This is the first in a series of reports as part of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies Community Sentences project. The project was initially established to investigate and monitor the new Community Order introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 by providing good quality, objective information about the way it was used and managed during a period of great change following the creation of the National Offender Management Service(NOMS). However, as this report demonstrates, soon after the implementation of the Community Order on 4 April 2005, it became clear that the new Suspended Sentence Order, sometimes referred to as 'custody minus', was playing a significant role in sentencing and impacting directly on the work of the Probation Service. The project's remit was therefore expanded to examine the Suspended Sentence Order. These new sentences raise significant issues for the courts, the Probation Service, the wider penal system, and, of course, the offenders who are sentenced. For the courts, they represent a new approach to sentencing that involves delivering a preliminary indication of seriousness prior to the preparation of a pre-sentence report and juggling with a range of possible requirements that can make up either order. For the Probation Service, the arrival of the Community Order and the Suspended Sentence Order, although legally the latter is a custodial sentence, signals the end of operating a variety of different sentences and facing up to the challenges of a single order with a range of possible requirements. With regard to the wider criminal justice system, both sentences – and the Suspended Sentence Order in particular – are part of an attempt to narrow the custody/community divide alongside the creation of a combined prison and probation structure under the National Offender Management Service.1 It is also worth noting that they are both intended to affect the custody rate and to address the issue of uptariffing2 highlighted by the Carter report (Carter 2003) and accepted by the government (Home Office 2004a). For offenders, there is the challenge of understanding and reacting positively to the new sentences which are made up of separate parts, and which may appear fragmented and therefore operate less effectively than they might. The introduction of new court sentences is always a significant event (cf. the Community Service Order, the Combination Order, the Drug Treatment and Testing Order), but the arrival of the Community Order and the Suspended Sentence Order signals a radical and profound change with considerable implications. This report begins by exploring the background to the new sentences and their origins. It looks at the aims of the sentences and the possible problems that may emerge. It presents an analysis of the available sentencing data in order to examine how the sentences are being used (it should be noted that it is still early days for the new sentences) and examines probation officer views about the orders. Finally, it draws conclusions about the extent of the changes that have occurred so far as a result of the introduction of the new orders.


This paper describes a graphics-based system for urban roadway management. The main objective of the system is to select the cost effective maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) projects for small size and medium size cities. The system can be run on any IBM compatible personal computer with a VGA monitor. The system consists of a database, a model base, and a graphics base. The methodology adapted for developing the system is unique because all the three bases are integrated by a graphical interface. Major input data for the system include section identification, construction date, current average daily traffic, truck percentage, traffic increase rate, and overall pavement condition rating for each section or pavement distresses. The basic outputs of the system cover M&R strategy pavement evaluation models, M&R strategy assignment model and M&R project prioritization model. The graphics base includes a street map and various bar charts and scale diagrams. The system is simple and flexible and user-friendly.


Biological DNA Sensor defines the meaning of DNA sensing pathways and demonstrates the importance of the innate immune responses induced by double stranded DNA (dsDNA) through its influencing functions in disease pathology and immune activity of adjuvants for vaccines. Though discussed in specific subsections of existing books, dsDNA and its immunogenic properties has never received the complete treatment given in this book. Biological DNA Sensor approaches the impact of dsDNA's immunogenicity on disease and vaccinology holistically. It paints a complete and concise picture on the topic so you can understand this area of study and make more informed choices for your respective research needs. Chapters are authored by researchers who are renowned for their research focus, ensuring that this book provides the most complete views on the topics. Features include: multi-authored by a distinguished panel of world-class experts; ideal source of information for those wanting to learn about DNA sensing; and, provides in-depth explanations of DNA sensing pathways and the innate immune system, bridging the gap between them.


Unlike fossil-fueled generation, solar energy resources are geographically distributed and highly intermittent, which makes their direct control difficult and requires storage units. The goal of this research is to develop a flexible capacity planning tool, which will allow us to obtain a most economical mixture of capacities from solar generation as well as storage while meeting reliability requirements against fluctuating demand and weather conditions. The tool is based on hybrid (system dynamics and agent-based models) simulation and meta-heuristic optimization. In particular, the proposed tool has been developed for scenarios, where photovoltaic generators and storage units (compressed-air-energy-storage and super-capacitors) are used to supply energy demands in a region characterized by different house-holds considering different times and seasons. The constructed tool has been used to test impact of several factors (e.g. demand growth, efficiencies in PV panel and storage techniques) on the total cost of the system. Initial results look quite promising.


It is shown that the two-by-two Jones-matrix formalism for polarization optics is a six-parameter two-by-two representation of the Lorentz group. The attenuation and phase-shift filters are represented, respectively, by the three-parameter rotation subgroup and the three-parameter Lorentz group for two spatial dimensions and one time dimension. The Lorentz group has another three-parameter subgroup, which is like the two-dimensional Euclidean group. Optical filters that may have this Euclidean symmetry are discussed in detail. It is shown that the Jones-matrix formalism can be extended to some of the nonorthogonal polarization coordinate systems within the framework of the Lorentz-group representation.


One day Alice C. Fletcher realized that "unlike my Indian friends, I was an alien, a stranger in my native land." But while living with the Indians and pursuing her ethnological studies she felt that "the plants, the trees, the clouds and all things had become vocal with human hopes, fears, and supplications." This famous statement comes directly from the preface of this book and was later etched on her tombstone. "I have arranged these dances and games with native songs in order that our young people may recognize, enjoy and share in the spirit of the olden life upon this continent," she wrote. Indian Games and Dances with Native Songs is a collection that conveys the pleasure and meaning of music and play and rhythmic movement for American Indians. Many of the activities here described are adapted from ceremonials and sports. Included is a "drama in five dances" celebrating the life of corn. "Calling the Flowers" is an appeal to spirits dwelling underground to join the dancers. Still another dramatic dance, with accompanying songs, petitions clouds to leave the sky. The Festival of Joy, an ancient Omaha ceremony, is centered on a sacred tree. In the second part Indian ball games and games of hazard and guessing are set forth, as well as the popular hoop and javelin game. Fletcher closes with a section on Indian names. Alice C. Fletcher, the foremost woman anthropologist in the United States in the nineteenth century, is also the author, with Francis La Flesche, of A Study of Omaha Indian Music and the two-volume Omaha Tribe. Both titles are available as Bison Books. Helen Myers is the coauthor of Folk Music in the United States: An Introduction.


This research examined the potential spatial and management implications of cruise ship passenger activity in mid and back-country regions of the North Coast of British Columbia. Research efforts included case study reviews of three prominent Alaskan cruise ports. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping was used to display shore excursion spatial patterns, while land and resource management challenges were compiled and categorized. This information was used as a guide for examining potential development patterns on the North Coast land and resource base. Discussions with key North Coast informants, a review of current cruise ship development plans, and examination of spatial tourism data provided an understanding of regional conditions. Through the integration of existing tourism information for the North Coast with Alaskan findings, the potential spatial patterns of cruise ship passenger activity were developed. In addition, the range of management challenges related to cruise passenger activity outside of front-country regions were presented in a North Coast context. Research findings indicated most potential shore excursion activity would be concentrated within relatively close proximity to the port destination. However, tours to unique or charismatic destinations at significant distances from the port could be expected. This study revealed that a high quality land and resource base will need to be maintained to support a viable cruise ship industry in the North Coast. The identified spatial patterns highlight probable use zones, while the discussion of management challenges and potential mitigation highlight potential challenges for mid and back-country locations. This information, when considered in land use planning processes, should enable more sustainable forms of development.


Abstract Membrane receptors for d-Trp6-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (d-Trp6-LH-RH), somatostatin-14 (SS-14), and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were estimated in MXT mammary cancers of mice using sensitive multipoint micromethods. The receptors were characterized in untreated animals and following in vivo treatment with microcapsules of the agonist d-Trp6-LH-RH and the somatostatin analog RC-160, which strongly inhibited tumor growth. In the control group, d-Trp6-LH-RH was bound to the single class of saturable, specific, noncooperative receptor sites (Kd , = 29.3 ± 8.48 × 10-9 M; Bmax = 4.55 ± 0.31 pmol/mg membrane protein). Treatment with d-Trp6-LH-RH alone or in combination with RC-160 produced down-regulation of membrane receptors for d-Trp6-LH-RH on MXT mammary tumor cells. RC-160 alone and ovariectomy were without effect on d-Trp6-LH-RH receptors. On the membrane surface of MXT mammary cells, we found one class of high affinity, specific, saturable binding sites for SS-14 (Kd = 4.4 ± 1.9 × 10-9 M; Bmax = 0.58 ± 0.21 pmol/mg membrane protein). Treatment with RC-160 alone or combined with d-Trp6-LH-RH significantly increased both the dissociation binding constant (K d = 18.6 ± 3.5 × 10-9 and 10.1 ± 0.7 × 10-9 M, respectively) and the binding capacity (Bmax = 13.98 ± 1.7 and 21.00 ± 4.0 pmol/mg membrane protein, respectively). We also found specific binding sites (K d = 3.01 ± 0.15 × 10-9 M; Bmax = 2.24 ± 0.96 pmol/mg membrane protein) for IGF-I in the membrane fractions of MXT mammary cancers. Chronic treatment with d-Trp6-LH-RH and RC-160 alone or in combination, as well as ovariectomy, significantly decreased the dissociation binding constant of IGF-I membrane receptors on MXT mammary cells. Our results strongly suggest an important role of LH-RH, SS-14, and IGF-I in the growth of MXT mammary carcinoma. Changes in characteristics of receptors after treatment with analogs of LH-RH and SS-14 along with tumor growth inhibition provide additional support for the direct effect of these peptides on tumor cells. A possible significance of these findings as applied to a clinical environment is discussed.


Migratory marine species present challenges for conservation because of complex threats within their pelagic dispersal zones, including coastal foraging areas and extensive migration pathways, or at breeding grounds. To better understand the connectivity between green turtle rookeries and foraging populations, we sequenced the mtDNA control region of 987 turtles from 6 major foraging grounds on a ~2300 km longitudinal transect off eastern Australia, and used mixed stock analysis (MSA) to estimate their natal origins. We investigated variation in natal origins within different size classes and over spatial and temporal scales and compared this to approximately 30 yr of mark-recapture data. For adult turtles, we found that the northern Great Barrier Reef (nGBR) genetic stock dominated in the northern feeding grounds while the southern Great Barrier Reef (sGBR) and Coral Sea stocks dominated in the south, with a changeover of dominating stock occurring between 14° and 20°S. However, at the 3 most northern feeding grounds, we found an unexpected decrease (17-30%) in the proportion of nGBR turtles among small immature turtles relative to large immatures and adults. Four possible hypotheses were explored, with the 2 most plausible being that (1) small immature turtles from the sGBR and other rookeries first settle in nGBR feeding grounds, but later shift to other feeding grounds as they mature, or (2) a reduced hatching success for decades from the main nGBR rookery at Raine Island has resulted in reduced recruitment into the nGBR feeding ground from this stock. These results may indicate an alarming reduction in hatching success at the largest known green turtle rookery in the world.


SUMMARY This paper deals with the analysis and design of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing interleavedivision multiple-access (OFDM-IDMA). We begin with the analysis of the information-theoretical advantages of non-orthogonal transmission schemes in fading multiple-access channels. We then turn attention to practical design issues. A signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) evolution technique is developed to predict the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of OFDM-IDMA. This technique is applied to system design and optimisation. Through proper power allocation, OFDM-IDMA can achieve the multi-user gain (MUG) predicted by information-theoretical analysis. It is also an attractive option in compensating for the clipping effect caused by peak-power limitation. Numerical examples show that OFDM-IDMA can (i) alleviate the PAPR problem commonly suffered by OFDM-based schemes; (ii) deliver significant MUG compared with other orthogonal alternatives; (iii) provide robust communications in frequency-selective channels; and (iv) support high single-user throughput. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this study we investigate methods for fitting a Statistical Shape Model (SSM) to intraoperatively acquired point cloud data from a surgical navigation system. We validate the fitted models against the pre-operatively acquired Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data from the same patients.

We consider a cohort of 10 patients who underwent navigated total knee arthroplasty. As part of the surgical protocol the patients' distal femurs were partially digitized. All patients had an MRI scan two months pre-operatively. The MRI data were manually segmented and the reconstructed bone surfaces used as ground truth against which the fit was compared. Two methods were used to fit the SSM to the data, based on (1) Iterative Closest Points (ICP) and (2) Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM).

For both approaches, the difference between model fit and ground truth surface averaged less than 1.7 mm and excellent correspondence with the distal femoral morphology can be demonstrated.


The Tox21 Data Challenge has been the largest effort of the scientific community to compare computational methods for toxicity prediction. This challenge comprised 12,000 environmental chemicals and drugs which were measured for 12 different toxic effects by specifically designed assays. We participated in this challenge to assess the performance of Deep Learning in computational toxicity prediction. Deep Learning has already revolutionized image processing, speech recognition, and language understanding but has not yet been applied to computational toxicity. Deep Learning is founded on novel algorithms and architectures for artificial neural networks together with the recent availability of very fast computers and massive datasets. It discovers multiple levels of distributed representations of the input, with higher levels representing more abstract concepts. We hypothesized that the construction of a hierarchy of chemical features gives Deep Learning the edge over other toxicity prediction methods. Furthermore, Deep Learning naturally enables multi-task learning, that is, learning of all toxic effects in one neural network and thereby learning of highly informative chemical features. In order to utilize Deep Learning for toxicity prediction, we have developed the DeepTox pipeline. First, DeepTox normalizes the chemical representations of the compounds. Then it computes a large number of chemical descriptors that are used as input to machine learning methods. In its next step, DeepTox trains models, evaluates them, and combines the best of them to ensembles. Finally, DeepTox predicts the toxicity of new compounds. In the Tox21 Data Challenge, DeepTox had the highest performance of all computational methods winning the grand challenge, the nuclear receptor panel, the stress response panel, and six single assays (teams ``Bioinf@JKU''). We found that Deep Learning excelled in toxicity prediction and outperformed many other computational approaches like naive Bayes, support vector machines, and random forests.


Geoffrey Bolton was born on Bulwer Street in Perth, overlooking Perth Oval. He went on to win a scholarship to Wesley College and pursued his love of history at the University of Western Australia.

He says he his honours thesis on Alexander Forrest (because his statue was opposite Geoffrey's tram stop at the time) and his study of the Forrest family ignited his interest in the Kimberley, where he also travelled to do research.

Bolton went on to complete a DPhil at Balliol College at Oxford University, writing a thesis on the union of England and Ireland.

He returned to Australia in 1957, where he had a long academic career at the Australian National University, Monash, the University of Queensland, was the Foundation Professor of History at Murdoch University in 1973.

Bolton retired from academia in 1996 and served as the Chancellor of Murdoch University from July 2002 to November 2006.


This paper uses contextual explanations of regional governance to explore how the limitations to voluntary regionalism can lead to the more centralized, more regulated method of using regional special districts. An ICA perspective is used to discuss the range of choices in institutional arrangements available to jurisdictions. Motivations that jurisdictions may have to use more versus less autonomous methods of ICA are outlined to frame how regional districts fall within this spectrum. A rational choice perspective is also employed to identify the collective and selective benefits that motivate local actors to cooperate, as well as identify the potential transaction cost barriers to doing so. The analysis of this piece focuses on three specific types of special districts (fire, hospital and library districts) that are compared within the context of motivations to regional collective action. The assumptions from this analysis suggest that regional districts will act as a substitute for voluntary cooperation when the individual and collective benefits are threatened by high transaction costs. These assumptions are worked into sets of contextual propositions about how regional districts can present themselves as mechanisms of addressing collective action problems where substantial transaction cost barriers to voluntary cooperative efforts exist.


Bacteria can detect their density and alter their behavior based on the accumulation and detection of secreted signaling molecules in a process called quorum sensing. Haas et al. showed that, in Enterococcus faecalis, the toxin cytolysin acts to induce its own production through a quorum-sensing signaling cascade. The quorum-sensing and increased transcriptional activity of the operon requires the presence of two genes (cylR1 and cylR2), located upstream of the cytolysin operon and oriented opposite to the operon for the purposes of expression. These two genes encode novel proteins: cylR1 encodes a protein with three predicted transmembrane helices (the putative receptor), and cylR2 encodes a protein with a helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif (the putative response regulator). Using a reporter construct, Haas et al. showed that mutation of deletion of either of cylR1or cylR2 resulted in constitutive activity of the cyl promoter and loss of cytolysin-stimulated increase in gene expression. Dunny discusses how this cytolysin pathway represents a third mechanism for quorum-sensing, in addition to the known two-component histidine kinase pathways and the import to intracellular receptor signaling pathways. W. Haas, B. D. Shepard, M. S. Gilmore, Two-component regulator of Enterococcus faecalis cytolysin responds to quorum-sensing autoinduction. Nature 415, 84-87 (2002). [Online Journal] G. M. Dunny, Group effort in toxin synthesis. Nature 415, 33-34 (2002). [Online Journal]


This thesis concerned the potential influence of talk on learning to teach primary science and was based on two case studies involving primary science trainee teachers and primary school science coordinators. The overall question for the thesis was: how may 'talk' with a primary school science coordinator influence a trainee learning to teach science during a placement? This study adopted a lens that acknowledged the importance of people and contexts for learning to teach. Extant research on science coordinators' responsibilities, talk features and mentoring literature, as well as my own background as a science teacher and teacher educator informed and framed the study. A collective instrumental case study provided a methodological context for gathering qualitative data from interactions between two primary school trainee teachers and two science coordinators in primary schools. These participants were in two primary schools where the trainees were placed during the second year of a Bachelor of Education degree at a university in the Midlands, England. A participant observation strategy combined with a semi-structured interview protocol and participants' reflective diaries were employed as research instruments. Three linguistic features of talk were analysed: topics in sequences of utterances, types of utterances spoken by the science coordinator and 'we-statements' spoken by trainees and science coordinators. Eight common topics emerged with science coordinators giving more information than instructions or questions and employing the use of 'we- statements' more than trainees. Trainees' 'I-statements' altered during the placement. Factors influencing linguistic features included science coordinators' prior experiences of ITT mentoring, school practices in teaching science, and topics of talk. The study findings suggest three main ways in which talk may influence a trainee learning to teach science in a primary school. Firstly, talk may influence trainees 'thinking and doing' science; secondly, talk may influence trainees' perceptions about their 'achievements' and thirdly, talk may influence trainees' feelings about science teaching. In making explicit how trainee teachers and science coordinators talk, this study helps to inform how talk may influence learning to teach primary science. From the findings, a new analogy emerged to support an understanding of 'scaffolded' learning for trainees through their zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1978): 'talk molecules'. 'Talk molecules' visualise linguistic features of talk for a particular topic such that multiple 'talk molecules' create a 'talk space' which may act as stimuli for learning. This new analogy contributes new knowledge to an understanding of how talk may influence a trainee learning to teach science.


In designing a parallel machine to support virtual shared memory, an important consideration is whether the main memory should be conventional or (set-) associative. This is the main distinction between so-called CC-NUMA and COMA architectures. A related issue is what additional caches are needed in the memory hierarchy. In this article we investigate the consequences on price and performance of different choices of component in the memory hierarchy, assuming set-associative caches and a main memory which is either conventional or set-associative. We use analytic models driven by accurate miss ratios determined from actual parallel executions of a range of realistic benchmarks. We make cost assumptions based on published figures for different types of storage component. Our results show that, for many programs, CC-NUMA machines need a large coherent cache, often equalling the size of the main memory, in order to achieve good price-performance. As a consequence, optimal CC-NUMA and COMA configurations tend to need set-associative memories of similar size, and show rather little difference in price-performance. Optimal COMA configurations tend to be more general purpose, as one can find a configuration that is nearly optimal in price-performance for all applications that we used, while optimal CC-NUMA configurations tend to be more application specific.


Data from monitoring reports of the European Commission consistently indicate that Lithuania is among the best performers in transposing and implementing EU law. This article analyses whether this is really the case. Through two case studies – the second gas Directive 2003/55/EC and the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant – the paper attempts to verify and explain the results of the monitoring report and finds that, in reality, implementation appears more problematic. Non-compliance due to neglect at the administrative level is not an issue, as the process of EU law implementation in Lithuania is well organized. Special planning and monitoring mechanisms and tools developed to ensure transposition and implementation of the acquis remained in place in Lithuania after EU accession. On the other hand, these mechanisms are unable to cope with cases of voluntary non-implementation, which is now practiced more often than previously. However, fear of sanctions and reputational damage has replaced pre-accession conditionality as the main driver of compliance, and effectively limits the number of cases of voluntary non-implementation.


In mammalian primary visual cortex (V1), layer 4 is the major input layer. It receives direct thalamocortical inputs, performs some of the earliest cortical computations and provides the main entrance of sensory information to the cortex. The first part of the current project investigated the response properties of two major cells classes in layer 4 of the awake rabbit V1: putative fastspike inhibitory interneurons (suspected inhibitory interneurons, SINs) and putative excitatory cells with simple receptive fields. The results show that the properties of these layer 4 populations are markedly distinct. SINs are far less linear, more broadly tuned to orientation, direction, spatial/temporal frequency, are more sensitive to contrast, have much higher spontaneous and stimulus-driven activity than simple cells, and they always had spatially overlapping ON/OFF receptive subfields. Furthermore, cross correlation between lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and SIN spike trains confirmed a fast and precisely timed monosynaptic connectivity. The second part of the project investigated the effects of alert/nonalert awake brain states on the response properties of layer 4 SINs and simple cells. It was previously shown that different brain states profoundly affect the receptive field properties, spontaneous firing rates, and spike-train statistics of neurons in the LGN. The results of the current project show that, in layer 4, alertness increases the strength and reliability of visual responses in layer 4 simple cells; it broadens their temporal frequency tuning but preserves their contrast sensitivity and selectivity for orientation, direction of motion and spatial frequency. Alertness also increased the amplitude and reliability of visual responses in layer 4 SINs but reduced their high spontaneous rate. Therefore, the net effect on SINs could be either enhancement or reduction of mean firing rate. Finally, alertness selectively suppressed the responses of layer 4 simple cells to stimuli moving orthogonal to the preferred direction and high contrast stimuli, effectively enhancing their responses to mid-contrast moving borders. Simulations of a direction/orientation detection model further demonstrate that enhanced response to preferred stimulation, increased reliability and stimulus-dependent suppression seen in layer 4 simple cells during the alertness can each contribute to increased cortical computational speed.


The IASB/FASB exposure draft ED 2013 on lease accounting, if introduced as a standard, will fundamentally change the way that leases are accounted for and reported in financial statements. This paper seeks to provide information on the proposed new lease accounting rules and to illustrate their impact on financial statements and financial ratios of leading Australian companies. The study follows the method of constructive capitalisation developed by Imhoff et al. (1991) to demonstrate the potential impact of the new rules on financial ratios and financial statements. The results show that financial statements will change significantly when all lease assets and liabilities are capitalised. The study finds that lease capitalisation will have a material impact on the reported numbers in the balance sheet and income statement and result in significant changes to return and leverage ratios. A comparison between positive and negative income subgroups also shows significant changes in the financial ratios of both these sub- groups. This is the first Australian study that serves to provide computations of the effects on financial reporting changes in lease accounting standard. The results have practical implications for corporate managers and accounting practitioners in planning and formulating strategies to lessen the impact of this important change in lease accounting.


This paper takes the recent article "Mapping Urban Social Divisions" by BALL and PETSIMERIS, published in FQS, as a starting point for discussing the role of maps for visualizing knowledge and as an object of research in the social sciences. The paper draws on the theoretical approach of "critical cartography" which changed the conception of maps and the practice of mapmaking since the early 1990s. Critical cartography is deeply informed by a poststructuralist critique of knowledge and truth. Maps, no longer conceptualized as graphical images of reality where the only concern is the quality of the data, are powerful actors in the social construction of reality.
URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1003281


Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a low-grade B-cell malignancy that transforms into a highly aggressive and lethal disease at a rate of 2% per year. Perfect isolation of the malignant B-cell population from a surgical biopsy is a significant challenge, masking important FL biology, such as immune checkpoint coexpression patterns. To resolve the underlying transcriptional networks of follicular B-cell lymphomas, we analyzed the transcriptomes of 34 188 cells derived from 6 primary FL tumors. For each tumor, we identified normal immune subpopulations and malignant B cells, based on gene expression. We used multicolor flow cytometry analysis of the same tumors to confirm our assignments of cellular lineages and validate our predictions of expressed proteins. Comparison of gene expression between matched malignant and normal B cells from the same patient revealed tumor-specific features. Malignant B cells exhibited restricted immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain expression (either Igκ or Igλ), as well the expected upregulation of the BCL2 gene, but also downregulation of the FCER2, CD52, and major histocompatibility complex class II genes. By analyzing thousands of individual cells per patient tumor, we identified the mosaic of malignant B-cell subclones that coexist within a FL and examined the characteristics of tumor-infiltrating T cells. We identified genes coexpressed with immune checkpoint molecules, such as CEBPA and B2M in regulatory T (Treg) cells, providing a better understanding of the gene networks involved in immune regulation. In summary, parallel measurement of single-cell expression in thousands of tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes can be used to obtain a systems-level view of the tumor microenvironment and identify new avenues for therapeutic development.


CHRIS /Proba is a multiviewing hyperspectral sensor that monitors the earth in five different zenith angles +55°, +36°, nadir, −36° and −55° with a spatial resolution of 17 m and within a spectral range of 400–1050 nm in mode 3. These multiviewing images are suitable for constructing a super resolved high resolution image that can reveal the mixed pixel of the hyperspectral image. In the present work, an attempt is made to find the location of various features constituted within the 17m mixed pixel of the CHRIS image using various super resolution reconstruction techniques. Four different super resolution reconstruction techniques namely interpolation, iterative back projection, projection on to convex sets (POCS) and robust super resolution were tried on the −36, nadir and +36 images to construct a super resolved high resolution 5.6 m image. The results of super resolution reconstruction were compared with the scaled nadir image and bicubic convoluted image for comparision of the spatial and spectral property preservance. A support vector machine classification of the best super resolved high resolution image was performed to analyse the location of the sub pixel features. Validation of the obtained results was performed using the spectral unmixing fraction images and the 5.6 m classified LISS IV image.


Does God want us to be wealthy? Many people believe that God offers not only eternal joy in the hereafter but also material blessings in the here and now. Other Christians see this "prosperity theology," as nothing more than vulgar materialism, incompatible with orthodox Christianity. In Righteous Riches, Milmon F. Harrison examines the Word of Faith movement, an independent, non-denominational Christian movement that preaches the so-called "health and wealth gospel." Drawing on his personal experiences as a former insider and in-depth interviews with members, Harrison takes us inside the movement, revealing what it is like to belong, and how people accept, reject, and reshape Word of Faith doctrines to fit their own lives. Analyzing the movement's appeal to African Americans, Harrison argues that, because of their history of oppression and discrimination, African American religious institutions have always had to address the material - as well as spiritual - concerns of their members. Situating the movement in thecontexts of both contemporary American religions and the history of the Black Church, Righteous Riches offers a fascinating look at a quintessentially American phenomenon.


Modern businesses are recognising the power of innovation through design thinking to sustain innovation and growth in today's competitive markets. Design is now becoming a holistic process and there is emerging need for future business leaders to understand the underlying processes of design thinking in an urge to innovate. This paper introduces a framework in design thinking to encourage information systems (IS) and management students to foster their creativity and innovation capabilities, and also improve their metacognitive skills. The framework is used to develop and implement teaching methods that increasingly focus on agility and innovation. An exploration of steps of implementing this framework in teaching introductory to high level university subjects is discussed. One of the key goals of the framework was to ensure that students learn early in their studies that design thinking is not only about identifying new ideas, but how the ideas can be externalised and differentiated to get commercial acceptances. Idea management tools are introduced in some subjects to help students follow through their brainstormed ideas, building blocks management and on-going evaluations by peers. This process has helped to spawn new solutions based on what is discussed within their group. Through the use of these tools the experiential journey of learning in collaborative environment has allowed students to interact with their peers, encourage and motivate students to participate and learn better in an effective and efficient manner.


This article describes the American Board of Behavioral Psychology (ABBP) and how it can assist you in maximizing your potential as a behaviorally-oriented professional psychologist. The mission of the board is to grant board certification in Behavioral Psychology to qualified behavioral psychologists after a competency-based examination. As a board certified psychologist (Diplomate), you will be on a par with board certified physicians and other similar professionals. Furthermore, possession of the diploma makes it easier for psychologists to be licensed in many other states. Some managed care companies increasingly look for the possession of credentials such as board certification and other employers recognize such specialty credentialing as well. In some employment settings, increased pay schedules may be possible for board certified psychologists. Finally, possession of the diploma informs the professional community that the holder is a recognized specialist in behavioral psychology as demonstrated through a competency-based examination presented by peers. Because of this competency-based assessment, a diploma from ABBP is recognized as the "gold standard" of professional practice in this specialty. ********** In order to provide behaviorally-oriented psychologists with the opportunity to demonstrate their specialty competencies, the American Board of Behavioral Psychology was formed in 1987 and incorporated shortly thereafter. After an initial phase of negotiation with and monitoring by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), ABBP was incorporated into ABPP as a specialty member board in 1992. ABPP has been certifying psychological specialists since 1948. I was the first Behavioral Psychology representative to ABPP's Board of Trustees, serving from 1993 through 1996. Dick Suinn, former AABT President and Past President of APA, was the Behavioral Psychology representative from 1997 through 2000. Christine Nezu began her term this year as the third Behavioral Psychology representative. The General Eligibility Criteria for the Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology are as follows: 1. Psychologists must be of good moral character, scientific integrity, and professional standing. Their conduct must be in accordance with the prevailing ethical principles of the American Psychological Association or the Canadian Psychological Association, as appropriate to the location of their practice. 2. An earned doctorate in psychology is required that is APA accredited or met equivalent standards at the time the degree was awarded. 3. State or regional licensure or certification at the level of independent practice is required in the state in which the psychologist practices. 4. Three years of experience in one or more aspects of behavioral psychology; one of which may be pre-doctoral, as well as appropriate supervision in behavioral psychology is required. The board recognizes that not all of a candidate's experience may be in behavioral psychology. 5. Membership and participation in professional organizations which have identifiable purposes that are congruent with those of ABBP. The process of acquiring board certification in Behavioral Psychology consists of three phases. In Phase One (Application Phase), the candidate obtains the ABBP application packet from the ABPP Central Office, completes it, and submits it with copies of the following documents: * Current psychology license * Current curriculum vita * Official school transcripts * Supervisor rating forms from two former supervisors * Colleague rating forms from two or three current or past colleagues/peers * Candidates who are members of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Professional Psychology are presumed to have met the General Eligibility Criteria. In Phase Two (Work Sample Phase), candidates are invited to submit four copies of at least one work sample of his/her typical practice as a behavioral psychologist. …


Filled with serendipitous connections and contrasts, this volume of Mississippiana covers four hundred years. It begins with a selection from ""A Gentleman from Elvas,"" written in 1541, and ends with an essay the novelist Ellen Douglas wrote in 1996 on the occasion of the Atlanta Olympic games. In between is a chronology of some one hundred nonfictional narratives that portray the distinctiveness of life in Mississippi. Most are reprinted, but some are published here for the first time. Each section of this anthology reveals an aspect of Mississippi's past or present. Here are narratives that depict the settlement of the land by pioneers, the lasting heritage of the Civil War, the pleasures and the pastimes of Mississippians, their food, art, rituals, and religion, the terrain and the travelers, and the conflicts that brought enormous changes to both the landscape and the population. In its wide cultural perspective A Place Called Mississippi includes an early description of the Chickasaws, a narrative of a former slave, ""Soggy"" Sweat's famous ""Whiskey Speech"" on Prohibition, and an account of how W. C. Handy discovered the blues in a deserted train station in Tutwiler, Mississippi. Among the selections are narratives by Jefferson Davis, Belle Kearney, Walter Anderson, Ida B. Wells, Richard Wright, Craig Clai-borne, Richard Ford, William Faulkner, and Eudora Welty. Written by and about blacks, whites, Native Americans, and others, these fascinating accounts convey a variety of impressions about a real place and about real people whose colorful history is large, ever-changing, and ever-mystifying. Marion Barnwell is a professor of English at Delta State University.


We study pursuit-evasion games for mobile robots and their applications to collision avoidance. In the first part of the paper, under the assumption that the pursuer and the evader (possibly subject to physical constraints) share the same roadmap to plan their strategies, we present sound and complete strategies for three different games. In the second part, we utilize the pursuit-evasion results to post-process the workspace and/or configuration space and obtain a collision probability map of the environment. Next, we present a probabilistic method to utilize this map and plan trajectories which minimize the collision probability for independent robots.


Diptera is one of the major groups of insects that contribute to organic matter decomposition, including several species of Calliphoridae and Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) has been recorded as the principal species that colonizes carrion in the Comarca Lagunera of Coahuila. An experiment was conducted during spring and summer of 2010 in order to study the larval development as well as to know the complete life cycle of C. rufifacies. It was divided in two stages at Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro-Unidad Laguna facilities. In the first stage 4 chicken carcasses were used, whereas in the second, 4 pig heads were used as necrotraps. Pregnant females of C. rufifacies were collected, which were reared to obtained eggs and study the biological cycle until adult emergence. Five larvae specimens were measured every four hours, recording its length and diameter and instar changes. Temperature in the breeding room was recorded to calculate degree days accumulated (DDA) for this species. During spring C. rufifacies accumulated 192.57 DD while in the summer it accumulated 190.69 DD, these amounts were necessary to complete the cycle from the egg to adult emergence. During spring and summer C. rufifacies pupated in 96 hours after egg hatching. The results of this study contribute to knowledge of C. rufifacies biology as well as increasing the sarcosaprophagous fauna database of the Comarca Lagunera, especially in Torreon, Coahuila.


In this highly pertinent issue, guest-editor Nic Clear questions received notions of the future. Are the accepted norms of economic growth and expansion the only means by which society can develop and prosper? Should the current economic crisis be making us call into question a future of unlimited growth? Can this moment of crisis – economic, environmental and technological – enable us to make more informed choices about the type of future that we want and can actually achieve? Architectures of the Near Future offers a series of alternative voices, developing some of the neglected areas of contemporary urban life and original visions of what might be to come. Rather than providing simplistic and seductive images of an intangible shiny future, it rocks the cosy world of architecture with polemical blasts.

Draws on topics as diverse as synthetic space, psychoanalysis, Postmodern geography, post-economics, cybernetics and developments in neurology.

Includes an exploration of the work of JG Ballard.
Features the work of Ben Nicholson.


Modification and reference in the Chinese nominal investigates the encoding of referential properties in the Chinese nominal. This study argues that even though Chinese does not have articles, the encoding of referential properties can still be detected by looking at modified noun phrases. This study proposes a theory for the encoding of specificity and definiteness in the Chinese nominal based on Cantonese, Mandarin and Wenzhou data.
By manipulating the positions of modifiers, it is shown that in Chinese, some structure to the left of the Numeral Phrase is responsible for the encoding of specificity, an observation that is obscured in unmodified noun phrases. This motivates the existence of a projection called the Specificity Phrase in Chinese. The Specificity Phrase is present in all specific noun phrases but absent in non-specific ones. The tie between specificity and definiteness is captured by an AGREE relation between the Specificity Phrase and the Classifier Phrase. The latter is where definiteness is encoded. The interplay between the two projections determines the overall referential properties of a noun phrase.
Modifiers in Chinese come in two types. They appear either bare or with a modification marker element. The two types of modifiers interact differently with the referential property of the noun phrase and deserve different structural status. This study argues that bare modifiers are specifiers and marker modifiers are adjuncts, motivated by their distinct distributions and licensing requirements.
The theory proposed here has been extended to non-Chinese languages like Miao and Zhuang.
This thesis is of relevance to anyone interested in the study of the referential properties of noun phrases, nominal modification, or in the study of different languages in China.


Distributed sensor networks are quickly gaining recognition as viable embedded computing platforms. Current techniques for programming sensor networks are cumbersome, inflexible, and low-level. We introduce EnviroTrack, an object-based distributed middleware system that raises the level of programming abstraction by providing a convenient and powerful interface to the application developer geared towards tracking the physical environment. EnviroTrack is novel in its seamless integration of objects that live in physical time and space into the computational environment of the application. Performance results demonstrate the ability of the middleware to track realistic targets.


Abstract In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the cognitive foundations of religion and experimental methods have been used to explain religious behaviours. However, in the world, there are a substantial number of non-believers (atheists), and this has been a largely unknown field for experimental and more basic research informed by cognitive science. This has now changed and in this review, I cover three domains of study. First, studies in which belief in God has been manipulated in the direction of showing less belief are reviewed. For example, it is shown that analytical thinking reduces religious belief. Second, recent studies on cognitive bias against atheists are covered showing that atheists are distrusted, elicit disgust and are viewed as immoral both explicitly and implicitly. Third, I review studies in which prejudice against atheists has been experimentally manipulated showing that it is possible to reduce bias against atheists. I conclude the paper arguing that the bias against atheists need to be investigated in the Scandinavian countries.


The faunistic investigations of the Chilka Lake conducted during 1914-15
by the Zoological Survey of India under the direction of late Dr. Nelson
Annandale brought out the richness and variety of the fauna and the very
remarkable ecological features associated with it. An exhaustive collection
of fishes made during the survey was described by Chaudhury (1916 a,
1916 6; 1917 and 1923) and Hora (1923) and of the prawns and crabs by
Kemp (1915). Being an essentially faunistic survey little work was done
from the point of view of fisheries, which were then of local importance
only, as all the surplus catches of fish were converted into cured or dried fish
and sent to districts in the interior, mainly the former " Native States " of
the Orissa State. The growing demand for fresh fish from Calcutta market
since World War I, however, has made the Chilka Lake a very important
fishing centre, and with the use of ice as a preservative, curing and drying
declined considerably, the greater part of the catches being exported in fresh
condition. The growth of the fish trade since the pre-war days and the
various factors influencing it have been described by Mitra (1946) in his
scheme for the development of the Chilka Lake, but our knowledge of the
biology of the fish and the fisheries of the Lake has remained very meagre.
The Chilka Lake was chosen as one of the centres of estuarine fishery
observations, because of the existence of certain favourable conditions, viz.,
the compactness of the area, the very low local demand resulting in the
export of almost the entire catches in fresh condition, the existence of only
a single channel and route of export {i.e., rail) facilitating the collection of
statistics, and the co-operation of the State Fisheries Department.


IceVal DatAssistant is software (see figure) that provides an automated, interactive solution for the management of data from research on aircraft icing. This software consists primarily of (1) a relational database component used to store ice shape and airfoil coordinates and associated data on operational and environmental test conditions and (2) a graphically oriented database access utility, used to upload, download, process, and/or display data selected by the user. The relational database component consists of a Microsoft Access 2003 database file with nine tables containing data of different types. Included in the database are the data for all publicly releasable ice tracings with complete and verifiable test conditions from experiments conducted to date in the Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel. Ice shapes from computational simulations with the correspond ing conditions performed utilizing the latest version of the LEWICE ice shape prediction code are likewise included, and are linked to the equivalent experimental runs. The database access component includes ten Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (VB) form modules and three VB support modules. Together, these modules enable uploading, downloading, processing, and display of all data contained in the database. This component also affords the capability to perform various database maintenance functions — for example, compacting the database or creating a new, fully initialized but empty database file. This program was written by Laurie H. Levinson of Glenn Research Center. Further information is contained in a TSP (see page 1). Inquiries concerning rights for the commercial use of this invention should be addressed to NASA Glenn Research Center, Innovative Partnerships Office, Attn: Steve Fedor, Mail Stop 4–8, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-18343-1. MainModule


Abstract The Tufiti di Tusa Formation, a siliciclastic turbidite system of lower Miocene age in southern Italy, is mainly composed of volcaniclastic and quartzolithic sandstones interbedded with mudrocks. Sandstones are subdivided into four distinctive petrofacies, evolving from quartzolithic to volcaniclastic lithofeldspathic and feldspatholithic, reflecting detrital evolution from growing orogen (quartzolithic petrofacies) to active volcanism (volcaniclastic petrofacies). The mineralogical composition of the associated mudrocks is predominantly characterized by phyllosilicates, mainly illite/smectite mixed layers (I/S R1 associated with minor amounts of I/S R0 in the lower part of the succession, and I/S R3 in its upper part), together with illite, detrital micas and chlorite, and minor amounts of chlorite/smectite mixed layers and kaolinite, in addition to quartz, calcite and feldspars. The most abundant phyllosilicates are I/S mixed layers, 10-Å minerals (illite and micas) and chlorite, while kaolinite and chlorite–smectite mixed layers are present as a few per cent or in trace amounts. X-ray diffraction patterns show the occurrence of the ordered I/S R1 mixed layers in most samples but, at the top of the succession, some samples are characterized by I/S R3 mixed layers, whilst in the lower part of the succession I/S R1 is associated with a lower amount of I/S R0. These features suggest that the Tufiti di Tusa Formation experienced a medium diagenetic grade, and the occurrence of I/S R3 could be explained by K-availability in samples in the upper part of the succession. The lithic fragments in sandstones are metasedimentary rocks of Palaeozoic age, and andesite to dacite volcanic rocks of early Miocene age. The associated mudrocks also contain trace element ratios (Cr/V, Y/Ni, La/Sc, Th/Sc, Th/Co, Th/Cr, Cr/Th and Eu/Eu*) consistent with a provenance containing intermediate to silicic sources with scarce or absent basic rocks. The chemical index of alteration (63.2 to 71.6) suggests a moderate degree of weathering in the source. Furthermore, the K/Cs ratios of sediments confirm likely moderate rather than intense weathering. The index of compositional variability (ICV) values (from 1.2 to 2.5) are high enough to suggest the mudrocks are first-cycle sediments with little recycling. The Al–Ti–Zr diagram and the Th/Sc v. Zr/Sc plot indicate poor sorting and rapid deposition of the sediments. Detrital and sedimentary evolution of the Tufiti di Tusa Formation provides constraints, in terms of relations between a growing orogenic system and active volcanism in the Central Mediterranean, to contribute to geodynamic and palaeogeographic reconstructions of the earliest collision in the southern Apennines region.


This article presents a new method to create maps that chart changes across a cinematic narrative. These are unlike narrative spaces previously discussed in the literature—they are abstract, holistic, dynamic representations based on objective criteria. The analysis considers three films (All About Eve, Inception, and MASH) by counting the co-occurrences of main characters within scenes, and 12 Angry Men by counting their co-occurrences within shots. The technique used combines the statistical methods of correlation, multidimensional scaling, and Procrustes analysis. It then plots the trajectories of characters across these spaces in All About Eve and Inception, regions for characters in Inception and MASH, and compares the physical arrangement of jurors with their dramatic roles in 12 Angry Men. These maps depict the changing structures in the visual narrative. Finally, through consideration of statistical learning, the article explores the plausibility that these maps mimic relations in the minds of film viewers.


Many rocky intertidal areas are subject to periodic sand inundations due to a natural cycle of sand movement that is being altered and intensified by human activities. Though sand is thought to be a major structuring force in intertidal communities, little experimental research has been done to investigate its effects on intertidal organisms. Assemblages of meio- and macrofauna that inhabit intertidal coralline algal turf have been especially neglected in regards to manipulative research on the effects of sand. In this study sand was added daily to coralline turf plots to maintain depths of either 3 or 6 cm for 1 mo. Within 1 h of sand addition, faunal community composition had changed significantly due to a decrease in the abundances of highly mobile animals. Another shift was seen 2 wk later when abundances of psammophilic gastropods increased. One month after sand addition had ceased, communities in treatment plots again resembled those of the controls. This experiment demonstrated that turf communities rapidly respond to and recover from local physical disturbances due to sand inundation.


The spatiotemporal coordination of gene expression is a fundamental process in cellular biology. Gene expression is regulated, in large part, by sequence-specific transcription factors that bind to DNA regions in the proximity of each target gene. Transcription factor activity and specificity are, in turn, regulated posttranslationally by protein-modifying enzymes. High-throughput methods exist to probe specific steps of this process, such as protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, but few computational tools exist to integrate this information in a principled, model-oriented manner. In this work, I develop several computational tools for studying the functional implications of transcription factor modification. I establish the first publicly accessible database for known and predicted regulatory circuits that encompass modifying enzymes, transcription factors, and transcriptional targets. I also develop a model-based method for integrating heterogeneous genomic and proteomic data for the inference of modification-dependent transcriptional regulatory networks. The model-based method is thoroughly validated as a reliable and accurate computational genomic tool. Additionally, I propose and demonstrate fundamental improvements to computational proteomic methods for identifying modified protein forms. In summary, this work contributes critical methodological advances to the field of regulatory network inference. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Genomics & Computational Biology First Advisor Sridhar Hannenhalli Second Advisor Stephen R. Master


This paper investigates recent research on active learning for (geo) text and image classification, with an emphasis on methods that combine visual analytics and/or deep learning. Deep learning has attracted substantial attention across many domains of science and practice, because it can find intricate patterns in big data; but successful application of the methods requires a big set of labeled data. Active learning, which has the potential to address the data labeling challenge, has already had success in geospatial applications such as trajectory classification from movement data and (geo) text and image classification. This review is intended to be particularly relevant for extension of these methods to GISience, to support work in domains such as geographic information retrieval from text and image repositories, interpretation of spatial language, and related geo-semantics challenges. Specifically, to provide a structure for leveraging recent advances, we group the relevant work into five categories: active learning, visual analytics, active learning with visual analytics, active deep learning, plus GIScience and Remote Sensing (RS) using active learning and active deep learning. Each category is exemplified by recent influential work. Based on this framing and our systematic review of key research, we then discuss some of the main challenges of integrating active learning with visual analytics and deep learning, and point out research opportunities from technical and application perspectives—for application-based opportunities, with emphasis on those that address big data with geospatial components.


The main interest of this paper in exploring the rise of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) active in Shanghai is to determine their efficacy in influencing green politics and whether the outcome of the negotiation process (with the state) is successful or not. What is meant by efficacy for the purpose of this paper is the ability to generate pressure for political response with regards to environmental problems. Throughout the article, major case studies in which ENGOs have played a critical role in generating political response to environmental problems will be presented and studied. Theoretical literature from foreign and Chinese sources will be analysed and compared, in order to detect whether these case studies represent singular incidents or examples of a common phenomenon. Inherent difficulties in researching a complex topic like the influence of ENGOs active in Shanghai on green politics make some of the arguments in this article plain tentative. Further empirical as well as statistical data will be needed to provide more detailed conclusions.


The U.S. response to mass atrocity has followed a predictable pattern of disbelief, rationalization, evasion, and retrospective expressions of regret. The pattern is consistent enough that we should be skeptical of chalking up the United States' failures solely to a shifting array of isolated historical contingencies, from post-Vietnam fatigue in the case of the Khmer Rouge to the Clinton administration's recoil against humanitarian interventions after Somalia. It is implausible to suggest that the United States would have acted to mitigate or end mass atrocities but for the specific historical contingencies that happen to accompany each outbreak of violence. This essay proposes a supplementary explanation for the United States' history of failed responses to mass atrocity. The explanation is based on a widely accepted model of bureaucratic behavior, according to which bureaucracies follow standardized routines, bureaucrats operate according to a "logic of appropriateness" rather than a "logic of consequence," and seemingly irrational results often follow when a bureaucracy is confronted with a problem for which it has no preset response. The essay concludes by endorsing the recent recommendation by Madeleine Albright and William Cohen of various bureaucratic reforms aimed at preventing genocide, including the establishment of a permanent Atrocities Prevention Committee.


With the increasing interest in decision support systems and the continuous advance of computer science, revenue management is a discipline which has received a great deal of interest in recent years. Although revenue management has seen many new applications throughout the years, the main focus of research continues to be the airline industry. Ever since Littlewood (1972) first proposed a solution method for the airline revenue management problem, a variety of solution methods have been introduced. In this paper we will give an overview of the solution methods presented throughout the literature.


Celebrate Earth Day with Professor Camille Parmesan, UT-Austin biologist. Professor Parmesan invites you to look at what current impacts of rapid climate change has on wildlife, and explores innovative solutions to animal and plant conservation in the 21st century.

More info about Professor Parmesan and her research can be found in 1) a short video 2) a recent article from the New York Times, and 3) at the NBC Learn website.


To effectively dimension and rollout a cellular network, accurate sitespecific field strength predictions are required. Traditionally, operators make use of high-speed statistical propagation models for each proposed base site. Today's advanced cellular networks place a greater emphasis on urban microcellular deployment. It is well known that statistical models perform poorly in such environments. To overcome these limitations, the use of deterministic propagation modelling is common. However, although such models enhance prediction accuracy, they also require excessive computation time. In this paper a new hybrid statistical/deterministic field strength prediction model is proposed that combines the speed of a statistical model with the site-specific accuracy of a deterministic ray model. Results indicate that the new hybrid model can produce very accurate field strength prediction grids with computing times reduced by one to two orders of magnitude. For the example considered in this paper, the computing time for a one square kilometer grid comprising 10,000 points (100 by 100) has been reduced from 20 mins to just over 4 minutes (running on an 800MHz Pentium III). For more complex ray models and/or higher grid densities, even higher speed-up factors can be achieved.


PURPOSE
Retinal ganglion cells die by apoptosis during development and after trauma such as axonal damage and exposure to excitotoxins. Apoptosis is associated with changes in the expression of genes that regulate this process. The genes that regulate apoptosis in retinal ganglion cells have not been characterized primarily because previous studies have been limited to animal models in which gene function is not easily manipulated. To overcome this limitation, the rate and mechanism of retinal ganglion cell death in mice was characterized using optic nerve crush and intravitreal injections of the glutamate analog N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA).

METHODS
To expose retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to excitotoxins, adult CB6F1 mice were injected intravitreally in one eye with NMDA. In an alternative protocol to physically damage the axons in the optic nerve, the nerve was crushed using self-closing fine forceps. Each animal had one or the other procedure carried out on one eye. Loss of RGCs was monitored as a percentage of cells lost relative to the fellow untreated eye. Thy1 expression was examined using in situ hybridization. DNA fragmentation in dying cells was monitored using terminal transferase-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL).

RESULTS
RGCs comprise 67.5% +/- 6.5% (mean +/- SD) of cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) of control mice based on nuclear morphology and the presence of mRNA for the ganglion cell marker Thy1. One week after optic nerve crush, these cells started to die, progressing to a maximum loss of 57.8% +/- 8.1% of the cells in the GCL by 3 weeks. Cell loss after NMDA injection was dose dependent, with injections of 10 nanomoles having virtually no effect to a maximum loss of 72.5% +/- 12.1% of the cells in the GCL within 6 days after injection of 160 nanomoles NMDA. Cell death exhibited features of apoptosis after both optic nerve crush and NMDA injection, including the formation of pyknotic nuclei and TUNEL staining.

CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative RGC death can be induced in mice using two distinct signaling pathways, making it possible to test the roles of genes in this process using transgenic animals.


Abstract This article examines the Byzantine responses to the battlefield tactics followed by the armies of the Turkoman chiefdoms during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The most characteristic example reflecting the difficulties faced by the Byzantine army when confronted by the Turkomans is the battle of Pelekanos, in the gulf of Nikomedia. It was fought in 1329 between the Byzantines under the command of the emperor Andronikos III (1328–1341), and the Ottomans whose leader was Orhan (1326–1362). The outcome of this battle typifies the inability of the late Byzantine armies to deal effectively with the Turkoman cavalry archers, despite the instructions given by the military treatises which were compiled in the earlier periods of Byzantine history, despite the experience of fighting against enemies of similar nature in the past, and despite the fact that generals such as Kantakouzenos possessed a good knowledge of the fighting methods of the Turkomans. This article argues that the inability of the Byzantines to adjust to the demands of the battlefield tactics of the Turkoman warriors was a combination of many factors. The loss of Asia Minor deprived Byzantium of its main source of competent archers. The Byzantines relied on heavy cavalry which, although it proved ineffective against the Turkomans, was the symbol of exalted status of members of the aristocracy. Moreover, stereotyped views about the Turkomans affected the performance of the Byzantines on the battlefield. It seems that Byzantine generals, even if they knew the fighting methods of the Turkomans, very often could not fully understand the strength of their armies. This article concludes that the failure to react successfully to the battlefield tactics of the Turkomans could be partly described as a failure of cultural adaptation, reinforced by stereotypes about 'barbarians.'


Calcareous nannofossil and planktonic foramininferal assemblages demonstrate that the succession at Qreiya provides a virtually complete stratigraphic reference section through the Esna Shale Formation. A detailed study of the Dababiya Quarry Beds has revealed distinct stratigraphic trends in both mineralogy and geochemistry, similar to those reported from Dababiya Quarry itself. In particular, the organic carbon isotope analysis has revealed a pronounced negative carbon isotope excursion of comparable magnitude to that recorded from Dababiya. Calcareous nannoplankton ( Rhomboaster spp.- Discoaster araneus association) and planktonic foraminiferal occurrences (the so-called excursion taxa) allow unambiguous determination of this isotopic excursion as the Carbon Isotope Excursion (CIE) identified globally at the base of Eocene successions. Preliminary petrological analysis of mudstones within the Dababiya Quarry Beds has revealed a finely granular texture, possibly representing fecal pellets. This texture indicates that the sea-bed sediment may have been mobile, and subject to redistribution by gentle, wave-induced currents.


The neutron thermalization method for soil water content measurement is well established as being accurate for deep soil profile measurements. However, the method has been criticized as inaccurate for shallow measurements (<30 cm). It is in this shallow zone that many plants have the largest root density and water uptake and where infiltration and evaporation typically cause the largest changes in water content. We show how neutron probe depth influences soil water readings in the top 30 cm of soil, and we describe a depth control stand that serves to control probe depth relative to the soil surface so that probes may be accurately calibrated and successfully used in the field for measurements at shallow depths. Using the stand, calibrations for the 10‐cm depth may be obtained routinely with linear regression r2 values >0.98 and RMSE values of calibration <0.01 m3 m−3 The stand is also useful for elevating the gauge high enough above the surface so that standard counts are not influenced by the water content or nature of the surface, thus enhancing accuracy of both the calibration and subsequent water content readings, both of which depend on standard count values. Also, the stand serves to prevent repetitive strain injuries to backs and knees caused by bending and kneeling to place the gauge on top of access tubes, but without additional occupational exposure to radiation.


Side-channel attacks exploiting (EC)DSA nonce leakage easily lead to full key recovery. Although (EC)DSA implementations have already been hardened against side-channel leakage using the constant-time paradigm, the long-standing cat-andmouse-game of attacks and patches continues. In particular, current code review is prone to miss less obvious side channels hidden deeply in the call stack. To solve this problem, a systematic study of nonce leakage is necessary. We present a systematic analysis of nonce leakage in cryptographic implementations. In particular, we expand DATA, an open-source side-channel analysis framework, to detect nonce leakage. Our analysis identified multiple unknown nonce leakage vulnerabilities across all essential computation steps involving nonces. Among others, we uncover inherent problems in Bignumber implementations that break claimed constant-time guarantees of (EC)DSA implementations if secrets are close to a word boundary. We found that lazy resizing of Bignumbers in OpenSSL and LibreSSL yields a highly accurate and easily exploitable side channel, which has been acknowledged with two CVEs. Surprisingly, we also found a tiny but expressive leakage in the constant-time scalar multiplication of OpenSSL and BoringSSL. Moreover, in the process of reporting and patching, we identified newly introduced leakage with the support of our tool, thus preventing another attack-patch cycle. We open-source our tool, together with an intuitive graphical user interface we developed.


National laws play an important role in the governance of the aviation activities This is no less the case during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, where national law has been a vital tool in combating the spread of the virus and offering support to the aviation sector This report examines different jurisdictions, which have been written by experts in the field of aviation law, where they have addressed the pre-existing national rules in place prior to the pandemic, the measures taken to combat the spread of the virus, the actions taken to help the aviation industry survive, and any reflections on the future post-COVID-19 world


The Aw-Rascle-Zhang (ARZ) model can be interpreted as a generalization of the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards (LWR) model, possessing a family of fundamental diagram curves, each of which represents a class of drivers with a different empty road velocity. A weakness of this approach is that different drivers possess vastly different densities at which traffic flow stagnates. This drawback can be overcome by modifying the pressure relation in the ARZ model, leading to the generalized Aw-Rascle-Zhang (GARZ) model. We present an approach to determine the parameter functions of the GARZ model from fundamental diagram measurement data. The predictive accuracy of the resulting data-fitted GARZ model is compared to other traffic models by means of a three-detector test setup, employing two types of data: vehicle trajectory data, and sensor data. This work also considers the extension of the ARZ and the GARZ models to models with a relaxation term, and conducts an investigation of the optimal relaxation time.


Background . Assembly and function of neuronal synapses require the coordinated expression of a yet undetermined set of genes. Previously, we had trained an ensemble machine learning model to assign a probability of having synaptic function to every protein-coding gene in Drosophila melanogaster. This approach resulted in the publication of a catalogue of 893 genes which we postulated to be very enriched in genes with a still undocumented synaptic function. Since then, the scienti�c community has experimentally identi�ed 79 new synaptic genes. Here we use these new empirical data to evaluate our original prediction. We also implement a series of changes to the training scheme of our model and using the new data we demonstrate that this improves its predictive power. Finally, we added the new synaptic genes to the training set and trained a new model, obtaining a new, enhanced catalogue of putative synaptic genes. Results . The retrospective analysis demonstrate that our original catalogue was signi�cantly enriched in new synaptic genes. When the changes to the training scheme were implemented using the original training set we obtained even higher enrichment. Finally, applying the new training scheme with a training set including the 79 new synaptic genes, resulted in an enhanced catalogue of putative synaptic genes. Here we present this new catalogue and announce that a regularly updated version will be available online at: http://synapticgenes.bnd.edu.uy Conclusions . We show that training an ensemble of machine learning classi�ers solely with the whole-body temporal transcription pro�les of known synaptic genes resulted in a catalogue with a signi�cant enrichment in undiscovered synaptic genes. Using new empirical data provided by the scienti�c community, we validated our original approach, improved our model an obtained an arguably more precise prediction. This approach reduces the number of genes to be tested through hypothesis-driven experimentation and will facilitate our understanding of neuronal function. Availability : http://synapticgenes.bnd.edu.uy


The efficacy of Touch Imprint Cytology in the diagnosis of various pathological processes was evaluated and compared with Frozen Section in intraoperative consultation. We examined 60 cases from various sites of the body that were referred for intraoperative consultation. All cases were analyzed by Touch Imprint Cytology followed by Frozen section. We found diagnostic accuracy of both procedures comparable. The diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions by combined procedures was 100%. There were no false positive or false negative cases. For diagnosing specific subtypes of malignancy, the diagnostic accuracy of each method alone was 96.6% with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 100% and the combined sensitivity 90%. Touch Imprint Cytology provided better cellular morphology and fewer artifacts. On the other hand Frozen Sections provided more tissue architectural details but frequently hampered by freezing artifacts. We conclude that both Touch Imprint Cytology and Frozen Sections are dependable intraoperative consultation diagnostic modalities. Touch Imprint Cytology alone may provide a correct diagnosis in vast majority of cases with minimal expense and without the need of sophisticated cryostat machine thus making it quite suitable for many hospitals where cryostat machines are not available.


As vehicle manufacturers continue to increase their emphasis on safety with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), I propose a ubiquitous device that is able to analyze and advise on safety conditions. Mobile smartphones are increasing in popularity among younger generations with an estimated 64% of 25-34 year olds already using one in their daily lives. with over 10 million car accidents reported in the United States each year, car manufacturers have shifted their focus of a passive approach (airbags) to more active by adding features associated with ADAS (lane departure warnings). However, vehicles manufactured with these sensors are not economically priced while older vehicles might only have passive safety features. Given its accessibility and portability, I target a mobile smartphone as a device to compliment ADAS that can bring a driver assist to any vehicle without regards for any on-vehicle communication system requirements. I use the 3-axis accelerometer of multiple Android based smartphone to record and analyze various safety factors which can influence a driver while operating a vehicle. These influences with respect to the driver, vehicle and road are lane change maneuvers, vehicular comfort and road conditions. Each factor could potentially be hazardous to the health of the driver, neighboring public, and automobile and is therefore analyzed thoroughly achieving 85.60% and 89.89% classification accuracy for identifying road anomalies and lane changes, respectively. Effective use of this data can educate a potentially dangerous driver on how to operate a vehicle safely and efficiently. with real time analysis and auditory alerts of these factors, I hope to increase a driver's overall awareness to maximize safety.


A conceptual three-dimensional flower structure model of strike-slip faulting is proposed to explain the occurrence of earthquakes in the New Madrid seis- mic zone (NMSZ) and to illustrate the potential rupture faults for the 1811-1812 earth- quake sequences. The proposed NMSZ model is based on elastic dislocation theory and concepts of material failure under a stress field. Using a conceptual model of a strike-slip subsidiary fault array, we identify tectonic features (geological structures) that are oriented properly relative to regional stresses and classify the regions where stresses might be expected to be amplified. The brittle upper crust in the vicinity of the NMSZ is modeled as a uniform over- burden with a horizontal-basal surface, which rests on a horizontal ductile lower crust that is cut by a vertical, northeast-striking right-lateral strike-slip shear zone. We acknowledge that many favorably oriented preexisting faults have been exploited as components of the flower structure. The brittle overburden material is subject to sim- ple shearing stress parallel to the deep-seated lower crustal shear zone, and preexisting faults of the Reelfoot rift system give the upper crust a mechanical anisotropy (planes of weakness striking northeast) that is the correct orientation for development of P shear faults. The deep-seated fault movement deforms the overlying upper crust that controls the structural geometry, the modern seismicity, and the large earthquake sequences in the NMSZ. The three-dimensional NMSZ model offaulting developed in this study shows that the Bootheel and Big Creek lineaments, inferred to be two subparallel P shear faults rooted in a deep-seated fault in the lower crust, are significant in shaping the geometry of the NMSZ. These series of faults produce a large-scale flower structure in cross section. The proposed NMSZ model uses the intersections of the deep-seated fault and the two subparallel P shear faults for the locations of the 1811 and 1812 earth- quakes. The model gives rise to a predictable pattern of surface deformation that is in good agreement with the observed seismicity patterns in the region.


How should undergraduate science students' writing be understood when it does not meet the conventions of scientific writing? Studies have shown that the writing that students produce in their course work on tasks that imitate authentic scientific writing practices often do not match the tone, vocabulary and grammatical choices made by professional scientists. However, from the perspective of looking at the students' word and grammar choices alone, it is not easy to understand why students make their particular and varied word and grammar choices and how those choices can be related to their understanding of the goals and discourses that are typical of science practices. Studying the writing of four first year earth and geographical sciences students on a science faculty's alternative access program, from an assignment in a course that introduced them to the research article, it seems that the students persist with the social purposes of their various school writing practices in attempting their new university writing tasks. It is this variety in the social purposes of the writing that the students continue to draw on in university that can explain some of the ways in which student writing does not meet even the broadest writing conventions of the discourses of science. Yet it seems that some of the social purposes and the related writing practices of some students can help them transition their writing more easily into a form that has the usual characteristics of a typical science genre. Therefore, understanding the social purposes that students bring with them can be crucial to successfully introducing them to the discourses of science and showing them how the social purposes of scientific practice can be served in a genre such as the research article.


Limits of artificial intelligent, expert systems are defined by the specific hardware limitation of the specific system. Limits can be overcome, or addressed, by giving an intelligent system web access; therefore giving it access to Google's™ vast hardware, search functions and databases. Reverse image searches can be done directly in Google's™ image search bar since October 2011. This reverse image search function is used by the proposed system to do object recognition. Computational creativity, or the ability of a program or computer to show human-level creativity and interaction, is achieved by means of a voice communication of the object identification result to the user. The proposed system interprets the result by doing a definition web search and communicating this to the user. The results show that with the novel interpretation software, it should be possible to use Google™ as an artificial intelligent, computational creative system.
This proposed system thus has the ability to do object classification by accessing Google's™ vast hardware, search functions and databases, thereafter would the proposed system search a suitable definition for the classification. All of this information is communicated to the user using voice.
These techniques could be used on an automatic guided vehicle, robots or expert systems.


The aim of the thesis is to present an example of mobile application development on the Android platform. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the presentation of the tools and technologies used in mobile applications development. While describing the technologies we are focused on the theoretical description of mobile technologies such as mobile networks, mobile devices, smart mobile phones, mobile operating systems and mobile operating system Android. In the theoretical part of the thesis we also present different development environment tools, with special emphasis on the description of less known tools such as Android SDK tools. The second part of the thesis presents the development of the mobile application AvtoDroid. First we describe the methodology and the idea of application development, followed by a detailed description of the various stages of our application development (analysis and requirements specification, design, implementation and testing). In conclusion we analyze application development and we also present a plan for improvement and further development of the application. The result of the thesis is AvtoDroid mobile application that allows a number of features, related to the monitoring car costs. We can use this application on any mobile device which uses operating system Android.


This is an update of the original Cochrane review, last published in 2009 (Huertas-Ceballos 2009). Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), including children with irritable bowel syndrome, is a common problem affecting between 4% and 25% of schoolaged children. For the majority of such children, no organic cause for their pain can be found on physical examination or investigation. Many dietary inventions have been suggested to improve the symptoms of RAP. These may involve either excluding ingredients from the diet or adding supplements such as fibre or probiotics.


Lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) are biomimetic nanocarriers used for the encapsulation of a broad variety of active ingredients. Similar to surface active compounds, LNCs contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts in their structure. Moreover, the components of LNCs, macrogol 15 hydroxystearate (MHS) and lecithin, are known for their surface active properties. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to investigate the capability of the LNCs to decrease surface tension using two techniques: drop tensiometry and the Wilhelmy plate method. LNCs with diameters ranging from 30 to 100 nm were successfully obtained using a phase inversion technique. The LNCs' properties, such as size and zeta potential, depend on the composition. LNCs exhibit a lower limiting surface tension compared to MHS (34.8–35.0 mN/m and 37.7–38.8 mN/m, respectively), as confirmed by both drop tensiometry and the Wilhelmy plate method. LNCs have exhibited a saturated interfacial concentration (SIC) that was 10-fold higher than the critical micellar concentration (CMC) of MHS or the SIC of binary and ternary mixtures of LNC ingredients. The SIC of the LNC formulations depended on the mass mixing ratio of the MHS/triglycerides but not on the presence of lecithin. The CMC/SIC values measured by the Wilhelmy plate method were higher than those obtained using drop tensiometry because of the longer duration of the tensiometry measurement. In conclusion, the surfactant-like properties of the LNCs offer new possibilities for medical and pharmaceutical applications.


The handloom--often no more than a bundle of sticks and a few lengths of cordage--has been known to almost all cultures for thousands of years. Eric Broduy places the wide variety of handlooms in historical context. What influenced their development? How did they travel from one geographic area to another? Were they invented independently by different cultures? How have modern cultures improved on ancient weaving skills and methods? Broudy shows how virtually every culture, no matter how primitive, has woven on handlooms. He highlights the incredible technical achievement of primitive cultures that created magnificent textiles with the crudest of tools and demonstrates that modern technology has done nothing to surpass their skill or inventiveness.


Star formation (SF) is still an unsolved problem in astrophysics.
Gas cooling is the principal mechanism leading to
the condensation of gas and consequently to star and structure
formation.
In a metal-free environment, the main available coolants are H, He,
H$_2$ and HD; once the gas is enriched with metals, these also
become important.
In this work, in order to properly determine the SF in the early
Universe, we compute fine-structure transition metal cooling and
implement and test molecular chemistry.
Moreover, we investigate its redshift ($z$) evolution
and compare different modeling running very high-resolution,
three-dimensional, N-body/hydrodynamic simulations including
non-equilibrium, atomic and molecular chemistry, SF
prescriptions and feedback effects.
We also study how the primordial SF changes accordingly to
different semi-analytical approaches, cosmological parameters, initial
set-ups and critical metallicity ($Z_{crit}$) for the transition from
a metal-free SF regime to a standard enriched one.\\
Our main findings are:
the H$_2$ molecule is the most relevant coolant in early times;
inclusion of HD cooling results in a $\sim 10\%-20\%$ higher gas
clumping;
metal cooling at low temperatures can have a significant impact on the
formation and evolution of first objects;
typical numerical ``sub-grid'' models fail in following the cooling
of primordial gas and predict too early SF ($z\sim 30$);
considering molecular cooling, we get a postponed epoch ($z\sim 15$)
for the same initial conditions;
rare, high-density peak can host SF even at $z\gtrsim 40$;
metal-free SF regime is completely negligible
with respect to the global SF rate, because of the very
short first star life-times;
it has some relevance only for $\Delta z\simeq 1$ (at $z\sim 16$);
primordial pollution up to $\sim 10^{-3}\,Z_\odot$\footnote[1]{
The solar metallicity is $Z_\odot\simeq 0.02$.
}, or higher, is
extremely rapid and allows for a very fast transition to standard SF
regimes;
the different SF rates and metal enrichment got for
different $Z_{crit}$ are well distinguishable and span about one order
of magnitude for $Z_{crit}/Z_\odot \in [10^{-6}, 10^{-3}]$.
Given the importance of the initial stellar mass distribution
function, an analytical model describing its possible derivation from
turbulent dissipation is presented.


Introduction: Assessing the severity of the injuries suffered by victims may contribute to prevent femicide more effectively. Objective: To establish whether the amount of wounds recorded in femicides by stabbing vary according to the age of the victim and the victim-offender relationship. Materials and methods: Cases of Colombian women who were stabbed to death between 2011 and 2013 (n=331; age: 14-91 years) were included in the study. They were classified according to age ranges and the type of relationship with the offender. Descriptive analyses were conducted. Two one-way ANOVAs and a factorial ANOVA were performed to assess the differences in the mean number of the stab wounds received by the victim, and to determine the effects of interaction among the established categories. Results: The pattern of injury severity was higher in women aged 22 to 40 years than in those aged 41 to 55 years, and in women attacked by their intimate partners than in those attacked by strangers and acquaintances. Age ranges and types of relationship had an interaction effect on the dimension of the sustained wound. Conclusion: The age of the victims and the types of relationship they had with the offender are variables that should be considered to propose preventive policies on femicide since both are correlated to violent acts with greater injury patterns.


—Location-based mobile social network services such as foursquare and Gowalla have grown exponentially over the past several years. These location-based services utilize the geographical position to enrich user experiences in a variety of contexts, including location-based searching and location-based mobile advertising. To attract more users, the location-based mobile social network services provide real-world rewards to the user, when a user checks in at a certain venue or location. This gives incentives for users to cheat on their locations. In this paper, we investigate the threat of location cheating attacks, find the root cause of the vulnerability, and outline the possible defending mechanisms. We use foursquare as an example to introduce a novel location cheating attack, which can easily pass the current location verification mechanism (e.g., cheater code of foursquare). We also crawl the foursquare website. By analyzing the crawled data, we show that automated large scale cheating is possible. Through this paper, we aim to call attention to location cheating in mobile social network services and provide insights into the defending mechanisms.


Argumentative texts are essentially "modal texts". They respond to the need of an encoder and/or addressee about stating the degree of truth and certainty with respect to some claims.In argumentation, every statement which is presented as a claim always needs an overt or non-overt argument which assures the addressee about the degree of certainty of that statement. The argument supporting a conclusion has the task of stating whether the implicit or triggered claim is true or false.The modal information is delivered by obligatory or optional argumentative categories.Optional counter-argumentative categories introduced by complementizers like although , nevertheless , at least , unless etc., function as super-modal operators questioning the truth-value of a given argumentation. The article is based on Lo Cascio' s book 2009 and on Lo Cascio's article 1995 on argumentation and modality.


Abstract This paper addresses liquid-metal flow under a strong, fringing, decreasing magnetic field in an insulating circular pipe by a full resolution of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations. The aims of the paper are first to provide a detailed description of the flow and second to perform a study of the restrictions related to the approximate numerical techniques commonly used in the nuclear fusion field, namely, the so-called core flow approximation based on asymptotic methods. Finally, a comparison between full MHD solutions obtained under conducting and insulating circular pipe walls, at similar MHD conditions, is provided. The current results show that the role of inertia is clearly more important under electrically insulating ducts because no net braking MHD forces are present in such configurations. This fact adversely affects the accuracy of asymptotic method results. From a phenomenological point of view, the effects of wall conductivity are found to be very important. For instance, when insulating walls are present, the intensity of the generated near-wall jets is three times larger than that found in conducting configurations. As a result, the shear effects and the triggering of turbulence in the downstream area are clearly enhanced.


Spider silk fibers (SSF) have a hierarchical structure composed of proteins with highly repetitive sequences and biomineralization is sophisticated in hierarchical organic–inorganic constructions. By using inorganic hydroxyapatite (HAP) and organic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to simulate the rigid crystalline and flexible amorphous protein blocks of SSF, respectively, biomimetic mineralization is herein attempted for the large‐scale preparation of SSF‐like macrofibers with a hierarchical ordered structure, a superhigh tensile strength of 949 ± 38 MPa, a specific toughness of 296 ± 12 J g−1, and a stretch ability of 80.6%. The hybrid macrofibers consist of microfibers, and their outstanding performance (e.g., extreme tolerance to temperatures ranging from −196 to 80 °C and superior ability to inhibit the transverse growth of cracks) is attributed to the hierarchical arrangement as well as the organic–inorganic integrated structure within the oriented mineralized polymer chains. The biomineralization‐inspired technique provides a promising tactic that can be used to synthesize functional organic–inorganic fibers that are structurally complex and, furthermore, industrially manufacture SSF‐like artificial fibers with a supertoughness.