Beginning with Mason (1939) and then continuing perforce with Bain (1956 and 1968)
into the early 1970s, research in the mainstream of industrial organisation (10) was
dominated by the structure-conduct-performance paradigm. The paradigm relates an
industry's structural characteristics to the conduct patterns of its constituent firms, which
determines an industry's performance. Specification of the relationships in this area is often
largely ad hoc and its testing is subject to a number of difficulties.
Considering an equilibrium oligopoly framework, mainly based on Cowling and
Waterson (1976) study, the thesis derives short-run equilibrium profit, concentration and
industry conjectures models. The empirical analysis will consist of two parts.
Firstly, the above three equilibrium models are tested with different versions both
in linear and logarithmic functional forms. Empirical testings includes testing the major
criticisms against structure-conduct-performance studies with the profit model,
distinguishing consumer-producer goods in explaining the structure-performance
relationships and comparison of the hypothesised in4dels with ad hoc versions of profits
and concentration.
The profit model includes concentration, elasticity of demand, conjectures, product
differentiation dummy, import intensity and capital intensity as explanatory variables.
Concentration is determined by number of firms, elasticity of demand, product
differentiation dummy, cost disadvantage ratio of small firms and conjectures. Industry
conjectures is determined by levels and stability of concentration, growth in sales, product
differentiation and import intensity. For each model, both linear and logarithmic functional
forms (with some intermediate stages) are tested for empirical purposes.
For the equilibrium profit model, oligopolistic structural and behavioural variables,
viz, concentration, conjecturess, elasticity of demand and capital intensity are found to be
significant in most of the cases. For the equilibrium concentration model, number of firms,
elasticity of demand and cost disadvantage ratio of small firms are found to be significant
in most cases. For the equilibrium conjectures model, none of the above factors, viz. levels
and stability of concentration, growth in sales, product differentiation and import intensity
is found to be significant in explaining conjectures.
The empirical analysis deals with testing the importance of major criticisms against
the structure-conduct-performance studies in explaining the relationships. These criticisms
are: i) omission of the relevant explanatory variables, ii) measurement error in the
variables, and iii) aggregation bias and iv) existence of simultaneous causality among
variables and v) mis-specification of the functional form of the model. These are tested
with the profit models.
The first three criticisms, viz, errors of omitting relevant variables, measurement
error and aggregation bias are tested with the profit model. Resulting estimates suggest
the importance of dealing with each of these issues in explaining the structure-performance
relationship.
The existence of simultaneous relationships among the variables is tested with two
systems of equations. The first system of equations consists of equilibrium profit,
concentration and conjectures models. The second system of equations consists of
disequilibrium profit and concentration models and the equilibrium conjectures model.
Profits, concentration and conjecturess among firms are treated as endogenous variables.
For both systems, the empirical findings support there is a simultaneous relationship
between the profit and concentration equation.
The second system of equations deals with the existence of sub-optimal behaviour.
This is done by specifying disequilibrium models separately for profit and concentration.
Partial adjustment model is considered with a constant rate of adjustment towards the
equilibrium level, assuming that any deviation from equilibrium is corrected at the constant
rate of adjustment. For the profit model, the signs of coefficients of the disequilibrium
version are found to be same as the equilibrium model with a significant positive sign for initial profit. Also for the concentration model, the signs of the coefficients of the
disequilibrium version are found to be same as the equilibrium model with a significant
positive sign for initial concentration. The annual adjustment rate of profit and
concentration are both found to be slow.
For the equilibrium profit, concentration and conjectures models, empirical analysis
is carried out against a sample of 102 Australian manufacturing industries at the Australian
Standard Industrial Classification (ASIC) at the four-digit level data for 1984/85. For the
disequilibrium profit and concentration model, the data are used for two periods (1977/78
and 1984/85), with a seven year lag for the above industries.


Women and men enter graduate programs in biology in about equal numbers, but women are less likely to become academic scientists. Various hypotheses have been suggested to explain this higher rate of attrition, most of which cite family issues as the reason. However, medicine successfully recruits and retains women physicians, despite being less family friendly than biology in terms of workload, stress, and inflexible work hours. Both professions are competitive but at different times in a person's career. Competition for entry into medical school is intense, but this period of competition occurs prior to family formation for most women. For women biologists, the most intense period of competition occurs during the search for faculty positions. Many women have partners or children at this time. The increasing competition for academic positions threatens to reverse the gains that women have made into the professoriate in biology, as well as in other sciences.


Climate warming and associated sea ice reductions in Antarctica have modified habitat conditions for some species. These include the congeneric Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins, which now demonstrate remarkable population responses to regional warming. However, inconsistencies in the direction of population changes between species at different study sites complicate the understanding of causal processes. Here, we show that at the South Orkney Islands where the three species breed sympatrically, the less ice‐adapted gentoo penguins increased significantly in numbers over the last 26 years, whereas chinstrap and Adélie penguins both declined. These trends occurred in parallel with regional long‐term warming and significant reduction in sea ice extent. Periodical warm events, with teleconnections to the tropical Pacific, caused cycles in sea ice leading to reduced prey biomass, and simultaneous interannual population decreases in the three penguin species. With the loss of sea ice, Adélie penguins were less buffered against the environment, their numbers fluctuated greatly and their population response was strong and linear. Chinstrap penguins, considered to be better adapted to ice‐free conditions, were affected by discrete events of locally increased ice cover, but showed less variable, nonlinear responses to sea ice loss. Gentoo penguins were temporarily affected by negative anomalies in regional sea ice, but persistent sea ice reductions were likely to increase their available niche, which is likely to be substantially segregated from that of their more abundant congeners. Thus, the regional consequences of global climate perturbations on the sea ice phenology affect the marine ecosystem, with repercussions for penguin food supply and competition for resources. Ultimately, variability in penguin populations with warming reflects the local balance between penguin adaptation to ice conditions and trophic‐mediated changes cascading from global climate forcing.

http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/emorhardt/159/pdfs/2007/forcada et al, 2006.pdf


Methodologies have been developed for (1) configuring mesoscale numerical weather-prediction models for execution on high-performance computer workstations to make short-range weather forecasts for the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and (2) evaluating the performances of the models as configured. These methodologies have been implemented as part of a continuing effort to improve weather forecasting in support of operations of the U.S. space program. The models, methodologies, and results of the evaluations also have potential value for commercial users who could benefit from tailoring their operations and/or marketing strategies based on accurate predictions of local weather. More specifically, the purpose of developing the methodologies for configuring the models to run on computers at KSC and CCAFS is to provide accurate forecasts of winds, temperature, and such specific thunderstorm-related phenomena as lightning and precipitation. The purpose of developing the evaluation methodologies is to maximize the utility of the models by providing users with assessments of the capabilities and limitations of the models. The models used in this effort thus far include the Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation System (MASS), the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Eta Model ( Eta for short). The configuration of the MASS and RAMS is designed to run the models at very high spatial resolution and incorporate local data to resolve fine-scale weather features. Model preprocessors were modified to incorporate surface, ship, buoy, and rawinsonde data as well as data from local wind towers, wind profilers, and conventional or Doppler radars. The overall evaluation of the MASS, Eta, and RAMS was designed to assess the utility of these mesoscale models for satisfying the weather-forecasting needs of the U.S. space program. The evaluation methodology includes objective and subjective verification methodologies. Objective (e.g., statistical) verification of point forecasts is a stringent measure of model performance, but when used alone, it is not usually sufficient for quantifying the value of the overall contribution of the model to the weather-forecasting process. This is especially true for mesoscale models with enhanced spatial and temporal resolution that may be capable of predicting meteorologically consistent, though not necessarily accurate, fine-scale weather phenomena. Therefore, subjective (phenomenological) evaluation, focusing on selected case studies and specific weather features, such as sea breezes and precipitation, has been performed to help quantify the added value that cannot be inferred solely from objective evaluation.


Following the 2009 swine flu pandemic, roughly one out of 15,000 children in Europe who received the H1N1 vaccine called Pandemrix developed narcolepsy, a disorder that causes irresistible sleepiness. A leading explanation for the rash of narcolepsy cases is that a fragment of the H1N1 virus used to produce Pandemrix may have triggered an autoimmune reaction in some vulnerable children. Researchers have struggled to find evidence for that hypothesis, however. This week, the picture grew murkier when Stanford University researchers retracted a paper in Science Translational Medicine , published 18 December 2013, that was hailed as the first evidence to support the immunological hypothesis. After several attempts, scientists say they are unable to replicate a key part of the experiment.


For information regarding the scope of this column, consult the head-note in the September 2009 issue (p. 129 of this volume). The dates of access for each review of an online source indicate the dates during which the reviewer was evaluating the resource. All Web sites were last accessed to verify availability on 17 February 2010. Motet Online Database. Dr. Jennifer Thomas, project director. School of Music, University of Florida. http://www.arts.ufl.edu/motet/default .asp. (Accessed January 2010). [Requires a Web browser and an Internet connection.] The Motet Online Database provides an index of motets that were produced between 1475 and 1600; this online resource indexes both manuscripts and motets that appear in printed anthologies. The site's "Contents of the Catalogue" page lists the total number of records contained in the database as 50,040 as of April 2002, and claims that the database contains an estimated 33,000 motet and Mass Proper appearances. There are indications that certain parts of the Web site where the database is located have not been updated recently, so it is possible that these estimates are inaccurate. Most of the site's pages indicate a copyright date of 2003, with a 10 May 2008 revision date. Because the definition of "motet" can be both specific and general, the "Works Included" Web page provides a very detailed description of what is included and what is not included in this database. What is included are most Latin-texted, non-strophic, polyphonic compositions (apart from settings of the Ordinary of the Mass), and all works designated in original sources and in secondary literature as motets or as Mass Propers. Compositions displaying the usual characteristics of both the Ordinary and the Proper of the Mass are also indexed. What is not included in the database are pieces designated as magnificats, lamentations, canticles, strophic psalms, and strophic hymns. More detailed explanations of decisions regarding the scope of the database can be found on the "Works Included" page. The sources of information for the contents of the database were gathered from a variety of published sources and from the Musicological Archives for Renaissance Manuscript Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana--Champaign. For a complete list, see the "Sources of Information" page. I am not sure how completely current this list of sources may be, but it is extensive. The heart of any database is the data fields: what they are, what they contain, and how they can be searched and manipulated. The twenty data fields in this database are divided into four major areas: fields providing information about the original source, place or provenance information fields, fields providing information about individual motets, and fields standardized for uniform sorting and searching. There are three fields related to the original source topic. The "Source" field contains either the RISM siglum for prints or the library siglum for manuscripts. The "Date of Source" field is either the RISM assignment for prints or a range of years according to recent scholarship for manuscripts. The contents of the "Scribe or Publisher" field can be either from the original source or from recent scholarship and usually includes initials for a manuscript's scribe or scribes, name of a scriptorium or workshop, or the name of a publisher for printed materials. Eight major regions of Europe have been assigned a number from one through eight and are indicated in a table on the "Data Fields" page. The table also contains the number of database records entered from each region. (Again, the number of database records in the table does not appear to have been updated anytime recently.) The seven different "Place Information" fields are fairly self-explanatory, except for the "Citation" field, which is given a paragraph explanation. There is a statement at the end of the paragraph which says "See the key to citation abbreviations below," but this key does not appear anywhere on this page. …


The subject of this paper concerns the nature of individual changes and the origin of organizational ones that have led to the progress and breakthrough results of competitive swimming in Serbia. Serbia's first swimming medals were won at the Olympic Games (OG), World Championships (WCh), and European Championships (ECh) in the senior and junior categories for both men and women, and the world and European records were set during the analyzed period (2000-2016). The Serbian male and female swimmers also marked the period concerned with winning the title of Serbia's best athletes in both senior and junior categories (2008 and 2009, 2010). Descriptive, structural, functional, and causal analysis of the facts related to this period of development of competitive swimming in the Republic of Serbia, as the method applied in this paper, led to the conclusion that the talent of an athlete, top coaches, in addition to new training practice, science, technology, innovation (NIT), SOFT programs, and the involvement of meso and macro levels of sports organization represent the factors relevant to the progress in individual performance as well as to the intensive growth of competitive swimming in the examined period. The limited capacities of competitive swimming have been determined in terms of the sustainability of the top competition results achieved. In this paper, the international and national cultural narrative of the men's 100m butterfly final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics (Čavić vs Phelps) was elaborated.


Inflation models make specific predictions for a tensor-scalar-scalar three-point correlation, or bispectrum, between one gravitational-wave (tensor) mode and two density-perturbation (scalar) modes. This tensor-scalar-scalar correlation leads to a local power quadrupole, an apparent departure from statistical isotropy in our Universe, as well as characteristic four-point correlations in the current mass distribution in the Universe. So far, the predictions for these observables have been worked out only for single-clock models in which certain consistency conditions between the tensor-scalar-scalar correlation and tensor and scalar power spectra are satisfied. Here we review the requirements on inflation models for these consistency conditions to be satisfied. We then consider several examples of inflation models, such as non-attractor and solid-inflation models, in which these conditions are put to the test. In solid inflation the simplest consistency conditions are already violated whilst in the non-attractor model we find that, contrary to the standard scenario, the tensor-scalar-scalar correlator probes directly relevant model-dependent information. We work out the predictions for observables in these models. For non-attractor inflation we find an apparent local quadrupolar departure from statistical isotropy in large-scale structure but that this power quadrupole decreases very rapidly at smaller scales. The consistency of the CMB quadrupole with statistical isotropy then constrains the distance scale that corresponds to the transition from the non-attractor to attractor phase of inflation to be larger than the currently observable horizon. Solid inflation predicts clustering fossils signatures in the current galaxy distribution that may be large enough to be detectable with forthcoming, and possibly even current, galaxy surveys.


Thanks to direct access to union databases, this article applies survival analysis to a sample of 47 637 Italian workers trying to explain the determinants of the duration of union membership. The results show that union membership duration is a positive, though declining, function of age. Furthermore, women, flexible workers, foreign ones and those working in cities tend to show less attachment to union membership than other workers. The estimated median duration is about 6 years. Positive hazard duration dependence is also found. Unobserved heterogeneity is detected but it does not significantly affect model estimates.


Three-dimensional (3D) microperiodic scaffolds of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) have been fabricated by direct-write assembly of a photopolymerizable hydrogel ink. The ink is initially composed of physically entangled pHEMA chains dissolved in a solution of HEMA monomer, comonomer, photoinitiator and water. Upon printing 3D scaffolds of varying architecture, the ink fi laments are exposed to UV light, where they are transformed into an interpenetrating hydrogel network of chemically cross-linked and physically entangled pHEMA chains. These 3D microperiodic scaffolds are rendered growth compliant for primary rat hippocampal neurons by absorption of polylysine. Neuronal cells thrive on these scaffolds, forming differentiated, intricately branched networks. Confocal laser scanning microscopy reveals that both cell distribution and extent of neuronal process alignment depend upon scaffold architecture. This work provides an important step forward in the creation of suitable platforms for in vitro study of sensitive cell types.


The construction of new service centers is very costly and the optimal site selection of these centers, one of the
parameters for determining their degree of effectivencess, is of high importance. Public parkings are an example for these
service centers. Population growth, sprawling of cities and increasing of vehicles result in heavy traffic and prolonged city
trips.Utilizing public parkings can be regarded as an effective approach to abate traffic load in city centers, in that spaces
designated for vehicles parking along the roads would be freed, and consequently the usable space of the roads would
increase, which in turn would contribute to the smooth flow of traffic. In this paper, we describe an ideal method for
parking site selection by the use of GIS, fuzzy logic and weighting criteria to determine proper parking sites. Suitable
place for parking is selected for one of the high traffic regions of Esfahan city in Iran.


Intel SGX promises powerful security: an arbitrary number of user-mode enclaves protected against physical attacks and privileged software adversaries. However, to achieve this, Intel extended the x86 architecture with an isolation mechanism approaching the complexity of an OS microkernel, implemented by an inscrutable mix of silicon and microcode. While hardware-based security can offer performance and features that are difficult or impossible to achieve in pure software, hardware-only solutions are difficult to update, either to patch security flaws or introduce new features. Komodo illustrates an alternative approach to attested, on-demand, user-mode, concurrent isolated execution. We decouple the core hardware mechanisms such as memory encryption, address-space isolation and attestation from the management thereof, which Komodo delegates to a privileged software monitor that in turn implements enclaves. The monitor's correctness is ensured by a machine-checkable proof of both functional correctness and high-level security properties of enclave integrity and confidentiality. We show that the approach is practical and performant with a concrete implementation of a prototype in verified assembly code on ARM TrustZone. Our ultimate goal is to achieve security equivalent to or better than SGX while enabling deployment of new enclave features independently of CPU upgrades. The Komodo specification, prototype implementation, and proofs are available at https://github.com/Microsoft/Komodo.


Militant organizations commonly break down and split apart, with new groups emerging from the ranks of existing organizations. From Syria to Iraq to Afghanistan, militant groups have splintered and proliferated in this way, creating fragmented oppositions that significantly complicate the conflict landscape. This process of organizational splintering historically has created some of the deadliest and most well known organizations including Al Shabaab, Black September, and the Real IRA. However, at other times the new organizations have quickly disappeared, failing to impact the conflict in any meaningful way.What explains this variation in the trajectory of militant splinter groups over time? Specifically, this dissertation explores why some organizational fractures produce new groups that are durable and increasingly radicalized, while others merely fall apart. This is an important topic that has ramifications for how academics and policymakers alike understand the behavior of specific actors and also the evolution of fragmented conflicts around the globe. I develop a new theory to explain variation in rates of survival and radicalization that focuses on the content and the consistency of internal organizational preferences. I argue that the content of group preferences can explain relative rates of radicalization and tactical change whereas the consistency or alignment of those preferences influences their chances of survival. Splinter groups that attract tactical and strategic hardliners are most likely to radicalize while inconsistent internal preferences lead to feuding, a lack of cohesion, and a lower likelihood of survival. Although impossible to directly observe, I show that different pathways of organizational breakdown, which one can observe, strongly shape the distribution of group preferences. In other words, different pathways of group formation have enduring effects on organizational behavior. I test my theory with a mixed-methods research design. The empirical results from analyzing a new data set provide robust cross-national support for my theory while my case study of republican militants in Northern Ireland supplemented by three months of field world in Belfast, London, and Dublin demonstrates the theory's causal mechanisms in action. These findings confirm that the conditions leading to group formation play an enduring role, driving group behavior well into the future. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Political Science First Advisor Michael C. Horowitz


The assembly of multiple genomes from mixed sequence reads is a bottleneck in metagenomic analysis. A single-genome assembly program (assembler) is not capable of resolving metagenome sequences, so assemblers designed specifically for metagenomics have been developed. MetaVelvet is an extension of the single-genome assembler Velvet. It has been proved to generate assemblies with higher N50 scores and higher quality than single-genome assemblers such as Velvet and SOAPdenovo when applied to metagenomic sequence reads and is frequently used in this research community. One important open problem for MetaVelvet is its low accuracy and sensitivity in detecting chimeric nodes in the assembly (de Bruijn) graph, which prevents the generation of longer contigs and scaffolds. We have tackled this problem of classifying chimeric nodes using supervised machine learning to significantly improve the performance of MetaVelvet and developed a new tool, called MetaVelvet-SL. A Support Vector Machine is used for learning the classification model based on 94 features extracted from candidate nodes. In extensive experiments, MetaVelvet-SL outperformed the original MetaVelvet and other state-of-the-art metagenomic assemblers, IDBA-UD, Ray Meta and Omega, to reconstruct accurate longer assemblies with higher N50 scores for both simulated data sets and real data sets of human gut microbial sequences.


A superficial reading of the South China Sea issue, informed by Beijing's propaganda line that the disputes amount simply to bilateral differences over principally Chinese maritime territory, would suggest that it is none of Australia's business. In reality, Australia has substantial stakes in what happens in these waters, where assertiveness and the manufacture of militarized islands have raised concerns about coercion and conflict. As a major trading nation, the world's thirteenth-largest economy, a regional maritime player in the Indo-Pacific, a middle power that benefits from the protection of norms and international law, a partner to its Asian neighbors, and an ally of the United States, Australia has myriad reasons to engage on this important strategic challenge. Historically, it has enacted and gained from freedom of navigation and commerce through this sea and air route. It also has a good record of multilateral diplomacy to reduce regional dangers. Reports of the Royal Australian Air Force quietly exercising freedom of navigation in late 2015 suggest that Canberra will continue to assert its rights and encourage a rules-based international response to tensions.1 There remains some uncertainty, however, about how far Australia is prepared to go, including in the context of its weighty economic relationship with China.This essay provides an overview of Australian views on the South China Sea and discusses a range of options available for Australia to protect its interests in this important region.Looking Back: The Evolution of Australian Views on the South China SeaAustralia is no stranger to the South China Sea. Its air force has exercised rights of overflight and surveillance in these waters since the 1970s, including in support of allied operations to track Soviet ships and submarines during the Cold War.2 Its decades of trading relations with North Asia have involved heavy reliance on these sea lanes. As an early contributor to regional security diplomacy, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum and other ASEAN-centric institutions, Canberra has sustained serious efforts to build the regimes of confidence building, transparency, and conflict prevention that Asia has long needed to maintain stability and guard the gains of prosperity.Even so, until the upsurge of tensions and assertiveness over the past five years, the South China Sea did not feature prominently in official public documents about Australian foreign and defense policy. A brief survey of the past two decades is illuminating. In the 1980s, despite simmering territorial differences and occasional conflict between China and Vietnam, Australia saw the South China Sea essentially in a Cold War context: the 1987 defense white paper referred to it only as a zone for Australian surveillance flights from a forward base in Butterworth, Malaysia.3 By the 1994 white paper, with the end of the Cold War, Canberra began to acknowledge concern about "competing territorial claims" among "well-armed nations."4 The situation was still seen as one among many regional problems to be "handled carefully" rather than as a major threat. This of course was still an era when China's growing military power and economic heft were of concern mainly because the country was growing so rapidly, not because of demonstrations of coercive behavior or a perceived ambition to seek to eclipse the U.S.-led alliance system.Australia's deepening security anxieties around China's military power and U.S.-China strategic competition were made plain in the 2009 defense white paper.5 Yet although worries about China's maritime ambitions clearly informed this blueprint for a strong Australian navy, the focus was not specifically the South China Sea, which was left unmentioned. This was in marked contrast with a series of policy statements in subsequent years. As territorial tensions rose, and China's stance from 2009 onward took on characteristics of assertiveness, risk-taking, and sometimes coercion, Australia's policy position of general concern became sharper and more explicit. …


The field of artificial intelligence has experienced a dramatic methodological shift towards large neural networks trained on plentiful data. This shift has been fueled by recent advances in hardware and techniques enabling remarkable levels of computation, resulting in impressive advances in AI across many applications. However, the massive computation required to obtain these exciting results is costly both financially, due to the price of specialized hardware and electricity or cloud compute time, and to the environment, as a result of non-renewable energy used to fuel modern tensor processing hardware. In a paper published this year at ACL, we brought this issue to the attention of NLP researchers by quantifying the approximate financial and environmental costs of training and tuning neural network models for NLP (Strubell, Ganesh, and McCallum 2019). In this extended abstract, we briefly summarize our findings in NLP, incorporating updated estimates and broader information from recent related publications, and provide actionable recommendations to reduce costs and improve equity in the machine learning and artificial intelligence community.


This paper describes the application of correspondence analysis to transcripts gathered from focussed interviews about teaching and learning held with a small sample of child-care students, medical students and the students' teachers. Seven dimensions emerged from the analysis, suggesting that the knowledge that underlies students' learning intentions and actions is multi-dimensional and transactive. It is proposed that the multivariate, multidimensional, discovery approach of the correspondence analysis technique has considerable potential for data analysis in the social sciences.


This paper presents a local search, based on a new neighborhood for the job-shop scheduling problem, and its application within a biased random-key genetic algorithm. Schedules are constructed by decoding the chromosome supplied by the genetic algorithm with a procedure that generates active schedules. After an initial schedule is obtained, a local search heuristic, based on an extension of the graphical method of Akers (1956), is applied to improve the solution. The new heuristic is tested on a set of 205 standard instances taken from the job-shop scheduling literature and compared with results obtained by other approaches. The new algorithm improved the best known solution values for 57 instances.


This article offers some insights about the establishment of a novel treatment setting for obese girls, which uses the mediation of the body and in which both individual and group issues were played out. This holistic approach combining the somatic and the psychic, emphasizes the way the group supports the containment function in these girls who present an unconscious image of a disordered body.


Background and Objectives: Over the last three decades environmental pollutions became a more noticeable problem in all around of the world. In many countries, noise pollution as a basic problem has a great importance.Development of the city, increasing of industrial centers, increasing vehicles, other annoying noise resources and also little information about the noise pollution of Tabriz city, has led to the doing of this research. Materials and Methods: Sampling and measuring of noise pressure levels was done 180 times According to the EPA standards, measuring was done simultaneously in two stations(commercialresidential areas), three times a day (morning 7:30 -9:30 am, midday 12:30-14:30 pm and night 19:00-21:00 pm) and 30 days in month. Results: Sound pressure level in both stations was higher than the standards and the highest average level with 71.4 db was recorded in Raste-koche station at midday. Also lowest calculated average value with 68.5 db was measured in Golbad station at the morning time that is 8.5 db higher than the standards. Conclusion: Average measured sound pressure level in two stations was higher than the standards. The results show that Tabriz has a noise pollution in commercial and residential commercial areas. It is suggested that other noise pollution resources identified and the proper management actions for its reduction be done.


South Africa's constitutional democracy reserves a specific role for the judiciary in upholding human rights. This responsibility inevitably has an impact on the formulation and conduct of South Africa's foreign policy. The constitution is clear in mandating that all public power be exercised in accordance with the rule of law; that it be rational; and that relevant considerations be taken into account and given appropriate weight to ensure informed and accountable decision-making. This is as true for foreign policy as it is for any other type of governmental policy, making it susceptible to judicial scrutiny. It is the constitution that is to be the 'light that guides our foreign affairs'. Civil society has increasingly sought to use the courts to shape a more accountable, human rights-oriented foreign policy. This was evident when civil society approached South Africa's courts to secure a measure of accountability for crimes of torture committed in Zimbabwe. In the case of a suspected war criminal whom Sri Lanka proposed posting to South Africa as its deputy ambassador, the threat of litigation to challenge the President's power to receive and recognise diplomats, if it were exercised in favour of Sri Lanka's nominee, was enough to ensure the appointment did not materialise. Again, the threat of litigation to secure an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in compliance with the International Criminal Court's indictment, in the event that he attended President Jacob Zuma's inauguration, was enough to secure his nonattendance. A similar strategy in Kenya, requiring actual litigation, secured an order that an arrest warrant be issued for al-Bashir. This demonstrates that South Africa is not alone on the continent in recently having witnessed civil society either resorting to litigation or threatening to do so in an attempt to condition foreign policy choices. A B O U T T H E A U T H O R Nicole Fritz is the founding director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), established to advance human rights and the rule of law in Southern Africa. She is an extraordinary lecturer at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria and at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Law.


The performance of binaural processing may be disturbed in the presence of hearing loss, especially of sensorineural type. To assess the impact of hearing loss on speech perception in noise regarding binaural processing, series of speech recognition measurements in controlled laboratory conditions were carried out. The spatial conditions were simulated using dummy head recordings played back on headphones. The Intelligibility Level Difference (ILD) was determined by measuring the change in the speech reception thresholds (SRT) between two configurations of a masking signal source (N) and a speech source (S), namely the S0N90 condition (where numbers stand for angles in horizontal plane) and the co-located condition (S0N0). To disentangle the head shadow effect (better ear effect) from binaural processing in the brain, the difference between binaural and monaural S0N90 condition (so-called Binaural Intelligibility Level Difference, BILD) value was calculated. Measurements were performed with a control group of normal-hearing listeners and a group of sensorineural hearing-impaired subjects. In all conditions performance of the hearing-impaired listeners was significantly lower than normal-hearing ones, resulting in higher SRT values (3 dB difference in the S0N0 configuration, 7.6 dB in S0N90 and 5 dB in monaural S0N90). The SRT improvement due to the spatial separation of target and masking signal (ILD) was also higher in the control group (8.1 dB) than in hearing-impaired listeners (3.5 dB). Moreover, a significant deterioration of the binaural processing described by BILD was found in people with sensorineural deficits. This parameter for normal-hearing listeners reached a value of 3 to 6 dB (4.6 dB on average) and decreased more than two times in the hearing-impaired group to 1.9 dB on average (with a deviation of 1.4 dB). These findings could not be explained by individual average hearing threshold (standard in audiological diagnostics) only. The outcomes indicate that there is a contribution of suprathershold deficits and it may be useful to consider binaural SRT measurements in noise in addition to the pure tone audiometry resulting in better diagnostics and hearing aid fitting.


Large forces are the primary mechanism of injury in muscular dystrophy, and muscular dystrophy is especially damaging to type IIB muscle fibers. It was hypothesized that post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) would be down-regulated to prevent damage in Xlinked muscular dystrophy (mdx) mice since PTP increases force and PTP effects are greatest in IIB fibers. PTP experiments were performed on the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of 50 day old mdx (YM) and C57BL/10 (YC) mice and 10 month old mdx (OM) and C57B1710 (OC) mice. Twitch and tetanic forces were lower in mdx than controls and lower in younger than older mice. Contrary to the hypothesis, PTP was higher in both mdx groups compared to controls. OM potentiated more than any other condition (OM: 29.8%, OC: 23.2%, YM: 21.9%, YC: 17.2%). In accordance with literature PTP increased in the older groups. To explain PTP changes, fiber typing and Western blots for myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) were performed. YM and YC had similar fiber type profiles (2% I, 58% IIX/D and 40% IIB). In accordance with literature but contrary to expected conditions for elevated PTP, OM had a slower fiber type profile (1.7% I, 69% IIX/D and 29% IIB) than OC (0.4% I, 61% IIX/D and 38% IIB). No differences were found in MLCK expression. It seems that PTP is up-regulated to maintain muscle function rather than being down-regulated to prevent muscle damage. Ca""^ transient and myosin phosphorylation measurements would be beneficial in explaining increased PTP seen in this study.


Invasive plants are introduced, nonnative species that thrive and spread spontaneously in areas beyond their natural range. They are characteristically adaptable and aggressive and have high reproductive capacity. Their vigor, combined with escape from their natural ene- mies, often leads to extensive outbreak populations. The many invasive species on Guam constitute a growing problem. A survey of inva- sive plants in five habitat types across the 20 municipalities of Guam identified the 20 most widespread: Bidens alba, Panicum maximum, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Antigonon leptopus, Paspalum paniculatum, Miscanthus floridulus, Euphorbia heterophylla, Chromolaena odorata, Mikania micrantha, Chamaesyce hirta, Synedrella nodiflora, Mimosa pudica, Leucaena leucocephala, Pennisetum polystachion, Euphorbia cyathophora, Sida rhombifolia, Chrysopogon aciculatus, Momordica charantia, Chamaesyce hypericifolia and Chloris barbata. At present, the best option for managing them could require more work on the possibility of biological control and may be to adopt preventive and mechanical control methods.


Ways of managing organizational conflict are as varied as its causes, origins and contexts. The purpose of conflict management, whether undertaken by the parties in conflict or whether involving the intervention of an outside party, is to affect the entire structure of a conflict situation so as to contain the destructive components in the conflict process (e.g. hostility, use of violence) and help the parties possessing incompatible goals to find some solution to their conflict. Effective conflict management succeeds in (1) minimizing disruption stemming from the existence of a conflict, and (2) providing a solution that is satisfactory and acceptable. In line with Ikechukwu Eze (1999), the culture of the people has a strong influence on the behaviours exhibited by such people in the organizations which they work. No wonder then why we took the cultural perspective in trying to understand the best ways of managing the dysfunctional Organizational Conflict. In this work we looked at the background of study and stated the problems from where the objectives of the study were derived. The relevant research question and significance of the study were also postulated. The researchers went ahead to lay the theoretical foundation of the study by reviewing some related and relevant literature on the topic. In chapter three, we presented a methodological framework which put in place the various methods, procedures and techniques through which the study was conducted, these include: the source of data collection, methods of data collection, population of the study, sample of the study, and method of data analysis. The data collected were analyzed and the following results emerged: i) Swedish bosses are democratic, always using their intuition and striving for consensus in their organizations. On the other hand, Nigerian bosses are autocratic, assertive and decisive. ii) In Sweden, the wide in salary between the top and bottom of the organization is very narrow. The reverse is the case in Nigerian organizations where the wide in salary between the top and bottom of the organization is very high. iii) In Swedish organizations, privileges and status symbols for managers are frowned at, task prevails over relationship, and hierarchy in their organizations means an inequality of roles established for convenience. On the contrary, in Nigerian organizations, privileges and status symbols for managers are popularized, relationship prevails over task, and hierarchy in their organizations reflects the existential inequality between higher-ups and lower-downs these. iv) In Swedish organizations, management is seen as management of individuals. The reverse is the case in Nigerian organizations where management is mainly seen as management of group. v) In Swedish organizations, conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation. But in Nigerian organizations, conflicts are basically resolved by: fighting them out; avoidance and smoothing. vi) Swedish employees have emotional need to be busy, an inner urge to work hard. They as well have a natural drive for precision and punctuality. In comparison, the Nigerian employees feel comfortable when lazy, or hard-working only when needed. They try to learn being precise and punctual. vii) Finally Swedish employees have average tolerance of deviant and innovative ideas and behaviour, through this way functional conflict and the gains that come with it are in check. However, Nigerian employees have high tolerance of deviant and innovative ideas and behaviour. In as much as this is good for the growth of the organization, but the functional conflict that comes with it if not properly harnessed can lead to dysfunction conflict. Based on the findings highlighted above, the following are the recommendations proffered by the researchers:- Since it is almost impossible, to manage conflicts without taking into cognizance the culture in which they emanate, Nigerians on the long run should embark on cultural transformation which should gradually permeate into their organizations, this they do by borrowing a leaf from their Swedish counterparts. By so doing, this will radically reduce the incidence of conflicts in the Nigerian organizations. In addition, Nigerian employees/managers and bosses should continually encourage settling conflicts arising in their organizations through compromise and negotiation.


The big influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially in area of construction of Technological Societies has generated big social changes. That is visible in the way of relating to
people in different environments. These changes have the possibility to expand the frontiers of knowledge through sharing and cooperation. That has meaning the inherently creation of a new form of Collaborative Knowledge. The potential of this Collaborative Knowledge has been given through ICT in combination with Artificial Intelligence processes, from where is obtained a Collective Knowledge. When this kind of knowledge is shared, it gives the place to the Global Collective Intelligence.


With the continuous advancement in hardware technologies, significant research has been devoted to design and develop high-level parallel programming models that allow programmers to exploit the latest developments in heterogeneous multi-core/many-core architectures. Structural programming paradigms propose a viable solution for e ciently programming modern heterogeneous multi-core architectures equipped with one or more programmable Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Applying structured programming paradigms, it is possible to subdivide a system into building blocks (modules, skids or components) that can be independently created and then used in di erent systems to derive multiple functionalities. Exploiting such systematic divisions, it is possible to address extra-functional features such as application performance, portability and resource utilisations from the component level in heterogeneous multi-core architecture. While the computing function of a building block can vary for di erent applications, the behaviour (semantic) of the block remains intact. Therefore, by understanding the behaviour of building blocks and their structural compositions in parallel patterns, the process of constructing and coordinating a structured application can be automated. In this thesis we have proposed Structural Composition and Interaction Protocol (SKIP) as a systematic methodology to exploit the structural programming paradigm (Building block approach in this case) for constructing a structured application and extracting/injecting information from/to the structured application. Using SKIP methodology, we have designed and developed Performance Enhancement Infrastructure (PEI) as a SKIP compliant autonomic behavioural framework to automatically coordinate structured parallel applications based on the extracted extra-functional properties related to the parallel computation patterns. We have used 15 di erent PEI-based applications (from large scale applications with heavy input workload that take hours to execute to small-scale applications which take seconds to execute) to evaluate PEI in terms of overhead and performance improvements. The experiments have been carried out on 3 di erent Heterogeneous (CPU/GPU) multi-core architectures (including one cluster machine with 4 symmetric nodes with one GPU per node and 2 single machines with one GPU per machine). Our results demonstrate that with less than 3% overhead, we can achieve up to one order of magnitude speed-up when using PEI for enhancing application performance.


We address calibration of Mueller polarimeters in the presence of noise. We compare an extension of the eigenvalue calibration method (ECM) and a maximum likelihood (ML) method. The performances of these two calibration methods are investigated with numerical simulations and real experiments on a broadband infrared polarimeter. It is found that the ML method is superior to the extended ECM in terms of calibration precision and can be used at lower signal-to-noise ratio.


The paper discusses the role of government policies and related support services in the formation of start-up businesses in South Korea. Start-ups can infuse an economy with renewed vigor, but it is questionable how Korea, an economy that has been dependent on a few large conglomerates in the past, can successfully encourage such start-up dynamism. The paper traces the economic history of start-ups and venture businesses in Korea and highlights its current situation. The analysis then focusses on explaining the start-up support policies, both on the level of central government and of the regions, paying attention to the intertwined role of the venture capital industry. A number of major obstacles are identified, in particular the ambiguous effects of social networks, the widespread risk aversion among potential entrepreneurs, the shortage of exit opportunities and the pronounced regional imbalances. The authors conclude that financial support measures should be streamlined, that the state should focus on creating appropriate framework conditions and that the regions should be given more independence from central government to choose their own path of development.


Cardiovascular disease prevention is one of the major challenges of medicine in the UK and the developed world. Progress in the primary prevention of these diseases has been slow and patchy due to the difficulties and costs with the methods currently used. We set out to see in an observational study, if computer-based opportunistic screening could be a practical and cost-effective method of cardiovascular disease prevention in a high-risk primary care practice population in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. We found that over five years, 86% of the practice population was screened and educated for their personal risk of cardiovascular disease. This was carried out at a low cost in terms of both professional and administrative time. Using this computer-based opportunistic screening enables a profile of risk factors for both individuals and the practice to be developed making the targetting of resources for prevention easy and effective. It is also possible that this programme could prove to be a cheap and targetted method of screening for coronary heart disease, diabetes and familial hyperlipidaemia. We conclude that computer-based opportunistic screening in general practice is an effective method of reaching a whole population and can enable large-scale interventions at low cost.


CONTEXT
Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) improves survival among patients with resected colorectal cancer. However, the optimal timing from surgery to initiation of AC is unknown.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between time to AC and survival outcomes via a systematic review and meta-analysis. data sources: MEDLINE (1975 through January 2011), EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to identify studies that described the relationship between time to AC and survival.

STUDY SELECTION
Studies were only included if the relevant prognostic factors were adequately described and either comparative groups were balanced or results adjusted for these prognostic factors.

DATA EXTRACTION
Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival and disease-free survival from each study were converted to a regression coefficient (β) and standard error corresponding to a continuous representation per 4 weeks of time to AC. The adjusted β from individual studies were combined using a fixed-effects model. Inverse variance (1/SE(2)) was used to weight individual studies. Publication bias was investigated using the trim and fill approach.

RESULTS
We identified 10 eligible studies involving 15,410 patients (7 published articles, 3 abstracts). Nine of the studies were cohort or population based and 1 was a secondary analysis from a randomized trial of chemotherapy. Six studies reported time to AC as a binary variable and 4 as 3 or more categories. Meta-analysis demonstrated that a 4-week increase in time to AC was associated with a significant decrease in both overall survival (HR, 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.17) and disease-free survival (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.10-1.18). There was no significant heterogeneity among included studies. Results remained significant after adjustment for potential publication bias and when the analysis was repeated to exclude studies of largest weight.

CONCLUSION
In a meta-analysis of the available literature on time to AC, longer time to AC was associated with worse survival among patients with resected colorectal cancer.


ABSTRACT In recent decades, the prevalence of obesity has reached increasingly high rates among children and adolescents worldwide as the result of interactions between obesogenic environments and genetics. In Brazil, a middle-income country, the rates of overweight and obesity reached 18.9% and 8.7%, respectively, in 2015, corresponding to a prevalence of excess weight of 27.6%. Concomitant with these worrying data, the prevalence of insufficient physical activity in adolescents is 66.2% based on objective accelerometer measurements. The Brazilian government has taken concrete actions to contain the advance of obesity and physical inactivity and is taking part in political efforts combined with scientific evidence to develop laws, programs, and guidelines. While access to food outside the home, with the unstoppable intake of sweet beverages, sodium, and fat, is contributing to increased obesity, a lack of physical activity in leisure time or transportation must also be considered. However, while Brazil has been taking actions to address the obesogenic environment, with a view to reduce the prevalence and incidence of obesity and physical inactivity, more efforts are needed to implement these actions and approve measures that are still in progress.


Antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae has increased worldwide by the spread of a few clones. Fluoroquinolone resistance occurs mainly by alteration of their intracellular targets, the type II DNA topoisomerases, which is acquired either by point mutation or by recombination. Increase in fluoroquinolone-resistance may depend on the balance between antibiotic consumption and the cost that resistance imposes to bacterial fitness. In addition, pneumococcal prophages could play an important role. Prophage induction by fluoroquinolones was confirmed in 4 clinical isolates by using Southern blot hybridization. Clinical isolates (105 fluoroquinolone-resistant and 160 fluoroquinolone-susceptible) were tested for lysogeny by using a PCR assay and functional prophage carriage was studied by mitomycin C induction. Fluoroquinolone-resistant strains harbored fewer inducible prophages (17/43) than fluoroquinolone-susceptible strains (49/70) (P = 0.0018). In addition, isolates of clones associated with fluoroquinolone resistance [CC156 (3/25); CC63 (2/20), and CC81 (1/19)], had lower frequency of functional prophages than isolates of clones with low incidence of fluoroquinolone resistance [CC30 (4/21), CC230 (5/20), CC62 (9/21), and CC180 (21/30)]. Likewise, persistent strains from patients with chronic respiratory diseases subjected to fluoroquinolone treatment had a low frequency of inducible prophages (1/11). Development of ciprofloxacin resistance was tested with two isogenic strains, one lysogenic and the other non-lysogenic: emergence of resistance was only observed in the non-lysogenic strain. These results are compatible with the lysis of lysogenic isolates receiving fluoroquinolones before the development of resistance and explain the inverse relation between presence of inducible prophages and fluoroquinolone-resistance.


A study was conducted to determine if intake of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) leaves by sheep could be increased by supplementing activated charcoal at 0.0, 0.33, 0.67 or 1.00 g / kg of body weight. Twenty wether lambs (36.6 ± 0.6 kg) were randomly assigned to the 4 treatment levels. Lambs were fed low-quality Sudan-grass hay at 2% of BW plus 80 g/d of molasses for 7 d, and Sudan-grass hay at 1.9% of BW plus 80 g/d of molasses mixed with the assigned level of activated charcoal for 16 d (d 8 to 23). On d 8 to 23, lambs were also given ad libitum access to honey mesquite leaves that had been previously harvested, frozen, and thawed immediately before feeding. Repeated measures analyses were used to determine if level of activated charcoal fed to lambs affected daily intake of mesquite leaves. No differences (P = 0.52) in intake of mesquite leaves were detected. Mean intake of mesquite leaves was 20.7 ± 3.7, 23.8 ± 3.8, 20.2 ± 3.7, and 27.3 ± 3.7 g/d for 0.0, 0.33, 0.67 and 1.0 treatment levels, respectively. Consumption of mesquite leaves varied greatly among lambs, ranging from 1.4 to 7.4% of their diet during the last 8 d of the study. No differences in hay intake (P = 0.23) or lamb weight gain (P = 0.58) were detected among supplemental charcoal treatments. Future studies examining the consumption of honey mesquite leaves by sheep should consider the potential variability in intake among individual animals.


We have investigated the thermally induced depolarization degree in long-rod cubic crystals of classes 23 and m3 as a function of the heated region and the probe beam radii as well as on crystal orientation. We extended the photoelastic anisotropy parameter and introduced a second anisotropy parameter. Three new specific crystal orientations were defined. General theorems on specific orientations were proved. The best and the worst orientations were determined. They are close or equal to the specific ones in most cases.


The problem of the investigation was to determine the knowledge gain and the attitude change in females attending a contraception education program conducted by the Denton County Chapter of the Planned Parenthood Association of Northeast Texas. The sample population consisted of 75 females attending a Planned Parenthood contraception education program. A pre-test, post-test, and delayed test format was utilized in the study. The study concluded that the contraception education program did not significantly increase contraception knowledge of females attending Planned Parenthood. The investigation also concluded that the program did not significantly change the contraception attitudes of females in the investigation. However, there was a significant contraception knowledge gain one month following initial program exposure.


This study investigates the use of hedonic pricing to identify the value of relevant production and type traits for dairy bulls in Alberta. A hedonic pricing model is estimated that models semen price as a function of individual production and longevity characteristics for a sample of Holstein bulls. This model corrects for sources of statistical bias in the data (i.e., censored data and endogenous supply problems). The results suggest that the most important characteristics in valuing dairy bulls are milk volume, protein and fat content, general conformation, body capacity, the popularity of the bull, and the probability that the bull's semen may be in short supply. This methodology may be used to establish a method of forecasting semen prices for newly proven bulls. The valuation procedure may be easily updated and adjusted as producers' breeding objectives change over time due to the changing economic environment. Further extensions of this method may be done to incorporate other characteristics and/or to assess shifts in producer breeding objectives over time. The results of this analysis suggest that hedonic pricing may be a superior method of placing a value on production and type characteristics for dairy bulls than the Lifetime Profit Index, currently being used by the Canadian dairy industry.


We studied the dependence of the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) on the water-absorption ratio in poly(methyl methacrylate)-based polymer optical fibers (POFs) to clarify the effect of the humidity on POF-based Brillouin sensors. The BFS, deduced indirectly using an ultrasonic pulse-echo technique, decreased monotonically as the water absorption ratio increased, mainly because of the decrease in the Young's modulus. For the same water absorption ratio, the BFS change was larger at a higher temperature. The maximal BFS changes (absolute values) at 40, 60, and 80 °C were 158, 285, and 510 MHz, respectively (corresponding to the temperature changes of ∼9 °C, ∼16 °C, and ∼30 °C). Thus, some countermeasure against the humidity is indispensable in implementing strain/temperature sensors based on Brillouin scattering in POFs, especially at a higher temperature. On the other hand, Brillouin-based distributed humidity sensors might be developed by exploiting the BFS dependence on water absorption in POFs.


Traditional classrooms confine English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading to the textbook and the classroom setting, something that demotivates active reading. With the advent of mobile technology, however, such boundaries can be broken to include external reading materials where students could read and share anytime and anywhere. This paper investigates the role of mobile technology in enhancing Learner Autonomy (LA) in the EFL reading context among students in the Preparatory Year (PY) of Najran University in Saudi Arabia. A reading class of 30 students utilised mobile applications (WhatsApp and internet search engines such as Google) to access external reading materials and interact with their peers and teachers outside the classroom. Qualitative data collection underwent a number of procedures. The baseline data was constructed from the students' portfolios, which reported the participants' traditional reading practices and use of mobiles. Then, the participants were encouraged to use internet search engines and WhatsApp group to share their readings. Finally, five participants were interviewed. The data analysis revealed that the participants' LA is improved through the use of selected mobile applications in terms of taking responsibility for and making decisions about reading materials and the time and place of reading. The study recommends further investigation into the role of mobile applications for generating learners' own tasks and writing skills.


If you have, in any way, been involved with genetic research over the past 10 years, then you have likely heard of the Sequence Read Archive (SRA), which is jointly housed at the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI), the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ), and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). And if you regularly work with genome or transcriptome sequence information, then you have probably extracted data from and/or deposited data into the SRA. For those who are unfamiliar with it, the SRA is an international public online archive for next‐generation sequencing (NGS) data, which was established about a decade ago under the guidance of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) [1], [2]. Despite nearly being shut down in 2011 [3], it has grown at a staggering rate over the past 10 years. As of September 1, 2017, it housed over five quadrillion (1015) open‐access bases of NGS data, coming from thousands of different species and spanning the entire gamut of cellular and viral life. It contains DNA‐ and RNA‐sequencing (DNA‐seq and RNA‐seq) reads of every kind, from bisulfite‐seq to strand‐specific RNA‐seq to single‐cell DNA‐seq, and it accepts reads from every type of NGS platform, be it Illumina, Ion Torrent, or PacBio sequencing. In other words, the SRA is a crucial and central resource in the fast‐paced and increasingly important domain of contemporary genetic research.

> … the SRA is a crucial and central resource in the fast‐paced and increasingly important domain of contemporary genetic research.

### The Sequence Read Archive

The SRA can be easily accessed and searched via the NCBI (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra), DDBJ (http://trace.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/dra/index_e.html), and EBI (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/submit/read-submission) websites. Once there, you will find yourself at a sequencing‐read superstore. With a decent Wi‐Fi connection, a couple of keyword searches, and a few clicks of the trackpad, you can quickly …


Twenty seven entire lambs of Sudan desert sheep were used to evaluate the effect of using different level of sesame cake meal (SCM) in a fattening experiment which extended for fifty days. Experimental animals were fed iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets containing two sources of protein: groundnut cake (treatment A) and sesame cake at 15% level (treatment B) and at 20% level (treatment C). Significant (≤ 0.05) differences were observed only in Daily weight gain, Feed conversion ratio and heart weight. In these traits treatment A and C were superior to treatment B, the three treatments record 0.166±0. 0.179±0.03 and 0.143±0.01b g/d, 6.87±2.4, 7.65±1.1 and 9.02±1.7 DMI/kg gain and 0.25±0.00, 0.26 ±0.02, 0.30±0.00 kg for the traits respectively. It was concluded that the addition of sesame cake up to 20% lead to satisfactory feedlot performance and carcass yield.


This paper presents a synthesis of the relevant structural evidence for a Caledonian tectonic event in the Ardenne, with special reference to the Rocroi Massif. The importance of the Variscan imprint in the basement is also discussed. The Lower Palaeozoic basement of Belgium and adjacent countries outcrops in the Brabant Massif, the Condroz Ridge and in the High-Ardenne Massifs. In the Ardenne, the basement was submitted to two successive compressive tectonic events (Caledonian and North-Variscan), separated by a period of tectonic relaxation or distension. Recent microstructural evidence, mainly from the Rocroi and Stavelot-Venn Massifs allows some insight into evolution of these tectonic events. The Caledonian-compressive period is subdivided into by three deformation phases, successively characterized by the formation of a penetrative cleavage, associated with minor N-S folds and extension fractures (D1), by major folding along a regional E-W to ENE-WSW axis (D2) and by late upright folding of lesser importance (D3). The· relationship between the first two types of structure has still to be clarified. However, observations indicate that the original cleavage formation might be older than the major E-W to ENE-WSW folding. The period of tectonic relaxation between the Caledonian and Variscan compression is marked by magmatic intrusions, in extensional setting (D4). The Variscan deformation in the basement occurred mainly by reactivation of pre-existing Caledonian anisotropies and by the development of new structures of minor importance, like boudinage, folds and mullions (D5). The existing anisotropy was determined by cleavage as well as bedding planes, which were probably already subparallel to each other, as a consequence of the intensity and the isoclinal style of the Caledonian folding. Late and minor effects of the Variscan event (D6) are expressed mainly by kink bands in the Southern zone of the Rocroi Massif, and by open, upright, hectometric-scale, E-W folds in the Northern zone. The existence of Caledonian deformation, as witnessed by cleavage development and isoclinal folding, was also demonstrated by several authors in the other High Ardenne's Caledonian Massifs.


We use seeing-free high spatial resolution Ca ii H data obtained by the Sunrise observatory to determine properties of slender fibrils in the lower solar chromosphere. In this work we use intensity images taken with the SuFI instrument in the Ca ii H line during the second scientific flight of the Sunrise observatory to identify and track elongated bright structures. After identification, we analyze theses structures to extract their morphological properties. We identify 598 slender Ca ii H fibrils (SCFs) with an average width of around 180 km, length between 500 and 4000 km, average lifetime of ≈400 s, and average curvature of 0.002 arcsec−1. The maximum lifetime of the SCFs within our time series of 57 minutes is ≈2000 s. We discuss similarities and differences of the SCFs with other small-scale, chromospheric structures such as spicules of type I and II, or Ca ii K fibrils.


Transport of material between extensive neuronal processes and the cell body is crucial for neuronal function and survival. Growing evidence shows that deficits in axonal transport contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here we review recent data indicating that defects in dynein‐mediated retrograde axonal transport are involved in ALS etiology. We discuss how mutant copper‐zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and an aberrant interaction between mutant SOD1 and dynein could perturb retrograde transport of neurotrophic factors and mitochondria. A possible contribution of axonal transport to the aggregation and degradation processes of mutant SOD1 is also reviewed. We further consider how the interference with axonal transport and protein turnover by mutant SOD1 could influence the function and viability of motor neurons in ALS.


The article analyses the statistics of registered applications about criminal offences and brought cases in all police stations of Lithuania. The author is searching for specific features that indicate the existing of factors distorting criminological presentation. The methods of statistics and probability theory are being used. The factors distorting criminological presentation have been detected in case statistics. The phenomenon of volitional regulation of the case bringing process in police stations is being noticed – in December annually the process of case bringing is speeded up artificially. The estimate of the volitional addition of cases has been calculated. The number of cases brought in 1995 has been decreased by 0,9% because of the difference in the scale of the volitional addition of cases. The number of the registered crimes has been decreased by about 0,9% for this reason. The December distortions are hidden due to the cumulative character of the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The fluctuation of the case bringing probability in different months is not only accidental, however, their reasons are not clear. The process of case bringing and its change is important to crime statistics. The period 1990-1997 did not see any indications of decreasing registered crimes due to the growing police work in the common statistics of statements and cases. It is necessary to investigate the case bringing process in different police stations.


For many low-income countries, the impact of structural reforms on economic growth and poverty alleviation crucially depends on the response of aggregate agricultural supply to changing incentives. Despite its policy relevance, the size of this parameter is still largely unknown. This paper discusses the different approaches which may be employed to quantify the agricultural supply response. It turns out that none of these approaches is likely to deliver unbiased estimates. While in cross-country regressions the problem of unobserved country characteristics cannot be fully eliminated, time-series estimations tend to suffer from the Lucas critique. Any comprehensive empirical analysis should thus rely on more than one technique in order to check the robustness of results.


Approximately 5 million beef heifers enter the U.S. cow herd annually, and their lifetime productivity is heavily-dependent upon their ability to attain puberty and produce a calf by 24 mo of age. However, a significant proportion of heifers within existing U.S. production systems fail to achieve these objectives. Therefore, approaches are needed that facilitate nutritional programming of the reproductive neuroendocrine axis, while minimizing feeding costs and optimizing the consistent establishment of puberty by 14–15 mo of age. Accelerated rates of BW gain during early calfhood, particularly between 4 and 9 mo of age, facilitate pubertal development by programming hypothalamic centers that regulate GnRH secretion. Among the different metabolic hormones, leptin plays a critical role in conveying nutritional information to the brain and controlling pubertal progression. Two hypothalamic neuronal populations that express the orexigenic peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the anorexigenic peptide alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH) are key components of afferent pathways that convey inhibitory (NPY) and excitatory (αMSH) inputs to GnRH neurons. Our studies have demonstrated that short-term increases in dietary energy intake during juvenile development result in epigenetic, structural, and functional modifications in these hypothalamic pathways to promote high-frequency, episodic release of GnRH/LH. However, integrating the foundational knowledge of metabolic imprinting of the brain for early puberty with issues related to lifetime performance is complex. One approach has been to employ a novel stair-step nutritional regimen involving alternating periods of dietary energy-restriction and re-feeding during juvenile development. This approach is designed to support early onset of puberty by imprinting genomic, biochemical and morphologic alterations in the hypothalamus during key periods of brain development while optimizing other aspects of growth and performance. Finally, our recent findings suggest that maternal nutrition during gestation can also induce neuroendocrine changes that are likely to persist long after puberty and influence reproductive performance throughout adulthood in cattle.


The study surveyed the competency skills and use of ICT by teacher educators in Imo State tertiary institutions. To elicit responses for the study, four research hypotheses were formulated. Two hundred and forty (240) lecturers, 48 lecturers, from Imo State University Owerri and 192 lecturers from Alvan Ikoku Federal College of education, Owerri participated in the study. Data were collected for the study through the administration of 27 item structured questionnaire was validated and was also subjected to reliability which has internal consistency of 0.78r was used for data collection. A test re-test method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument, the resulted was appropriately scored. The data obtained were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics of t-test in testing the hypotheses. The findings showed that gender has no effects on the procession and use of ICT into teaching and learning by teacher educators in tertiary institution. Less experienced lecturers are more exposed in use of ICT than high experienced lecturers. Some lecturers lacked adequate training and competence in using computer as a tool for effective teaching and research work. The study was recommended that higher institutions should encourage their lecturers to be sensitized through conferences, seminars and workshops. The old lecturers should be encouraged to develop good attitudes toward the use of ICT for teaching and research purpose. Recommendations were made towards effective use of ICT skills in tertiary institutions by teacher educators in Nigeria.


We propose an adaptive and domain-specific service monitoring approach to detect partner service errors in a cost-effective manner. Hereby, we not only consider generic errors such as file not found or connection timed out, but also take domain-specific errors into account. The detection of each type of error entails a different monitoring cost in terms of the consumed resources. To reduce costs, we adapt the monitoring frequency for each service and for each type of error based on the measured error rates and a cost model. We introduce an industrial case study from the broadcasting and content-delivery domain for improving the user-perceived reliability of Smart TV systems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach with real data collected to be relevant for a commercial TV portal application. We present empirical results regarding the trade-off between monitoring overhead and error detection accuracy. Our results show that each service is usually subject to various types of errors with different error rates and exploiting this variation can reduce monitoring costs by up to 30% with negligible compromise on the quality of monitoring.


This article asserts that during the twentieth century, American law has predominately structured its relationship to foreign legal experience through a set of ideas and practices known as "law and development," which is irredeemably antithetical to the practice of comparative law. Centrally, law and development is built on the assumption that American law can be exported abroad to catalyze foreign legal development. The dismal record of such efforts has remained paradoxically popular while the field remains locked in repeating cycles of failure and optimism.This article demonstrates that the history of law and development's failures is far older than has been traditionally recognized, and dates back to the turn of the twentieth century. In this era, foreign reform became a key part of the professional image of the modern American lawyer. At the same time, the origins of law and development were intimately tied to the decline of comparative law in American legal culture. This history reveals that the paradox of law and development's contemporary popularity can only be understood by recognizing the cultural politics that these developments embedded in the American legal community. The troubling legacy of this widely entrenched view of America as solely an exporter of legal knowledge presents pressing liabilities for American law, both internationally and domestically, on the competitive terrain of the twenty-first century.This article concludes that in order to address these liabilities, America should categorically abandon law and development and should fundamentally reorient its relationship to foreign legal experience through a self-interested practice of comparative law. As exemplified in the debate over judicial citation of foreign precedents, this shift will require basic changes in how American legislative and administrative bodies relate to foreign law, as well as the place of comparative law in American law schools. Such a reorientation will enable America to strategically perceive foreign legal developments and, most critically, productively adapt foreign legal experience as an energizing stimulant to our own legal innovation.


This work is a theoretical contribution to the study of thermo-hydrodynamic instabilities in fluids submitted to surface-tension (Marangoni) and buoyancy (Rayleigh) effects in layered (Benard) configurations. The driving constraint consists in a thermal (or a concentrational) gradient orthogonal to the plane of the layer(s).Linear, weakly nonlinear as well as strongly nonlinear analyses are carried out, with emphasis on high Prandtl (or Schmidt) number fluids, although some results are also given for low-Prandtl number liquid metals. Attention is mostly devoted to the mechanisms responsible for the onset of complex spatio-temporal behaviours in these systems, as well as to the theoretical explanation of some existing experimental results. As far as linear stability analyses (of the diffusive reference state) are concerned, a number of different effects are studied, such as Benard convection in two layers coupled at an interface (for which a general classification of instability modes is proposed), surface deformation effects and phase-change effects (non-equilibrium evaporation). Moreover, a number of different monotonous and oscillatory instability modes (leading respectively to patterns and waves in the nonlinear regime) are identified. In the case of oscillatory modes in a liquid layer with deformable interface heated from above, our analysis generalises and clarifies earlier works on the subject. A new Rayleigh-Marangoni oscillatory mode is also described for a liquid layer with an undeformable interface heated from above (coupling between internal and surface waves).Weakly nonlinear analyses are then presented, first for monotonous modes in a 3D system. Emphasis is placed on the derivation of amplitude (Ginzburg-Landau) equations, with universal structure determined by the general symmetry properties of the physical system considered. These equations are thus valid outside the context of hydrodynamic instabilities, although they generally depend on a certain number of numerical coefficients which are calculated for the specific convective systems studied. The nonlinear competitions of patterns such as convective rolls, hexagons and squares is studied, showing the preference for hexagons with upflow at the centre in the surface-tension-driven case (and moderate Prandtl number), and of rolls in the buoyancy-induced case.A transition to square patterns recently observed in experiments is also explained by amplitude equation analysis. The role of several fluid properties and of heat transfer conditions at the free interface is examined, for one-layer and two-layer systems. We also analyse modulation effects (spatial variation of the envelope of the patterns) in hexagonal patterns, leading to the description of secondary instabilities of supercritical hexagons (Busse balloon) in terms of phase diffusion equations, and of pentagon-heptagon defects in the hexagonal structures. In the frame of a general non-variational system of amplitude equations, we show that the pentagon-heptagon defects are generally not motionless, and may even lead to complex spatio-temporal dynamics (via a process of multiplication of defects in hexagonal structures). The onset of waves is also studied in weakly nonlinear 2D situations. The competition between travelling and standing waves is first analysed in a two-layer Rayleigh-Benard system (competition between thermal and mechanical coupling of the layers), in the vicinity of special values of the parameters for which a multiple (Takens-Bogdanov) bifurcation occurs. The behaviours in the vicinity of this point are numerically explored. Then, the interaction between waves and steady patterns with different wavenumbers is analysed. Spatially quasiperiodic (mixed) states are found to be stable in some range when the interaction between waves and patterns is non-resonant, while several transitions to chaotic dynamics (among which an infinite sequence of homoclinic bifurcations) occur when it is resonant. Some of these results have quite general validity, because they are shown to be entirely determined by quadratic interactions in amplitude equations.Finally, models of strongly nonlinear surface-tension-driven convection are derived and analysed, which are thought to be representative of the transitions to thermal turbulence occurring at very high driving gradient. The role of the fastest growing modes (intrinsic length scale) is discussed, as well as scalings of steady regimes and their secondary instabilities (due to instability of the thermal boundary layer), leading to chaotic spatio-temporal dynamics whose preliminary analysis (energy spectrum) reveals features characteristic of hydrodynamic turbulence. Some of the (2D and 3D) results presented are in qualitative agreement with experiments (interfacial turbulence).


Open innovation has gained increased managerial and academic attention since 2003 and follows theoretical approaches of innovation networks. My dissertation reports an explorative action research study on participatory cases about how open innovation partnerships emerge in practice. I was engaged in industrial and academic projects where new ideas, external technologies and new start-up ventures were searched and matched for open innovation projects. Therefore, the formation of new network ties for joint business opportunities, matchmaking, is in the focus of the research.
The problem of matchmaking arises from the network and market structure. In the thesis, it is shown that matchmaking for open innovation requires a multi-sided market perspective. Innovation intermediaries act as matchmaker and coordinate the matching process between multiple market agents. The contribution is a shift from matchmaking as pure transaction-based market mechanisms towards interactive mechanisms over time, but with economic long-term impact for all market agents.


Many data mining problems can be solved better if more background knowledge is added: predictive models can become more accurate, and descriptive models can reveal more interesting findings. However, collecting and integrating background knowledge is tedious manual work. In this paper, we introduce the RapidMiner Linked Open Data Extension, which can extend a dataset at hand with additional attributes drawn from the Linked Open Data (LOD) cloud, a large collection of publicly available datasets on various topics. The extension contains operators for linking local data to open data in the LOD cloud, and for augmenting it with additional attributes. In a case study, we show that the prediction error of car fuel consumption can be reduced by 50% by adding additional attributes, e.g., describing the automobile layout and the car body configuration, from Linked Open Data.


In the 1920s, B. N. Delaunay proved that the dual graph of the Voronoi diagram of a discrete set of points in a Euclidean space gives rise to a collection of simplices, whose circumspheres contain no points from this set in their interior. Such Delaunay simplices tessellate the convex hull of these points. An equivalent formulation of this property is that the characteristic functions of the Delaunay simplices form a partition of unity. In the paper this result is generalized to the so-called Delaunay configurations. These are defined by considering all simplices for which the interiors of their circumspheres contain a fixed number of points from the given set, in contrast to the Delaunay simplices, whose circumspheres are empty. It is proved that every family of Delaunay configurations generates a partition of unity, formed by the so-called simplex splines. These are compactly supported piecewise polynomial functions which are multivariate analogs of the well-known univariate B-splines. It is also shown that the linear span of the simplex splines contains all algebraic polynomials of degree not exceeding the degree of the splines


Robust Markov decision processes (MDPs) aim to handle changing or partially known system dynamics. To solve them, one typically resorts to robust optimization methods. However, this significantly increases computational complexity and limits scalability in both learning and planning. On the other hand, regularized MDPs show more stability in policy learning without impairing time complexity. Yet, they generally do not encompass uncertainty in the model dynamics. In this work, we aim to learn robust MDPs using regularization. We first show that regularized MDPs are a particular instance of robust MDPs with uncertain reward. We thus establish that policy iteration on reward-robust MDPs can have the same time complexity as on regularized MDPs. We further extend this relationship to MDPs with uncertain transitions: this leads to a regularization term with an additional dependence on the value function. We finally generalize regularized MDPs to twice regularized MDPs (R${}^2$ MDPs), i.e., MDPs with $\textit{both}$ value and policy regularization. The corresponding Bellman operators enable developing policy iteration schemes with convergence and robustness guarantees. It also reduces planning and learning in robust MDPs to regularized MDPs.


Packet loss is an important parameter for dimensioning network links or traffic classes carrying IP telephony traffic. We present a model based on the Markov modulated Poisson process (MMPP) which calculates packet loss probabilities for a set of super positioned voice input sources and the specified link properties. We do not introduce another new model to the community, rather try and verify one of the existing models via extensive simulation and a real world implementation. A plethora of excellent research on queuing theory is still in the domain of ATM researchers and we attempt to highlight its validity to the IP Telephony community.
Packet level simulations show very good correspondence with the predictions of the model. Our main contribution is the verification of the MMPP model with measurements in a laboratory environment. The loss rates predicted by the model are in general close to the measured loss rates and the loss rates obtained with simulation. The general conclusion is that the MMPP-based model is a tool well suited for dimensioning links carrying packetized voice in a system with limited buffer space.


Diversity faultline strength – the extent to which diversity attributes within a group converge in such a way that they split a group into homogeneous subgroups – can decrease group performance. Based on the categorization–elaboration model (CEM) of workgroup diversity, we assumed that task motivation can overcome the detrimental effects of faultlines. We further assumed that this effect is contingent on the groups' diversity beliefs and that it is mediated by the elaboration of task-relevant information. Forty-three student groups worked on a computer-simulated complex problem solving scenario. The group faultline strength was calculated over the attributes gender, age and educational background. Information elaboration was elicited by means of behavioural coding. Results revealed a three-way interaction of faultline strength, diversity beliefs and task motivation: groups overcame the detrimental effects of faultlines only if they exhibited pro-diversity beliefs and high task motivation. The three-way interaction of faultline strength, diversity beliefs and task motivation was partly mediated by information elaboration. Practical and theoretic implications are discussed.


RP and recently RM have been key factors in the development of the manufacturing industry in assisting in the development of new products. Fortunately, the application of these technologies has been realised in the medical industry. Surgeons all over the world use physical models created from CT or MRI data using some sort of additive manufacturing. The fabrication of these models has exploded into a popular research area combining engineering, material and medical expertise. Long-term growth in the additive fabrication industry will come from designs that are difficult, time-consuming, costly, or impossible to produce using standard techniques. Growth will occur with advances in current additive processes which are coupled with breakthroughs in new materials. The applications of RP and RM are as diverse as the medical issues that arise. RM of custom design medical prostheses proves to be economically viable solution, not only because it is faster to produce but it gives the designer freedom of creation too. The paper discusses some interesting medical case studies.


Mechanical tree thinning and prescribed fire have been widely proposed for restoring ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests in the southwestern United States. However, these restoration activities often result in intensely disturbed sites, such as landings for equipment and temporary roads, which managers may need to revegetate. Managers may also wish to augment the forest understory through revegetation after thinning and burning treatments. We present five planting trials conducted as part of restoration projects in northern Arizona ponderosa pine forests in order to assess survival of 11 species and the influence of various microsites created by restoration activities. In one trial, five-year survival of four transplanted graminoid species ranged from 1% to 23% among species and from 0% (unthinned forest) to 22% (unburned slash) among microsites. Also illustrating microsite effects, over three times more Fendler's meadow-rue (Thalictrum fendleri) survived when outplanted below Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) than in openings created by restoration pine thinning. Only 4% of purple locoweed (Oxytropis lambertii) survived in an unsuccessful attempt at revegetating a decommissioned road on dry cinder soils. Conversely, two years after outplanting on a different road on moister soil, mountain muhly (Muhlenbergia montana) survival was 72% (89% of which were fruiting), and 40% of plants of the biennial ragleaf bahia (Bahia dissecta) were surrounded by new seedlings. Results illustrate that successes occurred without supplemental watering even in dry years; outcomes hinged on species or planting microsite; and heavy mortality occurred in some contexts. Owing to financial costs and logistical constraints, revegetation may be most suited for localized disturbances caused by restoration activities or for creating revegetated islands for understory augmentation.


We investigate the relationship between migration and productivity in the UK, using an instrumental variable along the lines suggested by Bianchi, Buonanno and Pinotti (2012). Our results suggest that immigration has a positive and significant impact (in both the statistical sense and more broadly) on productivity, as measured at a geographical level; this appears to be driven by higher-skilled workers. The results for training are less clear, but suggest that higher-skilled immigration may have a positive impact on the training of native workers. We discuss the implications for post-Brexit immigration policy.


Diuretics are considered the first-line pharmacological treatment option for ascites. Diuretic treatment begins with spironolactone and furosemide. Non-pharmacological options include salt restriction, large-volume paracentesis (LVP), transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and peritoneovenous shunt. Ascites can be mobilized if renal sodium excretion tops 78 mmol daily (88 mmol–10 mmol daily) after restricting sodium intake to 88 mmol/day (about 2000 mg/day). The majority of patients with cirrhotic ascites respond to a combination of sodium restriction and diuretics such as spironolactone and furosemide (90%). Ascites that does not respond to sodium restriction and high-dose diuretic treatment (400 mg/day of spironolactone and 160 mg/day of furosemide) or following paracentesis is labeled refractory. Refractory ascites can be managed with large-volume paracentesis or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. Peritoneovenous shunting is considered as a third-line treatment option after all other measures such as diuretics, large-volume paracentesis, or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt deemed unsuccessful or contraindicated. It has a high rate of shunt obstruction.


We have studied the ordering behavior of a (diblock copolymer, poly(styrene-d8)-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (dPS-PVP), in a confined geometry by neutron reflectivity, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The diblock copolymer was confined between a silicon substrate (Si) on one side and a glassy polymer, poly(2-methylvinylcyclohexane) (P2MVCH), on the other side. In such a geometry, incompatibility between the natural domain period of the diblock copolymer (D*) and the film thickness (L) creates frustration that can be varied by controlling the copolymer film thickness. As the degree of frustration is increased (i.e., film thickness is decreased), the domain periods of the lamellae become progressively distorted from D*, and the lamellae orient with dPS/PVP interfaces parallel to the confining surfaces. The dPS block wets the P2MVCH confining wall and the PVP block wets the Si substrate. There is a limit, however, to the extent of distortion of the lamellar domain period ; a further increase in frustration results in a sharp transition to a complex layered morphology that has a heterogeneous in-plane structure adjacent to the P2MVCH confining wall. In this morphology, both the dPS and PVP are located near the P2MVCH confining wall and only PVP is located at the Si confining wall. The sharp transition in the morphology is interpreted in the context of competing surface and bulk interactions. By removal of one of the confining walls, the frustration is relieved and a lamellar structure parallel to the surfaces is recovered with a domain period of D*.