Aim: This study investigates whether in males with normal blood pressure that underwent exercise stress test Double Product (DB) or Double Product Ratios to workload (DPR) are self-sufficient in predicting the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Method: 78 male patients with normal blood pressure went through bicycle exercise stress test (EST) and within four weeks they underwent coronary angiography. 34 of them resulted with normal coronary arteries and 44 of them were diagnosed with one or multiple vessel CAD. Pressure rate double product was calculated in rest, in the first stage of the exercise test, in the peak of exercise, and also in the second, fourth, and sixth minutes of recovery of the stress test. Also, the ratios of pressure rate double product with the workload, which reflects the relative growth of double product to the workload, were calculated. The results were compared between the two groups, the one with normal coronary arteries, and those with abnormal coronary angiography. Results: DP in rest and in the first stage of the exercise are not significantly different for normotensive males with or without CAD, while the peak DB value of the exercise, as well as the econd and sixth minutes of the recovery are significantly lower for the group of patients with CAD. The starting peak workloads were significantly lower in the patients' group with CAD (p=0.0002 and p 0.0001). On the other hand, the double product to workload ratio at the first stage was significantly lower in males with normal blood pressure and CAD. Significant lower DPR are detected also in the fourth and sixth minutes of recovery. Conclusion: The values of DP in the peak exercise and at the second and sixth minutes of the recovery phase are significantly lower in normotensive males with abnormal coronary angiography compared to those with normal coronary arteries, and these findings can be used to detect the presence of CAD despite the ECG changes and they are not affected by the baseline characteristics of the patients. The ratios between DP and workload at the first stage, and in the fourth and sixth minutes of recovery are significantly lower in normotensive male patients with coronary artery disease compared to those without CAD and can be independent predictive parameters for the disease.


Mental rotation is an important spatial processing ability and an important element in intelligence tests. However, the majority of past attempts at training mental rotation have used paper-and-pencil tests or digital images. This study proposes an innovative mental rotation training approach using magnetic motion controllers to allow learners to manipulate and interact with three-dimensional ( 3D) objects. Stereovision allows learners to perceive the spatial geometric form of a 3D object. This approach allows learners to perceive 3D objects in space through stereovision and make mental rotation visible from each intrinsic and invisible mental rotation step using motion-interaction methods. This study examines the effects of user training performance and perceptions. The results indicate that the proposed approach can improve user mental rotation ability effectively. Learners expressed high degrees of concentration toward the mechanism that included direct control and immediate feedback. The results also suggest that female testers perceive greater degrees of playfulness toward the mechanism and improve more through training than male testers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


Field observations of the response of the salinity structure in a sandy beach to oceanic fluctuations during a 15-day monitoring period are presented and discussed. There was no observable response of the salinity structure to either the semi-diurnal or neap to spring tidal cycles. During the monitoring period there was an increase in significant wave heights up to 4.5m over a period of about 4 days which resulted in a pulse in shoreline water levels due to wave setup. This induced a significant response in both the groundwater levels and the location of the salt-freshwater mixing zone. The findings have important implications for the quality of coastal groundwater resources and in particular for chemical reactions occurring within the vicinity of the mixing zone.


Diamide[diazine-dicarboxylic acid-bis(dimethylamide)], a thiol-oxidizing agent, has both pre- and postsynaptic actions on the glutaminergic neuromuscular junction of the lobster walking leg. Postsynaptically, diamide produced an increase in the response to exogenously applied glutamate, whereas the effect of diamide on presynaptic transmitter release involved two major changes: 1) a decrease in excitatory junction potential amplitude and 2) an increase in miniature junction potential frequency. Short-term facilitation also decreased. Equilibration with 1,4-dithiothreitol (a sulfhydryl-reducing agent) reversed the decline in excitatory junction potential frequency, and the fall in short-term facilitation. The miniature junction potential frequency increase induced by diamide was independent of external Ca2+, as diamide in a Ca2+-free solution produced a similar response to that in a Ca2+-containing solution. We propose that the action of diamide on transmitter release is similar to the action of polyvalent cations, i.e., diamide has two sites of action, a blockade of inward Ca2+ flux and an increased release of Ca2+ inside the terminal.


High laser intensities are being transmitted through optical fibers in a growing number of applications. Our interest in laser initiation of explosives has led us to examine the transmission of Q-switched, Nd:YAG laser pulses through step-index, multimode, fused-silica fibers for a number of years. A common limiting process is a plasma-forming breakdown occurring at the fiber entrance face. The breakdown threshold at this face depends on the surface characteristics that result from the particular method of end-face preparation. In previous studies we examined entrance-face breakdown thresholds for several different mechanical polishing schedules, and also for several schedules of CO2-laser conditioning following mechanical polishing. In the present study we examined three end-face preparation methods that were base on the recent availability of exceptionally good cleaved surfaces for our fibers of interest. Using test procedures similar to those in past studies, we examined the cleaved fibers directly, fibers with cleaved surfaces that were subsequently flame polished, and fibers with cleaved surfaces that were subsequently conditioned with a CO2 laser. All of these preparation methods resulted in fibers that showed a broader range of entrance-face breakdown conditions than found in past studies, together with a susceptibility to subsurface exit-face damage. By introducing additional cleaning steps with the cleaved surfaces, we were able to reduce the variability in breakdown thresholds observed after subsequent CO2- laser conditioning. A consistent location of exit-face damage sites indicates that subsurface fracturing occurs during the cleaving process, and that the subsequent end-face processing steps were not effective in mitigating damage at these sites. Threshold energies for entrance- face breakdown are also affected by the relation between incident laser energy and the resulting peak local fluence at this surface. Laser characteristics and the design of the laser-to- fiber injection optics determine this relation. The present study utilized an improved injection system consisting of a custom diffractive optical element combined with a lens having a very short focal length. This system produced the lowest value for the ratio of peak-to-average fluence at the entrance face that we have observed, and was very successful in inhibiting internal damage mechanisms along the fiber path.


In this paper we design a cognitive access scheme for WSNs that coexist with WLANs, considering the problem of blind and hidden WLAN terminals. The cognitive access scheme relies on a-priory known WLAN idle time distribution functions and repeated channel measurements to optimize the size of the transmitted data unit and the transmission distance, such that the normalized transmission energy is minimized. We compare the proposed scheme with simple carrier sensing and random access solutions and show that the energy gain is significant under typical WLAN utilization values.


Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) is a worldwide fulminant infectious disease. Since the first HFRS cases in Hubei Province were reported in 1957, the disease has spread across the province and Hubei has become one of seriously affected areas in China. However, the epidemic characteristics of HFRS are still not entirely clear. Therefore, a systematic investigation of spatial and temporal distribution pattern of HFRS system is needed. In order to facilitate better prevention and control of HFRS in Hubei Province, in this paper, a GIS spatiotemporal analysis and modeling tool was developed to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of the HFRS epidemic, as well as providinga comprehensive examination the dynamic pattern of HFRS in Hubei over the past 30 years (1980-2009), to determine spatiotemporal change trends and the causes of HFRS. This paper describes the experiments and their results.


We describe a method of regaining venous access to the heart in a patient with permanent atrial stimulation, in whom the pacing system upgrade to the atrio-ventricular one was necessary. However, left subclavian vein occlusion was found. We used an existing lead as a conduit. During such treatment the lead was removed. After a recanalisation the therapeutic aim was achieved - there were two new leads implanted.


Info 2016 Cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter (CHBMI) is able to generate a staircase AC output voltage with low switching losses. The switching angles applied to the CHBMI have to be calculated and arranged properly in order to minimize the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output voltage waveform. In this paper, two non-iterative switching-angle calculation techniques applied for a 15-level binary asymmetric CHBMI are proposed. Both techniques employ a geometric approach to estimate the switching angles, and therefore, the generated equations can be solved directly without iterations, which are usually time-consuming and challenging to be implemented in real-time. Apart from this, both techniques are also able to calculate the switching angles for a wide range of modulation index. The proposed calculation techniques have been validated via MATLAB simulation and


Graphene or chemically modified graphene, because of its high specific surface area and abundant functional groups, provides an ideal template for the controllable growth of metal–organic framework (MOF) particles. The nanocomposite assembled from graphene and MOFs can effectively overcome the limitations of low stability and poor conductivity of MOFs, greatly widening their application in the field of electrochemistry. Furthermore, it can also be utilized as a versatile precursor due to the tunable structure and composition for various derivatives with sophisticated structures, showing their unique advantages and great potential in many applications, especially energy storage and conversion. Therefore, the related studies have been becoming a hot research topic and have achieved great progress. This review summarizes comprehensively the latest methods of synthesizing MOFs/graphene and their derivatives, and their application in energy storage and conversion with a detailed analysis of the structure–property relationship. Additionally, the current challenges and opportunities in this field will be discussed with an outlook also provided.


We construct a moduli space of stable pairs over a smooth projective variety, parametrizing morphisms from a fixed coherent sheaf to a varying sheaf of fixed topological type, subject to a stability condition. This generalizes the notion used by Pandharipande and Thomas, following Le Potier, where the fixed sheaf is the structure sheaf of the variety. We then describe the relevant deformation and obstruction theories. We also show the existence of the virtual fundamental class in special cases.


Summary 1. Ontogenetic dispersal of animals has been observed among many ecosystems, but its full ecological significance is poorly understood. By modelling the consequences of ontogenetic reef fish dispersal between Caribbean mangroves and adjacent coral reefs, we quantify the broader implications of ecosystem connectivity for ecosystem function and resilience to climate-driven disturbance. 2. Mangrove-driven enrichment of parrotfish grazing on two coral reef habitats was calculated using empirical data. The consequences of increased grazing were then investigated using a spatial simulation of coral reef dynamics in shallow (depth 3‐6 m) and mid-shelf forereefs (depth 7‐15 m). 3. The largest increase in grazing occurred in shallow reefs, but was found to have negligible consequences for coral population dynamics. 4. In contrast, relatively weak increases in grazing on deeper reefs had profound consequences: reefs near mangroves were able to experience coral recovery under the most intense hurricane regimes of the Caribbean, whereas those lacking ecosystem connectivity had little capacity for recovery. 5. This surprising result occurs because reefs exhibit multiple stable equilibria and mangrove enrichment of grazing in mid-shelf reefs coincides with a zone of system instability. A small increase in grazing shifted the reef beyond a bifurcation point, thereby enhancing resilience massively. A relatively large increase in grazing in shallow reefs had minimal ecosystem consequence because the grazing levels concerned were more than double the levels needed to exceed the corresponding bifurcation point for this habitat. 6. Synthesis and applications . Caribbean mangroves are being deforested at a faster rate than rainforests, yet their protective role against hurricane damage extends not only shoreward to coastal environments but also seaward to increasing the resilience of offshore coral reefs. Specifically, ontogenetic mechanisms of ecosystem connectivity involving parrotfish may increase the probability that coral populations will recover from climate-induced changes in hurricane disturbance. Efforts to arrest mangrove deforestation and restore mangrove habitats are likely to increase the likelihood of recovery of corals on mid-depth (7‐15 m) reefs after disturbance. In general, the ecosystem-level consequences of ontogenetic migration do not correspond necessarily to the magnitude of locally observed effects (i.e. the pattern of grazer enrichment exhibited the opposite pattern to that of its consequences for system resilience). Therefore, caution must be exercised when interpreting the functional significance of changes in species abundance for ecosystem process (e.g. grazing pressure and its implications for coral growth and survival). Impacts of shifting abundance or process are perhaps best appreciated using mechanistic ecosystem models.


Surveillance video cameras have been increasingly deployed along roadways over the past decade. Automatic traffic data collection through surveillance video cameras is highly desirable; however, sight-degrading factors and camera vibrations make it an extremely challenging task. In this paper, a computer-vision–based algorithm for vehicle detection and tracking is presented, implemented, and tested. This new algorithm consists of four steps: user initialization, spatiotemporal map generation, strand analysis, and vehicle tracking. It relies on a single, environment-insensitive cue that can be easily obtained and analyzed without camera calibration. The proposed algorithm was implemented in Microsoft Visual C++ using OpenCV and Boost C++ graph libraries. Six test video data sets, representing a variety of lighting, flow level, and camera vibration conditions, were used to evaluate the performance of the new algorithm. Experimental results showed that environmental factors do not significantly impact the detection accuracy of the algorithm. Vehicle count errors ranged from 8% to 19% in the tests, with an overall average detection accuracy of 86.6%. Considering that the test scenarios were chosen to be challenging, such test results are encouraging.


During the 1997–98 Italian Expedition to Antarctica a five-day mesoscale experiment was carried out on the continental shelf-break in the central Ross Sea. This area is oceanographically characterized by shelf/slope interactions, through intense mixing processes, between the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and the Ice Shelf Water (ISW), coming from beneath the Ross Ice Shelf and spilling over the shelf edge. The export of dense shelf waters is of crucial importance not only for the mass balance of the basin, but also for carbon export from the upper layers into the abyssal ones. The study investigated how the ISW interactions with the CDW may influence bacterial metabolism during an ISW downslope event. In particular, what effect does this have on the bacterial activities related to the utilization and transformation of the organic carbon substrate (ectoenzymatic activities, carbon production, growth rate) within the ISW and the CDW cores? Our data show that in the CDW the metabolic response was to increase the biomass and enzymes were less active due to a higher nutritional value for the substrate. In the ISW the bacterial metabolic activity shifted towards degradative processes. These results suggest differences in the quality of the organic carbon pool with a greater concentration of labile organic matter in the CDW and of low-degradable compounds in the ISW. The use of microbial parameters seems to be very promising in the evaluation of the carbon export during mixing processes, when the refractory fraction of the organic carbon pool might play a key role.


Abstract Introduction: Povidone-Iodine was introduced to the pharmaceutical market as an antiseptic agent in the 1950's. In this study, we presented a measurement method for "Free" Iodine in Povidone-Iodine solutions and its effect on disinfection of these solutions was investigated. Methods and Results: In this study, Povidone-Iodine solutions were prepared with different concentration of free iodine but with the same available iodine, then free iodine in these solutions was measured by heptane extraction method. pH, available Iodine and Iodide was measured according to BP2017 pharmacopeia. The antibacterial activity of these specimens was investigated after 15, 30, 60, 120 seconds on two microorganisms including pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus. All specimens were acceptable according to pharmacopeia acceptance criteria and because the amount of molecular iodine (so-called free iodine) determines the level of antibacterial activity in Povidone-Iodine, the reduction in free iodine until a specified concentration in this study, did not decrease on acceptable antibacterial activity. Conclusions: Because high free iodine is the main factor for skin irritations, reducing free iodine in Povidone-Iodine disinfectants until a specific concentration, in addition to preserve antibacterial properties, reduces skin irritation considerably. Key words: Povidone-Iodine, Free Iodine, Antibacterial.


In the last years the demand for microparts has been constantly increasing. So
 far these parts have been manufactured mainly through turning and milling
 operations or chemical etching, which are expensive and wasteful production
 methods. In such a contest, the idea of the Masmicro project was developed,
 whose aim is to develop new knowledge on the manufacturing of mini/micro
 components, convert the knowledge into new technologies and transfer them to
 the industry. This master thesis is focused on the RTDs 3 and 4 of the Masmicro
 project, where the machine system is designed including transfer system.
 The main aim of this project was the design, construction and test of a rig which
 allowed for mini-billets handling. The developed solution would be implemented
 into a two-steps cold forging process, in order to move billets from the billet
 preparation station to the first forming stage.
 Due to the need of high speed and simplicity, a one-dimensional linear transfer
 system has been chosen. A gripper is needed to hold the billet when transferred
 into the transfer mechanism. A gripping solution based on adhesive forces arising
 from surface tension has been proposed. Tests showed that adhesive forces
 occurring when gripping cleaned billets (i.e. with only a thin film of moisture on
 their surfaces) with a cylindrical-shaped bore were not sufficient to hold them
 inside the bore. On the other hand, adhesive forces arising when some
 contaminant was present (such as a thin layer of lubricant), were enough to hold
 the billets inside the cylindrical-shaped bore.
 A prototype of the transfer system was engineered and manufactured. Tests
 were carried out in order to verify the efficacy of the developed system. It was not
 possible to move the billet from the feeding bore to the bore which simulates the
 first forming stage, because of an error in the position of this last one. Therefore
 tests were performed moving the billet from the feeding to the discharge bore,
 whose position and dimension allowed for a proper alignment. Analysis proved
 that the principle of the transfer system would work satisfactorily, once introduced
 into the production line.


North American blastomycosis, first reported in 1894, and once thought to be a geographically localized disease, has now been reported worldwide. The greatest number of cases occur in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basins. The organism enters the body via the lungs with subsequent dissemination to other organs, including the skin, eyes, bones, and genitourinary system. Patients most often present with cutaneous or pulmonary complaints. Demonstration of characteristic fungal morphology in microscopic smears or in histologic specimens is highly suggestive of Blastomyces dermatitidis. However, proof of the diagnosis is obtained only by mycologic culture. Some progress has been made using other laboratory methods to produce a rapid diagnosis. This paper reviews in detail the varied clinical presentations of blastomycosis, the laboratory diagnosis, and current treatment.


Aphthona spp. flea beetles were released in two ecological sites of the Little Missouri National Grasslands in southwestern North Dakota in 1999 to control leafy spurge. The change in leafy spurge density and soil seedbank composition was monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of the biological weed control agent and the associated change in plant communities 5, 10, and 15 yr after release in loamy overflow (valleys) and loamy sites (ridges). In 2014, 15 yr after release, leafy spurge stem density had decreased 94% from 110 to 7 stems m−2 in the loamy overflow sites and 88% from 78 to 9 stems m−2 in the loamy sites. Leafy spurge represented only 2% and 6% of the loamy overflow and loamy seedbanks in 2004, respectively, compared with nearly 67% and 70%, respectively, in 1999. There was a slow shift to reintroduction of native species into the seedbank over the last 15 yr. The number of desirable species increased to 21 by 2014 (more than three times the number of species in 1999) in the loamy overflow sites, and doubled to 14 species in the loamy sites, while less desirable forb species doubled in both sites. Desirable grass species doubled in the loamy overflow sites by 2014 but remained unchanged in loamy sites. Aphthona spp. successfully controlled leafy spurge for more than 15 yr without any additional control methods or costs to land managers and resulted in the slow return of a subset of native species. Nomenclature: Leafy spurge, Euphorbia esula L.


Hypertension is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular and renal disease. The incidence of hypertension is increasing globally and the rate of blood pressure control remains inadequate. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a crucial role in volume regulation and maintenance of blood pressure. Pathological activation of RAAS results in chronic hypertension and consequent end organ damage. Most patients with hypertension require combination therapy using agents with complimentary mechanisms of action. Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) together with an agent blocking the RAAS such as an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) are widely used effective anti-hypertensive therapy. Aliskiren is an orally effective direct renin inhibitor that blocks the generation of angiotensin I from angiotensinogen, the rate limiting step of RAAS activation. Studies have shown equivalent antihypertensive efficacy of aliskiren when compared to existing medications such as HCTZ, ACE inhibitors and ARBs. Aliskiren has also been tested in combination therapies. The current review aims to look at the efficacy of aliskiren therapy in hypertension and the evidence for using aliskiren in combination with HCTZ.


This thesis examines the membership and work of the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa from 1898 to 1932. Through commemorations, historical tableaux, exhibitions of artefacts, and the publication, Transactions, they participated in the construction of a nationalist and imperialist collective memory, celebrating connections to the British Empire, a mythologized settler past, and Ottawa's evolution from lumber town to national capital. Analysis of the origins, class and ethnicity of the Society shows that French-Canadian participation fell and membership broadened as Ottawa became a government town. The thesis describes competition from the male-dominated Bytown Pioneer Association in 1923 over the commemoration of Colonel By, and it posits that the masculinization of the historical profession led the Society to abandon written accounts in Transactions, and focus upon the collection and display of artefacts in the Bytown Museum.


SUMMARY: Controlled trials were used to assess the efficacy of various anthelmintics against immature and adult paramphistomes in 75 experimentally or naturally infected sheep.

Albendazole (20 mg/kg), praziquantel (10 mg/kg), nitroxynil (10 mg/kg) triclabendazole (10 and 100 mg/kg), profenophos (25 mg/kg) and netobimin (15 mg/kg) had little or no activity against adult or immature fluke. Niclosamide at 100 mg/kg had high efficacy (99%) against intestinal fluke but none against adult fluke. A 2- tertiary-butyl benzthiazole compound (CGA 72630) at 25 mg/kg and resorantel at 65 mg/kg had very high efficacy against both adult and immature fluke in the rumen and small intestine respectively.

The efficacy of other anthelmintics which have been used against paramphistomes in sheep is reviewed.


The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of tumour argyrophilia and chromogranin A (CgA) and B (CgB) immunocytochemical expression in patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma. To this end, the histo‐immunocytochemical data on a consecutive series of 99 such tumours were submitted to statistical analysis. In univariate analysis, a significantly increased risk of disease progression and death was present in patients with CgA‐poor and CgB‐poor tumours, respectively. Multivariate analyses were performed by adding the histo‐immunocytochemical variables to the final (reference) models obtained in earlier work on the same case series, in which 18 clinicopathological variables had been taken into account. This addition did not change the prognostic impact of the variables considered in the two reference models; it did, however, increase the prognostic information for overall survival, since the adjunctive contribution of CgB immunocytochemical expression (as assessed by the likelihood ratio test) was statistically significant. It is concluded that the chromogranin B immunostaining pattern of the primary tumour allows the distinction of patients with an increased risk of death. Argyrophilia and expression of chromogranin A seem instead to be of no prognostic value in patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The publicity discourse is far away from the intuitive and conjectural character that is usually assigned it by the common sense. Its efficiency ought to the emulation, capacity to take the target-publics to recognize or project themselves in advertisement when it identify their own moral, religious, cultural, economical, physical or even sexual attitudes. These last, the sexual attitudes compose an especially efficacious argumentative repertoire, principally in areas like the cosmetic and perfumery, where the other valuation is a motivation for the consumer. The perfumes advertisement let us clearly see how the expressions of sensual or sexual behavior take consumer to recognize itself and develop a previous consumption motivation towards products which best represent its own behavior.


Any theory of language – ancient or contemporary, philosophical or cognitive – faces the same problem, i.e. how to reconcile the unequivocally corporeal character of the speakers and the world they speak of with the somewhat 'incorporeal' character of the meanings of linguistic expressions. It is for this reason, for example, that direct-reference theories of language (Stroll 1999) seek to eliminate the Fregean notion of 'sense' (Sinn) from semantics. What is at stake is a completely corporeal account of language. However, such an attempt clashes with the fact that the vast majority of linguistic expressions do not refer either to any objects in the world or to the pre-scientific intuition that words have an autonomous 'meaning' (that is, that the 'sense' of a word does not coincide with the referent, Bedeutung).
To solve such a problem, the Stoics introduced in their theory of language the notion of lekton, i.e. what is 'said' or is 'sayable'. Even if the lekton is, properly speaking, incorporeal, at the same time it is the corporeal product of what human speakers do when they utter a verbal utterance. In this paper I propose to compare the notion of lekton to the similar notion of 'use' (Gebrauch), much debated in Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. The thesis of this paper is not that there exists a direct philological connection between the Stoic notion of lekton and the notion of linguistic 'use' in Wittgenstein (even if this cannot be excluded either). Instead, the idea is that when one wants to propose an adequate theory of language, one cannot but introduce a notion such as that of lekton or 'use'.


Optical networks using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology modulate multiple channels over a single fiber. The most common architecture utilized for establishing communication in WDM optical networks is wavelength routing, where the communication between a source and a destination node is performed by setting up optical channels between them, called light-paths from the network perspective. In optical WDM networks, transmission of information along optical lines is advantageous since it has high transmission capacity, scalability, feasibility and also high reliability. But since large amount of information is being carried, any problem during transmission can lead to severe damage to the data being carried. In this paper, we propose to develop a routing and wavelength utilization algorithm which considers two constraints for selecting the best path. The two constraints are based on the available free load and the number of wavelength used in the link. Based on these constraints, two cost functions on load and wavelength are determined, which yields a combined cost function. For each pair of source and destination, the path with the minimum combined cost function is selected as the primary path for data transmission, allocating the sufficient wavelength. This study paper proposes a RWU algorithm for the problem of establishing the set of efficient light paths for a given set of connection requests. The effectiveness of the proposed RWU algorithm is demonstrated by simulation. This study divides the routing and wavelength allocation process in two step problem with a goal of minimizing Number of wavelength channel and number of wavelength conversion required. This algorithm thus provides a reliable path for the data transmission.


We thank Zohar Lederman and Benjamin Capps for engaging with our paper on One Health (OH) and ethical frameworks, however we want to take issue with them on three points. First, they appear to misunderstand the distinction we appeal to between ethical theory and ethical frameworks, and so misinterpret what we are trying to achieve in our paper. Second, in spite of what they seem to imply, we agree that an OH approach can obscure differences in values, and that to progress the field there needs to be recognition of competing values and their implications for OH. Finally, we are puzzled by their interest in pursuing a deliberative process, as this seems at odds with other positions they take in their paper, and also opens up many questions that need to be addressed.


This paper considers multi-stage optimization problems under uncertainty that involve distinct offline and online phases. In particular it addresses the issue of integrating these phases to show how the two are often interrelated in real-world applications. Our methods are applicable under two (fairly general) conditions: 1) the uncertainty is exogenous; 2) it is possible to define a greedy heuristic for the online phase that can be modeled as a parametric convex optimization problem. We start with a baseline composed by a two-stage offline approach paired with the online greedy heuristic. We then propose multiple methods to tighten the offline/online integration, leading to significant quality improvements, at the cost of an increased computation effort either in the offline or the online phase. Overall, our methods provide multiple options to balance the solution quality/time trade-off, suiting a variety of practical application scenarios. To test our methods, we ground our approaches on two real cases studies with both offline and online decisions: an energy management problem with uncertain renewable generation and demand, and a vehicle routing problem with uncertain travel times. The application domains feature respectively continuous and discrete decisions. An extensive analysis of the experimental results shows that indeed offline/online integration may lead to substantial benefits.


This short paper (and Pecha Kucha presentation) explores new mobilities and spatial re-orderings of adult work-learning practices. Attention is given to the more sophisticated digital fluencies that seem to be demanded of adult work-learners and the pedagogical implications for educators. Sociomaterial perspectives encourage thinking about how "thingly gatherings" serve in the performance of practice. The unbounded blurry nature of the web and its artefacts can perhaps be described as fluid spaces enfolding with other fluid spaces. Thus, web-based spaces are not containers in which online learning activities take place but rather sociomaterial assemblages that take on particular energies as people and things—both online and offline—negotiate how they move, mix, and mobilize in their correspondences. Analysis draws on empirical data from a research project that explored the effects of the infusion of web and mobile technologies in the enactment of the global work and everyday learning practices of the contingent workforce (the self-employed or micro-small business entrepreneurs). An array of mobilities became evident in these practices, including interactions that slide in, through, and between different cyberspaces; the persistent infusion of the digital and physical into the other; and often capricious and vacillating patterns of presence and absence. However, alongside the mobilities that become evident in these practices, immobilities were also prominent. Using the sociality of practices around mobile devices as an entry point to explore this contradiction, it seems that forces and flows of mobilities are also tied to specificities of place. Although the physical becomes entangled with the digital to enact a specific work-learning space, such spatial re-orderings are not always easily accomplished. Moreover, the often overlooked and invisible spatial negotiations evoked to enact mobility unfold in multiple work-learning places: at home, on the move, in third spaces, at the office, field-based temporary work sites, and innumerable online spaces. This multiplicity adds complexity to how worklearning spaces are conceptualized. Several digital fluencies (a mix of expertise, responsibility, criticality, and innovation) emerge, urging pedagogical and policy response. Four will be highlighted: navigating scale, negotiating openness, wayfinding (Siemens, 2011), and fragmenting-tethering. How to work through the challenges of addressing these fluencies and how best to interrupt current practices are questions facing both educators and adult worker-learners and I hope this paper prompts such discussion.


THE HUMAN SPECIES HAS LONG BEEN ADDICTED TO WAR, FAVORING IT OVER GENTLER and more civilized modes of conflict resolution. In only eight percent of recorded history do we seem not to have been engaged in organized killing, and one wonders if, with further research, that eight percent gap might also reveal signs of bellicosity) Humanity seems laced to the stubborn conviction that war can pass the most elementary ethical test of doing more good than harm. Efforts to apply the norms of justice to war have been halting, resisted, but not without some fruit. War is perhaps the most muddled zone in our human moralscape. When we talk about war, we wallow in misnomers. "Victory" is one of those. In truth you can no more win a war than you can win a hurricane. Both sides lose. One side loses less and spins that as victory. The term "war" itself is a misnomer and a euphemism. Long-tenured usage of the term and gilded myths of military glory have defanged and neutered the term. We now use it as a metaphor for the most humane activities, such as "the war on poverty," "the war on illiteracy," or the "war on cancer." We would not speak of raping poverty, illiteracy, or cancer because, rape, though all too common a crime, has not been linguistically purified. What came to be called "the just war theory" (JWT) was an early effort to put the brakes of justice claims on the destruction called war. Ancient wars aimed at obliteration. When the Romans cried "Carthago delenda est," they meant to leave nothing but dust and ash where Carthage once stood. And so they did, and this action was defended by no less a sophisticated Roman than Marcus Tullius Cicero. This was the same lethal formula employed by the ancient Hebrews. Deuteronomy spells out the God-sanctioned manner of warring: "You shall put the inhabitants of that city to the sword; you shall lay the city under solemn ban together with everything in it. You shall gather all its goods into the square and burn both city and goods as a complete offering to the Lord your God; and it shall remain a mound of ruin, never to be rebuilt" (Deut. 13: 15-17). Restraints on the total obliteration approach appeared in ancient Greece. For practical and some humane reasons, they saw that Athens, Sparta, and Thebes may fight, but that they were all Greeks, with a basically common language, and they would have to deal with each other after the hostilities. The Romans, brutal imperialists that they were, reached some comparable conclusions. They concluded that war should be authorized only by the state and that it had to be in some fashion formally declared and marked by some effort at good faith. (2) These faint beginnings would be developed later into what would be known as "the just war theory" in the Christian West when Christianity lost its early pacifism and needed to find a blessing for the newly friendly sword of Constantine. (3) The "just war theory" has survived in various and often distorted forms into modern times, becoming today the most used and least understood part of the ethics of state-sponsored violence. President Barack Obama used and misused it in accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. Fragmented use of the theory is employed to justify every manner of military adventure. Applying the word "just" to war, which began with Aristotle, is part of the problem. To suggest that a war could be tout court "just" made it easier to overlook the atrocities that invariably accompany "the dogs of war." It shaded over the brutal complexities and yielded to the tyranny of "military necessity," the term used to say that almost any means are justified to achieve "victory." Inter arma leges silent. In the heat of battle, the rules of morality are stilled and silenced. Indeed, making rules for war is rather like making rules for an orgy; neither activity is patient of regulation. Any Hope for "Just War" Theory? Properly understood, "just war theory" is a peacemaker's friend. …


: Alkylating derivatives of oligoadenylate 5'-phosphamides CIRCH2NH(pA)n n=4-7 attach to complementary regions of denatured E. coli DNA. Apparent binding constants Kapp are evaluated from plots of binding at 0 degrees obtained by equilibrium dialysis. Kapp of CIRCH2NH(pA)7 is shown to be similar to that of (Ap)5ARCl-benzylidene derivatives of hexaadenylate; Kapp both of them differ from Kapp of hexaadenylate only slightly. Under saturation conditions CIRCH2(Ap)7 binds to 24 sites per 10 kilobases of E. coli DNA. Macrostructure of denatured DNA is changed in the course of binding and number of burned complementary sites becomes exposed to following binding with the oligomer.


The remains of the front of Balmerino House (NGR: NT 2711 7616), built in 1631, were uncovered during an archaeological excavation at St Mary's Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church, Constitution Street, Leith. The work also revealed several phases of medieval to post-medieval activity, and a small burial ground which predated the house. The earliest feature uncovered by the excavation was a well containing 13th- to 14th-century pottery. Large quantities of late to post-medieval pottery were recovered, as well as iron objects, glass and bone. The human remains comprised six adult males, although some were incomplete due to later disturbance. Of importance to the history of clay tobacco pipe manufacture in Scotland is a small assemblage of clay-pipe wasters and kiln waste dated c 1630–40.


'Pathological demand avoidance' (PDA) describes a pattern of difficulties increasingly recognised as forming part of the autistic spectrum. Although clinical reports suggest that children with PDA are likely to experience considerable difficulties in education, their educational experiences have not yet been explored in any systematic way. In the current study, 42 parents of children with PDA completed a questionnaire about their child's educational experiences. Parents' responses indicated that this group of children displays high levels of problem behaviours in school, and receives corresponding high levels of special educational need support and professional involvement. Despite this support, the group had experienced high rates of exclusion and placement breakdown, with only 48% now in mainstream education. Parents reported relatively high satisfaction in their children's educational placements, with success defined by parents in terms of child outcomes, school characteristics and PDA-specific factors. Findings are discussed with reference to what is known about the educational experiences of children with more typical autism spectrum conditions and in terms of the implications for the inclusion of this group of children with complex needs.


In this study, the multi-energy calibration (MEC) method is applied to solid sample analysis by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The MEC method uses only two calibration standards and several atomic emission wavelengths with different sensitivities to determine the analyte concentration in the sample. Both calibration mixtures are prepared using the same amount of sample, which contributes to minimizing matrix effects. The MEC-LIBS method was used to determine Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in complex-matrix samples of cattle mineral supplements with an adequate sample throughput (15 samples per h). The limits of detection (LODs) calculated for these elements in the solid sample were 11 g kg−1, 45, 188, 53 and 44 mg kg−1, respectively. For Cu, Mn and Zn, these LODs were approximately 10, 10, and 20 times lower than the minimum level required in a commercial product by the Brazilian legislation. The method's accuracy was evaluated by analyzing five reference materials (RM) of cattle mineral supplements, and by comparing values determined in six commercial samples with results from ICP-OES determinations. No statistically significant difference was observed between MEC-LIBS and RM or ICP-OES-determined values at the 95% confidence level (Student's t-test, n = 3). LIBS is an inherently atomic-emission-rich technique, which suffers from severe matrix effects. MEC is an efficient matrix-matching method, for which the larger the number of analytical signal sources for an analyte the more precise the results. Therefore, MEC is a highly compatible, complementary approach to LIBS calibration.


[1] We investigate the accuracy and resolution of estimating global ice mass variations using secular gravity and ice elevation change observations by the planned Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and ICESat missions. The gravity and altimetry data combination can determine the total bedrock uplift rate with root-mean-square (RMS) errors of 0.2–1.3 mm/yr when Gaussian averaged over a half scale of 250 km. Moreover, covariance analyses indicate that the mean snow compaction error can be constrained to the level of 3 mm/yr in equivalent Antarctic ice thickness change. The mean Antarctic present-day ice mass change could then be determined to about 4 mm/yr. For a known viscosity profile, such data sets provide a spatial estimate of a linear combination of the late Pleistocene deglaciation and a more recent past trend (last few thousand years) in the Greenland and Antarctica mass balance. For example, when the linear rate of the recent past trend is estimated solely for ice history, the RMS errors of the 450-km Gaussian averages range between 1 and 3 cm/yr. Although contaminated by the signature of present-day hydrological variations over the deglaciated areas, the 450-km Gaussian-averaged Last Glacial Maximum height of the ancient ice sheets can be determined to a RMS level of 300 m. The mean recovery errors are less than 100 m. However, the gravity/altimeter data cannot resolve the load history and lower mantle viscosity simultaneously. Additional data such as relative sea level records must be invoked to overcome this difficulty.


The space allocation problem has taken an important role in different fields. For instance, placing items in a warehouse where it is essential to take advantage of the available space and meet the production requirements. Similarly, the parking slot allocation for automobiles in a car parking in which there are occasions where a lack of proper distribution of the automobiles exist. In the same sense, the space allocation for crops in a land for cultivation in which it is important to take into account factors and features such as humidity and pH. In this paper, an intelligent organizer of objects is presented using Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Hill Climbing (HC) to solve the space allocation problem in a Warehouse, a Car Parking and a Land for Cultivation. Also, a technique that organizes objects randomly in the space was implemented to compare results with the intelligent techniques. Several tests were performed to check the proper system operation and then performance tests under different conditions are shown comparing the results between the intelligent techniques and the random technique. Finally, advantages and disadvantages of intelligent techniques to solve the space allocation problem are presented.


In much of the recent debate about trade preference erosion, opponents have stressed the impact that trade preferences have had on economic development in beneficiary countries. However, lack of quantification of preference margins and preference utilization has inhibited testing such hypotheses. This paper uses HS 8-digit level U.S. data to quantify both preference utilization and tariff preference margins for the CBERA beneficiary countries from 1984-1998. Panel data from 1970-1998 are then used to test the impact of preference erosion on growth and investment in ten beneficiary countries. A two-equation simultaneous model is developed which allows preference erosion to impact growth directly as well as indirectly through investment. Results show that CBERA preferences have been steadily eroding since 1984, while average CBERA preference utilization has risen dramatically since 1984. The panel estimation shows that CBERA preference erosion did discourage investment and growth (both directly and indirectly) in some beneficiary countries. However, increased CBERA utilization stimulated investment and growth, and is likely to have outweighed the effects of preference erosion on development. Preferential access to qualifying apparel imports via the production-sharing program had at least as large an effect as the CBERA. Finally, for all countries, increased openness mattered much more for development than preference erosion. JEL: F15, F43, O40


Event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) and magnetic fields (ERFs) were used to compare brain activity associated with selective attention to sound location or pitch in humans. Sixteen healthy adults participated in the ERP experiment, and 11 adults in the ERF experiment. In different conditions, the participants focused their attention on a designated sound location or pitch, or pictures presented on a screen, in order to detect target sounds or pictures among the attended stimuli. In the Attend Location condition, the location of sounds varied randomly (left or right), while their pitch (high or low) was kept constant. In the Attend Pitch condition, sounds of varying pitch (high or low) were presented at a constant location (left or right). Consistent with previous ERP results, selective attention to either sound feature produced a negative difference (Nd) between ERPs to attended and unattended sounds. In addition, ERPs showed a more posterior scalp distribution for the location‐related Nd than for the pitch‐related Nd, suggesting partially different generators for these Nds. The ERF source analyses found no source distribution differences between the pitch‐related Ndm (the magnetic counterpart of the Nd) and location‐related Ndm in the superior temporal cortex (STC), where the main sources of the Ndm effects are thought to be located. Thus, the ERP scalp distribution differences between the location‐related and pitch‐related Nd effects may have been caused by activity of areas outside the STC, perhaps in the inferior parietal regions.


: It has been established that during artificial feeding with milk substitute containing different protein components (casecite, bovine serum albumin, fibrinogen), the proximal-distal gradient of cavitary digestion of proteins is observed, with this gradient being more demonstrable as compared with natural feeding of postnatal animals. It has been shown that during experimental natural feeding, the proximal-distant gradient is observed in the distribution of acid proteinases in the small bowel, whereas during artificial feeding one can see a uniform distribution of acid proteinases in the proximal and distal parts of the small bowel. The activity of acid proteinases in the gastric mucosa of 18-day-old animals kept on natural feeding does not differ from the activity of these proteinases under artificial feeding with a substitute containing casecite as protein component. Artificial feeding with a substitute containing bovine serum albumin and fibrinogen as protein component entails a decrease in the activity of acid proteinases in the gastric mucosa.


Abstract Blanchard's Cricket Frogs (Acris crepitans blanchardi) are geographically widespread and historically common, yet they are in decline throughout much of the northern part of their range. One proposed mechanism for this decline is the negative effects of acidified precipitation on this acid-sensitive species. To test the predictions of this hypothesis, we sampled 570 randomly-selected sites along three transects in Ohio using chorusing surveys during 2004. Along these transects, we assessed pH and acid neutralizing capacity (alkalinity), as well as terrestrial and aquatic vegetation cover. Our surveys detected 53 extant Cricket Frog populations (9.3% of surveyed sites) in ponds, lakes, and streams. These sites were exclusively located in western Ohio, indicating a substantial (120 km) range contraction, compared to its historic distribution in the state. A multiple logistic regression model found no significant relationship between Cricket Frog occurrence and either pH or acid neutralizing capacity (P > 0.50). Acid neutralizing capacity and pH were also not significantly different in extant and extinct areas of the Cricket Frog's range in Ohio (P > 0.05). Cricket Frogs were found to occur significantly more frequently than expected by chance in lakes and at sites with low canopy cover (P < 0.001). While synergistic interactions with other factors cannot be ruled out, these results suggest that habitat acidification is likely not responsible for Cricket Frog declines in Ohio. Unlike other declining amphibians, where likely causal mechanism(s) have been identified, causes of Cricket Frog declines remain enigmatic.


An intentionally set fire caused the massive ammonium nitrate explosion in April 2013 that killed 15 people and injured hundreds more in West, Texas, federal officials announced last week. "We hypothesized, considered, tested, and eliminated all reasonable accidental and natural causes," says Rob Elder, special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. "This fire was a criminal act." ATF is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of whoever set the blaze at the West Fertilizer Co. storage facility. Elder said investigators determined the fire was started on purpose after they conducted more than 400 interviews and analyzed evidence at the blast site along with witness photos and videos. They also performed extensive testing at an ATF fire research lab in Beltsville, Md. No arrests have been made and authorities would not comment on whether there are any suspects. But, Elder adds, "I think


The method of thermal stratification in cylinder is known for reducing rate of pressure rise, but which has its limit to extend the higher-load operating region of HCCI engines, giving an output of insufficient IMEP. High fueling rate could be one way to get the enough IMEP but it could be occurring engine knock. This work investigates the potential of in-cylinder thermal stratification for reducing the rate of pressure rise in DME HCCI engines, and the coupling between thermal stratification and booster effect to get reduced rate of pressure rise as well as high IMEP. The computations were conducted using Senkin application of the CHEMKINll kinetics rate code, and kinetic mechanism for Di-Methyl Ether (DME). DME has unique 2 stage reaction called Low Temperature Reaction (LTR) and High Temperature Reaction (HTR). Due to the heat release from LTR, the thermal stratification of in-cylinder would be formed just before HTR with large temperature difference so the heat release from oxidation reaction dispersed through combustion process. Intensity of intake pressure is closely concerned in input calorie which means a higher IMEP would be appeared without high fueling rate. The study also shows that increasing the in-cylinder thermal width of the charge between each zone would allow the booster pressure to be raised from 0.1㎫ to 0.18㎫ to get the higher IMEP as well as high thermal efficiency with low emissions.


A brief history of visible light-emitting diodes (LED's) is given, from the first experimental observations of H.J.Round in 1907 to the mid-1970's when red and green emitters were in extensive production. Early investigations were empirical. This was changed with the invention of the transistor in 1947 by the demonstration of minority carrier injection at a forwardbiased junction, followed by recombination. In 1952 the discovery of the semiconducting behaviour of III-V compounds introduced a new range of materials. Gallium nitride seemed attractive for light emission and was investigated at Philips and RCA laboratories but at the time proved to be too difficult for practical use. Gallium phosphide emerged as the most promising material and groups to investigate it were set up at SERL in England, Philips Central Research Laboratories in Germany and Bell Telephone Laboratories in the USA. Zinc and oxygen doping gave red emission. At Philips, the emphasis was on efficiencies. At SERL the emphasis was on reproducibility for manufacturable devices and when the conditions for zinc and oxygen doping were strictly controlled the world's first practical visible LED's were produced at the end of 1961. At Bell Telephone Laboratories progress was initially slow but with the advent of liquid-phase epitaxial growth production of red emitters on the scale required became possible. The accidental discovery of nitrogen doping of gallium phosphide at Bell led to the production of good green emitters. Until the end of the 1970's, gallium phosphide red and green emitters dominated the LED market. Subsequent developments to the present day are sketched in outline.


Despite the efforts of the past decade, the origin of the bimodal horizontal branch (HB) found in some globular clusters (GCs) remains a conundrum. Inspired by the discovery of multiple stellar populations in the most massive Galactic GC, ω Centauri, we investigate the possibility that two distinct populations may coexist and are responsible for the bimodal HBs in the third and fifth brightest GCs, NGC 6388 and NGC 6441. Using the population synthesis technique, we examine two different chemical "self-enrichment" hypotheses in which a primordial GC was sufficiently massive to contain two or more distinct populations as suggested by the populations found in ω Cen: (1) the age-metallicity relation scenario in which two populations with different metallicity and age coexist, following an internal age-metallicity relation, and (2) the super-helium-rich scenario in which GCs contain a certain fraction of helium-enhanced stars, for instance, the second-generation stars formed from the helium-enriched ejecta of the first. The comparative study indicates that the detailed color-magnitude diagram morphologies and the properties of the RR Lyrae variables in NGC 6388 and NGC 6441 support the latter scenario: i.e., the model which assumes a minor fraction (~15%) of helium excess (Y≃ 0.3) stars. The results suggest that helium content is the main driver behind the HB bimodality found most often in massive GCs. If confirmed, the GC-to-GC variation of helium abundance should be considered a local effect, further supporting the argument that age is the global second parameter of HB morphology.


Here are important findings on abnormal returns for value stocks and the January effect, two challenges to the efficient market model. There is a January effect on the value-growth spread in the U.S. for both large- and small-capitalization stocks for the period 1975–2001. Use of four different benchmark indexes adds robustness to this result. Examination of five major non-U.S. markets—EuroPacific, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K.—reveals a January effect in the large-cap value-growth spread for three markets (France, Germany, and U.K.) and in the small-cap value-growth spread for all five markets.


Based on the nonlinear finite element analysis method, FEA models which describe the viscoelastic friction contact state of the polyurethane foam preloaded structures are created. In the simulations, the general Maxwell viscoelastic constitutive relation is introduced and a seven-parameter general Maxwell viscoelastic model is used to fit the experimental stress relaxation curve of polyurethane foam. During the nonlinear contact analysis, coulomb friction law is adopted, and the effects of the coulomb friction coefficient on the reaction force in the axial direction are analyzed. The FE results show that the change tendencies of relation curves of the structures are similar to which of the polyurethane foams. In the end, the influences of stiffness ratio of polyurethane foam to the outer component on the structural relaxed force are discussed, and the FE results indicate that the stiffness ratios affect the stress (force) relaxation degree remarkably. That is to say a good structure design could optimize the mechanical performance of the complicated structures greatly.


Geometric models of solids often contain small features that we would like to isolate and remove. Examples include bumps, holes, tabs, notches, and decorations. Feature removal can be desirable for numerous reasons, including economical meshing and finite element simulation, analysis of feature purpose, and compact shape representation. In this work, an algorithm is presented that inputs a polyhedral solid, identifies and ranks its candidate features, and outputs solid models of the feature and the original object with the feature removed. Ranking permits a user or higher level software to quickly find the most desirable features for the task at hand. Features are defined in terms of portions of the surface that are classified differently from the rest of the solid's surface with respect to one or more split planes. This approach to feature definition is more general than many previous methods, and generalizes naturally to quadric surfaces and other implicit surfaces.


Target-type CMPs for SBT presented to the Seattle meeting are refined and extended to include the input of CKMR information through use of the associated TRO index developed by Hillary. Essentially CMPs, tuned to median recovery to 30% of the pristine TRO in 2035, are developed for each of the CPUE, gene tagging and CKMR data sets alone, and then weighted combinations of these are considered. A subset of the robustness tests which show the greatest differences in performance compared to the base/reference case (RC) OM are selected. Overall the CMP based on the CKMR data only seems to perform best for the RC, but when the selected robustness test results are also taken into account, a variant based on a weighted combination of CMPs using all three data types seems marginally preferable.


A new design of decentralized Load Frequency Controller for interconnected thermal non-reheat power systems with AC-DC parallel tie-lines based on Genetic Algorithm (GA) tuned Integral and Proportional (IP) controller is proposed in this paper. A HVDC link is connected in parallel with an existing AC tie-line to stabilize the frequency oscillations of the AC tie-line system. Any optimum controller selected for load frequency control of interconnected power systems should not only stabilize the power system but also reduce the system frequency and tie line power oscillations and settling time of the output responses. In practice Load Frequency Control (LFC) systems use simple Proportional Integral (PI) or Integral (I) controller. The controller parameters are usually tuned based on classical or trial-and-error approaches. But they are incapable of obtaining good dynamic performance for various load change scenarios in multi-area power system. For this reason, in this paper GA tuned IP controller is used. A two area interconnected thermal non-reheat power system is considered to demonstrate the validity of the proposed controller. The simulation results show that the proposed controller provides better dynamic responses with minimal frequency and tie-line power deviations, quick settling time and guarantees closed-loop stability margin. Key word: genetic algorithm, Load Frequency Control, IP controller, AC-DC tie-lines, interconnected thermal non-reheat power systems


The islands of the Aegean Sea in Greece represent a unique example for the water and energy interrelation. A great number of them are not interconnected to the main power grid and independent local grids produce power mainly using imported fossil fuels (e.g. heavy oil, diesel). Equally important, water resources' scarcity is an additional challenge, especially during the high-demand, summer months. Thus, in many arid islands potable water is transported from the mainland by means of sea transport, at a significant cost. This approach apart from the additional cost of fuel and water transport, also imposes signicant economic and environmental impact to these idyllic touristic locations. Seasonal variability in power demand and drinking water consumption, fuel price volatility as well as a growing touristic development, impose some additional complexity. The present study analyzes specic island grids of the Aegean Sea. Selected islands are analyzed as case studies over a 20-year period (2016-2036). The developed energy modeling exercise uses a Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) in its core. The aim is to investigate whether deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) to existing energy production could lead to a cleaner, sustainable system, decrease the current burden to the government budget and support local resources. The aim is to examine whether increased share of RES, battery storage, desalination and their combination could reduce islands reliability on imports, reduce its cost and potentially eliminate the current non-sustainable and heavily subsidized status quo.


Many efforts have been taken to achieve automated Graphical User Interface (GUI) testing. The most popular way is model-based testing, which supports automated test case generation and execution. But building such a model is a non-trivial task, which usually costs the most work-load in the entire testing process. Most of the approaches about automated model deriving are dependant on the programming language or specific OS. In this paper, we proposed a new approach of GUI modeling using Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and technical poblems encountered have been analyzed in deatail. Case study shows that our approach is capable of analyzing most of the GUI windows, and generating corresponding model and hence eliminates the above constraint.


By using the first-principles calculations, structural and electronic properties of Au and Ti adsorbed WS2 monolayers are studied systematically. For Au-adsorbed WS2, metallic interface states are induced in the middle of the band gap across the Fermi level. These interface states origin mainly from the Au-6s states. As to the Ti adsorbed WS2, some delocalized interface states appear and follow the bottom of conduction band. The Fermi level arises into the conduction band and leads to the n-type conducting behavior. The n-type interface states are found mainly come from the Ti-3d and W-5d states due to the strong Ti–S hybridization. The related partial charge densities between Ti and S atoms are much higher and increased by an order of magnitude as compared with that of Au-adsorbed WS2. Therefore, the electron transport across the Ti-adsorbed WS2 system is mainly by the resonant transport, which would further enhances the electronic transparency when monolayer WS2 contacts with metal Ti. These investigations are of significant importance in understanding the electronic properties of metal atom adsorption on monolayer WS2 and offer valuable references for the design and fabrication of 2D nanodevices.


Monitoring internal exposure to short-lived radionuclides is challenging, due to the frequent measurements required. ISO Standard 16 637 and the Swiss Personal Dosimetry Ordinance describe a screening measurement (triage monitoring) conducted in the workplace to identify workers suspected of internal exposure. Based on a previous study that examined the feasibility of using several commonly found radiation monitors in Israel in a triage monitoring program, we conducted a pilot study towards the implementation of triage monitoring in nuclear medicine facilities in Israel. The pilot study was conducted while considering the current Israeli regulations and local safety culture. We implemented the triage monitoring program in three nuclear medicine facilities in Israel, with a total of 55 monitored workers. The pilot study consisted of two stages: a short-term stage conducted in the largest manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals in Israel and a long-term stage in two nuclear medicine departments in Israel. During the first stage of the study, participants were asked to conduct a daily measurement at the end of the workday and send a urine sample to the national internal dosimetry laboratory. The second stage lasted 5 months in a major hospital and 18 months in a regional hospital. The workers were asked to perform the measurement at the end of the shift and send a urine sample if a defined threshold had been crossed. The mean participation rate in the long-term stage (>70%) indicates that implementation of the triage monitoring program could be successful in Israel. Based on the findings of the study, practical recommendations are listed: suitable monitoring devices, allocating a monitoring location, time of measurement, training of the workers, record keeping and coordination with a certified dosimetry laboratory. The pilot study recommendations were submitted to the Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene at the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services.


abstract It is widely agreed that women-headed households are the most excluded constituency in South Africa. Government delivery aims specifically to empower poor women and their families to gain access to the developed economy in order to promote their escape from poverty, but how best to do this is not always clear. Poverty at household level relates closely to where the household is able to settle, in relation to whether members can access the job market. Beyond subsidy housing and social grants as the main vehicles of anti-poverty delivery, there are policy implications for how South Africa deals with women's urbanisation and housing delivery. Using 2007/8 qualitative and quantitative survey data across three provinces, HSRC's work for the DST-sponsored TIP project (Cross, 2008a) showed that major types of settlement have specific demographic profiles associated with specific types of housing. The share of women's households is one such factor, and the types of settlement where women concentrate are often marginalised for earning opportunities. This article begins to analyse the poverty dynamics and consequences of where women's households live, in relation to their access to earning opportunities. Questions include: Where are women's households placed now in the space economy? Does the present location situation allow women access to earning opportunities or does exclusion prevail? Do women benefit from greater access to economic opportunities in the metro urban core zones?


The LHC luminosity upgrade, known as the HL-LHC, will require high-speed optical links to read out data from the detectors. Such links must be capable of withstanding high doses whilst being kept at low temperatures. Two single-mode and two multi-mode fibres were exposed to 200 kGy(Si) at a dose rate of about 700 Gy(Si)/hr, whilst being kept at about -25°C. The radiation induced attenuation of these fibres was measured as the fibres accumulated dose. A conservative estimate has been made of the total attenuation expected for a realistic fibre route through the ATLAS detector after a lifetime dose at the HL-LHC. With safety factors, the maximum dose extrapolated to was 375 kGy(Si). All four fibres performed extremely well and were qualified for use at HL-LHC detectors.


Taking a leaf out of Beverley's (2004) valuable study, a testimonio may be defined as a petit recit, a small subaltern voice marginalized by history and sincere to its emotional rather than historical content. A testimonio is thus both an 'authentic subaltern voice' as well as a 'staged performance' where the speaker (often with the aid of a transcriber) speaks for the other and lays the foundation for any future subaltern struggle for equality (Beverley, 2004, xvi). The Indian plantation diaspora has few surviving written testimonios that give contemporary accounts of the subaltern life-worlds of indentured labourers. In the case of Fiji, our case reference for the Indian plantation diaspora, there are two testimonios by Totaram Sanadhya, an indentured labourer who just happened to be literate and who returned to India after some twenty-one years in Fiji. These testimonios are a remarkable source of Fiji Indian plantation history and culture as they show the effects of crossing the black waters, the role of recruiters and the creation of a collective memory of the homeland. The testimonios by Sanadhya tell us one side of plantation history because they are written, retrospective and edited accounts of felt experience and in a sense this is a limitation. To provide us with narratives of lived experience of quotidian indenture life, the kind of experience that required immediate cultural expression, one has to go to oral narratives and songs that present more immediate memories of the lives of people of indenture in terms of a real here-and-now even as they created a collective memory of the homeland. A key mode of recall in the songs took the form of longing and departure. Through these songs – often cast as songs of the rainy season – the people of the Fiji Indian plantation diaspora, like the men and women on the Ibis in Amitav Ghosh's memorable Sea of Poppies, lamented their lost homeland. This chapter examines the emotional power of these songs by re-working them back into the real, material conditions of indenture so graphically outlined in Sanadhya's testimonios. In doing so the writer also uses memory as an affective source with which to qualify the uneven nature of plantation indenture history.


All diseases are a combination of nature versus nurture. In the former understanding of the inherited genetics through genomics is vital to understanding the predisposition to diseases and in some cases prognosis and response to therapy. The application of genome wide analyses studies identify several diseases has been particularly helpful especially in Crohn9s disease, Diabetes and Psoriasis. Outside autoimmune diseases genomics whilst improving the understanding of cancer and its etiology has not made a difference in the clinical management of diseases. As an exemplar the progression from oesophagitis to metaplasia to esophageal adenocarcinoma presents challenges which are generalizable to other cancers. These include delineating differential genomic drivers for premalignant intermediates from those for the subsequent neoplastic lesions. In addition developments in cancer genomics by Exome sequencing or whole genome sequencing don9t readily match with inherited genomic changes from GWAS. Moreover genomics has yet to reveal robust pathways for the design of new targets. When these issues are coupled with failure in many cases to assess other factors responsible for inherited variation including CNVs and methylation patterns, it seems likely progress will be slow and need very large sample sets. Citation Format: Janusz A. Jankowski. Genomics and cancer management: Mind the gap! [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr CN05-01.


Disengaged and apathetic students are common in many undergraduate classrooms. One approach to engage these students, and enhance the learning experience, is to integrate active learning into the curriculum. The purpose of this pedagogical evaluative study was to investigate if student researched, designed and created digital video could act as viable reusable peer learning resources. Although the use and integration of technology was central to the scope of this project, other ideas such as threshold concepts, the requirement for both active and authentic social constructivist learning, and student empowerment are pivotal to the rationalisation of this research. Overall, students appreciated an alternative method of learning; however, they were more reserved about their perceived learning and the usefulness of the peer-generated videos as learning resources. This pedagogical evaluative study suggests that practitioners can introduce student produced digital media as an alternative student centred learning approach whilst simultaneously developing student soft skills.


This paper describes the Digital Culture BA degree: an engineering-arts undergraduate curriculum that combines competency-based education (CBE) and knowledge-oriented education (KOE) structures and related Pull-Push approaches. The degree has been offered for three years at Arizona State University, has 200 enrolled students and is continuing to grow. The degree embeds nine knowledge-oriented concentrations, each offered by a relevant participating department, within an interdisciplinary CBE context. The CBE part of the degree provides customized access to 40 interdisciplinary digital culture courses from 12 different academic units by connecting these courses through a set of core competencies. Access to courses is not determined by fixed prerequisites but rather by having one of several possible combinations of lower level competencies. This flexible curriculum is attractive to students, promotes integrative collaborative learning that inspires innovation, and prepares the type of engineering-arts experts and complex problem solvers that are currently needed in creative industries. This type of degree also presents several important challenges for educators and administrators. To address these challenges we developed project based assessment approaches, custom web-based software for advising a very diverse student body, as well as online tools for facilitating peer critique and feedback in large creative classrooms.


Detecting visually salient regions in images is one of the fundamental problems in computer vision. We propose a novel method to decompose an image into large scale perceptually homogeneous elements for efficient salient region detection, using a soft image abstraction representation. By considering both appearance similarity and spatial distribution of image pixels, the proposed representation abstracts out unnecessary image details, allowing the assignment of comparable saliency values across similar regions, and producing perceptually accurate salient region detection. We evaluate our salient region detection approach on the largest publicly available dataset with pixel accurate annotations. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms 18 alternate methods, reducing the mean absolute error by 25.2% compared to the previous best result, while being computationally more efficient.


Behiavioral Analysis. Analysis of Clinical Behavior as Applied to Mother-Newborn Relationiships. By David M. Levy, M.D. (Pp. 370+xxxiv. 72s.) Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1958. Though the title does not suggest it, this is a study of the attitude of mothers to their newborn infants. The author has achieved the difficult task of converting psychological data into statistics for the purposes of scoring. A trained observer stood at the foot of the bed of each of 19 mothers for two or three periods in four hospitals in the first post-natal week, and recorded her attitude, responses, and words when her baby was first presented to her by the nurse, the methods she used to stimulate the baby to suck, her response when the baby hurt her by sucking, and the behaviour of the baby in sucking. In addition, mothers were interviewed and asked about their maternal interests, with particular regard to play with dolls and babies, response to babies in the street, and the number of babies they thought they would like. The observations and the results of the interviews were scored. A mother who made derogatory remarks to her baby, "handled it rough," or was inattentive to it, was judged to be less maternal than mothers who gave no such evidence. One mother was given a double minus score when, unable to breast-feed at that time, -she turned down the nurse's offer to bring the baby to her with the words, " God knows, he's enough trouble already. No, I can wait to see him this evening; and anyway, I'll see plenty of him and the others. Don't bother." Another mother, trying to stimulate -the baby to take the breast, showed annoyance by saying, " C'mon, c'mon; l'm afraid to spank you," and obtained a minus score. A mother who made kissing sounds, indulged in baby talk, and cooed to her baby was judged to be more maternal than a mother who did not show this behaviour. A mother who, on being handed the baby by the nurse, said, "Hey, cutie, where were you ? C'mon, cutie, open those eyes," was given a plus score for maternal feeling. One wonders how much the responses of the mothers were modified by the presence of the trained observer at the end of the bed. However, the scores derived from the observations and from the interviews showed a positive correlation. It seems a pity that they were not followed up. Perhaps the mother who was afraid to spank her baby might have proved more maternal than the one who called upon her cutie to open its eyes. This is an extensive study of the attitudes of 19 mothers, occupying 370 pages, with a useful summary. It will prove of interest to students of psychology, in that the difficult task of converting psychological data into figures for scoring purposes has been successfully achieved. R. S. ILLINGWORTH.


For over thirty years Schubert Ogden has championed and exemplified a particular understanding of the task and content of Christian theology. The "task "of theology is to examine the meaning and truth of Christian faith in terms of human experience. All theological claims, therefore, are assessable by two criteria: their appropriateness to the normative Christian witness and their credibility in terms of human existence. The "content" of Christian theology may be accurately and succinctly stated in two words: radical monotheism. The point of all theological doctrines, from christology to ethics, is to reflect on the gift and demand of God's love. It may be said, then, that Ogden's entire theological project consists in the attempt to show that radical monotheism, which is the essential point of the Christian witness, is also the inclusive end of human existence. "Witness and Existence" pays tribute to Ogden by bringing together essays by eminent scholars in New Testament studies and philosophical theology, two fields which directly reflect his methodological concerns and his substantive contributions. The book honors Ogden precisely by engaging the fundamental issues which Ogden himself has taken so seriously. The first group of essays presents careful analyses of issues basic to the early Christian witness; the second group examines the credibility of the Christian claim about God in terms of human experience. The editors' introductory essay provides the first comprehensive analysis yet to appear of Ogden's theology. A complete bibliography of his published writings is included as an appendix.


As instructors we expect our students to understand what the numbers they generate "mean". We expect them to be able to visualize, in real or virtual terms, some physical approximation of the "things" they are working with. This visualization provides the basis for a "logic check" on their calculations. Our profession is founded on our ability to specify, within imposed constraints, the physical and functional characteristics of a system that will provide a safe, affordable solution to a problem. Students need to develop and refine this capacity during their undergraduate education. As simple as that may seem to those of us who have experienced the realities of our particular areas of expertise, it is not intuitive. Virtually all academic engineers lament the fact that students regularly submit answers that make no physical sense. The twin questions this issue raises are: 1. why do so many students seem to lack an understanding of what their computer generated numbers mean?, and 2. how can we help them gain the understanding we want them to have?


The paper strives to systematise the debate on access to data from a competition policy angle. At the outset, two general policy approaches to access to data are distinguished: a "private control of data" approach versus an "open access" approach. We argue that, when it comes to private sector data, the "private control of data" approach is preferable. According to this approach, the "whether" and "how" of data access should generally be left to the market. However, public intervention can be justified by significant market failures. We discuss the presence of such market failures and the policy responses, including, in particular, competition policy responses, with a view to three different data access scenarios: access to data by co-generators of usage data (Scenario 1); requests for access to bundled or aggregated usage data by third parties vis-à-vis a service or product provider who controls such datasets, with the goal to enter complementary markets (Scenario 2); requests by firms to access the large usage data troves of the Big Tech online platforms for innovative purposes (Scenario 3). On this basis we develop recommendations for data access policies.


The hypothesis that schizophrenics with flat affect have an interference with imagery mediation of language function was derived from clinical impressions that (1) such patients fail to show appropriate voice emphasis, and (2) that word imagery contributes to normal vocal emphasis patterns. Experiment 1 acoustically measured the emphasis patterns in schizophrenics with and without flat affect as they read text controlled for word imagery. Experiment 2 studied the effect of imagery in a paired-associate learning task in the same patients. The results supported the hypothesis, both for emphasis patterns and learning rates. These findings suggest that flat affect may be the product of factors in the schizophrenic process interacting with cognitive processes that are independent of the disease.


Eco-driving describes a strategy for operating a vehicle in a fuel-efficient manner. Current research shows that visual ecodriving interfaces can reduce fuel consumption by shaping motorists' driving behavior but may hinder safe driving performance. The present study aimed to generate insights and direction for design iterations of auditory eco-driving displays and a potential matching head-up visual display to minimize the negative effects of using purely visual headdown eco-driving displays. Experiment 1 used a sound cardsorting task to establish mapping, scaling, and polarity of acoustic parameters for auditory eco-driving interfaces. Surveys following each sorting task determined preferences for the auditory display types. Experiment 2 was a sorting task to investigate design parameters of visual icons that are to be paired with these auditory displays. Surveys following each task revealed preferences for the displays. The results facilitated the design of intuitive interface prototypes for an auditory and matching head-up eco-driving display that can be compared to each other.


By eliminating the influence of statistical noise, stochastic frontier techniques permit the estimation of the best-practice value of a firm's investment opportunities and the magnitude of a firm's systematic failure to achieve its best-practice market value – a gauge of the magnitude of agency costs. These frontiers are estimated from the performance of all firms in the industry and, thus, capture best-practice performance that is, unlike Tobin's q ratio, independent of the managerial decisions of any particular firm. Using the frontier measure of performance applied to 2007 data on top-tier, publicly traded U. S. bank holding companies, we obtain evidence on market discipline: we find that higher managerial ownership at most banks tends to align the interests of insiders with those of outside owners and to be associated with improved financial performance; at most banks, higher blockholder ownership is associated with improved financial performance obtained from blockholders' monitoring; and, at most banks, higher product-market concentration is associated with poorer financial performance and the so-called managerial quiet life. Using the frontier measure of investment opportunities, we find evidence that banks with relatively higher-valued investment opportunities achieve less of their potential market value, while banks with lower-valued opportunities achieve more of their potential value. In spite of their lower-valued opportunities, these banks, on average, achieve the same Tobin's q ratio and, thus, appear better able to exploit their less valuable investment opportunities. Our results suggest that higher-valued opportunities may reduce managers' performance pressure and provide a stronger incentive to consume agency goods.


Six autopsy lungs with embolism of the pulmonary arteries but without infarction, were subjected to comparative angiographic and morphologic examination of bronchial arteries. In pulmonary embolism without hemorrhagic infarction the disconnected vascular bed of pulmonary arteries can be demonstrated distally of the obstructive thrombo-embolism and with a noncapillary contrast medium. The vascular bed appears in intrapulmonal, precapillary, bronchopulmonal anastoses. The results of the investigation explain an intravital sufficient subsidiary circulation in the pulmonary areas separated from the normal circulation of pulmonary arteries. An extended subsidiary development of bronchial arteries in reaction to previous chronic pulmonary disease would help, according to our findings in postmortem lung angiographies, to support the circulation after embolism of pulmonary arteries.


Few existing face recognition (FR) models take local representations into account. Although some works achieved this by extracting features on cropped parts around face landmarks, landmark detection may be inaccurate or even fail in some extreme cases. Recently, without relying on landmarks, attention-based networks can focus on useful parts automatically. However, there are two issues: 1) It is noticed that these approaches focus on few facial parts, while missing other potentially discriminative regions. This can cause performance drops when emphasized facial parts are invisible under heavy occlusions (e.g. face masks) or large pose variations; 2) Different facial parts may appear at various quality caused by occlusion, blur, or illumination changes. In this paper, we propose contrastive quality-aware attentions, called CQA-Face, to address these two issues. First, a Contrastive Attention Learning (CAL) module is proposed, pushing models to explore comprehensive facial parts. Consequently, more useful parts can help identification if some facial parts are invisible. Second, a Quality-Aware Network (QAN) is developed to emphasize important regions and suppress noisy parts in a global scope. Thus, our CQA-Face model is developed by integrating the CAL with QAN, which extracts diverse quality-aware local representations. It outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on several benchmarks, demonstrating its effectiveness and usefulness.


The purpose of this research is to correlate distribution of Sphagnum species with local climatic factors in the East European Plain. Six species of Sphagnum from section Sphagnum, i.e., S. magellanicum, S. centrale, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. austinii, and S. affine were selected. The graded data on their abundance and the species number for 138 localities were mapped into unit squares of 1010 km by using GRID coverage, to construct several delineated zones of occurence/ abundance. For analysis, the matrix was augmented by extended data from the BIOCLIM database. Regression analysis revealed strong correlation between species distribution and temperature, while abundance of the species showed high correlation with maximum relative humidity in two months, August and September, being especially high for most common species, S. magellanicum (0.85 and 0.83) and S. centrale (0.81 и 0.76). Distribution area of Sphagnum palustre is restricted by precipitation in the whole warm part of the year, while Sphagnum papillosum avoids regions with low relative humidity in early summer. The local number of species correlates with relative humidity in summer. The developed technique demonstrates a possible way of applying the climatic data to the analysis of the bryophyte distribution in extensive territories.


Since abnormal levels of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) correlate with various diseases, simple methods for its rapid and sensitive detection are highly required. Herein, we introduce a new electrochemiluminescent probe 1 for H2S based on a cyclometalated iridium(iii) complex. o-(Azidomethyl)benzoate ester groups on the main ligands of probe 1 react selectively with H2S, resulting in cascade reactions involving H2S-mediated reduction and intramolecular cyclization/ester cleavage. With this structural change induced by H2S, the intrinsic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of 1 decreased greatly due to the unfavourable electron transfer of a tripropylamine (TPA) radical. Probe 1 showed a high ECL turn-off ratio and good selectivity for H2S over various anions and biothiols. The sensing mechanism of H2S was elucidated using 1H NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analyses.


Space Invaders argues for the importance of a radical geographic perspective in enabling us to make sense of protests and social movements around the world. Under conditions of increasing global economic inequalities, we are witnessing the flourishing of grassroots people's movements fighting for improved rights. Whether it be the alter-globalisation mobilisations of the turn of the century, the flurry of Occupy protests, or the current wave of anti-austerity mobilisations taking place, there is a geographical logic to all forms of protest whether that be through transforming landscapes, occupying enemy territory or developing solidarity and communication networks. Paul Routledge takes a primarily auto-ethnographical perspective, drawing upon his extensive experience over the past thirty years working with various forms of protest in Europe, Asia and Latin America, to provide an account of how a radical geographical imagination can inform our understanding and the prosecution of protest.


Determination of individual pharmacokinetics in patients undergoing radiopharmaceutical therapy is essential to define critical normal organ dosimetry. Review of a 20 year single institution experience demonstrates practical methodology for routinely characterising pharmacokinetics in each patient and calculating safe, effective therapeutic activities predicated upon prescribed radiation absorbed doses to the critical organs. In particular the results achieved in over 100 unselected consecutive clinic patients treated with (131)I-rituximab radioimmunotherapy for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkins lymphoma have matched the ORR of 75% and CR 50% achieved in formal phase II clinical trial. The low level of myelotoxicity was attributed to prospective dosimetry in each patient and prescribed dose of 0.75 Gy to whole body. Radiopeptide therapy of progressive neuroendocrine tumours with (177)Lu-octreotate, illustrates application of practical dosimetry using retrospective quantitative imaging to define individual pharmacokinetics. Further challenges of multimodality combination therapy using radionuclide cocktails, chemotherapy and antivascular therapy, which will perturb pharmacokinetics, will require creative dosimetric methodology for continued safe, effective clinical practice of therapeutic nuclear oncology.


Background and purpose: the very old are expected to become a growing part of the stroke population in the industrialised part of the world. The aims of this study were to evaluate clinical characteristics of patients aged 85 years or more at stroke onset and to investigate very old age as an independent predictor of shortand long-term outcome. Methods: in the community-based Copenhagen Stroke Study we recorded admission clinical characteristics in 1,197 consecutive stroke patients. Patients were stratiWed according to age groups on admission. Follow-up was performed at a mean of 7 years after stroke onset. By way of multiple logistic regression and survival analyses very old age was independently related to shortand long-term mortality and nursing home placement independent of other clinical characteristics. Results: 16% of patients were 85 years or older at the time of stroke onset. More of the very old were women (75% versus 50%, P<0.0001), living alone (84% versus 54%, P<0.0001), had atrial Wbrillation (37% versus 15%, P<0.0001), had pre-existing disability (29% versus 22%, P=0.04), and had more severe strokes (Scandinavian Stroke Scale score 31 versus 37 points, P=0.004). L. P. Kammersgaard et al. 150 Fewer very old had hypertension (25% versus 34%, P = 0.02) and diabetes (14% versus 22%, P = 0.01). In adjusted multiple regression models, very old age predicted short-term mortality (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.5–4.2), and discharge to nursing home or in-hospital mortality (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.7–4.4). Five years after stroke very old age predicted mortality or nursing home placement (OR 3.9; 95% CI 2.1–7.3), and long-term mortality (HR 2.0; 95% CI 1.6–2.5). However, other factors such as onset stroke severity, pre-existing disability and atrial Wbrillation were also signiWcant independent predictors of prognosis after stroke. Conclusions: in this study very old age per se was a strong predictor of outcome and mortality after stroke. Apart from very old age, factors such as prestroke medical and functional status, and onset stroke severity should be taken into consideration when planning treatment and rehabilitation after stroke.