This paper proposes a novel approach to registering deformations of 3D non-rigid objects for Augmented Reality applications. Our prototype is able to handle different types of objects in real-time regardless of their geometry and appearance (with and without texture) with the support of an RGB-D camera. During an automatic offline stage, the model is processed in order to extract the data that serves as input for a physics-based simulation. Using its output, the deformations of the model are estimated by considering the simulated behaviour as a constraint. Furthermore, our framework incorporates a tracking method based on templates in order to detect the object in the scene and continuously update the camera pose without any user intervention. Therefore, it is a complete solution that extends from tracking to deformation formulation for either textured or untextured objects regardless of their geometrical shape. Our proposal focuses on providing a correct visual with a low computational cost. Experiments with real and synthetic data demonstrate the visual accuracy and the performance of our approach.


The challenge of space flight in NASA's future is to enable more frequent and more intensive space exploration missions at lower cost. Nowhere is this challenge more acute than among the planetary exploration missions which JPL conducts for NASA. The launching of a new era of solar system exploration beyond reconnaissance -- is being designed for the first time around the concept of sustained intelligent presence on the space platforms themselves. Artificial intelligence, spacecraft engineering, mission design, software engineering and systems engineering all have a role to play in this vision, and all are being integrated in new work on spacecraft autonomy.


This paper presents an attempt to create synthetic weather data for stochastic building simulation. The synthetic data are created entirely from the freely available Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) weather files using time series models and resampling. The generated data turn out to be representative of recorded data for our case study without any prior 'knowledge' of the long term distributions of meteorological parameters. The current model does not address spells above or below some temperature of interest (e.g. heat waves), and the authors are working to incorporate that in future work. Another avenue for further exploration is modifying the mean to incorporate the results of Regional Climate Models for future conditions. Correlation of the synthetic data with synthetic solar radiation and humidity has been verified and the authors' work with this ensemble of weather time series of interest will be presented in future publications.


This paper surveys reasons for and against pursuing the field of machine ethics, understood as research aiming to build "ethical machines." We clarify the nature of this goal, why it is worth pursuing, and the risks involved in its pursuit. First, we survey and clarify some of the philosophical issues surrounding the concept of an "ethical machine" and the aims of machine ethics. Second, we argue that while there are good prima facie reasons for pursuing machine ethics, including the potential to improve the ethical alignment of both humans and machines, there are also potential risks that must be considered. Third, we survey these potential risks and point to where research should be devoted to clarifying and managing potential risks. We conclude by making some recommendations about the questions that future work could address.


CASE DESCRIPTION The primary subject matter of this case is the financial and business risks of airlines. Secondary issues examined include impact of the financial structure and different growth strategies on financial risks of airlines. The case has a difficulty level of three and should be appropriate for undergraduate and graduate courses in financial and strategic management. The case is designed to be taught in one to two class hours, with three hours of outside preparation by students. CASE SYNOPSIS Over the last twenty years, all airlines, from large international carriers such as United Airlines, Swiss Air, and Air Canada to small short haul carriers such as WestJet have faced enormous risks in their operations. The Gulf War and the War in Iraq, high oil price volatility, the threat of terrorism, and lately SARS all have had a negative impact on airlines around the globe. Many airlines have seen losses, resulting in reduced capacity, large layoffs and quite frequently in bankruptcy. However, a few exceptional airlines have been able to stay profitable even in such a demanding business environment. In this case study we examine two Canadian airlines: WestJet and Canada 3000. The former is an example of an airline that is thriving despite the hostile business environment while the later is an example of an airline that failed shortly after September 11, 2001. Why did this happen? Both airlines were of similar size and initially followed a similar strategy. However, one succeeded, one did not. The major factors that explain WestJet's success and Canada 3000's failure are examined. While we use two Canadian airlines for the analysis, the lessons learned apply to airlines around the world. COMPANY BACKGROUND WESTJET In February 1996, WestJet started operations with three airplanes out of Calgary, Canada. Clive Beddoe, its current president, and three other entrepreneurs saw a business opportunity in operating a low cost air carrier in Canada. In the early 1990s, the airline industry was suffering from the recession and the effects of the Gulf War that led to high fuel costs and a decline in air travel. Almost every airline's profits were negatively affected except those of low cost carriers such as SouthWest Airlines in the United States; thus, WestJet's executives chose to follow SouthWest Airlines' successful business model. SouthWest Airlines, established in 1971, had pioneered the low fare, high-efficiency airline model, and is the most consistently profitable airline in the world. WestJet started operations out of Calgary servicing other western Canadian cities. Within three years, WestJet was servicing most of its niche market of large western Canadian cities. In 1999, WestJet reached its critical goal of completing its first IPO, which allowed the firm to continue its expansion strategy of adding a plane and a route at a time. The IPO raised C$30 million and allowed WestJet to purchase more aircrafts to add to their existing Boeing 737 aircrafts. With the additional aircraft WestJet was able to add eastern cities such as Hamilton and Ottawa to routes. WestJet has since added many more Canadian cities to its routes and has turned itself into a national carrier. In both its prospectus and annual reports, WestJet stresses its desire to capture both leisure and business travelers during peak travel times. WestJet emphasizes everyday low fares, convenient schedules and 100% ticketless reservation system. The small airline carrier expanded into a profitable national air carrier. It growth has been achieved by using internal capital to increase size and market share. Expansion for WestJet has come slowly without veering away from its business model and niche markets. It continues to be recognized for its outstanding achievements in meeting the diverse goals of its travelers, employees, and shareholders. CANADA 3000 Canada 3000 began its operations in 1988 and was once considered Canada's airline alternative to the two national carriers at the time: Canadian Airlines and Air Canada. …


Thousands of cubic kilometers of high-K calc-alkalic magmas intruded the Borborema Province (northeastern Brazil) during the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano orogeny. They make up large batholiths in which mantle-derived mafic to intermediate rocks coexist with a larger amount of granitoids. The relatively low silica contents (61‐70 wt% SiO 2 ) and moderate to high compatible element concentrations (0.3‐3.5 wt% MgO, 1.5‐3.8 wt% CaO, as much as 150 ppm of Cr) of the granitoids indicate that they contain an appreciable mantle component. The similar trace element geochemical (high contents of incompatible trace elements) and isotopic (strongly negative eNd values) signatures of mafic and felsic rocks combined with geochemical modeling suggest that (1) the mafic and felsic rocks are genetically linked, (2) the granitic magmas were produced by 20%‐30% partial melting from a source having geochemical characteristics similar to the mafic rocks, and (3) mingling and mixing of felsic magmas with subsequent batches of mafic magmas yielded the silica-poor granitoids. Isotopic data preclude involvement of the asthenosphere in the genesis of the mafic melts and instead indicate their derivation from an old, enriched lithospheric mantle. Therefore, addition of mantle material to the crust occurred through internal lithospheric differentiation, in contrast with conventional crustal-growth models.


India is portrayed as being on a technological par with the West, but in this blog, Shakuntala Banaji reveals the stark reality. In the context of demonetisation, she maps Indian children's experiences of media technologies and argues that we must recognise the disenfranchising nature of large-scale digitisation of nations. Shakuntala is an Associate Professor at London School of Economics in the Department of Media and Communications. Her research in India asks in what ways diverse groups of children are participating in or excluded from communities and communications on and offline. She has written previously about the ways in which different media formats and tools are implicated in Indian children's leisure and in their learning and formal education, and examined some of the structural issues that form barriers to inclusion and leisure for working-class children.


This paper described the application of Citrus microcarpa extract as bio-immunostimulator in red hybrid tilapia against Edwardsiellosis infection. Edwardsiellosis due to Edwardsiella tarda is one of the well-known bacterial diseases in aquaculture which leads to significant economic losses. The increasing antibiotic resistant cases among pathogenic bacteria led to many commercial antibiotics no longer effective in controlling bacterial diseases in aquaculture. Hence, in the present study was carried out to evaluate potential of C. microcarpa extract as immunostimulator against Edwardsiellosis infection in red hybrid tilapia. Comparison in terms of cumulative mortalities and antibody response against E. tarda among group of fish received C. microcarpa extract at different concentrations (CM1-1, 1 g kg-1 of fish; CM-2, 2 g kg-1 of fish and CM-4, 4 g kg-1 of fish) and group of fish received no medicated commercial feed (control) was carried out in the present study. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to monitor antibody response of fish that received medicated feed. The results of the present study showed that the values of antibody response against E. tarda of fish after seven days received C. microcarpa extract (CM-1, 0.113 ± 0.02 OD; CM-2, 0.14 ± 0.02 OD; CM-4, 0.173 ± 0.03 OD) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to fish from group of control (0.0 OD). Whereas cumulative mortality of fish from group of control (53.3 ± 11.5 %) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to fish from all of groups received C. microcarpa extract (CM-1, 13.3 ± 5.8 %; CM-2, 13.3 ± 5.8 % and CM-4, 6.7 ± 5.8 %). The results indicated the potential of C. microcarpa extract as immunostimulator in finfish culture.


This title features more than 750 brand-new words that make "bling-bling" sound so five minutes ago. For readers who want to be on the cutting edge of the English lexicon or for dedicated word geeks, "The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English" presents more than 750 words that have unofficially joined the English language. These words are hot off the street, new even to cyberspace, and definitely not found in Webster's. Each entry features a definition, etymology, and at least three citations from print and the Internet that show the evolution of its meaning. Entries include: Bangalored (adj.) - having been relocated to India, having lost business or employment due to such a relocation; Paleoconservative (n.) - a holder of outdated or old-fashioned conservative beliefs; and, Barbecue Stopper (n.) - a topic of constant and widespread conversation, especially a divisive political or social issue.


Gravity waves not subject to breaking or filtering will dissipate due to viscosity and thermal conduction in the thermosphere. However, the evolutions of wave packets, and the altitudes they reach, are highly dependent upon the spectral content. In this paper, a 2-D numerical model is used to investigate the effect of spatial localization (and thus spectral content) of a wave packet on its dissipation, dispersion, and spectral evolution. It is found that most wave packets launched below the thermosphere evolve to smaller central vertical wavelengths as the faster, longer vertical wavelength components reach the dissipative thermosphere and are removed first, leaving the shorter, slower components to become dominant at later times. This effect is greater for more spatially localized packets (spectrally broadband) as rapid dispersion leads to the rapid spreading of the wave over large altitude regions that could be interpreted as different waves (i.e., from different sources) by instruments observing different altitudes. Dispersion can also be accelerated by the refractive effects of the thermospheric temperature gradient. Initially, Gaussian broadband packets can evolve into asymmetric distributions which are not well described by standard assumptions (e.g., Gaussian packets), requiring instead numerical simulation to properly describe them. In the case that the vertical scale is smaller than the scale height, and dissipation acts immediately on the packet (i.e., it is generated in situ in the dissipative thermosphere), then the scale-dependent nature of dissipation removes the shorter wavelengths components first, leading to the spectrum evolving toward larger vertical wavelengths. The model Pasko determine We present simulations based upon of and and vertical in order to investigate the relative effects and and their relative importance in wave packets of differing spectral bandwidth. We also examine the realistic


WNT-2 is a secreted polypeptide with mitogenic effects in murine mammary epithelial cells, but its role in human cancer is unknown. Using RNase protection analysis of primary cell preparations and in situ hybridization analysis, we report that WNT-2 is expressed at low levels in normal human breast fibroblasts but not in epithelial cells. WNT-2 was found to be expressed at high levels in both the epithelium and stroma of 5 of 11 infiltrating carcinomas and 2 of 6 fibroadenomas. The high level of WNT-2 expression in tumor epithelium suggests that tumorigenesis may involve the ectopic expression of WNT-2 and the creation of an autocrine Wnt signaling loop.


Objective: Ageratum conyzoides Linn. (Asteraceae) has been widely used in African traditional medicine for healing mental and infectious diseases. The present study was designed to scientifically validate the traditional claim of A. conzyoides as anti-anxiety drug and to identify the compound responsible for the anxiolytic effects of A. conzyoides. Method: The methanol extract of A. conzyoides was prepared by soxhlet apparatus. The methanol extract was fractionated into ethylacetate and butanol fractions by liquid-liquid partitioning method. Methanol extract (100 and 200 mg/kg; p.o.) and its prepared fractions (25 and 50 mg/kg; p.o.) were evaluated for anxiolytic activity in mice by using elevated plus maze (EPM) model. Thin layer chromatography studies were performed to identify the possible anxiolytic component. Results: Methanol extract at both doses showed significant, when compared to vehicle control group, increase in time spent and number of entries in open arms of EPM confirming the anti-anxiety effects of A. conzyoides. Liquid-liquid partitioning of methanol extract gave two fractions (ethylacetate and butanol) which were administrated at 25 and 50 mg/kg doses to mice in EPM, respectively. Results showed that ethylacetate fraction was responsible for anxiolytic effects of methanol extract of A. conzyoides. The TLC studies were carried out for ethylacetate fraction and Quercetin was identified by comparing Rf values with the standard (Quercetin). Conclusion: The present investigation revealed that the extract has significant anxiolytic effect. The flavonoid quercetin may be responsible for the observed anxiolytic effects of A. conyzoides.


Abstract Objective: Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are increasingly experiencing the double burden of malnutrition. Studies to identify 'double-duty' actions that address both undernutrition and overweight in sub-Saharan Africa are needed. We aimed to identify acceptable behaviours to achieve more optimal feeding and physical activity practices among both under- and overweight children in Rwanda, a sub-Saharan LMIC with one of the largest recent increases in child overweight. Design: We used the Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) method. During three household visits over 1·5 weeks, we used structured interviews and unstructured observations to collect data on infant and young child feeding practices and caregivers' experiences with testing recommended practices. Setting: An urban district and a rural district in Rwanda. Participants: Caregivers with an under- or overweight child from 6 to 59 months of age (n 136). Results: We identified twenty-five specific recommended practices that caregivers of both under- and overweight children agreed to try. The most frequently recommended practices were related to dietary diversity, food quantity, and hygiene and food handling. The most commonly cited reason for trying a new practice was its benefits to the child's health and growth. Financial constraints and limited food availability were common barriers. Nearly all caregivers said they were willing to continue the practices and recommend them to others. Conclusions: These practices show potential for addressing the double burden as part of a broader intervention. Still, further research is needed to determine whether caregivers can maintain the behaviours and their direct impact on both under- and overweight.


The current manual is purported to provide an empirical guide in facilitating a group intervention that will address career indecision among adolescents. It utilized Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy as the major framework of the treatment protocol. Prior to the group facilitation, prospective members will be screened through an interview and Career Decision Profile. It consists of six sessions (one and a half hour every session) which will be executed on a weekly basis. With the intention of modifying negative beliefs that the members hold about themselves in relation to career decision-making, specific activities and processing procedures were charted each session that ranged from individual cognitive exercises to dyadic behavioral role-plays. Each session will be monitored by the group counselor via group case notes to properly document therapeutic encounters which is essential in achieving the intended outcomes. At the end of the group intervention, members will be assessed through group feedback and administering of Career Decision Profile to look at the positive changes on their levels of capabilities to make career decisions.


Abstract. Both the root mean square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute error (MAE) are regularly employed in model evaluation studies. Willmott and Matsuura (2005) have suggested that the RMSE is not a good indicator of average model performance and might be a misleading indicator of average error, and thus the MAE would be a better metric for that purpose. While some concerns over using RMSE raised by Willmott and Matsuura (2005) and Willmott et al. (2009) are valid, the proposed avoidance of RMSE in favor of MAE is not the solution. Citing the aforementioned papers, many researchers chose MAE over RMSE to present their model evaluation statistics when presenting or adding the RMSE measures could be more beneficial. In this technical note, we demonstrate that the RMSE is not ambiguous in its meaning, contrary to what was claimed by Willmott et al. (2009). The RMSE is more appropriate to represent model performance than the MAE when the error distribution is expected to be Gaussian. In addition, we show that the RMSE satisfies the triangle inequality requirement for a distance metric, whereas Willmott et al. (2009) indicated that the sums-of-squares-based statistics do not satisfy this rule. In the end, we discussed some circumstances where using the RMSE will be more beneficial. However, we do not contend that the RMSE is superior over the MAE. Instead, a combination of metrics, including but certainly not limited to RMSEs and MAEs, are often required to assess model performance.


Objective--To determine the feasibility of performing multicentre process and outcome audits of common interventions taking prostatic procedures as an example. Design--Prospective, cohort study. Setting--All National Health Service and independent hospitals in Northern, Wessex, Mersey, and South West Thames health regions. Patients--5361 men undergoing prostatectomy identified by 103 of the 107 urologists and general surgeons performing prostatectomy in the study regions. Main measures-- Rates of participation by surgeons and patients; completeness of clinical data provided by surgeons; patient response rate and completeness of patient derived data; and cost. Results--Most surgeons (103,96%) agreed to participate. Overall, the proportion of eligible patients invited to take part was high (89%), although this was only measured in South West Thames, where dedicated data collectors were employed. Few men (80, 1.5%) declined to participate. Of those surviving for three months after surgery, 82.4% (4226) completed and returned the postal questionnaire. The response rate was higher in South West Thames (86.7%) than in the other regions (80.6%-80.8%). The audit was well received: 91% of patients found the questionnaire easy to complete and only 2.3% of them disapproved. Completeness of data was high with both the hospital and patient questionnaires. Missing data occurred in less than 5% of responses to most questions. The attributable cost was 34.50 pounds per patient identified or 44 pounds for patients in whom either the treatment outcome or vital status was known three months after their prostatectomy. Conclusions--This multicentre audit of process and outcome of prostatectomy proved feasible in terms of surgeon participation, patient identification, and the quantity and quality of data collection. Whether the cost was warranted will depend on how surgeons use the audit data to modify their practice.


Assessment of pavement surface distress is an important component of the pavement management process. Pavement surface distresses characterize failures and distortions of the pavement surface structure. A large number of highway surface images have been collected through the application of a video image system. We present an automated approach that detects pavement surface cracks from a forward viewing video camera system. Initially the oblique imagery is transformed to a rectified one which supports quantitative measurements of the crack patterns. For the detection and extraction of pavement surface distress elements, we propose to use a scale-space image approach, where the image scale is defined based on the level of detail of the image structure to be detected. Finally, the detection of crack patterns is performed considering the image as a 3D intensity surface where the bright and dark lines are considered as ridges and valleys. The approach is based on determining the local directions of the image curvature along the curvilinear lines, and determining where along these directional profiles the second derivative of the line profile reaches its maximum absolute value.


Synbiotics are recognized means of modulating gut microbiota composition and activities. However, whether synbiotics are superior to prebiotics and probiotics alone in moderating the gut microbiota towards a purportedly healthy composition has not been determined. Eight selected synbiotics (short-chain fructooligosaccharides or fructooligosaccharides, each combined with one of four probiotics, Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3, Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1, Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 or Bifidobacterium longum 46) were added to 24-h pH-controlled anaerobic faecal batch cultures. The prebiotic and probiotic components were also tested alone to determine their respective role within the synbiotic for modulation of the faecal microbiota. Effects upon major groups of the microbiota were evaluated using FISH. Rifampicin variant probiotic strains were used to assess probiotic levels. Synbiotic and prebiotics increased bifidobacteria and the Eubacterium rectale–Clostridium coccoides group. Lower levels of Escherichia coli were retrieved with these combinations after 5 and 10 h of fermentation. Probiotics alone had little effect upon the groups, however. Multivariate analysis revealed that the effect of synbiotics differed from the prebiotics as higher levels of Lactobacillus –Enterococcus were observed when the probiotic was stimulated by the prebiotic component. Here, the synbiotic approach was more effective than prebiotic or probiotic alone to modulate the gut microbiota.


Background ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI ) are common types of acute coronary syndrome which are associated with the risk factors of age, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Objective The present study aimed to examine the effects of age on the risk factors and clinical symptoms of acute coronary syndrome. Methods A cross-section prospective study was conducted on 125 patients with acute coronary syndrome chosen by non-probability convenience sampling method in the coronary care unit in Sulaimani, the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Acute coronary syndrome types were diagnosed through clinical presentations, electrocardiography (ECG), and troponin test. Data was collected using a researcher-based checklist through face-to-face interviews. Results The results indicated that males were the dominant group. The age group 45-65 had the highest prevalence rate of acute coronary syndrome. The most frequent risk factors for acute coronary syndrome were hypertension (54.4%), dyslipidemia (52%), smoking (42.4%), and diabetes mellitus (38.4%). Typical chest pain was found to be the most frequent clinical presentation (88%). There was a significant difference between the age groups in terms of the effect of age on typical and atypical symptoms; however, neither age nor typical/atypical symptoms had a significant effect on type of acute coronary syndrome. Similarly, family history, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and dyslipidemia had no effect on type of acute coronary syndrome. Conclusion Age is a predictive factor for acute coronary syndrome, but family history, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and dyslipidemia cannot predict acute coronary syndrome.


While many people use social network sites to connect with friends and family, some feel that their use is problematic, seriously affecting their sleep, work, or life. Pairing a survey of 20,000 Facebook users measuring perceptions of problematic use with behavioral and demographic data, we examined Facebook activities associated with problematic use as well as the kinds of people most likely to experience it. People who feel their use is problematic are more likely to be younger, male, and going through a major life event such as a breakup. They spend more time on the platform, particularly at night, and spend proportionally more time looking at profiles and less time browsing their News Feeds. They also message their friends more frequently. While they are more likely to respond to notifications, they are also more likely to deactivate their accounts, perhaps in an effort to better manage their time. Further, they are more likely to have seen content about social media or phone addiction. Notably, people reporting problematic use rate the site as more valuable to them, highlighting the complex relationship between technology use and well-being. A better understanding of problematic Facebook use can inform the design of context-appropriate and supportive tools to help people become more in control.


Purpose: To find comparative beneficial treatment from either lispro insulin or minimally invasive lispro insulin therapy on primary and secondary outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients.
Methods: The present study was carried out on GDM patients enrolled in minimally invasive lispro insulin treatment group with hollow microneedle inserted 1 mm under skin and another group of lispro insulin therapy. In present study, 65 females with GDM enrolled for treatment with minimally invasive therapy at 8th-12th week after conception. Hospital Records of the past 10 years was used to abstract data for insulin treatment to GDM patients. Data of 100 GDM subjects treated with insulin therapy was included. The primary outcomes monitored include composite outcomes, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, need of phototherapy and birth injury. Changes in blood glucose and complications in GDM patients were secondary outcomes.
Results: The primary endpoints in minimally invasive lispro insulin treatment group as compared to lispro insulin treatment GDM subjects were slightly ameliorated but statistically insignificant to find any conclusion. Minimally invasive insulin therapy results in lower neonatal composite complications as compared to insulin therapy but is not significant. The GDM hypertension and maternal glycemic control were significantly ameliorated in Group II than Group I.
Conclusion: The minimally invasive lispro insulin therapy significantly ameliorated secondary outcomes as compared to lispro insulin treatment in GDM subjects. Ironically, a primary outcome in GDM patients with minimally invasive lispro insulin therapy and lispro insulin treatment was statistically indifferent.


The measurement of low levels of ferrous and total reactive iron (TRFe) using three common colorimetric methods (bathophenanthroline (BPA), triazine (TPTZ), and ferrozine) in freshwater was evaluated. The BPA method, due to a hexanol extraction step, had unacceptably high limits of detection with small sample volumes. Humic matter also interfered by forming a precipitate. Although ferrozine&s limit of detection was lower, recovery of Fe spikes by TPTZ was much higher in samples with high levels of colored dissolved organic carbon (CDOC) at pH 6 (90 versus 60%) using the standard development time of 10 min because the iron reduction rate is much slower with ferrozine, which requires 1 hr. Recovery of spiked Fe at sample pH 9 was very poor (32 versus 39%). TPTZ with ascorbic acid in samples adjusted to pH 6 is recommended for TRFe analysis. In the absence of a reducing agent and CDOC, TPTZ reagents reduce ferric to ferrous iron (autoreduction), whereas ferrozine has negligible autoreducing properties. CDOC produced significant autoreducing effects using either TPTZ or ferrozine methods, leading to overestimates unless measured immediately upon reagent addition. Hence, immediate measurement with ferrozine is most suitable for ferrous. Ascorbic acid reduces more rapidly than hydroxylamine and does not need to be purified.


Some financial authorities have proposed designating asset managers as systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs). This column argues that this would be premature and probably ill conceived. The motivation for such a step comes from an inappropriate application of macroprudential thought from banking, rather than the underlying externalities that might cause asset managers to contribute to systemic risk. Further, policy authorities are silent on the question of what SIFI designation should mean in practice, despite the inherent link between identification and remedy.


The performance portability of parallel programs across a wide range of emerging coherent shared address space systems is not well understood. Programs that run well on efficient, hardware cache-coherent systems often do not perform well on less optimal or more commodity-based communication architectures. This paper studies this issue of performance portability, with the commodity communication architecture of interest being page-grained shared virtual memory. We begin with applications that perform well on moderat scale hardware cache-coherent systems, and find that they do not do so well on SVM systems. Then, we examine whether and how the applications can be improved for SVM systems --- through data structuring or algorithmic enhancements---and the nature and difficulty of the optimization. Finally, we examine the impact of the successful optimizations on hardware-coherent platforms themselves, to see whether they are helpful, harmful or neutral on those platforms. We develop a systematic methodology to explore optimizations in different structured classes. The results, and the difficulty of the optimizations, lead insight not only into performance portability but also into the viability of SVM as a platform for these types of applications.


Objective To characterize, among European and Han Chinese populations, the genetic predictors of maculopapular exanthema (MPE), a cutaneous adverse drug reaction common to antiepileptic drugs. Methods We conducted a case-control genome-wide association study of autosomal genotypes, including Class I and II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, in 323 cases and 1,321 drug-tolerant controls from epilepsy cohorts of northern European and Han Chinese descent. Results from each cohort were meta-analyzed. Results We report an association between a rare variant in the complement factor H–related 4 (CFHR4) gene and phenytoin-induced MPE in Europeans (p = 4.5 × 10–11; odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 7 [3.2–16]). This variant is in complete linkage disequilibrium with a missense variant (N1050Y) in the complement factor H (CFH) gene. In addition, our results reinforce the association between HLA-A*31:01 and carbamazepine hypersensitivity. We did not identify significant genetic associations with MPE among Han Chinese patients. Conclusions The identification of genetic predictors of MPE in CFHR4 and CFH, members of the complement factor H–related protein family, suggest a new link between regulation of the complement system alternative pathway and phenytoin-induced hypersensitivity in European-ancestral patients.


Glutamine, a byproduct of ammonia detoxification, is found elevated in brain in hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and other hyperammonemic disorders. Such elevation has been implicated in some of the deleterious effects of ammonia on the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies have shown that glutamine results in the induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in cultured astrocytes. We examined whether glutamine shows similar effects in cultured neurons. Both cultured astrocytes and neurons were exposed to glutamine (6.5 mM) for 24 hr and the MPT was assessed by changes in cyclosporin A (CsA)‐sensitive inner mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) using the potentiometric dye tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE). Glutamine significantly dissipated the ΔΨm in astrocytes as demonstrated by a decrease in mitochondrial TMRE fluorescence, a process that was blocked by CsA. On the other hand, treatment of cultured neurons with glutamine had no effect on the ΔΨm. Dissipation of the ΔΨm in astrocytes by glutamine was blocked by treatment with 6‐diazo‐5‐oxo‐L‐norleucine (DON; 100 μM), suggesting that glutamine hydrolysis and the subsequent generation of ammonia, which has been shown previously to induce the MPT, might be involved in MPT induction by glutamine. These data indicate that astrocytes but not neurons are vulnerable to the toxic effects of glutamine. The selective induction of oxidative stress and the MPT by glutamine in astrocytes may partially explain the deleterious affects of glutamine on the CNS in the setting of hyperammonemia, as well as account for the predominant involvement of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of HE and other hyperammonemic conditions. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


There is a strong need for a productive and innovative infrastructure sector because of its monetary value and importance for the development of a sustainable society. An increased level of industrialization is often proposed as a way to improve efficiency and productivity in construction projects. In prior literature on industrialized construction, there are however neither many studies addressing more long-term aspects of innovation and sustainability nor studies within the infrastructure context. Organizational theory suggests that firms need to be ambidextrous and focus on both long-term exploration of new knowledge and technologies and short-term exploitation of current knowledge and technologies, in order to achieve sustainable development. Therefore, an investigation of how both short-term exploitative performance objectives and long-term explorative development can be addressed when implementing industrialized construction in infrastructure projects was conducted. A case study consisting of four infrastructure projects shows that the main drivers for increased industrialization are of an exploitative nature, focusing on cost savings and increased productivity through more efficient processes. The main barriers to increased industrialization are however related to both explorative and exploitative activities. Hence, by managing the identified barriers and explicitly addressing both exploitation and exploration, industrialized construction can improve both short-term efficiency and long-term innovation and sustainability.


Consider the setting where a panel of judges is repeatedly asked to (partially) rank sets of objects according to given criteria, and assume that the judges' expertise depends on the objects' domain. Learning to aggregate their rankings with the goal of producing a better joint ranking is a fundamental problem in many areas of Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing, amongst others. However, supervised ranking data is generally difficult to obtain, especially if coming from multiple domains. Therefore, we propose a framework for learning to aggregate votes of constituent rankers with domain specific expertise without supervision. We apply the learning framework to the settings of aggregating full rankings and aggregating top-k lists, demonstrating significant improvements over a domain-agnostic baseline in both cases.


Sustained Education Access for Homeless Youth: Case Study of U.S. Transitional Living Programs by Heather P. Hall MSPP, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004 MBA, Mercer University, 1999 BBA, Pace University, 1982 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University February 2017 Abstract Without interventions to address homelessness among youth, the risk of homelessness for future generations is great. As a result, the federal government has invested in funding Transitional Living Programs (TLPs), though it is not clear whether these programs have achieved the intended outcomes of helping youth transition from homelessness to beingWithout interventions to address homelessness among youth, the risk of homelessness for future generations is great. As a result, the federal government has invested in funding Transitional Living Programs (TLPs), though it is not clear whether these programs have achieved the intended outcomes of helping youth transition from homelessness to being able to sustain employment and avoid poverty through access to educational and workforce programs. Using the broad conceptualization of democratic governance as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to assess whether access to educational programs through TLPs benefitted homeless youth in terms of program success. Data for this study were collected through interviews with 9 administrators of TLP service providers and publicly available documents for the years 2008-2014. Interview data were inductively coded and subjected to thematic analysis, and data from public sources were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis revealed that long term, postTLP outcomes were difficult to track as individual TLPs tended to lose contact with youth, though self-advocacy for participants, coupled with the ability to sustain long term independence, were keys to success for program participants. Participants also noted their perception that education through TLPs provide opportunity for stable social and economic connections. Positive social change resulting from this study may be attained if TLP long-term outcomes are evaluated using metrics that are realistic for the target population, and organizational goals are refocused on improving opportunities for youth to make meaningful contributions to their communities, and thereby build the social equity necessary for long-term success. Sustained Education Access for Homeless Youth: Case Study of U.S. Transitional Living Programs by


State trademark registration laws fly under the radar. All fifty states have a state trademark registration system that operates in parallel with — or more accurately, beneath — the federal registration system.1 In all but one state, a state registration is needed to support a state statutory claim of trademark infringement, but these statutory claims coexist with parallel state common law trademark rights in the vast majority of states. This Article examines the role and substantive protection of the several states' registration systems by a comparative analysis with the roles of and substantive protections afforded by state common law, state unfair competition law, and federal statutory law. My focus is on the judicial enforcement of trademark rights through civil litigation, but I also address the effect an individual state registration may have on a second user's search and trademark selection process. The heart of my inquiry is whether state registrations have real, effective value (as opposed to stated or theoretical value) for individual owners. A secondary analysis I pursue includes the systemic costs and benefits of state registration schemes at both the state and federal levels.The analysis in this article demonstrates that state trademark registrations do not add significant value for most trademark owners when compared to other civil enforcement options available. Under the law of forty-five states, registrations provide registrants with no significant, enforceable substantive rights beyond those awarded under state common law or under the federal statute protecting unregistered common law trademarks. In five states certain substantive rights can accrue to an owner through state registration, although those rights are limited by competing rights held by certain common law owners or federal registrants. Further, registrants in the forty-five low-value states may rely on these almost-to-completely valueless state registrations to their very great detriment, which can seriously disadvantage a legally unsophisticated trademark owner. Both high-value and low-value state registrations create unnecessary complications in the web of state and federal trademark rights and impose unwarranted costs upon new market entrants. In addition, most state registration systems (both high- and low-value) almost certainly demand more public dollars than the system returns to the state in the form of either private or public benefit. The practical value of state registrations is so low, as a whole, that the costs outweigh the benefits. As a result, I advocate for the complete abolition of all current state trademark registration systems.In support of my argument that trademark law and trademark owners, as well as the public, would be better served by the abolition of state trademark registrations than by their perpetuation, this Article proceeds as follows. First, I briefly survey the history and interaction of state and federal trademark law and review the major statutory benefits of federal trademark registrations. Second, I analyze and critique the trademark statutes of all fifty states, with an emphasis on what rights, if any, a state registration provides that are not otherwise available under state common law or the Lanham Act. Third, I explain some of the private and public costs of state trademark registrations. The analysis leads to my conclusion, set forth in the final portion of the article, that trademark owners and the trademark "universe" in the United States would be better off if states abolished their current registration systems.


Politicians often talk about "strategy," but what do they mean by the term? Where does the development of political strategies take place? Who is involved in the strategic processes? What methods do they use? To answer these questions, this book peers behind the scenes of political arenas in Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. Research teams interview ministers, members of strategy units, party politicians, academics, and journalists. They produce a common understanding of strategy in the political realm of the four countries. They also show how much the meaning of strategy in the end depends on the political system and the political culture of a country. Thomas Fischer, Gregor Peter Schmitz, and Michael Seberich are project managers of the politics division at the Bertelsmann Stiftung.


Existing domain adaptation methods tend to treat every domain equally and align them all perfectly. Such uniform alignment ignores topological structures among different domains; therefore it may be beneficial for nearby domains, but not necessarily for distant domains. In this work, we relax such uniform alignment by using a domain graph to encode domain adjacency, e.g., a graph of states in the US with each state as a domain and each edge indicating adjacency, thereby allowing domains to align flexibly based on the graph structure. We generalize the existing adversarial learning framework with a novel graph discriminator using encoding-conditioned graph embeddings. Theoretical analysis shows that at equilibrium, our method recovers classic domain adaptation when the graph is a clique, and achieves non-trivial alignment for other types of graphs. Empirical results show that our approach successfully generalizes uniform alignment, naturally incorporates domain information represented by graphs, and improves upon existing domain adaptation methods on both synthetic and real-world datasets. Code will soon be available at https://github.com/Wang-ML-Lab/GRDA.


This publication brings together leading emotion researchers whose work has pioneered new questions, methods, and levels of analyses for investigating development and individual differences in how infants and children attend to, categorize, understand, talk about, and regulate emotions. Topics include infant attention and processing of emotions, developmental affective psychophysiology, emotions in maltreated children, attention biases and anxiety, emotional competence and social interactions, cultural differences in emotion socialization, gender and parent-child reminiscing about emotional events, family emotion conversations and socio-cognitive development, and causal reasoning about emotions. These contributions lay a foundation for new scientific discoveries in developmental affective science, and they inform evidence-based practices and interventions aimed at promoting children's emotional wellbeing. Given the centrality of emotions to children's development, this volume provides a valuable resource for developmental researchers and clinicians, as well as for parents, educators, and policy makers.


The "new originalism" is all about the text of the Constitution. Originalists insist that the whole point of originalism is to respect and follow the original meaning of the text, and that originalism derives its legitimacy from its unwavering focus on the text alone as the sole basis of higher law. And yet, many leading Supreme Court decisions in matters of great importance to conservatives—in opinions authored and joined by originalist judges, and often praised by originalist scholars—are seemingly not grounded in the constitutional text at all. They rest instead on abstract structural argument: on freestanding principles of federalism and separation of powers in lieu of the original meaning of any particular provision of the Constitution. This Essay demonstrates and examines the underexplored tension between original meaning textualism and structural argument.


Tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum cv. MoneyMaker), grown under strictly controlled conditions, have been used to study alterations occurring in secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways following developmental and environmental perturbations. Robustness and repro- ducibility of the system were confirmed using detailed sta- tistical analyses of the metabolome. LCMS profiling was applied using whole germinated seeds as well as cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots from 3 to 9 days old seedlings to gen- erate relative levels of 433 metabolites, of which 62 were annotated. Initial focus was given to the polyphenol pathway and several additional mass signals have been putatively annotated using high mass resolution fragmentation. Clear organ and developmental stage—specific differences were observed. Seeds accumulated saponin-like compounds; roots accumulated mainly alkaloids; cotyledons contained mainly glycosylated flavonols and; hypocotyls contained mainly anthocyanins. For each organ, the developmental changes in metabolite profiles were described by using linear mixed models. Across three independent experiments, 85 % of the metabolites showed similar developmental trends. This tomato seedling system has given us valuable additional insights into the complexity of seedling secondary metabo- lism. How metabolic profiles reflect an interplay between depletion of stored molecules and de novo synthesis and how the overall picture for this important crop plant contrasts to e.g. Arabidopsis are emphasised.


Most disaster risk assessment today is static, focusing only on understanding current risks. A paradigm shift is needed toward dynamic risk assessments, which reveal the drivers of risk and effectiveness of policies focused on reducing risk. Global disaster risk is changing extremely fast, due to combined dynamics of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. The drivers of disaster risk are in the control of policy makers, society, and individuals, but accurate assessment and continuous revaluation of risk are required to enable effective risk reduction and prevent drastic increases in future losses.


Nostalgia has been viewed as the conceptual opposite of progress, against which it is negatively viewed as reactionary, sentimental or melancholic. It has been seen as a defeatist retreat from the present, and evidence of loss of faith in the future. Nostalgia is certainly a response to the experience of loss endemic in modernity and late modernity, but the authors argue that it has numerous manifestations and cannot be reduced to a singular or absolute definition. Its meaning and significance are multiple, and so should be seen as accommodating progressive, even utopian impulses as well as regressive stances and melancholic attitudes. Its contrarieties are evident in both vernacular and media forms of remembering and historical reconstruction. The authors argue that these contrarieties should be viewed as mutually constitutive, for it is in their interrelations that there arises the potential for sociological critique.


Rapid industrialization and urbanization in Malaysia parallels the worsening
air quality in the country. Besides local pollutant emitters, external sources
also contribute to aggravate the condition. Haze, or the phenomenon of high
air pollution particularly PM1Q, has become an annual event due to forest fires
in a neighbouring country. Exposure to high levels of particulate pollution
has long been reported to be detrimental to human health. This study was
conducted to determine the relationship between daily PM10 level and daily
hospital outpatient visits for asthma, acute respiratory infection and
conjunctivitis attended to at HKL and HTAR, Klang from January 1997 (the
haze year) to June 1998. Daily air quality and health data were collected
retrospectively. Asthma visits were significantly elevated during the haze
months. The data were also categorized to produce appropriate contingency
tables. Chi-square test revealed significant association between PM10 level
and asthma and conjunctivitis, particularly after two to five days lag. A cross sectional study was performed to investigate the impact of long term
exposure to ambient air pollution on the lung function of a total of 780
school children between the age of 16-19 years old in the Klang Valley and
Terengganu. The respiratory symptoms were surveyed (questionnaires)
and the lung function (VC, FVC and FEV1) measured using a spirometer.
Despite the relatively high pollution level in the Klang Valley, the subjects
recorded normal lung function values. However, the lung function values of
subjects in the industrial areas of Paka and Kemaman were slightly lower
and the respiratory symptoms were more prevalent. Findings from the two
studies suggest that asthma and conjunctivitis are associated with PM10
level. However, the types of PM10 pollution (rural/urban/industrial) are
i mportant in determining its impact on the exposed population.


Existing rate adaptation protocols have advocated training to establish the relationship between channel conditions and the optimal modulation and coding scheme. However, wireless devices for outdoor and vehicular communications frequently enter environments they have not yet encountered and therefore, have insufficient training for rate adaptation decisions. In addition, protocols are often optimally tuned for indoor environments but, when taken outdoors, perform poorly. In both cases, the decision structure formed offline lacks the ability to acclimate to a new situation on the fly. The diverse and ever-changing environments of increasingly mobile wireless devices call for a rate adaption scheme that can quickly adjust accordingly to form a unique environment set established by the user. In this paper, we propose an on-the-fly, in-situ training (FIT) mechanism which addresses the challenges of making rate decisions with unpredictable fluctuation and lack of repeatability of real wireless channels. We design and conduct extensive experiments on emulated and in-field wireless channels to evaluate the in-situ training process, showing that the rate decision structure can be updated as channel conditions change using existing traffic flows.


Spanish public opinion shows, according to sociological surveys, a disaffection towards the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. From the influence of the media on current prevailing opinion in society, this article analyzes the opinion pieces published in the Spanish reference press: El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia. The period surrounding the last three federal elections in the German country is taken as temporal reference point. Through the methodological technique of content analysis applied to these texts, the investigation studies what kind of valuations are transmitted about a women erected as leader of Europe, who does not have the sympathy of the citizens of so-called peripheral countries. Aspects like the media ideological influence in the image creating process are also analyzed in order to establish whether a distorted image based on a negative-aspects approach has been created or not.


Stem cells exist and can do a lot. For several decades, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants containing haematopoietic stem cells have been used in the treatment of blood diseases. Genetic modifications (gene therapy) of such cells help to cure complex immunodeficiencies and severe anaemias. The limbal stem cells taken from the eye and properly multiplied can regenerate the damaged cornea, and the epidermal stem cells help in the treatment of severe burns and some hereditary, severe skin diseases. Promising experimental research is under way on other uses of stem cells. However, these cells are appropriately selected, having real ability to differentiate into specialized cells whose malfunction is the cause of the disease. Therapeutic applications of stem cells are apparently limited to date. Meanwhile, the Internet is full of advertisements for supposedly miraculous treatments for almost any disease. Stem cells have become a modern synonym of the Holy Grail. A wonderful dish, transforming every drink into elixir of health, youth and long life. Stem cells from a single source, e.g., umbilical cord blood, or so-called cells, although without proven properties of stem cells, are offered in commercial private clinics as a panacea for autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, eye diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and dozens other disorders. Without justification for their action in these diseases, without convincing evidence of safety, but for a high fee. This article discusses stem cells and misunderstandings about including any cells among them. It draws attention to the real possibilities and confirmed uses of stem cells and presents the problems, doubts and dangers for patients associated with commercial offers of treatments using "stem" cells. The author cites the positions of scientific institutions and societies warning against premature commercialization of unjustified and potentially dangerous therapies


Residential development on the urban fringe is a complex process. Developers are confronted with a diversity of considerations that has made site selection a difficult task. A possible solution may be the creation of a comprehensive information system to aid developers in their general site selection decisions. This study, then, is intended as a first step toward the development of such a system. The primary objectives of the study were four-fold: (1) to demonstrate that there is more to a landscape than meets the eye; (2) to provide developers with a unique way of looking at some of the geographic concerns that confront them; (3) to hopefully provide an aid to developers regarding their general site selection decisions; and (4) to suggest a paradigm for a comprehensive geographic information system (GIS). The study is conceptually-oriented. A GIS was created in which the distribution of selected physical attributes was employed to determine site desirability for residential development. The following considerations were included in the study: (1) the availability of paved streets; (2) the availability of utilities (sewer, water, and gas); and (3) the availability of favorable topography. Physical "desirability" surfaces were generated for a study area to reveal the presence of, and accessibility to, each of the desired features. The culmination of the study was the creation of a final desirability surface which revealed aggregate residential development potential from the standpoint of economic feasibility. The system created in this study represents a working part of a proposed comprehensive GIS tor residential development planning. Before any real-world applications are undertaken, an expansion of the system would be required. However, this working system displays potential as a good starting point towards the creation of more advanced systems that would accommodate ever-larger and more diverse data bases.


Much has been made of the fact President Obama became the first president to mention the word gay in an inaugural address. But the significance lies not in what he said but how he said it. In declaring, "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law" Obama not only declared himself abstractly for "gay rights", he placed these rights at the heart of the central ideals of the American story. Obama's whole speech sprung from his reiteration of the much sung hymn to equality from the Declaration of Independence which he quoted at the start of his speech: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness Presidents and other American orators are fond of quoting this lodestone of the American dream, so it is not surprise that Obama should refer to it. But his speech was much more telling because he made clear that he took those words as a call to action: For history tells us that while these truths maybe self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.


This article discusses the ways in which power-based socio-political shifts in Turkey during the AKP (Justice and Development Party) era transnationally influence the relations between and within the Muslim German Turkish communities and their organizations in Germany. Based on ethnographic field work, archival research and reflexive discourse analysis, this article takes DITIB (The Turkish Islamic Union of Religious Affairs) in Germany, which is the affiliate organization of Diyanet (The Presidency of Religious Organization) in Turkey, and analyses its relations with other German Turkish organizations such as Milli Gorus (The Islamic Community of National Vision) and the Gulen Movement in Germany. Such analysis reveals the dynamics of competition between secular and religious, as well as intra-religious, actors and how their members claim their religious and socio-political rights beyond binaries.


The countdown has started for the Grand Spell Contest and the Witch's cat has run off to be a cat-food tester! Then the Dog appears on her doorstep. He can't scratch, but he can dig big holes. He can't hiss and spit, but he can growl, dribble and cover everthing in muddy pawprints. Will the Witch let the Dog help her at the Grand Spell Contest? And, most importantaly, can they both fit on her brooomstick?


For more than fifty years, taxonomists have proposed numerous alternative definitions of species while they searched for a unique, comprehensive, and persuasive definition. This monograph shows that these efforts have been unnecessary, and indeed have provably been a pursuit of a will o' the wisp because they have failed to recognize the theoretical impossibility of what they seek to accomplish. A clear and rigorous understanding of the logic underlying species definition leads both to a recognition of the inescapable ambiguity that affects the definition of species, and to a framework-relative approach to species definition that is logically compelling, i.e., cannot not be accepted without inconsistency. An appendix reflects upon the conclusions reached, applying them in an intellectually whimsical taxonomic thought experiment that conjectures the possibility of an emerging new human species.


Poverty in the US is growing at an alarming rate. The current economic climate demands higher education to embrace the economic diversity of all students and to prepare them, regardless of economic class, for a globally competitive workplace. Unfortunately, the higher education community is not as adept at serving low-income students, as it is middleand upperincome students. Low-income students are less likely than their more affluent peers to enroll in college or graduate. Employing qualitative narrative methods, this dissertation explores the factors that contributed to the persistence and success of 18, low-income, community college students. This study addresses the following research question: What influences students from poverty to enroll and succeed in college? The researcher conducted an interview study utilizing semi-structured and open-ended questions. Purposive sampling identified four Achieving the Dream Colleges as the research sites. The study included interviews with highly successful, Pell Grant recipients in community colleges who came from diverse backgrounds. The participants had a 3.0 GPA or above, and they were enrolled in their second consecutive year of coursework. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. The researcher used multiple sites, collected rich and thick data, developed a comprehensive audit trail, maintained a reflexive journal, and participated in prolonged engagement in an effort to address issues of trustworthiness. The seven findings of this study illuminate the variables that influenced the participants' decision to attend college, the resources that supported their successful transition into college, the hardships endured due to a lack of adequate financial resources, the individual attributes that contributed to the participants' successes, the college interventions and programs that the students deemed to be critical, and the people who encouraged their college enrollment and persistence. In addition, the participants made timely recommendations to other low-income students, educational practitioners, and policy makers. Findings from this study point to the need for a heightened awareness and understanding of the experiences of this marginalized and underserved group. Feedback from low-income students should be used to shape federal, state, and campus programming and planning. The findings of this study demonstrate ways that educators and policy makers could potentially improve the enrollment and persistence of students from


In June 2017, the Supreme Court decided Ziglar v. Abbasi and held that prisoners unlawfully detained post-9/11 did not have a Bivens claim against policy-level federal executive branch officials and likely had no Bivens claim against the wardens at the facility where they were detained. In doing so, the Court drastically altered the analysis for deciding when a Bivens claim is new and for determining when a new Bivens claim should be either allowed by a court or precluded under a "special factors" analysis. This change in the Bivens framework severely restricts the availability of factually novel Bivens claims, even those based on constitutional rights whose violation have generally been found to provide a cause of action. The net result is that in many areas, Bivens probably no longer serves a deterrence function that is critical in safeguarding constitutional rights. The most notable of these areas is federal prison litigation, where Bivens claims against individual officers are necessary for securing a number of rights guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment. Although prisoners subject to Eighth Amendment violations retain some remedies, without Bivens the remedial framework is incomplete and insufficient to fully assure constitutional rights. This remedy gap is the result of an unprecedented shift away from the language and logic of previous Bivens opinions. While the Court declined to adopt an even more radical retrenchment of Bivens, one that would restrict it to the facts of the first three cases adopting the remedy, there is a serious contention that its convoluted formulation of the rules reaches an identical substantive result. Therefore, the result of the Ziglar opinion is doubly troubling. Not only has the Court potentially left hundreds of thousands of prisoners with insufficient protection of their rights, but their means of doing so may lack the clarity necessary to create the appropriate response from other institutional actors.


In an issue of Common Knowledge given over to experiments in scholarly form and to the discussion of them, this piece is one of three on the genre of micro-history. The other two (by Natalie Zemon Davis and Sir Keith Thomas) argue the merits and demerits of the genre, while this piece seeks to exemplify both its virtues and its risks. To show how microhistory offers intense deliberation on a narrowly defined topic, yet also a kind of hastiness—an impatience with demands for broader scope—Colin Richmond examines one limited facet of the relationship between two Americans resident in England at the turn of the last century: the novelist Henry James and the painter Edwin Austin Abbey. Detailed evidence is mustered to document James's love of fresh hens' eggs and of the undignified lengths he would go to obtain them through the agency of Abbey and his wife. This short piece is written as if a parable, and while its moral goes unstated, the reader's attention is drawn to the unsettled question of whether James exerted maximal effort for minimal results, or whether he knew something about the value of freshness undreamed of by those more patient and dignified in pursuing their desires.


The p-type Si layer in n-i-p a-Si and μc-Si solar cells on foil has several important requirements with respect to conductivity and optical transmission. We control the optical band gap and activation energy of p-a-SiC by varying the B2H6 and CH4 flows in the process chamber. Modelling shows that the optimum efficiency in n-i-p solar cells is obtained when the p-a-SiC band gap is just above the band gap of the absorber layer. We have assessed the potential of core-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) for detecting B and C and of low-loss EELS, in a spatially resolved manner, as probe of local variations in bulk plasmon energy. EELS in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) combines the necessary spatial resolution to investigate the boundary between p-a-SiC and i-a-Si with sufficient sensitivity to the boron content.


Four short sediment cores from the southwestern Baltic Sea were analysed with respect to their content of siliceous microfossils. The aim was to detect and date changes in the composition of the diatom flora and to link these changes to variations in the anthropogenic load of nutrients during the last century. The study shows that the most significant change in the diatom assemblages occurred 130-140 years ago. The change is recorded in the sediments as a shift from periphytic diatom taxa to a predominance of planktonic taxa. This indicates that the photic layer has decreased in depth, probably due to eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, which consequently began to affect the area investigated approximately AD 1850. To support the results of a changing ratio of periphytic to planktonic diatoms, diatom accumulation rates were calculated. In general, the diatom accumulation rate data show a decrease in the periphytic accumulation rates and an increase in the planktonic accumulation rates towards the sediment surface. Some indications of a colder climate are recorded in the sediments approximately 230 years ago. These results are in accordance with the record of maximum extent of sea ice in the same area and are suggested to represent a late stage in the 'Little Ice Age'.


Within the field of open access (OA) publishing, community-led publishing projects are experimenting increasingly with new forms of collaboration and organisation. They do so by focusing on setting up horizontal alliances between independent projects within a certain sector (e.g., scholar-led presses), or vertically across sectors with other not-for-profit organisations (e.g., through collaborations with libraries, universities, and funders), in order to create multi-stakeholder ecologies within scholarly publishing. Yet at the same time, imaginaries for future modes of OA knowledge production are still controlled through demands for 'scalability' and 'sustainability', which are both seen as preconditions for scholarly communication models and practices to succeed and to be efficient. But they are also prerequisites to receive funding for publishing projects or infrastructure development. The scalability of open models is perceived as essential to compete in a landscape dominated by a handful of major corporate players.Drawing on our work with the Radical Open Access Collective, the ScholarLed consortium, and the Community-led Open Publishing Infrastructures for Monographs (COPIM) project, this article outlines an alternative organisational principle for governing community-led publishing projects based on mutual reliance, care, and other forms of commoning. Termed 'scaling small', this principle eschews standard approaches to organisational growth that tend to flatten community diversity through economies of scale. Instead, it puts forward the idea that scale can be nurtured through intentional collaborations between community-driven projects that promote a bibliodiverse ecosystem while providing resilience through resource sharing and other kinds of collaboration. Following Anna Tsing's recommendations to keep in mind how reimagining our knowledge practices requires we pay particular attention to articulations between the scalable and the nonscalable (Tsing, 2012), what is needed to enable this is, first and foremost, a rethinking of existing systems and infrastructures and how they currently function – systems that have historically developed and been continuously remade to encourage further scalability. We further explore the possibilities of scaling small with particular reference to Anna Tsing's work on the 'latent commons' and Massimo De Angelis' discussion of 'boundary commoning', examining how these concepts are on display within the Radical Open Access Collective, ScholarLed and the COPIM project. As we will argue, reimagining the relations within publishing beyond a mere calculative logic, i.e., one that is focused on assessing the sustainability of alternative models, is essential in not-for-profit OA publishing environments, particularly if we want new forms of collaboration to arise and to redefine the future of scholarly publishing in communal settings.


Pollen is an essential resource for bumblebees, yet this is often overlooked in studies of their foraging requirements. The decline of bumblebees across the UK and rest of
Europe has prompted conservation measures to consider the provision of pollen as well as nectar resources, particularly in intensive agricultural landscapes where the
pollination service bumblebees provide is so important.
This report details a study carried out in July 2003 to investigate the utilisation of pollen from different forage plant species by two bumblebee species with contrasting
ecologies (Bombus pascuorum and Bombus terrestris/lucorum) across an enhanced arable landscape.
An area of 1.96 km2 was divided into grid squares of 100m x 100m. Pollen loads were sampled from foraging bumblebees in eight random squares within the centre of this grid, and every square was surveyed in detail to map the distribution and abundance of all plant species in flower. Each pollen load was analysed to identify the pollen genera and/or species
present, and to estimate the percentage species composition of the load.
The two bumblebee species showed specialization towards pollen from contrasting
species. B. pascuorum visited flowers of 23 different species to collect pollen, and
although 76% of pollen loads were mixed, many were dominated by species from the
Fabaceae, especially Trifolium pratense. B. terrestris/lucorum loads contained pollen
from 17 species, only 32% of these were mixed, and Borago officinalis was the
dominant pollen type. The majority of pollen loads of both bee species were
dominated by species which had been sown in mixtures under the Countryside
Stewardship Scheme. Although several unsown species were visited for pollen, they
were only present in a few loads and at low proportions.
The composition of a bumblebees' pollen load did not always relate to the forage
plant species on which that bee had been caught. Calculation of a pollination
probability index (PPI) showed that bumblebees tended to collect large amounts of
conspecific pollen from their preferred pollen forage plants (ie. Trifolium pratense,
Borago officinalis). This suggested that in our study area, bumblebees may be more
efficient pollinators of certain forage plant species than others.
Maps of flower abundance and distribution showed that the study landscape
contained many diverse patches of flowering plants, particularly of the Fabaceae,
which are encouraged under agri-environment schemes such as Countryside
Stewardship. The area was therefore of higher quality in terms of pollen resources
for B. pascuorum than B. terrestris/lucorum. B. pascuorum was the more abundant
species, probably able to undertake relatively short foraging flights with guaranteed
rewards, thus enhancing colony success.
·In conclusion, restoration measures, such as those within the agri-environment
schemes, must consider the pollen requirements of all bumblebee species in order to
conserve populations and retain their important pollination service in agricultural
landscapes.


Computing students' difficulties in understanding Java programming provided a practical context for a critical investigation of why this continues to exist. An exploratory study was conducted by Computing department staff at the National University of Samoa to investigate what were the most common errors students made in Java programming classes. Program code from undergraduate Java programming classes were analysed for errors. Errors were categorized and the frequency of occurrence also tabled. Results of the analyses were used to form recommendations to inform course development and improve teaching practices.


The concept of "enclosures" provides useful perspectives for thinking about social inequalities. In this paper, we overcome the conceptual limits posed by Polanyi's focus on the particular history of England as the trigger of the global transformation of economy and society. We follow the recent critique made by Nancy Fraser that inner-societal conflicts resulting from enclosures need a more decided and explicit analysis. We argue that these can be best addressed from the perspective of coloniality and territoriality. As examples of this post-Polanyi approach, we present research results on contemporary enclosures represented by exclusive urbanism in Mexico, agricultural plantation expansion in Colombia and seed regulations in Argentina.


Background: Physical activity (PA) in natural environments, known as green exercise (GE), can provide health benefits above and beyond PA in other environments, but little is known about the extent to which GE is an accessible form of weekly PA across different social groups. This study aims to examine the "GE phenomenon" in Norway, and evaluate possible differences in GE habits and perceived factors that promote GE across sub-groups of this population. Methods: 2168 adults from all over Norway reported weekly GE and other forms of PA, specific forms of GE, and perceived factors that promote GE. Data were examined in the overall sample and in relation with the respondents' PA status and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: GE, especially "walking in the forest" and "activities by/on the sea", was the most popular form of weekly PA, even among those with low PA levels. GE was fairly represented across all social groups, and especially among the elderly, those who live with spouse/partner and those who live in the west regions of Norway, while no associations were found in relation to sex, centrality, education level or household income. "Time flexibility" and "PA-supportive places" were generally perceived as the most important factors that promote GE across all social groups. "Accessibility to nature" was generally perceived relatively little important, though a gradient was observed in relation to age, education level and household income. Conclusions: GE is an important source of weekly PA and health among adult Norwegians, especially in sub-groups of interest for public health such as the elderly, those with lower socio-economic status and those who live in non-urban areas. More should be done to understand and address the inequities relative to the perceived accessibility to nature.


Abstract. Wildfires pose a significant risk to human livelihoods and are a substantial health hazard due to emissions of toxic smoke. Previous studies have shown that climate change, increasing atmospheric CO2, and human demographic dynamics can lead to substantially altered wildfire risk in the future, with fire activity increasing in some regions and decreasing in others. The present study re-examines these results from the perspective of air pollution risk, focussing on emissions of airborne particulate matter (PM2. 5), combining an existing ensemble of simulations using a coupled fire–dynamic vegetation model with current observation-based estimates of wildfire emissions and simulations with a chemical transport model. Currently, wildfire PM2. 5 emissions exceed those from anthropogenic sources in large parts of the world. We further analyse two extreme sets of future wildfire emissions in a socio-economic, demographic climate change context and compare them to anthropogenic emission scenarios reflecting current and ambitious air pollution legislation. In most regions of the world, ambitious reductions of anthropogenic air pollutant emissions have the potential to limit mean annual pollutant PM2. 5 levels to comply with World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines for PM2. 5. Worst-case future wildfire emissions are not likely to interfere with these annual goals, largely due to fire seasonality, as well as a tendency of wildfire sources to be situated in areas of intermediate population density, as opposed to anthropogenic sources that tend to be highest at the highest population densities. However, during the high-fire season, we find many regions where future PM2. 5 pollution levels can reach dangerous levels even for a scenario of aggressive reduction of anthropogenic emissions.


This thesis focuses on the preparation of new chalcogen and silver compounds, which are in part extremely moisture sensitive or energetic materials. The reaction of SeF4 with
Me3SiN3 at low temperatures resulted in the formation of the first binary selenium(iv) azide Se(N3)4. The reactions of [SeF5]– and [SeF6]2– with Me3SiN3 furnished the corresponding polyazidoselenites [Se(N3)5]– and [Se(N3)6]2–. All materials are extremely temperature sensitive.
The preparation of the binary selenium(iv) cyanide Se(CN)4 was attempted by the reaction of SeF4 with Me3SiCN at low temperatures. However, selenium tetracyanide could not be detected by NMR spectroscopy; instead, the decomposition product Se(CN)2 was isolated and its crystal structure was redetermined.
The binary selenium(iv) fluorides [SeF5]– and [SeF6]2–, used as starting materials for the syntheses of the binary selenium(iv) azide compounds, have been characterized
with the help of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and compared with the literature. In addition the crystal structure of the unknown selenium(iv) oxofluoride anion [SeOF3]–
was obtained and compared with the known structures of [SOF3]– and [TeOF3]– .
The reaction of organoselanes and -diselanes (R2Se and (RSe)2) with XeF2 furnished the corresponding organoselenium(iv) difluorides R2SeF2 (R = Me, Et, i-Pr,
Ph, Mes (= 2, 4, 6-(Me)3C6H2), Tipp (= 2, 4, 6-(i-Pr)3C6H2), 2 -Me2NCH2C6H4), and trifluorides R0SeF3 (R0 = Me, i-Pr, Ph, Mes, Tipp, Mes* (= 2, 4, 6-(t-Bu)3C6H2), 2-Me2NCH2C6H4), respectively. In addition to characterization by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, the first molecular structure of an organoselenium(iv) difluoride as well as the molecular structures of subsequent decomposition products have been determined.
The substitution of fluorine atoms with Me3SiN3 leads to the corresponding organoselenium(iv) diazides R2Se(N3)2 (R = Me, Et, i-Pr, Ph, Mes, 2-Me2NCH2C6H4) and triazides R0Se(N3)3 (R0 = Me, i-Pr, Ph, Mes, Tipp, Mes*, 2-Me2NCH2C6H4), respectively. The organoselenium azides are extremely temperature-sensitive materials and can only be handled at low temperatures.
The reaction of dibenzoselenophene (biphenSe) with halogenides or halogenidedonating compounds, respectively, furnished the corresponding organoselenium(iv) halogenides
biphenSeF2, biphenSeCl2, biphenSeBr2, as well as the charge-transfer-adduct biphenSe·I2. Besides their NMR spectroscopic characterization, the molecular structures
of the dichloride, dibromide, and the iodine-adduct could be determined. In analogy the reaction of dibenzo[1,2]diselenine with three equivalents of halogenide or halogenidedonating compound was examined.
The syntheses of the triorganochalcogenonium dinitramide salts [Ph3Te][N(NO2)2], [Me3Te][N(NO2)2], [Ph3Se][N(NO2)2], [Me3Se][N(NO2)2], [Ph3S][N(NO2)2], and [Me3S][N(NO2)2], their characterization by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, vibrational spectra, and single crystal structures were described. The syntheses of the compounds were achieved using [Ag(py)2][N(NO2)2] and [Ag(NCCH3)][N(NO2)2] as
dinitramide transfer reagents. Besides those ionic salts, the preparation of the first covalent tellurium(iv) dinitramide compounds R2Te[N(NO2)2] (R = Me, Ph, Mes) and
the synthesis of Me3SiN(NO2)2 was achieved. The latter was investigated as potential dinitramide transfer reagent. Furthermore the ionic sulfonium azides [Ph3S]N3 and [Me3S]N3 were prepared and the crystal structure of the triphenylsulfonium salt could be determined.
The crystal structure of solvate-free silver dinitramide Ag[N(NO2)2] was elucidated by X-Ray diffraction for the first time. Additionally, in order to achieve a safe handling of the compound, the complete sensitivity data was obtained. The reaction of silver azide with triphenylsulfonium or tetraphenylphosphonium azide results in the formation of the binary silver-nitrogen compound, the novel diazidoargentate(i) anion [Ag(N3)2]– ,initially discovered as a surprising by-product during the preparation of a sulfonium azide.
The disproportionation product of the donor-stabilized tellurenyl fluoride 2-Me2NCH2C6H4TeF, the tellurium(iv) trifluoride 2-Me2NCH2C6H4TeF3, could be identified by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the crystal
structure of 2-Me2NCH2C6H4TeF3, the second structural characterized tellurium(iv) trifluoride, has been determined. Furthermore the syntheses of the new tellurium(iv) difluoride, (2-Me2NCH2C6H4)2TeF2, and corresponding tellurium(iv) diazide, (2-Me2NCH2C6H4)2Te(N3)2 as well as the tellurium(iv) triazide, 2-Me2NCH2C6H4Te(N3)3, and their characterization by spectroscopic methods were reported. During these investigations rather interesting crystal structures of an
organotelluronium salt ([(2-Me2NCH2C6H4)2TeOH]2[SiF6]), a monomeric organotellurium(iv) oxide ((2-Me2NCH2C6H4)2TeO), and an unusual tellurium(vi) species([(2-Me2N(H)CH2C6H4)2TeOF3]2[SiF6]) were elucidated.


Acknowledgements. Preface. Part 1: General considerations. Healthy housing - an interpretation. The challenge of slum housing. Housing and health. Collection of data. Interaction of housing conditions and disease. Parameters of health. General healthy housing needs. Part 2: Technical and social requirements. Housing layout requirements. Space and density requirements. Social requirements. Shelter requirements. Design and constructional requirements. Sanitation requirements. Indoor air quality requirements. Indoor climate requirements. Home safety requirements. Special housing requirements. Part 3: Operational and organizational requirements. Regular inspection and appraisal of the housing stock ascertain hygienic quality. Adoption of appropriate policies for dealing with slums and insanitary housing. Rehousing the homeless and persons from slums and insanitary housing. Intersectoral cooperation from corporate planning and management of healthy housing policies. Basic housing standards, legislation and codes to fulfil fundamental human health needs. Incorporation of environmental health and healthy housing requirements into planning policies. Planning rural improvement and spatial development schemes. Special provision for shanty-town upgrading and prevention. Provision of institutional, organizational and operational arrangements for implementing healthy housing policies. Provision of adequate financial resources for remedying insanitary housing conditions. Adoption of suitable planning and routine repair and maintenance policies for prevention of insanitary housing. Involvement and participation of the community and women in healthy housing policies. Educational measures to support healthy housing programmes. References. Appendix. Index.


To investigate the marine benthic ecosystems of the Magellan region and to compare them with the better known Antarctic systems, three campaigns were recently carried out in this area: the Joint Magellan "Victor Hensen" Campaign 1994, the "Polarstern" ANT XIII/4 cruise 1996, and the "Vidal Gormaz" CIMAR FIORDO II cruise 1996. Numerous and diverse zoobenthos samples were collected mostly with an Agassiz trawl and with a small dredge, an epibenthic sledge, with baited traps or by diving. All gears together gathered more than 132,000 specimens of gammaridean and caprellidean amphipods. 137 species of gammaridean amphipods have been identified from the material to date. About 20% of these species appear to be new for science. This taxonomic work takes place in the framework of a general revision of the Southern Ocean amphipod fauna undertaken by the"Antarctic Amphipodologists Network". A complete list of the benthic species of gammaridean and caprellidean amphipods is presented, including the zoogeographical distribution and the new records. The new abundant material collected, still under study, will allow a comparison of faunal diversity, zoogeographical and ecological traits of the Magellan benthic amphipod taxocoenoses with those of the West and East Antarctic benthos.


This Article examines the argument that climate change is a "super-wicked" problem. It concludes that the wicked problem concept is best viewed as a rhetorical device that served a valuable function in arguing against technocratic hubris in the early 1970s but is unhelpful and possibly counterproductive as a tool for modern climate policy analysis. Richard Lazarus improved on this analysis by emphasizing the urgency of a climate response in his characterization of the climate problem as "super-wicked." We suggest another approach based on Charles Lindblom's "science of muddling through." The muddling through approach supports the rhetorical points for which the original wicked problem concept was introduced and provides greater practical guidance for developing new laws and policies to address climate change and other complex and messy environmental problems.


ABSTRACT Research Findings: This small-scale study features the 1st comparative exploration of the pedagogical quality of parent-led child care and regular child care in The Netherlands. The quality of the interaction skills and the affective relationships between adults and children was evaluated and compared with those of regular child care centers. On average parents in parent-led child care had interactions with adequate to good sensitive responsiveness, respect for autonomy, structuring and limit setting, and verbal communication. Developmental stimulation and fostering positive peer interactions proved to be weaker areas. Parents' perceptions of the affective relationship with children in the group were characterized by a high level of closeness and a low level of dependency and conflict. Parents experienced a greater degree of closeness but also more conflict and in particular greater dependency with their own children than with the other children. A comparison between parent-led centers and regular urban child care centers revealed some small but significant differences in pedagogical quality. Practice or Policy: Parents can play a more active role in both the design and implementation of child care. It seems interesting to pilot new child care formats in which parents and professional staff collaborate more closely.


Purpose: Leg threatening injuries present patients and clinicians with a difficult decision: whether to pursue primary amputation or limb salvage? The purpose of our study was to review the literature in an effort to inform this management decision. Methods: We systematically searched and selected observational studies that reported on individuals presenting with leg threatening injuries comparing outcomes of limb salvage versus primary amputation. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE. We reported on the following outcomes, and pooled data across trials when possible: length of hospital stay, total rehabilitation time, cost, clinical outcomes, failure rate for limb salvage, function & quality of life, pain, return to work, factors associated with poor outcome, and patient preference. Results: Nine observational studies contributed data to our systematic review. The current evidence suggests that while length of hospital stay is similar for limb salvage and primary amputation, length of rehabilitation and total costs are higher for limb salvage patients. Salvage patients requires greater additional surgery and are significantly more likely to undergo re-hospitalization. Long-term functional outcomes (up to 7 years post injury) are equivalent between limb salvage and primary amputation; both forms of management are associated with high rates of self-reported disability (40%; to 50%;), and functional status continues to worsen over time. Report of pain following limb salvage or primary amputation is similar. Return to work is essentially the same between limb salvage and primary amputation groups, with approximately half of such patients returning to competitive employment at 2 years post injury. Both clinical and psychosocial factors are associated with poorer functional outcomes. At the time of injury patients prefer limb salvage, but the majority of failed salvage patients would opt for early amputation if they could decide again. Conclusion and Significance: Functional outcome among patients who present with leg-threatening injuries are not significantly different, at least up to 7 years, whether they are managed with limb salvage or primary amputation. Research to optimize triage decisions to avoid failed limb salvage as well as on interventions targeting important psychosocial prognostic variables should be considered a priority.


The impact of convection on the humidity and clouds in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) during boreal summer 2007 is investigated in simulations of detailed cloud microphysical processes and their effects on the water vapor (H2O) profile along backward trajectories from the 379 K potential temperature (100‐hPa pressure) surface. Convective influence is determined by tracing the trajectories through time‐dependent fields of satellite‐based convective cloud top height. The simulated H2O mixing ratios at the 100‐hPa level and cloud occurrence fractions in the middle to upper (16–18 km) TTL exhibit a pronounced maximum over the Asian monsoon region as in observations; these local enhancements are virtually absent in the simulation without convection, indicating that convection is the dominant driver of the localized H2O and cloud maxima in the Asian summer monsoon region. Convection moistens the 100‐hPa level by 0.6 ppmv (~15%) averaged over the 10°S–50°N domain and increases tropical (10°S–30°N) mean cloud occurrence in the middle to upper TTL by ~170%. Nearly all of the convective enhancements in H2O and clouds are due to the effect of convective saturation; convectively detrained ice crystals have negligible impact. Parcels are most frequently hydrated by deep convection in the southern sector of the Asian monsoon anticyclone and subsequently dehydrated downstream of convection to the west, shifting the locations of final dehydration northwest of the cold temperature region in the northern Tropics. Infrequent, extreme deep convective systems (cloud tops exceeding 380 K) have a disproportionately large effect on TTL humidity and clouds.


Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis (KCCA) is a method of correlating linear relationship between two variables in a kernel defined feature space. A machine learning algorithm based on KCCA is studied for cross-language information retrieval. We apply the algorithm in Japanese-English cross-language information retrieval. The results are quite encouraging and are significantly better than those obtained by other state of the art methods. Computational complexity is an important issue when applying KCCA to large dataset as in information retrieval. We experimentally evaluate several methods to alleviate the problem of applying KCCA to large datasets. We also investigate cross-language document classification using KCCA as well as other methods. Our results show that it is feasible to use a classifier learned in one language to classify the documents in other languages.


The experience held by a cost estimating engineer is a valuable asset in every construction company. For a reliable cost estimation at the conceptual stage of a building project, the missing data and information, otherwise needed for a detailed cost estimate, have to be substituted by the knowledge of an experienced cost-engineer. Typically, a senior member of the contractor's organization is involved in the conceptual cost estimating process. The decisions are based on that individual's experience. His experience may constrain, or even bias, the selection of cost objectives. This can lead to an estimate that is not optimal. This paper describes the development of a prototype knowledge based system, aimed to assist the cost estimator in the conceptual cost estimate. The system was developed by systematically capturing the expertise of multiple experts at three construction firms.