This dissertation is a comparative analysis of the experience of several western Polynesian states during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, and in particular an inquiry into how the response to the second wave of this pandemic determined the mortality for each island group. Historically, Pacific island states have faced challenges in controlling infectious disease. Distance, isolation, lack of resources, and the turbulent nature of local political authority have limited the ability of these states to mount an effective response to the transmission of introduced infections. The territories of Polynesia attempted a wide range of social measures for control of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. Their success or lack thereof depended more upon political and economic variables than indigenous cultural or health factors. The colonial entities of Fiji, Western Samoa, and Tonga were sequentially infected with the 1918 pandemic strain of influenza by the SS Talune that departed from Auckland in November 1918. Despite being infected by the same strain of the virus, at the same time of year, and the significant number of cultural commonalities between these states, their experience of the influenza was broadly divergent. This work seeks to understand the forces that drove the differential outcomes. Fiji had warning of the approach of influenza, yet the colonial medical staff discounted the risk and faced strong economic pressure to avoid quarantine measures. Fiji also had the largest and most ethnically diverse population, thus complicating education and outreach efforts, as well as strong recent memory of a devastating measles epidemic that destroyed indigenous confidence in the colonial medical system. Roughly five percent of the population of Fiji died. Western Samoa had a military garrison with little governing experience as well as a plantation economy that faced significant strain if isolation measures were put into place. Settlement patterns drove rapid spread of the disease and plantation agriculture led to famine across the group during the convalescent period. Western Samoa experienced the world's highest known death rate from the 1918 outbreak with one quarter of the population succumbing.


Identifying the appropriate overlay thicknesses is critical to a local transportation agency's ability to maintain its pavement network. Local agencies often use empirical approaches for designing the overlay thickness for low-volume pavements. For example, overlay design for low-volume roads in Illinois is currently carried out using assumed layer coefficients for a limited number of material types. Although such empirical approaches are fairly simple to use, they are often not suitable for considering the effects of recycled and nontraditional construction materials that are more commonly considered in current-day sustainable pavement applications. The lack of mechanical testing for evaluating the pavement structural condition often leads to uneconomical practices in the rehabilitation of low-volume roads. This paper presents a mechanistic–empirical approach for overlay thickness designs of low-volume pavements through a combination of nondestructive deflection testing and preestablished pavement damage models. Five pavement sections, with varying structural and traffic characteristics, were selected from two counties in Illinois. Three sets of falling weight deflectometer tests were conducted over a period of one year to monitor changes in pavement deflection responses. Structural conditions of the pavement sections in their original configuration were evaluated first. Then, the corresponding required overlay thicknesses were determined by using two methods currently used by local agencies. The inability of the currently available methods to properly account for current pavement structural conditions was highlighted. A new mechanistic–empirical overlay thickness design method introduced in this study successfully identified structural deficiencies in the original pavement configurations.


On the basis of sociological research focused on actions and appreciations of 'social policy' actors, this chapter contends that, apart from the powerful constraint of macroeconomic governance, the main governance instrument has been hard law, even in an area where member states are deemed to have retained most of their jurisdiction. The sociological material is systematically cross-checked with legal literature and with material drawn from 26 EU law specialists' interviews. The authors focus on the relationship between EU law and 'social law' (social protection, labour law and social services). The main finding is the confirmation of the jeopardisation of systems of social protection in the 'old member states'. On the other hand, though, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Commission have been able to display continual advances on the subject of 'fundamental rights', thus producing key sources of legitimacy among various actors. With the classically documented support of big business and corporations, and the active support of NGOs in favour of expanding individual fundamental rights, the on-going dynamics of EU law seem to lead inexorably to the demise of the late 19th century-born systems of social protection, as F. Scharpf argues. This deterministic analysis, however, does not take into account the current uncertainties about the role of actors.


Real-world services - that is, nonsoftware-based services - differ significantly from Web services, usually defined as software functionality accessible and configurable over the Web. Because of the economic, social, and business importance of the service concept in general, we believe it's necessary to rethink what this concept means in an ontological and computational sense. We deal about the OBELIX (ontology-based electronic integration of complex products and value chains) project has therefore developed a generic component-based ontology for real-world services. This OBELIX service ontology is first of all a formalization of concepts that represent the consensus in the business science literature on service management and marketing. We express our service ontology in a graphical, network-style representation, and we've developed support tools that facilitate end-user modeling of services. Then, automated knowledge-based configuration methods let business designers and analysts analyze service bundles. We've tested our ontology, methods, and tools on applications in real-world case studies of different industry sectors.


Stroke is the third leading cause of death, due to its high incidence, the severity of the insult, and lack of treatment options. The only therapeutic is restoration of cerebral blood flow achieved by recombinant tissue plasminogen activator treatment, but only approximately 5% of patients receive it. In addition, therapeutics aimed at achieving neuroprotection by blocking the ischemic cascade, as identified in numerous preclinical studies, failed in clinical trials. This failure in translation from experimental models to clinical trials led to a re-evaluation of properties which would constitute the ''best-in class'' therapeutics to be used against stroke. Given that neuroprotection appears ineffective per se, an emerging direction is to identify therapies, probably combinatorial in nature, which protect the whole neurovascular unit and target timedependent neurotoxic mechanisms. Molecules that activate complex cellular signaling cascades that render the brain resistant to subsequent ischemia, known as preconditioners, offer a novel perspective in stroke protection. Preconditioning elicits complex endogenous neuroprotective responses that act by pleiotropic mechanisms to block death pathways, promote survival pathways and increase resistance. In addition to chemical preconditioners, natural/endogenous compounds such as adenosine, glutamate, lysophospholipids, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been demonstrated to be excellent preconditioners. Consequently, a major new concept in preconditioning to combat stroke is introduced, which is preconditioning achieved through supplementation of an essential item in diet or as a nutraceutical. Several epidemiologic studies suggested a beneficial effect of a seafood/omega-3-enriched diet in cerebral diseases, but the omega-3-induced protective mechanisms are still poorly identified. This review highlights how α-linolenic acid (ALA), the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid precursor, protects the brain from in vivo and in vitro models of stroke, thus potentially fulfilling the goal of identifying the ''best-in class'' therapeutics against stroke. Also described is the surprising pleiotric nature of ALA in protecting neurons, vasodilating brain arteries and stimulating neuroplasticity. Importantly, feasibility of delivery has been demonstrated, since ALA supplementation can be achieved through modification of the daily diet, for which prevention of stroke-induced mortality and cerebral damage has been confirmed. Therefore evaluating ALA as an interesting preconditioner against stroke represents a novel and extremely relevant concept in the context of nutraceutical and functional food development.


All research described in this thesis focuses on the role of copper in various biochemical processes. It appears that copper has various faces in laboratory animals. On the one hand, copper is an essential trace element, which implicates that a certain requirement for copper exists. On the other hand, copper may be involved in the formation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing the development of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been associated with reduced lifespan and various diseases as a consequence of oxidative damage at the (sub)cellular level. Copper may not only affect biochemical processes in laboratory animals, it may also be affected itself by endogenous and exogenous factors, such as dietary cholesterol. Furthermore, strain differences in hepatic copper content and hepatic copper concentration have been found, which can be (partly) explained by genetic differences. All studies described in this thesis, except the review in chapter 3, were performed in laboratory animals keeping the 3 R's of laboratory animal science (reduction, refinement and replacement) in mind. Some of the studies performed are for the benefit of the animal (chapter 2), in some studies the animal is used as a model (chapter 6-10) and in some studies, the animal was used as a model, but the results of the study could be used for the benefit of the animal (chapter 4 and 5). In case the animal was used as a model, the purpose of the experiment was to study mechanisms in vivo rather than in vitro.
The overall conclusions are : (I.) Copper is an essential trace element, implicating that a certain copper requirement exists to compensate for endogenous losses. The dietary copper allowance for the NMRI outbred laboratory mouse, as determined in the study described in chapter 2, is 4 ppm Cu, which is lower than the NRC's estimated allowance of 6 ppm Cu for maintenance and 8 ppm for growing and lactating mice, but in line with results described by other authors. The difference in dietary copper allowance probably stems from the fact that the recommendation of the NRC is based on rats and on four studies in mice, of which three were not designed to study copper requirement. We feel that this study contributes to a soundly based estimated copper allowance for mice. (II.) Evidence for the involvement of copper in the formation of free radicals and ROS comes mainly from in vitro research (chapter 3). No evidence was found for copper-mediated oxidative damage at the (sub)cellular level (chapter 4) nor a reduced lifespan was found (chapter 5) in mice fed diets with increasing copper concentrations. These results raise serious questions about the likelihood of developing oxidative stress in other rodents or in human in vivo after high copper intakes. (III.) In literature, dietary cholesterol has been associated with reduced liver copper concentrations and/or liver copper content. Feeding a cholesterol-rich diet to rats did not affect the liver copper content. In rabbits, a decrease in the hepatic copper store was found only in the dietary cholesterol-susceptible inbred strain. The idea that cholesterol-susceptible animals will show a greater decrease in hepatic copper content after being fed a cholesterolrich diet thus could not be consistently confirmed. In both rabbits and rats a decrease in liver copper concentration was found, but the decrease in rats was probably due to diet-induced hepatomegaly. The reduced liver copper concentrations in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet as described in literature may also be the result of dietary-induced hepatomegaly. (IV.) Strain differences in liver copper store and liver copper concentrations can (partly) be explained by genetic differences between the strains. QTL analysis can be helpful in identifying genes that are involved in such quantitative traits. Some of the QTLs found in rats may give a clue as to what genes are involved in copper regulation. In the rabbit, however, more research on the structure of the genome is needed before candidate genes for QTLs can be identified.


Abstract. Rip currents pose a major global beach hazard; estimates of annual rip-current-related deaths in the United States alone range from 35 to 100 per year. Despite increased social research into beach-goer experience, little is known about levels of rip current knowledge within the general population. This study describes the results of an online survey to determine the extent of rip current knowledge across the United States, with the aim of improving and enhancing existing beach safety education material. Results suggest that the US-based Break the Grip of the Rip! ® campaign has been successful in educating the public about rip current safety directly or indirectly, with the majority of respondents able to provide an accurate description of how to escape a rip current. However, the success of the campaign is limited by discrepancies between personal observations at the beach and rip forecasts that are broadcasted for a large area and time. It was the infrequent beach user that identified the largest discrepancies between the forecast and their observations. Since infrequent beach users also do not seek out lifeguards or take the same precautions as frequent beach users, it is argued that they are also at greatest risk of being caught in a dangerous situation. Results of this study suggest a need for the national campaign to provide greater focus on locally specific and verified rip forecasts and signage in coordination with lifeguards, but not at the expense of the successful national awareness program.


Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability with ≈80% being ischemic. Stem cell transplantation has been shown to improve functional recovery. However, the overall survival and differentiation of these cells is still low. The infarct cavity is an ideal location for transplantation as it is directly adjacent to the highly plastic peri‐infarct region. Direct transplantation of cells near the infarct cavity has resulted in low cell viability. Here, neural progenitor cells derived from induce pluripotent stem cells (iPS‐NPC) are delivered to the infarct cavity of stroked mice encapsulated in a hyaluronic acid hydrogel matrix to protect the cells. To improve the overall viability of transplanted cells, each step of the transplantation process is optimized. Hydrogel mechanics and cell injection parameters are investigated to determine their effects on the inflammatory response of the brain and cell viability, respectively. Using parameters that balanced the desire to keep surgery invasiveness minimal and cell viability high, iPS‐NPCs are transplanted to the stroke cavity of mice encapsulated in buffer or the hydrogel. While the hydrogel does not promote stem cell survival one week post‐transplantation, it does promote differentiation of the neural progenitor cells to neuroblasts.


Reliability assessment of aged electrical components in the presence of over-stresses (e.g. voltage surges) is not an easy task. In this paper, a new methodology for solving this problem is illustrated, which is based on a Bayesian approach applied to a novel Weibull stress-strength probabilistic model. This model holds, under proper simplifying hypotheses, for electrical components progressively degraded by service stresses during operating life, thus having a chance to be broken by overstresses sooner or later. Further assumptions lead to a log-logistic reliability function, thus obtaining a novel, physical, motivation for the sometimes observed characteristic of decreasing hazard rates. For the purpose of estimating the parameters of the above model, a Bayesian approach is developed taking into account that in practice, while data on stress are generally available, the same does not hold for strength data, due also to the high reliability level and innovative technology of many electrical components. The degree of uncertainty on the knowledge of stress distribution parameters may be described by means of adequate prior distributions. The proposed approach enables the analytical determination of prior and posterior distributions of reliability and related parameters, such as given percentiles of service life, and their Bayes point and interval estimates. The details of the procedure are extensively shown in the paper, thus proving its analytical feasibility and simplicity of implementation. For the sake of illustration, a numerical application relevant to distribution cable insulation subjected to switching voltage surges is presented. The efficiency of the proposed procedure in comparison with the well-known maximum-likelihood estimation procedure is also shown through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, extensive analyses are carried out in order to assess the robustness of the proposed model; the results show that the estimates obtained by the proposed Bayesian procedure are excellent even when the true prior model is different from the one assumed.


XML (eXtensible Markup Language), a linear syntax for trees, has gathered a remarkable amount of interest in industry. The acceptance of XML opens new venues for the application of formal methods such as specification of abstract syntax tree sets and tree transformations. A user domain may be specified as a set of trees. For example, XHTML is a user domain corresponding to the set of XML documents that make sense as HTML. A notation for defining such a set of XML trees is called a schema language. We believe that a useful schema notation must identify most of the syntactic requirements that the documents in the user domain follow; allow efficient parsing; be readable to the user; allow a declarative default notation `a la CSS; and be modular and extensible to support evolving classes of XML documents. In the present paper, we give a tutorial introduction to the DSD (Document Structure Description) notation as our bid on how to meet these requirements. The DSD notation was inspired by industrial needs, and we show how DSDs help manage aspects of complex XML software through a case study about interactive voice response systems (automated telephone answering systems, where input is through the telephone keypad or speech recognition). The expressiveness of DSDs goes beyond the DTD schema concept that is already part of XML. We advocate the use of nonterminals in a top-down manner, coupled with boolean logic and regular expressions to describe how constraints on tree nodes depend on their context. We also support a general, declarative mechanism for inserting default elements and attributes that is reminiscent of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a way of manipulating formatting instructions in HTML that is built into all modern browsers. Finally, we include a simple technique for evolving DSDs through selective redefinitions. DSDs are in many ways much more expressive than XML Schema (the schema language proposed by the W3C), but their syntactic and semantic definition in English is only 1/8th the size. Also, the DSD notation is self-describable: the syntax of legal DSD documents and all static semantic requirements can be captured in a DSD document, called the meta-DSD.


Abstract Inversion structures, associated with the compressional reactivation of moderate to steeply dipping normal faults inherited from earlier crustal extension, form important structural traps for hydrocarbons. Migration into these traps must occur syn- or post-inversion. Seismic reflection profiles show that inversion is frequently highly selective, with only some of an existing normal fault set being reactivated. Neglecting marked stress-field heterogeneity, frictional mechanics suggests three possible explanations for this selective reactivation: (1) preferential reactivation of shallowest-dipping normal faults in a region that previously underwent the greatest extensional 'dominoing' of fault blocks; (2) the presence of anomalously low friction material along particular faults; and (3) a heterogeneous distribution of fluid overpressures (Pf > hydrostatic) with preferential reactivation occurring in the area of most intense overpressuring. The last possibility is favoured by the likelihood that fluid overpressures develop during inversion as a consequence of the dramatic increase in mean stress that accompanies the transition from an extensional stress regime, with high capacity to store fluids, to a compressional regime with comparatively low storage capacity. Compressional reactivation of moderately to steeply dipping faults likely requires significant overpressures; in the case of faults with dips in excess of the frictional 'lock-up' angle (typically 50–60°), supralithostatic fluid pressures (Pf > σ3 = σv) are a necessary prefailure condition in rupture nucleation sites. Extreme fault-valve action then becomes possible, with postseismic flushing of fluids upwards along faults from overpressured compartments. Evidence for such activity comes from mesothermal Au-quartz veins hosted in steep reverse faults, where repeated attainment of supralithostatic pressures alternated with discharge episodes along the faults. Episodes of vertical hydrocarbon migration along reverse faults are therefore a likely accompaniment to basin inversion; there are, for instance, historical records of postseismic discharge of aqueous and hydrocarbon fluids from the overpressured basins of the Western Transverse Ranges, California, where steep reverse faults remain active today. Careful assessment of the relative timing of fault reactivation during inversion and hydrocarbon migration is needed to evaluate the hypothesis for ancient inverted basins.


A detailed investigation of the spin-diffusion coefficient Ds of water protons in skeletal muscle has been studied by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. Skeletal muscles of mature male rats were placed in a sample holder in which the diffusion coefficient (Ds) of water could be determined as a function of fiber axis theta. The value of Ds(theta) was determined for theta = 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees. The measured anisotropy Ds(O)/Ds(90) was 1.39, and the value of Ds(O) was 1.39 X 10(-5) cm2/sec. These results are interpreted within the framework of a model calculation in which the diffusion equation is solved for a regular hexagonal network similar to the actin-myosin filament network. The large anisotropy, and the large reduction in the value of Ds measured parallel to the filament axes lead to three major conclusions: (1) interpretations in which the reduction in Ds is ascribed to the effect of geometrical obstructions on the diffusion of "free" water are ruled out; (2) there is a large fraction of the cellular water bound or otherwise associated with the proteins in such a way that its diffusion coefficient is substantially reduced; and (3) cellular water cannot be considered to be equivalent to a dilute solution.


Experiences of a severe hypoglycemic event (SHE) , although infrequent occurrences, may interfere with engaging in social activities and increase distress. Previous work in parents suggests having nasal glucagon (NG) - a ready-to-use rescue agent for SHE - alleviates some of these psychosocial concerns. To examine whether young adults also perceived psychosocial benefits from NG, we recruited individuals aged 18-26 with T1D for an online survey. Participants rated the perceived impact of possible SHEs on fully engaging in social activities and distress ('strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree') and perceived changes since starting NG ('worsened a great deal' to 'improved a great deal') . Participants then answered questions about preparedness and protection using a validated measure to compare perceptions of NG to a glucagon kit requiring reconstitution. The final sample included 364 young adults (Meanage = 21.6 years; 73.6% female; MeanHbA1c = 7.1%) . Roughly one third of participants (35.4%) agreed/strongly agreed that possible SHEs limited their engagement in social activities. Most participants (63.7%) agreed/strongly agreed that treating a SHE was distressing. Since having NG, 30.9% of participants reported their freedom to engage in social activities improved/greatly improved and 67.4% reported no change. Of those who reported some amount of distress about SHEs (n = 326) , 49.7% reported their distress improved/greatly improved (i.e., reduced) and 48.8% of participants reported no change. Participants reported greater positive perceptions of Preparedness/Protection with NG (Median = 5.9, IQR = 5.1-6.3) compared to the glucagon kit requiring reconstitution (Median = 4, IQR = 3-4.9) as analyzed with a Wilcoxon signed rank test (p < .001) . Our results suggest that NG may provide meaningful psychosocial benefits for young adults, which could be especially important as they navigate this transitional age for diabetes management.

 C. S. Kelly: None. H. Nguyen: None. W. Luo: Other Relationship; Lilly, Sanofi. K. S. M. Chapman: None. J. Poon: Employee; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Eli Lilly and Company. L. A. Baker: None. W. Wolf: None. M. Perez-Nieves: Employee; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Eli Lilly and Company. B. Mitchell: Employee; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Eli Lilly and Company.

 Eli Lilly and Company


Due to the uncertainness and fuzziness of image evaluation on product form, many fuzzy multi-criteria decision making approaches are applied in this fields. Fuzzy linguistic is usually used by expert to evaluate the importance of the criteria and to rate the alternatives; hence, we integrating fuzzy linguistic based analytic hierarchy process methodology to image evaluation of product form. Trapezoidal fuzzy number and 11-scale linguistic variables were applied in this model. The proposed approach started by a web-based image evaluation system, and then target products were extracted and divided in many design characteristics. Fuzzy linguistic based AHP was applied to generate the critical forms that ordered by vary image adjectives. A case study of mobile phone design was demonstrated the effectiveness.


Many industries and academic institutions share the vision that an appropriate use of information originated from the environment may add value to services in multiple domains and may help humans in dealing with the growing information overload which often seems to jeopardize our life.
It is also clear that information sharing and mutual understanding between software agents may impact complex processes where many actors (humans and machines) are involved, leading to relevant socioeconomic benefits.
Starting from these two input, architectural and technological solutions to enable "environment-related cooperative digital services" are here explored.
The proposed analysis starts from the consideration that our environment is physical space and here diversity is a major value. On the other side diversity is detrimental to common technological solutions, and it is an obstacle to mutual understanding. An appropriate environment abstraction and a shared information model are needed to provide the required levels of interoperability in our heterogeneous habitat.
This thesis reviews several approaches to support environment related applications and intends to demonstrate that smart-space-based, ontology-driven, information-sharing platforms may become a flexible and powerful solution to support interoperable services in virtually any domain and even in cross-domain scenarios. It also shows that semantic technologies can be fruitfully applied not only to represent application domain knowledge. For example semantic modeling of Human-Computer Interaction may support interaction interoperability and transformation of interaction primitives into actions, and the thesis shows how smart-space-based platforms driven by an interaction ontology may enable natural ad flexible ways of accessing resources and services, e.g, with gestures. An ontology for computational flow execution has also been built to represent abstract computation, with the goal of exploring new ways of scheduling computation flows with smart-space-based semantic platforms.


Author(s): Lunine, Seth | Advisor(s): Walker, Richard | Abstract: Scholars have largely overlooked the formative role of industry in both California's economic development and the San Francisco Bay Area's metropolitan expansion during the late nineteenth century. Beginning in the early 1880s, leading firms in San Francisco's specialized industries, such as the iron and chemicals sectors, dispersed to the metropolitan periphery. This process of industrial suburbanization created an integrative metropolitan economy, as well as individual suburbs. In this dissertation, I explore the creation of one of the Bay Area's earliest industrial suburbs, Emeryville. I argue that an analysis of industrial dynamism on the regional scale is integral for understanding metropolitan development and industrial suburbanization. Symbiotic relations between resource extraction and industrial dynamism structured California's distinct mode of capitalist development. The expansion and diversification of resource extraction and processing industries fueled metropolitan growth. Within the broader context of regional capitalism, I examine the process of industrial suburbanization and the formation of Emeryville. I show how two processes greatly influenced industrial dispersal and factory relocation: the creation of an industrial property market and the endogenous logic of industrial production. A coalition of land developers, politicos, and transportation entrepreneurs created a new suburban industrial space. High rates of innovation and accumulation, as well as fierce competition, enabled certain firms to eschew the industrial core and locate their factories in early Emeryville. I draw on array of archival material and primary sources to weave together this distinctive story of California landscapes and industries, and cities and suburbs. My examination of the formation of Emeryville also presents a case study of how industry engenders metropolitan transformation. This dissertation provides insights into the necessarily conjoined processes of city development and industrial suburbanization.


In this article, the state of the art in electrical machine design is outlined underlining the problems and challenges to be solved by engineers. As highlighted in this article, even if electrical machine design is often considered a mature issue from the technical and technological point of view, every year, new progresses and steps forward are made. New and more sophisticated design tools can be used worldwide, and innovative manufacturing processes, new insulation materials, and higher performance magnetic materials are available on the market. In addition, the evolution of the hardware used in digital control and new powerful power electronic devices represents a constant stimulus to improve the performance of electrical machines and reintroduce electrical machine structures that were not adopted in the past due to technological and technical constraints. As shown in this article, electrical machine design is an evergreen topic, and its importance is rising more each year under the push of more energy-saving requirements and higher-efficiency systems for electromechanical conversion. A green world will not be possible without electrical machines.


In Brussels in 2004, more than 55 percent of the children born were of immigrant parents. Half of all female scientists in Germany are childless. According to a poll in 2005, more than 40 percent of British Muslims said Jews were a legitimate target for terrorist attacks.What happens when a falling birth-rate collides with uncontrolled immigration? "The Last Days Of Europe" explores how a massive influx from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East has loaded Europe with a burgeoning population of immigrants, many of whom have no wish to be integrated into European societies but make full use of the host nations' generous free social services.One of the master historians of twentieth-century Europe, Walter Laqueur is renowned for his "gold standard" studies of fascism, terrorism, and anti-Semitism. Here he describes how unplanned immigration policies and indifference coinciding with internal political and social crises have led to a continent-wide identity crisis. "Self-ghettoization" by immigrant groups has caused serious social and political divisions and intense resentment and xenophobia among native Europeans. Worse, widespread educational failure resulting in massive youth unemployment and religious or ideological disdain for the host country have bred extremist violence, as seen in the London and Madrid bombings and the Paris riots. Laqueur urges European policy makers to maintain strict controls with regard to the abuse of democratic freedoms by preachers of hate and to promote education, productive work, and integration among the new immigrants.Written with deep concern and cool analysis by a European-born historian with a gift for explaining complex subjects, this lucid, unflinching analysis will be a must-read for anyone interested in international politics and the so-called clash of civilizations.


In this paper, we argue that endogenous shifts in private consumption behavior across sectors of the economy can act as a potent mitigation mechanism during an epidemic or when the economy is re-opened after a temporary lockdown. We introduce a SIR epidemiological model into a neoclassical production economy in which goods are distinguished by the degree to which they can be consumed at home rather than in a social, possibly contagious context. We demonstrate that within the model the "Swedish solution" of letting the epidemic play out without government intervention and allowing agents to shift their consumption behavior towards relatively safe sectors can lead to substantial mitigation of the economic and human costs of the COVID-19 crisis. We estimate the model on Swedish health data and then show that compared to a model in which sectors are assumed to be homogeneous in their infection risk, as in Eichenbaum, Rebelo, and Trabandt (2020), endogenous sectoral reallocation avoids more than 2/3 of the decline in aggregate output and consumption, and at the same time induces a dynamics of weekly death that accords very well with the matching and of the number of deaths within one year. Our analysis implies case fatality rates below 0.2 percent and a limit of less than 800 deaths per million for Sweden. We also characterize the allocation a social planner would choose that can dictate sectoral consumption patterns and demonstrate that the laissez-faire outcome with sectoral reallocation, while mitigating the economic and health crisis, still implies suboptimally many deaths and too massive a decline in economic activity.


Recombinant technology or genetic engineering is a modern method used for the synthesis of therapeutic agents. The central theme of recombinant technology is the process of "gene cloning" which consists of the production of a deÞ ned fragment of DNA and its propagation and ampliÞ cation in a suitable host cell. Drugs developed by recombinant technology or genetic engineering are known as biologics, biopharmaceuticals, recombinant DNA expressed products, bioengineered, or genetically engineered drugs. A current list of various products developed by recombinant technology includes erythropoietin, coagulation modulators, enzymes, hormones, interferons, interleukins, granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, anti-rheumatoid drugs, and various other agents like TNF, becaplermin, hepatitis-B vaccine, antibodies etc. This article provides general as well as recent pharmacological information on different aspects of recombinant drugs that may be useful for their better understanding by users and health care professionals. Key words: Biologics, erythropoietin, interferon, interleukins, insulin, thrombolytic enzymes.


Ultraviolet (UV) signals are suggested to be sexually selected in a wide range of taxa. Most research, however, has focused on the role of UV signals in mate choice, whereas possible functions in intraspecific competition remain largely untested. Studies on other colors indicate that ornaments preferred by females can also function as signals of social status in competitive interactions between individuals. Whereas these colors are mainly pigment based, UV reflectance is generally caused by selective reflectance of light from surface structures. Here we test experimentally whether the structurally based UV-reflective crown plumage in the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) serves as a signal of status in interindividual competition. We reduced the crown UV reflectance of free-living blue tits in winter and compared their probability of winning conflicts over food at a feeding table with control-treated and untreated individuals. Although we controlled for effects of sex, age, and distance from territory, we found no effect of reduced UV reflectance on the probability of winning nor were conflicts involving UV-reduced individuals more likely to escalate. Therefore, we conclude that the UV reflectance of the blue tit's crown does not serve as a signal of status in competition over food in winter. We suggest that the observed site-dependent dominance structure may constrain the opportunity for a status signal to evolve and that enhancing attractiveness in mate choice may be the sole function of the crown's UV reflectance. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.


While annual precipitation in much of the US Corn Belt is likely to remain constant, atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD), the driver of crop water loss (evapotranspiration; ET), is projected to increase from ~2.2 kPa today to ~2.7 kPa by mid-century primarily due to the temperature increase. Without irrigation, it has been hypothesized that the increase in VPD will create a ceiling to future increases in maize yields. We calculated current and future growing season ET based on biomass, water use efficiency, and the amount of yield these levels of ET would support for maize production in the Midwest USA. We assumed that the production of more grain will necessitate a proportional increase in the production of biomass, with a corresponding increase in ET. Here we show that as VPD increases, maintaining current maize yields (2013–2016) will require a large expansion of irrigation, greater than threefold, in areas currently supported by rain. The average predicted yield for the region of 244 ± 4 bushels/acre (15,316 ± 251 kg/ha) projected for 2050, assuming yield increases observed for the past 60 yr continue, would not be possible with projected increases in VPD, creating a water ceiling to maize yields. Substantial increases in maize yields and the production of high yielding grasses for bioenergy will require developing cultivars with greater water use efficiency, a trait that has not been a priority for breeders in the past. © 2019 The Authors.


Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that primarily affects young and middle-aged people. It is widely accepted that B lymphocyte activation is required for MS progression. Despite the fact that the exact triggering mechanisms of MS remain enigmatic, one may suggest that MS can be induced by viral or bacterial infection in combination with specific genetic and environmental factors. Using deep sequencing and functional selection methodologies we characterized clones of poly- and cross-reactive antibodies that are capable of simultaneous recognition of viral proteins and autoantigens. The latter, in turn, possibly may trigger MS progression through molecular mimicry. It was identified that two cross-reactive antigens are probably recognized by light or heavy chains individually. According to the high structural homology between selected autoantibodies and a number of various antiviral IgGs, we suggest that a wide range of pathogens, instead of a single virus, be regarded as possible triggers of MS.


Pain treatment of patients with opioid addiction and tolerance may be challenging due to their unexpectedly higher pain sensitivities and opioid requirements. It has been reported that the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor is involved in mechanisms of tolerance to opioid analgesics. Recently enhancement of morphine induced analgesia by low dose ketamine addition to the treatment regimen has been reported. We report a cancer patient with meperidine tolerance and psychological dependency to the agent who was afterwards successfully treated with morphine-ketamine combination.


The pseudo-binary (quasi-equilibrium) phase diagram for Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with crystalline in situ precipitates (β phase) has been constructed from high-temperature phase information and chemical composition analysis. The phase evolution was detected in situ by high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction followed by Rietveld analysis of the data for volume fraction estimation. The phase diagram delineates phase fields and allows the control of phase fractions. Combined with related previous work by the authors, this diagram offers a unique opportunity to control both the morphology and volume of the dendritic β phase precipitates to enhance the properties of the composites.


In this paper, we propose a novel spatial join-based algorithm for Continuous Border Monitoring Query (CBMQ) processing, which we refer to as SJCBMQ. SJCBMQ transforms the CBMQ processing problems into the spatial join processing problems. Based on the transformation, SJCBMQ finds stream-query pairs which satisfy intersecting relationship. Another attractive contribution of our work is utilizing the locality characteristic of data streams. To take advantage of this characteristic, we cache the search result via an elaborate design. When a hit occurs, we reuse the cache result, avoiding re-evaluate the queries once again. Experimental results show that SJCBMQ significantly outperforms existing approaches in terms of both storage cost and search time.


Increasing urbanization around the world has raised the passenger demand for public transport. Although travelling by private vehicles dominates market share in most cities and car ownership has increased dramatically, public transport is still an important and cost-effective option, especially in large cities. As a result of that, many public transport technologies, including conventional bus services and innovative public transport technologies, are available to meet this demand. Due to the land use and financial constraints of public transport development in large cities, transport planners and decision makers need to think twice before choosing the most cost-effective public transport mode for the local transport network. Therefore it is necessary to have a comprehensive assessment to evaluate the performance of different public transport technologies, both from the operator's and society's point of view. This thesis demonstrates the development of the comparative assessment for comparing the performance of various public transport technologies based on their characteristics and the condition of local transport network. The comparative assessment is made up of three models: Spreadsheet Cost Model, Demand Supply Model and Microscopic Simulation Model. The Spreadsheet Cost Model is constructed in Microsoft Excel and calculates the social and operator cost of public transport systems in strategy level. The Demand Supply Model evaluates the relationship between services supplied from the operator and the passenger demand level by using the demand elasticity with respect to generalised passenger journey time. The Microscopic Simulation Model determines the level of service of the public transport system on the local network by using a microscopic simulation model in VISSIM, which has been created, calibrated and validated based on the data collected from the main corridor of Nanning, China. The three models were integrated in the comparative assessment which is then able to quantify the performance differences between public transport technologies operating on local transport network. The comparative assessment was applied to compare the existing conventional bus service with a conceptually innovative public transport technology, Straddle Bus, on the main corridor (Minzu Avenue) in Nanning, China, in terms of social and operator cost, level of service and forecasted endogenous passenger demand level. The result shows that implementation of Straddle bus in Nanning is able to meet the public transport passenger demand that is increasing rapidly in the city. Detailed interpretations of the comparative assessment results have been given, as well as the suggestions for transport planners and decision makers in Nanning city, as an example of the usefulness of the comparative assessment.


In this paper, a new congestion controller is developed to obtain a feedforward and feedback optimal control for networked control systems (NCS) with persistent disturbances. The disturbances have known dynamic characteristics but unknown initial conditions. The disturbance observer is proposed to make the feedforward control law realizable physically. In the approach only the non-linear compensating term, solution of a sequence of adjoint vector differential equations, is required iteration. By taking the finite iteration of non-linear compensating term of optimal solution sequence, a suboptimal control law for NCS with time delay can be obtained.


Background: In the synovial membrane of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a strong expression of laminins and matrix degrading proteases was reported. Aim: To investigate the regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in synovial fibroblasts (SFs) of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and RA by attachment to laminin-1 (LM-111) and in the presence or absence of costimulatory signals provided by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). Methods: SFs were seeded in laminin-coated flasks and activated by addition of TGFβ. The expression of genes was investigated by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunocytochemistry and ELISA, and intracellular signalling pathways by immunoblotting, and by poisoning p38MAPK by SB203580, MEK-ERK by PD98059 and SMAD2 by A-83-01. Results: Attachment of SF to LM-111 did not activate the expression of MMPs, but addition of TGFβ induced a fivefold higher expression of MMP-3. Incubation of SF on LM-111 in the presence of TGFβ induced a significant 12-fold higher expression of MMP-3 mRNA, and secretion of MMP-3 was elevated 20-fold above controls. Functional blocking of LM-111–integrin interaction reduced the laminin-activated MMP-3 expression significantly. Stimulation of SF by LM-111 and TGFβ activated the p38MAPK, ERK and SMAD2 pathways, and inhibition of these pathways by using SB203580, PD98059 or A-83-01 confirmed the involvement of these pathways in the regulation of MMP-3. Conclusion: Attachment of SF to LM-111 by itself has only minor effects on the expression of MMP-1 or MMP-3, but it facilitates the TGFβ-induced expression of MMP-3 significantly. This mode of MMP-3 induction may therefore contribute to inflammatory joint destruction in RA independent of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)1β or tumour necrosis factor (TNF)α.


An iterative learning servo controller with RBF network feed-forward position compensation is proposed to control the mover of permanent magnet linear servo system to track reference position signal. The structure of RBF feed-forward position controller is analyzed in detail. The effective estimation of nonlinear load is realized by higher-order D-type iterative learning identification method. The feedback position control law was made up of load identification and feedback error signal. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate that this method can assure system obtains good servo performance.


Juvenile tiger prawns Penaeus semisulcatus (2.5 to 5.5 mm carapace length) were collected on an intertidal seagrass bed in the Embley River estuary in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Prawns were sampled every 2 h over one 24 h period in the pre-wet (early October) and over one 24 h period in the late-wet season (late March) and the moult cycles and foregut contents determined. Premoult prawns were found mostly between 12:00 and 22:00 h and ecdysis occurred mostly between 20:00 and 0:00 h. A mean moult period of 3.0 d was estimated from the percentage of the prawns in premoult and ecdysis stages in early evening samples. On a scale of 0 (empty) to 10 (full), the mean foregut fullness of small juveniles was greater than 4.5 during both the day and night in each season. Copepods, filamentous algae, diatoms and unidentified material were the most common prey in both seasons. Insect larvae were more common in the pre-wet and nematodes and ostracods were more common in the late-wet. Little diel variation in diet was noted. Rapid foregut passage rates under field starvation conditions showed that between 55 and 60% of foregut contents was cleared in 1 h. This result, and the values for mean foregut fullness over 24 h, suggested that small prawns fed continuously through the day and night. Further field experiments in the presence of food showed that both hard and soft prey items were cleared from the foregut within 2 h and also that moult stage affected the feeding behaviour of prawns. Intermoult prawns maintained means of foregut fullness greater than 7, while premoult prawns ate less.


One of the most common lower Pennsylvanian (upper Namurian, lower Westphalian) pteridosperms is a species commonly recorded as Alethopteris lonchitica Schlotheim, 1820 ex Sternberg, 1825. However, the photographic illustration of the lectotype of Alethopteris lonchitica by Zodrow & Cleal (1998) has allowed a clear distinction from Alethopteris lonchitica (auctorum) which corresponds, in the main, to Alethopteris urophylla (Brongniart, 1834) Goppert, 1836. This species is redescribed here, and its holotype is illustrated photographically for the first time. The published records, backed up by illustration, are analysed with reference to lists of synonymy. The geographic and stratigraphic distribution of Alethopteris urophylla is discussed, and illustrations of this species are provided from Nova Scotia, Scotland, England, Wales, the North of France, and NW as well as SW Spain. Alethopteris lonchitica was identified with Alethopteris lonchitifolia Bertrand, 1932 by Zodrow and Cleal, but the present writers prefer an identification with Alethopteris friedelii Bertrand, 1932. The corresponding taxonomic implications are discussed.


: Polymeric materials bearing polar groups constitute a class of macromolecules with interest in a number of uses. Because the direct synthesis employing polymerization strategies from polar monomers is very often precluded by catalyst poisoning or uncontrolled side reactions, the alternative postpolymerization route consisting in modifying a previously prepared polymer is continuously progressing. However, such a posteriori modi fi cation depends on the existence of potential reaction sites in the polymer. Because of this, polyole fi ns are the most challenging substrates to work with and, among them, the saturated ones. In this contribution, the current state of the art of the metal-catalyzed modi fi cation of polyole fi ns and subsequent polar group incorporation is provided.


In this paper we present a study that addresses teenager preferences about and attitudes towards mobile devices. We specifically addressed physical aspects such as input modalities, form-factor, size and weight, based on discussion groups (a total of 31 participants) with two different target groups defined by age: 15-17 and 20-25 years old. In addition to physical aspects, we addressed the features that are particularly important to the participants based on user-created design sketches of their ideal mobile phone of the future. In a follow-up, 3 workshops (21 participants) were held aimed at developing new ideas for services that are designed for the target group. We found a remarkable preference for numeric keypad as the input method of choice. Touch screen interaction was mentioned as appealing, but this feeling was mediated by concerns regarding durability and usability. Form-factors varied between participants, users are open for new and innovative form factors, where the final looks are more important than the specific form ("it has to look cool"). The discussions on functionality and features can roughly be classified in rough trends of ideas focussing on integration and standardization, security, and personalization.


We have studied theoretically the magnetotransport in ferromagnetic resonant tunnelling diodes (FRTDs), where alternating magnetic Ga1-xMnxAs and non-magnetic GaAs and AlAs layers give rise to strongly spin-polarization-dependent electronic transport. We have studied two cases: (1) an FRTD structure with a non-magnetic quantum well between magnetic emitter and collector layers, and equation (2) an FRTD structure with a ferromagnetic quantum well between non-magnetic emitter and collector layers. First a correction to the energy of the band edge due to the exchange interaction between the charge carrier spin and the magnetic moments of the Mn ions is estimated. Then the current-voltage characteristics of the FRTD are calculated as a function of temperature and magnetic field using a modified Tsu-Esaki formula. In the FRTD the transport depends strongly on the spin polarization of the magnetic lattice, and in a certain bias voltage range near the negative resistance region the model predicts colossal magnetoresistance at temperatures close to the Curie temperature.


Amici curiae are persons interested in a trial but not party to it that submit an unsolicited written brief or make an oral statement before the bench. The widespread possibility to submit amicus curiae briefs in international courts and tribunals is a recent phenomenon. Traditionally international procedures did not allow this kind of intervention. The purpose of this paper is to take stock of this evolution and assess the functioning of the new procedures. It does this by looking comparatively at several courts and tribunals, in order to get a picture of the commonalities and common problems surrounding this general development. Two sets of questions are considered, the first centered on issues of transparency and public participation, the second on the rights of the parties. Among the elements that deal with public participation, the paper examines the clarity of the procedures, the equality of the treatment of all the interested entities, the conditions and reasons for accepting or refusing the proposed amici, and the inclusion of the amici submissions in the text of the final decision. The other set of questions, concerning the rights and interests of the parties to the dispute, includes their role in the submission phase and their interest in efficient proceedings. In answering these questions, serious issues of transparency, publicity, and the political role of states acting as amici emerge. The paper concludes that further reflection is necessary on the origins of these problems, but that a first, important step can be achieved by addressing these procedural issues.


The scanning laser acoustic microscope (SLAM), which exhibits a resolution of about 15 /spl mu/m in biological materials, was operated at a frequency of 100 MHz to evaluate the source of image contrast. Specifically, the SLAM's quantitative capabilities yielded the ultrasonic propagation properties of attenuation coefficient and propagation speed of rat brain tissue (white versus gray matter) and these properties mere correlated with tissue constituents and image contrast. The SLAM's image contrast between the two brain layers in both fresh and fixed specimens was analyzed subjectively by an experienced microscopist. It was determined that ethanol fixation decreased the image contrast between the brain layers. Additionally, the propagation speed was the least affected property in the fresh tissue specimens yet increased in both brain layers after fixation whereas the attenuation coefficient of white matter in unfixed brain tissue was higher than that of gray matter. These results indicate that the SLAM's acoustic image contrast is a direct reflection of the difference in attenuation coefficient whereas the propagation speed is not a significant contributor to the image contrast.<<ETX>>


The coastal ocean is a crucial link between land, the open ocean and the atmosphere. The shallowness of the water column permits close interactions between the sedimentary, aquatic and atmospheric compartments, which otherwise are decoupled at long time scales (≅ 1000 yr) in the open oceans. Despite the prominent role of the coastal oceans in absorbing atmospheric CO2 and transferring it into the deep oceans via the continental shelf pump, the underlying mechanisms remain only partly understood. Evaluating observations from the North Sea, a NW European shelf sea, we provide evidence that anaerobic degradation of organic matter, fuelled from land and ocean, generates total alkalinity (AT) and increases the CO2 buffer capacity of seawater. At both the basin wide and annual scales anaerobic AT generation in the North Sea's tidal mud flat area irreversibly facilitates 7–10%, or taking into consideration benthic denitrification in the North Sea, 20–25% of the North Sea's overall CO2 uptake. At the global scale, anaerobic AT generation could be accountable for as much as 60% of the uptake of CO2 in shelf and marginal seas, making this process, the anaerobic pump, a key player in the biological carbon pump. Under future high CO2 conditions oceanic CO2 storage via the anaerobic pump may even gain further relevance because of stimulated ocean productivity.


The aim of this paper is to identify how improved information flow
surrounding the use of forecasting data can prevent stoppages and thus
excessive lead times in the aerospace services arena. This is of particular
importance, as services have high revenue potential and a particularly
competitive market environment. In the academic literature, it is regarded as
particularly challenging due to the nature of its products. In addition, traditional
manufacturing companies have little experience with service provision.
A case study is conducted with a major industry player using the seven
stage model of soft systems methodology in a researcher-based form. In the
course of this, current information flows are analyzed and visualized to identify
problem areas. It becomes apparent that blaming behaviour is common and
that most reasons for stoppages can be traced back to information flow failures
at the interface between organisational entities. Each entity is focused on its
own processes, which is encouraged by the existing penalty policy within the
company. Very little effort is put into optimizing the whole aftermarket system.
In an effort to change this, a more customer focused approach is
suggested. The first step is a discussion of the findings of the study with all
involved entities. The current penalty system needs to be altered to encourage
interaction instead of internal competition. In quarterly meetings, information
from within the company, as well as feedback from external entities will be
gathered and analyzed in order to avoid stoppages. In an effort to mitigate
arising problems directly among entities, a constant communication platform will
be provided.


The recently-developed off-line learning control approaches for the rejection of periodic disturbances utilize the specific property that the learning system tends to oscillate in steady state. Unfortunately, the prior works have not clarified how closely the learning system should approach the steady state to achieve the rejection of periodic disturbances to satisfactory level. In this paper, we address this issue extensively for the class of linear systems. We also attempt to remove the effect of other aperiodic disturbances on the rejection of the periodic disturbances effectively. In fact, the proposed learning control algorithm can provide very fast convergence performance in the presence of aperiodic disturbance. The effectiveness and practicality of our work is demonstrated through mathematical performance analysis as well as various simulation results.


During the past few years, the construction of diarylethene (DAE)-based supramolecular metallacycles and metallacages has gained increasing attention due to their distinctive photophysical and photochemical properties and potential applications in magnetic switching, smart soft materials, photodynamic therapy, etc. Surprisingly, no review on the construction of discrete DAE-based supramolecular metallacycles and metallacages via coordination-driven self-assembly has been summarized to the best of our knowledge. Considering the rapid development of this field, it is time to summarize the recent development of the construction of discrete DAEcontaining polygons and polyhedra. In this review, the construction of diarylethene-based metallacycles and metallacages via coordination-driven self-assembly is briefly introduced. In addition, the properties and applications of these metallacycles and metallacages are also discussed. Page 2 of Qin et al. Chem Synth 2021;1:2 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/cs.2021.05 21


Tourism is the world's leading and fastest growing industry which generates many positive impacts on the destinations. It is also considered as a root cause of generating different socio-cultural problems. Employing of child labor in different tourism related activities is a prominent issue and it has now become a common jeopardy and a public debate, especially among social scientists. Therefore, an incessant attention has been given to study the different facets of this issue. This background is common in the Sri Lankan tourism industry too. The main objective of this research was to study the issues and challenges of utilizing child labor in the tourism industry of the Eastern Tourism Region of Sri Lanka. After a preliminary survey, Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts were selected as the study area. The judgment and purposive sampling methods were used to select the sample and the total sample of this research was 190, which comprised of 140 child workers and 50 tourism related establishments. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to collect data. The data was analyzed applying qualitative and quantitative analytical methods. The overall findings of the study are discussed under several sub headings including the overall nature of the child labour utilization with main facets such as the existing nature and types of work, the place of work, salaries and wages, different problems faced by child workers and the existing issues and challenges. As per the general findings of the research the child workers of the study area have been employed in both formal and informal sectors of the tourism industry. The issues related to child labour utilization are in two main forms viz. the different issues and challenges faced by child labourers and the business community of the study area.


In this work the Warm Hydroforming (WHF) process for the production of a 6xxx series Al alloy component has been investigated using a numerical/experimental approach: both experimental and numerical hydroforming tests were carried out using the alloy AC170PX, a pre aged (T4 condition) Al alloy often adopted for automotive applications. In order to evaluate both the mechanical and strain behaviour of the material, tensile tests were carried out at different temperature and strain rate levels using the Gleeble system 3180, keeping also into account the ageing effect; in addition, formability (Nakazima) tests in warm conditions were performed by means of a specific equipment and the Forming Limit Curves at different temperature levels were evaluated according to the ISO standard 12004-2. Hydroforming experiments were carried out using a prototypal press machine specifically designed for WHF and SuperPlastic Forming tests. Such tests, scheduled by a DoE approach, were aimed at investigating the suitability of using the investigated Al alloy in the WHF process: attention was thus focused on those parameters mainly affecting the aging phenomenon (temperature, heating time and cycle time). In order to overcome the actual physical limitation of the hydroforming facilities, a Finite Element (FE) model of the WHF process was also created implementing experimental data (flow stress curves and FLCs) and tuned using data from preliminary WHF tests. In particular, after setting the Coefficient Of Friction (COF) according to temperature and verifying the robustness of numerical simulations, the FE model was used for investigating: (i) the influence of the Blank Holder Force (neglected in the experimental campaign); (ii) the adoption of quite smaller values of the parameter cycle time (being the aim to determine higher strain rates in the material). Through the definition of proper response variables (Flatness, Bursting Pressure and Thickness Ratio) both experimental and numerical results were analyzed by means of polynomial Response Surfaces in order to evaluate the optimal process conditions.


This study aims to understand the risks of vicarious trauma and possibilities of resilience among volunteers at an organisation that supports survivors of intimate-partner violence. The analysis identifies the dynamics of the organisation and the risk of vicarious traumatisation that the volunteers faced. The participants explored the personal self-care techniques they found effective and the organisational support available. The findings indicate that there was some degree of recognition of the risk by individual support workers, and also some attempts by the organisation to offer support, but these were undermined by a prevailing stigma among volunteers associated with admitting and showing vulnerability and inadequacy. Such denialism has a negative impact on both volunteers and organisational support structures, and also indirectly affects the clients seeking support. This analysis supports the importance of dealing with vicarious traumatisation in the training of volunteers and makes recommendations for the ongoing functioning of organisations, in order to facilitate effective recognition, non-stigmatised acceptance, and management of vicarious traumatisation among crisis support workers.


Local human rights organizations (LHROs) are crucial allies in international efforts to promote human rights. Without support from organized civil society, efforts by transnational human rights reformers would have little effect. Despite their importance, we have little systematic information on the correlates of public trust in LHROs. To fill this gap, we conducted key informant interviews with 233 human rights workers from sixty countries, and then administered a new Human Rights Perceptions Poll to representative public samples in Mexico (n = 2,400), Morocco (n = 1,100), India (n = 1,680), and Colombia (n = 1,699). Our data reveal that popular trust in local rights groups is consistently associated with greater respondent familiarity with the rights discourse, actors, and organizations, along with greater skepticism toward state institutions and agents. The evidence fails to provide consistent, strong support for other commonly held expectations, however, including those about the effects of foreign funding, socioeconomic status, and transnational connections.


This study investigated the relationship between individual and job characteristics of mental health social workers and professional dissonance—an experienced conflict between values and job tasks. A 33-item questionnaire, designed specifically for the study's purposes was utilized. A total of 320 usable study questionnaires were returned (44.5% response rate). The primary study hypothesis, that professional dissonance is related to individual and job characteristics, was partially supported by the data. While job characteristics appeared to have little influence on dissonance, several individual characteristics of the respondents were statistically related to level of dissonance. Specifically, men with the most years of experience and with lower reported attachment to self-determination reported higher levels of dissonance. Study participants affirmed the importance of life-long supervision in managing dissonance in practice.


We advance a model of human probability judgment and apply it to the design of an extrapolation algorithm. Such an algorithm examines a person's judgment about the likelihood of various statements and is then able to predict the same person's judgments about new statements. The algorithm is tested against judgments produced by thirty undergraduates asked to assign probabilities to statements about mammals.


The series "Overview of Higher Education and Research Systems in the Western Balkans" includes seven reports on the higher education and research systems in the region – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Each of the reports represents a comprehensive overview of the higher education and research systems in the region, covering topics such as policy, governance arrangements, funding, institutional landscape, and quality, while focusing on the major reforms and trends in the recent years.


In this paper, we consider the dynamic visual feedback control with the uncertainty of the camera coordinate frame based on the passivity. Firstly the brief summary of the nominal visual feedback systems with a fixed camera is given with the fundamental representation of a relative rigid body motion. Secondly we construct the visual feedback system with uncertainty which is not be limited to the orientation around the optical axis. Next, we derive the passivity of the dynamic visual feedback system by combining the manipulator dynamics and the visual feedback system. Based on the passivity, stability and L/sub 2/-gain performance analysis are discussed. Finally the validity of the proposed control law can be confirmed by comparing the simulation results.


Abstract In order to investigate the effects of geological setting and the surrounding lithology on coastal sediment samples, four properties were analysed in a series of samples collected from different localities: colour determined by spectrophotometry; particle size distribution determined by laser granulometry; chemical composition determined by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry); and low-field magnetic susceptibility determined using a susceptibility meter. A hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to ascertain the capacity of the different properties for discrimination between samples from the different geological settings. The study reveals that colour analysis only allowed discrimination between different geographical areas; particle size distribution allowed separation between dune and beach samples; chemical composition allowed discrimination between both different geological settings and also between dune and beach sands; and, finally, the combination of magnetic susceptibility with colour and particle size distribution allowed for clear discrimination between geological settings, and between beach and sand dunes. The studied samples are part of a larger and growing collection of data, and a more extensive evaluation will continue to be made for a more definitive assessment of the use of different characteristics for discrimination. So far, the results give confidence that it is meaningful to use these characteristics, especially when examined in combination, to distinguish between different locations.


Background Milnacipran is a balanced serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with minimal side effects and broad safety margin. It acts primarily on the descending inhibitory pain pathway in brain and spinal cord. In many animal studies, intrathecal administration of milnacipran is effective in neuropathic pain management. However, there is no study for the neurological safety of milnacipran when it is administered neuraxially. This study examined the neurotoxicity of epidural milnacipran by observing behavioral and sensory-motor changes with histopathological examinations of spinal cords in rats. Methods Sixty rats were divided into 3 groups, with each group receiving epidural administration of either 0.3 ml (3 mg) of milnacipran (group M, n = 20), 0.3 ml of 40% alcohol (group A, n = 20), or 0.3 ml of normal saline (group S, n = 20). Results There were no abnormal changes in the behavioral, sensory-motor, or histopathological findings in all rats of groups M and S over a 3-week observation period, whereas all rats in group A had abnormal changes. Conclusions Based on these findings, the direct epidural administration of milnacipran in rats did not present any evidence of neurotoxicity in behavioral, sensory-motor and histopathological evaluations.


Optimal conditions for the formation of stable protoplasts of S. recifensis subsp. lyticus 2435 were defined and the use of the protoplasting procedure to increase the activity of the synthesis of extracellular enzymes was shown in principle possible. The level of the synthesis of glycosidases and lytic endopeptidases by the isolated variant II-29 was higher than that the initial strain by 40-45 per cent which was due to the enrichment of the population with more active variants.


More Organizations are shifting their mode of operations from individual based to group based Operations. A team as far as this study is concerned means a group of Organizational staff employed in various functions and positions, working to contribute collectively towards attainment of Organizational goals. Lack of good management to team processes may hinder organizations aspiring to team mode of operations from harnessing fully the benefits which goes with team settings. They may lead to inefficiency leading to poor performance, for Non-Profit Organizations poor performance is interpreted in terms of failure to achieve intended goals, increased costs of operations and increased financial risks, when this happens to any NGO it is likely that donors for that NGO may cut funds and relocate the same to more efficient and high performing NGOs capable of delivering same goals within acceptable standards. The aim of this study was to assess the Role of teamwork towards Non Profit Organizational performance. The specific objectives of this study were to assess the role of teamwork in Reduction in operating costs, improved monitoring and supervisory support, reduction in workload and Reduction in financial risks. This research takes the form of a case study and the findings were collected through questionnaires and interview method. The research findings revealed that Cluster Teams has led to reduction in financial risks and improved organizational Monitoring and Supervisory Support, but cluster teams has not led to reduction in Operational costs and staff workload. Results from this study imply that Organizations interested in teamwork mode of operations has a lot of potential to benefit in terms of improved organizational performance.


RSV is an important cause of LRTI in infants and young children for which there are no suitable antiviral drugs offered. We evaluated the efficacy of KPT-335 as an anti-RSV drug and show that KPT-335 inhibits XPO1-mediated nuclear export, leading to nuclear accumulation of RSV M protein and reduction in RSV levels. KPT-335 treatment also resulted in inhibition of proinflammatory pathways, which has important implications for its effectiveness in vivo. ABSTRACT Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalization of infants and young children, causing considerable respiratory disease and repeat infections that may lead to chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, wheezing, and bronchitis. RSV causes ∼34 million new episodes of lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI) in children younger than 5 years of age, with >3 million hospitalizations due to severe RSV-associated LRTI. The standard of care is limited to symptomatic relief as there are no approved vaccines and few effective antiviral drugs; thus, a safe and efficacious RSV therapeutic is needed. Therapeutic targeting of host proteins hijacked by RSV to facilitate replication is a promising antiviral strategy as targeting the host reduces the likelihood of developing drug resistance. The nuclear export of the RSV M protein, mediated by the nuclear export protein exportin 1 (XPO1), is crucial for RSV assembly and budding. Inhibition of RSV M protein export by leptomycin B correlated with reduced RSV replication in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the anti-RSV efficacy of Verdinexor (KPT-335), a small molecule designed to reversibly inhibit XPO1-mediated nuclear export. KPT-335 inhibited XPO1-mediated transport and reduced RSV replication in vitro. KPT-335 was effective against RSV A and B strains and reduced viral replication following prophylactic or therapeutic administration. Inhibition of RSV replication by KPT-335 was due to a combined effect of reduced XPO1 expression, disruption of the nuclear export of RSV M protein, and inactivation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. IMPORTANCE RSV is an important cause of LRTI in infants and young children for which there are no suitable antiviral drugs offered. We evaluated the efficacy of KPT-335 as an anti-RSV drug and show that KPT-335 inhibits XPO1-mediated nuclear export, leading to nuclear accumulation of RSV M protein and reduction in RSV levels. KPT-335 treatment also resulted in inhibition of proinflammatory pathways, which has important implications for its effectiveness in vivo.


A thirty six years old woman admitted in ICU following emergency lower uterine caesarean section under subarachnoid block (SAB). After 03 hours of surgical procedure, the patient develops severe respiratory distress. Patient was evaluated and diagnosed as a case of acute pulmonary oedema. In ICU, she was aggressively treated with intravenous Morphine, frusemideand parenteral antibiotic. After 1 hour of intensive care management, respiratory distress decreased but not significantly, in addition, she complains of severe pain on surgical operative site. Post operative analgesia was maintained with parectamol (500 mg) suppositories six hourly and intramuscular pathedine 75 mg 8 hourly. Instead of this her pain scores were 7/10 at rest and 8/10 on coughing along with respiratory distress. Then in ICU under all aseptic precaution bilateral TAP block was performed using landmark technique with 0.25% plain bupivacine 20 ml. Thirty minutes later, her pain subsided significantly and pain score became 1/10 at rest and 2/10 on coughing. Thereafter patient was slept for 4 hours, pain free and could take care of herself. After 48 hours patient was shifted to ward and discharged on 7th post operative day. TAP block is relatively easy, safe techniques. Because of simplicity and low cost, TAP block is likely to be an effective adjunct to multimodal postoperative analgesia for abdominal surgery. Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.10(2) 2014


Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate long distances each year on a return journey from low-latitude breeding grounds to high-latitude feeding grounds. Migration is influenced by subtle and complex social behaviors and the assumption that whales transit directly through the migratory corridor off the east coast of Australia requires further investigation. From 2003 to 2005, we followed the movements of 99 individual whales within one migratory cycle from three locations, off Byron Bay during the whales' northern migration and in Hervey Bay and at Ballina during the southern migration. The median sighting interval of whales between Byron Bay and Hervey Bay (n = 26) was 52 d (IQR = 42.5–75.5); between Byron Bay and Ballina (n = 21) was 59 d (IQR = 47.0–70.0); and between Hervey Bay and Ballina (n = 33) was 9 d (8.0–14.0). The overall pattern observed from these resightings suggests that Group E1 humpback whales spend approximately two months in the northern quarter of their range during the austral winter months. Intraseason resightings of whales at Ballina (n = 13, median sighting interval = 7 d) also suggest that some individuals, particularly adult males, may circle back north during their general southward journey along this part of the coast, perhaps in an attempt to increase mating opportunities.


Information about financial risk almost always contains a problem of class imbalance. Class-imbalanced data refers to the asymmetric categories of data, and it is divided into a major class and a minor class. If we guide all information into the training sample to model of this situation, it may happen that the accuracy rate of the major class is high, but the accuracy rate of the minor class is too low. Many risk assessment models have been developed in many studies, but most of them only use sampling methods to deal with the class-imbalanced data; this may cause the distortion of information. In order to effectively solve the problem of class imbalance in credit risk assessment, this paper proposed a novel credit risk assessment model using a granular computing technique to construct a risk assessment model to provide a better insight into the essence of data and effectively solve class imbalance problems. On the other hand, in order to improve the lack of granular computing and enhance the efficiency of the credit risk assessment model, this paper adds a new index, "% of minor class (PM)," to avoid a situation in which minor class data spread to the major class granular. Finally, this paper also compares the results of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and G-means methods for dealing with class-imbalanced data. The results demonstrate that the proposed granular computing credit assessment model would have better results than other sampling models.


A critical decision method is described for modeling tasks in naturalistic environments characterized by high time pressure, high information content, and changing conditions. The method is a variant of a J.C. Flanagan's (1954) critical incident technique extended to include probes that elicit aspects of expertise such as the basis for making perceptual discriminations, conceptual discriminations, typicality judgments, and critical cues. The method has been used to elicit domain knowledge from experienced personnel such as urban and wildland fireground commanders, tank platoon leaders, structural engineers, design engineers, paramedics, and computer programmers. A model of decision-making derived from these investigations is presented as the theoretical background to the methodology. Instruments and procedures for implementing the approach are described. Applications of the method include developing expert systems, evaluating expert systems' performance, identifying training requirements, and investigating basic decision research issues. >


or documents for the design and construction of all architectural, geological, or engineering work related by building standards, prior to agency approval of this work. The bill would also provide that, notwithstanding existing law, all state and local enforcement agencies shall return any incomplete building plans, specifications, reports, or documents, accompanied by a statement o the applicant identifying the part or parts of the plans that are incomplete, and specifying the actions required to be taken by the architect, engineer, geologist, or building designer to complete the plans, specifications, reports, or documents prior to any resubmission. [S. H&LU]


Different Design Driving Load constraints (DDLs), are explored in this work to determine under which constraints and conditions a winglet can have an added value to the wind turbine blade design. Multi-objective Bayesian optimization is used to maximize the rotor's power production while minimizing the flapwise DDLs. Surrogate models, created using machine learning techniques such as Gaussian Processes and Bayesian Neural Networks, are used in combination with an acquisition function, to determine what designs should be evaluated by the lifting line model AWSM, with the goal to obtain designs that lie on the Pareto front of two or more objectives. The recent Bayesian Neural Networks as surrogate model were able to find the Pareto-front most effectively in this work. Furthermore, the results show that different DDL constraints led to different winglet designs, with noticeable differences between upwind and downwind winglet designs. Winglet designs were found to be able to increase power without increasing the thrust, root flapwise bending moment and flapwise bending moment at radial locations on the blade. A noticeable increase in power was found when introducing sweep to the winglet design.


Objectives The study attempted to determine the incidence of HIV among pregnant women in Kabarole District, Uganda, and to identify socio-demographic and behavioral risk factors for seroconversion during pregnancy. Methods We carried out a retrospective cohort study among women for whom a documented HIV-negative test result from the first pregnancy trimester could be confirmed using available records, and who were HIV-retested in the third trimester or during delivery. In total, 1610 pregnant women from three different healthcare settings took part in the study. We captured the results of repeated HIV tests and conducted semi-structured interviews to explore participants' socio-demographic characteristics and sexual risk behavior. For HIV incidence rates, we calculated the number of seroconversions per 100 person-years. We used Fisher's exact test to test for potential associations. Penalized maximum likelihood logistic regression and Poisson regression were applied to adjust for potential confounders. Results The overall HIV incidence rate among participants was 2.9/100 women-years. Among socio-demographic characteristics, the multivariable analysis showed a significant association of marital status with HIV incidence in pregnancy (IRR 8.78, 95%CI [1.13–68.33]). Risky sexual behaviors including higher number of sexual partners in pregnancy (IRR 2.78 [1.30–5.94]), unprotected sex with unknown persons (IRR 14.25 [4.52–44.93]), alcohol abuse (IRR 12.08 [4.18–34.90]) and sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol (IRR 6.33 [1.36–29.49]) were significantly associated with seroconversion in pregnancy (similar results in logistic regression). Conclusions HIV incidence was three times higher among our pregnant study population compared to the general female population in Uganda. This underlines the importance of HIV prevention and repeat testing during pregnancy. Identified risk groups should be considered for pre-exposure prophylaxis.


A duality developed within geography after Varenius accepted the Copernican paradigm, because of the wish to search for law-like relationships. National geographies contributed their own cultural values. Geographers accepted the cross-cultural terms through translation without being aware that political values were a paramount contribution.

The present paradigm within geography presents an ongoing confrontation between those who wish to quantify material that is amenable to scientific law-like transactions, and those ideographers who expand the regional concept. In Britain resource funding by different government departments
emphasises this division.

Geographers have always been eclectic in utilising materials, theories and ideas from other disciplines. This is recently true concerning loans from sociology and other social sciences; for proofs, justifications, theoretical references and explanations. Many usages of social theories by geographers present confusion to sociologists, because of their unusual if not bizarre applications. Different social theories may arrive at similar ends, but their logic runs through very different routes, from very different philosophies.

Echoing the ideas of Mackinder, David Harvey writing in "Social Justice and the City" suggested that geographers might untangle this web by relating the ideas of social and moral philosophy to geography, in a manner in which methods and philosophy would not be separate. This suggestion has been mainly refuted or ignored.

However from these two authors, it is possible to synthesize the four concepts, that contemporary geography finds problematic to deal with, through a combined philosophy and methodology. These concepts are the nature of scientific enquiry; of theory or explanation; of space; and of knowledge.

The contribution to knowledge in this pager lies in the inference that no form of geographical concept is either value or culture free. Every conceptual form is derived from a social theory, and every social theory has a political bias.


BACKGROUND
Hypophosphatasia is a rare heritable metabolic disorder characterized by defective bone and tooth mineralization accompanied by a deficiency of tissue-non-specific (liver/bone/kidney) isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase activity, caused by a number of loss-of-function mutations in the alkaline phosphatase liver type gene. We seek to explore the clinical manifestations and identify the mutations associated with the disease in a Chinese odonto- hypophosphatasia family.

RESULTS
The proband and his younger brother affected with premature loss of primary teeth at their 2-year-old. They have mild abnormal serum alkaline phosphatase and 25-hydroxy vitamin D values, but the serum alkaline phosphatase activity of their father, mother and grandmother, who showed no clinical symptoms of hypophosphatasia, was exhibited significant decreased. In addition to premature loss of primary teeth, the proband and his younger brother showed low bone mineral density, X-rays showed that they had slight metaphyseal osteoporosis changes, but no additional skeletal abnormalities. Deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing and analysis revealed a single nucleotide polymorphism c.787T>C (p.Y263H) in exon 7 and/or a novel mutation c.-92C>T located at 5'UTR were found in the affected individuals.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We examined all individuals of an odonto- hypophosphatasia family by clinical and radiographic examinations as well as laboratory assays. Furthermore, all 12 exons and the exon-intron boundaries of the alkaline phosphatase liver type gene were amplified and directly sequenced for further analysis and screened for mutations.

CONCLUSION
Our present findings suggest the single nucleotide polymorphism c.787T>C and c.-92C>T should be responsible for the odonto- hypophosphatasia disorders in this family.


The global economic recession has posed new challenges to the world coupled with the challenges of new energy technology
in response to global warming has dwindled the economy of so many nations today. Particularly petro-mono economy countries like
Nigeria whose revenue base depends mostly on proceeds from crude oil exportation. Overdependence on crude oil is a sign of blunt
future consequentially if the oil mine dries up. What would be the fate of the economy? Therefore it is time for Nigeria to spread the
tentacles of her economic prowess to other service sectors such as Tourism for sustainable economic exploitation. Tourism is one of the
most promising drivers of growth for the world economy. As a development vehicle, tourism resources are inexhaustible unlike crude oil.
Nigeria specifically Awka has vast tourism potentials awaiting development. Little wonder the administration of former President
Olusegun Obansanjo the set machinery in motion to turn the sector into a major revenue earner. The machinery included the
introduction of various festivals across the country for the promotion of its rich cultural heritage to woo foreign tourists. With her
appealing tourism resources, this paper advocates the development and exploitation of these resources for wealth creation.


Taiwan has a Subtropic to Tropical climate, but its precipitation varies widely in response to seasonal effects and weather events such as Typhoon and Meiyu systems. Precipitation must be held back in reservoirs to provide and regulate sufficient water supply. Balancing the irregular precipitation and increasing water demands generates tremendous pressure on water resources management for the water stored in the Shihmen Reservoir, which is the major unitary water supply system in the Greater Taoyuan Area. Such pressure will be significantly enlarged due to the huge 17 billion USD Taoyuan Aerotropolis Project. In earlier days many small artificial ponds (a common terminology in this article), including irrigation ponds, fishery ponds and others, were built to cope with water shortages in Taoyuan County. These small storage ponds provided a solution that resolved seasonal precipitation shortages. Unfortunately, these ponds have been vanishing one after another one due to regional industrialization and urbanization in recent decades and less than 40% of them still remain today. There is great urgency and importance to investigating the link between vanishing ponds and water resources management. Remote sensing technology was used in this study to monitor the environmental consequences in the Taoyuan area by conducting multi-temporal analysis on the changes in water bodies, i.e., ponds. SPOT satellite images taken in 1993, 2003, and 2010 were utilized to analyze and assess the importance of small-scale ponds as water conservation facilities. It was found that, during the seventeen years from 1993 2010, the number of irrigation ponds decreased by 35.94%. These ponds can reduce the burden on the major reservoir and increase the water recycling rate if they are properly conserved. They can also improve rainfall interception and surface detention capabilities, and provide another planning advantage for regional water management.


Electrocatalytic upgrading of glycerol to value-added commodity is demonstrated using an ultralow loading of a cobalt-based oxidation catalyst at 16 μg cm−2. Reactions take place under ambient conditions in an aqueous environment, while generating H2 as a byproduct. Selectivity towards two major products, lactic acid and glyceric acid, can be controlled via simple variation of reaction conditions. The system is scalable and functions well even in the presence of methanol, an impurity commonly found in the industrial bio-diesel waste stream. Industrial glycerol waste from a local bio-diesel plant was also shown to be upgradable after a simple aqueous pretreatment.


Trypsin hydrolyzates of blood serum albumin of healthy people and patients with diffuse thyrotoxicosis and hypothyreosis were studied by the cellulose thin-layer electrochromatography. All the patients were found to have changes in the peptide composition of albumin trypsin hydrolyzate which resulted in disappearance of some peptides as well as in the appearance of new ones. Simultaneously conducted measurements of dispersion of optical rotation detected some changes in spectropolarimetric characteristics which provide the evidence for disperalization of its molecule. The found changes in albumin are determined by the disorder of normal protein biosynthesis and possible metabolic damage of protein.


This practice report details an institutional innovation designed to enhance academic capacities for curriculum development, with a particular focus on the first year experience (FYE). The authors discuss the appointment of "Curriculum Scholars" in each of the faculties at James Cook University. This innovation can be seen as an example of third generation responses to the challenges of the first year in higher education (FYHE) (Kift, Nelson & Clarke, 2010). The report discusses the question of academic identity and the tension between a discipline-specific identity and identification with the scholarship of teaching and learning. The authors argue that this tension may have significant implications for the success of third generation approaches to the FYE. This tension is the focus of a multi-method research project being developed by the authors. The autoethnographical dimension of this project is described, inviting participants to reflect on their own journeys as academics engaged in learning and teaching.


Abstract Primary tissue cultures from Unio pictorum were developed for utilization in ecotoxicology studies. Cytotoxic effects of selected plasticizers (BPA, DiNP, DiDP, DMP) were tested on digestive gland, gonad, gill and mantle cells. DiNP on gill and BPA on digestive gland were the highest and lowest cytotoxic compounds (IC50 0.111, 170.718 ppt). Mantle cells were the most suitable, reliable and easy to maintain cells; for toxicity assays. Unio primary cell culture provide valuable tool for testing/screening effects of xenobiotics in vitro, have potential for further development in terms of potential cryopreservation and stability comply with the 3 R principle.


A theoretical and experimental analysis of the pump-noise contribution to frequency noise and linewidth in distributed-feedback fiber lasers is presented. An analytic expression for the frequency domain transfer function from pump to frequency fluctuations is derived and a formula for the pump-dependent frequency noise spectrum given. These results are confirmed experimentally for two dissimilar distributed-feedback fiber lasers with moderate Er concentration. The transition from fundamental thermal noise at low pump intensity to pump induced frequency noise at high pump intensity is experimentally observed, thus, clarifying the general nature of frequency noise in compact fiber lasers. The relationship between frequency noise and linewidth is discussed.