Crucial developments to the recently introduced signal-space approach for multiplexing multiple data symbols using a single-radio switched antenna are presented. First, we introduce a general framework for expressing the spatial multiplexing relation of the transmit signals only from the antenna scattering parameters and the modulating reactive loading. This not only avoids tedious far-field calculations, but more importantly provides an efficient and practical strategy for spatially multiplexing PSK signals of any modulation order. The proposed approach allows ensuring a constant impedance matching at the input of the driving antenna for all symbol combinations, and as importantly uses only passive reconfigurable loads. This obviates the use of reconfigurable matching networks and active loads, respectively, thereby overcoming stringent limitations of previous single-feed MIMO techniques in terms of complexity, efficiency, and power consumption. The proposed approach is illustrated by the design of a realistic very compact antenna system optimized for multiplexing QPSK signals. The results show that the proposed approach can bring the MIMO benefits to the low-end user terminals at a reduced RF complexity.


In Korea, a cooperation charge on conservation of ecosystem is imposed to prevent indiscriminate development. The total amount of this charge is determined by multiplying the size of the destroyed area by a value per unit area and the area index within 5 billion won. Since 2001, the charge per unit area has been determined to be . In this study, we estimated the unit value of ecosystem services per year using benefit transfer method, with a focus on forest resources. According to our results, forest resources have a value of about per year. When the non-use value is subtracted, that figure becomes approximately . If this value incorporates the unit value of the cooperation charge on conservation of ecosystem, it will increase. To comply with the original intent of the cooperation charge on conservation of ecosystem, the fund must be used to improve ecosystem services, including the restoration of a destroyed area or the purchase of new land.


Structural models for valuing corporate bonds (beginning with Merton (1974)) have been criticised for giving spreads which are (a) too small and (b) have a term structure in which spreads diminish with extra time to maturity. Empirical tests of models are hampered by the complexity of real-world bonds, which have coupons, calls and sinking funds, and also by the complicated and changing capital structures adopted by companies. This paper exploits a new database of zero-coupon bonds issued by closed-end funds in the UK. These companies have very simple capital structures and transparent values for both assets and liabilities. Between 20 and 78 bonds are observable monthly over the period February 1992 to April 2001. Counter to previous research, we find that model and market spreads are on average of similar magnitude. Similar to previous research, market spreads are high (relative to model spreads) for bonds which have low risk and for bonds which are near to maturity. While the observed term-structure of credit spreads is upward-sloping, this may be explained by a predictable drift in leverage over time. On the whole, the results are surprisingly supportive of Merton's model and suggest that it is important to allow for expected changes in leverage when computing credit spreads.


Introduction: Sleep disorders are common problems in modern societies affecting different aspects of individuals' lives. Many studies have reported that sleep deprivation (SD) leads to impairments in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory formations. Physical exercise has been shown to improve learning and memory. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of Voluntary exercise on cognitive functions of female rats following sleep deprivation. Materials and Methods: Intact female Wistar rats were used in the present study. The exercise protocol was 4 weeks of voluntary wheel running. The multiple platform method was applied for the induction of 72 h sleep deprivation and the cognitive function was evaluated using Morris water maze (MWM). ANOVA and repeated measures were used to analyze the data and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Throughout the investigation, significant learning and memory impairment was observed in sleep-deprived rats compared to the control group. Voluntary exercise alleviated the SD-induced learning and memory impairment. Conclusion: The results of our study confirmed the negative effects of SD on cognitive functions in female rats and voluntary exercise seems to protect rats from these effects.


The purpose of this study is to explain the functions of imperative sentences in daily Turkish language within the framework of pragmatic theories. In this respect, the study first discusses the definitions and functions of imperative sentences in line with the studies about the functionality of imperative sentences in functional pragmatics. Then, the functions of imperative sentences in Turkish are explained. These explanations are based on the examples of sixteen different functions of imperative sentences in the Turkish language. The examples are selected from daily-language discourses. These examples are taken from speeches recorded and then transcribed. Each example shows a different function of imperative sentences. Before giving examples, the study briefly explains which imperatives refer to which acts with respect to pragmatic theories. The purpose of the study is to show that imperatives are used not only for commands or demands. The study reveals that the functions of imperative sentences are influenced by the status and age of a speaker in the interaction setting as well as the form and purpose of imperative sentences.


Crandallite group minerals from the Devonian bauxite deposit of Schugorsk, Timan, Russia, were studied by electron microprobe. Special attention was given to the distribution of the rare earth elements (REE). Of the A-site cations, essential are (oxides in wt.%) Ca (0.2 - 7.9), Sr (0.4 - 5.9), Ba (0.1 - 5.1), Pb (0.01 - 8.4), Y (to 2.4) and REE (to 21.6). Bi (A-site), Ga (B-site) and V (X-site) occur in trace amounts. Two main types of REE distribution in crandallite group minerals are distinguished. The first shows a clear negative Ce anomaly and partially depleted Pr; crandallite group minerals of this type formed under strong oxidising conditions (positive Eh and neutral to slightly alkaline pH values) and lost Ce due to its oxidation to Ce 4+ and accumulation in other minerals such as anatase. The second type displays a positive Sm anomaly and a negative Pr anomaly. Individual crandallite group crystals belonging to this type, I - 40 μm in size, show a clear compositional zoning: the core is enriched in Ca, while the rim is enriched in S, Sr, Pb and the REE. This crandallite formed under reducing conditions related to stripping of Fe from the weathering profile. The presence of Sm 2+ in the crandallite lattice is proposed, and the role of organic material in its reduction is discussed. A Pr anomaly was inherited from the parent rock. A comparison of REE distribution in crandallite group minerals from different weathering profiles suggests that these minerals can be used to distinguish conditions of weathering.


Six hard‐water lakes were sampled May‐August for 14 yr in a 52,000 km2 catchment to identify the mechanisms that regulate the spatial and temporal variability of net atmospheric exchange of CO2 of lakes on the Northern Great Plains. Annual mean daily fluxes ranged from ‐100 to >200 mmol C m−2 d−1, while pCO2 values varied between 0.3 and 5500 Pa. We observed periods of net CO22 uptake (1995, 2000) and release (1998, 2006) resulting in synchronous variations in net CO2 flux among lakes. Furthermore, pCO2, pH, and chemical enhancement of CO2 influx all varied coherently among sites. Interannual variation in net CO2 flux and pCO2 was correlated strongly with pH, correlated weakly with other physical and chemical conditions, and was uncorrelated to algal biomass, productivity, or ecosystem respiration. In contrast, spatial variability of water‐column pCO2 was correlated negatively to concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus, total dissolved nitrogen, pH, and gross primary productivity, suggesting an important role of lake metabolism at large spatial scales. Finally, comparison with an additional 20 saline lakes demonstrated that changes in mean annual pH, pCO2, and CO2 flux during 2002‐2007 were coherent in diverse lakes within a region of >100,000 km2 and suggest that climatic control of pH and pCO2 had an unexpectedly great effect on net CO2 flux through productive hard‐water lake ecosystems.


Robots are widely used as substitutes for humans in situations involving repetitive tasks where a precise and repeatable motion is required. Sports technology is an area which has seen an increase in the implementation of robots which simulate specific human motions required for a sport. One purpose is to test sports equipment, where the requirement is for a motion to be performed with consistent variables. One issue which has arisen frequently in the robot simulation of humans is the inherent presence of vibration excited in a flexible object being manipulated by a robot, and this issue is not unfounded in the situation presented in this research, of a golf robot manipulating a flexible golf club during the simulation of a golf swing. It had been found that during robotic simulations of golf swings performed with the Miyamae Robo V at the Sports Technology Institute at Loughborough University, swing variables such as shaft deformation and clubhead orientation were dissimilar to those measured for human golf swings. Vibrations present in the golf club were identified as the key cause of the disparity between human and robot swing variables. This research sought to address this issue and find a method which could be applied to reduce clubhead vibrations present in robot simulations of a golf swing to improve their similarity to human swings. This would facilitate the use of the golf robot for equipment testing and club fitting.
Golf swing variables were studied and measured for 14 human subjects with the aim being to understand the motion that the robot is required to simulate. A vibration damping gripper was then fitted to the robot to test the effect that changing the interface between the robot-excited vibrations and the club would have, this was achieved with a selection of silicone sleeves with differing material properties which could be attached to the club. Preliminary results showed a noticeable reduction in clubhead vibrations and this solution was investigated further. Mathematically modelling the robot was seen as the most suitable method for this as it meant the robot remained functional and allowed a number of solutions to be tested. Several iterations of a mathematical model were developed with the final model being structurally similar to the robot with the addition of a compliant grip and wrist. The method by which the robot is driven was also recognised as having a large effect on the level of vibration excited in the clubhead and the methodology behind generating smooth robot swing profiles is presented. The mathematical model was used to perform 6 swings and the resulting shaft deformation and clubhead vibration were compared with data from human swings. It was found that the model was capable of producing swing variables comparable to human swings, however in the downswing portion of the swing the magnitude of these variables were larger for the simulations. Simulations were made which sought to demonstrate the difference between the model replicating the rigid robot and a compliant system. Reductions in vibration were achieved in all swings, including those driven with robot feedback data which contains oscillations excited by the method with which the robot is driven.


The purpose of this paper is to present a new software tool that has been developed, the purpose of which is to help novices learn programming. The tool supports what is know as the "completion" method of learning to program. It begins by discussing the difficulties that students face when learning to program and the use of part-complete solutions as a teaching and learning method. CORT has been developed to support this use of part-complete solutions and its features are outlined. When used by a student, a partcomplete solution to a given programming problem is displayed in one window and possible lines of code that can be used to complete the solution are displayed within another window. The lines can easily be moved between the windows in order to complete the solution, the solution then being transferred to the target programming environment for testing purposes. Preliminary feedback from students indicates that CORT is easy to use and perceived to be helping them in their learning of programming. Three different methods of using CORT have been identified and these will be the subject of future research.


Why technology is not an end in itself, and how cities can be ?smart enough,? using technology to promote democracy and equity.

 Smart cities, where technology is used to solve every problem, are hailed as futuristic urban utopias. We are promised that apps, algorithms, and artificial intelligence will relieve congestion, restore democracy, prevent crime, and improve public services. In The Smart Enough City, Ben Green warns against seeing the city only through the lens of technology; taking an exclusively technical view of urban life will lead to cities that appear smart but under the surface are rife with injustice and inequality. He proposes instead that cities strive to be ?smart enough?: to embrace technology as a powerful tool when used in conjunction with other forms of social change?but not to value technology as an end in itself.

 In a technology-centric smart city, self-driving cars have the run of downtown and force out pedestrians, civic engagement is limited to requesting services through an app, police use algorithms to justify and perpetuate racist practices, and governments and private companies surveil public space to control behavior. Green describes smart city efforts gone wrong but also smart enough alternatives, attainable with the help of technology but not reducible to technology: a livable city, a democratic city, a just city, a responsible city, and an innovative city. By recognizing the complexity of urban life rather than merely seeing the city as something to optimize, these Smart Enough Cities successfully incorporate technology into a holistic vision of justice and equity.


Lara Bou Khzam1, Katherine Hajjar2, Nasrin Mesaeli1 1Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Doha, Qatar and 2Weill Cornell Medical College New York, USA. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of legal blindness in working-age individuals resulting in disrupted vascular integrity and pathological retinal angiogenesis in both type I and type II diabetes. Annexin A2 is a regulator of endothelial morphogenesis and plays a role in the modulation of fibrin homeostasis and neoangiogenesis by regulating the generation of plasmin. Heterotetramerization of S100A10 (p11) with Annexin A2 and translocation of this complex to the cell surface is required to modulate the activation of plasmin. We hypothesize that the Annexin A2-p11 system regulates the development of retinal angiogenesis and may be a potential therapeutic target in diabetic retinopathy. Objective of current study is to determine the effect of hyperglycemia on Annexin A2 and p11 expression in endothelial cells. To address this objective we examined effect of high glucose on Annexin A2 and p11 expression in HUVEC cells. Our results illustrated no significant change in the total Annexin A2 protein or mRNA after exposure to different doses of glucose for different times. However, hyperglycemia increased p11 protein expression. To determine weather hyperglycemia affects cellular distribution of Annexin A2 and p11 we used cell surface biotinylation and immunocytochemcial staining (ICC) . Biotinylation studies illustrated an increased cell surface expression of both Annexin A2 and p11 under high-dose glucose conditions. ICC experiments also illustrated cell surface localization of Annexin A2 and p11 following high glucose exposure. Overall our data illustrates a role for high glucose in post-translational regulation of Annexin A2 and p11. Future studies are focused on examining the nature of the post-translational modification in Annexin A2 and p11. Acknowledgment: This work is supported by NPRP No: 6-736-3-187 by QNRF.


A new approach to portfolio analysis of financial market risks by random set tools is considered. Despite many attempts, the consistent and global modeling of financial markets remains an open problem. In particular it remains a challenge to find a simple and tractable economic and probabilistic approach to market modeling. This paper attempts to highlight fundamental properties that a market model should possess. The paper suggests a random set approach as a probabilistic base of this model. Using this approach it is possible to establish a corresponding interactive market dynamics that involves a minimal number of sets. These sets include the set of capital surpluses, the set of capital within assets and the set of capital deficits. Several interesting properties related to random volatility of assets quality, probabilities of quality categories and defaults and matrices of transition probabilities of switching among categories can be derived. In addition the random set approach allows to derive the so called transition set-matrices, random set invariants of capital redistribution processes. Empirical evidence will be given that confirm these random set findings. The approach is also illustrated by collapses in U.S. financial markets in 90's and can be used to explain Russian default'98.


Cults Loch, at Castle Kennedy in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, loch lies within a landscape rich in prehistoric cropmark sites and within the loch itself are two crannogs, one of which has been the focus of this study. A palisaded enclosure and a promontory fort on the shores of the loch have also been excavated. The Cults Loch crannog is only the second prehistoric site in Scotland to be dated by dendrochronology and analysis has revealed the very short duration of activity on the crannog in the middle of the 5th century BC. Bayesian analysis of the dating evidence from all the excavated sites has yielded a chronological sequence which suggests a dynamic and sequential settlement pattern across the landscape. The implications of this sequence for later prehistoric settlement throughout south-west Scotland are explored. The Cults Loch Landscape Project arose out of the Scottish Wetland Archaeology Programme (SWAP), the objective of which is to fully integrate the wetland archaeological resource of Scotland into the more mainstream narratives of 'dryland' archaeology. The Cults Loch project has sought to bridge this apparent divide between 'wetland' and 'dryland' by focusing on a wetland site, the crannog, which lies at the centre of a prehistoric landscape, rather than being peripheral to it. Thus, the wealth of well-preserved evidence from the crannog, particularly the rich ecofactual assemblages, as well as the higher chronological resolution possible through the dendro-dating of waterlogged timbers, are brought to bear on our understanding of the evidence from the cropmark sites around the loch. The role and function of crannogs are also explored via the relationship between the crannog in Cults Loch and its social and physical landscape.


Abstract Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora is one of New Zealand's largest coastal, brackish water lakes. It has nationally significant wetland bird populations and is regionally important for iwi. The lake regularly experiences fluctuations in water level, resulting in a continually expanding and contracting littoral zone. This study investigated the impacts of these water level changes on the ecology of the lake. Water chemistry results collected over 12 months, confirm the lake is hypertrophic, due to high nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) concentrations resulting in high chlorophyll a levels and low water clarity. Water chemistry conditions were collected at five locations around the lake and showed marked spatial variation, with the eastern most end (Kaituna Lagoon) having generally the best water quality and lowest salinity (mean 4.9 ppt). Mean concentrations of total nitrogen ranged from 1.63 to 2.4 mg/L, chlorophyll a from 50 to 148 ug/L and total suspended solids from 151 – 248 mg/L. Seasonally, highest nutrient concentrations (mean, total nitrogen = 2.625 mg/L, dissolved reactive phosphorus = 0.059 mg/L and total phosphorus = 0.365 mg/L) occurred in late summer months (February – March), slightly decreasing but remaining high throughout winter.Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora is one of New Zealand's largest coastal, brackish water lakes. It has nationally significant wetland bird populations and is regionally important for iwi. The lake regularly experiences fluctuations in water level, resulting in a continually expanding and contracting littoral zone. This study investigated the impacts of these water level changes on the ecology of the lake. Water chemistry results collected over 12 months, confirm the lake is hypertrophic, due to high nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) concentrations resulting in high chlorophyll a levels and low water clarity. Water chemistry conditions were collected at five locations around the lake and showed marked spatial variation, with the eastern most end (Kaituna Lagoon) having generally the best water quality and lowest salinity (mean 4.9 ppt). Mean concentrations of total nitrogen ranged from 1.63 to 2.4 mg/L, chlorophyll a from 50 to 148 ug/L and total suspended solids from 151 – 248 mg/L. Seasonally, highest nutrient concentrations (mean, total nitrogen = 2.625 mg/L, dissolved reactive phosphorus = 0.059 mg/L and total phosphorus = 0.365 mg/L) occurred in late summer months (February – March), slightly decreasing but remaining high throughout winter. The benthic invertebrate community was surprisingly diverse, Crustacea (Paracorophium excavatum), Oligochaeta, Mollusca (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) and Chironomidae (Chironomus zealandicus) were dominant community members in the littoral zone, although 24 other taxa were collected. At high water levels, taxonomic richness increased in the eulittoral zone, while decreasing in the mid-littoral and lower littoral zones. In contrast, density decreased with higher water level in the eulittoral and mid-littoral zones, while increasing in the lower littoral zone. Benthic invertebrate communities appeared to be adapted to periods of intermittent dewatering, and even sustained dewatering under cooler temperatures. Despite the relatively high diversity of benthic invertebrates, invertebrate predators are generally absent from the lake. My results suggest multiple factors and interactions from predation pressure, salinity and lack of macrophytes are likely responsible for the absence of predatory invertebrates such as damselfly (Xanthocnemis zealandica) and dragonfly (Procordulia grayi) larvae. The lack of significant relationships between water quality variables and water level, and the positive relationship between chlorophyll a and salinity, suggests that current lake opening events do not have a positive effective on either water quality or phytoplankton biomass in


This article reports on the results of a study on men who pay for sex across Ireland. In presenting a detailed picture of the diverse group of sex workers' clients, their motives and attitudes, we debunk the prevalent stereotypes about men who pay for sex, as continuously used in the public discourse about sex work on both sides of the Irish border: we show that the majority of clients do not fit the image of violent, careless misogynists. We argue that these debates about commercial sex as well as the experiences of those who pay for sex are shaped and nurtured by the specific local context, by conservative Christian morals and the dominant sex-negative culture across Ireland. Finally, we argue that the criminalization of paying for sex which came into effect in Northern Ireland in 2015 and is being discussed in the Republic of Ireland will likely not stop the majority of clients from paying for sex and thus fail to achieve its aim to reduce or abolish sex work.


Title of Document: THE CHALLENGE OF TEEN NUTRITION: AN ECOLOGICAL VIEW OF SOCIOCOGNITIVE INFLUENCES ON URBAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADOLESCENT DIET QUALITY Margaret Mary Wrobleski, Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Directed By: Assistant Professor, Nancy Atkinson, Department of Public and Community Health The routine food choices that adolescents make impact their nutritional status, health, and their risk of developing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis in the future. Nutrient requirements during adolescence are comparable to those in early infancy, emphasizing the importance of a high quality diet for healthy growth and development. A myriad of personal, social, and environmental factors influence adolescents in shaping their dietary intake and quality of diet. Lowincome, African-American adolescents in Baltimore were identified as having suboptimal nutritional intake compared to national dietary recommendations. This study explored the dynamic and relative contributions that factors within three environmental levels (personal, social, and community) made as predictors of diet quality in a sample of low-income, urban African-American adolescents using an integrated Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) / ecological theoretical framework. It was hypothesized that 1) the personal, social, and community environmental levels of dietary influences would all significantly contribute to diet quality, with community environment making the largest relative contribution; 2) self-efficacy for healthy eating moderated the relationship between parental beliefs about nutrition and diet quality; and 3) self-efficacy for healthy eating moderated the relationship between peer eating behaviors and diet quality. There have been very few studies using an integrated SCT/ecological model to explore the dietary influences on adolescent nutrition, especially on this demographic. The significant influence the SCT construct of observational learning has on adolescents was evidenced in this study by the positive relationship found between diet quality, parental beliefs about nutrition, and peer eating behavior. Younger participants in early adolescence and females were predominately guided by their parents' beliefs about nutrition, while males in this study appeared to identify more with their peers' nutrition-related behaviors. This study revealed that parents and peers play important roles in AfricanAmerican adolescents' food choices and subsequent diet quality. Nutrition interventions should focus on parent-teen interactions and on improving the dietary habits of parents so they may be more effective role models for youth. Nutrition promotion research targeting young African-American men may consider using group interactive behavioral interventions with peers that build and reinforce peer modeling of positive nutrition behaviors. THE CHALLENGE OF TEEN NUTRITION: AN ECOLOGICAL VIEW OF SOCIO-COGNITIVE INFLUENCES ON URBAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADOLESCENT DIET QUALITY


This study sought to determine the effects of explicit phonics instruction and sight word instruction on the letter-sound identification and word reading of 13- to 15-year-old English language learners in the eighth grade who were identified as having intellectual disabilities (ID). Using a randomized single-subject design, four Hispanic students with mild ID who were native Spanish speakers and receiving free or reduced-price lunch were assigned to receive either phonics or sight word instruction. Both treatments were taught explicitly to the pair of students in the condition and included scaffolding and multiple practice opportunities. Sessions took place every other day for 20 minutes over 8 weeks, totaling 400 minutes of intervention. All students demonstrated increased rates of improvement in identifying letter-sounds and untaught words on the Basic Phonics Skills Test III. Although students in the sight word condition were not explicitly taught letter-sound correspondences, they correctly identified the sounds of all 26 letters by posttest. All students progressed in their ability to read untaught words of increasing complexity. Results suggest that adolescents with mild cognitive impairments attending schools taught in a nonnative language can still profit from explicit instruction in foundational reading skills.


Application of multisource feedback (MSF) increased dramatically and became widespread globally in the past two decades, but there was little conceptual work regarding self-other agreement and few empirical studies investigated self-other agreement in other cultural settings. This study developed a new conceptual framework of self-other agreement and used three samples to illustrate how national culture affected self-other agreement. These three samples included 428 participants from China, 818 participants from the US, and 871 participants from globally dispersed teams (GDTs). An EQS procedure and a polynomial regression procedure were used to examine whether the covariance matrices were equal across samples and whether the relationships between self-other agreement and performance would be different across cultures, respectively. The results indicated MSF could be applied to China and GDTs, but the pattern of relationships between self-other agreement and performance was different across samples, suggesting that the results found in the U.S. sample were the exception rather than rule. Demographics also affected self-other agreement disparately across perspectives and cultures, indicating self-concept was susceptible to cultural influences. The proposed framework only received partial support but showed great promise to guide future studies. This study contributed to the literature by: (a) developing a new framework of self-other agreement that could be used to study various contextual factors; (b) examining the relationship between self-other agreement and performance in three vastly different samples; (c) providing some important insights about consensus between raters and self-other agreement; (d) offering some practical guidelines regarding how to apply MSF to other cultures more effectively.


In this doctoral thesis, multi-frequency very long baseline interferometry observations together with multi-frequency total flux-density variability data of compact relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei are presented and analyzed. The main goal of the thesis is to investigate the physical mechanisms in relativistic jets responsible for such phenomena as the co-existence of moving and stationary jet components, jet wiggling and precession. We also aim to study the connection between the structural changes in the relativistic jets and flares in the total flux-density light curves and to find observational evidences for the appearance of a primary perturbation in the base of the jet and its further propagation. In this thesis we also investigate which physical mechanisms are responsible for periodical total flux-density variability and to search for periodicities as a sign of jet precession. In order to study the jet physics we used the multi-frequency very long baseline interferometry technique which gives the highest possible in astronomy resolution. We also compared jet structural changes with single-dish multi-frequency observations spanning more than 30 years together with optical and gamma-ray data. In particular, analysis of the long-term kinematics of two active galactic nuclei S5 1803+784 and 0605-085 shows evidence for jet precession. The jet is precessing with a timescale similar to a period in the total flux-density light curves. Moreover, I show that jet structural changes are correlated with the total flux-density variability. Analyzing the long-term kinematics of S5 1803+784 I found for the first time that its jet consists of seven ``oscillating'' jet features which were observed for more than 20 years. We found five blazars and quasars (3C 454.3, 3C 446, CTA 102, 0133+476, and 0605-085) which show clear periodical total flux-density radio variability. Moreover, in the case of 3C 454.3 and 3C 446 the predicted flares were meanwhile observed. In this thesis I propose a new physical approach for searching periodicities and calculating flaring activity cycles in radio total flux-density variability. I use the separation of the flares into "core" and "jet" outbursts. I found that for the sources 3C 454.3 and 3C 446 optically thick "core" outbursts appear periodically.


Background: Hyperbilirubinaemia is a common complication of sepsis. Elevated bilirubin may induce inflammation and apoptosis. It was hypothesised that increased serum bilirubin on Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission contributes to sepsis-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: Serum bilirubin on ICU admission was measured in 1006 patients with sepsis. Serial serum bilirubin was analysed prospectively in patients with sepsis who had ARDS for a period of 28 days. The effects of clinical factors and variants of the UGT1A1 gene on serum bilirubin levels were determined. Outcomes were ARDS risk and mortality. Results: During 60-day follow-up, 326 patients with sepsis developed ARDS, of whom 144 died from ARDS. The hyperbilirubinaemia (⩾2.0 mg/dl) rate in patients with ARDS (22.4%) was higher than in those without ARDS (14.1%, p = 0.002). For each 1.0 mg/dl increase in admission bilirubin, ARDS risk and 28- and 60-day ARDS mortalities were increased by 7% (OR = 1.07; p = 0.003), 20% (OR = 1.20; p = 0.002) and 18% (OR = 1.18; p = 0.004), respectively. Compared with subjects with bilirubin levels <2.0 mg/dl, patients with hyperbilirubinaemia had higher risks of ARDS (OR = 2.12; p = 0.0007) and 28-day (OR = 2.24; p = 0.020) and 60-day ARDS mortalities (OR = 2.09; p = 0.020). In sepsis-related ARDS, serial bilirubin levels in non-survivors were consistently higher than in survivors (p<0.0001). Clinical variables explained 29.5% of the interindividual variation in bilirubin levels, whereas genetic variants of UGT1A1 contributed 7.5%. Conclusion: In sepsis, a higher serum bilirubin level on ICU admission is associated with subsequent ARDS development and mortality.


After decades of tweaking and modification, the federal sentencing guidelines have yet to meaningfully separate high-level drug traffickers from their unsophisticated underlings. The Mitigating Role Guideline — designed in part to alleviate the effects of quantity-based drug sentencing — fails to reach many of the people prosecuted for their work at the lowest rungs of drug-trafficking hierarchies. This includes couriers and mules who transport drugs for small amounts of money. Quantity-based sentencing guidelines qualify couriers and mules for extremely high sentences, which they must work down from by proving they deserve one or more sentencing reductions. The Mitigating Role Guideline requires defendants to prove their role makes them "substantially less culpable" than similarly situated drug traffickers. This mushy standard — along with a host of other obstacles — results in denial of sentencing reductions. Mitigating Role is all-the-more treacherous because it triggers further sentencing reduction that frequently apply to couriers and mules. These reductions are: (1) Role Cap, which counteracts quantity-based calculations that the Sentencing Commission has determined overstate low-level drug defendants' culpability; and (2) the Methamphetamine Importation Enhancement, which extends sentences unless mitigating role is granted.This Paper argues the Mitigating Role Guideline must be amended to more consistently account for low-level defendants. An amended guideline should assess defendants' functional roles rather than engage in an obscure comparison with so-called average participants. It should expressly disavow "indispensability" analysis, which incorrectly equates basic but-for causation with culpability. And the guideline should expressly distinguish between the analysis required for Mitigating Role and the analysis for Aberrant Behavior. Conflation of the two guidelines frequently leads to denials of sentencing reductions. Finally, given past failures, guidelines depending on Mitigating Role should no longer depend on it. Rather, they should be "de-coupled," so they take effect for any defendant's role that is not aggravating. Because quantity-based guidelines are perilously high for all but a tiny fraction of violent drug trafficking defendants, these reductions for Role Cap and subtraction of the Methamphetamine Enhancement should be applied presumptively to limit the impact of overly harsh role determinations.


Due to their flexibility, ease of use, low-cost and fast deployment, wireless Mesh Networks have been widely accepted as an alternative to wired network for last-mile connectivity. When used in conjunction with Peer-to-Peer data transfer solutions, many innovative applications and services such as distributed storage, resource sharing, live TV broadcasting or Video on Demand can be supported without any centralized administration. However, in order to achieve a good quality of service in such variable, error-prone and resource-constrained wireless multi-hop environments, it is important that the associated Peer-to-Peer overlay is not only aware of the availability, but also of the location and available path link quality of its peers and services.
This thesis proposes a wireless location-aware Chord-based overlay mechanism for Wireless Mesh Networks (WILCO) based on a novel geographical multi-level ID mapping and an improved finger table. The proposed scheme exploits the location information of mesh routers to decrease the number of hops the overlay messages traverse in the physical topology. Analytical and simulation results demonstrate that in comparison to the original Chord, WILCO has significant benefits: it reduces the number of lookup messages, has symmetric lookup on keys in both the forward and backward direction of the Chord ring and achieves a stretch factor of O(1).
On top of this location-aware overlay, a WILCO-based novel video segment seeking algorithm is proposed to make use of the multi-level WILCO ID location-awareness to locate and retrieve requested video segments from the nearest peer in order to improve video quality. An enhanced version of WILCO segment seeking algorithm (WILCO+) is proposed to mitigate the sometimes suboptimal selection of the WILCO video segment seeking algorithm by extracting coordinates from WILCO ID to enable location-awareness. Analytical and simulation results illustrate that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing state-of-the-art solutions in terms of PSNR and packet loss with different background traffic loads.
While hop count is frequently strongly correlated to Quality of Service, the link quality of the underlying network will also have a strong influence on content retrieval quality. As a result, a Cross-layer Wireless Link Quality-aware Overlay peer selection mechanism (WLO) is proposed. The proposed cross-layer mechanism uses a Multiplication Selector Metric (MSM) to select the best overlay peer. The proposed MSM overcomes the two issues facing the traditional summation-based metric, namely, the difficulty of bottleneck link identification and the influence of hop count on behavior. Simulation results show that WLO outperforms the existing state-of-the-art solutions in terms of video quality at different background loads and levels of topology incompleteness. Real life emulation-based tests and subjective video quality assessments are also performed to show that the simulation results are closely matched by the real-life emulation-based results and to illustrate the significant impact of overlay peer selection on the user perceived video quality.


The present study investigated differences in social referencing and visual attention (e.g., attention to objects, attention to faces, and attention disengagement), and importantly, the extent to which variability in visual attention was related to social referencing among 11- and 16-month-old infants at high and low genetic risk for autism. Results indicate that HR infants referenced adults at a lower rate than did LR infants. Notably, 16-month-old infants later diagnosed with ASD referenced adults less frequently than typically-developing (TD) and non-typical (NT) infants, which suggests social referencing may be a promising early marker of ASD. When 16-month-olds were attending to the face, HR infants spent a smaller proportion of time looking at the top half of the face than LR infants. This finding indicates that HR infants distributed their attention within the face differently. In addition, associations between visual attention measures and variability in social referencing were found only among LR infants. Increased looking to the top half of the face was related to higher rates of social referencing in LR 16-month-olds. Conversely, LR 16-month-olds' increased looking to objects was related to lower rates of social referencing. Broadly, results support the idea that visual attention indices are related to successful social referencing. As the first study known to identify correlations between visual attention and social referencing, these findings suggest that further investigation of the co-occurring development of visual attention and social-communicative behaviors in infancy is warranted.


Mammalian iron homeostasis is maintained by an intricate network of diverse proteins that constantly survey systemic iron levels and carefully regulate the uptake of iron from the diet. Control of this uptake is critically important because once iron is absorbed, mammals have no regulated mechanism for its removal. The portal through which iron enters the body is ferroportin, a multipass membrane protein expressed on the basolateral membrane of epithelial cells in the duodenum. The iron export function of ferroportin is primarily regulated by the serum peptide hormone hepcidin, which is secreted from the liver when systemic iron levels are high. Hepcidin acts as a negative regulator of iron uptake by binding to ferroportin at the cell surface and inducing its internalization and degradation. Genetic defects in ferroportin, hepcidin, or the proteins involved with sensing systemic iron levels lead to iron overload diseases known as hereditary hemochromatosis. Using the tools of biophysics and cell biology, we sought to study ferroportin and its interaction with hepcidin in order to better understand this critical bottleneck in iron uptake and how genetic defects within ferroportin might lead to disease. We developed the first protocols for the overexpression, detergent-solubilization, and purification of recombinant ferroportin. We determined that detergent-solubilized ferroportin is a monomer capable of binding hepcidin in vitro. We characterized the expression and subcellular localization of ferroportin in mammalian tissue culture and determined that both the amino- and carboxy-termini of ferroportin are cytosolic. We developed cell-based assays for the hepcidin-induced internalization of ferroportin and used these to characterize the route of internalization from the plasma membrane through early endosomes to degradative lysosomal compartments. Using live-cell imaging techniques, we showed that this internalization depended on intact microtubules. We expanded this cell-biological study to include sixteen disease-related ferroportin mutants and reported that each mutant was expressed on the plasma membrane like wild-type ferroportin, but that only a subset of the mutants were capable of being internalized by hepcidin. These studies form a foundation for future biophysical and cell-biological studies of ferroportin function.


This chapter tests the hypothesis that a shift from an L1 to a community-dominant language as speakers' main public language is abrupt, not gradual (i.e., from one grammatical system to another, without implying L1 grammatical attrition). When the situation biased urban Xhosa-English bilinguals in South Africa to speak only Xhosa, many speakers showed Xhosa-English codeswitching (English content words in Xhosa grammatical frames). Such codeswitching does not necessarily predict a shift. Rather, in such a situation the frequency of L2 monolingual clauses (English here) does point to a shift and its abruptness. A cluster analysis divided the sample (N = 48) into three groups based on use of English elements; the 'front runners' group showed numerous English clauses.


This thesis examines the way in which jazz evolved in Britain beginning with an examination of the cultural and musical antecedents of the genre, including minstrel shows and black musical theatre, within the context of musical life in Britain in the late nineteenth-early twentieth centuries. The processes through which this evolution took place are considered with reference to the ways in which jazz was introduced to Britain through imported revue shows and sheet music, as well as by the visits of American musicians. Finally, the subsequent development of jazz in Britain in the 1920s is analysed with particular consideration of the 'jazz age', modernism and the 'culture industry' as theoretical constructs and detailed study of dance music on the BBC and jazz in the underworld of London.

The thesis falls into two parts, the first provides historical and theoretical perspectives on the topic, and the second presents various case studies that examine particular manifestations of the evolving presence of jazz in Britain. The research makes use of a wide variety of primary source material; in addition to recordings (where available), sheet music, and concert programmes, which offer direct information about the music performed; biographies, film, photographs, government, police and court records, newspapers and periodicals provide the necessary context.

This thesis presents a new version of the history of jazz in Britain, not only through the factual findings resulting from the consideration of how jazz evolved in Britain, but also through the methodological approach used. The research establishes the parallel worlds of jazz that existed by the end of the 1920s in Britain: the realm of the institutionalised 'culture industry' and the underworld, and shows the importance of image and racial stereotyping in shaping perceptions of jazz in Britain. Most significantly I this study clearly establishes that the evolution of jazz in Britain is unique, rather than an extension or reflection of that in America.


New and robust methodologies have been designed for palladium-catalyzed crosscoupling reactions involving·a novel·class of tertiary phosphine ligand incorporating a phospha-adamantane framework. It has been realized that bulky, electron-rich phosphines, when used as ligands for palladium, allow for cross-coupling reactions involving even the less reactive aryl halide substrates with a variety of coupling partners. In an effort to design new ligands suitable for carrying out cross-coupling transformations, the secondary phosphine, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-2,4,8-trioxa-6phosphaadamantane was converted into a number of tertiary phosphine derivatives. The ability of these tertiary phosphaadamantanes to act as effective ligands in the palladiumcatalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling was examined. 1,3,5,7-Tetramethyl-6-phenyl-2,4,8trioxa-6-phosphaadamantane (PA-Ph) used in combination with Pdz(dba)3permitted the reaction of an array of aryl iodides, bromides and chlorides with a variety arylboronic acids to give biaryls in good to excellent yields. Subsequently, palladium complexes of PA-Ph were prepared and isolated in high yields as air stable palladium bisphosphine complexes. Two different kinds of crystals were isolated and upon characterization revealed two complexes, Pd(PA-Ph)z.dba and Pd(PA-Ph)zOz. Preliminary screening for their catalytic activity indicated that the former is more reactive than the latter. Pd(PAPh)z.dba was applied as the catalyst for Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions of aryl iodides and bromides and in the reactions of aryl bromides and chlorides with ketones to give a-arylated ketones at mild temperatures in high yields.


The purpose of this study was to gauge the state of inclusion in American Secondary Agricultural Education programs as perceived by state directors of agricultural education. It was found agricultural education is beneficial for minorities and women. Additionally, it was perceived that inclusion overall was critical for secondary agricultural education: however, barriers to its full implementation in secondary agricultural education were found to be the lack of role models, stereotypes, the perception of agriculture itself, guidance counselor support, and understanding student learning styles. Solutions to improving inclusion in secondary agricultural education were perceived to be preservice and inservice training in multicultural education and differentiated instruction, and forming collaborative relationships with guidance counselors, school administrators, and the community in general.


This report presents and compares old-age income provision rules with respect to the issue of equality between women and men in the current and future EU member states. The report focuses on 25 member states and, to the extent possible, on the recently acceded and candidate countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Croatia). The report considers various aspects of the benefits, ranging from entitlement rules to minimum pensions, through to childcare credits and assistance for survivors. Overall, European countries adopt similar measures for ensuring adequate old-age income for women. The elimination of differentiated entitlement rules for standard and early retirement plays a key role in the reduction of the differences between men and women. In particular, this process means a faster increase in the minimum retirement age for women and different methods of encompassing childcare periods in the pension benefit formulas. In the long run, the higher employment rates of women and reduced wage disparities between men and women should lead to better individual pension rights for women, especially in defined contribution schemes, which have recently been introduced in some countries.


The publication of the Doctrine of Papal Infallibility by the First Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church in 1870 had significant implications for democratically elected governments of predominantly Roman Catholic nations; a view held by the members of the Republican government of France in 1879 who used the event to lay the basis for a political argument which found expression in Article 7 of the "Law Relating to the Freedom of Higher Education", introduced into the French legislature of the Third Republic on March 15, 1879. The introduction of the article, and the furor it raised in the two houses of the legislature and in the nation, provides the background for a study of the government's objective of Republican security contained within the article, its feelings towards the Roman Catholic Church generally, and its attempts to integrate the two into an ecclesiastical policy which would neither compromise the future of the Republic nor be persecutory, in the opinion of the government, toward the Church. This paper proposes to be such a study and it analyzes Article 7 both for its political objective and its method of achieving that objective through educational legislation, and the interrelationship of both, as perceived by the spokesmen of the government. -- As the latter unfolded their arguments in the Chamber of Deputies during the legislative debate on Article 7, and in their speeches and writings on matters relating to Article 7, they collectively depicted the emergence of a massive coalition of anti-Republican forces in the nation, forces which were in evidence in every level of government administration, and were represented in the Chamber by the parties of the Right – the Legitimists, the Orleanists and the Bonapartists. The leadership and direction of the coalescing forces and the focal point of organization and bond of the alliance, ran the Republican argument, was provided by the non-authorized teaching orders of the Church, especially the Jesuits. Through the publication of papal infallibility they had accomplished their aim of control of the universal Catholic Church as a first step in the plan of world domination in accordance with their doctrine of indirect power. As agents of that doctrine, the Society was seeking to control the national churches in the various Catholic countries through obtaining a pre-eminent place of authority and increasing their numbers of communities, a development which, according to the Republicans, was already well under way in France. In this process of gaining control they were placing the vast power and influence of the Church, as perceived by the Republicans, in the service of the parties of the Right both by using the hierarchy, authority and obedience of the Church to attain the organization and control of the present electorate and by using the educational system of the Church to indoctrinate the youth of France in the political thinking of the Right to ensure control of the future electorate. If the process were to continue, the Republic was certain to be threatened, if not destroyed, by the creation of a second France within its very bosom; a France which would be eternally hostile to the Republic and would only exist in a state of war with it. -- To ensure the future of the Republic and the unity of the nation, the Republican government felt compelled to expel the Jesuits from the nation and secure control of the other non-authorized orders through authorization. Both could be achieved, they felt, and the integrity of Church-State relations preserved, through the implementation of Article 7 which, in their minds, was simply the reapplication of the terms of the Concordat of 1808. The Concordat had provided mutual protections and guarantees for both Church and State through the arrogation to the state of the right to regulate or authorize religious orders, an arrogation which had been set aside through the anti-Revolutionary reaction of the previous three decades. Since the Jesuits and the other orders in question fell within the category of non-authorized congregations, the reviving of the terms of the Concordat to combat their presence and activity placed the Republican government, in the opinion of its spokesmen, in a legal and justifiable position relative to the orders, a position which in their further opinion could be readily identified with the positions of all previous French governments stretching back to the monarchies of pre-Revolutionary days. Also, the reimplementation of the Concordat meant that the government, in its political quarrel with the Jesuits, was not embarking, in its own estimation, on any new, drastic policy towards the Church such as persecution or separation, but was demonstrating its good faith in reverting to a policy of compromise and moderation, a policy which had been in force since the Revolution and had only been permitted to lapse over the previous three decades. Thus, concluded the Republicans, Article 7 was intended to combat a political threat from political forces whose leadership was operating under the guise of agents of education; hence the presence of political objectives in educational legislation. -- This explains the working of the title of the thesis and describes, in capsule form, the thesis itself which the author proposes. It does not attempt to objectively judge the relative strengths or weaknesses of the policy, nor whether the policy was a success or a failure in achieving its political objective. It is merely an attempt to portray the thinking of a government faced, as it believed, with the threat of political extinction in the definitive sense, and its attempt through legislation to remove that threat without prejudicing the very ideals and freedoms they believed they represented. The study of Article 7 is the portrait of a government in a dilemma; in the same legislative breath to remove the Church as a threat without interfering with the Church as a functioning institution. Article 7 was the government's solution to that dilemma and, given the circumstances of the government which initiated its creation, and the alternative policies which they perceived were available, can be regarded as a genuine attempt to resolve the complex Church-State issue of the Third Republic in 1879 and, relatively speaking, and ecclesiastical policy of the first order.


The aim and scope of this paper is to isolate the effects of population ageing in the context of potential Scottish independence. A dynamic multiregional Overlapping Generations Computable General Equilibrium (OLG-CGE) model is used to evaluate the two scenarios. The status quo scenario assumes that Scotland stays part of the UK and all government expenditures associated with its ageing population are funded on a UK-wide basis. In the independence scenario, Scotland and the rest of the UK pay for the growing demands of their ageing populations independently. The comparison suggests that Scotland is worse off in the case of independence. The effective labour income tax rate in the independence scenario has to increase further compared with the status quo scenario. The additional increase reaches its maximum in 2035 at 1.4 percentage points. The additional rise in the tax rate is non-negligible, but is much smaller than the population ageing effect (status quo scenario) which generates an increase of about 8.5 percentage points by 2060. The difference for government finances between the status quo and independence scenarios is thus relatively small.


The present work deals with the study of fish larvae of coral reef fishes in the Red Sea (Hurghada). It was aimed to study the spatial and temporal variations of fish larvae for management purposes. Sampling stations were chosen at Marina, Sheraton, Magawish and Arabia. The samples were taken monthly throughout the period of the study from August 2014 to July 2015 using plankton nets of different mesh sizes (150, 350, and 500 micron). The highest density of larvae was observed in July when 841 larvae 1000m -3 were collected whereas, the lowest density was recorded in March and October at 11 1000m -3 . The highest number of species was recorded in Sheraton with 28 species followed by Magawish with 27 species recorded followed by Marina with 26 species recorded while the lowest was recorded in Arabia with 25 species. Concentration of larvae was significantly different between months and sites. There was a significant difference in the number of species between months but not between stations. Larvae of mullid fish were abundant in summer while larvae of clupeids were observed all year round.


This full paper offers a critical reflection of a design practice in which a speculative approach to design became entangled with upstream engagement with biotechnology research. Given that both practices claim to enable a public discussion about emergent technology, what is the nature of their mixing, and how should an analytical account of such a design practice be made?

I start with separate reviews of the respective features of these two approaches, considering practitioner accounts and histories along with analytical literature where those practices are objects of research. Then I take the case of the public engagement project Material Beliefs to develop an empirical account of their confluence. Initially I discuss labs as sites where designers, scientists, and non-experts come together to discuss and to problematize accounts of biotechnology research. Next, I examine the process of making speculative designs, and here I emphasise the ways in which issues, materials and practices become compiled as exhibitable prototypes. Finally I consider the circulation and reception of these designs in public settings, including exhibitions, workshops, and online formats.

I argue that speculative designs' move on upstream PEST is an imbroglio that goes beyond mixing the formal features of practice, and requires a discussion concerning the actions of the designer in relation to a broader set of accountabilities. Authorship of the processes that lead to design outcomes, the description of design outcomes, and the effects of those outcomes become distributed and negotiated by an extended set of commitments coming from researchers, policymakers, educators, curators and promoters. Ultimately, I contend that this mixing provides an opportunity to foster a reflexive and empirical account of speculative practice, to engage in analysis of the organisations and settings that support a speculative approach, and to provide a critique of upstream engagement.


The inclusion of actors from the private sector is a central challenge for multi-actor partnerships (MAPs) and multi-stakeholder platforms in development cooperation. On the one side, the heterogeneity of approaches that shape development cooperation and rather abstract, long-term agendas (such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) make it difficult to incentivise the engagement of private-sector actors that typically prefer concrete and short-term activities with predictable outcomes. On the other side, the effectiveness of past development initiatives with actors from the private sector has often proven to be limited. In order to identify strategies to meet this challenge, this discussion paper investigates the case of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), a multi-actor partnership and platform striving for better inclusion of private-sector actors in development cooperation. More generally, the paper contributes to the debates on how multi-stakeholder networks and platforms can support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by incentivising and regulating the collaboration of private-sector actors in MAPs. In addition, it also provides insights on the particularities of MAPs with private-sector actors in formats exemplifying so-called South-South cooperation. The latter have been widely neglected in the literature on networks and platforms so far but are important to consider, not least because of the growing significance of partners and alternative concepts from the "Global South" and the structural dynamics and changes they enhance in the field of development cooperation. In this regard, and under consideration of different conceptual perspectives, the paper examines how multi-stakeholder networks and platforms in general – and the GPEDC in particular – can provide a supporting structure that encourages the inclusion of private-sector actors and the effectiveness of sustainable development initiatives. To achieve both – to enhance the engagement of private-sector actors and the effectiveness of MAPs in development cooperation – this paper concludes that initiatives such as the GPEDC need to: i) strengthen the institutional oversight that they provide, ii) support the formulation of explicit and case-specific incentivisingand regulatingstrategies, iii) give more weight to context-specific particularities of cooperation that apply, for example, in South-South cooperation.


Many political geographers treat the concept of vertical organization of state with territory as its horizontal feature defined within the concept borders as a product of the peace treaty of Westphalia in 1648 (Glassner and de Blij, 1989, 46-59). While this may be true in the case of state within the modern sense of the term in Europe, certainly the concept of state as a vertically organized political structure with its territorial identity is much older than any idea of nation state when measured with Gottmann's iconography (Jean Gottmann, 1964). This is in deed old with its foundation rooted in more ancient civilizations. There are indications that ancient civilizations were familiar with the notion of state. Ancient texts reveal that this basic principle existed in ancient Persian literature. Similarly, the likelihood exists that these Persian notions could have influenced Roman civilization. It is widely believed that a combination of ancient Greco-Roman and Persian civilizations is a major contributor to what culturally constitutes 'West'. On the other hand, considering that 'justice' formed the foundation on which the idea of Iran emerged and her territorial identity began to take shape, the idea that ancient Persian spatial arrangement might have contributed to the evolution of the concept of democracy in the West may not be too difficult to contemplate. This is to say that the Iranian tradition of statehood, flourished on the basis of justice enshrined in its socially oriented territorial identity might have contributed to the emergence of the notion of nation state in the West that emerged in the political evolution of space after Westphalia.


A noncoherent coded system, which incorporates convolutional codes in conjunction of multiple symbol noncoherent detection, is presented in this two-part paper, where Part I focuses on the performance analysis of the system and Part II deals with the structural properties of the underlying convolutional codes. These convolutional codes are referred to as nd-convolutional codes. It is shown that nd-convolutional codes provide a general framework for various noncoherent coding systems, including differential systems. Two models of the carrier phase are examined and the relationships between them is established. For the first one, the carrier phase remains constant for L channels signals, whereas for the second one, it unvaries throughout the transmission period. The regular structure of nd-codes facilitates the evaluation of a simple upper bound on the pairwise and bit error probabilities, as well as a simple expression for the generalized cutoff rate. The exponential rate of the error probability, which is the single parameter governing the error performance at large signal-to-noise ratios, is identified via large deviations techniques. This parameter leads to the interesting conclusion that increasing L does not necessarily monotonically improve the error performance of the noncoherent system. The same conclusion is reached by examining upper bounds and computer simulation results of several interesting examples. These examples also reveal that optimal codes for coherent detection are not necessarily optimal for noncoherent detection and a search for good codes, some of which are tabulated in Part II of the paper, is required.


Nothing in Children of Sodom and Gomorrah happens by accident. It is an exquisite – if, from the opening montage, uncomfortable – sound experience. The production – both Jarisch's own origination in German and Sharon Davis' re-versioning – is impeccable. It is thoroughly wrought. An artefact to admire. The famous scene in the manager's office unveils a damning denouement with the flourish of a radio master: surreptitious recording, an artful 'echo' voice that draws attention to key statements and carefully scripted narration mesh tellingly to deliver the reporter's verdict. The same care in production is evident throughout the program: beautiful sound recordings, even of the most barbarous scenes, an elegant choreography in the compilation of actuality and a narrative architecture that carries the listener through nearly an hour of complex, layered radio in one cinematographic sweep. And the program deals with one of the pressing issues of our times – the perilous flight of refugees from the continent of Africa to imagined new lives in Europe. It is no wonder Children of Sodom and Gomorrah received not just a coveted Prix Italia but, in this English language version, the Directors' Choice Award at the Third Coast International Audio Festival. As a feature maker myself I feel not just a concern to gauge the potential impact on listeners of specific pieces of actuality recording, or potent juxtapositions of material, but an obligation to be able to justify the intention behind their effect. In relation to Jens Jarisch's documentary, I have felt caught between an awed admiration for the courage with which material has been gathered and then composed virtuosically into a narrative and, on the other hand, a suspicion of that same virtuosity, the storyteller's seductive use of the tools of fiction to represent true stories. Despite the coup of his investigative reporting, Jarisch is less a journalist, in the broadly understood meaning of the role, than a surrogate who represents us listeners – a surrogate not afraid to engage his feelings, his anger and vulnerability, a man with a conscience and the skills to articulate his responses. He inhabits a sequence of scenes, encounters individuals, gathers his impressions in sound, then returns home to north Europe and assembles them with almost theatrical panache. But it can't be assumed that the contract with the listener will be universally signed up to – that conventions, whether predictably fulfilled or meaningfully confounded, will be understood, that the grammar of the piece will necessarily be shared by all. For this listener, the apparent strengths of the production's journalistic imperative remain entwined with a question as to its real focus, its genuine intent. Alan Hall has been a radio producer since 1990, first with BBC and later, as an independent, establishing Falling Tree Productions as one of the world's leading radio production companies. His and the company's programs have received numerous awards from the Prix Italia, Prix Europa, Third Coast Festival, Radio Academy and elsewhere. Alan has built a reputation for long-form documentaries, music features and innovative formats. Children of Sodom and Gomorrah was originally written and produced in German by Jens Jarisch (Kinder von Sodom und Gomorrha, ARD 2009), and re-versioned as an English language production by Sharon Davis of ABC Radio National, Australia (360 Documentaries 2011). This review is of the English language version. Duration: 53' 38"


The technology of engineering science is growingfaster and its usage isto bootincreasing speedily. The data and its usage has become an important issue in existence. There by the storage of data may be a crucial issue in means of life. For this data storage, Cloud Computing is useful. Cloud computing is that the follow of using a network of remote servers hosted on internet to store, manage and methodology data on demand and pay as per use. It provides access to a pool of shared resources instead of native servers or personal computers. as a result, outfit do not acquire the things physically, it saves managing value and time for organizations. As a result of the sector of cloud computing is spreading the new techniques are developing. This increase in cloud computing setting to boot can increase security challenges for cloud developers. Most of the organizations are an excellent deal concerned regarding the possession of their data.This analysis paper presents a review on the cloud computing concepts yet as security issues inherent at intervals the context of cloud computing and cloud infrastructure. This paper in addition analyses the key analysis and challenges that presents in cloud computing and offers best practices to service suppliers yet as enterprises. The foremost goal is to review different types of attacks and encryption techniques to secure the cloudmodel.


At a time when political debate in the West is preoccupied with the perceived impact of extremist ideas on individuals who embrace or support terrorism, this article uses the publicly articulated grievances of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda's most prolific ideologue, as a case study to examine how a globally focused and distributed extremist narrative matches political realities on the ground. The approach of the article is to compare two political processes: the approach of Islamist extremists, as represented by Zawahiri, to constitutional reform as articulated through public appeals to potential supporters versus the reality of constitutional amendments and evolution of fundamental law in the Middle East and South Asia. Incorporating insights from studies on law and society and International Relations, the article demonstrates how Zawahiri's interpretation of religious law emphasises wholesale adoption of sharia while the process of legal reform has invariably resulted in the creation of legal hybrids, mixing Islamic and non-Islamic legal traditions. This is not an article about theology or religious law but an effort to dissect the public relations of an international terrorist movement. The analysis pays particular attention to events in Zawahiri's native Egypt, where evolving grievances concerning a series of constitutional amendments – including those following the Arab revolutions and the toppling of Mohammed Morsi – are assessed.


Teenage Internet users are the fastest growing segment in the Internet user population. These teenagers are at risk of sexual assault from Internet predators. This guide explores teacher and counselors' perceptions of how to prevent this sexual assault. Twenty-five teacher and counselor participants were interviewed. A modified van Kaam method was used to analyze the data and develop themes. Participants stated that mainly the lack of parental support and social networking website were the circumstances leading to teenage Internet sexual assault, while teen needs and gratification usually played a role in teen encounters with predators on the Internet. There were 13 emergent themes in this guide and those themes were; lack of parental support, anonymity on the Internet, teenage loneliness, social networking websites and chat rooms, teenage personality (introversive and extroversive), teenage rebellion, teenage need for relationships, instant gratification among teenagers, teenage low self-esteem, improved parental support, improved education, improved law enforcement and additional circumstances leading to the teenage Internet sexual assault phenomenon.


Purpose Recent work on diffusion of innovation insists on the importance of the processual dimensions of an innovation's adoption. Context In the course of a pilot-project aiming to implement three service integration networks for people losing their autonomy, we performed an analysis of the prior conceptions the various actors held of two founding principals: integration and coordination. This research aims to identify the prior conceptions held by the actors and to elucidate the adjustments they do to sustain the adoption of the innovation. Data sources We conducted 32 interviews with the various key actors pertaining, as well to the strategic, tactical and operational levels of the three different sites. Case description A content analysis of the conflicts of conception and adjustments elaborated by the adoptants during the course of the interviews was conducted. Conclusion We notice differences in regards to the operational conceptions of the actors about the founding principles of the innovation. The capacity of working out compromises between these different conceptions is considered as predictive of the adoption of the innovation. Discussion The adjustments they have elaborated favour a progressive adoption of the innovation and found the next step of the process of diffusion of innovation, which is local appropriation.


Periconceptional folic acid (FA) is known to have a protective effect in the prevention of neural tube defects (NTD), leading to global recommendations for FA supplementation before and in early pregnancy. Maternal folate throughout pregnancy may have other roles in offspring health, including neurodevelopment and cognitive performance in childhood. Folate is essential for C1 metabolism, a network of pathways involved in several biological processes including nucleotide synthesis, DNA repair and methylation reactions. The evidence reviewed here shows a conclusive role for offspring health of maternal folate nutrition in early pregnancy and probable benefits in later pregnancy. Folate-mediated epigenetic changes in genes related to brain development and function offer a plausible biological basis to link maternal folate with effects in offspring brain, albeit this research is in its infancy. Mandatory FA fortification of food has proven to be highly effective in decreasing NTD cases in populations where it has been implemented, but this policy is controversial owing to concerns related to potential adverse effects of over-exposure to FA. In the absence of population-wide fortification, and given the generally poor compliance with current FA recommendations, optimising folate status of mothers in very early pregnancy for protection against NTD remains challenging. Thus, current policy in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere in Europe for the prevention of NTD (based on periconceptional FA supplementation only), has proven to be largely ineffective. This review addresses the evidence and the controversies that surround this area, as well as identifying the challenges in translating policy into practice.


We report on a long-term optical monitoring of the neutron star X-ray binary Centaurus X-4 performed during the last 13.5 yr. This source has been in quiescence since its outburst in 1979. Our monitoring reveals the overall evolution of the accretion disk; we detect short-duration flares, likely originating also in the disk, superimposed with a small-amplitude (<0.1 mag) ellipsoidal modulation from the companion star due to geometrical effects. A long-term (∼2300 days) downward trend, followed by a shorter (∼1000 days) upward one, is observed in the disk light curve. Such a rise in the optical has been observed for other X-ray binaries preceding outbursts, as predicted by the disk instability model. For Cen X-4, the rise of the optical flux proceeded for ∼3 yr, and culminated in a flux increase at all wavelengths (optical–UV–X-rays) at the end of 2020. This increase faded after ∼2 weeks, without giving rise to a full outburst. We suggest that the propagation of an inside-out heating front was ignited due to a partial ionization of hydrogen in the inner disk. The propagation might have stalled soon after the ignition due to the increasing surface density in the disk that the front encountered while propagating outward. The stall was likely eased by the low-level irradiation of the outer regions of the large accretion disk, as shown by the slope of the optical/X-ray correlation, suggesting that irradiation does not play a strong role in the optical, compared to other sources of emission.


The results of experiments on the synthesis of the off-axis quantized kinoforms of binary objects with the use of the weighting iterative Fourier transform (WIFT) algorithm are presented. Kinoforms are registered with a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (SLM). A simple procedure to introduce the carrier frequency into the structure of an axial kinoform is proposed. An image reconstructed by an off-axis kinoform is free from the noises with the zero and close frequencies caused by the imperfection of both the phase mode of operation of the SLM and the effects of quantization of the registered phase. Data on the diffraction efficiency are also given.


Koirala, Damodar. Ph. D., Purdue University, August 2016. Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Remotely Charged Amino Acids and Peptides. Major Professor: Paul G. Wenthold. Ion–molecule reactions in a flowing afterglow are used to examine the electronic structure of 3and 4-pyridinylnitrene-n-oxide radical anions. Reactions with nitric oxide are generally similar to those reported previously for other aromatic nitrene radical anions. In particular, phenoxide formation by nitrogen–oxygen exchange is observed with both isomers. Oxygen atom abstraction by NO is also observed with both isomers. Very significant differences in the reactivity are observed in the reactions of the two isomers with carbon disulfide. The reactivity of the 3-noxide isomer with CS2 is similar to that observed previously for nitrene radical anions, and reactions of the n-oxide moiety are not observed, similar to what is expected based on solution chemistry. The 4-n-oxide isomer, however, undergoes many reactions, including oxygen atom and oxygen ion transfer and sulfur–oxygen exchange, that involve the n-oxide oxygen. The increased reactivity of the oxygen is attributed to increased charge density at the oxygen due to pi electron donation of the nitrene anion in the para position. The dissociation pathways of gas-phase amino acids with a canonical (nonzwitterionic) α-amino acid moiety are studied by using mass spectrometry. xv Investigation of the canonical amino acid moiety is possible because the ionized amino acid has a charge center that is separated from the amino acid, and dissociation occurs by charge-remote fragmentation. The negatively charged amino acid is found to dissociate only by loss of NH3 upon collision-induced dissociation to form a substituted α-lactone. The collision-induced dissociation spectrum of the positively charged amino acid is complex with possibly 5 different fragmentation pathways. The results on negatively charged amino acid, para-sulfonated phenylalanine (Phe*), show that remote ionic groups can be used as mostly inert charge carriers to enable mass spectrometry to be used to investigate the gas-phase physical and chemical properties of different types of functional groups, including amino acids. The b2 ion formed upon charge remote fragmentation of dipeptides, Phe*GlyOH and Gly-Phe*OH, is characterized using LCQ-Deca mass spectrometry. Comparison with authentic samples confirmed the lack of diketopiperazine or oxazolone on b2 ion and electronic structure calculation suggested that the b2 ion is oxazolone-enol.


Archaeological sites around the world are threatened by forces including population growth, development, urbanization, pollution, tourism, vandalism, and looting Site management planning is emerging as a critical element not only for the conservation of this heritage, but also to address issues such as tourism and sustainable development. This book reports on the proceedings of a workshop held in Greece near the ancient site of Corinth, where an international group of professionals gathered to discuss challenges faced by archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and to examine management planning methods that might generate effective conservation strategies. Part One contains papers addressing threats to the archaeological heritage, the concept of heritage values, and a methodology for the conservation and management of archaeological sites. Part Two features case studies where site management plans have been implemented, or where their use is under discussion Cases include Hadrian's Wall, England; Chan Chan, Peru; Masada, Israel; Petra, Jordan; and Corinth, Greece. The book will be of interest to architects, archaeologists, site managers, and all those charged with the conservation and management of the archaeological heritage.


Globally there is renewed interest in the production of alternate fuels in the form of bioethanol and biodiesel. This is mainly due to the realization that crude oil stocks are limited hence the swing towards more renewable sources of energy. Bioethanol and biodiesel have received increasing attention as excellent alternative fuels and have virtually limitless potential for growth. One of the key processing challenges in the manufacturing of biofuels is the production of high purity products. As bioethanol is the part of biofuels, the main challenge facing bioethanol production is the separation of high purity ethanol. The separation of ethanol from water is difficult because of the existence of an azeotrope in the mixture. However, the separation of the ethanol/water azeotropic system could be achieved by the addition of a suitable solvent, which influences the activity coefficient, relative volatility, flux and the separation factor or by physical separation based on molecular size. In this study, two methods of high purity ethanol separation are investigated: extractive distillation and pervaporation. The objective of this project was to optimize and compare the performance of pervaporation and extraction distillation in order to produce high purity ethanol. The scopes of the investigation include:  Study of effect of various parameters (i) operating pressure, (ii) operating temperature, and (iii) feed composition on the separation of ethanol-water system using pervaporation.  Study the effect of using salt as a separating agent and the operating pressure in the extractive distillation process. The pervaporation unit using a composite flat sheet membrane (hydrophilic membrane) produced a high purity ethanol, and also achieved an increase in water flux with increasing pressure and feed temperature. The pervaporation unit facilitated separation beyond the ethanol – water system azeotropic point. It is concluded that varying the feed temperature and the operating pressure, the performance of the pervaporation membrane can be optimised. v The extractive distillation study using salt as an extractive agent was performed using the low pressure vapour-liquid equilibrium (LPVLE) still, which was developed by (Raal and Mühlbauer, 1998) and later modified by (Joseph et al. 2001). The VLE study indicated an increase in relative volatility with increase in salt concentration and increase in pressure operating pressure. Salt concentration at 0.2 g/ml and 0.3 g/ml showed complete elimination of the azeotrope in ethanol-water system. The experimental VLE data were regressed using the combined method and Gibbs excess energy models, particular Wilson and NRTL. Both models have shown the best fit for the ethanol/water system with average absolute deviation (AAD) below 0.005. The VLE data were subjected to consistency test and according to the Point test, were of high consistency with average absolute deviations between experimental and calculated vapour composition below 0.005. Both extractive distillation using salt as an extractive agent and pervaporation are potential technologies that could be utilized for the production of high purity ethanol in boiethanol-production.


This thesis examines the development of Roman Illyrian policy, from the late Republican hegemony over the region to the establishment of permanent imperial frontiers on the Danube and the beginning of the process that would integrate Illyricum (the area between the Adriatic Sea and the River Danube) into the Roman Empire. This thesis has two principal aims. Firstly, on the regional, 'microscopic', level it defines and explains the development of Roman policy in Illyricum. Secondly, on the global, 'macroscopic', level it examines some of the mechanisms of Roman policy-making, and fits Illyrian policy into the wider picture of Roman foreign and later provincial policy. Ultimately, the thesis recognizes and explains the reasons for a major change in Roman strategic interests from the Eastern Adriatic coast to the interior of the western Balkans in the late Republic and early Empire. Despite the problems of deficient sources, this thesis observes Roman Illyrian policy as essentially a political interaction between Rome and the entire regional geopolitical system of Illyricum, rather than defining it through Roman interactions with individual polities inside the system, or as part of the system.


Abstract Randolph Stow's latest novel recounts a series of apparently motiveless murders in the murky atmosphere of an old Suffolk seaport. It reminds us that along with his famous descriptive power, Stow has always been adept at plotting stories which compel the reader with unobtrusive tact. The Suburbs of Hell is short and precisely constructed to concentrate the significance of every detail so that it has the satisfying richness of many longer books. This quality is typical of some of his earlier novels, but in The Suburbs of Hell he intensifies the suggestive power of a tightly inter-connected plot by using the conventions of the thriller. Not that the reader is simply compelled by the urge to discover who done it; there is a deeper significance in the book than this, hinted by the title, from a speech by Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi which is also one of the novel's epigraphs.


The novel use of imaging riometers to observe mesospheric gravity waves is described. Imaging riometers respond to changes in the absorption of cosmic radio noise in the ionospheric D‐region which enables them to detect the compression and rarefaction of the atmosphere at ∼90 km altitude generated by the passage of gravity waves. A considerable advantage of this method is that, unlike conventional techniques which rely on imaging faint optical emissions from the airglow layer at ∼87 km altitude, riometers remain operative under daylit, moonlit or cloudy conditions. This is particularly important for research into gravity wave forcing of mesospheric temperature at polar latitudes in summer when continuous 24‐hour daylight prevails. An example in which the same wave event is characterized in co‐located airglow imager and imaging riometer shows good agreement between the two instruments.


An exact solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow is derived under the conditions: (i) the flow is two-dimensional and is bounded by an infinite, plane, porous wall; (ii) the flow is independent of the distance parallel to the wall; (iii) the component of velocity parallel to the wall at a large distance from it fluctuates in time about a constant mean; (iv) the component of velocity normal to the wall is constant. It is found that the skin-friction fluctuations illustrate Lighthill's (1954) theory of the behaviour of boundary layers subject to fluctuating pressure gradients. The amplitude of the skin-friction fluctuations rises with frequency, while the phase lead of the skin-friction over the main-stream-velocity fluctuation rises from zero at zero frequency to 7r/4 at very high frequencies. The velocity profile in the boundary layer fluctuates, and under certain transient conditions resembles that of a separated boundary layer, that is, a boundary layer with reverse flow close to the wall. With viscous dissipation of kinetic energy taken into account, the corresponding exact solution of the energy equation for an incompressible fluid with constant physical properties is derived under a condition of zero heat transfer between the fluid and the wall—the so-called 'thermometer' or 'kinetic temperature' problem. Whereas the velocity field consists of a mean flow and a first-harmonic fluctuation, the temperature field contains additionally a second-harmonic fluctuation. It is found that the mean temperature of the wall rises with frequency, and is ultimately proportional to the square root of the frequency. The first-harmonic fluctuation of the wall temperature lags behind the main-stream-velocity fluctuation by an amount which rises from zero at zero frequency to 1/4n at high frequencies, while the phase lag of the second-harmonic rises from zero at zero frequency but drops again to zero at high frequencies. The amplitude of the first-harmonic fluctuation tends to zero at high frequencies, whereas the amplitude of the second-harmonic fluctuation tends to a non-zero limit. Thus the residual temperature fluctuation of the wall at high frequencies has a frequency which is twice that of the fluctuating stream.


By using Taylor expansions, simple expressions are obtained for the deflection of light by ice crystals. With these simplified formulas, the intensity distributions of halos as a function of scattering angle are calculated analytically near the halo angle. It is found that the intensity distributions of halos depend on the number of degrees of freedom of the generating set of crystals. The differences in the purity of the colors of various types of halo are explained subsequently on the basis of their intensity distributions. An analytical description of the shape of the halo or of the halocaustic near the halo angle is obtained also. On the basis of the obtained intensity distributions, the polarization of refraction halos as a function of scattering angle is calculated, in which both contributions (birefringence of ice and polarization by refraction) are taken into account. It is found that the polarization of parhelia and tangent arcs shows a strong maximum near the inner edge of the halo over an angular range of 0.10, followed by a similar maximum of reversed polarization at 0.50 from the first one. The 22° halo shows a less strong maximum near its edge over an angular range of 0.50. Halos at 460 from the sun also show a strong polarization near their inner edges, but the direction of the polarization is perpendicular to the polarization of the 220 halo edges. The possibility for detecting ice crystals on Venus by polarimetry near the halo angle is discussed briefly.


Purpose : The present research positions in financial terms the Spanish electronic companies in the European frame in 2011-2013 period. The technological progress is nowadays changing the management functioning and the performance of the electronic companies is decisive. So, knowing their position in the Spanish market and analysing their economic and financial situation in the last years is going to help us to build a strong vision of how they will confront the future challenges. Design/methodology/approach: The data used in this investigation collects the economic and financial information of a sample composed by high-growth Spanish electronic companies, because the selection criteria is delimited in a minimum 2013 ROA growth of 3% and a minimum 2011-2013 operating revenues growth of 6%. An economic and financial analysis and a descriptive statistics analysis which includes regression models are the used tools to define conclusions and results Findings: The study allows us to determine the economic and financial health of the companies that own the 97% of the total sales in Spain. The research also defines the financial, gender and innovation variables that hardly influence the profitability of this industry and finally, establishes its harmony with the European perspective. Research limitations/implications: It should be convenient to widen the sample to another technological companies and to increase the period of time to the 2014 tax year, even though the information in not available in the used database SABI. Practical implications: The study allows us to evaluate the economic and financial performance of the electronic companies in the latest years in Spain and after that, to analyse if they are going to go for the future imminent challenges. Social implications: The results allow us to evaluate the financial and economic modifications that these companies need to practise to overcome the technological development inherent changes and their implications in the management world. Originality / value: It is going to be useful to the Spanish electronic companies to define their financial and economic model, which they should follow to not lose their competitive advantage because the technological disruption won't stop in a near time frame of more transparent organizations.


The aim of the paper is to investigate the syntactic and semantic structure of Cypriot Greek clefts. It is argued that the cleft clause denotes an unsaturated proposition. The clefted constituent saturates the missing part of that proposition. The clefted constituent is base-generated adjoined to the cleft clause and is not extracted out of the cleft clause. The impersonal copula is thematically vacuous. It c-selects the cleft clause with the adjoined clefted constituent. Late saturation for the clefted constituent is claimed to induce the focal interpretation of the lefted constituent. It -clefts are set within the more general frame of focusing strategies in Cypriot Greek. These include apparent clause-final foci, preverbal stressed operators and Clitic-Right-Dislocation.


Winner of the 2010 W.J.M. Mackenzie Prize for Best Political Science Book of the Year 2010 The relentless rise of Communism was the most momentous political development of the first half of the twentieth century. No political change has been more fundamental than its demise in Europe and its decline elsewhere. In this hugely acclaimed book Archie Brown provides an indispensable history that examines the origins of the ideology, its development in different countries, its collapse in many states following the Soviet perestroika, and its current incarnations around the globe. The Rise and Fall of Communism explains how and why Communists came to power; how they were able, in a variety of countries on different continents to hold on to power for so long; and what brought about the downfall of so many Communist systems. A groundbreaking work from an internationally renowned specialist, this is the definitive study of the most remarkable political and human story of our times.