The aim of the present study was to investigate whether placental and fetal membrane AdM (adrenomedullin) mRNA expression changes with gestation and human labour, as we have previously found labour-associated changes in AdM content in fetal membranes [Al-Ghafra, Gude, Brennecke and King (2003) Clin. Sci. 105, 419-423]. Placentas and fetal membranes were collected either at term or pre-term from women either in-labour or not-in-labour, and AdM mRNA abundance was measured in tissue extracts by Northern blot analysis. Increases were found in the relative abundance of amniotic tissue AdM mRNA in both in-labour and not-in-labour groups at term compared with those at pre-term, and there were positive correlations with gestational age. Relative abundance of choriodecidual tissue AdM mRNA was also significantly elevated in the not-in-labour groups between pre-term and term tissues, although there was no significant correlation with gestational age. However, placental AdM mRNA expression was neither significantly increased at term (compared with pre-term) nor correlated with gestational age. In addition, there were significant increases in AdM mRNA in amnion and choriodecidua in the in-labour group compared with the not-in-labour group for both pre-term and term gestations. There was no difference in AdM mRNA in placental tissues between labour groups. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that AdM production by fetal membranes is increased in amniotic and choriodecidual tissues at term, compared with pre-term, and in response to labour.


The 1,4-linked glucans such as xyloglucan and amylose are known to form a complex with iodine/iodide ions and to also be precipitated with CaCl2 in the presence of iodine. Here, we show that iodine gas could be specifically incorporated into xyloglucan. Furthermore, we show that [125I]I2 gas is, over time, incorporated at high levels into the entire outer surface of poplar seedlings but that spraying seedlings with abscisic acid to close stomata decreases the incorporation of the gas. There was less incorporation of the gas in a transgenic poplar overexpressing xyloglucanase at the early stages when compared with a wild type. This shows that xyloglucan serves as a key absorber of iodine gas into a plant body. After individual leaves of cultured seedlings were exposed to the gas for 30 min, no radioiodine was emitted from those leaves over the following two weeks, indicating that no turnover occurs in radioiodine once it is bound to the polysaccharides in plant tissues. We conclude that forest trees could serve as one of the largest enormous capture systems for the radioiodine fallout following the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima.


We report the results of a series of 37 recent fractures of the scaphoid treated by percutaneous screwing under X-ray control with systematic realization of a wrist arthroscopy. In 22 cases the factures were undisplaced and we had 15 displaced fractures. In all the cases the wrist arthroscopy allows to check the quality of the reduction, the good positioning of the screws and the correct reduction of fragments. Union was obtained in all cases with an average of 62 days (range 45-80). The functional recovery of the operated wrists was good with an early return to work on average 21 days (between 0 days and 3 months). The systematic association of wrist arthroscopy to the percutaneous screwing secures the procedure which can be proposed to motived patients interested by a fast return to the active life. The quality and the stability of the reduction are controlled and avoid complications due to bad positioning of the material. The possibility of treating in the same time the associated intra carpal ligaments tears lesions is possible.


Clusters of egg capsules deposited by some common marine Mollusca may suffer problems of a low diffusive oxygen supply to the embryos they contain, especially if the capsules are exposed to hypoxic seawater or attachment and growth of marine biofouling organisms. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of severe biofouling by sessile Protozoa on intracapsular oxygen tension (IPO 2 ) and the development of embryos contained in the egg capsules of the muricid snail Chorus giganteus. We also investigated the effects of ambient oxygen tension (EPO2) on IPO 2 . The presence of sessile Protozoa attached to the outer wall of the egg capsules significantly reduced the IPO 2 compared to capsules not fouled by Protozoa. Clean capsules containing embryos showed an IPO 2 of about 105 mm Hg, compared with about 92 mm Hg for protozoan-fouled capsules when both were immersed in air-saturated seawater at 12°C. The embryos in capsules without Protozoa grew normally, hatching in about 70 d as veliconch larvae, whereas the development of larvae in protozoan-fouled capsules showed impairment of shell formation and delay in hatching for up to 5 mo. Pre-hatch embryos at 60 d measured about 922 μm and had an ash content near 18 μg embryo -1 embryos in capsules covered by micro-organisms measured only about 783 pm, with an ash content of about 3 μg embryo -1 over the same time period. Our study suggested that the lack of larval calcification observed in the presence of sessile Protozoa on the outer wall of the egg capsules was probably related to reduced IPO 2 . Similarly, any factor reducing oxygen supply to encapsulated embryos (i.e. exposure to water masses with low oxygen content, biofouling, reduced water movement) could impair embryonic development, a significant phenomenon thus far not reported in C. giganteus.


Real-world applications of aerial robots must consider operational constraints such as fuel level during task planning. This paper presents an algorithm for automatically synthesising a continuous non-linear flight controller given a complex temporal logic task specification that can include contingency planning rules. Our method is a hybrid controller where fuel level is treated continuously in the low-level and symbolically in the high-level. The low-level controller assumes the availability of a set of point-estimates of wind velocity and builds a continuous interpolation using Gaussian process regression. Fuel burn and aircraft dynamics are modelled under physically realistic assumptions. Our algorithm is efficient and we show empirically that it is feasible for online execution and replanning. We present several extended simulation examples of navigation in a wind field and surveillance with fuel constraints, including two different implementations of the low-level controller and also an example where the wind field varies over time.


Effectiveness of the methods applied to control mastitis is low. Therefore, indices are sought which could improve cow immunity to udder pathogens. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the polymorphism of blood leukocyte acid phosphatase (AcP), BLV infection, the somatic cell counts and the milk composition in the first trimester of lactation. Studies were performed on a population of 65 Black-and-White cows, aged 3-6 years, from a leukemia-dominated herd. Enzootic bovine leukemia was diagnosed with ELISA and PCR tests. The following analyses were performed: the contents of total protein, lactose, dry matter, somatic cell count in milk as well as microbiological analyses. The obtained results indicate the occurrence of an association between a natural BLV-infection and mammary gland secretion disturbances in cows, whereas the relationship with the acid phosphatase polymorphism is not explicit. The obtained results encourage the continuation of studies into the role of blood leukocytes AcP in the pathogenesis of mastitis.


Introduction: Diaphyseal fractures of both radius and ulna are a common entity. The indirect forces which can lead to diaphyseal fracture of radius and ulna are also responsible for injuring distal radio-ulnar joint (DRUJ). However, simultaneous occurrence of fractures of both forearm bones, along with DRUJ disruption, is an uncommon entity.
Case report: We came across a patient, who sustained fractures of both forearm bones with DRUJ dislocation. He was treated with open reduction and internal fixation of both the forearm fractures. His DRUJ reduced spontaneously after anatomical reduction of both fractures and was found to be stable on intra-operative assessment. He was immobilized in long arm splint for healing of DRUJ for 4 weeks. The fracture healed and the patient attained full range of motion at 12 weeks follow up.
Conclusion: Distal and proximal joints should be thoroughly examined in all the forearm fractures. Anatomical reduction of forearm bones is essential to obtain congruent DRUJ. Any instability of DRUJ should be assessed intra-operatively and dealt with accordingly for favorable functional outcome.


Abstract Migratory birds are often faithful to wintering (nonbreeding) sites, and also migration timing is usually remarkably consistent, that is, highly repeatable. Spatiotemporal repeatability can be of advantage for multiple reasons, including familiarity with local resources and predators as well as avoiding the costs of finding a new place, for example, nesting grounds. However, when the environment is variable in space and time, variable site selection and timing might be more rewarding. To date, studies on spatial and temporal repeatability in short‐lived long‐distance migrants are scarce, most notably of first‐time and subsequent migrations. Here, we investigated repeatability in autumn migration directions, wintering sites, and annual migration timing in Hoopoes (Upupa epops), a long‐distance migrant, using repeated tracks of adult and first‐time migrants. Even though autumn migration directions were mostly the same, individual wintering sites often changed from year to year with distances between wintering sites exceeding 1,000 km. The timing of migration was repeatable within an individual during autumn, but not during spring migration. We suggest that Hoopoes respond to variable environmental conditions such as north–south shifts in rainfall during winter and differing onset of the food availability during spring migration.


We study the challenging problem of strategic content placement in a dynamic MANET. Existing content placement techniques cannot cope with such network dynamics since they are designed for fixed networks. Opportunistic caching approaches are insufficient as they do not actively manage contents for certain goals. In this paper, we present a novel content management approach called LACMA, which leverages the location information available to mobile devices via GPS. The main idea of LACMA is to bind data to geographic location (as opposed to network nodes). This location-based strategy decouples the content placement problem from the changing network topology, and allows us to design an optimization framework even in a dynamic MANET environment. We present key components of LACMA used for strategic content placement and content-location binding (through proactive content push). We evaluate LACMA and compare its performance with existing caching schemes and show that LACMA considerably outperforms existing schemes over a wide range of scenarios.


[1] The period September–November 2007 was characterized at Mount Etna by explosive activity and intense degassing. During this time interval, infrasonic signals were recorded by an infrasonic network. By a triggering procedure, about 1000 infrasonic events were found, characterized by very high signal-to-noise ratio and grouped into nine families. Successively, the spectral analysis allowed subdividing these nine families into three clusters based on the peak frequency and the quality factor of the events. Finally, by the location analysis a cluster (cluster 1) was related to the degassing activity of the northeast crater (NEC), while the other two (clusters 2 and 3) to the explosive activity of the southeast crater (SEC). The comparison between the stacked infrasonic waveforms, interpreted as generated by the vibration of large gas bubbles, and the synthetic ones, permitted to calculate radius, length of the bubble, and initial overpressure, by a genetic algorithm method. The higher overpressure values of cluster 3 compared to the cluster 2 values were in good agreement with the stronger intensity of the explosions accompanying the infrasonic events of cluster 3. The variation of both intensities and waveforms is tentatively attributed to the occasional accumulation of lithic clasts (due to moderate landslides?) on the explosive vent. Indeed, events belonging to cluster 3 were no longer observed once the landslides had ended. Finally, the daily emitted gas volume, related to the active degassing, was estimated for NEC and SEC by using the infrasonic data during the studied period.


Since 2000, when "To Err Is Human" stimulated action to eliminate errors and mitigate the resultant harm in the United States1 and "An Organisation with a Memory" initiated similar efforts in the United Kingdom,2 healthcare systems worldwide have devoted considerable attention to the safety of patients. Yet despite attempts to reduce adverse events through multilevel interventions and information technology, widespread change in the culture of health care remains elusive.

The numbers of affected patients are astounding. In the United Kingdom, adverse events with resultant harm were estimated to occur in some 10% of hospital admissions, equating to more than 850 000 events annually. In the United States, extrapolations based on medical record reviews imply that 44 000-98 000 lives were lost because of medical errors each year. Although some posit that these numbers were inflated, ongoing work indicates that these estimates may be conservative. For example, Davis et al found that 12.9% of hospital admissions in New Zealand were associated with an adverse event.3 Zhan and Miller examined the incidence of 18 hospital based diagnoses suggestive of errors and found that injuries may add 2.4 million extra days in hospital and more than 32 000 deaths per year in the United States.4

Numerous systems for error identification have been developed, the most promising of which combines analysis of automated data, medical record review, and active event reporting.5 The Australian Patient Safety Foundation and the United Kingdom's National Patient Safety Agency have implemented systems for event surveillance. In the United States, legislation is pending that would facilitate sharing reports and analysing errors without fear of increased litigation. This legislation would complement the actions taken by states. Currently, 21 states have mandatory reporting systems; but under-reporting remains a serious challenge.6

Although implementation of reporting systems will shed additional light on threats to safety, unresolved dilemmas remain regarding the appropriate balance between breadth and depth of reports, confidentiality, and the public's right to know, and whether to focus on actionable processes (that is, medical errors) or harms irrespective of antecedents.7 The overarching challenge, ripe for transnational collaboration, is identifying the most effective strategies for translating information on errors and near misses into safety for patients.

Numerous resources can help organisations in implementing evidence based safety interventions. The United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality produced an evidence report that reviewed 79 patient safety practices, as well as the first online journal on patients' safety, WebM&M (www.webmm.ahrq.gov). The journal highlights five cases of errors or near misses each month, along with the strategies deployed to prevent recurrence and commentary from national experts.8 Some successful practices in reducing errors have been highlighted by the John M Eisenberg patient safety award of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations. The National Patient Safety Agency has produced a toolkit that includes learning modules to help in analysing root causes.9

The implementation of information technology also offers great promise. Recently, the Institute of Medicine called for the continued development of a national health information infrastructure, providing real time access to complete information on patients and decision support.10 In 2004 the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality plans on spending nearly $60m to support research and implementation of information technology that improves patient safety. Moreover, the United States Department of Health and Human Services and other purchasers are collaborating to identify incentives to accelerate the use of health information technology. These efforts, coupled with the transformation of the NHS through implementation of a national information technology infrastructure, will accelerate the impact on safety.

Despite these steps, we have not seen substantial progress in one critical area—culture—that has the greatest potential to produce sustainable improvements in safety. Both the National Patient Safety Agency and the National Quality Forum, a US public and private consensus development organisation, list a safety culture among its priorities for a safer healthcare system. Culture encompasses commitment to open communication about errors to encourage reporting and analysis. Prerequisite to such openness is the recognition that errors usually result from an imperfect system and that dealing with them through individual blame only discourages reporting. Ensuring openness also entails alignment between the legal and medical staffs; but the medical profession has not embraced the concept that medical error is a systems issue. One study found that 55% of doctors and the public blamed individual health professionals for serious medical errors.11 Similarly, open communication around errors is still not the norm. Liam Donaldson, England's chief medical officer, recently termed the safety culture "weak."12 Although the concept of culture may be somewhat nebulous, methods exist to assess where an organisation stands.

From the first day of medical school, we are taught: Primum non nocere—above all, do no harm. In recent years, healthcare professionals have awoken to the harm our patients are experiencing despite our best intentions. Through the work of many worldwide, our understanding of the epidemic has increased tremendously and is beginning to pay dividends. More substantial and sustainable improvements, however, will occur only when healthcare organisations truly commit to safety through open communication that does not blame individuals but identifies and addresses flaws in systems.


The D33 small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument at the Institut Laue–Langevin (ILL) is the most recent SANS instrument to be built at the ILL. In a project beginning in 2005 and lasting seven years, the concept has been developed, and the instrument designed, manufactured and installed. D33 was commissioned with neutrons during the second half of 2012, fully entering the ILL user programme in 2013. The scientific case required that D33 should provide a wide dynamic range of measured scattering vector magnitude q, flexibility with regard to the instrument resolution, and the provision of polarized neutrons and 3He spin analysis to facilitate and expand studies in magnetism. In monochromatic mode, a velocity selector and a flexible system of inter-collimation apertures define the neutron beam. A double-chopper system enables a time-of-flight (TOF) mode of operation, allowing an enhanced dynamic q range (qmax/qmin) and a flexible wavelength resolution. Two large multitube detectors extend the dynamic q range further, giving qmax/qmin ≃ 25 in monochromatic mode and a very large qmax/qmin > 1000 in TOF mode. The sample zone is large and flexible in configuration, accommodating complex and bulky sample environments, while the position of D33 is such as to allow high magnetic fields at the sample position. The instrument is of general purpose with a performance rivalling that of D22, and is well adapted for SANS studies in scientific disciplines as diverse as solution scattering in biology and soft matter and studies of physics, materials science and magnetism. This article provides a detailed technical description of D33 and its performance and characterization of the individual components, and serves as a technical reference for users of the instrument.


The increase in the number of companies seeking knowledge management (KM) solutions, in order to gain significant business advantages, has created the need for a decision-aid approach in choosing appropriate KM tools. The objective of this paper is then to aid decision makers to identify the most appropriate KM tool to improve the effectiveness of their organization. To achieve this, several evaluation criteria have been identified and existing leading KM tools have been investigated. In order to rate competing systems of different vendors, we use a decision framework based on the Choquet integral aggregation, that takes into account interaction among evaluation criteria, which is generally less involved issue in other multicriteria decision making methods. Finally, a case study is given to demonstrate the potential of the methodology.


We studied the phylogenetic relationships of four duck genera endemic to South America: Brazilian teal Amazonetta brasiliensis, spectacled duck Speculanas specularis, crested duck Lophonetta specularioides, and four species of steamer ducks Tachyerespatachonicus, T. leucocephalus, T. pteneres, T. brachypterus. Genetic divergence within and among species was compared using population-level sampling of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, supplemented with three additional mtDNA genes and six independent nuclear loci from one individual of each species and a variety of outgroup taxa. The monophyly of these four morphologically divergent South American genera was strongly supported. Within this clade, Amazonetta and Speculanas were supported as sister species in all analyses, but different gene regions yielded conflicting or ambiguous results for Lophonetta and Tachyeres. This lack of resolution resulted from little informative variation in nuclear loci and high levels of homoplasy in the mtDNA control region. Control region sequences from the four Tachyeres species fell into two distinct clades. In one clade, T. patachonicus and T. leucocephalus share a set of closely related haplotypes (≤0.6% sequence divergence); while no identical haplotypes were shared between species, the control region phylogeny was insufficiently resolved to either support or reject reciprocal monophyly. The second clade, ~1.7% divergent from the first, comprised haplotypes of the Falkland Islands species T. brachypterus and a captive individual of T. pteneres. These distinctive South American ducks likely experienced two bouts of rapid diversification, thus making analysis of their phylogenetic relationships difficult. Incomplete lineage sorting, founder effects, and perhaps introgression likely have contributed to obscuring the relationships among steamer ducks.


In this paper, a new active snubber cell is proposed to contrive a new family of pulse width modulated (PWM) converters. This snubber cell provides zero voltage transition (ZVT) turn on and zero current transition (ZCT) turn off together for the main switch of a converter. Also, the snubber cell is implemented by using only one quasi resonant circuit without an important increase in the cost and complexity of the converter. New ZVT-ZCT-PWM converter equipped with the proposed snubber cell provides most the desirable features of both ZVT and ZCT converters presented previously, and overcomes most the drawbacks of these converters. Subsequently, the new converter can operate with soft switching successfully at very wide line and load ranges and at considerably high frequencies. Moreover, all semiconductor devices operate under soft switching, the main devices do not have any additional voltage and current stresses, and the stresses on the auxiliary devices are at low levels. Also, the new converter has a simple structure, low cost and ease of control. In this study, a detailed steady state analysis of the new converter is presented, and this theoretical analysis is verified exactly by a prototype of a 1-kW and 100-kHz boost converter.


Objective— MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases), especially p38, play detrimental roles in cardiac diseases and cardiac remodeling post-myocardial infarction. However, the activation and function of MAPKs in coronary thrombosis in vivo and its relationship with clinical outcomes remain poorly understood. Approach and Results— Here, we showed that p38&agr; was the major isoform expressed in human and mouse platelets. Platelet-specific p38&agr;-deficient mice presented impaired thrombosis and hemostasis but had improved cardiac function, reduced infarct size, decreased inflammatory response, and microthrombus in a left anterior descending artery ligation model. Signaling analysis revealed that p38 activation was one of the earliest events in platelets after treatment with receptor agonists or reactive oxygen species. p38&agr;/MAPK-activated protein kinase 2/heat shock protein 27 and p38&agr;/cytosolic phospholipases A2 were the major pathways regulating receptor-mediated or hydrogen peroxide-induced platelet activation in an ischemic environment. Moreover, the distinct roles of ERK1/2 (extracellular signal–regulated kinase) in receptor- or reactive oxygen species-induced p38-mediated platelet activation reflected the complicated synergistic relationships among MAPKs. Analysis of clinical samples revealed that MAPKs were highly phosphorylated in platelets from preoperative patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, and increased phosphorylation of p38 was associated with no-reflow outcomes. Conclusions— We conclude that p38&agr; serves as a critical regulator of platelet activation and potential indicator of highly thrombotic lesions and no-reflow, and inhibition of platelet p38&agr; may improve clinical outcomes in subjects with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction.


Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) of children and young adults are sometimes termed as severe chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV), and are associated with an aggressive clinical course. However, these clinicopathological states and the role of EBV have not been clarified. A retrospective study was performed on 43 children and adult patients, who manifested EBV-associated T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (EBV-T/NK-LPD) and most of whom had experienced general illness with CAEBV for several months or years. Clinicopathologically, 43 patients were classified into four groups: group A (smoldering state) (n=7), morphological non-neoplastic LPD with chronic clinical course (several years); group B (chronic state) (n=10), non-neoplastic LPD with clonal EBV-infected cells and a chronic course; group C (leukemia/lymphoma state) (n=22), neoplastic LPD with a subacute course (years to months); group D (fulminant state) (n=4), neoplastic LPD with a fulminant course (weeks to days). The 43 patients comprised 21 males and 22 females. The median age of group A was 14 years, group B 12 years, group C 17 years, and group D 1 year. Four of 7 patients in group A, 3 of 10 in group B, 12 of 22 in group C, and all 4 in group D have died. Causes of death included hemophagocytic syndrome and/or tumor death. Genotypically and phenotypically, group C was composed of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), and NK-cell leukemia/lymphoma (NKLL), and group D comprised cases of PTCL. Groups A and B exhibited increased NK- or T-cells (CD8>CD4), and rare B-cells. Serologic titers of EBV were only modestly elevated or not elevated in almost all cases. EBV early RNA-1 (EBER-1)-expressing EBV-infected cells were frequently encountered in each group, but the number of infected cells varied between the cases. The EBV genotype did not differ between the groups. Our findings support an important pathogenic role for EBV-infected T/NK-cell infection, rather than the EBV state, in CAEBV and consequent EBV-associated NK/T-neoplasia.


Background Randomised control trials (RCTs) show good overall survival (OS) for advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients is much dependent on subsequent-line of treatment upon disease progression on first-line treatment. However, not many studies look into such outcome in real-world setting. Aims To determine the impact of second-line treatment on OS for advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients who failed first-line epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) or chemotherapy in the real world-setting. Methods A retrospective analysis of advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients who developed disease progression on first-line EGFR-TKI or chemotherapy treatmentat the University of Malaya Medical Centre from 1 st August 2010 to 31 th July 2014. Results Of 78 patients with EGFR mutant tumours and failed first-line EGFR-TKI, 23 patients (29.5%) received second-line chemotherapy while remaining 56 patients (70.5%) had best supportive care (BSC). Subgroup analysis showed that patients who received second-line chemotherapy had numerically better median OS (12.60 months) than those received BSC (9.03 months) (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.24-1.21; p=0.134). Of 79 patients with EGFR wild-type tumours and failed first-line chemotherapy, 36 patients (45.6%) received second-line chemotherapy and 43 patients (54.4%) had BSC - the median OS for the former was 11.50 months and the latter was 5.47 months (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.34-0.98; p=0.043). Conclusions In the real-world setting, second-line active treatment significantly prolonged the OS. The OS in this study was shorter than that in RCTS due to presence of co-morbidities, poorer ECOG performance at diagnosis and lower rate of second-line treatment.


"With the birth of information theory and cybernetics in the late 1940s and early 1950s," writes John Johnston, "a decisive step was taken toward the immense techno-scientific transformation of the world into coded bits of 'information' and machinic assemblages." Beginning with Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, the novels that have reflected this transformation have similarly assembled disparate bits of information and narrative into fictions saturated with data and transcribed "clips" from media such as motion pictures, television, recordings, and computer files. Realism having thus fractilized into high-speed collage, thought itself is redefined from the High Modernist "stream of consciousness" into what the machine psychologist Daniel Dennett refers to as "multiple drafts" or "circuits" operating concurrently in the human brain. In a series of close readings, Johnston traces how this viral influx of information into human consciousness has been replicated in works by Thomas Pynchon ( Gravity's Rainbow and Vineland), Joseph McElroy ( Lookout Cartridge), William Gaddis ( J.R.), Don DeLillo ( Libra), and William Gibson ( Necromancer). From John Johnston's Introduction: "Information multiplicities are profoundly corrosive of older cultural forms and identities, dissolving both subjects and objects alike into systems, processes and nodes in the circuits and flow of information exchange. But they also bring about new kinds of energy and even strange new forms of 'artificial life.'...Contemporary culture-or more specifically what is called postmordern techno- or cyberculture-is a restructuring process that can similarly be described: as an artifactual space created when information re-structures modern or traditional culture in order to make it a better habitat for information."


Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a powerful greenhouse gas and a key catalyst of stratospheric ozone depletion. Yet, little data exist about the sink and source terms of the production and reduction of N2O outside the well-known oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). Here we show the presence of functional marker genes for the reduction of N2O in the last step of the denitrification process (nitrous oxide reductase genes; nosZ) in oxygenated surface waters (180–250 O2 μmol.kg-1) in the south-eastern Indian Ocean. Overall copy numbers indicated that nosZ genes represented a significant proportion of the microbial community, which is unexpected in these oxygenated waters. Our data show strong temperature sensitivity for nosZ genes and reaction rates along a vast latitudinal gradient (32°S-12°S). These data suggest a large N2O sink in the warmer Tropical waters of the south-eastern Indian Ocean. Clone sequencing from PCR products revealed that most denitrification genes belonged to Rhodobacteraceae. Our work highlights the need to investigate the feedback and tight linkages between nitrification and denitrification (both sources of N2O, but the latter also a source of bioavailable N losses) in the understudied yet strategic Indian Ocean and other oligotrophic systems.


BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was firstly to evaluate functional recovery following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture from acute injury over the course of rehabilitation. Insights from this analysis were then used to integrate movement feedback into rehabilitation to investigate if this resulted in improved functional outcome and participation level following this injury. METHOD: In the initial modelling phase a prospective repeated measures longitudinal design was used to measure functional recovery from acute injury over time of 63 ACL patients and 61 matched controls, using a two dimensional (2D) video based analysis system. Time-distance variables and joint angles for gait, jog, distance hop and run and stop were analysed monthly. A least squares 3rd order polynomial was used to model the functional recovery of ACLD (anterior cruciate ligament deficient) individuals and functional sub-groups. A second exploratory study using a prospective cohort design compared recovery between 115 ACLD individuals randomized into movement feedback (FB) and no feedback (no-FB) rehabilitation. The feedback criterion was based on the movement data from the longitudinal analysis of functional recovery. Independent t-tests were used to evaluate group differences at 5 months post injury. Semi structured interviews evaluated the physiotherapists usage of the feedback and rehabilitation given to the ACLD patients. RESULTS: Functional recovery was found on average to take 3 months for gait and 5 months for hopping. ACLD non-copers were distinguishable at 40 days post injury due to failure of gait variables to recover to within 'normal limits'. In study two 52 ACLD subjects were followed up at 5 months post injury. No statistically significant differences in functional performance between the FB and no-FB groups were found (p<0.05), for any of the movement variables for gait, one legged squat, distance hop or run and stop. Physiotherapists treating the FB group reported difficulties interpreting the movement feedback, incorporating it into rehabilitation due to its timing and identified a perceived learning effect on treatment. DISCUSSION: Functional recovery was successfully modelled and shown to take longer than expected. This has implications for advising patients on recovery times and length of time for attendance at rehabilitation. Further clarification is required but failure of simple gait variables to recover by 40 days post injury could direct ACLD management. If the potential for recovery can be identified early then the appropriate treatment can be given. Incorporating this type of movement feedback into rehabilitation did not result in improved functional outcome or level of participation. Factors related to its application and insufficient patient numbers at follow-up may have weakened the experimental treatment effect and the power of the study. The modelling and exploratory phases of this investigation need to be revisited to identify the most relevant variables for feedback, refine functional cut-off scores, develop methods that allow feedback to be delivered immediately and more focused training for physiotherapists before progress to a randomized control trial can be considered. This study demonstrated that the clinically based video analysis system provided detailed insight at all stages of rehabilitation on the speed, timing and completeness of recovery for functional tasks that are directly relevant to the rehabilitation goals.


A phenomenon emanating from surface and ground water before dawn was investigated in Italy and Canada. During this phenomenon, rooms adjacent to water sources were filled with pulsed clouds of green particles which were identified as ground energy by persons sensitive to qi phenomena. Individual pulses lasted approximately 30 minutes and were repeated several times nightly. Their relative timing appeared to be part of a 24-hr cycle of sky and ground energies which was consistent between nights, and particularly strong in spring and early summer. We hypothesize that sky energy impacts Earth as radiation from the centre of the Milky Way, and is either converted into ground energy, or displaces ground energy from subsurface geoflora above the surface of the ground. One strong nightly pulse of tinnitus was provisionally identified with a cosmic source, due to its occurrence 4 minutes earlier on successive nights.


A model predictive current control scheme with dc-link capacitor voltages fluctuation suppression for the four-switch three-phase rectifier (FSTPR) in balanced grids is presented. The proposed control scheme is a type of the finite-control-set model predictive control scheme and is based on the discrete-time model of the system. From this model, the values of input currents and dc-link capacitor voltages are predicted for all switching states of the FSTPR. On the basis of a predefined cost function, the switching state, which minimises the errors between input currents and their references as well as the difference between two dc-link capacitor voltages at the next sampling instant, is selected. Simulation results are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.


Objective: Korean American (KA) immigrant women underutilize breast cancer screening. This study examined factors predicting breast cancer screening behavior among KA women in the United States. Methods: 233 KA women aged 19 to 85 were recruited in the metro area of Atlanta, Georgia. Andersen's behavioral model theoretically guided the study. Result: Of the predisposing factors, age (OR=1.043, p<.01, 95% CI [1.017, 1.069]) and marital status (OR=2.154, p<.05, 95% CI [1.022, 4.539]) were significantly associated with clinical breast exam (CBE), while income (OR=2.289, p<.05, 95% CI [1.060, 4.945]) and annual checkup (OR=2.725, p<.01, 95% CI [1.342, 5.533]) were linked to CBE as enabling factors. For the receipt of mammographic screening, annual checkup was only significantly associated among enabling factors (OR=4.509, p<.05, 95% CI [1.263, 16.102]), while family cancer history was identified as the only significant need factor (OR=.112, p<.01, 95% CI [.023, .552]). Conclusion: Differing factors explained the receipt of CBEs and mammographic use among KA women. Specifically, the findings shed light on the importance of having an annual checkup for the uptake of both CBEs and mammographic use. Intervention strategies should focus on promoting health accessibility for KA women to adhere to recommended breast cancer screening.


standing of varied aspects of many different sorts of Edwardian theatrical activity and performance. That said, a number of the essays reflect a growing interest in gender issues in this area: thus, there are essays on 'the girl' in musical comedy; on gender play and role reversal in the music hall; on the disadvantage women experienced in theatrical management; on suffragist theatre critics; and on Rebecca West's theatre criticism. There is also a revaluation of the dominant view of variety theatre during the Edwardian period, while other essays examine the audience for the 'New Drama', the development of Edwardian dramatic criticism, East End theatres, and stage and film versions of The Whip. This is an excellent volume whose contents, methodologies, and questioning of conventional definitions mark a major and very welcome contribution to scholarship on the Edwardian stage.


The article mainly researches path planning and task allocation problems of multiple mobile robots using A* searching algorithm and greedy algorithm, and solve the shortest path problems such that the robots can move from the start point to reach the multiple target points in a collision-free space, and uses 2-opt exchange heuristic algorithm to improve the shortest path. In this manner, the mobile moves to the final target point through the other points, and construct the motion path using A* searching algorithm and greedy algorithm. The supervised computer control the mobile robot feedback to the start point from the final target point through the other points, and programs a shortest path using 2-opt exchange heuristic algorithm. We develop the user interface to program the motion path of mobile robots via wireless RF interface. It can displays the motion path of the mobile robot on real-time. The simulated results presents that the proposed method can finds the shortest motion path for mobile robots moving to multiple target points from the start point in a collision-free space. Finally, we implement the experiment scenario on the grid platform using the module-based mobile robot.


One of the most prominent comparative international tests in recent years is conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is used to assess students' knowledge of reading comprehension, mathematics, and science. PISA is most known for its goal to compare nations according to a league table ranking system. Israel has taken part in these assessments from its conception and since then it has been gradually decreasing in the world ranking. By 2015 the Israeli students are located between 37-40 out of 70 countries, down from 31-33 in 2000. Using Israel's data throughout the PISA cycles, we aim to offer an alternative comparative view for these international results, based on measures of self-change. These measures show a consistent and significant system-wide improvement of the Israeli educational performance in all three PISA tests since 2000. Not only does this contrast with its downward trend in the international ranking which is biased due to inclusion of more countries, the rate of change was consistently positive over time and surpassing that of its European and American counterparts. Indeed, these measures of change show a general growth of about 23 points over 15 years, which reflects a consistent improvement of 6 to 9 points in average per cycle since 2000 results. In light of these findings, the paper discusses the significance of measurements of change in comparative international tests.


Most current linkage analyses make use of highly polymorphic DNA markers. Assigning correct allele frequencies for these markers may be extremely difficult in particular study populations. Designation of erroneous frequencies may result in false-positive evidence for linkage, as well as in failure to correctly exclude linkage. These effects are most pronounced in small pedigrees with key individuals unavailable for typing. The power to correctly detect true linkage does not appear to be greatly affected by inaccurate allele frequencies. Before linkage analyses are performed for specific pedigrees, it is recommended that simulation analyses be performed, followed by uncertainty and sensitivity analyses.


: These reports indicate that we have just begun to tap the potential uses of IGIV in the prevention and therapy of pediatric disease. The ability to give large amounts of immunoglobulin intravenously repeatedly and in a safe fashion allows us to achieve and maintain very high levels of antibody. These high antibody levels can prevent infection in high risk individuals (e.g. the premature, the immunocompromised, the exposed susceptible), can treat a number of bacterial and viral infections heretofore considered refractory to antibody therapy and can achieve immunomodulating effects not necessarily related to specific antibody titers; these effects can be used therapeutically in disorders associated with aberrant immune responses (Kawasaki disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, etc). We are particularly grateful to all of the participants who traveled so far to participate in this conference; to Sandoz Laboratories, who sponsored and arranged the symposium; and to the weather person, who brought us a spectacular view of the Jungfrau.


Despite the central role of proofs in mathematics, research often shows that school textbooks offer limited support for the teaching and learning of proof-related reasoning. This study contributes to this field of research by studying Swedish and Finnish upper secondary textbooks on logarithms and combinatorics. Justifications in expository sections are analysed and students' tasks are categorized according to the type and nature of reasoning they require. The findings imply that opportunities to learn proof-related reasoning are few, and are more oriented towards deductive reasoning in Finnish textbooks and towards empirical reasoning and conjecturing in Swedish textbooks. The results are discussed in relation to similar studies from both Scandinavian and United States contexts, and address future research and development of the theoretical framing of proof-related reasoning.


Households can experience the same wildfire event differently depending on the kinds of risks posed to them, among other factors. These experiences can influence support or opposition for local forest management. We administered a mixed-mode survey to households across three distinct groups with different sources of risk associated with the 2019 Museum Fire in Flagstaff, Arizona: houses in the wildfire evacuation areas, houses in the postfire flood-risk area, and unaffected houses within the city limits. Survey responses from 787 respondents confirmed that households experienced the Museum Fire and its associated risks differently and revealed continued support for active forest management in the Flagstaff area. Experiences, trustworthiness of information, and support for specific forest management outcomes varied across our sample populations, indicating that tailored communication may be needed for households who experience different risk associated with the same event. We conclude with considerations for communicating with the public in postfire environments.

 There are significant differences in perspectives and attitudes between directly and indirectly affected households that experienced the same wildfire, including varied trust in information sources and engagement in communication about wildfire and flood risk. Therefore, more targeted communication about wildfire and postfire risk and forest management that tailors outreach based on different household experiences is needed. Future efforts to investigate populations affected by wildfire should account for potentially diverse household experiences and consider how that may affect communication about forest management during windows of opportunity after wildfire events. Differentiating approaches to risk communication is particularly important during compound disasters (e.g., a flood that occurs within a wildfire-affected area) to ensure information is shared by the right outlet for a given population as risk sources begin to layer temporally.


LaB6 powder was produced by volume combustion synthesis (VCS) and mechanochemical synthesis (MCS) methods, through magnesiothermic reduction of La2O3 and B2O3 powders. VCS was achieved by rapid heating of the reactant mixture in argon, whereas MCS was performed via high energy ball milling. All the products were subjected to XRD, SEM, gravimetric and particle size distribution analyses. MCS resulted in the expected products LaB6 and MgO. In addition to these, VCS products contained LaBO3 and Mg3B2O6. In order to obtain pure LaB6, 30 min leach in 1 M HCl was found to be enough for MCS products, whereas Mg3B2O6 could not be removed from the VCS products even after 15 h leach. Wet milling of VCS products before leach facilitated obtaining of pure LaB6. Average particle sizes of the LaB6 powder produced by VCS and MCS were 290 and 180 nm, respectively.


The analysis of natural language in the context of keyboard-driven dialogue systems is the central issue addressed in this paper. A module that corrects typing errors, performs domain-specific morphological analysis is developed. A parser for typed unification grammars is designed and implemented in C++; for description of the lexicon and the grammer a specialised specification language is developed. It is argued that typed unification grammars and especially the newly developed specification language are convenient formalisms for describing natural language use in dialogue systems. Research on these issues is carried out in the context of the SCHISMA project, a research project in linguistic engineering; participants in SCHISMA are KPN Research and the University of Twente.


Arrester is a device used to protect equipment and electrical systems against overvoltage that one reason is the surge of lightning. Because lightning is a natural phenomenon that the process can not be predicted about time and magnitude of the impulse currents, and if arrester hit by lightning impulse with high peak current value and than arrester is feared can not operate as it should. This research use three impulse current peak value there are 533.33A (0.03 pu), 3866.6A (0.3 pu) and 6858.7A (0.5 pu) tested at low voltage arresters. The test results shown the highest value of leakage current arrester at a maximum voltage of operation (Uc) after buffeted by the current impulse has a value of leakage current 0,32 mA, 0,33 mA and 0,33 mA respectively, still below 1 mA (corresponding international standard IEC 61643-1 Edition 2.0 03/2005). Based on the value of leakage current, it can be said that the arresters in good condition and have not changed the characteristics of volt-ampere (current leaking still relatively the same) and still have good insulating properties even after the current impulse overwritten. The highest value of residual voltage arresters at the peak impulse voltage 10 kV, 15 kV, 20 kV and 24 kV, is 1124 Volt meaning that the margin has exceeded the limit of endurance voltage VW1 class (1000 Volts) amounted to 112.4%, and not exceed the VW2 (2000 Volt) amounted to 43.5%, according to ISO standard 04-7021.21-2004, arresters can be used to protect the electrical equipment with voltage endurance on VW2 class.


Every day, new technologies are developed to combine the facilities arranged for shared memory systems with the facilities that provide distributed memory systems. This paper proposes a hybrid system that enables communication between threads running in a shared memory environment and a cluster of computers. To do this we use specific directives provided by MPI to solve a problem of similarity search on metric spaces .This work is part of a larger project that deals with improving query searches over high dimensional spaces, managing large volumes of data, reducing the number of distance evaluations and query response times. While the proposal of this work may be generalized and used for other problems, the results show that the proposed hybrid algorithm allows a significant improvement. This work is part of a larger project that deals with improving the execution of parallel algo- rithms using a hybrid architecture. The goal is to take advantage of the features and facilities provided by the new parallel architectures that combine distributed and shared memory sys- tems. The former allows to solve large scale problems while the second allows better use of resources.


Abstract This article explores theoretical and popular views on the acute social withdrawal syndrome in Japan, known as hikikomori. Most sociologists contextualize hikikomori within the economic downturn of Japan and the subsequent economic pressure on individuals, also reflected in the growing number of furītā and NEET. Psychologically, hikikomori is a radical version of the otaku, the Internet and computer addict, who can communicate only within his virtual peer group. However, both sociological theories and popular narratives have recently observed a growing acceptance and even an improvement of the image of these psycho-social patterns. While the story of the charming otaku called Densha otoko ('train man') has been adapted into all visual media, some hikikomori, too, have been promoted to manga heroes, e.g., in Takimoto Tatsuhiko's Welcome to the NHK and Oku Hiroya's Mēteru no kimochi. Sociologist Ishikawa Ryōko reads hikikomori in her recent field study as a rather positive, though long-term process of self-confirmation. This change in the image of otaku and hikikomori therefore reflects a subliminal revolution of traditional and outdated Japanese concepts of obligation, work, and masculinity.


Real estate is an intensive business that largely depends on information. Information technology has become a major form of communication in the real estate industry, a tool for marketing and information dispersion. As a result, diverse factors influence the use of information and communication technology (ICT). This study is aimed at investigating the factors influencing the use of ICTs in Nigerian real estate practices. Lagos state, the area of study, was delineated according to a central business district locational pattern to ascertain where the firms of real estate were grouped. Out of the 172 questionnaires that were conveniently administered to real estate firms within the study location, only 143 (83.14%) were retrieved and considered valid for the analysis. The collected data was then analysed using a factor analytical test. Findings revealed that technological infrastructure, service delivery efficiency enhancement, and productivity branding influenced the deployment of ICTs in Lagos' real estate industry. It was recommended that practitioners and real estate firms need to adopt emerging concepts and technological advancement in their quest for survival both locally and internationally. This will enhance their competitiveness and ensure that better value is provided.


The paper deals with two recently developed, high-precision nuclear measurement systems installed at the VVER-440 units of the Hungarian Paks NPP. Both developments were motivated by the reactor power increase to 108%, and by the planned plant service time extension. The first part describes the RMR start-up reactivity measurement system with advanced services. High-precision picoampere meters were installed at each reactor unit and measured ionization chamber current signals are handled by a portable computer providing data acquisition and online reactivity calculation service. Detailed offline evaluation and analysis of reactor start-up measurements can be performed on the portable unit, too. The second part of the paper describes a new reactor noise diagnostics system using state-of-the-art data acquisition hardware and signal processing methods. Details of the new reactor noise measurement evaluation software are also outlined. Noise diagnostics at Paks NPP is a standard tool for core anomaly detection and for long-term noise trend monitoring. Regular application of these systems is illustrated by real plant data, e.g., results of standard reactivity measurements during a reactor startup session are given. Noise applications are also illustrated by real plant measurements; results of core anomaly detection are presented.


Fusion genes play important roles in tumorigenesis. The identification of the high-frequency TMPRSS2 fusion with ERG and other ETS family genes in prostate cancer highlights the importance of fusion genes in solid tumor development and progression. However, the mechanisms leading to these fusions are unclear. We investigated whether androgen, through stimulating its receptor, could promote spatial genome reorganization and contribute to the generation of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion. We show that treatment with androgen can induce the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion in both malignant and nonmalignant prostate epithelial cells. Although the fusion could be detected in malignant cells following 24-hour treatment, prolonged exposure to androgen was required to detect the fusion transcript in nonmalignant cells. We associated the fusion incidence with genetic factors, including androgen-induced gene proximity, androgen receptor exon1 CAG repeat length and expression of the PIWIL1 gene. This study demonstrates that fusions can be induced prior to malignant transformation and generation of the fusion is associated with both gene proximity and loss of the ability to prevent double-strand breaks. Cancer Res; 70(23); 1–5. 2010 AACR.


Reel Arguments collects an integrated series of essays addressing the role of film as social criticism. By looking at films and the creators of such films as Alice in the Cities, Enemy of the State, The Conversation, Falling Down, City of Hope, and Matewan, Light persuasively argues that film can be both highly philosophical and influential on public debates over issues of moral, political and social importance. Light brings new insights into the readings of these films covering a range of issues: identity politics, urban landscapes, the politics of space, and the unexpected ethical dimensions of technology.


A suitable selection of a filler material enhances the mechanical and tribological characteristics of brake friction material. There are various types of fillers like organic, inorganic, metallic and natural fibres. Among these various types, metallic fillers are very important as they consist of different functional characteristics of brake friction material. Hence in this work, four friction composites are shown with identical parent composition (65 wt%) and varying steel powder from 0 wt% to 12 wt%, and barite from 35 wt% to 23 wt%, respectively in each composition, i.e., S0, S1, S2 and S3. All these four composites are characterised for physical and mechanical properties according to Indian Standards (IS). The coefficient of friction is investigated using a pin on disc tribometer. Finally, the correlation between physical properties and coefficient of friction is determined. It is concluded that inclusion of steel powder improved almost all the physical and mechanical properties. It is also observed that density, void content and hardness influence the coefficient of friction level.


Control of aflatoxin contamination has been a worldwide problem. Laminarin from Laminaria digitata is one kind of polysaccharides with multiple biological activities. In this paper, the inhibitory effects of Laminarin on the growth and toxin production of A. flavus was studied. The results indicated that 150 and 200 µg/mL of Laminarin ccould significantly inhibit the aflatoxin production in Sabouraud liquid medium (Sab), without affecting mycelium growth. In addition, the results also showed that certain concentration Laminaria could decrease the infection of peanut seeds by A. flavus as well as the contamination by aflatoxin B1.


An accurate estimate of carbon fluxes associated with tropical deforestation from the last two decades is needed to balance the global carbon budget. Several studies have already estimated carbon emissions from tropical deforestation, but the estimates vary greatly and are difficult to compare due to differences in data sources, assumptions, and methodologies. In this paper, we review the different estimates and datasets, and the various challenges associated with comparing them and with accurately estimating carbon emissions from deforestation. We performed a simulation study over legal Amazonia to illustrate some of these major issues. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of considering land‐cover dynamics following deforestation, including the fluxes from reclearing of secondary vegetation, the decay of product and slash pools, and the fluxes from regrowing forest. It also suggests that accurate carbon‐flux estimates will need to consider historical land‐cover changes for at least the previous 20 years. However, this result is highly sensitive to estimates of the partitioning of cleared carbon into instantaneous burning vs. long‐timescale slash pools. We also show that carbon flux estimates based on 'committed flux' calculations, as used by a few studies, are not comparable with the 'annual balance' calculation method used by other studies.


Abstract Twitter is a rich source of continuously and instantly updated information. Shortness and informality of tweets are challenges for Natural Language Processing tasks. In this paper, we present TwitterNEED, a hybrid approach for Named Entity Extraction and Named Entity Disambiguation for tweets. We believe that disambiguation can help to improve the extraction process. This mimics the way humans understand language and reduces error propagation in the whole system. Our extraction approach aims for high extraction recall first, after which a Support Vector Machine attempts to filter out false positives among the extracted candidates using features derived from the disambiguation phase in addition to other word shape and Knowledge Base features. For Named Entity Disambiguation, we obtain a list of entity candidates from the YAGO Knowledge Base in addition to top-ranked pages from the Google search engine for each extracted mention. We use a Support Vector Machine to rank the candidate pages according to a set of URL and context similarity features. For evaluation, five data sets are used to evaluate the extraction approach, and three of them to evaluate both the disambiguation approach and the combined extraction and disambiguation approach. Experiments show better results compared to our competitors DBpedia Spotlight, Stanford Named Entity Recognition, and the AIDA disambiguation system.


No-fault regimes, a formerly popular alternative to the tort compensation system for auto-accident victims, have gradually lost support. Over time, premiums and claim costs have grown in no-fault states relative to other states, primarily driven by explosive medical cost increases. No-fault and tort states have also converged across many domains affecting costs, including excess claiming, litigation patterns, and noneconomic-damage payments.


Renal tubules of freshwater teleosts consist of proximal, intermediate, distal, and collecting segments. Diuretic drugs were injected into freshwater channel catfish to define the mode of natriuresis and diuresis. Although the catfish lack a loop of Henle, ethacrynic acid (1 mg/kg), furosemide (1 mg/kg) and, to a smaller extent, hydrochlorothiazide (2 mg/kg) produced marked chloruresis and natriuresis. The amount of sodium and chloride reabsorbed decreased, and the decrease in fractional reabsorption of chloride was greater than that of sodium. All three drugs, however, elicited only mild diuresis. This finding suggests that these drugs inhibit sodium and chloride reabsorption in tubules which are highly impermeable to water, most likely along distal segments of the nephron. Ethacrynic acid and furosemide appear to inhibit both reabsorption and secretion of potassium. Acetazolamide (50 mg/kg) induced moderate diuresis which seemed to reflect increased glomerular filtration rate. Smaller doses of acetazolamide increased urinary bicarbonate excretion without the increase in filtration rate, suggesting a possible inhibition of carbonic anhydrase in the renal tubules.


In this work we re-examine the main fin equation qf = ηf Af ΔT, proposed by Gardner [1] that has been used for the last sixty years to determine the performance of fins. The fundamental concepts of extended surface heat transfer are introduced, and their mathematical expressions are derived. The vital role of fin effectiveness, a term also introduced by Gardner [1] is established. It is shown that the effectiveness is inextricably linked in proving the validity of the simplifying assumptions that most of the fins' endeavors are based on. It is also shown that the common practice of using the efficiency to predict the fin's performance leads to serious errors. A novel approach to fin analysis, based on a proposed transformation of coordinates, is presented, which can be employed to considerably simplify the pertinent differential equations and obtain more friendly expressions describing the fin's performance. The heat dissipation is expressed in a non-dimensional form and for several practical cases polynomial expressions have developed, that will help students to engage in rudimentary fin designs. It is also shown that, the one-dimensional approach can be used to obtain solutions involving extended surfaces made from anisotropic material. Three examples serve to illustrate the usefulness of our method.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Structural change of Cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) due to interaction with lysine peptides (Lysptds) has been studied by absorption spectra and measurements on electron transfer between cytochrome c (cyt c) and CcP in the presence of Lysptd. Peaks were observed in the difference absorption spectrum of CcP between in the presence and absence of Lysptds, demonstrating a structural perturbation of CcP, at least at its heme site, on interaction with Lysptd. The interaction between CcP and Lysptd was electrostatic, since no significant peak was detected in the difference absorption spectrum when 100 mM of NaCl was added to the solution. Lysptds competitively inhibited electron transfer from cyt c to CcP, which indicated that they interacted with CcP at the same site as cyt c and would be models of the CcP interacting site of cyt c.


An intelligent system developed at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany) for assisting in the design of cost-effective thermal power plants using heuristic rules and fuzzy approaches is described and applied to a simple plant. This intelligent system applies an iterative optimization technique that is based on assigning costs to the real thermodynamic value of an energy carrier and on the evaluation of performance parameters that reflect the cost importance of the real thermodynamic inefficiencies. Knowledge about identifying design errors is modelled by heuristic rules whereas the modification of decision variables is based on the application of fuzzy approaches. Recent developments in the use of intelligent systems for process synthesis and improvement are reviewed.


For over the last thirty years the multinomial logit model has been the standard in choice modeling. Development in econometrics and computational algorithms has led to the increasing tendency to opt for more flexible models able to depict more realistically choice behavior. This study compares three discrete choice models, the standard multinomial logit, the error components logit, and the random parameters logit. Data were obtained from two choice experiments conducted to investigate consumers' preferences for fresh pears receiving several postharvest treatments. Model comparisons consisted of in-sample and holdout sample evaluations. Results show that product characteristics hence, datasets, influence model performance. We also found that the multinomial logit model outperformed in at least one of three evaluations in both datasets. Overall, findings signal the need for further studies controlling for context and dataset to have more conclusive cues for discrete choice models capabilities. * Gallardo is an assistant scientist and extension specialist in the School of Economic Sciences, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, U.S., and Chang is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University, U.S. Contact author: R. Karina Gallardo, School of Economic Sciences, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, email@example.com, (509) 663-8181 x. 261.


In the past ten years, considerable increases in traffic volume and vehicle loads have caused obviously fatigue damage in existing highway reinforced concrete bridges in China. Some highway reinforced concrete bridges were damaged seriously, leading to the whole bridge collapse sometimes because of overloading and oversize trucks. In order to observe the highway load character in Shaanxi province, truck weigh device is set up in highway pavement to measure axle weights and axle spacing. Based on these data, it can be classified and generalized the different classes of vehicles, and drawn out the simplifying fatigue truck model in Shaanxi province. Furthermore, the fatigue truck model was used to evaluate the fatigue life and service safety of typical concrete bridges.


The &dquo;built environments&dquo; are energy efficient, stressing passive solar heating and cooling; encourage local food production and reliance on local resources; and foster creation of on-site jobs and neighborhood stores to revitalize communities and eliminate wasteful commuting. Sensible physical layouts encourage social interaction by clustering dwellings and creating common-use areas and shared facilities, while increasing security and stressing appropriate scale.


The development of a neural network-based detection and classification system for use with buried dielectric anomalies is the main focus of this paper. Several methods of data representation are developed to study their effects on the trainability and generalization capabilities of the neural networks. The method of Karhonen-Loeve (KL) transform is used to extract energy dependent features and to reduce the dimensionality of the weight space of the original data set. To extract the shape-dependent features of the data, another data preprocessing method known as Zernike moments is also studied for its use in the detector/classifier system. The effects of different neural network paradigms, architectural variations, and selection of proper training data on detection and classification rates are studied. Simulation results for nylon and wood targets indicate superior performance when compared to conventional schemes. >


This study was planned with the knowledge that the tasks of reading require the same acquisition of skills, whether a child is hearing or deaf, monolingual, or bilingual. Reading and language research literature was reviewed. Subjects were 31 deaf students (7.9–17.9 years of age) who attended one of three U.S. programs. Performance on 15 language and literacy measures was analyzed. Results were that students who scored highest on a passage-comprehension measure also were more able (a) to provide synonyms, antonyms, and analogies of read words and phrases, (b) to read more listed words, and (c) to substitute one phoneme more correctly for another to create new words than were readers with lower scores. Two groups of students also were compared: a Longer Exposure to English Group (n = 22) who used Signing Exact English (SEE) for 5 years or more and a Shorter Exposure Group (n = 8) exposed to SEE for less than 2 years. A correlational analysis revealed that there were no significant relationships among 14 background variables with the exception of "age of identification of hearing loss," a variable then covaried in subsequent analysis of covariance. Students in the Longer Exposure Group scored higher on all measures. Significant differences were found between groups for short-term memory, receptive and expressive English, and five phonological subtests. Mini-case studies and the performance of eight students in the Longer Exposure Group who scored lowest on the comprehension measure also are discussed.


consists of tiny solid particles carried by air currents. These particles are formed by many different processes. One of these processes is polymerization of inert plastic such as Polyvinyl Chloride production plant. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series requirements, section 4.4.6, occupational health and safety risks must be defined and controlled where needed. This field study was conducted to evaluate the occupational exposure of packaging operators to airborne polyvinyl chloride dust in order to health risk assessment and recommend feasible controlling methods. The mass concentration of polyvinyl chloride particulate was measured in two fractions according to the particle size that expressed as total and respirable particulates. The Air Sampling Methods, Methods for the Determination of Hazardous Substances 14/3, of Health and Safety Executive were used as a standard sampling protocol. The average mass concentrations for respirable and total particulates were measured 3.54±0.3 mg/m 3 and 11.89±0.8 mg/m 3 respectively. Also health risks of studied condition were estimated as significant level, category one, therefore the risk must be reduced below the standard level. According to the work requirements to reduce the emission rate and mitigate the health risk exposure, a local exhaust ventilation system design was recommended for bag-filters of hopper tank.


OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of alcoholism in a rural area of Asturias and the correlation between this disease and several disorders, symptoms and clinical signs, as well as personal and social factors. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study on a sample of 200 persons divided into two groups according to alcohol consumption, stating as limit for the classification of a person as hard-drinker, the consumption of 80 or more grams of ethanol/day in the case of men and 50 gr/day in the case of women, during at least 10 years. Through a specially designed survey and the data on physical explorations and blood biochemistry, the results in both groups were compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcoholism in the area under study was 19.5%, with domination of males (12/1) and a mean age of 47.4 +/- 12.8 years, this being globally greater than the national average. The most sensitive analytical parameters a indicators of hard alcohol consumption were Hct, Hb, TGO, TGP, FA, bilirubin and gamma-GT. The main physical signs observed among the hard-drinkers were: malar telangiectasias, parathyroid hypertrophy, conjunctival jaundice and hepatomegaly. There were no significant differences between both groups with respect to mean age, marital status or labour activity. A greater prevalence of depressive-type psychiatric problems were observed in the group of hard-drinkers. In this group, there was also a greater proportion of traumatic antecedents, judicial-type problems and accidents, as well as a greater work absenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: All these findings support the already known idea of the severity of the problem caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, both at the individual, public health and socio-economical level; as well as the usefulness of several hematological and hepatic biochemical parameters for its detection. The high prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption in this rural area of Asturias, its population being characterized by a great proportion of miners, has also been demonstrated.


Androgen function was studied in twenty-five physically healthy "primarily" impotent males classified on clinical criteria into "psychogenic" or "constitutional" groups. The mean urinary testosterone level in the former was significantly higher than in the latter group (P<0·005). Important variables associated significantly with higher urinary testosterone levels (P<0·05) were (a) "late onset" impotence, (b) shorter duration than two years, (c) stronger "sex drive," and (d) an alternative sexual outlet to orgasm and ejaculation in the three months preceding referral; the last-mentioned appeared to be the single most important discriminatory feature. It is suggested that testosterone excretion patterns—namely, high, average, and low—may be one method of classifying impotence.


The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) remains one of the most endangered large whales in the world. Over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in addressing the problems hampering the recovery of North Atlantic right whales by using innovative research techniques, new technologies, analyses of existing databases, and enhanced conservation and education strategies. This increased interest demanded better coordination and collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure that there was improved access to data, research efforts were not duplicative, and that findings were shared with all interested parties. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, initially formed in 1986 by five research institutions to share data among themselves, was expanded in 1997 to address these greater needs. Currently, the Consortium membership is comprised of representatives from more than 100 entities including: research, academic, and conservation organizations; shipping and fishing industries; whale watching companies; technical experts; United States (U.S.) and Canadian Government agencies; and state authorities. North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium members agreed in 2004 that an annual "report card" on the status of right whales would be useful. This report card includes updates on the status of the cataloged population, mortalities and injury events, and a summary of management and research efforts that have occurred over the previous 12 months. The Board's goal is to make public a summary of current research and management activities, as well as provide detailed recommendations for future activities. The Board views this report as a valuable asset in assessing the effects of research and management over time.


What is the relationship between the financial system and politics? In a democratic system, what kind of control should elected governments have over the financial markets? What policies should be implemented to regulate them? What is the role played by different elites - financial, technocratic, and political - in the operation and regulation of the financial system? And what role should citizens, investors, and savers play? These are some of the questions addressed in this challenging analysis of the particular features of the contemporary capitalist economy in Britain, the USA, and Western Europe. The authors argue that the causes of the financial crisis lay in the bricolage and innovation in financial markets, resulting in long chains and circuits of transactions and instruments that enabled bankers to earn fees, but which did not sufficiently take into account system risk, uncertainty, and unintended consequences. In the wake of the crisis, the authors argue that social scientists, governments, and citizens need to re-engage with the political dimensions of financial markets. This book offers a controversial and accessible exploration of the disorders of our financial capitalism and its justifications. With an innovative emphasis on the economically 'undisclosed' and the political 'mystifying', it combines technical understanding of finance, cultural analysis, and al political account of interests and institutions.


We study the mid-infrared properties of a sample of 69 nearby spiral galaxies, selected to avoid Seyfert activity contributing a significant fraction of the central energetics, or strong tidal interaction, and to have normal infrared luminosities. These observations were obtained with ISOCAM, which provides an angular resolution of the order of 10 arcsec (half-power diameter of the point spread function) and low-resolution spectro-imaging information. Between 5 and 18 microns, we mainly observe two dust phases, aromatic infrared bands and very small grains, both out of thermal equilibrium. On this sample, we show that the global F15/F7 colors of galaxies are very uniform, the only increase being found in early-type strongly barred galaxies, consistent with previous IRAS studies. The F15/F7 excesses are unambiguously due to galactic central regions where bar-induced starbursts occur. However, the existence of strongly barred early-type galaxies with normal circumnuclear colors indicates that the relationship between a distortion of the gravitational potential and a central starburst is not straightforward. As the physical processes at work in central regions are in principle identical in barred and unbarred galaxies, and since this is where the mid-infrared activity is mainly located, we investigate the mid-infrared circumnuclear properties of all the galaxies in our sample. We show how surface brightnesses and colors are related to both the available molecular gas content and the mean age of stellar populations contributing to dust heating. Therefore, the star formation history in galactic central regions can be constrained by their position in a color-surface brightness mid-infrared diagram.


Using symmetrized Grassmannians we give an algebraic geometric presentation, in the level of classifying spaces, of the Chern character and its relation to Chern classes. This allows one to define, for any projective variety $X$, a Chern character map from the "holomorphic K-theory of X to its morphic cohomology (introduced by Friedlander and Lawson). The holomorphic K-theory of $X$, introduced by Lawson, Lima-Filho and Michelsohn and also by Friedlander and Walker, is defined in terms a group-completion of the space of algebraic morphisms from X into BU. It has been further studied by the authors in a companion paper. Holomorphic K-theory sits between algebraic K-theory and topological K-theory in the same way that morphic cohomology sits between motivic cohomology and ordinary cohomology. Our constructions provide a bridge between these two worlds. We also realize Chern classes in the case where X is smooth, and establish a universal relation between the Chern character and the Chern classes. We use classical constructions with algebraic cycles and infinite symmetric products of projective spaces. The latter can be seen as the classifying space for motivic cohomology, and under this perspective our constructions are essentially motivic.


Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown origin with a poor prognosis. Pirfenidone has shown inhibitory activity of fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in vitro. In some clinical assays the drug has been shown to slow the progression of disease. Although it has not demonstrated improvement in overall survival, pirfenidona is the first specific drug therapy for IPF. Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of treatment with pirfenidone in patients with mild to moderate IPF. Material and methods A retrospective observational study from October 2014 to October 2015. Clinical data were obtained by medical record review. The main clinical variable studied was the variation in forced vital capacity (FVC). In fact, this variable was the main parameter of the CAPACITY study, which allowed authorisation of the drug. Data were available for respiratory function at the beginning and after pirfenidone treatment. Other variables such as forced expiratory volume (FEV1), diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and desaturation at the end of the 6 min walking test (6MW) were collected. Treatment failure was considered a decrease of >10% in FVC. Safety was assessed by collecting all adverse events (AE) that occurred during treatment. Results 8 patients, mean age 72 (55–83) years, 75% male, were included in our study during the past year. 5 patients showed increased FVC (+7% (1–11%)) and 3 showed decreased FVC (-6% (-1–15%)). Other variables studied (FEV1, 6MWT and DLCO) were not recorded for all patients. However, 2 patients with available data showed improvement in 6MWT and a decrease in DLCO. AE detected were: increased transaminase levels (1 patient), diarrhoea and dyspnea (1), anorexia (1) and photosensitivity (1). Only patient who suffered photosensitivity suspended treatment temporarily. Conclusion Most patients showed a slowdown in the loss of FVC and improvement at the end of the 6MWT desaturation; only one patient had treatment failure. AE were mild and similar to those described in the literature. More studies are required to evaluate the benefit and to assess whether this slight improvement in FVC is related to improvement in the quality of life. No conflict of interest.


Effects of aflatoxin B1 and T-2 toxin, administered daily within 7 days at the doses of 0.7 mg/kg and 0.54 mg/kg, respectively, on metabolism of Ca and on the vitamin D hormonal system were studied in young rats kept on a ration containing normal (0.025 mg/kg) and high (0.25 mg/kg) amounts of vitamin D. Administration of the mycotoxins caused hypocalcemia, a decrease in absorption of Ca as well as in activity of alkaline phosphatase in small intestine mucose, while alterations in spongy bones (of the type of osteopetrosis) were most distinct in T-2 toxin treatment. Concentration of 25(OH)D3 in blood serum and activity of 25-hydroxylase D3 in liver tissue were decreased by 28% and 58%, respectively, after administration of T-2 toxin, and by 34% nd 33%, respectively, after treatment with aflatoxin B1. In kidney activity of I-hydroxylase 25(OH)D3 was unaltered and the activity of 24-hydroxylase tended to decrease. After treatment with the mycotoxins content of nuclear receptors of 1,25(OH)2D3 was decreased in small intestine mucose, whereas cytoplasmic receptors were increased 2.5-fold, thus indicating the distinct decrease in the receptors internalization. High doses of vitamin D caused an increase of Ca content in blood serum and of its absorption in small intestine as well as normalized Ca content in cortical bone of rats treated with T-2 toxin. At the same time, activity of 1-hydroxylase 26(OH)D3 was increased in liver tissue, while concentration of 1,25(OH)2D3 receptors was reduced in small intestine, but internalization of the hormone receptors was maintained at low level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The eldonides, a group of non-mineralised asymmetrical discoidal fossils characterised by a coiled alimentary canal with circumoral tentacles and radially arranged internal lobes, are perhaps the least-well known major group of Palaeozoic organisms. Their fossil record is primarily known from sites of exceptional preservation, ranging from the Cambrian to the Devonian. Eleven species are known in eight genera and three families (the Eldoniidae, Maoyanidiscidae, and Paropsonemidae), all placed in the Order Eldonida, Class Eldoniata, and the early deuterostome stem-group Cambroernids.
The eldonides are of little biostratigraphical or palaeoecological utility. However, they are significant in that while eldoniids are generally preserved as compressions in shales, most paropsonemid specimens are found as moulds and casts in sandstones, a poorly-understood taphonomic mode previously thought to be unique to the oldest known animal fossils, of Ediacaran age. Paropsonemids from the Tafilalt Lagerstatte (Ordovician, Morocco), were apparently exceptionally preserved in this style by the adsorption of iron ions, produced during decay by iron reduction, to tissues composed of complex biopolymers. These ions provided sites for the nucleation of aluminosilicate clay minerals, and the formation of iron sulphides (by reaction with hydrogen sulphide produced during subsequent decay by sulphate reduction). These formed moulds of the paropsonemid dorsal surfaces, which were cast by adjacent sediment following the completion of decay. Importantly, comparison to Ediacaran-aged fossils indicates that these were preserved by the same processes, while comparison to fossil eldoniids confirms that this taphonomic style can only preserve tissues composed of complex biopolymers.
This suggests that the oldest known animal fossils cannot have been the oldest animals, but merely the first animals to evolve such tissues. It thus appears that Charles Darwin was correct in his proposal that the oldest known animal fossils were preceded by a long period of animal evolution not represented in the fossil record.


Development of high quality object detection system is a challenging task, not fully solved nowadays. The relevance of this study is stipulated by the necessity of designing techniques, algorithms, and programs improving the efficiency of automatic objects detection on images with complex backgrounds. Purpose: The aim of this work is to improve the efficiency of automatic number plate detection on images with complex backgrounds using methods, algorithms, and programs invariant to affine and projective transformations. Findings: the problem of detection or detection of the number plate of the vehicle images can be effectively solved using CNN algorithms based on the adaptive boosting. Two convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with different configurations are designed. The first convolutional neural network (CNN) provides the preliminary plate detection while the second provides its final detection so as to compensate classification errors received by the first CNN. As a result, the optimally efficient training algorithm has been selected. The software system based on these algorithms is suggested to provide the high-efficiency automatic plate detection.


All chapters conclude with "Discussion Questions," "Key Ideas," "Key Terms," and "Notes." 1. Natives and Newcomers. An Overview of Assimilation in America. Development of Assimilation Theory. Race and Ethnicity: A Conceptual Note. 2. Together or Apart? Some Competing Views. Subprocesses of Assimilation. Gordon's Theory of Assimilation Subprocesses. Three Ideologies of Assimilation. Two Anti-Assimilationist Ideologies: Separatism and Secessionism. The Models of Assimilation as Descriptions. 3. The Rise of Anglo American Society. The English Legacy. Indian-English Relations. Servants and Slaves. The Colonial Irish. The Colonial Germans. The Revolutionary Period. 4. The Golden Door. The First Great Immigrant Stream. Changing Patterns of Immigration. The Second Great Immigrant Stream. The Third Great Immigrant Stream. 5. Nativism and Racism. Nativism. Scientific Racism. Immigration Restriction. Contemporary Racism. 6. Japanese Americans. Japanese Immigration and Native Reactions. The Japanese Family and Community in America. War, Evacuation, and Relocation. Japanese American Assimilation. Japanese American "Success." 7. Mexican Americans: From Colonized Minority to Political Activists. The Colonial Model. The Immigrant Model. Mexican Immigration and Native Reaction. 8. Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans: Identity and Incorporation. Identification and Diversity. The Colonization of Puerto Rico. Cultural Assimilation: English and Spanish. Mexican American and Puerto Rican "Success." 9. African Americans: From Slavery to Segregation. The Period of Slavery. Immigrant or Colonized Minority? Emancipation and Reconstruction. The Restoration of White Supremacy. Migration and Urbanization. The Civil Rights Movement. 10. African Americans: Protest and Social Change. The Rise of Direct Action. Renewed Visibility of Black-White Conflict. African American Assimilation. African American "Success." 11. Native Americans: The First Americans. The English Penetration of the Continent. Anglo American-Indian Policies. Indian Removal. Plains Wars and Reservations. From Separatism to Anglo Conformity. Cycling between Anglo Conformity and Cultural Pluralism. Pan-Indian Responses and Initiatives. Immigrant or Colonized Minority? 12. Native Americans: A Struggle to Maintain Political and Cultural Pluralism. Cultural Assimilation. Secondary Structural Assimilation. Primary Structural Assimilation. Marital Assimilation. Other Forms of Assimilation. American Indian "Success." 13. The New Immigration. Changes in the Laws and the Immigrant Stream. The Vietnamese. Resurgent Racism and Nativism. 14. Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination. Theory and Practice. The Educational Approach. The Legal Approach. Political Participation. 15. The Future of Ethnicity. Further Reflections on Assimilation and Ethnicity. Consequences of Colonization and Immigration: An Alternative View. Some Applications of the Alternative View. Some Tentative Conclusions about Racial and Ethnic Relations in the United States. The Future of Ethnicity in the United States. Across National Boundaries. Appendix. References. Name Index. Subject Index.


Effect of Otostegia persica on naloxone-induced morphine withdrawal syndrome was studied in male mice. Dependence was induced using daily subcutaneous injections of morphine for three days. Morphine was injected to mice at doses of 30 and 45mg/kg on day 1 and 60 and 90mg/kg on day 2 (8:00 am and 6:00 pm). On day 3, morphine (90mg/kg) was injected 1h before oral administration and 1.5h before intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of hydroalcoholic and hexane extracts of the plant. Naloxone was injected (5mg/kg, i.p.) 2h after the final dose of morphine and the withdrawal signs including jumping, rearing, diarrhoea, piloerection, tremor and ptosis were recorded during a period of 30 minutes. While oral and i.p. administration of hydroalcoholic extract reduced the number of jumping and rearing, the hexane extract could not exert any significant change. Also the hydroalcoholic extract (1500mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) reduced diarrhoea, piloerection, tremor and ptosis. The hexane extract only significantly (p<0.05 ) inhibited diarrhoea. Results of this study indicated that the extract of Otostegia persica contained component(s) that alleviate morphine withdrawal syndrome and the responsible constituent(s) is(are) found in polar fraction since the hexane extract had only a negligible effect.


Theories of contracting out offer contrasting perspectives on the noneconomic determinants of local government contracting. Some suggest that ideological motives predominate, with contracting decisions reflecting the ideology of ruling parties. Others emphasize political motives, with governments responding to local preferences. In this article, we draw on ideas about isomorphic pressures within organizational fields to examine whether institutional influences might also affect contracting behaviour. Using a spatial auto-regressive probit model, we evaluate whether mimetic pressures as well as ideological and political motives shape the decision to contract out service provision in English local governments. In addition, we analyse whether those factors also determine whether contracting local governments decide to contract with a commercial firm or a not-for-profit provider. The statistical results suggest that the decision to contract out is spatially dependent, and hence reflective of institutional forces. By contrast, political motives and market size considerations shape with whom local governments contract.


New approximation procedures are presented for obtaining the transverse integrated scalar flux for the diffusive scattering of an initially unidirectional particle beam. The approach is based on the characteristic similarity properties of the diffusion dynamics and provides direct and simple approximations in good agreement with previous results obtained by systematic expansion techniques. A detailed numerical investigation of the diffusion dynamics is also made, which benchmarks and illustrates the good accuracy of the analytical results.


Abstract. GASAKe is a new hydrological model aimed at forecasting the triggering of landslides. The model is based on genetic algorithms and allows one to obtain thresholds for the prediction of slope failures using dates of landslide activations and rainfall series. It can be applied to either single landslides or a set of similar slope movements in a homogeneous environment. Calibration of the model provides families of optimal, discretized solutions (kernels) that maximize the fitness function. Starting from the kernels, the corresponding mobility functions (i.e., the predictive tools) can be obtained through convolution with the rain series. The base time of the kernel is related to the magnitude of the considered slope movement, as well as to the hydro-geological complexity of the site. Generally, shorter base times are expected for shallow slope instabilities compared to larger-scale phenomena. Once validated, the model can be applied to estimate the timing of future landslide activations in the same study area, by employing measured or forecasted rainfall series. Examples of application of GASAKe to a medium-size slope movement (the Uncino landslide at San Fili, in Calabria, southern Italy) and to a set of shallow landslides (in the Sorrento Peninsula, Campania, southern Italy) are discussed. In both cases, a successful calibration of the model has been achieved, despite unavoidable uncertainties concerning the dates of occurrence of the slope movements. In particular, for the Sorrento Peninsula case, a fitness of 0.81 has been obtained by calibrating the model against 10 dates of landslide activation; in the Uncino case, a fitness of 1 (i.e., neither missing nor false alarms) has been achieved using five activations. As for temporal validation, the experiments performed by considering further dates of activation have also proved satisfactory. In view of early-warning applications for civil protection, the capability of the model to simulate the occurrences of the Uncino landslide has been tested by means of a progressive, self-adaptive procedure. Finally, a sensitivity analysis has been performed by taking into account the main parameters of the model. The obtained results are quite promising, given the high performance of the model against different types of slope instabilities characterized by several historical activations. Nevertheless, further refinements are still needed for application to landslide risk mitigation within early-warning and decision-support systems.