Comparative regional integration has met with increasing interest over the last twenty years with the emergence or reinforcing of new regional dynamics in the EU, NAFTA, MERCOSUR and ASEAN.
 This volume systematically and comparatively analyses the reasons for regional integration and stalemate in European, Latin American and Asian regional integration. It examines whether regional integration systems change in crisis periods, or more precisely in periods of economic crises, and why they change in different directions. Based on a neo-institutionalist research framework and rigorously comparative research design, the individual chapters analyse why financial and economic crises lead to more or less integrated systems and which factors lead to these institutional changes. Specifically it addresses institutional change in regional integration schemes, power relations between member states and the institutions in different policy domains, and change in individual or collective citizens' attitudes towards regional integration. Adopting an actor-centred approach, the book highlights which regional integration schemes are influenced by economic and financial crises and how to explain this.
 This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and policy specialists in regional integration, European Politics, International Relations, and Latin American and Asian studies.


Large bycatches of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) occur in gillnet fisheries throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Several mitigation measures, including acoustic deterrent devices or 'pingers', have been used in efforts to reduce this bycatch. The potential exists for harbour porpoises to habituate to pingers, thus reducing their effectiveness over time. A field experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that porpoises habituate to the sound produced by pingers. Porpoise echolocation and movements were monitored around a mooring equipped with a pinger (Dukane NetMark™ 1000) for three months in summer 1998 in the Bay of Fundy. Using a mean-shift model it was estimated that porpoises were initially displaced 208m from the pinger (p = 0.019), but this displacement diminished by 50% within four days (p = 0.019). Using a probability model it was demonstrated that the probability of porpoises within 125m of the pinger initially decreased when the pinger was turned on, but then increased to equal the control in 10-11 days. Echolocation rate (p < 0.001) and occurrence (p < 0.001) were significantly reduced in the vicinity of the pinger. These results indicate that porpoises habituated to the Dukane NetMark™ 1000 pinger and are not alerted to echolocate in the presence of nets by pingers.


The authors evaluate the onboarding process at their academic library by testing a new onboarding manual that emphasizes building connections with colleagues at the institution and professional development. As a cloud-based document, all Library colleagues could comment and make suggestions, creating buy-in. Through further interviews and focus groups the authors discovered the some of the most difficult challenges of starting a new job in a new library. The study reveals what new Librarians want to see in an onboarding manual, and how they would like their introductions to their new institution to be structured.


Today's packet networks including the Internet offer an intrinsic diversity for media distribution in terms of available network paths and servers or information sources. Novel communication infrastructures such as ad hoc or wireless mesh networks use network diversity to extend their reach at low cost. Diversity can bring interesting benefits in supporting resource greedy applications such as media streaming services, by aggregation of bandwidth and computing resources. Typically, overlay network architectures compensate for lack of quality-of-service guarantees in the network by introducing redundancy in the media delivery system through network diversity. They can support efficient multimedia services when routing, coding, and scheduling algorithms are able to adapt to both the media information and the dynamic network status. This paper presents an overview of the distributed streaming solutions that profit from network diversity in order to improve the quality of multimedia applications. We discuss the coding techniques used for adaptive and flexible media streaming with network diversity. We describe the problem of media streaming with path diversity and focus on routing, path computation, and packet scheduling problems in multipath networks. Then, the advantages of server or source peer diversity in collaborative streaming solutions are discussed. Lastly, we present an overview of wireless mesh networks and focus on the typical constraints imposed by these novel communication models on media streaming with network diversity.


Access to sanitation in primary schools in Zambia is woefully inadequate, especially in community
schools. Through analysis of national Ministry of Education data and a survey of schools in 16 districts
an assessment of sanitation and hygiene in primary schools was undertaken. This revealed that while
almost all schools have some type of sanitation facility, just over one third have permanent toilets and
less than 10% of schools provide adequate numbers of toilets for girls. While lack of sanitation facilities
may play a role in discouraging the attendance and retention of girl students no correlation was found
between pupiltoilet
ratios and school retention rates. However, for schools with unimproved traditional
latrines retention rates were significantly lower than for those with improved sanitation facilities,
especially for girls. While hygiene education programmes were present in most of the sample schools,
only 45% of schools had soap for handwashing and the impact on hygiene behaviour in the school
catchment areas appeared to be limited. There is a strong need to incorporate sanitation in the Ministry
of Education's infrastructure development plans.


Neuronal function involves the interaction of electrical and chemical signals that are distributed in time and space. The mechanisms that generate these signals and regulate their interactions are marked by a rich diversity of properties that precludes a one size fits all approach to modeling. This article presents a summary of how the model description language NMODL enables the neuronal simulation environment NEURON to accommodate these differences.


Sample taking was carried out in the active bee season of 2010 (June - July) in order to make a comparative analysis of the content of some heavy metals and metalloids (copper Cu, zinc Zn, lead Pb, cadmium Cd, nickel Ni, cobalt Co, manganese Mn, iron Fe) in the body of bees (Apis mellifera L.), fecal mass, bee products (honey, pollen, wax) and sunflower flowers in areas with different degree of anthropogenic impact. The study includes two settlements in Stara Zagora region: the town of Gurkovo - an area with low level of anthropogenic impact; the village of Bratya Kunchevi - an area with established anthropogenic impact (working stone quarry on the territory of the village). Accumulation of the studied heavy metals and metalloids in the bee fecal mess is observed and high level of accumulation in excrements is exhibited by lead (1:2,3 - 1:4,0), cadmium (1:1,6 - 1:1,9), nickel (1:4,2 - 1:4,3), cobalt (1:1,6 -1:2,0). The biobarrier function of the bee organism is proved as a result of which heavy and toxic metals such as lead and cadmium are efficiently excreted by the organism through the fecal mass. It is established that Fe content is of higher values in the bee body, pollen and wax in the station village of Bratya Kunchevi (compared to the samples in the town of Gurkovo). A possible reason for the reported high quantity of iron in the analysed samples of the village of Bratya Kunchevi could be the working stone quarry on the territory of the village operating a deposition of andesite tuffs (calcium-magnesium-iron silicates). Unsatisfactory indicator characteristics of bee honey for environmental quality have been established in areas with different degree of anthropogenic impact compared to bee organism and pollen.


Venous disease of human lower limbs can cause a range of disorders that have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients. The sheer prevalence of varicose veins and its associated costs of treating late complications, such as chronic ulcers, contribute to a higher burden on health care resources as well as affecting the quality of life of people in the western world. The established gold standard of treatment is the application of graduated compression, applied mostly by medical compression bandages (MCB) and graduated compression stockings (GCS). Both systems are passive treatment methods as the pressure is generated by the component of the tangential force created due to the fabric tension resulted by the fabric stretch, which fails to provide uniform pressure around the leg circumference.

This thesis presents the fundamental research of design, development, and evaluation of an active compression system consisting of an array of silicone based inflatable mini-bladders, which can provide a better solution for the treatment of venous disease and also lymphoedema. The mini-bladders were designed with two elastomeric layers; however, the mini-bladder inflation was limited only to one layer when the mini-bladder was filled with air. The minibladders could apply a radial force on to the treated surface when inflated, and the pressure in mini-bladders could be determined by measuring the back pressure, thus providing the ability to inflate mini-bladders to a predefined pressure. An array of mini-bladder can be used to apply pressure over a large area with a pre-determined resolution in order to create a graduated pressure profile. The 3-D deformation profile of mini-bladders was analysed using Finite Element Modelling and the simulations showed a good agreement with the experimental results within the pressure region which of interest for the compression therapy. The pressure transmission characteristics of the mini-bladders were investigated, initially on hard surfaces and then extended to a biofidelic leg surrogate. The hexagonal shaped mini-bladders provided the best pressure transmission properties. As a higher packing density can be achieved with hexagonal shaped mini-bladders in a honeycomb structure, a prototype active compression device was designed with hexagonal shape mini-bladders. Moreover, the interface pressure generated by the mini-bladders demonstrated a good linear relationship with the mini-bladder inflation pressure, which could be used as a calibration curve for the mini-bladders to inflate the mini-bladders to apply a predefined pressure. The second phase of the experiments, were conducted with a biofidelic lower leg surrogate covered with artificial skin and fat layers of different Young's modulus values. To the best of the author's knowledge this type of validation was the first of its kind in compression therapy research. The research has proved that mini-bladders can be used to apply a uniform circumferential pressure irrespective of the position of the lower leg surrogate; which proves the validity of the research hypothesis. The pressure propagation through the fat layers were around 35%-45% of the mini-bladder inflation pressure. Moreover, the propagation of the pressure through the fat layers varied with the modulus of the fat layers; the fat layer having lowest modulus recorded the highest pressure transmission percentage.

A prototype of an active compression system was designed with mini-bladder arrays integrated within a silicone layer, in which the mini-bladders were directly in-contact with the skin. The laboratory experiments demonstrated that the developed active compression system was capable of delivering the required graduated pressure profiles.


The basolateral amygdala (BLA) can influence distinct learning and memory formation. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), the most prominent cellular model of memory formation, can be modulated by stimulation of the BLA in its induction and early maintenance. However, it is not known how the late maintenance of LTP beyond its initial phases might be affected. Behavioral stimuli have been shown to result in a reinforcement of a transient early-LTP into a lasting potentiation. Here we show that BLA stimulation mimics the behavioral effects on early-LTP in freely moving rats when the BLA is activated within a time window of 30 min before or after tetanization of the perforant path. The reinforcement of LTP was blocked by inhibitors of muscarinergic and β-adrenergic but not dopaminergic receptors and was dependent on translation. Through these heterosynaptic associative interactions, hippocampal sensory information can be stabilized by amygdaloidal influences.


Although play is irreducible, games repeat. Beyond the serial repetition that characterizes industrial forms of mechanical reproduction like newspapers, comics, novels, and films, in the case of videogames the microtemporal speed of serial interfaces and massive scale of serial distribution operate both below and above the horizon of conscious experience. As such, the serial operations of videogames structure, enclose, and ultimately alienate the technical processes of play from the conscious knowledge of the player. In their essay, "Digital Seriality: On the Serial Aesthetics and Practice of Digital Games," Shane Denson and Andreas Jahn-Sudmann characterize the diachronic sequencing of serial interfaces and synchronic consumption of videogames as "digital seriality." This essay explores digital seriality through the history and practice of tool-assisted speedrunning, a form of metagaming that stages a ludic intervention at the level of serial interfacing and subsequently disrupts the collective serialization of videogames as a mass medium. From the operations of the NES-4021, a parallel-to-serial shift register that governs controller input in Nintendo Entertainment System, to the history of moSMB.wmv, an early speedrunning video by Morimoto that went viral in 2003, tool-assisted speedruns transform twitch-based platform games into turn-based puzzles and single player experiences into massively multiplayer online games by playing the serial interface.


In this paper, we analyze the impact of technology transfers and spillovers from inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on the production cost and structure of Canadian industries. Specifically, we: (1) estimate the effects of inward FDI on the cost of production; and (2) examine the impact of FDI on the structure of production, i.e., the effects on demand for factors such as capital, labour, intermediate goods and R&D capital. In doing so, we control for domestic and international R&D spillovers. We find that inward FDI lowers production cost and increases productivity in most Canadian industries, and that it alters the structure of production as industries adjust their demand for factor inputs. Our estimates show that inward FDI is biased against the use of capital, labour and intermediate goods and somewhat biased toward the use of domestic R&D. We also find evidence of significant positive international R&D spillovers through trade flows. The results indicate that international R&D spillovers are biased against the use of physical capital, labour and intermediate goods, and biased toward the use of domestic R&D capital. The relationship between domestic R&D and international R&D spillovers suggests that domestic firms must invest in R&D to capture the benefits of R&D spillovers from abroad


In The Right to Food and the World Trade Organization's Rules on Agriculture, Rhonda Ferguson explores the relationship between the right to food and agricultural trade. The analysis is situated within the context of debates surrounding the fragmentation of international law.


In this work, originally released in 1983, Barry Smart examines the relevance of Foucault's work for developing an understanding of those issues which lie beyond the limits of Marxist theory and analysis - issues such as 'individualising' forms of power, power-knowledge relations, the rise of 'the social', and the associated socialisation of politics. He argues that there exist clear and substantial differences between Foucault's genealogical analysis and that of Marxist theory. Smart thus presents Foucault's work as a new form of critical theory, whose object is a critical analysis of rationalities, and of how relations of power are rationalised.


A method is presented for the determination of earthquake source parameters from Fourier spectra. This approach provides an objective and efficient way of processing large amounts of digital data. The method assumes that the Brune model (an omega-squared fall-off of the high frequency spectrum above a single corner frequency) is an adequate description of the earthquake source. The model is parameterized in terms of the seismic moment, corner frequency, and kappa, the high frequency decay constant due to attenuation. This model is fit to the observed spectrum using a least squares minimization technique. The parameters which give the smallest misfit between the observed spectrum and the model spectrum are assumed to be those corresponding to the source. This technique is tested using a suite of synthetically derived acceleration time histories to obtain statistical characteristics of the derived parameters. The seismic moment, the corner frequency, and the stress drop obey a log-normal distribution; the kappa value obeys a normal distribution in these experiments. The performance of the method is also examined using time series that have been rounded to the nearest 1 cm/sec 2 to simulate the effect of analog to digital conversion that occurs in actual recording on one particular type of instrument, a non-gain ranged strong motion accelerograph. The results show that for records with sufficient signal to noise ratio, all of the spectral parameters can be resolved for events with moment magnitudes in the range M W = 3 - M W = 6. For smaller events (M W = 1 - M W = 2), moment and spectral decay parameter are still well determined from low frequencies in the data. The average corner frequency is stil reasonable in this case, but the uncertainties are much larger than for the larger magnitude earthquakes because the corner frequency occurs at a frequency where attenuation has a strong effect on the spectrum. Strong motion data recorded on the fixed gain instruments at a distance of 25 kilometers have adequate resolution of source parameters in the range M W = 4 - M W = 6. The useful range is somewhat smaller for data recorded at 50 kilometers.


: Thymoma commonly associated with various paraneoplastic syndromes. Here is a 62-year-old non-smoker man with history of ulcerative colitis tree years ago. Recurrent attacks of respiratory symptoms make repeated visit of the patient by physician afterward. Chest radiographic findings were compatible with thymoma. The condition was followed by hypoimmunoglubolinemia and pure red cell aplasia. Anemia was refractory to thymectomy. Cyclosporine and prednisolone was started but led to pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis in patients who had already suffered from hypoimmunoglubolinemia.


The temperature stress due to temperature changes is often more than the concrete tensile strength during construction period and operation period in massive concrete structures in hydraulic engineering, so the analysis of temperature stress, temperature control and measures to prevent the cracks become very important. The solution of large sparse linear equations is essential to finite element simulation in simulation analysis of temperature field. However, the traditional direct method will cost too much memory and calculation time, and the nodes is limited. The symmetric successive over relaxation (SSOR)-preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) method is a very efficient iterative method for solving large sparse linear equations. Construction process simulation and temperature filed calculation during construction period about Caohe river landing rectangle aqueduct of Beijing-Shijiazhuang emergency water supply engineering of middle-route of south-to-north water transfer project are carried out by FEM code using SSOR-PCG method, then the calculation result and monitoring value are compared. The comparison result shows that temperature field during construction can be accurately simulated by simulation calculation, which is helpful for guiding construction and choosing construction scheme, and worthy to popularize to other similar projects.


Oregon's Public Trust Doctrine extends to all wildlife species, not just game species. The state often fails to fulfill its fiduciary duties when forming wolf management policy. In particular, wolf-livestock conflict management often favors concentrated private industry profits over the public interest. Oregon extirpated its native wolf population by the mid 1900's. Wolves began to recolonize their former territory in 1999. Livestock producers, who had become accustomed to wolf-free grazing lands, strongly opposed wolf recovery. The wolf delisting process has begun, despite the fact that the statewide wolf population is below 100. Delisting would allow the state to conduct aggressive lethal management of wolves that attack cattle. This article discusses Public Trust violations inherent to lethal management of wolves in response to livestock depredation.


This thesis explores the relationship between the modes of discourse of Initial Teacher Training and the role that evaluative language plays within and between them. Focusing on the dialogue between mentors and trainees, this research is contextualised by examination of the wider educational discourse in ITT. It is argued that in an era of performativity, ideology and power are conveyed via evaluative language and therefore a greater understanding of the effect that evaluative language can have on trainees would be of benefit to all those involved in training teachers.
A small-scale, qualitative inquiry was undertaken, working within an interpretivist paradigm. Three datasets were collected and analysed: two corpora of ITT documents; fifteen mentor meetings recorded over a one-year PGCE, and thirty interviews with mentors and trainees. Participants were five pairs of mentors and their trainees. Data were analysed using Corpus Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, appraisal analysis, descriptive and affective coding.
The main findings suggested a dissonance between values expressed by mentors and trainees and government policy. There was clear resistance towards 'official' evaluative terminology, such as that associated with Ofsted, which was evident in the critical relationship participants had with the grading systems used in ITT. Mentors' positions of power were reproduced via evaluative language, including their use of praise. Trainees tended to be self-critical and negative evaluation had a powerful effect on their self-efficacy. Mentors engaged in the practice of 'reappraisal', which re-framed trainees' negative emotions. This negativity could be reinforced by the pervasive metaphor of the learning journey, particularly when it was linked to reflective practice and unattainable summative grades that implied trainees would never be good enough.
Implications for practice include the recommendation that ITT providers consider their use of grading descriptors, so that they grade performance rather than the individual, and to refrain from grading altogether. Training for mentors and trainees in the provision and reception of feedback could pre-empt issues some of its potentially negative consequences on trainees, as well as training mentors to use 'reappraisal' to facilitate reflection. Caution should be exercised around the linking of progress to emotions; this would be facilitated by moving away from an understanding of teaching as a skill towards one of practical wisdom, which would truly acknowledge the importance of the mentor's role.


Abstract Comparative law and legal history show us that law is dynamic, always in continuous development, change, or mutation. This dynamic dimension has become a central concern for the comparative law scholars. The circulation of legal models in the world (e.g. legal transplant, legal transfer, legal borrowing, legal migration) is an evergreen issue. This phenomenon has provoked numerous doctrinal disputes, which have been encapsulated in complex theories on its possibilities and impossibilities. In the present article, we will not explore the many modern theories regarding legal transplantation (or under other metaphors). Instead, we will go back in time, in the second half of the nineteenth century, to explore an interesting Romanian theory that seems to have anticipated a series of modern ideas regarding the purpose, possibilities, and impossibilities of the circulation of legal models in the world. Following this approach, the main conclusion will be resumed to the idea that the Romanian theory of forms without substance can be integrated within the modern theories of legal transplant.


Abstract We propose two linearly implicit energy-preserving schemes for the complex modified Korteweg–de Vries equation, based on the invariant energy quadratization method. First, a new variable is introduced and a new Hamiltonian system is constructed for this equation. Then the Fourier pseudospectral method is used for the space discretization and the Crank–Nicolson leap-frog schemes for the time discretization. The proposed schemes are linearly implicit, which is only needed to solve a linear system at each time step. The fully discrete schemes can be shown to conserve both mass and energy in the discrete setting. Some numerical examples are also presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.


Depictions (drawings, models) play a significant role in giving architecture form through the use of various techniques and mediums of expression. These forms of depictions invite an experimental design approach and generate critical thinking in design. The aim in this thesis is to look at architecture critically and investigate design approaches to enhance architectural ideas through varying forms of depiction such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital media. Experimentally driven design processes have the potential to push ideas to greater heights in the architectural discipline. Architectural depiction that pursues ideas or notions that may never be built are significant forms of production that push design thinking into other territories; they are in and of themselves architecture. Specifically, the design of a 'House of the Imagination' becomes a vehicle in the thesis for experimental architectural ideas and provides an alternative setting for architectural form making.


The extraction of relevant features from the photoplethysmography signal for estimating certain physiological parameters is a challenging task. Various feature extraction methods have been proposed in the literature. In this study, we present a novel fiducial point extraction algorithm to detect c and d points from the acceleration photoplethysmogram (APG), namely "CnD". The algorithm allows for the application of various pre-processing techniques, such as filtering, smoothing, and removing baseline drift; the possibility of calculating first, second, and third photoplethysmography derivatives; and the implementation of algorithms for detecting and highlighting APG fiducial points. An evaluation of the CnD indicated a high level of accuracy in the algorithm's ability to identify fiducial points. Out of 438 APG fiducial c and d points, the algorithm accurately identified 434 points, resulting in an accuracy rate of 99%. This level of accuracy was consistent across all the test cases, with low error rates. These findings indicate that the algorithm has a high potential for use in practical applications as a reliable method for detecting fiducial points. Thereby, it provides a valuable new resource for researchers and healthcare professionals working in the analysis of photoplethysmography signals.


Deinstitutionalisation is at an advanced stage in the US, both in duration, and in reduction in state hospital beds. The new generation of chronically and severely mentally ill persons has posed the greatest problems. They no longer receive life-long hospital admission and thus permanent asylum from the demands of the world. Resistance to treatment and substance abuse are problems. Early proponents of deinstitutionalisation believed it would be cheaper, better, and give the mentally ill their freedom. In reality, good community care does not cost less. While a number of community programmes in the US have been impressive, they have served only a small proportion of the total population of severely mentally ill persons. More freedom has been of benefit for many, but has proved difficult for some patients. Some patients have been deinstitutionalised who cannot be effectively treated in the community. The homeless mentally ill epitomise all these problems.


It is fair to say that the digital disaster education is becoming the basic part in the way we arrange our daily lives. In order to explore whether the situation of digital disaster education is ideal and impeccable for primary and secondary school, the paper performed a related survey from inner city neighborhoods to rural villages in selected places including Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hebei, Shanxi, China, from February 2012 to January 2013. The authors disigned three kinds of different questionaires for more 1353 respondents including students, teachers and school administrators who were selected by random method. The basic principle of the logistic model is that the logistic regression analysis is a qualitative analysis of the variables on the dependent variable, and it is a non-linear model. The basic features of it are that the dependent variables must be dichotomous. The paper found that the disaster awareness of students and teachers are both dissonance with their ability to cope with disasters, and the attitude of school administrators is not that positive as the government expected which also verified that primary and secondary on digital disaster education is not ideal at present


Objective To review unexpected term admissions to SCBU, identify areas for improvement in care of women in labour and highlight specific cases for learning points. Background Birth asphyxia is a significant cause of neonatal morbidity and carries a significant risk to the trust for future litigation. The overall incidence of neonatal encephalopathy attributable to intra-partum hypoxia in the absence of any other abnormality is 1–2/1000 live births.1 The international Cerebral Palsy Task Force2 issued criteria to guide the attribution of birth asphyxia to intra-partum events. These include 'evidence of a metabolic acidosis in intra-partum foetal, umbilical arterial cord or very early neonatal blood sampling, a sentinel hypoxic event occurring immediately before or during labour, a sudden, rapid and sustained deterioration of the foetal heart rate pattern where this was previously normal, and APGAR score of six for longer than five minutes'.2 Method Prospective review of casenotes. All births after 34 weeks' gestation admitted to SCBU were identified. Exclusions included congenital anomalies and post-natal transfers. Results Over the two year period there were 106 unexpected admissions to SCBU with 23 cases of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy. 67% of unexpected admissions were to primiparous mothers and 60% were over 40 weeks' gestation. Onset of labour was equally split between spontaneous and induction or augmentation. The small numbers make interpretation of the data and extrapolation of trends difficult however, trends from the current data suggest those mothers who are primaparous, post-date, induction of labour may be at increased risk of worse neonatal outcomes. Reference Deborah E Campbell, et al. Textbook of Paediatric Care. AAP 2008 Alastair MacLennan for the International Cerebral Palsy Task Force. A Template for defining a causal relation between acute intrapartum events and cerebral palsy: international consensus statement, BMJ 1999;319:1054–9


The transport behavior of pressure-driven aqueous electrolyte solution through charged carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is studied by using molecular dynamics simulations. The results reveal that the presence of charges around the nanotube can remarkably reduce the flow velocity as well as the slip length of the aqueous solution, and the decreasing of magnitude depends on the number of surface charges and distribution. With 1-M KCl solution inside the carbon nanotube, the slip length decreases from 110 nm to only 14 nm when the number of surface charges increases from 0 to 12 e. This phenomenon is attributed to the increase of the solid–liquid friction force due to the electrostatic interaction between the charges and the electrolyte particles, which can impede the transports of water molecules and electrolyte ions. With the simulation results, we estimate the energy conversion efficiency of nanofluidic battery based on CNTs, and find that the highest efficiency is only around 30% but not 60% as expected in previous work.


Muscle denervation or blockade of axoplasmic transport by colchicine with no impairment of neuro-muscular transmission, cause a decrease of the resting membrane potential (RMP) of muscle fibers in frogs. Administration of actinomycin D or puromycin does not affect the development of depolarization in muscle fibers under these conditions. Ouabain does not change the RMP of muscle fibers, which indicates to small amount of "pumping" current in the RMP. Adrenaline, insulin, dibutyryl c. AMP, theophylline hyperpolarize the muscle fiber membrane in denervated and intact muscles. Ouabain abolishes this effect. The fiber RMP in denervated and colchicine treated muscles in potassium-free Ringer solution is lower than in intact muscles under similar conditions. The mechanism of postdenervation depolarization of muscle fibers seems to depend on decrease in the intact intracellular potassium concentration as a result of Na+, K+-pump diminished activity. Neurotrophic control of muscle fibers RMP in frog depends on the substances supplied by axoplasmic flow.


Visions of user‐centered approaches to digital library futures are uncertain. One can best understand what those futures portent by briefly exploring one's roots and traditions and concepts of service. Much of the future will be driven by technological change, but it will be moderated by the sense of service and purpose brought to the digital library by the people who use it and by the people who work in and through it. The digital library of the future will be impacted by several factors, one of which is the newly digital nature or format for information. Another is the redefinition of the book in at least some cases from a static to a fluid medium. The seeming inability to archive fluid media has changed libraries. Digital libraries are now distributed constructs of the mind rather than physical buildings with paper content. All of this, in turn, has led to new means and mechanisms for the management, classification, distribution, identification, retrieval, and storage of information in ways heretofore unimaginable. In the medium to long term, new means as yet not imagined will be developed to meet our information needs to further redefine digital libraries.


The context of learning, the educational environment and the learning styles have an influence on the academic performance. While the context of learning and learning styles are individualistic, the education environment provided by an institution is generic. The aim of this study was to assess the education environment as perceived by the learners. The objectives of the study were to describe the education environment and academic performance and identify the relationship between education environment and academic performance. A cross sectional survey was held in December 2013, one of the nursing institutions in India offering diploma and graduate nursing program. The Participants were the enrolled students available on the day of data collection and consented to the study. The total score obtained in the board/university examination was the measure of academic performance. The total score obtained from the administration of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) was regarded as the educational environment. The Karl Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between education environment and academic performance. The education environment was perceived as 'more positive' by 84.84% of graduate (n=66) and 76.66% of diploma nursing students (n=90). However, the relationship between education environment and academic performance was not statistically significant among graduate (r= 0.006, p= 0.97, n=44) and diploma (r= 0.145, p=0.22, n=73) students. Nursing students should make effective use of the educational environment.


The development of very high data-rate power-line communication (PLC) systems requires an accurate knowledge of the transmission phenomena over the electrical network. In particular, the detection of the multiple propagation paths enables a compact description of the channel models, and gives an indication of the network topology, which may, in turn, be exploited to improve the communication techniques over PLC. In this paper, two high-resolution algorithms for the identification of the propagation paths are studied and adapted to the PLC channel characteristics, namely, the frequency-domain maximum-likelihood (FDML) algorithm and the Matrix Pencil (MP) algorithm. A parametric study is then detailed in order to analyze the performance of both algorithms in terms of resolution, computation time, and residual error. The study demonstrates that the MP algorithm provides a quicker convergence and a lower residual error when compared to the FDML algorithm. Finally, the MP algorithm is validated through its application on experimental network measurements. Results show a good agreement between the measurement and the synthetic channel recomposed from the detected paths.


The problems addressed by this paper is the following: Given a set of measurements over the range of normalized frequencies (thetas1 ,thetas2) on the magnitude and/or phase of a real FIR but otherwise unknown filter, to estimate the order of the FIR filter. The range (thetas1,thetas2) may be partial or it may cover the entire range of frequencies. The purpose of the paper is to propose a new algebraic approach to solve the above collection of problems. Specific new results include FIR order estimation from partial or complete noiseless measurements for a real system from: a) phase alone, from b) magnitude alone (not necessarily piece-wise constant), and from c) joint magnitude and phase. The proposed approach is not only capable of dealing with specifications that go beyond the conventional formulas for the standard piece-wise-constant magnitude FIR filter order estimation, but it also furnishes a nexus for order estimation from phase (or group delay) specifications, areas which have remained hitherto unaddressed. The approach is based on the use of Root Moments. In this context, the novel concept of Fractional Root Moments is used in a key fashion to provide an estimate on the number of zeros inside the unit circle. Open problems and new directions of exploration and research are mentioned in the body of the paper


The use of diesel fuel to power a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) presents several challenges. A major issue is deposit formation in either the external reformer, the anode channel, or within the SOFC anode itself. These deposits are generally poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) produced either by gas-phase pyrolysis of the fuel or by catalytic reactions. In this report we describe n-hexane and ethylene pyrolysis experiments under conditions relevant to reformer or SOFC operation (τ=~1s, T=550~900°C, P~0.8 atm) to explore the potential for gas-phase reactions to produce deposit precursors. N-hexane is very reactive under these conditions and forms significant amounts of olefins (mainly ethylene) which can lead to deposits. The ethylene experiments also demonstrated that higher molecular weight species (deposit precursors) are rapidly formed. Under autothermal reforming conditions, such pyrolytic reactions are possible upstream of the catalyst bed if the fuel, air, and steam streams are not fully mixed. If part of the fuel does not mix with the oxidizer it will simply pyrolyze. At the same time, the remaining fuel fraction mixes with the entire oxidant inlet and thus creates higher local oxidant to fuel ratios than expected. Reaction of this leaner mixture can lead to temperature overshoots as more CO2 is formed. We have used a validated detailed kinetic model for ethane to explore the impact of incomplete fuel mixing on reforming performance. If only half the fuel mixes with the oxidants, this approach predicts formation of ethylene in the pyrolysis zone and excess CO2 with associated very high temperatures in the oxidation zone. This case could result in both excessive deposit formation as well as potential thermal damage to the downstream catalyst. On the other hand, assuming perfect fuel mixing under exothermic ATR conditions (τ=~1s, Ti=800°C, S/C=1.25, O/C=1.4), the gas phase reactions alone are sufficient to drive the system to equilibrium (no olefins or methane formed) due to the substantial increase in temperature. These results demonstrate the necessity for complete mixing of the fuel stream with the oxidant streams to limit both olefin production (and subsequent deposit formation) as well as the temperature overshoots. The model predictions for ethane as fuel suggest that the temperature should be kept below 500oC and the residence time in the mixing region should be minimized to avoid these undesired gas reactions. Since actual diesel fuel is expected to be even more reactive than ethane, the impact of gas-phase reactions is expected to be even greater than predicted in this study.


This volume, the twentieth and last to appear in the new Byrd Edition, completes one of the most ambitious single-composer editorial projects in recent history. William Byrd himself produced the 1589 Songs of Sundrie Natures during an unusually fruitful publishing drive of four full-length compilations in as many years: Psalmes, Sonets, and Songs (London: Thomas East, 1588); Latin books 1–2 of the Latin Cantiones sacrae (London: East, 1589, 1591); a large manuscript anthology of keyboard music (My Ladye Nevells Booke, 1591); and two printed settings for four and six voices of "This Sweet and Merry Month of May" (for Thomas Watson's First Sett of Italian Madrigalls Englished [London: East, 1590]), which more or less single-handedly launched the Elizabethan madrigal craze. This second songbook may be compared to Byrd's second book of Cantiones sacrae: as its name suggests, it is a more eclectic and less unified volume than its predecessor. The music varies widely in scoring, style, and mood. Byrd explains in his preface to the reader (reproduced on p. xxxvii) that he is "desirous to delight thee with varietie, whereof (in my opinion) no Science is more plentifully adorned then Musicke," and he offers the book as a musical smorgasbord "to serve for all companies and voyces." The composer's note ad lectorem, as so often, is a glimpse of personal warmth after the slightly tense flattery of the dedication proper. Here he signs himself "The most affectionate freend to all that love or learne Musick"; he seems far removed from the stubborn, isolated, even bitter figure revealed by some documentary sources. The author of these thirty-four songs was a musician in the prime of life, well aware of his own talent and of the public esteem ("good passage and utterance") in which it was held.

Byrd's 1589 songbook offers a number of well-known pieces as well as some less familiar delights. The curious reader may wish to start with the seven penitential psalms that open the collection. These psalms have been described as "severe," "Netherlandish," or otherwise uncongenial (p. xiii), but eloquent little gems such as "Lord Hear My Prayer" (no. 5) or "Attend Mine Humble Prayer"(no. 7) are worth exploring alongside Byrd's better-known three-voice music. In his Latin liturgical works, Byrd went on to achieve great effect with the slenderest of musical forces: recall the Candlemas antiphon "Adorna thalamumtuum," the hymn "Ave maris stella" (both from the Gradualia, book 1 [London: East, 1605]), or, most memorably, the three-part Mass (ca. 1593–94). It is not hard to see hints of that later style in these unassuming songs. They are far from the simple psalm settings consumed avidly in Elizabethan England; they are equally far from the elaborate penitential motets Byrd luxuriated in during the 1570s and 1580s. We can see him here forging a language for small-scale domestic sacred music that would serve him well in his later work for the Roman rite.

In a paper read at the International William Byrd Conference held at Duke University in November 2005, Peter Bassano recently suggested that a puzzling line in the psalm "Lord in Thy Wrath"(no. 3)—"give teares, give grace, give penitence, unto my sinfull sexe"—points clearly to a female poet, perhaps the musician and published author Emilia Bassano, sometime lover of Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, to whom Songs of Sundrie Natures is dedicated. His hypothesis may also encourage us to revisit the three-voice song "Susanna Fair" (no. 8), which has had to wait for David Mateer's editorial work to get a fair hearing in modern print in this new edition.


The eruptive history of the Kusatsu Shirane volcano is well described by means of 14 beds of key tephra and intercalating loess soil. Three eruptive stages are recognized. During early or middle Pleistocene the Matsuozawa volcano was formed; this is the first stage. The second stage was initiated by effusion of the Horaguchi lava, which was followed by eruptions of the Oshi pyroclastic flow, older lava flows, 3P pumice fall, and Yazawahara pyroclastic flow. Brown loess soil about 10m thick covering these deposits indicates that a dormant period of more than 100, 000 years followed this stage. The summit area upheaved about 400m or more against the foot of the volcano during this period, as is suggested by the extraordinarily steep (6.1°-3.0°) surface of the Oshi ignimbrite plateau. The third stage, which started about 14, 000 years ago, is the formation of three pyroclastic cones on the summit and contemporaneous effusion of the younger lava flows, e. g. the Kagusa lava of 7, 000 years ago and the Sessyo lava of 3, 000 years ago. In historic times, phreatic explosions have frequently occurred on the summit crater, Yugama. This means that the present belongs to the third stage. It is unlikely that eruptions of the third stage are caused by cooling of the magma chamber which was active in the second stage. The activity of the third stage seems to denote arrival of a new magma chamber at shallow depth.


A study was carried out to detect the antigen of infectious bronchitis vius (IBV) in broiler chicken by means of immunohistochemical technique. A total of 150 - fourteen days old broiler chicken were divided into three groups i.e. 50 chicken were infected with an IB isolate of I-269, 50 chicken were injected with H-120 life vaccine, and 50 chicken served as un-treated control. Clinical signs and gross pathological changes were observed. Each of five chicken of each group were necropsied at 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, and 35 day(s) post infection/vaccination. The antigen could be detected at one day through 35 days post vaccination/infection. In the vaccinated group, histopathological lesions and the detected antigen were minimal. In contrast, the infected chicken showed varied histolopathological lesion in accordance with the numerous antigens. The antigen were observed in the lymphocytes/macrophages in the trachea, lungs and kidney, and in the epithelium of trachea, alveoli, broncheolus and tubular sitoplasm of the kidney of both vaccinated and infected groups. In the infected group, antigen was also detected in the lymphocytes and macrophages of the affected organs. Key words : Infectious bronchitis , broiler chicken, I-269 IB isolate, immunohistochemistry


The importance of the US market as a leading market in the global economy has been stressed in the academic literature especially when it comes to financial crises. The 2008 financial crisis started from the US and spread for several months all over the world. Our research examines contagion to the UK stock market by applying wavelet-based predictive modelling, which is a major contribution of the paper. Among major findings are that the wavelet-based prediction techniques outperform traditional ARIMA models. Yet, the wavelet-based approach cannot be used unambiguously to predict stock returns during the 2008 turmoil as its directional symmetry is below 50%. Nevertheless, further multiscale analysis reveals that the crisis strengthened the relationship between the two markets, which is another important finding of the paper.


In this paper, a new simple control method for active power filter which can realized the complete compensation of the harmonic currents is proposed. In the proposed scheme, a compensating current reference generator employing resonance model implemented by a DSP(Digital Signal Processor) is introduced. Deadbeat control is employed to control the active power filter. The switching pulse width based SVM(Space Vector Modulation) is adopted so that the current of active power filter is been exactly equal to its reference at the next sampling instant. To compensate the computation delay of digital controller, the prediction of current is achieved by the current observer with deadbeat response.


A touchstone in Western debates about society and government, the Politics is Aristotle's classic work on the nature of political community. Here, he argues that people band together into political communities to secure a good and self-sufficient life. He discusses the merits and defects of various regimes or ways of organizing political community--democracy in particular--and in the process examines such subjects as slavery, economics, the family, citizenship, justice, and revolution.Peter Simpson offers a new translation of Aristotle's text from the ancient Greek. He renders the Politics into an English version that is accurate, readable, and in certain difficult passages, original. His innovative analytical division of the whole text, with headings and accompanying summaries, makes clear the progression and unity of the argument--a helpful feature for students or readers unfamiliar with Aristotle's studied brevity and often elliptical style. Books 7 and 8 are repositioned--a move supported by Aristotle's own words and much scholarly opinion--to restore the work's logical organization and coherence. Finally, Simpson places the Politics in its proper philosophical context by beginning the text with the last chapter of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics , which he sees as an introduction to what follows.


A novel all-optical switching structure based on a photonic crystal directional coupler is proposed and analyzed. Efficient optical switching is achieved by modifying the refractive index of the coupling region between the coupled waveguides by means of an optical control signal that is confined in the central region. Small length (around 1.1 mm) and low optical power consumption (over 1.5 W) are the main features estimated for this switching structure.


As the Arctic perennial sea ice continues to disappear at an alarming rate, a full understanding of sea ice as a crucial global ecosystem, and the effects of its loss is vital for all those working with and studying global climate change.
Building on the success of the previous edition, the second edition of Sea Ice, now much expanded and in full colour throughout, includes six completely new chapters with complete revisions of all the chapters included from the first edition.

The Editors, Professor David Thomas and Dr Gerhard Dieckmann have once again drawn together an extremely impressive group of internationally respected contributing authors, ensuring a comprehensive worldwide coverage of this incredibly important topic.

Sea Ice, second edition, is an essential purchase for oceanographers and marine scientists, environmental scientists, biologists, geochemists and geologists. All those involved in the study of global climate change will find this book to contain a wealth of important information. All libraries in universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught will need multiple copies of this book on their shelves.


This study investigated the effects of broodstock age (2- and 3-yr-old), and sperm collection time at the beginning, middle, and end of a natural spawning period, on the ability of sperm to tolerate cryopreservation in farmed greenlip abalone, Haliotis laevigata. The quality of sperm was assessed by motility, fertilization rate, plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and acrosome integrity (AI). The sperm collected at the middle of a natural spawning period had significantly higher quality than those collected at the beginning and the end of the spawning period in terms of plasma membrane integrity, MMP, and AI of fresh and post-thaw sperm, post-thaw sperm motility, and fertilization rate. No significant difference was found between 2- and 3-yr-old animals in most quality parameters evaluated. The results suggested that sperm collected during the middle of the spawning season should be used for cryopreservation. The efficiency of genetic improvement programs can be further enhanced by using sperm collected from 2-yr-old abalone which has a similar ability to tolerate cryopreservation as 3-yr-old counterparts.


Funding was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
under Grant No. NA17RJ1223 for the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR).


A novel grayscale-memory ferroelectric liquid crystal device with polymer dispersion has been studied. The ferroelectric liquid crystal molecules are stabilized by a low-concentration doped polymer, which induces an enormous number of small liquid crystal domains with different threshold voltages for bistable switching. The polydomain has a spatial grayscale effect due to domain distribution. In forming the polymer-dispersion system with phase separation under ultraviolet light irradiation, a solution of liquid crystal and prepolymer was heated at the chiral nematic phase, and the directors of liquid crystal and prepolymer molecules were oriented parallel to the rubbing direction of alignment layers on substrates. A unique microscopic striped texture extending parallel to the rubbing direction was observed at a room temperature, and could be used to form the small domains. The 2-µ m-thick device, fabricated by addition of 4 wt% polymer and strong ultraviolet irradiation of 40 mW/cm2, exhibited excellent grayscale memory according to applied voltage pulses of a few V. It has much potential for use in high-resolution matrix panel displays.


The ontogeny of an organism is a complex process that strongly depends on the timing of developmental processes. In this article, I discuss ontogeny of fish (and other organisms) in temporal terms, based on the hypothesis that organisms as self-organized entities may create their own times for their development, and that this development consists of a sequence of longer stabilized states (steps) with shorter, intermittent less-stable intervals (thresholds). If viewed within the context of structure-to-structure, organ-to-organ and/or organism-toenvironment relationships, then the saltatory pattern of ontogeny emerges at each transition from one stabilized state to another. I consider two timing mechanisms essential to ontogeny F synchrony (coordinating) and heterochrony (implementing); their possible roles are discussed. Besides this, a new context and understanding for the term heterochrony is proposed. At least three levels of heterochrony should be distinguished: interspecific, intraspecific and intraindividual. However, the difference among these three types of heterochrony is not in the phenomenon itself but in the way we perceive and classify it. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


: The authors have diagnosed, preoperatively, for the second time a hamartoma renis in a 39-year-old patient. Enucleation of a solitary hamartoma renis in which the kidney could be saved has never appeared in literature until now. The authors are of the opinion that with the aid of arteriography but specifically by means of ultrasound the chances of a correct preoperative diagnosis are at least doubled.


The industrial use of ad hoc implementation methods for non-functional constrained tasks has resulted in unnecessary expensive projects. In some cases, ad hoc methods result in overly many iterations to be made and in some severe cases, total project breakdown. To be able to solve these problems a method has been developed to derive end-to-end non-functional constraints, such as timing requirements, to task-level constraints and to promote this information to the implementation phase of the project. For a tool, as the one described above, to be really useful it is important to be able to show that there is a potential cost reduction to be made. To be able to show that a certain implementation method costs less in work hours than to use an ad hoc implementation method, a model for implementation simulation with support for multiple implementation alternatives has been developed. The experiments show that using the budget based implementation method leads to a significant cost reduction in most cases, compared to the ad hoc method. As far as we know, no similar experiments have been done to compare implementation methods.


Abstract An abundant and diverse Late Griesbachian (Early Induan) Wordieoceras-dominated cephalopod fauna occurs in the lower part of the Daye Formation at the Wenjiangsi section, Guiding County, Guizhou Province, South China. The cephalopod fauna consists of 17 species belonging to 10 genera, including two nautiloid species and 15 ammonoid species representing the families Ophiceratidae, Proptychitidae, Meekoceratidae, and Khangsariidae. One genus and five species are new: Vishnuites wenjiangsiensis, Pseudovishnuites guidingensis, Wordieoceras guizhouensis, Gyrophiceras subplicatum, and Hubeitoceras? Wangi.


include structural and functional blood vessel injuries linked to poor neurocognitive outcomes. Smoking might indirectly increase the likelihood of cognitive impairment by exacerbating the risks associated with underlying vascular disease. Sex disparities in VCID have been reported, however, few studies have assessed the sex-specific impact of smoking on cognitive function and with contradictory results. This is an important topic since smoking and cardiovascular disease negatively impact health and possibly women have the greater lifetime risk of stroke and dementia than men. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect-modification of sex on the relationship between smoking, cardiovascular disease and verbal learning and memory function. Methods: Using MindCrowd, a web-based cohort of over 70,000 people aged 18 - 85, we investigated whether sex modifies the impact of smoking and cardiovascular disease on verbal memory performance on a paired-associate learning task using both multiple regression and propensity matching approaches. Artificial error introduction and permutation testing underscored the stability of our results. To demonstrate the necessity of large sample sizes to detect an interaction of sex and smoking, we performed down sampling analyses. Findings: We found significant interactions in that smoking impacts verbal learning performance more in women and cardiovascular disease more in men across a wide age range. Interpretation: These results suggest that smoking and cardiovascular disease impact verbal learning and memory throughout adulthood. Smoking particularly affects learning and memory in women and cardiovascular disease has a larger effect in men. Although the reasons for these sex-modification effects are not entirely understood, our findings highlight the importance of considering biological sex in VCID.


: Resource availability is a key factor driving marine bird movements and distributions, but direct information on prey availability is difficult to obtain at relevant scales. We present novel methods for describing multi-scale trophic associations, combining movement analyses of marine birds with estimates of forage fish surface aggregations from digital aerial survey data and species occupancy from bottom trawl survey data. We analyzed satellite telemetry data from northern gannets Morus bassanus , red-throated loons Gavia stellata , and long-tailed ducks Clan-gula hyemalis in the US Atlantic during the non-breeding period. Using discrete-time hidden Markov models to distinguish area-restricted (i.e. putative foraging) from transit movements, we examined how environmental factors influence movement, and how forage fish species distributions and surface aggregations influence habitat use by gannets and loons that have greater dietary reliance. Our results suggest that chlorophyll a concentration significantly affected movement behavior across species, highlighting the importance of higher-productivity areas around estuaries during colder months when regional productivity is low. Though variable across species and seasons, spatial cross-correlation analysis revealed that herring species (Family Clupeidae), including Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus , may be important resources; it also showed positive spatial correlations with forage fish aggregations. This suggests that prey patch dynamics and factors driving aggregation formation may be as important as species composition. However, spatial patterns were generally low (<0.3), suggesting a mismatch in spatiotemporal resolution, exemplifying the challenges in quantifying trophic relationships in marine systems. Disentangling predator−prey relationships is critical to understanding the mechanisms driving marine bird be - havior in rapidly changing marine systems.


The report investigates the feasibility of accessing waste heat at kiln 7 in the Cementa AB cement plant in Slite, Gotland. The background is provided, with a description of the cement manufacturing process. Most of the report concerns itself with the heat transfer capabilities of the plant, therefore a short description of the heat flow within the most essential equipment is provided.The investigation follows a set of steps to derive the conclusion. The first step investigates previous studies to obtain the three most feasible heat sources. The second step investigates the available heat of the selected sources. In the third step, accessing the source is discussed and investigated for both convection and radiation heat transfer methods. It also includes the sizing of the required heat exchangers. Using the new sources, the connection possibilities to existing infrastructure and its benefits are investigated in step four. The connections were made to the existing infrastructure used at kiln 8 for electrical generation and district heating supply. The selections of the most feasible solutions are provided based on heat recovery, payback period and practicality. The final step in the study provides for the final design, which consists of three possible connections or all of them combined.In the conclusion, the final design would provide for a reduction in oil burned, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and an increase in electricity generated by the existing system. It is recommended that only one of the three connections be installed.


Performance indicators in underground mining of thick iron fields can be insufficient since geo-mechanic specifics of ore-hosting fields might be considered inadequately, as a consequence, critical deformations and even earth's surface destruction are possible, lowering the indicators of full subsurface use, this way. The reason for it is the available approach to estimating the performance of mining according to ore excavation costs, without assessing losses of valuable components and damage to the environment. The experimental approach to the problem is based on a combination of methods to justify technical capability and performance of mining technology improvement with regard to geomechanical factors. The main idea of decisions to be taken is turning geo-materials into the condition of triaxial compression via developing the support constructions of blocked up structural rock block. The study was carried out according to an integrated approach based on the analysis of concepts, field observations, and simulation with the photo-elastic materials in conditions of North Caucasus deposits. A database containing information on the deposit can be developed with the help of industrial experiments and performance indicators of the field can be also improved using the ability of ore-hosting fields to develop support constructions, keeping the geo-mechanical stability of the system at lower cost, avoiding ore contamination at the processing stage. The proposed model is a specific one because an adjustment coefficient of natural and anthropogenic stresses is used and can be adopted for local conditions. The relation of natural to anthropogenic factors can make more precise the standards of developed, prepared and ready to excavation ore reserves relying on computational methods. It is possible to minimize critical stresses and corresponding deformations due to dividing the ore field into sectors safe from the standpoint of geo-mechanics, and using less cost-demanding ways of keeping rock massif stable.


We introduce an extension of Hoare logic for call-by-value higher-order functions with ML-like local reference generation. Local references may be generated dynamically and exported outside their scope, may store higher-order functions and may be used to construct complex mutable data structures. This primitive is captured logically using a predicate asserting reachability of a reference name from a possibly higher-order datum and quantifiers over hidden references. The logic enjoys three completeness properties: relative completeness, a logical characterisation of the contextual congruence and derivability of characteristic formulae. The axioms for reachability and local invariants play a fundamental role in reasoning about non-trivial programs combining higher-order procedures and dynamically generated references.


Two important factors in solar cells are efficiency and long-term stability. The commercialization of halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) containing organic cations may be limited due to their low stability, in spite of their high efficiency. The molecular features of the organic cations adopted in perovksites belong to a subset of ammonium cations, such as methylammonium (MA), which are known to display poor humidity stability. Based on the molecular aspects of organic cations, the humidity stability of perovskites can be affected by their structural stability, the hydrophobicity, chemical environment near the heteroatom, and stereochemistry. Organic cations with large ionic radii produce two-dimensional (2D) structures with significantly improved stability. 2D perovskites show high humidity stability due to their increased chemical stability and hydrophobicity, but have the drawback of slow charge transport due to the insulating properties of the organic cations. Accordingly, many efforts have been devoted to form conductive inorganic layers in 2D perovskites in addition to the light-active layer of PSCs in several ways. In this perspective, we have analyzed the possible degradation initiators formed under humid conditions based on a comprehensive review of the literature, followed by practical experimental results using ammonium-driven PSCs, focusing on their humidity stability and device performance. As a strategy to enhance the wet-fastness of perovskites, we propose new under-explored sulfonium cations (R3S+), showing characteristic stereochemistry and significantly increased humidity stability of perovskites, which differ from conventional protic ammonium cations.


The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) is the most recent development in open online distance learning. The fundamental characteristics of MOOCs are: Massive, the courses are designed to support a huge number of participants; Open, the courses are not required to pay a fee to participate; Online, the learners can access to courses via the Internet, and Courses, to say that these are courses with pedagogical objectives. Thus, the most challenging is designing an accurate method to evaluate and provide feedbacks, especially for open questions (especially Problem Situation), since the high number of learners. To tackle this problem, MOOCs use peer assessment techniques (known as peer grading) that suffer from a lack of credibility. In this paper, we present a new method for peer assessment in the Massive Open Online Courses, in order to improve the accuracy of grading results. Our proposition is divided into three (3) steps: clustering unit, assessment and treatment of the results. The clustering unit is the task of grouping learners with similar profiles. Clustering unit aims to group learners based on the parameters stored on learners' modeling within the MOOCs. After the clustering unit, the learners are required to grade a small number of their peers' tasks as part of their own task.. Afterwards, the scores are dispatched for treatments where a synthesis is given for assessment. To assess the feasibility of the proposed peer assessment, we report here the results of the tests conducted on the developed prototype.


Parameter optimizations of HHV torque distribution must deal with conflicting objectives between the engine torque and fuel economy without compromising the vehicle driving quality. The torque generation from an internal combustion engine (ICE)  is directly influenced by the amount of fuel burnt, hence cannot be solved using a classical single-objective optimization method. In this paper, multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is used to optimize the power split of a parallel hybrid hydraulic vehicle (HHV) that utilizes an ICE and a hydraulic motor. The simulation runs on three operating modes, engine only, power assist and regenerative modes to optimize two conflicting objectives, engine torque and fuel economy considering both highway and city drive cycles. Using a single unified formulation, a number of design objectives can be simultaneously optimized through a systematic search algorithm within a diverse parameter space. Simulation results have shown both objectives have good compromises that lie along the Pareto optimal front. In comparison, it is observed that there is a significant improvement on fuel economy for HHV as compared to a conventional ICE especially at low-torque operation when the hydraulic motor assists the vehicle for both highway and city drive cycles.


In a model with ex-ante homogenous households, earnings risk and a general earnings function, we derive the optimal linear labor tax rate and optimal linear education subsidies. The optimal income tax trades off social insurance against incentives to work and to invest in human capital. Education subsidies are not used for social insurance, but are only targeted at off-setting the distortions of the labor tax and internalizing a fiscal externality. Both optimal education subsidies and tax rates increase if labor and education are more complementary, since education subsidies indirectly lower labor tax distortions by stimulating labor supply. Optimal education subsidies (taxes) also correct non-tax distortions arising from missing insurance markets. Education subsidies internalize a positive (negative) fiscal externality if there is underinvestment (overinvestment) in education due to risk. Education policy unambiguously allows for more social insurance if education is a risky activity. However, if education hedges against labor market risk, optimal tax rates could be lower than without education subsidies.


Aims
The current study examined a large community cohort to understand relationships between indicators of alcohol consumption and hippocampal volume.

Short summary
Alcohol use measures were not associated with hippocampal volume in a population-based sample. However, alcohol consumption was associated with hippocampal volume reduction in subsets of the sample including subjects aged ≥50 years old, and those with none to moderate levels of depressive symptoms.

Methods
A total of 1848 adults with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and alcohol consumption data were included. Multiple linear regressions were performed with left or right hippocampal volume as dependent variables, and age, gender, race, education, body mass index, Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR) scores, drinks per week (DPW), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), AST/ALT, γ-glutamyl transferase and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as independent variables. Post hoc analyses were conducted to assess interactions of demographic factors and variables of interest (DPW, AST, ALT, AST/ALT, GGT and MCV). For statistically significant interactions, analyses were conducted in groups split by gender, depression (QIDS-SR scores ≥11 and <11) and age (≥50 and <50 years).

Results
Average alcohol consumption in the population was low (μ = 2.95 ± 6.7 DPW). Alcohol consumption measures were not significantly associated with hippocampal volume in the primary analysis. Exploratory analyses revealed significant associations between DPW and right hippocampal volume in participants with QIDS-SR scores <11 (B = -3.75, P = 0.02, CI = -6.97, -0.52) and in those aged ≥50 years (B = -4.844, P = 0.023 CI = -9.023 to -0.664). AST/ALT was significantly associated with right (B = -93.66, P = 0.022, CI = -173.64 to -13.68) and left hippocampal volume (B = -109.79 P = 0.008, CI = -190.97 to -28.61) in participants aged ≥50 but not <50 years. Gender differences were not observed.

Conclusions
The findings suggest a relationship between alcohol use indicators and right hippocampal volume in non-depressed and older adults.


In the monogamous moustached warbler, male incubation changes from predictably variable (it is dependent on ambient temperature and time of day in April) to high average levels across the day (with no predictor variables in May) as the season progresses. In contrast, females contribute the constant incubation component from April to May. This paper investigates possible explanations for the change in male incubation effort involving changing risks to either (1) embryonic survival within the egg, and/or (2) egg predation. Using egg temperature readouts, the probability of reaching the 25 °C thermal threshold (below which embryonic development ceases) across the season against the probability of predator sightings 0–15 m from the nest was calculated. The results show an inverse relationship between these two risks. During April, male incubation correlates with egg cold stress and changeovers between males and females occur prior to egg cooling below the thermal stress line. During May, the risk of predation increases. The results show increased predator encounter rates from April to May and active nest defense by the incubating parent. Furthermore, high male incubation reduces brood predation. Selection for reduction of the costs of laying replacement clutches (after predation) is suggested given high male incubation and infrequent male-female changeovers during midday, when egg temperatures are highest, with direct benefits to females of increased foraging. Thus, the shift in male incubation across the season may be explained by minimization of changing risk to offspring survival.


National and international experts in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) from high-volume centers treating IBC recently convened at the 10th Anniversary Conference of the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. A consensus on the clinical management of patients with IBC was discussed, summarized, and subsequently reviewed. All participants at the conference (patients, advocates, researchers, trainees, and clinicians) were queried using the MDRing electronic survey on key management issues. A summary of the expert consensus and participant voting is presented. Bilateral breast and nodal evaluation, breast magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and medical photographs were endorsed as optimal. Neoadjuvant systemic therapy, modified radical mastectomy and level I and II ipsilateral axillary node dissection, post-mastectomy radiotherapy, adjuvant targeted therapy and hormonal therapy as indicated, and delayed reconstruction were agreed-upon fundamental premises of standard non-protocol–based treatment for IBC. Consideration for local-regional therapy in de novo stage IV IBC was endorsed to provide local control whenever feasible. Variation across centers and special circumstances were discussed.


Buildings are one of the valuable assets to provide people with shelters for work, leisure and rest. After years of attacks by weather, buildings will deteriorate which need proper maintenance in order to fulfill the requirements and satisfaction of the users. Poorly managed buildings not just give a negative image to the city itself, but also pose potential risk hazards to the health and safety of the general public. As a result, the management of maintenance projects has played an important role in cities like Hong Kong where the problem of urban decay has drawn much attention. However, most research has focused on managing new construction, and little research effort has been put on maintenance projects. Given the short duration and more diversified nature of work, repair and maintenance works are found to be more difficult to monitor and regulate when compared with new works. Project participants may face with problems in running maintenance projects which should be investigated so that proper strategies can be established. This paper aims to provide a thorough analysis on the problems of running maintenance projects. A review of literature on the characteristics of building maintenance projects was firstly conducted, which forms a solid basis for the empirical study. Results on the problems and difficulties of running maintenance projects from the viewpoints of industry practitioners will also be delivered with a view to formulating effective strategies for managing maintenance projects successfully. Keywords—characteristics, problems, building maintenance,


This project aims to investigate the breakdown level of gas mixtures (air + CO2)
under lightning impulse. Specifically, this project also reveals the breakdown
characteristics of air, carbon dioxide (CO2) and the gas mixture (air + CO2) with the
purpose of making a comparison. The gas mixture has a ratio of 70% of CO2 and
30% of air. These gases were tested inside the pressure vessel and subjected to 1 bar
(abs) pressure. Standard (1.2/50 μs) lightning impulse was applied alongside with
three electrode arrangements. The gap distance between electrodes is also varied
ranging from 0.5 cm to 2 cm. It was found that highest U50 was recorded at the
furthest gap length and when the insulating medium used was CO2. The rising trend
of U50 is more obvious at sphere gaps as it provides more uniform fields. This U50
was calculated by using up and down method. Moreover, the highest maximum
electric field (Emax) was found at non-uniform field gap namely rod-sphere gaps
whereas the values were obtained with the help of FEMM simulation software. The
Emax of rod-sphere when the air is used as an insulating medium has revealed that it is
directly proportional to the gap length in which probably due to the self-restoration
of air at the non-uniform field is less compared to other gas hence causing the dropoff
insulation strength. As the gap distance between electrodes is small, the highest
field utilization factor was recorded which is 0.93 (5 cm sphere), 0.86 (2 cm sphere)
and 0.11 (rod-sphere) as a result of the field dispersed uniformly at short gaps. It was
also noticed that the Emax is inversely proportional to the field utilization factor (η)
whereas the risen of η has a huge impact to the value of Emax. However, this project
is restricted to normal room temperature (26° Celsius) and no humidity factor is
considered.


It is increasingly being recognised in New Zealand that denitrification occurring in the groundwater zone can result in a substantial reduction of the nitrate load leached from agricultural land before this load can reach water supply wells or discharge into groundwaterfed surface water bodies. This natural attenuation process provides an ecosystem service with regard to the protection of the quality of our freshwater resources that to date has not been adequately accounted for. This is largely due to the major challenges involved in trying to understand and quantify the denitrification occurring in a particular water management zone. Based on the example of research conducted at the "Waihora" site in the Lake Taupo catchment, we demonstrate a multi-pronged approach to elucidate the biogeochemical and hydrological controls on denitrification. The site is unique in New Zealand inasmuch as it has allowed investigating shallow groundwater underlying a pastoral hillslope in great detail using 11 multi-depth well clusters (comprising 26 wells in total). As denitrification is only active under mildly reduced conditions, a systematic approach to characterise redox conditions based on measured concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrate, dissolved manganese, dissolved iron, and sulphate provided fundamental initial information on the denitrification potential of the groundwater system. Determining stable isotope signatures of nitrate (δ 15 N, δ 18 O) and excess N2 dissolved in the groundwater can help differentiate between denitrification potential and denitrification that has actually occurred in a given groundwater sample. As the interpretation of these data is strongly dependent on the understanding of the temporal and spatial variation of groundwater flows at the site, hydrological understanding proved critical. Tritium, chlorofluorocarbons, and silica were determined on selected groundwater samples to gain insight into the distribution of groundwater mean residence times ("ages") at the field site and slug tests provided estimates of the hydraulic conductivity of the different deposits found in the shallow groundwater system. Given that most biogeochemical and hydrological parameters analysed showed substantial spatial variation, hydrological modelling of the hillslope proved the only promising way to ascertain the overall effect denitrification may have on the groundwater nitrate discharges from this site.


The study was conducted to investigate the in vitro antibacterial activity and antioxidant-enhancing effect of Bacillus strains isolated from the rumen content of dairy cows. The antibacterial activity of Bacillus stra ins was assessed against Escherichia coli based on the agar-well diffusion method. To assess the antioxidant-enhancing effect, the Bacillus strains was mixed (prepared as multi-strains) and used to ferment herbal medicine waste (HMW). The effect was compared with that of commercial probiotic Bacillus subtilis and non fermented HWM. Results show ed that each Bacillus strain was able to inhibit the growth of E. coli . Fermentation with mixed Bacillus strains tended (P=0.07) to enhance the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging activity and total phenolics content of HMW. In contrast, fermentation with commercial Bacillus subtilis tended (P=0.07) to decrease DPPH radical scavenging activity and total phenol of HMW. Fermentation with both Bacillus preparations increased (P<0.05) the contents of crude protein and ash in HMW, while crude fat increased  (P<0.05) in HMW fermented with Bacillus subtilis . Fermentation either with Bacillus subtilis or mixed Bacillus strains increased (P<0.05) the fiber content of HMW. In conclusion, Bacillus strains isolated from the rumen content of dairy cows showed antibacterial activity and antioxidant-enhancing effect, therefore, they are potential as feed additive to substitute synthetic antibiotics and antioxidants for broilers raised under tropical conditions.


................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES .......................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER


This paper deals with the review of the equipment used by security officers during demonstrations by explaining their concept and the two types of equipment namely lethal and non-lethal, and detailing their types which have been used currently. This paper also evaluates the legitimacy of their usages in accordance with the provisions of Islamic law and related Islamic Law views. This study has concluded that it is illegal to use these type of equipment except in specific cases and under certain conditions to avoid certain imminent danger. DOI:  10.15408/ajis.v16i1.2904


Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is by far the deadliest type of cancer. Inflammation is one of the important risk factors in tumor development. However, it is not yet clear whether deterioration in pancreatic cancer patients is related to inflammation, as well as the underlying mechanism. In addition, JNK is abnormally activated in pancreatic cancer cells and the JNK inhibitor C66 reduces the inflammatory microenvironment in the tumor. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of C66 in the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer. Our results showed that various inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-15, were more expressed in pancreatic cancer than in the matching normal tissue. Furthermore, C66, a curcumin analogue with good anti-inflammatory activity, inhibited the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, and effectively inhibited the expression of the above inflammatory factors. Our previous research demonstrated that C66 prevents the inflammatory response by targeting JNK. Therefore, in this study, JNK activity in pancreatic cancer cells was investigated, revealing that JNK was highly activated, and the treatment with C66 inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK. Next, shJNK was used to knockdown JNK expression in pancreatic cancer cells to further confirm the role of JNK in the proliferation and migration of this tumor, as well as in the inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME). The results demonstrated that JNK knockdown could significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer. Moreover, the low JNK expression in pancreatic cancer cells significantly inhibited the expression of various inflammatory factors. These results indicated that C66 inhibited the progression of pancreatic cancer through the inhibition of JNK-mediated inflammation.


Abstract The proposed impact event at the end of the Cretaceous resulted in mass extinctions and subsequently significant variations in the geochemical and mineralogical composition of the sediments marking the K/T boundary. The impact-generated material derived from target rocks produced the ejecta layer deposits around Chicxulub crater, which were subsequently diagenetically altered to mainly smectite in marine sections and to kaolinite in continental sections. The fireball layer represents the cosmic dust dispersed and deposited globally and contains smectite derived from the alteration of microkrystites and the finest fraction. The lowermost Danian clay layer, recognized in marine sections, resulted from the sudden decrease in ocean productivity and represents a reduced sedimentation deposit. Its clay mineral associations depend on local environmental conditions and diagenetic processes. Overall, the diagenetic alteration of the boundary materials resulted in a significant modification of original signatures. The composition of the clay mineral phases can, however, still be evidence of the nature of the precursor materials providing evidence for an extraterrestrial impact event.


On 1st January 2002 a law was enacted by the German Federal Government reorganising the reinsurance pool known as the "risk compensation scheme" (RSA) of the German health insurance system. This enactment contemplates a gradual restructuring of the RSA to shift from a system that considered only certain demographic criteria to one that reflects actual morbidity rates, with the shift to be phased in before full implementation by 2007. The enactment also introduced disease management programmes (DMP) for patients with certain chronic illnesses. Insurance companies will now receive additional payments from the RSA for patients with a chronic condition who are enrolled in a DMP. The intent is to improve the poor medical care for chronically ill patients in Germany – as had been stated by the advisory council of the Concerted Action in Health Care – and to reduce the natural tendency of insurance companies to prefer young healthy members over chronically ill patients. Possible consequences of the legal changes are discussed from the point of view of the various insurance companies as well as the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.


Porous carbons are widely used as industrial adsorbents because of the hydrophobic nature of their surfaces, high surface area, large pore volumes, chemical inertness, good mechanical stability, and good thermal stability. There has been a growing interest in new applications of porous carbons because of their ability to interact with molecules not only at their surfaces but also in the bulk of the material. The present review is about the synthesis of porous carbon by using templates. Special emphasis is placed on the type of templating agent and organic materials that are used. The details of the methods employed for this purpose and the results are introduced. By changing the template and organic precursor, one can synthesize porous carbons with different properties. Future studies need to be conducted on their controlled synthesis.


Organic farming is not a recent origin in India. In ancient literature such as Rig-Veda, the use of animal dung as manure was highly emphasized. Approximately two-thirds of a million of the farmer populations in India are cultivating organically, but this a tiny portion of the farming community. As there are few states that have not done much development in organic farming like Jharkhand which became independent as a separate state 16 years ago. Approximately 0.08% of Jharkhand's cultivatable land is being promoted to be free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Out of the net cultivated area of 31 lakh hectare (ha), only 26,310 ha is the area where organic cultivation is promoted. When we compare it with the states like Sikkim and Meghalaya, which have been or will be certified organic state by 2020, we get the real picture of farmers who are lagging behind. Lack of certification, lengthy procedure and low production initially are some of the reasons because of which farmers don't opt for organic agriculture. Initiatives like Public Private Partnership, promoting animal husbandry, Contract Organic farming (COF), Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) and raising public awareness are some steps that are required to develop organic agriculture, to improve human health and to save the environment.


The Dungeness is a popular food and the most commercially important crab in the western states in the U.S. Like all agricultural production, the crab fisherman face yield risks and must manage these risks. In addition to weather risk, crab fisherman may experience low yields if the crabs are over fished in previous years. Farmers for many traditional agricultural crops can purchase crop insurance to insure against low yields. However, crab fishermen at this time do not have this option. The purpose of this paper is to estimate a fair insurance premium based on the historical yields of the Dungeness crab. This information can then be used in risk/return models for crab fishing to determine if it would be optimal for fisherman to purchase crop insurance. An important input into the fair insurance premium estimation is the yield distribution. Sherrick et al. estimated alternative yield distributions to evaluate traditional crop insurance. However, no one has looked at the yield distributions for the Dungeness crab nor explored possible crop insurance. Much of the past literature for the fishing industry has focused on production functions, cost function models, and optimal catching yields for specific fish species. Moreover, most research has focused on the endangered commercial ocean species such as tuna and swordfish. Data and Methodology This research collects the annual landing data including metric tons, pounds, and price per pound from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) to analyze the yield distributions of Dungeness crab in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska from 1950 to 2009. Dickey Fuller test is conducted for each state to test if the data is stationary. The Durbin-Watson test was used to make sure the data did not have autocorrelation problems. We find that the detrended data has positive Skewness contrary to traditional crop yield data. The positive Skewness indicates that the tail on the right sides is longer than the left side and the mass of the distribution is concentrated on the left. It also has relatively few high values. The candidate distributions used include normal, Gamma, Weibull, logistic, lognormal, and loglogistic distributions. The fitted distributions are compared with formal goodness- of- fit tests including Chi-Square, Anderson-Darling, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov. The loglogistic distribution is best to estimate the yield losses of Alaska, Oregon, and California respectively while the logistic is best for Washington. The Gamma and normal distribution are the worst for the four states. Actual Production History (APH) policies insure crop producers against yield losses due to natural causes. After Just and Weninger found that crop yield losses were nonnormally distributed, many agricultural researchers use parametric (Goodwin and Ker) and nonparametric distributions (Sherrick et al) and the insured price to estimate the insurance premium. The premium refers to the periodic payment made on the insurance policy. When the yields are below the insured level (the predicted level each year), the insurance company has to pay indemnities to the producers to compensate them for their losses. Our study uses different parametric distributions to forecast the crab yields. Along with the yield distributions and yield forecasts, we assume that the crop insurance insures up to 80% of the yield distribution. We also assume that the insured price is the predicted price per pound for 2010 (since the price model are Pth-order autoregressive (AR(p)) processes) to estimate the fair insurance premium. The insured prices per pound of the four states from north to south are $1.88, $2.39, $1.94, and $1.99 respectively. If the random value (that the realized yields fall below the guaranteed yields) generated by the best distributions which may generate different parametric value for the four states falls below zero, it will means that the fisherman suffer yield losses, and that the insurance company has to compensate the fishermen's revenue. The insurance company pays the fishermen the dollars that the insured price times 80% of the yield that the fishermen suffer from loss. The indemnities will be either zero or positive. Next, we adopt Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) to simulate the indemnities 500 times to calculate the average indemnities. If we don't consider the capital and administration fees of the insurance company, the average indemnities will be the actuarially fair insurance premium. The average indemnity and thus the actuarially fair premiums of the overall crab industry are $1,380,924, $702,344, $2,823,855, and $3,470,998 one year for the all ships in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California respectively. Unlike traditional crop insurance that estimates the premium per acre, we use the total premium shared by all fishing vessels in the state and account for the total tons that the fishing vessels load because the crabs and the fishing vessel move everywhere. After simulated, half of the time the insurance company must pay indemnities. To avoid the high risk of yield losses and uncertainty, the existence of insurance is necessary to protect the fishermen's revenue. Finally, we will try to use non-parametric method to estimate the fair premium and compare the results of the parametric and non-parametric distributions for the rigorous study. We will also estimate the potential welfare gain of fishermen from this insurance policy.