Abstract Current predictions of how species will respond to climate change are based on coarse-grained climate surfaces or idealized scenarios of uniform warming. These predictions may erroneously estimate the risk of extinction because they neglect to consider spatially heterogenous warming at the landscape scale or identify refugia where species can persist despite unfavourable regional climate. To address this issue, we investigated the heterogeneity in warming that has occurred in a 10 km × 10 km area from 1972 to 2007. We developed estimates by combining long-term daily observations from a limited number of weather stations with a more spatially comprehensive dataset (40 sites) obtained during 2005–2006. We found that the spatial distribution of warming was greater inland, at lower elevations, away from streams, and at sites exposed to the northwest (NW). These differences corresponded with changes in weather patterns, such as an increasing frequency of hot, dry NW winds. As plant species were biased in the topographic and geographic locations they occupied, these differences meant that some species experienced more warming than others, and are at greater risk from climate change. This species bias could not be detected at coarser scales. The uneven seasonal nature of warming (e.g. more warming in winter, minimums increased more than maximums) means that climate change predictions will vary according to which predictors are selected in species distribution models. Models based on a limited set of predictors will produce erroneous predictions when the correct limiting factor is not selected, and this is difficult to avoid when temperature predictors are correlated because they are produced using elevation-sensitive interpolations. The results reinforce the importance of downscaling coarse-grained ( ∼ 50 km) temperature surfaces, and suggest that the accuracy of this process could be improved by considering regional weather patterns (wind speed, direction, humidity) and topographic exposure to key wind directions. Abstract Current predictions of how species will respond to climate change are based on coarse-grained climate surfaces or idealised scenarios of uniform warming. These predictions may erroneously estimate the risk of extinction because they neglect to consider spatially heterogenous warming at the landscape scale or identify refugia where species can persist despite unfavourable regional climate. To address this issue, we investigated the heterogeneity in warming that has occurred in a 10 km by 10 km area from 1972 to 2007. We developed estimates by combining long-term daily observations from a limited number of weather stations with a more spatially comprehensive dataset (40 sites) obtained during 2005-2006. We found that the spatial distribution of warming was greater inland, at lower elevations, away from streams, and at sites exposed to the NW. These differences corresponded with changes in weather patterns, such as an increasing frequency of hot, dry NW winds. As plant species were biased in the topographic and geographic locations they occupied, these differences meant that some species experienced more warming than others, and are at greater risk from climate change. This species bias could not be detected at coarser scales. The uneven seasonal nature of warming (e.g. more warming in winter, minimums increased more than maximums) means that climate change predictions will vary according to which predictors are selected in Species Distribution Models. Models based on a limited set of predictors will produce erroneous predictions when the correct limiting factor is not selected, and this is difficult to avoid when temperature predictors are correlated because they are produced using elevation sensitive interpolations. The results reinforce the importance of downscaling coarse-grained (~50 km) temperature surfaces, and suggest that the accuracy of this process could be improved by considering regional weather patterns (wind speed, direction, humidity) and topographic exposure to key wind directions.


Several aspects of wildland fire are moderated by site- and landscape-level vegetation changes caused by previous fire, thereby creating a dynamic where one fire exerts a regulatory control on subsequent fire. For example, wildland fire has been shown to regulate the size and severity of subsequent fire. However, wildland fire has the potential to influence other properties of subsequent fire. One of those properties – the extent to which a previous wildland fire inhibits new fires from igniting and spreading within its perimeter – is the focus of our study. In four large wilderness study areas in the western United States (US), we evaluated whether or not wildland fire regulated the ignition and spread (hereafter occurrence) of subsequent fire. Results clearly indicate that wildland fire indeed regulates subsequent occurrence of fires ≥ 20 ha in all study areas. We also evaluated the longevity of the regulating effect and found that wildland fire limits subsequent fire occurrence for nine years in the warm/dry study area in the south-western US and over 20 years in the cooler/wetter study areas in the northern Rocky Mountains. Our findings expand upon our understanding of the regulating capacity of wildland fire and the importance of wildland fire in creating and maintaining resilience to future fire events.


image watermarking, information hiding, side information In this report we investigate information hiding systems with non-malicious attack channels in which the decoder does not have access to the original source data. Recent works show that such information hiding systems can be viewed as communication systems with side information at the encoder. Based on this observation, we propose a novel watermarking scheme, named scaled bin encoding, which is based on capacity achieving random encoding scheme for an additive Gaussian channel with side information. This scheme out-performs previous watermarking techniques when applied to synthetic and imagery data. Furthermore, a theoretical and computational framework for the implementation of a family of information hiding schemes is proposed. This family, named binary modulation schemes, provides a computable expression for the theoretical information embedding rate, as well as fast encoding and decoding procedures. The decoding procedure is based on the maximum likelihood principle that improves upon the standard correlation based decoding techniques. We describe experimental results of implementing various binary modulation schemes for the additive Gaussian information hiding system and for DCT domain image watermarking .


The detection and recognition of objects in images is a key research topic in the computer vision community. Within this area, face recognition and interpretation has attracted increasing attention owing to the possibility of unveiling human perception mechanisms, and for the development of practical biometric systems. This book and the accompanying website, focus on template matching, a subset of object recognition techniques of wide applicability, which has proved to be particularly effective for face recognition applications. Using examples from face processing tasks throughout the book to illustrate more general object recognition approaches, Roberto Brunelli: examines the basics of digital image formation, highlighting points critical to the task of template matching; presents basic and advanced template matching techniques, targeting grey-level images, shapes and point sets; discusses recent pattern classification paradigms from a template matching perspective; illustrates the development of a real face recognition system; explores the use of advanced computer graphics techniques in the development of computer vision algorithms. Template Matching Techniques in Computer Vision is primarily aimed at practitioners working on the development of systems for effective object recognition such as biometrics, robot navigation, multimedia retrieval and landmark detection. It is also of interest to graduate students undertaking studies in these areas.


Observations and model experiments are used to investigate the influence of El Niño/the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on air‐sea interaction in the north Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. In one experiment, observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical Pacific are specified as boundary conditions in an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), while SSTs over the remainder of the global oceans are simulated by a mixed layer model. The observed warming in the tropical North Atlantic and cooling in the Gulf of Mexico in the winter/spring after ENSO peaks is well simulated by the model. Prior to the basin wide warming, latent heat fluxes generate negative SST anomalies in the Caribbean during August–October. Ocean‐atmosphere coupling outside of the tropical Pacific significantly enhances the warm season atmospheric response to ENSO in the Caribbean region.


Education is all about opportunity, the opportunity to make something of your life, and in many cases to have choices that preceding generations did not have. Nowhere is this more true than in South Asia, where a large population, significant levels of poverty, and a variable government track record in delivering services make education all the more important. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] So why is it that, given these conditions, many parents choose to send their children to madrasahs, Islamic schools, where some suggest the quality of education is narrower, employability weaker, and later opportunities in life more restricted? In what ways can the choice to send one's children to a madrasah be a rational one? Parents that select their children's education are more likely to closely involve themselves in its delivery. Whether rational or not, those who choose madrasahs may be expressing their confidence in a madrasah education, rather than announcing a choice determined by necessity. Only by understanding more about the madrasah system and its alternatives--secular, government, and private--can we arrive at firm conclusions for effective public policymaking. In order to reach these conclusions, evidence is key. Unfortunately, the evidence base remains alarmingly weak, despite the strength of convictions that madrasah politics tend to generate. Additionally, much of the debate depends on what type of Islamic school we are talking about. It is tempting to assume that all madrasahs are broadly similar: religious schools that prioritize a range of Islamic subjects while failing to offer broad-based curricula that include modern subjects, whether science, the social sciences, or contemporary languages. But the sheer range of madrasahs in South Asia suggests otherwise. To begin with, there are major differences between the majority of madrasahs, which are rural, primary institutions, and the majority, which are urban, often endowed with some financial resources and cover the range from primary to tertiary education. The former institutions are largely about necessity. Educational choice in parts of rural South Asia can be extremely limited. In Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, government schools often lack the national footprint that their governments seek. Given the pressures of population, competing demands on public sector finances, and the limited ability of states to ensure the effective delivery of public services in rural areas, government schools often fail to meet the mark. It is not uncommon to hear about schools that simply exist in name: a school building, budget, and salaries for teachers that translate into a building being used for other activities and incomes for teachers who do not teach. The first Pakistani National Education Census in 2006 found 12,737 of these so-called "ghost schools" out of a total of 164,579 across the country, for example. As a result, the choice for many rural parents is between no government school at all or a madrasah that usually offers free (or nearly free) education. Regardless, one often encounters regions in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan where villagers choose to send a child to a madrasah over a local government school. For conservative parents, a religious education for one child, or more, is appealing--particularly given the subsequent opportunities those parents think their children are likely to get to make a living, whether as mullahs or as madrasah teachers. (This happens although jobs within the madrasah system are limited, perhaps explaining the growing number of primary schools set up by former madrasah students.) Consequently, a number of parents send their children to madrasahs out of choices. Nowhere is this more visible than in the cities of South Asia. From Dhaka to Peshawar, middle-class parents choose to send children--or more often, one child, as Masooda Bano has found in her research--to madrasahs because they offer a respectable, religious education. …


Contemporary democracies are frequently criticized for failing to respond adequately to environmental problems and our political institutions are often charged with misrepresenting environmental values in decision-making processes. In this innovative volume, Graham Smith argues that the enhancement and institutionalisation of democratic deliberation will improve reflection on the wide range of environmental values that citizens hold.
Drawing on theories of deliberative democracy, Smith argues that institutions need to be restructured in order to promote democratic dialogue and reflection on the plurality of environmental values.
Deliberative Democracy and the Environment makes an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between democratic and green political theory. Drawing on evidence from Europe and the United States, it systematically engages with questions of institutional design. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in both environmental and democratic politics.


This research studies the effect of barrages on upstream river water quality and on its self-assimilative. Also, the impact of barrages on upstream water temperature profile is studied. The amount of entrained air in water at river downstream side as a result of barrage existence is also studied. Constructing barrages in river reaches will alter its hydraulics and thus its water quality and thermal regime. A mathematical model is developed to simulate river hydraulics, water quality parameters and temperature. A case study of a Nile River reach in Egypt was studied, to investigate the impact of the existence of Esna barrage on water quality and temperature at its upstream side. Barrages were found to have negative impacts on upstream self-assimilative capacity of rivers. On the other hand, they have positive impacts on DO concentrations and air entrained at the downstream side. Finally, barrages cause a slight decrease in water temperature.


Traffic grooming is the name given to a family of optical network design problems that has attracted significant attention from both academia and industry in the last decade or so. The huge bandwidth of fiber optical networking is much larger than the typical bandwidth demands experienced by network service providers. This mismatch creates a need for multiplexing the low rate traffic demands into optical wavelength channels, but this requires costly electronic switching equipment, potentially offsetting the benefit of cheap optical transport. Traffic grooming refers to network design and resource allocation algorithms that can enable cost-efficient use of both network bandwidth and electronic switching. Due to the increasing bandwidth of optical communication on the one hand, and the growing variety of traffic demand magnitudes on the other, traffic grooming has grown from a narrow research area to a mainstream requirement for real world practitioners. This book presents the practical motivation, theoretical description, and extant techniques for traffic grooming in optical networks. The description of the various topics of research will be authored by leading researchers in this area, and will contain comprehensive description of related literature for each area. This book is intended to be a definitive reference and text for traffic grooming both for the practitioner in industry and the student in academia.


Boreal forest management in Eastern Canada has caused depletion and fragmentation of oldgrowth ecosystems, with growing impacts on the associated biodiversity. To mitigate impacts of management while maintaining timber supplies, ecosystem management aims to narrow the gap between natural and managed landscapes. Our study describes the fire history and associated natural old-growth forest proportions and distribution of a 5000 km2 area located in the black spruce-feather moss forest of central Quebec. We reconstructed a stand-origin map using archival data, aerial photos and dendrochronology. According to survival analysis (Cox hazard model), the mean fire cycle length was 247 years for the 1734–2009 period. Age-class distribution modelling showed that old-growth forests were present on an average of 55% of the landscape over the last 275 years. The mean fire size was 10 113 ha, while most of the burned area was attributable to fires larger than 10 000 ha, leading to old-growth agglomerations of hundreds of square kilometres. In regards to our findings, we propose ecosystem management targets and strategies to preserve forest diversity and resilience.


Chromosomal polytypy, morphological conservatism and absence of data have frustrated the taxonomic revision of two species of southern African-endemic laminate-toothed rats (Otomys irroratus and Otomys saundersiae s.l.). New cytogenetic (G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization), DNA sequence [cytochrome b (cyt b) gene] and geometric morphometric data demonstrate the synonymy of O. saundersiae from Grahamstown (Eastern Cape, South Africa) under O. irroratus, and the validity of Otomys karoensis from the Fynbos Biome of the Western Cape. Phenotypic dimorphism in pelage colour and cranial morphology in O. irroratus from the climatically unpredictable Albany Thicket (=Savanna) Biome of the Eastern Cape results from the retention of allometric paedomorphic traits in some adults (saundersiae morph) but not others. The same paedomorphic traits are associated with speciation and karyotypic and genetic differentiation in O. karoensis. Within O. irroratus, two phenotypically and genotypically (cyt b divergence=6.4%) divergent lineages correspond with the Fynbos/Albany Thicket and Grassland biomes. Incipient speciation in O. irroratus seems to be associated with ecology rather than karyotype.


The rapidly increasing population of older persons worldwide, and the fact that the majority of them want to continue living in their own homes, mean there is a growing focus on home based care. Because of this, it is necessary to increase the number of studies, including rural areas, as earlier studies are sparse. Rural areas cannot be seen as a homogeneous phenomenon, meaning more research is needed to increase knowledge about cultural differences in rural areas. The aim of this study was therefore to describe registered nurses' experiences of providing home nursing care to oldest old persons living alone in rural areas. A sample of 15 registered nurses in rural South Sami areas was chosen for this study, 13 women and 2 men. Narrative interviews were conducted, and qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the data. The analysis revealed four themes and eight subthemes in addition to a core-theme. The latent meaning of the themes "Feeling responsible", "Trying to accommodate", "Being challenged" and "Feeling significant" formed the core-theme: contradictions between nurses' ideals of being professional and the reality faced in rural home nursing care with close social relationships. The findings in this study showed that the experiences of providing home nursing care in rural areas to oldest old persons were multifaceted and altering, as well as emotionally and socially contradictory.


This Paper deals with the design and simulation of a simple but efficient photovoltaic water pumping system. It provides theoretical studies of photovoltaic and modeling techniques using equivalent electric circuits. The system employs the maximum power point tracker (MPPT). The investigation includes discussion of various MPPT algorithms and control methods. PSpice simulations verify the DC-DC converter design. MATLAB simulations perform comparative tests of two popular MPPT algorithms using actual irradiance data. The thesis decides on the output sensing direct control method because it requires fewer sensors. This allows a lower cost system. Each subsystem is modeled in order to simulate the whole system in MATLAB. It employs SIMULINK to model a DC pump motor, and the model is transferred into MATLAB. Then, MATLAB simulations verify the system and functionality of MPPT. Simulations also make comparisons with the system without MPPT in terms of total energy produced and total volume of water pumped per day. The results validate that MPPT can significantly increase the efficiency and the performance of PV water pumping system compared to the system without MPPT.


Under the amateur/education model, the amount that colleges and universities can provide to their student/athletes is limited to the athlete's cost of attending their institution. While this model makes sense for most college sports, NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and Division I men's basketball tend to generate almost all the revenue to fund their institution's entire athletic programs, as well as the revenues received by the NCAA. Added to this is the realization that a majority of the elite athletes in these two revenue-generating sports are black. Thus, as revenues generated by these sports has escalated, a contentious debate has raged for over 30 years about the potential racial exploitation of the application of the amateur/education model to these two sports. Both sides of this debate tend to see the issue of racial exploitation in terms of dividing the revenues between the athletes or the NCAA and its member institutions. Either the institutions receive more of the funds to use as they see fit or more of the revenues are provided to the athletes—probably at the expense of the amateur/education model. This article attempts to reformulate this debate about racial exploitation by focusing on the interest of the entire Black community, not just the interest of the elite black male athletes. By taking the Black community's perspective, a different view of the issue of racial exploitation and, more importantly, potential solutions to the dilemma emerge. In order to counteract the charge that the amateur/education model is potentially racially exploitive, the NCAA and its member institutions could also institute and fund massive programs that would increase the college attendance and graduation rates for the entire Black community. Admittedly, these programs would have to be tailored in such a way as not to run afoul of the current interpretations of anti-discrimination laws, but that is possible.


The hardware and software advances of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) have favored the development of GPGPU (General-Purpose Computation on GPUs) and its adoption in many scientific, engineering, and industrial areas. Thus, GPUs are increasingly being introduced in high-performance computing systems as well as in datacenters. On the other hand, virtualization technologies are also receiving rising interest in these domains, because of their many benefits on acquisition and maintenance savings. There are currently several works on GPU virtualization. However, there is no standard solution allowing access to GPGPU capabilities from virtual machine environments like, e.g., VMware, Xen, VirtualBox, or KVM. Such lack of a standard solution is delaying the integration of GPGPU into these domains. In this paper, we propose a first step towards a general and open source approach for using GPGPU features within VMs. In particular, we describe the use of rCUDA, a GPGPU (General-Purpose Computation on GPUs) virtualization framework, to permit the execution of GPU-accelerated applications within virtual machines (VMs), thus enabling GPGPU capabilities on any virtualized environment. Our experiments with rCUDA in the context of KVM and VirtualBox on a system equipped with two NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 cards illustrate the overhead introduced by the rCUDA middleware and prove the feasibility and scalability of this general virtualizing solution. Experimental results show that the overhead is proportional to the dataset size, while the scalability is similar to that of the native environment.


A computationally efficient radiative transfer model (RTM) is developed for the inference of ice cloud optical thickness and effective particle size from satellite-based infrared (IR) measurements and is aimed at potentialuse in operationalcloud-property retrievalsfrommultispectralsatelliteimagery.TheRTMemploys precomputed lookup tables to simulate the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) radiances (or brightness temperatures) at 8.5-, 11-, and 12-mm bands. For the clear-sky atmosphere, the optical thickness of each atmospheric layer resulting from gaseous absorption is derived from the correlated-k-distribution method. The cloud reflectance, transmittance, emissivity, and effective temperature are precomputed using the Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer model (DISORT). For an atmosphere containing a semitransparent ice cloud layer withavisibleopticalthickness t smallerthan5,theTOAbrightness temperaturedifferences(BTDs)between the fast model and the more rigorous DISORT results are less than 0.1 K, whereas the BTDs are less than 0.01 K if t is larger than 10. With the proposed RTM, the cloud optical and microphysical properties are retrieved from collocated observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) in conjunction with the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) data. Comparisons between the retrieved icecloudproperties(opticalthicknessandeffectiveparticlesize)basedonthepresentIRfastmodelandthose from the Aqua/MODIS operational collection-5 cloud products indicate that the IR retrievals are smaller. A comparison between the IR-retrieved ice water path (IWP) and CALIOP-retrieved IWP shows robust agreement over most of the IWP range.


As words and stories are increasingly disseminated through digital means, the significance of the book as object--whether pristine collectible or battered relic--is growing as well. Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books spotlights the personal libraries of thirteen favorite novelists who share their collections with readers. Stunning photographs provide full views of the libraries and close-ups of individual volumes: first editions, worn textbooks, pristine hardcovers, and childhood companions. In her introduction, Leah Price muses on the history and future of the bookshelf, asking what books can tell us about their owners and what readers can tell us about their collections. Supplementing the photographs are Price's interviews with each author, which probe the relation of writing to reading, collecting, and arranging books. Each writer provides a list of top ten favorite titles, offering unique personal histories along with suggestions for every bibliophile. Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books features the personal libraries of Alison Bechdel, Stephen Carter, Junot Diaz, Rebecca Goldstein and Steven Pinker, Lev Grossman and Sophie Gee, Jonathan Lethem, Claire Messud and James Wood, Philip Pullman, Gary Shteyngart, and Edmund White.


This note discusses the role that import duties have in Pakistan's economy, and their links with export competitiveness. Import duties play two key roles. First, they are a source of tax revenues for governments. Second, when imposed on a product, they create a wedge between its world price, and the price paid domestically (as well as a wedge between its domestic price, and the price of its substitute in the domestic economy). These wedges affect the allocation of resources. They divert resources away from export markets - in which firms will only fetch world prices for the product - and into the domestic market, effectively creating an anti-export bias. Thus, an import duty is implicitly an export duty. When these duties are applied on inputs that different sectors use to produce, the duty induces firms to substitute away from that - now more expensive - input, and into other substitutes, thus affecting the otherwise optimal technological choice of firms, as well as increasing their production costs. This note is organized as follows: the first section presents a snapshot of import duties in Pakistan. The second section empirically examines the ways import duties induce an allocation of resources that is different from the one that will be obtained without the duty distortion. The third section looks at the role of tariff policy in the context of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The fourth section briefly describes the recent changes in the tariff policy institutional arrangement. The fifth section concludes and provides policy recommendations moving forward.


From only positive (P) and unlabeled (U) data, a binary classifier could be trained with PU learning, in which the state of the art is unbiased PU learning. However, if its model is very flexible, empirical risks on training data will go negative, and we will suffer from serious overfitting. In this paper, we propose a non-negative risk estimator for PU learning: when getting minimized, it is more robust against overfitting, and thus we are able to use very flexible models (such as deep neural networks) given limited P data. Moreover, we analyze the bias, consistency, and mean-squared-error reduction of the proposed risk estimator, and bound the estimation error of the resulting empirical risk minimizer. Experiments demonstrate that our risk estimator fixes the overfitting problem of its unbiased counterparts.


Background Evaluating the long term benefit of therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging. Although randomised controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate therapeutic benefits on short term outcomes, the relationship between these outcomes and late disability is not established. Methods In a patient cohort from the pivotal interferon β-1b trial, the value of clinical and MRI measures were analysed, both at baseline and during the RCT, for predicting long term physical and cognitive outcome. Results Baseline disability correlated with both physical (R2=0.22; p<0.0001) and cognitive (R2=0.12; p<0.0001) outcome after 16 years. Accrual of disability during the RCT (R2=0.12; p<0.0001) and annualised relapse rates during the trial correlated with physical outcome (R2=0.12; p<0.0001) but not with cognition. In contrast, baseline MRI measures of atrophy and lesion burden correlated with cognitive (R2=0.21; p<0.0001), but not with physical, outcome. Accumulation of plaque burden measured by MRI did not correlate with late physical disability or with cognitive outcome. Multivariate regression analysis using stepwise elimination demonstrated that baseline variables contributed independently to predicting long term outcomes while trial outcome variables contributed little. Overall, and considerably dependent on baseline measures, the models developed by this method accounted for approximately half of the variance in long term cognitive and disability outcome. Conclusions Although on-trial change in some short term clinical measures correlated with long term physical and disability outcomes, the proportion of the variance explained by single commonly employed on-study variables was often small or undetectable. Better correlations were observed for several baseline measures, suggesting that long term outcome in MS may be largely determined early in the disease course. Trial registration number http://Clinical Trials.gov, study registration NCT00206635.


Most real-time scheduling algorithms prioritize tasks solely based on their timing parameters and cannot effectively handle them when they have different execution preferences. In this paper, for a set of periodic tasks, where some tasks are preferably executed as soon as possible (ASAP) and others as late as possible (ALAP), we investigate preference-oriented fixed-priority scheduling algorithms. Specifically, following the idea in dual-priority scheduling, we derive promotion times for ALAP tasks (only). Then, we devise a dual-queue based fixed-priority scheduling algorithm that retains ALAP tasks in the waiting queue until their promotion times to delay their executions while putting ASAP tasks into the ready queue immediately once they arrive for early execution. We also investigate online techniques to further expedite (delay) the executions of ASAP (ALAP) tasks, respectively. Our evaluation results show that the dual-queue technique with ALAP tasks' promotion times can effectively address the execution preferences of both ASAP and ALAP tasks, which can be further improved at runtime with wrapper-task based slack management. Our technique is shown to yield clear advantages over a simple technique that periodically inserts idle intervals to the schedule before ALAP tasks are executed.


In natural languages the default specification of arguments of verbs is often omitted in the surface form. The value of these arguments can be filled by lexical knowledge or commonsense knowledge of human readers, but it is a difficult task for computer programs. Here, we address the need for commonsense knowledge in computational lexicons, and discuss the requisite lexical knowledge of computational lexicons in the language-to-vision application CONFUCIUS. The underspecification problem in natural language visualisation is examined. We compare existing computational lexicons such as Word-Net, FrameNet, LCS database, and VerbNet, and show how lexical knowledge in a generative lexicon can be used for disambiguation and commonsense inferencing to fill unspecified argument structures for the task of language visualisation. The possibility of lexical inference with WordNet is explored in order to extract default and shadow arguments of verbs, and in particular, the default argument of implicit instruments/themes of action verbs, which can be used to improve CONFUCIUS' automated language-to-vision conversion through semantic understanding of the text, and to make animation generation more robust by employing the commonsense knowledge included in (or inferred from) lexical entries.


Using data from surveys of enterprises in Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami, the authors undertake the first microeconomic study of the recovery of the private firms in a developing country following a major natural disaster. Disaster recovery in low-income countries is characterized by the prevalence of relief aid rather than of insurance payments; the data show this distinction has important consequences. The data indicate that aid provided directly to households correlates reasonably well with reported losses of household assets, but is uncorrelated with reported losses of business assets. Business recovery is found to be slower than commonly assumed, with disaster-affected enterprises lagging behind unaffected comparable firms more than three years after the disaster. Using data from random cash grants provided by the project, the paper shows that direct aid is more important in the recovery of enterprises operating in the retail sector than for those operating in the manufacturing and service sectors.


OBJECTIVE
Manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder (BD) show opposite psychomotor symptoms. Neuronally, these may depend on altered relationships between sensorimotor network (SMN) and subcortical structures. The study aimed to investigate the functional relationships of SMN with substantia nigra (SN) and raphe nuclei (RN) via subcortical-cortical loops, and their alteration in bipolar mania and depression, as characterized by psychomotor excitation and inhibition.

METHOD
In this resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study on healthy (n = 67) and BD patients (n = 100), (1) functional connectivity (FC) between thalamus and SMN was calculated and correlated with FC from SN or RN to basal ganglia (BG)/thalamus in healthy; (2) using an a-priori-driven approach, thalamus-SMN FC, SN-BG/thalamus FC, and RN-BG/thalamus FC were compared between healthy and BD, focusing on manic (n = 34) and inhibited depressed (n = 21) patients.

RESULTS
(1) In healthy, the thalamus-SMN FC showed a quadratic correlation with SN-BG/thalamus FC and a linear negative correlation with RN-BG/thalamus FC. Accordingly, the SN-related FC appears to enable the thalamus-SMN coupling, while the RN-related FC affects it favoring anti-correlation. (2) In BD, mania showed an increase in thalamus-SMN FC toward positive values (ie, thalamus-SMN abnormal coupling) paralleled by reduction of RN-BG/thalamus FC. By contrast, inhibited depression showed a decrease in thalamus-SMN FC toward around-zero values (ie, thalamus-SMN disconnection) paralleled by reduction of SN-BG/thalamus FC (and RN-BG/thalamus FC). The results were replicated in independent HC and BD datasets.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest an abnormal relationship of SMN with neurotransmitters-related areas via subcortical-cortical loops in mania and inhibited depression, finally resulting in psychomotor alterations.


Abstract : This primer identifies practices that are most effective and efficient for projects acquiring products and services. Focusing on project-level improvement, the primer selects a subset of practices from the CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ) model. These practices include monitoring and controlling suppliers and contractors as well as ensuring repeatedly effective execution of product and service development and service delivery. After using this primer, readers will be able to expand their use of the best practices on their acquisition projects, and their organizations will be positioned to explore the use of the CMMI-ACQ model.


Study of hydro-climatology at a range of temporal scales is important in understanding and ultimately mitigating the potential severe impacts of hydrological extreme events such as floods and droughts. Using daily in-situ data over the last two decades combined with the recently available multiple-years satellite remote sensing data, we analyzed and simulated, with a distributed hydrologic model, the hydro-climatology in Nzoia, one of the major contributing sub-basins of Lake Victoria in the East African highlands. The basin, with a semi arid climate, has no sustained base flow contribution to Lake Victoria. The short spell of high discharge showed that rain is the prime cause of floods in the basin. There is only a marginal increase in annual mean discharge over the last 21 years. The 2-, 5-and 10-year peak discharges, for the entire study period showed that more years since the mid 1990's have had high peak discharges despite having relatively less annual rain. The study also presents the hydrologic model calibration and validation results over the Nzoia basin. The spatiotemporal variability of the water cycle components were quantified using a hydro-logic model, with in-situ and multi-satellite remote sensing datasets. The model is calibrated using daily observed discharge data for the period between 1985 and 1999, for which model performance is estimated with a Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSCE) of 0.87 and 0.23% bias. The model validation showed an error metrics with NSCE of 0.65 and 1.04% bias. Moreover, the hydrologic capability of satellite precipitation (TRMM-3B42 V6) is evaluated. In terms of reconstruction of the water cycle components the spatial distribution and time series of modeling results for precipitation and runoff showed considerable agreement with the monthly model runoff estimates and gauge observations. Runoff values responded to precipitation events that occurred across the catchment during the wet season from March to early June. The spatially distributed model inputs, states, and outputs, were found to be useful for understanding the hydrologic behavior at the catchment scale. The monthly peak runoff is observed in the months of April, May and November. The analysis revealed a linear relationship between rainfall and runoff for both wet and dry seasons. Satellite precipitation forcing data showed the potential to be used not only for the investigation of water balance but also for addressing issues pertaining to sustainability of the resources at the catchment scale.


Abstract Context: Rib raising is an osteopathic manipulative treatment technique used to address restricted excursion of the rib cage and modulate sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. However, the physiologic effects of this technique have not been well documented. Objective: To investigate the effects of rib raising on the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis using noninvasive biomarkers. Methods: Changes in salivary biomarkers after rib raising were investigated using a pretest-posttest, placebo-controlled design. Healthy adult participants were recruited and randomly assigned to rib raising or placebo (light touch) groups. All participants provided baseline saliva samples and samples immediately and 10 minutes after receiving the rib raising or placebo procedure. Salivary flow rate, α-amylase activity, and cortisol levels were measured for each sample. Results: Twenty-three participants were recruited, of whom 14 completed the study (7 in each group). Subjects who received rib raising had a statistically significant decrease in α-amylase activity both immediately after (P=.014) and 10 minutes after (P=.008) the procedure. A statistically significant change in α-amylase activity was not seen in the placebo group at either time point. Changes in salivary cortisol levels and flow rate were not statistically significant in either group. Conclusions: The results of the present pilot study suggest that SNS activity may decrease immediately after rib raising, but the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and parasympathetic activity are not altered by this technique. Salivary α-amylase may be a useful biomarker for investigating manipulative treatments targeting the SNS. Additional studies with a greater number of subjects are needed to expand on these results.


Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virusinfected women account for almost half the number of cases of HIV worldwide. Despite reduction in HIV prevalence among the population, the percentage of Indian women contracting the disease seems to have increased. The social implications are also different in females. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted from September 2009 to July 2011 at tertiary care hospitals attached to the Kasturba Medical College Mangalore, on a group of 200 HIV-positive patients. Patients above 18 years of age diagnosed with HIV as per National AIDS Control Organisation guidelines were included in the study. Clinical profile among women and men was compared with respect to clinical presentation, disease detection, CD4 count and response of family and society. Results: Clinical presentation was similar among both men and women. Eighty-one percent men had promiscual sexual exposure, 19% of women had so. Males were identified to be HIV-positive earlier than their spouse (tested later), time lag being 27.6 weeks. After detection of positivity 77% of females felt being less cared for by the in-laws. CD4 count less than 50 was detected in more number of females as compared to men (11% females and 1% males). Death of spouse was seen more often in females (among 35% of women and 11% of men). Conclusion: Most of the females were likely to acquire infection from their spouse. Females tend to seek and get medical attention at the late stage of disease as compared to men. HIV in females has different social implications which includes discrimination within the family.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to compare iodine utilization from different sources by sows and their progeny and the levels of T3 and T4 in their serum.

DESIGN
Pregnant Czech Large White × Landrace sows were fed with an experimental KPK diet (a diet for lactating sows) 14 days before parturition until weaning (at a piglet age of 28 days). In group A (n=50, 10 sows, 40 piglets) the feed was supplemented with KI (0.6 mg of iodine per kg of feed). Iodine enriched alga Chlorella spp. (0.6 mg of iodine per kg of feed) was used as a supplement in group B (n=50, 10 sows, 40 piglets). In group C (n=50, 10 sows, 40 piglets) the sows were injected i.m. with IFAE at a dose of 100 mg of iodine per sow. Iodine, T3 and T4 were measured in each group for comparison of iodine utilization.

RESULTS
The use of IFAE resulted in higher serum concentrations in sows compared to KI and alga. In contrast, iodine concentrations in milk and piglets were lower when IFAE were used. We found a wide variation in the concentrations of T3 and T4 in the serum of piglets in all groups.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate a good utilization of iodized oil by sows. However, its transfer into milk is lower compared to the other iodine sources.


Author(s): Krasne, Darcy Anne | Advisor(s): Oliensis, Ellen | Abstract: This dissertation explores the ways Latin poetry reworks the mythological tradition of which it itself is a part. I approach this broad topic primarily from the angle of mythological variation—that is, the competing and sometimes contradictory versions of individual myths which are an inherent component of the Greek and Roman mythological system. In Greece, myths and their variants played an important role in interfacing religion with politics. Through three "case studies" on the works of Ovid and Valerius Flaccus, I demonstrate different ways in which Roman poets, too, could utilize the pluralities of the tradition for their own poetic and political ends. Combining close reading with both focused and synoptic views of mythology, my methods present an approach to mythological poetry that comes squarely to terms with mythic variation as a significant textual strategy. The result is a version of intertextuality where the "text" at issue is, in effect, the complete body of myth. I show in particular how Ovid and Valerius Flaccus use the pluralities of the mythic tradition to offer the reader intertextual associations and resonances.Chapter 1 examines the Athenian hero Theseus in the poetry of Ovid. I argue that by sometimes referring to the hero as son of Aegeus and sometimes as son of Neptune, Ovid illuminates particular aspects of Theseus's character depending on which father is brought to the fore, and that Theseus is associated more strongly with Neptune in the Heroides and with Aegeus in the Metamorphoses. I also look at how missing pieces of Theseus's story are narrated through the seemingly unrelated tales that abut and interrupt the so-called "Theseid" in the central books of the Metamorphoses. Finally, I consider how Ovid's belated connection of Theseus and Augustus in Met. 15 requires us to reexamine Augustus in the light of Theseus's portrayal. As the princeps, like Theseus, claimed two fathers—his adoptive father, the deified Julius Caesar, and his mortal father, Gaius Octavius—we may possibly understand Ovid's focus on Theseus's paternity as a commentary on imperial propaganda regarding issues of inheritance, succession, and the right to rule.Chapter 2 investigates the extended catalogue of curses in Ovid's Ibis in relation to both the mythographic tradition and Ovid's own poetic corpus. By elucidating parallels between the organizational structure of the catalogue and mythographic catalogues such as Hyginus's Fabulae, I demonstrate how the Ibis plays with presenting itself in the manner of these mythographic texts while exploiting the polyvalency of the mythic tradition's inherent mutability and syncretism. I also discuss how major themes of the poem, such as a prevalent emphasis on names and their suppression, and an identification of the poetic corpus with the poet's own body, echo the thematic concerns of Ovid's other exile poetry. Finally, I argue for identifying Ovid's pseudonymous enemy "Ibis" with the Muses, whose "love/hate" relationship with Ovid is clearly expressed in the exile poetry.Chapter 3 turns to Valerius Flaccus's Argonautica, which picks up on many of the same themes of name, identity, and mythic variation that I explore in the first two chapters. Conscious of his epic's belated position in an extensive Argonautic tradition, Valerius is highly skilled at incorporating myriad versions of a single narrative incident through devices such as misleading foreshadowing and intertextual allusion. He also plays with mythic homonyms, blending together figures who share names so that they no longer fit into discrete existences. These reworkings of the tradition reflect an overarching concern with duality, manifest in paired characters, repeated episodes, and the poem's emphatic bipartite structure: the first half presents positive models of fraternal interaction, while the second half is fraught with fratricide and civil war. I argue that the clear thematic parallels which Valerius draws between the Argonauts and the Flavian gens suggest reading the epic politically. In particular, I propose that the epic may reflect two possible futures for Rome, harmony or civil strife. The imperial heirs, Titus and Domitian, find an echo in the twin Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, who were the traditional mythical exemplum of fraternal piety for joint imperial heirs. Valerius's split emphasis on positive and negative pairings confronts this problematic future and ultimately reads as a cautionary tale; the entire epic is crafted to promote its double vision.


Transformation vector construction is one of the important disciplines for plant genetic transformation studies. A series of vector consisting of hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) gene as the selective marker and green fluorescent protein (GFP) as the visual reporter gene, under the control of double cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (2XCaMV35S) promoter has been engineered for transformation into oil palm cells. These genes were cloned into different types of cloning and expression vectors. The cloning was carried out by using restriction enzyme digestion and ligation method. Five intermediate vectors have been created for insertion of 2XCaMV35S-HPT-35ST and 2XCaMV35S-GFP-35ST into modified pBINPLUS backbone vector for particle bombardment and Agrobacterium-based transformation protocols. All vectors were sequenced to confirm the integrity of DNA region. The vectors were later transformed into oil palm embryogenic calli using biolistic device. The viability of the vectors was initially evaluated by transient GFP fluorescence expression observed under fluorescence microscope. It was demonstrated that the 2XCaMV35S promoter was able to drive the expression of gfp as gene in oil palm calli.


Harmonic drives are widely used devices in robotic and space applications. As for any device transmitting motion, its mechanical efficiency is one of the main concern for the designer. In this paper it is proposed a new model to estimate this significant feature. The proposed approach makes use of the kinematic correspondence between the harmonic drive and an epicyclic gear train. Although the authors introduced crude approximations to describe the complex tribological phenomena during harmonic drive teeth meshing, the numerical results match the trend of experimental. In particular, assuming the harmonic drive working at the rated torque, the plots of the mechanical efficiency versus different parameters such as temperature and angular speed have been reported.


The aqueous extract of Clitoria ternatea Linn leaves were screened for its antihyperglycemic activity in streptozotocin induced and glucose induced diabetic rats in doses of 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight.At a dose of 100 mg/kg (bw), aqueous leaf extract did not produce significant antihyperglycemic activity, however a doses of 250 mg/kg of Clitoria Ternatea leaf extracts significantly reduced the glucose levels in the blood as compared to the standard drug, chlorpropamide at the end of 2 hrs. Increase of the dose does not show any significant increase in the activity. Aqueous leaf extract of Clitoria Ternatea significantly reduced (p<0.001) the elevation of glucose in the glucose-induced diabetic rats at 1 hr. From the results, it is concluded that the acute dose of aqueous extract of Clitoria ternatea Linn leaves exhibits good antihyperglycemic activity.


The ions present in a variety of flames have been studied by continuously pumping a small fraction of the hot gases through a small hole and expanding it supersonically inside a conical duct to the low pressures required for mass spectrometric analysis. We conclude from measurements of ion abundances that if a halogen X is added to a flame containing free electrons, then the negative ion X - is produced by dissociative attachment in the forward step of HX + e-⇄X-+H. Reaction (I) is found to be rapid enough to be equilibrated in the burnt gases. This method of sampling imposes a rapid drop in temperature and pressure on the gas as it expands and typically there is a fall of roughly 1400 K and 99 kPa in the first 10-7s. An equilibrium such as (I) relaxes to some extent to these falling temperatures, but at a distance of around two orifice diameters inside the expansion no further shift of (1) is possible. A comparison of a measured [X-] with one computed on the basis of (I) being equilibrated in the flame gives a quantitative measure of the extent to which the reaction shifts during sampling. In addition, the flame sample is often also cooled as it passes through boundary layers immediately before entering the instrument. We conclude however that this effect is of little consequence, provided a large enough sampling hole (diameter > 0.15 mm) is used. In this case the measured shift of (I) can be compared with values of it predicted on the basis of guessed velocity constants for the backward process in (I) and also a one-dimensional adiabatic treatment of the expansion. This comparison provides values for the rate constants and of both steps in (I). The magnitudes of k-1 for the back reaction over the temperature range 1800—2650 K are 7 x 10-10, 8 x 10-10 and 10 x 10-10ml molecule-1 s-1 for chlorine, bromine and iodine, respectively (with uncertainties corresponding to factors of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0) and accordingly independent of temperature. The forward dissociative attachment of electrons has k1 such that its activation energy is the exothermicity of the reaction. The cross-section (nor2) for this direction is large and the same for each halogen, being 1.5 x 10-18m2. From the reaction X+ e- + M->X- + M not apparently occurring (M being any molecule acting as a chaperon) in flames, we conclude that its rate coefficient is less than 3 x 10-29 ml2 molecule-2 s-1 for these three halogens at temperatures of around 2000 K.


One of the current challenges in wound care is the development of multifunctional dressings that can both protect the wound from external agents and promote the regeneration of the new tissue. Here, we show the combined use of two naturally derived compounds, sodium alginate and lavender essential oil, for the production of bioactive nanofibrous dressings by electrospinning, and their efficacy for the treatment of skin burns induced by midrange ultraviolet radiation (UVB). We demonstrate that the engineered dressings reduce the risk of microbial infection of the burn, since they stop the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, they are able to control and reduce the inflammatory response that is induced in human foreskin fibroblasts by lipopolysaccharides, and in rodents by UVB exposure. In particular, we report a remarkable reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines when fibroblasts or animals are treated with the alginate-based nanofibers. The down-regulation of cytokines production and the absence of erythema on the skin of the treated animals confirm that the here described dressings are promising as advanced biomedical devices for burn management.


Background— Atrial fibrillation (AF) is less prevalent in women versus men, but associated with higher risks of stroke and death in women. The role hormone therapy plays in AF is not well understood. Methods and Results— The Women's Health Initiative randomized postmenopausal women to placebo or conjugated equine estrogens (0.625 mg/d) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (2.5 mg/d) if they had a uterus (N=16 608) or to conjugated equine estrogens only if they had prior hysterectomy (N=10 739). Incident AF was identified by ECG and diagnosis codes from Medicare claims or hospitalization records. Hazard ratios for incident AF were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. After excluding participants with baseline AF, there were 611 incident AF cases over a mean of 5.6 years among 16 128 estrogen plus progestin participants, and 683 cases over a mean of 7.1 years among 10 251 conjugated equine estrogens alone participants. Incident AF was more frequent in the active groups of both trials, reaching statistical significance in the trial of conjugated equine estrogens alone in women with prior hysterectomy (hazard ratio, 1.17; CI, 1.00–1.36; P=0.045) and in the pooled analysis (hazard ratio, 1.12; CI, 1.00–1.24; P=0.05), but not in the estrogen plus progestin trial (hazard ratio, 1.07; CI, 0.91–1.25; P=0.44). These results were only minimally affected by adjustment for incident stroke, coronary heart disease, and heart failure. Conclusions— Incident AF was modestly elevated in hysterectomized women randomized to postmenopausal E-alone, and in the pooled group randomized to E-alone or estrogen plus progestin. The trend in women with intact uterus receiving estrogen plus progestin, considered separately, was not statistically significant.


In this study, deformation behavior of fine-grained austenitic stainless steel micro-cantilever beams was investigated using a newly developed testing machine for micro-sized specimens. The microbeams were deformed to different strain hardening stages of the material, and then the detailed deformation behavior on the specimen surface at the corresponding strain hardening stage was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Two deformation mechanisms corresponding to different strain hardening stages were found in the micro-sized austenitic stainless steel with fine grains. The dislocation slip mechanism characterized by the extensive dislocation slips and their interaction with grain boundaries resulted in the stage I strain hardening. With increasing deformation, the grain boundary sliding (GBS) mechanism at the stage II and subsequently intergranular cracking occurred. The differences in stress condition and work-hardening behavior on the top tension-side and rear compression-side surfaces of the micro-cantilever beam resulted in the different deformation behavior.


This paper proposes a discriminative approach to template-based keyword detection. We introduce a method to learn the distance used to compare acoustic frames, a crucial element for template matching approaches. The proposed algorithm estimates the distance from data, with the objective to produce a detector maximizing the Area Under the receiver operating Curve (AUC), i.e. the standard evaluation measure for the keyword detection problem. The experiments performed over a large corpus, SpeechDatII, suggest that our model is effective compared to an HMM system, e.g. the proposed approach reaches 93.8% of averaged AUC compared to 87.9% for the HMM.


The master thesis "The revival of Greater No 2 - a residential area in Kimberley, Southafrica" is focused on upgrading of streets and public open spaces in a part of the township Galeshewe. The project is performed as a Minor Field Study, supported by SIDA. The area, Greater No 2, is located in the city of Kimberley in the central parts of Southafrica. The city started to develop during the diamondmining rush in the late 19th century. Greater No 2 is today a dense area (7 500 inhabitants living on 52ha)which lack public open spaces and green elements. The proposal comprises an overall structure - a hierarchical street structure as well as three more detailed proposals for specific places.


Conventional adaptive optics methods use phase conjugation based on measurements of the phase aberrations at the pupil plane. The measurements are typically done using a Shack-Hartmann sensor sampling at spatial frequencies determined by the spatial frequency limitations of the deformable mirror. The work presented here shows that the nulling needed for high contrast imaging cannot be achieved using such a methodology. Linear combinations of high frequencies in the aberration at the pupil plane "fold" and appear as low frequency aberrations at the image plane. We present an optimized solution for the shape of the deformable mirror based on the Fourier decomposition of the effective phase aberration.


A new design for a direct sample insertion system is presented. It is a mechanical system that allows precise movement of the sample cup into the ICP discharge and it can be readily attached to standard commercial ICP spectrometers. Good quantitative results can be obtained for volatile elements with reasonable precision and low detection limits with the use of 10 μL of solution or 10 mg of powdered samples.


We provide a practical method to estimate the payoff functions of players in complete information, static, discrete games. With respect to the empirical literature on entry games originated by Bresnahan and Reiss (1990) and Berry (1992), the main novelty of our framework is to allow for general forms of heterogeneity across players without making equilibrium selection assumptions. We allow the effects that the entry of each individual airline has on the profits of its competitors, its "competitive effects," to differ across airlines. The identified features of the model are sets of parameters (partial identification) such that the choice probabilities predicted by the econometric model are consistent with the empirical choice probabilities estimated from the data. We apply this methodology to investigate the empirical importance of firm heterogeneity as a determinant of market structure in the U.S. airline industry. We find evidence of heterogeneity across airlines in their profit functions. The competitive effects of large airlines (American, Delta, United) are different from those of low cost carriers and Southwest. Also, the competitive effect of an airline is increasing in its airport presence, which is an important measure of observable heterogeneity in the airline industry. Then we develop a policy experiment to estimate the effect of repealing the Wright Amendment on competition in markets out of the Dallas airports. We find that repealing theWright Amendment would increase the number of markets served out of Dallas Love.


This article applies insights from critical race theory to examine an emerging phenomenon in biotechnology research and product development. The strategic use of race as a genetic category to obtain patent protection and drug approval. A dramatic rise in the use of race in biotechnology patents indicates that researchers and affiliated commercial enterprises are coming to see social categories of race as presenting opportunities for gaining, extending, or protecting monopoly market protection for an array of biotechnological products and services. Racialized patents are also providing the basis for similarly race-based clinical trial designs, drug development, capital raising and marketing strategies that carry the implication of constructing of race as genetic out to ever widening and consequential segments of society. The introduction of race in the field of patent law as an adjunct to biotechnological inventions producing a new political geography of intellectual property in which the very metes and bounds of the territory covered by patents are becoming racially marked. As patents are racialized, racial identity itself is becoming a patentable commodity whose value is being appropriated to expand market control and extend the market life of their products. Generally speaking, however, the people capitalizing on race are not necessarily those who belong to the racially identified groups, but rather those corporations that are literally investing their patents and products with race to gain commercial advantage in the research, development, and marketing of new biotechnology products. Patenting race may thus have profound implications both for the equitable distribution of benefits derived from biotechnology and for broader social understandings and mobilizations of race.


Australian composer Andrew Ford (1957-) is well known within Australia as a
Radio presenter for the ABC, and perhaps lesser known as a composer. He has a
catalogue of over 160 works including a large number of commissions which span
many different styles and orchestrations and cover a range of subjects including
dramatic, topical, fanciful and historical. His compositions range from extremely
atonal to tonal. They vary in difficulty, but remain accessible to the ear and have been
performed by some of Australia's most prominent artists. This research explores one
specific piece/ Tales of the Supernatural composed in 2002. This set of folk songs for
voice and string quartet has been performed only a small number of times, each time
with a female singer. Given Ford's propensity for clarity in intention, I have chosen to
explore the possibility and implications of the piece being performed by male voice,
and also evaluate his use of the texts that comprise the cycle and the way he sets them
to music.
The cycle is a collection of six folk tales, one of which is repeated to bring the cycle
to a close. I have concentrated on each of the tales as they are set within the cycle,
looking at their thematic content, devices and motives used and overall effect as a
subset ofthe whole cycle. In studying the characteristics of Ford's work, I also outline
my interpretation ofthis work and the outcomes for both myself as singer, and the
quartet. Through this examination and evaluation, this research raises awareness of
one of Andrew Ford's compositions and broadens the performance opportunities for
the work by its inclusion in repertoire for male medium to low voice.


LINKS BETWEEN DESICCATION RESISTANCE AND COLD-TOLERANCE IN AN OVERWINTERING INSECT: SEASONAL AND GEOGRAPHIC TRENDS by Jason B. Williams In this dissertation, I have examined possible links between physiological parameters associated with survival at low temperature and water balance of an overwintering insect. The first study provided a seasonal characterization of cold-tolerance and desiccation resistance in overwintering larvae of the goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta solidaginis. From September 20 to October 30 larvae exhibited a gradual increase in cold-tolerance that was associated with increases in cryoprotectants. In contrast, larvae exhibited a two-phase increase in desiccation resistance. The first was a dramatic sixfold reduction in rate of water loss that occurred between October 3 and October 16 as the gall tissue senesced. The second, more subtle reduction occurred between October 16 and December 11 and was associated with cryoprotectant production. The second study examined cues for the rapid, seasonal increase in desiccation resistance of E. solidaginis larvae associated with senescing of the gall tissue. Desiccation resistance increased dramatically within three days of removal from the gall, and was primarily due to reductions in respiratory water loss as larvae entered dormancy. This study illustrated that dormancy in overwintering insects that was primarily thought to be an adaptation to conserve metabolic fuels, also may be essential for water conservation. I also examined cold-tolerance and desiccation resistance in three widely separated populations of overwintering E. solidaginis larvae from Michigan, Ohio and Alabama. Larvae from the most northern population had higher concentrations of the cryoprotectant glycerol, were more cold-tolerant, and had lower rates of overall water loss after acclimation to 5 °C. In contrast, southern larvae had lower rates of metabolism and transpiratory rates of water loss after acclimation to 20 °C. Lastly, I examined possible links between extracellular solute regulation and cell volume maintenance in larvae subjected to dehydration and freezing. After dehydration, low temperature, and freezing exposures, larvae had lower relative hemolymph volumes and lower than expected hemolymph osmolalities compared to controls, suggesting that hemolymph solutes are regulated and extracellular water was removed during the treatments. There was no substantial movement of ions between fluid compartments in dehydrated or frozen larvae, but cryoprotectants may have accumulated in intracellular fluids during these stresses. LINKS BETWEEN DESICCATION RESISTANCE AND COLD-TOLERANCE IN AN OVERWINTERING INSECT: SEASONAL AND GEOGRAPHIC TRENDS


Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) appear annually off northwestern Australia in large numbers, supporting substantial recreational and charter fisheries in which almost all fish are released. The main centres for this activity are the towns of Broome, Dampier and Exmouth. Examination of historic Japanese longline catch data from northwestern Australia indicated that relatively few sailfish were caught off this area between 1979 and 1998, although little fishing effort occurred during the peak sailfish 'season'. Long term recreational fishery data, consisting of tag and release and charter boat diary data, were used to investigate locations of captures, seasonality of the sailfish aggregations and trends in body size and relative abundance of sailfish through time. No trends in annual catch rates were discernible from the mid 1990s to the present. Sailfish may be caught in most months off Broome, with the average peak period being June through September. Sailfish caught off Broome, as determined from estimated weights at tag-and-release, are slightly, but significantly smaller than those caught off Dampier while fish caught near the Rowley Shoals, and in the Exmouth Gulf, are larger than those caught off Broome and Dampier.


With the rapid development of Chinese construction industry, the intelligent building gradually entered people's life. In this paper, the intelligent building management system is designed, and its core function is to connect other subsystem or equipment to provide comprehensive access function and joint function. Intelligent building not only pursues pretty outline and stabilization, but also seeks to apply computer network, communication network and automation technology to make intelligent building safer and more comfortable. The major task of intelligent building's system integration is to establish the Intelligent Building Management System. Through the design of this system, it can achieve to integrate hardware devices and other systems conveniently, and it also can coordinate with each object which access to this system for the effective operation. Intelligent Buildings are sustainable buildings that result from the application in buildings of IT based on computer technology, and have capacities of friendliness with people and harmony with nature.


The SHELLEY RESEARCH GROUP (part of the Illinois Wesleyan Intelligence Network on Knowledge IWINK) has been in existence for several years, and has benefited immensely from various student contributors who have added such components as robotic arm control, cross platform networking, an artificially intelligent tic-tac-toe player, and an interactive teaching tool demonstrating the functionality of artificial neural networks. What is lacking, however, amidst these undergraduate contributions to the SHELLEY Project, is an effective means of integrating existing components into a single cohesive functional unit, let alone any easy means of making further contributions within a simple unified context. The focus of this research has been to design an all-encompassing structure for incorporating the different components of SHELLEY (both existing and future). Because we must operate under the assumption that we cannot predict what future contributions will be made to SHELLEY, nor how these components will be used, this integrated environment must be both flexible and expandable in such a way as to not confine future projects. The approach to artificial intelligence that the SHELLEY RESEARCH GROUP has taken relies heavily upon interaction with the surrounding environment. For this reason, many of the ex isting components are devices for receiving input from SHELLEY'S surroundings (such as vision cameras) or acting upon the surroundings (such as robotic arms). Thus, we can assume that future contributions will fall under two primary categories: additional devices (either cognitive, modules, such as neural networks, or interactive devices, such as cameras or arms), or intelli gent agents (such as tic-tac-toe players, or navigation systems) that will use these devices. The environment must then be flexible in two manners allowing for the addition of further devices, and providing a task management mechanism for accessing these devices. The solution is to use a modern operating system model where the devices that SHELLEY uses to interact with her environment correspond to computer hardware devices and their drivers, the intelligent agents are analogous to processes that run on the system and use the devices, and the administrator, which coordinates these agents and their usage of devices, can be compared to the kernel of the modern operating system.


[1] Pc3 pulsations (frequency ∼20–100 mHz) which originate in the ion foreshock upstream of the Earth's bow shock due to the interaction between reflected ions and the solar wind are frequently observed in ground-based pulsation magnetometer data. Previous studies have noted increased Pc3 wave power in the vicinity of the dayside cusp and inferred that the upstream waves gained entry via the cusp, although more recent studies have revealed a more complex picture. Here, we examine Pc3 wave power near local noon observed by search coil magnetometers at three closely-spaced stations on Svalbard, during times when an extended interval of HF radar backscatter indicative of the cusp is detected by the Hankasalmi SuperDARN radar. The location of the equatorward edge of the HF radar cusp may then be directly compared with the Pc3 wave power measured at three latitudes as the cusp migrates across the stations on a statistical basis. These observations are more consistent with wave entry to the magnetosphere along closed field lines equatorward of the cusp via the ionospheric transistor mechanism of Engebretson et al. (1991a), or weakly coupled fast and Alfven wave modes, which then map to the low-latitude boundary layer or outer magnetosphere, rather than with wave entry into the magnetosphere via the cusp proper or exterior cusp.


Contributo sottoposto a valutazione SOMMARIO: 1. Il principio di collaborazione tra autorita civili e religiose - 2. Lo sviluppo delle intese sul piano regionale - 3. Gli accordi regionali vigenti – 4. L'attuale quadro normativo: il doppio livello centro-periferia – 5. Il coinvolgimento degli organi periferici del Ministero - 6. Le ulteriori prospettive di un sistema complesso - 7. Conclusioni. The cultural goods of religious interest between national agreement and ("old" and "new") regional agreements Abstract: The Agreement of 1984 deals with the relations between Catholic Church and State regarding cultural heritage in Italy (Article 12). This law gives rise to a complex and articulated system, because essentially based on two-tier "center-periphery". This dual implementation plan deserves some insights in the light of the reforms that have involved the field of cultural heritage in general and the organization of the Ministry (MiBAC). Also be studied some recent and significant changes in the applications of such laws that appear indicative of the process of collaboration in action. Keywords: Cultural Heritage, Catholic Church, Cooperation, State-Church Relations


An immunotolerant microenvironment driven by chemokine expression contributes to tumor growth and spread. Successful tumor growth depends on the ability of the tumor to escape detection by the immune system. Human cancers that express the chemokine receptor CCR7 are associated with tumor metastasis and poor prognosis, suggesting that CCR7-dependent signaling might lead to an immunotolerant tumor microenvironment. Shields et al. (see the Perspective by Zindl and Chaplin) studied a mouse melanoma model in which the tumors expressed varying amounts of the CCR7 ligand, CCL21. Tumors expressing CCL21 exhibited more aggressive growth and attracted a class of suppressive, rather than proinflammatory, leukocytes. Furthermore, the tumor microenvironment was rich in immunosuppressive cytokines and exhibited lymph node–like features. These features were not present in tumors that expressed low amounts of CCL21. Thus, tumor CCL21 expression promotes an immunotolerant tumor microenvironment, which is permissive for tumor growth and spread. J. D. Shields, I. C. Kourtis, A. A. Tomei, J. M. Roberts, M. A. Swartz, Induction of lymphoidlike stroma and immune escape by tumors that express the chemokine CCL21. Science 328, 749–752 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text] C. L. Zindl, D. D. Chaplin, Tumor immune evasion. Science 328, 697–698 (2010). [Summary] [Full Text]


Often considered the sincerest form of flattery, imitation has practically always underlain the business sector. Firms mimic the innovations of others in all industries and at varied levels, resulting in a spectrum of copies that range from identical reproductions of the originals to copies with merely subtle resemblances. Intellectual property law generally prohibits the former via patent, copyright, and trademark protection. The retail sector has historically relied on trademark law to prevent imitations that confuse consumers as to the identity of the true manufacturer. However, imitations that do not create such confusion, primarily by copying aspects of another's offering that are unrelated to that firm's trademark (i.e., trend imitations), do not invoke infringement law as counterfeits do. Essentially, trend imitations are legal so long as they do not dilute the equity of the original brand. While a number of researchers have thoroughly examined consumer behavior associated with counterfeits, a much smaller sect has investigated the consumer response to trend imitations. Therefore, the purpose of the current marketing research was to uncover the effects of such trend imitation on both a luxury brand that imitates another (defined as the junior brand), as well as the luxury brand that is mimicked (defined as the senior brand). Specifically, the study employed a 3 x 2 between-subjects experimental design to examine the effects of appearance similarity and price on both junior and senior brand management outcomes (brand attitude, brand equity, and brand preference). The research was also aimed at exploring the relationships among these variables, as well the moderating effects of the consumer characteristics (ethics, prestige sensitivity, and fashion leadership) on said outcomes. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students, with the final sample consisting of 340 participants. Of these, approximately 53% were Caucasians and approximately 90% of participants ranged from 18-22 years old. Multivariate analysis of variance was employed to test the main effects of appearance similarity and price point and the moderating effects of the consumer characteristics, while a series of regressions were performed to test the relationships between the brand management outcomes. Results revealed that similarity of juniors to seniors in terms of appearance (low, moderate, and high) and price point (at versus below) affect junior brand management outcomes, yet not those of well-known seniors. The results also reveal that consumer ethics moderate the effect of appearance similarity and price point on both junior and senior brand management outcomes, while fashion leadership moderates that effect only with respect to the senior brand. The findings further support the existence of relationships between the brand management outcomes of brand attitude, brand equity, and brand preference for both junior and senior brands. The research reveals a deeper conceptualization of consumer response to retail imitation practices, and provides managerial insight to both junior and senior brands involved in imitation practices. Limitations and future research directions are also offered.


On 26 August 2010 the eastern part of The Netherlands and the bordering part of Germany were struck by a series of rainfall events. Over an area of 740 km2 more than 120 mm of rainfall were observed in 24 h. This extreme event resulted in local flooding of city centres, highways and agricultural fields, and considerable financial loss. We investigated the unprecedented flash flood triggered by this exceptionally heavy rainfall event in the 6.5 km2 Hupsel Brook catchment, which has been the experimental watershed employed by Wageningen University since the 1960s. This study aims to improve our understanding of the dynamics of such lowland flash floods. We present a detailed hydrometeorological analysis of this extreme event, focusing on its synoptic meteorological characteristics, its space-time rainfall dynamics as observed with rain gauges, weather radar and a microwave link, as well as the measured soil moisture, groundwater and discharge response of the catchment. We found that the response of the Hupsel Brook catchment can be divided into four phases: (1) soil moisture reservoir filling, (2) groundwater response, (3) surface depression filling and surface runoff and (4) backwater feedback. During this extreme event some thresholds became apparent that do not play a role during average conditions and are not incorporated in rainfall-runoff models. Because of the large spatial extent of the rainfall event, many brooks and rivers in the Netherlands and Germany flooded. With data from several catchments we investigated the influence of rainfall and catchment characteristics (such as slope, size and land use) on the reaction of discharge to rainfall.


Visual literacy is crucial for understanding the role of visual culture as a key factor in processes of globalization, technologization and multiculturalization, which are all part of our historicity. Certainly, the study of the visual is not limited to the study of images, but also of their effects, material practices they entail and creative potential they offer. Therefore, it is of critical importance to work out new approaches to study both epistemologies and ontologies of the visual. Visual Culture in an Interdisciplinary Classroom paradigms, theories and methodologies within the common field of feminist visual culture. By doing so, it demonstrates the importance of the analysis of the visual for feminist studies as well as the need to increase visual literacy in general. The volume provides theoretical and methodological support and examples of possible analyses for researchers and students interested in the field of feminist visual culture or, more generally, women's studies, gender studies, visual studies, art studies and science studies. It presents feminist theories and methodologies, which were influential for the field of visual culture and encourages readers to think critically about the visual. Teachingweaves together various critical


Objectives. Quality of life and psychosocial well-being usually improve after an organ transplant and remain stable for a minimum of several years. These findings, however, mainly apply to the "average" trend for transplant patients. This study aims to investigate whether transplant patients fall into different groups in good or poor psychosocial outcome after organ transplantation. Methods. One hundred thirty-one patients were assessed before and 6, 12, and 24 months after a heart, lung, liver, kidney, or bone-marrow transplant. Cluster analysis was applied to identify typical outcome profiles of the patients' mental health (SF-36); differences between the clusters were investigated with regard to further psychosocial parameters (sense of coherence, optimism, psychosocial functioning, anxiety, depression, life/health satisfaction, medication experience). Results. The analysis revealed two clusters of transplant patients. Cluster A (n=78, 59.5%) showed a fairly good psychosocial outcome, improving over the posttransplant period of 2 years. Cluster B (n=53, 40.5%) included patients who reported a limited or poor outcome, deteriorating after the transplant. Furthermore, there are significant differences between clusters A and B in psychosocial parameters and physical functioning. Conclusions. These findings indicate that the experience of the transplant process may vary greatly from patient to patient, and that a considerable number of transplant recipients require psychosocial support, despite the majority of patients showing an unquestionable posttransplant improvement in psychosocial well-being.


Restriction amplification fragment length polymorphic (RAFLP) markers show promise as genetic markers in diploid outcrossing turfgrass species such as perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The RAFLP markers should combine many advantages of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and should exhibit codominance. After screening 88 primers that produced distinct fragments with five restriction enzymes, 64 restriction loci were identified. Sixteen of these appeared to be polymorphic for the restriction locus and were regarded as potential RAFLP markers. The progeny of crosses of heterozygous perennial ryegrass plants were evaluated to determine whether the proposed RAFLP markers identified in the parental plants segregated according to Mendelian genetics as predicted for codominant markers. Although 16 tentative RAFLP markers were identified, only one segregated as expected for a single locus with two alleles. Our results suggest that useful RAFLP markers will be difficult to find for outcrossing turfgrass species.


Abstract The current wave of technological change based on advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) has created widespread fear of job loss and further rises in inequality. This paper discusses the rationale for these fears, highlighting the specific nature of AI and comparing previous waves of automation and robotization with the current advancements made possible by a widespread adoption of AI. It argues that large opportunities in terms of increases in productivity can ensue, including for developing countries, given the vastly reduced costs of capital that some applications have demonstrated and the potential for productivity increases, especially among the low skilled. At the same time, risks in the form of further increases in inequality need to be addressed if the benefits from AI-based technological progress are to be broadly shared. For this, skills policies are necessary but not sufficient. In addition, new forms of regulating the digital economy are called for that prevent further rises in market concentration, ensure proper data protection and privacy, and help share the benefits of productivity growth through the combination of profit sharing, (digital) capital taxation, and a reduction in working time. The paper calls for a moderately optimistic outlook on the opportunities and risks from AI, provided that policymakers and social partners take the particular characteristics of these new technologies into account.


Abstract: The Constitution of the Republic of Iraq entered force in 2005, placing such "national treasures" as "antiquities, archeological sites, cultural buildings, manuscripts, and coins" under federal jurisdiction to be "managed in cooperation with the regions and governorates." This provision may not immediately appear significant or controversial, but it is both. Federalism remains a heated and even deadly issue in Iraq, which is still balancing authority between its capital and other parts of the country. The Constitution's handling of heritage—like its comparable treatment of oil and gas—therefore raises many questions. The answers to these have massive implications, as they not only determine who governs culture in Iraq but also could void much existing domestic law and unravel the country's entire heritage management system. This study thus aims to clarify the Constitution's treatment of antiquities and archaeology, resolving who controls one of Iraq's most important historic, cultural, and economic resources.


The amazing magnetic properties exhibited by nanoparticles Mn–Zn ferrites and their promising technological and medical applications have attracted much interest in recent years. Nanoparticle Mnx Zn(1–x)Fe2O4 spinel ferrites with x = 0.6/0.63/0.65/0.67/0.7 were synthesised by the nitrilotriacetate precursor method employing microwave combustion synthesis. Powder X–ray diffractometry (XRD) confirmed the formation of the ferrite phase in all samples. IR analysis was done to verify formation of spinel structure. Elemental analysis using EDS confirmed the nanoparticle composition. The crystallite size was calculated from peak widths using the Scherrer formula, yielding a size in the range of 10?25 nm. Transmission electron microscopy was also performed on the samples to testify formation of nanosized crystallites in the sample. Saturation magnetisation (Mr), retentivity (Ms) and coercivity (Hc) measurements were carried out on the samples using standard hysteresis loop tracer equipment. The saturation magnetisation values were found to be in the range of 58.6?63.2 emu/g with very low values for (Mr/Ms). Variation of specific magnetisation with temperature and Curie temperature measurements were carried out using pulse field AC susceptibility measuring equipment. These measurements indicated formation of single domain (SD) material with dependence of Curie temperature on Zn concentration. The density of the samples was found to be high.


M unradzi M aw re The continent of Africa is richly endowed with diverse cultures, a body of indigenous knowledge and technologies. These bodies of knowledge and technologies that are indeed embodied in the diverse African cultures are as old as humankind. From time immemorial, they have been used to solve socio-economic, political, health, and environmental problems, and to respond to the development needs of Africans. Yet with the advent of colonialism and Western scientism, these African cultures, knowledges, and technologies have been despised and relegated to the periphery, to the detriment of the self-reliant development of Africans. It is out of this observation and realisation that this book was born. The book is an exploration of the practical problems resulting from Africa's encounter with Euro-colonialism, a reflection of the nexus between indigenous knowledge, culture, and development, and indeed a call for the revival and reinstitution of indigenous knowledge, not as a challenge to Western science, but a complementary form of knowledge necessary to steer and promote sustainable development in Africa and beyond. This is a valuable book for policy makers, institutional planners, practitioners and students of social anthropology, education, political and social ecology, and development, African and heritage studies.


This thesis entitled 'Laine Morris' Neurotic Anxiety Over Debbie's Death In Stiles White's Film Ouija (2014)' is aimed at finding Neurotic Anxiety of Laine Morris as the main character after Debbie's death. In conducting the research, descriptive qualitative method is used to find neurotic anxiety of the main character. Two approaches are applied to analyze the data, they are structural approach and psychological approach. Structural approach is used to analyze structural elements such as plot, general descriptions of the main character, conflict experiences by the main character, and setting described in the story of the film. Then, the psychological approach is used to analyze the neurotic anxiety of the main character. By using the structural approach it is found that Laine Morris as the main character is a person with her ego, who is anxious, care, sensitive, enthusiastic and curious. As the main character, she also experiences external and internal conflicts. The external conflicts experienced by Laine Morris are her conflict againsts Sarah (her sister), Trevor (her boyfriend) and also Paulina (Doris Zander's sister). The internal conflict experienced by Laine Morris when she always curious about anything after Debbie's death. She also has an anxiety towards people around her after she played an Ouija board with them. The setting in this Ouija film by Stiles White is divided into three; there are setting of time, setting of place and setting of social. The setting of time; in the morning and also at night. The setting of place; in the Debbie's house, Morris' family house, and also Mental hospital. The setting of social in the film is middle class society, Laine Morris and her friends are from middle class society; It can be proved that their parents are the business workers. It also can be seen from their building house. What clothes that Laine Morris and her friends used during school, the place where they're hanging out together showed that they're from middle class society. Laine morris is being an anxious, care to much, sensitive, enthusiastic, and curious person because of her neurotic anxiety. Her neurotic anxiety was definitely change her condition. Because of her condition she often has a conflict with people around her. Her conflict with Trevor, Sarah and Paulina are the reasons why she finally has neurotic anxiety. Besides conflict with some people above, she also has conflict with herself. She feels uncomfortable, afraid and also anxious with her condition after Debbie's death.


We attempt a reading of Gramsci's Prison Notebooks through the filter of certain specific categories: the "organic", the "collective will" and "hierarchy". A number of problematic links are proposed between the social and cultural dimensions of the approaches to the image of the people, classes and power. So far, the anthropological reception of the Notebooks had been confined within the possible codes of translation (culture / Weltanschauung; social morphology / class structure; enculturation / consciousness, and so on). My comments here seek an inner meaning of praxis as a science of power, power physiology and model of its relation with social consciousness as a possible paradigm for our anthropological understanding. From this specific perspective, the category of hierarchy appears as a possible dynamic concept reshaped by the modernized systems of consensus and the nurturing of ordinary scales of inequality: voluntary and ethically approved degrees of social value, participation in submission, and support of and communal trust in values and cultural patterns. Is Gramsci's theory of collective thought and "organic" cohesion an efficient device for contemporary social science? It would be desirable for a lay approach to the vertical dimension of culture as a valued tool of the social self to be made useful to the present.


Advances in technology and the internet worldwide nowadays have sparked a revolution
of digital business concept known as e-commerce. The outbreaks of e-commerce arena
produce a new concept of business operation and radically expected to be new phenomenon of economic development in developing countries. Intervention of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in electronic commerce institutions make ecommerce more generally accepted and proving that the world currently is in a new era of electronic. Migrations of SMEs to use e-commerce applications become important agenda by the government due to the role of SMEs as the engine of the national
economy and their contribution to the economic development of the country. Various benefits received by SMEs who had adopted e-commerce and this scenario should be the essence of their incentive to use more ICT. However, the facts have proved among previous research of e-commerce adoption by SMEs which particularly low in Malaysia. This scenario is due to the various obstacles which hamper SMEs to make
transformation in their business. However, informative facts suggest that a variety of
factors that can influence e-commerce adoption among SMEs. Thus, this research aims to identify the factors that influence SMEs to adopt e-commerce. With the use of a sample of 365 respondents or SMEs companies, a structured survey questions were distributed to the owners or top management of SMEs in Terengganu which involves three main areas such as Northern, South and Kuala Terengganu. This study tested four hypotheses related to the factors of e- commerce adoption and found that organizational
readiness and external pressure was significantly has a positive relationship with ecommerce adoption. Meanwhile the factors of perceive ease of use and perceive usefulness relatively is not significant. In addition, the objective of the research to identify the SMEs in Terengganu whether adopt with e-commerce or not was fully achieved and found that there is low e-commerce adoption due to the SMEs are still familiar with basic applications. Hence, the results has lead to specific recommendations
for SME owners to take the first step to be ready in terms of organizational readiness in
their organization to adopt with e-commerce through accomplish their important source
of adaptation such as financial, technology, values, culture, consistencies of work practices and locate skilled staff to ensure the use of e-commerce can effectively performed. In term of external pressure, SMEs was suggest to use e-commerce applications on a regular basis and take the initiative to use more advance e-commerce applications to enhance competitive advantages in the industry