This article uses Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) to evaluate restoration scenarios aimed at improving angling on the Em River in Sweden. We find that none of the proposed projects are socially profitable when considering only values associated with angling. We rely on a Choice Experiment (CE) to derive utilities and estimate the monetary value of angling site characteristics and then also use the utilities derived in a visitation frequency using a two-stage budgeting approach. The visitation frequency is then used to extract values for fishing license sales and business-related income. The case study illustrates how CBA can provide useful insights into the potential economic returns of environmental restoration projects. Our case study also indicates that the results in terms of Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) and visitation frequency are general findings – i.e. they appear similar across angling sites – which is particularly useful from a policy point of view because it supports the use of benefit transfer for more cost-effective river management.


General language communication has attracted researchers' attention for over fifty years (McCroskey, 1992). Therefore, teachers try to improve learners' communication abilities as far as possible, but on the contrary, although learners are given the opportunity to speak up in classroom or elsewhere some prefer to avoid speaking. Since one of the reasons of language difficulty has been considered to be anxiety (Tran, 2012), therefore, the present study tries to find out if there is a correlation between willingness to communicate and anxiety. Thirty three third year university students participated in the study. The study showed that there was a negative correlation found between level of anxiety and willingness to communicate, indicating that with the increase of anxiety willingness to communicate decreases. Therefore, the result of the study indicates that if the instructor decreases the anxiety of the learner, the willingness to communicate on the part of the learner will improve.


This study aims to explore the digital natives among a sample of pre-service teachers and in the process, examine the validity of a Turkish adaptation of the digital native assessment scale (DNAS) [Teo, T., & Fan, X. (2013). Coefficient alpha and beyond: Issues and alternatives for educational research. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 22(2), 209–213]. Five hundred and fifty-seven participants completed a survey questionnaire in Turkish measuring their responses on the DNAS, developed from a proposed four-factor research. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple indicators, multiple causes modelling were used to analyse the data and an acceptable fit was found, suggesting that the DNAS is a valid measure for participants who are older living in another culture. While the pre-service teachers had mostly regarded themselves as digital natives, significant differences were only found by years of computer use and perceived competence but no significant differences were found for gender and age.


Medical education reform can make an important contribution to the future health care of populations. Social accountability in medical education was defined by the World Health Organization in 1995, and an international movement for change is gathering momentum. Priority community needs are generally not well reflected in existing medical curricula. Medical schools have often been concerned more with prestige, research competitiveness and training doctors for narrow specialist careers in urban areas. Orthodoxies in medical education have been challenged where the gap between a community's health care needs and the availability of doctors has been greatest — notably in rural areas and, in Australia, in Aboriginal communities. At a time of growing crisis in health care systems, the need to focus on addressing health inequalities and delivering effective, affordable, people‐centred health care is more important than ever. While change can be enabled with policy levers, such as funding tied to achieving equity outcomes and systems of accreditation, medical schools and students themselves can lead the transformation agenda. An international movement for change and coalitions of medical schools with an interest in socially accountable medical education provide a "community of practice" that can drive change from within.


Written by four internationally recognized experts, this practical guide is packed with innovative ideas for prescribing safe, effective exercise programs that patients will enjoy! Because the activities are more fun than traditional programs, patients are more likely to make a long-term commitment to exercise--a step that can- reduce risk factors, - increase functional capacity, - improve psychosocial well-being, - help alleviate depression, - increase longevity, - relieve symptoms, - promote greater self-efficacy, and- improve overall quality of life."Training Techniques in Cardiac Rehabilitation" provides in-depth information to help practitioners make informed decisions about the broad scope of nontraditional programs currently available for an increasing variety of cardiac patients. Drawing on extensive research and vast personal experience in program implementation and benefits, the authors provide a variety of rehabilitation alternatives and a clear explanation of how, when, where, and why to use each.Chapter 1 presents an overview of current knowledge about exercise prescription for cardiac patients, including absolute contraindications for exercise, questionable cases, basic principles of assessment and prescription, the effects of specific drugs on a patient's capacity for exercise, how to increase adherence, and results to expect.The following three chapters focus on less traditional exercise programs. Chapter 2 explores various resistive training methods, including calisthenics, elastic bands and free weights, and machine-based exercises. Sound guidelines show practitioners how to develop programs to meet each patient's specific needs.Chapter 3 provides extensive information on the safety issues and underlying principles of aquatic exercise prescription. It presents all the information practitioners need to prescribe safe, appropriate aquatic activity programs, and discusses specific aquatic exercises such as water walking, water aerobics, swimming, water volleyball, and inner tube games.Chapter 4 presents games and activities designed for pairs or groups. These activities offer cardiac patients entertaining ways to strengthen muscles, increase aerobic conditioning, and enhance flexibility. The chapter describes 11 continuous movement activities, 18 exercises, and 8 games, and it explains the rehabilitative benefits of each activity.All of the exercises in "Training Techniques in Cardiac Rehabilitation" are consistent with AACVPR guidelines. The authors include extensive discussions of safety issues and contraindications for each type of exercise program. Plus, photographs and drawings throughout the book illustrate proper techniques and positions for the exercises and games.With these comprehensive, diversified programs, practitioners will be able to identify the safest, most effective way to help each patient.


(Homeland Trauma …) firstname.lastname@example.com ABSTRACT This main objective of this article is to examine the representation of ʻhomeland' in three short stories by Caribbean-American writer Edwidge Danticat: ―The Book of the Dead,‖ ―Night Talkers,‖ and ―The Gift.‖ All three stories represent Haitian migrants in the multi-cultural setting of the United States. A central theme that connects these stories is that of trauma and its physical and psychological repercussions on both victims and perpetrators. In the majority of earlier Caribbean migration narratives, the return to homeland is utilized to allow characters either to ―confront the traumatic experience of historical violence and to finally begin the process of healing from it,‖ or to ―[recover] an empowering cultural past‖ (Richardson 37, 41). However, Danticat problematizes her return narratives by presenting Haiti as a site of perpetual trauma rather than a site of healing. A close reading of Danticat's work shows unwillingness to heal from the wounds of the past. Drawing on the intersections between literary trauma theory and psychoanalysis this paper argues that, by establishing Haiti as a site of repetitive traumatic experiences, Danticat resists the perception of ʻreturn' as a healing and empowering


The efficacy of different fungal and chemical elicitors of systemic protection and their effects on plant growth and development were examined in barley (Hordeum vulgare) and broad bean (Vicia faba). Powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis syn. Erysiphe graminis f sp. hordei) of barley and rust (Uromyces viciae fabae) of broad bean, two biotrophic pathogens, were used as fungal elicitors to induce systemic protection in barley and bean respectively, and the upper leaves of plants were subsequently challenged with the same pathogens. Powdery mildew applied to the lower leaves of barley was found to induce systemic protection against powdery mildew in upper leaves. However, whole plant fresh and dry weight, and total leaf area was approximately 50% lower in barley 14 d after inoculation of the first leaves with mildew. The total number of leaves and tillers were also reduced by approximately 30%. Consequently, although there was a reduction in total infection in the mildew treated plants this was probably due to the reduction in growth. Rust infection was reduced in upper leaves of broad bean plants following inoculation of the lowest leaf with rust. However, it was only in plants challenged 6 d following the inducer inoculation that the reduction in infection was significant. This was consistent with reports that maximal gene expression associated with SAR in tobacco was attained for most of the genes 6 d after inoculation. The strength of the protection response was lower than in previous reports of systemic protection in bean induced by rust. The degree of protection produced in upper leaves may be related to the number of lower leaves inoculated with the inducing pathogen. Induction of resistance with rust had no significant effect on bean growth, except an increase in total leaf area in plants challenged 14 d after rust treatment. Due to the limited effect of rust induced protection on growth of bean plants, it was decided to investigate further the effect of rust on plant growth. Whole plant fresh weight, dry weight and total leaf area increased 1 wk and decreased 3 wk after inoculating three leaves of the plants with rust. This may be consistent with a transient increase followed by a decrease in photosynthesis that is thought to occur in rust infected leaves. Changes in water uptake were in accordance with inhibition of stomatal opening in the early stages of infection and later, increased transpiration due to rupture of the leaf cuticle caused by sporulation. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis identified that rust infection resulted in Fo quenching and photoinhibition. In addition, rust infection was found to affect the photochemical efficiency of PSII reaction centres from 1 wk after rust inoculation. Non photochemical quenching was higher in controls compared with leaves on rust infected plants, except in healthy leaves on rust infected plants 4 wk after inoculation. This is indicative of increased metabolic activity and increased demand for ATP in the infected tissue. Phosphate, Salicylic acid (SA), and saccharin applied as a drench did have some detrimental effect on barley growth. In contrast, phosphate, SA and foliar applications of saccharin had no significant effect on growth of bean plants. Saccharin applied as a drench was more effective as an inducer of systemic protection compared with foliar application of saccharin. However, associated with the increased efficacy of saccharin when applied as a drench, was a detrimental effect on plant growth. In barley, chemical induced protection was found to be stronger in lower leaves, whereas in mildew induced protection, a significant response was only observed in leaves 3 and 4 and not in leaf 2. In broad bean, regardless of whether resistance was pathogen or chemically induced, the resistance response was stronger in the lower leaves, except with saccharin when the reverse was true. The differences observed may be related to signal strength. Saccharin was found to be a very effective inducer of systemic protection, but the mode of action is unknown. Consequently, the effects of saccharin on phenylpropanoid metabolism were examined. Saccharin was found to have no significant effect on lignin or free phenolic compounds. Despite the lack of increased PAL activity, enhanced CAD and peroxidase activity were observed. It is possible that the increase in PAL activity is transient and had occurred before the period examined. The increase in CAD activity in saccharin treated plants occurred both prior to and after inoculation with powdery mildew, which suggests that saccharin is priming CAD activity prior to pathogen challenge.


The application of the language of "rights" to the economic and social conditions of the world's impoverished populations has gained a great deal of momentum in recent years. Yet, given the continuing pervasiveness of basic deprivations for the world's poor, there is a pressing need to examine precisely how economic and social rights norms (as reflected in international treaties and other multilateral documents) are translated into practices. This article seeks to synthesize the theoretical literature on economic and social rights (ESR) and to examine the variety of legal, institutional, and political mechanisms that facilitate their realization. We utilize legal, anthropological, and sociological theory to identify institutional and cultural factors that affect norm translation, as well as adaptive, processual, and emergent dynamics that may alter outcomes. In moving from theory to method, we conceptualize a number of factors that contribute to rights realization, operationalize them by describing how translation mechanisms of each might manifest in real-world settings where rights are at stake and compile a list of questions and indicators that can be used to measure them. We hope this overview will assist in expanding and enriching human rights theory, facilitate the empirical study of economic justice and thereby contribute to efforts for making economic and social rights a reality.


ABSTRACT Elderspeak refers to adapting one's language to a perceived language decline of an older interlocutor. Earlier studies have explored different features of elderspeak; some of these studies attribute positive outcomes to using elderspeak that facilitates communication, but other studies consider elderspeak a negative way of communicating that should be avoided. The aim of this study is to investigate a largely unexplored feature of elderspeak, namely sound prolongation in a multilingual context. There are five participants in this study: three carers and two care recipients in a residential care unit. The carers and care recipients have limited access to a shared spoken language. The data consist of video- and audio recordings of interaction between the participants. The recordings have been transcribed and analysed in accordance with Conversation Analytical methodology. The analysis shows that the carers use sound prolongation as part of their interactional repertoire in order to manage situations of distress. We conclude that in some distressful situations carers' use of sound prolongation may help mitigating the care recipient's emotional concerns since the source of agitations has been addressed properly. In other situations, the use of sound prolongation may lead to an escalation in distress, if the source of agitation is not addressed adequately. Our results bring to the fore that an interactional practice, such as the use of sound prolongation in the context of expressed distress must be interpreted in relation to the complexity of each and every situation participants find themselves in, their level of understanding, and the task/activity at hand.


In this paper we report our early experience with the design of technology for senior citizens. We take as our point of departure a pre-study of the ways in which older adult living occurs at three different senior housing facilities in southern Sweden. We contribute to the current debate concerning the ways in which digital technology can be designed to enable new types of living arrangements for the ever growing population of older people. We focus on technology designed to support the social rather than physical challenges of growing older. In particular we discuss how designing for social interaction can circumvent the stigma associated with being lonely in light of diminishing social networks, changed patterns of interactions with family, moving to a new neighbourhood, and the loss of a spouse. We will suggest that designers, in the design of digital technology for social interaction, deliberately leave room for ambiguity to make it possible for people to leave their intentions of use unarticulated. Furthermore, recognizing that many everyday activities already act as enablers for social interaction, we suggest utilizing such activities as an approach for design. We will support our suggestions by introducing three perspectives: a perspective emphasizing that the population of older adults is one of resourceful individuals; a perspective on social interaction emphasizing its circumstantial nature as an inherent part of everyday activities; and a perspective on the role of digital technology emphasizing its role as merely one of many resources present for human action. Finally, we will present an example concept showing how an enhanced TV remote control may be designed to enable social interactions without inflicting too much on the original experience of watching TV and most importantly, without stigmatizing the people using the remote control as lonely individuals craving the company of others.


Most low-income countries export mainly unprocessed commodities. Yet, in their pursuit of structural transformation, they also seek a more diversified economic structure, including developing a strong manufacturing sector to create jobs and spur innovation as in more advanced economies. What is the best way for them to promote economic diversification? Should countries aim straight for anufacturing? Should they focus on the products most in line with their already-known and used endowments? Should they follow some sort of ladder of activities towards a well-diversified economy? Or should they simply lean back and let the markets sort it out? Finally, do the answers vary depending on the country? A body of recent research suggests that a country's diversification process would tend to move along pathways of "nearby" products: the "new" products it specialises in would build on the existing productive capabilities and knowledge used to produce the "old" ones. It would follow then that low-income, raw commodity exporting countries should build on their naturalresource endowments. This would not always imply moving downstream and transforming those resources locally. Depending on learning processes, capabilities and the types of endowments, value addition at the local level may or may not make economic sense.


Atmospheric chemistry is central to understanding global changes — ozone depletion, appearance of the polar ozone holes, and compositional changes which worsen the greenhouse effect. Because of its importance, work is progressing on many fronts.This volume emphasizes the troposhere and stratosphere and has chapters on gas phase, condensed phase, and heterogeneous chemistry. Present progress is emphasized, and important future directions are also described.This book fills a need not satisfied by any others and will be popular for some years to come. It informs students and newcomers to the field of the many facets of atmospheric chemistry and can be used as a text for advanced students. It is also a valuable desk reference summarizing activities by quite a number of the most active research groups.Chapter 18 by Kolb et al. on heterogeneous chemistry is especially noteworthy because it represents a unique joint effort by several groups working on a very timely subject; they describe a conceptual framework and establish conventions which will be standard in future papers on this subject.


Historically patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma have been subjected to large surgical resections for the treatment of their disease. However, with the development of vismodegib, a first in class molecule that acts to inhibit the hedgehog pathway, patients with advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma may have renewed hope in limiting the morbidity involved with surgery. Preliminary data shows a relatively good safety profile and promising results, although further research remains to be conducted. Current progress on utilization of vismodegib for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma is reviewed in this article. Only literature with objective clinical evidence was included in this review.


Introduction: The number of diabetics has progressively increased in recent decades. Pain is reported as one of the main complaints of these patients. On the other hand, in case of resistance exercises, there is no sufficient evidence on pain relief. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance exercise on pain threshold and blood pressure in patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: 11 overweight diabetic male patients (45-50 years) were selected through purposeful random sampling, but 3 of them refused to continue collaboration. After measuring one repetition maximum (1RM) , they completed three sets of strength exercise with intensity of 80% 1RM. Pain threshold and blood pressure was measured by special devices in active arm and finally data were analyzed using paired t-test and the correlation coefficient. Results: Increased pain threshold and diastolic and systolic blood pressure was observed immediately after the resistance exercise (P≤0.05) , but the relationship between diastolic blood pressure and pain threshold was not significant. Conclusions: The results revealed contrast interaction between blood pressure and pain threshold that suggests the central mechanisms of pain may engage in diabetic people.


Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between 24-hour urine supersaturation (SS) levels and the crystalline stone composition. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the results of stone analysis of 386 patients who had completed 24-hour urine stone risk profiles within 2 months of stone analysis. Patients were characterized as calcium oxalate (CAOX), calcium phosphate (CAPH) or uric acid (UA) stone formers based on the predominant component (> 60%) of their stone. Patients with < 50% of one stone composition were characterized as a mixed stone former. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the 24-hour urine SS for predicting the corresponding stone component were calculated. Results: The distribution of stone compositions was 235 (61%) CAOX, 98 (25%) CAPH, 35 (9%) UA and 18 (5%) mixed stone group. At predominant stone mineral concentration ? 60%, the accuracy of 24-hour urine SS for predicting the predominant stone composition was 52.5% for CAOX, 70% for CAPH and 67% for UA group. Even when the predominant stone mineral concentration was ? 90%, the accuracy of SS did not improve: COAX (49%, P = 0.6641), CAPH (77%, P = 0.361) and UA (67%, P = 0.9593). Conclusions: Twenty-four-hour urine SS has a poor accuracy to predict the predominant stone composition. Accuracy is highest for patients with CAPH stones. World J Nephrol Urol. 2015;4(1):169-172 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/wjnu206w


In recent years much attention has been given to determine risk factors for suicide among adults with bipolar disorder. Such studies concerning children and youths, which would also take into account the specificity of the developmental age, are still too few. The ability to identify risk factors for children and youths with mood disorders, as well as the possibility to monitor them, is an essential element in preventing suicidal behaviours. Previous studies have clearly indicated that in the group of patients with an early onset of the bipolar disorder the occurrence of suicidal thoughts and intentions were significantly increased. Identifying the risk of suicide is hindered further by the complexity of the phenomenon, which is a compound interaction of various factors: biological, environmental, sociological, psychological and clinical. This is especially true with young adults suffering from mental illness and presenting a number of other psychopathological symptoms. The following paper introduces and reviews the results of current studies, which analysed the risk factors for suicide among children and youths with bipolar spectrum or already diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For this purpose we conducted the overview of recent years literature available in PubMed/MEDLINE database, including the following search criteria: early onset bipolar disorder, bipolar disorder in children and young people, the spectrum of bipolar disorder, and suicidal ideation, suicidal intent, suicide.


A set of 178 grape accessions collected in Emilia Romagna, from widely cultivated to nearly extinct and thus maintained in ex situ regional repositories, were analyzed at 10 microsatellite (Simple Sequence Repeat [SSR]) markers for correct identification. Ampelographic and local historic data were also gathered. Varietal identity was established through comparison with reference SSR profiles, often supported by vine morphology. The work demonstrated the presence in the region, under local (often confusing) names, of varieties common in other regions/countries but also identified many local, unique genotypes worthy of preservation. Forty-nine percent of the investigated varieties corresponded to cultivars included in the Italian National Catalogue of Grape Varieties or were of likely foreign origin, while 62 of the 122 unique genotypes are not reported or described in the literature, except in historic documents. These likely belong to local germplasm, possibly native to the area. Some of these neglected varieties, like Pellegrina, Biondello, and Rossiola, are prospective candidates for market exploitation of varietal wines. The approach used here, based on varietal identification by SSR markers supported by ampelography and historic evidence, represents a key step in the study and development of local grape varieties.


This article looks at the extent to which financial liberalization under the recent structural adjustment programmes in Nigeria has affected the chances of microenterprises and small businesses (MSEs) obtaining credit from financial institutions. The 'pro-state' and 'pro-market' views regarding access to formal credit by MSEs are contrasted; then the article describes how financial liberalization has affected the banking system in Nigeria. A discussion of the changing patterns of credit sourcing by MSEs from formal financial institutions during 1980–90 follows. This reveals that the credit available to MSEs from commercial and merchant banks has risen sharply during the period, both in volume and as a proportion of the total credit available to all sectors.


Internet of Things (IoT) impacts the current network with many challenges due to the variation, heterogeneity of its devices and running technologies. For those reasons, monitoring and controlling network efficiently can rise the performance of the network and adapts network techniques according to environment measurements. This paper proposes a new privacy aware-IoT architecture that combines the benefits of both Information Centric Network (ICN) and Software Defined Network (SDN) paradigms. In this architecture controlling functionalities are distributed over multiple planes: operational plane which is considered as smart ICN data plane with Controllers that control local clusters, tactical plane which is an Edge environment to take controlling decisions based on small number of clusters, and strategic plane which is a cloud controlling environment to make long-term decision that affects the whole network. Deployment options of this architecture is discussed and SDN enhancement due to in-network caching is evaluated.


Arbuscular mycorrhizas are symbiotic associations that play a key role in plant nutrition by absorbing and translocating mineral nutrients from soil to host plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which are considered natural biofertilizers, show diverse levels of performance, depending on the ability of different isolates to promote plant growth and health. Here we investigated the performance of geographically different isolates of two fungal species, Glomus mosseae and G. intraradices, by assessing plant growth responses and P and N uptake in Medicago sativa, in order to select the most efficient fungi for this host plant. The four selected Glomus isolates significantly increased shoot dry weights and shoot N and P content of mycorrhizal plants, but their performances were different. In particular, G. intraradices IMA6 significantly differed from G. mosseae IMA1 in inducing larger growth responses relative to all parameters measured.


Insect diversity represents about 60% of the estimated million‐and‐a‐half described eukaryotic species worldwide, yet comprehensive and well‐resolved intra‐ordinal phylogenies are still lacking for the majority of insect groups. This is the case especially for the most species‐rich insect group, the beetles (Coleoptera), a group for which less than 4% of the known species have had their DNA sequenced. In this study, we reconstruct the first higher level phylogeny based on DNA sequence data for the species‐rich darkling beetles, a family comprising at least 20 000 species. Although amongst all families of beetles Tenebrionidae ranks seventh in terms of species diversity, the lack of knowledge on the phylogeny and systematics of the group is such that its monophyly has been questioned (not to mention those of the subfamilies and tribes contained within it). We investigate the evolutionary history of Tenebrionidae using multiple phylogenetic inference methods (Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and parsimony) to analyse a dataset consisting of eight gene fragments across 404 taxa (including 250 tenebrionid species). Although the resulting phylogenetic framework only encompasses a fraction of the known tenebrionid diversity, it provides important information on their systematics and evolution. Whatever the methods used, our results provide strong support for the monophyly of the family, and highlight the likely paraphyletic or polyphyletic nature of several important tenebrionid subfamilies and tribes, notably the polyphyletic subfamilies Diaperinae and Tenebrioninae that clearly require substantial revision in the future. Some interesting associations in several groups are also revealed by the phylogenetic analyses, such as the pairing of Aphtora Bates with Phrenapatinae. Furthermore this study advances our knowledge of the evolution of the group, providing novel insights into much‐debated theories, such as the apparent relict distribution of the tribe Elenophorini.


Background: Handball referees play an important role during a handball match. Surprisingly, not much is known about their sports-related injuries and resulting pain, therefore the purpose of our study was to focus on injuries and sports-related pain in referees in German handball leagues.Methods: During the 2018/19 national German handball season, referees of the German Federation of Handball were contacted and asked to complete an injury and pain questionnaire on the penultimate matchday of the first and the second round of the season.Results: 70 referees participated in the study. One in three referees reported an injury during the last year and perceived some form of pain. Of those suffering from pain, 16.7% referees reported chronic pain disorders. During the season, 31.4% of referees incurred an injury and the majority of the 70 referees officiated despite pain (n=43). Prospective data suggested an incidence of 11.6 (95% CI: 10.3 to 13.0) injuries per 1000 match hours, and 19.0 (95% CI: 16.8 to 21.3) sports-related pain events per 1000 match hours. The most common injuries were foot and knee injuries and a substantial number of the referees (n= 25) reported taking analgesics for the pain.Conclusion: German handball referees are at risk of sports-related injuries with subsequent pain. Considering the injury profile, the incidence of sports-related pain events, and the high physiological and psychological demands of refereeing, it appears that prevention programs should be developed and integrated into the routine of the referee.


The Russian Arctic territory has a significant influence on Russia's present socio-economic development. It is considered an important component of Russia's economic future, which is connected to the utilisation of the natural wealth discovered there during the last decades. In addition, the Russian Arctic coast is also expected to become a vital transport route between Europe and Asia. In the outlines of the state policy of Russian Federation in Arctic until 2020, tourism is seen as a tool for the sustainable development of the local communities of the Arctic, which would make it possible to safeguard the indigenous cultural heritage, language and handcrafts. However, the plans concerning the implementation of these specific goals are less detailed. The last few years have been marked by a considerable increase in interest towards tourism development of this area. Furthermore, various stakeholders in this part of Russia have already engaged in this process, which has resulted in increased visitation to the area. This paper aims to identify these stakeholders, as well as to analyse the issues influencing the process of general tourism development in the Russian Arctic. This is achieved by re-evaluating the regional tourism planning processes and existing tourist products/profiles of the seven administrative units of the territory of the Russian Arctic from west to east. These are: Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblast (Nenets Autonomous Okrug), Jamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Municipal Rayon (Krasnoyarsk Krai), Sakha Republic, and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.Although these territories possess unique natural and cultural characteristics that are suitable for the development of distinctive tourism products, this potential has either not been utilised or has been under-utilised. The analysis identified the clear losers and the leaders in this process. The situation often depends on the level of the engagement of the public administration, cooperation among the tourism providers, as well as private companies within the natural resource extraction sector. The system of integrated planning within the tourism sector, as well as deepening collaboration among the involved stakeholders are important conditions for a successful implementation of the desired tourism development, especially when it comes to indigenous tourism product development.


The production of chemical pulp in recent times is 180 million tons per year; while the production of eucalyptus pulp has increased intensively, especially in the southern hemisphere. The pulp and paper industry has long been considered a large consumer of natural resources (wood and water) and one of the largest sources of pollution to the environment (air, water courses and soil). Important efforts are being made to reduce the pollutant levels and water consumption of the industry. The wastewater composition, and therefore, the efficiency of effluent treatments and characteristics of the discharges to water are strongly dependent on the applied technology and raw materials. Despite a large body of literature on softwood-based wastewater, few studies have examined the characteristics of kraft eucalyptus bleaching effluents and their behaviour in the different biological treatments. The largest secondary treatment systems today use the activated sludge process. Sixty to seventy-five per cent of all the biological effluent treatment plants within the pulp and paper industry use this kind of treatment system. This chapter reviews the current pulping technologies at mills and compares the chemical composition and biological treatment of wastewater between softwood and hardwood bleached pulps.


Graph is an intuitive and powerful tool to present relationships between entities. Efficiently visualizing graphs with node-link diagrams is a great challenge due to visual clutter induced by edge crossing and node-edge overlapping. Many edge bundling methods are proposed to disclose high-level edge patterns. Though previous methods can successfully reveal the coarse graph structure, the relation patterns at individual node level can be overlooked. In addition, many edge bundling algorithms are computationally complex to prevent them from scaling up for extremely large graphs. In this paper, we propose SideKnot, an efficient node-based bundling method to cluster and knot edges. SideKnot is light, runs faster than most existing algorithms, and can disclose the relation patterns of an individual node such as its standing in the graph and pattern of relations with its neighbors.


In application of the acoustic emission technique (AET) for real-time detection of rail defect, it is essential to unerringly identify the occurrence of the defect via on-line analysis of acoustic emission (AE) signals acquired under working conditions, being exempt from either false-positive or false-negative alarm. Targeting AET-based rail defect detection, this study proposes a pattern recognition method which is formulated using damage-sensitive features extracted from monitoring data. By transferring the acquired AE signal into the frequency domain, moving frequency bands (MFBs), over which the AE burst generated by crack initiation or crack growth in passage of a heavy train is well perceived while the train-induced vibration responses are largely isolated, are first defined. The features extracted over the MFBs are used to construct pattern surfaces characterizing healthy and damaged states of a rail, respectively. A pattern classifier in terms of minimum error rate classification is formulated to define the threshold for discrimination. The proposed method is verified by using the monitoring data acquired by an on-site PZT-based rail switch detection system. The results show that the proposed method can successfully identify the damage state of the monitored rail with the use of AE signals acquired under working conditions of the rail. doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/252


The isoprene rubber is very much like natural rubber but made artificially or synthetically. Essentially similar to natural rubber in properties, this rubber may be somewhat weaker because it is not 100% the cis-isomer. This rubber is used in the same type of products as natural rubber. About 95% of isoprene production is used to produce cis-1,4-polyisoprene, a synthetic version of natural rubber. The growing demand for fuel efficiency and eco-friendly tires is driving the tire industry and in turn the demand for polyisoprene in the tire industry. The Isoprene Market was valued at USD 1.93 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach USD 2.96 billion by 2021. The isoprene demand in Pakistan will increase up to 24.8% from 2018 to 2025 reportedly. The isoprene market is increasing due to its increasing applications in tires, conveyor belts, hoses, molded rubber, and also in medical equipment such as gloves and balloons. Isoprene can manufacture from four different processes at commercial scale, but Isoprene from formaldehyde is the prevailing process in the industries. This process has disadvantage of low yield and by-products. So this process is further modified to improve the yield and the operating conditions. But still by-products are the main problems which decreases the selectivity and yield. To overcome these issues, manufacturing of Isoprene from propylene is studied in plant design project. It is found that this process has 65% yield and have selectivity of 95%. A cost Analysis was made after the design of different plant equipment, and it is found that a plant of 12000 tons per year has payback period of approximately 4 years.


The popularity of cloud computing and IaaS has spawned numerous cloud service providers which offer various cloud services, including IaaS, to cloud users. These services vary considerably in terms of their performance and cost and the selection of a suitable cloud service becomes a complex decision making issue for a cloud service user. Furthermore, the cloud services have several attributes all of which are the criteria that have to be taken into account when making a service selection decision. In the presence of these multiple criteria, a compromise has to be made because in most real-world situations, no single service exceeds all other services in all criteria but one service may be better in terms of some of the criteria while other services may outperform it if judged on the basis of the remaining criteria. Multi-criteria decision-making is a sub-field in operations research that deals with the techniques to solve such multi-criteria problems. There are several methods of multicriteria decision-making. In this paper, we use key multi-criteria decision-making methods for IaaS cloud service selection in a case study which contains five basic performance measurements of thirteen cloud services by a third party monitoring service. We demonstrate the use of these multi-criteria methods for cloud service selection and compare the results obtained by using each method to find out how the choice of a particular MCDM method affects the outcome of the decision-making process for IaaS cloud service selection.


Background Excipients are used to facilitate the manufacturing of dosage forms and maintain the stability of medicines in the face of chemical and microbial challenges. The lack of neonatal safety information exposes these patients to the risk of specific adverse reactions unexpected from adult experience. The European Study of Neonatal Excipient Exposure (ESNEE) consortium was created in order to improve experience on this topic. A systematic review of excipient safety and kinetics in humans and juvenile animals has been planned. Purpose This study aimed to develop and validate a systematic and standardised search strategy for collecting relevant information about excipients. Materials and methods 8 metadatabases were selected: PubMed, Scopus, Biosis, Inchem, AcTOR, Toxseek, International Pharmaceutical Abstract. Search focus was on the toxicity, safety and pharmacology of chemicals. An individual search strategy was developed for each resource. Results Search strategy was developed using propylene glycol as a model. The systematic database review included 5 steps: ▶ definition of inclusion/exclusion criteria, ▶ source identification, ▶ adaptation of search strategies to each source, ▶ data assessment, ▶ database creation/use, Inclusion and exclusion criteria were: English language, chemical product name (CPN) (not a derivative) mentioned in the abstract and its safety and/or toxicity on animal or human subjects evaluated; the CPN not cited as an example or used as a solvent in admixture, or for analytical matters. Boolean search strategy was not selective enough leading to too many irrelevant hits. Section Headings (SHs) search was more structured and narrowed the search without losing information. SHs had to be defined for each database. The relevance of abstracts was estimated independently by two pharmacists, using the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Articles identified will be assessed by experts in toxicology/pharmacokinetics before implementation into the ESNEE database. Conclusions In future excipient monographs will summarise the data retrieved. They will provide the missing information needed to improve the safe use of drugs and drug formulations in neonates.


Work zones are prevalent in the United States as the infrastructure is increasingly in need of maintenance. Lack of reliable data is one of the main obstacles in work zone research. Reliability suffers because of underreporting of crashes and inclusion in the analysis of irrelevant activities that are not attributable to work zones. In addition, the work zone environment is very dynamic, resulting in differing reasons for crashes. These are barriers to gaining an accurate understanding of safety in work zones. The objective of this paper is to design, develop, and deploy a mobile application (app) for real-time work zone data collection to address these issues. The development process consisted of the following steps. First, a user interface was designed to enable users to collect various work zone activity information. Second, taking advantage of recent advances in cloud computing, a real-time database was designed for efficient storage and instantaneous communication of work zone activity data. Field tests were then conducted at 13 work zone sites in Columbia, Missouri. Finally, the performance of the app was evaluated based on scalability, precision, and user friendliness. The app was able to respond to queries at real-time speeds even as the size of the database and the number of users increased. The precision of sensors was within appreciable accuracy for the geolocation. The app's user friendliness was acknowledged by the users. The successful deployment of this mobile app would lead to accurate work zone data which is very useful for work zone management, traveler information, contract monitoring, safety analysis, and project coordination.


The anaerobic activated sludge inoculated with an isolated SRB was immobilized on the granular activated carbon and the kinetics for the immobilized anaerobic sludge treating the sulfate in tannery wastewater was studied. Also, the aerobic activated sludge containing enriched SOB was immobilized and the kinetics for the sulfur conversion was studied with the immobilized aerobic sludge through treating sulfide (the reduction product of SO42-) in tannery wastewater. The results showed that the kinetics for treating SO42- with the immobilized SRB in the actual tannery wastewater could be expressed as follows: lnC =-0.04941 t+6.79764. The kinetics for the sulfur conversion with the immobilized SOB through treating the sulfide in the actual tannery wastewater could be expressed as follows: lnC =0.01109 t+3.09996. The established dynamic equations could predict the capacity of sulfate removal and sulfur conversion in tannery wastewater.


BACKGROUND
In intensive care units, patients are frequently unable to take oral drugs because of orotracheal intubation or sedation.

LOCAL PROBLEM
Adverse events occurred during the administration of drugs by feeding tube. This study assessed the impact of implementing good practice guidelines by a clinical pharmacist on the prescription and administration of drugs through feeding tubes.

METHODS
Nonconformity of drug prescription and administration in patients with feeding tubes was assessed before and after implementation of good practice guidelines in the intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital. Data were collected from medical records and interviews with physicians and nurses using a standardized form. Assessment of prescription nonconformity included compatibility of a drug's absorption site with the administration route. Assessment of administration nonconformity included the preparation method.

RESULTS
The analysis included 288 prescriptions and 80 administrations before implementation and 385 prescriptions and 211 administrations after implementation. Prescriptions in which the drug's absorption site was not compatible with the administration route decreased significantly after implementation (19.8% vs 7.5%, P < .01). Administration nonconformity decreased significantly in regard to crushing tablets and opening capsules (51.2% vs 4.3%, P < .01) and the solvent used (67.1% vs 3.5%, P < .01). Simultaneous mixing of drugs in the same syringe did not decrease significantly (71.2% vs 62.9%, P = .17).

CONCLUSION
Implementation of good practice guidelines by a multidisciplinary team in the intensive care unit significantly improved practices for administering crushed, opened, and dissolved oral forms of drugs by feeding tube.


Industries which pump sludges are under continuous pressure to decrease water content, and increase concentration. Environmentally
superior disposal techniques are demanding that such sludges have high mechanical strength properties. This results in a sludge with an increasing viscous character. At high concentration, the viscous forces – which are usually highly non-Newtonian
and yield stress in nature – become dominant, and flows inevitably become laminar.
The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the effect and evaluate the impact that increasing non-Newtonian viscous stresses – particularly yield stress – have on the pipelining problem. An industrially relevant sludge pipe flow study is presented, demonstrating and quantifying the relationship between sludge rheology and flow regime. It is argued that laminar flow will result in settlable solids accumulating on the pipe invert, leading to pipe blockage. Although some practical remedies have been proposed, this problem requires urgent and focussed research.. Water SA Vol. 30 (5) 2005: pp.66-68


We study the multi-armed bandit (MAB) problem where the agent receives a vectorial feedback that encodes many possibly competing objectives to be optimized. The goal of the agent is to find a policy, which can optimize these objectives simultaneously in a fair way. This multi-objective online optimization problem is formalized by using the Generalized Gini Index (GGI) aggregation function. We propose an online gradient descent algorithm which exploits the convexity of the GGI aggregation function, and controls the exploration in a careful way achieving a distribution-free regret $\tilde{\bigO} (T^{-1/2} )$ with high probability. We test our algorithm on synthetic data as well as on an electric battery control problem where the goal is to trade off the use of the different cells of a battery in order to balance their respective degradation rates.


There is a lack of consensus within the literature as to how `fairness' of algorithmic systems can be measured, and different metrics can often be at odds. In this paper, we approach this task by drawing on the ethical frameworks of utilitarianism and John Rawls. Informally, these two theories of distributive justice measure the `good' as either a population's sum of utility, or worst-off outcomes, respectively. We present a parameterized class of objective functions that interpolates between these two (possibly) conflicting notions of the `good'. This class is shown to represent a relaxation of the Rawlsian `veil of ignorance', and its sequence of optimal solutions converges to both a utilitarian and Rawlsian optimum. Several other properties of this class are studied, including: 1) a relationship to regularized optimization, 2) feasibility of consistent estimation, and 3) algorithmic cost. In several real-world datasets, we compute optimal solutions and construct the tradeoff between utilitarian and Rawlsian notions of the `good'. Empirically, we demonstrate that increasing model complexity can manifest strict improvements to both measures of the `good'. This work suggests that the proper degree of `fairness' can be informed by a designer's preferences over the space of induced utilitarian and Rawlsian `good'.


Scattering from a target in a bounded medium involves both propagation effects and target scattering effects as well as the coupling of the two. Previously, in order to simply the problem, the coupling of the two effects had been neglected by ignoring the contribution of multiple scattering between target and shallow water boundaries. This has been highly desirable because it eliminates the need to evaluate the shallow water Green's function over short ranges. Scattering computations are made to show the importance of including this coupling effect even at relatively low frequencies. It is shown that if the target is closer to the surface than the bottom, then the main contribution of the multiple scattering is due to the interaction of the target with the top surface and this effect may easily be included when the method of superposition is applied.


Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic digestive condition with significant complications if left untreated. Rural dwellers face barriers to access specialised health care, which is located in larger urban centres. We aimed to contrast health care utilization (outpatient gastroenterology visits, colonoscopies, claims for IBD medications, IBD-specific and IBD-related hospitalizations, and surgeries for IBD) between rural and urban residents diagnosed with IBD in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan (SK).

 We completed a population-based retrospective study using SK administrative health databases (hospital discharge abstracts, medication claims, and physician billings) between the 1999 to 2016 fiscal years. A validated IBD algorithm requiring multiple health care contacts was used for case ascertainment. IBD incidence cases were identified by requiring eight years of continuous health care coverage without IBD health care contacts before the date of diagnosis. Cases were assigned to a rural or urban location based on their residential postal codes at the date of IBD diagnosis. Study outcomes were measured from IBD diagnosis to the end of the study period or end of health care coverage. Cox proportional regression models were used to evaluate the associations between rural-urban residence and each study outcome. Models were adjusted by sex, age, neighbourhood income quintile at IBD diagnosis, and disease type (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were reported.

 We identified 5,173 IBD incident cases in SK between 1999 and 2016; 1,544 (29.8%) individuals were living in rural locations at the date of diagnosis. Compared to urban dwellers, rural residents had lower gastroenterology visits (HR=0.82, 95%CI 0.77–0.88) and higher 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) claims (HR=1.10, 95%CI 1.02–1.18). Furthermore, rural residents had a higher risk of IBD-specific (HR=1.23, 95%CI 1.13–1.34) and IBD-related (HR=1.20, 95%CI 1.11–1.31) hospitalizations than their urban counterparts. We did not observe significant rural-urban differences in the access to colonoscopies, biologic and immune modulator therapies, and surgeries for IBD.

 We identified rural-urban disparities in IBD health care access, specifically, lower outpatient gastroenterology visits, higher 5-ASA claims, and a higher risk of hospitalizations for individuals living in rural locations at IBD diagnosis. Our findings reflect rural-urban inequities in the access to IBD care that require the attention of health care providers and decision-makers to promote health care innovation and equitable management of patients with IBD living in rural areas.


In defence of the Canada Council's recent decision to consider 'appropriateness of voice and subject matter in future funding decisions', director Joyce Zemans has argued that 'we have a new need for authenticity.'1 In the context of post-colonial theory, the debate generated by this move seems a bit belated, and the obsession of a settler society for artistic authenticity rather suspect. That the settler cannot, by definition, achieve the authenticity of unequivocal cultural authenticity and connection to place which is often imagined to have characterized pre-colonial society is clear, and, perhaps, ultimately beside the point. The power of authenticity ultimately derives, not from being authentic, which precludes selfconsciousness and hence, the powerproducing knowledge of one's own authenticity, but from being able to read, recognize and ultimately own the authenticity of the Other. I want to suggest that the politics of reading, writing and publishing when seen in these terms may be related to the politics of tourismthe ostensible (and perhaps authentic) subject of this paper. This serial is available in Kunapipi: https://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol15/iss1/18


The relationships of soil moisture content or soil moisture stress to growth in Ladino clover have been investigated in containers under controlled environmental conditions and in field plots. Relationships involving the following aspects of growth or plant functioning are reported: (1) transpiration rate, (2) green weight production, (3) dry weight production, (4) dry matter percentage, (5) shoot elongation, (6) photosynthesis rate, (7) respiration rate, (8) chemical composition, (9) flower formation (number and size), and (10) seed production. Dry weight production of vegetative material, photosynthesis, and respiration rates were not affected appreciably until the moisture content in the entire root zone approached the permanent wilting percentage. Green weight production and shoot elongation were reduced significantly when the soil moisture content fell into the lower half of the available range. Chemical composition, flower formation, and seed production were also influenced by moisture conditions within the available range. The different relationships obtained illustrate that the increasing soil moisture stress experienced by Ladino clover as the readily available moisture is depleted does not have a uniform effect upon various aspects of its functioning and growth. Thus there is no one simple and general relation between soil moisture conditions and all aspects of plant functioning. Some plant processes are relatively insensitive to increasing moisture stress over the available range while others are distinctly affected. Such soil moisture-growth relationships are also dependent upon plant characteristics, soil conditions, and climatic factors. Information on these relationships should suggest opportunities for more effective irrigation by considering both the soil moisture stress and the physiological stage of plant development in the timing of water applications.


Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a procedural tool aiming at predicting the environmental impact of a project or a plan, and preparing for mitigation measures. Many actors need to collaborate in this process. In the Swedish context some of them are central administrative authorities, courts, county administrative boards, municipalities, proponents, consultants, NGOs and the general public. Natura 2000 is a network of sites within the
European Union, with the purpose to protect valuable biodiversity. Different species and habitats can be subject to this protection policy, which is regulated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. This thesis aims to gain insight and create a deeper understanding about how the Natura 2000 regulations are interpreted and implemented in EIAs in Sweden, with a focus on the
municipality as the commissioner of the EIA. The roles and responsibilities of the different actors in EIA are discussed in relation to the Natura 2000 network. This is done through a study of literature and earlier court cases, interviews with different actors involved in the EIA process
and a case study of a small square called Bla Torget in the municipality of Lerum. The study shows that the Natura 2000 network is seen as a strong form of protection, but that there are challenges to the implementation of the protection in practise and that the interpretation of 'significant impact' is essential in the reviews. There are different ways to receive guidance and support, and
the importance of praxis and precedents is highlighted for cases concerning Natura 2000 sites in Sweden.


The mechanical performance of DLC coatings on 316L stainless steel deposited by a saddle field fast atom beam source has been evaluated using the four point bend (FPB) test. Two different deposition parameters, pressure and current were varied when depositing the films. Load-displacement measurements were carried out during the bend test to determine the load corresponding to crack initiation. This load designated as the cohesive strength of the coating which is also called the cracking resistance of coating and provides a measure of the strength of the coating. The cohesive strength of the coating was calculated based on elementary beam theory. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the location of the crack. Finite element analysis was used to predict the stress distribution across the coating thickness. The experimental work on FPB tests has been used to support the numerical (finite element) model for the determination and prediction of film cohesive strength. It was observed that at lower deposition current, the cohesive strength increases with increased deposition pressure whereas, for higher deposition current, these values do not increase with increasing deposition pressure. The model takes into account the film's Young's modulus, thickness and deposition pressure and current, and has shown that it is capable of predicting film cohesive strength when combined with a theoretical formulation for brittle fracture. It has been observed that the maximum stress develops at the outer surface of the film and propagates through the film-substrate interface. This result has only been validated for films with higher Young's modulus compared to that of the substrate material.


The relationship of the structure with the strength, deformation, thermophysical and tribological characteristics of linear block-copolyurethanes based on oligoeters of regular structure oligooxy tetra-methylene glycol is described by mathematical model. Quality parameters are used to estimate the relationship between the structure and properties of the studied materials. The quality parameters allowed to find optimal composition of initial components.


This study investigated the impact of political environment on business performance of multinational companies in Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, a review of extant literature was made which was supported by hypothesis. The population of this study consists of quoted manufacturing companies in Nigeria. About twenty-seven (27) of such companies were identified and the necessary data were sourced from the Nigerian Stock Exchange Fact Book of 2012 and the World Development Indicators of World Bank Group. Political environment was measured as the degree of political stability and absence of violence while business performance was measured by the profitability of the companies for the period 1999-2013. Our findings showed that political environment has a negative significant impact on business performance of multinational companies in Nigeria. Based on the above, we suggest that the Nigerian government should avoid frequent changes in government policies and programmes, and ensure stability of democratic institutions and political integration. These are necessary to make the political terrain stable and out of violence for business growth and development. Key words: Political environment, business performance, multinational companies.


The term organic soil ordinarily refers to combinations of weathered rock products and partially decayed plant matter. The organic fraction tends to dominate soil physical properties for organic contents in excess of 20 percent by weight. To simulate these materials and to include precise control over organic content, fiber type and size, and mineral type, kaolinite and pulp fibers were used to prepare model organic soils. For comparison, kaolinite and all fiber samples were included. The effect of organic material on soil shear strength is shown in terms of consolidation and stress-strain behavior, undrained shear strength, and the shear strength parameters c' and Φ'. Decomposition effects on vane shear strength are reported for selected soil samples and one consolidation pressure. The experimental work gives a relationship between void ratio and logarithm of pressure that is dependent on both organic content and pressure level. A small initial increase in organic (fiber) content significantly increased the compressive and vane shear strengths of the model organic soil. Higher organic contents changed the material behavior from one with a peak compressive strength at about 7 percent axial strain (kaolinite) to one with an almost straight line stress-strain curve for strains in excess of 20 percent (all fiber). Decomposition in the model organic soils led to a large decrease in vane shear strengths. An increase in organic (fiber) content increased the shear strength parameter Φ' for both the CIU and CID triaxial tests. A failure criterion, based on the maximum ratio of shear stress to the effective normal stress (maximum obliquity), gave Φ'-values intermediate to the CIU and CID values for high organic contents.


Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) is a multidomain glycoprotein expressed by many cell types. It is a multifunctional protein with important roles in regulation of vascular cell functions. Mutation or loss of tumor suppressor genes results in down regulation of TSP1 expression during malignant transformation. Thus, suggesting that down regulation of TSP1 may contribute to development of the tumor angiogenic phenotype and perhaps tumor metastasis. TSP1 was demonstrated to be a natural inhibitor of angiogenesis. Peptides from procollagen-like domain and type 1 repeats of TSP1, like whole TSP1, inhibit the angiogenic response to a variety of angiogenic stimuli in vivo and endothelial cell (EC) migration in vitro by directly acting on ECs. The molecular mechanisms which mediate these inhibitory effects of TSP1 and its peptides are not understood. TSP1 expression is down regulated in the Polyoma middle T transformed mouse brain ECs (bEND.3). This may remove the TSP1 inhibitory effects allowing ECs to rapidly proliferate in culture and form hemangiomas in vivo. Re-expression of TSP1 in bEND.3 cells restores a normal phenotype and suppresses their ability to form hemangiomas. This is mediated by modulating expression of several genes in concert favoring a differentiated state of endothelium. TSP1 transfected bEND.3 cells down regulate expression of PECAM-1, a multifunctional endothelial cell adhesion molecule with essential roles in angiogenesis. A similar phenotype to that of TSP1 transfected cells was observed when endogenous PECAM-1 levels were down regulated by anti-sense transfection of bEND.3 cells. The anti-sense PECAM-1 transfected cells turn on expression of endogenous TSP1 and its angioinhibitory receptor, CD36. Expression of other genes with potential roles in regulation of EC phenotype were also affected in patterns very similar to those observed in TSP1 transfected bEND.3 cells. Therefore, it appears that a reciprocal relationship exists between TSP1 and PECAM-1 such that they are constituents of a "switch" that regulates in concert many components of the angiogenic and differentiated phenotype of ECs.


With exascale computing on the horizon, the performance variability of I/O systems represents a key challenge in sustaining high performance. In many HPC applications, I/O is concurrently performed by all processes, which leads to I/O bursts. This causes resource contention and substantial variability of I/O performance, which significantly impacts the overall application performance and, most importantly, its predictability over time. In this paper, we propose a new approach to I/O, called Damaris, which leverages dedicated I/O cores on each multicore SMP node, along with the use of shared-memory, to efficiently perform asynchronous data processing and I/O in order to hide this variability. We evaluate our approach on three different platforms including the Kraken Cray XT5 supercomputer (ranked 11th in Top500), with the CM1 atmospheric model, one of the target HPC applications for the Blue Waters postpetascale supercomputer project. By overlapping I/O with computation and by gathering data into large files while avoiding synchronization between cores, our solution brings several benefits: 1) it fully hides jitter as well as all I/O-related costs, which makes simulation performance predictable, 2) it increases the sustained write throughput by a factor of 15 compared to standard approaches, 3) it allows almost perfect scalability of the simulation up to over 9,000 cores, as opposed to state-of-the-art approaches which fail to scale, 4) it enables a 600% compression ratio without any additional overhead, leading to a major reduction of storage requirements.


SUMMARY: Staphylococcal bacteriophage K was concentrated and purified from broth lysates without the use of high-speed centrifugation, which inactivates this phage. After precipitation with 30 % (v/v) acetone in water in the cold, the phage was further purified by treatment with isobutanol and chloroform, and concentrated by pressure filtration in reinforced collodion sacs. Electron microscopical examination revealed the presence of empty phage heads and tails, in addition to intact phage in the purified concentrate. Experiments indicate that while these entities could be made by disintegration of the phage, they were already present in this form in the original lysate. Study of the structure of the phage indicates the presence of a removable solid rod or plug within the tail which terminates in the terminal bob. These findings are discussed in relation to the structure of other phages, and their physiology.


Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and scanning electron microscopy were combined to study the effect of residual defect density on corrosion initiation in aluminium alloy AA2024‐T3. EBSD was used to determine the level of misorientation (MO), from pixel to pixel, within individual grains. The MO can be determined with respect to either the average orientation angle of the grain or with respect to the average orientation angle of the surrounding pixels (in this instance, a matrix of 7 × 7 surrounding pixels has been applied). Herein, the MO, determined using the surrounding pixels, was used as the means for the assessing the level of defect density within a grain. It was found that there was a noteworthy, but not definitive, correlation of MO with corrosion initiation after 1 min exposure to 0.1 M NaCl solution. Additionally, the S and θ‐phase particles were also identified using EBSD, displaying a range of MO and therefore defect density. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Human Rights and Healthcare looks at medical law from a human rights perspective. Almost all issues traditionally taught under a "medical law" label have significant human rights issues inherent within them. This book is unique in bringing those human rights implications to the fore. The rights at issue include established fundamental rights such as the right to life; the right to respect for a private life; and the right to physical integrity, as well as more controversial "rights" such as a "right to reproduce" and a "right to die". The human rights perspective of this book enables new light to be cast upon familiar medico-legal cases and issues. As such the book provides a genuine merging of human rights law and medical law and will be of value to all students and academics studying medical law, as well as to those interested in the broader issues raised by the growing human rights culture within the UK and worldwide.


Rural Networks have been implemented as an instrument to enhance EU rural development policies in the funding period 2007-2013. Gaps in European programme documents concerning the networks' purpose and their evaluation led to a survey of the National Network Units being conducted in 2010. Besides investigating how these gaps are bridged nationally, the survey aimed to provide an overview of the development of the networks, of the initial experiences and challenges faced in running the networks, and to assess their potential impact. Empirical findings show that the networks probably support rural development (policies) and create added value. However, ways of demonstrating this impact in quantitative terms are lacking. Member states tend to stick closely to the specifications provided by the Commission and rarely go beyond them even if they are inadequate - even though this is legally possible. As a result, one purpose originally envisaged for the networks, namely to contribute to improving governance, is neglected. The paper provides proposals for modifying EC Regulations so as to enhance rural networks' impact and points to the need for further theoretical research corroborating the networks' value and increasing their effectiveness.


The recognition rate of the typical nonparametric method "k-nearest neighbor rule (kNN)" is degraded when the dimensionality of feature vectors is large. Another nonparametric method "linear subspace methods" cannot represent the local distribution of patterns, so recognition rates decrease when pattern distribution is not normal distribution. This paper presents a classifier that outputs the class of a test sample by measuring the distance between the test sample and the average patterns, which are calculated using nearest neighbors belonging to individual categories. A kernel method can be applied to this classifier for improving its recognition rates. The performance of those methods is verified by experiments with handwritten digit patterns and two class artificial ones.


Temozolomide plays a critical role in curing glioma at present. The purpose of this work was to develop a suitable drug delivery system which could prolong the half-life, improve the brain targeting, and reduce the systemic effect of the drug. Temozolomide-liposomes were formulated by the method of proliposomes. They were found to be relatively uniform in size of 156.70 ± 11.40 nm with a narrow polydispersity index (PI) of 0.29 ± 0.04. The average drug entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were 35.45 ± 1.48% and 2.81 ± 0.20%, respectively. The pH of temozolomide-liposomes was 6.46. In vitro release studies were conducted by a dynamic dialysis. The results showed that temozolomide released slowly from liposomes compared with the solution group. The release behavior of temozolomide-liposomes was in line with First-order kinetics and Weibull equation. The pharmacokinetics study was evaluated by pharmacokinetics parameters. The t(1/2β) and MRT of temozolomide-liposomes were 3.57 times and 1.27 times greater than that of temozolomide solution. The Cmax and AUC values of temozolomide-liposomes were 1.10 times and 1.55 times greater than that of temozolomide solution. The results of pharmacokinetics study showed temozolomide-liposomes prolonged the in vivo circulation time and increased AUC. Furthermore, the biodistribution in mice showed that temozolomide-liposomes preferentially decreased the accumulation of temozolomide in heart and lung and increased the drug concentration in brain after i.v. injection, which implied that temozolomide-liposomes improved the therapeutic effect in the brain and reduced the toxicity in lung and heart.


Some crystal forms of thymidylate synthase from L. casei exhibit unit sell transformation upon irradiation by X-rays, These forms, all of which occur in the space group P6(1)22, show an elongation in the c cell dimension and in some cases stabilize to a constant cell dimension upon prolonged exposure. We present here an analysis of the possible causes of this transformation based on the crystal structures for two forms of an R178F mutant of this enzyme. We compare these structures to other structures with intermediate cell parameters reported in the literature. There are no large changes in the dimeric structure of TS in these crystal forms. Although there is a large change in the unit cell volume, the molecular contacts in the crystal structures are nearly invariant. The transformation appears to result from concerted small changes in molecular structure and intermolecular contacts. These observations corroborate the general impression that protein structures can accommodate minor changes in sequence or packing wherein the intra and intermolecular interactions are not seriously altered.


In this study, we examined the geographical distribution (the spatial structure) of mortality and prosperity in Malaysia. In addition we proposed an approach to investigate the association between clustering patterns of mortality and prosperity across different areas of the country. To characterize the geographic pattern of mortality and prosperity, three indicators (infant, neonatal, and stillbirth) were proposed for mortality and also three indicators (class1, class2 and class3) for occupation were proposed for prosperity. These indicators measure the level of mortality and prosperity factors for all 81 districts in peninsula Malaysia based on 1993 census data. Two statistics of spatial autocorrelation based on sharing boundary neighbours known as global and local Moran are used to investigate the global and local clustering respectively. We found that both mortality and prosperity varied significantly across the different districts. Also, we found many significant local clusters in both mortality (in the north, south and mid-west), and in prosperity (in the north and west). A significant association was found between mortality and prosperity based on the spatial correlation coefficient.


The potential use of 3D aluminium nanorod structures as current collectors and negative electrodes for 3D Li-ion micro-batteries was studied based on the use of relatively simple and cost-effective electrochemical and sol-gel deposition techniques.Aluminium rod structures were synthesised by galvanostatic electrodeposition using commercial porous membranes as templates. It was shown that the use of a short (i.e., 50 ms long) potential pulse (i.e., -0.9 V vs. Al3+/Al) applied prior to a pulsed current electrochemical deposition gave rise to homogeneous deposits with more even rod heights. Electrophoretic and sol-gel deposition of TiO2 on the same substrates were also studied. The use of the sol-gel technique successfully resulted in a thin coating of amorphous TiO2 on the Al nanorod current collector, but with relatively small discharge capacities due to the amorphous character of the deposits. Electrophoretic deposition was, however, successful only on 2D substrates. Anodisation of titanium was used to prepare 3D TiO2 nanotube electrodes, with a nanotube length of 9 um and wall thickness of 50 nm. The electrodes displayed high and stable discharge capacities of 460 µAh/cm2 at a 0.1 C rate upon prolonged cycling with good rate capability.The 3D aluminium nanorod structures were tested as negative electrodes for Li-ion cells and the observed capacity fading was assigned to trapping of LiAl alloy inside the aluminium electrode caused by the diffusion of lithium into the electrode, rather than to pulverisation of the aluminium rods. The capacity fading effect could, however, be eliminated by decreasing the oxidation potential limit from 3.0 to 1.0 V vs. Li+/Li. A model for the alloying and dealloying of lithium with aluminium was also proposed. Finally, a proof-of-concept for a full 3D Li-ion micro-battery with electrodes of different geometries was demonstrated. The cell comprised a positive electrode, based on LiFePO4 deposited on a carbon foam current collector, with an area gain factor an order of magnitude larger than that for the Al nanorod negative electrode. This concept facilitates the balancing of 3D Li-ion cells as the positive electrode materials generally have significant lower specific energy densities than the negative electrodes.


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PURPOSE
This study was designed to determine whether Alamar blue could be used to evaluate corneal endothelial cell viability in vitro.

METHODS
Alamar blue incorporates a proprietary redox indicator that changes color in response to metabolic activity. Primary rabbit endothelial cells were subcultured on 96-well plates at densities ranging from 1,250 to 40,000 cells per well. After 12 hours' incubation, Alamar blue was added to each well and absorbance measured hourly from 1 to 9 hours. Sodium azide-killed cells were used as a control. Alamar blue conversion was also compared with [3H]-thymidine incorporation in the presence or the absence of mitomycin C.

RESULTS
Alamar blue reduction demonstrated endothelial cell viability at all cell concentrations compared with that in killed-cell controls. The reduction varied proportionately with cell number and time, showing clearly significant differences. Conversely, [3H]-thymidine uptake demonstrated minimal DNA synthesis and little or no ability to distinguish cell number or viahility.

CONCLUSIONS
Alamar blue reduction measures endothelial cell viability and can readily differentiate cell concentrations. It demonstrates several advantages over [3H]-thymidine: It can assay nonproliferating endothelial cell metabolism, it allows rapid assessment of large numbers of samples, it can differentiate endothelial cell concentrations, it is nontoxic, it is nonradioactive and allows for simple disposal, it is less costly, and it allows for continuous monitoring of endothelial cell metabolism and viability.


Abstract. We present a new, fully automated method of mapping the Antarctic Ice Sheet's grounding zone using a repeat-track analysis and crossover analysis of newly acquired ICESat-2 laser altimeter data. We map the position of the landward limit of tidal flexure and the inshore limit of hydrostatic equilibrium, as demonstrated over the mountainous and hitherto difficult to survey grounding zone of Larsen C Ice Shelf. Since the start of data acquisition in 2018, our method has already achieved a near 9-fold
increase in the number of grounding zone observations compared with ICESat,
which operated between 2003 and 2009. We have improved coverage in particular over the previously poorly mapped the Bawden and Gipps ice rises and Hearst Island. Acting as a reliable proxy for the grounding line, which cannot be directly imaged by satellites, our ICESat-2-derived landward limit of tidal flexure locations agrees well with independently obtained measurements, with a mean absolute difference and standard deviation of 0.39 and 0.32 km, respectively, compared to interferometric synthetic-aperture-radar-based observations. Our results demonstrate the efficiency, density, and high spatial accuracy with which ICESat-2 can image complex grounding zones and its clear potential for future mapping of the pan-ice sheet grounding zone.


Importance An estimated 4 to 5 million Americans have Alzheimer disease or another dementia. Objective To determine the health care utilization and cost outcomes of a comprehensive dementia care program for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Design, Setting, and Participants In this case-control study, we used a quasiexperimental design to compare health care utilization and costs for 1083 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries enrolled in the University of California Los Angeles Health System Alzheimer and Dementia Care program between July 1, 2012, and December 31, 2015, with those of 2166 similar patients with dementia not participating in the program. Patients in the comparison cohort were selected using the zip code of residence as a sampling frame and matched with propensity scores, which included demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and prior-year health care utilization. We used Medicare claims data to compare utilization and cost outcomes for the 2 groups. Interventions Patients in the dementia care program were comanaged by nurse practitioners and physicians, and the program consisted of structured needs assessments of patients and their caregivers, creation and implementation of individualized dementia care plans with input from primary care physicians, monitoring and revising care plans, referral to community organizations for dementia-related services and support, and access to a clinician for assistance and advice 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Main Outcomes and Measures Admissions to long-term care facilities; average difference-in-differences per quarter over the 3-year intervention period for all-cause hospitalization, emergency department visits, 30-day hospital readmissions, and total Medicare Parts A and B costs of care. Program costs were included in the cost estimates. Results Program participants (n = 382 men, n = 701 women; mean [SD] age, 82.10 [7.90] years; age range 54-101 years) were less likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.59-0.61) than those not participating in the dementia care program (n = 759 men, n = 1407 women; mean [SD] age, 82.42 [8.50] years; age range, 34-103 years). There were no differences between groups in terms of hospitalizations, emergency department visits, or 30-day readmissions. The total cost of care to Medicare, excluding program costs, was $601 less per patient per quarter (95% CI, −$1198 to −$5). After accounting for the estimated program costs of $317 per patient per quarter, the program was cost neutral for Medicare, with an estimated net cost of −$284 (95% CI, −$881 to $312) per program participant per quarter. Conclusions and Relevance Comprehensive dementia care may reduce the number of admissions to long-term care facilities, and depending on program costs, may be cost neutral or cost saving. Wider implementation of such programs may help people with dementia stay in their communities.


Services in telecommunication networks depend on distributed communication, computation, storage, and sensing resources. These resources are owned, operated, and used by different stakeholders. The stakeholders have their own preferences concerning technical or economic attributes associated with investing in, developing, deploying, and using telecommunication technologies. In this work, we propose a novel multi-stakeholder modeling framework for the techno-economic analysis of telecommunication networks considering the preferences of each stakeholder. To analyze autonomous decisions made by each stakeholder, we first present how to identify stakeholders, their utility functions, and how to elicit and integrate their preferences into their utility functions. Furthermore, we highlight important aspects regarding the interactions between stakeholders, such as conflicts of interests, information exchange and information asymmetries, and mutually beneficial interdependencies. Finally, we discuss how to design algorithms to solve multi-stakeholder problems in a given scenario and how to evaluate the results. Using concrete examples from edge computing, mobile crowdsensing, and device-to-device data forwarding, we show three applications of the proposed techno-economic multi-stakeholder modeling framework.


Joule heating of Zn wires by flowing a high electric current density has been used to grow, in times as short as tens of seconds, undoped and Sn- or Tb-doped ZnO nanowires. The contact of tin oxide powder with the starting Zn wire during heating leads to the growth of branched ZnO nanostructures by a catalytic effect of Sn. The growth treatment in the presence of terbium oxide gives rise to a complex ZnO arrangement of nanoparticles attached to nanowires, which show luminescence emission of Tb3+ transition due to the incorporation of a small amount of Tb into the ZnO nanoparticles during the growth process. The contribution of electromigration, associated with the high electric current density, to the rapid growth of the nanowires, as compared with other thermal-based techniques, is discussed.


This Guideline is an official statement of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and the European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA). It addresses the administration of propofol by non-anesthesiologists for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Main Recommendations 1 We recommend that the type of endoscopic procedure and the patient's American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, age, body mass index, Mallampati's classification, and risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) be assessed before each procedure with non-anesthesiologist administration of propofol (NAAP) (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence). 2 We suggest primary involvement of an anesthesiologist in patients of ASA class ≥ 3, with a Mallampati's class ≥ 3 or other conditions that put them at risk of airway obstruction (e. g. pharyngolaryngeal tumors), in patients who chronically receive significant amounts of narcotic analgesics, or in cases where a long-lasting procedure is anticipated (weak recommendation, low quality evidence). 3 We suggest consideration of capnographic monitoring during NAAP in specific situations including high risk patients, intended deep sedation, and long procedures (weak recommendation, high quality evidence). 4 We suggest propofol monotherapy except in particular situations (weak recommendation, high quality evidence). 5 We recommend administering propofol through intermittent bolus infusion or perfusor systems, including target-controlled infusion (TCI), and consideration of patient-controlled sedation (PCS) in particular situations (strong recommendation, high quality evidence). 6 We suggest that patients listen to self-selected music during upper and lower GI endoscopy procedures (weak recommendation, moderate quality evidence). 7 We do not suggest using pharyngeal anesthesia during propofol sedation for upper GI endoscopy (weak recommendation, moderate quality evidence). 8 We suggest using the post-anesthetic discharge scoring system (PADSS) to determine when patient recovery is sufficient to allow discharge (weak recommendation, low quality evidence). 9 Minimum discharge criteria should be fulfilled before discharging a patient. We recommend that patients who have received combined regimens, and all patients of ASA class > 2, should upon discharge be accompanied by a responsible person and refrain for 24 hours from driving, drinking alcohol, operating heavy machinery, or engaging in legally binding decisions. Advice should be provided verbally and in written form to the patient, including a 24-hour contact phone number (strong recommendation, low quality evidence). 10 For patients of ASA classes 1 – 2 who have received low dose propofol monotherapy, a 6-hour limit is suggested (weak recommendation, low quality evidence).


Physics experiments for students not majoring in physics may have little meaning for those students and appear to them unconnected in any way to their majors. This affects student engagement and influences the extent to which they regard their experiences in the physics laboratory as positive. We apply a framework for the development and evaluation of experiments for non-physics majors, which draws on the perspectives of a range of stakeholders and is designed to bring relevance and context to the fore. We report the application of the framework to a particular experiment over four semesters. The framework assisted in identifying features of laboratory work that often go unrecognized. These include the discord that can exist between the ambitions of the laboratory demonstrators and the expectations of the students; the change in the response of the students to an experiment once it moves from the trial phases to being implemented in classes that comprise several hundred students; and the impact of contextual factors, such as the quality of the laboratory environment.


In today's knowledge-based society, industry-university cooperation (IUC) is recognized as an effective tool for technological innovation. Many studies have shown that selecting the right partner is essential to the success of the IUC. Although there have been a lot of studies on the criteria for selecting a suitable partner for IUC or strategic alliances, there has been a problem of making decisions depending on the qualitative judgment of experts or staff. While related works using patent analysis enabled the quantitative analysis and comparison of potential research partners, they overlooked the fact that there are several sub-technologies in one specific technology domain and that the applicant's research concentration and competency are not the same for every sub-technology. This study suggests a systematic methodology that combines the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model and the clustering algorithm in order to classify the sub-technology categories of a particular technology domain, and identifies the best college partners in each category. In addition, a similar-patent density (SPD) index was proposed and utilized for an objective comparison of potential university partners. In order to investigate the practical applicability of the proposed methodology, we conducted experiments using real patent data on the electric vehicle domain obtained from the Korean Intellectual Property Office. As a result, we identified 10 research and development sectors wherein Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) focuses using LDA and clustering. The universities with the highest values of SPD for each sector were chosen to be the most suitable partners of HMC for collaborative research.


This article presents, troubles, and ultimately seeks to answer two simple questions: What does the digitization of slave resistance look like, and can it serve as a virtual memorial commemorating historic events where markers are lacking in geographic places, such as locations where slave revolts occurred? In four main parts, this article presents an example of digital commemoration of slave resistance in a now defunct online list of shipboard rebellions; it then contrasts this digital resource to material monuments to slave revolt leaders and to diverse types of museum displays (as at the International Museum of Slavery at Liverpool); the next section profiles online resources about slave revolt, including Vincent Brown's animated map of slave insurrections in Jamaica and repositories, archives, and databases of newspaper advertisements for runaways, arguing that these resources can sometimes be understood not merely as educational tools but also as digital commemorations of slave revolt. Finally, engaging with theory on monuments, memory, and history, this piece explains why digital commemorations existing in virtual space might productively acknowledge our discomfort with the existent archive and the insurmountable gaps in our knowledge of history.


Assurance of equity in student outcomes includes ensuring that module results are comparable within reasonable bounds. We present a procedure that first compares (and adjusts if necessary) module variances. Then, student results are individually normalised to standard variates. A simple sign test is used to identify modules with disproportionately good or poor results. Module results are offset so as to adjust averages that do deviate. A detailed examination of an artificial data set shows that the proposed very simple procedure yields results that agree with a sophisticated statistical analysis.


The main materials of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are carbon (C) and Stainless Steel (Fe). The dynamic current of PEMFC will cause nonuniform distribution of current density in these materials. Simple models which materials are carbon (C) and Stainless Steel (Fe) are used in testing. A testing device using electromagnetic method was set up to detect the induced electromotive force in models. Theoretical calculations using electromagnetism and mathematics are set up to calculate the current density distribution of models. It is shown from the comparison between calculated values of the formula and measured values that the dynamic current of PEMFC will cause skin effect.


Niger, nitidus, convexus, antennarum apice ferrugineo, tarsis rufis; prothorace inaequali, dense fortiterque punctato; elytris profunde sulcatis, interstitiis convexis, parum latis. — Long. 6 millim. Head with the upper surface somewhat uneven, rather closely and finely, but irregularly, punctate, scarcely shining. Antennae reaching backwards slightly beyond the base of the thorax; piceous-black, at the base with five joints free from sensitive pubescence and therefore somewhat shining; the joints from this to the extremity are somewhat, broader, the penultimate joint being scarcely so long as broad, they are densely pubescent, and the terminal joint — as also the apex of that preceding it — is ferruginous. The thorax is strongly transverse, and very convex in the transverse direction; it is strongly narrowed in front, the sides are somewhat irregular in outline, and are a little rounded and very slightly contracted behind near the hind angles; the base is deeply sinuate on each side of the middle, and also less deeply emarginate in the middle in front of the scutellum; the surface is uneven, bearing several rather indefinite impressions, it is glabrous, and is rendered rough by a deep, coarse punctuation which is somewhat irregularly distributed, the punctures being in some places nearly confluent: the lateral raised margin ceases entirely at about onethird of the length in front of the base. The scutellum is large and quite smooth and shining. The elytra are scarcely twice as long as the thorax; they are very deeply sulcate, the interstices being strongly elevated and rather narrow, the grooves are somewhat indistinctly crenate. The legs are piceous-black, the sulcation of the tibiae is very distinct.


A method for identifying friction parameters of pneumatic actuator systems is developed in this paper, based on genetic algorithms (GA). The statistical expectation of mean-squared errors is traditionally used to form evaluation functions in general optimization problems using GA. However, it has been found that, sometimes, this type of evaluation function does not lead the algorithms to have a satisfactory convergence, that is, the algorithm takes a long period of time or fails to reach the values of parameters to be identified. Different evaluation functions are, therefore, studied in the paper and two types of evaluation functions are found to have the expected rate of convergence and the precision. The algorithm is initially developed and tested using the benchmark data generated by simulations before it is applied for parameter identification using the data obtained from the real system measurement. The results obtained in the paper can provide the manufacturers with the observation to the characteristics inside the pneumatic cylinders.