The main goal of this essay is to argue that in a multicultural and globalised world, the indigenisation of knowledge production has to be pursued in a way that demonstrates an element of inclusivity. To achieve this goal this article's structure has three foci. Firstly , it is argued that the indigenisation of knowledge must be pursued under the presumption of a recognition that all knowledge is cultural or context specific to some degree. As such, the multicultural nature and plurality of knowledge systems formations should be acknowledged, as well as the fact that all knowledge production includes an aspect of the indigenisation of knowledge. Secondly , against this broader background, the argument for the indigenisation of knowledge in Africa goes hand-in-hand with the promotion of the intellectualisation of knowledge that is often regarded by Western scholarship as 'primitive', and thus redundant, in the face of modernity. This, however, is not only a universal for the production of all knowledge(s), but also foundational to all knowledge development, and should be recognised as such. Finally , given the plurality of knowledge formations, and the African celebration and development of its own knowledge formations, the quest for the indigenisation and intellectualisation of knowledge in African context, should be seen as a quest for the inclusionary appreciation of a multiplicity of global knowledges, whereby all knowledge is understood as context specific to some degree, and contributing to both local and general human wellbeing. This latter perspective implies a deliberately ethical stance, to the effect that in a globalised and multicultural world, no  knowledge system should be privileged as superior to any other knowledge system, and none, regarded as inferior. Keywords: Indigenisation, knowledge, ethnicity, recognition, Africa, ethics, context, anthropology, recognition, multiculturalism, globalisation, inclusionnality


Cowpea can obtain N through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) through symbiosis with rhizobacteria. However, nodulation and BNF are influenced by edaphoclimatic factors that may bring about benefits or damages to the process, and the availability of nutrients is among the main factors that affect BNF and phosphorus (P). Thus, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of doses and sources of soluble P on nodulation, accumulation of nutrients, N and P absorption and use efficiency in cowpea plants inoculated with or without rhizobacteria. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Rondonia, Colorado do Oeste-RO Campus, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 5 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, corresponding to five P rates (0, 20,  40, 80 and 160 kg ha-1 of P2O5), two soluble sources of P2O5 [single superphosphate (SSP) and thermophosphate], absence and presence of inoculation, with four replication. The findings of this study show that inoculation with Bradyrhizobium sp. promotes increment in the dry matter production and increases N and P absorption efficiency in cowpea plants. The single superphosphate led to higher N and P absorption efficiency, production of shoot dry matter and production of nodules, when compared with thermophosphate. Inoculation with Bradyrhizobium sp. associated with SSP fertilization promotes higher P absorption efficiency in cowpea plants. Therefore, increase in P rates promoted increments in P concentrations in cowpea leaves.

 Key words: Vigna unguiculata (L.), Bradyrhizobium, phosphorus, fertilization, nutrition.


A new form of experimental immune complex glomerulonephritis is described which is induced by one single injection of heterologous antibody directed against antigens present in the brush border of the proximal tubules of the rat kidney. In this model, antigen-antibody complexes are deposited as early as 3 hours after injection of the heterologous antiserum. The first localization of these complexes is seen in the dense layer of the glomerular basement membrane. Later, they move up to the lamina rara externa and stay there for at least 3 months. This model is easily reproducible and offers possibilities for studying the effects of medication on the deposition of immune complexes.


Taxus chinensis var. maire is an important medicinal, ecological and environmental friendly plant. To propose calculation methods of three-dimensional ecological benefit assessment index of Taxus chinensis var. maire, 10 main indicators of 90 Taxus chinensis var. maire at the age of 10 to 15 were measured and calculated, including heights of trees and crowns, diameter of crowns and roots, largest vertical section area of crowns, numbers of branches and leaves, length, width and area of leaves, based on consideration of situations such as altitude, coordinates, solar radiation, mean annual sunshine hours, rainfall and temperature, days with 4 or more than 4 power wind, frost-free period, etc. Ecological benefits of Taxus chinensis var. maire were analyzed using two-and three-dimensional models based on the research of three-dimensional vegetation volume, and the main results were analyzed and summarized. This will provide a scientific assessment standard for exploitation and territory plantation of Taxus chinensis var. maire.


Fabrication of glass-ceramics with waste mineral materials is challenging issue for synthetically managing environmental pollution and also economic in view of serving resources. In this work, high strength lightweight glass-ceramics were fabricated with coal gangue and clay as main raw materials. The utilization ratio of coal gangue, the ratio of the coal gangue with clay, mineralization agents, forming process and sintering process on the properties of the fabricated glass-ceramics were optimized. The utilization ratio of coal gangue reached 75, whereas the ratio of coal gangue to clay was 3/1, as an optimal property appeared. The optimal sintering temperature was 1370 ℃. At this optimal temperature, the sintered glass-ceramics showed the main phase of mullite and spindle and so showed high strength, low density, and low water absorbance. The appropriate amounts of codoping of TiO2, ZnO, and MnO2/dolomite as mineralization agents obviously enhanced the properties of the glass-ceramics, leading to an optimal strength of ~187.67 MPa, minimal water absorption of ~0 % and lower density of 1.83 g/cm3. The grain size of raw materials, drying temperature and time of wet-milled raw materials, forming pressure, and sintering time also had influences on the properties of the fabricated glass-ceramics. Process optimizations further determined reasonable and optimal process parameters of forming and sintering. The high strength lightweight glass-ceramics fabricated in this work may be very suitable for various applications including building materials, cooking ceramics, and proppant materials, et al.


In this work, a recombinant plum pox virus (PPV, Sharka) encoding green fluorescent protein is used to study its effect on antioxidant enzymes and protein expression at the subcellular level in pea plants (cv. Alaska). PPV had produced chlorotic spots as well as necrotic spots in the oldest leaves at 13–15 d post-inoculation. At 15 d post-inoculation, PPV was present in the chlorotic and necrotic areas, as shown by the fluorescence signal produced by the presence of the green fluorescent protein. In the same areas, an accumulation of reactive oxygen species was noticed. Studies with laser confocal and electron microscopy demonstrated that PPV accumulated in the cytosol of infected cells. In addition, PPV infection produced an alteration in the chloroplast ultrastructure, giving rise to dilated thylakoids, an increase in the number of plastoglobuli, and a decreased amount of starch content. At 3 d post-inoculation, although no changes in the oxidative stress parameters were observed, an increase in the chloroplastic hydrogen peroxide levels was observed that correlated with a decrease in the enzymatic mechanisms involved in its elimination (ascorbate peroxidase and peroxidase) in this cell compartment. These results indicate that an alteration in the chloroplastic metabolism is produced in the early response to PPV. This oxidative stress is more pronounced during the development of the disease (15 d post-inoculation) judging from the increase in oxidative stress parameters as well as the imbalance in the antioxidative systems, mainly at the chloroplastic level. Finally, proteomic analyses showed that most of the changes produced by PPV infection with regard to protein expression at the subcellular level were related mainly to photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. It seems that PPV infection has some effect on PSII, directly or indirectly, by decreasing the amount of Rubisco, oxygen-evolving enhancer, and PSII stability factor proteins. The results indicate that Sharka symptoms observed in pea leaves could be due to an imbalance in antioxidant systems as well as to an increased generation of reactive oxygen species in chloroplasts, induced probably by a disturbance of the electron transport chain, suggesting that chloroplasts can be a source of oxidative stress during viral disease development.


Anyone who cares for or aspires to care for cancer patients should buy and read this book. It will become the standard reference for what now is popularized as "multimodal" cancer therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery). The arguments for reading this huge tome are straightforward: (1) cancer continues to be an overwhelming health problem; (2) more kinds of cancers are curable now than when most clinicians were trained; and (3) effective cancer therapy is becoming more complicated. For those who have difficulty justifying the considerable purchase price, remember that the cost per pound for Cancer is less than that for veal (pointed out first to me by one of the editors!). DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg have organized their exposition superbly. Initial summary chapters outline the magnitude of the clinical cancer problem, recent changes in the incidence of particular kinds of cancer, and the principles that underlie each of the three


This work describes a system-level overview of a multi-frequency GBSAR built around a high performance software defined radio (SDR). The main goal of the instrument is to be employed as a demonstrator and experimental platform for multi-frequency GBSAR campaigns. The system is capable of operating in P, L, C and X-bands, and signal generation and digital signal processing are customizable and reconfigurable through software. An overview of the software and hardware and implementations of the system are presented. The operation of the system is demonstrated with two measuring campaigns showing focused amplitude images at different frequencies. It is shown how the usage of SDR for GBSAR systems is a viable design option.


sister, May. She and May were always close, but May was the one who tried to jolly everyone up when their parents fought, and May was the one most affected by their parents' divorce. As much as she tried to save Laurel from sadness, May couldn't save herself, and her bad choices had ripple effects on her little sister. Laurel writes to Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, River Phoenix, Amy Winehouse, and Amelia Earhart, among others, each celebrity's personal history playing a role in her growing understanding of how innocence is lost and pain grinds people down. She tells them of her experiences starting a new school, falling in love, and watching her two friends, Natalie and Hannah, stumble toward a relationship they both want but that scares Hannah. Reminiscent of Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this is powerfully emotional stuff, particularly as Laurel moves from merely reporting on what happens to processing how she feels and why. The trajectory of her growth through grief moves slowly but surely, from reading Elizabeth Bishop's poetic meditation on "the art of losing" to writing her own in prose that becomes progressively more lyrical and introspective until it resolves, fittingly, into a poetic love letter to her much-missed sister. KC


The present study was conducted to study the influence of unilateral adrenalectomy in the black Bengal goat and to observe its influence on stress alleviation capability in terms of changes in blood chemistry, and further emphasis was given to determine whether a single gland is sufficient for survival in these animals. Six female kids were unilaterally adrenalectomised and the other 6 were maintained as intact controls. Blood samples were drawn at regular intervals before and after surgery. Parameters included in the study were blood pH, blood volume, TEC, haemoglobin, PCV, TLC, differential leukocyte count, cortisol, glucose, total cholesterol, total protein, urea, and blood urea nitrogen. All the parameters were estimated by standard methods. All the blood biochemical parameters in the present study showed significant differences (P < 0.01) when compared to intact control animals. There was a significant increase in total plasma protein, total plasma cholesterol, blood urea, and blood urea nitrogen, and a significant decrease in plasma glucose and cortisol. The present study indicated that acute changes occurred in the blood biochemical parameters on unilateral adrenalectomy of the left adrenal gland that were later compensated for by the other intact right adrenal gland.


Epizootiological surveys on hantavirus infections in rodents were carried out in various areas of Japan, including the four major islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu from 2000 to 2003. A total of 1,221 rodents and insectivores were captured. Seropositive animals were found in Apodemus (A.) speciosus (5/482, 1.0%), Rattus (R.) norvegicus (4/364, 1.1%), R. rattus (3/45, 6.7%), and Clethrionomys (C.) rufocanus (7/197, 3.6%). The partial S segment was amplified from one seropositive R. rattus captured at Hakodate. The nucleotide sequence showed 96% identity with the Seoul virus (SEOV) prototype strain SR‐11. In addition, we conducted an epidemiological survey on human hantavirus infection in a high‐risk population, the personnel of the Japan Ground Self‐defense Force on Hokkaido. One out of 207 human blood samples was positive for anti‐hantavirus antibody by IFA, ELISA, and WB analysis. The result of the serotype specific ELISA indicates that this individual acquired SEOV infection. This study indicates that A. speciosus, R. norvegicus, R. rattus, and C. rufocanus carry hantaviruses as the reservoir animals in Japan. Infected R. rattus and R. norvegicus in port areas could be the sources of human SEOV infection and a threat to travelers and individuals working in seaports.


In an intensifying climate crisis with sustainability as a moral framework for political, corporate, and individual behavior, there is a broad range of nonprofit organizations communicating increasingly professionally as agents of social change. Here, the potential of Eco-art as a way to stimulate social and ecological transformation by communicating sustainability more strategically (and thus effectively) is currently overlooked. After conceptualizing Eco-art as an example of a new type of antiprofit—in the sense of agonistic communication, putting existing (unsustainable) power structures and symbolic order into question—we examine the project FOR FOREST, which transformed a local football stadium in Central Europe into a large public art installation, where 300 trees were transplanted over the existing football pitch. The qualitative analysis of (social) media content in the exhibition period, complemented by interviews (N = 15) with central stakeholders, offered insights into three problematizing fields of discourse. With our contribution, we show the potential of Eco-art for sustainability communication in handling dissensus with agonism and its important role in demystifying sustainability by moving from ignorance to resonance.


The aim of this paper is to point out the ways in which certain motifs emerging from the traditional culture of Istria, mostly from its rural parts, have been transformed into symbols of identity. The study of Istrian self-identification has been based on numerous interviews with the inhabitants of Istria, regarding the questions of their national and regional belonging, on an insight into archival materials and the regional newspapers, on analysis of Istrian politicians' public performances, as well as on the research on the so-called "authentic Istrian souvenirs". Attention has been paid to the process in the course of which symbols of identity, created in the centres of power, "sink" into the Istrian everyday life, and thus obtain new, individual meanings. Emphasis has been placed on shifts of meaning which motifs inspired with the Istrian traditional culture have undrgone in their second existence, due to social and political fluctuations. These changes of meaning have been examined in two different historical episodes: in the period following the World War II, when Istria was united with "the mother country of" Yugoslavia, and in the 1990-ies, when Croatia gained its independence. Results of the study indicate that the signifiers are identical in both cases: changes that affect the form of the symbol are insignificant, whereas thorough shifts occur in the sphere of the signified. In the first case, "the Istrian folk treasure" is used as a proof of belonging to the Slavic world, as an expression of loyalty to the new national formation, while in the second case the same group of symbols serves as a means of reconsidering and criticizing the existing relationships between the centre and the periphery, by means of which the region has been redefined within the national frame. Although in both cases we deal with partial and somewhat distorted images of the Istrian reality, they are of real value for the inhabitants of the peninsula -creating their co-ordinate system, constructing their own Istria.


Cold plasma is an emerging technology to improve microbiological safety as well as functionality of foods. This study compared the effect of radio frequency cold plasma on flour and dough properties of three members of the Triticeae tribe, soft as well as hard wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium, IWG). These three flour types differ in their protein content and composition and were evaluated for their solubility, solvent retention capacity, starch damage, GlutoPeak and Farinograph profiles, and protein secondary structures. Plasma treatment resulted in dehydration of flours but did not change protein content or solubility. Farinograph water absorption increased for all flours after plasma treatment (from 56.5–61.1 before to 71.0–81.6%) and coincided with higher solvent retention capacity for water and sodium carbonate. Plasma treatment under our conditions was found to cause starch damage to the extent of 3.46–6.62% in all samples, explaining the higher solvent retention capacity for sodium carbonate. However, Farinograph properties were changed differently in each flour type: dough development time and stability time decreased for hard wheat and increased for soft wheat but remained unchanged in intermediate wheatgrass. GlutoPeak parameters were also affected differently: peak torque for intermediate wheatgrass increased from 32 to 39.5 GlutoPeak units but was not different for the other two flours. Soft wheat did not always aggregate after plasma treatment, i.e., did not aggregate within the measurement time. It was also the only flour where protein secondary structures were changed after plasma treatment, exhibiting an increase from 15.2 to 27.9% in β-turns and a decrease from 59.4 to 47.9% in β-sheets. While this could be indicative of a better hydrated gluten network, plasma-treated soft wheat was the only flour where viscoelastic properties were changed and extensibility decreased. Further research is warranted to elucidate molecular changes underlying these effects.


We present a framework to study generic neutron-star binaries in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Our formalism achieves this goal by suitably interfacing a post-Newtonian orbital evolution (described by a set of ordinary differential equations) with a set of non-linear algebraic equations, which provide a description of the scalar charge of each binary's component along the evolution in terms of isolated-star data. We validate this semi-analytical procedure by comparing its results to those of fully general-relativistic simulations, and use it to investigate the behavior of binary systems in large portions of the parameter space of scalar-tensor theories. This allows us to shed further light on the phenomenon of "dynamical scalarization", which we uncovered in [Barausse, Palenzuela, Ponce and Lehner, Phys. Rev. D 87, 081506(R) (2013)] and which takes place in tight binaries, even for stars that have exactly zero scalar charge in isolation. We also employ our formalism to study representative binary systems, obtain their gravitational-wave signals and discuss the extent to which deviations from General Relativity can be detected. The insights gained by this framework allow us to additionally show that eccentric binaries can undergo scalarization/de-scalarization phenomena.


This article presents an analysis of different aspects of the migration process of a large group of people in Argentina, who originally come from the rural uplands (Jujuy Province) but who currently dwell in a lowlands peri-urban area (Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area). In particular, it presents some of the results of a long-term research project on food practices deployed in both geographical zones, which are united by a considerable migrant flow that intensified during the last three decades. From an anthropological perspective, it analyses the features of the nutritional transition of this social group regard to changes in its food knowledge and cultural heritage. It suggests that this qualitative factor can contribute to a better understanding of the health issues that have been faced by this group.


This paper investigates whether there is a positive relationship between secrecy and cohesion – a proposition first made by Georg Simmel. More precisely, the study used the experimental method to investigate whether having members of a dyad share a secret with each other, increased cohesion in the dyad compared to a control. A hierarchical linear model was used to analyze the data. An interaction effect was found between trust and secrecy, but the results are not conclusive. The paper reviews work on secrecy (paying particular attention to Simmel's perspective), cohesion, and the mechanisms linking the two. It ends by suggesting improvements to the experimental design and some theoretical extensions of the current study.


Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infections can cause myocarditis in humans and are implicated in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy. The natural genetic determinants of cardiovirulence for CVB3 have not been identified, although using strains engineered in the laboratory, cardiovirulence determinants have been identified in the CVB3 5′ nontranslated region (5′NTR) and capsid. The myocarditic phenotypes of two CVB3 clinical isolates were determined using an established murine model of inflammatory heart disease. The 5′NTRs and capsid proteins of the noncardiovirulent CVB3/CO strain and cardiovirulent CVB3/AS strain were examined to determine their influence on the cardiovirulence phenotype. Six intratypic chimeric viruses were constructed in which 5′NTR and capsid sequences of the infectious cDNA copy of the cardiovirulent CVB3/20 genome were replaced by homologous sequences from CVB3/CO or CVB3/AS. Chimeric strains were tested for cardiovirulence by inoculation of C3H/HeJ mice. Sections of hearts removed at 10 days postinoculation were examined for evidence of myocarditis by light microscopy and assayed for the presence of virus. Replacement of the CVB3/20 capsid coding region by that from the homologous region of CVB3/CO resulted in no change in the cardiovirulent CVB3/20 phenotype, with virus recoverable from the heart at 10 days postinoculation. However, recombinant virus containing the CVB3/CO 5′NTR alone or the 5′NTR and capsid sequences together were not myocarditic, and infectious virus was not recovered from the myocardium. Chimeric viruses containing the CVB3/AS 5′NTR alone, capsid sequence alone, or both together preserved the myocarditic phenotype. These data support the 5′NTR as the primary site in the determination of the natural cardiovirulence phenotype of CVB3.


The proper time of a particular event is universal. Therefore, all possible individual entities in the cosmos coexist within an inseparable common system; this is zero-symmetry. Time can only begin in two ways: forward as space and backward as time, reflecting the "classical entropy" (visionary field) and quantum negentropy (feeling field) of the subsystem, respectively. However, in the quantum world, completely opposing behavior is observed. Space-time is exclusive on the singularity at which microtubular electrons of a macroscopic quantum system (MQS) are tuned. The topology of the seat of cognition simulates that of the Mobius strip. Here, finite designs produced by mixed-order fields in 3D merge with absolute 2D within and absolute 4D without. This occurs through absolute rotation, i.e., churning and fusion in both directions. Towards this nullification of self-design, complexity is the comprehensive approach, in comparison to traditional reductionism. Nevertheless, every finite or mortal system must have a deeper immortal existence via Lorentz invariance. Part I of this two-part article includes: 1. Introduction, 2. Fundamental Geometry, and 3.  Analysis of Systems.


This paper presents a data compression algorithm with error bound guarantee for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) using compressing neural networks. The proposed algorithm minimizes data congestion and reduces energy consumption by exploring spatio-temporal correlations among data samples. The adaptive rate-distortion feature balances the compressed data size (data rate) with the required error bound guarantee (distortion level). This compression relieves the strain on energy and bandwidth resources while collecting WSN data within tolerable error margins, thereby increasing the scale of WSNs. The algorithm is evaluated using real-world data sets and compared with conventional methods for temporal and spatial data compression. The experimental validation reveals that the proposed algorithm outperforms several existing WSN data compression methods in terms of compression efficiency and signal reconstruction. Moreover, an energy analysis shows that compressing the data can reduce the energy expenditure and, hence, expand the service lifespan by several folds.


Previous studies identified a distinct region of interstital deletion at c8p12 locus in colorectal cancer. Deletions at c8p12 were more frequent in early than advanced colorectal tumours. Further studies defined more closely this interstitial deletion, implicating a cluster of genes close to marker D85259 in early colorectal tumours. Although interstitial deletions normally correspond to tumour suppressor genes, the above findings suggest that this region contains genes with tumour suppressive and oncogenic effects. We investigated NRG1, one of the genes in this region in colorectal tumourigenesis.

To determine the expression profile of NRG1 , multiple approaches were utilised. Results from these studies identified deletion (loss of one allele) of \(NRG1\) in early colorectal tumours. Increased expression of NRG1 protein was identified in advanced tumours compared to early colorectal tumours and adenomas. A significant correlation between NRG1 protein expression and erb82 protein overexpression was identified. Although the range of NRG1 isoforms expressed was qualitatively similar throughout tumour progression, semi-quantitative real-time RT -PCR, showed overall decreased expression in early tumours compared with normal tissue. In advanced cancers, the results were more heterogeneous, but no consistent pattern emerged between the cases investigated.

Although these studies did not demonstrate any functional relationship, the data strengthens the candidacy of a role for NRG1 in colorectal tumour progression.


4 Abstract—Mobile phishing attacks, such as mimic mobile browser pages, masquerade as legitimate applications by leveraging 5 repackaging or clone techniques, have caused varied yet significant security concerns. Consequently, detection techniques have been 6 receiving increasing attention. However, many such detection methods are not well tested and may therefore still be vulnerable to new 7 types of phishing attacks. In this article, we propose a new attacking technique, named GUI-Squatting attack, which can generate 8 phishing apps (phapps) automatically and effectively on the Android platform. Our method adopts image processing and deep learning 9 algorithms, to enable powerful and large-scale attacks. We observe that a successful phishing attack requires two conditions, page 10 confusion and logic deception during attacks synthesis. We directly optimize these two conditions to create a practical attack. Our 11 experimental results reveal that existing phishing defenses are less effective against such emergent attacks and may, therefore, 12 stimulate more efficient detection techniques. To further demonstrate that our generated phapps can not only bypass existing 13 detection techniques, but also deceive real users, we conduct a human study and successfully steal users' login information. The 14 human study also shows that different response messages (e.g., "Crash" and "Server failed") after pressing the login button mislead 15 users to regard our phapps as functionality problems instead of security threats. Extensive experiments reveal that such newly 16 proposed attacks still remain mostly undetected, and are worth further exploration.


Hyoid bone elongation is an uncommon cause of stroke. Here, we report a case of hyoid bone elongation causing localized trauma to the internal carotid artery, resulting in multiple strokes. A 32-year-old woman presented with unilateral weakness and history of a recent stroke. Imaging revealed the greater horn of the hyoid bone extending between the external and internal carotid with associated thrombus at the carotid bifurcation and acute stroke. Carotid ultrasound demonstrated movement of the hyoid bone in and out of the space between the external carotid artery and internal carotid artery with neck rotation. Treatment involved anticoagulation and partial hyoid bone resection. After resection, the stroke symptoms had not recurred in the patient. Hyoid bone–related carotid injury is an infrequent etiology of stroke, with no established treatment guidelines. Partial hyoid bone resection and antithrombotic therapy are likely a reasonably safe and effective treatment.


ABSTRACT This paper reports on part one of a multi-part research project investigating Australian public library responses to the requirement to close their physical sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The aim was to examine how Australian public libraries responded to the crisis during their periods of closure in terms of services and resources, the challenges they faced, and the role locality played in their response. In total, 212 public library authority managers completed an online questionnaire survey in August 2020 representing 695 public library branch locations. The results showed that during their periods of closure of their physical sites, libraries established new services (e.g. wellbeing phone calls, delivery of craft kits to users) and expanded several existing ones, especially those related to e-resources. The biggest challenge reported was managing staff working arrangements. While most libraries kept permanent staff and fixed-term staff on full hours, most completely cut volunteers and casual staff hours. There were some geographic differences in the response of libraries to the crisis. Overall, however, whilst metropolitan, regional and remote public libraries faced immense challenges, especially regarding staffing and human resources, they were also able to respond rapidly and with agility to the challenges brought about by COVID-19.


The isolation of Clostridium spiroforme from intestinal contents of rabbits was achieved by sampling the supernatant-pellet interphase of centrifuged specimens processed for routine toxin analysis. High-speed centrifugation at 20,000x for 15 minutes provided a rapid and effective means of separating this anaerobic pathogen from the majority of both indigenous and non-indigenous intestinal microbial flora. The unusual helically-coiled, semicircular shape of the microorganism is considered, at least in part, responsible for this phenomenon.


Original article can be found at: http://www.nursing-standard.co.uk/paediatricnursing/ Copyright RCN Publishing Company. [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]


Toponyms are an important part of our cultural heritage and are thus more than names, they also encode history. Flurnamen, or microtoponyms, are names given to natural features and they have been argued to be relatively closely linked to properties of landscape. In this paper we analyse a large databases of microtoponyms using a mix of linguistic information and simple text analysis to explore patterns of naming of natural features in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. We observe that meaningful elements grounded in descriptive cultural and natural readings of landscapes are common, and that usage of microtoponyms closely follows Zipf's law.


Extracellular membrane-active compounds were shown to induce the transition of vegetative cells in the producing culture into resting refractile forms. The forms are characterized by the absence of energy, biosynthetic and destructive processes, by the capability to remain viable for a long time, and by a peculiar ultrafine organization. The physiological state and the ultrafine organization of B. cereus cells were found to change under the action of the autoregulatory factor introduced in the culture.


Basic climate statistics, such as water and energy budgets, location and width of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), trimodal tropical cloud distribution, position of the polar jet, and land sea contrast, remain either biased in coarse-resolution general circulation models or are tuned. Here, we examine the horizontal resolution dependency of such statistics in a set of global convection-permitting simulations integrated with the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic (ICON) model, explicit convection, and grid spacings ranging from 80 km down to 2.5 km. The impact of resolution is quantified by comparing the resolution-induced differences to the spread obtained in an ensemble of eight distinct global storm-resolving models. Using this metric, we find that, at least by 5 km, the resolution-induced differences become smaller than the spread in 26 out of the 27 investigated statistics. Even for nine (18) of these statistics, a grid spacing of 80 (10) km does not lead to significant differences. Resolution down to 5 km matters especially for net shortwave radiation, which systematically increases with the resolution because of reductions in the low cloud amount over the subtropical oceans. Further resolution dependencies can be found in the land-to-ocean precipitation ratio, in the latitudinal position and width of the Pacific ITCZ, and in the longitudinal position of the Atlantic ITCZ. In addition, in the tropics, the deep convective cloud population systematically increases at the expense of the shallow one, whereas the partition of congestus clouds remains fairly constant. Finally, refining the grid spacing systematically moves the simulations closer to observations, but climate statistics exhibiting weaker resolution dependencies are not necessarily associated with smaller biases. Corresponding author: Cathy Hohenegger, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Bundesstrasse 53, 20146 Hamburg, Germany E-mail: email@example.com J-stage Advance Published Date: 10 November 2019 Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan Vol. 98, No. 1 74


This paper, the third in a series devoted to the study of crime in regional Australia, explores the effect that interactions between size, location, economic transformation and social attributes have on local crime rates. Using data for Local Government Areas in the mainland eastern states, this study draws the following conclusions: crime rates are lower in localities that are both residentially and socially stable; factors such as low residential mobility, high average educational level, low income inequality and low unemployment are associated with low local crime rates, but operate differently depending on the population size of local areas and their geographic position relative to major service areas; and crime rates in small and medium sized towns that are near a major service centre are highly sensitive to changes in economic and social conditions. This suggests the possibility of crime being diffused from major urban centres to minor surrounding towns. The study reinforces the need for localised crime control and prevention initiatives.


Of 297 freshwater mussel species living in North America, 213 are either endangered, threatened, or of special concern. The identification of fish hosts is listed as an urgent research objective in the National Strategy for Freshwater Mussel Conservation. Suitable hosts were determined by artificially infesting various fishes and amphibians with glochidia from one of six mussel species. A fish was considered a suitable host when larval metamorphosis to the juvenile stage was observed. Although twenty-five fish species and mudpuppy were exposed to spectaclecase glochidia, none of the species tested facilitated glochidial metamorphosis. Three-fold shell growth was observed on pistolgrip juveniles collected from yellow and brown bullheads. Transformation of ellipse glochidia was observed in mottled sculpin, four darters, and brook stickleback. Metamorphosis of butterfly glochidia was not observed. Blackside darter and logperch were found to be suitable hosts for snuffbox. Purple wartyback glochidia transformed on four catfishes. We used microscopy and initiated molecular techniques to identify a subsample of approximately 5000 juvenile mussels collected from freshwater drum naturally infested with glochidia. Light microscopes and a scanning electron microscope were used to study the juvenile mussels and glochidia from mussels whose length is less than 100 μm. Species identification was limited to subfamily using light microscopes. Analysis of shell surface sculpture, shell outline, and shell height from scanning electron micrographs suggest the subsample of juveniles are either Truncilla truncata or T. donaciformis. We verified the use of published molecular markers for identifying mussel species but specific markers for St. Croix River mussels that release glochidia under 100 μm in length are still under development. Studies were initiated to determine if some mussels produce chemical cues to attract host fishes. Improved understanding of glochidial host requirements and ecological relationships between mussels and their hosts will help managers determine the viability of imperiled mussel populations. Conservation Biology Research Grants Program Division of Ecological Services Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Final Report Hove and Kapuscinski


Spectral optical properties in different kinds of water were studied at several islands in French Polynesia. Optical differences between the waters of a high island (Moorea, Society archipelago), an atoll (Takapoto, Tuamotu archipelago) and the ocean above the outer reef slope were first assessed in terms of irradiance and diffuse attenuation coefficients. These differences were analysed with respect to the effect of phytoplankton, non-living particles and yellow substances, with these 2 latter components being responsible for most of the variations observed. Absorption coefficients for phytoplankton and non-living particles, as well as absorption by yellow substances, were also measured in the waters of the high island of Tahiti (Society archipelago) using the 'glass-fiber filter' technique and spectrophotometr~c measurements, respectively. These data showed large spatial variability of absorption, the main absorbing compound varying from one location to another depending on whether a station was mainly influenced by emergent land or by the ocean. Specific absorption coefficients for phytoplankton showed marked spatial and temporal vanations among the stations. Spatial variations were related to concentrations of chlorophyll a and covarying pigments, taxonomic differences and total suspended particles. Temporal variations were probably caused by differences in the incident UV radiation between summer and winter These results show that optical properties of water can be used to describe the medium in aquatic environmental studies.


ABSTRACT Student academic dishonesty is a pervasive problem for higher education institutions all over the world. The purpose of the present study is to take an interpretative, qualitative approach intended to understand student thinking and reflections when it comes to the perceived seriousness and prevalence of cheating. Peer interviews, i.e., students interviewing students, were chosen as the data collection method. Open and analytical coding based on the principles of grounded theory provided the foundations for the analyses. Overall, the results of this study support previous correlational findings, but they also demonstrate that many students tend to talk about cheating as if it is "part of the game". It furthermore seems that students rate different forms of cheating from less to more serious, and that some forms of cheating are not perceived as cheating at all. "Everybody else does it" is obviously a widespread belief, which easily leads to—as one informant expressed it—"if you don't cheat, you lose". In order to deal with student cheating, the students themselves recommended fewer take-home examinations and more use of continuous assessment. The findings further indicate that schools should make an effort to build a "non-cheating culture". Rather than punishing students, convincing them that normal behavior is not to cheat, and that cheating benefits no one is probably the best way to deal with this behavior.


Cyclophosphamide given before allergen and recombinant interleukin-12 administered at the time of allergic sensitization substantially increase the acquisition of allergic contact dermatitis in the mouse. Since their immunoadjuvant mechanisms appeared different, it seemed probable that combining cyclophosphamide pretreatment with interleukin 12 administration would result in a more intense allergic contact dermatitis than when either agent was used alone. This was tested in different groups of mice sensitized to dinitrofluorobenzene or to oxazolone. Consistently, immunopotentiation of allergic contact dermatitis was significantly greater with the two immunoadjuvants than with either alone. This immunoadjuvant combination is likely to find use in immunization protocols designed to induce a Th-1 helper cell response.


Through the Hawaii Biological Survey at Bishop Museum, a count of the total numbers of species in the Hawaiian Archipelago has been accumulated, with the latest listing (1999) totalling 23,150, of which 5047 are nonindigenous species (Eldredge 2000). For the nonindigenous marine and estuarine species, we have been accumulating information from the literature, museum specimens, and through field collections. This preliminary assessment is an extended abstract of a much longer review still in preparation ( J.T.C. and L.G.E., unpubl. data). Using the criteria of Chapman and Carlton (1991), we have calculated that the total number of marine and brackish-water species in the Hawaiian Islands is 343: 287 invertebrates, 24 algae, 20 fish, and 12 flowering plants. Of a total of 4099 marine invertebrate species, 71 species are introduced arthropods and 53 species are mollusks (Eldredge and DeFelice 2001). The greatest number of introduced species arrived through hull fouling, with solid ballast and ballast water following (Table 1). Two hundred and one species (70%) are considered introduced and 86 species (30%) cryptogenic (that is, not demonstratively native or introduced). Two hundred forty-eight species (87%) have become established, 15 (5%) failed, 6 (2%) were intercepted, and 18 (6%) unknown. The nonindigenous species have their origins primarily in the Indo-Pacific/Philippine Islands region (Table 2). Historically the numbers of introductions have peaked at several different times: during the 1920s, probably through the effort of Charles Howard Edmondson, then recently arrived invertebrate zoologist at the University of Hawai'i and Bishop Museum; during the 1940s, probably through wartime activities and development; during the 1970s, through surveys conducted by the U.S. Navy; and during the 1990s and the current series of biological inventories of intensity.


Date Presented 04/05/19
 A qualitative phenomenological design was used to gather the accounts of mental-health consumers with mental illness and community stakeholders in a rural midwestern town in the US. Participants gave personal accounts concerning availability of mental-health services, unmet needs, and recovery. Findings contribute to research concerning rural community treatment programming and exploration and support for how OT has a role on Assertive Community Treatment teams.
 Primary Author and Speaker: Lauren Lain


This paper studies the relationship between micro-level uncertainty and macroeconomic activity. The study builds upon the irreversible investment model of Dixit(1989a,b) and extends it with time-varying uncertainty in a full-blown general equilibrium. In the presence of irreversible startup costs, a temporary increase in uncertainty directly a¤ects entry/exit decisions by altering the value of marginal …rms. The resulting change in the number of active …rms strongly a¤ects aggregate demand for capital and its equilibrium rental rate, leading to a long and peristent aggregate investment cycle. The time-varying uncertainty, in conjunction with irreversibility, generates a realistic business cycle with a number of desirable properties such as strong internal propagation with a substantial degree of forecasted variance of output, countercyclicality of idiosyncratic uncertainty and procyclicality of net business formation. The issue is approached in two di¤erent ways: (i) individual value maximization under free-entry condition and (ii) a constrained optimum(Spence(1976) and Mankiw and Whinston(1988)) where the total value of …rms is maximized subject to the mark-up pricing rule implied by monopolistic competition. It is shown that the two allocations may not be equivalent depending on the returns to specialization; furthermore, free-entry allocation can magnify the uncertainty driven business cycles. 1The vews expressed in the paper are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Federal Reserve System.


This textbook covers the Contract Law option of the A-level syllabus, and provides at the same time an ideal introduction for anybody coming to the subject for the first time. The book covers all A-level syllabuses/specification requirements, and is written by the examiner in Contract Law for one of the major examination boards. It contains extensive case illustration, and a range of examination related questions and activities. There is a special focus on key skills, and on the new synoptic assessment syllabus requirements. This fully updated second edition builds upon the success of the first edition, covering important new case law in the areas of strict liability, voluntary manslaughter, theft and making off, duress and necessity, self-defence and participation.


It is vital to assess the lives of newly developed products by using failure data from various testing environments. In the current methods, two steps are generally included. The first step is transforming the failure data under one testing environment into the actual working environment, and the second step is integrating all failure data under the actual working environment into a unified result. However, most available methods cannot use information that includes part failure data and part expert knowledge simultaneously. To resolve the above issue, based on the belief rule base (BRB) and the evidential reasoning (ER) approach, a new BRB-ER-based model is proposed, where the BRB is used to transform the failure data from one testing environment into the actual working environment. The ER approach, which is adopted to aggregate the failure data from different testing environments, is used to assess the life of a product. To conclude, the BRB-ER-based model is applied to represent and integrate asynchronous multisource information. In the proposed model, the initial BRB system is constructed based on experts' knowledge, which results in uncertainty because of the ambiguous nature of human judgment and calls for training the parameters in the BRB-ER-based model. Therefore, an optimal algorithm that employs the differential evolutionary algorithm is proposed. The proposed model and the optimal algorithm operate in an integrated manner to improve the assessment precision by using both failure data and expert knowledge effectively. A case study in three scenarios and use of the conventional approach is examined to demonstrate the capability and potential applications of the new BRB-ER-based model.


Background and objectives: Varicose veins are common in the general population. It is estimated that 15 -20% of Indian population is suffering from varicose veins. Varicose veins are more common in certain occupations like teachers, labourers, nurses, etc. Research on the prevalence of varicose veins among healthcare professionals is scant. The objectives of this study were to describe the current prevalence of varicose veins, associated risk factors and prevalence of its complications among health care professionals. Materials and methods: It is a cross-sectional study involving 225 healthcare professionals (nurses and doctors) who were randomly selected. Data was collected using proformas. Positive cases for varicose veins were subjected to clinical examination. Results: Two hundred and twenty-five subjects were included in the study of which 23.6% were doctors and 76.4% nurses. Majority of respondents were females (81.8%).Varicose veins were identified in 34.1% nurses and 9.6% doctors. Complications were noted in 23.4%. Most common symptoms were calf pain(81.3%) and muscle cramps(75%).A history of prolonged standing was present in 96.9% of positive responders and 43.8%had a family history for varicose veins. Bilateral involvement was noted in 45%and unilateral involvement in 55%. Interpretation & conclusions: Based on the current study, 28% of healthcare professionals are suffering from Varicose Veins. A higher prevalence is seen among nurses compared to doctors. Complications were noted in one-fourths of them. The study also showed strong relation with prolonged standing, pregnancy and family history. Also, the study showed that majority of positive cases was aware of their condition but did not seek medical attention.


As a multiple access technology, DS-CDMA operates in an interference limited environment so the system capacity is dominated by multiple access interference (MAI). Since MAI is proportional to the transmit power strengths of other users, the level of transmit power by all participating users requires careful planning and control in order to attain maximum system capacity. The power distribution under a multirate wideband CDMA environment is investigated. It is shown that power control is a function of the spread bandwidth, user data rates, and the user QoS requirements. A power control algorithm, based on a convergence criterion, is proposed. Numerical results which demonstrate the viability of the power control algorithm are presented.


Designers and architects regularly use piles to organize visual artifacts. Recent efforts have now made it possible for users to create piles in digital systems as well. However, there is still little understanding of how users should interact with digital piles. In this paper we investigate this issue. We first identify three tasks that must be supported by a digital pile -- navigation, reorganization, and repositioning. We then present three interaction techniques -- called DragDeck, HoverDeck, and ExpandPile that meet these requirements. The techniques allow users to easily browse the piles, and also allow them to move elements between and within piles in an ad-hoc manner. In a user study that compared the different interaction techniques, we found that ExpandPile was significantly faster than the other techniques over all tasks. There were differences, however, in individual tasks. We discuss the benefits and limitations of the different techniques and identify several situations where each of them could prove useful.


Treating risk as a "currency" has proven to be key in systematically optimizing the design of spacecraft systems. This idea has been applied in the design of individual components of spacecraft systems, and in the end-to-end design of such systems. The process, called "Defect Detection and Prevention" (DDP), its tool support, and applications, are described in (1). The process can be summarized as determining the consequences of various risk elements (technical, programmatic, other) on the various requirements and then determining the optimal combination of approaches to reducing the risks to acceptable levels. We are now extending this process to include consideration of architectural alternatives, qualification of components, fabrication and assembly, integration and test, and mission operation. The results of applying this extended process in the pre-formulation, formulation and implementation phases of various NASA and other government agency missions will be discussed. This paper will also discuss the results of developing optimized technology development and qualification plans.


During the past four years, 36 hydrocephalic patients were treated by shunting the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to the proximal segment of an occluded neck vein. When the CSF is shunted in this fashion it takes a complex pathway back to the heart. During its flow to the venous circulation, the CSF washes the blood away from the vein and converts it into an extension of the shunting catheter. The CSF that continuoussly fills the vein forms a barrier which separates the shunting tube from the circulating blood and prevents blood clotting around the end of the tube. Observations revealed that the intraventricualr pressure was maintained within normal limits, no siphonage effect developed when the patient assumed a sitting position, and reflux of blood into the shunting catheter did not occur. Valveless catheters were used in the first 29 patients; in the last seven patients, specially designed valved catheters were used.


Traditional supervised classification algorithms require a large number of labelled examples to perform accurately. Semi-supervised classification algorithms attempt to overcome this major limitation by also using unlabelled examples. Unlabelled examples have also been used to improve nearest neighbour text classification in a method called bridging. In this paper, we propose the use of bridging in a semi-supervised setting. We introduce a new bridging algorithm that can be used as a base classifier in any supervised approach such as co-training or selflearning. We empirically show that classification performance increases by improving the semi-supervised algorithm's ability to correctly assign labels to previouslyunlabelled data.


This paper explores historical return and risk properties of equity-hedged options across the S&P 500 option surface. We evaluate returns by estimating alpha to the S&P 500 index, and we quantify risk using three metrics: return volatility, losses under stress tests, and conditional value at risk. We show that analyzing option risk-adjusted alphas using different risk metrics leads to significantly different conclusions. We find that the most compensated options to sell on the S&P 500 surface per unit of stress-test loss are front-month options with strikes near-the-money and moderately below the index level. We apply these results to evaluate return expectations for short volatility strategies, potential added return from option selection, and implications for variance swaps.


The distinction between knowing how to do something and knowing that something is the case is a piece of common sense. Still, it has been suggested that one of these concepts can be reduced to the other one. Intellectualists like Jason Stanley (2011) try to reduce know-how to propositional knowledge, while practicalists like Stephen Hetherington (2011) try to reduce propositional knowledge to know-how. I argue that both reductionist programs fail because they make the manifestations of the knowledge to be reduced unintelligible. Contrary to both, I suggest that know-how and propositional knowledge are distinct, but conceptually interdependent.


Abstract This article is a continuation of the same authors' study entitled 'Concepts And Delimitation Of The World's Macro-Regions' prepared for the 1/2018 of this journal (Anděl et al. 2018). The main aim of the first part was an evaluation of the concepts and factors which have been used as a basis for the delimitation of the different macro-regions of the world. In this second part, the authors propose their own macro-regionalisation of the world – this is a combination of four concepts, with relatively different contents: those of De Blij and Muller (1997), Cole (1996), Huntington (1996) and Hampl (2009). This macro-regionalisation arises from sociocultural affiliation, economic interrelationships and territorial continuity. Along with the concept of the macro-regional differentiation of the world itself, we focus on evaluating the importance of the shaping of macro-regions, as well as assessing the positive and negative features of individual concepts and their influence on the macro-regional differentiation of the world.


Over the past decade, herbal and ayurvedic drugs have become a subject of world importance, with both medicinal and economical implications. Clerodendrum infortunatum plants have been used as a source of medicine since ancient time. The major groups of chemical constituents present in the Clerodendrum genus are carbohydrates, phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids and steroids. Isolated flavonoids like hispidulin, ursolic and cleroflavone and a diterpenoid clerodin possess potent anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-asthmatic, anti-tumor and CNS-binding activities. The present study was conducted to determine the antibacterial potency of Clerodendrum infortunatum leaves with two different solvents ethyl acetate and acetone against Escherichia coli gram negative bacterial strains. The in-vitro screening for antimicrobial activity was carried out by using well-plate techniques. Flavonoids and terpenoids can inhibit the enoyl ACP reductase that present in the Escherichia coli is an essential bacterial enzyme. The enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase of the Escherichia coli species is one of the attractive targets in E. coli associated diseases. By considering the above observations, an attempt for molecular docking studies of flavonoids and terpenoids present in Clerodendrum infortunatum with enoyl ACP reductase (PDB ID: 1C14) by using in silico studies by molinspiration online tool and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. The compounds showed good activity against Escherichia coli comparable to that of standard drug Ciprofloxacin. Thus, Clerodendrum infortunatum leaves appears to be an effective material for development of antimicrobial drugs. This work explains the evidence-based information regarding the different pharmacological activities with a correlation of chemical constituents available with this plant so that it may serve as a reference for further studies.


At the turn of the century the philosophy of Henri Bergson captivated France, and Bergson's theories of intuition and elan vital influenced artistic and political notions of the supreme individual, the collective consciousness of a class or race, and the esprit of the nation itself. Here Mark Antliff demonstrates how various artists in prewar France positioned themselves and their art in this plurality of political discourse. By interrelating such movements as Futurism, Cubism, and Fauvism, he elucidates the pervasive impact of Bergson on modernism in Europe, especially in terms of theories of organic form. Antliff defines the anarcho-individualism of Gino Severini as it relates to the anarcho-syndicalism of other Futurists, and contrasts both to the Puteaux Cubists, who embraced a leftist discourse of celtic nationalism. All these groups, including the "Rhythmists, " an international group of Fauve painters, defined their Bergsonism in reaction to the campaign against Bergson launched by the royalist organization L'Action Francaise. Antliff shows that tbe organicism central to the Bergsonism of these leftist groups had a postwar legacy in fascist ideologies in France and italy, and charts the transformation of an anticapitalist critique into the politics of reaction. Thus Antliff relates the Bergsonism of these movements to the larger political culture confronted by the Parisian avant-garde, exposing the volatile relation of art and culture to ideology in prewar France.


What distinguishes therapists who enabled their traumatized clients to be fully heard and appropriately address their traumatic histories, from their no less generally competent and empathic colleagues in whose workrooms silence reigns with regard to (interpersonal) traumatization? This question has given rise to the author's conceptualization of a priori countertransference that may determine therapists' attitudes and perception even before meeting actual clients. The life stories of participating trauma therapists and forty years of an English language professional journal, published in Israel, have been analyzed in order to uncover and map personal, familial and societal factors that may contribute to a priori countertransference.
The interviewed therapists work with Holocaust survivors and the Second Generation and/or people who have had to endure sexual abuse. These specializations present two examples of devastating, public and secret, interpersonal traumatization. It has been widely documented that these, and related traumas have, over decades, been ignored in otherwise satisfactory psychotherapy. The societal context – historically, trauma awareness has fluctuated greatly both within the mental health profession and society at large – is here provided by Israel, where both the participating therapists and the author live. It provides an excellent study ground for societal influences because it is a multicultural society and has not yet achieved existential security. Thus it can serve as a microcosm of challenges therapists may face anywhere.
Hopefully, the outlined sources of possible a priori countertransference will provide a structure on which to base ongoing self-monitoring by practicing therapists as well as professional training programs.


Background: Clotrimazole is an antifungal drug commonly used in human medicine. It is considered to be safe in pregnancy. Besides this medical assumption ecotoxicology has developed over the last years an awareness of pharmaceuticals which have been detected in surface waters and are of concern for the biosphere. Some of those drugs are endocrine disruptors. So is clotrimazole. Methods: Selective internet research on this subject incorporating medical and ecotoxicological positions. Conclusions: Ecotoxicology and human medicine postulate divergent positions about the harmful effects of clotrimazole. Medicine bases its assumption on thousands of healthy newborn babies whose mothers were treated with clotrimazole during pregnancy. This argument is easy to refute as clotrimazole is an endocrine disruptor and possible consequences of exposure during sensitive periods of pregnancy will only show up much later in life. As a result medicine is challenged to incorporate ecotoxicological concerns into its advice for pregnant women.


Large corporates and government institutions tend to have multi-year service engagements with IT-vendors who provide various kinds of infrastructure and management services including software, servers, IT - security, facility management etc. The engagements are formalized as legal contracts. Given the legal binding and the natural expectation to renew, there is a need to constantly monitor the performance against the stated objectives. Typically, a principle investigator or an account executive hold the responsibilities of deliverables and perform corrective actions as and when required. Given the complexity of the language and various variables involved, it is extremely difficult to proactively detect performance degradation. In this paper, we introduce the notion of contract health and describe Fitcon - a contract mining system that detects service level agreements from contracts, tracks the delivery performance against them and predicts the health of long term contracts. Fitcon is intelligent as it reads these natural language legal contract documents to set its monitoring goals. Fitcon tracks key parameters of the contract and predicts their performance. Comprehensive experiments on real contracts and corresponding past performance data are conducted to test the effectiveness of the system. We test our system across 11 large engagements and the analysis shows promising results. To the best of our knowledge, Fitcon is first such system that has been deployed into production for large scale contract health determination and prediction.


Maternal diet during pregnancy has been reported to alter the offspring's ability to respond to a glucose challenge. The current studies report changes in basal and insulin-stimulated, in vitro glucose uptake in red (soleus) and white (extensor digitorum longus) muscle fiber types, as well as whole body insulin responsiveness of adult rat offspring associated with their mother's dietary fat and alcohol content during pregnancy. The offspring of Harlan-derived Sprague-Dawley female rats, dosed during pregnancy with ethanol (ETOH) via a liquid diet (35% of calories as ETOH) with either 12% or 35% of calories as fat, were compared with offspring from litters whose mothers were pair-fed an isocaloric amount of the liquid diet without ETOH. Maternal access to the liquid diets was terminated on day 20 of the pregnancies (sperm plug=day 0). The offspring were surrogate fostered within 48 h of birth to mothers which had consumed commercial chow throughout their pregnancy. Following weaning at 21 days of age, the offspring consumed only commercial rat chow and they were examined over the next 14 months for changes in glucose homeostasis as a consequence of in utero exposure to maternal dietary fat and/or alcohol. The 35% maternal fat diet resulted in both in vivo and in vitro decreases in insulin sensitivity. Thus, compared with adults whose mother's diet contained 12% fat, significant, in vitro muscle and in vivo whole body insulin resistance (measured by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamping) was observed in adult rats whose mothers consumed 35% of dietary calories as fat. The addition of ethanol to the maternal 35% fat diet further reduced the offspring's red muscle tissues in vitro response to insulin, but did not affect whole body insulin sensitivity. Muscle basal and insulin-stimulated receptor tyrosine kinase activity were significantly decreased (approximately -50%) by the 35% fat maternal diet but there was no compensatory increase in serum insulin or glucose levels. Based upon both in vivo and in vitro data, these studies suggested that in utero exposure to 35% fat has a sustained effect on the adult offspring's glucose uptake/insulin sensitivity and that the effect is paralleled, at least in part, by decreased insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. In utero ETOH exposure resulted in the loss of basal and insulin-stimulated, in vitro glucose uptake in red muscle fibers but maternal dietary ETOH had no detectable effect on either in vivo insulin sensitivity or muscle tyrosine kinase activity.


Two key problems of the antitumour immunity are considered: 1) very rapid changing of tumour-associated antigens; 2) tumour immunosuppression. Carbohydrate structures of the tumour-associated antigens (mainly glycoconjugates) are changing much more rapidly (hours, days) than the clones of antitumour T-killers proliferate. It is stated that the fundamental question of the nature of the glycoconjugate and endogenous lectin changing is not sufficiently studied. The endogenous lectins of the lymphocyte and macrophage surface are an old recognizing system responsible for a natural cell resistance to the tumour. Stimulation of this system by means of bacterial and syngeneic glycoconjugates is a promising direction in the tumour immunotherapy. Concerning the second aspect, the data are summarized according to which tumour cells produce inhibiting factors, including glycoconjugates, that suppress both proliferation and function of lymphocytes and macrophages. Developing the methods of rehabilitation of the immune system cells with the use of activating glycoconjugates and cytokines is the second important trend in the tumour immunotherapy.


We report the cloning and sequencing of the putative structural region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome (2229 nucleotides) from an isolate derived from a British case of chronic sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis. The overall sequence shows a higher similarity with one type of HCV, HCV1 (92%), than with HCV2 (80%), is very highly conserved at the 5' end (99%) preceding the long open reading frame, is well conserved also in the putative core region (90 to 97%), but shows marked variation in the putative envelope region, particularly in the envelope 2/non-structural 1 region (70%). The putative core gene was cloned in pJ3 omega under the early simian virus 40 promoter and expressed in human hepatoma cells. A predominantly cytoplasmic 22K polypeptide was expressed which was antigenically reactive with serum from chronically infected HCV patients.


Background: Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, may inhibit colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, which has been mechanistically linked to an attenuation of a pro-inflammatory state. The present study investigated the associations between circulating 25 hydroxy vitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) levels and inflammatory markers (IL10, IL8, IL6, TNFα and hsCRP) in the 2 years following CRC diagnosis. Methods: Circulating 25(OH)D3 levels and inflammatory markers were assessed at diagnosis, after 6, 12 and 24 months from 798 patients with sporadic CRC participating in two prospective cohort studies. Associations between 25(OH)D3 levels and individual inflammatory markers as well as a summary inflammatory z-score were assessed at each time point by multiple linear regression analyses. To assess the association between 25(OH)D3 and inflammatory markers over the course of 2 years, linear mixed model regression analyses were conducted. Results: Higher 25(OH)D3 levels were associated with lower IL6 levels at diagnosis, at 6 months after diagnosis and over the course of 2 years (β −0.06, 95% CI −0.08 to −0.04). In addition, 25(OH)D3 levels were inversely associated with the summary inflammatory z-score at diagnosis and over the course of 2 years (β −0.17, 95% CI −0.25 to −0.08). In addition, a significant inverse association between 25(OH)D3 levels and IL10 was found over the course of 2 years. Intra-individual analyses showed an inverse association between 25(OH)D3 and IL10, IL6 and TNFα. No statistically significant associations between 25(OH)D3 and IL8 and hsCRP levels were observed. Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D3 levels were inversely associated with the summary inflammatory z-score and in particular with IL6 in the years following CRC diagnosis. This is of potential clinical relevance as IL6 has an important role in chronic inflammation and is also suggested to stimulate cancer progression. Further observational studies should investigate whether a possible 25(OH)D3-associated reduction of inflammatory mediators influences treatment efficacy and CRC recurrence.


In this paper two models are presented based on Data-Driven Modeling (DDM) techniques (Artificial Neural Network and neuro-fuzzy systems) for more comprehensive and more accurate prediction of the pipe failure rate and an improved assessment of the reliability of pipes. Furthermore, a multivariate regression approach has been developed to enable comparison with the DDM-based methods. Unlike the existing simple regression models for prediction of pipe failure rates in which only few factors of diameter, age and length of pipes are considered, in this paper other parameters such as pressure and pipe depth, are also included. Furthermore, an investigation is carried out on most commonly used mechanical reliability relationships and the results of incorporation of the proposed pipe failure models in the reliability index are compared. The proposed models are applied to a real case study involving a large water distribution network in Iran and the results of model predictions are compared with measured pipe failure data. Compared with the results of neuro-fuzzy and multivariate regression models, the outcomes of the artificial neural network model are more realistic and accurate in the prediction of pipe failure rates and evaluation of mechanical reliability in water distribution networks.


A non-linear dynamical system identification method using Hilbert transform (HT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is proposed. For a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) nonlinear system, the Hilbert transform identification method is good at identifying the instantaneous modal parameters (natural frequencies, damping characteristics and their dependencies on a vibration amplitude and frequency). For the multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) non-linear uncoupled dynamical systems, the EMD method is attempting for the decomposition of response signals into a collection of mono-components signals, termed intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Considering the IMFs admit a well-behaved Hilbert transform, the HT identification method has been applied for the identification of nonlinear properties. The numerical simulation of a 2-dof shear-beam building model with nonlinear stiffness illustrated the proposed technique.


In order to describe the exotic nuclear structure in unstable odd-A or odd-odd nuclei, the deformed relativistic Hartree Bogoliubov theory in continuum is extended to incorporate the blocking effect due to the odd nucleon. For a microscopic and self-consistent description of pairing correlations, continuum, deformation, blocking effects, and the extended spatial density distribution in exotic nuclei, the deformed relativistic Hartree Bogoliubov equations are solved in a Woods—Saxon basis in which the radial wave functions have a proper asymptotic behavior at large r. The formalism and numerical details are provided. The code is checked by comparing the results with those of spherical relativistic continuum Hartree Bogoliubov theory in the nucleus 19O. The prolate deformed nucleus 15C is studied by examining the neutron levels and density distributions.


Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy has set ambitious renewable energy goals. Although the Kingdom's current energy mix is dominated by conventional energy (>95%), it aims to draw 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, the Kingdom enjoys very high solar photovoltaic potential, and it is also well positioned for wind generation. Thus, studying the reliability of highly renewable power systems and the impact of converting conventional generation to renewable energy is of paramount importance. The latter analysis is important because temperatures in the Kingdom are often high for a considerable portion of the year.


In this volume, Professor Hillel Schmid of the Hebrew University describes and analyzes an attempt to establish neighborhood-based mechanisms that will serve as representatives and service coordinators to local residents. The experiment took place in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Israel is too often given negative press in the media where three monotheistic religions see home and heritage. Yet, it is important to remember that it is also a place where some 600-700,000 people work, live, and consume municipal services. Chapter 5 describes Jerusalem in such a perspective and would be of interest to many readers, even those who are not concerned with community practice and civil society issues. In the early 1990s, the city integrated two groups that served the residents interests: community centers and neighborhood self-management into a joint body called "community council."


'Smart Cities' forms part of the 'Liveable Cities' research project, a five year programme grant (2012 – 2017) whose vision is to transform the engineering of cities to deliver global and societal wellbeing within the context of low-carbon living and resource security. This little book explores what is actually meant by smart (cities). More importantly, it is about how, given a range of contexts and local conditions, we can make cities smart for everyone. This book, explores the following ideas: • To identify and elucidate different city typologies (Section 2) • To explore Smart Cities meaning(s) according to stakeholder groups (Section 3) • To identify world leading Smart City examples (Section 4) • To highlight contrast and compare Smart Initiatives in two UK cities (Section 5) • To identify, contrast and compare Smart Initiatives for Birmingham and London (Section 5.4) This 'Little Book of Smart Cities' offers a general picture to how we might better understand smartness and provides an overview of how smart cities are defined and implemented today.


Commercial office buildings are a key target for energy reduction measures. One method of reducing commercial buildings' energy consumption is to make them more autonomous – creating more of their own energy, disposing of their own waste, collecting their own water; ultimately being as sustainable as possible (i.e. self-sustaining). A move towards these energy autonomous systems could be accomplished by the use of renewable and co-generation energy sources. However, there are a multitude of these energy sources available, such as combined heat and power (CHP), thermal energy storage and electrical energy storage plants, heat pumps, photovoltaics, etc. Making these systems work together presents a control challenge for their efficient use, especially since they can have a simultaneous effect on both the thermal and electrical energy networks. This paper describes a robust multi-input multioutput (MIMO) controller applicable to any configuration of the aforementioned systems, with the control goal of minimising the electrical grid utilisation of an office building while maintaining the thermal comfort of the occupants. The controller employs the inverse dynamics of the building, mechanical/servicing systems, and energy storage with a robust control methodology. This inverse dynamics provides the controller with knowledge of the complex cause and effect relationships between the system, the controlled inputs, and the external disturbances, while an outer-loop control ensures robust, stable control in the presence of process uncertainty and unknown disturbances. Results indicate that the control strategy is effective in minimising the electrical grid use and maximising the utilisation of the available renewable energy – towards net-zero office buildings – and shows the potential for deployment in future energy-autonomous office buildings.


Green synthesis method is being increasingly used in the development of safe, stable, and eco-friendly nanostructures with biological resources. In this study, extracellular and intracellular synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was carried out using green algae Chlorella sorokiniana Shihira & R.W. Fresh algae were isolated and identified from Musaözü Pond located in the province of Eskişehir and then extraction process were performed. Optimization studies were studied using pH value, metal salt concentration, and time parameters for extracellular synthesis and using only time parameter for intrasellular synthesis. Since more controlled and optimum conditions can be achieved in the production of AuNPs by extracellular synthesis, these nanoparticles (NPs) were used for characterization and antifungal activity studies. Optical, physical, and chemical properties of synthesized NPs were characterized by UV visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zetasizer, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform ınfrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), ınductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis. The optimum conditions for AuNPs synthesis were determined as 1 mM for HauCl4 concentration, 6 for pH value, and 60th min for time. AuNPs obtained from extracellular synthesis from C. sorokiniana extract are 5–15 nm in size and spherical shape. TEM images of extracellular synthesis show noticeable cell wall and membrane damages, cytoplasma dissolutions, and irregularities. AuNPs obtained by intracellular synthesis are in 20–40 nm size and localized in the cell wall and cytoplasm. These NPs exhibited significant antifungal activity against C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, and C. albicans isolates. AuNPs obtained by algae-mediated green synthesis have a significant potential for medical and industrial use, and this eco-friendly synthesis method can be easily scaled for future studies.


The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is highly expressed in the renal proximal tubule and is important for the reclamation of albumin by cellular transcytosis to prevent its loss in the urine. The initial event of this transcellular transport mechanism is the endocytosis of albumin by the apical scavenger receptors megalin and cubilin. An interaction of megalin and FcRn was postulated, however, evidence is still missing. Similarly, the intracellular trafficking of FcRn remains unknown and shall be identified in our study. Using a Venus-based bimolecular fluorescence complementation system, we detected an interaction between megalin and FcRn in the endosomal compartment, which significantly increased with the induction of endocytosis using albumin or lactoglobulin as a ligand. The interaction between megalin and FcRn occurred at a neutral and acidic pH between the extracellular domains of both proteins. Amnionless, another transmembrane acceptor of cubilin, revealed no interaction with FcRn. With the induction of endocytosis by albumin or lactoglobulin, super resolution microscopy demonstrated a redistribution of megalin and FcRn into clathrin vesicles and early endosomes. This trafficking into clathrin vesicles was impaired in megalin-deficient cells upon albumin-induced endocytosis, supporting the role of megalin in FcRn redistribution. Our results indicate that megalin and FcRn specifically bind and interact within their extracellular domains. The availability of megalin is necessary for the redistribution of FcRn. Megalin, therefore, orchestrates FcRn endocytosis and intracellular trafficking as an early event intranscytosis.


1. Environmental problems often span a set of challenges that each may engage different policy actors across different policy domains. These challenges, or policy issues , nonetheless exhibit interdependencies that may constrain the ability of actors to work together towards joint solutions. 2. Still, we have limited knowledge about whether and how policy issue interdependencies actually shape how actors collaborate. 3. Using data derived from two venues for collaborative water governance in the Norrström basin, Sweden, we investigate whether and how policy issues and policy issue interdependencies influence actors' selection of collaborative partners. We test two alternative sets of propositions; one set assumes that partner selection is driven by actors' engagement in policy issues and their interdependencies, while the other set emphasises social positions and actor attributes. 4. Our results show that in one venue, actors' choices of collaborative partner were associated with factors from both sets, but not with policy issue interdependencies specifically. In the other venue, only actor and relational attributes shaped social tie


ABSTRACT Adhesion forces between a tipless cantilever and an Au film were determined to investigate the influence of lateral velocity by recording force curves with an atomic force microscope at 20%–90% relative humidities. The sample was moved laterally, forth and back, with a frequency of 0.001–100 Hz and scan distances of 0.8, 8, and 80 μm to achieve a velocity ranging over 7 orders of magnitude. Experimental results show that at low lateral velocities (between 1.6 nm/s and 1–10 μm/s), the adhesion force either increases or decreases or remains stable with the lateral velocity without a certain characteristic trend. However, after a critical velocity, the adhesion force decreases logarithmically with the lateral velocity (between 1–10 and 16,000 μm/s). The decreasing magnitude can be as large as 97.3% of the maximum adhesion force. This decrease is well-explained by the contact time dependence of water bridges formed by capillary condensation.


The edeines analogs were tested in several in vitro and in vivo assays using the mouse model, with edeine B (peptide W1) and cyclosporine A as reference compounds. The peptides displayed moderate, stimulatory effects on concanavalin A-induced (ConA-induced) splenocyte proliferation, whereas their effects on pokeweed mitogen-induced (PWM-induced) splenocyte proliferation were inhibitory. The peptides inhibited lipopolysacharide-induced (LPS-induced) tumor necrosis factor alpha production but had little effect on interleukin 6 production. In the model of the humoral immune response in vitro to sheep red blood cells, peptide 1 was distinctly stimulatory in the investigated concentrations (1-100 μg/ml), whereas peptides 3 and 4 only stimulated the number of antibody-forming cells at the highest concentration (100 μg/ml). In the model of the delayed type hypersensitivity in vivo to ovalbumin, the peptides were moderately suppressive (3 being the most active). The reference peptide W1 stimulated ConA-induced cell proliferation at 1–10 μg/ml but was inhibitory at 100 μg/ml. It also inhibited PWM-induced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. This peptide had no effect on the humoral immune response in vitro or on cytokine production, but inhibited DTH reaction in vivo. The relationship between structure and activity, and a possible mode of action of the peptides, is discussed in this paper.


Fish species are motile and frequently occur in the new geographic area increasing their distributional range intentionally or accidentally. Species in the genera are very close to each other morphologically. Thus, proper identification of a species is essential for the implementation of efficient management and conservation plans. The presence of whitespot sandsmelt, Parapercis alboguttata in the coastal water of Bangladesh was confirmed based on the morphological features with the record of seven specimens in March 2018. The specimens, captured from the northernmost part of the Bay of Bengal, were estimated to be 115-201 mm in total length. The presence of recurved canine teeth, a sharp spine on the opercula, comparatively large third spine of the dorsal fin, and light blue coloration of the snout are considered as the unique characters to identify this species. This record represents the rapid expansion of its distributional range along the coast of south-east Asia which is mostly known from the Indo-West Pacific region. Probable reasons for its introduction in the coastal waters of Bangladesh are discussed; however, the dynamics of the occurrence of P. alboguttata in the Bay of Bengal remain unknown.


Purpose – This paper describes a "work in progress" research project being carried out with a public health care provider in the UK, a large NHS hospital Trust. Enhanced engagement with patients is one of the Trust's core principles, but it is recognised that much more needs to be done to achieve this, and that ICT systems may be able to provide some support. The project is intended to find ways to better capture and evaluate the "voice of the patient" in order to lead to improvements in health care quality, safety and effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – We propose to investigate the use of a patient-orientated knowledge management system (KMS) in managing knowledge about and from patients. The study is a mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) investigation based on traditional action research, intended to answer the following three research questions: (1) How can a KMS be used as a mechanism to capture and evaluate patient experiences to provoke patient service change (2) How can the KMS assist in providing a mechanism for systematising patient engagement? (3) How can patient feedback be used to stimulate improvements in care, quality and safety? Originality/value –This methodology aims to involve patients at all phases of the study from its initial design onwards, thus leading to an understanding of the issues associated with using a KMS to manage knowledge about and for patients that is driven by the patients themselves. Practical implications – The outcomes of the project for the collaborating hospital will be firstly, a system for capturing and evaluating knowledge about and from patients, and then as a consequence, improved outcomes for both the patients and the service provider. More generally, it will produce a set of guidelines for managing patient knowledge in an NHS hospital that have been tested in one case example.


This thesis investigates the perceptions of former Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainees in the post-compulsory sector, in an attempt to identify how their ITT influenced their practice as teachers within the sector.
It analyses the perceptions of former trainees, gleaned through 21 semi-structured interviews
and 35 completed questionnaires; together with semi-structured interviews of 5 managers of
teaching staff from the sector, who employ university-led ITT for the development of their
staff. The research employed a phenomenographical approach, in that it considered the perspectives and interpretations of the respondents to be wholly paramount.
The study has found that initial teacher training in the post-compulsory sector produces teachers who experience perceptions of enhancement in three key ways. The first is that they are more connected with the sector, connected with their institutions and connected with the realities of teaching following their teacher education. The second is that they have a greater sense of self, together with a greater sense of professionalism, and carry more practical and pedagogical skills into the workplace following their teacher education. The third relates to their commitment to continuing professional development, and their ability to identify opportunities and necessities for their own development.
The contribution to knowledge involves the creation of a middle range theory of the influence of initial teacher training on professional practice, developed from the three
factors alluded to above, and postulated in the form of a model of conceptions demonstrating
the influence of post-compulsory teacher training on its trainees. Additionally, it also makes
recommendations to policy makers in ITT, including that the current emphasis on subject
specialist teaching is reconsidered and clarified; and that the current government's removal of compulsory completion of ITT for teachers in the sector is dissonant with the concepts of professionalism existing in both academic literature, and the perceptions of the participants in this study.


Many publicly available macroeconomic forecasts are judgmentally-adjusted model-based forecasts. In practice usually only a single final forecast is available, and not the underlying econometric model, nor are the size and reason for adjustment known. Hence, the relative weights given to the model forecasts and to the judgment are usually unknown to the analyst. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the quality of such final forecasts, also to allow learning from past errors. To do so, the analyst needs benchmark forecasts. We propose two such benchmarks. The first is the simple no-change forecast, which is the bottom line forecast that an expert should be able to improve. The second benchmark is an estimated model based forecast, which is found as the best forecast given the realizations and the final forecasts. We illustrate this methodology for two sets of GDP growth forecasts, one for the US and for the Netherlands. These applications tell us that adjustment appears most effective in periods of first recovery from a recession.


Abstract. A space shuttle launch deposits 700 tonnes of water in the atmosphere. Some of this water is released into the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere where it may be directly detected by a limb sounding satellite instrument. We report measurements of water vapour plumes from shuttle launches made by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Aura satellite. Approximately 50%–65% of shuttle launches are detected by MLS. The signal appears at a similar level across the upper 10 km of the MLS limb scan, suggesting that the bulk of the observed water is above the top of the scan. Only a small fraction at best of smaller launches (Ariane 5, Proton) are detected. We conclude that the sensitivity of MLS is only just great enough to detect a shuttle sized launch, but that a suitably designed instrument of the same general type could detect the exhausts from a large proportion of heavy-lift launches.


Splanchnic hypoperfusion as reflected by gastric intramucosal acidosis has been recognized as an important determinant of outcome in shock. A comprehensive splanchnic hypoperfusion-ischemia reperfusion (IRP) protocol was evaluated against conventional shock management protocols in critical trauma patients. The study was a prospective randomized trial comparing three therapeutic approaches to hypoperfusion after severe trauma in 151 trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Group 1 patients received hemodynamic support based on conventional indicators of hypoperfusion. In group 2, resuscitation was further guided by gastric tonometry-derived estimates of splanchnic hypoperfusion and included more invasive hemodynamic monitoring and additional administration of colloid or crystalloid solutions, or inotropic support. Group 3 patients additionally received therapies specifically aimed at optimizing splanchnic perfusion and minimizing oxidant-mediated damage from reperfusion. The three groups were similar based on age, Injury Severity Score, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II Scores. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality rates, organ dysfunction, ventilator days, or length of stay between any of the interventions. Techniques of optimization of splanchnic perfusion and minimization of oxidant-mediated reperfusion injury evaluated in this study were not advantageous relative to standard resuscitation measures guided by conventional or tonometric measures of hypoperfusion in the therapy of occult and clinical shock in trauma patients.


In this time of human dislocation from land, many scholars and practitioners are exploring the role of performance in addressing this dislocation and its ecological ramifications. Performance offers a vehicle for generating new understanding and discourse by giving audiences experiences of immersion in land and natural environments. According to May, there is an urgent need for artists and performers to 'flesh out the way in which the human imagination participates in, and is integral to, our ecological situatedness' (May, 2007, p. 95). The analysis of human connection to land and place offers a timely contribution to understanding of human experience of the world. However, a definite list of principles that underpin the ways we connect to the environments we inhabit is elusive. Two key questions are considered. Firstly, how can we use theatre and performance to address the human disconnectedness to land? Secondly, and central to this project: how can performers train for work that addresses the current state of disconnectedness?

Within the fields of theatre and performance, there is not currently a comprehensive model available to answer these questions. This project aims to consider answers to the question of how performers might approach training for performance that, in various ways, addresses the current state of disconnectedness through performing land. What is required is, as architect and curator, Miwon Kwon suggests, 'radical restructuring of the subject from an old Cartesian model to a phenomenological one of lived bodily experience'. (Kwon, 1997, p. 12).

This research project: "Rock, Breath, Skin – An Approach to Training for Performing Land" investigates features and mechanisms of an eco-centric performer training for performing land and engages with three key bodies of discourse: philosophy of land and place; outdoor, immersive performance practice; and performer training. The research asks: How might performers develop approaches to training for performing land? By 'Performing Land' I suggest that the term encompasses performance in land, performance with land and performance of land.

The project explores the possibilities that developing awareness of our immersion in land is a means by which we can train for performing land.