We investigated the relationships, at a local level, between fish condition and environmental variables in Gobius cobitis juveniles. The relationships between 14 ecological variables of shallow areas of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (water temperature, water salinity, depth, submerged vegetation richness, submerged vegetation cover, submerged vegetation volume, substrate size, substrate heterogeneity, fish species richness, potential competitor fish species abundance and biomass, G. cobitis abundance and biomass, G. cobitis biomass/abundance ratio) and fish condition were analysed. The mass-length relationship of juveniles was used to test differences in fish condition between 12 sampling sites. The ecological variables that accounted for most of the variation in fish condition were related to both inter- and intraspecific fish competition.


Requirements of modern battlefield forces usage of new, better, types of pistol ammunition. It is mainly caused by insufficient penetration capabilities and firing range of traditional 9 mm Parabellum ammunition. Also in close combat there is need for quick aiming, which is strongly connected to low recoil and controllability of a weapon. Because of those problems NATO countries started to develop new types of pistol ammunition to supersede 9 mm Parabellum ammunition in military use. Such works was also taken in early 70's to exchange 9 mm Makarov ammunition in Soviet Union. Sole purpose of this article is to compare some internal and external ballistic parameters for different projectile types of 4,6x30 mm and 5,7x28 mm ammunition and additionally, for informative purposes, Soviet 5,45x18 mm ammunition.


ABSTRACT Predicting road accident probability by exploiting high-resolution traffic data has been a continuously researched topic in the last years. However, there is no specific focus on powered-two-wheelers. Furthermore, urban arterials have not received adequate attention so far because the majority of relevant studies considers freeways. This study aims to contribute to the current knowledge by utilizing support vector machine (SVM) models for predicting powered-two-wheeler (PTW) accident risk and PTW accident type propensity on urban arterials. The proposed methodology is applied on original and transformed time series of real-time traffic data collected from urban arterials in Athens, Greece, for 2006 to 2011. Findings suggest that PTW accident risk and PTW accident type propensity can be adequately defined by the prevailing traffic conditions. When predicting PTW accident risk, the original traffic time series performed better than the transformed time series. On the other hand, when PTW accident type is investigated, neither of the two approaches clearly outperformed the other, but the transformed time series perform slightly better. The results of the study indicate that the combination of SVM models and time-series data can be used for road safety purposes especially by utilizing real-time traffic data.


Additional information the chapter Abstract A geomorphological analysis of the Comau Fjord was carried out to identify geohazards that are a product of current landform dynamics and processes. The geological setting of the area includes fractured metamorphic and volcanic rocks forming steep hillslopes in an active tectonic context due to the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone (LOFZ). Geomorphological and hazard mapping was performed using aerial photographs, GIS geoprocessing and fieldwork in January and May 2016 and February 2017. The susceptibility of landsliding was statistically assessed and validated with the inventory of landslides completed during fieldwork. The triggering of geohazards such as landslides and fluvial floods in the study area is associated with high annual precipitation (>5000 mm annu- ally) with a concentration of rainfall that has increased in the last 50 years. Geohazard mapping demonstrated the potential for rock and earth falls, debris flows and river floods, as well as the potential impact of these geohazards on the area ' s intensive aquaculture industry and a main national highway projected for the eastern flank of the fjord. In a geographical scenario of environmental and territorial change, the present and future human occupation of Comau Fjord ' s coast constitutes potential hazard and risk conditions for aquaculture infrastructure and highway users.


Background: Levocetirizine (LCZ), the active R-enantiomer of cetirizine, is a second-generation antihistamine approved for symptom treatment due to seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), perennial allergic rhinitis, and chronic idiopathic urticaria in patients ≥6 months of age.
Objective: To review available literature about pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, tolerability, quality of life, and pharmacoeconomics of LCZ use in adults and children with SAR.
Methods: Databases searched were: MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Methodology Register, EMBASE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness. Search terms included levocetirizine, histamine H1 antagonists—non-sedating, seasonal allergic rhinitis, pregnancy, quality of life, case reports, cost, and pharmacoeconomics. Relevant article reference lists were also used to obtain additional articles.
Results: LCZ exhibits rapid and extensive absorption, high affinity/selectivity for H1 receptor, and rapid onset and long duration of action. Eight articles assessing clinical efficacy were reviewed. In 4 placebo-controlled studies, LCZ 5 mg/day significantly reduced nasal symptoms in 3 studies and had similar efficacy in 1 study. LCZ was more effective in reducing SAR symptoms vs. desloratadine 5 mg/day but not vs. rupatadine (RUP) 10 mg/day, and RUP was more effective than LCZ in reducing nasal symptoms (P = 0.02). Addition of LCZ 5 mg/day to fluticasone nasal spray therapy improved nasal blockage symptoms only (P < 0.005). Studies investigating anti-inflammatory effects produced inconsistent results. LCZ was not associated with serious adverse events and is generally well tolerated with complaints of somnolence and fatigue; also, there was an increase in febrile seizures in infants.
Conclusion: LCZ is an effective and well-tolerated second-generation antihistamine used for the treatment of SAR in adults and children, but its effects on inflammatory markers and performance versus other treatment options require further investigation.


Little is known about how children under 5 years respond to electronic texts. Traditional methods of transcription can record spoken language and paralinguistic features, but not the relations between children's non-verbal behaviour (e.g. gaze, gesture, facial expressions) and the visual elements which are the focus of their attention. In this paper, drawing on naturalistic videotaped data from 4 children aged 4-5 years interacting with I Spy CD-ROMs (Scholastic), we offer an innovative method of transcription which may be used to help us understand children's responses in depth. The method captures each child's language, body posture, facial expressions and gestures, in relation to the visual image and game sounds they are currently attending to. Our detailed observations suggest that the manner in which young children engage with e-games varies according to the social context, the textual features of the e-game and their proficiency in using computer hardware and software. Several implications for educators are then discussed, including the need for teachers to be sensitive to the affordances offered by various kinds of software and different genres. The composition of the social grouping using multimodal texts is another important consideration for educators who wish to support children's 'multiliteracy' development.


Phototrophic purple bacteria are Proteobacteria which synthesize a photosynthetic apparatus, located in internal membrane systems and the cytoplasmic membrane. They thrive in all kinds of aquatic habitats and sediments that receive sufficient light and provide oxygen deficient and anoxic conditions. They occur widely distributed in nature. Metabolically specialized species live in specific ecological niches, metabolically versatile species have adapted to a wide range of habitats. Phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria, the Chromatiaceae and the Ectothiorhodospiraceae families, are Gammaproteobacteria. Genera of the purple nonsulfur bacteria are Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria phylogenetically closely related to purely chemotrophic bacteria.

Keywords:

phototrophic bacteria;
Chromatiaceae;
Ectothiorhodospiraceae;
purple nonsulfur bacteria


Silica is an abundant material on earth. It can be found in the soil of the earth in the form of sand, predominantly in our oceans and on the beaches but also for instance in the desert. Silicon dioxide knows many different forms: it can be found in crystalline (quartz) form but also in amorphous form. Recently, a new synthesis method has been introduced that makes it possible to prepare rod-shaped colloids made from silica. These particles grow from an emulsion droplet that mainly consists of water and ethanol. The droplets are stabilized by the citrate ion and the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone. The precursor that reacts to form silica can only react from the droplet and not from the oil, because without the presence of water, hydrolysis of the precursor, and the subsequent condensation, the actual formation of silica, cannot take place. In the early stage of the synthesis a thin layer of silica forms at the interface of the droplet. This process turns out to be amenable to a range of modifications that allow the final particle shape to be fine-tuned. In the work described in this PhD thesis, the synthesis and phase behavior of these particles have been studied extensively. It has led to a large number of new nanoscale building blocks. The silica rods were found to have a gradient in structure that varies from the tip to the tail. In the tip of the rod the degree of condensation is low, whereas in the tail of the particles the degree of condensation is high. In between the two ends, the degree of condensation seemed to change gradually from one to the other. In a basic solution these rods transformed into a cone-shape. The composition and structure of the rods were modified by means of the temperature but also by the concentration and composition of the silica precursor. These parameters were used to create new shapes of silica colloids. To further understand the mechanism of growth we studied the synthesis in detail. This insight allowed us to extend the range of particle shapes this synthesis can produce. The difference between de ends of the silica rods can be used to nucleate an oil droplet on the flat side of a silica rod. The nucleation is purely driven by geometry. Finally, we introduce a new solvent in which particles consisting of poly-NIPAM particles, a temperature sensitive polymer, show a temperature dependent diameter.This will allow us to fine tune the depletion force between the attractive rods, which are index matched by the solvent. In the presence of small silica spheres these rods were found to assemble side to side.


Past major changes in sea level have had significant implications for global and shelf sea tidal dynamics. Changing shelf sea tidal dynamics impact on tidal elevation amplitudes, the location of tidal mixing fronts, dissipation, shelf sea biogeochemistry and sediment
transport. Some of these major changes are reflected in the geological records of shelf seas and therefore proxy data may be used to constrain tidal model outputs.
This study explores a new geological proxy for northwest European shelf sea (NWESS) tidal dynamics by quantifying the relationship between modelled tidally-modulated bed
shear stress (BSS) and observed seabed sediment grain size. A grain size tidal current proxy (GSTCP) has been developed by comparing tidal model output of BSS with observational
data on present-day grain size data from the Irish Sea. This new proxy is shown to reproduce large-scale sediment distribution in the present-day Irish Sea, and the relationship is applied to the NWESS to predict sediment distribution across the shelf, over a range of (palaeo) time slices.
A new three-dimensional palaeotidal model has been developed, which incorporates dynamic palaeotopography from the latest glacial-isostatic adjustment model for the region
(Bradley, 2011). The tidal evolution of the NWESS is simulated using 1 ka time slices, from 21 ka BP (taken to be the approximate time of the Last Glacial Maximum) to
present-day. Model outputs of BSS from the new palaeotidal model were compared with outputs from existing palaeotidal models, which were developed using different glacialisostatic adjustment models (Peltier, 1994; Lambeck, 1995). The new glacial-isostatic adjustment model produced significantly different relative sea level signals across the shelf, and hence there were differences in the timing of the major changes in modelled BSS between simulations.
Sediment grain size evolution profiles were generated for five BGS UK shelf sediment cores, using laser particle diffractometry and radiocarbon dating techniques. Predictive
grain size profiles were generated by applying the GSTCP to the modelled evolution of BSS
at the sediment core locations, and were compared with the observed grain size profiles.
In general, the GSTCP reproduced the observed trends in grain size variations in three of
the four sediment cores, although tended to over-predict the grain size in all core locations.
Despite the limitations of the GSTCP for reproducing observed sediment classifications at
specific sites, the GSTCP was applied to the regional model output of BSS to generate predictive maps of seabed sediment types on the shelf, in 1 ka time slices from 21 ka BP to the present-day. Such maps of sediment distribution are useful for a number of applications, including for physical (e.g. morphodynamic) modelling and biological studies (e.g. habitat mapping).
The new palaeotidal model was also used to estimate changes in the position of the shelf sea tidal mixing fronts with sea-level rise since 21 ka BP. Prior to this work, the
only proxy data used to constrain palaeotidal model simulations was from one sediment core from the Celtic Deep. The timing of stratification at the core location had been used to validate a palaeotidal model; however, considerable variation in the timing of onset of
stratification at the core locations considered here was predicted by different palaeotidal model simulations. Further, since the position of the tidal mixing front is very sensitive to the value used for the critical contour, it is suggested that using the timing of stratification
at an isolated site is too sensitive a parameter for validating palaeotidal models.
The GSTCP does not fully resolve the changes in observed grain size at the core locations, thus the proxy is considered unsuitable for constraining palaeotidal model output in this context. The main limitations are the lack of consideration of sediment availability
and supply, the limited spatial extent of the geological data (i.e. few sediment cores) and the absence of wave-induced BSS. Future work should consider combined wave and current induced sediment transport, and the feedbacks between evolving morphodynamics and hydrodynamics, over a range of timescales.
The new proxy can be used to approximate the large-scale sediment distribution over the NWESS for the present-day, and has been applied to palaeotidal model output to
predict the evolution of large-scale patterns in sediment dynamics across the shelf over the last 21 ka. The predictive map of the large-scale distribution of seabed sediment grain size is useful for a number of applications, including for considering the marine aggregate
resource, for marine habitat mapping, and for including spatially-varying bed roughnesses in hydrodynamic- and morphodynamic models.


Introduction In the emerging knowledge economy (OECD, 1996), as the possibilities of the information revolution challenge our ongoing efforts in information systems (IS) design, as witnessed by the continuous shift of IS support from a principle of automation (Venkatraman, 1994) to the practice of informating (Zuboff, 1988) and knowledging (Savage, 1990), it is very easy to be blinded to the essential uselessness of our computerized support by the sense of achievement we get from getting them to work. Indeed, many of today's information systems are difficult to learn and awkward to use; they often change our activities in ways that we do not need or want. The problem lies in the IS development (ISD) process (Lederer & Sethi, 1988; Vat, 2004c). Oftentimes, IS designers have to face convoluted networks of trade-off and inter-dependence, the need to coordinate and integrate the contributions of many kinds of experts, and the potential of unintended impacts on people and their social institutions. If project development for IS support is concerned with understanding, designing, evaluating and implementing interactive computer systems to match the needs of people, it is convinced (Vat, 2004b) that through maintaining a continuous focus on situations of and consequences for human work and activities, IS designers could become more informed of the problem domains, seeing usage situations from different perspectives, and managing trade-offs to reach usable and effective design outcomes. However, getting users' work right involves capturing and accommodating users' emergent (or subject-to-change) analytical activities, which are open-ended yet integrated and opportunistic yet coherent. IS developers must understand the intertwined regularities and idiosyncrasies of human activities and create software that support the right moves and degrees of agility at the right times and places and for specific purposes. In this regard, the problem of designing IS support for knowledge work should never be thought of as something to be defined once and for all, and then implemented. Instead, it must be based on the observation that all real-world organizational problem situations contain people interested in trying to take purposeful action (Checkland, 1981, 1999). And the idea of a set of activities linked together so that the whole, as an entity called the human activity systems (HAS) from the viewpoint of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) (Checkland & Holwell, 1998; Checkland & Scholes, 1999) could prove useful. In fact, as far as pursuing a purpose is concerned, a HAS model could be considered as a representative organizational scenario for exploring any situation-specific IS support, which is never fixed once and for all. In this paper, we are particularly interested in the IS design scenario for a group of people engaged in collaborative project work. Our discussion is elaborated in terms of a curriculum action research report relating our students' PBL (problem-based learning) course experience (Vat, 2000, 2001) to the IS design issues behind creating the necessary HAS models (Vat, 2005) to represent the various organizational dynamics of teamwork involvement (Vat, 2004f). Of particular interest here is a proposed actionable ISD framework, in which SSM is integrated as the essential strategy of requirements elicitation and analysis. Research Background The teaching of Software Psychology, or more properly renamed as human-computer interactions (HCI) (Vat, 2000, 2001) in the undergraduate curriculum has always been a challenge as it is composed of such a mix of elements as human factors, user expectations, man-machine interfaces construction, cognitive psychology, computer science, and those latest developments on contextual design in interactive systems. In the case of the author's teaching experience, since 1998, the pedagogy adopted to deliver such a course has been shifted from a conventional instructivist approach to the constructivist method of problem-based learning (PBL) (Greening, 2000; Ryan, 1993). …


The continually increasing literature on foreign- and security-policy dimensions of the European Union (EU) has provided no remedy for the widespread helplessness in gaining a purchase on Europe as an international actor. The basic hindrance to understanding this policy comes from an all-too-literal interpretation of the acronym involved: the CFSP is understood as a total or partial replacement of the nation-states' foreign and security policy. This article aims to point the way to a new understanding of the CFSP in which this policy is not based on the integration of nation state foreign and security policy. I suggest that the proper way to grasp the phenomenon of the CFSP is to describe it as an international regime whose goal is to administer links between economic integration and foreign- and security policy cooperation in the sense of maximizing the sovereignty of member states. This requires, on the one hand, the prevention of "spillovers" from the economic area that could interfere with the foreign- and security-policy indepen dence of member states. On the other hand, it demands applying the EU's economic potential to reinforce the foreign- and security-policy range of member states. Due to the logic of this policy, CFSP priorities and fields of ac tion differ profoundly from those of a national foreign and security policy. Expectations on the evolution of the CFSP must be aware of these basic characteristics of this policy.


Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an inflammatory disease promoted by changes in immune cell function. Monocytes and T cells play roles in T2D inflammation as evidenced, in part, by our demonstration of pro-inflammatory T cell subset skewing in T2D patients. However, the role of cross-talk amongst immune system cells in T2D is poorly unstudied. PBMC depletion studies showed that T2D patient T cells, unlike non-diabetic (ND) donor cells, required monocytes to maintain IL-17 hyper-secretion. In contrast, B cell depletion did not affect T2D Th17 function, but surprisingly, B cell depletion from non-diabetic (ND) mixed cell cultures significantly elevated Th17 function. Based on the role B cell IL-10 plays in inflammation resolution, we tested the hypothesis that IL-10 regulates immune cell cross-talk to block Th17 function. IL-10 addition to B cell-depleted PBMCs decreased IL-17 to "healthy" levels in both ND and T2D samples, indicating that both cell types are physiologically capable of interpreting the anti-inflammatory signals from B cells despite the presence of pro-inflammatory monocytes in T2D samples. Critically, unlike ND B cells, T2D B cells fail to secrete IL-10, thus lack of B cell IL-10 in T2D samples compounds elevated pro-Th17 cytokine production by monocytes. We conclude that IL-10 can block monocyte-mediated increases in Th17 function, and that lack of B cell IL-10 in T2D associates with IL-17-induced inflammation thus metabolic imbalance.


Biometric recognition is becoming more and more important with the increasing demand for security, and more usable with the improvement of computer vision as well as pattern recognition technologies. Hand vein patterns have been recognised as a good biometric measure for personal identification due to many excellent characteristics, such as uniqueness and stability, as well as difficulty to copy or forge. This thesis covers all the research and development aspects of a biometric person identification system based on near-infrared hand-dorsa vein images.

Firstly, the design and realisation of an optimised vein image capture device is presented. In order to maximise the quality of the captured images with relatively low cost, the infrared illumination and imaging theory are discussed. Then a database containing 2040 images from 102 individuals, which were captured by this device, is introduced.

Secondly, image analysis and the customised image pre-processing methods are discussed. The consistency of the database images is evaluated using mean squared error (MSE) and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). Geometrical pre-processing, including shearing correction and region of interest (ROI) extraction, is introduced to improve image consistency. Image noise is evaluated using total variance (TV) values. Grey-level pre-processing, including grey-level normalisation, filtering and adaptive histogram equalisation are applied to enhance vein patterns.

Thirdly, a gradient-based image segmentation algorithm is compared with popular algorithms in references like Niblack and Threshold Image algorithm to demonstrate its effectiveness in vein pattern extraction. Post-processing methods including morphological filtering and thinning are also presented.

Fourthly, feature extraction and recognition methods are investigated, with several new approaches based on keypoints and local binary patterns (LBP) proposed. Through comprehensive comparison with other approaches based on structure and texture features as well as performance evaluation using the database created with 2040 images, the proposed approach based on multi-scale partition LBP is shown to provide the best recognition performance with an identification rate of nearly 99%.

Finally, the whole hand-dorsa vein identification system is presented with a user interface for administration of user information and for person identification.


Aberrant histone lysine methylation that is controlled by histone lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) and demethylases (KDMs) plays significant roles in carcinogenesis. Infections by tumor viruses or parasites and exposures to chemical carcinogens can modify the process of histone lysine methylation. Many KMTs and KDMs contribute to malignant transformation by regulating the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), forming a fused gene, interacting with proto-oncogenes or being up-regulated in cancer cells. In addition, histone lysine methylation participates in tumor suppressor gene inactivation during the early stages of carcinogenesis by regulating DNA methylation and/or by other DNA methylation independent mechanisms. Furthermore, recent genetic discoveries of many mutations in KMTs and KDMs in various types of cancers highlight their numerous roles in carcinogenesis and provide rare opportunities for selective and tumor-specific targeting of these enzymes. The study on global histone lysine methylation levels may also offer specific biomarkers for cancer detection, diagnosis and prognosis, as well as for genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogenic exposures and risk assessment. This review summarizes the role of histone lysine methylation in the process of cellular transformation and carcinogenesis, genetic alterations of KMTs and KDMs in different cancers and recent progress in discovery of small molecule inhibitors of these enzymes.


The down-scaling of conventional MOSFETs has led to an impending power crisis, in which static power consumption is becoming too high. In order to improve the energy-efficiency of electronic circuits, small swing switches are interesting candidates to replace or complement the MOSFETs used today. Tunnel FETs, which are gated p-i-n diodes whose on-current arises from band-to-band tunneling, are attractive new devices for low-power applications due to their low off-current and their potential for a small subthreshold swing. The numerical simulations presented in this thesis have been carried out using a non-local band-to-band tunneling model in Silvaco Atlas. Numerical simulations based on correct underlying models are important for emerging devices, since they can provide insights about optimization before fabrication is carried out, can aid the understanding of device physics through 1D and 2D cross sections, and can be the basis for the formation of an accurate compact model. In general, only CMOS-compatible materials and structures have been used in the Tunnel FET designs presented here. One goal of this thesis was to stay within the framework of what is possible in standard industrial nanoelectronics cleanrooms today, without requiring processes whose mastery lies many years in the future. For this reason, the focus of this thesis is on all-silicon devices, and heterostructures that incorporate other materials are only mentioned. In chapter three, the optimization of the static characteristics of a Tunnel FET is carried out, looking at gate structure (single or double), doping levels of each device region, gate dielectric permittivity, and silicon body thickness. A study of the reduction of the band gap at the tunnel junction is also presented, showing the resulting improvement in on-current and subthreshold swing. Chapter four introduces a new method for threshold voltage extraction in Tunnel FETs. This method has one key advantage over the commonly-used constant current threshold voltage extraction technique: it has a physical meaning. The transconductance method, which has already been used for conventional MOSFETs, pinpoints the Tunnel FET voltage at which the transition from strong control to weak control of the tunneling energy barrier width, and therefore the on-current, takes place. This is analogous to the threshold voltage in a conventional MOSFET which marks the transition from weak inversion to strong inversion at φs=2φF. It is found that Tunnel FETs have two threshold voltages, one in relation to the gate voltage, and the second in relation to the drain voltage, and each depends on the voltage applied at the opposite terminal. A length scaling study is carried out in chapter five, demonstrating the scaling limits of Tunnel FETs at gate lengths on the order of 10-20 nm, due to p-i-n diode leakage current that degrades the off-current. Tunnel FETs designed to have better electrostatic control of the tunnel junction by the gate can scale further before they hit this diode leakage limit at some small gate length. Chapter six presents an additive booster strategy for Tunnel FET optimization, and then uses the resulting optimized device as the basis of a parameter variation study. Here, one parameter is varied at a time, and the effects on the important characteristics (subthreshold swing, threshold voltage, and on-current) are evaluated. The parameters requiring the most control during fabrication are identified. Since Tunnel FETs are emerging devices, the most important future work will be to fabricate fully-optimized n- and p-type devices, and to develop accurate compact models for their incorporation into circuits.


The Society for Tropical Ecology/Gesellschaft fur Tropenokologie (STE/gto) and we, the editors, are happy to announce the relaunch of ECOTROPICA. More than four years have passed since the last issue was released. Since then, the board of STE/gto have worked on finding a way to relaunch ECOTROPICA, while keeping it as a low-cost journal. We believe we have found a feasible solution and the first papers are now available. The new ECOTROPICA is quite different from the previous versions. From now on, it will be published online only as an open access journal. This brings substantial flexibility with, for example, increased opportunities to include colour images and figures. Manuscripts can now be submitted online, too. With regard to the type of papers published in ECOTROPICA, we will keep our "classical" categories - Article, Short Communication and Review but will add new categories -"Field Station Profiles" and occasional "Essays". The former provides the opportunity to present well known and lesser known field stations to a broader audience. Essays are short papers that address topics and issues in tropical ecology not only from a strictly scientific viewpoint but taking a broader perspective. They will be published at the discretion of the editors. ECOTROPICA welcomes contributions to all fields of tropical ecology from fellow tropical ecologists from all over the world. We hope that the relaunch of ECOTROPICA will strengthen the visibility of tropical ecology research and be a part of the increasingly urgent efforts to conserve our tropical natural heritage.
Eckhard W. Heymann & Marco Tschapka, Co-Editors


Abstract:Reynaldo Ileto's 1979 work Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840–1910, attempted to reconstruct the categories of perception of "the masses" by using the religious performance of the suffering and death of Christ, the pasyon, as source material. Critical re-examination of his work reveals that the attempt was deeply flawed. It engaged with the pasyon as a literary text, ignored the significance of its performance and treated it in an ahistorical manner. An attentiveness to performance demonstrates that the pasyon was a cross-class and linguistically specific phenomenon. This insight dramatically attenuates the argumentative force of Ileto's claim to provide an historical understanding of the consciousness of the masses and their participation in revolution.


At the core of Heinz Werner's concept of development is what he called "the genetic principle of spirality:" over the course of ontogenetic development, lower levels, processes, and functions do not disappear, and can even resurface again under specific conditions, normal and pathological. Werner's work with Bernard Kaplan on symbol formation is a primer on this idea. This paper examines the idea of spirality and develops the notion of dynamic coexistence that can clarify the issue of directionality of development; that is, what is the general trajectory or ground plan that development assumes. Directionality is discussed in terms of the organism-in-environment unfolding over time as the unit of developmental analysis. Thinking on this issue has proceeded from the nature–nurture debates, to recognition of the interaction of external and internal processes, to transactions between the organism and the environment. The idea of dynamic coexistence is developed on this foundation. In the context of Werner and Kaplan's work, dynamic coexistence represents the syncretic nature of processes and levels of organization: they are neither innately fused nor organized. Instead, the antithesis between fusion and differentiation is resolved only in concrete, context-bound conditions, even as development is generally oriented towards differentiation in maturity. Idiographic science, with its orientation towards generalizing from the unique and its attention to intra-individual variation over time, is discussed as the adequate methodological orientation for Wernerian developmental analysis.


Why should learning about finance and investing be dull and confusing? The Cat & the Banker is a fun and unconventional illustrated book about investing for people who don't know where to start. Truth be told, this really is most people. This accessible, creative guide is ideal for anyone put off by stuffy investment manuals. The Cat & the Banker addresses these problems:
 * Books about personal finance tend to be dry and boring. The Cat & the Banker distills powerful ideas through a candid and fun conversation between a cat and his banker. The underlying story puts the notions in context and helps readers relate to the concepts. * Few people find time to read conventional books about personal finance. The Cat & the Banker goes straight to essentials without getting bogged down in unnecessary intricacies. * Personal finance books often give inadequate recipes. The Cat & the Banker provides a framework for how things actually work and empowers readers to make their own decisions. * Investing looks confusing. It is hard to know how to allocate your own money. The Cat and the Banker takes readers step by step on a journey through how different types of investments work, what they do, and how they relate to the real world; all in a simple, playful and engaging way.


In order to determine the species composition and inshore migration of the tropical eels Anguilla spp. migrating to an Indonesian river, we collected 21 633 glass eels at the mouth of the Poigar River, north Sulawesi Island, throughout 1997, and subjected these samples to both morphological examination and polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polyrnorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Three species, Anguilla celebesensis, A. marmorata and A. bicolorpacifica, were found throughout the season in fluctuating abundance, while the previously recorded A. borneensis was not recognized in the study. A. celebesensis constituted a dominant 88.3 % of all glass eels migrating to the Poigar River in 1997, and was seen throughout most of the year, with a peak in May and June. A. marmorata (11.3%) was also seen throughout most of the year, with peak occurrence in June. A. bicolorpacifica (0.4 %) occurred only in January, March, April, October and December.


MOTIVATION
Two major bottlenecks in advancing comparative protein structure modeling are the efficient combination of multiple template structures and the generation of a correct input target-template alignment.

RESULTS
A novel method, Multiple Mapping Method with Multiple Templates (M4T) is introduced that implements an algorithm to automatically select and combine Multiple Template structures (MT) and an alignment optimization protocol (Multiple Mapping Method, MMM). The MT module of M4T selects and combines multiple template structures through an iterative clustering approach that takes into account the 'unique' contribution of each template, their sequence similarity among themselves and to the target sequence, and their experimental resolution. MMM is a sequence-to-structure alignment method that optimally combines alternatively aligned regions according to their fit in the structural environment of the template structure. The resulting M4T alignment is used as input to a comparative modeling module. The performance of M4T has been benchmarked on CASP6 comparative modeling target sequences and on a larger independent test set, and showed favorable performance to current state of the art methods.


Two experiments are described which investigate the orientational consequences of flocking in homing pigeons Columba livia. Previous experiments have shown that homing pigeons placed inside a clear-sided release box for 5 min before release from a familiar site have enhanced ground homing speed compared with those placed in an opaque-sided box. It is assumed that previewing the surrounding landscape allows for faster homing since a bird denied this information must accumulate the knowledge on release. In experiment 1, using the same technique developed in these experiments but releasing the birds in pairs we showed that within familiar areas, homing pigeons can exploit a partner that has acquired more information, allowing them to home more quickly. In experiment 2 we attempted to test three potential strategies which may occur during homing flights. The results do not conclusively distinguish between these three mechanisms but suggest that orientation of the pairs of birds is most likely to have resulted from a compromise of individual tendencies, or from following the best homer, but not from following a 'governing leader'. The consequence of these mechanisms is discussed.


Heavy metals as environmental pollutants have been recognized to have a role in induction of malignant human growths. Recently, certain heavy metals showed a close association to breast cancer. This research was conducted to find out the role of some toxic heavy metals (cadmium, iron, copper, lead and zinc) in induction of breast cancer in-vivo. The study was carried out on 100 female patients: 75 with breast cancer (cancerous group) and 25 with benign breast diseases (non-cancerous group). Patients were chosen from those attending to the Oncology Center, Mansoura University. Heavy metals concentrations were measured in the urine and breast tissue samples using inductive coupled plasma (ICP) - spectrometer. The present results showed a significant increase in urine and tissue cadmium concentrations and urine copper concentration in cancerous patients compared to their corresponding non-cancerous ones (p < 0.05). Also, there was a significant reduction in iron concentration in urine samples of cancerous group compared to their corresponding non-cancerous one (p < 0.05). On the other hand, lead had no significant difference between cancerous and non cancerous groups but it was generally high in the tissue samples while zinc had no significant difference between studied groups. It could be concluded that the present study posits a causal association between cadmium and copper increase with reduction of iron and breast cancer.


A design exhibition showcasing objects that adhere to the traditional view of design as a tool for problem-solving, Born out of Necessity offered close examination of the problems themselves—whether urgent, foreseen, or imagined. From objects that respond to pressing needs in developing countries to new solutions that are tailored to the urban environment, the exhibition examined how design intervenes across a range of experiences, including medical emergencies and natural disasters. Other objects demonstrated how products created to address specific challenges for people with disabilities can provide solutions that improve everyone's life. Drawing on the narrative power of design, Born out of Necessity addressed a host of complex cultural developments, such as the need to incorporate environmental responsibility in everyday life, our attempts to marry ancient religious beliefs with contemporary mores, and the desire to anticipate and prevent technological and ecological quagmires.


Sensors designed and fabricated according to the principles of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are being developed for several medical applications in outer space and on Earth. The designs of these sensors are based on a core design family of pressure sensors, small enough to fit into the eye of a needle, that are fabricated by a "dissolved wafer" process. The sensors are expected to be implantable, batteryless, and wireless. They would be both powered and interrogated by hand-held radio transceivers from distances up to about 6 in. (about 15 cm). One type of sensor would be used to measure blood pressure, particularly for congestive heart failure. Another type would be used to monitor fluids in patients who have hydrocephalus (high brain pressure). Still other types would be used to detect errors in delivery of drugs and to help patients having congestive heart failure.


The formation of the Himalayas and surrounding mountain ranges is one of the most significant tectonic events of the Cenozoic, with far reaching impacts on both regional and global climate. The Pamir represents the indented westward continuation of the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau making them a key study area to examine internal deformation and intracontinental subduction processes. Yet the tectonics of the Pamir Salient is poorly understood. Much debate is ongoing, regarding the extent of indentation and mechanisms driving uplift of the Pamir. This project seeks to provide constraints on the timing of Pamir evolution and examine the impact of Pamir formation on the regional climate using a variety of techniques to date and interpret observed variations in terms of provenance, tectonism and climate, the results of which are presented here. At ~41 Ma the Tarim Sea retreated from the Aertashi region. Continental deposition ensued, dominated by the western Kunlun to the south. By 24-22 Ma, basinward expansion of the NW margin of Tibet coincides with the initiation of Pamir indentation. Activation of strike slip faulting, growth strata and exhumation along the Kashgar-Yecheng Transfer System is evidenced in the Aertashi region which may be linked to a pull-apart basin. By ~18.5 Ma, the onset of northward thrusting of the Kunlun hinterland and southward migrating foreland of the Tian Shan positions the Aertashi region in the depocenter of the Tarim Basin. By ~15 Ma, the Pamir Salient had propagated sufficiently far north, that the north Pamir, and by 11 Ma the Central Pamir were proximal to Aertashi. The Eocene – mid Miocene climate in the Tarim Basin was highly seasonal with evidence of increased aridity. Aridification was interrupted by a short period of increased humidity at ~17.6-15 Ma which can be linked to the mid-Miocene climate optimum, or a facies change. Limited comparative studies make climatic conclusions tentative.


We study dynamic behavior of Potts model with invisible states near the first-order phase transition temperature. This model is regarded as a standard model to analyse nature of phase transition. We can control the energy barrier between the ordered state and disordered state without changing the symmetry which breaks at the transition point. We focus on melting process starting from the perfect ordered state. We calculate time-dependency of the order parameter, density of invisible state, and internal energy. All of them show two-step relaxation behavior. We also analyze the relationship between the characteristic melting time and characteristic scale of the energy barrier by changing the number of invisible states. We find that characteristic melting time increases as the energy barrier enlarges in this model. This model is regarded as a fundamental model to analyze dynamic behavior near the first-order phase transition point.


Mytilene is the capital of Lesvos, the eighth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and the largest in the North Aegean. The region of North Aegean is a geotectonically complex area, because its geodynamic status is directly affected by the North Anatolian Fault Zone. In the present paper, microtremor data have been analyzed for the city of Mytilene using Nakamura technique of Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) to ascertain the structure in terms of the predominant frequency. 100 microtremor measurements have been performed in the city of Mytilene. At each point of microtremor measurement, the natural frequency and amplification factor have been determined. The predominant frequency varies from 0.4 Hz to 6.6 Hz. The amplification factor in 0.4-8.07 range has been obtained from the HVSR analysis. The results are presented in terms of maps, including the spatial variability of the predominant frequency and developed GIS database. The results of this study make it clear that the characteristics of microtremors depend on the type of soil deposits.


Codd's relational model describes just one possible world. To better cope with incomplete information, extended database models allow several possible worlds. Vague tables are one such convenient extended model where attributes accept sets of possible values (e.g., the manager is either Jill or Bob). However, conceptual database design in such cases remains an open problem. In particular, there is no canonical definition of functional dependencies (FDs) over possible worlds (e.g., each employee has just one manager). We identify several desirable properties that the semantics of such FDs should meet including Armstrong's axioms, the independence from irrelevant attributes, seamless satisfaction and implied by strong satisfaction. We show that we can define FDs such that they have all our desirable properties over vague tables. However, we also show that no notion of FD can satisfy all our desirable properties over a more general model (disjunctive tables). Our work formalizes a trade-off between having a general model and having well-behaved FDs.


In this paper we calculate error probability of packetized signal when method of redundant packet sending is used in IP network. The number of repeated signaling packets from each interval of packetization is determined to achieve the desired error probability. The method for management of this number of repetitions is developed based on the new analysis. This method is especially important in the case of sending signaling criteria of classic telephony network over IP network, because it makes possible to reach the same error probability as in classic telephony network.


Although forgiveness has been associated with reduced anxiety in several studies, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder, the potential association between forgiveness and obsessive-compulsiveness has been generally unexplored. The current study examined the association between three dimensions of forgiveness and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms as mediated by locus of control (LOC) in a college student sample (N = 241). Forgiveness of self (FS) and of others, but not feeling forgiven by God, were associated with overall OC symptoms and with a majority of symptom subscales. LOC was limited in its role as a mediator that was restricted to associations with FS. Furthermore, LOC-Chance was the only dimension found to be a specific mediator, as control attributed internally and to powerful others did not mediate any of the forgiveness-OC associations. These findings are discussed in the context of both past and future research related to forgiveness, obsessive-compulsiveness, and control constructs.


The ability of plant cell immune sensors to combine in different pairs could expand the host's defense against pathogens. [Also see Report by Williams et al.] Plants are constantly interpreting microbial signals from potential pathogens and potential commensals or mutualists. Because plants have no circulating cells dedicated to this task, every plant cell must, in principle, recognize any microbe as friend, foe, or irrelevant bystander. That tall order is mediated by an array of innate immune system receptors: pattern-recognition receptors outside the plant cell and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)–like receptors (NLRs) inside the cell. Despite their importance for plant health, how NLRs function mechanistically has remained obscure. On page 299 of this issue, Williams et al. (1) reveal a role for heterodimerization between NLRs and show how the rather limited NLR repertoire of any plant genome might be enhanced by combinatorial diversity.


Dikes can be divided into sheeted, feeder, cone and swarm types based on the origin and the formation. A group of dikes that are formed in dense in a relatively broad zone influenced by a particular tectonic regime are referred to as swarm dikes. Swarm dikes have numerous applications such as locating mantle plume centers, determining areas of longstanding tensions and detection of deformation networks. The purpose of this article is classified swarm dikes of "North of Saveh" based on previous studies. In one study, swarm dikes are classified based on their initial geometry into five types of I, II, III, IV and V. According to this classification, our study has been shown that the dikes in north of Saveh are of type IV. In another study, the swarm dikes are classified into three types: parallel, large radial and small radial. According to the classification, our study has been shown that the dikes of North Saveh are parallel that have arisen by tensions caused by the collision of the Arabian plate and the Central Iran plate. In addition to original tensions in the region, local faults have been effective on the arrangement and the establishment of dikes.


What is inequality? In the late 1990s there was an explosion of interest in the subject that yielded a substantial body of formal tools and results for income-distribution analysis. Nearly all of this is founded on a small set of core assumptions - such as the Principle of Transfers, scale independence, the population principle∑ - that are used to give meaning to specific concepts of inequality measurement, inequality ranking and, indeed, to inequality itself. But does the standard axiomatic structure coincide with public perceptions of inequality? Or is the economist's concept of inequality a thing apart, perpetuated through serial brainwashing in the way the subject is studied and taught? In this 1999 book, Amiel and Cowell examine the evidence from a large international questionnaire experiment using student respondents. Along with basic 'cake-sharing' issues, related questions involving social-welfare rankings, the relationship between inequality and overall income growth and the meaning of poverty comparisons are considered.


• The number of community staff nurses working in district nursing teams in the UK has increased in recent years as a result of organizational and educational initiatives such as skill mix and the Diploma in Professional Studies in Nursing (Project 2000).

• Although the wider economic, philosophical and educational arguments for the role creation has been discussed in the literature, little has been written on the reality of the role from the viewpoint of the staff nurse or the relationship between the role and service requirements. The researchers conducted 16 interviews with district staff nurses from two NHS Trusts. The interpretation was guided by phenomenology and focused on the subjective perceptions of the nurses.

• The data revealed dissatisfaction with their role among this group of staff nurses. Having been given a considerable degree of autonomy and responsibility as staff nurses in the hospital setting, they found that their role was limited and their skills 'suppressed' in the community.

• They recognized that nurses in 'F', 'G' and 'H' Grades had greater experience and more education than they, yet they believed that they had the ability to participate more in the assessment and planning of care than was currently permitted.

• They saw two factors as being mainly implicated in limiting their role: the tendency of district nurses to want to retain their 'authority' as assessors of care; and the Trust policy guidelines, which were somewhat inflexible on this issue. D Grade nurses also expressed their need for continuing education and support and for clearer career opportunities.

• Although these data cannot be generalized to the population of staff nurses as a whole, the authors make tentative suggestions relating to the insights which may be taken from them.


Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: A self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of mutually supportive beliefs. The present research shows that even mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively correlated in endorsement. In Study 1 (n = 137), the more participants believed that Princess Diana faked her own death, the more they believed that she was murdered. In Study 2 (n = 102), the more participants believed that Osama Bin Laden was already dead when U.S. special forces raided his compound in Pakistan, the more they believed he is still alive. Hierarchical regression models showed that mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively associated because both are associated with the view that the authorities are engaged in a cover-up (Study 2). The monological nature of conspiracy belief appears to be driven not by conspiracy theories directly supporting one another but by broader beliefs supporting conspiracy theories in general.


How cells can recognize foreign matter from self is a critical question in immune responses in organisms as diverse as flies and humans. Michel et al. describe a circulating peptidoglycan recognition protein-encoding gene (sem1) in Drosophila that is important for mediating Toll receptor-mediated responses to Gram-positive bacteria, but apparently is not involved in Toll-mediated responses to fungal infection. Genetic analysis suggested that sem1 is upstream of the Toll receptor, consistent with its putative location in Drosophila hemolymph (injection of wild-type hemolymph into sem1 mutant flies restored expression of the antimicrobial peptide drosomycin in response to Gram-positive bacteria). Kaisho and Akira discuss the similarities and differences in Toll and Toll-like receptor-mediated immune responses in mammals and flies. For a more comprehensive analysis of Toll-like receptors, see O'Neill. T. Michel, J.-M. Reichhart, J. A. Hoffmann, J. Royet, Drosophila Toll is activated by Gram-positive bacteria through a circulating peptidoglycan recognition protein. Nature 414, 756-759 (2001). [Online Journal] T. Kaisho, S. Akira, Immunology: Bug detectors. Nature 414, 701-703 (2001). [Online Journal] L. A. J. O'Neill, The interleukin-1 receptor/Toll-like receptor superfamily: Signal transduction during inflammation and host defense. Science's STKE (2000), http://www.stke.org/cgi/content/full/OC_sigtrans;2000/44/re1. [Abstract] [Full Text]


Perennial ryegrass (PR) (Lolium perenne L.) is often used as a low-mowed turf in the transition climatic zone. However, control of the fungal disease gray leaf spot (Pyricu- laria grisea (Cooke) Sacc.) has drastically increased the cost of PR management. Seeded bermudagrasses (SB) (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) are viable options for turfgrass man- agement operations with limited pesticide budgets. Field trials in 2000 and 2001 tested the effects of two herbicides and several plant growth regulators (PGR) during renovation of mature PR to either of two cultivars of SB. The herbicides glyphosate and pronamide, and the PGR's trinexapac-ethyl, ethephon, paclobutrazol, and flurprimidol were applied at label rates to mature stands of PR. ʻMirage' and ʻYukon' SB were seeded separately either 1 or 7 days after applications (DAA) of chemicals. SB establishment, first-winter survival, and turfgrass quality (TQ) were rated and compared to an untreated control. Results indicated that only applications of glyphosate resulted in acceptable renovation of PR to SB, but also resulted in significantly lower (P < 0.05) TQ during the transition. Applications of pronamide resulted in significantly less (P < 0.05) SB transition than did applications of glyphosate, but pronamide plots maintained higher TQ. None of the PRG treatements had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on SB transition. There were no consistent significant effects (P < 0.05) due to DAA among any of the chemicals evaluated. First-winter survival was significantly higher (P < 0.05) with ʻYukon'than with ʻMirage'in both years. We conclude that among the chemi- cals tested, only applications of glyphosate resulted in acceptable transition of PR to SB, but a significant reduction of TQ should be expected during the transition. Chemical names used: (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine) (glyphosate); (3.5-dichloro-N-(1,1-dimethyl-2-propynyl)- benzamide) (pronamide); ((2-chloroethyl) phosphonic acid) (ethephon); (4-(cyclopropyl-α- hydroxy-methylene)-3,5-dioxo-cyclohexane-cabroxylic acid ethyl ester) (trinexapac-ethyl); ((±)-(R*R*)β-((4-chlorophenyl)-methyl)-α-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol) (paclobutrazol); (α-(1-methylethyl)-α-(4-(trifluromethoxy)phenyl)-5-pyrmidinemethanol) (flurprimidol).


This project related with the "Intipati Rancangan Malaysia ke-10 (2011-2015)" that provide opportunities to the private sector cooperate with the Government. In addition, this project is also supported by the Government under the Belia 1 Malaysia program. Next, the project is the request itself from YAMAHA MUSIC (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. to open a music center preferred by the youth of today and the concept is simple. This is because, YAMAHA MUSIC (Malaysia) already have music lessons at more luxurious concept is only suitable for high-income groups. (Results from the interviews made). The Indie Music Centre is serves as an opportunity / platform to those who love art and film music indie (independent), which provides an easy way for them (youth) to share experiences, skills, and abilities in the arts of music and film indie (independent) under the same roof. Finally, the center also serves to help those who have the talent in the music art and film art indie (independent) to deliver their ambitions with the orderly and systematic manner. The aim for this project is to create the first independent music centre for YAMAHA MUSIC (Malaysia) at Malaysia.The objective for this project is to create welcoming sense to new indie music centre for Yamaha Music (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Secondly, To research more depth about the system of acoustic(sound system) to be applied in the interior while the music operate in the building, especially when the musical performance going. Next, to explore and study about music centre that involves music and film arts for youth. Futhermore, to designs and maximize the use of a space for a number of visitors who crowd in a certain time and divided space according to a variety of activities in one building. Moreover, to create a comfortable space centre and customer friendly to tourist. The competitive environment in centre and music industry is expected to get more intense. There are lot of music centre have been set up in every states in Malaysia and more are still to come. To succeed in this business, the owner will have to rethink their existing work practices and business strategies to see if more efficiencies and competitive advantage can be secured by doing things differently. This proposal is to open new concept centre of Yamaha Music (Malaysia) at Jalan Metro Pudu 1, Fraser Business Park, Off Jalan Yew 55200 Kuala Lumpur. The main objective is to introduce a 'Rhythm' concept and 'Modern' design to follow the client corporate image and identity. This centre is different from other music centre. It will be a hot spot for the indie music fans. The idea to undertake this project was given due attention after taking into consideration the current and design issues, and to solve the problems encountered by the music centre efficiently. Therefore, a plan was proposed to prepare new design and approach that may interest and fulfill the aspiration of the client, workers and customer. Design scheme concept should be taken into account as profoundest study. From the research and observation conducted, all data and details gathered was used as a guideline in the design process. Finally, reorganized space requipments by function and capacity visitors at one specific time. The concept that has been applied in this project is the Rhythm that is movement of the pattern. (Kementerian Kerajaan Malaysia, 2011)


Social Security is in jeopardy, private pension systems have fallen apart, and workers are trying to save for their own for retirement with the stock market in the worst shape since the Great Depression. In The Predictable Surprise, Sylvester J. Schieber shows that forewarnings of the coming retirement crisis have been apparent for decades, but we have never mustered the political will to address the problem. This book explains how we have gotten into the retirement predicament and where we can go from here. Schieber, a renowned authority on this topic, provides a compact, insightful history of Social Security, pension plans, and other retirement options, highlighting both their original justifications and the point when things began to go wrong. He brings his discussion right up to the present morass and concludes with suggestions as to how we can reform our retirement system. Our situation is not hopeless, Schieber concludes, if we take on some of these issues and resolve them. If we do not, we will severely jeopardize the prosperity of younger generations. Available in OSO:


The non-impact of the alphabet has garnered a lot of attention recently: how could an invention so revolutionary do so little? Researchers have been led to wonder whether the alphabet may not have been as revolutionary as had been thought, or perhaps that it was not invented as early as had been thought. Recent discoveries, however, coupled with a re-evaluation of data that has been long known, lead to a different conclusion: the alphabet did spread across the entire Near East, from Egypt, through Syria, into southern Mesopotamia, within a few centuries of its invention. The exact chronology differed from place to place, but the transmission is always seen to follow the opening of trade routes. Interestingly, the alphabetic script is typically seen in the hands of scribes, not formerly illiterate people. Thus the alphabet's revolutionary impact was limited by class structures, not geography.


Control Chart is a very common quality control tool in Industrial sector. Statistical quality control technique is used to determine the control limits and for exploring the changes that require improving the process. In real life there are many situations where the sample size used for process monitoring is one and then control chart for individual measurement is used. The data collected from a weaving mill provided six months of data on four characteristics for each bale of thread namely Fiber Fineness (Mic), Whiteness (Rd), Yellowness (+b) and Spinning consistency index (SCI). Moving Range Chart and Individual Measurement Chart has been applied on each of the characteristics to find out quality of bales of thread on those months and to determine a standard range for each parameter. After evaluating around 70 quality control charts the suggested range for Fiber Fineness, Whiteness, Yellowness and Spinning Consistency index should be 3.162075 to 4.396583, 75.08009 to 81.50754, 6.953162 to 9.434838 and 116.4203 to 185.8005 respectively. Garments industry is the largest export industry for Bangladesh constituting 75% of total export accumulating 10.5% of the country's GDP but still they lack in terms of quality control. In this paper an overview of quality control process is done on a leading garments industry in Bangladesh, specifically a weaving mill. This also paves a way to use other quality control processes and a chance to compare with these processes to determine a more suitable process for garments industries.


Communications security has been at the center of many security
improvements in the Internet. The goal has been to ensure that
communications are protected against outside observers and attackers.
This memo suggests that the existing RFC 3552 threat model, while
important and still valid, is no longer alone sufficient to cater for
the pressing security and privacy issues seen on the Internet today.
For instance, it is often also necessary to protect against endpoints
that are compromised, malicious, or whose interests simply do not
align with the interests of users. While such protection is difficult,
there are some measures that can be taken and we argue that
investigation of these issues is warranted. It is particularly
important to ensure that as we continue to develop Internet
technology, non-communications security related threats, and privacy
issues, are properly understood.


Earth belongs to a group of small, inner solar-system planets, including Mercury, Venus, and Mars, which all consist of a mantle made of silica-based minerals above an iron-rich core and crusts that show evidence of meteorite bombardment and volcanic lava flow. Beyond these basic similarities, and despite their similar formation processes in the inner solar system, these four planets are strangely different from one another. While the Earth's surface temperatures are relatively constant, Mercury goes through daily cycles of heat high enough to melt lead and cold deep enough to freeze carbon dioxide gas. Though the study of geology started with the Earth, making it the standard against which other planets are compared, "The Earth and the Moon" compares the Earth equally with other planets to clearly display the similarities and differences between the various orbiting bodies. This volume discusses the fundamental aspects of the Earth as a planet, including its size, mass, orbit, surface appearance, atmosphere, and the causes of its seasons. This volume also covers the evolution of the moon in relation to the geological features of the Earth and the history behind the successful space missions to the moon. Perfect for those interested in understanding the science and history behind the exploration of the Earth and Moon, this volume presents an unbiased view of this exciting topic.


In this thesis, I examine organisational responses to data-centric policy changes in publicly funded arts and cultural organisations in England (ACOs). This research examines a period of time (2015–16) when ACOs were implementing Arts Council England's (ACE) requirements to share audience data and engage with data analysis tools, the aim of which was to promote a 'healthy and competitive sector' and ensure that 'more and more people up and down the country enjoy great art and culture' (Arts Council England, 2015, p.15). This data sharing policy (DSP) sits within the context of a big data discourse in the arts and cultural sector to promote 'data-driven decision-making' (Lilley and Moore, 2013), leading to the emergence of an arts 'data culture' (Arvanitis et al., 2016). This research takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing principally on arts management and organisation theory, and employs empirical evidence collected through semi-structured interviews with senior managers in the publicly funded arts and cultural sector. Analysis of the data highlights four key insights relating to the work of arts managers in the context of implementing ACE's data sharing policy and the wider 'datafication' of the arts and cultural sector. First, the emergence of an arts data culture is the product of long-standing data subcultures1 gaining prominence following greater dialogue, opportunities, and policy pressures for ACOs to utilise data effectively across their organisational decision making. Second, while some arts managers are proficient in 'data-centric' practices, there remains a significant gap in data literacy and data handling sensitivity among a number of arts managers working in the sector. Third, the new-found emphasis on data-driven decision making challenges arts managers' perceptions of their own professional identity and sense of agency as leaders of artistic organisations when making artistic decisions, as their experience and tacit knowledge may hold less weight than the objective 'facts' provided by data. Finally, ACE's data sharing policy challenges arts managers' and their organisations' ability to satisfy the opposing legitimacy requirements of the multiple actors they are accountable to, leaving them 'stuck in the middle' of policy requirements.


Most social ventures cross the boundaries between the private, the public and the non-profit/voluntary sectors, and this broad involvement of actors and intertwining of sectors makes the label 'societal' entrepreneurship more appropriate. Stating the importance of both the local and the broader societal context, the book reports close-up studies from a variety of social ventures. Generic themes include positioning societal entrepreneurship against other images of collective entrepreneurship, critically penetrating its assumptions and practices and proposing ways of promoting societal entrepreneurship more widely.en


Abstract. The availability of content constantly generated within theWeb has resulted in an incredibly rich virtual social environment from which it is possible to retrieve almost any sort of information. Since the advent of the social media connection with location-based services, this information has attracted the interest of manifold disciplines connected to the spatial data science. In this context, we introduce the URBAN-GEO BIG DATA (URBAN GEOmatics for Bulk Information Generation, Data Assessment and Technology Awareness), a Project of National Interest funded by the Italian Ministry of Education that aims at contributing to the exploitation of heterogeneous geodata sources such as VGI, geo-crowdsourcing, earth observation, etc. for a better understanding of urban dynamics. The presented work tackles one of the tasks requested by the project, which is connected to an investigation of the use of Twitter as a geodata source for retrieving valuable insights on the citizens' interaction with mobility services and hubs. The study refers to five Italian cities, namely Milan, Turin, Padua, Rome, and Naples. Data collection is performed through the use of the Twitter streaming application programming interface. Collected data is analyzed by means of natural language processing techniques with Python. Results include a) extractions of mobility-related tweets presented by means of maps enabling the exploration of their spatial distribution within the cities, and b) a classification of the mobility-related tweets by means of sentiment analysis, allowing to investigate citizens' perceptions of mobility services. A light and reproducible procedure to achieve these results is also outlined. In general terms, the results are intended for providing snapshots of the citizen interaction with both mobility infrastructure and services enabling a better description of mobility patterns and habits within the studied cities. The work leverages the geo-crowdsourced data within the traditional urban management practices in Italy and investigates the benefits, drawbacks, limitations connected to these data sources, which is the ultimate goal of the URBAN-GEO BIG DATA project.


HUBENOVA, T., I. ILIEV and A. ZAIKOV, 2014. Reproductive biology of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Raf.) reared in heated water. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 20: 957-961 Size and age at which the channel catfish reared in the conditions of a thermal power station cooling lake have reached sexual maturity were studied. The fish were reared in net cages situated in the cooling lake. The water temperature during the winter months does not fall under 10 о С, which allows the fish to feed during the autumn-winter period and to generate growth. The established body weight of the one-summer old catfish is 100.5 g for males and 81.2 g for females. For the one-year old catfish, the body weight was 163.4 g for males and 133.2 g for females. Differentiation of the gonads was clearly pronounced as early as at age of one-summer. The GSI was 0.19% for the females and 0.016% for the males. By the age of one year, the ovaries doubled in size with an average weight of 0.21g, and the testes of 0.03 g. The GSI had values of 0.21% for the females and 0.04% for the males. The maturity stage of the ovary and the testis was determined as stage II. For the two-summer old catfish (16-17 months of age), an average body weight of 958.9 g for the males and 894.8 g for the females was established. The GSI was 1.68% for females and 0.15% for males. The ovary was in the III-IV stage of maturity and their predominant fraction consisted of early vitellogenic follicles. At an age of 18-19 months, the ovary was in the IV stage of maturity, and the vitellogenic follicles were the main fraction in the ovary. The spawning takes place during mid May-early June, and the fish that reached the age of two years, is with an average body weight of 1007.8 g for the males and 985.2 g for the females, and can participate successfully in the reproduction process. The values of the absolute (7 583 eggs) and relative (8700 eggs/kgbody weight) fecundity for the two-year old matured channel catfish were lower than those typical for the older sexually mature fish. The weight and diameter of the eggs were 0.0071 g and 2.12 mm, respectively.


Intermittent cross-field particle transport events (ITEs) are studied in the basic toroidal device TORPEX [TORoidal Plasma EXperiment, A. Fasoli et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 055902 (2006)], with focus on the role of the density gradient. ITEs are due to the intermittent radial elongation of an interchange mode. The elongating positive wave crests can break apart and form blobs. This is not necessary, however, for plasma particles to be convected a considerable distance across the magnetic field lines. Conditionally sampled data reveal two different scenarios leading to ITEs. In the first case, the interchange mode grows radially from a slab-like density profile and leads to the ITE. A novel analysis technique reveals a monotonic dependence between the vertically averaged inverse radial density scale length and the probability for a subsequent ITE. In the second case, the mode is already observed before the start of the ITE. It does not elongate radially in a first stage, but at a later time. It is shown that this elongation is preceded by a steepening of the density profile as well. ©2008 American Institute of Physics


There are consequences to theories in a world questioning the power of the President. For decades, some originalists, including Justice Scalia, maintained that the President enjoys "all" executive power. Of course, this is not the Constitution's actual text (which refers to "the" executive power, not "all" executive power) — but a highly contestable, and potentially dangerous, addition of meaning to the text. As I demonstrate in this Article, adding to the actual text of the Constitution is common in the originalist literature on executive power, whether the precise question is the President's removal power, the President's power to refuse to enforce the law, or the President's obligations under the Emoluments Clause. Using elementary principles from the philosophy of language — principles that apply to all communication — I explain how originalist interpreters in this area "pragmatically enrich" the text, without articulating or justifying those additions and without seeking to test those meanings against the full text of the Constitution. Before one gets to history, the originalist has assumed a unit of textual analysis — a word, a clause, a paragraph — that may effectively enrich the meaning to reflect the interpreter's preferred policy position. If this is correct, originalists must theorize the "interpretation zone," a putatively neutral place from which historical inquiries are launched, and explain why interpreters may add meaning by pragmatic enrichment in this zone — particularly if those meanings are falsified by the rest of the Constitution. Perhaps more importantly, originalism's opponents need to start talking about how to reclaim the actual text of the Constitution.


Abstract. Earth's ionosphere is an important medium of radio wave propagation in modern times. However, the effective use of the ionosphere depends on the understanding of its
spatiotemporal variability. Towards this end, a number of ground- and space-based monitoring facilities have been set up over the years. The information from these stations has also been
complemented by model-based studies. However, assessment of the performance of ionospheric models in capturing observations needs to be conducted. In
this work, the performance of the IRI-2016 model in simulating the total electron content (TEC) observed by a network of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers is evaluated
based on the RMSE, the bias, the mean absolute error (MAE) and skill score, the normalized mean bias factor (NMBF), the normalized mean absolute error factor (NMAEF),
the correlation, and categorical metrics such as the quantile probability of detection (QPOD), the quantile
categorical miss (QCM), and the quantile critical success index (QCSI). The IRI-2016 model simulations are evaluated against gridded International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Service (IGS) GPS-TEC and TEC observations at a network of GPS receiver
stations during the
solar minima in 2008 and solar maxima in 2013. The phases of modeled and simulated TEC time series agree strongly over most of the globe, as indicated by a high correlations during
all solar activities with the exception of the polar regions. In addition, lower RMSE, MAE, and bias values are observed between the modeled and measured TEC values during the solar minima
than during the solar maxima from both sets of observations. The model performance is also found to vary with season, longitude, solar zenith angle, and magnetic local time. These
variations in the model skill arise from differences between seasons with respect to solar irradiance, the direction of neutral meridional winds, neutral composition, and the longitudinal dependence of tidally induced wave number four
structures. Moreover, the variation in model performance as a function of solar zenith angle and magnetic local time might be linked to the accuracy of
the ionospheric parameters used to characterize both the bottom- and topside ionospheres. However, when the NMBF and NMAEF are applied to the data sets from the two distinct solar activity periods, the difference in
the skill of the model during the two periods decreases, suggesting that the traditional model evaluation metrics exaggerate the difference in
model skill. Moreover, the performance of the model in capturing the
highest ends of extreme values over the geomagnetic equator, midlatitudes, and high latitudes is poor, as noted from the decrease in the QPOD and QCSI as well as an increase in the QCM
over most of the globe with an increase in the threshold percentile TEC values from 10 % to 90 % during both the solar minimum and the solar maximum
periods. The performance of IRI-2016 in simulating observed low (as low as the 10th percentile) and high (higher than the 90th percentile)
TEC correctly over equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest regions is reasonably good given that IRI-2016 is a climatological model. However, it is worth noting that the performance of the IRI-2016 model is
relatively poor in 2013 compared with 2008 at the highest ends of the TEC distribution. Therefore, this
study reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the IRI-2016 model in simulating the observed TEC
distribution correctly during all seasons and solar activities for the first time.


Abstract A variety of user interfaces have been developed to support the querying of hierarchical multi-dimensional data in an OLAP setting such as pivot tables and more recently Polaris. They are used to regularly check portions of a dataset and to explore a new dataset for the first time. In this paper, we establish criteria for OLAP user interface capabilities to facilitate comparison. Two criteria are the number of displayed dimensions along which comparisons can be made and the number of dimensions that are viewable at once¿visual comparison depth and width. We argue that interfaces with greater visual comparison depth support regular checking of known data by users that know roughly where to look, while interfaces with greater comparison width support exploration of new data by users that have no apriori starting point and need to scan all dimensions. Pivot tables and Polaris are examples of the former. The main contribution of this paper is to introduce a new scalable interface that uses parallel dimension axis which supports the latter, greater visual comparison width. We compare our approach to both recent table based and parallel coordinate based interfaces. We present an implementation of our interface SGViewer, user scenarios and provide an evaluation that supports the usability of our interface. A variety of user interfaces have been developed to support the querying of hierarchical multi-dimensional data in an OLAP setting such as pivot tables and more recently Polaris. They are used to regularly check portions of a dataset and to explore a new dataset for the first time. In this paper, we establish criteria for OLAP user interface capabilities to facilitate comparison. Two criteria are the number of displayed dimensions along which comparisons can be made and the number of dimensions that are viewable at once—visual comparison depth and width. We argue that interfaces with greater visual comparison depth support regular checking of known data by users that know roughly where to look, while interfaces with greater comparison width support exploration of new data by users that have no apriori starting point and need to scan all dimensions. Pivot tables and Polaris are examples of the former. The main contribution of this paper is to introduce a new scalable interface that uses parallel dimension axis which supports the latter, greater visual comparison width. We compare our approach to both recent table based and parallel coordinate based interfaces. We present an implementation of our interface SGViewer, user scenarios and provide an evaluation that supports the usability of our interface.


This paper addresses the issue of the potential benefits from technological change in post Kyoto CO2 emission reduction scenarios. In order to assess these benefits, it is necessary in Section 2 to define CO2 emission entitlements by world region, in a way that allows both for a significant global reduction from the reference in 2030 and for an acceptable burden sharing among world regions. The economic consequences of this entitlement scenario are explored in detail in Section 3, under the hypotheses of on-going trends for technology dynamics and of full world trading for emission permits. Section 4 then introduces the "Technology Stories", corresponding to hypotheses of breakthroughs in the performances and costs of six distinct power generation technology clusters. The Technology Stories and their impacts on CO2 marginal and total abatement costs are then studied in detail, both at world level and in a regional perspective. One key result of this paper is a quantitative assessment of the significant reductions in the compliance costs that may be expected from improvements in low-carbon generation technologies.


A Perspective: Continuity and Experience in Periods of Transition This special issue focuses upon continuities spanning the period of momentous transition from the colonial to the postcolonial age. This focus is not unproblematic. By adopting it, historians place themselves in an oblique relationship to the experience of the people who lived through that transition. Experience and memory of that transition are dominated by change manifested in beginnings, ends, and ruptures. And yet it is on this same terrain of transition that historians seek continuity. They are able to do so, of course, because they apprehend the past not through direct experience and memory, but by performing certain scholarly procedures. They discover continuities by comparing different periods. They explain similarities and parallels in different periods by proposing that certain forms of stability persist through time. This is how they identify the continuities which they see spanning the colonial and post-colonial periods. Saying that continuities are the product of a particular scholarly operation is not to deny that they are real. For historians who seek to capture past worlds, however, it raises the problem of how to reconcile the historian's perception of continuity with lived experience. Experience and memory are dominated by change, transition and by the encounter with the new, the unaccustomed and often the unwelcome. Historians who rely upon oral sources are acutely conscious of this fact, for they know that continuities are rarely noted in the orally transmitted record of the past. Thus continuity represents an aspect of historicity of which people are often unaware, even as they live through it. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the relationship between continuity and lived experience, it does so by isolating the experience of a small number of men, a small town, and a brief episode in the midst of Tanganyika's transition to national independence. As we adopt this circumscribed perspective, we ask what happens to continuity when we focus narrowly on individual experience in a brief moment and small place, rather than stepping back from individual experience to survey long sweeps of time. Does continuity dissolve before our eyes into trajectories and changes? Or does this narrowed perspective reveal the moments of stabilization that create what the historian calls continuity? This chapter argues for this second alternative. It attempts to capture the experience of living through the process by which ideology and institutions harden, gaining the quality that appears, from the historian's perspective, to be continuity. The following pages tell a story about Njombe, a small district centre in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, at the moment when the political party which led the Tanganyikan struggle against colonial rule, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), was poised to take control of the state. Both the circumstances of transition and forms of continuity involved in this episode bring to mind recent reflections of the anthropologist David Scott. Scott is interested in moments such as the aftermath of slave emancipation in the Caribbean, when liberal institutions stabilize understandings of freedom that previously had been contested and unsettled. They become stabilized, he believes, when liberal authority places limits on freedom. Drawing upon a familiar argument of Michel Foucault, Scott argues that liberal states establish a hegemonic interpretation of freedom by demarcating the social and discursive spheres in which citizens may exercise their political rights. Liberal states demand that their citizens confine political activity to limited public spheres of political action and discourse, and require that politically active citizens have competence in particular forms of discourse. Once modern liberal governance became established, argues Scott, participation by competent actors in state-sanctioned political venues "would be the only rational and legal way of exercising influence in what now counted as politics. …


Linking key policy themes of interest in the published literature on development studies and comparative education, the article initially explores the potential benefits and risks of partnering transnationally for contextually informed research and sustainable development from the perspective of Southern and Northern higher education institutions. Higher education partnerships recently supported by the development-assistance agencies of Canada and the United States are compared and critically assessed according to the internationally relevant themes of external and internal funding, the involvement of additional partners and funders, and project duration. Comparative analysis of datasets compiled from AUCC- and HED-managed sources that encompass 74 CIDA-supported and 186 USAID-supported university partnerships active during 2007–2009 shows that CIDA awards tend to be substantially larger in amount and longer in duration than most USAID awards and that participating universities have contributed impressive cost-share resources. The concluding section draws out wider implications of study findings for North–South higher education partnerships with sustainable-development objectives and for the literature on the possibilities and limitations they embody.


We study the time complexity for deterministic broadcasting algorithms in mobile radio networks. The broadcast operation consists of a source node successfully communicating its message to every other node. In multi-hop radio networks such as MANETs, the message may traverse multiple other nodes. Nodes have no prior knowledge besides the number n of nodes in the network and its diameter D. The problem we address has been extensively studied for static networks. Our work quantifies the impact of mobility. We consider three families of graphs: undirected graphs of constant contention degree, undirected graphs of non-constant contention degree and directed graphs of non-constant contention degree. We prove the lower bounds of Ω(n log n) time slots for the first family, Ω(n²/D² log D + D) time slots for the second and Ω(n²/D² log D + n log D) for the third. At the time of writing, the corresponding tightest lower bounds derived in the static case are, respectively, Ω(D log n), Ω(n log/log n / D) and Ω(n log D).


Introduction: The prevalence of TMD has been shown in epidemiological studies to be 10-15 % and it is most often women in their 20-40´s, but also men, children and elderly have TMD. The most common reason for seeking care for TMD seems to be pain. In a recently published meta-analysis of the epidemiological literature the need for TMD treatment was estimated to be about 15 % among adults. Objectives: This study evaluates the prevalence of TMD-pain in adults in the county of Scania. Methods: A questionnaire was 2006 mailed to a randomized selected sample of 10000 individuals in the county of Scania. If the subjects answered yes to one or both of following questions, the subject was classified as having TMD-pain (1) " Do you have pain in your temples, face, jaw joint or jaws once a week or more?" and (2) "Do you have pain when you open your mouth wide or chew once a week or more?". Results: 6123 subjects (64%) answered the questionnaire. 1210 subjects (20,4 %) reported TMD-pain. Mean age was 47 years, with a female-male ratio of 7:5. A higher prevalence of TMD-pain was found for the ages 20-59 with the highest figure for the ages between 20 and 29 years. TMD-pain was reported by 19–21 % of subjects born in Sweden or another Nordic country compared to 32 % of the subjects born in another country. Length of education was not related TMD-pain. A higher prevalence of reported TMD-pain was found for subjects being unemployed, retired or were on sick leave compared to other occupations. TMD-pain was reported by 19 % of married subjects, 23 % of not married subjects compared to 27 % of subjects with another family-situation. Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence (20,4 %) of TMD-pain among adults in the county of Scania.


Latterly, multilevel inverters have become more attractive for researchers due to low total harmonic distortion in the output voltage and low electromagnetic interference. This paper proposes a novel single-stage quasi-cascaded H-bridge five-level boost inverter (qCHB-FLBI). The proposed five-level inverter has the advantages over the CHB quasi-Z-source inverter in cutting down passive components. Consequently, size, cost, and weight of the proposed inverter are reduced. Additionally, the proposed qCHB-FLBI can work in the shoot-though state. A capacitor with low voltage rating is added to the proposed topology to remove an offset voltage of the output ac voltage when the input voltages of two modules are unbalanced. Besides, a simple PID controller is used to control the capacitor voltage of each module. This paper presents circuit analysis, the operating principles, and simulation results of the proposed qCHB-FLBI. A 1.2-kVA laboratory prototype was constructed based on a DSP TMS320F28335 to validate the operating principle of the proposed inverter.


The rise of social media has changed the way the BBC broadcasts. Previous studies have examined the way major broadcasters use social media and social network tools, such as YouTube and Twitter, to supplement their existing channels (Burgess and Green 2009), and to augment newsgathering (Wardle and Williams 2008). But, so far, none have looked at how the new ways the BBC has used social media to engage non programme-making staff and audiences in its programme-making activities – to invite them right inside "Fortress Journalism" (Horrocks 2009). To that aim, this study analyses three BBC projects; moo.gateway, an internal social platform with the aim of identifying new programme-making talent within the BBC; The Virtual Revolution, a BBC2 documentary series which used social media to aid content development; and World Have Your Say, a BBC World Service radio programme which uses social media to include the audience in the development of its running order. Through qualitative interviews with a mixture of senior BBC staff, frontline programme producers, and participants in the programmes, these new uses of social media are critically examined. The analysis of the interviews shows that the reasons given for initiating new ways of working were often emancipatory in nature, consistent with the social constructivist rhetoric of digital utopian literature such as We Think (Leadbeater 2008) and Here Comes Everybody (Shirky 2009). Interview responses were also consistent with other forms of rhetoric such as 'digital natives' (Prensky 2001), the 'rhetorics of creativity' (Banaji, Burn, and Buckingham, 2006) and 'open innovation' (Chesburgh 2003). The study finds that the success of the initiatives depended on an intersection between the everyday lives and motivations of both the participants and the project sponsors, and that external audiences were less interested in the mechanics of programme production and journalism than was assumed by BBC staff. This meant that numbers of participants were limited to those with considerable interest in the stories being developed, or with an interest in developing a career in the media. The success of participants in the moo.gateway case in obtaining programme commissions and film funding, both inside and outside the BBC, demonstrates the usefulness of social media in identifying new programme-making talent. Critical reviews of the narratives of the winning and losing finalists of a BBC3 competition ran using moo.gateway indicates that a prior knowledge of the BBC 'rules of the game' and participants' location within the BBC habitus (Bourdieu 1984) could be considered to be determining factors in their success at the BBC. Succinctly, I have been able to show that social media can provide effective ways for BBC programme makers to identify new talent, but a significant insight and caveat is that care should be taken to ensure projects are framed in terms of the audience's motivation, rather than that of the BBC. Additionally, where participants are from outside of the BBC, mentoring and coaching has a significant role to play in helping people understand the internal mechanics of the BBC, and particularly any unwritten 'rules of the game'. I enjoyed unique access in the qualitative interviews for this PhD, at a unique moment in the BBC's evolution. As a result, these observations have been embraced and welcomed by policymakers within the organisation and by interested parties outside.


ABSTRACT In this paper, solution-derived gallium oxide (GaO) films are fabricated for the homogeneous alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) after an ion-beam (IB) irradiation process. GaO thin films are prepared under a variety of temperatures and different IB irradiation intensities, and the physicochemical performances of the fabricated GaO thin films are analysed using a UV-vis spectrometer, an atomic force microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A higher transmittance of 85.40% from GaO thin film is obtained compared with that of polyimide (PI) film (83.52%), which indicates the feasibility for a GaO thin layer to substitute for a conventional PI layer as an alignment layer. LCs are found to align on the GaO thin film after pre-baking at 100°C and homogeneous and uniform low-IB intensity irradiation. We also determined the electro-optical (EO) characteristics of the twisted nematic (TN) cells fabricated with GaO thin layers and found them to be similar to those of cells fabricated with PI layers. Overall, GaO films achieved via the IB irradiation method are promising LC alignment layers due to the method's low-temperature solution-derived process. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT