This paper discusses various aspects of economic modelling of free trade agreements (FTAs) raised directly or indirectly by high-level policymakers and the general public with an interest in trade, including explicit free trade critics. It starts with a brief description of the basic features of computable general equilibrium (CGE) models, their gradual adaptation to modern trade theory and some of the criticism they have been subject to. The paper then discusses the underlying workhorse data and points to a few critical areas which are in need of further efforts to increase the quality of model based simulations. It also describes on-going efforts and past projects that have been undertaken to improve the tools available to modelers. Some necessary practical modelling choices are discussed in terms of their impact on the modelling results followed by some thoughts on how the results of relatively complex technical undertakings such as CGE modelling exercises could be presented to a broad audience.


Drawing upon actor-network theory (ANT), this study presents a case analysis for a socio-technical framework to assess Korea's strategy for the development of the ubiquitous city (u-city). The u-city initiative, a national development project, focuses on strengthening the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in urban planning and management. Analyzing empirical materials from u-city development, this study traces and unpacks the interaction occurring around the u-city innovation and also identifies patterns of innovation, concentrating on negotiation and translation implementation. ANT provides a framework of ideas for describing the process of innovation and developing stories that explain technology take-up. Results provide insight into the Korean IT environment by offering a socio-technical analysis of u-city development and how it involves the dynamics of industry, regulation, and technology.


The data obtained from the national reporting system of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and its causative immune deficiency virus (HIV), the epidemic pattern of AIDS cases and HIV carriers in Japan from 1985 to 1995 could be summarized as follows: 1) the total number of reported AIDS cases and HIV carriers were 1,154 and 3,524 which included 167 and 915 foreigners, respectively; 2) among them the number of HIV carriers in hemophiliacs transmitted through HIV contaminated blood products was 1,806, including 582 AIDS victims; 3) excluding these hemophiliacs, there are 572 AIDS cases (167 foreigners) which shared risk factors for heterosexual contacts (37%) and homosexual contacts (31%), respectively; 4) on the other hand, more than 50% were heterosexuals and only 20% were homosexuals in 1,718 HIV carriers (915 foreigners); 5) the peak incidence is 33% in the 30s in AIDS, while more than 50% are in their 20s; 6) male-to-female ratio was 6.8 in AIDS cases but only 1.1 in HIV carriers; 7) the estimated number of HIV carriers in 2000 was 6,300-8,500 in Japanese and 700-1,700 in foreigners, respectively. From the above mentioned epidemic pattern of AIDS/HIV in Japan, we have to recognize that the recent number of HIV infection is actually increasing and the most of current HIV carriers even in foreigners are infected with HIV in our country and general activities for AIDS prevention in Japan and neighboring Asian countries should be promoted.


To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the efficiency of Allium sativum hydro-alcoholic extract (ASE) againstFigure growth, biofilm development, and soluble factor production of more than 200 biodeteriogenic microbial strains isolated from cultural heritage objects and buildings. The plant extract composition and antioxidant activities were determined spectrophotometrically and by HPLC–MS. The bioevaluation consisted of the qualitative (adapted diffusion method) and the quantitative evaluation of the inhibitory effect on planktonic growth (microdilution method), biofilm formation (violet crystal microtiter method), and production of microbial enzymes and organic acids. The garlic extract efficiency was correlated with microbial strain taxonomy and isolation source (the fungal strains isolated from paintings and paper and bacteria from wood, paper, and textiles were the most susceptible). The garlic extract contained thiosulfinate (307.66 ± 0.043 µM/g), flavonoids (64.33 ± 7.69 µg QE/g), and polyphenols (0.95 ± 0.011 mg GAE/g) as major compounds and demonstrated the highest efficiency against the Aspergillus versicolor (MIC 3.12–6.25 mg/mL), A. ochraceus (MIC: 3.12 mg/mL), Penicillium expansum (MIC 6.25–12.5 mg/mL), and A. niger (MIC 3.12–50 mg/mL) strains. The extract inhibited the adherence capacity (IIBG% 95.08–44.62%) and the production of cellulase, organic acids, and esterase. This eco-friendly solution shows promising potential for the conservation and safeguarding of tangible cultural heritage, successfully combating the biodeteriogenic microorganisms without undesirable side effects for the natural ecosystems.


Proceedings of the Sixth biennial conference of the International Biogeography Society, an international and interdisciplinary society contributing to the advancement of all studies of the geography of nature. Held at Miami, Florida, USA, 9 – 13 January 2013. Abstracts include: (i) the Opening, MacArthur & Wilson Award and Alfred Russel Award Plenary Lectures; (ii) four symposia entitled Island Biogeography: New Syntheses , Beyond Bergmann: New perspectives on the biogeography of traits , The Convergence of Conservation Paleontology and Biogeography and Predicting species and biodiversity in a warmer world: are we doing a good job? ; (iii) oral presentations from contributed papers on Phylogeography, Marine Biogeography, Biogeography of the Anthropocene, Hot Topics in biogeography, Island Biogeography, Neotropical Biogeography, Global Change Biogeography, Historical and Paleo-biogeography, Conservation Biogeography and Global-Scale Biogeography; and (iv) contributions presented as posters on Phylogeography, Geospatial techniques and land cover, Biodiversity gradients and macroecology, Biogeography of traits, Island Biogeography, Neotropical Biogeography, Conservation Biogeography, Disturbance and Disease Biogeography, Climate Change Biogeography and Historical and Paleo-Biogeography.


In this work, a "bi-level" frequency hopping codedivision multiple-access (FH-CDMA) scheme for wireless communication systems has been proposed. The new method provides flexibility in the range of modulation codes and FH models. By dividing the modulation codes, bi-level scheme can be modified to carry more possible users without increasing the number of FH models. The performance and spectral efficiency of the scheme are examined. The results show that the divided bi-level FH-CDMA scheme supports higher data rate and greater spectral efficiency than Frequency-shift-keying FHCDMA scheme.


In this work the topological order at finite temperature in two-dimensional color code is studied. The topological entropy is used to measure the behavior of the topological order. Topological order in color code arises from the colored string-net structures. By imposing the hard constrained limit the exact solution of the entanglement entropy becomes possible. For finite size systems, by rising the temperature one type of string-net structures is thermalized and the associative topological entropy vanishes. In the thermodynamic limit the underlying topological order is fragile even at very low temperatures. Taking first thermodynamic limit and then zero-temperature limit and vice versa don't commute, and their difference is related only to the topology of regions. The contribution of the colors and symmetry of the model in the topological entropy is also discussed. It is shown how the gauge symmetry of the color code underlies the topological entropy.


Failure analysis of bonded composite joints is essential to the design of modern aerospace vehicles in which adhesive joints are widely used. Recently, methods for stress and failure analysis of composite bonded joints have been developed in a new HyperSizer® capability. The first part of the capability involves calculation of adhesive stresses, as well as detailed in-plane and out-of-plane stresses in the adherends, as described in ref. 1. This companion paper presents the second major part, which is the prediction of failure of bonded joints and validation of those predictions. Many leading bonded joint failure theories, summarized herein, were implemented, and then evaluated for accuracy against test data. Through comparison to 14 test cases with 3 different joint configurations, the ratios of predicted failure load divided by test average failure load vary from 0.77 to 0.95. These results show that HyperSizer is relatively accurate and consistent for predicting initial failure.


PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have exhibited clinical success in inherited breast cancers with mutations in homologous recombination (HR) DNA double strand break (DSB) repair genes BRCA 1/2 by synthetic lethality. Novel PARPi have been shown to function not only by catalytic inhibition of PARP 1/2 activity, but also by "trapping" of PARP to sites of DNA damage. Trapping of PARP is a response generated by PARPi that is independent of the inhibition of PARP's catalytic activity, and leads to lethal unrepaired DSBs during replication. Importantly, PARP trapping ability of PARPi correlates with its cytotoxic effect. In this study, we investigated whether PARP trapping has distinct effects on regulation of DNA DSB repair in breast cancer cells. Major DSB repair pathways in mammalian cells include HR and non-homologous end joining (c-NHEJ). Alternative NHEJ (ALT-NHEJ) is a recently discovered and highly error-prone pathway which requires DNA resection like HR, and utilizes PARP1. Our hypothesis is that PARP1 catalytic inhibition vs 'trapping' leads to distinct outcomes on DSB repair, highlighting inhibitor efficacy. To test our hypothesis, we utilized MCF10A (non-tumorigenic), MDA-MB-231 (TNBC/BRCA+), and SUM149PT (TNBC/BRCA-) breast cancer cell lines with stably integrated GFP-reporter plasmids designed to assess interchromosomal activities of the specific DSB repair pathways. For our analysis, we used varying concentrations of Talazoparib (MDV3800), which is a potent PARP trapping agent when used in combination with DNA damaging agents such as methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). First, we determined optimal conditions to induce PARP trapping in cells without leading to significant toxicity. As observed by others, combination treatments with of MMS/MDV3800 led to a significant increase in PARP trapping relative to treatments with individual drugs. Studies were also performed with a potent inhibitor of coenzyme NAD+ (Daporinad/FK866) that blocks poly-ADP ribosylation activity in combination of MMS. We observed significant PARP trapping with FK866/MMS combination treatment, indicating that PARP depletion under the conditions of DNA damage also leads to potent PARP trapping. Next, we investigated the effects of these inhibitors on DSB repair. Surprisingly, combination MDV3800/MMS lead to an overall decrease in HR and increase in ALT NHEJ activity. These results were observed in both our BRCA+/- lines. Similar results are observed between the repair activities when using FK866/MMS treatments. Overall, our results suggest that PARP inhibitors with potent PARP trapping activity increases ALT NHEJ, which may potentially compensate for lack of HR. Studies are ongoing to determine whether targeting ALT NHEJ may increase cytotoxicity in these cells. Citation Format: Bryan M. Pelkey, Pratik Nagaria, and Feyruz V. Rassool. PARP trapping by PARP inhibitors have distinct effects on HR and ALT NHEJ DSB repair, potentially impacting its therapeutic efficacy in breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2478. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2478


In general, in the evaluation of a test method, the repeatability tests must be performed to establish upper and lower bounds for the precision of a test method. The repeatability is calculated as a standard deviation and relative error of test results. In order to evaluate the repeatability of the workability tests used in self-consolidating concrete (SCC) applications, an SCC mixture proportioned with 0.38 w/cm, Type MS cement, 480 kg/m3 of binder , and crushed aggregate with MSA of 12.5 mm was used. The dosage rate of the HRWRA of the SCC was adjusted to secure two initial slump flow consistency levels of 630 ± 10 mm and 700 ± 10 mm for the repeatability tests. For each consistency level, the concrete was batched five times (for a total of 10 mixtures). Each test was repeated five times by the same operator in order to establish the single-operator precision values. Furthermore, five different operators were used to perform each of the workability tests in order to assess the multi-operator error that could occur during testing. Based on the relative errors obtained in the repeatability tests, relatively low error values were obtained for the slump flow, J-Ring flow, and L-box blocking ratio tests. Relative errors for recommended SCC workability test methods were also summarized.


Problem-based learning (PBL) has long been used as a means to foster motivation, critical thinking and independent learning in students. Recently, there has been an increase in the nature and use of interactive media which has subsequently been used in the form of online PBL as a means to enhance the student learning experience. However, little research has investigated the student experience of online PBL, particularly in groups of students how are new to both PBL and online learning. This paper documents the student experience of an undergraduate module delivered using online PBL in a cohort of students new to both modes of learning. Following completion of the module students participated in focus group interviews. These revealed that students believed online PBL to offer greater autonomy, was more vocationally relevant and enabled them to engage in a more student centred form of learning compared to traditional didactic face to face delivery. However, although online PBL was received positively by the students, there was a degree of anxiety regarding the use of online learning which prevented students from engaging fully in the online learning tasks. In addition, students who were actively involved in the online tasks were critical of students who 'lurked' during these activities despite the potential benefit lurking may have. These results indicate that online PBL can be effective in enhancing the student learning experience but, on initial presentation, online PBL may need to be implemented carefully to avoid student anxiety and ensure active participation in online tasks.


Google bombing is a collective attempt to change the placement of some documents in Google's result list for a given query. This can be achieved by extensive linking to the page to be promoted, since Google's ranking algorithm takes into account the quantity and quality of links pointing to a page. This article investigates whether the effects of Google bombing are long term or whether the interest in promoting a page diminishes over time. Nine Google bombs that were once successful and were 10-40 months old as of August 2005 were examined, and the content of a random 20% of the pages linking to the targeted pages was analyzed. The results of the content analysis show that the behavior of the Google bombs over time seems to be dependent on the type of Google bomb (humor, ego, or ideological) and on the community promoting the bombed page. Six of the targeted pages still occupied top positions, while three lost their effect over time.


Development of conservation tillage practices for dry bean has lagged behind that of many other crops. A field study was conducted to determine the effects of various crop residues and herbicide treatments on weed management and dry bean yield within a zero-tillage system. Main plot treatments included wheat stubble, canola stubble, fall-seeded winter rye, fall-seeded spring rye, and a no-cover control. Subplot treatments included various preplant and POST herbicides. Wheat stubble, canola stubble, and winter rye residue provided sufficient ground cover to prevent soil erosion, and they effectively reduced weed density compared with the no-cover control in all years. Fall-seeded spring rye provided only partial soil-erosion protection and reduced weed density in only 1 of 3 yr. Dry bean emergence was 3 to 5 d slower in the crop residue treatments compared with the no-cover control, but crop density was not adversely affected. However, winter rye residue delayed dry bean maturity by 2 to 6 d. Fall-applied granular ethalfluralin followed by POST bentazon/imazethapyr or imazamox provided the most effective weed control. A sole POST imazamox application also provided good weed control when weed densities were reduced by winter rye residue or wheat stubble. Overall, results indicate that with suitable herbicide programs, similar yields were attained when dry bean was seeded directly into crop stubble or cover crop residues compared with the no-cover control. Information gained in this study will be used to encourage greater farmer adoption of conservation tillage practices for dry bean production on the Canadian prairies. Nomenclature: Bentazon, ethalfluralin, imazamox, imazethapyr, canola, Brassica napus L., dry bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., rye, Secale cereale L., wheat, Triticum aestivum L


OC31 is a bacteriophage of Streptomyces species in which it undergoes a lysogenic life-cycle. The phage possesses a 41.5kb genome and cohesive ends. The lysogenic phase of development is regulated by the repressor gene (c) which lies in the centre of the phage genome (Lomovskaya et aU 1972). The c gene was cloned on a 3.4kb SphI-G fragment; it was sequenced and mapped at the transcriptional level (Sinclair and Bibb, 1988; Sinclair and Bibb, 1989). Further low resolution SI mapping identified that transcription of the repressor gene consisted of 3 nested N- terminally different, C-terminally identical, in-frame mRNA's (Smith and Owen, appendix). Primer extension analysis mapped the 5' ends of the transcripts; upstream of each was found a good consensus -10 promoter sequence and identically conserved ribosome binding sites situated 7-10bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. The three transcripts each possessed an ORF predictedto produce proteins of 74, 54 and 42kDa (Smith and Owen, appendix). The repressor gene was expressed on a high copy number plasmid in E.coli and proteins unique to the c gene were analysed. Initial work showed that in E.coli, a promoter located upstream of the c gene, cP1 was functional, but that promoters internal to the c gene, cP2 and cP3 did not. Three overexpressed proteins of 110, 70 and 50kDa were observed on SDS-PAGE gels of crude lysates of E.coli carrying the repressor gene. The introduction of frameshift mutations at the unique Ncol restriction site revealed that the 74kDa repressor actually migrated on SDS-PAGE with the mobility of a protein of 1 10kDa, and that the observed 70 and 50kDa repressor proteins were actually the predicted 54 and 42kDa proteins. The 74,54 and 42kDa repressor proteins were purified away from E.coli proteins. This enabled N-terminal protein sequencing of the 54 and 42kDa proteins which confirmed the identity of the predicted ORF assigned for each protein. A plasmid, pMS221, encoding only the 42kDa protein was used to isolate the 42kDa protein in isolation. Ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by anion-exchange and heparin-agarose chromatography resulted in 95% pure protein. Gel filtration and chemical crosslinking identified that the pure 42kDa repressor most probably exists as a tetramer. DNA binding studies using the bandshift assay demonstrated that the 42kDa repressor binds to all three putative promoters in the repressor gene itself with varying degrees of strength. It appears to bind the cP2 promoter with the greatest affinity followed by the cP1 promoter and finally cP3. The cP1 and cP2 promoters contain a 20bp repeated sequence and is a putative operator sequence. DNasel footprinting of the 42kDa protein binding to the cP1 promoter was attempted. The 42kDa repressor also binds to a site within the early region of the phage. This site possesses two putative operator sites interspaced by a terminator-like sequence. Each half of this site, containing only a single 20mer motif was shown to bind the 42kDa protein with relatively low affinity. However, when the entire site was used DNA-binding was found to be very strong and comparable to that of the cP2 promoter.


The development of physical and computational mechanisms aimed at augmenting architectural environments has been one of the foci of research implemented at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology (TUD) for more than a decade. This paper presents the integration of distributed responsive climate control into the built environment based on Designto-Robotic-Production and -Operation (D2RP&O) principles. These connect computational design with robotic production and operation of buildings. In the presented case study structural elements meet loadbearing as well as functional requirements. Their spatial arrangement creates variable densities for accommodating sensor-actuators that are operating heating and cooling. This mechatronic operation relies on activity recognition for achieving responsive climate control in the built-environment.


Several types of attribute-based vehicle feebates, including weight-based, footprint-based, and volume-based, are analyzed and compared using model-year 2005 sales data for the U.S. market. Due to the high correlation of weight with fuel consumption, a weight-based feebate would be most effective at minimizing distributional costs. For example, the following table illustrates distributional metrics of several multi-class feebates based on different attributes, but using the same class partitioning method: US MY 2005 feebate simulation: weight-based; footprint-based; volume-based aggregate fees and rebates: $4.522B; $7.238B; $8.926B Truck-to-Car feebate revenue flow: $1.057B; $3.432B; $3.417B (This example uses 19 overlapping attribute classes.) A weight-based feebate could be constructed to neutralize (not invert) the extreme downweighting incentive of an attribute-neutral feebate, making it neutral with respect to weight-changing incentives (either downweighting or upweighting). A complementary policy could be employed to incentivize downweighting by substituting lightweight engineering materials for conventional materials, thus circumventing the tradeoff between weight and technology incentives.


We propose a scheme for the construction of charge and spin linear-response functions of an interacting electronic system via quantum phase estimation and statistical sampling on a quantum computer. By using the unitary decomposition of electronic operators for avoiding the difficulty due to their non-unitarity, we provide the circuits equipped with ancillae for probabilistic preparation of qubit states on which the necessary non-unitary operators have acted. We perform simulations of such construction of the response functions for C2 and N2 molecules by comparing with the accurate ones based on the full configuration interaction calculations. It is found that the accurate detection of subtle structures coming from the weak poles in the response functions requires a large number of measurements.


The governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic left Latin America and the Caribbean economies with increased levels of sovereign debt as a percentage of output, bringing up the question of debt sustainability in the region. The literature has identified two testable conditions on the fiscal reaction function for debt sustainability: i) a positive response of primary balances to debt (Bohn, 1995) and ii) the response of primary balances to debt should be higher than the growth adjusted interest rate (Ghosh et al., 2013). This paper revisits these conditions, both from the theoretical and empirical perspective. It introduces a new "implicit growth" measure which is the relevant one for the debt-to-GDP ratio dynamics. It also tests empirically both conditions for economies in the region. The results suggest that debt is likely sustainable in the region, although it cannot be assured at a 95 percent confidence level. A deep look at the causes of this results pointed towards fiscal fatigue, the fact that primary balances become less responsive to debt levels the higher the latter are. At post-pandemic debt levels sustainability is far from certain. The results here indicate decisive action is required to ensure debt will fall back to prudent levels.


PURPOSE
The authors analyzed online consumer health information related to screening tests to see how well this information meets known standards for supporting the understanding of test uncertainty.

SETTING/SUBJECTS
MedlinePlus documents regarding maternal serum screening (6), prostate-specific antigen testing (6), and screening mammography (6) were analyzed.

METHODOLOGY
The content of the documents was analyzed.

RESULTS
This study showed that most sites conscientiously report that tests are less than 100% accurate, but few provide important details about the level of uncertainty associated with test results. In particular, few resources give information about the predictive value of screening tests and have little mention of the fact that predictive value is influenced by the a priori likelihood of having the condition.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
These results suggest that online consumer health information does not adequately support decisions about medical screening. We suggest a potential solution to the problem: metadata harvesting coupled with optimized presentation techniques to format personalized information about screening tests. Using these techniques, the empowerment of personal choice in matters of health decisions could become the de facto standard.


Recently, it was shown that long-term plant breeding does not only shape plant characteristics but also impacts plant-associated microbiota substantially. This requires a microbiome-integrative breeding approach, which was not yet shown. Here we investigate this for the Styrian oil pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. subsp. pepo var. styriaca Greb.) by analyzing the microbiome of six genotypes (the complete pedigree of a three-way cross-hybrid, consisting of three inbred lines and one open pollinating cultivar) in the seed and rhizosphere as well as the progeny seeds. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA and the ITS1 genes, the bacterial and fungal microbiomes were accessed. Seeds were found to generally carry a significantly lower microbial diversity compared to the rhizosphere and soil as well as a different microbial composition, with an especially high fraction of Enterobacteriaceae (40–83%). Additionally, potential plant-beneficial bacterial taxa, including Bacillaceae, Burkholderiaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae, were found to be enriched in progeny seeds. Between genotypes, more substantial changes can be observed for seed microbiomes compared to the rhizosphere. Moreover, rhizosphere communities were assembled for the most part from soil. Interestingly, bacterial signatures are mainly linked from seed to seed, while fungal communities are shaped by the soil and rhizosphere. Our findings provide a deep look into the rhizosphere and seed microbiome assembly of pumpkin-associated communities and represent the first steps into microbiome-driven breeding for plant-beneficial microbes.


Colonization success of woodland originating after 1850 was determined for seventeen forest plant species having different dispersal strategies. Colonization rate of the studied endo‐and exozoochorous species apparently was considerable higher than that of species having short distance dispersal like myrmecochores and species lacking dispersal mechanisms. The occurrence of eight species in this young forest habitat was related to the distance to the nearest source patch (DNS), as well as to the age of the young patches and to their former land use. DNS calculated to old, existent and occupied source patches affected most analysed species. Only Ilex aquifolium L. had a significant higher occurrence in woodland originating before 1916 than in those originating after 1916. Former land use showed significant effects for three species. Although colonization rate and effects of studied parameters on occurrence were different for the studied species, no clear differences were found between different dispersal groups. The consequences of these results for the understanding of colonization processes of the species studied is discussed.


— This paper proposes a curvature-based corner detector that detects both fine and coarse features accurately at low computational cost. First, it extracts contours from a Canny edge map. Second, it computes the absolute value of curvature of each point on a contour at a low scale and regards local maxima of absolute curvature as initial corner candidates. Third, it uses an adaptive curvature threshold to remove round corners from the initial list. Finally, false corners due to quantization noise and trivial details are eliminated by evaluating the angles of corner candidates in a dynamic region of support. This project proposes a method to extract the feature points from faces automatically. It provides a feasible way to locate the positions of two eyeballs, near and far corners of eyes, midpoint of nostrils and mouth corners from face image. This approach would help to extract useful features on human face automatically and improve the accuracy of face recognition. The experiments show that the method presented in this paper could locate feature points from faces exactly and quickly and the goal of this project is to compare and finding error of images of twins.


Background Endocardial left ventricular (LV) pacing is an effective alternative in patients with failed coronary sinus lead. However, the major concern is the unknown long-term thromboembolic risk and much of the data has come from a small number of centres. We examined the safety and efficacy of endocardial LV pacing across 4 UK centres, to determine the long-term thromboembolic risk. Methods and Results Independent prospective registries from four UK centres were combied to include 68 consecutive patients from 2010–2015. Medical records were reviewed and patients were contacted for follow-up. Thromboembolic events were confirmed on imaging. Baseline patient demographics are shown in Table 1.Abstract 37 Table 1 Baseline demographics 65% patients were already anticoagulated (39 AF, 1 DVT, 2 prosthetic valve, 2 previous LV thrombus). Mean CHADS2VASC2 score for the cohort was 3.5. 44% patients had trans-ventricular LV lead. The mean procedure and fluoroscopy times were 200±120 and 32±28 min. 75% had a silicone-insulated pacing lead. Post-procedure, three patients had haematomas and one had tamponade requiring pericardial drain. Functional improvement was noted with decrease in mean NYHA from 3.5±1 to 2.1±1.2 (p=0.001) and increase in LVEF from 26.5±12 to 34±18.1 (p=0.005) over a 20 month follow-up. Re-do procedure due to lead displacement was required in two patients. One patient underwent system extraction and surgical epicardial lead after device infection. The ischaemic stroke rate, defined as transient or permanent loss of function associated with imaging confirmation of a cerebral infarct in the appropriate territory, occurred in 4 patients (6%) providing an annual event rate of 3.6%. In multivariate analyses, the only significant correlation with the risk of CVA was sub-therapeutic INRs (p<0.01, CI 0.02–0.68, HR 0.12). There was no association between lead material and mode of delivery (transatrial/ventricular) and CVA. 14 patients died during follow-up with mean time to death post-procedure of 20 months. Cause of death was end-stage heart failure in all patients except three (pneumonia in two, knee sepsis). Conclusion Endocardial LV lead in heart failure patients has a good success rate at 1.6 year follow-up. However, it is associated with a modest thromboembolic risk largely due to sub-therapeutic anticoagulation. These results have potential for improvement and newer oral anticoagulants might play a role in this setting.


Objective: To study the association between sleep duration and stroke incidence in a British population and to synthesize our findings with published results through a meta-analysis. Methods: The prospective study included 9,692 stroke-free participants aged 42–81 years from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer–Norfolk cohort. Participants reported sleep duration in 1998–2000 and 2002–2004, and all stroke cases were recorded until March 31, 2009. For the meta-analysis, we searched Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for prospective studies published until May 2014, and pooled effect estimates using a weighted random-effect model. Results: After 9.5 years of follow-up, 346 cases of stroke occurred. Long sleep was significantly associated with an increased risk of stroke (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.46 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08, 1.98]) after adjustment for all covariates. The association remained robust among those without preexisting diseases and those who reported sleeping well. The association for short sleep was smaller (and not statistically significant) (HR = 1.18 [95% CI 0.91, 1.53]). There was a higher stroke risk among those who reported persistently long sleep or a substantial increase in sleep duration over time, compared to those reporting persistently average sleep. These were compatible with the pooled HRs from an updated meta-analysis, which were 1.15 (1.07, 1.24) and 1.45 (1.30, 1.62) for short and long sleep duration, respectively. Conclusions: This prospective study and meta-analysis identified prolonged sleep as a potentially useful marker of increased future stroke risk in an apparently healthy aging population.


By fabricating a resonant slot over a reflecting back plate and filling the resulting parallel-plate with an appropriately designed artificial electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure, noticeable enhancements in both radiation pattern and bandwidth are achieved using a significantly lower profile than traditional designs. This design uses a two-dimensional artificial EBG substrate in conjunction with a reflecting plate to completely block radiation from the backside of the slot from propagating to the finite edges of the resulting parallel-plate cavity. Measured and simulated data for conductor-backed slots with homogeneous substrates and with EBG substrates are compared.


Software fault prediction methods are very appropriate for improving the software reliability. With the creation of large empirical databases of software projects, as a result of stimulated research on estimation models, metrics and methods for measuring and improving processes and products, intelligent mining of these datasets can largely add to the improvement of software reliability. In the paper we present a study on using decision tree classifiers for predicting software faults. A new training set filtering method is presented that should improve the classification performance when mining the software complexity measures data. The classification improvement should be achieved by removing the identified outliers from a training set. We argue that a classifier trained by a filtered dataset captures a more general knowledge model and should therefore perform better also on unseen cases. The proposed method is applied on a real-world software reliability analysis dataset and the obtained results are discussed.


The efficiency of Wheat Straw (WS) and modified Wheat Straw (MWS) in removing Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution was studied. Batch experiments were designed to obtain Cr(VI) ion sorption data. The influences of contact time, pH, adsorbent dose and initial chromium concentration on adsorption process performance was researched and an appropriate adsorption isotherm of Cr(VI) adsorption on (WS) and (MWS) was determined. The results of this study showed that adsorption of chromium by (RWS) and (MWS) reached to equilibrium after 120 min and after that a little change of chromium removal efficiency was observed. Higher Cr(VI) adsorption was observed at lower pH and maximum Cr(VI) concentration and lower adsorbent doses. The equilibrium sorption capacity of Cr(VI) ion after 120 min was 28.6 and 81.9 mg/g for (WS) and (MWS) respectively. The investigated adsorbents showed different adsorption capacities for Cr(VI) ions. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms have been used to characterize observed biosorption phenomena of Cr(VI) ions on (MWS). The carboxyl groups on the surface of (MWS) were primarily responsible for the sorption of Cr(VI) ions.


OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel technique for clinical characterization of corneal biomechanics using non-invasive dynamic imaging. METHODS: Corneal deformation response during non contact tonometry (NCT) is monitored by ultra-high-speed (UHS) photography. The Oculus Corvis ST (Scheimpflug Technology; Wetzlar, Germany) has a UHS Scheimpflug camera, taking over 4,300 frames per second and of a single 8mm horizontal slit, for monitoring corneal deformation response to NCT. The metered collimated air pulse or puff has a symmetrical configuration and fixed maximal internal pump pressure of 25 kPa. The bidirectional movement of the cornea in response to the air puff is monitored. RESULTS: Measurement time is 30ms, with 140 frames acquired. Advanced algorithms for edge detection of the front and back corneal contours are applied for every frame. IOP is calculated based on the first applanation moment. Deformation amplitude (DA) is determined as the highest displacement of the apex in the highest concavity (HC) moment. Applanation length (AL) and corneal velocity (CVel) are recorded during ingoing and outgoing phases. CONCLUSION: Corneal deformation can be monitored during non contact tonometry. The parameters generated provide clinical in vivo characterization of corneal biomechanical properties in two dimensions, which is relevant for different applications in Ophthalmology.


The study focuses on dairy cattle farming systems and the sources of innovation for breeders in the Setif and Souk-Ahras dairy basins recognized by cereals, dairy cattle breeding and irrigated crops. A sample of 140 family farms was selected and surveyed between 2017 and 2018. A typology of livestock systems was constructed using of a PCA and AHC. The results show three groups. G1 retains 68% of breeders with small farms, combining polyculture with dairy cattle breeding; G2, 30% of breeders, the farm is medium-sized and the productive orientation is mixed farming and dairy cattle breeding; G3, made up of large grain farmers and mixed cattle breeders (milk/meat). The cattle breeds exploited are Red Holstein and Montbeliard, 74% dominant. The origin of innovation relating to breeding practices comes mainly from local socio_x0002_technical networks, whereas formal extension by public services is ineffective (0.64 %). It appears that group1 occupies the first position in terms of acquiring information on innovations, followed by G2 and 3. Socio-technical networks operate from 27 to 33% in the 3 groups. The veterinarian contributes 25% in G1 and 2; at 41% in G3.


In order to explore the feasibility of the large scale subthreshold logic circuits and to clarify the lower limit of supply voltage (VDD) for logic circuits, the dependence of minimum operating voltage (VDDmin) of CMOS logic gates on the number of stages, gate types and gate width is systematically measured with 90-nm CMOS ring oscillators (RO's). The measured average VDDmin of inverter RO's increased from 90 mV to 343 mV when the number of RO stages increased from 11 to 1 Mega, which indicates the difficulty of the VDD scaling in the large scale subthreshold logic circuits. The dependence of VDDmin on the number of stages is calculated with the subthreshold current model with random threshold voltage (VTH) variations and compared with the measured results, which confirm the tendency of the measurement.


The CENSE project, funded by the French Research National Agency from 2017 to 2021, aimed at proposing a new methodology for the production of more realistic noise maps. CENSE stands for "Characterization of urban sound environments: Modelling, noise sensors network and open data". The project relied on a dense network of low-cost sensors deployed in an experimental site in the city of Lorient (France), and data assimilation techniques between simulated and measured data. Beyond the production of physical indicators, the project was also positioned on the characterization of sound environments. The project, which is drawing to a close, has produced advances on noise modelling, low-cost sensor network technologies, data assimilation techniques applied to sound levels prediction, urban sound recognition, and perception. This first presentation, of a series of five, will give a general overview of the project comprehensive approach and framework, and its operational outcomes.


Henoch-Schönlein purpura is a nontraumatic hemorrhagic diathesis with bleeding into the joints, skin, and viscera. An unusual case demonstrating radiographic changes in the colon has been presented. Transitory submucosal bleeding found in the colon appears to be similar to that which has been seen in the small bowel.


ABSTRACT This paper presents a scientometric and bibliometric review of the research on autonomous vehicles (AVs) to identify its main characteristics, evolution, and potential trends for future studies. Relevant articles were searched on WoS, yielding a research corpus of 10,580 papers, and the software CiteSpace was subsequently used for analysis. The results showed that AV research is heterogeneous and registered a growing demand over time. Multidisciplinarity is present, with 96 science fields being identified. As in any other sector, it is necessary to understand broader aspects of this industry such as the market factors surrounding it, as well as other economic and managerial issues. In this sense, we observed a migration of the research field from multidisciplinarity to pluridisciplinarity with a greater number of studies focusing on the latter. We understand that terminology standardisation contributes to achieving pluridisciplinarity. As such, it is important to highlight that sustainability, public policies, liability, and safety, as well as business issues such as performance and business models are some of the tendencies in the field of AVs. For future studies, we suggest a more in-depth analysis of publications in terms of individual search terms, as well as the sub-areas identified as trends in this paper.


Strength reduction elasto-plastic finite element analysis defines the reduction factor when slope has been destroyed as the slope stability factor of safety, which combines with strength reduction technique, the limit equilibrium theory and the principle of elastic-plastic finite element. Three-dimensional finite element analysis should be used in stability analysis of slope because it can overcome the short advantages of two-dimensional finite element and can simulate the complex topographic and geological conditions. Based on the large-scale triaxial shear test, the modified Duncan-Chang model is established. Based on strength reduction elasto-plastic finite element, stability of high fill embankment was studied with three-dimensional finite element method considering the complex terrain conditions. Study results suggest that plastic strain and displacement mutant of slip surface node can be a sign of slope instability as a whole. At the same time calculation of three-dimensional finite element also does not converge. Therefore, it can be slope instability criterion calculate whether the finite element static analysis converges or not. On the other hand, stability safety factor of high fill embankment under three-dimensional conditions is larger than that of two-dimensional conditions, which shows that boundary conditions of high fill embankment enhance its stability.


Reports a study to investigate the applicability of situational leadership theory within the Republic of China (Taiwan). The study was conducted in a large construction company with a broad diversity of managerial responsibilities. The LEAD‐Self instrument was given to a large sample of managers, to determine their perception of their own leadership style. Employees completed the LEAD‐Other questionnaire, to give their perceptions of their manager. Productivity scores were also established for each manager using measures of absenteeism, turnover, overall profitability and quality of work. The results indicated that the situational leadership theory does have applicability in Taiwan; there was a good match between the self‐perception of leaders and perceptions by peers, superiors and subordinates and between the LEAD‐Self score and LEAD‐Other; also that leadership adaptability was directly related to productivity as measured by absenteeism, turnover rates, profitability and, to a lesser extent, quality.


For more than a century, historians have identified the Battle of Falkirk (1298) as a turning point in infantry tactics, not only for the Scots but also for warfare in the Western World. In his seminal work on military history, Hans Delbrück (1848-1929) wrote that Falkirk was unique, concluding "nowhere else in the Middle Ages do we find such great masses of foot soldiers who do not immediately break ranks when attacked by knights." 1 Delbrück was referring to the spearmen organized by Scottish Guardian William Wallace (d. 1305) in a battle that he lost against English King Edward I (r. 1272-1307). Delbrück is not alone in his assertion that Falkirk initiated, or at least preceded some revolutionary method for using foot soldiers, as the claim persists in numerous modern works. Remarkably, there was nothing new about the Scots' tactics, but Falkirk remains popular in modern memory, predominately due to high profile participants such as Wallace and Edward, the former a national hero, as well as a dense library of contemporary and modern histories. In an attempt to neatly categorize transitions and trends in warfare, historians have erroneously identified Falkirk as the beginning of an era where infantry alone won battles, or at least stood up to cavalry, but in reality such infantry-centric achievements were occurring more than a century prior in the Western World.


The problem of water quality management under uncertain emission levels, reaction rates and pollutant transport is considered. Various performance measures: reliability, resiliency and vulnerability are taken into account. A general methodology for nding a cost-e ective water quality management program is developed. The approach employs a new idea of the stochastic branch and bound method, which combines random estimates of the performance for subsets of decisions with iterative re nement of the most promising subsets.


The one room schoolhouses in Norway reflect an era of reforms in education and development of democratic, social institutions in the late 19th century. Although the school reform was an achievement of great importance, the one room schoolhouses as objects of cultural heritage are not considered important by the heritage authorities, and not a single one is protected by law.  In spite of lack of national commitment, people in local communities have preserved these buildings both as local museums and for use as local meeting houses. The local approaches to these buildings as heritage differ from the Authorized Heritage Discourse (AHD) which does reflect a focus on architecture, age and relevance for the nation, safeguarded by professional antiquarians. The AHD in Norway is not in line with the National white papers and international charters and conventions, especially the Faro Convention which stresses the role of local participation, cooperation and need to involve everyone in society in the ongoing process of defining and managing cultural heritage. The challenge is how to ensure local participation when the AHD still reflects professionalism and predefined criteria for value assessment.


Problem statement: Speech Enhancement plays an important role in any of the speech processing systems like speech recognition, mobile communication, hearing aid. Approach: In this work, human perceptual auditory masking effect is incorporated into the single channel speech enhancement algorithm. The algorithm is based on a criterion by which the audible noise may be masked rather than being attenuated and thereby reducing the chance of distortion to speech. The basic decision directed approach is for efficient reduction of musical noise, that includes the estimation of the a priori SNR which is a crucial parameter of the spectral gain, follows the a posteriori SNR with a delay of one frame in speech frames. In this work a simple adaptive speech enhancement technique, using an adaptive sigmoid type function to determine the weighting factor of the TSDD algorithm is employed based on a sub band approach. In turn the spectral estimate is used to obtain a perceptual gain factor. Results: Objective and subjective measures like SNR, MSE, IS distance and were obtained, which shows the ability of the proposed method for efficient enhancement of noisy speech Conclusion/Recommendations: Performance assessment shows that our proposal can achieve a more significant noise reduction and a better spectral estimation of weak speech spectral components from a noisy signal as compared to the conventional speech enhancement algorithm.


Abstract. This study analyzes the performance of the two soil hydrology schemes of the land surface model ORCHIDEE in estimating Amazonian hydrology and phenology for five major sub-basins (Xingu, Tapajos, Madeira, Solimoes and Negro), during the 29-year period 1980–2008. A simple 2-layer scheme with a bucket topped by an evaporative layer is compared to an 11-layer diffusion scheme. The soil schemes are coupled with a river routing module and a process model of plant physiology, phenology and carbon dynamics. The simulated water budget and vegetation functioning components are compared with several data sets at sub-basin scale. The use of the 11-layer soil diffusion scheme does not significantly change the Amazonian water budget simulation when compared to the 2-layer soil scheme (+3.1 and −3.0% in evapotranspiration and river discharge, respectively). However, the higher water-holding capacity of the soil and the physically based representation of runoff and drainage in the 11-layer soil diffusion scheme result in more dynamic soil water storage variation and improved simulation of the total terrestrial water storage when compared to GRACE satellite estimates. The greater soil water storage within the 11-layer scheme also results in increased dry-season evapotranspiration (+0.5 mm d−1, +17%) and improves river discharge simulation in the southeastern sub-basins such as the Xingu. Evapotranspiration over this sub-basin is sustained during the whole dry season with the 11-layer soil diffusion scheme, whereas the 2-layer scheme limits it after only 2 dry months. Lower plant drought stress simulated by the 11-layer soil diffusion scheme leads to better simulation of the seasonal cycle of photosynthesis (GPP) when compared to a GPP data-driven model based on eddy covariance and satellite greenness measurements. A dry-season length between 4 and 7 months over the entire Amazon Basin is found to be critical in distinguishing differences in hydrological feedbacks between the soil and the vegetation cover simulated by the two soil schemes. On average, the multilayer soil diffusion scheme provides little improvement in simulated hydrology over the wet tropical Amazonian sub-basins, but a more significant improvement is found over the drier sub-basins. The use of a multilayer soil diffusion scheme might become critical for assessments of future hydrological changes, especially in southern regions of the Amazon Basin where longer dry seasons and more severe droughts are expected in the next century.


[1] For a simple dynamical system, such as a pendulum, it is easy to deduce where and when applied forcing might produce a particular response. However, for a complex nonlinear dynamical system such as the ocean or atmosphere, this is not as obvious. Knowing when or where the system is most sensitive, to observational uncertainty or otherwise, is key to understanding the physical processes, improving and providing reliable forecasts. We describe the application of adjoint modeling to determine the sensitivity of sea level at a UK coastal location, Sheerness, to perturbations in wind stress preceding an extreme North Sea storm surge event on 9 November 2007. Sea level at Sheerness is one of the most important factors used to decide whether to close the Thames Flood Barrier, which protects London. Adjoint modeling has been used by meteorologists since the 1990s, but is a relatively new technique for ocean modeling. It may be used to determine system sensitivity beyond the scope of ensemble modeling and in a computationally efficient way. Using estimates of wind stress error from Met Office forecasts, we find that for this event total sea level at Sheerness is most sensitive in the 3 h preceding the time of its unperturbed maximum level and over a radius of approximately 300 km. We also find that the pattern of sensitivity follows a simple sequence when considered in the reverse-time direction.


Similarity assessment is a cognitive activity that pervades engineering design practice, research, and education. There has been a significant effort in understanding similarity in cognitive science, and some recent efforts on quantifying the similarity of design problems in the engineering design community. However, there is a lack of approaches for measuring similarity in engineering design that embody the characteristics identified in cognitive science, and accounts for the nature of design activities, particularly in the embodiment design phase where scientific knowledge plays a significant role. To address this gap, we present an approach for measuring the similarity among design problems. The approach consists of (i) modeling knowledge using probabilistic graphical models, (ii) modeling the functional mapping between design characteristics and the performance measures relevant in a particular context, and (iii) modeling the dissimilarity using KL-divergence in the performance space. We illustrate the approach using an example of a parametric shaft design for fatigue, which is typically a part of mechanical engineering design curricula, and test the validity of the approach using an experiment study involving 167 student subjects. The results indicate that the proposed approach can capture the well-documented characteristics of similarity, including directionality, context dependence, individual-specificity, and its dynamic nature. The approach is general enough that it can be extended further for assessing the similarity of design problems for analogical design, for assessing the similarity of experimental design tasks to real design settings, and for evaluating the similarity between design problems in educational settings.


The objective of this research is 1) To study and analyze the physical characteristics and the process of producing lacquer ware in the northern region. 2) To study and analyze the cultural traditions related to the lacquer ware of the northern region. 3) To design tableware products from the study of northern lacquerware. This study is an integrated research, both qualitative and quantitative. This research is divided into 3 steps as follows: Step 1.) Data collection of lacquerware in the upper north, step 2.) An analysis of data for design, and Step 3.) Product design of tableware number 7. The results of the research are as follows: 1.) Study and analysis of image and production process of lacquerware in the upper northern region. The internal structure is fabricated using weaves and coils, made from hammered bamboo and turning using real wood coating and decorating bring rubber-hair and chad powder to get red color. The decorative pattern that is written on the northern northern lacquerware, the pattern used from the local area of each area 2.) Traditions and culture related to the northern northern lacquerware. There are 3 traditions. Khantok tradition which put food on the lacquerware (Khan Toke) to bring out a party in the wedding ceremony, will bring important items in the ceremonies in the lacquerware (new fabric chest, bowl) and various rituals using lacquerware to put the things in the ceremony. 3.) Product design on the tableware, including coasters, teacups, coasters, toothpick holders, vases and candles in the section. The colors, patterns and shapes that are designed will be more contemporary. Lacquerware, Upper North, there is an interesting production process by forming with natural materials that can be found locally and decorated with ancient Lanna motifs that are unique from the local area. By designing the shape from the study and analysis to make the product more contemporary, beautiful and exotic


Despite several beneficial applications, unfortunately, drones are also being used for illicit activities such as drug trafficking, firearm smuggling or to impose threats to security-sensitive places like airports and nuclear power plants. The existing drone localization and neutralization technologies work on the assumption that the drone has already been detected and classified. Although we have observed a tremendous advancement in the sensor industry in this decade, there is no robust drone detection and classification method proposed in the literature yet. This paper focuses on radio frequency (RF) based drone detection and classification using the frequency signature of the transmitted signal. We have created a novel drone RF dataset using commercial drones and presented a detailed comparison between a two-stage and combined detection and classification framework. The detection and classification performance of both frameworks are presented for a single-signal and simultaneous multi-signal scenario. With detailed analysis, we show that You Only Look Once (YOLO) framework provides better detection performance compared to the Goodness-of-Fit (GoF) spectrum sensing for a simultaneous multi-signal scenario and good classification performance comparable to Deep Residual Neural Network (DRNN) framework.


Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of activity level after a posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on the relative bone mineral density (rBMD) measured on standard radiographs in periprosthetic tibial bone. Methods: A retrospective review identified 110 patients (110 knees,20 men/90 women) who underwent PS TKA with 5 years follow-up. Patients activity level was evaluated by University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score, and the rBMD in periprosthetic tibial bone was measured on anteroposterior X-ray images. Clinical assessments included Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC), Knee Society score (KSS) and visual analogue scale (VAS). Nonlinear regression analysis was used to assess the impact of activity levels on periprosthesis bone density.Results: During 5-year follow-up period, the bone density in the medial, lateral and distal areas decreased compared with that before surgery (p<0.0001). There was a U-shaped distribution between UCLA activity rating and rBMD loss, with the lowest rBMD loss when the UCLA activity score was between 6-8 at 1 and 3 years. The curve fitting of UCLA activity level and rBMD% showed there was a parabolic relationship between UCLA activity level and rBMD% at 1 and 3 years after surgery (P<0.001, P=0.001), while there was no significant relationship between UCLA activity level and rBMD% at 5 years after surgery (P=0.436).Conclusions: We found that physical activity had a significant effect on radiographic measurements of BMD at 1 and 3 years but not at 5 years. Moderate activity may be associated with less proximal tibial BMD loss after TKA, therefore it may be the most appropriate activity intensity for patients with TKA.


This thesis discusses a mixed-methods case study exploring newly qualified nurses' (NQNs) educational preparation for autonomous professional practice and factors influencing the transition process. The ontological perspective is pragmatism advocating that the research question itself is central to the study influencing methods employed. It draws on concepts of professional learning and competence (Eraut, 1994: 2004), situated learning theory (Lave and Wenger, 1991, Wenger, 1998) and workplace learning (Illeris, 2011). Engestrom's (2001) Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) framework is used as a theoretical lens to explore the NQNs' two main activity systems: a higher education nursing programme and first-post employment as an NQN. The framework aids identification of disturbances in the systems. Methods of data collection included an online survey of 63 participants, 3 focus groups and individual interviews with 15 participants from across all fields of preregistration nursing: Adult, Children's; Learning Disabilities and Mental Health. Findings suggest transition from student nurse to NQN is exciting but stressful. In preparation to be an NQN, graduate skills such as evidence-based practice and reflection skills were recognised as beneficial and transferable for problem-solving new situations. Main sources of anxiety included: the reality of being professionally accountable for their practice; fear of making mistakes; delivering complex care; missing signs of patient deterioration; and loss of confidence in their own competence and clinical decision-making. There was lack of equity in provision or type of preceptorship with some NQNs feeling unsupported. Supportive preceptorships and gaining confidence were key factors in successful transition gained by experience of significant events and advocating for patients. Confident clinical decision-making requires tacit knowledge and experience so simulation of complex case-based learning with advanced clinical decision-making with final-year nurses is suggested. Final year placements allowing supervised practice of complex communication and care delivery supported by experienced mentors fostering learning is advocated. National standards for preceptorship need to be developed and made mandatory with guidance on content and preceptor training to include pastoral support as well as technical skills training. Universities and their local placement providers as potential employers could work more collaboratively to understand students' previous learning and how that could be built upon in joint planning for transition.


This postscript presents the living ethnography of the work of a 'psychic' individual from northern Alaska who recognized her own gift and was aware of her marked position in society due to her possession of second sight. Such people occur freely among all societies. My study gives the record and the testimony of Claire Sevukaq in 1987 from among the Iñupiaq people.1 Based on Claire's account, it will be seen that these people spend their whole waking lives deeply aware of spirits, alive to what Jung called their 'collective unconscious', and what Thomas Fowler (2008) refers to as the 'psyche'. Like anthropologists, healers such as Claire are what I call 'radical empiricists': they go by what their hands feel and what they see with their eyes, or their second sight.


This thesis sets out to explore the changes experienced by Chinese professional women from 1986 to 1996 through changes in the representation of them in contrasting printed sources. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part gives a personal outline of the history of Chinese women. It begins by using classic tales to display the position and place of Chinese women in Chinese history before the twentieth century. It then uses writings of the time to uncover and display images of women through the twentieth century and call attention to periods of dramatic change for women, particularly the May Fourth Movement of 1919, the Revolution and the Economic Reforms. The second part is focussed on professional women, who have risen to prominence in the last fifty years in China and now generate much debate. The core of the thesis examines contrasting representations of professional women during the historic period of transition from 1986 to 1996, after the Economic Reforms. These are taken from a) articles from official journals published in China in Chinese, namely Zhongguo funu, Xiandai funu, Funu, Zhiye funu, Guangming ribao and Wenhui ribao; b) official journals published in English for readers overseas, China Today and China Pictorial; and c) popular journals published in China in Chinese, Nubao, Funu zhiyou, and Funu shijie. Articles were selected to demonstrate the range of representations of professional women, the contrasts between the categories and the changes over time. Both summaries and translations of the articles are used, and comments made on each. The thesis centres on specific representations in China itself of professional women, set against both representations for foreigners and my own experience of the reality. Only brief reference is made to the impact of the United Nation Women's Conference in Beijing in 1995 as this issue proved very complex. The scale of change since 1986 is nonetheless clear, although the consequences remain to be seen.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the desensitizing effects of a dentifrice containing nano-carbonate apatite (n-CAP) and Er,Cr:YSGG laser in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity.

BACKGROUND DATA
Most studies of hypersensitivity treatment have been conducted with different methods of professional treatment and self-care in each study. Moreover, clinical studies that compare self-care and professional treatment have not yet been published.

METHODS
Eighty-two patients with dentin hypersensitivity were divided randomly into three groups: (1) a control group with strontium chloride dentifrice (SC), (2) n-CAP dentifrice (n-CAP), and (3) an Er,Cr:YSGG laser (laser) group. The study was conducted for 4 weeks: a treatment period of 2 weeks and a maintenance period of 2 subsequent weeks. The SC and n-CAP groups were instructed to brush their teeth twice a day for 1 min. The laser group visited twice at 1 week intervals for irradiation of the sensitive teeth. The desensitizing effect was evaluated by assessing the tactile sensitivity using the visual analogue scale (VAS), and evaporative air sensitivity was determined using an air blast score (ABS).

RESULTS
The n-CAP group and the laser group showed significantly different desensitizing effects in VAS after 4 weeks (69% and 63%, respectively) and a 33% (p<0.05) and 3% (p>0.05) desensitizing effect, respectively, in VAS during the maintenance period.

CONCLUSIONS
The n-CAP and the laser were effective in reducing dentin hypersensitivity. The laser had a superior desensitizing effect at the initial stage, whereas the n-CAP maintained its effect for a relatively longer time in clinical situations.


Posterior laryngitis (PL) is defined as an inflammation involving the posterior part of the glottal region in conjunction with symptoms. The cause is multifactorial. The aims of the work presented in this thesis were to examine symptoms, physical signs, different aetiologies and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with PL and/or oesophageal dysmotility. In paper I, a group of patients diagnosed as having PL were examined, treated and followed, to determine whether follow-up is needed. Their current HRQOL was registered. In paper II, we investigated how many of the patients diagnosed with PL who had acid reflux in the proximal part of the oesophagus, altered motilin levels, and symptoms associated with functional gastrointestinal disease. Their HRQOL was registered before and after treatment. In paper III, patients with PL were scrutinized for the presence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antibodies. In paper IV, patients with diabetes mellitus were examined to see whether blood levels of motilin were related to symptoms and signs of dysfunction in the oesophagus and stomach. Approximately 90% of the patients, investigated for reflux, were treated with proton pump inhibitors. Of the patients not investigated for reflux, 85% received acid-suppressing treatment. One-third of the investigated patients in paper II had objectively measured reflux. Patients with typical reflux symptoms had abnormal levels of motilin compared to those without these symptoms. Antibodies against GnRH and gastrointestinal symptoms were found to a greater extent in patients than in controls. There was a significant correlation between the percentage of simultaneous contractions in the oesophagus, and basic and peak plasma motilin values in patients with diabetes mellitus. HRQOL, especially in women, was low. Taken together, PL is associated with acid reflux in the proximal oesophagus, endocrine disturbances, functional gastrointestinal disease and reduced HRQOL. By improving follow-up, and optimising investigations and treatment, HRQOL can be improved. (Less)


With the development of the mobile phone industry, mobile applications market becomes thriving. However, the immature information technology and unfriendly interface bring negative user experience (UX) to the mobile users and thus affect the service life of mobile applications, especially for the most concerned entertaining applications, mobile games. As a result, the evaluating UX and finding crucial factors of UX become a challenge. Over the last decades, numerous researches have tried to deal with this issue, but none of them has clearly identified the relations among positive-negative UX, sufficient human characteristics and specific events of applications. This paper proposes a subjective-objective evaluation method. Subjective UX of mobile games is sufficiently obtained and objective UX is verified through the electrocardiogram signals and heart rate variability. In order to reveal distinct relations among UX factors, sufficient user characteristics and categories of game events, an improved RIPPER algorithm is proposed by this paper to obtain the relations. Experiments are performed with 300 testers who played mobile parkour games for at least five minutes. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method have been verified through real experiments and objective measures. In addition, this paper provides an effective sampling method and a data analysis algorithm to obtain crucial UX factors for mobile applications.


This guide provides details regarding the Children's and Young Adult's Book and DVD Collections, as well as K-12 databases, within the MDC Kendall Campus Library. These materials are available to be checked out / accessed by MDC students and employees.


Abstract. Groundwater is the largest store of freshwater on Earth after the cryosphere
and provides a substantial proportion of the water used for domestic,
irrigation and industrial purposes. Knowledge of this essential resource
remains incomplete, in part, because of observational challenges of scale
and accessibility. Here we examine a 14-year period (2002–2016) of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
observations to investigate climate–groundwater dynamics of 14 tropical and
sub-tropical aquifers selected from WHYMAP's (Worldwide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment Programme) 37 large aquifer systems of the world. GRACE-derived changes in groundwater storage resolved using GRACE Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) mascons and the Community Land Model's land surface model are related to precipitation time series and regional-scale hydrogeology. We show that aquifers in dryland environments exhibit long-term hydraulic memory through a strong correlation between groundwater storage changes and annual precipitation anomalies integrated over the time series; aquifers in humid environments show short-term memory through strong correlation with monthly precipitation. This classification is consistent with estimates of groundwater response times calculated from the hydrogeological properties of each system, with long (short) hydraulic memory associated with slow (rapid) response times. The results suggest that groundwater systems in dryland environments may be less sensitive to seasonal climate variability but vulnerable to long-term trends from which they will be slow to recover. In contrast, aquifers in humid regions may be more sensitive to climate disturbances such as drought related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation but may also be relatively quick to recover. Exceptions to this general pattern are traced to human interventions through groundwater abstraction. Hydraulic memory is an important factor in the management of groundwater resources, particularly under climate change.


INTRODUCTION
The Life Skills Profile (LSP) is an assessment instrument of general function in activities of daily life, especially developed for people diagnosed of a severe mental illness. There are different versions of the LSP. The aim of this paper is to validate and adapt the brief form of the LSP (LSP-20) to the Spanish population.

METHODS
Two different samples have been recruited for this study. The first sample was made up of 231 outpatients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia who were randomly selected. The following analyses were performed: principal axis factoring analysis, internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity between the LSP-20 and the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS). The second sample was recruited in order to assess interrater reliability and was composed of 30 long-stay inpatients with a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia.

RESULTS
Factor analysis produced four factors accounting for 41.22 % of the total variance. The following labels were suggested for the factors: compliance, social initiative, self-care and antisocial behavior. Internal consistency ranged from 0.69 (antisocial behavior) to 0.79 (social initiative). Correlations between the LSP-20 and the PANSS were moderate and clinically significant. Interrater reliability ranged from 0.58 (to have defined interests) to 0.89 (to wear clean clothes usually).

CONCLUSIONS
The brief form of LSP can be useful in real clinical settings to help to personalize the aims of the rehabilitation interventions and to evaluate the health care model.


Background: The role of endosonography in diagnosing and staging pancreatic adenocarcinoma is evolving. The aim of this review is to present recently published material comparing the performance of endosonography relative to other imaging modalities when evaluating a patient with a suspected or known carcinoma of the pancreas. Methods: Medline was searched using the terms 'endosonography' and 'pancreas neoplasms'. References from retrieved papers were reviewed to identify other reports. Emphasis was placed on peer-reviewed material published within the past 3 years that included comparison with other imaging modalities. Results: Despite advances in cross-sectional imaging modalities, endosonography remains the most sensitive and specific method to identify pancreatic mass lesions. Resectability determination of pancreatic carcinoma is best done with dual-phase helical CT, although endosonography may have slightly improved accuracy for lymph node assessment. Endosonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy has high sensitivity (93%) and specificity (100%) when employed in patients with masses in whom pancreatic cancer is suspected but prior biopsies are negative. Conclusions: Endosonography can aid in diagnosing patients with pancreatic neoplasms through definitive inclusion or exclusion of a mass lesion as well as biopsy confirmation of malignancy. The role of endosonography in determination of resectability has been eclipsed by dual-phase helical CT.


The complexes of Pd(II) with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC), N,N′-diethylthiourea (DET) and dimethylglyoxime (DMG) were prepared and imprinted into a polymeric network. The ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) were synthesized by copolymerization of 4-vinylpyridine (VP) and styrene as functional monomers and divinylbenzene as a cross-linking agent in the presence of 2,2-azo-bis-isobutyronitrile as an initiator. The influence of sample volume, pH and flow rate on the extraction efficiency of Pd was studied under dynamic conditions. Pd(II) could be quantitatively retained on each of the studied sorbents at the pH range of 0.5 to 1.0, and eluted with an acidic solution of thiourea. The polymer with the imprinted Pd-DET-VP complex offered the highest selectivity for Pd(II) over certain matrix components, such as Pt(IV), Ni(II) and Cu(II). The low sample pH is an important advantage of the separation procedure, as it allows an effective separation of Pd(II) from complex environmental matrices. The developed separation method was successfully applied to the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric (ETAAS) determination of trace amounts of Pd in tap and river water, grass, and certified platinum ore (CRM SARM 7 and SARM 76) samples with reproducibility below 6.5%. The detection limit for Pd(II) obtained by ETAAS after the pre-concentration on Pd-DET-VP polymer was 0.012 ng mL−1 for 75 mL sample volume.


Abstract This study aimed to determine the normative facial anthropometry measurement among Nigerians using three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry analysis. This study was carried out in Lagos, Nigeria over a period of 3 years. The sample population was Nigerians of diverse ethnic groups, age 16 and above with no history of congenital or acquired craniofacial deformities. A total of 452 subjects participated in the study with 56.2% males and 43.8% females. Most of the participants were between the ages of 25 to 49 (54.4%), 40.7% were less than 25 years of age and only 4.4% were more than 50 years old. The mean body mass index (BMI) for males was 22.7 and 23.4 for females. Mean values of upper facial height, midfacial height, lower facial height, intercanthal distance, interpupillary distance, upper facial width, and lower facial width are 69.13 ± 5.91, 49.89 ± 3.56, 67.85 ± 6.12, 35.19 ± 3.20, 67.04 ± 3.67, 139.43 ± 7.11, and 124.29 ± 9.72 mm, respectively. The upper facial height, commissure width, upper lip length, and lower jaw width were significantly affected by age, while the BMI of an individual was a determinant of the interpupillary distance, facial width, and lower jaw width. This study demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference in the facial dimensions of males when compared to females across all ages among the study population. The authors also observed that age and BMI are significant predictors of variations in some of the measurements.


Requirements elicitation is a critical phase in information systems development (ISD), having significant impacts on software quality and costs. Prior research suggests that it is a collaborative activity, where system requirements-related knowledge is extensively shared between users and analysts. This knowledge sharing can get extremely tenuous given the different knowledge perspectives of the two participant groups. However, till date, no known research has attempted to understand how this collaborative process unfolds and how knowledge is shared between users and analysts. Using data from in-depth interviews with analysts from two organizations, the proposed research study attempts to understand how the requirements elicitation process unfolds, how knowledge is shared, and what impedes/enables knowledge transfer in this critical process.


With the increasing deterioration of the natural environment, exploiting clean and renewable energy has become the top priority of scientific research today. One of the most prospective routes is to harvest water wave energy using triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). In this work, a spherical TENG based on spring-assisted multilayered structure was fabricated to collect multidirectional water wave energy, and a power management module (PMM) was integrated to manage the output energy. The output performance of the TENG device was found to be controlled by the water wave frequency, amplitude, and orientation angle between the triggering direction and middle plane. Furthermore, with the PMM, the spherical TENG could output a steady direct current (DC) voltage on a resistance, and the charging speed to a supercapacitor was improved by 100 times. The power-managed performance of the whole TENG was also influenced by the circuit connection configurations among multilayered TENGs. A digital thermometer and a water level detection/alarm system were successfully driven by the power-managed TENG as the demonstrated applications. This work not only provides a type of spherical TENG capable of harvesting multidirectional water wave energy, but also effectively manages the output energy for practical applications toward blue energy. Our study demonstrates a typical example of how to build a self-charging power pack that can effectively use random energy in a regulated manner.


Hisbiscus sabdariffa Linn or Roselle is traditional herbs are widely used to treat various diseases. Roselle is rich with natural antioxidant agents such as anthocyanins, vitamin C, protocatechuic acid (PCA) and others. High oxygen reactive species (ROS) such as hidrogen peroxide (H2O2) cause oxidative stress on rat red blood cell (RBC) membrane and lead to hemolysis. The purpose of this in vitro study is to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract calyx Roselle pre-treated on rats RBC membrane towards oxidative stress induced by H2O2. Aqueous extract of calyx Roselle are used on three difference doses of concentration of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/ml. The result showed that aqueous extract of calyx Roselle at 0.5 mg/ml concentration as a screening dose was the safest dose based on the reduction about 1.21% of hemolysis. The value was almost near to 1.19% of 0.9% NaCl group (negative control). Furthermore, at dose of 0.5 mg/ml aqueous extract of calyx Roselle studied revealed about 53% reduction via RBC percentage hemolysis when induced by 10 mM H2O2. The study was also measured the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity towards 10 mM H2O2 induction. MDA concentration and SOD activity shows significantly increase as well as the decrease of GSH activity at p value <0.001 compare to 0.9% NaCl control group. Meanwhile, the study on pre-treated RBC with 0.5 mg/ml aqueous extract of calyx Roselle indicated reduction of MDA concentration and SOD activity significantly reduced (p<0.05) whereas GSH activity also significantly increase (p<0.05) compare with control group. In conclusion, this study found that concentration of dose 0.5 mg/ml aqueous extract of calyx Roselle provide a protective effect against oxidative stress induced damage on RBC membrane by 10 mM H2O2 induction.


The local authority councils have a critical role to play in the socio-economic
development of Kenya. It is responsible for the implementation of policies and programs,
which aim to improve the well being of local residents. It is the machinery through which
the central government translates basic policy objectives into workable programmes for
the benefit of society. A local council with a low budget deficit or no deficit at all is,
therefore key to the country's economic growth and development. However, high budget
deficits experienced by local authorities resulting into unsustainable debt levels, have
affected their service delivery. This study intended to investigate the factors that have
contributed to high debt levels in Ogembo Town Council, with a view of making
suggestions to help curb the problem. The research was descriptive ad analytical in nature
and employed questionnaires, structured interviews and observations to collect data. Data
collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics to assess the impact of various
variables on indebtedness. Specifically data was analyzed using frequency distributions
and means. A simple regression analysis was also done on the data. The study found out
that the high debt levels at OTC was as a result of politics, high demand for services
coupled with inefficient revenue collection methods and over employment of low cadre
staff. Delay in the approval of the Town's Physical Development Plan by the MOLG has
also denied the council of revenue from key sources like the property taxes. Un-licencing
of quarrying and brick-making activities has also been a great oversight. The MOLG
should speed up the approval of Physical development plans for Las to un-lock key
revenue sources for councils. Policy guidelines on staff rationalization should also be
explored.


Many single-stranded (ss) RNA viruses self assemble from capsid protein subunits and the nucleic acid to form an infectious virion. It is believed that the electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged RNA and the positively charged viral capsid proteins drive the encapsidation, although there is growing evidence that the sequence of the viral RNA also plays a role in packaging. In particular the sequence will determine the possible secondary structures that the ssRNA will take in solution. In this work, we use a mean field theory to investigate how the secondary structure of the RNA combined with electrostatic interactions affects the efficiency of assembly and stability of the assembled virions. We show that the secondary structure of RNA may result in negative osmotic pressures while a linear polymer causes positive osmotic pressures for the same conditions. This may suggest that the branched structure makes the RNA more effectively packaged and the virion more stable.


The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship education within England's Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The paper is based upon the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) Mapping Study of this activity. Research commissioned by NCGE (NCGE 2004; Hannon, 2005) has shown that there is a growing knowledge base about enterprise education but less so concerning the provision for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. There has been no recent study that has comprehensively mapped enterprise education activity in all higher education institutions across England. Institutional contacts in 94% of all the HEIs for this study entered data into an online institutional mapping template containing questions on modules/courses, non-accredited support and other institutional characteristics. The researchers maintained regular telephone contact and made personal visits to
maximise data entry and to provide support where needed. This approach has led to the collection of a unique and robust data set that has been thoroughly and empirically analysed using SPSS.
The paper presents a national overview and highlights selected regional variations in enterprise education and non–accredited entrepreneurship support. This includes: current and planned course provision over time; student profiles and targets; primary learning outcomes; non-accredited provision and student engagement; primary funding sources; and the development of a range of
institutional characteristics conducive to supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship.
The findings from the mapping study illuminate the current HE landscape of support for enterprise
and entrepreneurship thereby providing HEIs and educators with a valuable national resource as well as informing other key stakeholders – RDAs and central government – of the scope and scale of the contribution that HEIs offer to regional economic and social agendas. From such a unique evidence base more informed decisions can be taken in considering effective mechanisms for the future
growth and development of HEI contributions. This paper offers the findings from a current comprehensive dataset on the HE provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education in England.
With 94% of the HEIs in the study providing data online the study has also created a nationaldatabase that can be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience across the community.
Furthermore conducting a repeat online study on an annual basis will provide valuable time series data. The study findings will help shape the future environment for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship across England.


In a MIMO multiple-access channel where users employ Space-Time Block Codes (STBC), interference cancellation can be used to suppress co-channel interference and recover the desired signal of each user at the receiver. Leveraging the special properties of Alamouti matrices, we first show that spatial multiplexing of Alamouti signals retains the space-time diversity gain of Alamouti signaling using our proposed low-complexity Alamouti BLAST-MMSE (A-BLAST) Algorithm. Next, in contrast to traditional transmit diversity that focuses on STBC construction at the transmitter, this paper looks at transmit diversity from the perspective of the receiver. In other words, the receiver gets to choose the STBCiquests, which are favourable to the channel assuming a fixed BLAST receive algorithm. In a multiuserMAC setting, we first present a systematic methodology to exploit different decomposition structure in Alamouti matrices, each with different tradeoff between performance and decoding complexity using possibly different MIMO receive algorithms. We then demonstrate that the notion of angles (the inner product of two quaternionic vectors) between multiuser channels determines the performance of MIMO receive algorithms. As an application of the general theory, we transform the decoding problem for several types of Quasi-Orthogonal STBC (QOSTBC) into multiuser detection of virtual Alamouti users. Building upon our A-BLAST Algorithm, we propose new algorithms for decoding single-user and multiuser QOSTBC. In particular, we show that bit error probability is a function of the quaternionic angle between virtual users (for a single user) or multiple users. This angle varies with the type of QOSTBC and leads to a new form of adaptive modulation called code diversity, where feedback instructs the transmitter how to choose from a plurality of codes.


BACKGROUND
Childhood obesity epidemic has become a public health issue in the USA, especially among African American youths. Research on the association between ideal body image (IBI) and obesity and related lifestyle factors among African American children and adolescents is limited.

METHODS
Data collected from 402 low-income African American adolescents aged 10-14 years in four Chicago public schools were used. Questionnaires were used to assess IBI, weight perception, weight control practices, and self-efficacy towards food and physical activity. Body mass index was calculated using measured weight and height. Associations between IBI and weight perception, overweight/obesity and lifestyle behaviours were assessed using linear and logistic regression models.

RESULTS
The most frequently chosen ideal body size was the fourth of eight silhouettes (from thinnest to heaviest) for boys (55%) and girls (49%). Overweight and obese girls selected larger ideal body figures than the others (trend test: P < 0.001). Compared with those with middle ideal body figures, girls who selected smaller ones were twice as likely to have an unhealthy diet as indicated by less fruit and milk consumption; the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were 2.40 (1.15-5.02) for fruits intake (<once/week) and 2.13 (1.06-4.29) for milk consumption (<once/day), respectively. Boys with larger IBI were less likely to eat snack often [≥once/day; OR = 0.11 (0.02-0.50)]. Girls with larger IBI were less likely to spend more screen time [OR = 0.12 (0.02-0.70)] and reported better food choice intentions (P < 0.05). Overweight and obese boys and girls appeared to have better food choice intentions and food self-efficacy than their non-overweight peers (trend test: both P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Ideal body image is associated with weight status, food self-efficacy and lifestyle behaviours among low-income African American adolescents.


Qualitative behavioural assessment (QBA) has been used to quantify the expressive behaviour of animals, and operant tests have been used to quantify measures of behavioural need. In this study we compared measures of behavioural expression and behaviour in operant tests. We examined the behavioural expression of pregnant ewes of body condition score (BCS) 2 and 3. The ewes were exposed to a feed motivation test in which they received a food reward. Pregnant ewes (48–70 days gestation) were assessed during a food motivation test after they had been maintained at BCS 3 (n = 7) or given a decreasing plane of nutrition that resulted in slow loss of 1 BCS unit (over 10–12 weeks; n = 7) or a fast loss of 1 BCS unit (over 4–6 weeks; n = 7). The feed motivation test involved ewes having the opportunity to approach a food reward and then being moved a given distance away from the reward by an automatic gate; they could then subsequently return to the feeder. Continuous video footage of each ewe during one cycle of the gate (approaching and returning from the food reward) was shown in random order to 11 observers who used their own descriptive terms (free-choice profiling methodology; FCP) to score the animals using QBA. Data of the assessment were analysed with generalised Procrustes analysis (GPA), a multivariate statistical technique associated with FCP. The research group also quantified the feeding behaviour of sheep in the same clips. These behaviours included how sheep approached the feeder, behaviours exhibited time 'sniffing and looking for more feed' were attributed lower GPA 2 scores (described as more hungry/searching/excited) (P < 0.05), and animals that 'did not walk directly to the food reward (but stopped along the way)' were attributed significantly higher GPA 2 scores (more curious/intimidated/uneasy) (P < 0.01). GPA dimension 3 scores also did not differ between the treatment groups; however, sheep that had a higher number of feeding events during the entire 23-h feed motivation test were attributed lower GPA dimension 3 scores (they were described as more hungry/bold/interested) (P < 0.05), and sheep that consumed a larger amount of the feed reward were attributed higher GPA dimension 3 scores (more curious/concerned/reserved) (P < 0.05). We conclude that QBA is a valuable method of assessing sheep behavioural expression under the conditions tested, in that it provided an integrative characterisation of sheep behavioural expression that was in agreement with quantitative behavioural measures of feeding.


In this paper, the author sets out to prove the thesis that the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Colombia in Bogota had its origins in the Military College and Polytechnic School founded by General Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera, in 1861, hoping to form military engineers who were efficient managers and strategic peace organizers. Although previous research argues that the Colombian engineering education during the nineteenth century back to the creation of the Army Corps of Engineers, organized under the government of Don Juan del Corral in Medellin in 1814, and its first director was wise Francisco Jose de Caldas, who was then a Colonel of Engineers, the Spanish Reconquest frustrated the attempt and became the Military College life unstable and ephemeral. After the hard birth in adversity in 1861, academic learning and practical engineering in Colombia enjoyed a period of relative stability over the radical liberal regime analyzed here.


Using new archaeological data and colonial narratives, I reconstruct the menu of French colonial Louisiana with the aim of showing how the sensual and social experience of eating relates to the political rationalities of colonialism. In Louisiana, food practices enunciated a hierarchy of taste that positively valued Native American foods while showing how easily they could be "civilized" by French cooking practices. Cooking and eating were fundamentally colonial practices, and incorporated colonialism's inherent tensions and contradictions. Food practices were particularly important in French strategies to absorb the native into the colonial body and protect imperial culture against a constant assault on the senses.


This article describes the R package DEoptim which implements the differential evolution algorithm for the global optimization of a real-valued function of a real-valued parameter vector. The implementation of differential evolution in DEoptim interfaces with C code for efficiency. The utility of the package is illustrated via case studies in fitting a Parratt model for X-ray reflectometry data and a Markov-Switching Generalized AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (MSGARCH) model for the returns of the Swiss Market Index.