This report compares the performance and cost of commercial Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants using General Electric Energy (GEE) and Shell gasifiers with conceptual IGCC plant designs using the Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) compact gasifier. the PWR gasifier is also compared with the GEEE gasifier in hydrogen production and carbon capture mode. With the exception of the PWR gasifier, the plants are designed with commercially available equipment to be operational in approximately 2010. All results should be considered preliminary and dictated in large part by the selected design basis. 10 refs., 54 exhibits


Simultaneous, in situ measurements of OH, HO_2, H_2O, and O_3 from 37–23 km are reported. The partitioning between OH and HO_2 and the total HO_x concentration are compared with expected steady-state values. The ratio of HO_2 to OH varies from less than 2 at 36 km to more than 3 at 25 km; in the lower stratosphere this ratio is nearly a factor of two less than predicted. The data are used to calculate HO_x production and loss rates. The measured HOx mixing ratio is consistent with production dominated by the reaction of O(1D) with H_2O, and loss controlled by NO_y below 28 km and HO_x above 30 km. The steady-state concentration of H_2O_2 is inferred from the measured HO_2 concentration and calculated photolysis rate. The maximum H_2O_2 mixing ratio (at 33 km) is predicted to be less than 0.2 ppb.


(Resume de l'ouvrage) The book of Hebrews has often been the Cinderella of the New Testament, overlooked and marginalized; and yet it is one of the most interesting and theologically significant books in the New Testament. A Cloud of Witness examines the theology of the book in the light of its ancient historical context. There are chapters devoted to the structure of Hebrews, the person of Jesus Christ, Hebrews within the context of Second Temple Judaism and the Greco-Roman empire and the role of Hebrews in early Christian thought.


Seat belt anchorage locations have a strong effect on occupant protection. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 210 specifies requirements for the layout of the anchorages relative to the seating reference point and seat back angle established by the SAE J826 H-point manikin. Sled testing and computational simulation has established that belt anchorage locations have a strong effect on occupant kinematics, particularly for child occupants using the belt as their primary restraint. As part of a larger study of vehicle geometry, the locations of the anchorage points in the second-row, outboard seating positions of 83 passenger cars and light trucks with a median model year of 2005 were measured. The lower anchorage locations spanned the entire range of lap belt angles permissible under FMVSS 210 and the upper anchorages (D-ring locations) were distributed widely as well. Combined with the findings from concurrent research on the effects of belt geometry, these results suggest that occupant kinematics in frontal impact can be expected to differ widely across vehicles due to differences in belt geometry. Language: en


We present new hard X-ray spectra of three radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) of moderately high X-ray luminosity (LX ≈ 1045 ergs s-1; PKS 2349-01, 3C 323.1, and 4C 74.26) obtained with ASCA and BeppoSAX. The X-ray continua are described in all three cases with a power-law model with photon indices Γ ≈ 1.85, modified at low energies by absorption in excess of the galactic value, which appears to be due to neutral gas. At higher energies, an Fe Kα emission line is detected in PKS 2349-01 and 4C 74.26 and is tentatively detected in 3C 323.1. The equivalent widths of the lines are consistent, albeit within large uncertainties, with the values for radio-quiet AGNs of comparable X-ray luminosity. The Fe Kα line is unresolved in 4C 74.26. In the case of PKS 2349-01, however, the inferred properties of the line depend on the model adopted for the continuum: if a simple power-law model is used, the line is resolved at more than 99% confidence with a full width at half-maximum corresponding to approximately 50,000 km s-1 and a rest-frame equivalent width of 230 ± 120 eV; however, if a Compton "reflection" model is used, the line is found to be a factor of 2 weaker for an assumed full width at half-maximum of 50,000 km s-1. In 4C 74.26, a strong Compton "reflection" component is detected. Its strength suggests that the scattering medium subtends a solid angle of 2π to the illuminating source. Overall, the spectral indices of these radio-loud quasars are remarkably similar to those of their radio-quiet counterparts. On the other hand, if the absorber is indeed neutral, as our results suggest, this would be consistent with the typical properties of radio-loud AGNs.


Purpose: Pediatric patients diagnosed with brainstem malignant gliomas (BSMGs) have a poor prognosis. Our study aimed to construct and validate a prognostic nomogram to preoperatively predict the cancer‐specific survival (CSS) rates in these patients.Methods: From 1998 to 2016, we extracted patients' data from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. A total of 1160 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into training and validating groups. Subsequently, the Cox regression analysis was used to screen variables. Then, the nomogram was constructed. Lastly, we calculated C-indexes and plotted calibration curves and the utility of decision curve analyses (DCAs) to assess our survival model's benefits.Result: Here, after multivariate cox regression analysis, we established four variables for constructing nomogram for CSS rates. Subsequently, the C-index, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and calibration curves were used to confirm the nomogram's good performance. DCAs of the nomogram indicated that both groups obtained good 1-, 3-, and 5-year net benefits. Conclusion: The nomogram model for preoperatively predicting CSS provided a convenient and practical tool to assess pediatric patients' prognosis with BSMG.


The education of the poor is usually the target of global education politics for a more socially just and equal, and effective and productive society. But according to the present article the real problems in these respects are not about the education of the poor, so much as they are those of the rich upper-class and global elites, whose inheritance of social, cultural and economic power are secured in part through the reproduction in academic education of the values of bourgeois culture and the assumed superiority of its educational code: first in schools and their curricula and then in higher education and theirs. Schools and their curricula are in focus in the article. Using ethnographic and meta-ethnographic analyses an insight into a two-way relationship between the logic of action of elite schooling and the dangerous polarizations of value that can develop through social and academic segregation are presented and a critique of elite educational differentiation, segregation and socialization is given in terms of how elite schools provide skewed access to elite knowledge and future social positions for the children of the dominant socio-cultural and economic class fractions, in ways that counteract meritocracy and educational efficiency, and that also produce alarming concepts of the value of the self and other amongst their students with significant knock on effects for future democratic polity.


Non-Newtonian fluids, such as polymer solutions, have been used by the oil industry for many years as fracturing agents and drilling mud. These solutions, which normally include thickened water and jelled fluids, are injected into the formation to enhanced oil recovery by improving sweep efficiency. It is worth noting that some heavy oils behave non-Newtonianly. Non-Newtonian fluids do not have direct proportionality between applied shear stress and shear rate and viscosity varies with shear rate depending on whether the fluid is either pseudoplastic or dilatant. Viscosity decreases as shear rate increases for the former whilst the reverse takes place for dilatants. Mathematical models of conventional fluids thus fail when applied to non-Newtonian fluids. The pressure derivative curve is introduced in this descriptive work for a dilatant fluid and its pattern was observed. Tiab's direct synthesis (TDS) methodology was used as a tool for interpreting pressure transient data to estimate effective permeability, skin factors and non-Newtonian bank radius. The methodology was successfully verified by its application to synthetic examples. Also, comparing it to pseudoplastic behavior, it was found that the radial flow regime in the Newtonian zone of dilatant fluids took longer to form regarding both the flow behavior index and consistency factor.


Li–S batteries generally suffer from severe self-discharge when resting due to an internal polysulfide shuttle effect. Soluble long-chain polysulfide species (Li2Sx, 4 ≤ x ≤ 8) would continue to dissolve and migrate to the negative side to react with metallic Li. Here, we demonstrate pronounced suppression of polysulfide shuttle using an ionic liquid of the N-methyl-N-propylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PP13TFSI)-based electrolyte. When working in combination with LiNO3, zero self-discharge can be achieved to rest a full-charged Li–S cell for two days. The fascinating study clearly demonstrates that a promising practical Li–S battery with low self-discharge depends on both improvements on polysulfide diffusion control and Li-metal stabilization.


In this article, we present a new approach to page ranking. The page rank of a collection of Web pages can be represented in a parameterized model, and the user requirements can be represented by a set of constraints. For a particular parameterization, namely, a linear combination of the page ranks produced by different forcing functions, and user requirements represented by a set of linear constraints, the problem can be solved using a quadratic programming method. The solution to this problem produces a set of parameters which can be used for ranking all pages in the Web. We show that the method is suitable for building customized versions of PageRank which can be readily adapted to the needs of a vertical search engine or that of a single user.


The aim of this work was to investigate human contrast perception at various contrast levels ranging from detection threshold to suprathreshold levels by using psychophysical techniques. The work consists of two major parts. The first part deals with contrast matching, and the second part deals with contrast discrimination. Contrast matching technique was used to determine when the perceived contrasts of different stimuli were equal. The effects of spatial frequency, stimulus area, image complexity and chromatic contrast on contrast detection thresholds and matches were studied. These factors influenced detection thresholds and perceived contrast at low contrast levels. However, at suprathreshold contrast levels perceived contrast became directly proportional to the physical contrast of the stimulus and almost independent of factors affecting detection thresholds. Contrast discrimination was studied by measuring contrast increment thresholds which indicate the smallest detectable contrast difference. The effects of stimulus area, external spatial image noise and retinal illuminance were studied. The above factors affected contrast detection thresholds and increment thresholds measured at low contrast levels. At high contrast levels, contrast increment thresholds became very similar so that the effect of these factors decreased. Human contrast perception was modelled by regarding the visual system as a simple image processing system. A visual signal is first low-pass filtered by the ocular optics. This is followed by spatial high-pass filtering by the neural visual pathways, and addition of internal neural noise. Detection is mediated by a local matched filter which is a weighted replica of the stimulus whose sampling efficiency decreases with increasing stimulus area and complexity. According to the model, the signals to be compared in a contrast matching task are first transferred through the early image processing stages mentioned above. Then they are filtered by a restoring transfer function which compensates for the low-level filtering and limited spatial integration at high contrast levels. Perceived contrasts of the stimuli are equal when the restored responses to the stimuli are equal. According to the model, the signals to be discriminated in a contrast discrimination task first go through the early image processing stages, after which signal dependent noise is added to the matched filter responses. The decision made by the human brain is based on the comparison between the responses of the matched filters to the stimuli, and the accuracy of the decision is limited by pre- and post-filter noises. The model for human contrast perception could accurately describe the results of contrast matching and discrimination in various conditions.


Glucocorticoids may induce osteopenia in experimental animals and in man. In order to study the possible effects of vitamin D metabolites in the prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteopenia in rats, we administered 1 alpha(OH)-vitamin D3, 24,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 or a combination of both metabolites, by intragastric intubation, to rats treated daily by intramuscular injections of 10 mg/kg cortisone acetate. Treatment with the vitamin D metabolites started after 1 month of glucocorticoid therapy, at the time osteopenia was already present. Cortisone acetate decreased the gain weight, increased alkaline phosphatase (AP) and decreased Ca serum levels. It also decreased tibial wet and ash weight and tibial Ca content. Computerized histomorphometry of sections from the upper tibia showed decreased epiphyseal bone volume and increased bone marrow volume; decreased height of hypertrophic cartilage in the growth plate and decreased amount of persisting cartilage in the metaphyseal bone trabeculae were also observed. Administration of 24,25(OH)2D3 alone did not reduce these glucocorticoid-induced bone changes and sometimes even worsened them. 1 alpha(OH)D3 reversed many of the deleterious effects of cortisone acetate. It reduced serum AP levels, increased serum Ca levels, increased bone ash weight, epiphyseal and metaphyseal bone volume, with a concomitant reduction in epiphyseal and metaphyseal bone marrow volume. The best results were obtained by a combination of 1 alpha(OH)D3 and 24,25(OH)2D3. It is presumed that both metabolites are needed to reduce the impact of glucocorticoids on bone. 1 alpha(OH)2D3 acts on the gut, increasing Ca absorption (which was decreased by glucocorticoids), and 24,25(OH)2D3 directly acts on bone to enhance bone formation and mineralization.


The effectiveness of audiovisual translation (AVT) for language learning has been widely discussed and demonstrated by
 scholars in the past (cf. Lertola 2019). Nevertheless, many areas in this field of investigation
 are still underexplored, such as the usefulness of AVT for the acquisition of plurilingual and pluricultural competence (PPC). This is of
 paramount importance in the multilingual and multicultural societies we live in, and also given the emphasis the CEFR Companion
 Volume (Council of Europe 2018) places on mediation and PPC. The latter has been the
 focus of the research project PluriTAV (2017–2019), in which the authors of this paper have taken part, aimed at developing a set of
 activities involving the use of AVT for the acquisition of PPC in the language classroom. This paper sets out to illustrate the theoretical
 framework sustaining the PluriTAV project and to reflect on the potential of AVT for the acquisition of PPC. This will be achieved by
 establishing links between AVT modes, transfer/mediation skills, and the descriptors developed within the Framework of Reference for
 Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures (FREPA) (Candelier et al. 2012), as
 well as referring to sample and specific activities developed within PluriTAV. In line with this project, the emphasis will be on language
 teaching in Higher Education, yet the discussion and the activities suggested could be easily extrapolated and adapted to other educational
 contexts and levels of language ability.


This article reviews the basic principles of patient evaluation and surgical techniques to accomplish extraction of teeth in an uncomplicated manner. Also presented are techniques for extraction-site grafting with bioactive glass.


This working paper analyses conditional convergence in Europe and also tries to assess the impact that arises from integration. Using a pooled mean-group estimation method, we first analyse the conditional convergence of GDP per labour force in the area covering the 15 member states of the European Union (EU-15) in 1960-2002. Conditional convergence is well-documented for the EU-15. Higher investment, lower public consumption and lower inflation have contributed positively to GDP growth. Deeper European integration is shown to have accelerated growth when inflation is not included in the specification, but not otherwise. The evidence on the effect of integration on growth is therefore mixed. We then apply the same method to estimate the growth of GDP per labour force in the new EU member states – the eight Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) – for the period 1993-2002. These countries are shown to have converged conditionally towards the average level of GDP per labour force in the EU-15. Higher investment and lower public consumption have also supported growth in the CEECs.


Candlenut oil was extracted using supercritical CO(2) (SC-CO(2)) with an optimization of parameters, by the response surface methodology. The ground candlenut samples were treated in 2 different ways, that is, dried in either a heat oven (sample moisture content of 2.91%) or dried in a vacuum oven (sample moisture content of 1.98%), before extraction. An untreated sample (moisture content of 4.87%) was used as a control. The maximum percentage of oil was extracted from the heat-oven-dried sample (77.27%), followed by the vacuum-oven-dried sample (74.32%), and the untreated sample (70.12%). At an SC-CO(2) pressure of 48.26 Mpa and 60 min of extraction time, the optimal temperatures for extraction were found to be 76.4 °C, 73.9 °C, and 70.6 °C for the untreated, heat-oven-dried, and vacuum-oven-dried samples, respectively. The heat-oven-dried sample contains the highest percentage of linoleic acid, followed by the untreated and vacuum-oven-dried samples. The antiradical activity of candlenut oil corresponded to an IC(50) value of 30.37 mg/mL.


The influences of schooling and everyday experiences on cognitive development are typically confounded. In the present study, we unraveled the influence of chronological age and years of schooling on the development of general cognitive competency in a two-wave longitudinal design with a three-year interval among 181 Kharwar children in India, aged 6 to 12 years. Effects of chronological age and years of schooling on cognitive development could be estimated independently because of their weak correlation among the Kharwar and because of the many shared background characteristics of school drop-outs, children without schooling, and children with schooling. The same five cognitive measures, each with parallel school and everyday testing modes, were administered to all children on both occasions. The internal structures of both the school and the everyday tests were equivalent across time and to each other. In line with our expectations, analyses of the net development per year revealed a decrement of the effect of chronological age, which was stronger for everyday tests than school tests, and an increment of the effect of years of schooling, which was stronger for school tests than everyday tests. Schooling ought to be considered in all theories of cognitive development, with genuine attention toward the real cognitive advantages it has at each developmental level.


Arch bridge structural solution has been known for centuries, in fact the simple
nature of arch that require low tension and shear strength was an advantage as the
simple materials like stone and brick were the only option back in ancient centuries.
By the pass of time especially after industrial revolution, the new materials were
adopted in construction of arch bridges to reach longer spans. Nowadays one long
span arch bridge is made of steel, concrete or combination of these two as "CFST",
as the result of using these high strength materials, very long spans can be achieved.
The current record for longest arch belongs to Chaotianmen bridge over Yangtze
river in China with 552 meters span made of steel and the longest reinforced concrete
type is Wanxian bridge which also cross the Yangtze river through a 420 meters
span. Today the designer is no longer limited by span length as long as arch bridge is the most applicable solution among other approaches, i.e. cable
stayed and suspended bridges are more reasonable if very long span is desired. Like any super structure, the economical and architectural aspects in construction of
a bridge is extremely important, in other words, as a narrower bridge has better
appearance, it also require smaller volume of material which make the design more
economical. Design of such bridge, beside the high strength materials, requires
precise structural analysis approaches capable of integrating the combination of
material behaviour and complex geometry of structure and various types of loads
which may be applied to bridge during its service life. Depend on the design strategy,
analysis may only evaluates the linear elastic behaviour of structure or consider
the nonlinear properties as well. Although most of structures in the past were
designed to act in their elastic range, the rapid increase in computational capacity
allow us to consider different sources of nonlinearities in order to achieve a more
realistic evaluations where the dynamic behaviour of bridge is important especially in
seismic zones where large movements may occur or structure experience P - _ effect
during the earthquake. The above mentioned type of analysis is computationally
expensive and very time consuming. In recent years, several methods were proposed
in order to resolve this problem. Discussion of recent developments on these methods
and their application on long span concrete arch bridges is the main goal of this
research. Accordingly available long span concrete arch bridges have been studied
to gather the critical information about their geometrical aspects and properties
of their materials. Based on concluded information, several concrete arch bridges
were designed for further studies. The main span of these bridges range from 100
to 400 meters. The Structural analysis methods implemented in in this study are
as following:
Elastic Analysis:
Direct Response History Analysis (DRHA): This method solves the direct
equation of motion over time history of applied acceleration or imposed load
in linear elastic range.
Modal Response History Analysis (MRHA): Similar to DRHA, this method
is also based on time history, but the equation of motion is simplified to single degree of freedom system and calculates the response of each mode
independently. Performing this analysis require less time than DRHA.
Modal Response Spectrum Analysis (MRSA): As it is obvious from its name,
this method calculates the peak response of structure for each mode and combine
them using modal combination rules based on the introduced spectra of
ground motion. This method is expected to be fastest among Elastic analysis.
Inelastic Analysis:
Nonlinear Response History Analysis (NL-RHA): The most accurate strategy
to address significant nonlinearities in structural dynamics is undoubtedly
the nonlinear response history analysis which is similar to DRHA but extended
to inelastic range by updating the stiffness matrix for every iteration. This
onerous task, clearly increase the computational cost especially for unsymmetrical
buildings that requires to be analyzed in a full 3D model for taking the
torsional effects in to consideration.
Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA): The Modal Pushover Analysis is basically
the MRHA but extended to inelastic stage. After all, the MRHA cannot solve
the system of dynamics because the resisting force fs(u; u_ ) is unknown for
inelastic stage. The solution of MPA for this obstacle is using the previously
recorded fs to evaluate system of dynamics. Extended Modal Pushover Analysis (EMPA): Expanded Modal pushover is
a one of very recent proposed methods which evaluates response of structure
under multi-directional excitation using the modal pushover analysis strategy.
In one specific mode,the original pushover neglect the contribution of the directions
different than characteristic one, this is reasonable in regular symmetric
building but a structure with complex shape like long span arch bridges may
go through strong modal coupling. This method intend to consider modal
coupling while it take same time of computation as MPA.
Coupled Nonlinear Static Pushover Analysis (CNSP): The EMPA includes
the contribution of non-characteristic direction to the formal MPA procedure.
However the static pushovers in EMPA are performed individually for every
mode, accordingly the resulted values from different modes can be combined
but this is only valid in elastic phase; as soon as any element in structure starts
yielding the neutral axis of that section is no longer fixed for both response
during the earthquake, meaning the longitudinal deflection unavoidably affect
the transverse one or vice versa. To overcome this drawback, the CNSP suggests
executing pushover analysis for governing modes of each direction at the
same time. This strategy is estimated to be more accurate than MPA and
EMPA, moreover the calculation time is reduced because only one pushover
analysis is required.
Regardless of the strategy, the accuracy of structural analysis is highly dependent on
modelling and numerical integration approaches used in evaluation of each method.
Therefore the widely used Finite Element Method is implemented in process of all
analysis performed in this research.
In order to address the study, chapter 2, starts with gathered information about
constructed long span arch bridges, this chapter continuous with geometrical and
material definition of new models. Chapter 3 provides the detailed information
about structural analysis strategies; furthermore the step by step description of
procedure of all methods is available in Appendix A. The document ends with the
description of results and conclusion of chapter 4.


This is a working chapter for the "Christianity and the Law" series published by Cambridge University Press. Written at an introductory level, it aims to demonstrate that the contract law doctrine of unconscionability finds its warrant in the virtues of reciprocity and justice. These virtues came to be part of the Western tradition of law in the eleventh century as scholastic theologians and jurists wove together strands of biblical revelation, Roman law, and Aristotelian commutative justice. The culmination of this project — the civil law doctrine of laesio enormis (rough equality in exchange) — remained unaffected by the Protestant Reformation. Because justice in exchange was a matter of conscience as well as law, it played a role even in the common law tradition. The gradual subjectivization of conscience and the displacement of justice in contract law by notions of utility and autonomy through the course of the nineteenth century lead to the disappearance of unconscionability in the common law. Unconscionability was resuscitated in Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code but its application is has proved uncertain and unpredictable. A return to a virtue-centered understanding of unconscionably — rough equality in exchange — would make unconscionability more certain and predictable.


This review and commentary sets out the need for authoritative and concise information on the expected error distributions and magnitudes in observational data. We discuss the necessary components of a benchmark of dominant data uncertainties and the recent developments in hydrology which increase the need for such guidance. We initiate the creation of a catalogue of accessible information on characteristics of data uncertainty for the key hydrological variables of rainfall, river discharge and water quality (suspended solids, phosphorus and nitrogen). This includes demonstration of how uncertainties can be quantified, summarizing current knowledge and the standard quantitative results available. In particular, synthesis of results from multiple studies allows conclusions to be drawn on factors which control the magnitude of data uncertainty and hence improves provision of prior guidance on those uncertainties. Rainfall uncertainties were found to be driven by spatial scale, whereas river discharge uncertainty was dominated by flow condition and gauging method. Water quality variables presented a more complex picture with many component errors. For all variables, it was easy to find examples where relative error magnitudes exceeded 40%. We consider how data uncertainties impact on the interpretation of catchment dynamics, model regionalization and model evaluation. In closing the review, we make recommendations for future research priorities in quantifying data uncertainty and highlight the need for an improved 'culture of engagement' with observational uncertainties. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Purpose – This study aims to investigate the effects of mass and stiffness imbalance in a tail rotor induced by damage in forward flight.
Design/methodology/approach – An aeroelastic analysis based on finite element in space and time and capable of modeling dissimilar blades is carried out to study the effect of damage occurring in one, two, and three blades in a four-bladed tail rotor system in forward flight. The effect of damage growth on vibratory hub loads and blade responses is studied using a comprehensive aeroelastic code.
Findings – The diagnostic chart which is the summary of damage analysis of tail rotor shows that the root hub vibration spectrum gives enough indication to predict damage growth in the tail rotor blade. Hence, this can be useful towards development of health monitoring system for tail rotor blades.
Originality/value – The proposed analysis helps in understanding the basic physics behind the damaged tail rotor and also gives qualitative assessment of damaged tail rotor where obtaining the flight test data with damaged tail rotor is difficult.


Educational psychology in Africa has a rich and colorful history. In sub-Saharan Africa educational psychology, as both a profession and a scientific field, is particularly vibrant. The emergence of educational psychology in sub-Saharan Africa shows how the science and the profession has pirouetted in ways that could support mental health and learning in African contexts in innovative ways. While emanating within Western cultures, educational psychology has been adapted and, perhaps, been deeply enriched in the African context. After the initial establishment of educational psychology in sub-Saharan Africa, three broad eras of theoretical development are evident: (a) the era of ecosystems and community, (b) the era of inclusion, and (c) the era of strength-based and positive approaches. During the era of ecosystems and community, emergent theories challenged the dominance of the individualist paradigms in educational psychology and provided broadened conceptualizations of the factors that impact mental health and effective learning. The role of communities was also given prominence. During the era of inclusion, the medical model was challenged as the primary foundation for legitimizing educational psychological assessments and interventions. Educational psychologists moved toward rights-based approaches that championed the rights of vulnerable populations and the creation of inclusive learning environments. The inclusion of children with disabilities influenced policy development in multiple sub-Saharan countries and expanded the dialogues on how best to support learning for all children. During the era of strength-based and positive approaches, theoretical and pragmatic approaches that forefront strengths, capacities, and possibilities started to develop. This era signified yet another departure from previous hegemonic paradigms in that educational psychology moved beyond the individual level, toward more systemic approaches, but then also used approaches that focused more on strengths and the mobilization of resources within these systems to address challenges and to optimize educational psychological support. These eras in the development of educational psychology in sub-Saharan Africa created optimal opportunities to respond to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In terms of SDGs, educational psychology responds primarily to Global Goal 3 (health and well-being) and Global Goal 4 (quality education). At the same time it supports the Global Goals of no poverty (1), gender equality (5), decent work and economic growth (8), reduced inequalities (10), sustainable cities and communities (11), and building partnerships for the goals (17).


Background and Aim: Investigating one-visit treatment regimens which would have the same biological effectiveness of a two-visit procedure is of considerable importance. The purpose of this systematized review was the Clinical and radiographic one-and twovisit endodontic treatment evaluation with apical periodontitis. Method: The Controlled Trials of Cochrane's (CENTRAL) Register was explored by applying the Endodontics, One, Two, Single, Multiple, Appointment, Visit Terms, with no language restriction. 196 studies were conducted using the primary analysis in total. 5 articles among the 196 studies were chosen to have more precise criteria. Review methods: Randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials of root canal treatment of Single-versus multiple-visit carried out in humans were identified. The obtained result was the healing of radiographically detectable lesions in where data extraction was independent. Result: The mean number of human teeth was 112.60, and the lowest 44 patients and the most 300 patients, the standard deviation was 106.45. The mean of human teeth in the single visit groups was 58.6 (54.94) and in the two visit groups 54 (51.53). Risk differences of included studies were combined. Conclusion: root canal treatment of two and singlevisit represented approximately similar success in the periapical pathology endodontic treatment of teeth.


givgauss2 fits a maximum-likelihood generalized 2-parameter log-inverse Gaussian regression model of depvar on indepvars, where depvar is a non-negative count variable. The program may be used to model under-dispersed Poisson count data. Under-dispersion is indicated if the scale parameter, phi, is greater than 1; values under 1 indicate over-dispersion. Other methods are available for modeling overdispersed Poisson data, including the negative binomial, but few methods are commonly available to deal with under-dispersion. givgauss2 can also be used with models having a positive continuous response.


Much has been written about public hospitals relative to their mission to care for the underserved, their role in medical education, and the continuous financial challenges that they encounter. But, despite doubts about their viability, public hospitals have not only withstood the test of time, but have thrived and have evolved into a new entity, i.e., the safety net hospital. Like with any longstanding institution, the development of public hospitals holds valuable lessons that provide insight into how they will continue to evolve and potentially strengthen, even in the face of adversity. Their rich heritage includes many medical "firsts" in the United States such as the first municipal ambulance service, first blood bank, first trauma center(s), first cardiac catherization, and first civilian burn center. If safety net hospitals care for their communities and continue in their educational mission, they will thrive in the tradition of service.


Context. Solid interstellar CO_2 is an abundant component of ice dust mantles. Its ubiquity towards quiescent molecular clouds, as well as protostellar envelopes, has recently been confirmed by the IRS (InfraRed Spectrograph) aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. Although it has been shown that CO_2 cannot be efficiently formed in the gas phase, the CO_2 surface formation pathway is still unclear. To date several CO_2 surface formation mechanisms induced by energetic (e.g., UV photolysis and cosmic ray irradiation) and non-energetic (e.g., cold atom addition) input have been proposed.
Aims. Our aim is to investigate the contribution of cosmic ray irradiation to the formation of CO_2 in different regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). To achieve this goal we compared quantitatively laboratory data with the CO_2 bending mode band profile observed towards several young stellar objects (YSOs) and a field star by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Methods. All the experiments presented here were performed at the Laboratory for Experimental Astrophysics in Catania (Italy). The interstellar relevant samples were all irradiated with fast ions (30−200 keV) and subsequently annealed in a stainless steel high vacuum chamber (P < 10^(-7) mbar). Chemical and structural modifications of the ice samples were monitored by means of infrared spectroscopy. Laboratory spectra were then used to fit some thirty observational spectra.
Results. A qualitative analysis shows that a good fit can be obtained with a minimum of two components. The choice of the laboratory components is based on the chemical-physical condition of each source. A quantitative analysis of the sources with known visual extinction (A_V) and methanol abundances highlights that the solid carbon dioxide can be efficiently and abundantly formed after ion irradiation of interstellar ices in all the selected YSOs in a time compatible with cloud lifetimes (3 × 10^7 years). Only in the case of field stars can the expected CO_2 column density formed upon energetic input not explain the observed abundances. This result, to be confirmed along the line of sight to different quiescent clouds, gives an indirect indication that CO_2 can also be formed in an early cloud stage through surface reactions induced by non-energetic mechanisms. In a later stage, when ices are exposed to higher UV and cosmic ray doses, the CO_2 total abundance is strongly affected by energetic formation mechanisms.
Conclusions. Our results indicate that energetic processing of icy grain mantles significantly contribute to the formation of solid phase interstellar CO_2.


Novel polyaminophenols, poly-2-[3-thienylmethylene]aminophenol (P-2,3-TP), poly-3-[3-thienylmethylene]aminophenol (P-3,3-TP) and poly-4-[3-thienylmethylene]amino phenol (P-4,3-TP), were synthesized by oxidative polycondensation reaction. Metal complexes of P-2,3-TP were also obtained. The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by FT-IR, UV-vis, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR techniques. The characterization was made by TG-DTA, DSC, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analyses in addition to solubility tests. Electrical conductivities of polymers were measured by four-point probe technique. Fluorescence measurements were carried out in various solutions and optimum concentrations and maximal intensities were determined. The new synthesized polyaminophenols are good candidates for electronic, opto-electronic, and photovoltaic applications due to polyconjugated structures. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


This paper is concerned with the analysis of the synchronization of networks of nonlinear oscillators through an innovative adaptive strategy. In particular, time-varying feedback coupling gains are considered, whose derivative is made directly dependent on the local synchronization error at each vertex in the network. It is shown that, under appropriate conditions, the strategy is indeed successful in guaranteeing the achievement of a common synchronous evolution for all oscillators in the network. The theoretical derivation is complemented by its validation on a set of representative examples.


Ireland joined the international patent system in 1925 in total ignorance of its implications, and this membership has done very little for indigenous innovation. India refused to join, which enabled its own firms to become significant international players in several fields, especially generic drugs. The contrast with the foreign-owned Irish pharmaceutical industry, facing decline as its patents expire, is stark. The government's adoption of a simplistic linear model of innovation, in which public money put into university research was supposed to result in valuable patents, high-tech firms and jobs, has also been a grave disappointment. Ground could be made up by adopting direct protection of innovation (DPI). The theory for this was developed in EU-commissioned research, now proved by empirical results. This paper discusses practical arrangements for DPI in Ireland, as well as a proposal for enabling Irish firms engage in effective litigation to protect their patents in the United States.


Allowing effective inference of latent vectors while training GANs can greatly increase their applicability in various downstream tasks. Recent approaches, such as ALI and BiGAN frameworks, develop methods of inference of latent variables in GANs by adversarially training an image generator along with an encoder to match two joint distributions of image and latent vector pairs. We generalize these approaches to incorporate multiple layers of feedback on reconstructions, self-supervision, and other forms of supervision based on prior or learned knowledge about the desired solutions. We achieve this by modifying the discriminator's objective to correctly identify more than two joint distributions of tuples of an arbitrary number of random variables consisting of images, latent vectors, and other variables generated through auxiliary tasks, such as reconstruction and inpainting or as outputs of suitable pre-trained models. We design a non-saturating maximization objective for the generator-encoder pair and prove that the resulting adversarial game corresponds to a global optimum that simultaneously matches all the distributions. Within our proposed framework, we introduce a novel set of techniques for providing self-supervised feedback to the model based on properties, such as patch-level correspondence and cycle consistency of reconstructions. Through comprehensive experiments, we demonstrate the efficacy, scalability, and flexibility of the proposed approach for a variety of tasks. The appendix of the paper can be found at the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i99e682CqYWMEDXlnqkqrctGLVA9viiz/view?usp=sharing


ABSTRACT Telomeres are structural and functional chromosome regions that are essential for the cell cycle to proceed normally. They are, however, difficult to map genetically and to identify in genome-wide sequence programs because of their structure and repetitive nature. We studied the telomeric and subtelomeric organization in the basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus using a combination of molecular and bioinformatics tools that permitted us to determine 19 out of the 22 telomeres expected in this fungus. The telomeric repeating unit in P. ostreatus is TTAGGG, and the numbers of repetitions of this unit range between 25 and 150. The mapping of the telomere restriction fragments to linkage groups 6 and 7 revealed polymorphisms compatible with those observed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis separation of the corresponding chromosomes. The subtelomeric regions in Pleurotus contain genes similar to those described in other eukaryotic systems. The presence of a cluster of laccase genes in chromosome 6 and a bipartite structure containing a Het-related protein and an alcohol dehydrogenase are especially relevant; this bipartite structure is characteristic of the Pezizomycotina fungi Neurospora crassa and Aspergillus terreus. As far as we know, this is the first report describing the presence of such structures in basidiomycetes and the location of a laccase gene cluster in the subtelomeric region, where, among others, species-specific genes allowing the organism to adapt rapidly to the environment usually map.


Soils in which disease fails to develop despite pathogen presence are considered disease-suppressive. They offer sustainable, effective protection to plants against infection by soil-borne pathogens. Naturally disease-suppressive soils have been reported for diseases of a diverse range of agricultural crops worldwide yet the underlying mechanisms of disease suppression are still not completely understood. Two large greenhouse experiments, conducted during 2017/18 (Year 1) and 2018/19 (Year 2), determined that soils naturally suppressive to stem canker and black scurf of potato (caused by Rhizoctonia solani) are present in vegetable-arable cropping soils of the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand. Soil was pre-treated with heat prior to inoculation with R. solani and compared with untreated and uninoculated controls to ascertain if stem canker and black scurf suppression was 'general', or 'specific' (i.e. transferable; possibly involving specific microorganisms). Rhizoctonia solani inoculation was also combined with transfer of one part test soil to nine parts of a known disease-conducive soil. Abiotic factors such as soil texture and organic matter content influenced black scurf incidence and severity. Soil microorganisms were also involved in disease suppression since black scurf incidence and severity markedly increased when they were eliminated or reduced by soil heat pre-treatment. Microbial profiling of the soils through sequencing revealed that taxa of geographically close soils of the same type had similar fungal and bacterial community structure and diversity even though they differed in their capacity to suppress black scurf. These results suggest that although the soil microbiome as a whole, was mainly responsible for soil disease suppressiveness, certain bacterial genera or species may play a role in black scurf suppression.


The data accumulated within the last years required revision of the indications to the use of antibiotics in treatment of pertussis. One of the aims of antibiotic therapy in pertussis was to prevent colonization of B. pertussis in the respiratory tracts. With that end in view the choice of antibiotics should be limited by those, to which the pathogen is the most sensitive i.e. erythromycin, ampicillin and augmentin. Comparative efficacy of erythromycin and ampicillin during the first 2 weeks of the disease was studied in 79 infants at the age not older than 1 year with pertussis and it was shown that erythromycin was advantageous by its therapeutic activity and less side effects. Expedience of the antibiotic therapy during the spastic period for providing a preventive effect on development of bronchopulmonary complications was studied in 201 patients with pertussis. No preventive effect of the antibiotics on development of the bronchopulmonary complications defined by the secondary bacterial flora was recorded. In the group of the patients treated with the antibiotics prophylactically (group 1) the complications were 2.6 times more frequent than in the patients treated with pathogenetic agents alone (group 2). Intrahospital pneumonia developed in 8.9 per cent of the patients in group 1 and in 1.5 per cent of the patients in group 2. Therefore, antibiotics should not be used at the late periods of pertussis for prophylaxis of secondary bacterial complications.


Abstract The Ossa Morena and South Portuguese Zones of the Variscan Belt of Iberia are interpreted to represent continental fragments that collided during the Variscan orogeny. Oblique northward subduction of an oceanic realm beneath the Ossa Morena Zone and subsequent collision induced thrusting and left-lateral transcurrent motion of crustal blocks and formation of a variety of ore deposits in both terranes. Most of the mineralization is related to dilational openings within thrusts and shear zones, extensional faults and pull-apart basins. A discontinuous diachronous vertical section from exhalative to deep mesozonal hydrothermal systems of Variscan age can be inferred. Volcanic-hosted massive sulphides are formed in third order pull-apart basins, but deeper related extensional structures are the loci for epithermal Hg, fluorite and Pb-Zn vein systems, Cu-Ni magmatic mineralization and iron-rich calcic skarns. Dilational regions along major shear zones also host mesozonal gold-bearing quartz veins. The overall Variscan mineralization pattern is inferred to be representative of an oblique collisional, (transpressional) geodynamic regime.


The hunter-gatherers of Malardalen (eastern central Sweden) adopted ceramic technology at the same time as they adopted aspects of farming around 3900 cal. BC. The region thus appears to be a classic case of "Neolithisation", with hunter-gatherers turning hunter-horticulturalists, adopting cereal cultivation and cattle herding along with the characteristic pottery of the Funnel Beaker Culture (albeit with local and regional peculiarities). Immediately to the north of the Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB) of Malardalen, there lived hunter-gatherers of the northern Scandinavian Slate Culture that did not adopt either agriculture or pottery during the period in question. Thus, in central Scandinavia, there was formed a border between part-time farmers with pottery to the south, and hunter-gatherers without pottery to the north. However, while pottery was absent in Malardalen before 3900 cal. BC, ceramics appeared already 5000 cal. BC immediately to the east, on Aland, a group of islands in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The oldest pottery along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, including the Aland archipelago, appeared in hunter-gatherer contexts, the centuries before 5000 cal. BC. During this time we have a contrast between hunter-gatherers with pottery to the east, and hunter-gatherers without pottery to the west. The Early Neolithic funnel-beaker pottery of Malardalen display several peculiarities reminiscent of Comb Ware designs. Around 3300 cal. BC the eastern traits are accentuated with the introduction of pointed bottomed vessels and pits arranged in "chessmanner", a pottery that is known as the Pitted Ware tradition. Parallel to these changes in the design of pottery, the settlement pattern was rearranged with a larger focus on aquatic resources and a diminishing role for agricultural practices.


Retinoic acid is a metabolite of vitamin A that can act as a signalling molecule in a number of developmental systems. Retinoic acid is also known to be teratogenic in mammals, causing a range of defects including abnormalities in craniofacial development. Exposure of the developing chick face to retinoic acid released slowly from a bead implanted in the wing bud results in a specific facial defect, in which outgrowth of the frontonasal mass is inhibited. This results in clefting of the primary palate and absence of the upper beak. To investigate the role of nuclear retinoic acid receptors in normal and abnormal chick face morphogenesis, we isolated chick retinoic acid receptor-beta (RAR-beta) cDNA clones and probed northern blots of RNA isolated from chick embryos at stages 22, 24 and 25 and from adults. RAR-beta transcripts of 2.8 and 3.5 kb were present in several regions of the embryo, including the facial primordia, and were also present at much lower levels in adult tissues. In situ hybridisation showed that RAR-beta transcripts were present in all of the facial primordia at embryonic stages 20, 24 and 28, but that their distribution was not uniform. Transcripts were abundant in the lateral nasal processes, at the edges and corners of the frontonasal mass and in the anterior part of the maxillary primordia. Lower levels were present elsewhere. Treatment of stage 20 embryos with retinoic acid altered the distribution of RAR-beta transcripts in the maxillary primordia, such that high levels of transcripts were present throughout, rather than being confined to the anterior part. This change was detectable at stage 24, before any alterations in the morphology of the facial primordia were apparent. By stage 28, when the morphology of the facial primordia was clearly abnormal, there were more widespread changes in the distribution of RAR-beta transcripts. These results show that RAR-beta transcripts are particularly concentrated in regions of the primordia that give rise to the upper beak, the development of which is specifically affected by retinoic acid. In addition, they demonstrate that retinoic acid can induce changes in the pattern of expression of RAR-beta transcripts in vivo.


The paper describes the possibilities of genetic algorithm application by the reactive power flows' optimization in Slovak power transmission system. The methods of reactive power flow calculation and the utilization of genetic algorithms for their minimalization are indicated in the paper. There are the results of calculated voltages and reactive power flows presented in chart and graphical format at the end of this paper.


Ovarian cancer is the most common cause of gynecological cancer-related death in the developed world. Disease recurrence and chemoresistance are major causes of poor survival rates in ovarian cancer patients. Ovarian cancer stem cells (CSCs) were shown to represent a source of tumor recurrence owing to the high resistance to chemotherapy and enhanced tumorigenicity. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based adoptive immunotherapy represents a promising strategy to reduce the risk for recurrent disease. In this study, we developed a codon-optimized third-generation CAR to specifically target CD44, a marker widely expressed on ovarian cancer cells and associated with CSC-like properties and intraperitoneal tumor spread. We equipped NK-92 cells with the anti-CD44 CAR (CD44NK) and an anti-CD19 control CAR (CD19NK) using lentiviral SIN vectors. Compared to CD19NK and untransduced NK-92 cells, CD44NK showed potent and specific cytotoxic activity against CD44-positive ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3 and OVCAR3) and primary ovarian cancer cells harvested from ascites. In contrast, CD44NK had less cytotoxic activity against CD44-negative A2780 cells. Specific activation of engineered NK cells was also demonstrated by interferon-γ (IFNγ) secretion assays. Furthermore, CD44NK cells still demonstrated cytotoxic activity under cisplatin treatment. Most importantly, the simultaneous treatment with CD44NK and cisplatin showed higher anti-tumor activity than sequential treatment.


The matrix format for the presentation of biokinetic models is explained with a simple model and expanded for the 'Activated Sludge Model No. 19 of the IAWPRC Task Group for Mathematical Modelling for Design and Operation of Biological Wastewater treatment. With the aid of a simulation program a complex activated sludge model which includes two organic substrates and nitrification is developed stepwise and compared to experimental results.


The effects of small increases in plasma insulin on hepatic glucose production are incompletely understood. To partially elucidate this issue we have studied seven obese subjects with the euglycemic clamp technique with a low-dose insulin infusion rate of 15 mU · m−2 · min−1 over 3 h. Basal insulin levels were 24 ± 7 μU/ml and increased to steady-state levels of 35 ± 3 μU/ml during insulin infusion. Endogenous insulin secretion, quantitated by C-peptide measurements, decreased by 58% of the basal value after peripheral insulin infusion. Based on C-peptide measurements and the contribution of the peripheral insulin infusion to the circulating insulin concentrations, calculated portal insulin levels either decreased or remained unchanged during the clamp studies. Basal glucagon levels were 165 ± 18 and did not change during the insulin infusion. The basal glucose disposal rate was 86 ± 2 mg · m−2 · min−1 and did not increase significantly during the clamp studies. In contrast, hepatic glucose output (HGO) was suppressed by 82 ± 5% of the basal value. In summary, in a group of insulin-resistant obese subjects, glucose-clamp studies were performed at peripheral insulin levels of 35 ± 3 μU/ml; glucose disposal did not increase, whereas HGO was suppressed by 82%. At the same time, glucagon levels remained constant and estimated portal insulin levels either decreased or remained unchanged. These findings suggest that insulin can suppress HGO through indirect extrahepatic actions.


Palliative sedation is given to relieve refractory discomfort (pain, shortness of breath, agitation) during the phase when life expectancy is estimated to be a week or less. It is a medical intervention which, although not expressly meant to shorten life, may well do so. There is an inherent uncertainty here which is the cause of considerable ethical unease. Figures show that in a limited number of cases palliative sedation is actually applied with the intention to hasten death. It may well be impossible to rid ourselves ofthis uncertainty conclusively.


Pericyclic reactions are frequently proposed as intermediate steps in diverse multistep Au(I)‐catalyzed transformations of unsaturated systems, an expanding class of atom‐economical reactions that proceed under mild conditions and generally lead to products that exhibit an extraordinary increase in molecular complexity. The feasibility of pericyclic steps occurring in the overall transformations is greater with highly functionalized polyunsaturated systems. Experimental and computational studies concur that Au(I) catalyst guides, if possible, the evolution of the reactant and/or intermediates through pericyclic processes if available to the particular substrate. In general, the activation energies are lower than those for the corresponding reactions in the absence of the coinage metal, in particular when Au(I) is bound to a carbon atom of the pericyclic array. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Current knowledge of turbid coastlines relies heavily on extractive sampling methods with less destructive visual techniques limited primarily by underwater visibility. Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) is now a commonly used nonextractive sampling technique which involves the use of bait to attract motile fauna to the field of view of the camera, but its use is restricted to clear water environments. Here, we describe and test the addition of a clear liquid optical chamber (CLOC) to a BRUV system to improve underwater visibility when observing motile fauna in turbid waters. The CLOC method was trialed with respect to the ability of the system to identify taxa to species level in both controlled laboratory and field conditions across gradients of underwater visibility. This study found that the introduction of a CLOC to a conventional BRUV system significantly improved the ability to observe identifying features of four fish species in a controlled low‐visibility environment (p ≤ 0.001). The ability to identify taxa to species level in field conditions was also significantly increased with the addition of a CLOC (p ≤ 0.01). We conclude that the introduction of a CLOC to a conventional BRUV system is a reliable way of improving underwater visibility when assessing motile fauna allowing for a more consistent identification of taxa to species level. This system may be applied to both marine and freshwater aquatic environments.


Previous research has shown that although a smaller proportion of black high school graduates than white high school graduates attend college, black high school graduates are more likely than white high school graduates to attend college net of differences in socioeconomic family background and academic performance. Yet, the overrepresentation of black immigrants in selective colleges and theoretical work on immigrant incorporation raises the question of whether this net black advantage is very African American. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, logistic regression, and propensity score analysis, the authors investigated whether the net black advantage reflects the educational trajectories of immigrant rather than native blacks. They found dual, yet distinct, cases of the net black advantage, such that native blacks are more likely than are comparable whites to attend all types of colleges, whereas immigrant blacks are only more likely than similar whites to attend selective colleges. The theoretical and social stratification implications of the findings are explored.


Despite the impressiveness of its remains, until 2008 the city walls of Hierapolis of Phrygia (4th century AD) were one of the lesser known monuments of the city. The preserved and reconstructed remains of the fortifications are about 2.1 km long and are characterized by the systematic reuse of many blocks and architectural materials from necropolises and monuments that were demolished at the time of the construction of the walls. The study and the topographical survey (using a differential GPS) of the city walls were employed along with the analysis and centimetric positioning of all the main reused architectural elements (1142 items), i.e. those which are easier to recognize and to trace back to the buildings from which they came. The fieldwork was carried out using a Tablet PC and a specially developed computer schedule to record the characteristics of the recycled materials and their location. The data were uploaded into a dedicated and specially developed geodatabase, aimed at managing information related to the heterogeneous materials reused, integrating the intrinsic characteristics of objects and their positions. In the geodatabase, every architectural element was catalogued so that spatial queries could be made to identify the existence of homogeneous materials and determine their positions along the walls; they are also correlated with their monuments of origin when this information is available.


Emerging Civil Society in China, 1978-2008 is translated from the original Chinese to provide a look into how scholars in China have been assessing the development of civil organizations and analyzing them based on system reforms, the public sphere, and collective action. This volume and the others in the SSRC series, provide western scholars with an accessible English language look at the state of current scholarship in China, and as such, does not simply provide information for the direct study of socio-political issues, but also for meta-level analysis of how the domestic scholarship in China is developing and assessing the interplay of the country's political and economic reforms with the society and daily life of its people.


The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, which houses the extensive ExxonMobil Historical Collection, is honored to publish the fifth volume of Exxon's corporate history, which extends the history of Exxon and its predecessors to more than 125 years, the longest in-depth account of a private company in existence. ExxonMobil's history stretches from the time of kerosene lamps to the era of jet travel, from the days of finding oil by searching for surface indications to the days of 3-D seismic, which uses powerful computers to create images of oil deep underground. Its learning curve was particularly steep in the years covered by this book, 1973-2005, when the company adapted to new realities that confronted it at every turn. ExxonMobil has remained among the most profitable concerns in the history of modern capitalism by showing flexibility when faced with the need to adapt to changing conditions. As the company responded to sweeping changes in global markets, its decisions reflected a deeply held corporate culture that rested on the key operating values of engineering efficiency and financial discipline. This extensively researched volume demonstrates how Exxon's core values and management enabled the company to adapt and succeed during a period of dramatic changes for the energy industry. Pratt and Hale provide readers a historical perspective from inside one of the most powerful corporations in the world.


Purpose

The next phase of hardware technology development is focused on alternative ways to manage and store consumers' personal content. However, even consumers who have adopted Cloud-based services have demonstrated a reluctance to move all of their personal content into the Cloud and continue to resist giving up local hard drives. This paper aims to investigate the characteristics of local hard drives and the Cloud that lead to simultaneous use.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses content analysis of online comments and ten depth interviews with simultaneous users of local hard drives and the Cloud.

Findings

Three factors influence the resistance to giving up local hard drives. Simultaneous users utilize local hard drives as a redundancy system and as a way to ensure the permanence of their digital content. They are unsure of the Cloud's ability to support their content creation, management and storage activities (task-technology fit).

Research limitations/implications

Study findings are based on qualitative methods and thus the results cannot be considered conclusive.

Practical implications

The authors speculate that it is unlikely that Cloud-only will fully replace hard drives until these factors are understood and addressed by information technology developers. Cloud service providers may not be aware of how little that users understand the Cloud. In contrast to their certainty and confidence in local hard drives, simultaneous users are confused as to what the Cloud is and how it functions. This uncertainty exacerbates their risk perception and need for control.

Originality/value

This is the first study exploring simultaneous use of local hard drives and the Cloud with a view to understanding this behaviour in terms of the relative advantage of the incumbent technology over the new technology.


Individuals frequently face intertemporal decisions. For the purposes of economic analysis, the preference parameters assumed to govern these decisions are generally considered to be stable economic primitives. However, evidence on the stability of time preferences is notably lacking. In a large field study conducted over two years with about 1,400 individuals, time preferences are elicited using incentivized choice experiments. The aggregate distributions of discount factors and the proportion of present-biased individuals are found to be unchanged over the two years. At the individual level, the one year correlations in measured time preference parameters are found to be high by existing standards, though some individuals change their intertemporal choices potentially indicating unstable preferences. By linking time preference measures to tax return data, we show that identified instability is uncorrelated with socio-demographics and changes to income, future liquidity, employment and family composition.


To overcome the problem of disposal of bagasse, a popular method of composting called NADEP method in its modified form was used in the study. The study was done by making brick-walled tanks and taking three types of treatments having different proportions of bagasse with cow dung, rice straw and soil. The study was done for 105 days on the basis of compostmaturity parameters like temperature, C/N ratio, totalmicrobial population, moisture content and pH. The treatment which contained bagasse with cowdung (B2) in the ratio of 1:2 achievedmaturity comparatively fast with a sharp decrease in C/N ratio in 15 to 30 days. This reflects that cow dung itself is a good microbial inoculant. The compost so prepared can be used as a growing medium for crops. In this way NADEP method was standardized on small scale to be used individually by any farmer or person of low economic status.


Objective Immediate, short and midterm outcome of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty are well known, but there is limited information on long term results. We report long term results of 2–13. 5 years follow up of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty in children. Methods From June 1998 to January 2012 sixty consecutive patients (33 females, 27 males) with moderate to severe valvar pulmonary stenosis (right ventricular to pulmonary artery pressure gradient greater than 50 mmHg) were considered for balloon valvuloplasty. The gradient was measured pre and immediately post–valvuloplasty at catheterization, and then by echocardiography at follow up. Follow up studies were performed 2–13.5 years (mean±SD; 7.1±2.5 years, median: 5.5 years) after procedure, by Doppler echocardiography in all patients and catheterization and angiography in two patients. Findings Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty BPV was successful in 53 of 60 (88.3%) patients whereas surgical valvotomy was necessary in 6 to 60 (10%). There was one immediate death due to perforation of the right ventricular outflow tract. Pulmonary valve systolic pressure gradient decreased from 83.3±32.1 to 19.3±14.2 mmHg immediately after BPV and to 12.3±6.6 mmHg at late follow up (P<0.001). Pulmonary insufficiency was noted in 20 (38%) patient at short–term, but it was demonstrated in 17 (32%) at late follow up. A second valvuloplasty was performed in two (3.8%) patients presenting with re-stenosis. Conclusion The short, intermediate and long-term outcomes of pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty in children are excellent. Therefore it can be considered as the treatment of choice for children with pulmonary valve stenosis.


The development of separation materials for hard-to-separate molecular mixtures is highly desired from environmental and economic perspectives. Although the crystal of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene exhibits high guest selectivity in inclusion from a mixture of molecules with similar sizes and shapes, it cannot include molecules larger than its calix cavity. To extend its guest inclusivity, we designed and synthesized an open-chain host, [3,3'-thiobis(5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzene)-1,1'-diyl]diacetic acid (4). The competitive inclusion among toluidine isomers using compound 4 gave inclusion crystals containing the p-isomer in 1:1 (host/guest) ratio, with lesser amounts of other isomers and/or solvent molecules. The isomer selectivity varied between 66% and 97% depending on the solvent employed. X-ray analysis of inclusion crystals 4·p-toluidine·MeCN and 4·p-toluidine·(o-toluidine)0.5 revealed that compound 4 includes p-toluidine by forming macrocyclic 2:2 inclusion complex(es) and that its higher-order structure has vacant spaces, in which molecules other than p-toluidine are included. Compound 4 was then transformed into monopropyl ester 5 to fill the vacant spaces with propyl moieties. Compound 5 included p-toluidine with high selectivity (∼96%) without the coinclusion of other molecules, regardless of the solvent employed.


The treatment of Turkish patients is peculiar due to differences of socio-cultural background and speech. Magic conceptions of pathogenesis and nosogeny have a broad acceptance in a part of population. Magic faith healers, Hocas, are authorities to be consulted for treatment. In ritual acts they intend to stave off noxious influences and to strengthen the healing power with sacred formulas and through powerful objects. To investigate the importance, utilisation and attitude towards the Hocas of Turkish psychiatric patients living in Germany we conducted an interview with 55 psychiatric inpatients. Our findings were a reduced importance of Hocas due to influences of the Western culture and modern medicine. "Folk" medicine is still important for patients with psychic disorders and is used parallel to modern medical facilities.


Minor components are of particular interest due to their antioxidant and biological properties. Various classes of lipophilic minor components (plant sterols (PS) and α-tocopherol) were selected as they are widely used in the food industry. A Fast GC-MS method for PS analysis in functional dairy products was set up. The analytical performance and significant reduction of the analysis time and consumables, demonstrated that Fast GC-MS could be suitable for the PS analysis in functional dairy products.
Due to their chemical structure, PS can undergo oxidation, which could be greatly impacted by matrix nature/composition and thermal treatments. The oxidative stability of PS during microwave heating was evaluated. Two different model systems (PS alone and in combination) were heated up to 30 min at 1000 W. PS degraded faster when they were alone than in presence of TAG. The extent of PS degradation depends on both heating time and the surrounding medium, which can impact the quality and safety of the food product destined to microwave heating/cooking.
Many minor lipid components are included in emulsion systems and can affect the rate of lipid oxidation. The oxidative stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing PS esters, ω-3 FA and phenolic compounds, were evaluated after a 14-day storage at room temperature. Due to their surface active character, PS could be particularly prone to oxidation when they are incorporated in emulsions, as they are more exposed to water-soluble prooxidants. Finally, some minor lipophilic components may increase oxidative stability of food systems due to their antioxidant activity. a-tocopherol partitioning and antioxidant activity was determined in the presence of excess SDS in stripped soybean O/W emulsions. Results showed that surfactant micelles could play a key role as an antioxidant carrier, by potentially increasing the accessibility of hydrophobic antioxidant to the interface.


The paper estimates the regional economic impact of renewable energy development (inv) based on the use of biomass. The regional level is Andalusia. The analysis is carried out under the assumption that achieves the goal of renewable energy development set in Andalusian Sustainable Energy Plan (PASENER) 2007-2013. To estimate the economic impact, a General Equilibrium Model (CGE) is used based on the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) updated for Andalusia in 2008. The results show that if the goal of PASENER is met, there might be an increase production of 4.02%.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by destabilizing target mRNA and/or inhibiting translation in animal cells. The ability to mechanistically dissect the function of miR-124 during specification, differentiation, and maturation of neurons during development within a single system has not been accomplished. Using the sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) embryo, we take advantage of the manipulability of the embryo and its well-documented gene regulatory networks (GRNs). We incorporated NeuroD1 as part of the sea urchin neuronal GRN and determined that miR-124 inhibition resulted in decreased gut contractions, swimming velocity, and neuronal development. We further integrated post-transcriptional regulation of miR-124 into the neuronal GRN. Inhibition of miR-124 resulted in increased number of cells expressing transcription factors associated with progenitor neurons and a concurrent decrease of mature and functional neurons. Results revealed that miR-124 regulates undefined factors early in neurogenesis during neuronal specification and differentiation in the early blastula and gastrula stages. In the late gastrula and larval stages, miR-124 regulates Notch and NeuroD1. Specifically, miR-124 regulates the transition between neuronal differentiation and maturation, by directly suppressing NeuroD1. Removal of miR-124's suppression of NeuroD1 results in increased mature neurons with decreased Synaptagmin B-positive mature, functional neurons. By removing both miR-124 suppression of NeuroD1 and Notch, we were able to phenocopy miR-124 inhibitor induced defects. Overall, we have improved the neuronal GRN and identified miR-124 to play a prolific role in regulating various transitions of neuronal development.


Morbidity and mortality caused by schistosomiasis are serious public health problems in developing countries. Because praziquantel is the only drug in therapeutic use, the risk of drug resistance is a concern. In the search for new schistosomicidal drugs, we performed a target-based chemogenomics screen of a dataset of 2,114 proteins to identify drugs that are approved for clinical use in humans that may be active against multiple life stages of Schistosoma mansoni. Each of these proteins was treated as a potential drug target, and its amino acid sequence was used to interrogate three databases: Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), DrugBank and STITCH. Predicted drug-target interactions were refined using a combination of approaches, including pairwise alignment, conservation state of functional regions and chemical space analysis. To validate our strategy, several drugs previously shown to be active against Schistosoma species were correctly predicted, such as clonazepam, auranofin, nifedipine, and artesunate. We were also able to identify 115 drugs that have not yet been experimentally tested against schistosomes and that require further assessment. Some examples are aprindine, gentamicin, clotrimazole, tetrabenazine, griseofulvin, and cinnarizine. In conclusion, we have developed a systematic and focused computer-aided approach to propose approved drugs that may warrant testing and/or serve as lead compounds for the design of new drugs against schistosomes.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
The aim of this study was to identify genes that play a role in colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis by analysis of differential gene expression of normal and transformed CRC cell lines.

METHODS
Gene expression array analysis ([RG-U34] GeneChip) was performed in normal and transformed rat intestinal epithelial cells before and after exposures to celecoxib. In particular, we were looking for (1) altered gene expression in the transformed cells that reverts to normal following exposure to a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, (2) novel genes, and (3) genes encoding membrane receptors or ligands. As a validation of the results and for human patients, immunohistochemistry was performed on 398 biological samples from the gastrointestinal tract (normal, polyps, and adenocarcinomas). Human cancer cell lines were tested for their response to anti-CD24 monoclonal antibodies.

RESULTS
A total of 1081 genes were differently expressed following malignant transformation; 71 genes showed altered expression that reverted to normal following treatment with celecoxib, including the CD24 gene. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that increased expression of CD24 is an early event in CRC carcinogenesis. It was expressed in 90.7% of adenomas and 86.3% of CRCs. Very low expression was seen in normal epithelium (16.6%). Human cancer cell lines showed growth inhibition in response to the antibodies, according to their expression levels of CD24 and in dose- and time-dependent manners. These results were repetitive for 3 different antibodies.

CONCLUSIONS
CD24 is overexpressed in the colonic mucosa, already at an early stage of carcinogenesis. It may be a useful target for early detection and in CRC therapy.


This study was aimed to consider the NG-group that consisting of transformations on a nonempty set A has no bijection as its element. In addition, it tried to find the maximal order of these groups. It found the order of NG-group not greater than n. Our results proved by showing that any kind of NG-group in the theorem be isomorphic to a permutation group on a quotient set of A with respect to an equivalence relation on A.
Keywords: NG-group; Permutation group; Equivalence relation; -subgroup


1. The extent of ethylation of N-7 of guanine in the nucleic acids of rat tissue in vivo by diethylnitrosamine, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea and ethyl methanesulphonate was measured. 2. All compounds produced measurable amounts of 7-ethyl-guanine. 3. A single dose of diethylnitrosamine or N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea produced tumours of the kidney in the rat. Three doses of ethyl methanesulphonate produced kidney tumours, but a single dose did not. 4. A single dose of diethylnitrosamine produced twice as much ethylation of N-7 of guanine in DNA of kidney as did N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea. A single dose of both compounds induced kidney tumours, although of a different histological type. 5. A single dose of ethyl methanesulphonate produced ten times as much ethylation of N-7 of guanine in kidney DNA as did N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea without producing tumours. 6. The relevance of these findings to the hypothesis that alkylation of a cellular component is the mechanism of induction of tumours by nitroso compounds is discussed.


This paper proposes a technique for accelerating the convergence to the maximum power point of photovoltaic (PV) systems based on the model obtained from manufacturer's generator data. The influence of the temperature over the PV array performance is considered, and no measurement of solar radiation is required. Knowledge of the load model and expensive sensor circuitry are not necessary. The tracking speed is much faster than nonmodel-based techniques at the expense of an increase in the computational complexity. Simulation and experimental results are presented and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed solution.


: Enzyme immunoassay for determining salivary anti-diphtheria antibacterial IgA was developed to evaluate local anti-diphtheria immunity. One hundred and thirty-one apparently healthy preschool and school children aged 2 to 16 years, inoculated with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis and attenuated diphtheria and tetanus toxoid vaccines by the immunization schedules. The apparently healthy children's saliva were found to have anti-diphtheria antibacterial sIgA, the mean content of which in the examinees aged 2-16 years was 49.4 +/- 3.0 units/ml and depended on age. The level of antibacterial anti-diphtheria sIgA significantly increased in children by age 7-9 years and unchanged by 16 years of age. Comparison of sIgA levels in children with diphtheria morbidity could identify 2-6-year-old children as a diphtheria infection risk group.


The reason for considering the above mentioned contepts was experience gained by the author during internships in one of the polish firms engaded in professional consulting in the field of purchising process optimalisation. In the article an attempt was made to define the traditional way of purchising in average polish company and to show the reasons for such a situation. On the basis of such defined and simplified purchasing activities it was shown that it is complex and hard process requiring well-thought-of and planned strategy.There was also the importance of quality of human resources in the realisation of this strategy discussed. The author showed the meaning of interdisciplinarity of purchasing organisations responsibility. There was signallised, what is the importance of modern information tools for discessed processes. The author tried to give arguments, how to build relations between buyer and supplier. Should they be based on profit maximalisations or on relations between partners? The growth of awarness of the firms connected to the necessarity of process based approach to company management was shown.


We present a systematic way of visualization and quantification of mixing in chaotic micromixers with a periodic mixing protocol. We name it colored particle tracking method, which consists of three steps. One is flow analysis step to obtain periodic velocity field of a periodic mixing protocol. The other is particle tracking step. At the inlet, depending on the species of the fluids, particles are labeled with a specific color. Then, using the initial distribution of colored particles, we repeat integration procedure up to the end period. Finally, from thus obtained particle distribution, we can evaluate mixing performance. In the present study, we propose a new measure of mixing by adopting the concept of the information entropy. We applied the developed method to three micromixers with patterned grooves and were able to evaluate mixing performance both qualitatively and quantitatively.


Elections pose a dilemma for the democratic opposition in electoral authoritarian states. On the one hand, the election campaign is often their only opportunity to get sanctioned access to the public, on the other, through their participation in an election where the outcome is known beforehand they appear to support a democratic charade. This article focuses on the ways in which oppositional actors in Azerbaijan choose to tackle this predicament in relation to the recent parliamentary elections. The analysis and comparison of respective electoral strategies (boycott, campaigning, statements and monitoring) tell us about the roles elections, despite their predictable outcome, play in this type of context. Even though no one in the opposition is 'in it to win it' the Republican Alternative (REAL) movement stands out. Fully aware of their marginalization in society, as representatives of an extremely unpopular 'opposition', their electoral work focused on selling themselves to the public as 'something new,' which is, of course, easier said than done. Nevertheless, their approach and campaign could be interpreted as an attempt to actually convert this into practice.


ABSTRACT Zhu, Y.; Zhang, J., and Tang, Q., 2021. An innovative method for the spatial sampling analysis of sea surface temperature in the Pacific-Indian Oceans. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(5), 1053–1062. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In this study, a pragmatic approach is presented for evaluating the spatial representativeness of the point-scale drifting buoy sea-surface temperature (SST) over the joined area of Asia and the Pacific-Indian Ocean with that help of the high-resolution satellite-derived SST at multipixel scales. The relative spatial sampling error (RSSE) and coefficient of sill (CS) are selected to investigate consistency between the drifting buoy SST and pixel mean value of satellite-derived SST and representativeness of drifting buoy SST at pixel scales of 25 km, 50 km, and 100 km, respectively. The results show that at the 25-km scale, the consistency between the drifting buoy SST and the satellite-derived SST is high, and the spatial heterogeneity within the pixel scale is not obvious, i.e. only two measurements with RSSE are larger than the critical value of all 43,748 measurements. But with the increase in the scale, the number of the drifting buoy SST, which is inconsistent with the satellite-derived SST, is obviously increased (the number of the inconsistent point measurement at the scale of 50 km increased to 42, and at the scale of 100 km it is 59), and the spatial heterogeneity is enhanced. This spatial variation along the direction of latitude change is more obvious. Combining spatial consistency and spatial heterogeneity, no point-scale measurements of the worst spatial representativeness occur at the 25-km pixel scale, in which RSSE and CS are above the critical value. Although drifting buoy SST keeps a high consistency with satellite-derived SST, there are measurements of obvious local variation within pixel scales, and this variation is more obvious along the direction of latitude change. The spatial representativeness of the drifting buoy SST is unstable. This method is helpful to remove the poor-quality reference points during the validation of satellite-derived products, taking point-scale measurements as reference.


Introduction. Fractal geometry measures the irregularity of abstract and natural objects with the fractal dimension. Fractal calculations have been applied to the structures of the human body and to quantifications in physiology from the theory of dynamic systems. Material and Methods. The fractal dimensions were calculated, the number of occupation spaces in the space border of box counting and the area of two red blood cells groups, 7 normal ones, group A, and 7 abnormal, group B, coming from patient and of bags for transfusion, were calculated using the method of box counting and a software developed for such effect. The obtained measures were compared, looking for differences between normal and abnormal red blood cells, with the purpose of differentiating samples. Results. The abnormality characterizes by a number of squares of occupation of the fractal space greater or equal to 180; values of areas between 25.117 and 33.548 correspond to normality. In case that the evaluation according to the number of pictures is of normality, must be confirmed with the value of the area applied to adjacent red blood cells within the sample, that in case of having values by outside established and/or the greater or equal spaces to 180, they suggest abnormality of the sample. Conclusions. The developed methodology is effective to differentiate the red globules alterations and probably useful in the analysis of bags of transfusion for clinical use


Al-doped ZnO (ZAO) thin film with good performance was prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technology under optimized process conditions. The crystallized characteristic and microstructure of the prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The optical transmittance spectra was employed to investigate the dependence of the optical performance of the ZAO film on the process conditions, such as argon-oxygen pressure ratios and sputtering powers, which revealed that the transmittance in the visible spectrum is first increased and then decreased as the argon/oxygen pressure ratios increased from 7/1 to 10/1. When the argon/oxygen pressure ratio is 9/1, the transmittance adds up to the maximum. In addition, as the RF sputtering power increases from 80W to 120W, the transmittance of the films is slightly declined with an average transmittance of above 80%; and with the increase of the sputtering power to 140W and 160W, the maximum transmittance of the film obviously decreases below 75%. Moreover, the electrical properties of ZAO thin films were measured by the four-probe tester. The resistivity of the film is less than 10-3 Ω • cm, demonstrating that it have a good electrical performance.


We study fractional variability as a function of energy from black hole X-ray binaries on time-scales from milliseconds to hundreds of seconds. We build a theoretical model of energydependent variability in which the X-ray energy spectrum varies in response to a changing physical parameter. We compare these models to rms spectra obtained from RXTE Proportional Counter Array (PCA) observations of black hole binaries XTE J1550–564 and XTE J1650– 500. We show that two main variability models are consistent with the data: variable seed photon input in the hard state and variable power in the Comptonized component in the soft and very high states. The lack of clear reflection features in the rms spectra implies that the reflection and the X-ray continuum, when integrated over Fourier frequencies, are correlated and vary with similar fractional amplitudes. Our models predict two important features of rms spectra, not possible to be clearly seen by the PCA due sensitivity limits. At soft X-rays, 3 keV, we predict the presence of a break in the rms spectrum at energy directly related to the seed photon temperature. At higher energies, ∼20–30 keV, we predict a peak in the rms spectrum originating from the variability of the spectrum produced by a hybrid thermal/non-thermal electron distribution. If these features are confirmed by broad-band observations, they will impose important constraints on the origin of the seed photons for Comptonization and the electron distribution in the hot plasma.


In this study, a new method is presented for the fundamental frequency estimation of heterophonical Turkish makam music recordings that include percusssive instrument by using Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD). VMD is a method to decompose an input signal into an ensemble of sub-signals (modes) which is entirely non-recursive and determines the relevant bands adaptively and estimates the corresponding modes concurrently. In order to decompose a given signal optimally, actuated by the narrow-band properties corresponding to the Intrinsic Mode Function definition used in Emprical Mode Decomposition (EMD), and we seek an ensemble of modes. Simulation results on fundamental frequency estimation of real music data show comparable performance to other common decomposition methods for music signals such as YIN and MELODIA based methods.


Abstract: Talāsiga is a term frequently used in the literature to describe Fijian landscapes with a distinct pattern of plants and soils. The specific meaning in Fijian is unclear and there are varying interpretations of the term in the literature, although authors agree that such areas are indicative of low soil fertility. This paper examines the early literature on talāsiga, and attempts to reconcile the differences in use. The possible processes of development of such conditions from forest are discussed and data are presented from recent field studies on the progress from forest to grassland evolution in a 30-year time frame at Seaqaqa, Vanua Levu. The evidence points to the likely change over substantial areas from forest to highly degraded soils and associated grass/fern/shrub vegetation within a very short (<50 years) time frame. Such changes will have dramatic impacts on farmers using such lands.


This work presents a sensor system to monitor environmental conditions in the vicinity of fuel storage tanks and facilities, providing measurements to help assess tank integrity and identify spills or leaks. The system utilizes a common hardware platform for multiple functional areas (e.g. base stations and sensing nodes) in the sensor network, simplifying manufacturing and logistics. The hardware platform was designed for low-cost manufacturing, adaptability, and versatility. It uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics in 3D-printed enclosures that were designed to optimize sensor and communication antenna placement. Pairing this hardware platform with a web-based data storage system and display client provides real-time telemetry visualization for monitoring tank facility conditions and can alert operators of potential leaks and hazards. The sensor system provides advances over current techniques in the form of scalability, cost minimization, live data reporting, and localization for active monitoring. Modularity reduces the engineering effort for adaptations to use new sensors in diverse environments, which can have different factors that lead to failures, and also allows the system to be updated as technology progresses. Data collected in experimental testing validates system functionality and ability to detect factors associated with spills and leaks.


Language planning was always a very sensitive topic in South Africa, as language was used to separate people during apartheid. This presentation analyses three different Sesotho sa Leboa dictionaries, which can be seen as examples of a successful implementation of language policies. The policies which are discussed here are the constitution of the Republic of South Africa form 1996, The National Lexicographic Units Bill from 1996 and the South African Languages Bill from 2000. The main objective of those language policies is the development and promotion of the eleven official South African languages. Dictionaries are one possibility to develop languages,i.e. they describe the standardised variety of a language. They can be used as tools to promote the African languages, as they are the visible proof that the language has the words to be used in a specific situation, for example a dictionary of Maths shows that the language has words for mathematical concepts. The three dictionaries which are discussed here are a Sesotho sa Leboa – English general dictionary which was published by the Sesotho sa Leboa National Lexicographic Unit, a bilingual Sesotho sa Leboa English school dictionary published by OUP South Africa and a Sesotho sa Leboa – English online dictionary published by TshwaneDJe HLT. This presentation discusses the advantages of each dictionary and shows that they all can empower their users but that none of the three dictionaries can cater for everybody in all situations because there is no such thing as THE dictionary that provides a solution for everything.


Abstract Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, is a port city located in Australia's Top End and facing Southeast Asia. The distance from Darwin to Australia's main economic centres of Sydney and Melbourne is almost the same as to Singapore. This central geographical location has inspired the development of the Port and the City of Darwin from time to time while being held back by its remoteness, and especially the lack of an efficient railway link to Australia's major southern centres. The Port of Darwin has been redeveloped with the vision of repositioning the City of Darwin as Australia's gateway to Asia which it was expected to achieve with the completion of the transcontinental railway link from Adelaide to Darwin. This paper analyses trade and cargo movements for the Port of Darwin between 2000 and 2009—5 years for each period before and after the availability of intermodal transport—and examines the processes by which transformation of the gateway is actually occurring. The evidence to date, however, suggests that the landbridge development has had little material effect in terms of trans-shipments and throughputs for the Port of Darwin. The volume of container trade and interstate export and import cargo that passes through the port has in fact declined since the availability of the transcontinental railway in 2005.