The interactions between endothelial cells and the underlying extracellular matrix regulate adhesion and cellular responses to microenvironmental stimuli, including flow-induced shear stress. In this study, we investigated the adhesion properties of primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) and valve endothelial cells (PAVECs) in a microfluidic network. Taking advantage of the parallel arrangement of the microchannels, we compared adhesion of PAECs and PAVECs to fibronectin and type I collagen, two prominent extracellular matrix proteins, over a broad range of concentrations. Cell spreading was measured morphologically, based on cytoplasmic staining with a vital dye, while adhesion strength was characterized by the number of cells attached after application of shear stresses of 11, 110, and 220 dyn cm(-2). Results showed that PAVECs were more well spread on fibronectin than on type I collagen (P < 0.0001), particularly for coating concentrations of 100, 200, and 500 microg mL(-1). PAVECs also withstood shear significantly better on fibronectin than on collagen for 500 microg mL(-1). PAECs were more well spread on collagen compared to PAVECs (P < 0.0001), but did not have significantly better adhesion strength. These results demonstrate that cell adhesion is both cell-type and matrix dependent. Furthermore, they reveal important phenotypic differences between vascular and valvular endothelium, with implications for endothelial mechanobiology and the design of microdevices and engineered tissues.


It is a prevalent behavior of having a chat with strangers in online settings where people can easily gather. Yet, people often find it difficult to initiate and maintain conversation due to the lack of information about strangers. Hence, we aimed to facilitate conversation between the strangers with the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms and present BlahBlahBot, an ML-infused chatbot that moderates conversation between strangers with personalized topics. Based on social media posts, BlahBlahBot supports the conversation by suggesting topics that are likely to be of mutual interest between users. A user study with three groups (control, random topic chatbot, and BlahBlahBot; N=18) found the feasibility of BlahBlahBot in increasing both conversation quality and closeness to the partner, along with the factors that led to such increases from the user interview. Overall, our preliminary results imply that an ML-infused conversational agent can be effective for augmenting a dyadic conversation.


Alterations in renal blood flow distribution may occur in a variety of pathophysiologic situations; however, quantification of global and regional renal blood flows has been limited because of the lack of reliable, noninvasive techniques. To determine the feasibility of flow measurements with electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT), six anesthetized dogs were scanned by EBCT during basal conditions, after renal vasodilation, and at recovery. Flow (mL/min/cm3 tissue) was calculated from EBCT-derived time-density curves using three different algorithms and compared with simultaneously obtained electromagnetic flow (EMF) probe measurements after indexing to EBCT-derived renal volume. EBCT-determined flow correlated well with EMF measurements regardless of the algorithm used. An algorithm using the area under the time-density curve was concluded to be the most suitable for calculation of renal blood flow; it correlated with EMF as EBCT flow = 44.5 + 1.05 EMF (r = 0.885, SEE = 31.2 mL/min, P < .0001). Consistent overestimation of flow by EBCT resulted probably from retention of contrast media in the renal parenchyma. EMF showed an increase of 20 +/- 10% in renal blood flow after vasodilation. EBCT-derived global, cortical, and medullary flows increased by 33.8 +/- 10.3%, 24.8 +/- 17.8%, and 99.0 +/- 73.8%, respectively. In conclusion, EBCT was found feasible for credible quantitation of renal blood flow in the physiologic range studied.


Significance Ammonites went extinct at the time of the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact, as did more than 90% of species of calcium carbonate-shelled plankton (coccolithophores and foraminifera). Comparable groups not possessing calcium carbonate shells were less severely affected, raising the possibility that ocean acidification, as a side effect of the collision, might have been responsible for the apparent selectivity of the extinctions. We investigated whether ocean acidification could have caused the disappearance of the calcifying organisms. In a first detailed modelling study we simulated several possible mechanisms from impact to seawater acidification. Our results suggest that acidification was most probably not the cause of the extinctions. Most paleo-episodes of ocean acidification (OA) were either too slow or too small to be instructive in predicting near-future impacts. The end-Cretaceous event (66 Mya) is intriguing in this regard, both because of its rapid onset and also because many pelagic calcifying species (including 100% of ammonites and more than 90% of calcareous nannoplankton and foraminifera) went extinct at this time. Here we evaluate whether extinction-level OA could feasibly have been produced by the asteroid impact. Carbon cycle box models were used to estimate OA consequences of (i) vaporization of up to 60 × 1015 mol of sulfur from gypsum rocks at the point of impact; (ii) generation of up to 5 × 1015 mol of NOx by the impact pressure wave and other sources; (iii) release of up to 6,500 Pg C as CO2 from vaporization of carbonate rocks, wildfires, and soil carbon decay; and (iv) ocean overturn bringing high-CO2 water to the surface. We find that the acidification produced by most processes is too weak to explain calcifier extinctions. Sulfuric acid additions could have made the surface ocean extremely undersaturated (Ωcalcite <0.5), but only if they reached the ocean very rapidly (over a few days) and if the quantity added was at the top end of literature estimates. We therefore conclude that severe ocean acidification might have been, but most likely was not, responsible for the great extinctions of planktonic calcifiers and ammonites at the end of the Cretaceous.


Transaction in Islam is often criticized for not having a clear differentiator from the other transaction. Although departing from the different basic principles, but havingnot a much different impact than the other transaction. Often asked, whether Islamic economics is capitalism minus usury or socialism plus Islam? Therefore, no less important to know are, what a plus-minus of conventional transaction, what the distinguishing element between a conventional transaction with Shari'ah transaction, and whether the distinguishing element has different impact than what is produced by a conventional transaction.


The tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/Apo 2L) is a novel cytotoxic ligand belonging to TNF superfamily. Among TRAIL receptors, death receptor 4 (DR4) and DR5 containing death domain (DD) in their cytoplasmic region mediate apoptosis-signaling upon TRAIL binding, while decoy receptor 1 (DcR1) and DcR2 with a truncated or non-functional DD play "decoy" role. The interaction of TRAIL and TRAIL receptors plays important roles both in immunoregulation and immune pathogenesis of some diseases. In this study, we raised hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies against TRAIL (FMU1.1, 1.2, 1.3), DR4 (FMU1.4), DR5 (FMU1.5, 1.6), DcR1 (FMU1.7) and DcR2 (FMU1.8, 1.9). These MAbs could be used for fluorescent staining and flow cytometry (FCM) analysis as well as immunohistochemistry (IHC). Moreover, FMU1.1, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 could be used as coating antibodies paring corresponding polyclonal antibodies to develop sandwich ELISAs to quantitate the soluble TRAIL (sTRAIL), sDR4 or sDR5 in serum samples respectively. In addition, cross-linking of DR4/DR5 by FMU1.4 or FMU1.5 MAbs could induce apoptosis of some DR4/DR5-expressing tumor cells. Thus, this set of monoclonal antibodies against TRAIL or TRAIL receptors may be useful in expression phenotypic and functional study of TRAIL and TRAIL receptors.


Continuous proliferation of the immortalized myeloid progenitor cell line FDC-P1 depends on stimulation with either interleukin-3 (IL-3) or granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Two other cytokines, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-4, were found to prolong FDC-P1 survival for several days. Surviving cells incorporated [3H]thymidine and a minority completed up to 3 cell divisions before dying. This transient proliferative response was a direct effect of IFN-gamma and IL-4 since these cytokines did not induce production of detectable IL-3 or GM-CSF and the response was unaffected by cell concentration. IL-6, a constitutive product of FDC-P1 cells whose secretion was increased by IL-3, GM-CSF and IL-4 but not by IFN-gamma, was not responsible for the proliferative response. FDC-P1 lines that constitutively expressed the cell cycle-associated oncogene myc or the survival-associated oncogene bcl-2 also responded only transiently to IFN-gamma or IL-4, indicating that expression of these genes did not complement the signals delivered by IFN-gamma or IL-4. By contrast, the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) prolonged survival of FDC-P1 cells on its own and potentiated the response to IFN-gamma or IL-4, although the combination of stimuli did not support long-term growth. It is concluded that IFN-gamma and IL-4 trigger only some of the signalling events that lead to mitogenesis; these events are complemented by stimulation with PMA but additional signals are required for sustained proliferation.


There are various surveying techniques used in the field of cultural heritage documentation. Close Range Photogrammetry (CRP) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) techniques have been widely used in 3D modeling applications. Various research studies integrate these techniques to enhance the quality of the data acquired. The main objective of this research is to assess the accuracy of TLS and CRP. The two methods are applied to two culture heritage case studies, which are located in the historic district in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data obtained from both techniques is compared with data captured using traditional surveying techniques as reference data. The results show that TLS tends to be more accurate than CRP. In the first case study (Bab Makkah), CRP and TLS produced 0.044 m and 0.008 m overall RMS error, respectively; while CRP produced 0.025 m and TLS produced 0.021 m in the second case study (Bab Sharif).


This report presents research intended to compile and further understand the state of the technology for wastewater pipeline renewal engineering methodologies and technologies, focusing primarily on the geographic regions of the U.S. Researchers performed an extensive literature review, covering conference papers, journal articles, vendor literature, and major reports. Additionally, detailed case studies describing utility wastewater pipeline renewal engineering practices are outlined using information data mined directly from participating utilities.

The information gathered through literature review and data mining is compiled and synthesized, resulting in the presentation of conclusions regarding the state of renewal engineering of domestic wastewater pipelines, recommendations for further research and industry needs, and descriptions of identified trends. Trends in technology use and practices are summarized, cost issues are discussed, and the gaps between needs and available technologies are presented.

Furthermore, this report proposes a standard data structure for utilities to use for reporting purposes when performing renewal engineering efforts on wastewater pipelines. The collection of the information presented in the proposed standard data structure for utility reporting would provide the data needed to greatly improve utility operating processes and direct research toward industry needs.

This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series

ISBN: 9781780405704 (eBook)


The introduction of fluorine atoms into molecules and materials across many fields of academic and industrial research is now commonplace, owing to their unique properties and effects. A particularly interesting feature of fluorine substitution is its impact on the relative orientation of a C-F bond when incorporated with organic molecules. In this Review, we will be shining light on this unique feature by discussing the conformational behaviour of aliphatic carbo- and heterocyclic systems. The conformational preference of each system is associated with various interactions introduced by fluorine substitution such as charge-dipole interactions, dipole-dipole interactions and hyperconjugative interactions. The contribution of each interaction on the stabilization of the fluorinated alicyclic system, which manifests itself in low conformations, will be discussed in details. The novelty of this feature will be demonstrated by presenting the most recent applications.


Photoswitchable organic molecules can undergo reversible structural changes with an external light stimulus. These optically controlled molecules have been used in the development of smart polymers, optical writing of grating films, and even controllable in-vivo drug release. Being the simplest class of photoswitches in terms of structure, azobenzenes have become the most ubiquitous, well-characterized, and implemented organic molecular switch. Given their predictable response, they are ideally suited to create an all-optically controlled switch. However, fabricating a monolithic optical device comprised solely from azobenzene while maintaining the photoswitching functionality is challenging. In this work, we combine integrated photonics with optically switchable organic molecules to create an optically controlled integrated device. A silica toroidal resonant cavity is functionalized with a monolayer of an azobenzene derivative. After functionalization, the loaded cavity Q is above 100,000. When 450 nm light is coupled into cavity resonance, the azobenzene isomerizes from trans-isomer to cis-isomer, inducing a refractive index change. Because the resonant wavelength of the cavity is governed by the index, the resonant wavelength changes in parallel. At the probe wavelength of 1300 nm, the wavelength shift is determined by the duration and intensity of the 450 nm light and the density of azobenzene functional groups on the device surface, providing multiple control mechanisms. Using this photoswitchable device, resonance frequency tuning as far as sixty percent of the cavity free spectral range in the near-IR is demonstrated. The kinetics of the tuning are in agreement with spectroscopic and ellipsometry measurements coupled with finite element method calculations.


South African inland fisheries are poorly developed and their contribution to near-shore communities is poorly understood. This study is the first comprehensive assessment of recreational and subsistence angling undertaken in an inland fishery in South Africa. The study was conducted on the 360 km2 Lake Gariep, South Africa's largest freshwater reservoir. A total of 508 anglers were interviewed between February 2007 and January 2008. Of those interviewed, 67% were subsistence anglers and 33% recreational anglers. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) did not differ significantly between sectors. CPUE fluctuated seasonally, ranging between 0.37 (95% CI= 0.26 to 0.51) kg·angler-1·h-1 in winter and 0.88 (0.67 to 1.17) kg·angler- 1·h-1 in summer. The duration of a fishing day ranged from 5.99 (5.24 to 6.74) h in mid-winter to 7.26 (6.88 to 7.63) h in early summer. Expected end-of-day catch (CPUE × fishing-trip duration) ranged from 2.2 to 6.4 kg·angler-1·d-1 depending on the season. The number of anglers ranged from 22 (8 to 53) anglers·d-1 in June/July to 74 (25 to 176) anglers·d-1 in April. Total annual catch from the roving creel survey was estimated at 71.4 (57.4 to 91.4) t·yr-1. Another 7.5 t∙yr-1 were landed during recreational angling competitions. The resultant total catch divided by the lakeshore population equated to a per capita fish supply of 11.1 kg·yr-1. More than 70% of the catch was the alien invasive carp Cyprinus carpio and there was no evidence of overfishing. The fish resource of Lake Gariep is of significant recreational and subsistence value. As a result of the low fish price (ZAR5.72 ± 2.60·kg-1) subsistence fishing was considered a low-revenue activity that mainly augmented food security in lakeshore communities. The relatively high CPUE indicated that the fishery may be an important safety-net during periods when alternate sources of livelihoods are limited. Consequently, we recommend that the importance of angling to local communities needs to be taken into account when planning fisheries development and developing an inland fisheries policy  Keywords: CPUE, annual yield, livelihoods, hurdle model, roving creel survey, Gariep Dam, angling


Exemplarily for the EURO2008TM host city of Innsbruck (Tyrol), the paper presents a newly developed system for providing intelligent local-based information (ILBI)* to support visitor management during mega sport events. An active 868-869 MHz radio frequency identification (RFID) system allows for real-time localization and a rule engine matches user location and preferences, weather conditions, time and other parameters before customized SMS are sent (i.e. pushed) to event visitors. Triggered by individual movement patterns of almost 420 event visitors nearly 4,000 SMS were sent during the EURO2008TM. Additionally, over 12,000 tracking data were generated, thereby allowing the analysis of interesting movement patterns of event visitors. Finally, most frequently triggered, thus, most relevant event information and corresponding cross-selling potentials are identified.


Background: NTM (nontuberculous mycobacteria) is ubiquitous bacteria and widely distributed. Additionally, the species isolated from patients with NTM lung disease are geographically diverse. In this study, the epidemiology and clinical features of NTM lung disease in Okinawa, a subtropical region in Japan, were retrospectively analyzed. Method: Between Jan. 2009 and Dec. 2015, laboratory examinations detected NTM from respiratory specimens from Okinawa Chubu Hospital and Ryukyu University Hospital. NTM lung disease, defined according to the American Thoracic Society criteria, was extracted and identified. Patient9s clinical background, and chest CT findings were compared between MAC (Mycobacterium avium complex) and RGM (rapid growing mycobacteria)infected patients. Results: One hundred and fourteen patients were diagnosed as NTM lung disease (MAC [n=38] and RGM [n=64]). Of these, eight patients were tracheotomized and were subsequently infected with RGM. No tracheotomized patients developed MAC (RGM 14.3%, MAC 0%, p=0.0232). Bronchiectasis on CT was observed more frequently in MAC group(78.9%) than inRGM group (43.8%) (p=0.0004). Nodular lesions were also frequently seen inMAC group than in RGM group (63.2% vs 29.7%; p=0.0002). Conclusion: In comparison to the reports from mainland Japan, RGM was more frequently isolated in Okinawa. A recent study showed that cystic fibrosis, gastroesophageal disease, and previous mycobacterial lung disease were risk factors for developing RGM lung disease. Although further studies are needed, tracheostomy might be another possible risk factor to cause RGM induced NTM lung disease.


This investigative study focused on challenges experienced by novice principals in executing their mandated leadership and management duties. A case study was conducted on four novice principals in the Pinetown District. Two headed a rural primary and high school respectively and the other two, an urban primary and high school respectively. The study investigated challenges experienced by novice principals, how they coped with these challenges and how they enacted themselves as assets to their schools. This qualitative study was located in the interpretive paradigm. Documents review, observations and semi-structured interviews constitute the research instruments for date generation. The study was framed by the distributive theory and the asset-based approach. Local and international scholastic works, on the research topic, were interrogated to seek insights into the progress so far made and determine the agenda to the explored. The analysis and discussion of the generated and presented data led to findings that demystified the world of novice principals. Clearly, they require pre-service induction or orientation, mentoring and coaching should accompany the in-service workshops for contextualisation of the theory learnt and informal networking to glean from the experience of peers. Higher stakeholder involvement and learning should be enhanced through the adoption of distributive leadership and the asset-based approach. The findings were utilised as the basis of making conclusions. It was concluded that capacity building initiatives are key to development even if novice principals are appropriately qualified, possessed accumulated experiences in leadership position as the Head of Department or Deputy principal and prior knowledge. It was also concluded that for the effective and efficient entrenchment of thee DoE's legislated vision and direction of the democratic system of education, leadership should be shared or distributed. Individual capabilities should be determined and employed in the asset-based approach. Recommendations, informed by the conclusions were presented to facilitate how each theoretical conclusion can be translated into a workable practice in running schools effectively and efficiently.


A ratio cholesterol esters/apo B in very low and low density lipoproteins (VLDL and LDL), characterizing their cholesterol-transport function, as well as a ratio cholesterol esters/apo A-I in high density lipoproteins (HDL) HDL2 and HDL3, demonstrating the loading of cholesterol per unit of their main protein, were studied in 16 patients with ischemic heart disease accompanied by coronary atherosclerosis documented by angiography and in 36 healthy men. In patients with coronary atherosclerosis and low level of HDL cholesterol, particles of atherogenic lipoproteins were overloaded with cholesterol esters, while the ratio cholesterol esters/apo A-I was decreased in HDL2 and HDL3 as compared with controls. These alterations might be related to an increase in efficiency of cholesterol esters transport from HDL into VLDL and LDL as a result of dissimilar transformations in chemical and structural characteristics of surface monolayer of VLDL and HDL particles studied earlier.


According to the 2010 General Population and Housing Census of Togo, the total population increased from 2 719 567 inhabitants in 1981 to 6 191 155 inhabitants in 2010; that is an average annual growth rate of 2,84 per cent. It is made up mainly of women (51,4 per cent) but also characterised by its extreme youth. Persons with disabilities represent 2,2 per cent. The State of Togo ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as its Optional Protocol on 1 March 2011. At the national level, the Togolese Constitution of 14 October 1992 directly or indirectly guarantees disability rights set out in the Convention through the provisions of articles 10, 11, 28 and 33. Law 2004-005 of 23 April 2004 on the social protection of persons with disabilities enriches this normative architecture. However, it should be noted that certain provisions of the law do not meet the requirements of the CRPD. To this end, a draft law on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities is being prepared. At the institutional level, the implementation of the rights of people with disabilities is mainly ensured by the government under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Action, the Promotion of Women and Literacy and the Ministry of Human Rights and Relations with Institutions of the Republic in collaboration with the Togolese Federation of Associations of People with Disabilities (FETAPH). This active collaboration has contributed to the gradual improvement in the inclusion of disability concerns in public policies and programmes. This has made it possible to improve the care and inclusion of persons with disabilities through major actions, including the establishment of the Special Fund for persons with disabilities. However, despite a favourable context, among the challenges constituting major obstacles to the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities in Togo, there are many obstacles relating to access to public buildings, insufficient consideration of the needs of workers with disabilities, persistent social stigma and the very low representation of persons with disabilities in elective office and decision-making positions. Making the law consistent with the CRPD should help remove these persistent obstacles.


3783 VNP20009, an attenuated Salmonella bacterium, preferentially replicates to high levels in solid tumors, relative to normal tissues, and possesses significant anti-tumor activity in murine animal models. During the course of generating new bacterial vectors, we discovered that some of the strains lost the tumor growth inhibition property while maintaining the ability to replicate and accumulate to high levels in tumors in vivo. In order to develop a better understanding of the anti-tumor activity induced by TAPET vectors, we undertook proteomic and genomic approaches to identify the potential tumoricidal components of VNP20009 and other closely related strains. VNP69, a variant derived from VNP20009, lost its anti-tumor activity after transposon mutagenesis, suggesting that the inserted transposon disrupted a gene or operon that directly or indirectly affects bacterial anti-tumor activity. Thus, we used genomic walking technology to identify the location of the transposon insertion and 2-D gel electrophoresis to confirm the disappearance of the gene product in VNP69. When the disrupted gene, gshB (encoding glutathione synthetase), was cloned and re-introduced into VNP69, the anti-tumor activity could be restored in a B16 melanoma-transplanted animal model. Loss of the gene in VNP69 also caused significant changes in the protein expression profile (more than 20 proteins affected), based on 2-D gel analysis, of VNP69 as compared to VNP25, which has anti-tumor activity. These data suggest that the identified gene could be a critical component of or may regulate other factors critical to the anti-tumor activity of Salmonella.


Abstract For almost twenty years the concept of total mesorectal excision (TME) has featured in the medical literature. It remains however the object of ongoing controversy and sometimes of downright antagonism. At the present time there are at least four other names for exactly the same technique being championed by different authorities. 1. Circumferential Mesorectal Excision (Enker); 2. Sharp Mesorectal Excision (Cohen); 3. Extrafascial Excision of the Rectum (Hill); 4. Total Anatomical Dissection (Boley). As Shakespeare said "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet".


Dependency-based software change impact analysis is the domain concerned with estimating the sets of artifacts impacted by a change to a related artifact. Research has shown that analysing the various class dependency types independently will never completely reveal the impact sets. Therefore, dependency types are combined to improve the precision of estimated when compared to impact sets. Software classes can be linked in different ways; for instance semantically, if their meaning is somewhat related or, structurally, if one class depends on the services of other classes. 'Hidden' dependencies arise when two classes, linked structurally, do not share the same semantic namespace or when semantically dependent classes do not share a structural link. With the goal of revealing hidden dependencies during change impact analysis, we empirically investigated the relationship between structural and semantic class dependencies in object-oriented software systems. Results show that (i) semantic and structural links are significantly associated, (ii) the strengths of those links do not play a significant role and, (iii) a significant number of dependencies are hidden. We propose two refactoring techniques to deal with hidden dependencies, based on existing design patterns. We plan to investigate them further to assert whether either has the potential for reducing refactoring and testing effort.


The surface amorphous layer of articular cartilage is of primary importance to its load-bearing and lubrication function. This lipid-filled layer is degraded/disrupted or eliminated when cartilage degenerates due to diseases. This article examines further the characteristic of this surface overlay using a combination of microscopy and imaging methods to evaluate the hypothesis that the surface of articular cartilage can be repaired by exposing degraded cartilage to aqueous synthetic lipid mixtures. The preliminary results demonstrate that it is possible to create a new surface layer of phospholipids on the surface of cartilage following artificial lipid removal, but such a layer does not possess enough mechanical strength for physiological function when created with either unsaturated palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine or saturated dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine component of joint lipid composition alone. We conclude that this may be due to low structural cohesivity, inadequate time of exposure, and the mix/content of lipid in the incubation environment.


Spain's total fertility rate has more than halved since 1975, when it was 2.8, to the present 1.3 (the lowest rate on record, 1.2, was reached in 1995). At the same time, the mean age at first childbirth has grown continually, seriously hindering any sustained recovery of fertility. Cohort fertility, in turn, has declined uninterruptedly since the 1941 cohort, and according to all estimates, this will drop to 1.6 for women born in the 1960s. A downturn in nuptiality, which has not been offset by a rise in consensual unions, along with the prevalence of contraceptives and abortion, have contributed substantially to falling fertility. Underlying this decrease is the profound cultural, social, and economic change that has raised the perceived costs of leaving the parental home and having children. The lack of any explicit family policy or transfers to compensate for such costs has reinforced that perception.


Abstract A new isoflavone, 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3′-hydroxymethylisoflavone (1), together with three known isoflavones, 3′-formyl-5,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxyisoflavone (2), ficuisoflavone (3) and alpinumisoflavone (4), were isolated from the roots of Ficus auriculata. Among them, 1 is a rare isoflavone containing 16 carbon atoms on the carbon skeleton. The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and the known compounds were identified by comparisons with data reported in the literature. All compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against five terrestrial pathogenic bacteria in vitro. Compounds 1–4 showed significant antibacterial activities against various terrestrial pathogenic bacteria with MIC values ranging from 1.30 to 39.93 μM.


Arabic mathematical expressions use special symbols and usually written from right to left. Most of Arabic users are facing problem of adding special Arabic mathematical symbols specifically these symbols supposed to be written in the Arabic format (from right to left) and don't find all these special symbols in typing all the related applications.
There are different Arabic math symbols needed to be added in the mathematical statements and equations. In Microsoft (MS) Word or other applications, users may find many of these symbols but not all. The proposed system will use software and tools including Arabic Pack for Math Type and it paints. It includes all Arabic symbols to be inserted in the different applications such as MS Word and MS Power Point.
The application system will facilitate the insertion of all symbols in the applications and allows users to maximize, minimize, edit and format these symbols easily. The configuration of the system is very easy and automatically be added to MS Word and Power Point application bars.


Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrate impairments in selective attention and sensory processing. The authors assessed differences in brain function between 26 participants with schizophrenia and 17 comparison subjects engaged in automatic (unattended) and controlled (attended) auditory information processing using event-related functional MRI. Lower regional neural activation during automatic auditory processing in the schizophrenia group was not confined to just the temporal lobe, but also extended to prefrontal regions. Controlled auditory processing was associated with a distributed frontotemporal and subcortical dysfunction. Differences in activation between these two modes of auditory information processing were more pronounced in the comparison group than in the patient group.


This thesis relates to the area of short term scheduling and control in batch process plants. A batch process plant consists of individual plant items linked by a pipe network through which product is routed. The structure of the network and the valve arrangements which control the routing severely constrains the availability of plant items for configuration in routes when a plant is operating. Current approaches to short term scheduling contain simplifying assumptions which ignore these constraints and this leads to unrealistic and infeasible schedules. The work undertaken investigates the use of techniques from the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES) in order to overcome these simplifying assumptions and develop good schedules which can be implemented in a plant.

The main divisions of work cover a number of areas. The development of a representation scheme for batch plant networks, and procedures for reasoning about the constraints imposed by their structure to infer the actual availability of plant items for routing purposes at any time. The development of a dynamic rule-based route configuration procedure which takes into account the constraints on plant item availability. The development of an activity scheduling framework for batch plants based on this. The development of a dynamic simulation model to take account of finite capacity constraints in a batch plant. The integration of these elements in a hybrid structure to make best use of the techniques available from the areas of AI and DES.

The representation scheme and procedures developed for reasoning about the constraints in a plant network enable the simplifying assumptions of other approaches to be overcome so that the system can produce good feasible schedules. The hybrid structure is a practical one to take for implementation and enables the best use of techniques from AI and DES.


Sprague-Dawley rats with peritonitis treated with either a subcutaneous or intraperitoneal minidose of heparin show a significant increase in survival time when compared with controls. In the treatment groups, adhesions and abscesses were less severe and localized to the area of gangrenous bowel. Heparin also significantly reduced the incidence of recovery of viable bacteria from the blood and peritoneal cavity. These findings may be related to a decreased deposition of fibrinogen within the abdomen or to the early mobilization of fibrin.


Silica gel made of natural waste materials of sugarcane bagasse has initiated a new trend in pozzolanic area. The employment of eco-friendly approach by using low concentration acids and natural drying via solar heat based equipment in the pre-treatment process were projected to minimize the energy consumption in producing silica ash. Conversion of ultrafine silica ash from sugarcane bagasse
into silica gel was conducted by-using a modified hydrothermal method. NaOH and HCI solution were employed in the dissolution and gelification of soluble silica. Analysis on the effect of silica gel in cementitious system was evaluated by including it in mortar specimen as a pozzolan to replace certain portion of Portland cement. Inclusion of additional siliceous gel showed enhancement in
the cement hydration process, which resulted in early hardening and consolidatedformation of cement matrix to further contribute in the strength development. Measurement of pozzolanic reactivity of silica gel via Chapelle method verified the active consumption of Ca(OH)2 by the soluble silica, which illustrates the possible formation of secondary calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) from the pozzolanic reaction. Densification of pore structure via large voids were observed via porosity test at age of 7 and 28 days. Based on the experimental result in this study, silica gel has presented an encouraging prospect to be used as a cement replacement material. Its rapid reaction during the early age would be beneficial in providing early strength properties to the cement based product.


High-speed input/output (I/O) link performance is limited by random noise as well as signal integrity issues such as dispersion, reflections, and crosstalk. Hence, accurate prediction of system performance including these random and deterministic noise is crucial in high-speed link design. This paper presents a novel, fast, and accurate method to simulate the time-domain system response. The presented method calculates the system response using multiple edge responses (MER) based on linear superposition. Being able to take into account system nonlinearity more accurately, the presented method significantly improves simulation accuracy compared with the other published fast simulation techniques based on either single bit response (SBR) or double edge responses (DER), while at the same time maintaining equivalent numerical efficiency. Furthermore, peak distortion analysis, which is commonly used to find the worst-case data pattern based on SBR, is extended for DER and MER using dynamic programming. A multiphase worst-case data pattern approach is also introduced in this paper in order to determine the worst-case system performance under both timing and voltage consideration.


This paper proposes a socio-physical approach that considers jointly the interaction and integration of the social and physical views of a system to improve emergency response and preparedness. This is accomplished through a reduction of systemic risk, which refers to a risk that could be greater than the sum of the risks of the individual system constituents. Using network analysis, it is shown that the explicit socio-physical approach yields meaningful qualitative and quantitative differences when compared with approaches that focus on the social and physical views in isolation. The benefits of this proposed approach are illustrated on a case study using clustering analysis and a proof-of-concept simulation. This new approach leads to systemic risk reduction by enabling a more informed and coordinated response strategy following an incident and a better identification of possible consequences and preparation strategies prior to an incident.


The last few decades have seen a dramatic increase in water pollution due to various types of waste generated by human activity. These include plastic and glass accumulating in the shore area of lakes and oceans. These substrates may be colonized by various groups of aquatic organisms. Little is known of the trophic interrelationships between microand macroorganisms colonizing Plastic (PB) and Glass Bottles (GB). Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to determine the taxonomic composition and abundance of microand macroorganisms colonizing artificial, anthropogenic substrates, the trophic relationships between the organisms colonizing these substrates, and the influence of the physicochemical properties of the water on the formation of such assemblages. Studies of microand macroorganisms were carried out on the surface of PB and GB in a eutrophic retention basin. Both the species richness and abundance of microorganisms and metazoa were found to be determined by the type of substrate colonized as well as by the physicochemical properties of the water (primarily the content of total organic carbon and biogenic compounds). Furthermore, the trophic structure of microbial assemblages demonstrated seasonal variability. In spring, the substrates were colonized by typical bacterivorous ciliates, whereas in the following seasons there was a larger share of omnivorous species (ciliates and rotifers). This may indicate that the accumulation of various types of anthropogenic waste, in the present case GB and PB, may contribute to changes in the matter and energy cycle, including the carbon cycle, in various microhabitats of aquatic ecosystems. Corresponding author: firstname.lastname@example.com


The meaning of text appears to be tightly related to intentions and circumstances. Context sensitivity of meaning is addressed by theories of discourse structure. Few attempts have been made to exploit text organization in summarization. This thesis is an exploration of what knowledge of discourse structure can do for content selection as a subtask of automatic summarization, and query-based summarization in particular. Query-based summarization is the task of answering an arbitrary user query or question by using content from potentially relevant sources. This thesis presents a general framework for discourse oriented summarization, relying on graphs to represent semantic relations in discourse, and redundancy as a special type of semantic relation. Semantic relations occur on several levels of text analysis (query-relevance, coherence, layout, etc.), and a broad range of textual features may be required to detect them. The graph-based framework facilitates combining multiple features into an integrated semantic model of the documents to summarize. Recognizing redundancy and entailment relations between text passages is particularly important when a summary is generated of multiple documents, e.g. to avoid including redundant content in a summary. For this reason, I pay particular attention to recognizing textual entailment. Within this framework, a three-fold evaluation is performed to evaluate different aspects of discourse oriented summarization. The first is a user study, measuring the effect on user appreciation of using a particular type of knowledge for query-based summarization. In this study, three presentation strategies are compared: summarization using the rhetorical structure of the source, a baseline summarization method which uses the layout of the source, and a baseline presentation method which uses no summarization but just a concise answer to the query. Results show that knowledge of the rhetorical structure not only helps to provide the necessary context for the user to verify that the summary addresses the query adequately, but also to increase the amount of relevant content. The second evaluation is a comparison of implementations of the graph-based framework which are capable of fully automatic summarization. The two variables in the experiment are the set of textual features used to model the source and the algorithm used to search a graph for relevant content. The features are based on cosine similarity, and are realized as graph representations of the source. The graph search algorithms are inspired by existing algorithms in summarization. The quality of summaries is measured using the Rouge evaluation toolkit. The best performer would have ranked first (Rouge-2) or second (Rouge-SU4) if it had participated in the DUC 2005 query-based summarization challenge. The third study is an evaluation in the context of the DUC 2006 summarization challenge, which includes readability measurements as well as various content-based evaluation metrics. The evaluated automatic discourse oriented summarization system is similar to the one described above, but uses additional features, i.e. layout and textual entailment. The system performed well on readability at the cost of content-based scores which were well below the scores of the highest ranking DUC 2006 participant. This indicates a trade-off between readable, coherent content and useful content, an issue yet to be explored. Previous research implies that theories of text organization generalize well to multimedia. This suggests that the discourse oriented summarization framework applies to summarizing multimedia as well, provided sufficient knowledge of the organization of the (multimedia) source documents is available. The last study in this thesis is an investigation of the applicability of structural relations in multimedia for generating picture-illustrated summaries, by relating summary content to picture-associated text (i.e. captions or surrounding paragraphs). Results suggest that captions are the more suitable annotation for selecting appropriate pictures. Compared to manual illustration, results of automatic pictures are similar if the manual picture is mainly decorative.


The new compound UCo3-xGex with x = 0.4 was prepared by direct solidification of the corresponding liquid phase, followed by annealing at 973 K. Single crystal X-ray diffraction carried out at room temperature showed that it crystallizes with the hexagonal space group P63/mmc (n°194) and the unit-cell parameters a = 4.890(5) Å and c = 16.405(5) Å. The substitution of Co atoms by germanium atoms in UCo3 (PuNi3 structure type) yields stabilization of the CeNi3 structure. The homogeneity range, evaluated by energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis, extends from x = 0.2(1) to 0.4(1). The electronic properties were investigated by means of DC magnetic susceptibility and DC electrical resistivity measurements. The phase is a Pauli paramagnet and exhibits electrical conductivity characteristic of strongly disordered metals.


Reading is a skill people require in order to operate successfully in all spheres of life. Mastering this skill is even more critical when pursuing academic studies. This study investigated the reading comprehension of final year undergraduate marketing students at a South African higher education institution (HEI) relating to their comprehension of marketing research textbooks. Two measurement instruments were used to test their reading comprehension. One instrument contained two passages from the respondents' prescribed marketing research textbook and the other two passages from a comparative international textbook. Following the Cloze procedure, every 9th word was removed from the passages and respondents were subsequently required to complete the non-subject related words in one of the instruments fielded on a random basis. The results indicated that the majority of respondents exhibited a reading comprehension that is at the frustration reading level. A further evaluation that allowed for synonyms (Semantically Acceptable Scoring Method or SEMAC) to be included, did not impact meaningfully on the classification of respondents. Significant differences in reading comprehension could also not be uncovered based upon the respondents' gender and home language. The results furthermore presented challenges for all those involved in higher education (HE), more specifically impacting on textbook choice as well as assessment and performance practices.


Problem statement: The characteristics of a laser diode are highly dependent on the temperature of the laser chip. Thus, the effect of temperature on the network performance of uncooled semiconductor laser diode are studied by simulating its equivalent electrical circuit, developed from the rate equations that governing optical components directly into an electrical simulation framework. Approach: The simulations are carried out using circuit analysis program named OptiSPICE and Opti System. On this simulation study, the analysis is done based on three parameters in order to determine the quality of received signal which are; center wavelength, bandwidth and output power. Results: As the temperature variance is fed to the laser diode through an external thermal noise, the result will shows that the ambient temperature of laser diode is varied with time. In this case, the performance of laser diode will decreases as the operating temperature increases or, conversely the performance increases as the operating temperature decreases. Conclusion: The circuit design must be simulated using a SPICE engine that incorporates both electrical and optical models, which is Opti SPICE software. It cannot be simulated using traditional software packages because they do not provide sufficient coupling between electrical and optical devices.


Item rankings are useful when a decision needs to be made, especially if there are multiple attributes to be considered. However, existing tools either do not support both categorical and numerical attributes, require programming expertise for expressing preferences on attributes, do not offer instant feedback, or lack flexibility in expressing various types of user preferences. In this work, we present RankASco: a human-centered visual analytics approach that supports the interactive and visual creation of rankings. RankASco leverages a series of visual interfaces, enabling broad user groups to a) select attributes of interest, b) express preferences on attribute scorings based on different mental models, and c) analyze and refine item ranking results. ,


This investigation correlated incidence and degree of autonomic dysfunction with the degree of motor impairment in children hospitalized with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Motor weakness varies, as does the effect on autonomic function including heart rate, vasomotor stability, sweating, continence, and blood pressure. After Institutional Review Board approval, hospitalized patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome <19 years were included for retrospective chart review. There were 26 patients (12 boys), with a mean age of 11.3 years (range, 6-17 years). The average hospital stay was 10.6 days. Twenty-four (92%) recovered by 2 to 6 months without functional disability. Bradycardia and sweating disturbances were not observed. Hypertension occurred in 18 of 26 (69%) and tachycardia in 20 of 26 (77%) patients. The proportion of children with hypertension and/or tachycardia increased, as did the motor disability grade (P < .043 and P < .018, respectively). Hypertension occurred 9 to 15 days from symptom onset and within 24 to 48 hours of maximum motor disability in 89%. Multiple autonomic disturbances compound the course of childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome.


The centrality of domestic coalitions serves as transmission belts between the domestic and international realms. Despite its long lineage in international and comparative political economy and its relevance to the understanding of contemporary responses to globalization, coalitional analysis has been typically neglected when explaining outcomes in international relations. The analytical framework adopted here builds on two "ideal-typical" coalitions—an "inward-nationalist" and an "outward-internationalist" model—each advancing competing models across industrialized and industrializing contexts alike. Several applications illustrate the breadth and scope of this framework, spacious enough to explain economic responses in Europe from the repeal of the Corn Laws to the 20th century; the security implications of economic responses leading to World War I; the impact of internationalization on regional orders in the industrializing world since 1945; the relationship between coalitional approaches to the global economy and nuclear weapons proliferation since 1970; and the relevance of coalitional divides to outcomes regarding Brexit, Donald Trump's election, and beyond. Coalitional analysis thus (a) offers important insights on wide-ranging empirical phenomena in comparative and international politics that institutional approaches alone fail to explain; (b) provides a unifying framework addressing trans-historical responses to globalization, nationalism, ethno-confessionalism, and their effects on interstate relations; (c) attends to political cleavages in political economy that intersect with security; (d) transcends dated level-of-analysis categories by linking subnational and global processes; (e) is flexible enough to accommodate wide variation in state–society relations and political institutionalization; (f) grounds politics in a dynamic framework able to explain both continuity and change; and (g) clarifies contradictory findings regarding interdependence and war by providing a mechanism explaining why, when, and how economic exchange with the world may or may not inhibit war.


A head-mounted display system with fully-integrated eyetracking capability offers multi-fold benefits, not only to fundamental scientific research but also to emerging applications of such technology. A key limitation of the state-of-the-art eyetracked head-mounted display (ET-HMD) technology is the lack of compactness and portability. In this paper, we present an innovative design of a high resolution optical see-through ET-HMD system based on freeform optical technology. A prototype system is demonstrated, which offers a goggle-like compact form factor, non-obstructive see-through field of view and true high-definition image resolution for the virtual display. The see-through view, via the combination of a freeform prism and corrector, achieved better than 0.5 arc minute of angular resolution for the central region of approximately 40-degrees to ensure minimal impacts on the see-through vision of an HMD user.


We study the entanglement entropy and spectrum between components in binary Bose-Einstein condensates in $d$ spatial dimensions. We employ effective field theory to show that the entanglement spectrum exhibits an anomalous square-root dispersion relation in the presence of an intercomponent tunneling (a Rabi coupling) and a gapped dispersion relation in its absence. These spectral features are associated with the emergence of long-range interactions in terms of the superfluid velocity and the particle density in the entanglement Hamiltonian. Our results demonstrate that unusual long-range interactions can be emulated in a subsystem of multicomponent BECs that have only short-range interactions. We also find that for a finite Rabi coupling the entanglement entropy exhibits a volume-law scaling with subleading logarithmic corrections originating from the Nambu-Goldstone mode and the symmetry restoration for a finite volume.


This paper examines changes in individual earnings during positive and negative growth periods in three Latin American economies: Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela. We ask whether those individuals who start in the best economic position are those who experience the largest earnings gains or the smallest earnings losses; this is the "divergent mobility" hypothesis. We also compare periods of positive economic growth with those of negative economic growth, asking whether those groups of individuals that experience large positive earnings gains when the economy is growing are the same as those that experience large earnings losses when the economy is contracting; this is the "symmetry of mobility" hypothesis. We find very occasional support for the divergent mobility hypothesis in scattered years in the cases of Mexico and Venezuela, and no support at all in the case of Argentina. Rather, earnings mobility is most frequently convergent or neutral in all three countries. As for the symmetry of mobility hypothesis, we find that it is rejected in most cases; rather, those groups that gain the most when the economy is growing are also the ones that gain the most when the economy is contracting. Furthermore, we explain how the absence of divergence is compatible with rising inequality in the countries under study.


The service-oriented technologies are considered as the most promising paradigm over the last few years for delivering functionalities and allowing business cooperation. In those paradigms, the traditional vision of security aims to keep properties such as availability, authentication, and confidentiality by protecting the web service itself. However, in such an approach, the particularities of the human interaction in regard to the behaviors of the service stakeholders have been until now based only on trust. In this article, justified by the need of having an agreement in the business vocabulary used for expressing controllability policies, we present a model formalizing the semantics of service contracts. The DL formalism is used to model the specific knowledge domain, while OWL 2 is used as concrete syntax. Mots-clés : contrat, sémantique, modèle, service, SOA, confiance.


Deletions of the 22q11.2 region distal to the 22q11.21 microdeletion syndrome region have recently been described in individuals with mental retardation and congenital anomalies. Because these deletions are mediated by low-copy repeats (LCRs), located distal to the 22q11.21 DiGeorge/velocardiofacial microdeletion region, duplications are predicted to occur with a frequency equal to the deletion. However, few microduplications of this region have been reported. We report the identification of 18 individuals with microduplications of 22q11.21-q11.23. The duplication boundaries for all individuals are within LCRs distal to the DiGeorge/velocardiofacial microdeletion region. Clinical records for nine subjects reveal shared characteristics, but also several examples of contradicting clinical features (e.g. macrocephaly versus microcephaly and upslanting versus downslanting palpebral fissures). Of 12 cases for whom parental DNA samples were available for testing, one is de novo and 11 inherited the microduplication from a parent, three of whom reportedly have learning problems or developmental delay. The variable phenotypes and preponderance of familial cases obfuscate the clinical relevance of the molecular data and emphasize the need for careful parental assessments and clinical correlations.


This study examines the deep-rooted socio-cultural practices of institutional prostitution, which is one of the factors contributing to sex trafficking in Central India. There are some states where women and girls are vulnerable to trafficking. The Honorable Supreme Court of India became aware of the issue and directed the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to make a special report on the missing women and children. According to the NCRB report, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) state ranks first in child trafficking and third in women's trafficking. The study discusses traditional prostitution practices among some communities in the state, such as Banchhada, Bedia, and Kanjar. They have long been involved in institutional prostitution and sex trafficking. These communities depend on prostitution proceeds from their sisters and daughters to survive. So, they prepare them to become prostitutes right from the beginning of their lives. Communities justify their practices as the traditions and customs of their culture. This study uses secondary and primary data to understand and analyze the hidden factors of culture-based prostitution and trafficking in Central India. The study's findings address the unconscious practices of communities that are responsible for the means of unconventional survival. Various parameters, including poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy, have contributed to these crimes.


This research was carried out in Kashan Fajre Sepahan Galvanizing mills (KFSGM) for evaluation of water corrosivity during 2005-2006. A total of 18 samples were taken from various points of the water supply system for testing the specific parameters and calculation Langelier Index (LI), Ryznar Index (RI) and Pukorious Index (PI). This research showed that in raw water (sand filter effluent) LI were positive as well as RI and PI were lower than 7 which means that mentioned water is not corrosive. Also LI in treated water by reverse osmosis process was negative and RI and PI were higher than 7, so, this water has corrosive properties. Finally, calculated indexes indicate that according to LI, conditioned water is not corrosive but based on RI and P. this water tend to corrosivity which this findings is compatible with literature review statement. So it is recommended that, for water conditioning addition of preservative chemicals to be continued but at the same time another alternatives such as pH adjustment, air stripping and deoxygenating, control of carbonate concentration and split flow treatment should be studied.


The relative roles of mitochondrial (mito) ATP-sensitive K(+) (mitoK(ATP)) channels, protein kinase C (PKC), and adenosine kinase (AK) in adenosine-mediated protection were assessed in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts subjected to 20-min ischemia and 45-min reperfusion. Control hearts recovered 72 +/- 3 mmHg of ventricular pressure (50% preischemia) and released 23 +/- 2 IU/g lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Adenosine (50 microM) during ischemia-reperfusion improved recovery (149 +/- 8 mmHg) and reduced LDH efflux (5 +/- 1 IU/g). Treatment during ischemia alone was less effective. Treatment with 50 microM diazoxide (mitoK(ATP) opener) during ischemia and reperfusion enhanced recovery and was equally effective during ischemia alone. A(3) agonism [100 nM 2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide], A(1) agonism (N(6)-cyclohexyladenosine), and AK inhibition (10 microM iodotubercidin) all reduced necrosis to the same extent as adenosine, but less effectively reduced contractile dysfunction. These responses were abolished by 100 microM 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD, mitoK(ATP) channel blocker) or 3 microM chelerythrine (PKC inhibitor). However, the protective effects of adenosine during ischemia-reperfusion were resistant to 5-HD and chelerythrine and only abolished when inhibitors were coinfused with iodotubercidin. Data indicate adenosine-mediated protection via A(1)/A(3) adenosine receptors is mitoK(ATP) channel and PKC dependent, with evidence for a downstream location of PKC. Adenosine provides additional and substantial protection via phosphorylation to 5'-AMP, primarily during reperfusion.


The reduction of childhood obesity through the promotion of a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important public health challenges at the moment. It is known that the unhealthy habits of children can cause unavoidable side effects in their early stage of life, including both physical and mental consequences. This work considers that the physical activity level of children is a behaviour that can be spread throughout the social relations of children in their daily life at school. Therefore, the aim of this work is to define what the best strategy is to find 'targets' (i.e., influential children that can initiate behavioural change) for physical activity (PA) interventions that would affect the average PA of a population of Dutch school classes. We tuned a model based on the influence of the children's peers in their social network, based on the data set from the MyMovez project - Phase I. Five intervention strategies were implemented, and their efficacy was compared. Once the targets were chosen, an increase of 17% was applied to their initial PA. Then, the diffusion model was run to verify the improvement on the PA of the whole network after one year. We discuss implications of the simulation results on which strategies may be used to make informed choices about the setup of social network interventions and future model improvements. Our results show that targeting more vulnerable children (i.e. in a worse environment) and applying a network optimization algorithm are the best solutions for this data set indicating that future interventions should aim for these two strategies.


Abstract:This essay is an account of the author's experiences in collecting and assembling cultural and historical materials related to the island of Rotuma and to Rotuman communities in diaspora. The resultant archives are to be housed at the University of Hawai'i's Pacific Collection in both physical and digital forms. They include field notes dating back to research begun in 1959 that has been ongoing to the present as well as an array of published and unpublished documents collected from libraries, museums, and archives from around the world. A major goal of establishing the archive, particularly in its digital form, is to provide optimal access to persons of Rotuman ancestry as a form of repatriation that will encourage them to explore their cultural and historical heritage in the interest of adding substance to their cultural identity, and to provide enhanced opportunities for Rotuman scholars to assess the materials so that they can generate their own accounts of the Rotuman experience.


An original method for the extraction of one maximal subset of a set of Boolean clauses that must be satisfiable with possibly mutually contradictory assumptive contexts is motivated and experimented. Noticeably, it performs a direct computation and avoids the enumeration of all subsets that are satisfiable with at least one of the contexts. The method applies for subsets that are maximal with respect to inclusion or cardinality.


The recent rise of excess liquidity in the United States and in the euro zone did not result in a resurgence of inflation. Excess liquidity, rather than heading towards the market of consumer goods, could have moved towards the asset markets. In the data covering the period going from 1980 to 2004 and relative to the United States, the euro zone, the United Kingdom and Japan, there's no element pointing out an effect of excess liquidity on asset prices: there is no common trend in asset prices, vector models taking into account the excess liquidity developments do not explain the movements of asset prices, and the extension of the quantitative equation of money to transactions on assets does not stabilize the money velocity.


ABSTRACT Study of ancient cold-methane seep deposits provides insight into the changes in seep communities over the lifetime of a seep, which are otherwise difficult to observe in modern settings. We studied 24 cold-methane seep deposits in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Pierre Shale of southwestern South Dakota. These deposits were subdivided into three categories depending on their physical characteristics: (1) those with a single main conduit, few secondary pipes and concretionary bodies, and no carbonate cap, implying strong advective flow to the sediment-water interface; (2) those with a single main conduit, a moderate number of secondary pipes and concretionary bodies, and a small carbonate cap, implying both advective and diffusive flow to the sediment-water interface; and (3) those with a single main conduit, a high number of secondary pipes and concretionary bodies, and a broad carbonate cap, implying extensive flow, but dampening at the sediment-water interface due to the presence of the large carbonate cap. We analyzed the faunal composition at all 24 seeps. The number of species ranges from five to 20. All of the seeps are dominated by baculitid ammonites, inoceramids, and lucinids ("foundation" organisms). These species are the same as those in time-equivalent non-seep sites in the Pierre Shale and are not seep-obligate. However, in seep categories 2 and 3, the number and kind of secondary organisms increases in association with the development of the large carbonate cap. These organisms include oysters, gastropods, echinoids, sponges, crinoids, and scaphitid ammonites. We infer that these organisms appear because (1) the carbonate hardground provides a more diverse habitat allowing attachment and encrustation and (2) the bottom waters are better oxygenated and/or the level of hydrogen sulfide is reduced because the methane rich fluids are diverted away from the carbonate cap, thus providing a more suitable habitat for organisms such as scaphitid ammonites that require a well-oxygenated environment. However, even at these seeps, the number of secondary organisms usually does not exceed that of foundation organisms.


What we think of our bodies and what we wear says something about who we are and how we belong. This was the same in the ancient world. Rosemary Canavan explores the imagery of clothing and body in the first century CE Christian writing, the Letter to the Colossians. Through the use of this imagery in the letter, the writer critiques the way people understood themselves in a particular part of the Greco-Roman world in the Lycus Valley in south western Asia Minor (Turkey). An examination of statuary, funerary monuments and coins in this geographical location contemporaneous with the letters writing reveals how clothing and body images were understood. This is then placed in dialogue with the metaphorical use of clothing and body in other texts, especially the Letter to the Colossians. Social identity and rhetorical studies draw on archaeological, epigraphical, iconographical and literary sources to formulate a new approach to biblical interpretation aptly named visual exegesis.


Hyperfine gain spectrum of a chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) is investigated experimentally. Six hyperfine lines are obtained in a COIL gain medium as well as an iodine absorption cell. Meanwhile, gain profiles and cavity temperatures are calculated.


We discuss the nature and importance of the concept of Sequence Risk, the risk that a bad return occurs at a particularly unfortunate time, such as around the point of maximum accumulation or the start of decumulation. This is especially relevant in the context of retirement savings, where the implications for withdrawal rates of a bad return can be particularly severe. We show how the popular 'glidepath' or target date savings' products are very exposed to such risk. Three different measures of Sequence Risk are proposed, each of which is intended to inform investors of the probability that a chosen investment strategy may not deliver desired withdrawal rates and hence these measures are intended to aid investment choices; conventional performance measures such as Sharpe or Sortino ratios are only indirectly related to this ability to achieve a given withdrawal experience. Finally, we note that, using US data, very simple portfolios comprising equities and bonds can achieve very low probabilities of failure to achieve popular desired withdrawal rates such as 5% p.a. providing the equity component is 'smoothed' by switching in and out of cash using a simple trend following rule.


Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the most dynamic and enthusiastic writers among her contemporaries, She is definitely blessed with rare kind of art which she has achieved by virtue of her incessant labour and courage. Although she was born and brought up in the foreign countries, her attachment with India and the Indians became indispensable, which can easily be noticed all through her work. Lahiri subsequently developed her own technicalities, which she deployed in her fictional works. She is heartily associated with Indian culture and traditions, and this is the real cause for her huge popularity and fame.


The cosmic ray spectrum has been shown to extend well beyond 1020 eV. With nearly 20 events observed in the last 40 years, it is now established that particles are accelerated or produced in the universe with energy near 1021 eV. In all production models neutrinos and photons are part of the cosmic ray flux. In acceleration models (bottom-up models), they are produced as secondaries of the possible interactions of the accelerated charged particle, in direct production models (top-down models) they are a dominant fraction of the decay chain. In addition, hadrons above the GZK threshold energy will also produce, along their path in the Universe, neutrinos and photons as secondaries of the pion photo-production processes. Therefore, photons and in particular neutrinos, are very distinctive signatures of the nature and distribution of the potential sources of ultra high energy cosmic rays. In the following we expose the identification capabilities of the Auger observatories. In the hypothesis of νμ→ντ oscilla...


Modified versions of Epstein and McPartland's Family Decision-Making Scale were administered to upper elementary and junior high school children to assess their perceptions of the degree to which the child shares power and authority with parents and the degree to which the child participates in making decisions at home. Support was found for the hypothesis that parent-child authority relationships are systematically related to children's self-consciousness in various spheres of experience. Children from highly Authoritarian families reported greater self-consciousness in the math classroom, amongst peers, and in sports settings; they also reported a greater overall tendency to avoid situations in which the self was salient. In contrast children from families offering opportunities for self-direction reported an opposite pattern. Finally children's self-consciousness was differentially related to children's selfesteem and self-concept of ability in math, social, and sports domains. The authors conclude that parent-child authority structures are systematically related to children's self-assessments. Future research is needed to augment our understanding of the parent-child dynamics which contribute to these observed relationships.


This paper reviews the various aspects of tissue regeneration during the process of tissue expansion. "Creep" and mechanical and biological "stretch" are responsible for expansion. During expansion, the epidermis thickens, the dermis thins out, vascularity improves, significant angiogenesis occurs, hair telogen phase becomes shorter and the peripheral nerves, vessels and muscle fibres lengthen. Expansion is associated with molecular changes in the tissue. Almost all these biological changes are reversible after the removal of the expander.This study is also aimed at reviewing the difficulty in deciding the volume and dimension of the expander for a defect. Basic mathematical formulae and the computer programmes for calculating the dimension of tissue expanders, although available in the literature, are not popular. A user-friendly computer programme based on the easily available Microsoft Excel spread sheet has been introduced. When we feed the area of defect and base dimension of the donor area or tissue expander, this programme calculates the volume and height of the expander. The shape of the expander is decided clinically based on the availability of the donor area and the designing of the future tissue movement. Today, tissue expansion is better understood biologically and mechanically. Clinical judgement remains indispensable in choosing the size and shape of the tissue expander.


Theory and practical applications of learning using simulation, electronic media and learning technologies are taught in the "Learning Environments" module within the Intercalated BSc in Medical Education. Students are expected to learn about technology-enhanced learning, through an exploration and analysis of examples and of published studies. Influenced by social constructivist principles, co-operative learning is at the heart of the module, whereby students work with peers in preparing and presenting materials that demonstrate theoretical understandings. The module team facilitate in-class activities which are designed to scaffold students as they develop an e-Learning educational package, using Xerte, which is summatively assessed. Students work in small groups (3-5) and as part of the summative assessment they are required to develop an online learning package from the point of view of a teacher and curriculum planner. Students are encouraged to design a package which demonstrates, through its design, that appropriate theoretical perspectives from inter-professional education, use of technology and reflection in learning have been incorporated. In doing so, elements of "hidden curriculum" are uncovered as students undertake tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills. Students also submit a short essay in which they explain, in theoretical terms, the design they have selected for their e-Learning package and justify the approach taken. The poster argues that this is an example of authentic assessment through alignment to Ashford-Rowe et al's (2014) practical framework and its 8 critical elements. Reference: Ashford-Rowe, K., Herrington, J. and Brown, C., 2014. Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39(2), pp.205-222.


Evanescent wave interference is studied theoretically and experimentally. The interference patterns were directly measured with a scanning near-field optical microscope. The acquired image of the interference pattern is clear and has better contrast than that previously acquired with a photon-scanning tunnelling microscope or lasertrapped particles. The spatial period of the interference fringes is 180 nm, which agrees with the theoretical value. The results indicate that the probe of the scanning near-field optical microscope has a resolution beyond 100nm. The relation between the evanescent field intensity and the distance is also measured. When the separation between the probe and the interface is up to 18Ohm, the intensity can decrease to 1/e of the maximum.


Can two negotiators fail to agree when both the size of the surplus and the rationality of the negotiators are common knowledge? We show that the answer is affrmative. When the negotiators can make irrevocable commitments at a low but positive cost, the unique symmetric equilibrium entails disagreement with high probability. In the unique pair of pure strategy equilibria, one party gets all the surplus. Even though we impose no constraints on side-payments, effcient compromises are unattainable. A strongly asymmetric authority relationship is thus the only viable alternative to costly coni¬'ict.


of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Jochen Reiser. No. of pages in text. (69) Mutations of classic Transient Receptor Potential Channel 6 (TRPC6) were identified in hereditary FSGS, most of which are gain-of function. Increased expression of wild-type TRPC6 in glomeruli was observed in several human acquired proteinuric diseases. Synaptopodin, an actin binding protein that is important in maintaining podocyte function, is downregulated in various glomerular diseases. Here, we provided evidence that synaptopodin maintains podocyte function by regulating podocyte surface expression and activity of TRPC6. We show indirect interaction and nonrandom association of synaptopodin and TRPC6 in podocytes. Knockdown of synaptopodin in cultured mouse podocytes increased the expression of TRPC6 at the plasma membrane, whereas overexpression of synaptopodin decreased it. Mechanistically, synaptopodin–dependent TRPC6 surface expression required functional actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. Functionally, overexpression of wild–type TRPC6 or the FSGS–inducing mutant TRPC6M131T in synaptopodin-depleted podocytes enhanced TRPC6–mediated calcium influx and induced apoptosis. In vivo, knockdown of synaptopodin by tail vain injection of siRNAs caused increased podocyte surface expression of TRPC6. Administration of cyclosporine A, which stabilizes synaptopodin, reduced LPS-induced proteinuria significantly in wild-type mice but to a lesser extent in TRPC6 knockout mice. Furthermore, administration of cyclosporine A reversed the LPS-induced increase in podocyte surface expression of TRPC6 in wild-type mice. Our findings suggest that alteration in synaptopodin levels under disease conditions may modify intracellular TRPC6 channel localization and activity, which further contribute to podocyte dysfunction. Therefore, reducing TRPC6 surface levels may be considered to be a new approach to restoring podocyte function.


The concept of equilibrium is fundamental to economic theory, according to which, it exists when supply and demand are balanced. Equilibrium Models in Economics critically examines the major problematic assumptions employed to build equilibrium models. It gives particular attention to the assumptions used to characterize learning, knowledge and expectations. Lawrence Boland here explores whether equilibrium models can provide a realistic explanation of economic events and objects such as prices, market demands and market supplies. He traces how the different perspectives on equilibrium models represented by such creators as Kenneth Arrow, Robert Clower, and George Richardson influenced subsequent developments in economics. A key debate is about the comparative importance of whether equilibrium refers to a state of an actual economy or a property of a formal mathematical model. Another is the extent that the distinction between a model's exogenous vs. endogenous variables involves causality. Also explored are more recent efforts provided by behavioral, evolutionary, and complexity economics-whether they might change how economics is practiced in the future and how they could. Equilibrium Models in Economics is a trenchant exploration of how the discipline has grappled with attempts to understand and explain the way information, knowledge, and the expectations of actors participating in the economy influence outcomes and behavior. It presents a realistic, workable theory of knowledge and learning, simulating how decision makers and other actors operate in fast-changing equilibrium conditions.


Tests are suggested for field control which are designed to ascertain the relative amounts of reactive lime after mixing and prior to soil compaction. The methods discussed involve end points, the plastic limit leveling off, and the pH increasing towards that of free lime with increasing precentages of lime. The Eades method for determination of a lime retention point involves preparing a series of soil-water suspensions with successively higher proportions of hydrated lime. The use of phenolphthalein pH indicator with soil suspensions is described. A plastic bottle of about one liter capacity equipped with a pump-type spray is used in the field. Such techniques are used in the resolution of questions regarding the minimum levels of lime treatment required for stabiization. The phenolpthalein indicator test is also used to detect a lime deficiency during mixing, compaction, or at any other time until the cure membrane is applied to the lime-treated layer. Mention is made also of the clarification of suspensions. Observations using the dirty palm test are useful where it is not possible to use either indicator or Sedimentation. The use of these field tests will determine whether or not a soil is reactive to lime, which is valuable information in predesign sampling, development of design studies and economic evaluations.


Epithelial cells expressing calprotectin, a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9 proteins, are more resistant to bacterial invasion. To determine structural motifs that affect resistance to bacterial invasion, mutations were constructed in S100A9 targeting the calcium-binding loops I and II (E36Q, E78Q, E36Q,E78Q) and the C terminus (S100A91–99 and S100A91–112), which contains putative antimicrobial zinc-binding and phosphorylation sites. The S100A8 and mutated S100A9 encoding plasmids were transfected into calprotectin-negative KB carcinoma cells. All transfected cells (except KB-sham) expressed 27E10-reactive heterodimers. In bacterial invasion assays with Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (Salmonella typhimurium), cell lines expressing S100A8 in complex with S100A9E36Q, S100A9E78Q, S100A91–99, or S100A91–112 mutants or the S100A91–114 (full-length) calprotectin resisted bacterial invasion better than KB-sham. When compared with KB-S100A8/A91–114, cells expressing truncated S100A91–99 or S100A91–112 with S100A8 also showed increased resistance to bacterial invasion. In contrast, glutamic acid residues 36 and 78 in calcium-binding loops I and II promote resistance in epithelial cells, because cells expressing S100A9E36Q,E78Q with S100A8 were unable to resist bacterial invasion. Mutations in S100A9 E36Q, E78Q were predicted to cause loss of the calcium-induced positive face in calprotectin, reducing interactions with microtubules and appearing to be crucial for keratinocyte resistance to bacterial invasion.


Primary and secondary metabolism in Coffea plants is reviewed. After a brief introduction of carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism, the biosyntheses of three major secondary metabolites in coffee, caffeine, trigonelline and chlorogenic acids, are reviewed. Caffeine is a purine alkaloid and produced from purine nucleotides with the four-step biosynthetic pathway from xanthosine being catalyzed by three enzymes belonging to the SABATH family of N-methyltransferases. Catabolism of caffeine occurs in only a limited number of Coffea species. Trigonelline is a pyridine alkaloid produced from a pyridine nucleotide, NAD. Nicotinic acid, an intermediate of the pyridine cycle, serves as the substrate for trigonelline synthase. This enzyme is also a SABATH family N-methyltransferase and very similar to the enzymes operating in the caffeine biosynthetic pathway. Biosynthesis of chlorogenic acids begins with the core phenylpropanoid pathway. The route to 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) from p-coumaroyl-CoA in Coffea plants is p-coumaroyl-CoA → 5-O-p-coumaroylshikimic acid → 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid → caffeoyl-CoA → 5-CQA. Occurrence and plant physiological aspects of the metabolism of the three secondary metabolites are also described.


The purpose of this paper is to study who high- growth firms (HGFs) hire using a matched employer-employee dataset for all knowledge intensive industries in Sweden, where high growth is measured over the period 1999-2002. The results indicate that HGFs to a larger extent employ young people, immigrants, and individuals with longer unemployment periods. However, these patterns seem contingent on the stage of firm evolution. HGFs that have already realized rapid growth seem to start focusing on hiring individuals from other companies, even though immigrants are still overrepresented among new employees.


OBJECTIVE
To describe how maternal-child staff nurses support breastfeeding mothers during the postpartum hospital stay and how these mothers perceive the support received from the nurses.

DESIGN
Ethnographic.

SETTING
Data were collected at a community hospital in southeastern Florida.

PARTICIPANTS
Unstructured interviews were conducted with seven maternal-child nurses caring for breastfeeding mothers. The investigator observed 12 nurses' interactions with breastfeeding mothers and newborns. Eight breastfeeding mothers were interviewed, using a semistructured guide, in the hospital before discharge and at 2 and 6 weeks postpartum.

RESULTS
Nurses supported breastfeeding mothers by providing information and interpersonal support. Breastfeeding mothers expected the nurses to support their feeding efforts by providing information, encouragement, and interpersonal support.

CONCLUSION
Health care providers can help breastfeeding mothers, but the support offered must be the kind that mothers want.


Assuming phenomenological thermal flow balance and solute conservation, a numerical model was proposed for recalescence in bulk undercooled alloy. During the calculation, the evolution of residual melt temperature and concentration is solved as function of the transformed solid fraction. After quantitative thermodynamic calculations, a transition from non-equilibrium to equilibrium process can be described by the change of liquid/solid Gibbs energy difference. The proposed model has been applied to Cu-Ni solid solution and Fe-B hypereutectic alloy. The predicted post-recalescence temperature TR agrees well with the experimental results.


The anaerobic digestion is a well-known method in waste management of biodegradable wastes to transform waste to energy. Proper digestion requires optimal fermentation conditions to improve the quality and yield of biogas.The objective of this study was to characterize the biodegradation process of synthetic and organic wastewater. Microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) were utilized as a bioindicator for anaerobic digestion and monitoring of the fermentation process. Besides bioindication, the viability of the microalgae and the chlorophyll concentration were also assessed in such fermentation processes, since microalgae can be a potential source for biofuel production and a plant nutrient.The biodegradation process was studied for a month in an anaerobic tank reactor. The fermentation processes and lengths of the fermentation stages were successfully monitored and separately identified based on the pH and gas development. Furthermore, the amount and dynamics of the biogas yield also revealed that the fermentation process was about 510 hours in both cases. In contrast, increased temperature in thermophilic range (45°C) accelerates the degradation processes and resulted in shorter hydrolysis (60 hours), acetogenesis (24 hours) and longer methanogenesis (81 hours) stages, where higher biogas yield was also achieved (59.3%). During the process, the concentration of nutrients showed logarithmical tendencies and COD showed power tendency in time. The extent and the direction of the changes were in correspondence with microalgae activity. In thermophilic circumstances, living microalgae biomass dropped significantly without recovery therefore such an environment is not a viable option for microalgae growth. Moreover, dead microalgae biomass seems to act as a substrate for fermentation slightly increasing the concentration of some nutrients in the wastewater.


This study contributes to developing the concept of decision-making support in biometric-based situational awareness systems. Such systems assist users in gathering and analysing biometric data, and support the decision-making on the human behavioural pattern and/or authentication. As an example, the authors consider a facial biometric assistant that functions based on multi-spectral biometrics in visible and infrared bands; it involves facial expression recognition, face recognition in both spectra, as well as estimation of physiological parameters. The authors also investigate usage of facial biometrics for the semantic representation for advanced decision-making.


This paper analyzes the sources of performance losses in hardware transactional memory and investigates techniques to reduce the losses. It dissects the root causes of data conflicts in hardware transactional memory systems (HTM) into four classes of conflicts: true sharing, false sharing, silent store, and write-write conflicts. These conflicts can cause performance and energy losses due to aborts and extra communication. To quantify losses, the paper first proposes the 5C cache-miss classification model that extends the well-established 4C model with a new class of cache misses known as contamination misses. The paper also contributes with two techniques for removal of data conflicts: One for removal of false sharing conflicts and another for removal of silent store conflicts. In addition, it revisits and adapts a technique that is able to reduce losses due to both true and false conflicts. All of the proposed techniques can be accommodated in a lazy versioning and lazy conflict resolution HTM built on top of a MESI cache-coherence infrastructure with quite modest extensions. Their ability to reduce performance is quantitatively established, individually as well as in combination. Performance is improved substantially.


The field of theology and development is a relatively new sub-discipline within theological studies in Africa. The first formal post-graduate programme was introduced at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa during the mid-1990s. In the early years it was known as the Leadership and Development programme and since 2000, as the Theology and Development programme. Over the past twenty years, this programme has graduated over 160 BTh Honours, 100 MTh, and 15 PhD students. This article outlines the history of the programme, addresses its ideological orientation, its pedagogical commitments and preferences in curriculum design. It further argues that theological reflection on "development" must seek to understand the prophetic role of the church in responding to the complexities of the social issues facing the African continent.  Key to this discussion is the contested nature of "development" and the need for theological perspectives to engage this contestation through a social analysis of the global structures of injustice. This requires an engagement with the social sciences. It is this engagement of the social sciences with theological reflection, the essay argues, that has enabled the students who have graduated from the Theology and Development Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to assist the church and faith-based organisations to become effective agents of social transformation.


In this paper I present a dynamic model that provides an explanation for why violent movements arise, why armed conflicts can persist over long periods, why guerrilla movements operate in rich places, and whether or not redistributive policies can eliminate the incentives for guerrilla movements. I analyze these questions using a model of competitive markets, three inputs and two types of agents. Apart from the standard results, I find that: (i) The existence of guerrilla movements increases wages in the short run but reduces them in the long run. (ii) If workers or guerrilla members benefit from learning by doing, the persistence of the conflict leads to an endogenous heterogeneity that increases the difficulties of eliminating the incentives for guerrilla activity. (iii) Once in place, guerrilla activity flows to the most productive economies together with labor and capital.


Increasing the output power of Nd:YAG's 4F3/2→4I9/2 quasi-four-level transition is attractive for providing a highradiance source with a wavelength below 1micron for applications at the life sciences interface, ranging and sensing, or as a vital element for next-generation display technologies, when frequency converted into the blue-green part of the visible spectrum. Reabsorption losses at the lasing wavelength combined with a relatively low stimulated emission crosssection and competition with the much stronger 1.06 micron transition, demands a configuration with high pumping intensity, comparable to the pump saturation intensity at 808 nm, to achieve efficient operation. However, even with the availability of increasingly bright diode-lasers, the thermal deficit of the excitation cycle and the thermo-optic properties of the YAG host medium currently limit the achievable output power at 9xx nm. Presented here is a double-clad planarwaveguide Nd:YAG laser, operating at a lasing wavelength of 946 nm with an output power in the 100 W regime and better than 50% optical to optical conversion efficiency. The enhanced thermal management characteristics of the waveguide structure have enabled power-scaling well beyond that possible in a bulk laser configuration. These advantages and further power-scaling possibilities will be discussed.


Previous hypotheses for the absence of current ripples in coarse sands and for the stability of lower stage plane beds are critically reviewed and refuted. It is proposed that the lower stage plane bed remains stable and does not ripple because flow separation over bed defects is inhibited by the enhanced vertical mixing of boundary layer fluid over transitional to rough boundaries. This vertical mixing neutralises the increased static pressure over bed defects and prevents separation and re-attachment so that the defects are unable to amplify and propagate downstream. Eventually, as flow strength is increased, larger defects advance as bar bedforms which are regarded as kinematic waves. Further increases of flow strength give rise to dune bedforms related to effective flow re-attachment from pre-existing bar crests and whose downstream repeat distances are controlled by the magnitude of burst events occupying the whole turbulent boundary layer.


A simple and unified proof of the dyadic shift invariance and an extension to cyclic shift invariance are presented. First, the concept of the dyadic shift invariance (DSI) and cyclic shift invariant (CSI) functions is proposed. Basic properties of the DSI and CSI functions are considered. Then it is shown that the Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT) and discrete Fourier transform (DFT) are, in fact, special cases of the DSI and CSI functions, respectively. Many properties of the WHT and DFT can then be obtained easily from DSI and CSI points of view. The proposed unified approach is simple and rigorous. It is also shown that the properties of the WHT and DFT are the consequence of the basic principles of the DSI and CSI functions. >


Three new coded aperture mask designs are proposed. These masks enjoy many of the valuable properties possessed by uniformly redundant arrays and in addition have simple geometric design and few restrictions on size. Decoding arrays for the new designs are given, and an analysis of their noise characteristics is included. Two of the new mask designs are compared with a URA mask when used for imaging phantoms using a conventional hospital gamma camera.