The goal of this study is to investigate K-8 geometry curriculum standards and textbooks for their effectiveness in preparing students for high school geometry. The basis for the study is van Hiele theory pioneered by the Dutch educators and researchers of geometric understanding in adolescents, Dina van Hiele Geldof and Pierre van Hiele. Another driving force for this dissertation is research into mathematics textbooks and curriculum standards of school mathematics as seen in CCSSM and state specific standards documents, both of which influence the mathematics students have the opportunity to learn. The K-8 geometry curriculum standards and textbook instructional segments suitable for van Hiele analysis were isolated and compared by their van Hiele levels. There were differences in CCSSM and non-CCSSM standards documents, with the overall trend indicating lower van Hiele levels as asserted by van Hiele researchers. However, a few textbooks had some higher levels interspersed in their instructional segments. Examples of level 4 activities in middle grade textbooks are provided in Chapter 3, while van Hiele level 4 tasks are not emphasized in any standards documents. The results of this study indicate that if standards and textbooks can consider young minds as they develop knowledge of the space around them then there could be more effective ways to develop geometrical understanding, and consequently raise the success rate of students in high school geometry. The curricular materials were separated into two groups: K-5 and 6-8. The various percentages of van Hiele levels were noted in all the materials analyzed as a guide to investigate the rigor and opportunity students are provided with in grades K-8. South Carolina and Texas standards' documents have higher percentages of level 3 tasks (31% and 22% respectively) than CCSSM (15%) in K-5 grades. Among K-5 textbooks Ready Math with 21% van Hiele level 3 content fared better than other K-5 textbooks and also better than CCSSM. For grades 6-8 neither CCSSM nor any state specific standards' documents contain van Hiele level 4 tasks, while all the 6-8 mathematics textbooks analyzed have level 4 content. Eureka Math has 49% tasks consisting of levels 3 and 4 and this makes it better than CCSSM document (40% level 3, 0% level 4). The other textbooks analyzed have lower level 3 + level 4 content (13% for Math in focus and 20% for Open up Resources). © 2019 by Vinay Kumar Kalyankar All Rights Reserved


We used traditional hydrologic endpoints and extracted novel water‐level fluctuation (WLF) characteristics through principal components analysis (PCA), to determine the relationship between WLF and rocky littoral benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) richness in 16 boreal lakes. Yearly WLF amplitude (maximum minus minimum water levels) ranged from 35.9 cm to 157.5 cm. Using PCA we derived a new variable D80‐D210 (31 March minus 01 August) as a surrogate for change in mean water level and potential habitat squeeze (loss). Analyses of BMI richness with several physicochemical variables, including water quality (8), habitat variability (4), lake and basin morphology (6), land classification (28), water temperature (8), hydrology (9), and PCA axes (10) resulted in only three significant relationships. We found a classic species‐area relationship, as BMI richness increases with increasing lake area (r2 = 0.38linear, r2 = 0.69unimodal). Similarly, as littoral slope increases macroinvertebrate richness decreases (r2 = 0.32linear). Most importantly, lower water levels, quantified using D80‐D210, have higher macroinvertebrate richness (r2 = 0.38linear). Together these results suggest that a habitat squeeze in littoral areas is the direct result of lower mean water levels and that relatively small changes in natural WLF can be associated with changes in BMI communities.


Introduction. Part I: The ABCs of Telecom Service. Chapter 1: A Buyer's Scoop on Telecom. Chapter 2: Making (And Living with) Telecom Decisions. Chapter 3: Getting Around the Telecom Neighborhood. Part II: Reviewing Telecom Products and Prices. Chapter 4: Understanding Dedicated Service Requirements. Chapter 5: Meeting Toll-Free Service, the Red-Headed Stepchild of Telecom. Chapter 6: Getting the Non-Accountant's Guide to Your Phone Bill. Part III: Ordering and Setting Up Telecom Service. Chapter 7: Ordering Regular Phone Lines and New Long-Distance Service. Chapter 8: Ordering Dedicated Service. Chapter 9: Ordering Toll-Free Service. Chapter 10: Activating Your Dedicated Circuit and Toll-Free Numbers. Part IV: Taking Care of Your Telecom System. Chapter 11: Maintaining Your Telecom Services. Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Switched Network Issues. Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Your Dedicated Circuits. Part V: What's Hot (Or Just Geeky) in the Telecom World. Chapter 14: Transferring Data, Not Just Voice Content. Chapter 15: Riding the Internet Wave: VoIP. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 16: Ten Acronyms and What They Really Mean. Chapter 17: Ten Troublesome Telecom Traits to Avoid. Chapter 18: Ten Places to Go for Hints and Help. Appendix: Making a Loopback Plug. Index.


In designing energy supply systems, designers are requested to rationally determine equipment types, capacities, and numbers in consideration of equipment operational strategies corresponding to seasonal and hourly variations in energy demands. However, energy demands have some uncertainty at the design stage, and the energy demands which become certain at the operation stage may differ from those estimated at the design stage. Therefore, designers should consider that energy demands have some uncertainty, evaluate the performance robustness against the uncertainty, and design the systems to heighten the robustness. Especially, this issue is important for cogeneration plants, because their performances depend significantly on both heat and power demands. Although robust optimal design methods of energy supply systems under uncertain energy demands were developed, all of them are based on linear models for energy supply systems. However, it is still a hard challenge to develop a robust optimal design method even based on a mixed-integer linear model. At the first step for this challenge, in this paper, a method of evaluating the performance robustness of energy supply systems under uncertain energy demands is proposed based on a mixed-integer linear model. This problem is formulated as a bilevel mixed-integer linear programming one, and a sequential solution method is applied to solve it approximately by discretizing uncertain energy demands within their intervals. In addition, a hierarchical optimization method in consideration of the hierarchical relationship between design and operation variables is applied to solve large scale problems efficiently. Through a case study on a gas turbine cogeneration plant for district energy supply, the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method and features of the performance robustness of the plant are clarified.


AIMS
To examine differences in alcohol-related mortality risk between areas, while adjusting for the characteristics of the individuals living within these areas.

DESIGN
A 5-year longitudinal study of individual and area characteristics of those dying and not dying from alcohol-related deaths.

SETTING
The Northern Ireland Mortality study.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 720,627 people aged 25-74, enumerated in the Northern Ireland 2001 Census, not living in communal establishments.

MEASUREMENTS
Five hundred and seventy-eight alcohol-related deaths.

FINDINGS
There was an increased risk of alcohol-related mortality among disadvantaged individuals, and divorced, widowed and separated males. The risk of an alcohol-related death was significantly higher in deprived areas for both males [hazard ratio (HR) 3.70; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.65, 5.18] and females (HR 2.67 (95% CI 1.72, 4.15); however, once adjustment was made for the characteristics of the individuals living within areas, the excess risk for more deprived areas disappeared. Both males and females in rural areas had a reduced risk of an alcohol-related death compared to their counterparts in urban areas; these differences remained after adjustment for the composition of the people within these areas.

CONCLUSIONS
Alcohol-related mortality is higher in more deprived, compared to more affluent areas; however, this appears to be due to characteristics of individuals within deprived areas, rather than to some independent effect of area deprivation per se. Risk of alcohol-related mortality is lower in rural than urban areas, but the cause is unknown.


Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy is currently revolutionizing cell biology research. Its capacity to break the resolution limit of around 300 nm allows for the routine imaging of nanoscale biological complexes and processes. This increase in resolution also means that methods popular in electron microscopy, such as single-particle analysis, can readily be applied to super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. By combining this analytical approach with super-resolution optical imaging, it becomes possible to take advantage of the molecule-specific labeling capacity of fluorescence microscopy to generate structural maps of molecular elements within a metastable structure. To this end, we have developed a novel algorithm — VirusMapper — packaged as an easy-to-use, high-performance, and high-throughput ImageJ plugin. This article presents an in-depth guide to this software, showcasing its ability to uncover novel structural features in biological molecular complexes. Here, we present how to assemble compatible data and provide a step-by-step protocol on how to


This paper presents a comparison among different strategies to coordinate the use of heterogeneous wireless sensors aimed for area surveillance. The heterogeneity among the sensor nodes is related to their sensing and mobility capabilities. The goal of the strategies is to provide coordination among the different nodes, in order to make the wireless sensor network perform its missions with higher efficiency. Strategies combine advantages of bio-inspired and utility-based approaches to coordination. Simulations of scenarios with different characteristics were performed and the results are compared and analyzed.


Purpose: We determined the gene copy numbers for MET, for its transcriptional activator MACC1 and for its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma (mCRC). We correlated copy numbers with mRNA levels and explored whether gain and/or overexpression of MET and MACC1 predict response to anti-Met therapies. Finally, we assessed whether their genomic or transcriptional deregulation correlates with pathologic and molecular parameters of aggressive disease. Experimental Design: One hundred three mCRCs were analyzed. Copy numbers and mRNA were determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Thirty nine samples were implanted and expanded in NOD (nonobese diabetic)/SCID (severe combined immunodeficient) mice to generate cohorts that were treated with the Met inhibitor JNJ-38877605. In silico analysis of MACC1 targets relied on genome-wide mapping of promoter regions and on expression data from two CRC datasets. Results: No focal, high-grade amplifications of MET, MACC1, or HGF were detected. Chromosome 7 polysomy and gain of the p-arm were observed in 21% and 8% of cases, respectively, and significantly correlated with higher expression of both Met and MACC1. Met inhibition in patient-derived xenografts did not modify tumor growth. Copy number gain and overexpression of MACC1 correlated with unfavorable pathologic features better than overexpression of Met. Bioinformatic analysis of putative MACC1 targets identified elements besides Met, whose overexpression cosegregated with aggressive forms of colorectal cancer. Conclusions: Experiments in patient-derived xenografts suggest that mCRCs do not rely on Met genomic gain and/or overexpression for growth. On the basis of pathologic correlations and bioinformatic analysis, MACC1 could contribute to CRC progression through mechanisms other than or additional to Met transcriptional upregulation. Clin Cancer Res; 17(10); 3146–56. ©2011 AACR.


The field of organic electronics promises exciting new technologies based on inexpensive and mechanically flexible electronic devices, and is now seeing the beginning of commercial success. On the sidelines of this increasingly well-established field are several emerging technologies with innovative mechanisms and functions that utilize the mixed ionic/electronic conducting character of conjugated organic materials. Iontronics: Ionic Carriers in Organic Electronic Materials and Devices explores the potential of these materials, which can endow electronic devices with unique functionalities.Fundamental science and applicationsWith contributions from a community of experts, the book focuses on the use of ionic functions to define the principle of operation in polymer devices. It begins by reviewing the scientific understanding and important scientific discoveries in the electrochemistry of conjugated polymers. It examines the known effects of ion incorporation, including the theory and modulation of electrochemistry in polymer films, and it explores the coupling of electronic and ionic transport in polymer films. The authors also describe applications that use this technology, including polymer electrochromic devices, artificial muscles, light-emitting electrochemical cells, and biosensors, and they discuss the fundamental technological hurdles in these areas.The changes in materials properties and device characteristics due to ionic conductivity and electrochemical doping in electrically conductive organic materials, as well as the importance of these processes in a number of different and exciting technologies, point to a large untapped potential in the development of new applications and novel device architecture. This volume captures the state of the science in this burgeoning field.


This survey provides an overview of the economic performance of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, together with the eight member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) countries for 2010 and their outlook for 2011. The first section is a summary of the main issues raised in the report including an assessment of the economic prospects for 2011. Chapter II analyses the impact of the global economy on the subregion then provides a comparative analysis of the GDP and sectoral growth performance. This is followed by the subsection on fiscal policy and the public debt. The next subsections focuses on monetary and financial policies, policies implemented to cope with the global crisis, the balance of payments and economic prospects for 2011 and recommendations. Chapter III presents country briefs for the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, together with a subregional assessment of the eight member countries of the ECCU. A statistical appendix is also added to support the subregional analysis and country briefs.


As IPTV deployments grow in number and size, service providers are
looking for solutions that minimize the service disruption due to
faults in the IP network carrying the packets for these services. This
document describes a mechanism for minimizing packet loss in a network
when node or link failures occur. Multicast-only Fast Reroute (MoFRR)
works by making simple enhancements to multicast routing protocols
such as Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) and Multipoint LDP
(mLDP).


This paper describes a probabilistic syntactic approach to the detection and recognition of temporally extended activities and interactions between multiple agents. The fundamental idea is to divide the recognition problem into two levels. The lower level detections are performed using standard independent probabilistic event detectors to propose candidate detections of low-level features. The outputs of these detectors provide the input stream for a stochastic context-free grammar parsing mechanism. The grammar and parser provide longer range temporal constraints, disambiguate uncertain low-level detections, and allow the inclusion of a priori knowledge about the structure of temporal events in a given domain. We develop a real-time system and demonstrate the approach in several experiments on gesture recognition and in video surveillance. In the surveillance application, we show how the system correctly interprets activities of multiple interacting objects.


"A House of Cards Falls: Why 'Too Big to Debar' is All Slogan and Little Substance" is a critical response to the article, "FCPA Sanctions: Too Big to Debar" by Drury D. Stevenson and Nicholas J. Wagoner, which aptly demonstrates a common, yet fundamentally flawed understanding of the FAR 9.4 suspension and debarment regime. "Too Big to Debar" asserts that when large government contractors violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), they should be "punished" by being debarred from the procurement system. Indeed, despite FAR 9.4's clear directive to use debarment only for the purpose of protecting the government, not to punish past misconduct, "Too Big to Debar" completely disregards this fundamental tenet of the suspension and debarment regime (and the regulation's plain language) by repeatedly referring to debarment as punishment. "Too Big to Debar" also misrepresents the true consequences of debarment — the corporate death penalty. In an era of outsourced government, these large, sophisticated firms not only permit the government to provide critical functions, but employ thousands of hard-working and innocent employees. Imposing debarment for the sake of retribution or deterrence is not only contrary to law, but would be harmful to the country's diverse interests. If FCPA enforcement has touched every industry, why do the authors single out large government contractors? Because they can — large government contractors are not sympathetic. Even though nearly all companies, regardless of their size or line of business are exposed to the potential misconduct of rogue employees, the authors expect government contractors to defy the statistically impossible. Too Big to Debar appears to assert that it is morally wrong to "reward" government contractors that have misbehaved. By injecting theories of punishment into an administrative regime, the article elevates the simple, almost visceral desire for large-scale retribution over the more nuanced best interests of the government. "A House of Cards Falls" exposes "Too Big to Debar" for what it is: a populist sound bite used to vilify and bash contractors without regard for nuance or reality.


Classifications of visualization are often based on technical criteria, and leave out artistic ways of visualizing information. Understanding the differences between information visualization and other forms of visual communication provides important insights into the way the field works, though, and also shows the path to new approaches. We propose a classification of several types of information visualization based on aesthetic criteria. The notions of artistic and pragmatic visualization are introduced, and their properties discussed. Finally, the idea of visualization criticism is proposed, and its rules are laid out. Visualization criticism bridges the gap between design, art, and technical/pragmatic information visualization. It guides the view away from implementation details and single mouse clicks to the meaning of a visualization.


The exponential growth of the Summer Olympic Games over the 20th Century has had a profound impact on the size, scale, number and type of buildings required to successfully provide a stage for the events. Presenting an opportunity for cities to advance urban development and demonstrate modernity through creative and iconic contemporary architecture, Olympic constructions have become synonymous with RIBA Gold Medalists and Laureates of the Pritzker prize whose iconic and innovative buildings have pushed the boundaries of material, form and technology. The architecture of the Olympic Games has an important, tangible, direct and permanent impact in host cities. Whilst some buildings constructed for the Olympic Games remain well used for many years after the event, others quickly begin to demonstrate patterns of infrequent use or even abandonment. In recent decades, this has contributed to increasing legacy concerns. The specific nature and short-lived (primary) function of these buildings pose a major challenge to designers. Whilst it has been acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that there should be clearer guidelines toward maximizing legacy, comparative studies to assess which aspects of architectural design and engineering facilitated positive legacies in previous host cities are lacking. Examining three case studies, Rome (1960), Barcelona (1992) and London (2012), this study seeks to identify the facets of architectural design and engineering that promote and facilitate the reuse of Olympic buildings for a successful post Games legacy.


Objective To determine clinical and ethnodemographic correlates of serological responses against the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein following mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Design A retrospective cohort study of healthcare workers who had self-isolated due to COVID-19. Setting University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, UK (UHBFT). Participants 956 healthcare workers were recruited by open invitation via UHBFT trust email and social media between 27 April 2020 and the 8 June 2020. Intervention Participants volunteered a venous blood sample that was tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein antibodies. Results were interpreted in the context of the symptoms of their original illness and ethnodemographic variables. Results Using an assay that simultaneously measures the combined IgG, IgA and IgM response against the spike glycoprotein (IgGAM), the overall seroprevalence within this cohort was 46.2% (n=442/956). The seroprevalence of immunoglobulin isotypes was 36.3%, 18.7% and 8.1% for IgG, IgA and IgM, respectively. IgGAM identified serological responses in 40.6% (n=52/128) of symptomatic individuals who reported a negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Increasing age, non-white ethnicity and obesity were independently associated with greater IgG antibody response against the spike glycoprotein. Self-reported fever and fatigue were associated with greater IgG and IgA responses against the spike glycoprotein. The combination of fever and/or cough and/or anosmia had a positive predictive value of 92.3% for seropositivity in self-isolating individuals a time when Wuhan strain SARS-CoV-2 was predominant. Conclusions and relevance Assays employing combined antibody detection demonstrate enhanced seroepidemiological sensitivity and can detect prior viral exposure even when PCR swabs have been negative. We demonstrate an association between known ethnodemographic risk factors associated with mortality from COVID-19 and the magnitude of serological responses in mild-to-moderate disease.


PURPOSE
We aimed to promote the efficacy of paclitaxel in intracavitary treatment of superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder by designing bio-adhesive microspheres capable of achieving controlled release of the drug at the urothelium/urine interface.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Poly(methylidene malonate 2.1.2) microspheres encapsulating paclitaxel were prepared by a single emulsion method. Bioactivity of the released paclitaxel was confirmed by assessing cytotoxicity on MBT-2, a bladder cancer cell line. Biodistribution of particles after bladder instillation was assessed by confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In vivo studies were performed in Balb/c mice after bladder cancer was induced by BBN (N-n-Butyl-N-butan-4-ol-nitrosamine) in drinking water. The efficacy of intravesical injections of conventional and microsphere paclitaxel was assessed by histology and survival rates.

RESULTS
Spherical 5 microm microspheres with 5% weight per weight paclitaxel loading ensured sustained release of bioactive paclitaxel. After bladder instillation the microspheres adhered to the mucosa and remained in the bladder lumen for at least 48 hours. In the BBN induced bladder cancer model compared with controls the 9-week survival rate was significantly improved by 2 injections of paclitaxel bio-adhesive microparticles. Microscopic evaluation confirmed the lower incidence of carcinoma in situ and high grade transitional cell carcinoma after injections of paclitaxel bio-adhesive microparticles compared with controls and with injections of similar doses of the conventional paclitaxel formulation.

CONCLUSIONS
Intravesical administration of poly(methylidene malonate 2.1.2) paclitaxel microspheres is a promising approach for intracavitary chemotherapy of superficial bladder cancer.


The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is mandated as a national human rights institution to uphold all of the human rights in the international human rights treaties. These include the right to culture. However, the Commission has found that little attention has been paid to cultural rights in human rights discourse. In particular, the promotion and protection of cultural rights in societies emerging from conflict is a neglected area. Little guidance exists for States, cultural stakeholders and such human rights actors as national human rights institutions as to how best to uphold cultural rights in such contexts. This gap is of particular concern for the promotion of cultural rights in Northern Ireland, a society that is emerging from decades of conflict. It is in order to redress this gap in literature and policy guidance that the Commission is publishing the present report.

The report is set against the backdrop of the designation of Derry/Londonderry as UK City of Culture 2013. The experience of that city as City of Culture is used as a case study in relation to the realisation of cultural rights in a post-conflict society. As part of the UK City of Culture initiative, the Commission organised a conference and consultation on cultural rights in divided and post-conflict societies in association with the University of Ulster and in co-operation with the UN Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights, Ms Farida Shaheed. This event took place in Derry/Londonderry from 1 to 3 July 2013 and the discussions that took place informed the finalisation of the current report as well as the attached recommendations.


Evaluation of the success and impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine introduction
and collation of key lessons learnt in low and middle-income countries (LAMICs) is now
possible given the number of recent HPV vaccine pilots, or 'demonstration projects', and
national programmes. Results may be useful for countries that have not yet commenced
implementation of the HPV vaccine and may also be generalizable to future introductions of
other pre-adolescent and adolescent vaccines.
This PhD addresses four aspects of HPV vaccine introduction: 1) barriers to adherence to
multi-dose vaccine schedules, 2) the potential impact of the HPV vaccine on human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition, 3) the potential impact of HPV vaccine introduction
on other health services, and 4) lessons learnt and recommendations for HPV vaccine
implementation in LAMICs.
A systematic review of the published literature on factors influencing multi-dose vaccine
adherence in adolescents was conducted. The paucity of published data from LAMICs
meant that no geographical restriction was set in the search terms. The majority of research
included in the synthesis originated in the United States of America (USA), where race,
insurance status and parental healthcare seeking behaviour were found to be predictors of
vaccine schedule completion. As vaccination programmes in older children become more
established in LAMICs, more research is needed on factors influencing adherence in these
settings.
The association between HPV infection and subsequent HIV acquisition was assessed in a
nested case-control study using stored cervical samples from previous study cohorts of
Tanzanian and Ugandan women. In contrast to previous observational studies that have
found an association between HPV infection and HIV acquisition in men and women, we
found no evidence of an association between HPV infection, clearance or persistence, and
subsequent HIV acquisition. This precluded the calculation of an estimate of the potential
population attributable fraction for the effect of HPV infection (and vaccination) on HIV
incidence.
Data from health facility register books and interviews with health workers in two regions of
Tanzania were analysed to examine the potential impact of HPV vaccination introduction
through a demonstration project in Northern Tanzania in 2014 on the provision of routine
primary health services. A controlled before-after analysis was carried out on count data of
consultations at facilities involved in HPV vaccine delivery in Kilimanjaro Region, and control
facilities in a neighbouring region. Interviews with health workers provided important
contextual information. There was no evidence that the number of consultations at the health
facilities fell during campaign weeks in intervention facilities compared to control facilities.
Utilisation of the health facilities was highly variable. Interviews indicated that the quality of
care provided at the facility during vaccination campaigns might be affected by staff
absence.
Lessons learnt from 37 LAMICs with at least one year of experience in HPV vaccine delivery
were collated from 41 published articles, 124 pieces of unpublished literature, and 27 key
informant interviews. Recommendations were formulated in 7 key themes: preparation,
communication, delivery, coverage achievements, sustainability, value of demonstration
projects and common pitfalls. Lessons were consistent across world regions and included
the importance of collaboration during planning between the ministries of health and
education, strategies to respond to rumours and challenges encountered during delivery.
Key findings were disseminated widely and stimulated on-going supplemental research.
There is now a large evidence base to support the rationale for HPV vaccine introduction
and its successful delivery in LAMICs, which currently suffer the heaviest burden of cervical
cancer disease in the world. To date, HPV vaccine delivery in low resource settings has
achieved high coverage and experienced fewer barriers than expected. It is clear that if
funding is available, LAMICs can effectively introduce the HPV vaccine nationally and
prevent a high burden of a major and serious disease in women.


Hemodynamic instability and inadequate cardiac performance is frequently found in critically ill patients. Transthoracic and transesophageal (in the case of inadequate visibility) echocardiography is increasingly used for noninvasive hemodynamic assessment and monitoring in the ICU setting. Using echocardiography, it is possible to assess preload, fluid responsiveness, systolic and diastolic cardiac function, and calculate cardiac output, intravascular and intra-cardiac pressures. It is the golden standard in the initial hemodynamic assessment and should be used as complementary tool in invasively monitored patients in the case of new circulatory or respiratory failure. Echocardiography is indispensable in the management of shock patients and is extremely powerful diagnostic role for the cardiac abnormalities (pericardial effusion and tamponade, acute cor pulmonale and acute or chronic valvular disorders) as a cause for hemodynamic instability. It is the most important and suitable method for assessment of right ventricular function, for diagnosis of septic cardiomyopathy and cardiac causes of weaning failure. Because of these advantages it should be routinely used by intensivists for hemodynamic assessment and monitoring and should be continuously available in the intensive care unit. The most important limitations of echocardiography are its inability to estimate adequacy of cardiac output and its intermittent nature. Therefore it should be used in rational combination with other complementary and continuous monitoring methods.


Monetary policy decisions are based on the likely impact future money supply growth will have on the nation's economic activity. How much of an increase in the volume of money is needed to achieve the desired level of activity depends, however, on how intensively the stock of money is used—its velocity. If the rate of money use is expected to change from what it has been in the past, a different quantity of money will be needed to maintain the past level of economic activity. As each dollar is used more often, fewer dollars are needed to facilitate the same amount of transactions. As a first step in determining future velocity movements, it is useful to analyze the past.


This paper presents a method for forecasting the load for heating in a single-family house. Both space and hot tap water heating are forecasted. The forecasting model is built using data from sixteen houses in Sønderborg, Denmark, combined with local climate measurements and weather forecasts. Every hour the hourly heat load for each house the following two days is forecasted. The forecast models are adaptive linear time-series models and the climate inputs used are: ambient temperature, global radiation, and wind speed. A computationally efficient recursive least squares scheme is used. The models are optimized to fit the level of optimal adaptivity and the thermal dynamical response of the building. Identification of a model, which is suitable for application to all the houses, is carried out. The results show that the forecasting errors mainly are related to: unpredictable high frequency variations in the heat load signal (predominant only for some houses), peaks presumably from showers, shifts in resident behavior, and uncertainty of the weather forecasts for longer horizons, especially for the solar radiation.


Aimed at lawyers and business executives faced with the prospect of litigation or arbitration, this volume describes the process of resolving disputes through third parties in Japan. It covers: the Japanese legal system; the role of the judiciary; the attitude of the Japanese to litigation; the actual process; the cost of such litigation; and practical suggestions on when to be involved in a litigation in Japan, and how to manage a case from outside Japan.


Imagine you are the driver of a large tanker truck driving downhill on the highway at about 70 km per hour. You see a car approaching you in its correct lane. As you take a closer look you realise that the driver of the car is fidgeting behind him and looking backwards and forwards intermittently in quick succession. Yet he is driving in his own lane and there is no indication that he would move into your truck's lane. Are you obliged at this point to take any steps to prevent a possible collision? Can you be seen as negligent if you do not?


Constraints on gravity and cosmology will greatly benefit from performing joint clustering and weak lensing analyses on large-scale structure data sets. Utilising non-linear information coming from small physical scales can greatly enhance these constraints. At the heart of these analyses is the matter power spectrum. Here we employ a simple method, dubbed "Hybrid Pℓ(k)", based on the Gaussian Streaming Model (GSM), to calculate the quasi non-linear redshift space matter power spectrum multipoles. This employs a fully non-linear and theoretically general prescription for the matter power spectrum. We test this approach against comoving Lagrangian acceleration simulation measurements performed in GR, DGP and f(R) gravity and find that our method performs comparably or better to the dark matter TNS redshift space power spectrum model {for dark matter. When comparing the redshift space multipoles for halos, we find that the Gaussian approximation of the GSM with a linear bias and a free stochastic term, N, is competitive to the TNS model.} Our approach offers many avenues for improvement in accuracy as well as further unification under the halo model.


This study seeks to further constrain near-bottom hydrodynamic current conditions required to mobilize native sediments on a high-energy sediment starved shelf environment and link these data to changes in sidescan sonar imagery of the inner-shelf environment of Onslow Bay, NC. A bottom-mounted upward looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) deployed at the OB3M study site on the lower sand flat adjacent to a low-relief marine hardbottom recorded hourly flow velocity profiles from a depth of 17.7 m. The lower sand flat is composed of two dominant surficial lithofacies consisting of patchy, but well-defined areas of well sorted fine sand and poorly sorted coarse grained material. A dual frequency high-resolution sidescan sonar system was utilized to biannually survey a 5.5 by 3.7 km area encompassing the OB3M site between March 2002 and October 2003. Mosaic imagery obtained from these surveys were used to document seasonal changes in bottom characteristics in response to twenty-three identified sediment mobility events. Measurable contributions from semidiurnal tidal flows, mean current flows dominated by subtidal wind-generated currents, as well as wave-generated oscillatory motions in the near-bottom layer during storm and non-storm conditions have been identified for the nineteen-month period bracketing two tropical storm seasons off the North Carolina coast. Calculated critical shear velocity values due to the combined effects of waves and currents indicate that the fine-grained sand fraction was mobile more than 66% of the period, frequently as incipiently suspended load and bedload, and rarely as fully suspended load. Quantitative analysis of sidescan sonar imagery demonstrate that even though hydrodynamic conditions favor mobilization of fine sands, the gross morphology and sediment distribution at this inner-shelf site remained relatively unchanged after the occurrence of several commonplace high-energy events. Seasonal sedimentation patterns, however; were found to be substantially altered after the passage of Hurricane Isabel within 225 km of the study site. Evidence from this study reveals that over the nineteen-month study period at this discrete site, the combined effects of typical high-energy events had little effect on the net distribution of bottom sediments, yet a singular extreme event was found to actively modify seabed sedimentation processes.


Building space cooling is, and until 2040 is expected to continue to be, the single largest use of electricity in the residential sector in the United States (EIA Energy Outlook 2015 .) Increases in electric-grid peak demand leads to higher electricity prices, system inefficiencies, power quality problems, and even failures. Thermally-activated systems, such as gas engine-driven heat pump (GHP), can reduce peak demand. This study describes the performance of a residential scale GHP. It was developed as part of a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) that was authorized by the Department of Energy (DOE) between OAK Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Southwest Gas. Results showed the GHP produced 16.5 kW (4.7 RT) of cooling capacity at 35 C (95 F) rating condition with gas coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.99. In heating, the GHP produced 20.2 kW (5.75 RT) with a gas COP of 1.33. The study also discusses other benefits and challenges facing the GHP technology such as cost, reliability, and noise.


Antarctic biodiversity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice‐free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent's extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice‐free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species' distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice‐free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary; (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishment; (iii) combined with milder climates will increase likelihood of non‐native species establishment, but may also lengthen activity windows for all species; and (iv) will benefit some species and not others, possibly resulting in increased homogeneity of biodiversity. We anticipate considerable spatial, temporal, and taxonomic variation in species responses, and a heightened need for interdisciplinary research to understand the factors associated with ecosystem resilience under future scenarios. Such research will help identify at‐risk species or vulnerable localities and is crucial for informing environmental management and policymaking into the future.


Next generation wireless networks are expected to handle an exponential increase in demand for capacity generated by a collection of tenants and/or services with heterogeneous requirements. Multi-tenant network sharing, enabled through virtualization and network slicing, offers the opportunity to reduce operational and deployment costs, and the challenge of managing resource allocations among multiple tenants serving possibly mobile diverse customers. When designing shared radio resource allocation mechanisms, it is as important to provide tenants with customization and isolation guarantees, as it is to achieve high resource utilization and to do so via low complexity and easy to implement algorithms. This thesis is devoted to the design and analysis of resource allocation mechanisms that meet these objectives.

We propose a sharing model in which tenants are assigned a share/budget of a pool of network resources. This share is then redistributed in the form of weights amongst users, which in turn drive dynamic resource allocations which are partially able to adapt to the traffic demands on, and requirements of, different slices customer populations. We propose and analyze two approaches for redistributing slices' share among customers which we classify into their associated (i) cooperative, and (ii) competitive resource allocations.

In the cooperative resource allocation setting, a pre-established policy is
proposed, in which resources are eventually assigned in proportion to the slice's share and the relative number of active users in currently has at a resource. This is shown to be socially optimal in a particular setting and simple to implement, with statistical multiplexing gains that increase with the number of tenants and the size of the resource pool. These gains stem from the ability of the scheme to adapt to dynamic loads leading to an up to 50% network capacity savings with respect to static allocations. We further improve these gains by presenting a framework that combines resource allocation and wireless user association which uses limited computational, information, and handoff overheads. However, using our cooperative scheme over a large pool of resources restricts the degree to which a slice can differentiate its customers' performance at a per resource level. Thus, we study how this trade-off affects the network utility and propose a mechanism to determine an optimal partition the resources into a collection of self-managed pools under cooperative
resource allocations.

Our competitive resource allocation approach enables tenants to reap the
performance benefits of sharing while retaining the ability to customize their own users' allocations. This setting results in a network slicing game in which each tenant reacts to the user allocations of the others so as to maximize its own customers' utility. We show that, under appropriate conditions, the game associated with such strategic behavior converges to a Nash equilibrium. At the Nash equilibrium, a tenant always achieves the same, or better, utility than it could achieve under a static partitioning of resources, hence providing the same level of inter-slice protection as static resource partitioning. The network utility of the equilibrium allocations is shown to be, under mild conditions, close to the socially optimal ones. The competitive resource allocation framework is complemented with a study on admission control policies that enable tenants to ensure minimum rate guarantees to their users. Our analysis and extensive simulation results confirm that our framework provides a comprehensive practical solution towards multi-tenant network slicing. We also discuss how our theoretical results fill a gap in the general resource allocation literature for strategic players.


There is a wide gulf between the formal logics used by logicians to describe agents and the informal vocabulary used by people who actually build robotic or software agents. In an effort to help bridge the gap, this report applies techniques borrowed from the field of formal software methods to develop a common vocabulary. Terms useful for discussing agents are given formal definitions. A framework for describing agents, tasks and environments is developed using the Z specification language. The terms successful, capable, reactive, reflexive, perceptive, predictive, interpretive, rational and sound are then defined in terms of this framework. In addition, a hierarchy for characterizing tasks is given. The aim of this report is to develop a precise vocabulary for discussing and comparing agents.


The physical, social, and computational context of people affect their choice of activity, thus also their need for and use of mobile services. It is quite easy to find likely examples of situations where this would be true. For example, a person who is standing on a subway station on the way home from work, waiting for a train that does not appear to be on time, is more likely to feel a need for a subway time table or traffic information than someone who is driving a car. To what degree does context matter is however not easy to answer precisely. Which context parameters matter for which activities, and in which combinations? This report describes a study with the aim to draw a map of user activities and context parameters, as well as combinations of context parameters. The study is based on a qualitative method with only 10 study participants, and thus, no precise answers can be given to any question regarding which context parameters matter more than others when trying to predict what user activity is needed the most for every given situation. However, the intention is that the report will assist in determining which context parameters and user activities are the most interesting to take a closer look at.


Shared-memory concurrency in C and C++ is pervasive in systems programming, but has long been poorly defined. This motivated an ongoing shared effort by the standards committees to specify concurrent behaviour in the next versions of both languages. They aim to provide strong guarantees for race-free programs, together with new (but subtle) relaxed-memory atomic primitives for high-performance concurrent code. However, the current draft standards, while the result of careful deliberation, are not yet clear and rigorous definitions, and harbour substantial problems in their details.
 In this paper we establish a mathematical (yet readable) semantics for C++ concurrency. We aim to capture the intent of the current (`Final Committee') Draft as closely as possible, but discuss changes that fix many of its problems. We prove that a proposed x86 implementation of the concurrency primitives is correct with respect to the x86-TSO model, and describe our Cppmem tool for exploring the semantics of examples, using code generated from our Isabelle/HOL definitions.
 Having already motivated changes to the draft standard, this work will aid discussion of any further changes, provide a correctness condition for compilers, and give a much-needed basis for analysis and verification of concurrent C and C++ programs.


IN "TRAVEL" (1923), Conrad touches upon "the conditions of an explored earth in which the latitudes and longitudes," "having been recorded once for all," have become "things of no importance" (Last Essays 90)1 The essay gestures towards one of the then-recent accomplishments of modern geography: the production of "the muchsurveyed earth," within which "Nothing obviously strange remains for our eyes now." With the "basic facts of geography" thus "ascertained" (90), this is an era of "closed space," "a world in which all earthly space is charted, claimed, interconnected" (Coroneos 2000: 15)2 The visual terms of Conrad's description point up how his subject, tourism, operates within the same economy of surveillance as geography, whereby the earth is opened up to and made available for inspection by Europe and Europeans.3 In a sense, then, closed space consists, by a curious reversal, in its being "open." Greene's The End of the Affair (1951) makes a brief allusion to this type of spaciousness. The narrator Bendrix recalls "one of those early brown photographs in an Oxford frame," the man within brimming with what he identifies as "the Victorian look of confidence": "of being at home in the world and knowing the way around" (14). At one level, "being at home" and "knowing the way around" speak figuratively for that Victorian "confidence." At the same time, however, there is the suggestion of a literal connection: that the untroubled imperial confidence discernible here is the product of a very particular sense of place - one not restricted to Europe or an emergent idea of "the West" but co-extensive with the world at large.In "Mr Cook's Century" (1941), written around the same historical moment in which The End of the Affair is set, Greene explores this in greater depth. Like Conrad's "Travel," Green's essay is concerned with the global character of mass tourism. And, like "Travel," it has a retrospective flavour, one of "now" versus "then." For Conrad, this is occasioned by the perception that geographical knowledge, having reached its apogee, has shrunk the globe. Writing against the backdrop of the London blitz in 1941, Greene is prompted by a sense that the world, made available through tourism, has with its suspension contracted. Thomas Cook and Son "in 1938 could have arranged you an independent tour to Central Africa as easily as to Ostend" (Collected Essays 235; hereafter CE). But "the Continental platform at Victoria" - the scene of departure up until then - is noted for its emptiness now: the "notice, 'Unexploded Bomb,' casually explaining what ... seem[s] the end of everything" (236-37).Backed by the emblematic image of the "stopped" clock, the "end of everything" posits in an obvious, temporal sense the end of an era. Moreover, it suggests the very delimitation of spatial horizons that, for Greene, have brought that end about. Hence a nostalgia for the closing years of "Mr Cook's Century," when "there were few places in the world to which an excursion had not been arranged" (236); for, in short, the recent ascendancy of the sort of mass, organized travel that Conrad laments in "Travel" and throughout much of his writing.4 This is because the modern, global form of European travel necessarily depends upon, and thereby registers, closed space, and therefore the passing of what has brought this closure about - a more exalted era of imperial discovery and exploration, mapping, and survey, the "Geography Militant" designated in Conrad's "Geography and Some Explorers." Those "unknown" spaces of "the days of heroic travel" are now a set of "seldom-visited places" (Last Essays 89; emphasis added): characterized, in other words, by where they fit into the reticulation of the modern world by tourism, rather than geography, as "a systematized knowledge of the world" (Culler 1981: 139)."Mr Cook's Century" dourly concludes that, for Cook in particular and tourism in general, 1941 has been "a rather sad, centenary year" (237). …


Collaboration has become a fundamental part of organizational life, and its importance increases still. Recent trends in the use of socialware, collaborative learning, and virtual teams show that there vastly increasing number of research challenges ahead to support groups and teams in effective collaboration. It is therefore critical that collaboration processes are of high quality in various aspects such as productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. A group of people trying to collaborate face many challenges such as resolving disagreements, misunderstandings, information overload, and distractions. Groups are not likely to overcome these challenges on their own. To help groups to address these collaboration challenges, process and technology support can be offered to support groups to structure and focus their effort on efficient and effective goal achievement.


Abstract Scholars in economics and political science argue that one major function of government is to overcome coordination failure in economic development, especially during times of rapid environmental changes. But, how and through what means does the state coordinate firms to follow the changing directions of its economic objectives? This paper focuses on the case of a government-controlled business association, namely the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and shows that the ACFIC may be serving, at least partially, as a means of avoiding the kind of coordination failures that are often associated with policy reform programs in authoritarian regimes like China when the government deems it necessary to radically and suddenly change its policy objectives. It does so by comparing the activities of firms that are members of ACFIC with non-members before and after the world financial crisis of 2008–09 which induced a significant change in government objectives. Before that crisis when priority in government objectives was "outward" (to stave off balance of payments crises that had befallen many other developing countries), ACFIC member firms were able to engage in exports and foreign investment to a greater extent than non-member firms, and even than those whose owners are members of the Congresses or Chinese Communist Party. After viewing the crises in international markets, and government objectives had turned more "inward", ACFIC members were more likely to focus on domestic sales and investments.


Proficient categorization of facial expressions is crucial for normal social interaction. Neurophysiological, behavioural, event-related potential, lesion and functional neuroimaging techniques can be used to investigate the underlying brain mechanisms supporting this seemingly effortless process, and the associated arrangement of bilateral networks. These brain areas exhibit consistent and replicable activation patterns, and can be broadly defined to include visual (occipital and temporal), limbic (amygdala) and prefrontal (orbitofrontal) regions. Together, these areas support early perceptual processing, the formation of detailed representations and subsequent recognition of expressive faces. Despite the critical role of facial expressions in social communication and extensive work in this area, it is still not known how the brain decodes nonverbal signals in terms of expression-specific features. For these reasons, this thesis investigates the role of these so-called diagnostic facial features at three significant stages in expression recognition; the spatiotemporal inputs to the visual system, the dynamic integration of features in higher visual (occipitotemporal) areas, and early sensitivity to features in V1.
In Chapter 1, the basic emotion categories are presented, along with the brain regions that are activated by these expressions. In line with this, the current cognitive theory of face processing reviews functional and anatomical dissociations within the distributed neural "face network". Chapter 1 also introduces the way in which we measure and use diagnostic information to derive brain sensitivity to specific facial features, and how this is a useful tool by which to understand spatial and temporal organisation of expression recognition in the brain. In relation to this, hierarchical, bottom-up neural processing is discussed along with high-level, top-down facilitatory mechanisms.
Chapter 2 describes an eye-movement study that reveals inputs to the visual system via fixations reflect diagnostic information use. Inputs to the visual system dictate the information distributed to cognitive systems during the seamless and rapid categorization of expressive faces. How we perform eye-movements during this task informs how task-driven and stimulus-driven mechanisms interact to guide the extraction of information supporting recognition. We recorded eye movements of observers who categorized the six basic categories of facial expressions. We use a measure of task-relevant information (diagnosticity) to discuss oculomotor behaviour, with focus on two findings. Firstly, fixated regions reveal expression differences. Secondly, by examining fixation sequences, the intersection of fixations with diagnostic information increases in a sequence of fixations. This suggests a top-down drive to acquire task-relevant information, with different functional roles for first and final fixations.
A combination of psychophysical studies of visual recognition together with the EEG (electroencephalogram) signal is used to infer the dynamics of feature extraction and use during the recognition of facial expressions in Chapter 3. The results reveal a process that integrates visual information over about 50 milliseconds prior to the face-sensitive N170 event-related potential, starting at the eye region, and proceeding gradually towards lower regions. The finding that informative features for recognition are not processed simultaneously but in an orderly progression over a short time period is instructive for understanding the processes involved in visual recognition, and in particular the integration of bottom-up and top-down processes.
In Chapter 4 we use fMRI to investigate the task-dependent activation to diagnostic features in early visual areas, suggesting top-down mechanisms as V1 traditionally exhibits only simple response properties. Chapter 3 revealed that diagnostic features modulate the temporal dynamics of brain signals in higher visual areas. Within the hierarchical visual system however, it is not known if an early (V1/V2/V3) sensitivity to diagnostic information contributes to categorical facial judgements, conceivably driven by top-down signals triggered in visual processing. Using retinotopic mapping, we reveal task-dependent information extraction within the earliest cortical representation (V1) of two features known to be differentially necessary for face recognition tasks (eyes and mouth). This strategic encoding of face images is beyond typical V1 properties and suggests a top-down influence of task extending down to the earliest retinotopic stages of visual processing. The significance of these data is discussed in the context of the cortical face network and bidirectional processing in the visual system.
The visual cognition of facial expression processing is concerned with the interactive processing of bottom-up sensory-driven information and top-down mechanisms to relate visual input to categorical judgements. The three experiments presented in this thesis are summarized in Chapter 5 in relation to how diagnostic features can be used to explore such processing in the human brain leading to proficient facial expression categorization.


Preservation is a constantly evolving dialogue between past and future, new and old. Yet as the formal and aesthetic precedents of traditional urbanism are adopted by New Urbanist practitioners to cloak new construction with the guise of historic continuity, the draw of Main Street communities is quickly fading. Where once downtown had the advantage of distinctive architecture and walkability as a competitive edge over sprawling suburban retail centers, large cities and small towns alike now face the challenge of competing with savvy Main Street imitators sprouting up on the urban fringe. This trend towards New Urbanist style retail is hurting businesses on Main Street, but the increasing marketability of these formats provides an opportunity for historic commercial corridors to take advantage of evolving consumer preferences. Several communities are already adapting to this new set of challenges by utilizing New Urbanist planning and design approaches to reposition their historic commercial corridors through infill development and urban restructuring. These interventions do not always make the headlines, yet they continue to gain strength. Some preservationists argue that there is little need for "new" urbanism when a wealth of old urbanism already exists. Yet what is desperately needed is a new way of thinking about urban places. Reasserting the historic role of Main Street communities as bastions of progress and innovation will enable a future in which strong communities, sustainable growth patterns and quality of life are rooted in the legacy of previous generations while providing for the demands of the next. Comments A THESIS in Historic Preservation Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION 2009 This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/122 STRIKING THE BALANCE: FINDING A PLACE FOR NEW URBANISM ON MAIN STREET


The paper describes a theoretical contextualization of flexibility, sustainability, durability and resilience, in the context of the sustainable development goals. The main purpose is to identify the theoretical handles that may be used in the creation of a flexibility indicator. Thus, research questions related to the theoretical differentiation between durable and sustainable, flexible and resilient are answered. Further on, the paper describes the situation of the Romanian regions in terms of development indicators, based on Eurostat data, as a premise for further research on the possibility of their leapfrogging. This work was financially supported through the project "Routes of academic excellence in doctoral and post-doctoral research- REACH†co-financed through the European Social Fund, by Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007-2013, contract no POSDRU/59/1.5/S/137926.


I examine one way of taxing international corporate income that has not previously been studied, "residence-based formulary apportionment" or RBFA. I first offer a new taxonomy of different ways of taxing corporate income by reference to individual shareholders, and distinguish what I call the "shareholder attribution" approach from integration, pass-through, and other approaches. I then argue that although traditional international legal norms had led international tax design to avoid taxing foreign corporations "unconnected" with the taxing jurisdiction (e.g. foreign corporations earning only foreign income), these legal norms have gone through substantial transformations in recent years. The exercise of jurisdiction over foreign corporations has vastly expanded in the sphere of international taxation, as has the extent of mutual assistance in tax collection. Consequently, the choice between taxing foreign corporations and taxing shareholders should be made mainly on administrative (including enforceability) grounds other than international legal norms. Against this new landscape of international tax law, I compare the relative administrative advantages of two forms of tax design that implement exclusively-individual-shareholder-residence-based taxation of corporate income: the shareholder attribution approach, and RBFA. I conclude that while otherwise promising, RBFA is infeasible because it is incompatible with most corporations' need to make pro rata distributions.


Aircraft observations of carbon monoxide (CO) from the ICARTT campaign over the eastern United States in summer 2004 (July 1–August 15), interpreted with a global 3‐D model of tropospheric chemistry (GEOS‐Chem), show that the national anthropogenic emission inventory from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (93 Tg CO y−1) is too high by 60% in summer. Our best estimate of the CO anthropogenic source for the ICARTT period is 6.4 Tg CO, including 4.6 Tg from direct emission and 1.8 Tg CO from oxidation of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The biogenic CO source for the same period from the oxidation of isoprene and other biogenic VOCs is 8.3 Tg CO, and is independently constrained by ICARTT observations of formaldehyde (HCHO). Anthropogenic emissions of CO in the U.S. have decreased to the point that they are now lower than the biogenic source in summer.


Due to numerous bottlenecks, the human brain is unable to consciously process all data
available at the retina. To overcome these constraints, evolution has developed a system
that breaks down retinal information into fragments and subsequently analyses them
according to current goals and expectations. This biasing system is frequently referred
to as attention. Yet despite a long history of itself having been the focus of analysis,
there are a number of questions about attention that are clearly unanswered by the
literature. Therefore, we wanted to address three problems highlighted by our literature
review. Specifically, we wanted learn, (I) Are the effects of probabilistic expectations,
when instructed either by spatial blocking of the target location or through a central cue,
on response latencies the product of a ballistic, attentional process, or the product of an
information theoretical decision-making process? (II) Can the inhibitory aspects of
spatial attention be pre-deployed by using a central cue to manipulate prior expectations
of where a task-irrelevant distractor is likely to appear? (III) What is the relationship
between attention and eye movements?We investigated this last question by way of testing healthy participants on
covert and overt versions of the behavioural paradigms designed to address questions I
and II, and then in a neuropsychology patient who presented with hypometric saccades,
we investigated if eye movements and attention can be dissociated. Experiments 1-4,
showed that the effects of target probability - when either spatially manipulated or
instructed through a central cue - can neither be fully accounted for by attentional
accounts or information theoretical accounts. Additionally, the outcome of target
probability is context dependent. That is, outcomes depend on how target probability
was instructed. Experiment 5 showed that spatial inhibition cannot be endogenously
deployed using central cues. Although we found that distractor suppression takes place
when targets are invalidly cued, suggesting distractor suppression takes place during
reorienting. Experiments 6-7 showed that attentional orienting can be preserved in the
presence of oculomotor impairment, indicating eye movements and attention can be
structurally dissociated. Whereas the results of experiments 1-5 are consistent with
claims that covert and overt orienting are similarly affected by expectations due to a
common attentional process. We conclude that expectations influence a mechanism
common to overt and covert responses, but ultimately, both processes are distinct.
In the discussion chapter, we discuss a number of future avenues of research,including how electrophysiology could be used to further understand the phenomena
presented here. Overall, the contribution of this body of research is to illustrate that the
relationship between top-down expectations and exogenous effects is extremely
complicated, and are, currently, inadequately captured by present models of attention


This paper investigates how financial development affects aggregate productivity growth. Based on a sample of developed and emerging economies, we first show that the level of financial development is good only up to a point, after which it becomes a drag on growth. Second, focusing on advanced economies, we show that a fast-growing financial sector is detrimental to aggregate productivity growth. JEL classification: D92, E22, E44, O4


T cell-independent type 2 (TI-2), in contrast to T-dependent, antigens stimulate the production of murine IgG3. To investigate a possible role for cytokines in mediating the induction of this IgG subclass, we established an in vitro polyclonal model system for studying TI-2 antigen-mediated B cell activation by using dextran-conjugated anti-IgD antibody (alpha delta-dex). We demonstrate that interferon gamma (IFN- gamma) stimulates, and interleukin 4 inhibits, the expression of IgG3 by alpha delta-dexactivated cells. The production of IFN-gamma by non-T cells in response to bacterial products, possibly capsular polysaccharides, may provide an explanation underlying the ability of TI antigens, which are unable to directly stimulate T cell-derived cytokines to induce Ig isotype switching.


The relationship between infection with the four major serotypes of dengue virus and the occurrence of different forms of disease is complex and not fully understood. Interpreting longitudinal records of the incidence of serious disease to gain insight into the transmission dynamics and epidemiology of the virus is therefore complicated. Since age reflects duration of exposure, age-stratified, strain-specific serological surveys carried out at one point in time, or over a short time interval, can potentially provide a rich source of information on longitudinal patterns. This paper describes the development and application (to data collected in Thailand) of statistically rigorous methods designed to estimate time-varying, strain-specific forces of infection, and thus basic reproduction numbers, from cross-sectional serological data. The analyses provide support for the hypothesis that antibody-dependent enhancement of transmission influences observed epidemiological pattern. Age-stratified serological data also reveal evidence of a propensity for the annual incidence of infection to oscillate over time with a frequency of several years. The latter observation is consistent with the predictions of simple mathematical models of the transmission dynamics of the virus. The estimates of the basic reproduction numbers obtained are similar in magnitude for each dengue serotype, being in the range of four to six. Such values are higher than those obtained from earlier analyses, and the implications of this for dengue control are discussed.


Isothermal Water Splitting Solar concentrators can create extremely high temperatures that can drive chemical reactions, including the thermal splitting of water to provide hydrogen. A metal oxide catalyst is needed that is usually cycled between hotter conditions where it is reduced and cooler conditions where it is reoxidized by water. This cycling can limit catalyst lifetime, which can be costly. Muhich et al. (p. 540; see the Perspective by Roeb and Sattler) developed an approach that allowed the redox cycle to be driven isothermally, using pressure swings. A thermal process for generating H2 from water uses pressure changes to recycle between catalyst redox states. [Also see Perspective by Roeb and Sattler] Solar thermal water-splitting (STWS) cycles have long been recognized as a desirable means of generating hydrogen gas (H2) from water and sunlight. Two-step, metal oxide–based STWS cycles generate H2 by sequential high-temperature reduction and water reoxidation of a metal oxide. The temperature swings between reduction and oxidation steps long thought necessary for STWS have stifled STWS's overall efficiency because of thermal and time losses that occur during the frequent heating and cooling of the metal oxide. We show that these temperature swings are unnecessary and that isothermal water splitting (ITWS) at 1350°C using the "hercynite cycle" exhibits H2 production capacity >3 and >12 times that of hercynite and ceria, respectively, per mass of active material when reduced at 1350°C and reoxidized at 1000°C.


Digital technologies affect employment through complex channels: automation, connectivity, and innovation. Labor-saving technologies coupled with reshoring may disrupt labor markets in developing countries and result in job losses. Yet, technological change drives productivity gains in both white-collar and blue-collar jobs either through ICT uptake or modern mechanical technologies. The 'gig economy' changes the traditional employer-employee relationship as it introduces new types of work. Digital platforms increase flexibility and labor market transparency, but delink workers from employers and from social benefits and protections making them more vulnerable. Policymakers in rich and poor countries alike should rethink social protection mechanisms. Technology diffusion has created divided worlds varying by region and income level. Job automation is likely to have a greater impact on less skilled workers than those with a university education (40 percent versus 5 percent in OECD countries). Moving towards a digital economy will reward those with access to broadband connectivity, strong institutions, and digital literacy. Future workers must acquire basic IT skills together with socio emotional skills that adapt to a lifelong learning environment in a changing jobs landscape. Technology can also increase labor market access for women and persons with disabilities, given the right 'analog' complements are in place. Technological change will affect the number, quality, and distribution of jobs across the world. In developing countries, the future workforce should be ready to embrace technology, digital literacy, and connectedness—bringing everyone closer to the technological frontier.


Redox enzymes, which catalyze reactions involving electron transfers in living organisms, are very promising components of biotechnological devices, and can be envisioned for sensing applications as well as for energy conversion. In this context, one of the most significant challenges is to achieve efficient direct electron transfer by tunneling between enzymes and conductive surfaces. Based on various examples of bioelectrochemical studies described in the recent literature, this review discusses the issue of enzyme immobilization at planar electrode interfaces. The fundamental importance of controlling enzyme orientation, how to obtain such orientation, and how it can be verified experimentally or by modeling are the three main directions explored. Since redox enzymes are sizable proteins with anisotropic properties, achieving their functional immobilization requires a specific and controlled orientation on the electrode surface. All the factors influenced by this orientation are described, ranging from electronic conductivity to efficiency of substrate supply. The specificities of the enzymatic molecule, surface properties, and dipole moment, which in turn influence the orientation, are introduced. Various ways of ensuring functional immobilization through tuning of both the enzyme and the electrode surface are then described. Finally, the review deals with analytical techniques that have enabled characterization and quantification of successful achievement of the desired orientation. The rich contributions of electrochemistry, spectroscopy (especially infrared spectroscopy), modeling, and microscopy are featured, along with their limitations.


ABSTRACT A method for the prompt and cost-effective intervention and remediation of tanker wrecks dealing with eventual leaks and recovering the fuel trapped in their tanks, even at considerable depths, is described. The method is of general applicability as long as the trapped pollutant does not dissolve and is of lower density than sea water. It relies on gravity to channel the flow of spilt fuel towards the surface. Instead of channeling the flow directly to the surface, the fuel-water mix is directed to a buffer reservoir/separator some 30–50 m below the sea surface so as not to be affected by rough weather. This is achieved by means of a light, quickly deployable flexible structure that should stay in place until all the tanks of the wreck are emptied and the pollution threat eliminated. The buffer reservoir, into which the spilt fuel is channelled, is provided with standard equipment through which shuttle vessels, weather permitting, can recover the fuel rapidly, using standard off-shore equipment a...


Background Microbial enzymes produced in the gastrointestinal tract are primarily responsible for the release and biochemical transformation of absorbable bioactive monophenols. In the present work we described the crystal structure of LJ0536, a serine cinnamoyl esterase produced by the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus johnsonii N6.2. Methodology/Principal Findings We crystallized LJ0536 in the apo form and in three substrate-bound complexes. The structure showed a canonical α/β fold characteristic of esterases, and the enzyme is dimeric. Two classical serine esterase motifs (GlyXSerXGly) can be recognized from the amino acid sequence, and the structure revealed that the catalytic triad of the enzyme is formed by Ser106, His225, and Asp197, while the other motif is non-functional. In all substrate-bound complexes, the aromatic acyl group of the ester compound was bound in the deepest part of the catalytic pocket. The binding pocket also contained an unoccupied area that could accommodate larger ligands. The structure revealed a prominent inserted α/β subdomain of 54 amino acids, from which multiple contacts to the aromatic acyl groups of the substrates are made. Inserts of this size are seen in other esterases, but the secondary structure topology of this subdomain of LJ0536 is unique to this enzyme and its closest homolog (Est1E) in the Protein Databank. Conclusions The binding mechanism characterized (involving the inserted α/β subdomain) clearly differentiates LJ0536 from enzymes with similar activity of a fungal origin. The structural features herein described together with the activity profile of LJ0536 suggest that this enzyme should be clustered in a new group of bacterial cinnamoyl esterases.


Abstract The central theme of this paper is about providing opportunities for the participants to discuss sensitive issues in a safe environment with the researcher and group, actively listening and making meaning from their creative efforts. It introduces a creative research method used to provide a medium for adults to discuss a sensitive issue. The participants took part in focus groups and also created craft-based models as a means to share their thoughts and feelings. Creating and describing the model provided a safe distance and took pressure off the creators, it also led to rich, deep data as participants were able to share thoughts and emotions without reticence. The sensitive issue used as an example in this paper was mental health as it affected teaching and learning. The whole process of making the model and the subsequent discussion was recorded. The conversation during the creative process and the reaction of the group to the model were also considered as data and the researcher drew all this together into a narrative which encapsulated the process. Meaning making in such a constructed way can be subject to bias but a reflexive approach and being an outsider researcher for all focus groups reduced these limitations. This approach to data handling added depth and made the creative process accessible whilst unpicking metaphors and making explicit links to relevant theory. Analysis of the narratives provided themes related to the thoughts and feelings of the participants about how mental health impacts on teaching and learning. The teacher trainees all considered the stigma still associated with this sensitive topic and commented on the barrier to learning that this could present. The group all acknowledged a lack of awareness and training to deal with this particular barrier and sought awareness raising that was targeted to teacher trainees and the needs of adult learners.


Nursing is a profession that encompasses a huge diversity of practices and practice settings, but the aim of nursing practice remains the same: to support and promote the health and well-being of human persons. Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses is an integrated and coherent textbook that allows students to understand the mutual relationship between the legal and ethical frameworks of nursing practice. The text considers two key concepts to understanding the relation of ethics and law to the practice of nursing: the idea of human vulnerability and respect for persons. Through understanding ethics and law in terms of vulnerability and respect, this text provides a fresh understanding of the ethical and legal aspects of committing and witnessing errors in nursing practice. Many varied case studies and practical examples are used throughout to aid students' understanding of the ethical and legal responsibilities of nurses.


Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven't because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. In her previous book, The Well-Trained Mind, the author provided a road map of classical education for parents wishing to home-school their children, and that book is now the premier resource for home-schoolers. In this new book, Bauer takes the same elements and techniques and adapts them to the use of adult readers who want both enjoyment and self-improvement from the time they spend reading. The Well-Educated Mind offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres-fiction, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry-accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type. The annotated lists at the end of each chapter-ranging from Cervantes to A. S. Byatt, Herodotus to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich-preview recommended reading and encourage readers to make vital connections between ancient traditions and contemporary writing. The Well-Educated Mind reassures those readers who worry that they read too slowly or with below-average comprehension. If you can understand a daily newspaper, there's no reason you can't read and enjoy Shakespeare's Sonnets or Jane Eyre. But no one should attempt to read the "Great Books" without a guide and a plan. Susan Wise Bauer will show you how to allocate time to your reading on a regular basis; how to master a difficult argument; how to make personal and literary judgments about what you read; how to appreciate the resonant links among texts within a genre-what does Anna Karenina owe to Madame Bovary?-and also between genres. Followed carefully, the advice in The Well-Educated Mind will restore and expand the pleasure of the written word.


Introduction Although the Internet is becoming a part of daily life for the projected 250 million people who will use it by the year 2000, the medical profession has lagged behind in using this emerging global information network. Physicians, in particular, have been slow to utilize this exciting new medium for patient education. However, others in the health field-pharmaceutical and insurance companies, alternative therapists and herbalists-have rapidly embraced the Internet for providing patient health education as a means of advertising their products. Diverse health-related Websites are now providing web-education to our patients, with much of the information seemingly incomplete, misleading or inaccurate. Our Website is a physician-based Website that addresses the traditionally overlooked areas of grief and loss, providing resources and support. Methods In creating the Journey of Hearts Website over the last 1 and1/2 years we have used a variety of methods to design, change, and improve the site. Feedback used included responses from visitors, candid comments from friends, usability study for Sun Microsystem's Website re-design, Website reliability standards from several medical sources, statistical analysis of obtainable site data, combined with our own personal preferences regarding useable Websites. Results The three components we found to be most important in designing an effective Website for patient education are: content, ease of navigability and use of artistic elements. The most artistic site cannot replace content and conversely, the most informative site will not be utilized if the content is presented in a dull, uninteresting manner. The most instructional Website will not be utilized if people do not know it exists or cannot locate the site on the Internet, underscoring the importance of 'getting the word out.' Additionally, once at the site, if it is too difficult to navigate, or contains too many of the latest web tricks, visitors are likely to get annoyed and leave, no matter how good the content. Discussion The Internet has the potential to be an excellent adjunctive resource for patient web-education and to augment or enhance information given in the ever-shortening primary care office visit. To ensure that the information our patients receive is complete and accurate, physicians need to become the primary providers of medical and health information over the Internet. The Journey of Hearts Website is an evolving, integrative medical Website with a unique design combining medicine, psychiatry, poetry, prose and images-providing medical, non-medical and inspirational resources. With this integrative approach, we have created a site that can be experienced as well as read, is informative and visually therapeutic. In this paper/presentation we will discuss and share the key elements and observations discovered in designing a Website for patient Web-education on grief and loss.


Since 2002 the ACCES credit for higher education has financed more than 280,000 students. Prior evaluations have shown evidence as to its positive effect on the academic performance and the reduction in the dropout rates of the recipients. Nevertheless, no evidence exists so far on the effect these credit programs have had on the labor market indicators of their beneficiaries. In this study we attempt to estimate such effect. In particular, the question we seek to answer is if, once working as graduates, do the beneficiaries of ACCES loans have higher salaries and if this is the case, why does this happen and through which channels does it occur. Using administrative data for more than 300 thousand applicants of this credit in Colombia and using a regression discontinuity design, we found that the recipients of the ACCES educational credit have starting salaries as graduates which are higher in comparison with those graduates not receiving this credit. We also undertake a mediation methodology within an Intent-to-Treat Regression Discontinuity framework that allows for a precise identification and quantification of the mediation channels. We concluded that once graduated, the ACCES beneficiaries' exhibit longer job search periods, which would substantially explain their greater starting salaries of their first formal jobs. Academic performance during college also account for the differences in starting salaries yet to lesser degree.


In USA, despite recent efforts to improve work zone safety, the number of crashes and fatalities at work zones has increased continuously over several past years. For addressing the existing safety problems, a clear understanding of the characteristics of work zone crashes is necessary. This thesis summarized a research study focusing on work zone traffic crash analysis to investigate the characteristics of work zone crashes and to identify the factors contributing to injury severity at work zones. These factors included roadway design, environmental conditions, traffic conditions and vehicle/driver features. Especially, special population groups, which divided into older, middle Age, and young, were inspected. This study was based on history crash data from the Florida State, which were extracted from the Florida CAR (Crash Analysis Reporting) system. Descriptive statistics method was used to find the characteristics of crashes at work zones. After then, an injury severity predict model, using the ordered probit regression technology, was developed to investigate the impacts of various factors on different the injury severity at work zones. From the model, it can be concluded that some factors, vii including the road section with curve, alcohol/drugs involved, a high speed, angle crash and too young or old drivers are more likely to increase the probability of angle crashes. Based on the magnitudes of the variable coefficients, the factor of maximum posted speed have a great impact to injury severity, which shows restriction to driving speed is principle countermeasure for improving work zone safety.


Electric power quality (PQ) in distribution system has become increasingly significant subject both for end users and power suppliers with the deregulation of the electric power market. The inadequate performance of conventional compensation devices to mitigate PQ problems has revealed the use of advanced power electronics based compensation devices. Distribution static synchronous compensator (DSTATCOM) is one of the shunt connected custom power devices used to improve PQ, voltage and reactive power support and to increase the capability of the auxiliary service for utility grid. This study presents a comprehensive review of the various DSTATCOM configurations for single-phase (two-wire) and three-phase (three or four-wire) systems and control strategies for the compensation of different PQ problems in distribution systems. In addition, comprehensive explanation, comparison and discussion on DSTATCOM technology are performed. Furthermore, latest trends, practical consideration and some future research fields on DSTATCOMs are discussed in detail. This is intended to present a broad perspective on the status of DSTATCOM technology to researchers dealing with compensation of PQ problems in distribution systems.


Stress-dependent permeability in coal seam gas (CSG) reservoirs can challenge the development of coal fields with lower initial permeabilities. Thus, advanced well stimulation techniques become essential. This work evaluates the performance of novel graded proppant injection (GPI) technique for CSG reservoir stimulation using reservoir simulation models. A simplified model for steady-state incompressible fluid flow during the early dewatering stage of production is validated by the analytical model results. A general model is then developed for GPI process during unsteady-state compressible two-phase flow in coal, accounting for gas desorption, matrix shrinkage, heterogeneous permeability distribution, and cross-flow. Fractured porous medium is modelled by a dual-porosity radial model. Stress-dependent permeability and matrix shrinkage effects are modelled using the Palmer-Mansoori equation. Under the incompressible fluid flow condition, the productivity index after well stimulation using GPI technique increases by 1.3~2.3 times. Moreover, simulation of compressible gas-water flow coupled with gas desorption from matrix yields 4~13% increment on recovery factor (RF) during production for 30 years. Stimulation accounting for matrix shrinkage enhances RF by 9~13%. For heterogeneous permeability distribution, more permeable layers exhibit deeper penetration of particles. The enhanced permeability owing to GPI yields higher production of both gas and water. Cross-flow between the coal layers influence the effectiveness of the depressurisation process and hence gas desorption post-stimulation. It allows dewatering of deeper layers and additional desorption of gas.


Although the Multi-Input and Multi-Output (MIMO) communication systems provide very high data rates with low error probabilities, these advantages are obtained at the expense of having high signal processing tasks and the hardware cost, e.g. expensive Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converters. The increased hardware cost is mainly due to having multiple Radio Frequency (RF) chains (one for each antenna element). Antenna selection techniques have been proposed to lower the number of RF chains and provide a low cost MIMO system. Among them, due to a beamforming capability Soft Antenna Selection (SAS) schemes have shown a great performance improvement against the traditional antenna sub-set selection methods for the MIMO communication systems with the same number of RF chains. A SAS method is basically realized by a pre-processing module which is located in RF domain of a MIMO system. In this thesis, we investigate on the receive SAS-MIMO, i.e. a MIMO system equipped with a SAS module at the receiver side, in noise-limited/interference channels. For a noise-limited channel, we study the SAS-MIMO system for when the SAS module is implemented before Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), so-called pre-LNA, under both spatial multiplexing and diversity transmission strategies. The pre-LNA SAS module only consists of passive elements. The optimality of the pre-LNA SAS method is investigated under two different practical cases of either the external or internal noise dominates. For the interference channel case, the post-LNA SAS scheme is optimized based on Power Angular Spectrum (PAS) of the received interference signals. The analytical derivations for both noise-limited and interference channels are verified via the computer simulations based on a general Rician statistical MIMO channel model. The simulation results reveal a superiority of the post-LNA SAS to the post-LNA SAS at any condition. Moreover, using the simulations performed for the interference channels we show that the post-LNA SAS is upper bounded by the full-complexity MIMO. Since in both above-mentioned channels, noise-limited and interference, the channel knowledge is needed for the SAS optimization, in this thesis we also propose a two-step channel estimation method for the SAS-MIMO. This channel estimation is based on an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) MIMO system. Two different estimators of Least-Square (LS) and Minimum-Mean-SquareError (MMSE) are applied. Simulation results show a superiority of the MMSE method to the LS estimator for a MIMO system simulated under the 802.16 framing strategy. Moreover, a 802.11a framing based SAS-MIMO is simulated using MATLAB SIMULINK to verify the two-step estimation procedure. Furthermore, we also employ a ray-tracing channel simulation to assess different SAS configurations, i.e. realized by active (post-LNA) and/or passive (pre-LNA) phased array, in terms of signal coverage. In this regard, a rigorous Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) analysis is performed for each of these SAS realizations. The results show that although the SAS method performance is generally said to be upperbounded by a full-complexity MIMO, it shows a better signal coverage than the full-complexity MIMO. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Ministry of Science and Research Technology (MSRT) of IRAN, Ontario government of Canada and University of Waterloo which sponsored me for my PhD program. Moreover, I would also like to thank all the people who made this possible.


Sustaining our health and wellbeing requires lifelong efforts for prevention and healthy living. Continuously observing ourselves is one of the fundamental measures to be taken. While many devices support monitoring and quantifying our health behavior and health state, they all are facing the same trade-off: the higher the data quality is the higher are the efforts of data acquisition. However, for lifelong use, minimizing efforts for the user is crucial. Nowadays, few devices find a good balance between cost and value. In this interdisciplinary workshop we discuss how this trade-off can be approached by addressing three topics: understanding the user's information needs, exploring options for data acquisition, and discussing potential designs for life-long use.


This dissertation presents the development of the Kachruvian paradigm of world Englishes and sheds light on keynotions in each developmental stage of Braj Kachru's research. It intends to answer the question: how was the Kachruvian paradigm of world Englishes formed? Thiswas not the initial aim of the project. Instead, its significance has two phases, a pre-project and post-project phase. The pre-project goal was an attempt to clarify various misunderstandings or misrepresentations of world Englishes as a field of study as well as a sociolinguistic phenomenon. However, when approaching the completion of this dissertation, the actual significance (the post-project) gradually shifted. It evolved into a working answer to the research question, that is what events and influences reveal the process of the development of what has come to be known as the Kachruvian paradigm of world Englishes. The beginning of the process can be dated back to Braj Kachru's graduate school years, when he hesitated to affirm the linguistic and sociolinguistic existence of Indian English; his death marked the end of his development of the paradigm, but the field of world Englishes, which had reached global interest long before then, has continued to cultivate scholars of English varieties around the world. The description of the development of the paradigm undertaken in this dissertation is a close review of Kachru's work over five decades (the 1960s to the 2000s).


This paper considers how social capital can contribute to poverty alleviation at the micro-level, based on an analysis of the documentary evidence provided by theoretical perspectives and empirical studies. Across countries and contexts, micro-credit, agricultural production and marketing, environmental protection and knowledge networking are linked to productive social capital. Four mechanisms to strengthen social capital are identified: structural opportunity to meet, 'know-how' of social interaction, sense of belonging and an ethos of mutuality. We envision that opportunities within the development practice exist to foster such mechanisms, and recommend in-depth studies to enhance our understanding of social capital production mechanisms.