The work included in this thesis
arose
from
a
long-standing interest in the
possible
use of genetic control for one of
the
most
important
malaria
vectors
in
Africa, Anopheles
gambiae sensu stricto. It was hoped that the
genes
involved in
animal
biting in the
sibling
species Anopheles quadriannulatus
could
be
exploited
by
crossing
with
An. gambiae s. s.
and using the fertile female hybrids for
successive
backcrosses to
An. gambiae s. s..
It
was
envisaged that this method could
be
used
in
an attempt to
produce
a mosquito
stock
that is
harmless to humans because it is
zoophilic
but
with
the
genetic
background
of
An. gambiae s. s. so that there would
be
no
barriers to
cross-mating
in the
wild.
The innate
host preference of mosquitoes can
be determined in the laboratory
using
an olfactometer,
or in the field using baits. Host-selection patterns
in
nature
are often affected
by
external
factors, which may or may not mask the
host
preference
of the
mosquito
species
in
question (discussed in section 1.3).
The main aim of this work was
to investigate the
host
preferences
of
the two
most
behaviourally diverse members of
the
Anopheles
gambiae
complex
(An. gambiae s. s. and An. quadriannulatus) and to attempt
to
modify
the
anthropophilic
host
preference
of
An. gambiae s. s. by hybridisation experiments
with the
zoophilic
An. quadriannulatus.
The behaviour of these two sibling species
was
assessed
in
an olfactometer
by testing
a
range of odours. Anopheles gambiae s. s.
behaved
as expected
and was
attracted
to
human
odours. However, the behaviour of
An. quadriannulatus
was
somewhat
unexpected
and
a
large proportion also selected human odour.
Therefore
an outdoor
host-choice
experiment
was performed and confirmed
the
olfactometer
findings. A
standardised
bioassay
was
developed to evaluate the behaviour of
mosquitoes
resulting
from the
crossing
experiments. Human and cow skin washings
were
prepared
and
tested.
Cow
skin washing
combined with carbon dioxide and
tested
against
a
control
of
clean air
was then
chosen
to
evaluate the behaviour of hybrids and
backcrossed
mosquitoes
in the
olfactometer.
Three
backcrosses to both An. gambiae s. s.
and
An. quadriannulatus
were
performed,
which
showed extreme stability of the anthropophilic
trait.
A field
study
in
Ethiopia investigated
the host preference of An. quadriannulatus species B
and suggested
that this
species
is
more zoophilic than its sibling species
An. arabiensis
but is
also attracted
to
humans.
The
impact of these findings on our current
understanding
of the
behaviour
of members of
the
Anopheles gambiae complex is discussed.


BACKGROUND
Mesenchymal stem cells from adult bone marrow are multipotent cells capable of forming bone, cartilage, and other connective tissues. In a previous study, we demonstrated that autologous mesenchymal stem cells could repair a critical-sized bone defect in the dog. The objective of this study was to determine whether the use of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells could heal a critical-sized bone defect in the femoral diaphysis in dogs without the use of immunosuppressive therapy.

METHODS
A critical-sized segmental bone defect, 21 mm in length, was created in the mid-portion of the femoral diaphysis of twelve adult dogs that weighed between 22 and 25 kg. Each defect was treated with allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells loaded onto a hollow ceramic cylinder consisting of hydroxyapatite-tricalcium phosphate. A complete mismatch between donor stem cells and recipient dogs was identified by dog leukocyte antigen typing prior to implantation. The healing response was evaluated histologically and radiographically at four, eight, and sixteen weeks after implantation. The radiographic and histological results at sixteen weeks were compared with the historical data for the control defects, which included defects that had been treated with a cylinder loaded with autologous mesenchymal stem cells, defects treated with a cylinder without mesenchymal stem cells, and defects that had been left untreated (empty). The systemic immune response was evaluated by the analysis of recipient serum for production of antibodies against allogeneic cells.

RESULTS
For defects treated with allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell implants, no adverse host response could be detected at any time-point. Histologically, no lymphocytic infiltration occurred and no antibodies against allogeneic cells were detected. Histologically, by eight weeks, a callus spanned the length of the defect, and lamellar bone filled the pores of the implant at the host bone-implant interface. Fluorescently labeled allogeneic cells were also detected. At sixteen weeks, new bone had formed throughout the implant. These results were consistent with those seen in implants loaded with autologous cells. Implants loaded with allogeneic or autologous stem cells had significantly greater amounts of bone within the available pore space than did cell-free implants at sixteen weeks (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study demonstrated that allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells loaded on hydroxyapatite-tricalcium phosphate implants enhanced the repair of a critical-sized segmental defect in the canine femur without the use of immunosuppressive therapy. No adverse immune response was detected in this model.


The author reviews a form of management for patients deteriorating preoperatively or postoperatively from apparent ischemia attributed to progressive vasospasm after a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The clinical picture and relative frequency of this complication are considered in relationship to the status (grade) of the patient, location of the aneurysm, and ultimate neurological recovery. Experience suggests that the drug regimen reported is useful when instituted early after the onset of symptoms and is safe with proper monitoring techniques. The data do not justify early operative intervention after a subarachnoid hemorrhage, operation when there is angiographic evidence of severe spasm, or expectation of a dramatic effect in patients with a profound deficit or a fixed deficit several hours old.


Mawat-Chuarta area has a complex geological setting, which is manifested by highly deformed mixture of all type of rocks, sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous. Through the area these rocks have penetrated, as tongue, in to the autochthonous rocks. In the southeast and northwest of the area two large normal faults are identified which have more than 500m of throw. The area between these faults (Chuarta-Mawat area) has suffered clear subsidence as compared to the neighboring areas. This subsidence is attributed to the normal faulting accompanying graben. Much structural and sedimentological evidence are given to prove the presence of a graben. The evidence is illustrated by sketches and photos with suitable maps. The given evidences include striation, slickenside, triangular facet, bitumen seepage, nappe of sedimentary and ophiolite rocks and thick accumulation of conglomerates.


Although open source and the related processes have become an inherent part of the computer industry, companies and other contributors are often reluctant when it comes to active involvement and participation. The reasons are manifold. Strong ones are that most open source projects are self-governing, without a fixed road map or schedule, each which its own development process. This seems to make them unreliable and unpredictable, because personal intentions cannot be enforced and rely on the open source community in charge of leading the projects. Within an exemplary case study, a new feature spawning multiple layers of a GNU/Linux based operating system, and thus different open source projects, will be implemented and submitted for inclusion. All this bounded by a predefined, fixed time frame, which might be exemplary for schedule and budget driven company structures. The underlying development processes of the Linux kernel, a middle ware project called UDisks and the GNOME desktop will be considered and acted upon accordingly. As a whole, the feature submission failed, because it was not possible to include all the required changes in all target projects in time. The failure has two main reasons: First, it is caused by technical problems which could occur in every software project, and thus not related to open source processes in particular. Second, and more relevant for this research, delays occurred due to common obstacles one has to face in the individual open source development processes. Individuals cannot put as much pressure as they like on the projects and are kind of at their mercy. As an overall outcome, trying to include a new feature in different open source projects depending on each other is possible, however, unpredictable to a certain extent. The open source community has its own rules and processes, companies or other contributors cannot rely on being able to influence in whatever way they want. The advancements heavily depend on the relevant community and project members and thus the process involved. Conclusion: When submitting patches, always expect another iteration.


The internal conductance from intercellular spaces to the sites of carboxylation ( g i ) has only been measured in a few tree species and not in conifers, despite the fact it may impose a large limitation on photosynthesis. The present study provides the first estimates of g i for a coniferous species, and examines variation in g i with height and its relationships to anatomical, biochemical and physiological traits. Measurements were made on upper and lower canopy current-year needles of 50-year-old Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Needle thickness and specific leaf area decreased by 30% from the top to bottom of the canopy. These anatomical/morphological changes were accompanied by modest variation in allocation of N to chlorophyll and the chlorophyll a / b ratio. Allocation of N to Rubisco did not vary with height, but the ratio of Rubisco to chlorophyll did owing to the aforementioned changes in allocation to chlorophyll. The value of g i was estimated in one tree from concurrent measurements of carbon isotope discrimination and net photosynthesis. To examine the variation in g i among trees a second independent method based on day respiration and the difference between the chloroplastic and intercellular photocompensation points (photocompensation point method) was used. Estimates of g i obtained by the two methods agreed well with values varying between 0.14 and 0.20 mol m - 2 s - - 1 . It is estimated that g i limits photosynthesis by approximately 20% as compared to an approximately 30% stomatal limitation (under well-watered conditions). The value of g i scaled approximately with maximum rates of photosynthesis, which were significantly greater in upper canopy needles. Nevertheless, g i did not vary significantly with canopy height, owing to greater variability in g i than photosynthesis.


The changing of disease patterns from infectious diseases to heart, cancer, and degenerative diseases needs advanced technologies to support diagnosis and to give therapies. The Automatic Clinical Analyzer (ACA) is one of modem laboratory equipments which continuously developed to enhance patient service outcomes. Previous researches showed its utilization rates varied 20-46.6% from total capacities per year. It indicated low utilization problems. So this research aimed patient characteristics and physician factors determining the utilization of the ACA. This was a descriptive study with a to-cross sectional design. Data were collected by interview to patients visited laboratories and physicians who referred patients for determine laboratory examinations using the ACA. The study was conducted in 2 (two) public hospital laboratories and 4(four) private clinical laboratories in Surabaya and Malang, East Java Province. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results showed that the patient characteristics who used ACA were higher proportion of those with older aged, women and senior high school to above education levels. Access to the services was also a determining factor of the ACA use because further distance increased transportation cost to reach the facilities. It also showed that the higher patient income received more services from the ACA and likely to visit private laboratories. From the physician view points, the factor determining the ACA use were that exmination results supported diagnosis, quickly be knew or received and easy to get. The study recommends to conduct further ACA studies associated with feasibility and effective cost to respond equity problems and the efficiency of ACA use. Key words: utilization, Automatic Clinical Analyzer, patients, physicians


Regulation of renal hemodynamics and oxygenation is complex and its detailed understanding is crucial to improve therapeutic procedures for kidney diseases like acute kidney injury. For the challenging task of monitoring renal hemodynamics and oxygenation in rats, we designed a continuous wave (cw) multispectral near-infrared spectroscopy setup. A fiber probe with a source fiber and eight detection fibers is placed on the ventral surface of the exposed rat kidney in vivo, and an additional source fiber is positioned on the dorsal surface. Nine wavelengths from 658 nm to 1060 nm are used to have sufficient redundancy for reliable quantification of hemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation of hemoglobin, and tissue water content. To investigate both, the surface layer and deeper tissues, the setup alternates between reflection and transmission at a rate of 10 Hz. Our system relies on spatially resolved reflection and transmission, and multispectral analysis to differentiate absorption from scattering. Monte-Carlo Simulations for a layered tissue structure are used as a model for quantitative characterization of the renal cortex and medulla. Renal parameters are monitored during baseline conditions and during dedicated pathophysiologically relevant interventions including arterial occlusion and changes of inspiratory gas mixture. Together with invasive probes, which monitor arterial blood pressure, renal perfusion and tissue oxygenation, a detailed picture of renal hemodynamics and oxygenation in several pathophysiological conditions is acquired. This detailed information can serve as a quantitative reference to other methods such as MRI.


In this paper, optical bistability of multilayer graphene structures is proposed and investigated. Here, results show that in spite of reduction of the Fermi level, we have optical bistability behavior in multilayer graphene structures in comparison to a single layer one. Also, the hysteresis width and threshold values are adjustable. It should be mentioned that the layer numbers can be increased to specific numbers because of large loss and low on-state transmission due to electron–phonon relaxation time. Combination of the Fermi level and layer numbers provides us appropriate tuning to achieve desirable hysteresis width, threshold values, and on-state to off-state transmission ratio. Considering typical electron–phonon relaxation time of 1 ps, silicon as the dielectric medium, and the Fermi level about 0.7 eV, a structure with four graphene layers gives us on-state to off-state transmission ratio of about 11.48, on-state transmission of 0.31, and hysteresis width of 1.24 MV/m, which seems to be favorable at 1 THz and normal incidence condition. Our results support using multilayer graphene structures for future optical bistability-based low-power and tunable optical devices.


This story is told in the words of a tragic figure in American history - a hook-nosed, hollow-cheeked old Sauk warrior who lived under four flags while the Mississippi Valley was being wrested from his people.The author is Black Hawk himself - once pursued by an army whose members included Captain Abraham Lincoln and Lieutenant Jefferson Davis. Perhaps no Indian ever saw so much of American expansion or fought harder to prevent that expansion from driving his people to exile and death.He knew Zebulon Pike, William Clark, Henry Schoolcraft, George Catlin, Winfield Scott, and such figures in American government as President Andrew Jackson and Secretary of State Lewis Cass. He knew Chicago when it was a cluster of log houses around a fort, and he was in St. Louis the day the American flag went up and the French flag came down.He saw crowds gather to cheer him in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York - and to stone the driver of his carriage in Albany - during a fantastic tour sponsored by the government.And at last he dies in 1838, bitter in the knowledge that he had led men, women, and children of his tribe to slaughter on the banks of the Mississippi.After his capture at the end of the Black Hawk War, he was imprisoned for a time and then released to live in the territory that is now Iowa. He dictated his autobiography to a government interpreter, Antoine LeClaire, and the story was put into written form by J. B. Patterson, a young Illinois newspaperman. Since its first appearance in 1833, the autobiography has become known as an American classic.


Owing to the continued threat of antimicrobial resistance, it is critical that farmers and clinicians take the necessary steps to use antibiotics rationally in their respective practices, and only opt for it when all other options must have been exhausted. AmpC enzymes mediate bacteria resistance to the cephamycins such as cefotetan and cefoxitin which are important antibiotics used clinically to treat and manage bacterial related infections. This study phenotypically evaluated the prevalence and antibiogram of Enterobacteriaceae that produced AmpC enzymes. Fifty (50) anal swab samples from the anal region of cows in an abattoir in Abakaliki, Nigeria were bacteriologically analyzed. The isolation and identification of bacteria isolates were carried out using standard microbiology techniques. Antibiogram was evaluated using disk diffusion technique while AmpC enzyme production was detected using the ceftazidime imipenem antagonism test. Our results show that a total of 7 (14%) E. coli and 12 (24%) isolates of Klebsiella species was isolated. The antibiogram results showed that the isolated Klebsiella species and E. coli isolates exhibited reduced susceptibility to cloxacillin (100%), ertapenem (83.3%), cefoxitin (66.7%) and ceftazidime (58.3%) for Klebsiella species; and cefoxitin (71.4%), ertapenem (28.6%) and ceftazidime (28.6%) for isolates of E. coli. AmpC enzyme production was detected in 5 (71%) isolates of E. coli and 9 (75%) isolates of Klebsiella species. The AmpC producing E. coli and Klebsiella species were multiply resistant to over 4 antibiotics found in the class: fluoroquinolones, carbapenems, aminoglycosides and penicillins. Antibiotic usage in animal husbandry allows drug resistant bacteria such as those that produce AmpC enzymes to evolve and spread. This has implication for the general public since AmpC producing bacteria are notably resistant to 2nd generation cephalosporins which are used clinically for the treatment of serious bacterial infections. Continuous monitoring of the antibiotic resistance profile in abattoir and poultry isolates is recommended as a panacea to contain the problem of antibiotic resistance in the non-hospital environment.


Transaction pseudonyms with implicit attributes are a novel approach to multilevel linkable transaction pseudonyms. We extend earlier work of Juels and Pappu on reencryption-based transaction pseudonyms, by developing new mechanisms for controlled pseudonym linkability. This includes mechanisms for cooperative, stepwise re-identification as well as individual authentication of pseudonyms. Our proposal makes use of efficient techniques from the area of secure multiparty computation and cryptographically secure PRNGs.


This history of technology from Graeco-Roman times through the early twentieth century is told through contemporary writings by technologists, churchmen, naturalists, poets, economists, and statesman. These writings reveal how historical circumstance altered the direction of technical development, and how the intellectual forces of a period influenced and were in turn modified by technical progress.Topics covered include the position of technology in ancient Greece; early Christianity and technology; Islamic technology; engineering artists in the Renaissance; technical undertakings in the Baroque period; eighteenth-century England's lead in technology; the factory system of the industrial age; and automation in the twentieth century. Each section of the book contains numerous illustrations.


For the user of a collaborative robot, it is important to select robot parameters and trajectories such that the task is fulfilled while ensuring human safety at the same time. In human robot interaction (HRI), constrained collisions can be particularly hazardous to the human and recently, collision test devices were developed that assess safety in such scenarios. In this paper, we propose the concept of a constrained collision force map (CCFM), which relates the robot impact velocity and the collision reaction method its parameterization to the peak collision force in a constrained collision scenario. The CCFM is a tool that will help practitioners to implement both safe and efficient HRI applications and to understand the robot's collision behavior. In this work, we derive the CCFM for three robots (UR10e, UR5e, and Franka Emika Panda) for varying contact thresholds, contact stiffnesses, and robot poses. Finally, we compare our results with the force estimation suggested by ISO/TS 15066:2016.


The inkjet printing of graphene is a cost-effective, and versatile deposition technique for both transparent and non-transparent conductive films. Printing graphene on paper is aimed at low-end, high-volume applications, i.e., in electromagnetic shielding, photovoltaics or, e.g., as a replacement for the metal in antennas of radio-frequency identification devices, thereby improving their recyclability and biocompatibility. Here, we present a comparison of two graphene inks, one prepared by the solubilization of expanded graphite in the presence of a surface active polymer, and the other by covalent graphene functionalization followed by redispersion in a solvent but without a surfactant. The non-oxidative functionalization of graphite in the form of a donor-type graphite intercalation compound was carried out by a Birch-type alkylation, where graphene can be viewed as a macrocarbanion. To increase the amount of functionalization we employed a graphite precursor with a high edge to bulk carbon ratio, thus, allowing us to achieve up to six weight percent of functional groups. The functionalized graphene can be readily dispersed at concentrations of up to 3 mg ml(-1) in non-toxic organic solvents, and is colloidally stable for more than 2 months. The two inks are readily inkjet printable with good to satisfactory spreading. Analysis of the sheet resistance of the deposited films demonstrated that the inks based on expanded graphite outperform the functionalized graphene inks, possibly due to the significantly larger graphene sheet size in the former, which minimizes the number of sheet-to-sheet contacts along the conductive path. We found that the sheet resistance of printed large-area films decreased with an increase of the number of printed layers. Conductivity levels reached approximately 1-2 kΩ □(-1) for 15 printing passes, which roughly equals a film thickness of 800 nm for expanded graphite based inks, and 2 MΩ □(-1) for 15 printing passes of functionalized graphene, having a film thickness of 900 nm. Our results show that ink preparation and inkjet printing of graphene-based inks is simple and efficient, and therefore has a high potential to compete with other conductive ink formulations for large-area printing of conductive films.


Thermoelectric transport properties of n-type PbTe1−xIx with carrier concentrations ranging from 5.8 × 1018–1.4 × 1020 cm−3 are reinvestigated from room temperature to 800 K. The electronic transport properties, resistivity and Seebeck coefficient in this study are effectively consistent with prior reports, however the thermal conductivity has been found to be historically overestimated. The reassessment of the thermal transport properties, in combination with careful control of the carrier density by iodine doping, reveals a significantly larger figure of merit, zT ∼ 1.4, than often previously reported for n-type PbTe. The results and analysis of the data from this study lead to a redetermination of zT for this historical thermoelectric material and provide a renewed interest in n-type PbTe based materials.


The text of this Norton Critical Edition is that of Thomas Sargent Perry's 1892 translation, indisputably the translation that has best served readers in English. Reprinted repeatedly over the last one hundred years, the Perry translation is a classic in its own right. After careful review, the editor has corrected minor infelicities of translation (necessary to remain true to Lafayette's text) and updated vocabulary. To experience the innovation of Lafayette's writing, it is necessary to understand the critical resistance it met with in seventeenth-century France. "Contemporary Reactions" includes five assessments of The Princess of Cleves-by Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette herself, Roger de Bussy-Rabutin and Marie de Sevigne, Jean-Baptiste-Henry du Trousset de Valincour, Jean-Antoine de Charnes, and Du Plaisir-following its controversial publication. John Lyons's translations for this Norton Critical Edition make these reactions available in English for the first time. "Criticism" includes eleven modern studies of the novel, five of which appear here in English for the first time, by Jean Fabre, Michel Butor, Jean Rousset, Helen Karen Kaps, Gerard Genette, Roger Francillon, Kurt Weinberg, Peggy Kamuf, Erica Harth, Joan DeJean, and Laurence Gregario. A Glossary of Characters and a Selected Bibliography are also included.


Radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV) are common and troublesome symptoms experienced by patients undergoing radiotherapy. Although quality of life and symptom control now figure prominently in evaluations of cancer therapies, progress in RINV research and clinical prevention has been slow. This article summarizes the major guidelines for the prevention of RINV; their structure, recommendations, evidence base and notable issues. It also examines the current challenges and controversies related to RINV clinical management and research, and provides possible solutions for them that could ultimately lead to better patient care.


The bilateral relationship with China has become a major focus of U.S. trade policy. This paper examines recent U.S. policy toward imports from China, highlighting important explicitly and implicitly discriminatory elements. Discriminatory restrictions on U.S. trade with China protect competing domestic industries as well as non-Chinese foreign suppliers with an established presence in the U.S. market. Unlike discriminatory U.S. treatment of Japan in the 1980s, in which "gray-area" measures like voluntary export restraints were prominent, most U.S. actions toward China are fully consistent with current WTO rules, including the special terms of China's 2001 WTO accession. However, as with earlier discriminatory actions directed primarily at Japan, U.S. trade policy toward China is likely to have complex effects on global trade flows and may produce outcomes far different from those intended.


A limitation for the use of electrocoagulation for wastewater treatment is its complexity, since the process is affected by many variables, including the hydrodynamics in the reactor. This paper aimed to present a simulation, through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), of the flow and velocity field of a bench scale electrocoagulation reactor for textile wastewater treatment, with the goal of selecting the best design for the cell, which consists in a continuous, multiple parallel plate reactor. Six scenarios were proposed combining the different values for the two studied variables: electrode width (7 cm, 9 cm and 11 cm) and number of electrodes (5 pairs or 6 pairs). The CFD simulations were carried out within the software COMSOL Multyphysics, which solved the Navier-Stokes equations for the incompressible, laminar, steady-state conditions. The results showed that from the scenarios, the best for the desirable conditions within the reactor (good mixture, low velocity profile and few stagnant zones) were the configurations with 5 pairs of 7 cm wide and 6 pairs of 9 cm wide electrodes. A definitive design for the reactor will possibly be achieved in future studies which will include simulations for the concentration profile.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the visual assessment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) on magnetic resonance (MR) images by using two known visual markers (mediastinal pleural thickness and shrinking of the lung) and a newly introduced one (pleural pointillism).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
With the approval of the local ethics committee, 100 consecutive patients (mean age, 61.4 years; age range, 18-87 years; 75 men, 25 women) suspected of having MPM pleural abnormalities underwent positron emission tomography/computed tomography and MR imaging, including diffusion-weighted (DW) MR imaging, followed by explorative thoracoscopy or guided biopsy with histopathologic confirmation. Because visual assessment is still the preferred method of image interpretation, the diagnostic accuracy of mediastinal pleural thickening, shrinking lung (hemithorax volume decrease due to fibrosis), and pleural pointillism were examined. Pleural pointillism was denoted by the presence of multiple, hyperintense pleural spots on high-b-value DW images. Histopathologic findings in the surgical specimen served as the reference standard. McNemar tests with Bonferroni correction were used to assess differences in accuracy among the three examined markers.

RESULTS
Of 100 patients, 33 had benign pleural alterations, and 67 had malignant pleural diseases (MPDs); 57 of 67 had MPM. A total of 78 patients received a correct diagnosis (benign vs malignant) on the basis of mediastinal pleural thickening (sensitivity, 81%; specificity, 73%; accuracy, 78%); and 66 patients, on the basis of shrinking lung (sensitivity, 60%; specificity, 79%; accuracy, 66%). The correct diagnosis was indicated on the basis of pleural pointillism in 88 patients (sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 79%; accuracy, 88%).

CONCLUSION
Visual assessment of pleural pointillism on high-b-value DW images is useful to differentiate MPD from benign alterations, performing substantially better than mediastinal pleural thickness and shrinking lung, and might obviate unnecessary invasive procedures for MPM.


2003). This journal was initiated to bring together the various disciplines of radiation oncology, radiation biology, medical physics, nuclear medicine and other related subjects to intensify the dialogue between basic and clinical researchers especially those working in Iran. Within the last two years, this journal has tried to offer an ideal platform for the exchange of detailed scientific information concerning the latest developments in the field of radiation research, from various institutes, hospitals or even individuals. IJRR has been one of the specialized journals when published 2 years ago. The executive committee of the journal has been anxious about the quality and quantity of papers received by the IJRR office. The reason is that, the research activities in these fields are unexplored. Then, we believed that there might not be sufficient numbers of articles to be published in a specialized magazine as IJRR. Now, only a little over 2 years we have realized potential peoples and centers working in this area, not only in Iran but in other countries who contributed sincerely to the journal so that we are not worried about the materials to be published. We have realized that the existence of such a unique journal is a must both for Iran and the researchers in the region. Shortly after publishing the 1st issue, we tried to computerize all activities in the editorial office, including online review by our reviewers. The journal's website is one of the most complete websites among Iranian journals with search capabilities and free access to abstracts and full PDF texts by readers and our visitors. The scientific quality of the journal specifically depends on the quality of papers submitted and the keen attention of the journal's reviewers. These efforts were led to recognition of the journal as a scientific and academic research source by the ministry of Health and Medical Education. It has also been indexed by Index Medicus for Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR). And now, in an annual qualification of scientific medical journals, IJRR is ranked among the highest scored journals. We are proud to publish the 3rd volume of the journal with a short delay. To fulfill the interest of our readers and taking another step toward being internationally published in the field of radiation research, we have made some changes in the structural appearance and reference citation according to Vancouver's format. We would like to express our special thanks to our editorial board for their help and suggestions, all reviewers for their sincere help and careful review of the articles and my colleagues at the editorial and publishing office. I doubt we could publish this journal without their interest and efforts. IJRR is looking forward to receiving the invaluable papers from Iranian and foreigner scientists to be published in the forthcoming issues. |l|Editorial


In this contribution to a symposium on Steven G. Calabresi's and Christopher S. Yoo's The Unitary Executive: Presidential Power from Washington to Bush, Professor Gerhardt uses the case study of the demise of the Whigs' conception of presidential power to demonstrate that the development of presidential power is more complex than Calabresi and Yoo suggest in their study. They provide readers with the instances in which presidents and the other branches have sided with the theory that presidents should control the exercises of all executive power, but their survey is incomplete. In fact, presidential power develops through the intricate interaction between the president and the other branches and between presidents and other presidents over time and presidents and their subordinates. The demise of the Whig conception of the presidency illustrates this development in practice. The Whigs maintained that the presidency should be subservient to the will of Congress, but this view quickly collapsed from the lack of support from a series of presidents and the failures of the Congress to counter-act strong assertions of power by presidents over the span of a couple decades. The Calabresi-Yoo account of the unitary theory of the executive requires support from the other branches, which has been notably absent over the course of American history.


Portugal's poor military performance in the First World War, notably in Africa, restricted Afonso Costa's (1871-1937) ability to secure his diplomatic aims which, in any case, were highly unrealistic. Nevertheless, his loyal press in Portugal described him as the leader of the small nations', and reported his every statement as a major triumph. Afonso Costa's most important intervention took place in May 1919, when he denounced the Allies' unwillingness to make Germany pay for all the damage she had caused during the conflict; this speech led to a number of newspaper interviews in which Costa restated his position. It is clear that the interventionists needed a favourable Treaty in order to demonstrate to the country that its sacrifices had been worthwhile. The final draft of the Treaty was thus a complete shock to Portuguese public opinion, and came as a major defeat to the interventionists, who saw all their hopes for tangible gain evaporate. It effectively spelt the end of Costa's political career, although this was not yet clear. This biography of Afonso Costa considers the political implications of Portugal's participation in the First World War and of the defeat' in Paris. Reconciliation between the rival parties and between factions within parties became impossible, as did, as a result, the formation of a stable cabinet. With governments following each other in quick succession, it became increasingly difficult to carry out any of the reforms Portugal needed, and the Republic lost much of the support that remained. Nationalist opinion abandoned the regime and turned to the authoritarian models that had been pioneered by Sidonio Pais, and were now spreading throughout Europe. Politically neutral for decades, the army now intervened in politics, overthrowing the government after a failed coup in April 1925 in May 1926. The need for order in politics and on the street was paramount in the minds of the officers who plotted the downfall of the regime. This military dictatorship gave way, in the early 1930s, to Salazar's New State, and the volume concludes with a quick overview of this regime's domestic and foreign policy. Salazar, like Afonso Costa a Coimbra academic, announced Portugal's neutrality when Germany invaded Poland, in 1939, and his wartime diplomacy would be the reverse of Afonso Costa's, some twenty years earlier.


We report
a rare case of intratumoral
hemorrhage during
postoperative radiotherapy for pituitary adenoma. A 57-year-old Asian male,
complaining of long-standing eye strain, underwent a medical checkup of the
brain. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a multicystic giant pituitary adenoma.
The patient underwent an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal partial removal
of the adenoma to provide optic pathway decompression and got relief from the
visual symptoms. Just before completion of the postoperative radiotherapy for
residual adenoma, the patient developed right hemiparesis, mild motor aphasia,
and right oculomotor palsy. A cranial CT scan showed intratumoral hemorrhage
into the intratumoral cyst. The patient therefore had to undergo three
additional craniotomies for evacuation of cyst contents over the next 8 months.
The follow-up MRI at 11 months after the initial hemorrhage showed that the new
oozing of blood in the intratumoral cyst was still appearing. Intratumoral
hemorrhage is a rare, albeit life-threatening, complication of pituitary adenoma. We reviewed relevant literature and suggested that the cystic component in pituitary adenoma could be a key pathogenesis of this rare complication. In conclusion, we suggest that it may be necessary to
realize that cases which have cystic giant pituitary adenoma may
cause hemorrhage by chance with the foreseeability.


This article seeks enhanced understanding of the dynamics of open innovation and knowledge appropriation in African settings. More specifically, the authors focus on innovation and appropriation dynamics in African micro and small enterprises (MSEs), which are key engines of productivity on the continent. The authors begin by providing an expansion of an emergent conceptual framework for understanding intersections between innovation, openness and knowledge appropriation in African small-enterprise settings. Then, based on this framework, they review evidence generated by five recent case studies looking at knowledge development, sharing and appropriation among groups of small-scale African innovators. The innovators considered in the five studies were found to favour inclusive, collaborative approaches to development of their innovations; to rely on socially-grounded information networks when deploying and sharing their innovations; and to appropriate their innovative knowledge via informal (and, to a lesser extent, semi-formal) appropriation tools.


Self-reconfigurable modular robots (SRMR) offer high flexibility in task space by adopting different morphologies for different tasks. Using the same simple module, complex and more capable morphologies can be built. However, increasing the number of modules increases the degrees of freedom (DOF) of the system. Thus, controlling the system as a whole becomes harder. Indeed, even a 10 DOFs system is difficult to consider and manipulate. Intuitive and easy to use interfaces are needed, particularly when modular robots need to interact with humans. In this study we present an interface to assemble desired structures and placement of such structures, with a focus on the assembly process. Roombots modules, a particular SRMR design, are used for the demonstration of the proposed interface. Two non-conventional input/output devices — a head mounted display and hand tracking system — are added to the system to enhance the user experience. Finally, a user study was conducted to evaluate the interface. The results show that most users enjoyed their experience. However, they were not necessarily convinced by the gesture control, most likely for technical reasons.


To date, few multicomponent interventions focused on meeting the complex needs of unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) have been developed. One intervention, called Starting Right, Now (SRN), provides unaccompanied homeless adolescents with a broad range of home-, school-, and community-based services and supports to meet the unique needs of each individual. Previous qualitative research has supported the effectiveness of SRN on student outcomes; there has not yet been an examination of the program using quantitative methods. Thus, the current study investigated the impact of Starting Right, Now on students' well-being through the examination of longitudinal data collected over a 12-month period. Specifically, changes in students' life satisfaction, hope, and use of coping strategies at three time points were examined. A dataset including ten unique participants was analyzed using the Wilcoxon SignedRank Test to evaluate whether statistically significant changes in participants' (1) life satisfaction, (2) hope agency, (3) hope pathways, (4) maladaptive coping strategies, and (5) adaptive coping strategies occurred between baseline (Time 1), six months of participation (Time 2), and twelve months of participation (Time 3; available for a subset of the sample). Results indicated a statistically significant increase in life satisfaction, hope agency, and hope pathways after six months of participation in SRN. There were no additional statistically significant changes in life satisfaction, hope agency, or hope pathways after one year of participation, and there were no statistically significant changes in adaptive coping or maladaptive coping at any time point. Findings from the current study support the implementation and future expansion of the SRN model in order to positively impact life satisfaction and hope among UHY.


This study addresses the associations between students' ability beliefs and attitudes toward inclusion in physical education, as well as the impact of gender and previous contact/participation with children with disability on these variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 976 students (491 girls and 485 boys; age 11-16 years), who responded to ability beliefs and attitudes questionnaires. Ability beliefs (entity and incremental) and the 3 sociodemographic variables predicted 20.4% and 9% of the behavioral and cognitive subscales of attitudes, respectively. Students with higher scores for entity beliefs of ability had a less favorable attitude toward inclusion. Girls reported more favorable attitudes toward inclusion than boys. Students who indicated previous participation in physical activities with children with disabilities showed attitudes that were more favorable in both the behavioral and cognitive subscales, while those who reported previous contact had more favorable attitudes in the behavioral subscale and lower entity beliefs. However, the 3 sociodemographic variables had a lower contribution to the explained variance of attitudes.


Local food systems providing high-value products are seen as a tool to sustain economic activity on family farms in rural areas. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of gastronomic, externality and feasibility characteristics in consumers' demand for local and for organic foods. An Internet questionnaire survey was conducted in 2010 among Danish consumers. 3211 respondents completed the questionnaire, which included questions about respondents' food-related values and their specific perception of organic and local varieties of honey and apples. Variables related to consumers' food-related values and product perception were analysed using principal component analysis, in order to identify overall dimensions (factors) in these variables. Although statements about gastronomic attributes (e.g. taste, appearance, quality) were quite strongly represented in three of these factors, externality and availability concerns also contributed significantly to the overall variation in the variables. Multinomial logit choice modelling was used for describing the relationship between these dimensions and respondents' stated choices regarding organic and local varieties of honey and apples. Results suggest that although both organic and local food supply chains are often associated with special attributes such as gastronomic characteristics and relatively beneficial externality attributes, these attributes are perceived differently for the two types of supply chains. Perceived gastronomic quality is the most important determinant for food choice, but externality and feasibility aspects are also important correlates.


One of the purposes of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) was to compare the efficacy of different antidiabetic drugs in the long-term treatment of type 2 diabetes. In overweight type 2 patients, use of metformin as the initial antidiabetic drug therapy reduced overall mortality and reduced various long-term complications to a greater extent than other first-line treatments tested (sulphonylureas and insulin) whilst controlling hyperglycaemia to a similar extent. The benefit of early intervention with metformin may be due, at least in part, to its actions against insulin resistance and associated cardiovascular risk factors. Thus the UKPDS has provided evidence that early intensive glucose control with metformin in overweight type 2 diabetic patients is a particularly effective approach to reduce vascular complications and improve survival.


Linguistic sequence labeling is a general approach encompassing a variety of problems, such as part-of-speech tagging and named entity recognition. Recent advances in neural networks (NNs) make it possible to build reliable models without handcrafted features. However, in many cases, it is hard to obtain sufficient annotations to train these models. In this study, we develop a neural framework to extract knowledge from raw texts and empower the sequence labeling task. Besides word-level knowledge contained in pre-trained word embeddings, character-aware neural language models are incorporated to extract character-level knowledge. Transfer learning techniques are further adopted to mediate different components and guide the language model towards the key knowledge. Comparing to previous methods, these task-specific knowledge allows us to adopt a more concise model and conduct more efficient training. Different from most transfer learning methods, the proposed framework does not rely on any additional supervision. It extracts knowledge from self-contained order information of training sequences. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of leveraging character-level knowledge and the efficiency of co-training. For example, on the CoNLL03 NER task, model training completes in about 6 hours on a single GPU, reaching F_1 score of 91.71+/-0.10 without using any extra annotations.


An axially symmetric potential psi(R,z)=psi(r,theta) is completely separable if the ratio s:k is constant. Here r*s=d^2(r^2*psi)/dr/d(theta) and k=d^2(psi)/dR/dz. If beta=s/k, then the potential admits an integral of the form of I=(L^2+beta*v_z^2)/2+xi where xi is some function of positions determined by the potential psi. More generally, an axially symmetric potential respects the third axisymmetric integral of motion -- in addition to the classical integrals of the Hamiltonian and the axial component of the angular momentum -- if there exist three real constants a,b,c (not all simultaneously zero, a^2+b^2+c^2>0) such that a*s+b*h+c*k=0 where r*h=d^2(r*psi)/d(sigma)/d(tau) and (sigma,tau) is the parabolic coordinate in the meridional plane such that sigma^2=r+z and tau^2=r-z.


High step-up voltage gain dc-dc converters are widely applied in fuel cell stacks, photovoltaic arrays, battery sources, and high intensity discharge lamps power systems. Active-network converters with coupled inductors (CL-ANC) are derived from switched inductor active-network converters (SL-ANC). The proposed converter contains two coupled inductors which can be integrated into one magnetic core and two power switches. The converter can provide a relatively high voltage conversion ratio with a small duty cycle; the voltage and current stress of power switches are low which is helpful to reduce the losses. This paper shows the key waveforms of the CL-ANC and detailed derivation of the steady-state operation principle. The voltage conversion ratio and the effect of the leakage inductance on voltage gain are discussed. The voltage stress and current stress on the power devices are illustrated and the comparison between the proposed converter and SL-ANC are given. Finally, the prototype has been established in the lab with 200 V and 400 V output under different turn ratios. Experimental results are given to verify the correctness of the analysis.


The MELODY-1 study evaluated macitentan for pulmonary hypertension because of left heart disease (PH-LHD) in patients with combined post- and pre-capillary PH. 63 patients with PH-LHD and diastolic pressure gradient ≥7 mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) >3WU were randomised to macitentan 10 mg (n=31) or placebo (n=32) for 12 weeks. The main end-point assessed a composite of significant fluid retention (weight gain ≥5% or ≥5 kg because of fluid overload or parenteral diuretic administration) or worsening in New York Heart Association functional class from baseline to end of treatment. Exploratory end-points included changes in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and haemodynamics at week 12. Seven macitentan-treated and four placebo-treated patients experienced significant fluid retention/worsening functional class; treatment difference, 10.08% (95% CI −15.07–33.26; p=0.34). The difference, driven by the fluid retention component, was apparent within the first month. At week 12, versus placebo, the macitentan group showed no change in PVR, mean right atrial pressure or pulmonary arterial wedge pressure; a non-significant increase in cardiac index (treatment effect 0.4 (95% CI 0.1–0.7) L·min−1·m−2) and decrease in NT-proBNP (0.77 (0.55–1.08)) was observed. Adverse events and serious adverse events were numerically more frequent with macitentan versus placebo. Macitentan-treated patients were quantitatively more likely to experience significant fluid retention versus placebo. Macitentan resulted in no significant changes in any exploratory end-points. In combined post- and pre-capillary PH patients, macitentan was associated with increased incidence of significant fluid retention versus placebo http://ow.ly/leop30hBkQm


OBJECTIVE
several studies have shown an inverse relation between vegetable and fruit intake and pancreatic cancer, but no specific beneficial component of such foods has been consistently identified. We considered the role of 15 selected vitamins and carotenoids and 6 minerals on pancreatic cancer risk in an Italian case-control study.

METHODS
subjects were 326 patients with incident pancreatic cancer and 652 controls, admitted to the same hospitals as cases for acute conditions. Micronutrient computation was based on a validated and reproducible food-frequency questionnaire. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) using conditional logistic regression models, adjusted for various confounding factors and for energy intake, according to the residual model.

RESULTS
comparing the highest to the lowest quintile of intake, the OR were 0.60 (95% CI 0.36-0.98) for vitamin E, 0.44 (95% CI 0.27-0.73) for vitamin C, 0.56 (95% CI 0.34-0.93) for folate, and 0.57 (95% CI 0.35-0.92) for potassium. No significant inverse associations were observed for α-carotene (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.43-1.12), β-carotene (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.39-1.06), and β-cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.39-1.09). No relation was found for other micronutrients considered.

CONCLUSION
our findings support a favorable role of vitamins E and C, selected carotenoids, and folate on pancreatic carcinogenesis.


Abstract: The hardness of the outer regions of solid wood can be improved by surface densification, and this opens up new fields of application for low-density species. So far, surface densification relies on time- and energy-consuming batch processes, and this means that the potential advantages over more expensive hardwood species or non-renewable materials are reduced. Using fossil-based plastics or applying wood densification processes with a high energy consumption has adverse effects on the environment. In a previous study, it was shown that the surface of wood can be densified by a continuous high-speed process, adopting a roller pressing approach. The desired density profiles could be obtained at process speeds of up to 80 m min-1, but an equally simple and fast method to eliminate the moisture-induced set-recovery of the densified wood cells is still required. For this reason, the goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect on the set-recovery and hardness of surface-densified Scots pine after a fast pre-treatment with solutions of sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, methacrylate resin, and ionic liquids. The Scots pine specimens were pre-treated by applying the chemical treatment and impregnation agents to the wood surface with a paper towel, before the specimens were densified. For each type of treatment, 15 specimens were densified in a hot press. The set-recovery was measured after two wet-dry cycles, and 30 Brinell hardness measurements were carried out on each group of specimens. In general, the effect of the treatments on the set-recovery was rather low. Ionic liquid solutions appear to work as a strong plasticiser and the treatment led to a reduction in set-recovery by 25%. The treatments with sodium silicate, ionic liquids and methacrylate resin led to a greater hardness than in untreated and densified specimens. Further experiments are needed to improve the depth of penetration of the treatment solutions into the wood surface, as this was identified as one of the main causes of the rather weak effects.


Numerous specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the families Munididae, Munidopsidae and Eumunididae were collected during several cruises along the eastern coasts of Africa. The study of these specimens revealed the presence of 10 new species (one Eumunida Smith, 1883, eight Munida Leach, 1820 and one Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874). We describe and illustrate these new species, providing some new data on occurrences and colour patterns for previously described taxa. We have also included molecular data from two mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and COI) to support the taxonomic status of different species. Some deep-sea species show a clear increase in their geographic range distribution. Finally, a key to known species of the genus Munida from the western and central Indian Ocean is also presented.


Internet geolocation technology aims to determine the physical (geographic) location of Internet users and devices. It is currently proposed or in use for a wide variety of purposes, including targeted marketing, restricting digital content sales to authorized jurisdictions, and security applications such as reducing credit card fraud. This raises questions about the veracity of claims of accurate and reliable geolocation. We provide a survey of Internet geolocation technologies with an emphasis on adversarial contexts; that is, we consider how this technology performs against a knowledgeable adversary whose goal is to evade geolocation. We do so by examining first the limitations of existing techniques, and then, from this base, determining how best to evade existing geolocation techniques. We also consider two further geolocation techniques which may be of use even against adversarial targets: (1) the extraction of client IP addresses using functionality introduced in the 1.5 Java API, and (2) the collection of round-trip times using HTTP refreshes. These techniques illustrate that the seemingly straightforward technique of evading geolocation by relaying traffic through a proxy server (or network of proxy servers) is not as straightforward as many end-users might expect. We give a demonstration of this for users of the popular Tor anonymizing network.


Cowpea [Vigna unguiculate (L.) Walp.] is not only a healthy, nutritious, and versatile leguminous crop; it also has a relatively high adaptation to drought. Research has shown that cowpea lines have a high tolerance to drought, and many of them can survive more than 40 days under scorching and dry conditions. The cowpea (Southern pea) breeding program at the University of Arkansas has been active for more than 50 years and has produced more than 1000 advanced breeding lines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the drought-tolerant ability in Arkansas cowpea lines and use the drought-tolerant lines in cowpea production or as parents in cowpea breeding. A total of 36 University of Arkansas breeding lines were used to screen drought tolerance at the seedling stage in this study. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replicates, organized in a split-plot manner, where the drought treatment (drought and nondrought stress) as the main plot and the cowpea genotypes as the subplot. Drought stress was applied for 4 weeks, and three drought-tolerant–related traits were collected and analyzed. Results showed that cowpea breeding lines: '17-61', '17-86', 'Early Scarlet', and 'ARBlackeye #1' were found to be drought tolerant.


The ubiquitous ribosome is responsible for the synthesis of proteins, which generally require correct three-dimensional folds for their biologically active function. As the nascent polypeptide progressively emerges from the ribosomal exit tunnel, it is able to acquire structure concurrently with its biosynthesis while it is exposed to the densely packed and crowded cellular environment. NMR spectroscopy is uniquely able to probe such dynamic structures and folding processes at near-atomic resolution, and its application to translationally stalled ribosome-nascent chain complexes (RNCs) has allowed us to begin to understand co-translational protein folding in the cell. However, these studies are frequently restricted by weak signals arising from high molecular weight of ~2.4 MDa, the resulting low maximum achievable concentrations, and limited sample lifetimes of typically just a few hours, which present a major barrier to progress in this field. To overcome the substantial spectroscopic challenges of NMR studies of RNCs, we have employed the use of the paramagnetic longitudinal relaxation enhancement (PLRE) agent NiDO2A in combination with longitudinal relaxation-optimised experiments, and report improvements of up to 4.8-fold in the sensitivities of two-dimensional 1H-15N NMR correlation spectra and NMR diffusion measurements that are crucial in assessing the integrity of unstable RNCs. We describe how the PLRE approach can be exploited in more complex NMR experiments to extract direct structural information on RNCs of an immunoglobulin-like domain using three-dimensional NMR and residual dipolar coupling measurements, which have previously been unattainable due to low spectroscopic sensitivity. We further describe a strategy to translate current in vitro RNC studies into NMR investigations within living cells, and address how ribosome-bound species can be distinguished from those isolated from the ribosome in vivo. Experiments in reconstituted cytosol revealed that macromolecular crowding effects perturb the structure and dynamics of FLN5. We anticipate our studies will significantly advance the application of NMR to large macromolecular assemblies, and to studies of protein folding under increasingly more physiologically relevant conditions.


The shaping of a modern intellectual property (IP) legal regime has been driven by the forces of globalisation and the respective regional conditions; nonetheless, the commands of globalisation have often conflicted with the requests from regional individualities. Bearing in mind the conflict of a global standard and a local remedy, this thesis uses Taiwan as an example for answering the following questions:

1. How does a country cope with international and national pressures in terms of IP rights and legal enforcement with particular regard to the establishment of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court?
2. What impact does the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court have upon specific categories of IP litigations, legal practices and legal professions?
3. What impact has the establishment of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court had in theory and in practice?

The Taiwan Intellectual Property Court was inaugurated, on 1 July 2008, to face the international political and economic pressures, as well as the domestic needs of intellectual property (IP) litigation reforms. The aim of this research is to understand the theory and the practice of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court. To carry out this research, documentary evidence will be applied using a systematic approach to understand the theoretical framework and background of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court, and the gap between the theory and the actual practices will be analysed through the use of qualitative interviews with a number of the major players in IP litigations, including: the lawyers, the specialised judges and the technical examination officers.

This first chapter of thesis will begin with an introduction which will provide an overview of this research. The second chapter will offer a global perspective of the different IP courts in the world, in order to examine their respective features, performances and justifications. Subsequently in the third chapter, the evolution of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court will be presented to determine whether the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court has unique settings when compared to the other parallel parties depicted in the previous chapters. In the fourth and fifth chapters, patent and copyright litigations will be identified as examples to explain how the various types of IP litigations have individual characteristics and how the performance of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Courts vary, due to the features of the category of litigations. After probing into the impact of the IP courts upon patent and copyright litigations, the sixth chapter will direct attention to the litigation practices and the legal professionals by discussing their views and perspectives on the impact of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court. Finally in the last chapter, an analytical conclusion of the thesis will be drawn, in order, to integrate the arguments and findings presented in previous chapters and to identify the actual impact of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court in theory and in practice.


Flexures are mechanical elements used in micro- and precision-engineering to precisely guide the motion of micro-parts. They consist of slender bodies that deform elastically upon the application of a force. Although counter-intuitive at first, fused silica is an attractive material for flexure. Pending that the machining process does not introduce surface flaws that would lead to catastrophic failure, the material has a theoretically high ultimate tensile strength of several GPa. We report on high-aspect ratio fused silica flexures manufactured by femtosecond laser combined with chemical etching. Notch-hinges with thickness as small as twenty microns and aspect ratios comparable to aspect ratios obtained by Deep- Reactive-Ion-Etching (DRIE) were fabricated and tested under different loading conditions. Multiple fracture tests were performed for various loading conditions and the cracks morphologies were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The manufactured elements show outstanding mechanical properties with flexural strengths largely exceeding those obtained with other technologies and materials. Fused silica flexures offer a mean to combine integrated optics with micro-mechanics in a single monolithic substrate. Waveguides and mechanical elements can be combined in a monolithic devices opening new opportunities for integrated opto-mechatronics devices.


The health service industry involves activities that provide medical services (hospital), manufacture of medical equipment or drugs, and medical insurance services. Options of research methods to measure the impact of services on environmental aspects are available. One among which is life cycle analysis (LCA), the recently popular practice in Indonesia. This paper attempts to explore whether LCA could be fitted to the health service industry. A literature review would help in procuring related references from various publications accompanied by several research results and related studies. For describing the application of LCA in hospitals, several articles were collected, which were later arranged according to certain systematics from several sources. The LCA methodology used here consists of the following four stages: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. The stages follow the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 and UNEP SETAC, 2011. Several studies using the LCA method in hospitals have reported specific profiles such as the management of biohazardous medical waste (BMW) and waste water. Several studies have also used LCA methods to assess specifically the environmental and health impacts of a specific component of the hospital or hospital activities. For example, studies have assessed the impact of equipment used in the form of containers, catheter, laryngeal mask, gowns and also infrastructures' facilities. The results of this study confirmed that the LCA method is suitable in health service industry, particularly in hospitals. Considering the merits and drawbacks involved in applying this method, one could further apply it to related health service issues.


North American agricultural economists are beginning to reexamine fundamental issues in the theory of agricultural cooperation. Since 1980, a number of researchers have explored the basic nature of farmer cooperation; the theoretical benefits and limits to cooperative enterprise; and the implications of these for cooperative members, managers, and public policy. This paper describes and evaluates recent theoretical developments, outlines remaining areas of conflict and gaps in the theory of agricultural cooperation, and discusses topics for future research. It concludes that the most promising area for current research may be in testing hypotheses arising from recent theoretical work.


This paper contains, developing and employing methods to reduce the mutual coupling between elements of an antenna array. The utilization of electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures is an attractive way to reduce surface wave excitation in printed antenna geometries so to mitigate the mutual coupling problem. This paper investigates the performance of a microstrip antenna phased array embedded in an EBG. The band-gap feature of surface-wave suppression is demonstrated by plotting variations of the transmission coefficient S12 with frequency and dispersion diagram. The antenna design is verified by High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS), the simulating results show that the EBG design approach is a good candidate for a reduction in mutual coupling at certain frequencies between radiator elements, which in turn increases antenna directivity. Its band-gap feature of surface-wave suppression is demonstrated by exhibiting the near field distributions of the electromagnetic waves. The mutual coupling of microstrip antennas is parametrically investigated, including the E and H coupling directions, different substrate thickness, and various dielectric constants. It is observed that the E-plane coupled microstrip antenna array on a thick and high permittivity substrate has a strong mutual coupling due to the pronounced surface waves. Therefore, an EBG structure is inserted between array elements to reduce the mutual coupling.


Introduction There is convincing evidence of the clinical health benefits of adequate vitamin D in many respiratory diseases but the evidence in cystic fibrosis (CF) is unclear. There are increasing data on the role of vitamin D as an immunomodulatory agent and it is thought, from in-vitro data, that this may be via induction of the antimicrobial peptides, LL37 and HβD-2. We hypothesised that antimicrobial peptide levels would be increased in children with adequate vitamin D and this could account for reported improvements in lung function via improved airway defence. Aims and methods The main aim was to establish if a relationship exists between vitamin D and antimicrobial peptides, LL37 and HβD-2, and whether any clinically beneficial effects of adequate vitamin D exist in children with CF. Bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) supernatant levels of LL37 and HβD-2 were by measured by ELISA and serum 25(OH)D2 by mass spectrometry coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography. Results Samples were collected from 120 children with CF (58% female); median age (range) 6.9 (0.1–17.6) years. One third of patients were vitamin D insufficient (<50 nmol/L). Median 25(OH)D2 was 57 nmol/L (range 7–191 nmol/L). LL37 ranged from 0.1–21.9 ng/mL with median value of 0.49 ng/mL and HβD-2 from <15.6 - >1000 pg/ml, median 150 pg/ml. LL37 was significantly correlated with serum neutrophils (r= 0.4, P<0.0001), BALF total cell count (r=0.7, p<0.0001), and BALF neutrophil differential (r= 0.5, p<0.0001). These relationships were not seen with HβD-2. Contrary to our hypothesis neither LL37 nor HβD-2 correlated with vitamin D and no differences were seen between vitamin D 'adequate' and 'insufficient' patients. There was no association seen between vitamin D and FEV1 (r2=0.01, p=0.4). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that there is not a relationship between serum 25(OH)D2 and BALF HβD-2 or LL37. If vitamin D is involved in the induction of such defence peptides in-vivo, the impact of this on protein levels may be limited in the degradative environment of the inflamed airway. In addition, we found no clinical or physiological effects of vitamin D deficiency. If any beneficial effect of vitamin D on respiratory health does exist in CF, it is small and not mediated via the antimicrobial pathway.


Aquaculture is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide. The United States is a significant consumer to both fresh and marine aquaculture products. Aquaculture sales in Rhode Island have dramatically increased in the last 20 years. In Rhode Island nearly 4.3 million oysters were produced via aquaculture in 2012. Currently, hatcheries and nurseries in the United States produce large amounts of a variety of species of oysters, clams and scallops. Oysters are filter feeders and are exposed to many microbes in the hatchery. Infectious diseases from bacterial pathogens in the hatcheries can have serious impacts on production. Vibrio species are often responsible for vibriosis disease outbreaks in bivalve larviculture hatcheries worldwide. Another prevalent disease observed in oyster nurseries in the Northeastern US is Juvenile Oyster Disease (JOD). Probiotic agents are promising tools to reduce the risks of disease outbreaks in aquaculture facilities. Two marine bacteria, Bacillus pumilus RI0695 and Phaeobacter gallaeciensis S4, were previously reported to provide significant protection of the Eastern oyster larvae Crassostreae virginica when challenged with the shellfish pathogen Vibrio tubiashii. The goals of my dissertation research were to isolate and identify the antibiotic(s) secreted by Phaeobacter gallaeciensis S4, to chemically examine their mechanisms of action for probiotic activity, and to create probiotic formulations of Bacillus pumilus RI0695 and of Phaeobacter gallaeciensis S4 for delivery in shellfish larviculture facilities. Chapter 2 describes the isolation and identification of the antibiotic tropodithietic acid (TDA) from Phaeobacter gallaeciensis S4. Genes tdaA, tdaB, clpX and rpoE were previously found to be necessary for the biosynthesis of TDA in Silicibacter sp. TM104 (Geng, Bruhn et al. 2008, Karim, Zhao et al. 2013). Gene exoP is responsible for the exopolysaccharide biosynthesis (Zhao 2014). Collaborative work suggests that TDA contributes to the probiotic activity of P. gallaeciensis S4 but that antibiotic production is not the sole mechanism of action. The basis for this finding was biological and chemical analysis of S4 wild-type and genetic mutant strains producing different levels of TDA (tdaA , tdaB , tdbD , clpX, rpoE , exoP , and complement strains rpoE , exoP ) by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC). HPLC analysis of culture extracts from the tdaA , tdaB and tdbD mutants confirmed loss of TDA production as compared to S4 wild type. Additional genetic mutant strains, clpX, rpoE , exoP , and complement strains rpoE and exoP were created by insertional mutagenesis to further explore the role of TDA and mechanisms regulating its production. UHPLC analysis of clpX stationary phase culture extracts confirmed the lost production of TDA when compared to a TDA standard. UHPLC analysis of complement strains clpX demonstrated that TDA was present compared to a TDA standard. The exoP mutant produced TDA similar to the wild-type strain. Mutant strains that lack the production of TDA had less protection of Eastern oyster larvae C. virginica to bacterial challenge than the wild type or the genetic mutant strain that produced similar TDA concentrations as the wild type. This research determined that TDA was necessary for optimal probiotic activity. Chapter 3 describes efforts to create a stable formulation of B. pumilus RI0695 for delivery at shellfish hatcheries. Currently there are no commercially available probiotics for shellfish aquaculture. Granulation is robust, cost effective, and simple proven method of formulation. A granular probiotic formulation of B. pumilus RI0695 was created by extruding dried B. pumilus RI0695 cells through three particle size sieves (40s, 80s, and 325s). Three granule sizes of 420 μ, 177 μ and 43 μ were successfully created. Granular (177 μ and 43 μ) formulations stored for 29 weeks and 22 weeks at room temperature (RT) were able to reduce mortality in C. virginica larvae and seed, respectively, when challenged with V. tubiashii. This study suggests the 43 μ granule formulation of B. pumilus RI0695 is a good candidate for commercial use in shellfish hatcheries. In Chapter 4, a study is presented showing an effort to create a lyophilized probiotic formulation of P. gallaeciensis S4 that provides reduced mortality of C. virginica larvae when exposed to the shellfish pathogen V. tubiashii RE22. Several lyophilized formulations were prepared using varying amounts of two cryoprotectants at two growth stage phases of the bacterium. The two best formulations used log phase cells lyophilized with either 30% or and 40% mannitol as a cryoprotectant. The cell viabilities of the two formulations were measured under various storage conditions (27 °C, 4 °C, 30 °C, and 30 °C with 75% humidity) over a 5-week period. S4 formulations (30-M and 40-M) were tested at 1 week for probiotic protection of C. virginica seed against V. tubiashii infection. Unfortunately, the lyophilization process and storage significantly decreased the cell viability of both formulations (30-M and 40-M). Further, there was no protection of the larvae when pre-exposed to either formulation. Based on the in vivo results, a liquid P. gallaeciensis S4 formulation under starvation conditions in NSS medium was prepared. The liquid formulation maintained a cell viability of 10 8 CFU/mL over 8 weeks. Further research should be done to evaluate these formulations in a hatchery study. More research must be done to refine the formulation processes for commercial scale up.


Several thousand years of human impact on the landscape in the form of cultivation is the
reason to many nature- and culture values in the agricultural landscape today. Intensification
and rationalization has led to vast monocultures and has forced many farms to close down.
These trends have increased in the last years and constitute great threats to the values of the
cultivation landscape. The purpose with the environmental objective A varied agricultural
landscape is to protect these values.
The environmental action plan of the municipality of Lund (LundaEko) 2006-2012 is built on the
16 national environmental objectives. The purpose with this paper is to put together material that
the municipality of Lund can use in their work with modifying the local intermediate goals for
the environmental objective A varied cultural landscape. The overall issue for this paper is
"What has happened with the state of the cultivation landscape in the municipality of Lund since
LundaEko was approved in 2006?" The paper seeks to portrait the current conditions of the
following fields: meadows and pastures, organic farming, exploitation threats to agricultural
land, landscape elements with cultural values and species that are threatened. Focus is on the
follow-up of strategies and their effects on the agricultural landscape.
Eight measures have been achieved or have had noticeable positive results. The work with six
measures is still in progress and with five of the measures has the work still not started. Four
of the measures where work has yet to be started directly involve the farmers within the
municipality. Area with pasture has increased with 31, 79 % in the last ten years. 12 % of the
total agricultural land is organic farming. This is an increase with 6 % since 2001. 1 662 ha are
planes for some sort of exploitation. Two nature reserves have been created under the period
and three more are in progress. Several green passages have been built, which are important for
the landscape elements with cultural values.
In spite of the fact that the municipality of Lund is one of the most examined in the country,
there are still knowledge gaps concerning specific areas in the municipality and regarding some
organisms. Resources are needed for inventories and preservation. Identification of some
factors in the surrounding world and interviews with three farmers have showed challenges for
the future.


The performance of heifers from a Brahman herd that was selected for fertility was compared with Brahman heifers sourced from commercial properties using three year-groups of heifers. Each year, conception rates from yearling mating were significantly higher in heifers from the selected herd (SEL) than in heifers sourced from commercial properties (COM), despite the average joining weight of the SEL heifers being lower each year. The pregnancy rate in SEL heifers was 24% higher (P = 0.008) in the first year, 36% higher (P = 0.005) in the second year and 45% higher (P < 0.001) in the third year. Over the 3 years of the study, the conception rate was 35% higher (P = 0.009) in SEL heifers than in COM heifers. Joining weight also affected pregnancy rates. When heifers were split into weight ranges according to their pre-joining weight, pregnancy rates were significantly higher (P = 0.018) in the heavier weight range than the lighter one. The results indicate that selection for fertility has been successful in improving conception rates from yearling mating in SEL heifers.


LITERATURE REVIEW Use of methamphetamine is associated with considerable physical and
psychological burden. Methamphetamine-induced psychosis has been recognised as
having considerable impact on emergency services. The condition is characterised by
severe paranoid ideation. Whilst much research has been carried out in the respective
fields of paranoia and of methamphetamine-induced psychosis, little research has
been conducted into the predictors of subclinical paranoia amongst regular
methamphetamine users. Such research is important as it may lead to greater
awareness amongst methamphetamine users of the precursors to clinical psychosis
and aid health practitioners in the management of such cases.
Biological models of paranoia implicate the role of excessive dopamine in the
mesolimbic pathway. Use of methamphetamine leads to a substantial increase in
synaptic dopamine levels along this pathway. It is likely that this action is
responsible for the increased risk of paranoia and associated psychotic symptoms
amongst methamphetamine users. Existing literature suggests specific predictors of
methamphetamine-induced psychosis include drug purity, dependence and
concomitant cannabis use. Cannabis may contribute to paranoia via a unique,
possibly non-dopaminergic, mechanism, further increasing the risk of psychosis
amongst regular users of both drugs. Psychological models of paranoia vary but
commonly implicate role of anxiety. Future research into the relationship between
methamphetamine and paranoia should seek to identify the strongest predictors of
paranoid ideation amongst regular methamphetamine users. EMPIRICAL STUDY Methamphetamine-induced psychosis places considerable burden on the
individual and on broader society. Paranoia is a core symptom of this condition. The
present study identifies several key variables that predict sub-clinical experience of
paranoia within a population of methamphetamine users. Participants were 239
regular substance users who had consumed methamphetamine in the 6 months
preceding interview. Participants were interviewed about their history of substance
use and provided detailed demographic data. Levels of methamphetamine
dependence, anxiety and paranoid ideation were assessed using the Severity of
Dependence Scale, Kessler-10 Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2002) and
Paranoia Scale (Fenigstein & Vanable, 1992) respectively. Results indicate that
anxiety is the strongest predictor of paranoia amongst the sample, accounting for
40% of the variance in the latent paranoia variable. In addition to anxiety,
methamphetamine dependence, pre-existing mental health conditions and
concomitant frequent cannabis use were all found to be significant predictors of
paranoia after controlling for demographic variables. There is some evidence that
methamphetamine purity, route of administration and frequency of use are also
factors in the development of paranoid ideation. These findings are generally
supportive of existing literature and have implications for the treatment of
individuals who are dependent on methamphetamine or suffer elevated paranoia.


Singapore is known to play a major role in the global trade and consumption in shark and ray parts, though a country-specific analysis has not been conducted recently. Based on this, TRAFFIC and WWF undertook an exercise to understand the scale of this trade involving Singapore, and the role it plays. This assessment describes the characteristics of shark product trade through Singapore over a ten-year period, from 2005 to 2014 as well as the current regulatory systems in place.


This thesis concerns the movement of hominid groups into Europe during the Pleistocene. Four key issues are addressed by this project: the determination of whether it is possible to detect periods of movement in the archaeological record; the examination of whether archaeological treatments of movement have been justified; the establishment of a framework of interpretation of the archaeological record of movement in order to allow movement processes to be investigated; and the exploration of possible changes in the nature of population movements during the Pleistocene. In order to fulfill these aims, and to overcome the lack of a comparative ethnographic record of hunter-gatherer population expansion, a review of population movement processes described by academic disciplines that observe dispersals and migrations of human groups and non-human species, such as ecology, sociology and geography is presented. The processes highlighted by this review are used to build an interpretive framework of the behaviours associated with movement. The current state of archaeological knowledge of movement processes is discussed, in the form of a narrative analysis of the work of four archaeologists that have extensively worked on hominid dispersals. A methodology for the study of population movement processes in the Pleistocene is forwarded, and applied to the initial occupation of Europe during the Early and Middle Pleistocene, and the spread of Homo sapiens groups and the Upper Palaeolithic during the Late Pleistocene. The strength of the interpretive framework, and the usefulness of the concepts taken from contemporary observations of movements are considered, and the value of the archaeological approaches to the episodes of movement is evaluated. The interpretive framework is also used to assess whether social or biological models are more applicable to Pleistocene hominid movements. Recommendations for future studies of past population movements through the archaeological record conclude the thesis.


An increase in energy intake and/or a decrease in energy expenditure lead to fat storage, causing overweight and obesity phenotypes. The objective of this review was to analyse, for the first time using a systematic approach, all published evidence from the past 8 years regarding the molecular pathways linking non‐shivering thermogenesis and obesity in mammals, focusing on mechanisms involved in brown adipose tissue development. Two major databases were scanned from 2006 to 2013 using 'brown adipose tissue' AND 'uncoupling protein‐1' AND 'mammalian thermoregulation' AND 'obesity' as key words. A total of 61 articles were retrieved using the search criteria. The available research used knockout methodologies, various substances, molecules and agonist treatments, or different temperature and diet conditions, to assess the molecular pathways linking non‐shivering thermogenesis and obesity. By integrating the results of the evaluated animal and human studies, our analysis identified specific molecules that enhance non‐shivering thermogenesis and metabolism by: (i) stimulating 'brite' (brown‐like) cell development in white adipose tissue; (ii) increasing uncoupling protein‐1 expression in brite adipocytes; and (iii) augmenting brown and/or brite adipose tissue mass. The latter can be also increased through low temperature, hibernation and/or molecules involved in brown adipocyte differentiation. Cold stimuli and/or certain molecules activate uncoupling protein‐1 in the existing brown adipocytes, thus increasing total energy expenditure by a magnitude proportional to the number of available brown adipocytes. Future research should address the interplay between body mass, brown adipose tissue mass, as well as the main molecules involved in brite cell development.


In this article, a comprehensive review on bioactive flavonoids that are abundant in medicinal and functional food (dietary) plants has been made, with special reference to antimalarial flavonoid molecules. Flavonoids have been found to exist in plants/plant medicines comprising numerous polyphenolic compounds with a wide structural diversity having pharmacological potential in diverse range of therapeutic areas. Flavonoids derived from certain dietary plants described herein have been investigated for their antimalarial effectiveness against malaria parasites, particularly Plasmodium falciparum. The biological target specificity of their antimalarial action is so interesting that they act at protein targets at molecular level other than the conventional antimalarial targets. This approach may be a basis of establishing plant flavonoids as future antimalarial leads for the development of new and potent antimalarial drug molecules.


Recent work has considered natural variations of the multi-armed bandit problem, where the reward distribution of each arm is a special function of the time passed since its last pulling. In this direction, a simple (yet widely applicable) model is that of blocking bandits, where an arm becomes unavailable for a deterministic number of rounds after each play. In this work, we extend the above model in two directions: (i) We consider the general combinatorial setting where more than one arms can be played at each round, subject to feasibility constraints. (ii) We allow the blocking time of each arm to be stochastic. We first study the computational/unconditional hardness of the above setting and identify the necessary conditions for the problem to become tractable (even in an approximate sense). Based on these conditions, we provide a tight analysis of the approximation guarantee of a natural greedy heuristic that always plays the maximum expected reward feasible subset among the available (non-blocked) arms. When the arms' expected rewards are unknown, we adapt the above heuristic into a bandit algorithm, based on UCB, for which we provide sublinear (approximate) regret guarantees, matching the theoretical lower bounds in the limiting case of absence of delays.


In temperate regions, plant-dwelling chironomids can be considered as cyclic colonizers that inhabit seasonally ephemeral submerged and floating-leaved macrophytes. In this study, patterns of abundance and species richness of plant-dwelling chironomids were investigated within and among stands of three macrophyte species in oxbow lakes along the River Tisza (Hungary). Chironomids colonized macrophytes rapidly and most species occupied the habitat before it had completely developed in June. Assemblage structure and abundance of particular species varied considerably between plant species, oxbow lakes and summer months in a characteristic succession from June to August indicating the presence of dynamic selection mechanisms. Abundance of most species, except Endochironomus tendens, total chironomid abundance, within-sample and total species diversity were highest on the submerged plant Ceratophyllum demersum, and most species occurred at the beginning of the colonization succession, in June. The contribution of oxbow lakes (20.3%) and the month sampled (20.3%) to total chironomid diversity was higher than would be expected by chance alone and the contribution of within (19.7%) and between samples (13.5%) to total chironomid diversity was lower than would be expected by chance alone. We conclude that regional biodiversity conservation action plans should include multiple habitats. Moreover, the significant seasonal species turnover proved the need for seasonal sampling to assess accurately the total diversity of chironomids in the system.


De Novo drug design aims at predicting the peptide leads for anti-malarial activity from the designed set of 200 templates (Dipeptide, tripeptide, tetrapeptide and pentapeptide 50 each). Lipinski rules of 5, Molinspiration and Swiss-dock strategy was applied to identify the most potent antimalarial lead against various enzyme targets. Initially, 43 compounds were selected from 200 templates through Lipinski filters and upon subjected to molinspiration further, only 5 leads (Arg-Ser, Asn-Ser, Pro-Lys-Ser, Pro-Lys-Gly and Pro-Lys-Thr) were identified and selected as good targets for enzyme dihydrofolate Reductase (DHFR), Dihydro Orotate Dehydrogenase (DHOD) and aspartic proteinase. Among the docking results obtained with all the three enzyme targets, we found that the dipeptide Arg-Ser is the most potent lead target against malarial enzyme DHFR, aspartic proteinase and DHOD with their corresponding full fitness energy -302413.88 kcal/mol, -287460.67 kcal/mol and -453848.82 kcal/mol respectively. Dipeptide Asn-Ser was identified as the second most lead against malarial enzyme DHFR, aspartic proteinase and DHOD with their full fitness energy -285057.65 kcal/mol, -264788.72 kcal/mol and -425186.51 kcal/mol respectively. The above findings clearly shows that dipeptide Arg-Ser and Asn-Ser are potent targets against malaria and can be explored further to test in vitro, in vivo potency to validate therapeutic efficacy through structured based drug design.


The goal of our studies was to test the effect of segmentation, cueing, and 2D/3D presentations to foster complex animation rocessing. The material was an upright mechanical piano system. We used an eye tracking system which provides information about learners' attention direction during the animation processing. We analyzed the effect of the format presentations and the eye movements during learning. Based on animation and multimedia research background, four experiments were conducted. In the first experiment the effect of the presentation of simplified external representations on learning from complex animation was investigated. Experiment two and three aimed at studying the cognitive processes involved in learning to complex mechanism system with new cueing techniques with spatial-temporal colored tokens. In the fourth experiment, 2D and 3D presentation of the same animated content were compared. Results of these experiments showed that (1) the use of a dual format presentation is better for developing a dynamic mental model from the animation than a single format, (2) the signaling strategies using cued tokens of dual format can guide efficiently learner's building of mental model and can enhance learner's comprehension of complex system, (3) a sequential format presentation followed by an animation format presentation helps the learner to understand the key stages of a dynamic process and to create a high quality mental model, (4) 3D animation presentation is better than 2D animation presentation to direct attention on relevant component of the animation. For depth processing, comprehension with 3D animation presentation is better than 2D animation format. Eye tracking measures provided insights into how people understood and learned complex systems. The analysis of eye tracking also contributed to the understanding of the subject's perceptual processing during learning. Overall, results provide a significant contribution in the field of learning with complex animation. Recommendations in the ergonomics area for the design of animations are proposed.


Housing construction is considered a key parameter of the overall health of the U.S economy. Spatially, housing represents the largest single urban land use of most metropolitan areas encompassing about 35 to 45 percent of land in most cities. Based on a statistical analysis of U.S. Census data, and others sources, this dissertation provides answers to questions of why and how residential building permit distribution varies across the nation and what key determinant factors influence the geography of housing supply. This dissertation hypothesizes that in any given U.S. metropolitan area the amount of new privately owned housing units authorized by building permits per 1000 can be explained by a combination of three major groups of variables that includes: a group of indicators that measure the overall health and mix of the metropolitan economy, the effects of existing housing characteristics on supply and demand, and a mix of socio-demographic variables that trigger housing demand. The purpose of this dissertation project was twofold. First, this dissertation attempted to disentangle the fundamental contemporary growth patterns of housing markets by examining the spatial distribution of residential building permits by metropolitan area. Second, based on a statistical analysis of data, the most prominent economic, housing and socio-demographic characteristics that most significantly shape housing demand were to be isolated in an attempt to uncover the key triggers of residential development growth across the nation. The findings suggested that the most important variables that shaped building permit activity included the percent of the 2005 population attributed to net migration from 2000 to 2005, the percent housing vacancy rate, the percent of housing units built between 1990 and 2004, the percent population employed in health care and social assistance, and the percent elderly. Additionally, two regions of the country dominated residential housing market activity in 2005, and these included the South Atlantic region especially the Florida and Carolinas metropolitan areas, and some relatively isolated Rocky Mountain metroplitan areas. However, the Northeast and the Midwest metropolitan markets experienced below average permitting rates.