A precise estimation and the characterization of the spatial variability of microclimate conditions (MCCs) are essential for risk assessment and site-specific management of vector-borne diseases and crop pests. The objective of this study was to estimate at local scale, and assess the uncertainties of Surface Microclimate Indicators (SMIs) derived from airborne infrared thermography and multispectral imaging. SMIs including Surface Temperature (ST) were estimated in southern Quebec, Canada. The formulation of their uncertainties was based on in-situ observations and the law of propagation of uncertainty. SMIs showed strong local variability and intra-plot variability of MCCs in the study area. The ST values ranged from 290 K to 331 K. They varied more than 17 K on vegetable crop fields. The correlation between ST and in-situ observations was very high (r = 0.99, p = 0.010). The uncertainty and the bias of ST compared to in-situ observations were 0.73 K and ±1.42 K respectively. This study demonstrated that very high spatial resolution multispectral imaging and infrared thermography present a good potential for the characterization of the MCCs that govern the abundance and the behavior of disease vectors and crop pests in a given area. (Resume d'auteur)


Blind sequence detection offers significant gains over conventional symbol-by-symbol detection when channel knowledge is not available at the receiver. However, maximum-likelihood (ML) blind sequence detection is often intractable due to exponential complexity in the sequence length. In this work, we develop a polynomial-time ML blind sequence detector for pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) transmissions in Rayleigh fading. Our detector follows an auxiliary-angle approach that reduces the exponential-size space of solution vectors to a polynomial-size set of candidate sequences; we prove that this significantly smaller set always contains the ML PAM sequence. Hence, with overall polynomial complexity the proposed detector solves the problem of identifying the ML PAM sequence in unknown Rayleigh fading.


Abstract. The ratio between the second and fourth fingers (2D:4D) is supposed to serve as a putative indicator of prenatal testosterone (PT). Significant associations between 2D:4D, children's basic numerical ability, and the Spatial Numerical Associations of Response Codes (SNARC) effect have recently been reported. The present study explored potential relationships between 2D:4D and the basic numerical ability of subitizing (the rapid enumeration of small quantities) in 80 right-handed adult volunteers. Participants completed a short battery of computerized subitizing and color recognition control tasks with both left and right hands, independently (order counterbalanced). Findings revealed a significant interaction between sex and 2D:4D on reaction time differences for right vs. left hand responses to the subitizing task. While 2D:4D in women showed a significant negative association with a right-hand advantage for the task, a nonsignificant trend in the opposite direction was observed for men. Results...


Fe y Alegria is an organization working in many developing countries as a public-private partnership. This study estimates the effect of one Fe y Alegria school in Peru on mathematics and reading comprehension among second grade primary pupils, between 2007 and 2012. The identification strategy is based on the fact that for this school Fe y Alegria conducted a lottery to determine which students would be accepted onto first grade. We could prepare our estimates only for one school where records for several years were available. The results show that this Fe y Alegria school generated substantial score gains for lottery winners, equivalent to 0.4 standard deviations. We also found that this effect has been increasing over time. In reading comprehension the effect was 0.17 s.d. in 2007 and 1.02 s.d. in 2012. In math, the effect was 0.29 s.d. in 2007 and 1.2 in 2012. These are promising results in a country where overall student achievement in standardized tests has been low, and where discussions on under what conditions may public partnerships result in better educational outcomes.


Abstract. The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is gaining momentum in digital built Asset Management (AM), and has the potential to improve information management operations and provide advantages in process control and delivery of quality AM services, along with underlying data management benefits through entire life cycle of an asset. Work has been carried out relating GeoBIM/AM to buildings as well as infrastructure assets, where the potential financial savings are extensive. While information form BIM maybe be sufficient for building-AM; for infrastructure AM a combination of GIS and BIM is required. Scientific literature relating to this topic has been growing in recent years and has now reached a point where a systematic analysis of current and potential uses of GeoBIM in AM for Infrastructure is possible. Three specific areas form part of the analysis – a review of BIM and Infrastructure AM and GIS and Infrastructure AM leads to a better understanding of current practice. Combining the two, a review of GeoBIM and Infrastructure AM allows the benefits of, and issues relating to, GeoBIM to be clearly identified, both at technical and operational levels. A set of 54 journal articles was selected for in-depth contents analysis according to the AM function addressed and the managed asset class. The analysis enabled the identification of three categories of issues and opportunities: data management, interoperability and integration and AM process and service management. The identified knowledge gaps, in turn, underpin problem definition for the next phases of research into GeoBIM for infrastructure AM.


Objective The effects of ω-3 fatty acids on endothelial function, fibrinolysis and platelet function are uncertain. We investigated the effects of ω-3 fatty acid supplementation on endothelial vasomotor function, endogenous fibrinolysis, and platelet and monocyte activation in healthy cigarette smokers; a group at increased risk of myocardial infarction. Design, setting, participants Twenty cigarette smokers were recruited into a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of ω-3 fatty acid supplementation. Intervention ω-3 fatty acid supplements (2 g/day) or placebo for a 6-week period. Main outcome measures Peripheral blood was taken for analysis of platelet and monocyte activation, and forearm blood flow (FBF) was assessed in a subset of 12 smokers during intrabrachial infusions of acetylcholine, substance P and sodium nitroprusside. Stimulated plasma tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) concentrations were measured during substance P infusion. Results All vasodilators caused dose-dependent increases in FBF (p<0.0001). Compared with placebo, ω-3 fatty acid supplementation led to greater endothelium-dependent vasodilatation with acetylcholine and substance P (p=0.0032 and p=0.056). Substance P caused a dose-dependent increase in plasma t-PA concentrations (p<0.0001) that was greater after ω-3 fatty acid supplementation compared with placebo (8.8±2.3 IU ml−1 vs 3.6±1.1 IU ml−1; p=0.029). ω-3 fatty acids did not affect platelet-monocyte aggregation, platelet P-selectin or CD40L, or monocyte CD40. Conclusions We have demonstrated for the first time that ω-3 fatty acids augment acute endothelial t-PA release and improve endothelial vasomotor function in cigarette smokers. Improved endogenous fibrinolysis and endothelial function may represent important mechanisms through which ω-3 fatty acids confer potential cardiovascular benefits.


This article describes the Engineering Professors' Conference (EPC) approach to quality assurance for Higher Education Institutions, which is currently the only formalized alternative to British Standard 5750 'Quality Systems'. The EPC approach is based on principles of quality assurance and Total Quality Management which have been developed in industry. These ideas are briefly outlined, and an opinion expressed on the interpretation and application of BSS7S0 for HE. The EPC model is explained, illustrated with example elements taken from the EPC Specification and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. A top-down approach to the development of an institutional quality system is described, based on a quality policy statement. Areas of activity which have an important impact on the quality of education are identified, emphasising the quality assurance requirements of academic departments. Supporting and administrative quality system requirements are also described, as these also play an important role in the quality of education. Formal quality procedures and documentation in key areas are proposed.


This article presents a theory of customary international law ("CIL") that seeks to sort out the many well-known difficulties with standard accounts of CIL. The theory uses simple game theoretical concepts to explain how what we call CIL arises, why nations "comply" with CIL as commonly understood, and how CIL changes. This theory differs from the standard account of CIL in several fundamental respects. It rejects the usual explanations of CIL based on opinio juris, legality, morality, and related concepts. States do not comply with norms of CIL because of a sense of moral or legal obligation; rather, their compliance and the norms themselves emerge from the states' pursuit of self interested policies on the international stage. In addition, the behaviors associated with CIL do not reflect a single, unitary logic. Instead, they reflect various and importantly different logical structures played out in discrete, historically contingent contexts. Finally, the theory is skeptical of the existence of multilateral behavioral regularities that are typically thought to constitute CIL. The article tests the theory using case studies from four traditional areas of CIL: neutrality, diplomatic immunity, prize, and maritime jurisdiction. We find that most purported rules of CIL reflect pure coincidence of interest, rather than international cooperation, and that the rest are best explained as the outcome of repeated bilateral prisoner's dilemmas or coercion analogous to the behavior of the monopolist in predatory pricing games. We conclude by examining the implications of our analysis for understanding the role of CIL in domestic constitutional arrangements, the function of international treaties and international organizations, and the status of modern international human rights law.


This paper identifies the vulnerable groups which have lower level of specific knowledge about transmission and ways of avoiding human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Majority of respondents, about 92% floating and 99% frequently moving, heard the name HIV/AIDS from various sources of media, but 52% floating and 31% frequently moving respondents do not know the fearfulness of HIV/AIDS. Electronic media is the most dominant source of hearing about HIV/AIDS. In this study, it was also found that uncontrolled and unsafe sexual relation is the main cause of HIV/AIDS (answer given by the respondents). Further, all the variables (respondents' age, marital status, educational level and occupation) of contingency analysis were significantly associated with HIV/AIDS in frequently moving respondents but the same variables were not seen in floating respondents. In multivariate logistic analysis, we found that in case of frequently moving respondents, variables like respondents' age, marital status, education and occupation exert significant effect on the knowledge about the fearfulness of HIV/AIDS; whereas in floating respondents, only education variable exerts significant effect on the knowledge about the fearfulness of HIV/AIDS.

 Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), fearfulness, logistic regression analysis, floating and frequently moving.


In this paper, we present LIDA, a working model of, and theoretical foundation for, machine consciousness. LIDA's architecture and mechanisms were inspired by a variety of computational paradigms and LIDA implements the Global Workspace Theory of consciousness. The LIDA architecture's cognitive modules include perceptual associative memory, episodic memory, functional consciousness, procedural memory and action-selection. Cognitive robots and software agents controlled by the LIDA architecture will be capable of multiple learning mechanisms. With artificial feelings and emotions as primary motivators and learning facilitators, such systems will 'live' through a developmental period during which they will learn in multiple, human-like ways to act effectively in their environments. We also provide a comparison of the LIDA model with other models of consciousness.


Title of dissertation: NOVEL DARK MATTER PHENOMENOLOGY AT COLLIDERS Kyle Wardlow, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Dissertation directed by: Professor Kaustubh S. Agashe Department of Physics While a suitable candidate particle for dark matter (DM) has yet to be discovered, it is possible one will be found by experiments currently investigating physics on the weak scale. If discovered on that energy scale, the dark matter will likely be producible in significant quantities at colliders like the LHC, allowing the properties of and underlying physical model characterizing the dark matter to be precisely determined. I assume that the dark matter will be produced as one of the decay products of a new massive resonance related to physics beyond the Standard Model, and using the energy distributions of the associated visible decay products, develop techniques for determining the symmetry protecting these potential dark matter candidates from decaying into lighter Standard Model (SM) particles and to simultaneously measure the masses of both the dark matter candidate and the particle from which it decays. NOVEL DARK MATTER PHENOMENOLOGY AT COLLIDERS


Currently, the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) system does not provide a spiral CT source model for the simulation of spiral CT scanning. We developed and validated a spiral CT phase-space source model in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system. The spiral phase-space source model was implemented in the DOSXYZnrc user code of the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system by analyzing the geometry of spiral CT scan—scan range, initial angle, rotational direction, pitch, slice thickness, etc. Table movement was simulated by changing the coordinates of the isocenter as a function of beam angles. Some parameters such as pitch, slice thickness and translation per rotation were also incorporated into the model to make the new phase-space source model, designed specifically for spiral CT scan simulations. The source model was hard-coded by modifying the 'ISource = 8: Phase-Space Source Incident from Multiple Directions' in the srcxyznrc.mortran and dosxyznrc.mortran files in the DOSXYZnrc user code. In order to verify the implementation, spiral CT scans were simulated in a CT dose index phantom using the validated x-ray tube model of a commercial CT simulator for both the original multi-direction source (ISOURCE = 8) and the new phase-space source model in the DOSXYZnrc system. Then the acquired 2D and 3D dose distributions were analyzed with respect to the input parameters for various pitch values. In addition, surface-dose profiles were also measured for a patient CT scan protocol using radiochromic film and were compared with the MC simulations. The new phase-space source model was found to simulate the spiral CT scanning in a single simulation run accurately. It also produced the equivalent dose distribution of the ISOURCE = 8 model for the same CT scan parameters. The MC-simulated surface profiles were well matched to the film measurement overall within 10%. The new spiral CT phase-space source model was implemented in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system. This work will be beneficial in estimating the spiral CT scan dose in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system.


Oogenesis - the process by which female germ cells develop into mature eggs, or ova - is a complex process involving many important elements of developmental and cellular biology: from cell-cell interactions, complex signalling cascades, specialized cell cycles and cytoskeleton organization. Oocytes from various species (including clam, starfish, xenopus and mouse) are excellent model systems to study the biochemistry of cell division with important implications for basic and clinical research. This book describes the entire process of oogenesis in chronological order with contributions from leading international researchers and chapters covering medical and ethical considerations in oogenic biology. Topics include sex determination and gonadal development, control of meiotic chromosome pairing and homologous recombination, control of meiotic divisions and the remodelling of the oocyte into a totipotent zygote as well as medically-assisted reproduction.


Vertical/Short Take-Off arid Landing (V/STOL) fighter aircraft are
characterised by increased control complexity caused by the extra degree
ol freedom. This can result in a high pilot workload which may be
alleviated with the careful application of active flight control.
However, the advent of control configured vehicles demands that the
controller design must be part of a fully integrated and iterative
aircraft design; hence it must allow the two-way flow of design
information.
In this thesis a suitable controller (leSign method is developed to solve
this two-fold problem.
The method is based upon a singular perturbation analysis which is used
to expose the underlying dynamics of a closed-loop state-space system.
developments are described which allow high-order, dynamically
complex parasitics, such as actuators, to be included in the design.
}urtherrnore, the method gives the designer insight into the problem
allowing tuning and engineering trade-offs to be performed intelligently
with a two-way flow of design information. The end result is a robust
high-gain multivariable controller.
In order fully to develop arid analyse the method it has been applied to
a representative non-linear time-varying aircraft simulation model. This
LS supplied by the Royal Aerospace Establishment, Bedford. The necessary slate-space matrices are otitairted by lirLearisirig the model at several
differertt flight cases. This occurs over a wide flight envelope, from
hover to 300 Kts, and consequently the multivariable control laws are
implemented using gain scheduling.
Finally, task tailored control and handling qualities requirements are
derived for a V/STOL aircraft in the form of a design brief. This design
brief is then fulfilled by designing a controller which alleviates pilot
workload during transitions from jet-borne to fully wing-borne flight
(and vice versa).


For every fixed graph $H$, we determine the $H$-packing number of $K_n$, for all $n > n_0(H)$. We prove that if $h$ is the number of edges of $H$, and $gcd(H)=d$ is the greatest common divisor of the degrees of $H$, then there exists $n_0=n_0(H)$, such that for all $n > n_0$, $$ P(H,K_n)=\lfloor {{dn}\over{2h}} \lfloor {{n-1}\over{d}} \rfloor \rfloor, $$ unless $n = 1 \bmod d$ and $n(n-1)/d = b \bmod (2h/d)$ where $1 \leq b \leq d$, in which case $$ P(H,K_n)=\lfloor {{dn}\over{2h}} \lfloor {{n-1}\over{d}} \rfloor \rfloor - 1. $$ Our main tool in proving this result is the deep decomposition result of Gustavsson.


This paper investigates several human rights concerns with respect to the South African government's secretive plan to transform basic education, Operation Phakisa Education. The first concern is the influence of digital surveillance on education and society by government and corporate institutions. This is evaluated in light of electronic foreign and domestic government and corporate surveillance, as well as the context of socioeconomic inequality. Another is the likelihood of a chilling effect on free speech and inquiry. A third issue is the monitoring and evaluation of teachers and the associated limits on teacher autonomy. Last, it considers democratic process and informed consent. It concludes that Operation Phakisa Education poses serious problems for education and society, and contradicts principles of democratic transparency endorsed in education policy.


Since the late 1990s, the number of farmer cooperatives in China has rapidly grown. The adoption of the national law on farmer professional cooperatives in 2007 has led to significant governmental support for the establishment and management of farmer professional cooperatives. This paper explores the organizational features of the newly established cooperatives as well as the services they provide to their members. Particular attention is given to the role of local entrepreneurs in grouping farmers and in acquiring support from local and regional state agencies. The paper is based on data about a group of 200 agriculture and aquaculture cooperatives in Hubei province, central China.


Dryland cropping in the northern Great Plains of North America has long been viewed a risky endeavor (Sarvis and Thysell 1936). The region's unpredictable climate—characterized by short, erratic growing conditions and limited rainfall—has challenged farmers since the arrival of European settlers over 140 years ago (Padbury et al. 2002). Following the breaking of native prairie, cropping systems in the region have evolved considerably, from tillage-intensive wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–fallow systems to dynamic cropping practices under no-till management (Tanaka et al. 2005). Yet, yield stability over time has been elusive and is frequently coupled with widely fluctuating environmental impacts (Hanson et al. 2007; Chen et al. 2004). Such climate-driven variability in agronomic and environmental outcomes is perhaps the most notable characteristic of dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains. This attribute also makes determining the sustainability of dryland cropping systems in the region challenging. Long-term cropping system studies serve as important "listening places," where investigators document treatment responses through the measurement of key metrics consistently over time (Janzen 2009). Findings and interpretations generated from these measurements serve to inform the status and trajectory of ecosystem services (Robinson et al. 2011), while concurrently providing opportunities for further inquiry focused on basic…


Australian Snubfin Orcaella heinsohni, Indo-Pacific Humpback Sousa chinensis and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins Tursiops aduncus inhabit Australia's tropical north-western coastline, a region undergoing extensive port development associated with the massive expansion of the oil, gas and mining industries. The current lack of data on dolphin population sizes or trends precludes impact assessments of developments on these protected species. Furthermore, the Western Australian and Commonwealth Government conservation listings of tropical inshore dolphins do not reflect their international listings. From April to July, 2010, we conducted ad hoc boat-based surveys (n=55) of inshore delphinids at seven sites across north-western Australia from Coral Bay in the south (23.1°S: 113.8°E) to Cable Beach in the north (17.9°S: 122.2°E). We documented the locations of these three species from which we obtained photoidentification and biopsy data, as well as reports of Australian Snubfin Dolphin sightings from researchers and community groups. The data from this limited field effort confirm that Indo-Pacific Humpback and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins occur in the waters adjacent to each north-western Australian urban centre and show that the range of the Australian Snubfin Dolphin extends considerably further south-west than previously reported. Given the scale of coastal developments and the vulnerability of isolated cetacean populations to fragmentation or extirpation, assessments of the viability of dolphin populations are required. Our data suggest that the Australian Snubfin, Indo-Pacific Humpback and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins need to be considered as likely to be impacted by coastal developments across north-western Australia.


This case study explores the career development of some Singaporean supply chain management professionals within the context of Singapore's people development policy framework and the human resource development (HRD) practices in their own organizations. The study contributes knowledge about the HRD and career development of a specific group of workers thus offering a qualitative dimension to the broad statistical data provided by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower. It also contributes to the body of scholarship relating to HRD in Singapore and to the broader debate regarding skills development of supply chain management practitioners. Participants in this qualitative study were 'earner-learners' (Spender 2000) as they were both fulltime supply chain practitioners drawn from a wide range of industrial settings and also part-time students or alumni of a bachelor's degree in supply chain management. Their accounts of their educational backgrounds, formal learning and workplace learning experiences offer a detailed account of the relationship between HRD and career development for this group of workers. This study has identified specific HRD practices that have most contributed to the professional learning and career development of these practitioners. The paper does not presume to generalize form this study but offers a tentative model for the professional learning of supply chain professionals in Singapore that can be tested in a wider study and in different contexts.


The history of Norwegian settlement in the United States has often been told through the eyes of prominent men, while the women are imagined in the form of O E Rolvaag's fictionalised heroine Beret Holm, who made the best of life on the frontier but whose gaze seemed ever fixed on her long-lost home. The true picture is more complex. In an area spanning the Midwest and rural West and urban areas such as Seattle, Chicago, and Brooklyn, Norwegian American women found themselves in varied circumstances, ranging from factory worker to domestic, impoverished to leisured. Offering a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, "Norwegian American Women: Migration, Communities, and Identities" considers the stories of this immigrant group through a gendered lens. Nine noted scholars situate these women in the history, literature, politics, and culture of both their ancestral home and the new land, interpreting their multifarious lives and the communities they helped build. pieces on wide-ranging topics by Betty A Bergland, Laurann Gilbertson, Karen V Hansen, Lori Ann Lahlum, Ann M Legreid, Odd S Lovoll, Elisabeth Lonna, David C Mauk, and Ingrid K Urberg are bookended by Elizabeth Jameson's lively foreword and Dina Tolfsby's detailed bibliography, comprising a collection that enlightens at the same time that it inspires further investigations into the lives of women in Norwegian America.


Online distance education is the latest trend in the education industry. Even though most of the courses offered today are non-technical, there is a large market for online technical education leading to graduate and undergraduate accredited degrees. This paper studies the current state of the online education industry and proposes ways and means for providing comprehensive laboratory based technical degrees through online distance education. The paper also presents innovative approaches and coursework developed at the University of Bridgeport, to provide laboratory-based accredited programs.


The effects of tagging on small cetaceans are difficult to assess due to logistical difficulties in recapturing the whales. In this study two narwhals, Monodon monoceros, and five harbor porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, were recaptured between 297 and 767 days after instrumentation with satellite transmitters. The transmitters were mounted by pins that were pushed through the fins of the porpoises or the backs of the narwhals. Overall body condition seemed unaffected by the instrumentations. Macroscopical examination revealed that umbilicalization of the tissue surrounding the pins was almost complete. On one of the narwhals the reepithelialization created a closed tunnel where the pins were isolated from the subdermal tissue, however the reepithelialization was incomplete around the middle of the pin and a low-grade inflammation increased with decreasing thickness of epidermis. The inflammation consisted of mononuclear cells, mainly lymphocytes. With increasing inflammation the number of neutrophils and macrophages increased. In the lymphoid follicular hyperplasia macrophages and a few neutrophils were found, in one case accompanied by Splendore-Hoeppli material with radiating eosinophilic clubs and Gram-positive cocci. Immunohistochemical staining of the cocci for Staphylococcus aureus was positive. The observations from the recaptured cetaceans suggest that the instrumentations caused only temporary and low-grade inflammatory responses.


The sedimentary sequences of the continental margin off southwest Africa have been shaped by different forces: So, the interaction of climate, oceanic currents and sea level fluctuations left a significant imprint in the sedimentary structures along the continental margin. Additionally, tectonic movements affected the sedimentary sequences. Our aim is to unravel the development and modifications of the depositional system in the Northern Cape Basin, and to deduce from local processes to global paleoclimatological and paleoceanographic changes.We present a seismostratigraphic model for the Neogene sedimentary layers in the Northern Cape Basin based on a combination of reflection seismic lines with drill site records of the ODP Leg 175 Site 1082, and assisted by palynological data. A striking observation is an unconformity dated at 2.2 Ma. The reflectors above onlap onto this interface, whereas the internal reflectors of the unit below show toplap termination. The outbuilding of the slope in the lower unit indicates a low relative sea level. In contrast the sigmoid reflection configuration in the unit above the unconformity is an indication for a gentle rise of relative sea level which indeed corresponds to a rise in eustatic sealevel. Since we can identify this Late Pliocene unconformity 250 km along the margin of the Northern Cape Basin we infer a large regional change in deposition regime. It coincides with a marked change of pollen assemblages. The accumulation rate of pollen suddenly drops from 50-60 pol/a/ccm in older layers to 8 pol/a/ccm in average after 2.2 Ma. The marked reduction of pollen input into the ocean is interpreted as the result of a loss of a perennial river discharge. It indicates a change of hinterland climate from humid to drier conditions, which in turn is associated with a shift of the Polar Front Zone of the Southern Ocean in the late Pliocene.An isopatch map of the sedimentary thickness confirms a shift of deposition centers variing with times. Before late Pliocene deposition seems to be concentrated on the upper slope of the southwest African continental margin. In late Pliocene a strong decrease of thickness on the outermost shelf indicates the sea level regression, whereas in the middle Pliocene the thickness of layers increases moderately suggesting again the rise of sea level.


With the social, political and economic changes taking place in Myanmar (formerly Burma) there is a keen interest among international resource companies to explore opportunities for investment in the country. As early as the 1700s oil was being produced onshore from deep, hand-dug wells and was exported as far afield as India. But in the petroleum sector the most dramatic change has been the discovery offshore of major gasfields. The present volume is the first to bring together information on the offshore as well as the onshore petroleum geology.

The readership is likely to include not only those in the petroleum industry seeking an overview of the habitat of Myanmar's oil and gas, but also researchers in the broader field of SE Asian geology. As in many parts of the world, it has been the petroleum industry that has provided data of value to stratigraphers, structural geologists and those seeking to decipher the tectonic history of the region.


In "Why Lyrics Last", the internationally acclaimed critic Brian Boyd turns an evolutionary lens on the subject of lyric verse. He finds that lyric making, though it presents no advantages for the species in terms of survival and reproduction, is "universal across cultures because it fits constraints of the human mind." An evolutionary perspective - especially when coupled with insights from aesthetics and literary history - has much to tell us about both verse and the lyrical impulse. Boyd places the writing of lyrical verse within the human disposition "to play with pattern," and in an extended example he uncovers the many patterns to be found within Shakespeare's Sonnets. Shakespeare's bid for readership is unlike that of any sonneteer before him: he deliberately avoids all narrative, choosing to maximize the openness of the lyric and demonstrating the power that verse can have when liberated of story. In eschewing narrative, Shakespeare plays freely with patterns of other kinds: words, images, sounds, structures; emotions and moods; argument and analogy; and natural rhythms, in daily, seasonal, and life cycles. In the originality of his stratagems, and in their sheer number and variety, both within and between sonnets, Shakespeare outdoes all competitors. A reading of the Sonnets informed by evolution is primed to attend to these complexities and better able to appreciate Shakespeare's remarkable gambit for immortal fame.


Nontraditional students in nursing have been the topic of multiple research studies to gain insight into their perceptions regarding retention. This mixed methods study, using Jeffreys' Student Perception Appraisal-Revised (SPA-R, 2007a) takes the quantitative findings a step further by using a qualitative approach to generate findings that extend the value of that instrument by exploring the details pertaining to each of the environmental items using focus groups and individual interviews with community college nursing students, just prior to graduation. One hundred seven associate degree nursing students in their last semester at three Midwestern community colleges were surveyed with the SPA-R tool to determine that the tool is applicable to this population. The results confirmed the original findings, yet differences based on location of each of these institutions, one rural, one suburban, and one urban location are presented. The second qualitative phase was conducted with two focus groups and two individual interviews with students over the age of 25, just before graduation. The students articulated their perceptions regarding the relationship of the environmental factors that promoted their success and shared their recommendations for solutions to the challenge of retention. Using grounded theory strategies of data analysis, these findings emerged into two categories, Internal and External Factors, that evolved into the Bridge of Support model of factors required for successful navigation of the nontraditional student nurse to the registered nurse. Implications for practice and suggestions for further research are


Abstract Online clustering is an issue in large amount of data crunching. Moreover, having a coarse-to-fine grain analysis is also desirable. We address both these problems in a single framework by designing an online adaptive hierarchical clustering algorithm in a decision tree framework. Our model consists of an online adaptive binary tree and a code formation layer. The adaptive tree hierarchically partitions the data and the finest level clusters are represented by the leaf nodes. The code formation layer stores the representative codes of the clusters corresponding to the leaf nodes, and the tree adapts the separating hyperplanes between the clusters at every layer in an online adaptive mode. The membership of a sample in a cluster is decided by the tree and the tree parameters are guided by the stored codes. As opposed to the existing hierarchical clustering techniques where certain local objective function at every level is optimized, we adapt the tree in an online adaptive mode by minimizing a global objective functional. We use the same global objective functional as used in the fuzzy c-means algorithm (FCM), however, we observe that the effect of the control parameter is different from that in the FCM. In our model the control parameter regulates the size and the number of clusters whereas in the FCM the number of clusters is always constant (c). We never freeze the adaptation process. For every input sample, the tree allocates it to certain leaf node and at the same time adapts the tree parameters simultaneously with the adaptation of the stored codes. We validate the effectiveness of our model on certain real-life datasets and also show that the model is able to perform unsupervised classification on certain datasets.


Spectrometers are enjoying increasing popularity in bioprocess monitoring due to their non-invasiveness and in situ sterilizability. Their on-line applicability and high measurement frequency create an interesting opportunity for process control and optimization tasks. However, building and maintaining a robust calibration model for the on-line estimation of key variables of interest (e.g., concentrations of selected metabolites) is time consuming and costly. One of the main drawbacks of using infrared (IR) spectrometers on-line is that IR spectra are compromised by both long-term drifts and short-term sudden shifts due to instrumental effects or process shifts that might be unseen during calibration. The effect of instrumental drifts can normally be reduced by referencing the measurements against a background solution, but this option is difficult to implement for single-beam instruments due to sterility issues. In this work, in order to maintain the robustness of calibration models for single-beam IR and to increase resistance to process and instrumental drifts, planned spikes of small amounts of analytes were injected periodically into the monitored medium. The corresponding measured difference spectra were scaled-up and used as reference measurements for updating the calibration model in real time based on dynamic orthogonal projection (DOP). Applying this technique led to a noticeable decrease in the standard error of prediction of metabolite concentrations monitored during an anaerobic fermentation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.


In this chapter, we propose a system especially created for elderly or chronically ill people that are with special needs and poor familiarity with technology. The system combines home monitoring of physiological and emotional states through a set of wearable sensors, user-controlled (automated) home devices, and a central control for integration of the data, in order to provide a safe and friendly environment according to the limited capabilities of the users. The main objective is to create the easy, low-cost automation of a room or house to provide a friendly environment that enhances the psychological condition of immobilized users. In addition, the complete interaction of the components provides an overview of the physical and emotional state of the user, building a behavior pattern that can be supervised by the care giving staff. This approach allows the integration of physiological signals with the patient's environmental and social context to obtain a complete framework of the emotional states.


A comprehensive synthesis of data from empirically based published studies and a widely used stormwater best management practice (BMP) database were used to assess the variability in nitrogen (N) removal performance of urban stormwater ponds, wetlands, and swales and to identify factors that may explain this variability. While the data suggest that BMPs were generally effective on average, removal efficiencies of ammonium (NH4), nitrate (NO3), and total nitrogen (TN) were highly variable ranging from negative (i.e., BMPs acting as sources of N) to 100%. For example, removal of NO3 varied from (median ±1 SD) −15 ± 49% for dry ponds, 32 ± 120% for wet ponds, 58 ± 210% for wetlands, and 37 ± 29% for swales. Across the same BMP types, TN removal was 27 ± 24%, 40 ± 31%, 61 ± 30%, and 50 ± 29%. NH4 removal was 9 ± 36%, 29 ± 72%, 31 ± 24%, and 45 ± 34%. BMP size, age, and location explained some of the variability. For example, small and shallow ponds and wetlands were more effective than larger, deeper ones in removing N. Despite well‐known intra‐annual variation in N fluxes, most measurements have been made over short time periods using concentrations, not flow‐weighted N fluxes. Urban N export is increasing in some areas as large storms become more frequent. Thus, accounting for the full range of BMP performance under such conditions is crucial. A select number of long‐term flux‐based BMP studies that rigorously measure rainfall, hydrology, and site conditions could improve BMP implementation.


We study how the structure of negotiations in a value chain affects the distribution of value among its members. To this end, we generalize the Shapley value and the core to hierarchical bargaining situations. While the core yields no concrete predictions, the Shapley value analysis suggests that positions most conducive to value capture are those that allow to realize large complementarity gains. If the game exhibits "supercomplementarity," then it is advantageous if a firm's negotiation partners are grouped into clusters. Using examples from the aircraft and white goods industries, we assess whether the firms' actions are consistent with model predictions.


Tristan Garcia's Form and Object has been framed primarily as a contribution to object oriented metaphysics. In this article, I shall explicate and defend four claims that bring it closer to the modern critical tradition: 1) that Garcia's Form and Object can be read, profitably, within the tradition of reflection upon the nature of possessions, self-possession and possessiveness; 2) that to read the book in this way is to see Garcia as the French heir to C. B. McPherson although it will be argued that what this amounts to is that while McPherson was the anti-Locke, so to speak, Garcia is the anti-Rousseau; 3) that this framing has significant consequences for our reception of Form and Object in that it can be understood as a book that not only marks a moment in debates surrounding speculative realism and object oriented ontology but that it also, and primarily, marks an important moment in debates about the encroachment of things and the culture of possession that, in part, defines modernity; 4) that there is a novel ontological position within Form and Object, one that is neither relational nor individualist, that presents a challenging account of 'the chance and the price' of living after possession and how to overcome the deleterious effects of contemporary consumer societies.


This thesis is a study of six mixed-sex political partnerships, all of which functioned within the context of heterosexual marriage. It considers these partnerships involvement in, and attitudes toward, the campaigns for women' s enfranchisement over a fifty year period from 1880 - 1930.

The aim of this study is to contribute to our understanding of the gendered nature of political activity and identity through an examination of the women' s suffrage campaigns, in particular the still under-researched, yet extremely important question of men's support for women' s suffrage.

This thesis takes as its point of departure historical studies of gender, that is, a critical examination of the constructions of masculinity and femininity; ideas which have been informed and developed by women's history. It will consider the extent to which developments within the suffrage movement both challenged and reinforced gendered political identities and influenced attitudes toward the parts that men and women had to play in both the public and private spheres.

The partnerships studied demonstrate not only the diversity of opinion within the women's suffrage movement but also how this single issue affected familial politics at a variety of levels. Each chapter focuses on one political partnership and charts its involvement - whatever form it took - during one of the most dynamic periods in modern British history. The partnerships included in this
thesis are diverse and are comprised of Emmeline and Richard Pankhurst, James and Marion Bryce, John and Katharine Bruce Glasier, Emmeline and Frederick Pethick-Li1wrence, Annot and Sam Robinson, and Elsie Duval and Hugh Franklin.

This thesis is, therefore, a contribution to both suffrage history and to the study of political partnerships in relation to changes in British political culture during a period of intense debates about the symbolic and actual representation of women.


Background: Preparation of highly standardized polyherbal formulation with its chief active chemical constituents supported by therapeutic efficacy in vitro is a valuable approach in the field of pharmaceutical sciences. Objective: The present work aims to develop the high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) marker-based standardization of polyherbal formulation using Piperine, Asiaticoside, and Withanolide-A and in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity. Materials and Methods: For successful standardization, the HPTLC quantification of Piperine, Asiaticoside, and Withanolide-A was carried out. Suitable solvent systems were optimized to achieve the better resolution of the marker compounds, extracts, and sample formulation. The reproducibility of the methods was also confirmed by repeating the procedure twice. The identity of the bands in the sample formulation was confirmed by comparing the Rf value with those of their respective reference standards. In vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay was done on the different crude extracts as well as tablet formulation. Results: HPTLC quantification of formulation for Piperine content showed 1.97% content w/w, whereas Piper longum extract showed 2.44% w/w. Similarly, Asiaticoside showed 0.71% in formulation and in Centella asiatica extract, it was 1.33% w/w. Contrary to the above, Withanolide-A content was 2.12% w/w in formulation and in Withania somnifera extract, it was only 0.81% w/w. In vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay exhibited significant inhibition with IC50 value of 70 μg for tablet formulation. Conclusion: The presence of Piperine, Asiaticoside, and Withanolide-A in formulation was identified by rapid HPTLC quantification method. The method is very precise, reproducible, and accurate. The developed method can be used to quantify the marker compounds in the formulations available in the market. The formulation also evaluated for its acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay and showed significant activity. Hence, it could be used in the treatment of memory-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.


Abstract The article clarifies the notion of neoliberalism and traces it back to the origins of liberalism in the civil revolutions of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. New in neoliberalism are not its economic doctrines and underlying philosophy, via utilitarianism but the global social situation. The bourgeoisie has lost its counterforce and its doctrines no longer have to compete for recognition: they represent a creed, a new gospel. The article unveils the free-market doctrine of neoliberalism as an ideology. The theological part of the article begins from the first commandment as the guideline and quintessence of all theology. Crucial for the socio-economic implications of the Ten Commandments is, "Do not covet". The Torah and the prophets can be summarized in two interdictions: one relates to slavery and the other to accumulation. Holy scripture excludes the private ownership of the means of production and the accumulation of socio-economic power. It is clear that the accumulation of economic power is leading in our time to the exclusion of increasing numbers of human beings, i.e., to a new slavery. Therefore, a theology of economy must contradict the creeds and practice of neoliberalism. ********** The subject of this article refers to two things: neoliberalism and the theology of economy. First of all, we have to clarify what neoliberalism is. We will go into the history of this concept and describe its function in the ideological and theological struggles of our time. Secondly, we should have some notion of what is meant by the expression "the theology of economy". The proper object of theology (theos and logos) is the word of God. Theological statements can only be based on the holy scriptures. The societies of biblical times are completely different from our society and we may doubt whether the holy scriptures have anything to say about our economy. This means that our enterprise will be threefold: clarifying the notion of neoliberalism; examining the scriptures; asking whether the scriptures have any relevance for the economic problems of our societies. Neoliberalism or "What is really 'neo' (new) in the ideology of liberalism?" There is a remarkable difference between the American and European notions of liberalism. In the USA, liberalism is a doctrine mainly of civil liberties. Its roots lie in the Enlightenment of the 18th century. In the U.S., liberals are to be found in the centre or slightly left of it; in ethics (abortion, sexual orientations, gender issues, etc.), they are more tolerant than are those called conservatives. Neoconservatives (neocons) are not neoliberals; they usually represent neoliberal positions in economics but in matters of ethics, social life and religion they tend to take a rigorous and fundamentalist stand. On the European continent, liberalism is primarily an economic doctrine. European liberals wish for an economy as free as possible, a market as deregulated as possible, a labour force that consists of individuals who are hired and fired according to the laws of supply and demand and a tax rate as low as possible and without any redistribution effect. The economy of European countries after the second world war, however, was highly regulated and characterized by two things. Firstly, strong trade unions represented the collective power of workers in particular branches of industry and this increased the bargaining power of each branch. Secondly, a high tax rate with redistribution effects resulted in increased equality of income and strictly regulated financial markets. After the periods of so-called Reaganomics, and especially after the Clinton presidential administration in the U.S., we had a situation that Europeans call neoliberal: less regulation, especially on the labour market, almost no regulation on the international finance and capital markets, lower taxes and increasing differences between low and high incomes. …


Geoelectrical methods measure resistivity and induced polarization (IP) effects in the subsurface. The differentially normalized electromagnetic method (DNME) detects geochemical alteration zones due to anomalous electrical responses which are often located above a hydrocarbon accumulation. Leakage above a non-perfect top seal is postulated to change the pH in the overlying sediments where a shallower mobility barrier is encountered. Epigenetic pyrite mineral growth is stimulated when iron and sulfur ions are available. Leakage and mineral growth are modelled by mathematical formulae assuming diffusion migration through the overburden. Effects of time and tectonic faulting are examined. Pyrite is highly polarizable and easily detected by an electrical IP survey in the field, whereby a current is introduced into the ground and subsequently turned off. Decay of the potential difference over the receiver electrodes is monitored in time. Special parameters facilitate detection of IP anomalies related to the presence of hydrocarbons. An inverted electrical depth model is computed using the Cole–Cole formula. The impact of geochemical modelling and predicted epigenetic mineral growth is demonstrated for the Severo-Gulyaevskaya dataset (Siberia). The overall DNME track record shows a reduced risk attached to hydrocarbon prospects, with a more reliable ranking at reasonable costs.


A graduate seminar to select the 5 most important papers published in the first 50 years of the Journal of Range Management (J R M), 1948–1997, cultivated an appreciation for the development of the discipline of rangeland science and management, and provided some historical perspective to judge the JRM. A review of textbooks, and papers describing early milestones and the use of citation counting were helpful in developing criteria to discriminate the importance of papers. The greatest disagreement among the 9 participants focused on the use of citation counts as a criterion: 2 students used only counts and 3 students refused to use counts. Eighteen papers received at least 1 vote as a top 5 paper, and 2 plant succession-vegetation monitoring papers were clearly the most popular. The exercise revealed that discontent with the JRM is not new. Although the JRM now covers a wider variety of topics, including both reductionist and synthetic works, some students felt that it was less encompassing of multiple values of rangelands and the breadth of rangeland science than recent texts. The students found that the selection of important papers expanded their understanding of the discipline and their resolve to publish in the JRM. Ideally, others will be challenged to perform this review for the benefit of students, the discipline, and the JRM.


Cardiac angiosarcomas are rare tumours which can present with varying clinical symptoms, and are usually difficult to manage. We present a case of a young female who presented with respiratory symptoms, and was found to have a primary cardiac angiosarcoma with metastases. A discussion of primary angiosarcoma and a review of its management follows.


The twenty-six-year-old patient requested a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction because of an extensive family history of cancer. She reported that she had developed melanoma at twenty-five; that her mother, sister, aunts, and a cousin all had breast cancer; that a cousin had ovarian cancer at nineteen; and that a brother was treated for esophageal cancer at fifteen. The treating team was skeptical about this history, and they could find no documentation of the patient's reported melanoma. The surgeon wrote the patient's primary care physician, explaining that he had seen the patient and planned to proceed with the bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. The primary care physician responded that he was unable to substantiate several of the patient's claims; some of his colleagues believed the family history to be fabricated.

Trying to make sense of the discrepancies, the genetic counselor called a counselor colleague who had met with this patient. The colleague suggested that the in-house genetic counselor "google" the patient. The search revealed two Facebook pages linked to the patient. In one, apparently a personal profile, the patient stated that in addition to battling stage four melanoma, she had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She provided a link to a site where she solicited donations to attend a summit for young cancer patients. The other Facebook page featured numerous pictures of her with a bald head, as though she has been through chemotherapy. The genetic counselor showed the Facebook pages to the surgeon, who then decided not to operate.

Should health care professionals "google" their patients?


Free-ranging ticks are widely known to be restricted to the ground level of vegetation. Here, we document the capture of the tick species Amblyomma tapirellum in light traps placed in the forest canopy of Barro Colorado Island, central Panama. A total of forty eight adults and three nymphs were removed from carbon dioxide–octenol baited CDC light traps suspended 20 meters above the ground during surveys for forest canopy mosquitoes. To our knowledge, this represents the first report of questing ticks from the canopy of tropical forests. Our finding suggests a novel ecological relationship between A. tapirellum and arboreal mammals, perhaps monkeys that come to the ground to drink or to feed on fallen fruits.


A new Swedish leadership theory of "leadership intelligence" (Ronthy, 2006; 2013) is characterized by a work integrated learning approach. This theory arose from analysis of the experiences of managers trained in performance appraisals, and describes the balance between being a leader and being a manager. A leader develops and uses, in an integrative good balance, leadership intelligence, which comprises emotional intelligence, rational intelligence and spiritual intelligence. The aim of this study was to further develop the Leadership Intelligence Questionnaire (LIQ) created by Ronthy (which has been developed to measure leadership intelligence), and to examine its reliability. Over 400 leaders, aged 21 to 69 years completed the 71-item LIQ. A shorter, 32-item version of the LIQ was developed by confirmatory factor analysis thorough excluding psychometrically "poor" items. The internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha was high (> .80), and we conclude that leadership intelligence may be reliably measured with both versions of the questionnaire. Future studies should examine the internal and external validity of the LIQ before its introduction into education or into managerial practice.


Introduction'Who has not heard of Manchester, whose rapid growth, vast development, influence and wealth are quoted with pride by devotees of the manufacturing system?' This confident rhetorical question launches a 33-page review of Mary Barton by Mary Meynieu that appeared eleven months after the novel's publication in a journal printed simultaneously in Geneva, Paris and brussels, a translation of which, excluding the plot summary, can be found below. The review article comprises four sections: an encomium of Manchester and its inhabitants; a resume of the novel amply illustrated with quotations; a discussion of the book's contribution to the social Question (the French equivalent of the 'condition of england'); and the author's own prescriptions for defusing class conflict. It is a fascinating evaluation that has been generally overlooked, perhaps because it figures neither in robert selig's Reference Guide nor in angus easson's Critical Heritage. yet Meynieu's pioneering critique which introduced the French-speaking world to a tale of Manchester life deserves to be better known. It is the earliest continental response to Mary Barton, published four years before emile Montegut's review in the Revue des Deux Mondes.1and it 'anticipates the approach of all subsequent criticism of the social novels' in France, where Gaskell was to enjoy great popularity in the 1850s and 1860s as translations of her major works were published, to widespread acclaim.2 evidence of critics apart from Montegut following in Meynieu's footsteps can be found inter alia in the important study by charles de Mouy, who rates Gaskell amongst the finest of contemporary english novelists.3Who was the writer who signed herself Mme Mary Meynieu? she proves to be a remarkable woman: an english-born economist and religious commentator who wrote predominantly in French, in an elegant prose style commended by native speakers. she produced two textbooks, one of which was the first to popularise political economy in France,4 published a scholarly study of the causes of distress in britain's industrial cities,5 and contributed with distinction to French intellectual debate through her learned articles and reviews. In her obituary, the prestigious Journal des Economistes considered her 'one of [the] most worthy representatives of the science of economics'.6 unfortunately, the relative obscurity into which her Gaskell review has fallen is paralleled by the paucity of information about her life, since published sources reveal only the scantiest of biographical details. For instance, the catalogue of the bibliotheque nationale de France gives no date of birth or death, and two economics dictionaries give no date of birth, and incorrectly record the year of her death.7 However, thanks to clues provided by her marriage announcement in The Times and a notification of her husband's death preserved in the national archives at Kew, it is possible to establish her floruit.8 she was born Mary coates in bristol in 1798, the eldest daughter of Matthew Mills coates and susanna coates.9 a unitarian, she married the historian bernard Meynieu in london in 1829, and moved with him first to dieppe where he was appointed Principal of the teacher training college (ecole normale primaire), then to dunkerque, and later to Paris where she died in 1876.10Why did Meynieu choose to publicise a work that had 'created a sensation in britain' in the Bibliotheque Universelle de Geneve? The journal's mission was to communicate foreign intellectual developments to a French-speaking audience, in which category it was, 'alongside the Journal des Savants, about the only critical and analytical publication of distinction published in French'.11 Its coverage was genuinely world-wide, with articles on a large range of social, historical and literary subjects; its stance was liberal in economics, conservative in politics and aesthetics, and Protestant in ethics.12 The editor of the journal's 'literary bulletin' was the bookseller-publisher Joel cherbuliez, the son of Meynieu's publisher. …


From the beginning of time, individuals have been forced to work in groups via the circumstances they were presented with. Naturally, individuals within the groups stepped forward to take roles of leadership, guiding the rest of the group. Since then, an emphasis has been placed identifying those qualities which make successful leaders. Kouzes and Posner (1995) have identified five vital qualities of a leader: challenging the process; inspiring a shared vision; enabling others to act; modeling the way; and encouraging the heart. In an effort to gain personal insight, leader or not, an emphasis on getting to know your personality and how it affects you, has recently taken root in our culture. Most commonly diagnosed via a personality test, persons are commonly defined by characteristics such as introversion and extroversion. The traits of introversion and extroversion help define who an individual is. In an attempt to combine the knowledge of who a person is with what tasks for which they are most equipped, the question has been raised of whether the personality traits of introversion and extroversion correlate with the level of leadership qualities one possesses. Forty college subjects were given the Student Leadership Practices Inventory and a Jung Typology test from Humanrnetrics.com. It was hypothesized that there would be significant, positive correlations between extroversion and leadership scores among the five subscales of leadership qualities. After analysis and data collection, it was found that there was not a significant correlation between introversion/extroversion and any of the five subscales of leadership as defined by Kouzes and Posner. Thus, the quality of either being an introvert or extrovert does not have significant bearing on the leadership quality of an individual.


Microforming is defined as the process of production of metallic micro-parts with sub-millimeter dimension. There is as strong interaction between the scale of the microstructure and the size of the part affecting material flow, the so-called "size effect" in microforming processes. Conventional forming rules cannot be directly applied to the micro-scale forming. To better understand the implications for part geometry and properties, further investigation of the material flow related events is necessary. The aim of this work is to investigate microstructural evolution of pure copper during a micro-extrusion process - for production of micro-pins with diameters varying from 300 to 800µm - by means of optical microscope (OM). Qualitative strain gradient distribution could be observed by those pictures. The results showed that change of micro-pins diameter and die angle affect the microstructure and strain distribution of the final product remarkably, that affect the mechanical properties of the pin formed. Furthermore, microhardness results were consistent with the microstructural observations.


Despite consistent interest in sport brands and the multitude of brands in the sport ecosystem, extant knowledge remains fragmented and unstructured. The purpose of this study is to integrate and synthesize extant sport brand research, appraise the current state of knowledge, and suggest future research directions. Following structured literature review guidelines, we coded 179 peer-reviewed articles published in four leading sport management journals between 2000 and 2020. Results reveal increased publications in sport brand research within the four examined journals, as well as opportunities to increase theoretical and methodological rigor. Based on the mapping and critical review of extant literature, we introduce the Sport Brand Ecosystem and Environment and discuss two distinct and complementary areas related to theory and research designs and topical domains to address existent concerns and guide future research directions.


It has been acknowledged for over 50 years that treatments with hydrogen can improve silicon semiconductor devices. In recent years, these have been used to an advantage in silicon solar cells reducing the loss of photo‐generated carriers at the silicon surface or at the silicon interface with dielectrics. However, we have found that in some types of silicon the in‐diffusion of hydrogen can result in the formation of powerful recombination centers composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen which reduce the carrier lifetime and ultimately the efficiency of solar cells made from such material.


For centuries, governments have used civil asset forfeiture laws to seize property used in criminal activity and then use civil proceedings to take ownership of that same property. Forfeitures have caught the attention of media, John Oliver, and the Supreme Court. In March, because of waiver, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Leonard v. Texas, a case that claimed Texas's civil forfeiture laws violated due process. Justice Thomas agreed with the denial, but wrote separately to question the constitutionality of civil forfeiture laws. The Court has always held civil asset forfeitures to be constitutional because of their long existence, and now Justice Thomas, the originalist, seems ready to disregard that history.
This Essay is the first to note the seeming inconsistency in Justice Thomas's applications of originalism to two civil punishments—civil forfeitures and punitive damages. Justice Thomas seems eager to re-evaluate the constitutionality of civil forfeitures despite their long history. Justice Thomas has never, however, publicly entertained the possibility that history does not justify the constitutionality of punitive damages. No obvious reason exists to explain the distinction.
The Essay also generally examines the similarities between civil forfeitures and punitive damages, and cautions that even with Justice Thomas's vote, any enthusiasm that the Court will find civil forfeitures unconstitutional should be tempered. The Court—minus Justice Thomas—eventually defined some constitutional limitations for the civil imposition of punitive damages, but little reform resulted until legislatures got involved.


Many tasks are carried out with the use of hands in various environments and working conditions, so protective gloves are widely utilized by workers voluntarily or as needed. The present study aims to introduce the hand, its various parts, and the importance of protecting the hands, which are subjected to several mechanical and perceptive situations. Moreover, the literature introduces the types of protective gloves, their design and structure. The factors affecting the performance of protective gloves and their evaluation methods are also included. This paper contains two parts; the first part is allocated to overview the importance of protective gloves and the second part is assigned to the published researches in each field and their results are elaborated. By probing the results of the previously conducted researches on protective gloves, it was found that wearing protective gloves often reduced the strength capability of the hand, tactile sensitivity, manual dexterity and range of motion, while the discrepancy in the results of some functions, such as pinch or torque, was observable in the studied researches. Examination of hand performance measurement tasks also showed weaknesses and shortcomings in some methods, and this was one of the causes of contradictions in the results of studies.


Thorough characterisation is essential for efficient and knowledge-led cell culture process development in biomanufacturing. Despite diverse applications of rocked bag bioreactors, there is currently little understanding of the fundamental determinants of fluid mixing and mass transfer, and the effects that these would have on cell culture kinetics, product quality and cell physiology. A rocked bag bioreactor has been fully evaluated at 10 to 50 L scale. Under typical operating conditions, single-use rocked bag bioreactor tm were found to vary from 7-71 s, kLa(O2) from 3.5-29 h-1 and kLa(CO2) from 0.6-2.7 h-1, with the rocking rate found to cause gas entrainment above 20 min-1. A GS-CHO cell line cultured under controlled fed-batch conditions at low rocking rate to produce surface aeration achieved significantly higher cell specific antibody productivities. However, these cells were significantly less robust at harvest than cells cultured in the presence of a dispersed gas phase in rocked bags or stirred tanks. A fabricated rocked bag mimic was fluid dynamically characterised using particle image velocimetry. It was found that increasing rocking rate from 25 to 42 min-1 produced an 8-fold increase in turbulence kinetic energy, giving the rocked bag similar fluid dynamic characteristics to a stirred tank. The gas entrainment noted at higher rocking rates was connected to the fluid transitioning out of phase at higher rocking rates. A detailed cell culture kinetic, physiological and transcriptomic evaluation demonstrated that cells cultured in the rocked bag operated to entrain gas matched very closely those cultured in a stirred tank. Cells cultured in a bubble free environment exhibited several indications of higher stress, despite identical cell culture kinetics to the stirred tank. In a second industrial GS-CHO cell line, the specific productivity of the cells cultured in entrained gas phase bags was again found to be lower than those cells cultured in surface aerated bags, however the product quality was not significantly impacted. In summary, this work demonstrates the flexibility of rocked bags as alternative single-use bioreactor designs.


Abstract : As legacy neutron irradiation facilities are shut down due to security and financial constrictions, a growing need arises for alternatives that can provide the same or similar radiation environments using methods and/or fuels that do not pose the same risks. For this reason, facilities that provide much lower neutron fluxes and different spectral shapes are being leveraged over longer irradiation intervals to meet this need. However, the question arises as to whether the use of these types of facilities provide a valid comparison to the legacy systems' results. To this end, a model using a system of coupled, non-linear ordinary differential equations has been developed to track defect species in silicon for short pulse neutron irradiations. This model has been used to predict current gain degradation in silicon BJTs for various neutron influences. These predictions have been compared against experimental data collected at two neutron irradiation facilities with different time and spectral profiles. The damage constant during irradiation has been determined, and it is different for both facilities. However, the time profile is found to have no effect in the region tested in this work. Now that this analysis has been done, these types of facilities can be used for radiation vulnerability analysis studies for use in short pulse neutron damage studies.


How have certain small employer firms demonstrated resiliency despite ongoing economic uncertainty? This study considers the organizational capabilities of small employer firms operating in low- and moderate-income (LMI) census tract areas. Based on the limited evidence gathered in this mixed-methods study, the authors propose that resiliency, defined in this study as a company?s ability to act effectively in response to uncertain economic conditions such that the firm maintains or expands its workforce, depends strongly on five organizational capabilities. These are: (1) the effective use of measurable indicators, (2) the ability to correctly assess firm strengths and demonstrate market awareness, (3) the ability to plan and implement effectively, (4) creativity under pressure, and (5) adaptability, referring to the capacity to dynamically revise the firm?s strategic positioning in response to market shifts. Resilience is dynamic, shifting as the context changes. And it isn?t necessarily easy to attain?or maintain?even for small employer firms that fared well in up markets. Likewise, these capabilities are deeply interrelated; it would be difficult, if not impossible, to be effective at any of these practices without some mastery of the others. These capabilities are not a universal recipe for small employer firm success and job growth, although these preliminary findings might have important implications for efforts to better support the small firms that are central to job creation.


PurposeThe aim of this study was to systematically analyze the correlation between computed tomography (CT) perfusion and histopathological angiogenic and prognostic markers in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Material and MethodsFifteen patients (12 men; mean age, 64.5 ± 9.4 years) with RCC underwent contrast-enhanced CT perfusion imaging (scan range, 10 cm; scan time, 40 seconds; dual-source 128-section CT) 1 day before surgery. The procedure for surgical specimen processing was modified to obtain an exact match with CT images. Microvessel density (MVD) was quantified by CD34 staining, and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) was stained with D2-40 antibodies. The CT perfusion values blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), and flow extraction product (KTrans) were calculated using the maximum-slope and a delay-corrected modified Patlak approach and were correlated to MVD and LVD. The relationship between CT perfusion and the prognostic markers pT stage, Fuhrman grade, and tumor necrosis was evaluated. ResultsHistopathology revealed varying high MVD but low or absent intratumoral LVD. The BF and BV of RCC, both including and excluding necrotic regions, showed significant correlations with MVD (r = 0.600–0.829, P < 0.05 each). Significant correlations between MVD and KTrans were found only in small tumor areas exhibiting no necrosis (r = 0.550, P < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between BF, BV, and KTrans with intratumoral LVD (P = 0.35–0.82). With higher pT stage and Fuhrman grade, BF, BV, and KTrans were lower, similar to the MVD, but without reaching statistical significance. Blood flow, BV, and KTrans were significantly higher in RCCs with less than 50% necrosis than in those with 50% or grater necrosis (P < 0.05 each). ConclusionOur study indicates that BF and BV from CT perfusion reflect blood vessels of RCC. Computed tompgraphic perfusion parameters differ significantly depending upon the degree of tumor necrosis.


While international law defines housing as a basic human right, many Torontonians are being denied access to secure, adequate and affordable housing. The primary objective of this article is to examine the interplay between city policy statements on ending homelessness through the maintenance and creation of affordable housing stock, and the legal mechanisms required to execute these policies. This article will begin with an examination of the goals of the Streets to Homes program implemented in 2005 and the most recent policy recommendations outlined in the 2008 report from city council entitled, Housing Opportunities Toronto: A framework for affordable housing. Following a brief introduction to these two government initiatives, it will be determined whether the existing legal planning framework coincides with the Toronto City Council's vision to end the homelessness and affordable housing crisis by 2018. The legal mechanisms examined in this paper will include the Municipal Shelter by-law (2003), Section 37 of Ontario's Planning Act, and the need to implement inclusionary zoning to facilitate the ability of the city and developers to respond to the homelessness crises in the long-term. When combined, these legal tools have the ability to support the creation of new, secure, adequate and affordable housing stock in the City of Toronto in both short- and long- term.


Introduction It is challenging to obtain a reliable bleeding history in children who are referred for a suspected inherited bleeding disorder. Bleeding symptoms may be subtle as children face fewer haemostatic challenges compared with adults. In order to standardise bleeding histories, questionnaires have been developed, called bleeding assessment tools (BATs). Although it has been shown that high bleeding scores are associated with the presence of a mucocutaneous bleeding disorder, these BATs lack sensitivity, efficiency and flexibility in the paediatric setting. We developed a new BAT (the iCHEC (identifying Children with HEreditary Coagulation disorders) BAT) to improve on these characteristics. We aim to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the iCHEC BAT as a screening tool for children who are suspected for having a bleeding disorder. Methods and analysis This is a prospective cohort study. Children (age 0–18 years) suspected for a bleeding disorder who present at tertiary haematology clinics, and/or their parents/guardians, will be asked to complete the iCHEC BAT. Sensitivity was increased by inclusion of paediatric-specific bleeding symptoms and novel qualitative questions per bleeding symptom. Efficiency was improved by developing a self-administered (online) version of the questionnaire. Flexibility for changes in the bleeding phenotype of developing children was improved by including questions that define when the bleeding symptoms occurred in the past. The diagnostic accuracy of the specific bleeding items will be evaluated by receiver operator characteristic curves, using classification based on the results from laboratory assessment as the reference standard. Analysis of the discriminative power of individual bleeding symptoms will be assessed. Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the medical ethics committees of all participating centres in the Netherlands, Canada and the UK. All paediatric subjects and/or their parents/guardians will provide written informed consent. Study results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.


This article examines an international controversy over the most visible scientific event of Brazilian physiology in the nineteenth century. In 1881, Brazilian scientist Joao Baptista Lacerda stated that he had found an efficient antidote to the poison of Brazilian snakes: permanganate of potash (nowadays, potassium permanganate). His findings were given great publicity in Brazil and traveled rapidly around the world. Scientists, especially in France, contradicted Lacerda's claims. They argued that permanganate of potash could not be a genuine antidote to snake bites since it could not neutralize snake venom when diffused in the body. Lacerda turned down such criticism, claiming that clinical observation provided solid evidence for the drug's local action, on the spot surrounding the bite. The controversy over the use of permanganate of potash as an antidote to snake bite illustrates different regimes of proof that could be mobilized in favor of a physiological discovery.


Objectives: The present study aims to determine the pattern of thyroid lesions in thyroidectomy specimens received in the Pathology Department of Ibn-e Sina Hospital, Multan, Pakistan. Materials and methods: In the current research all the thyroidectomy and subtotal thyroidectomy specimen from any age, sex were included. Previously diagnosed cases with any neoplastic lesions were excluded from the research. The biopsy registers were reviewed and different lesions were categorized. Age and sex-wise variations of the lesions were noted. The study proposal was reviewed and accepted by the hospital ethical committee. Statistical analysis was done using the frequency distribution table in the Microsoft Excel Office. Results: A total of 1465 cases presented with thyroid nodule were histopathologically examined. Among these cases 1169 cases were diagnosed as simple goiter, 146 as adenoma and 86 cases were proved to be malignant tumors. These 86 malignant cases were comprised of papillary thyroid carcinoma (n=43) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (n=43). While 64 cases were categorized as "other". Conclusion: The majority of the thyroid nodules are either non-neoplastic or benign neoplasm. Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas share equal prevalence in Pakistani society according to the findings of the present study.


Thiazolidinediones (TZDs), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists, are highly effective antidiabetic drugs that are widely used to treat type 2 dia betes mellitus (T2DM) due to their unique beneficial actions, such as a renoprotective effect, amelioration of glucose homeostasis, and blood pressure lowering, that other antidiabetic drugs do not have. Those beneficial actions, however, are shadowed by the increased risks of cardiovascular adverse events, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and myocardial energy deficiency, fluid retention, congestive heart failure, and myocardial infarction. Except PPARγ, TZDs also have affinity to numer ous non-PPARγ targets in mitochondria, cytosol, and cytoplasm, including MitoNEET, mitochondrial pyruvate carrier, dehydrogenases involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport, cytoplasmic ion channels, Na-K-pump, and other unknown enzymes. By binding to these targets, TZDs produce off-target effects and potentially increase car -diotoxicity. In this chapter, we review recent studies, both experimental and clinical, on the myocardial adverse effects associated with TZDs and their underlying mechanisms. We focus our review in large part on the relationship between these myocardial adverse effects and PPARγ.


This chapter discusses the impact of the current testing-driven educational policies on heritage language (HL) maintenance by language minority (particularly, East Asian) students. High-stakes testing has come to exert a growing pressure on American education since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which holds schools accountable for the academic progress of all students through annual testing in reading and math in grades 3 through 8. Under NCLB, there are heavy penalties for schools that do not demonstrate immigrant students' rapid acquisition of English and continuous improvement in standardized test scores. The law's exclusive focus on English is likely todiscourage the development of languages other than English. This chapter describes the effects of such policies on HL maintenance through interviews ofparents, ESL and HL teachers, and offers suggestions for raising public awareness of the value of HLs despite the pressures.


Calibration model transfer has played a prominent role in the practical application of NIR spectral analysis. The change of instruments and sample physical states may lead to variation of the NIR spectrum, which results in the applicability of the model in judicatory practice being unsatisfactory. Therefore, a transfer for the calibration model considering both the variation of instruments and sample states is a necessity to ensure its availability. In this paper, a novel approach, namely canonical correlation analysis coupled with wavelet transform (WTCCA), was proposed for calibration transfer between two near infrared spectrometers (a portable and a laboratory instrument), and simultaneously, among three physical states (tobacco powder, tobacco filament and intact leaf) to determine the content of total sugars, reducing sugars, and nicotine in tobacco leaf samples, respectively. Wavelet transform (WT) is introduced to reduce noise and deduct background shifts from the spectra by compression, and then, calibration transfer by canonical correlation analysis (CTCCA) extracts the compressed spectral similarities using canonical scores for spectra correction. Three similar standardization algorithms, including piecewise direct standardization (PDS), piecewise direct standardization with wavelet transform (WTPDS), and CTCCA were compared with WTCCA to evaluate its relative performance. The obtained results showed that the employment of WTCCA yielded the lowest root mean standard error of prediction (RMSEP) on the three analytes in three physical states. For the tobacco powder dataset, the RMSEP values had a reduction of 25.83%, 13.96%, and 14.22% compared with the values of direct prediction without spectra transfer, respectively. For the tobacco filament dataset, the corresponding values were decreased by 18.06%, 14.90%, and 13.61% and for the intact leaf dataset, the values had dropped by 10.70%, 18.21%, and 28.21%, respectively. In summary, the comprehensive investigation carried out in the present work shows that WTCCA is very appropriate for correcting the variations caused by the change of machines and sample states. Furthermore, WTCCA is a promising calibration transfer method which can be recommended for on-line/in-line application.


Abstract. Detailed hydrometeorological data from the rain-to-snow transition
zone in mountain regions are limited. As the climate warms, the
transition from rain to snow is moving to higher elevations, and
these changes are altering the timing of downslope water
delivery. To understand how these changes impact hydrological and
biological processes in this climatologically sensitive region,
detailed observations from the rain-to-snow transition zone are
required. We present a complete hydrometeorological dataset for
water years 2004 through 2014 for a watershed that spans the
rain-to-snow transition zone
(https://doi.org/10.15482/usda.adc/1402076). The
Johnston Draw watershed (1.8 km2), ranging from
1497 to 1869 m in elevation, is a sub-watershed of the
Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in southwestern Idaho,
USA. The dataset includes continuous hourly hydrometeorological
variables across a 372 m elevation gradient, on north- and
south-facing slopes, including air temperature, relative humidity,
and snow depth from 11 sites in the watershed. Hourly measurements
of incoming shortwave radiation, precipitation, wind speed and
direction, soil moisture, and soil temperature are available at
selected stations. The dataset includes hourly stream discharge
measured at the watershed outlet. These data provide the scientific
community with a unique dataset useful for forcing and validating
hydrological models and will allow for better representation and
understanding of the complex processes that occur in the
rain-to-snow transition zone.


Covering a wide range of aspects surrounding economic integration in East Asia, this well-researched text will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students of development studies, regional economics and Asian studies. It will be of particular value to those on courses concerned with economic and regional integration.


Hollow-core fibers (HCFs) are a revolution in light guidance with enormous potential. They promise lower loss than any other waveguide, but have not yet achieved this potential because of a tradeoff between loss and single-moded operation. This paper demonstrates progress on a strategy to beat this tradeoff: we measure the first hollow-core fiber employing Perturbed Resonance for Improved Single Modedness (PRISM), where unwanted modes are robustly stripped away. The fiber has fundamental-mode loss of 7.5 dB/km, while other modes of the 19-lattice-cell core see loss >3000 dB/km. This level of single-modedness is far better than previous 19-cell or 7-cell HCFs, and even comparable to some commercial solid-core fibers. Modeling indicates this measured loss can be improved. By breaking the connection between core size and single-modedness, this first PRISM demonstration opens a new path towards achieving the low-loss potential of HCFs.


This thesis presents a philosophical and genealogical account of the ways in which the nation-state operates to define the figure of the refugee. The political and juridical categories it employs are drawn from the works of Giorgio Agamben: to this end, I focus on his analysis of the 'anthropological machine', which I define as working to naturalise the relation in whom the human comes to be understood in its constitutive difference from animal life. My art practice examines Agamben's study as a particular set of demands attentive to the opposition governing how animal life is politicised. The thesis uncovers this opposition by tracing the structures that govern how the political distinction between inside and outside operate; which in turn determine who, on the one hand, possess rights by virtue of belonging to a state, and on the other, the dispossessed who simply fall outside the circle of its sovereignty. Once this context is established, I examine the possibility of describing and representing the figure of the refugee against the demands and possibilities of this disciplinary power and logic.


The world today is full of information systems which make huge quantities of information available. This incredible amount of information is clearly overwhelming Internet endusers. As a consequence, intelligent tools to identify worthwhile information are needed, in order to fully assist people in finding the right information. Moreover, most systems are ultimately used, not just to provide information, but also to solve problems. Encouraged by the growing popular success of Internet and the enormous business potential of electronic commerce, e-catalogs have been consolidated as one of the most relevant types of information systems. Nearly all currently available electronic catalogs are offering tools for extracting product information based on key-attribute filtering methods. The most advanced electronic catalogs are implemented as recommender systems using collaborative filtering techniques. This dissertation focuses on strategies for coping with the difficulty of building intelligent catalogs which fully support the user in his purchase decision-making process, while maintaining the scalability of the whole system. The contributions of this thesis lie on a mixed-initiative system which is inspired by observations on traditional commerce activities. Such a conversational model consists basically of a dialog between the customer and the system, where the user criticizes proposed products and the catalog suggests new products accordingly. Constraint satisfaction techniques are analyzed in order to provide a uniform framework for modeling electronic catalogs for configurable products. Within the same framework, user preferences and optimization constraints are also easily modeled. Searching strategies for proposing the adequate products according to criteria are described in detail. Another dimension of this dissertation faces the problem of scalability, i.e., the problem of supporting hundreds, or thousands of users simultaneously using intelligent electronic catalogs. Traditional wisdom would presume that in order to provide full assistance to users in complex tasks, the business logic of the system must be complex, thus preventing scalability. SmartClient is a software architectural model that uses constraint satisfaction problems for representing solution spaces, instead of traditional models which represent solution spaces by collections of single solutions. This main idea is supported by the fact that constraint solvers are extreme in their compactness and simplicity, while providing sophisticated business logic. Different SmartClient architecture configurations are provided for different uses and architectural requirements. In order to illustrate the use of constraint satisfaction techniques for complex electronic catalogs with the SmartClient architecture, a commercial Internet-based application for travel planning, called reality, has been successfully developed. Travel planning is a particularly appropriate domain for validating the results of this research, since travel information is dynamic, travel planning problems are combinatorial, and moreover, complex user preferences and optimization constraints must be taken into consideration.


Objectives Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) shares clinical features and pathogenetic mechanisms with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is associated with an increased thromboembolic risk; however, it is unclear whether pSS patients are susceptible to thromboembolic diseases. In this study, we examined ex vivo blood clot formation (clot strength, rates of clot formation and lysis) in pSS using thromboelastography (TEG) and platelet aggregation to common agonists using multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA). We also investigated the relationship between TEG/MEA parameters and clinical/laboratory features of pSS. Design Case control. Setting Secondary care, single centre. Participants 34 pSS patients, 11 SLE patients and 13 healthy volunteers (all women) entered and completed the study. Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcomes: TEG and MEA parameters between three subject groups. Secondary outcomes: The relationships between TEG/MEA and clinical/laboratory parameters analysed using bivariate correlation analysis with corrections for multiple testing. Results All TEG and MEA parameters were similar for the three subject groups. After corrections for multiple testing, interleukin (IL)-1α and Macrophage inflammatory proteins (MIP)-1α remain correlated inversely with clot strength (r=−0.686, p=0.024 and r=−0.730, p=0.012, respectively) and overall coagulability (r=−0.640, p=0.048 and r=−0.648, p=0.048). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that several cytokines such as MIP-1α, IL-17a, IL-1α and Interferon (IFN)-γ may be key predictors of clot strength and overall coagulability in pSS. Conclusions Clot kinetics and platelet receptor function are normal in pSS. Several cytokines correlate with clot strength and overall coagulability in pSS.


The Woman of Colour is a unique literary account of a black heiress' life immediately after the abolition of the British slave trade. Olivia Fairfield, the biracial heroine and orphaned daughter of a slaveholder, must travel from Jamaica to England, and as a condition of her father's will either marry her Caucasian first cousin or become dependent on his mercenary elder brother and sister-in-law. As Olivia decides between these two conflicting possibilities, her letters recount her impressions of Britain and its inhabitants as only a black woman could record them. She gives scathing descriptions of London, Bristol, and the British, as well as progressive critiques of race, racism, and slavery. The narrative follows her life from the heights of her arranged marriage to its swift descent into annulment and destitution, only to culminate in her resurrection as a self-proclaimed "widow" who flouts the conventional marriage plot. The appendices, which include contemporary reviews of the novel, historical documents on race and inheritance in Jamaica, and examples of other women of colour in early British prose fiction, will further inspire readers to rethink issues of race, gender, class, and empire from an African woman's perspective.


In order to achieve the technique researches and innovations of railway vehicles, this article develop a set of simulator and analysis system of electrical design and test system, including software and hardware. The development and use of this system make it easy in designing and analyzing the principle diagrams. At the same time, it is much clearer for the designers' and testers' work through the visual action of electrical components in the circuit diagram. All the designation can be simulated before manufacture; the waste during manufacture can be reduced effectively. In additional, this system could also be used in commissioning, after sail service (ASS), repair and maintenance (R&M) of the vehicles, so the whole life cycle will be integration on the same electrical technology platform, the work time will also be shortened with the use of it.


Semantic Backpropagation (SB) is a recent technique that promotes effective variation in tree-based genetic programming. The basic idea of SB is to provide information on what output is desirable for a specified tree node, by propagating the desired root-node output back to the specified node using inversions of functions encountered along the way. Variation operators then replace the subtree located at the specified node with a tree for which the output is closest to the desired output, by searching in a pre-computed library. In this paper, we propose two contributions to enhance SB specifically for symbolic regression, by incorporating the principles of Keijzer's Linear Scaling (LS). In particular, we show how SB can be used in synergy with the scaled mean squared error, and we show how LS can be adopted within library search. We test our adaptations using the well-known variation operator Random Desired Operator (RDO), comparing to its baseline implementation, and to traditional crossover and mutation. Our experimental results on real-world datasets show that SB enhanced with LS substantially improves the performance of RDO, resulting in overall the best performance among all tested GP algorithms.