusions are part of the ca. 1.4 Ga granite and rhyolite province stretching across Laurentia. U-Pb zircon dating of five samples of the biotite leucogranite yielded ages ranging from 1469 ± 12 to 1455 ± 11 Ma (2σ uncertainty). Three samples of granodiorite range from 1470 ± 16 Ma to 1459 ± 14 Ma. All of the zircon ages are within error and together have a weighted mean age of 1462 ± 3 Ma, but the granodiorite is older than the granite based on crosscutting relationships. Pressure and temperature estimates from metapelitic country rock, the first from southern New Mexico, are 4–6.5 kbar and 575–650 °C, consistent with their mineralogy. Decompression textures on garnets indicate exhumation following peak conditions, interpreted to have been reached during magmatic heating at 1460 Ma. Decompression had a magnitude of 1–3 kbar. An amphibolite from the country rock has metamorphic zircons dated at 1458 ± 9 Ma, with low Th/U and soccer-ball morphology enclosed within hornblende; this is the age of amphibolite-facies metamorphism. Electron microprobe monazite U-Pb dates from metapelite country rock mostly range from 1500 to 1400 Ma, with a peak at 1474 Ma. This is interpreted as indicating that the area experienced high-temperature metamorphism associated with pluton emplacement at this time. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates from granite and amphibolite form two main groups. The older group includes four hornblende dates of 1477–1467 Ma and biotite and white mica ages from 1472 to 1459 Ma. These are interpreted as reflecting cooling of the plutons and their country rock soon after intrusion. The younger group of hornblende and biotite ages is at 1228 ± 3 Ma and is close in age to the adjacent Redrock granite, which intruded at 1225 Ma. There is a dominant strong foliation in the country rock gneisses and metasedimentary rocks. Foliated granite and gabbro both yield ca. 1630 Ma U-Pb zircon ages. The Burro Mountain granite is not pervasively deformed, but the granodiorite has strong augen gneissic foliations and mylonitic shear zones with S-C fabrics. This fabric formed prior to intrusion of undeformed dikes of Burro Mountain granite and thus is synmagmatic within geochronologic uncertainty. The fabric is identical to the fabric in the country rock, and xenoliths of country rock are foliated with orientations parallel to the foliation in the granodiorite. The similar orientations and the timing of metamorphism suggest that most of the deformation in the Burro Mountains occurred at 1460 Ma and was synchronous with intrusion of the granodiorite. We interpret the 1460 Ma plutonism, deformation with steep fabrics, exhumation, and rapid cooling as having formed during gneiss dome development within an extensional tectonic setting, although a transpressional setting is also permissible.


Conflicting hypotheses are investigated for the observed atmospheric CO2 increase of 20 ppm between 8 ka BP and pre‐industrial time. The carbon component of the Bern Carbon Cycle Climate (Bern CC) model, which couples the Lund‐Potsdam‐Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model to an atmosphere‐ocean‐sediment component, is driven by climate fields from time‐slice simulations of the past 21 ka with the Hadley Centre Unified Model or the NCAR Climate System Model. The entire Holocene ice core record of CO2 is matched within a few ppm for the standard model setup, and results are broadly consistent with proxy data of atmospheric 13CO2, mean ocean δ13C, and pollen data, within their uncertainties. Our analysis suggests that a range of mechanisms, including calcite compensation in response to earlier terrestrial uptake, terrestrial carbon uptake and release, SST changes, and coral reef buildup, contributed to the 20 ppm rise. The deep sea δ13C record constrains the contribution of the calcite compensation mechanism to 4–10 ppm. Terrestrial carbon inventory changes related to climate and CO2 forcing, the greening of the Sahara, peat buildup, and land use have probably influenced atmospheric CO2 by a few ppm only. The early Holocene CO2 decrease is quantitatively explained by terrestrial uptake and calcite compensation in response to terrestrial uptake during the glacial‐interglacial transition. The recent hypothesis by Ruddiman [2003] that anthropogenic land use caused a 40 ppm CO2 anomaly over the past 8 ka, preventing the climate system from entering a new glacial, would imply an anthropogenic emission of 700 GtC and a decrease in atmospheric δ13C of 0.6 permil. This is not compatible with the ice core δ13C record and would require an upward revision of land use emission estimates by a factor of 3 to 4.


The Chained Prometheus is introduced as a metaphor for the behavioral scientist. Science (including psychology and pedagogy) is no longer taken for granted. Society, politics, and the media pose critical questions and not infrequently demand censorship or at least control of science. An analysis is given of the types of criticism and skepticism with respect to science, and to psychology in particular. The (behavioral) scientist faces a dilemma: On the one hand, science cannot exist and develop without freedom; on the other hand, this does not mean the freedom to amass knowledge at any price and without any restrictions. Thus, we balance ourselves between freedom and ethical/social responsibility. This presentation reflects on the question of the social and ethical limitations of (behavioral) science: Who should control what and on which criteria?