When an asphalt mixture is subjected to a destructive compressive load, it experiences a sequence of three deformation stages, as follows: the (1) primary, (2) secondary, and (3) tertiary stages. Most literature research focuses on plastic deformation in the primary and secondary stages, such as prediction of the flow number, which is in fact the initiation of the tertiary stage. However, little research effort has been reported on the mechanistic modeling of the damage that occurs in the tertiary stage. The main objective of this paper is to provide a mechanistic characterizing method for the damage modeling of asphalt mixtures in the tertiary stage. The preliminary study conducted by the writers illustrates that deformation during the tertiary flow of the asphalt mixtures is principally caused by the formation and propagation of cracks, which was signaled by the increase of the phase angle in the tertiary phase. The strain caused by the growth of cracks is the viscofracture strain, which can be obtained by conducting the strain decomposition of the measured total strain in the destructive compressive test. The viscofracture strain is employed in the research reported in this paper to mechanistically characterize the time-dependent fracture (viscofracture) of asphalt mixtures in compression. By using the dissipated pseudostrain energy-balance principle, the damage density and true stress are determined and both are demonstrated to increase with load cycles in the tertiary stage. The increased true stress yields extra viscoplastic strain, which is the reason why the permanent deformation is accelerated by the occurrence of cracks. To characterize the evolution of the viscofracture in the asphalt mixtures in compression, a pseudo J-integral Paris' law in terms of damage density is proposed and the material constants in the Paris' law are determined, which can be employed to predict the fracture of asphalt mixtures in compression.


Abstract. In this paper, a new geometric stitching method is proposed which utilizes digital elevation model (DEM)-aided block adjustment to solve relative orientation parameters for dual-camera with weak convergence geometry. A rational function model (RFM) with affine transformation is chosen as the relative orientation model. To deal with the weak geometry, a reference DEM is used in this method as an additional constraint in the block adjustment, which only calculates the planimetry coordinates of tie points (TPs). After that we can use the obtained affine transform coefficients to generate virtual grid, and update rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs) to complete the geometric stitching. Our proposed method was tested on GaoFen-2(GF-2) dual-camera panchromatic (PAN) images. The test results show that the proposed method can achieve an accuracy of better than 0.5 pixel in planimetry and have a seamless visual effect. For regions with small relief, when global DEM with 1 km grid, SRTM with 90 m grid and ASTER GDEM V2 with 30 m grid replaced DEM with 1m grid as elevation constraint, it is almost no loss of accuracy. The test results proved the effectiveness and feasibility of the stitching method.


OBJECTIVES
Describe the pharmacokinetics of antithrombin in pediatric patients undergoing ventricular assist device therapy and provide dosing recommendations for antithrombin in this population.

DESIGN
A retrospective population pharmacokinetic study was designed.

SETTING
Large tertiary care children's hospital Subject inclusion criteria consisted of less than 19 years old.

PATIENTS
Subjects less than 19 years old undergoing therapy with a HeartWare ventricular assist device (HeartWare, Framingham, MA) or Berlin EXCOR ventricular assist device (Berlin GmbH, Berlin, Germany), who received a dose of antithrombin with a postdose antithrombin activity level from January 1, 2011, to June 30, 2017.

INTERVENTIONS
Population pharmacokinetic analysis and simulation using NONMEM v.7.4 (Icon, PLC, Dublin, Ireland).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
A total of 41 patients met study criteria (median age, 5.8 years [interquartile range, 1.6-9.9 yr]), and 53.7% underwent therapy with the pulsatile Berlin EXCOR pediatric ventricular assist device (Berlin Heart GmbH, Berlin, Germany). All patients received unfractionated heparin continuous infusion at a mean ± SD dose of 29 ± 14 U/kg/hr. A total of 181 antithrombin doses (44.1 ± 24.6 U/kg/dose) were included, and baseline antithrombin activity levels were 77 ± 12 U/dL. Antithrombin activity levels were drawn a median 19.9 hours (interquartile range, 8.8-41.6 hr) after antithrombin dose. A one-compartment proportional error model best fit the data, with allometric scaling of fat-free mass providing a better model fit than actual body weight. Unfractionated heparin and baseline antithrombin were identified as significant covariates. A 50 U/kg dose of antithrombin had a simulated half-life 13.2 ± 6.6 hours.

CONCLUSIONS
Antithrombin should be dosed on fat-free mass in pediatric ventricular assist device patients. Unfractionated heparin dose and baseline antithrombin activity level should be considered when dosing antithrombin in pediatric ventricular assist device patients.


Using a sample of 312 bank M&As announced between 1998 and 2016 in the EU-27 countries, this paper investigates the impact of market concentration and the European sovereign debt crisis on the way investors react to these corporate events. In Western European countries, we find results which contrast the conventional wisdom that acquiring banks lose around the merger announcement date. In fact, since 2009, acquiring banks shareholders gain approximately $34 million around the announcement, a $56 million improvement compared to the pre-crisis period. These documented shareholder gains are also accompanied by significant improvements in post-merger profitability. Markedly, we link this superior performance of the post-2008 acquirers with the degree of market concentration in the Western European region. Finally, results for the Eastern European countries indicate that the crisis did not have a significant impact on the quality of bank M&As in the region.


is unclhalleniged. In a free country we may speak any jallrgOnl we please, and it is, of course, openi to Dr. Roso to use Abracadabra or even to colmipare me to a cuttlefisl, wvlnili is not a fish but "a mlollusc that disclharaes a blaclk li(uor wlhen pursued, obscuring the water anit so escapinig," but I pray him of his m-ercy not to " confuse " miie again witlh a " Germiialn theologian1. -I amii, etc., Loindon, W., Jan. 9tl. H. SELFE BEN-NETT.


This paper presents an estimation-based approach to the adaptive filtering (control) problem in the filtered-LMS scenarios with unknown parameters in the secondary path. The approach discussed produces a robust estimate for the unknown system parameters while fulfilling adaptive control objectives. The control objective is to limit the worst-case energy gain from exogenous disturbances, initial condition uncertainty, and parameter estimation error to the cancellation error at the output of the secondary path. Simulation results on a typical active noise cancellation problem are presented to demonstrate the main features of the proposed approach.


We investigated whether apoptotic spermatocytes from the mouse Mus m. domesticus presented alterations in chromosomal synapses and DNA repair. To enrich for apoptotic spermatocytes, the scrotum's temperature was raised by partially exposing animals for 15 min to a 42ºC water bath. Spermatocytes in initial apoptosis were identified in situ by detecting activated caspase-9. SYCP1 and SYCP3 were markers for evaluating synapses or the structure of synaptonemal complexes and Rad51 and γH2AX for detecting DNA repair and chromatin remodeling. Apoptotic spermatocytes were concentrated in spermatogenic cycle stages III-IV (50.3%), XI-XII (44.1%) and IX-X (4.2%). Among apoptotic spermatocytes, 48% were in middle pachytene, 44% in metaphase and 6% in diplotene. Moreover, apoptotic spermatocytes showed several structural anomalies in autosomal bivalents, including splitting of chromosomal axes and partial asynapses between homologous chromosomes. γH2AX and Rad51 were atypically distributed during pachytene and as late as diplotene and associated with asynaptic chromatin, single chromosome axes or discontinuous chromosome axes. Among apoptotic spermatocytes at pachytene, 70% showed changes in the structure of synapses, 67% showed changes in γH2AX and Rad51 distribution and 50% shared alterations in both synapses and DNA repair. Our results showed that apoptotic spermatocytes from Mus m. domesticus contain a high frequency of alterations in chromosomal synapses and in the recruitment and distribution of DNA repair proteins. Together, these observations suggest that these alterations may have been detected by meiotic checkpoints triggering apoptosis.


This qualitative study explored the experience of sudden death in A&E using an interpretive-phenomenological and narrative approach. The purpose of the study was two-fold: firstly, to gain an understanding of sudden death as experienced by bereaved relatives, and secondly, to explore the work of nurses in A&E, in particular their involvement with sudden death. Hence, the study was conducted in two parts. In both parts of this study the participants were engaged in revealing their experiences of sudden and unexpected death.

The first part of the study explored the impact of sudden death on the lives of the bereaved. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore the personal impact and experience of loss. A total of seventeen relatives took part in these semi-structured interviews in which they were invited to discuss their personal experiences of sudden death. The analysis revealed that sudden death is a significant episode in the lives of bereaved relatives. Their experiences detailed how the initial shock surrounding the death permeated all aspects of their life. Analysis of the relatives" interviews led to a comprehensive understanding of the experience of sudden death and its impact in the lives of the bereaved.

In the second part of the study, the experience of sudden death from the perspective of A&E nurses was explored using narrative interviews. Twelve A&E nurses participated in the narrative interviews. Analysis of the nurses" narratives revealed that sudden death is a significant event for A&E nurses. The narratives revealed that working in a contemporary A&E environment is target orientated as opposed to patient focused. This often led to conflict for A&E nurses" as they balanced the workload of a busy environment with the needs of the suddenly bereaved.

In both parts of the study, the use of a qualitative approach enabled different perspectives or realities on the phenomenon of sudden death to be explored. The use of interviews was a deliberate choice in order to facilitate participants to describe and discuss their experiences of sudden death in keeping with phenomenological and narrative approaches.


INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study was to characterize the type, nature and frequency of injuries sustained by chiropractic students during their undergraduate training.

METHODS
Chiropractic students in their second, third and fourth year of study at a chiropractic college were asked to complete a questionnaire that chronicled and described the occurrence of any side effects they may have sustained at the hands of their peers during technique class. Students were also asked to record their anthropomorphic characteristic.

RESULTS
Of 450 questionnaires distributed, 292 were completed and returned to the authors. Of the 292 respondents, 127 reported to have experienced an injury, although the total number of injuries was 161. The most common site of injury was the lumbopelvic region. Students reported that it was during their second year of study that they experienced the highest number of injuries. Symptoms occurred the same day as the event in 85% of cases. The most common characteristic of symptoms reported was pain, followed by local stiffness, headache, dizziness, fatigue, diffuse stiffness and cramps. Two thirds of students described the extent of their injuries from 'light' to 'a fair bit'. Three quarters of injuries resolved within the first 72 hours of the event. No treatment was sought by 89 (55%) of the respondents. More than half of students reported that their activities of daily living were either 'not' or 'somewhat' affected. There were three reports of long-term complaints. No statistically significant differences were found between the group of students reporting to be injured compared to those students not injured with respect to their age, gender, weight or height.

CONCLUSION
Chiropractic students experience side effects during their undergraduate training that are very similar to those experienced by patients under clinical care.


The use of CO2 rich gas mixtures as injection fluid is nowadays considered in order to enhance the oil recovery process. Flexible pipes, which have been used to transport oil and gas in offshore applications for more than 35 years, are attractive products for the transportations of such fluids. The CO2 content encountered for these applications can be higher than 90%. This value being superior to what is found in standard applications (<15%), and CO2 being known to behave as a supercritical fluid as soon as the temperature and the pressure are higher than 31.1°C, 72.8 atm, the compatibility of the pipe materials with the CO2 rich gas mixture had to be verified.This paper will present the qualification work carried out so far on several thermoplastic materials used for flexible pipe pressure sheathes and stainless steel carcasses. This qualification work covers application as high as 90°C/600bar/100%CO2.The formation of blisters (blistering) is known as a possible degradation mode of thermoplastic materials when subjected to rapid gas decompression. This phenomenon is directly linked to the fluid solubility in the polymer. Different materials have been tested for their ability to withstand rapid gas decompression in CO2 rich gas mixtures.Long time exposure tests have been carried out. The objectives of these tests were to check the impact of CO2 on the physical, mechanical and chemical properties of the polymer grades. A special attention has been brought to the plasticizer effect of CO2. The impact of supercritical CO2 on the hydrolysis degradation mode has also been assessed.Finally, CO2 being a small molecule, it will permeate through the pressure sheath to reach the annulus. The metallic layers which are constitutive of this annulus are potentially sensitive to corrosion phenomenon in acidic conditions. A good knowledge of the permeation properties of the polymer materials when subjected to high pressure CO2 is necessary in order to assess the severity of this annulus and to select the appropriate steel grade. The results of such tests will also be presented.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


The present study compared the reading ability of first-grade and dyslexic children using an experimental paradigm known to elicit the optimal viewing position (OVP) effect in skilled readers. Word frequency and initial fixation location were manipulated in The present study compared the reading ability of first-grade and dyslexic children using an experimental paradigm known to elicit the optimal viewing position (OVP) effect in skilled readers. Word frequency and initial fixation location were manipulated in a word identification task. The results showed an OVP effect for both groups. However, word-recognition performance was lower for the dyslexic than for the first-grade group. In addition, whereas beginning readers obtained the typical inverted J-shape curve, dyslexics had a symmetric curve. These results were corroborated by a letter-report analysis showing that dyslexics failed to report word endings, even when fixating at that location. Robust effects of word frequency were also obtained for both groups. But unlike adult readers, this factor did not interact with fixation position.a word identification task. The results showed an OVP effect for both groups. However, word-recognition performance was lower for the dyslexic than for the first-grade group. In addition, whereas beginning readers obtained the typical inverted J-shape curve, dyslexics had a symmetric curve. These results were corroborated by a letter-report analysis showing that dyslexics failed to report word endings, even when fixating at that location. Robust effects of word frequency were also obtained for both groups. But unlike adult readers, this factor did not interact with fixation position.


NewAge-JGrass system for forecasting and modelling of water resources in general at the basin scale. As a modern hydrological modelling, it is composed of two parts: (i) the system for data and results visualization based on the Geographic Information System uDig and (ii) the component based modelling system.
All the system is based on Java because of its portability. Java is a modern and mature language aware of the web and has features such as multithreading that are essential to build scalable modelling platform. There are a few open source frameworks available that allow adaptation for our task, such as the GeoTools project by the Open GIS Consortium, representing a solid foundation for spatial analysis.
OMS was chosen for facilitating model connectivity because of it low invasiveness in code practice and capability in production of leaner and more descriptive modelling code .
uDig as visualization/GIS platform, including GIS services, and its integration with the JGrass GIS, developed by http://udig.refractions.net/, offers a spatial toolbox which contains the features previously offered by JGrass.
Compared to traditional hydrological models, which are built upon monolithic code, JGrass-NewAge allows for multiple modelling solutions for the same physical process, provided they share similar input and outputs constraints. Modeling components are connected by means of a concise scripting language NewAge-JGrass components can be grouped in several categories.
The geomorphic and DEM analyses which solves the problem of basin delineation; the tools for making spatial extrapolation/interpolation of the meteorological data; the estimation of the radiation forcing; the estimation of evapotranspiration; the estimation of the runoff production; the channel routing and tools for automatic model parameter calibration such as DREAM, Particle Swarm and LUCA.
NewAge requires interpolated meteorological variables (such as air temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity) as input data for each hillslope. They can be computed by a deterministic or geostatistic approaches. The energy model includes both, shortwave and longwave radiation calculation components for each hillslope. The first implements algorithms that take into account shade and complex topography and cloud cover.
Evapotraspiration can be modelled using two different solutions: the Fao-Evapotraspiration model and the Priestley-Taylor model. A snow melting and snow water equivalent model is also part of the system. Duffy's model and Hymod model are the runoff production models implemented in NewAge. In both cases the model is applied for each hillslope. Finally, the discharge generated at each hillslope is routed to each associated stream link.
Modeling solutions (connections of different components) are applied in three different river basin and verifications against measured data (discharge, radiation fluxes, snow water equivalent) are presented by using traditional goodness of fitting indices.


In the third part of this review, important features of disease management are summarised for brown rot fungi of fruit crops (Monilinia fructigena, Monilinia laxa, Monilinia fructicola and Monilia polystroma). Several methods of brown rot disease management practices were collected and interpreted in five main chapters. In these chapters, details are given about the legislative control measures, the cultural, physical, biological and chemical control methods. Chemical control is divided into two parts: pre-harvest and post-harvest chemical control. In addition, host resistance and fungicide resistance statuses are also included in this part of the review. Finally, future aspects of brown rot disease control are discussed.


There is an emerging body of literature that explores the impact of garden-based learning on health, well-being, social cohesion, and educational outcomes. In this paper, we examine a pilot study conducted in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens' Youth Community Greening to implement a gardening program with disengaged youth. Data was collected through eldwork and semi-structured interviews, revealing ve interconnected themes: enhancing well-being and health literacy; building life skills; engaging students; connecting with adults; and increasing self- esteem. We conclude by showcasing some of the collaborative practices between educational contexts and communities to reveal how these partnerships can be mutually enhancing.


Effective systemic therapies, including targeted BRAF/MEK inhibition and immune checkpoint blockade, have significantly changed the treatment landscape for malignant melanoma. Specifically, there have been promising clinical trial findings associated with the use of neoadjuvant therapy for clinically node-positive and oligometastatic disease, conditions that have historically been managed with up-front surgical resection when possible. This review focuses on the burgeoning field of neoadjuvant therapy for melanoma. We review the rationale for this treatment approach, summarize completed and ongoing neoadjuvant clinical trials, and contextualize these findings within the growing body of knowledge about targeted and immune checkpoint therapy. Finally, we discuss future directions for neoadjuvant trials in melanoma, with particular focus on biomarker development, treatment effect modification, novel therapeutic regimens, and evolving surgical indications for regional and oligometastatic disease.


This memo offers non-normative implementation guidance for the Realtime Protocol (RTP) MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) payload format. The memo presents its advice in the context of a network musical performance application. In this application two musicians, located in different physical locations, interact over a network to perform as they would if located in the same room. Underlying the performances are RTP MIDI sessions over unicast UDP. Algorithms for sending and receiving recovery journals (the resiliency structure for the payload format) are described in detail. Although the memo focuses on network musical performance, the presented implementation advice is relevant to other RTP MIDI applications.


Modal analysis of tires has been a fundamental part of tire research aimed at capturing the dynamic behavior of a tire. An accurate expression of tire dynamics leads to an improved tire model and a more accurate prediction of tire behavior in real-life operations. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to improve the tire-testing techniques and data range to obtain the best experimental data possible using the current technology. With this goal in mind, we propose novel testing techniques such as piezoelectric excitation, high-frequency bandwidth data, and noncontact vibration measurement. High-frequency data enable us to capture the coupling between the wheel and tire as well as the coupling between airborne and structure-borne noise. Piezoelectric excitation eliminates the dynamic coupling of shakers and the inconsistency of force magnitude and direction of impact hammers as well as added mass effect. Noncontact vibration measurements using three-dimensional (3D) scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) are superior to accelerometers because of no mass loading, a high number of measurement points in three dimensions, and high sensitivity. In this work, a modal analysis is carried out for a loaded tire in a static condition. Because of the highly damped nature of tires, multiple input excitation with binary random noise signal is used to increase the signal strength. Mode shapes of the tire are obtained and compared using both accelerometers and SLDV measurements.


In this letter, we evaluate the symbol error probability of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with M-ary (M>4) phase shift keying (MPSK) impaired by carrier frequency offset (CFO). A signal space decomposition (SSD) approach is proposed for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels, and then the symbol error rate (SER) performance is expressed as the sum of an infinite series with the Beaulieu series. The derived theoretical expression agrees well with the simulation results


A foraminiferal species, Planularia kintradwellensis sp. nov., previously left in open nomenclature, is shown to have a useful short stratigraphical range. It has been recovered from several onshore sites within the UK and only from the Lower Kimmeridgian.


Recent research has underlined the importance of external linkages for industrial clusters. Suppliers and buyers within a global value chain offer important external ties for cluster-based producers not only in terms of the distribution of physical goods, but also for knowledge flows and innovation. Globalization has intensified such value chain links, connecting geographically dispersed producers to global markets. Yet, there is limited research on how local clusters enter global chains or on ties between clusters in the developed and developing world. This study addresses this gap. It uses the case of the global surgical instrument industry to analyse connections and differences between the industry's leading production clusters in Germany and Pakistan. Global standards, low-cost competition, and advances in medical technology raise challenges for both clusters. The paper explores the responses to these challenges. It distinguishes between knowledge and production links to illustrate differentiation in each cluster, diverging trajectories and continuing ties.


BACKGROUND
Proteinuric glomerular diseases often are associated with tubulointerstitial injury, which imposes on the progression of renal failure. Tubular damage is partly referable to toxic effects on the tubular epithelial cells induced by filtered plasma proteins. Patients with nonselective proteinuria, that is, increased urine excretion of high-molecular-weight plasma proteins such as IgG in comparison to albumin, often have poor renal outcome. The present observational study examined correlations between the degree of tubular damage, measured by urine concentration of protein HC, and the levels of urine IgG and albuminuria.

METHODS
Measurements of urine concentrations of IgG, albumin, and protein HC were performed in 56 proteinuric patients (33 males and 23 females) with nondiabetic glomerular diseases at the time of the diagnostic renal biopsy and at a mean of 49 follow-up months.

RESULTS
A highly significant correlation between the urine IgG excretion and the urine protein HC concentration was found both at the start and at the end of the observational time (r = 0.74 and 0.65, respectively, P < 0.001). Furthermore, alterations in the urinary excretion of the two proteins in single patients correlated significantly to each other (r = 0.84, P < 0.001). The correlation between the degree of albuminuria and the protein HC excretion was significant at the time of kidney biopsy, but ceased to exist during the follow-up time. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that in comparison with the creatinine clearance and albuminuria, only the changes in urinary IgG excretion were related to the corresponding changes in urinary protein HC excretion (r = 0.84 and r2 = 0.7, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
The findings of the study suggest that the urinary protein HC concentration correlates to the degree of IgG-uria but not to the degree of albuminuria during the course of proteinuric glomerular disease. Whether this correlation is to be explained by an intrinsic toxic effect on tubular cells executed by IgG or perhaps by some other high molecular weight proteins, needs to be investigated further. However, the results contribute to the understanding of the poor renal survival in patients with glomerular diseases and nonselective proteinuria.


By performing computation at the location of data, non-Von Neumann (VN) computing should provide power and speed benefits over conventional (e.g., VN-based) approaches to data-centric workloads such as deep learning. For the on-chip training of large-scale deep neural networks using nonvolatile memory (NVM) based synapses, success will require performance levels (e.g., deep neural network classification accuracies) that are competitive with conventional approaches despite the inherent imperfections of such NVM devices, and will also require massively parallel yet low-power read and write access. In this paper, we focus on the latter requirement, and outline the engineering tradeoffs in performing parallel reads and writes to large arrays of NVM devices to implement this acceleration through what is, at least locally, analog computing. We address how the circuit requirements for this new neuromorphic computing approach are somewhat reminiscent of, yet significantly different from, the well-known requirements found in conventional memory applications. We discuss tradeoffs that can influence both the effective acceleration factor ("speed") and power requirements of such on-chip learning accelerators.


Perovskite crystal structure is found in many ionic solids like CaTiO3, BaTiO3 and PZTs. In this structure off-center position of cations in oxygen octahedral causes polarization and produces direct and indirect piezoelectric responses in ceramic materials that are suitable for many ultrasonic applications. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) with formulae Pb0.91Sr0.09(Zr0.53 Ti0.47)O3 was prepared by conventional mixed oxide route with an objective to achieve dense piezoelectric sintered components exhibiting adequate properties for sonar applications. Dielectric and ferroelectric/piezoelectric properties of PZT are strongly influenced by composition, homogeneity and porosity in the densified part. To achieve the objective of a good homogenous and dense body, the initial powders and the final product were characterized by SEM equipped with EDX, XRD and Particle Size Analyzer during each processing step. Electrical characterization was carried out by LCR meter and Transducer Analyzer. Planetary Mill instead of a conventional ball mill was employed for initial mixing and grinding of calcined powder. Properties achieved by sintering at 1200°C for 2 hours in lead rich atmosphere were Dielectric Cosntant (K) = 1440, Tangent Loss (Tanδ) = 0.0062, Charge Coefficient(d33) = 335 pC/N, Coupling Coefficient (k) = 0.37 and density = 7.55 g/cm3. After sintering the observed grain size was 2-3 µm with clean grain boundaries. To ascertain the effects of accelerated ageing on dielectric and piezoelectric properties, final product was first heated at 50°C for 5 days and then at 100°C for 3 days. The results showed that dielectric and piezoelectric properties were stabilized to a large extent by heating at 100°C for 3 days. The ageing data for 9% Sr doped PZT is not reported earlier, therefore, it would help in great deal in predicting the performance of component in service


The Mapur waters contain various kinds of fish caught in one of them is Yellow and blueback fusilier. Yellow and blueback fusilier is one of the catches of high economic vulued. High economic value can certainly boost the Yellow and blueback fusilier and can affect the population. The research was conducted from August 2018 to July 2019 at this fish landing on Kelong Village. The tools used are stationery, cameras and materials used are fish as a research object. The aims of this research was to determine the Maximume Sustainable Yield (MSY), rate and effort of utilization, and the amount allowed to catch (JTB) of Yellow and blueback fusilier in Mapur waters landing this on Kelong Village. This research used survey method with primary data retrieval using live fishermen interviews and secondary data consists of document or literature that supports the research. The result of this research is the potential value of MSY is 787,067 kg/unit whit the optimum effort (f opt) 1.280 unit/ month not over the limit in other words yet overfishing. The utilization rate of Yellow and blueback fusilier 42% medium level overall, and so if increased efforts are still possible to optimize the haul, but still controlled. And amount allowed to catch value Yellow and blueback fusilier is 629.65 kg/unit, that Yellow and blueback fusilier can still be improved for optimal results, but not beyond the determined limits.


ABSTRACT Successful implementation of teaching and learning (T&L) innovation within an e-learning context in higher education institutions involves overcoming challenges. A key component of success in this regard is the level of motivation of those tasked with addressing challenges. This research project sought to identify the extent to which the level of support (motivation to adopt) for e-learning innovation implementation varied between individuals and over time. The level of support evidenced by individual lecturers (functioning as members of a workgroup) was assessed throughout a pilot study and a subsequent roll-out project implementing specific best practice T&L innovations. The methodology applied was determined on the basis of relevance to the focus of the project and the need for pragmatism within the constraints applicable. Nonetheless, the findings are in line with expectations established within relevant literature and are the basis of recommended actions to be considered by those undertaking e-learning innovation implementation projects. While the research is primarily focused on improving the motivation of lecturers exhibiting antagonistic behaviors, there is also consideration of the need to gain student support for any proposed T&L innovations. The identification of best practice T&L innovations is not an objective of the article.


: A simple method is described for the reduction of available phosphate released from soaking manure in water. The method involves the indirect contact of magnesium oxide, MgO, with manure soaked in water for pre-specified time. Preliminary study indicated that phosphate could be removed effectively by MgO addition and the precipitation is accelerated by NH 4 Cl addition. Thus, and for economic reasons, the study was continued using only MgO. Two sets of experiments were carried out. Water was used for the extraction of manure by shaking for 2 h followed by press filtration. The aqueous phase was used for phosphate removal experiments. The weighed amount of MgO was placed in a cotton bag fixed to the stirring bar of a jar tester. The concentration of phosphate was monitored after equilibration for 0, 7, 30, 50, 89, 100, 120, 150 and 192 hours. In the other set of experiments, weighed amount of manure powder (Less than 2 mm diameter particles) was placed in 50-mL capacity capped plastic bottles (50 bottles) with various amounts of MgO: 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.4 and 2.0% (by weight MgO:Manure) in 9 bottles each. Water was added to the bottles to make 40 mL. The bottles were shaken on a rotary shaker at 250 rpm. One set of bottles containing the different amounts of MgO was removed from the shaker after 2 hours. The other sets were removed after 7, 10, 25, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 120 hours. Phosphate was determined in the filtered aqueous samples. The first seven hours was enough to cause a removal of 65-70% of phosphate from solution. The removal of the remaining part of phosphate required as long as 9 days. It was concluded that MgO in clothing bags may be suspended and moved inside manure-water suspension for 10 hours to extract the majority of the phosphate. The remaining manure may be used for fertilization with harmless phosphate content that may not result in the growth of undesirable water environment plants. The reacted oxide in the bags can then be used later as a slowly released phosphate source (Struvite) for plant application a matter that increase the economy of the method.


In the refrigeration and air conditioning fields, the needs of energy conservation and renewable energy spread have become stronger recently. In this study, we aim at the development of the heat driven type metal hydride (abbr, MH) that can be driven by the low temperature exhausted heat or solar heat under 100°C. In order to commercialize this system, the heat transfer characteristics and the activation characteristics of MH particle bed must be more improved, and production cost must be more reduced. In this study, we use the two heat transfer enhancement methods for improving the low effective thermal conductivity of MH particle bed. One is by heat pipe (abbr., HP) and another is by brush type carbon fiber. HP is inserted into heat source part MH (abbr., MH1). By this method, we aim not only to enhance the heat transfer of MH1 particle bed but also to achieve the temperature uniformity of MH1 particle one. The effective thermal conductivity of cooling part MH (abbr., MH2) particle bed is enhanced by inserting the brush type carbon fiber. The influence of these heat transfer methods on our MH refrigeration system is estimated by measurement and calculation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Facilities housing captive animals are full of staff who, every day, interact with the animals under their care. The expertise and familiarity of staff can be used to monitor animal welfare by means of questionnaires. It was the goal of our study to examine the association between chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) welfare, happiness, and personality. To these ends we collected two waves of welfare and subjective well-being ratings of 18 chimpanzees housed at the Edinburgh Zoo and one set of ratings of 13 chimpanzees housed at Fundació Mona. Ratings were made on a welfare questionnaire that included 12 items related to stress, psychological stimulation, and behavioural indicators of negative and positive welfare states, and a 4-item subjective well-being questionnaire. In addition, ratings were made on the 54-item Hominoid Personality Questionnaire and an abbreviated version of this scale consisting of 37 antonym pairs. We used generalizability theory to test whether welfare ratings generalized across items, raters, chimpanzees, and time. We then assessed the validity of the welfare and subjective well-being questionnaires by examining their associations with behaviour. Finally, we tested whether the welfare and subjective well-being ratings were associated with personality. Welfare ratings generalized across items, raters, chimpanzees, and time. Principal components analysis and regularized exploratory factor analysis indicated that ten welfare items and all four subjective well-being items formed a single dimension (welfareSWB). LASSO regression found that lower welfareSWB was associated with regurgitation, coprophagy, urophagy, and decreased proximity to nearest neighbour. A linear model that adjusted for age, sex, and facility, indicated that higher Extraversion and lower Neuroticism were related to higher welfareSWB. Welfare ratings were reliable and associated with subjective well-being and personality, demonstrating that staff ratings are a valid and potentially valuable tool for chimpanzee welfare assessment.


Green syntheses of two different series of new benzofuran derivatives were carried out by anodic oxidation of 4,4′-biphenol (4BP) in the presence of some CH-acid compounds (malononitrile, methyl cyanoacetate and ethyl cyanoacetate) as nucleophiles by controlling the potential during electrolysis. The results indicate that the CH-acid compounds participate in a Michael-like addition reaction with the electrochemically generated diphenyl-p-quinone (DPQ), converting it to the corresponding products depending on the applied electrode potential or current density. In this study, the desired products in a water/ethanol (50/50, v/v) mixture were obtained with high yield and high atom economy using a simple and reagentless green galvanostatic method.


We examine an enhancement metric for characterizing light trapping in single-junction solar cells by comparing the measured quantum efficiency spectrum and the theoretical absorptance spectrum based on ergodic light scattering. This ideal enhancement is 4n2, where n is the refractive index of the absorber layer. Using a uniform procedure, we have determined the effective enhancement from published results for many single-junction nanocrystalline, polycrystalline, and monocrystalline silicon cells, as well as for thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based cells. The largest effective enhancements were 33 for monocrystalline Si, 25 for nanocrystalline Si, and 10 for CdTe. The 4n2 benchmarks are about 50 for Si and 36 for CdTe; for CdTe, 4n2 light trapping adds about 1 mA/cm2 to the photocurrent density of a 3-μm cell. We propose a procedure that separates the effects of parasitic absorption from incomplete scattering in determining the enhancement and show that the champion enhancement of 33 for silicon was mostly limited by parasitic absorption and not by inadequate scattering.


A new, simple, and rapid assay for conjugated bilirubin that does not require serum-matrix standards was developed by using the enzyme bilirubin oxidase (EC 184.108.40.206). This procedure can also be modified to measure total bilirubin. Measurements from these assays were compared with results obtained with the Sigma 605 (Jendrassik-Gróf method), Sigma 550/551 (Walters-Gerarde method), and Kodak Ektachem (BuBc) bilirubin assays. The one-year study involved serum specimens from 283 infants younger than 30 days. Linear-regression analysis of data for conjugated bilirubin collected by this assay and by the Kodak Ektachem assay yielded a slope of 0.975, an intercept of 0.088, an Syx of 1.47 mg/L, and a correlation coefficient of 0.94 for a total of 49 specimens. Correlation was also good (r = 0.95) between results for total bilirubin by this assay and both the Sigma 605 and the Kodak Ektachem methods.


This paper presents passive integrated circuits for millimeter-wave transmitters and receivers implemented in a 45-nm CMOS silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process. The advantages of SOI over bulk CMOS are discussed for millimeter-wave passive circuits. First, a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch demonstrates a measured insertion loss of less than 1.7 dB at 45 GHz and third-order intermodulation intercept point (IIP3) of 18.2 dBm. Second, a double-balanced passive in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) mixer exhibits a conversion loss of 8.35 dB at 44 GHz and IIP3 of 15.5 dBm. At a fixed IF of 200 MHz, the minimum I/Q gain and phase imbalance is 0.25 dB and 1.9°. The passive mixer and SPDT switch results demonstrate a record minimum insertion loss and linearity performance for the passive millimeter-wave circuits.


RATIONALE
The sampling of sequential, annually formed bone growth layers for stable carbon (δ(13)C values) and nitrogen (δ(15)N values) isotope analysis (SIA) can provide a time series of foraging ecology data. To date, no standard protocol exists for the pre-SIA treatment of cortical samples taken from fresh, modern, bones.

METHODS
Based on the SIA of historical bone, it is assumed that fresh bone samples must be pre-treated with acid prior to SIA. Using an elemental analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer to measure stable carbon and nitrogen ratios, we tested the need to acidify cortical bone powder with 0.25 M HCl prior to SIA to isolate bone collagen for the determination of δ(13)C and δ(15)N values. We also examined the need for lipid extraction to remove potential biases related to δ(13)C analysis, based on a C:N ratio threshold of 3.5.

RESULTS
It was found that acidification of micromilled cortical bone samples from marine turtles does not affect their δ(15)N values, and the small effect acidification has on δ(13)C values can be mathematically corrected for, thus eliminating the need for pre-SIA acidification of cortical bone. The lipid content of the cortical bone samples was low, as measured by their C:N ratios, indicating that lipid extracting cortical bone samples from modern marine turtles is unnecessary.

CONCLUSIONS
We present a standard protocol for testing fresh, modern cortical bone samples prior to SIA, facilitating direct comparison of future studies. Based on the results obtained from marine turtle bones, pre-acidification and lipid removal of cortical bone are not recommended. This is especially useful as there is frequently not enough bone material removed via micromilling of sequential growth layers to accommodate both acid treatment and SIA.


In a revisionist interpretation, this article finds the position of mainstream economists to be in error in relation to the impact of economic theory on the economic strategy incorporated in the Second Five Year Plan. In place of "the power of (economic) theory", it suggests a "theory of power" as a more appropriate explanation for the strategy. Similarly, it finds the position of Marxist scholars and activists also to be mistaken in maintaining that the economic strategy had been designed on behalf of the capitalist class in order to build capitalism. Instead it suggests that the origins of the strategy were ideological, intended to build socialism; the strategy was contingently facilitated by a ruling coalition usually associated with an "intermediate regime".


We consider modelling policies for MDPs in (vector-valued) reproducing kernel Hilbert function spaces (RKHS). This enables us to work "non-parametrically" in a rich function class, and provides the ability to learn complex policies. We present a framework for performing gradientbased policy optimization in the RKHS, deriving the functional gradient of the return for our policy, which has a simple form and can be estimated efficiently. The policy representation naturally focuses on the relevant region of state space defined by the policy trajectories, and does not rely on a-priori defined basis points; this can be an advantage in high dimensions where suitable basis points may be difficult to define a-priori. The method is adaptive in the sense that the policy representation will naturally adapt to the complexity of the policy being modelled, which is achieved with standard efficient sparsification tools in an RKHS. We argue that finding a good kernel on states can be easier then remetrizing a high dimensional feature space. We demonstrate the approach on benchmark domains and a simulated quadrocopter navigation task.


The aim of this study was to identify challenges and barriers related to sustainability issues within the Hungarian agri-food sector. Within the SALSA EU FP7 project a survey was carried out which helped to evaluate the current status of the Hungarian food supply chains related to sustainability challenges. The specific issues, which have to be considered, is the use of soy products and ingredients containing soy products in food, the consumer concerns about the use of GMO, and the sustainability of the soy and beef supply chains. In Hungary the general interest related to the sustainability issues is still lower than within the North-West European countries. The results of the survey will be delivered in the presentation and discussed several topics according to the status of the Hungarian agri-food chains members' awareness related to the "Triple Bottom Line".


Unlike most other countries, in the United States, subnational governments (states) have substantial authority over collective bargaining and union organization laws. Because states compete for business investment and union (dis)organization likely has spillover effects beyond state borders, weak unions in one state may affect union organization in other states. We examine how union decline in one state is associated with union decline in neighboring states, and whether the presence of prounion (left-leaning) governments may limit the spread of union decline. Examining a period of major union decline (1983–2014), we find that union weakness in one state is associated with union weakness in nearby states. We observe that Democratic power in Congress is associated with higher unionization rates, but that liberal state governments have been relatively powerless to stop union decline in this period. These findings have important implications for understanding the historical and contemporary weakness of American unions and for the future of union strength in the United States.


This paper reports the outcomes of a 3-year faculty development project, the Nursing School Education Collaborative (NSEC), implemented in four baccalaureate schools of nursing. The focus of the NSEC was to strengthen educational programs through faculty development and curriculum integration in the area of substance abuse and addictions education. A comprehensive needs assessment process is outlined, and faculty development and curriculum integration activities are detailed. Faculty development has resulted in significant improvements in each school's substance abuse curriculum. Outcomes at each participating school have included continuing education activities, acquisition of additional teaching resources, the development of an integration model, and increased curriculum and clinical contact hours. With the increasing recognition of substance abuse as a number one public health problem and nursing as a major health workforce, this project serves as a model for replication.


This paper explores the interplay between the digital screen and its effects on architectural representation from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. The introduction of the computer through the 1994 Paperless Studios at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) became a defining moment for the discipline to speculate on the effects of the digital screen on architectural representation, specifically the tension between the simulated and the real. Recognising that the relationship between the digital screen and architectural representation is relative to, and has been shaped by, the broader media context of the decade the Paperless Studios is situated in relation to two mediatised events. The first is Cable News Network's (CNN) 24-hour live coverage of the Gulf War in 1991, and second is the 2002 competition to design the new World Trade Centre (WTC) post the historic attacks of 9/11. Each of these events presents a shift in the tension between the simulated and the real.


Vitrinite reflectance analysis and the mean diameter of metamorphosed quartz, suggest that the eastern Ouachita region, Arkansas, USA reached the lower greenschist facies, regardless of burial depth. An increase in "crystallinity" may explain that the maturation is from the exhumation of the rocks from a greater depth. Shale and sandstone samples collected from outcrops along the crest of the Benton Uplift exhibit illite and chlorite crystallinities that yield higher indices compared to younger rocks adjacent to this crustal-scale anticlinal structure. Illite crystallinity d(001) of air-dried, fine (<0.2 μm) authigenic clays (Δ°2θ (CuKα) = 0.417° to 0.875°) yield a range of conditions from diagenetic temperature to lower anchizone temperatures up to ∼200 °C. Air-dried, fine authigenic chlorite clays (Δ°2θ (CuKα) = 0.259° to 1.570°) yield a wide range of diagenetic to metamorphic conditions that span the diagenetic zone through epizone, which indicate a maximum temperature slightly above ∼300 °C. These results are in contrast to prior thermal maturation data. No additional heat sources, such as from pluton emplacement, were identified by major areas of anomalous high maturation based on crystallinity. Regionally, the illite and chlorite crystallinity increases toward the central axis of the Benton Uplift. Exhumation of the rocks from greater depth is all that is required to explain the illite and chlorite crystallinity data.


The isolated Caribbean island of Saba is affectionately called 'the unspoiled Queen', due to the unaffected character of its natural environment. European colonists from Zeeland (The Netherlands) and the British Isles occupied the island four centuries ago and partially changed it into a cultural landscape with an outstanding character and a vernacular architecture that is worth to be well protected.
 The inhabitants – still no more than 2000 – had to adjust to the rugged and mountainous landscape. This is expressed by the location of the villages, the network of paths and stairs connecting them, the construction and size of the wooden cottages and the cisterns and burial sites on their properties. This combination makes Saba unique in the Caribbean region. The Saban architecture which is rooted in a Victorian-British building tradition, has hardly changed over the years, though building in concrete is a serious threat nowadays.


DDR2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase whose activating ligands are various collagens. DDR2-mediated cellular signaling has been shown to require Src activity. However, the precise mechanism underlying the Src dependence of DDR2 signaling is unknown. Here, using baculoviral co-expression of the DDR2 cytosolic domain and Src, we show that Src targets three tyrosine residues (Tyr-736, Tyr-740, and Tyr-741) in the activation loop of DDR2 for phosphorylation. This phosphorylation by Src stimulates DDR2 cis-autophosphorylation of additional tyrosine residues. In vitro Shc binding assays demonstrate that phosphotyrosines resulting from DDR2 autophosphorylation are involved in Shc binding to the DDR2 cytosolic domain. Mutating tyrosine 740 of DDR2 to phenylalanine stimulates autophosphorylation of DDR2 to an extent similar to that resulting from Src phosphorylation of DDR2. In addition, the DDR2 Y740F mutant protein displays collagen-independent, constitutively activated signaling. These findings suggest that tyrosine 740 inhibits DDR2 autophosphorylation. Collectively, our findings are consistent with the following mechanism for Src-dependent DDR2 activation and signaling: 1) ligand binding promotes phosphorylation of Tyr-740 in the DDR2 activation loop by Src; 2) Tyr-740 phosphorylation stimulates intramolecular autophosphorylation of DDR2; 3) DDR2 autophosphorylation generates cytosolic domain phosphotyrosines that promote the formation of DDR2 cytosolic domain-Shc signaling complexes.


Under the rapid growth of world's economy and population, the demand for water and energy has been increasing accordingly. Moreover, water and energy are interrelated and form a reinforcing feedback loop. Energy is used not only onsite of water supply systems, but also indirectly for producing materials used in the water systems. As a result, it is important to understand and evaluate the energy embodiment of water supply for sustainable water and energy management. This study uses the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment software to estimate and compare the embodied energy of one China water supply system (System A) and one US water supply system (System B). It has been found that System B in the US has comparable direct operational energy consumption with System A in China; however, System B consumes much more indirect energy and constructional energy than System A. Possible reasons for the higher indirect energy use in System B might be more administrative and engineering (maintenance and repairing) services involved, lower transportation efficiency, more self water usage within the system and higher labor rates. To satisfy the water demand for the large population, China's water supply systems have to reduce direct energy consumption during the operation phase by conducting energy budget and adopting energy efficient technologies.


Funding information H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Grant/Award Number: 101024372; Science Foundation Ireland, Grant/Award Number: 13/IA/1886 Abstract Due to the inherent relevance of passive (physically representative) models for control, state-estimation, and motion simulation in the field of marine systems, in this paper, an optimisation-based approach to passivation of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems is proposed with application to physically consistent dynamical modelling of marine structures. In particular, the presented strategy is based upon the introduction of a suitably designed perturbation, computed via minimisation of a linear objective subject to a specific set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The performance of the passivation technique is showcased in terms of two case studies: An offshore platform, with a frequency-domain response computed by means of hydrodynamic codes, and a 1:20 scale wave energy converter (WEC), is characterised in terms of real experimental data.


Binocular masking is a particularly interesting means of suppressing human visual awareness, as images rendered subjectively "invisible" via binocular masking nonetheless excite robust activity in human visual cortex. Recently, binocular masking has been leveraged to show that people can be trained to better interact with inputs that, subjectively, remain invisible. Here we ask what is learned in such circumstances. Do people become more adept at using weak encoded signals to guide hand movements, or is signal encoding enhanced, resulting in heightened objective sensitivity? To assess these possibilities, we had people train on five consecutive days, to reach toward and point at a target presented in one of three masked locations. Target intensity was set to a fraction of a detection threshold determined pretraining for each participant. We found that people became better at selecting the target location with training, even when insisting they could not see the target. More important, posttraining we found objective thresholds had improved by an amount that was commensurate with an improvement in subjective visibility. Our data therefore show that training to coordinate with subjectively invisible targets can result in enhanced encodings of binocularly masked images.


. A common explanation for the changes in species abundance following a fire is a shift in competitive ranking. However, experimental tests have been inconsistent and generally do not support this explanation. I examined the competitive ability of an abundant C4 grass, Andropogon gerardii, and a C3 forb, Ratibida pinnata, in a prairie remnant in northern Ohio, USA, for each of three years following a spring burn in 1996. While the abiotic environment directly influenced both species similarly, relative competitive abilities in terms of growth changed markedly: in 1996 Andropogon was less inhibited by neighbors; in 1997 both Andropogon and Ratibida had similar competitive abilities; and in 1998 Ratibida was less inhibited by neighbors. This shift in competitive response ranking paralleled the changes in relative abundance for the two species. In contrast, the effect of neighbors on survival changed markedly over time but did not differ among the two species. Thus, fire may influence species abundance through changing species competitive response ranking, at least in terms of growth.


This paper explores the challenges and opportunities presented by mobile applications in the context of an academic library collection. This emerging format raises important questions about selection, acquisition, access, instruction, outreach, and evaluation as these practices have been applied to traditional resources. A more nuanced understanding of the content and format of mobile applications informs a collection development strategy for discovering, acquiring, and maintaining these resources. The development of an outreach program that includes liaison activity, instruction, and research consultations is also explored as a way to drive users to these new resources. Using Stony Brook University Libraries as a case study, this paper discusses the potential of mobile applications as academic library resources plus practical ways to promote usage and enhance academic engagement.


I may here take the opportunity of assenting to Prof. Tyrrell's criticism of the rendering in my translation of Fam. xii. 10, 2, and admitting that ut arbitrarentur is epexegetical of pcrsuasum erat, and the second ut correlative to ita. The translation should therefore be modified accordingly. On the whole it must be said that Prof. Tyrrell has given us an interesting and stimulating sixth-form or undergraduate book, and it is to be hoped that this divagation will not prove to have been any delay to the greater work for which he is even better fitted.


Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere is one of the priorities in the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Over the years of the existence of the SCO, the countries that belong to it, have established practical and effective cooperation in the fields of culture, education, environmental protection, youth policy, sports, tourism and media. As the SCO is adding its members, this form of interaction starts playing an increasingly important role. The SCO countries have certain achievements in developing various aspects of humanitarian cooperation. Student, teacher and academic staff exchange projects are being realized, direct contacts between educational institutes have been established; languages, history, culture, and literature of the SCO member states are being studied. Multilateral mechanism of interaction has been formed — meetings of the ministers of education of the SCO member states; a permanent expert group, which coordinates joint efforts in this area, has been created.


Prices for all commodities vary over time. The degree of instability for each commodity reflects characteristics of the industry. In the non agricultural industries the technology has certain input-output relationships. Few random factors affect the output. However, in agriculture some random factors make these relationships uncertain. Weather and biological conditions can result in output that is far from that planned by the producer. The coordination system within the marketing chain is also different for the two groups. In many non agricultural industries marketing arrangements, such as vertical integration and contacts ensure that the quantity produced will match the expected demand. So, within the marketing channels supply and demand are effectively coordinated. This is because mechanisms have been established to deal with the potential uncertainty of the system. Common uncertainties for agricultural and non agricultural industries are the competitive behavior of participants, changes in consumer preferences, prices of substitutes and complements, foreign supply and demand conditions, the potential development of new technology, governmental policies and so on. Both predictable and unpredictable instability are of concern. So as a measure it is better to choose one of instability rather than a measure of predictability. In this paper I will try to measure the variability caused by participants and random factors by three methods for 57 commodities and to compare the classification the three methods rank the 57 commodities.


In this work, the effects of boric acid pretreatment on the seed germination, seedling growth (coleoptile percentage, radicle length, coleoptile length, radicle number and fresh weight) and leaf anatomy of barley under saline conditions were studied. In parallel with concentration increase, salt stress inhibited the germination and seedling growth of barley seeds. Boric acid application alleviated in varying degrees the inhibitive effect of salt on the final germination percentage, coleoptile percentage and coleoptile length. However, it was not able to show a success on the radicle length, radicle number and fresh weight. On the other hand, it was determined that the mentioned pretreatment affected in different degrees on the various parameters of leaf anatomy of barley seedlings, and this difference was statistically significant.


The delivery of 3D immersive media to individual users remains a highly challenging problem due to the large amount of data involved, diverse network characteristics and user terminal requirements, as well as users' context such as their preferences and location. As the number of visual views increases, current systems struggle to meet the demanding requirements in terms of delivery of consistent video quality to fixed and mobile users. The ROMEO (Remote Collaborate Multimedia Experience over the Future Internet) project funded under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission focuses on the delivery of live and collaborative 3D immersive media. This facilitates application scenarios such as immersive social TV and high quality immersive and real-time collaboration. In order to support these application scenarios, the project focuses on developing new methods for compressing and delivering 3D multi-view video and spatial audio, as well as optimising the networking and compression jointly across the Future Internet. The proposed solution combines the Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial2 (DVB-T2) broadcast technology together with a Quality of Experience (QoE) aware Peer-to-Peer (P2P) distribution system that operates over wired and wireless links. An audio-visual communication overlay is also utilised for bringing the remote collaborators together to jointly enjoy the streamed 3D immersive media, which in turn requires the live streaming 3D content to be received by the collaborating users all at the same time with only an un-noticeable latency. This paper introduces the overall system architecture of the ROMEO project as well as some preliminary results.


Active mode locking of an erbium-doped all-fiber laser with a Bragg-grating-based acousto-optic modulator is demonstrated. The fiber Bragg grating was acoustically modulated by a standing longitudinal elastic wave, which periodically modulates the sidebands at twice the acoustic frequency. The laser has a Fabry-Perot configuration in which cavity loss modulation is achieved by tuning the output fiber Bragg grating to one of the acoustically induced sidebands. Optical pulses at 9 MHz repetition rate, 120 mW peak power, and 780 ps temporal width were obtained. The output results to be stable and has a timing jitter below 40 ps. The measured linewidth, 2.8 pm, demonstrates that these pulses are transform limited.


Abstract Hypnosis treatment often improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the costs and reliance on specialized therapists limit its availability. A 3-month home-treatment version of a scripted hypnosis protocol previously shown to improve all central IBS symptoms was completed by 19 IBS patients. Outcomes were compared to those of 57 matched IBS patients from a separate study receiving only standard medical care. Ten of the hypnosis subjects (53%) responded to treatment by 3-month follow-up (response defined as more than 50% reduction in IBS severity) vs. 15 (26%) of controls. Hypnosis subjects improved more in quality of life scores compared to controls. Anxiety predicted poor treatment response. Hypnosis responders remained improved at 6-month follow-up. Although response rate was lower than previously observed in therapist-delivered treatment, hypnosis home treatment may double the proportion of IBS patients improving significantly across 6 months.


This paper studies the determinants of inequality in an infnitehorizon general equilibrium model. Missing capital markets decreases motivations for capital accumulation among the poor, while uncertainty about future income leads to precautionary savings. The different returns to saving faced by agents with different levels of wealth, caused by missing capital markets, lead to two-peaked wealth distributions and high inequality. The precautionary savings, affected by the level of labor market risk, infuences the degree of polarization in the wealth distribution, as poor agents in particular save more if the income process is more volatile. With low risk, there are two distinct population groups: the poor and the rich. There is no mobility between groups, and the wealth distribution is history dependent. With high risk, there is mobility between groups and a unique steady state wealth distribution. When comparing steady states with high and low risk, the wage level is higher in the high-risk steady states because of precautionary saving. The wage may in fact be so much higher that the poor are better off in the high-risk steady states, even though the income process is more volatile. The rich are worse off with high risk, as the price paid for labor is higher.


Oscillating water column plants are one of the most popular wave energy device types. Prototype OWC units have been operating in various parts of the world since the mid-1980s and such developers have more field experience of this technology than any other relevant plant. The most common turbine used is the self-rectifying Well's turbine which has a rather low peak efficiency if compared to other designs but was preferred in terms of its simplicity and cycle performance. The present study exploits the merits of a new concept for the power extraction process, that of an encaged turbine for OWC plants, which allows conventional high-efficiency turbines to be employed in such plants. This is achieved by guiding the pressurized air into a sequence of three chambers, creating a unidirectional closed air circuit through the turbine. A theoretical model is deployed simulating the operation of the plant and a sensitivity analysis is carried out for the design and working parameters. Results indicate that the power extraction efficiency may exceed the 50% level in a real plant.


An exponential correlation is found to exist between the number of added defects on polished blanket wafers and the inverse of defect size for particulate CMP defects. Smaller surface defects are much more abundant and more difficult to remove. Pad surface pore geometry can influence the transport of debris during polish, and hence modulate the generation of defects such as polish residue (PR), foreign materials (FM), and scratches. The conditioner and conditioning process also plays a role. Besides the selection and optimization of cleaning chemical and post cleaning process itself, overall CMP defect reduction and mitigation must take into account the events and consumables in the polish modules. The drive towards finer and 3D device geometry presents further challenges in defect detection and reduction.


Purpose: To evaluate the role of breast tumor location on survival in patients with breast cancer. Patients and Methods: We evaluated tumor location within the breast on breast cancer–specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with invasive breast cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER) registries in the United States. Effects on survival were evaluated according to age, stage, tumor site, tumor size, grade, axillary lymph node status, extent of surgery, and radiotherapy (RT). A multivariate model was used with complete data on 45,880 patients. The median follow-up was 59 months. Results: Patients with outer tumor location demonstrated superior BCSS on Kaplan-Meier analysis for both local stage (node-negative, P < .001) and regional stage disease (node-positive, P .0002). For BCSS, the hazard ratio (HR) for inner quadrant location compared with outer quadrant was 1.31 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 1.37; P < .001); and for OS, the HR was 1.12 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.17; P < .001). When ER and PR status were included in the model, the HR for inner quadrant location compared with outer quadrant was 1.27 for BCSS (95% CI, 1.16 to 1.40; P < .001) and 1.11 for OS (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.19; P .004). Patients treated by lumpectomy that received RT had a superior OS compared with patients that did not receive RT in both local (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.61; P < .001) and regional (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.72; P < .001) stage disease. Mastectomy patients with local stage disease that received RT had a diminished OS (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.50; P .033). Conclusion: On multivariate analysis, incorporating data on age, stage, tumor site, tumor size, grade, ER and PR status, axillary lymph node status, extent of surgery, and RT, this SEER registry–based study demonstrates that medial tumor location adversely impacts BCSS and OS. J Clin Oncol 21:467-472. © 2003 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.


Context: Mechanical ventilation can be traumatic despite administration of sedatives. Sedation can mask uncontrolled pain for intubated patients and prevent them from communicating it. An optimal scoring system for sedation and analgesia can facilitate comparisons.

Aims: Compare the COMFORT score performed by the nursing staff on paediatric mechanically ventilated patients to the one performed by the principal investigator.

Settings and Design: This Prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Sixty five patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included.

Methods and Material: COMFORT scoring was performed by the nursing staff in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) on all ventilated patients three times each day. The primary investigator performed the scoring at the same time, but independent of the staff, to enable comparison.

Statistical analysis used: Statistical testing has been conducted with the statistical package version SPSS 20.0. For all statistical tests, a p value <0.05 will be taken to indicate a significant difference/association.

Results: Our study showed significant difference in assessment of COMFORT score by the investigator and nursing staff. Of our patients, 44.6% were over sedated and 55.4% were optimally sedated. None were under sedated. No correlation was noted between the duration of intubation, age, gender, indication of intubation and type of cases with COMFORT score. However, significant association was found between COMFORT score and outcome of the patient, with lower scores for those who died in comparison to survivors.

Conclusions: Presence of dedicated person for pain assessment can lead to more efficient management.


The aim of the present work was to evaluate the repeatability and the validity of a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that could be used for older people living in Mediterranean areas. The semi-quantitative FFQ included questions regarding the frequency of consumption of the main food groups and beverages typically consumed in the Mediterranean areas as well as some questions regarding eating habits of older persons. During 2006–2007, for the repeatability assessment (within 10–30 days), 150 individuals (51 ± 17 yrs, 40% males) were studied, while another 190 individuals (74 ± 9 yrs, 52% males) were enrolled for the validation purposes. Agreement of the FFQ with the 3-day food records was evaluated using the Bland–Altman method and the Kendall's tau-b coefficient. Repeatability was tested using the Cohen's kappa coefficient. Between 3-day food records and the FFQ, good agreement for alcohol (tau-b = 0.64, p < 0.001) was found, while moderate agreement for food and beverage groups of greens (tau-b = 0.32, p < 0.001), fruits (tau-b = 0.35, p < 0.001), cereals (tau-b = 0.61, p < 0.001), sweets (tau-b = 0.51, p < 0.001), and coffee (tau-b = 0.58, p < 0.001) was observed. Low, but still significant, agreement for fish (tau-b = 0.21, p = 0.001), legumes (tau-b = 0.23, p < 0.001), vegetables (tau-b = 0.23, p < 0.001), pasta (tau-b = 0.25, p < 0.001), potatoes (tau-b = 0.17, p = 0.006) and meat consumption (tau-b = 0.14, p < 0.001) were also found. The FFQ was also valid regarding the estimation of macronutrients and energy intake. Sensitivity analyses by sex, age category (≤ or > 75 yrs), and education status showed similar validity of the FFQ in each subgroup, except for elders older than 75 years. The repeatability of the FFQ was fair in all foods tested (Cohen's kappa coefficients varied between 0.15–0.39, p-values < 0.05). The suggested FFQ seems to be a reasonably valid and repeatable measure of dietary intake and can be used in older persons living in the Mediterranean areas.


By means of in vivo microdialysis combined with HPLC analysis, we have shown that glutamate extracellular level in the rat n. accumbens increases during a forced switch in behavioral strategy. When infused in the n. accumbens, a Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 microM) completely prevents this increase whereas a potent cystine/glutamate exchanger blocker (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine ((S)-4-CPG, 5 microM) has no effect. In contrast, TT (1 microM), infused in the n. accumbens, fails to significantly alter basal level of extracellular glutamate in this region whereas (S)-4-CPG (5 microM) produced a significant decrease. Our data suggest that basal and factional glutamate releases in the n. accumbens are differently regulated. The source of basal glutamate release is a non-vesicular release via cystine/glutamate exchanger. Functional glutamate release observed during a forced switch in behavioral strategy derives from vesicular synaptic pool.


We have performed experiments at the Omega Laser Facility at the University of Rochester/Laboratory for Laser Energetics to measure time‐resolved electron temperature (Te) and ion temperature (Ti) in high‐temperature implosions. These experiments use direct laser drive on thin glass shells filled with a mixture of D, 3He, Kr, and Xe, and use neutron and proton emission to diagnose Ti and x‐ray emission to diagnose Te. The Kr dopant serves as an optically‐thin tracer for Te measurements via K‐shell spectroscopy, while the Xe dopant enhances radiation losses and serves as an energy sink due to ionization. Important results include the observation of an order‐of‐magnitude increase in areal density with a low concentration of Xe, the observation of double‐peaked Ti and x‐ray emission time profiles indicative of separate shock and compression phases, and generally good agreement with hydrodynamic simulations of the temperature histories. We describe the experiments, the results, and the supporting hydrodynamic...


ABSTRACT: New sedimentological observations in the Lower Cretaceous of the Silesian Unit and integrated biostratigraphy based on calcareous nannofossils, dinoflagellate cysts, calpionellids and foraminifers have brought new insight to the stratigraphy of the Cieszyn section. The oldest exposed strata of themudstone facies of the Cieszyn Limestone Formation are of early Berriasian age, based on calcareous nannofossil evidence. This work proposes that the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary reported by previous authors was based on reworked microfossils. The detritic facies of the Cieszyn Limestone Formation, typically dominated by detritic-limestone turbidites, appears to be completely missing. Instead, a thick body with combined slump and slide features, of Berriasian–Valanginian age, forms the transition with the overlying lower Valanginian strata of the Hradiste Formation. The slump/slide body represents a local facies, deposited on a fault scarp related to fault-controlled extension of the Proto-Silesian Basin floor.


The fostering of critical thinking skills has become an expectation of faculty, especially those teaching in the health sciences. The manner in which critical thinking is defined by faculty impacts how they will address the challenge to promote critical thinking among their students. This study reports the perceptions of critical thinking held by health sciences faculty representing multiple disciplines. The results provide a working definition of critical thinking and its components, and indicate the importance that critical thinking is given in the education of health care students. Implications of these results for teaching and learning are presented.


We determine the optimal robust investment strategy of an individual who targets at a given rate of consumption and seeks to minimize the probability of lifetime ruin when she does not have perfect confidence in the drift of the risky asset. Using stochastic control, we characterize the value function as the unique classical solution of an associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation, obtain feedback forms for the optimal investment and drift distortion, and discuss their dependence on various model parameters. In analyzing the HJB equation, we establish the existence and uniqueness of viscosity solution using Perron's method, and then upgrade regularity by working with an equivalent convex problem obtained via the Cole-Hopf transformation. We show the original value function may lose convexity for a class of parameters and the Isaacs condition may fail. Numerical examples are also included to illustrate our results.


Despite modern treatment, many patients with reduced systolic left ventricular function after acute myocardial infarction are at high risk of sudden cardiac death, especially during the first weeks after the infarction. This study shows that with current treatment, including early revascularization, most patients will improve their ejection fraction within 1 month to such an extent that a primary prophylactic implantable cardioverterdefibrillator is no longer indicated. Further improvement after 1 month is limited, implying the benefit of early implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in patients who do not improve during the first month. Patients with a severely reduced ejection fraction were unlikely to recover beyond the limits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy. This study also illustrates the substantial risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmias early after an acute myocardial infarction and the difficulty in predicting which individuals will be affected. See p 743.


Digital reconstruction, or tracing, of 3-D neuron structure from microscopy images is a critical step toward reversing engineering the wiring and anatomy of a brain. Despite a number of prior attempts, this task remains very challenging, especially when images are contaminated by noises or have discontinued segments of neurite patterns. An approach for addressing such problems is to identify the locations of neuronal voxels using image segmentation methods, prior to applying tracing or reconstruction techniques. This preprocessing step is expected to remove noises in the data, thereby leading to improved reconstruction results. In this paper, we proposed to use 3-D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for segmenting the neuronal microscopy images. Specifically, we designed a novel CNN architecture, that takes volumetric images as the inputs and their voxel-wise segmentation maps as the outputs. The developed architecture allows us to train and predict using large microscopy images in an end-to-end manner. We evaluated the performance of our model on a variety of challenging 3-D microscopy images from different organisms. Results showed that the proposed methods improved the tracing performance significantly when combined with different reconstruction algorithms.


A popular heuristic method for improving clustering results is to apply dimensionality reduction before running clustering algorithms. It has been observed that spectral-based dimensionality reduction tools, such as PCA or SVD, improve the performance of clustering algorithms in many applications. This phenomenon indicates that spectral method not only serves as a dimensionality reduction tool, but also contributes to the clustering procedure in some sense. It is an interesting question to understand the behavior of spectral steps in clustering problems. As an initial step in this direction, this paper studies the power of vanilla-SVD algorithm in the stochastic block model (SBM). We show that, in the symmetric setting, vanilla-SVD algorithm recovers all clusters correctly. This result answers an open question posed by Van Vu (Combinatorics Probability and Computing, 2018) in the symmetric setting.


The present study was conducted to test the effect of Ascophyllum nodosum extract on the growth of Robinia pseudoacasia L., ornamental tree. In vitro and ex vitro clonal multiplication of Robinia pseudoacasia L. was achieved using embryonic axes and seeds as explants, respectively. Factors affecting shoot and root production of R. pseudoacasia L. were investigated by comparing various growth regulators [α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BA)] and culture media [Murashige and Skoog (MS) and WPM (woody plant medium)] on in vitro conditions, also culture beds (sand, perlite, compost and cocopeat) with different ratios and extracts of brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum on ex vitro conditions. Both of BA and NAA were used at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mg l-1. Concentrations used from extracts of A. nodosum were 0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg l-1. The optimum plant growth regulator (PGR) combination for maximal plant height, shoot number, node number, root number, root length, leaf number, fresh and dry weight on in vitro condition was 1 mg l-1 NAA and 1 mg l-1 BA in MS medium. The 1000 mg l-1 of extracts of A. nodosum led to optimum plant height, node number, longest root, leaf number, dry weight, fresh weight. The most appropriate plantlets survival on ex vitro condition was observed when the culture medium was a bed containing sand + perlite + compost with proportion of 1:1:1. About 75% of the propagated plantlets and 90% of the micropropagated plantlets were established successfully in acclimatization medium. Regenerated plantlets were morphologically identical with mother plants. Present study showed positive modifications in shoot proliferation, rate of rooting of stem and some morphological and physiological characters due to subjection of R. pseudoacasia L. to optimum treatments.


ABSTRACT The economic and socio-political interactions between countries can have major impacts on transboundary conservation decisions and outcomes. Here, we examined for 14 Western Indian Ocean (WIO) continental and island nations the extent of their marine coral reef species, fisheries and marine protected areas (MPAs), in the context of their geopolitical and socio-economic connections. We also examined the role of external countries and organisations in collaboration within the region. We found large variation between the different countries in their protected area size, and management, which result from different interests in establishing the MPAs, ranging from fisheries management, biodiversity conservation to asserting sovereignty claims. Seventy-four per cent of the 154 MPAs in the region belong to island nations; however, the largest MPAs in the WIO were established by European powers, and include Mayotte and Glorioso Islands (France) and Chagos (UK). While the majority of MPAs are managed by individual countries, between-country collaboration within and outside the region is key if the aim is to achieve effective conservation of ecosystems and species across the island and mainland nations in the region. This may be advanced by creating transboundary MPAs and by regional conservation investment by external powers that benefit from the region's resources.


The research was carried out in 2006 within the area of forest nursery in Okalewo, the Forest Inspectorate Skrwilno (Central Poland, at 53o02 N, 19o23 E). The aim of the study was to determine the effects of root pruning in one-year Scots pine seedlings (Pinus sylvestris L.) on their growth after transplanting. The vertical roots of one-year Scots pine seedlings were pruned to the length of 5, 10, 15 i 20 cm and measured. The scope of measurements included: stem length and thickness, total root length, root length within thickness classes, surface root area, root volume as well as the number of root tips and ramifications. The measurements of root systems were performed with the use of a scanner and WinRhizo software. The seedlings were transplanted and were growing in the nursery all through the vegetation season 2006. In October of this year the seedlings were lifted from the ground and measured again at the same scope. Reiterated measurements allowed evaluation of increment characteristics after transplanting. The results indicated negative impacts of intensive root pruning before transplantation on seedling survival rates. Severe pruning of seedling vertical roots had negative effects on increment gained by both aboveand underground seedling parts. Pruning roots to 5 cm of length significantly decreased pine seedling survival rate of. On the other hand, 20 cm long roots have no significant effects on seedling survival and increment but they can cause difficulties in seedling nursery cultivation.


The work presents a development of EN338 strength classes for Strombosia pustulata, Pterygotama crocarpa, Nauclea diderrichii and Entandrophragma cyclindricum Nigerian timber species. The specimens for experimental measurements were obtained from the timber-shed at the famous Panteka market in Kaduna in the northern part of Nigeria. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the selected timber species in accordance with EN 13183-1 and ASTM D193. The mechanical properties were determined using three point bending test. The generated properties were used to obtain the characteristic values of the material properties in accordance with EN384. The selected timber species were then classified according to EN 338. Strombosia pustulata, Pterygotama crocarpa, Nauclea diderrichii and Entandrophragma cyclindricum were assigned to strength classes D40, C14, D40 and D24 respectively. Other properties such as tensile and compressive strengths parallel and perpendicular to grains, shear strength as well as shear modulus were obtained in accordance with EN 338. Keywords—Mechanical properties, Nigerian timber, strength classes, three-point bending test.


The use of game elements within virtual citizen science is increasingly common, promising to bring increased user activity, motivation, and engagement to large-scale scientific projects. However, there is an ongoing debate about whether or not gamifying systems such as these is actually an effective means by which to increase motivation and engagement in the long term. While gamification itself is receiving a large amount of attention, there has been little beyond individual studies to assess its suitability or success for citizen science; similarly, while frameworks exist for assessing citizen science performance, they tend to lack any appreciation of the effects that game elements might have had. We therefore review the literature to determine what the trends are regarding the performance of particular game elements or characteristics in citizen science, and survey existing projects to assess how popular different game features are. Investigating this phenomenon further, we then present the results of a series of interviews carried out with the EyeWire citizen science project team to understand more about how gamification elements are introduced, monitored, and assessed in a live project. Our findings suggest that projects use a range of game elements with points and leaderboards the most popular, particularly in projects that describe themselves as "games." Currently, gamification appears to be effective in citizen science for maintaining engagement with existing communities, but shows limited impact for attracting new players.


We educators regard the eight key learning areas in our curriculum frameworks as a given, and forget that it is an arbitrary list, an approximate attempt at headings for all we think children should learn at school. The article calls for more attention to the critical study of religion; both in natural inclusion in SOSE and as a ninth learning area. It is vital in the post 9/11 world to understand the faith and motivations of people next door or around the globe. Those people promoting a greater inclusion of religion in the school curriculum need to convince the community both that religion has a place in a public school curriculum, and also that it should be a separate learning area.


Business-as-usual is likely to drive us to an unsustainable world. To solve the problems human industrial activity has created, such as climate change, species extinction, and biodiversity loss, business leaders (CEOs, top managers, and boards of directors) must be central to the solution for corporate sustainability. In particular, "heroic" leaders are needed to transform their companies into business beyond usual. In this essay, we briefly outline what researchers already know about microfoundational or socio-cognitive and motivational underpinnings of leaders that affect corporate sustainability. However, gaps remain in our understanding of affective drivers and values of leaders. We question whether microfoundations research has the potential to understand true business transformation for positive deviance and suggest that positive organizational scholarship and research on sustainability change agents can provide insights. We next highlight how empirical and research design shortcomings might be addressed. Finally, we discuss how to identify, develop, and empower leaders with transformational potential so that we can proactively create heroic leaders rather than wait for them to magically appear.


Abstract Filamentous fungi are ubiquitous and ecologically important organisms with rich and varied life histories, however, there is no consensus on how to identify or measure their fitness. In the first part of this study we adapt a general epidemiological model to identify the appropriate fitness metric for a saprophytic filamentous fungus. We find that fungal fitness is inversely proportional to the equilibrium density of uncolonized fungal resource patches which, in turn, is a function of the expected spore production of a fungus. In the second part of this study we use a simple life history model of the same fungus within a resource patch to show that a bang-bang resource allocation strategy maximizes the expected spore production, a critical fitness component. Unlike bang-bang strategies identified in other life-history studies, we find that the optimal allocation strategy for saprophytes does not entail the use of all of the resources within a patch.


The impact of remittance on international trade is often comparable to tariff changes—since exchange rate represents price of tradable goods. The appreciation of real exchange rate brings about increase in relative demand for competing importing tradable goods above domestic tradable goods given demand for non-tradable, since foreign goods are now cheaper in terms of domestic currency and there is high purchasing ability to do so. Resources re-allocation between tradable and non-tradable sector has been significant in Nigeria. Contribution of the agricultural sector to Nigeria's GDP has shrunk over the years with the attendant threat to food production and loss of employment opportunities. This study investigates the linear relationship between remittances and real effective exchange rate on one hand and the impact of remittances and exchange rate on tradable and non-tradable sector in Nigeria. Employing DOLS regression technique on annual data ranging from 1981 and 2013, The study found that remittances influence performance of tradable agriculture, manufacturing sector and merchandise export sector in line with Dutch disease idea. Also, we found evidence that changes in exchange rate act as a channel of impact of Dutch disease on all sectors.


Background: The use of modern board games has been growing past years in education, research, and mental health attendance. Often one professional selects games by his/her criteria depending on his/her objective with them. We evaluated the cognitive processes inherent to each modern board game to obtain a consensus of the cognitive profile of each. We explain how to choose the most suitable board games in future interventions. Materials and Methods: Fifteen education, mental health, and neuroscience research professionals with board games experience participated in an online assessment of 27 modern board games. Experts received a virtual neuroeducation formation and played the games selection for further analysis. Participants answered a Likert scale about 12 cognitive processes activated with each game. Results: All modern board games obtained a high level of agreement (intraclass correlation [ICC] > 0.75). Besides, most cognitive processes reached a high agreement, except for cognitive flexibility and problem-solving (moderate range: 0.5 > ICC > 0.75). Differentiated cognitive profiles have been obtained for each game, some of which could work on more than one cognitive domain at a time. Finally, initial evidence about which board game mechanisms activate with cognitive domain was found. Conclusion: To conclude, this expert consensus methodology became a useful tool for assessing the cognitive profile behind modern board and card games. The results obtained may facilitate the choice of games to be used in future studies depending on the objective cognitive domain to be trained under a criterion based on the observations of a group of experts and not just the researcher's individual criteria.


Feminist and gaze researchers have conducted ongoing discussions surrounding issues relating to the gaze and its impact on female experience. Women have the 'to-be-looked-atness' characteristic, with the gaze being directed at the female body, commonly by a male. To date, the focus of feminist research surrounding men looking at women and the analysis how women make sense of looks between women remains limited and scattered. Drawing upon ethnographic data obtained from a PhD research project, this paper delves into the embodied experiences of female exercisers within a UK 'working-class' gym. By exploring the women's own accounts of their living, breathing and sensing bodies as they exercise, I attempt to understand how they make sense of this physical culture, their embodied selves as well as broader constructions of the gendered body. Utilising a feminist phenomenological approach, I explore the social-structural position of women in a patriarchal system of gender relations, whilst simultaneously acknowledging and analysing the structural, cultural and historical forces and location, upon individual lived body experiences and gendered embodiment. Discussion is provided on how women make sense and interpret specific 'gazes' encountered within the gym culture from both men and women.