Arsenic is a mineral which is abundant in gold mining sites. It is a toxic substance which needs to be removed. Thus, this research investigated the problem of extremely high arsenic (As) concentration in effluent (water and slurry) from Selinsing gold mine site, Pahang, Malaysia and developed an effective operational remedial method using an adsorbent material (Ecomel). In this research, a new method for measuring As(III) and As(V), which exist in the contaminated soil and liquid effluents was developed using flow injection analysis (FIA) system, while the total As was analyzed using atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) for the remediating samples. By using the FIA method, the As speciation detection limit of (S/N = 3) for both As(III) and As(V) were found to be 5 μg/L with standard deviation 2.2 (n = 20). It also showed a wide dynamic range coefficient of detection (R2) of 0.999 for As(III) and 0.9989 for As(V). This portable analytical method was successfully applied for the determination of As speciation in the effluent collected from Selinsing gold mine site without further treatment. For the characterizations of slurry and adsorbent materials (Ecomel), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Focus Ion Beam–Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICPOES), Elemental Analyzer (EA) and Brunauer–Emmett– Teller (BET) were used. In the case of liquid effluent from the tailing dam, the pH and cyanide concentrations were measured at 11.5 and 204 mg/L, respectively. However, the batch experiments clearly proved that As leaching from the slurry (contact time: 24 h, stirring speed: 200 rpm, and S:L ratio 1:5) was extremely higher at pH 11.5 compared to pH 2.5 and were measured to be 8,720 and 1,010 μg/L, respectively. The major contributors to the exceedingly elevated levels of As concentration in liquid effluents were attributed to alkaline pH, high cyanide and silicate concentration, as well as high oxidation environment. The batch experiments on Ecomel revealed that maximum adsorption capacity determined at initial pH 2.5 from the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model was found to be 704.7 and 122.7 mg/g for As(III) and As(V), respectively. These results indicated that Ecomel has high adsorbent efficiency, cost-effective and is suitable for in-situ and ex-situ remediation of highly concentrated As(III) and As(V) toxicants in aqueous solutions. For As standard solution with initial pH 2.5 and concentration of As at 1 mg/L, it was observed that 0.3125 g/L of Ecomel with 2 h contact time can adequately remove 97.0% of As(V) and 98.1% of As(III), respectively. As a conclusion, results from AFS showed that the treatment of As using Ecomel at initial pH 2.5 was the most proficient for remediation of liquid effluent and slurry.


Background: Plasma, the fourth state of matter, has been widely proposed in antiaging medicine. The usage of low-temperature plasma (LTP), which converts nitrogen gas into plasma, demonstrates releasing of several growth factors and promotion of tissue regeneration. The nonchromophore-dependent property and preservation of skin architecture after treatment make LTP an interesting tool for facial rejuvenation. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of LTP for facial rejuvenation. Methods: A prospective cohort study involving 40 women who received full face LTP treatment once a week for 5 consecutive sessions. The melanin index, erythema index, and elasticity index were measured by Mexameter and Cutometer, respectively. The Fitzpatrick wrinkle scale and quartile grading scale were assessed by two plastic surgeons. Results: All patients were between 26 and 55 years old and had mild-to-moderate Fitzpatrick wrinkle scale scores. The Fitzpatrick wrinkle scale scores showed a mean improvement of 0.47 and 0.89 at 4 and 12 weeks posttreatment (P < 0.001). Statistically significant improvements in melanin index, erythema index, and elasticity index at periorbital and perioral areas were found at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment (P < 0.001). Most subjects had quartile grading scale improvement of 51%–75% at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. Patients reported a greater than 75% improvement in dyspigmentation, wrinkles, and elasticity in 60%, 50%, and 57.5% of subjects, respectively. Conclusion: LTP is another choice for facial rejuvenation, wrinkles reduction, and dyspigmentation with significantly improved results.


Objective: Immobilization and subsequent weakness are consequencesof critical illness. Despite the theoretical advantages ofphysical therapy to address this problem, it has not been shownthat physical therapy initiated in the intensive care unit offersbenefit.Design and Setting: Prospective cohort study in a universitymedical intensive care unit that assessed whether a mobilityprotocol increased the proportion of intensive care unit patientsreceiving physical therapy vs. usual care.Patients: Medical intensive care unit patients with acute respiratoryfailure requiring mechanical ventilation on admission:Protocol, n 165; Usual Care, n 165.Interventions: An intensive care unit Mobility Team (criticalcare nurse, nursing assistant, physical therapist) initiated theprotocol within 48 hrs of mechanical ventilation.Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome wasthe proportion of patients receiving physical therapy in patientssurviving to hospital discharge. Baseline characteristics weresimilar between groups. Outcome data are reflective of survivors.More Protocol patients received at least one physical therapysession than did Usual Care (80% vs. 47%, p < .001). Protocol patients were out of bed earlier (5 vs. 11 days, p < .001), hadtherapy initiated more frequently in the intensive care unit (91%vs. 13%, p < .001), and had similar low complication ratescompared with Usual Care. For Protocol patients, intensive careunit length of stay was 5.5 vs. 6.9 days for Usual Care (p .025);hospital length of stay for Protocol patients was 11.2 vs. 14.5 daysfor Usual Care (p .006) (intensive care unit/hospital length ofstay adjusted for body mass index, Acute Physiology and ChronicHealth Evaluation II, vasopressor). There were no untoward eventsduring an intensive care unit Mobility session and no cost difference(survivors nonsurvivors) between the two arms, includingMobility Team costs.Conclusions: A Mobility Team using a mobility protocol initiatedearlier physical therapy that was feasible, safe, did notincrease costs and was associated with decreased intensive careunit and hospital length of stay in survivors who received physicaltherapy during intensive care unit treatment compared with patientswho received usual care. (Crit Care Med 2008; 36:000 –000)


Indian agriculture is known for its multi-functionalities of providing employment, livelihood, food, nutrient and ecological securities. The income from cropping alone on small and marginal farms is hardly sufficient to sustain the farmer's family with the decline in farm size (0.15 ha. /person) due to explosion of population and this situation gets further weakened due to failure of monsoon. The farmer, has to be assured of a regular income for a satisfactory living (above the poverty line), a judicious mix of any one or more enterprises with agronomic crops ensures better farm income. Therefore, in the present study, comparative economics of various farming systems have been workout for ascertaining the sustainability of most profitable one. The three widely adopted farming systems were selected for the study viz., I) Crops only, II) Crops + Livestock, III) Crops + Livestock + Horticulture crops. The two districts viz., Ahmednagar and Solapur were selected purposively. In Ahmednagar district, Sangamner tahsil was selected as irrigated tahsil and Pathardi tahsil was selected as rainfed tahsil. While from Solapur district, Pandharpur as irrigated tahsil and Sangola, as rainfed tahsil were selected. From each tahsil, three villages were selected, randomly and from each village, 15 farmers were selected in such way that, 5 farmers from each farming system (F.S.I-Crops only, F.S.II-Crops + livestock, and F.S.III- Crops + livestock + horticulture) were get selected. As such, 180 sample farmers were selected randomly for the study. The primary data were collected by survey method from the selected farmers with the help of specially designed schedules for the year 2007-08. The comparative picture of the employment pattern showed that, the employments generated were more in irrigated region as compared with the rainfed region because in irrigated region, irrigated crops such as sugarcane, wheat, fodder etc. required more labours. The own farm employment was more in farming system-III of irrigated region. In all the farming systems owned and hired male-female played significant role in crop production activity as compared to other activities of production. The per farm income pattern indicated that, the total income in farming system- II was double than the farming system-I, while total income of farming system- III was four fold than that of farming system- I. The total income from farming system- I (crop production activity) was very less as compared to farming system- II and III. The item wise income indicated that, the more than 50 per cent income was derived from crop production in farming system- I and II, while in farming system- III, more than 50 per cent income was derived from horticulture and in the farming system- I, 31.52 per cent income was derived from other than farm business activity but in farming system- II and III, correspondingly, just 3.09 and 1.79 per cent income was derived from other than farm business activity. This has indicated that farming system-I, depends more on other than farm business activity as compared to farming system- II and III. In expenditure pattern, out of the total expenditure more than 70 per cent was the farm expenditure in all the farming systems. The expenditure on crop production was the major expenditure in farming system- I and II, while expenditure on horticulture was major expenditure in farming system- III. The region wise total expenditure was more in irrigated region than the rainfed region. The economic sustainability depends on profitable enterprises, family saving and the family debt. The sustainable farm income means the annual income from farm activities which meets the annual expenditures of farm and family and remains surplus to the farm family for saving or repayment of debt. The region wise sustainable farm income indicated that, farming system- II and III, were having the sustainable farm incomes in both the regions. But farming system- I of irrigated and rainfed region could not meet their requirements on the basis of their farm business income i.e., income from crop production activity alone. They experienced a deficit in income. It means farmers of farming system-II and III of both regions were having sustainable farm income. But the farming system- I was not having sustainable farm income. After adding the income from other sources, farmers in farming system-I, had sustainable farm income, in both the regions. Therefore, the income from other sources (wages, service and business etc.) was the only factor, which helped them to become sustainable.


The diffuse interface model of Cahn-Hilliard-van der Waals is often used to study various aspects of multi-phase flows such as droplets coalescence and contact line dynamics. The original model of Cahn-Hilliard-van der Waals uses an approximation which neglects some surface contributions to the free energy of the system and is justified by the large distance between the region of observation and the outer surface of the system. This is not a priori accurate when considering the dynamics of the contact line on a solid surface. A modification of the so called natural compositional boundary conditions obtained by minimization of the surface contribution to the free energy of the system is proposed for the vapor-liquid interface of a single component and for a quasi-incompressible binary mixture of partially miscible liquids. The results are obtained for a stagnant fluid in thermodynamic equilibrium but should be valid in a flow if local thermodynamic equilibrium can be assumed.


According to the different requirements of light intensity in different regions, a light intensity control algorithm based on PID neural network is proposed. And improved PSO algorithm is used to optimize connection weights of PIDNN. Through the application of this algorithm to a case, simulation result shows that this algorithm can effectively meet light intensity requirements in different regions. And it also could improve overall control performance of system, shorten adjusting time and has better dynamic performance.


Serial multimodal imaging including spectral domain optical coherence tomography in acute stage welder's maculopathy is described. The evolution of lesions from this specific type of photic injury is characterized to enable prompt diagnosis and early intervention to reduce recurrent exposure. Purpose: Photic retinal toxicity induced by exposure to arc welding can lead to irreversible vision loss. Serial multimodal imaging is characterized in a patient with outer retinal damage secondary to welder's maculopathy. Methods: A single case was retrospectively reviewed. Results: Spectral domain optical coherence tomography acutely revealed disruption of the ellipsoid zone, hyperreflective bands through the outer nuclear layer, and outer retinal cavitation consistent with phototoxicity. Subsequently, disruption and hypertrophy of the subfoveal retinal pigment epithelium developed. Autofluorescence depicted central hypoautofluorescence. Conclusion: We report serial multimodal imaging in welder's maculopathy to better characterize the evolution of lesions. Multimodal imaging including spectral domain optical coherence tomography in arc welding phototoxicity may share features with other forms of phototoxicity such as hand-held laser maculopathy.


It analyses the plane curve design,discusses from the aspects of qualification parameter of design,points out methods of strictly carry out the main qualification,and application the secondary qualification flexible,represents the application of plane curve design in the reconstruction and extension projects of carrying out in Guizhou province,gets the effect of use the origin road resource through and control the project cost in the reasonable domain.


An ink set for digital printing comprising: - a coloring composition liquid (A) comprising a solvent and at least a cobalt compound; - a liquid coloring composition (B) comprising a solvent and at least one iron compound; - a liquid coloring composition (C) comprising a solvent and at least one compound of a metal chosen from chromium, nickel and mixtures thereof; and - at least one between a liquid coloring composition (D) and a liquid dye (E), composition wherein said liquid dye (D) composition comprises a solvent, at least one cobalt compound and at least one iron compound, and said liquid dye (E) composition comprising a solvent and at least a zirconium compound, in which said metal compounds decompose by heating to temperatures between 500 and 1300 ° C, preferably between 940 and 1250 ° C, forming the metal compounds of compositions (a) to (D) the respective colored oxides or colored compounds derived from the interaction between the metal and the ceramic material onto which said ink set is applied, and forming zirconium compounds of composition (E) white oxides or white compounds derived from the interaction between zirconium and the ceramic material onto which said ink set is applied.


ABSTRACT:General notions regarding Edgar Allan Poe and Frances Sargent Osgood are that an intertextual relationship between the poets lasted approximately one year before the infamous letter scandal broke them apart. Antithetical to these notions, it now appears that Osgood attempted to renew her relationship with Poe in summer of 1847 by publishing a pseudonymous effusion to him. "To — — —," provocatively signed "Anna F. Allan," calls out to Poe to strike his "wild lyre once more" for her. Given no apparent response, the following month another uncharacteristic Osgood poem, titled "Zarifa," was published. From this poem, Poe appears to have adapted a line for an unpublished couplet written on the back of the Stuart manuscript of "Eulalie." "Zarifa" demonstrates the manuscript was in Poe's possession at the time of the poem's publication, and it gives—with some confidence—an earliest date for Poe's couplet.


The paper reports a comparative study of critical thinking skills between English majors and other liberal arts majors in China for the purpose of testifying whether the English majors are inferior to the other liberal arts majors in critical thinking abilities. 2189 first-year,second-year and third-year students from 11 universities and 14 specialties participated in the study where all the participants were required to take a critical thinking test. In the data analysis,three comparisons were made to find out the overall difference between the two groups of students,the difference between the two groups by grade and the patterns of difference across the three grades between the two groups. It was found that generally the critical thinking abilities of the first group are significantly better than the second one,but the gap diminishes with the increase of grade. Both groups were shown significant progress across the grades,but the progress of the first group is slower,compared with the second group whose critical period was between the 2nd and 3rd year.


This paper presents  the results  of the study  of  the  impact of buttress cutting in tree felling on harvestring efficiency.  The case study was carried  out in PT Kurnia   Kapuas Plywood in West Kalimantan in  1994.  771e aim of the  study is to know the influence of buttress cutting on wood haversting efficiency. the  data were analysed by using  the I-test. the result of study shows that average of wood harvesting efficiency by cullting buttress is 68.1 % and without cutting buttress is 66.7 %


CodPy stands for "Curse of dimensionality in Python" and is a Support Vector Machine
(SVM), application oriented, Python library. It provides tools for machine learning, statistical
learning, and numerical simulations, and consists of an implementation of a method based on
the theory of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS). We provide here a follow up of the
first part entitled CodPy - a tutorial. This document has several purposes. First of all, our
main tools are presented here as a reference manual for users1
and encompasses two different
classes of SVM tools. On one hand, we describe a kernel engineering technique, aiming to craft
SVMs in order to adapt their kernels to a particular problem. On the other hand, as a tool
available for any SVM, we present a rather complete set of differential operators, which are
now in use for research and industrial problems. These operators provide us with elementary
building block in order to design discrete algorithms for a broad set of partial differential
equations. In addition, our metholology leads us quality tests that are applicable to any given
kernel that can be input in a learning machine.


The present study was carried out among the Chenchu of Mahaboobnagar and Kurnool districts ofTelengana and Andhra Pradesh respectively in the last week of October, 2014. The study was carried out by conducting a Health Awareness Camp under Tribal-Sub Plan by the Anthropological Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Mysore in collaboration with the with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh state Government's District Medical & Health Offices'. A total of158 Chenchu individuals were examined during the camp (females-124 and males-34). The individuals were examined for various health ailments by the doctors. Wherever essential, necessary medicines were also distributed to the patients by the medical practitioners. Frequency distribution of ABO blood groups showed high frequency of B blood group followed by 0, A and AB blood groups. While for Rh (D) blood group, except one case all other samples were reported to be Rh positive. BMI revealed that 61.39 per cent of Chenchu are normal followed by 27.21 percent as underweight and 10.12 per cent of them are overweight. Blood pressure reveals that 70.83 per cent are normal followed by 15.83 per cent as hypo tensive and 6.66 per cent are of pre hypertensive and hypertensive respectively. Random blood sugar tests showed that all the tested samples fall in the normal limits. Haemoglobin estimation reveals that both men and women are in the range of border line to Frank anaemia. Few malaria and tuberculosis cases have been reported in the health awareness camp.


The purpose of this article is to identify and address the gaps in the Family Code of the Republic of Armenia.
 The content of Article 53 of the RA Family Code, entitled "Exercise of Parental Rights" and the content of Article 54 of the RA Family Code, entitled "Exercise of parental rights by a parent living separately from a child", as well as their titles do not correspond to the content of the articles. In practice, it is the basis for filing a lawsuit to determine the child's place of residence. In determining the child's place of residence, it is very important to separate the provisions of the two articles in question, to define them in a separate article, therefore, the article aims to raise the mentioned issues raised by the author, to improve the legislation with the proposed solutions, to promote common jurisprudence.
The article was compiled by the legal-comparative-analytical method, large-scale studies were carried out, the subject of which was the scientific opinions put forward by foreign jurists, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the RA Constitutional Court and the RA courts.
The author came to the conclusion that there is a need to make editorial changes in Articles 53-54 of the Family Code of the Republic of Armenia, as well as to supplement the Code with an article entitled "Procedure for determining the place of residence of a child".


In the composite models with colored substructure of the fermions the color singlet leptons are accompanied by a composite color octet partners, which are known as leptogluons. We consider the effect of leptogluons in the dilepton production at the LHC and show that in the reachable parameter range this effect is typically dominated by t-channel leptogluon exchange (indirect channel). We show that this channel alone can give a sizable contribution to the dimuon production at the LHC for TeV scale values of the invariant mass of the muon-antimuon pairs.


The interpretation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter has been the elephant in the room, or more accurately the chamber of the Council, since the bitter divisions over the 'revival argument' and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.1 Although there has been some evidence of an increase in the specificity of UNSC resolutions in an effort to avoid the same difficulties reoccurring,2 the margin of appreciation provided to States in interpreting the mandates provided to them has recently come into focus again.


In this paper, we argue at a general level, that recent economic models of capacity and of its utilization are deficient because they do not adequately take into account firms' long-run expectations about conditions which are pertinent to their investment decisions, i.e., their decisions about altering productive capacity. We argue that the problem with these models is that they rely on the two conventional definitions of capacity which ignore these long-run expectations. Accordingly, we propose a third definition of capacity which incorporates these expectations and, thereby, corrects the problem. Furthermore, we argue that a correct, empirical analysis with the proposed definition -- indeed, any credible analysis of capacity or its utilization -- must take into account the demand for the output produced by the firms being studied. Finally, we apply the definition to clarify the meaning of surveys of capacity and, thus, show how it can be used to improve future surveys of capacity.


This paper shows that the gender and age of the wage setter are crucial determinants of the disparity in wages between sexes. We document our findings using a data set on compensation of corporate officers that is uniquely suited for this analysis because officer wages are set by chief executive officers CEOs. We show that CEOs pay officers of the opposite gender less than officers of their own gender, even when controlling for job characteristics. Older and male CEOs exhibit the greatest propensity to differentiate on the basis of sex. Female officers receive smaller raises if the firm is headed by a man. Our results suggest that CEO gender and age are economically more important determinants of officer compensation than are firm stock performance, stock volatility, or return on assets.

This paper was accepted by Uri Gneezy, behavioral economics.


Rationale Methamphetamine (METH) induces changes in the glutamatergic system and elicits cellular alterations in the cortico-accumbens circuit. Objective While there is a body of literature on the effects of METH on dopaminergic transmission, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the effects of a high dose of METH on synaptic glutamatergic neurotransmission, specifically in brain regions involved in goal directed behavior (nucleus accumbens core; NAc core) and executive functions (prefrontal cortex;PFC). Methods In order to fill that gap we assessed synaptic glutamatergic transmission using a well established METH administration regime (4 × 4 mg/kg ip at 2 hr intervals) followed by 7 days of abstinence. Rats were then sacrificed and whole cell and field recordings were performed in the NAc core and medial PFC. Results METH treatment elicited a significant decrease in paired pulse ratio in NAc core and a significant increase in AMPA/NMDA ratio driven by increases in AMPA currents. On the other hand, there were no significant changes in measures of synaptic glutamate in the PFC. Conclusion These results suggest that a high dose of METH treatment followed by a period of abstinence elicits significant increases in indices of glutamatergic transmission in the NAc core with no detectable changes in mPFC, denoting that neurons and glutamate terminals in this limbic region have a higher susceptibility to a neurotoxic METH regime.


Over half a century has passed since the Russian Revolution, and more than a quarter of a century since the emergence of socialism as a world system in 1949. So we have historically long enough and geographically wide enough horizon to generalize the developmental stages of soeialism on earth. The generalization, to the author's understanding, includes, first, finding an economic and political mechanisrn of the selfreproduction of the socialist societies, and second, on the basis of this analysis, assessing their past and predicting their future. In this paper, the historical stages of their development wil1 be discussed to deal with the second task. As for the first ask, the author's answer was developed in his former publicationsi and some conclusion of it, though in a deffierent context, wil1 be reflected in the second section of this paper. Before going into the above mentioned task, let us look briefly at the offi-


ABSTRACT Location-aware big data from social media have been widely used to quantitatively characterize natural disasters and disaster-induced losses. It is not clear how human activities collectively respond to a disaster. In this study, we examined the collective human activities in response to Typhoon Hato at multi spatial scales using aggregated location request data. We proposed a Multilevel Abrupt Changes Detection (MACD) methodological framework to detect and characterize the abrupt changes in location requests in response to Typhoon Hato. Results show that, at the grid level, most anomaly grids were located within a radius of 53 km around the typhoon trajectory. At the city level, there are significant spatial difference in terms of the human activity recovery duration (230 h on average). At the subnational level, the absolute magnitude of abrupt location request changes is strongly correlated with the typhoon-induced economic losses and the population affected.


Introduction: Tricuspid annuloplasty (TA) performed in donor hearts at time of orthotopic cardiac transplantation to reduce tricuspid regurgitation and preserve right ventricular function in transp...


The reversion of resistance to pyrethroids in Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman was studied in Friuli (northern Italy), where resistance was detected in 1995 and pyrethroids had not been used since. Mites were sampled in seven localities each year between 1997 and 2000 and assayed in the laboratory for the resistance to fluvalinate by using paraffin coated capsules. Survival at the diagnostic concentration, expected to kill all susceptible mites (200 mg/kg), decreased in all the localities by about ten times in three years, from 19-66% to 1.3-7.8%. Thus, the disadvantage associated with the resistance to pyrethroids in V. destructor is small, as usual when resistance is due to monooxygenases. Its impact on the selection of resistant mites during annual application of treatments is negligible; appreciable effects of reversion can be expected only over many generations of the mite. Varroa destructor / reversion / resistance / pyrethroids


A L´evy random medium, in a given space, is a random point process where the distances between points, a.k.a. targets , are long-tailed. Random walks visiting the targets of a L´evy random medium have been used to model many (physical, ecological, social) phenomena that exhibit superdiffusion as the result of interactions between an agent and a sparse, complex environment. In this note we consider the simplest non-trivial L´evy random medium, a sequence of points in the real line with i.i.d. long-tailed distances between consecutive targets. A popular example of a continuous-time random walk in this medium is the so-called L´evy-Lorentz gas . We give an account of a number of recent theorems on generalizations and variations of such model, in discrete and continuous time.


Axilla is an anatomical region with a complex anatomy, containing the neurovascular bundle to the upper limb and its co-laterals, several critical nerves, arteries and muscles, and lymphatics. Furthermore, due to connection with the breast, axilla is the common route for metastatic involvement from breast cancer. As a result, in cases of breast cancer, the absence or presence of cancer cells in axillary lymph nodes is the most power prognostic indicator for the disease. The increasing surgical importance of the axilla region during any axillary surgery has stimulated the interest for the anatomical variations of the axilla, which have been described in textbooks of human anatomy and in those of operative surgery [1,2]. Review of the anatomical and surgical literature revealed that there are three supernumerary muscles, namely the axillary arch, the pectoralis quartus and the chondroepitrochlearis muscles, as well as the aplasia of the lower part of the pectoralis major muscle. The frequency of all these anomalous muscular variations is higher in cadaveric dissections than the one reported during surgery [3]. This lower frequency is probably due to the fact that even experienced surgeons are not familiar with the existence of AA and the other anomalous muscles. The other fact, explaining the difference in frequency, is that during surgery the region is not dissected thoroughly, as it happens in anatomical dissections. A surgeon may encounter these muscular variations when performing regional surgical procedures, such as axillary dissection and lymphadenectomy for breast cancer, lymph node biopsy, reconstruction techniques and axillary bypass operations [3,4]. Axillary Arch (AA), is the most important of these variations, and has been reported to cause difficulty during Axillary Lymphadenectomy (AL) or Lymph Node Biopsy (LNB), and also it may compress the neurovascular bundle [1,5-9].


Relying on the regional gravity data from southeastern Guizhou and other geophysical information, the deep structures in the areas are studied preliminarily; And being combined with regional mineral information, the relationship in the deep structures and the ore-forming zoning are described absorbing new viewpoints in regional metallogeny as well as its control for metallogenic series and distributing, and their law cognitions are exposed.


The nutritional value, astaxanthin level and population growth of Moina macrocopa fed with Chlorella sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Phaffia rhodozyma in eight treatments (C1: 1 × 10 5 cells/ml; C2: 1 × 10 6 cells/ml; S1: 4 × 10 6 cells/ml; S2: 4 × 10 7 cells/ml; P1: 4 × 10 7 cells/ml; P2: 4 × 10 8 cells/ml; SP1: S + P 4 × 10 6  : 4 × 10 7 cells/ml; and SP2: S + P 4 × 10 6  : 4 × 10 8 cells/ml) were examined. The results showed that lipid content was significantly different among the treatments but protein and carbohydrate were not. C2 had the highest lipid content (11.83 ± 0.87%) whereas C1 and SP1 had the highest protein (76.26 ± 2.84%) and carbohydrate (14.56 ± 3.04%), respectively. In addition, SP1 had the highest astaxanthin level (0.83 ± 0.19  μ g/g) and S1 showed fastest population growth rate (0.81 day −1 ). This indicated that feeding on S. cerevisiae resulted in high lipid and astaxanthin levels and a concentration of 4 × 10 6 cells/ml enhanced the population growth of M. macrocopa . Therefore, it could replace or be used as supplementary to Chlorella sp. for cladoceran production in mass cultures.


This study investigates the tail shapes of empirical distributions of returns on an extensive group of common stocks. The tails of the return distributions are found to be thinner than those of infinite variance stable distributions. Therefore, although homogeneity is evident in general, economic and statistical inferences drawn from stable-law parameters estimated from samples of stock returns may be misleading. This is in spite of the apparent overall similarity (in shape) between empirical and stable distributions.


Variation in manufacturing systems is seldom seen as the principal performance driver. Instead, the anticipated behavior of most systems is obtained from models of expectation. However, as the system scope increases, having more dynamic variables, the compound effect of variation may cause models of expectation to lose relevance; in fact, under conditions of constant or nontrending change and adaptation, models of expectation cannot hold. For systems where change is the rule rather than the exception, several well-defined methodologies have been advanced. System Dynamics with causal loop representation, Axiomatic Design with the recognition of coupling interdependencies, and Object-Orientation with the notion of encapsulation, are all approaches which capitalize on the nature of change for system optimization and improvement. Drawing upon the talents offered by each approach, this thesis develops a methodology called Object-Oriented Axiomatic Design (OOAD) which specifically addresses the role of variation in multi-objective distributed systems. OOAD is applied to manufacturing capacity planning in an organizational context. Two case studies are presented, demonstrating the application of OOAD and illuminating a number of commonplace characteristics of variance that are functions not only of capacity planning, but also the manufacturing capital investment process. Specific recommendations are made to improve manufacturing system performance where variation is a principal driver. Thesis Supervisor: David S. Cochran Title: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering


ObjectiveHy-Result is the first software for self-interpretation of home blood pressure measurement results, taking into account both the recommended thresholds for normal values and patient characteristics. We compare the software-generated classification with the physician's evaluation. Design methodThe primary assessment criterion was whether algorithm classification of the blood pressure (BP) status concurred with the physician's advice (blinded to the software's results) following a consultation (n=195 patients). Secondary assessment was the reliability of text messages. ResultsIn the 58 untreated patients, the agreement between classification of the BP status generated by the software and the physician's classification was 87.9%. In the 137 treated patients, the agreement was 91.9%. The &kgr;-test applied for all the patients was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.73–0.89). After correction of errors identified in the algorithm during the study, agreement increased to 95.4% [&kgr;=0.9 (95% confidence interval: 0.84–0.97)]. For 100% of the patients with comorbidities (n=46), specific text messages were generated, indicating that a physician might recommend a target BP lower than 135/85 mmHg. Specific text messages were also generated for 100% of the patients for whom global cardiovascular risks markedly exceeded norms. ConclusionClassification by Hy-Result is at least as accurate as that of a specialist in current practice (http://www.hy-result.com).


Taking Chirp signals as a reference sequence,Chirp signals with weak power are directly superposed on the effective data after moulding and filtering,then the signals are modulated and sent by carrier wave,which saves bandwidth resource and power resource.The constant envelop characteristics of Chirp signal and the time-frequency clustering characteristic of Chirp signal in corresponding fractional step Fourier domain are used to perform fractional Fourier transform(FRFT)to the received signals,the coordinates of peak value is searched,and the parameters of Chirp signal is estimated,thereby the Doppler frequency deviation and its change ratio of carrier wave are acquired,so the carrier wave is acquired and the superposed signal is counteracted.The theory method is feasible through simulation validation.


The higher order nonlinearity of a Boolean function is a cryptographic criterion, which play a role against attacks on stream and block ciphers. Also it play a role in coding theory, since it is related to the covering radii of Reed-Muller codes. In this paper, we study the lower bounds of second-order nonlinearities of a class of cubic Boolean functions of the form with and ∈ ′ and some classes of cubic Boolean functions based on secondary construction. Whose lower bounds on second order nonlinearities improved upon previous existing general results.


The paper deals with numerical and analytical modelling of retention of a diamond particle in a metallic matrix. The model of a diamond particle embedded in a metallic matrix was created using the Abaqus software. The analytical model of an elastic spherical particle in an elastic-plastic matrix was built. The aim of the paper was to determine the influence of the mechanical and thermal parameters of matrix materials on their retentive properties. The analysis has indicated mechanical parameters responsible for the retention of diamond particles in a metallic matrix. The pressure in the particle and the radius of plastic zone around particle were analyzed. Introduction Diamond segments (metal matrix composite containing diamond particles) of circular saws for cutting stone and ceramic materials are commonly made using the powder metallurgy process [1]. The process of the production of segments consists in mixing metallic matrix powder with diamond crystals and hot pressing them to nearly full density. This paper discusses a mathematical model of a diamond particle in an elastic-plastic metallic matrix. The mechanical state of a particle embedded in a metal matrix results from the cooling of the sintered material required by the manufacturing process [2]. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the particle material is lower than that of the matrix and the particle is compressed by the contracting matrix. If the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion is larger and there is a sufficient drop in temperature after hot pressing, a plastic zone around the particle is formed. The term 'matrix retention' denotes the capacity of a metallic matrix material to retain diamond particles at the surface of a segment during cutting. This property is important in the case of matrices of diamond segments used for cutting materials. The effect of mechanical properties of a matrix on its potential retentive capabilities is presented in this paper. Numerical model of a diamond particle in a metallic matrix Depending on the synthesis conditions, diamond crystallization leads to the formation of crystals with shapes ranging from a cube to an octahedron [3]. An intermediate shape of a diamond crystal is truncated octahedron. The 3D computer model of the truncated octahedron as a diamond crystal (Fig. 1a) was analyzed. The crystal size, i.e. the distance between the opposite square <100> facets (Fig. 1a), was assumed to be 350 μm. The calculations were performed for a deeply embedded particle as well as for the one protruding above the surface of the metal matrix (Fig. 1b). The models of a diamond crystal embedded in a metallic matrix and protruding from its surface (Fig. 1b) were discussed in [3, 4]. Investigations were carried out by the finite elements method using the Abaqus software version 6.14 [5]. The values of the numerically calculated pressure inside a diamond particle was in agreement with those observed in the experiments [3, 6]. Terotechnology 2017 Materials Research Forum LLC Materials Research Proceedings 5 (2018) 7-10 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21741/9781945291814-2 8 a) b) Fig. 1. a) Truncated octahedron as a model of a diamond crystal, b) model of a diamond crystal inside the matrix and protruding above the matrix surface. Mathematical model of a diamond particle in a metallic matrix The truncated octahedron (Fig. 1a) is the most spherical object of all the semi-regular polyhedrons. Therefore, a spherical model of a diamond particle has been proposed. An analytical model of a spherical elastic particle in an elastic-ideally plastic matrix was presented in the paper [3]. The pressure inside the particle and the elastic energy of the particle are not essentially dependent on the particle shape, the particle is surrounded by the plastic zone with a relatively well defined radius (Fig. 2a) [3]. The mathematical model was verified by comparing the analytical results with the simulation results for the 3D numerical model of the spherical particle [3].


Systemic and structural preconditions for the formation of a national model of welfare state in modern Russia are discussed. Special attention is given to the role of business and its social responsibility in the welfare state creation and modernization of the Russian society.


In this paper, adaptive Lagrangian multiplier λ estimation in Larangian R-D optimization for video coding is presented that is based on the ρ-domain linear rate model and distortion model. It yields that λ is a function of rate, distortion and coding input statistics and can be written as λ(R, D, σ2) = β(ln(σ2/D) + δ)D/R + k0, with β, δ and k0 as coding constants, σ2 is variance of prediction error input. λ(R, D, σ2) describes its ubiquitous relationship with coding statistics and coding input in hybrid video coding such as H.263, MPEG-2/4 and H.264/AVC. The lambda evaluation is de-coupled with quantization parameters. The proposed lambda estimation enables a fine encoder design and encoder control.


This paper presents a very simple model of liquid homogenization in a mixing tank. The model, based on the pumping capacity of impellers and the degree of homogeneity, is valid for turbulent mixing; however, it has been extended to transient regime of mixing (Re = 100 to 1000).


The New Black is a documentary that explores gay rights in African American communities. The film is mostly set in Maryland, which with its large African American population was uniquely positioned to affect the outcome of Question 6, a ballot initiative about marriage equality. Whether African American claims for social justice intersect with LGBTQ rights, and more specifically marriage equality, is the ongoing debate in the movie. Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition and a proponent of Question 6, believes they dowhen she states that marriage equality "is the unfinished business of the civil rights movement."On the other hand, Pastor Derek McCoy, a leader of the anti–Question 6 coalition, argues that marriage equality would damage black families and points out a long history of legislation that has kept black men and women from forming successful marital bonds. The intersection of faith, race, and sexuality, as signified by Pastor McCoy's leadership role in the opposition to Question 6, provides the dramatic tension. Early in the film African American clergy, and allies from the Christian right, organize to craft the ballot initiative and to define marriage as exclusively heterosexual. We see mostly black ministers denouncing the homosexual agenda from their pulpits. African American clergy and religious people in favor of Question 6 appear to be much more cautious in showing their support, so the film focuses on the stories about the effects of homophobia in the black church. This specific focus allows the filmmaker to take an interesting detour from the election in Maryland. In California, where the rights of gays to marry was defeated by popular vote, we get striking interviews with two openly gay African American Christians: Rev. Yvette Flunder, who is a bishop in the United Church of Christ, and the singer Tonéx. The serene Flunder provides the film's eloquent analysis of the alliance between the Christian right and some African American clergy. Tonéx, who grew up in the Church of God in Christ, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the US, provides one of the most unforgettable moments in the film during a 2009 interview on The Lexi Show, a Christian talk show. When Lexi asks him "Are you ready for deliverance from being attracted to men?," his answer is, "I don't feel the need for deliverance, so everybody can just breathe and relax on your show." The look of surprise and palpable disgust on Lexi's face allows the viewer to understand the courageousness of Tonéx's cool facade in the face of institutional revulsion. The film presents both sides of the debate among black Christians, but tips the scales when it shows much more of the private lives of those in favor of marriage equality. The activists describe their hurt and trauma at the hands of family members intent upon leading them away from homosexuality and into the faith. The film brings us inside the


Development and maintenance of neuronal shape depend on regulated assembly and disassembly of microtubules. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) bind to microtubules, regulate microtubule assembly and disassembly, and play critical roles in neuronal development and the balance between axonal plasticity and stability. In general, MAPs that are present postnatally (e.g., MAP1a) are considered to enhance microtubule (and axonal) stability.1

Disturbance of MAP structure or function could contribute to degenerative neurologic disorders such as hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). HSP is characterized by axonal degeneration that is maximal in the terminal portions of the longest descending and ascending axons in the CNS: crossed and uncrossed corticospinal tracts to the legs, fasciculus gracilis fibers, and to a lesser extent spinocerebellar fibers (see Fink et al.2 for review). Distal degeneration of CNS axons suggests that the primary disturbance of HSP may involve abnormal axonal transport, neurotrophic factors, their receptors, or impaired maintenance of axonal cytoskeleton. Loci for autosomal dominant HSP are present on chromosomes 2p, 14q, and proximal 15q (see Fink et al.2 for references). MAP1a has been localized to proximal chromosome 15q by somatic cell hybrid mapping, and was sublocalized using a chromosome 15 deletion hybrid panel.3 We …


Using X-ray photography and flow cytometry, the internal morphology and DNA replication activity of wild type (wt), GA- (gib-1) and ABA-deficient (sitw) tomato (Lycopersicon esculentumMill. cv. Moneymaker) mutant seeds were studied. During seed formation, from 30 to 45 d after pollination (DAP) the endosperm becomes solid and the seed starts to gain desiccation tolerance. At this time significant changes occur in the amounts of DNA in radicle tip cells. At 30 DAP, radicle tip cells of the three genotypes manifest about 60% of 2C, 30% of 4C and 10% of 8C amounts of DNA. Upon maturation (45 DAP onwards), most cells in the seeds of the three genotypes arrest in the G1phase of the cell-cycle with 2C amounts of DNA. However, a relatively high proportion of cells with 4C amounts of DNA was detected in the radicle tip cells ofsitwcompared with wild type andgib-1. At the well-matured stage (60 DAP), there were about 2% of seeds with free space in wild type andgib-1, and about 13% insitw. At the over-matured stage (75 DAP), even more seeds with free space were found insitw, whereas no increase in the proportion of the seeds with free space was detected in the other two genotypes. In −1.0 MPa PEG-6000 with or without 10 μMGA4+7, no germination occurred in well-matured wild type andgib-1seeds, whether or not they were dried after harvest. However,sitwseeds were able to germinate both in over-mature fruit and in −1.0 MPa PEG-6000. Priming of dried seeds in −1.0 MPa PEG induced a large amount of free space in almost all seeds of the three genotypes, and nuclear DNA synthesis in the radicle tip cells of wild type andsitwseeds. However, PEG priming of fresh (non-dried) seeds had no effect on the amount of free space and 2C/4C DNA ratios in wild type orgib-1seeds, but did induce free space in about 20–25% ofsitwseeds and provoked 4C signals insitwseeds. Removal of the endosperm and testa opposite the radicle tip of seeds resulted in root protrusion, the induction of free space and an increase of 4C DNA signals in the three genotypes. It is concluded that ABA is crucial for the efficient arrest of tomato embryo radicle tip cells in G1phase upon maturation, whereas GAs play an important role in re-initiating 4C DNA levels upon germination.


This paper reviews the development of mathematical models for rotating biological contactor(RBC) in recent years,highlighting the models of hydrodynamics,oxygen mass transfer and kinetics.Comments on further modeling study and scale-up are put forward.


This paper analyzes the macro-environment of library management innovation using PEST methods including political and law,economic,social and culture,technological environment.It also discusses the micro environment from the point of view of identification of library core values,the change of user search behavior and some challenges of the digital information environment,competitors' analysis.


User experience design is more essential and important for the planning then visual interface design. In this research, design thinking integrated in "User-Interface Design for Mobile Device" course for making the students to investigate the user requirements from the related tools. Both the group of design and the group of technology students will have interdisciplinary groups and do the research about the user requirements according to spectacular topics from related workshops in the class. Later on, they will learn how to do the interface design prototype with related software and also concern about the visual style. It will help the students understand the point of how to execute project and practice it. Also, the experts are invited to the class for giving talks and suggestion about the students' projects and sharing the ideas of design innovation and experiences. User test is required after the students finish their design project, beside set up several tasks with scenarios for the participants to see what kind problems they would have during the investigation of the prototype of the service app. The students can learn and practice four phases of design thinking. There are several evaluating methods of teaching and learning in this research: descriptive statics, reliability analysis, and independent sample t-test. The students gave positive feedback for the general questionnaires, and the reliability is high for the value of Cronbach' alpha. For the arrangement and teaching method in this course, expert critics are helpful for implementation of related design projects, and the students can get more advices from this teaching method. In the future study, more experts from the industry will be invited for different advices and feedbacks according to the types from students' projects for practical and integral learning experiences.


Near field Communication, an emerging player in the healthcare sector offers tremendous potential for penetrating the healthcare and medical fields driven by the smartphone boom. NFC Forum's recently released technical specification for Personal Health Device Communication (PHDC) addresses the role of NFC in personal health management. This specification enables medical devices like blood pressure monitors, weighing scales and glucose meters to exchange health data via NFC technology with external computers for monitoring and analysis by physicians. As of writing this paper there is no known implementation or medical device in the market supporting the NFC forum's PHDC. This paper demonstrates a prototype of a health device based on Tizen platform wherein simulated health data is exchanged using NFC PHDC specification.


This chapter deals with the life of the mathematician Emmy Noether, her escape from her country due to the rise of Nazism, as well as her scientific contributions.


Information is provided on a new species of Loxosomella, L. diopatricola, with unusual characteristics that is symbiotic with tubicolous polychaetes of the genus Diopatra. Plasticity is displayed in the morphology of the attachment organ: the new loxosomatid possesses a stalk terminating in either a persistent pedal gland or an enlarged adhesive disc. An individual animal develops one or other of the two stalk morphologies according to its exact location on the host and the thickness of the underlying cuticle. The host epidermis underlying individuals with an adhesive disc is, in turn, modified, suggesting that these symbionts may negatively affect their hosts. Females possessed a single ovary, nearly always on the left side. The larva lacks eyespots. Buds were borne only by males. A minute species of Loxosomella commensal on polychaetes of the genus Eunice, characterised by 6 tentacles and a very short stalk, is also described. A grooved foot is present in the bud and a pedal gland is retained in the adu...


ABSTRACT. Let $\mathcal{J}^{1}$ be the real form of complex simple Jordan algebra with the automorphism group $F_{4(-20)}$ . The classification of $F_{4(-20)}$-orbits and the stabilizer groups of $F_{4(-20)}$ -orbit on $J^{1}$ are determined. As applications, for $F_{4(-20)}$ , the Bruhat and Gauss decomposition, the Iwasawa decomposition and also the Iwasawa decomposition with respect to $K_{\epsilon}$ in sense of T. Oshima and J. Sekiguchi are given concretely.


Abstract The effect of flue‐gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) on soil physical and chemical characteristics which influence leaching of nitrate (NO3 ‐) was investigated. Effects of FGDG amendment at 0, 4.5 and 9.0 Mg ha‐1 on transport of nitrate (NO3 ‐), ammonium (NH4 +), and bromide (Br) in a Candler fine sand were investigated in a leaching column experiment, with N application equivalent to 180 kg N ha‐1, as either calcium nitrate (CN) or ammonium nitrate (AN). The columns were leached with 2860 mL of water, equivalent to 65 cm rainfall. Cumulative amount of NO3‐N in 2860 mL leachate accounted for 61 and 72% of the total NO3‐N applied as CN and AN, respectively. Application of gypsum at 4.5 Mg ha‐1 decreased the leaching of NO3 ‐ from AN by 22% as compared to that without the application of gypsum. Total‐N recovery with or without FGDG accounted for 62 to 67% and 69 to 78% of total N applied as CN and AN, respectively.


This research paper focuses on Software Static Testing in Agile Development Methodology, highlighting variety of challenges. We propose a framework for implementation of Static Testing in Agile Development. To increase its acceptability with respect to Pakistan community, we take a case from Pakistan Software Market.


The field of Semantic Web Services (SWS) has been recognized as one of the most promising areas of emergent research within the Semantic Web (SW) initiative, exhibiting an extensive commercial potential, and attracting significant attention from both industry and the research community. Currently, there exist several different frameworks and languages for formally describing a Web Service: OWL-S (Web Ontology Language for Services), WSMO (Web Service Modeling Ontology) and SAWSDL (Semantic Annotations for the Web Services Description Language) are the most important approaches. To the inexperienced user, choosing the appropriate paradigm for a specific SWS application may prove to be challenging, given a lack of clear separation between the ideas promoted by the associated research communities. In this paper, we systematically compare OWL-S, WSMO and SAWSDL from various standpoints, namely that of the service requester and provider as well as the broker based view. The comparison is meant to help users to better understand the strengths and limitations of these different approaches to formalising SWS, and to choose the most suitable solution for a given use case.


Integrating with the instance of engineering,this paper introduces the cast-in-situ concrete foundation construction technology under track.In light of construction difficulties in inspecting and repairing ditch,it mainly expounds control points in the inspection and repairing ditch concrete construction under track and embedded parts installation.Thus,it has certain guiding significance for future similar engineering.


In the event of an earthquake, it is vitally important that the catastrophic failure of a dam and subsequent sudden release of the reservoir be prevented. An important part of the prevention of such a failure is maintaining the ability to control the release of water after the earthquake. For the most earthen dams, and some concrete dams, the release of water is controlled through a reinforced concrete intake tower. Most intake towers in the US Army Corps of Engineers existing inventory are very lightly reinforced. The functional survival of such lightly reinforced towers was the main concern of a recent research effort conducted at the US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station. The ultimate objective of this research was the evaluation and/or development of approximate or simplified analysis procedures for the evaluation of the ductility of existing intake towers. As part of this research, a series of three experiments were conducted, each of which was composed of the static loading to failure of 1/8th scale models of a typical intake tower configuration. Experimental results for two models are reported in this paper. Cyclic bending loads were applied to the models.Material properties and the percentage of steel were varied to model extremes encountered in existing towers. Modal surveys of the experiment models before, during, and after experimentation were conducted using a Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer system. These surveys were used to quantify the changes in the mode shapes and frequencies due to the damage accumulated during experimentation. The application of laser vibrometry and modal analysis to this problem is the main focus of this paper.


This specification establishes the requirements and procedures (using epoxy adhesive) for the installation and removal of the dynamic inflatable test seal for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), In-Vessel Handling Machine (IVHM) Reactor Refueling Plug (RRP).


General anesthetics are a critical class of drugs in modern medicine; however, the precise mechanisms by which they cause unconsciousness and unwanted side effects are largely undefined. In order to understand pharmacologic mechanisms of anesthetic action, drug interactions with macromolecular substrates and the subsequent functional consequences must be characterized. Analogs of general anesthetics that function as photolabels have been developed to assist in the identification of molecular targets. One such photolabel, meta-azi-propofol (AziPm), is an analog of the clinically used alkylphenol anesthetic propofol. In this work, AziPm is employed in a variety of experiments that aim to identify molecular substrates of propofol. Two proteins identified as propofol targets are more thoroughly examined: (1) the sirtuin deacetylase SIRT2 and (2) the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC). The binding sites of propofol on these proteins, and the in vitro functional consequences of propofol binding, are determined. Also described are the molecular interactions of VDAC with a separate ligand, cholesterol, which shares a binding site with propofol. In addition to molecular studies, a novel in vivo photolabeling technique, called optoanesthesia, that utilizes AziPm is introduced, and the behavioral phenotype induced by optoanesthesia in Xenopus laevis tadpoles is characterized. Finally, optoanesthesia is demonstrated with other ligands, including a photoactive analog of an anthracene anesthetic, and mechanistic insight into the pharmacology of this anthracene is revealed. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Pharmacology First Advisor Roderic G. Eckenhoff Subject Categories Pharmacology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1496 LIGHT-ENABLED IDENTIFICATION OF THE NEURONAL SUBSTRATES OF ALKYLPHENOL ANESTHETICS Brian Patrick Weiser A DISSERTATION in Pharmacology Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 Supervisor of Dissertation: _________________________ Roderic G. Eckenhoff, MD, Austin Lamont Professor of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Graduate Group Chairperson: _________________________ Julie A. Blendy, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology Dissertation Committee: (chair) Harry Ischiropoulos, PhD, Research Professor of Pediatrics Max B. Kelz, MD PhD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Ivan J. Dmochowski, PhD, Associate Professor of Chemistry A. Joshua Wand, PhD, Benjamin Rush Professor of Biochemistry


The sources of contaminated sites are related to several factors such as the lack of knowledge of safe procedures for handling hazardous and / or toxic substances, disrespect to these safe procedures and the occurrence of accidents or leaks during industrial processes, transportation or storage of unprocessed materials and products. In addition, contamination is usually associated with the exploration of natural resources and with the expansion of the industry and/or agrarian activities, which have happened, and are still happening, at the cost of high environmental and social risks. A contaminated site is considered a risk, since its existence can generate several problems such as damages to health, impairment of the quality of water resources, restrictions on land use and damage to public and private property, and damage to the environment. These situations, in general, involve complex risks with regard to the effects of exposure to contaminants on human health (CETESB, 2013), and may have short-, mediumor long-term effects. The increasing use of petroleum derivatives in industrial processes provides the generation of a diversity of products increasingly used by the current society. One of the negative consequences of the use and manipulation of hydrocarbons is the generation of highly polluting waste and effluents (Moreira & Dourado, 2005), such as the contaminants classified as light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), which are lighter than water, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX). LNAPLs are present in the subsurface in freephase form in thousands of areas under investigation around the world and are often the focus of investigation and remediation efforts. In general, LNAPLs represent potential long-term sources for continuous groundwater contamination and may function as a potentially long source of secondary impacts to soil, soil gas and groundwater. LNAPLs cause concern because of their persistence in the subsurface and their ability to contaminate large volumes of soil and groundwater (Kim & Corapciogly, 2003). Thus, the presence of LNAPLs has been and P U C -R io C er ti fi ca çã o D ig it al N o 1 5 1 2 7 8 5 /C A


Exact solutions to the d-dimensional Schrodinger equation, d ⩾ 2, for Coulomb plus harmonic oscillator potentials V(r) = −a/r + br2, b > 0, and a ≠ 0 are obtained. The potential V(r) is considered both in all space, and under the condition of spherical confinement inside an impenetrable spherical box of radius R. With the aid of the asymptotic iteration method, the exact analytic solutions under certain constraints, and general approximate solutions, are obtained. These exhibit the parametric dependence of the eigenenergies on a, b, and R. The wave functions have the simple form of a product of a power function, an exponential function, and a polynomial. Polynomial solutions are found for differential equations of the form py″ + qy′ − ry = 0, where p, q, and r are given polynomials with degrees 4, 3, and 2, respectively.


An 82-year-old female presented with a 5-day history of right upper quadrant pain. A physical examination demonstrated a palpable tender mass in the right upper quadrant with Murphy's sign. The contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) clearly demonstrated the twisted pedicle of the cystic duct and gallbladder mesentery on the right side of the gallbladder, thus showing a "whirl sign", and a definitive diagnosis of gallbladder torsion was made. The patient underwent a cholecystectomy, resulting in a favorable outcome. The whirl sign on MDCT imaging can therefore be a key to making a definitive diagnosis of gallbladder torsion. An 82-year-old female presented with a 5-day history of mild right upper quadrant pain. The patient's past medical history included serious angina pectoris treated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). She was a thin elderly woman and her height and weight were 140 cm and 41 kg, respectively. On admission, her body temperature was 37.8°C, pulse was 82/min, and blood pressure was 135/72 mmHg. A physical examination demonstrated a palpable tender mass in the right upper quadrant with Murphy's sign. Laboratory values were all within the normal limits except for an elevated white blood cell count of 16,800 /μL (3,500-90,00) and C-reactive protein (CRP) of 10.83 mg/dl (<0.17). Abdominal ultrasonography (US) showed an enlarged gallbladder with a thickened wall. No calculi were seen in the biliary system. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the abdomen revealed a distended gallbladder with wall thickening and the accumulation of pericholecystic fluid. Furthermore, the contrast-enhanced MDCT clearly demonstrated a twisted pedicle of the cystic duct and gallbladder mesentery on the right side of the gallbladder, thereby showing a "whirl sign" (Figure 1), along with a slightly enhanced gallbladder wall. These findings were consistent with a diagnosis of incomplete torsion of the gallbladder. After estimating the cardiac functional reserve by means of an ultrasound cardiogram and cardio-angiography, the patient underwent a cholecystectomy on the 9th day of admission. A laparoscopic procedure was initially attempted, but this was converted to an open laparotomy due to severe adhesion between the gallbladder and the surrounding viscera. The gallbladder was hard and strongly distended, but its wall was not gangrenous. A close examination revealed the gallbladder was connected to the liver bed by a short mesentery and rotated around its pedicle in a 180-degree clockwise direction (incomplete torsion). A simple cholecystectomy was performed in the routine manner and the patient's postoperative course was uneventful.


I introduce an economically viable total error measure appropriate for American put option pricing algorithms which incorporates both pure pricing error and early exercise error. A rational option pricing result that motivates the pure pricing error is derived. Early exercise error is motivated by comparing expected discounted profits from early exercising the estimated model vs. the true optimal early exercise model. The measure applies to any American put option pricing algorithm and is illustrated for a modified Binomial algorithm. Economic significance is defined and early exercise error is seen to be economically significant.


Benjamin's concept of time is the time concept of salvation from the Jewish mysticism Kabbalah,Benjamin is also affected deeply by Nietzsche's time concept of the same eternal return.Benjamin has two parallel concepts of time.One is the time concept of salvation from the Jewish mysticism Kabbalah,the other is the time concept of eternal return from Nietzsche's genealogy.Benjamin is deeply affected by both the Jewish spirit and the spirit of Greece.Benjamin prefers the Jewish spirit,meanwhile the Greek spirit is in the spirit of Benjamin independently,and these two are compatible.


I nternational criminal law constitutes, by its intrinsic characteristics, the place of the multiple and the plurality, in which the contest of norms and crimes finds its most natural and logical manifestation. The present paper deals with the apparent competition of norms in international criminal law and, in particular, the hypotheses of normative convergences established between the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes as defined by the Statute of Rome and applied of International Criminal Court. The analysis distinguishes the cases of intra-categorical competition, which include the convergences that occur within the same category of crime, and the hypotheses of inter-categorical competition, concerning the convergences that occur between the different categories of crimes. In the background, the awareness that any path taken towards rationalization and simplification of the competition of standards must come to terms with the impossibility of eliminating or destroying the phenomenon of convergence a priori, as it is inevitable.


p-Aminobenzoic acid was studied as a solute in water to determine the effect of altering the pH from 1 to 10 on the rate of reaction and on the site of addition of muonium atoms. This solute exists in three different acid−base states ranging from the fully protonated, through neutral, to anionic, and its substituents change from electron-acceptors to electron-donors with increasing pH. The overall rate of reaction is barely affected by pH, but there is nearly a 2-fold switch in the site at which muonium adds to the ring. There is also a considerable switch in the magnetic field at which muon level crossing resonance occurs, the radical with muonium attached at C(2) moving upfield by 125 mT and the C(3) one moving downfield by a similar amount. If this compound is representative of aromatic systems, then the differences in pH which usually exist between hydrogen and muonium studies would account for only a small factor in most reported kinetic isotope effects.


Participation in youth sports has a demonstrable impact on a young person's health, virtues, and educational success. Growing concerns about the impact of concussions on student athletes has driven a decrease in sports participation. Mississippi faces unique challenges in providing access to education and health care in impoverished and medically underserved communities. The Heads in the Game outreach and research program was developed to motivate STEM education and empower students through their love of sports. Sixteen rising junior and senior scholars participated in a month-long program where they attended seminars on coding methodologies, biomedical and computer engineering, health and sports performance, concussion protocols and impact detection devices, applications in telemedicine, and principles and practices of scientific research methods. Heads in the Game scholars used the skills gained in order to perform research in student athlete healthcare. Scholars conducted interviews with athletic trainers, medical professionals, and coaches, and applied the skills learned in the seminars towards the development of a program for an improved athletics digital health information infrastructure. We objectively report the results of the student outreach process, seminars, research methods, research accomplishments, and how the scholars have applied what they learned in their communities. We also describe future plans for augmenting the developed curriculum with rural telemedicine and NASA's Human Research Program.


1. Compositions containing: (A) typical or atypical antipsychotic agents; ! (B) a compound of formula I:! ! or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof! wherein == designates a single or double bond; ! n is 1 or 2; ! m is 0 or 1; ! each of R1 and R2 is independently halogen, -CN, -R, -OR, -C1-6 perfluoroalkyl, or -OC1-6 perfluoroalkyl; ! each R independently represents hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl group; ! R3 and R4 together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached form a saturated or unsaturated 4-8 membered ring, wherein said ring may be substituted by 1 to 3 groups independently selected from halogen, -R, or OR; and! each of R5 and R6 independently represents -R; and! (C) optionally, a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, adjuvant or excipient. ! 2. Composition according to claim 1, wherein == designates a single bond. ! 3. Composition according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that R1 represents R, OR, halogen, cyano or C1-3 perfluoroalkyl; and R2 is R, OR, halogen, cyano or C1-3 perfluoroalkyl. ! 4. A composition according to claim 3, characterized in that one of R1 and R2 is -OH. ! 5. Composition according to claim 1, characterized in that R3 and R4 together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached form a saturated or unsaturated 5-8 membered ring, wherein said ring may be substituted by 1 to 3 groups independently selected from halogen, -R, or oR. ! 6. Composition according to claim 1, characterized in that said compound has formula I-a or Ib:! ! or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. ! 7. Composition according to any one of claims 1 and 2 or 4 and 5, characterized in that said compound has the formula Ic or Id:! ! or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. ! 8. A composition according to claim 7,


This article explores some of the sources, poetic and philosophical, of Hill's recent book-length poem Scenes from Comus, with particular emphasis on the interrogations of language, selfhood, and ethics which drive the work. Hill's notion of 'eros', as described in recent criticism written in the same period as Scenes from Comus, is at the heart of this book-length poem, and provides a key to understanding his ethical approach in the work. The essay also describes some of the correspondences between Scenes from Comus and John Milton's masque of 1634 known as 'Comus'. Hill's view of the poet in relation to the community, a relationship which finds its correlate in the relationship between Self and Other, is closely related to this more subjective notion of eros. The article refers to Emmanuel Levinas, as well as Hill's recent work on T. S. Eliot and F. H. Bradley, to interrogate this relationship between the personal and the civic in the erotic trope, and in the poet's position as eccentric figure more generally.


Two Engineering Technology departments at Rochester Institute of Technology have participated in distance learning initiatives since 1989. The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology presently offers eleven different courses in two different distance learning formats. The Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology offers a bachelor of science degree in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Technology. These Engineering Technology departments have experienced growth in the credit hours generated in these courses during the past four years. The distance learning courses have increased the productivity of the departments during times of lower student enrollments and are now providing opportunities for increases in credit hours generated by each of the departments. This paper describes the implementation of distance learning courses in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology.


In this paper we apply a run--based ray--traversal algorithm to accelerate the ray tracing of height fields. To intersect the ray and the height field three processes occur: the ray is traversed through the grid that underlies the height field, an intersection between each cell and the ray is sought and if found the intersection point between the ray and the height field is calculated. Run--based ray traversal algorithms, to determine the path of the ray through the height field, have a significant computational advantage over the cell--based traversal algorithms used to date. They also present important structural information that can be used to accelerate the process of determining if and where an intersection has occurred.


According to an embodiment A, the present invention relates to a laser gain module (1). The laser gain module (1) is a laser rod used for longitudinal optical pumping or Juntate optical pumping a laser rod (5) having two shaft optical interface (7, 9) facing each other includes a (5), a metal cooling body (3), the. In such a manner the laser gain module (1) forms a fixed body that can not be decomposed at room temperature, at least a portion of the metal heat sink (3) is to cover all surfaces except the two optical interfaces, laser is formed around the rod (5). .The


The 1985 Nahanni earthquakes (05/10/1985, Mw=6.6; 23/12/1985, Mw=6.8) were the largest observed events of the past 100 years not only in the Nahanni region of Canada but in the NE Cordillera. Their short interevent period (about two months) between the two mainshocks and their shallow depth (about 8 km) make them interesting since those characters for seismicity has rarely been reported. I compute the changes in static stresses along optimally oriented planes, caused by these events using the slip models of Hartzell et al. [1994] for the mainshock sources to investigate the possibility of dip-slip interaction and compare the relation between the patterns of aftershock seismicity and static stress. Thus, I then combine our coseismic stress changes with the regional stress to determine the induced stress changes for explaning short-term fieldrecorded aftershock seismicity nearly in one month and medium-term seismicity (1985-2002). The static stress change generated by the 5 October event onto the fault plane of December event are calculated and concluded that the occurrence of the 23 December Nahanni event seems triggered since the shallow major asperity along the fault plane is appeared to be induced by stress due to October earthquake but the deep intermediate asperity, which is very near to epicenter, seems partly discouraged, that may be a cause for delaying the onset time of December event for about two months. Subsequently, in 1988, a large event (M6.2) and its aftershocks, occurred in a region where the static stress level was increased by the 1985 Nahanni earthquakes. . Key-Words: Coulomb Stress, Fault Modeling, Interaction, Shadow Zone, Earthquake


The aim of this study was to compare the brain wave pattern of two groups of dyslexic students with perceptual and linguistic type with normal students in reading. Method: In this study, 27 students (24 boys and 3 girls) from first to fifth grade with an average age of 8.16 and a standard deviation of 10.09 years participated. 8 students with perceptual type dyslexia, 10 students with linguistic type dyslexia and 9 normal students with reading were selected by purposive sampling method. Results: After removing noise and artifacts, the data were converted into quantitative digits using Neuroguide software and analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the results, the linguistic group and the normal group differ in the relative power of the alpha wave in the two channels Fp1 and Fp2, but there is no difference between the three linguistic, perceptual and normal groups in the absolute power of the four waves delta, theta, alpha and beta. Conclusion: The relative power spectrum of alpha band in the forehead can be significantly related to dyslexia problems as seen in the linguistic type.


Abstract An assimilation system is presented that was designed to provide timely, detailed, and coherent analyses of surface data, even when the data are collected in rough terrain where station elevations differ widely and observations are often subject to local effects. Analyses with improved spatial continuity are obtained from these data through careful choice of analysis method and variables. The analysis method has the ability to handle varying data density, and the analysis variables, when possible, were chosen in such a way as to cancel out the effects of elevation differences. In addition, the method accounts for physical blocking and channeling by mountainous terrain by incorporating elevation and potential temperature differences in its horizontal correlation functions. The correlation functions also enable the method to move accurately represent surface gradients. An hourly analysis cycle is used in which each analysis uses as a background the previous hourly analysis (a 1-h persistence foreca...


ABSTRACT This article highlights the results of an international qualitative study examining the impact of terrorism and other disasters—both human-made and natural—on social work agencies and their labor force. The study was conducted with focus groups of social workers in health care and social service settings. The major research question concerned the impact of disaster—both natural and human-made—on agencies and social work practitioners. Focus was placed on the ethical dissonance experienced by social workers under pressure to prioritize how services and resources are distributed to those in need.


While it is theoretically plausible that locus of control and age are related, findings reported in the literature remain inconclusive. We suggest that the inconsistent results may be effects of differences in locus of control scale instruments used. For instance, will scales assuming multidimensionality of locus of control yield different results from scales assuming unidimensionality of the construct? Similarly, will scales that consist of general items produce results different from those scales that are research topic specific? Findings of two studies are reported. Both used locus of control scales specific to beliefs about food and health, but one was unidimensional, the other two-dimensional. Respondents in the two national telephone surveys were 406 and 461 women. The unidimensional scale produced a negative, linear relationship between age and locus of control: older women were more external than were younger women. In contrast, both dimensions of the two-dimensional scale formed quadratic relationships with age. The internal dimension showed internal beliefs increasing until age 60, then decreasing The relation between age and belief in powerful others/fate weakened until about age 50, then strengthened again. The latter findings suggest that, particularly in late middle age and on matters concerning food and health, internal and external beliefs are neither mutually exclusive nor necessarily inconsistent.


1 ERIC-LIIA (ENSAIS), and Neurone Informatique, Strasbourg, F 24, boulevard de la Victore 67000 Strasbourg Tel: (33) 220.127.116.11. Email: rudloff@.eric.u-strasbg.fr Abstract. This paper analyses some useful enhancements required by datawarehouse systems. This concerns the conceptual modeling representation and visualisation, the query definition and optimization. A general framework is proposed to integrate terminological reasoning and a natural language interface in a flexible knowledge representation system in order to meet datawarehouse needs.


Method for wireless communication, the access point and wireless device is provided. In some embodiments, a wireless communication method, in the access point, receiving a probe request from the wireless device, shared access point is a common access point status information in the probe response and associated response message transmitted from the access point and transmitting a probe response including the state information. An association request which the wireless device includes an indication that stores a shared access point status information, received from the wireless device, based on an instruction in the association request, including conditionally share access point status information, the wireless device from the access point access point to send the association response to.


In the current operational dynamics, relying solely on past records and known equipment conditions to become the basis for Corrosion Management for specific equipment or systems may no longer be adequate. It is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the process and operating conditions, as well as the resulting damage mechanisms, to develop and maintain the equipment and systems' integrity.
 Effective corrosion monitoring can maximize the likelihood of detecting potential increased damage rates or appearance of new credible damage mechanisms. Corrosion monitoring strategies and plans should be adaptable and consider evolving process conditions and the current state of equipment. Particularly with the adoption of risk-based corrosion management approach, it has become increasingly crucial to identify and monitor the process closely against the predetermined operating envelopes.
 Understanding the importance for proactive corrosion monitoring to be able to control the degradation rates and/or avoid the occurrence of new damage mechanisms that might eventually lead to loss of containment, it is compulsory to have a systematic Corrosion Monitoring System (CMS) in place to effective corrosion management. Corrosion Management Plan (CMP) specifies the necessary requirements for each identified damage mechanism applicable to the specific assets.


Abstract : The use of the set of advanced oxidation technologies (plasma, bio- and photochemical) for the purification and disinfection of the heavy contaminated water is proposed. The plasma and photochemical techniques are used for the destruction of complicated organic molecules such as phenols and cation-active surfactants (cetylpiridinium bromides) as well as for the inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms such as Pseodomonas fluorescens, Bacillus cereus B 4388 and Escherichia coli. The gram-negative bacteria and gram-positive spore cultures are used for the biological disinfection of water from the secondary toxic substances after the plasmachemical treatment. The pulse UV treatment is applied for the inactivation of mutant microorganisms after the biotechnological treatment. The efficiency of a complex approach to the wastewater treatment is demonstrated.


Taking as its starting point Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, and with reference to H.G. Wells's The Future in America, this essay considers the difficulty of James's prose in The American Scene. It takes up James's reference to Plato in a letter to Edith Wharton and, by way of suggesting how James might be read and understood, it deals in particular with certain aspects of the chapter on Philadelphia, and ends by suggesting how unwilling America was to hear him or to honour his intentions.


Energy management integrating renewables and conventional grids might be viable for meeting current and future energy demands. The amount of energy generated from renewable sources varies from time to time. When a hybrid renewable-based unidirectional dc microgrid is linked to the utility grid, energy might be underutilized during periods of surplus generation. Bidirectional dc microgrid systems can help with energy management and address various environmental challenges. The architecture of a bidirectional dc microgrid, including solar photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines, battery storage and conventional utility grid has been designed in this work. An energy management system (EMS) is designed to supply the required energy to particular loads under various conditions. Maximum available power is extracted from PV using Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), using the P&O algorithm. When the combined power of the PV panels and wind turbine exceeds the demand of the loads, the extra energy is used to charge the batteries. The remaining energy is supplied to the power grid through an inverter when the battery's state of charge (SOC) reaches 90%. When there is a dearth of generated electricity from renewable sources, and the battery's SOC is less than 30%, power is drawn from the utility grid and provided to loads. The system design is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink and the effects of altering the circumstances on the electrical parameters are observed. Variable load and generation circumstances are used to generate the simulation results.


The textbook "English for Food Production Technologists" English for food technologists is intended for second-year students specializing in the field of training "Product technology and catering organization (19.03.04 ): Profile: Technology and Organization of Restaurant Service", "Management: Profile: Management in the food industry" (38.03.02). The purpose of the textbook is to form a foreign language communicative competence based on a given situational professionally – oriented context. The structure of the textbook. The textbook consists of four modules with three sections, blocks of control and measurement and additional materials, and a grammar reference. The content of the modules: Module 1. Fundamentals of Nutrition Science; Module 2. Food Industry; Module 3. Introduction to Food Engineering; Module 4. Food of the Future. Each section of the textbook modules contains specialized text materials devoted to the basics of nutrition science, food processing, automation of food processing and production processes, and focused on the development of language, speech and communication skills. The study of the specialized material is completed by performing tasks of a creative nature in oral or written form. The textbook materials are intended for classroom activity, distance learning, as well as for independent work of students.


DB ProjektBau tailors its qualifications strategy to the requirements of its projects and the resulting individual needs of its staff. The qualifications that an individual employee requires are determined using transparent competency profiles by comparing existing skills with the competencies needed. Evaluation of competency management takes place at individual, business-area and company-wide level. The company makes available to its staff a wide-ranging catalogue of measures covering "soft skills" as well as technical competencies, thereby ensuring that its staff are always optimally qualified for successful project execution.


This paper presents a study of the behavior of common types of highway bridges in response to scour of their bearing elements, when exposed to design floods. For this purpose, the authors considered the inherent characteristics of the substructure and assessed potential failure conditions in relation to easily measurable parameters, which associate flood characteristics with a certain level of erosion of the stream bed. To conduct this investigation, the authors analyzed some of the expressions proposed in the literature to determine local scour at the pier base, in order to define the most influential parameters, which will be used jointly with the forces produced by the stream pressure of the water to reproduce the process of collapse or partial failure of piers. Simplified models were constructed, where the authors obtained the response for rectangular piers considering the effect of scour.


Adjustable-speed drives with single-phase input require a power factor correction front-end, usually implemented by a boost converter, to reduce the current distortion from the uncontrolled rectifier; this stage is then followed by a three-phase inverter. Bulky electrolytic capacitors are used to limit the direct current voltage ripple resulting from the rectification of the single-phase input. This leads to increased system size and shorter lifetime. In this work, the usual boost front-end is exploited to actively control the DC link voltage ripple while limiting the input current distortion and, hence, the power factor, even if not reaching unity. However, Power Factor is greatly improved with respect to the uncontrolled rectifier alone. This approach permits one to reduce the required capacitance, allowing the substitution of the electrolytic capacitor with a long-life low-equivalent-series-resistance film one. A control targeting capacitor voltage level, ripple, and boost inductor peak current is presented, together with practical design models. The synergic control of the boost front-end and of the machine drive is presented as well. The resulting converter is tested with resistive load and permanent-magnet synchronous machine drive, highlighting the advantages and limits of the proposed solution.


Disaster risk finance is an important component of the disaster risk management and climate change adaptation agenda. It aims to increase the financial resilience of countries against natural hazards by strengthening public financial management and promoting market-based disaster risk finance solutions (such as, sovereign catastrophe risk transfer solutions for governments or domestic catastrophe risk insurance markets for public and private assets). This report complements the more theoretical framework paper with a demonstration of how the framework can be applied in practice. Five case studies illustrate a range of questions that policy makers might ask, potential instruments to be considered, and economic conditions, and a Guidance Note presents principles for such analyses. The structure of the report is as follows: the proposed framework is presented, outlining the approach of the opportunity-cost framework and its limitations. The five case studies are introduced and the contingent liability and finance strategies considered in each are outlined. Subsequently, the five case studies are presented in five chapters, each standalone with relevant annexes (including at the back of the report). Finally, a Guidance Note outlines how the framework may be applied in a practical manner to another country's plans for the disaster risk financing of a contingent liability. Lastly, a Glossary is provided. The purpose of the entire report is to illustrate how to apply the framework to a country-specific question. All formulae and calculations applied in these case studies follow those in the technical framework paper. It does not aim to make any generalized conclusion about which finance mechanisms are cheapest or how disaster risk finance should be structured.


Aquaculture has been recognized as one of the fastest growing food producing sector in the world. The significant contribution of aquaculture over the past few decades has been able to place India in second position in terms of global inland fish production (FAO, 2018). While aiming at maximizing fish production, fish farms in India are expanding and intensifying their culture system and hence among other reasons, disease outbreak has started to become a disaster in recent days. Disease has emerged out as one of the major limiting factors for development and management of aquaculture in India and many other countries of the world (Kumar et al., 2016).


This work theoretically investigated the mechanism of valley polarization relaxation in monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides, focusing on the exchange interactions between electrons and holes. In particular, we elucidated the effects of screening resulting from carrier doping on valley depolarization dynamics. The results show that the valley relaxation time is highly dependent on the extent of carrier doping. In addition, a finite degree of doping is predicted to induce additional valley relaxation temperature dependence at low temperatures, an effect that is absent at zero doping. Our calculation results suggest the possibility of increasing the valley relaxation time by tuning carrier doping, which could present a means of manipulating the valley degrees of freedom.