Wireless scheduling algorithms for the download of a single cell that can maximize the asymptotic decay rate of the queue-overflow probability as the overflow threshold approaches infinity. We first derive an upper bound on the decay rate of the queue-overflow probability over all scheduling policies. Specifically, we focus on the class of "α - algorithms," the base station picks the user for service at each time that has the largest product of the transmission rate multiplied by the backlog raised to the power α. The α-algorithms arbitrarily achieve the highest decay rate of the queue-overflow probability. We design a scheduling algorithm that is both close to optimal in terms of the asymptotic decay rate of the overflow probability and to maintain small queue-overflow probabilities over queue-length ranges of practical interest.


The Russian semelfactive (event-minimizing) suffix 'nu' (e.g. pryg-nu-t' = to jump once), rarely discussed in the rich literature on Slavic aspect, (Forsyth 1970, Fowler 1994, Borik 2002, Svenonius 2004a,b,c, Filip 2000, 2003, Romanova 2004, inter alia) presents an interesting problem as it shows a number of striking differences from other perfective operators and unexpected, previously unobserved similarities to the secondary imperfective suffix 'iv' (e.g. vy-pry-iv-at' = to be jumping out). I argue that both suffixes instantiate the same light verb v. Whether the v is realized as nu or iv depends on whether it has features [+Inst] or [+Prog]/ [+Hab] respectively. The paper is embedded into a large body of work (Svenonius 2004, Romanova 2004, Matushansky 2002) that treats aspectual prefixes in Slavic as prepositions. It adds to the existing discourse by addressing the status of aspectual suffixes. Empirically, the proposal unifies the seemingly distant secondary imperfective and semelfactive suffixes in Russian and links them to light verb constructions such as those present in Hindi and Yiddish. On a theoretical side, the proposal places the aspectual phrase (AspP) into a typology of split categories alongside CP (Rizzi 1997) and IP (Pollock 1989). The overall conclusion that emerges from the proposal is that while the perfective/ imperfective distinction in Slavic is a real one, it is semantic in nature and is not due to the [+/perfective] feature on an Aspect head. In Slavic, and arguably, universally, Asp is a collocation of syntactic heads, but is not itself a head. This conference paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: http://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/ vol14/iss1/20 U. Penn Working Papers in Linguistics, Volume 14.1, 2008 On Slavic Semelfactives and Secondary Imperfectives: Implications for the Split 'AspP' Vita G. Markman


Falling hardware costs have prompted an explosion in casual video capture by domestic users. Yet, this video is infrequently accessed post-capture and often lies dormant on users' PCs. We present a system to breathe life into home video repositories, drawing upon artistic stylization to create a "Digital Ambient Display" that automatically selects, stylizes and transitions between videos in a semantically meaningful sequence. We present a novel algorithm based on multi-label graph cut for segmenting video into temporally coherent region maps. These maps are used to both stylize video into cartoons and paintings, and measure visual similarity between frames for smooth sequence transitions. We demonstrate coherent segmentation and stylization over a variety of home videos.


Temporal variation in vegetation over a large area induces temporal variation in the landatmosphere water budget through evapotranspiration activity. To examine this relationship interannually, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and evapotranspiration (ET) values collected from 1982 to 2000 over northern Asia were investigated. Monthly global NDVI values were acquired from Pathfinder AVHRR land data. Monthly ET was estimated from NCEP/NCAR assimilated atmospheric data and CMAP global precipitation data. All calculations were made for 2:5 × 2:5-degree grid boxes in the study region on a monthly basis. The correlation coefficient of the 19-year time series of ET and NDVI anomalies showed the annual maximum correlation in June, and high correlation generally distributed over the region except for southern arid areas and the most northern areas. Although interannual variations in temperature and precipitation anomalies also showed some relation to ET in the warm season, they did not exhibit high correlation in a specific month. Since the vegetation is probably most active in June, it is considered that vegetation variability contributed significantly to ET through its transpiration activity.


ABSTRACT Since its first publication in 2000 (Therasse et al., JNCI 2000) RECIST has become a widely applied method to assess solid tumor response and tumor progression. Advantages include its relative simplicity, the assurance that comparisons between trials can be reasonably applied, and the acceptance of its use in submitted data by regulators. Disadvantages include the difficulty to apply it in several tumor types and the generality of the method which does not have tumor type dependent adjustments. In 2009 (Eisenhauer et al, EJC 2009) version 1.1 of RECIST was published, with as key updates the restriction of the number of targets to a maximum of five, special considerations for lymph nodes, a minimum increase in the sum of target diameters by 5 mm as an added requirement for progressive disease and a host of further specifications and clarifications. A first limited inclusion of FDG-PET data was also made, but still requiring CT scan confirmation. Today work on RECIST continues, with extensive statistical analysis ongoing on the existing EORTC RECIST database, as well as efforts to collect FDG-PET data for evaluation of FDG-PET into the methodology. An overview of this work will be presented. Also, many questions exist in the community that may all have an impact on how RECIST should be modified: 3D imaging, the relatively new phenomenon of flare progression caused by some drugs, the extensive use of (RECIST based) progression free survival as a Phase III primary endpoint, the use of some new drugs beyond progression and the multitude of various imaging techniques in various stages of development. We will also report on the outcomes of an ongoing survey that queries the community for what are seen as the most important items to be addressed by future versions of RECIST. Disclosure The author has declared no conflicts of interest.


Refeeding syndrome is defined as electrolyte and fluid abnormalities that occur in significantly malnourished patients when they are refed orally, enterally, or parenterally. The principal manifestations include hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, vitamin deficiencies, volume overload and edema. This can affect multiple organ systems, such as the cardiovascular, pulmonary, or neurological systems, secondary to the above-mentioned abnormalities. Rarely, patients may develop gastrointestinal symptoms and show abnormal liver function test results. We report the case of a 52-year-old woman with anorexia nervosa who developed refeeding syndrome and simultaneous elevations of liver function test results, which normalized upon the resolution of the refeeding syndrome.


We propose a distributed approach in which an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and a Content Provider (CP) cooperate to minimize total power consumption. Our solution is distributed between the ISP and the CP to limit shared information, such as network topology and servers load. In particular, we develop different algorithms adopting dual decomposition and Benders decomposition techniques. We investigate the performance of the proposed solutions on realistic case-studies. We compare our algorithms with a centralized model, whose aim is to minimize total power consumption. We first adopt convex functions to model power consumption of devices: all the distributed algorithms find optimal solutions in this scenario. We then introduce the possibility of powering off devices. Results show that in this case the distributed algorithms are close to the optimal solution, with a power efficiency loss less than 18%. For the proposed algorithms we speculate on the trade-off between the complexity of cooperation and that of the implementation. In particular, with the dual decomposition approach only the Lagrange multipliers associated with the traffic demands and users delay are shared between the ISP and CP, but a real implementation requires a trusted third-party server and careful tuning of parameters. On the contrary, with a Benders decomposition technique both the traffic demands and the ISP power consumption need to be shared, but this information is exchanged directly. Moreover, the parameters are easy to set, but the computational time grows linearly with the number of iterations. Finally, we investigate improvements to balance the power savings between the ISP and the CP.


Objectives To describe the phenomenology and prevalence of leg stereotypy syndrome (LSS), characterised chiefly by repetitive, rhythmical, stereotypic leg movement, especially when sitting. Methods We sought to characterise LSS in two groups of subjects: (1) general population (GP) group, defined as individuals accompanying patients during their visits to Baylor College of Medicine Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic who are not genetically related to the patients; and (2) movement disorders (MD) group, composed of consecutive patients with diagnoses of restless legs syndrome, Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome and tardive dyskinesia. Results There were 92 participants enrolled in this study; 7% of 57 individuals in the GP group and 17% of those in the MD group met the diagnostic criteria for LSS. The mean age of individuals with LSS was 44.5 (±11.9) years and mean age at onset of LSS was 17.5 (±5.7) years. In half of the individuals, the 'shaking' involved predominantly one leg. All had a positive family history of similar disorder and none had diurnal variation. The seven-item Leg Stereotypy Syndrome Questionnaire was developed as a screening tool to aid in differentiating LSS from other movement disorders. Conclusions LSS is a common condition, occurring in up to 7% of otherwise healthy individuals, and it is even more common in patients with hyperkinetic movement disorders. Although it phenomenologically may overlap with other stereotypic disorders, we argue that it is a distinct, familial, neurological syndrome.


Achaete-scute like-2 (ASCL2) gene is a maternally expressed gene that encodes a lineage-specific transcription factor that is essential for neurectoderm and trophectoderm development and is implicated in pre-natal and post-natal development in mammals. Using comparative genomics, various in silico sequence analyses were performed to characterize the putative imprinted ASCL2 gene. Additionally, tissue expression analysis between Angus, White Fulani, and N'Dama cattle breeds was conducted, as well as a molecular cloning of the gene transcript from bovine placenta. Four site-specific motifs were identified in the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain that are highly conserved in cattle, humans and mice. Pairwise comparisons of the coding sequence of cattle, human and mice revealed a dN/dS rate ratio that was significantly less than 1 (Z test). Two synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found within 1 kb of the cloned complementary DNA (cDNA) in cattle. Bovine ASCL2 messenger RNA (mRNA) was relatively expressed in eight adult tissues with the ASCL2 gene differentially expressed in the muscle and skin tissues of the three cattle breeds. The conservation of these site-specific motifs for phosphorylation across the three species suggests a post-translational modification of the gene function and activity of the mammalian ASCL2 gene. ______________________________________________________________________________________


Members of the quite common and diverse copepod family Splanchnotrophidae are specialised endoparasites of shell-less opistobranch gastropod hosts. Another less well-known group of endoparasites also infesting opistobranch sea slugs is the genus Briarella Bergh, 1876 that is currently placed within the Philoblennidae. A new species of Briarella from Queensland, Australia, infesting the chromodorid nudibranch Ceratosoma trilobatum Gray, 1827 is described using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The new species differs from the four currently known species Briarella microcephala Bergh, 1876, Briarella risbeci Monod, 1928, Briarella disphaerocephala Monod & Dollfus, 1932, and the unnamed Briarella sp. Bergh, 1876, by having a stocky rather than a vermiform body and longer lateral processes. Of all the members of this genus, Briarella doliaris most resembles splanchnotrophids due to the stocky body. It is thus possible, that Briarella and the Splanchnotrophidae share a common ancestor which switched to an endoparasitic lifestyle. If so, Bria rella doliaris could represent the most basal offshoot of a clade of secondarily vermiform Briarella species, or it could be a direct sister taxon to splanchnotrophids, rendering the genus Briarella paraphyletic.


The removal of Co2+, Ni2+, and Pb2+ from aqueous solutions using a modified zeolite was investigated because of the need to eliminate toxic contaminants from wastewaters. In the present study the ways in which equilibrium, thermodynamics, and kinetics parameters affected the removal of heavy metals were evaluated and compared. An Iranian clinoptilolite with a Si/Al ratio of 6.5 was used as an adsorbent. In order to increase the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent, it was converted to a manganese oxide-coated zeolite (MOCZeo) using various Mn solutions. The initial concentration of metals, pH, contact time, and temperature were the variables studied and optimal conditions were established. The maximum amount of Co2+, Ni2+, AND Pb2+ adsorption on MOCZeo was ascertained. A thermodynamics study, using ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS state functions showed that adsorption of Pb2+ was more spontaneous than that of Co2+, Ni2+ ions. The adsorption of these ions on MOCZeo was an endothermic reaction. Investigation of the adsorption models revealed that the adsorption of Pb2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ on MOCZeo followed both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Kinetics studies showed that the adsorption of Pb2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ on MOCZeo followed the pseudo-second order kinetics model with a high correlation coefficient.


Environment plays a significant role in the life of the people living in poverty. It is a fact that the poor are more vulnerable to environmental disasters and the impacts of climate change. The poverty-environment linkage has been widely recognized in Pakistan over the past few years. There is a great connection of environment with health, livelihoods and education of the poor. The increase in oil prices all around the world has played a major role in increasing the poverty ratio which has in turn lead to deforestation. The paper discusses the poverty-environment linkages in Pakistan and the effect of environment on the lives of the poor. Moreover, the paper discusses the case study of District Ghotki Sindh for the years 1992-2010, to find out the trend of forestation in the district and its effect on the lives of the people residing over there. Deforestation was found to be positively linked with the rich people contributed in environmental degradation over the past many years.


This paper models the stochastic behavior of large-scale terrorism using extreme value methods. We utilize a unique dataset composed of roughly 26,000 observations. These data provide a rich description of domestic and international terrorism between 1968 and 2006. Currently, a credible worst-case scenario would involve losses of about 5000 to 10,000 lives. Also, the return time for events of such magnitude is shortening every year. Today, the primary threat is from conventional weapons, rather than from chemical, biological and/or radionuclear weapons. However, pronounced tails in the distribution of these incidents suggest that this threat cannot be dismissed.


Abstract. Regionalization of physical land surface models requires the supply of detailed land cover information. Numerous global and regional land cover maps already exist but generally, they do not resolve arable land into different crop types. However, arable land comprises a huge variety of different crops with characteristic phenological behaviour, demonstrated in this paper with Leaf Area Index (LAI) measurements exemplarily for maize and winter wheat. This affects the mass and energy fluxes on the land surface and thus its hydrology. The objective of this study is the generation of a land cover map for central Europe based on CORINE Land Cover (CLC) 2000, merged with CORINE Switzerland, but distinguishing different crop types. Accordingly, an approach was developed, subdividing the land cover class arable land into the regionally most relevant subclasses for central Europe using multiseasonal MERIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. The satellite data were used for the separation of spring and summer crops due to their different phenological behaviour. Subsequently, the generated phenological classes were subdivided following statistical data from EUROSTAT. This database was analysed concerning the acreage of different crop types. The impact of the improved land use/cover map on evapotranspiration was modelled exemplarily for the Upper Danube catchment with the hydrological model PROMET. Simulations based on the newly developed land cover approach showed a more detailed evapotranspiration pattern compared to model results using the traditional CLC map, which is ignorant of most arable subdivisions. Due to the improved temporal behaviour and spatial allocation of evapotranspiration processes in the new land cover approach, the simulated water balance more closely matches the measured gauge.


Background: The breast cancer is an abnormal proliferation of
mammary gland cells. This condition as well as other cancers is globally
increasing in the world. It is the most frequent malignancy of women in the
world and is a public health problem. Generally in Africa and central Africa in
particular, few studies have been realized in search of risk factors of breast
cancer. It's all in this optical we began the study to determine the risk
factors of this disease in the city of Douala. Patients and Methods: We conducted
a case-control study, gave retrospectives
collect on five years and prospectives collect on seven months. The
studied population was all women aged 18 years and above with breast cancer
diagnostic on histological plan for cases; and women from 18 years or more with normal physical examination and
mammography. We have done our research
in three reference hospitals of the city of Douala and two laboratories
of pathological anatomy. The data were collected at the search files and the patients where interviewed.
The parameters studied were: socio-demographic profile, clinic and Para clinic
parameters, and the histological type. Results: At the end of this
study, breast cancer is predominantly on young women in the city of Douala with
a middle age of 44.08 ± 2.6 years. The most significant risk factors were age,
age of the first birth ≥ 30 years, age of the first sexual act ≤ 18 years, low
economic level, tobacco, hormonal contraceptive, parity. Conclusion: Finally,
the malignancy of the breast takes a primordial place within the feminine
population of Douala with many risk factors likes causes.


This dissertation into marketing strategic through buffet events is written as the final part of the trainingship. Ln order to examine; Buffet events as a main tool of Moy Fa's marketing strategy to increase the quantity of regular customers. Qualitative research has been conducted. This qualitative research is divided into five parts. The first part of the literature review concerns the concept of marketing strategic and buffet. These review shows that marketing strategic in hospitality industry have big influences, this also give information about the relationship between marketing strategic in hospitality industry and buffet events. This information from the literature is needed as a the basic for the continuation of the dissertation. The second part, understanding about buffet and buffet events and all the aspects supporting, is reviewing the literature concerning, managing buffet and buffet events. It shows that, from buffet event more people are coming to the restaurant. Many aspects have to be followed to have a successful buffet events such as shape, structure, finishing, decoration, equipment, utensil, room, menu and the most important is guest mood and interest. Successful buffet events cannot be separated from the famous name of the restaurant. This part also viewing about the benefits that the restaurant can receive from the buffet events. In these two parts from the literature study of the dissertation lay the Bank for the fieldwork. The third part is presenting about Moy Fa in general and historically, and also how the owners manage the buffet. The fourth and fifth parts of the research concern case study, recommendation, summary, and suggestion. The case study is based on the literature reviews, observation, questioners and information from my colleague. This case study gives an impression about buffet events in Moy Fa restaurant and how Moy Fa restaurant managing their buffet events. Moy Fa restaurant is one of the members of Fine Eastern Restaurant organization and which is also in cooperated with Selected Indonesia Restaurant organization in Holland. Therefore the information gained through this research can give a valuable indication about buffet events. It can be concluded from the Moy Fa restaurant case that managing buffet events in Moy Fa restaurant is already arranged one year before and the monthly buffet events menu is created during the year, therefore the menu is always up dated. However there are some aspects needed to improve in holding buffet events in Moy Fa restaurant. Some recommendations for the hospitality industry especially restaurant and cafe would be: Give some special attention and attraction in holding buffet events especially annual buffet events or special buffet events such as national holidays events, Christmas event, and many more. Because this research is a relative new field, further research is recommended to give more detailed information about this subject, this research can be a starting point for further research.


This paper presents a novel monitoring system for oil and gas well drilling based on field bus and AI technology. The Controller Area Network (CAN) intelligent node was designed to simplify the data acquisition process. As a key part, the traditional Thermo Conductive Detector (TCD) and Flame Ionization Detector (FID) were replaced by the infrared detector which contributed greatly to reduce the size of gas monitoring module. A rule-based logging expert system was also designed to improve the drilling operation. The results of 1635 well logging have proved that this system had the characters of miniaturization, flexible configuration, and powerful function.


To address the increasing security demands of industrial deployments, OPC UA is one of the first industrial protocols explicitly designed with security in mind. However, deploying it securely requires a thorough configuration of a wide range of options. Thus, assessing the security of OPC UA deployments and their configuration is necessary to ensure secure operation, most importantly confidentiality and integrity of industrial processes. In this work, we present extensions to the popular Metasploit Framework to ease network-based security assessments of OPC UA deployments. To this end, we discuss methods to discover OPC UA servers, test their authentication, obtain their configuration, and check for vulnerabilities. Ultimately, our work enables operators to verify the (security) configuration of their systems and identify potential attack vectors.


This Article presents the first and only analysis of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as it applies to new technologies and uses this analysis to develop the foundation for an "international law of the Internet." Although Article 19 does not guarantee a right to the "Internet" per se, it explicitly protects the technologies of connection and access to information, and it limits states' ability to burden content originating abroad. The principles derived from Article 19 provide an important normative reorientation on individual rights for both domestic and international Internet governance debates. Article 19's guarantee of a right to the technologies of connection also fills a critical gap in human rights law. Protecting technology allows advocates to intervene in discussions about technological design that affect, but do not themselves violate, international human rights law. Failure to attend to these choices — to weigh in, ahead of time, on the human rights implications of software code, architecture design, and technological standards — can have significant consequences for human rights that may not be easily undone after the fact.The Article also argues that technology companies are key partners in implementing Article 19. First, Article 19 directly binds these actors in some instances. Previously undiscovered portions of Article 19's drafting history demonstrate that it does not have a state action requirement for dominant private actors. Second, as a pragmatic matter, technology companies can play an important role in enforcing Article 19 because of their central involvement in technology development and standard setting. Decisions about technology can make it easier or harder for states to violate international law, and technology companies should embed "human rights defaults" into their technology by designing it in ways that make it harder for states to violate international human rights.


Wildlife tourism is proliferating worldwide and has the potential to raise revenue for conservation as well as public awareness of conservation issues. However, concerns are growing about the potentially negative influence of such tourism on the wildlife involved. An absence of scientific information means that the potential costs of tourism are unidentified, tourism management strategies are not informed by scientific studies, and the ethics of habituating animals to humans remain relatively unexplored, though much discussed. This combination of ecological and anthropological research questions necessitates a bio-social approach. In this thesis I adopt an interdisciplinary approach to explore the factors that influence human-animal interactions and incorporate them into conservation biology. I use the Dzangha-Sangha Gorilla Habituation and Ecotourism Project in the Central African Republic as a case study. First, I explore the context of wildlife tourism and why people watch gorillas in the wild, their reactions to and behaviours during their gorilla encounters and the effect these encounters have on the visitors. People are drawn to gorillas because gorillas are human-like and tourists seek close encounters which are rare and authentic. Photography is a key motivation for tourists to visit gorillas but also a major cause of disturbance. Next, I detail a series of experiments I conducted to validate methods for measuring physiological stress in the western lowland gorilla. Using these methods, I then address the question of whether gorillas incur stress as a result of habituation and ecotourism activities, comparing faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels (FGCMs) in four gorilla groups at different stages of habituation. Two (and possibly all three) of the human-contacted groups had significantly higher levels of FGCMs than unhabituated gorillas, and the group undergoing habituation had the highest FGCMs, suggesting that the process of habituation is perceived as a threat by gorillas, and that habituation reduces this response over time. FGCMs in habituated groups were significantly associated with increasing frequency of violation of the 7 m distance rule by observers and with a medical intervention but not with other measures of human pressure, suggesting that some elements of human-gorilla contact still elicit a GC response in habituated gorillas. I then demonstrate a positive association between FGCMs and parasite infection that may reflect hormonal suppression of the immune system in gorillas with higher FGCM levels, or, stimulation of the HPA axis as a result of increased parasite infection. Finally, I explore socio-cultural, epidemiological and management aspects of human interactions with gorillas in order to identify how and why visitors break regulations and the subsequent risk of human-gorilla disease transmission. Socio-cultural and emotive factors motivate people to get close to gorillas. Epidemiological factors interact with socio-cultural and emotive drivers to create a variable profile of disease risk presented by each person during their interactions with gorillas. The outcomes of this interdisciplinary risk assessment will inform policy makers as to how they may better protect gorillas, and other animals, from the potential negative effects of human disturbance resulting from habituation, tourism and research activities. The implications of this study will help to maximize the potential for such projects to be beneficial, low-impact and sustainable conservation solutions.


In their essay Breaking New Ground on Issues Other than Global Warming, Professors Kathryn A. Watts and Amy J. Wildermuth have presented a thoughtful preliminary analysis of the Supreme Court's handiwork in Massachusetts v. EPA. They are correct that the decision potentially paves new ground in administrative law, particularly with regard to state standing. The Court's approach to review of agency decisions to decline rulemaking petitions is also potentially significant, but perhaps less ground-breaking than they suggest. In the context of climate change policy their assessment of the Court's decision is too modest, however, for Massachusetts virtually ensures federal regulation of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles and other emission sources. While the Court did not order the EPA to regulate with respect to climate change, the majority opinion gives the Agency little option but to regulate, and not just for motor vehicles. Unless the relevant provisions of the Clean Air Act are revised by Congress in new climate change legislation, Massachusetts v. EPA will mean greenhouse gas emission limits on a wide variety of sources.


Background: The Local infiltration analgesic (LIA) technique has widely been used to reduce opioid requirements and improve postoperative mobilization following total hip arthroplasty (THA). However the evidence for LIA in THA remains to be clarified. Purpose: To evaluate whether a single shot LIA in addition to a multimodal analgesic regimen would reduce acute postoperative pain and opioid requirements after THA. Material and Methods: 116 patients undergoing primary THA under spinal anesthetic were included in this randomized doubleblinded placebocontrolled trial. All patients received oral opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia; Etoricoxib, Acetaminophen and Glucocorticoid. The patients were allocated to receive either 150 ml Ropivacain 2mg/ml and 1⁄2 ml Epinephrine 1mg/ml, or 150 ml saline 0. 9 %. Rescue analgesic consisted of Morphine and Oxycodone as needed. The primary endpoint was pain during mobilization in the recovery unit. Secondary endpoint was pain during mobilization the day after surgery and total postoperative opioid requirements the first postoperative day. Results: Pain during mobilization in the recovery unit did not differ significantly between the two groups (p=0. 7 Mann-Whitney U-test) neither did pain score during mobilization the day after surgery (p=0. 2 Mann-Whitney U-test). There were no significant difference between the two groups in postoperative consumption of opioids the first postoperative day. Conclusions: LIA provides no extra analgesic effect after THA in addition to the multimodal analgesic regimen used in this study.


This research project builds on previous publications by Coombes et al (2018; 2016) that utilised a Systems Framework of historical big data from government agencies and utilities to identify the water and stormwater benefits of property scale water conservation measures for Australian cities. This project combines additional spatial and temporal detail from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), utilities, government agencies, local government and latest research in the Systems Framework to quantify the stormwater resource and associated impacts throughout Greater Melbourne. The Systems Framework for Greater Melbourne was enhanced by the addition of higher resolution spatial detail of demographic, socioeconomic, land use, local observations and economic information. The results for the enhanced systems analysis were combined with local and regional costs of stormwater management that include infrastructure, amenity, waterway health and recreation actions. This process is used to estimate the economic and infrastructure requirements for management of urban stormwater runoff, and to develop a new market mechanism for pricing stormwater and environmental management services via impervious area tariffs. The total value of stormwater infrastructure for the Greater Melbourne region ranged from $20,600 million in 2010 to $40,050 million in 2050. The magnitude of additional urban stormwater runoff volumes from Greater Melbourne ranged from 405 GL in 2010 to 700 GL in 2050. Total annual costs to manage stormwater runoff ranged from $1020 million in 2010 to $2003 million in 2050. The impervious area tariff varied from $0.67/m 2 to $1.36/m 2 across Greater Melbourne (average value of $0.86/m 2 and $583/property) and generated decreased directly connected impervious areas, stormwater runoff and management costs.


Agricultural biodiversity and climate change are rarely discussed in the same context. However, there are close mutual links. Biodiversity is reduced through climate change and – at the same time – is a strategic resource for coping with its consequences: The entirety of plants, animals and microorganisms in agricultural ecosystems and their genetic diversity represent the re-source base for food.
With genetic resources gaining a new quality, present conservation approaches have to be re-vised. Instead of ex-situ conservation in gene banks a broader concept has to be envisaged which emphasises farmer conservation and is complemented by gene banks. The reason is twofold:
 As future needs are unknown, a maximum of genetic resources has to be conserved at the lowest possible public cost. On-farm conservation is not necessarily less costly, but the costs are mainly borne by farmers while it produces both private and public benefits;
 Secondly, adaptation of genetic resources to environmental change is necessary, a process that requires exposure to the environment, instead of being stored deep-frozen in a gene bank.
Civil society organisations have taken a front-runner position in developing and spreading suit-able concepts at grassroots level. They have catalysed worldwide a boom of farmer initiatives that practise organic agriculture based on maintaining biodiversity, avoiding the use of hybrid seeds and prohibiting transgenic crops. Secondly, they are increasingly supporting local seed conservation initiatives that aim to empower local communities to protect their biodiversity and defend their community rights to seeds and knowledge. Thirdly, they have founded an alterna-tive market for plant breeding and seed production. Mainly in Europe, various initiatives have emerged that maintain, improve and make available open-pollinating varieties of cereals and vegetables, many of which are the result of crossbreeding and selection over centuries and in danger of being lost.
All such activities make very clear: genetic resources must remain largely in the public domain with well-balanced benefit-sharing concepts among the various stakeholders that use and con-serve agro-genetic resources.

Reference
Kotschi, J (2007): Agricultural Biodiversity is Essential for Adapting to Climate Change. GAIA 16/2, 92-101.

Further Reading
Agrobiodiversity and climate change – a complex relationship. Issue Papers "People, Food and Biodiversity", GTZ. Eschborn.


Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Overview of Aerodynamics. 1.1. Introduction and Notation. 1.2. Fluid Statics and the Atmosphere. 1.3. The Boundary Layer Concept. 1.4. Inviscid Aerodynamics. 1.5. Review of Elementary Potential Flows. 1.6. Incompressible Flow over Airfoils. 1.7. Trailing-Edge Flaps and Section Flap Effectiveness. 1.8. Incompressible Flow over Finite Wings. 1.9. Flow over Multiple Lifting Surfaces. 1.10. Wing Stall and Maximum Lift Coefficient. 1.11. Wing Aerodynamic Center and Pitching Moment. 1.12. Inviscid Compressible Aerodynamics. 1.13. Compressible Subsonic Flow. 1.14. Supersonic Flow. 1.15. Problems. 2. Overview of Propulsion. 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. The Propeller. 2.3. Propeller Blade Theory. 2.4. Propeller Momentum Theory. 2.5. Off-Axis Forces and Moments Developed by a Propeller. 2.6. Turbojet Engines: The Thrust Equation. 2.7. Turbojet Engines: Cycle Analysis. 2.8. The Turbojet Engine with Afterburner. 2.9. Turbofan Engines. 2.10. Concluding Remarks. 2.11. Problems. 3. Aircraft Performance. 3.1. Introduction. 3.2. Thrust Required. 3.3. Power Required. 3.4. Rate of Climb and Power Available. 3.5. Fuel Consumption and Endurance. 3.6. Fuel Consumption and Range. 3.7. Power Failure and Gliding Flight. 3.8. Airspeed, Wing Loading, and Stall. 3.9. The Steady Coordinated Turn. 3.10. Takeoff and Landing Performance. 3.11. Accelerating Climb and Balanced Field Length. 3.12. Problems. 4. Longitudinal Static Stability and Trim. 4.1. Fundamentals of Static Equilibrium and Stability. 4.2. Pitch Stability of a Cambered Wing. 4.3. Simplified Pitch Stability Analysis for a Wing-Tail Combination. 4.4. Stick-Fixed Neutral Point and Static Margin. 4.5. Estimating the Downwash Angle on an Aft Tail. 4.6. Simplified Pitch Stability Analysis for a Wing-Canard Combination. 4.7. Effects of Drag and Vertical Offset. 4.8. Effects of Nonlinearities on the Aerodynamic Center. 4.9. Effect of the Fuselage, Nacelles, and External Stores. 4.10. Contribution of Running Propellers. 4.11. Contribution of Jet Engines. 4.12. Problems. 5. Lateral Static Stability and Trim. 5.1. Introduction. 5.2. Yaw Stability and Trim. 5.3. Estimating the Sidewash Gradient on a Vertical Tail. 5.4. Estimating the Lift Slope for a Vertical Tail. 5.5. Effects of Tail Dihedral on Yaw Stability. 5.6. Roll Stability and Dihedral Effect. 5.7. Roll Control and Trim Requirements. 5.8. The Generalized Small-Angle Lateral Trim Requirements. 5.9. Steady-Heading Sideslip. 5.10. Engine Failure and Minimum-Control Airspeed. 5.11. Longitudinal-Lateral Coupling. 5.12. Control Surface Sign Conventions. 5.13. Problems. 6. Aircraft Controls and Maneuverability. 6.1. Longitudinal Control and Maneuverability. 6.2. Effects of Structural Flexibility. 6.3. Control Force and Trim Tabs. 6.4. Stick-Free Neutral and Maneuver Points. 6.5. Ground Effect, Elevator Sizing, and CG Limits. 6.6. Stall Recovery. 6.7. Lateral Control and Maneuverability. 6.8. Aileron Reversal. 6.9. Other Control Surface Configurations. 6.10. Airplane Spin. 6.11. Problems. 7. Aircraft Equations of Motion. 7.1. Introduction. 7.2. Newton's Second Law for Rigid-Body Dynamics. 7.3. Position and Orientation: The Euler Angle Formulation. 7.4. Rigid-Body 6-DOF Equations of Motion. 7.5. Linearized Equations of Motion. 7.6. Force and Moment Derivatives. 7.7. Nondimensional Linearized Equations of Motion. 7.8. Transformation of Stability Axes. 7.9. Inertial and Gyroscopic Coupling. 7.10. Problems. 8. Linearized Longitudinal Dynamics. 8.1. Fundamentals of Dynamics: Eigenproblems. 8.2. Longitudinal Motion: The Linearized Coupled Equations. 8.3. Short-Period Approximation. 8.4. Long-Period Approximation. 8.5. Pure Pitching Motion. 8.6. Summary. 8.7. Problems. 9. Linearized Lateral Dynamics. 9.1. Introduction. 9.2. Lateral Motion: The Linearized Coupled Equations. 9.3. Roll Approximation. 9.4. Spiral Approximation. 9.5. Dutch Roll Approximation. 9.6. Pure Rolling Motion. 9.7. Pure Yawing Motion. 9.8. Longitudinal-Lateral Coupling. 9.9. Nonlinear Effects. 9.10. Summary. 9.11. Problems. 10. Aircraft Handling Qualities and Control Response. 10.1. Introduction. 10.2. Pilot Opinion. 10.3. Dynamic Handling Quality Prediction. 10.4. Response to Control Inputs. 10.5. Nonlinear Effects and Longitudinal-Lateral Coupling. 10.6. Problems. 11. Aircraft Flight Simulation. 11.1. Introduction. 11.2. Euler Angle Formulations. 11.3. Direction-Cosine Formulation. 11.4. Euler Axis Formulation. 11.5. The Euler-Rodrigues Quaternion Formulation. 11.6. Quaternion Algebra. 11.7. Relations between the Quaternion and Other Attitude Descriptors. 11.8. Applying Rotational Constraints to the Quaternion Formulation. 11.9. Closed-Form Quaternion Solution for Constant Rotation. 11.10. Numerical Integration of the Quaternion Formulation. 11.11. Summary of the Flat-Earth Quaternion Formulation. 11.12. Aircraft Position in Geographic Coordinates. 11.13. Problems. Bibliography. Appendixes. A Standard Atmosphere, SI Units. B Standard Atmosphere, English Units. C Aircraft Moments of Inertia. Nomenclature. Index.


After approximately 100 years of radio, it is inevitable that radio in Western countries not only survives but also develops, despite fierce competition with visual media.
However, having competed with other media for more than 15 years, radio in Vietnam is experiencing a significant loss of audience (especially the youth, the well-educated, and the people in urban areas). It should be noted that due to a 30 year war and 20 years of embargo by the US and other Western countries, information about Western countries in general, and journalism in particular, was in short supply in Vietnam. For this reason, gaining experiences from radio's developments and its adaptability in Western countries - in order to apply these to Vietnamese radio - is an imperative need. However, at present, radio in Western countries has reached a significant turning-point,
when a number of terminologies - which are used according to the radio's variants, including web radio, digital radio, and visual radio - have challenged the perceptions of
radio which have been accepted for almost a century. The questions 'What is radio?', 'Is web radio 'radio'?' and 'Does web radio enhance radio development?' are contentious issues which have been discussed for some time without a conclusion. On the other hand, web radio has a significant impact on Vietnamese radio in the sense
that it brings radio to the Internet community who are generally believed to be the young, well-educated and people in urban areas who listen to traditional radio the least. It is suggested that web radio is potential way to capture the neglected traditional radio listeners in Vietnam. From an historical point of view, this thesis will investigate the changes of radio in terms of technology, radio programming and ways of listening, in order to understand the development of radio from its inception to date. Moreover, radio will be placed in the context of the competition and interplay between mass media. This will be done in order to explore the contention that the existence and development of each medium depends not only on its own characteristics, but also on its ability to adjust itself to a new technological environment - as well as the ability to adapt methods and tools from other media to strengthen its position. It is contended that web radio is the product of the competitive and interactive environment in which it operates: and its characteristics can only be clarified with reference to those relationships between mass media systems. Having investigated the political, historical, sodo-economical and cultural contexts of radio and web radio in Vietnam, the thesis explores the ways in which modem radio theories and practices from Western countries can be applied to Vietnamese radio, and examines if web radio is a means to capture new audiences, particularly the groups who have neglected traditional radio. In order to achieve this aim, three major research methods will be applied: historical and secondary data; online and offline surveys and in-depth interviews of radio listeners, non-radio listeners, and web users about their habits of consuming media, the impact of the Internet on their habits, and their needs towards web radio also will be undertaken.


Although the prevalence of Bordetella parapertussis varies dramatically among studies in different populations with different vaccination regimens, there is broad agreement that whooping cough vaccines, composed only of B. pertussis antigens, provide little if any protection against B. parapertussis. In C57BL/6 mice, a B. pertussis whole-cell vaccine (wP) provided modest protection against B. parapertussis, which was dependent on IFN-γ. The wP was much more protective against an isogenic B. parapertussis strain lacking O-antigen than its wild-type counterpart. O-antigen inhibited binding of wP–induced antibodies to B. parapertussis, as well as antibody-mediated opsonophagocytosis in vitro and clearance in vivo. aP–induced antibodies also bound better in vitro to the O-antigen mutant than to wild-type B. parapertussis, but aP failed to confer protection against wild-type or O antigen–deficient B. parapertussis in mice. Interestingly, B. parapertussis–specific antibodies provided in addition to either wP or aP were sufficient to very rapidly reduce B. parapertussis numbers in mouse lungs. This study identifies a mechanism by which one pathogen escapes immunity induced by vaccination against a closely related pathogen and may explain why B. parapertussis prevalence varies substantially between populations with different vaccination strategies.


Geogas surveys have been carried out in China for more than 15 years. Although much valuable experience has been obtained from these studies, little progress (until recently) has been made in understanding the mechanisms involved and in testing procedures. One of the major challenges is to design a collector for the metals in Geogas effectively, using the right medium for complete sorption, without knowing their actual forms. Several absorbers have been tested in China. Almost all solid collectors used in Geogas testing contain variable quantities of metals which are difficult to remove chemically or physically. Thus some of the published data related to Geogas surveys should be re-evaluated. Newly developed liquid collectors, used since 1999, improve the accuracy of the Geogas data because they are low in blank levels, and their use negates the need for time-consuming digestion, the aqueous medium being easily analysed by inductively coupled plasma -mass spectrometry. With this refinement in collectors, the recent Geogas anomalies obtained in soils over buried mineralization attest to the presence of metals within soil gas and confirm the validity of this technique.


The green economy (GE) has increasingly gained international focus, with new strategies aimed at restructuring the economy in an environmentally friendly manner. A study was carried out to analyse existing and potential green jobs and identify green qualifications and skills necessary for the development of the GE. The study was done within the context of the role of local governments in the adoption of green economy strategies in the wastewater treatment sector, in selected local governments across the northern provinces of South Africa. A descriptive survey method with qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed for data collection from twenty-four wastewater treatment plants in eleven local municipalities. The concept of the GE was foreign to several employees, who could not identify green jobs within most sectors of the economy. Only 13.5% of the employees of the surveyed plants were involved in directly green jobs. A further 36% were in green-related jobs while the remaining 50.5% were involved in non-green jobs. Barriers to the creation of green jobs and implementation of green practices were the shortage of employees with green and conventional wastewater treatment skills, and lack of training in green skills. Several opportunities for green jobs creation exist, such as the implementation of renewable energy, re-use of treated effluent, and processing of waste sludge into compost. To spur GE growth and create green jobs, the creation of awareness, development of skills and implementation of green technologies should be intensified.


This thesis explains the background to the shortage of indigenous black technical management in Sub Saharan Africa by focusing on a number of countries in the Southern African region. It explains the implications of this shortage particularly for Zimbabwe and its mining industry which at independence in 1980 had no black technical managers. Having looked at management development worldwide and the experience of leading developed countries, the thesis goes on to consider the views and theories of a number of writers on management and management development in an African context. It also considers its crucial importance to the continent's future and the urgent need for effective ways of improving Africa's management capability particularly in the technical area. In this context a scheme (the ZTMTT) set up in 1982 to train black managers for Southern Africa's mining industry is described. The methodology of the approach is detailed including the important interrelationship of the practical and the academic experience in the learning process. This is followed by a description and analysis of the results of the scheme after eleven years. Following consideration of the special barriers and difficulties facing aspirant black managers in the Southern African context, the thesis goes on to describe and analyse the factors that have brought about the necessary fundamental change in trainees and helped them to relate the management challenge to themselves. It goes on to detail some successful case histories and contrast these with the very few failures. The success of the programme has culminated in the development of a new management theory, describing the mechanism of transition from reliance on a single home culture to the point where management capacity has been transformed by exposure to global experience. Scientific concepts have been invoked to produce the new management theory. As in science, where certain chemical reactions proceed through excited state intermediates, exciplexes which react to produce a new product, so too the merging of management cultures to form a management exciplex (excited state) can, given appropriate conditions, lead to new successful management types.


Pregnant women are known to have an increased morbidity and mortality for certain illnesses due to physiological and immunological changes in pregnancy. However, careful attention should be paid to the fetoplacental unit, with delivery generally indicated for obstetric purposes only. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is an uncommon condition in pregnant patients. An essential component in the management of this condition is a perfect coordination between the obstetrician, the pneumologist and critical care specialists. Pregnancy-associated venous thromboembolism consists of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism occurring during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. This condition is common and is a major source of morbidity in a population which is young and otherwise relatively healthy. Amniotic fluid embolism remains one of the most devastating conditions in obstetrics practice, with reported mortality of 20% to 60%. The treatment is mainly supportive and involves the delivery of the fetus when indicated, respiratory support and hemodynamic support, with the judicious use of fluids, vasopressors, inotropes and, in some cases, pulmonary vasodilators. Respiratory failure complicates a relatively small number of pregnancies, but carries significant potential risks for both mother and fetus. The causes of respiratory failure may be related to pregnancy-specific conditions or other respiratory diseases, and the management requires a multidisciplinary team approach, involving obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, obstetric medicine, pulmonology and critical care.


We studied the propagation of partial discharge pulses in a stator winding by means of measurements on a dismantled 35-MW generator and found that a stator winding acts as a transmission line. Therefore, a partial-discharge (PD) signal manifests itself at the generator terminals after a transit time that depends on the location of the discharge. Due to capacitive and inductive couplings in the end-winding region, a second propagation mode is present for higher frequencies. This "fast mode" manifests itself at the terminals without appreciable time delay. The capacitive and inductive couplings also cause crosstalk between the phases. As a consequence, a signal measured in one phase does not necessarily originate from a discharge in that phase. The amplitudes of the fast mode and, to a lesser extent, the slow mode (or transmission-line mode) are heavily damped when the discharge occurs further away from the measuring terminal. The consequence is that only discharges close to the measuring terminal can be observed. The propagation of a PD signal is not only influenced by the construction of the generator but also by its external connections.


Nowadays, acid rain is a common phenomenon occurring in metropolitan city, such as Jakarta. Human activities including transportation and industries in and surrounding this city have increased pollutants in the atmosphere, which lead to an increased of acid rain events. Analyzing on rainwater pH is common approach to assess whether an acid rain occurs or not. However, information on this pH value for greater Jakarta is limited. Here we used a combined of Henry's law approach and Weather Research Forecasting-Chemistry (WRF-Chem) to estimate rainwater pH in Jakarta. The WRF-Chem was employed to generate SO 2 and NO 2 concentrations. Results showed that rainwater pH is below the threshold (pH = 5.6) in observation and modeling (Henry's approach) throughout greater Jakarta. Rainwater pH showed a diurnal fluctuation with low value during night and morning, but high value at afternoon. Likely, season contributed to distribution of acid rain. Based on Henry's approach, some regions (Bundaran HI, Kebon Jeruk, and Jagakarsa) revealed a high potency of acid rain for rainy season as indicated by the H + concentration. On other hand, a high potency of acid rain during dry season was observed in Kelapa Gading and Bundaran HI. Our findings indicated that traffic may influence on rain acid events as shown by a high H + concentration in Bundaran HI both dry and wet seasons.


This document discusses the creation of reliable multicast protocols
utilizing negative- acknowledgment (NACK) feedback. The rationale for
protocol design goals and assumptions are presented. Technical
challenges for NACK-based (and in some cases general) reliable
multicast protocol operation are identified. These goals and
challenges are resolved into a set of functional "building blocks"
that address different aspects of reliable multicast protocol
operation. It is anticipated that these building blocks will be useful
in generating different instantiations of reliable multicast
protocols.


This study explored dietary intake in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients the day before and the day of exercise. Sixteen type 2 DM patients (12 males and 4 females), 36 to 69 years old, were recruited by purposive sampling. The estimated VO2max was determined alter subjects were tested using different speeds and grades of treadmill exercise. Subjects were then scheduled for six different treadmill sessions with an intensity at 40% or 60% estimated VO2max for 40 min, and with an intensity at 80% estimated VO2 max for 10, 20, 30, or 40 min. Subjects were requested to record 24-h dietary intake the day before and the day of each exercise session. Dietary intake was analyzed by food composition software. Results showed that the average intake was 2064 kcal/ day of which protein, fat, and carbohydrate comprised 16.4 %, 36.4 %, and 47.2 % of total energy, respectively, the day before exercise compared with 2077 kcal/day comprised of 15.8% protein, 38.4% fat, and 45.8% carbohydrate on the day of exercise. Energy and macronutrient intakes did not differ between the day before and the day of exercise in type 2 DM patients. However, fiber intake on the day of exercise significantly decreased. Subjects with a low-fat (< 30% of total energy) or high-carbohydrate (?55% of total energy) diet significantly increased fat intake and decreased carbohydrate intake, respectively, on the day of exercise. Therefore, it is suggested that fat and fiber intake should closely monitored in type 2 DM patients with a low-fat or high-carbohydrate diets who are exercising.


Background Paralleling the increasing prevalence of obesity in the Egyptian population, metabolic syndrome and liver steatosis are also on the rise. Body composition measurement is used to describe the percentages of fat, bone, water, and muscle in human bodies. The available classic weight loss treatments such as low-calorie diet, exercise, behavioral modification, and pharmacotherapy usually achieve only limited weight loss. The BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB) is an endoscopic liquid-filled device for the treatment of obesity. Aim The aim of this study was to examine the safety of BIB insertion in a group of obese middle-aged Egyptian women treated with intragastric balloon to induce weight loss for 6 months and report its effect on their anthropometric measurements, body composition, fatty liver, and comorbidities. Patients and methods During the period from February 2012 until August 2013, 47 consecutive middle-aged female patients were enrolled for BIB insertion. Inclusion criteria were mainly based on the BMI (≥30.0 kg/m 2 ) and on associated comorbidities. Apart from physical and anthropometric evaluation, body composition analysis was performed using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer to estimate fat mass, body fat percentage, and fat-free mass. The Adult Treatment Panel III criteria were used to diagnose metabolic syndrome, and ultrasound evaluation of the liver for the presence and grade of steatosis was performed. BIB placement was carried out after diagnostic endoscopy, under intravenous conscious or unconscious sedation. Results The total percentage of complications from BIB insertion was 12.8%, which were mostly mild and reversible. Three (6.4%) patients had their gastric balloon removed early (two voluntarily and one due to de-novo peptic ulcer) and were excluded from the study, whereas the remaining 44 patients continued their 6-month therapy duration. Overall, BIB insertion significantly reduced weight from a mean value of 96.82 ± 14.18 kg at baseline to 83.45 ± 12.03 kg after 6 months (P < 0.001). The mean value for the amount of weight lost at endpoint was 13.36 ± 3.29 kg, whereas the mean value for BMI lost at the time of BIB removal was 5.12 ± 1.20 kg/m 2 , which was a significant reduction compared with baseline values (P < 0.001). No significant change occurred in the liver size over the 6-month study period (P = 0.12), whereas a significant decrease in the grade of steatosis was noted. Body fat mass and body fat percentage with bioelectrical impedance analyzer were significantly reduced (P < 0.001). However, there was also a significant decline in fat-free mass (P < 0.001). Significant favorable changes in the biochemical markers of metabolic syndrome, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index, and liver profile also occurred. An overall 4.6% of patients showed resolution, whereas 31.8% showed improvement in the features of metabolic syndrome. Conclusion This study provides anthropometric, biochemical, and body composition evidence on significant improvement in metabolic syndrome, obesity-associated comorbidities, and fatty liver after weight loss induced by the minimally invasive and relatively safe technique. However, it is recommended to continue a weight-reducing diet after BIB removal for achieving long-term effectiveness and to add exercise programs to dietary restriction for promoting more favorable change in body composition.


For nineteenth century scholars the Holy Land was not just a region of the globe - it was an idea, an intellectual and moral space charged with the heat of debate between those trying to understand the religious, social and scientific upheavals of the time. Edwin Aiken explores the various ways in which geographical knowledge was used in these debates. In particular he shows how religious writers called upon geographical knowledge to the benefit of their readers. The result is an original and stimulating work of scholarship that demonstrates the significance of the geography of the Holy Land in Western thought and argument, and makes important contributions to the history of geography, the nature of Orientalism, and to the evolving relationship between religion and science.


We discuss the near-infrared (NIR) properties of the nuclei in the 11 merging galaxies of the Toomre sequence, based on high spatial resolution J, H, and K imaging data using NICMOS on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The observations are less affected by dust extinction than our previous HST WFPC2 observations and offer higher spatial resolution than existing ground-based NIR data. Nuclear positions are generally found to be consistent with those reported from data in other wave bands. In NGC 7764A we detect for the first time two nuclei with a separation of about 260 pc, consistent with its placement in the middle of the merging sequence. We see a marginal trend for the nuclei to become bluer with advancing merger stage, which we attribute to a dispersal of dust at late times in the merging process. Our data also indicate a statistically significant trend for the nuclei in the sequence to become more luminous, within an aperture of fixed physical size and after correcting for dust extinction, with advancing merger stage. We derive K-band surface brightness profiles for those nuclei for which the morphology allows a meaningful isophotal analysis, and fit the profiles with a "Nuker" law for comparison with other samples of galaxies observed with HST. The majority of the nuclei have steep profiles that can be characterized as power-law type. In general, the Toomre-sequence galaxies tend to have steeper profiles and higher central luminosity surface densities than E/S0 galaxies. Our findings can be explained if the Toomre-sequence galaxies have newly formed stars that are concentrated toward their centers. We derive V - K color profiles for the nuclei to further address this possibility, but find that the large amounts of dust extinction complicate their interpretation. Overall, our results are consistent with the generic predictions of N-body simulations of spiral galaxy mergers. If left to evolve and fade for several gigayears, it is possible that the properties of the Toomre-sequence nuclei would resemble the properties of the nuclei of normal E/S0 galaxies. Our results therefore support the view that mergers of spiral galaxies can lead to the formation of early-type galaxies.


Yugoslav-American Economic Relations Since World War II provides a comprehensive study of the economic relations between the United States and Yugoslavia over the past four decades. The authors recount how Yugoslavia and the United States, despite great differences in size, wealth, and ideology, overcame early misunderstandings and confrontations to create a generally positive economic relationship based on mutual respect. The Yugoslav experience demonstrated, the authors maintain, that existence outside the bloc was possible, profitable, and nonthreatening to the Soviet Union. The authors describe American official and private support for Yugoslavia's decades-long efforts at economic reform that included the first foreign investment legislation in 1967 and the first introduction of convertible currency in 1990 for any communist country. Also examined are the origins of Yugoslavia's international debt crisis of the early 1980s and the American role in the highly complex multibillion-dollar international effort that helped Yugoslavia surmount that crisis. In the past, U.S. support for the Yugoslav economy was proffered in part, the authors claim, to counter perceived threats from the Soviet Union and its allies. This may have enabled Yugoslavia to avoid some of the hard but necessary economic policy choices; hence, future U.S. support, the book concludes, will likely be tied more closely to the economic and political soundness of Yugoslavia's own actions.


Many negotiators have constituencies that must formally or informally approve an agreement. Traditionally, it is the responsibility of each negotiator to manage the internal conflicts and constituencies on his or her own side. Far less familiar are the many valuable ways that one side can meet its own interests by helping the other side with the other's "internal," "behind-the-table," or "Level II" constituency challenges. Sebenius (2013) offered a moderately theoretical treatment of this challenge. Moving from theory to practice and from simple to complex, the present paper builds on that work. It illustrates several classes of practical measures that negotiators can use to advance their own interests by focusing on the other side's Level II negotiations. Beyond tailoring the terms of the deal for this purpose (e.g., with "compensation provisions"), one side can help the other, and vice versa, via a number of devices, alone or in combination. These include a) shaping the form of the agreement (e.g. tacit v. explicit, process v. substantive); b) tailoring the form of the negotiating process itself (to send a useful signal to constituencies); c) avoiding (or making) statements that inflame (or mollify) the other side's internal opponents; d) helping the other side attractively frame the deal for Level II acceptability; e) providing the ingredients for the other side to make an acceptance or even "victory speech" about why saying "yes" to the deal you want is smart and in the other side's interests. f) constructive actions at the bargaining table informed by knowledge of the other side's internal conflicts (e.g., not escalating when the other side mainly speaks for domestic purposes); g) having the first side work with the other side to tacitly coordinate outside pressure on the other side's Level II constituents to accept the deal that the first side prefers; and h) in extraordinary cases, by directly negotiating with one's counterparts to design measures that thwart its Level II opponents.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely exploited for the development of enzymatic biofuel cells with sufficient power densities in the μW to mW range for operating low-power bioelectronic devices from renewable substrates. Buckypaper is a randomly oriented self-supporting film of carbon nanotubes, resembling an electronic paper, with excellent prospects for the construction of high performance enzymatic electrodes for use in biofuel cells. Attractive properties of buckypaper materials include large specific surface areas, high electrical conductivity, flexibility, biocompatibility, scalable production and the ability for efficient electron transfer with enzymes. Buckypapers are ideal self-supporting frameworks for enzymes and guest molecules such as metals, polymers and redox molecules, permitting the development of a wide range of catalytic bioelectrode interfaces. This review summarizes recent developments and advances of buckypaper bioelectrodes as an emerging component for body-integrated energy harvesting biodevices.


Development of materials with unique nanostructures is an effective strategy for the improvement of sodium storage in sodium ion batteries to achieve stable cycling performance and good rate capability. In this work, SnSb-core/carbon-shell nanocables directly anchored on graphene sheets (GS) were synthesized by the hydrothermal technique and chemical vapor deposition. The simultaneous carbon coating and the encapsulation of SnSb alloy is effective for alleviating the volume-change problem in sodium ion batteries. After optimizing the electrolyte for SnSb in the sodium ion batteries, the optimized coaxial SnSb/carbon nanocable/GS (SnSb/CNT@GS) nanostructure demonstrated stable cycling capability and rate performance in 1 M NaClO4 with propylene carbonate (PC) + 5% fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC). The SnSb/CNT@GS electrode can retain the capacity of 360 mAh/g for up to 100 cycles, which is 71% of the theoretical capacity. This is higher than in the other three electrolytes tested(1 M NaClO4 in PC, 1 M NaClO4 in PC/FEC(1:1 v/v) and 1 M NaPF6 + PC), and higher than that of the sample without the addition of graphene. The good electrochemical performance can be attributed to the efficient buffering provided by the outer carbon nanocable layer and the graphene protection from the agglomeration of SnSb particles, as well as its high conductivity.


Nowadays low cost airlines carriers have grown becoming an important part of the passenger air traffic market. Since they are looking for ground handling operations which would reduce the aircraft costs, a new aircraft can be developed optimizing the turnaround process. This master thesis is focused on the analysis of ground handling processes and and the description and application of the simulation program Comprehensive Airport Simulation Technology (CAST) Ground Handling. This program enables to obtain a 3D simulation of different service arrangements of a reference aircraft model, including an analysis about involved costs in the turnaround process. The analysis of ground handling processes is based on the real-time ground handling videos recorded at different airports by ARC Aachen. The videos were analyzed to collect data of ground handling process times and characteristics. The data was summarized in and Excel table in order to be statistically analyzed. Based on the results of the statistical analysis, the turnaround Gantt charts have been created and analysed showing the features of the turnaround scenario with the shortest turnaround time and the smallest ground handling costs. The conducted simulation shows the ground handling process of a reference aircraft based on the Airbus A320 during a turnaround. The results that have been extracted from the simulation are the ground handling process times and the costs and the visual simulation in 3D of the defined scenario. The simulation program is being developed by ARC Aachen, therefore a discussion of several possible improvements has been proposed. A theoretical analysis of unconventional configurations has been carried out based on literature research on ground handling processes for these configurations and on a literature research on ground handling improvements showing the compatibility of the box wing and the blended wing body configurations with current airports and ground handling procedures. All the information presented in this master thesis might be useful when developing an aircraft optimized for ground handling.


In the nonsymmetric eigenvalue problem, work has focused on the Hessenberg reduction and QR iteration, using efficient algorithms and fast, Level 3 BLAS routines. Comparatively, computation of eigenvectors performs poorly, limited to slow, Level 2 BLAS performance with little speedup on multi-core systems. It has thus become a dominant cost in the eigenvalue problem. To address this, we present improvements for the eigenvector computation to use Level 3 BLAS where applicable and parallelize the remaining triangular solves, achieving good parallel scaling and accelerating the overall eigenvalue problem more than three-fold.


This article explores the intersections of generational and gender dynamics with
 humanitarian governance in Jordan that cause shifts in the division of labour
 within displaced families. Drawing on life history interviews and focus group
 discussions with seventeen Syrian women in Jordan in spring 2019, we explore the
 monetary and non-monetary contributions of middle-aged females to the
 livelihoods of refugee households. Older women's paid and unpaid labour
 holds together dispersed families whose fathers have been killed or
 incapacitated, or remain in Syria or in the Gulf. In doing so, many women draw
 on their pre-war experience of living with – or rather apart from
 – migrant husbands. Increased economic and social responsibilities
 coincide with a phase in our interviewees' lifecycle in which they
 traditionally acquire greater authority as elders, especially as mothers-in-law.
 While power inequalities between older and younger Syrian women are not new,
 they have been exacerbated by the loss of resources in displacement. Our
 insights offer a counterpoint to humanitarian attempts at increasing
 refugees' 'self-reliance' through small-scale
 entrepreneurship. For now, culturally appropriate and practically feasible jobs
 for middle-aged women are found in their living rooms. Supportive humanitarian
 action should allow them to upscale their businesses and address power dynamics
 within families.


Animal characteristics and sale price data for 1651 bulls sold at 26 Kansas purebred beef sales during 1993 wer e collected and analyzed to determine which factors affected price differential s for beef bulls. Bull sale price varied, from $650 to $20,000 per head. Regression analysis was used to determine the price differential associated with bull traits and marketin g factors. Black bulls in the Simmental , Gelbvieh, and Limousin breeds brought premium s of 15% to 53% compared to their nonblack peers. Conformation, disposition , and muscling affected sell prices. Bulls with lower birth weights and birth weight expected progeny differences (EPD) brought higher prices. Bulls with higher adjusted weaning weights, weaning weight EPD, and milk EPD also brought highe r prices, although these varied depending upon bull breed. Several m a rketing factors, including sale order, semen retention, and pictures in the sale catalogs, influenced bull pric e s. Bull buyers can use this information to make more informed bull buying decisions, and purebred producers can use results to target production andmarketing.


We present a technique in which small solute nonlinearities may be extracted from large solvent signals by performing simultaneous Z-scans on two samples (solvent and solution). By using a dual-arm Z-scan apparatus with identical arms, fitting error in determining the solute nonlinearity is reduced because the irradiance fluctuations are correlated for both the solvent and solution measurements. To verify the sensitivity of this technique, the dispersion of nonlinear refraction of a squaraine molecule is measured. Utilizing this technique allows for the effects of the solvent n2 to be effectively eliminated, thus overcoming a longstanding problem in nonlinear optical characterization of organic dyes.


Shoshannat Yaakov includes studies by leading scholars on Ancient Jewish and Iranian Studies and essays that combine both fields in the new discipline of Irano-Talmudica.


Tensegrities are spatial, reticulated and lightweight structures that are increasingly investigated as structural solutions for active and deployable structures. Tensegrity systems are composed only of axially loaded elements providing opportunities for actuation and deployment through changing element lengths. In cable-based actuation strategies, the deficiency of having to control too many cable elements can be overcome by connecting several cables. However, replacing sequences of cable elements by continuous cables sliding over joints significantly changes the mechanics of classical tensegrity structures. Furthermore, challenges emerge for structural analysis, control and actuation. In this paper a modified dynamic relaxation (mDR) algorithm is employed to investigate actuated tensegrity structures with continuous cables. The dynamic behavior of such structures is also investigated.


Abstract. 1  Climate change affects many ecosystems on earth. If not dying out or migrating, the species affected have to survive the altered conditions, including changes in community structure. It is, however, usually difficult to distinguish changes caused by a changing climate from other factors. 2 Forestry is considered to be the major disturbance factor in Swedish forests. Here, we use forest lake data sets from 1996 and 2006 which include species abundance data for dragonfly larvae, water plant structure, forest age and forestry measures during a period of 25 years: from 1980 to 2005. Hence, we were able to discriminate between forestry effects and changes in species composition driven by recent climate change. 3 We explored effects on regional species composition, species abundance and ecosystem functions, such as changes in niche use, utilising dragonflies (Odonata) as model organisms. 4 Our results show that dragonflies react rapidly to climate change, showing strong responses over such a short time span as 10 years. We observed changes in both species composition and abundance; former rare species have become more frequent and now occur in lakes of a wider quality range, while former widespread species have become more selective in their choice of waters. The new communities harbour about the same number of species as before, but seen from a regional perspective, diversity is reduced. 5 We predict that the altered species composition and abundance might raise new demands in conservation planning as well as altering the ecological functions of the aquatic systems.


Present methods of extracting DNA from Sclerotium rolfsii use a lot of hazardous organic chemicals to extract high quality DNA. Extraction of the DNA is further complicated by exopolysaccharides that bind to the DNA making it mucilaginous. We developed a simple and efficient protocol for extracting DNA high quality from S. rolfsii. Our method uses a DNA extraction buffer that contains sodium dodecyl sulphate and proteinase K to inactivate proteins and high salt concentration to precipitate the exopolysaccharides. It uses neither phenol, chloroform nor isoamyl alcohol during the DNA extraction process. It also does not require freeze drying of the mycelia and grinding in using liquid nitrogen. Using our method, a sufficient amount of pure (mean A260: A280=1.91 ± 0.001) DNA (mean = 55.57 ± 0.002 ng/µl) was obtained from 100 mg of mycelia. The DNA was amenable to PCR amplification using inter-simple sequence repeat primers and primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer region of S. rolfsii. Our method will be very useful in laboratories that don't have access to liquid nitrogen and freeze drying facilities and will be a catalyst for PCR-based phylogenetic studies of this important pathogen of common bean.


In 2002, Congress established the Antitrust Modernization Commission to address whether the antitrust laws needed to be changed in light of globalization and rapid technological change. This paper addresses that question. Although the basic framework of the antitrust laws is suitable to deal with current economic conditions, the paper identifies several areas where antitrust can be improved. The paper first examines whether the proper criterion for antitrust should be total or consumer surplus. Then it identifies some key issues that need to be clarified and explains how they should be clarified. Those issues include market definition, merger policy and the treatment of efficiencies, the interaction of antitrust and intellectual property, exclusionary conduct, the right of indirect purchasers to sue, and the proper allocation of responsibility between regulation and antitrust.


Recommender systems have become essential tools in many application areas as they help alleviate information overload by tailoring their recommendations to users' personal preferences. Users' interests in items, however, may change over time depending on their current situation. Without considering the current circumstances of a user, recommendations may match the general preferences of the user, but they may have small utility for the user in his/her current situation. We focus on designing systems that interact with the user over a number of iterations and at each step receive feedback from the user in the form of a reward or utility value for the recommended items. The goal of the system is to maximize the sum of obtained utilities over each interaction session. We use a multi-armed bandit strategy to model this online learning problem and we propose techniques for detecting changes in user preferences. The recommendations are then generated based on the most recent preferences of a user. Our evaluation results indicate that our method can improve the existing bandit algorithms by considering the sudden variations in the user's feedback behavior.


Shape characterizers are metrics that quantify aspects of the overall geometry of a three‐dimensional (3D) digital surface. When computed for biological objects, the values of a shape characterizer are largely independent of homology interpretations and often contain a strong ecological and functional signal. Thus, shape characterizers are useful for understanding evolutionary processes. Dirichlet normal energy (DNE) is a widely used shape characterizer in morphological studies. Recent studies found that DNE is sensitive to various procedures for preparing 3D mesh from raw scan data, raising concerns regarding comparability and objectivity when utilizing DNE in morphological research. We provide a robustly implemented algorithm for computing the Dirichlet energy of the normal (ariaDNE) on 3D meshes. We show through simulation that the effects of preparation‐related mesh surface attributes, such as triangle count, mesh representation, noise, smoothing and boundary triangles, are much more limited on ariaDNE than DNE. Furthermore, ariaDNE retains the potential of DNE for biological studies, illustrated by its effectiveness in differentiating species by dietary preferences. Use of ariaDNE can dramatically enhance the assessment of the ecological aspects of morphological variation by its stability under different 3D model acquisition methods and preparation procedure. Towards this goal, we provide scripts for computing ariaDNE and ariaDNE values for specimens used in previously published DNE analyses.


The objective of this preliminary investigation was to examine the feeding practices of infants and pre-school children in Adelaide, and thereby contribute to the development of appropriate preventive dental strategies. A stratified random sample of 160 two year old and three year old pre-school children in the Adelaide Statistical District was obtained. Information about feeding practices and use of comforters or 'dummies' was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire completed by parents of the selected children. Information was collected for the age periods of 0-3 months, 4-6 months, 7-12 months, 13-24 months and 25-36 months. Most of the children (81.8 per cent) were breast-fed at some stage. However the percentage of children being breast-fed decreased markedly across age periods, particularly to 13-24 months, when only 15.9 per cent of children were being breast-fed. Over half of the children had been bottle-fed with infant formula at some stage. The highest percentage of children being bottle-fed with infant formula occurred in the 4-6 months (42.6 per cent) closely followed by the 7-12 months age period (37.4 per cent). Nearly two-thirds of children were bottle-fed with cow's milk at some stage. The highest percentage of children being bottle-fed with cow's milk occurred in the 13-24 months age period (49.6 per cent). A quarter (24.5 per cent) of the children were put to bed at some stage with a bottle containing cariogenic fluids. The majority of children used a 'dummy' at some stage during both day-time and night-time. Parents are in need of advice on appropriate feeding patterns for infants and young children.


Monochromatic energy exchanges in thin-film dielectric waveguides can be understood in terms of a zig-zag ray picture that includes Goos–Haenchen shifts that occur at the film boundaries, as pointed out by Burke. Recently, Kogelnik and Weber have shown that, in order to predict the correct modal group velocity, the ray model should also include the time delay associated with the ray shifts at the film boundaries. In this paper, we explore in detail the ray-optical descriptions of anisotropic film waveguides that consist of three-layered biaxial materials with one of the principal axes of the crystal in each of the three media oriented in the direction of propagation and the other two parallel and perpendicular to the plane of the film. We show that the Burke–Kogelnik–Weber (BKW) ray model provides a complete description of energy flow in such anisotropic structures. Expressions for the ray shift, group velocity, power flow, and stored energy, applicable to both TE and TM modes, are presented.


This article presents the design essay of a Recycling and Research Center for Construction and Demolition Waste planned for the Greater Vitória Metropolitan Area (GVMA) and developed during the study that resulted in the research paper required for obtaining the Architecture and Urbanism degree at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Vitória, Brazil). For conceptual, technical and methodological basis, semistructured interviews and field work were carried out in the cities of São Paulo (SP), São Bernardo do Campo (SP), Guarulhos (SP) and Belo Horizonte (MG), the ones representing the national scenario of construction and demolition waste (CDW) management. The cities of Cariacica, Vila Velha, Vitória and Serra, in the state of Espírito Santo, served as samples of the local scenario. International literature review on similar cases showed recycling plants with sustainable characteristics, which also provided basis for developing this architectural design. The design essay mainly aims at reusing CDW, which is intended for meeting the demands deriving from the expansion of urban nucleus in GVMA. In order to achieve these goals, systematized guidelines were adopted and grouped according to the following themes: i) Building; ii) Conservation and protection of natural resources; iii) Sustainable surroundings; iv) Thermal, acoustic and lighting comfort; and v) Social, environmental and economical issues. It was verified that there is a national demand for recycling plants to mitigate environmental and economical problems caused by the irregular deposition of these wastes.


As it stands, South African family law currently holds that the Marriage Act 25 of 1961 applies exclusively to the solemnisation of heterosexual civil marriages while same-sex couples have no choice but to formalise their relationships in terms of the Civil Union Act 17 of 2006.  In addition, the legal position is complicated by the fact that the latter Act not only allows both heterosexual and homosexual couples to conclude a civil union, but also provides that a civil union may take the form of either a marriage or a civil partnership, both of which enjoy the same legal recognition as, and give rise to the same legal consequences, as a civil marriage under the Marriage Act . In January 2008, a draft Domestic Partnerships Bill saw the light of day, the potential enactment of which casts significant doubt as to whether the prevailing framework should be retained.  With this potential development in mind, this paper considers the desirability of maintaining the "separate but equal" status quo by: (a) comparing the South African Law Reform Commission's pre- Civil Union Act proposals with the approach eventually adopted by the legislature; (b) comparing and contrasting the post- Civil Union Act position in South Africa with that of an established and well-ordered jurisdiction such as the Netherlands and, in the light hereof, considering the cases for and against repealing the Civil Union Act ; and (c) by considering the desirability and practicality of the civil partnership's potential co-existence with the Domestic Partnerships Bill (as modified in accordance with a recent study).  A proposal is made that could provide a less complex and better streamlined family law dispensation in South Africa.


In performing skill-based tasks individuals often face a choice between easier, less demanding alternatives, but ones whose expected payoffs in case of success are lower, and difficult, more demanding alternatives whose expected payoffs in case of success are higher: What piece to play in a musical competition, whether to operate a camera in a manual or automatic mode, etc. We maintain that the decision-maker's perspective – whether narrow or broad – is one determinant of choice, and subsequent satisfaction, in such tasks. In two experiments involving dart throwing and answering general-knowledge trivia questions, perspective was manipulated through choice procedure: A sequential choice procedure, with task difficulty chosen one at a time, was used to induce a narrow perspective while an aggregate-choice procedure was used to induce a broad perspective. In two additional experiments, both involving a sequential-choice procedure perspective was manipulated through priming. As predicted, in all experiments inducement of a narrow perspective resulted in a higher probability of choosing the more difficult task; it also led to lower-than-anticipated overall satisfaction.


In this concise book, one of the world's leading epistemologists provides a sophisticated, revisionist introduction to the problem of knowledge in Western philosophy. Modern and contemporary accounts of epistemology tend to focus on limited questions of knowledge and skepticism, such as how we can know the external world, other minds, the past through memory, the future through induction, or the world's depth and structure through inference. The book steps back for a better view of the more general issues posed by the ancient Greek Pyrrhonists. Returning to and illuminating this older, broader epistemological tradition, the book develops an original account of the subject, giving it substance not with Cartesian theology but with science and common sense. Descartes is a part of this ancient tradition, but he goes beyond it by considering not just whether knowledge is possible at all but also how we can properly attain it. In Cartesian epistemology, the book finds a virtue-theoretic account, one that is extended beyond the Cartesian context. Once epistemology is viewed in this light, many of its problems can be solved or fall away. The result is an important reevaluation of epistemology that will be essential reading for students and teachers.


Transnational coordination is a key aspiration of activists seeking to mobilize globally, yet the literature pays insufficient attention to the impact of cultural differences on transnational networking. In this article I draw on ethnographic data from three European autonomous social movement encounters in the Global Justice Movement (2002–2004) to demonstrate the impact of culture clashes between activists on transnational networking. I use the concept of habitus to explore how routinized, taken for granted, symbolic systems of meaning that individuals from shared locations have in common shape their interactions in transnational encounters. This conception of culture is underutilized in social movement analysis yet offers important insights into internal movement dynamics. I argue that despite the autonomous commitment to radical openness and plurality, a lack of attention to the empirical reality of place-based activist subcultures and habitus actually works against the "cosmopolitanism" that many activists and scholars aspire to.


We study the functioning of secured and unsecured inter-bank markets in the presence of credit risk. The model generates empirical predictions that are in line with developments during the 2007-2009 financial crises. Interest rates decouple across secured and unsecured markets following an adverse shock to credit risk. The scarcity of underlying collateral may amplify the volatility of interest rates in secured markets. We use the model to discuss various policy responses to the crisis. JEL Classification: G01, G21, E58


An unprecedented amount of information encompassing almost every facet of human activities across the world is generated daily in the form of zeros and ones, and that is often the only form in which such information is recorded. A good fraction of this information needs to be preserved for periods of time ranging from a few years to centuries. Consequently, the problem of preserving digital information over a long-term has attracted the attention of many organizations, including libraries, government agencies, scientific communities, and individual researchers. In this dissertation, we address three issues that are critical to ensure long-term information preservation and access.
The first concerns the core requirement of how to guarantee the integrity of preserved contents. Digital information is in general very fragile because of the many ways errors can be introduced, such as errors introduced because of hardware and media degradation, hardware and software malfunction, operational errors, security breaches, and malicious alterations. To address this problem, we develop a new approach based on efficient and rigorous cryptographic techniques, which will guarantee the integrity of preserved contents with extremely high probability even in the presence of malicious attacks. Our prototype implementation of this approach has been deployed and actively used in the past years in several organizations, including the San Diego Super Computer Center, the Chronopolis Consortium, North Carolina State University, and more recently the Government Printing Office.
Second, we consider another crucial component in any preservation system – searching and locating information. The ever-growing size of a long-term archive and the temporality of each preserved item introduce a new set of challenges to providing a fast retrieval of content based on a temporal query. The widely-used cataloguing scheme has serious scalability problems. The standard full-text search approach has serious limitations since it does not deal appropriately with the temporal dimension, and, in particular, is incapable of performing relevancy scoring according to the temporal context. To address these problems, we introduce two types of indexing schemes – a location indexing scheme, and a full-text search indexing scheme. Our location indexing scheme provides optimal operations for inserting and locating a specific version of a preserved item given an item ID and a time point, and our full-text search indexing scheme efficiently handles the scalability problem, supporting relevancy scoring within the temporal context at the same time.
Finally, we address the problem of organizing inter-related data, so that future accesses and data exploration can be quickly performed. We, in particular, consider web contents, where we combine a link-analysis scheme with a graph partitioning scheme to put together more closely related contents in the same standard web archive container. We conduct experiments that simulate random browsing of preserved contents, and show that our data organization scheme greatly minimizes the number of containers needed to be accessed for a random browsing session.
Our schemes have been tested against real-world data of significant scale, and validated through extensive empirical evaluations.


To keep up with the increasing demand for data rate in high-end servers, and especially in configurations encompassing e.g. symmetric multi-processor (SMP) systems, I/O memories and ultra-fast system bus links, board-level optical interconnects have become increasingly important even for very short link topologies «inside the box» being typically in the range of 10 cm that may scale up to several meters. Merging optical waveguide technology with state-of-the-art printed circuit board (PCB) production is reliable only if the involved waveguide cross sections are of considerably large extent, leading to a highly overmoded optical transmission channel. As in mobile communications, such "problematic" channels are prone to be exploited by advanced transmission schemes based on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications. We present the idea of an optical MIMO channel by having more than one laser source at the input and a detector array at the output. With proper tailoring of the underlying mode group multiplexing mechanism, aggregated data rates in the multiple 10 Gb/s range may be achievable supporting bandwidth densities of 10 Tb/s/inch already with present optical interconnect technologies.