With the technological development of e-commerce and the increasing necessity to use online transactions, more and more online electronic payments systems have appeared to meet global demand. Furthermore, user acceptance of these kinds of systems is different for individuals in different cultures, and culture could be a factor that has great potential impact on predictions of user acceptance. The world has evolved to a degree where transactions occur between different cultural environments. This study aims to provide an understanding of how culture affects users' intentions of electronic payment systems. Based on the purpose of this study, a questionnaire has been conducted in the interest of collecting data for statistical purposes. To make more sense about the results, a case study on PayEx (an electronic payment system) in Linnaeus University has been conducted through analysing twenty users' interview records. Finally, this study expands on user acceptance research through looking at the role of culture and social influence. In practice, the results of this study give the thought for accurate forecasting of user acceptance towards electronic payment systems with considering cultural influence.


Emitted mainly by the oceans, iodine is a halo- gen compound important for atmospheric chemistry due to its high ozone depletion potential and effect on the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. Here we present a comprehen- sive data set of iodine oxide (IO) measurements in the open marine boundary layer (MBL) made during the Malaspina 2010 circumnavigation. Results show IO mixing ratios rang- ing from 0.4 to 1 pmol mol 1 (30 % uncertainty) and, com- plemented with additional field campaigns, this data set con- firms through observations the ubiquitous presence of reac- tive iodine chemistry in the global marine environment. We use a global model with organic (CH3I, CH2ICl, CH2I2 and CH2IBr) and inorganic (HOI and I2) iodine ocean emissions to investigate the contribution of the different iodine source gases to the budget of IO in the global MBL. In agreement with previous estimates, our results indicate that, globally av- eraged, the abiotic precursors contribute about 75 % to the IO budget. However, this work reveals a strong geographical pattern in the contribution of organic vs. inorganic precursors to reactive iodine in the global MBL.


ABSTRACT This paper aims at determining the technology integration level of vocational K-12 teachers and effects of gender and age on teachers' technology integration level. Quantitative descriptive research method was used. Data were collected through Levels of the Technology Implementation (LoTI) questionnaire, which assesses three dimensions: Level of Technology Implementation (LoTI), Personal Computer Use (PCU) and Current Instructional Practices (CIP). Participants of the study were 232 vocational K-12 teachers. This study revealed that participant teachers had higher LoTI, PCU and CIP Levels. This study also showed that there was a significant difference between gender in LoTI and PCU scores. Male teachers' LoTI and PCU scores were higher than female ones. And also, a significant difference was found between age and teachers PCU scores. Younger teachers had higher PCU scores than their older counterparts. Some suggestions and recommendations were given in the light of the research findings. Keywords : Technology integration; Assessment; VET schools; LoTI; Turkey. INTRODUCTION The society in which we live is constantly changing. As we move through the Information Age, technological advances are changing the way that many organizations operate. Education is not immune to these changes (Griffin 2003). Schools cannot truly prepare students to function within society if the curriculum fails to cover the equipment and skills they will actually use in the real world. Schools cannot hope to improve either the academic achievement of their students or the overall value of their programs without sufficiently integrating technology (Donahoo & Whitney 2006). Students must be able to use technology if they are going to live and work successfully in an increasingly complex and information-driven society (Miller 2007). Students must be technology literate in order to excel in future jobs and to be productive citizens (Griffin 2003). Computers and the Internet, creates new opportunities for teaching and learning. As Hew & Brush (2007) stated, computers and Internet technologies can help students improve their scores on standardized tests (Bain & Ross 1999), improve their inventive thinking (CEO Forum on Education and Technology 2001), and improve students' self-concept and motivation (Sivin-Kachala & Bialo 2000). Valdez (2004) found, with an extensive literature review, technology can impact student achievement significantly. Studies indicate that technology can accelerate, enrich, and deepen basic skills; motivate and engage student learning; helps relate academics to the practices of today's' workforce; strengthens teaching; increase the economic viability of tomorrows' workers; contributes to school change; and connects schools to the real world (Schacter 1999). An effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools can have an immediate positive impact on the schools' learning environments such as, by creating more dynamic interaction between students and teachers, increasing collaboration and team work in problem-solving activities, stimulating creativity in both students and teachers, and helping students to control and monitor their own learning. Furthermore, successful use of ICT in schools can help students to develop skills; both specific to ICT and more generally, that will be useful for them in their future academic and professional lives (OECD 2005). Such students will have the advantage of being familiar with different media common to the modern workplace, and should be able to use these ICT skills to access, compile, synthesize and exchange information effectively. Technology Integration Technology in itself does not support learning. It can play out its full potential only when it is well integrated into learning environment (Otto & Albion 2004; Voogt & Knezek 2008). The availability of ICT is not, in itself, sufficient to enhance learning and teaching and in turn, increase attainment. …


Background Participation and performance trends regarding the nationality of ultraendurance athletes have been investigated in the triathlon, but not in running. The present study aimed to identify the countries in which multistage ultramarathons were held around the world and the nationalities of successful finishers. Methods Finisher rates and performance trends of finishers in multistage ultramarathons held worldwide between 1992 and 2010 were investigated. Results Between 1992 and 2010, the bulk of multistage ultramarathons were held in Germany and France, with more than 30 races organized in each country. Completion rates for men and women increased exponentially, with women representing on average 16.4% of the total field. Since 1992, 6480 athletes have competed in Morocco, 2538 in Germany, and 1842 in France. A total of 81.9% of athletes originated from Europe, and more specifically from France (22.9%), Great Britain (18.0%), and Germany (13.4%). Conclusion European ultramarathoners dominated the athletes who completed multistage ultramarathons worldwide, with specific dominance of French, British, and German athletes. Future studies should investigate social aspects, such as sport tourism, among European athletes to understand why European athletes are so interested in participating in multistage ultramarathons.


This paper has two primary purposes. First, we fit the annual maximum daily rainfall data for 6 rainfall stations, both with stationary and non-stationary generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions for the periods 1911-2010 and 1960-2010 in Taiwan, and detect the changes between the two phases for extreme rainfall. The non-stationary model means that the location parameter in the GEV distribution is a linear function of time to detect temporal trends in maximum rainfall. Second, we compute the future behavior of stationary models for the return levels of 10, 20, 50 and 100-years based on the period 1960-2010. In addition, the 95% confidence intervals of the return levels are provided. This is the first investigation to use generalized extreme value distributions to model extreme rainfall in Taiwan.


The present study investigated approaches and techniques to enhance strategic management governance and decision making within the framework of a performance-based balanced scorecard. The review of best practices from strategic, program, process, and systems engineering management provided for a holistic approach toward effective outcome-based capability management. One technique, based on factorial experimental design methods, was used to develop an empirical model. This model predicted the degree of capability effectiveness and is dependent on controlled system input variables and their weightings. These variables represent business performance measures, captured within a strategic balanced scorecard. The weighting of these measures enhances the ability to quantify causal relationships within balanced scorecard strategy maps. The focus in this study was on the performance of tangible assets within the scorecard rather than the traditional approach of assessing performance of intangible assets such as knowledge and technology. Tangible assets are represented in this study as physical systems, which may be thought of as being aboard a ship or within a production facility. The measures assigned to these systems include project funding for upgrades against demand, system certifications achieved against those required, preventive maintenance to corrective maintenance ratios, and material support personnel capacity against that required for supporting respective systems. The resultant scorecard is viewed as complimentary to the traditional balanced scorecard for program and performance management. The benefits from these scorecards are realized through the quantified state of operational capabilities or outcomes. These capabilities are also weighted in terms of priority for each distinct system measure and aggregated and visualized in terms of overall state of capabilities achieved. This study proposes the use of interactive controls within the scorecard as a technique to enhance development of alternative solutions in decision making. These interactive controls include those for assigning capability priorities and for adjusting system performance measures, thus providing for what-if scenarios and options in strategic decision-making. In this holistic approach to capability management, several cross functional processes were highlighted as relevant amongst the different management disciplines. In terms of assessing an organization's ability to adopt this approach, consideration was given to the P3M3 management maturity model. Keywords—Outcome based management, performance management, lifecycle costs, balanced scorecard. R. K. Jonkers is a practitioner in industry with Merlantec Management and Engineering, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B0N 1Y0, Canada (phone: 902-751-1623, e-mail: email@example.com).


A concept of the welfare state is based on the principles of equitable distribution of wealth and equality of opportunity. The state is responsible for the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. Progressive taxation reduces the income gap between the rich and poor. However, the efforts to put principles of the welfare state into practice produced still unsatisfactory results. It was closely connected with violating the subsidiary principle and eroding the work ethics. That is just why the welfare state failed from the ethical and economic point of view.


The field system of the Wadi Faynan in southern Jordan were fed by an ancient combination irrigation system that incorporated runoff farming and diversion irrigation techniques. The hydraulic characteristics of this system were most probably designed to take advantage of the confluence of three tributary streams. A theoretical model of discharge produced by runoff is based on contemporary ground conditions and historic climate reconstructions. The design principles of the main hydraulic features are examined and velocity and discharge measurements in principal conveyance irrigation channels are reconstructed. The design of this hydraulic system took into account the environmental constraints and opportunities of the area and maximized different sources of water in the catchment using various techniques of water collection.


The Eger (Ohře) River terraces originated in varied morphotectonic and climate-morphogenetic conditions that existed during the late Cenozoic evolution of the western part of the Bohemian Massif. In the area between the Smrčiny Mountains and the Sokolovská pánev Basin, these levels of the Eger River terrace system were identified (Table 1): the Pliocene terrace niveau B, the Cheb terrace (I), the Hradiště terrace (II), the Chvoječná terrace (III), Jindřichov terrace (IV), Nebanice terrace (V), Chocovice terrace (VI), Chotíkov Terrace (VII) and the recent flood plain (N). It was determined to be a morphostratigraphical system of 7 river terraces of Quaternary age. Older levels of fluvial sediments, occupying a still higher morphological position in the area between the Smrčiny Mountains and the Sokolovská pánev Basin, have been classified to the Pliocene. A comparison of terrace flights in the longitudinal profile of the Eger River between the Smrčiny Mountains and the Doupovské hory Mountains indicated that the Cheb terrace (I) in the Smrčiny Mountains is tectonically uplifted around 10 m in comparison with its level in the Chebská pánev Basin. In the Chlumský práh Horst area, the oldest Pleistocene terraces, which originated during the Tiglian stage, were uplifted by approximately 15 m. The Chebská pánev Basin originated at the intersection of the Eger rift and the Cheb-Domažlice fault zone and its river network is incised ca 40 m into the planation surfaces of the sedimentary basin. Both volcanic processes and frequent seismic activity in the region are associated with the Late Cenozoic tectonic movements. According to the current stratigraphical scheme of the Quaternary, the Eger terrace system was formed mostly by the Pleistocene (Table 2) during the Tiglian to the Weichselian stages.


Increased waste generation and poor waste disposal strategies are a global problem. In South Africa most provinces, and the larger municipalities and metros, seems to have the waste disposal and the landfills reasonably organized. This cannot be said of the landfills in the Free State Province, which could only be called dump sites. In the Free State Province a high unemployment level exists and a lack of finances is experienced by many members of the communities, especially in rural areas. Poverty levels is shown in a study by Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA SA), where it was recorded that 1.8 million (68%) of the people in the Free State Province are living in poverty and living on less than R15 per day. Data on the state of the landfill, types of waste generated which have potential to be recycled, were recorded to assess if recycling could be increased to relieve the economic burden of the poor communities. Attention was paid to the following aspects: assessing the current status of each landfill and identifying the types of waste generated in the area which ended up at the landfills. The extent of recycling and the waste handling and disposal of the waste were recorded. Non-compliance with the prescribed legislative guidelines were noted and aspects such as the state of the landfills, proper enclosure, burning of waste, recycling and products being recycled were identified and recorded. The waste disposal practices at most landfills were poor and very limited recycling was taking place. None of the landfills in the province complied with the minimum requirements for landfilling. Recommendations to improve waste disposal and identification of products with recycling potential were made. Alternative waste strategies which could be economically beneficial for the communities were recommended.


Background and Purpose Squalene epoxidase (SQLE) is a key enzyme
involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, but increasing evidence reveals
that SQLE is abnormally expressed in some types of malignant tumors, and
the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Experimental
Approach Bioinformatics analysis and RNA sequencing were applied to
detect to differentially expressed genes in clinical HCC tumors.
AnnexinV-FITC/PI, EdU assay, transwell, IHC staining, cytoskeleton
F-actin filaments assay, RNA sequencing, dual-luciferase reporters and
HE staining were evaluated to investigate the pharmacological effects
and possible mechanisms of SQLE. Key Results We found that SQLE
expression is specifically elevated in HCC tumors, correlating with poor
clinical outcomes. SQLE promoted HCC growth, EMT, and metastasis both in
vitro and in vivo. In contrast, silencing of SQLE expression prevented
HCC development. Both RNA-seq and functional experiments revealed that
the protumorigenic effect of SQLE on HCC is closely related to the
activation of cellular TGF-β/SMAD signaling, but interestingly, the
stimulatory effect of SQLE on TGF-β/SMAD signaling and HCC development
is also critically dependent on STRAP, a serine and threonine kinase.
SQLE expression is well correlated with STRAP in HCC, and further, to
amplify TGF-β/SMAD signaling, SQLE even transcriptionally increased
STRAP gene expression mediated by the trans-acting factor AP-2α.
Finally, as a chemical inhibitor of SQLE, NB-598 markedly inhibited HCC
cell growth and tumor development in mouse models. Conclusions and
Implications Taken together, SQLE serves as an oncogene in HCC
development by activating TGF-β/SMAD signaling, and targeting SQLE could
be useful in drug development and therapy for HCC.


To effectively utilize sterile hybrids of leucaena, efficient protocols for vegetative propagation are needed that meet different user requirements and capabilities. We developed and compared methods for propagating several sterile hybrids of leucaena and compared them with each other and with propagation via seeds for variety K636. Methods included airlayers, rooted cuttings, grafting and tissue culture (micropropagation). All methods required 14‒20 weeks from generation of new shoots on the stock plant to production of rooted plantlets ready to outplant as compared with 6‒8 weeks for seedlings of K636. Successful rooting was highest for air-layers and rooted cuttings. Grafting had lower success owing to a higher skill requirement for the propagator. Tissue culture showed promise, but use of field-grown material was limited by microbial contamination of propagation media. Rooted cuttings are the best option presently for operational-scale propagation, but the method requires a mist system or a carefully controlled non-mist environment. If an effective method can be developed, grafting of young shoots onto a seedling rootstock is an alternative that retains the advantages of a seedling tap root and requires fewer resources than rooted cuttings or tissue culture. In the case of grafting consequences of eventual resprouting of the rootstock deserve attention.


A primary means of bureaucratic oversight is consumer complaints. Yet this important control mechanism has received very little attention in the literature on corruption. I study a signaling game of corruption in which uninformed consumers require a government service from informed officials. A victim of corruption can report corrupt officials whose supervisors are negligent or conscientious but an official's type is his private information. I find that social welfare may be nonmonotonic in the proportion of conscientious supervisors. Several examples show that an increase in the proportion of conscientious supervisors decreases social welfare if the mass of conscientious supervisors is below a critical level. I find that this perverse result does not hold if (a) the bribe is very large, or (b) bribe-giving is legalized. I also find that there is an equilibrium in which no one reports corruption.


Suicide is a dominating, although hidden, safety problem on Swedish railroads. The aim of my first paper (Radbo et al, 2005) is to describe the epidemiology of fatal train-person collisions as a basis for systems-oriented prevention. Data on collision circumstances were collected from narrative reports at the Swedish National Rail Administration. Results shows how the events were evenly distributed by months and weekdays, however most suicides occur in day-time while unintentional events usually occur at night. Most train-person collisions happened in densely populated areas, and 75 % of the suicide victims were waiting on or close to the track before the collision. Significance test between types of injury event (suicide, accident or unknown intent) showed small or no differences, and one conclusion is that traditional approaches to accident prevention by systems modification seem largely applicable to combat railroad suicide as well. Our findings show promising preventive potentials. The aim of my second paper (Radbo et al, 2007) is to theoretically derive and categorise a set of railway suicide prevention strategies with special regard to measures under the potential control of the railway system-owners. The methodological approach departs from synthesizing generic accident and suicide prevention models. Secondly, potential barriers are identified by means of fault tree analysis (FTA), and thirdly results from this analysis are validated against Haddons ten energy-based injury prevention strategies.Our results include 20 separate preventive strategies, of which most are in reach of railway system-owners themselves. Four of them aim to reduce perceived attractiveness and availability, nine aim to influence accessibility to track areas and the potential of collision, five strategies aim to mitigate consequences of collision, and three encompass medical survival and recovery strategies.To evaluate the barriers practical feasibility, etc., is beyond the aim of this study. However, technological development and innovations may turn less realistic alternatives today into more realistic possibilities tomorrow, as has been proven in other fields.Further researchAt the ERA seminar I also will tell you about further research and my two not yet publicized studies that includes in my theses. The aim of my third paper Suicide and potentials for suicide prevention on the Swedish Rail Network; a qualitative multiple case study is to evaluate the content of existing reports on railway suicide incidents from a preventive perspective and to identify and categorise additional preventive-oriented information from independent site investigations. The overall goal of my fourth study Feasibility of railway suicide prevention strategies; a focus group study is to explore preferences for preventative strategies against railway suicide among relevant professional groups. More specifically, this study aims are to analyze the acceptance and understanding of theoretically and empirically derived preventative strategies among selected professional groups, and to validate and further develop these strategies.


ABSTRACT Stratigraphic disruption of piston cores, known as flow-in, often occurs in basal portions of cores, but also can form within a core between undisturbed sediment layers, or at the top of cores. Flow-in is caused by piston movement upwards, either abruptly during corer penetration or slowly during corer pull-out from the sea floor. Sedimentary structures indicative of flow in are usually noticeable by vertical streaking of sediments in contrast to horizontal layers that result from natural depositional processes. If, however, piston movement is brief or the cored sediment has no obvious layering, smeared and disrupted sections may not be apparent, resulting in unnaturally thick sediment layers in the middle or top of the core. Such stretched stratigraphic sections could be difficult to detect, and, consequently, could lead to misinterpretation of stratigraphic data.


Geologic carbon storage (GCS) is a crucial part of a proposed mitigation strategy to reduce the anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. During this process, CO2 is injected as super critical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) in confined deep subsurface storage units, such as saline aquifers and depleted oil reservoirs. The deposition of vast amounts of CO2 in subsurface geologic formations may ultimately lead to CO2 leakage into overlying freshwater aquifers. Introduction of CO2 into these subsurface environments will greatly increase the CO2 concentration and will create CO2 concentration gradients that drive changes in the microbial communities present. While it is expected that altered microbial communities will impact the biogeochemistry of the subsurface, there is no information available on how CO2 gradients will impact these communities. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to understand how CO2 exposure will impact subsurface microbial communities at temperature and pressure that are relevant to GCS and CO2 leakage scenarios. To meet this goal, unfiltered, aqueous samples from a deep saline aquifer, a depleted oil reservoir, and a fresh water aquifer were exposed to varied concentrations of CO2 at reservoir pressure and temperature. The microbial ecology of the samples was examined using molecular, DNA-based techniques. The results from these studies were also compared across the sites to determine any existing trends. Results reveal that increasing CO2 leads to decreased DNA concentrations regardless of the site, suggesting that microbial processes will be significantly hindered or absent nearest the CO2 injection/leakage plume where CO2 concentrations are highest. At CO2 exposures expected downgradient from the CO2 plume, selected microorganisms emerged as dominant in the CO2


In this paper it is argued that the concept of integrity in a person, or an activity, or an institution, is intimately connected with notions of wholeness and completeness, and that the creation of integrity consists in developing an awareness of the possibility of greater wholeness and completeness, and in creating environments in which they may occur. In a manner analogous to ethical integrity, integrity in inquiry, knowledge learning and teaching is seen as arising from a preparedness to submit oneself to a larger intellectual whole, in which one might say that individual preference is secondary to a "transcending state of affairs". Some suggestions are made to help towards progressing the ideals of integrity in teaching and learning, with some discussion in relation to specific disciplines.


By use of a trans-cis photoisomerization process occurring in an azo-benzene side chain, various twisted nematic liquid-crystal (LC) gratings are fabricated in LC cells. Two counterpropagating orthogonally polarized beams produce a polarization modulation, which inscribes the replica polarization modulation inside LC cells holographically, providing twisted nematic LC gratings. Microstructure, diffraction properties, and electro-optic tunability of diffraction efficiency are examined experimentally. From the Fourier transformation of the Jones matrix of twisted nematic LC gratings, Stokes parameters of the zeroth and first diffraction orders are calculated and compared with the optical measurements, resulting in a good agreement.


Breeding beef cattle is one of the agriculture sector which is very important in Indonesia. In fact the household consumption of beef can't be fulfilled by the production in the country. The attention to the human resources which are cattle ranchers have a vital role in the form of increasing knowledges and skills to advance the production of beef cattle. Television is one of a mass media that has potential to increase farmers' knowledges like cultivation knowledge and marketing knowledge in Ngantru Village, Bojonegoro District, East Java Province. The purpose of this research are 1) to analyze the characteristics, motives and patterns of breeder cattle in watching television, 2) to analyze the relation between the motifs and patterns of breeder cattle watching television with the information needs of breeding beef cattle, 3) to analyze the relation between farmers beef cattle in watching the television with the fulfillment of information needs of beef cattle breeding, and 4) to analyze the relation between the information needs of farmers skills in beef breeding. This study was designed as a survey research, with a quantitative approach supported by qualitative data with the number of respondents which are 50 people selected randomly. Analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistical with Chi-Square analysis test and Spearman Rank test. The results of this research is there is a real connection between the level's of ownership of livestock with a duration of watching television. The entertainment motif has related with beef cattle farmers' pattern in watching television, like the frequency and duration. The frequency of beef cattle farmers in watching television also related with  entertainment needs. Keywords: cattle breeding, information needs, motif, scheme, television


Because our seasonal members are usually a bit "different" from the average people on our lines, it is sometimes tempting to consider them a necessary evil, feel that they may not be worth all the special attention they demand and show a sigh of relief when they have exited our offices. And so it is with any member subgroup, whether they be residents of the upper crust subdivision on the outskirts of town, irrigators, a mobile home park or anybody else whose needs and priorities make them a more difficult load to serve. In this article, Al Klose reports on the results of a research study undertaken by Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative in which they learned a great deal about their seasonal members. Their goal was to identify who the seasonals are demographically, learn some of their present energy use patterns and then determine what else the cooperative might be able to offer them. It's a project well worth emulating, and we appreciate Polk-Burnett's willingness to share their results with us. Many markets have sales that fall into regular seasonal patterns. Hardware stores have traditionally seen spring as the best opportunity for the sale of lawn and garden supplies.[1] Grocery stores find regular seasonal patterns for the sale of products such as soup, ice cream, and soft drinks.[2] Research has shown that "the average expenditure for jewelry and watches in the fourth quarter is double that in any other quarter, and television, radio and sound equipment purchases are a third higher."[3] From industry to industry, managers are faced with seasonal products and seasonal customers. The sale of electricity is no exception. Researchers have demonstrated time and time again the seasonal variations in the demand and sale of electricity.[4,5,6] The main thrust of this seasonal demand research focuses on climate, appliance stock, and the prices of alternative fuels. These macro seasonal demand models demonstrate how temperature, appliance penetration levels and alternative fuel prices affect the demand for electricity. SEASONAL CUSTOMERS OR MEMBERS Another important factor in the seasonal demand for electricity, which is often overlooked, is the residential seasonal customer. A residential seasonal customer is, for the purpose of this paper, defined as someone who has a home which is occupied for less than six months each year. Examples of seasonal homes are cabins, lake homes, winter homes, and summer homes. In some regions of the U.S. the seasonal member makes up a large percentage of the electrical load for our systems. The number of "individuals staying in housing units occupied entirely by persons with a usual home elsewhere, as of April of 1980, was 500,000."[7] However, the profile of the seasonal member does not remain homogeneous among regions. The seasonal member in many of the southern states is made up of "snowbirds"--individuals who travel to the south to avoid the winter cold. In the lake regions and coastal areas the seasonal members are those who have lake homes and beach houses; in the mountain regions, they are people who own cabins. Across the country seasonal members make up a very diverse group and occupy many different types of residences. CASE STUDY To obtain the profile of the seasonal member for a specific region, Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative in Centuria, Wisconsin commissioned AHP Systems Market and Opinion Research to conduct a research study. The seasonal member is of primary importance to Polk-Burnett because of the large number of lake homes located in their service territory. Seasonal homes account for nearly 50% of Polk-Burnett's total customer base. The Polk-Burnett study was designed to gather demographic information on seasonal members, collect end-use data, and determine whether the seasonal members had any unique needs that could be met by the cooperative. The study was completed in the spring of 1990 and had a sample size of 300. …


We study the application of photon-subtracted two-mode squeezed vacuum states (TMSVS), where identical photon numbers are subtracted from each beam, to the problem of quantum optical interferometry with the photon-number parity measurements scheme. Previously, Anisimov et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett.104, 103602 (2010)] have studied the prospect of using the TMSVS for parity measurements based interferometry. However, the joint photon number distribution of this state before beam splitting is thermal-like in each mode, meaning that its statistics are super-Poissonian and that the most probable state of the field is the double vacuum and that the average photon number is low. Furthermore, with these states the sensitivity of the phase-shift measurement is extremely sensitive to the size of the phase shift to be measured for large average photon numbers. The simultaneous subtraction of 1, 2, or 3 photons from each mode has the effects of increasing the average photon numbers of each mode and rendering the statistics nearly Poissonian and in some cases sub-Poissonian. We show that phase uncertainties for such states are less sensitive to the phase shift itself at large average photon numbers. We also show that the photon-subtracted TMSVS also lead to increased resolution.


In May 1998, an expedition into northern Myanmar obtained detailed descriptive data on a new species of muntjac called the leaf deer, first discovered on a survey the previous year and characterized primarily by its diagnostic DNA compared to other muntjac species. Weights, measurements, and physical data were obtained from 12 freshly killed leaf deer, along with partial measurements from 90 head pieces of leaf deer found in village huts. Except for the diminutive, unbranched antlers on males, averaging 3.2 cm long, older male and female leaf deer were similar in size and appearance, with average weights of 12.1 kg and 11.8 kg for males and females, respectively. When compared with other species, leaf deer are one of the smallest, and perhaps one of the most primitive, extant muntjacs. Two of the most distinguishing characteristics of this new species are the relatively long, equal-sized canines in both older adult males (average 2.4 cm long) and older adult females (average 2.2 cm long), and the lack of spotting on the coats of a newborn and two juveniles estimated to be < 2 months old. All older males (n = 3) and 40% of older females (n = 5) had healed wounds on one or both ears. These wounds, in addition to the large canines in both sexes, may indicate that females as well as males compete actively for resources. Although still relatively abundant throughout mid-elevation dense evergreen forests, between the northern extremities of the Mai Kha and Mali Kha Rivers in north Myanmar, the currently known distribution of the leaf deer is outside any protected areas. Persistent hunting by local people with snares, dogs, and crossbows for a thriving market trade in deer leather, have caused noticeable decreases in numbers of leaf deer captured over recent years and could threaten the future survival of this new species.


Recent researches have shown the theoretical possibility of accomplishing hypercomputation in human brain by using eventual superluminal evanescent photons generated inside brain's microtubules, using these as quantum waveguides or resonant cavities. Nevertheless, no convincing physical mechanisms has been proposed so far, able to explain the generation of such eventual superluminal photons inside microtubules and the possibility to eventually use them to manipulate quantum bits in brain. In this paper we propose a novel theoretical model according to which a confined field of faster than light photons field of suitable wavelength can arises from a spontaneous phase transition of the QED quantum vacuum occurring in the water contained inside the microtubules inner volume. It has been shown that, in the water trapped inside microtubules, there exist the conditions for the formation of a macroscopic coherent quantum state in which water molecules oscillate in phase with an e,m, field associated to a suitable electronic transition. We have also discussed some interesting consequences of these results on the possibility of hypercomputing in human brain. Keywords—Coherence, Decoherence, Evanescent Photons, Hypercomputing, Microtubules, Phase Transition, Quantum Vacuum, Superluminal Photons, Superradiance, Water.


The introduction of the active blocking system, better known as ABS, into cars revealed the growing need for inertial sensing. Among other data, that permit to apprehend the movements of a vehicle, the measurement of the vehicle angular velocity describes the change rate of the vehicle attitude. This measurement has been called by Foucault in 1852 gyroscopic sensing (from the Greek words σκοπeιν = observe and γυρος = rotation). The currently available gyroscopes are either very high precision instruments (hence very costly), used in planes, or cheaper products but with a lack of sensitivity to be used in vehicle navigation. Therefore, a real need for gyroscopes combining low cost and precision exists. This thesis proposes to develop a gyroscope based on miniaturized active magnetic bearings (AMB). The advantage of such a device is that the spun mass will be levitated what frees it from any mechanical link to the base of the instrument what render precise classical mechanical gyroscopes so expensive. This thesis presents two prototypes of AMB based gyroscopes. The first one relies on the ball orbit sensing method which is a new theory proposed in this work. Because of the uncertainties due to the nonlinearities inherent to active magnetic bearings, the position of the levitated mass is adaptively controlled. Measurements performed on the prototype have demonstrated the feasibility of this solution with a ball following either a circular or a vertical orbit. The second designed prototype relies on the Newton's second law of motion. Due to the AMB inherent uncertainties and to the force coupling present in the proposed prototype, it has been chosen to drive the levitated mass with a H∞ controller. Simulations are run to compare three different H∞ controllers with the quality of the angular velocity measurement as criterion. Finally, a feed forward H∞ controller showed the best performances in terms of angular velocity measurements during simulations run on the prototype developed during this thesis.


Nearly a decade after launching an effort to build national capacity to clear landmines from its territory, the Colombian government still faces significant challenges in addressing the country's mine problem, which has claimed more than 11,000 victims since 1991.1 Although the overall number of new landmine victims significantly decreased over the past eight years, survey and clearance work has been limited to more secure zones of the countryside because of the threat from nonstate armed groups to deminers and people living in conflict areas. Meanwhile, the risk to civilians living in parts of the country where demining activities have not taken place has not changed significantly, and Colombia remains among the countries with the highest number of mine casualties each year.


How do communities grapple with the challenges of reconstruction after conflicts? In one of the first in-depth ethnographic accounts of refugee repatriation anywhere in the world, Laura C. Hammond follows the story of Ada Bai, a returnee settlement with a population of some 7,500 people. In the days when refugees first arrived, Ada Bai was an empty field along Ethiopia's northwest border, but it is now a viable-arguably thriving-community. For the former refugees who fled from northern Ethiopia to eastern Sudan to escape war and famine in 1984 and returned to their country of birth in 1993, "coming home" really meant creating a new home out of an empty space. Settling in a new area, establishing social and kin ties, and inventing social practices, returnees gradually invested their environment with meaning and began to consider their settlement home. Hammond outlines the roles that gender and generational differences played in this process and how the residents came to define the symbolic and geographical boundaries of Ada Bai. Drawing on her fieldwork from 1993 to 1995 and regular shorter periods since, Hammond describes the process by which a place is made meaningful through everyday practice and social interaction. This Place Will Become Home provides insight into how people cope with extreme economic hardship, food insecurity, and limited access to international humanitarian or development assistance in their struggle to attain economic self-sufficiency.


Dental Press J Orthod. 2017 July-Aug;22(4):28-33 28 How to cite this section: Lee KJ. An interview with Kee-Joon Lee. Dental Press J Orthod. 2017 July-Aug;22(4):28-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-6709.22.4.028-033.int Submitted: May 05, 2017 Revised and accepted: May 18, 2017 It is a great honor to introduce and conduct the interview with Professor Kee-Joon Lee. I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Kee-Joon in Seoul, in 2015, when we agreed to cooperate in the development of research projects involving the Department of Orthodontics of Yonsei University (Seoul/South Korea) and the Department of Orthodontics of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro/Brazil). Dr. Lee has world-renowned expertise in biomechanics and miniscrews, which has been published in his numerous articles in the most prestigious scientific journals as well as seen on invitations to lecture in countries worldwide. Dr. Kee-Joon Lee is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthodontics of Yonsei University College of Dentistry. He completed the orthodontics specialty training in Yonsei University. He was a visiting scholar at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2002-2004 and at the Division of Plastic Surgery, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 2010-2011. He was an adjunct professor at the Department of Orthodontics, Temple University, and at the University of Pennsylvania (2010-2011). He has contributed many book chapters on biomechanics of miniscrew-driven orthodontics, non-extraction treatment in adults, up-to-date lingual orthodontic mechanics and surgery-first approached using TADs. He is the first who demonstrated the miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expander (MARPE) for adults in AJO-DO, which was cited by many other authors. He has published many articles and case reports regarding the treatment of non-eruption, and total arch movement for hyperdivergent face in orthodontic journals including two cover issues in AJO-DO. His research fields include clinical biomechanics regarding TADs application and the suture and bone responses to orthodontic stimulus. He has served as a reviewer in major orthodontic journals, including AJO-DO, Angle Orthodontists and European Journal of Orthodontics. He has been invited to many international orthodontic conferences around the world. We were honored to receive Professor Kee-Joon Lee last year, in October, for the Meeting of Alumni Association of Graduate Course in Orthodontics of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. It was one more of his outstanding conferences in biomechanics with miniscrews.


During May 2002 we carried out studies with tropical phytoplankton assemblages from coastal waters off SE China to assess the combined effects of solar UV radiation (UVR, 280 to 400 nm) and mixing rates. Water samples were taken daily and incubated using in situ and simulated in situ conditions under 3 radiation regimes (photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) + UVR, PAR + UV-A and PAR only). Variable radiation regimes, to simulate the irradiance field in the upper mixed layer (UML), were obtained by using a device consisting of 1 fixed (static samples) and 1 rotating system (moving samples). Solar UVR inhibited phytoplankton photosynthesis in the water column (i.e. dur- ing in situ experiments), and this inhibition (mean value at surface = 24%) decreased with depth, so that at 1.2 m there were no significant differences between radiation treatments. However, at 1.8 m depth, the samples receiving UV-A had significantly higher carbon fixation than those receiving only PAR. Simulated in situ experiments showed that solar UVR stimulated phytoplankton photosynthesis under fast mixing conditions (i.e. when the irradiance levels changed from 100 to 6% and back in less than 30 min). With slower circulation periods, solar UVR reduced carbon fixation and consequently the integrated inhibition within the UML approached the values from the static samples. Previous model predictions based on the interactive effects of UVR and mixing might have underestimated phytoplankton photosynthesis in these regions. Overall, our results suggest a high resistance of these coastal tropical assemblages to solar UVR as compared to other regions of the planet.


One of Ohio's greatest sons, Ulysses S. Grant, was not known for his dapper appearance. (1) Upon entering an inn one stormy night, he is said to have encountered a group of lawyers. (2) They were there for court--as was the custom in that day--and they were huddled around the fire. (3) One of the attorneys cracked that Grant looked like he had come through hell to get there and asked the future President what it was like in the underworld, to which Grant replied, "[just like here:] lawyers nearest the fire." (4) Unfortunately, this is a common sentiment. The eminent legal scholar Roscoe Pound famously said in a 1906 speech to the American Bar Association that "[d]issatisfaction with the administration of justice is as old as law." (5) "[A]s long as there have been laws and lawyers," Pound said, "conscientious and well-meaning men have believed that laws were mere arbitrary technicalities, and that the attempt to regulate the relations of mankind in accordance with them resulted largely in injustice." (6) Pound went on in his seminal--and at the time controversial--speech to detail the reasons for this persistent and insidious misperception of the law and to offer his recommendations for countering it. Pound's speech came at the height of the Progressive Movement and served as the catalyst for salutary reforms in the U.S. legal establishment. (7) Indeed, while Pound may have been right that there have always been "conscientious and well-meaning men" who have lamented what's wrong with the law, there also have always been equally conscientious and well-meaning men and women who have worked tirelessly to improve the administration of justice. In Ohio, the history of this struggle is one of slow, incremental progress punctuated by specific moments of major advancement. When I consider the question what makes the Ohio Supreme Court great, there is one specific improvement of our legal system that stands out. It is a major reform that was led by the bench and bar--that celebrates its forty-fifth anniversary this May--and that put into place a new framework for the administration of justice, which resulted in a process of reform and improvement that continues to this day. It is the Modern Courts Amendment. On May 7, 1968, the people of Ohio passed the Modern Courts Amendment by an overwhelming margin, approximately sixty-two percent to thirty-eight percent, with the ballot initiative passing in seventy-nine of Ohio's eighty-eight politically diverse counties. (8) It was the first major revision of Article IV of the Ohio Constitution governing the judicial branch since the Ohio Constitution of 1851. (9) In many ways, the Ohio Modern Courts Amendment was the direct progeny of Pound's 1906 address. While he had initially been chastised for his frank criticism of the U.S. judicial system, ultimately, there was a groundswell of support for judicial reforms around the country. It took several decades for this to translate into action, and in the 1950s and 1960s, a plurality of states, including Ohio, began initiating many of the reforms Pound had promoted. (10) These included proposals for so-called merit selection of judges, court consolidation, centralized management of state judicial systems, and adequate court funding. (11) In Ohio, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Legislative Service Commission, the Ohio Judicial Conference, and leaders in the General Assembly worked for the better part of a decade studying the Ohio court system, examining reforms in other states, and crafting a concrete proposal for reform that ultimately became the Modern Courts Amendment. (12) The amendment made a number of relatively minor changes, like establishing that the Chief Justice's six colleagues on the bench would be designated "justices" as opposed to the previous designation of "judges." (13) It also made changes that, at the time, were of keen interest to the judges and other parties but that did not have broad effects on the administration of the court system. …


Concrete is ubiquitous and unique, found in every developed and developing country. Indeed, there are no alternatives to concrete as a volume construction material for infrastructure. This raises important questions of how concrete should be designed and constructed for cost effective use in the the short and long term, and to encourage further radical development. Equally, it must be environmentally friendly during manufacture, in an aesthetic presentation in structures and in the containment of harmful materials. The central theme of the Congress is Concrete in the "Service of Mankind", under which five self-contained Conferences, each dealing with a particular aspect, are planned. The Congress offers opportunity to discuss how to improve and extend this service to mankind using responsible exploitation, underwritten by sound technical understanding and research base. It brings together the shared skills and experience of the various disciplines involved in the construction process world wide. This major publication continues the tradition established by Dundee University of organizing major international conferences every three years dealing with some aspect of concrete and also the link between Spon and Dundee University for publication of the proceedings. This book should be of interest to concrete technologists; contractors; civil engineers; consultants; government agencies; research organizations.


This article's starting point is Glennerster et al.'s 1991 question in JSP, 20: 3 whether 'the decisive break' they then saw in British social policy represented 'A New Enlightenment or a New Leviathan'. Evidence is produced from the policy arena of education and training (i.e., learning) to argue that the Learning and Skills Act due for implementation from 1 April 2001 represents an example of the latter rather than the former. The Act is a further step on the road from what was traditionally 'a national system of education locally administered' to a national system nationally administered. This is clearly seen when the post-war system of education and training established by the 1944 Education Act is contrasted with the new system of contracting out provision through agencies. In presenting this contrast the article is an exercise in 'Learning Policy', described as 'a new area of social policy … [which] indicates the concerted approach that many governments in developed countries now take to integrate the reproduction of knowledge at all levels in the education institutions under their control with skill formation in training in and out of employment' (Ainley, 1999, p. 9).


Moraine successions in glaciated valleys south of Mount Everest provide evidence for at least eight glacial advances during the late Quaternary. Cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) surface exposure dating of moraine boulders defines the timing of each glacial advance and refines the previous glacial chronologies. The CRN data show that glaciation was most extensive during the early part of the last glacial (marine oxygen isotype stage (MIS) 3 and earlier), but limited during MIS 2 (the global Last Glacial Maximum) and the Holocene. A previously assumed Neoglacial advance is dated to 3.6 6 0.3 ka and the CRN dates confirm a glacial advance ca. 1 ka. These results show that glaciations on the south side of Everest were not synchronous with the advance of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, yet glaciations within the Himalaya, the world's highest mountain belt, were synchronous during the late Quaternary. The existence of glacial advances during times of increased insolation suggests that enhanced moisture delivered by an active south Asian summer monsoon is largely responsible for glacial advances in this part of the Himalaya. These data allow us to quantify the importance of global climate change and monsoon influence on glaciation in the Himalaya.


Cuckoo hashing is a hash table data structure offering constant access time, even in the worst case. As a drawback, the construction fails with small, but practically significant probability. However, Kirsch et al. (2008) showed that a constant-sized additional memory, the so called stash, is sufficient to reduce the failure rate drastically. But so far, using a modified insertion procedure that demands additional running time to look for an admissible key is required. As a major contribution of this paper, we show that the same bounds on the failure probability hold even without this search process and thus, the performance increases. Second, we extend the analysis to simplified cuckoo hashing, a variant of the original algorithm offering increased performance. Further, we derive some explicit asymptotic approximations concerning the number of usual resp. bipartite graphs related to the data structures. Using these results, we obtain much more precise asymptotic expansions of the success rate. These calculations are based on a generating function approach and applying the saddle point method. Finally, we provide numerical results to support the theoretical analysis.


We developed components of a decision structure that could be used in an adaptive management framework for responding to invasion of hemlock woolly adelgid Adeleges tsugae on the Cumberland Plateau of northern Tennessee. Hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive forest pest, was first detected in this area in 2007. We used a structured decision-making process to identify and refine the management problem, objectives, and alternative management actions, and to assess consequences and tradeoffs among selected management alternatives. We identified four fundamental objectives: 1) conserve the aquatic and terrestrial riparian conservation targets, 2) protect and preserve hemlock, 3) develop and maintain adequate budget, and 4) address public concerns. We designed two prototype responses using an iterative process. By rapidly prototyping a first solution, insights were gained and shortcomings were identified, and some of these shortcomings were incorporated and corrected in the second prototype. We found that objectives were best met when management focused on early treatment of lightly to moderately infested but relatively healthy hemlock stands with biological control agent predator beetles and insect-killing fungi. Also, depending on the cost constraint, early treatment should be coupled with silvicultural management of moderately to severely infested and declining hemlock stands to accelerate conversion to nonhemlock mature forest cover. The two most valuable contributions of the structured decision-making process were 1) clarification and expansion of our objectives, and 2) application of tools to assess tradeoffs and predict consequences of alternative actions. Predicting consequences allowed us to evaluate the influence of uncertainty on the decision. For example, we found that the expected number of mature forest stands over 30 y would be increased by 4% by resolving the uncertainty regarding predator beetle effectiveness. The adaptive management framework requires further development including identifying and evaluating uncertainty, formalizing other competing predictive models, designing a monitoring program to update the predictive models, developing a process for re-evaluating the predictive models and incorporating new management technologies, and generating support for planning and implementation. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


UML, the Universal Modeling Language, was the first language designed to fulfill the requirement for "universality." However, it is a software-specific language, and does not support the needs of engineers designing from the broader systems-based perspective. Therefore, SysML was created. It has been steadily gaining popularity, and many companies, especially in the heavily-regulated Defense, Automotive, Aerospace, Medical Device and Telecomms industries, are already using SysML, or are plannning to switch over to it in the near future. However, little information is currently available on the market regarding SysML. Its use is just on the crest of becoming a widespread phenomenon, and so thousands of software engineers are now beginning to look for training and resources. The proposed book will provide an introduction to SysML, and instruction on how to implement it, for all these new users. *The first available book on SysML in English *Insider information! The author is a member of the SysML working group and has written sections of the specification *Special focus comparing SysML and UML, and explaining how both can work together


For the protection of critical infrastructures against complex virus attacks, automated network traffic analysis and deep packet inspection are unavoidable. However, even with the use of network intrusion detection systems, the number of alerts is still too large to analyze manually. In addition, the discovery of domain-specific multi stage viruses (e.g., Advanced Persistent Threats) are typically not captured by a single alert. The result is that security experts are overloaded with low-level technical alerts where they must look for the presence of an APT. In this paper we propose an alert-oriented visual analytics approach for the exploration of network traffic content in multiple contexts. In our approach CoNTA (Contextual analysis of Network Traffic Alerts), experts are supported to discover threats in large alert collections through interactive exploration using selections and attributes of interest. Tight integration between machine learning and visualization enables experts to quickly drill down into the alert collection and report false alerts back to the intrusion detection system. Finally, we show the effectiveness of the approach by applying it on real world and artificial data sets.


Assessment of landslide-triggering rainfall thresholds is useful for early warning in prone areas. In this paper, it is shown how stochastic rainfall models and hydrological and slope stability physically based models can be advantageously combined in a Monte Carlo simulation framework to generate virtually unlimited-length synthetic rainfall and related slope stability factor of safety data, exploiting the information contained in observed rainfall records and field-measurements of soil hydraulic and geotechnical parameters. The synthetic data set, dichotomized in triggering and non-triggering rainfall events, is analyzed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis to derive stochastic-input physically based thresholds that optimize the trade-off between correct and wrong predictions. Moreover, the specific modeling framework implemented in this work, based on hourly analysis, enables one to analyze the uncertainty related to variability of rainfall intensity within events and to past rainfall (antecedent rainfall). A specific focus is dedicated to the widely used power-law rainfall intensity–duration ( I – D ) thresholds. Results indicate that variability of intensity during rainfall events influences significantly rainfall intensity and duration associated with landslide triggering. Remarkably, when a time-variable rainfall-rate event is considered, the simulated triggering points may be separated with a very good approximation from the non-triggering ones by a I – D power-law equation, while a representation of rainfall as constant–intensity hyetographs globally leads to non-conservative results. This indicates that the I – D power-law equation is adequate to represent the triggering part due to transient infiltration produced by rainfall events of variable intensity and thus gives a physically based justification for this widely used threshold form, which provides results that are valid when landslide occurrence is mostly due to that part. These conditions are more likely to occur in hillslopes of low specific upslope contributing area, relatively high hydraulic conductivity and high critical wetness ratio. Otherwise, rainfall time history occurring before single rainfall events influences landslide triggering, determining whether a threshold based only on rainfall intensity and duration may be sufficient or it needs to be improved by the introduction of antecedent rainfall variables. Further analyses show that predictability of landslides decreases with soil depth, critical wetness ratio and the increase of vertical basal drainage (leakage) that occurs in the presence of a fractured bedrock.


In this paper, we investigate novel quantization approaches to reduce memory and computational footprint of deep neural network (DNN) based keyword spotters (KWS). We propose a new method for KWS offline and online quantization, which we call dynamic quantization, where we quantize DNN weight matrices column-wise, using each column's exact individual min-max range, and the DNN layers' inputs and outputs are quantized for every input audio frame individually, using the exact min-max range of each input and output vector. We further apply a new quantization-aware training approach that allows us to incorporate quantization errors into KWS model during training. Together, these approaches allow us to significantly improve the performance of KWS in 4-bit and 8-bit quantized precision, achieving the end-to-end accuracy close to that of full precision models while reducing the models' on-device memory footprint by up to 80%.


Background Neonatal sepsis remains the leading cause of neonatal deaths. Therefore, efforts should be made to reduce its mortality. Lactate clearance can be used as a marker of onset of hypoxia and microcirculation disorders, as well as to predict patient outcomes. Objective To assess the use of lactate clearance to predict mortality from neonatal sepsis. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study in the levels 2 and 3 of neonatal care unit, Department of Child Health, Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta, from October to November 2011. We enrolled 40 neonatal sepsis patients, who were divided into either the high or low lactate clearance groups. All neonates were followed up until they were discharged from the hospital, as to whether they survived or died. We performed blood lactate measurements early on following their diagnosis of sepsis, and after the subsequent six hours following the first antibiotic administration. Logistic regression for the multivariate analysis and ROC curves for the accurate analysis of predictive outcome factors were performed. Results More deaths occurred in neonates with low lactate clearance at six hours (48%) than in those in the high lactate clearance group (7%). Low lactate clearance at six hours was a significant predictor of mortality (RR 15.1; 95%CI 1.7 to 133), whereas the ROC analysis showed moderate accuracy. Conclusion Lactate clearance at six hours may be used as a predictor of mortality in infants with neonatal sepsis.


Countries are increasingly conscious that their diaspora is a powerful asset in their pursuit of external objectives. Several factors have contributed. Everywhere the diplomatic process is more open than before; foreign ministries routinely network with a wide array of official and non-state partners. Thanks to rising migration, and growth in foreign employment opportunities, many countries have expanding overseas communities. A number of small and medium-sized countries find that such communities are even larger than the home population. We also observe that in many states, these groups, whether they have taken up the citizenship of the country of residence or whether they remain citizens of their home countries, find it easier than in the past to participate actively in social, economic and political activities in their adopted homes. Finally, the example of Israel — that is, the support that it mobilizes from the global Jewish community — resonates with many countries that would like to develop their own links with their overseas communities, as feasible.


Loss of businesses to surrounding areas has escalated in the past decade, promoting an examination of factors causing business defection from the city of Georgetown, South Carolina. Kotler (1969) warned that customer retention is more important than identifying new prospects. If the customer's satisfaction levels fall below completely satisfied, there is a risk of customer defection. This issue is important because the "purpose of a business is to create and keep customers" (Kotler 1969, p. 2). Therefore, understanding what dissatisfies a customer is just as important as understanding what satisfies a customer. The degree to which cities are vulnerable to customer defection is impacted by a number of factors such crime, history, infrastructure (including construction), city rules and regulations, festivals and events, friendliness of doing business, and support from the city/county. Our results suggest that friendliness impacts merchants' likeliness to continue doing business in Georgetown.


The genus Exophiala is composed of ubiquitous, pigmented, saprotrophic fungi and includes both terrestrial and waterborne species. Though Exophiala species are generally considered opportunistic pathogens, exophialosis can be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Over a 6-year period, a captive 32-year-old male eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), was treated for recurring, slow growing, ventral midline cutaneous masses. Excisional biopsies were characterized histologically by granulomatous dermatitis with low numbers of intralesional, pigmented fungal conidia and hyphae. Bacterial and fungal cultures of the masses and skin were negative on two separate submissions. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of a short fragment of the fungal 28S large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA was positive with 100% nucleotide sequence identity to several species of Exophiala. Following recurrence after successive rounds of antifungal therapy, euthanasia was elected. At necropsy, similar dermal granulomatous inflammation and intralesional pigmented fungal elements as observed in excisional biopsies formed a thick band in the dermis and extended through the coelomic body wall. Visceral dissemination was noted in the lung and kidney. Postmortem DNA sequence analysis of a large portion of the fungal LSU as well as the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) from a portion of frozen affected dermis identified the fungus as a novel species, Exophiala sp. 1 (UTHSCSA R-5437).


This thesis presents Topological Domain Theory as a powerful and flexible framework for denotational semantics. Topological Domain Theory models a wide range of type constructions and can interpret many computational features. Furthermore, it has close connections to established frameworks for denotational semantics, as well as to well-studied mathematical theories, such as topology and computable analysis. We begin by describing the categories of Topological Domain Theory, and their categorical structure. In particular, we recover the basic constructions of domain theory, such as products, function spaces, fixed points and recursive types, in the context of Topological Domain Theory. As a central contribution, we give a detailed account of how computational effects can be modelled in Topological Domain Theory. Following recent work of Plotkin and Power, who proposed to construct effect monads via free algebra functors, this is done by showing that free algebras for a large class of parametrised equational theories exist in Topological Domain Theory. These parametrised equational theories are expressive enough to generate most of the standard examples of effect monads. Moreover, the free algebras in Topological Domain Theory are obtained by an explicit inductive construction, using only basic topological and set-theoretical principles. We also give a comparison of Topological and Classical Domain Theory. The category of ω-continuous dcpos embeds into Topological Domain Theory, and we prove that this embedding preserves the basic domain-theoretic constructions in most cases. We show that the classical powerdomain constructions on ω-continuous dcpos, including the probabilistic powerdomain, can be recovered in Topological Domain Theory. Finally, we give a synthetic account of Topological Domain Theory. We show that Topological Domain Theory is a specific model of Synthetic Domain Theory in the realizability topos over Scott's graph model Pω. We give internal characterisations of the categories of Topological Domain Theory in this realizability topos, and prove the corresponding categories to be internally complete and weakly small. This enables us to show that Topological Domain Theory can model the polymorphic λ-calculus, and to obtain a richer collection of free algebras than those constructed earlier. In summary, this thesis shows that Topological Domain Theory supports a wide range of semantic constructions, including the standard domain-theoretic constructions, computational effects and polymorphism, all within a single setting.


Ralstonia solanacearum OE1-1 (OE1-1) is pathogenic to tobacco. The type III-secreted effector protein popA of OE1-1 showed 97.6% identity to popA of R. solanacearum GMI1000, which is not pathogenic to tobacco. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that popA in OE1-1 was expressed at 3 h after inoculation (HAI), but not before, in infiltrated-tobacco leaves. Pathogenicity analysis using a popABC operon-deleted mutant of OE1-1 (deltaABC) showed that popABC is not directly involved in the pathogenicity of OE1-1. When Papa, which constitutively expresses popA, was infiltrated into tobacco leaves, popA was expressed by 0.5 HAI. Papa could no longer multiply or spread in tobacco leaves and was no longer virulent. Moreover, the hypersensitive response (HR) and expression of HR-related genes were not induced in Papa-infiltrated leaves. Papa was also avirulent in a tobacco root-dipping inoculation assay. These results suggest that the expression of popA in Papa immediately after invasion triggers the suppression of bacterial proliferation and movement, resulting in loss of virulence. However, Papa retained its virulence when directly inoculated into xylem vessels. This result suggests that tobacco plants can recognize PopA when it is expressed early in disease development, and respond with an effective defense in the intercellular spaces.


The objective of this study was to compose an objective and detailed notational analysis system for 3 vs. 2 + GK small-sided soccer games, in which three roles are examined: attacker with ball, attacker without ball and defender. The actions and the outcome of the actions were registered for each player and in each role. Players earn points for each action and outcome according to an a priori determined scheme. Performance scores for each role are calculated as the average number of points a participant earns per trial. This notation system was tested on 19 highly talented female soccer players and validity and reliability of the system were determined. In addition, practical applications were discussed and the most important items of the notation system were determined and using only these items, a simplified notation system was proposed. The notation system has high ecological validity and can discriminate the high and low categorized players, but further development is necessary to increase the reliability of the system.


As seeking and keeping competitive advantage is the priority of any organization to survive and grow in the rapidly changing world, the research is aimed to explore utilizing the strategy of building learning organization to gain and sustain competitive advantage. The vigor and dynamics of small businesses in service sector in the context of China where the market is full of diversity and potential become the perfect research subjective to probe into whether and how learning organization can be a source of competitive advantage. Meanwhile, there is also a literature gap on small service-sector businesses in China in this sphere where the research can fill in.

Case study has been adopted as methodology to fulfill the research objective and sub-objectives. In order to acquire solid data and information, the researcher conducted eight interviews in a small company based in south of China. The case company is operating in edible bird nest sales and services. The eight interviews were semi-structured and implemented online. The interviewees included four people from the management and four employees.

The research has found that learning organization as a concept has been understood and harnessed by the Chinese entrepreneurs as a way to stay competitive in the market. The position and function of leadership has been emphasized in building learning organization. Among all the measures adopted by the case company, the online learning group is believed as the effective, as it integrates branding with learning through inviting customers to join the learning group. The point is important for the small businesses which are trying to occupy a market place and obtain more market shares.

The research suggests that companies should tailor the learning organization strategy for their specific situations, foster the learning climate by emphasizing leader learning effect, cultivate the potential of online learning group to promote learning and branding, and strategically implement the human resource activities and schemes to source and develop the talents who are willing to learn and capable to transfer knowledge into practices.


Breach remedies can be used to protect specific investments and are therefore a remedy against holdup. Yet some commonly used remedies are predicted to provide too much protection, thereby inducing overinvestment. Two motives drive this prediction: the insurance motive and the separation prevention motive. This paper presents results from an experiment designed to test whether these two motives show up in practice. In contrast to previous experiments the focus is on a setting where ex post renegotiations are possible. Our results indicate that also in this case the insurance motive and the separation prevention motive are at work, as predicted. A second main finding is that there seems less need for sophisticated breach remedies based on compensatory money damages than is suggested by theory.


The main objective of this investigation is to determine the concentration and accumulation of heavy metals in the coastal sediments of the Southeastern Black Sea of Turkey. The selected sampling area has mainly been affected by anthropogenic activities, such as agricultural, untreated domestic and treated industrial wastewater, and mining. Metal enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and metal pollution index (MPI) have been calculated and relative contamination levels evaluated at all stations. In this study, the maximum EF values calculated for nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) were 1.4, 3.1, 5.2, 7.8, 7.8, 20, 26, and 42, respectively. Metal pollution has decreased in recent years, but the enrichment of heavy metals has been observed to be relatively high, especially in the uppermost 3-6 cm of the core sample from the Sürmene sampling station, which has been polluted by mining activities. In addition, factor analysis revealed that the coastal sediments from the Eastern Black Sea were influenced by several sources, namely lithogenic and anthropogenic activities (mining, wastewater discharging, agriculture).


The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of congruence between actual and preferred counselling functions as perceived by school counsellors in Newfoundland and Labrador and its relationship to: counsellors' perceived role determining influence, counsellors' self assessed competency, and characteristics of the counsellors' work setting. Concern has been expressed by counsellors and educators who perceive a dissonance between what counsellors actually do in their existing work settings and what they would prefer to do. Some understanding of this situation in Newfoundland and Labrador was sought through this study. -- A questionnaire was constructed to obtain the necessary data for the study. In Part A of the four part questionnaire, data was sought on personal and professional information and on work setting characteristics. Part B presented a list of 18 randomly distributed counsellor functions and descriptions for each. Then, in each of two subsections (actual functions and preferred functions), counsellors were requested to indicate their choice of functions and to rate the importance of each chosen function, actual and preferred. Part C requested counsellors to select one of five statements which best represented their role determining influence in their work settings. Finally, in Part D, counsellors were asked to report their perceived proficiency for the competency described in each of 152 competency statements. Ninety-four counsellors returned the questionnaires, a 95% response rate. -- The key findings are: there are fewer counsellors than recommended by counsellor associations; the educational level where counsellors work is related to what functions counsellors regard as important; there is a fairly high level of congruence for half of the functions when counsellors' choice of actual and preferred functions are compared, there being varying and lower levels of congruence for the remaining functions; counsellors report a high level of influence in defining their roles; counsellors have assessed themselves in the mid-range of competency level; there is a complex inter-relationship between counsellor competency and the functions they perform; a weak association exists between work setting characteristics and counsellors functions. Overall, despite some obvious dissonance, there is a moderate level of congruence between what counsellors actually do and what they prefer to do.


At the moment that "incentives" for creation meet "preferences" for the same, the economic account of copyright loses its explanatory power. This piece explores the ways in which the desire to create can be excessive, beyond rationality, and free from the need for economic incentive. Psychological and sociological concepts can do more to explain creative impulses than classical economics. As a result, a copyright law that treats creative activity as a product of economic incentives can miss the mark and harm what it aims to promote. The idea of abundance - even overabundance - in creativity can help define the proper scope of copyright law, especially in fair use. I explore these ideas by examining how creators think about what they do. As it turns out, commercially and critically successful creators resemble creators who avoid the general marketplace and create unauthorized derivative works (fanworks). The role of love, desire, and other passions in creation has lessons for the proper aims of copyright, the meaning of fair use, and conceptions of exploitation in markets.


The kinetics for radiation induced dissolution of spent nuclear fuel is a key issue in the safety assessment of a future deep repository. Spent nuclear fuel mainly consists of UO2 and therefore the release of radionuclides (fission products and actinides) is assumed to be governed by the oxidation and subsequent dissolution of the UO2 matrix. The process is influenced by the dose rate in the surrounding groundwater (a function of fuel age and burn up) and on the groundwater composition. In this licentiate thesis the effects of HCO3- (a strong complexing agent for UO22+) and ionic strength on the kinetics of UO2 oxidation and dissolution of oxidized UO2 have been studied experimentally. The experiments were performed using aqueous UO2 particle suspensions where the oxidant concentration was monitored as a function of reaction time. These reaction systems frequently display first order kinetics. Second order rate constants were obtained by varying the solid UO2 surface area to solution volume ratio and plotting the resulting pseudo first order rate constants against the surface area to solution volume ratio. The oxidants used were H2O2 (the most important oxidant under deep repository conditions), MnO4- and IrCl62-. The kinetics was studied as a function of HCO3- concentration and ionic strength (using NaCl and Na2SO4 as electrolytes). The rate constant for the reaction between H2O2 and UO2 was found to increase linearly with the HCO3- concentration in the range 0-1 mM. Above 1 mM the rate constant is independent of the HCO3- concentration. The HCO3- concentration independent rate constant is interpreted as being the true rate constant for oxidation of UO2 by H2O2 [(4.4 ± 0.3) x 10-6 m min-1] while the HCO3- concentration dependent rate constant is used to estimate the rate constant for HCO3- facilitated dissolution of UO22+ (oxidized UO2) [(8.8 ± 0.5) x 10-3 m min-1]. From experiments performed in suspensions free from HCO3- the rate constant for dissolution of UO22+ was also determined [(7 ± 1) x 10-8 mol m-2 s-1]. These rate constants are of significant importance for simulation of spent nuclear fuel dissolution. The rate constant for the oxidation of UO2 by H2O2 (the HCO3- concentration independent rate constant) was found to be independent of ionic strength. However, the rate constant for dissolution of oxidized UO2 displayed ionic strength dependence, namely it increases with increasing ionic strength. The HCO3- concentration and ionic strength dependence for the anionic oxidants is more complex since also the electron transfer process is expected to be ionic strength dependent. Furthermore, the kinetics for the anionic oxidants is more pH sensitive. For both MnO4- and IrCl62- the rate constant for the reaction with UO2 was found to be diffusion controlled at higher HCO3- concentrations (~0.2 M). Both oxidants also displayed ionic strength dependence even though the HCO3- independent reaction could not be studied exclusively. Based on changes in reaction order from first to zeroth order kinetics (which occurs when the UO2 surface is completely oxidized) in HCO3- deficient systems the oxidation site density of the UO2 powder was determined. H2O2 and IrCl62- were used in these experiments giving similar results [(2.1 ± 0.1) x 10-4 and (2.7 ± 0.5) x 10-4 mol m-2, respectively].


Fertility in high-producing dairy cows has declined over the last decades. An increased serum and follicular fluid concentration of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), due to body fat mobilization in the early post partum period, has been postulated as a cause for this fertility decline. NEFA concentrations and composition may change in the environment of the oocyte and thus might affect the storage depots of esterified NEFAs in the oocyte. We exposed COCs to unsaturated (oleic acid) or saturated (palmitic acid) NEFAs during maturation and subsequently examined lipid droplets and developmental competence of the oocytes. COCs from 3-8 mm follicles of slaughterhouse ovaries were cultured in control maturation medium (TCM-199) and medium containing 100, 250, or 500 μM oleic and/or palmitic acid (10 mM fatty acid was bound to 10% BSA fatty acid free). These concentrations were based on in vivo measured NEFA concentrations in follicular fluid in the early post partum period (Leroy et al. 2005 Reproduction 130, 485-495). After 23 h of maturation, COCs were fertilized (450 per group) and cultured till the blastocyst stage, or fixed (80 per group) for lipid droplet staining with C1-BODIPY® 500/510 C12. Confocal microscopy was performed to determine lipid droplet size in (im(mean) and the number of lipid droplets per oocyte. Lipid droplet number and the log of size were analyzed using analysis of variances with condition as fixed factor. Variation was described as the standard error of the mean. Similar concentrations of palmitic or oleic acid had an opposite effect on the size of lipid droplets in oocytes. The number of lipid droplets dramatically decreased in oocytes exposed to 500 μM palmitic acid (178 ± 20), whereas the number increased after exposure to 500 μM oleic acid (554 ± 15). The number of lipid droplets of oocytes exposed to a combination of 250 μM palmitic acid and 250 μM oleic acid (421 ± 23) was comparable with the control and lower oleic and palmitic acid concentrations. Exposure of COCs to palmitic acid during maturation resulted in reduced blastocyst development in a dose-dependent manner (from 18 ± 1.4%, 13 ± 2.4% to 2.8 ± 1.3% after exposure to 500 μM) when compared to control (20 ± 2.2%) or oocytes exposed to oleic acid (from 23 ± 1.6%, 23 ± 3.3% till 28 ± 3.3%). Negative effects of palmitic acid were counteracted by simultaneous exposure to oleic acid during in vitro oocyte maturation (26 ± 5.5%). We conclude that palmitic acid elicited negative effects on early embryonic development, possibly because it induces a reduction in the number of lipid droplets. These adverse effects can be offset by oleic acid during maturation. Moreover a high oleic acid concentration increased the number and size of lipid droplets of oocytes. The regulatory pathways involved in the noted differences in lipid storage features of in vitro-matured oocytes as well as the adverse effects of palmitic acid on early embryonic development are currently under research.


Charness and Dufwenberg (American Economic Review, June 2011, 1211-1237) have recently demonstrated that cheap-talk communication raises efficiency in bilateral contracting situations with adverse selection. We replicate their finding and check its robustness by introducing competition between agents. We find that communication and competition act as "substitutes:" communication raises efficiency in the absence of competition but lowers efficiency with competition, and competition raises efficiency without communication but lowers efficiency with communication. We briefly review some behavioral theories that have been proposed in this context and show that each can explain some but not all features of the observed data patterns. Our findings highlight the fragility of cheap-talk communication and may serve as a guide to refine existing behavioral theories.


Abstract: In this article, we begin by specifying a definition of "text" that will fit our present purpose; then, we will attempt to contribute, in the light of the demands involved in its treatment and the difficulties involved in learning it, to an explanation of its complexity, particularly its double construction, which is both linear and reticulated. In order to do that, we will recall the conditions of its progression along the linear axis, where the reader establishes semantic, syntactic, thematic, logical and argumentative connections between words and propositions that follow each other; and the conditions of its organic composition, which allows the reader to incorporate the words, phrases and paragraphs so constituted into a global structure (sequences, parts of the text, its general structure) as a function of textual models he or she may have experienced. But we insist upon the fact that, in order for these two types of organisation – linear sequence and hierarchical inclusion – to constitute a text, it is necessary for them to be inscribed in an enunciative context and a communicative project that give the text its origin, its finality, and its function. In view of the development of the use of New Information and Communication Technologies, we will ask ourselves to what extent these new supports, in terms of their nature as well as their modes of functionality, require or lead toward new linguistic and cognitive strategies for treatment of text, especially in learners, children and/or non-native speakers, and how these learners can perceive and construct the local and global coherence (semantic, logical, argumentative…) of a document presented in a hypertextual form.


The advent of social media can be seen both as a risk and an opportunity by armed forces. Previous research has primarily examined whether or not the use of social media endangers or strengthens armed forces' strategic narrative. We examine armed forces' perceptions of risks and opportunities on a broad basis, with a particular focus on areas of deployment. The article is based on a survey of perceptions of social media amongst the armed forces of EU member states, thus adding to previous research through its comparative perspective. Whereas previous research has mainly focused on larger powers, such as the US and the UK, this article includes the views of the armed forces of 26 EU states, including several smaller nations. In analyzing the results we asked whether or not risk and opportunity perceptions were related to national ICT maturity and the existence of a social media strategy. The analysis shows that perceptions of opportunities outweigh perceptions of risks, with marketing and two-way communication as the two most prominent opportunities offered by the use of social media. Also, armed forces in countries with a moderate to high ICT maturity emphasize social media as a good way for marketing purposes.


The purpose of this paper is to examine the weekly effects of job insecurity on employee voice and silence. Specifically, the authors argue that because employment fulfils important needs, employees' needs are less fulfilled when they feel that their job is at risk (i.e. high job insecurity). Consequently, the authors argue that employees engage in less voice and more silence because when employees' needs are not fulfilled, they are less committed to the organization and/or protect their personal resources.,The authors tested their hypotheses in a five-week long diary study among 97 employees.,The authors found that employees reported lower need fulfilment in those weeks and the week after job insecurity was higher, which, in turn, decreased employee voice and increased employee silence in those weeks and the week after.,The study shows that feelings about one's job insecurity fluctuate from week to week and that the weekly negative effects associated with increased job insecurity can be explained from a needs fulfilment perspective. The study also highlights the importance of studying voice and silence simultaneously.,Managers could indirectly increase employees' voice and decrease employees' silence by reducing feelings of job insecurity to increase employees' feelings of predictability of and control over their future.,The authors studied short-term effects of job insecurity on both employee voice and silence, and examined need fulfilment as an underlying mechanism to explain the effects of job insecurity.


River basin sediment management is increasingly needed to address both sediment quantity and quality studies. In this context, the sampling of suspended sediment through a river cross-section is unavoidable. Rivers have the interesting property of concentrate sediment and processes through a river cross-section are representative of the whole upstream hydro-sedimentary processes. Evaluating sediment budget at the outlet of a river basin is closely related to the experimental method used, as suspended sediment concentration and velocity are non-constant over the water height. This paper presents results obtained from an in situ experimental program, which aims to measure the velocity and suspended sediment concentration profiles in rivers during different hydrological conditions. In particular, the study focuses on the region located near the interface between water and settled sediment. This region is usually neglected as it corresponds to the dead zone of non-intrusive instruments such as Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. This is achieved by the use of specific instruments. A velocity profiler was used to measure the velocity profile within the few percents of the water height located near the interface between water and settled sediment. In addition, sediment concentration profiles were measured either by a turbidity sensor moved over the water height or by 144 turbidity sensors mounted on a vertical stick, which allows one to record instantaneously the turbidity profile close to the interface between water and settled sediment. In situ measurements are compared to theoretical models commonly used: the Rouse profile for suspended sediment concentrations, and the logarithmic law for velocities. Results notably show that during low water flows, 35% of the total sediment flux may be located within the first 15% of the water height. Then, following the sampling strategy adopted, the error on the mean suspended sediment flux may be up to 50%.


Ghrelin is a peptide secreted in the gastric fundus and acts in hypophysis and hippocampus through a Class A G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR), the GHS-R1a. GPCRs are characterized by a seven transmembrane (TM) spanning α-helices, connected to three extracellular (ECL) and three intracellular loops (ICL). (1) Activation of this receptor is involved in a variety of functions from feeding and growth hormone release to promotion of learning and memory. Among GPCRs, GHS-R1a is characterized by an unusual high constitutive activity, in the absence of specific ligands. (2) Regarding this distinctive characteristic, a mutation, A204E, of this receptor leads to a reduction of its constitutive activity. (3)
To reveal more information about this distinctive receptor, 3D structure models of different stages of activation and of a particular mutation (A204E) of the GHS-R1a were created using homology modelling molecular docking  and their differences analysed. Fully-atomistic molecular dynamics simulations are being performed initially with the pre-active model and the mutant, and will be followed by the remaining activation states. These simulations will give atomic detail to the necessary conformation rearrangements responsible for receptor activity. The structural and functional characterization of GHSR1a is an important step towards the design of specific drugs.


This book analyses how EU transit (and hence energy) security is affected by the governance structures of the Eurasian gas network and by asymmetrical power relations between its actors, in particular between Russia and western CIS states (Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova) and their national gas companies. It views the Eurasian gas network as the overlap and interaction of four spaces: the regulatory space, the contractual space, the space of flows, and the space of places, and asserts that the discontinuities between and within the spaces adversely affect EU gas transit security. The volume suggests ways in which these discontinuities can be reduced, and how their negative effect can be minimised. The book identifies the threats to security of Russian gas transit across the western CIS, explains why and how unresolved Russia-western CIS bilateral issues led to the appearance of these threats, and determines whether the existing bilateral frameworks (supply and transit contracts and intergovernmental agreements) are adequate and sufficient to ensure security of transit across the western CIS. Furthermore it identifies EU energy policy gaps and explains why these gaps reduced the Union's ability to deal with such threats. It shows how transit security threats can be reduced through the joint employment of both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.