Invited talk; invited by The Photographers Gallery.

It is the context of the family photograph in the newspaper that makes its reading strange as the image shifts from the private to the public. Developments in technology have changed the way family photographs are translated within the news with the shift from analogue to digital. This has resulted in the blurring of the boundaries between the public and the private in the press.

Drawing on my personal archive of collected examples of family photographs in newspapers this paper will focus on the temporal qualities of the family photograph in the context of the newspaper. It will discuss the way the press utilise the notion of time and how this influences the way photographs are subsequently read. This is evidenced by the newspaper captions and headlines that often have a temporal dimension, such as 'The last family photograph' dramatically making clear the finality of these images. In a sense these family photographs take on a new and important responsibility of being the last visual record. These 'last' pictures are also different in experienced temporality; they are the last photograph for the family, but the first photograph for the reader i.e. 'the first picture of the last picture.'

On-line social networking sites like Facebook have allowed the newspapers greater access to family photographs resulting in the use of more candid types of imagery. Developments in technology have also brought about a shift in the viewers expectations of immediacy. Family photographs are taken so close to the time of the reported incident that this 'proximity' of the photograph to the event becomes a signifier of meaning in and of itself. Whether the image is a good family photograph or not is outweighed by the temporal nearness of the incident. The immediacy of the image is conveyed by the headline; 'minutes after this photo was taken'. Perhaps it can be argued that this prioritisation of time evidences the emphasis placed on the photograph as object/commodity in its presentness at the expense of the meaning within the photographic image itself.


Chemical disinfection has been for the last 100 years, an integral part of municipal drinking water treatment, in order to achieve the protection of public health. Some time ago, the addition of disinfectant was just as much as required to remove all the microorganisms. Further experience has shown that it is not that simple, due to the disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that appear during this process, which can significantly affect the consumer health.
In order to deal with the DBPs, the main health organizations and governments have introduced pretty restrictive limits that must be achieved in order to guarantee the supply of safe drinking water. There are several ways to achieve the required thresholds, because of the chemistry of formation of the byproducts. Taking a look in the next expression, the different ways of reducing them can be easily seen:
Natural Organic Matter + disinfectant ----- disinfection byproducts
In order to reduce the disinfection byproducts, while keeping a good water quality, the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) is the key factor. NOM is present in almost all sources of water all around the world, and is a mixture of several organic compounds. It is considered harmless, but due to its reaction with the disinfectant its removal has been deeply studied.
When the NOM is removed, a removal of the colour, ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV-254) and some other are also expected. This means that the reduction of the NOM will be achieved with the same methods that traditionally have been used to remove these parameters.
In this study, the methods that have been analyzed are: 1) chemical coagulation and precipitation; 2) adsorption on activated carbon and 3) magnetic ion exchange. The first one, has been deeply studied for many years, and is a well known and popular method. The next two, because of having appeared more recently, still need to be studied.
The aim of this project is to investigate these treatment options for water containing elevated levels of NOM, and then enhance its removal by optimizing the proposed processes as a single unit, to obtain the proper operation conditions, as well as assessing the combination of the proposed optimized processes, with the monitoring of the bulk parameters and the molecular weight range removal.


At four years of age, Richard Wright set fire to his home; at five his father deserted the family; by six Richard was - temporarily - an alcoholic. Moved from home to home, from brick tenement to orphanage, he had had, by the age of twelve, only one year's formal education. It was in saloons, railroad yards and streets that he learned the facts about life under white subjection, about fear, hunger and hatred. Gradually he learned to play Jim Crow in order to survive in a world of white hostility, secretly satisfying his craving for books and knowledge until the time came when he could follow his dream of justice and opportunity in the north.


In their work, Philosophical Foundations of Neuroscience, Maxwell Bennett and Peter Hacker argue that modern neuroscientists are labouring under a conceptual confusion— that of wrongly ascribing psychological predicates such as "thinks" or "infers" to parts of the brain, instead of to the whole person. They contend that such use of these folk psychology concepts violates the rules of their use. This argument has met with stiff rebuttals from philosophers such as Daniel Dennett and Paul Churchland, who counter that Bennett and Hacker have overstepped the bounds of their ordinary-language analysis in the case of neuroscientific research. These defenders of the current neuroscience project argue that there are no explicit rules available to point out this supposed violation, and until such rules are made available (and shown to be valid), critics such as Bennett and Hacker have no available justification for such claims against the coherence of neuroscientist's language use. Within the context of this debate, an examination of Ludwig Wittgenstein's arguments on the subject of language use and rule following will be undertaken, specifically from the perspective of Saul Kripke's reading of the Philosophical Investigations as the formulation of a unique Wittgensteinian sceptical paradox. Kripke's reading of Wittgenstein regards numerical privacy and justification is used to provide a possible rebuttal for Bennett and Hacker to their critics in this debate.


Software Defined Networking (SDN) constitutes a fundamental technological solution which responds to the most essential challenges in 5G and beyond networks. Security still remains one of its most controversial issues. Security should be ensured in order to create reliable and consistent networks and on line applications and satisfy the demands of Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Therefore, teaching security of SDN and NFV is fundamental for academia these days. In this paper, we are going to summarize the most fundamental issues related to SDN security challenges and problems appearing alongside with the key back-doors in future SDN mobile networks. Several solutions utilizing SDN capabilities are suggested to avoid SDN security issues. We are also presenting experiments of network topologies using well-known network attack scenarios performed to showcase how networks' security could be taught using SDN controllers. Experiments are conducted using the Open Network Operating System (ONOS) controller indicating that security teaching using ONOS controller is easy and offers many benefits. Future research activity in the field is proposed.


Fred Halliday's life and work were intimately associated with the theory and practice of internationalism. In his later writings, the notion of 'complex solidarity' emerges as a key component of Halliday's worldview. This article explores the conceptual interconnections between different historical expressions of internationalism, cosmopolitanism and solidarity. It considers the intricate relationship between these categories and their place in our understanding of international affairs, emphasizing the divergence between liberal and revolutionary conceptions of internationalism and cosmopolitanism. The article discusses diverse understandings of 'solidarity' in International Relations, arguing that beyond the cosmopolitan and communitarian approaches, there exist other 'Grotian' and 'republican' ideas of solidarity. Halliday drew on these to present his own defence of universal human rights and solidarity, arguably developing a distinctive brand of republican internationalism. The latter part of the article gives content to 'complex solidarity' by suggesting it is built on three inter-related components: a methodological internationalism, an egalitarian reciprocity and a critique of global capitalism. Overall, these guiding features of complex solidarity deliver a unique rendition of internationalism which reflect Halliday's eclectic combination of radical liberalism with a residual historical materialism.


The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Experiment is a gamma-ray observatory that utilizes water silos as Cherenkov detectors to measure the electromagnetic air showers created by gamma rays. The experiment consists of an array of closely packed water Cherenkov detectors (WCDs), each with four photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The direction of the gamma ray will be reconstructed using the times when the electromagnetic shower front triggers PMTs in each WCD. To achieve an angular resolution as low as 0.1 degrees, a laser calibration system will be used to measure relative PMT response times. The system will direct 300ps laser pulses into two fiber-optic networks. Each network will use optical fan-outs and switches to direct light to specific WCDs. The first network is used to measure the light transit time out to each pair of detectors, and the second network sends light to each detector, calibrating the response times of the four PMTs within each detector. As the relative PMT response times are dependent on the number of photons in the light pulse, neutral density filters will be used to control the light intensity across five orders of magnitude. This system will run both continuously in a low-rate mode, and in a high-rate mode with many intensity levels. In this thesis, the design of the calibration system and systematic studies verifying its performance are presented.


The challenges of regional collaboration in a globalized world. Internationalisation of regional development policies – Needs and demands in the Nordic countries. Regions are now moving beyond "the new regionalism" into network regionalism. The new regionalism began emerging in the late 1980s stimulated by the accellerating pace of European integration, the spread of the endogenous paradigm of development and was spearheaded by strong identity regions such as Catalonia, Scotland or Flanders. Network regionalism is also developmental and internationalist in its orientation but it is collaborative rather than competitive in its modus operandi and relies to a large extent on network modes of governance for eveloping and implementing its policies. The thesis guiding the project that is reported here is that the challenges of regional governance today are closely related to the capacity of regions to organize and run network activities. The project focuses in particular on Nordic and European networking activities of regions. The project builds on and updates a data base established 1997/98 covering all Nordic regions and larger cities. Thus, a central aim of the project is to chart the changes in networking activities and related development initiatives that have taken place over the last ten years.


The Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) is a ground-based network of Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) sites around the globe, where the column abundances of CO2, CH4, N2O, CO and O2 are measured. CO2 is constrained with a precision better than 0.25 % (1- ). To achieve a similarly high accuracy, calibration to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards is required. This paper introduces the first aircraft calibration campaign of five European TCCON sites and a mobile FTS instrument. A series of WMO standards in-situ profiles were obtained over European TCCON sites via aircraft and compared with retrievals of CO2 column amounts from the TCCON instru- ments. The results of the campaign show that the FTS mea- surements are consistently biased 1.1 %± 0.2 % low with re- spect to WMO standards, in agreement with previous TC- CON calibration campaigns. The standard a priori profile for the TCCON FTS retrievals is shown to not add a bias. The same calibration factor is generated using aircraft pro- files as a priori and with the TCCON standard a priori. With a calibration to WMO standards, the highly precise TCCON CO2 measurements of total column concentrations provide a


This paper presents a case study in carrying out an audit of a large, softwareintensive system. We discuss our experience in structuring the team for obtaining maximum effectiveness under a short deadline. We also discuss the goals of an audit, the methods of gathering and assimilating information, and specific lines of inquiry to be followed. We present observations on our approach in light of our experience and feedback from the customer.


Abstract. Ambient particles collected on teflon filters at the Peak of Whistler Mountain, British Columbia (2182 m a.s.l.) during spring and summer 2009 were measured by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for organic functional groups (OFG). The project mean and standard deviation of organic aerosol mass concentrations (OM) for all samples was 3.2±3.3 (μg m −3 ). Measurements of aerosol mass fragments, size, and number concentrations were used to separate fossil-fuel combustion and burning and non-burning forest sources of the measured organic aerosol. The OM was composed of the same anthropogenic and non-burning forest components observed at Whistler mid-valley in the spring of 2008; during the 2009 campaign, biomass burning aerosol was additionally observed from fire episodes occurring between June and September. On average, organic hydroxyl, alkane, carboxylic acid, ketone, and primary amine groups represented 31 %±11 %, 34 %±9 %, 23 %±6 %, 6 %±7 %, and 6 %±3 % of OM, respectively. Ketones in aerosols were associated with burning and non-burning forest origins, and represented up to 27 % of the OM. The organic aerosol fraction resided almost entirely in the submicron fraction without significant diurnal variations. OM/OC mass ratios ranged mostly between 2.0 and 2.2 and O/C atomic ratios between 0.57 and 0.76, indicating that the organic aerosol reaching the site was highly aged and possibly formed through secondary formation processes.


Prevailing theories in finance and economics suggest that leases and debt are substitutes; an increase in one should led to a compensating decrease in the other. In particular, there are three views on the magnitude of the substitution coefficient. Standard finance theory treats cash flows from lease obligations as equivalent to debt cash flows, thus describing the tradeoff between debt and leases as one-to-one. Others are willing to use a tradeoff of leases for debt which is less than, but close to, one. The rationale for a dollar of leases using less of debt capacity than a dollar of debt obligation is based upon the differences in the terms and nature of lease and debt contracts. Finally, there are some who argue that since leased assets may be firm-specific, the risk of moral hazard may be great, resulting in a tradeoff of greater than one-to-one; that is, a dollar of a lease obligation uses more of debt capacity than a dollar of a debt obligation. A series of empirical tests are performed in this study on samples of approximately 600 firms, covering the years 1976 through 1981, with none of the three views supported by the results. Instead, the results indicate that leases and debt are complements; greater use of debt is associated with a greater use of leasing. This finding reappears consistently for each year, each definition of leverage ratios, and each approach to analysis. This complementary relationship persists even after refinements are made to the estimation technique.


Four strains of the cyanobacteria, Synechococcus, were infected with viruses isolated and purified from coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine. Changes in host and virus concentration were observed in time course experiments, along with associated variability in inherent optical properties. There were strong optical shifts before and after lysis in inherent optical properties on time scales commensurate with the viral infection process. Specifically, both backscattering and absorption (particularly in visible wavelengths) increased slightly after infection, but decreased markedly after lysis. The most rapid optical change was seen in in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence, with a slight increase within 2 d after initial infection. Such changes likely reflect fundamental changes in host photophysiology after infection. After host lysis, there was a major drop in bulk Chl a fluorescence, synchronous with a major increase in the ratio of free viruses per host cell. The net effect of the changes in fluorescence and host concentration was an increase in the fluorescence per cell. These optical changes were accompanied by major changes in the submicron particle size spectra as cells were lysed, releasing their intracellular contents.


Despite the recent popularity of word embedding methods, there is only a small body of work exploring the limitations of these representations. In this thesis, we consider several aspects of embedding spaces, including their stability. First, we propose a definition of stability, and show that common English word embeddings are surprisingly unstable. We explore how properties of data, words, and algorithms relate to instability. We extend this work to approximately 100 world languages, considering how linguistic typology relates to stability. Additionally, we consider contextualized output embedding spaces. Using paraphrases, we explore properties and assumptions of BERT, a popular embedding algorithm. Second, we consider how stability and other word embedding properties affect tasks where embeddings are commonly used. We consider both word embeddings used as features in downstream applications, and corpus-centered applications, where embeddings are used to study characteristics of language and individual writers. In addition to stability, we also consider other word embedding properties, specifically batching and curriculum learning, and how methodological choices made for these properties affect downstream tasks. Finally, we consider how knowledge of stability affects how we use word embeddings. Throughout this thesis, we discuss strategies to mitigate instability and provide analyses highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of word embeddings in different scenarios and languages. We show areas where more work is needed to improve embeddings, and we show where embeddings are already a strong tool. Chair: Prof. Rada Mihalcea Understanding Word Embedding Stability Across Languages and Applications


There are three principal methods humans use to evoke avian vocalizations. This paper explores the two that are constrained by human language: onomatopoeia and warblish. In onomatopoeia, new words are created to mimic sounds within the constraints of a language's phonology. Warblish, named and thoroughly described for the first time in this paper, is the imitation of avian vocalizations using existing words in human language. None of the conventionalized ways humans imitate birdsong has yet been studied rigorously, least of all warblish, for which a term has not even existed. Combing the ethno-ornithological literature for instances of warblish shows patterns in its functions and semantics across cultures, which range from friendly messages to ribald mocking. Warblish may evoke perceived ties between bird calls and other natural phenomena and can even offer clues to historical contact between human communities. Investigation of methods of birdsong imitation may expose alternative folk taxonomies based on vocalization type rather than morphology. As artifacts of human creativity in response to nature, warblish and the other methods of birdsong imitation described here merit interdisciplinary inquiry.


This thesis looks at the role of the Slovak-English interpreter working in the consecutive mode in the business environment especially with regard to rendering cultural references from source texts, whether these are (British) English or Slovak. Since culture in this thesis is taken in the broad sense of the whole way of life, cultural references can also be wide-ranging. The strategy an interpreter will opt for when interpreting cultural references depends on the circumstances under which he or she operates. Interpreting puts constraints on interpreters which make their activity distinct from translation of written texts, where in cases of unknown cultural references, translators can resort to the use of notes. Interpreters are engaged in mediating communication between (two) clients who do not share the same language and who come from differing cultural backgrounds. Due to differences between the (British) English and the Slovak cultures - in their material, spiritual and behavioural aspects - as well as due to lack of knowledge of cultural references which the clients of English-Slovak interpreting have and which was caused historically, some intercultural mediation is needed. Its particular forms are the outcome of the weighing of the circumstances under which the English-Slovak consecutive interpreter works. Moreover, business interpreting contains challenges in the form of the vocabulary of business, a relatively new area for Slovak interpreters. An interpreter, under all the above mentioned constraints, has to fulfil his or her role: to establish and maintain communication between the two parties. Therefore some of the strategies used will try to prevent miscommunication, while others will try to deal with miscommunication once it has occurred.


Extracellular enzymes are the proximate agents of organic matter transformation in soils. Data on microbial distributions and diversity are accumulating rapidly, and advances in molecular biology are providing new tools that are applicable to extracellular enzyme studies. In particular, proteomic approaches can be used to identify the extracellular enzymes that link genomic information with ecological processes. This chapter presents brief overviews of recent advances in extracellular enzyme research. Root activity may be supplemented by enzyme production from mycorrhizal fungi. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are primarily involved in phosphorus (P) capture via production of phosphatases, accounting for 48 to 59% of total P uptake when P is supplied in organic form but only 22 to 33% when supplied in inorganic form. There is good evidence that invasive plant species alter nutrient cycling processes and that these changes are sometimes mediated by extracellular enzyme activity (EEA). Microplate technology also enables well-known colorimetric assays to be scaled down for high-throughput analyses. Two main challenges must be overcome to reduce variability to acceptable levels in these assays. First, there must be adequate homogenization of the environmental sample to ensure that the slurry in the microplate wells is representative of the initial material. The second challenge is that particles from the sample homogenate scatter the light beam of the microplate reader and make absorbance readings highly variable. Innovative approaches based on molecular biology are resolving long-standing questions about the mechanisms of biogeochemical processes and the controls on microbial diversity.


For over 150 years the field of palaeo-anthropology has grappled with several problems of understanding human evolution, notably those explaining key differences between human beings and our most closely related species, the African great apes. The first difference to be explained, perhaps in terms of importance but certainly in terms of chronology, is our bipedality. This chapter will review the models of hominin bipedal origins published to date, and categorize them, as was done by Rose [1], by the adaptive mechanism being suggested. In addition, it will propose a new evaluative framework against which each model may be assessed and compared. In this evaluation, published wading models appear to be among the strongest although they are among the least well reported in university-level text books, a discrepancy attributed here to their association with the so-called 'aquatic ape hypothesis' (AAH). Despite their apparent strengths, published wading models do nevertheless contain weaknesses. This chapter addresses a few of those weaknesses either theoretically or through studies, such as one obtaining new empirical data comparing the energy efficiency of different bipedal gaits in water. Furthermore, a series of falsifiable predictions of the wading hypothesis are made about the postcranial anatomy of australopithecines. The chapter concludes by proposing a specific timescale and ecological niche where such wading behavior could have provided a stable evolutionary scenario in early hominins that is compatible with the fossil record and other models of human evolution.


We analyze eruptive tremor during one of the largest effusive eruptions in historical times in Iceland (2014/2015 Holuhraun eruption). Seismic array recordings are compared with effusion rates deduced from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer recordings and ground video monitoring data and lead to the identification of three coexisting eruptive tremor sources. This contrasts other tremor studies that generally link eruptive tremor to only one source usually associated with the vent. The three sources are (i) a source that is stable in back azimuth and shows bursts with ramp‐like decrease in amplitude at the beginning of the eruption: we link it to a process below the open vents where the bursts correlate with the opening of new vents and temporary increases in the lava fountaining height; (ii) a source moving by a few degrees per month while the tremor amplitude suddenly increases and decreases: back azimuth and slowness correlate with the growing margins of the lava flow field, whilst new contact with a river led to fast increases of the tremor amplitude; and (iii) a source moving by up to 25° southward in 4 days that cannot be related to any observed surface activity and might be linked to intrusions. We therefore suggest that eruptive tremor amplitudes/energies are used with caution when estimating eruptive volumes, effusion rates, or the eruption explosivity as multiple sources can coexist during the eruption phase. Our results suggest that arrays can monitor both the growth of a lava flow field and the activity in the vents.


The term nursery implies a special place for juvenile nekton (fishes and decapod crustaceans) where density, survival, and growth of juveniles and movement to adult habitat are enhanced over those in adjoining juvenile habitat types. We reviewed recent literature concerning these four topics and conducted meta-analyses for density and survival data. Most studies of mangroves as nurseries have addressed only occurrence or density of fishes or decapods, have not used quantitative sampling methods, and have not compared alternate habitats. Comparison of nekton densities among alternate habitats suggests that, at times, lower densities may be typical of mangroves when compared to segrass, coral reef, marsh, and non-vegetated habitats. There is little direct consumption of mangrove detritus by nekton. C, N, and S isotope studies reveal little retention of mangrove production by higher consumers. Densities of prey for transient fishes and decapods may be greater within mangroves than elsewhere, but there has been no verification that food availability affects growth or survival. Experimental evidence indicates that mangrove roots and debris provide refuge for small nekton from predators, thus enhancing overall survival. There is no evidence that more individuals move to adult habitats from mangroves than from alternate inshore habitats. There is an obvious need to devise appropriate experiments to test the nursery functions of mangroves. Such data may then be one more reason to add support for mangrove conservation and preservation.


Cognitive radio (CR) has been proposed as a promising and effective technology to improve radio spectrum utilization. The primary objective of the CR is to handle the non-interference rules with any primary users (PUs). Highly sensitive and optimal spectrum sensing detectors are required in order to avoid harmful interference to PUs. Multitaper spectrum seems to be the most appealing one for spectrum sensing CR because of its accurate identification and estimation and low computational complexity. Mulitaper uses small set of tapers and multiple orthogonal prototype filters to reduce the variance. The Fourier transform of a Slepian sequence, originally known as discrete prolate spheroidal sequences (DPSS), gives maximum energy density inside a given bandwidth and less spectral leakage with better specifications has been investigated in this paper and shows that no other window in signal processing can satisfy this property.


I study a dynamic principal agent model in which the effort cost of the agent is unknown to the principal. The principal is ambiguity averse, and designs a contract which is robust to the worst case effort cost process. Ambiguity divides the contract into two regions. After sufficiently high performance, the agent reaches the over-compensation region, where he receives excessive benefits compared to the contract without ambiguity, while after low performance, he enters the under-compensation region. Ambiguity also causes a disconnect between the current effort cost and the strength of incentives. That is, even when the agent is under-compensated, his incentives are as strong as in the over-compensation region, since the principal fears the agent might shirk otherwise. Under ambiguity, the agent's true effort cost does not need to equal the worst-case. I analyze the agent's incentives for this case, and show that the possibility of firing is detrimental to the agent's incentives. I study several extensions concerning the timing structure and the nature of the principal's ambiguity aversion. JEL Code: D82, D86, M52


The purpose of this
study was to evaluate the effect of intralesional Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC)
on the treatment of experimentally induced articular chondral defects in
horses, emphasizing the benefits of this application in veterinary medicine.
Chondral defects were induced in the medial femoral trochlea of both hind limbs
of four horses. Thirty days post induction; the horses were divided into two
groups. The G1 was submitted to treatment with MSC and the G2 was the control
group. Clinical
evaluations, synovial fluid analysis and synovial Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) assessment were performed prior to defects and fortnightly up
to 120 and 150 days. Macroscopic, histopathological and histochemical
evaluations were performed at the end of the experiment. The treatment with MSC
reduced the intraarticular inflammatory process. The G1 showed lower PGE2 concentrations in the synovial fluid and greater percentage of mononuclear
cells and lower percentages of lymphocytes and neutrophils. The treatment
improved the macro and microscopic aspects of repair tissue. No difference was
observed in the scores of lameness between the G1 and G2. The use of MSC
in the treatment of chondral defects minimized joint inflammation, as confirmed
by synovial fluid analysis. The treatment resulted in an improved repair tissue, verified by macroscopic examination, histochemical and histopathological
analysis.


Corporations are being monitored as to their carbon base. The level of carbon in the atmosphere is reaching dangerous levels that threaten corporate productivity, as well as human health. Remember that humans are carbon-based life forms. This Article discusses in detail efforts to halt the release of carbon into the atmosphere and mitigate global warming, from state-led initiatives to litigation in lower courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. It concludes that incentivizing corporations to adopt renewable energy practices is the best way to address corporate citizenship and environmental responsibility.


In this work, we propose to apply TRIZ approach towards use of magnetotactic bacteria for the extraction of the magnetosems naturally produced by these bacteria. More specifically, we suggest to apply the 2nd principle of TRIZ (BioTRIZ) to the specific case of Magnetotactic bacteria: we are theorizing that it could be possible to nurture these bacteria with certain amounts of iron-containing nutrients to come up with magnetosomes of varying, desirable nano sizes. Then the bacteria can be killed and the biologically- formed nano-magnets produced by them can be "taken out". These nano-size magnets can then be used in various applications, perhaps nanogenerators or the like nano-devices. The idea expressed here has the following novelties: 1. Application of (Bio) TRIZ principles to bio-nanotechnology. 2. Introduction of the new concept of "Nano-bio-mining" where living micro-organisms may be programmed to manufacture Nano-size metallic compounds that, then, can be removed and applied in various applications.


Previous studies have shown that the facilities offerred by driving assessment centres have enhanced the work, social and leisure opportunities of many people with disabilities by providing them with the information and confidence to gain independence through car driving. This study aims to provide a longer term view of the benefits of driving for a group of 453 people with disabilities who were assessed for driving at Banstead Mobility Centre between 1982 and 1988 and who were all driving in 1989. The drivers in this study were surveyed annually by postal questionnaire between 1989 and 1992, to monitor the effects of driving on their lifestyle. A smaller group of 49 drivers who were assessed in 1982 and 1983 provided information over a longer time span and are considered in greater detail. Findings confirm the importance of being able to drive for this group. For many people driving allows them to be independent and to follow their chosen lifestyle. In particular, being a driver makes routine shopping trips and contact with friends and relatives a possibility for nearly everyone and for many it is essential if they are to work and have an active social life. It is also apparent that the benefits from driving are more widespread. Being able to drive not only enables many people to help others, primarily their family and friends, but also decreases the demands for the services of local agencies. In general, only a minority of drivers reported that they were experiencing any difficulties in relation to driving and assessment centres can be considered to provide the information and practical help required by most people. However the findings also emphasise the need for adequate tuition and retraining facilities and the provision of funding for suitably adapted cars. (A)


Although security questions are still widely adopted, they still have several limitations. Previous research found that using system-generated information to answer security questions could be more secure than users' own answers. However, using system-generated information has usability limitations. To improve usability, previous research proposed the design of system-generated fictitious profiles. The information from these profiles would be used to answer security questions. However, no research has studied the elements that could influence the design of fictitious profiles or systems that use them to answer security questions. To address this research gap, we conducted an empirical investigation through 20 structured interviews. Our main findings revealed that to improve the design of fictitious profiles, users should be given the option to configure the profiles to make them relatable, interesting and memorable. We also found that the security questions currently provided by websites would need to be enhanced to cater for fictitious profiles.


In order to save energy and improve the performance, various electrical apparatus are equipped with power electronics. Normally power electronic equipment produce harmonics and high frequency noise. To handle noise emission, power electronic equipment uses EMC filters and are tested according to EMC standards. But the question is whether these tests are enough to avoid noise emissions in buildings? It has been shown, that electrical equipment distributes electrical fields inside a building using the PE wire. In order to avoid or limit electrical field it is necessary to find the sources and stop the distribution. The levels of electrical fields in the frequency range between 10 kHz and 30 MHz in office buildings and homes are rather unknown. One reason is lack of civil standards, another is lack of and difficulties in measurements. In this paper results from measurements of electrical fields in the frequency range between 10 kHz and 30 MHz at different locations is shown. An interesting result from these measurements is that the level of the electrical fields from a HF-fittings are approximately 10 times the level from video display units (VDU). This paper also shows a method to analyze sources of electrical fields.


We investigated correlations between serum biochemical changes and pathological alterations in caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rats. Seven consecutive doses of caerulein consisting of 50 mu g/kg, were given intraperitoneally, in 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats at hourly intervals. Serum biochemical and histological changes of the rats were studied at hours 7, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 after the first injection, as well as day 3 and 5 respectively. Serum amylase in the controlled rats (n = 6) was 2549 +/- 221 U/L (mean +/- SE). It was elevated to twenty times that of the baseline value (52630 +/- 11397 U/L) at the seventh hour, declined to about two times the control (5520 +/- 800 U/L) at the 18th hour, and returned to the baseline level at the 24th hour after the first caerulein injection. Serum lipase, elevated since the 7th hour, reached its peak value (631 +/- 34 U/L) at the 12th hour, then declined abruptly to the baseline value (0 U/L) at the 24th hour, after the first injection. However, severe histological changes of the pancreas were apparent at the 7th hour, reaching maximal destruction at the 18th hour, with severe inflammatory changes at the 24th hour; all after the first injection. The frank inflammation did not subside until 5 days after the first injection. These results suggest that, in the case of acute pancreatitis, normalization of serum biochemistries does not indicate recovery of the pancreas from acute inflammation.


In the English town of Ennistone, hot springs bubble up from deep beneath the earth. In these healing waters the townspeople seek health and regeneration, rightousness and ritual cleansing. To this town steeped in ancient lore and subterranean inspiration the Philosopher returns. He exerts an almost magical influence over a host of Ennistonians, and especially over George McCaffrey, the host of Ennistonians, and especially over George McCaffrey, the Philosopher's old pupil, a demonic man desperate for redemption.


Pope John Paul II
made a historic apology to several groups oppressed by the church since its inquisition started. The late pontiff's apology to women as a group was as a
result of the obnoxious and oppressive denial of women's human right by the
Church and the greater society because of the wrong interpretation of the "submission"
clause in the Bible. The subsequent re-interpretation of the submission clause
in the Letter to the Ephesians strongly confirmed and affirmed the equality
of man and woman and established the theological and philosophical basis for
questioning oppressive cultural ethos in Africa and demanding for a
theological paradigm shift which will help Africa to address the centuries old
inequities, inequalities and injustices suffered and still borne by women in
the 21st century. This article captures the religious role and
position of the church and defines the basis for calling for a new gender
approach within the Church that will achieve gender equality in Africa.


Fast economic growth leads to a fact that China faces serious environmental degradation. Haze becomes the hot topic on which the domestic and foreign media focus. So, where is the haze from? In this paper, the theory of general equilibrium model was used. To study the balance relationship between foreign trade and environmental degradation in China, Data of 28 provinces from 1990-2012 is used. With the help of a panel cointegration technique, we analyzed the structure effect, technological effect and targeted to set up three kinds of environmental pollution indexes. The results show that the scale effect of foreign trade and the influence of industrial waste water are positively correlated, and the effects of industrial solid waste, industrial waste gas showed a negative correlation relationship. Trade dependency is negatively related to the industrial wastewater emission; the consumption structure and environmental pollution are related, namely the income increase pollution did not have a positive impact on the environment.


The present study examined
possible antecedent factors that contribute to the type of
discloser (HIV status) one becomes as well as the relation between
discloser type, social support, and CD4 count. This study builds
off previous research by Stutterheim et al. (2011) that examined
differences between disclosure groups on a variety of variables,
but the study did not examine variables that may contribute to the
type of discloser a person becomes. The present study examined two
variables that previous research suggests may influence the type of
discloser (relative non-discloser, selective discloser, full
discloser) a person becomes, first-disclosure experience, and
internalized stigma. It was predicted that more positive first
disclosure experiences would be related to more disclosures; full
disclosers would report more positive first disclosure experiences
than selective disclosers and relative non-disclosers,
respectively. It was hypothesized that higher internalized stigma
would be related to fewer disclosures; full disclosers would have
the lowest internalized stigma scores and relative non-disclosers
would report the highest level of internalized stigma. In addition,
social support was predicted to fully mediate the relation between
the type of discloser and CD4 count. Specifically, full and
selective disclosers would report more social support than relative
non-disclosers and, as a result, have higher CD4 counts than
relative non-disclosers. SEM Path Analysis was employed to examine
the relation between the aforementioned
variables. Results revealed that internalized
stigma was negatively related to the type of discloser one becomes,
as predicted. However, first disclosure experience was not
significantly related to the type of discloser one becomes. Social
support did mediate the relation between type of discloser and CD4
count, but not in the way originally hypothesized. Disclosure type
was positively related to social support as hypothesized, but
contrary to the prediction higher levels of social support were
negatively related to CD4 count. Possible explanations for results
and directions for future research are discussed in the final
section.


The research has been undertaken on social capital with reference to developing countries context like Pakistan, and focuses on how the existence of social capital can lead to welfare of the households and their development. A social capital index is developed which is based on household level data collected across socioeconomic clusters, in and around the cities of Karachi, Lahore and Quetta. The relationship between the Social Capital Index and household welfare are analyzed in detail. The major results indicate that social capital together as in an additive sense represented by the social capital index has impact on welfare of the households. Heterogeneity of social capital as measured by the Heterogeneity Index (showing differences in income, ethnicity, kin and religion) shows that the households do not benefit much from being members of associations or organizations which are homogeneous in terms of their own characteristics. The study also highlights the urban rural differences. The results also indicate that social capital does not impact through human capital as represented by education but significantly impacts household welfare separately. The results of the study point to some useful policy implications. They throw light on how households can improve their welfare through associations and interactions with others. The results of the research may be useful in highlighting how the government can better target programs for development of social capital in the country.


The study aimed at conducting a water quantity audit in a Ghanaian beverage plant. Primary data on the daily volumes of input water from the main reservoirs of the plant, daily volumes of beverage produced and the water consumed at the 8 metered stages of the plant out of a total of 12 stages were recorded over a period of four months. Secondary data on the plant9s monthly water consumption was obtained from Ghana Water Company Limited billing records for the period January 2005 to December 2009. The study revealed that, the average monthly water consumption was 9,825 m 3 with a standard deviation of (±1,399) in the past five years (2005–2009). Stages with high water usage in the plant were the Syrup and Beverage Preparation stage (55%) and the Bottle Washer Equipment stage (34%). Furthermore, the plant9s specific water consumption determined was 3.5 : 1 which is better than the company9s target of 4 : 1. This indicates that the plant9s current water use efficiency is good and therefore encouraging.


Spectral analysis of downhole acceleration data is used to identify changes in elastic properties of track substructure. The spectral analysis is based on the power spectral density (PSD) as an indicator of frequency content. This method was developed and tested at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., in Pueblo, Colorado. The system provides an efficient means for monitoring track bed to predict settlement and deformation conditions that would require maintenance. The method relies on a triaxial piezoelectric accelerometer inserted into a permanently installed inclinometer casing installed into the subgrade. Periodic measurement of the dynamic ground response allows for the identification of changes in the small strain elastic properties of the substructure layers. The methodology uses conventional downhole seismic shear wave velocity testing. For the purpose of comparison, test sections were constructed with clean and fouled ballast. Shear wave velocities indicated the differences in material properties. PSDs of the signals were analyzed to determine variation resulting from differences in soil conditions. PSDs were calculated at different intervals of loading. With increased loading, settlement of the subtrack soils occurs. The densifi-cation can be seen as an increase in the predominant frequency of the PSD. The PSD from the section with the clean ballast had a higher predominant frequency than the PSD from the section with the fouled ballast. A decrease in predominant frequency over time would indicate the decrease in stiffness and the potential of increased fouling of the ballast with fines. Changes in the frequency content would indicate changes in elastic response.


MCNP6 is simply and accurately described as the merger of MCNP5 and MCNPX capabilities, but it is much more than the sum of those two computer codes. MCNP6 is the result of five years of effort by the MCNP5 and MCNPX code development teams. These groups of people, residing in Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) X Computational Physics Division, Monte Carlo Codes Group (XCP-3), and Decision Applications Division, Radiation Transport and Applications Team (D-5), respectively, have combined their code development efforts to produce the next evolution of MCNP. While maintenance and bug fixes will continue for MCNP5 1.60 and MCNPX 2.7.0 for upcoming years, new code development capabilities only will be developed and released in MCNP6. In fact, the initial release of MCNP6 contains 16 new features not previously found in either code. These new features include the abilities to import unstructured mesh geometries from the finite element code Abaqus, to transport photons down to 1.0 eV, to transport electrons down to 10.0 eV, to model complete atomic relaxation emissions, and to generate or read mesh geometries for use with the LANL discrete ordinates code Partisn. The first release of MCNP6, MCNP6 Beta 2, is now available through the Radiation Safety Information Computational Center, and the first production release is expected in calendar year 2012. High confidence in the MCNP6 code is based on its performance with the verification and validation test suites, comparisons to its predecessor codes, the regression test suite, its code development process, and the underlying high-quality nuclear and atomic databases.


This thesis documents some stylised facts of what sustains unequal economic growth across Indian states over the period 1965-1997. It documents the dynamics of the convergence of incomes across the Indian states by tracking the evolution of the entire income distribution over 1965-97, instead of using standard regression and time series analyses. This approach, known in the literature as the distribution dynamics approach, reveals patterns of catch-up, which remain obscured in standard parametric approaches. The findings document a decline in disparities in the late sixties, with a subsequent increase in inequality in the seventies, eighties, and nineties. This is accompanied by the polarisation of the income distribution into two convergence clubs, one at around 125% of the national average, and at 50% of the national average. The latter half of the thesis tries to explain these stylised facts using both non-parametric and parametric techniques. The distribution dynamics reveal that the disparate distribution of infrastructure - both economic and social - strongly explains the formation of the lower income club. Fiscal deficits seem to partially explain club formation at the higher income levels. Standard panel regression analyses reveal that education, especially primary education, is associated with better growth performances. Macroeconomic stability is also associated with higher growth., while political instability and the lack of political governance is found to be negatively associated with growth too. Such findings have interesting implications for economic policy. The distribution dynamics reveal that an all-encompassing "global" policy for all states may not be appropriate - cohesive forces governing the formation of the two convergence clubs are different, hence, states belonging to different clubs require specific policies to address unequal growth performances. In terms of policy content, basic infrastructure, such as health, education, transport, and political governance require the most attention in the lower income states, while for higher income states, macroeconomic stability and political governance, seem to be the more important.


With projected expansion of biofuel production at a global scale, there is a pressing need to develop adequate representation of bioenergy crops in land surface models to help effectively quantify the biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of its associated land use changes. This study implements two new perennial bioenergy crops, Miscanthus and switchgrass, into the Community Land Model Version 5 based on site‐level observations from the midwestern United States by modifying parameters associated with photosynthesis, phenology, allocation, decomposition, and carbon cost of nitrogen uptake and integrating concomitantly land management practices. Sensitivity analyses indicate that carbon and energy fluxes of the perennial crops are most sensitive to photosynthesis and phenology parameters. Validation of simulated fluxes against site‐level measurements demonstrates that the model is capable of capturing the overall patterns of energy and carbon fluxes, as well as physiological transitions from leaf emergence to senescence. Compared to annual crops, perennial crops feature longer growing season, greater leaf areas, and higher productivity, leading to increased transpiration, lower annual runoff, and larger carbon uptake. The model simulations suggest that with higher CO2 assimilation rates and lower demands for nutrients and water, high‐yielding perennial crops are promising alternatives of bioenergy feedstocks compared to traditional annual crops not only for mitigating climate change but also for environmental conservation purposes by reducing fertilizer application and therefore alleviating surface‐ and ground‐water contaminations. Although the local‐scale simulations shed light on potential benefits of using perennial grasses as bioenergy feedstocks, quantifying consequences of their plantations at larger scales warrants additional investigation.


Introduction: Endoscopic self-expandable stents are emerging as safe and effective options for the treatment of bariatric surgery complications. Our aim is to report 3 cases of severe complications after self-expandable stent implantation. Case Description: A retrospective database analysis showed 14 major complications over the past 400 bariatric procedures (3.5%); 8 of them were managed conservatively. Three cases of unusual severe complications after self-expandable stent implantation were observed. In case 1 (leak after resleeving), the self-expandable stent migrated twice and caused an esophageal stenosis, which was treated by endoscopic dilation. Three months later, the stenosis recurred and the patient was a candidate for distal esophagectomy. In case 2 (gastrojejunal stricture after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), the endoscopic dilation was complicated by perforation and treated with a self-expandable stent. The patient required an emergency laparoscopy to remove the stent that had migrated into the ileum. After 1 month, gastrojejunal stenosis recurred and the patient underwent laparoscopic revision of the anastomosis. In case 3 (leak after vertical banded gastroplasty [VBG]–Roux-en-Y gastric bypass conversion), the self-expandable stent migrated twice and caused an esophageal-pleural fistula managed with a new stent. Discussion: Bariatric surgeons have to balance the possible advantages of self-expandable stents on a case-by-case basis. Complications of endoscopic stents can be life-threatening and are underestimated and under-reported in the literature.


We examine determinants of inflation in China. Analyses of both yearonyear and monthonmonth growth data confirm excess liquidity, output gap, housing prices and stock prices positively affecting inflation. Impulse response analyses indicate that most effects occur during the initial five months and disappear after 10 months. Effects of real interest rates and exchange rates on inflation are relatively weak. Our results suggest that output gap is as important as excess liquidity in explaining inflation trajectory. The central bank should closely monitor asset prices given their spillovers to inflation. Currently liquidity measures are still central for controlling inflation, but further liberalization of interest rates and exchange rates are critical.


The complex nature of human immunology algorithms has motivated the research community to explore their practical applications in various other fields. As a result, Artificial Immune Systems (AISs) is one such class of algorithms that has found its way into software quality predictive modeling. In this paper, we evaluate AIS algorithms for developing Aging-Related Bug (ARB) prediction models. Software Aging, the gradual degradation and resource exhaustion in software systems, is said to be caused by ARBs, which may or may not be identified during software testing. Therefore, predicting ARBs before software release can help software managers in reducing their impact. This paper presents an empirical study that statistically analyzes the effectiveness of AIS classifiers for ARB prediction on five open-source software datasets. In order to account for the imbalanced nature of the investigated datasets, we used resampling and cost-sensitive classifiers. The results of the study indicate the effectiveness of AIS algorithms for developing ARB prediction models.


We propose a Safe Pontryagin Differentiable Programming (Safe PDP) methodology, which establishes a theoretical and algorithmic framework to solve a broad class of safety-critical learning and control tasks -- problems that require the guarantee of safety constraint satisfaction at any stage of the learning and control progress. In the spirit of interior-point methods, Safe PDP handles different types of system constraints on states and inputs by incorporating them into the cost or loss through barrier functions. We prove three fundamentals of the proposed Safe PDP: first, both the solution and its gradient in the backward pass can be approximated by solving their more efficient unconstrained counterparts; second, the approximation for both the solution and its gradient can be controlled for arbitrary accuracy by a barrier parameter; and third, importantly, all intermediate results throughout the approximation and optimization strictly respect the constraints, thus guaranteeing safety throughout the entire learning and control process. We demonstrate the capabilities of Safe PDP in solving various safety-critical tasks, including safe policy optimization, safe motion planning, and learning MPCs from demonstrations, on different challenging systems such as 6-DoF maneuvering quadrotor and 6-DoF rocket powered landing.


Today's manufacturers face increasingly intense global competition. To remain profitable, they are challenged to design, develop, test, and manufacture high reliability products in ever-shorter product-cycle times and, at the same time, remain within stringent cost constraints. Design, manufacturing, and reliability engineers have developed an impressive array of tools for producing reliable products. These tools will continue to be important. However, due to changes in the way that new product-concepts are being developed and brought to market, there is need for change in the usual methods used for design-for-reliability and reliability testing, assessment, and improvement programs. This tutorial uses a conceptual degradation-based reliability model to describe the role of, and need for, integration of reliability data sources. These sources include accelerated degradation testing, accelerated life testing (for materials and components), accelerated multifactor robust-design experiments and over-stress prototype testing (for subsystems and systems), and the use of field data (especially early-production) to produce a robust, high-reliability product and to provide a process for continuing improvement of reliability of existing and future products. Manufacturers need to develop economical and timely methods of obtaining, at each step of the product design and development process, the information needed to meet overall reliability goals. We emphasize the need for intensive, effective upstream testing of product materials, components, and design concepts. >


However ambiguous and complex it may be, post-modernity is a sign of the times. Only within contemporary symbols, speech and values, can the fellowship of Christian faith become a hospitable space of open dialogue with human searching. Even where such dialogue brings up the need for serious and well informed criticism. Thus the space for a meaningful presence of Christianity today is not to be thought of as polemical antagonism in relation to other world-views, but as a proposal that is up to winning over others, because it is different, geared to a cultural project that aims for human growth and for the possibility of building the common good. It is a matter, ultimately, of re-activating the Gospel�s creativity and liberating responsibility.


ABSTRACT The notion of a Mediterranean Neighbourhood points to how a specific geopolitical space is scripted, imagined and then translated into practice through the European Union's foreign policy towards this region. I contend that the Arab Spring took place within this European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) framework contesting many of its underlying principles. This wave of social upheaval across a marked EU vs. non-EU space enabled a series of geographical imaginations and spatial practices able to rethink the Mediterranean region otherwise. This paper introduces three concepts developed by Hamid Dabashi to the geographical debates rethinking Europe's contours through a post/de-colonial analytical lens. Drawing from the spatial thinking that characterises Dabashi's recent work, this paper contributes to the rich critical literature on the ENP's macro-regional imaginary. Concretely, building on Dabashi's notion of "liberation geographies", I emphasise how recent organising as well as ongoing migratory movements in the region constitute serious geopolitical interlocutors able to produce alternative Mediterranean spaces.


Detecting when the underlying distribution changes for the observed time series is a fundamental problem arising in a broad spectrum of applications. In this paper, we study multiple change-point localization in the high-dimensional regression setting, which is particularly challenging as no direct observations of the parameter of interest is available. Specifically, we assume we observe $\{ x_t, y_t\}_{t=1}^n$ where $ \{ x_t\}_{t=1}^n $ are $p$-dimensional covariates, $\{y_t\}_{t=1}^n$ are the univariate responses satisfying $\mathbb{E}(y_t) = x_t^\top \beta_t^* \text{ for } 1\le t \le n $ and $\{\beta_t^*\}_{t=1}^n $ are the unobserved regression coefficients that change over time in a piecewise constant manner. We propose a novel projection-based algorithm, Variance Projected Wild Binary Segmentation~(VPWBS), which transforms the original (difficult) problem of change-point detection in $p$-dimensional regression to a simpler problem of change-point detection in mean of a one-dimensional time series. VPWBS is shown to achieve sharp localization rate $O_p(1/n)$ up to a log factor, a significant improvement from the best rate $O_p(1/\sqrt{n})$ known in the existing literature for multiple change-point localization in high-dimensional regression. Extensive numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the robust and favorable performance of VPWBS over two state-of-the-art algorithms, especially when the size of change in the regression coefficients $\{\beta_t^*\}_{t=1}^n $ is small.


We study contests with private information and identical contestants, where contestants' efforts and innate abilities generate output of varying qualities. The designer's revenue depends on the quality of the output, and she offers a reward to the contestant achieving the highest quality. We characterize the equilibrium behavior, outcomes, and payoffs for both nondiscriminatory and discriminatory (where the reward is contestant-dependent) contests. We derive conditions under which the designer obtains a larger payoff when using a discriminatory contest and describe settings, where these conditions are satisfied.


The thesis examines the influence of dynamic capabilities on strategic agility in a dynamic industry. The study considers what types of capabilities influence strategic agility of the case companies and in what ways. The study is connected to the theory discussions on strategic agility and dynamic capabilities in the field of strategic management, also connecting to issues in international business and management. The study was a personally built case. The subject arose from the theoretical issues and was linked to companies in a dynamic field which was found from energy conservation industry. Two executives from two companies were interviewed during December 2013 and January 2014. The interviewees were of executive or management positions in the companies. The interviews were completed through a half structured format to complement a case study method of research. The results showed that dynamic capabilities and strategic agility and be combined in international business study. The research showed that capabilities and dynamic capabilities do influence parts of strategic agility in the case companies. It was possible to present the results in figure form as well. In the thesis the companies were mainly analyzed separately but the influence on strategic agility came mainly from production concepts, sales organization and product development. It was understandable for Finnish companies that their dynamic capabilities were linked to product issues. Strategic agility which was affected by these dynamic capabilities was mainly on agility towards customers, reactivity to market changes and abilities to deliver tailor made or at least highly customized solutions to customers. The main contribution to managers was that despite the high velocity or dynamism in market, the changes and agility must be in a controlled way to ensure enough consistency in business. Reacting and moving all the time is difficult and costly which is why there must be careful consideration on which strategic opportunities and threats are pursued or countered. The information on market dynamism and demands of strategic agility should be constantly evaluated in companies. There must be careful evaluation of what can be pursued and to what extent. The information flow and learning from it must be acknowledged in dynamic energy conservation industry, where development through routines also plays an important role for case companies. The results were understandable and reasonably reliable in the context of this thesis. The methods used in the work created different types of useful ideas and can be utilized to an extent in case companies. The thesis does not aim to generalize to a larger context.


The effect of total protein intake and protein quality on the serum concentrations of certain reproductive hormones during the anovulatory, transitional and ovulatory periods were studied in 36 Anglo-Arab mares. High-quality protein stimulated FSH and LH production during the late transitional period. Serum progestagen and melatonin concentrations were unaffected by the quality of protein nutrition during the anovulatory period. Mares receiving high-quality protein exhibited a 10-14-day cyclical pattern of FSH release approximately 4-6 weeks earlier than the mares fed the lower-quality protein diet, and also ovulated 3-4 weeks earlier than the mares on the lower-quality protein diet. Progesterone concentrations during the 1st oestrous cycle after the anovulatory period were unaffected by protein quality in the diet.


Pollen of Raphanus raphanistrum produced under low nutrient conditions sired fewer seeds than pollen produced under better conditions when the two types were applied on a stigma together. No difference was seen in single-donor crosses. Male mating success can be strongly influenced by the environmental conditions of pollen-bearing plants, a factor overlooked in studies of plant reproductive biology and in standard quantitative genetic crossing designs, where effects of male parent are equated with heritable genetic variation.


Author J.K. Rowling published a book in 2001 under the pseudonym Newt Scamander with an "About the Author" section that provided a brief outline of the fictional author. Prior to this brief biographical section, fans of the Harry Potter universe had only been introduced to the character of Scamander in passing as the author of a required textbook that the main characters purchased. Rowling subsequently announced that she would pen the screenplays for a trilogy of films featuring this very minor character as the lead. Although Rowling is (ostensibly) the sole author of the Harry Potter books and the companion book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, she will likely be considered a joint owner of the copyright in the film she is writing. It is foreseeable, therefore, that the copyright in the books and the films might expire at different times, if one of the joint creators of the film dies after Rowling. This, then, would result in the question of when the character of Newt Scamander enters the public domain. If Scamander was a copyrightable character when introduced in the Harry Potter series and companion book, can a portion of his character enter the public domain when those books expire, while the rest of his character remains protected until the expiration of the film's copyright? This is further complicated by the fact that this development is nonlinear, meaning that the films will focus on Scamander's youth and young adulthood, while the books only refer to the character after he has already died.

This Note focuses on copyright protection of literary characters featured in multiple works, some of which are in the public domain but others of which remain protected. In multiple work circumstances, new character elements are often revealed in these still-copyrighted later works that fundamentally change the way we think of and write about the earlier version of the character. This Note proposes a test for how derivative works featuring such characters should be analyzed for infringement. There are two instances this Note will focus on: first, where the character is not copyrightable in the initial instance in which the character appears in a work, and second, where the character develops over time in a way that changes the reader's perception of the character in a fundamental way.


Abstract : Money is vital for all terrorist organizations. For some organizations, it is a tool to achieve their goals; for others, it is the objective itself. Terrorists participate in organized crime activities at various levels. Organized crime expert Tamara Makarenko describes the nexus between organized crime groups and terrorist groups. This study expanded her continuum into understanding the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its evolution through the organizations financial sources.Using this continuum, this study characterizes the PKK as a commercial terrorist group with strong financial motivations. Its financial motivations are stronger than its political ones. It originated as a pure terrorist organization sheltered by sponsoring states; meanwhile, it continuously improved its capabilities in criminal fields. To more easily conduct its criminal operations, its members maintain their deceptive political rhetoric. By UN standards, the organization can also be identified as a transnational organized crime group by considering the severity of its crimes and its criminal network across the Middle East, Turkey, and Europe.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Transradial catheterization is the predominant access site for coronary catheterization and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Previous studies have reported a high incidence of radial artery (RA) injury. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the incidence of RA injury using last generation optical coherence tomography (OCT) intravascular imaging in a serial manner.

METHODS
100 patients with a diagnosis of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (nSTEMI) treated by PCI were enrolled. OCT of RA was performed immediately after the index PCI. OCT was repeated 9 months later.

RESULTS
There were 11 patients with RA injuries (11.0%) at baseline, including 3 patients with RA medial dissection and 8 patients with intimal tears. In the follow-up OCT data, the number of RA injuries was 10 (10.0%), including 7 patients with RA medial dissection and 3 patients with intimal tear. All injuries were clinically asymptomatic and there was no finding of vessel perforation. There was no significant difference between the baseline and follow-up procedure in terms of number of injuries.

CONCLUSION
The study showed no significant difference between baseline and follow-up RA injury incidence. There was a higher risk of radial injury for repeated catheterization in women. The conclusion is that radial catheterization is a very safe procedure in terms of radial artery damage. This is evidenced by considerably fewer injuries compared to published studies. The use of the short radial sheath (7 cm in this study) is protective and reduces the incidence of radial injury.


The book is intended as a handbook providing detailed instructions for the correct conducting of jar tests, which are needed for the optimisation of the coagulation/flocculation process. It contains the essential theoretical background of coagulation/flocculation, including a description of the influence of different parameters on the coagulation efficiency of various impurities (e.g. pH value and type/dose of coagulant), and floc properties and their separation (e.g. mixing intensity, mixing time, but also type/concentration of coagulant and impurities). The principle of jar tests is explained and parameters possible to optimize (i.e. coagulation pH, coagulant dose, flocculation aid dose, mixing intensity and mixing time) are discussed. Laboratory equipment for jar tests is proposed, including mixers and instructions for calculating a mixing intensity (necessarily expressed by the global shear rate/velocity gradient G). Mixing intensities for various purposes are recommended. Detailed practical instructions of how to perform jar tests follow, including a determination of the dose of reagents for pH adjustment and coagulant dose, dosing sequence, floc separation after jar tests by sedimentation and/or centrifugation simulating sand filtration, sampling, measuring necessary parameters (pH, coagulant residuals, alkalinity, residual impurity concentrations etc.), data recording, data processing and jar test evaluation (with specific examples). The handbook also contains a supplementary part with tables for conversion of the molar to mass concentration (and vice versa) of coagulants, and instructions for diluting coagulants and reagents for pH adjustment.
 ISBN: 9781789062687 (paperback)
 ISBN: 9781789062694 (eBook)
 ISBN: 9781789062700 (ePUB)


PAPANIKOLAU, M., D. ATANASOVA, Sl. PANDELIEV and K. FARTSOV, 2009. Determination of the possibilities for biological production of grapes of "Mavrud" cultivar, grown in the region of Novi Izvor, municipality of Assenovgrad. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 15: 1-8 Experiments related to the possibilities for biological production of grapes of "Mavrud" cultivar in the region of Novi Izvor, Municipality of Assenovgrad, were carried out in the period 2006-2008. It was determined that the terroir of the village of Novi Izvor is favourable for production of Mavrud cultivar. No heavy metals exceeding the allowable rates were found in the soil which shows that there is no industrial pollution of the air and the soil in the region. The condition of the grapes in both cultivation technologies was good. The percentage of rotted, moth-eaten and raisin-shaped berries was insignificant. There was not a large density of the grape cloth Lobesia botrana in the region and no damages were allowed due to the activity of the dispensers in the plantation. The grapes obtained under the biological technology have better condition for production of high-quality red wines compared with the conventional method of cultivation. The region of the village of Novi Izvor is suitable for biological production of grapes.


The mechanical properties of naturally-derived matrices and biomaterials are thought to play an important role in directing cell adhesion, spreading, motility, proliferation and differentiation. However, recent reports have indicated that cells may respond to local nanoscale physical cues, rather than bulk mechanical properties. We had previously reported that primary keratinocytes and mesenchymal stem cells did not seem to respond to the bulk mechanical properties of poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) substrates. In this study, we examine the mechanical properties of weakly crosslinked PDMS substrates and observe a liquid-like behaviour, with complete stress relaxation. We then report the observation that HaCaT cells, an epidermal cell line, proliferate readily at the surface of uncrosslinked liquid PDMS, as well as on low viscosity (0.77 cSt) fluorinated oil. These results are surprising, considering current views in the field of mechanotransduction on the importance of bulk mechanical properties, but we find that strong mechanical interfaces, presumably resulting from protein assembly, are formed at liquid-liquid interfaces for which cell adhesion and proliferation are observed. Hence our results suggest that cells sense the nanoscale mechanical properties of liquid-liquid interfaces and that such physical cues are sufficient to sustain the proliferation of adherent cells.


The electromagnetic energy stored inside a cylinder, which is irradiated by an electromagnetic plane wave, is calculated analytically. In view of their differing energy density functions, dispersive and nondispersive cylinders are treated separately. Numerical results show that the stored energy exhibits resonant enhancement near the extinction resonances of the cylinder. An application to the calculation of the transport velocity in a two-dimensional disordered medium is presented.


BACKGROUND: Latex injection of cadaveric heads is an alternative to the standard technique of silicone injection. Thorough injections of the arterial and venous systems can be achieved by analyzing the anatomic and physiological variations of the vascular system of each specimen during the initial irrigation phase to tailor the subsequent latex injection. OBJECTIVE: To report on an improved method for color latex injection of cadaveric specimens using these techniques. METHODS: Thirty-two cadaver heads were injected and preserved for anatomic dissection. The critical steps included (1) cannulation of the cervical arteries and veins with Foley or Coude catheters, (2) "indirect" anatomic study of the vasculature during irrigation with water of the major arteries and veins, (3) fixation of the specimen with either formaldehyde or alcohol, and (4) color injection of the arteries and veins with red and blue latex, respectively. The injected specimens were dissected and assessed qualitatively for the extent and detail of arterial and venous filling. Assessment and recording of flow characteristics from the specimens during water irrigation of the arterial and venous systems dictated the order and technique for subsequent latex injections. RESULTS: Latex injections resulted in deeper penetration of colored solutions into small cerebral vessels and mesenchymal structures. Of 32 injected specimens, 25 (78%) had outstanding injections and 7 (21.8%) had suboptimal results. Latex solutions are simpler to use than silicone solutions. CONCLUSION: Latex injection of cadaveric heads based on indirect anatomic and physiological assessment of the vasculature of the specimen during the water irrigation phase results in outstanding specimens for microanatomical studies.


Cloud computing is becoming a powerful network architecture to perform computing that is both large and complex. We present a cloud computing survey which outlines its core concepts, architectural principles, state-ofthe art deployment and research challenges. Due to security issues, information over the Internet is becoming important. We have suggested a method to protect critical file data. Cryptography algorithms are an efficient way to encrypt sensitive data. It is a retrieval and transmission system that is readable only by intended users. The low cost and data usability of cloud computing is advantageous. Cloud storage has many advantages at low cost and data connectivity through the Internet. Ensured cloud data protection is an important part of the cloud computing environment because customers often store sensitive information with cloud storage services but they are not secure services. So, it remains a challenge to exchange data in a safe way while storing data from an unconfident cloud. Our solution guarantees consumer confidential data protection and privacy by using the AES, RC2 algorithm to store data in a single cloud. The cloud computing concept and transitional discussion under cloud computing will be provided previously proposed. The cryptographic algorithm used in cloud is then addressed and the latest trend for cloud security.


Background: Most persons with dementia live at home and are treated in the primary care. However, the ambulatory health care system in Germany contains a lot of "interface problems" and is not optimized for the future challenges. Innovative concepts like regional networks in dementia care exist on a project level and need to be tested for efficacy to encourage implementation. The goal of the study is the scientific evaluation of an already existing regional dementia network. Methods: Prospective randomized controlled trial of 235 community-living elderly with dementia and their family caregivers of network treatment (n=117) compared to usual care (n=118) in a predominantly rural region. The allocation to intervention or control group was based on network membership of their General Practitioner. Intervention patients received diagnostic evaluation and subsequent treatment according to network guidelines. Main outcome measures were the early contact with a neurologic or psychiatric specialist and dementia-specific medication as well as quality of life of the patients, and as secondary outcomes caregiver burden and caregiver health-related quality of life. Results: Network patients were more likely to receive antidementive drugs (50.5 % vs. 35.8 %; p=0.035) and had more often contact to a neurologist (18.6 % vs. 2.8 %; p<0.001). No group differences were found on patient's quality of life nor overall effects or treatment by time effects. Intervention caregivers reported no significant improvements in health related quality of life measured by SF-36 and EQ-5D. Conclusion: The management of dementia patients in an interdisciplinary regional network solelyprovides measurable advantages with respect to the provision of dementia-specific medication and utilization of medical treatment i.e. referral rates to specialists. Further evaluation research is needed to identify relevant mechanismsof collaborative processes with respect to their impact on patient and caregiver related outcomes.


The aim of this study is to demonstrate the spectrum of radiologic findings of hyperimmunoglobulin E (hyperIgE) syndrome that is relatively rare in adults. We describe the imaging findings of this rare disease in five patients. The study group consisted of 4 men and 1 woman. The final diagnosis was made according to laboratory findings in all cases. We detected lung involvement in 3 cases, paranasal sinus involvement in 4 cases and vascular involvement in 1 case. Soft tissues were involved in 5 cases. Bone involvement was demonstrated in 3 patients. The most frequent radiologic finding was widespread infectious involvement of soft tissues, bones and neighboring structures such as bursae and tendons and respiratory system.


PIDs are becoming more widely accepted in developing regions. The session will explore the application and use of PIDs for visibility and discoverability of research in the developing world. Particular focus will be placed on meeting the challenges in Africa and access to information. The world of open PIDs enables individuals to receive credit for their professional activities with low barriers of entry.


The use of focus groups is a well‐established qualitative research method in the social sciences that would seem to offer scope for a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge and understanding in the field of business ethics. This paper explores the potential contribution of focus groups, reviews their contribution to date and makes some recommendations regarding their future use. We find that, while the use of focus groups is not extensive, they have been utilised in a non‐negligible number of studies. Focus groups are usually used as a supplementary method, often as part of the development of a research instrument. Whether used on their own or in conjunction with other methods, we find that in the majority of cases there is insufficient information for a reader to judge that the method has been carried out well and hence that the 'findings' may be trusted. Nor is it easy for future researchers to learn about the practical application of the method in business ethics contexts. We therefore recommend improved reporting in future published studies. Based on an analysis of a subsample of papers that provided a reasonable level of methodological detail, we provide further insights into, and recommendations for, the use of focus groups in business ethics research.


Laboratory experiments provide evidence that the assumptions underlying the economic analysis of human behavior often differ from the mathematical logic of traditional economics and finance. These experiments have established a solid basis for a behavioral approach. Initially, lab experiments were seen solely as a means of testing economic theory, but increasingly, the experiments have been used to orient public policy and private decision making. This paper considers studies based on open-ended, in-depth interviews dealing with real world phenomena. These studies, at least one of which is quite sophisticated in economic terms, have led to behavioral findings some of which extend or differ from the findings of laboratory-based experimental economics or field experiments. While they represent an important supplement to understanding human behavior, they have been largely ignored by experimental economics.


Implicit in conserving interactions is the idea that species behave differently throughout their range, resulting in functionally dissimilar populations of the same species. Host–parasite interactions are a useful system to explore the pervasiveness of these ecological phenotypes. Here, we investigated whether the role of an endangered, endemic species to provide habitat for ectoparasites varies throughout the geographic distribution of the host.


This paper reports a study of the key factors that affect ICT risk management using Thai businesses as the data sources. Three hundred and two respondents from listed organisations on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) were surveyed and the data analysed to establish the strength of relationships in a model derived from extant literature and the application of the two most commonly used governance standards for information and communication technology (ICT), COBIT and ISO/IEC 17799. The research shows that a small number of key factors have the most effect on successful ICT risk management, namely organisational policy, human resource management planning, organisational security and management of ICT. The focus of the research is to propose the successful ICT risk management model to organisations.


We estimate the physical supply potential of biofuels from domestic municipal solid waste, forestry residues, crops residues and energy crops grown on existing cropland using optimistic assumptions about near-term conversion technologies. It is technically feasible to produce a significant amount of liquid biofuel (equivalent to 30-100% of 2003 gasoline demand) without reducing domestically produced food and fiber crops or reducing the total calories available as domestic animal feed. Most of this supply can be attributed to the potential of energy crops, with the combination of municipal solid waste and forestry residues supplying between 10% and 30% of recent gasoline demand. Our modeling approach to energy crops is unique in that it explicitly models interactions between the feed and fuel system using an optimization procedure that adjusts cropland allocation among major crops subject to a simple food security constraint. Our modeling indicates that sizable increases in biofuel production need not result in decreased availability of food or animal feed, but will require changes in the composition of livestock diets away from hay and soymeal toward either whole corn or feed coproducts of biofuel processing such as distillers grains. Whole corn yields very high levels of digestible calories per land area, so shifting away from soymeal and hay to corn feed permits the same total level of digestible calories to be produced from a smaller area. Furthermore, the coproduction of animal feeds with biofuels relaxes the need to grow dedicated feed crops at all. Thus, under our food security constraint, energy crops which yield feed coproducts (such as corn ethanol) can be grown on a larger area than other energy crops, potentially yielding higher total levels of biofuel than other crops (such as switchgrass) that yield more biofuel but less animal feed per land area. When the food security constraint is lifted nearly 200% of recent gasoline demand could be met by liquid biofuels, corresponding to a scenario in which all current cropland is converted to high-yielding switchgrass. The size of our supply estimates indicate that while domestic biofuels can play a large role in transportation, achieving such high levels of ethanol production may not be socially or ecologically desirable, or may be extremely costly with costs expressed through higher food prices, biodiversity loss, water degradation, and soil erosion. Policies designed to protect natural resources and stabilize food prices should be implemented early in order to achieve a reasonable level of biofuel production that avoids pushing these boundaries.


The results of surveys, investigation and assessment show that the climate conditions of dipterocarpaceae forests are relatively suitable for the growth and development of rubber trees. However, there are some rather severe indicators such as seasonal rainfall distribution, low humidity, inundation in rainy season and drought in the dry season; High and low temperatures reach the limit for the requirement of rubber trees. Most of dipterocarpaceae forest area consists of sandy or sandy soil, discrete soil texture, poor humus, poor water and nutrient retention, rapid heat absorption and transfer, at depths away from the surface of 20 - 40 cm is tombstone and gravel layer, under the clay, easily cause local inundation in the rainy season. The proportion of dipterocarpaceae forest land, which suitable for rubber trees is quite low, with the majority of adaptation levels S2 and S3, no suitable area at S1 level. In the first 2 years, the growth of rubber trees in dipterocarpaceae forest is less than that of rubber in upland fields, cleared land from evergreen forest, semi-evergreen forest. From the third year onwards, the difference in expression is clearer, in that the rubber tree's diameter on the soil of the dipterocarpaceae forest is lower than that of the traditional rubber plantation at the same age.


The dynamics of a polystyrene bead linking to a λ-phage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule under single optical tweezers using CW laser beam is analyzed by the full normalized Langevin equation with elastic and Brownian forces. The obtained results show that the stable time and stable position of polystyrene bead depend on its beginning position, laser beam waist, and laser beam power. The oscillation of polystyrene beads at stable position is observed with different parameters of optical tweezers. Finally, the conditions to stabilize the bead and to stretch the λ-phage DNA by single laser beam optical tweezers are discussed.


Juvenile delinquent or deviant behavior appears in various forms in modern academic reality. It is widely known under the international term "school bullying". The systemic view of an educational organization as it studies the variety of school and social system parameters that explain and contribute to the emergence of problematic behaviors in schools positively contributes to a better understanding of that behaviors considered within the framework of interactions that generate and reproduce it. Qualitative literary works, by which this phenomenon is approached in a novel way and the "omnipotent narrator" dominates, provide the possibility of a holistic and systemic view and indirect aids in strategies for preventing, detecting and curing the offending incidents in modern schools. The purpose of this paper is to connect the phenomenon of bullying appearing in teenage and children novels with the way that texts could illuminate and enlighten youth consciousness in order to become safe guides or useful paradigms in their everyday life. The texts examined under present study are the novels (a) Thirteen Reasons Why , by Jay Asher (b) Finding Audrey , by Sophie Kinsella and (c) Together , by Eleni PriI?volou.


An outer sole especially designed for basketball shoes which is lightweight, stable, and provides a greater degree of shock absorption than heretofore possible. The sole includes a plurality of kinetic levers or tread members which extend downwardly and outwardly from the peripheral portion of the bottom of the sole and, together with a relatively stiff, centrally formed pedestal on the inside surface of the sole, define a cantilevered construction that dissipates shock by inducing spreading of the levers laterally outwardly upon foot-induced ground impact. The space between the inner, central pedestal and the side wall of the sole defines a cavity positioned above the respective tread members for facilitating compression and spreading thereof to enhance the shock-dissipating qualities of the sole. The sole also includes a side wall which, together with the upper walls of the tread members, defines a groove. The groove also facilitates compression and spreading of the tread members. The wider than normal base provided by the laterally extending tread members enhances stability and reduces the possibility of ankle twists. The forefoot portion of the bottom of the sole features a transversely extending groove pattern and a pivot stud which together facilitate metatarsal flexure and pivoting which are frequently encountered when playing basketball.


Nineteenth-century France was one of the world's great cultural beacons, renowned for its dazzling literature, philosophy, art, poetry and technology. Yet this was also a tumultuous century of political anarchy and bloodshed, where each generation of the French Revolution's 'children' would experience their own wars, revolutions and terrors. From soldiers to priests, from peasants to Communards, from feminists to literary figures such as Victor Hugo and Honore de Balzac, Robert Gildea's brilliant new history explores every aspect of these rapidly changing times, and the people who lived through them.


The focal point of this study is to see the impact of two pedagogical approaches namely explicit and implicit in acquiring grammatical accuracy specifically with regard to English articles. The nature of the study is quantitative and the researcher makes an experiment using comparison group design by employing acceptability judgment questionnaire comprising ten multiple choice items. The population of this study is 40 10 th grade male students taken from Educators Elite Campus Lahore, Pakistan using simple random sampling scheme. These students were divided into two groups each comprising twenty students. A pretest was taken before giving instructions in order to assess their proficiency level with regard to English articles usage. After that, Group A students received explicit type of instructions on English articles (definite, indefinite and zero articles) and group B received implicit type of instructions for two weeks. T-test was employed to compare the performance of two groups. It was observed that in the posttest the group A that received explicit type of instructions showed better results than the group that received implicit type of instructions. The higher mean score refers to the better performance in the posttest. The study draws the conclusion that teachers should use explicit way of instructions to develop grammatical accuracy in ESL and EFL learners to make them proficient.