The curative imaginary is a powerful driver of hope and investment in medicine, often displacing attention and resources given to other illness-related fields of practice. Whereas cure implies an end to the sick role and the possibility of an absolute state of health, in practice those fields that are touted as having high curative potential grapple with the ongoing nature and incompleteness of post-cure care. By capturing the public imagination and channelling research and funding in particular directions, the motif of cure risks drawing resources away from other, less seductive forms of treatment, and towards the technological at the expense of the social. Drawing on our research into precision medicine and deep brain stimulation, we track how cure operates as a concept in these fields, and compare this to how medical practitioners actually care for patients. We argue that a critical engagement with post-cure possibilities offers an opportunity to challenge and rethink what constitutes good medical care, as well as the social, political, and economic underpinnings of medical innovation.


This book consists of lecture notes for a semester-long introductory graduate course on dynamical systems and chaos taught by the authors at Texas A&M University and Zhongshan University, China. There are ten chapters in the main body of the book, covering an elementary theory of chaotic maps in finite-dimensional spaces. The topics include one-dimensional dynamical systems (interval maps), bifurcations, general topological, symbolic dynamical systems, fractals and a class of infinite-dimensional dynamical systems which are induced by interval maps, plus rapid fluctuations of chaotic maps as a new viewpoint developed by the authors in recent years. Two appendices are also provided in order to ease the transitions for the readership from discrete-time dynamical systems to continuous-time dynamical systems, governed by ordinary and partial differential equations. Table of Contents: Simple Interval Maps and Their Iterations / Total Variations of Iterates of Maps / Ordering among Per ods: The Sharkovski Theorem / Bifurcation Theorems for Maps / Homoclinicity. Lyapunoff Exponents / Symbolic Dynamics, Conjugacy and Shift Invariant Sets / The Smale Horseshoe / Fractals / Rapid Fluctuations of Chaotic Maps on RN / Infinite-dimensional Systems Induced by Continuous-Time Difference Equations


Abstract : The role of schedule is fundamental to the acquisition of a particular system. This topic is of even more importance to acquisition in a system-of-systems environment. This report examines the issue of schedule considerations for interoperable acquisition. First, a Gedanken red team project is used to explore concerns about schedule in interoperable acquisition. Then, those concerns are examined in light of current requirements regarding schedule. From that examination, several research questions are proposed.


Black America, some people said, was dying. And they wondered what they would hear in the souls of white folk when white America heard the news. Part of the story was told in June 1995, by the Supreme Court. The session of the Court had not been convened explicitly or exclusively to determine the fate of black America. Still, it was clearly on the agenda, with no less than three major race-related disputes on the High Court's docket. And what the Court had to say on such matters did matter. As the highest tribunal in the land, it possessed the power to shape the law, and, the power to shape the larger society. This last point was the focus of academic debate--some questioned the societal impact of the Court's decisions--but this much remained certain: the law would play some role in shaping the development of societal conventions, and on matters of law, the words of the Supreme Court tended to be the final ones. More importantly, the Court helped establish the parameters of cultural discourse. It was a major participant in the national political dialogue, and its voice carried an authority not often accorded its elected counterparts. Ironically, the paradigms it helped shape were not only legal ones: some were epistemological, some quite political, some downright moral. In reinforcing popular attitudes and beliefs, or in challenging them through new perspectives and dissonant information, the Court helped establish a national mood. It confirmed or denied the citizenry's sense of what is real and what is right. Over time, it transformed their sense of both the possible and probable, and forever changed the way the people saw one another and saw themselves. Yes, the Court's words mattered. And what the Justices had to say on this occasion, in the closing weeks of their judicial term, might have mattered more than usual. Their words were addressed to the most intractable of national problems: the enduring dilemma of racial inequality. For a waiting nation--for judges, lawyers, lawmakers and their constituents, for teachers and students, parents and children, for the American people of every station, and every hue-- the Court would do no less than newly define the meaning of racial equality. It would be a progress report of sorts: how equal was America? But more importantly, it would set the agenda for the millennium. In this struggle for racial equality, what could be achieved, and how? Whose struggle was it, and when could it end? There were nine of them, one was black and eight were white, and they would need to explain what their souls had to say when they pondered the fate of black America. They had chosen three specific issues to address: the racial desegregation of America's public schools; the national government's use of preferences or presumptions to benefit racial minorities; and the explicit reliance on race in the creation of electoral districts as a device to ensure minority representation in the federal legislature.


BACKGROUND
Studies investigating the association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level and mortality risk in diabetic patients receiving hemodialysis have shown conflicting results.

STUDY DESIGN
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library.

SETTING & POPULATION
Diabetic patients on maintenance hemodialysis therapy.

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES
Observational studies or randomized controlled trials investigating the association between HbA1c values and mortality risk. Study authors were asked to provide anonymized individual patient data or reanalyze results according to a standard template.

PREDICTOR
Single measurement or mean HbA1c values. Mean HbA1c values were calculated using all individual-patient HbA1c values during the follow-up period of contributing studies.

OUTCOME
HR for mortality risk.

RESULTS
10 studies (83,684 participants) were included: 9 observational studies and one secondary analysis of a randomized trial. After adjustment for confounders, patients with baseline HbA1c levels ≥ 8.5% (≥ 69 mmol/mol) had increased mortality (7 studies; HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.09-1.19) compared with patients with HbA1c levels of 6.5%-7.4% (48-57mmol/mol). Likewise, patients with a mean HbA1c value ≥ 8.5% also had a higher adjusted risk of mortality (6 studies; HR,1.29; 95% CI, 1.23-1.35). There was a small but nonsignificant increase in mortality associated with mean HbA1c levels ≤ 5.4% (≤ 36 mmol/mol; 6 studies; HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.89-1.34). Sensitivity analyses in incident (≤ 90 days of hemodialysis) and prevalent patients (>90 days of hemodialysis) showed a similar pattern. In incident patients, mean HbA1c levels ≤ 5.4% also were associated with increased mortality risk (4 studies; HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.23-1.35).

LIMITATIONS
Observational study data and inability to adjust for diabetes type in all studies.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite concerns about the utility of HbA1c measurement in hemodialysis patients, high levels (≥ 8.5%) are associated with increased mortality risk. Very low HbA1c levels (≤ 5.4%) also may be associated with increased mortality risk.


The majority of chloroplast proteins is encoded by the nuclear genome and must be accurately imported to plastids. The translocons on the outer envelope and inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts (the Toc and Tic proteins) play key roles in the machinery of protein import into the chloroplast. Among the Toc and Tic components identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, atToc33 and atToc34 are paralogous to pea psToc34 and play important roles in pre-protein recognition. The expression of atToc33 and atToc34 genes must be properly regulated, or their gene products will not be correctly integrated to their destination to allow their function. To reveal the regulatory mechanism of atToc33 and atToc34 gene expression, transgenes containing various lengths of the upstream regulatory sequences of atToc33 and atToc34 genes and GUS coding sequence were transferred into wild-type Arabidopsis. We found that the atToc33 and atToc34 genes are preferentially expressed in leaves and roots, respectively. Furthermore, atToc34 is also regulated in an age-dependent manner. Finally, the leader intron in the 5' UTR of both genes up-regulates the gene expression in mature plants. These data suggest that atToc33 and atToc34 play distinct roles in chloroplast function and development.


Alexander Edmonds, Pretty Modern: Beauty, Sex, and Plastic Surgery in Brazil. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. 312 pp. In Pretty Modern, Alexander Edmonds asks: "how did plastic surgery- a practice often associated with body hatred and alienation-take root in this city known for its glorious embrace of sensuality and pleasure?" (7). A compelling and carefully crafted narrative follows in answer to this deceivingly simple question. The city to which he brings readers is Rio de Janeiro also known as the "City of Beauty and Chaos" (4), which has become a significant node in plastic surgery's global network. Edmonds is quick to point out that to mention Brazil to foreigners is to evoke cliched notions about beauty (and bodies), samba (and carnaval), and soccer. The "beauty, samba, and soccer" triad shares one obvious commonality: the "(mixed-race) Brazilian body." In the international arena, Brazil is associated not only with sensuality, but also with mixed-racedness. This national body-which Edmonds' renders "ethnographiable"-is constructed in contrast to its historical connections to both Europe and Africa. Since Brazil imported the largest number of enslaved Africans in all of the Americas, race and blackness are pervasive themes in conversations regarding national identity and the body (politic). These are topics to which Edmonds rightly devotes considerable attention to in the examination of how plastic surgery is consumed, talked about, and enacted by upper and lower class women. He asserts that: "in Brazil racial mixture, mesticagem, is neither chic nor marginal; rather, it is a dominant theme in twentieth century politics and culture" (127). Racial boundaries are blurred and race is often strategically deployed based on context, political persuasion, and individual preference. Like other places in Latin America where racial ascriptions shiftin relation to context, individuals deemed "as real blacks," or "real Africans" (usually referring to people with dark skin and kinky hair), are confined to blackness as their only possible racial identity. In other words, a large number of Brazilians are unable to fully take advantage of the strategic ambiguity that mesticagem offers those whose racial ancestry is (phenotypically) ambiguous. Edmonds tells us that, "sexuality-especially across racial lines-is a key symbol in the formation of a new, mixed population with positive traits, such as cordiality and physical beauty" (130). A "sex-positive" national image, where whites, blacks, and Indians enjoy each other without prejudice, celebrates "hybridity rather than racial purity as beautiful" (134). In Brazil, the mulata emerged as the national symbol of beauty, sexuality, and passion. Yet, in real life this mulata must possess very specific physical characteristics, she must have a bunda empinada (large, round bottom), thin waist, be light skinned, have smaller breasts, and straight, preferably blond, hair. Edmonds writes that "The blond is not 'really white' because she is actually a negona, part of the racially mixed people" (133). He goes on to ask: "How can beautiful morenidade encompass the nation yet coexist with color hierarchies privileging whiteness, especially 'white' physical features and hair?" (135). Pretty Modern documents how individuals, the state, and the medical establishment are complicit in the "whitening" ideal at work beneath the encompassing myth of racial hybridity and harmony. The same contradictions and ambivalence that abound in conversations about race and color coexist in beauty practices. For example, the same patient might seek a buttock augmentation, an ethnic marker to be sure, and a rhinoplasty to correct the "Negroid nose," a de-ethnicizing procedure. Sexuality and gender are also central to plastic surgery. From Edmonds' striking ethnography emerges a picture in which women-rich and poor; white, mixed, and black; young and old-are the main consumers of elective aesthetic surgeries. …


Constraining oxygen levels in the early Precambrian surface
ocean has been a longstanding goal, but efforts have been challenged by
the availability of suitable proxies. Here we present a novel approach,
iodine geochemistry, which broadens our perspective by providing constraints
on shallow, carbonate-dominated marine settings. Iodate (IO 3 – )
persists exclusively in oxic waters and is the sole iodine species incorporated
into carbonate minerals, allowing iodine-to-calcium ratios
(I/Ca) in shallow carbonates to be used as a paleoredox indicator. Our
data from a series of Mesoarchean through Paleoproterozoic carbonates
deposited under shallow-marine conditions reveal a progressive
surface ocean oxygenation in the early Paleoproterozoic. These data
seem to indicate that a largely anoxic surface ocean extended throughout
the Archean until the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) at ca. 2.4 Ga,
implying that previous inferences of pre-GOE oxygen production may
reflect oxygen oases, transient oxidation events, or oxygen levels below
those required for IO 3 – accumulation. The data suggest formation and
persistence of IO 3 – and, consequently, surface ocean oxygen concentrations
of at least 1 μM during the GOE. Following the initial rise of oxygen,
carbonate-associated iodine in globally extensive carbonate units
deposited during the Lomagundi positive carbon isotope excursion at
ca. 2.22–2.1 Ga suggests a widespread aerobic iodine cycle beyond that
operating prior to the event, synchronous with high relative rates of
organic carbon burial and apparent expansion of oxidative conditions.


While America's appetite for capital punishment continues to wane over time, clemency for death row inmates is all but extinct. Moreover, what little clemency activity that persists continues to distribute unevenly across gender, racial and ethnic groups, geography, governors' political affiliation, and over time. Insofar as courts appear extremely reluctant to review – let alone interfere with – clemency activity, little, if any, formal legal recourse exists. Results from this study of clemency activity on state death rows (1973-2010) suggest that potential problems arise, however, to the extent that our criminal justice system relies on clemency to function as coherent extrajudicial check.


Rain-fed cotton production can be a significant proportion (average 17%) of the Australian Cotton Industry. One of the management techniques that rain-fed cotton growers have is to modify row configuration. Configurations that have entire rows missing from the sowing configuration are often referred to as 'skip row'. Skip configurations are used to: increase the amount of soil water available for the crop, which can influence the potential lint yield; reduce the level of variability or risk associated with production; enhance fibre quality; and reduce input costs. Choosing the correct row configuration for a particular environment involves many, often complex, considerations. This paper presents an examination of how rain-fed cotton production in Australia is influenced by row configuration with different management and environmental factors. Data collated from field experiments and the cotton crop simulation model OZCOT, were used to explore the impact of agronomic decisions on potential lint yield and fibre quality and consequent economic benefit. Some key findings were: (i) soil water available at sowing did not increase the advantage of skip row relative to solid configurations; (ii) reduced row spacing (75 cm) did not alter lint yield significantly in skip row crops; (iii) skip row, rain-fed crops show reasonable plasticity in terms of optimum plant spacing within the row (simular to irrigated cotton); (iv) sowing time of rain-fed crops would appear to differ between solid and skip row arrangements; (v) skip row configurations markedly reduce the risk of price discounts due to short fibre or low micronaire and this should be carefully considered in the choice of row configuration; and (vi) skip configurations can also provide some savings in variable costs. In situations where rain-fed cotton sown in solid row configurations is subject to water stress that may affect lint yield or fibre quality, skip row configurations would be a preferential alternative to reduce risk of financial loss.


This Article presents an empirical study of digital sampling's effect on the sales of copyrighted songs and how this effect should influence the fair use analysis. To conduct this research, a group of previously sampled songs was identified and sales information for these songs was collected. The over 350 songs sampled in musician Gregg Gillis's (also known as Girl Talk's) most recent album presents an ideal dataset because the album's instantaneous popularity allows for its influence to be analyzed through a comparison of the sampled songs' sales immediately before and after release. Collecting and comparing sales information for these songs found that — to a 92.5% degree of statistical significance — the copyrighted songs sold better in the year after being sampled relative to the year before. To the extent the Copyright Act instructs courts to analyze (among other considerations) the effect an alleged fair use has on the potential market for the original work, these findings favor the conclusion that digital sampling is a fair use, though each statutory fair use consideration should still be considered.Additionally, the songs sampled in the subject album were evaluated to ascertain the length of each sample and to what degree each sampled song had experienced prior commercial success. This collected data was used to test the hypothesis that more recognizable sampled songs (e.g., songs that were commercial hits or songs that were sampled for a relatively longer period) would see a greater sales increase after being sampled. The collected data revealed no correlation in postsampling sales increases and sample length or prior commercial success, but further study may be warranted.Beyond supporting the premise that digital sampling may constitute fair use, the results of this study raise several notable issues for future study. One such issue is that courts only address an alleged fair use's effect on the market for the original as a binary system, wherein the only options are harm to the market (disfavoring fair use) or no harm to the market (favoring fair use). There is no accepted rule on how to treat a market benefit, such as the one evidenced here. The failure to address this issue is problematic because a market benefit actually furthers the utilitarian goal of copyright by incentivizing the creation of new works through economic gain. The current research makes clear the need for precedent on how the fair use analysis should treat actions, such as digital sampling, that may increase sales of the original work. This study sets forth the ground work for an objective financial review of fair use and market effect, which would yield needed predictability and stability to the fair use doctrine — at least, with regard to digital sampling.


The article is devoted to one of the global humanity problems – increasing drinking water shortage. The authors analyzed statistic data of Russian federal districts and emphasized the most problem regions. The authors proposed an innovative technology of renewable power sources as a way of water supply increasing; they analyzed perspectives of renewable power engineering in Russia according to solution of a fresh water shortage problem. Development of renewable power engineering was considered as one of the ways of water supply increasing. On the basis of the research the authors formulated an economic-mathematical model. The model assessed a capacity of a water condensing combined wind driven electric plant (WDEP) under the various weather conditions – an average temperature and humidity of the air. According to the model a perspective water output under the conditions of Republic of Crimea was foreseen. The authors came to the conclusion that a combined WDEP could be used for water supply in the further-flung regions, for agriculture, production and fire extinguishment.


The photochemical system upon which the excitation of rod vision depends has been analyzed, and all its component processes brought into free solution. The only action of light in this system is to convert rhodopsin to the highly unstable lumi-rhodopsin. This bleaches in the dark via the intermediate meta-rhodopsin to a mixture of the carotenoid, retinene1, and the colorless protein, opsin. Retinene1 is reduced to vitamin A1 by the coenzyme, reduced cozymase, acting in concert with the enzyme retinene reductase or alcohol dehydrogenase. These are the degradative processes in the rhodopsin system.The resynthesis of rhodopsin from these products is the basis of dark adaptation. A mixture of opsin and retinene1 forms rhodopsin spontaneously in the dark. The retinene reductase system, left to itself, reduces retinene1 to vitamin A1. In the presence of opsin, however, it oxidizes vitamin A1 to retinene1 as rapidly as retinene1, condenses with opsin to form rhodopsin.A mixture of four substances in solution performs all the reactions of the rhodopsin system: vitamin A1, cozymase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and opsin. Opsin is the only one of these specific to the retina.The synthesis of rhodopsin requires the presence of free sulfhydryl (−SH) groups in opsin. Conversely when rhodopsin bleaches, two such groups are liberated for each retinene1 formed. Based upon these changes, an artificial system has been devised in which the bleaching of rhodopsin results in an electrical variation. This may provide a model for the excitation process in rod vision.


Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is an easily applied synthetic technique for the preparation of polymer nanoparticles with various shapes and at high concentrations. Although PISA has been applied to prepare nanoparticles for a variety of different applications, to date there have been no attempts to employ nanoparticles prepared via PISA as a novel platform from which to prepare positive contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To this end, here we report an efficient synthesis of surface-functional polymer-based nanoparticles with tunable size and morphology (micelles, filomicelles and vesicles) via PISA, their post-synthetic functionalisation and an initial investigation into their use as a positive MRI contrast agent. A short functional block of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) was prepared using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and this was chain extended with oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate to create a novel macromolecular chain transfer agent for PISA. A library of surface-functional self-assembled nanoparticles with different shapes was then synthesized, and the versatility of the glycidyl methacrylate units for post-synthetic surface functionalization was demonstrated by ring opening the epoxide with a primary thiol, a primary amine and sodium azide. The resulting azide functional materials could be further modified via copper-catalysed azide–alkyne cycloaddition. The epoxide groups were also exploited to conjugate Gd-DOTA to the polymeric nanoparticles and the application of the diverse polymeric nanoparticles for T1-weighted MRI was investigated, with the filomicelle emerging as a promising candidate due to both a good gadolinium-labelling efficiency and a high T1 relaxivity. Given that filomicelles typically exhibit enhanced blood circulation times, the gadolinium-labelled filomicelles could have potential applications as a blood pool agent for magnetic resonance angiography, and in cancer diagnostics/theranostics.


Perceived depth is conveyed by multiple cues, including binocular disparity and luminance shading. Depth perception from luminance shading information depends on the perceptual assumption for the incident light, which has been shown to default to a diffuse illumination assumption. We focus on the case of sinusoidally corrugated surfaces to ask how shading and disparity cues combine defined by the joint luminance gradients and intrinsic disparity modulation that would occur in viewing the physical corrugation of a uniform surface under diffuse illumination. Such surfaces were simulated with a sinusoidal luminance modulation (0.26 or 1.8 cy/deg, contrast 20%-80%) modulated either in-phase or in opposite phase with a sinusoidal disparity of the same corrugation frequency, with disparity amplitudes ranging from 0'-20'. The observers' task was to adjust the binocular disparity of a comparison random-dot stereogram surface to match the perceived depth of the joint luminance/disparity-modulated corrugation target. Regardless of target spatial frequency, the perceived target depth increased with the luminance contrast and depended on luminance phase but was largely unaffected by the luminance disparity modulation. These results validate the idea that human observers can use the diffuse illumination assumption to perceive depth from luminance gradients alone without making an assumption of light direction. For depth judgments with combined cues, the observers gave much greater weighting to the luminance shading than to the disparity modulation of the targets. The results were not well-fit by a Bayesian cue-combination model weighted in proportion to the variance of the measurements for each cue in isolation. Instead, they suggest that the visual system uses disjunctive mechanisms to process these two types of information rather than combining them according to their likelihood ratios.


A promising technique has been proposed recently [Opt. Commun. 284, 1331 (2011), Opt. Commun. 284, 4107 (2011)] for breaking the diffraction limit of light. This technique consists of transforming a symmetrical Laguerre-Gaussian LG(p)⁰ beam into a near-Gaussian beam at the focal plane of a thin converging lens thanks to a binary diffractive optical element (DOE) having a transmittance alternatively equal to -1 or +1, transversely. The effect of the DOE is to convert the alternately out-of-phase rings of the LG(p)⁰ beam into a unified phase front. The benefits of the rectified beam at the lens focal plane are a short Rayleigh range, which is very useful for many laser applications, and a focal volume much smaller than that obtained with a Gaussian beam. In this paper, we demonstrate numerically that the central lobe's radius of the rectified beam at the lens focal plane depends exclusively on the dimensionless radial intensity vanishing factor of the incident beam. Consequently, this value can be easily predicted.


We study generalization properties of the area under the ROC curve (AUC), a quantity that has been advocated as an evaluation criterion for the bipartite ranking problem.The AUC is a different term than the error rate used for evaluation in classification problems; consequently, existing generalization bounds for the classification error rate cannot be used to draw conclusions about the AUC.In this paper, we define the expected accuracy of a ranking function (analogous to the expected error rate of a classification function), and derive distribution-free probabilistic bounds on the deviation of the empirical AUC of a ranking function (observed on a finite data sequence) from its expected accuracy.We derive both a large deviation bound, which serves to bound the expected accuracy of a ranking function in terms of its empirical AUC on a test sequence, and a uniform convergence bound, which serves to bound the expected accuracy of a learned ranking function in terms of its empirical AUC on a training sequence.Our uniform convergence bound is expressed in terms of a new set of combinatorial parameters that we term the bipartite rank-shatter coefficients; these play the same role in our result as do the standard VC-dimension related shatter coefficients (also known as the growth function) in uniform convergence results for the classification error rate. A comparison of our result with a recent uniform convergence result derived by Freund et al. (2003) for a quantity closely related to the AUC shows that the bound provided by our result can be considerably tighter.


The incidence and severity of cankers caused by Quambalaria coyrecup in marri (Corymbia calophylla) have increased significantly in south-western Australia since the early 1990s. Marri is an iconic overstorey forest tree across a number of forest ecosystems. It is a major food source, habitat tree, and refugium for numerous fauna, including the endangered Carnaby's cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris), as well as a "staple species" for apiarists. Consequently, the impact of the pathogen on marri is causing widespread concern across the community for many reasons. The authors have developed an application that works across mobile platforms (e.g., IPhone and Android) that is being used by interested members of the public, local government agencies, foresters, and scientists to capture location (GPS), incidence, and severity of cankers on trees, and upload photographs and other site information to a central server. The "Marri App" also informs users on what a canker looks like at different stages of development. Importantly, it also provides information on how to establish and monitor trials including fungicide and other treatment trials that will be statistically robust and informative for scientific purposes. The importance and power of the "Marri App" for information dissemination, community engagement, and citizen science will be discussed.


Select members of the group Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are the causative agents of Lyme disease (LD), a multisystem, potentially chronic disorder with debilitating clinical manifestations including Lyme arthritis, carditis, and neuroborreliosis. Current knowledge regarding the expression of virulence factors encoded by B. burgdorferi and the breadth of their distribution amongst Borrelia species within or beyond the sensu lato group is limited. Some genes historically categorized into paralogous gene family (pgf) 54 have been suggested to be important during transmission to and/or infection of mammalian hosts. By studying the factors affecting the expression of this gene family and its encoded proteins, their distribution, and the disease profile of a bba66 deletion isolate, we aimed to determine the importance of pgf 54 genes in Lyme disease and their conservation amongst diverse Borrelia species. The culmination of the studies discussed in this thesis describe the association of select genes historically categorized into pgf 54 with infectious phenotypes, with the borrelial sigma factor cascade, and the localization of their encoded proteins to the outer surface of the bacterial cell. Together, the expression profiles and localization of these genes/proteins demonstrates that they are regulated by the ƒaN-ƒaS cascade, similarly to the known virulence factor, OspC, and that they are found on the outer surface of the cell where they would have the potential to interact with or sense host factors. Moreover, putative orthologs of these genes were detected by Southern blotting and PCR in diverse Borrelia species associated with both Lyme disease and relapsing fever, some of which expressed pH-responsive proteins that were cross-reactive with antibodies specific for orthologs expressed by B. burgdorferi isolate B31. Finally, an insertion-deletion of one of these genes, bba66, was examined in vivo and was found to be infectious in C3H/HeJ mice. Though bba66 was not found to be absolutely required for murine infection in the study presented here, we and other groups hypothesize that bba66 may instead be important during dissemination or adherence to murine cardiac tissue. Thus, future studies are aimed to determine the function and putative importance of BBA66 beyond the establishment of murine infection.


Algebraic multigrid (AMG) preconditioners are considered for discretized systems of partial differential equations (PDEs) where unknowns associated with different physical quantities are not necessarily colocated at mesh points. Specifically, we investigate a Q2−Q1 mixed finite element discretization of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations where the number of velocity nodes is much greater than the number of pressure nodes. Consequently, some velocity degrees of freedom (DOFs) are defined at spatial locations where there are no corresponding pressure DOFs. Thus, AMG approaches leveraging this colocated structure are not applicable. This paper instead proposes an automatic AMG coarsening that mimics certain pressure/velocity DOF relationships of the Q2−Q1 discretization. The main idea is to first automatically define coarse pressures in a somewhat standard AMG fashion and then to carefully (but automatically) choose coarse velocity unknowns so that the spatial location relationship between pressure and velocity DOFs resembles that on the finest grid. To define coefficients within the intergrid transfers, an energy minimization AMG (EMIN‐AMG) is utilized. EMIN‐AMG is not tied to specific coarsening schemes and grid transfer sparsity patterns, and so it is applicable to the proposed coarsening. Numerical results highlighting solver performance are given on Stokes and incompressible Navier–Stokes problems.


In country of Iran also like developing countries, Excessive concentration of national capital and job opportunities has been Cause of increase urban attractions and the emergence of great migrations from villages, small and medium-sized cities to political and regional centers that have created urban primacy phenomenon and an increase in the number of cities. Regarding the importance of the subject, this study was conducted with the aim of evaluating and analyzing the urban system of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province during the period 1956 to 2016. The research method is based on the applied purpose with descriptive-analytic nature. The statistical population of the research is all 40 urban settlements of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province during the period 1956 to 2016. Indicators used in research include urban primacy, urban concentration and balanced distribution and dispersion patterns of urban settlements. In sum, the results of urban primacy evaluation indexes shown that the urban system of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province during the period of 1956-2016 is moving towards the imbalance and urban primacy dominance. The results of the Herfindahl Concentration Index show that concentration in the urban system of the province has been decreasing from 1956 to 2016 and is moving toward balance. The results of the class difference method indicate the difference in the population classes of cities over time and increase the distance of the first city of the province from the second city and other cities. The results of the entropy coefficient show the balancing of spatial distribution of population in the urban system of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. The result of the analysis of the nearest neighbor also indicates a roughly uniform distribution of the settlements in the province.


Black phosphorus (BP), a relatively new plasmonic two-dimensional material, offers unique photonic and electronic properties. In this work, we propose a new tunable and broadband ultrathin coherent perfect absorber (CPA) device operating in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. It is based on a bifacial metasurface made of BP patch periodic arrays separated by a thin dielectric layer. Broadband CPA bandwidth is realized due to the ultrathin thickness of the proposed device and the extraordinary properties of BP. In addition, a substantial modulation between CPA and complete transparency is achieved by adjusting the phase difference between the two counterpropagating incident waves. The CPA performance can be tuned by dynamically changing the electron doping level of BP. The CPA response under normal and oblique transverse magnetic and electric polarized incident waves is investigated. It is derived that CPA can be achieved under both incident polarizations and across a broad range of incident angles. The presented CPA device can be used in the design of tunable planar THz modulators, all-optical switches, detectors, and signal processors.


Background
Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) may often lead to preventable adverse drug events and health damage. Particularly in hospitals, this might be an important factor as multiple drug therapies are common. The objective of this study was to identify the frequency and levels of potential DDIs in internal medicine wards in an Iranian university hospital.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing charts of 448 hospitalized patients in internal medicine wards of a teaching hospital, from November 2014 to May 2015. "Lexicomp drug interaction software" and Micromedex Drug-Reax system were used for screening the potential DDIs. The identified DDIs were categorized by level of severity. Logistic regression was applied to determine the odds ratio for specific risk factors of potential DDIs e.g., age, gender, hospital stay and number of medications.

Results
The mean age of patients was 61 years, the length of hospital stay for patients was 9 days and the number of drugs per patient was 9. Potential interactions were detected in 386 patients. The most common types of interactions were type C (78.6%), moderate (60.9%) and delayed onset (56.5%). There was a significant association of the occurrence of potential DDIs with seven or more numbers of prescribed medications (OR: 0.048, 95% CI:0.02-0.12, p<0.0001).

Conclusion
The present study has recorded a high prevalence of potential DDIs in internal medicine wards. Patients with polypharmacy were at high risk for DDIs. Education, computerized prescribing systems, drug information, and pharmaceutical care are important measures that were recommended to minimize harm associated with DDIs.


AIMS
We investigated the impact of the diameter of the valvuloplasty balloon (VB) used for predilation before transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on atrioventricular block formation with consecutive need for permanent pacemaker (PP) implantation.

METHODS AND RESULTS
TAVI was performed in 269 consecutive patients using the CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic) via transfemoral access under local anaesthesia with mild analgesic medication. After exclusion of 32 patients with previously implanted PP, 237 patients were included in a retrospective analysis of the impact of VB size on subsequent PP incidence. Implantation success rate was 99.3%. Periprocedural mortality was 0%, and 30-day mortality was 5.9%. PP implantation after TAVI was required by 21.1%. Of 114 patients treated by 25 mm balloon valvuloplasty, a PP was implanted in 27.1%. In 123 patients, who were treated by VB with a ≤23 mm diameter, the PP implantation rate decreased to 15.4% (p=0.04). In univariate analysis, larger VB size resulted in a greater prevalence of PP implantation after TAVI. After adjustment by multivariate analysis for baseline clinical and operative characteristics, VB size remained an independent predictor of PP implantation.

CONCLUSIONS
Moderate balloon predilation in patients undergoing TAVI with the Medtronic CoreValve prosthesis reduces the PP rate without affecting procedural success.


As we experience life, we are constantly creating new memories, and the hippocampus plays an important role in the formation and recall of these episodic memories. This thesis begins by describing the neural mechanisms that make the hippocampus ideally suited for memory formation, consolidation and recall. We then describe a biologically plausible spiking-neuron model of the hippocampus' role in episodic memory. The model includes a mechanism for generating temporal indexing vectors, for associating these indices with experience vectors to form episodes, and for replaying the original experience vectors in sequence when prompted. The model also associates these episodes with context vectors using synaptic plasticity, such that it is able to retrieve an episodic memory associated with a given context and replay it, even after long periods of time. We demonstrate the model's ability to experience sequences of sensory information in the form of semantic pointer vectors and replay the same sequences later, comparing the results to experimental data. In particular, the model runs a T-maze experiment in which a simulated rat is forced to choose between left or right at a decision point, during which the neural firing patterns of the model's place cells closely match those found in real rats performing the same task. We demonstrate that the model is robust to both spatial and non-spatial data, since the vector representation of the input data remains the same in either case. To our knowledge, this is the first spiking neural hippocampal model that can encode and recall sequences of both spatial and non-spatial data, while exhibiting temporal and spatial selectivity at a neural level.


Importance Both low and high gestational weight gain have been associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes, but optimal gestational weight gain remains uncertain and not well defined for all prepregnancy weight ranges. Objectives To examine the association of ranges of gestational weight gain with risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and estimate optimal gestational weight gain ranges across prepregnancy body mass index categories. Design, Setting, and Participants Individual participant-level meta-analysis using data from 196 670 participants within 25 cohort studies from Europe and North America (main study sample). Optimal gestational weight gain ranges were estimated for each prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) category by selecting the range of gestational weight gain that was associated with lower risk for any adverse outcome. Individual participant-level data from 3505 participants within 4 separate hospital-based cohorts were used as a validation sample. Data were collected between 1989 and 2015. The final date of follow-up was December 2015. Exposures Gestational weight gain. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome termed any adverse outcome was defined as the presence of 1 or more of the following outcomes: preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery, preterm birth, and small or large size for gestational age at birth. Results Of the 196 670 women (median age, 30.0 years [quartile 1 and 3, 27.0 and 33.0 years] and 40 937 were white) included in the main sample, 7809 (4.0%) were categorized at baseline as underweight (BMI <18.5); 133 788 (68.0%), normal weight (BMI, 18.5-24.9); 38 828 (19.7%), overweight (BMI, 25.0-29.9); 11 992 (6.1%), obesity grade 1 (BMI, 30.0-34.9); 3284 (1.7%), obesity grade 2 (BMI, 35.0-39.9); and 969 (0.5%), obesity grade 3 (BMI, ≥40.0). Overall, any adverse outcome occurred in 37.2% (n = 73 161) of women, ranging from 34.7% (2706 of 7809) among women categorized as underweight to 61.1% (592 of 969) among women categorized as obesity grade 3. Optimal gestational weight gain ranges were 14.0 kg to less than 16.0 kg for women categorized as underweight; 10.0 kg to less than 18.0 kg for normal weight; 2.0 kg to less than 16.0 kg for overweight; 2.0 kg to less than 6.0 kg for obesity grade 1; weight loss or gain of 0 kg to less than 4.0 kg for obesity grade 2; and weight gain of 0 kg to less than 6.0 kg for obesity grade 3. These gestational weight gain ranges were associated with low to moderate discrimination between those with and those without adverse outcomes (range for area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.55-0.76). Results for discriminative performance in the validation sample were similar to the corresponding results in the main study sample (range for area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.51-0.79). Conclusions and Relevance In this meta-analysis of pooled individual participant data from 25 cohort studies, the risk for adverse maternal and infant outcomes varied by gestational weight gain and across the range of prepregnancy weights. The estimates of optimal gestational weight gain may inform prenatal counseling; however, the optimal gestational weight gain ranges had limited predictive value for the outcomes assessed.


This thesis seeks to discover the diasporic themes and hybrid values in the crosscultural
and transnational experiences of the Chinese diaspora as embodied in
Chinese-Australia fiction.
The thesis uses the concept of hybridity to balance the tension between Chinese and
Anglo-centric perspectives. It offers insights of someone who is both an academic
researcher and a diasporic novelist. Although it refers to Chinese-Australian works
written in English or translated from Chinese, its main focus is on ChineseAustralian
fiction in Chinese. Through my bilingual skills, it overcomes a major
limitation in previous research in English in Australia-the absence of critiques of
works in Chinese that remain untranslated. Also, it uses a multi cultural method to
address the limitation of censorship or China-centric vision that characterises existing
critiques in Chinese. This thesis is the first study in English to focus totally on
Chinese-Australian fiction, and fills a gap of existing knowledge in Chinese critical
circles as well.
In my findings, Chinese-Australian fiction, especially in Chinese, not only makes an
original contribution to Chinese diasporic literature but also to the Australian migrant
literature. Through its multiculturar stance, it comprises a valued addition to the
voices of Australian literature, presenting Australia's social conditions and customs
in a hybrid narrative. Also, the works extend the scope of overseas Chinese diasporic
stories. My three published novels have been regarded as a 'trilogy' in their
representation of diasporic and cultural themes, representative of different periods of development in contemporary Chinese-Australian literature. One focus of the thesis
is what my novels have done differently from other Chinese-Australian fiction.
This thesis illustrates Western theories of exile, diasporic experience and the concept
of hybridity through detailed analysis on Chinese-Australian fiction. ChineseAustralian
fiction articulates the Chinese diasporic experience from the gold rush to
modem times in Australia using metaphors for push-pull factors in migration. The
outstanding works overcome the limitations of traditional Chinese fiction which is
characterised by obsession with China.
Moreover, Chinese-Australian fiction creates modem and historical images of
Chinese. Active Chinese figures of gold diggers and their descendants replace the
passive stereotypes of Australian English fiction. Moving beyond the identity anxiety
of Who am 1, the characters go beyond cultural differences and form a hybrid culture
with the cultural confidence of 1 like who 1 am, and 1 like what 1 do. ChineseAustralian
fiction illuminates cross-cultural interaction during the 150 year-long
Chinese diaspora in Australia.


This article attempts to depict a linkage between accounting education and sustainable development and how accounting education in South Africa may be fine-tuned to play an advocacy role toward sustainable development. The methodological approach is conceptually rooted in reviews coalesced with a suggested model of reform in accounting curricula. The article revisits the notion of sustainable development, and reviews the implication for and role of accounting education. Findings indicate that there is currently a gap between contemporary demand for social and environmental sustainability and the current stance of accounting education in South Africa. The article suggests how a first degree accounting curriculum in South Africa may be reformed in conformity with sustainable development ideology and highlights behavioural and ethical implications for accounting graduates. The suggested model contributes to the existing debate on sustainability and ethics in accounting and offers an agenda for further discussion and research.


Quadrotor as one type of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is an underactuated mechanical system. It means that the system has some control inputs is lower than its DOF (Degrees of Freedom). This condition causes quadrotor to have limited mobility because of its inherent under actuation, namely, the availability of four independent control signals (four-speed rotating propellers) versus 6 degrees of freedom parameterizing quadrotor position or orientation in space. If a quadrotor is made to have 6 DOF, a full motion control system to optimize the flight will be different from before. So it becomes necessary to develop over actuated quad tiltrotor. Quad tiltrotor has control signals more than its DOF. Therefore, we can refer it to the overactuated system. We need a good control system to fly the quad tiltrotor. Good control systems can be designed using the model of the quad tiltrotor system. We can create quad tiltrotor model using its dynamics based on Newton-Euler approach. After we have a set of model, we can simulate the control system using some control method. There are several control methods that we can use in the quad tiltrotor flight system. However, we can improve the control by implementing a modern control system that uses the concept of state space. The simulations show that the quad tiltrotor has done successful translational motion without significant interference. Also, undesirable rotation movement in the quad tiltrotor flight when performing the translational motions resulting from the transition process associated with the tilt rotor change was successfully reduced below 1 degree.


In a setting where the primary financial statements have been converted from individual financial statements to consolidated financial statements in Korea, we examine the effect of segment information disclosed by the firm on analysts' consolidated-base earnings forecast accuracy. Since Korean firms have prepared the primary financial statements on a non-consolidated basis in the pre-IFRS regime, the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) leads to a great deal of difficulties and complexities in making accurate consolidated forecasts for users of financial statements, even for financial analysts who are sophisticated users of financial statements. In this situation, we conjecture that the amount of details and types of information in segment disclosure will influence analysts' forecast accuracy. Consistent with the prediction, we find that financial analysts are able to make more accurate earnings projections when firms provide more disaggregated accounting figures by each segment. Moreover, we find that analysts can make forecasts more accurately when firms disclose more persistent earnings component (i.e., segment operating income). Furthermore, we find that the effect of the segment disclosure levels on analysts' forecast accuracy is more pronounced for firms with multi-segments. Our results indicate that disaggregated segment information is a useful source for financial analysts to have better understanding about complete picture of firms' consolidated earnings and improve their forecasting performance.


Complex graphs, in which multi-type nodes are linked to each other, frequently arise in many important applications, such as Web mining, information retrieval, bioinformatics, and epidemiology. In this study, We propose a general framework for clustering on complex graphs. Under this framework, we derive a family of clustering algorithms including both hard and soft versions, which are capable of learning cluster patterns from complex graphs with various structures and statistical properties. We also establish the connections between the proposed framework and the traditional graph partitioning approaches. The experimental evaluation provides encouraging results to validate the proposed framework and algorithms.


Background Little is known about the impact of comorbidity on cervical cancer survival in Australian women, including whether Indigenous women's higher prevalence of comorbidity contributes to their lower survival compared to non-Indigenous women. Methods Data for cervical cancers diagnosed in 2003–2012 were extracted from six Australian state-based cancer registries and linked to hospital inpatient records to identify comorbidity diagnoses. Five-year cause-specific and all-cause survival probabilities were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Flexible parametric models were used to estimate excess cause-specific mortality by Charlson comorbidity index score (0,1,2+), for Indigenous women compared to non-Indigenous women. Results Of 4,467 women, Indigenous women (4.4%) compared to non-Indigenous women had more comorbidity at diagnosis (score ≥1: 24.2% vs. 10.0%) and lower five-year cause-specific survival (60.2% vs. 76.6%). Comorbidity was associated with increased cervical cancer mortality for non-Indigenous women, but there was no evidence of such a relationship for Indigenous women. There was an 18% reduction in the Indigenous: non-Indigenous hazard ratio (excess mortality) when comorbidity was included in the model, yet this reduction was not statistically significant. The excess mortality for Indigenous women was only evident among those without comorbidity (Indigenous: non-Indigenous HR 2.5, 95%CI 1.9–3.4), indicating that factors other than those measured in this study are contributing to the differential. In a subgroup of New South Wales women, comorbidity was associated with advanced-stage cancer, which in turn was associated with elevated cervical cancer mortality. Conclusions Survival was lowest for women with comorbidity. However, there wasn't a clear comorbidity-survival gradient for Indigenous women. Further investigation of potential drivers of the cervical cancer survival differentials is warranted. Impact The results highlight the need for cancer care guidelines and multidisciplinary care that can meet the needs of complex patients. Also, primary and acute care services may need to pay more attention to Indigenous Australian women who may not obviously need it (i.e. those without comorbidity).


Landslide hazard is one of the most common global hazards. In Sri Lanka, landslides are considered as a disaster, and thus, scientific communities have paid attention to monitoring and prediction of landslide hazards. Landslide hazard zonation (LHZ) is a vital factor for preparedness and mitigation phases in a disaster management cycle. In the Sri Lankan contest, LHZ becomes more significant since 20% of the total lands are vulnerable. Spatial distribution of landslides of Sri Lanka is mainly influenced by geospatial criteria, rainfall distribution, geology, hydrology, geomorphology, land-use, and drainage network. However, the above factors do not equally contribute to determining the landslide susceptibility. This study attempted to map the landslide hazard zones in one of the tropical hilly region: Kegalle District and weighting causative factors rationally using statistical method in GIS environment. In this study, causative factors were weighted and modelled to define hazardous zones by geographical information system (GIS)- based spatial multi criteria evaluation (SMCE). The necessary geospatial data were obtained, processed, and converted into a grid format. The contribution level of each factor for triggering landslides was evaluated by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and modelled with the SMCE. The developed SMCE model is at an acceptable level because the acquired consistency ratio value is 0.074 (≤ 0.1). The developed LHZ map shows a 90% level prediction accuracy compared to previous landslides. According to landslide hazard zonation map, 13% (227 km2) of the entire area is a very high landslide susceptible zone, while 37% (634 km2) of the total land area has a high susceptibility to slope failure. Moderate and low susceptible zones were 32% (542 km2) and 12% (203 km2) respectively, and only 6% (96 km2) of the entire study area belonged to the very low landslide susceptible zone.


Passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWOA) of 1996661 presents an opportunity to reinvent human services in America. For more than a decade, the welfare bureaucracy and public assistance programs of state welfare have been in crisis. The clients who depend on welfare detest it, finding and keeping qualified professionals to work in the public social services has become an administrative headache, and taxpayers perceive welfare as a fiscal black hole that perpetuates immorality. The recent decision to "devolve" welfare in a block grant to states underscores the urgency to rethink public assistance to poor families. There is good reason to be concerned about the social consequences of devolution and the replacement of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). However, this transformation of welfare also presents an important opportunity to replace inferior benefits and services provided through an antiquated welfare bureaucracy with a new infrastructure for human services. This monograph illustrates how human services can be reinvented, using Virginia as a prototype.


Ecological studies on mangrove forest in East Coast of North Sumatra have been carried out with field work in transect method and laboratory analyses. This study would be covered on floristic composition, abrasion, green belt, soil properties, and water quality of mangroves. Land system map and landsat TM imagery (year 1996 coverage) as main material in this study were used and overlay to determine training area. Based on vegetation inventory found that 20 mangrove species and by vegetation analyses, we known that Avicennia marina was as dominant tree species of seedling and sapling stage. Tree stage was not found in the area, yet. Environment properties of the mangrove area were suitable for mangrove growth and rehabilitation with the exception of pyrite content in the mangrove soil. Average of mangrove green belt was 25 m with range from 10 to 80 m in KJP (Kajapah) land system and 30 m with range 10 to 50 m in PTG (Putting) land system. Abrasion rate in the area was very high, i.e. 6 m per year in KJP land system, and 10 m per year in PTG land system. © 2008 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS Surakarta


All too often the agenda for discussion of institutional accounts of art has been set by George Dickie's (putative) institutional definition of art. To offer a new beginning, the paper addresses the question of explanation with an institutional framework modeled as Terry Diffey's Republic of Art. In exploring the argumentative resources here, it meets the objection that institutionalism cannot explore the case of so-called 'first art': objects created before the concept art came into being. In particular, the paper uses an example to consider how disputes within the Republic might be resolved through rational means, while still maintaining the institutional character of such discussions. For we need not assume that institutionalism has no mechanisms for rational self-correction nor that one, timeless resolution is always possible. Instead, we can find rational activity in the disputes among art critics, as well as contrasting their (broadly contemporary) perspective on the case with the detachment of the (philosophical) aesthetician.


The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 60 terpenoids against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans have been determined. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to group the compounds into five groups according to their activity patterns against the four microorganisms. K-Means cluster analysis was then used to confirm these groupings and to show the differences in the activity patterns of the groups. Ten molecular properties of the terpenoids, either calculated via molecular modelling or determined by direct measurement, were then used as variables in a forward stepwise discriminant analysis to identify which variables discriminated between groups. Low water solubility of Group IV compounds, mainly hydrocarbons and acetates, was found to be associated with their relative inactivity. The remaining groups, all containing oxygenated terpenoids, showed characteristic but distinct activity patterns towards the four test organisms. Hydrogen bonding parameters were found to be associated with antimicrobial activity in all cases. Activity against Gram-negative E. coli and P. aeruginosa was associated with a combination of a hydrogen bonding and size parameters. This was not found to be the case for the Gram-positive S. aureus or the yeast C. albicans. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Transmission system structure has an essential effect on the reliability of the power system and electricity market performance, especially when producers bid strategically. As part of on-going research on the design of a robust algorithm for expansion planning of the transmission grid in the Australian electricity market, this paper presents a framework which addresses: (1) the security of power delivery to the load points of the transmission system in case of single line outages; (2) the minimization of transmission system lost load; (3) an efficient electricity market for market participants; (4) construction and maintenance costs of transmission augmentation options; and (5) operation efficiency of the transmission grid.The suggested algorithm benefits from the dynamic programming and sensitivity analysis approaches along with the aggregation method in its multi-criteria decision-making to locate the optimum configuration of a future transmission system. A set of indices, which account for impacts of the augmentation options of the transmission grid on five aforementioned reliability and market criteria, are proposed and used in the optimum framework for expansion planning of the transmission grid.Although the methodology is promising for expansion planning of the transmission system, considering the sensitivity analysis concept employed, the proposed methodology would be suitable to detect the sensitive areas of the transmission system to be expanded. The tool would be very useful in the case of large scale power systems for a smart reduction of the transmission expansion options.The proposed methodology has been applied to a 6-bus and a modified IEEE 30-bus test system to show the effectiveness of the sensitivity-based algorithm.


The failure of aluminum alloy stringer on the tour airplane servicing in the coastal environment of the Fiji Islands were analyzed. Through the analysis of surface topographies and failure characteristics and the consideration of service environment, the evolvement of failure process and the failure mechanisms were analyzed. Findings showed that ultraviolet radiation, temperature, high-humidity and salt spray caused the aging failure of structure coating and then pitting corrosion occurred in the oxide film on aluminum alloy. With the ongoing corrosion along the grain boundary, intergranular corrosion appeared. When the intergranular corrosion continued developing to the adjacent layers, denudation occurred. The volume expansion effect of corrosion products caused the stress concentration on the tip of corroded area and resulted in the initiation of cracks.


A study proposed in this paper is based on EMU traction motor failure. The incipient periodic fault characteristic signals of rotor bars breaking are very weak, and the useful signals submerged in the noise are difficult to be detected. The fault detection method was combination of Duffing oscillator and wavelet packet energy analysis. The system characters were analyzed and testified by the simulation and the experiment.


One of the promises of the service-oriented architecture(SOA) is to build complex added-value services in order to enhance and extend existing ones. service-based applications(SBAs) are asked not only to perform required functionalities,but also to deliver expected level of Quality of Service (QoS). Dealing with QoS management of such distributed applications, which are executed in dynamic environments,raises the need to consider context characteristics.This paper proposes a discrete-events simulation approach which assures the evaluation of SBAs performance under different context status. The main contributions of this paper are: (i) the discrete-events modeling approach for SBAs, (ii) the context-based model for SBAs considered in the discrete-events simulation model, and (iii) the evaluation of a set of QoS metrics by simulation.


Streams and rivers transport dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the terrestrial environment to downstream ecosystems. In light of climate and global change it is crucial to understand the temporal dynamics of DOM concentration and composition, and its export fluxes from headwaters to larger downstream ecosystems. We monitored DOM concentration and composition based on a diurnal sampling design for 3 years in an Alpine headwater stream. We found hydrologic variability to control DOM composition and the coupling of DOM dynamics in the streamwater and the hyporheic zone. High‐flow events increased DOM inputs from terrestrial sources (as indicated by the contributions of humic‐ and fulvic‐like fluorescence), while summer baseflow enhanced the autochthonous imprint of DOM. Diurnal and seasonal patterns of DOM composition were likely induced by biological processes linked to temperature and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). Floods frequently interrupted diurnal and seasonal patterns of DOM, which led to a decoupling of streamwater and hyporheic water DOM composition and delivery of aromatic and humic‐like DOM to the streamwater. Accordingly, DOM export fluxes were largely of terrigenous origin as indicated by optical properties. Our study highlights the relevance of hydrologic and seasonal dynamics for the origin, composition and fluxes of DOM in an Alpine headwater stream.


In this paper, we reflect on the tensions inhering in a multi-layered ethnographic project, with two researchers, across four school sites. This project is somewhat ambitious as we are combining critical ethnography with participatory and decolonising methods (and theories) across four sites. In so doing, we aim to explore the health-related experiences of diverse young people, at the intersection of gender sexuality, place and class, as well and ethnicity and culture. We focus here on four specific methodological tensions. We employ Michelle Fine's notion of 'working the hyphen' to explore tensions of decolonising-recolonising; collaborating-co-constructing; interactive-participatory approaches; being critical-being a listener in research.


A simple model to assess the relative importance in photo-assisted conductance of laser-induced excitation processes in metal electrodes is presented. We consider both one and two electrodes subject to the combined effect of a dc bias and a time-dependent field using a model for the photo-induced dynamic electron distribution function. Floquet formalism is used to analyse the multiphoton processes inducing electron tunnelling through the surface. Under the assumption of low laser intensity, the relative importance of the direct current and of the one resulting from photon absorption are carefully examined by varying the characteristics of the external fields (applied voltage for the static field, intensity and frequency for the laser). For the one-electrode case, our approach renders results that are consistent with other available treatments for photofield emission current. Under certain conditions, that may be reproduced in current experiments, we observe a great sensitivity of the single-photon current with respect to the laser intensity and frequency, advocating for the use of a laser modified electron distribution in the metal instead of the commonly used equilibrium Fermi–Dirac distribution. However, for the case of a vacuum junction with two metal electrodes, we find that these transient effects can be safely neglected for the transport problem, under current experimental limitations. This seems to justify commonly used models that include only the molecule–laser interaction in the calculation of the conductance but leave the possibility open for measurable consequences in situations where there is competition between through-space and through-molecule transport.


A series of meso-meso-linked diporphyrins S(n) strapped with a dioxymethylene group of various length were synthesized by intramolecular Ag(I)-promoted coupling of dioxymethylene-bridged diporphyrins B(n), for n=10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Shortening of the strap length causes a gradual decrease in the dihedral angle between the porphyrins and increasing distortion of porphyrin ring, as suggested by MM2 calculations and (1)H NMR studies. This trend has been also suggested by X-ray crystallographic studies on the corresponding Cu(II) complexes of nonstrapped diporphyrin 2 Cu, and strapped diporphyrins S(8)Cu, S(4)Cu, and S(2)Cu. The absorption spectrum of relatively unconstrained diporphyrins S(10) strapped with a long chain exhibits split Soret bands at 414 and 447 nm and weak Q(0,0)- and prominent Q(1,0)-bands, both of which are similar to those of nonstrapped diporphyrin 2. Shortening of the strap length causes systematic changes in the absorption spectra, in which the intensities of the split Soret bands decrease, the absorption bands at about 400 nm and > 460 nm increase in intensity, and a prominent one-band feature of a Q-band is changed to a distinct two-band feature with concurrent progressive red-shifts of the lowest Q(0,0)-band. The fluorescence spectra also exhibit systematic changes, roughly reflecting the changes of the absorption spectra. The strapped diporphyrins S(n) are all chiral and have been separated into enantiomers over a chiral column. The CD spectra of the optically active S(n) display two Cotton effects at 430-450 and at about 400 nm with the opposite signs. The latter effect can be explained in terms of oblique arrangement of m( perpendicular 1) and m( perpendicular 2) dipole moments, while the former effect cannot be accounted for within a framework of the excition coupling theory. The resonance Raman (RR) spectra taken for excitation at 457.9 nm are variable among S(n), while the RR spectra taken for excitation at 488.0 nm are constant throughout the S(n) series. These photophysical properties can be explained in terms of INDO/S-SCI calculations, which have revealed charge transfer (CT) transitions accidentally located close in energy to the excitonic Soret transitions. This feature arises from a close proximity of the two porphyrins in meso-meso-linked diporphyrins. In addition to the gradual red-shift of the exciton split Soret band, the calculations predict that the high-energy absorption band at about 400 nm, the lower energy Cotton effect, and the RR spectra taken for excitation at 457.9 nm are due to the CT states which are intensified upon a decrease in the dihedral angle.


We draw on Organizational Discontinuity Theory (ODT) to identify factors that increase communication and coordination problems between teams working on large software development projects. ODT posits that faced with a disruption in the expected flow of communication, called a discontinuity, individuals must make sense of the disruption to address the problem. They may be motivated to pay more attention to the situation and consider alternative actions to deal with the discontinuity, leading to the emergence of continuities, which are new behaviors, group practices and expectations. Continuities reduce or eliminate the attention and effort required to understand and manage the situation associated with problematic discontinuities. We propose a mixed-method study based on this model to examine the effects of discontinuities and the development of continuities on inter-team coordination in large-scale agile software development.


The use of nanoheterostructures as gas sensors has shown the potential to address issues such as gas selectivity or sensitivity in metal-oxide gas sensors although many outstanding challenges remain that inhibit a bottom-up approach to their design. As more complex heterostructures are used, the mechanisms governing their behavior become more ambiguous requiring precise material and electrical characterization techniques to be used. High spatial resolution microscopy has demonstrated the ability to characterize the band structure and defect states in SnO2 nanomaterials revealing the complex nature of mid-gap defect states present. Impedance spectroscopy on single and multi-nanowire SnO2 gas sensors has demonstrated an ability to discriminate between different contributions to sensor response and reveal the underlying mechanisms involved. These techniques are expected to help address outstanding questions to explain the role that defects and heterostructure types have in the sensing process and deconvolute the complex relationships involved to uncover the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, an Open access Database Of Resistive type gas Sensors (ODORS) that is under development is expected to greatly enhance productivity in the field by enabling more informed research studies and presenting new perspectives.


This study examined maternal characteristics, parenting behaviors, and child behavior problems in 27 mothers and their 2-year-old children. Maternal personality, maternal parental stress, childrearing attitudes, and child behavior problems were all mother-reported. Maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, positive regard, and cognitive stimulation were observed in a laboratory setting. In general, maternal agreeableness and extraversion correlated with behavior problems, observed parenting, and childrearing attitudes. Childrearing attitudes were found to mediate the relations between maternal extraversion and children's attention problems. More research on the origins of young children's behavior problems needs to be done so that intervention programs can be constructed to prevent these problems from continuing into older childhood.


Background/introduction GU services are under growing pressure to provide resource-efficient screening programmes. Test-no-talk (TNT) services are gaining interest as an affordable method of asymptomatic screening. Aim(s)/objectives Identify the proportion of our patients who might be suitable for TNT services. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the notes of 271 new/rebook patients who were tested for any combination of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. Patients were excluded if they had any other service or diagnosis code apart from C4. For the purpose of the study, patients were deemed unsuitable for TNT services if they were symptomatic, <18 years of age, at high risk of HIV, a recent victim of sexual assault, at risk of pregnancy, a man with a same sex partner (MSM), if female, menstruating at the time of the appointment. TNT suitability was analysed using chi-squared tests. Results 134 men and 137 women, median age 30 and 23 respectively, were included. 202 patients (75%) were asymptomatic, of these 110 (54%) were suitable for TNT services). The association between gender and symptoms was statistically significant: 81% of men being asymptomatic compared to 69% of women (p = 0.024). 54 (49%) patients were examined, altering the management of 9. There were no statistically significant associations between age or gender and TNT suitability (p = 0.97 and p = 0.06 respectively). Discussion/conclusion Approximately 40% of our patients undergoing STI screening could be directed towards TNT services, with careful risk-assessment at booking. Our results suggest it is safe to exclude physical examinations in TNT clinics as they rarely alter the management.


Recurrent neural networks (RNNs), temporal convolutions, and neural differential equations (NDEs) are popular families of deep learning models for time-series data, each with unique strengths and tradeoffs in modeling power and computational efficiency. We introduce a simple sequence model inspired by control systems that generalizes these approaches while addressing their shortcomings. The Linear State-Space Layer (LSSL) maps a sequence $u \mapsto y$ by simply simulating a linear continuous-time state-space representation $\dot{x} = Ax + Bu, y = Cx + Du$. Theoretically, we show that LSSL models are closely related to the three aforementioned families of models and inherit their strengths. For example, they generalize convolutions to continuous-time, explain common RNN heuristics, and share features of NDEs such as time-scale adaptation. We then incorporate and generalize recent theory on continuous-time memorization to introduce a trainable subset of structured matrices $A$ that endow LSSLs with long-range memory. Empirically, stacking LSSL layers into a simple deep neural network obtains state-of-the-art results across time series benchmarks for long dependencies in sequential image classification, real-world healthcare regression tasks, and speech. On a difficult speech classification task with length-16000 sequences, LSSL outperforms prior approaches by 24 accuracy points, and even outperforms baselines that use hand-crafted features on 100x shorter sequences.


This paper considers the effect of discontinuity of electrical conductivity of electrolytes on the distribution of potential and protective current density in cathodic protection systems with galvanic anodes. The aim of the paper is to present a simultaneous analysis for application of both analytical and numerical models for calculation of the distribution of protective potential and current density in the cases of homogeneous and double-layer electrolytes. When considering non-linear boundary conditions at the electrode surface (secondary distribution of protective current density), the indirect boundary element method is used, because of the complexity of the calculation. Collocation at the point method was used for calculation. Due to the nonlinearity of boundary conditions at the electrode surfaces, the calculation problem is further complicated. In order to show the importance of this analysis, calculations for the observed system as well as calculations of errors caused by neglecting the boundary discontinuity of the soil conductivity are provided. Based on calculations and with respect to error analyses, the conclusive remark gives the impact valuation of the doublelayer electrolyte on the correct calculation of the cathodic protection system with galvanic anodes. This paper also gives the analysis when the double-layered nature of the electrolyte can practically be ignored, which has great importance for designers of these systems. Boundary Elements and Other Mesh Reduction Methods XXXIV 307 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3533 (on-line) WIT Transactions on Modelling and Simulation, Vol 53, © 201 WIT Press 2 doi:10.2495/BE120271


This thesis examines the transformation of two Southeast Asian national retail markets altered by the entry of globalising food and general merchandise transnational retail firms. The study examines the dynamic and often contested evolution of Malaysia and Thailand?s retail systems from the 1990s to the mid-2010s and considers how domestic actors and transnational retail firms have shaped the nature and direction of market transformations. Central to this study is the examination of sector-specific regulatory frameworks devised in the early 2000s by Malaysia and Thailand?s national governments to resolve market actor disagreements arising from increased competition and supply system changes initiated by transnational retailers. The research examines the role of state institutions in mediating and guiding the course of development in Malaysia and Thailand?s respective national retail markets. This cross-national comparative study makes an original contribution to the growing economic-geographical literature on the globalisation of retailing by conceptualising national retail markets as dynamic, path-dependent and contested multi-actor sectoral systems that are continually shaped by the institutional and political landscape in which they are embedded. Key to this conceptualisation is the integration of theories explaining processes of globalisation and frameworks that identify patterns of national distinctiveness. Comparative capitalism research is integrated with relational economic geography perspectives in order to conceptualise the complex institutional settings in which national retail markets evolve and are embedded. In particular, the study mobilises the Variegated Capitalism approach to deepen understanding of the diverse causal processes driving national retail market transformation. Making use of qualitative research methods, representatives from both case country retail markets have been interviewed and various sources of documentation have been analysed in order to gain in-depth understanding of the contrasting trajectories of Malaysia and Thailand?s national retail markets. Several key insights emerge from this thesis. Firstly, addressing a current lacuna within the retail globalisation literature surrounding the long-term effects of transnational retail firm entry into national retail markets, it unveils the strategies of resistance and competition by domestic market actors and the mediation of change by national governments through the application of sectoral regulation. Secondly, it highlights the intense negotiations that occur between market actors over the rules that guide economic action in sectoral systems. By examining the formation and implementation of formal regulation this thesis uncovers how different economic actors actively produce and reproduce national retail markets. Furthermore, through the analysis of regulation a wide variety of retail system transitions are revealed. Thirdly, it introduces a heuristic and conceptual framework through which the multi-dimensional nature of retail system change can be examined and linked to the diverse cross-connective globalising processes that contribute to creating distinct national economies. In so doing, this thesis adds to the knowledge about sources of spatial variegation in contemporary capitalism.


Recognising the deep potential in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) automation strategies, this research focuses on expanding the plant operations in order to optimally utilise the produced biogas during the wastewater treatment process to achieve electricity cogeneration and High Voltage/Low Voltage (HV/LV) redundancy. The research has resulted in a proposed design for a smart Remote Terminal Unit (RTU). The proposed design also enables a failsafe mechanism at different levels of the water treatment process and biogas production thus facilitating an automated WWTP electricity cogeneration. The proposed design also increases the life span of substations, reduces power demand load on the grids and enhances safety of WWTP equipment during various scenarios of electricity cogeneration, shut downs and maintenance operations. Monitoring, operating and controlling of WWTPs is a complex and challenging task. The power equipment in most of the existing or old WWTPs that generates electricity from the biogas produced in the water treatment process requires intensive supervision and control to enable failsafe and redundant electricity cogeneration process. This research focuses on setting up an effective communication system between power equipment at existing or older WWTP distribution substations and power company`s zone substations, without the need to upgrade expensive switchgear and power equipment in the network. The proposed philosophy achieves automated and failsafe communication network for SCADA link to enable WWTP electricity cogeneration, utilising exiting or old infrastructure. This critical multidirectional power and data flow requires proper compliant and semantic data models to guarantee smooth and safe operations. It also requires to be flexible and have the ability to develop and implement the telemetric mapping philosophy between the substations during various scenarios of electricity cogeneration and faults. This research has resulted in a proposal of smart Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) on existing or old infrastructure of WWTP to achieve electricity cogeneration with integrated renewable energy resource


This research investigates projecting and 'morphing' weather files for building energy simulations in order to calculate lifetime energy consumption. Multiple weather-file modification tools and morphing methodologies have been developed over the last couple of decades to account for variable climate patterns. Two tools were used in this work to evaluate potential climate projections and explore differences in uncertainty and assumptions when applied to the same set of prototype buildings. The research uses Boston, Miami and San Francisco as diverse cities representing different climate challenges and to study regional effects on complete long-term energy use in future scenarios. The most recent climate projections from the IPCC and UKCP09 are compared with historic projections to understand how variances in algorithms alter building energy use over time. The comparison of energy simulations using 'morphed' weather files under different methodologies, current climate forecasts and adjusted emissions scenarios are visualized and discussed to demonstrate the impact of climate change on building energy consumption. Some results are to be expected, but Boston's decreasing future energy use intensity (EUI) and variations in rates of change exhibit the importance of considering future climate projections in building energy simulations.


Translocation renal cell carcinoma (t-RCC) is a subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This case is about an 11-year-old with pain in right iliac fossa for two weeks. Tumor of 2.2 x 1.9 x 2.8 cm was evidenced in the upper pole of the right kidney, by ultrasound. Then, she underwent to a right radical nephrectomy and regional lymph node dissection, after which CRT subtype Xp 11.2 was diagnosed. Subsequently, first-line treatment with pazopanib and concomitant chemotherapy was initiated. This disease is more frequent between 10 and 15 years. Their prognosis is usually better compared to adults. The multidisciplinary management associated with the availability of first-line medications improves progression-free survival.


In parts I and II of his paper, Professor Spencer introduces the concept of "notice pleading" and contrasts it with the fact-pleading regime that existed before the adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The 1938 rules included the well-known provision that a pleader need provide only "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." In a line of decisions extending to 2002, the United States Supreme Court underscored the liberality of the federal courts' ordinary pleading standard, stating notably in Conley v. Gibson in 1957 that a complaint should not be dismissed unless "no set of facts" could establish the pleader's entitlement to relief.In part III, Professor Spencer analyzes the Supreme Court's more recent decisions in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, in which it abrogated the Conley "no set of facts" standard, added a requirement of "plausibility," and called for courts to employ a "two- pronged approach" to their review of pleadings, in which allegations that are merely conclusory are set aside and the remaining allegations are examined for sufficient plausibility. The effect of these two decisions, Professor Spencer observes, appears to be to set aside the federal courts' 70-year-old notice pleading regime in favor of requiring parties to plead specific facts if they hope to avoid dismissal.Part IV discusses the reactions to Twombly and Iqbal of the lower federal courts. Although a few decisions appear to resist the new regime, the Courts of Appeals generally have accepted that the Supreme Court now requires factual details in complaints. Civil rights, antitrust, RICO, and securities fraud cases are among the substantive areas hit hardest by the new approach. Professor Spencer asks whether federal district courts may take Twombly and Iqbal as justifica- tion to require a higher level of pleading even if parties can't reach a higher level of specificity prior to discovery ― and may even be tempted simply to dismiss complaints that they believe are weak or lack merit.In part V, Professor Spencer examines the impact of Twombly and Iqbal within state jurisdictions, which fall roughly into two groups ― the majority of states whose civil procedure systems "replicate" the federal rules, and those that vary from the Federal Rules in some significant way. In the three years since Twombly was decided, courts in 14 of the "replica" states have had occasion to reexamine their pleading standards. Seven replica state courts have declined to follow the federal move in the direction of plausibility pleading, but only two so indicated through their states' highest courts. The courts in the other seven replica states that have addressed these cases appear to have embraced the fact-pleading requirement, including the highest courts in five of those states. In the non-replica states, there has been little response from the few that use notice pleading, and there can be little expectation that the remaining states whose courts already use fact pleading will be significantly impacted by the new federal regime. The resulting box score is 24 states for tighter pleading and 27 apparently maintaining notice pleading.The normative question of how states should respond to Twombly and Iqbal remains, and Professor Spencer outlines a number of considerations that he suggests state policymakers should address, including matters of policy, practicality, and doctrine.


Evidence for the United States suggests balanced growth despite falling investment-good prices and less than unitary elasticity of substitution between capital and labor. This is inconsistent with the Uzawa Growth Theorem. We extend Uzawa's theorem to show that introducing human capital accumulation in the standard way does not resolve the puzzle. However, balanced growth is possible if education is endogenous and capital is more complementary with schooling than with raw labor. We describe balanced growth paths for several neoclassical growth models with capital-augmenting technological progress and endogenous schooling. The balanced growth path in an overlapping-generations model in which individuals choose their time in school matches key features of the U.S. record.


Large-scale networked computing systems are widely deployed to run business-critical applications in environments where changes are frequent. Manual management of these complex systems can be tedious and error-prone. Meanwhile, the high costs of application downtime make it critical to ensure system availability and reliability. Recent progress in monitoring tools enables system administrators to collect fine-grained data about system activity with low overhead. This data provides valuable information for system management. However, the monitoring data collected from production systems is massive in size and noisy; which makes it hard for system administrators to fully utilize this data for effective system management.
This dissertation describes a data-management platform, called Fa, where system administrators can pose declarative queries over system monitoring data. Fa automatically finds fairly accurate and efficient execution plans for given queries, and returns query results in easy-to-interpret formats. Fa supports three key query types, namely, forecasting queries (for predicting or detecting performance problems), diagnosis queries (for finding the cause of performance problems), and tuning queries (for recommending changes to system configuration to resolve diagnosed problems): (a) For processing diagnosis queries, Fa constructs problem signatures from system monitoring data to identify recurrent problems and to reuse past diagnostic information. For a rare or new problem, Fa employs an anomaly-based clustering technique to generate performance baselines and to characterize the deviation from baselines to pinpoint root causes. Fa also incorporates an active-learning component that identifies diagnosis queries whose results, if provided or confirmed by system administrators, can be used to update problem signatures and to improve the accuracy and efficiency for processing future queries. (b) For processing tuning queries to resolve problems caused by system misconfiguration, Fa employs an adaptive sampling algorithm that plans experiments to efficiently identify high-impact configuration parameters and high-performance settings. These experiments bring in information—required for generating accurate query results—that is missing in the monitoring data collected so far. (c) For both one-time and continuous forecasting queries, Fa automatically searches for efficient execution plans in a large space of plans composed of data-transformation operators as well as synopsis-learning and prediction operators. Forecasting queries can be composed with diagnosis and tuning queries to enable proactive system management that avoids potential problems.
We have evaluated the Fa platform with monitoring data collected from database-backed multitier services, and with synthetic data that models the noisy nature of monitoring data from production systems. Our evaluation shows that Fa's query plan selection and execution strategies provide actionable information for system management automatically, accurately, and efficiently. Critical features like reliable confidence estimates, robustness to noise, and providing supporting evidence for query results make Fa a practical and useful platform.


Abstract. As part of Campaigns of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region-2008 (CAREBeijing-2008), an Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed in urban Beijing to characterize submicron aerosol particles during the time of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (24 July to 20 September 2008). The campaign mean PM1 mass concentration was 63.1 ± 39.8 μg m−3; the mean composition consisted of organics (37.9%), sulfate (26.7%), ammonium (15.9%), nitrate (15.8%), black carbon (3.1%), and chloride (0.87%). The average size distributions of the species (except BC) were all dominated by an accumulation mode peaking at about 600 nm in vacuum aerodynamic diameter, and organics was characterized by an additional smaller mode extending below 100 nm. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis of the high resolution organic mass spectral dataset differentiated the organic aerosol into four components, i.e., hydrocarbon-like (HOA), cooking-related (COA), and two oxygenated organic aerosols (OOA-1 and OOA-2), which on average accounted for 18.1, 24.4, 33.7 and 23.7% of the total organic mass, respectively. The HOA was identified to be closely associated with primary combustion sources, while the COA mass spectrum and diurnal pattern showed similar characteristics to that measured for cooking emissions. The OOA components correspond to aged secondary organic aerosol. Although the two OOA components have similar elemental (O/C, H/C) compositions, they display differences in mass spectra and time series which appear to correlate with the different source regions sampled during the campaign. Back trajectory clustering analysis indicated that the southerly air flows were associated with the highest PM1 pollution during the campaign. Aerosol particles in southern airmasses were especially rich in inorganic and oxidized organic species. Aerosol particles in northern airmasses contained a large fraction of primary HOA and COA species, probably due to stronger influences from local emissions. The lowest concentration levels for all major species were obtained during the Olympic game days (8 to 24 August 2008), possibly due to the effects of both strict emission controls and favorable meteorological conditions.


Basically Baitul Maal wa tamwil (BMT) have to run optimally both their business functions (Baitul tamwil) and social functions (Baitul Maal). Optimal can be seen from how the organization runs their operations effectively and efficiently. The aim of this research was to determine what causes of less-optimal from the social functions (Baitul Maal) on BMT. This research used qualitative approach and case study method with explanatory study. The informants in this research were managers and administrators of BMT. Based on that method, the selected informants were executive manager of BMT, menager of Baitul Maal, and management of BMT. Data collected by interviews with informants using validation method of sources and data triangulation. The results of this research indicate that their motivation cause disoptimal Baitul Maal function at Islamic microfinance institutions (case study at BMT Nurul Jannah Gresik and BMT Muda Surabaya).