Radial fans for industrial applications are very commonly operated with a spiral casing, also called volute. The function of the volute is to collect the air from the impellers outlet and to transport it to the fans outlet. In the volute the tangential velocity component of the impeller is transformed in a straight velocity component at the volute's outlet. In the volute the static pressure is increased according to the cross sectional area of the volute. When the flow exits the impeller the flow rate is given basically by the radial velocity component times the outlet area of the impeller. In the volute, however, the flow rate is basically given by the tangential velocity component at the impeller exit and in the volute considering the conservation of angular momentum. Hence, there is only one operating point, i.e. the design point of the volute, where the flow rate in the impeller matches the flow rate in the volute. In the literature the design of the volute is performed at the design point only and the cross sectional area of the volute is usually computed distributing the flow rate linearly from the tongue to the exit of the volute.
 In this work an extended theoretical approach was developed considering the design point flow rate and off design flow rates. At the design point, the properties of the specific impeller, i.e. it's radial and its tangential velocity components at the impeller's exit are considered to design the volute. Furthermore, also the off-design characteristics of the impeller, i.e. its radial and tangential velocity components are considered in the design process of the volute. The flow rates in the impeller and in the volute match only at the design point, at off-design points the flow rates in the impeller and in the volute are different. This has an important impact on the design process of impeller – volute units. Each volute has also to be matched to the specific impeller.
 In the numerical part a usual volute was designed considering the properties of a particular impeller. The performance of the volute and of complete fan was investigated with the commercial Navier–Stokes Solver ANSYS CFX. A detailed analysis of the results and the flow conditions in volute as well as in the impeller-volute unit and a comparison with the results predicted by the new volute theory is given.


The partial section of the trigeminal sensory root by the temporal approach, as perfected by Spiller and Frazier from the Hartley-Krause operation for the relief of trigeminal neuralgia, has been acclaimed the most perfect operation known to surgery. A certain degree of morbidity indicates that this perfection is only relative. In search of a better treatment for this disease, Dandy 1 in 1925 began cutting the sensory root near the pons by the subcerebellar approach. While this operation has improved some morbidity rates, it has not eliminated them. Because the depth and location of the point of rhizotomy expose other nerve roots and important blood vessels to operative trauma, the majority of neurosurgeons have not discarded Frazier's operation in its favor. One of the important by-products in the development of the suboccipital approach was the disclosure of a previously unrecognized frequency of gross etiologic lesions. In the first 200 cases


The legal amendments for setting the zone to levy the impact fees for infrastructure provision has been made in August, 2008. One of the criteria provided by the law to designate the zone for impact fee requires that the local population increase rate should exceed that of the entire locality by more than twenty percent. Since the population survey by the localities are gathered by the basic administrative units like townships and municipalities, however, it truly renders significant difficulties in accurately figuring out the finite areas that exceed the legal population criteria. This study, in this context, tries to suggest an alternative technique to narrow down the target zone even with such limited population data. For the purpose, the study first tries to join the individual parcel information from the Korea Land Information System (KLIS) and the corresponding building information from the Electronic Architectural System (eAIS) to estimate the number of population in each cell of the 50m by 50m grid system cast over the entire locality. Through the operation of these attribute database on the GIS platform, the grid analysis accurately pinpoints only those cells that exceed the legal criteria on a spatial context. Taking an area located in Hwasung City as the case, the study has successfully shown that the technique could effectively pinpoint the accurate shape of the target zone.


A new dispenser and scanner system is used to create and screen Bi-M-Cu oxide arrays for cathodic photoactivity, where M represents 1 of 22 different transition and post-transition metals. Over 3000 unique Bi : M : Cu atomic ratios are screened. Of the 22 metals tested, 10 show a M-Cu oxide with higher photoactivity than CuO and 10 show a Bi-M-Cu oxide with higher photoactivity than CuBi2O4. Cd, Zn, Sn, and Co produce the most photoactive M-Cu oxides, all showing a 200-300% improvement in photocurrent over CuO. Ag, Cd, and Zn produce the highest photoactivity Bi-M-Cu oxides with a 200-400% improvement over CuBi2O4. Most notable is a Bi-Ag-Cu oxide (Bi : Ag : Cu atomic ratio of 22 : 3 : 11) which shows 4 times higher photocurrent than CuBi2O4. This material is capable of evolving hydrogen under illumination in neutral electrolyte solutions at 0.6 V vs. RHE when Pt is added to the surface as an electrocatalyst.


Protection against active physical attacks is of serious concerns of cryptographic hardware designers. Introduction of SIFA invalidating several previously-thought-effective counter-measures, made this challenge even harder. Here in this work we deal with error correction, and introduce a methodology which shows, depending on the selected adversary model, how to correctly embed error-correcting codes in a cryptographic implementation. Our construction guarantees the correction of faults, in any location of the circuit and at any clock cycle, as long as they fit into the underlying adversary model. Based on case studies evaluated by open-source fault diagnostic tools, we claim protection against SIFA.


Economic collapse in the former Communist bloc led to soaring levels of child poverty in the 1990s. The effects of rising unemployment, underemployment and wage arrears were exacerbated by the erosion of state support for families with children as governments responded to a collapse in revenue. Since 1998, even the poorer countries of the bloc - those in South Eastern Europe and the CIS - have seen a return to economic growth. But have the benefits of growth been felt by children? Are child support policies being restored or restructured as economic conditions improve, and to what effect? This paper examines three aspects of government support for the youngest children – maternity leave policy, child and family allowances and pre-school/nursery provision. The paper calls for governments and donors to pay greater attention to the needs of very young children. It calls for a substantial increase in public spending on each of these policy areas, and it further recommends that governments (a) introduce proxy means tests to improve the targeting of family allowances; (b) make maternity benefit available on a social assistance as well as a social insurance basis; and (c) make a commitment to ensuring that all 3-5 year olds have free access to some early years education each week, albeit on a part-time basis.


In this thesis we derive and solve equations governing the flow of slender threads and sheets of viscous fluid. Our method is to solve the Navier-Stokes equations and free surface conditions in the form of asymptotic expansions in powers of the inverse aspect ratio of the fluid, i.e. the ratio of a typical thickness to a typical length.

In the first chapter we describe some of the many industrial processes in which such flows are important, and summarise some of the related work which has been carried out by other authors. We introduce the basic asymptotic methods which are employed throughout this thesis in the second chapter, while deriving models for two-dimensional viscous sheets and axisymmetric viscous fibres. In chapter 3 we show that when these equations govern the straightening or buckling of a curved viscous sheet, simplification may be made via the use of a suitable short timescale. In the following four chapters, we derive models for nonaxisymmetric viscous fibres and fully three-dimensional viscous sheets; for each we consider separately the cases where the dimensionless curvature is small and where the dimensionless curvature is of order one. We find that the models which result bear a marked similarity to the theories of elastic rods, plates and shells. In chapter 8 we explain in some detail why the Trouton ratio - the ratio between the extensional viscosity and the shear viscosity - is 3 for a slender viscous fibre and 4 for a slender viscous sheet. We draw our conclusions and suggest further work in the final chapter.


The establishment of anatomically stereotyped axonal projections is fundamental to neuronal function. While most neurons project their axons within the central nervous system (CNS), only axons of centrally born motoneurons and peripherally born sensory neurons link the CNS and peripheral nervous system (PNS) together by navigating through specialized CNS/PNS transition zones. Such selective restriction is of importance because inappropriate CNS axonal exit could lead to loss of correct connectivity and also to gain of erroneous functions. However, to date, surprisingly little is known about the molecular-genetic mechanisms that regulate how central axons are confined within the CNS during development. Here, we show that netrin 1/Dcc/Unc5 chemotropism contributes to axonal confinement within the CNS. In both Ntn1 and Dcc mutant mouse embryos, some spinal interneuronal axons exit the CNS by traversing the CNS/PNS transition zones normally reserved for motor and sensory axons. We provide evidence that netrin 1 signalling preserves CNS/PNS axonal integrity in three ways: (1) netrin 1/Dcc ventral attraction diverts axons away from potential exit points; (2) a Dcc/Unc5c-dependent netrin 1 chemoinhibitory barrier in the dorsolateral spinal cord prevents interneurons from being close to the dorsal CNS/PNS transition zone; and (3) a netrin 1/Dcc-dependent, Unc5c-independent mechanism that actively prevents exit from the CNS. Together, these findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms that maintain CNS/PNS integrity and, to the best of our knowledge, present the first evidence that chemotropic signalling regulates interneuronal CNS axonal confinement in vertebrates.


Background: There is no nationally representative community based data or organized surveillance system to get the actual magnitude of Rabies infection in India. Objectives: To estimate the extent of problem & the epidemiological characteristics of animal bite cases in urban field practice area of KPC Medical College and to assess the risk correlates regarding animal bites. Methods: The present community based cross sectional study was conducted in the urban field practice area of KPC Medical College; Kolkata during the period from 15th May to 15th June 2013 using classification of exposures as per guidelines lay down by WHO. Results: In the present study of the reported animal bite cases affected all the ages and both genders; the incidence of animal bites decreased with increasing age. Majority of the victims were males except in elderly population; children were more vulnerable. Two thirds of animal bite victims were from socioeconomic class IV and V. Dogs were the most common biting animal followed by Cats. Maximum number of study participants reported to health centre within 24 to 48 hours and very few cases within 24 hours after bite. Late reported cases, especially after 5 days, constituted by younger children or illiterate elderly people were forcefully brought to the hospital by their family members or caregivers.


We explore the diversity of mental states, and examine to what extent these are both a product of specific known brain processes and yet may access a complementary aspect of existence to the cosmology of the physical universe and its natural biosystems, potentially giving mental states an existential cosmological status. The case is made that the cosmology of mental states reflect a deeper physical principle connecting quantum entanglement with the brain wave processing evolved in higher organisms to solve the computational intractability of open environmental dilemmas, which go beyond Bayesian statistics and causal prediction, into multiple nested Schrödinger cat paradoxes, hinting at a meta-evolutionary paradigm of conscious cosmological integration. Part I of this two-part article contains: A Natural Classification of Mental States; The Physiology of Mental States; & Subjective Consciousness – What are Mental States For?


The aim of this study was to analyze the growth rings and evaluate the effect of the urban environment on the growth of Terminalia catappa L. under intense industrial activity. At least two wood samples were obtained from each tree with an increment borer. The regions of Volta Redonda (Northwest and Southeast regions) and Resende (used as control) were established for the collection. The dendrochronological potential of T. catappa indicated sensitivity to precipitation and temperature in a more exposed urban and industrial steel pollution area because there were differences in growth when compared to an area less exposed to the same pollution. Thus, it was possible to conclude that this species has the potential to be used as a bioindicator of anthropogenic activities. In addition, the delimitation of the growth rings of the studied species contributes to the realization of future dendrochronological studies, expanding the understanding of the behavior of this species present in urban environments at different regional scales. This study reinforces the importance of rainfall and temperature in regulating radial growth in tropical forests.


This Paper looks at the value generated to shareholders by the announcement of mergers and acquisitions involving firms in the European Union over the period 1998-2000. Cumulative abnormal shareholder returns due to the announcement of a merger reflect a revision of the expected value resulting from future synergies or wealth redistribution among stakeholders. Target firm shareholders receive on average a statistically significant cumulative abnormal return of 9% in a one-month window centred on the announcement date. Acquirers' cumulative abnormal returns are null on average. When distinguishing in terms of the geographical and sectoral dimensions of the merger deals, our main finding is that mergers in industries that had previously been under government control or that are still heavily regulated generate lower value than M&A announcements in unregulated industries. This low value creation in regulated industries becomes significantly negative when the merger involves two firms from different countries and is primarily due to the lower positive return that shareholders of the target firm enjoy upon the announcement of the merger. This evidence is consistent with the existence of obstacles (such as cultural, legal, or transaction barriers) to the successful conclusion of this type of transaction, which lessen the probability of the merger actually being completed as announced and, therefore, reduce its expected value.


A semi-empirical elasto-plastic constitutive model with a hyperbolic stress-strain curve was developed with the goal of predicting the seismic compression of unsaturated sands in the funicular regime of the soil-water retention curve (SWRC) during undrained cyclic shearing. Using a flow rule derived from energy considerations, the evolution in plastic volumetric strain (seismic compression) was predicted from the plastic shear strains of the hysteretic hyperbolic stress-strain curve. The plastic volumetric strains are used to predict the changes in degree of saturation from phase relationships and changes in pore air pressure from Boyle's and Henry's laws. The degree of saturation was used to estimate changes in matric suction from the transient scanning paths of the SWRC. Changes in small-strain shear modulus estimated from changes in mean effective stress computed from the constant total stress and changes in pore air pressure, degree of saturation and matric suction, in turn affect the hyperbolic stress-strain curve's shape and the evolution in plastic volumetric strain. The model was calibrated using experimental shear stress-strain backbone curves from drained cyclic simple shear tests and transient SWRC scanning path measurements from undrained cyclic simple shear tests. Then the model predictions were validated using experimental data from undrained cyclic simple shear tests on unsaturated sand specimens with different initial degrees of saturation in the funicular regime. While the model captured the coupled evolution in hydro-mechanical variables (pore air pressure, pore water pressure, matric suction, degree of saturation, volumetric strain, effective stress, shear modulus) well over the first 15 cycles of shearing, the predictions were less accurate after continued cyclic shearing up to 200 cycles. After large numbers of cycles of undrained shearing, a linear decreasing trend between seismic compression and initial degree of saturation was predicted from the model while a nonlinear increasing-decreasing trend was observed in the cyclic simple shear experiments. This discrepancy may be due to not considering post shearing reconsolidation in the model, calibration of model parameters, or experimental issues including a drift in the position of the hysteretic shear-stress strain curve. Nonetheless, the trend from the model is consistent with predictions from previously- developed empirical models in the funicular regime of the SWRC. The developments of the new mechanistic model developed in this study will play a key role in the future development of a holistic model for predicting the seismic compression across all regimes of the SWRC.


The platinum-like behavior of tungsten carbides has made them one of the most promising electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). So far, however, their poor activity has kept them far away from practical application. Related research has been basically focused on the form of particles with poor nano-structures, which is not conducive to further development. There is an urgent need to develop a versatile and facile method to synthesize tungsten carbide nanostructures with high active site density. Here we developed a plasma-assisted carburization method to synthesize porous tungsten carbide hybrid nanowires (p-WCx NWs) on carbon cloth. Benefitting from the rapid carburization process with a unique etching-effect in the plasma, the resulting p-WCx NWs are provided with porous nano-structures and an appropriate carbon coating layer. They exhibit excellent HER performance with a small onset potential of 39 mV, η10 (overpotential to drive a current of 10 mA cm−2) of 118 mV, and Tafel slope of 55 mV dec−1 in acid solution, and an onset potential of 56 mV, η10 of 122 mV, and Tafel slope of 56 mV dec−1 in alkaline solution. These performances are superior to those reported for W-based carbide electrocatalysts to date. Impressively, the p-WCx NWs/CC electrode could sustain more than 40 h of hydrogen production at the current density of 20 mA cm−2 without observable deterioration in both strong acid and alkaline solutions.


It is well-established that women perform the vast majority of household tasks. This study examined conflicts over the household division of labor. The study respondents (N=140) were obtained from a mailed survey to a national sample of 500 households in the winter of 1991. Of the 140 respondents, 78 were couples. Each household was sent a survey which requested information on who most often performed the six most time-consuming tasks; the reasons why those who performed the tasks did so; the level of satisfaction with the division of household tasks; and possible reasons for conflicts over household tasks. In addition, data was collected on yearly household income, personal income, current job title, hours worked for pay each week, race, religion, education, marital status, and a list of all household members by age and sex. The majority of the women engaged in traditional female household tasks while the vast majority of men did not. The tests that assessed the reasons for women's housecleaning indicated that women and men did not identify gender reasons any more often than practical reasons. It appeared that younger women were less satisfied with the division of household labor because they felt it burdened the person engaging in it or it was unfairly shared. Such results challenge the notion that housework is a welcome opportunity to demonstrate gender, at least among younger women. (ABL) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** 1


The English language curriculum prepared by the Ministry of National Education for high schools in Turkey seems to be satisfactory in theory, but the related studies about the attitudes of actual practitioners towards English classes in high schools are not detailed and comprehensive enough. This study aims to fill this gap. To do so, qualitative research was conducted with 13 English language teachers and 55 high school students from different parts of Turkey. They were asked for their opinions, applications, observations, and challenges of the English language teaching system in their high schools and some suggestions for the problematic issues were requested from them via open-ended questions. The data were analyzed descriptively; the results showed that most teachers are not satisfied with the coursebooks, crowded classes, quite limited class hours, and unmotivated students. Their main suggestions cover the privatization of education, having language libraries, labs, speaking clubs, and more lesson hours for English and decreasing the number of students in each classroom. Additionally, teachers want to attend international seminars to become aware of the latest methods/sources. Students have some valuable suggestions for the improvements as well. Nearly all of the students are unhappy about the coursebooks; thus, they suggest them to be revised. They also want to join international projects and improve their language skills. As a result of the study, suggestions covering many issues like coursebooks, assessment, teacher training, and European projects were proposed with an aim to diminish the gap between theories and applications in real classes.


This paper examines whether and to what extent three recently implemented family policies in Sweden change incentives regarding employment and choice of childcare for parents of young children, and whether these incentives differ by income level. These policy innovations warrant close examination because they represent a decisive ideological shift from what was a coherent set of policies that created incentives for high levels of female employment and that has been identified as a model of best practice in Europe. Simulating the economic incentive effects of the three new policies for heterosexual couple families with different levels of income, we find that while family policy in Sweden continues to provide the strongest support for a model of gender equality that combines full-time dual earning with public childcare, alternative organizations of family life are now more affordable. Nonetheless, the extent to which the costs of deviation from this model have changed varies by income level.


Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Western countries. Amentoflavone (AMF) is a polyphenolic compound which has been found to exhibit various biological activities. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of AMF against cardiovascular and liver dysfunction in high fructose and fat diet (HFFD)-induced MS rats. AMF could evidently inhibit the changes of general metabolic parameters, including body weight, fat mass, insulin level, and glucose tolerance activity. AMF markedly protected against cardiovascular dysfunction, as evidenced by a decrease of systolic blood pressure, left ventricular internal diameter in diastole (LVIDd) and left ventricular posterior wall thickness in diastole (LVPWd); increase of fractional shortening; and decrease of ejection fraction, relative wall thickness, estimated LV mass, cardiac stiffness and LV wet weight in HFFD-fed rats. AMF also inhibited the increase of aortic vasoconstriction in response to phenylephrine and increased relaxation in response to acetylcholine in HFFD-fed rats. AMF reversed the HFFD-induced decrease of nitrogen oxide level, increase of type 1 Ang II receptor (AT-1A) expression and decrease of AT-2A expression. AMF reduced histological and functional injury and lipid accumulation in livers in MS rats. AMF also inhibited HFFD-induced oxidative stress, as reflected by the decrease of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content, increase of GSH level, increase of superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and decrease of NADPH oxidase activities. In summary, we showed that AMF exhibited protective effects against cardiovascular dysfunction and liver injury in MS rats. Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system and oxidative stress contributes to cardiovascular and liver protective activities. Our data provide novel insights into the beneficial effects of AMF against MS.


In the 1980s, the earlier understanding that environmental problems are relatively simple was questioned. In order to handle the perceived complexity, several responses emerged. The Critical Load concept is a prominent example of such a response, which was introduced in thesecond-generation Protocols of the Convention of Long Range Transport of Air Pollutants (CLRTAP). The aim of this thesis is to analyse the dynamics of the ideational content of the Critical Load concept, using a discursive approach on policy. At the centre of the analysis are theories, ideas and knowledge claims about nature and processes in nature. The empirical material consists of policy texts produced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and interviews with SEPA employeesThe Critical Load concept can be interpreted as a meeting place where perceptions of different pollutants, objects in nature and scientific disciplines, meet and interact under the common view of nature as being robust within limits. Chemical mass-balance calculations oftransboundary air pollution in soils and forests dominate the operationalisation of the concept. The dominating chemical perspective has two origins. The first is the acidification concept, which has been the central issue of CLR TAP and has mainly been identified and discussed as a chemical problem. The second is the perception that chemical processes can be exactly measured in nature just as they can in the laboratory. Consequently, it is also generally assumed that estimates based on calculations of chemical processes fit well into the larger discourse of economically and ecologically efficient environmental policy-making within which the Critical Load concept has been situated. A change in the Critical Load concept, from exact mass balance calculations to risk analysis, could be identified with the introduction of new pollutants into the CLRTAP policy agenda. For certain types of pollutants even the possibility defining limits is denied. The conceptual change is here interpreted as a shrinkinglegitimacy of the concept, which also encompasses a weakening of the dominant view of nature as being robust within limits. It is, however too early to judge if this change will lead to larger discursive changes and a general refutation of the ideas that nature's limits are calculable and that such limits provide suitable foundations for environmental policy (Less)


It is widely discussed in the literature that a problem of reduction of thermal noise of mid-wave and long-wave infrared (MWIR and LWIR) cameras and focal plane arrays (FPAs) can be solved by using light-concentrating structures. The idea is to reduce the area and, consequently, the thermal noise of photodetectors, while still providing a good collection of photons on photodetector mesas that can help to increase the operating temperature of FPAs. It is shown that this approach can be realized using microconical Si light concentrators with (111) oriented sidewalls, which can be mass-produced by anisotropic wet etching of Si (100) wafers. The design is performed by numerical modeling in a mesoscale regime when the microcones are sufficiently large (several MWIR wavelengths) to resonantly trap photons, but still too small to apply geometrical optics or other simplified approaches. Three methods of integration Si microcone arrays with the focal plane arrays are proposed and studied: (i) inverted microcones fabricated in a Si slab, which can be heterogeneously integrated with the front illuminated FPA photodetectors made from high quantum efficiency materials to provide resonant power enhancement factors (PEF) up to 10 with angle-of-view (AOV) up to 10°; (ii) inverted microcones, which can be monolithically integrated with metal-Si Schottky barrier photodetectors to provide resonant PEFs up to 25 and AOVs up to 30° for both polarizations of incident plane waves; and iii) regular microcones, which can be monolithically integrated with near-surface photodetectors to provide a non-resonant power concentration on compact photodetectors with large AOVs. It is demonstrated that inverted microcones allow the realization of multispectral imaging with ∼100 nm bands and large AOVs for both polarizations. In contrast, the regular microcones operate similar to single-pass optical components (such as dielectric microspheres), producing sharply focused photonic nanojets.


Mobile devices offer great potentials for business process change and reengineering. However, realizing these potentials in practice still faces serious problems. While technologies are now widely mature, the problems still lie in the adoption and usage of mobile technology. In this paper, we analyze the contribution of user participation to the successful improvement of business metrics. This paper presents results from five case studies conducted in the IT-Service sector. The paper gives an example of a process calculation before and after mobile tool integration. Major findings include (a) user participation leads to improvements in business metrics and, (b) faster adoption and payback periods.


In this article, I examine how diasporic Somalis in Cairo experience being part of transnational families. I analyze two practices through which transnational family relations are maintained, experienced, and negotiated: (1) living arrangements of relatives and management of family affairs and (2) the use of the Internet and videotapes. I argue that transnational families make collective decisions about which family members live together, where, and what their family obligations should be. However, although maintaining interdependent transnational families is crucial for the survival of family members, it has its tensions and challenges because of the competing interests and dreams of individual members. I examine these tensions and how they are negotiated by family members who live together in Cairo but share resources and family obligations with relatives living elsewhere. In short, this way of being and living in which individuals and families partake as they are physically separated in different nation- states has its uneven consequences and challenges for different Somalis depending on their legal statuses, education, gender, and identity claims.


In essence, normal thymus function involves the production of a broad repertoire of αβT cells capable of responding to foreign antigens with low risk of autoreactivity. Thymic epithelial cells are an essential component of the thymic stromal microenvironment, promoting the growth and export of self-tolerant thymocytes. Autoimmune disease, resulting from a loss of self-tolerance, is clinically and genetically complex, and accordingly has many potential etiological origins. However, it is commonly linked to defects in the thymic epithelial microenvironment. The study of autoimmune-linked thymic stromal dysfunction has indisputably advanced our understanding of T cell tolerance; notably, a field-wide paradigm shift occurred when autoimmune regulator (Aire) was found to drive expression of a multitude of peripheral tissue-restricted antigens in medullary thymic epithelial cells. Many other associations with polygenically controlled autoimmune diseases have been reported but are more difficult to definitively dissect. Paradoxically, immunodeficiency and age-related immunosenescence are also linked with increased autoimmunity. Here we discuss the theoretical basis and the evidence gathered thus far to support these associations.


Activity recognition (AR) or in other words context recognition is an active area of research in the domain of pervasive and mobile computing that has direct applications about life quality and health of the users. Related studies aim to classify different daily human activities with high accuracy rates using various types of sensors. Becoming a substantial part in our daily lives with their sensing capabilities, smartphones are now feasible platforms that enable people to make use of AR technologies without being obliged to use or wear some extra devices. However, due to the fact that users carry these devices at different positions, such as in the pocket or in the bag, it becomes a challenging task to attain accurate results by directly used classification models. In this paper, we focus on phone position uncertainty problem and compare the classification results with position independent and position dependent classification models.


Polyurethane coatings modified with silanized graphene and/or hexagonal boron nitride as nanoadditives were synthesized, characterized, and tested for ultraviolet degradation and hydrophobicity. These coatings containing various weight percentages (wt%) of nanoadditives were prepared and investigated. The coating composition was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The silanization of nanoadditives was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the nanocomposite coatings were determined using differential scanning calorimeter; it was observed that the presence of nanoadditives in the coatings impacted the Tg indicating their interference with the polyurethane chains and structures. The change in the coating thickness and water contact angle after ultraviolet light exposure was also studied. Exposure of the coatings to ultraviolet light led to a decrease in the coating thickness and hydrophobicity. With the increasing content of nanoadditives, the decrease in the coating thickness was lower and the rate of decrease of water contact angle was slow. Polyurethane coatings with 0.8 wt% silanized hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles exhibited minimum reduction in coating thickness and the slowest rate of decrease in the water contact angle.


The Adelie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) breeds in large, noisy Antarctic colonies and has evolved a communication system of complex intra- and inter-sexual visual and vocal behaviours. The Ecstatic Display Call (EDC) given by males whilst at the breeding colony is composed of introductory beats, short repeated syllables and a climactic long syllable. Here, we show that spectral qualities of the short syllables of the EDC can predict body condition and breeding success and suggest that in addition to its role in territory defence, the EDC may function as an honest signal of male quality for female mate choice. In the short repeated syllables frequency modulation, mean frequency, and pitch were all significantly lower in birds of better condition, with frequency modulation changing concomitantly with changing condition during the breeding season. Furthermore, during the period of mate attraction, a male's frequency modulation predicted both his latency to pair and likelihood of successfully breeding. Due to the long incubation fasts in this species we propose that female Adelie penguins may reliably use frequency modulation of the EDC as a potentially honest signal of early season male condition and the likelihood of a successful breeding outcome.


(1) Total poly(A)-containing RNA isolated from human thyroid medullary carcinoma tissue was shown to direct the synthesis in the wheat germ cell-free system of a major (Mr 21000) and several minor forms of human calcitonin precursor polyproteins. Evidence for processing of these precursor(s) by the wheat germ cell-free system is also presented. (2) A small complementary DNA (cDNA) plasmid library has been constructed in the PstI site of the plasmid pAT153, using total human thyroid medullary carcinoma poly(A)-containing RNA as the starting material. (3) Plasmids containing abundant cDNA sequences were selected by hybridization in situ, and two of these (ph T-B3 and phT-B6) were characterized by hybridization--translation and restriction analysis. Each was shown to contain human calcitonin precursor polyprotein cDNA sequences. (4) RNA blotting techniques demonstrate that the human calcitonin precursor polyprotein is encoded within a mRNA containing 1000 bases. (5) The results demonstrate that human calcitonin is synthesized as a precursor polyprotein.


EFit is the first web based tutoring system for lower secondary school mathematics in Germany. It generates a systematic learning schedule to meet the individual demands of different students. In contrast to the more traditional Computer Assisted Instruction programs, the web-based eFit program is characterized by a high degree of adaptability. Given that no comparable programme currently exists in Germany, it is worth evaluating the usefulness of eFit for the target group, namely low achieving students. The study was carried out in North Rhine Westphalia (NRW), where the mathematics curricula tend to de-emphasize direct or explicit instruction in favour of open ended, exploratory methods, which can be characterised as constructivist. However, the present paper argues that the constructivist-inspired reform pedagogy does not serve the needs of all target groups and has adverse effects for low achievers. On the other hand, there is abundant evidence that direct instruction leads to significant learning gains for low achievers. This was confirmed in the present research: where students in the treatment group improved significantly compared to students who received traditional, constructivist-inspired instruction. The implications of the findings for web-based instruction of this kind are considered.


The number of Jewish children in Jewish schools has almost doubled since the mid-1990s, rising from 16,700 then to over 30,000 now, while the number of Jewish schools has jumped from 62 to 139 over the same period.

The report is the first in a series of studies being produced by the new partnership between the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, cooperating on the collection, analysis and publication of key community statistics.

The results of the study show that the majority of the 30,900 Jewish children studying in Jewish schools in 2014/15 were in haredi schools (17,500, or 57%), whilst the remainder (13,400, or 43%) were in mainstream schools. Twenty years ago, the equivalent proportions were 45% strictly Orthodox, 55% mainstream. The shifting balance provides further evidence of the changing composition of the British Jewish community.

The growth in the haredi sector is particularly striking. There are three times as many haredi schools in the UK today as there were twenty years ago, educating 10,000 more children between them.

However, the overall increase in enrolment is not exclusively due to the growth of the haredi population. A significant part of the upsurge can also be explained by developments in the non-haredi or 'mainstream' sector.

More than four out of ten mainstream Jewish school-age children are now studying in Jewish schools, compared with just a quarter twenty years ago. In numerical terms, that constitutes an increase of over 4,000 children. To accommodate this increase, there are 11 more Jewish schools operating in the mainstream sector than there were in the mid-1990s. Collectively, about 85% of all pupils studying in them are Jewish.

From a geographical perspective, Jewish pupil enrolment in mainstream schools in London and the surrounding areas has been growing steadily over the past twenty years, increasing by 72% since the mid-1990s. By contrast, Jewish pupil enrolment in mainstream Jewish schools outside of London has declined by 23% over the same period. In short, the mainstream Jewish school sector has become increasingly London-centric.

The geographical dynamics are very different in the haredi sector. Whilst the majority of pupils in the strictly Orthodox sector are still attending schools in London, the number in Manchester has more than trebled over the past twenty years, and the city has increased its share of haredi pupils from one in five to one in four of the total. Thus, numbers in the haredi school sector reveal a shift towards Manchester.


Abstract:This article offers an account of all illustrated editions of William Falconer's The Shipwreck (1762), including anthologies such as John Roach's Beauties, that were produced up to the end of the handpress period. It examines both the illustrations of specific scenes or moments from the poem and other visual paratext. In addition to providing a detailed study of the editions, including their marketing and pricing, it focuses on interpretive shifts in the illustrations—from exclusively ship- and shipwreck-related iconography, to the expression of human concerns, especially in terms of the tragic-sentimental mode that characterizes a large number of these illustrations. The illustrations will not be discussed in isolation but will be related to how artists at various exhibitions in that period engaged with Falconer's work and made present various aspects of it. In its comprehensive coverage of how publishers catered to different groups of buyers, the essay recovers a hitherto uncharted visual archive stemming from Falconer's poem. Questions related to readership, visual literacy, the commodification of the visual images accompanying The Shipwreck, and the role illustrations played in the mediation of the work will underpin my account of how the visual apparatuses added to editions affected the marketing and reception of Falconer's poem.


The El Callao mining district is the most important gold-producing region in Venezuela. It is hosted in the Paleoproterozoic Guasipati-El Callao greenstone belt, which forms part of the Guayana craton, the Venezuelan extension of the Guiana Shield of South America. It consists of volcanic and volcanosedimentary sequences that were affected by several deformation events, particularly localized shear zones. The Colombia mine, the largest active mine in the district, produces 4 tonnes (t) (128,600 oz) of gold annually with reserves estimated at 740 t (24 Moz) and grades of up to 60 g/t. Gold mineralization is concentrated within a vein network in the Colombia corridor, a shear fracture-hosted mesh of interconnected quartz-ankerite-albite veins enclosing fragments of altered metabasaltic host rocks. Gold occurs mostly in the metabasaltic fragments and is spatially associated with pyrite, in which it occurs as invisible gold, micron-sized native gold inclusions, and filling fractures. Based on optical and scanning electron microscopy-backscattered electron observations, two types of pyrite are recognized: a simple-zoned pyrite and a less common oscillatory-zoned pyrite. Both types consist of a mineral inclusion-rich core and a clearer rim; however, in oscillatory-zoned pyrite, the latter is composed of complex rhythmic overgrowths of alternating As-rich and As-poor bands. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis and elemental mapping reveal the presence of invisible gold in all generations of pyrite. The highest concentrations (5–23 ppm Au) are found in oscillatory-zoned pyrite rims, which correlate with the highest As concentrations (16,000–23,000 ppm). In As-poor bands, Au (up to 1.5 ppm) and As (300–6,000 ppm) concentrations decrease by about an order of magnitude. Copper, Bi, Te, Sb, Pb, and Ag always occur with invisible gold, particularly in pyrite cores, suggesting that at least part of the gold occurs in sulfosalt nanoparticles of these metals and metalloids. Visible native gold grains occur as small inclusions throughout core and rim of both pyrite types, as well as in fractures within it. In both occurrences, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, tellurobismuthite, ankerite, albite, and chlorite accompany native gold, and gold fineness ranges between 900 and 930. At an early stage of vein mesh formation, pyrite formed in the metabasaltic fragments at the expense of ankerite, which, in turn, resulted from alteration of Fe-Ti oxides. Gold, together with other chalcophile elements, was incorporated within the structure of pyrite, most likely by destabilization of metal sulfide complexes during ankerite replacement. Subsequent cyclic reactivations of the shear zone caused development of pressure shadows around pyrite, generating local and repeated decreases in pressure, which triggered local boiling of the hydrothermal fluid, as evidenced by the presence of primary fluid inclusions containing immiscible liquid-rich and vapor-rich aqueous-carbonic fluids. This process was responsible for a number of physical-chemical changes in the liquid, all of which contributed to the formation of the As- and Au-rich overgrowths in pyrite: (1) removal of H 2 O into the vapor phase, inducing saturation of dissolved metals in the remaining liquid; (2) an increase in pH due to partition of H 2 S and CO 2 into the vapor, thus decreasing the solubility of sulfide minerals; and (3) an adiabatic decrease in temperature, lowering the solubility of As and Au in the liquid. Waning of this process restored precipitation of As-poor pyrite, until the onset of a new cycle. Because pressure drops are more significant adjacent to open spaces, oscillatory-zoned pyrite probably crystallized near newly formed veins whereas simple-zoned pyrite formed away from them. Previously formed pyrite underwent fracturing during reactivation of the deformation, especially through the brittle deformation events that postdated shearing, resulting in local pulverization of pyrite. This newly created porosity facilitated fluid circulation and remobilization of structurally bound gold, as well as of other chalcophile elements (Ag, Cu, Bi, Te, Pb, and Sb), which reprecipitated together with pyrite in the form of native gold, sulfides, and tellurides, either as small inclusions or as larger grains within fractures. This remobilization process facilitates the exceptionally high gold tenor found in the deposit, where the Colombia corridor is intersected by the Santa Maria fault.


One of the fundamental infrastructure deployments which we are about to experience is the rollout of smart metering technology for energy consumption in homes and businesses. In Ireland it is part of the National Development Plan that such domestic metering will go in tandem with metering of water and the expectation is that this will offer opportunity for load-based tariffs and optimal use of the grid, making it in effect a smart grid. But apart from more detailed billing, what will this offer the consumer? In our work we have been trialling smart metering deployments in homes in Ireland and developing applications which are designed to offer additional services to consumers. As one would expect, this include energy-related services but also applications around lifestyle analysis, ambient assisted living, and emergency detection. In the presentation I will illustrate this work and the new opportunities it is creating.


This study aims to: 1) describe the conditions of Indonesian language learning for class XI students at Vocational High School 1 of BYL; 2) describe and explain the events of Cycle I and Cycle 2 in Indonesian language learning when using on-the-spot learning using the discussion method; 3) describe and explain the effectiveness of Indonesian language learning with conventional methods and deep discussion methods. This study used a classroom action research design with four steps, namely, 1) planning: 2) implementation; 3) observation; 4) reflection. In the initial step (planning) the researcher pays attention to things that are strategic towards the implementation steps that are carried out, then the researcher takes action to do things that need to be done in the next process, namely by collaborating with colleagues who are partners to discuss and help with implementation of action research is carried out, as well as trying to condition the learning in the classroom carried out in the research. The results of this study indicate that: (1) students need to work and learn together to decide something that is difficult when faced; (2) learning in a happy condition creates a safe, comfortable, calm, and controlled atmosphere; (3) The results of the effectiveness test show that learning using the discussion method results in better achievement than learning using conventional methods.


OBJECTIVE
To explore relevant literature about sexual abuse allegations arising in child custody disputes.

METHOD
A literature review of false allegations is given and the contribution of gender bias to this issue is discussed. The role a child psychiatrist may play in such cases is outlined.

RESULTS
Contrary to much popular and professional opinion, sexual abuse allegations are found in only 2% of child custody disputes, and, of these, 8% to 16.5% are false. While false allegations arise for a variety of reasons, the word "false" can imply both erroneous and deceitful activities. This ambiguity, along with gender bias, may lead to disbelief of, and blame towards, parents who report sexual abuse in the context of a dispute about custody or access.

CONCLUSION
The child psychiatrist who testifies in such custody disputes should have caution, humility, and an open mind both in the courtroom and in dealing with other professionals working in this area.


We consider efficient estimation of the Euclidean parameters in a generalized partially linear additive models for longitudinal/clustered data when multiple covariates need to be modeled nonparametrically, and propose an estimation procedure based on a spline approximation of the nonparametric part of the model and the generalized estimating equations (GEE). Although the model in consideration is natural and useful in many practical applications, the literature on this model is very limited because of challenges in dealing with dependent data for nonparametric additive models. We show that the proposed estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal even if the covariance structure is misspecified. An explicit consistent estimate of the asymptotic variance is also provided. Moreover, we derive the semiparametric efficiency score and information bound under general moment conditions. By showing that our estimators achieve the semiparametric information bound, we effectively establish their efficiency in a stronger sense than what is typically considered for GEE. The derivation of our asymptotic results relies heavily on the empirical processes tools that we develop for the longitudinal/clustered data. Numerical results are used to illustrate the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators.


Measures of masculinities have expanded in recent decades to reflect greater diversity. A comparative reading of the literature suggests that African American men may endorse the same macho ideology shared by Afro-Jamaican men, which is captured by the Jamaican Macho Scale. The current article examines whether the Macho Scale is relevant to explaining masculinity among African American males using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques. A sample of 203 African American male college students from a large university in the Eastern United States participated in a self-administered survey, which included the Macho Scale items. Results supported a two-factor model of macho ideology, specifically sexual dominance and virility, and procreative need, in the American context. Future research should examine understudied masculinity ideology constructs in the American setting and attempt to map the full content domain of African American masculinity ideologies.


P-cycles have been recognized as a useful protection scheme in WDM mesh networks. This is a type of shared link protection that not only retains the mesh-like capacity efficiency, but also achieves the ring-like protection switching speed. However, finding the optimal set of p-cycles for protecting traffic demands is not a simple task and is an NP-hard problem. A general approach is to determine a set of candidate p-cycles and then determine optimal or near-optimal solutions by using integer linear programming (ILP) models or heuristics. In a dense mesh network, however, the number of candidate cycles is huge, and increases exponentially if the node number is increased. Thus, searching for a suitable set of efficient candidate cycles is crucial and imperative to balancing the computational time and the optimality of solutions. In this paper, we propose a dynamic P-cycles selection (DPS) algorithm that improves the efficiency of enumerating candidate p-cycles. The dynamic approach for cycle selection is based on the network state. In the DPS algorithm, all cycles are found and stored, then an efficient and sufficient set of p-cycles is extracted to achieve 100% working protection, minimize the spare capacity, and reduce time complexity.


This thesis aimed to enhance clinical understanding of treatment for psychopathic offenders by examining existing empirical evidence on treatment non-completion for this high-risk group of offenders and evaluating the effectiveness of the Chromis programme. Chapter 1 of this thesis established context by providing a review of relevant literature on the conceptualisation and assessment of psychopathy in clinical practice, with a particular focus on the PCL-R and a critical review of empirical literature on treatment for psychopathic offenders. Chapter 2 presents a systematic review with an overarching aim of synthesising empirical research on treatment non-completion among psychopathic offenders. Seven of the thirteen included studies explicitly reported attrition rates, providing a median non-completion rate for psychopathic offenders of 46%. Whilst synthesised empirical evidence suggested an association between psychopathy as measured by the PCL-R and treatment non-completion, variable findings between the PCL-R construct (facets) and treatment non-completion raises doubt over the reliability of the observed psychopathy (PCL-R total score) and treatment non-completion association. Furthermore, scant evidence established that the predictive relevance of psychopathy and treatment non-completion to recidivism was inconclusive. The systematic review makes a unique contribution to the clinical understanding of treatment attrition among psychopathic offenders and provides needed insight into empirical ambiguities and pertinent clinical issues. In order to further existing research, Chapter 3 examined the treatment responsivity of psychopathic offenders, by examining the effectiveness of a violence treatment programme (Chromis), implemented within a high-security personality disorder treatment service. A high attrition rate (44%) was evident within the availability sample of 120 offenders who had engaged in treatment, with PCL-R total (and factor) scores for this sample not being significantly associated with treatment non-completion. Group- and individual-level analysis of self-reported measures showed treatment gains across the evaluated outcomes; however, this was not moderated by psychopathy level (moderate or high). The findings add to the research around the treatability of psychopathic offenders. Contrary to clinical lore, certain aspects of treatment can deliver a positive outcome with respect to risk-related treatment need areas for psychopathic offenders. Finally, an overall discussion of the work is presented (Chapter 4), drawing together the main findings and implications for future research and practice.


In the last 10 years, kiwifruit vine artificial pollination became a widespread practice useful to increase fruit quality. Kiwifruit size is directly proportional to the number of seeds, i.e., to the number of fertilized ovaries. However, artificial pollination efficiency depends on many parameters such as pollen quality (germinability, humidity, and conservation), pollination system (dry or liquid), coadjuvants, and flowering stage. Those parameters were well defined in Actinidia in recent studies, however, they remain quite undefined for other anemophilous pollinated trees such as olive tree, hazelnut, pistachio, and palm. In these plants, the flowers are very small and extremely numerous, so the pollination was difficult to study. In addition, there are incompatibility factors (genetic and physic), long lap time from pollination to fertilization, and alternate bearing, lower economic gain for these fruits, low agronomic input, and low innovation level in the field. All these aspects had reduced the application of pollination technique for these cultivations. The experiences developed in kiwifruit lead to define a new model crop fruit set that could be applied to anemophilous pollinated plants such as olive tree, where the fruit set are lower than 2%. The first experiences have shown a great potential and have encouraged the development of this technique.


Racial differences in the gut microbiota and its influence in development of diabetes have been previously reported. However, whether differences exist between Chinese and Africans, currently no study. We investigated whether differences in body fat may account for microbial communities to expound racial disparities in insulin secretion, sensitivity or resistance, and that GLP-1 may play a role. We measured fasting and stimulated GLP-1, insulin and glucose levels during a 3h OGTT in 27 Han-Chinese university students(HC) and 29 International students from East Africa(EA) healthy subjects with normal glucose tolerance. We also measured the whole body fat and the regions of interest of local body composition, and gut microbiota composition. HC group showed significantly higher triglyceride levels, total bile acids, glucose response at 30min, incremental glucose level at 30min, HOMA-IR at 30 min, body fat distribution and abundance of microbial phyla, but lower hip circumference and β-cell function than EA. Interestingly, HC had lower bacterial taxa and majority of measures of microbial diversity than EA. GLP-1 correlated with metabolic risk factors and microbial communities. The results suggest that body fats are associated with gut microbiota and that GPL-1 enhances their association, which in turn may result in Chinese developing T2DM. Disclosure P. Nizigiyimana: None. L. Liu: None. B. Xu: None. T. Liu: None. L. Gao: None. Z. Liu: None. C. Li: None. X. Luo: None. M. Lei: None.


This paper proposes a new despeckling algorithm of SAR image based on EMD and PCA. Firstly, it approximately evaluates the noise energy in all levels of IMF according to the energy distribution model of Gaussian white noise decomposed by EMD. And then it uses PCA to decompose IMF. According to the decomposition feature of the noisy signal and the proportion of noise energy in IMF, select proper principal components to reconstruct IMF so as to further remove the IMF noise. Finally, the simulation results show that the new method can effectively delete noise, and better keep the texture details of the edges.


Most study samples show less variability in key variables than do their source populations due most often to indirect selection into study participation associated with a wide range of personal and circumstantial characteristics. Formulas exist to correct the distortions of population-level correlations created. Formula accuracy has been tested using simulated normally distributed data, but empirical data are rarely available for testing. We did so in a rare data set in which it was possible: the 6-Day Sample, a representative subsample of 1,208 from the Scottish Mental Survey 1947 of cognitive ability in 1936-born Scottish schoolchildren (70,805). 6-Day Sample participants completed a follow-up assessment in childhood and were re-recruited for study at age 77 years. We compared full 6-Day Sample correlations of early-life variables with those of the range-restricted correlations in the later-participating subsample, before and after adjustment for direct and indirect range restriction. Results differed, especially for two highly correlated cognitive tests; neither reproduced full-sample correlations well due to small deviations from normal distribution in skew and kurtosis. Maximum likelihood estimates did little better. To assess these results' typicality, we simulated sample selection and made similar comparisons using the 42 cognitive ability tests administered to the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart, with very similar results. We discuss problems in developing further adjustments to offset range-restriction distortions and possible approaches to solutions.


Evidence is presented for the baryonic B meson decay ¯ B 0 → D 0 Λ ¯ Λ based on a data sample of 471 × 10 6 B ¯ B pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric e þ e − collider located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The branching fraction is determined to be B ð ¯ B 0 → D 0 Λ ¯ Λ Þ¼ ð 9 . 8 þ 2 . 9 − 2 . 6 (cid:1) 1 . 9 Þ × 10 − 6 , corresponding to a significance of 3.4 standard deviations including additive systematic uncertainties. A search for the related baryonic B meson decay ¯ B 0 → D 0 Σ 0 ¯ Λ with Σ 0 → Λ γ is performed and an upper limit B ð ¯ B 0 → D 0 Σ 0 ¯ Λ þ ¯ B 0 → D 0 Λ ¯ Σ 0 Þ < 3 . 1 × 10 − 5 is determined at 90% confidence level.


The main reason for this research was the bankruptcy of one the Dutch oldest and largest chain of department stores at the end of 2015. The main goal of this research is to find what, from a consumers' perspective, a department store should look like. A four storey (1500 m2 each) building was assumed to be vacant in the shopping areas of the large and medium sized Dutch cities. In addition, it was assumed that each floor would accommodate only one department. The two main research questions were: 1) as department stores may offer more than four departments, which are the four most preferred departments, and 2) to which floor should each of the most preferred departments be allocated.This study measured consumers' preferences by means of a survey among approximately 500 respondents. Six different departments were selected to be part of a department store: 1) Fashion, 2) Food, 3) Beauty, 4) Living, 5) Electronics, and 6) Active/outdoor. To familiarize the respondents with these departments, each respondent was asked to pick a number of sub-departments and services from a predefined list to fill each department. The floor area of each sub-department and service was provided. The sum of the floor areas per department had to be within the 1250-1750 m2 range.To answer the first research question, a stated choice approach was used. Each respondent was presented a number of pairs of the 15 possible combinations of four out of six departments. The multinomial logit (MNL) model was used to estimate the utility of each department. The order of preference appeared to be: 1) Fashion, 2) Living, 3) Food, 4) Beauty, 5) Active/outdoor, and 6) Electronics for females and 1) Electronics, 2) Fashion, 3) Food, 4) Living, 5) Active/outdoor and 6) Beauty for males.The second research question was answered by having respondents allocating departments to floors of the building. Per respondent, this was repeated three times with three randomly picked combinations of 4 departments. Again, the MNL model was used to estimate the utility of each floor for each department. Building on the results for the most preferred combinations of departments, the preferred composition for females is Food at the ground floor, Fashion at the 1st floor, Living at the 2nd floor and Beauty at the 3rd floor. For males, the third floor should contain Electronics.


In the belief that transparency creates competition and lowers costs, several states have created Web sites that post comparative retail drug prices. Consumer groups say this is a step in the right direction to make drugs more affordable, especially for the elderly and uninsured. But many pharmacists say it's a fool's errand by the states—prices change quickly and postings are rarely up to date. That leads to confusion and consumer anger more than to increased competition, say pharmacists.


This slide is of pictographs in Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, located northeast of El Paso, Texas. The slide casing has been labelled by Dr. Robert G. Campbell with the following information: Trip # 237, United States, XXIII, F1, Hueco Tanks St. Pk.,, Sacramento Upland Site #12, October 1975.


The high complexity of remotely sensed images and measurements, provided by the last generation of sensors, demands new techniques for scene understanding and analysis. The paper introduces topics in multisensor and synthetic images fusion. The fractal geometry is applied for unknown information modelling. Integrated techniques in computer graphics and computer vision are used. A new method is introduced for more accurate representation and visualisation of the fractal surfaces. A multiresolution approach is considered for the accurate description of surface radiometry and geometry. The image synthesis is based on the knowledge of surface geometry, on radiation source, and sensor characteristics, and on the radiation scattering process for different cover types. In the final part, results of the developed techniques are applied in satellite imagery understanding.


The construction of anyonic operators and algebra is generalized by using quons operators. Therefore, the particular version of fractional supersymmetry is constructed on the twodimensional lattice by associating two generalized anyons of different kinds. The fractional supersymmetry Hamiltonian operator is obtained on the two-dimensional lattice and the quantum algebra Uq(sl2) is realized.


In this study, light emitted from red, green, and blue LEDs is adopted as the light source of an alternating-color micro-PIV system for micro flows measurement. The strobe frequency of the LED can easily reach 20,000Hz, which is high enough to provide the time resolution required for most micro flows measurement. A cardioid annular condenser is adopted in the micro-PIV system so that the incident light from the LED is redirected and only the light emitted from fluorescent particles reaches the object lens of the microscope. The image quality is significantly improved. Clear dark background particle images of micro flows are recorded from the proposed LED micro-PIV system. In addition, the diffraction limit of the microscope is improved from half of the wavelength to one-fifth of the wavelength. For alternating-color multiple-exposure image application, a triple-exposure alternating-color image — sequentially illuminated by red, green, and blue LED light — is recorded on a single frame by a color CCD camera. Three unique color images — a blue, a green, and a red image respectively — are obtained from separating the triple-exposure image. With three sequential images available, the velocity, acceleration distributions of micro flow, and different phases of the multiphase flow can be measured from these unique color sequential images. The alternating-color micro-PIV system is then applied to measure micro flow past a cylinder, circulation in a micro-droplet, hydrodynamic focusing sheath flow, and two-phase flow in micro channels. Satisfactory results are obtained for all the flows measured.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Dufour Editions, an independent publisher and distributor for more than forty years, has an established reputation as a fine literary house. International poetry has always been outstanding in the list, which initially began with some of Thomas Kinsella's and John Montague's first books from the prestigious Dolmen Press.Since those early days, the complete poetry list has grown to include prize-winning poets from twenty-nine countries. Many of the poets have toured and been interviewed in the U.S. Some are Nobel Prize winners. This catalog introduces some highly regarded poets from publishers whose lists are being distributed in the U.S. and Canada for the first time.The rewards in publishing poetry are sometimes sublime, as opposed to commercial, but reader response over the years has justified our commitment. The strength of the list is evidenced on this page, on which we salute recent prize-winners whose books are currently being read throughout the world.


BackgroundTo evaluate the possibility of predicting the development of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy, we performed quantitative assessment of the early kinetics of iodine-123 betamethyl-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (I-123 BMIPP) by means of dynamic myocardial SPECT.MethodsThirty-six patients with various malignancies were examined. I-123 BMIPP dynamic myocardial SPECT was performed before chemotherapy, after chemotherapy, or both. Immediately after the injection of I-123 BMIPP (111 MBq), 30-second dynamic SPECT data were acquired successively for 15 minutes. The left ventricular (LV) myocardium was divided into 8 segments in short-axial and vertical slices. By using the time-activity curve (TAC) of each myocardial segment [Mo(t)] as an output function and the TAC of the LV cavity [B(t)] as an input function, the Rutland equation, Mo(t)/B(t)= F + K ?B(t)dt/B(t), was used as a means of assessing all segments.ResultsMo(t)/B(t) showed a good linear correlation with ?B(t)dt/B(t) from 30 seconds to 4 minutes in all 456 segments. The mean K value of 8 LV segments was significantly lower after chemotherapy than before chemotherapy (0.071 ± 0.019 [n = 21] vs 0.095 ± 0.025 [n = 36], P < .001). In 21 patients in whom dynamic SPECT was performed both before and after chemotherapy, the mean K values of left ventricle showed a significant decrease, from 0.101 ± 0.024 to 0.071 ± 0.019 (P < .0001). The fractional change in the value of K after chemotherapy showed a significant linear correlation with the administered dose of doxorubicin (r = 0.648, P < .002).ConclusionI-123 BMIPP dynamic myocardial SPECT may be clinically useful, because it permits the early detection of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy.


Based on the analysis of the phase data of the global navigation satellite system, distributions of time derivatives of the L1 phase frequency and the total electronic content are obtained. The change in the distributions of observed statistics of time derivatives of the total electron content was analyzed, because there are cycle slips in signals of navigation satellites. According to the analysis of the statistics of the phase of signals, an assumption about the physical and technical reasons for phase failures was made. The correlation between time derivatives of the phase signals and the total electron content has been obtained, despite the apparent dependence of the latter on the phase of the signal. This ratio showed that neither direct nor inverse dependence of the change in the distribution of time derivatives in both of quantities was found.


Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is often characterized by insulin resistance and progressive ?-cell deterioration. With longer duration of T2DM most patients treated with oral antihyperglycemic drugs (OADs), in monotherapy or in combination, will ultimately require basal insulin therapy and even further prandial intensification later on. The basal-plus regimen is one of the proposed approaches for treatment intensification by adding one injection of prandial rapid-acting insulin to basal insulin. The CONBA+ study aimed to collect real-world data of glycemic control of T2DM patients uncontrolled on insulin/OAD therapy using the basal-plus approach in Morocco. Methods: CONBA+ study was a national, prospective, non-interventional, multicenter study involving 50 endocrinologists from Morocco. The study, conducted between June 2015 and June 2017, enrolled T2DM patients uncontrolled on their previous regimen (hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ? 7.5% on two OADs, glargine 100 U/mL and OADs or once daily premixed insulin). Patients continued or newly initiated once-daily insulin glargine 100 U/mL (Gla-100) and also received one injection of insulin glulisine (Glu) at the main meal in replacing any previous treatment. Demographics, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial glucose (PPG), insulin doses and the frequency of hypoglycemia were assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 weeks after study entry. Results: Overall, 854 people (46.8% men) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. At baseline, mean age was 59.0 ± 9.4 years, mean duration of diabetes 10.8 ± 6.7 years (range: 1 - 45 years), mean body mass index (BMI) 27.4 ± 4.0 kg/m 2 and mean HbA1c 9.50±1.51%. After 24 weeks, 33.0% of patients achieved target HbA1c < 7.0% (primary endpoint). In addition, mean FPG and postprandial blood glucose (PPBG) improved significantly at week 24 (change from baseline: -88 mg/dL and -108 mg/dL respectively; P < 0.001) while the number of reported severe hypoglycemia was low. Conclusions: The use of a basal-plus regimen consisting of insulin glargine 100 U/mL and insulin glulisine injected at the main meal resulted in significant improvements of glycemic parameters. In addition, the basal-plus approach showed a good safety profile with a low risk of hypoglycemia. J Endocrinol Metab. 2020;10(1):16-22 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem548


Presents ten essays by popular Japanese authors. All vocabulary is defined and grammar explained. The Power Japanese series presents a selection of guides to difficult or confusing aspects of the Japanese language. The student can find a quick reference to particles, a guide to the myriad levels of politeness, books of idioms, vocabulary builders, emotive expressions and turns of speech - all with natural examples.


The primary goals of environmental monitoring are to indicate whether unexpected changes related to development are occurring in the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of ecosystems and to inform meaningful management intervention. Although achieving these objectives is conceptually simple, varying scientific and social challenges often result in their breakdown. Conceptualizing, designing, and operating programs that better delineate monitoring, management, and risk assessment processes supported by hypothesis‐driven approaches, strong inference, and adverse outcome pathways can overcome many of the challenges. Generally, a robust monitoring program is characterized by hypothesis‐driven questions associated with potential adverse outcomes and feedback loops informed by data. Specifically, key and basic features are predictions of future observations (triggers) and mechanisms to respond to success or failure of those predictions (tiers). The adaptive processes accelerate or decelerate the effort to highlight and overcome ignorance while preventing the potentially unnecessary escalation of unguided monitoring and management. The deployment of the mutually reinforcing components can allow for more meaningful and actionable monitoring programs that better associate activities with consequences. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:877–891. © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)


Wind profiles from an operational C-band Doppler radar have been combined with data from a bird tracking radar to assess the wind profile quality during bird migration. The weather radar wind profiles (WRWPs) are retrieved using the well-known volume velocity processing (VVP) technique. The X-band bird radar performed range–height scans perpendicular to the main migration direction and bird densities were deduced by counting and normalizing the observed echoes. It is found that the radial velocity standard deviation (r) obtained from the VVP retrieval is a skillful indicator of bird migration. Using a threshold of 2ms 1 on r, more than 93% of the bird-contaminated wind vectors are rejected while over 70% of the true wind vectors are accepted correctly. For high bird migration densities the raw weather radar wind vectors have a positive speed bias of 8.6 3.8 m s 1 , while the quality-controlled wind vectors have a negligible speed bias. From the performance statistics against a limited area numerical weather prediction model, it is concluded that all (significant) bird contamination is removed and that high-quality weather radar wind profiles can be obtained, even during the bird migration season.


Introduction: The major risk factors for developing prostate cancer are age, African American (AA) race, and family history. AA men have greater burden of incidence and mortality from this disease. Prostate cancer knowledge has been linked with prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing in some studies but not in others. The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of knowledge about prostate cancer among AA (U.S.-born), Jamaican, and Bahamian black men, and to examine selected socio-demographic and ethno-cultural correlates. Methods: Data were collected on a convenience sample of 448 AA men, 48 Jamaican men residing in the Southeastern U.S., and 55 Bahamian men in the Bahamas. Men were asked questions about their knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening behaviors using DRE and PSA. Data were self-reported survey responses and analyzed using SAS. Results: Study participants were likely married (54%), had some college or technical training (78%), and employed (60%). Over 90% of the men reported hearing of the DRE and 77% had heard of the PSA test. Prostate cancer knowledge was found to have two dimensions, a scientific or factual dimension and a misconceptions dimension. Four variables: education, income, perceived health status, and PSA screening interval were found to be associated with fact-based knowledge and misconceptions. Men with higher levels of education and men who reported recent screening (within 2 years) with a PSA test were associated with higher scores on the factual dimension. By contrast, men who reported never or rarely having had a PSA test, men with higher incomes, and men reporting higher levels of health status were associated with higher scores on the misconceptions factor. There were no differences by ethnicity on either dimension of prostate cancer knowledge (factual knowledge; misconceptions). Conclusions: Ethnically diverse black men appear to have varying levels of both factual knowledge and misconceptions regarding prostate cancer despite targeted cancer communication and health promotion efforts. It appears that black men with higher levels of misconceptions regarding prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening were less likely to report recent screening with a PSA test. PSA testing has been positively linked with early stage diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes in black men. Hence, future strategies and culturally targeted interventions may seek to increase the levels of factual knowledge and reduce the levels of misconceptions that black men may have about this highly complex disease. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B25.


Consider two identical chaotic system that are started from virtually identical initial conditions. In a short time, they would be observed to diverge from one another. While it is true that, given ample passage of time, the systems will come within an arbitrarily close distance of one another, they would drift apart once again. In their fascinating paper, Pecora and Carroll have recently described a system of two Lorenz oscillators. They could be metaphorically described as a master and a slave system. The master system, undergoing chaos, drives a part of the slave system. Incredibly enough, the two systems remain in perfect synchronization. Further analysis of this system and its generalization will be presented. Based on the generalization, a method to design chaotically synchronous systems will be presented. Practical applications of this phenomenon will be discussed.


In computer security, designing a robust intrusion detection system is one of the most fundamental and important problems. In this paper, we propose a system-call language-modeling approach for designing anomaly-based host intrusion detection systems. To remedy the issue of high false-alarm rates commonly arising in conventional methods, we employ a novel ensemble method that blends multiple thresholding classifiers into a single one, making it possible to accumulate `highly normal' sequences. The proposed system-call language model has various advantages leveraged by the fact that it can learn the semantic meaning and interactions of each system call that existing methods cannot effectively consider. Through diverse experiments on public benchmark datasets, we demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. Moreover, we show that our model possesses high portability, which is one of the key aspects of realizing successful intrusion detection systems.


In traditional cognitive radio (CR) network, secondary users (SUs) are always assumed to obey the rule of "introducing no interference to the primary users (PUs)". However, this assumption may be not realistic as the CR devices becoming more and more intelligent nowadays. In this paper, with the concept of light-handed CR, which is proposed to deal with the above mentioned problem by enforcing "punishment" to illegal CR transmissions, we model the action decisions of primary users (PUs) as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), and propose the optimal spectrum allocation scheme with the objective of maximizing their reward. Utility function is defined as the reward in this paper as well. Furthermore, extensive simulation results show that the proposed scheme improves the reward significantly compared to the existing scheme.


Planning is known to enhance construction project performance in terms of cost, schedule, and quality. Yet, project teams oftentimes do not incorporate effective planning methodologies, typically citing a lack of time or capability to conduct detailed planning. This article proposes a brief yet rigorous project planning method, known as the pre-contract planning model, which is uniquely implemented between the owner and selected contractor project teams prior to contract award with the intent of increasing project team alignment and facilitating greater risk transfer from owner to contractor. Results from a multi-case longitudinal study documented the impact of the pre-contract planning model in terms of three success criteria: cost growth, schedule growth, and owner satisfaction, where cost and schedule growth were measured as percent increase of initial contract values. Projects that implemented the pre-contract planning model were compared with a control group that operated via a traditional project delivery process where the selected contractor directly proceeded to contract award without a formal planning process. Analysis revealed that the pre-contract planning model reduced cost and schedule growth by as much as 54% and 70% percent, respectively, indicating that pre-contract planning may be a viable planning mechanism to be implemented in the construction industry.


Background When intubating newborns, clinicians aim to position the endotracheal tube (ETT) tip in the midtrachea. The depth to which ETTs should be inserted is often estimated using the infant's weight. ETTs are frequently incorrectly positioned in newborns, most often inserted too far. Using the vocal cord guide (a mark at the distal end of the ETT) to guide insertion depth has been recommended. Objective To determine whether estimating ETT insertion depth using the vocal cord guide rather than weight results in more correctly positioned ETT tips. Design Single-centre randomised controlled trial. Setting Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a university maternity hospital (National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland). Patients Newborn infants without congenital anomalies intubated in the NICU. Interventions Participants were randomised to have ETT insertion depth estimated using weight [insertion depth (cm) = weight (kg) +6] or vocal cord guide. Main outcome measure Correct ETT position, that is, tip between the upper border of the first thoracic vertebra (T1) and the lower border of the second thoracic vertebra (T2) on a chest X-ray as determined by one paediatric radiologist masked to group assignment. Results 136 participants were randomised. The proportion of correctly positioned ETTs was similar in both groups (weight 30/69 (44%) vs vocal cord guide 27/67 (40%), p=0.731). Most incorrectly positioned ETT (69/79, 87%) were too low. Conclusion Estimating ETT insertion depth using the vocal cord guide did not result in more correctly positioned ETT tips. Trial registration number ISRCTN39654846.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
There was inconsistent evidence about the benefit of vitamin D plus evening primrose oil (EPO) supplement intake on lipid profiles and reduced oxidative stress among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The current study was performed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D plus EPO supplementation on lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress in vitamin D-deficient women with PCOS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed among 60 vitamin D-deficient women with PCOS. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either 1000 IU vitamin D3 plus 1000 mg EPO (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. Metabolic profiles were quantified at baseline and after the 12-week intervention.

RESULTS
Compared with the placebo group, women in vitamin D and EPO co-supplementation group had significant increases in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) (+10.7 ± 8.4 vs. -0.5 ± 1.6 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and plasma total glutathione (GSH) (+62.7 ± 58.0 vs. -0.7 ± 122.7 µmol/L, p = 0.01), while there were significant decreases in triglycerides (-7.3 ± 23.8 vs. +6.9 ± 26.3 mg/dL, p = 0.03), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol levels (-1.5 ± 4.7 vs. +1.4 ± 5.3 mg/dL, p = 0.03), total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (-0.3 ± 0.4 vs. -0.02 ± 0.4, p = 0.02), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (-0.4 ± 0.4 vs. +0.5 ± 1.8 µmol/L, p = 0.008).

CONCLUSION
Overall, vitamin D and EPO co-supplementation for 12 weeks among vitamin D-deficient women with PCOS significantly improved triglycerides, VLDL cholesterol, GSH, and MDA levels.


The aim of our work is to develop an algorithm for the classification of lung cancer as T1–T2 or T3–T4 on staging fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/CT images. We retrospectively selected a cohort of 632 patients from patients submitted to FDG-PET/CT, over a 6-year period, for the purpose of staging a suspected lung lesion, within 60 days before biopsy or surgical procedure. Post-acquisition processing was performed to generate an adequate dataset for the convolution neural network (CNN) analyses. The input of CNNs in this study was a bounding box on both PET and CT images, cropped around the lesion centre identified by two nuclear medicine physicians. The algorithm developed and tested in the present work achieved an accuracy of 83.9%, 76.2% and 69.8% in the training, validation and test set, respectively, for the identification of T1–T2 and T3–T4 lung cancer. We obtained proof of concept that CNNs can be used as a tool to assist in the staging of patients affected by NSCLC. Further research in this field is already being addressed by our group.


Background The Productive Ward is a National Initiative developed by the NHS Institute of Innovation & Improvement (NHS). Promoting proactive change that concentrates on innovation in practice and on staff having the control to make changes, as stated by the Boshoff (2005). It is different to reactive change, which comes about as a result of needing to modify practice. The Hospice was invited to be part of the Productive Ward project in order for us to review our systems and processes and enable us to save time that could be used to deliver direct patient care. Aim To complete the three foundation modules, followed by eight process modules. Photographs were taken prior to the de-cluttering/re-organisation on the ward. This resulted in time saving as all the equipment for a procedure is kept in the same place, that is, catheterisation – the dressing pack, catheter, catheter bag, stand etc are now located in the same place. Knowing how you are doing – this provides monthly outcome measures for key performance indicators. Meal Wastage Action was taken to reduce meal wastage which resulted in significant cost savings. Stock/Finance Stock is now kept to a minimum, that is, dressings, drug, etc, making it easier to ascertain exactly how much stock the ward is holding, this has also resulted in a tidier store room. Hand overs Morning handovers were held in the staff room taking up to an hour. The change introduced (with a huge amount of resistance) was to hold the handover in the nurses' office to ensure visibility and swiftness. The intention from my perspective was to speed up and reduce the time/cost of this handover. The handover now takes approx. 15 min. Overall, the Productive Ward initiative has proved successful with positive outcomes.


The ATM kinase, when activated postnatally, exerts multiple functions to prevent the onset of ataxia‐telangiectasia (AT). Using freshly isolated thymo¬cytes from Atm−/ − mice that were under stress during postnatal differentiation, we noted that thiol redox activity, as indicated by reduction of the tetrazolium MTS, and DNA turnover activity, as indicated by incor¬poration of [3H]thymidine into DNA, were both greatly increased compared with activities in thymocytes from Atm+ / + mice. This increased thymidine incorporation could be suppressed by the thiol N‐acetylcysteine. In primary noncycling splenocytes, mitogens proportion¬ally increased both the rate of [3H]thymidine incorpo¬ration and the rate of reduction of MTS. The mitogeninduced activities in splenocytes were not affected by ATM but were suppressed by the calcineurin‐dependent inhibitor FK‐506, which has no effect on these activities in thymocytes. These findings suggest that increased [3H]thymidine incorporation and reducing power indicate increased cell cycling in mitogenically stimulated splenocytes, whereas these two indicators represent increased FK‐506‐independent DNAturnover activities in thymocytes. Thus, a primary function of ATM is to activate the redox‐sensitive checkpoint re¬quired for down‐regulation of DNA turnover activities in developing lymphocytes. Cell‐cycling checkpoints in undamaged quiescent lymphocytes are not activated by ATM with mitogenic stimulation. ATM may suppress abnormal DNA turnover and the resultant oncogenesis by regulating cellular thiol redox pathways.—Yan, M., Qiang, W., Liu, N., Shen, J., Lynn, W. S., Wong, P. K. Y. The ataxia‐telangiectasia gene product may modulate DNA turnover and control cell fate by regulating cellular redox in lymphocytes. FASEBJ. 15, 1132‐1138 (2001)


Analysis of the altitudinal spacing of 14 flights of marine terraces indicates a spatial pattern of varying uplift rates that agrees with that determined from previously dated terraces for the past 3-81 ka, and temporal changes in uplift rates from <1 m/ka to 3-5 m/ka that may reflect response to changes in tectonic regime during passage of the Mendocino triple junction (MTJ). A possible mechanism for regional uplift is growth of a slab window south of the MTJ. The region of most rapid uplift is 25-43 km south of the MTJ, immediately south of the northern boundary of the slab window. The coastline is tilted upward to the south in the region directly above the southern edge of the subducted Gorda plate. At Point Delgada, 55 km south of the present MTJ, where the northern edge of the slab window passes {approximately}300 ka, uplift rates have been 1.2 m/ka for at least 330 ka. More than 1.4 m.y. after passage of the southern edge of the subducted slab, at the Mendocino coast, uplift rates have been less than 0.4 m/ka for at least 330 ka.


The aim of this work was to investigate the calcium and magnesium tissue distribution in selected organs of Prussian carp specimens before and after experimental lead intoxication, with and without cilantro and spirulina powder addition in fish diet. The study involved 120 individuals with similar biometric measurements, caught from a local fish farm and equally divided in four experimental groups, as follows: C group (without treatment), E1 group (75 ppm Pb into water as Pb(NO 3 ) 2 x ½H 2 O), E2 group (75 ppm Pb into water+2% lyophilized cilantro in feed), E3 group (75 ppm Pb into water+2% lyophilized spirulina in feed). Tissue samples (gills, muscle myotomers–epaxial, heart, skin and scales, intestine, liver, brain, gonads, kidney) were collected at the end of a 21 days experimental period. Atomic absorption measurements of the analytes were carried out with a AAS-VARIAN model. Data analyses were performed using a SPPS IBM 22 software package. Significance of differences in the means content of calcium and magnesium in fish tissues were statistically analysed by ANOVA completed with post-hoc Tukey's test. The calcium and magnesium tissue concentrations were significantly reduced by sublethal lead-induced poisoning (p<0.001). But, coriander and spirulina powder were able to attenuate much of the lead antagonistic effect with respect to calcium absorption and bioavailability, spirulina being more effective in the case of the gill and renal tissue, while coriander in the case of cardiac tissue. Instead, spirulina powder has improved magnesium distribution in all analyzed tissues.


The paper contributes to the discussion on the place of grey literature in institutional repositories and, vice versa, on the relevance of open archives for grey literature. Even in an open environment, grey literature needs specific attention and curation. Institutional repositories don't automatically provide a solution to all problems of grey literature. Our paper shows some scenarios of what could or should be done. The focus is on academic libraries. The paper is based on a review of international studies on grey literature in open archives. Empirical evidence is drawn from an audit of the French repository IRIS from the University of Lille 1 and from ongoing work on the development of this site. The study includes a strategic analysis in a SWOT format with four scenarios. Based on this analysis, the paper provides a set of minimum requirements for grey items in institutional repositories concerning metadata, selection procedure, quality, collection management and deposit policy. The communication is meant to be helpful for the further development of institutional repositories and for special acquisition and deposit policies of academic libraries.


Organismal stoichiometry refers to the relative proportion of chemical elements in the biomass of organisms, and it can have important effects on ecological interactions from population to ecosystem scales. Although stoichiometry has been studied extensively from an ecological perspective, much less is known about the rates and directions of evolutionary changes in elemental composition. We measured carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content of 12 Escherichia coli populations that evolved under controlled carbon-limited, serial-transfer conditions for 50 000 generations. The bacteria evolved higher relative nitrogen and phosphorus content, consistent with selection for increased use of the more abundant elements. Total carbon assimilated also increased, indicating more efficient use of the limiting element. We also measured stoichiometry in one population repeatedly through time. Stoichiometry changed more rapidly in early generations than later on, similar to the trajectory seen for competitive fitness. Altogether, our study shows that stoichiometry evolved over long time periods, and that it did so in a predictable direction, given the carbon-limited environment.


Vanuatu's common property natural resources provide essential ecological services for the global community and sustain the livelihoods of 80% of the Vanuatu population. Sustainable management of natural resources is dependent on locally developed systems that govern common property resources. Understanding the drivers of commons management problems from local resource-users' perspectives is essential to know how local governance systems can be supported and strengthened. I explore locally identified drivers of commons management problems using a case study of the Tangoa Island community of South Santo, Vanuatu. Methods include participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques and 31 interviews with local people. Literature from Vanuatu as well as 18 interviews with Vanuatu government departments, NGOs, and aid donors informs how relevant the issues identified in the case study are for other communities across Vanuatu. I found that drivers at different contextual scales, from local to global, affect two main elements of a community's cooperative capacity for commons management - social cohesion and governance systems. The issues identified by the Tangoa Island community affect many Vanuatu communities because they are driven by wider processes of social, cultural, economic, and institutional change. Approaches to support and strengthen local social and governance systems can target drivers at multiple contextual scales.