Guided by Foucault's argument that "knowledge is an 'invention' behind which lies something completely different from itself: the play of instincts, impulses, desires, fears, and the will to appropriate," this study considers the possibility that "nondirectivity" in Rogerian psychotherapy operates as a trope for power. This is partly based on Edwin Kahn's observation that nondirective therapists may be less mindful of their own fallibility than other therapists, less wary of their capacity to influence clients, and therefore, less prepared to interrogate the ways they might actually be influencing them. Nondirective, client-centered therapists, in short, may be less likely to have doubts about their comments and interventions, and thus more likely to exercise influence. What I show in this study is how Rogers did just this in his famous session with Gloria, how—without telling Gloria about his personal and theoretic biases, without first discussing them with her to see if and how they fit her goals—he continually pushed her to view herself through the lens of those biases.


Solar driven hydrogen production from water is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, but suffers greatly from the large energy cost associated with splitting water. This report uses ultrafast transient absorption and other spectroscopic techniques to analyze several components that show potential for this photocatalysis, in particular observing the excited state dynamics of electron separation and recombination. In ruthenium(II) polypyridyl systems, the rate of interligand electron transfer (ILET) was found to change with time, initially behaving as an ultrafast barrierless process, but transforming into a much slower activated process as excess energy is vibrationally released over 100 ps following excitation. The change in ILET rates lead to changes in the population of localized MLCT states distributed among each ligand, which are initially randomized, but favor the lower energy bipyridine ligands at longer times. Three analogous ruthenium complexes were then linked via a triazole bridge to a cobalt(II) polypyridyl center known to catalyze the formation of H2, observing the electron transfer from ruthenium to cobalt using emission decay signals of the ruthenium complex. The electron transfer decay pathway was slower and relatively minor compared to similar ruthenium(II)-cobalt(II) systems; however, this reduced efficiency can potentially be explained by localizations on peripheral ligands, as well as a possible energy barrier on the 5-position of phenanthroline. Finally, citrate coated CeO2 nanoparticles displayed ultrafast trapping of holes upon excitation with UV light, forming significantly deeper traps than has been observed in other metal oxides. Transient absorption signals of the excited holes decayed over hundreds of picoseconds, with lifetimes dependent on the pH of the solution, indicating that the trapping sites are influenced by the surface of the nanoparticle. The corresponding electrons appear to form long lived Ce sites, observable on timescales of minutes. The fate of these Ce sites is also pH dependent, indicating that CeO2 may be an effective water-splitting photocatalyst under basic conditions.


ABSTRACT The three-dimensional rotations of ribs during breathing are typically described as bucket-handle rotation about a dorsoventrally oriented axis, pump-handle rotation about a mediolateral axis, and caliper rotation about a rostrocaudal axis. In amniotes with double-headed ribs, rib motion is constrained primarily to one degree-of-freedom (DOF) rotation about an axis connecting the two rib articulations. However, in Squamata, the ribs are single headed and the hemispherical costovertebral joints permit rotations with three DOF. In this study, we used X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM ) to quantify rib rotation during deep breathing in four green iguanas. We found that rib rotation was strongly dominated by bucket-handle rotation, thus exhibiting nearly hinge-like motion, despite the potential for more complex motions. The vertebral and sternal segments of each rib did not deform measurably during breathing, but they did move relative to each other at a thin, cartilaginous intracostal joint. While standing still and breathing deeply, four individual iguanas showed variability in their rib postures, with two breathing around a highly inflated posture, and two breathing around a posture with the ribs folded halfway back. Bucket-handle rotations showed clear rostrocaudal gradients, with rotation increasing from the third cervical to the first or second dorsal rib, and then decreasing again caudally, a pattern that is consistent with the intercostal muscles in the rostral intercostal spaces being the primary drivers of inspiration. The constrained, primarily bucket-handle rotations observed here during breathing do not help to explain the evolution of permissive, hemispherical costovertebral joints in squamates from the more constrained, double-headed rib articulations of other amniotes. Summary: During breathing, rotation of the ribs in green iguanas is nearly hinge-like, despite costal joints that permit more complex motions.


The burden of musculoskeletal disorders on society is substantial, requiring effective management especially in an occupational context. Occupational health guidelines recommend addressing potentially detrimental psychosocial factors in the management of workers sick-listed with musculoskeletal disorders, yet the specific influence on absence from occupational and clinical psychosocial risk factors (termed 'blue' and 'yellow' flags) remains under-explored.
A four-year study was carried out in two phases: (1) a workforce survey of a large multi-site company in the UK, (2) a controlled trial of an occupational guidelines-based intervention protocol for workers with musculoskeletal disorders, focusing on obstacles to recovery/return-to-work.
The results confirmed a general association between the psychosocial work environment and musculoskeletal disorders. Prospectively, psychosocial risk factors predicted the likelihood of future absence, but not its duration; routine psychosocial screening to predict return-to-work time may have limited value. Implementation of an early proactive occupational health protocol (psychosocial intervention and a supportive network with all players onside) was a successful strategy for reducing absence due to musculoskeletal disorders, for both return-to-work time and future workloss. The effect was observed at both the site level and the individual level. Organisational obstacles (black flags) were identified, which compromised the experimental intervention. It remains to be determined which, if any, specific components of the intervention package might be most effective


Objective: Recent clinical trials show that women who receive combined estrogen and progestin hormone therapy (HT) have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who receive estrogen alone or placebo. We have shown that progestins stimulate expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic factor, in human breast cancer cells that express the progesterone receptors and mutant p53 protein. Because increased levels of VEGF promote tumor progression, compounds that prevent progestin-induced expression of VEGF could be clinically useful. The objective of this study was to examine whether the polyphenol compound curcumin has the capacity to block progestin-induced secretion of VEGF from T47-D human breast cancer cells. Design: The estrogen and progesterone receptor containing T47-D human breast cancer cells was exposed to 10 nM progesterone or synthetic progestins and varying concentrations of curcumin to determine whether curcumin blocks progestin-dependent production of VEGF from tumor cells. Results: Curcumin (0.001-10 &mgr;M for 18 h) reduced medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)-induced secretion of VEGF from T47-D cells in a dose-dependent manner. Secretion of VEGF from cells treated with progesterone or progestins other than MPA was unaffected by curcumin. Conclusions: MPA is the most widely used progestin in HT. Curcumin may therefore provide a clinically useful tool for the suppression of MPA-induced elaboration of VEGF by tumor cells. We propose therefore that clinical trials to assess the beneficial effects of curcumin in postmenopausal women are warranted.


Treatment results of complicated and uncomplicated pulmonary hydatidosis Introduction: Hydatidosis is an endemic disease in our country caused by the cestode Echinococcus granulosus. The lung is the second most affected organ in humans. Objective: To review the results of surgical treatment of pulmonary hydatidosis in Hospital Base Osorno and analyze its presentation, surgical treatment and results of complicated and uncomplicated forms. Material and Methods: Retrospective case series of patients with pulmonary hydatidosis operated at the Surgery Department of Hospital Base Osorno between january 2001 and may 2011. Results: We reviewed data from 27 patients (21 men and 6 women) with 39 pulmonary hydatid cysts in total. The average age was 35 ± 16.2. The average number of cysts per patient was 1.4 ± 0.6. Four patients (15%) had bilateral disease. Fifteen patients (55.5%) had complicated cysts and 12 (44.5%) had uncomplicated cysts. Fever and cough were significantly more frequent in patients with complicated cysts (p < 0.05). Twenty nine pericystectomies with capitonaje were performed, 9 without capitonaje and one right lower lobectomy. There were no significant differences in morbidity and mortality between groups. Discussion: Pulmonary hydatidosis has a low frequency of occurrence, debuting mainly in young patients. Their complicated forms differ in some aspects of their presentation with uncomplicated cysts; however, in our series there were no differences in postoperative results.


The question of whether private investors can discriminate between the risk taken by banks is empirically investigated by testing the risk sensitivity of European banks' subordinated notes and debentures (SND) spreads. A unique dataset of spreads, ratings, and accounting measures of bank risk is used for a sample of SND issued during the 1991-2000:Q1 period. Moody's Bank Financial Strength (MBFS) and FitchIBCA Individual (FII) ratings, which omit the influence of government and other external support on risk borne by investors, are used as bank risk proxies together with accounting variables to explain the variability of spreads. Empirical results support the hypothesis that SND investors are sensitive to bank risk, with the exception of SND issued by public sector banks, i.e., government owned or guaranteed institutions. Results also show that the sensitivity of SND spreads to measures of stand-alone risk (i.e., measures that do not incorporate external guarantees) has been increasing from the first to the second part of the 1990s, with the perception of too-big-to-fail type guarantees by private investors gradually disappearing. This result can be attributed to the joint effect of the loss of monetary policy by national central banks and the public budget constraints imposed by the European Monetary Union (EMU).


Smoking-related diseases can be attributed to the inhalation of many different toxins, including heavy metals, which have a host of harmful health effects. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether local and imported cigarette brands used in Iraq , have they elevated levels of metals or not .Three metals Lead (Pb) , Cadmium (Cd) and Chromium(Cr) were determined in tobacco of seventeen brands of imported cigarettes commonly available in Iraq and three Iraqi domestic cigarettes , which were randomly taken from retail market in Baghdad by using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The produced data of imported and local cigarette brands were discussed and compared together and with studies from elsewhere .The results obtained showed that mean concentrations of lead for all cigarette brands was 5.87 μg/g dry weight (range 2.27-11,67 μg/g) , cadmium 0.57μg/g dry weight (range 0.1-1.57 μg/g) and chromium 3.77μg/g dry weight (range 0.0-11.21 μg/g) ..There was a large variability in Pb, Cd and Cr content of samples of cigarettes. Pb concentration was the highest, followed by Cr while Cd was the lowest. The investigation confirmed that most of the Iraqi and imported cigarettes in Iraq are contaminated with Pb, Cd, and Cr and quantitatively their distribution is clearly above the safer limits of WHO.


In this paper, we assess the effects of CEO stock options on three key corporate policies for banks: investment choice, amount of borrowing, and level of capital. Using a sample of 549 bank-years for publicly traded banks from 1992 to 2002, we find that stock option grants lead CEOs to undertake riskier investments. In particular, higher levels of option grants are associated with higher levels of equity and asset volatility. Consistent with the role of options as a nondebt tax shield, we also show that option grants reduce the banks' incentive to borrow as evidenced by lower levels of interest expense and federal funds borrowing. Furthermore, we demonstrate that increases in CEO and employee stock option grants result in increased bank capital levels, perhaps because option grants create a contingent liability for the firm that needs to be funded in advance.


Abstract:  The aim of this work is to identify and characterize microtextural signatures in silica glass grains (used as analogous to quartz) that are produced during aqueous transport at different flow velocities, with variable sediment concentrations, transport distances, and time intervals. To achieve this, an open-channel flow experiment was conducted with a mixture of sand and silica glass microspheres in varying conditions—velocity (from 0.67 to 1.4 m/s), duration (1 or 10 minutes), distance (0 to 2.5 m) and sediment concentration (60 or 80%). Experimental conditions were used to replicate natural phenomena such as river superficial velocity or coastal swash processes. Before the experiment the microsphere surfaces were imaged and clear of any microtextural imprint. Increasing velocity, distance, and sediment concentration exhibited a strong correlation with higher numbers of surfaces abundantly covered with microtextures of mechanical origin (i.e., craters, abrasion marks, and v-shaped percussion marks). SEM microphotographs of silica were analyzed and classified to provide examples of the specific microtextures produced during the open-channel flow experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to characterize surface microscopic signatures in quartz grains replicating hydrodynamic conditions of coastal and fluvial environments. The results demonstrated a strong correlation between higher velocities (and higher sediment concentrations) and a larger presence of microtextural mechanical imprints in the grains analyzed, thus demonstrating a clear relation between microtextural imprints and water flow modes. These results have important implications for future microtextural works analyzing grain imprints and their relation to sediment transport types. An example demonstrated here is that the higher presence of v-marks could be used as an indicator of supercritical flow conditions.


Low temperature seriously depresses seed germination and seedling growth in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, wheat plants were sprayed with abscisic acid (ABA) and fluridone (inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis) at 19 days after anthesis (DAA) and repeated at 26 DAA. The seeds of those plants were harvested, and seed germination and offspring's seedling growth under low temperature were evaluated. The results showed that exogenous ABA application decreased seed weight and slightly reduced seed set and seed number per spike. Under low temperature, seeds from ABA-treated plants showed reduced germination rate, germination index, growth of radicle and coleoptile, amylase activity and depressed starch degradation as compared with seeds from non-ABA-treated plants; however, activities of the antioxidant enzymes in both germinating seeds and seedling were enhanced from those exposed to exogenous ABA, resulting in much lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 concentrations and O2− production rate. In addition, the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II was also enhanced in ABA-treated offspring's seedlings. It is concluded that exogenous ABA treatment at later grain-filling stage could be an effective approach to improve cold tolerance of the offspring during seed germinating and seedlings establishment in winter wheat.


This paper, based primarily on the author's perspective as president of SUNY Empire State College, will explore the need for and means of leveraging the chief diversity officer's role in creating an equitable and inclusive environment within the distributed world that is Empire State College's "campus" and, specifically, within SUNY Empire's urban environments. Empire State College fills a unique role in today's higher-education landscape. It was founded in 1971 by Ernest Boyer, then the chancellor of the State University of New York, to make education accessible outside the confines of traditional curricular and delivery structures, and to better meet the needs of New Yorkers with locations, academic programming, and student services responsive to diverse communities and learners. Today, Empire State College continues to embrace and fulfill that mission, with individualized education as its cornerstone and nearly 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 34 academic centers around the state of New York, in several countries overseas and online around the world. The vast majority of its undergraduate students have attended at least one previous institution, are employed, and are likely to have family and dependent-care obligations. The college is purposefully nonresidential, designed to be where our students live and work. Students can choose structured or individualized academic programs, depending on discipline, and have the options of classroom-based, online, or independent study, as well as weekend residencies, or a hybrid of education delivery via these modes.


Understanding the surface micromechanical properties of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) may allow for improvement in its wear characteristics. Microtomed sections of two UHMWPE tibial bearings, one that had been irradiation sterilized and shelf-aged, and the other irradiation sterilized and used in a patient, were subjected to depth sensing indentation testing. The microtomed sections exhibited a white band in the subsurface region that is characteristic of oxidation, and the indentation testing, followed by FTIR analysis at the same testing locations, was performed across this region and into the bulk of the material. Indentation testing yielded data leading to hardness, modulus, and energy dissipation factor (EDF). FTIR profiling generated information about oxidation; oxidation indices were calculated by taking a ratio of peak heights at 1,716 cm(-1) (ketone) to 2,022 cm(-1) (methylene). The mechanical properties showed a strong linear correlation with oxidation index above a minimum thickness. Modulus, hardness, and EDF all increased with increasing oxidation. The appropriate thickness-to-indentation-depth ratio was determined by two methods and was found to be approximately 20:1. The mechanical properties through the oxidized region were seen to vary with depth into the sample in a profile similar to the oxidation profile. The differing aging environments of the tibial bearings are hypothesized to have had an effect on both the mechanical and oxidation profiles. The retrieved bearing exhibited a narrower oxidation profile with peaks closer to the surface, and oxidation indices of lower magnitude. The mechanical properties proved similar, with less intense and narrower readings for the retrieved sample. This research is consistent with much of the literature.


PURPOSE
To assess the accuracy and potential of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in evaluation of patients in whom pulmonary embolism is suspected.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Blinded, prospective interpretations of multiphasic, cardiac-gated spin-echo MR images were compared with retrospective chart review in 86 patients in whom pulmonary embolism was suspected. In 64 patients, the presence or absence of pulmonary emboli was established with x-ray angiography (n = 34) or ventilation-perfusion (V-P) scans and concurrent clinical impression (n = 30).

RESULTS
In the subgroup with angiographic proof, MR imaging had a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 77%, positive predictive value of 86%, and negative predictive value of 83%. In 21 patients with intermediate probability of pulmonary embolism on V-P scans and angiograms, MR images enabled diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in 12 of 12 patients (sensitivity, 100%) and absence of pulmonary embolism in seven of nine patients (specificity, 78%).

CONCLUSION
MR imaging reliably depicts large and medium-size pulmonary emboli, regardless of infiltrates or effusion; hence, it may clarify findings on V-P scans that show intermediate probability of pulmonary embolism or are at variance with the clinical impression.


In developing countries, where health insurance is not a commonly purchased nancial instrument, recent debates have revolved around extending health insurance coverage to a wider range of the population, primarily via compulsory insurance schemes. However, these debates rarely consider the competing demands placed on the family budget, which will un uence the acceptability of the program by the populace, and can be used to design the optimal policy. In this paper, we examine treatment e ects associated with household insurance status providing a detailed examination of expenditure substitution patterns within a highly unequal developing country. In agreement with economic theory, the expansion of health insurance coverage via compulsory schemes creates additional burdens for households, which household accommodate via expenditure substitution. The observed variation in the household's ability to accomodate increased expenditure can and should be used in future to assess policy options and design an optimal social health insurance program.


By preventing access of drugs to the CNS, the blood-brain barrier hampers developments in brain pharmacotherapy. Strong efforts are currently being made to identify drugs that accumulate more efficaciously in ischaemic brain tissue. We identified an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, ABCC1, which is expressed on the abluminal surface of the brain capillary endothelium and mildly downregulated in response to focal cerebral ischaemia, induced by intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion. In biodistribution studies we show that ABCC1 promotes the accumulation of known neuroprotective and neurotoxic compounds in the ischaemic and non-ischaemic brain, ABCC1 deactivation reducing tissue concentrations by up to two orders of magnitude. As such, ABCC1's expression and functionality in the brain differs from the liver, spleen and testis, where ABCC1 is strongly expressed on parenchymal cells, resulting -- in case of liver and testis -- in directed transport from the tissue into the blood. After focal cerebral ischaemia, ABCC1 deactivation abolished the efficacy of both neuroprotective and neurotoxic compounds. Our data indicate that ABCC1 acts as gateway for pharmacological compounds to the stroke brain. We suggest that the tailoring of compounds binding to abluminal but not luminal ABC transporters may facilitate stroke pharmacotherapy.


Abstract In the increasingly competitive market for processed foods after the Second World War, flavor assumed new importance in product design and development as companies struggled to gain advantage and entice repeat buyers. This paper examines the flavor profile, a novel sensory evaluation method developed by chemists at Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL), the storied Cambridge, MA consulting firm. Introduced in 1949, the flavor profile claimed to offer a reliable way of measuring and describing the subjective sensory qualities of products. Drawing extensively on archival material, I document the circumstances surrounding the development of the flavor profile at ADL, examine its uses, and consider the conditions that led to its widespread adoption by the food industry. By considering the flavor profile as both a scientific instrument for flavor measurement, and a practical tool for flavor design and development, I hope to illuminate a dark corner in the history of food industrialization: the values, ideologies, and contingencies that shaped how foods were made to taste in the postwar period.


This is my response to the public consultation on the rules of procedure (the 15th draft) for the European Unified Patent Court (UPC) that the UPC Committee conducted between June and September 2013. The focus is put on constitutional implications and conflicts of interests.The key points are: a) lack of a reliable impact assessment study; b) the scope of UPC's judicial competence in light of Article 345 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and member states' sovereignty to determine proprietary rights; c) language discrimination as a barrier to the internal market (i.e. freedom to provide legal services); d) violation of national and European human rights guarantees, on the grounds of bifurcation and language discrimination; e) conflict of interests surrounding the Committee of the UPC Rules of Procedures and the criteria for the selection of UPC judges.


This reports the first detection of chemical heterogeneity in octenyl succinic anhydride modified single starch granules using a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopical technique that combines diffraction-limited infrared microspectroscopy with a step size that is less than the mask projected spot size focused on the plane of the sample. The high spatial resolution was achieved with the combination of the application of a synchrotron infrared source and the confocal image plane masking system of the double-pass single-mask Continuμm® infrared microscope. Starch from grains such as corn and wheat exists in granules. The size of the granules depends on the plant producing the starch. Granules used in this study typically had a median size of 15 μm. In the production of modified starch, an acid anhydride typically is reacted with OH groups of the starch polymer. The resulting esterification adds the ester carbonyl (1723 cm−1) organic functional group to the polymer and the hydrocarbon chain of the ester contributes to the CH2 stretching vibration to enhance the intensity of the 2927 cm−1 band. Detection of the relative modifying population on a single granule was accomplished by ratioing the baseline adjusted peak area of the carbonyl functional group to that of a carbohydrate band. By stepping a confocally defined infrared beam as small as 5 μm × 5 μm across a starch granule 1 μm at a time in both the x and y directions, the heterogeneity is detected with the highest possible spatial resolution.


Value stocks have higher exposure to innovations in the nominal bond risk premium, which measures the markets' perception of cyclical variation in future output growth, than growth stocks. The ICAPM then predicts a value risk premium provided that good news about future output lowers the marginal utility of investors' wealth today. In support of the business cycle as a priced state variable, we show that low value minus growth returns, typically realized at the start of recessions when nominal bond risk premia are low and declining, are associated with lower future dividend growth rates on value minus growth and with lower future output growth in the short term. Because of this new nexus between stock and bond returns, a parsimonious three-factor model can jointly price the book-to-market stock and maturity-sorted bond portfolios and reproduce the time-series variation in expected bond returns. Structural dynamic asset pricing models need to impute a central role to the business cycle as a priced state variable to be quantitatively consistent with the observed value, equity, and nominal bond risk premia.


Indonesia is represents as the producing country of cocoa number three in world. In era of globalization benefit of commerce will only be enjoyed by state having higher competitiveness from other state. This research conducted as a mean to know the 1) trend of growth of Indonesian cocoa seed on year period 1996-2006 and forecasting in year of 2015; 2) specialization of Indonesian cocoa seed on 1996-2006 compared with other producing country 3) ratio of Indonesian cocoa seed acceleration in 1996-2006 compared to with other producing country; 4) make an index to the RCTA of Indonesian cocoa seed in 1996-2006 compared with other producing country 5) the growth of competitiveness of Indonesian cocoa seed in 2015 compared with other producing country. The analyzing methods are using the Arima, ISP, RA, and RCTA. Result of research indicate that the trend of growth of the cocoa production show fluctuate, wide of area, the amount of export and import of the cocoa seed. The forecasting in 2015 shows the same thing. In 1996-2006 Indonesia have specialization as cocoa exporter country. Indonesia competitiveness position in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 is adulthood phase, in the year 1996,1997,1998, 2001, 2005,dan 2006 is exporting phase. Indonesian seed of cocoa have the lower value of ISP compared with Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ecuador, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Ratio of acceleration of Indonesia cocoa seed in 1996-2006 showing compartment of market of seed of cocoa Indonesia can be grabbed by other; dissimilar state. Pursuant to analysis RCTA, Indonesia has competitiveness in commodity of seed cocoa. Assess the RCTA Indonesia still lower compared with Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ecuador, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Forecasting of Indonesian cocoa seed competitiveness in 2015 indicating that Indonesia  have specialization as exporter country and at adulthood phase, weak position in market, and have own competitiveness. Indonesian cocoa seed estimated to have the lower value of RA, ISP and RCTA so it just has a little benefit on the global market. Keywords : Cocoa commodity, Competitiveness, Trend, The ISP, RA, RCTA analyses .


An ability to model a generative process and learn a latent representation for speech in an unsupervised fashion will be crucial to process vast quantities of unlabelled speech data. Recently, deep probabilistic generative models such as Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) have achieved tremendous success in modeling natural images. In this paper, we apply a convolutional VAE to model the generative process of natural speech. We derive latent space arithmetic operations to disentangle learned latent representations. We demonstrate the capability of our model to modify the phonetic content or the speaker identity for speech segments using the derived operations, without the need for parallel supervisory data.


The investigation of the use of microwave gasification as a method that allows to obtain energy from end-of-life (ELTs) tires was subject of this study. The gasification of the waste was carried out within the laboratory microwave reactor HR – Lab, followed by the microwave-assisted oxidation of synthesis gas (syngas) which took place in a small microwave reactor – Microwave Oxidation System (MOS). Details of the experiment, such as power and temperature profile as a function of time and material charges distribution, are listed and explained. Analysis of gasification produced syngas in terms of composition and energy values was done also.


We propose a novel way for extracting the strength of the semantic relationship between words from semi-structured sources, such as WordNet. Unlike existing approaches that only explore the structured information (e.g., the hypernym relationship in WordNet), we present a framework that allows us to utilize all available information, including natural text descriptions. Our approach constructs a similarity graph that stores the strength of the semantic relationship between words. Specifically, an edge between two words describes the probability that someone who is interested in resources about the first word will be also interested in resources about the second word. Note that the graph is asymmetric because the probability that someone is interested in the second word given that they are interested in the first word is not the same as the probability that they are interested in the first word given that they are interested in the second word. The similarity between any two words in the graph can be computed as a function of the directed paths between the two nodes in the graph that represent the words. We evaluate the quality of the data in the similarity graph by comparing the similarity of pairs of words using our software that uses the graph with results of studies that are performed with human subjects. To the best of our knowledge, our software produces better correlation with the results of both the Miller and Charles study and the WordSimilarity-353 study than any other published research. We also present an extended evaluation section that describes how the different heuristics that we use affect the correlation score.


We study the magnetic phase diagram and hysteresis behavior of weakly coupled spin dimers on a triangular lattice using the cluster mean-field method with cluster-size scaling. We find that the magnetization curve has plateaus at 1/3 and 2/3 of the total magnetization, in which local singlet and triplet states form a superlattice pattern. Moreover, if increasing (decreasing) the magnetic field from the 1/3 (2/3) plateau, the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of triplons occurs on the superlattice background, leading to the transition into ``magnon supersolid'' phase. We also find that the first-order transition between these solid states and the standard magnon BEC state exhibits an anomalous hysteresis upon cycling the magnetic field; the transition can occur only from solid to BEC, and the system cannot return to the initial solid state in the reverse process.


ABSTRACT Despite earning roughly half the doctoral degrees in public administration, women remain underrepresented in public affairs programs, particularly in senior positions. Studies describe a leaky pipeline from which women exit the academic career, and there is growing interest in removing administrative, structural, and cultural barriers facing women scholars as well as supporting healthy career-life balance. Considerable research examines family-friendly workplace initiatives for faculty, yet little attention is paid to the availability of such policies for students. Drawing from archival and survey data, this study investigates the availability of specific family-friendly policies for doctoral students of public affairs programs in the U.S., potentially effective human resource management approaches to addressing exit points between graduate school and faculty membership. Findings reveal inconsistent and relatively insubstantial provision of formal policies; however, informal workarounds appear to be a common strategy for meeting the needs of graduate students who become parents during doctoral studies.


Point availability and expected interval availability are dependability measures respectively defined by the probability that a system is in operation at a given instant and by the mean percentage of time during which a system is in operation over a finite observation period. We consider a repairable computer system and we assume, as usual, that the system is modeled by a finite Markov process. We propose in this paper a new algorithm to compute these two availability measures. This algorithm is based on the classical uniformization technique in which a test to detect the stationary behavior of the system is used to stop the computation if the stationarity is reached. In that case, the algorithm gives not only the transient availability measures, but also the steady state availability, with significant computational savings, especially when the time at which measures are needed is large. In the case where the stationarity is not reached, the algorithm provides the transient availability measures and bounds for the steady state availability. It is also shown how the new algorithm can be extended to the computation of performability measures.


The objective of fault injection is to mimic the existence of faults and to force the exercise of the fault tolerance mechanisms of the target system. To maximize the efficacy of each injection, the locations, timing, and conditions for faults being injected must be carefully chosen. Faults should be injected with a high probability of being accessed. This paper presents two fault injection methodologies-stress-based injection and path-based injection; both are based on resource activity analysis to ensure that injections cause fault tolerance activity and, thus, the resulting exercise of fault tolerance mechanisms. The difference between these two methods is that stress-based injection validates the system dependability by monitoring the run-time workload activity at the system level to select faults that coincide with the locations and times of greatest workload activity, while path-based injection validates the system from the application perspective by using an analysis of the program flow and resource usage at the application program level to select faults during the program execution. These two injection methodologies focus separately on the system and process viewpoints to facilitate the testing of system dependability. Details of these two injection methodologies are discussed in this paper, along with their implementations, experimental results, and advantages and disadvantages.


The Thermal Radiation Group at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has been working closely with scientists and engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center to develop accurate analytical and numerical models suitable for designing next generation thin-film thermal radiation detectors for earth radiation budget measurement applications. The current study provides an analytical model of the notional thermal radiation detector that takes into account thermal transport phenomena, such as the contact resistance between the layers of the detector, and is suitable for use in parameter estimation. It was found that the responsivity of the detector can increase significantly due to the presence of contact resistance between the layers of the detector. Also presented is the effect of doping the thermal impedance layer of the detector with conducting particles in order to electrically link the two junctions of the detector. It was found that the responsivity and the time response of the doped detector decrease significantly in this case. The corresponding decrease of the electrical resistance of the doped thermal impedance layer is not sufficient to significantly improve the electrical performance of the detector. Finally, the "roughness effect" is shown to be unable to explain the decrease in the thermal conductivity often reported for thin-film layers.


This paper describes a differential readout circuit technique for uncooled Infrared Focal Plane Arrays (IRFPA) sensors. The differential operation allows an efficient rejection of the common-mode noise during the biasing and readout of the detectors. This has been enabled by utilizing a number of blind and thermally-isolated IR bolometers as reference detectors. In addition, a pixel-wise detector calibration capability has been provided in order to allow efficient error corrections using digital signal processing techniques. The readout circuit for a 64×64 test bolometer-array has been designed in a standard 0.35-μm CMOS process. Circuit simulations show that the analog readout at 60 frames/s consumes 30 mW from a 3.3-V supply and results in a noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of 125 mK for infrared optics.


OBJECTIVES
To describe the Peruvian scientific production in indexed journals in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and the characteristics of the institutional collaborative networks.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
All papers published in the ISI database (Clinical Medicine collection) were included during 2000 to 2009 with at least one author with a Peruvian affiliation. The publication trend, address of corresponding author, type of article, institution, city (only for Peru), and country were evaluated. The collaborative networks were analized using the Pajek® software.

RESULTS
1210 papers were found, increasing from 61 in 2000 to 200 in 2009 (average of 121 articles/year). 30.4% articles included a corresponding author from a Peruvian institution. The average of authors per article was 8.3. Original articles represented 82.1% of total articles. Infectious diseases-related journals concentrated most of the articles. The main countries that collaborate with Peru are: USA (60.4%), England (12.9%), and Brazil (8.0%). Lima concentrated 94.7% of the publications and three regions (Huancavelica, Moquegua and Tacna) did not register any publication. Only two universities published more than one article/year and four institutions published more than 10 articles/year. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia published 45% of the total number of articles, being the most productive institution and which concentrated the most number of collaborations with foreign institutions. The ministry of Health--including all dependencies--published 37.3% of the total number of publications. There is a higher level of collaboration with foreign institutions rather than local institutions.

CONCLUSIONS
The Peruvian scientific production in medicine represented in the ISI database is very low but growing, and is concentrated in Lima and in a few institutions. The most productive Peruvian institutions collaborate more intensively with foreign journals rather than local institutions.


It s very important role of bank economically in a country. Beside as collecting fund from people and share t to people, bank also have important role to rising up economic
development, and monetary regulation to make government aware with this issue. Base on the vital role of bank, its need job effectiveness analysis to know bank s health with financial report.
he main problem as follow: How the bank job effectiveness of Finansial Report that s go public as LQ 45 category in 2005-2006. The research s aim is to know the job
effectiveness of go public bank that s listing in Jakarta stock Exchange in 2005-2006 with financial ratio.
Research population are all bank that listed in Jakarta stock exchanges in 2005-2006, and the sample of this research are all bank which have LQ 45 category in 2005-2006 such as : Bank Central Asia, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Danamon, Bank Mandiri, Bank Niaga, Bank International Indonesia, Bank Permata, Lippo Bank and Pan Indonesia Bank. The writer use secondary data that s collecting by others in Jakarta stock exchange.
The source collected from Jakarta stock Exchange financial report in 2005-2006.
Data analysis using financial ratio, such as Loan Deposit Ratio (LDR), Leverage Ratio, Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), Minimum Equity Stock Obigation (KPMM), Earning asset Ratio and Net Profit Margin (NPM). From the research, the writer conclude that financial of job effectiveness of bank write LQ 45 category in 2005, saw from liquidity aspect is good, except from leverage ratio is less, (6,33% : 24,77%), fresh equity aspect and profitability are not good because under the bank standart (10,5% : 351,2%). In 2006, bank LQ 45 category are better in liquidity except leverage ratio still less the common bank (6,33% : 24,77%), fresh equity aspect, and profilability aspect is not good (142,68%
: 391,2%).


Large scale grid integration of renewables and cross country border energy exchange may be
facilitated by multi-terminal high-voltage direct-current (MTdc) grids. However, as the number
of terminals and dc lines increases, power flow management between dc nodes becomes amajor
challenge. The current carrying capability of dc lines is limited by their thermal and electric
stress limits. Thus, the line current must be maintained within the permissible operational
region to protect the lines fromdamages. This thesis addresses this fundamental issue through
the introduction of inter-line current flow controllers (CFCs) into MTdc grids. An inter-line
CFC is a low power rated controllable voltage source that can enhance system performance by
suitably redirecting the current flow at the point of connection. It enables regulation of the dc
line current flow by changing the voltage at the dc terminals where it is inserted. The research
work presented in this thesis is aimed to realise the most feasible CFC topologies to facilitate
flexible power flow between dc nodes. Themain contributions of this research work comprise
of four parts, namely, (1) design and development of dc CFC topologies, (2) prototyping of the
proposed CFCs (3) implementations of centralised and communication free control schemes
for densely meshed dc grids, and (4) protection of inter-line CFCs.
In the first phase, the characteristics, control and operation for five configurations of interline
CFCs are studied, namely, resistive, RC circuit, capacitive, dual H-bridge, and single H-bridge
based CFCs. A multi-port CFC is proposed to facilitate current regulation on multiple lines
simultaneously. An experimental platform consisting of a three-terminal dc grid and small
scale prototypes of the proposed CFCs have been developed to validate the concepts. It is
clearly shown through experiments and time-domain simulations that all devices are capable of
improving the system performance.
A centralised hierarchical control system is proposed to coordinate the operation between
multiple CFCs. A novel voltage sharing control scheme is demonstrated. It is shown that such
ii
Abstract
scheme reduces the workload on a single CFC by sharing the required control voltage between
multiple CFCs, and, additionally, can be used to avoid control conflicts among active CFCs
during communication failure. New protection methodologies are implemented to protect the
CFC during internal failures and dc faults. Small-scale dc circuit breakers have been developed
to study the performances of 1B and 2B-CFCs under a pole-to-pole fault.


Sulfonylurea herbicides represent new pollutants of growing concern, which requires their continuous monitoring in the aquatic environment. Widely used for pre and post emergence control of broadleaf and grassy weeds in different crops, designed to offer advantages of the highest selectivity together with the lower persistence in the environment, by using relatively low application rates, typically less than 100 g of active ingredient per hectare. The objective of this study was the determination of the Rs of nine selected sulfonylurea herbicides - amidosulfuron, iodosulfuron-methyl, metsulfuron-methyl, nicosulfuron, oxasulfuron, prosulfuron, rimsulfuron, thifensulfuron-methyl, tritosulfuron. Determined for the first time, the sampling rates for these highly polar herbicides ranged from 0.025 to 0.093 L/day, with integrative uptake of the target pesticides for 14 days; To improved and corrected lab Rs to fit better with realistic environmental conditions elimination constant rate of 0.164/d was determined;


A review of U.S. poison center data for 2004 showed over 40,000 exposures to salicylate-containing products. A guideline that determines the conditions for emergency department referral and pre-hospital care could potentially optimize patient outcome, avoid unnecessary emergency department visits, reduce health care costs, and reduce life disruption for patients and caregivers. An evidence-based expert consensus process was used to create the guideline. Relevant articles were abstracted by a trained physician researcher. The first draft of the guideline was created by the lead author. The entire panel discussed and refined the guideline before distribution to secondary reviewers for comment. The panel then made changes based on the secondary review comments. The objective of this guideline is to assist poison center personnel in the appropriate out-of-hospital triage and initial out-of-hospital management of patients with a suspected exposure to salicylates by 1) describing the process by which a specialist in poison information should evaluate an exposure to salicylates, 2) identifying the key decision elements in managing cases of salicylate exposure, 3) providing clear and practical recommendations that reflect the current state of knowledge, and 4) identifying needs for research. This guideline is based on an assessment of current scientific and clinical information. The expert consensus panel recognizes that specific patient care decisions may be at variance with this guideline and are the prerogative of the patient and the health professionals providing care, considering all of the circumstances involved. This guideline does not substitute for clinical judgment. Recommendations are in chronological order of likely clinical use. The grade of recommendation is in parentheses: 1) Patients with stated or suspected self-harm or who are the victims of a potentially malicious administration of a salicylate, should be referred to an emergency department immediately. This referral should be guided by local poison center procedures. In general, this should occur regardless of the dose reported (Grade D). 2) The presence of typical symptoms of salicylate toxicity such as hematemesis, tachypnea, hyperpnea, dyspnea, tinnitus, deafness, lethargy, seizures, unexplained lethargy, or confusion warrants referral to an emergency department for evaluation (Grade C). 3) Patients who exhibit typical symptoms of salicylate toxicity or nonspecific symptoms such as unexplained lethargy, confusion, or dyspnea, which could indicate the development of chronic salicylate toxicity, should be referred to an emergency department (Grade C). 4) Patients without evidence of self-harm should have further evaluation, including determination of the dose, time of ingestion, presence of symptoms, history of other medical conditions, and the presence of co-ingestants. The acute ingestion of more than 150 mg/kg or 6.5 g of aspirin equivalent, whichever is less, warrants referral to an emergency department. Ingestion of greater than a lick or taste of oil of wintergreen (98% methyl salicylate) by children under 6 years of age and more than 4 mL of oil of wintergreen by patients 6 years of age and older could cause systemic salicylate toxicity and warrants referral to an emergency department (Grade C). 5) Do not induce emesis for ingestions of salicylates (Grade D). 6) Consider the out-of-hospital administration of activated charcoal for acute ingestions of a toxic dose if it is immediately available, no contraindications are present, the patient is not vomiting, and local guidelines for its out-of-hospital use are observed. However, do not delay transportation in order to administer activated charcoal (Grade D). 7) Women in the last trimester of pregnancy who ingest below the dose for emergency department referral and do not have other referral conditions should be directed to their primary care physician, obstetrician, or a non-emergent health care facility for evaluation of maternal and fetal risk. Routine referral to an emergency department for immediate care is not required (Grade C). 8) For asymptomatic patients with dermal exposures to methyl salicylate or salicylic acid, the skin should be thoroughly washed with soap and water and the patient can be observed at home for development of symptoms (Grade C). 9) For patients with an ocular exposure of methyl salicylate or salicylic acid, the eye(s) should be irrigated with room-temperature tap water for 15 minutes. If after irrigation the patient is having pain, decreased visual acuity, or persistent irritation, referral for an ophthalmological examination is indicated (Grade D). 10) Poison centers should monitor the onset of symptoms whenever possible by conducting follow-up calls at periodic intervals for approximately 12 hours after ingestion of non-enteric-coated salicylate products, and for approximately 24 hours after the ingestion of enteric-coated aspirin (Grade C).


Lattice vibrations are the microscopic mechanism responsible for a large, if not dominant, contribution to heat transport in crystalline insulators. These vibrations are described in terms of phonons, collective excitations (or quasiparticles) in the form of waves of atomic displacements inside a crystal. Phonons are traditionally considered to be the quasiparticles responsible for carrying heat through the material. Heat transport is considered as a flux of a phonon gas, diffusing from hot areas (high phonon densities) to cold areas (low phonon densities) in an attempt to reestablish equilibrium, with phonon collisions being the source of heat flux dissipation. However, as dimensionality is reduced, the motion of phonons stimulated by temperature perturbations becomes correlated and this gas-like picture of thermal transport in terms of phonons becomes invalid. In this Thesis, we lay out an interpretation of thermal transport in 2D materials based on the Boltzmann transport equation in the form of collective excitations of phonons. These collective phonon excitations give raise to complex phenomena, such as high thermal conductivities, that are otherwise unexplained. As another example, collective excitations, at variance with conventional diffusive transport, can induce wave-like heat propagation, or second sound. This had been found only in a few exotic materials at cryogenic temperatures, but is present instead routinely in 2D materials at room temperature. The correlated-phonon description of heat transfer can be rationalised by introducing a new collective excitation, called 'relaxon', which is defined as the eigenstate of the collision operator. Whereas only oversimplifying assumptions endow phonons with well defined relaxation times (the average interval of time between collisions), relaxons have always well defined relaxation times and permit an exact description of thermal transport. The complex dynamic of heat transport in 2D is thus greatly simplified and a kinetic gas theory of thermal transport still applies, provided that the gas is not constituted by phonons, but by relaxons. Our work on thermal transport is part of a larger effort, aiming at the creation of a database of numerically computed properties of materials. The high-throughput production of simulated properties is a challenging task, since it necessitates the understanding of a physical model, but it also needs to face a myriad of technicalities and problems that hinder the execution of a large number of calculations. In order to allow the creation of computational materials databases, we developed AiiDA, an open-source automated interactive infrastructure and database for computational science. This platform tackles the problems of creation, management, analysis and sharing of data and simulations, summarized in the pillars of Automation, Data, Environment and Sharing. Automation is achieved by management of remote computational resources and the encoding of workflows, that allows the execution of complex sequences of calculations. The tight coupling between automation and data storage, handled by the platform, enables full reproducibility of the results and a suitable database design allows for efficient data analysis tools. Sharing of scientific knowledge is addressed by providing tools for distribution of data and of the underlying workflows that generated them, creating an ecosystem for computational materials science.


Abstract Torrential rainfall during December 1999 resulted in devastating floods and landslides along the northern coast of Venezuela. These events occurred in an area with a predominantly dry climate, took place during what is regionally the dry season, and were preceded by unusually heavy seasonal rainfall. An observational study was undertaken in an attempt to identify anomalous features of the climate system associated with both the enhanced seasonal rainfall prior to the landslides as well as the extreme December rainfall events that triggered them. Observational data for the period 1950–99 are used to provide historical context. Results indicate that the copious seasonal rainfall prior to the floods was associated with anomalous conditions in both the tropical Pacific and Atlantic basins similar to past events, although some features were unusually strong in 1999. The extreme daily rainfall in December 1999 was associated with atmospheric circulation features originating in the extratropical Norther...


The stacked polyphase bridges converter consists of several submodules that, on the input dc side, all are connected in series. Whereas controller designs presented in previous studies have been found promising for realizing equal voltage sharing between submodules, the survival and stability under fault conditions have not been studied. This paper presents a control strategy that enables survival of the converter after the occurrence of a sudden short circuit of a single transistor switch. The results are verified by simulations.


This paper considers the endogenous formation of an institution to provide a public good. If the institution governs only its members, players have an incentive to free ride on the institution formation of others and the social dilemma is simply shifted to a higher level. Addressing this second-order social dilemma, we study the effectiveness of three different minimum participation requirements: 1. full participation / unanimity rule; 2. partial participation; 3. unanimity first and in case of failure partial participation. While unanimity is most effective once established, one might suspect that a weaker minimum participation rule is preferable in practice as it might facilitate the formation of the institution. The data of our laboratory experiment do not support this latter view, though. In fact, weakening the participation requirement does not increase the number of implemented institutions. Thus, we conclude that the most effective participation requirement is the unanimity rule which leaves no room for free riding on either level of the social dilemma.


The paper deals with the chronostratigraphy of the lacustrine infilling of the Mercure basin, an intramontane depression of the Southern Apennines, located along the Calabria-Lucania boundary.A preliminary tephrochronologic investigation and pollen analyses were carried out on the infilling succession exposed along V-shaped tributary valleys of the Mercure river. Lithological and chemical features of the thickest and best preserved tephra layer were fully characterised, and single crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating was performed yielding an age of 514±16 ka. Pollen analyses revealed the occurrence of warm and humid interglacial conditions that were correlated to MIS 13 on the basis of the age determination. The chemical compositions of glasses indicate that the Sabatinian volcanic field is the most probable source of the investigated tephra layer. Although chemical features support a correlation with the Tufo Giallo della Via Tiberina multiphase eruption that occurred between 561 and 548 ka, the integration of tephrochronology and pollen analysis points to a younger age, falling within MIS 13. We propose a correlation with one of the four explosive events that occurred in the Latial district from 514 to 449 ka. The Mercure tephra layer, owing to its age and great distance from the presumed source, represents a valid correlating tool for MIS 13 in central-southern Italy.


The #AUCdiaries project is an oral history project that documents the life of the AUC community.

The project was initiated by Kim Fox in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JRMC) along with Hoda Mostafa, Maha Bali and Nadine Aboulmagd, all from the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT).

The bulk of the content that was created for the #AUCdiaries podcasts was completed by students as part of AUC courses. As such, this is both a digital pedagogy project, since students learn while producing, and a digital scholarship project, since the output is considered to be digital scholarship.


This thesis analyses the macroeconomic eff�ects of changes in �fiscal policy. Chapter 1
provides an overview.
Chapter 2 estimates the macroeconomic e�ffects of tax changes in the United Kingdom.
Identifi�cation is achieved by constructing an extensive new 'narrative' dataset of 'exogenous' tax changes in the post-war U.K. economy. Using this dataset I fi�nd that
a 1 per cent cut in taxes increases GDP by 0.6 per cent on impact and by 2.5 per cent
over three years. These �findings are remarkably similar to narrative-based estimates for
the United States. Furthermore, 'exogenous' tax changes are shown to have contributed
to major episodes in the U.K. post-war business cycle. The long appendix contains the detailed historical narrative and dataset.
Chapter 3 estimates the endogenous feedback from output, debt and government
spending to fi�scal instruments in the United States. The central innovation is to make
direct use of narrative-measured tax shocks in a DSGE model estimated using Bayesian
methods. I therefore assume the tax shocks are observable, rather than latent variables.
I show that the feedback from debt to the �fiscal instruments is weaker than previously
estimated and that the capital tax multiplier is higher. Moreover, the data are more
consistent with a model with endogenous feedback than one with an exogenous �fiscal
policy speci�fication.
Chapter 4 examines the transmission mechanism of government spending shocks by
constructing and estimating a DSGE model for the United States. I show that the
endogenous response of di�fferent taxes and the strength of wealth eff�ect on labour supply
play a powerful role. Given that there is little prior information on the strength of these
mechanisms, I estimate the key parameters in the model. I show that this estimated
model can match the empirical responses of key variables that are a challenge for many
models of this type.


Objectives Intravaginal practices—including behaviours such as washing with soap or other materials, using fingers or cloth, or insertion of herbs, powders or other products to dry, cleanse or 'tighten' the vagina—may increase women's risk of bacterial vaginosis by disrupting the vaginal microbiota. In Zimbabwe, intravaginal practices are common. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of an intervention based on the transtheoretical model of behaviour change (also called the 'stages of change' model) to encourage cessation of vaginal practices among a sample of Zimbabwean women. Methods We conducted a 12-week behaviour change intervention to encourage cessation of intravaginal practices (other than cleansing with water) among 85 Zimbabwean women who reported these practices. Results Self-reported intravaginal practices declined significantly over follow-up, with 100% of women reporting at least one intravaginal practice at enrolment compared with 8% at the final visit. However, we found no significant effect of this reduction on bacterial vaginosis prevalence in unadjusted or adjusted multivariable models (adjusted prevalence ratio for any practice vs none: 0.94, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.43). Conclusions While the intervention was successful in reducing women's self-reported engagement in intravaginal practices, we observed no corresponding benefit to vaginal health.


Coastal marine ecosystems experience dynamic fluctuations in seawater carbonate chemistry. The importance of this variation in the context of ocean acidification requires knowing what aspect of variability biological processes respond to. We conducted four experiments (ranging from 3 to 22 days) with different variability regimes (pHT 7.4–8.1) assessing the impact of diel fluctuations in carbonate chemistry on the early development of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Larval shell growth was consistently correlated to mean exposures, regardless of variability regimes, indicating that calcification responds instantaneously to seawater chemistry. Larval development was impacted by timing of exposure, revealing sensitivity of two developmental processes: development of the shell field, and transition from the first to the second larval shell. Fluorescent staining revealed developmental delay of the shell field at low pH, and abnormal development thereof was correlated with hinge defects in D-veligers. This study shows, for the first time, that ocean acidification affects larval soft-tissue development, independent from calcification. Multiple developmental processes additively underpin the teratogenic effect of ocean acidification on bivalve larvae. These results explain why trochophores are the most sensitive life-history stage in marine bivalves and suggest that short-term variability in carbonate chemistry can impact early larval development.


HETEROGENEITY-AWARE AND ENERGY-AWARE SCHEDULING AND ROUTING IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS by Mahesh Kumar Vasanthu Somashekar A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a group of specialized transducers, called sensor nodes, with a communication infrastructure intended to monitor and record conditions at diverse locations. Since WSN applications are usually deployed in an open environment, the network is exposed to rough weather conditions, such as rain and snow. Another problem that WSN applications need to deal with is the energy constraints of sensor nodes. Both problems adversely affect the lifetime of WSN applications. A lot of research has been conducted to prolong the lifetime of WSN applications considering energy constraints of sensor nodes, but not much research has gone into tackling both the environmental effects and energy constraints. The goal of this research is to efficiently deal with these two problems and provide a solution for scheduling and routing in a heterogeneous sensor network. The research has been divided into two phases Scheduling and Routing. In the scheduling phase, only some sensor nodes are scheduled to run for a particular timeslot and during that timeslot other sensor nodes are kept in sleep mode. A set of sensor nodes for a timeslot is chosen based on their positional information. In the routing phase, a least cost route from a sensor to the sink is dynamically determined to prolong the lifetime of the sensor network. HETEROGENEITY-AWARE AND ENERGY-AWARE SCHEDULING AND ROUTING IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS by Mahesh Kumar Vasanthu Somashekar A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Computer Science Department of Computer Science


In recent years, head-mounted displays (HMDs) have become increasingly affordable and popular. HMDs pose new challenges for text entry because they typically immerse people in a virtual world while preventing them from seeing the real world. As HMDs become widespread, we expect that some people will want to perform traditional computing tasks with these new devices, such as writing emails or browsing the web. This work explores new ways to support efficient text entry in HMDs by leveraging decoding techniques and ubiquitous physical keyboards. We describe an experiment where we measured the performance of our system on touch-typists who typed a series of short messages on a physical keyboard in a (1) keyboard visible condition, (2) occluded keyboard condition, and (3) head-mounted display condition. The results of our pilot study showed that users' speed and accuracy was considerably worse in the occluded and HMD conditions, that our de-coder was able to correct a large number of errors, and that increasing compute time for the decoder increased the number of corrected errors.


1. Three groups of young patients with borderline hypertension were studied for a 12 months period. The first was on a free sodium diet while the second was on a low-salt diet. The third group of patients underwent acute salt loading. 2. After 12 months the group on free diet showed a significant increase of intralymphocytic sodium but no change in blood pressure was noted. Five patients who were re-checked after 24 months also had a significant increase in blood pressure. 3. Patients treated with a low-salt diet showed a significant decrease of both intralymphocytic sodium concentration and blood pressure. 4. After acute salt loading, borderline subjects with high intralymphocytic sodium showed a significant greater natriuresis whereas intralymphocytic sodium increased only in those subjects in whom it was initially normal.


This study is the first large–scale multi–method attempt to empirically examine the characteristics leading to development of expertise in EverQuest II, a popular massively multi–player online role–playing game (MMOs). Benefiting from the unprecedented opportunity of obtaining game log data matched with survey data, the project investigated the relationship between player motivations and in–game behavior, personality characteristics, and demographic attributes with game performance and achievement, which we refer to as game "expertise." Players who were high on achievement motivation or social motivation had higher game expertise, while those high on immersion motivation had lower expertise. Game experts were also characterized by focusing their game time on completing tasks. Younger players showed a slim advantage over older players. Male and female players exhibited similar expertise levels in this MMO.


I consider a two-party parliamentary election where parties compete on a quality (or valence) dimension. First I motivate why in such an election a voter may decide to cast a blank vote. Second I define a new voting system, inspired in the standard proportional representation system, where the percentage of blank votes is translated into vacant seats in the parliament. I analyze party competition assuming adapted versions of the models of "Bertand" and "Cournot". I compare the equilibrium outcomes on parties' quality and profits obtained with both the alternative proportional system and the standard one. I show that society and parties may have interests in conflict.


The antibacterial properties of sodium bicarbonate have been known for years, yet the molecular understanding of its mechanism of action is still lacking. Utilizing chemical-chemical combinations, we first explored the effect of bicarbonate on the activity of conventional antibiotics to infer on the mechanism. Remarkably, the activity of 8 classes of antibiotics differed in the presence of this ubiquitous buffer. These interactions and a study of mechanism of action revealed that, at physiological concentrations, bicarbonate is a selective dissipater of the pH gradient of the proton motive force across the cytoplasmic membrane of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Further, while components that make up innate immunity have been extensively studied, a link to bicarbonate, the dominant buffer in the extracellular fluid, has never been made. Here, we also explored the effects of bicarbonate on components of innate immunity. Although the immune response and the buffering system have distinct functions in the body, we posit there is interplay between these, as the antimicrobial properties of several components of innate immunity were enhanced by a physiological concentration of bicarbonate. Our findings implicate bicarbonate as an overlooked potentiator of host immunity in the defense against pathogens. Overall, the unique mechanism of action of bicarbonate has far-reaching and predictable effects on the activity of innate immune components and antibiotics. We conclude that bicarbonate has remarkable power as an antibiotic adjuvant and suggest that there is great potential to exploit this activity in the discovery and development of new antibacterial drugs by leveraging testing paradigms that better reflect the physiological concentration of bicarbonate.


This paper presents a model of teaching and learning conceptualized as the
StudyCircle Model of Restorative Communication (Bussu et al, 2016; 2017). It was codeveloped
among second year psychology students at the University of Sassari (Italy)
in 2014-2015 and at the University of Guayaquil (Ecuador) in 2015-2016. The purpose
of the project was to facilitate active learning, promoting a culture of peace, student
well-being and life skills among students helping to prevent attrition. Drawing on Peace
Circles as a holistic methodology for promoting a restorative student community, this
paper presents the constructivist theoretical framework underpinning the StudyCircle
Model and the impact of this project. The goal of SCM was to train second year
students as facilitators/trainers by supporting their personal development and
professional identity so that they could in turn support first-year students transitioning
to the University. An action research project in Italy and Ecuador was implemented
with a mixed methods approach:
1) Pre and post questionnaires with second year students on personal perception of
their life-skills.
1) Semi-structured interviews with first year students on their training needs;
satisfaction and the impact of the activities facilitated by second year students.
2) Analysis of outcomes (activities, projects, training etc) produced by participants
after this learning experience.
The data collection process is consistent with a "grounded theory" approach, in
particular Seale's (1999; 2000) and Lincoln and Guba' s requirements for data
collection (1985). This allowed open discussion of data choices and representation
which ultimately led to triangulation of the data. We will present preliminary strategies
to promote and implement StudyCirle at Edge Hill University.


Background—An increasing number of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) are reaching adulthood and may require heart transplantation. The survival of these patients after listing and transplantation has not been evaluated. Methods and Results—A total of 41 849 patients (aged 18 years) were listed for primary transplantation during 1995–2009. Patients with a history of CHD (n 1035; 2.5%) were compared with those with other causes (non-CHD group) (n 40 814; 97.5%); 26 055 (62.3%) reached transplantation and were subdivided into those with (reoperation group; n 10 484; 40.2%) and without (nonreoperation group; n 15 571; 59.8%) a previous sternotomy. Survival on the waiting list was similar between groups, but mechanical ventricular assistance was not associated with superior survival to transplantation among CHD patients. CHD patients were more likely to have body mass index 18.5 at transplantation (P 0.0001), were younger, and had fewer comorbidities. Early mortality among patients with CHD was high (reoperation, 18.9% versus 9.6%; P 0.0001; nonreoperation, 16.6% versus 6.3%; P 0.0001), but by 10 years, overall survival was equivalent (53.8% versus 53.6%). Analysis was limited by the lack of specific information regarding the CHD diagnosis in most patients. Conclusions—Adults with CHD have high 30-day mortality but better late survival after heart transplantation. Mechanical circulatory assistance does not improve waiting list survival in these patients. This may be due to a combination of highly complex reoperative surgery and often poor preoperative systemic health. (Circulation. 2011;123:759-767.)


Part 1. Overview of greenhouse gases and animal agriculture. Sustainable systems of animal agriculture (M. Suzuki). Greenhouse gases and the animal industries (B.A. Young). Greenhouse gases and animal agriculture in Asia (J.B. Liang). Global warming and animal agriculture in Japan (F. Terada). Appropriate effluent management of intensive animal industries (T.A. Streeten). Greenhouse gas emission from livestock in Brazil (M.A. Lima, C. Campanhola). Emission of greenhouse gas from anaerobic pig and dairy cattle wastewater treatment system in Taiwan (J.J. Su et al.). Emissions inventories and their implications for intensive livestock production (K.D. Casey). Perspectives for realizing agricultural production systems with material circulation (S. Hoshiba). Part 2. Measurement and manipulation of rumen methanogenesis. Strategies for mitigating methane emissions from livestock - Australian options and opportunities (R.S. Hegarty). Environmental control of methane production by ruminants (A.R. Moss). Methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from ruminant livestock production systems (D.E. Johnson et al.). Establishment of profitable dairy farming system on control of methane production in Hokkaido region (S. Kume). Nutritional manipulation of methane emission from ruminants (J. Takahashi). The use of sulfur hexafluoride for measuring methane emissions from farm animals (K.A. Johnson et al.). Nutritional options for abatement of methane emissions from beef and dairy systems in Australia (G.J. McCrabb). Detection of methanogens from the rumen by PCR-based techniques (M. Mitsumori et al.). Inhibition of rumen methanogenesis and its effects on feed intake, digestion, and animal production (C.S. McSweeney, G.J. McCrabb). Reducing ruminal methane production by chemical and biological manipulation (H. Itabashi). Animal and manure-derived methane emissions as affected by dietary fatty acids and manure storage system (M. Kreuzer et al.). Propionate precursors as possible alternative electron acceptors to methane in ruminal fermentation (C.J. Newbold et al.). Evaluating the dietary pre-conditions for a significant methane-suppressing effect of myristic acid in ruminants (A. Machm..'ller et al.). Effect of a stepwise increase of medium-chain fatty acid supply on ruminal methanogenesis in vitro (C.R. Soliva et al.). Treatment effects on methane emissions from grazing cattle (L.A. Harper et al.). The prediction of methane conversion rate from dietary factors (M. Kurihara et al.). Effect of heat exposure on the methane emission from expiratory gas in sheep fed with high concentrate diets (T. Takahashi et al.). Effects of |A 1-4 galacto-oligosaccharide(GOS) and Candida kefyr on nitrate-induced methaemoglobinemia and methane emission in sheep (C. Sar et al.). Methane emission and nitrogen excretion by goats fed tropical byproducts based pelleted diet (M. Islam et al.). Development of nutritional management for controlling methane emissions from ruminants in Southeast Asia (S. Shioya et al.). In vitro inhibition of microbial methane production by chemicals (N. Mohammed et al.). Effects of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and galactooligosaccharide supplementation on in vitro rumen methane production (Y. Gamo et al.). Part 3. Bio-energy from agricultural bio-mass. The current status of anaerobic digestion in China (R. Dong et al.). Manure and biowaste digestion in Germany - history, trends, and practical verification (G. Langhans). Large scale manure based biogas plant in Denmark configuration and operational experience (L. Ellegaard). Reuse of fibrous agricultural biomass for energy resources by methane fermentation (A. Odaet al.). Biogas production from unconsumed milk - Reduction of CO2 emission by utilization of unconsumed foodstuff (Y. Kitamura et al.). How the Biogas Plants based on the Manure in E.U. work in practice (H. Soma). Bioenergy supply potential and bioenergy utilization costs (H. Yamamoto et al.). The biogas plant using animal effluent as fuel (Y. Nagamori et al.). Environmental load gas emissions from swine waste treatment (T. Osada, K. Haga). Hydrogen production from biogas through steam reforming followed by water gas shift reaction and purification with selective oxidation reaction (Z.G. Zhanget al.). Part 4. Processing and use of bio-mass for soil rehabilitation. Ammonia emissions from composting of livestock manure (J. Matsuda et al.). Compost processing organic waste for recycling (P. Pittaway). Status and prospects of manure management in Japan-composting approaches (K. Nishizaki). Evaluation of the chamber system for gas measuring from the livestock waste compost (T. Osada, Y. Fukumoto). Methane emission from dairy cow and swine manure slurries stored at 10!aC and 15!aC (D.I. Mass..| et al.). Ammonia assimilating microorganisms in animal manure treatment processes (Y. Nakai et al.). Controlled traffic effects on soil injection of organic waste injection (J.N. Tullberg). Factors of soil-machine resistance and soil compaction at the operation of animal effluent application (T. Kishimotoet al.). Fertilizer value of anaerobically co-digested dairy manure and food processing wastes (K. Umetsu et al.). Current situation on cattle wastes and their efficient use for reducing the risk of environmental pollution from dairy farming in Hokkaido, Japan (T. Matsunaka). Soil rehabilitation using livestock and organic wastes (G. Xiao et al.).


The rationality of human causal judgments has been the focus of a great deal of recent research. We argue against two major trends in this research, and for a quite different way of thinking about causal mechanisms and probabilistic data. Our position rejects a false dichotomy between "mechanistic" and "probabilistic" analyses of causal inference -- a dichotomy that both overlooks the nature of the evidence that supports the induction of mechanisms and misses some important probabilistic implications of mechanisms. This dichotomy has obscured an alternative conception of causal learning: for discrete events, a central adaptive task is to induce causal mechanisms in the environment from probabilistic data and prior knowledge. Viewed from this perspective, it is apparent that the probabilistic norms assumed in the human causal judgment literature often do not map onto the mechanisms generating the probabilities. Our alternative conception of causal judgment is more congruent with both scientific uses of the notion of causation and observed causal judgments of untutored reasoners. We illustrate some of the relevant variables under this conception, using a framework for causal representation now widely adopted in computer science and, increasingly, in statistics. We also review the formulation and evidence for a theory of human causal induction (Cheng, 1997) that adopts this alternative conception.


The effect of flow regulation on plant-herbivore ecology has received very little attention, despite the fact that flow regulation can alter both plant and animal abundance and environmental factors that mediate interactions between them. To determine how regulated flows have impacted beaver ( Castor Canadensis ) and sandbar willow ( Salix exigua ) ecology, we first quantified the abundance and mapped the spatial distribution of sandbar willow on alluvial sections of the flow-regulated Green River and free-flowing Yampa River in northwestern Colorado. We then established 16 and 15 plots (1 m x 2.7 m) in patches of willow on the Green and Yampa Rivers, respectively, to determine whether rates of beaver herbivory of willow differed between rivers (Green versus Yampa River), seasons (fall-winter versus spring-summer), and years (spring 1998-spring 1999 versus spring 1999-spring 2000). Areal extent of willow was similar on each river, but Green River willow patches were smaller and more numerous. Beavers cut more stems during fall and winter than spring and summer and cut over 6 times more stems (percentage basis) on the Green River than on the Yampa River. We attribute the between-river difference in herbivory to higher availability of willow, greater beaver density, and lower availability of young Fremont cottonwood ( Populus deltoids subsp. wislizenii ; an alternative food source) on the Green River. Flow regulation increased willow availability to beaver by promoting the formation of island patches that are continuously adjacent to water and feature a perimeter with a relatively high proportion of willow interfacing with water.


We study the phase behavior of model colloidal systems composed of infinitely thin hard platelets, with polydispersity in the size of the particles. Semi-grand Gibbs ensemble simulations are used to study the coexisting nematic and isotropic phases for a range of systems with varying polydispersity. Particle size segregation is observed in the two coexisting phases, with the larger particles tending to be found in the nematic phase. This fractionation becomes more evident with increasing polydispersity. We examine the relationship between the size of a particle and its orientation in the nematic phase and find that the larger particles tend to be more orientationally ordered than the smaller ones. The coexistence densities determined from the simulations are compared to those obtained from recent experiments on colloidal platelets.


Heeding the diagnostic requirements of electromechanical systems applied in automotive and aeronautical sectors, a multidimensional diagnostic system based on Support Vector Machine classifier is presented in this paper. In this context, different stationary and non-stationary speed and torque conditions are taken into account over an experimental actuator, in the same way, different single and combined failures scenarios are analyzed. In order to achieve a proper reliability in the diagnosis process, a multidimensional strategy is proposed: currents and vibrations from an electro-mechanical actuator are acquired. A great deal of features is calculated using statistical parameters from the acquired signals in time and frequency domain. Additionally, advanced time-frequency domain analysis techniques, such as Wavelet Packet Transform and Empirical Mode Decomposition, are used to achieve features which provide information in non-stationary conditions. The feature space dimensionality is analyzed by a feature reduction stage based on Partial Least Squares, which optimizes and reduces the feature set to be used for diagnosis proposes. The classification core is based on Support Vector Machine. Moreover, this work provides a performance comparison between the proposed classification algorithm and others such as Neural Network, k- Nearest Neighbor and Classification Trees. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and diagnostic capability of the proposed system.


This study investigates Chinese consumers' adoption of the innovative 3D printing systems for small-scale manufacturing in home settings. Empirical studies were conducted in a survey with 256 participants. The number of significant determinants that affect an individual's decision to adopt 3D printing systems has been identified by applying a model that integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT). A number of moderation effects of demographic variables (e.g. gender, design background) on the association between motivational variables and participants' adoption have also been analysed with factor analysis, structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression. Our results shed some light on the characteristics of early adopters of home 3D printing systems in China. This study contributes to the early understanding of Chinese consumers' adoption of innovative 3D printing systems.


Native microtubules prepared from extruded and dissociated axoplasm have been observed to transport organelles and vesicles unidirectionally in fresh preparations and more slowly and bidirectionally in older preparations. Both endogenous and exogenous (fluorescent polystyrene) particles in rapid Brownian motion alight on and adhere to microtubules and are transported along them. Particles can switch from one intersecting microtubule to another and move in either direction. Microtubular segments 1 to 30 microns long, produced by gentle homogenization, glide over glass surfaces for hundreds of micrometers in straight lines unless acted upon by obstacles. While gliding they transport particles either in the same (forward) direction and/or in the backward direction. Particle movement and gliding of microtubule segments require ATP and are insensitive to taxol (30 microM). It appears, therefore, that the mechanisms producing the motive force are very closely associated with the native microtubule itself or with its associated proteins. Although these movements appear irreconcilable with several current theories of fast axoplasmic transport, in this article we propose two models that might explain the observed phenomena and, by extension, the process of fast axoplasmic transport itself. The findings presented and the possible mechanisms proposed for fast axoplasmic transport have potential applications across the spectrum of microtubule-based motility processes.


Introduction: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorders in children and tends to persist into adulthood. Evidence from neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological studies indicates that alterations of error processing are core symptoms in children and adolescents with ADHD. To test whether adults with ADHD show persisting deficits and compensatory processes, we investigated performance monitoring during stimulus-evaluation and response-selection, with a focus on errors, as well as within-group correlations with symptom scores. Methods: Fifty-five participants (27 ADHD and 28 controls) aged 19–55 years performed a modified flanker task during EEG recording with 64 electrodes, and the ADHD and control groups were compared on measures of behavioral task performance, event-related potentials of performance monitoring (N2, P3), and error processing (ERN, Pe). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was used to assess ADHD symptom load. Results: Adults with ADHD showed higher error rates in incompatible trials, and these error rates correlated positively with the ASRS scores. Also, we observed lower P3 amplitudes in incompatible trials, which were inversely correlated with symptom load in the ADHD group. Adults with ADHD also displayed reduced error-related ERN and Pe amplitudes. There were no significant differences in reaction time (RT) and RT variability between the two groups. Conclusion: Our findings show deviations of electrophysiological measures, suggesting reduced effortful engagement of attentional and error-monitoring processes in adults with ADHD. Associations between ADHD symptom scores, event-related potential amplitudes, and poorer task performance in the ADHD group further support this notion.


Due to information technologies the problem we are facing today is not a lack of information but too much information. This phenomenon becomes very clear when we consider two figures that are often quoted: Knowledge is doubling in many fields (biology, medicine, computer science,…) within some 6 years; yet information is doubling every 8 months! This implies that the same piece of information/knowledge is published a large number of times with small variations. Just look at an arbitrary news item. If considered of some general interest reports of it will appear in all major newspapers, journals, electronic media, etc. This is also the problem with information portals that tie together a number of large databases. It is our contention that we need methods to reduce the huge set of information concerning a particular topic to a number of pieces of information (let us call each such piece an "essay" in what follows) that present a good cross-section of potential points of view. We will explain why one essay is usually not enough, yet the problem of reducing a huge amount of contributions to a digestible number of essays is formidable, indeed is science fiction at the moment. We will argue in this paper that it is one of the important tasks of computer sciences to start tackling this problem, and we will show that in some special cases partial solutions are possible.


Do contractual frictions matter when firms are engaged in repeated interactions? This paper argues that long-term relationships, which allow firms to (partly) overcome the static costs associated with low contractibility, will under certain circumstances create dynamic inefficiencies. We consider the repeated interaction between final good producers and intermediate input suppliers, where the provision of the intermediate input is noncontractible. A producer/supplier pair can be a good match or a bad match, with bad matches featuring lower productivity. This allows us to build a cooperative equilibrium where producers can switch suppliers and start cooperation immediately with new suppliers. Every period, one supplier has the opportunity to innovate, and in the baseline model, innovations are imitated after one period. We show that (i) innovations need to be larger to break up existing relationships in the cooperative equilibrium than in either a set-up where the input is contractible or when we preclude cooperation in long-term relationships, (ii) the rate of innovation in the cooperative equilibrium is lower than in the contractible case, and may even be lower than in the non-cooperative equilibrium and (iii) cooperation may reduce welfare. Next, we assume that the frontier technology diffuses slowly to suppliers (instead of after one period). In that case, for sufficiently slow diffusion, the innovation rate in the cooperative equilibrium may be higher than even in the contractible case. Finally, we show that cooperation may also increase relationship specific innovations.


The subject of this thesis is presentation of the examination related to the organizational culture of the Police, the special law enforcement body which guarantees internal order and public security. The police, at the same time, as armed law enforcement body ensure the order of the economy and its legal security. Security is not only important for the citizens and social organizations, but also for the profit and non-profit organizations. The Police carry out official work, but also provide services that presuppose two types of contact system and modes of management. There were a number of changes in the body of the Police over the past two decades (e.g. accession to the EU, accession to the Schengen area, integration of the Police and the Border Guards, outsourcing certain activities, regionalization of sponsorship activities), in which I have taken part as a manager of the developmental programs. These changes have not only affected the police organization and the approach of the employees, but also the organizational culture. The changes cannot be considered as closed: the Ministry of Interior, governing the Police, takes decisions on organizational changes, but also the managers at the Police play an important role in this process. Under "change" I do not necessarily understand a change in the structure, but also a change in the organizational culture to create support for the reform process, and the option to co-ordinate the diverse structures. The changes have obviously affected the thinking of the managers and the employees, as well as their relationship to the organization. The official duties, including the detection of the crimes (including agricultural and economic crimes), cannot be performed without the day-today cooperation with the bodies of the civil law enforcement, through which the Police may increase the effectiveness of detection of such crimes and thus the citizens' subjective feeling of security. Therefore, the present thesis aims at the examination of the Police's organizational culture and its management methods.


Living with floods addresses flooding as a globally prevalent phenomenon that people deal with in different and contested ways. As empirical examples from the Mexican river Usumacinta show, local perspectives of floods can be highly ambivalent, wherein floods are described as both positive and negative dynamics. Different evaluations of floods by different actors imply different prevention, mitigation and response measures. In this study, the management of flood risks is understood as part of a complex network of social practices. Drawing on theories of social practices, especially on conceptual approaches by Theodore Schatzki, this study develops a practice theory view on flood risk management. In a social science oriented tradition of geographical risk research, flood risks are discussed as the result of social constructions and decisions. Dominant risk concepts and precautionary measures are questioned and new conceptual and methodological approaches are developed on the basis of extensive empirical field work in Chiapas. This study offers insight into "living with floods", its socio-cultural characteristics as well as its political relevance.


Constructing models of mobile agents can be difficult without domain-specific knowledge. Parametric models flexible enough to capture all mobility patterns that an expert believes are possible are often large, requiring a great deal of training data. In contrast, nonparametric models are extremely flexible and can generalize well with relatively little training data. We propose modeling the mobility patterns of moving agents as a mixture of Gaussian processes (GP) with a Dirichlet process (DP) prior over mixture weights. The GP provides a flexible representation for each individual mobility pattern, while the DP assigns observed trajectories to particular mobility patterns. Both the GPs and the DP adjust the model's complexity based on available data, implicitly avoiding issues of over-fitting or under-fitting. We apply our model to a helicopter-based tracking task, where the mobility patterns of the tracked agents — cars — are learned from real data collected from taxis in the greater Boston area.


Unsatisfactory throughput rates as well as low mathematics averages for education students in higher education are a concern. A lack of critical thinking and critical thinking dispositions are possible contributing factors to poor performance. The aim of this ongoing research is to use flipped classroom learning as a teaching pedagogy and model that prepares students for their future careers. The aim of this flipped learning intervention is to enhance the critical thinking dispositions of mathematics students, to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts, to encourage responsibility for their understanding of knowledge and skills and to create opportunities for active learning through discovery and involvement with content. In addition, it explores the possibilities for students to become better problem solvers, with the aim of achieving increased throughput rates. The authors report on findings that flipped learning for the mathematics class seems to be a viable instructional