The upset thresholds of five systems were determined using the Repetitive Random Square-wave Pulse Generator (R/sup 2/SPG) technique. These systems included an AT class personal computer, a large digitally controlled communication system, a data display sub-system for a communication system, two radars and a point defense system. If the upset threshold was within the limits of the test program and the capabilities of the R/sup 2/SPG, significant upsets generally required 3 to 10 Amperes, even in unhardened systems. "Snow" on visual displays occurred at smaller currents. As expected, some of the more modern systems had lower thresholds and more frequent upsets than older systems with less digital circuitry. However, some digital systems were found to be immune to upset of damage up to very high levels. None of the systems were damaged by the test. This tentatively confirms the statement that "upset occurs before damage.".<<ETX>>


This study was undertaken to examine the effects of varying levels of methyl mercury (MeHg) on the ultrastructure of the surface epithelium of the oviduct of ducks. Accordingly, Pekin ducks were maintained on feed containing varying doses of (0.0; 0.5; 5.0; 15.0 ppm) of MeHg (Group I - control to IV) for 12 weeks and sacrificed. Tissue from the magnum and the shell gland regions of the oviduct was processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the primary and secondary folds of these regions of the oviducts of the control and 0.5 ppm treatment group were densely populated with ciliated cells and that the cilia tend to cover the apical surfaces of the non-ciliated secretory cells. This unchanged ultrastructural morphology of the surface epithelium of 0.5 ppm treatment group was verified with TEM. The ciliated and nonciliated cells in surface epithelium appeared to be equal in frequency. The nuclei of ciliated cells were superficial in location compared to nonciliated secretory cells which had nuclei in the basal part of the cytoplasm. In the oviductal tissues from ducks fed 5.0 ppm MeHg isolated areas of ciliary loss, but minimal disruption of the apical plasma membrane were observed by SEM. In a few birds plasma membrane lesions, condensation of nuclear chromatin and very dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum were seen with TEM. In the oviductal tissues from ducks fed 15.0 ppm MeHg it could be seen that ciliary loss was much more extensive than hitherto observed, and disruption of the apex of cells could be seen. TEM showed degeneration of cytoplasmic organelles, more or less severely damaged ciliated cells, loss of ciliary extensions and formation of compound cilia. These observations indicate that methyl mercury at 5.0 and 15.0 ppm dose levels causes toxic injury to oviductal surface epithelium of Pekin duck that may cause reduced reproductive capability.


The growing problem of climate change associated with high oil prices is increasing the interest and research on electric vehicles (EVs). EVs due to the storage capacity provided by the batteries can supply or store electricity when parked. At the same time the electric power grid and light vehicle fleet can be exceptionally complementary as systems for managing energy and power. In the case of isolated systems, such as the islands, the introduction of EVs could be very beneficial not only environmentally since they are competing directly with the internal combustion engine vehicles but also economically and in the energy mixture of the local system. But to drive these vehicles, it is necessary to have a charged battery. To assure this, an infrastructure system is needed, connected to the grid, that can provide a parking charge (so that EVs can charge at homes, offices, public parks, etc) and an ongoing charge (so that travellers can refill their EV power in a fast process, like a fast charging station or a switching battery facility). Fast charging is mainly for commercial and public applications and is intended to perform similarly to a commercial gasoline service station, aiming to achieve a 50% charge in an EV's battery in 10 to 15 minutes. This work studies and evaluates the fast charging infrastructure and the developed methodology that can optimize the station profit and still provide a charging price lower than the fuel price at the gas stations. The model simulates the fast charging price for drivers at the station and compares with the house night charging and with the internal combustion engine (ICE) fuel (diesel and gasoline) at the gas stations, for the Portuguese case. Island Sustainability 275 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) © 2010 WIT Press WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Vol 130,


Iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) and iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits are major sources of Fe, Cu, and Au. Magnetite is the modally dominant and commodity mineral in IOA deposits, whereas magnetite and hematite are predominant in IOCG deposits, with copper sulfides being the primary commodity minerals. It is generally accepted that IOCG deposits formed by hydrothermal processes, but there is a lack of consensus for the source of the ore fluid(s). There are multiple competing hypotheses for the formation of IOA deposits, with models that range from purely magmatic to purely hydrothermal. In the Chilean iron belt, the spatial and temporal association of IOCG and IOA deposits has led to the hypothesis that IOA and IOCG deposits are genetically connected, where S-Cu-Au–poor magnetite-dominated IOA deposits represent the stratigraphically deeper levels of S-Cu-Au–rich magnetite- and hematite-dominated IOCG deposits. Here we report minor element and Fe and O stable isotope abundances for magnetite and H stable isotope abundances for actinolite from the Candelaria IOCG deposit and Quince IOA prospect in the Chilean iron belt. Backscattered electron imaging reveals textures of igneous and magmatic-hydrothermal affinities and the exsolution of Mn-rich ilmenite from magnetite in Quince and deep levels of Candelaria (>500 m below the bottom of the open pit). Trace element concentrations in magnetite systematically increase with depth in both deposits and decrease from core to rim within magnetite grains in shallow samples from Candelaria. These results are consistent with a cooling trend for magnetite growth from deep to shallow levels in both systems. Iron isotope compositions of magnetite range from δ56Fe values of 0.11 ± 0.07 to 0.16 ± 0.05‰ for Quince and between 0.16 ± 0.03 and 0.42 ± 0.04‰ for Candelaria. Oxygen isotope compositions of magnetite range from δ18O values of 2.65 ± 0.07 to 3.33 ± 0.07‰ for Quince and between 1.16 ± 0.07 and 7.80 ± 0.07‰ for Candelaria. For cogenetic actinolite, δD values range from –41.7 ± 2.10 to –39.0 ± 2.10‰ for Quince and from –93.9 ± 2.10 to –54.0 ± 2.10‰ for Candelaria, and δ18O values range between 5.89 ± 0.23 and 6.02 ± 0.23‰ for Quince and between 7.50 ± 0.23 and 7.69 ± 0.23‰ for Candelaria. The paired Fe and O isotope compositions of magnetite and the H isotope signature of actinolite fingerprint a magmatic source reservoir for ore fluids at Candelaria and Quince. Temperature estimates from O isotope thermometry and Fe# of actinolite (Fe# = [molar Fe]/([molar Fe] + [molar Mg])) are consistent with high-temperature mineralization (600°–860°C). The reintegrated composition of primary Ti-rich magnetite is consistent with igneous magnetite and supports magmatic conditions for the formation of magnetite in the Quince prospect and the deep portion of the Candelaria deposit. The trace element variations and zonation in magnetite from shallower levels of Candelaria are consistent with magnetite growth from a cooling magmatic-hydrothermal fluid. The combined chemical and textural data are consistent with a combined igneous and magmatic-hydrothermal origin for Quince and Candelaria, where the deeper portion of Candelaria corresponds to a transitional phase between the shallower IOCG deposit and a deeper IOA system analogous to the Quince IOA prospect, providing evidence for a continuum between both deposit types.


ABSTRACT Objective To explore the experiences of known egg donors and recipients in order to inform counselling practise. Background Relatively little is known about known egg donation as a form of family-building in the UK, and on the experiences of individuals who have sought this form of donation. As such, there is a lack of guidance for fertility counselling in this area. Method This was a cross-sectional, qualitative study. A purposive sample of four recipient women were recruited via a national support group for women experiencing Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). Known egg donors (n = 3) and recipient men (n = 3) were recruited via a snowball sample, as identified by recipient women. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Four themes were generated from the data: 1) 'Doing anything': existing relationships as the motivation to donate; 2) 'It was my duty': feelings of obligation to donate and to receive; 3) 'Woman-to-woman': a woman-centred experience; and 4) 'Going through this together': changed versus unchanged relationships. Conclusions The study highlights a number of implications in known egg donation, arising from the relationships involved. It is recommended that these implications are considered by infertility counsellors in the provision of counselling, and by those undergoing known egg donation when seeking information and support, before, during and after the donation.


This paper uses NFHS-2 (1998-99) data to explore certain linkages between literacy status of a couple (husband and wife) with outcomes like household standard of living index (SLI) and others having implications on women and child health. An attempt has also been made to link the proximate criterion in literacy in the couple domain with outcome variables such as SLI instances of sickness among women from specific diseases as asthma TB malaria and jaundice; linkages with indicators like under-nutrition in women have also been analysed. The exercise affirms the advantage of proximate illiteracy over the secluded illiteracy in terms of outcome measures of women and child health as well as household SLI. On the other hand while patterns are not distinct in terms of a comparison between proximate female illiterate and proximate male literate indications point to the latter doing comparatively better. (authors)


An extended iterated-function-system (IFS) interpolation method is presented for modelling for a given discrete signal. To reduce the computing complexity a suboptimal search algorithm with a robust technique for estimating the IFS affine-map parameters is introduced. Simulation results show that the IFS approach achieves a higher signal-to-noise ratio than does an existing approach based on autoregressive modelling.


This paper assesses empirically structural change in the Indian manufacturing based export sector, based on an analysis of 143 industries / product groupings (mainly manufacturing industries). Trade indices such as Balassa´s revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index, and other variants commonly employed in the literature are used in our analysis. Regression analysis on the RSCA indices is used to further analyse structural change. Thereafter, the stability of the RCA indices is examined, as well as the process of their intertemporal evolution. Three technology categories (high technology, medium technology and low technology) are examined individually and SITC product codes are used as proxies for export industries, in order to look at industry movements within each of these groups. This analysis enables us to assess the export performance of Indian industries in the selected product-industry groupings in detail and evaluate the prospects for growth of particular Indian industrial groupings.


Cholesterol has been known as a main cause of atherosclerosis disease, of which calcification and ossification process occurrence in vein wall. These processes, therefore, affect vein channel especially coronary blood vessel narrowing and cover the blood stream in it. This situation is increasing risk of coroner heart disease. Negla Sari village experiences an increase in incidence relating to high-cholesterol of ±5.6% such as atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke. The increase level is higher than other village, moreover, the residents often use wasted cooking oil is doubted if their habitual of using wasted cooking oil affect the increase of high-cholesterol. Objective of this study is to find out knowledge of housewives about cholesterol and utilization of wasted cooking oil in Negla Sari of Bojong Picung district - Cianjur. The study applies descriptive research method in the course of co-relational descriptive. From 1536 of total population, there are 94 respondents of housewives in Negla Sari of Bojong Picung district – Cianjur that are taken as sample through random sampling technique. Data collection is done by disseminating questionnaires and the data is then analyzed in two steps of univariate and bivariate. Base research result is known mother knowledge hits cholesterol of a large part of (52.1%)  is on category less, temporary at variable the usage of waste cooking oil a large part of is on category use waste cooking oil (62.8 %). Result of relation bivariate test between knowledge and the usage of waste cooking oil is obtained p-value 0.027 that mean existed relation between mother knowledge hit cholesterol and the usage of waste cooking oil. Suggested to public health centre can improve health role at family especially housewife, and to society specially housewife more proactive to follow in activity of health construction, that given to exploit information source maybe, that have the character of direct or indirect either that that have the shape of media print or electronic to add mother knowledge specially hits cholesterol with the usage of waste cooking oil.


Volatile organic amine vapors exist in various areas, which can cause a series of harmful effects on environment and human life. Thus, the detection of organic amine vapors with sensitivity and selectivity is greatly needed. This study reports a simple, low-cost, selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of trace organic amine vapors based on CH3NH3PbBr3 (MAPbBr3) nanoplates (NPs) and nanowires (NWs). Upon exposure to organic amines vapors, the fluorescence of MAPbBr3 was strikingly and quickly attenuated (<4 s), and the color of MAPbBr3 changed from yellow to white for some of the organic amines (depending on the R group of R-NHx). This change was rooted in the change of the crystal structure of MAPbBr3 after contacted with different amines. We believe that this result is not only a great advancement in the trace detection of organic amine vapors but is also equally important for fundamental research of organometal halide perovskites.


A superconducting magnet prototype for Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System Injection- I had been designed and fabricated, and tested in a new made vertical Dewar in November 2012. Batch magnet production was processed after some major revision from the magnet prototype, they include: removing off the perm-alloy shield, extending the iron yoke, using thin superconducting wire, etc. The first one of the batch magnets was tested in the vertical Dewar at the Harbin Institute of Technologyin in September 2013. A field measurement was carried out at the same time by the measurement platform that was seated on the top of the vertical Dewar, the measurement results met the design requirements. This paper will present the field measurement system design, measurement results and discussion on the residual field from the persistent current effect.


The article discusses findings of surveys conducted by the Institute for Private Investors, about wealthy investors' attitudes toward risk, expectations of future portfolio returns, and behaviors in the use of risk metrics. These attitudes, expectations, and behaviors are examined in relation to historical stock market performance and demographic factors such as age, gender, and respondent status as a family office executive. In a cross-sectional analysis, the author reports on the lack of correlation of risk and expected return, and on evidence of investor overreaction. These conclusions seem to support behavioral finance theory. The author concludes with suggestions for investors and advisors to ameliorate these biases.


The use of wind energy has become increasingly as a renewable energy source. The work is focused on finding the most efficient excitation angles and characterizing them for easy implementation under closed loop control. Through modelling of an experimental SRG and extensive simulation, it can be seen that the optimal-efficiency turn-off angles can be characterized as a function of power and speed level. Within the closed-loop power controller, the optimal efficiency turn-off angle is determined from an analytic curve fit using FEA. In this paper PI-CCC based SRG with fixed pitch angle for different wind speeds were modelled and simulated based on SIMULINK/SimPower Systems(PSB)


Business schools have recently been criticized for failing to prepare students for the increasingly complex, fast-paced, and global work environments they will face as employees of organizations in the 1990s and beyond. Students must be taught both new content and new skills in order to meet the changing needs of U.S. businesses. Services marketing is a prime example of the new content that must be added to business school curricula, since services now account for more than 70% of our GNP Services marketing courses can also provide an excellent opportunity for students to practice critical new workplace skills. The objectives of this article are to describe the changes necessary in marketing curricula to ensure that students have the appropriate skills and content to adequately meet the needs of their future employers; to provide an overview of services marketing course content; to describe the traditional and the active learning educational paradigms; to demonstrate how active learning techniques can be used to teach both content and skills in a services marketing course; and to provide specific examples of active learning exercises designed to address key content areas in services marketing.


Mathematics fear is an unaddressed reason that has a great effect on the unexploited capacity of young students. All over the world, the problem is so vast that huge amounts of money are being pumped into research grants to find out why competent students are terrified of Mathematics even when they get good grades in other subjects. In this research, we demonstrate and rigorously analyze a number of innovative and new teaching methodologies that incorporate the use of modern technology to encourage freshman students to participate and take an active role in Mathematics courses More precisely, we introduce for the first time two innovative teaching methodologies: 1) Dynamic Lecture Notes: A lecturing technique that automatically changes the next lecture slide based on the live student response to in class questions using wireless voting systems and 2) 24/7 Student-Teacher Portal: A Mobile Social Networking (MSN) application that attempts to bridge the gap between the students and the teachers outside the walls of a classroom. Both methodologies were researched thoroughly in a number of local university class rooms and the results were collected to investigate whether they would lead to a dramatic increase in the overall performance and therefore successfully enhance the learning experience of the students.


AlN fibers were synthesized by carbothermal reduction using Al2O3 fibers as starting material. The N content of AlN fibers synthesized at 1780°C was more than 31%. The morphology and microstructure of AlN fibers were studied with XRD, SEM and TG-DSC. The fibers containing small AlN grains were pipe-shaped, in which the particle size is about 1µ, diameter 4 ~ 6µ, length/diameter ratio 20 ~ 30. The main reaction process is as follows: Firstly, alumina is reduced by carbon to lower-valent aluminum oxide, which further reacts with nitrogen and forms AlN. Secondly, when the alumina fibers are coated by AlN layer, the reaction takes place simultaneously on both interfaces of the AlN layer.


This comparative analysis of structures and performances of the dairy supply chain in 20 south-eastern and eastern European countries shows that even after many years of structural change, the sector is still dominated by small-scale and subsistence farming, which results in weak vertical integration in all countries except the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta. Industry performances indicate positive tendencies in the Baltic States and Poland, while the sector faces serious difficulties in others. In Romania, Bulgaria and all (potential) candidate countries, the industry has immense problems complying with food quality and safety standards. Vast investments are needed in all parts of the supply chain to increase productivity and improve the quality of products. A major restructuring of the supply chain is expected in upcoming years.


: A study was undertaken to determine vascular changes and the timing of these changes after craniofacial dysjunction surgery. Ten adult male Macaca cynomulgus monkeys were studied with techniques using angiograms and vascular vinyl cast preparations before and after unilateral Le Fort III osteotomy. After surgical disruption of the maxillary artery, the flow of blood was initially maintained by anastomotic branches of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery. Stepwise reconstruction of the disrupted maxillary artery took place via numerous collateral vessels that bridged the site of disruption; continuity of the artery was nearly normal by five weeks.


Purpose - This paper aims to identify and draw together key themes in the literature relating to the impact of disability on labour market outcomes. In doing so it provides an overview of issues in estimation in empirical work relating to disability. Design/methodology/approach - This paper reviews the existing international evidence relating to the impact of disability on labour market outcomes. Findings - Regardless of country, data source or time period disability serves to reduce labour market prospects. Understanding the reasons for this requires consideration of issues such as separating discrimination from unobserved differences in productivity and preferences, the influence of heterogeneity within the disabled group and the dynamic effects of disability. Practical implications - The paper also reviews recent evidence concerning the labour market impact of significant changes in legislation affecting the disabled, particularly the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the USA. This evidence is particularly useful to policymakers. Originality/value - The paper provides a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence relating to the labour market impact of disability and the influence of recent changes in legislation.


We propose radionuclide imaging as a valuable tool for the study of molecular interactions in miniaturized systems for chemical analysis. Sensitive and quantitative imaging can be performed with compounds labeled with short-lived positron-emitting radionuclides, such as C-11 and Ga-68, within selected parts of the system. Radionuclide imaging is not restricted to transparent materials since the relatively energetic positrons can penetrate high optical density materials. Experimentally, a radiotracer is introduced into the object of study, which is subsequently placed on a phosphor storage plate. After exposure, the plate is scanned with a laser and a digital, quantitative image can be reconstituted. To demonstrate the concept, three types of microstructures suited for integration in chemical analysis systems were imaged with C-11- and Ga-68-labeled tracers. The influence of factors such as geometry of the object and type of radionuclide on resolution and sensitivity was investigated. The resolution ranged from 0.9 to 2.7 mm (fwhm). Measuring low amounts of radioactivity in the three structures, 2-20 Bq could be detected, which corresponded to 2.3-500 amol or 2.4-110 pM tracer. The imaging approach was applied to study analyte concentration and sample dilution effects on the performance of a capillary extraction column integrated in an automated LC-ESI-MS system. The utility of the technique was further illustrated by imaging of microchannels in a zeonor plastic compact disk and in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) material for the study of nonspecific peptide adsorption.


Biomass is one of the most promising renewable energy sources because it enables energy accumulation and controlled production. With this, however, the demand for biofuels grows and thus there is an effort to expand their portfolio. Nevertheless, to use a broader range of biofuels, it is necessary to know their fuel properties, such as coarse and elemental analysis, or lower heating value. This paper presents the results of testing the fuel properties of several new, potentially usable biofuels, such as quinoa, camelina, crambe, and safflower, which are compared with some traditional biofuels (wood, straw, sorrel, hay). Moreover, the results of the determination of water content, ash, and volatile combustible content of these fuels are included, along with the results of the elemental analysis and the determination of higher and lower heating values. Based on these properties, it is possible to implement designs of combustion plants of different outputs for these fuels.


This article reports the findings of a qualitative investigation of the way people find meaning through caregiving. It draws on the results of in-depth interviews with 37 informal carers and 11 stakeholders in Nottinghamshire, the United Kingdom. For most respondents caregiving involved looking after family members—for example, husband or wife, father or mother, young or adult children and mother-in-law. The meaning that respondents found through caregiving motivated them to cope with the difficulties associated with looking after a person in need. This research found that most informal carers operate with long-standing, gender-based understandings of their role, creating a potential risk that using gender-neutral terminology when referring to family members may obscure the subjective values that carers attach to informal caregiving and lead to role confusion. Moreover, although informal carers typically feel obliged to take care of family members in need and may value this role, they often require additional support from the state to reduce the pressures associated with caregiving and to enable them to continue to lead a meaningful life both within and beyond their caring role.


OBJECT
Delayed cerebral ischemia remains an important cause of death and disability in patients who have suffered subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Endothelin (ET) has a potent contractile effect on cerebral arteries and arterioles and has been implicated in vasospasm. The authors administered ET(A/B) receptor antagonist (TAK-044) to patients suffering from aneurysmal SAH. They then assessed whether this agent reduced the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemic events and examined its safety profile in this group of patients.

METHODS
Four hundred twenty patients who had suffered an SAH were recruited into a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase II trial. The primary end point was whether a delayed ischemic event occurred within 3 months after the first dose of the study drug and the secondary end points included determining whether a delayed ischemic event occurred by 10 days after the first dose of the study drug, whether a new cerebral infarct was demonstrated on a computerized tomography scan or at postmortem examination by 3 months after administration of the initial dose, the patient's Glasgow Outcome Scale scores at 3 months after the initial dose, and adverse events. There was a lower incidence of delayed ischemic events at 3 months in the TAK-044-treated group: 29.5% compared with 36.6% in a group of patients receiving placebo. The estimated relative risk was 0.8 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.61 to 1.06. There were no significant differences in the secondary end points, including clinical outcomes in the placebo-treated and TAK-044-treated groups.

CONCLUSIONS
The TAK-044 was well tolerated by patients who had suffered an SAH, even though hypotension and headache--side effects compatible with the drug's vasodilatory properties--occurred. It would be valuable to proceed to a fully powered phase III trial of an ET receptor antagonist in treating aneurysmal SAH.


The conduct of Operations Other Than War (OOTWs) has become an extremely important part of the US military's responsibility since the end of the Cold War. The factors that influence success and failure in OOTWs are economic, political, sociological, cultural, and psychological factors more often than they are military factors. This paper explores the need for impact analysis support tools, provides a description of the required elements of such tools, and recommends a formal process for creating OOTW impact analysis tools.


This article is concerned with the extent of a fiduciary's obligation to account for profits that have been made in breach of fiduciary duty. In particular, it responds to suggestions made recently by some senior judges that the courts ought to have a wide-ranging discretion to alter the degree to which a fiduciary must account for profits. It is well-settled that a fiduciary must account for profits that have been generated from his fiduciary position or in circumstances involving a conflict between the fiduciary's duty and his interest. The fiduciary need not account if the profit or conflict was properly authorised, in which case there was no breach of fiduciary duty. But in the absence of such authorisation, the fiduciary must account for all of the profit that has been made in breach of fiduciary duty, other than insofar as the court grants an equitable allowance to the fiduciary for work done in generating that profit. The question addressed here is whether the court ought to have a wider discretion to award an account of only part of the profits that a fiduciary has made in breach of fiduciary duty, leaving the remainder of the profits in the fiduciary's hands?


The modeling of soft structures, actuators, and sensors is challenging, primarily due to the high nonlinearities involved in such soft robotic systems. Finite element modeling (FEM) is an effective technique to represent soft and deformable robotic systems containing geometric nonlinearities due to large mechanical deformations, material nonlinearities due to the inherent nonlinear behavior of the materials (i.e., stress-strain behavior) involved in such systems, and contact nonlinearities due to the surfaces that come into contact upon deformation. Prior to the fabrication of such soft robotic systems, FEM can be used to predict their behavior efficiently and accurately under various inputs and optimize their performance and topology to meet certain design and performance requirements. In this article, we present the implementation of FEM in the design process of directly three-dimensional (3D) printed pneumatic soft actuators and sensors to accurately predict their behavior and optimize their performance and topology. We present numerical and experimental results to show that this approach is very effective to rapidly and efficiently design the soft actuators and sensors to meet certain design requirements and to save time, modeling, design, and fabrication resources.


Sesame leaf, an agricultural solid waste, was used as low cost adsorbent for removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution in batch mode. The biosorbent was characterized by thermo-gravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The influences of phase contact time, solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentrations were investigated to optimize the conditions for maximum adsorption. The experimental data were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Koble-Corrigan isotherm models. The Koble-Corrigan and Langmuir isotherms best represented the measured biosorption data. According to an evaluation using the Langmuir equation, the adsorption capacity of the biosorbent was found to be 279.86 mg g-1, which was higher or comparable to the adsorption capacity of various adsorbents reported in the literature. The kinetics of adsorption of Pb(II) was evaluated by pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and intra-particle diffusion kinetic models. The experimental data fitted very well with the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The intra-particle diffusion model is not a dominant rate controlling mechanism in the sorption of Pb(II). Thermodynamic analysis showed that the adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The results indicated that sesame leaf can be used as an effective biosorbent for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions.


In Europe the characteristics, distribution and effects of recent pollution are well known, with monitoring observations existing at a continental scale. However, estimates of long-term pollution are restricted to central-western Europe, the British Isles and Scandinavia. In Eastern Europe in particular, the lack of such estimates has led to incomplete understanding of regional differences. When coupled to the insufficient knowledge of past emission sources and isotopic signatures of various ores, it is clear there are gaps in our knowledge of the history of pollution in this area. As a result, the causal relationships between humans and the environment are insufficiently explored, particularly within the Carpathian region - one with significant mineral wealth and a long history of human presence


With the increase in human lifespan and the aggravation of global aging, the incidence of osteoarthritis (OA) is increasing annually. To better manage and control the progression of OA, prompt diagnosis and treatment for early-stage OA are important. However, a sensitive diagnostic modality and therapy for early OA have not been well developed. The exosome is a class of extracellular vesicles containing bioactive substances, that can be delivered directly from original cells to neighboring cells to modulate cellular activities through intercellular communication. In recent years, exosomes have been considered important in the early diagnosis and treatment of OA. Synovial fluid exosome and its encapsulated substances, e.g., microRNA, lncRNA, and proteins, can not only distinguish OA stages but also prevent the progression of OA by directly targeting cartilage or indirectly modulating the immune microenvironment in the joints. In this mini-review, we include recent studies on the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities of exosomes and hope to provide a new direction for the early diagnosis and treatment of OA disease in the future.


The decolourisation of reactive and cationic dyes by physical and chemical modified esparto fibers was investigated. Previously the decolourisation of reactive dyes only had been tested and optimized using untreated esparto fibers and those reinforced by zeolite. Non-treated cellulosic esparto fibers can absorb an important amount of dyes. In order to improve absorption properties of esparto fibers, chemical graft copolymerization with acrylic acid (AA), itaconic acid (IA), and a mixture of acrylamide and IA was performed using potassium persulfate as initiator. The effect of physical modification by zeolite was investigated. Reinforced zeolite esparto fibers were obtained from cellulose esparto fibers pre-treated with NaOH, and preformed zeolite powders. The IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal behavior, as well as the surface morphology of the treated fibers were also studied. The results showed that zeolite treated esparto fibers (the first time application of this kind) are more efficient adsorbents than luffa fibers.


We consider the problem of optimizing expensive black-box functions over discrete spaces (e.g., sets, sequences, graphs). The key challenge is to select a sequence of combinatorial structures to evaluate, in order to identify high-performing structures as quickly as possible. Our main contribution is to introduce and evaluate a new learning-to-search framework for this problem called L2S-DISCO. The key insight is to employ search procedures guided by control knowledge at each step to select the next structure and to improve the control knowledge as new function evaluations are observed. We provide a concrete instantiation of L2S-DISCO for local search procedure and empirically evaluate it on diverse real-world benchmarks. Results show the efficacy of L2S-DISCO over state-of-the-art algorithms in solving complex optimization problems.


This paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of investigating information needs through scrutiny of library suggestions made by users. The method is attractive in drawing upon material that many libraries collect routinely and which may be used to present a picture of need that cannot easily be gained through other techniques. Nevertheless, insights achieved via suggestions analysis typically relate only to the library itself and often to its perceived weaknesses. There are ethical questions surrounding the use of suggestions data out of context, and researchers cannot know in advance that sufficient data relevant to their information needs focus will be elicited. Investigators must also decide on their stance regarding the wider applicability of their findings. Despite all these issues, suggestions data can play a pivotal role in inspiring the development of subsequent research into information needs, and may have considerable value when used in concert with other methods.


The pre-processing and liquefaction of LNG is very energy demanding in addition to having a high level of complexity. This motivates for finding alternative value chains and technologies for gas transportation and various concepts have been proposed based on natural gas in liquid phase. These can be split into two main principles; liquefaction with solids formation, and storage under pressure. Due to the increased temperature and solubility, freezable components will not form solids as easily in the pressurized concepts allowing less pre-treatment of the gas. The evaluated concepts in this thesis are Liquefied Unprocessed Well Stream (LUWS) with controlled solids formation, and three pressurized storage concepts; Aker Solutions' Heavy Liquid Gas (HLG), ExxonMobil's Pressurized Liquefied Natural Gas (PLNG) and Chevron's Liquefied Heavy Gas (LHG). All are presented in a high level survey together with similar ideas and patents in the first part of the thesis. Value chain evaluations are carried out for the different concepts and positive contributions, uncertainty and possible difficulties are discussed. The different patents filed, with solutions to some of the difficulties associated with the concepts, are also explained and presented. As the different gas products will have a less pure composition compared to LNG, the gas treating part of the value chains will be moved downstream of the liquefaction for all the new concepts. Through simplified simulations in PRO/II, energy requirements and specifications of the product liquid for the different concepts are found. The gas composition is adjusted to avoid freeze out of any kind for the pressurized liquids. The power needs for liquefaction are drastically decreased with increased pressure, giving smaller and less complex liquefaction plants. For a HLG concept at 20 bars, the power need is around halved, while for LHG at 50 bars it is between 25-39% compared to LNG, depending on the amount of heavy hydrocarbons in the LHG. The amount of flash gas needed for power production is as a direct result reduced by 70%. Water removal will still be necessary for all the concepts as hydrates will form easily at high pressures and low temperatures. The only exception is for the LUWS concept, where a smaller amount of water possibly could be allowed to form hydrates in a controlled way together with hydrocarbons and CO2. The reduced requirements for the gas means alternative processes for pre-treatment can be utilized and the thermal energy needs for these decreased at the liquefaction site. CO2 removal may be done by a membrane system or similar as the CO2 concentration can be around 1,4 and 6 mole% for a pressure of 12 and 50 bars respectively without the forming of solids. At the receiving site, a system similar to the CRYEX process can be implemented to remove the CO2 and allow storage of gas as LNG at atmospheric pressure. Estimations of the weight of the steel pressure vessels have been calculated for all the pressure levels. Due to the extremely high weight and the large amount of steel needed, the vessels must be constructed by an alternative building material for the high pressure ranges. A fiber reinforced plastic is suggested used with a steel or aluminum liner retaining the liquid. If successfully manufactured, these vessels would significantly reduce the weight and make HLG/LHG possible to implement.


Dissipative self-assembly is a chemical process ubiquitous in and essential to living systems. Its dynamic nature makes it quite appealing to directly visualize and monitor in real-time, thus facilitating the understanding of this phenomenon. Herein, we have demonstrated for the first time a dissipative self-assembling system that in situ exhibits intrinsic fluorescence only in the assembly state by the employment of AIEgens, enabling its direct visualization and real-time monitoring using fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, respectively. Fluorescence assay, as a non-invasive and real-time monitoring technique with high sensitivity and resolution, represents a privileged way to disclose the kinetics of dissipative systems, which is on demand on account of their dynamic feature. Furthermore, transient Forster resonance energy transfer was validated as a proof-of-principle function and also to afford dual-channel monitoring.


. Signomials are obtained by generalizing polynomials to allow for arbitrary real exponents. This generalization offers great expressive power, but has historically sacrificed the organizing principle of "degree" that is central to polynomial optimization theory. We reclaim that principle here through the concept of signomial rings, which we use to derive complete convex relaxation hierarchies of upper and lower bounds for signomial optimization via sums of arithmetic-geometric exponentials (SAGE) nonnegativity certificates. The Positivstellensatz underlying the lower bounds relies on the concept of conditional SAGE and removes regularity conditions required by earlier works, such as convexity and Archimedeanity of the feasible set. Through worked examples we illustrate the practicality of this hierarchy in areas such as chemical reaction network theory and chemical engineering. These examples include comparisons to direct global solvers (e.g., BARON and ANTIGONE) and the Lasserre hierarchy (where appropriate). The completeness of our hierarchy of upper bounds follows from a generic construction whereby a Positivstellensatz for signomial nonnegativity over a compact set provides for arbitrarily strong outer approximations of the corresponding cone of nonnegative signomials. While working toward that result, we prove basic facts on the existence and uniqueness of solutions to signomial moment problems.


Two studies were conducted investigating the efficacy of Prozap (zinc phosphide), Ramik Green, and Ramik Brown (diphacinone) rodenticides on woodrats infesting citrus. Based primarily on using feeding activity as an indication of population density, Zinc phosphide (ZP) provided a rapid knockdown of the rat population, and offered 60 to 75% control. However, this product is known to cause "bait-shyness" following the initial application so additional control with subsequent applications of ZP targeting the same rat population would not likely result in a significant increase in control. Ramik Green and Ramik Brown are slow acting anticoagulant rodenticides, and performed similarly to each other. Anticoagulant rodenticides are not known to cause bait-shyness. In this study, these products only offered 20 to 38% control, but it is possible that these values may be artificially low since the rats may have been preferentially feeding on stored oat groats used to gauge feeding activity rather than consuming the anticoagulant baits.


One of the diagnostic possibilities to consider when a patient presents with cough, fever, dyspnea, or pulmonary infiltrates is hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Some of the problems encountered in diagnosis of diffuse lung disease are illustrated in two case reports. In one of the cases, interstitial pneumonitis of insidious onset was attributed to inhalation of thermophilic organisms in moldy silage. In the other, the outstanding pathologic feature was bronchiolitis obliterans, and circumstantial evidence pointed to a home humidifier as the source of the problem.


Colloidal silver nanodisks (AgNDs) are assembled into a monolayer with a coverage density gradient (CDG) on the surface of flat and cylindrical substrates using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. Compressing the LB monolayers during transfer to the substrates causes the CDG assembly of the AgNDs. By functionalizing the AgNDs with poly(ethylene glycol), it is possible to control their order inside the LB monolayer assembly by changing the deposition surface pressure. Well-separated AgNDs, 2D aggregates with different numbers of particles, and highly packed 2D arrays are formed as the deposition surface pressure is increased. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectra collected at different separation distances from the highest coverage spot (HCS) of the CDG AgND arrays on a flat substrate are blue-shifted, and the shift increases systematically upon increasing the distance. The relationship among the LSPR peak position, the peak intensity at a fixed wavelength, and the corresponding separation distance from the HCS is fitted exponentially. A similar systematic blue shift in the LSPR spectrum of the CDG AgND monolayer on a cylindrical substrate is obtained when the substrate is rotated at different angles relative to the HCS. The fabricated CDG AgND monolayers can potentially be used for optically measuring distances and angles.


The principles of the immersion spectrophotometry of interference films are discussed. A practical application is presented for determining directly the refractive indices of thin films in situ on solid substrates. With this method the spectrophotometric peak heights are measured with the specimen immersed in various fluids. The plot of peak height vs index of refraction of the immersion medium is a smooth line going through zero at the refractive index of the interference layer. The mathematical basis of the method is developed and data for fluoride films on uranium dioxide and for anodic oxide films on uranium metal are presented.


Over the years, J-estimation scheme procedures have been develop to predict the load-carrying capacity of through-wall cracks in nuclear grade piping materials. These procedures employ analytical or numerical procedures coupled with the fracture toughness of the material to predict the pipe response. For cracks in welds, the behavior has been shown to be related to the toughness of the weld and strength of the typically lower-strength base metal. However, with the advent of primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC), flaws in dissimilar metal (DM) welds have occurred. These welds consist of a nickel-based weld joining stainless steel and carbon steel base metals.Prior research has demonstrated that crack-driving force for through-wall circumferential cracks in DM welds is highly influenced by both the stainless steel and carbon steel base metals, and is related to the axial position of the flaw within the weld. This effect brings into question the accuracy of typical J-estimation scheme procedures for calculation of load carrying capacity for circumferential through-wall flaws in DM welds. In addition, it is unknown if the apparent toughness of the cracked pipe is also affected by the position of the crack in the weld.Work is currently underway, sponsored by the NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, to investigate the behavior of through-wall and complex cracks in DM welds. In a prior paper, a series of full-scale pipe bend and laboratory-sized fracture experiments were documented. Initial analyses of those test results suggest that typical J-estimation scheme procedures could be used to predict the response if the weld toughness from a compact tension specimen and the appropriate material strength was used. In this paper, the fracture toughness from the DM weld is estimated from the pipe experiments using an η-factor solution and numerical techniques and these results are compared to the compact tension results. The results from this paper add insight into the effect of crack size and location within the DM weld on the apparent pipe toughness for through-wall cracks in DM welds.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


In my study, I summarise the experience of the first five years of the Electronic Road Freight Traffic Control System introduced as a result of digitalization. The five-year interval is because a period ended at the end of 2020, because from 2021 a new regulation came into force, which I will not deal with within the framework of this article. After the brief introduction, I will describe the most important rules of the system in the relevant period. I will also present the experience of on-the-spot and ex-post inspections in the relevant period, as well as the sanctioning and redress issues. And in the concluding thoughts, I present to the reader the quantified results of the system.


Powdered seeds of Dennettia tripetala (Baker f.) and Piper guineense Schumach, Bularafa diatomaceous earth (DE), Riverbed Sand, and combinations of the two botanicals with Bularafa DE and Riverbed Sand were evaluated as protectants of wheat seed against Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.). Insecto®, a commercialised DE, was tested as a standard check. The rates tested were 60 g kg -1 of wheat (for botanicals) and 1 g kg -1 of wheat (for other dusts). The botanicals singly and in combination with Bularafa DE and sand induced 100% mortality and total progeny suppression of both species in 7 days. Insecto and Bularafa DE treatments each induced ≥69% mortality and >78% progeny suppression against R. dominica , respectively. Sand was ineffective, inducing 87% progeny suppression; while Riverbed Sand caused <9% mortality and <14% progeny suppression. Micrographs of dusted S. oryzae cuticle showed Bularafa and Insecto DEs to be abrasive. The relatively larger size of sand particles compared to DE particles probably contributed to its poor activity. Keywords: Bularafa DE, D ennettia tripetala , Piper guineense , Stored Product Pest


Theoretical results, valid at and away from resonance, for the impedance properties of the rotated series slot, the displaced series slot, and the longitudinal shunt slot have been derived by the use of variational expressions coupled with certain stored power considerations. The additional influence of finite wall thickness, an appreciable factor, is taken into account by a microwave network treatment. The results for the zero-thickness resistive elements become identical with those of Stevenson when the slot length is made equal to a half wavelength. The theoretical derivations are presented in Part I. In Part II, comparison is made with experimental data both previously available and specially taken in this connection. The effect of wall thickness and the distinction between slots of rounded and rectangular ends are also considered. The agreement between theory and measurement is reasonably good.


This study examined the developmental pattern of male role attitudes and the within-person association of male role attitudes with self-esteem among college students. On four occasions across 3 years, 408 heterosexual college students (48% male; 28% Latino American, 32% African American, and 40% European American; mean age at Time 1 = 18.46 years) completed surveys. Multilevel models revealed that, although men's male role attitudes became more traditional over the first 2 years of college and more flexible again toward the end, women's male role attitudes remained unchanged over time. Moreover, within-person variation in male role attitudes was negatively linked to men's, but not women's, within-person variation in self-esteem. Findings highlight the importance of studying curvilinear changes in gender development and the adjustment implications of gender-related constructs for college-attending emerging adults.


Abstract The Ronnea Catchment Dialogues were developed as a multipurpose methodology to enable stakeholder-oriented, interdisciplinary research. This article describes the background of the Catchment Dialogues and their multiple aims and evaluates the Dialogue design. The three parallel objectives that were expected from the Catchment Dialogues were that they would function as a method to i) collect qualitative research data, ii) promote the involvement of stakeholders in water management, and iii) offer a practical example to enable integration of disciplines. Drawing on experiences from similar research or stakeholder-involvement projects using focus groups and similar techniques, this article assesses how the research aim was fulfilled and how the balance between fulfilling different objectives was struck. It reflects on Catchment Dialogues as a fruitful research method for answering our research questions, specifically focusing on the "new" design features, i.e. heterogeneous groups, structured interv...


Leaf phenology was monitored for 49 woody species (trees and tall shrubs) each month over a 2.5-year period in a humid, wet-dry tropical eucalypt savanna at Solar Village, near Darwin, Australia. In the 10 most common species, which spanned the range of phenological types, phenology was monitored every two weeks. To investigate the relationships between leaf phenology and plant water status, pre-dawn leaf water potential was monitored in eight common species every 4-6 weeks. Four main phenological types were described: (1) evergreen species, which retained full canopy throughout the year; (2) brevi- or partly deciduous species, in which the amount of canopy fell significantly, but briefly, during at least one dry season during the study period, but to levels not below 50% of full canopy; (3) semideciduous species in which canopy fell to below 50% of full canopy in each of the dry seasons; and (4) fully deciduous species, which lost all leaves during the early-mid dry season, and remained leafless for at least one month. Of these 49 species, 24% were evergreen, 20% were brevideciduous, 29% were semideciduous, and 27% were fully deciduous. Leaf fall occurred 1-2 months earlier in the dry season for the fully deciduous species than for the semideciduous species. Leaf fall in all species was coincident with the attainment of seasonal minima in leaf water potential, which were, on average, about -1.5 to -2.0 MPa in the evergreen and semideciduous species, compared with about -0.5 to -1.0 MPa in the fully deciduous species. Leaf flushing occurred throughout the dry season in the two evergreen species, with a major peak in the late dry season. In five semideciduous species and one of the fully deciduous species, leaf flushing commenced in the late dry season prior to the occurrence of any rain. In two fully deciduous species, leaf flushing occurred only after the first storms of the early wet season. There was variation in the timing of flushing, both between species within years and between years for some species. However, all species commenced leaf flushing after water potentials rose, following the attainment of seasonal minima in pre-dawn leaf water potential. Soil moisture at 1 m did not fall below permanent wilting point during the dry season; hence, reserves of soil water at the end of the dry season were sufficient to support the whole-plant rehydration that preceded leaf flushing in the absence of rain. These results are consistent with hypotheses, developed in the neotropics, that leaf phenology in trees from the wet-dry tropics is largely controlled by endogenous mechanisms.


The primary objectives of this thesis are to, circularly, deconstruct contemporary domestic violence policy while developing and evaluating methods for deconstructing policy. Policy is theorised as a discursive practice, which allows a variety of policies to be compared and critiqued by how they position the people they affect. These are known as subject positions, or subjectivities, and throughout this thesis I attempt to critique policy by examining the (re)construction of subjectivity. In addition, because policy is not theorised as functioning through direct causal relations there is an opening for psychoanalytic subjectivities where the subject positioning occurs at the level of the unconscious. Consequently, I have
chosen to draw upon Parker's critical transformative psychoanalytic discourse analysis (CTPDA) as a psycho-discursive method where discourse analysis and psychoanalysis are combined in such as way that psychoanalysisis understood to be a culturally produced theory of self. Three separate analyses of two key,
contemporary domestic violence policies demonstrate the utility of CTPDA by developing it as a method alongside the topic under consideration the use of 'family' to name concern of policy is considered in Te Rito from Aotearoa/New
Zealand (A/NZ), who are world leaders in the domain of domestic violence, and 'consultation' where decisions have already been made and gender through the gender-neutral term 'domestic violence' are considered in Safety and Justice (S&J) from the UK, where much of this thesis was undertaken. In the final chapter, I argue that critique needs to be able to imagine its own policies and ways of realising them and highlight that psychoanalysis has the potential to offer an effective approach.


Like all sessile organisms, surface-attached communities of bacteria known as biofilms must release and disperse cells into the environment to colonize new sites. For many pathogenic bacteria, biofilm dispersal plays an important role in the transmission of bacteria from environmental reservoirs to human hosts, in horizontal and vertical cross-host transmission, and in the exacerbation and spread of infection within a host. The molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilm dispersal are only beginning to be elucidated. Biofilm dispersal is a promising area of research that may lead to the development of novel agents that inhibit biofilm formation or promote biofilm cell detachment. Such agents may be useful for the prevention and treatment of biofilms in a variety of industrial and clinical settings. This review describes the current status of research on biofilm dispersal, with an emphasis on studies aimed to characterize dispersal mechanisms, and to identify environmental cues and inter- and intracellular signals that regulate the dispersal process. The clinical implications of biofilm dispersal and the potential therapeutic applications of some of the most recent findings will also be discussed.


In the UK, mortality from liver disease has increased by 400% between 1970 and 2010 with death rates for those under 65 having risen by almost 500% (1). Up to 75% of deaths related to chronic liver disease have an underlying aetiology of alcohol and are preventable (1, 2). Advanced chronic liver disease leads to multi-system clinical manifestations, many of which will require critical care. Evidence supporting this claim is seen in the increase in admissions to critical care for those patients with cirrhosis (3). These patients have higher rates of readmission to ICU (Intensive Care Unit), longer length of ICU stay and have an increased requirement for organ support (4). Despite this, both ICU and hospital mortality in those with cirrhosis have improved since the 1980s where mortality was reported to be up to 100% (5-7).

With fewer beds compared to the USA or other European countries the existing demand on critical care capacity in the UK is increasing. There remains a need for a greater number of centres offering both critical care and hepatology input, with a significant number of hospitals nationwide lacking any hepatology input (8). Assessment of critically ill patients with cirrhosis is challenging, with many prognostic scoring systems in use. To date, no scoring system has been demonstrated to be superior in stratifying which patients would benefit from ICU admission. With the existing pressure on limited critical care beds within the UK and the increased demand to support critically ill patients, identifying those patients who merit admission to critical care will become an increasingly important challenge.

This thesis focuses on the factors used in the decision to admit a patient with advanced chronic liver disease or cirrhosis to critical care, their long-term survival and quality of life. Attention is given to the utility of the Child-Pugh score and when it should be assessed. As the majority of deaths due to chronic liver disease have an underlying aetiology of alcohol, this thesis will also address how an alcohol use disorder can be assessed in the critically ill.

The first investigation of this thesis explores the criteria used in the decision to escalate a patient to intensive care. This is explored through 2 Scottish surveys of consultant gastroenterologists and intensivists. Results highlighted agreement by both specialities on the importance of Child-Pugh score measured when a patient was clinically stable. Inconsistencies were evident in the escalation of therapy with intensivists more likely to offer intensive care and multi-organ support as compared to gastroenterologists.

In response to these findings, the timing and utility of Child-Pugh score was investigated. This observational cohort study compared Child-Pugh score measured on ICU admission with the score when a patient was clinically stable and short-term mortality. Only Child-Pugh score measured at time of ICU admission was associated with hospital mortality, which contradicted the findings of the previous chapter. The degree of change in Child-Pugh score between these time points was associated with mortality.

Given that the majority of deaths due to chronic liver disease in the UK are primarily caused by alcohol, challenges exist in identifying alcohol use disorders in the critically ill. A prospective study examined the use of a proxy to report an alcohol use disorder in critically ill patients and suggested that a proxy could be used as a reliable historian.

Whilst short-term survival of critically ill cirrhotics has improved, there is a paucity of studies reporting long-term outcomes. An observational cohort study investigated survival at 12 months for cirrhotic patients admitted to a general ICU in the UK. Long-term survival following an ICU stay has improved, in keeping with other studies. When measured on admission to ICU, Child-Pugh class was demonstrated to stratify patients into 3 distinct groups for long-term survival.

With the improvement in survival, the sequelae of an ICU stay were investigated. A prospective observational cohort study explored the long-term quality of life and prevalence of sleep disturbance. A number of survivors reported that their quality of life was worse than, or equal to death. Quality of life and sleep disturbance were influenced by pre-existing comorbidity and events during their ICU. In this study, there was no association found between QOL and insomnia in those with liver cirrhosis.

This thesis addresses the decision to admit a patient with advanced chronic liver disease or cirrhosis to critical care, reports their long-term survival and quality of life and explores how one preventable cause of chronic liver disease can be assessed in the critically ill by use of a proxy.


Intraoperative ultrasound strain imaging of the brain visualizes brain tissue deformation as an image. The hypothesis is that strain and elastographic values can be used to complement conventional B-mode image in the task of brain tumor segmentation. A key asumption is that the natural pulsation of the cerebral arteries causes deformation in the brain tissue that is measurable with ultrasound. Strain values are found with a least-squares technique that estimates the spatial derivative of axial velocity, which in turn is mea- sured using a phase-based velocity estimator. A correlation coefficient is calculated for each estimate, giving an indicator of estimation accuracy. Additionally a method for hiding estimates of bad quality based on correlation coefficient thresholding is demonstrated. More- over, a novel elastographic processing technique suitable for cineloop display is introduced. This method extracts a stiffness parameter from a series of strain images, producing an elastogram. A graphical user interface allowing the user to change parameters and see the corresponding result in real-time, minimizing the time needed for parameter optimization, has been developed. The method has been tested using an elasticity phantom. The phantom elastogram cineloop shows a live image that visualizes the difference between stiff and soft tissue well, portraying information not found in the B-mode image. The conclusion is that the proposed elastographic technique, combined with correlation coefficient thresholding, produces elastograms that are suitable for real-time display. This technique is not limited to imaging of the brain, and could, with different parameters, be used for imaging other parts of the body as well. Clinical data sets from two brain tumor patients have been studied as well, where the estimated velocity, strain and elastographic values is discussed in detail. In both patients the tissue movement due to arterial pulsation was measurable with ultrasound. For one patient, a correlation was found between tissue pathology and estimated strain and elastographic values. For the second patient the strain and elastographic processing broke down, and no similar correlation was found.


Juxtacortical or parosteal osteogenic sarcoma is a well-known entity to orthopedic surgeons, but it has not previously been encountered or described in the journals of otolaryngology. A perusal of the world literature fails to reveal the record of a single instance of parosteal sarcoma of the mandible. The U. S. Army Medical Museum has registered this case as the first to be recorded in the mandible. Dr. H. L. Jaffe describes juxtacortical osteogenic sarcoma as a distinctive bone-forming connective-tissue tumor, which develops in relation to the surface of a bone and specifically in relation to the periosteum and/or the immediate parosteal connective tissue. As such it must be distinguished from conventional osteogenic sarcoma of bone which arises centrally from within the affected bone. 1 L. Lichtenstein believes that juxtacortical sarcoma is related to foci of myositis ossificans or to atypical osteochondromas, but contains sarcomatous elements of lesser or greater malignancy.


In asphalt mixture, a strong affinity between binder and aggregates is of prime importance, especially under conditions susceptible to moisture damage. Out of various modifiers/additives used in the literature, the hydrated lime (HL) has been reported as most suitable for improving affinity between binder and aggregates. Therefore, this study attempted to quantify the affinity of HL modified mastics with different aggregates under moist conditions. Further, in order to measure the affinity, the rolling bottle test (RBT) was used, which is also reported as one of the best empirical techniques for assessment of moisture susceptibility. However, in the RBT, the assessment for affinity is generally made through visual inspection by two experienced operators as per a standard procedure which can also be the major drawback of this technique in terms of less reliability and repeatability. Thereby, to reduce this deficiency, the image analysis (with no special setup) was also carried out through the use of the MATLAB program. The results as obtained from image analysis were then compared with the results of visual observation. Both were found to be very similar to each other. Hence, the RBT could be used confidently for the comparison of different binder/aggregate combinations. Also, the RBT results indicated that the HL addition was beneficial with granite, basalt and greywacke aggregates, but it did not have any effect with limestone aggregates. Further, the 10% HL substitution was found to be more efficient than 20% HL substitution as both substitutions showed a similar effect in most of the studied combinations.


The inorganic and organic hybrid compound, [O=VPd(2-Pyd-)4]n (2-Pyd- = 2-pyridonate) (1), was synthesized by assembling its monomer units in the organic solution. X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAFS) studies indicated that oxidation states of the vanadium and palladium ions in 1 were +IV and +II, and the distance between them was estimated to be 2.698-2.700 Å. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation revealed that the compound 1 shapes in long columnar crystals with micrometer-sized cross section. EXAFS and IR studies suggested that the O=V oxygen atom interacted to the central palladium ion in the neighboring monomer unit, forming the inorganic infinite chain structure, -(O=V-Pd)n-, in the columnar crystals of 1.


A part of Raniganj coalfield, eastern India, covering an area of about 156 km 2 (60 mi 2 ), was studied to identify the impact of mining on geoenvironment, in terms of heavy-metal mobilization. Twenty-eight soil samples were taken from four major landuse classes, viz., mining area, land with or without scrub, agricultural field, and social forestry area, and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, and heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, Cd, and As). Intermediate groundwater flow system of the area was inferred through the fitting of polynomial trend surfaces to the water-table elevation data from 55 observation wells for premonsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon periods. Quantitative analyses of 17 groundwater samples (7 from mining areas and 10 from nonmining areas) were carried out with special reference to heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, Cd, and As) during these three periods. Twigs of selected planted species used in reclamation of one of the mine spoils in the area were also analyzed for heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, Cd, and As). Impacts of mining have been measured in terms of erosion and heavy-metal mobilization from mine spoils to the surrounding geoenvironment. Leaching on mine spoils followed by surface runoff contaminated the soil with heavy metals, whereas leaching followed by percolation contaminated the groundwater with heavy metals. Effects were inferred in terms of changing ecosystem. Native plant species like Shorea robusta , Terminalia tomentosa , etc. are being replaced by smaller species like Butea monosperma , which appears to be more tolerant in this changed ecosystem.


In mining industry, accurate identification of new geographic locations that are favourable for mineral exploration is very important. However, definitive prediction of such locations is not an easy task. In recent years, the use of neural networks ensemble approach to the classification problem has gained much attention. This paper discusses the results obtained from using different neural network (NN) ensemble techniques for the mineral prospectivtity prediction problem. The proposed model uses the geographic information systems (GIS) data of the location. The method is tested on the GIS data for the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia. The results obtained are compared to some of the commonly known techniques: the majority combination rule, averaging technique, weighted averaging method tuned by genetic algorithm (GA) and a newly proposed rule based method. The results obtained using the different techniques are discussed.


Initial psychometric properties of the SLEEP-50 questionnaire, designed to detect sleep disorders as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., Text Revision), were examined. The sample consisted of 377 college students, 246 sleep patients, 32 nightmare sufferers, and 44 healthy volunteers. The internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α = .85); test–retest correlations fell between .65 and .89. Principal component analysis with a direct oblimin rotation revealed a factor structure that closely matched the designed structure. Sensitivity and specificity scores were promising for all sleep disorders; the agreement between all clinical diagnoses and SLEEP-50-classifications was substantial (κ = .77). These initial findings indicate that the SLEEP-50 seems able to detect a variety of sleep disorders. The SLEEP-50 can aid in screening for common sleep disorders in the general population. BEHAVIORAL SLEEP MEDICINE, 3(4), 227–246 Copyright © 2005, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.


There is extensive research addressing questions of optimal capital structure. Studies typically focus on estimating the appropriate level of debt and the factors associated with financial leverage. This paper addresses a slightly different question: how does a company's choice of leverage affect its performance through an economic downturn and ensuing recovery? This is precisely the question many companies were asking in 2019 when this paper was written, over a decade after the last recession. Corporate managers are increasingly trying to incorporate the possibility of a downturn in capital structure decisions today. The author summarizes the findings of his analysis of the relative performance of three large‐cap portfolios constructed on the basis of leverage: high, medium, and low. It focuses on measuring both financial (share price return) and fundamental (growth and margins) performance. During the period 2006‐2012, which aims to encompass a full downturn and recovery cycle, higher leverage had the expected effect of magnifying share price movements in both bull and bear markets. Nevertheless, these swings in share prices appear to have significantly exaggerated what amounted to negligible differences in the fundamental operating metrics that are most commonly associated with valuation. The author's policy prescription: Despite the temptation to reduce leverage to reduce potential share price declines, management teams should not prioritize debt reduction over investment in anticipation of economic downturns. Instead, articulate a clear leverage policy that supports an overall growth strategy and stick with it. The risk of short‐term share price declines pales in comparison to the risk of prolonged subpar growth from underinvestment.


English Changing, the theme and title of the 2009 ESEA conference held in Manila, raises specific challenges for language teacher education: To what extent do we prepare teachers to be passive recipients of the social, cultural, and economic changes that align with the global spread of English? Alternatively, how might we encourage teachers to become active participants—"agents of change"—through their mediation and implementation of language curricula and pedagogy? The author addresses such questions by first reflecting on his own personal and professional development in EFL and EAP teaching contexts. These experiences are then related to the growing research literature in language teacher identity and several theoretical issues related to this area of interest. The following sections of the article look at the complexities of transferring theory to practice in the specific context of a pre-service, language teacher education course, one of whose primary goals is to foster awareness of language as a social practice linked to unequal relations of power, and one in which language teachers are encouraged to imagine and act otherwise through their teaching and interpersonal relationships with students and colleagues. In the final sections, these course aspirations are explored through a group assignment called a "social issues project," in which students conceptualize and design a blueprint for transformative action in various forms such as an advocacy letter, workshop, curricular materials, etc. Reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of several selected projects, and how they relate with ESEA issues, conclude the article.


ABSTRACT The Lieb–Oxford bound, a nontrivial inequality for the indirect part of the many-body Coulomb repulsion in an electronic system, plays an important role in the construction of approximations in density functional theory. Using the wave function for strictly correlated electrons of a given density, we turn the search over wave functions appearing in the original bound into a more manageable search over electron densities. This allows us to challenge the bound in a systematic way. We find that a maximising density for the bound, if it exists, must have compact support. We also find that, at least for particle numbers N ≤ 60, a uniform density profile is not the most challenging for the bound. With our construction, we improve the bound for N = 2 electrons that was originally found by Lieb and Oxford, we give a new lower bound to the constant appearing in the Lieb–Oxford inequality valid for any N, and we provide an improved upper bound for the low-density uniform electron gas indirect energy.


Abstract. A combined analysis of remote sensing observations, regional climate model (RCM) outputs and reanalysis data over the Greenland ice sheet provides evidence that multiple records were set during summer 2012. Melt extent was the largest in the satellite era (extending up to ∼97% of the ice sheet) and melting lasted up to ∼2 months longer than the 1979–2011 mean. Model results indicate that near surface temperature was ∼3 standard deviations (σ) above the 1958–2011 mean, while surface mass balance (SMB) was ∼3σ below the mean and runoff was 3.9σ above the mean over the same period. Albedo, exposure of bare ice and surface mass balance also set new records, as did the total mass balance with summer and annual mass changes of, respectively, −627 Gt and −574 Gt, 2σ below the 2003–2012 mean. We identify persistent anticyclonic conditions over Greenland associated with anomalies in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), changes in surface conditions (e.g., albedo, surface temperature) and preconditioning of surface properties from recent extreme melting as major driving mechanisms for the 2012 records. Less positive if not increasingly negative SMB will likely occur should these characteristics persist.


Experiments on laser-induced thermonuclear fusion require high brightness lasers capable of producing subnanosecond pulses with total energy content of several kilojoules. Of existing laser media, Nd:glass appears to be the best choice for meeting these criteria. In this paper we discuss the problems of designing a high power Nd:glass laser system. A detailed description of an operating two-beam system producing subnanosecond pulses with a maximum energy of 350 J per beam is presented, along with an extensive description of beam diagnostic techniques. A four beam version of this system became operational on 3 April 1974 and is now producing energies in excess of a kilojoule in subnanosecond pulses.


This paper deals with the problem of observability analysis and measurement placement in generalized state estimation, where substations are modeled at the physical-level (bus-section/switching-device model) by explicit representation of circuit breakers. The conventional state estimator is extended by incorporating the active and reactive power flows through circuit breakers as state variables. The generalized measurement model is transformed to a conventional node frame of reference formulation. Any circuit breaker (flow measured or not) is substituted by two ficticious nodes and branches, the two pairs of the corresponding voltage angles and magnitudes, and additional pseudo measurements. A very efficient numerical method is proposed for observability testing and identification of observable islands. When the network is unobservable multiple measurement placement is accomplished in a noniterative manner. Results from a test system are presented.


Abstract Hop production has expanded dramatically in recent years along with the number of local craft breweries, but to date the relationship between these two phenomena has not been explored systematically. Using a state-level pooled count data model with observations from 2007, 2012, and 2017, we examine the independent lagged effects of breweries on the number of hop farms and acres grown, holding constant fixed effects and key economic and geographic factors. Our results confirm that the number of breweries is associated with more hop production (farms and acres) five years later, while warmer temperatures and higher land prices discourage it. (JEL Classifications: L66, Q11, R30)


The role of complement and its receptor on erythrocytes (CR1) in the physiologic elimination of large immune complexes from the circulation of humans was assessed. Large radiolabeled soluble tetanus toxoid- anti-tetanus toxoid complexes were injected i.v. into three normal individuals and three patients with SLE. These complexes were prepared in antibody excess and were 45S in size, fixed C and bound to E CR1 in vitro. The percentage of complexes bound in vitro was directly proportional to CR1 number/E in four normal subjects and three SLE patients. After i.v. injection into normal subjects, complexes were cleared rapidly, with a monoexponential rate constant (10.3 to 11% complexes cleared/min). In the SLE patients, clearance was best explained by two phases: the first occurred within the first minute indicating immediate trapping of a fraction of the complexes (19.5 to 25.3% of injected complexes trapped), the second was monoexponential and was similar to the normal range. A large fraction of complexes bound within the first minute to E in vivo; the percentage of binding was variable, ranging from 16.3% to 71.5% and was related to E CR1 number. In a second study complexes were injected that had been attached to autologous E by opsonization with C in vitro. Their elimination was similarly monoexponential, except in one SLE patient in whom there was significant initial trapping (30.9%). A fraction of these complexes were released from E within the first minute, the percentage release being greatest in the patient with the lowest CR1 number (81.4%). E bearing immune complexes remained in the circulation and were not transiently sequestered in the liver or spleen. This is the first study of the clearance of soluble immune complexes in vivo in humans and shows that C and CR1 on E participate in immune complex clearance reactions, and that abnormal clearance can be detected in the form of rapid removal of immune complexes from the circulation.


Filter Bank based Multicarrier (FBMC-OQAM) modulations are proposed waveforms for next generation 5G wireless systems. They offer better frequency localization compared to classical CP-OFDM. This property makes FBMC well suited for asynchronous communications (Ad Hoc or Cognitive radio applications) [1], [2], [3], [4]. In order to guarantee, after simple matched filtering processing, orthogonality between subcarriers at reception for SISO and SIMO links and for propagation channels with no delay spread, it is necessary to use an offset modulation for FBMC, known as Offset Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (OQAM) [5]. However, for MIMO links and/or highly frequency selective channels, the orthogonality between subcarriers after simple matched filtering operation is lost and Inter-Carrier Interference (ICI) and/or Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) appear at reception. On the other hand, it appears that the OQAM constellation is a second order non-circular signal, also called quasi-rectilinear, as well as the MSK and GMSK modulations. That is to say that it can be processed as one-dimensional filtered modulation after dedicated pre-processing. The use of this property combined with Widely Linear filters [6] at the receiver should increase, for both MIMO links and highly frequency selective channels, the robustness of FBMC-OQAM waveforms to Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI), Inter-Carrier-Interference (ICI) and also co-channel interferences (CCI). In this context, the PhD objectives are: To develop and to analyze the performance of SISO and SIMO Widely Linear receivers for FBMC-OQAM modulations for frequency selective channels. To develop and to analyze the performance of MIMO links for both frequency selective and non frequency selective propagation channels for different transmission schemes implementing either spatial multiplexing (SVD, V-BLAST) or Spatio-Temporal Coding (Alamouti..). To robustify the previous receivers to CCI. To implement the proposed algorithms on a software defined radio platform (USRP boards and FPGA). REFERENCES : [1] EMPHATIC Project, Enhanced Multicarrier Techniques for Professional Ad-Hoc and Cell-Based Communications, http://www.ict-emphatic.eu/ [2] 5GNOW Project, 5th Generation Non-Orthogonal Waveforms for Asynchronous Signalling, http://cordis.europa.eu/projects/rcn/104990_en.html [3] 5GNOW: Challenging the LTE Design Paradigms of Orthogonality and Synchronicity Gerhard Wunder et al. VTC spring 2013 [4] On the Use of Filter Bank Based Multicarrier Modulation for Professional Mobile Radio Markku Renfors et al. VTC spring 2013 [5] M.Bellanger, "Filter banks and OFDM/OQAM for high throughput wireless LAN", conf. ISCCSP'08, Malta, 12-14 March 2008 [6] Bernard Picinbono and Pascal Chevalier, Widely Linear Estimation with Complex Data, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SIGNAL PROCESSING, VOL. 43, NO. 8, AUGUST 1995


Citrullination, the deimination of arginine residues into citrulline, has been implicated in the aetiology of several diseases. In multiple sclerosis (MS), citrullination is thought to be a major driver of pathology, through hypercitrullination and destabilization of myelin. As such, inhibition of citrullination has been suggested as a therapeutic strategy for MS. Here, in contrast, we show citrullination by peptidylarginine deiminase 2 (PADI2) is required for normal oligodendrocyte differentiation, myelination and motor function. We identify several targets for PADI2, including myelin-related proteins and chromatin-associated proteins, implicating PADI2 in epigenetic regulation. Accordingly, we observe that PADI2 inhibition and its knockdown affect chromatin accessibility and prevent the upregulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation genes. Moreover, mice lacking PADI2, display motor dysfunction and decreased number of myelinated axons in the corpus callosum. We conclude that citrullination is required for oligodendrocyte lineage progression and myelination and suggest its targeted activation in the oligodendrocyte lineage might be beneficial in the context of remyelination.


The majority of the world's population is multilingual, and there is an increase of demands on teachers worldwide to meet pupils' diverse linguistic needs and abilities. This paper on multilingualism aims to explore four Filipino teachers' experiences of working in a multilingual context. The study is based on a sociocultural perspective on language and learning, and views the school as an institution within a larger context. Through thematic interviews, the linguistic environments in the four teachers' classrooms are described. The paper also aims to describe the status of the languages used within the context of the schools, and how the teachers express the correlations between language and identity. The results demonstrate a complex linguistic situation where the teachers have a pragmatic approach to the three languages in their everyday lives, and the use of code-switching is common. English has a high status in the society, which is also noticeable in the classroom, but the teachers work to support pupils' identity development by also allowing them to express themselves in their mother tongue.


Abstract This article provides a wide range of information for 100 articles published from January 1980 through July 1999 that describe the functional assessment (FA) of behavior in school settings. Results indicate that FA is useful for ascertaining the variables that control high-frequency problem behaviors in students with low-incidence disabilities and for designing effective interventions for those behaviors. Few studies, however, have examined low-rate problem behaviors and involved students with no disabilities. Moreover, few studies have applied FA to academic behaviors, had school personnel conduct FA without assistance, presented social validity data, or ascertained the relative effectiveness of different variations of FA. FA has great promise for school psychologists, but more work in several areas is needed if this promise is to be fulfilled.


ABSTRACT Thinly laminated diatomaceous sediments from the Miocene Monterey Formation contain intrastratal microfractured zones (IMZs) with a layer-specific stratigraphic distribution. IMZs are a hybrid fault/vein structure that are stratally bounded by undeformed sediments. IMZs record synsedimentary extension, brittle fracture, and en echelon normal faulting, and are intimately associated with a well-ordered record of sediment and fluid redistribution in sigmoidal, mud-filled vein arrays. Outcrop, microscope, and SEM observations suggest that IMZs are attributable to intrastratal faulting and vein propagation within shallowly buried diatomaceous sediments. We interpret that IMZs formed in a setting of bedding-parallel shear, on a submarine slope proximal to a region of active tectonism Measuring the spatial orientation of IMZs and correctly interpreting their vergence direction permits accurate estimation of paleoslope direction. The unique physical properties of organic-rich diatomaceous sediments contributed substantially to the formation of IMZs. Associated sediments record contemporaneous fluidization, slumping, disharmonic folding, complex fracturing, and brecciation, suggesting that IMZs are part of a rheological continuum of synsedimentary slope failure. The presence of cobbles and boulders bearing IMZs and related structures within and directly subjacent to soft-sediment conglomerates and breccias further substantiates the synsedimentary origin of IMZs and suggests that stratigraphic horizons bearing IMZs may have acted as detachment surfaces for some slope failure and subsequent mass-movement events. Although the trigger for initiation of failure remains uncertain, our kinematic model and the apparent restriction of IMZs (and comparable structures) to transpressive and convergent tectonic margins suggests that IMZs and some associated rudite deposits may record the signature of seismic events upon shallowly buried hemipelagic sediments.


The recent availability of Electronic Health Records (EHR) has allowed for the development of algorithms predicting inpatient risk of deteriora-tion and trajectory evolution. However, prediction of disease progression with EHR is challenging since these data are sparse, heterogeneous, multi-dimensional, and multi-modal time-series. As such, clustering is regularly used to identify similar groups within the patient cohort to improve prediction. Current models have shown some success in obtaining cluster representations of patient trajectories. However, they i) fail to obtain clinical interpretability for each cluster, and ii) struggle to learn meaningful cluster numbers in the context of imbalanced distribution of disease outcomes. We propose a supervised deep learning model to cluster EHR data based on the identification of clinically understandable phenotypes with regard to both outcome prediction and patient trajectory. We introduce novel loss functions to address the problems of class imbalance and cluster collapse, and furthermore propose a feature-time attention mechanism to identify cluster-based phenotype importance across time and feature dimensions. We tested our model in two datasets corresponding to distinct medical settings. Our model yielded added interpretability to cluster formation and outperformed benchmarks by at least 4% in relevant metrics.


Collecting experimental insight into the relativistic particle populations and emission mechanisms at work within TeV-emitting blazar jets, which are spatially unresolvable in most bands and have strong beaming factors, is a daunting task. New observational information has the potential to lead to major strides in understanding the acceleration site parameters. Detection of molecular carbon monoxide (CO) in TeV emitting blazars, however, implies the existence of intrinsic gas, a connection often found in photo-dissociated region models and numerical simulations. The existence of intrinsic gas within a blazar could provide a target photon field for Compton up-scattering of photons to TeV energies by relativistic particles. We investigate the possible existence of intrinsic gas within the three TeV emitting blazars RGB J0710+591, W Comae, and 1ES 1959+650 which have measurements or upper limits on molecular CO line luminosity using an independent technique that is based on the spectral analysis of soft X-rays. Evidence for X-ray absorption by additional gas beyond that measured within the Milky Way is searched for in Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT) data between 0.3 and 10 keV. Without complementary information from another measurement, additional absorption could be misinterpreted as an intrinsically curved X-ray spectrum since both models can frequently fit the soft X-ray data. After breaking this degeneracy, we do not find evidence for intrinsically curved spectra for any of the three blazars. Moreover, no evidence for intrinsic gas is evident for RGB J0710+591 and W Comae, while the 1ES 1959+650 XRT data support the existence of intrinsic gas with a column density of ∼1 × 1021 cm−2.


This doctoral thesis has three main sections: a systematic literature review, an empirical research paper and a critical appraisal. The literature review considers the factors associated with burnout in community mental health staff. Having synthesised the results of 28 papers, eight domains were identified that were associated with burnout. These included socio-demographics, work demographics, job stress and demand, support and supervision, individual characteristics, team context, client characteristics and role perception. Poor methodological rigour restricts the conclusions drawn from the reviewed papers, however a number of organisational factors were found to be of importance. The empirical paper considers the process behind the loss and maintenance of compassion in community mental health staff. Having interviewed 11 participants and utilised a grounded theory informed methodology, four core categories were identified; adopting a compassionate stance towards others, the uphill struggle, accessing a reflective space and working within a threatening system. The findings of this paper highlight the importance of reflective practice for mental health professionals and the influence of wider systemic factors. Lastly, the critical appraisal offers an extension of the study findings and reflections about conducting research in the field of compassion, as well as considering a number of decisions that were made with regard to the project.


This paper examines the conflicts arising from the layered legal treatment, fragmentation and multiplicity of institutions involved in Philippine water governance. Using a thematic analysis of national legislation, a survey of 299 water managers in 10 provinces, and five cases illustrating local contestations, the paper tracks the diversification of formal institutional stakeholders which have been found to lack coherence and inter-agency connectivity. Water managers are not grounded in policy shifts, have little understanding of formal water rights and settle local conflicts with little reliance on formal mechanisms. The select cases reveal that water rights provide weak currency in local contestations.


This updated version of "Lore of Running" covers everything runners, trainers, and coaches want to know about running from physiology, training, and history to health and medical considerations. Author Timothy Noakes, himself a runner, research scientist, and physician, presents comprehensive information that is firmly based on science but written in a down-to-earth way that every layperson can understand. Part I of "Lore of Running" explores the physiology of running. In Part II, Noakes considers all aspects of training for running. Part III, Health and Medical Considerations, provides complete information about recognizing avoiding and treating injuries.


This paper presents a novel loss compensation technique, an active negative resistor produced by a capacitively source degenerated configuration, to improve the gain flatness and bandwidth of CMOS distributed amplifiers (DAs). This configuration provides the desired isolation from the transmission line at lower frequencies, and a frequency-increasing negative conductance that can fully compensate for the loss of the on-chip inductor over a broad frequency band. A 40 GHZ three-stage 0.13 mum CMOS DA is devised that outperforms previously published CMOS DAs by providing a large gain-bandwidth product of 200 GHz-dB with an improved gain-flatness of plusmn0.2 dB. The proposed loss compensated DA dissipates 24 mW from a 1.2 VDC supply