Abstract We investigated the properties of Al-bearing SiO2 (with 4 or 6 wt% Al2O3) at pressures and temperatures corresponding to the lowermost mantle, using laser-heated diamond-anvil cell coupled with synchrotron-based in situ X-ray diffraction. The phase transition from CaCl2-structured to α-PbO2- structured (seifertite) polymorphs occurs between 113 and 119 GPa at 2500 K. The range of pressure where the two phases coexist is small. There is a slight decrease of the transition pressure with increasing Al-content. We propose a tentative phase diagram reporting the minerals composition as a function of pressure in the SiO2-Al2O3 system. We also refine the P-V-T equation of state of Al-bearing seifertite based on volume measurements up to more than 160 GPa and 4000 K [V0 = 92.73(10) Å3, K0 = 304.2(3.0) GPa, K′0 = 4.59 (fixed), ΘD0 = 1130 K (fixed), γ0 = 1.61(3)]. At 300 K, the volume decrease at the CaCl2 to α-PbO2 transition is 0.5(1)%, a value slightly lower than the 0.6% reported previously for Al-free samples. At high temperature, the Grüneisen parameter of seifertite is found to be similar to that of stishovite. Nevertheless, the ΔV/V across the CaCl2-form to seifertite transition is found to increase slightly with increasing temperature. Across the phase transition, volume changes can be translated into density changes only when the Al substitution mechanisms in both CaCl2-form and seifertite are defined. The analysis of all available data sets suggests different substitution mechanisms for the two SiO2 polymorphs. Al-substitution could occur via O-vacancies in the CaCl2-form and via extra interstitial Al in seifertite. This would result in a density increase of 2.2(3)% at 300 K for SiO2 in basaltic lithologies. Alternatively, the same Alsubstitution mechanism in both of the SiO2-dominated phases would yield a density increase of 0.5(1)%.


The estimation of dynamic factor models for large sets of variables has attracted considerable attention recently, due to the increased availability of large datasets. In this paper we propose a new parametric methodology for estimating factors from large datasets based on state space models and discuss its theoretical properties. In particular, we show that it is possible to estimate consistently the factor space. We alsodevelop a consistent information criterion for the determination of the number of factors to be included in the model. Finally, we conduct a set of simulation experiments that show that our approach compares well with existing alternatives.


The Great Plains were once among the greatest grasslands on the planet. But as the United States and Canada grew westward, the Plains were plowed up, fenced in, overgrazed, and otherwise degraded. Today, this fragmented landscape is the most endangered and least protected ecosystem in North America. But all is not lost on the prairie. Through lyrical photographs, essays, historical images, and maps, this beautifully illustrated book gets beneath the surface of the Plains, revealing the lingering wild that still survives and whose diverse natural communities, native creatures, migratory traditions, and natural systems together create one vast and extraordinary whole. Three broad geographic regions are covered in detail in Great Plains, evoked in the unforgettable and often haunting images taken by Michael Forsberg. Between the fall of 2005 and the winter of 2008, he traveled roughly 100,000 miles across twelve states and three provinces, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, to complete the photographic fieldwork for this project, underwritten by the Nature Conservancy. Complementing his images and firsthand accounts are essays by Great Plains scholar David Wishart and acclaimed writer Dan O'Brien. Each section of the book begins with a thorough overview by Wishart, while O'Brien - a wildlife biologist and rancher as well as a writer - uses his powerful literary voice to put the Great Plains into a human context, connecting their natural history with man's uses and abuses. The Great Plains are a dynamic but often forgotten landscape - overlooked, undervalued, misunderstood, and in desperate need of conservation. This book helps lead the way forward, informing and inspiring readers to recognize the wild spirit and splendor of this irreplaceable part of the planet.


Abstract We investigate how being exposed to media influences levels of anxiety and political attitudes in conflict-affected areas. Exploiting exogenous variation in signal strength of a radio station in South Sudan's Western Equatoria State, we compare original qualitative and quantitative data from areas with differing radio coverage. Civilians living in areas with more exposure to radio are more afraid of attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). This anxiety means civilians rely more on a civilian militia, the arrow boys, and less on the state army. Hence media, through fear, can contribute to changing social and political structures.


Despite the fact that complex visual scenes contain multiple, overlapping objects, people perform object recognition with ease and accuracy. One operation that facilitates recognition is an early segmentation process in which features of objects are grouped and labeled according to which object they belong. Current computational systems that perform this operation are based on predefined grouping heuristics. We describe a system called MAGIC that learns how to group features based on a set of presegmented examples. In many cases, MAGIC discovers grouping heuristics similar to those previously proposed, but it also has the capability of finding nonintuitive structural regularities in images. Grouping is performed by a relaxation network that attempts to dynamically bind related features. Features transmit a complex-valued signal (amplitude and phase) to one another; binding can thus be represented by phase locking related features. MAGIC's training procedure is a generalization of recurrent backpropagation to complex-valued units.


The dielectric properties of Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 (BST) thin films are sensitive to the relative crystal - lographic orientation of the films. LaNiO 3 (LNO) and MgO were deposited as buffer layer on Si substrate before BST. The effect of buffer layer such as LNO, MgO and MgO/LNO bilayer on the microstructure and dielectric properties of BST were extensively investi - gated. The preferred (100) orientation of LNO by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sput tering was dominated by the substrate temperature and highly (100)-oriented LNO thin films were grown on Si substrates at 300°C. The oriented (100) growth of sputtered BST thin films was strongly affected by the orientation of LNO thin films and the tunability of BST thin film was greatly improved with the insertion of (100)-textured LNO buffer layer. In addition, MgO, as a buffer layer, was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. The results show that the crystallization of BST was also enhanced by the insertion of MgO buffer layer, which enhances the oriental growth of BST along (100). Also, the tunability of the BST thin films was improved and the dielectric loss greatly decreased. Finally, CPW with BST/MgO multilayer was fabricated and the scattering (S) parameters were tested.


Rate coefficients for reaction of the hydroxyl radical (OH) with three hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) CF3CH2CH3, HFC-263fb, (k1); CF3CHFCH2F, HFC-245eb, (k2); and CHF2CHFCHF2, HFC-245ea, (k3); which are suggested as potential substitutes to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were measured using pulsed laser photolysis-laser-induced fluorescence (PLP-LIF) between 235 and 375 K. The Arrhenius expressions obtained are k1(T) = (4.36 +/- 0.72) x 10(-12) exp[-(1290 +/- 40)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1); k2(T) = (1.23 +/- 0.18) x 10(-12) exp[-(1250 +/- 40)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1); k3(T) = (1.91 +/- 0.42) x 10(-12) exp[-(1375 +/- 100)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). The quoted uncertainties are 95% confidence limits and include estimated systematic errors. The present results are discussed and compared with rate coefficients available in the literature. Our results are also compared with those calculated using structure activity relationships (SAR) for fluorinated compounds. The IR absorption cross-sections at room temperature for these compounds were measured over the range of 500 to 4000 cm-1. The global warming potentials (GWPs) of CF3CH2CH3(HFC-263fb), CF3CHFCH2F(HFC-245eb), and CHF2CHFCHF2(HFC-245ea) were calculated to be 234, 962, and 723 for a 20-year horizon; 70, 286, and 215 for a 100-year horizon; and 22, 89, and 68 for a 500-year horizon; and the atmospheric lifetimes of these compounds are 0.8, 2.5, and 2.6 years, respectively. It is concluded that these compounds are acceptable substitutes for CFCs in terms of their impact on Earth's climate.


We conduct a stated-choice experiment where respondents are asked to rate various insurance products aimed to protect against financial risks associated with long-term care needs. Using exogenous variation in prices from the survey design, and objective risks computed from a dynamic microsimulation model, these stated-choice probabilities are used to predict market equilibrium for long-term care insurance using the framework developped by Einav et al. (2010). We investigate in turn causes for the low observed take-up of long-term care insurance in Canada despite substantial residual out-of-pocket financial risk. We first find that awareness and knowledge of the product is low in the population: 44% of respondents who do not have long-term care insurance were never offered this type of insurance while overall 31% report no knowledge of the product. Although we find evidence of adverse selection, results suggest it plays a minimal role in limiting take-up. On the demand side, once respondents have been made aware of the risks, we find that demand remains low, in part because of misperceptions of risk, lack of bequest motive and home ownership which may act as a substitute.


Vacuum circuit breakers (VCB) are dominantly used worldwide in medium voltage levels. However, in the recent years, there is a marked increase in interest to use VCBs also in sub-transmission voltage levels. This is mainly due to the environmental issues. However, the existing medium voltage VCB technology cannot be directly applied to the high voltage VCB due to the different design features which face an increase in difficulties as the voltage rises. One very important issue in this regard could be the lack of an appropriate diagnostic tool for the evaluation of the vacuum interrupters' internal pressure. The users in the transmission voltage levels often want to know more about the up-to-date state of the high-voltage devices during their whole service life. Although in case of vacuum interrupter, it is difficult to decide upon the necessity of such diagnostics, and further discussion is required. According to current findings of the Cigre working group A3.27 "The impact of the application of vacuum switchgear at transmission voltages" (established 2009; work not yet finished), besides some technical and economical concerns, the non-availability of vacuum quality diagnostic tools might be one of the reasons for transmission system operators not to apply vacuum circuit breakers in their high-voltage transmission systems. Therefore, more investigation should be performed to develop an applicable diagnostic method for the internal pressure verification and vacuum quality tests, without demounting the interrupter from the switchgear. This investigation is the first part of the presented work, which is abbreviated in the whole work as "DVQ" for the diagnostic of vacuum quality. In this regard, a promising method, based on the measurement of field emission current immediately after arc-polishing of the contacts (named here as "FEA" method) is studied, which was firstly proposed by Frontzek and Konig. The results show that for a model vacuum interrupter with inhomogeneous electrode configuration (tip-plate), the decay rate of the field emission current after arc-polishing can be used for identifying the vacuum quality. However, for commercially available vacuum interrupters having more complex gap and contact geometries, it was not possible at all to define a test method or any test parameter configuration based on the chosen method, respectively, which would reproducibly cause a decay of the field emission current after arc-polishing. For statistically reliable evaluation on commercial interrupters extremely large number of trials would be necessary, which is totally unacceptable. Therefore, the investigated method has no practical meaning for monitoring purposes. Though the effects, which were published earlier, are basically present, the reproducibility is unfortunately too low. The search for a practical on-site diagnostic tool must therefore go on.

Another challenging issue with regard to the applicability of VCBs in high voltage systems, is the performance of the interrupter during capacitive switching test duty and the avoidance of dielectric breakdowns (restrikes). Even in the medium voltage level, there are severe requirements for this test duty according to the IEC circuit breaker standard. To design an interrupter with very low probability of restrikes, especially at higher voltages, it is necessary to understand the physical origins of restrikes occurrence. Therefore, systematic research is performed to identify different electrical activities (especially field emission current) in the vacuum gap during the recovery phase of the interrupter after capacitive switching. The influence of pre-arcing during closing as well as arcing during opening on the dielectric performance and field emission characteristics of the gap for different types of vacuum interrupters are studied. This investigation is the second part of this dissertation, which is abbreviated as "ICS" for the impact of capacitive switching. The results of the investigation show that the capacitive arc current and its time duration have significant influence on the field emission current during recovery. The impact of the inrush (making) current on the field emission current during recovery is observed to be large and to be clearly related to its amplitude. It was also found that the average value of the field emission current (according to the proposed procedure "(10x10)measurement") is a good measure for dielectric instabilities of the interrupter. However, no solid one-by-one relationship can be established between breakdown probability and field emission current in the available types of the interrupters. Furthermore, it is observed that the likelihood of restrikes during capacitive switching is a proper figure to control the production quality of vacuum interrupters. Hence, by using this method the stability of the production process of vacuum interrupters can be evaluated.

In both part-projects (DVQ and ICS), measurements, analysis and modeling of very small field emission currents (microampere up to milliampere range), as prognosticated by the quantum mechanical Fowler-Nordheim theory, in a high voltage environment under severe electromagnetic interferences, are the basis of the investigations. For this purpose, an especial measurement system as well as the required circuit for compensation of the capacitive current component, caused by the interrupter stray capacitance, are developed.


We present a novel classification technique for volume visualization that takes the shape of volumetric features into account. The presented technique enables the user to distinguish features based on their 3D shape and to assign individual optical properties to these. Based on a rough pre-segmentation that can be done by windowing, we exploit the curve-skeleton of each volumetric structure in order to derive a shape descriptor similar to those used in current shape recognition algorithms. The shape descriptor distinguishes three main shape classes: longitudinal, surface-like, and blobby shapes. In contrast to previous approaches, the classification is not performed on a per-voxel level but assigns a uniform shape descriptor to each feature and therefore allows a more intuitive user interface for the assignment of optical properties. By using the proposed technique, it becomes for instance possible to distinguish blobby heart structures filled with contrast agents from potentially occluding vessels and rib bones. After introducing the basic concepts, we show how the presented technique performs on real world data, and we discuss current limitations.


This paper proposes a new tool to assess sustainability and make the concept of sustainable development operational. It considers its multi-dimensional structure combining the information deriving from a selection of relevant sustainability indicators belonging to economic, social and environmental pillars. It reproduces the dynamics of these indicators over time and countries. Then, it aggregates these indicators using a new approach based on Choquet's integrals. The main novelties of this approach are indeed: (i) the modelling framework, a recursive-dynamic computable general equilibrium used to calculate the evolution of all indicators over time throughout the world, and (ii) the aggregation methodology to reconcile them in one aggregate index to measure overall sustainability. The former allows capturing the sector and regional interactions and higher-order effects driven by background assumptions on relevant variables to depict future scenarios. The latter makes it possible to compare sustainability performances, under alternative scenarios, across countries and over time. Main results show that the current sustainability at world level differs from what the traditional measure of well-being, the GDP, depicts, highlighting the trade-offs among different components of sustainability. Moreover, in the next decade a slight decrease in world sustainability may occur, in spite of an expected increase in world domestic product. Finally, dedicated policies increase overall sustainability, showing that social and environmental benefits may be greater than the correlated economic costs.


Objective: To determine i) the susceptibility of different instars of Chilo partellus Swinhoe (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt maize (expressing Cry1Ab) and ii) the effects of transient feeding on Bt maize plants at the 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th instars on the development of C. partellus and S. calamistis. Methodology and Results: First to 5 th instars of C. partellus and S. calamistis were reared on non-Bt vs. Bt plant material for five days and larval mortality assessed. For the development study, 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th instars of C. partellus and S. calamistis were fed on Bt maize stems for 24h, then reared on non-Bt maize stems, and development monitored. Controls were fed on non-Bt maize only. The 1 st instars were more susceptible to the Bt plants than the later instar stages. The duration of most stem borer instars were significantly prolonged at the instar at which feeding on Bt maize took place. Conclusion and application of findings : Third to 5 th stem borer instars, which are the preferred hosts of larval parasitoids, are less susceptible to Bt delta endotoxins. It is therefore likely that larval parasitoids would be exposed to Bt toxins via their hosts. The prolongation of development time of the insect pests as a result of feeding on Bt maize could result in increased attack rates by parasitoids due to increase in the 'window of vulnerability ', the period during which the host is exposed to natural enemies. The combined effects of developmental delays may also result in temporal asynchrony of stem borer moths produced from Bt and non-Bt maize, a factor that would need to be considered in designing resistance management strategies.


Humour can be seen as trivial, peripheral and even
an affront to some people in relation to the solemn business of social work. This thesis makes an original contribution to social work practice and thought, by exploring the relationship between jokes, humour and social,work. Jokes are worthy data in themselves to study, and humour is intrinsic to social life. This thesis draws on the extensive body of literature on
humour and the history of joke telling. Neither have been studied together in relation to social work.
Exposing contradictions in complex social phenomena has a track record as a creative way of knowing. The methodological approach taken reflects the qualitative nature of humour and jokes, and the analysis employed combined psychoanalytic and thematic approaches, in which "thematized meanings" were found across data sets. Social work and social workers occupy a contradictory position in society. The findings here indicate that humour and jokes provide a transitional space which helps social workers manage the contradictions and ambivalences of their work. The jokes made about social workers reflect a profession under attack, and the humour and jokes made by social workers reveal the desire to convey their humanity and to create relationships. Importantly my research shows that whilst there is a danger in humour being used unethically, humour can help social workers attach to their teams and their colleagues, and help build resilience, as a culture of humour within teams creates a nurturing environment, with social workers who will be more likely to stay in the job. Importantly as well humour can help facilitate relationships with service users, and become a tool for service users and social workers to bond.


Biomolecular systems such as multiprotein complexes or biopolymers can span several tens to several hundreds of nanometers, but the dynamics of such "mesocale" molecules remain challenging to probe. We have developed a single-molecule technique that uses Tracking Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (tFCS) to measure the conformation and dynamics of molecular assemblies specifically at the mesoscale level (~100-1000 nm). tFCS is non-perturbative, as molecules, which are tracked in real-time, are untethered and freely diffusing. To achieve sub-diffraction spatial resolution, we use a feedback scheme which allows us to maintain the molecule at an optimal position within the laser intensity gradient. We find that tFCS is sufficiently sensitive to measure the distance fluctuations between two sites within a DNA molecule separated by distances as short as 1000 bp. We demonstrate that tFCS detects changes in the compaction of reconstituted chromatin, and can assay transient protein mediated interactions between distant sites in an individual DNA molecule. Our measurements highlight the impact that tFCS can have in the study of a wide variety of biochemical processes involving mesoscale conformational dynamics.


A multicomponent palaeomagnetic remanence from the Lower Triassic Buntsandstein redbeds of the Central Southern Pyrenees has been interpreted as being composed of three components; a low blocking temperature recent viscous magnetization (L), an intermediate blocking temperature Eocene remagnetization (I), and a high blocking temperature Lower Triassic remanence (H). These palaeomagnetic results can be used in conjunction with structural evidence to identify poles of rotation during the development of the Nogueras Zone antiformal stack. Poles from individual sites reflect local deformation and folding, including vertical rotation due to shearing between adjacent thrust sheets. The I component was sometimes acquired syn-tectonically during thrust motion, and can be used to define intermediate stages of structural development. Results from sites located on a single thrust sheet ('No. 7') indicate that it rotated by 45° clockwise during emplacement. This is reflected in an easterly increase in displacement estimated from the construction of balanced cross-sections. Thrust sheets appear to have been pinned close to the present day location of Pont de Suert during the later stages of structural development. The arcuate path of thrust sheet motions, and the potential movements in and out of cross-section, can lead to over- and under-estimates of minimum displacement when using line-length cross-section balancing techniques.


ABSTRACT We introduce (continuous) partial category actions on sets (topological spaces) and show that each such action admits a universal globalization. Thereby, we obtain a simultaneous generalization of corresponding results for groups, by Abadie, and Kellendonk and Lawson, and for monoids, by Megrelishvili and Schröder. We apply this result to the special case of partial groupoid actions where we obtain a sharpening of a result by Gilbert, concerning ordered groupoids, in the sense that mediating functions between universal globalizations always are injective.


This paper argues for expanded listening in geography. Expanded listening addresses how bodies of all kinds, human and more-than-human, respond to sound. We show how listening can contribute to research on a wide range of topics, beyond enquiry where sound itself is the primary substantive interest. This is demonstrated through close discussion of what an amplified sonic sensibility can bring to three areas of contemporary geographical interest: geographies of landscape, of affect, and of geotechnologies.


Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) encodes for CASPR2, a multidomain single transmembrane protein belonging to the neurexin superfamily that has been implicated in a broad range of human phenotypes including autism and language impairment. Using a combination of biophysical techniques, including small angle x-ray scattering, single particle electron microscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation, and bio-layer interferometry, we present novel structural and functional data that relate the architecture of the extracellular domain of CASPR2 to a previously unknown ligand, Contactin1 (CNTN1). Structurally, CASPR2 is highly glycosylated and has an overall compact architecture. Functionally, we show that CASPR2 associates with micromolar affinity with CNTN1 but, under the same conditions, it does not interact with any of the other members of the contactin family. Moreover, by using dissociated hippocampal neurons we show that microbeads loaded with CASPR2, but not with a deletion mutant, co-localize with transfected CNTN1, suggesting that CNTN1 is an endogenous ligand for CASPR2. These data provide novel insights into the structure and function of CASPR2, suggesting a complex role of CASPR2 in the nervous system.


Most of the existing metric learning methods are accomplished by exploiting pairwise constraints over the labeled data and frequently suffer from the insufficiency of training examples. To learn a robust distance metric from few labeled examples, prior knowledge from unlabeled examples as well as the metrics previously derived from auxiliary data sets can be useful. In this paper, we propose to leverage such auxiliary knowledge to assist distance metric learning, which is formulated following the regularized loss minimization principle. Two algorithms are derived on the basis of manifold regularization and log-determinant divergence regularization technique, respectively, which can simultaneously exploit label information (i.e., the pairwise constraints over labeled data), unlabeled examples, and the metrics derived from auxiliary data sets. The proposed methods directly manipulate the auxiliary metrics and require no raw examples from the auxiliary data sets, which make them efficient and flexible. We conduct extensive evaluations to compare our approaches with a number of competing approaches on face recognition task. The experimental results show that our approaches can derive reliable distance metrics from limited training examples and thus are superior in terms of accuracy and labeling efforts.


Large wireless sensor networks promise to revolutionize the way we sense and control the physical world. In large networks the nodes within the range of the base station forward data on behalf of the entire network. Under reasonable assumptions, as this burden significantly shortens the lifespan of these nodes, the network may become disconnected (and, hence, unusable) while considerable battery resources remain unused at the peripheral nodes. To alleviate this undesired effect, we investigate the effect of multiple battery levels to maximize the useful lifetime of the network. We demonstrate a powerful, yet attractively simple scheme to redistribute the total energy budget in multiple (but few) battery levels. We show by theoretical analysis, as well as simulation, that this substantially improves the network lifetime.


YOUSEFZADEH, M., S. SALIMI, S. DARBANDI and A. MOLAVI, 2015. Estimating the fluctuations of soil salinity and water drainage in underground drainage and irrigation networks of Mianduab using Drainmod 6.0 model. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 21: 1289–1294 Computerized models are used widely in different sciences since they have the capability to reduce the costs and shorten the time required for a scenario to achieve the results of implementation on a system. Drainage networks are usually placed in semiarid lands under irrigation in order to control soil marsh and salinity. Because of the complexity of water travel and salt transfer in soil, simulation models are used to interpret the water management systems performance which may include underground, surface and irrigation drain. One of the models is Drainmod which simulates travel and storage of water in soil. In this research, the efficiency of Drainmod 6.0 model in predicting the soil salinity and water drain of underground drainage system in Mianduab Plain, is evaluated. To do so, an alfalfa field, was selected. The rate of salinity of soil and the drain of the waters extracted from lateral located in it was measured during August 2012. Then, the information required for the model, including meteorological, soil, drainage, irrigation and plant parameters, were collected and the model was implemented, and the obtained results were compared with the measured values. To quantitatively evaluate the performance of the model, the statistical parameters of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and coefficient of residual mass (CRM) were used. The results showed that the model can simulate the salinity of soil and the waters drain with a high accuracy in the region. The values of RMSE, MAE, CRM obtained for the salinity of water drain were 0.51, -0.24 and 5.82, respectively. And the same values obtained for the soil salinity were 1.06, 0.06, 0.14, respectively.


The purpose of this non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive research was to survey faculty and staff perceptions of mentorship in a postsecondary institution in order to determine gaps and strengths in the current mentorship environment. The anecdotal activities we present reflect our educational practice environment through the work of our Mentorship Team. Data were collected utilizing Zachary's Mentor Culture Audit tool. The culture building block measured 4.65 on a 7-point Likert scale, suggesting the presence of a weak mentorship culture. However, the infrastructure building block measured only 3.41, showing that organizational resources and supports are below average. We also present eight hallmark category results to further identify strengths and gaps. This is the first assessment of our mentoring culture at an organizational level. Other postsecondary institutions may benefit from formally assessing the gaps in and strengths of their mentorship culture to assist them with acquiring adequate resources to further develop and sustain their mentoring activities.


In this paper, we introduce a novel interactive depth map creation approach for image sequences which uses depth-scribbles as input at user-defined keyframes. These scribbled depth values are then propagated within these keyframes and across the entire sequence using a 3-dimensional geodesic distance transform (3D-GDT). In order to further improve the depth estimation of the intermediate frames, we make use of a convolutional neural network (CNN) in an unconventional manner. Our process is based on online learning which allows us to specifically train a disposable network for each sequence individually using the user generated depth at keyframes along with corresponding RGB images as training pairs. Thus, we actually take advantage of one of the most common issues in deep learning: over-fitting. Furthermore, we integrated this approach into a professional interactive depth map creation application and compared our results against the state of the art in interactive depth map creation.


This paper discusses the long run effect of changes in the age distribution of Spanish population on the unemployment rate, disaggregated by sex and age segments in the light of cointegration theory given the non stationarity of the series. Four main results are obtained. First, empirical analysis does not provide a clear scheme concerning the long run relationships between population variables and the specific unemployment rates for different groups. Second, as a first approximation one can detect the existence of, at least, one long run equilibrium relationship in all sex-age groups, except for the ones including the middle aged unemployed female workers and oldest unemployed female workers. Third, a more thorough analysis enables us to justify the existence of such long run relationships for the youngest male workers and middle aged male workers. One cannot argue, however, a joint evolution of population variables and the unemployment rates associated with female workers and to the oldest male workers. Fourth, the short run dynamics of unemployment rates for the youngest (male and female workers) and the middle age male workers is affected by the transitory deviations from these long run relationships. Hence, from an applied economics point of view, the result stresses the likely failure of employment policies which do not take into account the heterogeneous composition of unemployed workers. It stresses the need to design particular policies for specific groups of workers depending on their age and sex characteristics.


The present work deals with the idea of a multi-time wave function, i.e. a wave function with N space-time arguments for N particles.
Firstly, a careful derivation of the necessity of multi-time wave functions in relativistic quantum mechanics is given and a general formalism is developed.
Secondly, the physical meaning of multi-time wave functions is discussed in connection with realistic relativistic quantum theories, in particular the "Hypersurface Bohm-Dirac" model.
Thirdly, a first interacting model for multi-time wave functions of two Dirac particles in 1+1 space-time dimensions is constructed. Interaction is achieved by means of boundary conditions on configuration space-time, a mechanism closely related to zero-range physics. This is remarkable, as a restrictive consistency condition rules out various types of interaction and consequently no rigorous interacting model was known before.
Fourthly, the model is extended to more general types of interaction and to the N-particle case. Higher dimensions are also discussed.
Finally, the "Two-Body Dirac equations" of constraint theory are placed within the context of the multi-time formalism. In particular, the question of probability conservation is critically discussed, leading to further implications both for fundamental and applied questions.


While securing a total of 2387 kilometre river-border from the potential trespassing of traffi ckers, extremists and terrorists forms part of the national security agendas of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, for the border communities living along the Amu Darya and Panj rivers, concerns stem not just from these traditional threats but from broader aspects of human insecurity: access to decent livelihoods, quality healthcare and education, and adequate water for irrigation. These every day challenges require a rethink of the question of border security. Otherwise, not only do states fail to take advantage of the potential of involving communities in preventing illegal trespassing and facilitating exchanges, but their strict interdiction policies can also contribute to more insecurity. Based on fi eld work among communities on both sides of the river-border, the paper makes the case for a human security border regime that should rely on investing in the needs of border communities while supporting cross-border cooperation and exchange as means to border stability and prosperity.


Higher education institutions are facing new educational challenges and are striving for an evolution in pedagogical practices. This evolution is accompanied by the need for innovative learning spaces to support students in the development of "21st century skills". Designing these spaces requires a deep understanding of learners' needs and experiences. User-centered design therefore appears as an adequate process to understand learning experiences in relation to spatial design. In this paper, we describe how the repertory grid method has been used to explore students' perceptions of learning environments (N = 26). We identified 381 personal constructs (contrasted word pairs) associated with learning spaces and grouped them into seven categories (22 subcategories), ranked by number of occurrences. This study provides a basis for the development of a vocabulary of learners-spaces interactions, in support of the design and assessment of learning space experiences.


On Feb. 18, 2017, the Digestive Disease Institute Week (DDI Week) sponsored by Cleveland Clinic annually successfully ended, after a 5-day scientific and compact agenda. The event took place in Boca Raton, a beautiful city located in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA ( Figure 1 ). With a history of 38 years' development, promotion and efforts, it has been a prestigious excellent meeting in digestive disease, enjoying a rather high reputation in China as well. The meeting is dedicated to providing comprehensive in-depth, detailed overview of new, controversial, challenging, and provocative themes, advances, innovations and inspirations in digestive disease.


Pará rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) is grown primarily for latex. Some clones (timber clones) are frequently planted for wood production. Rubberwood, from old rubber trees, is an important economic byproduct. In general, the quality of the wood depends on multiple factors, including chemical and mechanical properties. This study investigates the effects of clone variety, height (1.3 and 6.0 m above ground level), and the variation between clone and height on chemical and mechanical properties of seven Pará rubber clones (RRIT 251, RRIM 600, RRI-CH-35-59, RRI-CH-35-650, RRI-CH-35-1397, RRI-CH-35-1757, and RRI-CH-35-2086). Thirteen-year old trees were sampled selecting one tree per clone. Results showed that height had a significant effect on the chemical components of the wood. Furthermore, the interaction between clone and height also had an effect on the chemical composition of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and extractives. In contrast, the mechanical properties of rubberwood depended a lot on the clone variety. The chemical and mechanical properties of rubberwood were significantly correlated among the seven clones studied. RRI-CH-351757, RRI-CH-35-2086, and RRIM 600 had the highest values for holocellulose as the main chemical components and mechanical strength.


Summary of the work packages perfomed by AWI:(1) Field work on Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden glacier:The AWI glaciology group joined the Danish glaciologists working on the floating tongue of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier during thesummers of 1997 and 1998. The emphasis was on (i) seismic measurements to derive ice thickness and water depth below the ice shelf,(ii) tilt meter measurements at the margin, (iii) CTD profiling underneath the glacier and the sea ice, and (iv) GPS measurements. Themeasurements revealed a strong ice thickness gradient near to the grounding line, the existence of a large cavity below the ice shelf , andthe existence of a thick fresh water layer near to the ice front. These observations support the large basal melting rates below the ice shelfrevealed by the Danish field work. It is postulated that relatively warm oceanic water which enters the cavity through Dijmpna Sundprovides the energy for melting.(2) Observations on Storstroemmen glacier:Stakes planted on Storstroemmen in 1995 were revisited at the end of the summer season of 1997. Only three stakes were still standing.Velocity determinations revealed that the overall flow pattern is still governed by post-surge behaviour.(3) Flowline model studies:A flowline model was developed for the lower section of the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden flowline. This line was embedded in a 3-D model ofthe entire Greenland ice sheet which provided the boundary conditions at the upper end of the section. Input parameters were provided bythe recent field data collected on the glacier. First results showed that the flowline model is able to produce quite realistic results and thatthe coupling did not introduce unwanted numerical effects or discontinuities. The meltrates required below the ice shelf to fit the modelledgeometry to the seismic measurements match very well with the field observations.(4) 3-D model studies:A 3-D thermomechanical ice-sheet model was used to refine estimates of the past, present, and future contribution of the Greenland icesheet to global sea-level changes. Datasets for ice thickness, bedrock elevation, surface elevation, and precipitation rate were first updatedto take into account the wealth of new data that became available during the last decade. Also the mass-balance treatment was refined andrecalibrated to obtain a best fit to available mass-balance observations. New calculations were performed over the last two glacial cycles toobtain the current evolution of the ice sheet. It was found that the ice sheet is presently close to a stationary state, although that largespatial variations occurred. Patterns and scenarios of future climatic change were downscaled from output of the Hamburg (ECHAM)climate model for the period 1985-2084. A major result was that the total sea-level rise from the Greenland ice sheet (around 5 cm after100 years) would be substantially less than obtained from earlier model studies. That is due to the small warming predicted for theice-sheet margin in southern Greenland, where it matters most for melting. An extensive sensitivity study highlighted the role of icedynamics and the height/ mass balance feedback on the future behaviour of the ice sheet. It was found that ice dynamics cannot beneglected, not even on a century time scale, and that it produces a counteracting effect. Even when greenhouse gas concentrations wouldstabilize by the early 22nd century, Greenland melt-down is found to be irreversible for equivalent CO2 concentrations more than twicethe present value, which would produce a 7 m sea-level rise after a few thousand years.


Authority control is increasingly becoming an accepted element in the design of online catalogues and databases. Much of the literature on this topic focuses on online catalogues and considerably less attention is given to databases of retrospective literature. In this paper the application of authority control to three aspects of the structure and design of Science and Technology in Canadian History: ? Bibliography of Primary History: ? Bibliography of Primary Sources to 1914, namely, author-names, subject-descriptors, and serial titles, is described. The creation and structure of each authority ale is described, the attendant problems associated with authority control in such a database are noted, and implications for further work of this: nature are discussed.


In order to promote "cohesion, competitiveness and cooperation" across Europe, the EU has established a common regional policy to support underdeveloped territories. This EU regional policy required to set up a very complex mechanism to implement such a huge effort to coordinate many interventions across highly differentiated territories. However, those territories are provided with very different institutional settings, and then the mechanism to coordinate all of them becomes particularly complex. The aim of this paper is to discuss the EU multi-level governance for structural funds (SFs), revising the origin, rationale and evolution of this policy in order to identify the limits of the institutional mechanism for the implementation of this policy. These limits will show their effects on the unstable distribution of SFs across the EU regions on a long-term perspective. Results show that the intervention of the EU is neither constant nor stable across regions, independently from their development paths. This instability should provide further arguments on the discussion about the SF policy and governance in order to take into considerations also institutional limits of the EU.


Wildland fire is a widespread phenomenon that affects how many ecosystems function and often threatens human life and property. Development of fire danger rating systems, aimed at identifying critical periods of high fire danger at early stages of its occurrence, is an important step for proactive fire and resource management. Development of such systems relies on long-term records of fire occurrence as well as numerous data sources for supporting information, but accurate and spatially explicit information is not available in many regions of the world affected by fire. Global satellite systems are becoming a major source of information for data-poor regions. The present paper describes a framework for modeling fire danger at a regional scale using publicly available data sources and global satellite imaging. It details a fuzzy logic-driven fire danger model developed for the Russian Far East using remotely sensed data. Fire activity recorded by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) active fire product was analyzed for 2001–05 as a function of various parameters. Model performance was evaluated against 2006 data. Fire danger was evaluated within the model using the ordered weighted averaging approach with fuzzification. The model produces three scenarios. All output model scenarios provide a meaningful representation of fire danger levels in the region with the 'trade-off' scenario being the most applicable to mapping fire danger during low fire activity seasons.


Abstract Measurements using an accelerometer reflect the impact applied to the trunk. Measurement of trunk acceleration has the possibility of reflecting the typical characteristics of trunk motion during cutting. However, analysis of trunk acceleration data during cutting manoeuvres has not been previously conducted. This study aimed to analyse trunk acceleration during cutting manoeuvres to examine any gender differences or a relationship with posture. All participants (eight male and eight female college soccer athletes) performed a shuttle run cutting task, and trunk accelerations (medio-lateral, vertical, and antero-posterior) were calculated. The peak acceleration (G) and total magnitude during the 200 ms after foot contact were measured, and the forward trunk inclination and femoral angle were calculated from the video images taken using a sagittal plane camera. Peak vertical acceleration (mean, s) was significantly greater among female athletes than among male athletes (−2.18, s = 0.84 G; −1.15, s = 0.45 G, respectively; p < 0.01). Medio-lateral and antero-posterior peak acceleration and the total magnitude in all directions were not significantly different between genders. Moderate negative correlations were found between vertical peak acceleration and trunk forward inclination and femoral inclination (r = −0.57, p < 0.05; r = −0.69, p < 0.01, respectively). The difference in vertical acceleration between genders has the possibility to reflect a stiff cutting movement among female athletes. The acceleration of the upper trunk may be an index for evaluating cutting movements.


This paper presents a simple and efficient method for online signature verification. The technique is based on a feature set comprising of several histograms that can be computed efficiently given a raw data sequence of an online signature. The features which are represented by a fixed-length vector can not be used to reconstruct the original signature, thereby providing privacy to the user's biometric trait in case the stored template is compromised. To test the verification performance of the proposed technique, several experiments were conducted on the well known MCYT-100 and SUSIG datasets including both skilled forgeries and random forgeries. Experimental results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed technique is comparable to state-of-art algorithms despite its simplicity and efficiency.


This paper suggests that an interpretation of competition solely as a means to increase consumer welfare eliminates substantial characteristics from competition as a process, depriving competition from its original meaning. It is misleading to define competition by evaluating its external role on the economy. This role is important only from the perspective of performance. From the ontological view however it is irrelevant. Some forms of competition are good or beneficial others are considered as harmful or undesirable, but in both cases we talk about different features of the same phenomenon. The idea that 'competition has to bring positive outcomes for economy, otherwise it is not competition' is logically incorrect. It is impossible to qualify the essence of object only by exploring its external effects. The paper concludes that competition itself deserves its protection even in circumstances when it does not lead to efficiency gains. In this respect competition can be seen as a 'luxury product' of market-oriented societies, which is not indispensable for achieving such values as industrial growth, market integration, social coherency, consumer welfare or innovations.


In the dark, all decarboxylation reactions are associated with the oxidase reactions of mitochondrial electron transport. In the light, photorespiration is also active in photosynthetic cells. In winter rye (Secale cereale L.), cold hardening resulted in a 2-fold increase in the rate of dark respiratory CO2 release from leaves compared with nonhardened (NH) controls. However, in the light, NH and cold-hardened (CH) leaves had comparable rates of oxidase decarboxylation and total intracellular decarboxylation. Furthermore, whereas CH leaves showed similar rates of total oxidase decarboxylation in the dark and light, NH leaves showed a 2-fold increase in total oxidase activity in the light compared with the dark. Light suppressed oxidase decarboxylation of end products of photosynthesis 2-fold in NH leaves and 3-fold in CH leaves in air. However, in high-CO2, light did not suppress the oxidase decarboxylation of end products. Thus, the decrease in oxidase decarboxylation of end products observed in the light and in air reflected glycolate-cycle-related inhibition of tricarboxylic acid cycle activity. We also showed that the glycolate cycle was involved in the decarboxylation of the end products of photosynthesis in both NH and CH leaves, suggesting a flow of fixed carbon out of the starch pool in the light.


We characterize the structure of Nash equilibria for a certain class of asset market games. In equilibrium, different assets have different returns, and (risk neutral) investors with different wealth hold portfolios with different structures. In equilibrium, an asset's return is inversely related to the elasticity of its supply. The larger an investor, the more diversified is his portfolio. Smaller investors do not hold all the assets, but achieve higher percentage returns. More generally, our results can be applied also to other "multi-market games" in which several players compete in several arenas simultaneously, like multi-market Cournot oligopolies, or multiple rent-seeking games.


This study reviews and synthesises existing information generated within the SCOPSCO (Scientific Collaboration on Past Speciation Conditions in Lake Ohrid) deep drilling project. The four main aims of the project are to infer (i) the age and origin of Lake Ohrid (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/Republic of Albania), (ii) its regional seismotectonic history, (iii) volcanic activity and climate change in the central northern Mediterranean region, and (iv) the influence of major geological events on the evolution of its endemic species. The Ohrid basin formed by transtension during the Miocene, opened during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, and the lake established de novo in the still relatively narrow valley between 1.9 and 1.3 Ma. The lake history is recorded in a 584 m long sediment sequence, which was recovered within the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) from the central part (DEEP site) of the lake in spring 2013. To date, 54 tephra and cryptotephra horizons have been found in the upper 460 m of this sequence. Tephrochronology and tuning biogeochemical proxy data to orbital parameters revealed that the upper 247.8 m represent the last 637 kyr. The multi-proxy data set covering these 637 kyr indicates long-term variability. Some proxies show a change from generally cooler and wetter to drier and warmer glacial and interglacial periods around 300 ka. Short-term environmental change caused, for example, by tephra deposition or the climatic impact of millennial-scale Dansgaard–Oeschger and Heinrich events are superimposed on the long-term trends. Evolutionary studies on the extant fauna indicate that Lake Ohrid was not a refugial area for regional freshwater animals. This differs from the surrounding catchment, where the mountainous setting with relatively high water availability provided a refuge for temperate and montane trees during the relatively cold and dry glacial periods. Although Lake Ohrid experienced significant environmental change over the last 637 kyr, preliminary molecular data from extant microgastropod species do not indicate significant changes in diversification rate during this period. The reasons for this constant rate remain largely unknown, but a possible lack of environmentally induced extinction events in Lake Ohrid and/or the high resilience of the ecosystems may have played a role.


Of the various excitation mechanisms causing excessive tube vibrations in tube and shell heat exchangers, fluidelastic instability is the most dangerous, and therefore has received the most attention. The objective of this research is to advance the current understanding of the fluidelastic instability in tube arrays through a fundamental investigation of the phenomenon experimentally, numerically and analytically. The concept of using a single flexible tube in a rigid array to investigate fluidelastic instability has been critically reviewed. It was found that the fluidelastic instability threshold in tube arrays is significantly affected by array geometry, pitch ratio, mass ratio and tube row location in the array. The results showed that, in general, fluidelastic instability in tube arrays is caused by a combination of the damping and the stiffness mechanisms. It was concluded that while the use of a single flexible tube in a rigid array provided a useful model for fundamental research and physical insights, it must be cautioned that it is not generally adequate for determining the experimental stability limits of tube arrays. The outcomes of this critical review helped in the design of a new experiment which facilitated precise control of the system parameters, and provided more comprehensive measurements. vii Experimental investigation of the interaction between tube vibrations and fluid forces was conducted using surface pressure measurements at the tube surface. The results showed that, there is a finite time delay between tube vibration and the associated fluid forces acting on the tube. The resulting phase lag was found to increase as the mean gap velocity increased, and ultimately the fluid forces became in phase with the tube velocity during the onset of instability. Velocity measurements of the interstitial flow perturbations associated with tube vibrations were carried out along the flow path in the array. It was found that the flow perturbation amplitude is most pronounced at the flow separation point from the vibrating tube, and that the flow perturbation amplitude decays continuously to a negligible amplitude at about one and a half rows upstream. This suggests that the flow perturbations are caused by the flow separation from the tube and the associated vorticity shedding and convection. The phase lag measurements between tube vibrations and flow perturbations support this conclusion, and show that the flow perturbations propagate upstream and downstream at different rates. Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling of the tube array was developed to assist in understanding the experimental results. The CFD models were validated using experimental data from both the literature and from the present research. It was found that there are two propagation mechanisms for the flow perturbations associated with tube vibrations. The first mechanism is caused by the pressure pulsation due to tube vibrations. This mechanism is dominant at lower reduced velocities, and propagates at the speed of sound. The second mechanism is caused by the flow separation and the associated vorticity shedding, and this mechanism is dominant at higher reduced velocities. The transition between the two mechanisms occurs at a reduced velocity of about (Ur ≈ 2). Mathematical models of the flow perturbation phase lag and amplitude decay viii were developed. The new models were coupled with the semi-analytical model after modifying its geometrical parameters according to the flow visualizations in the literature. The resulting stability maps show a significant improvement to the current prediction of the fluidelastic instability data in the literature. The outcomes of the present work can contribute to improve the future design guidelines for tube and shell heat exchangers to achieve extended service time with higher efficiency.


Rapid screening tests and an appreciation of the simple genetic control of Alternaria brown spot (ABS) susceptibility have existed for many years, and yet the application of this knowledge to commercial-scale breeding programs has been limited. Detached leaf assays were first demonstrated more than 40 years ago and reliable data suggesting a single gene determining susceptibility has been emerging for at least 20 years. However it is only recently that the requirement for genetic resistance in new hybrids has become a priority, following increased disease prevalence in Australian mandarin production areas previously considered too dry for the pathogen. Almost all of the high-fruit-quality parents developed so far by the Queensland-based breeding program are susceptible to ABS necessitating the screening of their progeny to avoid commercialisation of susceptible hybrids. This is done effectively and efficiently by spraying 3-6 month old hybrid seedlings with a spore suspension derived from a toxin-producing field isolate of Alternaria alternate, then incubating these seedlings in a cool room at 25°C and high humidity for 5 days. Susceptible seedlings show clear disease symptoms and are discarded. Analysis of observed and expected segregation ratios loosely support the hypothesis for a single dominant gene for susceptibility, but do not rule out the possibility of alternative genetic models. After implementing the routine screening for ABS resistance for three seasons we now have more than 20,000 hybrids growing in field progeny blocks that have been screened for resistance to the ABS disease.


The Federal Arts Projects were created by FDR in the summer of 1935. A year later, a handful of writers employed in the St. Louis office of the Missouri Writers' Project, including Jack Balch, went out on strike. "Lamps at High Noon" is the only novel about this strike and the only one to treat comprehensively any aspect of the Federal Writers' Project, whose participants included some of the country's most accomplished and promising authors. Charlie Gest, the wide-eyed and well-intentioned protagonist of the novel, confronts firsthand the project's sometimes underhanded efforts to monitor the political views of its writers. Named assistant director of the project in Monroe (a fictional St. Louis), Gest is vaguely aware that the program's good intentions do not always overshadow the abuses it tolerates, which include shielding corporate interests and avoiding hiring highly qualified black writers. Gest is hounded by a nagging suspicion that, like lamps that burn in broad daylight, the issues at stake in the work stoppage are not the ones that most need addressing. Part radical socialist commentary, part absurdist theater, Balch's novel offers a peerless critical engagement of the economic constraints and political exigencies surrounding debates over the federal funding of art since the New Deal.


How do dynamic capabilities develop in small firms? More specifically, what mechanisms account for the emergence of dynamic capabilities in SMEs? The dynamic capabilities perspective synthesises evolutionary theory, the resource based view of the firm and organisational learning to explain how firms sustain competitive advantage. However, the literature tends to focus on larger firms and assumes the existence of routines and processes, particularly those needed to assimilate new knowledge. The manner in which dynamic capabilities evolve may be different in the small firm context as routines and processes associated with seeking out and assimilating new knowledge will differ from those of large firms.
This research draws on a single case study using a critical realism perspective to study the emergence of dynamic capabilities. The case firm is a small Irish owned print firm that has evolved into an international brand and artwork management business. The study draws on interviews, company records and documents, and notes from 186 meetings between the author and the CEO over a seven year period. The case data is analysed using the framework of critical realism's ontological strata of the Empirical, the Actual and the Real to interpret the data captured and to explore the underlying mechanisms present in order to provide defensible explanations for the phenomenon observed.
Analysis of the case data suggests that dynamic capabilities developed as a consequence of (i) the focus on firm performance, (ii) capacity building (people and technology), (iii) the evolution of higher order learning, (iv) managerial purposefulness, and (v) the use of third parties. Adopting a critical realist perspective suggests that dynamic capabilities emerged as a result of the interaction of the CEO's capacity to engage in higher order learning and the CEO's knowledge and networks as they relate to the business that allow the CEO identify, assimilate and exploit new knowledge. Contributions include a description and explanation of how dynamic capabilities emerged in an SME; the application of the dynamic capabilities perspective to the small firm context; and the use of the critical realist perspective to study dynamic capabilities in the context of small firms.


Books shape how children learn about society and social norms, in part through the representation of different characters. To better understand the messages children encounter in books, we introduce new artificial intelligence methods for systematically converting images into data. We apply these image tools, along with established text analysis methods, to measure the representation of race, gender, and age in children's books commonly found in US schools and homes over the last century. We find that more characters with darker skin color appear over time, but "mainstream" award-winning books, which are twice as likely to be checked out from libraries, persistently depict more lighter-skinned characters even after conditioning on perceived race. Across all books, children are depicted with lighter skin than adults. Over time, females are increasingly present but are more represented in images than in text, suggesting greater symbolic inclusion in pictures than substantive inclusion in stories. Relative to their growing share of the US population, Black and Latinx people are underrepresented in the mainstream collection; males, particularly White males, are persistently overrepresented. Our data provide a view into the "black box" of education through children's books in US schools and homes, highlighting what has changed and what has endured.


Experimental study of the charge transport properties associated with structural variations due to a change in the ionic environment will provide essential physical information in determining the nature of DNA molecules. This work reports an experimental study of the change in electronic transport properties induced by the conformational transition of a poly d(GC)4 DNA. By gradually increasing the concentration of MgCl2 in the buffer solution from 0 M to 4 M, the conductance of the single DNA molecule decreased by two orders of magnitude. Circular dichroism (CD) measurements confirmed that a B to Z conformational transition caused the reduction in conductance. Using a stretch-hold mode scanning probe microscopy break junction (SPMBJ) technique, this B–Z transition process was monitored and a transition trend line was successfully achieved from conductance measurements alone. The transition midpoint occurred at a MgCl2 concentration of 0.93 M for this DNA sequence. This method provides a general tool to study transitions of molecular properties associated with conductance differences.


Abstract Workplace learning is increasingly central to the international lifelong learning agenda but has made limited contributions to full-time vocational education in England during the last 30 years. A more central role is envisaged within the technical education proposed by the 2016 Sainsbury Review and Post-16 Skills Plan, with access to work placements dominating discussion of policy implementation. A multicase study of workplace learning among post-16 students in England on current 'study programmes' was mapped to four of the technical routes designated by the Sainsbury Review and Skills Plan, using documentary, observation and interview data. The study drew on theorisation of the workplace as the site of situated or incidental learning, whilst noting that its opportunities are differentially allocated according to organisational or personal differences, in ways that have particular implications for young people on placements. Whilst access to more advanced learning opportunities was secured through planned, collaborative approaches, reliance on incidental learning offered more routinised experiences to students less prepared for autonomous learning. The study indicates that questions of access, knowledge and pedagogy remain to be addressed if plans for 'technical education' in England are to provide meaningful learning opportunities and support transitions to fulfilling work. Video abstract Read the transcript Watch the video on Vimeo


In his outstanding new cookbook, Gordon Ramsay teams up with Mark Sargeant to showcase the best of British cooking. Packed full of sumptuous and hearty traditional recipes, Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food is perfect for relaxed, homely and comforting cooking. Pubs were once a place where you could always guarantee good, simple, cheap food and a great Sunday roast, but when the steak houses and fast food chains arrived the good home cooking from the pub kitchens was replaced with tasteless, defrosted meals. Then came the gastropubs, which weren't much better, serving mediocre food at restaurant prices. That's why when Gordon Ramsay and Mark Sargeant set up the Gordon Ramsay pubs in London they wanted to produce the sort of simple but delicious British classics that warm the cockles of your heart and to serve them at affordable pub prices. Dishes like rich, hearty Chicken and Smoked Bacon Pie, mouth-watering Gloucestershire Sausages with Grainy Mustard Mash and Red Onion Marmalade and indulgent Treacle Tart - classics that have stood the test of time. Now Gordon has gathered his favourite British recipes into one sumptuous collection so you can invite your friends round, serve some good, English ale and cook the best in traditional pub food classics in your own home.


Coordination is essential for dynamic distributed systems whose components exhibit interactive and autonomous behaviors. Spatially distributed, locally interacting, propagating computational fields are particularly appealing for allowing components to join and leave with little or no overhead. Computational fields are a key ingredient of aggregate programming, a promising software engineering methodology particularly relevant for the Internet of Things. In our approach, space topology is represented by a fixed graph-shaped field, namely a network with attributes on both nodes and arcs, where arcs represent interaction capabilities between nodes. We propose a SMuC calculus where mu-calculus- like modal formulas represent how the values stored in neighbor nodes should be combined to update the present node. Fixpoint operations can be understood globally as recursive definitions, or locally as asynchronous converging propagation processes. We present a distributed implementation of our calculus. The translation is first done mapping SMuC programs into normal form, purely iterative programs and then into distributed programs. Some key results are presented that show convergence of fixpoint computations under fair asynchrony and under reinitialization of nodes. The first result allows nodes to proceed at different speeds, while the second one provides robustness against certain kinds of failure. We illustrate our approach with a case study based on a disaster recovery scenario, implemented in a prototype simulator that we use to evaluate the performance of a recovery strategy.


The growth of hydrogenated amorphous carbons (a-C:H) produced by continuous or pulsed discharges of acetylene (C(2)H(2)) in an unbalanced magnetron setup was investigated. At 5 × 10(-3) Torr, only smooth films are obtained, whereas at 5 × 10(-1) Torr using a pulsed discharge some microtextured films are formed if the duty cycle is low. The morphology of these microtextured films consists of nanoparticles, filamentary particles, and particular agglomerates ("microflowers"). This paper presents a study of acetylene gas phase polymerization by mass spectrometry, and a detailed analysis of bulk structure of films by combining three techniques which include IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (LDI-FTMS). Finally, based on the study of gas phase and film structure, we propose a model for the growth of both smooth and microtextured films.


There are many obstacles to the successful provision of universal primary and secondary education. The failure of State schools to provide adequate schooling is a serious hindrance to achieving the international goal of Education for All. Non-State providers of education are regarded as an alternative but the variation in the quality of education provided is a growing concern. Educational partnerships between the public and private sector have been regarded as a way out of this impasse in the United States and Western Europe and there has been considerable debate about the economic and political implications of these public-private partnerships (PPPs). Disentangling the economic and political dimensions of provision would further our understanding of these new models of educational provision. This paper sets out a typology of identifying the economic and political aspects of provision through using the Hirschmanian concepts of 'exit' and 'voice'. The idea of 'exit' draws on the mainstream economic understanding of free entry and exit, with the latter occurring when individuals are no longer satisfied with what is on offer in the market. The term 'voice' is used to denote political activity undertaken by an individual to ensure the continued provision of a good and/or the quality of the good. Conceptualising educational provision in relation to exit and voice permits the examination of how the role of the market and community affects access to and the quality of education. Educational initiatives by State and non-State providers in India are mapped onto this typology to gain an understanding of how the new models of education, such as PPPs, would affect the current provision of education.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate changes in the macular thickness and volume using optical coherence tomography in patients after phacoemulsification and intracapsular implantation of a foldable intraocular lens.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study included 82 patients (37 males and 45 females) after phacoemulsification and intracapsular implantaion of the same type of a foldable intraocular lens, without any other eye disease. Phacoemulsification was performed with an INFINITI machine. In all patients, macular thickness and volume were measured with an optical coherence tomograph (Stratus OCT) using the Fast Macular Thickness Map. The OCT evaluation was performed on days 1, 7, 30 and 90 postoperatively. In 58 patients (71%), it was additionally performed at 12 months after surgery and in 52 patients (63%) the macular parameters in the healthy and operated eyes were compared.

RESULTS
A statistically significant increase in the minimal retinal thickness was observed on days 30 (p<0.0005) and 90 (p<0.005) postoperatively compared to post-operative day 1. A statistically significant increase in the foveal volume was seen on days 30 (p<0.00005) and 90 (p<0.0005). A statistically significant increase in the volume of the entire macula was found on days 7, 30 and 90 (p<0.00005).

CONCLUSION
Uncomplicated cataract phacoemulsification is followed by increases in the central retinal thickness, foveal volume and volume of the entire macula on days 30 and 90 and at 12 months postoperatively. Further observation of patients is required to confirm whether the macular parameters will return to their values on day 1 postoperatively and if so, when this will occur.


Schizophrenia (SZ) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder entailing social and cognitive deficits, including marked problems with language. SZ incidence has always been high and quite stable in human populations, across time and regardless of cultural implications, due to unclear reasons. Also, its complex multifactorial aetiopathogenesis, including genetic and environmental factors, is widely uncertain. It has been hypothesised that SZ pathophysiology may involve the biological components that changed during the recent human evolutionary history and led to our distinctive mode of cognition, which includes language skills. In this paper we explore this possibility, focusing on the self-domestication of the human species. This has been claimed to account for many human-specific distinctive traits, including aspects of our linguistic abilities. The "domestication syndrome" in mammals comprises the constellation of traits exhibited by domesticated strains, seemingly resulting from the hypofunction of the neural crest. It is our intention to show that people with SZ exhibit more marked domesticated traits at the morphological, physiological, and behavioural levels. We also show that many SZ candidate genes are found among the genes involved in the "domestication syndrome", but also among genes implicated in language evolution. Finally, we show that selected genes important for the neural crest development exhibit altered expression profiles in the brain of SZ patients, specifically in areas involved in language processing. Based on these observations, we conclude that language dysfunction in SZ may represent an abnormal ontogenetic itinerary for the human faculty of language, resulting, at least in part, from changes in genes important for the "domestication syndrome" and, primarily involving the neural crest.


The literature documents that job satisfaction is positively correlated with worker performance and productivity. We examine whether aggregate job satisfaction in a certain labor market environment can have an impact on individual-level job satisfaction. If the answer is yes, then policies targeted to increase job satisfaction can increase productivity not only directly, but through spillover externalities too. We seek an answer to this question using two different data sets from the United Kingdom characterizing two different labor market environments: Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) at the workplace level (i.e., narrowly defined worker groups) and British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) at the local labor market level (i.e., larger worker groups defined in industry x region cells). Implementing an original empirical strategy to identify spillover effects, we find that one standard deviation increase in aggregate job satisfaction leads to a 0.42 standard deviation increase in individual-level job satisfaction at the workplace level and 0.15 standard deviation increase in individual-level job satisfaction at the local labor market level. These social interactions effects are sizable and should not be ignored in assessing the effectiveness of the policies designed to improve job satisfaction.


THE REALTIONSHIP BETWEEN DIET, BODY COMPOSITION, AND GRIP STRENGTH IN PROFESSIONAL CHEERLEADERS Moriah Bellissimo, Dan Benardot, Anita Nucci, Walter Thompson Background: Studies suggest that there is a relationship between 24-hour and within-day energy balance and body composition. In sports with value placed on weight and appearance, an increased prevalence of energy deficiency has been found, which has multiple health and performance implications. In particular, low energy availability is associated with higher body fat percent and lower muscle and bone mass, all of which negatively influence performance. This study assessed professional cheerleaders on dietary intake, within-day and 24-hour energy balance, protein consumption, body composition, and handgrip strength. Professional cheerleaders have not been previously studied on these factors. Objective: To assess dietary intake, body composition, and grip strength of professional cheerleaders on an active roster and investigate relationships between these factors. Our investigation focused on assessing if long periods of energy balance deficits are associated with reduced grip strength and higher body fat percent, and if protein consumption patterns are associated with grip strength and body composition. Methods: The study population consisted of 19 women, ages 18-32 yr. (mean = 25.4 yr.), who were interviewed to obtain a one-day recall of dietary intake and energy expenditures to determine dietary/nutrient intake and hourly energy balance using the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and a relative intensity activity scale (NutriTiming® LLC). Multi-current, 8-mode segmental bioelectric impedance analysis was used to predict body composition, and handgrip strength was assessed using a hand dynamometer. Results: Dietary inadequacies in energy (p<0.001) and carbohydrate (p<0.001) were significantly below recommended values. Subjects with the lowest body fat percent had significantly higher energy intakes (p=0.011), spent more time in an anabolic state (p=0.048), less time in a catabolic state (p=0.048), had more eating opportunities of up to 30-grams protein (p=0.015), and consumed more their protein while in a positive energy balance (p=0.025). Participants with higher body fat mass consumed less total energy (p=0.012), had more severe energy balance deficits (p= 0.032), and spent more time in a catabolic state (p=0.048). Conclusion: Adequate energy intake that results in less time in a catabolic state and more frequent consumption of moderate amounts of protein (~30 grams/meal) was associated with lower body fat percent and increased muscle mass in professional cheerleaders. It appears from these data that "dieting" behaviors resulting in large energy balance deficits with longer periods in a catabolic state appeared counterproductive, as this was associated with greater body fat percent, lower muscle mass, and lower grip strength.


Imaging is a powerful approach for studying protein expression and has the advantage over other methodologies in providing spatial information in situ at single cell level. Using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, detailed information of subcellular distribution of proteins can be obtained. While adherent cells of different tissue origin are relatively easy to prepare for imaging applications, nonadherent cells from hematopoietic origin, present a challenge due to their poor attachment to surfaces and subsequent loss of a substantial fraction of the cells. Still, these cell types represent an important part of the human proteome and express genes that are not expressed in adherent cell types. In the era of cell mapping efforts, overcoming the challenge with suspension cells for imaging applications would enable systematic profiling of hematopoietic cells. In this work, we successfully established an immunofluorescence protocol for preparation of suspension cell lines and peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMC) and human platelets. The protocol is based on a multi-well plate format with automated sample preparation, allowing for robust high throughput imaging applications. In combination with confocal microscopy, the protocol enables systematic exploration of protein localization to all major subcellular structures.


Nowadays it is not likely to find any large organization, either public or private, that does not have some sort of computerized information system for their Human Resource Management (HRM) processes. However, not all of them use it successfully and effectively. Lessons need to be extracted, both from theoretical research and case studies in order to show HR managers how to boost the added value of people by integrating an eHRM perspective in their businesses. Strohmeier's e-HRM [36] framework posits that researchers need to understand the context in which the practitioner works, along with the relationships between the actors affected, the firm's strategies and activities, and the technologies implemented before attempting to determine its consequences and ways to improve HRM performance. Taking this into account, this paper offers an analytical, qualitative view of the e-HRM context, actors, activities and technologies developed by the University of Alicante, comparing the perspectives of the employees and their supervisors, in order to identify which key issues need to be considered prior to undertaking a quantitative research on e-HRM performance. Our main contribution is to find evidence supporting that the most relevant issues to be considered are those of communication, conflict management and trust between employees and supervisors.


Abstract The shift to a market economy is a more complex story than the standard "transition" narrative implies. Shopping tourism is a socio-cultural phenomenon that illuminates the shifting relationship between the state, its citizenry, and the market. Its existence is predetermined by a weak state and incorporation into a global economy. Shopping tourism offers a link between the socialist economy of shortage and the post-socialist informal economy. It has opened a survival niche for the unemployed and constitutes a school of entrepreneurship and consumer practices. The discourses surrounding shopping tourism have reflected anxieties about incorporation, social reordering, and blatant consumerism; recreational tourism mirrors their normalization. The Bulgarian suitcase trade to Turkey also elucidates the interplay between new consumerism and old nationalism and their insertion into the debates about Bulgaria's ideological reorientation. Bulgarian Europeanness in the 1990s was constructed against two principal foils—the socialist past and the Ottoman legacy. Ironically, the stereotypical East was constructed as the stereotypical West in a way in which market and ideological categories intermingle and foreshadow a Bulgarian consumerist "Return to Europe." To elaborate these arguments, the article draws on an analysis of newspaper ads, statistical data, travel guides, internet travelogues, and interviews.


Long-term stress is a leading cause of global health loss. Despite its clear influence on productivity, and overall social and economic development, mental health continues to be neglected in work environments. To help reduce this problem, we present LightStress, a tangible affective artifact that adapts itself to the user's needs in order to improve their mental well-being. Our prototype is inspired by existing techniques and coping mechanisms collected during the two ethnographic studies we conducted (a cultural probe and an online imagery research).


Telomerase activation has very important implications for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but the regulatory mechanisms of telomerase in HNSCC remain unclear. In our present study, we found that miR-512-5P was markedly downregulated in telomerase-positive HNSCC cell lines. Both in vitro and in vivo assays revealed that miR-512-5P mimic attenuated HNSCC cell proliferation, and tumor growth in nude mice, which exerts its tumor suppressor function through elevated apoptosis, inhibition of the telomerase activity, decrease of telomere-binding proteins and shortening of telomere length by human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) downregulation. Furthermore, the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay results demonstrated that hTERT was a direct target of miR-512-5P. We conclude that the frequently miR-512-5P overexpression can regulate hTERT and function as a tumor suppressor in HNSCC. Therefore, miR-512-5P may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for miR-based HNSCC therapy.


Abstract. Evidence suggests that the early Eocene was a time of extreme global warmth. However, there are discrepancies between the results of many previous modelling studies and the proxy data at high latitudes, with models struggling to simulate the shallow temperature gradients of this time period to the same extent as the proxies indicate. Vegetation–climate feedbacks play an important role in the present day, but are often neglected in these palaeoclimate modelling studies, and this may be a contributing factor to resolving the model–data discrepancy. Here we investigate these vegetation–climate feedbacks by carrying out simulations of the early Eocene climate at 2 × and 4 × pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 with fixed vegetation (homogeneous shrubs everywhere) and dynamic vegetation. The results show that the simulations with dynamic vegetation are warmer in the global annual mean than the simulations with fixed shrubs by 0.9 °C at 2 × and 1.8 °C at 4 ×. Consequently, the warming when CO2 is doubled from 2 × to 4 × is 1 °C higher (in the global annual mean) with dynamic vegetation than with fixed shrubs. This corresponds to an increase in climate sensitivity of 26%. This difference in warming is enhanced at high latitudes, with temperatures increasing by over 50% in some regions of Antarctica. In the Arctic, ice–albedo feedbacks are responsible for the majority of this warming. On a global scale, energy balance analysis shows that the enhanced warming with dynamic vegetation is mainly associated with an increase in atmospheric water vapour but changes in clouds also contribute to the temperature increase. It is likely that changes in surface albedo due to changes in vegetation cover resulted in an initial warming which triggered these water vapour feedbacks. In conclusion, dynamic vegetation goes some way to resolving the discrepancy, but our modelled temperatures cannot reach the same warmth as the data suggest in the Arctic. This suggests that there are additional mechanisms, not included in this modelling framework, behind the polar warmth or that the proxies have been misinterpreted.


Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a complex neurogenetic disorder caused by loss of the paternal 15q11.2-q13 locus, due to deletion (DEL), maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD), or imprinting center defects. Individuals with mUPD have up to 60% risk of developing psychosis in early adulthood. Given the increasing evidence for white matter abnormalities in psychotic disorders, we investigated white matter microstructure in children and adolescents with PWS, with a particular emphasis on the DEL and mUPD subtypes. Magnetic resonance diffusion weighted images were acquired in 35 directions at 3T and analyzed using fractional anisotropy (FA), mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, RD) values obtained by tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) in 28 children and adolescents with PWS and 61 controls. In addition, we employed a recently developed white matter pothole approach, which does not require local FA differences to be spatially co-localized across subjects. After accounting for age and gender, individuals with PWS had significantly lower global FA and higher MD, compared with controls. Individuals with mUPD had lower FA in multiple regions including the corpus callosum, cingulate, and superior longitudinal fasciculus and larger potholes, compared with DEL and controls. The observed differences in individuals with mUPD are similar to the white matter abnormalities in individuals with psychotic disorders. Conversely, the subtle white matter abnormalities in individuals with DEL are consistent with their substantially lower risk of psychosis. Future studies to investigate the specific neurobiological mechanism underlying the differential psychosis risk between the DEL and mUPD subtypes of PWS are highly warranted.


This paper examines the empirical evidence regarding the poor performance of the youth labor market in Spain over the last two decades, which entails very high unemployment for both higher and lower educated workers, symptoms of over-education, and low intensity of on-the-job training. It also presents a simple matching model with two types of workers ("educated" and "non-educated") and two types of jobs ("skilled" and "unskilled"), under which educated workers may crowd-out non-educated workers from their traditional entry jobs, showing that a combination of an increase in the relative supply of higher educated worker and rigid labor market institutions harms the training and labor market prospects of lower educated workers, while it raises the proportion of higher educated workers performing low-skill jobs.


While auxiliary tasks play a key role in shaping the representations learnt by reinforcement learning agents, much is still unknown about the mechanisms through which this is achieved. This work develops our understanding of the relationship between auxiliary tasks, environment structure, and representations by analysing the dynamics of temporal difference algorithms. Through this approach, we establish a connection between the spectral decomposition of the transition operator and the representations induced by a variety of auxiliary tasks. We then leverage insights from these theoretical results to inform the selection of auxiliary tasks for deep reinforcement learning agents in sparse-reward environments.


It has previously been argued that current Soil Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) models are over-parameterised given the calibration data typically available. Using the Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology, multiple feasible model parameter sets are here conditioned on latent heat fluxes and then additionally on the sensible and ground heat fluxes at a single site in Amazonia. The model conditioning schemes were then evaluated with a further data set collected at the same site according to their ability to reproduce the latent, sensible and ground heat fluxes. The results indicate that conditioning the model on only the latent heat flux component of the energy balance does not constrain satisfactorily the predictions of the other components of the energy balance. When conditioning on all heat flux objectives, significant additional constraint of the feasible parameter space is achieved with a consequent reduction in the predictive uncertainty. There are still, however, many parameter sets that adequately reproduce the calibration/validation data, leading to significant predictive uncertainty. Surface temperature measurements, whilst also subject to uncertainty, may be employed usefully in a multi-objective calibration of SWAT models.


Significant developments and technical trends in the area of grain drying technology are reviewed. In particular, the innovations in different control strategies applied to grain driers along with the modelling and simulation techniques developed for different grain driers are reviewed. The review concentrates also on the analysis, investigation, assessment and performance evaluation of existing real-time grain drying systems in terms of energy consumption, grain quality and all the issues that aid in optimizing their operating efficiency. The increase in demand for energy as well as the persistent efforts to keep the environment as clean as possible has provided the impetus to search for alternative energy sources. Solar dryers represent a good substitution to conventional energy sources, and hence, this research area is also reviewed in this paper.


This article explores the practice of lurking, developing the figure of the lurker as a conceptual persona. The lurker is a sage of the digital era, constructing a form of "private" knowledge. Not involved but performative, constative but only in a manner of probability, the lurker produces frameworks for private truth production through continuous self-adjustment. A mode of knowing and a method of being, lurking is about the poiesis of the embedded self and the power to establish conditionality in digital networks. A lurker maps out a plane that is occupied today by big data analytics. It is data algorithms that lurk, operating with sagacious data wisdoms rather than technical knowledge and constructing partial and probabilistic propositions. The article concludes by inquiring into the consequences of the current digital technical condition in which the conceptual persona of the lurker is fulfilled by algorithms, and its mode of knowing becomes a new mode of governance.


We show that the power of supercompilation can be increased by constructing a hierarchy of supercompilers, in which a lowerlevel supercompiler is used by a higher-level one for proving improvement lemmas. The lemmas thus obtained are used to transform expressions labeling nodes in process trees, in order to avoid premature generalizations. Such kind of supercompilation, based on a combination of several metalevels, is called higher-level supercompilation (to differentiate it from higher-order supercompilation related to transforming higherorder functions). Higher-level supercompilation may be considered as an application of a more general principle of metasystem transition.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the 3-year mechanical complication rates of the most distally positioned implant-supported single crowns (ISSCs) in the posterior region, and how these complication rates are affected by several clinical factors (i.e., gender, mean age, horizontal distance [HD], position in the jaw, placement location, duration of functional loading, clinical crown-to-implant length ratio [C/I ratio], and crown height space of the implant).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The mechanical complications (i.e., abutment screw loosening [ASL], abutment screw fracture [ASF], and ceramic fracture [CF]) associated with the implants were identified by examining the patients' treatment records, clinical photographs, and intraoral periapical radiographs. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square and Student's t-test to identify the relationship between various clinical factors and the mechanical complication rates. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was conducted to determine the optimal cut-off value for the HD between the most distally positioned ISSCs and the mesially adjacent natural tooth beyond which complications occur.

RESULTS
The study inclusion criteria were met by 183 patients who had undergone implant surgery in the period 2004 to 2011, involving a total of 221 implant treatments. Mechanical complications were present in 40 (18.1%) of the 221 investigated ISSCs. ASL was the most common complication (n = 28, 12.7%), followed in order by CF (n = 9, 4.1%) and ASF (n = 3, 1.4%). Repeated ASL and CF occurred in four (1.8%) and two (0.9%) implants, respectively. The mechanical complication rates differed significantly between implants with different HDs (p = 0.009) and clinical C/I ratios (p = 0.019); however, there was no significant association between the other clinical factors and the mechanical complication rates.

CONCLUSION
Within the limitations of this study, it appears that the incidence of mechanical complications is higher for the most distally positioned ISSCs in the posterior region than for those positioned at other sites. Furthermore, since the rate of mechanical complications increases with increasing HD, an HD of 3.7 mm or less is recommended.


Trust has been a central construct in studies of inter-firm relationships. Many operational, organizational, social, and cultural factors have been identified to have significant impact on inter-firm trust. In this study, we investigate the role of information technology in generating inter-firm trust and the consequences of this trust in the context of supply networks. Using structural equation modeling techniques, our data show that the level of information systems integration among the partner firms in a supply network significantly impacts the trust among the firms which, together with the integrated information systems, explains more than half of the variances in information sharing and business process coupling in the network. Given the substantial evidence in the literature on the impact of information sharing and process coupling on supply chain performance, we conclude that information systems integration among the partners is critical to supply network performance. We also confirm that information systems flexibility and use of standards in information systems significantly contribute to the level of systems integration among the partners in supply networks as suggested in prior studies. Our findings extend the current literature on inter-firm trust by considering the role of information technology in addition to other important factors already identified.