The interdependence, dynamics and riskiness of financial institutions are the key features frequently tackled in financial econometrics. We propose a Tail Event driven Network Quantile Regression (TENQR) model which addresses these three aspects. More precisely, our framework captures the risk propagation and dynamics in terms of a quantile (or expectile) autoregression involving network effects quantified through an adjacency matrix. To reflect the nature and risk content of systemic risk, the construction of the adjacency matrix is suggested to include tail event covariates. The model is evaluated using the SIFIs (systemically important financial institutions) identified by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) as main players in the global financial system. The risk decomposition analysis of it identifies the systemic importance of SIFIs and thus provides measures for the required level of additional loss absorbency. It is discovered that the network effect, as a function of the tail probability, becomes more profound in stress situations and brings the various impacts to the SIFIs located in different geographic regions. JEL classification: C01, C14, C58, C45, G01, G15, G31


This paper invites Computer Information System (CIS) program stakeholders to consider several strategic issues. They include: Curriculum & Pedagogy, Business Model & Value Proposition, Increasingly Diverse Student Body, and Student Success & Completion. These strategic issues are those in which faculty have the ability to provide the most influence and make the most impact; areas in which the faculty can make significant contributions without requiring higher-level organizational commitment. In addition, attention to these four areas can help to address the shortage of individual entry-level employees in the field. The paper does not offer prescriptive solutions; rather, it broadly frames some strategic issues and suggests areas for stakeholder consideration. Ideally, each program should weigh strategic issues against the backdrop of the environmental factors, i.e., opportunities and threats, within which it operates, and in the context of its own strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, each program should consider its own relevant strategic issues from the perspective of its mission, values, and aspirations.


The NSW Cap & Pipe the Bores Program is a jointly funded Commonwealth and State initiative that operates within the Australian Government's Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative framework. Under the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources 2008, 70 per cent of the water savings made since 1999 shall be retained in the aquifers of the Basin to improve pressures and provide for groundwater dependent ecosystems. The remaining 30 per cent of the water savings may be released to extractive users over the term of the Water Sharing Plan to facilitate the continued economic and social welfare of regional western NSW. As the first step in this water release, part of the water savings from the Cap & Pipe the Bores program were auctioned in July 2009 in the western NSW town of Walgett. All lots offered at auction were sold. The study reviews the pre auction analysis of demand, and outlines the auction process and outcomes as well as the implications for future water sales. The outcomes of the auction will inform ongoing water allocation policy.


In 1974 I met with hundreds in South Africa and I realized that apartheid was sinful. When I was getting on the plane to go home, the police took me to a room, and told me to remove my clothes. A man with the biggest .45 I've ever seen said, "I do to you what I have to." I stood there in my underwear thinking, "I'm the head of the largest Black Church in Philadelphia and I'm on the board of directors of General Motors. When I get home, I'll do to you what I have to." --Rev. Leon H. Sullivan (2000) The connections between Africans in the United States and their brothers and sisters on the continent have been strong and enduring. They can be traced from the public demand for African repatriation made by Prince Hall and seventy-five other free African Americans in Boston following the founding of the nation in the 1780s, to the international campaigns led by Rev. Leon H. Sullivan through the "Sullivan Principles," TransAfrica, and the "Free South Africa" Movement in the 1980s that brought economic sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa. The hundreds of cases of "Africa fever" that swept African American communities throughout the 19th century were only cured by gathering bags and baggage and making the "Great Trek" from the rice fields of South Carolina or cotton plantations in Alabama to the Motherland. Historian Sylvia M. Jacobs in The African Nexus: Black American Perspectives on the European Partitioning of Africa, 1880-1920 (Westport, CT, 1981) documented the multifaceted responses of U.S. African Americans to the rape and dismembering of Africa by Europeans and Americans, and John Hope Franklin's George Washington Williams: A Biography (Chicago, 1985) provided detailed information on one of the earliest personal crusades launched by U.S. African Americans to expose to the world the death and destruction that came to African peoples at the hands of European and American colonizers. More recently, the numerous books and other publications by Tony Martin, Robert A. Hill, Emory Tolbert, and others documenting the overwhelming response of U.S. African Americans to Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association and his plans to preserve "Africa for the Africans" have demonstrated how deeply rooted the attachment to Africa has been in African American history and culture. Historically, many U.S. African Americans understood that the position of Africa in the world greatly affected the circumstances for African peoples throughout the diaspora. The essays in this Special Issue of The Journal of African American History describe the overwhelmingly negative impact that "globalization" is having on the social, political, and economic conditions for the peoples of Africa as we enter the 21st century. When I have visited Sub-Saharan African nations, I have witnessed the ravages of international corporate capitalism inscribed on the bodies of Africa's children. The stick-like arms and legs, swollen bellies, and bulging eyes bear the imprint of decisions made by local elites, in league with multinational corporations, to produce food and other products for export at externally controlled (and depressed) prices, and to import at inflated costs many of the staples needed for sustaining life. When I looked at these children, I understood that the poor nutrition in childhood and youth will undoubtedly lead to decreased life expectancy and greater susceptibility to diseases that no longer threaten the lives of those in the developed nations. When I return to the United States and visit schools in any city, I also witness the effects of unrestrained corporate capitalism on the bodies of African American and other children. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. and it is the children who are the most vulnerable victims of the decisions made by right-wing government officials to allow greedy corporate capitalists to determine what will be offered to Americans to consume. …


Abstract The ghrelin receptor ( nomenclature as agreed by the nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHARNC-IUPHAR Subcommittee for the Ghrelin receptor Subcommittee for the Ghrelin receptor [[1919]] ) is activated by a 28 amino-acid peptide originally isolated from rat stomach, where it is cleaved from a 117 amino-acid precursor ( GHRL , Q9UBU3). The human gene encoding the precursor peptide has 83% sequence homology to rat prepro-ghrelin, although the mature peptides from rat and human differ by only two amino acids [75]. Alternative splicing results in the formation of a second peptide, [des-Gln 14 ]ghrelin with equipotent biological activity [50]. A unique post-translational modification (octanoylation of Ser 3 , catalysed by ghrelin Ο-acyltransferase ( MBOAT4 , Q96T53) [134] occurs in both peptides, essential for full activity in binding to ghrelin receptors in the hypothalamus and pituitary, and for the release of growth hormone from the pituitary [59]. Structure activity studies showed the first five N-terminal amino acids to be the minimum required for binding [4], and receptor mutagenesis has indicated overlap of the ghrelin binding site with those for small molecule agonists and allosteric modulators of ghrelin function [45]. An endogenous antagonist and inverse agonist called Liver enriched antimicrobial peptide 2 (Leap2), expressed primarily in hepatocytes and in enterocytes of the proximal intestine [36, 69] inhibits ghrelin receptor-induced GH secretion


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a widespread cause of death and a major source of adult disability. Subsequent pathological events occurring in the brain after TBI, referred to as secondary injury, continue to damage surrounding tissue resulting in substantial neuronal loss. One of the hallmarks of the secondary injury process is microglial activation resulting in increased cytokine production. Notwithstanding that recent studies demonstrated that caloric restriction (CR) lasting several months prior to an acute TBI exhibits neuroprotective properties, understanding how exactly CR influences secondary injury is still unclear. The goal of the present study was to examine whether CR (50% of daily food intake for 3 months) alleviates the effects of secondary injury on neuronal loss following cortical stab injury (CSI). To this end, we examined the effects of CR on the microglial activation, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and caspase-3 expression in the ipsilateral (injured) cortex of the adult rats during the recovery period (from 2 to 28 days) after injury. Our results demonstrate that CR prior to CSI suppresses microglial activation, induction of TNF-α and caspase-3, as well as neurodegeneration following injury. These results indicate that CR strongly attenuates the effects of secondary injury, thus suggesting that CR may increase the successful outcome following TBI.


Traditional hyperspectral imaging (HSI) sensors are inherently time-sequential during capture, relying upon scanning techniques to construct the resultant hypercube. This temporal constraint hence restricts the use of HSI to static scenes or platforms. The novel sensor outlined within this paper enables snapshot HSI. The Near-Infrared Image Replicating Imaging Spectrometer (N-IRIS) operates without any rejection in polarized light. This prototype has eight SWIR bands and a diagonal FoV of two degrees, with potential for sixteen bands in other infrared regions. Unlike other snapshot techniques, N-IRIS produces a spectral image directly without inversion. Many additional benefits include inherent compactness, robustness, no-moving-parts operation, lower processing overheads and resource needs. Dual polarimetricspectral imaging is also possible due to its inherent design, which offers additional discrimination and higher throughput. HSI algorithms for anomaly detection are prolific in variety, but almost none of them consider the temporal dimension, mainly due to current limitations on speed. This paper describes the results from advanced algorithms implemented on COTS hardware for video-rate operation and designed to exploit the temporal dimension. The synergy with N-IRIS has achieved anomaly detection within streaming HSI hypercubes at video frame-rates. Recorded datasets include static ground scenes with transient targets, while further AVRIS imagery achieved the video-rate detection of embedded simulated targets therein. This new capability through N-IRIS hence broadens the potential application and benefit of HSI sensors to dynamic or transient situations.


Molecular based identification of pathogenic organism is becoming a routine procedure in many diagnostic laboratories. Ribosomal RNA is particularly the most popular choice for this purpose. Although, other targets such as `cytochrome b', `rpoB' and `actin' are highly effective, they have not been extensively used. This could be due to the lack of effective data collection method. We used sequence based exhaustive search of public sequence database to obtain all target sequences. This approach is currently being extended to collect such molecular targets for Nocardia and other slow growing medically important organisms.


ABSTRACT:
 Fire and grazing can interact to affect the structure and composition of vegetation communities in a manner that may differ from the effects of fire or grazing that occurs in isolation of the other. In order to better understand the effects of a fire-grazing interaction at the level of an individual plant species, we studied the response of a perennial tallgrass prairie forb, Arnoglossum plantagineum Raf., to the interaction of spring and summer fires with grazing by bison (Bison bison L.). During one field season (2006), we collected data in areas that had been treated with summer fires while in a subsequent field season (2007) we collected data in areas that had been treated with spring fires. Many measures of plant growth (plant height, vegetative biomass, and total biomass) and reproductive effort (reproductive biomass, indices of flowering plant density) suggested greater resource availability for individuals of A. plantagineum growing in areas that had been recently burned and were being heavily grazed by bison. However, the response of these variables to the fire-grazing interaction often varied among differing topographical positions. Our results demonstrate that the interaction of fire and bison grazing can further interact with topographical position in tallgrass prairie to affect the growth and reproductive effort of the perennial forb A. plantagineum.


Purpose: To compare the repeatability of the Schirmer test (ST) administered with the eyes open (STo) with the repeatability of the ST administered with the eyes closed (STc). Methods: STo and STc without anesthesia were alternately applied with 1-day intervals for a total of 6 times on 28 eyes of 14 healthy volunteers. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess test-retest reliability of the STo and STc. Results: STc scores were found to be statistically lower than the STo scores in general (right eyes: t = 2.033, P = 0.048; left eyes: t = 3.474, P = 0.004). The ICC was 0.632 (right eyes) and 0.618 (left eyes) for STo and 0.943 (right eyes) and 0.933 (left eyes) for STc. Conclusions: Our study suggests that administering the ST with the patient's eyes closed produces less variable results and more repeatability than STo in normal subjects. Although our results may not extend to dry eye patient populations, we propose that STc without anesthesia can be considered by those ophthalmologists who frequently use the ST as an adjunct to the differential diagnosis of dry eye in patients presenting with ocular discomfort, making ST a more reliable test in everyday practice.


Author(s): White, Cory Haley | Advisor(s): Richman, Douglas D. | Abstract: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been a global threat for over three decades despite treatments, preventative measures, and public awareness. HIV hides from the immune system by entering a latent state within CD4 T-cells and removal of therapy results in a resurgence of infection. Therapies to combat HIV were designed to shock the virus from latency and kill infected cells, i.e. "Shock and Kill", and are often studied in cell models due to the paucity of infected cells and no method to isolate them from HIV infected individuals. Transcriptomic and proteomic methods have proven key to studying HIV latency and demonstrate methods by which the "Shock and Kill" strategy may be improved for HIV eradication. First, two RNA-Seq studies of models of HIV latency are presented (Chapters 2 and 3). Through host transcriptome analysis in the "Bosque and Planelles TCM model of HIV latency", it was demonstrated that host gene expression was reflective of the response to active instead of latent infection. It was shown that fully infectious virus was reconstituted through recombination between the deficient HIV construct and pLET-LAI plasmid. Analysis of host and virus transcripts in the refined "Martins et al." model, demonstrated it represented a form of latency. Furthermore, genes relating to p53 signaling were dysregulated and inhibition of p53 resulted in reduction of the total percentage of latently infected cells. Next, the effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA, a latency reversing agent, was analyzed (Chapters 4 and 5). This revealed SAHA dysregulated genes in a way that was counterproductive to HIV reactivation. Furthermore, analysis of HERV elements dysregulated by SAHA demonstrated elements from multiple families were upregulated with a specificity for those from LTR12. In summary, this work demonstrated the importance of transcriptomic and proteomic analysis to the study of HIV latency models, led to a revision of the first model, and the importance of the p53 signaling in latency for the second. This work also demonstrated the effect of SAHA treatment on CD4 T-cells, which may potentially explain why SAHA has proven somewhat ineffective in clinical trials to reactivate HIV from latency.


Despite substantial scholarship relating to word structure (Anderson, 2018), for English affixes the relationship between productivity, genre, and second language (L2) learning remains unclear. Analysis of the existing literature reveals that deadjectival noun suffixes (i.e., nouns derived from adjectives such as appropriacy or goodness) have been underexamined. To address this gap, we examine two rival suffixes, -acy and -ness, through the lens of Construction Morphology (Booij, 2010), considering numerous factors which might condition their varying usage. Critically, corpus data in the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus (Davies, 2008-) reveal the importance of considering these affixes' productivity in relation to genre, since -acy is especially frequent in academic texts, principally within certain social sciences. The implications for learners and teachers of English as a second language are discussed, particularly higher-level learners building communicative competence in academic contexts, along with a preliminary learner corpus comparison of the two variants.


The content of tocopherols and vitamin A was measured in lipids of light and dark muscles, brain, internal fatty tissues of the whitefish inhabiting the Ob basin. Depending on the localization, the content of tocopherols was found to vary from 11.1 to 35.6 mg/100 g while that of vitamin A from 1.96 to 8.10 mg/100 g. Tocopherols were shown to be concentrated in neutral lipids whereas vitamin A to be distributed more uniformly among neutral lipids and phospholipids. Tocopherols were stable on lipid storage at - 5 degrees C for 2 years, whereas vitamin A disintegrated 25% annually.


BACKGROUND
National policy statements increasingly espouse the delivery of comprehensive mental health services in schools. In response to the limited evidence supporting this recommendation, the purpose of this study was to assess the need for, and feasibility, desirability, and outcomes of a full model of comprehensive mental health services in 2 public elementary schools in inner-city neighborhoods.

METHODS
The program, based upon a national model for comprehensive school mental health services, comprised universal and indicated preventive as well as clinical interventions designed to target needs identified in a baseline screening survey. The program was implemented over 1 school year by mental health professionals in collaboration with school teachers. Mental health outcomes comparing baseline to follow-up data were assessed in multiple domains among students and teachers.

RESULTS
After 1 year of intervention, students had significantly fewer mental health difficulties, less functional impairment, and improved behavior, and reported improved mental health knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral intentions. Teachers reported significantly greater proficiency in managing mental health problems in their classrooms. School staff overwhelmingly endorsed satisfaction with the program.

CONCLUSION
If the observed favorable findings from this pilot demonstration can be replicated in methodologically rigorous studies, additional support would be garnered for national policy recommendations about comprehensive school mental health services.


AIM: To explore the pathogenicity and infectivity of hepatitis G virus (HGV) by observing replication and expression of the virus, as well as the serological and histological changes of Macaca mulatta infected with HGV genomic RNA or HGV RNA-positive serum.METHODS: Full-length HGV cDNA clone (HGVqz) was constructed and proved to be infectious, from which HGV genomic RNA was transcribed in vitro. Macaca mulatta BY1 was intra-hepatically inoculated with HGV genomic RNA, HGV RNA-positive serum from BY1 was intravenously inoculated into Macaca mulatta BM1, and then BB1 was infected with serum from BM1. Serum and liver tissue were taken regularly, and checked with RT-PCR, in situ hybridization and other immunological, serological,histological assays.RESULTS: Serum HGV RNA was detectable in all the 3Macaca mulattas, serological and histological examinations showed the experimental animals had slightly elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) and developed HGV viremia during the infectious period. The histology, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization in liver tissues of the inoculated animals demonstrated a very mild hepatitis with HGV antigen expression in cytoplasm of hepatocytes.RT-PCR and quantitative PCR results showed that HGV could replicate in liver.CONCLUSION: The genomic RNA from full-length HGV cDNA is infectious to the Macaca mulatta and can cause mild hepatitis. HGV RNA-positive serum, from HGV RNA inoculated Macaca mulatta, is infectious to other Macaca mulattas. Macaca mulatta is susceptible to the inoculated HGV, and therefore can be used as an experimental animal model for the studies of HGV infection and pathogenesis.


Examining emergent appropriations of new media technologies and platforms provides an opportunity to rethink their roles in identity and social formations. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation with Filipino transnationals in Indian cities, I look at the role of social networking site Facebook in their everyday life. Ethnographic data reveal that their practices of sharing achievements and affirming connections on Facebook relate to their need for recognition that is defined by their particular context of migration. The term "mediated recognition" is proposed to account for the ways new and traditional media facilitate recognition by providing a platform for self-presentation and affirmation from social networks. Mediated recognition also highlights how media provide symbolic resources that are harnessed by Filipino transnationals in constituting their identities and social relations. The article demonstrates how mediated recognition can be a framework to analyze a key moment in the process of identity and social formations.


Agriculture is weather-dependent so a significant alteration in the world climate would cause lot of changes in agricultural practice and agricultural productivity in the world. For man to feed himself adequately man must adjust his food production activities in line with the changes in the weather and climate. This paper elucidates the effects of climate change on regional shifts in world production of grain crops. It looks into the flood events, wet-dry conditions in certain regions in the world and the influence of these events on agricultural productivity and food security. Mitigation efforts to secure food in the world are suggested. North America now has warmer and shorter winter, increased spring run-off, drier summer and a shift in agro-climate which affects temperate crops. The production of corn and maple is now limited. In Tanzania, Africa, the climate has improved the production of maize and rice. In Australia, severe drought has transformed agriculture as the farmers switch the production of rice for the production of wine grape. Wheat production is devastated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, so India and Pakistan are back in wheat deficit. Barley production is supported in New Zealand and Australia while it is being driven to extinction in Ethiopia. In the past 2 years, the weather has supported increased production of soybean in Brazil. In 2008, malnutrition dropped significantly in Niger Republic due to increased harvests of rain-fed grain crops. In the same year the weather favoured the production of grains in Nigeria but in Somalia, localized flood event destroyed late maize crop. Flood events at continental level affected the regions of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya and caused significant loss of livestock. In Asia, Afghanistan lost farmland, livestock and mills to heavy rains and flood. Central and Eastern Europe lost huge hectares of farmland with Hungary losing more land area to flood water. The Great Plains of North America lost huge area of farmland as Red River flowed over in 2006. The tributaries of River Amazon in Brazil and three states in Argentina covering 250,000 km2 along the river basin was lost to flood. An epidemic  re-emerged in Angola in the wake of a flood event in 2006. A mitigation of the effects of global warming should include a stable, democratic government and the presence of basic infrastructure in the developing countries. Techniques, which are applicable to traditional and small scale farming systems are required. Research works that evolve mitigation techniques should be advocated and funded; and findings of research disseminated to the farmers. There is need to develop crops which are resilient to drought and water logging. Research in plant and animal diseases must be vigorous and well funded. Adaptive techniques consistent with change in the climate of each region seem the solution to world food security. A shift in agricultural trade pattern is certain and important to correct the climate change anomalies in agricultural output and food production across the world. Mitigation efforts must be initiated by governments and must start at the grass root. Keywords: Global Warming Impact, Food Security


: To overcome the problem of obstruction of ureteral catheters with blood clots, a ureteral catheter was constructed which had a double lumen. Irrigation of blood from the catheter was accomplished by perfusion of heparinized saline through a small inner catheter. In renal function studies performed in 12 rabbits using this system, no instances of catheter obstruction occurred.


Natural resources dependence of mountain communities, rapid social and developmental changes, disaster proneness and climate change are conceived as the critical factors regulating sustainable Himalayan mountain development. The Himalayan region posed by typical geographic settings, diverse physical and cultural diversity present a formidable challenge to collect and manage data, information and understands varied socio-ecological settings. Recent advances in earth observation, near real-time data, in-situ measurements and in combination of information and communication technology have transformed the way we collect, process, and generate information and how we use such information for societal benefits. Glacier dynamics, land cover changes, disaster risk reduction systems, food security and ecosystem conservation are a few thematic areas where geospatial information and knowledge have significantly contributed to informed decision making systems over the region. The emergence and adoption of near-real time systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), board-scale citizen science (crowd-sourcing), mobile services and mapping, and cloud computing have paved the way towards developing automated environmental monitoring systems, enhanced scientific understanding of geophysical and biophysical processes, coupled management of socio-ecological systems and community based adaptation models tailored to mountain specific environment. There are differentiated capacities among the ICIMOD regional member countries with regard to utilization of earth observation and geospatial technologies. The region can greatly benefit from a coordinated and collaborative approach to capture the opportunities offered by earth observation and geospatial technologies. The regional level data sharing, knowledge exchange, and Himalayan GEO supporting geospatial platforms, spatial data infrastructure, unique region specific satellite systems to address trans-boundary challenges would go a long way in evolving sustainable Himalayan livelihoods.


Text mining technologies are increasingly providing an effective response to the growing demand for faster access to the vast amounts of information hidden in the literature. Several tools are becoming available which offer the capability to mine the literature for specific information, such as for example protein-protein interactions or drug-disease relationships. The biomedical text mining community regularly verifies the progress of such systems through competitive evaluations, such as BioCreative, BioNLP, i2b2, CALBC, CLEF-ER, BioASQ, etc. The OntoGene system is a text mining system which specialises in the detection of entities and relationships from selected categories, such as proteins, genes, drugs, diseases, chemicals. The quality of the system has been tested several times through participation in some of the community-organised evaluation campaigns. In order to make the advanced text mining capabilities of the OntoGene system more widely accessible without the burden of installation of complex software, we are setting up a web service that will allow any remote user to submit arbitrary documents. The results of the mining service (entities and relationships) are then delivered back to the user as XML data, or optionally can be inspected via a flexible web interface.


The analysis of the treatment results in patients with cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors, manifested as trigeminal neuralgia (TN). During the 10-year period from 1998 to 2008, 14 patients with verified CPA tumors that had the typical manifestations of TN were operated on at our hospital (5.8% from all patients with TN who underwent surgery). In nine cases the epidermoid was identified; three patients had meningioma, one patient had acoustic neurinoma, and one patient had lipoma. The follow-up of all patients lasted at least 12 months. The intraoperative assessment identified the three variants of relationship between the tumors and neurovascular structures: (1) tumor grows around the trigeminal nerve; (2) the tumor causes compression and displacement of the trigeminal nerve; and (3) tumor presses the arterial vessel to the trigeminal nerve by moving the vessel or nerve. For six patients, with removal of tumor a microvascular decompression of the trigeminal nerve was performed. Complete pain relief was achieved in 12 patients (86%). TN is an expectative symptom of CPA tumors. The most frequent cause of secondary TN of CPA tumors is epidermoid. All patients with manifestations of TN should undergo the magnetic resonance imaging for early diagnosis of CPA tumor.


Chicontepec Basin is one of the most productive in Mexico. Unlike the world-famous Cantarell and Poza Rica carbonate fields, characterized by high-producing wells tapping large continuous reservoirs, the Chicontepec play is characterized by thin, sometimes multistoried turbidite and fan reservoirs encased in shales and cut by mud slumps and mass transport complexes. The sand reservoirs are relatively small and have very low permeability. Most new wells need to be hydraulically fractured, with anomalously higher production being hypothesized as due to fractures draining nearby, otherwise disconnected, sand bodies.


INTRODUCTION: Measures of brain function can complement assessment of injury to inform clinical decision-making after stroke, but the most useful metrics remain uncertain. An acute stroke alters brain function in widespread areas. We therefore reasoned that a whole brain measure of brain function would be better related to behavioral deficits than a regional measure of brain function. METHODS: In 24 patients hospitalized for acute stroke, resting EEG (256 leads) was recorded for 3 min at the bedside and analyzed offline. Two EEG measures of brain function were extracted: [1] whole brain connectivity, which found the EEG frequency (from 1-30 Hz) and seed point (from among the 256 leads) that best fit whole brain coherence with total NIHSS scores, using a partial least squares regression model; and [2] regional brain activity, which found the EEG frequency and lead where spectral power was most strongly correlated with total NIHSS scores. Analyses were repeated focused on NIHSS motor subscores (Q4-6). All models were validated using a leave-one-out approach. RESULTS: The 24 patients were age 60.9±13.1yr, 3.5 ± 2.9 d post-onset (range 3hr-12d), and were studied in settings that included ER, ICU, and stroke ward. Whole brain EEG connectivity explained a large fraction of the variance in total NIHSS scores (r^2=0.72); this was achieved in the 2-4 Hz range, with seed over ipsilesional motor cortex, and with model predicting higher NIHSS score when this seed had greater coherence with contralesional frontal/motor regions. Regional brain activity, by comparison, explained a smaller fraction of variance (r^2=0.51), with maximal correlation between total NIHSS and regional EEG power found using a lead over contralesional motor cortex, at 2 Hz. Similar results for whole brain EEG connectivity were obtained when modeling NIHSS motor subscores in the 14 subjects with motor deficits (validated r^2=0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Dense array EEG recordings could be obtained early after stroke, rapidly and reliably, and at the bedside in widespread hospital settings. Whole brain connectivity measures corresponded to behavioral state better than measures of regional brain activity do. Results support the utility of EEG as a bedside method for evaluating brain functional status after stroke.


The subject of this paper is to discuss the roles of women in the Viking Age society of Scandinavia. This is done using three different themes with positions that are usually addressed to men, Women as tradesmen, Women as seafarers and Women as magnate (women with a strong social position). Moreover, the question of why rich female graves often gets interpreted differently from rich male graves, will be discussed. The material used for this study is mainly literary source that focuses on women in the Viking Age society, this by e.g. examining graves, rune stones and settlements. This material will be studied, if it is not already, from a gender perspective with focus on women's role in Viking Age Scandinavia, and how our modern society's prejudices affects the image of the ancient women. The aim is to provide more and broader perspective of the Viking Age women.


The process factors influencing the forming quality of car inner door panel such as stamping direction, binder surface, draw-bead, addendum surface and technical cut are determined based on experience knowledge. Aiming at local fracture problem of test pieces, some key parameters are determined based on experience knowledge, and the strain in thinning area of sheet metal forming is analyzed by numerical simulation. Based on this, process optimization and die modification scheme are put forward. Engineering inspection proved that optimized process and die parameters are reasonable, after increasing die fillet radius and process hole radius, decreasing draw-bead height, qualified products are achieved and fracture flaw is well controlled.


Background: The "cognitive dysmetria hypothesis" of schizophrenia proposes a disrupted communication between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex, resulting in sensorimotor and cognitive symptoms. Sensorimotor adaptation relies strongly on the function of the cerebellum. Objectives: This study investigated whether sensorimotor adaptation is reduced in schizophrenia compared with age-matched and elderly healthy controls. Methods: Twenty-nine stably treated patients with schizophrenia, 30 age-matched, and 30 elderly controls were tested in three motor adaptation tasks in which visual movement feedback was unexpectedly altered. In the "rotation adaptation task" the perturbation consisted of a rotation (30° clockwise), in the "gain adaptation task" the extent of the movement feedback was reduced (by a factor of 0.7) and in the "vertical reversal task," up- and downward pen movements were reversed by 180°. Results: Patients with schizophrenia adapted to the perturbations, but their movement times and errors were substantially larger than controls. Unexpectedly, the magnitude of adaptation was significantly smaller in schizophrenia than elderly participants. The impairment already occurred during the first adaptation trials, pointing to a decline in explicit strategy use. Additionally, post-adaptation aftereffects provided strong evidence for impaired implicit adaptation learning. Both negative and positive schizophrenia symptom severities were correlated with indices of the amount of adaptation and its aftereffects. Conclusions: Both explicit and implicit components of sensorimotor adaptation learning were reduced in patients with schizophrenia, adding to the evidence for a role of the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Elderly individuals outperformed schizophrenia patients in the adaptation learning tasks.


The effect of caffeine, at concentrations between 10 microM and 20 mM was studied on Adriamycin-induced cytotoxicity and DNA damage in exponentially growing Chinese hamster V79 cells. Simultaneous administration of caffeine with 0.4 micrograms/ml (0.69 microM) Adriamycin for 1 h resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction in cell killing. The surviving fraction increased from 0.001 for cells treated with Adriamycin alone to 0.14 for cells treated in the presence of 1 mM caffeine and to 0.8 for cells treated at caffeine concentrations higher than 6 mM. A significant reduction in Adriamycin-induced cell killing was also caused by caffeine at micromolar concentrations where the surviving fraction increased from 0.00076 to 0.0014 (2-fold) after treatment with 10 microM, to 0.0038 (5-fold) after treatment with 20 microM and to 0.01 (13-fold) after treatment with 100 microM caffeine. Treatment of cells with caffeine for 1 h immediately after Adriamycin exposure (0.4 micrograms/ml, 1 h) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in survival as well, but the effect was smaller than that observed after simultaneous administration (increase in the surviving fraction from 0.003 to about 0.05 at concentrations higher than 5 mM). The reduction of Adriamycin-induced cytotoxicity by caffeine was reflected by a decrease in the slope of the survival curve, and it was similar over the entire range of Adriamycin and caffeine concentrations examined. The ability of cells to accumulate Adriamycin was reduced by caffeine from 43 ng/10(6) cells after treatment for 1 h in the presence of 0.5 micrograms/ml Adriamycin to 16 ng/10(6) cells for cells treated in the presence of 2 mM and to 8 ng/10(6) cells for cells treated in the presence of 10 mM caffeine. Induction by Adriamycin of DNA breaks, as assayed by the alkaline filter elution technique, was linear with concentration and was decreased in the presence of caffeine. The response to caffeine of Adriamycin-induced killing and DNA damage was similar, and it was only slightly different from the modulation induced in intracellular Adriamycin content. Compared to the effect of caffeine on cells exposed to ionizing radiations or other cytotoxic compounds, the results indicate an entirely different mode of caffeine action with anthracyclines. In addition, the results suggest caffeine-induced modulations in intracellular drug accumulation as an important determinant for the effect and may have useful implications in the clinical application of these compounds.


This qualitative research was based on structured small-group work conducted with 34 undergraduate social work students. It aimed to reveal students' understandings of their personal values and modes of evaluation, their views regarding the value base of social work, and the possible influence of their personal values on professional practice. The data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, self-reflective diaries and a semi-structured focus-group discussion. During the study, it was seen that the students had difficulties when talking about their personal values. Yet, whenever they did talk about them, they saw that their values were actually not their own, but were socially constructed by the dominant cultural and moral norms. Prejudices based on the hegemonic cultural codes and norms, hidden in the form of personal values, are the biggest handicaps in the development of a professional identity. Thus, the values of social work are extremely important because they allow social workers to work professionally with all people without exception or discrimination and to promote human rights. This study showed that educational settings must be transformed so that students may express their own values without being judged. Arts-based techniques like creative drama have a great potential to achieve this goal. Therefore, social work education should benefit from creative and critical ways to prepare students for the profession, which aims to protect the value of humans.


Achieving sustainability in universities is key to achieving a resilient society. Universities educate students, engage local communities, raise awareness about impacts, and encourage the incorporation of sustainability values into society. Faculty research and technology development is solving some of the most critical environmental problems. Recognizing their leadership role, many are now incorporating sustainability goals into their core activities and looking for ways to reduce their own impacts. The University of California (UC) is a leader in efforts to achieve sustainability, setting an aggressive target of carbon neutrality by 2025 (UCOP, n.d.-a). Achieving this goal will be challenging given expanded enrollments and targets that seek to eliminate emissions from campus commutes and air travel. Given the scale of impacts from campus energy consumption and transportation, distance education initiatives may prove valuable in achieving sustainability. The primary objective of this study was to develop an expanded analytical framework for evaluating university sustainability programs and policies like distance education and e-learning that reduce environmental degradation (represented by CO2e emissions) in a cost-effective and socially-beneficial manner. I hypothesized in this test case that the direct effect of 10,000 enrolled UC Santa Cruz students completing their undergraduate degree remotely rather than in expanded traditional brick and mortar buildings will help meet state enrollment growth targets while significantly reducing environmental impacts. This shift will help achieve carbon neutrality goals for the campus without moving boundaries to outsource student and operational impacts. Further, I proposed that the social and economic benefits from expanded access will outweigh potential negative impacts. To test this hypothesis, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission models were constructed for a pilot UC campus, Santa Cruz, with existing and proxy foreground data. After calculating the difference between impact categories, it was determined that meeting growth expectations of 10,000 additional students over the next 20 years through expanded distance programs paired with a static but more sustainable campus will be superior to plans to expand the residential and peripheral facilities to educate in a traditional model. The modeling tool developed to demonstrate that the university should significantly increase the development of high-quality online/distance programs to achieve long-term sustainability can now be applied to other critical sustainability issues like business travel and procurement to demonstrate leadership in identifying net-positive initiatives to achieve true sustainability.


The accurate computation of a series of integer‐order Bessel functions is often required in applications in engineering and physics. Numerous authors have shown how a recurrence relationship can be used in the backward and forward directions to accurately compute integer‐order Bessel functions of the first and second kinds, respectively, for real‐ valued arguments. However, significant round‐off errors can result when these standard recurrence algorithms are employed and the argument for the Bessel function is complex valued. C. F. du Toit recently developed an algorithm that overcomes these numerical instabilities for Bessel functions of the first and second kinds. However, if one needs to compute integer‐order Hankel functions with complex arguments, then we have found that numerical round‐off errors can lead to inaccurate results if Bessel functions of the first and second kinds are superimposed to obtain the desired Hankel functions. To address this problem, a technique is presented in this paper that uses a combination of forward and backward recurrence for the computation of integer‐order Hankel functions with complex‐valued arguments.


Bacterial infections, if not properly treated, have the potential to become life-threatening in humans. The discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s made it possible for bacterial infections to be easily managed, thus, removing the threat of bacterial infections on human life. However, due to the abuse of antibiotics, many species of bacteria have developed resistance to an extent where is it feared that mankind may be on the brink of the post-antibiotic era. The once easy to treat bacterial infections are now posing as a serious threat to human life. However, all hope is not lost if antibiotics completely fail. Plants are another potential source of antimicrobial compounds that are effective against bacteria. Herbal medicines have been in use since ancient times, even before the discovery of antibiotics. Plants are known to possess many phytocompounds which have various therapeutic effects. In a bid to discover novel compounds for the development of new effective antibacterial medicines, it is therefore, important to take a fresh look at plants. Could plants from Zimbabwe be potential sources of new antibiotics effective against bacterial pathogens? This study was aimed at investigating the antibacterial activity of selected plants from Zimbabwe against 5 species of bacteria. The antibacterial activities of ethanolic extracts from 18 plants were assessed using the agar diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration determination assays using ampicillin as reference. Plants were chosen on the basis of ethnomedicinal use as well as random selection. Test bacteria used in the study were Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli , Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis . Plant extracts were also tested for activity as drug efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs). The R6G accumulation assay was carried out to investigate the plant compounds that can inhibit bacterial efflux pump activity, which has been asscociated with drug resistance. The extracts that possessed antibacterial activity were used for target determining assays using the bacterial cell membrane as a potential target. Phytochemical analyses of the most potent extracts were also carried out to further isolate the antibacterial compounds. Bioautography was used to locate the antibacterial compounds of isolated phytoconstituents on a chromatogram. Of the plants tested, Syzigium cumini , Callistemon citrinus , Ficus sycomorus, Vernonia adoensis, Parinari curatellifolia , Lantana camara , Brachystegia boehmii and Mangifera indica, Faurea species and Asteraceae family exhibited antibacterial activity against all bacteria with activity ranging from bacteriostatic to bactericidal. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) determination of plant extracts ranged from 0.05 to 0.5 mg/ml and 0.06 mg/ml to > 1 mg/ml, respectively. C. citrinus and V. adoensis extracts were the most potent with bactericidal activity against all bacteria while the other extracts were bacteriostatic. Both extracts were also effective EPIs in the uptake of R6G with activity greater than the standard inhibitor reserpine. Of all the plants used in this study C. citrinus showed the most potent antibacterial activity. Phytochemical screening of C. citrinus showed the presence of tannins, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins in the extract. Antibacterial susceptibility tests on the isolated phytoconstituents showed the flavonoids had the most potent antibacterial activity. IC 50 values for flavonoids were in the range of 40 – 60 µg/ml and these values were comparable to the IC 50 values of reserpine, the standard plant-based EPI (40 – 80 µg/ml). Results also showed that C. citrinus and V. adoensis extracts and phytoconstituents were able to permeabilize the membrane, hence, making the bacterial membrane a potential target for the plants used in this study. The haemolysis assay showed that the sheep erythrocytes were not lysed in the presence of the crude extracts of C. citrinus and V. adoensis at concentrations lower than 2.5 mg/ml, hence drug formulations with extract concentrations less than 2.5 mg/ml can be potentially non toxic to human cells. The study concludes that C. citrinus
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flavonoids have the highest antibacterial activity as compared to other extracts tested hence, these flavonoids have potential to serve as templates for the development of new and effective antibacterial agents as well as efflux pump inhibitors. Plants therefore, provide hope for a source of new antibacterial agents that can manage bacterial infections and may have the potential to overcome antibiotic resistance.


Were the criminal sentencing reforms that began in the 1970s too harsh? Rachel Barkow's new book says they were. But most Americans would likely call these changes progress: our worst offenders now get something closer to what they should get than in the days when the experts were more in charge of punishment. Perhaps the real question is whether we should ground our criminal law more on justice as retribution.


Advancements in statistics are normally geared to addressing topics that will either address an existing gap in the field or to render analysis results more accurate/reliable. This work aims to add to existing research by extending from binary Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) to a multinomial logit, multivariate GLM (MGLM) and multivariate GLMM (MGLMM), subject to ordered equality and inequality constraints. We extended the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) and likelihood ratio hypothesis testing (LRT) methods for the binary and multinomial GLM and GLMM subject to linear equality and inequality constraints on the parameters of interest. These methods will build on existing literature to allow for more options in hypothesis testing and the construction of confidence intervals. The innovative procedures take advantage of the gradient projection (GP) technique for the MLE, and chi-bar-square statistics for constrained LRTs. The model presented in this thesis yields accurate results since parameter orderings or constraints often occur naturally; and when this occurs, we optimize the efficiency of a statistical method by incorporating the parameter constraints into the MLE and hypothesis testing. More specifically, we use ordered constrained inference for multinomial data whereby including equality and inequality constraints adds value to our predictions. Using real-world data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the methodology of using constraints showed significant improvement on methodology that does not, which substantiates the added value of the work presented here. This work contributes to the field by dealing with inequality constraints in MGLMM, specifically multinomial data, which is the most challenging problem in constrained inference. This helps improve results for researchers in both scientific and non-scientific fields. Keywords: constrained/restricted statistical inference, optimization algorithms, gradient projection theory, quadratic programming, multinomial logit, projective geometry, convex cone.


The absorptance to solar radiation, integrated across a wide range of wavelengths, was measured for selected species of Australian lizards. Some, but not all, agamids demonstrated the ability to change absorptance. None of the varanid lizards measured changed absorptance, including Varanus storri, which had been reported to change colour. An energy balance model was used to explore the effects of absorptance, changes in absorptance, and body size in varanid lizards, the dragon Ctenophorus caudicinctus (which changed absorptance from 77.0 to 87.7%) and the frillneck lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii). Although higher absorptance values generally result in higher body temperatures, the effect of body size is great and must be taken into account in comparisons. Although some species with high absorptances are associated with relatively cool climates (Varanus rosenbergi) or with a semi-aquatic lifestyle (V. mertensi), the absorptances of other species are not as easily explained [such as the high absorptances of the tropical terrestrial V. panoptes (87%) and the tropical arboreal V. scalaris (86%)]. The absorptances of more species are required before the importance of climate and phylogenetic relationships can be fully evaluated. To facilitate future measurements, the apparatus used in this study is described in detail.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors. Understanding the molecular basis of gliomas progression is required to develop more effective therapies. Although, disregulated of Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a hallmark of many cancers, little is known about its role in human gliomas. The expression of components of Wnt pathway in 80 astrocytic glioma specimens with different grades was examined by immunohistochemistry. The protein expression levels of Wnt1, Wnt2, β-catenin and Cyclin D1 were positively correlated with World Health Organization (WHO) grades of gliomas. To explore whether β-catenin can serve as a therapeutic target for glioma, we knockdowned β-catenin expression by siRNA and found that apoptosis was induced, cell proliferation and invasive ability were inhibited in vitro in U87, LN229 and A172 cells; xenograft tumors from β-catenin siRNA-treated LN229 cells were suppressed in vivo. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we extracted gene/protein interactions by text mining Pubmed abstracts. Screening Pubmed by natural language processing, we identified 543 genes that interacted with β-catenin. Integrating multiple data sources through the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING), we created the β-catenin related genes knowledge-driven network, identifying and interactions of this network with EGFR pathway. In both in vitro and in vivo studies, our results confirmed down-regulation of β-catenin induced reduced expression of EGFR, STAT3 and AKT1 mRNA and protein, besides, the level of phosphorylated Akt also decreased. A similar reduction in expression of CyclinD1, MMP2 and MMP9, downstream genes of the EGFR pathway, was observed. We examined the promoter region of EGFR and STAT3 gene for regulating DNA-binding elements and revealed the presence of putative β-catenin/TCF-4-binding sites. Further, EGFR and STAT3 were identified as direct targets of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in glioma cells by ChIP and luciferase reporter assay. Taken together, we demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin pathway is overexpressed in glioma and correlats closely with the progression of gliomas and EGFR and STAT3 are regulated by β-catenin/TCF-4 at the transcriptional level and interruption of β-catenin supresses the EGFR pathway by blocking multiple oncogenic targets in human glioma cells. Wnt/β-catenin pathway is of critical importance in the gliomagenesis and intervention of this pathway may provide a new therapeutic approach for malignant gliomas.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5003. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5003


Exploring the Resting State Neural Activity of Monolinguals and Late and Early Bilinguals Carrie Elizabeth Gold Department of Spanish and Portuguese, BYU Master of Arts Individuals who speak more than one language have been found to enjoy a number of benefits not directly associated with the use of the languages themselves. One of these benefits is that bilingual individuals appear to develop symptoms of dementia 4-5 years later than comparable individuals who speak just one language. Studies on this topic, however, do not consistently account for factors including if the individual learned their second language as a child or later in life, or their language proficiency. In an attempt to more carefully examine these variables, this study looks at structural and resting-state functional MRI scans of the default mode network, English and Spanish (where applicable) proficiency, language background, and demographics of young healthy adults who fall into one of three groups: early bilinguals, late bilinguals, and monolinguals. Of the three groups, late bilinguals were found to have a small but statistically significantly higher level of connectivity compared with early bilinguals in the region of the medial prefrontal cortex; patterns found examining number of languages and language proficiency in relation to functional connectivity and research group also supported this finding. These results indicate studying a language after adolescence could provide neuroprotective benefits of a nature that could potentially help delay symptoms of dementia. Age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, English language proficiency, and Spanish language use did not result in statistically significant findings, the latter of which challenges using frequency of language use to define bilingualism.


Adiabatic half-passage (AHP) pulses show great promise for significantly enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio of the surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) free-induction decay measurement. Performing an AHP requires that the frequency sweep terminates when the transmit frequency is equal to the Larmor frequency, a condition that demands accurate knowledge of the true Larmor frequency. If the frequency sweep is terminated at an incorrect frequency, i.e., with an unknown offset between the transmit and Larmor frequency at the end of the pulse, the net excitation is affected and it can differ from that predicted by modeling that assumes a 0 Hz offset at the end of the sweep. Surface NMR surveys using a traditional single-frequency pulse have previously been shown to display degraded performance in the presence of an uncertain Larmor frequency estimate; the AHP pulse is also likely susceptible to such degraded performance. To ensure that reliable results can be produced by AHP pulses in the presence of an uncertain Larmor frequency estimate, we have developed an approach that adapts the frequency-cycling scheme for use with AHP pulses. We hypothesize that data collected using two similar AHP pulses, each with the exact same frequency sweep but where one sweeps toward the Larmor frequency from higher frequencies and the other from lower frequencies, can be stacked in such a manner that the impact of an unknown frequency offset is significantly reduced. We present synthetic and field results to demonstrate that frequency-cycling AHP pulse surface NMR data can ensure reliable performance even in the presence of an uncertain Larmor frequency estimate.


. Abundances for α − elements and Fe in about 150 field subdwarfs and early subgiants with accurate parallaxes and kinematic data are used to discuss the run of abundance ratios in metal-poor stars in the solar neighborhood. Based on kinematics, we separated stars into two populations: the first one has a positive velocity of rotation around the galactic center, and it is likely to be related to the dissipational collapse of the galaxy; the second one has either negligible or negative rotational velocity, and it is likely related to an accretion component. The two populations show a large overlap in metallicity. However, they show distinct chemical properties. For the first population we found that there are close correlations (with small scatters around) of the rotational velocity with metallicity and with the Fe / α abundance ratio: this might be a signature of a not very fast collapse of the progenitor clouds, with enough time for a significant contribution by SNe Ia, although this result needs to be confirmed by a 3-D / non-LTE study. On the other side, the second population exhibits a larger scatter in both the above mentioned relations, and on average, a larger Fe / α ratio at a given metallicity, suggesting a larger scatter in ages. We argue that the lack of stars with moderate rotational velocities and high Fe / α abundance ratios is due to the short merging time for protogalactic clouds with prograde motion, while the presence of a group of counter-rotating stars with this characteristics indicates a much longer typical lifetimes for protogalactic fragments having such a motion. Finally, we found that perigalactic distances correlate with the Fe / α abundance ratios better than the apogalactic distances.


Indoor parasitic cellular systems reuse the same frequencies as outdoor cellular (macrocellular) systems to provide wireless communications inside a building or campus. This paper provides a simulation strategy to determine future channel availability that is possible between in-building and outdoor cellular systems that share the same radio spectrum. Capacity that is currently available inside an urban office building is first derived from field-strength measurements of all the channels in the macrocellular system made inside the building. We then create a simulation that determines the effect of a growing outdoor cellular system on in-building frequency reuse. Future in-building frequency reuse is predicted over a 6-yr timeline in 3-mo intervals and includes the effect of height above ground inside the building. Results show that indoor reuse is practical as long as interference levels of about -85 dBm can be tolerated from the outdoor macrocellular system.


Abstract. Crescent sand dunes called barchans are the fastest moving sand dunes in the desert, causing disturbance for infrastructure and threatening human settlements. Their study is of great interest for urban planners and geologists interested in desertification (Hugenholtz et al., 2012). In order to study them at a large scale, the use of remote sensing is necessary. Indeed, barchans can be part of barchan fields which can be composed of thousands of dunes (Elbelrhiti et al.2008). Our region of interest is located in the south of Morocco, near the city of Laayoune, where barchans are stretching over a 400 km corridor of sand dunes. We used image processing techniques based on machine learning approaches to detect both the location and the outlines of barchan dunes. The process we developed combined two main parts: The first one consists of the detection of crescent shaped dunes in satellite images using a supervised learning method and the second one is the mapping of barchans contours (windward, brink and leeward) defining their 2D pattern. For the detection, we started by image enhancement techniques using contrast adjustment by histogram equalization along with noise reduction filters. We then used a supervised learning method: We annotated the samples and trained a hierarchical cascade classifier that we tested with both Haar and LBP features (Viola et Jones, 2001; Liao et al., 2007). Then, we merged positive bounding boxes exceeding a defined overlapping ratio. The positive examples were then qualified to the second part of our approach, where the exact contours were mapped using an image processing algorithm: We trained an ASM (Active Shape Model) (Cootes et al., 1995) to recognize the contours of barchans. We started by selecting a sample with 100 barchan dunes with 30 landmarks (10 landmarks for each one of the 3 outlines). We then aligned the shapes using Procrustes analysis, before proceeding to reduce the dimensionality using PCA. Finally, we tested different descriptors for the profiles matching: HOG features were used to construct a multivariate Gaussian model, and then SURF descriptors were fed an SVM. The result was a recursive model that successfully mapped the contours of barchans dunes. We experimented with IKONOS high resolution satellite images. The use of IKONOS high resolution satellite images proved useful not only to have a good accuracy, but also allowed to map the contours of barchans sand dunes with a high precision. Overall, the execution time of the combined methods was very satisfying.


Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a heterogeneous group of myeloid neoplasms diagnosed mostly in elderly persons, are of increasing interest in an aging population and are associated with variable risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The numbers of deaths related to MDS in the population are underestimated in routine US cancer mortality statistics which are based on only the underlying cause (UC) rather than multiple causes (MCs) of death recorded on death certificates. Additional MDS-related deaths, however, may be missed if some MDS patients die with mention of leukemia but not MDS on their death certificate. This requires studies of MCs of death among all MDS patients in population-based tumor registries. This study examined MCs of death among patients diagnosed with MDS in 2001- 2009 and reported to the population-based Connecticut Tumor Registry. MDS was the UC for 199 deaths (25.7% of all 773) and was coded as other than UC for 160 (20.7%). Another 121 (15.7%) death records, however, had leukemia without mention of MDS; the majority were coded to AML and most of the others as unspecified type of acute leukemia. If these 121 deaths are added to the 359 with mention of MDS, the total of MDS-related deaths would be 480 (or 62.1% of all 773 deaths). A total of 178 deaths (23.0% of all 773) were coded to leukemia as the UC, and would be included with leukemia (not MDS) in routine cancer mortality statistics. Leukemia diagnosed since 2010 in MDS patients is reportable to registries as a new primary cancer. This new rule will help central cancer registries to confirm leukemia diagnoses coded on death records, as part of the process of improving surveillance of cancer mortality rates in the population.


Natural and synthetic biomaterials have been widely used in tissue engineering applications, but these materials lack the functional, mechanical, biological and structural complexity of natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Because reaching such complexity with ECM substitutes is very challenging, using the natural ECM itself as biomaterial in tissue engineering applications has gained much interest. As remnant cellular content from allogenic or xenogenic sources could cause unwanted host response, ECM needs to be decellularized before being used as biomaterial. Conventional tissue engineering approaches do not exhibit the necessary complexity and precision, and hence 3D bioprinting is used to create 3-dimensional structures with desired complexity and precision. Up to now, many biomaterials have been used as bio-inks for 3D bioprinting, but as they lack the necessary complexity, there is a need for novel bioinks. Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is a great candidate to be used as bioink in 3D bioprinting as it provides the necessary microenvironments during and after bioprinting if it can be processed into a printable form. This thesis work aims to create a novel bioink by combining cell sheet derived decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) with a natural hydrogel, agarose. The cell sheets were decellularized and characterized before used as a bioink. The decellularization protocol and its effects on the structure of the extracellular matrix were evaluated. The dECM was solubilized, neutralized, mixed with 3T3 fibroblast cells and agarose before bioprinting. The blend bioink was bioprinted and cultured for a week. The results showed that the developed decellularization protocols were successful in terms of cellular removal and structural preservation. Also, the hybrid bioink provided an appropriate environment for cellular viability and microenvironment.


Objective To evaluate the relationship between job satisfaction, burnout syndrome (BS) and depressive symptoms (DS) based on the job demand–control framework model on a nationally representative sample of physicians working in the Peruvian Health System. Setting We carried out a secondary data analysis of the National Survey of Satisfaction of Users in Health 2016 in Peru. Primary and secondary outcome measures Our study assessed the development of the predictive model and had two parts: (1) to evaluate the association among the variables based on the job demand–control framework, and (2) to assess the proposed model acceptability using the structural equation modelling approach to estimate goodness-of-fit indices (GOFIs). Participants We excluded physicians older than 65 years, who did not report income levels or who had missing data related to the workplace. Thus, we analysed 2100 participants. Results The prevalence of DS was 3.3%. Physicians' work-related illnesses had more probability to result in DS (prevalence ratio=2.23). DS was moderately related to BS dimensions (r>0.50); nevertheless, the relationships between DS and the three job satisfaction scales were weak (r<0.30). The first predictive model based on the variables, DS, BS and job satisfaction, had low GOFIs (comparative fit index (CFI)=0.883; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.125). In a second evaluation, we used models with correlated errors obtaining optimal GOFIs (CFI=0.974; RMSEA=0.060). Conclusions Our study identified a stable model to explain the relationship between job satisfaction, BS and DS among physicians. The results are consistent with the job demand–control framework. They could be applied to decision-making in occupational contexts in Latin American low/middle-income countries.


Purpose: Cytokines have widespread and potent effects across the life span. This study was carried out to understand about cytokines that influence nursing research and practice. Method: Journal publications rewied include cytokine topics on CINAHL and Korean nursing research from January 2000 to December 2006. Result: In this study, the specific and numerical expression of for the level of Cytokines as a physiological factor related to the disease clearly provides the patient's disease mechanism and manifestation of the symptoms. Also, it can be the basise of nursing research and evidence-based nursing intervention. Conclusion: The practical use of Cytokines has to be considered to set up the direction of the nursing research and the study of the standard manual of Cytokines is continuously required.


Analysis of phagocytic activity in wound fibroblasts was chosen as a means to assess the possible continuity between macrophage and fibroblast phenotypes. Fibroblast phagocytosis of uncoated, IgG-coated, or collagen-coated fluorescent beads was analyzed by flow cytometry in vivo and in vitro. Phagocytosis of fluorescent beads by procollagen I-positive cells (fibroblasts) was evaluated in vivo by injecting beads into subcutaneously implanted sponge wounds in anesthetized Fisher rats. Phagocytic activity of a purified population of wound fibroblasts was measured in vitro and correlated with oxidation state using hydroethidium. In the wound environment, 50-60% of the cells that engulfed uncoated, IgG-coated, or collagen-coated beads were procollagen I-positive cells (i.e., fibroblasts). Procollagen I-positive cells engulfed uncoated and IgG-coated beads in preference to collagen-coated beads in vivo. Cultured wound fibroblasts engulfed uncoated, IgG-coated, and collagen-coated particles. The majority of fibroblasts that engulfed beads were in an elevated oxidation state. We conclude that substantial fibroblast phagocytosis occurs in the wound, but scavenger receptor-mediated fibroblast phagocytosis is different from that of macrophages. Additional markers will be helpful in defining the macrophage fibroblast continuum.


The mould Stachybotrys chartarum has been found to be associated with idiopathic pulmonary haemorrhage in infants and indoor exposure has also been linked to other pulmonary diseases, including allergies and asthma. S. chartarum has been studied both for toxin production and its occurrence in water-damaged buildings. Growth of S. chartarum on building materials such as gypsum wallboard has been frequently documented. Given that there may be a high frequency of occurrence and so the risk of exposure, environmental factors leading to the growth of S. chartarum have been studied. Samples of commonly used building materials were sterilised, inoculated with S. chartarum and exposed to controlled levels of relative humidity and wetting. A quantitative analysis of viable S. chartarum was performed on the building materials during a 7-month period. The results indicate that for environments with a relative humidity below total saturation, wetting was necessary for visible growth to occur. Conversely, high levels of relative humidity without wetting did not initiate growth. Porous materials, after becoming sufficiently wet and measuring saturation on a moisture meter, exhibited mould growth in every experiment conducted.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has presented to anesthesiologists as unique challenge in patient monitoring because of its construction and principles of operation. Ferromagnetic materials within or near the scanner can distort the magnetic field, and monitoring wires act as antennae and this may result in image degradation. Nevertheless, monitoring is mandatory during MRI, especially in a child sedated or in general anesthesia. A monitoring system, made up of commercially available components, was assessed, and its effects on MR (1.5 tesla unit) image quality system determined. Variables monitored included: electrocardiogram and heart rate, (Sirecust 404, ECG cable set MR; Siemens, Enlanger, West Germany); blood pressure via automated sphygmomanometry (Press Mate BP-8800; Colin, Komaki, Japan); and continuous arterial saturation via pulse oximetry (Nellcor 100 E; Nellcor, Inc., Haywood, California). Fluid infusion rate was controlled by means of a plastic deliver (Dial-a-flo; Abbott Labs., Chicago, Illinois). Body temperature was maintained with a heat insulator blanket (Thermadrape, OR Concepts, Inc., Dallas, Texas). The monitoring technique described did not interfere with MRI function or produce image degradation.


Caudate dysfunction is implicated in schizophrenia. However, little is known about the relationship between aggression and caudate volumes. Forty-nine patients received magnetic resonance imaging scanning in a double-blind treatment study in which aggression was measured. Caudate volumes were computed using a semiautomated method. The authors measured aggression with the Overt Aggression Scale and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Larger caudate volumes were associated with greater levels of aggression. The relationship between aggression and caudate volumes may be related to the iatrogenic effects of long-term treatment with typical antipsychotic agents or to a direct effect of schizophrenic processes on the caudate.


Many social and social-cognitive factors, including relationship quality and understanding of minds, are known to influence the amount and quality of children's early pretend play, but it is not known whether personality plays a role in pretense development. This study explored the relationship between temperament and pretense ability in young preschoolers. Children's (N = 41) temperament and pretense was assessed near their 3rd birthdays using both parent report and laboratory behavioral measures. Approximately 50% of the participants were reassessed on all measures within a year. Results indicate that early high negative affect was associated with higher quality pretend play at Time 2, but early self-regulatory abilities were not related to later pretense. However, early pretense was positively related to later self-regulation. Implications of these findings, including the possibility that pretense is a coping mechanism and that pretense helps facilitate self-regulation, are discussed.


Sensitivity to aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and also dietary salicylate is an increasingly important and observed phenomenon. The reliable diagnósis ol individuals with these disorders is of great importance, given the use of these drugs as a prophylactic medication. Many of the symptoms seen in patients associated with this sensitivity to these drugs include dermatitis, nasal polyps, persistent cough, rhinitis, skin problems, stomach irritation, swelling of face and uttiruriu are also seen in salicylate intolerance. These symptoms are similar to those seen in the allergic patient, however, the reaction to salicylate is not an allergy. A major clinical problem is that no current method of food intolerance or allergy in vitro tesiing and diagnosis has currently been established to predict those people with this condition. This study was designed to search for new markers, which could be used to predict with high specificity and sensitivity, subjects with aspirin induced asthma (AIA). This was done by investigating patients with known aspirin sensitivity and comparing them with healthy individuals and atopic non-aspirin sensitive patients. All subjects used (male/femalesage range 2I-68 years old) were divided into 4 groups (atopic aspirin sensitive, non-atopic aspirin sensitive, atopic non-aspirin sensitive, and healthy volunteers) according to the clinical history and confirmed positive skin test to common allergens. Flow cytometer was used to assess the role of activated basophils in AIA and detect the expression of CD63 in their blood after stimulation of the cells with L-ASA. A posterior rhinomanometer was used to assess a challenge technique that was sensitive to local stimulation by L-ASA. Cytokine (IL-4) expression in lymphocytes was determined using ELISA and n--4 messenger RNA levels investigated using RT-PCR. The release of PGFzo from plasma protein on those patients was detected by ELISA. The results obtained in this study, suggest that up iegulation of CD63 expression by aspirin and Nasal airways resistance test (NART) following aspirin challenge, may prove to be useful diagnosis tool in these patients. The study also indicates that lymphocyte responses as evidenced by IL-4 release are not affected by salicylate sensitivity. The significance of these results is also discussed.


M. H. Bond (2002), A. P. Fiske (2002), S. Kitayama (2002), and J. G. Miller (2002) joined D. Oyserman, H. M. Coon, and M. Kemmelmeier (2002) in highlighting limitations of the individualism-collectivism model of culture. Concern is warranted; nevertheless, individualism-collectivism helps structure discourse on the influence of culture on the mind. To avoid level-of-analysis entanglements, Oyserman et al. propose an integrative model that includes distal, proximal, and situated cultural features of societies and internalized models of these features, highlights the importance of subjective construal, and uses evolutionary perspectives to clarify the basic problems cultures address. Framed this way, it is clear that, depending on situational requirements, both individualism- and collectivism-focused strategies are adaptive; thus, it is likely that human minds have adapted to think both ways.


It has been assumed that the use of lightweight aggregate concrete structures can largely reduce dead loads and thus reduces the earthquake effects without increasing the total cost. However, one of the primary concerns for these structures has been the plastic deformation capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. Tests were conducted for seismic performance of reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (RLAC) frames that consisted of beams and columns of different cross-sections. Quasi-static reversed cyclic loads were performed on 1:2 scale RLAC model frames that had special cross-sections. It was demonstrated that the RLAC frames had inherent defects regarding seismic performance. This, however, did not have substantial influence on the integral seismic performance of the structures. It was concluded that the RLAC frames met normal service requirement with sufficient strength reservation. The RLAC frames may represent a viable alternative for ordinary reinforced concrete framed structures in low- to medium-rise buildings in frequent-occurring earthquake areas.


Referee: Dr. Ruth Nussinov, Saic Frederick, Bldg. 469. 469, Room 151, Frederick, MD 21702-1201 Hyperthermophilic organisms optimally grow close to the boiling point of water. As a consequence, their macromolecules must be much more thermostable than those from mesophilic species. Here, proteins from hyperthermophiles and mesophiles are compared with respect to their thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities. The known differences in amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures between intrinsically thermostable and thermolabile proteins will be summarized, and the crucial role of electrostatic interactions for protein stability at high temperatures will be highlighted. Successful attempts to increase the thermostability of proteins, which were either based on rational design or on directed evolution, are presented. The relationship between high thermo-stability of enzymes from hyperthermophiles and their low catalytic activity at room temperature is discussed. Not all proteins from hyperthermophiles are thermostable enough to retain their structures and functions at the high physiological temperatures. It will be shown how this shortcoming can be surpassed by extrinsic factors such as large molecular chaperones and small compatible solutes. Finally, the potential of thermostable enzymes for biotechnology is discussed.


The very young seedlings of trifoliate orange, and its hybrids with trifoliate leaves as a marker, are usually used as a rootstock for in vitro and in vivo micrografting of citrus to eliminate viruses in spring in temperate regions. In tropical and subtropical regions or in summer, however, the production and use of trifoliate orange seedlings is difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to establish suitable micrografting using efficient Citrus seedlings adapted to these regions and summer. In decapitated seedlings for micrografting, adventitious shoots on the cut end of the epicotyls and shoots from cotyledon axillary buds are often formed. Hence, the potential for adventitious shoot formation and cotyledon axillary shoot formation was firstly studied with decapitated seedlings from 11 Citrus accessions and one Poncirus accession as a control. Mature seeds of the 12 accessions were germinated in vivo and seedlings of various ages (2-, 4-, and 8-week-old, 4-month-old and 8-month-old after germination) were decapitated at three (lower, middle and upper) positions on the epicotyls. Adventitious shoot formation decreased with increases in the age of seedlings decapitated at eight weeks or 4 months after germination. The percentage of decapitated seedlings forming adventitious shoots was different in different accessions ranging from 0% to 100%, and increased with increases in decapitation height in the epicotyls. It was estimated from these results that 2-week-old seedlings of Natsudaidai, Shiikuwasha, 'Hirado-buntan', 'Variegated Daidai' and trifoliate orange 'Flying Dragon' had higher potential to support the initial growth of adventitious shoots and cotyledon axillary shoots than the others, and that decapitation at the upper one-third and middle of epicotyls resulted in higher adventitious shoot formation than the lower one-third. In in vivo micrografting of satsuma mandarin on the seedlings of these accessions, Natsudaidai, 'Hirado-buntan' and 'Variegated Daidai' seedlings resulted in high micrografting success rates, whereas 'Kabusu', 'Flying Dragon' and Shiikuwasha seedlings resulted in very low success rates. The success rate decreased with increases in seedling age. It has become clear from these results that there is no relationship between the potential for shoot formation and micrografting success and that the 2-week-old seedlings of Natsudaidai, 'Hirado-buntan' and 'Variegated Daidai' are efficient rootstocks for micrografting.


Palivizumab (P) is a specific monoclonal antibody directed against RSV and has been shown to be effective in decreasing hospitalization for RSV caused infections in very low weight babies (VLBM). Objective: to evaluate its effectiveness and safety in a cohort of Chilean VLBW infants during winter, when the incidence of RSV infections is highest. Patient and Methods: 61 infants of less than 34 weeks of gestional age and born between mat and september 1999 and 2000 were allocated to receive P (15 mg/kg im). We obtained informed parental consent in 44 (72.1%) to procede, the other 17 whose parents refused were used as controls. A group of similar characteristics (n= 75) born during the same period in 1997 and 1998 were used as historical controls. Results: 28 infants (37.3%) of the historical control group were hospitalized, 46.4% with RSV, as were 3 of the 17 who refused P. In those taking P none were admitted with RSV infection. Neither adverse effects due to P or mortality associated with RSV were recorded. Conclusions: P is safe and useful in decreasing the admission rate in preterm infants, and is in agreement with other published trials. Its impact on mortality will need larger multicentre studies. These results suggest there is a cost-benefit advantage of using P, and to consider incorporating its use in the public health system. In private medicine this information must be given to parents as an ethical issue.


The aim of this paper was to review the risk and incidence of urological malignancies and the clinical characteristics and outcomes of renal transplant urological malignancies. Medline/PubMed from January 1980 to February 2013 was searched to identify all medical literature about native kidney, graft bladder and prostate cancers. Comparing to general population, risk of kidney cancer was found to be 7 to 10 times greater and most of them are incidental low-stage, low-grade tumors with a good prognosis. Open and laparoscopic radical nephrectomies without lymph nodes dissection were reported to be safe. Incidence of graft RCC was 0.19%. Papillary carcinomas represented more than 50% of de novo graft carcinomas, which seemed to be low-grade carcinomas with good prognosis. Risk of prostate cancer was two times higher. Open or laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is safe and feasible for management of localized prostate cancer in patients with kidney allograft. Upper urinary tract (UUT) transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) incidence was reported between 0.7% and 3.8%. Reports suggested a 3-fold increased risk of developing bladder TCC. Intravesical BCG in superficial bladder cancer and/or CIS is a valid option. For invasive urothelial tumor, radical cystectomy in renal transplant patients remains the best treatment. Oncological outcomes of urological cancers in renal transplant recipients are good and conservative treatment should be preferred each time it is feasible to prevent returning to dialysis following recommendations of urological cancer treatment. Close monitoring of renal transplant recipient must be performed with at least an abdominopelvic US and PSA measurement once a year.


The essay aims to outline the poetics underlying the whole activity of Bruno Munari, a unique and polyhedric character having been an artist, a designer and, last but not least, a creator of educational workshops for children aimed at developing a creative learning process; activities that, despite their discreet appearance, are interwoven. According to the three classic distinctions between "Munari-Artist", "Munari-Designer" and "Munari-Pedagogist", none of these three poles is comprehensible without presupposing the other two: among them is persisting an intrinsic as mandatory and dynamic correlation that, if broken or overlooked, undermines any chance to understand the unity of the "Munari-Universe". This unity resides in the conception that Munari has of art: conceived as an activity at the service of life to be born out of life itself as a reality in continuous transformation, art finds its focal point in creativity that on turn, understood as integration of rule and chance, logic and fantasy, technique and play, functionality and unrestricted availability, necessity and freedom, is also recognized as the distinctive character of human intelligence.


The purpose of this research project was to realise the control of crystallisation using surface topography. Calcium carbonate crystallisation was primarily used as this is a model system for crystallisation studies. The first experimental chapter involves the precipitation of calcium carbonate on a plasma-treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PPDMS) substrate. Exposure to atmospheric air-plasma results in oxidation of the surface of the poly(dimethylsiloxane), causing a superficial silica-like (SiOx) surface layer to form. Cracks in this surface, which arise because of its rigidity compared to the underlying bulk, were found to act as effective nucleation sites for calcium carbonate precipitation. Crystals were often observed only at the cracks and were absent elsewhere on the substrate. The surface chemistry was altered using a carboxylate terminated alkylthiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM), formed from the monomer 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid. The presence of this monomer on the PPDMS substrate caused a significant increase in crystal population and enhanced the localising effect of the cracks. Further control of crystallisation was achieved by varying the initial ion ratio (Ca2+:CO32-) and by the presence of magnesium ions in solution. The substrate also proved effective at causing the localised precipitation of other inorganic materials: strontium carbonate, barium carbonate, manganese carbonate, basic copper carbonate and calcium oxalate. Through the application of contact masks or a tensile stress during plasma-treatment, it was possible to control the distribution of the cracks across the surface and therefore pattern the crystallisation of calcium carbonate. The second research chapter is a quantitative analysis of the system discussed in the first chapter. Here, an image analysis software, ImageJ, was used to obtain data from electron micrographs of the PPDMS substrate after crystallisation. Calcium carbonate had been precipitated on the PPDMS substrate once the surface chemistry had been modified using a variety of differently terminated alkylthiol SAMs. The research revealed that not only is it possible to control crystal populations at the surface features, but also the crystal polymorph. In the third research chapter, silicon wafers that had been spincoated with reduced-graphene oxide were used as substrates for calcium carbonate precipitation. Interestingly, the vast majority of crystals that had formed on these wafers were aragonite, a metastable phase of calcium carbonate. In order to understand why this was so, a series of investigations followed that were aimed at elucidating if it was a topographical effect or due to the presence of impurities. The data suggested that the large proportion of aragonite was due to topographical effects. The final research chapter involved cleanroom microfabrication techniques common to the semiconductor industry to construct surface structures on silicon wafers that were used as substrates. Crystallisation was locallised to these features, proving that it is possible to design surface topographies that can be used to control crystallisation.


In 2013, 80,000 new cases of infection caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HIV infection) were registered in Russia; there have been a total of as many as 850,000 notified HIV-infected cases in this country, which suggests that the HIV/AIDS epidemic becomes generalized. Of them, 150,000 people have died, most (22,000) cases in 2013, predominantly due to the late diagnosis of HIV infection and its delayed treatment initiation. The rise of new cases denotes that counteraction against the spread of HIV is inadequately effective; in this connection a further increase in morbidity and mortality rates should be forthcoming. However, the medical community has proved to be poorly trained to fight the epidemic; there is a lower awareness and knowledge about HIV infection among healthcare workers. To overcome the epidemic and its imminent negative implications, it is necessary to improve an epidemiological surveillance system, to introduce proven effective methods for the prevention of the disease, to increase patient access to current treatments, which will require not only higher direct expenditures on preventive measures, the creation of an infrastructure, and the purchase of medicaments and diagnostic agents, but also on the training and retraining of a large number of healthcare workers.


Pasturelands are inherently variable. It is this variability that makes sampling as well as characterizing an entire pasture difficult. Measurement of plant canopy reflectance with a ground-based radiometer offers an indirect, rapid, and noninvasive characterization of pasture productivity and composition. The objectives of this study were (i) to determine the relationships between easily collected canopy reflectance data and pasture biomass and species composition and (ii) to determine if the use of pasture reflectance data as a covariate improved mapping accuracy of biomass, percentage of grass cover, and percentage of legume cover across three sampling schemes in a central Iowa pasture. Reflectance values for wavebands most highly correlated with biomass, percentage of grass cover, and percentage of legume cover were used as covariates. Cokriging was compared with kriging as a method for estimating these parameters for unsampled sites. The use of canopy reflectance as a covariate improved prediction of grass and legume percentage of cover in all three sampling schemes studied. The prediction of above-ground biomass was not as consistent given that improvement with cokriging was observed with only one of the sampling schemes because of the low amount of spatial continuity of biomass values. An overall improvement in root mean square error (RMSE) for predicting values for unsampled sites was observed when cokriging was implemented. Use of rapid and indirect methods for quantifying pasture variability could provide useful and convenient information for more accurate characterization of time consuming parameters, such as pasture composition.


Although the use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) to manage plant pathogens has emerged as a sustainable means for disease control, global reliance on their use remains relatively insignificant and the factors influencing their efficacy remain unclear. In this work, we further developed an existing generic model for biocontrol of foliar diseases, and we parametrized the model for the Botrytis cinerea–grapevine pathosystem. The model was operated under three climate types to study the combined effects on BCA efficacy of four factors: (i) BCA mechanism of action, (ii) timing of BCA application with respect to timing of pathogen infection (preventative vs. curative), (iii) temperature and moisture requirements for BCA growth, and (iv) BCA survival capability. All four factors affected biocontrol efficacy, but factors iii and iv accounted for > 90% of the variation in model simulations. In other words, the most important factors affecting BCA efficacy were those related to environmental conditions. These findings indicate that the environmental responses of BCAs should be considered during their selection, BCA survival capability should be considered during both selection and formulation, and weather conditions and forecasts should be considered at the time of BCA application in the field.


Illegal logging is a threat to tropical forests in protected areas, yet the factors motivating it need to be better understood. Here, rural household participation in timber felling in the Barisan I Nature Reserve (West Sumatra) was described, the household contextual factors relating to this participation analysed and the importance of these activities to the household income assessed. Nearly 19% of the sampled households cut or hauled timber in the Reserve, and the demand for cash encouraged participation. Alternative livelihoods such as livestock raising and agroforestry intensification outside the Reserve could reduce the need for timber felling. Knowledge about legal status of the Reserve did not affect the odds of a household engaging in timber harvesting, but greater awareness of the Reserve resulted in lower levels of income from timber. Development policy that seeks to provide livelihood alternatives to timber felling households could reduce dependence on timber and contribute to forest conservation in the Reserve. Moreover, conservation outcomes should improve if control over the protection and enforcement of the Reserve is co-managed between the government and the local communities.


Abstract The Scops Owl (Otus scops) is one of the least studied owls in Europe and its loud and monotonous calls are not well documented. This paper summarises published alarm-like calls and presents data on daytime calling recorded in Lesencetomaj, Hungary between 9th and 17th September 2012. Calls were similar to the sound of an alarm on a reversing truck. The bird was most active around midday (11–13 hrs) and in the afternoons between 15–17 hrs. No calling occurred before 09.00 or after 19.15 o'clock. Weather affected the intensity of calls and particularly high autumn temperatures are suggested as a possible reason for this unusual activity.