Cubic-shaped perovskite CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs) could be electrochemically injected with holes (or electrons) to produce several charged states under different oxidizing and reducing potentials, and then bring out electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of higher color purity than traditional ECL chemicals and metal chalcogenide NCs, in both annihilation and co-reactant routes. The difference of electrochemical gaps between varied hole and electron injecting potentials displayed little effect on the ECL spectrum and colour purity of CsPbBr3 NCs. All the excited states generated under different oxidizing and reducing potential couples in ECL of CsPbBr3 NCs were the same as those in photoluminescence, as all the ECL spectra were almost identical to the CsPbBr3 NCs' photoluminescence spectrum. Importantly, the ECL of CsPbBr3 NCs was electrochemically switchable and displayed an obvious "on/off" type feature by changing the sequence of hole injecting and electron injecting processes, as strong ECL could be obtained by injecting holes onto the electron injected NCs, while no or very weak ECL was obtained in the reversed way.


Th e system and practices of both German censorship in Norway in 1940–1945 and of Soviet censorship in Estonia in 1944–1990 were, because of their totalitarian nature, very similar. Some aspects of the reorganisation of the press in Norway and Estonia aft er the shift to freedom of expression are compared. In both countries freedom of the press released a high level of activity in publishing, attracting a lot of new and untrained journalists to the fi eld. Th is created a generational shift , if not a cleavage, between old hands and neophytes. Since the younger generation was more numerous, the transition also implied tensions and ambiguities between diff erent ideas of professional practices and values. When media began to consolidate in both countries, the job market became more competitive and journalists found themselves under commercial pressures and, somewhat paradoxically, in the same process became more professionalized. In Norway the old multi-party press re-emerged aft er a short while together with old routines from the mid-war period. In Estonia, the old Soviet press system was replaced with completely diff erent one, based on private ownership and ruled


Quantifying time-responses of the ocean to tracer input is important to the interpretation of paleodata from sediment cores – because surface-injected tracers do not instantaneously spread throughout the ocean. To obtain insights into the time response, a computationally efficient state-transition matrix method is demonstrated and used to compute successive states of passive tracer concentrations in the global ocean. Times to equilibrium exceed a thousand years for regions of the global ocean outside of the injection and convective areas and concentration gradients give time-lags from hundreds to thousands of years between the Atlantic and Pacific abyss, depending on the injection region and the nature of the boundary conditions employed. Equilibrium times can be much longer than radiocarbon ages – both because the latter are strongly biased towards the youngest fraction of fluid captured in a sample, and because they represent distinct physical properties. Use of different boundary conditions – concentration, or flux – produces varying response times, with the latter depending directly upon pulse duration. With pulses, the sometimes very different transient approach to equilibrium in various parts of the ocean generates event identification problems.


This is a course material from the book Managerial Decision Making Under Risk and Uncertainty. The book is originally in Spanish and is untitled as Decisiones empresariales bajo riesgo e incertidumbre. The level of the book is basic. We use very few mathematics and it is expected to be used by managers. In this fifth chapter we deal with the attitudes toward risk. We present the classical cardinal utility theory and illustrate the three well know cases of attitudes toward risk: averse toward risk, indifferent toward risk and propense toward risk. We also present the concept of certainty equivalent. We mention the limitations of the cardinal utility theory. We include a short reference to the prospect theory by Kahneman and Tversky. We illustrate the concept of risk aversion with a real life lottery example.


Enterprise Architecture (EA) management is a well-defined practice for conducting coherent analysis, design, planning, and implementation for the successful execution of business strategy. In practice many organizations are struggling with EA frameworks since the processes to manage the EA are not adequately supported. In this paper we examine Adaptive Case Management (ACM) as an emerging paradigm to support agile, lean, and collaborative processes for EA management (EAM). In contrast to traditional workflow management, ACM empowers end users to adapt their processes at run-time. Based on the findings of an extensive literature review we derived requirements for ACM and developed a prototype based on these requirements to support processes for EAM. We applied our solution for the development of a planned state of the architecture in the EA department of a German insurance organization. The findings from expert interviews with three enterprise architects and two EA consultants of this insurance organization are very promising and provide valuable insights how more effective process support for EAM can be achieved in the future.


The paper argues the need for more methodical design in housing projects. Lack of methodical design may lead to design solutions that are more costly than necessary. Large housing projects demand a complex process of design in which many different experts are involved. The coordination of their efforts demands a new methodical approach. Position Coordination is a means to improve coordination of decision making in the design process. In order to find the most efficient and most adequate design, various alternative possibilities must be examined on their cost as well as their use value. Basic variant Analysis offers a methodical way to generate a series of alternative floorplans within a given physical structure. It is a means to connect consideration of cost to alternatives of use.


Several studies have implicated the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in inhibition of normal platelet function, suggesting a role for platelets in EPA- and DHA-mediated cardioprotection. However, it is unclear whether the cardioprotective mechanisms arise from alterations to platelet-platelet, platelet-matrix, or platelet-coagulation factor interactions. Our previous results led us to hypothesize that EPA and DHA alter the ability of platelets to catalyze the generation of thrombin. We tested this hypothesis by exogenously modifying platelet membranes with EPA and DHA, which resulted in compositional changes analogous to increased dietary EPA and DHA intake. Platelets treated with EPA and DHA showed reductions in the rate of thrombin generation and exposure of platelet phosphatidylserine. In addition, treatment of platelets with EPA and DHA decreased thrombus formation and altered the processing of thrombin precursor proteins. Furthermore, treatment of whole blood with EPA and DHA resulted in increased occlusion time and a sharply reduced accumulation of fibrin under flow conditions. These results demonstrate that EPA and DHA inhibit, but do not eliminate, the ability of platelets to catalyze thrombin generation in vitro. The ability of EPA and DHA to reduce the procoagulant function of platelets provides a possible mechanism behind the cardioprotective phenotype in individuals consuming high levels of EPA and DHA.


The use of information technology (IT) in large hospitals is dynamic and multifaceted.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a rapidly evolving technology that uses radio
waves for data collection and transfer, without human involvement. As an acronym,
RFID is used broadly for categorising technologies that use radio waves to
automatically recognise objects and people. RFID's ability to track signals and store
data has made it a useful technology for many industry sectors, including health.
During the 2000s, RFID technology, as an innovation, has been explored for improving
the efficiency of workflows, thereby enhancing the quality of care in hospitals
worldwide. Existing literature in this domain endorses RFID's ability to track highvalue
and frequently used equipment in emergencies, critical-care wards and operating
theatre settings. This ability makes it attractive for resource-contrained big hospitals,
where equipment is shared to limit costs. Moreover, its relative non-complexity when
integrating with other clinical systems ensures its appeal to hospital administrators and
information communication technology (ICT) operations.
RFID was not easily adopted in large hospitals without contextual customisation.
Difficulties in implementation ranged from the technology's dynamic nature to staff
reluctance, fearing disempowerment. In the Australian context, issues associated with
RFID integration regarding legacy clinical systems and costs involved in large-scale
implementation have made large hospitals often reluctant to consider RFID. At the
beginning of this research investigation (in 2007), there were only a small number of
minimally successful emerging cases reported in Australia involving large hospitals1.
The aim of this project was to better understand the adoption of RFID technology in
Australian hospitals.


Unlike existing knowledge distillation methods focus on the baseline settings, where the teacher models and training strategies are not that strong and competing as state-of-the-art approaches, this paper presents a method dubbed DIST to distill better from a stronger teacher. We empirically find that the discrepancy of predictions between the student and a stronger teacher may tend to be fairly severer. As a result, the exact match of predictions in KL divergence would disturb the training and make existing methods perform poorly. In this paper, we show that simply preserving the relations between the predictions of teacher and student would suffice, and propose a correlation-based loss to capture the intrinsic inter-class relations from the teacher explicitly. Besides, considering that different instances have different semantic similarities to each class, we also extend this relational match to the intra-class level. Our method is simple yet practical, and extensive experiments demonstrate that it adapts well to various architectures, model sizes and training strategies, and can achieve state-of-the-art performance consistently on image classification, object detection, and semantic segmentation tasks. Code is available at: https://github.com/hunto/DIST_KD .


This study was carried out in the South of the State of Mexico during the period of January to June of 2009, it was based on information provided by 24 producers beef cattle feedlot, classified in small, medium and great according to the number of finalized animals. The Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) method was used, consisting of a set of matrices of technical coefficients and input prices, from which a private budget matrix was derived. The three layers of producers showed a positive profitability on private prices that varied from 4 to 16 %. The private cost relationships varied between 0.50 and 0.79 that suggests a high competitiveness. It was concluded that for 2009 the production of beef cattle feedlot is possible to pay the market price of internal factors, including the rate of normal capital return, as a result of a positive net income margin obtained, reason why this activity is considered as profitable.


Unlike technologies that are applicable in a few specific industries, information technologies have a wide range of applicability across almost all industries. The fundamental principles of good IT management are also applicable in many industries. Thus, firms whose business units operate in different industries have an opportunity to exploit cross-unit IT synergies by applying their IT resources and management processes across multiple units. This study examines sources of cross-unit IT synergy and the conditions under which cross-unit IT synergies improve the performance of multibusiness firms. Building on the resource-based view of diversification and the economic theory of complementarities, the study identifies the relatedness and complementarity of IT resources as two major sources of cross-unit IT synergy. It argues that IT relatedness-the use of common IT infrastructure technologies and common IT management processes across business units-creates sub-additive cost synergies, whereas complementarities among IT infrastructure technologies and IT management processes create super-additive value synergies. In a sample of 356 multibusiness Fortune 1000 firms, the study finds that sub-additive cost synergies arising from the use of related IT resources or management processes do not have any effects on corporate performance, whereas the super-additive value synergies arising from the use of a complementary set of IT resources and management processes have significant effects on corporate performance. The diversification level of the firm moderates the relationship between IT synergies and corporate performance. As the diversification level increases, the performance effects of IT synergies remain positive, but they become weaker. The IT governance mode of the firm (centralized, decentralized, hybrid) does not make a difference in the performance effects of IT synergies.


OBJECTIVE
Infective endocarditis (IE) carries a high risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality, despite advances in the contemporary armamentarium. Along with the development of antibiotic resistant strains, research focusing on the efficacy of novel agents other than standard antibiotic regimens continues. Daptomycin, one of these antibiotics, is approved for the treatment of Staphylococcus bacteremia and right-sided endocarditis. This retrospective study was an investigation of the effectiveness of daptomycin in patients with left-sided IE.

METHODS
Fourteen patients (mean age 50.9±16.5; range 24 to 70 years) with the diagnosis of left-sided IE based on modified Duke criteria received daptomycin as monotherapy. Outcome was evaluated according to clinical improvement, microbiological eradication, and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS
Blood culture was positive in 13 patients (92.8%) and staphylococci were isolated in all but 1 patient (92.3%). Daptomycin was administered as monotherapy at a dose of 6 or 8 mg/kg/day for mean of 40.6±4.4 days. Clinical recovery rate was 71.4% and microbiological eradication rate was 85.7%. Mean duration of clinical recovery was 8.7±3.2 days and duration of microbiological eradication was 11.1±3.6 days. Side effects developed in 6 patients, but drug discontinuation was not required in any patient. Ten patients improved without complications. Two patients were lost due to heart failure and multiple-organ failure while treatment was continuing, and 2 patients died in early cardiac postoperative period.

CONCLUSION
Daptomycin is an effective and safe alternative to standard antibiotic therapy for the treatment of left-sided IE.


Starting point of the analysis are theoretical considerations about multi-causal reasons of the management influence on the entrepreneurial success. In the further continuation an economic model illustrating the guidance idea of multi-causality is presented as well as a statistical evaluation method coordinated with it. Basis for the statistical illustration of the multi-causal context is an causal-analytic evaluation procedure. A priori formulated causal relations between not observable exogenous and endogenous variables are illustrated by a structural model. The structural model corresponds to the logical starting point of the regression analysis to provide documentary evidence of cause and effect relations. The latent variables of the regression-analytic part are measured by observed indicator variables. The measuring model itself is closely related to the logical starting point of the factor analysis. The causal-analytic evaluation procedure thus links the measuring models with cause and effect models. The formulation and examination of hypotheses are explained by case studies as a result of limited data. It refers only to the context between the market-focused management and the entrepreneurial success on the one hand as well as production and technology-oriented management and the entrepreneurial success on the other. Further unresolved tasks like further dimensions of the management – like employee orientation or financial orientation – have to be analysed more in detail. This task also gains significance because changes in the relative relevance of the identified management dimensions are to be expected.


James Polk was President of the United States from 1845 to 1849, a time when slavery began to dominate American politics. Polk's presidency coincided with the eruption of the territorial slavery issue, which within a few years would lead to the catastrophe of the Civil War. Polk himself owned substantial cotton plantations- in Tennessee and later in Mississippi- and some 50 slaves. Unlike many antebellum planters who portrayed their involvement with slavery as a historical burden bestowed onto them by their ancestors, Polk entered the slave business of his own volition, for reasons principally of financial self-interest. Drawing on previously unexplored records, Slavemaster President recreates the world of Polk's plantation and the personal histories of his slaves, in what is arguably the most careful and vivid account to date of how slavery functioned on a single cotton plantation. Life at the Polk estate was brutal and often short. Fewer than one in two slave children lived to the age of fifteen, a child mortality rate even higher than that on the average plantation. A steady stream of slaves temporarily fled the plantation throughout Polk's tenure as absentee slavemaster. Yet Polk was in some respects an enlightened owner, instituting an unusual incentive plan for his slaves and granting extensive privileges to his most favored slave. Startlingly, Dusinberre shows how Polk sought to hide from public knowledge the fact that, while he was president, he was secretly buying as many slaves as his plantation revenues permitted. Shortly before his sudden death from cholera, the president quietly drafted a new will, in which he expressed the hope that his slaves might be freed-but only after he and his wife were both dead. The very next day, he authorized the purchase, in strictest secrecy, of six more very young slaves. By contrast with Senator John C. Calhoun, President Polk has been seen as a moderate Southern Democratic leader. But Dusinberre suggests that the president's political stance toward slavery- influenced as it was by his deep personal involvement in the plantation system- may actually have helped precipitate the Civil War that Polk sought to avoid.


Air pollution has become one of the most serious threat to human health globally killing 1.1 million people in India alone. T he most recent victim is innocent human fetus which is developing serious disorders like birth defects, premature deliver y, IUGR or even fetal deaths due to exposure to gaseous and particulate air pollutants during pregnancy. Sometime there may be a genetic change due to air pollut ion that may not cause any obvious malformation or birth defects immediately but these babies are more prone to certain diseases like cardiac or metabolic disorders later in life. Short-term and long-term exposure to particulate air pollution may alter intrauterine environment or "genetic programming" of subsequent health, causing changes in gene expression that may be linked to later childhood and adulthood diseases. Recent reports and researches from various countries on air pollution causing adverse outcome of pregnancy are very alarming. If we believe these reports, in India 6.5 million babies of IUGR and 170,000 babies of birth defects are delivered every year due to air pollution. Researchers have not only established relationship of air pollution with different fetal disorder but also proved the relationship of different pollutants with a particular fetal disorder like birth defects, premature birth or IUGR and relationship with time of exposure during pregnancy versus type of disorder. We need to take some urgent measures to protect our fetuses during pregnancy by taking som e short and long term actions. These include some multicentric research and survey at national level in India to establish relationship of air pollution with adverse outcome of pregnancy and on the basis of that health authorities should take appropriate actions to prevent or minimize such pollution related diseases in fetuses during pregnancy.


Oral delivery of drug is the most preferable drug delivery due to the ease of administration, patient compliance and flexibility in the formulations. In recent era various technologies have been made in research and development of oral controlled release drug delivery system to overcome various physiological difficulties such as variation in gastric retention and emptying time. Conventional oral dosage forms pose low bioavailability problems due to their rapid gastric transition from stomach, especially in case of drugs which are less soluble at alkaline pH of intestine and locally acting drugs in stomach get rapidly emptied. So, frequency of dose administration in such cases is increased. Gastro retentive drug delivery system (GRDDS) is facing many challenges which can be overcome by upcoming newly emerging approach, raft forming systems (RFS). The present study provides valuable information and highlights advances in this raft forming system. Different types of smart polymers used for their formulation have also been summarized. The current review focuses on the mechanism, formulation development and evaluation aspects of the raft forming systems and also highlights parameters which may lead to response variations in altered physiological conditions are discussed as well.


American Protestant Christianity is often described as a two-party system divided into liberals and conservatives. This book clarifies differences between the intellectual positions of these two groups by advancing the thesis that the philosophy of the modern period is largely responsible for the polarity of Protestant Christian thought. A second thesis is that the modern philosophical positions driving the division between liberals and conservatives have themselves been called into question. It therefore becomes opportune to ask how theology ought to be done in a postmodern era, and to envision a rapprochement between theologians of the left and right. A concluding chapter speculates specifically on the era now dawning and the likelihood that the compulsion to separate the spectrum into two distinct camps will be precluded by the coexistence of a wide range of theological positions from left to right. Nancey C. Murphy is Associate Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, and the author of Reasoning and Rhetoric in Religion, also published by Trinity Press. Her book Theology in the Age of Scientific Reasoning earned the American Academy of Religion's Award for Excellence.


Explanation of observed phenomena is a major objective of both those who conduct and those who apply research in Information Systems (IS). Whereas explanation based on the statistical relationship between independent and dependent variables is a common outcome of explanatory IS research, philosophers of science disagree about whether statistical relationships are the sole basis for the explanation of phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an expanded concept of explanation into the realm of IS research. We present a framework based on the four principle explanation types defined in modern philosophy: covering-law explanation, statistical-relevance explanation, contrast-class explanation, and functional explanation. A well-established research stream, media richness, is used to illustrate how the different explanation types complement each other in increasing comprehension of the phenomenon. This framework underlies our argument that explanatory pluralism can be used to broaden research perspectives and increase scientific comprehension of IS phenomena above and beyond the methodological and ontological pluralism currently in use in IS research.


The Libiola Fe-Cu-sulphide mine, near Sestri Levante (eastern Liguria), represents one of the most extensively exploited sulphide deposits in Italy. In this area, active Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) processes are evident. The major resulting mineral phases are Fe oxides and oxyhydroxides, occurring in varicoloured crusts on the surface of waste rocks and in unconsolidated muds. In this study, the Fe assemblages of the waste rock were investigated by microchemical (SEM), structural (XRD), microstructural (TEM) and spectroscopic (DRS, IR, μ-Raman) techniques, in order to determine the phase composition, the textural relations among the minerals and their genetic evolution. They are characterized by intimate intergrowths of hematite and goethite with minor quartz and lepidocrocite; in some samples, the presence of very minor schwertmannite was detected. TEM and HR-TEM observations revealed that hematite is present within pseudo-elliptical bodies as pseudo-hexagonal to subrounded nanocrystalline lamellae (from 18.9 to 26.5 nm in diameter), whereas goethite occurs either as parallel intergrowths of acicular crystals (from 10 to 16.3 μm in length) or as sheaf-like assemblages. On the basis of the present data, the studied Fe oxide and oxyhydroxide assemblages are found to represent distinct spatial and temporal stages of a nano-scale evolution process.


The aggregate capacity of wireless ad hoc networks can be increased substantially if each node is equipped with multiple network interface cards (NICs) and each NIC operates on a distinct frequency channel. Most of the recently proposed channel assignment algorithms are based on combinatorial techniques. Combinatorial channel assignment schemes may sometimes result in computationally complicated algorithms as well as inefficient utilization of the available frequency spectrum. In this paper, we analytically model channel and interface assignment problems as tractable continuous optimization problems within the framework of network utility maximization (NUM). In particular, the link data rate models for both single-channel reception and multichannel reception scenarios are derived. The assignment of both nonoverlapped and partially overlapped channels is also considered. We then propose two distributed multi-interface multichannel random access (DMMRA) algorithms for single-channel reception and multichannel reception scenarios. The DMMRA algorithms are fast, distributed, and easy to implement. Each algorithm solves the formulated NUM problem for each scenario. DMMRA requires each node to only iteratively solve a local, myopic, and convex optimization problem. Convergence and optimality properties of our algorithms are studied analytically. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithms significantly outperform utility-optimal combinatorial channel assignment algorithms in terms of both achieved network utility and throughput.


Abstract. Human activities are drastically altering water and material flows in river
systems across Asia. These anthropogenic perturbations have rarely been
linked to the carbon (C) fluxes of Asian rivers that may account for up to
40–50 % of the global fluxes. This review aims to provide a conceptual
framework for assessing the human impacts on Asian river C fluxes, along with
an update on anthropogenic alterations of riverine C fluxes. Drawing on case
studies conducted in three selected rivers (the Ganges, Mekong, and Yellow
River) and other major Asian rivers, the review focuses on the impacts of
river impoundment and pollution on CO2 outgassing from the rivers
draining South, Southeast, and East Asian regions that account for the
largest fraction of river discharge and C exports from Asia and Oceania. A
critical examination of major conceptual models of riverine processes against
observed trends suggests that to better understand altered metabolisms and C
fluxes in "anthropogenic land-water-scapes", or riverine landscapes modified by human activities, the
traditional view of the river continuum should be complemented with concepts
addressing spatial and temporal discontinuities created by human activities,
such as river impoundment and pollution. Recent booms in dam construction on
many large Asian rivers pose a host of environmental problems, including
increased retention of sediment and associated C. A small number of studies
that measured greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in dammed Asian rivers have
reported contrasting impoundment effects: decreased GHG emissions from
eutrophic reservoirs with enhanced primary production vs. increased emissions
from the flooded vegetation and soils in the early years following dam
construction or from the impounded reaches and downstream estuaries during
the monsoon period. These contrasting results suggest that the rates of
metabolic processes in the impounded and downstream reaches can vary greatly
longitudinally over time as a combined result of diel shifts in the balance
between autotrophy and heterotrophy, seasonal fluctuations between dry and
monsoon periods, and a long-term change from a leaky post-construction phase
to a gradual C sink. The rapid pace of urbanization across southern and
eastern Asian regions has dramatically increased municipal water withdrawal,
generating annually 120 km 3 of wastewater in 24 countries, which
comprises 39 % of the global municipal wastewater production. Although
municipal wastewater constitutes only 1 % of the renewable surface water,
it can disproportionately affect the receiving river water, particularly
downstream of rapidly expanding metropolitan areas, resulting in
eutrophication, increases in the amount and lability of organic C, and pulse
emissions of CO2 and other GHGs.
In rivers draining highly populated metropolitan areas, lower reaches and
tributaries, which are often
plagued by frequent algal blooms and pulsatile CO2 emissions from
urban tributaries delivering high loads of wastewater, tended to exhibit higher
levels of organic C and the partial pressure of CO2
( p CO2 ) than less impacted upstream reaches and eutrophic
impounded reaches. More field
measurements of p CO2 , together with accurate flux calculations
based on river-specific model parameters, are required to provide more
accurate estimates of GHG emissions from the Asian rivers that are now
underrepresented in the global C budgets. The new conceptual framework
incorporating discontinuities created by impoundment and pollution into the
river continuum needs to be tested with more field measurements of riverine
metabolisms and CO2 dynamics across variously affected reaches to
better constrain altered fluxes of organic C and CO2 resulting from
changes in the balance between autotrophy and heterotrophy in increasingly
human-modified river systems across Asia and other continents.


A detailed computer simulation of the Windsat global wind measuring process has been developed and used to establish error limits as a function of design parameters. Studies were conducted for a Windsat research system in a 300- and an 800-km orbit. Wind measuring errors were <2 m sec−1 in the troposphere for the recommended set of parameters. Our study results indicate the feasibility of measuring global winds from a space platform using a coherent laser radar.


In the current dynamic and highly competitive business environment, expanding beyond national border is a necessity not a luxury. The greatest market is outside the home country for any product; therefore expansion beyond national borders lies at the heart of each business that aspires to operate in foreign Markets. A firm follows a strategy that is intended to create a competitive advantage in the market place. The objective of this study was to find out the challenges faced by Davis and Shirtliff in their regional expansion program and their strategic responses to these challenges. The study was case based and utilized both primary and secondary data collected from the organization staff and documents respectively. The study targeted the five General Managers at the head office in Kenya and ten Subsidiaries managers. The data was collected with the help of an interview guide and a questionnaire. The data was analyzed using both statistical method and content analysis. The findings indicated low levels of disposable income, low pace of economic development, poor infrastructure, hostility of ethnic groups, tough tax laws, legal complexity, currency control, local people inability to learn new language, low labor quality, tough expatriate worker policies and tough investment laws posed a challenge to Davis and Shirtliff regional expansion program. The study also found that the organization responded to these challenges through stocking cheaper items, availing credit to their customers, closing big deals in forex, ensuring compliance with the regulations and undertaking staff training in the subsidiaries


Due to human activities freshwaters are experiencing declines in biodiversity far greater than those in the most affected terrestrial and marine ecosystems, consequently freshwater fishes are by far the most affected group of vertebrates. This situation stands true for Mexican freshwater fishes and their corresponding ecosystems. In this respect, Mexico has a long history of environmental policy, and seeking to protect its biodiversity, the country has carried out a series of important initiatives in response to the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), such as the creation of the National Biodiversity Commission in 1992, the elaboration of the National Biodiversity Strategy, regional action plans, as well as conservation strategies for terrestrial and marine species and environments, but unfortunately, little has been done in relation to the conservation of freshwater species, nor the ecosystems they live in. With this in mind, the main aim of this study is to analyze the spatial distribution of the Freshwater Fishes of Mexico, their conservation status, and to develop a conservation strategy for species with imminent risk of extinction.
In order to develop the strategy four basic phases were taken: (1) assessment of the freshwater fishes of Mexico, (2) determination of conservation priorities, (3) identification and diagnosis of problems, and (4) planning solutions. These were achieved through a series of different methodologies for each particular case.
The first part of the assessment phase consisted in developing an updated species list of Mexican freshwater fishes that resulted in a working list of 616 fish species grouped in 61 families for Mexican freshwaters (265 are Mexican endemics). Globally there are approximately 12,000 described freshwater fish species, so results show that Mexico holds 5.1% of the global freshwater fish diversity. This is a large figure considering that the Mexican territory represents only 1.3% of the world global land area.
The second part of the assessment phase consisted in developing a study of richness and endemism which was crucial for identifying hotspots and consequently for directing conservation efforts. This was done by mapping and overlaying individual species distributions by means of geographical information systems based on museum data. The results of this study confirmed several previously proposed centers of freshwater fish richness (Southeastern Mexico, the Mesa Central, the Bravo-Conchos river system and the Panuco and Tuxpan-Nautla rivers). Seven areas with high CWEI endemism values were identified, but the valley of Cuatrocienegas was recognized as a true center. An alarming result was the identification of a "Ghost" center of endemism (Llanos El Salado) in Southwestern Nuevo Leon, where the six endemic Cyprinodont species that were present in this center are all extinct or extinct in nature. 49 single site endemics were identified that are distributed all over Mexico, but it is noteworthy to mention Chichancanab lagoon in the border between Yucatan and Quintana Roo, where a flock composed of 6 endemic Cyprinodonts is present. Three hotspots of richness + endemism were identified for Mexico, the most important of which is the Mesa Central where impacts by human activities have had a detrimental effect on fish populations.
In order to determine conservation priorities the risk of extinction for each of the 616 species was assessed according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. Results show that 218 species (36%) in 25 families are classified as threatened, 49 are critically endangered (8%), 82 are endangered (14%), 88 are vulnerable (14%). With a total of 160 threatened species, five families compromise 73% of the total, these are Cyprinidae with 55 threatened species, Goodeidae with 38, Poeciliidae with 23, Atherinopsidae with 22 and Cyprinidontidae with 21. Lost fishes, both extinct and extinct in the wild represent 3% of the total with 20 species, 15 of which are Mexican endemics. There are only 18 species (3%) classified as Near Threatened, these belong to 9 families, most diverse of which is Poeciliidae with 7 species. Data Deficient species account for only 2% of the total. Over half of the species (56%) are considered as Least Concern. These figures are very similar to those found for European freshwater fishes, but differ (are worse) from what has been found for Africa, and for global data.
Once these phases were completed, an assessment was carried out on the Mexican legal and institutional framework related to freshwater fish species conservation, as well as the effectiveness of ongoing biodiversity conservation strategies by means of on ex-post analysis based on the two Mexican governmental policies related to ecosystem and biodiversity conservation, which are those related to Protected Areas and Conservation of species at risk, implemented by the National Commission on Protected Areas. Results show that even though there have been many successful strategies in the terrestrial realm, over the past 16 years there is a tendency of more freshwater fish species being imperiled. So it is fair to say that conservation programs have not had a positive impact on freshwater fishes.
Due to the large number of threatened freshwater fish species found, within such a large country, with limited economic resources for species conservation actions, a decision was made to identify as conservation targets, those species with imminent risk of extinction. After applying a prioritization method, 45 species within nine families, distributed in 30 different sites were identified as those with the highest extinction risk.
With the information produced in the previous sections a conceptual model was developed that included scope, vision, and the conservation goal of preventing imminent extinctions. Direct threats were then identified for these sites (recreational activities, water management/use, water pollution and invasive species), and from these contributing factors. Based on the former, 10 general actions are proposed to minimize the impact of these contributing factors, and a case study with Notropis boucardi from the higher Balsas river basin is presented as an example of how these actions can be applied to achieve conservation results.
In general terms it can be said that by collating and analyzing data in a systematic manner, by using geographical information systems, and by discussing the results in the context of contemporary theories or views related to conservation practice, the present study has not only contributed to the knowledge of Mexican freshwater fish species, their conservation status and threats, but has set the basis for the implementation of specific conservation actions for species with imminent risk of extinction.
It is clear that much work is still needed in order to change the precarious situation of Mexican freshwater fishes and their habitats, but while the Federal Government needs to work harder in aspects such as water treatment and sanitation, there is an opportunity in State and Local governments, that could take the lead in protecting their critically endangered freshwater fish species. Fortunately the database produced for this study, as well as the ten conservation actions identified can serve as the starting point for specific local conservation initiatives.


The present work examines the use of a non-edible vegetable oil namely honne oil, a new possible alternative fuel for diesel engine. A direct injection (DI) diesel engine typically used in agricultural sector was operated on neat diesel (ND) and neat honne oil (H100). Static injection timing (start of static injection timing) was changed to study the performance, emission and combustion characteristics. It was observed that advancing the injection timing with H100 from the rated static injection timing (23° bTDC) increased the brake thermal efficiency and reduced CO, HC emissions and smoke opacity; however, NOx emission was increased. The ignition delay with H100 was higher than that with ND for all static injection timing under consideration. Improved premixed heat release rate was observed with H100 when the static injection timing is advanced however, for 28° bTDC premixed heat release rates decreased. The best static injection timing was found to be 27° bTDC for H100 based on brake thermal efficiency.


Abstract Introduction Ecstasy (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug, but its illegal production and trade in the Netherlands have developed into a serious public order and ecological problem which endanger and question the harm reduction approach of the Dutch ecstasy policy. Methods The market characteristics, adverse health effects, risk profile, and link to criminal activity of ecstasy were reviewed. Results Ecstasy is often used in combination with other substances (i.e. polydrug use). Compared to several other illicit drugs and alcohol, ecstasy has a very low abuse and dependence liability and, as yet, there is little evidence of long-term harm. A potential health risk associated with ecstasy is acute hyperthermia, however this occurs at an unknown incidence rate and seems to be more prevalent when ecstasy is consumed in combination with heavy exercise at high ambient temperatures or when used in combination with other substances, including alcohol. Organized crime related to the production and trafficking of ecstasy in the Netherlands is a growing problem. Conclusions This review provides a science-based summary that can be used to assist the public and political debate surrounding future Dutch ecstasy policy to reduce ecstasy-related organized crime while maintaining the principle of harm reduction.


Using an approach that distinguishes between the epistemologies of critical theory and creative practice, this study investigates notions of originality and influence in literary theory and considers their applicability to the teaching of creative writing and creative writing practice. It argues that current paradigms offer limited and contradictory explanations of these phenomena and makes the case that, through the assimilation of recent philosophical and scientific perspectives into a framework of socially-situated theory, a fresh approach can be developed that acknowledges the embodied experience of the writing process.
The study consists of two main research areas: qualitative and literary/theoretical. The literary/theoretical research falls into two strands of enquiry that are closely linked and run parallel to each other throughout the thesis. One strand is concerned with the need to find an ontological structure for creative writing that accommodates practical and theoretical approaches and provides a conceptual framework that allows issues of originality and influence to be seen from both inside the writing process and from an external theoretical perspective. The second strand, evolving within the former, analyses notions of originality and influence historically and more specifically within romanticism and the socially situated theory of Mikhail Bakhtin.
The qualitative research was designed to offer a practical and experiential set of findings that could be used to guide the theoretical research. In this research project, using a phenomenological methodology, a group of part-time adult creative writing students (14 participants) were asked to reflect on their perception and experience of originality and influence in the writing process. Their responses were returned in the form of questionnaires and the findings were collated into fourteen key themes.
The theoretical research contextualizes the study within debates with student writers in writing workshop sessions about issues of influence and originality in critical peer review. After a discussion of the pedagogic and theoretical issues that these debates generated, including an analysis of the impact of romanticism on contemporary notions of creativity and a survey of developments in pedagogic theory in creative writing, the literary/theoretical research goes on to explore notions of originality and influence in the work of Bakhtin and romanticism in greater detail. It develops a critique of Bakhtin's socially-situated theory of creativity and argues that this is due to a weakness in the ontological premises of Bakhtin's conceptual framework. Moving to a study of romanticism it proposes that Bakhtin's socially-situated theory fails to fully understand or assimilate embodied emotionality into its ontology and that the embodied emotionality in romanticism, when seen through a more contemporary paradigm of embodied realism reveals the shortcomings in socially-situated theory.
The final section on embodied realism and the impact of neuroscience on studies of the body and emotionality argues for a fresh ontological perspective, which would resolve the paradoxical nature of the relationship between an epistemic, socially constructed view of reality and a more biologically determined notion of human nature.
In the discussion of key findings and in the conclusion to the research the thesis shows how, by adopting the ontological perspective of embodied realism and incorporating it into socially-situated theory, new perspectives on originality, influence and creativity can be developed that fully integrate epistemologies of theory and practice, and offer a grounded theoretical position from which to construct a viable pedagogy for creative writing. Finally, the thesis offers ideas


-- Fascinating tales of the journeys of adventurers and explorers -- Details how these expeditions broadened our knowledge -- Illustrated with maps, paintings, drawings, and photographs


Ethics in social work will be the extension of the philosophical work in the welfare discipline known as social work. The transformation of social work as a profession flows from the pleadings of social philosophy for a deeper humanitariannization and valuation of social work. It is the marriage of the wise ones with the kind ones. Philosophy being seen as a disciple that creates professionally wise ones while social work is seen as the discipline that creates human welfare workers that help to alleviate the personal and societal problems of man. Ethical education will lead to ethicalization of social work and the socialization of ethics. More people in social work will work in accordance with the values of ethical propriety while ethics will be socialized and popular. This article takes note of the fact that ethics education in social philosophy and social work practice has dramatically evolved over decades in response to cultural and technological changes affecting social work practice in Africa. This ethicalization will lead to the transformation of a profession in a continent filled poverty and social challenges in the 21st century. This is the conjunction of ethicalization and socialization as a social philosophy for achieving a paradigm change in Africa for social workers and practical philosophers of change.


[Context] With the expansion of services and service science, service systems have become an important abstraction for the service revolution. Service is defined as the application of resources (including competences, skills, and knowledge) to make changes that have value for another (system). The service system is a configuration of people, technologies, and other resources that interact with other service systems to create mutual value. Many systems can be viewed as service systems, including families, cities, and companies, among many others. Therefore, services became very important for unifying concepts from various disciplines. Service specifications are used to represent service systems on different levels of abstraction: from business down to IT. [Motivation and Problem] Traditionally, high-level service specifications are used only for communication among different participants, to catalyze the discussions between them; but only the specifications modeling IT systems have enough details to be simulated and executed. As a consequence, it becomes difficult to create precise high-level specifications and make sure that the implemented services are those that correspond to the business needs, potentially leading to severe project problems. Therefore, the challenge is to create abstract, yet precise service specifications, while keeping the relation between specifications at different levels of abstraction. [Idea and Results] In this work, we use formal methods and code generation techniques to create service-prototypes from service specifications at any level of abstraction, keeping the relations between different specifications. Stakeholders can try out the prototypes and give feedback regarding services that are being provided. This way, prototypes are used to validate the specifications and detect inconsistencies and unexpected behavior. [Contribution] The contributions of our work are threefold. First, we provide the visual formalism for service specification and simulation, by adding the necessary concepts to the existing method SEAM. Second, we define two design spirals: for service specification and for service validation and verification. The service specification spiral enables us to keep the relation between several service specifications. It includes steps with explicit design decisions on how to refine high-level specifications in order to include all the details necessary for providing the identified services. The validation and verification spiral is used to validate and verify specifications at any level of abstraction. Finally, it provides an environment that enables the simulation and prototyping of service specifications that are then used for their validation and verification. [Relevance] In addition to the theoretical contribution to the knowledge base of service design, we also provide the tools and guidelines that help business and IT analysts create and validate the service model, as confirmed by a survey conducted with practitioners. We illustrate the application of this work with a case study based on a consulting project we conducted at EPFL.


Many sales experts focus on a cookie-cutter sales "strategy," encouraging reps to push the customer through a pre-planned sales process--an approach that can drive customers away. With ProActive Selling, reps have a wide variety of flexible and effective selling tactics to choose from. This enables them to adapt and approach each sales call uniquely and keep the customer at the center of every sales presentation. By learning to think like the customer, sales professionals will learn to shift their own focus from the selling process to the buying process, and how to use the right tool at the right time. Miller's 15 practical selling tools let sales professionals in any industry: double the number of calls returned from prospective customers call high (where buying decisions are really made) and stay there increase the effectiveness of in-person and telephone sales interactions own the process and own the deal Plus, they'll learn how to speak the right language to buyers at any level, get rid of the "maybes" in the sales funnel, and master the 7 Qualification Questions that keep their efforts focused on only the most worthwhile accounts.


We are interested on assessing the effectiveness of the Bank of Greece (BoG) exchange rate policy, to achieve the objective of adjusting balance of payments des–equilibrium, during the period 1983:1–1995:12. The traditional theory of the balance of payments adjustment process through exchange rate changes is used for this purpose. We found evidence, first, about the doubtful effectiveness of this policy due to the marginal verification of the critical elasticities condition; second, about the success of the exchange rate policy in the short–run, since the monthly data of bilateral exchange rates (USD, DEM, ITL, FRF, GBP, JPY) of the Hellenic Drachma (GRD) Granger cause the respective trade balances; third, about the significant co–movement in the series which in the long–run, are driven by the same stochastic trend. We are much aware of the tentative nature of these conclusions. However, our findings suggest that the loss of the exchange rate policy was costly in the case of Hellas because an efficient policy sacrificed by the BoG to the European Central Bank (ECB).


The relationship between urban-rural integration and regional economic integration is summarized in the paper. Based on the fact, it expressed the necessity and realistic meaning of pushing forward the urban-rural integration process synchronously during Jiuquan-jia yuguan (abbreviate: Jiu-jia ) areas economic integration. The current degree of the urban-rural integration of Jiu-jia was analyzed by index calculation, and the related conclusions were obtained. Besides, me development concepts and the key works to accelerate the process of Jiu-jia urban-rural integration were suggested. The results show that the overall level of urban-rural integration in Jiuquan and Jiayuguan is higher than the average level of Gansu Province, but the urban-rural economic development and social development lose the balance and the dual structure is prominent. In the end, three developmental patterns for accelerating me developmental process of urban -rural integration are put forward. Firstly, the government should find the key of the current work and coordinate the construction of infrastructure. Secondly, rural economic industrialization should be promoted. Thirdly, the urbanized social management should be promoted.


Problem. Seventh-day Adventist adolescents need a clear understanding of the gospel which provides the assurance of salvation. Since in Seventh-day Adventist colleges there is no curriculum for the Epistle to the Galatians, this study was intended to provide college religion students with the opportunity to understand cognitively and to apply experientially the claims of the gospel as presented in Galatians. Method. The basic philosophy of the learning approach utilized in this study was that a curriculum is more than a blueprint for educational planning. In Christian education, curriculum is a bridge between theory and practice in the cognitive, affective and spiritual domains. The instructional product development method of Baker and Schutz (1971) was utilized in this study. The product was empirically developed through seven systematic steps. Having established the need for the product, behav iGTu 1 objectives were created. Then the cognitive pre- and post-tesc items were formulated, as well as the criteria by which they would be evaluated. The curriculum was prepared in the form of lectures for the college students. General mastery was established at 80/80; that is, at least 80% of the learners would need to demonstrate mastery of at least 80% of the criteria established for each of twenty-eight objectives in the cognitive post-test. An affective instrument was also developed to measure the modification of effect in the instructional sequence. The lectures were presented first to small groups, then modified, and the group size increased. When the mastery of the content was achieved at the determined level, the curriculum was considered to be ready for field use. Results. All of the thirty-three participants achieved (1) cognitive mastery at the predetermined level of 80/80 and (2) a t-score of 8.122 which is above the level of significance of 2.036. This suggests that a positive modification of affect was also achieved. Conclusions. Since there is both a need for a well-formulated gospel message and a lack of a college curriculum of the Epistle to the Galatians, this college curriculum could be utilized as a primary learning tool of instruction in college religion classes.


This thesis uses data sets at a range of spatial and temporal scales to examine the geomorphological response of the Lower Mississippi River to engineering and management. During the twentieth century the geomorphology of the Lower Mississippi River has been transformed by a series of engineering modifications to improve flood control and aid navigation. These have included steepening of the longitudinal profile by removal of the most sinuous bends, fixing the river to a constant planform through extensive bank stabilisation, and regulating sediment movement through the channel system by dike field construction. Prior to these modifications, the Lower Mississippi River adjusted its planform morphology to satisfy large-scale flow resistance requirements. However, this mode of adjustment has been effectively removed and adjustments are now restricted to the long profile and cross-sectional form. Morphological analysis reveals that the river has responded to engineering intervention at two principal scales: by vertical changes in the elevation of the channel bed at the reach-scale; and by increasing large-scale bedform resistance at the sub-reach scale through longitudinal and cross-sectional adjustments. These mutual changes are consistent with the changes in water surface elevation in the post-modification period noted by Biedenharn and Watson (1997). However, analysis of morphological and process dynamics at shorter timescales shows that geomorphological response remains difficult to explain. This is because geomorphological behaviour at any scale, and in any location within an alluvial channel, is a product of complex spatially-distributed feedbacks between operating processes and multiple scales of channel morphology. This has general significance in terms of research design because detecting the complexity at each scale of adjustment, and forming linkages between scales of adjustment, is dependent on taking into account all possible degrees of freedom, and applying a range of complementary analytical techniques.


Hierarchical organization is widespread in the societies of humans and other animals, both in social structure and in decision-making contexts. In the case of collective motion, the majority of case studies report that dominant individuals lead group movements, in agreement with the common conflation of the terms "dominance" and "leadership." From a theoretical perspective, if social relationships influence interactions during collective motion, then social structure could also affect leadership in large, swarm-like groups, such as fish shoals and bird flocks. Here we use computer-vision–based methods and miniature GPS tracking to study, respectively, social dominance and in-flight leader–follower relations in pigeons. In both types of behavior we find hierarchically structured networks of directed interactions. However, instead of being conflated, dominance and leadership hierarchies are completely independent of each other. Although dominance is an important aspect of variation among pigeons, correlated with aggression and access to food, our results imply that the stable leadership hierarchies in the air must be based on a different set of individual competences. In addition to confirming the existence of independent and context-specific hierarchies in pigeons, we succeed in setting out a robust, scalable method for the automated analysis of dominance relationships, and thus of social structure, applicable to many species. Our results, as well as our methods, will help to incorporate the broader context of animal social organization into the study of collective behavior.


One of the problem that plagues Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) software is its development cost. Many software companies forego the usability engineering aspect of their projects due to the time required to design and test user interfaces. Unfortunately, there is no "silver bullet" for user interface design and implementation because they are inherently difficult tasks. As computers are moving off the desktop, the greatest challenge for designers will be integrating these systems seamlessly into our everyday lives. The potential for reuse in user interfaces lies in reducing the time and effort required for this task, without sacrificing design quality. In this work we begin with an iterative development cycle for a claims library based on prominent literature within the HCI and software engineering fields. We constructed the Claims Library to be a repository of potentially reusable notification system claims. We examine the library through theoretical and practical perspectives. The theoretical perspective reveals tradeoffs in the initial implementation that relate to Krueger's taxonomy of reuse. The practical perspective stems from experience in designing and conducting usability testing for an in-vehicle input device using the Claims Library. While valuable, these examinations did not provide a distinct method of improving the library. Expecting to uncover a specific diagnosis for the problems in the library, it was unclear how they should be approached with further development efforts. With this realization, we saw that a more important and immediate contribution would not be another iteration of the Claims Library design. Rather, a clarification of the underlying theory that would better inform future systems development seemed a more urgent and worthy use of our experience. This clarification would need to have several characteristics to include: composed of a staged or prioritized architecture, represents an ideal model grounded in literature, and possesses intermediate development objectives and assessment points. As a solution, we propose the Claims Library Capability Maturity Model (CL-CMM), based on the theoretical deficiencies that should guide development of a claims library, as noted in the two evaluations. This thesis delivers a five-stage model to include process areas, goals, and practices that address larger threads of concern. Our capability maturity model is patterned after models in software engineering and human resource management. We include a full description of each stage, a gap analysis method of appraisal, and an example of its use. Several directions for future work are noted that are necessary to continue development and validation of the model. "Our knowledge is the amassed thought and experience of innumerable minds." – Ralph Waldo Emerson


Optical scanning holography (OSH) [1] has the benefit of recording the entire three-dimensional (3-D) volume of a specimen in the form of a two-dimensional (2-D) hologram. Reconstruction of the original volume can be accomplished by applying digital reconstruction or decoding techniques to the recorded hologram. Accurate reconstruction of the 3-D volume and more specifically, the individual 2-D optical sections without artifacts such as out-of-focus haze from adjacent sections has been the focus of much work including algorithms, optical techniques, and combinations of the two. This dissertation presents several different techniques for enhancing the reconstruction of a recorded specimen and its optical sections including the use of optical coding and phase filtering techniques in the traditional OSH optical system.


Fueled by falling display hardware costs and rising demand, digital signage and pervasive displays are becoming ever more ubiquitous. Such systems have traditionally been used for advertising and information dissemination, with digital signage commonplace in shopping malls, airports and public spaces. While advertising and broadcasting announcements remain important applications, developments in sensing and interaction technologies are enabling entirely new classes of display applications that tailor content to the situation and audience of the display. As a result, signage systems are beginning to transition from simple broadcast systems to rich platforms for communication and interaction. In this lecture, we provide an introduction to this emerging field for researchers and practitioners interested in creating state-of-the-art pervasive display systems. We begin by describing the history of pervasive display research, providing illustrations of key systems, from pioneering work on supporting collaboration to contemporary systems designed for personalized information delivery. We then consider what the near future might hold for display networks -- describing a series of compelling applications that are being postulated for future display networks. Creating such systems raises a wide range of challenges and requires designers to make a series of important trade-offs. We dedicate four chapters to key aspects of pervasive display design: audience engagement, display interaction, system software, and system evaluation. These chapters provide an overview of current thinking in each area. Finally, we present a series of case studies of display systems and our concluding remarks.


This paper considers the role of "cluster" markets in antitrust litigation, the minimum requirements for recognizing such markets, and the relevance of network effects in identifying them. One foundational requirement of markets in antitrust cases is that they consist of products that are very close substitutes for one another. Even though markets are nearly always porous, this principle is very robust in antitrust analysis and there are few deviations. Nevertheless, clustering noncompeting products into a single market for purposes of antitrust analysis can be valuable, provided that its limitations are understood. Clustering contributes to market power when (1) many customers prefer the convenience of receiving the defendant's grouping of products rather than any single one, or (2) economies of joint provision (economies of scope in production) make joint distribution of the cluster cheaper per good than distribution of each separately, and (3) entering into competition with the cluster is difficult. When network effects are present, an important additional reason is what might be termed economies of scope in consumption, or increased value that accrues as a group of goods or services offered on the same platform becomes not only more numerous but also more diverse. Finally, often the best way to address the cluster market problem is to avoid market definition altogether. Here, digital markets are particularly susceptible to direct measurements of market power that do not depend on a market definition. One limitation on their use, however, is that many of the methodologies require estimating demand changes in response to price changes, but several digital platforms engage with consumers at a price of zero. Here, however, changes in product quality can operate as an adequate (inverse) surrogate for changes in price. Finally, the logic of cluster markets carries an implicit warning about antitrust remedies. Clustering occurs when it creates value, and for consumers as well as producers. As a result antitrust enforcers should be wary about aggressive breakup remedies that serve to break apart components that were clustered for the very reason that clustering is valuable..


Saline lakes are widespread throughout the arid and semi-arid regions of the world and have considerable ecological importance. They are also very vulnerable to climatic changes or changes in their hydrological regimes. Most saline lakes of Turkey are close to the verge of extinction due to natural and anthropogenic impacts. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal changes at a relatively pristine saline lake (Tuzla (Palas) Lake) in Kayseri, Turkey, from 1987 to 2011 using satellite imagery techniques. Landsat Thematic Mapper images acquired in 1987, 2000, 2003, and 2011 were used in the analysis. The images were geometrically corrected by registering them to ground control points. The study area on each image was classified into seven information classes, i.e., water, watery ground, dry lake, mud/vegetated flats, salt flats, shrubs/sedges, and agriculture. The accuracies of the classifications were evaluated using a standard error matrix and kappa statistics. The analysis showed that the surface area of Tuzla Lake was highly variable during the 1987–2011 period. Lake surface area was the largest in 1987 and the smallest in 2003. Analysis of the climatic conditions for 4 years showed that the surface area of the lake is highly vulnerable to changes in precipitation and air temperatures.


In 1902, Virginia's revised constitution was proclaimed by the all-male, all-white delegates who had met in Richmond, the state capitol, for over a year. While they reviewed and revised the entire document, their main goal was to disfranchise black males. For the next seven decades, most black men, and, after 1920, black women found it difficult, if not impossible, to participate in the electoral process. This dissertation looks at the effect of this event on blacks living in Hanover County, Virginia. Black Hanoverians steadily chipped away at the walls that enclosed them and limited their opportunities for success. First, they worked to determine their paths to freedom, and in doing so, set patterns of survival for their descendants. When their rights were being eroded, black Hanoverians, along with their compatriots in Richmond, deemphasized political involvement as the path to full citizenship and instead focused on self-help. Third, they responded to Jim Crow by fostering lives that ran parallel to those of whites. Fourth, in spite of the hardships of living in a racist system, black Hanoverians moved to play their part in overcoming the pressures placed on the country by the Depression and war. Finally, African Americans in Hanover drew on various traditions established by their ancestors to regain their civil rights. In the end, black Hanoverians resisted the strictures of their "place" as defined by white people. Following Emancipation, the amendments to the federal Constitution, and the Reconstruction Acts, they had reason to believe that they would finally be accepted as citizens in the United States, a country that they and their ancestors had helped to build. They soon found that this would not be the case. Instead, they would have to seek citizenship via avenues of their own making. In the end, they have taught their descendants that citizenship asserts itself from within, and that it has proved to be something that no one can take away. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.


Good quality of environment mapping demands modelling the associated environment nearly to its 3D originality. This paper presents a unified Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping (SLAM) solution based on partial 3D structure. As compared to existing representations such as grid based mapping, the novelty of the proposed unified approach lies in estimation, representation and handling of compact partial 3D features-based map model for a team of robots that are working in an unknown environment with unknown poses. The approach replies on a camera to perceive the environment and a 2D laser sensor to generate a SLAM solution with partial 3D features based representation. Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) estimates the robot pose based on its motion model and map of the explored environment. The solution has been tested in an indoor environment on two identical custom-developed robots. Experimental results have demonstrated efficacy of the approach. The presented solution can be easily applied on a distributed/centralized robotic system with ease of data handling and reduced computational cost. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.20.9.8707


In September 2014, the Bank of England established an Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) – a core initiative of the 'Open and Accountable' pillar of its Strategic Plan. The IEO reports directly to the Chairman of the Court of Directors (the Bank's unitary Board) and operates at arm's length from local business areas of the Bank. The IEO has delivered three in-depth projects since its inception, with two further evaluations in progress.


This paper proposes advanced single-phase AC-DC converter using single-phase matrix converter (SPMC) topology incorporating with active power filter function. The topology is also capable of incorporating many other features for controlled rectifier operation that includes; bidirectional, regenerative and dual converter capabilities. The PWM technique was used to calculate the switch duty ratio to synthesize the output. Switch commutation arrangements were developed that allows dead time to avoid current spikes of non-ideal switches whilst providing a current path for the inductive load to avoid voltage spikes. Selected simulation and experimental results are presented to verify proposed operation.


People can generate more innovative ideas when they collaborate with one another, collectively exploring ideas and exchanging viewpoints. Advancements in artificial intelligence have opened up new opportunities in people's creative activities where individual users ideate with diverse forms of AI. For instance, AI agents and intelligent tools have been designed as ideation partners that provide inspiration, suggest ideation methods, or generate alternative ideas. However, what AI can bring to collaborative ideation among a group of users has not been fully understood. Compared to ideating with individuals, ideating with multiple users would require understanding users' social interaction, transforming individual efforts into a group effort, and—in the end—making users satisfied that they collaborated with other group members. This workshop aims to bring together a community of researchers and practitioners to explore the integration of AI in human-human collaborative ideation. The exploration will center around identifying the potential roles of AI as well as the process and form of collaborative ideation, considering what users want to do with AI or humans.


The paper considers the past and potential contribution to social justice of the probation service in England and Wales, within the context of the service's complex origins and tradition, in which humanitarian and disciplinary concerns have long co-existed. The paper explores the service's connections with processes of categorization and governance of the dangerous, and its alignment with the 'psy' disciplines in developing its claims to professional expertise. The implications of the recent reassertion of the centrality of psychological understandings of offending and its prevention, in the form of cognitive-behavioural programmes, are discussed, and the circumstances in which the movement for 'effective practice' can and cannot contribute to social justice are discussed. The paper then explains the grounds for believing that a concern with social justice entails a commitment to crime prevention at a level beyond that of direct work with known offenders, and explores the potential of restorative justice as a means of achieving a reintegrative and participatory approach to community safety. The paper concludes with a discussion of the service's successes and failures in anti-discriminatory practice, and the feasibility of a social justice agenda in the current policy context.


In this paper the Authors give indications for the design of a grid tied Voltage Source Inverters (VSI) aimed to optimal use in energy conversion from wind source. In particular, the design of the inverter is more focused on the control system planning, with a particular glance on the grid synchronization problem. After the exposition of general issues concerning renewable energies and associated topics, the case of a grid tied inverter is considered and a methodology of design is sketched starting from the consideration of the DC side and also considering the power device losses, the protection issue against over voltages and over-currents, snubber circuits, heat sinks and, finally the control system for the grid synchronization. Methods and modern technologies are considered and overviewed with a particular glance to the regulation of the generated and converted energy.


1. In anaesthetized dogs urinary bladder distension caused variable changes of mean blood pressure; these were unaffected by vagotomy. 2. Catecholamines were detected in the circulation during bladder distension in fourteen of seventeen dogs. The catecholamine concentration during bladder distension was greater after cervical vagotomy. 3. Vasopressin could not be detected in the blood during urinary bladder distension before or after section of the cervical vagus nerves. Cervical vagotomy itself resulted in a. transient release of vasopressin. 4. A prostaglandin-like material was sometimes detected in the circulation during or immediately after urinary bladder distension. The origin of this material was not determined; it was detected in arterial and venous blood. 5. Urine flow consistently decreased during urinary bladder distension. This decrease was due neither to circulating catecholamines nor to vasopressin; it was probably caused by renal sympathetic activity. Cervical vagotomy did not abolish the antidiuresis.


The report analyses a networked control system consisting of a LTI system coupled with a static nonlinearity, subject to large delays in the feedback loop. This model is valid for example in wireless data flow control, where a saturation occurs since the flow is one-directional. The present report extends previous results by proving necessity, in case the loop gain is uniformly less than 1. The results are validated and illustrated in a simulation study.


Sustainability practices are leading to the development and use of alternative products in the floriculture and wastewater industries, such as the use of biodegradable containers instead of plastic containers. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of using digested biosolids from a regional wastewater treatment plant as an ingredient in creating a biodegradable transplant biocontainer. The biosolids were tested for metals limits as specified by the U.S. EPA Part 503 Rule, and met the requirements for Class B. Multiple mixes of biosolids, fibers, starch, polymer, and natural glue were developed to provide overall pot stability and structural strength. Engineering tests, such as tensile strength, pH, and saturated paste tests, were conducted on the different mixes to determine the optimum strength that could be produced. The top-performing biosolids mixes were used to make 10.2 cm (four-inch) pots that were compared in various ways to the market leaders, Peat Pots and standard plastic pots. A two-part mold was created on a 3D printer, which would allow for positive pressure to be used in forming the BioPots. Mixes were transferred to the lower half of the mold, the upper part was then plunged and fastened into the lower half, and then the mold with its mix was placed in an oven to dry. Laboratory germination bioassays were performed to test for the presence of phytotoxic compounds. Construction of BioPots for the lab-scale studies was tedious. Different methods (e.g., negative pressure systems) need to be investigated for use in producing the BioPots commercially. Most of the BioPots survived the resiliency study. Leachate quality from the biocontainers was no worse than from the plastic containers. Some discoloration was observed on the biocontainers, but it was not due to algal/fungal growth. Growth of soybeans, marigolds, and romaine in the biocontainers was significantly better (e.g., increased height, leaf sizes, and weight) than in the plastic containers. Evaluation of Biosolids for Use in Biodegradable Transplant Containers


Eukaryote‐metabolic inhibitors have been applied in published incubation experiments to inhibit protozoans and infer their impacts on bacteria. This method has been used with water‐column, sedimentary, biofilm, biofilter, soil, groundwater, wastewater, and sludge samples. The approach rests on assumptions that rarely have been tested: 1) the inhibitor is completely effective against all protozoans; 2) the inhibitor has no effects on other eukaryotes in the system (e.g., microalgae, metazoans) that could influence bacterial activity; and 3) the inhibitor has no effect on bacterial activity. We tested these assumptions for 10 inhibitors used in published studies (amphotericin B, anisomycin, colchicine, cycloheximide, cytochalasin B, fumagillin, griseofulvin, neutral red, nystatin, and thiram) and one combination of inhibitors (colchicine + cycloheximide) using marine sedimentary organisms. Only thiram was completely effective against the natural assemblages of ciliates and flagellates. With some inhibitors, partial inhibition of ciliates was followed by regrowth within 6–24 h or a bloom of a resistant species. Most inhibitors also killed infaunal invertebrates. Five inhibitors were further tested for direct effects on bacteria at concentrations that inhibited ciliates. Each inhibitor altered either esterase activity, denitrification, or both. All inhibitors thus violated one or more assumptions of the method. Conclusions in published work that did not demonstrate the validity of all assumptions underlying this method should not be accepted. Any future attempt to use a eukaryotic inhibitor against protozoans must confirm all assumptions of this method for the particular habitat, species, and processes to which the inhibitor will be applied.


Madame Germaine de Stael is often regarded as the "mistress to an age", or (like England and Russia) one of the three great European "powers" of the 19th century. She was in some sense both, but she was also an important and influential writer whose works, astonishingly, have not, until this volume, been translated into English since the early 19th century. She absorbed the leading ideas of the Enlightenment on literature, politics, science and the social order; turned many of them to her own uses and then bequeathed them to the 19th century, which adopted much of the Enlightenment through her works. She had two related aims: by her writings on politics, to guide Europe as it entered the republican era and to help it maintain its cultural legacy and liberty; and to explain all literature by its relation to social institutions (which has had a profound effect on all subsequent studies of comparative literature). Here, in clear and flowing English prose that conveys both the personality and the style of the original - and that corrects the errors of earlier translations - are selections from Madame Germaine de Stael's major works, including "Considerations on the Principal Events of the French Revolution", "Literature Considered in its Relation to Social Institutions", "Essay on Fiction", "On Germany" and her reflections on Russian and English as well as German national character. They make plain both her amazing modern approach to such subjects as politics, literature, science, education and women, and the tremendous repercussions her work has had.


Reticulate evolutionary processes result in phylogenetic histories that cannot be modeled using a tree topology. Here, we apply methods from topological data analysis to molecular sequence data with reticulations. Using a simple example, we demonstrate the correspondence between nontrivial higher homology and reticulate evolution. We discuss the sensitivity of the standard filtration and show cases where reticulate evolution can fail to be detected. We introduce an extension of the standard framework and define the median complex as a construction to recover signal of the frequency and scale of reticulate evolution by inferring and imputing putative ancestral states. Finally, we apply our methods to two datasets from phylogenetics. Our work expands on earlier ideas of using topology to extract important evolutionary features from genomic data.


This innovative product from Adobe Press combines interactive video and a printed reference to teach you the basics of Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8, the best selling consumer photo- and video-editing software on the market. The product teaches you not only the fundamentals of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, but also how to use the programs to create effective forms of digital communication. You'll get 10 to 12 hours of video, presented by experienced instructors, as well as lesson files, assessment quizzes and review materials. The DVD is bundled with a printed booklet that provides a topic-by-topic guide to the video. The video is wrapped in a unique interface that allows the viewer to jump to any topic, and to bookmark individual topics for later review. Project files used in the lessons are included on the disk so the students can practice what they've learned, and review questions help to reinforce freshly gained knowledge.


This paper presents a neural network model of demyelination of the mouse motor pathways, coupled to a central pattern generation (CPG) model for quadruped walking. Demyelination is the degradation of the myelin layer covering the axons which can be caused by several neurodegenerative autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. We use this model - to our knowledge first of its kind - to investigate the locomotion deficits that appear following demyelination of axons in the spinal cord. Our model meets several physiological and behavioral results and predicts that whereas locomotion can still occur at high percentages of demyelination damage, the distribution and location of the lesion are the most critical factors for the locomotor performance.


Diet affects the amount and types of microbes present in the gut, and gut microbial metabolism of dietary compounds affects production of both protective and harmful metabolites. Thus, interaction between dietary intake and commensal gut microbes may ultimately influence cancer risk. Functional contributions of the gut microbiota that may shape cancer susceptibility in the broad sense include: 1) harvesting otherwise inaccessible nutrients and/or sources of energy from the diet; 2) metabolizing xenobiotics, both potentially beneficial or detrimental (e.g., dietary constituents, drugs, carcinogens); 3) renewing gut epithelial cells and maintaining mucosal integrity; and 4) affecting immune system development and activity. The indigenous bacteria in the human gut carry out multiple unique metabolic functions that can influence the health of the host. Metagenomic studies of the gut microbiome have revealed the varied anaerobic metabolisms involved in fermentation and the production of metabolites that may be either beneficial or harmful. Enzymes specific to bacteria, and in some cases specific classes of bacteria, can carry out a range of metabolic reactions, including hydrolysis of glycosides, amides and esters, and reduction, ring-cleavage, demethylation and dehydroxylation. Several microbial metabolites of dietary constituents are associated with increased risk of tumorigenesis. Ingested nitrate can be reduced to nitrite by bacterial nitrate reductase and produce N-nitroso compounds, which can form DNA adducts. Hydrogen sulfide, produced from sulfur-containing amino acids and inorganic sulfur sources (sulfate in water) by sulfate-reducing bacteria, has been shown to have both cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. Gut bacterial metabolism of dietary fiber and resistant starch is hypothesized to benefit the host in several ways. Favorable effects include: 1) facilitating the metabolic conversion and uptake of dietary components; 2) producing fermentation end-products that affect intestinal pH and interact with gut mucosa epithelial cells; 3) interacting with the intestinal immune system and contributing to the regulation of immune function; and 4) generating fecal bulk that decreases transit time and dilutes toxic substances. Hydrolysis of plant glycosides (i.e., subset of phytochemicals) typically results in metabolites that are more biologically active than the parent compounds. Further bacterial degradation and transformation of aglycones can lead to production of lower molecular weight compounds that systemically may be more or less active. High interindividual variation in excretion and circulating concentrations of phytochemicals and their metabolites is, in part, a reflection of variation in gut microbial activity. Examples of this variation are evident in the metabolism of lignans (high-fiber foods), isoflavones (soy), and glucosinolates (cruciferous vegetables). As we move forward with research in this area, studies need to consider the gut microbiome as a contributing functional unit in relation to diet and cancer risk. Inter-individual variation in cancer risk may be associated with microbial biomass, composition, and function, and the interaction with host exposures, such as diet. Understanding the complex and dynamic interplay between the gut microbiome and host dietary exposures may help elucidate mechanisms for carcinogenesis and guide future cancer prevention strategies. Citation Format: Johanna W. Lampe. Diet and the gut microbiome: Who's feeding who? [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr ED04-02.


The paper will discuss how the forces and opportunities of change strongly related to the evolution of computer model-based design and construction are not only driving progress in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) through a transition process but promise to advance the state of the profession through the emergence of com-pletely new paradigms. Computer model-based design and construction will not only deal with the utilization of new tools to improve existing work processes, but with the emergence of completely new ways of doing things which will have to be designed, invented or discovered. The paper introduces the Digital Reality, The Digital Built Environment and The Digital World concepts and summa-rizes how we make and use the built, natural and digital environments and how they interrelate. The paper also envi-sions actions that shall promote the extension of current research contributions by strengthening the overlap of re-search and teaching with computer, social and management sciences in order to address the scientific, engineering, economic, social and political aspects about how we design, build and operate the built, natural and digital environ-ments and how to make their intelligent and sustainable use possible in an integrated comprehensive way.


ABSTRACT In this article we advance characterizations of and supports for elementary students' progress in generalizing and representing functional relationships as part of a comprehensive approach to early algebra. Our learning progressions approach to early algebra research involves the coordination of a curricular framework and progression, an instructional sequence, written assessments, and levels of sophistication describing students' algebraic thinking. After detailing this approach, we focus on what we have learned about the development of students' abilities to generalize and represent functional relationships in a grades 3–5 early algebra intervention by sharing the levels of responses we observed in students' written work over time. We found that the sophistication of students' responses increased over the course of the intervention from recursive patterning to correspondence and in some cases covariation relationships between variables. Students' responses at times differed by the particular tasks that were posed. We discuss implications for research and practice.


Nonbinary Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes are a class of error-correcting codes constructed over the Galois field GF(q) for q > 2. As extensions of binary LDPC codes, nonbinary LDPC codes can provide better error-correcting performance when the code length is short or moderate, but at a cost of higher decoding complexity. This paper proposes a massively parallel implementation of a nonbinary LDPC decoding accelerator based on a graphics processing unit (GPU) to achieve both great flexibility and scalability. The implementation maps the Min-Max decoding algorithm to GPU's massively parallel architecture. We highlight the methodology to partition the decoding task to a heterogeneous platform consisting of the CPU and GPU. The experimental results show that our GPU-based implementation can achieve high throughput while still providing great flexibility and scalability.