Remote monitoring of patient vital signs either in hospital or in home provides ease to both patient and hospital staff. It results in less visits of patient to hospital, lesser likelihood of measurements errors, while recording vital sign information. Moreover, due to the rapid ageing in our society, continuous monitoring of the critical patient in home health care is also increasing. Recent progresses in biomaterials, biosensors, wireless communications, and electronic technologies have opened the possibility for designing remote health monitoring devices and technologies. Tracking in real-time the information provided by body surface and internal sensors helps also reduce the invasiveness of a number of medical procedures such as surgeries, internal delivery of drugs, monitoring the status of human organs, etc. The idea of deploying Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) which consists of low-powered sensors and actuators deployed around the human body to enable ubiquitous healthcare by measuring continuously all the physiological data of interest and releasing at the right times the necessary drugs into the body, has received considerable attention [1]. However, implementation of the remote healthcare vision comes with many challenges. One of the most important challenges is the characterization and modelling of the in-vivo wireless communication channels, since the health information must be collected from the sensors implanted inside the human body and transmitted wirelessly to the nearby hospital. The characteristics of in-vivo channel are different from wireless free-space communication channel and are due to the fact that the electromagnetic waveforms are propagating through different media that exhibit totally different electrical properties, the wave propagation speed being significantly reduced in organs relative to free space and presenting different time dispersion coefficients for different organs and body tissues. Also, the far field assumption used to develop channel models for classical RF wireless communications systems will have to be removed and the total electromagnetic field effects including the near-field effects will have to be taken into account due to the proximity of body and its organs to antenna near fields. Understanding the characteristics of in vivo communications channels will help in optimizing the physical layer signal processing and communications techniques, and designing efficient networking protocols that ultimately will make possible the deployment of wireless body area networks and remote health monitoring platforms. In this work, modeling of the in vivo communication channel is presented which involves, parametric and non-parametric channel models based on simulation and measurements. The simulations were carried out by placing a patch antenna inside the chest of the human body model and by transmitting a continuous wave signal at industrial scientific and medical (ISM) band. The receiver antenna was placed at 4 cm from the internal antenna and in the same planar height as the transmit antenna as shown in Fig. 1. References: [1] S. J. Devaraj and K. Ezra, qCurrent trends and future challenges in wireless telemedicine system,q in Electronics Computer Technology (ICECT), 2011 3rd International Conference on, 2011, vol. 4, pp. 417-421.


The authors provide a computationally simple and efficient methodology of evaluating the quality index of a thermal power plant (TPP) and of selecting best-quality TPP. The methodology is based on graph theory, matrix algebra, and permanent models, and this takes into account the complexities and interactions of various characteristics of the TPP. The various conflicting parameters of the TPP and their interactions/interconnections are identified and represented by the variable quality characteristic matrix (VCM-ss) and connectivity characteristic matrix (VCM-c). The permanent model yields the quality index of the TPP, which is a permanent value of the TPP quality permanent matrix (VPM-q). The qualitative analysis of the quality of a TPP through quality index is proposed by means of conventional and fuzzy set theories. The method permits analysis and comparison of design as well as the operating state of the system. The quality index is a useful aid for designers in the selection of a suitable TPP based on requirements. The methodology is explained with an example.


In the problem of edge sign prediction, we are given a directed graph (representing a social network), and our task is to predict the binary labels of the edges (i.e., the positive or negative nature of the social relationships). Many successful heuristics for this problem are based on the troll-trust features, estimating at each node the fraction of outgoing and incoming positive/negative edges. We show that these heuristics can be understood, and rigorously analyzed, as approximators to the Bayes optimal classifier for a simple probabilistic model of the edge labels. We then show that the maximum likelihood estimator for this model approximately corresponds to the predictions of a Label Propagation algorithm run on a transformed version of the original social graph. Extensive experiments on a number of real-world datasets show that this algorithm is competitive against state-of-the-art classifiers in terms of both accuracy and scalability. Finally, we show that troll-trust features can also be used to derive online learning algorithms which have theoretical guarantees even when edges are adversarially labeled.


These essays in aesthetics by the philosopher Ernst Bloch belong to the tradition of cultural criticism represented by Georg Lukacs, Theodor Adorno, and Walter Benjamin. Bloch's fascination with art as a reflection of both social realities and human dreams is evident in them. Whether he is discussing architecture or detective novels, the theme that drives the work is always the same - the striving for "something better," for a "homeland" that is more socially aware, more humane, more just.The book opens with an illuminating discussion between Bloch and Adorno on the meaning of utopia; then follow 12 essays written between 1930 and 1973, on topics as diverse as aesthetic theory, genres such as music, painting, theater, film, opera, poetry, and the novel, and perhaps most important, popular culture in the form of fairy tales, detective stories, and dime novels.Ernst Bloch (1885-1977) was a profoundly original and unorthodox philosopher, social theorist, and cultural critic. The MIT Press has previously published his Natural Law and Human Dignity and his magnum opus, The Principle of Hope. The Utopian Function of Art and Literature is included in the series Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought, edited by Thomas McCarthy.


Tectonic evolution of the southeastern part of the Pohorje Mountains (Eastern Alps, Slovenia) Field relations and deformation structures in the southeastern part of the Pohorje Mountains constrain the tectonic evolution of the Austroalpine high-pressure/ultrahigh pressure (HP/UHP) terrane. The Slovenska Bistrica Ultramafic Complex (SBUC) forms a large (ca. 8 × 1 km size) body of serpentinized harzburgite and dunite including minor garnet peridotite and is associated with partly amphibolitized eclogite bodies. The SBUC occurs in the core of an isoclinal, recumbent, northward closing antiform and is mantled by metasedimentary rocks, mostly gneisses and a few marbles, including isolated eclogite/amphibolite lenses. Before this folding, the SBUC formed the deepest part of the exposed terrane. We interpret the SBUC to be derived from near-MOHO, uppermost mantle which was intruded by gabbros in the subsurface of a Permian rift zone. During Cretaceous intracontinental subduction, the SBUC was most likely part of the footwall plate which experienced HP to UHP metamorphism and was folded during exhumation. In the Miocene, the Pohorje Pluton intruded and, subsequently, the metamorphic rocks together with the pluton were deformed probably due to east-west extension and contemporaneous north-south shortening, thus forming an antiformal metamorphic core complex.


North American Indians relied heavily on stone as a basic material from which to shape a wide variety of tools and ceremonial objects. When an archaeologist excavates a prehistoric Indian camp or village it is often apparent that the one or more Indian groups which inhabited the site during various distinctive periods or phases preferred certain kinds of stone for the manufacture of utilitarian or ritual objects. It is not always so obvious, however, whether the selection of a particular kind of stone was determined by its proximity to the habitation site, its excellent quality, its aesthetic properties, its procurement from a special trading partner, or some kinship, religious, or sentimental attachment which the group felt toward the particular stone material. Furthermore, the acquisition of a particular kind of stone may have involved different sorts of technologies and socio-political relations. Appropriate raw material may be picked up on the surface or mined in several different ways. It may be acquired over long distances through intermediaries in a complex trading network, or through direct expeditions to the source. Furthermore, the material obtained may be in various stages of reduction, from rough pieces of raw material up to a finished product, and the control of the source or distribution of the material in raw or finished form may reflect the political system operating in a region. It is for such reasons that archaeologists are interested in locating and studying the sources of raw stone material which were exploited by North American Indians. This is a report on one such source recently investigated in Davidson County, North Carolina, designated site DV-51.


he Legal Theory Lexicon series usually explicates some concept in legal theory, jurisprudence, or philosophy of law. But what are those fields and how do they relate to each other? Is "jurisprudence" a synonym for "philosophy of law" or are these two overlapping but distinct fields? Is "legal theory" broader or narrower than jurisprudence? And why should we care about this terminology? As always, this entry in the Legal Theory Lexicon series is aimed at law students, especially first-year law students with an interest in legal theory.


For vaccines, CD4+ T cells can spell trouble The ideal vaccine elicits immune memory—either antibodies or memory T cells—to protect the host from subsequent infections. T cell–mediated immunity requires both helper CD4+ T cells and cytotoxic CD8+ T cells to kill virus-infected cells. But what happens when a vaccine only elicits CD4+ memory T cells? Penaloza-MacMaster et al. probed this question by giving mice a vaccine that generated only memory CD4+ T cells against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Instead of protecting mice against chronic LCMV, vaccinated mice developed massive inflammation and died. Virus-specific CD8+ T cells or antibodies protected mice from the pathology. These results may have implications for vaccines against chronic viruses such as HIV. Science, this issue p. 278 Severe immunopathology kills virally infected mice that received vaccines targeting only CD4+ T cells. CD4 T cells promote innate and adaptive immune responses, but how vaccine-elicited CD4 T cells contribute to immune protection remains unclear. We evaluated whether induction of virus-specific CD4 T cells by vaccination would protect mice against infection with chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Immunization with vaccines that selectively induced CD4 T cell responses resulted in catastrophic inflammation and mortality after challenge with a persistent strain of LCMV. Immunopathology required antigen-specific CD4 T cells and was associated with a cytokine storm, generalized inflammation, and multi-organ system failure. Virus-specific CD8 T cells or antibodies abrogated the pathology. These data demonstrate that vaccine-elicited CD4 T cells in the absence of effective antiviral immune responses can trigger lethal immunopathology.


This paper represents a significant point of evolution in thought and practice about the design and management of complex enterprises that often exist in highly dynamic, sometimes chaotic operating environments. The paper asserts that Coherency Management is the primary outcome goal of Enterprise Architecture (EA); that the architecture of enterprises should be formalized and promote coherency; and the best way to do this is to adopt EA as the ongoing, overarching method for abstracting, analyzing, designing, and re-engineering new and existing enterprises - regardless of the market, industry, or government sector that the enterprise belongs to. EA is about more than technology as it now has strategic and business dimensions - all of which must align to create agility and assurance in promoting transformation and delivering value. The paper discusses three modes of EA, namely Foundation Architecture, Extended Architecture and Embedded Architecture, that represent progression in thought and practice, with emphasis that the modes are independent but not necessarily mutually exclusive. The paper also discusses how collectively these influence enterprise coherency. The paper concludes by elaborating the ways and approaches to assess organizational coherence.


The problems of public housing-including crime, drugs, and gun violence-have received an enormous amount of national attention. Much attention has also focused on warrantless searches and consent searches as solutions to these problems. This Note addresses the constitutionality of these proposals and asserts that if the Supreme Court's current Fourth Amendment jurisprudence is taken to its logical extremes, warrantless searches in public housing can be found constitutional. The author argues, however, that such an interpretation fails to strike the proper balance between public need and privacy in the public housing context. The Note concludes by proposing alternative consent-based regimes that would pass constitutional muster.


The analysis in this part of the report is grounded in the rights-based Code of Rights, and takes into account the public health paradigm and the striking aspects of dealing with genetic risks in families. In this context, it is important to distinguish public health screening from personal clinical services. Traditionally, public health law has been prescriptive in form and has compelled participation. This is in contrast with the increasingly adopted consumer-based approach that promotes informed choice and consent and which is in keeping with the complexities and sensitivities surrounding genetic medicine. Information about newborn screening should be given to parents by or during the third trimester, and again before the samples are taken. The applicability of the Code in the context of screening needs to be borne in mind. The significance of the 'screening pathway' needs to be appreciated: 'It is a critical part of informed consent …to know about the entire screening pathway and the possible things that might occur before [taking] the first step'. Clear, unambiguous information needs to be provided, emphasising that the purpose of 'participation' is in the interests of the newborn. If newborn screening increasingly operates in a paradigm that actively promotes informed choice and consent, parents or guardians will need to be informed throughout the screening process; this includes being notified about results. The policy of 'no news is good news' may have to be reconsidered in the light of complex issues raised by technologies that reveal carrier status, or if screening is extended to include late-onset disorders. Surveys and empirical studies should be undertaken in New Zealand to inform policy in this and other areas. Public discussion, e.g. led by parliamentarians, needs to take place. Activities to monitor and evaluate the programme need to be more explicitly stated in information given to parents. Related to this, is the importance of distinguishing between initiatives taken for the purposes of fulfilling the aims of the programme and those that go beyond aims of the programme. Policies regarding retention and use of samples that clearly make and communicate that distinction need to be provided, especially to parents. The utility of the retained blood samples is heavily dependent on the state of the technology. With DNA technologies and profiling, the degree and scope of information that can be derived from dried blood spots will potentially be very significant and have far-reaching implications. There is tremendous long-term value in retention, for example, for the purposes of quality management, programme expansion, research on testing and treatment and epidemiologic studies. Current and relevant scientific literature on the stability of metabolites, DNA extraction and testing technology and optimal storage conditions needs to be taken into account with regard to any policy development in this area. Two options are provided in order to reconcile the inter-relationships between the various provisions of the Code of Rights on consent, storage and quality assurance and the NHC screening guidance: to maintain the status quo by more actively communicating information about right 7(9) and right 7(10); or to prescribe, with legal authority, a minimum retention period to guarantee all samples are available for QA-related activities. The public availability of policies and procedures setting out, for example, the taking and documenting of informed consent would be helpful, in order to increase parental and public awareness, understanding and confidence.


AIMS
Pregnant women are usually not part of the traditional drug development programme. Pregnancy is associated with major biological and physiological changes that alter the pharmacokinetics (PK) of drugs. Prediction of the changes to drug exposure in this group of patients may help to prevent under- or overtreatment. We have used a pregnancy physiologically based pharmacokinetic (p-PBPK) model to assess the likely impact of pregnancy on three model compounds, namely caffeine, metoprolol and midazolam, based on the knowledge of their disposition in nonpregnant women and information from in vitro studies.

METHODS
A perfusion-limited form of a 13-compartment full-PBPK model (Simcyp® Simulator) was used for the nonpregnant women, and this was extended to the pregnant state by applying known changes to all model components (including the gestational related activity of specific cytochrome P450 enzymes) and through the addition of an extra compartment to represent the fetoplacental unit. The uterus and the mammary glands were grouped into the muscle compartment. The model was implemented in Matlab Simulink and validated using clinical observations.

RESULTS
The p-PBPK model predicted the PK changes of three model compounds (namely caffeine, metoprolol and midazolam) for CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 during pregnancy within twofold of observed values. The changes during the third trimester were predicted to be a 100% increase, a 30% decrease and a 35% decrease in the exposure of caffeine, metoprolol and midazolam, respectively, compared with the nonpregnant women.

CONCLUSIONS
In the absence of clinical data, the in silico prediction of PK behaviour during pregnancy can provide a valuable aid to dose adjustment in pregnant women. The performance of the model for drugs metabolized by a single enzyme to different degrees (high and low extraction) and for drugs that are eliminated by several different routes warrants further study.


Compared with routine methods, the dry ice cleaning technology is safe, inexpensive, and damage-free. The inherent mechanism on the removal of contaminants from insulators using dry ice is studied in this paper. The dry ice cleaning process involves in the thermal changes, kinetic energy variation, sublimation of energy, and the resultant drag force of air stream. In the present paper the cleaning process is separated into two independent states to simplify the computational model: the impact process and the sublimation process. The fracture condition and the removal condition are proposed by analysing the different forces on contaminant surfaces based on this model. Two conclusions are drawn by a case study. One is that the stress at the impact point contributes the most to the fracture process. The other is that the micro blasting impact force caused by the sublimation process is the dominant influence factor on the removal of contaminants. The factors influencing the removal rate are investigated in a series of dry ice cleaning experiments. Experimental results show that the thermal stress has little influence on contaminants removal. Furthermore, the dry ice cleaning technology can effectively remove contamination layer.


Over the last two years, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory has devel- oped and refined Nevada ShakeZoning (NSZ) procedures to characterize earthquake hazards in the Intermountain West. Simulating the ML 5.6-5.8 Little Skull Mountain (LSM) earthquake validates the results of the NSZ process and the ground shaking it predicts for Las Vegas Valley (LVV). The NSZ process employs a physics-based finite- difference code from Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to compute wave propagation through complex 3D earth models. Computing limitations restrict the results to low frequencies of shaking. For this LSM regional model the limitation is to frequencies of 0.12 Hz, and below. The Clark County Parcel Map, completed in 2011, is a critical and unique geotechnical data set included in NSZ predictions for LVV. Replacing default geotechnical velocities with the Parcel Map velocities in a sensitivity test produced peak ground velocity amplifications of 5%-11% in places, even at low frequencies of 0.1 Hz. A detailed model of LVV basin-floor depth and regional basin-thickness mod- els derived from gravity surveys by the U.S. Geological Survey are also important components of NSZ velocity-model building. In the NSZ-predicted seismograms at 0.1 Hz, Rayleigh-wave minus P-wave (R − P) differential arrival times and the pulse shapes of Rayleigh waves correlate well with the low-pass filtered LSM recordings. Importantly, peak ground velocities predicted by NSZ matched what was recorded, to be closer than a factor of two. Observed seismograms within LVV show longer du- rations of shaking than the synthetics, appearing as horizontally reverberating, 0.2 Hz longitudinal waves beyond 60 s after Rayleigh-wave arrival. Within the basins, the current velocity models are laterally homogeneous below 300 m depth, leading the 0.1 Hz NSZ synthetics to show insufficient shaking durations of only 30-40 s.


The premise of this essay is that the study of ethics is an essential component in teaching all forms of "non-market entrepreneurship," that is, all forms of entrepreneurship not undertaken solely for commercial purposes. In non-market entrepreneurship, such as arts entrepreneurship, social enterprise, or social entrepreneurship, at least one other purpose instead of or in addition to profit motivates acting entrepreneurially. In this essay we show how we add an ethical component to teaching social entrepreneurship in a discussion-based seminar in an American university. The thrust of our effort is to require students read Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Grand Inquisitor" and the Father Zossima portions from The Brothers Karamazov, originally published in Russian in 1863 as a seminal work in the golden age of Russian literature. Through the instructor's structured and directed discussion of the text, students are presented with the argument that a personal ethic of "loving humility" as embodied in the character of Father Zossima might serve as an appropriate ethical guide for non-market entrepreneurship.


Seismic diffractions are some weak seismic events hidden within the more dominant reflection events in a seismic profile. Separating diffraction energy from the post-stack seismic profiles can help infer the subsurface discontinuities that generate the diffraction events. The separated seismic diffractions can be migrated with a traditional seismic imaging method or a specifically designed migration method to highlight the diffractors, i.e., the diffraction image. Traditional diffraction separation methods based on the the underlying plane-wave assumption are limited by either the inaccurate slope estimation or the planewave assumption of the PWD filter, and thus will cause reflection leakage into the separated diffraction profile. The leaked reflection energy will deteriorate the resolution of the subsequent diffraction imaging result. Here, we propose a new diffraction separation method based on a localized rank-reduction method. The localized rank-reduction method assumes the reflection events to be locally lowrank and the diffraction energy can be separated by a rank-reduction operation. Compared with the global rank-reduction method, the localized rank-reduction method is more constrained in selecting the rank and is free of separation artifacts. We use a carefully designed synthetic example to demonstrate that the localized rank-reduction method can help separate the diffraction energy from a post-stack seismic profile with both kinematically and dynamically accurate performance.


The Effects of Probiotics on Symptoms and Immunoglobulin Levels of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome The medicinal use of natural plant materials and food supplements is gaining in popularity. The Food Directorate of the Department of Health considers probiotics as a food supplement. In this double blind controlled pilot study the effects of probiotic treatment (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum and bifidum) were evaluated on the symptoms and immunoglobulin levels of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Twenty-four patients who fulfilled the Drossman criteria for the diagnosis of IBS were randomised to receive either probiotics or a placebo for 28 days. Immunoglobulins IgG, IgA and IgM were measured and symptoms were rated (according to a clinically recognised questionnaire serving as a rating scale for gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with IBS) before and after treatment. The improvement in symptoms was statistically highly significant in the probiotic group (p = 0.0001, paired t-test). Some patients treated with placebo decided that the treatment was ineffective and stopped taking it. The 7 who completed the trial showed an improvement in symptoms, but this was only marginally significant (p = 0.0473, paired t-test). Serum immunoglobulin levels did not differ significantly. Larger studies to confirm the beneficial effects of probiotic bacteria on the symptoms of patients with IBS are indicated.


Considering the increasing reports of high student failure rates as well dropout rates worldwide, this study sought to statistically determine what students perceive as the highly influential academic success and or failure factors. The hope was to uncover these factors so as to provide some direction in terms of intervention. A quantitative approach was followed in pursuing this. The population for the study consisted of second year students because they fit the context within which this study defines success and failure. The findings reveal a mix of factors some of which are consistent with previous research on student academic performance. This study derives its uniqueness from the perspective of the significance of the discipline – entrepreneurship, which has been touted as the major economic force that can deliver the necessary socioeconomic development to a country. The results of this study will not only add to the global literature on student academic performance, but will also provide those in management of higher education with the necessary material for intervening in issues of student academic performance. Further research might consider increasing the population size to gain much deeper insights into the perceptions. It may also help to undertake a different research methodology in the form of one-on-one interviews or focus group interviews.


Suspended sediment, transported in urban stormwater sewers, is examined in order to determine its source, size, mineralogy, form and surface texture characteristics. The transport history is studied in relation to the hydrological parameters of rainfall and discharge in one catchment.

The catchment is situated in North West London where field sampling was carried out over the period from March 1980 to December 1981. A Coulter Counter is used for particle size determinations; methods of sampling and the choice of dispersant and electrolyte are discussed. Particle surface texture analysis employs Scanning Electron Microscopy and preparation methods are discussed. Elemental composition is examined by energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Particle textures are described and quantified using a detailed surface area method and the Fuzzy Technique is employed in the analysis of a large number of particles.

Sediment sources in the catchment include roads, buildings, open spaces and airborne material. Sediment is washed off land surfaces during rainfall and transported along the storm sewer to the outfall. Suspended sediment sampled at the outfall is commonly in the size range 1 to 40 mm and predominantly consists of quartz particles from roads tone erosion which have undergone considerable alteration by abrasion, silica precipitation and solution during drain transport. Storms and their sediment load fall into four groups :

I. Intense rainfall of short duration generates moderately high
total rainfall and discharge. Sediment comprises fresh-faced,
angular, particles rapidly entrained from the land surface and
of unimodal size distribution.
II. Long periods of rainfall of moderate intensity create high
rainfall totals and moderately high discharge. Drain deposited
aggregates and surface particles are transported first; silica
precipitates develop later, leading to aggregation as the discharge falls: size distributions are bimodal.
III. Moderate rainfall and discharge transport sediment of similar characteristics to Group II but of moderated form.
IV. Low rainfall and discharge for short period transports severly altered drain sediment of bimodal size distributions.

Progressive sediment alteration along the storm sewer was simulated in a flume.


BACKGROUND
Percutaneous exposure injuries from devices used for blood collection or for injections expose healthcare workers to the risk of blood borne infections such as hepatitis B and C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Safety features such as shields or retractable needles can possibly contribute to the prevention of these injuries and it is important to evaluate their effectiveness.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the benefits and harms of safety medical devices aiming to prevent percutaneous exposure injuries caused by needles in healthcare personnel versus no intervention or alternative interventions.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, NHSEED, Science Citation Index Expanded, CINAHL, Nioshtic, CISdoc and PsycINFO (until 11 November 2016).

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials (RCT), controlled before and after studies (CBA) and interrupted time-series (ITS) designs of the effect of safety engineered medical devices on percutaneous exposure injuries in healthcare staff.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two of the authors independently assessed study eligibility and risk of bias and extracted data. We synthesized study results with a fixed-effect or random-effects model meta-analysis where appropriate.

MAIN RESULTS
We included six RCTs with 1838 participants, two cluster-RCTs with 795 participants and 73,454 patient days, five CBAs with approximately 22,000 participants and eleven ITS with an average of 13.8 data points. These studies evaluated safe modifications of blood collection systems, intravenous (IV) systems, injection systems, multiple devices, sharps containers and legislation on the implementation of safe devices. We estimated the needlestick injury (NSI) rate in the control groups to be about one to five NSIs per 1000 person-years. There were only two studies from low- or middle-income countries. The risk of bias was high in 20 of 24 studies. Safe blood collection systems:We found one RCT that found a safety engineered blood gas syringe having no considerable effect on NSIs (Relative Risk (RR) 0.2, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) 0.01 to 4.14, 550 patients, very low quality evidence). In one ITS study, safe blood collection systems decreased NSIs immediately after the introduction (effect size (ES) -6.9, 95% CI -9.5 to -4.2) but there was no further decrease over time (ES -1.2, 95% CI -2.5 to 0.1, very low quality evidence). Another ITS study evaluated an outdated recapping shield, which we did not consider further. Safe Intravenous systemsThere was very low quality evidence in two ITS studies that NSIs were reduced with the introduction of safe IV devices, whereas one RCT and one CBA study provided very low quality evidence of no effect. However, there was moderate quality evidence produced by four other RCT studies that these devices increased the number of blood splashes when the safety system had to be engaged actively (relative risk (RR) 1.6, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.36). In contrast there was low quality evidence produced by two RCTs of passive systems that showed no effect on blood splashes. Yet another RCT produced low quality evidence that a different safe active IV system also decreased the incidence of blood leakages. Safe injection devicesThere was very low quality evidence provided by one RCT and one CBA study showing that introduction of safe injection devices did not considerably change the NSI rate. One ITS study produced low quality evidence showing that the introduction of safe passive injection systems had no effect on NSI rate when compared to safe active injection systems. Multiple safe devicesThere was very low quality evidence from one CBA study and two ITS studies. According to the CBA study, the introduction of multiple safe devices resulted in a decrease in NSI,whereas the two ITS studies found no change. Safety containersOne CBA study produced very low quality evidence showing that the introduction of safety containers decreased NSI. However, two ITS studies evaluating the same intervention found inconsistent results. LegislationThere was low to moderate quality evidence in two ITS studies that introduction of legislation on the use of safety-engineered devices reduced the rate of NSIs among healthcare workers. There was also low quality evidence which showed a decrease in the trend over time for NSI rates.Twenty out of 24 studies had a high risk of bias and the lack of evidence of a beneficial effect could be due to both confounding and bias. This does not mean that these devices are not effective.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
For safe blood collection systems, we found very low quality evidence of inconsistent effects on NSIs. For safe passive intravenous systems, we found very low quality evidence of a decrease in NSI and a reduction in the incidence of blood leakage events but moderate quality evidence that active systems may increase exposure to blood. For safe injection needles, the introduction of multiple safety devices or the introduction of sharps containers the evidence was inconsistent or there was no clear evidence of a benefit. There was low to moderate quality evidence that introduction of legislation probably reduces NSI rates.More high-quality cluster-randomised controlled studies that include cost-effectiveness measures are needed, especially in countries where both NSIs and blood-borne infections are highly prevalent.


Abstract Autonomic denervation has been assumed to persist after orthotopic heart transplantation. Analyzing spontaneous and induced variations of heart rate, the status of autonomic cardiac innervation was investigated in six children 19–37 months after cardiac transplantation. The age at the time of transplantation varied from three weeks to 15.4 years. Heart rate variability was assessed on 24-hour Holter recordings by calculating time-domain indices (standard deviation of all RR intervals; standard deviation of the mean RR intervals from successive five-minute periods; mean of the standard deviations of RR intervals from successive five-minute periods; proportion of adjacent RR intervals > 50 msec different; square root of mean square successive differences in RR intervals) and frequency-domain variables (low frequency power, high frequency power and total spectrum power). Sinus node recovery time, sinoatrial conduction time and post-pacing cycle lengths were examined at different rates of endocardial atrial pacing. After the first year subsequent to transplantation, standard deviation of the mean RR intervals reached the normal range in four patients, whereas the other time-domain variables became normal in two patients. Both patients displayed normal or near-normal power spectrums of heart rate with normal day-to-night variations. For the remaining patients, spectrums of heart rate failed to show the main frequency peaks. Only the patient with normal variability in heart rate exhibited a decrease in corrected sinus node recovery time at higher stimulation rates, shortening of the first recovery cycle below the pre-pacing level, and a rapid decline of the accelerated post-pacing heart rate as described in innervated hearts. These results suggest the evolution of time-dependent efferent autonomic reinnervation after cardiac transplantation in children.


This thesis assesses the degree to which the Argentinean activist collective Proyectil Fetal can be successfully placed within the context of three intersecting ideological strains: feminism, anarchism and queer activism/theory. Queer anarcha-feminism, the confluence of these three ideologies, is an emerging ideology developed by a number of groups and individuals around the globe. This is in part due to their conviction that anarchists should have something to say about sexuality and gender, and that queer theory and feminism can help define such an up-to-date anarchist politics of sexuality. In addition, some believe that queer theory and feminism should be grounded in the more comprehensive ethical framework provided by the anti-capitalism and anti-Statism of the anarchist ideology, rather than be complicit with capitalism and the State. As such, queer anarchists share queer Marxists concern with combining queer theory and anti-capitalism.
The overlaps and the tensions between these three ideological currents and Proyectil Fetal are closely traced through a deep analysis of the latter s blogs, internet pronouncements and discussions and actions. The core concepts of queer anarcha-feminism are all identified on their blog, and the group s adjacent as well as perimeter queer anarcha-feminist concepts are examined in depth. It is shown how the latter are formed partly in response to the current political climate in Argentina. Finally, the reception of Proyectil Fetal s queer anarcha-feminist ideas is examined in order to position their queer anarcha-feminism in relation to the political landscape of Argentina.
Through this work, and drawing on Michael Freeden s conceptualisation of ideologies (Freeden 1998), this thesis elaborates the first systematic definition of queer anarcha-feminism.


John: Who's your daddy? C'mon, you know who your daddy is! Who's your daddy? D'Argo, tell him who his daddy is!" D'Argo: I'm your daddy.


The financial loss incurred by corrosion of metals in the marine environment has led to a need to develop effective, economic and environmentally friendly methods of protection. Traditional methods of counteracting the development of surface biofilms and biofouling within aqueous environments have involved implementing chemical biocides, often with a deleterious effect on non-target organisms. Sol gel coating technology offers a convenient route for immobilizing functional additives, such as inhibitors or, in the case of this study, biologically active microorganisms. Paenibacillus polymyxa biofilms inhibit the corrosion of metal substrates and this strain has the advantage of forming endospores can withstand the solvent and acid concentrations required in sol-gel formulation. Encapsulation of viable P. polymyxa endospores within the sol-gel matrix allowed germination on exposure to nutrients, when germinating endospores and vegetative cells were seen after fluorescence microscopy to be distributed throughout the coating. Laboratory electrochemical impedance tests were used to characterize the corrosion behaviour of the endospore-containing (biotic) sol-gel coating in comparison to an abiotic (no endospores) sol-gel only coating and one containing non-viable (killed) endospores. The technology enabled manipulation of the sol-gel formulation and the method of application to produce biotic sol-gel with enhanced corrosion inhibition properties on aluminium alloy. Field trials in a marine environment confirmed the corrosion protecting properties of the biotic coating and that the biotic coatings inhibited macroscopic biofouling for at least 29 weeks relative to the controls without encapsulated live endospores. Production of polymyxin by the encapsulated bacteria, which was proposed as a mechanism by which they inhibit MIC, was less than 1 mug per ml and below the threshold of detection by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and antimicrobial bioassay. Microcosm experiments were used to study differences in the corrosion of abiotic and biotic coatings in the presence of a corrosion-causing sulphate-reducing bacterium. Scanning electrochemical microscopy was developed as a technique to study electrochemical processes on the coating surface and showed differences in the distribution of copper ions on the surface of abiotic and biotic coatings.The results of the experimental work in this thesis show the potential of encapsulating metabolically active bacterial cells within a sol-gel coating on metals for the control of marine corrosion and biofouling.


This invaluable reference guide for PHP developers extending or customizing Joomla! 1.5 is packed with expert advice and tips on all aspects of Joomla! programming illustrated by self-contained examples. The world's hottest open-source content management system, and winner of the 2006 Open Source CMS Prize, standard Joomla! does a great job managing website content; but its true power lies in its application framework, which facilitates creating sophisticated add-ons that extend Joomla! in virtually unlimited directions. If you've mastered the basics of creating Joomla! extensions using PHP, this book takes you to the next level, covering: best-practice design and coding for Joomla! components, modules, plugins, and other extensions; customizing page output; using JavaScript effects; using Web Services from within Joomla!; and ensuring your code is secure and error-free. A unique and comprehensive reference to the main areas of interest within the Joomla! framework is also included.


Abstract. Mobile mapping systems are becoming increasingly popular as they can build 3D models of the environment rapidly by using a laser scanner that is integrated with a navigation system. 3D mobile mapping has been widely used for applications such as 3D city modelling and mapping of the scanned environments. However, accurate mapping relies on not only the scanner's performance but also on the quality of the navigation results (accuracy and robustness) . This paper discusses the potentials of using 3D mobile mapping systems for landscape change detection, that is traditionally carried out by terrestrial laser scanners that can be accurately geo-referenced at a static location to produce highly accurate dense point clouds. Yet compared to conventional surveying using terrestrial laser scanners, several advantages of mobile mapping systems can be identified. A large area can be monitored in a relatively short period, which enables high repeat frequency monitoring without having to set-up dedicated stations. However, current mobile mapping applications are limited by the quality of navigation results, especially in different environments. The change detection ability of mobile mapping systems is therefore significantly affected by the quality of the navigation results. This paper presents some data collected for the purpose of monitoring from a mobile platform. The datasets are analysed to address current potentials and difficulties. The change detection results are also presented based on the collected dataset. Results indicate the potentials of change detection using a mobile mapping system and suggestions to enhance quality and robustness.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the medicine procurement activities of the PAHO Strategic Fund.

METHOD
This is a retrospective study covering the period from 2004 to 2007, based on a bibliographic and document survey of Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) archives in the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Brazil. The volume of resources and the types of drugs procured by the fund were determined for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006 and for the period of January to September 2007.

RESULTS
The survey revealed a well-structured fund handling increasing resources, from US$ 3,475,043.00 in 2004 to US$ 19,646,634.00 in 2007 (January to September). The participation of antiretroviral drugs in this expenditure has grown from less than 8% of the total in 2004 to 57.89% in 2007. Still, in 2007, 66.63% of the financial resources managed by the Strategic Fund were allocated to the purchase of antiretroviral drugs for nine countries (Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, Haiti, Belize, Nicaragua, and Bolivia) out of a total of 17 participating countries. Brazil was the country using the most resources through the Strategic Fund, accounting for 63% of the expenditure for the purchase of strategic supplies between January and September 2007.

CONCLUSION
The proposal to unify the purchase of medications for all participating countries to improve pricing and purchasing management will result in large-scale savings. The Strategic Fund can contribute to increasing access to medicines and improving the management of the public health care system in Latin America.


Intellectual capital represents an increasingly important area in the world economy. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have played an essential role in the globalization of the economy. The protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) is an essential factor in international economic affairs. This article discusses the legal issues concerning proprietary and open software licensing and suggests alternatives to legally enforcing IPRs. Global technology networking and outsourcing have involved the use of open source software (OSS), and have implications for the enforcement of IPRs. Propriety and OSS licensing are analyzed in this article. Companies may adopt alternative strategies to the strict enforcement of IPRs. A relationship view of IPRs is presented, a perspective that adopts relationship marketing as a means of gaining profits from IPRs in the ICT sector. By establishing a relationship to customers, software producers may gain customer loyalty and commitment from users of their software and, in the long run, retain a position as a chosen supplier of software.


There is a general consensus that the Arctic Ocean and surrounding areas are (in real time) and have been (over historic and geologic time scales) subject to rapid and dramatic change. The Arctic sea ice, for example, had been undergoing retreat over the past three decades with an extreme minima in 2007. The causes of these changes, however, are a subject of intense scientific debate. In this context, high-resolution paleo-sea ice as well as other paleoclimatic records going back beyond the timescale of direct measurements, may help to solve some of the uncertainties in the debate of recent climate change.

Here, we present new biomarker data from a well AMS14C-dated sediment core recovered at the Laptev Sea continental slope close the interception with Lomonosov Ridge, recording the post-glacial to Holocene paleoenvironmental change. In our study, a special emphasis was taken on the deglacial/Holocene Arctic sea-ice history. For the reconstruction of sea-ice variability, we used (1) a biomarker approach which is based on the determination of sea-ice diatom-specific highly-branched isoprenoids (C25 HBI = IP25; Belt et al. 2007), and (2) a combined phytoplankton-IP25 biomarker approach (PIP25 index; Muller et al. 2011).

Between about 14.5 and 13 cal. kyrs. BP, minimum sea-ice cover was reconstructed for the Bolling/Allerod warm interval, followed by a rapid and distinct increase in sea-ice cover at about 12.8 cal. kyrs. BP. This sea-ice event was directly preceded by a dramatic freshwater event (reflected in stable oxygen isotopes from planktic foraminifers; Spielhagen et al. 2005) and a collapse of phytoplankton productivity, having started about 100 years earlier. These data support that enhanced freshwater flux may have increased sea-ice formation in the Arctic at the beginning of the Younger Dryas, with a resultant enhanced flux of freshwater and sea ice through Fram Strait into the Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian seas where North Atlantic Deep Water is formed today. This mechanism of freshwater (and ice) export from the Arctic into the North Atlantic may have played a dominant role (trigger) during the onset of the Younger Dryas cold reversal, as proposed by Tarasov and Peltier (2005).

The sea-ice maximum at the onset of the Younger Dryas was followed by a period of reduced sea-ice cover during the upper part of the Younger Dryas. During the Early Holocene, sea-ice cover steadily increased again (ice-edge situation), reaching modern sea-ice conditions (more or less permanent sea-ice cover) at about 9 cal. kyrs. BP.

For testing the importance of Arctic freshwater and sea-ice flux for Younger Dryas environmental change, however, more high-resolution sea-ice records from the Arctic Ocean are needed.

References:
Belt, S.T., Masse, G., Rowland, S.J., Poulin, M., Michel, C., LeBlanc, B., 2007. Org. Geochem. 38, 16-27.
Muller, J., Wagner, A., Fahl, K., Stein, R., Prange, M., and Lohmann, G., 2011. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 306, 137-148.
Spielhagen, R.F., Erlenkeuser, H., Siegert, C., 2005. Glob. Plan. Change 48, 187-207.
Tarasov, L. and Peltier, W.R., 2005. Nature 435, 662-665.


The number field sieve is an algorithm to factor integers of the form $r^e-s$ for small positive $r$ and $s$. The authors present a report on work in progress on this algorithm. They informally describe the algorithm, discuss several implementation related aspects, and present some of the factorizations obtained so far. They also mention some solutions to the problems encountered when generalizing the algorithm to general integers using an idea of Buhler and Pomerance. It is not unlikely that this leads to a general purpose factoring algorithm that is asymptotically substantially faster than the fastest factoring algorithms known so far, like the multiple polynomial quadratic sieve


In 2015, artist Ai Weiwei was bugged in his home, presumably by government actors. This situation raised our awareness on the lack of research in our community about operating and detecting spying microphones. Our biggest concern was that most of the knowledge came from fictional movies. Therefore, we performed a deep study on the state-of-the-art of microphone bugs, their characteristics, features and pitfalls. It included real life experiments trying to bug ourselves and trying to detect the hidden mics. Given the lack of open detection tools, we developed a free software SDR-based program, called Salamandra, to detect and locate hidden microphones in a room. After more than 120 experiments we concluded that placing mics correctly and listening is not an easy task, but it has a huge payoff when it works. Also, most mics can be detected easily with the correct tools (with some exceptions on GSM mics). In our experiments the average time to locate the mics in a room was 15 minutes. Locating mics is the novel feature of Salamandra, which is released to the public with this work. We hope that our study raises awareness on the possibility of being bugged by a powerful actor and the countermeasure tools available for our protection.


This article discusses urban food insecurity and the right to the city in the case of Brazil overall, and in the Mare complex of favelas in Rio de Janeiro in particular. It presents the key questions that guided our research project, Nutricities, as these stemmed from our four working groups on urban agriculture; agroecological markets and food distribution; the genealogies of pacification; and food sovereignty in the favela. In addition, the article presents the action-research approach deployed by our team for the study of food insecurity. This study was situated in the context of the increasing securitisation of Brazilian urban peripheries, and the ensuing obstacles caused to their populations' right to the city—by which we mean their claim to fundamental urban rights, which include access to affordable and good-quality food. The article proposes the agroecological approach as a potential avenue to reach popular food sovereignty in the areas where this prospect seems most distant at present: the urban peripheries of the Global South.


A micropalaeontological analysis of 40 sedimentary samples from a hydrothermal region in the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, Mexico, was carried out to describe microenvironments. These microenvironments were defined through a Q-mode Factor analysis of species abundance data from the benthic foraminiferal biocoenoses and thanatocoenoses. The benthic foraminiferal results were correlated with the biogeographic patterns of diatoms, radiolarians, planktonic foraminifers and ostracods through a 'graphic-multivariate analysis'. Although the microenvironments have a patchy distribution within the hydrothermal region, it is possible to define the following: (1) the 'hydrothermal environment', in which the benthic foraminifera Bulimina mexicana and Globocassidulina sp. cf. C. subglobosa coexist with the mollusc Calyptogena pacifica, even though the almost direct influence of the hydrothermal fluids drastically reduces the presence of the microfauna; (2) the 'bacterial environment', in which Trochammina sp. and Recurvoides sp. are associated with bacterial mats; and (3) the 'cool environment', further out from the direct hydrothermal influence. In this microenvironment the benthic foraminifera Bulimina spinosa, Bolivina seminuda and Cibicides sp. are common. These three benthic foraminiferal assemblages are different from other assemblages which live in the Guaymas Basin but are not influenced by hydrothermal fluids. In the non-hydrothermal regions, Uvigerina peregrina and Buliminella tenuata are common. The analysis of subsurface samples shows the same patterns as the superficial samples.


Open fractures are common and their prevalence is increasing in elderly people. The burden of open fractures is high because of economic and social costs. Most open fractures occur in lower limbs. The use of validated protocols, will optimize our outcomes when treating open fractures. The first step began with the proper identification of the fracture characteristics and the hidden soft tissue injury. The use of an adequate and early antibi- otic prophylaxis is mandatory and then, we have to perform adequate irrigation and debridement. Finally, we have to decide to temporally fix the fracture or proceed with the definitive fixation method. Recently, the creation of dedicated " orthoplastic " units has increased the outcomes in high-energy tibial fractures. These fractures should be managed in adequate trauma centers that should be used to face all the complications that will appear during the reconstruction procedure because complications can be as high as 50% in high-energy open fractures.


Understanding the encounter at the WSIS requires an enquiry spanning over 30 years, covering two main strands that converged in Geneva December 2003. One, the 'information society' debate, takes in the role of information, the internet and the 'digital divide' and can be traced to the 1970s. The other, the 'communication debate', encompasses broader issues of knowledge ownership and use, media diversity and communication. Its defining moment came in the early 1980s with the MacBride Report of UNESCO. Although each has its (uniquely compromised) history, only one, the latter, is likely to have a future. At the WSIS, these intersected in both official and unofficial fora. The impact was felt within the intergovernmental process, but more profoundly within the spaces of civil society. Burdened with ideologically inspired promises it could never fulfil, comprised by a worn out neoliberal agenda, the outcome of the 'information society' debate in the plenary halls was always going to be limited. The 'communication society' debate, on the other hand, marked the completion of a shift from governments to civil society as the driving force, and a potentially deeper and more democratic articulation of the issues. It culminated with the publication of the Civil Society Declaration. The further development of this agenda must look outside the WSIS road to Tunis, and develop a stronger presence at civil society venues such as the World Social Forum, and at global governance meetings and events.


Mentorship is a hot topic in academia, business, and the military. Recently, Chronicle of Higher Education, Robert Gross said it was evident from the Educational Resources Information Center's annual list of publications that virtually nobody was writing about "mentors and mentoring" in the 1970s, as only 33 articles appeared for that entire decade. He adds, however, "Then the topic took off: 230 pieces in 1980-84; 597 in 1985-89; 1,051 in 1990-94; l,524 in 1995-99." (1) In February 2002, a subject keyword search (using the term "mentor") of Wilson Omnifile, an academic database of articles and publications, resulted in over 2,000 hits. Reflecting this trend, new mentorship web pages are being born across the internet. (2) Consultants have sprung up, promising that if only managers were better mentors, their profitability and retention of precious human capital would improve dramatically. A survey of Fortune 500 executives indicated that 96 percent of them saw mentoring as an important influence in their prof essional development. (3) In some organizations, coaches and mentors are assigned and duties are formally outlined. Young professionals are encouraged to actively seek out people they admire to "be their mentors," as a way to accelerate their learning, development, and career progression. Despite the widespread interest in mentoring and hopes that it presents potential for addressing a myriad of problems, the concept is not well understood within the Army. The term "mentorship" has different connotations and currently is used so loosely in describing such an array of leadership and human behaviors that well-meaning, intelligent people often talk past each other when trying to discuss it. The term elicits a wide range of responses, from enthusiastic endorsement to adamant cynicism, with confusion in between. In a recent Army War College strategy research project, Merrill Anderson-Ashcraft conducted a content analysis of 64 essays on mentoring submitted by members of the USAWC Class of 2002. Although most essays included positive and negative comments, she observed that 71 percent of the statements in the papers addressed negative aspects of mentoring. Further analysis indicated that misunderstandings regarding mentoring goals, strategies, and implementation methods are a core problem contributi ng to confusion and cynicism. (4) The purpose of this article is to help inform the developing dialog by assessing the current treatment of the mentoring concept in today's Army and then highlighting the issues, implications, and alternatives relative to a formal Army Mentorship Program. We believe that unless the concept and implications of a program are carefully reevaluated, this potentially useful leadership concept may remain a confusing cliche--or worse, a euphemism for favoritism--causing it to actually undermine the desired leadership environment. Defining the Problem Informal mentoring relationships have long existed in the Army, although they lacked definition as such until the 1980s when the term mentorship entered the business and academic lexicon. Recently, as part of a comprehensive description of future and ongoing actions to improve training and leader development, General Eric K. Shinseki, Chief of Staff of the Army, announced that the Army has developed the framework for the Army Mentorship Program. (5) Citing survey results that found "disconnects between what we as an Army believe and what we do in practice," General Shinseki articulated that we "need to adjust our culture, get back to our roots in training, improve officer leader development and management, and establish healthy feedback to inform the force and make adjustments where necessary." (6) In an Army Times interview, General John Keane, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, stated that the "quality of leadership--as reflected in the mentoring process--has fallen off. …


The framework developed in this article illustrates how social protection with a developmental approach can deepen socioeconomic impact at individual and household level and effectively address apprehension over dependency. The starting point examines various definitions of 'graduation' within a social protection context – as exit from poverty, or from the social protection system, or alternatively as a process of continually strengthening household developmental outcomes. Appropriately designed and effectively implemented, a 'graduation' approach can sustainably promote dynamic outcomes, with inclusive economic expansion reinforcing poverty reduction, which in turn contributes to further growth and development. These micro-oriented initiatives will likely work best when embedded within a broader macro development framework that integrates and strengthens the range of social and economic policy instruments implemented by government. This article maps out a path for policymakers aiming to strengthen the pro-poor and inclusive economic growth and development impacts of social protection by incorporating a graduation approach.


Evidence suggests that the level of inequality in a society has a negative effect on aggregated output. Diverse explanations on how this effect takes place have been developed in the economics literature. We propose a novel explanation in which the degree of inequality to which an agent is exposed induces an specific affective load which, if sufficiently high, could decrease productivity. In a controlled laboratory setting we exogenously vary the level of poverty awareness as a proxy to inequality. We find that subjects assigned to the "Awareness" treatment condition have lower average productivity with respect to subjects assigned to the "No awareness" baseline condition. A questionnaire and a face recognition software provide quantitative measures of the moods and emotions evoked by the experimental conditions. We provide evidence that the affective variation found in these conditions mediates this decrease in individual productivity. JEL Classification : D03, J24, C91


A cell-averaged constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector is described and applied to data collected with a multibeam echo sounder (MBES). The CFAR detector is designed specifically for transient targets observed with MBES, and operates under the assumption that background noise, including volume and seafloor reverberation, is locally stationary in time. This assumption, and the CFAR detector performance in general, was examined for data collected by a 30-kHz MBES operating in the Gulf of Mexico where the targets of interest were methane gas bubble plumes rising up from the seabed. Results with example data suggest that the CFAR detector was able to remove 99.1% of the MBES raw data while preserving the targets of interest. False detections appear randomly distributed throughout a single MBES ping, unlike the targets, and a within-ping target clustering algorithm was able to remove many of the false detections. In a single ping, an example is shown where the combined CFAR detector and a target cluster-size rule was able to reduce the number of false detections to 99.8% of the original data. The detector and cluster-size rules were applied to a sequence of approximately 400 pings, and two additional morphological rules based on the size and aspect ratio of the resulting target clusters were then applied to the detections to isolate the MBES backscatter intensity associated with gas bubbles. This combination of CFAR detector and simple morphological classification rules provides a useful way to detect gas bubble seeps or other transient targets.


For marine benthos communities, the assessment of a respiration budget encompassing the entire size range from microbes to mobile megafauna has seldom been attempted. An interdisciplinary field study in high Arctic waters (northwestern Barents Sea) in June/July 1991 provided the opportunity to concurrently est~rnate the oxygen uptake of the different benthic community fractions by a variety of approaches at water depths of 80 to 1010 m. The bulk respiration of micro-, meioand small macrobenthos was assessed by sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) rates measured by shipboard sediment-water incubations of virtually undisturbed cores. The oxygen uptake of community portions not sampled adequately by corers (megabenthic inand epifauna, including fish) was estimated by applying individual metabolic rates to density or biomass figures derived from seabed images, box corer samples or trawl catches. The respiration estimates of the various community fractions were subsequently compiled in synoptic models of the total benthic community oxygen consumption (BCOC) and its partitioning. In the study area, 2 benthic habitat types were distinguished, differing substantially in depth, sediment texture and, thus, benthic respiration pattern: (1) shallow shelf banks (<200 m) where the seabed is composed of coarse sediments and stones, and (2) deeper trenches or slopes (>200 m) characterized by fine sediments. On the banks, the patchiness of epibenthic brittle stars, which locally occurred in very high densities (up to 700 ind. m-'), controlled the benthic community respiration. On average, the megafauna was estimated to contribute about 25% to the median BCOC of about 90 pm01 0, m-' h-' (equivalent to an organic carbon mineralizat~on rate of 21 mg C m-? d-'). In the shelf trenches and on the slope, however, smaller endobenthic organisms predominated. SCOC, according to our estimates of meioand macrofaunal respiration, was dominated by the oxygen uptake of microorganisms and accounted for about 85% of the median BCOC of about 140 ~lmol 0, m-' h-' (35 mg C n r 2 d-l). Our results suggest that current models of benthic community respiration should be amended, particularly for Arctic shelf b~otopes where abundant megafauna may represent an important pathway of the benth~c energy flow.


The meaning and understanding of democracy along the histories of Indonesian government give specific meaning for the development of democracy in Indonesia. There are a lot of democracy paradox or democracy irony that happened in the orde lama era, orde baru era and reformasi era. The process and the development of democracy, finally face to face with the interest of power in the contexts of political trap that is true undemocratic. General election 2004 and Directly Regional Head Election 2005 are being momentum in the implementation of democratic governance, also challenge for political actors and community to raise cultural and structural democracy. By the way, Indonesian democracy still left some questions, that is, whether we prepare and capable to develop democracy without any irony or paradox. Kata kunci : paradox demokrasi, pilkada, membangun


The main aim of this thesis is to present some new and recent results from the theory of non-Newtonian fluids. Such results refer to different motions of generalized second grade and Oldroyd-B fluids and ordinary Maxwell fluids. Generally, the constitutive equations for generalized non-Newtonian fluids are obtained from those for non-Newtonian fluids by replacing the time derivatives of an integer order by the so called Rieman-Liouville fractional operators.
In chapter 2, it is studied the rotational flow of a generalized second grade fluid between two infinite coaxial cylinders. The velocity field !(r, t) and the shear stress (r, t), obtained by means of Laplace and Hankel transforms, are presented under series form in terms of generalized G functions. The obtained solutions can be specialized to give the similar solutions for ordinary second grade and Newtonian fluids performing the same motion. Chapter 3 deals with the study of helical flow of generalized Oldroyd-B fluids in a single circular cylinder. The components of velocity field and their associated shear stresses have been found in terms of generalized G and R functions and are presented as sum of two terms, one of them is the similar solution for the Newtonian fluid. Chapter 4 contains some remarkable results regarding the energetic balance for the flow of Maxwell fluid due to a constantly accelerating plate. We have determined the dissipation, the power due to the shear stress at the wall and boundary layer thickness for this motion. The corresponding results for the similar flow of a Newtonian fluid are also recovered as special case. The specific features of both fluids are compared and discussed.


The confocal microscope is appropriate for imaging cells or the measurement of industrial artefacts. However, junior researchers and instrument users sometimes misuse imaging concepts and metrological characteristics, such as position resolution in industrial metrology and scale resolution in bio-imaging. And, metrological characteristics or influence factors in 3D measurement such as height assessment error caused by 3D coupling effect are so far not yet identified. In this book, the authors outline their practices by the working experiences on standardization and system design. This book assumes little previous knowledge of optics, but rich experience in engineering of industrial measurements, in particular with profile metrology or areal surface topography will be very helpful to understand the theoretical concerns and value of the technological advances. It should be useful for graduate students or researchers as extended reading material, as well as microscope users alongside their handbook.


As of February 2012, 50 circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) have been reported for HIV-1 while one CRF for HIV-2. Also according to HIV sequence compendium 2011, the HIV sequence database is replete with 414,398 sequences. The fact that there are CRFs, which are an amalgamation of sequences derived from six or more subtypes (CRF27_cpx (cpx refers to complex) is a mosaic with sequences from 6 different subtypes besides an unclassified fragment), serves as a testimony to the continual divergent evolution of the virus with its approximate 1% per year rate of evolution, and this phenomena per se poses tremendous challenge for vaccine development against HIV/AIDS, a devastating disease that has killed 1.8 million patients in 2010. Here, we explore the interaction between HIV-1 and host genetic variation in the context of HIV/AIDS and antiretroviral therapy response.


The global garment and textile industries face changing international trade regimes, concerns with labour standards, new competitors and forms of competition. These challenges have a differentiated impact on developing-country producers and workers. One potential 'winner' is Vietnam. This paper uses a global value-chain framework to analyse the Vietnamese experience. It maps Vietnam's changing position in the global industry, and probes ties between Vietnamese firms and global buyers. It explores links within the Vietnamese garment and textiles sectors, and considers the impact of global challenges on Vietnamese firms and workers. This helps distinguish who are the potential 'winners' and 'losers'.


This research analyses the governance structures and processes of thirteen independent primary schools in Perth, and one state primary school in Western Australia termed an 'alternative' or 'lighthouse' school. More in-depth case studies were undertaken at five sites with participants from different time periods. All the schools had a school council or board since their foundations and notably all schools had their origins in the period of the alternative school and community empowerment movement of the 1970s and 1980s.

In an era of market reform and the corporatisation of schools, the critical areas of focus for this research were: how community expectations and school identity were maintained within council-governed schools; how democratic imperatives compete with professionalism and school improvement issues; and how schools confront dilemmas of governance. Three frameworks, Phases of Development, Community Empowerment and Dilemmas, were employed as useful means to discuss school governance. The results revealed changes in governance over time. Schools began to envisage themselves less as communities and more as businesses. The emphasis was away from parent involvement and towards efficiency and commercial practices. Tensions and dilemmas arose out of these changes.

The thesis concluded that it was not the structures or individuals that were crucial in governance processes but the playing out of particular tensions and dilemmas. Principals and councils have to acknowledge the dilemmas that arise from competing values systems and make choices based on a clear understanding of these dilemmas.


Virtualization of x86 servers has been a hot topic in the last decade, culminating in changes in the architecture's design and the development of new technologies based in different approaches to provide server virtualization. In this paper, we present a comparative study of six virtualization technologies released under the GPL license. Our analysis is done in two steps. First we evaluate the overhead imposed by the virtualization layers by executing a set of open source benchmarks in the Linux host system and inside the virtual machines. Secondly we analyze the scalability of those technologies by executing a benchmark suite concurrently in multiple virtual machines. Our findings may help users choose the technology that better suits their needs.


The concept of policing a state has had to undergo a change
of mindset due to the global nature of today's world. There was anecdotal
evidence that the training was outdated and did not take into account the
cross-cultural differences that exist in Qatar. This study investigates this
hypothesis and evaluates the quality of training at the Police Training
Institute in Qatar After conducting an exhaustive literature review covering
cross cultural differences, systems thinking and different delivery methods a
methodological evaluation of public sector training was conducted using the
Soft Systems Methodology of Professor Peter Checkland. The key findings to come
out of the SSM Analysis were: the police training did not meet the
participants' expectations, course content failed to provide trainees with new
skills, the delivery of the courses lacks interaction and courses were not
useful or challenging. A conceptual model was developed that dealt with: · new content · cultural differences and;
· new delivery methods A
new course was designed, delivered, tested and evaluated. This was a course on
Systems Thinking. Also, an App was designed for mobile phones which enabled the
course to be delivered in a more modern manner which used the concept of social
media. The final analysis showed that the Systems Thinking ideas were well
received and more courses need to be designed at all levels. It suggested that
there is a future for mobile technology in training and it encouraged
organizations to experiment with this form of delivery. Recommendations were
made for future training at the Police Training Institute and these were well
received by the Ministry of Interior of Qatar. It also suggests that the PTI is
an ideal candidate for a learning organization, which would help it to
understand what is happening in the outside environment and produce creative
solutions using the knowledge and skills of all within the organization.


Previous research in sound source localization has helped increase the robustness of estimates to noise and reverberation. Circular arrays are of particular interest for a number of scenarios, particularly because they can be placed in the center of the sources. First, that improves the sound capture due to the reduced distance. Second, it helps on the direction estimation, not only because of the reduced distance, but also because it increases the angle differences. Nevertheless, most research on circular arrays focused on the case of omni-directional microphones. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for sound source localization developed specifically for directional microphones. Results obtained from real meeting room setups show a typical error of less than 3 degrees.


Using data from the 2000 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, this study explores factors affecting visits by the American population to farms and the economic value of the rural landscapes for farm visitors. The number of farm recreation trip visits was estimated to have own-price elasticity of -0.43 and an income elasticity of 0.24. Location of residence, race, and gender were found to be important determinants of the number of farm trips. The calculated consumer surplus is estimated at $174.82/ trip, of which $33.50 is due to the rural landscape.


This paper investigates how age and gender interact to shape older jobseekers' experiences of age discrimination within a mixed methods framework. The analysis reveals that there has been a considerable decline in national levels of perceived ageism generally among older men relative to older women. These research findings suggest that the nature of ageism experienced by older women is qualitatively different from men. Currently, one-size-fits-all, business case approaches rely on an overly narrow concept that obscures the gender and occupational dimensions of ageism. Hence, policy responses to ageism need to be far more tailored in their approach.


Medieval cartularies are one of the most significant sources for a historian of the Middle Ages. Once viewed as simply repositories of charters, cartularies are now regarded as carefully curated collections of texts whose contents and arrangement reflect the immediate concerns and archival environment of the communities that created them. One feature of the cartulary in particular that has not been studied so fully is its materiality: the fact that it is a manuscript. Consequently, it has not been recognised that many cartularies are multi-scribe manuscripts which "grew" for many decades after their initial creation, both physically and textually.

This book offers a new methodology which engages with multi-scribe contributions in two cartulary manuscripts: the oldest cartularies of Glasgow Cathedral and Lindores Abbey. It integrates the physical and textual features of the manuscripts in order to analyse how and why they grew in stages across time. Applying this methodology reveals two communities that took an active approach to reading and shaping their cartularies, treating these manuscripts as a shared space. This raises fundamental questions about the definition of cartularies and how they functioned, their relationship to archives of single-sheet documents, and as sources for institutional identity. It therefore takes a fresh look at the "genre" of medieval cartularies through the eyes of the manuscripts themselves, and what this can reveal about their medieval scribes and readers.


The present article focuses on the Tanzanian Bantu language Kerebe and its morphologically complex verb phrase, which is presented in a descriptive framework. The description includes affirmative verb forms of general verbs and of copulas, negation and verbal extensions. The morphological complexity is reflected in the tense-aspect-mood (TAM) system, in copula markings and in verbal derivations. The analysis is based on a grammatical sketch of the Kerebe language written by the French Catholic priest Eugene Hurel (Hurel 1909) and two Internet-accessible word lists. Since Hurel describes Kerebe as being spoken in the beginning of 1900s, there was also a need to consult a mother-tongue speaker in order to verify the relevance of the data to present-day language items.


Background/Purpose: It has been substantiated that the quality of pleurodesis is reduced when non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used perioperatively. The effects of NSAID administration on the early inflammatory and fibrinolytic processes after mechanical pleurodesis were investigated in an established pig model. Methods: Left-sided mechanical pleural abrasion was performed on 24 pigs assigned to either an NSAID or a control group. Pleural fluid and blood samples were analysed over a 24-hour period. Histological evaluation of neutrophil influx at the site of pleural abrasion was performed. Results: The volume of pleural effusion was significantly decreased in the diclofenac group at 10 and 24 h, and the protein content was significantly lower. The diclofenac group at 24 h had a diminished total number of white blood cells and a reduced content of transforming growth factor-β. Moreover, the diclofenac group had a reduced percentage of neutrophils at 6 h. Significantly increased levels of D-dimers and tissue plasminogen activator were measured at 6 h and of interleukin-10 at 24 h. Neutrophils at the site of pleural abrasion were significantly reduced. Conclusions: Systemic application of diclofenac led to a local enhancement of fibrinolysis and attenuation of pro-inflammatory and fibrotic processes necessary for adhesion formation in our model.


Ice bridges are arch-like ice structures that form in narrow passages and straits. These bridges play largely important roles in the circulation of Arctic sea ice. When an ice bridge is present in a strait, there is typically a stoppage of sea ice flow, and there generally little ice flow downstream from the bridge. Nares Strait, located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland, allows for Arctic sea ice to be exported into the Atlantic Ocean. Ice bridges typically form in Nares Strait, which causes a stoppage of this export. This stoppage allows for Arctic sea ice to grow thicker, which is important for our current climate. Building on studies that examined the formation of ice bridges, this study aims to model and analyze the destruction of ice bridges. Using CICE: The Los Alamos Sea Ice Model, ice bridges are modeled in an idealized strait that is geographically and dimensionally similar to Nares Strait. The bridges are allowed to strengthen for 7 days past their initial formation. Then various atmospheric and oceanic parameters are changed, to examine their effect on the stable ice bridges. All parameter changes are applied over the entire domain and are constant in time. Extreme temperatures are used to study the effect of temperature. Then various amounts of longwave and shortwave radiation are tested independently, combined with temperature and combined with each other and temperature. We found that air temperature alone isn't the driving mechanism in bridge disintegration. As for radiative forcing, longwave radiation proves to have a stronger effect than shortwave radiation. In fact, when air temperature, longwave radiation and shortwave radiation are combined, longwave radiation is the most dominant factor in disintegrating the bridges, followed by air temperature. Wind


NOVELTY - The microscope (11) has a set of four actuators (14, 16, 18, 20) i.e. piezoelectric actuators, and a strain gauge coupled to two opposed actuators (14, 18), arranged in opposed push or push-pull configuration to measure the differential motion of the opposed actuators. A scanner (10) i.e. two dimension scanner, includes a flexure and bearing ball that is coupled to cross-conformed actuators (14, 16) arranged along x and y axes. A sample supporting member is provided in a center of a support frame of the scanner, where the flexure is formed of blade springs. USE - Scanning probe microscope for imaging a wide range of materials e.g. metal, semiconductor, mineral, polymer and biomaterial, and for measuring deflection of a cantilever. ADVANTAGE - The microscope reduces the mechanical oscillations while imaging by providing a rigid design with high order resonance frequencies. The microscope avoids the low resonance frequencies and accounts for piezo nonlinearities. The two piezoelectric actuators are identical over long range of temperature, and the absolute temperature change does not change the output of the bridge. The output of the full bridge signal gets doubled, thus increasing the sensitivity and improving the signal to noise ratio.


This Bachelor´s Thesis concerns 20 points at the MDA-program (People, Computers and Work) at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Ronneby. The MDA-program focuses on how people use Information Technology and its design and development. In this Bachelor?s Thesis we describe a study process at the Billing Gateway Department at Ericsson Software Technology in Ronneby in which we investigate how to design for destined users without direct contact with them. Our aim of the study was to evaluate and bring out a design suggestion of a graphical representation of the filters and formatters for the end-users. With only second hand information about them we found the task to be impossible to accomplish. Instead this Bachelor?s Thesis is an investigation of how a design process is developed without direct contact with the end-users. The results are based on second hand information about the needs of the end-users. We give Ericsson suggestions of how to involve the end-users in the design process. ----------------------- Tiina Martinson Johanna Akesson


Syndepositional faulting was a major control on internal platform stratigraphy in a Frasnian reef complex on the southeastern Lennard Shelf, northern Canning Basin, Australia. By combining platform (mostly backreef) facies distributions with key stratal surfaces and biostratigraphic data, we have developed a temporal framework for the Hull Range area. Platform evolution was controlled by normal faults via an initial tilt block geometry and subsequent differential subsidence and accommodation across the platform. Three third-order, flooding surface–bounded platform phases are recorded. Basal shallow marine siliciclastic facies were deposited in topographic lows adjacent to the hanging wall and close to internal faults. Early carbonate deposition in dominantly deep subtidal environments suggests an overall ramp-style setting that deepened toward the southeast. This phase is capped by a sequence boundary represented by multiple paleokarst surfaces in the northwest that pass laterally into a major flooding surface to the southeast, above which the platform expanded toward the Mount Elma–Painted Rocks fault system. The overall stacking pattern above the sequence boundary–flooding surface is aggradational to progradational with higher-frequency shoaling trends, and locally developed exposure surfaces, related to higher-order relative sea-level changes. This second phase of platform growth ended with major flooding and a pronounced backstep of the leeward margin.


Background Learning to predict threatening events enables an organism to engage in protective behavior and prevent harm. Failure to differentiate between cues that truly predict danger and those that do not, however, may lead to indiscriminate fear and avoidance behaviors, which in turn may contribute to disability in people with persistent pain. We aimed to test whether people with persistent neck pain exhibit contingency learning deficits in predicting pain relative to pain-free, gender-and age-matched controls. Method We developed a differential predictive learning task with a neck pain-relevant scenario. During the acquisition phase, images displaying two distinct neck positions were presented and participants were asked to predict whether these neck positions would lead to pain in a fictive patient with persistent neck pain (see fictive patient scenario details in Appendix A). After participants gave their pain-expectancy judgment in the hypothetical scenario, the verbal outcome (PAIN or NO PAIN) was shown on the screen. One image (CS+) was followed by the outcome "PAIN", while another image (CS−) was followed by the outcome "NO PAIN". During the generalization phase, novel but related images depicting neck positions along a continuum between the CS+ and CS− images (generalization stimuli; GSs) were introduced to assess the generalization of acquired predictive learning to the novel images; the GSs were always followed by the verbal outcome "NOTES UNREADABLE" to prevent extinction learning. Finally, an extinction phase was included in which all images were followed by "NO PAIN" assessing the persistence of pain-expectancy judgments following disconfirming information. Results Differential pain-expectancy learning was reduced in people with neck pain relative to controls, resulting from patients giving significantly lower pain-expectancy judgments for the CS+, and significantly higher pain-expectancy judgments for the CS−. People with neck pain also demonstrated flatter generalization gradients relative to controls. No differences in extinction were noted. Discussion The results support the hypothesis that people with persistent neck pain exhibit reduced differential pain-expectancy learning and flatter generalization gradients, reflecting deficits in predictive learning. Contrary to our hypothesis, no differences in extinction were found. These findings may be relevant to understanding behavioral aspects of chronic pain.


This article explores contrasting forms of 'knowledge leadership' in mobilising management research into organizational practice. Drawing on a Foucauldian perspective on power-knowledge, we introduce three axes of power-knowledge relations, through which we analyse knowledge leadership practices. We present empirical case study data focused on 'polar cases' of managers engaged in mobilising management research in six research-intensive organizations in the UK healthcare sector. We find that knowledge leadership involves agentic practices through which managers strive to actively become the knowledge object – personally transposing, appropriating or contending management research. This article contributes to the literature by advancing the concept of knowledge leadership in the work of mobilising management research into organizational practice.


We have generated optical pulses of 1.2 MW peak power and 0.6 ps duration using a 1060 nm band gain-switched laser diode pulse oscillator. Optical pulses are amplified by three-stage ytterbium-doped fiber amplifiers, and remarkable reductions of amplified spontaneous emission noise and temporal duration have been accomplished based on self-phase modulation in the middle-stage amplifier. After the main amplifier, optical pulses were temporally compressed by a grating pair, and this enabled generation of subpicosecond optical pulses with over 1 MW peak power.


The purpose of this study is to describe the role of occupational therapy fieldwork students in the training of service dogs. Ethnography is an approach that strives to explore and describe the point of view of people. Ethnographers view the researcher as an instrument to gain insight into the subject. This researcher utilized her own experiences as an occupational therapist, an occupational therapy educator, and as a volunteer dog trainer of service dogs. She then validated the process through interviews with key informants. The results indicate that occupational therapists and occupational therapy students are capable of playing a significant role in the training and placement of service dogs. During a level I experience, occupational therapy students experienced the importance that a dog can play in a person's life as a tool of adaptation. They also learned advocacy and professionalism and applied the Person-Environment-Occupation model of practice. In addition, students recognized that barriers exist in the use of service dogs.


Under the Canada Business Corporations Act, the oppression remedy allows corporate stakeholders to bring an action against a corporation for unfairly prejudicial and oppressive behaviour. Since the Dickerson Report recommended such a remedy in Canada, there has been much discussion in academic literature about how it has been applied by the courts. The authors empirically tested the following assertions: (1) that the oppression remedy has been use frequently by Canadian courts; (2) that it is available to non-minority shareholders; (3) that its use among non-shareholder creditors and minority shareholders is increasing; (4) that allowing derivative claims under the oppression remedy would inflate the number of lawsuits; and (5) that judges are permitted a great deal of creativity in granting remedies for oppression. Based on their analysis of 71 applications of the oppression remedy during a seven year sample period, the authors conclude that Canadian courts have made only limited use of it. Non minority shareholders have used it infrequently, and with less success than minority shareholders. Non-shareholder creditors and minority shareholders in widely held corporation have not made extensive use of it either, but the authors predict more successful claims by these groups in the future. Oppression actions are still predominantly personal actions, and the number of derivative actions remains low. Canadian courts have been innovative in creating remedies for successful applicants. The authors argue that these results show that Canadian courts have applied the oppression remedy in a way that reflects the primacy of shareholder interests and the contractual nexus view of corporate law. However, some signs, such as the increasing success of creditors as non-shareholder applicants, point to a possible change in attitude that reflects the communitarian critique of the contractual nexus model. The authors conclude that although the oppression remedy holds promise in providing relief to non-shareholder stakeholders and in recognizing corporate interests beyond wealth maximization, the cautious approach taken by the courts is likely to continue in the near future.


A successful visualization allows the user to gain insight into the data in an effective way. Even with today's visualization systems that give the user a considerable control over the visualization process, it can be difficult to produce an effective visualization. This paper is a step forward to achieve a visualization system that assists the user in the configuration and preparation of the visualization by considering both the semantic of the data and the semantic of the stages, through all the visualization process. In this article we present a system for file hierarchies visualization where the color assignment and the configura- tion of the visualization technique are carried out by reasoning processes. This work sets the way forward for the integration of reasoning in the visualization process.


We present a simple and efficient way of tracking a mobile terminal (MT) using multiple antennas at the transmitter and the receiver. We consider the double directional model and use the Bayesian framework in order to estimate the speed and direction of the MT. We show in particular how to exploit the space dimension, inherently present in a MIMO system, to increase the estimation accuracy. In contrast to the majority of solutions that have been proposed so far for MT localization and tracking, this new method is suitable for a non-line-of-sight (NLoS) propagation scenario and employs only one base station (BS).


Node-link diagrams are an effective and popular visualization approach for depicting hierarchical structures and for showing parent-child relationships. In this paper, we present the results of an eye tracking experiment investigating traditional, orthogonal, and radial node-link tree layouts as a piece of empirical basis for choosing between those layouts. Eye tracking was used to identify visual exploration behaviors of participants that were asked to solve a typical hierarchy exploration task by inspecting a static tree diagram: finding the least common ancestor of a given set of marked leaf nodes. To uncover exploration strategies, we examined fixation points, duration, and saccades of participants' gaze trajectories. For the non-radial diagrams, we additionally investigated the effect of diagram orientation by switching the position of the root node to each of the four main orientations. We also recorded and analyzed correctness of answers as well as completion times in addition to the eye movement data. We found out that traditional and orthogonal tree layouts significantly outperform radial tree layouts for the given task. Furthermore, by applying trajectory analysis techniques we uncovered that participants cross-checked their task solution more often in the radial than in the non-radial layouts.


Silver nanoparticles are generated in glass by a dry process. First silver ions are driven into the glass by electric field-assisted ion exchange. Subsequent annealing in air led to the formation of silver nanoparticles beneath the surface of the glass. A thin slice of the cross section of the sample was prepared. This visualization of the depth profile facilitated optical analysis of the embedded layer containing silver nanoparticles to be preformed. We observed that there were narrower plasmon bands close to the sample surface and wider plasmon bands in lower layers. It is attributed to the formation of larger nanoparticles with lower number density close to the surface and slightly smaller nanoparticles with higher number density in the depth of the sample.