Background: Globally, 2.8 billion people rely on household solid fuels. Reducing the resulting adverse health, environmental, and development consequences will involve transitioning through a mix of clean fuels and improved solid fuel stoves (IS) of demonstrable effectiveness. To date, achieving uptake of IS has presented significant challenges. Objectives: We performed a systematic review of factors that enable or limit large-scale uptake of IS in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We conducted systematic searches through multidisciplinary databases, specialist websites, and consulting experts. The review drew on qualitative, quantitative, and case studies and used standardized methods for screening, data extraction, critical appraisal, and synthesis. We summarized our findings as "factors" relating to one of seven domains—fuel and technology characteristics; household and setting characteristics; knowledge and perceptions; finance, tax, and subsidy aspects; market development; regulation, legislation, and standards; programmatic and policy mechanisms—and also recorded issues that impacted equity. Results: We identified 31 factors influencing uptake from 57 studies conducted in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. All domains matter. Although factors such as offering technologies that meet household needs and save fuel, user training and support, effective financing, and facilitative government action appear to be critical, none guarantee success: All factors can be influential, depending on context. The nature of available evidence did not permit further prioritization. Conclusions: Achieving adoption and sustained use of IS at a large scale requires that all factors, spanning household/community and program/societal levels, be assessed and supported by policy. We propose a planning tool that would aid this process and suggest further research to incorporate an evaluation of effectiveness. Citation: Rehfuess EA, Puzzolo E, Stanistreet D, Pope D, Bruce NG. 2014. Enablers and barriers to large-scale uptake of improved solid fuel stoves: a systematic review. Environ Health Perspect 122:120–130; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1306639


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BACKGROUND
Personalised medicine promises to provide us with a diagnostic predictive system of stratification that is based on a wide variety of tests; these can include biological, cognitive, demographic, psychopathological tests and other clearly defined tests. The purpose of forensic psychiatry is not only to take care of and treat mentally impaired patients but also to engage in risk assessment and risk management. AIM: To explain risk assessment in forensic psychiatry as a nomothetic approach to personalised medicine, and also to demonstrate the link with offence paralleling behaviour, which is an illustration of the ideographic approach. METHOD: A discussion of recent literature and insights into risk assessment, risk management and offence paralleling behaviour. RESULTS: Risk assessment helps us to divide patients into groups according to the risk of recidivism. The nomothetic concept is the basis of most risk assessment instruments. One of the most important tasks in risk management in forensic psychiatry is to reduce the risk factors and strengthen the influence of protective factors. The model of offence paralleling behaviour resembles in many respects the concept of integrating risk management and treatment, but shows more precisely how hypotheses can be tested in a clinical context. CONCLUSION: In view of the great importance to society of preventing offences, forensic psychiatry is leading the way in the application of personalised medicine in psychiatry.


As China's economic and foreign policies increasingly move away from the country's past socialist ideals, Beijing's attitude towards the DPRK has, in recent years, begun to subtly change. However, the close historic ties that exist between the two ruling communist parties prevent such changes from being overtly publicized in official discourses; criticizing the DPRK in China readily results in serious protests from Pyongyang. The popular perception in China of the DPRK, which is far more critical than the official version, is, on the other hand, hard to hide. In an authoritarian nation where exhibiting sentiments contrary to the party-state's policy is still not a safe and established practice, the Chinese people have increasingly relied on the platform of the Internet to express their views on various aspects of policy, including that towards the DPRK. This makes the Internet a rich resource for academics to gauge down-to-earth public opinion and how it contrasts with the official policy. Drawing on systematic, qualitative research on the online community, this article wishes to explore the possible differences between the written policy of Beijing and popular Chinese perceptions, or consensus if any, towards Pyongyang. The article is written in three parts. The first reviews the relevant literature on Beijing's contemporary policy towards the DPRK, the role of Internet opinions in Chinese foreign policy making, and introduces our methodology. The main part of the article typologizes and analyses the images as perceived by Chinese Internet users of the DPRK, its leaders and polices, as well as Beijing's DPRK policy, in order to highlight the differences between official policies and online opinions. Explanations for the discrepancies with the official line and the possible implications of our findings for China's future policy on the DPRK are discussed in the concluding section. As witnessed from the research, surprisingly, there was relative consensus of opinion among the different available viewpoints towards the DPRK regime, as both the Chinese nationalists and the liberals are likely to pressure Beijing to walk further away from Kim Jong-il in the future.


The present study was designed to estimate the activity of lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH ) in the urine of spontaneous aborted women , and to evaluate the effect of some accompanied diseases such as; chronic hypertension  and Toxoplasma gondii infection on LDH activity . The comparison of 20 spontaneous aborted women was done with control groups of 20 healthy pregnant and 20 age-matched non-pregnant women. The results of this study showed a significant increase (p value=0.03 ) in urine LDH activity  of aborted women compared with control groups. A significant increase (p=0.001) was recorded as well in LDH activity of aborted women with age of 30-45 years compared to 15-29 years group. The present study also revealed a significant increase (p=0.001) in LDH activity of aborted women accompanied with chronic hypertension and Toxoplasma gondii infection .


Aim: Ablation of auto-reactive immune cells followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been explored for the previous two decades. Morbidity and mortality rates originally limited referral for AHSCT in auto-immune disease but a reduction in treatment toxicity has facilitated increased clinical trials in the field. Here we present the outcomes of patients withadvanced, treatment refractory MS undergoing AHSCT in a Phase II study at our institute. We evaluate the safety and efficacy of AHSCT with intermediate-intensity immunosuppression in patients with highly aggressive MS. Methods: A single-centre, phase II clinical trial of AHSCT for patients with active relapsing remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) commenced at St Vincent9s Hospital in December 2010. Patients eligible for AHSCT had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of 2.0-7, had failed two prior disease-modifying therapies and displayed evidence of ongoing disease activity manifesting as clinical relapses and/or new MRI lesions in the year prior to AHSCT. CD34+ mobilisation with cyclophosphamide and G-CSF was performed, followed by conditioning with a BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) + ATG (antithymocyte globulin) chemotherapeutic regimen. Patients underwent clinical assessment and peripheral blood collection for tissue banking at 3, 6, 12 months and yearly to 5 years. Gadolinium enhanced MRI was performed at 6, 12 months and yearly to 5 years. The primary outcomes were event-free survival and overall survival. Event free survival (EFS) was defined as no clinical or radiological relapses and no evidence of disability progression (by EDSS). Polychromic multi-parameter flow cytometry was performed for evaluation of post-transplant immune reconstitution. Results: Forty patients (26 with RRMS and 14 with SPMS) completed AHSCT, with a median follow-up of 24 months (range 3 to 63 months). Median EDSS prior to AHSCT was 6, with 17/40 having an EDSS >6, indicating a significant burden of neurologic disability. Patients were heavily pre-treated with immunosuppressive drugs (DMTs). Fifty-six percent of patients failed >4 disease modifying therapies prior to AHSCT with 2/3 having failed high efficacy treatment with Natalizumab (alpha-4 integrin inhibitor). Progression-free survival, clinical relapse-free survival (RFS), and MRI activity-free survival for the cohort were 80%, 90% and 95% respectively. Event free survival in the RRMS cohort was 90%. Sustained improvement in neurologic function by EDSS was seen in 15/40 (37.5%) of patients; 11 (42.3%) RRMS patients and 4 (28.6%) SPMS patients. MS quality of life score (MSQOL) - physical improved by 14.4 points (p=0.004) and MSQOL - mental improved by 10.3 points (p=0.08). Treatment related mortality was 0%. Adverse effects due to AHSCT were consistent with expected toxicities. One patient required admission to the intensive care unit in the post-transplant period due to serum sickness. There were no significant late neurologic adverse effects noted and no recorded cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy noted. Conclusion: The relapse-free survival (RFS) in our treatment refractory MS cohort undergoing AHSCT is significantly higher compared to RFS rates in MS patients treated with high-efficacy immunosuppressive therapies. Patients undergoing AHSCT at our institution had comparable rates of EFS to other recent prospective, single centre trials of AHSCT in spite of having higher baseline EDSS, greater evidence of pre-AHSCT disease activity, more heavily pre-treated (Burt et al. 2015, Atkins et al 2016) and use of a less aggressive conditioning regimen (Atkins et al. 2016). In summary, results of this phase II study suggest that AHSCT is effective in inducing sustained remission in the majority of aggressive RRMS and SPMS patients who failed multiple DMTs. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Background The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the respiratory isolation capacity in hospitals; many wards lacking high-frequency air changes have been repurposed for managing patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 requiring either standard or intensive care. Hospital-acquired COVID-19 is a recognised problem amongst both patients and staff, with growing evidence for the relevance of airborne transmission. This study examined the effect of air filtration and ultra-violet (UV) light sterilisation on detectable airborne SARS-CoV-2 and other microbial bioaerosols. Methods We conducted a crossover study of portable air filtration and sterilisation devices in a repurposed surge COVID ward and surge ICU. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) cyclonic aerosol samplers and PCR assays were used to detect the presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2 and other microbial bioaerosol with and without air/UV filtration. Results Airborne SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the ward on all five days before activation of air/UV filtration, but on none of the five days when the air/UV filter was operational; SARS-CoV-2 was again detected on four out of five days when the filter was off. Airborne SARS-CoV-2 was infrequently detected in the ICU. Filtration significantly reduced the burden of other microbial bioaerosols in both the ward (48 pathogens detected before filtration, two after, p=0.05) and the ICU (45 pathogens detected before filtration, five after p=0.05). Conclusions These data demonstrate the feasibility of removing SARS-CoV-2 from the air of repurposed surge wards and suggest that air filtration devices may help reduce the risk of hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2.


The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Programs (PREP) are designed to provide research training and educational opportunities for recent baccalaureate graduates from targeted groups defined by NIH who would benefit by academic enhancements between the completion of undergraduate studies and admission to a PhD program. These programs offer exposure to the biomedical science community in a way that helps post-undergraduate individuals visualize future careers as well-trained, enthusiastic leaders in biomedical research who represent and will promote diversity in science. Specifically, PREPs provide the preparation and skills required for entrance into, and successful completion of, a PhD program via in-depth exposure to a research setting, which helps to refine the post-undergraduate's research interests, assists in providing a realistic understanding of the end results one can expect from research, and offers a forum for discussion with lab peers and mentors about possible career paths. Beyond the lab, PREPs offer programmatic activities to develop analytical, writing, and oral presentation skills necessary for a competitive graduate school application and success in graduate school thereafter. Individual mentoring increases the post-undergraduate's confidence and familiarity with members of the research community, so that pursuit of a PhD becomes a realistic and less-intimidating path. Interventions and developmental activities are matched to the background preparation, research experience, and learning style of each post-undergraduate. As with all training programs, there is no perfect model and each program must fit in and adapt to their respective institutional environments and cultures. Thus, in this article, we provide perspectives and approaches developed by a long-standing program in existence almost since the beginning of the PREP program along with one PREP at an early stage of maturity, having just been through one renewal.


From the point of view of the information supplied by an ATIS to the motorists entering a freeway of one of the most relevant is the Forecasted Travel Time, that is the expected travel time that they will experience when traverse a freeway segment. From the point of view of ATMS the dynamic estimates of time dependencies in OD matrices is a major input to dynamic traffic models used for estimating the current traffic state and forecasting its short term evolution. Travel Time Forecasting and Dynamic OD Estimation are two of the key components of ATIS/ATMS and the quality of the results that they could provide depend not only on the quality of the models but also on the accuracy and reliability of the measurements of traffic variables supplied by the detection technology. The quality and reliability of the measurements produced by traditional technologies, as inductive loop detectors, is not usually the required by real-time applications, therefore one wonders what could be expected from the new ICT technologies as for example Automatic Vehicle Location, License Plate Recognition, detection of mobile devices and so on. The main objectives of this paper are: to explore the quality of the data produced by the Bluetooth detection of mobile devices equipping vehicles for Travel Time Forecasting and its use to estimate time dependent OD matrices. Ad hoc procedures based on Kalman Filtering have been designed and implemented successfully and the numerical results of the computational experiments are presented and discussed.


McFadden's (1981) hypothesis of random utility maximization (RUM) has been a workhorse for researchers in different fields of economics to study household choices among competing goods. The RUM hypothesis speculates that maximization of utility is the driving force behind individual agents decision to choose among available alternatives and thus individual preference distribution is a consequence of choices made by the whole population. This conjectures makes the RUM model appealing to theorists and practitioners alike.The focus of this dissertation is to add to the existing literature on applying RUM models to recreation demand by consistently estimating and evaluating the demand for and welfare derived from recreational sites. The models proposed in this dissertation allows the Random Utility Maximization (RUM) model to be robust to issues such as: limitations in the information available to researchers; relaxing the assumption of constant marginal utility of income and, incorporating model uncertainty in the estimation process.For example, the first paper, looks at re-specifying the RUM model to incorporate unobserved site characteristics by the introduction of alternative specific constants with the ability to recover parameters of the observed site characteristics that is of interest for policy scenario simulations. Ignoring this issues, I will argue, will lead to inconsistent estimates of the parameters that determine the demand for recreational site and consequently lead to mistaken inference and policy recommendations. The second paper relaxes the assumption of constant marginal utility of income. The assumption, though convenient, is a restrictive formulation of individual preferences and choice behavior. a generalized formulation of the Random Utility Maximization (RUM) model that allows the data to dictate the relationship between preferences and income and prices is proposed. The third paper on the other hand proposes a model that draws on the Bayesian paradigm to integrate the variable selection process into the model and reflect the accompanying uncertainty about which is the ``best'' specification used for counter-factual predictions.


In this research work, an attempt has been made to impart multi-functional finish on denim fabric for value addition. The denim fabrics were treated with synthesized nano-TiO2 particle using direct exhaust, microencapsulation and nano encapsulation method. The resultant fabrics were analyzed for their change in physical properties before and after finishing. The efficacies of the functional effects like UV resistant property, antibacterial and stain release ability were also analyzed. The result shows that, the treated material remains unaltered in most of the basic physical property. It was noted that the TiO2 shows best results in inhibiting the growth of bacteria with agar diffusion test method. The UV radiation protection results reveal that the treatment has improved the UPF R to 97% for all the treatment. The blocking of UV-A, B radiation is also more than 82%, irrespective of the treatment. It has poor repellency against stains like pickle and oil but shows good result in case of vegetable, soil and saffron. From the research work, it is evident that there was the treated fabric shows good stain release property and also gives protection to the body against UV radiation with better microbial protection.


This Article examines the compatibility of the Bowl Championship Series ("BCS") with federal antitrust law and the appropriateness of the federal government using its formal and informal powers to encourage a new format for postseason college football. The Article begins by examining the legality of the BCS under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. It then discusses the appropriateness of government actors concerning themselves with, and expending taxpayer dollars on, the scheduling of college football games. The Article concludes by offering possible changes to the scheduling structure of postseason college football, with an emphasis on voluntary, efficiency-promoting changes by the colleges, universities, and conferences currently associated with the BCS.


The study shows why contemporary fiction represents a definite step forward and a social critique in its exploration of ethical and political questions related to the impact of Eros on identity and its links to gender, power, violence, race and politics. Former taboos have been shattered by an aesthetics of the obscene, and the romantic utopia of love has been deconstructed by feminist gender theories. Literary narratives have foregrounded female sexuality and unstable borderline and homosexual identities, binding together sexual alterity and aesthetic innovation.


This book contains analysis of reasons that cause products to fail. General methods of product failure evaluation give powerful tools in product improvement. Such methods, discussed in the book, include practical risk analysis, failure mode and effect analysis, preliminary hazard analysis, progressive failure analysis, fault tree analysis, mean time between failures, Wohler curves, finite element analysis, cohesive zone model, crack propagation kinetics, time-temperature collectives, quantitative characterization of fatigue damage, and fracture maps. Methods of failure analysis are critical for material improvement and they are broadly discussed in this book. Fractography of plastics is relatively a new field which has many commonalities with fractography of metals. Here various aspects of fractography of plastics and metals are compared and contrasted. Fractography application in studies of static and cycling loading of ABS is also discussed.Other methods include SEM, SAXS, FTIR, DSC, DMA, GC/MS, optical microscopy, fatigue behavior, multiaxial stress, residual stress analysis, punch resistance, creep-rupture, impact, oxidative induction time, craze testing, defect analysis, fracture toughness, activation energy of degradation. Many references are given in this book to real products and real cases of their failure. The products discussed include office equipment, automotive compressed fuel gas system, pipes, polymer blends, blow molded parts, layered, cross-ply and continuous fiber composites, printed circuits, electronic packages, hip implants, blown and multilayered films, construction materials, component housings, brake cups, composite pressure vessels, swamp coolers, electrical cables, plumbing fittings, medical devices, medical packaging, strapping tapes, balloons, marine coatings, thermal switches, pressure relief membranes, pharmaceutical products, window profiles, and bone cements.


This report evaluates the U.S. and world wheat markets for the 2017-2026 time period using the Global Wheat Policy Simulation Model. This analysis is based on a series of assumptions about general economic conditions, agricultural policies, weather conditions, and technological change. Both the U.S. and world wheat economies are predicted to remain soft for the next ten years. World demand for both common and durum wheat are expected to remain stable however the large supplies of 2014, 2015 and 2016 will continue to pressure the market. The high price levels in 2010, 2011 and early 2012 will not be maintained because they are the result of a small wheat crop in 2010 and 2012 in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) and Argentina in 2012. The lower price levels for all commodities will also impact the wheat market. It is expected that wheat production in the FSU will return to normal in the future. World trade volumes of both durum and common wheat are expected to expand, but trade volume of common wheat may grow faster than that of durum wheat.


Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive problem in the United States. IPV is often repetitive and may escalate; in a small number of cases, IPV leads to homicide. This article presents an evidence-based practice (EBP) model for risk-informed social work intervention with survivors and perpetrators of IPV. The EBP model combines the best available research evidence, practitioner expertise, and client self-determination to guide the most appropriate intervention. IPV risk assessment instruments provide the best available evidence of future reassault, severe reassault, or homicide. Practitioners who implement IPV risk assessment can use their expertise to adjust risk scores and to suggest risk mitigation strategies for their clients. Examples of risk-informed social work practice include the safe removal of firearms, safety planning around separation, and mitigating the negative consequences of strangulation and sexual violence. Clients ultimately use their self-determination to decide which risk reduction strategies to implement. An EBP model can be used by social workers in all areas of practice to provide risk-informed social work interventions.


Background: The short-term outcomes of concussions within Major League Baseball (MLB) warrant further consideration beyond a medical standpoint given that performance, career, and financial data remain unknown. The perception of this injury directly affects decision making from the perspective of both player and franchise. Purpose: To evaluate the effect of concussion on MLB players by (1) establishing return-to-play (RTP) time after concussion; (2) comparing the career length and performance of players with concussion versus those who took nonmedical leave; and (3) analyzing player financial impact after concussion. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Contracts, transactions, injury reports, and performance statistics from 2005 to 2017 were analyzed by comparing matched players who sustained a concussion versus those who took nonmedical leave. Of the 4186 eligible MLB players, 145 sustained concussions resulting in the activation of concussion protocol and 538 took nonmedical leave. RTP time was recorded. Career length was analyzed in reference to an experience-based stratification of full seasons remaining after the concussion. Changes in player performance and salary before and after concussion were compared with the same parameters for players who took nonmedical leave. Results: The mean RTP time was 26 days (95% CI, 20-32 days) for athletes with concussion and 8 days (95% CI, 6-10 days) for those who took nonmedical leave. Athletes with concussion had a mean of 2.8 full seasons remaining, whereas athletes who took nonmedical leave had 3.1 seasons remaining (P = .493). The probability of playing in the MLB after concussion compared with the nonmedical leave pool was not significantly lower (P = .534, log-rank test; hazard ratio, 1.108). Postconcussion performance decreased significantly in position players, including a lower batting average and decreased on-base percentage in the players with concussion compared with those returning from nonmedical leave. Players who sustained a concussion lost a mean of US$654,990 annually compared with players who took nonmedical leave. Conclusion: This study of the short-term outcomes after concussion in limited-contact MLB athletes demonstrates that concussions may not decrease career spans but may result in decreased performance in addition to financial loss when compared with matched controls who took nonmedical leave. In sports such as baseball that are not subject to repetitive head trauma, career spans may not decrease after a single concussive event. However, sentinel concussions have deleterious short-term effects on performance and compensation among MLB players.


Plant fertilization involves the delivery of the sperm from the pollen, which lands at the top of the flower, to the ovule by the directed growth of the pollen tube. Palanivelu et al. determined that POP2, a gene implicated in pollination by genetic analysis, encodes a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase. In Arabidopsis, POP2 mutant plants have a 100-fold increase in the concentration of GABA in flowers compared with wild-type flowers. Analysis of POP2 mutants showed that the severity of the seed phenotype correlated with the GABA concentration. Analysis of wild-type flowers showed that GABA exists in a gradient--lowest at the peripheral tissues, the stigma, and highest in the cells surrounding the micropyle (integument cells). The micropyle is the place where the pollen tube enters the ovule. Fertilization of wild-type or POP2-mutant females by wild-type or mutant pollen showed that only one, either the male or female, needed to be wild type in order for proper pollen tube guidance and seed production. If mutant flowers were self-pollinated, the pollen tubes did not navigate properly, and seed generation was poor. In POP2-mutant females, a gradient of GABA still persists at the micropyle; however, GABA is more abundant in other parts of the flower. The authors suggest that, when pollinated by wild-type pollen, the POP2 GABA transaminase in the pollen tube can enhance the gradient and allow fertilization, whereas POP2-mutant pollen cannot create an adequate gradient. Surprisingly, in vitro or in vivo pollen tubes do not grow toward an exogenous GABA source. In vitro, pollen tubes do elongate in low concentrations of GABA, but do not elongate in high concentrations of GABA. The results suggest that, in plants, a combination of nonuniform GABA synthesis and controlled degradation serve to create a gradient that helps guide the pollen tube to the ovule. R. Palanivelu, L. Brass, A. F. Edlund, D. Preuss, Pollen tube growth and guidance is regulated by POP2, an Arabidopsis gene that controls GABA levels. Cell 114, 47-59 (2003). [Online Journal]


Drones are rapidly becoming an affordable and often faster solution for parcel delivery than terrestrial vehicles. Existing transportation drones and software infrastructures are mostly designed by logistics companies for trained users and dedicated infrastructure, and are to be used for either long range (<150 km) or last-mile delivery (<20 km). This letter presents Dronistics, an integrated software and hardware system for last-centimeter (<5 km) person-to-person delivery using cargo drones. The system is conceived to be intuitive and intrinsically safe to enable short-distance deliveries between inexperienced users. Dronistics is composed of a safe foldable drone (PackDrone) and a web application software to intuitively control and track the drone in real time. In order to assess Dronistics' user acceptance, we conducted 150 deliveries over one month on the EPFL campus in Switzerland. Here we describe the results of these tests by analyzing flight statistics, environmental conditions, and user reactions. Moreover, we also describe technical problems that occurred during flight tests and solutions that could prevent them.


© 2014 The Contributors This work is licenced under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. This licence allows for the copying, distribution, display and performance of this work for non-commercial purposes providing the work is clearly attributed to the copyright holders. Address all inquiries to the Director at the above address.


Working with Microsoft's network directory service for the first time can be a headache for system and network administrators, IT professionals, technical project managers, and programmers alike. This authoritative guide is meant to relieve that pain. Instead of going through the graphical user interface screen by screen, O'Reilly's bestselling Active Directory tells you how to design, manage, and maintain a small, medium, or enterprise Active Directory infrastructure. Fully updated to cover Active Directory for Windows Server 2003 SP1 and R2, this third edition is full of important updates and corrections. It's perfect for all Active Directory administrators, whether you manage a single server or a global multinational with thousands of servers.Active Directory, 3rd Edition is divided into three parts. Part I introduces much of how Active Directory works, giving you a thorough grounding in its concepts. Some of the topics include Active Directory replication, the schema, application partitions, group policies, and interaction with DNS. Part II details the issues around properly designing the directory infrastructure. Topics include designing the namespace, creating a site topology, designing group policies for locking down client settings, auditing, permissions, backup and recovery, and a look at Microsoft's future direction with Directory Services. Part III covers how to create and manipulate users, groups, printers, and other objects that you may need in your everyday management of Active Directory.If you want a book that lays bare the design and management of an enterprise or departmental Active Directory, then look no further. Active Directory, 3rd Edition will quickly earn its place among the books you don't want to be without.


A mathematical model for solute movement in a structured soil with well-defined and continuous preferential paths was developed. The model divides the soil profile into one mobile and one stagnant' pore group. For well-structured soils, the mobile pore group consists of a few well-connected pores that conduct the nonreactive solute downward very rapidly. Only a narrow matrix layer of stagnant solute along the interface between the two pore groups takes part in solute exchange with the preferential paths. Due to differences in time scales between convection and chemical transfer, the rate of chemical exchange between the preferential path and the active matrix layer for short and moderate times after chemical application is controlled mainly by the preferential flow concentration and, to a lesser extent, by the concentration in the matrix active layer. This is expressed mathematically by multiplying the concentration in the active matrix layer in the mass balance equation by a small dimensionless parameter, e < 1. A regular small perturbations problem is then obtained whose solution is expressed as the sum of the zeroth- and first-order approximations. The simulated breakthrough curve (BTC) is made up of piecewise linear lines and shows a good fit to the measured solute concentration in the outflow of undisturbed columns that have significant preferential now. Due to the model's simplicity, the transport parameters are estimated directly by fitting the model output to the measured BTCs.


Impacts of global climate change, such as sea level rise and severe drought, have altered the hydrology of coastal salt marshes resulting in submergence and subsequent degradation of ecosystem function. A potential method of rehabilitating these systems is the addition of sediment‐slurries to increase marsh surface elevation, thus ameliorating effects of excessive inundation. Although this technique is growing in popularity, the restoration of ecological function after sediment addition has received little attention. To determine if sediment subsidized salt marshes are functionally equivalent to natural marshes, we examined above‐ and belowground primary production in replicated restored marshes receiving four levels of sediment addition (29–42 cm North American Vertical Datum of 1988 [NAVD 88]) and in degraded and natural ambient marshes (4–22 cm NAVD 88). Moderate intensities of sediment‐slurry addition, resulting in elevations at the mid to high intertidal zone (29–36 cm NAVD 88), restored ecological function to degraded salt marshes. Sediment additions significantly decreased flood duration and frequency and increased bulk density, resulting in greater soil drainage and redox potential and significantly lower phytotoxic sulfide concentrations. However, ecological function in the restored salt marsh showed a sediment addition threshold that was characterized by a decline in primary productivity in areas of excessive sediment addition and high elevation (>36 cm NAVD 88). Hence, the addition of intermediate levels of sediment to submerging salt marshes increased marsh surface elevation, ameliorated impacts of prolonged inundation, and increased primary productivity. However, too much sediment resulted in diminished ecological function that was equivalent to the submerged or degraded system.


Author(s): Yu, Chung-Kai | Advisor(s): Sayed, Ali H. | Abstract: Motivated by the expanding interest in applications where online learning and decision making by networked agents is a necessity, this dissertation deals with the design of adaptive networks where agents need to carry out strategic decisions toward different but complementary objectives under uncertainty and randomness. Adaptive networks consist of collections of agents with learning abilities that interact with each other locally in order to solve distributed processing and inference tasks in real-time. In our first constrained problem, we examine the design and evolution of adaptive networks in which agents have multiple but complementary objectives. In these scenarios, selfish learning strategies by individual agents can influence the network dynamics in adverse ways. This situation is even more challenging in nonstationary environments where the solution to the multi-objective optimization problem can drift with time due to changes in the statistical distribution of the data.We specifically formulate multi-objective optimization problems where agents seek to minimize their individual costs subject to constraints that are locally coupled. The coupling arises because the individual costs and the constraints can be dependent on actions by other agents in the neighborhood. In these types of problems, the Nash equilibrium is a desired and stable solution since at this location no agent can benefit by unilaterally deviating from the equilibrium. We therefore focus on developing distributed online strategies that enable agents to approach the Nash equilibrium. We illustrate an application of the results to a stochastic version of the network Cournot competition problem, which arises in a variety of useful problems such as in modeling economic trading with geographical considerations, power management over smart grids, and resource allocation protocols.Using this formulation, we then extend earlier contributions on adaptive networks, which generally assume that the agents work together for a common global objective or when they observe data that is generated by a common target model or parameter vector. We relax this condition and consider a broader scenario where individual agents may only have access to partial information about the global target vector, i.e., each agent may be sensing only a subset of the entries of the global target, and the number of these entries can be different across the agents. We develop cooperative distributed techniques where agents are only required to share estimates of their common entries and still can benefit from neighboring agents. Since agents' interactions are limited to exchanging estimates of select few entries, communication overhead is significantly reduced.We also examine the behavior of adaptive networks where information-sharing is subject to a positive communications cost over the edges linking the agents. In this situation, we show that if left unattended, the optimal strategy for the agents is to behave in a selfish manner and not to participate in the sharing of information. We hence develop mechanisms to help turn selfish agents into cooperative formations. In one method, we design an adaptive reputation protocol to adjust agents' reputation in accordance to their past actions, which can then be used to predict their subsequent actions. In a second method, we allow agents to decide with whom to cluster and share information. When the communication cost is small, the proposed mechanisms entice agents to cooperate and thus enhance the overall social benefit of the network.


We use high‐definition seafloor digital imagery and multibeam bathymetric data acquired during the 2007 Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition (AGAVE) to evaluate the volcanic characteristics of the 85°E segment of the ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge (9 mm yr−1full rate). Our seafloor imagery reveals that the axial valley is covered by numerous, small‐volume (order ∼1000 m3) lava flows displaying a range of ages and morphologies as well as unconsolidated volcaniclastic deposits with thicknesses up to 10 cm. The valley floor contains two prominent volcanic lineaments made up of axis‐parallel ridges and small, cratered volcanic cones. The lava flows appear to have erupted from a number of distinct source vents within the ∼12–15 km‐wide axial valley. Only a few of these flows are fresh enough to have potentially erupted during the 1999 seismic swarm at this site, and these are associated with the Oden and Loke volcanic cones. We model the widespread volcaniclastic deposits we observed on the seafloor as having been generated by the explosive discharge of CO2 that accumulated in (possibly deep) crustal melt reservoirs. The energy released during explosive discharge, combined with the buoyant rise of hot fluid, lofted fragmented clasts of rapidly cooling magma into the water column, and they subsequently settled onto the seafloor as fall deposits surrounding the source vent.


A mechanism that permits the separation and concentration of particles in natural systems is proposed. According to the mechanism, the particles in an aquifer are moved by an alternating flow of ground water. The retardation factor oscillates in synchronism with the alternating water flow. The retardation factor or the flow depend on the position in the aquifer (the particle velocity is u=v/R, where v is the water velocity and R is the retardation factor). The alternating flow is induced by tides, geysers or periodic rains. The alternating water flow produces temperature and water composition oscillations in the aquifer. Moreover, the alternating flow is caused by pressure oscillations: therefore, the retardation factor (which depends on pressure, temperature and water composition) oscillates. The dependence of the retardation factor on position is due to the inhomogeneity of the aquifer medium or to the position dependence of temperature, composition or pressure. Different particles may be concentrated at different places in the aquifer or in different aquifers. The particle concentration and the time necessary for concentration are estimated. The particles may be atoms, molecules, colloids or microorganisms. Such a mechanism may have played a role in chemical evolution.


The gas turbine engine is a complex assembly of a variety of components that are designed on the basis of aerothermodynamic laws. The design and operation theories of these individual components are complicated. The complexity of aerothermodynamic analysis makes it impossible to mathematically solve the optimization equations involved in various gas turbine cycles. When gas turbine engines were designed during the last century, the need to evaluate the engines performance at both design point and off design conditions became apparent. Manufacturers and designers of gas turbine engines became aware that some tools were needed to predict the performance of gas turbine engines especially at off design conditions where its performance was significantly affected by the load and the operating conditions. Also it was expected that these tools would help in predicting the performance of individual components, such as compressors, turbines, combustion chambers, etc. At the early stage of gas turbine developments, experimental tests of prototypes of either the whole engine or its main components were the only method available to determine the performance of either the engine or of the components. However, this procedure was not only costly, but also time consuming. Therefore, mathematical modelling using computational techniques were considered to be the most economical solution. The first part of this paper presents a discussion about the gas turbine modeling approach. The second part includes the gas turbine component matching between the compressor and the turbine which can be met by superimposing the turbine performance characteristics on the compressor performance characteristics with suitable transformation of the coordinates. The last part includes the gas turbine computer simulation program and its philosophy. The computer program presented in the current work basically satisfies the matching conditions analytically between the various gas turbine components to produce the equilibrium running line. The computer program used to determine the following: the operating range (envelope) and running line of the matched components, the proximity of the operating points to the compressor surge line, and the proximity of the operating points at the allowable maximum turbine inlet temperature. Most importantly, it can be concluded from the output whether the gas turbine engine is operating in a region of adequate compressor and turbine efficiency. Matching technique proposed in the current work used to develop a computer simulation program, which can be served as a valuable tool for investigating the performance of the gas turbine at off-design conditions. Also, this investigation can help in designing an efficient control system for the gas turbine engine of a particular application including being a part of power generation plant.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate drinking patterns; attitudes towards alcohol consumption and alcohol related behaviours amongst differing groups of young adults. A further aim is to investigate whether the drinking behaviours of undergraduate populations can be considered to be representative of young adult behaviours in general. Design/methodology/ approach – Four groups of young adult alcohol consumers were identified. The participants in the first two groups were aged between 18 and 23, one group being undergraduates and the second non-graduates in work. Participants in the second two groups were aged between 24 and 29, one group comprising graduates in work, the second non-graduates in work. 120 questionnaires were completed; thirty in each sample group, with an even gender distribution. Follow up one-to-one interviews were carried out with representatives from each group. Findings – Although a small study it is evident that whilst there are some similarities in behaviours between the differing sample groups significant differences in alcohol related behaviours dominate. Practical Implications – The results suggest that utilising the results of research carried out amongst student populations to inform government policies with regard to the behaviour of young adults in general is unlikely to be successful in changing drinking behaviours. Originality value – This paper produces new insights into current drinking cultures and attitudes towards drinking in differing groups of young adults. Specifically it compares behavioural norms between graduate and non-graduate populations challenging much current research which is based upon student samples as being representative of the young adult population as a whole.


Called away suddenly to a secret meeting in New Zealand, British spy Ian Munro senses that he is being followed. Who's following him? And why is the coded information he is given so secret that others are prepared to kill for it? Can Munro escape and crack the code? Contains a paperback and Audio CD with complete text recordings from the book.


In late imperial China, opera transmitted ideas across the social hierarchy about the self, family, society, and politics. Beijing attracted a diverse array of opera genres and audiences and, by extension, served as a hub for the diffusion of cultural values. It is in this context that historian Andrea S. Goldman harnesses opera as a lens through which to examine urban cultural history. Her meticulous yet playful account takes up the multiplicity of opera types that proliferated at the time, exploring them as contested sites through which the Qing court and commercial playhouses negotiated influence and control over the social and moral order. Opera performance blurred lines between public and private life, and offered a stage on which to act out gender and class transgressions. This work illuminates how the state and various urban constituencies manipulated opera to their own ends, and sheds light on empire-wide transformations underway at the time.


Abstract Guidelines for care and treatment goals as recommended by the International Diabetes Federation and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) are presented, together with the recent consensus document from the ADA and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Targets for control are presented as therapeutic targets to be obtained. The current approaches to therapy include lifestyle modifications, diet, oral agents and insulin therapy. An algorithm is presented as a practical approach to manage Type 2 diabetes. Some newer agents that will become available in the near future in our country are mentioned. This article outlines the pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes, emphasising the roles of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency in its aetiopathogenesis. The liver, peripheral tissues and the pancreas are the three important role players in this condition.


Commentary on:  Norberg H, Kowalski J, Marsal K, et al. Timing of antenatal corticosteroid administration and survival in extremely preterm infants: a national population-based cohort study. BJOG 2017.  doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.14545. [Epub ahead of print 15 March 2017].

Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) reduce mortality in preterm infants.1 The association between timing of ACS and outcomes among extremely preterm infants has been sparsely investigated. In a recent large retrospective cohort study, higher odds for severe neonatal morbidity or mortality were seen in infants born at 24–33 weeks gestation with an administration-to-birth interval of ACS  7 days compared with 1–7 days.2 The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of ACS administration-to-birth interval on survival among extremely preterm infants.

This population-based cohort study used data collected prospectively …


Cleaner Production (CP) is an integrated, continuous and preventive environment strategy applied to processes, products and services to increase efficiency, minimize waste and reduce risks to humans and the environment. CP should be an essential part of any comprehensive environmental management system at an enterprise or national level. Cleaner production is now seen as a major approach for industry to achieve environmental improvements while remaining competitive and profitable. CP is being increasingly recognized as a definite route towards sustainable development. CP concepts are growing in popularity throughout the world. European countries and some of the Asian countries such as Thailand, India have already applied this concept appropriately and reaped benefits, which have greater impact on their economy and environment. However, Sri Lankan industries are far behind in this respect. Therefore, there is a strong need to introduce CP concept to local industries. Training and education for cleaner production have become essential for most professions. This paper summarizes some of the outcomes and successful lessons learned from the recent CP projects carried out in Sri Lanka since the case studies are an effective means of demonstrating the economic benefits of Cleaner Production. In addition, this paper also emphasizes the necessity for promoting cleaner production concept through education and training in order to achieve sustainable production of goods and services in Sri Lankan industries and promote sustainable consumption among the members of the community. Keywords: Environment Impact, Cleaner Production, Sustainable Development, Waste Minimization For full Paper: firstname.lastname@example.com


Dirhodium Metallopeptides for Catalytic Protein modification & Inhibition of Protein-Protein Interactions by Farrukh Vohidov The fundamental goal of chemical biology is to develop tools for interrogation of the activity and function of biomolecules, ultimately leading to understanding of the inner workings of biological systems. This thesis discusses three contributions towards expanding the chemical biology toolbox: i) an enzyme-like specific protein modification method, ii) a chemical blotting protocol for analyzing the products of protein modification reactions, iii) potent and selective inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. Inspired by the exquisite control and selectivity seen in enzymatic transformations, dirhodium metallopeptides were developed that catalyze selective labeling of natural proteins in their native environment. These tailored metallopeptides are highly specific for the targeted proteins, allowing quantitative modification of a target protein at micromolar concentrations even in the presence of a large number of potentially reactive biomolecules. The utility of the method for biophysical studies was demonstrated by labeling Yes protein kinase directly in cell lysate. In order to analyze products of in-lysate modification reactions, a chemical blotting protocol was established, and luminogenic probes were designed for use in chemical blotting and cell imaging applications. Design of inhibitors for protein-protein interactions is a formidable challenge due to the structural and chemical properties of protein interfaces involved in these interactions. Exploiting the potential of the dirhodium core to participate in cooperative binding, inhibitors for SH3 protein domains were developed by attaching dirhodium at different positions on a parent peptide ligand with modest SH3-affinity. The rationally designed library of dirhodium metalloinhibitors yielded the tightest known inhibitor for Lyn SH3; Lyn, a tyrosine kinase, represents an important target to further our understanding of a variety of cellular dysfunctions. Taken together, these contributions represent a set of powerful tools in chemical biology and can serve as a foundation for continued advancement of the field.


The continuing development of implantable neural prostheses signals a new era in bioengineering and neuroscience research. This collection of essays outlines current advances in research on the intracranial implantation of devices that can communicate with the brain in order to restore sensory, motor, or cognitive functions. The contributors explore the creation of biologically realistic mathematical models of brain function, the production of microchips that incorporate those models, and the integration of microchip and brain function through neuron-silicon interfaces. Recent developments in understanding the computational and cognitive properties of the brain and rapid advances in biomedical and computer engineering both contribute to this cutting-edge research. The book first examines the development of sensory system prostheses -- cochlear, retinal, and visual implants -- as the best foundation for considering the extension of neural prostheses to the central brain region. The book then turns to the complexity of neural representations, offering, among other approaches to the topic, one of the few existing theoretical frameworks for modeling the hierarchical organization of neural systems. Next, it examines the challenges of designing and controlling the interface between neurons and silicon, considering the necessity for bidirectional communication and for multiyear duration of the implant. Finally, the book looks at hardware implementations and explores possible ways to achieve the complexity of neural function in hardware, including the use of VLSI and photonic technologies.


When a political question comes to the forefront about which Christians would have an opinion, the religio-political discussion of the issue often turns to the debatable issues within the political question at hand. However, the thesis posits that instead of addressing the particulars of a political question as a rationale for action, Christians should instead be asking questions about the best way to represent our beliefs in secular society, and whether the use of the coercive tool of secular legislation is the ethically proper way to go in light of our beliefs as Christians. This thesis attempts to address this question both historically and biblically by citing the lineage of Luther's and Calvin's thoughts on church-state relations as a window into modern thought on the issue. It seems that Calvin is the ideological progenitor of those who would argue that churches should be heavily involved in establishing their particular form of morality in secular society. Luther, on the other hand, seems to be the progenitor of those who would argue that the use of coercive power is not for the church. This thesis examines Luther's and Calvin's theories, as well as those in the modern age who would likely align themselves with each of their theories. Going further, the thesis then examines relevant biblical evidence in order to determine which course of action is more ethically proper. Based on the relevant verses on the freedom of conscience, the negative consequences of church-state integration, and the non-imposition of morality, this thesis takes the stance that churches should not be involved in using legislation in order to create a more Christian society.


Y-family DNA polymerases (dPols) have evolved to carry out translesion bypass to rescue stalled replication; prokaryotic members of this family also participate in the phenomenon of adaptive mutagenesis to relieve selection pressure imposed by a maladapted environment. In this study, the first structure of a member of this family from a prokaryote has been determined. The structure of MsPolIV, a Y-family dPol from Mycobacterium smegmatis, shows the presence of the characteristic finger, palm and thumb domains. Surprisingly, the electron-density map of the intact protein does not show density for the PAD region that is unique to members of this family. Analysis of the packing of the molecules in the crystals showed the existence of large solvent-filled voids in which the PAD region could be located in multiple conformations. In line with this observation, analytical gel-filtration and dynamic light-scattering studies showed that MsPolIV undergoes significant compaction upon DNA binding. The PAD region is known to insert into the major groove of the substrate DNA and to play a major role in shaping the active site. Comparison with structures of other Y-family dPols shows that in the absence of tertiary contacts between the PAD domain and the other domains this region has the freedom to adopt multiple orientations. This structural attribute of the PAD will allow these enzymes to accommodate the alterations in the width of the DNA double helix that are necessary to achieve translesion bypass and adaptive mutagenesis and will also allow regulation of their activity to prevent adventitious error-prone DNA synthesis.


Background: Diet-induced weight reduction promotes a decrease in resting energy expenditure that could partly explain the difficulty in maintaining reduced body mass. Whether this reduction remains after stabilized weight loss is still controversial, and the molecular mechanisms are unknown. Objective: The objective was to investigate the effect of a stabilized 10% weight loss on body composition, metabolic profile, and skeletal muscle gene expression profiling. Design: Obese women were assigned to a 4-wk very-low-calorie diet, a 3–6-wk low-calorie diet, and a 4-wk weight-maintenance program to achieve a 10% weight loss. Resting energy expenditure, body composition, plasma variables, and skeletal muscle transcriptome were compared before weight loss and during stabilized weight reduction. Results: Energy restriction caused an 11% weight loss. Stabilization to the new weight was accompanied by an 11% decrease in the resting metabolic rate normalized to the body cellular mass. A large number of genes were regulated with a narrow range of regulation. The main regulated genes were slow/oxidative fiber markers, which were overexpressed, and the gene encoding the glucose metabolism inhibitor PDK4, which tended to be down-regulated. The knowledge-based approach gene set enrichment analysis showed that a set of genes related to long-term calorie restriction was upregulated, whereas sets of genes related to insulin, interleukin 6, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis were down regulated. Conclusions: Weight loss–induced decreases in resting metabolic rate persist after weight stabilization. Changes in skeletal muscle gene expression indicate a shift toward oxidative metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:125–32.


The first installment of this two-part discussion concluded by stating a single linear measurement (i.e., circular equivalent diameter) may not be adequate to describe a typical non-spherical particle with some degree of surface roughness. There are various definitions and several standardized shape factors available that can provide additional descriptors to a particle population of interest. These valuable shape descriptors can be measured using image analysis. There are numerous examples of how the shape of the particle may influence its behavior, or at least, correlate to a response of interest. Because of this importance, shape factors may be necessary to consider in validated characterization methods. In Part II, case studies are given that illustrate the importance of shape factors and how they may be used to solve various problems.


Instead of optimizing a given system, De Novo Programming is a method based on Linear Programming and designs an optimal system in terms of budget constraints. The reorganized resource amounts are utilized at full capacity with De Novo design, which increases the fulfilment levels of goal functions. While classical optimization problems are modelled with precise data, more flexible results are acquired by defining parameters using fuzzy set theory. Flexibility in resource amounts enables especially medium term production planning. As the flexibility in resource amounts reverberates the budget, it is necessary to define the resource amounts to be used at full capacity. With a proposal of a new approach, this study investigates how the optimal production plan of a real business should be carried out based on Fuzzy Multiobjective Linear Programming. The most distinctive feature of the proposed method is that it does not use the concepts of positive and negative ideal solutions; instead, it utilizes the target function values acquired in regards to the upper and lower limits of the budget.


We consider a multidimensional parameter space formed by inner products of a parameterizable family of chirp functions with a signal under analysis. We propose the use of quadratic chirp functions (which we will call q-chirps for short), giving rise to a parameter space that includes both the time-frequency plane and the time-scale plane as 2-D subspaces. The parameter space contains a "time-frequency-scale volume" and thus encompasses both the short-time Fourier transform (as a slice along the time and frequency axes) and the wavelet transform (as a slice along the time and scale axes). In addition to time, frequency, and scale, there are two other coordinate axes within this transform space: shear in time (obtained through convolution with a q-chirp) and shear in frequency (obtained through multiplication by a q-chirp). Signals in this multidimensional space can be obtained by a new transform, which we call the "q-chirplet transform" or simply the "chirplet transform". The proposed chirplets are generalizations of wavelets related to each other by 2-D affine coordinate transformations (translations, dilations, rotations, and shears) in the time-frequency plane, as opposed to wavelets, which are related to each other by 1-D affine coordinate transformations (translations and dilations) in the time domain only.


Urban development demands on construction aggregates are set to rise dramatically over the coming years within the Stockholm region and a significant environmental challenge will be associated with the large flows of construction aggregates and excavated materials in and out of future development projects respectively. Material banks receive construction and demolition waste (CDW), process this waste and supply recycled aggregates to the construction industry helping to reduce the demand on natural construction minerals. The transportation of these material flows between the material banks and development areas is predominantly by road in the Stockholm region. With the transport sector responsible for almost one third of green-house-gas (GHG) emissions in Sweden, there is a motivation for investigating the environmental benefits of minimising transportation distances of construction aggregates. Quantities of CDW in the form of excavated granular soil and rock from future development locations within a case-study area comprising three municipalities; Botkyrka, Huddinge and Haninge, in the south of Stockholm, have been estimated based on their municipal comprehensive plans up to the year 2030. This has been done with the assistance of an earthworks estimation tool, the ESAR model, developed by Ecoloop AB. Distances between existing and planned material banks and future development areas together with the estimated material quantities have been combined to approximate total vehicle-kilometres for the transportation of these materials under a business-as-usual scenario up until 2030. A comparison has been made to an alternative scenario of strategically located material banks within the case-study area, whereby a methodology has been developed within this study to strategically locate material banks utilising GIS software ArcMap together with land availability map layers for siting material banks previously developed under a separate related study. In comparison to the business-as-usual scenario, one strategically located material bank within the case-study area reduces total material haulage distances of excavated granular soils and rocks from development areas to the material banks by approximately 42% or 3.67 million vehicle-kilometres, equating to a reduction of 3478 tonnes of CO2e throughout the time horizon of this study. Another output from the ESAR model is the estimated construction aggregate demand for sub-surface earthworks backfilling activities. A material flow analysis for the strategically located material bank indicates that the material bank is able to satisfy the sub-surface backfilling construction aggregate demand in the form of recycled aggregates throughout its operation. Considering the flow of recycled aggregates back to development areas for backfilling earthworks activities, a total combined reduction of 45% or 5.54 million vehicle-kilometres of material haulage distance is achievable, equating to a saving of 5248 tonnes of CO2e. Reductions in GHG emissions from strategically located material banks are likely to also be significant beyond the boundaries of this study and warrant further research.


The Poster: Art, Advertising, Design, and Collecting, 1860s-1900s is a cultural history that situates the poster at the crossroads of art, design, advertising, and collecting. Though international in scope, the book focuses especially on France and England. Ruth E. Iskin argues that the avant-garde poster and the original art print played an important role in the development of a modernist language of art in the 1890s, as well as in the adaptation of art to an era of mass media. She moreover contends that this new form of visual communication fundamentally redefined relations between word and image: poster designers embedded words within the graphic, rather than using images to illustrate a text. Posters had to function as effective advertising in the hectic environment of the urban street. Even though initially commissioned as advertisements, they were soon coveted by collectors. Iskin introduces readers to the late nineteenth-century "iconophile"-a new type of collector/curator/archivist who discovered in poster collecting an ephemeral archaeology of modernity. Bridging the separation between the fields of art, design, advertising, and collecting, Iskin's insightful study proposes that the poster played a constitutive role in the modern culture of spectacle. This stunningly illustrated book will appeal to art historians and students of visual culture, as well as social and cultural history, media, and advertising.


Interferometric optical fiber sensors have proved many orders of magnitude more sensitive than their electrical counterparts, but they suffer from limitations in signal demodulation caused by phase ambiguity and complex fringe counting when the output phase difference exceeds one fringe period. Various signal demodulation methods have been developed to overcome some of the these drawbacks with limited success. This thesis proposes a new measurement system for the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) sensor. Using a wavelength modulated source and a novel extended-gap EFPI, some of the limitations of interferometric signal demodulation are overcome. By scanning the output wavelength of a multilongitudinal mode laser diode through current modulation, the EFPI sensor signal is scanned through multiple fringes. Gap movement is then unambiguously determined by monitoring the phase of the multiple fringe pattern.


The Concise Dictionary of Art Terms is an accessible and useful A-Z covering a wide range of terms from the visual art world, including materials, techniques, and important styles and periods. In this new edition, the text has been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in the field. It has also been expanded with more than 100 brand new entries, focusing primarily on modern and contemporary art materials and techniques. The Dictionary has also been enhanced with the addition of over 100 weblinks to selected entries, which are accessed and kept up-to-date via a companion website. These links will add another dimension to the print book by visually illustrating various materials and techniques, whilst also providing easy access to important collections that are freely available online. From abstract art to woodcuts, and the Baroque Revival to ziggurats, this highly browsable dictionary is the ideal reference source for students of Art and all related subjects, for gallery visitors, and for all people interested in the visual arts.


The merits of combining the positive elements of the rule-based and data-driven approaches to MT are clear: a combined model has the potential to be highly accurate, robust, cost-effective to build and adaptable. While the merits are clear, however, how best to combine these techniques into a model which retains the positive characteristics of each approach, while inheriting as few of the disadvantages as possible, remains an unsolved problem. One possible solution to this challenge is the Data-Oriented Translation (DOT) model originally proposed by Poutsma (1998, 2000, 2003), which is based on Data-Oriented Parsing (DOP) (e.g. (Bod, 1992; Bod et al., 2003)) and combines examples, linguistic information and a statistical translation model.

In this thesis, we seek to establish how the DOT model of translation relates to the other main MT methodologies currently in use. We find that this model differs from other hybrid models of MT in that it inextricably interweaves the philosophies of the rule-based, example-based and statistical approaches in an integrated framework.

Although DOT embodies many positive characteristics on a theoretical level, it also inherits the computational complexity associated with DOP. Previous experiments assessing the performance of the DOT model of translation were small in scale and the training data used was not ideally suited to the task (Poutsma, 2000, 2003). However, the algorithmic limitations of the DOT implementation used to perform these experiments prevented a more informative assessment from being carried out. In this thesis, we look to the innovative solutions developed to meet the challenges of implementing the DOP model, and investigate their application to DOT. This investigation culminates in the development of a DOT system; this system allows us to perform translation experiments which are on a larger scale and incorporate greater translational complexity than heretofore. Our evaluation indicates that the positive characteristics of the model identified on a theoretical level are also in evidence when it is subjected to empirical assessment. For example, in terms of exact match accuracy, the DOT model outperforms an SMT model trained and tested on the same data by up to 89.73%.

The DOP and DOT models for which we provide empirical evaluations assume contextfree phrase-structure tree representations. However, such models can also be developed for more sophisticated linguistic formalisms. In this thesis, we also focus on the efforts which have been made to integrate the representations of Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG) with DOP and DOT. We investigate the usefulness of the algorithms developed for DOP (and adapted here to Tree-DOT) when implementing the (more complex) LFG-DOP and LFG-DOT models. We examine how constraints are employed in these models for more accurate disambiguation and seek an alternative methodology for improved constraint specification. We also hypothesise as to how the constraints used to predict both good parses and good translations might be pruned in a motivated fashion. Finally, we explore the relationship between translational equivalence and limited generalisation reusability for both the tree-based and LFG-based DOT models, focussing on how this relationship differs depending on which formalism is assumed.


We propose a probabilistic model for inferring the multivariate function from multiple areal data sets with various granularities. Here, the areal data are observed not at location points but at regions. Existing regression-based models can only utilize the sufficiently fine-grained auxiliary data sets on the same domain (e.g., a city). With the proposed model, the functions for respective areal data sets are assumed to be a multivariate dependent Gaussian process (GP) that is modeled as a linear mixing of independent latent GPs. Sharing of latent GPs across multiple areal data sets allows us to effectively estimate the spatial correlation for each areal data set; moreover it can easily be extended to transfer learning across multiple domains. To handle the multivariate areal data, we design an observation model with a spatial aggregation process for each areal data set, which is an integral of the mixed GP over the corresponding region. By deriving the posterior GP, we can predict the data value at any location point by considering the spatial correlations and the dependences between areal data sets, simultaneously. Our experiments on real-world data sets demonstrate that our model can 1) accurately refine coarse-grained areal data, and 2) offer performance improvements by using the areal data sets from multiple domains.


This works describes the fabrication process of an array of printed MEMS microbridges on polymeric foil, performed in only four easy steps. Each functional material was deposited exclusively by inkjet-printing technique, compatible with large-area fabrication. The array occupies an area of 2 mm × 2 mm and consists of 80 individual microbridges of 120 μm × 80 μm size each. When connecting all the bridges in parallel, the array displays a total capacitance value of 1.5 pF. The potential of the fabricated array has been demonstrated by employing it as a swelling-based capacitive humidity sensor where the polymeric substrate acts directly as the sensing layer.


PD is one of the most common non-curable neurological disorders. It is a progressive disorder that affects movement & develops gradually, starting with a little noticeable tremor in just one hand. In early stages of PD, face may show little or no expression, arms may not swing on walking. Speech may become soft or slurred & over time symptoms worsen as the condition progresses.


textabstractThe testicular gland is the main androgen producing
organ in male animals. The production of androgens is regulated
by LH, secreted by the pituitary. The experimental
work described in this thesis concerns the role of the
rate-limiting step in overall testosterone formation in rat
testis, that is the rnitochondrially localized production of
pregnenolone.
In order to properly characterize cellular and subcellular
fractions used in this study, the presence and distribution
of specific marker enzymes had to be established
in these fractions. Carboxyl esterase has been used to
characterize testicular interstitial tissue. Cytochrome £
oxidase and monoamine oxidase have been applied to identify
mitochondrial fractions, whereas carboxyl esterase,
rotenone-insensitive NADPH-cytochrome £ reductase and
steroid sulfatase have been used as marker enzymes for
microsomal fractions. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and
lactate dehydrogenase were assayed as reference enzymes for
the particle-free supernatant fraction. In appendix paper
I, however, it has been suggested that a small part of lactate
dehydrogenase activity is localized in mitochondria of
specific cell types in the seminiferous tubules.


Most Neoproterozoic and Early Palaeozoic tectonic syntheses place Avalonia and related peri-Gondwanan terranes facing an open ocean along the northern margin of Gondwana, thereby providing important constraints for palaeocontinental reconstructions during that time interval. However, the precise location of Avalonia along the margin and its position relative to other peri-Gondwanan terranes is controversial. We present laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U–Pb data for detrital zircons from Cambrian clastic rocks in two localities in Avalonia: the Antigonish Highlands of Nova Scotia (62 analyses) and the British Midlands (55 analyses). The data from both samples are very similar, and taken together indicate an overwhelming dominance of Neoproterozoic (c. 580–680 Ma) or Early Cambrian source rocks with minor older Neoproterozoic clusters at c. 710 Ma or of Mesoproterozoic age, three Palaeoproterozoic zircons and one Archaean zircon. The zircons can all be derived from local Avalonian sources. The Neoproterozoic zircons are attributed to erosion of the underlying Avalonian arc. Mesoproterozoic and Palaeoproterozoic zircons of similar ages are also found in Avalonian Neoproterozoic clastic rocks and their presence in the Cambrian clastic rocks could represent recycling of Neoproterozoic strata and do not necessarily imply the presence of Mesoproterozoic or Palaeoproterozoic basement rocks within their respective drainage basins. Comparison with the data from the Neoproterozoic arc-related clastic sequences suggests significant differences between their respective drainage systems. Whereas the Neoproterozoic data require extensive drainage systems, the Cambrian data can be attributed to localized drainage systems. The change in drainage patterns could reflect rifting and isolation of Avalonia from Amazonia between c. 585 and 540 Ma. Alternatively, it might reflect the creation of topographical barriers along the northern Gondwanan margin, in a manner analogous to the Cenozoic rise of the Andes or the creation of the Basin-and-Range topography in the Western USA.


With a continuous tradition spanning more than two millennia, funerary texts from ancient Egypt offer an excellent data set for studying how compositions were composed and passed on in the ancient Near East. Clear evidence demonstrates the importance and mechanics of scribal copying in the transmission process. What remain less clear are the methods by which new compositions were created. In some cases, the accretion of scholia, commentary, and exegesis produced new versions of old texts. This is well illustrated by the continuum between Coffin Text ( CT ) spell 335 and Book of the Dead ( BD ) spell 17. In other cases, however, large collections appear in writing for the first time showing few hints at the earlier stages of their production. This is true for the Pyramid Texts ( PT ), whose pre-written forms can only be hypothesized. Fortunately, fragmentary steps from conception to textualization are partially preserved for a relatively little studied corpus from Roman Period Egypt, sometimes known by the title the Demotic Book of Breathing. Despite clearly representing the final stage in the PT-CT-BD tradition, scribes did not create this composition by copying from its predecessors. Instead, a new composition was crafted without direct parallel. In addition, the new text was never fixed, as fifty separate exemplars attest to a core set of formulae that could be added to, subtracted from, or rearranged at will. The variance in this corpus reflects a growing trend toward multiplicity in similar funerary manuscripts from Greco-Roman Egypt. A portion of this variance can be demonstrated to derive from an active oral tradition and it is this oral tradition, I will argue, that provided the raw material for new compositions such as the Demotic Book of Breathing. This paper will therefore address how textual traditions began by looking at the very end of funerary literature in ancient Egypt.


QRQC (Quick Response Quality Control) is one of the most powerful tools of Quality Management. It makes it easier to solve most of the manufacturing and functional problems in a simple and logical way.
 Volume 1 presented QRQC initial steps (Detection, Communication, Analysis and Verification), as well as the first step of the approach ("RESOLUTION").
 In Volume 2, three steps are explained in detail: "Prevention", "Standardization" and "Coaching".
 The step "PREVENTION" aims to permanently eradicate problems, including on other production lines or in other locations or at other customers'.
 The step "STANDARDISATION" involves building on experience from past mistakes through technical reviews, standardizing new robust design standards by using formalisation or updates, then implementing 100% of these design standards to 100% of the projects.
 Finally the third step "COACHING" is probably one of the most important steps in the approach. It presents a practical method of understanding and a training on the "Perfect QRQC" approach as a whole.
 With this second book, the author remains true to the principle that contributed to the success of his previous book: provide simple and educational guidance that is easy to understand by managers and technicians. Enable a practical implementation with positive and measurable results in terms of customer and staff satisfaction. Remember that the management of problems is fundamental to the building of expertise and know-how in a company. Increase product reliability and product design which are the root cause of mutual trust between a supplier and its client.


Background: Business intelligence tools play an important role for businesses across all industries for their data and information management solutions. By harnessing the capabilities of business intelligence, companies are able to predict and better meet customer needs. This study investigates factors that inhibit managers' use of business intelligence tools in a public organisation in South Africa, where there has been evidence of a very low uptake of business intelligence tools. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish factors that inhibit the use of business intelligence and data analytics tools by managers in public organisations. Organisations are likely to lose their competitive advantage and experience a negative impact on efficiency and service delivery if managers do not make use of analytics in strategic decision-making. Methods: The study utilised both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected from managers through interviews, whilst questionnaires and daily login recordings were used to collect quantitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using statistical methods, whilst qualitative data were analysed by thematic analysis. Results: The research revealed a wide range of factors that inhibit the use of business intelligence tools by managers. These factors range from personal, system quality, organisational, macro-environmental, behavioural beliefs and attitudes, effort perceptions and social influence to facilitating conditions. Conclusion: The article provides a comprehensive contextual situation regarding poor use of business intelligence and analytics tools in a large metropolitan public entity. The findings from the organisation under study would be deemed to apply to similar organisations throughout the country.


While the topological and geometrical properties of convex bodies in Banach spaces are quite well understood (including their topological and smooth classification), much less is known about the structure of starlike bodies. Starlike bodies are important objects in nonlinear functional analysis as they appear as level sets of $n$-homogeneous polynomials on Banach spaces. Significant progress in the study of starlike bodies has been done in the last years by the efforts of Manuel Cepedello, Robert Deville, Tadeusz Dobrowolski, Marian Fabian and of the authors of the present survey. Its aim is to present these results in a coherent way, emphasizing the connections between infinite-dimensional topology and nonlinear functional analysis (such as the failure of Rolle's and Brouwer's theorems in infinite dimensions), and leading to new characterizations of smoothness properties of Banach spaces. One of the leading ideas of the paper is the use of bump functions as an instrument to study the properties of starlike bodies.\par The paper is divided into eight sections, their headings reflecting the contents and the organization of the paper: 1. Introduction; 2. Classifying starlike bodies; 3. Smooth Lipschitz contractibility of boundaries of starlike bodies in infinite dimensions; 4. The failure of Rolle's and Brouwer's theorems in infinite dimensions; 5. How small can the range of a derivative be? 6. How large does the range of a derivative look like? 8. Geometrical properties of starlike bodies. The failure of James' theorem for starlike bodies.\par Not all the proofs are given in full detail, the authors' emphasis being rather on the ideas lying behind them and on the connections between various properties and notions, avoiding cumbersome details. This survey is a valuable addition to the existing literature and can be used as a guide to this very active area of investigation in nonlinear functional analysis and infinite-dimensional topology.


The Bounty from the Beach is a collection of cross-disciplinary essays, capitalising on a widely shared fascination for the Bounty story in order to draw scholarly attention to Oceania. It aims to reorient the Bounty focus away from the West, where most Bounty narratives and studies have emerged, to the Pacific, where most of the original events unfolded. It investigates the Bounty heritage from the standpoint of the beach, Greg Dening's metaphor for culture contact and conflict in the Pacific Islands: this liminal place that transforms Islanders and voyagers, islands and ships, each time it is crossed. It analyses the way newcomers create new islands, and how these changes may occasionally impact the world. This volume examines the 'little people', to use another of Dening's expressions, who stand 'on both sides of the beach': they are Polynesian or European or, as beaches are crossed and remade, no longer one without the other, but bound together in processes of change. Among these people are Bounty sailors, beachcombers, Pitcairners and indigenous Pacific Islanders of the past and the present.

This collection also explores the works of some renowned Western writers and actors who, turning mutineers after their own fashion and in their own times, themselves crossed the beach and attempted to illuminate the 'little people' involved in the Bounty narratives. These prominent writers and actors put the spotlight on characters who were silenced on account of race, class or geographical distance from the dominant centres of power. Inspired by Dening's empowering voice, our purpose is to fill that silence.

Just as it criss-crosses the ocean, progressing with the ship through time and space, The Bounty from the Beach ranges far and wide across disciplines, methodologies and scholarly styles. Its multidisciplinary course contributes to illuminate the multiple ways in which the Bounty heritage embraces diverse horizons. It throws light on the colonial discourse that undertook to stifle Pacific Islander agency, and the neocolonial policies that have been applied to Oceania, and still are: hegemonic moves that have led to global environmental, nuclear and ecological hazards. As a whole, the collection contends that what unfolds in this vast ocean matters: the stakes are high for the whole human community.


Schools today are more frequently using punitive discipline practices to control student behavior, despite the greater effectiveness of community-building techniques on compliance that are based on restorative justice principles found in the criminal justice system. Prior research testing the racial threat hypothesis has found that the racial composition of schools is associated with the use of more punitive and less reparative approaches to discipline, just as it has been associated with criminal justice harshness. However, no research to date has assessed the possibility that school-level racial composition may affect the likelihood that specific restorative justice techniques, which are the most commonly used alternative, will be implemented. This study is the first to test the racial threat perspective in relation to use of the restorative practices student conferences, peer mediation, restitution, and community service. Using a national random sample in logistic regression analyses, we find that schools with proportionally more Black students are less likely to use such techniques when responding to student behavior. This finding has several troubling implications for minority students in particular and for education as a whole.


Previous studies of the end-Permian mass extinction have established that it was geologically rapid, but condensed sections have made it difficult to establish the exact timing of the extinction relative to fluctuations in the ocean carbon cycle, oxygen levels, and temperature. Integrated high-precision U-Pb geochronology, biostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy from a highly expanded section at Penglaitan, Guangxi, South China reveal a sudden end-Permian mass extinction that occurred at 251.939 +/- 0.031 Ma, which is temporally coincident with the extinction recorded in Bed 25 of the Meishan section. Despite the significantly expanded nature of the section and extensive collecting of more than ten major marine fossil groups, there is no evidence of a decline of biotic diversity prior to the extinction interval and no Permian-type species survive the extinction at this location. Fossil range data suggest a nearly instantaneous extinction at the top of a narrow stratigraphic interval limited to 31 +/- 31 k.y. The extinction was preceded by and/or accompanied by fluctuations in delta C-13(carb) and delta C-13(org) of 2-3 parts per thousand and 3-5 degrees C in seawater temperature. A larger, more rapid seawater temperature rise of 6-8 degrees C immediately followed the extinction level at Penglaitan. The extinction is spatially associated with a thick unit of tuff and tuffaceous sandstones (Bed 141) indicating massive pyroclastic input. It is correlative with an ash layer (Bed 25) in the deeper water setting at Meishan, where some Permian-type organisms survived the extinction. Our study reveals that the survivability of Permian taxa after the major extinction pulse is variable and dependent upon the severity of environmental perturbation in different sedimentary settings. The sudden extinction may fit a scenario in which the onset of Siberian Traps and South China intensive volcanism similar to 420 k.y. before the extinction may have diminished the ecological resilience of communities and reduced ecological functions with little change in diversity. In such an environmentally stressed condition, a single environmental disturbance could trigger the sudden collapse of global ecosystems.


Purpose: To investigate customer preferences for various product and service offerings by third party logistics providers. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 93 third-party logistics (3PL) customers from Australia participated in a controlled experiment. The research utilised a discrete choice experiement to assess the relative importance of various attributes on the selection of 3PL providers. Findings: This study highlights the dominance of service performance in determining 3PL buyer behaviour. In particular, the results show that reliable delivery (DIFOTEF) is almost twice as important as price, and three times more important than service recovery and relationship factors in determining 3PL choice. Research limitations/implications: Future research will examine the applicability of these finding across different markets, and examine the capabilities required to meet the customer expectations identified in this study. Practical implications: The results of these findings can be utilised within a decision support system to assist in strategy development by predicting the impact of changing managerial actions on customer behaviour. Originality/value: The main contribution of this study relates to its use of a market-utility approach to quantify the relative value of certain attributes impacting on 3PL provider choice.


This case study presents the challenge of declining football attendance that a number of NCAA football programs are facing. The case participants (as members of a hypothetically formed advisory board) are asked to develop adaptive strategies and tactics to respond to this challenge by conducting an in-depth examination of fans' declining stadium attendance and proposing recommendations to the Pac-12 Commissioner's office. Particularly, students are expected to detail the reasons for fans' declining stadium attendance, to identify the short-term and long-term implications of declining stadium attendance, and to specify adaptive (corrective) strategies that can be designed based on Arizona State University's ticket-related marketing initiatives as a template. As a member of the advisory board, students are asked to address a list of questions and provide recommendations to address the challenge.


In NZ, some earthquake-prone heritage buildings have, historically, been restored with lightweight replica ornament to reconstruct decorative features that have been damaged or removed over time. But restoration has traditionally been a contested approach to conservation, particularly when heritage values and authenticity are considered to be intrinsic only to original or historic built fabric. This problem leads to the central research question addressed in this dissertation: 'Can lightweight replica ornament be used to manage the heritage value of earthquake-prone heritage buildings?' The research draws on Critical Heritage Studies which challenges the conventional stress on the intrinsic value of tangible heritage objects, and argues that heritage value is found in the intangible cultural processes that surround things. Consequently, authenticity is seen as pluralised and dependent on the cultural concerns, and aspirations, of local stakeholder communities.  Using the theoretical framework of critical heritage and material culture studies, this dissertation therefore examines a technical aspect of conservation practice by re-theorising the concept of 'restoration'. The research methodology employs an adapted model of Action Research to investigate current professional practice. After analysing the historical context of earthquake-prone heritage buildings in the first chapter, in chapter two qualitative interviews are conducted with professionals who have an interest in the management of earthquake-prone buildings. Through the analysis and discussion of this data, a new actor network model is developed which shows the wider context of the resolution of the earthquake-prone status of heritage buildings.  The findings suggest that professionals believe that heritage value is intrinsic to built fabric, and that the repair of existing built fabric is generally achievable. This means that replica ornament should only be considered for situations where reparability is unfeasible, and that lightweight substitute materials should only be used where traditional materials and technologies can longer be reproduced. Within these constraints it is possible to use lightweight replica ornament where it can be justified as a contributor to cultural heritage values. Furthermore, where professionals can reconcile the varying concerns of stakeholder communities in terms of safety and heritage value then lightweight replica ornament has the potential to add meaning to buildings and to become part of the narrative of place.