The use of stable isotopes of N and O in N2O has been proposed as a way to better constrain the global budget of atmospheric N2O and to better understand the relative contributions of the main microbial processes (nitrification and denitrification) responsible for N2O formation in soil. This study compared the isotopic composition of N2O emitted from soils under different tree species in the Brazilian Amazon. We also compared the effect of tree species with that of soil moisture, as we expected the latter to be the main factor regulating the proportion of nitrifier- and denitrifier-derived N2O and, consequently, isotopic signatures of N2O. Tree species significantly affected δ 15N in nitrous oxide. However, there was no evidence that the observed variation in δ 15N in N2O was determined by varying proportions of nitrifier- vs. denitrifier-derived N2O. We submit that the large variation in δ 15N-N2O is the result of competition between denitrifying and immobilizing microorganisms for NO 3 m . In addition to altering δ 15N-N2O, tree species affected net rates of N2O emission from soil in laboratory incubations. These results suggest that tree species contribute to the large isotopic variation in N2O observed in a range tropical forest soils. We found that soil water affects both 15N and 18O in N2O, with wetter soils leading to more depleted N2O in both 15N and 18O. This is likely caused by a shift in biological processes for 15N and possible direct exchange of 18O between H2O and N2O.


Abstract Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a monogenic disorder of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) metabolism. It is characterised by markedly elevated LDL cholesterol, autosomal dominant inheritance, premature cardiovascular disease and tendon xanthomata. FH is a genetically heterogeneous disorder, but the most common underlying molecular cause is mutation of the LDL receptor gene. The worldwide prevalence of FH is 1:500. South Africa has three founder populations in which the prevalence of FH may be as high as 1:70. FH is diagnosed clinically, but the diagnosis can be confirmed by DNA analysis. DNA testing cannot always identify the causative mutation because there are several genes to examine and more than 1 500 different mutations have been identified in the LDL receptor alone. Statins are the treatment of choice for patients with FH. Ezetimibe or cholestyramine can be added if additional LDL lowering is required, or if patients are unable to tolerate high statin doses.


SummaryThe hypopharyngeal glands (HGs) are important protein-producing food glands in worker honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). A simple in vivo method is described for estimating HG activity. Radioactive 14C-L-leucine (0·1 μCi in 1 μl) is injected directly into the haemocoele of honeybees, and is subsequently incorporated into the HGs during protein synthesis. After 2 h incubation, the amount of radioactive leucine incorporated by the gland is measured and serves as an indicator of synthetic activity in the glands. The technique has been used successfully to reveal gland activity differences in bees from hives with and without brood. This technique is simple, fast, and reliable. Its advantages and disadvantages compared with the in vitro assay method of Brouwers (1982) are also discussed.


Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Composite and Reinforced Concrete Beams presents advanced methods and techniques for the analysis of composite and FRP reinforced concrete beams. The title introduces detailed numerical modeling methods and the modeling of the structural behavior of composite beams, including critical interfacial bond-slip behavior. It covers a new family of composite beam elements developed by the authors. Other sections cover nonlinear finite element analysis procedures and the numerical modeling techniques used in commercial finite element software that will be of particular interest to engineers and researchers executing numerical simulations. Gives advanced methods and techniques for the analysis of composite and fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) and reinforced concrete beams Presents new composite beam elements developed by the authors Introduces numerical techniques for the development of effective finite element models using commercial software Discusses the critical issues encountered in structural analysis Maintains a clear focus on advanced numerical modeling


Article history: Received July 21 2015 Received in Revised Format August 16 2015 Accepted September 1 2015 Available online September 4 2015 This paper describes a comparison of surface roughness between ceramics and cubic boron nitride (CBN7020) cutting tools when machining of AISI H11 hot work steels treated at 50 HRC. Plan is designed according to Taguchi's L18 (21×32) orthogonal array. The response surface methodology (RSM) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to check the validity of multiple linear regression models and to determine the effects, contribution, significance and optimal machine settings of process parameters, namely, cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut on machining parameters on the Ra and Rt. The results of this research work showed that, the feed rate was found to be a dominant factor on the surface roughness, followed by the cutting speed, lastly the depth of cut. The CBN7020 cutting tool showed the better performance than that of ceramic based cutting tool. In addition, the combination of low feed rate and high cutting speed is necessary for minimizing the surface roughness. © 2016 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved


The main challenge of the implant technology used for bone cancer therapy is the development of a new generation of bioactive implants with enhanced multifunctional roles such as bone graft material and hyperthermia generator. The aim of this work is to prepare nano-ceramic fillersbased hydrogel biopolymer as spongy bone substitute with high biocompatibility, bioactivity, and osteoconductivity. The possibility of preparing a series of nano - brushite/ γ -Fe2O3 / hydrogel biopolymer scaffolds was demonstrated as a new generation of bone graft and tissue engineering. The improvement of bioactivity properties of new scaffolds carried out by adding 5, 10 and 15 wt% of nano - γ - Fe2O3 to 95, 90 and 85 wt% of nano-brushite respectively. The developed nano-ceramic phases were investigated by TEM and XRD. The prepared scaffolds were investigated by pore analysis and mechanical properties before immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). Due to the applied electromagnetic field the magnetite induces hyperthermia and measuring temperature increases. The in-vitro behavior was assessed via measurement of calcium and phosphorus ions in SBF. The obtained results revealed that the γ - Fe2O3 enhanced the bioactivity properties of the prepared scaffolds by formation of bone-like apatite on surfaces of the scaffolds, especially at high ratio of γ- Fe2O3 (15%) according the measurement of calcium and phosphorous. The mechanical properties of the composites are within the range of cancallous bone. The combination of osteoconductivity properties of these scaffolds confirms excellent mechanical properties which leads to the development of high strength medical scaffolds with appropriate bioactivity and anticancer activity.


In this paper we perform a large-scale homophily analysis on Twitter using a hierarchical representation of users' interests which we call a Twixonomy. In order to build a population, community, or single-user Twixonomy we first associate "topical" friends in users' friendship lists (i.e. friends representing an interest rather than a social relation between peers) with Wikipedia categories. A word-sense disambiguation algorithm is used to select the appropriate wikipage for each topical friend. Starting from the set of wikipages representing "primitive" interests, we extract all paths connecting these pages with topmost Wikipedia category nodes, and we then prune the resulting graph G efficiently so as to induce a direct acyclic graph. This graph is the Twixonomy. Then, to analyze homophily, we compare different methods to detect communities in a peer friends Twitter network, and then for each community we compute the degree of homophily on the basis of a measure of pairwise semantic similarity. We show that the Twixonomy provides a means for describing users' interests in a compact and readable way and allows for a fine-grained homophily analysis. Furthermore, we show that midlow level categories in the Twixonomy represent the best balance between informativeness and compactness of the representation.


Associative memory concerns the concept that one idea may trigger the recall of a different but related idea. Traditional computers, however, rely upon a memory design that stores and retrieves data by its address rather than its content. In such a search, every accessed data word must travel individually between the processing unit and the memory. The simplicity of this retrieval-by-address approach has ensured its success, but has also produced some inherent disadvantages. One is the von Neumann bottleneck, where the memory-access path becomes the limiting factor for system performance. A related disadvantage is the inability to proportionally increase the size of a unit transfer between the memory and the processor as the size of the memory scales up. Associative memory, in contrast, provides a naturally parallel and scalable form of data retrieval for both structured data (e.g. sets, arrays, tables, trees and graphs) and unstructured data (raw text and digitized signals). An associative memory can be easily extended to process the retrieved data in place, thus becoming an associative processor. This extension is merely the capability for writing a value in parallel into selected cells.<<ETX>>


Have the American people grown more politically sophisticated in the past three decades, or do they remain relatively ignorant of the political world? Did a 'great leap forward' take place during the 1960s in which our citizenry became involved and adept voters? In this important book, Eric Smith addresses these and other provocative questions that have long befuddled political scientists and policymakers. Much of the current wisdom about American voters derives from an argument advanced in a volume entitled "The Changing American Voter", written by Nie, Verba, and Petrocik. In this work, the authors contend that the electorate made a 'great leap forward' in political sophistication and ideological thinking between the 1960 and 1964 elections. They argue that people changed in response to a shifting environment, and that, in particular, the surge of protest and ideological rhetoric between 1960 and 1964 engendered a new political savvy and sophistication. In their view, people learned to understand politics better, to relate the issues to the candidates more accurately, and to cast more informed, intelligent votes. In "The Unchanging American Voter", Smith takes issue with this portrait of an engaged American citizenry and replaces it with a quite different picture of the voters of this nation. He posits a more bleak political landscape in which the typical voter knows little about politics, is not interested in the political arena and consequently does not participate in it, and is even unable to organize his or her attitudes in a coherent manner. To support this view, Smith demonstrates how the indices by which Nie, Verba, and Petrocik measured levels of sophistication during the 1960s were methodologically flawed and how a closer examination of supposed changes reveals only superficial and unimportant shifts in the ways voters have approached the ballot box since the 1950s. "The Unchanging American Voter" is an intelligent and original work that provides a new perspective of the American citizenry. It is sure to engender discussion and debate about the dynamics of voting in postwar America.


This comprehensive and state-of-the art approach to video processing gives engineers and students a comprehensive introduction and includes full coverage of key applications: wireless video, video networks, video indexing and retrieval and use of video in speech processing. Containing all the essential methods in video processing alongside the latest standards, it is a complete resource for the professional engineer, researcher and graduate student.Numerous conceptual and numerical examplesAll the latest standards are thoroughly covered: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264 and AVCCoverage of the latest techniques in video security"Like its sister volume "The Essential Guide to Image Processing," Professor Bovik's Essential Guide to Video Processing provides a timely and comprehensive survey, with contributions from leading researchers in the area. Highly recommended for everyone with an interest in this fascinating and fast-moving field." -Prof. Bernd Girod, Stanford University, USA * Edited by a leading person in the field who created the IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, with contributions from experts in their fields.* Numerous conceptual and numerical examples*All the latest standards are thoroughly covered: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264 and AVC.* Coverage of the latest techniques in video security


Climate is the primary determinant of agricultural productivity. In many parts of the world, including the United States, one can trace much of the year-to-year variations in climate to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomenon. In 1997-98 the world experienced a severe El event and this is being flowed by a strong 1998-99 La Nina. The work underlying this develops estimates of the economic consequences of these events on U.S. agriculture. Both phases result in economic damages -- a $1.5 to $1.7 billion loss for the El Nino and a $2.2 to $6.5 billion for La Nina. The major conclusion is that ENSO events do impose costs on agriculture and consumers.


The modest progress in reducing malnutrition over the past two decades and the severe impacts of recent food crises have re-ignited a debate on new ways for improving food and nutrition security. This paper contributes to the discussion by synthesizing the pertinent literature and presenting an innovative framework that may help identifying and designing promising pathways to food security and improved nutrition. The framework links the complex interactions of factors at the macro and micro levels and shows how external shocks such as global food price spikes and natural disasters as well as interventions in form of policies and programs affect the availability of food, people's access to it, and the resulting nutritional status of individuals.


Objectives: Chronic pain places a burden on individuals and the economy. Although there is evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy, it is recognized that the effects are limited. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which aims to increase valued action in the presence of pain, has been suggested as an alternative approach. The objective of this review was to determine the clinical effectiveness of ACT for chronic pain in adults when compared with control conditions and other active treatments. Methods: The searches of this systematic review were conducted in the Cochrane library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus (EBSCO), and PsycINFO. Grey literature, reference list, and reverse citation searches were also completed. Results: Eleven trials were included. ACT was favored over controls (no alternative intervention or treatment as usual). Significant, medium to large effect sizes were found for measures of pain acceptance and psychological flexibility, which are typically considered processes of ACT. Significant small to medium effect sizes were found for measures of functioning, anxiety, and depression. Measures of pain intensity and quality of life were not significantly different than zero. Generally effect sizes were smaller at follow-up. Discussion: ACT was more clinically effective than controls on a number of outcomes. It is possible that methodological limitations, some of which are common to psychological trials, may have led to overestimated effects. Only a few studies compared ACT to active treatments and while the evidence is promising for ACT in the treatment of chronic pain, further methodologically robust trials are required.


The ability of low-income countries to productively absorb large amounts of external assistance is a central issue for efforts to scale-up aid. This paper examines absorptive capacity in the context of MDG-based development programmes in low-income countries. It first defines absorptive capacity, and proposes a framework for measuring it. Applying a dynamic computable general equilibrium model to link the macro framework to sector results, the paper simulates MDG scenarios for Ethiopia and examines the role of infrastructure, skilled labour, macroeconomic, and other constraints on absorptive capacity. The main policy conclusions are that careful sequencing of public investment across sectors is key to minimizing the costs of reaching the MDGs; the macro impact of large aid flows on the tradeables sector can potentially be serious in the short run; large-scale frontloading of aid disbursements can be costly as it pushes against absorptive constraints; and that improvement of governance and institutional structures can significantly reduce the cost of achieving the MDGs.


Vulnerability is a key quality that all health carers will encounter in the people they work with. Indeed to be a nurse, midwife or carer working with such individuals is to have a privileged role within society, a role which demands that we exercise that privilege with responsibility, care and compassion. Yet there have been a plethora of concerns raised about poor standards of care within the NHS (Francis 2009, 2010) leading to a national focus on the value base of health care professionals. Nurse education must debate and challenge these issues with students in a manner which allows them to reflect upon, challenge and develop their own value base. This oral paper will present a model of practice which has been used to educate adult student nurses, enabling them to not only review professional discourses and practices, but also to be moved to elegantly challenge such practices. A key aspect of this has been the involvement of individuals who would be deemed as "vulnerable" by health and social care practitioners. They share their "lived experience" of vulnerability, allowing students to enter their lived world and to ask questions, enabling them to view the world from the perspective of a service user or carer. In doing so, they have the opportunity to challenge the preconceptions and discourses that we as practitioners may have about traditionally labelled vulnerable groups. This approach is coupled with a theoretical exploration of issues such as power, stigma, labelling, oppression, compliance and conformity, together with use of case scenarios from practice. Student evaluation is overwhelmingly positive; identifying a clear relevance to their practice and empowerment or inspiration to make a difference. The approach clearly addresses the 6 C's of compassionate care (Cummings and Bennett 2012). Cummings, J., and Bennett, V., (2012). Compassion in Practice, Nursing, Midwifery and Care Staff. Our Vision in Practice. Leeds: Commissioning Board Chief Nursing Officer and DH Chief Nursing AdviserC Francis, R., (2013) Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. Stationary Office, London. Francis, R., (2010) Independent Inquiry into care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust January 2005 – March 2009. Stationary Office, London.


Periodic pressure fluctuations beneath ocean waves deform the seabed beneath them and can generate seismic waves that propagate around the globe. These pressure fluctuations are recorded on seafloor pressure gauges and the associated ground displacements on seismometers, where they contribute to ambient seismic noise. The signals offer an opportunity to study or monitor ocean waves that are traditionally difficult to measure because of their low wave heights (deep water infragravity waves) or their remote locations (deep water swell waves). However, the link between ocean waves and the oscillations of the pressure and seismic wavefields has remained unclear. The aim of this thesis was to increase our understanding of ocean sources of ambient seismic noise, including their location, how well they can be located, and their relationship with ocean wave parameters. Using cross-correlated pairs of seafloor pressure records, infragravity waves offshore California/Oregon were found to originate mostly from local coastlines during northern-hemisphere winter and from the south during summer. A first attempt to estimate the coastal reflection coefficient of remote arrivals was made and found to be 0.49-0.74, which has implications for infragravity energy in the deep ocean and may be important for models in which infragravity waves are propagated across ocean basins. P-wave sources in the North Pacific during winter were located using seismometers in California and found to be concentrated around 40-50◦N 160-180◦E. Observed source locations were within 10◦ of the modelled source locations. Significant wave height in the deep ocean was estimated from P-waves and correlated with modelled wave height with a correlation coefficient of 0.63. Previous work only attempted to estimate coastal wave heights. Combining additional records from Japan and Europe improved source location, including imaging of multiple sources. Accuracy in source location and amplitude estimation are essential if microseisms are to be used to monitor wave activity in the deep ocean.


El rol de los objetivos de lenguaje: fortaleciendo la conciencia linguistica de los maestros de matematicas y ciencias con los bilingues emergentes en las clases secundarias O papel dos objetivos da linguagem: fortalecer a consciencia linguistica dos professores de matematica e ciencias com os bilingues emergentes nas aulas secundarias This study focuses on the linguistic foundation of sound pedagogic practices related to non-language content areas referring especially to language objectives; it employ Tharp and Gallimore's theory on learning: making teaching visible in order to develop the students' thinking. In the contexts of training both before and after service, a study was conducted on how secondary-science and math teachers contextualize their own teaching according to Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) by using interviews and focus group discussions. Findings reveal that teachers gradually develop an increased sense of importance of language objectives over time. The strengths and challenges highlighted through the study show the need for increased teacher training in the area of teacher language awareness (TLA). So far, the predominance of TLA in the classrooms has been on language, rather than content. Based on the current analysis of how content teachers define and employ language objectives in their teaching, this study proposes a few ways to provide math and science teachers with tools for incorporating language into everyday teaching practices. The present study further supports the call for attention on the needs of all content teachers who work with EBs on training in language awareness. To reference this article (APA) / Para citar este articulo (APA) / Para citar este artigo (APA) Hansen-Thomas, H. , Langman, J. , & Farias, T. (2018). The role of language objectives: Strengthening math and science teachers' language awareness with emergent bilinguals in secondary classrooms. LACLIL, 11 (2), 193-214. DOI: 10.5294/laclil.2018.11.2.2 Received: 22/10/2018 Approved: 13/02/2019


Literacy rates in Africa and Latin America are on different ends of the spectrum. Africa is home to some of the poorest countries in the world and Latin America is not too far behind. Literacy rates generally correlate to wealth as a country. The plights of Africa and Latin America are a no different. In general, Africa has some of the lowest literacy rates in the world and has been the place for horrific fighting for decades. This epidemic has hit the women and children especially hard. Women in Africa have an illiteracy rate of 50% (allafrica.com 2010). This is something that cannot continue in the world. Until this is fixed, the people of Africa will not be able to reach their full potential. Latin America, on the other hand, has relatively high literacy rates for developing countries (CIA 2011). This is a model that the governments in Africa and the world can learn from. People in both areas face many of the same issues. The successes by the people of Latin America can be a goal for all third world countries to achieve. With the improved literacy rates the people of Africa might begin to limit the violence that has gripped the area for so many years.


ABSTRACT The present paper deals with the systematic description of a rich and well-preserved ammonite fauna of the Late Pliensbachian, collected in two outcrops near the "Lac de Charmes" (Haute-Marne, France). In terms of ammonite zonation, the studied faunas indicate the Margaritatus and Spinatum Chronozones. Most of their subdivisions (subchronozones and zonules) have been recognized for the first time in this region. We propose a correlation with zonations established in close areas (Germany, Southern France). As already suggested on the literature, the possibility to further subdivide the Solare zonule in finner intervals is confirmed by our data. Within this zonule, we recognize a first interval with only Pleuroceras solare (Phillips, 1829), and a second one where this species occurs with several subspecies and where Pleuroceras spinatum (Bruguière, 1789) appears. Our results also confirm the possibility to subdivide more finely the Solare zonule firstly suggested by some authors. We recognize a first part with only Pleuroceras solare and a second one where this species present various subspecies and where Pleuroceras spinatum appears. Some points of view are given about Amaltheus gr. margaritatus Montfort, 1808, Pleuroceras gr. solare (Phillips, 1829) and the species Pleuroceras transiens (Frentzen, 1934).


Environmental policy has been the focus of reform efforts for more than a generation. Now policymakers face a new and challenging set of issues: how to develop strategies for attacking new environmental problems, how to develop better strategies for solving the old ones, and how to do both in ways that are more efficient, less taxing, and engender less political opposition. On one level, environmental performance is the problem. On a broader level, the question is how reshaped intergovernmental partnerships will affect how America is governed. This book charts the politics of the next generation of environmental policy: how citizens will sort competing goals and responsibilities, how conflict and collaboration will shape the policy options, and how the nationi??Zs political institutions will respond. These issues raise tough political problems that will define which options are viable and how different options will reshape politics. The contributors outline a path to fresh perspectives on the critical problems that must be addressed. Contributors: Christopher H. Foreman Jr. (University of Maryland, Brookings Institution), Donald F. Kettl (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Brookings Institution), Shelley H. Metzenbaum (University of Maryland), Barry G. Rabe (University of Michigan), Graham K. Wilson (University of Wisconsin-Madison) About the Editor Donald F. Kettl is professor of public affairs and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His recent books include The Global Public Management Revolution: A Report on the Transformation of Governance (Brookings, 2000) and The Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for the 21st Century.


The advances that have been characterizing spatial econometrics in recent years are mostly theoretical and have not found an extensive empirical application yet. In this work we aim at supplying a review of the main tools of spatial econometrics and to show an empirical application for one of the most recently introduced estimators. Despite the numerous alternatives that the econometric theory provides for the treatment of spatial (and spatiotemporal) data, empirical analyses are still limited by the lack of availability of the correspondent routines in statistical and econometric software.
Spatiotemporal modeling represents one of the most recent developments in spatial econometric theory and the finite sample properties of the estimators that have been proposed are currently being tested in the literature. We provide a comparison between some estimators (a quasi-maximum likelihood, QML, estimator and some GMM-type estimators) for a fixed effects dynamic panel data model under certain conditions, by means of a Monte Carlo simulation analysis. We focus on different settings, which are characterized either by fully stable or quasi-unit root series. We also investigate the extent of the bias that is caused by a non-spatial estimation of a model when the data are characterized by different degrees of spatial dependence.
Finally, we provide an empirical application of a QML estimator for a time-space dynamic model which includes a temporal, a spatial and a spatiotemporal lag of the dependent variable. This is done by choosing a relevant and prolific field of analysis, in which spatial econometrics has only found limited space so far, in order to explore the value-added of considering the spatial dimension of the data. In particular, we study the determinants of cropland value in Midwestern U.S.A. in the years 1971-2009, by taking the present value model (PVM) as the theoretical framework of analysis.


The concept of Chi has been one of the most debated in Igbo Traditions, and yet the most ambiguous, enigmatic, and controversial to date. Right from the pre-colonial times, the early European writers who visited Igboland observed the important place this concept had in the lives of the people. During the colonial period the official anthropologists to the British government and some independent scholars in the field called sufficient attention to this concept through their works. To them Chi meant various things starting from the Supreme God to the personal tutelary god of the individual. There was the tendency to look at this concept from the view-point of western cultural assumptions. Even with the indigenous Igbo writers themselves, the problem was how to to shake the climate of thought already established by the earlier writers. This study sets out to look critically at these prevailing assumptions of Chi from an entirely new perspective. Limiting its scope to the Nri-Igbo cultural range, it brings the study immediately into focus by maintainting that the concept is integrally related to the objective reality of the sun Anyaanwu with which it has often been associated. This it has done by relating the subject of Chi to an increased context of its verbal use. Starting from this premise of its association with the sun, the concept is seen as the window by which day and night can be explained, and following from them, the mysteries of life and death, individual destinies etc. It goes further to contest the assumption that Chi is the supreme God, a latter day development, perhaps, but this after its complexities have necessarily been rigorously analyzed.


Currently trainees typically learn surgery techniques directly on mocks, animals or cadavers. For safety, cost and ethics reasons, one cannot try all possible strategies to achieve efficient learning. Virtual Reality (VR) based surgery training systems introduce a complementary alternative in surgery training and education, which will enable more effective and systematic training, provide objective assessment of technical competence, facilitate the teaching of rare cases, and enable to test the future surgeons. However, to be a useful training tool, surgery simulator must be visually and physically realistic. This dissertation investigates the training method and fast modeling algorithms for the purpose of surgery simulator. Different to conventional training approach, a strategy of using decomposition of complex surgery procedures into subtasks and using multisensory learning cues is proposed. Given the computational constraint of real-time simulation, several physics-based approaches of modeling rigid and deformable objects, (self-)collision detection and collision handling techniques are introduced and implemented. The developed algorithms are firstly tested in the simulation of interventional radiology (IR) procedures. The simulation environment allows to carry out the most common procedures: guidewire and catheter navigation, contrast dye injection to visualize the vessels, balloon angioplasty and stent placement. Moreover, visual details including the heartbeat as well as breathing are also considered. Finally, we present a VR based microsurgery simulator which applies and extends the above training strategy and algorithms. The training system demonstrates a complete vascular suturing procedure and a series of decomposed subtasks. Using a novel haptic forceps, a user can learn principle microsurgery skills such as grasping, suture placement, needle insertion and knot-tying.


The sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of being the region with the highest burden of both Human Immunodefiency Virus (HIV) infection and of tuberculosis (TB). While only 10% of immunocompetent individuals infected with M.tuberculosis go on to develop active disease in their lifetime, 50% of those co-infected with HIV develop active TB. Qualitative and quantitative defects of CD4+ T-lymphocytes explain the inability of HIV-infected individuals to contain mycobacterial proliferation. Similarly, TB also accelerates the progression of HIV infection. The clinical and radiological presentation of TB in patients infected with the HIV virus may be different and atypical posing significant diagnostic challenges. This is compounded by the dearth of diagnostic facilities in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during anti-TB therapy (ATT) significantly improves survival of TB/HIV co-infected persons. There are challenges in treatment of HIV associated TB because of overlapping drug toxicities, pill burden and suboptimal adherence, drug-drug interactions between ART and ATT as well as timing of ART. Of particular importance are the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) and the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MD-R) and extensively drug resistant (X-DR) TB. Centre's for tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment and for HIV care and treatment need to be integrated. This has not been so successful in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of sustained support by donor organizations, a substantial number of HIV-TB co-infected individuals remain undiagnosed and are poorly managed. This review focuses on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of HIV-TB co-infection and the special areas of difficulty in the diagnosis and treatment of the dual infection. Emphasis is placed on the peculiarities of management in sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest burden of both infections.


The Founders of the American Republic set up a remarkable experiment in self-government. Today, debates rage as to the philosophical legacy of this ongoing experiment. In this fascinating study, Timothy Roth offers a critical analysis of modern liberalism and the economic theory to which it is conjoined – social welfare theory.


The National Coal Mining Museum in West Yorkshire affords a rare opportunity for the public to visit a former colliery (Caphouse) and experience at first hand the geology of a mine. The geology at the museum can be seen via the public tour, limited surface outcrop and an inclined ventilation drift, which provides the best geological exposure and information. The strata encountered at the site are c . 100 m thick and are of latest Langsettian (Pennsylvanian) age. The ventilation drift intersects several coal seams (Flockton Thick, Flockton Thin, Old Hards, Green Lane and New Hards) and their associated roof rocks and seatearths. In addition to exposures of bedrock, recent mineral precipitates of calcium carbonates, manganese carbonates and oxides, and iron oxyhydroxides can be observed along the drift, and there is a surface exposure of Flockton Thick Coal and overlying roof strata. The coals and interbedded strata were deposited in the Pennine Basin in a fluvio-lacustrine setting in an embayment distant from the open ocean with limited marine influence. A lacustrine origin for mudstone roof rocks of several of the seams is supported by the incidence of non-marine bivalves and fossilized fish remains whilst the upper part of the Flockton Thick Coal consists of subaqueously deposited cannel coal. The mudstones overlying the Flockton Thick containing abundant non-marine bivalves are of great lateral extent, indicating a basin-wide rise of base level following coal deposition that may be compared with a non-marine flooding surface.


The aim of this manual is to provide a comprehensive practical tool for the generation and analysis of genetic data for subsequent application in aquatic resources management in relation to genetic stock identification in inland fisheries and aquaculture. The material only covers general background on genetics in relation to aquaculture and fisheries resource management, the techniques and relevant methods of data analysis that are commonly used to address questions relating to genetic resource characterisation and population genetic analyses. No attempt is made to include applications of genetic improvement techniques e.g. selective breeding or producing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The manual includes two 'stand-alone' parts, of which this is the second volume: Part 1 – Conceptual basis of population genetic approaches: will provide a basic foundation on genetics in general, and concepts of population genetics. Issues on the choices of molecular markers and project design are also discussed. Part 2 – Laboratory protocols, data management and analysis: will provide step-by-step protocols of the most commonly used molecular genetic techniques utilised in population genetics and systematic studies. In addition, a brief discussion and explanation of how these data are managed and analysed is also included. This manual is expected to enable NACA member country personnel to be trained to undertake molecular genetic studies in their own institutions, and as such is aimed at middle and higher level technical grades. The manual can also provide useful teaching material for specialised advanced level university courses in the region and postgraduate students. The manual has gone through two development/improvement stages. The initial material was tested at a regional workshop and at the second stage feedback from participants was used to improve the contents.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Depending upon the chemistry and annealing target, antisense oligonucleotides can be used to modify gene expression through several distinct modes of action. Originally used to down-regulate gene expression through specific induction of RNAse-H cleavage of an mRNA, antisense oligonucleotides can be designed to block initiation of translation, manipulate pre-mRNA processing, silence gene expression or act as antagomirs to sequester miRNAs. Area covered: In this review, we describe currently available antisense oligonucleotide chemistries, briefly summarize mechanisms of action, potential applications to neuromuscular diseases and discuss the most clinically advanced antisense oligonucleotide application to muscular dystrophy, restoration of functional dystrophin expression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Expert opinion: Antisense oligonucleotide chemistries that are excellent research tools may not necessarily be appropriate or safe for clinical application. Hypothesis-driven translational research demands that changes in target gene expression at both the RNA and protein levels, after administration of the antisense oligonucleotide, should be readily detectable. In ongoing clinical studies on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, it is only the phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer that results in unequivocal increases in muscle dystrophin. It is our opinion that these compounds could present new therapeutic opportunities for a number of otherwise untreatable conditions.


The PARSEC benchmark suite was recently released and has been adopted by a significant number of users within a short amount of time. This new collection of workloads is not yet fully understood by researchers. In this study we compare the SPLASH-2 and PARSEC benchmark suites with each other to gain insights into differences and similarities between the two program collections. We use standard statistical methods and machine learning to analyze the suites for redundancy and overlap on chip-multiprocessors (CMPs). Our analysis shows that PARSEC workloads are fundamentally different from SPLASH-2 benchmarks. The observed differences can be explained with two technology trends, the proliferation of CMPs and the accelerating growth of world data.


ABSTRACT This vignette study examines the differences in Dutch people's attitudes towards sexual coercion perpetrated by a male against a female versus sexual coercion perpetrated by a female against a male. In total, 583 Dutch citizens (16–86 years, 59.7% female) evaluated a control scenario and three sexually coercive scenarios (verbal coercion, purposeful intoxication and force), in which the sex of perpetrator and victim was purposely varied. The variables studied include: (1) scenario acceptability, (2) victim responsibility, (3) perpetrator responsibility, (4) victim pleasure, (5) victim distress and (6) support for filing a police report. The results indicate that sexual coercion of men is taken less seriously than sexual coercion of women, especially among Dutch men. However, most differences between attitudes towards male and female victims were found only in the physical force scenario. The findings highlight the importance of educational programmes to raise awareness and reduce stereotypical views on male sexual victimisation.


Abstract:China's escalated infrastructural building and real estate development have gradually erased urban villages and reduced affordable living space for rural-to- urban migrants. This article showcases the emerging practice of container housing among low-income migrants, based on ethnographic data collected between 2016 and 2018 in Shanghai. Such "snail households" living in removable cargo containers and prefabricated metal shelters represent a submissive coping mechanism in response to demolition and eviction, to reduce living cost and stay put on the urban fringe. This article examines the containerization of migrant housing, a process of sociospatial reconfiguration of migrant livelihood that has become increasingly precarious during China's economic restructuring in the twenty-first century. It shows how container housing reifies the state capitalist mode of production and accumulation. The containerization of migrant housing entails a multifaceted process of extraction of labor and land, during which migrants' mobility and sense of entitlement are highly contained. Container housing represents migrants' sociospatial precarity in China's exclusive urban citizenship and place-specific property regime. It symbolizes a reinforced subaltern position of migrants subdued in the politics of accumulation, which contributes to the lack of strong resistance and collective action amid forced eviction.


Two classes of compounds have been prepared and characterized as building blocks for chiral magnets and ferromagnetic conductors. In the fIrst project, the organic framework of a pentadentate, (N302) macro cycle has been synthetically modifIed to introduce phenyl substituents into its organic framework and the synthesis of four new [Fe(In(N302)(CN)2] complexes (I) (IV) is presented. R,R (I), s,s (ll), racemic (Ill), meso (IV) This work represents the fIrst structural and magnetic studies of a family of spin crossover macrocycles that comprise of both structural and stereo-isomers. Magnetic susceptibility and Mossbauer data for the R,R-complex (I) is consistent with both a thermal and a light induced spin crossover transition. The X-ray data supports a change in geometry accompanying the thermal spin transition, from a high spin (HS) 7 -coordinate complex at room temperature to a low spin (LS) 5-coordinate complex at 100 K. The crystal structure ofthe racemic complex (III) reveals a HS, 7-coordinate complex at 200 K that undergoes no signifIcant structural changes on cooling. In contrast, the magnetic susceptibility and Mossbauer data collected on a powder sample of the racemic complex are consistent with a LS complex. Finally, the meso complex (IV) was prepared and its structure and magnetic properties are consistent with a 5-coordinate LS complex that remains low spin, but undergoes conformational changes on cooling in solution. The chiral [Fe(H)(N302)(CN)2] macro cycle (I), together with its Mn(H) and Fe(H) derivatives have also been exploited as building blocks for the self-assembly of chiral magnets. In the second project, a synthetic route for the preparation of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) donors covalently attached to a diisopropyl verdazyl radical via a cross conjugated pyridyl linker IS presented. Following this strategy, four new TTF-py(diisopropyl)verdazyl radicals have been prepared and characterized (V) (VIII) . Rl =TTF R2 = verdazyl radical . ,N·'.,M~ .,J) (V) (VI) (VII) The first (2:1) charge transfer complex ofa TTF-py-(diisopropyl)verdazyl radical donor and a TCNQ acceptor has been prepared and structurally characterized. The crystal packing shows that the donor and acceptor molecules are organized in a mixed stacking arrangement consistent with its insulating behaviour. EPR and magnetic susceptibility data support intramolecular ferromagnetic interactions between the TTF and the verdazyl radicals and antiferromagnetic interactions between TTF donors within a stack. In an attempt to increase the intramolecular exchange interaction between the two radicals, a TTF -1t-( diisopropyl)verdazyl radical (IX) was prepared, where the two radicals are connected via a conjugated divinylene linker. The neutral radical donors stack in a more favourable head-to-head arrangement but the bulky isopropyl groups prevent the donor radicals from stacking close enough together to facilitate good orbital overlap. y N"O ~ ~~)y 5 5 ~ ~ N \ (>=< I (IX) 5 5


ABSTRACT The development of parasitoid wasps is dependent on the finite resources contained in a single item of resource (=host) that is frequently not much larger than the adult parasitoid. When the costs of egg production are high, and host distribution is highly aggregated, parasitoid females may spend prolonged periods guarding their eggs and host resources as an adaptive strategy to optimize their inclusive fitness. Here, we examine aggressive interactions between the females of the secondary hyperparasitoid Trichomalopsis apanteloctena (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Chelonidae), for control of cocoon clusters of their primary parasitoid host Cotesia kariyai (Watanabe) (Hymenoptera: Braeonidae). Generally, larger female hyperparasitoids were more successful at defending cocoon clusters than smaller female hyperparasitoids. However, when first encountering host cocoons, larger females behaved more aggressively toward conspecific wasps than smaller females. After occupation of a host cocoon cluster, females of similar size rarely engaged in physical combat, but both females primarily exhibited threatening behavior toward each other. However, larger females usually displaced smaller females which had initially occupied cocoon clusters. Some small females chewed through the outer cocoon silk layer to avoid being displaced by larger females and these wasps were able to continue parasitizing cocoons of C. kariyai. Extended bouts of aggression tended to reduce the number of eggs laid by the guarding female because of disruption of oviposition behavior. The relationship between the size of host cocoons and body mass in T. apanteloctena was also examined. The size of hyperparasitoid progeny was strongly correlated with host size. However, the relationship between maternal size, the number of matured eggs in her ovarioles and body mass in her offspring was not significant.


Virtual reality and virtualization are currently used to design complex systems and demonstrate that they represent the functionalities of real systems. However, the design refinement of the virtual environment (VE) and distributed virtual environment (DVE) are still time consuming and costly, as it is mainly based on running experiments and the analysis of data deriving from virtual task execution samples of users. Gaming provides the player with online feedback on his performance communicated to the user through different sensory channels: vision, spatialized audio and haptics. This paper presents a prospective vision and the potential of a novel approach that extends the concept of human-in-the-loop originated form the User-Centred Design to Game-Enhanced VE design. In this concept, the player performance scores are analysed online and used for the optimization of the VE. The dynamic interoperability between the user experience records and the VE properties could shorten the development cycle time and satisfy the requirements of the application domain.


In this paper, the aim is to show that the impact of asymmetric economic interdependence on national security is more a myth than a reality. In order to contribute to the discussion we focus on interstate conflicts with territorial disputes. So far, this debate has been highlighted by Liberals, whose argument was that trade promotes peace. However, ourargument is built on the theoretical basis of Realism. We argue that the positive impact of economic interdependence is actually a myth, since it does not raise the levels of national security of the threatened state, therefore it cannot be considered as a power-balancing factor. In order to support our argument wedeveloped an analytical framework, which consists of variables representing economic interdependence and national security.Trade, FDI, energy supply, economic agreements and membership in common economic or monetary organizations are variables that show the level of economic interdependence.Military expenditures, number of violations, possession of nuclear weapons and membership in military alliances are variables that show the level of national security respectively. First, we determine, through objective and subjective factors, which of the two rivals is the threatened state. Second, comparing indicators of economic power, we define the asymmetry in economic interdependence. Third, we analyze the indicators of economic interdependence between the rivals and we examine their impact on the national security of the threatened state. To support our opinion that asymmetric economic interdependence has no impact on national security in this paper we examine the territorial conflict in Senkaku/Diaoyu islands between Japan and the People's Republic of China. We conclude that asymmetric economic interdependence is not a power-balancing factor and it has no positive effects on the national security of the threatened state.


– The Design-to-Robotic-Production and -Assembly (D2RP&A) process developed at Delft University of Technology (DUT) has been scaled up to building size by prototyping of-site a 3.30 m high fragment of a larger spaceframe structure The fragment consists of wooden linear elements connected to a polymer node printed at 3D Robot Printing and panels robotically milled at Amsterdam University of Applied Science (AUAS). It has been evaluated for suitability for assembly on-site without temporary support while relying on human-robot collaboration. The constructed architectural hybrid structure is proof of concept for an on-and off-site D2RP&A approach that is envisioned to be implemented using a range of robots able to possibly address all phases of construction in the future.


Flame Seedless grapevines were girdled at fruit set to determine the effect of this practice on leaf net C02 assimilation rate (A), carbohydrate partitioning, and water potential. The treatments consisted of vines that were trunk girdled, cordon girdled (one of a vine's cordons were girdled), the non-girdled cordon from vines of the previous treatment, and a non-girdled control vine. Girdling reduced midday A and stomatal conductance (gs) by approximately 50% for a period of four weeks after treatment imposition when compared to vines or cordons that were not girdled. Midday leaf water potential values were more negative for the two control treatments than those of the two girdled treatments during the same time period. Diurnal measurements of leaf non-structural carbohydrates did not differ among treatments. Both girdling treatments increased berry size compared to the controls. The data indicate that the reduction in gs due to girdling resulted in less leaf transpiration and, therefore, a more favorable vine water status (as measured by leaf water potential) for those vines. In addition the reduction in A after girdling was probably due to a reduction in gs and not to an accumulation of carbohydrates in the leaf.


Abstract. Multispectral analysis is a widely used technique in the photogrammetric and remote sensing industry. The use of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in combination with imagery is becoming increasingly common, with its applications spreading to a wider range of fields. Both systems benefit from being a non-contact technique that can be used to accurately capture data regarding the target surface. Although multispectral analysis is actively performed within the spatial sciences field, its extent of application within an archaeological context has been limited. This study effectively aims to apply the multispectral techniques commonly used, to a remote Indigenous site that contains an extensive gallery of aging rock art. The ultimate goal for this research is the development of a systematic procedure that could be applied to numerous similar sites for the purpose of heritage preservation and research. The study consisted of extensive data capture of the rock art gallery using two different TLS systems and a digital SLR camera. The data was combined into a common 2D reference frame that allowed for standard image processing to be applied. An unsupervised k-means classifier was applied to the multiband images to detect the different types of rock art present. The result was unsatisfactory as the subsequent classification accuracy was relatively low. The procedure and technique does however show potential and further testing with different classification algorithms could possibly improve the result significantly.


Value co-creation, is an emerging business and innovation paradigm, however, there is not enough clarity on the distinctive characteristics of value co-creation as compared to more traditional value creation approaches. The present paper summarizes the results from an empirically-derived research study focusing on the development of a systematic procedure for the identification of firms that are active in value co-creation. The study is based on a sample 273 firms that were selected for being representative of the breadth of their value co-creation activities. The results include: i) the identification of the key components of value co-creation based on a research methodology using web search and Principal Component Analysis techniques, and ii) the comparison of two different classification techniques identifying the firms with the highest degree of involvement in value co-creation practices. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study using sophisticated data collection techniques to provide a classification of firms according to the degree of their involvement in value co-creation.


Abstract. The microwave response of bare soil surfaces is influenced by a variety of parameters such as surface roughness, vegetation density, soil texture and soil moisture. It makes the soil moisture estimation process more complex. In such condition, the estimation of the soil moisture using microwave data with fast and less complex computing technique is a significant area of research today. The artificial neural network (ANN) approach has been found more potential in retrieving soil moisture from microwave sensors as compared to traditional techniques. For this purpose, a back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) based on Levenberg Marquardt (TRAINLM) algorithm was developed. The measurement of scattering coefficient was carried out over a range of incidence angle from 20° to 70° at 5° steps for both the HH- and VV- polarizations. The BPANN was trained and tested with the experimentally obtained data by using bistatic X-band scatterometer for different values of soil moistures (12%, 16%, 21% and 25%) at 30° incidence angle. The scattering coefficient and soil moisture data were interpolated into 20 data sets and these data sets were divided into training data sets (70%) and testing data sets (30%). The performance of the trained BPANN was evaluated by comparing the observed soil moisture and estimated soil moisture by developed BPANN using a linear regression analysis (least square fitting) and performance factor Adj_R2. The values of Adj_R2 were found 0.93 and 0.94 for HH- and VV- polarization at 30° incidence angle respectively. The estimation of soil moisture by BPANN with Levenberg Marquardt training algorithm was found better at both HH- and VV- polarizations.


In Private Bodies, Public Texts , Karla FC Holloway examines instances where medical issues and information that would usually be seen as intimate, private matters are forced into the public sphere. As she demonstrates, the resulting social dramas often play out on the bodies of women and African Americans. Holloway discusses the spectacle of the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case and the injustice of medical researchers' use of Henrietta Lacks's cell line without her or her family's knowledge or permission. She offers a provocative reading of the Tuskegee syphilis study and a haunting account of the ethical dilemmas that confronted physicians, patients, and families when a hospital became a space for dying rather than healing during Hurricane Katrina; even at that dire moment, race mattered. Private Bodies, Public Texts is a compelling call for a cultural bioethics that attends to the historical and social factors that render some populations more vulnerable than others in medical and legal contexts. Holloway proposes literature as a conceptual anchor for discussions of race, gender, bioethics, and the right to privacy. Literary narratives can accommodate thick description, multiple subjectivities, contradiction, and complexity.


Social media has become the ideal platform for promotional activities of organizations. However, due to the volatility of social media, the wrong message posted at the wrong time can result in significant damage to hard-built brand image. This calls for a mechanism to gauge the reactions a post will evoke from a given social community. The community can vary from customers of a particular brand to brand loyalists interacting through its social pages (for example, on Facebook). In this paper, we focus on learning the community's reaction from past posts and providing a predictive model for gauging the reaction of the community before the post is published. This helps the marketer take better-informed decisions. Short-text posts in social media leads to a sparse feature space, we propose additional meta-features that improve reaction modeling. Given the feature representation, we discuss the possibility of casting the underlying problem under different paradigms - classification, regression and learning to rank. We study the performances of each of these paradigms on real data from Facebook. We will discuss the challenges involved, and ways to mitigate them, in addition to our observations, results and insights.


OBJECTIVE
The authors aimed to explore the clinical outcomes and risk factors related to recurrence of and survival from solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) and hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) that were reclassified according to the 2021 WHO classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumors.

METHODS
The authors retrospectively collected and analyzed the clinical and pathological data of SFTs and HPCs recorded from January 2007 to December 2021. Two neuropathologists reassessed pathological slides and regraded specimens on the basis of the 2021 WHO classification. The prognostic factors related to progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were statistically assessed with univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS
A total of 146 patients (74 men and 72 women, mean ± SD [range] age 46.1 ± 14.3 [3-78] years) were reviewed, and 86, 35, and 25 patients were reclassified as having grade 1, 2, and 3 SFTs on the basis of the 2021 WHO classification, respectively. The median PFS and OS of the patients with WHO grade 1 SFT were 105 months and 199 months after initial diagnosis; for patients with WHO grade 2 SFT, 77 months and 145 months; and for patients with WHO grade 3 SFT, 44 months and 112 months, respectively. Of the entire cohort, 61 patients experienced local recurrence and 31 died, of whom 27 (87.1%) died of SFT and relevant complications. Ten patients had extracranial metastasis. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, subtotal resection (STR) (HR 4.648, 95% CI 2.601-8.304, p < 0.001), tumor located in the parasagittal or parafalx region (HR 2.105, 95% CI 1.099-4.033, p = 0.025), tumor in the vertebrae (HR 3.352, 95% CI 1.228-9.148, p = 0.018), WHO grade 2 SFT (HR 2.579, 95% CI 1.343-4.953, p = 0.004), and WHO grade 3 SFT (HR 5.814, 95% CI 2.887-11.712, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with shortened PFS, whereas STR (HR 3.217, 95% CI 1.435-7.210, p = 0.005) and WHO grade 3 SFT (HR 3.433, 95% CI 1.324-8.901, p = 0.011) were significantly associated with shortened OS. In univariate analyses, patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after STR had longer PFS than patients who did not receive RT.

CONCLUSIONS
The 2021 WHO classification of CNS tumors better predicted malignancy with different pathological grades, and in particular WHO grade 3 SFT had worse prognosis. Gross-total resection (GTR) can significantly prolong PFS and OS and should serve as the most important treatment method. Adjuvant RT was helpful for patients who underwent STR but not for patients who underwent GTR.


This paper contributes to a feminist critique of multiculturalism by presenting the complexity of the relationship among the state, religion and women in the context of Vietnam. By taking the Evangelical Church of Vietnam—South as a case study, and based on both primary and secondary data obtained from in-depth interviews with 38 Vietnamese female and male church leaders in 2014–2016, and four months of fieldwork in southern Vietnam between February and May 2016, the paper argues that the assumption of equal rights and citizenship status for all women in the wider society according to the liberal model of multiculturalism cannot be directly applied in Vietnam. State religious policies in this country play a significant role in the double reduction of Christian women's and status in terms of leadership first in the wider society and second in the religious community itself despite the existence of national advanced gender law and the government's tight control of religious groups. The failure of both this church and the government in upholding the governmental gender policies within this religious organization has complex causes rights embedded in the context of Vietnam. This paper looks into the government's political concern rather than gender one in its management of religion and the ECVN's theological, political and social stance as main causes of the gender problem.


Background and Aim: Nearly a decade has passed since the use of computers to record patients' medical records in Iran. Despite the advantages of computer systems, healthcare providers are reluctant to use them; therefore, parts of computerized records will be incomplete, which lead to information gaps. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the completion of electronic reports and its reasons from employees' viewpoint. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 2499998 electronic reports were evaluated using a checklist that examined types of identity and clinical data; meanwhile, staff's attitudes were investigated by a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was estimated through test-retest method. Results: The results showed that 100% of some clinical and identity data were not recorded. Some 58.7% of staff members reported the absence of clear regulations and 54.7% reported inappropriate electronic forms as the reasons. Some 24.1% of staff members suggested the codification of clear guidelines and 15.6% offered surveillance programs as solutions to completing electronic reports. Conclusion: human and most among the solutions which can remove many defects of electronic reports: investment in education, management support for the codification of relevant policies, health information technology professionals' participation in designing electronic forms, and the use of high technologies to record data for busy employees.


The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) intends to publish detailed economic statistics on industry employment in the green goods and services sector in the United States. This required BLS to adopt a definition of green goods and services. This paper reviews the process used by BLS to define green goods or services. This process began with an extensive review of definitions used in existing green data publications and studies from various agencies, including State governments, Eurostat, Statistics Canada, and private research institutions. With an understanding of the definitions from existing literature and after discussions with various environmental and government organizations, BLS reviewed each North American Industrial Classification System industry code to identify each industry's potential to produce green goods or services. This industry review led to the publication of a preliminary Federal Register Notice (FRN) with the BLS proposed definition for a green good or service. After reviewing input received from the public, BLS revised and published a final FRN with the definition of green goods and services that BLS intends to use in its green data collection activities.


Multipath, crossed plane acoustic flowmeters are being increasingly used for hydroelectric turbine efficiency measurement both for acceptance testing and efficiency mapping of units in order to allow more nearly optimum operation of multiunit powerplants. Because efficiency measurement requires accurate flowrate determination, one key question is how accurate the flow measurement actually is in the non-ideal environment of the typical powerplant. Data from eight separate 8-path crossed plane acoustic flowmeter installations and calibrations is presented, and site-specific problems are discussed. Individual acoustic path velocity data was logged during each calibration run, allowing estimation of the velocity profile and cross flow components resulting from the piping configuration upstream of the flowmeter, and allowing estimation of the effect of these profiles on flowmeter accuracy. The conclusion of this analysis is that high accuracy (± 0.5% of flowrate) can be achieved through proper orientation and location of a single acoustic plane with respect to the upstream piping configuration, even when the velocity profiles appear distorted on individual paths due to cross flow in the measurement section. These results are important when applied to installations which do not have crossed planes.


Over the past three decades, marine resource management has shifted conceptually from top-down sectoral approaches towards the more systems-oriented multi-stakeholder frameworks of integrated coastal management and ecosystem-based conservation. However, the successful implementation of such frameworks is commonly hindered by a lack of cross-disciplinary knowledge transfer, especially between natural and social sciences. This review represents a holistic synthesis of three decades of change in the oceanography, biology and human dimension of False Bay, South Africa. The productivity of marine life in this bay and its close vicinity to the steadily growing metropolis of Cape Town have led to its socio-economic significance throughout history. Considerable research has highlighted shifts driven by climate change, human population growth, serial overfishing, and coastal development. Upwelling-inducing winds have increased in the region, leading to cooling and likely to nutrient enrichment of the bay. Subsequently the distributions of key components of the marine ecosystem have shifted eastward, including kelp, rock lobsters, seabirds, pelagic fish, and several alien invasive species. Increasing sea level and exposure to storm surges contribute to coastal erosion of the sandy shorelines in the bay, causing losses in coastal infrastructure and posing risk to coastal developments. Since the 1980s, the human population of Cape Town has doubled, and with it pollution has amplified. Overfishing has led to drastic declines in the catches of numerous commercially and recreationally targeted fish, and illegal fishing is widespread. The tourism value of the bay contributes substantially to the country's economy, and whale watching, shark-cage diving and water sports have become important sources of revenue. Compliance with fisheries and environmental regulations would benefit from a systems-oriented approach whereby coastal systems are managed holistically, embracing both social and ecological goals. In this context, we synthesize knowledge and provide recommendations for multidisciplinary research and monitoring to achieve a better balance between developmental and environmental agendas.


Research on 100% renewable energy systems is a relatively recent phenomenon. It was initiated in the mid-1970s, catalyzed by skyrocketing oil prices. Since the mid-2000s, it has quickly evolved into a prominent research field encompassing an expansive and growing number of research groups and organizations across the world. The main conclusion of most of these studies is that 100% renewables is feasible worldwide at low cost. Advanced concepts and methods now enable the field to chart realistic as well as cost- or resource-optimized and efficient transition pathways to a future without the use of fossil fuels. Such proposed pathways in turn, have helped spur 100% renewable energy policy targets and actions, leading to more research. In most transition pathways, solar energy and wind power increasingly emerge as the central pillars of a sustainable energy system combined with energy efficiency measures. Cost-optimization modeling and greater resource availability tend to lead to higher solar photovoltaic shares, while emphasis on energy supply diversification tends to point to higher wind power contributions. Recent research has focused on the challenges and opportunities regarding grid congestion, energy storage, sector coupling, electrification of transport and industry implying power-to-X and hydrogen-to-X, and the inclusion of natural and technical carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches. The result is a holistic vision of the transition towards a net-negative greenhouse gas emissions economy that can limit global warming to 1.5°C with a clearly defined carbon budget in a sustainable and cost-effective manner based on 100% renewable energy-industry-CDR systems. Initially, the field encountered very strong skepticism. Therefore, this paper also includes a response to major critiques against 100% renewable energy systems, and also discusses the institutional inertia that hampers adoption by the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as possible negative connections to community acceptance and energy justice. We conclude by discussing how this emergent research field can further progress to the benefit of society.


Learning from different data views by exploring the underlying complementary information among them can endow the representation with stronger expressive ability. However, high-dimensional features tend to contain noise, and furthermore, quality of data usually varies for different samples (even for different views), i.e., one view may be informative for one sample but not the case for another. Therefore, it is quite challenging to integrate multi-view noisy data under unsupervised setting. Traditional multi-view methods either simply treat each view with equal importance or tune the weights of different views to fixed values, which are insufficient to capture the dynamic noise in multi-view data. In this work, we devise a novel unsupervised multi-view learning approach, termed as Dynamic Uncertainty-Aware Networks (DUA-Nets). Guided by the uncertainty of data estimated from the generation perspective, intrinsic information from multiple views is integrated to obtain noise-free representations. Under the help of uncertainty estimation, DUA-Nets weigh each view of individual sample according to data quality so that the high-quality samples (or views) can be fully exploited while the effects from the noisy samples (or views) will be alleviated. Our model achieves superior performance in extensive experiments and shows the robustness to noisy data.


Bryozoans are aquatic animals that form colonies of connected individuals. They take a variety of forms: some are bushy and moss-like, some are flat and encrusting and others resemble lace. Bryozoans are mostly marine, with species found in all oceans from sublittoral to abyssal depths, but freshwater species also exist. Some bryozoans are of concern as marine-fouling organisms and invasive species, while others show promise as sources of anticancer, antiviral and antifouling substances.

Written by experts in the field, Australian Bryozoa Volume 2: Taxonomy of Australian Families is the second of two volumes describing Australia's 1200 known species of bryozoans, the richest diversity of bryozoans of any country in the world. It contains detailed taxonomic data and illustrated family-level treatments, which can be used to identify specimens. It provides an authoritative reference for biology students, academics and others interested in marine biology.


This thesis describes the design and implementation of an optimisation system for America's Cup Class (ACC) yachts. The system, named VESPA, uses a measure of merit that closely approximates the actual America's Cup race format; a round-robin match-racing tournament, held over many races between a population of candidate designs, using a stochastic wind model. VESPA was used by the Alinghi team to provide design recommendations for the 2007 America's Cup.
The optimisation of racing yachts is a problem that has been considered resistant to full analysis due to its complexity. Consequently, attempts at yacht design optimisation to date have been restricted to simplified subsets of the problem. While Velocity Prediction Programs (VPP) have been widely used to provide details of sailing performance for one or more yachts, the statistical models on which these programs are based have not been sufficiently accurate to allow optimisation of hull shapes. Other efforts to automate yacht design optimisation have used an objective function that evaluates the performance of each boat using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis of the hull. This approach suffers from long execution times, which may result in the adoption of a restricted measure of merit, such as hull resistance at a small number of forward speeds, heel and yaw angles.
In order to permit the use of the chosen measure of merit while retaining acceptable performance, a sparse sample of designs, derived from a parent hull using a novel parametric transformation method, had their hydrodynamic characteristics calculated by the SPLASH potential flow code. The output from SPLASH was subsequently used to train a set of neural-network based hydrodynamic metamodels for use by the VPP. The need to assess a population of designs for the tournamentbased measure-of-merit makes the problem well suited to stochastic, population based optimisation methods. As a result, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) was chosen to perform the optimisation, using a parsimonious Race Modelling Program (RMP) to simulate a tournament of races based on performance data provided for each boat by the VPP.
Each component within the VESPA system was validated to ensure confidence in the optimisation results. Optimisation runs were performed over several months using multiple parent models to investigate the effect of changes to various design variables. Finally, a design optimised by VESPA was tank tested at 1/3 scale, confirming the improvements over its parent design predicted by SPLASH.
VESPA proved itself capable of making genuine design improvements to an existing parent model while retaining reasonable execution times. VESPA also revealed several unexpected insights into the nature of the solution space for the design of ACC yachts, including multiple optima and the potential for intransitivity in the solution when interactions between boats at rounding marks are considered.


The possibility of monitoring changes in aortic elasticity in humans has important applications for clinical trials because it estimates the efficacy of plaque-reducing therapies. The elasticity is usually quantified by compliance measurements. Therefore, the relative temporal change in the vessel cross-sectional area throughout the cardiac cycle has to be determined. In this work we determined and compared the compliance between three magnetic resonance (MR) methods (FLASH, TrueFISP and pulse-wave). Since manual outlining of the aortic wall area is a very time-consuming process and depends on an operator's variability, an algorithm for the automatic segmentation of the artery wall from MR images through the entire heart cycle is presented. The reliable detection of the artery cross-sectional area over the whole heart cycle was possible with a relative error of about 1%. Optimizing the temporal resolution to 60 ms we obtained a relative error in compliance of about 7% from TrueFISP (1.0 × 1.0 × 10 mm3, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > 12) and FLASH (0.7 × 0.7 × 10 mm3, SNR > 12) measurements in volunteers. Pulse-wave measurements yielded an error of more than 9%. In a study of ten volunteers, a compliance between C = 3 × 10−5 Pa−1 and C = 8 × 10−5 Pa−1 was determined, depending on age. The results of the TrueFISP and the pulse-wave measurements agreed very well with one another (confidence interval of 1 × 10−5 Pa−1) while the results of the FLASH method more clearly deviated from the TrueFISP and pulse-wave (confidence interval of more than 2 × 10−5 Pa−1).


Background: The world comprises the largest generation of young people aged between 10 and 24 years in history. Hence ensuring their health and future is generally recognized as a key development priority in many countries. Youth friendly services have been recognized as an appropriate and effective strategy to address sexual and reproductive health needs of young people. Even if the government of Ethiopia had been implementing strategic framework to enhance reproductive health and well being of young people, there is limited evidence on level of services utilization. Thus, this study was conducted to assess youth friendly services utilization and associated factors among young people in Tehuledere district, Northeast Ethiopia, 2018.

Method: A Community based crossectional study was conducted in Tehuledere district from December 1 to 15, 2018. Multi stage sampling was used to select participants. Ten kebeles were selected by simple random sampling method. The total sample size was allocated proportionally to population size. Finally, 572 study subjects were included in the study. Binary logistic regression analysis model was used to identify factors associated with youth friendly services utilization of young people. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p-value ≤ 0.05 were used to show strength of association between the dependent and independent variables. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of Wollo University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Results: This finding showed that 34.31% of young people were used youth friendly service. Respondents who lived within 30 minutes walking distance from the health facility were used the service 3 times than those who lived more than 30 minutes walking distance [AOR=3.00, 95% CI (1.89, 4.74)]. Respondents who had convenient perception on the working hours of the health facilities were utilized the services 1.7 times than those who had inconvenient perception [AOR=1.69, 95% CI (1.07, 2.68)]. Respondents were participated in community dialogues were 1.8 times utilized the services than those who were not participated [AOR=1.77, 95% CI (1.12,2.78)]. Participants who had information about youth friendly services were 9.7 times utilized the services than those who had no information [AOR= 9.76, 95% CI (6.03, 15.79)]. Youths who faced sexual and reproductive illness were 3.6 times utilized the services than those who did not faced [AOR= 3.64, 95% CI (1.75, 7.60)].

Conclusion: Less than half of the young people were utilized youth friendly health services. Accessibility of health facilities, convenient working hours of health facilities, participation of youths in community dialogues and information about youth friendly services were factors associated with youth friendly health services utilization .


The heroic defence of the Greeks at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, in particularly the 300 Spartans who stood to the last man against the much larger Persian force, prompted comic book writer and illustrator Frank Miller to retell this story from a purely Spartan perspective. This version was retold once again when director Zack Snyder created a filmed version of the graphic novel named 300. Despite the film's achievements at the box office, it was attacked for being, amongst others, historically incorrect and ideologically biased. In the graphic novel Frank Miller tells the tale of the battle at Thermopylae through the eyes of a Spartan warrior who bore the responsibility of spreading their tale so that the Spartans' sacrifice might compel other Greek city-states to stand together against the Persians. Therefore the graphic novel and especially the film are drenched with Spartan superiority and Persian inferiority. Despite the inaccuracies and ideological bias, there are a few moments in the graphic novel and film that are notably historically correct.


The City of Chicago uses the HomeMod Program to address the shortage of accessible housing and increase the supply of units suitable for people with disabilities. Under the administration of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the HomeMod Program provides home modifications for people under the age of 60 who have disabilities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides roughly 71 percent of the program's funding through its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The city supplements the CDBG funds with corporate and private donations, funding from the Chicago Housing Authority, foundations, and other sources. Although the HomeMod Program is open to people with any type of disability—such as cognitive, mental, physical, or sensory—the vast majority of participants, nearly 90 percent, have a mobility impairment. The report examines and compares the costs and some of the benefits of the HomeMod Program from the perspective of the government as the primary funding source for many of the services and residential options people with disabilities use. One purpose of the report is to demonstrate a method and the types of data needed to assess the effects of a specific CDBG-funded activity—the HomeMod Program. Another purpose is to determine whether the home modifications might provide more in quantifiable benefits to the government—in avoided future costs for services to people with disabilities, such as home health aides or nursing home care—than the upfront costs of the modifications, which is a measure of the efficiency of the CDBG-funded activity.


Twenty years since the first modern attempts at human hand transplantation (HTX) in 1998 and 1999, these operations are a fringe hybrid of the clinical specialties of reconstructive microsurgery and transplant immunology, offered only under experimental protocols in most cases. Despite having paved the way for face transplants, womb transplants, and penis transplants, fewer than 100 hand transplants have been performed so far, complicating clinical research efforts to parse results "objectively." Through ethnographic oral history fieldwork and close rhetorical analysis of the medical literature on hand transplantation, my dissertation argues that despite its ubiquity across hand transplant rhetorics, "success" is a misnomer and a distracting frame for discussions of effectiveness in the science and ethics of this field since the reality of lived experience for patients involves lifelong unfolding tradeoffs of medications management, care activities, surveillance, managed complications, and relational upkeep which are never fully resolved.

By placing the question of "success" in the frame of HTX patients' self-reported experiences of dis/ability and the ongoing construction of their identity—rather than in medicalized notions of function or ability and progress-oriented histories of transplant science internationally—I show that parsing cause and effect in a many-faceted procedure like hand transplantation is a nuanced task that betrays the inherent subjectivity of data interpretation in medical science. Following in the stream of discourse on narrative medicine, person-centered healthcare, and the social construction of disability, my dissertation challenges norms for doctors representing vulnerable others to their colleagues and the public. Along with empirical insights from the oral histories, my analysis of hand transplant literature contributes to knowledge in disability studies, rhetoric of science, feminist bioethics, and science and technology studies (STS) bringing novel substance to 21st century debates about the options that should or should not be made available to those navigating the personal and putative binaries of ability/disability, beauty/deformity, and health/illness.


Nitre goosefoot (Chenopodium nitrariaceum (F.Muell.) is a woody shrub that occurs at the edges of floodplains and other intermittently flooded areas across the Murray–Darling Basin. No studies have been conducted on the hydrological requirements of nitre goosefoot, and the species is not considered in watering requirements of floodplain species of the Murray–Darling Basin. This study investigated the effects of simulated rainfall and depth and duration of experimental flooding on mortality, leaf production, biomass and seed production of nitre goosefoot. Nitre goosefoot plants were grown from seeds collected near Hillston, New South Wales, Australia. The plants were subjected to the following 14 hydrological treatments: dry (no water applied), rainfall (simulating rainfall conditions at Hillston) and 12 combinations of three water depths (10cm, 50cm, 75cm) with four durations of inundation (5 days, 10 days, 20 days, 40 days). The study found that nitre goosefoot plants survived flooding, providing plants were not totally submerged, leaf production increased during flooding and after drawdown, and leaf production, biomass and seeding were highest under shallow flooding for approximately 1 month. The results of the study allow the hydrological requirements of nitre goosefoot to be considered in environmental watering programs.


A key adaptation in insects for dealing with variable environmental conditions is the ability to diapause. The tiger swallowtail butterflies, Papilio glaucus and P. canadensis are ideal species to explore the genetic causes and population genetic consequences of diapause because divergence in this trait is believed to be a salient factor in maintaining a hybrid zone between these species. Yet little is known about the factors that influence diapause induction in this system. Here we explored how spatial (latitudinal), environmental (temperature) and genetic (hybridization) factors affect diapause induction in this system. Specifically, a series of growth chamber experiments using wild caught individuals from across the eastern United States were performed to: (1) evaluate how critical photoperiod varies with latitude, (2) isolate the stage in which induction occurs, (3) test whether changes in temperature affected rates of diapause induction, and (4) explore how the incidence of diapause is affected in hybrid offspring. We find that induction occurs in the larval stage, is not sensitive to a relatively broad range of temperatures, appears to have a complex genetic basis (i.e., is not simply a dominant trait following a Mendelian inheritance pattern) and that the critical photoperiod increases by 0.4 h with each increasing degree in latitude. This work deepens our understanding of how spatial, environmental and genetic variation influences a key seasonal adaptation (diapause induction) in a well‐developed ecological model system and will make possible future studies that explore how climatic variation affects the population dynamics and genetics of this system.

publisher-specific, author manuscript: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions


Drawing on an inquiry into Israel's preparedness for biological threats, in this article I suggest a new analysis of biosecurity events. A complex and dynamic assemblage emerges to prepare for biological threats, one that I call a "pre-event configuration." The assemblage is composed of three core elements—the scientific element, the security element, and the public health element—each of which diagnoses threats and suggests appropriate solutions. This configuration also determines what will be perceived as an event for which preparation is needed and what will remain a nonevent. I maintain that the constitution of an event takes place beyond the actual time of its occurrence and is determined by the pre-event configuration in the "time of event." Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of events should combine an examination of actual events and their aftermath with an inquiry into their potentialities as determined by the pre-event configuration. [biosecurity, preparedness, events, disasters]


In The Deconstruction of Sex, Jean-Luc Nancy and Irving Goh discuss how a deconstructive approach to sex helps us negotiate discourses about sex and foster a better understanding of how sex complicates our everyday existence in the age of #MeToo. Throughout their conversation, Nancy and Goh engage with topics ranging from relation, penetration, and subjection to touch, erotics, and jouissance. They show how despite its entrenchment in social norms and centrality to our being-in-the-world, sex lacks a clearly defined essence. At the same time, they point to the potentiality of literature to inscribe the senses of sex. In so doing, Nancy and Goh prompt us to reconsider our relations with ourselves and others through sex in more sensitive, respectful, and humble ways without bracketing the troubling aspects of sex.


Aims. We study the massive stars in OB associations and their surrounding interstellar medium environment, using a population synthesis code. Methods. We developed a new population synthesis code for groups of massive stars, where we model the emission of different forms of energy and matter from the stars of the association. In particular, the ejection of the two radioactive isotopes 26 Al and 60 Fe is followed, as well as the emission of hydrogen ionizing photons, and the kinetic energy of the stellar winds and supernova explosions. We investigate various alternative astrophysical inputs and the resulting output sensitivities, especially effects due to the inclusion of rotation in stellar models. As the aim of the code is the application to relatively small populations of massive stars, special care is taken to address their statistical properties. Our code incorporates both analytical statistical methods applicable to small populations, as well as extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Results. We find that the inclusion of rotation in the stellar models has a large impact on the interactions between OB associations and their surrounding interstellar medium. The emission of 26 Al in the stellar winds is strongly enhanced, compared to non-rotating models with the same mass-loss prescription. This compensates the recent reductions in the estimates of mass-loss rates of massive stars due to the effects of clumping. Despite the lower mass-loss rates, the power of the winds is actually enhanced for rotating stellar models. The supernova power (kinetic energy of their ejecta) is decreased due to longer lifetimes of rotating stars, and therefore the wind power dominates over supernova power for the first 6 Myr after a burst of star-formation. For populations typical of nearby star-forming regions, the statistical uncertainties are large and clearly non-Gaussian.


As society and business is becoming more complex, the creation and management of knowledge attracts more attention. For intelligence research it offers an alternative perspective on the art and science of intelligence that challenges a previous dominance of strategy and decision-making theories. The article is based on semi-structured interviews with intelligence personnel in four different multinational companies. Through the use of Burke's pentad this article gives an account of important challenges encountered by intelligence personnel in modern business organizations due to an increasing dependence on different knowledge processes. These challenges are summarized in four central tasks for knowledge activists; that is to initiate and focus knowledge creation, to reduce the time and cost needed for knowledge creation, to leverage knowledge creation initiatives throughout the corporation and to guide knowledge creation by the instigation of complementary reference points. By engaging in these types of activities intelligence workers are able to stage and influence different sorts of analytical conversations, where the insights from these conversations as reformed knowledge govern an evolving strategy in dispersed circumstances. Thus, intelligence workers fulfil their purpose, which in this perspective can be viewed as creating better business in whatever process they engage in.


Int J Exerc Sci 2(1): S27, 2009. The purpose of this project was to identify the relationships between various fitness parameters such as: upper body muscular endurance, upper and lower body strength, flexibility, anaerobic power, abdominal strength, body composition and the performance on an "Ability Test" (AT) that includes a set of six simulated firefighting tasks. Ninety firefighters participated in this study (age 33.54 ± 6.95 years). Firefighting ability was determined based on the time of completion of the AT. Abdominal strength was determined on an isometric device (AbMed). Abdominal strength was significantly inversely correlated (r = -.54, p < .01) with the overall performance on the AT test indicating that higher the abdominal strength was associated with shorter time of completion of the AT. Abdominal strength was also related with high performance (shorter times) on all six individual simulated firefighting tasks. In addition, the results of the multiple regression demonstrated that abdominal strength had a significant effect on the overall time to complete the AT. Abdominal strength contributed significantly [t(53) = -2.94, p < .01] to the predictive power of firefighter's time to complete the set of firefighting tasks as described in the AT test. The most common test to evaluated core fitness among firefighters was based on the performance on the sit-up test which measures muscular endurance rather than muscular strength. The results of this study demonstrated that abdominal strength might be a better contributor to firefighting ability than abdominal muscular endurance, as determined by the sit-up test. The results presented in this study are unique since the method used to assess abdominal strength was not previously implemented on firefighters. TEXAS AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE 2009 CONFERENCE


Radio frequency (RF) diode sputtering deposition is a widely used process for depositing GMR thin films for multilayers, spin valves, spin-dependent tunneling (SDT) devices, etc [1]. However, the thin films thus produced often show signification variation in GMR properties from wafer to wafer. As described in the earlier chapter, a multiscale model based on the primary physical phenomena gas flow, plasma discharge, sputtering and atom transport has been developed to explore the sputter deposition process. Simulations with this model were used to determine the process parameters to which the deposition characteristics have the maximum sensitivity. Experiments were performed to determine the relative importance of these parameters. Based on the results, a controller was designed to regulate the time-integrated target bias voltage. Implementation of the controller reduced wafer-to-wafer variation of GMR properties by over 50%. Additionally, application of control to SDT wafers also led to improvement and optimization of the process.