This volume invites the reader into the world of pragmatic and discourse studies in Japanese popular culture. Through "character-speak", the book analyzes quoted speech in light (graphic) novels, the effeminate onee kotoba in talk shows, narrative character in keetai (mobile phone) novels, floating whispers in manga, and fictionalized dialects in television drama series. Explorations into conversational interaction, internal monologue, rhetorical figures, intertextuality, and the semiotic mediation between verbal and visual signs reveal how speakers manipulate language in performing playful "characters" and "characteristics". Most prominent in the discourse of Japanese popular culture is its "fluid orality". We find the essential oral nature in and across genres of Japanese popular culture, and observe seamless transitions among styles and speech variations. This fluidity is understood as a feature of polyphonic speech initiated not by the so-called ideal singular speaker, but by a multiple and often shifting interplay of one's speaking selves performing as various characters. Challenging traditional (Western) linguistic theories founded on the concept of the autonomous speaker, this study ventures into open and embracing pragmatic and discourse studies that inquire into the very nature of our speaking selves.


This paper estimates the parameters of a stylized dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, paying special attention to the issue of weak parameter identification. Given the model and the available data, the posterior estimates of the weakly identified parameters are very sensitive to the choice of priors. We provide a set of tools to diagnose weak identification, which include surface plots of the log-likelihood as a function of two parameters, heat plots of the log-likelihood as a function of three parameters, Monte Carlo simulations using artificial data, and Bayesian estimation using three sets of priors. We find that the policy coefficients and the parameter governing the elasticity of labor supply are weakly identified by the data, and posterior predictive distributions remind us that DSGE models may make poor forecasts even when they fit the data well. Although parameter identification is model- and data-specific, the lack of identification of some key structural parameters in a small-scale DSGE model such as the one we examine should raise a red flag to researchers trying to estimate - and draw valid inferences from - large-scale models featuring many more parameters.


In this study we address the problem of identifying the purchase-state of users, based on product-related questions they ask on an eCommerce website. We differentiate between questions asked before buying a product (pre-purchase) and after (post-purchase). At first, we study the ambiguity that exists in purchase-states' definition, and then investigate the linguistic characteristics of the questions in each state. We analyze the discrepancy between the language models of pre- and post-purchase questions, and offer two classification schemes for this task, both outperform human judgments. We additionally show the effectiveness of our classification models in improving real world applications for both consumers and sellers.


We present an efficient method for robustly calculating time-frequency attributes of a signal, including instantaneous mean frequency, bandwidth, and kurtosis. Most current approaches involve a costly intermediate step of computing a (highly oversampled) 2-D bilinear time-frequency representation (TFR), which is then collapsed to the 1-D attribute. Using the principles of hybrid linear/bilinear time-frequency analysis, we propose computing attributes as nonlinear combinations of the (barely oversampled) linear Gabor transform of the signal. The method is both computationally efficient and accurate-it performs as well as the best bilinear techniques based on adaptive TFRs. To illustrate, we calculate an attribute of a seismic cross-section.


Technology is a particularly interesting example of where media portrayal of Japan is inconsistent. For many years, Japan has been known as a technologically advanced nation. This image persists, especially in the last couple of years with the introduction of service and retail robots such as Softbank's Pepper. While sometimes news publications present this as a positive image of the future, an idea of what we in the West have to look forwards to, at other times, the image of technology in Japan is decidedly negative. Sometimes it has too much technology, or it has technologies that 'we in the West' would not see a use for. How do these conflicting views arise? This paper uses Critical Discourse Analysis to analyse British news articles about three recent robots in order to reveal the discourses present. The article will investigate whether these depictions are a result of Orientalism, but will show that no single Orientalism is responsible, but rather a combination of Techno-Orientalism, Self-Orientalism, and Wacky Orientalism.


We study the interaction between consumption and health in retirement. Our main contribution is the estimation of a consumption Euler equation taking health into consideration. The Euler equation is derived from a model of consumption in retirement with three important building blocks of health: health shocks, health as an investment and health as a provider of utility. We estimate the Euler equation using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Consumption and Activities Mail Survey (CAMS). The estimates suggest that health is an important determinant of utility. We use the estimated model to study the empirical significance of the three building blocks of health. We find that health shocks play an important role in slowing down the decline of consumption with age in retirement. We also find that including health into the utility function could help explain the heterogeneous consumption-age profiles related to health. Finally, we find that health investments, such as physical exercise, have a significant effect on the evolutions of both health and consumption in retirement.


Among the vascular injuries, the brachial artery injury is common one. This is a retrospective study of 90 patients admitted at Al-Sader teaching hospital in Najaf from the 1 st of January 2007 to the 1 st of January 2008. The most common mechanism of injury was bullet and shell injuries (57.8%) followed by stab (25.5%), and blunt injury (13.4%). The least was iatrogenic in (3.3%) of cases. The surgical technique used to repair the vessel was resection and end to end anastamosis in 47.8% of cases, in 27.8% of the patients venous graft was used. Arteriorhaphy was done in 8.8% of the cases. Associated venous injuries were dealt with by ligation of the veins. No attempt to do venous repair and no fasciotomy was needed. The outcome of the injury in this study was in general good. The morbidity of the patients due to nerve injury ,wound infection and joint stiffness still a problem. Mortality was 7.7% was due to associated injuries and delayed presentation of the patients. (158)


In this work we report new optical properties of the Cd and Co-doped Ag2S colloidal solution. Cd and Co-doped Ag2S nanoparticles were prepared using a wet chemical method. The influence of doping on the optical properties of Cd and Co-doped nanoparticles was investigated. The TEM images showed the shape of samples is spherical of average particle size of about 6-18 nm for all pure and doped Ag2S nanoparticles. The absorption spectra of the doped samples are red shifted as compared with of the pure Ag2S samples. The Pl intensity of the Cd-doped Ag2S nanoparticles decreased as Cd concentration was increased. However, the Pl intensity of the Co-doped Ag2S reduced as the concentration of Co is enhanced. The particle sizes as calculated from the absorption spectra were in agreement with the results obtained from TEM.


The search for cleaner environmentally friendly power sources has been one of the hot topics in research over the past few years. Solid oxide fuel cells can be considered a promising option for the production of clean energy and one of the simplest routes to improve the efficiency of these devices is the microstructural engineering of component materials. In this work, an insight is provided into several cost-effective procedures of microstructural control of SOFC materials, ranging from an "eye-scale" down to the micrometre scale. The proposed procedures may be considered general and as such they can be used to optimise various materials for energy and environmentally related areas.


Digital games have become a part of daily life for people in recent years. they have the capacity of making game users set playing games as top priority in daily life. In this sense, playing digital games can break the balance between the virtual and the reality and it is possible that some people may get lost in the virtual world. However, this thesis argues that it can be inappropriate just equating excessive play with addiction. By discussing and connecting previous literature reviews on games and addiction, as well as adding three game case studies, this thesis finally finds collecting as a different approach to explore the difficulty to leave game world. Through discussing in-game collecting and book collecting in ancient China, this thesis helps answer how people understand the heavy use on digital games and what is hidden behind choosing to stay in game world.


In Britain provision is made for students with a low Basic Skills level (literacy and numeracy) to continue with their post-GCSE education in a low level vocational course. These low level courses aim to teach students basic, life and vocational skills necessary to progress to the next level. This study aims to find a pedagogy which is suited to the needs of these marginalised students and transforms them from spectators into spect-actors. Two programmes were designed, implemented, managed and measured by this study in order to find the pedagogy best suited to the needs of these students. Programme 1 was based on ideas by the educationalists Kolb, Petty, Honey and Mumford; and aimed to empower students with the basic and life skills necessary for progression. Programme 1 failed as the mostly narrative pedagogy was associated with a similar pedagogy used in schools. Assessment methods were unsuitable and the course paid more attention to the needs of the group than the needs of the individual. Programme 2 aimed to actively involve students in the learning of skills essential to progression and was based on theatrical techniques. Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, especially Forum Theatre, formed the basis of the student-centred programme. Boal's interactive theatre techniques, together with ideas taken from Aristotle, Artaud, Brecht, Heathcote and Freire formed the pedagogy of an interactive course where the focus fell on the needs of the individual student. This study found that Programme 2 was successful. Students took to the taskbased interactive course where all solutions to problems were found by means of active investigation, no theorem was learned without application and no action took place without a purpose. Students changed from spectators into spectactors with a view that the world is not stagnant but transformable. Achievement and success rates back up the findings. The interactive pedagogy using theatre techniques to teach can be applied across the curriculum and it is suggested that such courses should run alongside main stream academic courses to accommodate the learning of all students.


1. Minoxidil is a direct-acting vasodilator which has been used in combination with propranolol and hydrochlorothiazide to lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. 2. The therapeutic efficacy of minoxidil was compared with that of hydrallazine used in the same combination in eleven patients refractory to standard antihypertensive therapy. 3. The recumbent blood pressure of these patients on propranolol and hydrochlorothiazide alone averaged 191/128 mmHg and decreased to 142/92 mmHg during addition of minoxidil and only to 168/108 mmHg during hydrallazine treatment. 4. In addition to its greater efficacy, minoxidil exhibited a prolonged duration of action and there was no evidence of diminished response during treatment for as long as 2 years. 5. The paucity of side effects and the powerful activity of minoxidil in combination with the other drugs suggests that this agent may be of great value in the chronic therapy of hypertension.


Background and objective Diagnostic models used in the management of suspected angina provide no explicit information about prognosis. We present a new prognostic model of 10-year coronary mortality in patients presenting for the first time with suspected angina to complement the Diamond-Forrester diagnostic model of disease probability. Methods and results A multicentre cohort of 8762 patients with suspected angina was followed up for a median of 10 years during which 233 coronary deaths were observed. Developmental (n=4412) and validation (n=4350) prognostic models based on clinical data available at first presentation showed good performance with close agreement and the final model utilised all 8762 patients to maximise power. The prognostic model showed strong associations with coronary mortality for age, sex, chest pain typicality, smoking status, diabetes, pulse rate, and ECG findings. Model discrimination was good (C statistic 0.83), patients in the highest risk quarter accounting for 173 coronary deaths (10-year risk of death: 8.7%) compared with a total of 60 deaths in the three lower risk quarters. When the model was simplified to incorporate only Diamond-Forrester factors (age, sex and character of symptoms) it underestimated coronary mortality risk, particularly in patients with reversible risk factors. Conclusions For the first time in patients with suspected angina, a prognostic model is presented based on simple clinical factors available at the initial cardiological assessment. The model discriminated powerfully between patients at high risk and lower risk of coronary death during 10-year follow-up. Clinical utility was reflected in the prognostic value it added to the updated Diamond-Forrester diagnostic model of disease probability.


Traditionally, research on routing and wavelength assignment over wavelength-routed WDM networks is concerned with immediate reservation (IR) demands. An IR demand typically does not specify a holding time for data transmission and the start time of the data transmission is assumed to be immediate (i.e. when the connection request arrives). The concept of advance reservation (AR) has recently been gaining attention for optical networks. An AR demand typically specifies information about the start of the data transmission or a deadline, as well as the holding time of the transmission. AR has several important applications for both wide-area networks and Grid networks. For example, AR can be used for adjusting virtual topologies to adapt to predictable peak hour traffic usage. It can be used to provide high-bandwidth services such as video conferencing and in Grid applications requiring the scheduled distribution of large files and for co-allocation of network and grid resources. AR can also be beneficial to the network by allowing the network operator to better plan resource usage and therefore increase utilization. Knowledge of the holding time can lead to more optimal decisions for resource allocation. This translates to better quality of service for users. In this paper we provide a comprehensive survey of the past and current work on advance reservation for optical networks. There have been many variations of the advance reservation concept proposed, so we will also provide a broad classification. In addition to the survey, we will discuss what we believe are important areas of future work and open challenges for advance reservation on optical networks.


Despite the importance of usability in ensuring election integrity, it remains an under-studied aspect of voting systems. Voting computers (a.k.a. DREs) offer the opportunity to present ballots to voters in novel ways, yet this space has not been systematically explored. We constructed a DRE that, unlike most commercial DREs, does not require voters to view every race, but instead starts at the "review screen" and lets voters directly navigate to races. This was compared with a more traditional, sequentially-navigated, DRE. The direct access navigation model had two effects, both of which were quite large. First, voters made omission (undervote) errors markedly more often. Second, voters who were free to choose who to vote for chose to vote in substantially fewer races. We also examined the relationship between the true error rate—which is not observable in real elections—and the residual vote rate, a measure of effectiveness commonly used for real elections. Replicating the findings of [Campbell and Byrne 2009a], the mean residual vote rate was close to the mean true error rate, but the correlation between these measures was low, suggesting a loose coupling between these two measures.


In 1994, Martha Crenshaw's edited volume Terrorism in Africa made clear how terrorism – generally defined as a tactic that uses violence or the threat of violence as a coercive strategy to cause fear and political intimidation – was a feature within resistance movements, military coups, political assassinations, and various intra- and inter-state wars that have affected most African states at some point during the continent's transition to independence and subsequent post-colonial period.  Crenshaw further noted that terrorism was not "an isolated phenomenon" for African states or the region more broadly [1]. This description remains salient today: terrorism has been a global phenomenon for many decades, and Africa has not been unscathed by it. Terrorism is just one of several types of political violence that states and their citizens, in Africa and elsewhere, have had to grapple with. In fact, from a macro perspective, terrorism may not be universally seen as the most important security challenge faced by African states and their citizens. Famine, drought, endemic poverty, diseases and other natural and man-made disasters that undermine human security have also been at the forefront of recent policy discussions on Africa among Western governments and international aid organizations. It is thus necessary to place terrorism within the broader terrain of Africa's security challenges, before examining the historical trends and specific examples discussed in this Special Issue of Perspectives on Terrorism.


Modeling and experimental investigation of the distribution of seeded impurities and their influence on divertor detachment in all-metal tokamaks is critical for developing reactor-scale exhaust scenarios. In this work, the degree and operating space for Ne and N impurity seeded induced detachment in JET with ITER-like wall (JET- ILW) L-mode discharges is shown to be regulated by the combination of i) the local radiative dissipation in the low-field side divertor; and ii) the incursion of the ionization front towards the X-point with increased impurity seeding. Using a quantitative spectroscopic approach, it is shown that the net particle balance at the low-field side target is dominated by a marked decrease in the ionization source between the X-point and the target with increased N and Ne seeding, and only a marginal increase in the volume recombination rate. With increased seeding, the local radiated power dissipation (N only) and reduction in the power crossing the separatrix (both nitrogen and neon) leads to a reduction in the low-field side target T e . Consequently, the incursion of the ionization front away from a region of enhanced ionization rate caused by high Lyman series opacity at the outer target leads to a steep decrease of the outer target ion flux. In contrast to experiment, EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations using optically thin divertor plasma assumptions show a larger impact of volume recombination and a factor of two shortfall in the low-field side divertor n e . A detailed assessment of opacity effects using the EIRENE photon transport module is recommended.


The context for the thesis is the Government's ambitious target to eradicate child poverty by 2020 with interim targets to reduce it by a quarter by 2004/05 and to halve it by 2010/11 compared with its level in 1998/99. This remarkable pledge, with its implication of long-term commitment, is based on static headcount indicators, which measure the proportion of poor children in the population in a given year. These take no account of whether the same children experience poverty over a number of years or escape this condition. Furthermore, this pledge has not been matched by a sustained interrogation into the longitudinal nature of child poverty, which considers time in the mediation of poverty. While research on cross-sectional trends in child poverty and the associated risk factors is well established, there has been a dearth of research into the dynamic aspects of child poverty. Investigating the dynamic aspects of poverty is important since the longer the time a child spends in poverty, the more serious are the consequences to the quality of childhood, future outcomes across the life-course, and to society as a whole. The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the heterogeneity of child poverty experiences using twelve annual waves of the British Household Panel Study (1991-2002). Poverty is explored across three distinct time dimensions, namely, cross-sectional trends, short-term transitions between two consecutive years, and longer-term trajectories over the entire twelve year period. Low income is used as a proxy for poverty, with poverty defined as living in a household where income is below 60 per cent of the median adjusted for household size. As the poverty line is essentially arbitrary, the sensitivity of the findings are tested at different thresholds. Children are systematically compared with the overall population in order to assess similarities, differences, and progress over time.


Chronostratigraphy of the Montefiascone Volcanic Complex (MVC) and its relationships with the activity of the neighbouring Vulsinian complexes has been investigated by means of 40 Ar/ 39 Ar datings. The age measurements have been performed on a volcanic succession whose products have been erupted both from MVC and adjoining volcanic complexes. The older MVC activity has been characterized by eruption of hydromagmatic products interlayered with lava flows. The beginning of this activity has been inferred from the age of a pyroclastic deposit (IgPs: 286+ or -4.3 ka) directly underlying the Pratalano Ignimbrite (IgP), which is the first product of MVC. The Montefiascone Ignimbrite (IgM: 254.5+ or -8 ka) marks the onset of the final hydromagmatic activity of MVC, characterized by wet surge deposits.The, same fall deposit sampled in three different localities (Pisciarello, Fonte del Noce and Cunicchio) can be recognized as belonging to the final products of the Bolsena-Orvieto Volcanic Complex, on the basis of thickness, chemistry and age (245.3+ or -4.7, 257.4+ or -11.2, 253.2+ or -10.3 ka). Finally, two pyroclastic deposits, a pumice flow sampled at Ponte della Regina and a fall coming from Bolceno could be respectively linked to the first Latera ignimbrite and to the associated fall deposits. The final MVC activity (IgM = 254.5+ or -8 ka) is almost coeval with the onset of the Latera Plinian activity, which is represented by the pyroclastic levels of Ponte della Regina (243.3+ or -6.8 ka) and Bolceno (245.9+ or -5.7 ka). Likewise, the Bolsena-Orvieto Volcanic Complex is characterized at the same time by Plinian eruptions whose products are interalyered with those of MVC.


Almost 1,500 papers have been uploaded to SocArXiv since its launch last year. Up to now the platform has operated alongside the peer-review journal system rather than seriously disrupting it. Looking ahead to the next stage of its development, Philip Cohen considers how SocArXiv might challenge the peer review system to be more efficient and transparent, firstly by confronting the bias that leads many who benefit from the status quo to characterise mooted alternatives as extreme. The value and implications of openness at the various decision points in the system must be debated, as should potentially more disruptive innovations such as non-exclusive review and publication or crowdsourcing reviews.


An audio platform game was created and evaluated in order to answer the question of whether or not an audio game could be designed that effectively conveys the spatial information necessary for persons with visual impairments to successfully navigate the game levels and respond to audio cues in time to avoid obstacles. The game used several types of audio cues (sounds and speech) to convey the spatial setup (map) of the game world. Most audio-only players seemed to be able to create a workable mental map from the game's sound cues alone, pointing to potential for the further development of similar audio games for persons with visual impairments. The research also investigated the navigational strategies used by persons with visual impairments and the accuracy of the participants' mental maps as a consequence of their navigational strategy. A comparisons of the maps created by visually impaired participants with those created by sighted participants playing the game with and without graphics, showed no statistically significant difference in map accuracy between groups. However, there was a marked difference between the number of "invented" objects when we compared this value between the sighted audio-only group and the other groups, which could serve as an area for future research.


Educational programs prepare students theoretically for the workplace, but many programs are still lacking in the real-world skills that the workplace requires. This is especially evident in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education where today's graduates hold a fundamental role in advancing science, medicine, sustainability, national security, and the economy, yet the programs to prepare them are falling short of employer expectations. At present, there is a lack of information on the necessary skills for workplace success that is specific to Airline, Aerospace, Defense (A&D) and related Industries' STEM graduates. This paper attempts to fill this gap by offering a model of the skills required of STEM graduates for successful integration into the A&D and related Industries' workplace. The purpose of the case study is to explore the employer's perspective on the job skills that influence the success of STEM college graduates. The case study method was used that involved a purposeful sample strategy of hiring individuals for STEM based positions within the A&D and related Industries. The initial interviews support the job performance skills that have been identified in our research. The highest sought after skills are problem solving, team player, ability to gather data, and adaptability. The lowest sought after skill is negotiation. Two additional skills recommended by the interviewees will be added to future studies – time management, active listening skills. The conclusions reached emphasize the importance of real life applications during STEM classes and programs to better prepare future STEM employees for the workplace.


Abstract Annual growth bands of mollusk shells record several types of paleoenvironmental information, including geochemical proxies for water properties and morphological characteristics of growth and mortality. Sclerochronology, the marine counterpart of dendrochronology, offers a way to link individual shells together to form long continuous records of such parameters. It also allows for precise dating of recent shells and identification of contemporaneous fossil individuals. The longevity of the ocean quahog Arctica islandica (commonly >100 yr) makes this species well suited for sclerochronology. Band width records of contemporaneous A. islandica specimens from the same region exhibit high correlations (ρ = 0.60–0.80 for spans of ≥30 bands), indicating some common environmental influences on shell growth. By adopting several strict criteria, fossil (dead-collected) shells can be linked into composite sclerochronologies. A seven-shell 154-yr chronology was constructed for Georges Bank using three live-collected and four dead-collected shells. Band width matching indicates that the dead-collected individuals died in A.D. 1950, 1971, 1978, and 1989. Sclerochronological age assignments were verified using aspartic acid racemization dating. Construction of a 1000-yr sclerochronology is judged to be feasible using the described methods.


In the standard common agency model of politics, the interest groups always lobby a single policy-making entity for policy favor. To deal with this unreality, I step in some issues about the trade policy making that is entangled with the multiplicity of public decision-makers. My study cooperates multi-agent and the common agency model to analyze the trade policy making under the political system that is controlled by a number of lawmakers. The analysis points out that the committee of symmetric lawmakers behaves like a single government but the equilibrium policy is not efficient. Because the presence of multiple players on the both sides, lobbies and lawmakers, creates the strategic externalities among lawmakers, it is impossible for all the players to achieve the optimum of their sum bliss. Moreover, focusing on the phenomena of the bipartisan corruption in the United States, I examine the fund-raising race between two parties in the bipartisan political system. If collecting political money implies that the party sells its service to the rent seekers, the party's popularity will fade as its fund raising activity is more vigorous than its opponent's is. The interaction between two political parties is modeled as a differential game. The results show that the subgame perfect equilibrium considerably lifts political money collecting activity compared with time consistent. This partially explains why the political parties ignore the public's criticism on their soft money collecting activities and engage in an ever-escalating fund raising race. Finally, I apply the common agency model and Nash bargaining process to analyze the immigration policy of a small country. Our results show that, under incomplete political economy, the political equilibrium is to set up quantitative restrictions on the inflow of foreign labors. If the marginal cost of deterring illegal immigrants can be covered by the marginal benefit of allowing legal immigrants for entry, setting an optimal border control vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. to deter the illegal immigrants from entry and simultaneously allowing a certain level of legal foreign labor for entry is the political equilibrium. The bargaining power of government does not affect the immigration policy, but in the long run it does.


The Singapore Court of Appeal, the highest court in Singapore, recently had the opportunity to make a number of important observations on the validity and effect of prenuptial agreements in the case of TQ v TR. This commentary is focused mainly on the legal view of prenuptial agreements relating to the division of matrimonial assets upon a divorce. It discusses whether prenuptial agreements are valid in Singapore and the extent to which they are enforceable or relevant in disputes on financial issues during matrimonial proceedings.


Spark ignition (SI) engines have been developed for more than one century. In today's
modern vehicles, the SI engine has been demonstrated to be efficient and reliable.
However, automotive engineers are still seeking to improve and optimize SI engine
performance. The key to optimize the SI performance is the setup of the engine control
unit (ECU). The setup includes various engine parameters, such as engine speed, brake
torque, and air intake mass flow etc. Problems can arise in how to acquire the data of
desired engine parameters for constructing the SI engine control system. Engine sensors
and some special equipment are employed to acquire the desired data. The equipment
includes the engine dynamometer and gas analyzer that are much more expensive than
engine sensors. In addition, the setup process of the ECU is a time consuming procedure
by testing the engine on the dynamometer.
The engine system is highly non-linear, as simple mathematical equations have
difficulty expressing the relationship between each engine parameter. Assumptions and
simplifications must be made in conventional engine models. Artificial neural networks
have the ability to model and optimize non-linear dynamic systems. Thus, the neural
network may be an alternative approach for engine modeling if there is a lack of
understanding of the engine system.
This study aims to apply of artificial neural networks as virtual sensors in SI engine
modeling. A Holden Vectra engine was employed for this study. The selected engine
input parameters depend on the availability of the engine sensors. Power, fuel
consumption and emissions are the output parameters which must be measured by the
engine dynamometer and the gas analyzer. A total number of 8 inputs and 9 outputs were
selected in the engine modelling. Two different artificial neural network structures
namely: BackPropagation (BP) and Optimization Layer by Layer (OLL) neural networks
were compared based on output parameters prediction. Two data sets were obtained for
model training and prediction respectively. This work is a step towards establishing
application of artificial neural networks as virtual sensors for IC engine modeling.


This study investigates the visitors' satisfaction at the most popular urban recreational area, Kepong Metropolitan Park, Selangor. It presents the analysis and synthesis of information collected from an open-ended survey. Selected visitors were asked to state their opinions regarding overall scene and the answers were summarized and categorized in terms of several dimensions. As a result, the researcher found that the visitors expressed several comments and suggestions that could be used as push and pull factors in determining their satisfaction in the recreational area. These two dimensional phenomenons are very useful  as reference to researchers or designers to identify and fulfill the visitors' satisfaction for future preparation of recreational area.
© 2016 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK.. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, UniversitiTeknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Keywords: Push and Pull Factor, Visitor Satisfaction, Urban Recreation Area, Open-ended Survey


This desk report explores how West African community-based armed groups (CBAGs) facilitate women's engagement with politics, create avenues for female expressions of anger, commitment to community values and national identity, and enable women to push for change in their communities by opening spaces for female participation. Assessing the formal and informal contributions women make to armed community mobilization and hybrid security reveals opportunities for gender-specific engagement and cautions that unidimensional considerations of where and how women intersect with conflict and security have the potential to undermine violence reduction and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts.


_._----Recent Limno10gica1 Studies of the Alkaline Lakes in Nebraska and North Dakota D. B. Me Carraher Game, Forestation and Parks Commission Bassett, Nebraska Environmental relationships and biological indices have been recorded for 1,200 sandhi11s lakes in Nebraska since 1954. Three lakes in central and southern North Dakota were investigated during the years 1963 to 1964. Most of the Nebraska lakes were alkaline eutrophic of the sodium bicarbonate and sodium + potassium carbonate types. The North Dakota lakes range from sodium bicarbonate to sodium sulfate types. These lakes may be classified as saline eutrohpic. The ionic composition differs from that of the marine and inland sodium chloride type of water. The invertebrate fauna of permanently alkaline environments are discussed from the point of view that the faunal associations present are related to the total alkalinity and pH conditions. The biota of high alkaline lakes reflected specialized : 'a1ka1inbionts' species not present in light alkaline sites. With increasing alkalinity the number of species decreased, but the number of individuals of the remaining species increased. Phy110pod shrimp of the Genera Branchinecta and Artemia dominate the macrofauna of the high alkaline lakes (1.2-6.5% solids) in N·eb~aska. Twenty species of fish are found. About 33 percent of Nebraska's sandhill lakes are non-supporting for fish life because of excessive alkalinity content. In North Dakota, about 40 percent of the saline lakes are non-inhabitable for fish life because of high concentrations of sodium sulfate ions. Retrospective studies are currently underway with euryha1ine fish; i.e., Archop1ites interruptus, Roccus americanus, and estuarine shrimp, Crangon septumspinosa, Pa1aemonetes vulgaris, as potential inhabitants of mineral waters in both states. The thousands of alkaline and saline environments present throughout the Northern Great Plains region offers vast opportunities for prospective experimentation in hydrobio10gy. 15th Annual Meeting of American Institute of Biological Sciences, Boulder, Colo. 1964.


Phylogeography is the study of the spatial arrangement of genealogical lineages, especially within and among conspecific populations and closely related species (10). Ever since its inception in the late 1970s (11, 12) and mid-1980s (13), the field has sought to extend phylogenetic reasoning to the intraspecific level, and thereby build empirical and conceptual bridges between the formerly separate disciplines of microevolutionary population genetics and macroevolutionary phylogenetics. In the early years, phylogeographers relied on data from restriction-site surveys of mitochondrial (mt) DNA to draw inferences about population structure and historical demography, but stunning improvements in molecular techniques (14, 15) and extensions of coalescent theory and other analytical methods (16) later broadened the field's scope dramatically (17). Phylogeographic perspectives have transformed aspects of population biology, biogeography, systematics, ecology, genetics, and biodiversity conservation. One aim of this colloquium was to bring together leading scientists to address the current state of phylogeography as the discipline enters its fourth decade. The broader goal was to update a wide audience on recent developments in phylogeographic research and their relevance to past accomplishments and future research directions.


Although most of the literature on manipulation systems deals with systems with as many degrees of freedom as the dimension of their task space, or even with more (redundant manipulators), kinematically defective manipulation systems are often encountered in robotics, in particular when dealing with simple industry-oriented grippers, or when the whole surface of the manipulator limbs is exploited to constrain the manipulated object, as in "whole-arm" manipulation. Kinematically defective systems differ from nondefective and redundant manipulation systems in many ways, some of which have been addressed in the literature. In this paper, we focus on one of the central problems of manipulation, i.e., controlling the manipulator in order to track a desired object trajectory, while guaranteeing that contact forces are controlled so as to comply with contact constraints (friction bounds, etc.) at every instant. We attack this problem by an unified approach that is appropriate for manipulation systems with general kinematics. When dealing with kinematically defective systems, it is not possible to assign arbitrary trajectories of object motions and contact forces. To understand what restrictions position and force reference trajectories should exhibit in order to be feasible by a given system, is the central issue of this work.


The physical characteristics of radon are reported as well as its sources,the transport in rock and its behaviour in caves. Then, the instruments,both active and passive, used for the measurement of radon concentration are discussed by taking into account their respective advantages and disadvantages for the use in the cave environment. Since in many countries radon is the object of regulations that were adopted for radiation protection purposes, this aspect is examined and the recommendations issued by international organisations and enforced in different countries are reported. Materials, methods and other remarks on the limits implementation are also listed with the aim of providing the managers of show caves with some instruments to comply with the domestic requirements with the most convenient solution.


Cross-sections are calculated for the accidental resonance reaction, He2+ + H(ls) -> He+(2s or 2p) + H +, and the non-resonance reaction, H+ + H (ls)-> H(2s or 2p) + H+ by means of the method due to Bates in which account is taken of the non-orthogonality of the wave functions describing the initial and final states. Proper allowance is made for the effects of distortion and of momentum transfer. The calculations are carried out for incident ion energies in the range 25 to 800 keV. In the accidental resonance case, the cross-section is small at low velocities of relative motion, and tends rapidly towards zero as the velocity is decreased in accordance with the prediction of Bates & Lynn. In all processes investigated the effect of distortion is considerable. Using the results of McCarroll & McElroy and of McCarroll for capture into the ground states of He+ and H, the cross-sections for capture into all states are estimated. Comparisons are made with the experimental data of Fite, Smith & Stebbings for the incident alpha particle case and with that of Fite, Stebbings, Hummer & Brackman for the incident proton case. The highest energy for which cross-sections are measured in either case is however only 40 keV.


Samuel Bourne (1834-1912), one of the most prestigious Victorian English commercial photographers to have worked in British India, is best known for his photographs of the Himalayas. Bourne's work features in general studies of photography of the period; his representations of the Indian landscape have been the object of studies and several exhibitions. Bourne was in India initially from 1863 to 1870 thereby establishing his career as a professional photographer. Soon after his arrival he started a business with the experienced photographer Charles Shepherd. Within a few years, the firm of Bourne & Shepherd became recognised as being a directing influence over British-Indian photography. The photographs were taken either in studio or on location, and included individual and group portraits of both the British and Indians, topographical images in which peoples were incidental, as well as a range of representations of Indian life, customs and types. These images were informed by, and in turn contributed to, an expanding body of photographic practice that mixed, to varying degrees, authenticity and aesthetic style. Whilst Bourne's work was significant and influential in the representation of Indian peoples, no substantial study has been undertaken until now. The aim of this thesis is to redress this imbalance. The central focus highlights the specific character of the images portraying Indian people. This specificity was determined by a combination of technical and 'authorial' factors, by the audience to which they were addressed — ranging from the general public in Britain to the family circle of wealthy Indians — by commercial considerations, and by current and evolving notions of authority, race and gender. The first two chapters seek to frame Bourne's work by first examining the political and cultural context of photography in India during the mid-nineteenth century, then by focusing on the context of the photographer's own production. The following three chapters are concerned with the study of the photographs themselves regarding what they depict and the questions they raise such as gender, racial identities and imperialism. The last chapter is an attempt to assess the significance of these photographs by comparing them with the work of Lala Deen Dayal, and highlighting different perspectives on Bourne's work regarding British India and Western societies. Placed in the context of the development of photography as a medium of record and representation, this thesis aims to show that Bourne's work is a significant historical source for understanding British cultural presence in post-Mutiny India.


This paper aims to increase our understanding of sustainable business model innovation in the agri-food sector in terms of its theoretical and practical approaches for sustainability and their degree of complexity and maturity. The paper is based on a systematic literature review of 570 journal articles on business models and business model innovation published between 1990 and 2014. Of these articles, only 21 have business model innovation as their main focus. The review shows that research interest in the agri-food sector has increased in these years. The paper proposes a conceptual framework for sustainable business model innovation in the agri-food sector that can be used to meet the challenges encountered in taking a sustainability perspective.


Recently, the Ninth Circuit was the first circuit court to address a discovery request to un-mask anonymous speakers in a case involving online speech. Many hoped, given the competing standards developed by courts over the past decade, that In re Anonymous Online Speakers would provide a singular standard to guide the lower courts in anonymous online speech cases. However, not only did the Ninth Circuit decline to clarify competing standards, it mistakenly characterized the online nature of the defendant's speech as a separate factor in the aforementioned balancing test, finding that the allegedly harmful speech occurred on the Internet inherently weighed against the anonymous speaker. In making this assumption, the Ninth Circuit failed to accurately understand the effect of various online spaces on the accuracy, verifiability, and correct-ability of anonymous online speech. In light of the Ninth Circuit's decision, this Note argues that regardless of the standard employed in balancing the rights of the anonymous online speakers with the rights of allegedly harmed plaintiffs, courts cannot afford to misunderstand the nature of the Internet nor, by extension, the nature of speech occurring in online contexts.This Note shows that highlighting the online context of the speech is not only necessary for combating the misconception of the Internet as a wild, undifferentiated frontier, but is also in line with established precedent in both anonymous speech cases and cases involving online speech. Furthermore, this Note summarizes recent efforts of a number of district and state courts to take the context of online speech into account when balancing the rights of anonymous speakers with the rights of harmed plaintiffs. These cases reveal that, though good efforts at capturing the nature of speech in a variety of online spaces, courts fail to understand the particularly malleable and fast-changing characteristics of specific online sites. As such, this Note will show that online speech cases occur in situations of a peculiarly malleable nature for two main reasons, and that both reasons must be taken into account in anonymous online speech cases. Not only are the different categories of online spaces themselves constantly developing, but the user norms and technological codes governing speech, actions, and communications within and between these spaces are also constantly (and sometimes abruptly) changing. Thus, courts' investigations of the meaning and effect of online speech require a nuanced understanding of both the heterogeneity of online spaces as well as the malleable nature of particular sites and services within different categories of online spaces.


Abstract. A radiative transfer model was parameterized and validated using Biogeochemical Argo float data acquired between 2012 and 2017 across the Mediterranean Sea. Fluorescence-derived chlorophyll a concentration, particle backscattering at 700 nm and fluorescence of colored dissolved organic matter were used to parametrize the light absorption and scattering coefficients of the optically significant water constituents (pure water, non-algal particles, colored dissolved organic matter and phytoplankton). The model was validated with in-situ downwelling irradiance profiles and irradiance-derived apparent optical properties from satellite data, such as the diffuse attenuation coefficients and remote sensing reflectance. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that a three-platform comparison of such kind is performed between model, floats and satellites. Results showed that by using regional parameterizations that are not only related to chlorophyll concentration and vertical distribution, the model was able to capture a more accurate spectral response in the examined wavelength range compared to chlorophyll-related (or Case 1) optical models. When using alternative models that incorporated also measurements of colored dissolved organic matter fluorescence or particulate optical backscattering, the model skill increased at all examined wavelengths. A series of upgrades, such as the inclusion of temperature and salinity data for the modification of the pure water absorption spectra, a refined pure water absorption model, as well as the correction of regional algorithms that had overestimated the pure water contribution in the blue, all contributed to improve the model performance. Finally, using a multi-spectral optical configuration enabled to estimate also the relative contribution of separate water constituents in the examined spectral range. Simulations including non-algal particles and colored dissolved organic matter performed up to 60 % and 76 % better than when considering the optical properties of pure seawater alone. Moreover, a simulation including phytoplankton absorption resulted in an error reduction of up to 43 %, especially at 412 nm and with a more uniform response at the wavelengths considered. Such studies can therefore also tackle the bio-optically anomalous nature of the Mediterranean Sea, and show that non-chlorophyll-related constituents (i.e. non-algal particles and colored dissolved organic matter) can substantially modulate the underwater light field in the blue.


We present the first study to examine the validity of the relativistic impulse approximation (RIA) for describing elastic proton-nucleus scattering at incident laboratory kinetic energies lower than 200 MeV. For simplicity we choose a (208)Pb target, which is a spin-saturated spherical nucleus for which reliable nuclear structure models exist. Microscopic scalar and vector optical potentials are generated by folding invariant scalar and vector scattering nucleon-nucleon (NN) amplitudes, based on our recently developed relativistic meson-exchange model, with Lorentz scalar and vector densities resulting from the accurately calibrated PK1 relativistic mean field model of nuclear structure. It is seen that phenomenological Pauli blocking (PB) effects and density-dependent corrections to sigma N and omega N meson-nucleon coupling constants modify the RIA microscopic scalar and vector optical potentials so as to provide a consistent and quantitative description of all elastic scattering observables, namely, total reaction cross sections, differential cross sections, analyzing powers and spin rotation functions. In particular, the effect of PB becomes more significant at energies lower than 200 MeV, whereas phenomenological density-dependent corrections to the NN interaction also play an increasingly important role at energies lower than 100 MeV.


A two-year study was conducted in an organic vineyard to evaluate the phytochemical concentrations and antioxidant capacity of grapes treated with low copper for downy mildew control compared to grapes that were untreated or treated with a standard fungicide. The metabolic profile, antioxidant capacity, and downy mildew incidence and severity were assessed. The maturity of grapes was an important factor in determining the potential risk for the spread of fungal disease, as suggested by principle components analysis (PCA), which showed a positive relationship between tartaric acid concentration and both incidence and severity of downy mildew disease. Polyphenols and thiols were more abundant in berries with less disease. The thiols were highly correlated with the antioxidant capacity, indicating an important role of these metabolites in determining the antioxidant potential of grape berries. Moreover, both the antioxidant indexes and thiols in the PCA were plotted opposite the disease severity and incidence, suggesting that higher antioxidant potential may be responsible for an increased capacity of grapes to counteract the disease. Results showed that low-copper formulations could control grape downy mildew in the field with a similar efficacy to the standard reference fungicide, without affecting the phytochemical profile and the antioxidant potential of grapes. Low-copper formulations may be thus considered alternatives for organic agriculture that minimize costs and copper accumulation in the soil, thus ensuring grape quality in a sustainable crop management system.


Background: The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing at an alarming rate globally. There is a need for suitable natural alternatives for its treatment, as the regular use of drugs causes several secondary health issues. Aim: This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the phenol and flavonoid content; antioxidant and anti-diabetic activity of fenugreek seeds and leaves in water and ethanolic extracts. Materials and Methods: Dried and powdered seeds and leaves of fenugreek were treated at different time and temperature combinations (100°C for 10 min; 80°C for 30 min; 60°C for 1 h; 37°C for 6 h; 24°C [room temperature] for 24 h; 100°C for 10 min followed by overnight soaking). Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and glucose uptake assays on 3T3-L1 cell lines were performed on the extracts. Results: The results show that fenugreek leaves treated at 100°C for 10 min and overnight soaking yield extracts with the highest concentrations of desired phenols (46.08 ± 0.15 mg GAE/g sample) and flavonoid content (13.02 ± 0.44 mg/g sample) and antioxidant activity (DPPH) (45.41 ± 2.1%) with enhanced glucose uptake activity in 3T3-L1 cell lines. Conclusion: The phenolic and flavonoid content, DPPH radical scavenging activity and antidiabetic activity was highest in the water extract of fenugreek leaves treated at 100°C for 10 min and subsequent soaking for 24 h before filtration as compared to the other protocols tested. Furthermore, water extracts showed enhanced activity as compared to the ethanol extracts in case of both seeds and leaves and in all the treatment combinations. Abbreviations Used: 2NBDG: (2-(N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol-4-yl) Amino)-2-Deoxyglucose), DM: Diabetes mellitus, DMEM: Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium, DPPH: 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, GA: Gallic Acid, GAE: Gallic Acid Equivalents, PBS: Phosphate Buffered Saline, TFC: Total Flavonoid Content, TPC: Total Phenolic Content


Vaucanson is a generic finite state machine manipulation platform. We have based our genericity on the ability to not only support various types of automata, but also to use different data structures to reprensent them. In its current state, we have various techniques to iterate over sets of transitions, however, none of them is really independent of the data structures. To overcome this problem, we have integrated the design pattern Iterator. Our goal is to assess the improvements given by this method in terms of performance and code writing.


Abstract Phosphorylation of histone H3 at serine 10 (p-H3S10) is a marker of active gene transcription. Using cognitive models of neural plasticity, p-H3S10 was shown to be downstream of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling in the hippocampus. In this study, we show that nociceptive signalling after peripheral formalin injection increased p-H3S10 expression in the ipsilateral dorsal horn. This increase was maximal 30 minutes after formalin injection and occurred mainly within p-ERK-positive neurons. Spinal p-H3S10-enhanced expression was also observed in neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), c-Fos, and Zif268 positive neurons and was inhibited by ablation of serotonergic descending controls. The mitogen and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1) is downstream of ERK and can induce p-H3S10. We found that, after formalin injection, most phospho-MSK1 (p-MSK1)-positive cells (87% ± 3%) expressed p-ERK and the majority of p-H3S10-positive cells (85% ± 5%) expressed p-MSK1. Inhibition of ERK activity with the MEK inhibitor SL327 reduced formalin-induced p-ERK, p-MSK1, and p-H3S10, demonstrating that spinal p-MSK1 and p-H3S10 were at least partly downstream of ERK signalling. Crucially, pharmacological blockade of spinal MSK1 activity with the novel MSK1 inhibitor SB727651A inhibited formalin-induced spinal p-H3S10 and nocifensive behaviour. These findings are the first to establish the involvement of p-H3S10 and its main kinase, MSK1, in ERK regulation of nociception. Given the general importance of ERK signalling in pain processing, our results suggest that p-H3S10 could play a role in the response to injury.


ABSTRACT: Understanding the effects of the parameters affecting the interaction of tandem hydrofoil system is a crucial subject in order to fully comprehend the aero/hydrodynamics of any vehicle moving inside a fluid. This study covers a parametric study on tandem hydrofoil interaction in both potential and viscous fluids using iterative Boundary Element Method (BEM) and RANSE. BEM allows a quick estimation of the flow around bodies and may be used for practical purposes to assess the interaction inside the fluid. The produced results are verified by conformal mapping and Finite Volume Method (FVM). RANSE is used for viscous flow conditions to assess the effects of viscosity compared to the inviscid solutions proposed by BEM. Six different parameters are investigated and they are the effects of distance, thickness, angle of attack, chord length, aspect ratio and tapered wings. A generalized 2-D code is developed implementing the iterative procedure and is adapted to generate results. Effects of free surface and cavitation are ignored. It is believed that the present work will provide insight into the parametric interference between hydrofoils inside the fluid.


Studies of marine benthic communities have shown that pollution impacts can often be detected without identifying taxa to the species level, thus saving considerable time and cost. We tested whether differences among unpolluted intertidal communities along weak estuarine physical gradients could similarly be detected with various species aggregates. We used a spatially hierarchi- cal sampling design to study species-rich, low-shore communities from pebble-sand beaches in Puget Sound, Washington. Previous research showed that weak north-south gradients in salinity, wave energy, and proportion of fine sediments correlate clearly with species richness of the benthic epibiota and macroinfauna. In this study, we found similar correlations with data aggregated to the family level but weaker correlations at higher levels (class, phylum, or trophic groupings). Multivari- ate analyses of community data at the species level show distinct separation among geographically distinct areas; similar spatial patterns are visible almost as clearly when data are gathered at lower resolution in the field or when species-level data are aggregated to families. Higher-level aggrega- tions cause spatial patterns to become progressively less distinct. Much of this effectiveness of family- level aggregation stems from the biota being family-rich but with few species per family. For this biota, monitoring programs using only families or other readily identifiable taxa should be able to detect many potential changes in community patterns in space or time. Incorporating occasional sur- veys using identification and analysis at the species level would add the capacity to examine biodi- versity and possible within-family changes in species abundances.


The digitalization of businesses is a pervasive tide of innovation whose challenges the literature increasingly addresses. Nevertheless, management research has given much less attention to the implications of digital transformation (DT) for the innovation process and its management. This paper aims to contribute to the debate by exploring the implications of DT for the organization and management of innovation in five leading, innovative Brazilian incumbents. In-depth multiple case studies have been carried out in 2020/21 to produce empirical data on the diffusion of DT and how it has affected innovation strategy, organization, and management practices. Our findings suggest that innovative incumbent firms face a considerable challenge. Competition in their markets continues to require proprietary solutions, technologies, products, and processes as the basis of the current or new business models. So, they must perform both business model innovation and product/service innovation under the diffusion of digitalization. However, the attainment of each of these innovation goals is attributed to distinctive organizational units, which seldom are organically integrated. The companies investigated face the emergence of two poles of innovation, whose orchestration is not trivial.


We report a viable laser transmitter for free-space undersea communications. An all-fiber, picosecond, Watt-level master-oscillator-power-amplifier (MOPA) system at 1.5 mum based on rapid amplification of mode-locked pulses in heavily Er:Yb codoped phosphate fiber is combined with fiber pigtailed lithium niobate intensity modulator (pulse picker), to construct a fully integrated eye-safe transmitter operating at 65-Mb/s data rate, that can be used in intermediate-range (few kilometers) atmospheric communication links. For undersea use, the output of the MOPA system is frequency-tripled into the blue-green transparency window of ocean water. The wavelength conversion occurs in a simple single-pass setup utilizing a sequence of two periodically poled lithium niobate crystals, both of which are operated at room temperature. The conversion efficiency from fundamental to third harmonic reached 14% and resulted in generation of 140 mW of average power at 518 nm. The conversion efficiency can be straightforwardly increased threefold using properly antireflection-coated optics in the free-space part of the setup, and the data rate can be scaled up into the gigabit-per-second range by using a faster mode-locked oscillator in the MOPA system.


Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is one of the most prominent emerging technologies for mitigating global climate change. In this study, a comparative evaluation for CO2 fixation by carbonation of steelmaking slag was performed by life cycle assessment (LCA) using Umberto 5.5.4 software, with the Swiss Eco-invent 2.2 database. Six scenarios of carbonation for basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS), steel converted slag (SCS), and blended hydraulic slag cement (BHC) in different types of reactors and/or method were established. The environmental impacts for each scenario are quantified using the valuation system of ReCiPe, where global warming potential (GWP), ecosystem quality potential (EQP), and human health potential (HHP) were evaluated. In addition, sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the relevant uncertainties of heating efficiency on the GHG emissions in direct carbonation processes. According to the results of LCA and sensitivity analysis, the direct carbonation of steelmaking slag in a slurry reactor was found to be the most attractive method, since the GWP was the lowest among the selected scenarios. Furthermore, the best available technology (BAT) for CO2 capture by carbonation processes of alkaline wastes was proposed according to the key performance indicators (KPIs) with respect to engineering considerations and environmental impacts. It was concluded that the accelerated carbonation of steelmaking slag should be performed by combining the slurry reactor with a rotating packed bed (RPB) to maximize carbonation conversion and minimize environmental impacts and additional CO2 emissions.


This study examines the performance of several active extension strategies, commonly known as 130/30, in the Australian equities market. A detailed analysis of the factors affecting performance is explored using Monte Carlo simulations based on eight years of historical returns for the constituents of the S&P/ASX 200 index under a variety of realistic cost assumptions. We find evidence of a statistically significant increase in performance of active extension strategies over equivalent long-only portfolios, holding all other factors constant. The observed increase is highest for managers with greater levels of skill, where any tracking error limit is high and total costs are low. This is one of the first studies in the Australian market and is expected to have a high degree of relevance to institutional investors considering active extension strategies.


The light traverses a rotating polarizer and the relative intensity behind this analyzer is measured photoelectrically as a function of the analyzer azimuth. A Fourier analysis is applied to the values obtained. The Fourier constants are practically equivalent to the Stokes parameters and their relations to other polarization parameters such as the phase difference, the azimuth, and the degree of polarization are given. The method may be applied to light of any wavelength. The theory is demonstrated by some measurements which were made with an especially constructed analyzer drive. For most practical cases a very satisfactory precision in the measurement of the polarization parameters is obtained.


Despite evidence of coverage errors and net un- dercounts in surveys due to listing errors and omissions from house- hold rosters, little systematic attention has been devoted to the mea- surement properties of household rosters. This article draws on data from the Living Situation Survey, a pilot study that experimented with expanded roster cues and probes to identify individuals with marginal or tenuous attachments to households. The data are ana- lyzed to test hypotheses that disagreements among individuals may cause omissions and to evaluate the traditional reliance on household respondents as the source of information about who lives in a house- hold. Evidence from the Living Situation Survey is used to identify categories of persons most at risk of omission due to disagreements and to suggest further directions for research to improve the ros- tering process in household surveys.


Yellow bristle grass (Setaria pumila) is a summer-growing annual grass currently expanding in distribution throughout pastures in Waikato. Readily grazed in its early vegetative growth stage, it is avoided by animals when the seed heads appear as barbed bristles lead to animal health problems, particularly around the mouth. Three field trials were conducted with several herbicides for control of yellow bristle grass. Since yellow bristle grass germinates over an extended period from November to February, the best control that could be achieved from a single herbicide application was 70% by 2,2-DPA alone or in combination with either TCA or carbetamide, applied in December. MSMA was more effective on larger plants. Ethofumesate treatment resulted in poor control of yellow bristle grass and severe damage to white clover (Trifolium repens). All herbicides evaluated resulted in variable levels of damage to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne).


In 2010 the Faculty of Science at the University of Wollongong (UOW) decided to inform its admissions policy by analysing the results in the introductory chemistry subject CHEM101. The data was analysed by members of the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics using a generalised linear model. This paper discusses the model and its implications. One of the conclusions is that the level of mathematics studied for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) is a better predictor of performance in CHEM101 than either the HSC Chemistry mark or the student's Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. As a result of the analysis in this article, the Faculty of Science at UOW changed its early admission procedures. A pdf file of a presentation by the first author on this material and an interactive passing probability calculator based on the model are available at [11] and [10] respectively.


[Excerpt] "With the introduction of no-fault divorce, one spouse could unilaterally petition for divorce, in most states, by demonstrating a period of separation or the impossibility of reconciliation. The possibility that a marriage can be dissolved without a showing of fault has obliterated the need to seek consent from the other spouse contesting it. This can preclude the need for a mutually designed financial arrangement. Courts now play a greater role in such financial arrangements and are more likely to conform such financial arrangements to statutory standards. From state to state, despite the prevalence of such conforming by courts, resulting arrangements can still be greatly inconsistent and uncertain. "Even when the couple negotiated, they were often limited by courts to trading off more predictable property for less predictable spousal support within the overall range of outcomes expected under the law." Alimony is a corollary to the intimate relationship sanctioned by the state called marriage. Constructions of marriage and the meanings attributed to marital status are keys to helping scholars figure out whether and what duties of financial support do and should exist between spouses and others in intimate relationships. This article classifies alimony scholarship along two major axes: status to contract; and property to personhood. [...]In Parts I and II, this article begins by examining both theories and analyzing them along the matrix between status and contract. Then, the article develops the second property to personhood matrix and the analyses of Ellman and Maine, mapping current alimony scholarship along the intersection of these two axes: status to contract; and property to personhood. Along the matrix from status to contract, there are arguments for and against alimony as a viable duty between ex-spouses in the future, either in support of the family generally, and in Part V in support of individual selfsufficiency, or women's rehabilitation, or as compensation for loss incurred due to a contribution that is undervalued in the marketplace. This article's outline of alimony scholarship includes an examination of Status Theorists, Communitarians, and Economists in Part IV; and Contract Theorists—who are labeled as Individualists and Contractarians—in Part VI. [...] Therefore, at Part VII, this article juxtaposes the scholarship on alimony with this other intersecting property to personhood perspective. [...] At Part VII.G, we see that significant in this overlap between status and property are the developments of nofault divorce that highlight the possible oversight of abuse within marriage due to unequal power relationships between spouses. Also important is the attribution of marriage "status" through state-sanctioned union only to heterosexual couples. In this regard, the article reviews the judicial application of alimony type remedies in cohabitation, and in same-sex partnership. Parts VII and VIII seek to demonstrate that the current conception of marital status continues to restrict women's property interests. Courts exclude market analyses of marital exchanges in the context of remarriage, and in the domain of bankruptcy. From common property to individual property, the limitations on women's full capacity6 to own property is patent in the archaic view that a spouse's remarriage (usually the ex-wife) leads to loss of the spousal support she was entitled to from the first marriage. The wife loses spousal support because she is treated as the property of her ex-husband until her remarriage. When she has a new husband to provide for her, she no longer needs support from her ex-husband. Similarly in the context of bankruptcy, an ex-spouse's right to support is subordinate to other creditors' rights to the patrimony of the debtor spouse. This article is available in University of New Hampshire Law Review: https://scholars.unh.edu/unh_lr/vol5/iss2/3 This legal rule denies the personhood and separate individuality of the husband and wife. The article analyzes this reality in relation to various areas of the law."


Russian Banking considers the rise of commercial market-oriented banks in Russia, their links with government and non-financial companies and their role as intermediaries in the provision of finance for investment. The contributors explore the legacy of the Soviet past and current functions of the Russian banking system, contrasting these with those in other post-communist societies and describing peculiarities such as informal networks and corruption.


The endoderm can be separated from the ectomesoderm of the area vasculosa of the early chick embryo. The development of the separated germ layers in organ cultures shows that the endoderm is necessary for the normal formation of blood islands by mesodermal cells. In the absence of endoderm the mesodermal cells undergo erythropoiesis in dispersed groups of cells but do not form endothelium.


Due to the relatively high global warming potential (GWP) value of R410A, much effort has been devoted to the exploration of potential refrigerants to replace R410A in the heat pump applications. Those studies involving natural refrigerants, which are of zero or single-digit GWP values, have not yet demonstrated the readiness for the substitution because of various reasons such as low cycle efficiency, toxicity and flammability. Henceforward, some synthetic refrigerants whose GWP values are significantly lower than R410A such as R32 and some R32-based blends such as D2Y60, are getting more attention. To evaluate the transient performance of those low-GWP refrigerants, a Modelica-based heat pump model is developed to simulate a heat pump cycle during both steady state operations and transient operations. The model includes an efficiency-based compressor model, two segmented heat exchanger models, a control volume-based valve model and segmented pipe models. The heat exchanger model is capable of simulating multi-bank multi-circuit tube-fin heat exchangers with an arbitrary number of segments. The pipe model is developed based on the segmented heat exchanger model, and its implementation provides for better charge prediction compared to single lump model. In order to speed up the simulations, accelerated refrigerant property routines were developed for R32 based on REFPROP. System-level steady-state and transient simulations for several alternative low-GWP working fluids, R32 and D2Y60, are conducted. The simulation results are compared with the published experimental data obtained from the Alternative Refrigerant Evaluation Program (AREP). The data includes steady-state operation data based on ASHRAE A, B and C tests, and transient data from ASHRAE D cyclic operation test. The validation of R32 and D2Y60 steady-state data shows a maximum deviation of 7.5% and an average deviation of 4%. The transient simulation well captures the dynamic performance of vapor compression cycle during start-up and shut-down.


Abstract regular polytopes stand at the end of more than two millennia of geometrical research, which began with regular polygons and polyhedra. They are highly symmetric combinatorial structures with distinctive geometric, algebraic or topological properties; in many ways more fascinating than traditional regular polytopes and tessellations. The rapid development of the subject in the past 20 years has resulted in a rich new theory, featuring an attractive interplay of mathematical areas, including geometry, combinatorics, group theory and topology. Abstract regular polytopes and their groups provide an appealing new approach to understanding geometric and combinatorial symmetry. This is the first comprehensive up-to-date account of the subject and its ramifications, and meets a critical need for such a text, because no book has been published in this area of classical and modern discrete geometry since Coxeter's Regular Polytopes (1948) and Regular Complex Polytopes (1974). The book should be of interest to researchers and graduate students in discrete geometry, combinatorics and group theory.


This paper proposes the segmentation model of the travelling wave-semiconductor optical amplifier (TW-SOA) or simply (SOA) including the impact of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise, which is the most important key characteristics that has a clear impact on its performance. The model is used to analyze the direct effects of the input parameters (input pulse power, bias current and input signal wavelength) on the signal gain. These important parameters used to characterize the SOA are represented in case of launching a single Gaussian pulse and also a packet of pulses. This investigation introduces the optimized conditions required for the SOA to maximize its gain for amplification and also to optimize its nonlinear characteristics when used in optical switching.


For supervised classification problems, it is well known that learnability is equivalent to uniform convergence of the empirical risks and thus to learnability by empirical minimization. Inspired by recent regret bounds for online convex optimization, we study stochastic convex optimization, and uncover a surprisingly different situation in the more general setting: although the stochastic convex optimization problem is learnable (e.g. using online-to-batch conversions), no uniform convergence holds in the general case, and empirical minimization might fail. Rather then being a difference between online methods and a global minimization approach, we show that the key ingredient is strong convexity and regularization. Our results demonstrate that the celebrated theorem of Alon et al on the equivalence of learnability and uniform convergence does not extend to Vapnik's General Setting of Learning, that in the General Setting considering only empirical minimization is not enough, and that despite Vanpnik's result on the equivalence of strict consistency and uniform convergence, uniform convergence is only a sufficient, but not necessary, condition for meaningful non-trivial learnability.


Here we address a long-standing puzzle of ice-age climate called the "fly in the ointment of the Milankovitch theory." Using geomorphic mapping and 10Be surface-exposure dating, we show that five moraine belts were formed during maxima of the last ice age by the Pukaki glacier in New Zealand's Southern Alps. They afford ages of 41.76 ± 1.09 ka, 35.50 ± 1.26 ka, 27.17 ± 0.68 ka, 20.27 ± 0.60 ka, and 18.29 ± 0.49 ka. These five maxima spanned an entire precessional cycle in summer insolation intensity at the latitude of the Southern Alps. A similar mismatch between summer insolation and glacier extent also characterized the Chilean Lake District in the mid-latitudes of South America. Thus, in apparent contrast to northern ice sheets linked by Milankovitch to summer insolation at 65°N latitude, the behavior of southern mid-latitude glaciers was not tied to local summer insolation intensity. Instead, glacier extent between 41.76 ka and 18.29 ka, as well as during the last termination, was aligned with Southern Ocean surface temperature and with atmospheric carbon dioxide.


The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics is a comprehensive reference work dealing with all aspects of its subject: history, types, movements, prosody, and critical terminology. Prepared by recognized authorities, its articles treat their topics in sufficient depth and with enough lucidity to satisfy the scholar and the general reader alike. Entries vary in length from relatively brief notices to substantial articles of about 20,000 words.The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, published in 1965, established itself book as a standard in the field. Among the 215 contributors were Northrop Frye writing on allegory, Murray Krieger on belief in poetry, Philip Wheelwright on myth, John Hollander on music, and William Carlos Williams on free verse. In 1974, the Enlarged Edition increased the entries with dozens of new subjects, including rock lyric, computer poetry, and black poetry, to name just a few.The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics accounts for the extraordinary change and explosion of knowledge within literary and cultural studies since the 1970s. This edition, completely revised, preserves what was most valuable from previous editions, while subjecting each existing entry to revision. Over 90 percent of the entries have been extensively revised and most major ones entirely rewritten. Completely new entries number 162, including those by new contributors Camille Paglia, Barbara Herrnstein Smith, Elaine Showalter, Houston Baker, Andrew Ross, and many more. New entries include those on cultural criticism, discourse, feminist poetics, and Chicano poetry.Improvements cover several areas: All the recent developments in theory that bear on poetry areincluded; bibliographies of secondary sources are ex-tended; cross- references among entries and through blind entries have been expanded for greater ease of use; and coverage of emergent and non-Western poetries is dramatically increased. Indeed, a hallmark of the encyclopedia is its world-wide orientation on the poetry of national and cultural groups.The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics is a comprehensive reference work dealing with all aspects of its subject: history, types, movements, prosody, and critical terminology. Prepared by recognized authorities, its articles treat their topics in sufficient depth and with enough lucidity to satisfy the scholar and the general reader alike. Entries vary in length from relatively brief notices to substantial articles of about 20,000 words.The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, published in 1965, established itself book as a standard in the field. Among the 215 contributors were Northrop Frye writing on allegory, Murray Krieger on belief in poetry, Philip Wheelwright on myth, John Hollander on music, and William Carlos Williams on free verse. In 1974, the Enlarged Edition increased the entries with dozens of new subjects, including rock lyric, computer poetry, and black poetry, to name just a few.The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics accounts for the extraordinary change and explosion of knowledge within literary and cultural studies since the 1970s. This edition, completely revised, preserves what was most valuable from previous editions, while subjecting each existing entry to revision. Over 90 percent of the entries have been extensively revised and most major ones entirely rewritten. Completely newentries number 162, including those by new contributors Camille Paglia, Barbara Herrnstein Smith, Elaine Showalter, Houston Baker, Andrew Ross, and many more. New entries include those on cultural criticism, discourse, feminist poetics, and Chicano poetry.Improvements cover several areas: All the recent developments in theory that bear on poetry are included; bibliographies of secondary sources are ex-tended; cross- references among entries and through blind entries have been expanded for greater ease of use; and coverage of emergent and non-Western poetries is dramatically increased. Indeed, a hallmark of the encyclopedia is its world-wide orientation on the poetry of national and cultural groups.


Earthquakes are still claiming lives despite the advancements in earthquake resistance techniques and structural design methodologies. Formations of collapse mechanisms under strong ground motions are not uncommon in RC frames. Failure mechanisms in ordinary RC frames are believed to be prevented by adopting the strong column weak beam philosophy. However, limited flexural strength and lateral deformation capacity of the ordinary steel reinforced columns often results in the incipient of the failure mechanisms. Large inelasticity at the column bases poses serious problems and global stability of the structure is endangered. Furthermore large residual displacements at the end of a dynamic event cannot be ruled out. A numerical study on the performance of frames reinforced with the mixed high strength and ordinary reinforcements in the columns revealed steadier performance as compared to ordinary RC frames. The moderate rise frame, a mixed ordinary and high strength steel reinforced concrete frame (MRC), showed more lateral strength as compared with the ordinary RC frame. Failure mechanisms in the moderate rise MRC frame are almost prevented or delayed as compared with the ordinary RC frame. In the relatively high rise MRC frame, a less obvious increase in lateral strength in comparison with the ordinary RC frame is observed. However, greater deformation capacity and a delay in the formation of the collapse mechanism are observed in the high rise MRC frame. Residual displacements are also minimized in the MRC frame as compared to the ordinary RC frame. It is envisaged that steady performance of the MRC frame can give a more stable response during earthquakes.


Professor Whyte, in his article "Sometimes Constitutions are Made in the Streets: the Future of the Charter 's Notwithstanding Clause," raises some intriguing points. He gives a historical review of the origin of the "notwithstanding" clause as it appears in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , enacted in 1982. In the course of so doing, he appears to propose a distinction between "rights" – those claims which are included in the Charter , and "policies" – those claims which are protected by the activities of the legislative and executive arms of government. This is, I argue, a false dichotomy. It leads to the conclusion that the use of the "notwithstanding" clause can only amount to a suspension of rights in favour of achieving government policy.


Advanced software protocols for multimedia packet networks are currently designed, tested and, in some cases, fielded by a variety of organisations. Additionally, a variety of solutions are required to provide next-generation, highly-programmable technology solutions to eventually provide reliable, efficient, and secure communications of multimedia traffic over rapidly-deployable mobile adhoc networks to pave the way for seamless extension of the Internet. In this context it is recognised that user location identification is considered by the service providers as one of the most value-added services for the end-users. The focus of the research in these areas is to allow protocol software and the location technology solutions to be integrated in a flexible manner into the mobile multimedia networks through API (application programming interface) framework. Various location strategies needed to be analysed to derive candidate solutions for integrated location management. In this paper, the background preparation to derive a separate smart antenna API is defined to eventually incorporate it into the distributed network architecture. Preliminary results from the real-data smart antenna experiments are examined to find out the efficacy of the technique.


Cardiac arrhythmias are often triggered by ectopic membrane depolarization originating deep inside the myocardial wall. Here we propose a new method utilizing a novel near-infrared voltage-sensitive fluorescent dye DI-4-ANBDQBS to determine the three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of the sources of such depolarization. We tested the method in live preparations of pig left and right ventricular myocardium (thickness 8-18 mm) and phantoms imitating the optical properties of myocardial tissue. The method utilizes an alternating transillumination approach that involves comparing pairs of simultaneously recorded broad-field epifluorescence and transillumination images produced at two alternating directions of illumination. Recordings were taken simultaneously by two CCD cameras facing the endocardial and epicardial surfaces of the heart at a frame rate up to 3 KHz. In live preparations, we were able to localize the origin of the depolarization wave with a precision of ±1.3mm in the transmural direction and 3 mm in the image plane. The accuracy of detection was independent of the depth of the source inside ventricular wall.


Ad-financed TV channels are two-sided platforms where media houses provide communication from advertisers to viewers. Most media houses air several channels, some of which are particularly valuable to advertisers. At first glance, one might expect the ad volumes to be highest for the channels that are the advertisers' favorites. However, a crucial management challenge for media houses is to ensure that viewers go where the potential for raising advertising revenue is greatest. Because viewers dislike ads, we show that this implies that advertising volumes will be relatively low (and advertising prices relatively high) in such channels. Indeed, other things equal, the ad volume in a channel is inversely related to its attractiveness to the advertising market. Only if the costs of using alternative tools to attract viewers to the advertisers' favorite channels are sufficiently small will the advertising volume in channels with high demand for ads be larger than in channels with low demand for ads.


Vladimir E. Alexandrov advocates a broad revision of the academic study of literature and proposes an adaptive, text-specific reading methodology that is designed to minimize the circularity of interpretation inherent in the act of reading. He illustrates this method on the example of Tolstoy's classic novel via a detailed "map" of the different possible readings that the novel can support. Anna Karenina emerges as deeply conflicted, polyvalent, and quite unlike what one finds in other critical studies.


Microwave metamaterials show promise in numerous low-power applications, ranging from strip lines to antennas. In general, metamaterials allow microwave designers to obtain electromagnetic characteristics not typically available in nature, leading to new behavior as well as reductions in the size of typical devices. High-power microwave (HPM) sources were efficient in the conventional microwave source community. We consider a specific use of metamaterials as a method to reduce the size of waveguide used for power transmission, particularly, a configuration in which an array of split-ring resonators (SRRs), forming a "mu-negative" structure, allows transmission of power in a waveguide well below the cutoff frequency. This configuration would not be used in an actual HPM device, but explores the methods and considerations that might be required for developing a metamaterial structure for either making HPM sources more compact or developing new types of interaction at these high powers. For any HPM application, a microwave structure must be able to sustain high electric and magnetic fields, as well as high peak and possibly average power. The challenge for metamaterials consists of devising the subwavelength structures (a defining characteristic of metamaterials) that can sustain such fields. In particular, one must understand the sensitivity of any metamaterial system to changes in the individual elements, which in high power pertains mainly to the loss of an individual resonator element. As such a sample system, we explore the physical operating characteristics of the waveguide system loaded with an array of SRRs, particularly the role of defects on its properties. Such defects would form an important feature in any high-power application in which subwavelength structures can be damaged by high field stresses.


Objective. To investigate the association between postnatal head circumference and the occurrence of the three main indications for instrumental delivery, namely prolonged labor, signs of fetal distress and maternal distress. We also studied the association between postnatal fetal head circumference and the use of vacuum extraction and emergency cesarean section. Design. Population‐based register study. Setting. Nationwide study in Sweden. Population. A total of 265 456 singleton neonates born to nulliparous women at term between 1999 and 2008 in Sweden. Methods. Register study with data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Main outcome measures. Prolonged labor, signs of fetal distress, maternal distress, use of vacuum extraction and emergency cesarean section. Results. The prevalence of each outcome increased gradually as the head circumference increased. Compared with women giving birth to a neonate with average size head circumference (35 cm), women giving birth to an infant with a very large head circumference (39–41 cm) had significantly higher odds of being diagnosed with prolonged labor [odds ratio (OR) 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33–1.67], signs of fetal distress (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.49–2.03) and maternal distress (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.96–2.95). The odds ratios for vacuum extraction and cesarean section were thereby elevated to 3.47 (95% CI 3.10–3.88) and 1.22 (95% CI 1.04–1.42), respectively. The attributable risk proportion percentages associated with vacuum extraction and cesarean section were 46 and 39%, respectively among the cases exposed to a head circumference of 37–41 cm. Conclusions. Large fetal head circumference is associated with complicated labor and is etiological to a considerable proportion of assisted vaginal births and emergency cesarean sections.


Optical techniques to measure the small-scale shape of the ocean surface, i.e., the short wind waves, are theoretically reviewed. The well-known shape-from-shading and shape-from-stereo paradigms from computer vision are applied to a specular reflecting surface such as the ocean surface and are used to study a variety of techniques. The analysis shows that most techniques for the imaging of short wind waves, such as Stilwell photography and various stereo techniques, have significant deficiencies. Stereophotography is plagued by insufficient height resolution for small waves and by the problem that, because of the specular nature of reflection at the water surface, features seen in one image are not necessarily found in the other (correspondence problem). Techniques based on light reflection (shape from reflection) are useful only for deriving wave-slope statistics, and techniques based on light refraction (shape from refraction) are found to be most suitable for wave slope imaging.


Clinical studies have shown the importance of endothelin as a pathogenic mediator in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We describe the effects of bosentan, an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist, in patients with PAH associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In this prospective study, 16 patients with PAH associated with HIV infection in stable condition received bosentan for 16 weeks. Efficacy endpoints included exercise capacity, cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, Doppler echocardiography, New York Heart Association functional class, and quality of life (SF-36 and EQ-5D). Safety was assessed by laboratory tests, vital signs, and adverse events. Improvements were observed from baseline to Week 16 in all efficacy parameters: 6-minute walk distance (+91 +/- 60 m, p < 0.001), New York Heart Association class (14 patients improved), hemodynamics (cardiac index: +0.9 +/- 0.7 L/minute/m(2), p < 0.001), Doppler echocardiographic variables, and quality of life. During the study, no patient died and none required epoprostenol treatment. Hepatic tolerability was similar to that reported in patients with PAH. Bosentan had no negative impact on control of HIV infection. Although limited by uncontrolled design, small sample size and short duration, this study suggests that bosentan may benefit patients with PAH associated with HIV infection, and that endothelin is an important pathogenic mediator in this disease.