Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) are generally analyzed from the accounting, economic and financial perspective; this paper seeks to contribute to their understanding from the legal perspective. The objectives hereof are, first, to establish the legal nature of Act 1314 of 2009 from the theory of law, taking into account that decrees incorporate into the legal system the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) an approximation to its structure, in addition, to making explicit rules for interpretation applicable in Colombia. The second objective is to analyze in a simple random sample of concepts issued by the Consejo Tecnico de la Contaduria Publica (CTCP per its acronym in Spanish-Technical Council of Public Accounts-), during the period 2013-2018, whether the rules of interpretation have been considered, to identify if there are normative gaps, conflict among rules or between rules and principles. The results allowed us to infer that: (a) the grammatical method prevails, (b) there are few cases formulated by absence or normative conflict, and (c) the presence of a principled model is not yet perceived by the structure of queries and concepts.


Ever since mass-market processors transitioned from single-core to multi-core architectures, software could no longer rely on an increase in sequential performance for an increase in software performance. Now, developing high-performance software on multi-core architectures requires to exploit the apparent parallelism. Concurrent programming is the main tool for developing such software, but programmers struggle to create correct and scalable concurrent systems. It is argued in this thesis Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP) is a great model for creating correct and expressive concurrent systems. Further, it is argued combining the parallel nature of CSP with a dynamic multithreaded runtime system sets the foundation for creating high-performant and scalable software for multicore architectures. This thesis details the development of ProXC++ – a CSP-influenced concurrency library for modern C++, which is built around dynamic multithreading. Dynamic multithreading is implemented as a collection of lightweight processes cooperatively scheduled on multiple schedulers. The runtime system follows the hybrid threading model, where processes are implemented as user-threads, and each runtime scheduler runs on its own kernel-thread. Runtime schedulers employ randomized work stealing for load balancing ready processes to idle schedulers. A detailed design and implementation of ProXC++ is presented, with focus on dynamic multithreading. New and existing algorithms are described, mostly for how process management, inter-process communication and synchronization is administered by the runtime schedulers. A series of benchmarks with various degrees of parallelism is performed. ProXC++ yields promising performance results, however some issues with the work stealing algorithm are highlighted and discussed. ProXC++ is concluded as a successful project, providing expressive and correct abstractions for creating concurrent programs and is able to exploit the parallelism in multi-core architectures. Some potential candidates for future work is outlined, including implementing support for networking. The ProXC++ library is publicly released as an open-source project with an MIT license, available free of charge on GitHub.


Histone demethylases have emerged as a new class of non-acetylation histone erasers that control the dynamic and reversible states of histone methylation for gene expression, genome structure, epigenetic signal storage and inheritance. Although identified only recently, increasing lines of evidence suggest that histone demethylases play key roles in various biological processes, including maintenance of pluripotent embryonic stem cells, genome stability, transcription, cell cycle progression and development. The importance of balanced regulation of histone methylation is exemplified by alterations of histone demethylases in a wide array of diseases such as cancers, mental retardation and metabolic disorders. Histone demethylases are classified into the FAD-dependent demethylases, which oxidise the methyl group in mono- and dimethylated histones, and the Jumonji C (JmjC) domain-containing demethylases, which utilise an iron- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent mechanism to hydroxylate and remove the methyl group from mono-, di- and trimethylated histones in a sequence-specific manner. Many demethylases form complexes with other proteins to define their substrate specificity and regulate gene expression in a context-dependent process. Analyses of demethylase structures and catalytic mechanisms have led to the identification, design and development of novel inhibitory chemicals against histone demethylases, which provide the promise for selectively targeting cancers and various other diseases.


We propose a technique for joint calibration of a wide-angle rolling shutter camera (e.g. a GoPro) and an externally mounted gyroscope. The calibrated parameters are time scaling and offset, relative pose between gyroscope and camera, and gyroscope bias. The parameters are found using non-linear least squares minimisation using the symmetric transfer error as cost function. The primary contribution is methods for robust initialisation of the relative pose and time offset, which are essential for convergence. We also introduce a robust error norm to handle outliers. This results in a technique that works with general video content and does not require any specific setup or calibration patterns. We apply our method to stabilisation of videos recorded by a rolling shutter camera, with a rigidly attached gyroscope. After recording, the gyroscope and camera are jointly calibrated using the recorded video itself. The recorded video can then be stabilised using the calibrated parameters. We evaluate the technique on video sequences with varying difficulty and motion frequency content. The experiments demonstrate that our method can be used to produce high quality stabilised videos even under difficult conditions, and that the proposed initialisation is shown to end up within the basin of attraction. We also show that a residual based on the symmetric transfer error is more accurate than residuals based on the recently proposed epipolar plane normal coplanarity constraint, and that the use of robust errors is a critical component to obtain an accurate calibration.


Nanoscale magnetic materials have been receiving increasing interest for their potential applications. One-dimensional magnetic particles chain of polycrystalline nickel was prepared by a simple template-free method under magnetic field. Based on solution reduction reaction of Ni2+, metallic nickel was deposited and synchronously self-assembled into chains under magnetic field. The results show that the chain of polycrystalline nickel was several micrometer in length and several hundreds nanometer in diameter. VSM measurements indicate the magnetic properties of chains formed can be modulated by the reaction time and the solution concentration. It is suggested that the magnetic field be an effective and tunable way to the fabrication one-dimensional chains of magnetic materials.


In the construction industry, fibre-reinforced polymer composites are widely used in applications such as cladding, pipes, for repair and in strengthening work. However, there are many situations where they are not used, where they can offer a solution through their high strength-to-weight ratio, their ability to survive harsh environments, and the fact that they can be formed into complex shapes. They can be fire resistant, and their low weight brings installation benefits in space-cramped and time-critical projects. These benefits mean that the composite solution can be cheaper than any other alternative, particularly in terms of whole life cost. This report seeks to address the reasons why FRP composites are not used more widely in construction, and to encourage their appropriate use in the future. This book addresses the many potential applications of FRP, attempting to balance the wide variety of possibilities with the need to provide more detail in key areas. It explains the differences between the techniques and the potential for each one to produce different products. It also helps to make sense of sales and other literature from the industry. The book discusses the key design areas: structural, fire performance, joining, finishes, environmental resistance and environmental impact.


The Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary is the ultimate guide to pronunciation in English. Thousands of pronunciations not shown in general dictionaries are included, from people and places, to words from science, technology and literature. The 17th edition is edited by three of the most distinguished phonetics scholars working today. * NEW! Up-to-date entries including general vocabulary and people and places in the news * NEW! Lively study pages help with common areas of difficulty * Clear, accessible layout with 80,000 entries and 220,000 British and North American pronunciations using the International Phonetic Alphabet * 200 information panels explaining phonetics terminology


This survey seeks to describe the main characteristics, as well as diversity, of extant introductions to narratology: the fact that most of them contain original contributions to scholarship, their special relationship to "soft" structuralism, the shift from "classical" to "postclassical" theory, and the changes that have affected academic teaching in the last decade, leading to further differentiation within academia. While some introductions target the student who has to do casual work on narratology, others lead to the heart of disciplinary scholarship, and a third group engages in meta-theoretical discussion that is as interesting for experts as it is for beginners. With its capacity to adapt to various audiences and to an ever more differentiated field of study, the introduction has become an important genre in narratological scholarship.


Nonparametric Bayesian mixture models, in particular Dirichlet process (DP) mixture models, have shown great promise for density estimation and data clustering. Given the size of today's datasets, computational efficiency becomes an essential ingredient in the applicability of these techniques to real world data. We study and experimentally compare a number of variational Bayesian (VB) approximations to the DP mixture model. In particular we consider the standard VB approximation where parameters are assumed to be independent from cluster assignment variables, and a novel collapsed VB approximation where mixture weights are marginalized out. For both VB approximations we consider two different ways to approximate the DP, by truncating the stick-breaking construction, and by using a finite mixture model with a symmetric Dirichlet prior.


Facial appearance capture techniques estimate geometry and reflectance properties of facial skin by performing a computationally intensive inverse rendering optimization in which one or more images are re-rendered a large number of times and compared to real images coming from multiple cameras. Due to the high computational burden, these techniques often make several simplifying assumptions to tame complexity and make the problem more tractable. For example, it is common to assume that the scene consists of only distant light sources, and ignore indirect bounces of light (on the surface and within the surface). Also, methods based on polarized lighting often simplify the light interaction with the surface and assume perfect separation of diffuse and specular reflectance. In this paper, we move in the opposite direction and demonstrate the impact on facial appearance capture quality when departing from these idealized conditions towards models that seek to more accurately represent the lighting, while at the same time minimally increasing computational burden. We compare the results obtained with a state-of-the-art appearance capture method [RGB ∗ 20], with and without our proposed improvements to the lighting model.


A windowed local polynomial approximation (LPA) of time-varying directions-of-arrival (DOA) is exploited to derive a new form of beamformer for source localization and tracking in highly nonstationary environments. The relationship between our LPA-beamformer and the conventional beamformer is derived. Closed-form expressions are obtained for the bias and variance of the LPA-beamformer in the nonstationary case and the problem of optimal window choice is discussed.


AIM
To identify the genetic defects in a Chinese family with achromatopsia.

METHODS
A 2.5-year-old boy, who displayed nystagmus, photophobia, and hyperopia since early infancy, was clinically evaluated. To further confirm and localize the causative mutations in this family, targeted region capture and next-generation sequencing of candidate genes, such as CNGA3, CNGB3, GNAT2, PDE6C, and PDE6H were performed using a custom-made capture array.

RESULTS
Slit-lamp examination showed no specific findings in the anterior segments. The optic discs and maculae were normal on fundoscopy. The unaffected family members reported no ocular complaints. Clinical signs and symptoms were consistent with a clinical impression of autosomal recessive achromatopsia. The results of sequence analysis revealed two novel missense mutations in CNGA3, c.633T>A (p.D211E) and c.1006G>T (p.V336F), with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.

CONCLUSION
Genetic analysis of a Chinese family confirmed the clinical diagnosis of achromatopsia. Two novel mutations were identified in CNGA3, which extended the mutation spectrum of this disorder.


In this work, the TREPAN algorithm is enhanced and extended for extracting decision trees from neural networks. We empirically evaluated the performance of the algorithm on a set of databases from real world events. This benchmark enhancement was achieved by adapting Single-test TREPAN and C4.5 decision tree induction algorithms to analyze the datasets. The models are then compared with X-TREPAN for comprehensibility and classification accuracy. Furthermore, we validate the experimentations by applying statistical methods. Finally, the modified algorithm is extended to work with multi-class regression problems and the ability to comprehend generalized feed forward networks is achieved.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The role of 18F-FDG-PET in the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease is increasing and should be validated. The aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater variability in the interpretation of 18F-FDG-PET images obtained in the Japanese Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a multicenter clinical research project. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed 274 18F-FDG-PET scans (67 mild Alzheimer disease, 100 mild cognitive impairment, and 107 normal cognitive) as baseline scans for the Japanese Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, which were acquired with various types of PET or PET/CT scanners in 23 facilities. Three independent raters interpreted all PET images by using a combined visual-statistical method. The images were classified into 7 (FDG-7) patterns by the criteria of Silverman et al and further into 2 (FDG-2) patterns. RESULTS: Agreement among the 7 visual-statistical categories by at least 2 of the 3 readers occurred in >94% of cases for all groups: Alzheimer disease, mild cognitive impairment, and normal cognitive. Perfect matches by all 3 raters were observed for 62% of the cases by FDG-7 and 76 by FDG-2. Inter-rater concordance was moderate by FDG-7 (κ = 0.57) and substantial in FDG-2 (κ = 0.67) on average. The FDG-PET score, an automated quantitative index developed by Herholz et al, increased as the number of raters who voted for the AD pattern increased (ρ = 0.59, P < .0001), and the FDG-PET score decreased as those for normal pattern increased (ρ = −0.64, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Inter-rater agreement was moderate to substantial for the combined visual-statistical interpretation of 18F-FDG-PET and was also significantly associated with automated quantitative assessment.


A new technique for measuring reflectivity differences between two samples is reported. An electrically driven tuning fork is used to place the two samples alternately in the beam of a reflectometer, and a lock-in amplifier is used for detection of the difference signal. Advantages of this system include short deadtime, vacuum operation, and extremely high Q. The sensitivity is such that changes in reflectivity of the order of 0.001% can be observed.


Objectives: The study sought to assess the potential utility of impedance cardiography (ICG) to detect hemodynamic changes after erythrocytapheresis in stable children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Methods: We prospectively monitored cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance index, heart rate, and blood pressure using ICG before and after erythrocytapheresis in 26 stable children with SCD. Echocardiography was carried out in all patients to evaluate left ventricular systolic function. Hemoglobin (Hb), sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS), and ferritin levels were also measured. Results: Of a total of 78 erythrocytapheresis procedures in 26 children with SCD, 22 (28.2%) had hypotensive episodes defined as a decrease in systolic, diastolic, or mean blood pressure by 10 mmHg. Risk factors for developing hypotension during erythrocytapheresis were identified with logistic regression analysis: lower-body surface area and decrease in cardiac index. In contrast, age, prepheresis Hb and HbS, serum ferritin levels, and left ventricular function at baseline were not associated with hypotension. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of the ICG technique to detect the hemodynamic changes in children with SCD after an erythrocytapheresis procedure.


: Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), ovulation induction and superovulation followed by insemination have caused a sharp increase in multiple birth prevalence rates. The perinatal morbidity of multiple birth infants is high because of the high incidence of premature birth. The social and psychological problems of multiple birth families are also considerable. In 1990 high-order multiple births were mainly the result of IVF. Although the number of IVF treatments has increased more than the number of other ART treatments, nowadays high-order multiple births are predominantly caused by superovulation. Since 1990 the number of high-order multiple births has stabilised, but the recent sharp increase in ART twins results in a further rise in births of severely preterm ART infants. More restraint should be practised in superovulation treatments to bring down the number of (high-order) multiple births.


This study evaluates the effect of prevailing dynamic factors on the sedimentation process in Damietta Harbour along the Nile delta coast of Egypt. The monitoring program spanned the period between 1978 and 1999 and included measurements of waves, currents and bathymetric profiles. The evaluation was based on determination of erosion and accretion rates, current regime, sediment transport, wave char-acteristics and wave refraction. Results revealed that the predominant wave direction from N-NW sector (86 %) throughout the year is responsible for generation of a longshore eastward current. Less frequent waves from the N-NE sector generate an opposing longshore westward current. The refraction pattern for the prevailing wave direction indicates that the harbour and its navigation channel are located within a divergence of wave orthogonal and in an accretion sediment sink area. The annual net rate of littoral drift on the western side of the harbour is about 1.43 * 10 5 m 3 (accretion), while the annual net rate of littoral drift on the eastern side is about 2.54 * 10 5 m 3 (erosion). Currents fluctuate tremendously in speed and direction, especially during the winter months. Hence, sediment transport takes place in offshore, eastward, and onshore directions. Progressive vector diagrams show that the largest near bottom offshore, onshore and easterly net drift occurs during summer, spring and winter respectively. The onshore sediment transport generated during spring and summer plays an important role in the redistribution of eroded sediments during the winter. The overall study of dynamic factors indicated that the harbour site is characterized by eastern, western, offshore and onshore sediment movements. Therefore, the north-south orientation of the navigation channel, with its depth greater than the surrounding area, interrupts sediment drift from different directions and reduces the current speed. Consequently, the sediments sink within the navigation channel from different directions. The sources of sediments contributing to the siltation process of the harbour and its navigation channels are mainly derived from the Rosetta promontory, Burullus beaches, Damietta promontory and from offshore and the dumping area.


Immunization of hamsters with purified BK virus (BKV) followed by transplantation of BKV-induced hamster tumour cells revealed a tumour specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) in these cells. The antigen did not cross-react with the TSTA of SV40 since immunization with BKV did not protect against challenge of SV40 tumour cells.


We examined the planktonic dinoflagellate Achradina pulchra by light and scanning electron microscopies from the South and North Atlantic oceans. The basket-like skeleton has been interpreted as a thick cell covering or pellicle of organic composition, or as a siliceous endoskeleton. The skeleton of Achradina is known only from fresh material, being absent in preserved samples, sediments or the fossil record. X-ray microanalysis revealed that the endoskeleton of Achradina is composed of celestite (strontium sulfate) with traces of barite (barium sulfate), two minerals that readily dissolve after cell death. To date, Acantharia and polycystine radiolarians (Retaria) were the only known organisms with a skeleton of this composition. We can now add a dinoflagellate to the list of such mineralized skeletons, which influence on the biogeochemical fluxes of strontium and barium in the oceans. Moreover, we provided the first molecular data for a skeleton-bearing dinoflagellate. Molecular phylogeny based on the SSU rRNA gene sequences revealed that Achradina and several environmental clones branched as an independent lineage within the short-branching dinokaryotic dinoflagellates. To date, seven clades of dinokaryotic dinoflagellates are known living as symbionts in the endoplasm of Acantharia and polycystine radiolarians. Because celestite built skeletons were unknown outside radiolarians, we suggested that the ancestors of Achradina acquired the genes implicated in the deposition of strontium and barium from radiolarian hosts though a horizontal gene transfer event between microbial eukaryotes.


A natural digraph analogue of the graph-theoretic concept of an `independent set' is that of an `acyclic set', namely a set of vertices not spanning a directed cycle. Hence a digraph analogue of a graph coloring is a decomposition of the vertex set into acyclic sets and we say a digraph is uniquely $n$-colorable when this decomposition is unique up to relabeling. It was shown probabilistically in [A. Harutyunyan et al., Uniquely $D$-colorable digraphs with large girth, Canad. J. Math., 64 (6): 1310-1328, 2012] that there exist uniquely $n$-colorable digraphs with arbitrarily large girth. Here we give a construction of such digraphs and prove that they have circular chromatic number $n$. The graph-theoretic notion of `homomorphism' also gives rise to a digraph analogue. An acyclic homomorphism from a digraph $D$ to a digraph $H$ is a mapping $\varphi: V(D) \rightarrow V(H)$ such that $uv \in A(D)$ implies that either $\varphi(u)\varphi(v) \in A(H)$ or $\varphi(u)=\varphi(v)$, and all the `fibers' $\varphi^{-1}(v)$, for $v \in V(H)$, of $\varphi$ are acyclic. In this language, a core is a digraph $D$ for which there does not exist an acyclic homomorphism  from $D$ to a proper subdigraph of itself. Here we prove some basic results about digraph cores and construct highly chromatic cores without short cycles.


In a randomized trial of 58 cancer patients receiving strongly emetogenic cytostatic drugs (cisplatin or comparable cytostatic agents, alone or in combination), the anti-emetic action of oral metoclopramide was tested, alone or combined with prednisone. Patients of group A (33 during 46 treatment cycles) received three times 50 mg metoclopramide and three times 25 mg prednisone. Those of group B (25 patients during 35 cycles) received three times 50 mg metoclopramide. The drug was given two hours before as well as two hours and six hours after administration of the cytostatic drugs. Good or satisfactory prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting (no or at most three vomits) was achieved during 37 cycles (80.5%) of group A patients and 30 (85.7%) of group B patients. Complete absence of vomiting was obtained in 52% of cycles in group A, 46% of cycles in group B; complete absence of nausea in 39% and 32%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two treatments in their preventive action. Three times 50 mg metoclopramide (with or without prednisone) four hours apart during one cytostatic-drug cycle was well tolerated by patients in both groups and can be recommended as a simple, practical prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting in the course of strongly emetogenic treatment of cancer.


During a 25 year period in a university hospital gynecology service, 300 obese women, weighing 200 pounds or more, underwent abdominal total hysterectomy. In comparison with nonobese controls, the overweight patients were more likely to have carcinoma of the endometrium, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Postoperatively, the most striking difference between the obese and nonobese groups was in the incidence of wound complications, with no significant difference in the occurrence of other disorders. The incidence of wound complications was 29 per cent with obesity, seven times that in patients of normal weight, and all types of wound disorders, except evisceration, occurred more frequently in obese patients. Among identifiable factors potentially responsible for wound infection were an increased incidence of diabetes, longer operating time and greater blood loss in overweight patients. The increased incidence of wound infection was responsible for greater febrile morbidity and the more frequent need for prolonged hospitalization. The mortality rate was 1 per cent in the obese group and zero per cent in the control group, a statistically insignificant difference. Since abdominal hysterectomy in obese women is associated with increased risk of morbidity, although not necessarily of mortality, obesity per se should rarely, if ever, contraindicate necessary surgical therapy. In situations in which surgical treatment is more elective, its complications should be borne in mind.


This submission interrogates recent and current verbatim theatre practice,
spanning the period of its resurgence in the late 1990s to 2016. The seven written
pieces, comprising six articles and one book chapter, that make up this PhD feature
five examples of UK-based, and one example of eastern European verbatim theatre
practice, produced between 1999 (The Colour of Justice, Richard Norton-Taylor) and
2016 (5 Guys Chillin', Peter Darney). My research, taken together, highlights the
distinctions in verbatim practice shown in various productions in order to extend
knowledge and understanding within comparative discourse. The examples chosen
exhibit welcome degrees of aesthetic flair in a field of practice that, in its
engagement with urgent, real-world issues and debates, and adherence to the
veracity of verbatim testimonies, is typically self-effacing about its theatricality.
The title of this PhD expresses the paradox that 'authenticity' can be constructed
through theatrical apparatus, and indicates the premise that verbatim material is a
fundamentally transportable substance, adaptable to disparate contexts and
conditions of practice. The majority of publications evaluate live performances of
the featured work, and incorporate interviews with verbatim practitioners, ranging
from established artists Alecky Blythe and DV8 to Dah Theatre, disseminating their
contradistinctive methodologies. This submission thus exposes innovative
approaches to writing, rehearsal, performance and reception, in order to identify,
examine and challenge the debates concerned with 'authenticity' and 'truth' central to extant critical discourse.
The insights I have drawn from practitioners' first-hand accounts of their practice
evidence unique dramaturgical strategies that destabilise established verbatim
conventions, contributing alternative methodologies to the field. I have drawn
attention to examples of verbatim theatre that have pushed the form from familiar
treatments of verbatim material towards the formulation of promiscuous
dramaturgies, in order to interrogate and expand applications and definitions of
'truth' and 'authenticity' in verbatim practice and criticism. This contribution to
knowledge will be to international theatre scholarship and practice, particularly
those scholars and practitioners operating in the domain of political, testimonial and
verbatim theatre.


Social inequities based on gender norms reinforce nonparticipation of women in decision making at various levels, consequently depriving them of the benefits arising out of any technological advances. These advances could be in all fields in general, and in particular financial services. Integration of a gender responsive approach in all development initiatives assumes great importance in the context of economic relations in an agrarian economy. Despite the fact that women contribute immensely to agriculture and allied activities and consequently to food security, rural economy and development, their contributions go largely unrecognized. The need to empower women and mainstream gender in agriculture is necessary not only due to the extent and importance of their contribution but also for ensuring creation of equitable economic relations and progressive social milieu. This is important to build capacity of the large human capital (women) supporting agricultural production, marketing and consumption.
As part of the CGIAR Research Program on 'Dryland Systems: Integrated Agriculture Production System for the Poor and Vulnerable in Dry Areas', ICRISAT in collaboration with GRAVIS, has implemented a project in eight randomly identified villages in three districts - Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in western Rajasthan. The program is aimed at developing technological, policy and institutional innovations to improve food security and livelihoods using an integrated systems approach. The project reaches out directly to more than 3000 poor rural farming households, about 11% of which are headed by women...


This paper proposes a new system for the unsupervised diagnostic and monitoring of defects in waveguide imaging. The proposed method is automatic and does not require manual selection of specific frequencies for defect diagnostics. The core of the method is a computational intelligent machine learning algorithm based on sparse non-negative matrix factorization. An internal functionality is built into the machine learning algorithm to adaptively learn and control the sparsity of the factorization, and to render better accuracy in detecting defects. This is achieved by using Bayesian statistics methodology. The proposed method is demonstrated on automatic detection of defect in metals. In addition, we show that the extraction of the spectrum signature corresponding to the defect is significantly more efficient with the proposed optimal sparsity, which subsequently led to better detection performance. Experimental tests and comparisons with other sparse factorization methods have been conducted to verify the efficacy of the proposed method.


Four isolectins were isolated from bulbs of Croccus sativum (saffron), using affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose 4B, gel filtration and ion-exchange column chromatography in the presence of 8 M urea. The relative molecular masses of these lectins were determined by gel filtration to be approximately 48 kDa. On polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, relative molecular masses of 8 kDa were obtained, suggesting that the lectins are hexamers. No carbohydrates were detected in the lectins. The lectins agglutinated the yeasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at a minimum concentration of 30 micrograms/ml, however, they did not agglutinate animal erythrocytes (human, sheep, rabbit and mouse) even at a concentration of 1000 micrograms/ml. In inhibitory experiments, mannan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the most potent inhibitor of C. sativum lectins. While D-mannose showed no inhibition, manno-oligosaccharides with either (alpha 1-2, 1-3) or (alpha 1-6) linkages were potent inhibitors, suggesting that C. sativum lectins recognized manno-oligosaccharide units larger than mannobiose. Ovomucoid also exhibited potent inhibition, however, the other carbohydrates examined did not.


This article aims to provide an overview of the implementation of local wisdom in the indigenous community of Kampung Kuta as a source of social studies learning.The method used is ethnography and Classroom Action Research. The research showed that environmental wisdom as one of the growing cultural values in society are able to make Kuta remain sustainable natural environment. The values of local wisdom, particularly environof local wisdom of Kuta indigenous peoples as a source of learning social studies is seen from the results of studies showing the presence of two important things. First, the interest and passion of learners have increased. Second, teachers and the book are no longer the only source of learning.


This paper focused on an exploratory study on reusing waste sludge of a local water treatment works (referred to as "alum sludge") to enhance the removal of both SS (suspended solids) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) from sewage. Laboratory jar tests were conducted using the raw sewage and the alum sludge taken from a local sewage treatment works with variations in sludge dosages, aging times and pH conditions. It has been found that adding alum sludge at dosage around 20 mg/l as Al to the sewage can increase the SS removal by more than 20% and the COD removal by at least 15%, compared with the control tests without alum sludge addition. The pH of sewage, adjusted from 5 to 9, had little impact on the SS and COD removal induced by the alum sludge. However, the alum sludge aging time substantially affected the SS and COD removal. Experiment results suggested that sweep flocculation and physical adsorption play the key roles in enhancing both SS and COD removal from the raw sewage.


Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right in South Africa. Therefore, the accurate measurement of water quality is critical in ensuring the safety of water prior to its intended use. Proficiency testing schemes (PTSs) are a recognised form of assessing the technical competence of laboratories performing these analyses. There are over 200 water testing laboratories in South Africa, with only 51 being accredited for testing some or all parameters (physical, chemical and microbiological content) prescribed in SANS 241. Only a limited number of laboratories test for organic contaminants, as this requires advanced, costly analytical instrumentation, such as GC-FID/ECD/MS and LC-UV/MS, as well as skilled staff. These laboratories are either looking at selected organic contaminants listed in the World Health Organisation (WHO) drinking water guidelines or performing the minimum requirements, as stipulated in SANS 241, for phenols, atrazine, trihalomethanes and total dissolved organic content. Whereas several local PTS providers are addressing the competent assessment of microbiological, physical and inorganic chemical testing of water, a clear need for a South African PTS provider for organic contaminant analysis in water was identified by NMISA (National Metrology Institute of South Africa) in 2012. The key drivers for the coordination of a local PTS stem mainly from the limited stability of analytes in the samples for analysis and the high cost and logistics of international PTS participation. During 2012 and 2013, NMISA conducted a PTS trial round, a workshop and 2 additional PTS rounds for organochlorine pesticides in water, for South African laboratories, and also several international participants from other countries in Africa. This paper will highlight some of the challenges faced by laboratories when analysing organochlorine pesticides at the ng/l concentration level. Issues surrounding the comparability of measurement results, traceability, method validation and measurement uncertainty are also discussed.


The study looks at the institutional (including legal and regulatory) factors that affect the development of Kenyan capital market. Additionally the study seeks to establish major factors that hinder growth and development of Nairobi stock exchange (NSE). The study establishes that the institutional factors particularly the legal and regulatory framework that ensures protection and security of investors are in place and that the call-over systems of transactions are fairly transparent. The study finds out that the stockbrokers perform the delivery and settlement of transactions satisfactorily, however the introduction of a centralized depository system CDS will significantly improve upon the clearing and settlement procedures and cut down the transaction costs. The study further establishes that the entry into and exit from the Nairobi stock exchange (NSE) are with some restriction. Analysis of the structure of the NSE show among other things that many of the local investors can be described as low-income investors. A sizeable percentage of whom have no or poor formal education and knowledge about the capital markets. The study recommends a vigorous campaign to educate the Kenyan public about the activities of the NSE and to promote investment in general. There is need for the government to give more incentives in form of taxation in favour of listed companies and pursue prudent macroeconomic policies, particularly in the area of inflation management. A regular review of the legal and the regulatory framework within which the investment laws operate is necessary to boost the confidence of the investors.


Anti-abuse doctrines in tax law have traditionally been formulated as multi-factor tests that weigh the facts of the taxpayer's case but ignore the tax statute at issue. This approach has proven problematic: some judges import statutory considerations regardless, creating inconsistency and confusion, and some scholars criticize the doctrines as antitextual judicial inventions. These challenges undermine important barriers against abusive tax schemes.

This Article argues that anti-abuse doctrines should be considered substantive canons of construction, presumptions that can be rebutted by statutory text or purpose. Doing so would resolve apparent arbitrariness in the doctrines' application as simply the rebuttal of presumptions and reconcile the substantive canons to textualists as constitutionally permissible background norms. It would also provide a framework to test the validity of disputed doctrines and allow them to be more flexible and intuitive.

Although many scholars have studied substantive canons and anti-abuse doctrines separately, this Article connects the two. It also catalogs the substantive tax canons based on existing case law, serving as a resource for future academics, practitioners, and judges.


The objectives of the research were to study the shift of weed compositions in sweet corn field treated with organic compost and chemical weed controls and to compare the effect of treatment combinations on weed growth, weed biomass and sweet corn biomass. The research was conducted in Bengkulu, Indonesia, from April to July 2014.  Results showed that the number of weed species decreased after the trials from 14 to 13.  There was a shift in weed compositions because 5 species of weeds did not emerge after the trials, but 4 new species were found . Chemical weed control using a herbiside mixture of atrazine and mesotrione applied during postemergence was the most effective method  to control weeds, which was observed on decreased weed emergence and weed biomas down to 22.33 and 25.00 percent of control, respectively.  Subsequently, biomass production of sweet corn increased up to 195.64 percent with the same trials.  Biomass of weeds and sweet corn were also affected by the organic composts.  Weed biomass was inhibited with treatment of composted empty fruith bunches of oilpalm, whereas significantly increased of sweet corn biomass were observed in the plots of organic manure.


Operating system provisioning is a common and critical task in cluster computing environments. The required low-level operations involved in provisioning can drastically decrease the performance of a given solution, and maintaining a reasonable provisioning time on clusters of 1000+ nodes is a significant challenge. We present Kadeploy3, a tool built to efficiently and reliably deploy a large number of cluster nodes. Since it is a keystone of the Grid'5000 experimental testbed, it has been designed not only to help system administrators install and manage clusters but also to provide testbed users with a flexible way to deploy their own operating systems on nodes for their own experimentation needs, on a very frequent basis. In this paper we detail the design principles of Kadeploy3 and its main features, and evaluate its capabilities in several contexts. We also share the lessons we have learned during the design and deployment of Kadeploy3 in the hope that this will help system administrators and developers of similar solutions.


In field experiments in six districts of Haryana, best practice management (including zero tillage and 3-way split application of N-fertiliser) provided small (2%) improvements in grain yield when compared with local farmer practice. This best practice management also gave consistent improvement in chapatti quality as measured by grain hardness (11.4%) and chapatti score (3.2%). Where a 'shot-gun' mix of micronutrients and sulphur was included with farmer practice treatment, or with best practice treatment, grain yield was increased by about 3% and there were further improvements in quality. Net returns were calculated for wheat production, the large cost saving associated with not undertaking the 4 cultivations used in local farmer practice, the best practice treatment was always the most profitable (by 9%), and even if no yield improvement was assumed this treatment would still be 6.7% more profitable. Even though it had a 30 to 40% yield penalty, the most profitable practice involved using variety C-306. This is an old wheat variety recognised as the standard for chapatti quality, and C-306 gets at least twice the market value of wheat sold at prices set as a minimum support price. High yields of wheat and its availability is an on-going priority for India, particularly for maintaining food security for the large population. Therefore, any wholesale change in production that moves farmers away from optimizing total grain production is untenable. However, 16 to 20% of farmers and consumers already have some direct marketing/purchasing of the wheat harvest via local markets, and these often involve quality considerations.

 Key words: Chapatti quality, profitability, wheat marketing.


Process-dependent thermo-mechanical viscoelastic properties and the corresponding morphology of HDPE extrusion blow molded (EBM) parts were investigated. Evaluation of bulk data showed that flow direction, draw ratio, and mold temperature influence the viscoelastic behavior significantly in certain temperature ranges. Flow induced orientations due to higher draw ratio and higher mold temperature lead to higher crystallinities. To determine the local viscoelastic properties, a new microindentation system was developed by merging indentation with dynamic mechanical analysis. The local process-structure-property relationship of EBM parts showed that the cross-sectional temperature distribution is clearly reflected by local crystallinities and local complex moduli. Additionally, a model to calculate three-dimensional anisotropic coefficients of thermal expansion as a function of the process dependent crystallinity was developed based on an elementary volume unit cell with stacked layers of amorphous phase and crystalline lamellae. Good agreement of the predicted thermal expansion coefficients with measured ones was found up to a temperature of 70 °C.


The purpose of this article is to highlight a few stylistic and aesthetic principles, common to the genre of the travel film (both documentary and fictional), as employed by immersive media and devices from the twentieth century – such as the Hale's Tours of the World, Todd-AO, and Cinerama – up to today's digital systems like Virtual Reality and 4D Cinema. I will discuss how the different experiences of simulated travels, proffered by those media, are all related to a broader aesthetic tendency in creating what I label as enveloping tactile images. Such images are programmed to surround the viewer from every side, thus increasing their spectacular dimension, but at the same time they strive to temper and weaken the haptic solicitations aroused in the viewer by the immersive apparatus itself. In this sense I propose that the spectator of immersive travelogue films is 'immersed, yet distant': she is tangled in the illusion of traversing an enveloping visual space, but the position she occupies is nonetheless a metaphysical one, not different from that of Renaissance perspective, because even if she can see everything, the possibility to interact with the images is denied, in order to preserve the realistic illusion. By analysing the stylistic techniques employed to foster the viewer's condition of non-interactive immersion in the enveloping world presented by the medium, I will consequently address the topic of the conflict that such immersive aesthetics establish with traditional forms of audiovisual storytelling.


The increased integration of the economies of Central and Eastern Europe with the European Union (EU) as the Europe Agreements are progressively implemented, is projected to have a significant impact on trade flows with Spain, as exports and imports grow very rapidly, albeit starting from a very low base. In particular, the effect will be important for labour-intensive industries, which will confront export displacement in third (EU) markets and some foreign direct investment (FDI) diversion.Trade with Central and Eastern Europe is projected to increase, although it will still be a minor component of total Spanish trade or of EU trade with the Central and East European Countries (CEECs). The product composition of this trade will probably respond to the relative factor endowments underlying current trade patterns. Spain is likely to increase its exports of physical and human capital-intensive goods to the CEECs. An increase in Spanish imports of labour-intensive goods from these countries is also predicted. But the similarity of factor endowments with regards to the labour factor vis-a-vis the main countries in the EU, implies that some displacement of labour-intensive Spanish exports to the Union is going to take place.The evolution of trade flows will, of course, be contingent upon developments in FDI. Most FDI in Spain in recent years has been driven by a set of locational advantages which are unlikely to be replicated in the CEECs in the short and medium term (access to a large domestic market and to specialized resources such as pools of trained workers, suppliers, and infrastructure). The comparatively small part of FDI which has been attracted by relatively low unit labour costs (and tends to be geographically concentrated in the less developed regions of Spain) may be seriously affected by FDI diversion, however, since alternative locations in the CEECs provide lower cost export bases and a significantly better access to the main EU markets.


The low-velocity impact response of a range of fiber metal laminate (FML) panels was investigated through testing and finite element simulations. The objective of this study was to understand the impact-damage resistance of these novel composites, so that they can be designed optimally for impact-resistant aircraft applications. The FML panels were made up of aluminum alloy 7475 T761 and unidirectional S2 glass/epoxy oriented in a cross-ply configuration. Experimental tests were performed using a free-fall drop dart testing machine. The plate specimens were constrained on a circular edge by the clamping fixture. The shape and the nature of the damage inflicted by impact were evaluated using both destructive cross-sectional microphotography and nondestructive ultrasonic techniques. The tests showed that FML laminates are capable of absorbing energy through localized plastic deformation and through failure at the interface between the layers. In particular, delaminations occurred in the back face of the aluminum-alloy sheet and its adjacent fiber-reinforced epoxy layer and in between adjacent fiber-reinforced epoxy layer. The finite element code, LS-DYNA3D, was used to perform numerical simulations of low-velocity impact to predict the complex damage propagations. The computed post-impact deformed shapes and damage patterns were found to be fairly close to experimental results.


The beadlet sea anemone Actinia equina (L.) shows a well-documented sequence of aggressive responses towards conspecific individuals. Aggression is also shown towards sea anemones of certain other species. A study was carried out to assess aggressive responses of A. equina to other anemones over a wide range of levels of genetic divergence from genetically identi- cal individuals (clonemates) to various other species, all of which were potentially sympatric. The other species used were the dahlia anemone Urticina felina (L.), the gem anemone Bunodactis ver- rucosa (Pennant), the snakelocks anemone Anemonia viridis (Forskal), the plumose anemone Metrid- ium senile (L.) and the strawberry anemone Actinia fragacea Tugwell. Intraspecific aggression was also studied in A. fragacea. A. equina exhibited high levels of aggression to all the other species and to unrelated (i.e. non-clonal) individuals of its own species, but was never aggressive to clonemates. The levels of aggression shown by A. equina were found to correlate with the genetic divergence of the other anemone. It was also noted that A. equina only left damaging acrorhagial peels on conspe- cific individuals, whereas A. fragacea never left a peel on other A. fragacea, but produced peels dur- ing all successful 'fights' against A. equina. It is suggested that the non-self recognition system, which triggers the acrorhagial application behaviour in A. equina, is not species-specific, although the occurrence of acrorhagial peeling may be species-specific.


We have found conditions in which a structure consisting of an overdense warm plasma layer spaced between two underdense warm plasma layers becomes transparent to a p-polarized obliquely incident electromagnetic wave. The energy of the incident wave is transferred across the overdense region by a pair of coupled surface waves.


The focus of this paper is to highlight the design and development of an educational game prototype as an evaluation instrument for the Malaysia driving license static test.This educational game brings gaming technology into the conventional objective static test to make it more effective,real and interesting.From the feeling of realistic the future driver can learn something , memorized and use it in the real life.The current online objective static test only make the user memorized the answer without knowing and understand the true purpose of the question.Therefore, in real life they will not behave as expected due to behavior and moral lacking.This prototype has been developed inform of multiple-choice questions integrated with 3D gaming environment to make it simulate the real environment and seenarios.Based on the testing conducted the respondent agrees with the use of this game prototype it can increase understanding and promote obligation towards traffic rules.


The rise of causality and the attendant graph-theoretic modeling tools in the study of counterfactual reasoning has had resounding effects in many areas of cognitive science, but it has thus far not permeated the mainstream in linguistic theory to a comparable degree. In this study I show that a version of the predominant framework for the formal semantic analysis of conditionals, Kratzer-style premise semantics, allows for a straightforward implementation of the crucial ideas and insights of Pearl-style causal networks. I spell out the details of such an implementation, focusing especially on the notions of intervention on a network and backtracking interpretations of counterfactuals.


Key Points JEV infection elicits miR-301a upregulation in microglial cells. miR-301a upregulation reduces NKRF abundance, thus amplifying NF-κB signaling. Inhibiting miR-301a reduces microglia-mediated bystander killing of neurons. Visual Abstract Microglia being the resident macrophage of brain provides neuroprotection following diverse microbial infections. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) invades the CNS, resulting in neuroinflammation, which turns the neuroprotective role of microglia detrimental as characterized by increased microglial activation and neuronal death. Several host factors, including microRNAs, play vital roles in regulating virus-induced inflammation. In the current study, we demonstrate that the expression of miR-301a is increased in JEV-infected microglial cells and human brain. Overexpression of miR-301a augments the JEV-induced inflammatory response, whereas inhibition of miR-301a completely reverses the effects. Mechanistically, NF-κB–repressing factor (NKRF) functioning as inhibitor of NF-κB activation is identified as a potential target of miR-301a in JEV infection. Consequently, miR-301a–mediated inhibition of NKRF enhances nuclear translocation of NF-κB, which, in turn, resulted in amplified inflammatory response. Conversely, NKRF overexpression in miR-301a–inhibited condition restores nuclear accumulation of NF-κB to a basal level. We also observed that JEV infection induces classical activation (M1) of microglia that drives the production of proinflammatory cytokines while suppressing alternative activation (M2) that could serve to dampen the inflammatory response. Furthermore, in vivo neutralization of miR-301a in mouse brain restores NKRF expression, thereby reducing inflammatory response, microglial activation, and neuronal apoptosis. Thus, our study suggests that the JEV-induced expression of miR-301a positively regulates inflammatory response by suppressing NKRF production, which might be targeted to manage viral-induced neuroinflammation.


BACKGROUND
The association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and atrial fibrillation (AF) in hypertensive population remains controversial. Therefore, we explored the relationship between LDL-C and AF among patients with hypertension in a Chinese community.

METHODS
This is a retrospective cross-sectional study that enrolled 7808 hypertensive patients between January 2013 and December 2013 in Guangdong, China. AF was diagnosed by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) or self-reported status. LDL-C value were categorized by quartiles. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to examine the relation between LDL-C and AF. LDL-C values were expressed in continuous (every 1 mg/dL increment) or categorical variables in each regression model.

RESULTS
Among 7,808 (47.1% man, with mean age 62.3 years) participants, 78 AF cases were identified. In multivariate logistic regression, when LDL-C was presented as continuous variable, it was inversely associated with the occurrence of new onset AF (OR =0.99, 95% CI: 0.98, 1.00; P=0.018). Meanwhile, when LDL-C was presented as categorical variable, the negative association between LDL-C and AF was attenuated after adjusting for confounders. Adjusted restricted cubic spline demonstrated a non-linear correlation between LDL-C and AF.

CONCLUSIONS
Lower levels of LDL-C was associated with increased incidence of AF in a Chinese community hypertensive population.


Legumes, as a source of proteins and energy, are one of the major plants used for food and forage since olden times. Range of Lathyrus (sweet peas) and Vicia (vetches) species grow in natural meadows of Lithuania. Due to their current economic value and potential for future utilization, Vicia and Lathyrus genus had a high priority for organic ruminant farm forage development.
The grass protein content, studies of spontaneous perennial Vicia and Lathyrus species were carried out. Fife Vicia genus (V. cracca, V. sepium, V. villosa, V. amngustifolia, V. hirsuta) and three species of the Lathyrus genus species (L. pratensis, L. sylvestris, L. palustris,) were studied in collection of university Experimental station of Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Middle Lithuania, on soil – clay loam on sandy light loam Calc(ar)i-Endohypogleyic Luvisol(LVg-n-w-cc). The evaluation of grass protein content was based on testing of the individual plant grass mass ant parts like foliage, stems and flowers. The crude protein analysis was carried out using the Kjeldahl method.
The protein content in dry matter of grass varied between species and investigated plant parts. The lowest volume of protein was in stems of investigated species and the highest one – in blossoms. The protein content of the blossoms of the tested species ranged from 32.1 % up to 40.5 %, the protein content in foliage ranged from 21.4 % to 29.6 %. The largest portion in the tested species grass mass consisted of leaves (on average 50.8 %). The total foliage protein content of the tested vetch species was on average 25.62 %, and a little less in the sweet pea species – on average 23.13 %. V. sepium and L. sylvestris were characterized by the highest protein content in the grass. L. pratensis and V. cracca were described by the lowest volume of protein. The relationship between the tested parameters and the location of geographical origin was not found during the experimental period.


The area covered by these notes comprises as much of the watershed of the West Okement and the Redaven as lies between the London & South-Western Railway-line on the north and, on the south, the 'Roof of Devon,' the Yes Tor-High Wilhays ridge; practically it is yet further restricted, since but brief reference is made to the granite-mass of Dartmoor. The rivers and brooks within this area have been useful section-cutters in a country where, for many acres, stray boulders on grassland are the only other guides, and their assistance has been more marked since the great flood of August 14th, 1917, which not only swept their beds clear, but tore away from the banks their cover of grass and heather. Artificially, also, much has been done to reveal the rock-structure. A very extensive quarry is worked by the railway company east of Meldon Viaduct, the face of this quarry being some 600 yards long. Formerly limestone was raised south of the railway both on the eastern and on the western banks of the West Okement; but both quarries are now abandoned. During the last eight or nine years stone has been taken from the dyke of the Meldon aplite east and west of the Redaven, and two small quarries in the same rock were opened several years ago on the flank of South Down, while prospecting work has been executed near the old Ice House on Sourton Tors. There is a quarry in the shales by the Vellake, and


Medical researchers at Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT are studying episodes of central venous catheter-related bacteremia (CVCB) that have become common events in patients with long-term indwelling central venous catheter use. Since no standardized treatment of CVCB exists, novel approaches have been used to salvage infected catheters where vascular access is limited. Use of antibiotic lock solutions (e.g., a solution of an antibiotic agent and heparin) to ll catheter lumens between treatments (antibiotic-lock treatment, ALT) has been shown to prevent CVCB and may be useful for treatment of already-infected catheters. In this report we analyze the success of ALT in preventing CVCB.


The study aims at evaluating the perceptions of 8 th graders towards the use of information technologies ranging from the internet and multimedia tools in socio-cultural perspective of creativity while they are doing their homework in the light of the National Education Ministry's regulation related to elementary and secondary school students' extra-curricular activities. The population of the research that was realised by data collected through survey method consists of 8 th grade students in elementary and secondary schools in Istanbul. Randomly chosen 435 students from five schools in Istanbul make the sample of the research. In terms of students' perceptions, results of the study show that regardless of gender, students enjoy discovering and exploiting online and offline resources through problem solving skills especially when they have the opportunity to do this on their own, which also shows that they think they feel more confident, mobile and creative in cyber but socio-cultural reality.


1. The crossing of freshwater ecosystem boundaries by marine derived nutrients (MDN) is usually associated with migratory salmonid fishes returning to natal rivers. An alternative source of MDN in freshwaters is the widespread use of pelletized marine fishmeal ('pellets') by freshwater anglers as they target large bodied cyprinid fishes, such as European barbel Barbus barbus. 2. Here, the trophic consequences of MDN from pellets for riverine cyprinid fishes were tested. Approaches used stable isotope analyses in controlled and wild scenarios, using B. barbus and chub Squalius cephalus as model species. The isotopic niche, measured as standard ellipse area, was used to assess trophic niche size, and mixing models predicted the extent to which MDN contributed to fish diet. 3. In experimental mesocosms, B. barbus fed low volumes of pellets (approximately 3 per fish) for 130 days had isotopic niche sizes that were up to four times larger than a control and 'medium' (6 per fish) and 'high' pellet (12 per fish) treatments. Somatic growth rates were significantly higher in the 'medium' and 'high' treatments. In pond enclosure experiments, when juvenile B. barbus and S. cephalus were fed pellets daily for 100 days, there was a substantial and significant shift in the position of their isotopic niche compared to controls with no pellets fed. However, for each species, there were no significant differences in their somatic growth rates in the presence/ absence of pellets. 4. In a lowland river, high proportions of MDN contributed to the diet of B. barbus and S. cephalus captured by angling, but with substantial individual variability in those captured by electric fishing. Across all B. barbus > 400 mm, MDN dietary contributions ranged between 9 and 71%. This suggested some individual diet specialisations within their population that was associated with feeding on this angler subsidy and that also resulted in a significant increase in the size of their population isotopic niche. 5. These results suggested that when pellets containing MDN are used in freshwater angling, they are consumed and assimilated by cyprinid fishes, influencing individual and population trophic positions, and isotopic niche sizes and dietary specialisations. The results also suggested that the extent to which individuals specialise in feeding on pellets potentially influences their vulnerability to capture by anglers.


Direct injection of arginine vasopressin into immature rat testis inhibited basal testosterone synthesis. Simultaneous injection of arginine vasopressin with luteinizing hormone, norepinephrine or cholera toxin inhibited these agonists - induced testosterone response. In arginine vasopressin - desensitized testis, cAMP response to luteinizing hormone, norepinephrine and cholera toxin was not disturbed. However, testosterone response to luteinizing hormone, norepinephrine or cholera toxin was drastically reduced in arginine vasopressin-desensitized testis. This shows that the increased cAMP generated by luteinizing hormone, norepinephrine or cholera toxin in arginine vasopressin desensitized testis did not cause increase in steroidogenesis. This could be due to a lesion in steroidogenic pathway beyond cAMP generation caused by arginine vasopressin.


We present a scheme for real-time digital HDTV video decoding suitable for DVB or ATSC set-top boxes. Our technique is based on a dual decoding datapath controlled in two fixed-scheduling combinations with an efficient memory interface scheme for anchor pictures. Unlike other decoding approaches such as the slice bar decoding method and the crossing-divided method, our scheme reduces memory access contention problem to achieve real-time HDTV decoding without a high cost in overall decoder buffers, architecture, and bus. Our simulation shows that with a relatively low rate 81 MHz clock, our decoder can decode MPEG-2 MP@HL HDTV in real-time, based on a video format of 1920 /spl times/ 1080 pixels/frame at 30 frames/s, at a bit rate of 18-22 Mbps.


To provide further insight into the relationship between the structure of hydrocolloid solutions and gels and perception of taste and flavour, solutions of gelatin and locust bean gum, and gels prepared from mixtures of (a) high acyl and low acyl gellan (b) carrageenan and locust bean gum were studied. Both solutions contained sodium chloride and the gels were flavoured with ethyl butyrate.
The gels were classified from rheological measurements into 3 categories: strong/brittle, intermediate and soft/elastic. Volatile release was measured by monitoring nose space volatile concentration during consumption using Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation-Mass Spectrometry (APCI-MS). In addition headspace measurements were performed with APCI-MS. The headspace concentrations did not exhibit significant differences between the gels systems but the release of ethyl butyrate in-nose was affected by the matrix, showing a higher intensity for the more brittle gels containing high levels of low acyl gellan. The release of Na' following a two bite compression was monitored by the use of an ion specific electrode. The
more brittle gels containing high levels of low acyl gellan and high amount of K-carrageenan exhibited significantly higher release of Na'. Strain at break correlated inversely with salt release (r2=-0.87) and nose space volatile concentration (r2=-0.55).
In a later stage gelatin was added (1-5%) in the previous mixtures of HA-Gellan and LA-Gellan (constant polysaccharide concentration of 0.6%). The rheological analysis of the gels yielded different behaviour of the gels. At low levels of LA-Gellan the rheological data can be explained by polymer blending laws. At higher levels of LA-Gellan, development of elastic behaviour from the previous brittle gels observed does not fit polymer blending law theory. Flavour release during diffusion experiment showed that at 37°C the gels containing gelatin exhibited higher salt release. Temperature sweeps have shown that a drop of G' is observed around 27-28° C indicating that the gelatin present in the mixture is melting. However the level of the drop of G' indicates that the continuous phase of the gel composite was the gellan system. Volatile release was measured by monitoring nose space volatile concentration during consumption using Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation-Mass Spectrometry (APCI-MS) but showed no significant differences between the different gels. Headspace experiments performed at different temperatures showed that the gels containing high amounts of gelatin when compared to control gels
that contained 0% gelatin exhibited higher release of ethyl butyrate. To mimic the mixing of gelatin with saliva after melting, gelatin solutions at 50°C containing salt were mixed with water. Even at high concentrations (30%) of gelatin mixing efficiency and release was very efficient. In contrast when locust bean gum solutions containing salt were mixed with distilled water it was found that both salt release and mixing efficiency decreased at polysaccharide concentrations above c*.
It is concluded that the intensity of flavour perception in hydrocolloid solutions and gels is dominated by the release of the tastant. In solutions this is favoured by good mixing behaviour between the hydrocolloid solution and saliva and in gels by a low strain at break. A gelatine replacement should not only show melt in the mouth behaviour but good mixing between the melted gelatin and saliva. It was shown that thermal processing at 121°C induced deacetylation of HA-gellan at much lower pH than would normally be needed in a typical deacetylation process. Therefore new textures can be achieved through deacetylation through heat processing. When gels which were prepared by deacetylation by heat processing were compared with blends that had an equivalent acyl content different textures were obtained even though the Young's modulus was very similar at the same total acyl content.
The implications of this work for gelled petfood products is discussed.


The Permanent Income Hypothesis (PIH) states that consumption should depend on long-term income expectations and not on temporary swings in income. This paper uses Irish household data from three Household Budget Surveys between 1994 and 2005 to test the PIH. Households that fail to consume their permanent income may do so because they have no access to credit or because they save, be it for a rainy day, a purchase, bequests, or simply because saving conditions are attractive. We find some evidence for credit constraints, for instance for mortgage households in arrears in the mid-1990s. Furthermore, mortgage households during the housing boom consistently consumed less than predicted by their permanent income, which may be related to planned house purchases or the Special Savings Incentive Account scheme.


Nowadays, due to the high potential of advanced simulation models for groundwater, these models are comprehensively applied in the management and exploitation of groundwater resources. The aim of this study was to investigate and simulate the groundwater resources in Kouhpayeh-Segzi watershed and in particular estimate the hydrodynamic coefficients of unconfined aquifer. After preparation of input layers, efficient parameters in modeling, boundary conditions and aquifer gridding were determined. Then, based on the available data, the model was run and calibrated in a steady state for the water year 2002 and in a transient state for water years between 2002 and 2004. The simulation outputs were confidently verified for the water year 2005. The results indicated that the hydraulic conductivities and storage coefficients were ranged on sub-basin from 15.26 to 19.87 m/day and 0.0107 to 0.0186, respectively. From aquifer's hydrograph for a period from 1995 to 2012, water level dropped about 25 cm. This may be due to two irrigation networks (green area). This leads to rising water level. By ignoring these recharge areas, water level declined up to 80 cm per year. With sensitivity analysis in transient state to evaluate the efficacy of each parameter, the accuracy of the results of calibration model was confirmed. In addition, the hydraulic head values computed by MODFLOW were in good agreement with those that were collected from all piezometers.


ABSTRACT Li, X.; Sun, J.; You, Z.; Zhang, J.; Wang, L.; Zhang, Z.; Li, Q., and Xie, T., 2020. Numerical study on wave dissipation characteristics of open breakwater for erosion protection of muddy coasts. In: Zheng, C.W.; Wang, Q.; Zhan, C., and Yang, S.B. (eds.), Air-Sea Interaction and Coastal Environments of the Maritime and Polar Silk Roads. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 99, pp. 214–220. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In the recent 60 years, accompanied by the remarkable decline of its sediment into the sea, The Yellow River Delta has been experiencing severe erosion. Based on this, this paper attempts to propose a new type of open breakwater with good wave-dissipating performance, which can be used to protect the Yellow River Delta from extensive erosion (Wang et al., 2016a). In this study, a numerical model for the interactions between waves and plate-type open breakwaters are constructed using the finite volume method, and their correctness is validated by experimental results. The numerical results show that, by comprehensively considering Kt, Kr, the double arc-shaped plate-type (DAPT) open breakwater is found to exhibit the highest wave-dissipating performance among the double flat plate-type (DFPT), single arc-shaped plate-type (SAPT) open breakwater and double arc-shaped plate-type (DAPT) open breakwater.


In recent studies we have shown that the tryptophan (TRP) depletion model of depression previously validated in male rats is paroxetine-resistant in females (Franklin et al. 2015). In this model, we found that secretion of the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone increased after 4 days of TRP depletion and surprisingly prior to corticosterone enhancement. The study aim was to investigate the effects of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade on depression-like behaviour induced by TRP depletion. Female rats were fed a control (0.2% of TRP) or low TRP diet (0.04% of TRP) for 14  days. They were simultaneously treated with the MR antagonist spironolactone (1.2 mg/rat/day) or placebo via matrix-driven delivery pellets (Innovative Research of America, USA) for 14 days. Rats were tested in the Forced Swim Test (FST) on treatment day 14. Animals were sacrificed by decapitation on day 15. Two-way ANOVA showed that TRP depletion resulted in an increased immobility time in the FST. Further analysis showed that TRP-depleted rats treated with spironolactone but with placebo spent a significantly shorter time immobile compared to controls. Rats exposed to TRP depletion exhibited significantly higher serum concentrations of aldosterone and corticosterone, which were slightly modified by spironolactone treatment. TRP depletion significantly enhanced serum interleukin-6 as well as gene expression of orexin A, a neuropeptide related to ghrelin, which has been shown to be altered in patients with treatmentresistant depression. Findings show that treatment of rats with the MR antagonist spironolactone results in a mild improvement of TRP depletioninduced depression-like behaviour. Blockade of aldosterone action could represent a target for new antidepressant treatment. This study was supported by grant of VEGA 2 /0128/14, APVV-14– 0840 and HEIF 5 Funding (at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK). Franklin et al., Neuroendocrinology, 102(4):274–287, 2015. PS136 Time-dependent alteration of reward-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of the neuropathic pain model rats. Airi Ido, Soichiro Ide, Takahiro Kato, Masabumi Minami Hokkaido University, Japan Abstract Chronic pain is frequently comorbid with psychiatric disorders such as depression, suggesting the common neuroplastic changes in the central nervous system. It has been considered that chronic pain lowers the function of mesolimbic reward circuits and leads to depression-like states. Nucleus accumbens (NAc) is one of the key structures of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, which is well known to play an important role in the reward circuits. Extracellular dopamine (DA) levels in the NAc elevate after the acquisition or prediction of rewards. In this study, we examined the reward-induced DA release in the NAc of neuropathic pain model rats. To prepare the neuropathic pain model, the spinal nerve was ligated (SNL model), and reward-induced DA release in the NAc was examined 2 and 4 weeks after SNL surgery. The animals were given with two types of rewards, 30% sucrose solution or pain relief by intrathecally injection of pregabalin (100 μg/10 μl PBS), and DA release was monitored using an in vivo microdialysis technique. Both rewards increased extracellular DA levels in the NAc 2 weeks after SNL surgery. In contrast, neither sucrose solution nor pain relief increased the DA release 4 weeks after SNL surgery. These results suggest that dysfunction of the mesolimbic reward circuits occurred 4 weeks, but not 2 weeks, after SNL surgery.Chronic pain is frequently comorbid with psychiatric disorders such as depression, suggesting the common neuroplastic changes in the central nervous system. It has been considered that chronic pain lowers the function of mesolimbic reward circuits and leads to depression-like states. Nucleus accumbens (NAc) is one of the key structures of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, which is well known to play an important role in the reward circuits. Extracellular dopamine (DA) levels in the NAc elevate after the acquisition or prediction of rewards. In this study, we examined the reward-induced DA release in the NAc of neuropathic pain model rats. To prepare the neuropathic pain model, the spinal nerve was ligated (SNL model), and reward-induced DA release in the NAc was examined 2 and 4 weeks after SNL surgery. The animals were given with two types of rewards, 30% sucrose solution or pain relief by intrathecally injection of pregabalin (100 μg/10 μl PBS), and DA release was monitored using an in vivo microdialysis technique. Both rewards increased extracellular DA levels in the NAc 2 weeks after SNL surgery. In contrast, neither sucrose solution nor pain relief increased the DA release 4 weeks after SNL surgery. These results suggest that dysfunction of the mesolimbic reward circuits occurred 4 weeks, but not 2 weeks, after SNL surgery. PS137 Evidence that Cannabidiol Induces Acute Antidepressant-Like Efects in Different Animal Models Samia Joca1*, Amanda J. Sales2, Ariandra G. Sartim1, Vitor S. Pereira3, Gregers Wegener3, Francisco S. Guimaraes2 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo (FCFRP-USP), Brazil. *email@example.com 2 School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil 3 Department of Clinical Medicine, Translational Neuropsychiatric Unit, Aarhus University, Denmark Abstract Objectives: Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic compound of Cannabis sativa, induced antidepressant like-effects in rodents tested in the forced swimming and olfactory bulbectomy models (Zanelati et al., 2010, Linge et al., Neuropharmacology, 2015). However, no study so far has investigated CBD effects in animal models with greater construct validity for depression, such as the learned helplessness and the Flinders Sensitive and Flinders Resistent Line (FSL/FRL). The present work aimed at investigating the acute effects of CBD in these models. Methods and Results: Experiment 1. For the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm male Wistar rats were submitted to the pre-test (inescapable footshocks) and test (escapable shocks) sessions with a seven days interval. A single injection of CBD (10, 30 mg/ Kg, ip), imipramine (15 mg/Kg, ip) or vehicle was given to rats either after pre-test or 1h before test. Another group received daily injections of imipramine (15 mg/Kg/day, ip), between the pre-test and test, as a positive control for the antidepressant effect.Objectives: Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic compound of Cannabis sativa, induced antidepressant like-effects in rodents tested in the forced swimming and olfactory bulbectomy models (Zanelati et al., 2010, Linge et al., Neuropharmacology, 2015). However, no study so far has investigated CBD effects in animal models with greater construct validity for depression, such as the learned helplessness and the Flinders Sensitive and Flinders Resistent Line (FSL/FRL). The present work aimed at investigating the acute effects of CBD in these models. Methods and Results: Experiment 1. For the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm male Wistar rats were submitted to the pre-test (inescapable footshocks) and test (escapable shocks) sessions with a seven days interval. A single injection of CBD (10, 30 mg/ Kg, ip), imipramine (15 mg/Kg, ip) or vehicle was given to rats either after pre-test or 1h before test. Another group received daily injections of imipramine (15 mg/Kg/day, ip), between the pre-test and test, as a positive control for the antidepressant effect.


. During the first half of the 20 th century the Danish geometer Johannes Hjelmslev developed what he called a geometry of reality. It was presented as an alternative to the idealized Euclidean paradigm that had recently been completed by Hilbert. Hjelmslev argued that his geometry of reality was superior to the Euclidean geometry both didactically, scientifically and in practice: Didactically, because it was closer to experience and intuition, in practice because it was in accordance with the real geometrical drawing practice of the engineer, and scientifically because it was based on a smaller axiomatic basis than Hilbertian Euclidean geometry but still included the important theorems of ordinary geometry. In this paper, I shall primarily analyze the scientific aspect of Hjelmslev's new approach to geometry that gave rise to the so-called Hjelmslev (incidence) geometry or ring geometry.


The economist's conceptualisation of inequality in terms of interpersonal distribution of income or wealth, and the tradition of measurement of inequality that follows from this conceptualisation have not paid adequate attention to the need for reckoning inequality across social groups. In this paper we show that certain simple statistical tools to analyse categorical data can be shown to have properties that conform to our normative judgement on group inequality. We then analyse the grouped data available from such sources as the NSSO to illuminate our understanding of group inequality in India. A broader goal of this paper is to combine the insights from the literature on axiomatic method of measuring inequality with the idea of inequality that is commonly shared by other social science disciplines like sociology and political science.


B2O3 is employed as fluxing agent of high basicity CaO-based flux to substitute for CaF2. The effects of B2O3 and CaF2 on the metallurgy properties of CaO-based flux were investigated. The results indicate that the fluxing action of B2O3 is better than that of CaF2. For the high basicity CaO-based flux, when CaF2 is substituted with B2O3, the melting temperature can be decreased remarkably. Especially, when the mass ratios of CaO/SiO2 are in range of 5.25~8.0, the flux melting temperature is lower than 1300 °C. The inflection point temperature of flux viscosity-temperature curve is lowered remarkably when B2O3 is employed to substitute for CaF2. Meanwhile, the desulfurization capacity of flux can be improved markedly when CaF2 is substituted with equal mass of B2O3.


BACKGROUND
We examined associations of birth defects with residential proximity to commercial agricultural pesticide applications in California. Subjects included 367 cases representing five types of birth defects and 785 nonmalformed controls born 1997 to 2006.

METHODS
Associations with any versus no exposure to physicochemical groups of pesticides and specific chemicals were assessed using logistic regression adjusted for covariates. Overall, 46% of cases and 38% of controls were classified as exposed to pesticides within a 500 m radius of mother's address during a 3-month periconceptional window.

RESULTS
We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for 85 groups and 95 chemicals with five or more exposed cases and control mothers. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (CI) excluded 1.0 for 11 ORs for groups and 22 ORs for chemicals, ranging from 1.9 to 3.1 for groups and 1.8 to 4.9 for chemicals except for two that were <1 (noted below).

CONCLUSION
For groups, these ORs were for anotia/microtia (n = 95 cases) and dichlorophenoxy acids/esters and neonicotinoids; anorectal atresia/stenosis (n = 77) and alcohol/ethers and organophosphates (these ORs were < 1.0); transverse limb deficiencies (n = 59) and dichlorophenoxy acids/esters, petroleum derivatives, and triazines; and craniosynostosis (n = 79) and alcohol/ethers, avermectins, neonicotinoids, and organophosphates. For chemicals, ORs were: anotia/microtia and five pesticides from the groups dichlorophenoxy acids/esters, copper-containing compounds, neonicotinoids, organophosphates, and triazines; transverse limb deficiency and six pesticides - oxyfluorfen and pesticides from the groups copper-containing compounds, 2,6-dinitroanilines, neonicotinoids, petroleum derivatives and polyalkyloxy compounds; craniosynostosis and 10 pesticides - oxyfluorfen and pesticides from the groups alcohol/ethers, avermectins, n-methyl-carbamates, neonicotinoids, ogranophosphates (two chemicals), polyalkyloxy compounds (two chemicals), and pyrethroids; and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (n = 62) and a copper-containing compound.


Background: Increasing rates of behavioral problems among children in India necessitates newer ways of managing them with medical and nonmedical approaches. Music add-on therapy is a method for treating mental disturbances. This study examines the effectiveness of music add-on therapy in managing children with behavioral problems. Methods and Materials: A randomized controlled design was adopted with a random allocation of 40 children (20 each in experimental and control groups) aged between 6 and 12 years with behavioral disorders as per the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10. After the pretest, both the groups received treatment as usual (TAU), while the experimental group alone additionally received music add-on intervention with eight Hindustani ragas for 3 weeks. As clinical outcome measures, we used the Childrens Global Assessment Scale, Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form typical IQ (NCBRF-TIQ) version, and visual analogue scale (VAS) for a parent to monitor the behavioral improvement. Results: Children exposed to the music add-on therapy had improved score in the Children Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) and the VAS as compared with the control group (F [2,76] = 34.307, P < 0.001 and F [2,76] = 72.4, P < 0.001, respectively). Further, the NCBRF-TIQ version revealed improvement in positive social behavior (F [2,76] = 13.089, P < 0.001) and reduction in problem behaviors in the experimental group. Conclusion: Music add-on therapy is effective in improving positive social behavior and reducing problem behaviors among children.


Secondary drowning (and near-drowning) is one of the post-immersion respiratory syndromes. It is defined as deterioration of pulmonary function that follows deficient gas exchange due to loss or inactivation of surfactant. A review of 94 consecutive cases of near-drowning in childhood showed that this syndrome occurred in five (5%) cases. Its onset was usually rapid and characterised by a latent period of one to 48 hours of relative respiratory well-being. It occurred more rapidly after immersion in fresh water. The two children immersed in salt water died of secondary drowning, while the three immersed in fresh water recovered completely. If it is anticipated, recognised, and treated vigorously prognosis of secondary drowning is good in fresh water cases but bad after salt water immersion.


This appendix provides the details that underlie the analyses reported in the evaluation brief, "After Two Years, Three Elementary Math Curricula Outperform a Fourth.†The details are organized in six sections: Study Curricula and Design (Section A), Data Collection (Section B), Construction of the Analysis File (Section C), Curriculum Effects on Student Math Achievement (Section D), Curriculum Implementation (Section E), and Effects of Switching Curricula (Section F).


The assessment of the cytotoxicity of pussley ( Portulaca oleracea L.) enrolls in the first series of studies of ex vivo evaluation of toxicity of range plants in Palestine. In parallel, this study looks for an antidotal treatment in Milk Thistle ( Silybum marianum ) which is available in the Palestinian environment. This study has an economical, ecological, agricultural and political importance through preserving livestock, ranges and land… Starting at 500 µg of Portulaca oleracea extract/ml of HepG2 cell culture medium, a clear toxicity for HepG2 cell line as expressed by MTT viability test is demonstrated as directly proportional to the plant dose. Silybum marianum shows a similar profile even though with a viability profile weaker than that of Portulaca oleracea . This is unexpected for a plant ( Silybum marianum ) used classically as hepatic regenerative and antidote agent, recall that Portulaca oleracea is an edible plant. However, Silybum marianum is demonstrated to be efficient (at 1.5 mg of plant extract/ml of HepG2 cell line culture medium) as an antidote against the toxicity of Portulaca oleracea . This opens horizons for using Silybum marianum as an antidote in case of intoxication of livestock and also humans.


Geophone orientation azimuths were found analytically from 3D and 2D walkaway VSP data acquired near Lousana, Alberta. The 3D dataset was divided based on sourcewell azimuth into bins with centers trending 0°-180°, 45°-225°, 90°-270° and 135°-315°; the standard deviation in orientation azimuth was found to be 5.24° using all azimuths, and 1.28°, 0.66°, 1.07° and 2.77° respectively when binned. The 2D dataset consisted of three lines; the standard deviation for this survey was 1.73° for all lines, 1.87° for the east line, 0.71° for the southeast line and 1.81° for the south line. In both cases, the mean angle calculated for each receiver did not appear to have any dependence on source-well azimuth, suggesting flat, isotropic geology near the well. Removal of sources nearer than 300 m (approximately 1/3 of the geophone depth) significantly improved the scatter in the 2D walkaway, but had little effect on the 3D walkaway. Finally, the orientation angles for the 3D walkaway analysis were also calculated using a linear regression analysis of trace hodograms. Results showed that mean angles calculated using this method differed from the analytic method by less than 1° on average, but that the analytic method produced less scatter.


The ionic liquid (2-hydroxyethylammonium)trimethylammonium) bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (choline bistriflimide) was obtained as a supercooled liquid at room temperature (melting point=30 degrees C). Crystals of choline bistriflimide suitable for structure determination were grown from the melt in situ on the X-ray diffractometer. The choline cation adopts a folded conformation, whereas the bistriflimide anion exhibits a transoid conformation. The choline cation and the bistriflimide anion are held together by hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl proton and a sulfonyl oxygen atom. This hydrogen bonding is of importance for the temperature-dependent solubility properties of the ionic liquid. Choline bistriflimide is not miscible with water at room temperature, but forms one phase with water at temperatures above 72 degrees C (equals upper critical solution temperature). 1H NMR studies show that the hydrogen bonds between the choline cation and the bistriflimide anion are substantially weakened above this temperature. The thermophysical properties of water-choline bistriflimide binary mixtures were furthermore studied by a photopyroelectric technique and by adiabatic scanning calorimetry (ASC). By photothermal analysis, besides highly accurate values for the thermal conductivity and effusivity of choline bistriflimide at 30 degrees C, the detailed temperature dependence of both the thermal conductivity and effusivity of the upper and lower part of a critical water-choline bistriflimide mixture in the neighborhood of the mixing-demixing phase transition could be determined with high resolution and accuracy. Together with high resolution ASC data for the heat capacity, experimental values were obtained for the critical exponents alpha and beta, and for the critical amplitude ratio G+/G-. These three values were found to be consistent with theoretical expectations for a three dimensional Ising-type of critical behavior of binary liquid mixtures.


The design and optimization of district heating networks is a rather complex task; therefore most of the researchers have been focusing on simulating models allowing performing parametric optimization for proposed architectures. Energy integration techniques combined with thermodynamic second law analysis are a way to perform systematic architecture and parametric optimization of district heating design.This paper proposes a multi-period Mixed Integer Non Linear Programming (MINLP) model for the optimal design of a district heating network. This approach allows considering varying energy demands and supplies, and making discrete decisions such as choosing units for design or turning equipment on and off. The optimal heat production system architecture is obtained by minimizing the total consumed exergy, considering, but not limited to, centralized heat pumps and complementary utilities. The energy conversion technologies are represented by reduced order modelling and their operating conditions (characteristic temperatures and heat loads) are optimized. Numerical results are presented in a case study optimizing the use of a 60°C geothermal heat source connected to a district heating network in northern France. A second case study is analysed, considering the integration of heat pumps. Furthermore, a comparison with results obtained for the same case study using a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is performed. Calculation time and the solution's accuracy are discussed.


In this contribution, we report two important achievements; first the synthesis of poly(2-aminothiaozle) (P2AT) with a plate structure containing nanoparticles by a rapidly initiated strategy, and second, the one-step synthesis of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porous carbon materials with unique morphology using P2AT as the source of both N and S, through a simple hydrothermal carbonization reaction. The obtained functional carbon may serve to develop new carbon materials for various applications, especially catalysis, because of the excellent properties, such as straightforward synthesis, defined morphology, high porosity, and heteroatom doping. As one of the most important applications, we used the porous carbon materials as a support for immobilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Benefiting from the synergistic effects of N and S co-doping, very small AuNPs, and unique structural features, the as-obtained material was demonstrated to be a superior catalyst for reduction of nitrobenzenes.


A generalised, history independent, Local Load Sharing Fiber Bundle Model, describing damage propagation in materials as failing fibers under under external load is studied. If the fibers' thresholds t are drawn from an exponential probability distribution p(t) with a cut-off parameter t0, the model exhibits a transition when adjusting this cut-off parameter. The transition results in a change of behaviour in the damage spreading from being similar to the Equal Load Sharing Fiber Bundle Model, to be dominated by invasion percolation. By investigating this transition, it has been shown that it is indeed a critical phase transition, and the critical cut-off parameter has been determined to tc = 0.61 ± 0.02. The correlation length exponent of the transition was attempted estimated by the use of the Gradient Method, but did not succeed as the gradient in t0 induced a forced localisation, independent of the critical cut-off. However, by determining an order parameter for the model, its scaling relation to the system size L, and extrapolating it to infinity, the critical exponent β/ν = 1.5± 0.1 was calculated.