Context: Mental health disorders are an important factor contributing to the global burden to disease. Less than 1% of the health budgets in 62% of developing nations and 16% of developed nations are spent on mental health services. The availability of mental health rehabilitative services remains minimal. Aims: This study aims to find the effectiveness of a new low-cost psychosocial rehabilitation model. Setting and Design: The study was conducted at a rehabilitation center. An interventional follow-up study was designed. Materials and Methods: A new low-cost psychosocial rehabilitative model was employed for 6 months for persons residing at a rehabilitation center. The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument, WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0, and WHO (Five) Well-Being Index would be scored before and after the intervention. Statistical Analysis: The differences between the scores were analyzed using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank test, whichever is applicable. P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: Sample size was 110. 29.1% were rehabilitated and 68.2% remained at the rehabilitation center at 6 months. The pre- and post-test scores using the new model showed improvement in the scores. The mean scores for WHO-BREF, WHO-5 score, WHODAS-2 score were 73.2, 51.14, and 20.34, respectively. On follow-up, the scores improved to 82.6, 67.09, and 15.96, respectively. Conclusions: The low-cost psychosocial rehabilitative model was found to be effective. This could serve as a model not only for other similar centers in India and but also for other low- and middle-income group countries.


Model predictive control (MPC) is a popular strategy, often applied to distributed parameter systems (DPSs). Most DPSs are approximated by nonlinear large-scale models. Using it directly for control applications is problematic because of the high associated computational cost and the nonconvexity of the underlying optimization problem. In this brief, we build on the notion of multiple MPC, combining it with equation-free model reduction techniques, to identify the (relatively low-dimensional) subspace of slow modes and obtain a local reduced-order linear model. This procedure results in an input/output framework, enabling the use of black-box deterministic and stochastic simulators. The set of linear low-dimensional models obtained off-line along the reference trajectories are used for linear MPC, either with off-line gain scheduling or with online identification of the reduced model. In the former approach, the decision to use the model in real time is taken a priori, whereas in the latter a local model is computed online as a function of a set stored in a model bank. The two approaches are discussed and validated using case studies based on a tubular reactor, a highly nonlinear dissipative partial differential equation system exhibiting instabilities and multiplicity of state.


Abstract Models of peat accumulation assume that peat decomposition occurs mostly above the water table, with little or no decomposition once peat enters the deeper, saturated, anoxic zone. However, few such measurements of peat decomposition exist. In this paper we quantified differences in degree of decomposition, botanical composition, and organic chemical composition of peat from three temperate peatlands with different water table levels. All sites had a thick layer of herbaceous peat, capped by a layer of Sphagnum peat. The lignin content and degree of decomposition, measured by the pyrophosphate index, generally increased with depth. Analysis of the lignin with cupric oxide (CuO) oxidation revealed most of the chemical differences between peat deposits occurred in the upper, aerated peat layer, as expected. The upper layer of Sphagnum peat was characterized by high p-hydroxyl phenolic yield, whereas Sphagnum peat below the water table exhibited a high degree of humification and high yield of vanillyl oxidation products despite being of similar botanical composition. Surprisingly, herbaceous peat below the water table was similar in terms of degree of decomposition to younger herbaceous peat. The results confirm that peat decomposition occurs mostly above the water table, although botanical source, climate, and local hydrology interact to create multiple trajectories in peat chemistry.


Background Nephrin was first identified in 1998. The Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome of the Finnish type is an autosomal recessive transmitted disease caused by a mutation in the NPHS1 gene that codifies nephrin. The clinical manifestations appear in the first three months of life and progress to end stage renal failure. Clinical case A seven weeks-old boy with normal grow and psycho-motor development was admitted to the emergency room with vomiting, diarrhoea and mild bilateral pretibial oedema. Laboratory data revealed anaemia, thrombocytosis, normal serum creatinine and urea, normal Na+, K+, pH and HCO3 -, hypoalbuminemia and proteinuria (263 mg/m2/day). The renal biopsy suggested a Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome of the Finnish type or mesangial sclerosis. The patient was treated with indomethacin and captopril for proteinuria without response. The genetic study confirmed the presence of the IVS9+4 (A >G) variant in homozygosity in the NPHS1 gene. His parents, first-degree cousins, had the same mutation in heterozygosity. The renal disease progressed to end stage renal failure at the age of four years-old. He was supported by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis until the age of six, when he was successfully transplanted with a cadaveric kidney graft. Conclusions The role of nephrin in the glomerular filtration and stability of the podocytes is unequivocally established. The Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome of the Finnish type, initially found in Finnish families, is present in other areas of the world. The identification of a new mutation in the NPHS1 gene reflects the great variability in the mutations associated with the disease.


The purpose of this instrumental research was to expand the Internalized Homonegativity Scale to assess a new factor, the fear of being identified as a non-heterosexual person, and to validate the new instrument. A questionnaire was applied to an incidental sample of 200 medical students from a private university in Monterrey, Mexico. This questionnaire was composed of four items about socio-demographic information, one is about self-defined sexual orientation, 16-item Internalized Homonegativity Scale (plus five items to assess the new factor), Attitude Towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, and Kinsey's Sexual Orientation Scale. The overall internal consistency was excellent. Upon removing two items, a four-factor model was reproduced through exploratory factor analysis; the goodness of fit was good. The four factors showed evidence of internal consistency and discriminant validity. The IHN-21 total score followed a normal distribution and its mean was higher among men than among women. IHN-21 had negative correlation with age and sexual orientation, and positive correlation with attitude of rejection towards gay men and lesbians. It is concluded that the scale shows internal consistency and reliability and construct validity.

 Key words: Homonegativity, attitude, sexual orientation, factor analysis, psychometrics.


The Fe-Si-Ti system is known to show nanoscale precipitation of the Fe2SiTi Heusler phase with potentially high volume fraction (~4%), very high density and a size ranging from 1 to 20nm after artificial aging. The strong hardening potential of these precipitates make these steels candidates for automotive applications; however no understanding of the precipitation sequence (competition with other phases) nor the precipitation kinetics are available. The present study presents a quantitative study of the precipitation kinetics (size, volume fraction and number density) in a wide temperature range (450-800°C), realised by coupling systematically Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) and Tomographic Atom Probe (TAP). Tensile tests were also carried out so as to determine the microstructure/properties relationships. Along the complete temperature range, it is shown that a compromise between time for precipitation and small precipitate sizes can be reached around 550°C. At this intermediate temperature, precipitation is shown to occur in two steps, linked with a second nucleation process after nucleation & growth of the first family of Fe2SiTi has been completed. This second precipitation step results in a temporary decrease in precipitate size and an increase in hardness. The nature of these precipitates is discussed in view of the TEM and TAP observations.


ABSTRACT Cloud computing is a computing platform that resides in a large data center and is able to dynamically provide servers with the ability to address a wide range of needs, from scientific research to e-commerce. The provision of computing resources as if it were a utility such as electricity, while potentially revolutionary as a computing service, presents many major problems of information policy, including issues of privacy, security, reliability, access, and regulation. This article explores the nature and potential of cloud computing, the policy issues raised, and research questions related to cloud computing and policy. Ultimately, the policy issues raised by cloud computing are examined as a part of larger issues of public policy attempting to respond to rapid technological evolution.


This program allows the generation of several accurate (with respect to pre-defined target values) loss traces following a simplified Gilbert loss model (2-states, one with no losses, and one with loss probability = 1). For subjective testing, the challenge lies in getting the right stats within a few hundred packets, as test sequences are only ∼ 10slong. We take a brute-force approach, generating several samples per combination of lossrate and mean loss burst size until enough sufficiently good traces are generated.


We introduce a model of chaotic systems that can provide a predictable probability distribution to generate discrete sequences for digital communications. Some well-known chaotic maps belong to its special cases. We generalize the spirit of a paper by Kohda and Tsuneda (1997) to explicitly express the covariance functions of the chaotic discrete sequences generated by this model. Based on the model, a scheme is proposed to construct the chaotic orthonormal discrete sequences, which are characterized by the asymptotic normalized (partial) /spl delta/-like autocovariance and near-zero cross covariance. Compared with the conventional algebraic sequences, such chaotic discrete sequences have quite a large number of choices. All empirical results well correspond to theoretic prediction.


We present atomistic simulations that show that transport of helium is inhibited on grain boundaries in tungsten. This finding is contrary to self-diffusion, or diffusion of substitutional impurities in metals, for which transport is generally enhanced along grain boundaries, but is similar to the behavior observed for hydrogen in past studies on low-angle grain boundaries, for which transport also occurs via interstitial diffusion. In the case of helium transport in tungsten, diffusion is biased toward grain boundaries, but once a helium atom or group of atoms is on a grain boundary,diffusion is impeded rather than enhanced. The reduced rate of diffusion on grain boundaries produces a higher concentration of helium in the grain boundary regions. The effect arises from the relative insolubility of helium inmost materials combined with the size mismatch between helium and tungsten, which results in an interstitial diffusion mechanism rather than diffusion that relies on the presence of self-vacancies. In light of this, it is important to note that grain boundaries will not facilitate transport of helium in tungsten and other metals, but in fact that helium is immobilized on grain boundaries.


The treatment of industrial wastewaters collected from petrochemical works, gypsum plant, and printing and dyeing mill, was investigated at atmospheric pressure in air discharge plasma. The degradation effects of organic contaminants in water were compared for the printing and dyeing wastewater under different discharging conditions and for the wastewater from the other two plants under the same discharging conditions. The influences of several factors on chemical oxygen demand (COD) remove rate were studied experimentally. The results showed that the treatment effects for the same industrial wastewater differed significant under different discharge conditions. There may be a suitable discharge plasma treatment to specific industrial wastewater. Due to the removal rates of COD of industrial wastewaters with discharge plasma isn't very high, therefore the discharge plasma water treating needs to combine conventional water treating methods or addition other catalyst to effectively remove organic pollutants in wastewater and obtain the expected treatment effect.


The commentaries on newly instituted jury trials in Russia that Dostoevsky provided in his Diary of a Writer during the 1870s has attracted scholarly attention mainly for the legal and moral issues he addresses in them. His commentary on two jury trials in particular–those of Kroneberg and Kornilova (both of which involve violence toward children)–has attracted most of this scholarly attention. The present article examines Dostoevsky's commentary on a different trial, that of Nastasia Kairova, an actress who attacked the estranged wife of her lover with a razor in an outburst of jealous passion. Rather than examine Dostoevsky's commentary on the Kairova case as an example of his views on moral, legal, criminal, and/or judicial issues, however, I will be exploring it against the background of the author's views on female sexuality. More specifically, I will be focusing upon how Dostoevsky's conceptualization of carnal desire as a violent and destructive passion shapes his understanding not only of sex and love, but also of justice and mercy. It thus influences in a very fundamental way his view of the role that love–maternal and conjugal as opposed to romantic and sexual–should play in helping to establish the moral structure of a life, a family, and a society. Dostoevsky believed that Kairova's crime of passion was triggered by the unbridling of her carnal lusts, by the unleashing of a dangerous and destructive appetite for power, aggression, and domination that he linked closely with sexual desire. As we will see, Kairova's unruly carnal lusts, in Dostoevsky's opinion, not only led to her violent crime of passion; they also stood in the way of her moral regeneration and spiritual redemption.


Abstract One of the main goals of statistics is to use data to provide evidence in support of an argument. This article will discuss some popular forms of writing assessments currently in use, to demonstrate the differences between the methods for structuring the students' learning to support their arguments with evidence. We share a model, which was originally created to assess students in introductory statistics and has been adapted for the second course in statistics, which takes a unique approach toward assessing the students' understanding of statistical concepts through writing. In this model, students are expected to answer prompts that required them to (1) take a stance on an argument, (2) defend their position with facts given in the prompt, (3) discern the implications that those facts implied, and (4) give a proper conclusion to their argument. We provide examples of a few of the writing assignment prompts used in the course, their intended assessment purpose, and common answers that students gave to these assignments. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


Extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness and cell density can regulate osteoblast differentiation in two dimensional environments. However, it is not yet known how osteoblast-osteocyte differentiation is regulated within a 3D ECM environment, akin to that existing in vivo. In this study we test the hypothesis that osteocyte differentiation is regulated by a 3D cell environment, ECM stiffness and cell density. We encapsulated MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells at varied cell densities (0.25, 1 and 2 × 106 cells/mL) within microbial transglutaminase (mtgase) gelatin hydrogels of low (0.58 kPa) and high (1.47 kPa) matrix stiffnesses. Cellular morphology was characterised from phalloidin-FITC and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) dilactate staining. In particular, the expression of cell dendrites, which are phenotypic of osteocyte differentiation, were identified. Immunofluorescent staining for the osteocytes specific protein DMP-1 was conducted. Biochemical analyses were performed to determine cell number, alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralisation at 2.5 hours, 3, 21 and 56 days. We found that osteocyte differentiation and the formation of an interconnected network between dendritic cells was significantly increased within low stiffness 3D matrices, compared to cells within high stiffness matrices, at high cell densities. Moreover we saw that this network was interconnected, expressed DMP-1 and also connected with osteoblast-like cells at the matrix surface. This study shows for the first time the role of the 3D physical nature of the ECM and cell density for regulating osteocyte differentiation and the formation of the osteocyte network in vitro. Future studies could apply this method to develop 3D tissue engineered constructs with an osteocyte network in place.


Using a sample of hedge funds and mutual funds, I examine two channels through which asset managers can contribute to systemic risk: the service channel when funds act as liquidity suppliers and the asset liquidation channel when funds act as liquidity demanders. Consistent with the latter channel being more important, I find that contributions to systemic risk increase significantly when hedge funds demand liquidity. Conversely, no such effect exists for mutual funds. A decomposition of systemic risk reveals that the higher level of systemic risk for liquidity-demanding hedge funds can be explained by a higher degree of interconnectedness. Providing further evidence for the asset liquidation channel, I document that systemic risk is considerably larger when hedge funds demand liquidity in times of low funding liquidity and during stock market boom and bust phases.


Cyclin D1 is a G1-specific cyclin that has been linked to lymphoid, parathyroid, and breast tumors. Recent studies suggested that high protein levels of cyclin D1 are not always produced when cyclin D1 mRNA is overexpressed in transfected cells, suggesting that posttranscriptional events may be important in cyclin D1 regulation. The mRNA cap-binding protein (eukaryotic initiation factor 4E [eIF-4E]) is a potential regulatory of several posttranscriptional events, and it can itself induce neoplastic transformation. Consequently, we examined eIF-4E as a potential regulator of cyclin D1. Overexpression of cyclin D1 mRNA in NIH 3T3 cells did not increase cyclin D1 protein. In contrast, overexpression of eIF-4E markedly increased the amount of cyclin D1 protein in NIH 3T3 cells. This increase was specific to cyclin D1 in comparison with the retinoblastoma gene product, c-Myc, actin, and eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha. We also examined cyclin D1 protein in cells expressing an estrogen receptor-Myc fusion protein because we previously found that eIF-4E increases after induction of c-myc function. In these cells, increased levels of eIF-4E protein were closely followed by increases in levels of cyclin D1 protein, but the level of cyclin D1 mRNA was not increased. We conclude that increases in cyclin D1 levels may result from increased expression of eIF-4E, and this regulation may be one determinant of cyclin D1 levels in the cell.


The escalated use of various wireless communication devices, which emit non-ionizing radiofrequency (RF) fields, have raised concerns among the general public regarding the potential adverse effects on human health. During the last six decades, researchers have used different parameters to investigate the effects of in vitro and in vivo exposures of animals and humans or their cells to RF fields. Data reported in peer-reviewed scientific publications were contradictory: some indicated effects while others did not. International organizations have considered all of these data as well as the observations reported in human epidemiological investigations to set-up the guidelines or standards (based on the quality of published studies and the "weight of scientific evidence" approach) for RF exposures in occupationally exposed individuals and the general public. Scientists with relevant expertise in various countries have also considered the published data to provide the required scientific information for policy-makers to develop and disseminate authoritative health information to the general public regarding RF exposures. This paper is a compilation of the conclusions, on the biological effects of RF exposures, from various national and international expert groups, based on their analyses. In general, the expert groups suggested a reduction in exposure levels, precautionary approach, and further research.


Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses affecting the productivity of the grapes in India. The response of vines differs under such conditions. Dogridge rootstock though introduced in the country to deal with salinity and moisture stress, tolerance was found lacking under such conditions. A study was conducted to evaluate the salinity tolerance of Thompson Seedless vines raised on different rootstocks and on own root at two salinity levels viz., 2 and 4 dSm-1. The rootstocks included were 110R and 1103P from Vitis berlandieri x Vitis rupestris parentage, Dogridge (Vitis champinii) and St. George (Rupestris du Lot). The irrigation water salinity was manipulated using sodium chloride. Thompson Seedless vines raised on 110R and 1103P rootstocks did not show marginal necrosis and leaf blackening symptoms at both salinity levels whereas other rootstocks showed mild to severe symptoms. All stock-scion combinations recorded signifi cantly higher bunch weight than own rooted vines. Highest yield was recorded in the 1103P rootstock at both the salinity levels which was on par with 110R rootstock. Signifi cant differences existed between rootstocks and own root at both the salinity levels with the lowest mean petiole Na values recorded in case of vines raised on 110R. High content of Na in vine tissues (>1.0%) grafted on Dogridge rootstock suggest that this rootstock could not exclude Na under saline irrigation. Though below the threshold levels, at 4 dSm-1 level, Dogridge rootstock recorded signifi cantly higher chloride in petioles than other rootstocks. The sodium –potassium ratios in leaf blade and petiole were least in case of 110R and 1103P rootstocks whereas higher values were recorded in case of other stock-scion combinations and on own roots. Highest accumulation of sodium in vegetative parts was recorded in vines grafted on Dogridge whereas the rootstocks 110R and 1103P, accumulated highest K, Mg, Ca and P.


We investigate the onset of pressure driven toroidal mode instabilities in accretion mounds on neutron stars by 3D MHD simulations using the PLUTO MHD code. Our results confirm that for mounds beyond a threshold mass, instabilities form finger like channels at the periphery, resulting in mass loss from the magnetically confined mound. Ring like mounds with hollow interior show the instabilities at the inner edge as well. We perform the simulations for mounds of different sizes to investigate the effect of the mound mass on the growth rate of the instabilities. We also investigate the effect of such instabilities on observables such as cyclotron resonant scattering features and timing properties of such systems.


This paper studies the application of voice conversion to hearing-impaired Mandarin speech enhancement. The system is based on the combined use of a sinusoidal analysis-synthesis model and a priori knowledge about Mandarin syllable phonetic structures. We propose a time-scale modification algorithm that finds accurate alignments between hearing-impaired and normal utterances. Using the alignments, spectral conversion is performed by a continuous probabilistic transform based on a Gaussian mixture model. Simulation results indicate that the proposed system can improve the intelligibility of hearing-impaired Mandarin speech.


This thesis investigates and presents approaches towards creating more socially competent NPCs by means of natural language dialogues. The aim is to provide hands-on solutions for game developers who want to offer interactions with the NPCs in the game that are socially driven rather than functionally motivated and that encourage the player to build and maintain relationships between the character they control and the other game characters. By means of gameplay design patterns (GDPs), i.e. a semi-formal means of describing, sharing and expanding knowledge about game design, a selection of games have been analysed in order to identify existing and hypothetical GDPs for game dialogues. The analysis resulted in a number of GDPs that support, or could support, social interaction among game characters. A selection of the identified patterns has then been modelled using Harel statecharts and implemented in State Chart XML, a candidate to become a W3C standard.


This thesis examines the production and circulation of "Chinked-Out," a form of music created by Leehom Wang, a prominent American-born Taiwanese singer in the Mandarin Chinese popular music (Mandopop) industry. Chinked-Out's fusion characteristics, as well as Leehom's multicultural appeal, facilitate its circulation in the huaren (pan-Chinese/ethnic Chinese) diaspora. Huaren refers to people of Chinese ethnicity, rather than the narrow definition of Chinese, which refers to people with Chinese nationality. In spite of the derogatory nature of the term "chink," Leehom hopes to "repossess the word" and "make it cool" through his music (CNN, 2006). Although he has been experimenting with "Chinked-Out" since 2000, the term first appeared on his album Shangri-La in 2004. Derived from hip-hop with rap as the main component, Chinked-Out is not simply a form of hip-hop but also a fusion of other musical elements such as jazz, rock, Kunqu opera, and Peking opera. Chinked-out blends Western and Chinese instruments. As Leehom puts it, "Chinked-Out is a school of hip-hop" that "incorporates Chinese elements and sounds" (Ibid). This thesis contextualizes the success of Chinked-Out in raising global awareness about Chinese popular music by examining the history of Taiwan, its popular music industry, the role of music in diaspora, and Leehom's personal musical style and image.


This is a study of educational aims discourses (aims-talk) in the Journal of Negro Education between 1932 and 1953. In this era of segregation, economic depression, and war, educators and other champions of education for African Americans struggled to define and then develop objectives, goals, and curricula for African American students in secondary schools and colleges. This study considers the different aims discourses, how they evolved, and how they were affected by economic depression and war. Using literary analysis, this historical analysis considers the influence of philanthropy, The Cardinal Principles, segregation, the American social order, democracy, and the "peculiar" needs of African Americans as themes within the disparate discourse. This study uses the taxonomy of critical race theory to inform the discourse and supplement the theory of whiteness as property with the related theory that education is also property. The study's analysis is informed by Nel Noddings' theoretical position that aims can be used as a critique of society. Finally, this study adds empirical evidence to support Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.'s theory of nation language.

The conditions of segregation significantly influenced the discourse of the 100 authors and the 137 articles considered by the study. The conditions of segregation did not change during the period of this study but the economy improved and war provided more job opportunities for African Americans. While there was a heightened call for the elimination of segregation and resetting of the social order during World War II in the Journal of Negro Education, the educational condition of the African American as reported by these researchers did not significantly evolve over the same period. However, a new discourse developed in which both philanthropists and African-American educators recognized the need for some combination of industrial and academic education for their students. The period examined in this study begins with the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Negro Education in 1932 and ends on the eve of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1953.


The next generation of wireless networks (4G) will use OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) technology on both forward and reverse links. In addition to high speed data services, these networks will also support voice using the voice over IP (VoIP) protocol. In this paper we focus on the capacity of VoIP service for the OFDMA uplink. Although resources allocated to users within a sector are orthogonal, transmissions are affected by interference from transmissions in neighboring sectors. Therefore the user capacity is determined by the uplink bandwidth, the maximum transmission power of the mobile station, the uplink channel conditions, the background noise and the intersector interference. As the transmission power of each mobile increases, the interference caused also increases. Eventually the cell edge users can no longer support the rate required for the VoIP connection and goes into outage. For a given resource utilization per active user we determine the maximum number of users that can be supported. We first determine the centralized solution and then show that a simple distributed algorithm can also achieve this optimal solution. We then show how user capacity can be improved by varying the resource utilization of users based on their channel conditions. Numerical results are provided to illustrate algorithm performance.


The article throws a critical glance at recent tendencies of development in labour law. In Germany, the Bertelsmann Foundation, part of the Bertelsmann publishing group, initiated a draft bill for a labour contract act. Under the pretext of simplifying the application of law, the proposal undermines legal standards. At the European level a number of judgements of the European Court of Justice show a new quality of neoliberal jurisdiction. The Court classified in some cases industrial action against wage dumping and national collective labour law from EU states as illegal and contradictory to the European Common Market. The current events challenge not at least European trade unions to develop counter- strategies and new concepts of collective cross- border action.


The aim of the study was to determine the morphological and physicochemical characteristics, classification, genesis and suitability of soils developed on pediplain around granitic hills in Minawao in the Far North region of Cameroon. The studied soil profile had 450 cm thick. It is composed of two subsections formed by erosion and cumulization. The upper subsection classified as typic ustifluvents clayey isohyperthermic is characterized by the high content of coarse elements showing stratifications in some part of the horizons. It recovers the below subsection classified as thapto typic haplustalfs clayey isohyperthermic. They are clayey, with clay contents ranging from 45 to 49%, and slightly acidic. Total nitrogen and organic carbon contents are very low ranging respectively from 0.05 to 0.11 and 0.25 to 0.63. Available phosphorous contents are below critical level. Calcium and Magnesium dominate the exchange complex of these soils. Their values range respectively from 12.96 to 15.04 cmol (+)/kg and 3.52 to 6.56 cmol (+)/kg. The CEC values are high, ranging from 44.64 to 57.84 cmol(+)/kg of soil. The CEC clay range from 89.92 to 117.02 cmol(+)/kg of clay. Base saturation percentage values are low, ranging from 37.05 to 42%, corresponding to a mean value of 39.74%. The studied soils are globally subjected to problems of low organic matter content, high coarse material content and low pH for the cultivation of Sorghum, Cotton, Soya, Groundnut, Maize and Cowpea. These problems could be solved through introduction of DMC systems, addition of available organic substrates, restoration of the cation balance and liming.


BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is responsible for the death of about six million people and it is still the leading cause of preventable diseases according to WHO. Students Intervention on Smoking Attitudes (SISMA) will be a pilot intervention about tobacco, its health consequences, and training of tobacco cessation techniques delivered to healthcare professions students. METHODS: The intervention will be an optional online course developed over 5 days about tobacco smoking delivered to course of healthcare professions students. Before attending the course knowledge, attitudes, and smoking behavior will be investigated through the Italian validated version of Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. At the end of the course students will fill out a questionnaire about their satisfaction and evaluation of the course. For the follow up, after 3-4 months smoking attitude and behavior, lifestyle habits, variation about stress and anxiety will be investigated through a telephone interview to students involved.CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professions students need an adequate training about tobacco cessation technique in the core curriculum during university. The course should be delivered for the health of students, moreover, they are fundamental for both care and prevention, and will represent role model for their patients.


At an international conference held in 1981 at the Universidada Estudual of Campinas (Brazil), a controversial lecture was given by John Searle which presented two conceptual theses: that conversation does not have an intrinsic structure about which a relevant theory can be formulated, and that conversations are not subject to (constitutive) rules. This lecture was first published in 1986 under the title "Notes on Conversation", and was revised several times afterwards. The present volume offers the most recent version. Because of the importance of the article for conversation analysis, and for pragmatics in general, the editors have put together Searle's target article, along with eight original comments. The volume closes with a 'reply to replies' by Searle. In sociolinguistic studies, intralingual code-switching has been given less attention than most other areas, and linguists' attitudes towards the use of non-standard varieties still often suffer from fallacies of prescriptivism. Czech, a clear case of a language having a Standard and a strong central vernacular with intensive shifting between them, offers many points of general interest to sociolinguists.


Under the framework of the Spanish National Plan for Aerial Orthophotography in Castilla-La Mancha, a web-based spatial data infrastructure has been developed that allows both the sustainable management of spatial and thematic information and efficient quality control of orthophoto production. The dissemination of thematic cartographic information by means of false-color infrared images and their physical parameters (reflectance and radiance) could allow its use in applications such as the extraction of biophysical parameters, forest coverage evolution and vegetative analysis of species. For wide accessibility, a geoportal that offers all the information related to the project and based on spatial data infrastructure technology has been created (http://ide.jccm.es/pnoa) that incorporates web map services.


The comparison in the Zohar (Noah, 67b-68a) of Noah, Abraham and Moses serves as the starting point of this paper. Its aim is to investigate how traditional Jewish (e.g. the Targum, Midrashim, the Talmud, the medieval commentators) and Christian (e.g. the New Testament, the Church Fathers, Luther and Calvin) exegetes interpret the responses of these three individuals to divine foreknowledge (Gen. 6-7; 18:16-33; Exod. 32:10-14). Two main responses are suggested – intercession and/or proclamation of repentance. As shall become apparent, strikingly similar answers are given. First, foreknowledge is seen by nearly all scholars, regardless of religious affiliation and historical background, as a veiled hint at the possibility of influencing God, with the desired result of cancelling the prediction. Secondly, the majority of scholars read intercession and/or repentance into these texts to a greater extent than the texts themselves warrant. This uniformity suggests that the questions asked are shared by people across the borders of time and specific denominations. Even so, there are differences: Jewish scholars tend to emphasise the motif of intercession, existing or non-existing, on behalf of the guilty, while Christian ones are more prone to stress the idea of repentance.


Introduction We examined the impact of noise exposure during pregnancy on the child's language acquisition at the age of one and two years. Methods We conducted a cohort study among women working in the food industry, as kindergarten teachers, musicians, dental nurses and pharmacists with a new born child. At the age of one year the analyses included 408 mother-child pairs and at the age of two years 288. The mother filled the baseline questionnaire before the child was 12 months old, and the language acquisition questionnaire when the child was 12 months (Infant-Toddler Checklist, ITC) and 24 months (MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories, MCDI) old. An occupational hygienist assessed the noise exposure in three categories: no exposure, low exposure, moderate/high exposure. We analysed the data using linear regression. Results At the age of one there were no statistically significant differences among the adjusted mean language acquisition ITC-scores of the children in different exposure categories. The adjusted scores among boys were 30.1 (95% CI: 28.3 to 31.8) for no exposure, 29.7 (27.4–32.0) for low noise, and 29.3 (26.7–31.9) for moderate/high exposure. Among girls these were 33.7 (31.9–35.5), 33.8 (31.3–36.4), and 33.6 (31.3–36.0), respectively. No associations were found in analyses of social communication, speech production and language comprehension. Noise exposure was associated with lower scores among kindergarten teachers. At the age of two mean MCDI-scores did not differ significantly between the noise exposure groups. The adjusted mean scores for expressive vocabulary among girls were 295 (95% CI: 254 to 336) for no exposure, 303 (243–362) for low exposure, and 269 (212–326) for moderate/high exposure. Among boys the scores were 200 (154–246), 178 (111–246), and 225 (153–298), respectively. Discussion We found no clear association between noise exposure during pregnancy and language acquisition among one-year- or two-year-old children.


The search for the subjective nature of our self is intensely debated in philosophy and neuroscience. However, despite all progress, the subjectivity of self and how it fits into the seemingly objective world remains elusive. Drawing on recent empirical data, we show how the self is shaped by the brain's scale-free activity, that is, long-range temporal correlation (LRTC) and the world's ecological context. We assume that the scale-free LRTC of the world–brain relation provides the ontological basis for the point of view as the foundation of subjectivity within the world. We conclude that the temporal, that is, scale-free based point of view through the world–brain relation provides the ontologically necessary a posteriori condition for the subjectivity of self on a deeper neuro-ecological level. This extends phenomenological concepts like subjectivity and world beyond both Heidegger's fundamental ontology and Sartre's phenomenological ontology: it complements their subjectivity-based ontologies with a truly world-based ontology.


Bile acids stimulate a bicarbonate‐rich choleresis, in part, through effects on cholangiocytes. Because Cl− channels in the apical membrane of cholangiocytes provide the driving force for secretion and transmembrane member 16A (TMEM16A) has been identified as the Ca2+‐activated Cl− channel in the apical membrane of cholangiocytes, the aim of the present study was to determine whether TMEM16A is the target of bile‐acid–stimulated Cl− secretion and to identify the regulatory pathway involved. In these studies of mouse, rat, and human biliary epithelium exposure to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) or tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) rapidly increased the rate of exocytosis, ATP release, [Ca2+]i, membrane Cl− permeability, and transepithelial secretion. Bile‐acid–stimulated Cl− currents demonstrated biophysical properties consistent with TMEM16A and were inhibited by pharmacological or molecular (small‐interfering RNA; siRNA) inhibition of TMEM16A. Bile acid–stimulated Cl− currents were not observed in the presence of apyrase, suramin, or 2‐aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2‐APB), demonstrating that current activation requires extracellular ATP, P2Y, and inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) receptors. TUDCA did not activate Cl− currents during pharmacologic inhibition of the apical Na+‐dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT), but direct intracellular delivery of TUDCA rapidly activated Cl− currents. Conclusion: Bile acids stimulate Cl− secretion in mouse and human biliary cells through activation of membrane TMEM16A channels in a process regulated by extracellular ATP and [Ca2+]i. These studies suggest that TMEM16A channels may be targets to increase bile flow during cholestasis. (Hepatology 2018;68:187‐199).


We have recently introduced a neural controller for a mobile robot that learns both forward and inverse odometry of a diierential-drive robot through an unsupervised learning-by-doing cycle. This article introduces an obstacle avoidance module that is integrated into the neural controller. The obstacle avoidance module makes use of sensory information to determine at each instant a desired angle and distance that causes the robot to navigate around obstacles on the way to a nal target. Obstacle avoidance is performed in a reactive manner by representing the objects and target in the robot's environment as Gaussian functions. However, the innuence of the Gaussians is modulated dynamically on the basis of the robot's behavior in a way that avoids problems with local minima. The proposed module enables the robot to operate successfully with diierent obstacle conngurations, such as corridors, mazes, doors and even concave obstacles.


A study on utilization of Acetoanaerobium noterae to decrease enteric methane production through feeding trial using sheep has been conducted. Animals used were young, male composite breed sheep with an initial liveweight of 19.1 kg. Twenty four animals were randomly distributed into 3 groups of dietary treatment and each group consisted of 8 animals. The diet fed to the animals were elephant grass ( ad libitum ) and the commercial concentrate containing 16% crude protein (200 g head–1 day–1). The treatments were (I). Control (K); (II). K + Cultural Preparate of A. noterae (SKAn); and (III). K + SKAn + Aksapon SR (as defaunator). Feeding trials was conducted for 12 weeks. The measurements observed were feed consumption, body weight gain, dry matter digestibility, rumen ecosystem, and enteric methane production. In vivo dry matter digestibility was measured by collecting the faeces and urine of the animals kept in metabolism cages for 7 days effective period. The results showed that effectivity of A. noterae action as methanogenesis inhibitor was improved when it was combined with defaunator. Compared to control treatment, the treatments of SKAn with and without Aksapon SR could significantly improve (P<0.05) daily gain (increased by 21 and 32%); feed conversion ratio (decreased by 20 and 26%); enteric methane production (decreased by 15 and 20%); and the effect of SKAn on percentage composition of acetic acid in the rumen was obvious when the SKAn was combined with Aksapon SR. It is concluded that SKAn with and without Aksapon SR can be used as methanogenesis inhibitor on ruminant animals. Kata Kunci: Acetoanaerobium noterae , Methane, Methanogenesis Inhibitor, Sheep


Net neutrality - the issue of whether ISPs should be allowed to give (or, more likely, sell) higher-performance access to content or services from certain providers - has been a hot Internet public policy issue in the US. Some network owners (such as Bell South and SBC) indicate that they'd like to charge large content providers (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, eBay, Amazon, and so on) extra in order to reach potential customers. Web users have a unique set of interests at stake in this debate, but they also have unexploited bargaining chips - roughly 12 billion, to be exact (or however many Web pages exist at the moment). The real threats to the Web's vitality and its hundreds of millions of users have been largely overlooked in this debate, however, as the legislative debate has overemphasized the interests of larger content providers and network operators. As the author illustrates, today's Web users need a neutral, nondiscriminatory Internet as an open platform to support the Web's operation. The good news is that as it moves from a read-only medium, in which most users are merely information consumers, to a read-write medium in which users post pictures, write public blog entries, and link to each other's profiles, active users might have an opportunity to preserve the Internet's open, nondiscriminatory (neutral) operation on which they depend


This paper describes the concept, design solutions, current implementation and deployment results of the SETECS system for secure electronic commerce based on Java technologies. The paper gives the overview and a brief analysis of the main standard features of the Java system for security and electronic commerce, developed by SUN. Arguments are provided showing that the concept and current implementation of the SETECS.


This report addresses de-obfuscation on programs. The targeted obfuscation scheme is the control flow flattening, which is an obfuscation method focusing on hiding the control flow of a program. This scheme introduces a special block named dispatcher into the program. The control flow of the program is reconstructed to be directed back to the dispatcher whenever the execution of a basic block ends. By doing this, in the flattened program, each basic block could be recognized as a precursor or a successor of any other basic blocks. While the realcontrol flow of the program is merely disclosed during the execution of the program.This report aims to remove the dispatcher added in the flattenedprogram and rebuild the control flow of its original program. To achieve the targets, this report presents a de-obfuscation model based on theControl Flow Graph of an obfuscated program. The de-flattening model makes use of both static analysis and dynamic analysis.The de-flattening model primarily relies on execution paths which are obtained by executing a program dynamically. The idea is that in the execution paths, after eliminating the dispatcher block, the real control flow of the original program is disclosed. Then based on these real execution paths, the control flow of the program without obfuscation could be constructed.In order to obtain the full program structure, we need to gather the execution paths that result in a full coverage of the program. Merely with dynamic analysis, this could hardly be achieved. Therefore, static analysis are introduced. In the de-flattening model, the execution paths within a program are computed with the assistance of dynamic execution path analysis, which is a study to statically compute the feasible paths in a program by solving logical formulas obtained during the exploration of the program code. With this static analysis method, the model is adequate to reverse the flattened program to its original structure.The obfuscated programs are distributed in binaries, our research provides insights to de-obfuscation on binaries directly. Besides, the deflattening result obtained in the report is valuable for improvements to existing code obfuscation techniques.


The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-s ystem (RAAS) plays a pivotal role for normal kidney development. We present the case of a 34-year old second gravida who was treated with valsartan during the entire pregnancy and presented at 35 weeks of gestation with preterm labour and complete anhydramnios. After spontaneous delivery the eutrophic male infant showed typical signs of sartan fetotoxicity including neonatal anuria, enlarged hyperechogenic kidneys, initial arterial hypotension, limb contractures, skull bone hypoplasia and a narrow chest. During the first days of life arterial hypertension developed and persisted until last follow-up at 24 months. Antihypertensive therapy with amlodipine was necessary from 7 months of life until last follow-up. Valsartan exposure especially during the second half of pregnancy causes valsartan fetotoxicity, which can lead to progressive arterial hypertension requiring antihypertensive medication. Close monitoring of patients with valsartan fetopathy is essential.


Plasma glucose and lactate concentrations and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), glutamate-oxalacetic transaminase (SGOT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), aldolase (ALD), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBD) activities were determined before, throughout the incubation period, and during the course of a viral-induced diarrhea in the neonatal calf. Hypoglycemia with a glucose concentration less than 40 mg/dl of plasma was observed in 3 of 10 calves. Plasma lactate concentration increased to 1.84 plus or minus 0.1 times normal in 7 and 6 to 7 times normal in 2 of the animals. The major change in both glucose and lactate concentrations during diarrhea occurred during the 24 hours preceding death. Changes in SGPT, SGOT, or AP activities were not observed, indicating the absence of marked hepatic damage. The ALD, CPK, and HBD activities were increased in 2 calves and the CPK alone was increased in 2 others, indicating cardiac and possibly skeletal muscle damage.


Tungsten in solution may exist as a wide variety of species depending on concentration, pH, and aging time. Despite a substantial number of studies on this topic, the speciation of tungsten in aqueous solutions is still not completely understood. To address issues of fate, transport and potential bioavailability, it is necessary to be able to assess the speciation of tungsten in environmental systems. This study investigates the use of Laser Desorption/Ionization mass spectrometry combined with a Time-of-Flight mass analyzer (LDITOF) as well as Raman spectroscopy as potential techniques in speciation studies. Raman spectroscopy has been successful in identifying the dominant species under a narrow range of conditions. The ultimate goal is to extend the range of conditions and concentrations while also identifying subordinate species.


Food intake is an imperative need of living beings in order to obtain the nutrients and energy necessary for their growth and development. All human beings worldwide have the right to access to nutritious and safe food. Food safety is a term that has become increasingly important in food production; is defined as the set of conditions and actions necessary along all phases of the food chain (from its primary production to the consumer's table) that guarantee that the food that is ingested does not represent a risk in the health of consumers. Food can be contaminated by different types of hazards (heavy metals, pesticides, microorganisms among others) compromising their safety and functioning as vehicles for various diseases. Foodborne diseases are considered globally a serious problem in public health, and a challenge in the production and commercialization of food. The purpose of this document is to provide a general overview of foodborne diseases, causative agents with emphasis on the genus Aeromonas spp., methods of detection, actions of prevention and control of foodborne diseases in addition to considering the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance detected in these pathogens of relevance in public health and production of food mainly of aquatic origin.

 Key words: Aeromonas, ascites, fish, food safety, processing, public health, tilapia.


Dennis Evans was an extraordinarily versatile chemist whose interest spanned the conventional boundaries of inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. He made highly individual contributions to all these branches, particularly to inorganic chemistry, nuclear magnetic resonance, magnetism and the reactions of oxygen. His enjoyment of chemistry inspired and delighted those around him.


Urea dilution has been used to estimate the volume of epithelial lining fluid (ELF) in the respiratory tract. However, ELF volume may be overestimated as the result of rapid net diffusion of urea from tissues into the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. This study established a protocol for rat BAL in a manner that minimizes this problem and then used this procedure to examine the edemagenic effects of ozone (O3) exposure on ELF volume and the concentrations of ELF protein and albumin. One passage lavage with variable dwell times up to 30 s showed no difference in recovered urea, protein, and albumin and ELF volume between 0 and 4 s, but a progressive increase of each thereafter. The calculated concentrations of protein and albumin in ELF did not vary significantly with dwell time. By increasing the number of lavage passages from one to three, the amounts of recovered urea, protein, and albumin and estimated ELF volume were increased with each passage. Again, the calculated concentrations of protein and albumin in ELF did not vary appreciably. When a single lavage passage and no added dwell time were used, it was observed that exposure of rats to 2 but not 0.5 and 1 ppm O3 increased urea, protein, and albumin in the BAL immediately after 6 h exposure. In addition, at 18 h postexposure to 1 ppm O3, ELF volume increased only 21%, but protein and albumin concentrations in ELF were 2.3- and 4.5-fold of control values, respectively. A higher O3 concentration (2 ppm) moderately increased ELF volume (+83%) and exerted even greater effects on concentrations of ELF protein (7.8-fold) and albumin (19-fold) while lower O3 dosage (0.5 ppm) had no significant effect. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that small serum proteins including albumin were greatly enriched in lung BAL fluid of 1 ppm O3-exposed rats. These results demonstrate that movement of water and protein into the airspaces after O3 exposure is not strictly coupled, and that protein recovery by BAL should cautiously be used to indicate airspace edema as a result of O3 injury.


By incorporating a localized heating system within a scanning ion-conductance microscopy (SICM) system, we have performed stable 'hopping-mode' (HPICM) imaging for live cells maintained at temperatures ranging up to human body temperature. This allows the accurate study of cell volume and morphology variation versus temperature over extended periods of time. The integration of SICM with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) provides the simultaneous mapping of electrochemical and topographic information for soft samples, such as live cells. This combined technique overcomes the limitations of resolution and topographical artifacts typically associated with SECM. However, previously reported SECM-SICM probe production required expensive and time-consuming focused ion beam (FIB) methods and produced pipettes that are typically hundreds of nanometers in diameter. We report a simple and rapid production method for SECM-SICM double-barrel probes with apertures down to 20 nm in diameter. The characterization of these SECM-SICM probes using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Raman spectroscopy is also detailed. These SECM-SICM probes were subsequently used to study the morphology and electrochemical activity of several samples, ranging from hard metallic/insulating samples to live cells.


Abstract Being a teacher today embraces new challenges and possibilities for pre-service and in-service teachers as well as for prospective teachers and their contexts in order to enrich and/ or transform educational practices. Some of these challenges deal with: the need to have a knowledge base of the subject and specifically a high level of Communicative Competencein the foreign language, a general and specific pedagogical knowledge, an understanding about the conception and execution of the curriculum and an appropriation of the teaching-learning theory. The mentioned aspects constitute a base in their professional development. Pedagogical and Research Projects in the Languages School at Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia (UPTC) incorporate these aspects in their syllabus in order to face the prospective teachers to the realities they will handle as future ones. The aim of this article is to reflect upon the challenges, knowledge and policies around teaching a foreign language nowadays and discuss what prospective teachers can understand around pedagogy and research as the bridge to link what they study and reflect in classes and the realities they have to face as future Foreign Languages teachers. Key words: Pedagogical and Research Projects, Knowledge base, future teachers 'challenges.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the microleakage of different nano-restorative materials in Class V cavities prepared by Er:YAG laser and bur preparation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Class V cavities were prepared on the buccal and lingual surfaces of 72 premolars by Er:YAG laser or bur. The occlusal margins were in enamel and the cervical margins were in cementum. Teeth were randomly assigned to six groups of 12 teeth (n = 24 cavities) each as follows: Group 1, Er:YAG laser preparation (E)+Ketac N100 (K); Group 2, bur preparation (B)+K; Group 3, E+Adper Prompt L-Pop (A)+Filtek Supreme XT Flow (FSF); Group 4, B+A+FSF; Group 5, E+A+Filtek Supreme XT (FS); Group 6, B+A+FS. All teeth were thermocycled 500 times. Ten teeth from each group were chosen for the microleakage investigation and two teeth for the scanning electron microscope evaluation. Teeth prepared for the microleakage test were immersed in 0.5% basic fuchsin dye for 24 h. Afterwards, the teeth were sectioned and observed under a stereomicroscope for dye penetration. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests (p < 0.05).

RESULTS
There were significant differences between occlusal and cervical regions for all groups (p < 0.05) except for Group 1. Bur-prepared cavities showed less microleakage in all groups for enamel (p < 0.05); however, in cementum there were no significant differences between the bur- and laser-prepared cavities in nano-glass ionomer and flowable composite groups (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION
It may be concluded that the cavities prepared by Er:YAG laser showed higher degree of microleakage than those conventionally prepared by bur, regardless of the restorative material at enamel margins.


conflict. It is a useful chapter for all of us who are part of an inter-disciplinary team. The second chapter explores enhancing and managing professional work relations. Potential areas that may significantly affect the outcome of interactions are identified and a number of specific suggestions are made to enhance working relationships. In summary, although these two chapters provided valuable suggestions the book as a whole is tedious to read and primarily theoretical in nature. Margaret Anne Coles O.T. (C)


Surface electromyography is often used in the control of some devices, especially in the control of the prostheses. In this work, surface electromyography (EMG) is used to perform the function of a drone's remote control joystick. To design a wearable joystick and select the best classification algorithm, the system first learns thumb finger movements when moving a joystick forward, backward, right, left, and neutral, and then classifies new thumb movements as learned by different classifiers. The data set was obtained with our own EMG device. Autoregressive (AR) modelling, mean absolute deviation, waveform length, entropy, integrated absolute amplitude, mode, percentile and interquartile are used as the feature extraction. Various classification algorithms such as neural networks (NN), discriminant analysis (DA), k-nearest neighbour (KNN), support vector machine (SVM) and Naive Bayes have been used and compared. The performance of each classifier algorithm is defined as the ratio of correctly classified samples to the total number of samples. According to experimental results, LDA gives the highest correct classification ratio and KNN is the most robust classifier.


This is a both definitive and highly enjoyable book on how modern Japan works, from Asia expert David Pilling. It is also the financial Times Book of the Year 2014. "An affectionate, beautifully written and counter-intuitively optimistic take on the country, which stresses Japan's ability to reinvent itself." (Gideon Rachman, Financial Times). Despite years of stagnation, Japan remains as one of the world's largest economies and a country which exerts a remarkable cultural fascination. David Pilling's new book is an entertaining, deeply knowledgeable and surprising analysis of a group of islands which have shown great resilience, both in the face of financial distress and when confronted with the overwhelming disaster of the 2011 earthquake and resulting tsunami. Bending Adversity is a superb work of reportage and the essential book even for those who already feel they know the country well.


Abstract Background: Fish embryos are excellent models for studies aimed at the understanding of toxic mechanisms and the indication of possible acute and chronic effects. Therefore, we present the use of Arabian killifish (Aphanius dispar) embryos, an indigenous species to the Arabian Gulf, to study the effect of chlorine-produced oxidants to marine organisms in the Qatari coastal area. Objective: The objective of this study is to develop chlorine toxicity data for the marine Fish Embryo Toxicity (mFET) test. The test is designed as a means to replace or refine the use of marine juvenile and/or adult fish in standard approaches evaluating toxicity of chemicals and effluents. Methods: Embryos were collected from a breeding stock of sexually mature Arabian killifish. Testing was initiated as soon as possible after fertilization of the eggs with exposure to aqueous concentrations of calcium hypochlorite (0.10 – 12.3 mg/l) for up to 240 hours. The investigated endpoints included; coagulated eggs, somite development, heartbeat, tail detachment, hatchability and post hatch mortality. Results: The results showed a developmental stage-dependent response to chlorine. During earlier developmental stages, chlorine had reduced effects on the embryos and the survival rate and hatchability were high, even at relatively high concentrations. In later developmental stages (pre to post hatch, eleutheroembryo), the embryos were significantly more sensitive to chlorine than in the early stages of development. The chorion, (membrane surrounding the egg), is believed to provide a barrier against chlorine in early stages of embryo development. Conclusions: Taking into account the findings presented here, Killifish embryos exhibit the ability to be an indicator organism for environmental risk assessments of the Qatari coastal area. Benefits include, animal alternative, ease of fish breeding, clarity of the embryos, reduced sample size, reduced waste generation and shorter study duration.


Based on research on stereotype threat and multiple identities, this work explores the beneficial effects of activating a positive social identity when a negative identity is salient on women's performance in sports. Further, in line with research on the effects of anxiety in sports, we investigate whether the activation of a positive social identity buffers performance from cognitive anxiety associated with a negative stereotype. Two experiments tested these predictions in field settings. Experiment 1 (N = 83) shows that the simultaneous activation of a positive (i.e., member of a soccer team) and a negative social identity (i.e., woman) led to better performance than the activation of only a negative social identity for female soccer players. Experiment 2 (N = 46) demonstrates that identity condition moderated the effect of cognitive anxiety on performance for female basketball players. Results are discussed concerning multiple identities' potential for dealing with stressful situations.


The main difference between normal mortar and polymer modified mortar is the microstructure. Whereas cement is the only binder in normal concrete, the binder of PCM contains cement and polymer. It is known, that these polymer modified cementious matrixes show a higher shrinkage than the non-modified ones. But it is also known, that the PCMs show fewer cracks due to shrinkage. A lot of different investigations have been carried out to find the reason for this con-tradiction. The measurement of shrinkage of PCMs and polymer modified cement stones will be presented in this paper. The prisms were stored under various climate conditions and show a varying shrinkage accordingly. Taking these results into account it becomes obvious that the shrinkage of PCMs depends considerably on the hydration shrinkage, to a lesser extent on the drying shrinkage. Furthermore, a model experiment as to the adhesive bond of cement stones compared to natural stones was introduced.


A new series of visible light responsive and water-stable inorganic–organic–inorganic hybrid materials such as polyoxometalate (POM) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) with different metals was prepared, and these materials include {[PW12O40][(NH3CH2CH2CH2)(iBu)7Si8O12]3 (POM(W)–POSS), [PMo12O40][(NH3CH2CH2CH2)(iBu)7Si8O12]3 (POM(Mo)–POSS) and [PMo10V2O40][(NH3CH2CH2CH2)(iBu)7Si8O12]5 (POM(MoV)–POSS)}; these materials containing a cationic electron donor of amino-substituted POSS (POSS-NH2) on an anionic electron acceptor of POM have been developed for efficient and sustainable photocatalytic H2 production. It is interesting to note that the synthesized hybrid materials exhibit remarkable photocatalytic H2 production activities under visible-light irradiation. The maximum H2 production rate of 485 μmol h−1 g−1 is achieved using POM with heterometallic sites, i.e., (MoV)–POSS rather than that having homometallic sites. The enhanced photocatalytic H2 production is mainly due to improved charge carrier separation by electron-deficient metal sites and a red shift in the absorption, as revealed from photoluminescence and UV-vis spectra. Importantly, POM–POSS hybrid materials demonstrate excellent water stability during photocatalysis due to the hydrophobicity of the hybrid materials, which results from the integration of hydrophobic POSS-NH2 with POMs in contrast to free POMs. Additionally, the successful integration of POSS-NH2 into POMs is confirmed using FT-IR, NMR, ESI mass spectroscopy, and elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. The present study may open new possibilities in the design and development of stable POM organic/inorganic hybrid materials for solar energy conversion applications.


Purpose – Aims to investigate the accuracy of parametric, nonparametric, and semiparametric methods in predicting the one-day-ahead value-at-risk (VaR) measure in three types of markets (stock exchanges, commodities, and exchange rates), both for long and short trading positions. Design/methodology/approach – The risk management techniques are designed to capture the main characteristics of asset returns, such as leptokurtosis and asymmetric distribution, volatility clustering, asymmetric relationship between stock returns and conditional variance, and power transformation of conditional variance. Findings – Based on back-testing measures and a loss function evaluation method, finds that the modeling of the main characteristics of asset returns produces the most accurate VaR forecasts. Especially for the high confidence levels, a risk manager must employ different volatility techniques in order to forecast accurately the VaR for the two trading positions. Practical implications – Different models achieve accurate VaR forecasts for long and short trading positions, indicating to portfolio managers the significance of modeling separately the left and the right side of the distribution of returns. Originality/value – The behavior of the risk management techniques is examined for both long and short VaR trading positions; to the best of one's knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the risk characteristics of three different financial markets simultaneously. Moreover, a two-stage model selection is implemented in contrast with the most commonly used back-testing procedures to identify a unique model. Finally, parametric, nonparametric, and semiparametric techniques are employed to investigate their performance in a unified environment.


Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most widely used drugs for the treatment of depression, have been reported to reduce bone formation and increase the risk of bone fracture. Since osseointegration is influenced by bone metabolism, this study aimed to investigate the association between SSRIs and the risk of failures in osseointegrated implants. This retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients treated with dental implants from January 2007 to January 2013. A total of 916 dental implants in 490 patients (94 implants on 51 patients using SSRIs) were used to estimate the risk of failure associated with the use of SSRIs. Data analysis involved Cox proportional hazards, generalized estimating equation models, multilevel mixed effects parametric survival analysis, and Kaplan-Meier analysis. After 3 to 67 mo of follow-up, 38 dental implants failed and 784 succeeded in the nonusers group, while 10 failed and 84 succeeded in the SSRI-users group. The main limitation of this retrospective study was that drug compliance dose and treatment period could not be acquired from the files of the patients. The primary outcome was that compared with nonusers of SSRIs, SSRI usage was associated with an increased risk of dental implants failure (hazard ratio, 6.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-31.61; p = .03). The failure rates were 4.6% for SSRI nonusers and 10.6% for SSRI users. The secondary outcomes were that small implant diameters (≤4 mm; p = .02) and smoking habits (p = .01) also seemed to be associated with higher risk of implant failure. Our findings indicate that treatment with SSRIs is associated with an increased failure risk of osseointegrated implants, which might suggest a careful surgical treatment planning for SSRI users.


A current trend in bioethics considers genetic information as family property. This paper uses a logical approach to critically examine Matthew Liao's proposal on the familial nature of genetic information as grounds for the duty to share it with relatives and for breach of confidentiality by the geneticist. The authors expand on the topic by examining the relationship between the arguments of probability and the familial nature of genetic information, as well as the concept of harm in the context of genetic risk. Lastly, they examine the concept of harm in relation to the type of situations w the potential recipient of the information is not the person directly affected by the risk. KeywORdS: genetic information, familiarity, duty to inform, breach of confidentiality, privacy rights, genetic counseling, harm, genetic risk. (Source: DeCS, Bireme).


Infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages (M-MΦ) influence stroke-induced brain injury. Although the inflammatory nature of M-MΦ in acute stroke has been well documented, their role during the resolution phase of stroke is less clear. With emerging evidence for the involvement of scavenger receptors in innate immunity, this study addresses an M-MΦ CD36 role in mediating phagocytosis during the recovery phase of stroke. Stroke increases CD36 and TSP-1/2 mRNA levels in the ipsilateral hemisphere at acute (3-day (d)) and recovery (7d) periods. Quantification of total, intracellular, and cell surface CD36 protein levels showed relatively unchanged expression at 3d post-ischemia. At 7d, there was a significant increase in cell surface CD36 (p < 0.05) with a concurrent reduction of intracellular CD36 (p < 0.05) in the ipsilateral hemisphere. Both cell surface and intracellular CD36 were found in whole brain lysates, whereas cell surface CD36 was predominantly detected in isolated brain mononuclear cells, blood monocytes, and peritoneal macrophages, suggesting that cell surface CD36 expressed in the post-ischemic brain originates from the periphery. The stroke-induced CD36 mRNA level correlated with increased expression of lysosomal acid lipase, an M2 macrophage marker. Functionally, higher CD36 expression in M-MΦ is correlated with higher phagocytic indices in post-ischemic brain immune cells. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of CD36 attenuated phagocytosis in peritoneal macrophages and brain M-MΦ. These findings demonstrate that cell surface CD36 on M-MΦ mediates phagocytosis during the recovery phase in post-stroke brains and suggests that CD36 plays a reparative role during the resolution of inflammation in ischemic stroke.


Networks-on-chip (NoCs) interconnection architectures, to be used in future billion-transistor systems-on-chip (SoCs), meet the major communication requirements of these systems, offering, at the same time, reusability, scalability and parallelism in communication. Furthermore, they cope with other issues like power constraints and clock distribution. Currently, there are a number of research works which explore different features of NoCs. In this paper, we present SoCIN, a scalable network based on a parametric router architecture to be used in the synthesis of customized low cost NoCs. The architecture of SoCIN and its router are described, and some synthesis results are presented.


This paper presents an improved hardware implementation of a 16-bit ARX (Add, Rotate, and Xor) engine for one of the CAESAR second-round competition candidates, Pi-Cipher, implemented on an FPGA. Pi-Cipher is a nonce-based authenticated encryption cipher with associated data. The security of the Pi-Cipher relies on an ARX based permutation function, which is denoted as a Pi-function. The proposed ARX engine has been implemented in just 266 slices, which includesthe buffers of the input and the output. It can be clocked at347 MHz. Also, in this paper, a message processor based onthe proposed ARX engine is introduced. The message processor has been implemented in 1114 slices and it can be clocked at 250 MHz. The functionality of the proposed ARX engine was verified on the Xilinx Virtex-7. The new design of the ARX engine allows for almost four times speedup in performance while consuming only 17% larger area than previously published work. We extend our message processor implementation by using parametrized reconfiguration technique after which an area reduction of 27 slices is observed.


Utterance copy, also known as speech imitation, is the task of estimating the parameters of an input, target speech signal in order to artificially reconstruct another signal with the same properties at the output. This can be considered a difficult inverse problem, since the input-output relationship is often non-linear, apart from having several parameters to be estimated and adjusted. This work describes the development of an application that uses a long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) to learn how to estimate the input parameters of thel formant-based Klatt speech synthesizer. Formant-based synthesizers do not reach state-of-art performance for text-to-speech (TTS) applications, but are an important tool for linguists studies due to the high interpretability of its input parameters. The proposed system was compared to the WinSnoori baseline software on both artificially-produced target utterances, generated by the DECtalk TTS system; and natural target ones. Results show that our system outperforms the baseline for synthetic voices on the metrics of PESQ, SNR, RMSE and LSD. For natural voices, the experiments indicate the need for an architecture that does not depend on labeled data, such as reinforcement learning.


This paper is a partial transcription of a long conversation between the sociologist Zsuzsa Berend (University of California, Los Angeles) and the anthropologist Corinna Sabrina Guerzoni (Western Fertility Institute, Los Angeles) on US surrogacy. It is the outcome of an interview occurred on 6th October 2017 in Los Angeles, transcribed and revised by both the authors. The text analyzes some fundamental concepts that Berend explored in her book The Online World of Surrogacy (2016) and offers some food for thought to read the US commercial surrogacy with other lenses. Berend's study offers an in-depth analysis of compensated surrogacy in the US and unique perspective for a better understanding of the experiences and points of view of the women directly involved in this assisted reproductive practice.


Across three studies, we examined 4- to 7-year-olds' predictions of goal-directed behaviors when goals conflict with preferences. In Study 1, when presented with stories in which a character had to act against basic preferences to achieve an interpersonal goal (e.g., playing with a partner), 6- and 7-year-olds were more likely than 4- and 5-year-olds to predict the actor would act in accordance with the goal to play with the partner, instead of fulfilling the basic preference of playing a favored activity. Similar results were obtained in Study 2 with scenarios that each involved a single individual pursuing intrapersonal goals that conflicted with his or her basic preferences. In Study 3, younger children's predictions of goal-directed behaviors did not increase for novel goals and preferences, when the influences of their own preferences, future thinking, or a lack of impulse control were minimized. The results suggest that between ages 4 and 7, children increasingly integrate and give more weight to other sources of motivational information (e.g., goals) in addition to preferences when predicting people's behaviors. This increasing awareness may have implications for children's self-regulatory and goal pursuit behaviors.


During the 20th century, Sahelian drought episodes like those between 1972 and 1982 showed the vulnerability of the Sahelian agro-ecosystem provoking significant intraregional southward human migrations, to or near the coast. According to the latest IPCC report, the Sahel could become increasingly impacted by climate change during the 21st century because of a lagged and shorter rainfall season having the potential to induce a drastic destabilization of the Sahelian agro-ecosystem and to heavily impact the population. Such effects could be further amplified by a net increase of the Sahelian population. Drastic climate changes over tropical areas also occurred in the past: weakening of the West African Monsoon and megadrought Sahelian episodes have been reported with a close correspondence between the large rainfall decrease and the massive freshwater discharges following ice-sheet melting or iceberg surges. During the last decades a continuous acceleration of ice-sheet mass loss has been observed and post IPCC-AR5 studies suggest the ice-sheet contribution to future sea-level rise could be revised upward due partly to the lack of an accurate representation of ice-ocean interactions. The release of freshwater discharge in response to ice-sheet instability could have large consequences on the most vulnerable regions, such as the tropical areas. To investigate the impacts of large ice-sheet instability during the 21st century, we first explore the climatic signature of Greenland or Antarctic ice-sheet collapse scenarios corresponding to 0.5 to 1.5 meter of sea-level rise, superimposed to the RCP8.5 scenario. We show that a freshwater discharge coming from Greenland melting induces a significant decrease of summer monsoon rainfall, that may lead to changes in agricultural practices. Combined with increasing demography, this has the potential to induce important human migration flows. Without adaptation measures, we estimate that tens to hundreds million people could be forced to leave the Sahel by the end of the 21st century, not accounting for the direct migratory impact of sea-level rise over coastal areas.


Rapid depletion of energy resources has immensely affected the transportation industry, where the cargo transportation prices are going considerably high. Efforts have been made to develop newer economic and environmental friendly modes of cargo transportation. One such mode is the use of energy contained within fluids that flows in the pipelines for transportation of bulk solids. Bulk solids can be transported for long distances effectively in pipelines. Raw materials can be stored in spherical containers (commonly known as capsules) transported through the pipeline.

For economical and efficient design of any transportation mode, both the local flow characteristics and the global performance parameters need to be investigated. Published literature is severely limited in establishing the effects of local flow features on system characteristics of Hydraulic Capsule Pipelines (HCPs). The present study focuses on using a well validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based solver to numerically simulate capsule flow in HCPs for both onshore and offshore applications, including pipe bends. A novel numerical model has been employed in the present study with the aid of the dynamic mesh technique for calculating the pressure and the velocity variations within HCPs with respect to time. The numerical model for capsule flow yields realistic results for the global flow parameters as compared to the experimental data from the test rig developed for capsule flow in the present study.

In order to develop knowledge base covering a wide range of HCPs operating conditions, both horizontal and vertical pipelines including bends have been considered for numerical analysis. The numerical analysis is supported by experimental investigations. After carrying out detailed numerical analysis at component-level, a system-level optimisation study has been carried out in order to optimally design HCPs based on Least-Cost Principle.


A geometric optical model for three-dimensional radiative transfer capable of handling arbitrary arrangements of surfaces within anisotropic scattering media is described. The model operates by discretizing surfaces and volumes into patches and voxels and establishing the radiative transfer relationship between every pair of elements. In a plane-parallel configuration results for directional radiance agree closely with the numerical integration invariant imbedded method. Model accuracy for two examples incorporating surface water waves and complex benthic structures were assessed by conservation of energy, errors were less than 1%. Potential applications in remote sensing or photobiological studies of structurally complex benthos in shallow water environments are illustrated.


BackgroundMolecular chaperones play important roles in regulating various cellular processes and malignant transformation. Expression of some subunits of molecular chaperonen CCT/TRiC complex have been reported to be correlated with cancer development and patient survival. However, little is known about the expression and prognostic significance of Chaperonin Containing TCP1 Subunit 2 (CCT2), a gene encoding a molecular chaperone that is a member of the chaperonin containing TCP1 complex (CCT), also known as the TCP1 ring complex (TRiC).MethodThrough the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) databases, we systematically reviewed a total of 2994 cases with transcriptome data and analyzed the functional annotation of CCT2 by Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG analysis. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis were performed to investigate the prognostic value of CCT2 in breast cancer.ResultsWe found CCT2 was significantly upregulated in various tumors. In breast cancer, CCT2 expression was significantly upregulated in HER2-positive (HER2+) group, and more malignant group. In addition, we investigated correlations between CCT2 and other CCT members. Interestingly, almost all CCTs expression were positively correlated with each other, but not CCT6B. Survival analysis suggested that CCT2 overexpression was independently associated with worse prognosis of patients with breast cancer, especially in luminal A subtype.ConclusionIn summary, our results revealed that CCT2 might be involved in regulating cell cycle pathway, and independently predicted worse prognosis in breast cancer patients. These findings may expand understanding of potential anti-CCT2 treatments. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most comprehensive study characterizing the expression pattern of CCT2 together with its prognostic values in breast cancer.


Police officer receptivity to empirical research and evidence-based policing is important to consider because officers are responsible for implementing approaches validated by research on the street. Officer survey data from Sacramento, California; Richmond, Virginia; and Roanoke County, Virginia suggest prospects and challenges for advancing evidence-based policing. Generally, officers use few tools to learn about research, but their views are in line with the evidence for some strategies. Officers typically value experience more than research to guide practice, but they also tend to recognize the importance of working with researchers to address crime. Officers show some willingness to conduct evaluations but are most interested in using less rigorous methodologies. The findings across agencies are fairly similar, although some differences do emerge.


We design a nonlinear air-clad chalcogenide As2S3 subwavelength diameter fiber, referred to as nanofiber or nanowire, and calculate the chromatic dispersion in it. The zero dispersion is achieved at the core size of 500 nm for this nanofiber at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.5 mum. We further present the flattening of the zero dispersion in the telecommunication window by cladding the As2S3 core with borosilicate glass, the thermal properties of which match with those of the As2S3 glass. Zero-flattened dispersion centered at 1.408 mum wavelength can be tailored for the nanofiber with this new structure when the nanofiber core diameter is 724 nm.


Previously, we demonstrated the effectiveness of a research grade recombinant chymotrypsin, 1 derived from the larvae of Lucilia sericata, in "debriding" slough/eschar from venous leg ulcers ex vivo. Furthermore, we were able to formulate this enzyme for successful delivery to in vitro wound healing assays, from a prototype hydrogel wound dressing, 2 and showed that enzyme delivered in this way could degrade wound tissue ex vivo. 3 Recently, to progress biotechnological development of the enzyme as a potential therapeutic product, we explored expression using current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) guidelines, and now report that a recombinant chymotrypsin I zymogen from L. sericata can be expressed in the cGMP acceptable strain of Escherichia coli (BLR–DE3). In addition, the conditions required for purification, refolding and activation of the chymotrypsinogen have been determined. The activated enzyme was stable, and effective in digesting wound slough/eschar tissue. To summarise, we have successfully initiated the production and characterisation of a novel cGMP compatible product for use in future clinical trials. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012


The debate surrounding the accommodation of religious beliefs in secular democratic societies, such as, recently, refusals to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious conscience grounds, tends to overlook two aspects that are highlighted in this paper. First, pitting 'religious conscience' against duties under positive law is assumed to be a species of a universal 'conscience v law' problematic that the Greeks, say, depicted in plays such as Antigone. Yet, I argue, it is important that Christianism be acknowledged as the original formative context of the (now globalised) use of the term 'conscience' to denote an idea of freedom that is tied to the notions of conflicting private and general "wills" as in the case of the freedom of 'thought, conscience and religion' per Art 9 ECHR. Secondly, I argue, the related legacy of Christianism is nothing if not one of economic management of such 'conflicts'. Building on the work of G. Agamben I suggest that from the point of view of bio-politics, all controversies, or even 'crises', stemming from the distinction between modern, secular or/and multicultural law and politics and traditional religion (and from disagreements over the 'correct' way to structure their relationship) are best seen as part of the paradigm of 'oikonomia', a legacy of Christian political theology; affective trust in this paradigm on the part of the Christian/post-Christian subject makes possible an ethos that comprises dogmatism with flexibility; this, rather than convictions about the value of universalist notions of either political or legal Right is the real key to appreciating a regime of qualified rights such as Art. 9 ECHR.


The voltage-gated ion channels system is an example of a classical open system. This work establishes conditions on open ion channel dynamics for which a modified Hodgkin-Huxley equation for the membrane voltage arises as propagation of chaos. This is the approach we propose in order to study the mesoscopic voltage-gated ion channel dynamics together with the macroscopic voltage equation.


Military and sport have attracted increased research interest separately as two distinctly demanding performance- and leadership-driven contexts. However, cross-contextual psychological research in leadership is lacking. Such research has potential to expose unique cross-fertilising insights into resemblances in leadership challenges among military and sport leaders, transferable to a broader range of contexts. Thus, the current study simultaneously explored high-level military and sport leaders' real-life experiences of similarities in demanding conditions and their psychological manifestations. Sixteen participants - eight Swedish high-level military leaders and eight Swedish high-level sport leaders, participated in the study. Using a qualitative inductive cross-contextual design enabled in-depth knowledge and transferability. A reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) of sixteen interview transcripts generated four common themes of demanding conditions: (1) Developing organisations: Leading under an extensive workload and responsibility, (2) Managing destructive superiors and subordinates: Standing up for oneself, (3) Taking care of the minds and moods of others: Leading deliberated difficult conversations, and (4) Periods of extreme concentration: Leading critical coordination, decisions, and timing. The findings tie high-level military and sports leaders together into a high-stress and high-stakes leader role invoked to manoeuvre a complex buildup of demanding conditions. Implications are presented.
Keywords: High-level leaders, military, sport, demanding conditions.


The derivation and characterization of a neuroattenuated reassortant clone (RFC 25/B.5) of California serogroup bunyavirus was described previously (M. J. Endres, A. Valsamakis, F. Gonzalez-Scarano, and N. Nathanson, J. Virol. 64:1927-1933, 1990). To map the RNA segment responsible for this attenuation, a panel of reassortants was constructed between the attenuated clone B.5 (genotype TLL) and a virulent clone (B1-1a) of reciprocal genotype (LTT). Parent viruses and clones representing all of the six possible reassortants were examined for neurovirulence by intracerebral injection in adult mice. Reassortants bearing the large RNA segment from the virulent parent were almost as virulent as the virulent parent virus, while reassortants bearing the large RNA segment from the avirulent parent virus exhibited low or intermediate virulence. These results indicate that the large RNA segment is the major determinant of neuroattenuation of clone B.5. In addition to its neuroattenuation, clone B.5 was temperature sensitive and exhibited an altered plaque morphology. These phenotypes also segregated with the large RNA segment. The importance of the large RNA segment (which encodes the viral polymerase) in neurovirulence contrasts with prior studies which indicate that the ability to cause lethal encephalitis after peripheral injection of suckling mice (neuroinvasiveness) is primarily determined by the middle-sized RNA segment, which encodes the viral glycoproteins.


The development of a practical motion planning and control algorithm for under-actuated robots in an unknown disturbance is a very important issue in robotics research. In the case of under actuated underwater vehicles, developing such an algorithm has been particularly problematic for several reasons. First, not only the kinematical characteristics of the motion but also the dynamical characteristics of the underwater vehicle must be considered in the motion planning calculation. Second, it is very difficult to ascertain the exact distribution of the velocity of non-uniform sea flow around obstacles on the seabed before the mission. Third, the effect of the sea flow on the motion of an underwater vehicle is very large because the speed of sea flow is very high compared with the vehicle's. This paper proposes a new method based on the application of reinforcement learning to solve these problems. Reinforcement learning based on the Markov decision process (MDP) is known to be suitable for acquiring motion control algorithms for robots acting in a stochastic environment with disturbance. However, to apply reinforcement learning method, the robot's motion must be suitably digitized and the learning environment must be equal to the robot's mission environment. This paper introduces a motion digitizing method based on an artificial neuron model and a method for making up for the difference between learning and mission environments. The performance of the proposed algorithm is examined by the dynamical simulation of an under-actuated underwater vehicle cruising in an environment with an obstacle and an unknown non-uniform flow simulated by potential flow.


Richter, S.; Schutze, P.; Bruelheide, H.: Study of the flora and vegetation of epiphytic bryophytes in Halle/Saale (Saxony-Anhalt). – Hercynia N.F. 42 (2009): 177–195. In formerly heavily polluted areas in Central Germany a recovery of epiphytic vegetation has been observed as an effect of a general decline of air pollution in Germany. The extent and speed of this recovery was studied in the city of Halle (Saale) by comparing the recent bryophyte epiphytic vegetation with a survey of the early 1990s. The investigation comprised in total 48 km² of the whole urban area and included four different landscape types. We recorded 47 epiphytic bryophyte species on 36 phorophyte species. Distribution maps of all bryophyte species were compiled, which show the importance of the Saale valley as a bryophyte hotspot. A number of species were found that can be characterized as only moderately toxitolerant, and which did not occur in the former study, for instance some species of the genus Orthotrichum. However, there was also a trend of increasing abundance of species tolerant towards eutrophication. The phorophyte species with highest species number per record were Populus x canadensis , Salix alba and S. x rubens . Preferred tree species as phorophytes differed between the landscape types, e.g. Salix alba and Acer negundo dominated in the urban landscape, with the floodplain showing the highest values of species richness and coverage. Key words: Halle (Saale), Epiphytes, Bryophytes, Diversity


A supported TiO2/γ-Al2O3 photocatalyst has been prepared by γ-Al2O3 pellet-filled dielectric barrier discharges induced plasma CVD at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The TiO2/γ-Al2O3 photocatalyst exhibits higher photocatalytic activity than Degussa P25, and much higher photocatalytic activity than that prepared by thermal CVD.