Safford, Hugh D.; Stevens, Jens T. 2017. Natural range of variation for yellow pine and mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, and Modoc and Inyo National Forests, California, USA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSWGTR-256. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 229 p. Yellow pine and mixed-conifer (YPMC) forests are the predominant montane forest type in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascade Range, and neighboring forested areas on the Modoc and Inyo National Forests (the "assessment area"). YPMC forests occur above the oak woodland belt and below red fir forests, and are dominated by the yellow pines (ponderosa pine [Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson] and Jeffrey pine [Pinus jeffreyi Balf.]); white fir (Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr.); sugar pine (P. lambertiana Douglas); incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin); and black oak (Quercus kelloggii Newberry), along with a number of other hardwood and conifer species. We conducted an indepth assessment of the natural range of variation (NRV) of YPMC forests for the assessment area, focusing on ecosystem processes and forest structure from historical data sources from pre-Euro-American settlement times (16th through mid-19th centuries) and current reference forests (YPMC forests that have retained frequent fire and have suffered little human degradation), and comparing current conditions to the NRV. The Mediterranean climate of the assessment area, modified by strong latitudinal, topographic, and elevational gradients, plays an important role in shaping the structure and composition of YPMC forests. Fire was an historically important ecosystem process that occurred frequently, generally burned at low to moderate severity, created a heterogeneous forest structure at a fine spatial scale, and maintained pine dominance in many stands that would otherwise undergo succession to more shade-tolerant fir and cedar species. Forest structure at larger spatial scales was highly variable but was characterized mostly by relatively low tree densities, large tree sizes, high seedling mortality as a result of recurrent fire, and highly heterogeneous understory structure that could include locally abundant fire-stimulated shrub species. Following Euro-American settlement, wholesale changes occurred in YPMC forests in the assessment area, principally because of extensive logging followed by a century of highly effective fire suppression. Modern YPMC forests have departed from NRV conditions for a wide range of ecosystem processes and structural attributes. There is strong consensus among published studies that, on average, modern YPMC stands have much higher densities dominated by smaller trees (often of shade-tolerant species), much longer fire-return intervals, and less area burned across the landscape compared to reference YPMC forests. In addition, fires that escape initial attack are much larger and higher severity on average than the average pre-Euro-American settlement fire. There is more moderate consensus among published studies that the average modern YPMC stand in the assessment supports greater fuels and deeper forest litter, higher canopy cover and fewer canopy gaps, more coarse woody debris, a higher density of snags, and experiences a longer fire season compared to reference YPMC forests. Among the variables assessed, only basal area, overall plant species richness, and percentage cover of grass/forbs and shrubs appear to be within or near the NRV.


Troubleshooting millimeter-wave (mm-wave) wireless networks is complex due to the directionality of the communication. Issues such as deafness, misaligned antennas, or blockage may severely impact network performance, and identifying them is crucial to improve network deployments. To this end, access to lower-layer information is important. However, commercial off-the-shelf mm-wave wireless devices typically do not provide such information. Even if they would, detecting effects such as deafness based on information of a single node that forms part of the network is typically hard. In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of an external sniffing device that can infer the aforementioned performance issues only using narrowband physical layer energy traces. Our sniffer does not need to decode any data, resulting in a simple but effective approach which also preserves privacy and works on encrypted networks. Our key contribution is a machine learning framework which enables automated energy trace analysis while coping with the non-stationarity of the traces. We evaluate its performance in practice using off-the-shelf wireless devices operating in the 60 GHz band. Our results show that the above framework correctly infers physical layer events in virtually all cases, thus providing valuable information to troubleshoot issues in mm-wave networks.


Chlamydia spp. are strictly intracellular pathogens that grow inside a vacuole, called an inclusion. They possess genes encoding proteins homologous to components of type III secretion machineries, which, in other bacterial pathogens, are involved in delivery of bacterial proteins within or through the membrane of eukaryotic host cells. Inc proteins are chlamydial proteins that are associated with the inclusion membrane and are characterized by the presence of a large hydrophobic domain in their amino acid sequence. To investigate whether Inc proteins and other proteins exhibiting a similar hydropathic profile might be secreted by a type III system, we used a heterologous secretion system. Chimeras were constructed by fusing the N‐terminal part of these proteins with a reporter, the Cya protein of Bordetella pertussis, and these were expressed in various strains of Shigella flexneri. We demonstrate that these hybrid proteins are secreted by the type III secretion system of S. flexneri, thereby providing evidence that IncA, IncB and IncC are secreted by a type III mechanism in chlamydiae. Moreover, we show that three other proteins from Chlamydia pneumoniae, all of which have in common the presence of a large hydrophobic domain, are also secreted by S. flexneri type III secretion machinery.


Global aquatic ecosystems are under increasing threat from anthropogenic activity, as well as being exposed to past (and projected) climate change, however, the nature of how climate and human impacts are recorded in lake sediments is often ambiguous. Natural and anthropogenic drivers can force a similar response in lake systems, yet the ability to attribute what change recorded in lake sediments is natural, from that which is anthropogenic, is increasingly important for understanding how lake systems have, and will continue to function when subjected to multiple stressors; an issue that is particularly acute when considering management options for aquatic ecosystems. The duration and timing of human impacts on lake systems varies geographically, with some regions of the world (such as Africa and South America) having a longer legacy of human impact than others (e.g., New Zealand). A wide array of techniques (biological, chemical, physical and statistical) is available to palaeolimnologists to allow the deciphering of complex sedimentary records. Lake sediments are an important archive of how drivers have changed through time, and how these impacts manifest in lake systems. With a paucity of 'real‐time' data pre‐dating human impact, palaeolimnological archives offer the only insight into both natural variability (i.e., that driven by climate and intrinsic lake processes) and the impact of people. While there is a need to acknowledge complexity, and temporal and spatial variability when deciphering change from sediment archives, a palaeolimnological approach is a powerful tool for better understanding and managing global aquatic resources. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1195. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1195


According to Blum (2011), mathematical modelling is the translation between the real world and mathematics and from mathematics back to the real world. Blum and other studies Nourallah and Farzad (2012) for example, have indicated that this process of alternating between reality and mathematics during mathematical activities has impacts on students' mathematical knowledge. This study investigated the effects of mathematical modeling instruction on precalculus students' performance in a Rational Function Exam (RFE) and their attitudes toward rational functions. It was an exploratory embedded single case study design using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A sample of 54 precalculus students enrolled in two sections of precalculus at a local college in one major southern city of the United States was used for this study. The two precalculus sections were purposefully selected from five sections, with 24 students in the treatment group and 30 students in the comparison group. Quantitatively, participants completed a pre-post Rational Function Exam (RFE) and an Attitude Toward Mathematic Inventory (ATMI) survey (Tapia & Marsh, 2004) before and after the study. Qualitative techniques were employed to determine the type and cognitive complexity of representations. These qualitative methods included interviews, a questionnaire, artifacts of students' work and the researcher's memos. The interviews and questionnaire responses were used to gather demographic and in-depth information about students' experiences with the method of instruction. ANCOVA and reliability analysis were used to analyze quantitative data while coding (Saldaña, 2013) was used to analyze qualitative data. Quantitative analysis results using ANCOVA showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between the posttest mean score on the RFE of the treatment group and the mean posttest score of the comparison group. The ANCOVA results also showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.004) between the ATMI mean posttest score of the treatment group and that of the comparison group. Qualitative data analysis of the artifacts, interviews, researcher's memos and the questionnaire by coding revealed three important themes describing the effects of modeling instruction on students' types and cognitive complexity of representations of rational functions: 1) Students tend to have positive views of rational functions and display engaging and immersed attitudes towards learning mathematics in a modeling instructional setting, 2) teacher's guidance during modeling instruction tend to help students' mathematical representations of functions and real-world scenarios & 3) mathematical modeling instruction tend to foster critical thinking and conceptual understanding of rational functions, increasing students' representations capabilities and cognitive complexities. These results suggest that mathematical modeling instruction had positive effects on students' learning and understanding of rational function concepts, their attitudes towards learning rational functions and the cognitive complexity of their representations of functions. INDEX WORDS:


To have a better understanding on the role of the press in the communication of gender and health issues, the content of the five most spread newspapers in Spain was studied (El Pais, ABC, El Mundo, La Vanguardia and El Periodico de Catalunya) for five years (1997-2001) and the electronic version of The New York Times of the period 1990-1999. An unequal distribution was observed in the responsibility as for the information related to three aspects: positions of responsibility in the newspapers (out of 71 main posts, 67 were men and 4 women); the authors of the articles on health issues (61.2% men and 38,8% women, among the articles that include the author) and the mentioned information sources (81.43% men and 17.77% women). Among the 120 health issues that were covered during the period of the study, only 20 explicitly mentioned a woman (16.67%). Those subjects that included more frequently explicit references were: ablation, iatrogenics, sterilization, sexual and reproductive health, incontinence, beauty and domestic violence. The analysis of the approach to these subjects helped to identify the stereotypes of gender inequality, in the language as well as in the approach.


The overall goal for this proposed project is to conduct a pilot stud)> of a theory, school and community-based, HIV prevention programme for in and out of school adolescents and youths in Harare. The intervention will use a Reducing the Risk approach as well as incorporate a peer diffusion model into school interventions. It is expected that the proposed project will positively impact on adolescents and teenagers at risk for contracting HIV in Zimbabwe and will produce benefits that continue long after the project is concluded. The project will also empower teachers and health educators with the necessary information and training to successfully implement HIV school and community-based behavioral intervention studies in Zimbabwe that can continue long after the proposed project has concluded. This will be achieved through training, seminars, and on-going workshops for professionals and students during the entire research process.


In this article we argue that organizations and organizing activities lie at the very heart of the European integration process. Cross-pillar issues require an analytical framework that allows one to study the interplay between the market and security spheres of European integration, including how supranational and intergovernmental actors, private and public, interact with each other. By using sociological institutionalism and its notion of how organizations are institutionalized, we analyse the organizational complexity in the multifaceted policy area of armaments, without losing theoretical clarity.


Understanding the conflict potential of climate variability is critical for assessing and dealing with the societal implications of climate change. Yet, it remains poorly understood under what circumstances – and how – extreme weather events and variation in precipitation patterns affect organized violence. This dissertation suggests that the impacts of climate variability on organized violence are conditional on specific climate patterns, the sensitivity of livelihoods, and state governance. These theoretical conjectures are subjected to novel empirical tests in four individual essays. Three essays investigate the relationship between climate variability and communal and civil conflict through sub-national quantitative analysis focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. The fourth essay sheds light on causal mechanisms leading to participation in land-related conflict based on interview material on 75 ex-participants in violence from Mt. Elgon, Kenya. Essay I suggests that the exposure of vulnerable agricultural livelihoods to sustained drought increases the risk of civil conflict violence. Essay II indicates that rainfall anomalies increase the risk of communal violence, an effect which is amplified by political marginalization. Essay III finds support for the proposition that volatility in resource supply increases the risk of communal conflict over land and water in remote regions, which tend to have limited state presence. Essay IV proposes that individuals depending on agriculture are prone to participate in land-related conflict as they face impediments to leaving a conflict zone, and additionally have high incentives to partake in fighting for land. Taken together, the dissertation furthers our understanding of the specific economic and political context under which climate variability impacts armed conflict. This knowledge is important for conflict-sensitive adaptation to climate change and conflict prevention efforts.


This book demonstrates that people's basic values and beliefs are changing, in ways that affect their political, sexual, economic, and religious behaviour. These changes are roughly predictable: to a large extent, they can be interpreted on the basis of a revised version of modernisation theory presented here. Drawing on a massive body of evidence from societies containing 85 percent of the world's population, the authors demonstrate that modernisation is a process of human development, in which economic development gives rise to cultural changes that make individual autonomy, gender equality, and democracy increasingly likely. The authors present a model of social change that predicts how the value systems play a crucial role in the emergence and flourishing of democratic institutions - and that modernisation brings coherent cultural changes that are conducive to democratisation.


Optical second- and third-harmonic generations have attracted a lot of attention in the biomedical imaging research field recently due to their intrinsic sectioning ability and noninvasiveness. Combined with near-infrared excitation sources, their deep-penetration ability makes these imaging modalities suitable for tissue characterization. In this article, we demonstrate a polarization harmonics optical microscopy, or P-HOM, to study the nonlinear optical anisotropy of the nanometer-scaled myosin and actin filaments inside myofibrils. By using tight focusing we can avoid the phase-matching condition due to micron-scaled, high-order structures in skeletal muscle fibers, and obtain the submicron-scaled polarization dependencies of second/third-harmonic generation intensities on the inclination angle between the long axes of the filaments and the polarization direction of the linear polarized fundamental excitation laser light. From these dependencies, detailed information on the tensor elements of the second/third-order nonlinear susceptibilities contributed from the myosin/actin filaments inside myofibrils can thus be analyzed and obtained, reflecting the detailed arrangements and structures of the constructing biomolecules. By acquiring a whole, nonlinearly sectioned image with a submicron spatial resolution, we can also compare the polarization dependency and calculate the nonlinear susceptibilities over a large area of the tissue at the same time—which not only provides statistical information but will be especially useful with complex specimen geometry.


Still Living in Their Mother's House Dispersal, movement away from an organism's natal site, is a critical stage in the development of a juvenile into an adult and several drivers of this process have been proposed. A classic hypothesis put forward by Hamilton and May argues that individuals disperse away from kin in order to avoid competing with similar phenotypes. Many species have been shown to follow this pattern, and it is generally accepted that most organisms disperse well away from the sites where they were born. However, not all species follow this pattern and some display a distinct tendency to remain within their mother's home range. Hoogland (p. 1205) studied populations of three species of prairie dogs over more than three decades and found that the presence of close kin in these highly social rodents actually led young animals to remain on their natal site, whereas dispersal away from it occurred almost exclusively when close female kin were absent. This suggests that sociality may in fact result in individuals remaining with their close kin in order to benefit from cooperation and that longer-distance dispersal may instead occur when the opportunity for cooperation does not exist. Long-term observation reveals that the presence of family members keeps a new generation of prairie dogs close to home. Because competition decreases inclusive fitness among kin, Hamilton and May predicted that the presence of nearby kin should induce the dispersal of individuals from the natal territory, independent of pressures to avoid inbreeding. Many studies support this landmark prediction, but research over 31 years with prairie dogs reveals the opposite pattern: Young females are 12.5 times more likely to disperse in the absence of mother and siblings for one species, and 5.5 times more likely for another species. Such striking patterns probably occur because cooperation among kin is more important than competition among kin for young prairie dogs. The inability to cooperate with close kin, due to their absence, prompts a search for a new territory where cooperation might be less crucial for survival and reproduction.


Women who are breastfeeding have increased requirements for energy and nutrients. Nutritional requirements for lactation have been the subject of several international reports and are included in general nutrient requirements documents, including those of the USA, Australia, European Union and WHO. Recommendations are made for all pregnant women to take folic acid prior to becoming pregnant and during the first trimester of the pregnancy and iodine supplementation is recommended in Australia and many other countries during pregnancy and lactation. The current WHO/ICCIDD/UNICEF recommendation for daily iodine intake (250 µg for lactating mothers) has been selected to ensure that iodine deficiency does not occur in the postpartum period and that the iodine content of the milk is sufficient for the infant's iodine requirement. While recommendations for nutritional supplements during pregnancy are specific, recommendations are usually less specific for lactation. The aim of this study was to review the use of supplements during lactation and to document the use of nutritional supplements in a cohort of mothers who are breastfeeding in Perth, Western Australia. A literature search was undertaken of reviews published between January 2000 and May 2011 and further analysis was undertaken of supplement usage in the Perth Infant Feeding Survey. In the USA the limited data that is available suggest that supplement use during lactation is dependent on demographic, sociologic, and economic factors and that more women take supplements during pregnancy than during lactation. Data from the NHANES III study show that ethnicity and income predicted iron supplementation during lactation, with 77% of non-Hispanic white women reporting supplement use compared with 41% of non-Hispanic black or Mexican American women. Multivitamin-multimineral use was the most frequently reported dietary supplement (33%). In a cohort study of postpartum mothers in Australia the use of supplements fluctuated between 40% to 30%, with 35% still taking supplements a year after birth. During their pregnancy 78% of mothers took a folic acid supplement and 21 % took an iron supplement. Mothers who took supplements were more likely to continue breastfeeding. More studies are needed to document supplement use by lactating mothers in different cultures and countries.


Predictions of call center arrivals are a key input to staff scheduling models. It is, therefore, surprising that simplistic forecasting methods dominate practice, and that the research literature on forecasting arrivals is so small. In this paper, we evaluate univariate time series methods for forecasting intraday arrivals for lead times from one half-hour ahead to two weeks ahead. We analyze five series of intraday arrivals for call centers operated by a retail bank in the United Kingdom. A notable feature of these series is the presence of both an intraweek and an intraday seasonal cycle. The methods considered include seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling; periodic autoregressive modeling; an extension of Holt-Winters exponential smoothing for the case of two seasonal cycles; robust exponential smoothing based on exponentially weighted least absolute deviations regression; and dynamic harmonic regression, which is a form of unobserved component state-space modeling. Our results indicate strong potential for the use of seasonal ARIMA modeling and the extension of Holt-Winters for predicting up to about two to three days ahead and that, for longer lead times, a simplistic historical average is difficult to beat. We find a similar ranking of methods for call center data from an Israeli bank.


Recently, cardiac telocytes were found in the myocardium. However, the functional role of cardiac telocytes and possible changes in the cardiac telocyte population during myocardial infarction in the myocardium are not known. In this study, the role of the recently identified cardiac telocytes in myocardial infarction (MI) was investigated. Cardiac telocytes were distributed longitudinally and within the cross network of the myocardium, which was impaired during MI. Cardiac telocytes in the infarction zone were undetectable from approximately 4 days to 4 weeks after an experimental coronary occlusion was used to induce MI. Although cardiac telocytes in the non‐ischaemic area of the ischaemic heart experienced cell death, the cell density increased approximately 2 weeks after experimental coronary occlusion. The cell density was then maintained at a level similar to that observed 1–4 days after left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD)‐ligation, but was still lower than normal after 2 weeks. We also found that simultaneous transplantation of cardiac telocytes in the infarcted and border zones of the heart decreased the infarction size and improved myocardial function. These data indicate that cardiac telocytes, their secreted factors and microvesicles, and the microenvironment may be structurally and functionally important for maintenance of the physiological integrity of the myocardium. Rebuilding the cardiac telocyte network in the infarcted zone following MI may be beneficial for functional regeneration of the infarcted myocardium.


The advantages of electron beam cutting are outlined. Specific production applications of these cutting techniques to electronic packaging are discussed in detail. Examples presented include: the etching of micro components; the scribing of thin films; the drilling and cutting of precision holes and slots in ceramic components; and the use of the electron beam cutter as a salvage tool.


This work is intended as an initial investigation into the perception of wideness and shape of sound sources. A method that employs multiple uncorrelated point sources is used in order to form "sound shapes". Several experiments were carried out in which, after some initial training, subjects were asked to indentify the shapes that were being played. Results indicate that differences in vertical and horizontal source wideness are easily perceived and scenes that use broad sound sources to represent normally large sound objects are selected 70% of the time over point source versions. However, shape identification was found to be more ambiguous except for certain types of signals where results were above statistical probability. The work indicates that shape and wideness of sound sources could be effectively used as extra cues in virtual auditory displays and generally improve the realism of virtual 3D sound scenes. This work was performed as a Core Experiment within the MPEG Audio Subgroup with the intention of possible integration of source wideness into MPEG-4 AudioBIFS.


Traditional snakes suffer from slow convergence speed (many control points) and difficult to adjust weighting factors for internal energy terms. We propose an alternative formulation using cubic B-splines, where the knot spacing is variable and controlled by the user. A larger knot spacing allows to reduce the number of parameters, which increases optimization speeds. It also eliminates the need for internal energies, which improves user interactivity. The optimization procedure is embedded into a multi-resolution image representation, where the number of snake points is adapted to the image grid spacing by correctly adjusting the spline knot spacing. Hence, the proposed method provides a multi-scale approach in both the image and parametric contour domain. Our technique provides fast optimization of the initial snake curve and leads to more stable algorithms in noisy imaging environments. Several biomedical examples of applications are included to illustrate the versatility of the method.


Decline of sod quality during the transportation, storage, and transplant stages of sale is a primary economic concern of sod producers. However, the mechanisms of extend- ing sod quality during storage, transportation, and transplantation remain unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the influences of selected plant metabolic enhancers (PMEs) seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum Jol.) extract (SWE), humic acid (93% a.i. (HA)), and propiconazole (PPC), on sod tolerance to stress during storage and posttransplant root growth of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) sod. The SWE + HA, and PPC were applied alone, or in a combination, to tall fescue 2 weeks before harvest. Photochemical efficiency (PE) of photosystem II was measured immediately before harvest. The harvested sod was subjected to high temperature stress (40 °C) for 72 or 96 hours. The heated sod was replanted in the field and posttransplant injury and root strength were determined. On average over 1999 and 2000, application of SWE (50 mg·m-2 ) + HA (150 mg·m -2 ), PPC (0.30 mL·m-2 ), and a combination of SWE + HA with PPC (0.15 mL·m -2 ), enhanced PE of preharvest sod by 8.5%, 9.1%, and 11.2%, respectively, and increased posttransplant rooting by 20.6%, 34.6%, and 20.2%, respectively. All PME treatments reduced visual injury except SWE + HA and SWE + HA + PPC in 1999. Extension of heat duration from 72 to 96 hours caused significantly more injury to the sod and reduced posttrans- plant rooting by 22.9% averaged over 2 years. The data suggest that foliar application of SWE + HA, PPC alone, or in a combination with SWE + HA, may reduce shipment heat injury and improve posttransplant rooting and quality of tall fescue sod. Chemical name used: 1-(2-(2,4-dichloropheny)-4-propyl-1,3-dioxolan-2yl)methyl-1-H-1,2,4-triazole (propiconazole (PPC)).


Dominica was the quintessential banana island but now faces a major turning point in its history caused by the changing position of this crop within the global political economy. As the decline of its banana industry generated a major economic crisis, it was forced in 2002 to make a desperate turn towards the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It has remained under IMF supervision ever since, but has at last begun to chart the bases of a post-banana development strategy under the leadership of Roosevelt Skerrit, projected into the leadership of his country at an early age by the death of his predecessor but since re-elected to office in May 2005.


Dependability is a broad concept which covers such aspects of computer systems like reliability, maintainability, and availability. Also because of this broadness, researches came up with related yet more focused notions such as self-healing and robustness. In this article, I discuss robustness in relation to dependability and make a distinction between these two. I outline the state of the art of the research in robustness and discuss required design practices leading to robust systems. In analogy to end-to-end argument, I present a new set of arguments called repairability which could help a designer resolve design decisions and choose a solution which potentially leads to a robust system.


We investigate choice principles in the Weihrauch lattice for finite sets on the one hand, and convex sets on the other hand. Increasing cardinality and increasing dimension both correspond to increasing Weihrauch degrees. Moreover, we demonstrate that the dimension of convex sets can be characterized by the cardinality of finite sets encodable into them. Precisely, choice from an n + 1 point set is reducible to choice from a convex set of dimension n, but not reducible to choice from a convex set of dimension n–1. Furthermore we consider searching for zeros of continuous functions. We provide an algorithm producing 3n real numbers containing all zeros of a continuous function with up to n local minima. This demonstrates that having finitely many zeros is a strictly weaker condition than having finitely many local extrema. We can prove 3n to be optimal.


Three series of terephthalate polyesters (copolyesters and terpolyesters) containing 70, 80, and 90 mol % of ethylene glycol respectively, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) and isosorbide in varying ratios, were synthesized by melt polycondensation.
It was found that only ~75 mol % of the feeding isosorbide was incorporated in the resulting polyesters and that their content in diethylene glycol oscillated between 2 and
4 mol %. The polyesters had weight-average molecular weights in the 25,000–33,000 g mol~1 range and polydispersities between 2 and 2.5. The combined 1H and 13C NMR analysis
revealed that the microstructure of all these polyesters was at random. They showed good thermal stability with decomposition
temperatures above 400oC. Their glass-transition temperatures were observed to increase with the content in cyclic
diols, this effect being more pronounced when isosorbide was the replacing comonomer. Only the series containing 90 mol% of ethylene terephthalate units was able to crystallize upon cooling from the melt. Compared isothermal crystallizations
revealed that isosorbide was more effective than CHDM in repressing the crystallizability of PET.


textabstractIntroduction: "An [education] system that is lifeless, devoid of joy and freshness, not even offering an iota of space to move and grow, is doomed to dead, dry rigidity. Can such a system ever nurture the child's mind, expand her horizons, and elevate her soul and character? Will this child, once she grows up, ever be able to figure anything
out on her own, overcome hurdles using her own resources, stand on her own two feet with head held high banking on her own natural fire? Will she not be given to mindless copying [from others], cramming [without comprehension] and slavish servitude?"
Quoted from: Shikshar Herpher (Manipulations and Distortions in Education, 1907, p.539), Rabindranath Tagore. (authors' translation).
The angst expressed in the above quote is shared by many contemporary scholars and
experts. Indeed, the Indian school education system seems to be under the grip of a `diploma
disease' (Dore, 1976). More specifically, the sceptre of test scores seems to be haunting the
entire school system in contemporary India, deforming the educational values of teachers,
parents, education bureaucrats and above all hapless students. To put it differently, the
prevailing educational ethos is such that value addition through education is measured mostly
in economic terms of marks and test scores, rendering irrelevant other worthy goals of
learning such as cognitive development, creative thinking, and citizenship abilities.
Curiously, almost all schools – from elite to budget, from vernacular to English-medium,
from `communal' to `secular', from government to private – seem to be chasing the same
`dream' of turning over more students securing more marks. Children are driven to savour
first the joy of earning marks and then of earning money, thereby numbing their urge to
explore the joy of learning.


This is the first comprehensive investigation of music for, or including, the classical guitar by South African composers. The focus of this research has been, firstly, to uncover as much of the repertoire as possible, and, secondly, to collate, study, catalogue and report on the information. A brief historical survey of the guitar in South Africa provides the context within which this study was conducted. The primary sources of quantitative data collection were through the archival catalogues of the South African Music Rights Organisation and through personal contact with guitarists, composers and guitar teachers. Other sources consulted were publishers, broadcasting corporations, recording companies, libraries and the internet. The body of the dissertation comprises biographical sketches, background notes, analyses and technical notes on 17 selected solo and chamber works dating from 1947 to 2007 by some of South Africa's most prominent composers and guitaristcomposers. The repertoire ranges in style from the traditional and ethnically inspired to the experimental and abstract. As this is an empirical survey, each selected entry includes details on instrumentation, duration, level of difficulty, number of pages, scordatura, commissions or requests, sources or publishers, premières and recordings. A biography of each composer is provided as well as background notes which offer an overview of the selected work. The notes discuss historical, cultural, musical and extra-musical influences, and frequently include references to interview material. The commentaries on the selected works, with musical examples, include an analytical component describing structure, form, stylistic and compositional elements, while the technical observations include performance suggestions and a grading for each work. The general catalogue in Addendum A lists over 320 works including solos, duos, works for voice and guitar, trios, quartets, ensembles and concertos of some 70 composers. These entries include details on instrumentation, subtitles or movements, source(s), dedications, commissions, premières, composer's notes and recordings. Quantitative patterns and trends, along with the aesthetic and practical value of this literature, are briefly assessed in the conclusion. U ive rsi ty of Ca pe To wn


Abstract:  The Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve on the Tibetan Plateau (Sichuan, southwestern China) is characterized by the deposition of fluvial travertine in a spectacular array of shoals, waterfalls, pool dams, and multicolored lakes. This is possibly the highest vegetated travertine setting of the world, from 2200 to 2900 m above sea level, an environment sensitive to minimal changes in temperature and precipitation regime. The evolution of the system is driven by two seasonal monsoon climate patterns with a wet spring–summer travertine deposition and then a dry fall–winter characterized by no precipitation or erosion. Spring and phreatic–vadose deposits transition from laminated columnar calcite to clotted micrite encrustation, possibly correlated with a mid-Holocene peak in precipitation and high lake levels in the northeastern Tibetan area connected to glacial advance. The most peculiar features are the fluvial shoals, a rather uncommon travertine surface consisting of two main superimposed facies of alternating weak- and strong-turbulence water flow. The low-turbulence facies consists of clotted micrite encrustation of mosses and cyanobacteria filaments, and platy calcite crystals covering algal filaments. The high-water-turbulence facies show seasonal alternation of diatom-rich bundles of Phormidium sp. (late spring) with algal Oocardium stratum levels (summer–fall). Upslope and downslope of the shoals, the precipitation of calcium carbonate results in the formation of prograding waterfalls and dam–pool systems that encrust macrophytes with microspar and clotted micrite. Encrusted chironomids larvae tubes are present in the waterfall walls up to an elevation of 2860 m, possibly the highest ever recorded. Early diagenetic processes such as dissolution of diatom frustules take place over the span of several years, a slower phenomenon compared to other travertine occurrences. In this high-elevation extreme setting, travertine sand and gravel bar deposits are produced by the exposure to severe weathering of a section of the valley that is bypassed through an underground karst system during the winter dry season. High-elevation travertine probably has a low preservation potential, but it appears to be more sensitive to climate changes than other depositional settings, especially in the Himalayan–Tibetan area, where the extent of the Quaternary glacial advances and retreats is still a matter of debate.


The complex [Ru(triphos)(CH3CN)3](OTf)2 is an effective catalyst for the hydrogenation of 2,5-hexanedione and 2,5-dimethyl-furan in aqueous acidic medium at temperatures between 150 and 200 °C realizing up to 96% combined yields of 2,5-hexanediol and 2,5-dimethyl-tetrahydrofuran with the product distribution being sensitive to the amount of acid co-catalyst (HOTf) present. For the furan, the reaction pathway is through an acid-catalyzed hydrolysis to the dione rather than direct hydrogenation of the ring. The hydrogenation of the dione shows a first order dependence on hydrogen pressure as determined by direct hydrogen uptake rate measurements at temperature and pressure (1.38–6.90 MPa at 150 °C) and is postulated to operate through a heterolytic activation of hydrogen gas by [Ru(H)x(triphos)(Y)y]n+ (Y = solvent, water, counter ion) species formed in situ by loss and hydrogenation of the nitrile ligands. In water the catalyst is deactivated by dimerization to [Ru2(μ-OH)3(triphos)2](OTf).


Learning models with discrete latent variables using stochastic gradient descent remains a challenge due to the high variance of gradient estimates. Modern variance reduction techniques mostly consider categorical distributions and have limited applicability when the number of possible outcomes becomes large. In this work, we consider models with latent permutations and propose control variates for the Plackett-Luce distribution. In particular, the control variates allow us to optimize black-box functions over permutations using stochastic gradient descent. To illustrate the approach, we consider a variety of causal structure learning tasks for continuous and discrete data. We show that our method outperforms competitive relaxation-based optimization methods and is also applicable to non-differentiable score functions.


The debate over a new farm bill has focused on how to spend an additional $73.5 billion in funding for the agricultural budget over 10 years. The House of Representatives, the Senate agriculture committee, and Senators Cochran and Roberts (supported by the Bush administration) have each proposed a structure for the next farm bill. A critical question becomes whether these proposals conflict with U.S. commitments to limit subsidies under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. This paper explores this issue and concludes with a discussion of the future direction of U.S. farm subsidies and new WTO agreements.


Testing a point (sharp) null hypothesis is arguably the most widely used statistical inferential procedure in many fields of scientific research, nevertheless, the most controversial, and misapprehended. Since 1935 when Buchanan-Wollaston raised the first criticism against hypothesis testing, this foundational field of statistics has drawn increasingly active and stronger opposition, including draconian suggestions that statistical significance testing should be abandoned or even banned. Statisticians should stop ignoring these accumulated and significant anomalies within the current point-null hypotheses paradigm and rebuild healthy foundations of statistical science. The foundation for a paradigm shift in testing statistical hypotheses is suggested, which is testing interval null hypotheses based on implications of the Zero probability paradox. It states that in a real-world research point-null hypothesis of a normal mean has zero probability. This implies that formulated point-null hypothesis of a mean in the context of the simple normal model is almost surely false. Thus, Zero probability paradox points to the root cause of so-called large n problem in significance testing. It discloses that there is no point in searching for a cure under the current point-null paradigm. paradigm shift in testing statistical hypotheses. " It cannot be denied that, during the recent rapid development of practical methods, fundamental problems have been ignored and fundamental paradoxes left unresolved " Fisher (1922)


In this article, I examine the respective role of equations and construction in geometrical problem solving according to Descartes and Pascal. I argue that whereas Descartes claims that an equation provides a solution to a geometrical problem even if it leads to an entangled construction, Pascal dismisses this claim and gives priority to construction. To this end, I deal with prototypical problems like Apollonius' problem of the three circles or Pappus' problem, both of which were tackled by Descartes and Pascal in their work or correspondence. I also pay close attention to the correspondence between Pascal and Sluse of October-December 1657 and compare Sluse's conception of algebraic analysis in geometrical problem solving with Descartes'. These letters, not thoroughly studied until now, supply an interesting discussion about what it is to provide a solution to a geometrical problem. Finally, I consider Descartes' algebraization of geometry as a kind of mathematization.


A series of novel ruthenium(II) arene RAPTA type derivatives (arene = cymene, hexamethylbenzene) containing curcumin-based ligands (curcH = curcumin, bdcurcH = bisdemethoxycurcumin) and PTA (1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) have been synthesized and fully characterized. The solid-state structures of [Ru(cym)(curc)(PTA)][SO3CF3], [Ru(hmb)(curc)(PTA)][SO3CF3], and [Ru(hmb)(bdcurc)(PTA)][SO3CF3] have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The antitumor activity of the complexes has been evaluated in vitro against human ovarian carcinoma cells (A2780 and A2780cisR), as well as against nontumorous human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. The correlation of the cytotoxicity upon switching the curcumin-based ligands, i.e. curcumin vs bisdemethoxycurcumin, is not straightforward. In contrast, the PTA ligand greatly enhances the activity and selectivity of ruthenium compounds in comparison to previously reported compounds.


Critical discourse regarding musical theatre takes, for the most part, the form of a profound silence, due presumably to a dismissal of the genre as simplistic and insubstantial. Not only have the elements of musical theatre been present in the majority of theatrical history, but many of the greatest theories regarding theatre have included these elements, including Brecht and Wagner. Musicals have also often concerned themselves with the Other, centering and sympathizing him/her in a manner unavailable to non-musical works. The Others that have thus been positioned are often delineated from hegemonic groups which are concretely those in power, but which are difficult to define. While officially, America is a classless society, class distinctions make a difference, and musicals have long championed the underdogs, both financial and social. Many "non-white" ethnic groups have been subordinated in American society but centered within musical theatre. While the musical stage has often established the idea of Jewishness as pertaining to ethnicity, it has also elevated Jews to leading characters, often while simultaneously serving to place audiences in the position of having to confront their own antisemitism. While heteronormativity is certainly the hegemonic stance regarding sexuality in America, the musical has often subverted it, whether through setting up alternative family structures, weakening male primacy within sexual contact, or setting up queer characters as sympathetic and leading characters. This dissertation explores all the above subaltern groups, examining how many creators of musicals have placed characters from these congregations at or near the forefront of sympathy and primacy, with particular attention given to how music aids in this positioning.


High-speed optical guided-wave switches and modulators are promising components for present and future applications in lightwave communication and measurement systems, or more generally for optical signal processing purposes. Integrated electro-optic modulators with bandwidth extending over a few gigahertz and low drive voltages are now commercially available. Due to their potential applications, bandwidth characterization is an important feature of the metrology of these devices and is often limited by the finite response time of the detection system. In this paper the bandwidth limitations of the electro-optic modulators are discussed and the authors report two techniques for bandwidth measurements, which have the significant advantage of using only low-frequency detection. This was made possible by processing the lightwave directly, using either a sampling technique with a narrow optical pulse as a probe signal or a direct optical spectrum analysis of the modulated signal.


This book offers the first comprehensive view on integrated circuit and system design for the Internet of Things (IoT), and in particular for the tiny nodes at its edge. The authors provide a fresh perspective on how the IoT will evolve based on recent and foreseeable trends in the semiconductor industry, highlighting the key challenges, as well as the opportunities for circuit and system innovation to address them. This book describes what the IoT really means from the design point of view, and how the constraints imposed by applications translate into integrated circuit requirements and design guidelines. Chapter contributions equally come from industry and academia. After providing a system perspective on IoT nodes, this book focuses on state-of-the-art design techniques for IoT applications, encompassing the fundamental sub-systems encountered in Systems on Chip for IoT:ultra-low power digital architectures and circuitslow- and zero-leakage memories (including emerging technologies)circuits for hardware security and authenticationSystem on Chip design methodologieson-chip power management and energy harvestingultra-low power analog interfaces and analog-digital conversionshort-range radiosminiaturized battery technologiespackaging and assembly of IoT integrated systems (on silicon and non-silicon substrates). As a common thread, all chapters conclude with a prospective view on the foreseeable evolution of the related technologies for IoT. The concepts developed throughout the book are exemplified by two IoT node system demonstrations from industry. The unique balance between breadth and depth of this book:enables expert readers quickly to develop an understanding of the specific challenges and state-of-the-art solutions for IoT, as well as their evolution in the foreseeable futureprovides non-experts with a comprehensive introduction to integrated circuit design for IoT, and serves as an excellent starting point for further learning, thanks to the broad coverage of topics and selected referencesmakes it very well suited for practicing engineers and scientists working in the hardware and chip design for IoT, and as textbook for senior undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students ( familiar with analog and digital circuits).


Recently, a novel optical imaging technique was successfully used in measuring the functional response of living retinal tissues. The technique, functional ultra high resolution optical coherence tomography, measures localized differential changes in the retina reflectivity over time resulting from external white light stimulation. This result can be used to develop a non-invasive diagnostic method for the early detection of retinal diseases. However, the physiological causes of the experimentally observed optical signals, most of which originate from the photoreceptors layer, are still not well understood. Due to the complexity of the photoreceptors, using purely experimental methods to isolate the changes in light reflectivity corresponding to individual physiological processes is not feasible. Therefore, we have employed the finite-difference time-domain method to model the changes in light scattering patterns of the photoreceptor cells caused by light-induced physiological processes. Processes such as cell swelling, cell elongation and hyperpolarization of doublelipid membrane structures were simulated by changing the size parameters and optical properties of the cells components. Simulation results show that the hyperpolarization of double-lipid membranous structures and cell swelling are the most likely causes for the experimentally observed changes in optical reflectivity. A number of experiments were suggested to verify the conclusions drawn from this numerical work. This numerical work includes an analysis of various errors in FDTD computational models.


This thesis is a study of some of the schemes used by illegal immigrants to circumvent Australia's visa entry requirements. The study encompasses twenty years of personal observation of Australia's illegal immigration industry. By the end of the 20th Century, illegal immigration into Australia was out of control. The most visible form of illegal entry was by small boat via Australia's northern approaches, and from 1989, until it was stopped in August 2001, a total of 13,475 people had entered Australia illegally by this method. But by far the greatest number of migrants to have entered Australia illegally over the past two decades came through our airports via the insidious technique of visa misuse. This misuse was a byproduct of Australia's visa entry requirements which are based on procedures which can be manipulated, processes which can be fabricated and documents which can be forged. Both Labor and Liberal Governments during the past two decades had policies aimed at stemming the tide of illegal immigration into Australia. However, the only policy which was totally successful was the Liberal Government's "Pacific Solution" which ended the trafficking of boat people. This thesis explains why other policies were only partially successful and why illegal immigration during these years was a continuing process.


Beginning in the early 1900s, Puerto Rican sugar has entered the U.S. mainland tariff free. Given this new status, the Puerto Rican sugar industry grew dramatically, soon far outstripping Louisiana's production. Then, in the middle 1960s, something amazing happened. Production collapsed. Manufacturing sugar in Puerto Rico was no longer profitable. Louisiana, in contrast, continued to produce and grow sugar. We argue that local economic policy was responsible for the industry's demise. In the 1930s and 1940s, the local Puerto Rican government enacted policies to stifle the growth of large cane-farms. As a result, starting in the late 1930s, farm size fell, mechanization of farms essentially ceased, and the Puerto Rican sugar industry's productivity (relative to Louisiana) rapidly declined until the industry collapsed. The overall Puerto Rican economy also began to perform poorly in the late 1930s. In particular, Puerto Rico's per capita income was converging to that of the poorest U.S. states until the late 1930s, but since then it has lost ground to these states. One naturally wonders: was the poor overall performance of the Puerto Rican economy also the result of policy? We show that Puerto Rico embarked on other economic policies in the early 1940s that proved to be major setbacks to its economic development.


Hoarding by large speculators is often blamed for contributing to commodity market panics and bubbles. Using supermarket scanner data on US household purchases during the 2008 Rice Bubble, we show that hoarding is in fact more systemic, affecting even households who have no resale motive. Export bans led to a spike in prices worldwide in the first half of 2008, which spilled over into US markets. Anticipating shortages, US households with previous purchases of rice, especially those of Asian ethnicity, nearly doubled their buying around the peak of the bubble. We document transmission mechanisms through over-extrapolation from high prices and contagion, as many households bought rice for the first and last time during the bubble.


Aims and Objectives: The influence of target motion on the reconstructed internal target volume (ITV) for device-based (DB) external surrogate system and Smart deviceless (DL) 4-dimensional (4D) system were compared in a controlled phantom experiment. The volumetric changes in reconstructed ITVs from the average intensity projection (AveIP) images using DB method (Anzai Respiratory Gating System, ANZAI MEDICAL CO., LTD, Japan) and DL method (Smart deviceless 4D system by GE Medical Systems (Chicago, USA)) with the theoretical true volume (ITVth) for moving target with the increasing target motion in anterior-posterior (A-P), lateral (left-right [L-R]) and inferior-superior (S-I) directions were assessed. Materials and Methods: 4D computed tomography (4DCT) of CIRS dynamic phantom (Computerized Imaging Reference Systems Inc., Norfolk, VA, USA) with 2.5 cm diameter spherical target of volume 8.2 cc programmed to move in a cos4(x) motion pattern placed in the lung volume were acquired for various target motion pattern using DB and DL method of gating. AveIP images of 10 phase binned image sets were generated and ITVs were delineated. Results: The maximum absolute percent differences between ITVaveand ITVthfor DL and DB methods were 15.91% and 4.94 % respectively for target motion of 5 mm in AP with 15 mm S-I direction. When the S-I motion was decreased to 10 mm, the observed % difference of the ITVs were also decreased to 12.5% and 0.3% for DL and DB method. When the lateral [L-R] motion was varied from 0 mm to 5 mm for S-I motion of 5 mm to 15 mm, the differences in the ITVs were significant (P = 0.004) with the maximum absolute percent difference of 18.61% and 4.94 % for DL and DB gating. With the simultaneous motion of the target in all the 3 directions, the difference in the reconstructed ITVs were statistically significant for DL method (P = 0.0002) and insignificant for DB method (P = 0.06) with an average increase of 10% in ITVDL against 2% in the ITVDB. The difference in ITVDL was significant for the target motion above 3 mm in A-P and L-R directions for S-I movement of above 10 mm (P = 0.0002). However, for low excursions of the target movement, no significant difference in the ITVs were observed (P > 0.06). In general, ITVDBs were closer to the ITVth (within 7.8%) than ITVDL (18.61%). Conclusion: The results showed that the DL method is an effective way of image sorting in 4D acquisition for smaller target excursion. When the target motion exceeds 3 mm in A-P and L-R directions with S-I more than 10 mm, DB method is the choice due to its accuracy in reproducing the absolute target volume.


Although close relationships between Brittany and Cornwall in the later Middle Ages have long been acknowledged in terms of their common linguistic background, reciprocal trade, and changing political affiliations, their mutual dramatic traditions have been given less attention. (1) By the later Middle Ages, connections between these two regions dated back a thousand years, to the time of the British migrations to Brittany--popular movements now generally thought to have occurred between the late fourth and early seventh centuries, with particular concentrations of immigrants coming from the Southwest of England in the first half of the sixth century. (2) The early Breton and Cornish languages were so closely related that, perhaps not surprisingly, it remains difficult for modern scholars to distinguish between the two in documents written prior to the twelfth century. (3) Our understanding of Breton and Cornish medieval dramatic traditions is largely based on a small group of surviving dramatic texts and records from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and limited archaeological evidence. As in much of Europe, for Brittany and Cornwall this was a time of political and cultural upheaval, a time during which both communities felt the need to assert local and Celtic identity--an assertion apparent in their surviving saint plays: the Breton Buez Santez Norm and Buhez Sant Gwenole, and the Cornish Beunans Meriasek. Since Breton drama remains virtually unknown to most students of medieval theater, a brief excursus on the manuscripts, contents, and performance traditions of these saint plays is perhaps appropriate before proceeding to a more developed statement of my argument. Written mostly in couplets and sestets, the Buez Santez Nonn survives in five copies, four of them made by eighteenth-century antiquarian Louis Le Pelletier. The fifth copy, dating to the early sixteenth century, was discovered at the beginning of the nineteenth century at Dirinon, near Landerneau in Brittany. (4) Recently reedited in a new, lavishly illustrated edition with an accompanying French translation, this manuscript seems to be a fair copy, with few corrections or marginalia, but with speech headings, stage directions, and an occasional capital in red ink. The play has many Celtic affiliations, including appearances by a number of Celtic saints: Patrick, Gildas, David, and Nonn herself. (5) Although not a saint, Celtic soothsayer Ambrosius Merlin also makes a brief showing to prophesy of David's future greatness (424-40). The plot delineates how God commands Patrick to leave Britain for Ireland, and how Nonn, a sister in a British convent, is later raped by King Keritic of Britain. (6) She then leaves England for Brittany where she gives birth to St. Davy (also known as St. David or St. Dewi) who later returns to Britain to become the archbishop of Menevia in Southern Wales. Before his holy death, Davy works many miracles, among them the healing of his blind teacher Paulinus. Nonn meanwhile goes on pilgrimage, ending up near Dirinon, her tomb itself becoming the site of many further miracles. Although no local records describe performances of the play at Dirinon, the play's repeated references to the site of her tomb there (14, 16, 1512, 1520) make such a connection highly likely. Le Pelletier also transcribed the two existing copies of the Buhez Sant Gwenole, a play of some 1278 lines in Breton quatrains--one based on a text of 1580 and another upon one of 1608. Neither text from which he worked was the original, for the final section of both copies is incomplete. (7) Both surviving transcriptions relate the life of St. Gwenole the founder of the Breton monastery of Landevennec: his parents' flight from England, his early history, his preaching, his prophetic powers, his miracles, and his time as abbot. If the transcriptions were complete, they would probably go on to recount his holy death as described in the play's principal source, Wrdisten's ninth-century Vita Sancti Winwaloei. …


Summary Metabolism is influenced by age, food intake, and conditions such as diabetes and obesity. How do physiological or pathological metabolic changes influence stem cells, which are crucial for tissue homeostasis? This Commentary reviews recent evidence that stem cells have different metabolic demands than differentiated cells, and that the molecular mechanisms that control stem cell self-renewal and differentiation are functionally connected to the metabolic state of the cell and the surrounding stem cell niche. Furthermore, we present how energy-sensing signaling molecules and metabolism regulators are implicated in the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Finally, we discuss the emerging literature on the metabolism of induced pluripotent stem cells and how manipulating metabolic pathways might aid cellular reprogramming. Determining how energy metabolism regulates stem cell fate should shed light on the decline in tissue regeneration that occurs during aging and facilitate the development of therapies for degenerative or metabolic diseases.


Image alignment is one of the first steps for most computer vision and image processing algorithms. Image fusion, image mosaicing, creation of panoramas, object recognition/detection, photometric stereo and enhanced rendering are some of the examples in which image alignment is a crucial step. In this work, we focus on alignment of high-resolution images taken with a fixed camera under different light directions. Although the camera position is largely fixed, there might be some misalignment due to perturbations to the camera or to the object, or the effect of optical image stabilization, especially in long photo shoots. Based on our experiments, we observe that feature-based techniques outperform pixel-based ones for this application. We found that SIFT [Low04] and SURF [BTVG06] provided very reliable features for most cases. For feature-based approaches, one of the main problems is the elimination of outliers, and we solve this problem using the RANSAC framework. Furthermore, we propose a method to automatically detect the transformation model between images. The datasets that we focus on have around 10-100 images, of the same scene, and in order to take advantage of having many images, we explore a graph-based approach to find the strongest connectivities between images. Finally, we demonstrate that our alignment algorithm improves the results of photometric stereo by showing normal maps before and after alignment.


This paper presents RoCuModel, an iterative tangible modeling system that helps users build 3D models in a tangible way for personal fabrication. It consists mainly of a special tangible curve and an infrared camera. Users can create 3D objects by creating sketchy low-fidelity shapes with the hand. By rotating the curve along a fixed axis, users can visualize the volumetric model in a 3D space in real time. RoCuModel provides a new way for people to design and create a rotationally symmetric 3D model. This is our first step towards eliminating the gap between specialists and non-specialist users in personal fabrication.


GDP data is important used to apportion funds from international organisations, to influence rating agency decisions and much more, but official data is totally inadequate for the demands made of it. The notion of GDP data is flawed conceptually, but there are also severe methodological issues that need to be addressed prior to making international comparisons and assessing data reliability. World Economics has created an interactive Data Quality Index for users of economic data which considers five readily measurable factors that influence data reliability across countries. The Data Quality Index ranks 154 countries based on an equal weighting of the five factors, but users can adjust the importance of each to their data needs.


Millions of people are searching for secrets,wisdom, knowledge, and practical techniques to heal, rejuvenate, prolong life, and move toward immortality. The way to accomplish all of these is to reach and meld with Tao. This book, the successor to Tao I: The Way of All Life, reveals the highest secrets and most powerful practical techniques for the Tao journey, which includes one's physical healing and rejuvenation journey and one's entire spiritual journey. Its essence can be summarized in one sentence: Jin Dan Da Tao Xiu Lian is the way to heal, rejuvenate, prolong life, and move in the direction of immortality. Shou Yi Yan Jin Ye is the most important daily practice for reaching Tao. "Shou yi" means focus on the Jin Dan area below the navel. "Yan jin ye" means swallow Heaven's sacred liquid and Mother Earth's sacred liquid. Tao II: The Way of Healing, Rejuvenation, Longevity, and Immortality explains the significance of this highest secret and exactly how to do it. It gives you the sacred key for your whole life's practice and shares two hundred and twenty sacred phrases that include not only profound sacred wisdom but also additional simple and practical techniques. Practice. Practice. Practice. Reach fan lao huan tong, which is to transform old age to the health and purity of the baby state. Prolong life. The final goal is to reach immortality to be a better servant for humanity, Mother Earth, and all universes.


Although there is general public approval of the improvements in Delhi's air quality in the recent years, the process by which this change was brought about has been criticized. A common perception is that air quality policies were prescribed by the Supreme Court, and not by an institution with the mandate for making environmental policy. A careful review of the policy process in Delhi suggests otherwise. We find that the government was intimately involved in policymaking and that the main role of the Supreme Court was to force the government to implement previously announced policies. A good understanding of what happened is essential, as the Delhi experience for instituting change has become a model for other Indian cities as well as neighboring countries.


A series of some new 3-benzyl-2-phenyl-4(5H)-(substituted phenylhydrazino)-1, 3-oxazolidines 6a-f derivatives were synthesized. The in vitro anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities were determined by paper disk diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the compounds were also determined by agar streak dilution method. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited significant anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities. Among the synthesized compounds 3-benzyl-2-phenyl-4(5H)-4'methoxyphenyl hydrazino-1, 3-oxazolidine (6d) and 3- benzyl-2-phenyl-4(5H)-4'acetamidophenyl hydrazino-1, 3-oxazolidine (6e) exhibited most potent in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.


Experiments were carried out to investigate the hypothalamic control mechanism for prolactin (PRL) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in the female rat. Anterior medial preoptic nucleus (AMPO) or suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) lesions were produced by passing 5-10 microA of direct current (tip negative). Persistent estrus (PE) began as early as 6 days and as late as 30 days after electrolytic lesioning. Blood samples obtained during diestrus, proestrus and estrus revealed well-described profiles of plasma PRL and LH in sham-lesioned animals, indicating that our cannulation and blood sampling procedure had no adverse effects on the plasma hormone levels. Individual sham-operated animals sampled on successive or alternate proestrous afternoons showed precise timing of the PRL and LH surges. However, when a shift occurred in the PRL surge a comparable shift would also occur in the LH surge, indicating a coupling between the mechanisms regulating the PRL and the LH surge. The AMPO-, SCN- or combine-lesioned PE animals exhibited low basal levels of plasma PRL and LH. Small secretory bursts occurred one to three times during the 6-hour sampling periods. Animals with incomplete SCN lesions had plasma PRL titers significantly higher than the other 3 groups. Plasma progesterone levels were significantly lower in the PE animals (p less than 0.01), whereas plasma estrogen levels were not significantly different from proestrous controls. These experiments indicate that during the afternoon of proestrus, the surges of plasma PRL and LH are very precise in the time of onset. Moreover, the mechanisms controlling the surge of PRL and LH are temporally coupled.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Prevailing theories of consciousness may be characterized as either a physicalist view of mind with material building blocks that grow in complexity unto an emergent conscious experience, or as a dualistic model in which mind-body interaction is taken as the interface of conscious intent and unconscious bodily processing. Roger Penrose supports a model of consciousness that goes beyond dualism by adding a third domain [19]. The Three World model describes interconnected yet independent aspects of consciousness: Physical, Mental & Platonic. These three worlds are grounded in the three axioms of quantum mechanics: measurement, superposition and entanglement. The Mental World corresponds to the superposition principle in which all possible future realities are superposed as potentials before a choice is made. The superposition is analogous to the choices we make everyday. In the Physical World, the measurement principles states that the quantum system must collapse the superposed possibilities into a single actuality. The most peculiar phenomenon in quantum mechanics is entanglement. Quantum systems may be entangled in a timeless and spaceless way such that they will still be connected despite separation in space or time. The Platonic World is akin to entanglement, because mathematics and conceptual forms are unchanging regardless of space or time. Finally, a new model called Fractal Trialism is proposed which describes how there is a nested trialism within each of the three worlds in order to elaborate their interconnectedness. This model describes digital computers, quantum computers and shared experience. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */
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Crew members can be directly exposed to celestial dust in several ways. After crew members perform extravehicular activities (EVAs), they may introduce into the habitat dust that will have collected on spacesuits and boots. Cleaning of the suits between EVAs and changing of the Environmental Control Life Support System filters are other operations that could result in direct exposure to celestial dusts. In addition, if the spacesuits used in exploration missions abrade the skin, as current EVA suits have, then contact with these wounds would provide a source of exposure. Further, if celestial dusts gain access to a suit's interior, as was the case during the Apollo missions, the dust could serve as an additional source of abrasions or enhance suit-induced injuries. When a crew leaves the surface of a celestial body and returns to microgravity, the dust that is introduced into the return vehicle will "float," thus increasing the opportunity for ocular and respiratory injury. Because the features of the respirable fraction of lunar dusts indicate they could be toxic to humans, NASA conducted several studies utilizing lunar dust simulants and authentic lunar dust to determine the unique properties of lunar dust that affect physiology, assess the dermal and ocular irritancy of the dust, and establish a permissible exposure limit for episodic exposure to airborne lunar dust during missions that would involve no more than 6 months stay on the lunar surface. Studies, with authentic lunar soils from both highland (Apollo 16) and mare (Apollo17) regions demonstrated that the lunar soil is highly abrasive to a high fidelity model of human skin. Studies of lunar dust returned during the Apollo 14 mission from an area of the moon in which the soils were comprised of mineral constituents from both major geological regions (highlands and mares regions) demonstrated only minimal ocular irritancy, and pulmonary toxicity that was less than the highly toxic terrestrial crystalline silica (Permissible Exposure Limit [PEL] 0.05 mg/m3) but more toxic than the nuisance dust titanium dioxide (TiO2 [PEL 5.0 mg/m3]). A PEL for episodic exposure to airborne lunar dust during a six-month stay on the lunar surface was established, in consultation with an independent, extramural panel of expert pulmonary toxicologists, at 0.3 mg/m3. The PEL provided for lunar dust is limited to the conditions and exposure specified therefore additional research remains to be accomplished with lunar dust to further address the issues of activation, address other areas of more unique lunar geology (Glotch et al., 2010; Greenhagen et al., 2010), examine potential toxicological effects of inhaled or ingested dust upon other organ systems, such cardiovascular, nervous systems, and examine effects of acute exposure to massive doses of dust such as may occur during off-nominal situations. Work to support the establishment of PELs for Martian dust and dusts of asteroids remains to be accomplished. The literature that describes health effects of exposure to toxic terrestrial dusts provides substantial basis for concern that prolonged exposure to respirable celestial dust could be detrimental to human health. Celestial bodies where a substantial portion of the dust is in the respirable range or where the dusts have large reactive surface areas or contain transition metals or volatile organics, represent greater risks of adverse effects from exposure to the dust. It is possible that in addition to adverse effects to the respiratory system, inhalation and ingestion of celestial dusts could pose risks to other systems


The concept of integrity, as a factor which sustains values and significance of cultural
heritage, is regarded as a key criterion in the process of urban heritage conservation and thus, the need for
clarification of its factors has been emphasized in the international conventions, documents and scientific
papers. Review and analysis of documents, conventions and theories concerning the role of integrity in
urban heritage conservation show that in recent decades, the concept of integrity has attracted worldwide
attention in the process of selection, assessment, and codification of the comprehensive conservation
and management plan of urban heritage. This paper aims to recognize the aspects of integrity concept
and tries to refine the prioritization of integrity aspects in the plans and measures of Amir-chakhmagh
Square conservation project in Yazd, Iran. To achieve this aim, firstly the conventions and the scientific
papers related to integrity are reviewed; consequently the effective aspects in measuring integrity have
been selected in three main categories: 'Structural-historical Integrity', 'Functional-social Integrity', and
'Visual-aesthetic Integrity'. Thereafter, the prioritizing of these aspects in the Amir-chakhmagh Square
conservation is analyzed by quantitative research method and correlation strategy. The findings indicate
that the 'Functional-social Integrity', 'Structural-historical Integrity' and 'Visual-aesthetic Integrity', in
descending order, have the highest to the lowest contribution to explaining the concept of integrity in the
measures taken for Amir-chakhmagh Square conservation project. This indicates the measures have
been successful in terms of reviving the social vitality of the square and refurbing the historic
buildings around the square by adaptive reuse. Finally, findings from quantitative measurements confirm
the theoretical framework of the research which is provided by Jokilehto.


Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly associated with contaminated land and may pose a risk to human health via subsurface vapor intrusion to indoor air. Soil vapor sampling is commonly used to assess the nature and extent of VOC contamination, but can be complicated because of the wide range of geologic material permeability and moisture content conditions that might be encountered, the wide variety of available sampling and analysis methods, and several potential causes of bias and variability, including leaks of atmospheric air, adsorption-desorption interactions, inconsistent sampling protocols and varying levels of experience among sampling personnel. Passive sampling onto adsorbent materials has been available as an alternative to conventional whole-gas sample collection for decades, but relationships between the mass sorbed with time and the soil vapor concentration have not been quantitatively established and the relative merits of various commercially available passive samplers for soil vapor concentration measurement is unknown. This paper presents the results of field experiments using several different passive samplers under a wide range of conditions. The results show that properly designed and deployed quantitative passive soil vapor samplers can be used to measure soil vapor concentrations with accuracy and precision comparable to conventional active soil vapor sampling (relative concentrations within a factor of 2 and RSD comparable to active sampling) where the uptake rate is low enough to minimize starvation and the exposure duration is not excessive for weakly retained compounds.


We examined the long-term effects of a prescribed fire in a southern Appalachian watershed in Nantahala National Forest, western North Carolina, USA. Fire was prescribed in 1995 on this site by forest managers to restore a degraded pine (Pinus spp.)-hardwood community, specifically to stimulate forage production, promote pine and oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration, and increase plant diversity. Before and after the prescribed fire, permanent plots were sampled across a south-facing hillslope, which corresponded to three community types: mesic, near-stream cove (riparian); dry, mixed-oak (mid-slope); and xeric, pine-hardwood (ridge). In an earlier paper, we reported the first two years of post-burn vegetation response from this prescribed burn. In our current study, we compared the pre-burn (1994) forest condition with 10 years post-burn (2005) vegetation measurements to determine the effects of fire on the mortality and regeneration of overstory trees, understory shrubs, and herbaceous-layer species. Overstory mortality was high immediately after the burn at the ridge location and ten years after the fire. Mortality of pitch pine (Pinus rigida Miller) (91.8 %) and hickory (Carya spp.) (77.5 %) reduced overstory basal area from 26.97 m2 ha−1 pre-burn to 18.86 m2 ha−1 post-burn in 1995 and to 9.13 m2 ha−1 in 2005. At the mid-slope and riparian locations, no significant overstory mortality occurred over time. Understory density was significantly higher 10 years after the burn (2005) than pre-burn, and basal area had returned to pre-burn levels. Density of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.), black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata [Wang.] K. Koch), and blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) had increased due to prolific sprouting. The prescribed fire had varying effects on diversity across the hillslope gradient over time. On the ridge, overstory diversity declined following the fire (H'basal area = 1.14 in 1994, H'basal area = 0.75 in 1995, and H'basal area = 0.80 in 2005). Diversity significantly increased in the herbaceous layer and remained higher than pre-burn conditions through 2005 (H'cover = 1.02 in 1994, H'cover = 1.97 in 1995, and H'cover = 2.25 in 2005). For the mid-slope and riparian positions, no change in diversity was observed in the overstory, understory or herbaceous layer.


During RNA interference, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) generated by Dicer (or provided exogenously) are loaded onto the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which then binds homologous target RNAs, cleaving and inactivating them. The major constituents of RISC are the single-stranded siRNA and any one of a number of different proteins of the Argonaute (Ago) family. Until now, the identity of the nuclease in RISC, nicknamed "Slicer," has remained a mystery (see the Perspective by Sontheimer and Carthew). Song et al. present the structure of the Ago protein from Pyrococcus furiosus, which consists of four domains; the PAZ and PIWI domains being the defining characteristics of Ago. The PfAgo PIWI domain is homologous to ribonuclease H (RNase H), including conserved catalytic residues, and the juxtaposition of PAZ and PIWI domains suggests a mechanism by which Ago might load and cleave target RNAs. Liu et al. show that, unlike other mouse Agos, only Ago2 can form a cleavage-competent RISC. Ago2 is also essential in vivo for RNAi, and is required for normal mouse development. Because the conserved catalytic residues in the RNase H-like PIWI domain are critical for RISC cleavage activity, it is likely that Ago2 is "Slicer." J. J. Song, S. K. Smith, G. J. Hannon, L. Joshua-Tor, Crystal structure of Argonaute and its implications for RISC slicer activity. Science 305, 1434-1436 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text] J. Liu, M. A. Carmell, F. V. Rivas, C. G. Marsden, J. M. Thomson, J. J. Song, S. M. Hammond, L. Joshua-Tor, G. J. Hannon, Argonaute2 is the catalytic engine of mammalian RNAi. Science 305, 1437-1441 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text] E. J. Sontheimer, R. W. Carthew, Argonaute journeys into the heart of RISC. Science 305, 1409-1410 (2004). [Summary] [Full Text]


—Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming necessities of people's daily life and establishing itself as an essential part of future Internet. One of the challenges for using IoT is the security of data collected by trillions of IoT devices and used by millions of services. Distributed ledger technology (DLT) provides a distributed security method which can benefit IoT. Yet challenges are put forward when integrating DLT with IoT, such as scalability and heterogeneous capability of IoT devices. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for integrating DLT in IoT by using edge computing technology, taking the scalability and heterogeneous capability of IoT devices into consideration. IoT devices are clustered dynamically into groups based on various proximity context information. A cluster head is used to bridge the IoT devices with the blockchain network where smart contract is deployed. Through this way, the security of the IoT is improved and the scalability and latency are solved. We elaborate our mechanism and discuss issues that should be considered and implemented when using the proposed mechanism.


We demonstrate a natural mapping from XML element types to ML module expressions. The mapping is inductive and definitions of common XML operations can be derived as the module expressions are composed. We show how to derive, in a generic way, the validation function, which checks an XML document for conformance to its DTD (Document Type Definition). One can view validation as assigning ML types to XML elements and the validation procedure a pre-requisite for typeful XML programming in ML. Our mapping uses the parametric module facility of ML in some contrived way. For example, in validating WML (WAP Markup Language) documents, we need to use 36ary type constructors, as well as higher-order modules that take in as many as 17 modules as input. That one can systematically model XML DTDs at the module level suggests ML-like languages are suitable for type-safe prototyping of DTD-aware XML applications.


Based on the authors' experiences in developing and teaching Symbian OS, this practical guide is perfect for programmers and provides a series of example-based scenarios that show how to develop Symbian applications. Exercises walk the reader through the initial development of a console-based card game engine to a graphical user interface(GUI)-based, two player blackjack game operating over a Bluetooth connection between two mobile phones Addresses how Symbian offers a number of different variants to allow for different user interfaces and screen savers - the most prevalent of these is S60 Discusses how the move toward 3G technology has resulted in an increasing need for mobile application development for S60 devices.


Is the high degree of gender inequality in developing countries—in education, personal autonomy, and more—explained by underdevelopment itself? Or do the societies that are poor today hold certain cultural views that lead to gender inequality? This article discusses several mechanisms through which gender gaps narrow as countries grow. I argue that although much of the GDP/gender-inequality relationship can be explained by the process of development, society-specific factors are also at play: Many countries that are poor today have cultural norms that exacerbate favoritism toward males. Norms such as patrilocality and concern for women's "purity" help explain the male-skewed sex ratio in India and China and low female employment in India, the Middle East, and North Africa, for example. I also discuss why the sex ratio has become more male-skewed with development. Finally, I lay out some policy approaches to address gender inequality.


Contends that a typology of skills based on a framework of learning styles and experiential learning theory, rather than a framework of job performance or some other personality construct, provides a language and guidance for assessment methods to describe knowledge at the performance level of adaptation. It requires development of the concept of learning skills which are: domainspecific and knowledge‐rich; descriptive of an integrated transaction between the person and the environment; and developed by practice. Reviews and reports data from numerous studies to establish the ESP′s reliability, relational validity, criterion validity and construct validity. The ESP can be used as a vehicle for providing personal and organizational feedback on skills, and expectations and intent regarding skills in jobs and development programmes.


Elements of storytelling frequently appear in research, from the germ of new project ideas, and the creation of hypotheses, to development through design processes, and towards new products and services. We also use storytelling for communication of our work, to peers, end users, the wider public and organisations. These stories appear in many guises, navigating tradition forms of writing, practice and critical enquiry, and creating wholly different experiences accessible in a new era of distribution.

This one-day workshop will identify and map the range of conscious and unconscious storytelling tools adopted in all stages of research, including design processes (e.g. Personas and Scenarios, Forum Theatre, and Design Fictions) and artifacts (e.g. Visualisation, Internet of Things, 3D printing). Together we will explore emerging digital means of capturing, sharing and experiencing stories as a methodological tool and by drawing on participant expertise it will initiate development of visual aids to distill and encode these practices for use in academia and beyond.


A great book about an even greater book is a rare event in publishing. Darnton's history of the "Encyclopedie" is such an occasion. The author explores some fascinating territory in the French genre of "histoire du livre," and at the same time he tracks the diffusion of Enlightenment ideas. He is concerned with the form of the thought of the great philosophes as it materialized into books and with the way books were made and distributed in the business of publishing. This is cultural history on a broad scale, a history of the process of civilization. In tracing the publishing story of Diderot's "Encyclopedie," Darnton uses new sources--the papers of eighteenth-century publishers--that allow him to respond firmly to a set of problems long vexing historians. He shows how the material basis of literature and the technology of its production affected the substance and diffusion of ideas. He fully explores the workings of the literary market place, including the roles of publishers, book dealers, traveling salesmen, and other intermediaries in cultural communication. How publishing functioned as a business, and how it fit into the political as well as the economic systems of prerevolutionary Europe are set forth. The making of books touched on this vast range of activities because books were products of artisanal labor, objects of economic exchange, vehicles of ideas, and elements in political and religious conflict. The ways ideas traveled in early modern Europe, the level of penetration of Enlightenment ideas in the society of the Old Regime, and the connections between the Enlightenment and the French Revolution are brilliantly treated by Darnton. In doing so he unearths a double paradox. It was the upper orders in society rather than the industrial bourgeoisie or the lower classes that first shook off archaic beliefs and took up Enlightenment ideas. And the state, which initially had suppressed those ideas, ultimately came to favor them. Yet at this high point in the diffusion and legitimation of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution erupted, destroying the social and political order in which the Enlightenment had flourished. Never again will the contours of the Enlightenment be drawn without reference to this work. Darnton has written an indispensable book for historians of modern Europe.


Abstract Mobility is often associated with flow and freedom; nonetheless, it is also about power and government. While mobility studies have shown how interpersonal social relations are increasingly supported by mobile technologies, it seems less clear how mobilities are involved in governing societies. Inspired by Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality and his 1978 lectures on security, territory and population, this article suggests that societies are increasingly governed through mobility, rather than there being government of mobility. If circulation has become a producer of, rather than an obstacle to, societies, then governmobility is a meaningful concept relating to how societies are ruled through connections. In conclusion, the article asks: what are the implications of governmobility for border studies, and more broadly, what are the powers of mobility studies?


ABSTRACT The usability movement has historically always sought to empower end-users of computers so that they understand what is happening and can control the outcome. In this article, we develop and evaluate a "Textual Feedback" tool for usability and user experience (UX) evaluation that can be used to empower well-educated but low-status users in UX evaluations in countries and contexts with high power distances. The proposed tool contributes to the Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) community's pool of localized UX evaluation tools. We evaluate the tool with 40 users from two socio-economic groups in real-life UX usability evaluations settings in Malaysia. The results indicate that the Textual Feedback tool may help participants to give their thoughts in UX evaluation in high power distance contexts. In particular, the Textual Feedback tool helps high status females and low status males express more UX problems than they can with traditional concurrent think aloud (CTA) alone. We found that classic concurrent think aloud UX evaluation works fine in high power contexts, but only with the addition of Textual Feedback to mitigate the effects of socio-economic status in certain user groups. We suggest that future research on UX evaluation look more into how to empower certain user groups, such as low status female users, in UX evaluations done in high power distance contexts.