We have developed a platform named Advanced Test Environment (ATE) for supporting the design and the automatic execution of UX tests for applications running on Android smartphones. The platform collects objective metrics used to estimate the UX. In this paper, we investigate the extent that the metrics captured by ATE are able to approximate the results that are obtained from UX testing with real human users. Our findings suggest that ATE produces UX estimations that are comparable to those reported by human users. We have also compared ATE with three widespread benchmark tools that are commonly used in the industry, and the results show that ATE outperforms these tools.


This dissertation presents four empirical studies investigating the link between visual attention and long-term memory. Long-term memory in visual search is acquired by repeated exposure to invariant spatial configurations and expressed by expedited visual search in repeated over non-repeated displays (i.e., contextual cueing paradigm). The memory of repeated (invariant) displays is considered to be implicit. The present studies aimed to contribute to a better understanding of how visual attention and long-term context memory interact with each other using reaction time and eye tracking measures.
Study 1: Previous studies revealed that unpredictable target location changes impair contextual cueing, and the cueing-related gains in reaction times recover slowly with extensive training on the relocated displays. Study 1 examined whether other forms of attention guidance i.e., spatial grouping, play a role on the adaptation of context memory. For this reason, after the learning of target-distractor arrangements, we re-positioned the target in two different local contexts: local-sparse (consisting of one distractor item around the target) or local-dense (consisting of three distractors around the target) contexts. The results revealed successful adaptation to a new target location when the target was replaced in local-sparse, but not local-dense, regions. It was concluded that spatial grouping of the dense items makes this region salient in a sense that bottom-up attention is effectively guided towards the target region. The lack-of-adaptation of contextual cueing reported in earlier studies reflects not a mere inability of the cueing memory for adaptation. Instead, it suggests that both stimulus- and memory-based processes contribute to target detection.
Study 2: The dependency and independency of contextual cueing from a secondary working memory (WM) load was investigated in Study 2. In former studies, it was shown that contextual learning is independent of divided attention. Study 2 re-investigated the role of divided attention in both context learning and the expression of learned contexts, and further examined whether the influence of WM load is due to the load on spatial or executive WM capabilities. In the experiments, in order to distinguish between different stages of learning, a visual search task was combined with a secondary WM load either in the early or in the late phases of the experiments. To test whether disadvantageous WM effects result from spatial or executive WM load, observers were either given a task to maintain spatial WM items concurrently with a visual search task (aiming to unravel both the effects of spatial and executive WM), or a task where WM was performed before or after the visual search task, without a task overlap (aiming to test the effects from executive WM load).The findings revealed reduced contextual cueing under a spatial WM load and this effect was larger for the expression of learned configural associations. No interference was found when the secondary WM task was performed in a non-overlapping manner. It is concluded that the retrieval of context representations from long-term memory is dependent on spatial WM, i.e., divided attention.
Study 3: The possibility remains that contextual cueing is independent from divided attention. This issue was investigated in Study 3. Previously it was shown that visual search improves with task practice and this practice-related gain depends on the characteristics of a given task. Study 3 asked whether automaticity of contextual cueing can be enhanced until a level at which it becomes independent of attentional resources. In order to achieve this, a single (visual search), and a dual (visual search together with a secondary spatial WM) task were presented in close succession in individual blocks of trials. This procedure has been shown to facilitate the development of automaticity in visual search. The results revealed reliable contextual cueing under a demanding spatial WM task. It is concluded that the automaticity of contextual cueing retrieval has a modulatory effect on whether a spatial WM load task exerts a detrimental effect on the memory-guided visual search or not.
Study 4: Memory for contextual cueing was considered to be implicit. However, recent studies questioned the notion of implicit contextual memory both on theoretical and methodological grounds. It was claimed that contextual cueing may rely on either a single (incidentally acquired memory but can be accessible via explicit recognition tasks), or a two-memory (incidentally acquired but cannot be accessible in conscious reports) system. Study 4 investigated the idea that contextual cueing is initially unconscious but can become conscious later on through the help of focal attention (i.e., fixational eye movements). After the learning of contextual cues, observers' eye movements were measured in an explicit recognition test, in which they had to judge the quadrant of the target. The results revealed higher fixation dwell times in the target quadrant of the invariant over random displays. Furthermore, manipulations of observers' gaze in the recognition task showed that fixation dwell times also serve a purposeful role for the conscious retrieval from context memory. At the same time, fixation of the target quadrant was not a requirement of context-based search facilitation. Contextual cueing seems to receive support from at least two independent (automatic and controlled) retrieval processes, and focal attention seems to be the mechanism that links the retrieved information across the two processes.


Genome integrity is constantly monitored by sophisticated cellular networks, collectively termed as the DNA damage response (DDR). The DDR is a signaling network that includes cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair and damage tolerance pathways. Failure of the DDR or associated events causes various diseases, including cancer. DDR is primarily mediated by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-like protein kinase (PIKKs) family members ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR). However, one of the many unanswered questions regarding these signal-transduction pathways is: how does the cell turn the DDR signals on? There was no conclusive demonstration of the involvement of a specific sensory kinase in DDR signals until our recent research on the DCLK1 role in regulating ATM after genotoxic injury. Currently, various studies are demonstrating the importance of DCLK1 in DNA damage response. Here, we discuss the novel insights into the role of DCLK1 in DNA damage response.


The partition coefficient of solutes into the polyamide active layer of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes is one of the three membrane properties (together with solute diffusion coefficient and active layer thickness) that determine solute permeation. However, no well-established method exists to measure solute partition coefficients into polyamide active layers. Further, the few studies that measured partition coefficients for inorganic salts report values significantly higher than one (∼3-8), which is contrary to expectations from Donnan theory and the observed high rejection of salts. As such, we developed a benchtop method to determine solute partition coefficients into the polyamide active layers of RO membranes. The method uses a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to measure the change in the mass of the active layer caused by the uptake of the partitioned solutes. The method was evaluated using several inorganic salts (alkali metal salts of chloride) and a weak acid of common concern in water desalination (boric acid). All partition coefficients were found to be lower than 1, in general agreement with expectations from Donnan theory. Results reported in this study advance the fundamental understanding of contaminant transport through RO membranes, and can be used in future studies to decouple the contributions of contaminant partitioning and diffusion to contaminant permeation.


PURPOSE
The advances in stem cell biology hold a great potential to treat retinal degeneration. Importantly, specific cell types can be generated efficiently with small molecules and maintained stably over numerous passages. Here, we investigated whether neural stem cell (NSC) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) by small molecules can preserve vision following grafting into the Royal College Surgeon (RCS) rats; a model for retinal degeneration.

METHODS
A cell suspension containing 3 × 104 NSCs or NSCs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) was injected into the subretinal space or the vitreous cavity of RCS rats at postnatal day (P) 22; animals injected with cell-carry medium and those left untreated were used as controls. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated by testing optokinetic response, recording luminance threshold, and examining retinal histology.

RESULTS
NSCs offered significant preservation of both photoreceptors and visual function. The grafted NSCs survived for long term without evidence of tumor formation. Functionally, NSC treated eyes had significantly better visual acuity and lower luminance threshold than controls. Morphologically, photoreceptors and retinal connections were well preserved. There was an increase in expression of cillary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in Müller cells in the graft-protected retina.

CONCLUSIONS
This study reveals that NSCs derived from hESC by small molecules can survive and preserve vision for long term following subretinal transplantation in the RCS rats. These cells migrate extensively in the subretinal space and inner retina; there is no evidence of tumor formation or unwanted changes after grafting into the eyes.

TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
The NSCs derived from hESC by small molecules can be generated efficiently and provide an unlimited supply of cells for the treatment of some forms of human outer retinal degenerative diseases. The capacity of NSCs migrating into inner retina offers a potential as a vehicle to delivery drugs/factors to treat inner retinal disorders.


Evidence from stratigraphic relationships and petrographic analyses indicates that most upright tree stumps at Specimen Ridge in Yellowstone National Park were buried in place. These stumps are commonly rooted in a fine-grained tuffaceous sandstone that shows no petrographic evidence of being deposited by current action; in fact, most sandstones have textures resembling immature soils. Conglomerates that overlie these root-zone sandstones flow around and bury the vertical trunks. Trees were apparently killed in place by either mudflows or rising lake waters, giving rise to discontinuous, localized clusters of preserved trees in a given stratigraphic interval. However, the episodic nature of mudflow sedimentation indicates that these stacked clusters are likely remnants of successive forests with enough time between them to allow for incipient soil development.


'Skilful Means' is the key principle of Mahayana, one of the great Buddhist traditions. First described in the Lotus Sutra, it originates in myths of the Buddha's compassionate plans for raising life from the ceaseless round of birth and death. His strategies or interventions are 'skilful means' - morally wholesome tricks devised for the purpose of enabling nirvana or enlightenment. Michael Pye's clear and engaging introductory guide investigates the meaning and context of skilful means in Mayahana Buddhist teachings, whilst tracing its early origins in ancient Japanese and Theravada thought. First published in 1978, and still the best explanation of the concept, it illuminates a core working philosophy essential for any complete understanding of Buddhism.


The objective of this work is to determine optimal inter-well spacing and hydraulic fracture length of the Three Forks assets in the Williston Basin operated by SM Energy. SM Energy is an independent exploration and production company with operations across North America, mainly in Texas and North Dakota. SM Energy recently switched to infill drilling development in their North Dakota assets and is interested in knowing the economically optimal number of wells that can be drilled per two-section drilling unit. A simulation approach was taken in this research to address SM Energy's issue. For research purposes a small pilot area was chosen from the Williston Basin with twelve operating wells. The pilot area is located at Colgan Field, Williston Basin North Dakota USA. The geological and reservoir model of the pilot area was simulated in Petrel and hydraulic fracture properties were obtained from SM Energy and incorporated into the Petrel model. After building a sound geological model the next focus was to match observed production data from the wells in the study area. After validating the model by successful history matching, the simulated model was used to answer the study question. The study question was answered by evaluating different case scenarios with symmetrical well spacing and varying well densities. Economic analysis was performed using current drilling costs, operating costs and a range of oil prices. Results from economic analysis were used to determine the most profitable situation for SM Energy. Another focus of this thesis was on high water cuts in the operating wells. The study wells are operating around 50% water cut. In this work water influx was modelled using different aquifer models and flow geometries to match the water production data from the field. This work determined the number of wells that can be drilled economically in the Three Forks asset. In addition, SM Energy also benefits by understanding the predominant source of water influx in the study area.


Theoretical results for the far-wing line shapes and corresponding absorption coefficients in the high-frequency wing of the nu(3) fundamental band of self-broadened CO(2) are presented for a number of temperatures between 218 and 751 K. These first-principles calculations are made assuming binary collisions within the framework of a quasi-static theory with a more accurate interaction potential than in previous calculations. The theoretical results are compared with existing laboratory data and are in good agreement for all the temperatures considered.


Since Woodward's ambiguity function contains all the optical transfer functions with varying focus error, it can be applied to display visually the tolerance to focus error. We compare the tolerance to defocus of a transparent but finite extended pupil and a pupil with a central obscuration.


Today it is common to solve the Non-Linear Programming (NLP) problem arising in NMPC by the use of gradient-based optimization. However, these techniques may not be suited if the prediction model, and thus the optimization problem, is not differentiable. Such cases can arise when the prediction model contains logic operators, lookup-tables or a variable-step ODE-solver is used to simulate the prediction model. Although the model may be made differentiable by alterations or using another ODE-solver, this can compromise the accuracy of the prediction, and thus the performance of the NMPC can suffer. Therefore it is desirable to investigate techniques that can solve a NLP without requiring the gradient of the objective function or its constraints. Derivative-Free Optimization(DFO) has been subject to substantial research, as it is common for gradient information to be unavailable in optimization. This class of algorithms have been frequently applied to simulation-based optimization, as well as to some extent to NMPC. However, for the latter the studies have mainly been limited to smaller and simpler systems. This thesis will investigate some theoretical fundamentals of DFO, and present some common practical algorithms. Then a case-study is performed which develops a NMPC for a particular industrial crude-oil separator. This controller is simulated using the presented algorithms, as well as a gradient-based SQP. The experience gained is then used to modify an existing algorithm to improve real-time performance. The findings of the thesis are that DFO is significantly more robust against the numerical issues which the model of the case-study inhabits compared to the SQP tested. Further, one of the DFO-algorithms is comparable with the particular SQP, both with respect to computational consumption and accuracy of the solutions. Another algorithm is also very robust against numerical issues. Distribution of the computational load over several processing cores can improve real-time performance significantly, as well as minimizing the computational consumption by reducing the number of predictions required at each time step. This makes DFO a promising alternative to gradient-based optimization in NMPC.


There has been a dramatic turn of events against the tobacco industry in the past few years, raising the question of the appropriate future path for smoking policy in the US. This paper discusses the theory and evidence on regulation of smoking. The author begins by reviewing the background on this industry. He then turns to a discussion of the motivations for regulating smoking. He argues that the available evidence suggests that we move from the traditional model, which ties regulation to costs external to the smoker, to a new framework where regulation is related to the internal costs of smoking (the damage the smoker does to him- or herself). The paper reviews the evidence on the effects of existing regulations. It concludes with a discussion of future policy directions.


We present a novel method to extract iso-surfaces from distance volumes. It generates high quality semi-regular multiresolution meshes of arbitrary topology. Our technique proceeds in two stages. First, a very coarse mesh with guaranteed topology is extracted. Subsequently an iterative multi-scale force-based solver refines the initial mesh into a semi-regular mesh with geometrically adaptive sampling rate and good aspect ratio triangles. The coarse mesh extraction is performed using a new approach we call surface wavefront propagation. A set of discrete iso-distance ribbons are rapidly built and connected while respecting the topology of the iso-surface implied by the data. Subsequent multi-scale refinement is driven by a simple force-based solver designed to combine good iso-surface fit and high quality sampling through reparameterization. In contrast to the Marching Cubes technique our output meshes adapt gracefully to the iso-surface geometry, have a natural multiresolution structure and good aspect ratio triangles, as demonstrated with a number of examples.


Open online courses provide a unique opportunity to examine learner preferences in an environment that removes several pressures associated with traditional learning. This mixed methods study sought to examine the pathways that learners will create for themselves when given the choice between an instructor-directed modality and learner-directed modality. Study participants were first examined based on their levels of self-regulated learning. Follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted to examine the choices that participants made, the impact of the course design on those choices, and what role self-regulation played in the process. The resulting analysis revealed that participants desired an overall learning experience that was tailored to personal learning preferences, but that technical and design limitations can create barriers in the learning experience. The results from this research can help shape future instructional design efforts that wish to increase learner agency and choice in the educational process


The chief aim of plant breeding is to improve varieties so as to increase their yield and breeding traits. One of the first stages of breeding is the selection of parental forms from the available gene pool of existing varieties. To date, costly and laborious methods based on multiple crossbreeding and phenotypic selection have been necessary to properly assess genetic resources in terms of productivity, quality parameters, and susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stressors. The often long and complicated breeding cycle can be significantly shortened through selection using DNA markers. To this end, use is made of close couplings between the marker and the locus responsible for the inheritance of the functional trait. The aim of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and SilicoDArT markers associated with yield traits and to predict the heterosis effect for yield traits in maize (Zea mays L.). The plant material used in the research consisted of 19 inbred maize lines derived from different starting materials, and 13 hybrids resulting from crossing them. A two-year field experiment with inbred lines and hybrids was established at two Polish breeding stations on 10 m2 plots in a randomized block design with three replicates. The biometric measurements included cob length, cob diameter, core length, core diameter, number of rows of grain, number of grains in a row, mass of grain from the cob, weight of one thousand grains, and yield. The isolated DNA was subjected to DArTseq genotyping. Association mapping was performed in this study using a method based on the mixed linear model with the population structure estimated by eigenanalysis (principal component analysis of all markers) and modeled by random effects. Narew, Popis, Kozak, M Glejt, and Grom were the hybrids used in the study that showed the highest significant heterosis effect in 2013 and 2014. The similarity between parental components determined on the basis of SNP and SilicoDArT marker analysis did not exceed 33%. It was found that the genetic similarity between parental components, determined on the basis of SNP and SilicoDArT markers, reflected their degree of relationship, and correlated significantly with the effect of heterosis. As the results indicate, the parental components for heterosis crosses can be selected based on genetic similarity between parental components evaluated using SNP and SilicoDArT markers, supported with information on the origin of parental forms. Of the markers we analyzed, 76 were selected as being significantly associated with at least six traits observed in 2013 and 2014 at both the Łagiewniki and Smolice stations.


Abstract The INSTC formalised by India, Iran and Russia at the start of the new millennium to develope an alternative transport system linking India with Central Asia and Eurasia floundered for long due to scepticism and neglect by its member states. However, the withdrawal of the UN sanctions against Iran, the steady expansion of the Chinese influence in the region through the OBOR, and the urgent requirement of the land-locked Central Asian countries to gain maritime access offer new incentives for the member states to reinvigorate the project. This article explores the commercial and the strategic implications of the INSTC for India in the present context. .


When humans plan for the future, we recognize not only that one particular event may occur, but that the future can have different, mutually exclusive possible outcomes. A recent study by Suddendorf et al. (Suddendorf 2017 Biol. Lett. 13, 20170170 (doi:10.1098/rsbl.2017.0170)) suggests that young children (less than 3 years) and apes lack this capacity, as demonstrated by their failure to cover each of two tube openings to ensure catching an object that would drop randomly from one of the tubes. Before drawing conclusions based on these negative results, however, it is important to assess subjects' failures and test the reliability of the task itself. To explore whether the apes' performance resulted from an inability to represent mutually exclusive futures or from extraneous factors related to the task, we replicated the methods of Suddendorf et al. (Suddendorf 2017 Biol. Lett. 13, 20170170 (doi:10.1098/rsbl.2017.0170)) with a group of six chimpanzees but included a key control condition in which subjects were expected to cover both tubes on every trial (i.e. the rewards would consistently emerge from both tubes). We show that even in this straightforward condition in which the outcome of the trial was known, only four of the six subjects ever covered both tubes, typically doing so after a minimum of 17 trials, and often reverting back to covering one tube on later trials. We conclude that this task is not valid for testing the ability to represent mutually exclusive futures. We discuss what potential factors may explain the results and outline a new suggested method to continue testing for this capacity in the future.


Abstract:The future of structural reforms in Latin America is under discussion. This paper synthesizes the facts and opinions that underlie this debate taking into account both the neo-liberal agenda and the views of the anti globalization movement. The paper pointing out that although the reform process has not ground to a halt, it has been incomplete and uneven, both across countries and different areas of reform. Next, the paper analyzes analyzes public opinion of on the reform process and points out that disillusionment with the reforms has been growing, particularly among the middle class and in countries characterized by high levels of corruption. The paper third section of the paper reviews the effects of the reform on growth, poverty, inequality, and employment. The paper summarizes the main proposals to expand or reorient the reform agenda in Latin America.


Abstract The problem of multiobjective fuel loading pattern (LP) optimization employing high-fidelity three-dimensional (3-D) models is resolved by introducing the concepts of discontinuous penalty function, dominance, and two-dimensional (2-D)–based screening into the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. Each constraint and objective imposed on a reload LP design is transformed into a discontinuous penalty function that involves a jump to a quadratic variation at the point of the limiting value of the corresponding core characteristics parameter. It is shown that with this discontinuous form the sensitivity of the penalty coefficients is quite weak compared to the stochastic effect of SA. The feasible LPs found during SA update the set of candidate LPs through a dominance check that is done by examining multiple objectives altogether. The 2-D–based screening technique uses a precalculated database of the 2-D solution errors and is shown to be very effective in saving the SA computation time by avoiding 3-D evaluations for the unfavorable LPs that are frequently encountered in SA. Realistic applications of the proposed method to a pressurized water reactor reload LP optimization with the dual objectives of maximizing the cycle length and minimizing the radial peaking factor demonstrate that the method works quite well in practice.


Internationalization has become a goal of most universities in the world and includes increased student mobility across borders. Goals behind greater student mobility are mixed, but whatever the goals are, all institutions should strive to try to maximize the net benefits for students. An economics program between Dalhousie University in Canada and Shandong University of Finance and Economics in China is used to examine how net benefits can be maximized. Amongst the conclusions reached by the paper, it is students who participate in exchange or study abroad programs that will experience an increase in intercultural competence, which is a major benefit of the experience. A second significant conclusion is that language is a crucial determinant of success when students must adopt a foreign language when they study abroad. The paper also shows that faculty engagement is crucial to success. Strictly top-down programs that originate and/or reside in the central administration are less likely to have, and less likely to be successful without faculty engagement. The paper concludes that the institutions must have a commitment to the program that goes beyond a simple short term profit maximization motive but ultimately, the success of any program depends on the students themselves. Other factors can defeat a given program, but only the students can ultimately make a program successful.


The role of Varicella zoster virus (VZV) in neurological illness, particularly cerebrovascular disease, has been increasingly recognized. Primary infection by VZV causes varicella (chickenpox), after which the virus remains latent in neuronal ganglia. Later, during aging or immunosuppression, the virus can reactivate causing zoster (shingles). Virus reactivation can also spread to cerebral arteries causing vasculitis and stroke. Zoster is a recognized risk factor for stroke, but stroke can occur without preceding zoster rash. The diagnosis of VZV cerebral vasculitis is established by abnormal brain imaging and confirmed by presence of viral DNA or anti-VZV antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment with acyclovir with or without prednisone is usually recommended. VZV vasculitis is a unique and uncommon stroke mechanism that has been under recognized. Careful diagnostic investigation may be warranted in a subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke to detect VZV vasculitis and initiate appropriate therapy. In the following review, we detail the clinical presentation of VZV vasculitis, diagnostic challenges in VZV detection, and suggest the ways to enhance recognition and treatment of this uncommon disease.


Although theorists have interpreted classical conditioning as a laboratory model of Bayesian belief updating, a recent reanalysis showed that the key features that theoretical models capture about learning are artifacts of averaging over subjects. Rather than learning smoothly to asymptote (reflecting, according to Bayesian models, the gradual tradeoff from prior to posterior as data accumulate), subjects learn suddenly and their predictions fluctuate perpetually. We suggest that abrupt and unstable learning can be modeled by assuming subjects are conducting inference using sequential Monte Carlo sampling with a small number of samples — one, in our simulations. Ensemble behavior resembles exact Bayesian models since, as in particle filters, it averages over many samples. Further, the model is capable of exhibiting sophisticated behaviors like retrospective revaluation at the ensemble level, even given minimally sophisticated individuals that do not track uncertainty in their beliefs over trials.


Poultry in rural households are found in all developing countries. They play a vital role in many poor rural households as means of providing and ensuring food security. The aim of the study was to determine the sustainability of production and production constraints of poultry farming in Fetakgomo Local Municipality. A total of thirty poultry farmers were randomly selected from 11 poultry projects and were interviewed by using a prepared questionnaire. The data were entered in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and organized in tables and figures and further described and analysed following descriptive statistics. Results show that the majority of respondents (86.7%) do not have footbaths aiming to prevent the spreading of disease. Most (87%) of farmers do not see the poultry projects being sustainable. Furthermore, 73% of farmers see the community as the main market. The paper recommends that farmers should consider looking for markets outside the community for sustainable production. Extension services should assist them in this regard. The paper recognizes the role extension services can play in promoting health in poultry houses which should encourage farmers to increase production. Extension services may provide a link between farmers and suppliers of feed, chicks, production equipment and market outlets in order to encourage sustainability. The study found that small scale poultry farming is not sustainable in its current form in the Fetakgomo Local Municipality unless different strategies are applied.


Stroke is a common multi factorial cerebrovascular disorder with a large impact on global health. It is a disorder primarily associated with old age but environmental factors, lifestyle choices and medical history are all important for the risk of developing the disorder. It is also known that heritability is important for predisposition to the disorder. The aim of this work has been to identify genetic variations that increase the risk of being affected by stroke in the population of northern Sweden, a population well apt for genetic studies due to well kept church and medical records together with limited genetic diversity. In the first paper we used linkage analysis in families with early onset of stroke. By this approach we identified a region on chromosome 5q to be linked to an increased risk of developing stroke, a region previously identified as a susceptibility locus for stroke in the Icelandic population. In the second study we used genealogy to identify common ancestry and thereby identify common susceptibility to stroke. The seven families we connected showed significant linkage to the chromosome 9q31-33 region and four of the families shared a common haplotype over 2.1 megabases. In the third manuscript we investigated sequence variation of two candidate genes, TNFSF15 and TLR4. Sequencing of the TLR4 gene revealed previously identified variations in affected individuals from two of the families. Further SNP analysis showed five separate haplotypes among the investigated families and four haplotypes for TNFSF15. However none of these co-segregated with stroke among the investigated families. In the final paper we used a case-control stroke cohort to ascertain association for genetic variation in five genes and genetic regions previously suggested to be linked with stroke. Initial analyses showed association for the 9p21 chromosomal region and a variant in Factor 5 that showed protection against stroke, but after adjustments for common risk factors for stroke, the findings were no longer significant. In conclusion, by studying selected families we have been able to show linkage to two chromosomal regions, 5q and 9q31-33, that indicate genetic predisposition for developing stroke. Further we have shown that family based studies are still an important tool in deciphering the underlying mechanisms for complex disease.


Abstract This paper examines the effects of shear stress on the structural parameters that define the 'crystallinity' of graphite. The results show that highly crystalline graphite samples ground for up to 120 min do not undergo detectable changes in the three-dimensional arrangement of carbon layers but crystallite sizes (Lc and La) decrease consistently with increasing grinding time. Grinding also involves particle-size diminution that results in lower temperatures for the beginning of combustion and exothermic maxima in the differential thermal analysis curves. These changes in the structural and thermal characteristics of graphite upon grinding must be taken into account when such data are used for geothermometric estimations. Tectonic shear stress also induces reduction of the particle size and the Lc and La values of highly crystalline graphite. Thus, the temperature of formation of graphite according to structural as well as thermal data is underestimated by up to 100°C in samples that underwent the most intense shear stress. Therefore, application of graphite geothermometry to fluid-deposited veins where graphite is the only mineral found should take into consideration the effect of tectonic shearing, or the estimated temperatures must be considered as minimum temperatures of formation only.


Abstract.
 The geographic distribution of brachiopod genus occurrences over the Phanerozoic shows that secular declines in origination and extinction rates were paralleled by increases in invasion and extirpation rates. Origination and extinction rates declined in two phases, the first from the Cambrian to latest Permian Periods and the second from the latest Permian Period to the present, which were accompanied by concomitant increases in invasion and extirpation rates. In addition to the temporal correlation, an inverse correlation was also weakly evident among time-averaged latitudinal gradients of rates. Compared with faunas at higher latitudes, low-latitude faunas experienced higher origination and extinction rates, and lower invasion and extirpation rates. We suggest that progressive increases in migration ability lowered origination and extinction rates because species that were better equipped to track a preferred habitat, for example, by the ability to disperse larvae over large distances, were less likely to evolve or become extinct in response to local environmental changes. The two phases were separated by the end-Permian mass extinction, which reset to high levels the origination and extinction rates of a taxonomically and ecologically altered global brachiopod fauna. Our data also allow us to quantify the relative contributions of origination, extinction, invasion, and extirpation to regional diversity (quantified as 10° latitudinal zones) more generally. Overall, invasion and extirpation explained slightly more variation in diversity than in situ origination and extinction. The four variables usually occurred in combinations that maintained rather than altered the shape of the latitudinal diversity gradient. For most of the Phanerozoic Eon, the gradient was not the product of continuous renewal, but rather existed as a holdover from a previous interval.


Build your Lightroom expertise, one technique at a time. Why sort through piles of unrelated documentation when you can focus on the essential techniques? In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 How-Tos, author Chris Orwig brings you the best techniques to quickly organize and correct your digital images using this powerful program created specifically for photographers. Complete with illustrations and practical tips, these bite-sized lessons from Chriss experience as a photographer and instructor provide just the information you need. Here you can explore the program at your own pace, spending less time at your computer and more time behind the lens taking great pictures.Coverage includes Customizing the Interface Understanding File Formats Finding Images with Text, Refine, and Metadata Filters Using Presets in Quick Develop Correcting White Balance Applying Settings to Other Images Changing Hue, Saturation, and Luminance Dodging and Burning with the Adjustment Brush Customizing Web Galleries


This paper describes the evolution of a design and development process for a museum exhibit that delivered unencumbered or ambient interactive media using personal values as the main framework for customising interaction and thus for selecting and developing content. The context of the work is the developing field of products and systems that incorporate rich digital content. The work took place as part of an interdisciplinary research project that explored how people might interact with rich digital media in an unencumbered computing environment. An examination of the historical content of the planned exhibition, and the different stakeholders who influence that content led us to identify a set of ideas based on the different values at work, for example the different motivations and professional focus of the two main curators. This was then used as a reflective framework for the production of visual, video and audio material that could be incorporated. At the same time technical concepts were developed to define the opportunities for interaction and presentation of content in ways that emphasised unencumbered interaction using body movement and sensors rather than explicit computer devices. A second review allowed the value framework to be re-evaluated in the light of the content that had been created and the content was coded against that framework. An algorithm was developed that allowed a database to track visitors' interactions and maintain a developing profile of each visitor, with the content that they saw both responding to and testing that value profile. The result was tested in a live exhibition with members of the public and was found to provide an engaging experience. However the main findings presented in this paper will be in the process of development and how it allowed the design group to work with values while accepting that these were provisional rather than definitive. This will be discussed in the light of existing theories that govern the design of museums and their content and also theories of designing including recent thinking which draws on Polanyi's theories of tacit knowledge to describe a role for designers in tacitly processing experience rather than explicitly executing a brief.


Breeding programs for acid-soil tolerance are desirable as a relatively inexpensive and permanent way for increasing maize (Zea mays L.) yield on these soils. Our objective was to compare the genetic effects controlling the expression of maize traits in acid and non-acid soils. Seven related and one unrelated inbred lines, with different levels of tolerance to acid soil, and their F 1 ,F 2 ,B C 1 , and BC 2 generations were evaluated in four acid and two non-acid soils. Estimates of additive, dominance, and epistatic effects were computed for grain yield, plant height, days to mid-silk, and prolificacy, using the generation means analysis procedure. For all traits the major part of the variation was accounted for by additive and dominance effects, with dominance effects being more important than additive and epistatic effects for both acid and non-acid soils. Epistatic effects were significant for some crosses only, being more pronounced for plant height than for the other traits. Furthermore, epistatic effects were randomly distributed among the crosses and were not related to the grain yield of the single-crosses (F1's) and to the genetic relationships of the inbreds in either type of soil. The results suggest that similar pooled gene effects control the expression of the traits assessed in both acid and non-acid soils.


This paper identifies problems with the ordered breakup of Microsoft that seem to have been completely overlooked by the government, the judge, and the commentators. The breakup order prohibits Bill Gates and other large Microsoft shareholders from owning shares in both of the companies that would result from the separation. Given this prohibition, we show, dividing the securities in the resultant companies among the shareholders is not as straightforward as the government has suggested. Any method of distributing the securities that would comply with this mandate would either (i) impose a significant financial penalty on Microsoft's large shareholders that is not contemplated by the order, or (ii) create a risk of a substantial transfer of value between Microsoft's shareholders. In addition to identifying the difficulties and costs involved in the two distribution methods that would comply with the cross-shareholding prohibition, we examine how the breakup order could be refined to reduce these difficulties and costs. The problems that we identify should be addressed if a breakup is ultimately to be pursued and should be taken into account in making the basic decision of whether to break up Microsoft at all.


Equilibrium properties of macroscopic systems are highly predictable as n, the number of particles approaches and exceeds Avogadro's number; theories of statistical physics depend on these results. Typical pedagogical devices used in statistical physics textbooks to introduce entropy (S) and multiplicity (ω) (where S = k ln(ω)) include flipping coins and/or other equivalent binary events, repeated n times. Prior to instruction, our statistical mechanics students usually gave reasonable answers about the probabilities, but not the relative uncertainties, of the predicted outcomes of such events. However, they reliably predicted that the uncertainty in a measured continuous quantity (e.g., the amount of rainfall) does decrease as the number of measurements increases. Typical textbook presentations assume that students understand that the relative uncertainty of binary outcomes will similarly decrease as the number of events increases. This is at odds with our findings, even though most of our students had previously completed mathematics courses in statistics, as well as an advanced electronics laboratory course that included statistical analysis of distributions of dart scores as n increased.


The history of international criminal law has been, for the most part, a European tale. Though it was American insistence that prevented the summary execution of hundreds or thousands of German officers after the Second World War — an approach favoured by Churchill and seriously contemplated by Stalin — the United States subsequently backed away from serious engagement in international criminal law. Auschwitz and Nuremberg are the touchstones, with modern counterparts in Bosnia and The Hague. In the official record, the non-European experiences of international criminal law have tended to be in the form of poorer and more troubled siblings. Lack of resources has bedevilled African tribunals in Rwanda and their hybrid counterparts in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. In Asia, political tensions have been far more of a feature — whether one is considering the International Military Tribunal for the Far East or the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Such an account highlights the difficulties facing international tribunals, which are often burdened with unrealistic expectations of punishing the guilty, resolving societal conflicts, deterring future misconduct, and providing an authoritative history of a traumatic period. Yet that account also overlooks some of the important legal developments that have taken place outside Europe. There is, I would submit, much to learn from closer study of the Asian experiences of international criminal law in particular. Not all of it is positive. But as my former colleague Thomas M. Franck used to say: no one is completely useless; one can always be a bad example. International criminal law "with Asian characteristics" is not quite that bad, though it offers a provocative and under-utilised lens through which to view the possibilities and limitations of this relatively new set of laws and institutions. To that end, I first survey briefly the European history of international criminal law before considering how the notion of prosecution for international crimes developed in Asia in the international tribunals established after the war, the more recent experiments with hybrid institutions, and a few cases of domestic prosecutions.


Presents an important and unique introduction to random walk theoryRandom walk is a stochastic process that has proven to be a useful model in understanding discrete-state discrete-time processes across a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines. Elements of Random Walk and Diffusion Processes provides an interdisciplinary approach by including numerous practical examples and exercises with real-world applications in operations research, economics, engineering, and physics.Featuring an introduction to powerful and general techniques that are used in the application of physical and dynamic processes, the book presents the connections between diffusion equations and random motion. Standard methods and applications of Brownian motion are addressed in addition to Levy motion, which has become popular in random searches in a variety of fields. The book also covers fractional calculus and introduces percolation theory and its relationship to diffusion processes.With a strong emphasis on the relationship between random walk theory and diffusion processes, Elements of Random Walk and Diffusion Processes features:Basic concepts in probability, an overview of stochastic and fractional processes, and elements of graph theoryNumerous practical applications of random walk across various disciplines, including how to model stock prices and gambling, describe the statistical properties of genetic drift, and simplify the random movement of molecules in liquids and gasesExamples of the real-world applicability of random walk such as node movement and node failure in wireless networking, the size of the Web in computer science, and polymers in physicsPlentiful examples and exercises throughout that illustrate the solution of many practical problemsElements of Random Walk and Diffusion Processes is an ideal reference for researchers and professionals involved in operations research, economics, engineering, mathematics, and physics. The book is also an excellent textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate level courses in probability and stochastic processes, stochastic models, random motion and Brownian theory, random walk theory, and diffusion process techniques.


In this experience report, we describe the rationale and need for immersive research experiences (IREs) in computer science (CS) that are designed to foster an inclusive community that encourages pursuit of graduate education for undergraduate women. Google's exploreCSR supports institutions across the US to execute IREs in computing throughout the academic year. We describe the program design and framework, the evaluation model, and present outcomes from two years of implementation across 29 institutions, with 1,983 (92% female) student participants collectively. The unique features of the program are that it aligns goals, measurements, and best practices across a national network of hands-on, localized IREs, resulting in peer communities and a sizable sample of undergraduates who identify as women and/or African-American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American, Hispanic/Latinx, and/or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AAHN). We discuss recommendations for effective IRE programming based on our evaluation and the features found to be particularly salient for AAHN women. The contribution of this work is in describing how a national initiative for IREs builds community and creates conditions known to support persistence of women in computer science.


The dynamics of forest‐atmosphere CO2 carbon isotope exchange were examined in a coniferous forest in Colorado, United States. Tunable diode laser absorption spectrometry provided extensive characterization of the carbon isotope content (δ13C) of CO2. Observed patterns in δ13C of forest air were associated with photosynthesis, respiration, and atmospheric boundary layer dynamics. Similar relationships between δ13C and CO2 were observed at all forest heights and confined to a relatively narrow envelope. Substantial variation was observed in the isotope ratio of nocturnal ecosystem respiration (δ13CR, calculated from isotopic mixing lines). A systematic bias was identified when estimating δ13CR from data sets with small range in CO2 in the samples, leading us to restrict analysis of δ13CR to periods with CO2 range >40 μmol mol−1. Values of δ13CR varied from −28.1 to −25.2‰, with variation from one night to the next as large as 1.7‰. A consistent difference was observed between δ13CR calculated near the forest floor (<2 m height) versus the upper canopy (5–11 m) on the same nights. δ13CR was more enriched in the upper canopy than near the ground on 34 of 43 nights, with a mean enrichment of 0.6‰ and a maximum of 2.3‰. A similar pattern was observed comparing δ13CR at night with the analogous quantity calculated during daytime, but only a few daytime periods met the 40 μmol mol−1 criterion. Comparisons between air samples measured (1) 10 m above the forest canopy, (2) 3 km away, and (3) within the convective boundary layer 125 km distant showed CO2 differences between sites as large as 5–6 μmol mol−1 even at midday. These results suggest that attempts to use flask measurements at remote monitoring stations as a proxy for the air directly interacting with a vegetation canopy should be made with caution. However, our results also suggest that substantial information about biosphere‐atmosphere isotopic exchange can be obtained by simultaneous examination of CO2 and δ13C at multiple spatial scales.


The effect of the detailed Raman cross section on the evolution of ultrashort solitons is considered. It is shown that the gain contribution leads to the self-frequency shift, whereas the phase contribution, which is usually determined by use of the Kramers–Kronig relations, has little visible effect. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that solitons are robust in the presence of Hamiltonian deformations.


"Your Best Triathlon" is a master plan that will guide experienced triathletes through every week of their season. For each phase of training, Joe lays out the path to success, outlining clear objectives and the guidelines to meet them. Joe Friel's highly refined training plans for sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman[registered], and Ironman[registered] race distances will help serious triathletes deliver a breakout performance, even those with countless races under their belt. Joe offers a tool kit of proven workouts that will isolate and develop specific abilities. Within each workout and plan, he offers easy modifications to better manage personal limiters and improve performance. Hundreds of thousands of triathletes have relied on Joe Friel and his groundbreaking best seller, "The Triathlete's Training Bible", to develop their own self-coached training programmes. Now Joe Friel, the most experienced coach in triathlon, reveals his formula for advanced training and coaches triathletes to their best race ever.


The continuous double auction (CDA) is the predominant mechanism in modern securities markets. Many agent-based analyses of CDA environments rely on simple non-adaptive trading strategies like Zero Intelligence (ZI), which (as their name suggests) are quite limited. We examine the viability of this reliance through empirical game-theoretic analysis in a plausible market environment. Specifically, we evaluate the strategic stability of equilibria defined over a small set of ZI traders with respect to strategies found by reinforcement learning (RL) applied over a much larger policy space. RL can indeed find beneficial deviations from equilibria of ZI traders, by conditioning on signals of the likelihood a trade will execute or the favorability of the current bid and ask. Nevertheless, the surplus earned by well-calibrated ZI policies is empirically observed to be nearly as great as what the adaptive strategies can earn, despite their much more expressive policy space. Our findings generally support the use of equilibrated ZI traders in CDA studies.


Is New York a post-secular city? Massive immigration and cultural changes have created an increasingly complex social landscape in which religious life plays a dynamic role. Yet the magnitude of religion's impact on New York's social life has gone unacknowledged. New York Glory gathers together for the first time the best research on religion in contemporary New York City. It includes contributors from every major research project on religion in New York to provide a comprehensive look at the current state of religion in the city. Moving beyond broad surveys into specific case studies of communities and institutions, it provides a window onto the diversity of religious life in New York. From Italian Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, and Russian Jews to Zen Buddhists, Rastafarians, and Pentecostal Latinas, New York Glory both captures the richness of religious life in New York City and provides an important foundation for our understanding of the current and future shape of religion in America.


People's stereotypes on the implementation of public services, especially in personnel services in general, particularly in Indonesia, mostly concern with bureaucratic hassle, since it is considered incapable of providing sufficient information, lack of transparency, and slow. The efforts to fix the stereotypes are incessantly conducted by the government through Good Governance in the field of information technology. Today, the role of information technology management must be more strategic in building the personnel data management system. The Government of Indonesia develops an online-based Personnel Service Application System (SAPK) that makes it a center for personnel needs management, career development, retirement, and personnel data update. SAPK is a new opportunity to create intellectual capital and provide a way for employees to contribute to the organization. In this paper, to determine the appropriate action of decision making, the interactive planning method is used as a draft of future design, based on current real conditions. The use of interactive planning method is believed to be the appropriate way to see the possibility of program or activity implementation. The results of this study demonstrate the technological use of Personnel Service Application System (SAPK) makes the personnel management a unified whole and centralized, easily researched and managed. Employees are also encouraged to be more active and independent in self- and knowledge- development. SAPK has the potential to make the time of document processing efficient and to improve the accuracy of data; and to make personnel skill improvement effective and to make decisions making timelier. By using interactive planning, the picture of future planning design is more visible, based on current real issues of State Personnel Agency (BKN).


Flying-fox camps in urban areas are a contentious wildlife management issue. Since 2012, Grey-headed Flying-foxes Pteropus poliocephalus have regularly occupied two camps in Batemans Bay, New South Wales (NSW). At one site, the Water Gardens, impacts on adjacent residents and businesses occur when animals roost near the reserve boundaries. During March–July 2016, a large influx of flying-foxes arrived, causing the camps to spread into neighbouring residential, recreational and industrial areas. Prior to this, impacts had been mitigated through vegetation clearing to create buffer zones and residential subsidies for mitigation equipment and services. The influx warranted additional measures such as a dispersal program and further vegetation removal, which were expedited by the Commonwealth Government granting a National Interest Exemption under section 158 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the NSW Government committing $2.5 million in funding towards the new measures. These measures moved flying-foxes from key conflict areas but also coincided with flying-fox numbers reducing as local blossom diminished. Ongoing community engagement played an important role in building community resilience to live with this threatened species, which is vital considering that Batemans Bay will likely continue to be an important area for flying-foxes.


A rail joint typically is one of the weakest elements of a track superstructure, primarily because of discontinuities in its geometric and mechanical properties and the high-impact loads induced by these discontinuities. The development of continuously welded rail has significantly reduced the number of rail joints, but many bolted joints remain installed in rail transit systems. Because of the unique loading environment of a rail transit system (especially high-frequency, high-repetition loads), defects related to bolted rail joints (e.g., joint bar failures, bolt hole cracks, and cracks in the upper fillet) continue to cause service failures and can pose derailment risks. Recent research in the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign has focused on investigating crack initiation in the bolt hole and fillet areas of bolted rail joints. Stress distribution was investigated at the rail-end bolt hole and upper fillet areas of standard, longer, and thicker joint bars under static loading conditions. Numerical simulations were organized into a comprehensive parametric analysis performed with finite element modeling. Preliminary results indicated that the longer joint bar performed similarly to the standard joint bar but the thicker joint bar reduced rail vertical displacement and rail upper fillet stresses compared with the standard joint bar. However, the thicker joint bar also may generate higher stresses at the rail-end bolt hole. Additionally, joint bar performance was dependent on the rail profile and bolt hole location.


Transmission expansion planning is receiving an increased attention, primarily due to the large-scale grid upgrades that will be necessary to accommodate renewable generation or to increase cross-border capacity. The intermittency of renewables, and the uncertainties inherent to long-term planning, makes it advisable to use solution methods that cope with uncertainty explicitly. Stochastic Optimisation and, in particular, Benders' decomposition, is one of the most widely applied approaches in this context. However, large-scale planning can still present computational problems. Several techniques have been proposed to accelerate Benders' decomposition. However, they appear disperse and usually without a clear application scope. Most of them have not been applied to TEP yet. This study presents a comprehensive view on TEP applied to Benders' decomposition and the techniques available to accelerate its resolution, together with semi-relaxed cuts, a technique proposed in the previous work by Lumbreras and Ramos in 2013. Then, for three case studies based on IEEE test cases, the most promising of these techniques are implemented and their effectiveness is compared. All test cases could save about 50% of solution time using simple and easy-to-implement techniques, showing that there is an interest in using these approaches in academic and practical TEP applications.


We propose a framework that infers mid-level visual properties of an image by learning about ordinal relationships. Instead of estimating metric quantities directly, the system proposes pairwise relationship estimates for points in the input image. These sparse probabilistic ordinal measurements are globalized to create a dense output map of continuous metric measurements. Estimating order relationships between pairs of points has several advantages over metric estimation: it solves a simpler problem than metric regression, humans are better at relative judgements, so data collection is easier, ordinal relationships are invariant to monotonic transformations of the data, thereby increasing the robustness of the system and providing qualitatively different information. We demonstrate that this frame-work works well on two important mid-level vision tasks: intrinsic image decomposition and depth from an RGB image. We train two systems with the same architecture on data from these two modalities. We provide an analysis of the resulting models, showing that they learn a number of simple rules to make ordinal decisions. We apply our algorithm to depth estimation, with good results, and intrinsic image decomposition, with state-of-the-art results.


During a taste and odor episode (2-methylisoborneol) in a reservoir that supplies the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region, Brazil, two surveys were conducted to determine tap water usage behavior as well as the sensory sensitivity towards off-flavors of participants with the same level of education. Most volunteers did not consume tap water, mainly due to safety concerns (57%) and disagreeable organoleptics (21%). The majority of those who did use tap water (73%) did so because of economic reasons and the remainder because of the use of point-of-use water filtration systems, which rendered the water safer in their perception. The Human Development Index (HDI), as a measure of income, did not influence the rate of rejection. Volunteers from low and medium HDI neighborhoods were as likely to reject tap water as those from high HDI neighborhoods. Chlorine flavor and earthy flavor were the most perceived off-flavors. Water containing moderate amounts of off-flavor compounds (dilution 1:2 tap/bottled water) was considered 'acceptable' by volunteers while water containing low concentrations (dilution 1:5 tap/bottled water) was considered 'good'.


Abstract This paper describes the evolution of the Cultural Image Literacy Assessment-USA©. This assessment represents an important first step in measuring image literacy within a culture. Visual literacy is an integral part of all cultures. The framework used in creating an assessment of cultural image literacy in the United States could be employed in developing measures of visual literacy for other cultures. In so doing, image literacy can be compared within and across cultures. This survey study explores the effects today's visual environments have on knowledge levels, and more importantly, knowledge gaps. The study builds on research relating to knowledge gap theory by describing the evolution of cultural image literacy assessment and providing current levels of image literacy within the United States. The final version of the assessment was distributed to undergraduate students (N = 309) at a public university in the Southeast. Overall, respondents correctly identified an average of 68% of the images – a visual literacy grade of D. Respondents did better identifying general images followed by personalities, events and landmarks, and art and social movements. Implications for educators and education are discussed and future directions for this research are described.


In this note we study the effect of adding fixed points to justification logics. We introduce two extensions of justification logics: extensions by fixed point (or diagonal) operators, and extensions by least fixed points. The former is a justification version of Smoryǹski's Diagonalization Operator Logic, and the latter is a justification version of Kozen's modal μcalculus. We also introduce fixed point extensions of Fitting's quantified logic of proofs, and formalize the Knower Paradox and the Surprise Test Paradox in these extensions. By interpreting a surprise statement as a statement for which there is no justification, we give a solution to the self-reference version of the Surprise Test Paradox in quantified logic of proofs.


Activity-Centric Computing and Context Awareness in Mobile Personal Information Management by Torstein Thune Information and tools on modern smartphones are tightly tied to applications. It is hard to move information between applications, and it is often near impossible to collect and compare information from several sources. In this thesis I will explore how we through applying activity-centric computing and context awareness to the current generation of smartphone operating systems can advance the state of mobile personal information management. The thesis presents two prototypes, Activity Ant 1 and Activity Ant 2, showing how activity-centric computing and context awareness can be implemented from an Human-Computer Interaction perspective. User reactions and suggestions are also presented and discussed.


We used the discrete wavelet transform to approximate an image at a lower resolution in preparation for object recognition using correlation techniques. We cross- correlated the low-resolution image with a similarly processed image containing an object of interest. Then, we synthesized the cross-correlation result to the resolution of original image. Using this approach, we avoided cross- correlating an image multiple times and passing information between levels of an image representation such as an image pyramid. We satisfactorily identified objects at 1/4 resolution using the wavelet representation and binary phase-only filters. We chose wavelets based on their impulse response and found that different wavelet filters gave significantly different autocorrelation peak, and SNR values.


The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First, it is an exercise in the application of critical anthropological theory and methodology to a subject matter that has not been treated by these approaches. In the process, the construction of anthropological knowledge is consistently questioned and evaluated. Second, an exploration of menstrual ideology and practice is provided through the experiences of women living in south-western Ontario. Research was conducted through various methods: 100 women of different ages and ethnic backgrounds participated in a menstrual care product questionnaire. Store managers and owners were interviewed regarding the sales and merchandising of menstrual care products, as well as a thorough search of the feminine hygiene industry's different web sites. 18 women were interviewed regarding their menstrual history, sexuality, family experience, health, and their perceptions and choices of menstrual care products. Six different families participated in life history interviews. Four of these families are presented in the thesis in the form of 14 individual life histories. The topics discussed include: menarche, pregnancy, divorce, abortion, sexuality, work, family relationships, Toxic Shock Syndrome, Polycystic Ovarian disease, menopause, and commercial menstrual care products.


Lenalidomide and azacitidine are active in MDS patients, and may complement each other by targeting the bone marrow microenvironment and the malignant clone. A recent Phase I trial testing the lenalidomide and azacitidine combination yielded encouraging results; however, lenalidomide's contribution was unclear. In this study, 18 higher-risk MDS patients were treated with the combination for seven cycles, after which lenalidomide was discontinued in eight patients who achieved a complete response, with azacitidine monotherapy continuing until disease progression. We report on three patients who relapsed on monotherapy with excess blasts at 12, 19, and 24 months, in whom lenalidomide was then resumed in combination with azacitidine. Each patient, one with normal cytogenetics at relapse; one with a 18 abnormality; and one with del(4q25), recaptured a complete response that was sustained for 5, 7, and 7+ months. We conclude that the addition of lenalidomide to azacitidine provides additional clinical benefit over azacitidine monotherapy.


Namibia often experiences heavy rains in the north and north-eastern parts of the country, which results in severe flooding. For this reason, the country has endorsed the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) which seeks to develop the resilience of nations and communities to disasters and to assist countries to move away from the approach of emergency response to one of integrated disaster risk reduction. The aim of this article is to assess the resilience of the communities within the identified regions. A quantitative questionnaire was designed to assess people at risk of disaster related impacts. The questionnaire used 20 indicators to measure the level of progress at local level and how local governance plays a role in the mitigation and management of disasters. Analysis of data was done on a limited number of descriptors such as age, gender and local governance involvement, amongst others. There was generally a very high perception of threat (38%) in the study regions. Women perceived threat more accurately (mean = 4.09) than men. The community perceived threat more accurately than local government and civil society (mean = 4.08).


A rapid, efficient, clean and environmentally benign exclusive synthesis of Schiff bases as new ligands and their complexes with Zn(II) have been developed using condensation of pyridoxal with amoxicillin (L 1 ), cephalexin (L 2 ), sulphamethoxazole (L 3 ) and trimethoprim (L 4 ) efficiently in analcoholic suspension medium using alkali catalyst with excellent yields under microwaves irradiation. This method provides several advantages such as environmental friend liness, simple work-up procedure, short reaction times, non-hazardous and excellent yield of products.The results are compared with conventional methods for their yield and reaction time. The Schiff base ligands and the complexes were characterized by micro-analytical, thermo-gravimetric, magnetic and spectroscopic studies.All the Schiff bases were bidentate (NO donor) ligands. All complexes were found to be six co-ordinate dihydrates and ML2[1:2 (metal: ligand) ratio] type. The complexes are coloured and stable in air. All the complexes under investigation possess antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity showed the following trend: Zn(II)-complexes > Schiff base ligands > Parent drugs.


This memo specifies an RTP payload format for encapsulating Video
Codec 1 (VC-1) compressed bit streams, as defined by the Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard, SMPTE 421M.
SMPTE is the main standardizing body in the motion imaging industry,
and the SMPTE 421M standard defines a compressed video bit stream
format and decoding process for television. [STANDARDS-TRACK]


Biological interventions to improve performance, such as amphetamines, have a long history of military use, and in the future may include more advanced biotechnologies. This article discusses the ethics of using biomedical enhancements in the military. The article begins by describing the distinction between biomedical enhancements and interventions intended to prevent, treat or mitigate disease. It then sets forth three principles to guide the ethical use of bioenhancements—proportionality, paternalism and fairness. The article applies these principles to concerns raised by military bioenhancement: safety, fairness in access to military reward, carryover effects to civilian life, whether service members can be ordered to use bioenhancements and when they may be permitted to do so voluntarily.


Motivations. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have conceptually changed the planning of a molecular biology experiment, modifying the balance between the 'wet-lab' and the 'dry' aspects of the research in favor of the latter. Better and reliable results could be gained with the new technologies when adequate bioinformatics resources are allocated. In the last couple of years new and refined methods and algorithms have been developed to fully exploit this new data generation. Good results have been achieved especially for mRNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq experiments, taking advantage of the publicly available bioinformatics pipelines and of the robust analytical tools [1, 2]. In particular, combined analysis at both the transcriptomic and epigenomic level affords the opportunity of a much deeper characterization of biological samples, enabling the elucidation of the interlaced connections between genotypes and phenotypes. The development of ever more effective methods to integrate high-throughput data is thus a major challenge in the life sciences, as captured by Venkatesh and Harlow in 2002 [3] in their reframing of the concept of "integration" in molecular biology, also referred to as "Integromics", as the bioinformatic integration of high throughput 'omics' data [4, 5]. Methods. Here we advance in this integration effort and present new results obtained with a defined protocol of analysis, which combines the most recent NGS bioinformatic tools into an integrated pipeline aimed at investigating the transcriptional and epigenetic deregulation that underlies gliomagenesis. Malignant gliomas represent the most common form of primary brain tumor, comprising a pathologically and genetically heterogeneous set of tumor types, whose extremely poor prognosis has not significant improved in the last decades, with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most malignant glioma subtype, characterized by an average prognosis of less than one year [6, 7]. While genetic lesions and transcriptional profiles have been widely investigated in GBM [8], the chromatin-wide deregulation that mediates transcriptional changes, and whose effectors may constitute rational therapeutic targets, has not been uncovered. Specifically, despite convergent lines of evidence pointing to profound epigenome aberrations at the level of DNA methylation [9-11] and histonee modifications [12], we still do not understand the role that epigenetic alterations play in the initiation, progression and the recurrence of disease, which in turn prevents the definition of epigenetic pathways suitable as prognostic signatures or rational interventions. Results. Here we employed a murine model that faithfully recapitulates the most common genetic lesions (Ink4a/Arf inactivation; constitutive EGFR signaling) and pathological hallmarks of human GBM [13]. We used ChIPseq for Histone 3 Lysine 27 trimethylation (K27Me3) and mRNA-seq in order to integrate the analysis of the transcriptomic and epigenomic aberrations in tumorigenic astrocytes and glioma initiating cells (GICs) at, respectively, the onset and end of gliomagenesis. References 1. McCarthy DJ, Chen Y, Smyth GK: Differential expression analysis of multifactor RNA-Seq experiments with respect to biological variation. Nucleic acids research 2012:gks042-. 2. Micsinai M, Parisi F, Strino F, Asp P, Dynlacht BD, Kluger Y: Picking ChIP-seq peak detectors for analyzing chromatin modification experiments. Nucleic acids research 2012:1-16. 3. Venkatesh T, Harlow H: Integromics: challenges in data integration. Genome Biology 2002, 3:reports4027.1-reports4027.3. 4. Hawkins RD, Hon GC, Ren B: Next-generation genomics: an integrative approach. Nature reviews. Genetics 2010, 11:476-86. 5. LA Cao K-A, GonzAilez I, DA©jean S: integrOmics: an R package to unravel relationships between two omics datasets. Bioinformatics (Oxford, England) 2009, 25:2855-6. 6. Jiang Y, Uhrbom L: On the origin of glioma. Upsala journal of medical sciences 2012:1-9. 7. van den Bent MJ, Kros JM: Predictive and prognostic markers in neuro-oncology. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology 2007, 66:1074-81. 8. Eoli M, Silvani A, Pollo B, Bianchessi D, Menghi F, Valletta L, Broggi G, Boiardi A, Bruzzone MG, Finocchiaro G: Molecular markers of gliomas: a clinical approach. Neurological research 2006, 28:538-41. 9. Martinez R, Esteller M: The DNA methylome of glioblastoma multiforme. Neurobiology of disease 2010, 39:40-6. 10. Martinez R, Martin-Subero JI, Rohde V, Kirsch M, Alaminos M, Fernandez AF, Ropero S, Schackert G, Esteller M: A microarray-based DNA methylation study of glioblastoma multiforme. Epigenetics : official journal of the DNA Methylation Society 2009, 4:255-64. 11. Weller M, Stupp R, Reifenberger G, Brandes AA, van den Bent MJ, Wick W, Hegi ME: MGMT promoter methylation in malignant gliomas: ready for personalized medicine? Nature reviews. Neurology 2010, 6:39-51. 12. Lee J, Son MJ, Woolard K, Donin NM, Li A, Cheng CH, Kotliarova S, Kotliarov Y, Walling J, Ahn S, Kim M, Totonchy M, Cusack T, Ene C, Ma H, Su Q, Zenklusen JC, Zhang W, Maric D, Fine HA: Epigenetic-mediated dysfunction of the bone morphogenetic protein pathway inhibits differentiation of glioblastoma-initiating cells. Cancer cell 2008, 13:69-80. 13. Bachoo RM, Maher EA, Ligon KL, Sharpless NE, Chan SS, You MJ, Tang Y, DeFrances J, Stover E, Weissleder R, Rowitch DH, Louis DN, DePinho RA: Epidermal growth factor receptor and Ink4a/Arf: convergent mechanisms governing terminal differentiation and transformation along the neural stem cell to astrocyte axis. Cancer cell 2002, 1:269-77.


We address the quantum estimation of the diamagnetic, or A2, term in an effective model of light–matter interaction featuring two coupled oscillators. First, we calculate the quantum Fisher information of the diamagnetic parameter in the interacting ground state. Then, we find that typical measurements on the transverse radiation field, such as homodyne detection or photon counting, permit to estimate the diamagnetic coupling constant with near-optimal efficiency in a wide range of model parameters. Should the model admit a critical point, we also find that both measurements would become asymptotically optimal in its vicinity. Finally, we discuss binary discrimination strategies between the two most debated hypotheses involving the diamagnetic term in circuit QED. While we adopt a terminology appropriate to the Coulomb gauge, our results are also relevant for the electric dipole gauge. In that case, our calculations would describe the estimation of the so-called transverse P2 term. The derived metrological benchmarks are general and relevant to any implementation of the model, cavity and circuit QED being two relevant examples.


Effects of orthographic transparency on literacy acquisition were examined by comparing data from children
learning to read in Albanian, Welsh, and English. The Welsh and especially Albanian orthographies are
extremely transparent, whereas the English orthography is notorious for its lack of transparency.
In the pilot study, twenty Year I Albanian children were given a reading test consisting of a 100-word stratified
sample of decreasing written frequency. These children were able to read accurately 80% of the words; reading
latency was a direct effect of word length (R2 =. 89); and errors tended to be mispronunciations rather than real
word replacements, with hardly any null responses. These results were compared with Ellis and Hooper (2001),
where the same design was used with English and Welsh children of the same age, but with one more year of
formal reading instruction. The Albanian children read more words than the English and Welsh children, but
they had longer reading latencies. Like the Welsh children, but unlike the English children, the Albanian
children made more nonword errors. These results suggest that children acquire reading faster the more
transparent the orthography, and that shallow orthographies promote an initial reliance on a phonological
recoding strategy.
The main study examined reading, spelling, phonological and orthographic skills of 6-, 8- and 10-year old
Albanian, English and Welsh children. No cross-language differences were found in reading. In spelling,
however, Albanian children could spell significantly more words correctly than the Welsh children, who in turn
could spell more words than the English children. Furthermore, the youngest Albanian children outperformed
same-age English and Welsh children in the Phoneme Deletion task and Nonword Spelling. English children,
however, were extremely fast and accurate on the Wordchains task, whereas Albanian children were not. These
results suggest that children acquire spelling faster the more transparent the orthography, and that shallow
orthographies promote a fine-grained level of phonological awareness in young children. Deep orthographies
encourage children to rely more on strategies based on word-level orthographic representations.
Finally, regression analyses, revealed that phonological skills predicted early reading ability of Albanian and
Welsh children only. Orthographic skills predicted skilled reading, however, the contribution of these skills
was much stronger for the older English group. In spelling, phonological skills were the only predictor in
Albanian across the three age groups. For the English sample, phonological skills predicted early spelling and
orthographic skills were the best predictors of spelling ability in older children. The Welsh age-groups showed
mixed patterns. These findings, suggest the contribution of phonological and orthographic skills to reading and
spelling development is dependent on orthographic transparency.


Energy in a multipartite quantum system appears from an operational perspective to be distributed to some extent non-locally because of correlations extant among the system's components. This non-locality allows users to transfer, in effect, locally accessible energy between sites of different system components by local operations and classical communication (LOCC). Quantum energy teleportation is a three-step LOCC protocol, accomplished without an external energy carrier, for effectively transferring energy between two physically separated, but correlated, sites. We apply this LOCC teleportation protocol to a model Heisenberg spin particle pair initially in a quantum thermal Gibbs state, making temperature an explicit parameter. We find in this setting that energy teleportation is possible at any temperature, even at temperatures above the threshold where the particles' entanglement vanishes. This shows for Gibbs spin states that entanglement is not fundamentally necessary for energy teleportation; correlation other than entanglement can suffice. Dissonance—quantum correlation in separable states—is in this regard shown to be a quantum resource for energy teleportation, more dissonance being consistently associated with greater energy yield. We compare energy teleportation from particle A to B in Gibbs states with direct local energy extraction by a general quantum operation on B and find a temperature threshold below which energy extraction by a local operation is impossible. This threshold delineates essentially two regimes: a high temperature regime where entanglement vanishes and the teleportation generated by other quantum correlations yields only vanishingly little energy relative to local extraction and a second low-temperature teleportation regime where energy is available at B only by teleportation.


In this paper, using a static Financial Computable General Equilibrium (FCGE) model we investigate the effects of oil export decline on GDP, private consumption, investment, government expenditure and production of different sectors in Iran's economy. We consider zero profit conditions, market clearance, income balances, flexibility of government expenditures, imperfect mobility of labor across sectors, imperfect substitution of domestic and foreign goods, firms and households maximization based on CES functional forms. We calibrate our model based on Iran's Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) provided by central bank, which presents economic transactions data of 47 activities, 112 goods and services, 7 financial assets and 5 institutions. Our simulations shows that 50 percent reduction in oil export results 6.22, 4.9 and 13.63 percent reduction respectively in the level of GDP, private consumption and government expenditure, while in this scenario non-oil export shows 18.49 percent expansion. We also provide sensitivity analysis to support our findings.


More than six years after the great ( M w 9.2) Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, postevent processes responsible for relaxation of the coseismic stress change remain controversial. Modeling of Andaman Islands Global Positioning System (GPS) displacements indicated early near‐field motions were dominated by slip down‐dip of the rupture, but various researchers ascribe elements of relaxation to dominantly poroelastic, dominantly viscoelastic, and dominantly fault slip processes, depending primarily on their measurement sampling and modeling tools used. After subtracting a pre‐2004 interseismic velocity, significant transient motion during the 2008.5–2010.5 epoch confirms that postseismic relaxation processes continue in Andaman. Modeling three‐component velocities as viscoelastic flow yields a weighted root‐mean‐square (wrms) misfit that always exceeds the wrms of the measured signal (26.3  mm/yr). The best‐fitting models are those that yield negligible deformation, indicating the model parameters have no real physical meaning. GPS velocities are well fit (wrms 4.0  mm/yr) by combining a viscoelastic flow model that best fits the horizontal velocities with ∼50  cm/yr thrust slip down‐dip of the coseismic rupture. Both deep slip and flow respond to stress changes, and each can significantly change stress in the realm of the other; it therefore is reasonable to expect that both transient deep slip and viscoelastic flow will influence surface deformation long after a great earthquake.


A new method of studying the flow of the water along the bottom of a model of a flying-boat hull is described. In this method, the model is fitted with a transparent bottom and is divided down the center line by a bulkhead. The flow is observed and photographed through one-half of the model by means of the diffused illumination from a battery of lamps contained in the other half of the model. Photographs of the flow, particularly of the changes that occur when the step ventilates, are shown. The results of the present investigation indicate that the method has considerable promise, chiefly in connection with motion-picture studies.


The literature related to war captivity has reported that most former prisoners of war are still distressed by memories of traumatic experiences of their capture and captivity decades after repatriation. In addition, the earliest investigations of the effects of this traumatic experience on those repatriates have revealed that they are still suffering from numerous psychological and physical disturbances which are directly related to the traumatic experiences of their captivity. The present study has tested the effectiveness of a psychosocial rehabilitation programme on Iraqi former prisoners of the Iran-Iraq war, 1980-1988. Ninety two participants participated in this study and were randomly divided in two groups; intervention group and control group. The intervention group underwent a 12-week intervention, for an hour a week and completed a questionnaire on 4 occasions; before starting the intervention; half-way through the intervention (6 weeks); at the end of the intervention (12 weeks); and finally, 9 months after completion of the programme. The results of this study indicate that the majority of IRPOWs have some level of: PTSD (78.3%); anxiety (62.0%); and depression (63.0%). 85.9% of IRPOWs have a degree of satisfaction ranging from 2-5; and 80.5% of them have a good number of support persons (3-6), and 95.5% of them have medium to good levels of coping. These results reveal that many IRPOWs are still displaying problematical symptoms despite good levels of social support.

The study found no differences at pre-intervention between the Control group and Intervention group for demographic characteristics (current age, age at capture, duration of captivity, time since release, and monthly income, level of education, and rank), PTSD, anxiety, or depression. This gives the researcher confidence that the sampling was effective in eliminating selection bias between the control and intervention group and that change in PTSD and other conditions are likely to be related to the intervention. The study did not find any strong associations between demographic characteristics and outcome variables (PTSD, anxiety, and depression), suggesting that there was no effect of the age of IRPOWs at the time of capture or at the time of the study, duration of captivity, the period since release, rank, level of education, and monthly income on the severity of the symptoms of anxiety and depression or on the level of PTSD. The main finding of the study was that there were changes in levels of PTSD, anxiety and depression over time and following the intervention; with significant differences between the control group and Intervention group (For PTSD: the main time effect: F= 18.39, P= 0.01; between groups effect: F= 16.93, P= 0.01; and groups interaction overtime: F= 28.64, P= 0.01, for Anxiety: the main time effect: F= 6.41, P= 0.01; between groups effect: F= 4.20, P= 0.05; and groups interaction overtime: F= 30.93, P= 0.01, and for Depression: the main time effect was NS: F= 1.94, P= 0.16; between groups effect: F= 6.33, P= 0.01; and groups interaction overtime: F= 8.62, P= 0.01). It suggests the intervention was successful in reducing PTSD symptoms but there was a lack of any differences for anxiety and depression. This might have been due to the difficult security situation which made the increased travel that the intervention group had to undertake very stressful. The study recommends that improved mental health services should be provided in primary care and confidential counselling provided through employee-assistance programmes for IRPOWs; construct further psychosocial rehabilitation programmes for IRPOWs in other Iraqi provinces; and set plan to identify and evaluate the
psychological conditions for other IRPOWs groups, including those living in other towns and rural areas and to set follow-up studies to explore their progress.


Parasites can have considerable consequences for their freshwater fish hosts, irrespective of whether they are intermediate or final hosts. The ecological consequences of infection arise from processes including parasite manipulation, where the parasite manipulates the host to increase their chance of transmission to the next host in the lifecycle, and parasite-mediated competition, where a consequence of infection is an alteration in the symmetry of competition between hosts and their uninfected conspecifics, or with other species. Whilst there is a great deal of existing knowledge on some of these consequences, there also remain some considerable knowledge gaps. This research covered the role of parasite exposure and water temperature on infection consequences, the foraging responses of fishes to intermediate hosts of the fish parasite Pomphorhynchus laevis that has an indigenous and non-indigenous range in Great Britain, the ecological consequences of this parasite for some freshwater fishes across these ranges, the issue of 'enemy release' and 'parasite acquisition' in introduced freshwater fishes, and the ecological consequences of infection by some native parasites for native freshwater fish. When the freshwater fish chub (Squalius cephalus) was exposed to different levels of intermediate hosts (Gammarus pulex) of P. laevis under two water temperature treatments, ambient and warmed, it revealed this interaction had considerable consequences for both parasite prevalence and the infection parameters. Whilst parasite prevalence was substantially higher at the elevated temperature, where infections did develop at lower temperatures, they were associated with fewer but larger parasites resulting in significantly higher parasite burdens, indicating complex consequences for host-parasite relationships under conditions of warming. Studies into parasite manipulation have frequently used the P. laevis: G. pulex parasite-intermediate host system for investigating how infections can result in behavioural modifications to the host that then results in their elevated risk of being predated by a fish. Here, comparative behavioural functional response experiments were used to test differences in the consumption rates of three fishes exposed to either uninfected or infected G. pulex, testing the hypothesis that the consumption rate of infected G. pulex would be significantly higher. The Type II functional response curves indicated that the results of the experiments were contrary to this hypothesis, with subsequent behavioural and foraging experiments also supporting these results. These counter-intuitive outcomes were also contrary to most other studies that suggested a parasite would manipulate its intermediate host in a way that promotes its transmission to a final host and facilitating the continuation of its life cycle. The reasons for these outputs were discussed as likely to relate to different selection pressures in this host-parasite system, given this is a generalist parasite with a wide range of potential fish final hosts. This was revealed by studies on this parasite from four fish species from five rivers that demonstrated high parasite prevalence in all species studied and suggested that small-bodied fishes, such as bullhead Cottus gobio, might play important roles in the P. laevis lifecycle. These prevalences, and the pathological consequences of the P. laevis infections, were also consistent across their indigenous and non-indigenous range, suggesting parasite origin had minimal consequences on their virulence and on the susceptibility of hosts to infection. That parasite origin often has minimal ecological consequences for their ecological impacts was reinforced by work on the 'enemy release hypothesis' in non-native fish in England and Wales. This revealed very few non-native parasites had been introduced with their non-native fish hosts. Those that had been introduced tended to be specialist parasites with direct lifecycles that had little opportunity to be transmitted to native fishes. Instead, the acquisition of native parasites by the non-native fishes was frequently observed, leading to potential concerns these fish would act as reservoir hosts and spill-back the parasites to the native fishes. Given the low probability of parasite introduction, the ecological consequences of three native parasites with complex lifecycles were then tested on three native fishes, and revealed consistent patterns of trophic niche divergence between infected and uninfected population sub-groups. Whilst the actual mechanism underpinning this, such as parasite-mediated competition, could not be tested, these results did reveal that the consequences of infection can be far-reaching for hosts and can be measured through a variety of methodologies. In summary, the research provided some comprehensive insights into many aspects of the pathological and ecological consequences of infection for some freshwater fishes from native/ non-native and indigenous/ non-indigenous parasites. In doing so, it has raised a series of new questions and hypotheses for further investigation, with the host-parasite systems used here capable of answering these.


When it comes time for the three little wolves to go out into the world and build themselves a house, their mother warns them to beware the big bad pig. But the little wolves' increasingly sturdy dwellings are no match for the persistent porker, who has more up his sleeve than huffing and puffing. It takes a chance encounter with a flamingo pushing a wheelbarrow full of flowers to provide a surprising and satisfying solution to the little wolves' housing crisis. Eugene Trivizas's hilarious text and Helen Oxenbury's enchanting watercolors have made this delightfully skewed version of the traditional tale a contemporary classic.