For over six decades, Human Centred Design (HCD) has been considered a desired design approach for the implementation of Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) knowledge and methods for understanding the needs of the end-users. Although other comparable frameworks exist, they can be seen as subcategories or as tools for HCD, as HCD is considered by some as an overarching approach. This design approach has gradually been integrated into different fields, but engineering sciences have been more reluctant towards embracing its adoption. Although these challenges may be explicable – one of them being that HF/E methods are often not immediately understood and applicable in industrial settings – the maritime sector has begun to overcome these challenges and to understand and highlight the impact of the human element on the safety and efficiency of maritime operations and environmental protection. Nevertheless, more initiative and attention to HF/E is needed. Thus, the work considered in this thesis takes a proactive approach towards the integration of HCD in the maritime domain by involving maritime end-users in a discussion about the opportunities of human-centred and participatory design. This was done through two focus group interviews with two different participant samples of end-users, with special focus on the navigation of merchant vessels. The analysis of the focus group interviews was guided by a Grounded Theory approach. The work presented in this thesis is part of the project Crew-Centered Design and Operation of Ships and Ship Systems (CyClaDes), supported by funds from the European Commission and its Seventh Framework Programme. The CyClaDes project intended to promote the increased potential impact of HF/E and HCD knowledge on ship design and operations, by understanding where and how to best integrate it and where and how barriers to its integration occur. The findings in this thesis highlight HCD and its participatory principle as a means to attain a set of benefits at a physical, cognitive, psychosocial, organizational, and socio-political levels, and ultimately attain safer maritime operations. The results suggest that successful integration of a human-centred and participatory design philosophy in the maritime domain should include more and appropriate user representativeness within design, rule-making and purchasing to bridge the gap between the requirements of the users and of other stakeholders, between design and usability. The benefits of, and the prerequisites for, successful HCD integration within the complex sociotechnical system of shipping describe a holistic model for maritime HCD.


This paper intends to show the importance of haptic vibration to support emotional expression of avatar in virtual reality systems. As we know emotional avatar plays a vital role to improve the degree of realism in virtual reality. Current practice in virtual reality still lack of interactivity and immersiveness. In this research, we aim to create a realistic avatar based on haptic tactile frequency. The created avatar will be equipped with some intelligence and emotional features in order to support the interactive communication in virtual reality. Using several level of emotion strengths, the created avatar are ask to communicate their emotion through tactile frequency and operated synchronously with the avatar facial expression, acoustic representation and action-reaction between avatars. Several experiments have been conducted based on particular frequencies of haptic tactile to show the visibility of haptic emotional avatar expression. The results proved that the use of several levels of emotion strengths is able to create very realistic avatar expression.


The results of 197 consecutive fine needle aspirations (FNA) of focal liver lesions performed on 176 patients were reviewed, and the 176 single most diagnostic aspirates were analyzed in detail. The majority of specimens were obtained using a 20-gauge or 22-gauge needle with ultrasound guidance. An attempt was made to obtain both a cytologic and a tissue specimen from each aspirate. The overall accuracy of the procedure was 85%; the accuracies of the tissue and cytologic specimens were 67% and 73%, respectively. The combined procedure detected 81% of the documented malignant tumors; the tissue specimen detected 62%. Eleven tumors were identified only in the tissue specimen and 23 were identified only in the cytologic specimen. There were no false-positive diagnoses. Six of nine hepatocellular carcinomas were detected. These results show that FNA cytology is a safe, accurate, relatively noninvasive technique whose diagnostic yield may be improved by examination of both a histologic tissue and a cytologic preparation.


This article is about the assessment of several tools for k-mer counting, with the purpose to create a reference framework for bioinformatics researchers to identify computational requirements, parallelizing, advantages, disadvantages, and bottlenecks of each of the algorithms proposed in the tools. The k-mer counters evaluated in this article were BFCounter, DSK, Jellyfish, KAnalyze, KHMer, KMC2, MSPKmerCounter, Tallymer, and Turtle. Measured parameters were the following: RAM occupied space, processing time, parallelization, and read and write disk access. A dataset consisting of 36,504,800 reads was used corresponding to the 14th human chromosome. The assessment was performed for two k-mer lengths: 31 and 55. Obtained results were the following: pure Bloom filter-based tools and disk-partitioning techniques showed a lesser RAM use. The tools that took less execution time were the ones that used disk-partitioning techniques. The techniques that made the major parallelization were the ones that used disk partitioning, hash tables with lock-free approach, or multiple hash tables.


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a typology of social media messages to compare the effectiveness of different message strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 1,837 messages from 12 hotel brand Facebook pages were content-analyzed. Applying both correspondence analysis and multivariate analysis of variance, the study compared message strategy across hotel-scale levels and explored the effectiveness of different message strategies.

Findings

A typology of four-type message format and six-type message content was developed. The picture message was the best message format. Product, brand and involvement messages were shown to be more effective than information, reward and promotion messages. Promotion message was the least effective message content type.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation of this study is the generalizability owing to the sample selection process. There is also the limitation on exclusion of control variables, selection of the three effectiveness measures and evolving social media technology.

Practical implications

The typology of Facebook message strategy developed in the study provided guidelines for hotel marketers to create messages on Facebook pages and track effectiveness. Hotels should also take full advantage of the picture format and product, brand and involvement contents.

Originality/value

This study created a new typology of social media message strategy consisting of two dimensions. It also provided empirical evidence to support the application of message strategy theory in the hotel social media marketing area.


We consider the problem of constructing Latin cubes subject to the condition that some symbols may not appear in certain cells. We prove that there is a constant $\gamma > 0$ such that if $n=2^t$ and $A$ is a $3$-dimensional $n\times n\times n$ array where every cell contains at most $\gamma n$ symbols, and every symbol occurs at most $\gamma n$ times in every line of $A$, then $A$ is avoidable; that is, there is a Latin cube $L$ of order $n$ such that for every $1\leq i,j,k\leq n$, the symbol in position $(i,j,k)$ of $L$ does not appear in the corresponding cell of $A$.


Conjoint experiments aiming to estimate average marginal component effects and related quantities have become a standard tool for social scientists. However, existing solutions for power analyses to find appropriate sample sizes for such studies have various shortcomings and accordingly, explicit sample size planning is rare. Based on recent advances in statistical inference for factorial experiments, we derive simple yet generally applicable formulae to calculate power and minimum required sample sizes for testing average marginal component effects (AMCEs), conditional AMCEs, as well as interaction effects in forced-choice conjoint experiments. The only input needed are expected effect sizes. Our approach only assumes random sampling of individuals or randomization of profiles and avoids any parametric assumption. Furthermore, we show that clustering standard errors on individuals is not necessary and does not affect power. Our results caution against designing conjoint experiments with small sample sizes, especially for detecting heterogeneity and interactions. We provide an R package that implements our approach.


Interpolymeric crosslinking of chlorosulfonated polyethylene/carboxylated acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber blends (CSM/XNBR) (Table 2) with MgO in the presence of stearic acid at temp. 433 K (160 °C) for 30 min has been investigated. Effect of CSM containing various amounts of chlorine bonded (Table 1) on the properties of CSM/XNBR blends was studied as well. Extent of crosslinking was estimated on the basis of determinations of vulcametric torque (L) (Fig. 1), equilibrium swelling (Q v ) in selected solvents and sol fraction content (fraction soluble in 2-butanone - S) (Tables 3 and 5). It was found that CSM did not undergo crosslinking in given conditions while in the blend with XNBR the interpolymeric reaction of both elastomers occurred. It was confirmed by bounded chlorine values, S and IR analysis (Fig. 2, Table 4). It was observed that degree of CSM bonding with the network depends on its type and content in the blend. Tensile strength (TS b ), elongation at break (E b ) temperature dependence of dynamic loss tangent (tg8) and storage modulus (E') (Fig. 3) were determined using dynamic mechano-thermal analysis (DMTA) of cured CSM/XNBR blends. There were found ionic interpolymeric bonds of structure ∼C-CO-O - + Mg + - O-S02-C∼ in cured CSM/XNBR blend [equations (1)-(3)] which gave the blend high mechanical strength and act as chemical compatibilizer.


Increasing evidence has revealed that plant secretory peptides are involved in the long-distance signaling pathways that help to regulate plant development and signal stress responses. In this study, we purified small peptides from soybean (Glycine max) xylem sap via o-chlorophenol extraction and conducted an in-depth peptidomic analysis using a mass spectrometry (MS) and bioinformatics approach. We successfully identified 14 post-translationally modified peptide groups belonging to the peptide families CEP (C-terminally encoded peptides), CLE (CLAVATA3/embryo surrounding region-related), PSY (plant peptides containing tyrosine sulfation), and XAP (xylem sap-associated peptides). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis showed unique tissue expression patterns among the peptide-encoding genes. Further qPCR analysis of some of the peptide-encoding genes showed differential stress-response profiles toward various abiotic stress factors. Targeted MS-based quantification of the nitrogen deficiency-responsive peptides, GmXAP6a and GmCEP-XSP1, demonstrated upregulation of peptide translocation in xylem sap under nitrogen-deficiency stress. Quantitative proteomic analysis of GmCEP-XSP1 overexpression in hairy soybean roots revealed that GmCEP-XSP1 significantly impacts stress response-related proteins. This study provides new insights that root-to-shoot peptide signaling plays important roles in regulating plant stress-response mechanisms.


Nowadays, cardiovascular disease is still one of the primary diseases that limit life expectation of humans. To address this challenge, this work reports an Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)-based cardiovascular healthcare system with cross-layer optimization from sensing patch to cloud platform. A wearable ECG patch with a custom System-on-Chip (SoC) features a miniaturized footprint, low power consumption, and embedded signal processing capability. The patch also integrates wireless connectivity with mobile devices and cloud platform for optimizing the complete system. On the big picture, a "wearable patch-mobile-cloud" hybrid computing framework is proposed with cross-layer optimization for performance-power trade-off in embedded-computing. The measurement results demonstrate that the on-patch compression ratio of the raw ECG signal can reach 12.07 yielding a percentage root mean square variation of 2.29%. In the test with the MIT-BIH database, the average improvement of signal to noise ratio and mean square error are 12.63 dB and 94.47%, respectively. The average accuracy of disease prediction operation executed in cloud platform is 97%.


This special issue probes the practice of textiles and material-led researchers from both methodological and applied definitions of "soft systems." In organisational management, "soft systems methodology" (SSM) has been used for over thirty years in the analysis of complex situations where diverse viewpoints are held across a diverse group of stakeholders and the "problem" is undefined (Checkland 2000). SSM recognises flux as the only state of being and cautions against the solidification of elements of that flux as "situations, problems or issues." Rather it suggests that social reality is continuously, socially constructed and that individuals can hold and express differing perceptions of that ever-changing social reality at any one time. The focus on ambivalent individuality and subjectivity within a flux or "liquid" paradigm of modernity (Bauman 2000) invites questions surrounding the role of materials in lived experience that are key to theories of New Materialism and Posthumanism. Concurrent explorations and integrations of technological, scientific, design and craft processes within textile and material-led systems avoid ontological permanence and move away from any preconceived understandings of textiles, fabric or cloth to examples of radical "textilic" practice (Igoe 2021). Diverse and interdisciplinary practices that are characterised by non-linear dynamics and "simplexity" (Kluger 2007) expose our relationally networked and liquid state and transcend the boundaries of material outcomes. Jo ur na lo f Te xt ile D es ig n R es ea rc h an d P ra ct ic e


© 2017 American Physical Society. We investigate the effect of nonlinearities on the frequency response of a round, incompressible jet. Experiments show that axisymmetric structures dominate the response of forced and unforced jets. In contrast, linear stability and frequency response analyses predict the asymmetric mode (m=1) to be locally more unstable and globally more amplified than the axisymmetric mode (m=0). We perform a weakly nonlinear expansion of the response of the flow to harmonic forcing and derive an asymptotic expression for the sum of this divergent series beyond its limit of validity. This expression compares reasonably well with the nonlinear gain up to forcing amplitudes an order of magnitude greater than the limit of validity of the weakly nonlinear expansion. For equal forcing amplitudes, the asymmetric mode dominates over the axisymmetric mode. This suggests that the projection of environmental forcing onto the individual azimuthal modes plays an important role in the preferred dynamics of round jets.


Cosmetic surgery for aging skin is a rapidly growing field within dermatology. Whereas formal instruction in cosmetic surgery was uncommon for the dermatologist 20 years ago, cosmetic procedures are now an integral part of dermatologic practice. Training in cosmetic surgery is standard in most residency programs, with at least 12% of course offerings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in 1997 including instruction in cosmetic techniques. Biotechnological advances in areas such as laser surgery, chemical peeling, liposuction, and phlebology have made it possible to erase signs of aging that previously were considered indelible. But while the technology of "skin rejuvenation" is readily accessible, its intrinsic value and ethical implications have gone largely unquestioned by the dermatologic community. Why are we performing these procedures? What goals are we trying to achieve? Are these goals worthwhile? What is their impact on our patients? On the profession? On society? A situation has developed in which there has been ample investigation into what physicians can do, but far less examination of what they should do. Cosmetic procedures are invasive, potentially morbid techniques that have implications far beyond their value as "practice builders." As dermatologists enter the realm of cosmetic surgery, they have a responsibility to explore the moral and psychosocial as well as the scientific and technical implications of the procedures they perform.


Anyone who wants to get up to speed quickly with LibreOffice Writer will find this book valuable. You may be new to word processing software, or you may be familiar with another office suite. This book introduces some of the main features of Writer, the word processor component of LibreOffice: Text entry, editing, and formatting (Chapter 3) Page-layout methods, including frames, columns, and tables (Chapter 4) Export to PDF, including bookmarks (Chapter 5) Templates and styles (Chapters 6, 7, and 10) Embedding or linking of graphics, spreadsheets, and other objects (Chapter 8) Built-in drawing tools (Chapter 8) Tables of data (Chapter 9) Mail merge (Chapter 11) Tables of contents, indexes, and bibliographies (Chapter 12) Master documents, to group a collection of shorter documents into a single long document (Chapter 13) Fields and forms (Chapters 14 and 15) Database integration, including a bibliography database (Chapters 11, 12, 15) And many more


In 2007, the EU published a Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia. In its initial stages the EU focused on developing new forae for dialogue with the Central Asian countries, and received some criticism for inadequate substantive actions. This Policy Brief argues that the current global economic crisis does not alter the priorities of the EU Strategy, but it does require the EU to stick to existing obligations and also provides an opportunity for fresh initiatives to better achieve the Strategy's fundamental goals. This EUCAM Policy Brief is part of a mini-series of three publications on the impact of the global slowdown on Central Asia and its relations with the European Union A Russian version is also available on the EUCAM website.


BACKGROUND
Impaired T-cell function has been noted in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Recently, loss of function was found to be associated with modifications in T-cell receptor complex (TCR)-mediated signaling. A common feature is loss or reduced expression levels of the signaling chain, TCRzeta. We evaluated whether loss of function in TIL and tumor-associated lymphocytes (TAL) from patients with ovarian cancer is associated with changes in TCRzeta expression, and which factors can cause these defects.

METHODS
TIL and TAL were isolated from multiple patients and evaluated for their proliferative capacity by stimulation with a polyclonal stimulus. In addition, expression of TCRzeta and CD3epsilon was evaluated in fresh TIL and TAL by the Western blot technique. Finally, various conditions within a tumor environment were tested for their effect on TCRzeta and CD3epsilon.

RESULTS
TIL, but not TAL, were significantly impaired in their proliferative response, even when both populations were derived from the same patient (P <.05). Reduced proliferation levels were associated with loss of expression of TCRzeta but not of CD3epsilon. Exposure of normal T cells to relative ischemia or heat shock, or culture in medium without IL-2, did not significantly reduce expression of TCRzeta compared with CD3epsilon. However, coculture of T cells with tumor-derived macrophages or tumor-derived factors led to a selective loss of TCRzeta compared with CD3epsilon (P <.05). Further analysis suggested that oxides such as hydrogen peroxide secreted by macrophages may be responsible for loss of TCRzeta and high molecular weight factors secreted by certain tumors.

CONCLUSIONS
TIL but not TAL show impaired T-cell function, which is associated with loss of TCRzeta. In addition to macrophages secreting oxides, loss of TCRzeta may be caused by tumor-derived soluble factors.


Performance and flow measurements are carried out to investigate the impact of varying the geometry of axial casing grooves on the stall margin and efficiency of an axial turbomachine. Prior studies have shown that skewed semi-circular grooves installed near the blade leading edge (LE) have multiple effects on the flow structure, including ingestion of the tip leakage vortex (TLV), suppression of backflow vortices, and periodic variations of flow angle. To determine which of these phenomena is a key contributor, the present study examines the impact of several grooves, all with the same inlet geometry, but with outlets aimed at different directions. The "U" grooves that have circumferential exits aimed against the direction of blade rotation achieve the highest stall margin improvement of well above 60% but cause a 2.0% efficiency loss near the best efficiency point (BEP). The "S" grooves, which have exits aimed with the blade rotation, achieve a relatively moderate stall margin improvement of 36%, but they do not reduce the BEP efficiency. Other grooves, which are aligned with and against the flow direction at the exit from upstream inlet guide vanes, achieve lower improvements. These trends suggest that causing high periodic variations in flow angle around the blade leading edge is particularly effective in extending the stall margin, but also reduces the peak efficiency. In contrast, maintaining low flow angles near the LE achieves more moderate improvement in stall margin, without the maximum efficiency loss. Hence, of the geometries tested, the S grooves appear to have the best overall impact on the machine performance. Velocity measurements and flow visualizations are performed in an axial plane located downstream of the grooves, near the trailing edge of the rotor. Reduced efficiency or performance co-occurs with elevated circumferential velocity in the tip region, but differences in the axial blockage are subtle. Yet, near the BEP, the regions with reduced axial velocity, or even negative velocity between the TLV and the endwall, are wider behind the U grooves compared to the S grooves. The vorticity profiles also show that at low flow rates the TLV is ingested entirely by the grooves, in contrast to the best efficiency point, where a considerable fraction of the TLV rollup occurs downstream of the grooves.


The delineation of regulatory networks involved in early endocrine pancreas specification will play a crucial role in directing the differentiation of embryonic stem cells toward the mature phenotype of β cells for cell therapy of type 1 diabetes. The transcription factor Ngn3 is required for the specification of the endocrine lineage, but its direct targets and the scope of biological processes it regulates remain elusive. We show that stepwise differentiation of embryonic stem cells using successive in vivo patterning signals can lead to simultaneous induction of Ptf1a and Pdx1 expression. In this cellular context, Ngn3 induction results in upregulation of its known direct target genes within 12 hours. Microarray gene expression profiling at distinct time points following Ngn3 induction suggested novel and diverse roles of Ngn3 in pancreas endocrine cell specification. Induction of Ngn3 expression results in regulation of the Wnt, integrin, Notch, and transforming growth factor β signaling pathways and changes in biological processes affecting cell motility, adhesion, the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, and gene expression. Furthermore, the combination of in vivo patterning signals and inducible Ngn3 expression enhances ESC differentiation toward the pancreas endocrine lineage. This is shown by strong upregulation of endocrine lineage terminal differentiation markers and strong expression of the hormones glucagon, somatostatin, and insulin. Importantly, all insulin+ cells are also C‐peptide+, and glucose‐dependent insulin release was 10‐fold higher than basal levels. These data suggest that bona fide pancreas endocrine cells have been generated and that timely induction of Ngn3 expression can play a decisive role in directing ESC differentiation toward the endocrine lineage.


We present a construction of self-orthogonal codes using product codes. From the resulting codes, one can construct both block quantum error-correcting codes and quantum convolutional codes. We show that from the examples of convolutional codes found, we can derive ordinary quantum error-correcting codes using tail-biting with parameters [42N, 24N, 3]2. While it is known that the product construction cannot improve the rate in the classical case, we show that this can happen for quantum codes: we show that a code [15, 7, 3]2 is obtained by the product of a code [5,1,3]2 with a suitable code


Okra fruit (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) especially its mucilaginous properties has been reported to have various health benefits include antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. This research was aimed to investigate the stability of antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase activities (as one of antidiabetic activities) of okra mucilage through several soaking treatments in term optimizing mucilage extraction as well. Okra fruit and its peel are used and soaked with water in several soaking conditions: time (1, 4, 8, and 12 h); temperature (room and refrigerator temperature); and ratio of fruit:water (1:3 and 1:6). Analysis of yield percentage, flavonoid content, free radical scavenging activity and anti α-glucosidase activity were observed. The highest antioxidant activity of the sample was found in the extracting methods of 12 h in refrigerator temperature with soaking ratio of 1:6 (897.26+19.67 mg/L) while for anti α-glucosidase activity was found in extracting methods of 12 h in refrigerator temperature with soaking ratio of 1:3 (525.92 ± 40.75 mg/L). The stability of antioxidant and anti α-glucosidase activities of okra mucilage might be influenced by the extracted flavonoid content and other active components.


Pantocin A and pantocin B are low-molecular weight, peptide-based antibiotics that are produced in minimal media by the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans, which are inhibitory to the fire blight pathogen, Erwinia amylovora. Pantocin A and pantocin B are members of a family of antibiotics whose toxicity is inhibited by certain amino acids. They inhibit enzymes in pathways for histidine and arginine biosynthesis, respectively. The biosynthetic gene cluster for pantocin A was sequenced, and it is 2.84 kb in size. It contains a small gene (paaP) that encodes a thirty-amino acid precursor peptide and three genes, paaA, paaB and paaC that encode the enzymes necessary to process the precursor into pantocin A. PaaC is proposed to be responsible for resistance to pantocin A. The determinants for pantocin B biosynthesis are encoded in a cluster of 13 open reading frames (PabA through pabM within a 17.5 kb region. Functions are proposed for the individual gene products, based on DNA sequence homology and on the chemical structure of pantocin B. PabA is similar to multidrug resistance proteins (like YqjV of Bacmus subtilis) and is likely responsible for pantocin B resistance. However, pabB, pabC and pabD may also encode resistance determinants. The products of the pabJKLM operon are believed to be involved in the addition of the methyl sulfonyl moiety of pantocin B. Cryptic transposase genes are found within and outside of the biosynthetic region, and the G+C ratio is lower inside than outside of the cluster. Thus, the pantocin B biosynthetic region may be a genomic island whose DNA originated from other organisms and was generated through two separate transposition events.


In this paper, we consider a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) fading broadcast channel and compute achievable ergodic rates when channel state information (CSI) is acquired at the receivers via downlink training and it is provided to the transmitter by channel state feedback. Unquantized (analog) and quantized (digital) channel state feedback schemes are analyzed and compared under various assumptions. Digital feedback is shown to be potentially superior when the feedback channel uses per channel state coefficient is larger than 1. Also, we show that by proper design of the digital feedback link, errors in the feedback have a minor effect even if simple uncoded modulation is used on the feedback channel. We discuss first the case of an unfaded additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) feedback channel with orthogonal access and then the case of fading MIMO multiple access (MIMO-MAC). We show that by exploiting the MIMO-MAC nature of the uplink channel, a much better scaling of the feedback channel resource with the number of base station (BS) antennas can be achieved. Finally, for the case of delayed feedback, we show that in the realistic case where the fading process has (normalized) maximum Doppler frequency shift 0 ¿ F < 1/2, a fraction 1 - 2F of the optimal multiplexing gain is achievable. The general conclusion of this work is that very significant downlink throughput is achievable with simple and efficient channel state feedback, provided that the feedback link is properly designed.


The aim of this study was to evaluate biologically active novel molecules having potentials to be drugs by their antitumor properties and by activities of apoptotic caspase and topoisomerase. Following syntheses of novel eight bis(α‐aminoalkyl)phosphinic acid derivatives (4a–h) as a result of array of reactions, compounds were evaluated by cytotoxic effects in vitro on human breast cancer (MCF‐7) and normal endothelial (HUVEC) cell lines. All phosphinic acid derivatives were effective for cytotoxicity on both MCF‐7 and HUVEC lines, while 4c, 4e, and 4f compounds were found significantly more effective. For the evaluation of antitumor properties of compounds in a highly sensitive method, their effects on inhibiting topoisomerases I and II were investigated. Also, some of the bis(α‐aminoalkyl)phosphinic acid derivatives (4a, 4e–h) showed nice inhibitory action against acetylcholinesterase and human carbonic anhydrase isoforms I and II.


Understanding relative hazards of wildlife to aircraft is important for developing effective management programs that can minimize hazards from wildlife strikes. Although interspecific differences in hazard level of birds and mammals on airport properties are described, no studies have quantified hazard level of bird species or identified factors that influence hazard level when birds are struck beyond airport boundaries (e.g., during aircraft climb or approach). We used Federal Aviation Administration National Wildlife Strike Database records from 1990 through 31 May 2014 to identify bird species involved most often in collisions with aircraft beyond airport boundaries in the United States and to quantify the interspecific hazard level of those birds. We also investigated whether body mass, group size (single or multiple birds), region (Flyway), and season influenced the likelihood of aircraft damage and substantial damage when strikes occurred using binary logistic regression analysis. Canada geese (Branta canadensis; n = 327), turkey vultures (Cathartes aura; 217), American robins (Turdus migratorius; 119), and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos; 107) were struck most often by aircraft beyond airport boundaries. Waterbirds (cormorants, ducks, geese, and to a lesser extent, gulls) and raptors (including vultures) were most likely to cause damage or substantial damage to aircraft when strikes occurred. Body mass was an important predictor of hazard level; group size, region, and season had lesser effects on hazard level. Management strategies to reduce bird strikes with aircraft beyond airport properties should be active throughout the year and prioritize waterbirds and raptors. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.


The nanosized silica with different morphologies such as sphere, granule, needle, short rod, hollow tubule, has been in turn synthesized by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as template and mixed chlorosilane (silicon tetrachloride and trichlorosilane) as silicon source in aliphatic alcohol aqueous solution. The as-prepared products were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and BET nitrogen adsorption technique was employed for determination of specific surface area of the powdery silica. The formation conditions and mechanism of the nanosized silica with special and diverse shapes are preliminarily discussed.


Neurotransmitters and peptide hormones are secreted by regulated vesicle exocytosis. CAPS (also known as CADPS) is a 145-kDa cytosolic and peripheral membrane protein required for vesicle docking and priming steps that precede Ca2+-triggered vesicle exocytosis. CAPS binds phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) and SNARE proteins and is proposed to promote SNARE protein complex assembly for vesicle docking and priming. We characterized purified soluble CAPS as mainly monomer in equilibrium with small amounts of dimer. However, the active form of CAPS bound to PC12 cell membranes or to liposomes containing PI(4,5)P2 and Q-SNARE proteins was mainly dimer. CAPS dimer formation required its C2 domain based on mutation or deletion studies. Moreover, C2 domain mutations or deletions resulted in a loss of CAPS function in regulated vesicle exocytosis, indicating that dimerization is essential for CAPS function. Comparison of the CAPS C2 domain to a structurally defined Munc13-1 C2A domain dimer revealed conserved residues involved in CAPS dimerization. We conclude that CAPS functions as a C2 domain-mediated dimer in regulated vesicle exocytosis. The unique tandem C2-PH domain of CAPS may serve as a PI(4,5)P2-triggered switch for dimerization. CAPS dimerization may be coupled to oligomeric SNARE complex assembly for vesicle docking and priming.


Abstract A detailed ecostratigraphical framework is established for the lower Middle Ordovician Kundan regional stage of the East Baltic area corresponding to the Asaphus expansus, A. raniceps and A. eichwaldi trilobite zones (lower Darriwilian). The study is based on approximately 6200 brachiopods collected bed by bed from limestone sections in northern Estonia (Harku Trench and Saka) and western Russia (Putilovo Quarry, Lava River canyon and Lynna River valley) with, in addition, the first detailed systematic assessment of the Kundan brachiopods of the East Baltic. These sections represent an oblique depth transect some 400 kilometres long, deepening eastwards. Five biofacies associations have been recognized using detrended correspondence and cluster analyses: a shallow-water Lycophoria association, a transitional Gonambonites association and two deeper-water associations, the soft-substrate Orthis callactis and the hard-substrate Orthambonites associations. A separate, fifth soft-substrate association is present in the marl beds at the main locality of Putilovo Quarry. The associations reflect a combination of palaeo-water depth and substrate. The biofacies facilitate an ecostratigraphical correlation along the transect, and third and fourth order sea-level curves are reconstructed, reflecting mainly eustasy. The sea-level was relatively low, early in the Kundan, but then rose significantly into the A. raniceps Biozone. This corroborates the recent discovery of possible small early Darriwilian ice caps on Gondwana.


Cell fractions consisting largely of Golgi membranes were prepared from the meristematic region of the onion. Several enzyme activities were found to be localized in these fractions: inosine diphosphatase, galactosyltransferases and glucosyltransferases. The fractions catalysed the transfer of [(14)C]galactose from UDP-galactose to endogenous and cell-sap acceptors, to N-acetylglucosamine and to ovalbumin. In the presence of bovine alpha-lactalbumin, transfer to glucose (lactose synthesis) was catalysed. [(14)C]Glucose was transferred from UDP-glucose to endogenous and cell-sap acceptors, to cellobiose and to fructose (sucrose synthesis). All these activities were latent, being potentiated by detergents (Triton X-100 or sodium deoxycholate). The characteristics of some of these enzyme activities are described and their biological significance is discussed.


The mechanical properties of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) depend on the individual properties of fibers and matrix, the fiber-matrix interface, the microstructure and the orientation of the fibers. The fiber-matrix interface of ceramics with stiff matrices (e.g. CVI-derived SiC/SiC) must be weak enough to allow crack deflection and debonding in order to achieve excellent strength and strain to failure (weak interface composites WIC). This micromechanical behavior has been intensively investigated during the last 20 years. With the development of CMC with weak matrices (weak matrix composites WMC) as e.g. oxide/oxide composites or polymer derived CMC the mechanical response can not be explained anymore by these models as other microstructural mechanisms occur. If the fibers are oriented in loading direction in a tensile test the WMC behave almost linear elastic up to failure and show a high strength. Under shear mode or if the fibers are oriented off axis a significant quasiplastic stress-strain behavior occurs with high strain to failure and low strength. This complex mechanical behavior of WMC will be explained using a finite element (FE) approach. The micromechanical as well as the FE models will be validated and attributed to the different manufacturing routes.


Laser cladding rapid manufacturing technology is a kind of new developed advanced manufacturing technology integrating the advantages of rapid prototyping manufacturing and laser cladding surface modification. Due to the complex thermo-physical and metallurgical factors in the deposition process, the cladding layer is liable to crack, which seriously impedes the industrial application of this technology. Experiments of laser cladding rapid manufacturing 316L stainless steel were carried out. The cracking behavior and phenomena has been observed, cracking mechanism of 316L stainless steel was investigated by means of microstructure characterization and phase analysis with optical microscopy (OM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scan electronic microscopy (SEM) and phase diagram analysis. Factors influencing the cracking susceptibility has also been studied. Results show that the cracks of 316L stainless steel were hot solidification cracks caused by the high residual stress and separating of the liquid films among dendrites. Through the optimization of process parameters, adding protective atmosphere, etc. cracking sensitivity has been effectively reduced and crack free 316L stainless steel components have been obtained.


In the early 1970s, when studies on borderline patients began in earnest, most inpatients received either an inadequate trial on any psychotropic drug or none at all. The literature of that period warned about the ineffectiveness 1,2 or actual harmfulness 3-7 of pharmacologic treatment for borderline patients. A decade later, it had become rare for any inpatient with borderline personality disorder to be discharged without a vigorous trial of at least one psychotropic agent. Even in outpatient settings, the majority of patients had prior exposure to psychotropic medications. 8 This proliferation of drug treatments for borderline patients had taken place despite the absence of any controlled evaluations. In fact, the additions to the literature largely consisted of case series from which claims were made for the usefulness of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, 9 tricyclic antidepressants, 10 and low-dose phenothiazines. 11 The greatly expanded awareness of the potential value of such pharmacotherapies


Exosomes are an important mechanism of cell-cell interaction in the cardiovascular system, both in maintaining homeostasis and in stress response. Interindividual differences that alter content in exosomes may play a role in cardiovascular disease pathology. To study the effect of interindividual cardiomyocyte (CM) variation, we characterized exosomal content in phenotypically diverse human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs (hiPSC-CMs). Cell lines were generated from six participants in the HyperGEN cohort: three with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and three with normal left ventricular mass. Sequence analysis of the intracellular and exosomal RNA populations showed distinct expression pattern differences between hiPSC-CM lines derived from individuals with LVH and those with normal LV mass. Functional analysis of hiPSC-endothelial cells (hiPSC-ECs) treated with exosomes from both hiPSC-CM groups showed significant variation in response, including differences in tube formation, migration, and proliferation. Overall, treatment of hiPSC-ECs with exosomes resulted in significant expression changes associated with angiogenesis and endothelial cell vasculogenesis. However, the hiPSC-ECs treated with exosomes from the LVH-affected donors exhibited significantly increased proliferation but decreased tube formation and migration, suggesting angiogenic dysregulation.


Spatial judgments are often dominated by low-frequency binaural cues and onset cues when binaural cues vary across the spectrum and duration, respectively, of a brief sound. This study combined these dimensions to assess the spectrotemporal weighting of binaural information. Listeners discriminated target interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) carried by the onset, offset, or full duration of a 4-kHz Gabor click train with a 2-ms period in the presence or absence of a diotic 500-Hz interferer tone. ITD and ILD thresholds were significantly elevated by the interferer in all conditions and by a similar amount to previous reports for static cues. Binaural interference was dramatically greater for ITD targets lacking onset cues compared to onset and full-duration conditions. Binaural interference for ILD targets was similar across dynamic-cue conditions. These effects mirror the baseline discriminability of dynamic ITD and ILD cues [Stecker and Brown. (2010). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 3092-3103], consistent with stronger interference for less-robust/higher-variance cues. The results support the view that binaural cue integration occurs simultaneously across multiple variance-weighted dimensions, including time and frequency.


The interfacial properties of solution-processed conjugated polymer films are investigated. Their surface roughness was controlled by varying the humidity during the film deposition and mechanical exfoliation. A superhydrophobic film was obtained from a rough film of a partially fluorinated conjugated polymer. These films would be beneficial towards robust organic electronic devices.


The properties of pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) with excellent power-to-weight ratio and natural compliance made it useful for healthcare engineering applications. However, it has undesirable hysteresis effect in controlling a robotic manipulator. This behavior is quasistatic and quasirate dependent which changed with excitation frequency and external force. Apart from this, it also inherits frictional presliding behavior with nonlocal memory effect. These nonlinearities need to be compensated to achieve optimal performance of the control system. Even though an inverse modeling of PAM has limited application, it is important on certain control system implementation that requires the solution to the inverse problem. In this paper, the inverse modeling of PAM in the form of activation pressure was proposed. This activation pressure model was derived according to static pressure and extracted hysteresis components from pressure/length hysteresis. The derivation of the static pressure model follows the phenomenological-based model of third-order polynomial. It is capable of characterizing the nonlinear region of PAM at low and high pressure. The derivation of extracted hysteresis model follows the mechanism of dynamic friction. In this principle, the activation pressure model was dependent on regression coefficient of the static pressure model and dynamic friction coefficients of the extracted hysteresis model. The regression constants of these coefficients were characterized from the hysteresis dataset by using model parameter identification and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method. The result from model simulation shows the root mean square error (RMSE) value of less than 10% error was evaluated at various excitation frequencies and external forces. This inverse modeling of PAM implemented a simple approach, but it should be useful in control design applications such as rehabilitation robotics, biomedical system, and humanoid robots.


Dirk Thierens Utrecht University Department of Information and Computing Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands Peter A.N. Bosman Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica – CWI (Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science) Amsterdam, The Netherlands Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author. Copyright is held by the owner/author(s). GECCO'15 Companion, July 11-15, 2015, Madrid, Spain ACM 978-1-4503-3488-4/15/07. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2739482.2756584 Dirk Thierens & Peter A.N. Bosman. GECCO 2015 Tutorial Model-Based Evolutionary Algorithms. 01/110 Outline


The Poetics of American Song Lyrics is the first collection of academic essays that regards songs as literature and that identifies intersections between the literary histories of poems and songs. The essays by well-known poets and scholars including Pulitzer Prize winner Claudia Emerson, Peter Guralnick, Adam Bradley, David Kirby, Kevin Young, and many others, locate points of synthesis and separation so as to better understand both genres and their crafts. The essayists share a desire to write on lyrics in a way that moves beyond sociological, historical, and autobiographical approaches and explicates songs in relation to poetics. Unique to this volume, the essays focus not on a single genre but on folk, rap, hip hop, country, rock, indie, soul, and blues. The first section of the book provides a variety of perspectives on the poetic history and techniques within songs and poems, and the second section focuses on a few prominent American songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Michael Stipe. Through conversational yet in-depth analyses of songs, the essays discuss sonnet forms, dramatic monologues, Modernism, ballads, blues poems, confessionalism, Language poetry, Keatsian odes, unreliable narrators, personas, poetic sequences, rhythm, rhyme, transcription methods, the writing process, and more. While the strategies of explication differ from essay to essay, the nexus of each piece is an unveiling of the poetic history and poetic techniques within songs.


The accuracy and availability of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has revolutionized navigation. As a result, world-wide, meter-level positioning is required for many applications. Unfortunately, satellite navigation signals are not available in all environments.

To address this issue, researchers have devoted much effort into investigating the use of image sequences for navigation. Many different image-aided navigation techniques have been demonstrated, each with varying assumptions, and most using ad-hoc techniques. This results in little information on how to apply image-aided techniques to problems with differing assumptions.

The goal of this article is to characterize the properties of various forms of image-aided navigation. Once the observability is established, additional measurements that can augment weak areas are presented and discussed. The limitations of current image-aided navigation techniques are shown to require additional measurements from a non-homogeneous sensor for reliable, long-term navigation.


The search for materials and systems, capable of operating long term under physiological conditions, has been a strategy for many research groups during the past years. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a material, which can meet the demands due to its high biocompatibility, high inertness to biological tissues and to aggressive environment, and the possibility to make all types of electronic devices. This paper reviews progress in biomedical and biosensor related research on SiC. For example, less biofouling and platelet aggregation when exposed to blood is taken advantage of in a variety of medical implantable materials while the robust semiconducting properties can be explored in surface functionalized bioelectronic devices.


Objective Infections due to Gram-negative bacteria exhibit seasonal trends, with peak infection rates during warmer months. We hypothesized that the likelihood of a bloodstream infection due to Gram-negative bacteria increases with proximity to the equator. We tested this hypothesis and identified geographical, climatic and social factors associated with this variability. Design We established a network of 23 international centers in 22 cities. Setting: De-identified results of positive blood cultures from 2007–2011 and data sources for geographic, climatic and socioeconomic factors were assembled for each center. Participants Patients at the 23 centers with positive blood cultures. Main outcome Due to variability in the availability of total culture volumes across sites, our primary outcome measure was the fraction of positive blood cultures that yielded Gram-negative bacteria; sources of variability in this outcome measure were explored using meta-regression techniques. Results The mean fraction of bacteremia associated with Gram-negative bacteria was 48.4% (range 26.4% to 61.8%). Although not all sites displayed significant seasonality, the overall P-value for seasonal oscillation was significant (P<0.001). In univariate meta-regression models, temperature, latitude, latitude squared, longitude, per capita gross domestic product and percent of gross domestic product spent on healthcare were all associated with the fraction of bacteremia due to Gram-negative bacteria. In multivariable models, only percent of gross domestic product spent on healthcare and distance from the equator (ie. latitude squared) were significantly associated with the fraction of bacteremia due to Gram-negative bacteria. Conclusions The likelihood of bacteremia due to Gram-negative bacteria varies markedly between cities, in a manner that appears to have both geographic (latitude) and socioeconomic (proportion gross domestic product devoted to health spending) determinants. Thus, the optimal approach to initial management of suspected bacteremia may be geographically specific. The rapid emergence of highly antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogens may have geographically specific impacts.


This paper presents the results from an experimental study on the actuation response of composite laminates containing Shape-Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators. Unidirectional glass-fibre reinforced epoxide laminates were constructed containing Ni-Ti SMA actuators orientated parallel to the glass-fibre direction. The volume fraction of actuator was varied in the range 0 to 2.5 vol%. These laminates were actuated electrically and were designed to exhibit macroscopic shape changes during actuation. The work presented in this paper was a preliminary appraisal of the durability issues associated with the use of such hybrid composites. This has shown that actuator fraction plays a significant role in controlling both the shape change obtained from these materials and the hysteresis associated with their forward and reverse actuation. It has also been shown that during cyclic operation hybrid laminates can suffer from instabilities in shape change due to the accumulation of internal damage. However, by careful selection of the maximum actuation strain and actuator fraction it is possible to achieve useable and stable cyclic shape changes


With Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has developed a standard for a cellular mobile radio network to fulfill the requirements of professional users. TETRA networks provide mobile voice and data applications (including Internet applications) with explicit consideration of the communication requirements of user groups. This thesis provides an overview about this standard and analyzes the methods and influencing variables of dimensioning such networks. In sample calculations the number of required base stations is determined in dependence on the influencing variables. Options for the optimization of algortihms that mainly determine the quality of service are discussed and evaluated. With using the optimizations, significant performance improvements are achieved. The traffic performance of the standard is evaluated using analytical modells, which were derived in this thesis, as well as stochastic simulations. Emphasize is placed on the stochastic modelling of voice and data traffic in user groups. The methodology for modelling traffic performance is described in detail. It aims at representing important aspects of a traffic analyzis based on traffic theory. The traffic modells are based on measurments gained from the TETRA pilot trial Aachen of the German Public Safety Forces. They are compared to measurments taken from public mobile radio networks as well as to well-known modells. Based on the traffic load modells and TETRA protocol modells, the quality of service, that can be expected in different scenarios, is determined. The algorithms in each protocol layer are optimized for the chosen scenarios, which results in reduced traffic resource requirements. As a conclusion, dimensioning rules for a TETRA trunked radio network are formulated.


BACKGROUND
Delivery of anticancer therapeutic agents to solid tumors is problematic. Macromolecular drug carriers are an attractive alternative drug delivery method because they appear to target tumors and have limited toxicity in normal tissues. We investigated how molecular weight influences the accumulation of a model macromolecular drug carrier, dextran covalently linked to a fluorophore, in tumors.

METHODS
We used dextrans with molecular weights from 3.3 kDa to 2 MDa. Vascular permeability, accumulation, and three-dimensional penetration of these dextrans were simultaneously measured in solid tumors via a dorsal skin fold window chamber, intravital laser-scanning confocal microscopy, and custom image analysis.

RESULTS
Increasing the molecular weight of dextran statistically significantly reduced its vascular permeability by approximately two orders of magnitude (i.e., from 154 x 10(-7) cm/s, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 134 to 174 x 10(-7) cm/s, for 3.3-kDa dextran to 1.7 x 10(-7) cm/s, 95% CI = 0.7 to 2.6 x 10(-7) cm/s for 2-MDa dextran; P < .001, two-sided Kruskal-Wallis test) but increased its plasma half-life, which provided ample time for extravasation (i.e., to enter tumor tissue from the vasculature). Tumor accumulation was maximal for dextrans with molecular weights between 40 and 70 kDa. Dextrans of 3.3 and 10 kDa penetrated deeply (greater than 35 microm) and homogeneously into tumor tissue from the vessel wall. After a 30-minute period, a high concentration was observed only approximately 15 microm from the vessel wall for 40- to 70-kDa dextrans and only 5 microm for 2-MDa dextrans.

CONCLUSIONS
Increasing the molecular weight of dextran statistically significantly reduced its tumor vascular permeability. Dextrans of 40 and 70 kDa had the highest accumulation in solid tumors but were largely concentrated near the vascular surface.


Population studies and World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics indicate that 10–50% of individuals suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. Up to 3% will be classified as disabled due to their bone and joint condition, and the majority will suffer from pain. Almost all will require non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other analgesics for their management. The large majority of this population is elderly and, hence, at greater risk of adverse effects to the NSAIDs. The NSAIDs are a necessary choice in pain management because of the integrated role of the cyclo-oxygenase (COX) pathway in the generation of inflammation and in the biochemical recognition of pain. For over 80 years the management of musculoskeletal pain was hampered by NSAID toxicity problems related to the traditional NSAIDs. In the early 1990s, paracetamol was recommended as the first-choice analgesic for osteoarthritis, but subsequent studies have shown that paracetamol has a significant gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity profile. In addition, it has lower analgesic efficacy than NSAIDs and is, thus, not an effective alternative to NSAIDs in any of the inflammatory arthritides. The identification of cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) and the subsequent introduction of the COX-2-selective inhibitor NSAID drugs was thought to be a major breakthrough with the expectation of a significant reduction in G/I side-effects. This has not been the case for celecoxib, and indeed for all COX-2-selective inhibitors when given with ASA. The COX-2-selective inhibitors also inhibit renal COX-2 with the potential for problems of fluid retention, oedema, hypertension and congestive heart failure. The major controversy with respect to the COX-2-selective inhibitors as a class has been the increase in myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular events observed in some studies. Thus, the initial expected global benefits of the COX-2-selective inhibitors may be outweighed by their potential for toxicity. Recent studies have shown that the use of a proton-pump inhibitor drug with traditional NSAIDs and with COX-2-selective inhibitors has been shown to significantly reduce GI symptoms and peptic ulceration. Thus, the traditional NSAIDs have been re-established as the preferred choice in the management of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders.


The effects of chronic administration of counterregulatory hormones on hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis were investigated. We studied 14 20-h fasted conscious dogs prior to (day 0) and after a 70-h stress hormone (SHI, n = 7) or saline (n = 7) infusion (day 3). Glucose production and gluconeogenesis were assessed using tracer and arteriovenous difference techniques. SHI increased plasma glucagon, cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels approximately fivefold. SHI increased the arterial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations (110 +/- 2 to 204 +/- 19 mg/dl and 13 +/- 2 to 36 +/- 3 microU/ml on day 3). Tracer-determined glucose appearance and net hepatic glucose output were increased 80 and 60%, respectively. Net hepatic lactate uptake and fractional extraction were increased by 11.2 +/- 3.8 and 0.51 +/- 0.18 mumol.kg-1 x min-1, respectively, as was net hepatic glycerol uptake (1.0 +/- 0.6 mumol.kg-1 x min-1). Net hepatic fractional alanine extraction was also increased by 0.37 +/- 0.03 mumol.kg-1 x min-1; however, net hepatic alanine uptake was not altered. The efficiency of alanine conversion to glucose almost doubled (0.33 +/- 0.05 to 0.59 +/- 0.09). Renal glucose production was also increased, accounting for 33% of the increase in glucose turnover. This increase was paralleled by an increase in renal gluconeogenic precursor uptake. In conclusion, SHI created marked hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia and elevated glucose production from both the liver and the kidney, with gluconeogenesis accounting for approximately 70% of the response.


This paper discusses the challenges faced and lessons learned during the management of an online educational network in Sri Lanka. In all aspects of learning, technology can make a significant impact. Technology, when used appropriately, can be very effective in terms of interactivity among learners, between learners and the content and between learners and teachers, especially in contrast to print-based traditional distance education. Most difficulties that arise are due to constraints of scale, time and space and can be effectively addressed using technology. When implemented effectively, learners, teachers and educational institutions all benefit. Opportunities created in such a context for a country like Sri Lanka are enormous. At the same time, any failure to access teaching/learning material can create a very negative impression and is instantly compared with the face-to-face learning environment. Managing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems to cater to the above requirements is a challenging task. A major national initiative in Sri Lanka, the National Online Distance Education Service (NODES) is discussed in this context.


In the late eighteenth century, Jewish authors in France and Prussia started to articulate their political ideas through polemics against the Catholic Church. The fact that Jews were able to employ anticlerical tropes despite their precarious legal and social position underscores the importance of anticlerical polemics for the emergence of new forms of civic belonging in a period when Jews became, or dreamed of becoming, citizens for the first time. Anti-Catholicism served as an expression of new horizontal alliances with other social groups and—in the case of France—of Jews' dedication to a state defined against anti-revolutionary clergy. Unlike antisemites in the late nineteenth century, who denounced Jews for dividing the nation with their anti-Catholicism, Enlightenment thinkers accepted the anticlericalism of Jews such as Moses Mendelssohn because they saw it as proof of Jews' ability to transcend parochial Jewish concerns.


In order to evaluate the contribution of geological, environmental, and climatic changes to the spatial distribution of genetic variation of Mastomys natalensis, we analysed cytochrome b sequences from the whole distribution area of the species to infer its phylogeographic structure and historical demography. Six well-supported phylogroups, differentiated during the Pleistocene, were evidenced. No significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances was found at the continental scale, and the geographic distributions of the observed phylogroups have resulted from extensive periods of isolation caused by the presence of putative geographic and ecological barriers. The diversification events were probably influenced by habitat contraction/expansion cycles that may have complemented topographic barriers to induce genetic drift and lineage sorting.According to our results, we propose a scenario where climate-driven processes may have played a primary role in the differentiation among phylogroups.


Truth-telling is considered as an important topic of modern discussion regarding the physician-patient relationship. The present study examined the behavior of physicians in disclosing the truth to patients. For this purpose, a total of 161 cancer specialists were selected using the simple random sampling technique. Research instrument consisted of a 24-item questionnaire based on expert opinion and the review of related literature. The results of item prioritization indicated that the participants ranked the following two items as highest in terms of attitude: "It is the basic right of patients to know about their condition", and "Relatives' participation in disclosing the truth to patients is rather beneficial". Research results also showed a positive and significant correlation between attitude and truth-telling tendency. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis by SMART-PLS software demonstrated that perceived behavioral control (self-efficiency) has the greatest impact on physicians' tendency toward truth-telling. The prediction power of planned behavior theory in predicting physicians' truth-telling behavior was established at 92 percent. Based on these findings, it is recommended to employ experts and adopt relevant guidelines to train novice physicians. Moreover, Iranian health officials are advised to take corrective measures to improve physicians' attitudes and subjective norms.


Following the establishment of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), concerns about having a level playing field become more important due to the heterogeneity in bank taxation rules across Europe: measuring the tax burden can provide a first rough measure of the extent of heterogeneity across countries. After a review of the main differences in banks taxation between Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the UK, the paper provides estimates for the tax burden and deferred tax assets in these countries over the years 2006-2014; the impact of differences in taxation on bank profitability is also examined. Moreover, the paper carries out a more in-depth analysis of Italian banks by considering both individual balance sheet data and aggregate tax return data. The impact of tax measures on financial stability and on profitability is further analysed. The comparative analysis points to a wide heterogeneity across countries in the tax treatment of the banking sector. This suggests that it would be advantageous to explore possible ways to make the tax systems of the countries participating in the SSM more homogeneous; a first step could be to harmonize tax bases.


Resveratrol, genistein and quercetin from the group of polyphenols from secondary plant metabolites reveal cancer preventive and antivirus effects realized via their pleiotropic influence on the different macromolecules in cells. These compounds can interact with DNA without the formation of covalent bonds. This process is usually followed by changes in spatial, physical-chemical and structural DNA characteristics that can result in disfunction of DNA metabolism enzymes and chromatin destabilization. Similar effects were described for anticancer drug Curaxine CBL0137 in association with activation of interferon-α signaling. We demonstrated dose-dependent stimulating effects of resveratrol, genistein and quercetin on interferon-α signaling using HeLa cells expressed mCherry protein with interferon-stimulated response elements (ISRE) in promoter. Furthermore, it was shown by live-cell fluorescent microscopy in HT1080 cells with mCherry-labeled histone H1.5 that described polyphenols induced the redistribution of this linker histone in cell nuclei. The data obtained suggest an existence of DNA-dependent mechanism of anticancer effects of plant polyphenols and a need for further study of crosslinks between the polyphenols' influence on chromatin structure and the changes in genome function, in particular, induction of interferon- interferon-α signaling.


The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for" (Wittgenstein). When learning something completely new, we connect the unknown term to an already existing part of our knowledge. We can only build new ideas and insights upon an existing conceptual foundation. In the field of statistics, we educators frequently find ourselves met with great confusion when teaching novices. These students, entirely unfamiliar with even basic statistics, must connect the introduced statistical terms within their personal existing networks of largely non-statistical knowledge. Lecturers, on the other hand, who are well versed in statistics, have deeply internalized the content to be taught and its relevant context. The juxtaposition of the two roles may produce amusement in a lecturer upon gaining insight into the word associations made by the statistical novices. For example, a 'logistic regression' does not involve the 'shipping of goods in economically difficult times,' though this might seem entirely reasonable and intuitive to the statistics learner. Other times, these different perspectives can lead to headaches and frustration for both learners and their lecturers. In this article, we illustrate how simple statistical terms are initially connected to a student's pre-exiting knowledge and how these associations change after completing an introductory course in applied statistics. Furthermore, we emphasize the important difference between "term", "approach", and "context". Understanding this fundamental distinction may help improve the communication between the lecturer and the learner. We offer a collection of practical tools for instructors to help promote students' conceptual understanding in a supportive, mutually-beneficial learning environment.


[1] Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Sun photometer observations were carried out at Ouarzazate, Morocco, during the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) 2006. Data from one measurement day, 19 May 2006, are used to derive particle optical and microphysical parameters with AERONET's latest version of light-scattering model for non-spherical particle geometry. In our analysis we also make use of a novel measurement channel at 1638 nm wavelength. We compare the results to data products obtained by airborne high-spectral-resolution lidar, several ground-based Raman lidar, and airborne and ground-based in situ measurement platforms. We chose that specific measurement day because the dust plume was vertically well mixed. Extinction coefficients from AERONET Sun photometer and lidar observations and in situ measurements agree well. Ångström exponents from Sun photometer and lidar are in close agreement, too. Airborne in situ measurements of dust particle size distributions show larger effective radii than inferred from the AERONET data. Complex refractive indices that are derived with the AERONET algorithm differ from the values obtained with different independent techniques employed in our study. The single-scattering albedo was derived from the airborne observations of particle size distributions and complex refractive indices. Singlescattering albedo differs to the value inferred from the AERONET data. The differences may be attributed to the different effective radii that we obtained from the various techniques. The differences between the data products from the various measurement platforms, however, cannot be generalized, as we could only test data for one measurement day. An analysis of additional measurements is under way.


Mangroves are areas of permanent preservation, but anthropogenic interference in this ecosystem (for example the launching of pollutants from industrial, mining, fertilizer by farmers, sewage) is increasing startlingly. Preserve and look for ways to bioremediate mangroves is fundamental, since these maintain the productivity of coastal ecosystems and is thus regarded as a natural nursery. The need to study the mangroves has been growing in recent years, particularly in respect to the environmental characteristics of this ecosystem. This chapter aimed to draw a parallel between the damage that can be caused by the trace elements nickel and iron on the mangrove ecosystem, more specifically affecting the nutrition of mangrove plants, in addition to showing possible effects of the interaction of these metals with humic substances of organic matter acting on the mitigation of stresses caused to the ecosystem under study. Through surveys of the information covered in this chapter, it can be observed that the presence of trace elements such as Iron and Nickel at high levels can cause eminent stress to the plant structure within the scope of its sedimentary physiology and biochemistry. It is necessary to subsidize further studies so that it is explicit and approved by the scientific community that, this environment, which is sensitive and important, the basis for various trophic levels, needs greater attention from government officials for its preservation, as well as the restoration of those many mangroves that are polluted by being close to urban places, receiving an exacerbated supply of pollutants.


Abstract Baker's yeast plays a role in both the industrial and scientific worlds. Any research supporting fermentation rate therefore has a large impact. We measured how temperature affected the ethanol production rate of baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We hypothesized that as temperature increased, rate of ethanol production would increase because of the increase in cellular metabolism breaking down glucose. Our hypothesis was supported by our results. Future research areas include manipulating other factors that affect fermentation and widening the temperatures tested beyond what we have done.


The purpose of this study is to chart and describe which content and different models that teachers use when teaching English as a foreign language at upper secondary school in Sweden. The study was performed through a phenomenonographic point of view, where the aim is to present and compare different understandings within a certain area. Our study emanates in Lars-Goran Malmberg's theories about different teaching models used when teaching Swedish, which have been transferred and modified by Bo Lundahl into teaching English as foreign language. On the basis of this theory, six individual interviews with different teachers at upper secondary school were carried out with concern of discussing the content and aim of English teaching. Since the idea of communication is frequently used in the teaching plan for the Swedish school system, focus in this study has also been to understand and compare what meaning different teachers put in this term.Conclusions were that all of the teachers have different conceptions of the subject, and also that they focus on different parts and content within their teaching. As far as the term communication is concerned, this also had a very different meaning to the teachers in the study. A consequence of this, and the fact that the subject itself is considered to be very diverse, could be that students leave school with different knowledge.


Depression is a devastating mental illness that robs many of ability to experience the tremendous joy of being alive. It is diagnosed by its symptoms, the most prevalent being a depressed mood. While we now have a basic understanding of the disease, all of the treatments available fall short in some category. In fact, some patients do not respond to any current medical treatment. The anesthetic ketamine, when administered at sub-anesthetic doses, exerts powerful and rapid antidepressant effects. These effects are often seen even when behavioral therapy or other antidepressants have failed. There has been a push in the research community to understand how ketamine exerts its antidepressant effects, in order to develop safer alternatives and understand the biological underpinnings of depression. This thesis identifies and characterizes a novel antidepressant effect of ketamine. Data presented here may clarify some controversies surrounding the literature on ketamine and, more importantly, lead to the development of novel, rapid-acting antidepressants.


ABSETRACT A new generation of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) named Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) was developed in the last decades, which offers, superior strength, durability and ductility. One of the main differences between other concretes and RPC is that the latter requires mechanical models capable of taking tensile behavior into account for structural application to enable the material to be fully exploited. The complete stress-strain relationship under direct tensile test and uniaxial compression of different RPC mixes was experimentally investigated. Nonlinear equations are suggested to model the complete tensile and compressive stress-strain relationship for all the RPC mixes studied. In this research an analytical study is devoted to establish a simple equation for predicting the nominal bending moment capacity M n of plain and singly reinforced rectangular RPC beam sections. The equation derived showed good agreement with all the flexural test results performed in previous researches and some other investigations on reactive powder concrete beams.


This paper reports on a generic factor-based method for node removal in factor-graph simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), which we call generic linear constraints (GLCs). The need for a generic node removal tool is motivated by long-term SLAM applications, whereby nodes are removed in order to control the computational cost of graph optimization. GLC is able to produce a new set of linearized factors over the elimination clique that can represent either the true marginalization (i.e., dense GLC) or a sparse approximation of the true marginalization using a ChowLiu tree (i.e., sparse GLC). The proposed algorithm improves upon commonly used methods in two key ways: First, it is not limited to graphs with strictly full-state relative-pose factors and works equally well with other low-rank factors, such as those produced by monocular vision. Second, the new factors are produced in such a way that accounts for measurement correlation, which is a problem encountered in other methods that rely strictly upon pairwise measurement composition. We evaluate the proposed method over multiple real-world SLAM graphs and show that it outperforms other recently proposed methods in terms of Kullback-Leibler divergence. Additionally, we experimentally demonstrate that the proposed GLC method provides a principled and flexible tool to control the computational complexity of long-term graph SLAM, with results shown for 34.9 h of real-world indoor-outdoor data covering 147.4 km collected over 27 mapping sessions spanning a period of 15 months.


One of the main issues faced by British Society today is reflective of the fact that there is a documented shortage of young people selecting a career in engineering. This is particularly the case when it comes to young women, many of whom simply don't consider engineering to be suitable for women. The reasons for this are well documented but are undoubtedly worsened by the fact that only 6% ofUKEngineers are female. Taking into account previous studies focusing on the issues of gender in engineering, a community based participatory research approach was adopted in which the reasons why teenage girls fail to view engineering as a viable future study or career option were explored. Two 17 year old female high school students were trained as participatory researchers and employed to conduct semi-structured interviews with their peers. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken whereupon two distinctive themes emerged in relation to how girls' perceive engineering. The first theme reflected girls' lack of knowledge about what engineering is, whilst the second was related to their views of engineering as a potential career. Verbatim quotes are used throughout the paper to give the teenage participants a previously unheard 'voice' in the debate about gender and engineering. The paper concludes by arguing that although engineering has much to offer young women in terms of a potential future career, the main issue is that they lack awareness of what engineering is and what engineers do.


To fabricate a high performance polymer electrolyte fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (PEFC MEA), the hot press method is commonly used. For conducting the hot press method, the hot press machine which has very smooth contact surfaces of pressing blocks, accurate temperature and force loading control systems is required. Generally, a commercial hot press machine uses a hydraulic transmission system for load generation. However, it is considered to be relatively costly for such a small load of a small-scale PEFC application. In this study, to reduce the cost, a small-scale hot press machine has been designed and developed using a jackscrew instead of a hydraulic cylinder as the load transmitter. An investigation of stress, thermal stress, and deformation distributions of the hot press machine was carried out prior to actual manufacturing using finite element analysis. Finally, the developed small-scale hot press machine was experimentally checked so as to ensure that it can accurately be operated at the desired conditions, i.e., 130 °C , 6 MPa with the smooth contact surfaces of its pressing blocks.


The Cretaceous Bear River and Aspen section in Willow Creek, 6 miles southeast of the junction of the Hoback and Snake rivers, Teton County, Wyoming, is described in detail, including the position and nature of its faunas. The Bear River is 539 feet thick, and the Aspen 1307 feet thick. On lithologic and paleontologic grounds the Bear River-Aspen contact is placed lower than in earlier reports. The Aspen section contains 63 feet of porcellanite, which suggests prolonged volcanic activity in the region. Fourteen units of the Bear River are fossiliferous, but only 2 of these, in the upper 166 feet of the formation, contain invertebrates. One assemblage is similar to the typical fresh-water Bear River fauna; the other is brackish water. The Aspen has 25 fossiliferous units, of which only 9 contain invertebrates. Seven of these are fresh water, and 2 are brackish water or marine. In no case were fresh-water and marine or brackish-water elements mixed; each fauna is distinct and separated from the others by many feet of section. Conflicting age assignments for the Bear River and Aspen are discussed.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the .customers' satisfaction on service quality towards the municipal councils at several locations in Melaka, wllich are Jasin, Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah. The customers' satisfaction towards the service quality of counter service can be measured with five important elements of SERVQUAL which are tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The sample was randomly selected from the customers of the local municipal councils at several locations in Melaka, which are Jasin, Hang Tuah Jaya, Melal(a Tengah and Alor Gajah by using probability sampling method. Simple convenience random sampling technique was chosen to select the sample size. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Pacl(age in the Social Science Software (SPSS) version 20.0 to measure the impact of these five independent variables on tIle customers' satisfaction towards the local municipal councils at Melal(a. The total of 120 was distributed and analyzed by tal(ing 30 questionnaires for each location. As a conclusion, from the discrepancy gap between customers' expectation and perception, it showed that customers were slightly dissatisfied with the service quality of counter service at the Melal(a's municipal councils in Jasin, Hang Tuah Jaya, Melal(a Tengah and Alor Gajah. Next, the findings concluded that, even though all of the SERVQUAL elements give an impact towards customers' satisfaction level, 'assurance' is the element that give the greatest impact. As for the further recommendations, the researcher suggested to conduct the research with a larger population sample so that the result will be more generalized and accurate. In addition, the research also should be conducted not only in government sectors but also in private sectors so that a better standard for increasing the customers' satisfaction could be identified.


The effects of an electric field on the collision rates, energy exchanges and transport properties of electrons in premixed flames are investigated via solutions to the Boltzmann kinetic equation. The case of high electric field strength, which results in high-energy, non-thermal electrons, is analysed in detail at sub-breakdown conditions. The rates of inelastic collisions and the energy exchange between electrons and neutrals in the reaction zone of the flame are characterised quantitatively. The analysis includes attachment, ionisation, impact dissociation, and vibrational and electronic excitation processes. Our results suggest that Townsend breakdown occurs for E/N = 140 Td. Vibrational excitation is the dominant process up to breakdown, despite important rates of electronic excitation of CO, CO2 and N2 as well as impact dissociation of O2 being apparent from 50 Td onwards. Ohmic heating in the reaction zone is found to be negligible (less than 2% of peak heat release rate) up to breakdown field strengths for realistic electron densities equal to 1010 cm−3. The observed trends are largely independent of equivalence ratio. In the non-thermal regime, electron transport coefficients are insensitive to mixture composition and approximately constant across the flame, but are highly dependent on the electric field strength. In the thermal limit, kinetic parameters and transport coefficients vary substantially across the flame due to the spatially inhomogeneous concentration of water vapour. A practical approach for identifying the plasma regime (thermal versus non-thermal) in studies of electric field effects on flames is proposed.


In this first decade of the 21st century, we mark two milestones in education history: the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 2004, and the 30th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA) in 2005. Both Brown and IDEA asserted the need for increased educational opportunities for once excluded groups of students and asserted that segregation was inherently harmful and unequal. However, although we might wish to celebrate, there is also a need to critically examine the unfulfilled promise of both these efforts toward integrated education. In this article, we focus on one of the most long-standing critiques of special education practice: the disproportionate placement of students of color in special education programs, referred to in the education literature as overrepresentation. We then trace some of the origins of the current problem of overrepresentation by tracing the tangled relationship of special education and resegregation in the first years following the Brown decision.


In this paper we present the global optimization algorithm based on grid search to estimate DC offset time constants from a current recorded during short circuit on transmission line. The grid on which the search for optimum is performed is constructed using the hyperbolic cross points (HCP). We are able to estimate three time-constants of the DC offset in the fault current signal, namely: time constant of the Thevenin's equivalent impedance of the network, current transformer (CT) time constant and auxiliary CT time constant. The global search on the HCP grid is complemented with Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) or Nelder-Mead (NM) local search algorithms, to refine the result. The results presented in the paper show that LM and NM local algorithms find better solution and converge faster if the HCP algorithm is used to determine the starting point. The HCP search, as preprocessing step helps LM and NM algorithms to converge faster to a global minimum.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 17.7 million deaths annually worldwide and is therefore a major health burden to our society. Over the last century, CVD treatment has greatly improved. The discovery of cholesterol lowering drugs has led to a strongly improved treatment of CVD. However, atherosclerosis, the main underlying cause of CVD, is not solely a cholesterol-driven disease. Recently a large human study showed that inflammation is also an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis. Understanding the factors that contribute to inflammation is therefore of great importance. The gut microbiota is one such factor that has recently been linked to cardiovascular disease and inflammation. However, it is unknown whether alterations in microbiota composition can contribute to CVD development and if interactions between the gut immune barrier, diet and gut microbiota can affect systemic inflammation and atherosclerosis. In this thesis, we used mouse models to understand how the interaction between the diet, gut microbiota and intestinal immune barrier contributes to systemic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Our studies show a causal role of the gut microbiota in the development of systemic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Furthermore, our studies indicate a protective role of the gut immune system and in particular of antimicrobial against development of CVD. Thus our studies indicate that the gut microbiota and the gut immune system may be interesting future targets for the treatment of CVD.


Accumulated Damage within structures is a topic that has been tackled from a variety of different perspectives, including mathematical modelling, simulation techniques and both destructive and non-destructive testing, A more recent concept is that of monitoring the damage within a given structure either actively or passively with permanently attached sensors, While many researchers have successfully advanced the science of actively monitoring structural health, the cost associated with implementing a comprehensive active system with the related data logging and storage, is often high. During the past few years, a small group of researchers has been developing the concept of producing cost-effective smart materials, which passively monitor the peak strain within structures. The beauty of these smart materials lies in the fact that they can be used to manufacture structural load-bearing components, In this way a completely smart structure is produced, capable of measuring and "memorising" its own level of damage. The means of measuring strain and "memorising" it lies in the crystal structure of the "smart" alloys under investigation. Although these ferrous alloys possess an austenitic crystal structure at room temperature, application of strain produces a transformation in crystal structure, to martensite. Because the austenite is paramagnetic, and the martensite is ferromagnetic, a measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of the material produces differing readings dependent on the amount of martensite present, which in turn is directly proportional to the amount of strain experienced by the material. Thus a measurement of magnetic susceptibility may be directly correlated with strain. This "strain reading" will be the peak strain experienced by the material, and not necessarily the current level of strain, due to the fact that the transformation from austenite to martensite is irreversible. Metastable ferrous alloys can therefore be used to detect overall peak strain within a structure, or to indicate the presence of localised damage or crack initiation, depending on how the system is set up.


A sub-sampled deconvolution technique for crowded field photometry with the HST WFPC2 instrument was proposed by Butler (2000) and applied to search for optical counterparts to pulsars in globular clusters (Golden et al. 2001). Simulations showed that the method, which takes account of the point-spread function (PSF) spatial variation, can provide better star detection and recovers the resolution lost to aberrations and poor sampling. The original emphasis was on precision photometry in crowded fields. In the present work, we have extended this technique to determine proper motions of stars in globular clusters. Actual HST images of the globular clusters, along with realistic simulations of the globular clusters, were used to benchmark the technique for astrometric accuracy. The ultimate aim is to use this dynamical data to search for intermediate-mass black holes in globular cluster cores.


In order to bridge the gap between producers and users of community health data, we have developed a standardized format to provide a simple, comprehensive approach to the communication of epidemiologic data at the local level. Infowatch follows a series of format and style rules selected to enhance readability. The four-page format is divided into six sections: introduction and scope; "results" presented as charts, figures and text; policy implications (through consultation with community groups); methodological summary; references for self-study; and, invitation for reader feedback. An editorial committee comprising experts and representatives from local interest groups ensures that the data presented are relevant and of high quality. The content of each Infowatch issue varies depending on community priorities. Infowatch is distributed to 3,000 people, including representatives from health-related, academic, governmental and non-governmental agencies. Five areas assess qualitatively the impact of Infowatch: reader, media, policy, education, and solicited responses. Overall, response from all categories has been favourable with evidence of infiltration into policy.


Context-aware pervasive learning environments consist of interconnected, embedded computing devices such as portable computers, wireless sensors, auxiliary input/output devices and servers. Until this study there has been no survey that has evaluated and presented information regarding these environments. In this paper, we conducted a survey to identify the commonly used technologies, methods and models behind these systems, and evaluated the role of mobile devices in the reviewed papers. As a result, we made five observations: (i) RFID was the most common sensor technology; (ii) several learning models were suggested, but none was validated properly; (iii) client-server architectures are prevalent in the systems and mobile devices were used most commonly to represent information; (iv) most of the systems supported multiple simultaneous users, but few facilitated virtual communication; and (v) possible roles for physical environments in pervasive learning systems are: contexts for learning, content for learning, and system resources. Evidence indicates that suitable learning models have yet to be validated, and that more roles of mobile devices could be emphasised.


A more than 1000m thick pile of basaltic lava flows and pyroclasts dipping seawards rises on the western
sector of San Vicente. Several systems of dikes cut across the succession that is composed of two different
sequences. The lower sequence (Lazareto Formation), about 400 m thick, is formed mainly by pahoe-hoe,
frequently ankaramitic, basalt lavas and some breccias intercalated. This sequence is exposed in small hills
and low rounded ridges of gentle slopes. The upper sequence (Monte Cara Formation), some 700 m thick,
consisting in individually thicker basaltic lava flows with typical scoria levels is well exposed in high scarps.
Numerous subvertical dikes cross the entire succession. The dikes vary increasingly their strike from south
to north. Frequent sills (one every 3-5 m) also intrude the lower sequence. The distribution of the lava flow
dip strikes as well as the dike strikes suggests that the succession as a whole was part of a central volcanic
edifice, of which the eruptive centre was once located south of the city of Mindelo. This giant volcanic
edifice, 16-20 km in diameter and 1600-2000m high, would have extended off the present coast. According
to the radiometric ages obtained the volcano built up between 6,1Ma and 4,6 Ma with maximum activity
concentrated between 5,5 and 5 Ma.


In the writings of Swedish theologians during the Reformation era, there are many references to the Church Fathers, such as Augustine, Tertullian, Ambrose and others. This essay examines, through a descriptive method, the use of the Church Fathers in polemic writing against Roman Catholicism and Calvinism during significant theological conflicts in Swedish Reformation history (1528-1604). To some extent prayer books are also included for comparison. Three functions in the use of the Church Fathers appear: As honourable commentators to the Bible, as witnesses to right biblical interpretation and catholic doctrine - functions shared with Martin Luther and other reformators - and as historians aimed to show the opponents' references to tradition and historical circumstances as being false. Developements in the use of the Church Fathers can be observed depending on changing opponents and growing influence from Renaissance humanism. 20th century-terminology, derived from Otto Richl's Dogmengeschichte des Protestantismus (1908) is criticised. Instead it is argued that the study method and theological standing of the Church Fathers should be called protestant. The significance of Olaus Petri, as a symbol of the reformatory movement in Sweden, is pointed out as well as a hypothesis that the Church Fathers serve an indefeasable part in a complex separation from, and defense against, Roman Catholicism and Calvinism.


Image segmentation especially fuzzy based image segmentation techniques are widely used due to effective segmentation performance. For this reason, a huge number of algorithms are proposed in the literature. This paper presents a survey report of different types of classical fuzzy clustering techniques which available in the literature. Keyword: fuzzy clustering, image segmentation, fuzzy c-means, PCM.


The perfect introduction to contemporary Arab culture for those who want to understand today's headlines and the complex events playing out on the world stage. From the rise of fundamentalism to the historically uneasy relationship between the Arab World and the West, Margaret Nydell has expanded her highly respected book to bring today's complex issues into clearer focus. This fourth edition of "Understanding Arabs" introduces the elements of Arab culture and Islam in an evenhanded, unbiased style. The book covers such topics as beliefs and values; religion and society; the role of the family; friends and strangers; men and women; social formalities and etiquette; and communication styles.