A review of laboratory and field studies on suspended sediment under waves shows that although about five analytical or semi-empirical approaches have been attempted to predict the vertical distribution of suspended sediment, none of the approaches has had its general validity proven. This is mainly due to the lack of knowledge about the characteristics of turbulence of the wave boundary layer and to the lack of a suitable suspended sediment measuring technique for use in waves. Six different suspended sediment measuring techniques have been used in the studies previewed. Although none of them gives completely reliable laboratory or field measurements, an optical system appears to show promise in obtaining information on the mechanics of suspension under waves. The reanalysis of longshore sediment transport data and tests of the relationships Q = A..E , Q = A,,E , and I = A"E , where Q is volume transport rate in cubic yards per day, E is longshore component of wave energy flux in lbs per day per foot of beach and I is immersed weight transport rate in lbs per day, for different subsets of data and using the method of least squares, showed that a single set of A-, A" and B does not fit all subsets of data with minimum average percentage deviation of observed values from those predictable by the relationships. The subset of data consisting of all but the observations with light weight sediments can be described by the line of fit, Q =1.93 X 10-4E , with the observed data differing from the predicted ones by 74 percent on the average.


Mindfulness is taking a preeminent role in today's education system. In the current study the author explored how experienced MindBody Wellness instructors make sense of teaching children mindfulness. The methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis combined with autoethnography was used to interview eight teachers from the United States and Australia teaching children mindfulness. In this article, the author discusses findings related to the theme of Being a Mindful Role Model. Participants, on the whole, felt that someone looking to teach children mindfulness needs first to connect deeply with the practices. They felt this connection was an elemental foundation in becoming a mindful role model and teaching children mindfulness. The experienced mindfulness instructors also found that cultivating mindfulness with children is enhanced by the creation of a mindful school culture. A number of recommendations are suggested, including the establishment of MindBody Wellness and mindfulness teacher training courses at the university level.


This study asks whether governmental and societal discrimination against Muslim minorities explains the outflow of foreign fighters from non-Muslim-majority countries to Syria and Iraq. We use data from the ICSR, Soufan Group, Pokalova (2018), and RASM datasets to examine the connection between discrimination directed at Muslim minorities and the number of foreign fighters originating in a country. We apply grievance-based theory to examine whether minority-specific objective discrimination is behind the phenomenon. We find little evidence that discrimination increases the outflow of foreign fighters, but this outflow is higher from wealthier countries. The findings indicate that if grievances are a motivation for individuals to become foreign fighters, they are not connected to objective discrimination. This implies that at least some of the grievances relate to personal circumstances or that immigrant minorities are more likely to perceive inequality in wealthier countries.


The need for sustainable energy sources becomes greater each year due to the continued depletion of fossil fuels and the resulting energy crisis. Solutions to this problem are potentially in the form of wind turbines, for sustainable urban environment, that have been receiving increased support. At present, a number of wind turbines have been developed that show significant increase in performance compared to existing technologies. From an extensive literature review, a number of key issues have been highlighted which are concerned with the design, optimisation and diagnostics of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) that have been used to formulate the scope of this research.

A design procedure for a vertical axis wind turbine, that features both multi-blade rotor and fixed outer stator guide vanes, has been derived, in which both rotor and stator blade profiles have been generated for a low wind speed application. In the presented work, numerical investigations have been carried out extensively to determine the optimised design of the VAWT. Sliding mesh technique has been used for the rotation of rotor blades. This new technique captures the transient flow phenomena that occur when the rotor and the stator blades interact with each other. Hence, the results predicted by CFD using this technique are much superior in accuracy. Furthermore, a detailed flow field analysis of the VAWT has highlighted large asymmetries in both pressure and flow velocity about the central axis of the VAWT in both the stationary and the rotating frames of references.

Various geometric parameters associated with the design of the VAWT have been investigated over a wide range in order to analyse the effect of these parameters on the performance output of the VAWT. These geometric parameters are the blade angles, the number of blades in the VAWT and the size of the rotor/stator sections of the VAWT. It has been shown that all these parameters considerably affect the performance output of the VAWT and hence have been optimised in the present study for maximum performance output of the VAWT. One of the key elements of this study is the development of a performance prediction model of the VAWT that takes into account the effects of the aforementioned geometric parameters of the VAWT. This novel prediction model is both robust, user-friendly and has shown to predict the performance output of the VAWT with reasonable accuracy. Hence, the prediction model can be used by the designers of the VAWT.

Nowadays, condition based health monitoring of mechanical systems is topic of vast research. Most of the studies in this field use experimental facilities and conventional toolboxes to handle the output data from the sensors. With the advent of advanced CFD tools, it has now become possible to use CFD as an effective tool for fault detection in VAWTs. An attempt has been presented in this study regarding condition monitoring of VAWTs for sustainable urban environment. Various faults like missing blade and slits in blade have been investigated and analysed. It has been shown that CFD can detect these faults and show the effects of these faults on local flow parameters such as pressure and velocity.


Once upon a time, economists saw capital account liberalization--the free and unrestricted flow of capital in and out of countries--as unambiguously good. Good for debtor states, good for the world economy. No longer. Spectacular banking and currency crises in recent decades have shattered the consensus. In this remarkably clear and pithy volume, one of Europe's leading economists examines these crises, the reforms being undertaken to prevent them, and how global financial institutions might be restructured to this end. Jean Tirole first analyzes the current views on the crises and on the reform of the international financial architecture. Reform proposals often treat the symptoms rather than the fundamentals, he argues, and sometimes fail to reconcile the objectives of setting effective financing conditions while ensuring that a country "owns" its reform program. A proper identification of market failures is essential to reformulating the mission of an institution such as the IMF, he emphasizes. Next he adapts the basic principles of corporate governance, liquidity provision, and risk management of corporations to the particulars of country borrowing. Building on a "dual- and common-agency perspective," he revisits commonly advocated policies and considers how multilateral organizations can help debtor countries reap enhanced benefits while liberalizing their capital accounts. Based on the Paolo Baffi Lecture the author delivered at the Bank of Italy, this refreshingly accessible book is teeming with rich insights that researchers, policymakers, and students at all levels will find indispensable.


The sport management field has witnessed tremendous growth just in the past couple of decades, with more programs in universities at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Because there is keen competition for jobs at all levels, but particularly at the Ph.D. level in university faculty positions, and the lack of material published on how best to train, develop, and prepare doctoral students, this article focused on developing a combined apprenticeship and mentoring perspective on Ph.D. training, and discussed some of the specific features of that pedagogical approach. Hopefully, these ideas will help educators in sport management doctoral programs with their educational endeavors.


In current discourses of technoscience, body, nature, and even life are often described as code, text, or information. On the one hand, classical dichotomies (body/mind, subject/object, man/machine) and their restrictions are dissolving; on the other hand, this discourse often reveals a hidden desire to ignore both the fragility and the sense-giving capacity of materiality. In this paper, the proper dynamic of materiality is explored by looking in particular at what it means to be in a permanent touch with the world with the body. Against this background, efforts at denying or transforming the body in the context of new technologies can be interpreted as the wish to control or avoid the unpredictable and unconscious dimensions of human existence.


This WageIndicator Data Report presents the results of the face-to-face WageIndicator survey in Rwanda, conducted between the 27th of October and the 3rd of December 2012. The survey aimed to measure in detail the wages earned by Rwandan workers. In total 2,074 persons were interviewed in towns in all provinces of Rwanda. The workers lived in households with on average 4 members, including themselves. Almost half of the workers live with a partner and children. Some 4% of workers followed no formal education, two in ten stopped at elementary education, 44% completed secondary education. 6% followed post-secondary education and 26% followed tertiary education. On a scale from 1=dissatisfied to 10=satisfied, workers rate their satisfaction with life as a whole a 5.9 on average. In the sample, 29% of the workers were self-employed, 24% were employees on permanent contracts, 24% had fixed-term contracts, whereas 23% had no contract at all. On average, the workers had worked for 9.5 years. Over half of the people worked in an organization with 10 or fewer employees, one in three worked in an organization with 11-50 employees, 7% work in businesses of 51 to 100 employees and 11% work for businesses employing over a 100 people. Up to 55% of workers in the sample report being employed as managers (this group includes all business owners, including micro-enterprises), 12% are services and sales workers, 11% work in elementary occupations and 10% as clerical support workers. Over four in ten respondents work in trade transport and hospitality, 27% in agriculture, manufacturing and construction, 18% in the public sector and 15% work in commercial services. On average, the respondents work 60 hours per week and 5.9 days. Some 42% of workers report working shifts, 39% work evenings, 56% work Saturdays, while 36% works Sundays. Some 39% state that they are entitled to social security, whereas 46% contribute to social security. Less than two in ten workers state that they have no agreed working hours, 60% has agreed hours in writing and 22% verbally agreed hours. Up to 82% of workers report receiving their wage on time; 53% of workers received wages in a bank account, 46% cash in hand and 1% in kind. On a 5-point informality-index, ranging from 1=very informal to 5=very formal, 39% of workers are in the lowest category in the index, whereas 18% are in the highest category. The median net hourly wage of the total sample is 450 Rwandan francs (RWF); 26% of workers earn less than 150 francs per hour, another 24% earn between 150 and 450 francs, 29% earn between 450 and 1350 francs and the remaining 21% earn more than 1350 francs per hour. Employees with permanent contracts have by far the highest earnings (1008 RWF), whereas workers without contracts (128 RWF) have the lowest earnings. At 565 francs, employees on fixed term contracts earn above average wages, whereas the self-employed fall below it (418 RWF). Managers have the highest median wages (722 RWF). The lowest paid workers are skill service and sales workers (128 RWF) and workers in elementary occupations (139 RWF). The highest wages are earned in agriculture, manufacturing and construction (667 RWF), the lowest in commercial services (202 RWF). At 270 RWF, workers in firms with less than ten employees earn the lowest wages, whereas employees in firms of over a 100 employees earn the highest wages (1210 RWF). Those on the lowest end of the informality index earn only 192 RWF per hour, whereas those in the highest category earn wages 1155 francs. Men have slightly higher wages compared to women, and young workers have substantial lower wages than workers in the oldest age group. Workers with tertiary education earned 1369 RWF, compared to 98 RWF for workers without education. Only 49% of the sample is paid on or above the poverty line of 118.000 RWF per month. Workers without contracts were most vulnerable; just one in ten earn on or above the poverty line. In contrast, 79% of employees with permanent contracts, 57% of workers on fixed term contracts and 44% of self-employed do. Workers in firms employing between 51 and 100 people are most often paid above the poverty line (86%), compared to only 35% of workers in firms employing 10 people or less. Only 26% of the most informal workers are paid on or above the poverty line, compared to 84% of the most formal workers. Men are slightly more likely to paid above the poverty line than women (52% versus 47%). The older workers are, the more likely they are to be paid above the poverty line. Workers with tertiary education are paid on or above the poverty line in 92% of the cases, compared to just 15% of workers without formal education. Up to 63% of managers are paid above the poverty line, whereas only 14% of workers in elementary occupations and 19% of services and sales workers are. Workers in commercial services are most at risk of being paid poverty wages, while workers in agriculture, manufacturing and construction are most likely to be paid on or above the poverty line.


Background: In the United States, currently about half (49%) of the 6.7 million pregnancies are reported as mistimed or unplanned, and this rate of unintended pregnancy is significantly higher than the rate in most other developed countries. Abortion services are critical to the prevention and management of unintended pregnancies. Abortion in the United States has been legal since the 1973; however this right has little meaning without access to safe abortion care and access is declining. Medication abortion, the use of medications to induce abortion and terminate an early pregnancy, has been legal in the United States since 2000, is ideal for the outpatient setting, and allows for increased provision of and access to abortion services. The literature assessing the provision of medication abortion has largely been conducted in populations of physicians, and combined groups of advanced practice clinicians including physician assistants (PAs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), and nurse practitioners (NPs). No studies exist assessing provision of and barriers to medication abortion by NPs and CNMs (Advance Practice Registered Nurses or APRNs) in the state of Vermont. Purpose: This study sought to fill this gap in the literature. Data was collected in order to determine whether APRNs are providing care to women at risk for unintended pregnancy and are providing medication abortion, the characteristics of these providers, and perceived barriers or supports to practice. Methods: The design was a cross-sectional survey, using purposive sampling methods. Between July 2014 and September 2014, 21 eligible participants completed an anonymous, self-administered online survey, recruited via notifications sent out through professional listserv. The survey assessed their personal characteristics, beliefs and clinical practice related to reproductive health care and unintended pregnancy prevention and management. All participants had current APRN certification with prescriptive authority in the state of Vermont. Results: Ninety percent of respondents reported care for women of reproductive age as at least one-third of their clinical work and 85% of respondents reported seeing women with unintended pregnancies as part of their practice. Eighty-five percent agreed or strongly agreed that medication abortions fall within the scope of practice of an APRN and of a primary care provider, and 85% would like to be trained to provide medication abortions to manage unintended pregnancy. Lack of training opportunities, clinical facility constraints, and legal uncertainties were the most frequently reported barriers to provision of medication abortion. Conclusions: Many APRNs in Vermont may be interested in receiving medication abortion training. APRNs are experienced and highly trained health care professionals that have the competence and skills to provide comprehensive reproductive health care, including medication abortion. The perceived barriers of training, clinical facility constraints, and legal uncertainties are amenable to change, and can be decreased through inclusion of these topics into APRN education. The political and social climate of Vermont, combined with the findings of this preliminary study, suggest that the state of Vermont is ready, willing, and able to serve as a model for the primary provision of and improved population access to, comprehensive reproductive health care including abortion services. ii Table of


Objectives
Older adults are at increased risk of being hospitalized or bedridden and experiencing a host of negative health outcomes including loss of lean body mass. We hypothesized that supplementing daily meals with a small quantity (3-4 g/meal) of leucine will partially preserve lean leg mass and function during bed rest.

Methods
Men and women (67.8 ± 1.1 y) were randomized to receive isoenergentic meals supplemented with leucine (LEU, 0.06 g/kg/meal; n = 10) or an alanine control, (CON, 0.06 g/kg/meal; n = 10). Subjects were admitted to the Clinical Research Center for 7 days of bed rest followed by 7 days of rehabilitation. Muscle fiber type and cross-sectional area (CSA) as well as single fiber characteristics were assessed from biopsies of the vastus lateralis obtained prior to (Pre-BR) and after bed rest (Post-BR) and after rehabilitation (Post-RE). Body composition measured using iDEXA was also determined at the same time points.

Results
Leucine-supplementation partially protected leg lean mass during bed rest (-1035 vs. -423 ± 143 g; P = 0.008). Leg lean mass did not differ between the groups Post-RE (P = 0.16). There was no significant effect of time (P = 0.16) or treatment (P = 0.92) on muscle fiber CSA; however, CON subjects, but not LEU subjects, exhibited an increased number of smaller fibers (<2000 um) and fewer larger fibers (>6000 um) Post-BR. Additionally, CON subjects tended to have a greater decrement in fiber width (P = 0.085) that did not return to baseline following rehabilitation.

Conclusions
Supplementing older adults with moderate amounts of leucine has the potential to partially negate some of the deleterious effects on muscle health during short bouts of inactivity.

Funding Sources
National Institutes of Health, The Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Sealy Center on Aging and Institute for Translational Sciences-Clinical Research Center.


Over the past several years, many commentators have suggested that federal tax exemption for charities should be limited to organizations that help the poor – that is, organizations with a redistributive mission. This paper reviews and comments on three areas of existing federal exemption law where the redistribution view either already controls tax benefits or is being pushed by policy makers as a change to existing law: the push for a charity care standard for exempting nonprofit hospitals, the current university endowment debate, and a hodge-podge of rulings relating to what I will call "middle class charity" in which the IRS has denied exemption to nonprofit organizations providing services to the middle class (as opposed to the poor). Part I provides a brief introduction to the history of the redistribution concept in federal exemption under 501(c)(3) prior to the current regulations introduced in 1959. Part II then provides a summary of current law and proposals in the three areas described above (nonprofit hospitals, programs aimed at the middle class, and university endowments). Part III then turns to some analysis and observations. The main observations are (1) that the redistributive push in the areas identified by this paper is almost certainly bad policy and inconsistent with the IRS's supposed adoption of the broad common-law view of charity in the 1959 regulations; (2) that the redistributive paradigm seems to pop up most in areas where the organizations in question carry on activities that look very similar to commercial enterprises – in other words, what we may be seeing is the use of the redistribution paradigm to help distinguish charitable services from ordinary for-profit business; (3) limiting the definition of charitable for tax exemption purposes to relief of the poor is inconsistent with the historical definition of charity; and (4) the effort to limit the scope of tax exemption/deductibility to redistribution to the poor is inconsistent with virtually all the theories proposed to explain tax exemption and essentially adopts one particular view of distributive justice that may not be appropriate in formulating tax benefits for charities. Until tax policy chooses an underlying rationale for charitable tax exemption, however, the inconsistencies in applying exemption are likely to continue.


It has recently been suggested that two counter-propagating, circularly polarized, ultra-intense lasers can induce a strong electron spin polarization at the magnetic node of the electromagnetic field that they setup (Del Sorbo et al 2017 Phys. Rev. A 96 043407). We confirm these results by considering a more sophisticated description that integrates over realistic trajectories. The electron dynamics is weakly affected by the variation of power radiated due to the spin polarization. The degree of spin polarization differs by approximately 5% if considering electrons initially at rest or already in a circular orbit. The instability of trajectories at the magnetic node induces a spin precession associated with the electron migration that establishes an upper temporal limit to the polarization of the electron population of about one laser period.


This paper uses a real options approach to analyze investments in process improvement. We develop a simple, stochastic model of a firm making investment decisions in process improvement. Our analysis offers several interesting insights into investments in process improvement. First, early investment in process improvement results in valuable knowledge, which helps increase the value of the option to invest in process improvement in future periods. This may motivate a firm to invest in process improvements as early as possible. Second, it may be optimal for a firm to stop investing when such investments do not create enough value in the later stages of the investment horizon. Third, while one would expect the state of a firm's process relative to that of other firms to impact a firm's decision to invest in process improvement, this study finds that the impetus is conditional and identifies these conditions. Finally, in such an environment, the delay of investment in process improvement incurs an opportunity cost for a firm and we show that the traditional NPV (net present value) rule must incorporate this opportunity cost and the knowledge-induced change in future option values to lead to a correct investment decision.


Abstract Preference elicitation studies reporting societal views on the relative value of end‐of‐life treatments have produced equivocal results. This paper presents an alternative method, combining Q methodology and survey techniques (Q2S) to determine the distribution of 3 viewpoints on the relative value of end‐of‐life treatments identified in a previous, published, phase of this work. These were Viewpoint 1, "A population perspective: value for money, no special cases"; Viewpoint 2, "Life is precious: valuing life‐extension and patient choice"; and Viewpoint 3, "Valuing wider benefits and opportunity cost: the quality of life and death." A Q2S survey of 4,902 respondents across the United Kingdom measured agreement with these viewpoints; 37% most agreed with Viewpoint 1, 49% with Viewpoint 2, and 9% with Viewpoint 3. Regression analysis showed associations of viewpoints with gender, level of education, religion, voting preferences, and satisfaction with the NHS. The Q2S approach provides a promising means to investigate how in‐depth views and opinions are represented in the wider population. As demonstrated in this study, there is often more than 1 viewpoint on a topic and methods that seek to estimate that averages may not provide the best guidance for societal decision‐making.


Heating and cooling energy lost through windows in the residential sector (estimated at two-thirds of the energy lost through windows in all sectors) currently accounts for 3 percent (or 2.8 quads) of total US energy use, costing over $26 billion annually in energy bills. Installation of energy-efficient windows is acting to reduce the amount of energy lost per unit window area. Installation of more energy efficient windows since 1970 has resulted in an annual savings of approximately 0.6 quads. If all windows utilized existing cost effective energy conserving technologies, then residential window energy losses would amount to less than 0.8 quads, directly saving $18 billion per year in avoided energy costs. The nationwide installation of windows that are now being developed could actually turn this energy loss into a net energy gain. Considering only natural replacement of windows and new construction, appropriate fenestration policies could help realize this potential by reducing annual residential window energy losses to 2.2 quids by the year 2012, despite a growing housing stock.


The increasing demand for high power laser sources with excellent beam quality operating in the visible and near-infrared electromagnetic radiation spectrum has prompted significant research effort into developing robust, reliable and efficient diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSLs). The scope of this thesis is to study the planar waveguide laser (PWL) architecture, with semiconductor diode lasers (SDLs) pumping, along with the spectroscopic investigation of promising materials with embedded trivalent rare earth (RE) ions that may enable upconversion (UC) lasers of the future. The PWL architecture has distinct advantages over their bulk counterparts in terms of exceptional thermal management, compatibility with SDLs, typically high figures of merit regarding the intensity-interaction length product, leading to the possibility of enabling weak optical transitions. Several experiments are detailed in this thesis in order to point out unique properties of PWLs. The first, a demonstration of a Tm:Y2O3 PWL with a maximum output power of 35mW at 1.95 µm and slope efficiency of 9 %, with respect to the incident pump power. A 12 µm thick active film was grown by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD)technique on top of undoped Y3Al5O12 (YAG) crystal. That was the first demonstration at its kind,i.e. in terms of a sesquioxides PWL, one operating with Tm3+ as the optically active ion and in the 2 micron wavelength regime. Despite waveguide propagation losses on the order of 2 dB/cm, the efficiency was respectable, demonstrating the potential of these PLD films. The second PWL experiment was conducted with a state of the art double-clad Nd:YAG structure fabricated by Adhesive-Free Bonding technique, operating on a weak optical transition of this material, this is, at a wavelength of 1.83 µm, with an output laser power in excess of 1W in a near diffraction-limited optical beam. The main goal of this thesis, however, is to investigate the suitability of several different solid-state gain materials for generation of laser radiation in UV and purple-blue optical spectrum by means of the upconversion process via a sequential step pumping scheme. Nd- and Tm-doped crystals have been investigated for their spectroscopic properties associated with the pump absorption bands, emission strengths, and lifetimes of the main intermediate energy level of Tm3+, which would be likely a reservoir for the first excitation step. These comprehensive spectroscopic studies have been carried out in order to develop rate equations and gain analysis for prospective UC lasers from different host media. The prior literature results of upconversion lasers have been gathered for comparison with herein data and some general guidelines have been pointed out towards the future work. High resolution, absolute excited-state absorption (ESA) spectra, at room temperature,for the long-lived thulium and neodymium metastable levels (the 3F4 and 4F3/2 manifolds, respectively) were measured using a bespoke purpose built spectrophotometer based upon diodes and a dual lock-in amplifier technique. The aim of that investigation was to determine the strength of ESA channels at wavelengths addressable by commercially available SDLs operating around 630-680 nm and 440-470 nm wavelength. From those measurements, for Tm3+, the effective stimulated emission cross-sections were derived and used in the modelling of the potential gain for the UC transitions (wavelength below 500 nm) in a variety of hosts, including Y3Al5O12, YAlO3, LiYF4 and KY(WO4)2. Waveguides ordered for this project were not delivered. Notwithstanding, preparation of SDL pump sources for the double-excitation method, and the necessary optical components, was undertaken. With the gain studies, and initial hardware preparations, the ground has been laid that will enable the demonstration of new class of UV or purple-blue UC laser architecture in the near future.


Competing Jahn-Teller distortions combined with geometrical frustration give rise to a rich phase diagram as a function of x(Cu) and temperature in the spinel system Ni1-xCuxCr2O4. The Jahn-Teller distortion of the end members acts in opposite ways, with an elongation of the NiO4 tetrahedra resulting in a structural transition at T-S1 = 317K in NiCr2O4, but a flattening in the CuO4 tetrahedra at T-S1 = 846K in CuCr2O4. In both cases the symmetry is lowered from cubic (Fd (3) over barm) to tetragonal (I4(1)/amd) on cooling. In order to follow the influence of Jahn-Teller active Ni2+ and Cu2+ ions on the structural and magnetic properties of chromium spinels, we have investigated a series of samples of Ni1-xCuxCr2O4 by x-ray and neutron powder diffraction. In the critical range 0.10 < x(Cu) < 0.20, strong orthorhombic distortions were observed, where competing Jahn-Teller activities between the Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions result in distortions along both the a and c axes. For Ni0.85Cu0.15Cr2O4, the orthorhombic structure (Fddd) is stabilized up to T-S2 = 368(2) K, close to the first structural phase transition at T-S1 = 374(2) K. A ferrimagnetic spin alignment of the Ni/Cu and chromium atoms sets in at much lower temperature TC = 95K in this compound. The end members NiCr2O4 and CuCr2O4 undergo this ferrimagnetic transition at TC = 74 and 135 K, respectively. These transitions are accompanied by the structural change to the orthorhombic symmetry which relieves the frustration. NiCr2O4 and Ni0.85Cu0.15Cr2O4 undergo a second magnetic transition at TM2 = 24 and 67K due to a superimposed antiferromagnetic ordering of the Cr moments resulting in a noncollinear magnetic structure. In the system Ni1-xCuxCr2O4, the magnetic transitions TC and TM2 merge with increasing copper content up to x(Cu) similar to 0.5. For the Ni-rich chromites, geometrical frustration causes a strong reduction of the chromium moments, where magnetic long-range order coexists with a disordered spin-liquid-like or a reentrant-spin-glass-like state. This paper provides insight into the interplay between the Jahn-Teller effect, geometrical frustration, and long-range magnetic order in these complex systems.


Purpose The market of care increases and is characterized by complexity. Therefore, service points, such as the 'Zentrale Anlaufstelle Pflege (ZAPf)' in Nuremberg, are helpful for clients to get orientation. The purpose of the presentation is to show the results of an evaluation study about the clients' satisfaction with the offers of ZAPf. Study Satisfaction with service may be measured with the SERVQUAL concept introduced by Parasuraman et al. (1988). They found out five dimensions of quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurances and empathy). We took these dimensions in our study. The study focuses on the quality of service and the benefits recognized by clients. In spring 2007, we conducted 67 interviews by phone, based on a half standardized questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results The clients want to get information about care in general, financial and legal aspects, alternative care arrangement (e.g. ambulant, long-term care) and typical age-related diseases. They show a high satisfaction with the service provided. Their benefits are to get information and advice, to strengthen the ability of decision taking, to cope with changing situations in life, and to develop solutions. Conclusions The results show that the quality of service is on a high level. Critical success factors are the interdisciplinary cooperation at the service point, based on a regularly and open exchange of information. Every member focuses on an optimal individual solution for the client. Local professional service points act as networkers and brokers. They serve not only for the clients' needs but also support the effective and efficient provision of optimized care.


Moon's painting career spans over 40 years. He began working in realistic renderings and later moved into abstract expressionism and surrealism. In the past 20 years, Moon has drawn inspiration from the imagery of untrained artists he met while working as an art therapist with the mentally ill. Their painted stories inspired Moon to create his own. This exhibit includes two of his early paintings that were created in the studio of small private psychiatric hospital where he and patients told their stories through art.


A failure to understand Iraq's history risks catastrophic blundering, likely to result in an exponential rise in the region's entropy, as US policymakers and Iraqis ponder how to deal with the violence which has engulfed Baghdad. Several pernicious myths have entered this debate and, having become accepted "facts," cause real-world harm when they influence the thinking of foreign policymakers. The myths, which assume a lack of national Iraqi identity, artificiality of the state, continuous sectarian fighting throughout history, Kurdish desire for independence, and Shi'a disloyalty, lead some to the conclusion that dividing Iraq is the best way to end the violence. Instead of building on these myths, however, the international community should create a long-term solution by working with the emerging democratic Iraq to recognize and develop its historic presence as a unified nation. The future of the country is as a cohesive, democratic, and pluralistic federation. With that understanding in mind, it will be possible to devise a strategy that averts some of the darker possible scenarios and helps return Iraq and the region to stability. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Myth of Artificiality The first of these myths is that Iraq is an artificial state, created in an exercise of imperial hubris during the waning days of the British Empire after World War I. The myth-makers, who are universally non-Iraqi, assert that nothing historical or cultural binds Iraq's people together. Rather, the inhabitants were forced to coexist by their British masters, who stitched together the three Ottoman provinces of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul into a single state. This argument is not only unhistorical, but it also has a far more destructive corollary that there is no point in attempting to hold this historic anomaly together and that its natural state should be one of division, de facto or de jure, among its three components, Shi'a Arab, Sunni Arab, and Kurd. The myth ignores that Iraq is actually a nation with an ancient identity that actively took part in international affairs and modernization before the Saddamist Baathists took control. This corollary courts disaster. To begin with, Iraq has the oldest recorded history of any country on Earth. The word "Iraq" itself is ancient, and probably dates back to Akkadian times. When medieval Islamic geographers referred to "Iraq," they meant roughly the same place we mean now. Over the 500 years it was ruled by the Ottomans, the other two provinces were not independent of Baghdad, but were administratively subordinate to it. Thus, over a span of centuries--if not millennia--the people of Iraq have been one, for all their ethnic and confessional differences. Ancient history notwithstanding, Iraq has now been a modern state for four score and seven years. Since 1920, a distinct Iraqi identity has emerged, one distinct from and layered over tribal, ethnic, and sectarian affiliations. The process of forging an Iraqi national identity manifested itself in the country's actions on the international stage. Iraq was the first predominately Arab country to gain its independence when it was admitted into the League of Nations in 1932. It was among the 54 countries that founded the United Nations in 1945, and it was also a founder of both the League of Arab States and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. This confidence and vibrancy in international affairs mirrored a high degree of internal optimism and cohesion. Fueled by Iraq's increasing oil wealth, a burst of economic development beginning in the mid-1950s resulted in spectacular strides. By the end of 1979--the last full year before the disastrous war with Iran--Iraq was on the verge of joining the developed world. Its per capita GDP equaled that of Spain, which would enter the European Union six years later. By then, Iraq had cash on reserve in hard currency reserves totaling US$50 billion (in 1980 terms). …


Poster presentation made at the 20th ETH-Conference on Combustion Generated Nanoparticles, 13-16 June 2016, Zurich, Switzerland. Aim: Ultrafine diesel engine emissions are known to cause adverse health impacts including lung cancer, cardiovascular and irritant effects (World Health Organisation 2012). Respiratory protective devices are commonly used to mitigate worker exposure to many hazardous contaminants, especially in heavy industry such as mining and refining. Current standards to evaluate penetration through respirator filter media may not consider ultrafine particles due to the diameter of the challenge aerosol and the detection limit of the instrument (Eninger et al. 2008). Nor do they test penetration at flow rates representative of moderate to heavy work rates. Research is currently being undertaken at the University of Wollongong, Australia, to develop a method to measure penetration through respirator filter media using diesel emissions, rather than the standard challenge aerosol of NaCl, at flow rates consistent with moderate to heavy work rates. Methods: Emissions from a Detroit D706 LTE diesel engine were fed into an experimental chamber which was purpose built for the study. Penetration through a range of commonly used respirator filters in Australian workplaces was determined by particle count at diameters ranging from 5.6 560nm, using an Engine Emissions Particle Sizer (EEPS). Penetration was also measured by mass of Elemental Carbon, using NIOSH 5040. Flow rates were as designated in AS/NZS 1716 (Standards Australia International Ltd & Standards New Zealand 2012) and ISO DIS 16975 1.2 Work Rates 2 and 3 (ISO 2015), consistent with moderate to heavy work rates. Results and Conclusions: A method has been developed and validated and a pilot study completed. Initial findings indicate penetration exceeded standards specified limits for filtering efficiency for a number of filters for the size range <50>nm, when measured as a function of particle count. Penetration through the filters was found to increase as flow rate increases. These results differed from the penetration by mass of elemental carbon through the respirator filters, using a paired samples t-test at a significance level of 0.05. This research is relevant as it has been postulated that ultrafine particles may contribute to adverse cardiovascular mortality and morbidity associated with diesel engine emissions (Martinelli, Olivieri & Girelli 2013) hence it is important to determine if these smaller size particles are penetrating through respirator filter media and may be inhaled by workers.


There is a definite reorientation of the work force in this country. The move to a more technical society has been widely forecast, and despite the valleys and peaks driven by fluctuation in economy, the movement is sure and pervasive. Both professional and technician levels of the engineering community must work smarter. For most it means never quite catching up with the level of knowledge available in a given field of work, from routine construction to complicated communication techniques. 'In-house' training or continuing education must be recognized as an essential element of doing business. Many companies have already recognized this requirement, but are continually searching for more streamlined technology transfer methods. Companies must be aware of current practice for developing and implementing employee training and its effectiveness.


A-to-I RNA editing is widespread in eukaryotic transcriptomes and plays an essential role in the creation of proteomic and phenotypic diversity. Loss of ADARs, the proteins responsible for A-to-I editing, results in lethality in mammals. In C. elegans, knocking out both ADARs, ADR-1 and ADR-2, results in aberrant behavior and abnormal development. Studies have shown that ADR-2 can actively deaminate dsRNA while ADR-1 cannot. However, as most studies of C. elegans ADARs were performed on worms mutated in both ADAR genes, the effects observed cannot be attributed to a single ADAR or to the interactions between ADAR genes. Therefore, we set to study the effects of each C. elegans ADAR on RNA editing, gene expression, protein levels and the contribution of each of ADAR to the phenotypes observed in worms mutated in both genes, in order to elucidate their distinct functions. We found significant differences in the phenotypes observed in worms mutated in a single ADAR gene. Worms harboring adr-1 mutations have a significant reduction in their lifespan, while worms harboring adr-2 mutations have extended lifespan. We also observed severe abnormalities in vulva formation in adr-1 mutants, and we suggest that these phenotypes are a result of an RNA editing independent function of ADR-1. Mutations in each ADAR resulted in expressional changes in hundreds of genes, and a significant downregulation of edited genes. However, very few changes in the protein levels were observed. In addition, we found that ADR-1 binds many edited genes and primarily promotes editing at the L4 stage of development. While editing still occurs in the absence of ADR-1, most of the editing occurs in genes that are edited in wildtype worms, suggesting that ADR-1 does not prevent editing by binding to and protecting the RNA but rather enhances or promotes editing. Our results suggest that ADR-1 plays a significant role in the RNA editing process and by altering editing levels it causes the severe phenotypes that we observed. In contrast, a complete lack of RNA editing is less harmful to the worms. Furthermore, our results indicate that the effect of RNA editing on the protein content in the cell is minor and probably the main purpose of these modifications is to antagonize or enhance other gene regulatory mechanisms that act on RNA.


Flood storage involves creating sacrificial land for water to purposefully inundate to protect land downstream. Obtaining the right or co‐operation to flood on private property remains a challenge. This paper is based on empirical qualitative research with 14 key stakeholders involved in the practice of gaining land to flood in England and Wales and the different forms of financial and economic approaches that might be used to facilitate this right. Expropriation of land, one off‐payment, annual single payment, and flood event losses compensation were explored. Availability of funding as compensation is the main driver for landowner adoption of flood storage schemes. Three funding approaches were revealed; flowage easement, full land purchase, and agricultural schemes funding diffuse storage. Rather than attempting to gain partnerships between spatially dislocated stakeholders in upper storage and lower impacted catchments success resides on the storage land and persuading landowner co‐operation. A clear enforced legal framework of ownership of land and funding mechanisms is also viewed as essential.


The academic department remains understudied as a context of faculty work, particularly in institutional settings beyond the research university. In this article, we report findings from a study of faculty experiences within academic departments in liberal arts colleges, through analysis of interviews with 55 faculty members representing a 13-member consortium of liberal arts institutions in the mid-western U.S. Through inductive analysis and deductive coding from existing models, we identified five functions of departments in liberal arts colleges, including: (a) faculty hiring, retention, and promotion; (b) new faculty socialization; (c) informal interactions, mentoring, and network-building; (d) establishing and communicating institutional and departmental policies, practices, and procedures; and (e) the structuring of academic work. Findings suggest that departmental functions in liberal arts colleges are generally the same as those in other institution types, but play out differently and thus have different consequences for academic careers. Across functions, liberal arts colleges seem to be undergoing an evolution, or perhaps revolution, that has implications for academic work in such contexts.


During the last decades there has been a growing concern over the state of soils
worldwide.
Soil degradation has become a major issue worldwide accompanied by
concerns of an ever-growing population and uncertain food supply. Several factors make
tropical regions more vulnerable to soil degradation and food insecurity. An eventual
food crisis is likely to have a heavy toll on the impoverished tropics. Tropical soils are
still poorly understood and soil science in the tropics differs widely from the temperate
region. Existing literature regarding tropical soils is considered to be confusing and based
on inference rather than science. Hence, soil and agricultural research is foremost in the
tropics.
Two investigative field studies were carried out on August 2006 and January 2007. The
first study was based on northeast Venezuela while the second was based on northwest
England. Field surveys were carried out in three different areas in both countries.
Samples were collected from three different land-use 'systems': arable land, pasture
fields and areas where natural vegetation was present. Soil profile features were
described and recorded along with other relevant information. Soil samples from the
three different areas were analyzed using standard laboratory methods in order to record
several key soil properties.
The results identified a number of differences between land-uses and countries, related to
climate and the management factor. Climate was found to exert a major influence on soil
properties and processes. In addition, management practices were also identified as a
2
major factor affecting soil properties, particularly under arable land-use systems.
Moreover, it was also evident that management practices in the UK have a greater effect
on soil properties than those implemented in Venezuela. It was concluded that a 'modern'
management in UK is more efficient in altering soil properties compared to more
'traditional' techniques implemented in Venezuela. It was also evident that soil properties
are closely inter-related and in most cases they affect each other. Therefore, management
practices that strongly influence one soil property may result in changes of others. The
investigation finally highlights the need for soil and agricultural research in the tropics
and gives suggestion for further study.


Automatic malware signature generation The need for automatic and heuristic methodologies to produce malware signatures is still very high, especially considering the huge amount of malwares produced daily. This thesis aims at studying a tool for the automatic signature generation of malicious executables. As most of the business lies on the Microsoft Windows Operating System, the tool developed in this work specifically targets Windows Portable Executables. During the years, several automatic malware detection procedures have been introduced and attempted, most of which trying to discern malicious samples from benign ones; on the contrary, the main goal of the designed tool is the creation of signatures that are capable of synthesizing common features among the set of malwares provided. It is well known that, nowadays, malwares strongly rely on packers and on obfuscation techniques, that hide the original source code and prevent analysts to run the executable under a controlled environment so to track its behavior. For this reason, the tool focuses on the features that are actually more resistant to packers and obfuscation tampering (i.e. fields of the executable header and resources). An innovative approach of this work for the signature generation is the possibility of using already written signatures as part of the malwares features, possibly written by domain experts. The aim of this set of features is to cover, as much as possible, the features not natively supported by the tool, relying on already tested and effective ones. Examples of these features are strings and opcodes, for which, the automatic extraction of significant elements is not trivial. To deal with the huge amount of malwares affecting the Windows Operating System, the tool is provided with a preliminary clustering approach, that aims at creating small clusters from which extracting meaningful signatures. The signature generation is performed on each cluster resulting from the previous step and it consists of two procedures that solve, with greedy methodologies, the set cover problem. Experimental results and comparisons with other signature generation tools showed promising results with respect to the current situation and evidence the generation of rules that are actually sufficiently targeted for the training samples while, at the same time, being flexible enough to find new positives that have been confirmed to be malicious. Finally, the usage of already written signatures as malware features allows, in several occasions, to drastically decrease the amount of false positives produced.


A series of complexes of the type [(L-L)Pd(alkene)], where (L-L) is a diphosphine ligand and the alkene is dibenzylideneacetone (dba), benzoquinone or tetracyanoethene have been synthesised. These complexes have been evaluated as pre-catalysts in the methoxycarbonylation of ethene (80 C, 10 bar CO/ethene, MeOH, 20 MeSO(_3)H). Where (L-L) is the diphosphine l,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzene and the alkene is dba, rates in excess of 40,000 moles methyl propionate/mole Pd/hr are obtained at 99.6% selectivity. The catalytic activity and selectivity is found to critically depend on the nature of the diphosphine ligand, with l,2-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)benzene complexes giving rise to high molecular weight, perfectly alternating CO/ethene co-polymer. Several of the pre-catalyst complexes have been characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and factors common to both methyl propionate selective catalysts and co-polymer selective catalysts have been identified. The phosphine ligands chosen in this study all readily form complexes with Pd(_2)(dba)(_3). The complexes have the formula [(P-P)Pd(dba)] where the bidentate phosphine binds as a chelate ligand to a single palladium atom. The environment around the palladium is essentially trigonal planar, with only small dihedral angles between P(-2)Pd and PdC(_2) planes observed. Detailed studies of the reaction of the complexes [(L-L)Pd(alkene)] with methanesul- phonic acid have been undertaken. The reaction product is shown to depend on the nature of the diphosphine ligand and the alkene. The catalytic activity is discussed with reference to the ability of the reaction products to enter the catalytic cycle. The coordination chemistry of several diphosphines when mixed with Pd(II) salts has been studied. Several complexes have been characterised by X-ray crystallography and the features related to the observed catalytic activity. The reaction chemistry has also been explored and related to the observed catalysis. A mechanism which takes account of all the results reported in this thesis is presented


Fertilization and early development are usually the most vulnerable stages in the life of marine animals, and the biological processes during this period are highly sensitive to the environment. In nature, sea urchin gametes are shed in seawater, where they undergo external fertilization and embryonic development. In a laboratory, it is possible to follow the exact morphological and biochemical changes taking place in the fertilized eggs and the developing embryos. Thus, observation of successful fertilization and the subsequent embryonic development of sea urchin eggs can be used as a convenient biosensor to assess the quality of the marine environment. In this paper, we have examined how salinity and pH changes affect the normal fertilization process and the following development of Paracentrotus lividus. The results of our studies using confocal microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and time-lapse Ca2+ image recording indicated that both dilution and acidification of seawater have subtle but detrimental effects on many aspects of the fertilization process. They include Ca2+ signaling and coordinated actin cytoskeletal changes, leading to a significantly reduced rate of successful fertilization and, eventually, to abnormal or delayed embryonic development.


In a recent monograph on the tellinid genus Strigilla, the absence of a representative of the subgenus Simplistrigilla was noted in the Western Atlantic region (Boss, 1969). Simplistrigilla was described by Olsson (1961) with the species S. strata Olsson, 1961, as type. The species is rare with a considerable range in the Panamic Province of the eastern Pacific Ocean, occurring from El Lagartillo, Panama, southward to Punta Blanca, Ecuador. The unusual feature possessed by this species is in the nature of the scissulae or oblique incised lines which descend across the shell from the anterior dorsal margin toward the ventral and posterior margins. In S. strata these scissulations do not change direction or form a complex of flexures along the posterior dorsal surface of the shell, whereas all other species of Strigilla possess a variously flexed sculpture. Using this peculiarity of sculpture, Olsson established Simplistrigilla and he also noted that the larval shell or the nepionic surface of the umbo in S. strata is relatively large, distinct, lacking the scissulate sculpture and having extremely fine, hair-like concentric sculpture. Scissulate sculpture itself, known to be diagnostic for most taxa of Strigilla, has arisen independently in several tellinoid lineages (Boss, 1966) and has been shown to have functional significance in that it facilitates burrowing (Stanley, 1969; 1970). A sample collected by the H. N1. M. S. "Luymes" off Suriname during the program of Research of the Continental Shell of Suriname (Onderzoek Continentale Plat Suriname) was sent to me by Mrs. Hanneke Nijssen-Meyer and proved to be a new species of Simplistrigilla. I had earlier segregated what I took to be aberrant specimens of Strigilla mirabilis (Philippi, 1841) which


Special Issue on this topic. In their specific local contexts, state- and non-state projects of bureaucratising Islam are driven by very different socio-political motivations and conditioned by equally different (albeit often interconnected and overlapping) historical trajectories and their discursive substrates. In this special issue, we examine this transnationally and transregionally observable phenomenon in the context of Southeast Asia, where the quest for "order" – no matter how messy or even entirely failed in its outcomes – is particularly strong. In this regional setting, the institutional trajectories of the "nation-state-ization" of Islam date back to colonial times, which have continued to cast a long shadow that informs the particular manifestations of bureaucratised Islam in each country.


Over the course of 2013 to 2016, over one million asylum seekers arrived in Germany, around 890,000 of them in 2015 alone. The growing refugee population posed a major challenge for Germany's policy makers, civic administrators, and society at large, in finding new approaches to registration procedures, housing, and social and economic integration. To design policies and programs that meet these needs, government administrators, politicians, and the public require robust analyses of the accompanying social and demographic changes based on timely, valid, and reliable empirical data. Yet despite the urgent need for quantitative data on this target group, survey organizations and data collection agencies had little experience gaining access to the target population and approaching and surveying them effectively.

In late 2015, when the influx reached its peak, the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Migration, Integration and Asylum Research Center at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ), and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) joined together in a cooperative longitudinal project to survey a nationwide random sample of refugee households in Germany: the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees. In this paper, we summarize the sampling and fieldwork design as well as the challenges faced in the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees. We discuss the sequential strategy applied for sampling recent refugees and asylum seekers who arrived in Germany, particularly in 2015, in such large numbers that proper registration was delayed, and in many cases their initial accommodations were only temporary. Moreover, the paper discusses alternative survey instruments introduced for the difficult-to-interview population of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, including translated questionnaires and audio files.


Quito's Participatory Urban Agriculture Project (AGRUPAR) was created in 2002 with the goal of empowering vulnerable sections of the population through food security, income and employment by providing technical support, capacity building, infrastructure, entrepreneurship management, microcredit access, and applied research on agroecology along the entire food supply chain. AGRUPAR's embeddedness in local government allows urban farmers to be supported with far-reaching and cross-sectoral policies. International partnerships have also provided the conceptual, methodological and knowledge support that was needed for Quito to develop a local urban agriculture policy as part of a broader food system. Although changes of administration, budget cuts, and restrictive land-use legislation remain important challenges to the program, AGRUPAR has become a model of food and urban agriculture policy, providing valuable lessons for cities of the region and beyond. The program won the Future Policy Silver Award 2018, awarded by the World Future Council in partnership with FAO and IFOAM – Organics International.


Abstract Measurements of the loss or gain of ice mass from large ice sheets is presently achieved through satellite-based techniques such as GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment). The accuracy of these satellite-based measurements to changes in modern ice sheet mass depends on our knowledge of present day glacio-isostatic crustal uplift rates caused by past ice sheet changes. To improve models of glacio-isostatic rebound in East Antarctica we investigated ice histories along Rayner Glacier, Enderby Land, and a little explored sector of the ice sheet where GRACE data had suggested significant mass gain during the last decade. Observations from a recent glacial geomorphic reconnaissance coupled with cosmogenic nuclide dating indicate that in the lower part of the Rayner Glacier, Enderby Land, ice heights lowered by at least 300 m, and the calving margin retreated by at least 10 km in the early Holocene (~6 to 9 ka BP). The magnitude and timing of deglaciation is consistent with ice histories used to model the post-glacial rebound corrections for present-day GRACE mass trends. These observations strengthen the body of evidence that suggests ice mass gain in Enderby Land is presently partly offsetting mass loss in other parts of Antarctica.


Deep-sea corals form unique, high-resolution archives of ocean circulation that can be dated using the decay of uranium to thorium. They are abundant in the Southern Ocean, and can provide unprecedented insights into ocean circulation and ocean chemistry on sub-millennial time scales in areas where application of traditional paleoceanographic proxies is difficult. Here we present the first coupled neodymium (Nd) isotope and radiocarbon data from deep-sea corals in the Drake Passage (Southern Ocean) adding new constraints on ocean circulation during the last Heinrich event (H1; 16.7 ka). The modern-day Drake Passage water column is homogeneous with respect to Nd isotopes (expressed in epsilon units, ϵNd). Its isotopic value of close to −9 is largely controlled by the mixture of North Atlantic Deep Water and Pacific Deep Water. The aragonite of modern Drake Passage corals reflects this water-column value, whereas a fossil coral from H1 is significantly higher at −6.4 ± 0.4. We interpret this ~2.5 ϵ unit shift as a reduction in the influence of North Atlantic–sourced Nd in the Southern Ocean during H1. This interpretation is supported by a series of radiocarbon analyses on the same sample, and is consistent with a twofold or greater reduction in export of North Atlantic waters from the Atlantic Basin. Combining analyses of radiocarbon and Nd isotopes on U-series dated deep-sea coral skeletons holds great potential for quantification of past ocean ventilation rates.


The Oriental and Australasian Medetera (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) are revised and 61 species are recognized, 43 of them new, with 27 Oriental, 29 Australasian, and 5 species occurring in both· zoogeographical regions. All species are described and figured except M. adsumpta Becker, M. nudicoxa Becker and M. longa Becker, which were not seen. A key is provided for the separation of males. The following species are newly placed in synonomy: M. atrata Van Duzee, M. cilifemorata Van Duzee, M. hawaiiensis Van Duzee and M. pa}mae Hardy (=M. grisescens de Meijere); and Elongomedetera thoracica Hollis (= M. gracilis Parent). Lectotypes are designated for M. apicipes de Meijere, M. grisescens de Meijere, M. longitarsis de Meijere, M. minima de Meijere, M. olivacea de Meijere, M. opaca de Meijere, M. platychira de Meijere, M. pumila de Meijere and M. vivida Becker. A neotype is designated for M. femoralis Becker. Medetera comes Hardy and M. extranea Becker are regarded as nomina dubia. Micromorphus vegandris (Frey) is a new combination for Medetera vegandris Frey. Of particular interest is the secondary segmentation and articulation of the male cercus in the salomonis group, unique among Brachycera. Here the cercus has been divided into discrete basal and distal sections, with the distal section freely articulated on basal section. Three high altitude species from Nepal have relatively long and broad wings. Several species have erientated silvery pruinosity. A phylogenetic analysis ofthe major Medetera species groups is presented. The Australasian Medetera fauna, although with distinctive elements, is derived from the Oriental fauna. The Pacific Ocean has progressively fewer species moving eastwards from the Oriental-Australasian source area. Medetera grisescens is a widespread tramp species, from the western Indian Ocean to Hawaii, while the Australasian M. salomonis ranges from French Polynesia to the Philippines. Elements from the predominantly holarctic apicalis and diademaveles groups are present in the Orient and Australasia. Medetera kinabaluensis, from high elevation in Sabah, belongs to the circumboreal, primarily conifer-associated scolytid predator signaticornis-pinicola group. The disjunct distribution of the aberrans group in the Orient and the New World is regarded as a vicariant distribution resulting from progressive cooling and southward retreat of early Tertiary circumboreal warm mesophytic forests. BICKEL, DANIEL J., 1987. A revision ofthe Oriental and Australasian Medetera (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Records of the Australian Museum 39(4): 195-259.


Industrial networks based on IEEE 802.15.4 are spreading, even though the joint requirement on predictability and reliability from industrial applications is hard to fulfil in wireless networks, and the data rate of IEEE 802.15.4 is rather low. With the goal of providing real-time guarantees, with increased reliability and throughput, we propose two multichannel network architectures based on IEEE 802.15.4 with predictable medium access, real-time analysis admission control and transport layer retransmissions. We evaluate the architectures in terms of reliability, utilization, delay, complexity, scalability and energy efficiency. The evaluations show that throughput and reliability can be enhanced through redundancy and concurrency in the frequency domain.


Recent work has shown that the human parietal cortex, in particular superior intraparietal sulcus (IPS), plays a central role in visual short-term memory (VSTM) storage. However, much remains unknown about the nature of these memory representations including whether they are similar or distinct from perceptual representations. Using fMRI multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA), it has been shown that VSTM representations in occipital cortex are highly similar to perceptual representations. Here, we tested whether the same would be true for VSTM representations in superior IPS. On the one hand, VSTM representations in superior IPS could simply be an extension of the sensory representations formed during perception. This would predict a high degree of similarity between VSTM and perceptual representations in this region. However, we have previously shown that VSTM representations in superior IPS, unlike those in occipital cortex, are robust to visual distraction. This suggests that the nature of VSTM representation in the two regions may differ, and that representations in superior IPS may be consolidated and thus, distinct from perceptual representations. In the present study, we had participants complete both a VSTM and perceptual task using face and gazebo stimuli. We then decoded between the two stimuli types both within a task and across the two tasks. To minimize any attention or memory effects in the perceptual task, participants performed a one back letter task at fixation. Pilot results showed decoding of both memory and perceptual information in superior IPS, and, importantly, successful cross decoding between the two tasks. This suggests that, just like in occipital cortex, VSTM information in superior IPS is represented in a similar manner to perceptual information. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


Background: Chiranthodendron pentadactylon Larreat. (Sterculiaceae) is a Mexican plant used in traditional medicine for the treatment of heart disease symptoms and infectious diarrhea. Objective: To evaluate in vitro antiprotozoal and antibacterial activities and in vivo antidiarrheal activity from the flowers of C. pentadactylon using the extract, fractions, and major isolated flavonoids. Materials and methods: Bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of C. pentadactylon (MECP) led to the isolation of five flavonoids, tiliroside, astragalin, isoquercitrin, (+)-catechin, and (-)-epicatechin. Antimicrobial activities were tested on two protozoa (Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia) and nine bacterial enteropathogens (two Escherichia coli strains, two Shigella sonnei strains, two Shigella flexneri strains, two Salmonella sp. strains, and Vibrio cholerae) isolated from feces of children with acute diarrhea or dysentery and resistant to chloramphenicol. Also, antidiarrheal activity was tested on cholera toxin-induced diarrhea in male Balb-c mice. Results: Epicatechin was the most potent antiamoebic and antigiardial compound with IC50 values of 1.9 μg/mL for E. histolytica and 1.6 μg/mL for G. lamblia; tiliroside showed moderate antiprotozoal activity against both protozoan. In contrast, in the antibacterial activity, tiliroside was the most potent compound on all microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentration values less than 0.7 mg/mL. In the case of cholera toxin-induced diarrhea, epicatechin was the most potent flavonoid with IC50 of 14.7 mg/kg. Conclusion: Epicatechin and tiliroside were the flavonoids responsible for antimicrobial andantidiarrheal activities of C. pentadactylon. Its antiprotozoal, antibacterial, and antidiarrheal properties are in good agreement with the traditional medicinal use of C. pentadactylon for the treatment of infectious diarrhea. Abbreviations used: MECP: Methanol extract of C. pentadactylon


This paper presents the design and fabrication of a novel shear-force sensor using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) as the sensing element. The basic design consists of layers of carbon composite material (CCM) with an embedded FBG. A deformable layer of silicon rubber between the layers of CCM allows the applied shear force to change the grating periodicity and, hence, the reflected Bragg wavelength. The shift in the reflected Bragg wavelength shows a linear variation with the applied shear force. A theoretical model is established to study the shear sensing ability. In addition, numerical modeling is also carried out by the finite-element method (FEM). The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions as well as the FEM results. In this paper, the basic concept of shear-force measurement using FBG and related theoretical model and FEM simulation results are discussed together with experimental verification.


We analyze archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data of 4U 0142+61 within the context of the surface thermal emission and magnetospheric scattering model. We show that the 4U 0142+61 spectrum can be fit very well with this physical model that contains only four parameters. The system parameters can be tightly constrained from the fits, yielding a surface magnetic field strength of B = (4.75 ± 0.02) × 1014 G, a surface temperature of kT = 0.309 ± 0.001 keV, and a scattering optical depth of a few in the magnetosphere. These values do not vary between observations due to the stability of the source within the window of the observations. The detailed fits yield χ2 values that are statistically much better than the traditionally employed blackbody+power-law and two blackbody fits. The spectroscopically measured surface magnetic field strength is higher than, but within, the theoretical uncertainties of the value inferred from the dipole spin-down formula.


: A typical construction project involves a wide range of disparate professionals, in many cases geographically distributed, working together for a relatively short period of time on the design and construction of a facility. Since organizations are becoming flatter, culturally rich, geographically diverse and intensely competitive, the possibilities for conflict in such environments are greater. Negotiation is an important aspect of a project and plays an important role in resolving claims, preventing disputes, and keeping a harmonious relationship between project participants. Part of any project manager's role as a leader is to recognize conflict, understand the sources of conflict and manage it, and to do this a project manager must be able to understand the basics of negotiation theory and have sufficient competencies to lead in such situations. To address the complex technical and human issues in negotiation, different negotiation theories and models are available which mainly include game theory, economic theory, and behavior theory. Since Game Theory provides, by its very nature, the appropriate tools for the analysis and eventual solution of conflicts of any kind, this paper uses a model based on Game Theory in order to identify the activities that are responsible for the delays in a project and divide the costs among them.


The hippocampal theta rhythm plays important roles in information processing; however, the mechanisms of its generation are not well understood. We developed a data-driven, supercomputer-based, full-scale (1:1) model of the rodent CA1 area and studied its interneurons during theta oscillations. Theta rhythm with phase-locked gamma oscillations and phase-preferential discharges of distinct interneuronal types spontaneously emerged from the isolated CA1 circuit without rhythmic inputs. Perturbation experiments identified parvalbumin-expressing interneurons and neurogliaform cells, as well as interneuronal diversity itself, as important factors in theta generation. These simulations reveal new insights into the spatiotemporal organization of the CA1 circuit during theta oscillations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18566.001


Poverty is a fundamental problem faced by the people of Indonesia. This thesis discusses the empirical the charity if charity has mustahiq poverty rate using poverty indices and income mustahiq Determination program at Tegal village and the village of Kampung Anyar Babakan Sabrang, Ciseeng district, Bogor regency. Determination Program is a poverty reduction and empowerment of the poor by the Institute Amil Zakat Wallet Dhuafa Republika, Foundation for Community Empowerment, and Governmental Cooperative Self Determination. This study used FGT index consisting of headcount index (H), the depth of poverty (P1) and severity of poverty (P2). The findings of this study indicate that the poverty index mustahiq measured using FGT index, the poverty rate mustahiq will increasingly come down once they join the program endeavor. It can be concluded that the income per capita mustahiq significantly affected by income from a job / business which uses funds from the Program Determination, activity mustahiq work, and the number of families mustahiq the load. Keywords: Poverty, Zakat, FGT index


This paper deals with IPTV traffic source modelling and describes a packet generator based on a known probability density function which is measured and formed from a histogram. Histogram based probability density functions destroy an amount of information, because classes used to form the histogram often cover significantly more events than one. In this work, we propose an algorithm to generate far more output states of random variable X than the input probability distribution function is made from. In this generator is assumed that all IPTV packets of the same video stream are the same length. Therefore, only packet times are generated. These times are generated using the measured normalized histogram that is converted to a cumulative distribution function which acts as a finite number of states that can be addressed. To address these states we use an ON/OFF model that is driven by an uniform random number generator in (0, 1). When a state is chosen then the resulting value is equal to a histogram class. To raise the number of possible output states of the random variable X, we propose to use an uniform random number generator that generates numbers within the range of the chosen histogram class. This second uniform random number generator assures that the number of output states is far more larger than the number of histogram classes.


"The role bathing plays within a culture reveals the culture's attitude toward human relaxation" _By Sigfried Giedion Bath was designed for health, sports, pleasure and culture, as well as being a place of discussion, business deals, eroticism, hedonism and crime. With the modernist hygiene movement improved, bathing reveals a culture attitude towards human relaxation which is mostly based on wealth. The natural connection to water is losing. The project aims to design a bath as spiritual renewal as physical cleansing. Slower pleasure in waters help to reconnect us to nature in an increasingly water-stressed era.Nudity companion as a catalyst for creating community. Ergonomics and topography fit into the pools, thus creating a unique temperature-scape that heals.


BACKGROUND
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is usually difficult in patients with malignant involvement of oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus. Flouroscopic guided insertion of Gastrostomy catheter with Gastropexy have gained acceptance because it is easy and less time consuming as well as less invasive as compare to surgical procedure. This study was done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous placement of gastrostomy with gastropexy using imaging guidance in patients with oropharyngeal and esophageal cancers.

METHODS
Over five years, 105 patients were referred to our department for percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy. In five patients the procedure was not performed because of overlying viscera and high position of stomach. We performed 100 gastrostomies with gastropexy procedures using seldinger technique.

RESULTS
Success rate for percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy was 100%. No major complication had occurred. There were 11 minor complications occurred including 4 stomal infection, 3 catheter obstruction, one peritonism and three were extensive pneumoperitoneum. Stomal infection and catheter obstruction were not related to procedure. So, our true minor complications were only 4 (4%) which is comparable to literature.

CONCLUSION
Percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy is an effective and safe procedure for enteric access of nutrition in patients with oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer where percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is difficult.


Exploratory data visualization calls for iterative analyses, but very large databases are often far too slow to allow interactive exploration. Incremental, approximate database queries exchange precision for speed: by sampling from the full database, the system can resolve queries rapidly. As the sample gets broader, the precision increases at the cost of time. As the precision of the sample value can be estimated, we can represent the range of possible values. This range may be visually represented using uncertainty visualization techniques. This paper outlines the current literature in both incremental approximate queries and in uncertainty visualization. The two fields mesh well: incremental techniques can collect data in interactive time, and uncertainty techniques can show bounded error.


Replication‐competent herpes simplex oncolytic viruses are promising anticancer agents that partly target increased DNA synthesis in tumor cells. Investigators have proposed that these DNA viruses may be combined with liver resection to enhance killing of liver malignancies. Whether or not the cellular alterations associated with hepatic regeneration affect the efficacy and toxicity of these promising anticancer agents is unknown. This study examined the behavior of two oncolytic viruses, NV1020 and G207, during liver regeneration. When delivered during the peak of liver regeneration, replication and appearance of both G207 and NV1020 in hepatic tissue are enhanced as demonstrated by histochemical staining for the marker gene lac Z, immunohistochemical staining, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. This increased appearance of virus in liver tissue correlates with increases in cellular ribonucleotide reductase activity and DNA synthesis and is also associated with increased viral binding. However, increased viral presence is transient, and viral detection declines to baseline within 7 days. When these viruses were delivered to animals even as early as 7 days after hepatectomy, there proved to be no measurable viral replication in any organ and no increased morbidity or mortality. In conclusion, the early stages of hepatic regeneration after resection provide an environment suitable for viral replication. Administration of replication‐competent herpes simplex virus during the peak of hepatocyte regeneration (24–48 hours) permits viral productivity in tissue that otherwise does not support viral growth. The increase in hepatotoxicity after hepatectomy is short‐lived and can be predicted by peak hepatocyte DNA synthesis. (HEPATOLOGY 2004;39:1525–1532.)


Optical bistability and self-pulsation (SP) in silicon microring resonators (MRRs) are experimentally observed. The waveforms and frequencies of SP can be controlled by changing input light power and its wavelength, and the region of SP can be modulated readily by applying a reverse voltage on the PN junction embedded in the MRR. These phenomena are theoretically studied by adopting the coupled-mode theory and linear stability analysis method for differential equations, with theoretical results fitting well with the experimental ones.


The "Cognitive Revolution" has involved substantial changes in the emphasis of clinical practice and research interests of behaviour therapists. Work carried out in this area suggests that earlier fears about the potentially damaging effects of cognitive-behaviour therapy were unfounded. It can be argued that cognitive orientations have gained such widespread acceptance amongst behaviour therapists because the approaches are highly compatible at clinical and research levels, and because behaviour therapy had already started to incorporate similar concepts. Furthermore, cognitive models have also provided a wealth of new ideas and methods which considerably enhance behavioural approaches whilst leaving the fundamentals intact.


CONTRACTOR NAME CONTRACT TYPE CONTRACT NUMBER JURISDICTION STATE(S) Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02101 MAC A J F Alaska Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02102 MAC B J F Alaska Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02201 MAC A J F Idaho Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02202 MAC B J F Idaho Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02301 MAC A J F Oregon Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02302 MAC B J F Oregon Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02401 MAC A J F Washington Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 02402 MAC B J F Washington Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03101 MAC A J F Arizona Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03102 MAC B J F Arizona Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03201 MAC A J F Montana Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03202 MAC B J F Montana Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03301 MAC A J F North Dakota Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03302 MAC B J F North Dakota Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03401 MAC A J F South Dakota Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03402 MAC B J F South Dakota Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03501 MAC A J F Utah Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03502 MAC B J F Utah Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03601 MAC A J F Wyoming Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC A and B MAC 03602 MAC B J F Wyoming


We propose a method based on a non-linear transformation for non-rigid alignment of maps of different modalities, exemplified with matching partial and deformed 2D maps to layout maps. For two types of indoor environments, over a data-set of 40 maps, we have compared the method to state-of-the-art map matching and non-rigid image registration methods and demonstrate a success rate of 80.41% and a mean point-to-point alignment error of 1.78 meters, compared to 31.9% and 10.7 meters for the best alternative method. We also propose a fitness measure that can quite reliably detect bad alignments. Finally we show a use case of transferring prior knowledge (labels/segmentation), demonstrating that map segmentation is more consistent when transferred from an aligned layout map than when operating directly on partial maps (95.97% vs. 81.56%).


Effects of an indoor plant intervention in a Norwegian rehabilitation center were assessed in a quasi-experiment. During a 2-year period, coronary and pulmonary patients (N = 282) completed self-report measures of health, subjective well-being, and emotion on arrival, after 2 weeks, and at the end of a 4-week program. The intervention involved the addition of indoor plants for the second year. On average, patient physical and mental health improved during the program, but the addition of plants did not increase the degree of improvement. Subjective well-being did, however, increase more in patients who went through their program after the addition of plants, although the effect was only apparent in the pulmonary patients. The patients reported more satisfaction with indoor plants and the interior generally after the intervention. Room for the intervention to affect outcomes may have been limited by the well-designed interior and the center's location in a scenic mountain area, but these favorable features of the context apparently did not negate the potential for indoor plants to contribute to patient well-being.


ABSTRACT This paper considers the merging of Chaos with art, including such forms as digital images, sounds and music, based on dynamic systems derived from Chua's Circuit and using appropriate coding methods. Design elements, logos, musical instruments, software environments, multimedia theater performances and virtual museums with strange attractors have also been realized. In the field of education, the paper introduces environments that have foreseen the virtual manipulation of patterns derived from Chua's Circuit, which has fostered a deeper understanding of the evolution of dynamic systems through computer simulation.


Numerical applications frequently contain nested loop structures that process large arrays of data. The execution of these loop structures often produces memory reference patterns that poorly utilize data caches. Limited associativity and cache capacity result in cache conflict misses. Also, non-unit stride access patterns can cause low utilization of cache lines. Data copying has been proposed and investigated in order to reduce cache conflict misses [1][2], but this technique has a high execution overhead since it performs the copy operations entirely in software. We propose a combined hardware and software technique called data relocation and prefetching which eliminates much of the overhead of data copying through the else of special hardware. Furthermore, by relocating the data while performing software prefetching, the overhead of copying the data can be reduced further. Experimental results for data relocation and prefetching are encouraging and show a large improvement in cache performance.


Abstract This paper proposes a hybrid fuzzy multicriteria decision-making method for the solution of the problem of selecting the best site for a real estate investment. The proposed methodology consists of three steps: an aggregation algorithm, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, and a fuzzy information axiom. The aggregation algorithm is used to aggregate experts' preferences to satisfy group decisions. The proposed methodology is applied to a mixed use development being considered by a construction firm in Istanbul. The relative importance levels of the criteria were determined by the managing partners of the construction firm. The required data for the evaluation phase was collected by consulting with experts.


Knowledge management and knowledge transfer within organisations challenge continuity and resilience in the face of changing environments. While issues are principally addressed within large organisations, there is scope to evaluate how knowledge assets are managed within small and medium enterprises and to consider how the process might be enhanced. The research reported here aimed to evaluate practice within an evolving software development unit to understand how knowledge has been acquired and utilised to further organisational development. In-depth interviews were carried out with members of the unit to elicit an understanding of individual and collective learning. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed key changes in thinking and practice as well as insight into the development of individuals' contextual knowledge and tacit understanding. This analysis led to the proposal of a bespoke, lightweight web-based system to support knowledge capture and organisational learning. This work is still in progress but it is anticipated that the results will provide a potentially novel and beneficial method for enhancing knowledge assets in small enterprises and consolidating valuable, and potentially scarce, expertise.


Plasmonic circuitry is considered as a promising solution-effectivetechnology for miniaturizing and integrating the next generation ofoptical nano-devices. The realization of a practical plasmonic circuitry strongly depends on the complete understanding of the propagation properties of two key elements: surface plasmons and electrons. The critical part constituting the plasmonic circuitry is a waveguide which can sustain the two information-carriers simultaneously. Therefore, we present in this thesis the investigations on the propagation of surface plasmons and the co-propagation of surface plasmons and electrons in single crystalline metal nanowires. This thesis is therefore divided into two parts. In the first part, we investigate surface plasmons propagating in individual thick penta-twinned crystalline silver nanowires using dual-plane leakage radiation microscopy. The effective index and the losses of the mode are determined by measuring the wave vector content of the light emitted in the substrate. Surface plasmon mode is determined by numerical simulations and an analogy is drawn with molecular orbitals compound with similar symmetry. Leaky and bound modes selected by polarization inhomogeneity are demonstrated. We further investigate the effect of wire geometry (length, diameter) on the effective index and propagation losses. On the basis of the results obtained during the first part, we further investigate the effect of an electron flow on surface plasmon properties. We investigate to what extend surface plasmons and current-carrying electrons interfere in such a shared circuitry. By synchronously recording surface plasmons and electrical output characteristics of single crystalline silver and gold nanowires, we determine the limiting factors hindering the co-propagation of electrical current and surface plasmons in these nanoscale circuits. Analysis of wave vector distributions in Fourier images indicates that the effect of current flow on surface plasmons propagation is reflected by the morphological change during the electromigration process. We further investigate the possible crosstalk between co-propagating electrons and surface plasmons by applying alternating current bias


The purpose of this thesis is to define and document some of the issues and identifications commonly linked to the hip-hop generation. This particular faction of the African-American population is classified in the introduction as a group with unique values and cultural perspectives, as well as a host of generational mentalities (productive and pernicious) firmly embedded in the primary cultural movement of their era: hip-hop. Rap music is the greatest artistic achievement of this generation. Its popularity transcends economic, racial, and geographic boundaries. The lyrics of rap artists, from select periods of the hip-hop era, will be the major objects of critical analysis in this thesis. The hip-hop generation is alternately referred to as the post civil rights generation. Thus, the latter term provides a framework for locating the cultural and socioeconomic experiences of these African-Americans. The aftermath of the civil rights/ black power movement was characterized by many visible signs of social progress: desegregated public facilities, an increase in black elected officials, and a steadily growing black middle class. However the onset of globalization and the steep decline of American manufacturing jobs throughout the 1980s and 1990s contributed to the presence of a troubled urban minority underclass. Despite its crucial role in defining and producing contemporary hip-hop culture, this same minority underclass has been substantially disenfranchised and marginalized in the broader national sphere. The implications of this cultural paradox are at the heart of "Representin'."


State representations critically affect the effectiveness of learning in robots. In this paper, we propose a roboticsspecific approach to learning such state representations. Robots accomplish tasks by interacting with the physical world. Physics in turn imposes structure on both the changes in the world and on the way robots can effect these changes. Using prior knowledge about interacting with the physical world, robots can learn state representations that are consistent with physics. We identify five robotic priors and explain how they can be used for representation learning. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in a simulated slot car racing task and a simulated navigation task with distracting moving objects. We show that our method extracts task-relevant state representations from highdimensional observations, even in the presence of task-irrelevant distractions. We also show that the state representations learned by our method greatly improve generalization in reinforcement learning.