High-energy astrophysics focuses on understanding the origins of the most energetic radiation and particles observed or theoretically predicted in the universe. This area of research probes the most mysterious and most difficult-to-observe astrophysical phenomena. Understanding these phenomena is worth the effort, however, because they may be key to understanding the origin of the universe and the fundamentals of particle physics. Recent observations of extreme events such as ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and gamma ray bursts have led to significant progress in determining their sources and modeling the mechanisms that produced them. Relativistic jets accelerated from massive compact objects, such as neutron stars or black holes, have been implicated as the primary culprits for producing high- energy events. Here we present three Reviews of the more rapidly advancing areas of research, ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, gamma ray bursts, and relativistic jets.

The highest energy cosmic rays are thought to be extragalactic. However, their source remains a mystery, as discussed in a Review by Guenter Sigl (p. [73][1]). About 12 events have been detected by large-area, ground-based detectors that sample the secondary particles of the cosmic rays. These observations, combined with theoretical models, suggest that ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays come from the earliest processes in the formation of the universe, nonstandard particle physics, or acceleration of particles by energetic processes such as gamma ray bursts.

Gamma ray bursts—which last for only a few seconds and generate about 1053 ergs per second of energy output, greater than any other astrophysical phenomenon—are now being detected at a rate of about one per day. Peter Meszaros (p. [79][2]) reviews our current understanding of these curious events. The Italian-Dutch satellite BeppoSAX in particular has helped to locate gamma ray bursts, and accurate locations make it much easier to observe the afterglows with ground-based telescopes and satellites. These observations have led to a model that favors the collapse of a massive object into a neutron star or black hole, generating jets that create gamma ray bursts.

Relativistic jets, collimated flows of plasma that travel at almost the speed of light, may produce gamma ray bursts, ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, and many other high-energy phenomena. David Meier, Shinji Koide, and Yutaka Uchida (p. [84][3]) review the latest observations of jet structures, mainly from radio and x-ray wavelength observations, and focus on magnetohydrodynamic simulations of relativistic jets that reproduce these structures. A neutron star or black hole, in a binary system or in the act of formation, will accrete mass and angular momentum. Differential rotation of this mass and momentum may twist the magnetic field lines of the system, producing bipolar jets, and simulations can provide the appropriate conditions to accelerate particles to produce ultra high-energy cosmic rays or create gamma ray bursts in the jet stream.

Relativistic jets also make up the centerpiece of the first of three News stories. Mark Sincell (p. [66][4]) describes how the jets of recently discovered objects known as microquasars may shed light on the mechanisms behind quasars—galaxy-spanning structures powered by supermassive black holes. Next, Govert Schilling (p. [68][5]) tells of another attempt to link two similar-looking phenomena: faint high- energy blips known as soft gamma repeaters and anomalous x-ray pulsars. Finally, Richard Stone (p. [70][6]) travels to Tatarstan to report on a project intended to rival much larger Western ground- and space-based attempts to detect gravitational waves from binary pulsars

Thus, the combination of numerical simulations, observations, and theory is improving our understanding of the origins of high-energy astrophysical phenomena. The future looks bright for resolving some of these great mysteries in the early 21st century.

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.291.5501.73
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.291.5501.79
 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.291.5501.84
 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.291.5501.66
 [5]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.291.5501.68
 [6]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.291.5501.70


This thesis considers external and internal security in the Australian colonies from the founding of New South Wales to the end of the Macquarie era. As history is a continuum, matters outside the nominated time frame of 1788 to 1821 are, where relevant, considered. This study is not a sociological history of British forces, nor concerned with their many roles, unless applicable. However, to appreciate European concepts of sovereignty which influenced Pitt's government in selecting secure colonial borders, consideration is given to the discovery of New Holland and New South Wales.
New South Wales lay athwart zones of strategic interest to the Dutch in the East Indies and the Spanish in the Pacific. Spanish claims were ignored, but to prevent international tension with Holland, Britain selectively prescribed the colony's western border. Additionally, with France, under the Bourbons and Napoleon, apparently planning settlements in Australia, Britain established outposts at Norfolk Island, Risdon Cove and Port Phillip, After 1815, possible Dutch and French intrusion in the region saw the establishment of outposts at Melville Island, Albany and Westernport. At Swan River in 1829, sovereignty was proclaimed and a settlement established, ensuring the whole of Australia became a British domain.
The garrisons' internal security role was to support and defend the civil power. From the arrival of the Second Fleet in 1790, until 1810, the New South Wales Corps carried out these duties (receiving historical notoriety for their insurrection in 1808). Thereafter, other regiments were posted to the colony for shorter periods. Tasks included guarding convicts, hunting bushrangers, and protecting settlers on the spreading colonial borders. The Castle Hill Rebellion of 1804, was the most serious internal security situation faced. After the Napoleonic Wars, economic stringencies seriously limited the garrison's strength, yet the number of convicts transported significantly increased, placing a heavy load on the security forces.
Until 1810, internal security was weakened by a long running struggle for domination between the military and civil powers. This commenced with Marine officers' dissatisfaction with Phillip's government and culminated with the New South Wales Corps mutiny against Bligh. From 1810, Macquarie established the primacy of the civil over the military power. By his departure in 1821, Sydney Cove had developed from a penal settlement into a colony ready for civic reforms resulting from the Bigge Inquiry. Maintenance of internal security allowed colonial development to take place, whilst threats to external security were the prime reason for the continent of Australia coming under British sovereignty.


The aim of this study was to provide the first detailed insight into the population structure of Staphylococcus aureus in one modern dairy farm (Gamasa) and several household cows and buffaloes in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. Eight hundred seventy-two quarter milk samples of 218 dairy cattle and buffaloes with clinical and subclinical mastitis were investigated. Bacteria were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and staphylococci were further characterized by DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and microarray analysis. Staphylococcus aureus was present in 5.6% of all collected samples, whereas methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) represented 24.5% of all identified S. aureus (12/49). Six clonal complexes (CC) of S. aureus were detected. Staphylococcus aureus CC398 (ST291/813)-MSSA (methicillin-susceptible S. aureus) was identified frequently in the Gamasa farm in addition to a few CC5-MRSA-V isolates. However, a small number of different isolates of S. aureus were found in household cattle and buffaloes harboring different CC. The presence of these genotypes of S. aureus in milk might indicate a public health hazard, because all of these CC have previously been isolated from human patients. Thus, a recommendation was given to the owner of the dairy farm to review the hygiene regimen on the farm. In perspective, further investigation regarding S. aureus screening of all lactating cows and personnel on the farm is warranted.


Plants perceive volatiles emitted from herbivore-damaged neighboring plants to urgently adapt or prime their defense responses to prepare for forthcoming herbivores. Mechanistically, these volatiles can induce epigenetic regulation based on histone modifications that alter the transcriptional status of defense genes, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. To understand the roles of such epigenetic regulation of plant volatile signaling, we explored the response of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants to the volatile β-ocimene. Defense traits of Arabidopsis plants toward larvae of Spodoptera litura were induced in response to β-ocimene, possibly through enriched histone acetylation and elevated transcriptional levels of defense gene regulators, including ethylene response factor genes (ERF8 and ERF104) in leaves. The enhanced defense ability of the plants was maintained for 5 days but not over 10 days after exposure to β-ocimene, and this coincided with elevated expression of those ERFs in their leaves. An array of histone acetyltransferases, including HAC1, HAC5, and HAM1, were responsible for the induction and maintenance of the anti-herbivore property. HDA6, a histone deacetylase, played a role in the reverse histone remodeling. Collectively, our findings illuminate the role of epigenetic regulation in plant volatile signaling.


Heterotopic gastric mucosa (HGM) can be found throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract, more frequently in the cervical oesophagus. Macroscopic HGM is named inlet patch (IP). The great majority of IPs are asymptomatic and discovered incidently during oesophageal endoscopy performed for another pathology. However, complications can occur. Among these, perforation is extremely rare. We report a case of a 27-year old man who presented with a perforation of an upper oesophageal ulcer arising from an IP. The diagnosis was made during endoscopy and confirmed with biopsy of the tissue surrounding the perforation, showing histologic modifications consistent with heterotopic gastric mucosa. Medical treatment using a proton pump inhibitor and antibiotics delivered with a gastric tube was advocated. The perforation was closed at day 7 and plasma Argon coagulation of the inlet patch was performed two months later. Annual endoscopy has been normal for three years.


Investigation of the thin lens theory of zoom lenses results in a general statement concerning conjugate points, a simple proof of the maximum number of crossing points, and an algorithm for computing component focal lengths of a five-component symmetrical zoom lens. The three-component optically compensated zoom lens is discussed in detail. Results of applying the algorithm are given. A prototype of the five-component zoom lens has been built and is briefly discussed.


Nursing's body of knowledge is ever expanding, incorporating new theoretical constructs such as quality and safety and care transitions we now consider central to the domain of nursing, and to nursing clinical education. The purpose of this article is to describe an educational quality improvement project, an alternative clinical learning experience during COVID-19 that enabled the implementation and evaluation of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students in an intentional quality rounding process. We designed and implemented a retrospective, observational quality improvement educational project. Programmatic evaluation was used to obtain feedback from 273 pre-licensure students using a 10-item Likert scale evaluation tool in June 2020. Students averaged a 4.33 rating on the evaluation of the intentional quality rounding clinical experience as something they should incorporate into future nursing practice. A critical role for nursing education is the development of innovative teaching strategies and learning experiences that facilitate the student in the translation and application of complex constructs from nursing's expanding body of knowledge, a task made more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic.


Background: Patients with metabolic syndrome (MSyn) are prone to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, although the underlying mechanisms including plasma aldosterone (PA) are not yet fully known. Aim: Evaluate the association of PA with the MSyn and each of its components. Methods: 46 patients with MSyn and 25 healthy subjects as a control were subjected to measurements of BMI, waist circumference, office BP & HR, 24-hour BP monitoring, fasting blood sugar (FBS), lipid profile, serum sodium & potassium, serum insulin, insulin resistance calculation, plasma renin activity (PRA) and PA concentrations. Results: PA concentrations, but not PRA, were significantly higher in MSyn patients (P 0.001, P 0.770 respectively).HR was significantly increased in MSyn patients compared to controls (P 0.024) .There were significant positive correlation between PA level and BMI, waist circumference, SBP, DBP, s.triglycerides, FBS and insulin resistance (r 0.947, P < 0.0001, r 0.829, P < 0.0001, r 0.885, P < 0.0001, r 0.831, P < 0.0001, r 0.611, P < 0.0001, r 0.851, P < 0.0001, r 0.712, P < 0.0001 respectively). A significant negative correlation was present between PA level and HDL-C (r - 0.443, P < 0.002). BMI & SBP were the only independent factors affecting PA level by regression analysis. In contrast to PRA, PA tended to increase with an increasing number of MSyn risk factors. In conclusion, PA is associated with MSyn and its components suggesting the link between aldosterone and several cardiovascular risk factors and this may address the possible beneficial effects of aldosterone blockade in those patients with MSyn.


"This paper aims at finding out the socio-demographic perspective of...tribal and non-tribal females [in India] through a concrete pattern of field survey. The data gathered from 3,428 tribal and 2,447 non-tribal females have been analysed to examine the trends of differences in the status enjoyed by these women belonging to two different communities." Consideration is given to differences in literacy, nuptiality, marriage age, age structure, fertility, family planning, and infant mortality.


This study is about how the implementation of accounting information systems produces quality of financial information on State Owner Enterprises in Indonesia. This study answers the problem of how the accounting information system produces accurate, relevant, timely and complete financial  information.  The implementation of the accounting information system, can not be separated from ethics and user competence as a factor that has an impact on the current accounting information system. Data was collected using questionnaires, direct observation, and interviews. The research method used is quantitative and qualitative with a descriptive and verification approach. The number of samples used were 58 State Owner Enterprises  Indonesia. The analytical tool in the study uses path analysis by testing the SPSS hypothesis. The results of the study show that ethics and user competence affect the implementation of accounting information systems and also affect the quality of financial information.


We are studying the constraints obtained on transport and acceleration mechanisms of galactic cosmic rays by using statistical tools in combination with the propagation package GALPROP and recent PAMELA data. Using only PAMELA data allows us to avoid inconsistencies between data sets from different experiments, minimise uncertainties on solar modulation parameters, and have a complementary and precise data set on (anti-)matter as well as primary and secondary nuclei over 3 orders of magnitude in energy. This allows us to simultaneously place strong constraints on cosmic-ray propagation and acceleration models. We describe our methodology and present some preliminary results in this paper.


Understanding how wildlife responds to road and traffic is essential for effective conservation. Yet, not many studies have evaluated how roads influence wildlife in protected areas, particularly within the large iconic African National Parks where tourism is mainly based on sightings from motorized vehicles with the consequent development and intense use of roads. To reduce this knowledge gap, we studied the behavioral response and local spatial distribution of impala Aepyceros melampus along the heterogeneous (with variation in road surface type and traffic intensity) road-network of Kruger National Park (KNP, South Africa). We surveyed different types of roads (paved and unpaved) recording the occurrence of flight responses among sighted impala and describing their local spatial distribution (in relation to the roads). We observed relatively few flight responses (19.5% of 118 observations), suggesting impalas could be partly habituated to vehicles in KNP. In addition, impala local distribution is apparently unaffected by unpaved roads, yet animals seem to avoid the close proximity of paved roads. Overall, our results suggest a negative, albeit small, effect of traffic intensity, and of presence of pavement on roads on the behavior of impala at KNP. Future studies would be necessary to understand how roads influence other species, but our results show that even within a protected area that has been well-visited for a long time, wildlife can still be affected by roads and traffic. This result has ecological (e.g., changes in spatial distribution of fauna) and management implications (e.g., challenges of facilitating wildlife sightings while minimizing disturbance) for protected areas where touristic activities are largely based on driving.


ABSTRACT Background Community health participation is an essential tool in health research and management where community members, researchers and other relevant stakeholders contribute to the decision-making processes. Though community participation processes can be complex and challenging, evidence from previous studies have reported significant value of engaging with community in community health projects. Objective To identify the nature and extent of community involvement in community health participatory research (CHPR) projects in Ghana and draw lessons for participatory design of a new project on diabetes intervention in Accra called the Contextual Awareness Response and Evaluation (CARE) diabetes project. Methods A scoping review of relevant publications on CHPR projects in Ghana which had a participatory component was undertaken. PubMed, PsycINFO, African Journal Online, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Humanities International Complete and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between January 1950 and October 2021. Levac et al.'s (2010) methodological framework for scoping reviews was used to select, collate and characterise the data. Results Fifteen studies were included in this review of CHPR projects from multiple disciplines. Participants included community health workers, patients, caregivers, policymakers, community groups, service users and providers. Based on Pretty's participation typology, several themes were identified in relation to the involvement of participants in the identified studies. The highest levels of participation were found in two studies in the diagnosis, four in the development, five in the implementation and three in the evaluation phases of projects. Community participation across all studies was assessed as low overall. Conclusion This review showed that community participation is essential in the acceptability and feasibility of research projects in Ghana and highlighted community participation's role in the diagnosis, development, implementation and evaluation stages of projects. Lessons from this review will be considered in the development, implementation, and future evaluation of the CARE diabetes project.


This work investigated the development of porous glasses by making additions of zirconia (ZrO2) and zircon (ZrSiO4) to the sodium borosilicate glass system SiO2-B2O3-Na2O. Additions of Zr-based compounds were made in an attempt to yield more alkaline durable porous glasses compared to the silica-rich porous glass structures of the parent sodium borosilicate glass system. Glasses were fabricated using a high-temperature fusion process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to confirm that the glasses were amorphous upon pouring from the melt. The glasses were characterised using differential thermal analysis (DTA) to identify important thermal events, including the glass transition temperature (Tg) and crystallisation temperature (Tx). The occurrence of amorphous phase separation was key to the formation of two-phase glasses and ultimately porous glasses. It was found that the quantity of sodium oxide (Na2O) in the glass composition played an important role in determining whether phase separation occurred via nucleation and growth or spinodal decomposition. Based on the DTA data, a heat treatment temperature of 650 °C was selected for three different durations (14, 24 and 63 hours). The heat-treatment caused the glasses to phase separate into two phases; a silica-rich phase and a sodium borate phase. The sodium borate phase coarsened as a function of heat-treatment time. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, together with XRD, was found to be effective as a means of comparing the phase separation and crystallisation characteristics. Glasses heat-treated for longer times showed some evidence of crystal formation. Having formed two-phase glass, acid leaching was used to remove the borate phase and create a porous structure. The leaching process had to be carefully controlled in terms of acid type, acid concentration, leaching time and leaching temperature. For all glasses, a post-leach alkali wash step was needed to remove trapped silica gel. The porous glasses comprised a silica-rich porous skeleton. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed classic interconnected porous morphologies. The most consistent and best-defined morphologies were observed for the zircon-containing glass. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed the presence of zirconium (Zr) in the porous silica-rich skeleton. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) was used to characterise the pore characteristics and measure pore volume, pore size, pore distribution, total pore surface area, and bulk and apparent density. In general, the porous glasses exhibited sharp, unimodal pore distributions, but there was also evidence of micropores, believed due to residual silica gel. Mean pore size ranged from 40 nm to 200 nm for the different porous glasses studied. It was observed that mean pore size linearly increased with square root of the heat-treatment time. Total pore surface area increased with decreasing size of pores and ranged from 5 to 35 m2/g depending on glass composition and heat-treatment time. Alkaline resistance tests were carried out. Zircon- and zirconia-containing porous glasses are 3-4 times more alkali durable than the parent sodium borosilicate glass.


The English artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956) created a dense and fecund body of work that is built upon a foundation of automa¬tism, the pursuit of a state of Vacuity, and the reification of what Spare termed "Self-Love." Although a one-time student of Aleister Crowley and clearly influenced by some aspects of Western European esoteric currents, Spare has remained on the margins of the twentieth-century occult revival due both to the complexity of his language and idiosyncratic nature of his system of magical theory and practice. A number of voices have, however, sought to locate Spare and his system within a "shamanic" framework linked to perceptions/constructions of "witchcraft" and "Amerindian sorcery." This article seeks to examine what this might mean through a discussion of the dual influence of Michael Harner's core-shamanism and Kenneth Grant's mediation of Spare, while also providing an overview of Spare's writings on "trance" techniques designed to address the apparent evidence for his "shamanic" identity.


Diagramming languages are heavily used in design and system analysis. Different languages have varying impacts on the effectiveness of designers. The author believes that there is no appropriate diagramming tool that is of substantial benefit to designers, especially in the early, pre-geometry stages of product development. A new tool, design schematics (DS), is introduced to fulfill this need. The general benefits of diagramming are outlined and the potential of diagramming tools is explored. Advantages and disadvantages of some existing diagramming methods are discussed. Analysis of diagramming methods motivates the development of DS. DS is consistent with the generic design process developed by Salustri. Several interrelated examples demonstrate how DS can capture important information during design stages. A detailed example of a coffee maker is carried out. It is executed as if the author were actually designing a coffee maker. Interrelated diagrams of the design highlight how DS helps in designing during the early stages. Computer support for development and full exploitation of DS is needed. The author believes that DS can be of great benefit to practising engineers. While there is not yet any quantitative data by which DS can be evaluated, there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that the tool has potential to be of benefit in design areas.


Abstract. For conducting change detection using 3D scans of a construction site, the registration between point clouds at different acquisition times is normally necessary. However, due to the complexity of constructing areas, the automatic registration of temporal scans is a challenging problem. In this work, we propose a fast and maker-free method for coarse registration between point clouds by converting the 3D matching problem into a 2D correlation problem, taking the special properties of building structures into consideration. Our proposed method consists of two major steps: the conversion from 3D points to 2D image data and the estimation of transformation parameters between 2D images in the frequency domain. In the conversion step, the point cloud of each scan is projected into a 2D grey image, by which the ground footprint of the point cloud is obtained. In the following step, we represent the 2D image in frequency-domain and estimate the horizontal transformation parameters by using Fourier-Mellin transformation. A real application is performed to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of our workflow using photogrammetric point clouds of a construction site in two different acquisition time. Regarding the real application of coarse registration of point clouds, our proposed method can achieve a registration error of less than 1 degree and more efficient than the classical baseline methods for the fast orientation between scans.


The law of landlord and tenant has become an increasingly complex area for both professionals and students. Apart from the double hurdle of mastering both common law principles and statutory codes, various aspects of the subject have become increasingly specialised and challenging. This new edition of Question and Answer Landlord and Tenant demonstrates that even complex problems can be explained in straightforward and inspiring terms. The authors, both experienced academics and barristers, provide detailed answers to typical questions in this difficult field. The third edition of this book has been updated in the new Question and Answer style of questions followed by commentary, bullet points and diagrams and flowcharts. It offers new questions based on the latest recommendations of the Law Commission on renting homes and the abolition of the law of forfeiture. There are new questions on the human rights dimension, the recent changes to Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and the substantial amendments made to leasehold enfranchisement under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.


This contribution reviews two topics of current interest in the study of black hole demographics in active galaxies: Can the stellar velocity dispersions of quasar host galaxies be measured? And can we constrain the black hole mass function below 106 M$_\odot$?To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html


Objectives: Female athletes are an at-risk population for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, with rates of injury significantly higher than the general population. Few studies have reported on a second ACL injury for female athletes. The purpose of this study was to (1) report the rate of subsequent ACL injury (ACL graft rupture or contralateral ACL tear) in competitive female soccer players, (2) compare these rates to those of other female athletes of similar competitive level, and (3) determine risk factors for second ACL injury in this athletic population. Methods: The medical record at our institution was reviewed for patients treated with primary ACL reconstruction between 1998 and 2013. Female patients injured during a competitive athletic event were included for further review, and followed for an average of 7.1 years postoperatively (range 1.0 - 17.7 years). Chi-square analysis was used to compare rate of graft rupture and contralateral ACL injury based on pre-operative Tegner score, graft type, and injury side for soccer players vs. other female athletes. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare rate of subsequent ACL injury to patient age. Results: 337 patients met our inclusion/exclusion criteria (90 soccer players; 247 non-soccer playing athletes) with a mean age of 24.0 years. Of the 337 athletes, 6 were injured during professional competition, 43 were injured during collegiate athletics, 184 during high school play, and 136 during recreational athletics. No patient demographical differences were found at baseline between the soccer group and non-soccer group, including Tegner scores. Overall, 21 soccer players (23.3%) sustained a second ACL injury compared to 21 (8.5%) non-soccer athletes (P < 0.001). Soccer players had significantly more graft ruptures (10.0% vs. 2.0%, P = 0.003) and more contralateral ACL tears (13.3% vs. 6.5%, P = 0.04). Risk factors for ACL graft tear included young age (mean 16.0 vs 24.3 years; P < 0.0001) and higher Tegner Activity Level scores (mean 8.1 vs. 7.4, P = 0.049), but were not risk factors for contralateral ACL injury. Graft selection and injury side showed no statistical significance on graft rupture or contralateral injury. Conclusion: Female soccer players treated with ACL reconstruction had an increased rate of second ACL injury, including graft tear and contralateral ACL injury, compared to a similar group of non-soccer female athletes (23.3% vs. 8.5%, P < 0.001). In addition, young age and higher activity level were risk factors for graft rupture in this population.


Noninvasive wearable devices have great potential to aid the management of epilepsy, but these devices must have robust signal quality, and patients must be willing to wear them for long periods of time. Automated machine learning classification of wearable biosensor signals requires quantitative measures of signal quality to automatically reject poor‐quality or corrupt data segments. In this study, commercially available wearable sensors were placed on patients with epilepsy undergoing in‐hospital or in‐home electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring, and healthy volunteers. Empatica E4 and Biovotion Everion were used to record accelerometry (ACC), photoplethysmography (PPG), and electrodermal activity (EDA). Byteflies Sensor Dots were used to record ACC and PPG, the Activinsights GENEActiv watch to record ACC, and Epitel Epilog to record EEG data. PPG and EDA signals were recorded for multiple days, then epochs of high‐quality, marginal‐quality, or poor‐quality data were visually identified by reviewers, and reviewer annotations were compared to automated signal quality measures. For ACC, the ratio of spectral power from 0.8 to 5 Hz to broadband power was used to separate good‐quality signals from noise. For EDA, the rate of amplitude change and prevalence of sharp peaks significantly differentiated between good‐quality data and noise. Spectral entropy was used to assess PPG and showed significant differences between good‐, marginal‐, and poor‐quality signals. EEG data were evaluated using methods to identify a spectral noise cutoff frequency. Patients were asked to rate the usability and comfort of each device in several categories. Patients showed a significant preference for the wrist‐worn devices, and the Empatica E4 device was preferred most often. Current wearable devices can provide high‐quality data and are acceptable for routine use, but continued development is needed to improve data quality, consistency, and management, as well as acceptability to patients.


Familial hypercholesterolemia is characterized by high serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. It may be homozygous or heterozygous. In homozygous patients, LDL-cholesterol levels range from 500 to 1000mg/ dL and coronary artery disease is precocious, usually manifesting itself between the 2nd and 3rd decades of life. The diagnosis is often made by the presence of xanthoma tuberosum and tendinous xanthomas that appear between the 1st and 2nd decades of life. The use of high doses of statins or even unusual procedures (apheresis, partial ileal bypass surgery, liver transplantation, gene therapy), or both, is necessary for increasing survival and improving quality of life, because a reduction in cholesterol levels is essential for stabilizing the coronary artery disease and reducing xanthomas. We report our experience with 3 patients with xanthomatous familial hypercholesterolemia and coronary artery disease, who underwent partial ileal bypass surgery. Their follow-up over the years (approximately 8 years) showed a mean 30% reduction in total cholesterol, with a significant reduction in the xanthomas and stabilization of the coronary artery disease.


We analyze the generalized time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the force free case, as a generalization, for example, of the standard time-dependent Schrodinger equation, time fractional Schrodinger equation, distributed order time fractional Schrodinger equation, and tempered in time Schrodinger equation. We relate it to the corresponding standard Schrodinger equation with effective potential. The general form of the effective potential that leads to a standard time-dependent Schrodinger equation with the same solution as the generalized one is derived explicitly. Further, effective potentials for several special cases, such as Dirac delta, power-law, Mittag-Leffler and truncated power-law memory kernels, are expressed in terms of the Mittag-Leffler functions. Such complex potentials have been used in the transport simulations in quantum dots, and in simulation of resonant tunneling diode.


This paper reports on the performance of the red-listed Primula scandinavica, endemic to Scandinavia. The study took place in Jotunheimen, Norway. We evaluated occurrence, density and sexual reproduction variables (number of fertile individuals and number of seed capsules). Habitats were registered as land-cover categories (historical and current; broad habitat types) and habitat patch classes (semi-natural and natural; fine-grained habitat types). Spatial overlay analyses and maximum likelihood tests of generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were performed to assess the habitat quality of the land-cover categories and the habitat patch classes. In most (96%) of the observed occurrences the species was located at a site that had open vegetation 40 years ago but is now becoming forested or covered by shrubs. The highest densities of P. scandinavica were found in "heathland" and "grassland in transition into woodland", while the potential for sexual reproduction was highest in "grassland" and lowest in "grassland in transition into woodland". The results indicate that many of the populations in the study area are remnants and that the habitats of highest quality are semi-natural habitat patches. The changed land use practices in mountain areas have resulted and will result in fewer and smaller populations. However, as also climatic conditions will change it is not straightforward to predict the future performance of P. scandinavica.


Paraquat (1, 1'-dimethyl-4, 4'-bipyridylium dichloride) is a highly toxic herbicide. Recently, Paraquat is still used widely in the plantations area, mainly in palm oil plantations. Paraquat application continuously can be increased Paraquat concentration and contaminated in soil and water. This study aimed was to analysis Paraquat exposure in environmental media water and soil, and the calculation of risk quotient of Paraquat in palm oil plantation. The study design of this research was a cross sectional with the laboratory examination Paraquat concentrations in soil and water. Soil and water samples taken by grab sampling with random composites. Water samples were taken from three sources in palm oil plantations area. Whereas soil samples were taken at a depth of 0-10 cm (top soil) and the number of soil samples as much as 5 samples. Furthermore, the risk quotient of Paraquat concentration in the water used in the palm oil plantation. The laboratory tests of Paraquat concentration were in water and soil with gas chromatography. The results of laboratory tests showed that Paraquat concentration in water samples were found between <0.005 to 0.01 mg/l and Paraquat concentration in soil samples were found between <0.005 to 0.08 ppm. The calculation of risk quotient was 0.058 mg/body weight/day. Although, the calculated of risk quotient showed less than one. Therefore, prior to use the water must be treatment first. While the recommended water to consumption as much as 2 liters/day for a 55 kg body weight to Indonesian workers.


This paper describes the nature of the intermetallic phases observed at the interface and in the bulk of Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu solder immediately after reflow on PWBs coated with a variety of commercial plating systems. It also discusses the growth of these intermetallic phases after aging at homologous temperatures of 0.8Tm, 0.85Tm and 0.9Tm for 10, 100 and 1000 hours. The following board plating systems were investigated: organic solderability preservative (OSP) over bare copper, immersion tin, immersion silver, and immersion gold over electroless nickel. This study revealed that the composition, microstructure, and thickness of intermetallics at the interface were strongly dependent on the plating system. The effect of the bulk and interface microstructure on the shear strength of the joints was also investigated. For all plating systems, the shear strength of the solder joints did not degrade with aging, and the failure mechanism continued to be cohesive failure through the bulk of the solder.


On the morning of April 15, 2013, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, resulting in a large number of casualties. This generated a week-long response under the US National Incident Management System. In this paper, we examine online, terse messages broadcast by responding organizations and their amplification by other official entities via retransmission. Content analysis of official messages shows strong similarities with posting patterns previously observed in response to natural hazards, with the primary exception of themes related to the criminal investigation, suggesting a possible revision of guidelines for public information in light of the needs arising from extended counterterrorism operations undertaken in an urban environment. Network analysis demonstrates message posting and amplification were dominated by local actors, underscoring the importance of local readiness for management of official public information activities in the context of extremely high-profile events.


This Fashion & Textiles Collective community presentation focuses on updating and encapsulating progress in the School of Art, Design & Architecture Teaching and Learning funded project. The project team include Fashion and Textiles Design and Business academics, International careers advisor and undergraduate researcher co-presented the latest results, evolving strategies and user experiences on how the project has leveraged and increased the social capital within this professional Fashion & Textiles Higher education community network.
LinkedIn has become the premier social media site for professionals, most employers will search for a job candidate on LinkedIn; despite this many students use a range of other social media. LinkedIn has many powerful tools and inherent capabilities that facilitate the range of networking that students engage in to find internships, placements, jobs, and to make professional connections, but compiling a profile takes time with a slow build to engage as "future professionals".
The project team have encouraged undergraduates to join the UoH alumni group on LinkedIn since 2013. The ADA funded T&L project (2016/17) aimed to link these early disconnected undergraduate and alumni activities into a community hub, and recently this initiative is now providing data on graduate destinations (including data for DHLE) and fast paced career progression, as well as sharing current professional resources and encouraging and enhancing networking opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates to exist in a vibrant online community.
The project has demonstrated the potential to more actively connect with and draw upon the experience of alumni as role models and mentors. We have started immediately to launch LinkedIn with our first years, who have responded enthusiastically and very professionally. The project has attracted increased numbers of alumni and business partners to connect with the LinkedIn group.


This study examines student preferences regarding graduate management information systems (MIS) education. One hundred and eighty four graduate students responded to a survey exploring student attitudes towards degree program content, delivery format, and peer group interaction. Study results indicate that students prefer a program with an even mix of business and technical coursework taught by full-time faculty featuring frequent guest lectures by industry professionals. The most often cited business courses that should be required include quantitative business analysis, operations management, strategy, and leadership, and the most often identified management information systems courses that should be required were internships, business intelligence, data warehousing, management information systems fundamentals, and information technology project management. The study also explored how students with and without prior work experience differed in their preferences, which will help administrators and faculty with insights and tools to design more effective programs of study.


Recently, room temperature sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted considerable attention as one of the promising candidates to replace lithium ion batteries. Nevertheless, achieving high capacity and cycling stability remains a great challenge for the electrode materials of SIBs. Compared to the traditional inorganic electrode materials, organic ones should be more attractive because of their easier sodium (Na)-transport accessibility as well as their diversities of organic skeleton and functional groups. In this work, a new carboxyl-based organic, sodium trimesic (Na3TM), is proposed for the first time as an anode material for SIBs, and its Na-storage properties are significantly enhanced by constructing three-dimensional conductive networks of carbon nanotubes (CNT-NWs) in the Na3TM microparticles. In comparison to the pure Na3TM exhibiting almost inactive Na storage, the prepared CNT-NWs@Na3TM composite delivers a reversible capacity of 214.6 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and exhibits excellent rate performance with the specific capacities of 149 and 87.5 mA h g−1 at 1 and 10 A g−1, respectively. The CNT-NWs@Na3TM also exhibit good cycling performance. More importantly, the Na-storage mechanism of CNT-NWs@Na3TM was ascertained using several ex situ technologies of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and 23Na solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It is discovered that the two Na uptake/release processes were reversible during cycling and contributed to the Na-storage capacity except for the 1st sodiation process with a three Na uptake.


Fraternal Capital examines class, gender, and work in Tiruppur, South India, where export of knitted garments has been led by a networked fraternity of owners of working-class and Gounder caste origins, who explain their class mobility as hinging on their "toil." This book asks how these self-made men drew from their agrarian past to turn Gounder toil into capital, and how they continue to make an entire town work for the global economy. Fraternal Capital decenters understandings of global capitalism by linking agrarian transition with the adaptation of a singular past in the interests of accumulation. As Tiruppur shifts to global production, this book tracks ways in which gender links sexed bodies to processes of differentiation, in the tenuous search for consent to increasingly despotic work politics. Tiruppur demonstrates the importance of gender and geography to the globalization of capital as it affects the lives of working people in provincial India and elsewhere. This book links the political economy of development to postcolonial and cultural studies, rooting the analysis of globalization ethnographically and geographically. Fraternal Capital provides a window into a decentralized capitalism and thereby critiques macroeconomic portrayals of globalization by showing how history, geography, gender, and work practice shape local sites of global production. For orders from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, please e-mail Permanent Black at email@example.com.


This paper presents an algorithm that uses visual input to perform homing for an autonomous mobile robot. An image captured at the target pose (position and orientation) is compared with the currently viewed image to determine the parameters of the next move of the robot toward the target (rotation and translation). The visual data is captured using an omnidirectional camera and images are compared using the Manhattan distance function to determine both the translation and rotation angle. Results, limitations and successes are presented and discussed.


We report here the preparation of chalcogenophene derivatives via cyclization reactions of diynols promoted by diorganyl dichalcogenides and a halogen source. Different chalcogenophenes, such as 4-halo-selenophenes, 4-butylselenyl-selenophenes, halo-thiophenes, and 4-methylthio-thiophenes, were selectively prepared in good yields from the same starting materials. The results revealed that the halogen source had a significant effect on the proportion of 4-bromo-selenophenes and 4-butylselenyl-selenophenes. The best yields of 4-iodo-selenophenes were obtained with iodine as a halogen source, while the use of NBS gave exclusively the 4-butylselenyl-selenophenes. The experiments also revealed that the cyclization reaction to form 4-halo-thiophene derivatives can also be controlled changing the ratios of reagents. The 4-iodo-thiophenes were exclusively obtained by using dimethyl disulfide (2.0 equiv) and iodine (1.5 equiv), while the 4-bromo-thiophenes were obtained when the reaction was carried out with a 1.5 molar ratio of dimethyl disulfide and a halogen source. In addition, the reaction of diynols with an excess of dimethyl disulfide in the presence of NBS gave the 4-methylthio-thiophenes as sole products. We also studied the application of chalcogenophenes obtained as starting materials in the Suzuki, Sonogashira, and Ullmann cross-coupling reactions.


Bromeliads are plants that have a high variability in the fertilization possibilities. Bromeliads are plants that have a high variability in the fertilization possibilities. This is due to the capacity of absorption of water and nutrients by their foliar trichomes and root system. This research was conducted with the objective to evaluate the development of Aechmea fasciata plants according to the substrate base saturation and the application methods of the nutritive solution. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with light intensity between 8,000 and 9,000 Lx. The experimental design was a randomized block design with a factorial statistical arrangement 2x5 factorial (2 percentages of substrate base saturation x 5 combinations between the methods of fertirrigation) with 4 repetitions and 7 plants by portion. The substrate base saturation (V%) established was from 20% to 40% and the fertirrigation was provided by a leaf cistern and directly in the substrate, following these proportions: 100% leaf cistern, 75% leaf cistern and 25% substrate, 50% leaf cistern and 50% substrate, 25% leaf cistern and 75% substrate and 100% substrate. The plants were conducted in vase number 11, 15 and 17, and in each change of vases, it was evaluated the plant height, the rosette diameter, the stalk diameter, the number of leaves and the leaf width. The dry phytomass and leaf area were determined in the vase changes 15 and 17. Moreover, the root exploration and the inclination degree of the plants were determined in the end of the cultivation in vase 17. As conclusion, substrate base saturation greater than 20% damages the growth of Aechmea fasciata plants. The best development of the aerial and root part of Aechmea fasciata plants were achieved when 75% of the nutritive solution is applied via cistern and 25% via substrate.


In the last years, ethnic food has been successfully introduced in the Spanish market. In this research a choice experiment is conducted in order to investigate consumer's preferences toward ethnic food and the influence of psychographic variables in consumer's decisions. A nested logit model is employed for this purpose, with a two level nesting structure: the first decision is whether or not to consume ethnic food at all; and the second decision combines ethnic cuisine and the consumption situation. The experiment contemplates three cuisines, Mexican, Asian and Arab; and three consumption situations: restaurant, take away and preparation at home. Three psychographic variables are used to investigate the opt-out decision, which relate to the degree of food neophobia, ethnocentrism and personal values. These personal traits are investigated by means of scales well documented in the literature that allow the classification of consumers into segments. The results show that the probability that a consumer decides not to choose ethnic food in any of the consumption situations provided, increases in the segments defined as relatively more neo-food phobic, ethnocentric and focused more towards personal development rather than socialization.


Targets of therapy in ulcerative colitis (UC) have undergone a shift from clinical remission to endoscopic healing (EH). Recent STRIDE II guidelines1 have recommended stricter criteria for EH, Ulcerative Colitis Index of Severity (UCEIS) ≤1 or Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES)=0, with histologic healing (HH) as an adjunctive endpoint. We aim to ascertain the strength of correlations between EH and HH using validated indices in an Asian cohort.

 A single-centre cohort study was performed in a tertiary centre. Patients with a diagnosis of UC were prospectively enrolled into a database from January 2017 to June 2020. Patient demographics, clinical classification, endoscopic and histological assessments were collected retrospectively and analysed. Endoscopic scores in the worst affected segments by two independent gastroenterologists. Histological activity was assessment by a single gastrointestinal histopathologist using the Nancy Histological Index (NHI). Analysis was done using SPSS v23. Spearman correlations between UCEIS, MES and NHI was performed.

 A total of 88 patients with UC were enrolled (Figure 1). Seven patients were excluded as no biopsies were done during endoscopy. Analysis was done for 163 pairs of endoscopy and histology. The distribution of UCEIS, MES and NHI scores for all endoscopies are shown in Figure 2. Both MES and UCEIS had modest correlations with NHI but UCEIS had a stronger correlation to NHI (r=0.640, p<0.01) than MES (r=0.538, p<0.01) (Figure 3). When evaluating patients in EH (UCEIS≤1 or MES=0), both endoscopic scores had similar distribution of NHI scores (Figure 4a & 4b). Despite appearing to be endoscopically inactive, more than half of patients had histologically active disease, with NHI≥2 (14/27 [51.8%] in the UCEIS≤1 group, 9/17 [52.9%] in the MES=0 group). When using the older definition of EH (MES≤1), 49 of 66 patients (74%) had histologically active disease with NHI≥2 (Figure 4c).

 UCEIS ≤1 is slightly more predictive of HH than MES=0 but endoscopic correlation with HH is poor. Biopsies should still be performed if HH is a desired treatment outcome. The more stringent criteria change for EH in STRIDE II from MES≤1 to MES=0 results in higher rates of HH.

 1. Turner D, et al.; International Organization for the Study of IBD. STRIDE-II: An Update on the Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE) Initiative of the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD): Determining Therapeutic Goals for Treat-to-Target strategies in IBD. Gastroenterology. 2021 Apr;160(5):1570–1583.


ABSTRACT Bluetooth technology has been widely used in transportation studies to collect traffic data. Bluetooth media access control (MAC) readers can be installed along roadways to collect Bluetooth-based data. This data is commonly used to measure traffic performance. One of the advantages of using Bluetooth technology to measure traffic performance is that travel time can be measured directly with a certain level of error instead of by estimation. However, travel time outliers can commonly be observed due to different travel mode on arterials. Since travel mode information cannot be directly obtained from the raw Bluetooth-based data, a mathematical methodology is in need to identify travel mode. In this study, a genetic algorithm and neural network (GANN)-based model was developed to identify travel mode. GPS-enabled devices were used to collect ground truth travel time. In order to additionally compare the model performance, K nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM) were also implemented. N-fold cross validation was applied to statistically assess the models' results. Since the model performances depend on the model inputs, seven collections of model inputs were tested in order to achieve the best travel mode identification performance. An arterial segment with four consecutive links and three intersections was selected to be the study segment. The results suggested that correctly identifying the three travel modes successfully every time was not possible, although the GANN based model had low misidentification rates. In our study, 6.12% of autos were misidentified as bikes and 10.53% of bikes were misidentified as autos using three links.


The Built Environment is the most complex distributed system with its energy networks. It has a huge impact on ecology and economy as it is responsible for nearly 40% of the total energy use and the related emissions. There is growing interest in the proliferation of smart grid technologies to enable the growth of renewable energy installations both on a distributed basis as well as at the utility scale. Renewable energy, like wind and solar power, are depending on the weather conditions. This causes fluctuations in supply which can lead to instability of the electricity grids. Therefor there is a need of flexibility on the demand side. Office buildings, which consume relatively more energy than residential buildings, are a potential source of energy flexibility which can be offered to the Smart Grid as a local virtual power plant (LVPP) to reduce uncertainty and optimize interaction with the Smart Grid. An integral framework for interactive process control is presented based on the combination of state-of-the-art process control Building Energy Management System (BEMS) and future support by multi-agent systems. The proposed LVPP-BEMS concept is tested and validated in an office building.


In standard microeconomic theory, short-run and long-run marginal costs are equal for production equipment with adjusted capacity. When the production of joint products from interdependent equipment is modeled with a linear program, this equality is no longer verified. The short-run marginal cost then takes on a left-hand value and a right-hand value which generally differ from the long-run marginal cost. In this article, we demonstrate and interpret the relationship existing between long-run marginal cost and short-run marginal costs for a given finished product. That relationship is simply expressed as a function of marginal capacity adjustments (determined in the long run) and marginal values of capacities (determined in the short run). JEL Classification: D20, C61


Exposure to ionizing radiation contributing to negative health outcomes is a widespread concern. However, the impact of low dose and sub-lethal dose radiation (SLDR) exposures remain contentious, particularly in pregnant women who represent a vulnerable group. The fetal programming hypothesis states that an adverse in utero environment or stress during development of an embryo or fetus can result in permanent physiologic changes often resulting in progressive metabolic dysfunction with age. To assess changes in gene expression profiles of glucose/insulin signaling and lipid metabolism caused by radiation exposure in utero, pregnant C57Bl/6J mice were irradiated using a dose response ranging from low dose to SLDR and compared to a Sham-irradiated group. mRNA expression analysis in 16 week old offspring (n = 84) revealed that genes involved in metabolic function including glucose metabolism, insulin signaling and lipid metabolism were unaffected by prenatal radiation exposures up to 300 mGy. However, female offspring of dams exposed to 1000 mGy had upregulated expression of genes contributing to insulin resistance and gluconeogenesis. In a second cohort of mice, the effects of SLDR on fetal programming of hepatic SOCS3 and PEPCK protein expression were assessed. 4 month old female offspring of dams irradiated at 1000 mGy had: 1) increased liver weights, 2) increased hepatic expression of proteins involved in glucose metabolism and 3) increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) measured by positron emission tomography (PET) (n = 25). The results of this study indicate that prenatal radiation exposure does not affect metabolic function up to 300 mGy and 1000 mGy may be a threshold dose for sex-specific alterations in glucose uptake and hepatic gene and protein expression of SOCS3, PEPCK, PPARGC1A and PPARGC1B. These findings suggest that SLDR doses alter glucose uptake in IBAT and hepatic gene and protein expression of offspring and these changes may progress with age.


Originally grown and produced in southern of Yunnan, China, Pu-erh tea
has a long history and carries rich cultural connotations. Consumption
of Pu-erh has been thought to possess numerous health benefits
including weight-loss, lowering of blood glucose levels, and preventing
cardiovascular diseases. Research on humans, rodents, and cell lines
have each confirmed that Pu-erh tea indeed displays weight-loss and
blood lipid lowering effects. The main bioactive components, such as
theabrownin (TB), polysaccharides, polyphenols, and statins, may
down-regulate the biosynthesis of fat and up-regulate the oxidation of
fat to cut weight and reduce the content of lipids in blood. Here, we
summarize current progress on understanding the mechanisms and
bioactive components of Pu-erh's weight-cutting effects as well
as highlighting current weaknesses in the field in order to suggest
possible solutions for future research on Pu-erh tea.


While 'land grabbing' in Africa by China, and other populous, high-income Asian countries such as South Korea got quite some attention, land grabbing in post-Soviet Eurasia has gone largely unnoticed. However, as this paper shows, recently also in the latter region foreign state and private companies are accumulating vast expanses of farm land. The paper discusses the factors which make post-Soviet Eurasia such an attractive area for international investment, with arguably much more potential than most areas in Africa or Asia. Second, the process of land accumulation and acquisition of farms is described. Both domestic as well as international accumulation of land is dealt with, placing this in the domestic context of agricultural development and institutions. Furthermore, the main actors (investors) involved in land grabbing are distinguished (according to their country of origin and legal or institutional form). Third, the paper outlines the main obstacles (and points of contention) concerning the emergence (and effectiveness/performance) of domestic and especially international, agro-holdings in the region, and will present some preliminary findings around the question whether this development is a necessary step towards agricultural modernization, or that there are substantial disadvantages to land grabbing.


This paper provides research progress in the development of fast electro-optic gratings for laser beam attenuations and in free space optical (FSO) communications involving mobile terminals. The electro-optic phase grating is formed by the phase separation of ~100nm liquid crystals droplets from a polymerizing organic matrix using holographic interference technique. The formed grating separates the incident laser beam into the output beams: the transmitted and diffracted beam, whose intensities can be electrically adjusted through electro-optic effect. The fast electro-optic gratings have a very fast electro-optic response time of 50 μs with diffraction efficiency above 99.8%. Optical receivers used in FSO have a limited dynamic range and there is a need for in-line variable attenuators to keep the signal levels from overloading the receiver. These attenuators should be continuous, provide sufficient attenuation, and also provide a low insertion loss for weak signal reception. The use of electro-optic phase gratings is one solution to meet the requirements for an in-line attenuator for FSO.


The Pleistocene climatic fluctuations had a huge impact on all life forms, and various hypotheses regarding the survival of organisms during glacial periods have been postulated. In the European Alps, evidence has been found in support of refugia outside the ice shield (massifs de refuge) acting as sources for postglacial recolonization of inner‐Alpine areas. In contrast, evidence for survival on nunataks, ice‐free areas above the glacier, remains scarce. Here, we combine multivariate genetic analyses with ecological niche models (ENMs) through multiple timescales to elucidate the history of Alpine Megabunus harvestmen throughout the ice ages, a genus that comprises eight high‐altitude endemics. ENMs suggest two types of refugia throughout the last glacial maximum, inner‐Alpine survival on nunataks for four species and peripheral refugia for further four species. In some geographic regions, the patterns of genetic variation are consistent with long‐distance dispersal out of massifs de refuge, repeatedly coupled with geographic parthenogenesis. In other regions, long‐term persistence in nunataks may dominate the patterns of genetic divergence. Overall, our results suggest that glacial cycles contributed to allopatric diversification in Alpine Megabunus, both within and at the margins of the ice shield. These findings exemplify the power of ENM projections coupled with genetic analyses to identify hypotheses about the position and the number of glacial refugia and thus to evaluate the role of Pleistocene glaciations in driving species‐specific responses of recolonization or persistence that may have contributed to observed patterns of biodiversity.


Shelley's The Triumph of Life has its roots in the English masque tradition, an organic whole combining the distortions and chaos of the often grotesque antimasque with the metamorphosis in the masque proper, unwritten in this fragment but a requisite element because of the very nature of the genre. The "masked" narrator exists in a dream-like state traversing the past and present in déjà vu sequences, simulating the mind in dialogue with itself to "pierce the sphere / Of all that is, has been, or will be done." Using the genre itself, passages from A Defence of Poetry, and the complex images and themes in the work itself, the image of the Moon emblematic in combining the ghost of its "dead mother," the antimasque, with the new phase--the transformation in the unwritten masque proper, I argue that the answer to the final question, "Then, what is Life?" would have been revealed in the unwritten masque proper in which the narrator would have defeated the Proteus villain, the Shape, the source of delusion and loss of imagination.


An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of nitrifying and probiotic bacteria on the survival and growth of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus that was
reared in high density as well as the quality of rearing water. The experiment was divided into two sets, Set A (control and nitrifying bacteria) and Set B (nitrifying
bacteria and nitrifying + probiotic bacteria) and were conducted in two densities namely 10 tails/L and 15 tails/L. Juvenile African catfish with weight of 109.1 ±
8.0080 mg and 103.8 ± 1.6650 mg were used in Set A and Set B respectively. The results in Set A showed better survival and growth in nitrifying bacteria treatment for both of the densities. On the final days of experiment, the survival rate was recorded higher than control groups; 72.40% and 31.56% for 10 tails/L and 15 tails/L densities respectively. The nitrifying bacteria have also lowered down the level of ammonia and nitrite through nitrification process. Ammonia concentration was 0.2769 mg/L and 0.5205 mg/L for 10 t tails/L and 15 tails/L densities respectively. Whereas nitrite concentration was recorded 0.2278 mg/L for 10 tails/L and 0.1244 mg/L for 15 tails/L While in Set B, the survival rate was higher in nitrifying + probiotic bacteria treatment compared to nitrifying bacteria treatment; 90% and 45.30% in 10 tails/L and 15 tails/L densities respectively. The present of probiotic bacteria has reduced the concentration of ammonia and nitrite better than the nitrifying bacteria groups. Ammonia concentration was recorder 0.02 mg/L and 0.04 mg/L for 10 tails/L and 15 tails/L While nitrite concentration was recorder 0.09 mg/L and 0.11 mg/L for 10 tails/L and 15 tails/L respectively. This study has prove that nitrifying and probiotic bacteria can be used in culturing fish in high density which have brought many benefits to cultured fish in terms of survival rate, growth and water quality of rearing fish. Thus,
aquaculture industry is recommended to use the mixture of nitrifying and probiotic bacteria to achieve better results.


The removal of agriculture residual plastic films is nowadays a big concern for all environmentalists. Several ecological alternatives were developed for more sustainable products and cleaner production. In this work, the effect of three months of exposure under accelerated weathering conditions (ultraviolet light, moisture, and heat) on the properties of two textile waste nonwovens as a sustainable alternative to plastic mulching films was investigated. Results showed that thermostability and mechanical properties of the clothing textile waste felt and cotton waste nonwoven decreased after accelerated weathering. The chemical variation of cotton waste nonwoven and textile waste felt and the degradation rate of natural and synthetic fibers due to the photolysis and hydrolysis caused by accelerated weathering conditions were studied following the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the fibrous composition variation of the blended textile waste felt structure during the study.


In this paper, we present an in-depth investigation of the convolutional autoencoder (CAE) bottleneck. Autoencoders (AE), and especially their convolutional variants, play a vital role in the current deep learning toolbox. Researchers and practitioners employ CAEs for a variety of tasks, ranging from outlier detection and compression to transfer and representation learning. Despite their widespread adoption, we have limited insight into how the bottleneck shape impacts the emergent properties of the CAE. We demonstrate that increased height and width of the bottleneck drastically improves generalization, which in turn leads to better performance of the latent codes in downstream transfer learning tasks. The number of channels in the bottleneck, on the other hand, is secondary in importance. Furthermore, we show empirically that, contrary to popular belief, CAEs do not learn to copy their input, even when the bottleneck has the same number of neurons as there are pixels in the input. Copying does not occur, despite training the CAE for 1,000 epochs on a tiny ($\approx$ 600 images) dataset. We believe that the findings in this paper are directly applicable and will lead to improvements in models that rely on CAEs.


Most evidence on son preference in Pakistan is reflected in the higher child mortality among females than males. The sex discrimination before birth is rarely reported in Pakistan. This is the first study to quantify prenatal sex discrimination in Pakistan on a subnational level. We provide annual estimates of the sex ratio at birth (SRB) from 1980 to 2020 and scenario-based projections of the number of missing female births up to 2050 by Pakistan province. The results are based on a comprehensive database consisting of 832,091 birth records from all available surveys and censuses. We adopted a Bayesian hierarchical time series model to synthesize different data sources. We identified Balochistan with an existing imbalanced SRB since 1980. For the rest provinces without past or ongoing SRB inflation, we projected the largest female birth deficit to occur in Punjab in 2033 under the scenario that the SRB transition process starts in 2021. We demonstrated important disparities in the occurrence and quantification of missing female births up to 2050.


Recommender systems are prone to be misled by biases in the data. Models trained with biased data fail to capture the real interests of users, thus it is critical to alleviate the impact of bias to achieve unbiased recommendation. In this work, we focus on an essential bias in micro-video recommendation, duration bias. Specifically, existing micro-video recommender systems usually consider watch time as the most critical metric, which measures how long a user watches a video. Since videos with longer duration tend to have longer watch time, there exists a kind of duration bias, making longer videos tend to be recommended more against short videos. In this paper, we empirically show that commonly-used metrics are vulnerable to duration bias, making them NOT suitable for evaluating micro-video recommendation. To address it, we further propose an unbiased evaluation metric, called WTG (short for Watch Time Gain). Empirical results reveal that WTG can alleviate duration bias and better measure recommendation performance. Moreover, we design a simple yet effective model named DVR (short for Debiased Video Recommendation) that can provide unbiased recommendation of micro-videos with varying duration, and learn unbiased user preferences via adversarial learning. Extensive experiments based on two real-world datasets demonstrate that DVR successfully eliminates duration bias and significantly improves recommendation performance with over 30% relative progress. Codes and datasets are released at https://github.com/tsinghua-fib-lab/WTG-DVR.


Organization theorists identify organizational social capital as one of the primary building blocks of a potentially powerful resource for improving organizational performance. However, little is known about the impact of the socio-emotional skills of the employees within their social capital and its relationship with other important organizational constructs such as organizational culture and structure. This study is the first to develop an integrated model which in addition to existing organizational constructs (i.e., organizational culture and structure) explicitly accounts for the influence of the social tolerance of employees (i.e., an example of socio-emotional skills within a workplace) on their happiness. In our model, the concept of employee's socio-emotional skill cannot be measured directly. Therefore, we developed two latent hypothetical sub-constructs and we refer to them throughout this paper as social capital (i.e., which at the micro-level points to the interactions and socializations of the employees) and social tolerance (i.e., social tolerance towards others' social status), each of which is measured by its observable indicators. We apply our model to empirical data that we collected from East Asian Social Survey (EASS) only for the year 2012. The data was available for four East Asian countries of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China. Our analysis shows that even though the skill of social tolerance is not observed to increase happiness by itself, it has been observed to show a significant impact on the level of trust among employees. Trust among colleagues also in its own turn significantly impacts the employees' level of happiness. This finding can be applied in empowering the cognitive dimension of social capital within an organization.


The positive inotropic and chronotropic actions of enoximone were confirmed. At concentrations within the clinical range, enoximone prolonged the chronotropic and hypotensive action of isoproterenol in pithed rats. Very high doses of both enoximone and isoproterenol caused ventricular fibrillation in only one of six rats. In isolated rabbit atria, the maximum frequency at which pacing stimuli were followed 1:1 was increased by enoximone, and atrial flutter was consistently induced, then terminated by greatly suprathreshold stimulation. Enoximone significantly shortened action potential duration (APD), but did not exacerbate the APD-shortening induced by hypoxia. Since such hypoxia-induced shortening occurred in the presence of glucose 11 mmol/L and oxygen 20%, it was concluded that it was unlikely to have been caused by the opening of ATP-regulated potassium channels. These animal experiments suggest that enoximone, at concentrations encountered clinically in humans, does not have any electrophysiologic actions that would be likely to increase the probability of arrhythmias.


Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Vol. 32, No. 6, December 2004 Vascular Anesthesia —2nd Edition. J. A. Kaplan, C. L. Lake, M. J. Murray; Elsevier Australia, 30-52 Smidmore Street, Marrickville, N.S.W. 2204; $275.00; 220x283 mm; pp. 423; ISBN: 0-443-06620-5. Most elements of vascular anaesthesia are covered in this extensive review. Included are such diverse topics as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, preoperative assessment and optimization, monitoring, and most forms of vascular surgery including liver and renal transplantation. There are even chapters on pain management and end-of-life ethical dilemmas. The strengths of the book include the large number of respected authors, the far-reaching scope and breadth, and the inclusion of significant chapters on growing fields such as endoluminal aortic surgery. There are also many useful flow diagrams and tables. Unfortunately the book is very dry and quite tiring to read. There are no colour diagrams and this is particularly important when looking for anatomical information, e.g. deep cervical plexus blockade for carotid surgery. The section on newer non-invasive means of measuring cardiac output is also too small, not clinically focused, and academic. The other weakness of the book is that it is based mainly on U.S. practice, meaning that many of the treatment recommendations and drugs are not entirely relevant to Australasian practice. In summary Vascular Anesthesia is very much a book that is aimed at and will be appreciated by those with a major interest in the field. It is not a book for the part-time vascular anaesthetist who would no doubt find it too expensive for casual reference. M. FANSHAWE Wickham Terrace Anaesthesia, Arnold Janssen Centre, Brisbane, Queensland


SUMMARY: L-forms of Serratia marcescens were produced and serially transferred in osmotically stabilized agar with penicillin. The bacterial form was pigmented, while the L-form colony was not. Lack of colour in the L-form colony was not due to pigment diffusion into the agar; an extract of agar with L-form growth did not show an absorption spectrum for prodigiosin.


Clinico-experimental study of the pentoxyl and methyluracil effect upon the natural resistance in mitral stenosis cases is presented together with the findings obtained in the experiments dealing with the healing of the wounds infected with pathogenic staphylococcus. All the control animals developed subcutaneous abscesses leading to the separation of the wound margins. The inflammation of the wound was less pronounced in the animals treated with pentoxyl and methyluracil. The use of pyrimidin derivatives before and during operation and postoperatively resulted in the decrease of the incidence of postoperative suppurative complications.


The video game and entertainment industry has been growing in recent years, particularly those related to Virtual Reality (VR). Therefore, video game creators are looking for ways to offer and improve realism in their applications in order to improve user satisfaction. In this sense, it is of great importance to have strategies to evaluate and improve the gaming experience in a group of people, without considering the fact that users have different preferences and, coupled with this, also seeks to achieve satisfaction in each user. In this work, we present a model to improve the user experience in a personal way through reinforcement learning (RL). Unlike other approaches, the proposed model adjusts parameters of the virtual environment in real-time based on user preferences, rather than physiological data or performance. The model design is based on the Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) approach and consists of three main phases: analysis phase, design phase, and implementation phase. As results, a simulation experiment is presented that shows the transitions between undesired satisfaction states to desired satisfaction states, considering an approach in a personal way.


Dr. Antonio Fernandez Mirabal joined the School of Dentistry of Havana as Oral Surgery Instructor in February 1962. One month later he was sent to the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology for a course on Oral Oncology. Upon completion of the course, he started an ascending career at both the School and the Institute characterized by outstanding professional, academic and scientific achievements. The objective of this work is to provide information about the professional, academic and research career of Dr. Antonio Fernandez Mirabal. in May 2013 an interview was conducted with Dr. Fernandez Mirabal. His teaching file was then consulted at the Human Resources Department of the School of Dentistry of Havana. Other bibliographic sources were also consulted. Iinformation was found about his school training, family environment, undergraduate and graduate university training, research topics, his contribution to undergraduate and graduate teaching, as well as the titles obtained, and medals and awards received during more than 50 years of professional life. The life and work of this outstanding professor is an example to be followed by young medical graduates in general, and particularly by maxillofacial surgeons, oncologists, and head and neck surgeons. Key words: biographical data, maxillofacial surgery, emeritus professor.


The 2007/08 food price crisis brought unprecedented international attention to the relationship between food and biofuels, and their competition over land. In this article we sought to understand how the international policy framing of the nexus of food, fuel and land has developed since the food price crisis. We undertook an analysis of major reports, since the crisis, by three international policy prescriptive organizations representing food security, energy security and climate change concerns: the FAO, IEA and UNEP respectively. We analysed the contents of these reports under three categories: the policy/normative outlook, policy measures, instruments and technology, and scenarios and predictions. We found that while the IEA has remained optimistic about the potential of biofuels to contribute to both climate change mitigation and energy security, relying particularly on second generation fuels supported by government subsidies to reduce competition with food for land resources, both the FAO and UNEP appear to be growing increasingly skeptical particularly in relation to rural development. Both the FAO and UNEP show concern growing over the period since the crisis, firstly that second generation fuels with not deliver on the promise of reduced competition and secondly that biofuels production is causing problems related to local land rights in the global south. Scenarios predicting biofuel market share showed increases shortly after the crisis but have levelled off. Scenarios predicting future land use change due to biofuels firstly became less precise and later this parameter was no longer modelled. We discuss what implications the divergent and uncertain discourse around biofuels from these organizations has for the future of biofuels as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels at the international level. (Less)


The structure of a flavirirus nonstructural protein provides mechanistic understanding for many of its functions. [Also see Report by Akey et al.] There is growing concern about the spread of flaviviruses, such as dengue virus and West Nile virus, to new geographic areas as they can cause major epidemics and represent global public health threats. Controlling these viruses requires a better molecular understanding of how they infect cells. Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is perhaps the most enigmatic flavivirus protein. During infection, NS1 exists in two distinct forms, travels to various compartments, decorates itself with different molecular disguises, and plays numerous roles in its infectious cycle and disease pathogenesis (1). How this protein manages all of this has been a puzzle since its discovery in 1970 (2). Crystallizing NS1 has daunted many researchers because of the heterogeneity of its glycosylation and association with lipids, but as reported on page 881 of this issue, Akey et al. (3) have accomplished this task. The unusual structural details revealed about NS1 may guide the design of compounds that inhibit viral replication and provide clues as to how it contributes to different stages of the virus life cycle and disease.


1. The conidiophores which caused the publication of the genus Tomentella J.-Olsen apud Bref. bear no relation to the basidiferous states with which they were associated. They belong to Ostracoderma Fr. The names based on these associations are nomina confusa. — 2. Peniophorella P. Karst. is an other instance of a nomen confusum: it was based on Hyphoderma puberum to which species foreign spores were ascribed. These two-celled spores induced the introduction of the genus. Some additional species are referred to Hyphoderma Wallr. emend. (two new combinations). — 3. The name Phanerochaete P. Karst. is re-introduced for an as yet not sharply delimited genus, the possible characters and limits of which are discussed. — 4. It would appear that the correct name for Meruliopsis Bond. apud Parmasto is Caloporus P. Karst. The taxon is considered as yet ill-defined; it had better be included in Merulius Fr. for the time being. Karsten's type species is identified with Merulius taxicola (Pers.) Duby. — 5. The genus Hericium Pers. per S. F. Gray, as now sometimes conceived, is broken up into three genera, Hericium s. str., Creolophus P. Karst., and Dentipellis Donk, gen. nov. (two new combinations), the latter a resupinate genus. Two of its species are discussed in some detail. — 6. It is concluded that Lowe misinterpreted Trametes squalens P. Karst., which is a pileate rather than a Poria species, conspecific with Polyporus anceps Peck, of a later date.


In this paper I argue that the lexeme time constitutes a lexical category of distinct senses instantiated in semantic memory. The array of distinct senses constitutes a motivated semantic network organised with respect to a central sense termed the SANCTIONING SENSE. The senses associated with time are derived by virtue of the interaction between the Sanctioning Sense, conceptual processing and structuring, and context. Hence, semantic representations, cognitive mechanisms, and situated language use are appealed to in accounting for the polysemy associated with time. The model adduced is termed PRINCIPLEDPOLYSEMY. The conclusion which emerges, in keeping with recent studies in lexical semantics, most notably Lakoff (1987), Pustejovsky (1995), Tyler & Evans (2003) and Evans (2004), is that the lexicon is not an arbitrary repository of unrelated lexemes; rather, the lexicon exhibits a significant degree of systematicity, and productivity. In order to adduce what constitutes a distinct sense, I introduce three criteria: (1) a meaning criterion, (2) a concept elaboration criterion and (3) a grammatical criterion. A further claim is that the lexicon exhibits significant redundancy. This position is at odds with SINGLE-MEANINGAPPROACHES to polysemy, which posit highly underspecified lexical META-ENTRIES, such as the generative approach of Pustejovsky (1995) or the monosemy position of Ruhl (1989). That is, I propose that lexical items constitute highly granular categories of senses, which are encoded in semantic memory (=the lexicon). This necessitates a set of criteria for determining what counts as a distinct sense without deriving a proliferation of unwarranted senses, a criticism which has been levelled at some studies of word-meaning in cognitive linguistics (e.g. Lakoff 1987).


A significant number of individuals with disabilities are denied powered mobility because they lack the visual, motor, or cognitive skills required to operate a powered wheelchair safely. The Drive-Safe System (DSS) is an add-on, distributed, shared control navigation assistance system for powered wheelchairs, intended to provide safe and independent mobility to these individuals. The DSS is a human-machine system in which the user and machine share navigation control. The user is responsible for high-level control of the system, such as choosing the destination, path planning, and some navigation actions, while the DSS overrides unsafe maneuvers through autonomous collision avoidance, automatic wall following, and door crossing. This dissertation reports the design and development of the DSS, followed by results from rigorous engineering and clinical evaluations. The engineering tested technical aspects of the DSS such as sensor coverage, maximum safe speed, maximum detection distance, and power consumption. Clinical evaluations included testing the DSS with Orientation & Mobility (O&M) specialists, ambulatory and non-ambulatory visually impaired individuals, and able-bodied controls. We compared the performance of the DSS with conventional navigation aids such as canes that are commonly used in conjunction with wheelchairs based on measures such as time for task completion and number of collisions. Additionally, we collected data with the NASA-TLX to gain insight into users' subjective experience with the DSS. Results indicate that the DSS was able to provide a uniform and reliable sensor coverage field around the wheelchair and could successfully detect obstacles as small as 3 inches in height to overhanging obstacles at a height of 55 inches. The DSS significantly reduced the number of collisions compared to using a cane. Users rated the DSS favorably despite the fact they took longer to navigate the same obstacle course than they would using a cane. Visually impaired participants reported experiencing less physical demand, and had to exert less effort in order to achieve better performance when using the DSS, compared to using a cane. These findings suggest that the DSS can be a viable solution for powered mobility in populations with visual impairment.


In Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), thrombosis develops in the hepatic veins or inferior vena cava. To study the relationship between hypofibrinolysis and BCS, we measured plasma levels of fibrinolysis proteins in 101 BCS patients and 101 healthy controls and performed a plasma-based clot lysis assay. In BCS patients, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) levels were significantly higher than in controls (median, 6.3 vs 1.4 IU/mL, P < .001). Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and plasmin inhibitor levels were lower than in controls (13.8 vs 16.9 microg/mL and 0.91 vs 1.02 U/L, both P < .001). Median plasma clot lysis time (CLT) was 73.9 minutes in cases and 73.0 minutes in controls (P = .329). A subgroup of cases displayed clearly elevated CLTs. A CLT above the 90th or 95th percentile of controls was associated with an increased risk of BCS, with odds ratios of 2.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-5.5) and 3.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.2-9.7), respectively. In controls, only PAI-1 activity was significantly associated with CLT. Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms of fibrinolysis proteins revealed no significant differences between cases and controls. This case-control study provides the first evidence that an impaired fibrinolytic potential, at least partially caused by elevated PAI-1 levels, is related to the presence of BCS.


The investigation of sudden unexpected death in psychiatric patients and the ensuing litigation has brought to our attention many unusual features important in the evaluation of such deaths. Certain pathophysiologic mechanisms of death, rarely encountered in routine forensic science practice, may be important in determining the cause of death in psychiatric patients, especially in cases where the autopsy is unrevealing. Of particular concern is a tendency in the current literature to implicate phenothiazines as a cause of death when the death investigation and the autopsies are incomplete. Thus, based on our experience and on a review of the current literature, we have set forth factors that the forensic pathologist should consider when faced with a sudden psychiatric death. A case report illustrates these unique aspects of scene investigation and analysis of terminal events and autopsy findings.


Chalcopyrite materials such as CuInSxSe2-x (CISSe), the gallium alloy variant CuInxGa1-xSySe2-y (CIGSSe), and the earth-abundant kesterite material Cu2ZnSnSxSe4-x (CZTSSe) possess a range of properties that are ideally suited for thin-film photovoltaics (PV) applications. Although these materials are beginning to see some commercial success, they are manufactured using complicated and expensive techniques such as high temperature processing, vacuum deposition methods, and vapor-phase reactions. These production methods require an exorbitantly large capital investment to create new manufacturing facilities, which severely hampers the widespread and rapid deployment of these emerging solar energy technologies. This work has focused on developing novel chalcogen polymers to synthesize nanoparticles and produce thin-films for printed photovoltaics applications. This new method provides a pathway towards using chalcogen copolymers to produce these materials via a completely solution-processed, low-temperature fabrication procedure. This technique constitutes one of the first viable means to produce low-bandgap chalcogenides without additional vapor-phase or high-temperature reactions. Therefore, this process can potentially be implemented to rapidly and cheaply manufacture printed chalcopyrite and kesterite photovoltaics.


We calculate detailed non-LTE synthetic spectra of a pulsating reverse detonation (PRD) model, a novel explosion mechanism for Type Ia supernovae. While the hydro models are calculated in three dimensions, the spectra use an angle-averaged hydro model and thus some of the three-dimensional (3D) details are lost, but the overall average should be a good representation of the average observed spectra. We study the model at three epochs: maximum light, 7 days prior to maximum light, and 5 days after maximum light. At maximum the defining Si II feature is prominent, but there is also a prominent C II feature, not usually observed in normal SNe Ia near maximum. We compare to the early spectrum of SN 2006D, which did show a prominent C II feature, but the fit to the observations is not compelling. Finally, we compare to the postmaximum UV+optical spectrum of SN 1992A. With the broad spectral coverage it is clear that the iron-peak elements on the outside of the model push too much flux to the red and thus the particular PRD realizations studied would be intrinsically far redder than observed SNe Ia. We briefly discuss variations that could improve future PRD models.


Digital elevation models (DEM) are digital representations of topography that are especially suitable for numerical terrain analysis in earth sciences and engineering. One of the main quantitative uses of DEM is the automatic delineation of flow networks and watersheds in hydrology and geomorphology. In these applications (using both low-resolution and precision DEM) depressions hinder the inference of pathways and a lot of work has been done in designing algorithms that remove them so as to generate depression-free digital elevation models with no interruptions to flow. There are, however, geomorphological environments, such as karst terrains, in which depressions are singular elements, on scales ranging from centimetres to kilometres, which are of intrinsic interest. The detection of these depressions is of significant interest in geomorphologic mapping because the development of large depressions is normal in karst terrains: potholes, blind valleys, dolines, uvalas and poljes. The smallest depressions that can be detected depend on the spatial resolution (pixel size) of the DEM. For example, depressions from centimetres to a few metres, such as some types of karren, cannot be detected if the raster digital elevation model has a spatial resolution greater than, say, 5 m (i.e., square 5m pixel). In this work we describe a method for the automatic detection and delineation of terrain depressions. First, we apply a very efficient algorithm to remove pits from the DEM. The terrain depressions are then obtained by subtracting the depression-free DEM from the original DEM. The final product is a digital map of depressions that facilitates the calculation of morphometric features such as the geometry of the depressions, the mean depth of the depressions, the density of depressions across the study area and the relationship between depressions and other variables such as altitude. The method is illustrated by applying it to data from the Sierra de las Nieves karst massif in the province of Malaga in Southern Spain. This is a carbonate aquifer that is drained by three main springs and in which the depressions play an important role in the recharge of the aquifer. A doline density map, produced from a map of 324 detected dolines/uvalas, identifies three main recharge areas of the three springs. Other morphometric results related to the size and direction of the dolines are also presented. Finally the dolines can be incorporated into a geomorphology map.


The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act protects victims from a multitude of violent acts including harassment and stalking. The Act covers the procedure for filing a complaint, the factors to be considered by the court, and the relief available for residents of New Jersey. Language: en


Abstract The rate and direction of biotic exchange between the Palaeotropical arid floras of Asia, Africa, and Australia is poorly understood because of a lack of phylogenetic hypotheses for relevant plant groups. Periodic aridification may have facilitated migrations of arid-adapted plants between southwestern Africa and the Horn of Africa as recently as the last glacial maximum, allowing further exchange with the arid floras of Asia. However, no conclusive evidence of the age and direction of such migrations have been documented. We use a molecular phylogeny of the Zygophylloideae to infer a biogeographic scenario for the arid Palaeotropics, using relaxed clock dating and likelihood and parsimony based ancestral area reconstruction methods. We infer up to five migrations across the African continent (in contrast to just one each to Australia and Asia from Africa). The three most recent were in the Pliocene/Pleistocene and from southern to northern Africa, while the oldest dates to the Oligoccene to Miocene. For the recruitment of the arid Palaeotropical flora, the preponderance of migrations across the African continent points to a repeated pattern of dispersal mediated by periodically more contiguous habitat, the so called 'African arid corridor,' with rarer long distance dispersal events between other disjunct areas.


The recently developed technique of arithmetic coding, in conjunction with a Markov model of the source, is a powerful method of data compression in situations where a linear treatment is inappropriate. Adaptive coding allows the model to be constructed dynamically by both encoder and decoder during the course of the transmission, and has been shown to incur a smaller coding overhead than explicit transmission of the model's statistics. But there is a basic conflict between the desire to use high-order Markov models and the need to have them formed quickly as the initial part of the message is sent. This paper describes how the conflict can be resolved with partial string matching, and reports experimental results which show that mixed-case English text can be coded in as little as 2.2 bits/ character with no prior knowledge of the source.