A tunable optical dispersion compensator (TODC) that uses a high-resolution arrayed-waveguide grating and integrated resin lenses is reported. The dispersion tuning range is 1426 ps/nm, three times larger than that in our previous report for the same type of TODC. A transmission experiment using a 43-Gbps carrier-suppressed return-to-zero differential quadrature phase shift keying (CSRZDQPSK) signal is also reported.


This is an easy to use field guide for identifying the 80 reptile species currently known to occur in the Murray catchment area of New South Wales. Illustrated with high quality colour photographs, the book describes the key distinguishing features of each reptile and includes details on habitats and conservation status. Uniquely, it has a detailed chapter on how to conserve reptiles and manage key habitats, providing landholders and natural resource agencies with the knowledge to help conserve reptiles in agricultural farming landscapes. The up-to-date distribution maps are based on 10 years of extensive surveys and research on reptiles in the Murray catchment. The final chapter includes a section on similar looking species to further enable readers to accurately and quickly identify difficult species.

Reptiles of the NSW Murray Catchment promotes a broad appreciation of reptiles in the region, and is a must-have for natural history enthusiasts.


Increasing global competition, decreasing product lifecycles and a growing trend of outsourcing put new demands on the product design and the time to realise the assembly system. These demands calls for high flexible assembly systems, containing of standardised, process-oriented assembly modules, offering a robust process and high reuse ability of the equipment. To generate such a system a new concept for cross-functional development of products and the assembly system is being developed. The concept belief is that extreme and long-lasting flexibility cannot be achieved without a distinct connection between product design and the assembly system, i.e. assembly process knowledge must be structured. To achieve this, the assembly module platform (AMP) is being developed, containing all possible modules to assemble the products. The AMP is generating the module process description (MPD), which totally defines the process executed by the specific module. The design of the product can now be guided by the MPD, creating a process-oriented product design. Furthermore, the AMP-database is under construction, linking functions as economical evaluation tools, to compare possible configurations assembly costs and investments.


Large steerable radio telescopes can rotate in azimuth and elevation, with various upwind postures and complex wind load characteristics. In order to 5 Corresponding authors obtain the wind load distribution on the reflector and the wind force coefficients in different upwind postures, this work took the reflector of the QiTai Telescope in Xinjiang as the object. The wind pressure distribution, drag coefficient, side force coefficient, lift coefficient, and total force coefficient of 361 groups of reflectors with different upwind postures were calculated and analyzed by a numerical simulation method. The results show that the force on the reflector when the concave surface faces the wind is significantly greater than when the convex surface faces the wind. The surrogate models for calculating wind force coefficients were established based on the polynomial response surface model (PRSM) and regularized minimum-energy tensor-product spline (RMTS). The adjusted R-squared of RMTS is 0.98, and the root mean square error is below 0.1, which proves RMTS is significantly better than PRSM. Compared with the numerical simulation values, the absolute errors of the drag coefficient, side force coefficient, lift coefficient, and total force coefficient of the reflector with azimuth and elevation of 45° predicted by RMTS are 0.02, 0.027, 0.032, and 0.046, respectively. The relative errors are 2.42%, 2.76%, 2.23%, and 2.43% , respectively. It is proved that the RMTS surrogate model is reliable and that the predicted data can fast provide sufficient information for the wind-resistant design of the large steerable radio telescopes. Corresponding authors


The possible protective role of exogenous SA and NO donor (sodium nitroprusside) against salt stress was examined NaCl-induced oxidative stress in Glycine max L. The results indicated that NaCl-induced ionic toxicity led to significant increase of Na+ uptake in root and shoot of soybean, while K+ and Ca2+ uptake was decreased markedly. Application of SA, SNP and the combination of SA with SNP inhibited Na+ uptake, but improved K+ and Ca2+ uptake. Under NaCl salinity, germination percentage (GP) was decreased significantly as compared with control plants. Moreover, the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) was increased by NaCl, while the application of SA, NO and SA + SNP could decrease LOX activity in this condition. As well, activities of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) were significantly decreased by 100 mM NaCl, while the application of exogenous SA and NO increased the activities of PPO and PAL. In addition, it was observed that the SA and NO have effective functions in decreasing the damages induced by NaCl salinity. The seeds of G. max cv. Union × Elf (called L17) were obtained from the Institute of Sapling and Seed in Tehran and experiments have been done in Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University. After treatment with SA, SNP and NaCl, the plants were harvested for the estimation of ionic contents and assay of enzyme activities. The results showed that SA and NO act synergistically to reduce the damaging effects of salt tress via enhancing the activity of antioxidative systems.


The epidemiology of Rift Valley Fever has undergone extensive revision over the last twenty years since the epidemics that occurred in Egypt in 1977 and Mauritania in 1987. From 1931 when the disease was first described until the end of the 70s, Rift Valley Fever was considered to be a relatively benign zoonoses for man that developed in domestic animals (especially sheep) periodically following heavy rainy seasons. The presumptive reservoir for the virus in latent years was an unidentified animal living in the wilderness. However the outbreaks in Egypt and Mauritania and data obtained from ensuing research led to complete reassessment of this assumption. Current data suggest that environmental factors (especially ecological changes caused by development of hydroelectric resources) and low-grade transmission in domestic animals (especially rodents) could account for survival of the virus in zones uninhabited by wild animals and in Sahelian areas.


The connection design of flow path is the most important task in Hydraulic Manifold Blocks (HMB) design. But the traditional method of feature design can not dynamically change the topology configuration and parameters of flow path when the design changed. This paper use a hybrid model consisting of temporary body model and B-Rep model, and represent flow path pattern using adjacency graph, adjacency matrix, weight matrix and degree array. The design parameters can be optimized by non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA2). The topology configuration of flow path can adaptively change according to the design change.


Manuscript Type: Empirical. Research Question/Issue: There is a general consensus that the lack of restraint by US financial firm executives to engage in risky subprime mortgage lending practices played a contributing role in both the inflation and deflation of the housing bubble at the heart of the global financial crisis. Evidence is less clear on what influenced the managerial proclivity to ignore warning signs and take on more and more risk to the detriment of numerous firm stakeholders. Our study examines the effects of power on Managerial Risk Taking in the context of the subprime mortgage industry. Research Findings/Insights: We hypothesize that a CEO's power is positively related to excessive risk taking. We find general support for these hypotheses in a matched pair sample of 74 firms and 344 firm years, where half the firms specialized in subprime lending and the other did not from 1997 to 2005. Theoretical/Academic Implications: We take a novel theoretical approach to our research by drawing from the social psychology literature to employ the approach/inhibition theory of power. The use of this theoretical perspective affords the opportunity to contribute a nuanced understanding of how managerial power within an agency‐based governance framework propels managers from taking reasonable risks to engaging in excessive risk taking. Practitioner/Policy Implications: By presenting evidence of the role that CEO power had in promoting excessive risky lending practices, corporate directors and policy makers will be empowered and more capable of designing and enacting governance and regulatory frameworks that result in not only profitable but prudent risk taking.


Viral infections are a common cause for the development of cancer. Most common among the cancer-inducing viruses are human papillomaviruses, which cause cervical cancer among other things. Cancer viruses aim to keep their host cells alive and simultaneously use their oncogenes to interfere with cellular phenomena such as proliferation and programmed cell death. The most effective way of preventing viral cancers is to reduce the frequency of cancer virus infections by using vaccinations and by intervening in high-risk behavior. In addition, the infections must be detected and treated in advance of cancer development.


The C-type expansion bolt is a new kind and new structural bolt. It has superior compatibility to the soft rock and the big distorted tunnel. In order to study its stress, deformation and interaction mechanism, large distortion calculations and analyses have been carried out on the bolt by FEM (finite element method), especially with the ANSYS software, based on the updated Lagrangian law. The results show that the maximum stress and deformation of the section and body of the bolt meets the anchoring requirements. The bolt meets the required anchoring performance and anti-drawing performance. The paper provides some basis for its design, application and anchoring stress analysis.


The Morningstar device, which initially weighs 190 pounds, was able to reduce its weight by 7% during a steady-state situation and as much as 20% during transient operation. In our original paper, three or four approaches were identified to possibly explain this phenomenon including: conversion of angular momentum into linear momentum; Gravito- Electro-Magnetism (GEM) effects- a Poynting vector force induction based upon the roller design, and retarded potentials. In the latter, the ring component acts as a reflection plane for the roller electric and magnetic fields and if the time is retarded, it is possible that the image from one roller may attract the adjacent roller to create self-acceleration. Additional possible explanations were identified in the operation of this nonlinear device. This spectrum of additional feasibilities warrants further investigation to determine the physical motivation that can induce the observed weight changes. There is caution regarding these and additional explanations which should fall within supportable technical evidence. These additional efforts include: cogravitation, matter waves, gravitational wave effects and a conjecture about spacetime perturbation.


Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer mortality globally, predominantly in less developed countries. It is widely accepted that certain 'oncogenic' types of HPV (Human papillomavirus) are necessary causes of cervical cancer development and a number of co-factors (including smoking) have also been implicated. The introduction of Papanicolaou testing has achieved a large reduction in cervical cancer incidence over the last 4 decades however its use is not without problems, particularly with regards to its relatively low specificity. Recently HPV vaccines targeting HPV-16 and HPV-18 have been developed, which hold the promise of reducing cervical cancer incidence further. In the four studies included in this thesis, we investigate several risk factors related to cervical cancer formation, test the efficiency of Pap smear screening in reducing the incidence of the two main cervical cancer types (cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma), investigate possible maternal transmission of cervical cancer in situ, and estimate the effects that vaccines against HPV-16/18 might have had on the Swedish population over the last 30 years had they been implemented. Using a population-based case-control study, we examined the individual risks for cervical cancer in situ (CIS) associated with HPV-16 presence, HPV-16 load, and smoking. After analysis of first cervical smears for 375 case and 363 control women, we found higher increased risks associated with HPV-16 presence in smokers (adjusted OR=14.4; 95% CI 5.6-36.8) than non-smokers (adjusted OR=5.6; 95% CI 2.7-11.2), compared with HPV-16 negative women. Risk for CIS was even higher in smokers with high HPV-16 load (adjusted OR=27.0; 95% CI 6.5-114.2) compared to smokers who were HPV-16 negative. In contrast, non-smokers with high HPV-16 load had a lower risk (adjusted OR=5.9; 95% CI 2.4-14.6). Neither HPV-16 presence nor load were found to significantly interact with smoking status, although significant interaction was found between current smoking status (at first smear) and duration of smoking (p=0.03). Analysis of Swedish nation-wide data covering 1968-2002 provided evidence for the beneficial nature of Pap smear screening in reducing cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but not cervical adenocarcinoma (AC). We also found that higher reported CIS incidence rates in certain counties did not lead to future reductions in SCC incidence. This was also the case for adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) reported, and future AC incidence. On the whole, our results suggest there is over-treatment of CIS. Also it appears likely that inefficiencies exist in the use of Pap smear screening for AC prevention. In a cohort of mother-daughter pairs, we found a 24% excess risk for CIS in daughters whose mothers exhibited CIS within 10 years after their daughter's conception compared to daughters whose mothers had CIS more than 10 years after their conception. This may conceivably be the result of maternal transmission of HPV during pregnancy or childhood. Using a population-based cohort of Swedish women, we estimated that a 61.2% reduction in SCC incidence could have been achieved through the removal of HPV-16/18 from the population during 1969-2002. In comparison, removal of all measured high risk HPV types may have reduced SCC incidence by 83.9%. Removal or reduction of HPV-16 and -18 from the Swedish population will give considerable benefit in reducing cervical cancer. However, the risks associated with other nonHPV-16/18 oncogenic types are worthy of consideration in future monitoring and prevention


Decision makers with the responsibility of managing policy for the COVID-19 epidemic have faced difficult choices in balancing the competing claims of saving lives and the high economic cost of shutdowns. In this paper, we formulate a model with both epidemiological and economic content to assist this decision-making process. We consider two ways to handle the balance between economic costs and deaths. First, we use the statistical value of life, which in Canada is about C$7 million, to optimize over a single variable, which is the sum of the economic cost and the value of lives lost. Our second method is to calculate the Pareto optimal front when we look at the two variables—deaths and economic costs. In both cases we find that, for most parameter values, the optimal policy is to adopt an initial shutdown level which reduces the reproduction number of the epidemic to close to 1. This level is then reduced once a vaccination programme is underway. Our model also indicates that an oscillating policy of strict and mild shutdowns is less effective than a policy which maintains a moderate shutdown level.


Our main assumption is that interaction between inductor and target molecules in cells is based on laws of quantum physics. An inductor molecule emits a specific monochromatic radiation which is captured by the appropriate target molecule according to the bio resonance absorption principle triggering the emission of its own radiation and thus turning it from target into inductor. This is a chain process that creates a signal path, along which the activated molecules move and interact with each other through contact as described by molecular biology. As part of this process, all impact (information) is mediated through electro-magnetic particles (biophotons) that interact with each other in the electromagnetic field according to laws of constructive and destructive interference. Increase or decrease in the target's response depends on type of interference predominance. Due to this effect, weak signals are sometimes able to produce stronger response than strong ones as the increase in their number leads to expansion of the area of destructive interference. This principle was confirmed in our pilot study using 3 experimental cell models: formation of colonies of granulocyte-macrophage precursors in soft agar under different concentrations of G-CSF; formation of colonies of erythrocyte precursors in methyl-cellulose under different concentrations of erythropoietin; apoptosis of mice melanoma cells (cell line B16) under different concentrations of vincristine. Further development of the biphotonic paradigm of information transduction in cell systems may contribute to better understanding of many normal and pathological processes in human body as well to improvement in some types of drug therapies.


NPL has developed a guarded hot-plate to determine the thermal conductivity of insulation materials at temperatures between 175 °C and 50 °C. Along with NPL's other guarded hot-plates, this apparatus forms part of a facility for addressing new European product standards for industrial insulation that require thermal conductivity measurements between 170 °C to 800 °C.
The NPL Low-Temperature Guarded Hot-Plate (LTGHP) is based on a double-sided configuration with a heater plate of lateral dimensions 305 mm x 305 mm and central metering area of 152.5 mm x 152.5 mm. The heater plate is constructed from a specially design inconel heating element in a polyimide film substrate and sandwiched between two aluminum plates instrumented with T-type thermocouples and a differential thermocouple between centre and lateral guard with sixty four junctions.
Heat extraction for both the cold plates and environmental chamber is provided by controlled pulses of both liquid nitrogen and heated compressed air injected into the system. The cold plates are made from copper their channeling for liquid nitrogen and air are based on a twin helix design. The cold plates are also instrumented with T-type thermocouples. The environmental chamber is insulated with a combination of micro-porous insulation panels and vacuum insulated panels.
The design of the LTGHP also employs a number of novel features that are required to meet the metrological demands of making accurate measurements at cryogenic temperatures. These features include a multi-cavity enclosure for maintaining the environment around the plate/specimen stack at the mean specimen temperature; an automated system to apply a constant compressive load; a temperature controlled isothermal junction box; an in-situ thickness measurement mechanism that links the displacement between plates at cryogenic temperatures with transducers at the laboratory temperature, and multi-segment calibration of these displacement transducers.
The guidelines and specifications given in ISO 8302:1991 and EN 12667:2001 were followed during the design of the LTGHP and the performance checks described in ISO 8302:1991 have been completed, including measurements relating to imbalance errors, edge heat losses and linearity. An assessment of the overall measurement uncertainty has been made following the approach outlined in the ISO Guide to Uncertainty in Measurement and the additional errors due to issues arising from the low temperatures have been considered, including equilibrium criteria, metering area correction and temperature uniformity.
Finally, measurements were carried out on European certified reference material IRMM 440 and compared with both the certified values and the additional low temperature values from DFT. The measured values were in agreement with the reference values to within their combined uncertainties down to temperatures of -150 °C


An enzyme involved in the flipping of phospholipids in dying cells' surfaces to mark the cells for removal is identified. Cells are surrounded by a lipid bilayer, the composition of which is asymmetrical and serves as a marker of the physiological status of the cell. The phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) is normally found only on the inner leaflet of the membrane, but in dying cells it appears on the cell surface, thus providing the phagocytes tasked with cleaning up such cellular debris with a way to recognize cells undergoing cell death. Such movement of phospholipids within the membrane requires an elusive enzyme known as a scramblase. Suzuki et al. identified an enzyme, Xkr8, that appears to act as a scramblase that promotes exposure of PtdSer on the surface of dying mammalian cells. Consistent with such a role, Xkr8 was activated after cleavage by caspase-3, a key protease that promotes apoptotic cell death. Genetic studies with the homolog of Xkr8 expressed in Caenorhabditis elegans indicated that the protein played a similar role in tagging dead cells in the nematode worm during development. J. Suzuki, D. P. Denning, E. Imanishi, H. R. Horvitz, S. Nagata, Xk-related protein 8 and CED-8 promote phosphatidylserine exposure in apoptotic cells. Science 341, 403–406 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Author(s): Ramsey, John Michael | Advisor(s): Graham, Peter | Abstract: We use words to communicate, enact laws, and make promises, but we also insult, discriminate, and subordinate gender, ethnic, and sexual minorities. Recently, Rae Langton and Mary Kate McGowan, appealing to speech act theory have argued for the "Constitutes Thesis"--our words do not merely cause the harms of oppression, but are in and of themselves acts of oppression. Opponents of the thesis criticize it as "philosophical sleight of hand," "metaphorical," and "strikingly implausible" because utterances are dissimilar to paradigmatic acts of oppression: words neither lynch or exploit, nor prevent the development of one's rational capacities. In How We Do Bad Things with Words, I address these concerns and advance my own account of the Constitutes Thesis, appealing to the interplay between speech acts, social norms, and institutions. Our words oppress by engaging the norms of oppressive social practices. I begin by investigating whether exercitive models of oppressive speech are adequate for explaining how some speech constitutes oppression. I argue that exercitive models fail to characterize the full range of oppressive speech because these models focus on one speech act type as the source of oppressive speech and privilege the enactment of oppressive policies (Chapter 1). Then, I argue for my account, the 3Cs model, which characterizes oppressive speech in terms of a wide range--ceremonious, communicative, and collateral--speech acts (Chapter 2). However, speech act theory alone is not sufficient for defending the Constitutes Thesis. The critics of the thesis are right in this regard, so I provide a framework, the Constitutes-Iteration analysis, that demonstrates which theoretical resources are required for explaining how speech constitutes oppression (Chapter 3). We need a theory of oppression and a theory of social practices. I then offer a sketch of such a theory, maintaining that an action is a contribution to a social practice when it either accords with the conventions or social norms of the practice, or legitimizes these conventions and norms (Chapter 4). Finally, I argue that some utterances oppress by engaging these norms and conventions, and defend my account against objections (Chapter 5).


This report presents the results of subnational poverty estimation using aggregate poverty statistics and how they can help policy interventions. In particular, they estimate the poverty map across the DS division level in Sri Lanka. The poverty map depicts the proportion of households below the poverty line, which is based on household expenditure for food for obtaining the minimum calorie requirement.


While a large body of literature exists on the ability of biochar to retain water and nutrients, little research exists connecting these benefits to biochar qualities, water retention mechanisms, and optimal locations for agricultural use. More information is needed for biochar stakeholders to make informed decisions about where deployment should occur. Specifically, we need to know the biochar characteristics that drive changes in soil water properties, how these effects vary geographically, and what financial benefits farmers can expect in their specific region to identify where biochar can be deployed for optimal results. We conducted a meta‐analysis of the relationship between biochar properties, application rates and observed change in water holding capacity (WHC) as a function of soil texture. Then we mapped our results across US counties to determine where biochar application could yield the largest improvements in soil water properties and added an economic model designed to predict how biochar‐driven changes in soil WHC drive irrigation expenses. Limited data drove our focus to sandy soils, and among these locations, our results suggest that biochar application will be especially effective in the southeast, far north and northeast, and western United States. In a prototype application of our model we predict a 37% reduction in irrigated water use for an instrumented site in Nebraska. Our combined statistical and economic models will be useful for future field experiment proposals, farmers purchasing biochar, and decision makers working to incentivize agricultural advances.


Objective: We sought to determine the liver X receptor (LXR) ligands present in human macrophages after myelin phagocytosis and whether LXRs are activated in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. Methods: We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry to determine expression of LXRs and their response genes in human phagocytes after myelin phagocytosis and in active MS lesions. We used gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis to determine LXR-activating oxysterols and cholesterol precursors present and formed in myelin and myelin-incubated cells, respectively. Results: Myelin induced LXR response genes ABCA1 and ABCG1 in human monocyte-derived macrophages. In active MS lesions, we found that both gene expression and protein levels of ABCA1 and apolipoprotein E (APOE) are upregulated in foamy phagocytes. Moreover, we found that the LXR ligand 27-hydroxycholesterol (27OHC) is significantly increased in human monocyte-derived macrophages after myelin uptake. Conclusion: LXR response genes are upregulated in phagocytes present in active MS lesions, indicating that LXRs are activated in actively demyelinating phagocytes. In addition, we have shown that myelin contains LXR ligands and that 27OHC is generated in human monocyte-derived macrophages after myelin processing. This suggests that LXRs in phagocytes in active MS lesions are activated at least partially by (oxy)sterols present in myelin and the generation thereof during myelin processing.


Question: Whereas similar ecological requirements lead to trait-convergence assembly patterns (TCAP) of species in communities, the interactions controlling how species associate produce trait-divergence assembly patterns (TDAP). Yet, the linking of the latter to community processes has so far only been suggested. We offer a method to elucidate TCAP and TDAP in ecological community gradients that will help fill this gap.

Method: We evaluated the correlation between trait-based described communities and ecological gradients, and using partial correlation, we separated the fractions reflecting TCAP and TDAP. The required input data matrices describe operational taxonomic units (OTUs) by traits, communities by the quantities or presence-absence of these OTUs, and community sites by ecological variables. We defined plant functional types (PFTs) or species as community components after fuzzy weighting by the traits. The measured correlations for TCAP and TDAP were tested by permutation. The null model for TDAP preserves the trait convergence, the structure intrinsic in the fuzzy types, and community total abundances and autocorrelation.

Results: We applied the method to trait-based data from plant communities in south Brazil, one set in natural grassland experimental plots under different nitrogen and grazing levels, and another in sapling communities colonizing Araucaria forest patches of increasing size in a forest-grassland mosaic. In these cases, depending on the traits considered, we found strong evidence of either TCAP or TDAP, or both, that was related to the environmental gradients.

Conclusions: The method developed is able to reveal TCAP and TDAP that are more likely to be functional for specified ecological gradients, allowing establishment of objective hypotheses on their links to community processes.


Higher education traditionally focuses on didactic, or passive, teaching and learning techniques as these are efficient ways of conveying information to the students. However, passive learning places the responsibility for students' learning on the instructor rather than the students themselves. Constructive learning techniques, such as case-based learning (CBL), give students opportunities to apply previous knowledge while constructing their own deep learning. The purpose of this article is to describe both the implementation and evaluation of a CBL unit in a junior-level undergraduate music therapy theories and methods course. The cohort study utilized student reflection papers, faculty observations, class materials, and a student survey to evaluate the impact of a behavioral health-focused CBL unit on information literacy, critical thinking skills, and student enjoyment of learning. Students answered both Likert-type and open-ended questions on these topics. Open-ended questions were analyzed using a directed qualitative content analysis. Students felt that the CBL unit was effective in increasing their information literacy and critical thinking skills, and they enjoyed the unit. According to survey results, the CBL developed several measured areas of student critical thinking skills, with the exception of the students' abilities to analyze their own biases. The CBL unit appeared to be an effective and efficient way of simultaneously covering multiple learning outcomes and music therapy competencies. However, students did not perceive any changes in their ability to analyze their own biases which, based on previous psychology and sociology research, takes more than one isolated learning unit to address. Implications for music therapy education are addressed.


Time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay with monoclonal antibodies distinguishing between respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) group A and B strains was used to analyze their prevalence in Finland during 1981-1990 among 3285 patients with laboratory diagnosis of RSV, most of them hospitalized. The group typing of antigens in 608 RSV-positive nasopharyngeal aspirates showed a regular alternation of group prevalence, following the cyclic occurrence of the virus. Group A predominated in 73%-90% of specimens from 1981-1982, 1985-1986, and 1989-1990, whereas group B predominated in 70%-100% of specimens from 1983-1984 and 1987-1988. The epidemiologic occurrence of verified reinfections in hospitalized children and the group typing results indicated that children greater than 6 months of age during the first infection were more resistant to severe reinfection with the homologous than with the heterologous group of virus. The study shows that group antigenic variation of RSV has a significant effect on the epidemiology of the virus.


This paper proposes and evaluates prioritized direct shared-memory multiprocessor networks. We use three components to implement prioritized networks, namely, priority-based link arbitration, priority inheritance, and dynamic virtual channels. The two major results from our study are: (i) adding priorities to direct shared-memory multiprocessor networks can lead to reduced average transaction latencies and increased system throughput when running traditional parallel applications, and (ii) a prioritized multiprocessor network can be used to reduce the worst-case latencies of time-constrained traffic when it co-exists with best-effort traffic, without penalizing the average performance of best-effort traffic.


Purpose of review The cholesterol content within atherogenic apolipoprotein-B (apoB) containing lipid particles is the center of consensus guidelines and clinicians' focus whenever evaluating a patient's risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The pathobiology of atherosclerosis requires the retention of lipoprotein particles within the vascular intima over time followed by maladaptive inflammation resulting in plaque formation and rupture in some. The cholesterol content is widely variable within each particle creating either cholesterol-deplete or cholesterol-enriched particles. This variance in particle cholesterol content varies within and between individuals. Discordance analysis exploits this difference in cholesterol content of particles to demonstrate the differential significance of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-HDL-C from measures of lipoprotein particle number in terms of assessing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risks. Recent findings Three studies have added to the growing body of literature of discordance analysis. Despite wide variability of discordance cutoffs, baseline risk of atherosclerotic disease, and populations sampled, the conclusion remains the same: risk of atherosclerotic disease follows apoB lipid particle concentration rather than cholesterol content of lipid particles. Summary In addition to traditional lipid fractions, assessments of atherogenic particle number should be strongly considered whenever assessing CVD risk in nontreated and treated individuals. There is a need for clinical trials that focus not only on the reduction in LDL-C but apoB, as well.


The societal impacts of future climate change depend on changes in temperature variability in addition to changes in mean temperatures. While general circulation models (GCMs) predict changes in both means and variability, GCMs cannot fully reproduce present-day temperature distributions. We address an ensuing need for simulations of future temperatures that combine the observational record and GCM projections of changes in means and variability. Our perspective is that such simulations should be based on transforming observations to account for GCM projected changes, in contrast to methods that attempt to correct GCM output for discrepancies with observations. Our methodology is designed for simulating transient (nonstationary) climates, which are evolving in response to changes in CO2 concentrations (as is the Earth at present). Since the proposed simulation requires GCM projected changes in covariance, we describe a statistical model for the evolution of temporal covariances in a GCM, and apply this model to an ensemble of runs from one GCM, CCSM3. We find that, in CCSM3, changes in covariance can be explained as a function of the regional mean change in temperature and the rate of change of warming. This feature means that our statistical model can be used to emulate the evolving covariances in the GCM under scenarios for which the GCM has not been run. When combined with an emulator for mean temperature, our methodology can simulate temperatures under such scenarios. The emulator for variability changes is also of interest on its own as a summary of GCM projections of variability changes. Time permitting, I will also summarize the second component of the dissertation, which concerns modeling a bivariate meteorological process -temperature and dew point -measured at high temporal frequencies and given covariate information. Dew point is bounded above by temperature, and both are highly nonstationary over the course of a day, so nonstandard methods are needed to characterize their bivariate distribution. We propose a parametric model for how the spectral matrix of a high-frequency component of the process varies with covariates over time. The model captures many of the observed features of the data, is interpretable, and is constrained to maintain the physical bound in the underlying process.


BACKGROUND
Angiogenesis is characteristic of chronic inflammatory reactions. The process of angiogenesis is reported to be proinflammatory in part due to enhanced adhesion events and in part due to increased perfusion and permeability to sites of inflammation. However, little is known about the association between angiogenesis and rejection.

METHODS
Severe combined immune deficient mice are permissive for the growth of human skin allografts and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Human PBMC were injected into mice by intravenous or intraperitoneal injection. The infiltration of cells and the associated angiogenesis reactions in the skin allografts were analyzed temporally by videomicroscopy and spatially by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
Human alloreactive mononuclear cells migrated to human skin but not mouse skin within hours after the intravenous infusion of PBMC. Within 3 days, areas of angiogenesis were observed in the skin grafts at the sites of infiltrates. The vessel densities in skin grafts were 24+/-6 vessels per calibrated grid at baseline on the day of the infusion and increased to 55+/-16 vessels per calibrated field by day 10. Skin grafts harvested from humanized severe combined immune deficient mice 7-14 days after the intraperitoneal infusion of human PBMC showed a similar increased density of vessels that were spatially associated with mononuclear cell infiltrates.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant angiogenesis response was associated with the cell infiltrates in the human skin allografts. The onset of angiogenesis appeared after the initial development of localized infiltrates and preceded the development of microvascular destruction. These findings suggest that alloreactive T cells and/or monocytes mediate the angiogenesis response in skin allografts.


Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, respectively. These mucosal tissues bear commonalities in embryology, structure and physiology. Inherent similarities in immune responses at the two sites, as well as overlapping environmental risk factors, help to explain the increase in prevalence of IBD amongst COPD patients. Over the past decade, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted to define the microbiological makeup of the intestine, known as the intestinal microbiota, and determine its contribution to health and disease. Intestinal microbial dysbiosis is now known to be associated with IBD where it impacts upon intestinal epithelial barrier integrity and leads to augmented immune responses and the perpetuation of chronic inflammation. While much less is known about the lung microbiota, like the intestine, it has its own distinct, diverse microflora, with dysbiosis being reported in respiratory disease settings such as COPD. Recent research has begun to delineate the interaction or crosstalk between the lung and the intestine and how this may influence, or be influenced by, the microbiota. It is now known that microbial products and metabolites can be transferred from the intestine to the lung via the bloodstream, providing a mechanism for communication. While recent studies indicate that intestinal microbiota can influence respiratory health, intestinal dysbiosis in COPD has not yet been described although it is anticipated since factors that lead to dysbiosis are similarly associated with COPD. This review will focus on the gut-lung axis in the context of IBD and COPD, highlighting the role of environmental and genetic factors and the impact of microbial dysbiosis on chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract and lung.


In most eukaryotes, the largest subunit of RNAPII, Rpb1, contains a conserved carboxyterminal domain (CTD) containing a canonical structure of heptapeptide repeats. Two protein complexes of interest, Mediator and Integrator, are known to interact with this CTD in all eukaryotic models they have been described in to date. Recently, orthologs of Mediator and Integrator subunits have been identified within the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila; one of the few eukaryotic lineages to lack a canonically organized CTD. To begin to characterize putative Mediator and Integrator complexes within T. thermophila, I engineered appropriate macronuclear tagging and knockout cassettes. Although the Tetrahymena MED31 ortholog was unable to rescue the slow growth phenotype of a yeast MED31 knockout, or co-purify with yeast Med8-TAP, I identified subunit Med3 as a member of the Med31 interactome in T. thermophila through tandem affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry. I also targeted the Tetrahymena INTS6 locus for knockout as determined by colony PCR. If Mediator and Integrator exist in Tetrahymena despite its divergent CTD of Rpb1, perhaps these complexes have CTD-independent functions beyond what can be effectively studied using conventional model systems.


When investors take part in any investment, the main objective is to increase their wealth. This is achieved when share prices increase. The performance of unit trusts in Kenya has however been poor compared to the counterparts in the rest of the world. The poor performance is a discouragement to individual and corporate investors in addition to affecting the realisation of financial stability according to the Kenya vision 2030. Empirical literature from developed and emerging markets posits that fund size explain the performance of unit trust funds. This study therefore investigated the effects of fund size on the performance of unit trust funds in Kenya. The study adopted an explanatory research design and positivism philosophy. The target population was 16 unit trust firms in Kenya as at the end of the year 2017. The study used a census approach. Secondary data was collected from the audited financial statement of respective unit trusts for the period 2005 to 2017 using a data collection schedule. The study established that fund size has significant positive effect on performance in all funds. The study concluded that increase in fund size increases performance. The study recommends that capital market authority should monitor performance of unit trusts constantly and in addition develop merger policies to encourage small unit trust to merge in order to take advantage of economies of scale.


Abstract A central aspect of human experience and communication is understanding events in terms of agent ("doer") and patient ("undergoer" of action) roles. These event roles are rooted in general cognition and prominently encoded in language, with agents appearing as more salient and preferred over patients. An unresolved question is whether this preference for agents already operates during apprehension, that is, the earliest stage of event processing, and if so, whether the effect persists across different animacy configurations and task demands. Here we contrast event apprehension in two tasks and two languages that encode agents differently; Basque, a language that explicitly case-marks agents ('ergative'), and Spanish, which does not mark agents. In two brief exposure experiments, native Basque and Spanish speakers saw pictures for only 300 ms, and subsequently described them or answered probe questions about them. We compared eye fixations and behavioral correlates of event role extraction with Bayesian regression. Agents received more attention and were recognized better across languages and tasks. At the same time, language and task demands affected the attention to agents. Our findings show that a general preference for agents exists in event apprehension, but it can be modulated by task and language demands.


Abstract. The exploration of new and diverse animal groups in the study of sexual selection is both necessary and important to help better understand broad patterns and test sexual selection hypotheses regarding the evolutionary origins and maintenance of reproductive tactics and associated traits. Solifuges are, in this matter, an exceptional group and very little explored from the sexual selection point of view. At first glance, mating is apparently quite simple and conserved within this arachnid order, but solifuge reproductive behavior is unique among arachnids and more diverse than previously thought. In particular, these voracious animals appear to exhibit high sexual conflict, as males need to avoid being eaten by their aggressive female partners and mating encounters in some species involve periods of apparently male-induced female inactivity during sperm transfer. The extent to which reproductive encounters are coercive versus collaborative, however, remains largely unknown. In this review, we begin with a historical perspective of sexual behavior research in solifuges. We then discuss precopulatory mating patterns, the role of the female and male during mating, sexual dimorphism, and the influence of sexual selection during different stages of mating. In addition, we explore cases of sexual cannibalism and provide an updated analysis of how postcopulatory sexual selection may be acting on these amazing arachnids. This review shows that there is much to be done in this extraordinary group of animals.


herbicide-resistant crop plants are outlined. It is also emphasized that the new approaches of mathematical modelling to the calculation of concentration and timing of a herbicide application to anyone crop may help to reduce the level of application of a herbicide and thus prevent the appearance of resistant weed populations and certainly reduce the cost of weed control to the farmer. This is a very timely book since although it describes the problems that may occur in agriculture and horticulture with the current use of herbicides, it also outlines the advantages that may be obtained from the presence of such resistance in plants; this may ultimately alter the way herbicides are developed and used. M. A. Collin Plant Nutrition-1982. Vols. 1 and 2. Edited by A. Scaife. Pp. 750. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Farnham Royal. 1982. Paperback £20.00.


This paper reports on one finding of a qualitative study using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) in a mixed-methods study examining the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction in Australian aged care employees. The qualitative data suggest that aged care employees are experiencing moral distress relating to the regulatory environment that governs the aged care sector and the compliance processes adopted by regulators and accreditors. One of the reasons for the design and operationalisation of the regulatory environment is to protect vulnerable consumers, the public and the workforce. However, the findings of this research are that it is this environment that also causes damage to the aged care workforce. The question is whether compliance requirements and the regulatory scheme are a shield or sword. The causes of the moral distress were different for leaders and raters. This paper reports on this finding. Moral distress is one of three undesirable outcomes identified in the study and labelled as Workplace Maladies. Moral distress due to regulatory systems and processes experienced by leaders appears to be caused by different factors than the moral distress experienced by raters. Leaders experienced moral distress because of the system and methods of regulatory and standards compliance. In contrast, their followership experienced other regulatory processes such as the scope of practice for health professionals and the requirement to supervise and accept responsibility for unregulated workers who do not have a scope of practice. Unregulated workers reported that the absence of scope of practice is a cause of moral distress. Recommendations are made for changes to the system and processes of compliance assessment and action and for developing a scope of practice for unregulated workers to reduce the moral distress experienced by aged care employees and thus reduce workforce turnover in an already scarce workforce.


In 2007 and 2008, the collapse of the subprime mortgage market and the deterioration of the housing market more generally precipitated a crisis at the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), which together held or guaranteed $5.3 trillion in mortgage assets. Over the course of two years, both entities suffered high losses and saw their liquidity positions deteriorate as the market perceived their rapid decline. On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), pursuant to the authority of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008, took Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship as part of a four-part rescue plan designed to prevent their insolvencies as well as the concomitant collapse of the US mortgage market. This case study discusses the establishment of the secured Credit Facility, which functioned as a liquidity backstop for both entities. Despite having gone unused, the facility's existence assured the liquidity of the two entities and coincided with a resurgence in demand for their debt.


Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common aetiology of hospital acquired infections, the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhoea and a significant clinical and economic burden. Recommended treatment for CDI is prescription of broadspectrum antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment disrupts natural gut microbiota allowing C. difficile to colonize. Clostridium difficile is also resistant to antibiotics and may persist in the gastrointestinal tract for months causing recurrent disease. There is a pressing need for alternate therapies. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a promising treatment option whereby healthy donor faecal samples are infused into a patient thus, theoretically, restoring normal bowel conditions. Until recently there has been a paucity of randomized controlled trials and reports of FMT efficacy have been limited to case studies and series. Here, a meta-analysis of 684 patients treated with FMT across 23 independent studies was conducted, reporting a mean resolution rate of 90.4%. Three RCTs are included that, although methodologically limited, appear to verify reports of high efficacy in case reports with minimal adverse effects. FMT appears to be a safe, highly efficacious and affordable treatment option. Future research should focus on potential long-term safety concerns and optimizing protocols for donor screening, patient selection and FMT administration.


Program Outcomes speak to comprehensive explanations that consolidate numerous zones between related information and aptitudes created throughout the program through a broad scope of courses and encounters. This investigation assesses the realization of Masters in Business Administration Program Outcomes for the year 2019-2020 Alumni. The respondents to the inquiry were 70 utilizing descriptive survey methods as an examination instrument on snowball sampling. Frequency and simple percentage, weighted mean, and Chi-square Test of Independence had been used to summarize, analyze, and interpret the data. The findings revealed that Program outcomes, which apply theories and best practices in business and management as intrapreneurs/entrepreneurs and extending community services on business and management development, were less realized. The examination concluded that MBA understudies must have business management research-based guidelines that ought to be actualized and continued. Outcome-Based Teaching and Learning ought to be received to empower students to create aptitudes required in the course. Community services spreading business and management development should be adjusted each semester to guarantee maintainability in community vocation programs. The movement of mechanical ways to deal with overseeing, preparing, and learning demands is likewise a thing to improve in adapting to the new pattern and advancements of the money manager and business people.


Metabolic syndrome (hereinafter referred to as MS) is the main noncommunicable pandemic that determines the structure of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The reversibility of metabolic homeostasis disorders in MS provides a real opportunity to postpone the onset of associated diseases to a later date. The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual model for regulation the development of MS. As part of the case-control study, 2 groups were formed out of 3000 participants representatives of the Kazakh ethnic group in the third generation aged 20-60 years, selected randomly: the main group (with MS -1833 participants) and the control group (without MS -1167 participants). We compared 85 phenotypic traits and 114 single nucleotide polymorphisms (hereinafter referred to as SNPs) that had an impact on the risk of MS in other populations. The obtained results allowed us to see new opportunities in the management of MS symptoms, identify and evaluate the factors that are most significant for the risk of developing associated diseases prematurely. The regulation model proposed based on the concept of homeostasis maintenance uses early complex intervention at the level of modifiable risk factors. A clear advantage of the model over others is the active participation of the patient in the formation of their own health under the supervision of a consultant, mainly online. Its effectiveness will also be promoted by multi-factorism and dynamic development, providing an increasingly individual solution for a particular patient, as well as the medical and social nature of the concept.


ABSTRACT: This article treats of a systematized review of literature on a basis of scientific data. Also, it aims at identifying the nursing cares provided to pacients who underwent peritoneal dialysis, intending to identify, in the scientific productions studied, its evidences in the continuity of the client's health education and the home visitation. The nurse needs to have knowledge about the chronic renal insufficiency matter and also about the peritoneal dialysis. Nursing has an important role both in home and ambulatory accompaniment, needing special specific studies. 10 (tem) articles were selected and analysed and it was concluded and the benefits of the application of those instruments in nursing care to clients presenting chronic renal insufficiency matter in peritoneal dialysis were confirmed.


Oxidative stress contributes not only to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) but also to diabetic vascular complications. It follows that antioxidants might contribute to limiting the diabetes burden. In this review we focus on ellagic acid (EA), a compound that can be obtained upon intestinal hydrolysis of dietary ellagitannins, a family of polyphenols naturally found in several fruits and seeds. There is increasing research on cardiometabolic effects of ellagitannins, EA, and urolithins (EA metabolites). We updated research conducted on these compounds and (I) glucose metabolism; (II) inflammation, oxidation, and glycation; and (III) diabetic complications. We included studies testing EA in isolation, extracts or preparations enriched in EA, or EA-rich foods (mostly pomegranate juice). Animal research on the topic, entirely conducted in murine models, mostly reported glucose-lowering, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-glycation effects, along with prevention of micro- and macrovascular diabetic complications. Clinical research is incipient and mostly involved non-randomized and low-powered studies, which confirmed the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of EA-rich foods, but without conclusive results on glucose control. Overall, EA-related compounds might be potential agents to limit the diabetes burden, but well-designed human randomized controlled trials are needed to fill the existing gap between experimental and clinical research.


In Turkey, the prevalence of severe weather events increases markedly in recent years. It affects people's lives in a negative way.Forecast of severe weathers events and determination of risky areas of severe weather events, monitoring of these areas later in products, such as radar and satellite, it is important for the preparation of early warning. Skew-T LogP diagrams is one of the most important of parameters that are used in the analysis of the vertical structures of air of the atmosphere. Also Meteorological radars in the follow-up of cloud cause severe weather is one of the most important parameters. Proper analysis Skew-T LogP diagrams plays an important role in identifying risk areas of air parcels and can provide detailed information on the ambient air. Skew T Log P can help to estimare the Overshooting top. In this study, Oversooting Top which is obtained by Skew T logP diagram compared with top of cloud values which is obtained by Radar Max products. Finally, The results were found to be compatible with each other.


Background:
 Identification and treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the emergency department (ED) requires coordinated efforts between all members of the healthcare team. In an ED that historically treats 4-10 patients a month as potential AIS, the mean door to treatment time was 60 minutes (N=132). The ED Acute Stroke Committee (EDASC) identified the opportunity to improve the existing process through the use of lean methodology, setting a goal of door to treatment time of 30 minutes for AIS patients in a large, urban teaching hospital.

 Methods:
 Lean methodologies were chosen as a process improvement strategy. Used historically by automobile manufacturers, lean was employed by our healthcare organization to improve a process by identifying and eliminating waste. Frontline team members met to standardize the process, provide clear visual cues to steps in the process in order to identify deviations immediately and return the process to optimal performance. The EDASC invited emergency nurses, physicians, technicians, radiology staff, neurology physicians and nurses, social workers and EMS providers to a 2.5 day event in January 2011. After reviewing the current process from screening through treatment, identifying all steps that were not value added. Based on the identified inefficiencies, the team created the ideal process. Two key nursing changes were identified: (1) the use of a specific nursing screening template to ensure critical screening and assessment questions were asked by every nurse for both walk-in and EMS patients and (2) standardization of mixing and administration of tPA when ordered by the treating physician.

 Results:
 Protocol changes were implemented March 1, 2011. For improvement in screening, new computerized documentation templates guided the nurse in specific screening questions at triage and with EMS providers when calls were received from the field. The enhanced screening documentation led to decreased likelihood of activation for non-stroke patients while increasing the number of actual AIS patient evaluations. After initial implementation, review of each stroke activation for a one week period refined the screening tool and allow for immediate modification. For expediting tPA preparation and delivery, use of computerized templates for the mixing and administration of tPA ensured consistency of process. Overall, the protocol changes applied from the lean process led to a decrease in time from patient arrival to tPA treatment from 60 minutes before the protocol change to a median of 37 minutes (N=37) after the protocol changes.

 Conclusions:
 Rapid process improvement using lean tools creates opportunities to radically alter a process of care in a short implementation period. Standardized screening for ischemic stroke by nursing staff at patient arrival can eliminate delays in care and expedite tPA administration.


BACKGROUND
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), hemifacial spasm (HFS), and glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) are hyperactive dysfunction syndromes (HDS) commonly caused by microvascular compression of their root entry zone. Cases of combined HDS involving 2 or more of these entities are extremely rare. Although microvascular decompression is the surgical treatment of choice, there are additional techniques that have been described as efficient methods to accomplish vessel transposition.

OBJECTIVE
To our knowledge, we present the first reported case of triple simultaneous HDS successfully treated using the clip-sling technique to achieve microvascular decompression. We discuss several technical pearls and pitfalls relevant to the use of the sling suspension technique.

METHODS
We report the rare case of a 66-yr-old male with combined simultaneous unilateral right-sided TN, HFS, and GPN because of a dolichoectatic vertebrobasilar system compressing the exit zones of the right trigeminal, facial, and glossopharyngeal nerves and present a literature review of combined HDS and their different surgical treatments.

RESULTS
Symptomatic TN, HFS, and GPN have been reported 8 times in the literature with our case being the ninth. A retrosigmoid craniotomy was performed for microvascular decompression of the brainstem with a clip-sling suspension technique augmented with Teflon felt pledgets. The patient had immediate complete relief from TN, HFS, and GPN postoperatively.

CONCLUSION
Microvascular decompression using the clip-sling technique via a retrosigmoid approach should be considered as a safe and effective option for transposition and suspension of the offending artery and decompression of the affected nerve roots in cases of combined HDS.


A new phenacyl-type photoinitiator based on ethyl carbazole as a long wavelength photo-initiator is developed for free radical polymerization. Phenacyl ethyl carbazolium hexafluoroantimonate (PECH) photoinitiator is synthesized in a two-step, one-pot manner by quaternizing ethyl carbazole with phenacyl bromide and subsequent ion exchange reaction with potassium hexafluoroantimonate. Under irradiation, PECH tends to undergo homolytic bond cleavage bringing about initiating free radicals. However, as evidenced by cyclic voltammetry and real-time photobleaching studies, formation of initiating cationic species is highly unlikely as the photochemically formed charged carbazole units tend to couple.


We characterise the mineralogy and geochemistry of Oligo-Miocene Maykopian shales that are currently extruded by onshore mud volcanoes of the Kerch-Taman Province (the Northern Black Sea) from the depths of ~2.5–3 km. The ejected muds are remarkable by highly diverse authigenic mineralogy that comprises glauconite, apatite, siderite, mixed Fe–Mg–Mn–(Ca) and Mn–Ca–Fe-carbonates, pyrite, marcasite, sphalerite, cinnabar, chalcopyrite, nukundamite, akantite, native Cu, Au and Au–Ag alloys. Precise geochemical techniques and high-resolution methods are applied to study the composition of bulk rocks, sulphide and carbonate fractions, as well as individual mineral species, including trace element and isotopic compositions of carbonates (C, O) and pyrite (S). Mineralogy of clastic and heavy fractions is used as a provenance tracer. Oxygen-deficient to weakly sulphuric deposition conditions are inferred for the parent sediments proceeding from trace element partitioning between carbonate, sulphide, and metallic phases. The main conclusion of the study is that onshore mud volcanoes of the region only transport buried sedimentary material and authigenic minerals they store to the ground surface.


Geometric nonlinearities of flexure hinges introduced by large deflections often complicate the analysis of compliant mechanisms containing such members, and therefore, Pseudo-Rigid-Body Models (PRBMs) have been well proposed and developed by Howell [1994] to analyze the characteristics of slender beams under large deflection. These models, however, fail to approximate the characteristics for the deep beams (short beams) or the other flexure hinges. Lobontiu's work [2001] contributed to the diverse flexure hinge analysis building on the assumptions of small deflection, which also limits the application range of these flexure hinges and cannot analyze the stiffness and stress characteristics of these flexure hinges for large deflection.
Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to analyze flexure hinges considering both the effects of large-deflection and shear force, which guides the design of flexure-based compliant mechanisms. The main work conducted in the thesis is outlined as follows.
1. Three popular types of flexure hinges: (circular flexure hinges, elliptical flexure hinges and corner-filleted flexure hinges) are chosen for analysis at first.
2. Commercial software (Comsol) based Finite Element Analysis (FEA) method is then used for correcting the errors produced by the equations proposed by Lobontiu when the chosen flexure hinges suffer from large deformation.
3. Three sets of generic design equations for the three types of flexure hinges are further proposed on the basis of stiffness and stress characteristics from the FEA results.
4. A flexure-based four-bar compliant mechanism is finally studied and modeled using the proposed generic design equations. The load-displacement relationships are verified by a numerical example. The results show that a maximum error about the relationship between moment and rotation deformation is less than 3.4% for a flexure hinge, and it is lower than 5% for the four-bar compliant mechanism compared with the FEA results.


Nanotechnology has emerged as a field of science and engineering which offers many new product possibilities and potential solutions for a variety of problems. Nanomaterials come in many shapes and forms and contribute to potential products that do everything from sense analytes on a molecular level to function as self cleaning surfaces. With new and significant applications, it is likely that nanomaterial containing products may replace many of the products we use on a daily basis, leading to an increased presence of these materials in the environment. This will result in new needs and requirements from detection tools. It is likely that the analytical methods used to monitor nanomaterials in the environment will be very different than those used in risk assessment and exposure studies. This paper briefly outlines the history, impacts, and uses of nanomaterials and discusses possible methods of detection and quantification for environmental samples. The discussions in this article are specific to those matrices relating to wastewaters and sludge.


The MGCCC JC Library will be hosting The National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health traveling exhibition, Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature, January 21-February 28, 2020. Learn more here.


In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of the addition of caprylic (octanoic, C8:0), capric (decanoic, C10:0) and lauric (dodecanoic, C12:0) acids from medium-chain free fatty acids to broiler diets. A total of 120 one-dayold male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were used and the study was conducted on 4 main groups of broilers; one control and three trials. The birds in the control group was fed an unadulterated basal diet and those in the experimental groups were fed with 0.2% of caprylic, capric and lauric acids (in addition to a basal diet) respectively. In the study, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of mean live weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion rate, serum glucose, total cholesterol, total protein and albumin (P>0.05). However, the triglyceride levels were detected to be significantly lower in the experimental groups (P<0.05) than control group. Seventeen different types of fatty acids were determined and were profiled from breast meat samples and it was indicated that most of fatty acid types showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05) among the experimental groups. As a result, it was concluded that the addition of 0.2% of free caprylic, capric or lauric acids to broiler diets generally did not result in specific performance effects among the groups but significant differences occurred in the meat fatty acid profile. The most important changes were the increases of total n-3 levels and the decreases of total n-6 and n-6/n-3 levels, in fatty acid supplemented groups. It was also found that lauric acid was accumulated significantly in poultry meat. The data suggests that the use of medium-chain fatty acid in broiler rations may change poultry meat fat composition in a way that positively affects human health and also prolongs shelf life.


Reported in this paper are the findings from two discrete choice experiments that were carried out to address the value of a number of farm landscape improvement measures within the Rural Environment Protection (REP) Scheme in Ireland. Image manipulation software is used to prepare photorealistic simulations representing the landscape attributes across three levels to accurately represent what is achievable within the Scheme. Using a mixed logit specification willingness to pay (WTP) distributions based on the parameter estimates obtained from the individual conditional distributions are derived. These estimates are subsequently adjusted and combined to account for baselines and levels of improvement resulting from the implementation of the REP Scheme. Individual-specific WTP estimates are thus obtained for the contribution of the Scheme to rural landscapes and are subsequently contrasted with the average cost of the Scheme across the Irish adult population. Results indicate that the Scheme contributes substantial benefits to rural landscapes.


Restenosis is a particular problem in small vessels following a successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty remains the main obstacle to this technique for myocardial revascularisation. The occurrence of restenosis, which is now known to be caused by both vessel remodelling and neointimal hyperplasia, might be reduced in the future by a combined mechanical and pharmacological approach. Despite intensive investigation in this area, no pharmacological therapy has yet been found to be useful in preventing restenosis after conventional balloon angioplasty. Though dramatic improvements in catheter and stent technology, in stent restenosis continue to hamper initial procedural success in patients undergoing coronary intervention. With the advent of drug eluting stents, opportunities for even greater long term success appears to be a reality.


Sequence processing has long been a central area of machine learning research. Recurrent neural nets have been successful in processing sequences for a number of tasks; however, they are known to be both ineffective and computationally expensive when applied to very long sequences. Compression-based methods have demonstrated more robustness when processing such sequences -- in particular, an approach pairing the Lempel-Ziv Jaccard Distance (LZJD) with the k-Nearest Neighbor algorithm has shown promise on long sequence problems (up to $T=200,000,000$ steps) involving malware classification. Unfortunately, use of LZJD is limited to discrete domains. To extend the benefits of LZJD to a continuous domain, we investigate the effectiveness of a deep-learning analog of the algorithm, the Lempel-Ziv Network. While we achieve successful proof of concept, we are unable to improve meaningfully on the performance of a standard LSTM across a variety of datasets and sequence processing tasks. In addition to presenting this negative result, our work highlights the problem of sub-par baseline tuning in newer research areas.


We develop a retrieval scheme by using advanced very-high-resolution radiometer (AVHRR) 3.7- and 10.9-microm data to compute simultaneously the temperature, optical depth, and mean effective ice-crystal size for cirrus clouds. The methodology involves the numerical solution of a set of nonlinear algebraic equations derived from the theory of radiative transfer. The solution requires the correlation of emissivities of two channels in terms of the effective extinction ratio. The dependence of this ratio on ice-crystal size distribution is examined by using an adding-doubling radiative transfer program. Investigation of the effects of cirrus parameters on upwelling radiances reveals that the brightnesstemperature difference between the two channels becomes larger for colder cirrus and smaller ice-crystal sizes. We apply the current retrieval scheme to satellite data collected at 0930 UTC, 28 October 1986, over the region of the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Regional Experiment CirrusIntesive Field Observation. We select the data over an area (~ 44 degrees N, 92 degrees W) near Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, for analysis. The retrieved cirrus heights compare reasonably well with lidar measurements taken at Fort McCoy 2 h after a satellite overpass at the target region. The retrieved mean effective crystal size is close to that derived from in situ aircraft measurements over Madison, Wisconsin, six hours after a satellite overpass.


We describe a simple and cost-effective method for the synthesis of an internal fluorescently labeled DNA standard for fragment sizing using an automated DNA sequencer. A set of primer pairs labeled with ROX was developed to amplify 12 DNA fragments, 58-417 bp, derived from a conserved region of plant chloroplast DNA. These amplified fragments were mixed together, constituting a fluorescent internal DNA size marker. The precision of the size standard was evaluated by estimating the size of 20 alleles that were amplified at four dinucleotide microsatellite loci with the synthesized size standard and the commercial internal sizing standard, GeneScan Rox500. A number of intra-gel and inter-gel comparisons were run, and an analysis of variance was carried out. No significant difference was observed between the size estimates obtained with the synthesized DNA standard and the commercial standard. This facile and general PCR-based method for the synthesis of internal standards allows for significant savings in the implementation of large genotyping experiments using microsatellite or AFLP markers.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether primary operative management (decortication within the first 2 days of hospitalization) decreases hospital length of stay (LOS) and total charges in children with empyema.

DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING
Nationally representative Kids' Inpatient Database for 2003.

PARTICIPANTS
Children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years (hereinafter referred to as children) with empyema.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Hospital LOS and total charges.

RESULTS
A total of 1173 children with empyema were identified. Compared with children treated with primary nonoperative management, children treated with primary operative management had a shorter hospital LOS by 4.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-6.4) days and lower total hospital charges by $21,179.80 (95% CI, -$34,111.12 to -$8248.48) and were less likely to be transferred to another short-term hospital (0% vs 13.3%). In addition, children with primary operative management were less likely to have therapeutic failure (odds ratio, 0.08 [95% CI, 0.04-0.15]). There was no difference in complications between the 2 groups (odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.59-1.74]).

CONCLUSION
Primary operative management is associated with decreased LOS, hospital charges, and likelihood of transfer to another short-term hospital, compared with nonoperative management.


The proximate biochemical composition and metabolic rates of ctenophores Mnemiopsis leidyi and Beroe ovata from the Black Sea were examined with respect to starvation conditions. Although organic matter content in B. ovata was two times higher than that of M. leidyi (2.51 ±0.53 and 1.14 ±0.17 mg g-1 of wet weight, respectively), these species did not significantly differ in their biochemical composition. In both species protein formed about 80% of the total organic matter, lipids amounted to about 10%. Carbohydrate and amino acids measured separately made up less than 6.5% of the total organic matter. Under experimental starvation (18 days at 16—18°C for B. ovata and 8 days at 12.4°C for M. leidyi), wet weights of both ctenophore species were reduced by 9.4% and 9.3% d-1, respectively. The rate of organic matter decrease was nearly two times lower than that of wet weight being on average 5.9% d-1 in M. leidyi and 5.5% d-1 in B. ovata. There was no trend in percentage of the four major biochemical categories with starvation time. The glycogen content in polysaccharides reached maximum values in freshly collected ctenophores (76.0 ±7.9% in B. ovata, and 86.6% in M. leidyi), but it was reduced substantially (34.4 ±2.7% in B. ovata and 18.3—28.8% in M. leidyi) with starvation. Monosaccharide content, expressed as a percentage of total carbohydrate, decreased from 39.9% to 13.5% in B. ovata, and from 45.8% to 14.3—23.2% in M. leidyi. The relationship between respiration rate (R) and wet weight (W) of individuals during the starvation can be expressed by power function R = R1 Wk (r2=0.85—0.94; P>0.001) for both ctenophore species. On average, k values were 0.95 and 0.83 in B. ovata and in M. leidyi, respectively. By the end of the starvation, metabolic rate per unit wet weight decreased by 33% in B. ovata and 46% in M. leidyi. Organic matter utilization was almost totally explained by respiration of ctenophores in the experiments and exceeded metabolic requirements of studied species by 11% and 15%, correspondingly. As compared with Mnemiopsis, Beroe has better tolerance to starvation which explains to some extent the success of the species survival during prolonged periods of food shortage in the Black Sea conditions.


To determine the relationship between non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) lowering and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk reduction for various lipid-modifying therapies. Non-HDL-C is the guideline-defined secondary target of therapy after LDL-C. Whether the method of lowering non-HDL-C influences CHD risk is unknown. Randomized, placebo or active-controlled trials were evaluated. The effect of mean non-HDL-C reduction on the relative risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death was estimated using Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis models adjusted for study duration. Cochrane's Q was used to test for heterogeneity. Study inclusion criteria were met by 14 statin (n=100,827), 7 fibrate (n=21,647), and 6 niacin (n=4445) trials, and 1 trial each of a bile acid sequestrant (n=3806), diet (n=458), and partial ileal bypass surgery (n=838). For statins, each 1% decrease in non-HDL-C resulted in a 0.99% (95% CI 0.98% – 1.00%) decrease in CHD risk over 4.5 years. Although the fibrate model did not differ from the statin model (Bayes factor K=0.49), there was a suggestion that the relationship between non-HDL-C and CHD risk differed by fibrate type. For each 1% reduction in non-HDL-C, in the 2 fenofibrate trials demonstrated a 0.7% reduction in CHD risk versus 2–3% reductions in risk for the 2 gemfibrozil trials; however, homogeneity could not be excluded (Q 3.66, 6 df; p=0.68). The niacin model was moderately different from the statin model (K=7.43), with heterogeneity among the trials (Q 11.8, df 5; p=0.038). The only niacin monotherapy trial (n=3908) had a 1:1 relationship between non-HDL-C and risk reduction. No consistent relationships were apparent for the 5 small trials of niacin in combination. The 95% CIs for the diet, bile acid sequestrants, and surgery trials also included the 1:1 relationship. These findings support the use of non-HDL-C as an important target of therapy for CHD prevention. Most lipid-modifying drugs used as monotherapy have an approximately 1:1 relationship between percent non-HDL-C lowering and CHD reduction, although this relationship may vary by type of fibrate. Small trial sizes limit conclusions regarding niacin used in combination.


There are two contrasting views of the rule that abstract ideas cannot be patented. On one view, the rule prohibits patents for invention where the inventive concept lies solely in an idea, rather than its application. On the alternative view, the rule prohibits only claims to an abstract idea as such; a claim to an application of an idea is acceptable, even if the inventive concept lies solely in the idea. This paper shows that the second interpretation has been clearly accepted from the earliest cases of the industrial revolution in which the rule was established, and the first interpretation has been expressly rejected. The paper then examines the rationale for the rule, which is less clear. The paper argues that the first interpretation of the rule is unacceptable from a policy perspective, as it is inconsistent with the fundamental nature of inventions as information. On the other hand, there are three plausible policy justifications for the second interpretation: the requirement of present benefit; the property principle, that requires that a potential infringer can determine ex ante whether his or her course of action will infringe; and the evidentiary principle, that infringement of the invention must be susceptible to being reliably proven. These rationales are generally consistent and the case law to date does not allow one to be preferred over the others. None of them supports a requirement of physicality in the invention as claimed.


The project Modelling of Interface evolution in advanced Welding (MIntWeld) is a 4-year international research project funded by the European Commission under their FP7 programme. Its main target is to develop a numerical toolbox which can be used to predict the evolution of interfaces during welding. There are various interfaces involving multiple phenomena and different spatial scales, which can be simulated using corresponding numerical modelling methods respectively. The modelling methods include quantum dynamics, molecular dynamics, phase field, phase field crystal, computational fluid dynamics, phase transformation and heat transfer, thermodynamics, continuum mechanics and life and defects prediction. Although each modelling method is based on different physical theories and involves different scales, they are not isolated. Therefore, this project aims to design a common framework which couples each model with the upstream and/or downstream model at the relevant neighbouring length scales. The data exchange framework which underpins the coupling of the models is described, and typical examples addressing the solution to the challenges faced, such as those of data interpolation between one discretisation of the computational domain and another, are discussed. Initial successes from the model-linking efforts of the authors are also presented.


Northern Eurasia is a region experiencing documented changes in temperature and large-scale streamflow, yet little attention has been focused on the large-scale energy budgets over the region. We compare station data and gridded radiation products from reanalysis and remote sensing to evaluate the radiative fluxes across northern Eurasia. On annual timescales, we find that the downward shortwave radiation products, with the exception of those of the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, compare well with long-term station observations, but that this agreement breaks down with smaller timescales and for downward longwave and upward shortwave and longwave radiation. Of the six gridded products, the Surface Radiation Budget data set performs the best as compared to observations. Differences in radiative fluxes are on the order of 15–20 W m−2 on seasonal timescales, averaged across the region, with larger variations spatially and at smaller timescales. The resulting uncertainty in net radiation has implications for climate and hydrologic analyses that seek to understand changes in northern Eurasia climate and its hydrologic cycle.


The Nazarov cyclization, a well-known method for the formation of cyclopentenones, mechanistically involves the 4π electrocyclization of a 1,4-pentadienyl cation, generated from cross-conjugated divinyl ketones. Recently, advances related to this cyclization, such as the incorporation of heteroatoms as well as the use of cyclopropanes as double bond equivalents have extended the scope of the original reaction. The modifications discussed in this review, which covers the years 2009-2013, have allowed the realization of both heteroatom- and homo-Nazarov cyclizations.


Since abolition, women have used the media to bring attention to causes and injustices in society. Issues faced by these women are some of the same issues faced by women in public relations today and possibly the future. This paper is the history of the women of pre-professional public relations in relation to their use of the media to bring about change and communicate with an audience. It also discusses the evolution of the public relations profession as it pertains to the parallel issues that the women of the first wave faced in relation to the second wave, or professional era. The paper will then synthesize these two eras in public relations and discuss the future of women in the profession as seen by researchers and women practicing at this time.


The use of internet technologies in daily life has risen dramatically in recent years, increasing researchers interest in how social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are changing social realities and potentially facilitating innovative research methodologies. As technology and migration are considered prominent drivers of the globalization processes, the increasing interest of migration researchers isunsurprising. Nevertheless, given the relative youth of research in this field, approaches to the topic differ. By taking a step back and viewing the literature from a wide range of disciplines, this paper provides a broad overview of the current state of research on migration and social media in four key areas 1 the use of social media to trigger and facilitate migration in both positive networks and negative ways human trafficking; 2 the role of social media and migrant integration; 3 the use of social media in diaspora engagement; and 4 the use of social media in conducting migration research. This paper adds to the literature by being the first systematic review of the topic.


Author(s): Frum, Tristan | Advisor(s): Ralston, Amy | Abstract: Pluripotent cells have the potential to create any cell type, and therefore represent a source of healthy cells by which to replace diseased cells in regenerative therapies. Thus, understanding how pluripotent cells are established and regulated is a major milestone in developing safe and effective regenerative therapies. In the mammalian embryo pluripotent cells emerge through two rounds of cell fate decisions that in addition to establishing pluripotent cells, establish two differentiated cell lineages. The molecules and signaling pathways that regulate these cell fate decisions represent key players in the establishment and regulation of pluripotent cells. In this thesis, I use the mouse embryo as a system in which to gain insight into how pluripotency is established and regulated. Cdx2, Oct4 and Sox2 are transcription factors that are important regulators of pluripotency in vitro, but their role in regulating the cell fate decisions that establish pluripotency in vivo is less clear. By using a loss-of-function approach, I define the roles of each of these factors in regulating the cell fate decisions that establish pluripotency in the early mouse embryo. First, by eliminating maternal and zygotic Cdx2 I demonstrate that Cdx2 is not a maternal determinant for pluripotency or differentiation during early embryo cell fate decisions. Second, I eliminate both maternal and zygotic Oct4 and demonstrate that the initial specification of pluripotent and non-pluripotent lineages in the early mouse embryo is independent of Oct4, and that instead, Oct4 cell-autonomously regulates both formation of pluripotent cells, and differentiation of a non-pluripotent lineage, the primitive endoderm. Third, I demonstrate that in contrast to Oct4, Sox2 promotes differentiation of primitive endoderm non-cell autonomously. These results support the model that pluripotency is acquired through these early embryonic cell fate decisions, rather than being determined during early embryogenesis. Furthermore, analysis of the roles of Oct4 and Sox2 in these early embryonic cell fate decisions highlights distinct roles for these factors in establishing pluripotency and suggests that although in vitro Oct4 and Sox2 appear to have overlapping roles, these master regulators of pluripotency have distinct cell type specific roles in regulating the cell fate decisions that establish pluripotency in the early mouse embryo. Taken together, the research presented in this thesis greatly increases our understanding of the regulation of the cell fate decisions that establish pluripotency in the embryo and provides important insights into the biology of key regulators of pluripotency in vitro and in vivo.


Metal Oxide nanowires are versatile nanostructured materials with diverse yet unique properties. Potentially, they have a wide range of applications in electrical, chemical and semiconductor technologies (Yang, Wu et al. 2002; Rao, Deepak et al. 2003; Law, Goldberger et al. 2004; Shankar and Raychaudhuri 2005; Lu, Chang et al. 2006; Lu and Lieber 2006). Research interests in metal oxide nanowires commenced in 1990s. Up to now, there have been a considerable number of reports on success in the synthesis of 1-dimensional nanocrystalline structured nanowires of various metal oxides, such as CuO(Wang, Zhan et al. 2001; Jiang, Herricks et al. 2002), MgO(Ma and Bando 2003), ZnO(Tian, Voigt et al. 2003; Vayssieres 2003; Heo, Norton et al. 2004; Wang, Song et al. 2007; Manoharan, Desai et al. 2008), TiO2(Lakshmi, Partissi et al. 1997; Li and Wang 1999; Li and Xia 2003; Wu, Shih et al. 2005; Wu, Shih et al. 2006), Al2O3(Valcarcel, Souto et al. 1998; Xiao, Han et al. 2002), Ga2O3(Wu, Song et al. 2000), In2O3(Li, Zhang et al. 2003), SnO2(Dai, Pan et al. 2001), Sb2O5(Guo, Wu et al. 2000), V2O5(Chen, Sun et al. 2002), BaTiO3(Urban, Spanier et al. 2003), etc. The methodology of synthesis is now well developed. Reported techniques include vapor-solid phase technique(Valcarcel, Souto et al. 1998; Wu, Song et al. 2000; Jiang, Herricks et al. 2002; Ma and Bando 2003; Wu, Shih et al. 2005; Wu, Shih et al. 2006), chemical solution deposition (sol-gel) (Lakshmi, Partissi et al. 1997; Urban, Spanier et al. 2003), template etching(Xiao, Han et al. 2002), percipitation(Tian, Voigt et al. 2003; Vayssieres 2003), micro-emulsion(Guo, Wu et al. 2000), flux growth(Dai, Pan et al. 2001) and others. These are well reviewed by Shangkar et al.(Shankar and Raychaudhuri 2005). Among all the properties of metal oxide nanowires, their mechanical property is one of the most highly structure dependent and features strongly in many applications. The structural and mechanical phenomena and related mechanisms have attracted significant research interests. However, due to the difficulties in manipulating the nano-sized specimens, experimental characterizations are limited to simple mechanical tests to measure quantities like Young's modulus, strength et al. Comparatively, numerical studies, especially molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, are well suited for nanostructured materials, and have been broadly applied for investigating structural and mechanical properties. In this chapter, we will review the structural characteristics and mechanical properties of different types of metal oxides, both experimentally and numerically. Besides reviewing published literatures, we will be focusing on reporting the outputs from our research group.


Experimentally measured values of the laminar flame speed (SL) are reported for the primary reference fuels over a range of unburned-gas temperatures (Tu) spanning from room temperature to above 1,000 K, providing the highest-temperature SL measurements ever reported for gasoline-relevant fuels. Measurements were performed using expanding flames ignited within a shock tube and recorded using side-wall schlieren imaging. The recently introduced area-averaged linear curvature (AA-LC) model is used to extrapolate stretch-free flame speeds from the aspherical flames. High-temperature SL measurements are compared to values simulated using different kinetic mechanisms and are used to assess three functional forms of empirical SL–Tu relationships: the ubiquitous power-law model, an exponential relation, and a non-Arrhenius form. This work demonstrates the significantly enhanced capability of the shock-tube flame speed method to provide engine-relevant SL measurements with the potential to meaningfully improve accuracy and reduce uncertainty of kinetic mechanisms when used to predict global combustion behaviors most relevant to practical engine applications.


In the landscape of the Western Carpathian Mountains places of groundwater discharge can be found, forming rather small and isolated spring wetlands surrounded by woodlands, fields or pastures. Spring wetlands or spring fens are unique and nowadays very rare and threatened habitats with rich fauna and flora. We can recognize four types of fens depending on spring water chemistry: extremely mineral-rich fens with tufa formation, mineral-rich fens without the tufa, mineral-rich Sphagnum fens and mineral-poor Sphagnum fens. The gradient of mineral richness (poor-rich gradient) affects biota of these habitats (e. g. vegetation, molluscs, diatoms, dipteran larvae and also clitellates). Clitellates are a part of permanent fauna in spring fens that is often neglected. Our research revealed a surprisingly high diversity of clitellate fauna in fens typically containing aquatic species (e. g. family Naididae and Lumbriculidae) and also semiaquatic species (e. g. some species of the family Enchytraeidae). Sites with tufa incrustations are apparently not very favourable for these organisms. However, one lumbriculid species, Trichodrilus strandi, seems to be a specialist for this type of spring fens. Its populations reach high and stable abundances in comparison with other species in spring fens. Between 2006 and 2012 we studied clitellate assemblages (aquatic Oligochaeta and leeches) of 47 permanent treeless spring fens in the Slovak part of the Western Carpathian Mountains. In spring and autumn season altogether 188 samples of substrate with aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected at each site at two contrasting mesohabitats (flowing water and standing water). Over 20 000 individuals belonging to 48 taxa and eight families ("Oligochaeta": Enchytraeidae, Haplotaxidae, Lumbricidae, Lumbriculidae, Naididae, Hirudinida: Erpobdellidae, Glossiphoniidae, Haemopidae) were found. One fifth of the total number of individuals belonged to the species T. strandi that was dominant in tufa-forming fens in most cases. Statistical analyses revealed one complex gradient of changes in substrate quality (amount of organic matter, total organic carbon in substrate) and mineral richness of water (pH, conductivity).


This paper analyzes the links between child labour and poor school performance, using data gathered in Ghana in recent years. Author Christopher Heady moves away from conventional studies on child labour and education, which tend to focus on low school enrolment and attendance. He goes further, to examine the day to day impact of child labour on those in school, finding that, as well as leaving children too tired to learn, child labour robs them of their interest in learning. Children who are already contributing economically to their family income may be less interested in academic achievement, resulting in lack of motivation that affects both their learning and their future prospects.


Agricultural systems are complex, because managers need to cope with interlinked and dynamic ecological, social, political and economic aspects. Understanding and analysing such systems requires researchers to adopt a holistic approach to grasp the links between those aspects. Holistic approaches within agricultural research – known as Farming Systems Research (FSR) support researchers in sharing knowledge and different perspectives concerning the research process and problems. Sharing knowledge and perspectives enables to holistically understand and conceptualise complex systems, as well as to structure and manage research projects. The aim of this paper is to suggest and present a guideline for agricultural researchers to carry out an economic and environmental analysis of food supply chains with a FSR approach. We describe how participants of the EU-project SOLIBAM (Strategies for Organic and Low-input Integrated Breeding and Management) used the guideline to structure, manage and carry out an economic and environmental analysis of the food supply chains of concern. The FSR approach enabled the participants to jointly define and model the structure of the supply chains, identify the requirements for data collection and collect data.