A study on the taxonomy and some ecological aspects of
meiobenthic harpacticoid copepods found in coastal water of Peninsular
Malaysia was conducted from June 1996 to August 1999. The taxonomic
study was carried out using specimens collected from Langkawi Island,
Pangkor Island, Port Dickson, Tanjung Balau, Tanjung Piai and Redang
Island. A total of 40 species, representing 29 genera from 16 families of
harpacticoid copepods were identified. All the 40 species were unrecorded
species in Malaysian coast. For all species, description, illustration and
taxonomic notes were give The study on some ecological aspects of meiobenthic harpacticoid
copepods was carried out along Port Dickson coast. Samples were obtained
from the established transects perpendicular to the sea using a transparent
hand corer with the inner diameter of3.57 cm.
Harpacticoid copepods were the second dominant group of
meiobenthos found in the studied areas. They contributed between 15% to
60% to total meiobenthos found in the sediment. The density and diversity
distribution of meiobenthic harpacticoid copepods along the shore was
correlated significantly (p<0.05) with certain environmental factors,
namely salinity, dissolved oxygen, percentage of silt, clay and sand, water
content, ground water level, depth of brown layer and sorting type of
sediment. The vertical and horizontal zonation was correlated with the
concentration of chlorophyll a in the sediment. The horizontal zonation
was also correlated with the percentage of clay. The different set of
environmental factors that found to correlate with the meiobenthic
harpacticoid copepod distribution in the different studied areas indicated
that different beaches might have their own environmental factors that
governed the distribution.


Intracellular organelle transport was studied in a new model system, the giant freshwater ameba Reticulomyxa. The ameba extends a large reticulate network of cytoplasmic strands in which various phase-dense organelles can be seen to move at a rate of up to 25 microns/s. This combined light and high voltage electron microscopic study shows that organelles move bidirectionally in even the finest network strands that contain only a single microtubule. In terms of microtubule-associated intracellular transport, this observation defines a minimum set of conditions necessary for such movement. The implications of this finding for possible models of force generation are discussed.


Inspired by the insights of Franz Kafka, this article explores the problem of 'distance' in a UK bank, particularly by focusing on one of its back-office processing centres. Distance refers to a way of not seeing those below us in the hierarchy; this might mean that we act in ways that display little thought or concern for the experiences of others. It is argued that the 'distance' created between human beings through bureaucratic ways of organizing is potentially debilitating. Academic accounts often strive for objectivity and, in doing so, they tend to stand at a distance from the suffering of those they seek to represent. By contrast, fiction elucidates distance in a more emotional, passionate and, therefore, engaged and engaging way. This article draws on Kafka because his work is subversive and it highlights the need to create ways of organizing and being that promote empathy with 'others'. Nevertheless, this is not to suggest that distance can be eliminated because it is fundamental to how we develop our sense of self and it is ingrained within processes of rationalization. The article is distinctive because although numerous accounts have used fiction to theoretically analyse organizations few have sought to use fiction to analyse empirical material.


This paper presents an approach for improving the performance of kernel classifiers applied to object categorization problems. The approach is based on the use of distributions centered around each training points, which are exploited for inter-class invariant image representation with local invariant features. Furthermore, we propose an extensive use of unlabeled images for improving the SVMbased classifier.


During recent years, legislation regarding emissions and fuel consumption levels for the automotive industry has become increasingly comprehensive. In order for automotive manufacturers to reach the demands, engine friction needs to be reduced. The cylinder liner is considered to be one of the most critical engine components regarding friction and high demands are put their surface texture. No process has been found to create efficient cylinder liners as good as honing. Honing is an abrasive process, using three simultaneous movements of abrasive stones to remove material and create grooves. Since honing is an abrasive process, analytical prediction of the process outcome is difficult. In order to describe the process, empirical modeling has to be applied. The objective of this thesis is to, by using design of experiments, understand the honing process in the cylinder liner manufacturing at Scania CV AB and identify key parameters in the process control connected to surface roughness. Furthermore, the aim is to find an optimal setting of the machine to produce the demanded surface texture. Through screening experiments, five parameters were found to be the most significant in the process. These parameters were then further investigated in an optimization test. The results of this test showed that the plateau honing step was of main importance for the resulting surface texture. The factors with the largest impact were the honing force and number of strokes used in this operation. The results also suggested that the reciprocating speed influences the surface parameters and can be used to decrease the core roughness of the surface without affecting the valley depth negatively. Due to high correlation between surface parameters, compromises need to be made in order to find an optimal setting.


The paper presents a prototype for a Home Automation and Information Systems (HAIS) applied to an existing dwelling, the Florianopolis House, with the potential to address building performance and user behavior towards a more sustainable way of living. Home information and automation systems based on a great variety of sensors, associated with local weather stations and climate forecast databases can significantly impact the construction of more sustainable habits in home dwellers. Monitoring the weather variations, building's performance and the impact each resident's activity in energy and water consumption is a powerful tool for the dwellers' awareness and can provide a significant impact on residents' reconnection with the natural cycles. The development of the graphic interface is highlighted as a critical issue for the communication of building performance, weather data and actuators control.


Provenance network analytics is a novel data analytics approach that helps infer properties of data, such as quality or importance, from their provenance. Instead of analysing application data, which are typically domain-dependent, it analyses the data's provenance as represented using the World Wide Web Consortium's domain-agnostic PROV data model. Specifically, the approach proposes a number of network metrics for provenance data and applies established machine learning techniques over such metrics to build predictive models for some key properties of data. Applying this method to the provenance of real-world data from three different applications, we show that it can successfully identify the owners of provenance documents, assess the quality of crowdsourced data, and identify instructions from chat messages in an alternate-reality game with high levels of accuracy. By so doing, we demonstrate the different ways the proposed provenance network metrics can be used in analysing data, providing the foundation for provenance-based data analytics.


The recruitment processes of Baltic cod and sprat were analysed and critical periods were identified by addressing the major impact factors on individual early life history stages separately and relating observed abundance data between successive stages. For cod, recruitment appeared to be dependent on egg survival, with low oxygen concentration in dwelling depths and predation by clupeids as the major causes for egg mortality. Surviving egg production and larval abundance were weakly correlated, whereas larval abundance was significantly related to year class strength. This indicated that the period between the late egg and the early larval stage is critical for cod recruitment. A potential variable identified to affect this life stage was prey availability for larvae. For sprat, early and late egg stage production as well as late egg stage production and larval abundance were significantly related. However, year class strength was largely independent of larval abundance. Thus, the period between the late larval and early juvenile stage appeared to be critical for sprat recruitment. Potential variables identified to affect this life stage were ambient temperature and wind stress. Environmental factors showing statistically significant covariance with the survival of one of these critical life stages were incorporated into stock-recruitment models for individual spawning areas separately and for the Central Baltic combined.


Skeletal tumor formations in the massive coral Pavona clavus were investigated for 3 yr on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica in a reef composed almost exclusively of this species. A field survey of tumor incidence showed that more than half of the population presented this phe- nomenon and that frequencies increased with depth. Up to 37 tumors per colony were recorded, and the largest tumor size was 37.5 m 2 , covering the whole colony surface area. Tumors and healthy skeletons and tissues were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, histology, in situ alizarin marking for growth rates, and x-ray radiographs of skeletal slabs. Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of skeletons revealed the presence of 3 types of tumors (Types I to III). No cyto- logical changes or intracellular infection by parasitic agents were recorded. The only cellular change observed was the reduced numbers of zooxanthellae in tumorigenic tissues. Tumors begin their growth as a single polyp and develop for scores of years without any sign of cellular necroses. Tumors grew faster than healthy parts; however, their skeletal density was lower, with a higher Mg content making it less resistant to bioerosion. Two yr of in situ isogeneic and allogeneic contacts between healthy and tumor fragments revealed no infection or transfer of the tumor to the healthy tissue, even following isogeneic fusion combinations of healthy versus tumor fragments. We suggest that the ter- minology often used to characterize tumors in hard corals ('tumor', 'neoplasm', 'hyperplasia') does not reflect the pathogenesis and etiology of this phenomenon. The terms 'skeletal tumor' or 'calicoblastic epithelioma' seem more fitting for this de novo genesis.


Contemporary diplomacy is subject to the same pressures of globalization as many other communication industries. However, insights from different areas of Media and Communication Studies have only been partly explored in the context of diplomacy. This article applies theories of transmedia storytelling, transmedia engagement and surveillance upon a case study of the recent Campaign to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The aim is to investigate the ways in which contemporary diplomatic advocacy campaigns cope with fundamental problems such as media repertoires, co-created content, collective intelligence, digital convergence and stakeholder management. The article contends that co-creation and co-option of shared values through transmedia engagement techniques perform a disciplining role for stakeholders that may be linked to theories of surveillance and biopolitics. This study will be of much relevance to those interested in the significance of participatory culture theories to contemporary international advocacy, including its policies, strategies and mediating practices.


This article elucidates a remarkable end group effect on the macroscopic assembly pathway of chain folded polyurethanes (PU) PU-2 and PU-3, both of which contain a linear PU chain appended with n-type semiconducting naphthalene-diimide (NDI) chromophores. They only differ in the structure of the chain-stoppers (pyridine and benzene, respectively, for PU-2 and PU-3), which were installed during the poly-condensation reaction by the addition of a suitable mono-functional impurity. In methylcyclohexane (MCH), both polymers adopt a pleated structure by intra-chain H-bonding between the urethane groups, which assists the pendant NDI chromophores to organize in close proximity for aromatic interaction. For PU-3 with benzene end groups, the individual pleated structures coalesce through inter-chain H-bonding among the terminal urethane groups leading to the formation of a polymersome like structure, which upon aging causes nanotubular assembly and macroscopic gelation. On the other hand, just by replacing the terminal benzene functionality with pyridine, it is possible to fully block this self-assembly pathway as the chain stopper forms a knot at the terminal by intra-chain H-bonding with the adjacent urethane proton. Therefore, PU-2 though initially forms a pleated structure, similar to PU-3, with aging forms micron size particles and irregular aggregates leading to precipitation. Now interestingly, the programmed self-assembly pathway towards the nanotubular structure can be restored in the presence of an external structure directing agent (ESDA). Because the carboxylic acid group of the ESDA, being a stronger H-bond donor than the urethane proton, forms a H-bonded complex with the nitrogen atom of the pyridine group, the knot formation is prohibited. In the presence of a chiral ESDA that forms a H-bonded complex with the terminal pyridine, chirality can be induced to the folded polymer assembly which is evident by the observed bisignated CD curve centered at the absorption maxima of the polymer-appended NDI chromophore though the NDI appended polymer chain lacks any chiral center. At elevated temperatures even when the H-bonding is broken between the chiral ESDA and the polymer chain, the chirality survives for about an hour illustrating a short term chiral memory effect.


This is a terminal evaluation of a UNEP GEF project implemented between 2006 and 2010. The LADA project had two principal objectives: develop and implement strategies, methods and tools to assess, quantify and analyse the nature, extent, severity and impacts of land degradation (land degradation) on ecosystems, watersheds and river basins, and carbon storage in drylands at a range of spatial and temporal scales; and build national, regional and global assessment capacities to enable the design, planning and implementation of interventions to mitigate land degradation and establish sustainable land use and management practices. The evaluation had two primary purposes: to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements; and to promote learning, feedback, and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP, FAO, the GEF and their partners.


The study examined the use of facilities management as a potent management tool in hotel asset management within six States of South-Western geo-political zone of Nigeria. The aim of the study is to investigate the degree of beneficial application of facilities management principles in the management of hotel organizations in the study area with a view to curtail widespread disinvestment. The population of the study comprised of all hotels within the six States namely Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Oyo States. The sample frame consisted of hotels that are registered with Nigeria Tourism Board and located within the State Capitals namely Ado-Ekiti, Ikeja, Abeokuta, Oshogbo, Akure and Ibadan. Stratified sampling technique supplemented by cluster sampling was used. Stratification of hotels within the six States that formed the study area focused on the State capitals, which generally harbor the different categories of hotels under study. Using Kothari's formula for calculating sample sizes, appropriate sample sizes of customers for each hotel was calculated at 95% level of confidence and degree of freedom. Data collection instruments included three questionnaires targeted at hotel organizations, the Facilities/Maintenance Managers and the hotel customers. These were implemented by personal interview and discussion with hotel stakeholders as identified and the study of system operations of selected hotels. Data from all the centers were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics while model for facilities management compliant hotel was validated or rejected by comparative analysis with the aid of benchmarking method. The findings of the study were that facilities provision in the hotel industry within the study area was not totally in conformity with national recommendation of Tourism Board of Nigeria especially in quality and wholeness. The degree of application of facilities management in the hotel industry in the study area is low. There were traces of facilities management features perhaps due to overlapping of maintenance management, property management and facilities management. There appeared to be a correlation between hotel management style and hotel effectiveness in service delivery while there was strong evidence indicating that facilities management, as a style of management, aids hotel effectiveness generally. Identified traits of effective facilities management driven hotel organization included a flat organization structure, process team as work units, absolute workers' empowerments, and a multi-dimensional process team, job preparations anchored to education and training with customer based performance measurement. The executive, management and the general managers were basically leaders and facilitators while employees/staff are proactive people. Finally, accommodation and services were discovered to be customer dictated. The interaction of the major variables, the executive, the general manager, the facilities managers, the customers and the line staff, led to the development and validation of a pictorial and mathematical model for facilities management driven hotel organizations. Precisely thirteen benefits were agglomerated with extensive responsibilities and authorities for facilities managers coming first, followed by improved quality of services and then national stock of hotels worthy of presentation. Nineteen challenges were also identified with the first three being that the concern for immediate return on investment generally among the investing public, religious sentimentalism which views hotel as promoting immorality and social misbehavior; and un-conducive business environment in Nigeria with regards to poor infrastructure, epileptic power supply, policy inconsistencies and high level of corruption. Based on the findings from the research, the following conclusions were made. While the world at large has accepted facilities management for what it is, Nigeria's responsiveness to it is slow. Having proved its efficacy in aiding hotel effectiveness in operation and service delivery in developed countries, the time is ripe for its accelerated adoption and implementation not only within hotel sector but other sectors of the economy.


A piece of work carried out by the construction industry, whether a building or a civil engineering project, is not a mass-produced item. It is always a unique piece of work, by dint of its response to the specific needs of the owner and its potential users, its integration or otherwise into a built environment, and its construction on ground whose geo-technical properties are always specific. This unique piece of work, carried out outside on a site subject to numerous hazards, must nevertheless meet the programme's fixed objectives first time round. Unfortunately, unlike most industrial products, it is usually, even nowadays, the outcome of a fragmented approach: designers and builders of the shell of the building and those engaged in the finishings are in fact involved in a segmented and sequential process, without any real interaction between the various disciplines, to the detriment of overall quality and the cost of the end-product. The author of this thesis has had the opportunity, in his professional career in the management of major construction companies, of testing most organisational forms in the sector. He has observed that, depending on the model chosen, they exercise a more or less beneficial effect on quality, costs and time-frames for completing the works, as well as on the capacity for innovation of the participants themselves. The first objective of the thesis was to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the most common organisational models in the construction industry and to identify factors in the success of the construction process. The second objective was to suggest an original organisational model which would make optimum use of these factors, taking into account modern organisational theory and project management. The first section of the thesis is an historical study of organisational forms of construction from antiquity to the modern times, and examines in particular the relationships between those actively and directly involved (owner, designers and builders) and their relationships in turn with those involved indirectly (users, public administration, finance providers, environmental and heritage protection organisations, laws and standards, etc.). This historical perspective makes a useful contribution because, although much has been written on architecture and architects, especially the most famous among them, and sometimes on engineers, work looking systematically at the organisational forms used in the construction industry over the centuries is rare. This study demonstrates that the fragmented organisation of construction characteristic of the 20th century is merely an accident in the long history of construction; the twenty-five preceding centuries almost always favoured close collaboration between designers and builders and the wonderful works they left behind demonstrate the wisdom of this approach. Study of the history also provides us with a list of the main success factors and the demands to which the successful organisation of construction must respond. The second part endeavours to verify the relevance of the needs drawn, in the light of modern organisational theory, from project management and creativity, and to complete the list. It goes on to analyse on that basis the strengths and weaknesses of the organisational models most commonly used in the modern construction industry and demonstrates that organisation as a design and build, is in the best position at this stage in the research to meet the needs of owners. The third section verifies, through case studies of five pieces of work recently completed or under construction, whether this organisational model effectively satisfies the expectations of those involved in the construction project, simultaneously examining potential improvements. To that end, a series of interviews was conducted in each case study, with a view to eliciting the views of representative participants: owner, operator, user, project manager, architect, engineer and sub-contracting trades. The process was completed with an analysis of the attitude of some public sector owners to the design and build organisational model. Finally, the lessons drawn from these case studies were used to complete the list of success factors already identified. A final section sets out an original organisational model named Integrated Construction Management (ICM), which recommends an inter-disciplinary approach to construction and responds to the success factors identified in the first three sections. It involves a new division of the production process, which provides the owner with a broader and more cost-effective range of innovative architectural and construction options. It also delivers a series of practical recommendations to assist in the application of the proposed model. In conclusion, Integrated Construction Management places the owner at the centre of a transparent and progressive production process, simultaneously removing the majority of the risks involved in construction. Through its inter-disciplinary approach, it offers innovative solutions together with improvements to the overall quality of the piece of work itself on favourable economic terms. Finally, it enables the owner to take informed decisions and to use his or her financial resources as and when the feasibility of the project is confirmed. It is hoped that, as a result, these advantages will be demonstrated through pilot projects carried out using the ICM model, which will without doubt make possible further improvements in performance.


TiN/HfO2/SiO2/Si GATE STACKS RELIABILITY: CONTRIBUTION OF HfO2 AND INTERFACIAL SiO2 LAYER by Nilufa Rahim Hafnium Oxide based gate stacks are considered to be the potential candidates to replace SiO2 in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), as they reduce the gate leakage by over 100 times while keeping the device performance intact. Even though considerable performance improvement has been achieved, reliability of high-κ devices for the next generation of transistors (45nm and beyond) which has an interfacial layer (IL: typically SiO2) between high-κ and the substrate, needs to be investigated. To understand the breakdown mechanism of high-κ/SiO2 gate stack completely, it is important to study this multi-layer structure extensively. For example, (i) the role of SiO2 interfacial layers and bulk high-κ gate dielectrics without any interfacial layer can be investigated separately while maintaining same growth conditions; (ii) the evolution of breakdown process can be studied through stress induced leakage current (SILC); (iii) relationship of various degradation mechanisms such as negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) with that of the dielectric breakdown; and (iv) a fast evaluation process to estimate statistical breakdown distribution. In this dissertation a comparative study was conducted to investigate individual breakdown characteristics of high-κ/IL (ISSG SiO2)/metal gate stacks, in-situ steam generated (ISSG)-SiO2 MOS structures and HfO2-only metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors. Experimental results indicate that after constant voltage stress (CVS) identical degradation for progressive breakdown and SILC were observed in high-κ/IL and SiO2only MOS devices, but HfO2-only MIM capacitors showed insignificant SILC and progressive breakdown until it went into hard breakdown. Based on the observed SILC behavior and charge-to-breakdown (QBD), it was inferred that interfacial layer initiates progressive breakdown of metal gate/high-κ gate stacks at room temperature. From normalized SILC (ΔJg/Jg0) at accelerated temperature and activation energy of the timeto-breakdown (TBD), it was observed that IL initiates the gate stack breakdown at higher temperatures as well. A quantitative agreement was observed for key parameters of NBTI and time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) such as the activation energies of threshold voltage change and SILC. The quality and thickness variation of the IL causes similar degradation on both NBTI and TDDB indicating that mechanism of these two reliability issues are related due to creation of identical defect types in the IL. CVS was used to investigate the statistical distribution of TBD, defined as soft or first breakdown where small sample size was considered. As TBD followed Weibull distribution, large sample size was not required. Since the failure process in static random access memory (SRAM) is typically predicted by the realistic TDDB model based on gate leakage current (IFAIL) rather than the conventional first breakdown criterion, the relevant failure distributions at IFAIL are non-Weibull including the progressive breakdown (PBD) phase for high-κ/metal gate dielectrics. A new methodology using hybrid two-stage stresses has been developed to study progressive breakdown phase further for high-κ and SiO2. It is demonstrated that VRS can be used effectively for quantitative reliability studies of progressive breakdown phase and final breakdown of high-κ and other dielectric materials; thus it can replace the time-consuming CVS measurements as an efficient methodology and reduce the resources manufacturing cost. TiN/HfO2/SiO2/Si GATE STACKS RELIABILITY: CONTRIBUTION OF HfO2 AND INTERFACIAL SiO2 LAYER


We present a metamaterial that acts as a strongly resonant absorber at terahertz frequencies. Our design consists of a bilayer unit cell which allows for maximization of the absorption through independent tuning of the electrical permittivity and magnetic permeability. An experimental absorptivity of 70% at 1.3 terahertz is demonstrated. We utilize only a single unit cell in the propagation direction, thus achieving an absorption coefficient alpha = 2000 cm(-1). These metamaterials are promising candidates as absorbing elements for thermally based THz imaging, due to their relatively low volume, low density, and narrow band response.


OF DISSERTATION UNCERTAIN INHERITANCE: THE MOTHERLESS HEIRESS IN BIG HOUSE NOVELS Thus, Uncertain Inheritance traces the heiress in Anglo-Irish Big House novels situated at key times of change for the Irish Ascendancy. The Gothic triad of orphaned heiress, dead mother, and sinister uncle does not belong exclusively to the realm of Irish Gothic authors, but rather this triad is used for different discursive purposes than in its English counterparts. Sheridan Le Fanu's Uncle Silas (1864), Sommerville and Ross's An Irish Cousin (1903), and Elizabeth Bowen's The Last September (1929) use the Gothic trope of absent mothers both to address anxieties about and to question the Irish "half" of the Ascendancy Anglo-Irish identity, and use a feminist, postcolonial framework to show how Ascendancy women were both privileged and oppressed by the patriarchal structure of Ascendancy families. This dissertation examines the intersection of Big House and Gothic scholarship in the form of the feminine Irish Gothic: the Gothic trope of the dead mother plays a different role in Irish Gothic novels than in the English counterparts. Namely, the dead mother is used in these Irish Gothic texts to signal AngloIrish anxieties about their declining political, social, and cultural power in Ireland, and about the ambivalent political and cultural relationship of the Ascendancy Anglo-Irish to Great Britain. This dissertation argues that the absent mother, and thus absence of maternal lineage, in these texts directly mirrors concerns and uncertainties about the Irish half of Anglo-Irish identity, and that the quest for the mother in these Irish Gothic texts is also a quest for origins.


Opacified aerogels are particulate thermal insulating materials in which micrometric opacifier mineral grains are surrounded by silica aerogel nanoparticles. A geometric model was developed to characterize the spectral properties of such microsize grains surrounded by much smaller particles. The model represents the material's microstructure with the spherical opacifier's spectral properties calculated using the multi-sphere T-matrix (MSTM) algorithm. The results are validated by comparing the measured reflectance of an opacified aerogel slab against the value predicted using the discrete ordinate method (DOM) based on calculated optical properties. The results suggest that the large particles embedded in the nanoparticle matrices show different scattering and absorption properties from the single scattering condition and that the MSTM and DOM algorithms are both useful for calculating the spectral and radiative properties of this particulate system.


Coral gardens are vulnerable and sensitive habitats protected by the OSPAR Commission. Knowledge on their distribution is essential to provide protection and integration in marine protected areas and also for marine spatial planning actions. In the southwest coast of Portugal deep water coral gardens (50-80m) are characterized by several gorgonians species such as Paramuricea clavata1 (Risso, 1826), Eunicella verrucosa2 (Pallas, 1766) and Eunicella labiata3 Thomson, 1927, occasionally Leptogorgia sarmentosa4 (Esper, 1789), Leptogorgia lusitanica5 (Stiasny 1937) and Alcyonium acaule6 Marion, 1878. Species of true corals (Scleractinia), Dendrophyllia ramea7 (Linnaeus, 1758) and Dendrophyllia cf. cornigera8 (Lamarck, 1816) are less common.


BACKGROUND
The virtual simulation surgery has initially exhibited its promising potentials in neurosurgery training.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate effectiveness of the Virtual Surgical Training System (VSTS) on novice residents placing thoracic pedicle screws in a cadaver study.

METHODS
A total of 10 inexperienced residents participated in this study and were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The group using VSTS to learn thoracic pedicle screw fixation was the simulation training (ST) group and the group receiving an introductory teaching session was the control group. Ten fresh adult spine specimens including 6 males and 4 females with a mean age of 58.5 yr (range: 33-72) were collected and randomly allocated to the 2 groups. After exposing anatomic structures of thoracic spine, the bilateral pedicle screw placement of T6-T12 was performed on each cadaver specimen. The postoperative computed tomography scan was performed on each spine specimen, and experienced observers independently reviewed the placement of the pedicle screws to assess the incidence of pedicle breach.

RESULTS
The screw penetration rates of the ST group (7.14%) was significantly lower in comparison to the control group (30%, P < .05). Statistically significant difference in acceptable rates of screws also occurred between the ST (100%) and control (92.86%) group (P < .05). In addition, the average screw penetration distance in control group (2.37 mm ± 0.23 mm) was significantly greater than ST group (1.23 mm ± 0.56 mm, P < .05).

CONCLUSION
The virtual reality surgical training of thoracic pedicle screw instrumentation effectively improves surgical performance of novice residents compared to those with traditional teaching method, and can help new beginners to master the surgical technique within shortest period of time.


The lack of a medically grounded approach to personality disorder and its management has led to its comparative neglect as a topic by many clinicians in the UK. In this article we present evidence that personality disorders are, like other mental disorders, the social manifestations of a pathological process. This process presents with characteristic clinical features that are developmental in nature. These cause disturbances in arousal, affect and reality testing that have an impact on interpersonal social functioning. Personality disorder may therefore be conceived of primarily as a socioemotional disability, not dissimilar to Axis I conditions.


The presence of complex subsystems can dramatically affect the dynamics of the main structure to which they are attached. Exactly modeling these subsystems, however, is often impossible. Here, replacing the substructure (say a piece of equipment) by an equivalent set of forces which react back on the main structure is proposed. These forces are given as time convolutions of the displacements at the equipment attachment points. The convolution integral, which represents a time‐domain DtN (Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann) map, is approximated in the high modal density limit with determined error bounds. Local in time approximations to the convolution integral are obtained using Pade approximants. These yield a family of equipment representations. The simplest requires two measured equipment properties, though more information can lead to greater accuracy. Our approximate DtNs are validated numerically in finite‐element simulations. [Work supported by ONR.]


: Purpose: To propose a methodology for identifying incremental innovations to find sustainable competitive advantages of organizations, especially in SMEs, through the use of Money Makers. Design/Methodology/Approach: A study was carried out by means of the inductive-deductive method while a theoretical framework that guides the analysis of the phenomenon is approached. During the development of the study, the use of techniques such as technological surveillance, technological mapping, and technological scanning were used. Findings: The proposed Money Makers identification model has been executed in 4 stages, where the search for technological Money Makers and the process improvements that impact the business model of companies are oriented. In the first stage, the baseline is constructed by evaluating the current state of the company's technologies. Subsequently, trends at the level of Money Makers are identified and detected, and the procedure for their selection depending on the area of the value chain where it is considered that it can be implemented. Practical Implications: Although there were several studies in the same issue our model can be used for practical implications because of its simplicity. Originality/Value: The study proposes a fairly easy methodological proposal for the identification of incremantal innovations in SMEs.


Abstract: This paper discusses some lessons in architecture that can be gleaned using the Prophet's Mosque in Madīnah as a case study. The paper deals with the following main themes: the meaning and significance of Islamic architecture; function–form relationship; respect for the environment; cleanliness; comprehensive excellence; promoting just social interactions; safety; and the relationship between the indigenous and foreign influences in the spheres of Islamic architecture. Every theme discussed signifies a permanent feature of Islamic architecture which derives its strength and merit from the Prophet's experiences. Hence, a close analogy is drawn in the paper between those architectural features and the Prophet.


The objectives while designing roundabout is design consistency and operational performance. Design consistency affects roundabout safety while operational performance affects its level of service. Along with design consistency, roundabout will be more safe if its geometry forces traffic to enter and circulate at less than specified design speed. Vehicle path radii control speeds at each vehicle path. Vehicle path radii are traditionally obtained from drawing freehand each vehicle paths on proposed roundabout geometry. Existing design approaches for roundabouts use a trial-and-error procedure to choose the design parameters in order to satisfy design standards. With this approach it is quite complicated to satisfy design guidelines and site conditions at the same time. A minor change in geometry can result in significant changes in safety and operational performance. Therefore, many iterations of geometric layout would be required to evaluate safety and operational analysis at given traffic conditions. Designer needs to revise and refine the initial geometric layout to enhance safety and its operational performance. In this thesis, an optimization model is developed that predicts optimum design parameters with multiple objectives: maximum design consistency and minimum average intersection delay. At optimum design parameters, this model also provides vehicle path radii for each path. These vehicle path radii were used to predict operating speed along each path using an existing operating speed prediction model. The optimization model takes site conditions as input and satisfies the two objectives for given traffic and geometric conditions. This is a new approach of optimum design of single-lane roundabouts with four legs intersecting at right angle. The model not only satisfies the two objectives, but also limits the operating speed along each path (left, through, and right), below the specified design speed of roundabout.


In secret sharing scheme, the master secret and all the private shares (which are distributed by the dealer to the shareholders) are the two secrets which are to be maintained confidentially. In all the secret sharing schemes proposed till date, private shares are reused to reconstruct the master secret. But we proposed a new way of Proactive Secret Sharing Scheme in which, instead of renewing the private shares frequently at the beginning of each timeslot during the share renewal process, each time master secret is renewed. In this way private shares can be reused for a longer period of time and to construct different master secrets. In addition, after each renewing process, shareholders can work together to verify that their private shares are consistent without revealing private shares. We also proposed protocols to generate and renew master secret, authenticate public shares of the master secret, add or revoke shares and change threshold of the master secret. Thus an enhancement to Proactive Secret Sharing is proposed in this thesis and this unique feature simples the implementation of PSS as the change is to be made only to the master secret (central server) without effecting all private shares.


This document proposes a revised model of Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC) Signing Authority. The revised model is designed to clarify earlier documents and add additional restrictions to simplify the secure resolution process. Specifically, this affects the authorization of keys to sign sets of records.


For Internet applications like sponsored search, cautions need to be taken when using machine learning to optimize their mechanisms (e.g., auction) since self-interested agents in these applications may change their behaviors (and thus the data distribution) in response to the mechanisms. To tackle this problem, a framework called game-theoretic machine learning (GTML) was recently proposed, which first learns a Markov behavior model to characterize agents' behaviors, and then learns the optimal mechanism by simulating agents' behavior changes in response to the mechanism. While GTML has demonstrated practical success, its generalization analysis is challenging because the behavior data are non-i.i.d. and dependent on the mechanism. To address this challenge, first, we decompose the generalization error for GTML into the behavior learning error and the mechanism learning error; second, for the behavior learning error, we obtain novel non-asymptotic error bounds for both parametric and non-parametric behavior learning methods; third, for the mechanism learning error, we derive a uniform convergence bound based on a new concept called \emph{nested covering number} of the mechanism space and the generalization analysis techniques developed for mixing sequences.


To investigate potential differences in stone composition with regard to the type of Primary Hyperoxaluria (PH), and in relation to the patient's medical therapy (treatment naïve patients versus those on preventive medication) we examined twelve kidney stones from ten PH I and six stones from four PH III patients. Unfortunately, no PH II stones were available for analysis. The study on this set of stones indicates a more diverse composition of PH stones than previously reported and a potential dynamic response of morphology and composition of calculi to treatment with crystallization inhibitors (citrate, magnesium) in PH I. Stones formed by PH I patients under treatment are more compact and consist predominantly of calcium-oxalate monohydrate (COM, whewellite), while calcium-oxalate dihydrate (COD, weddellite) is only rarely present. In contrast, the single stone available from a treatment naïve PH I patient as well as stones from PH III patients prior to and under treatment with alkali citrate contained a wide size range of aggregated COD crystals. No significant effects of the treatment were noted in PH III stones. In disagreement with findings from previous studies, stones from patients with primary hyperoxaluria did not exclusively consist of COM. Progressive replacement of COD by small COM crystals could be caused by prolonged stone growth and residence times in the urinary tract, eventually resulting in complete replacement of calcium-oxalate dihydrate by the monohydrate form. The noted difference to the naïve PH I stone may reflect a reduced growth rate in response to treatment. This pilot study highlights the importance of detailed stone diagnostics and could be of therapeutic relevance in calcium-oxalates urolithiasis, provided that the effects of treatment can be reproduced in subsequent larger studies.


The report surveys the state of our knowledge regarding the effects of trade on the environment. A central question is whether globalization helps or hurts in achieving the best tradeoff between environmental and economic goals. Do international trade and investment allow countries to achieve more economic growth for any given level of environmental quality? Or do they damage environmental quality for any given rate of economic growth? Globalization is a complex trend, encompassing many forces and many effects. It would be surprising if all of them were always unfavorable to the environment, or all of them favorable. The highest priority should be to determine ways in which globalization can be successfully harnessed to promote protection of the environment, along with other shared objectives, as opposed to degradation of the environment. The report considers whether globalization has damaged environmental goals. Trade has some of its effects through the channel of accelerating economic growth, because trade contributes to growth analogously to investment, technological progress, and so on. Other effects come even when taking the level of income as given. In the case of each of the two channels, effects can be either positive or negative.


Female mice with age-related adrenal hyperplasia are less anxious because of interplay between opioid and glucocorticoid signaling. Subcapsular hyperplasia (SCH) of the adrenal glands is a common feature of aging in rodents and humans. Ikeda et al. examined various aspects of mouse physiology and behavior in male and female mice with and without SCH. The transcript for proenkephalin A, which can be cleaved to produce various bioactive peptides, including those acting on opioid receptors, and various proenkephalin A–derived peptide fragments were abundant in SCH cells. Secretion of the stress-responsive hormone glucocorticoid is circadian, and female, but not male, mice with SCH exhibited an increase in the amount of glucocorticoid secreted at Zeitgeber time 12 (ZT12) but no change in the phase or amount of glucocorticoid secreted at other times. This change in the amplitude of glucocorticoid secretion in females with SCH was not present in mice genetically deficient for proenkephalin A (Penk–/–). Female mice with SCH exhibited less anxiety than age-matched female mice in behavioral tests, and this anxiolytic effect of SCH was not present in Penk–/– mice and was abolished in mice given a low-dose course of a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. A screen of proenkephalin-derived peptide fragments showed that glucocorticoid secretion from H295 cells was stimulated by BAM22 and peptide E, both of which contain the MetEnk (methionine enkephalin) sequence that would enable activation of opioid receptors. The opioid peptide MetEnk did not stimulate glucocorticoid secretion, and a mutant form of BAM22 that could not bind to opioid receptors did stimulate glucocorticoid secretion, indicating that these peptides were not acting through opioid receptors. Screening G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) in adrenocortical cells with a β-arrrestin recruitment assay identified CXCR7 as a specific receptor for BAM22, peptide E, and peptide I. In situ hybridization revealed that, in females, Cxcr7 mRNA was abundant in the region that produces glucocorticoids, whereas in males, expression was weaker and in a different region, which explained the gender-based differences in the effects of SCH. In cultured cells or adrenal slices or both, BAM22 or a CXCR7 agonist enhanced glucocorticoid secretion in the presence of the hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). Injection of the CXCR7 agonist into female mice enhanced circulating glucocorticoid concentration at ZT12, but not ZT10, and reduced anxiety in behavioral tests. This effect was not present in male mice. Thus, proenkephalin was cleaved to form bioactive ligands for the β-arrestin–coupled GPCR CXCR7. In females, because this receptor is abundant in the adrenal cells that produce glucocorticoids, CXCR7 agonists may be an effective treatment for anxiety and stress-related disorders (see Rando and Schibler for commentary). Y. Ikeda, H. Kumagai, A. Skach, M. Sato, M. Yanagisawa, Modulation of circadian glucocorticoid oscillation via adrenal opioid-CXCR7 signaling alters emotional behavior. Cell 155, 1323–1336 (2013). [PubMed] G. Rando, U. Schibler, Glucocorticoid rhythm renders female mice more daring. Cell 155, 1211–1212 (2013). [PubMed]


It is important to maintain a uniform distribution of gas and liquid in large diameter packed columns to maintain mass transfer efficiency on scaling up. This work presents measurements and methods of evaluating maldistributed gas flow in packed columns. Little or no previous work has been done in this field. A gas maldistribution number, F, was defined, based on point to point velocity variations in the gas emerging from the top of packed beds. f has a minimum value for a uniformly distributed flow and much larger values for maldistributed flows. A method of testing the quality of vapour distributors is proposed, based on "the variation of f with packed height. A good gas distributor requires a short packed depth to give a good gas distribution. Measurements of gas maldistribution have shown that the principle of dynamic similarity is satisfied if two geometrically similar beds are operated at the same Reynold's number. The validity of f as a good measure of gas maldistribution, and the principle of dynamic similarity are tested statistically by Multi-Factor Analysis of the variance, and visually by the response "surfaces technique. Pressure distribution has been measured in a model of a large diameter packed bed, and shown to be associated with the velocity of the gas in a tangential feed pipe. Two simplified theoretical models are proposed to describe the flow of gases through packed beds and to support the principle of dynamic similarity. These models explain why the packed bed itself causes the flow of gas to become more uniformly distributed. A 1.2m. diameter scaled-down model was constructed geometrically similar to a 7.3m. diameter vacuum crude distillation column. The previously known internal cylinder gas distributor was tested. Three new distributors suitable for use in a large diameter column were developed and tested, these are: Internal Cylinder with Slots and Cross Baffles, Internal Cylinder with Guides in the Annulus, Internal Cylinder with Internal Cross Baffles - It has been shown that this is an excellent distributor.


The paper deals with the reason for the decline of the Votic language and neo-renaissance and revitalization of the Votic. The reason for the decline of the Votic language are the small number of people, traditionally sparse population and the assimilation – the speakers of Votic have always lived in the sphere of influence of the Russian language and culture. The reasons for neo-renaissance are the collapse of the Soviet Union, a general trend to look for one's roots, enthusiastic votophiles and the local activities. In the earlier times Votic national movement originated from local people, but recently there has been interest in the Votic affairs on the state level. The plans for the near future are under common title the Votic project.


This paper examines the design of a federal regulatory structure for insurance companies in the United States, assuming some form of an optional federal charter is adopted. Any design must take account of the objectives of insurance regulation, the convergence of financial service powers among banks, securities, and insurance firms, the types of lines to be regulated at the federal level, and problems posed by the possible participation of nationally chartered insurers in state residual pools and guaranty funds. This paper argues that the creation of a new federal insurance regulator should be accompanied by more consolidation and less fragmentation in the overall federal regulatory structure, by placing the new regulator within an operationally strengthened President's Working Group on Financial Markets. Ideally, a new optional federal charter should provide a real federal option by having the federal government fully regulate the safety and soundness and product lines of all insurers choosing the federal option. However, if lines were to be split between federal and state regulation, safety and soundness regulation of all insurance companies choosing a federal option should take place exclusively at the federal level, leaving the states with responsibility for consumer protection regulation in non-federal lines. While state guaranty funds have functioned effectively overall, a national guaranty fund would have the advantage of uniting responsibility for insurance and safety and soundness regulation, as in the case of banking.


Recently, there is much concern about the provenance of distributed processes, that is about the documentation of the origin and the processes to produce an object in a distributed system. The provenance has many applications in the forms of medical records, documentation of processes in the computer systems, recording the origin of data in the cloud, and also documentation of human-executed processes. The provenance of distributed processes can be modeled by a directed acyclic graph (DAG) where each node represents an entity, and an edge represents the origin and causal relationship between entities. Without sufficient security mechanisms, the provenance graph suffers from integrity and confidentiality problems, for example changes or deletions of the correct nodes, additions of fake nodes and edges, and unauthorized accesses to the sensitive nodes and edges. In this paper, we propose an integrity mechanism for provenance graph using the digital signature involving three parties: the process executors who are responsible in the nodes' creation, a provenance owner that records the nodes to the provenance store, and a trusted party that we call the Trusted Counter Server (TCS) that records the number of nodes stored by the provenance owner. We show that the mechanism can detect the integrity problem in the provenance graph, namely unauthorized and malicious "authorized" updates even if all the parties, except the TCS, collude to update the provenance. In this scheme, the TCS only needs a very minimal storage (linear with the number of the provenance owners). To protect the confidentiality and for an efficient access control administration, we propose a method to encrypt the provenance graph that allows access by paths and compartments in the provenance graph. We argue that encryption is important as a mechanism to protect the provenance data stored in an untrusted environment. We analyze the security of the integrity mechanism, and perform experiments to measure the performance of both mechanisms. key words: provenance security, access control model, database encryption


Tandem solar cells, in which two individual cells are stacked on top of each other, offer the potential to increase the efficiency significantly compared to a single cell on the same area. To reach maximum efficiency, each cell in the stack must have a distinctive spectral response and the current in each cell must be similar. This requires smart selection of materials, proper cell design and appropriate layer thickness. Tandem polymer solar cells can be made by processing two individual cells from solvent based liquids, separated by a recombination layer. Potential candidates for the recombination layer are 1) a combination of a ZnO layer and a pH-neutral PEDOT:PSS layer, 2) a TiOx layer combined with a normal PEDOT:PSS layer. We will discuss the properties of the suggested recombination layers. To determine the performance of tandem cells, accurate spectral response measurements are crucial. Spectral response measurements of a polymer tandem cell show that the response of each subcell can be measured only when a bias light with sufficient intensity and suitable spectrum is applied. We will discuss the special requirements for the spectral response set-up that are needed in order to successfully discriminate between the responses of each subcell.


The Journal of Agricultural Education serves as one of the primary sources for dissemination of new knowledge in the field of agricultural education. Analyzing the citation structure of articles published in the journal provides insight into the theoretical foundations utilized by agricultural education researchers. This analysis was a modified replication of a study performed by Radhakrishna, Eaton, Conroy, & Jackson (1994). Over the course of the 1990s the average number of reference citations per article increased from 13.1 to 19.7. Furthermore, journal articles made up nearly a third of all reference citations and the Journal of Agricultural Education was the most commonly referenced journal as it tallied over 30% of journals referenced. This study also compared current data with similar data collected by Radhakrishna et al. about the Journal of Agricultural Education during the 1980s. The researchers found that reference citations have increased nearly five times from 1981 to 2000. Consistent with the 1980s, authors during the 1990s reference the Journal of Agricultural Education significantly more than any other journal.


The writing of 'motions of support' (in French, 'motions de soutien'), has become a regular practice in politics not only in Cameroon but in much of French-speaking Africa. 'Motions of support' are open letters written by members of political parties, elite associations, regional administrative units, ethnic groups, villages elites, etc. and addressed to the president of the country pledging full support for his person and his policies. This chapter discusses the motions as a form of dialogue between the president and the people, since the people's open letter serves as a response to a political action or favor carried out by the president. I focus on the structure and the dialogic functions of the different parts of these 'motions of support'. An interesting aspect of these open letters is that, unlike in Western literature on political discourse where the relevant discourse is produced by powerful people in the political machine, 'motions of support' discourses are rather produced by the politically powerless, normal citizens. The authors are not scheming for political power but rather searching for the representation of their group on the political platform of the country.


Under global change, increasing stresses on forests require strategies for monitoring and mitigation of damages caused by pests and diseases. While the threats to forests increase, so do the possibilities to set up efficient monitoring programmes and detect forest damage by utilising new technologies. This thesis focuses on strategies for forest damage inventories where different auxiliary data are combined to improve information for pest mitigation programmes. First, the efficiency of National Forest Inventories (NFIs; or similar inventories) for detecting and estimating state and change of forest damage across large regions was evaluated. NFIs were found efficient for assessing widely distributed damage, but unable to detect clustered and local outbreaks with adequate precision. Second, targeted forest damage inventories directed to areas with potential or suspected damage were investigated. It was found that two-phase sampling for stratification taking the first phase information from existing NFIs was an efficient strategy. Remotely-sensed auxiliary information and post-stratification was shown to further improve the precision. Third, the use of a new sampling design was evaluated: the local pivotal method (LPM), which spreads the sample in the multi-dimensional space of available auxiliary data. The LPM was found to be more efficient than simple random sampling in all scenarios and, depending on the allocation of the sample and the properties of the auxiliary data, it sometimes outperformed two-phase sampling for stratification. Thus, the LPM may be a valuable tool for practical forest damage inventories. Fourth, the cost-plus-loss method was applied to evaluate inventory strategies in a pest mitigation context. If inventory costs are large, it is especially important to quantify the inventory efforts necessary to evaluate the need for mitigation. The optimal sampling effort necessary for deciding whether or not a defoliator outbreak should be treated was quantified. Double sampling was found to be a cost-effective sampling strategy, i.e. the size of the second phase sample was determined based on the estimates from a small first phase sample. As an overall conclusion, the thesis points out the importance of making use of existing information in setting up effective inventories of forest damage and of using appropriate sampling strategies for making use of the information in the best possible way.


Abstract. Maps created before the 17th century often have large distortions which make it useless to force them into any modern map projection by georeferencing. In a local scope, however, they preserve spatial relationships between map objects, therefore, using an appropriate control point set and local interpolation it is possible to define a quite accurate connection between the old and a modern map. Additionally, researchers in the past decades created long lists of settlements of these maps, often without any geometric information but matching most places with present day settlements. The author developed a web application to help geocoding these lists and at the same time to create an accurate georeferenced of the corresponding old maps. This tool displays the old map and a recent web map parallel, without forcing the projection of the web map to the old one. The user can load settlement lists, perform a bulk geocoding based on present day names. The geocoded places appear on the new map, and any of these points can be also placed on the old map, defining a control point pair. After setting enough control points, all the other place names can be automatically placed by local interpolation based on the control points. The place positions can be refined manually by the user, which will improve the accuracy of the automatic placement as well.


The management of distance education activities in the Politehnica University of Timisoara have different aspects and requires several development instances. Recently, the online development included also tools needed for human resources management and time management. Politehnica University of Timisoara uses, since 2009, the university Virtual Campus CVUPT, a Moodle based development. As many of Moodle instances are used in distance education settings, where activities happen also face-to-face in university labs, any off-platform relevant activities need to be reported and quantified manually. This is especially important in our university educational setting, where reported activity affects many teaching/learning indicators, including the academic staff' time reports. In order to properly mitigate this situation, we have developed a tool allowing Moodle integration with the official reporting procedure used by the academic staff from the distance education courses in our University. In this paper, we present the new methodology, the development process as well as the initial evaluation, by comparing the process of obtaining results from offline, previous form-based reports submitted in the past, with those obtained using the online tool in CVUPT. The evaluation run by the eLearning Center team revealed important feedback on time management, that will generate more change, many updates and other adaptations of the reporting tool in CVUPT. We can conclude that, for its first iteration, the online reporting tool was seen as a positive development, conducted to better time management of the distance education academic staff. Several proposed improvements are already in plan for the second development.


With technological developments in artificial intelligence, algorithms are increasingly capable to perform tasks that were considered to be unique for humans. However, literature suggests that although algorithms are often superior in performance, users are reluctant to interact with algorithms instead of human agents – a phenomenon known as algorithm aversion. But, as algorithm aversion is attracting scientific attention, empirical findings are inconclusive and papers find the opposite effect of algorithm appreciation. With this literature review, we synthesize evidence from 29 publications with 84 distinct experimental studies to investigate how algorithm characteristics and human agents' characteristics influence algorithm aversion. We show how algorithm agency, performance, perceived capabilities and human involvement as well as human agents' expertise and social distance, influence whether users develop algorithm aversion, i.e., choose humans over algorithms, utilize humans' support more often and evaluate humans' actions more favourable. Furthermore, we provide a systematic conceptualization of aversion as a biased assessment and develop propositions for future research. With our work, we contribute to algorithm aversion literature and the contemporary discussion on the impact of algorithmic agents on the future of work. We indicate that the emerging literature stream on algorithm aversion is worth considering for human-computer interaction researchers.


Sediment accumulation rates of well-dated, primarily terrigenous marine sediments collected along the Chilean continental margin were used to infer erosion rates of the southern Andes and the adjacent Coastal Cordillera. Compared to the Holocene, sediment supply to the margin and thus erosion were substantially enhanced during the last glacial, when continental rainfall in the region was higher. Major changes in precipitation forcing to the southern Andes on such glacial-interglacial time scales appear to be transferred to offshore sedimentation rates by a fixed relation. These data show that marine archives can make it possible to trace variability in erosion at adjacent continents on time scales to 10 3 yr, a much better resolution than provided by commonly used methods such as thermochronometry or seismic studies.


Abstract Atmospheric new-particle formation (NPF) is an important source of climatically relevant atmospheric aerosol particles. NPF can be directly observed by monitoring the time-evolution of ambient aerosol particle size distributions. From the measured distribution data, it is relatively straightforward to determine whether NPF took place or not on a given day. Due to the noisiness of the real-world ambient data, currently the most reliable way to classify measurement days into NPF event/non-event days is a manual visualization method. However, manual labor, with long multi-year time series, is extremely time-consuming and human subjectivity poses challenges for comparing the results of different data sets. These complications call for an automated classification process. This article presents a Bayesian neural network (BNN) classifier to classify event/non-event days of NPF using a manually generated database at the SMEAR II station in Hyytiälä, Finland. For the classification, a set of informative features are extracted exploiting the properties of multi-modal log normal distribution fitted to the aerosol particle concentration database and the properties of the time series representation of the data at different scales. The proposed method has a classification accuracy of 84.2 % for determining event/non-event days. In particular, the BNN method successfully predicts all event days when the growth and formation rate can be determined with a good confidence level (often labeled as class Ia days). Most misclassified days (with an accuracy of 75 %) are the event days of class II, where the determination of growth and formation rate are much more uncertain. Nevertheless, the results reported in this article using the new machine learning-based approach points towards the potential of these methods and suggest further exploration in this direction.


Abstract. The chemical composition and sources of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 1 ) over a period of 2.5 years for a regional background site in the western Mediterranean are presented in this work. Furthermore, sub-micron particle number concentrations and the sources of these particles are also presented. The mean PM 1 concentration for the measurement period was 8.9 μg m −3 , with organic matter (OM) and sulphate comprising most of the mass (3.2 and 1.5 μg m −3 respectively). Six sources were identified in PM 1 by Positive Matrix Factorisation (PMF): secondary organic aerosol, secondary nitrate, industrial, traffic + biomass burning, fuel oil combustion and secondary sulphate. Typically anthropogenic sources displayed elevated concentrations during the week with reductions at weekends. Nitrate levels were elevated in winter and negligible in summer, whereas secondary sulphate levels underwent a contrasting seasonal evolution with highest concentrations in summer, similar to the fuel oil combustion source. The SOA source was influenced by episodes of sustained pollution as a result of anticyclonic conditions occurring during winter, giving rise to thermal inversions and the accumulation of pollutants in the mixing layer. Increased levels in summer were owing to higher biogenic emissions and regional recirculation of air masses. The industrial source decreased in August due to decreased emissions during the vacation period. Increases in the traffic + biomass burning source were recorded in January, April and October, which were attributed to the occurrence of the aforementioned pollution episodes and local biomass burning emission sources, which include agriculture and domestic heating systems. Average particle number concentrations (N 9-825 nm ) from 5/11/2010 to 01/06/2011 and from 15/10/2011 to 18/12/2011 reached 3097 cm −3 . Five emission sources of particle of sub-micron particles were determined by Principal Component Analysis (PCA); industrial + traffic + biomass burning, new particle formation + growth, secondary sulphate + fuel oil combustion, crustal material and secondary nitrate. The new particle formation + growth source dominated the particle number concentration (56% of total particle number concentration), especially for particles 100 nm) and thus did not influence the particle number concentration significantly.


In photosynthetic organisms, control of light-harvesting is a key component of acclimation mechanisms that optimize photon conversion efficiencies. In this thesis, the interrelation of short- and long-term regulation of light-harvesting at photosystem II (PSII) was analyzed in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This model organism is able to gain carbon and energy through photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation as well as heterotrophic feeding. A lowered inorganic or increased organic carbon supply reduces the rate of NADPH consumption by the Calvin cycle, resulting in an over-reduced photosynthetic electron transport chain and increased excitation pressure at photosystem II. A combination of molecular biology, biochemistry, chlorophyll fluorescence and physiological analyses revealed that a reduction in functional antenna size efficiently relieved excitation pressure on PSII under these conditions. Particularly, translation control on PSII-associated major light-harvesting proteins (LHCII) replaced state transitions as an initial protection mechanism in the long term.

The LHCII translation repressor NAB1 emerged as key factor implicated in the acclimation to the prevailing carbon assimilation mode. The level of NAB1 was increased under carbon dioxide limitation, and expression control based on modulated promoter activity. Application of a photosynthetic electron transport inhibitor and a perturbed NAB1 accumulation in a state transition mutant suggested that chloroplast retrograde signals control nuclear NAB1 expression. To further investigate this retrograde signaling, a reporter system was developed that enables detailed promoter analyses. Systematic truncation studies identified a promoter fragment of 152 bases, which comprised essential regulatory elements and can be used as tool for the identification of cis-regulatory elements in future studies.

Furthermore, chloroplast redox poise was shown to modulate the extent of LHCII translation repression in the cytosol via cysteine based redox control of NAB1. In response to moderate light intensity changes, a fine-tuning system comprising specific single cysteine nitrosylation and thioredoxin mediated re-reduction adjusted NAB1 activity to the demand for light-harvesting antenna proteins. This is the first mechanistic description of redox based translation control of nuclear encoded photosynthesis associated genes.

Overall, this thesis describes regulatory circuits that adjust light-harvesting capacity over a range of time scales, involving nuclear and cytosolic expression control as well as short-term responses in the chloroplast, and provides new insights into interorganellar communication that ensures optimal photon capture.


This paper provides a concise guide on Free and Open Source Software procurement for European Public Administrations to be used by elected representatives and decision makers, procurement and Information Technology managers and staff in addition to any existing national or European Union guidelines and regulations. This work provides definitions of basic terms, outlines the legal context and the main principles of software procurement and highlights good practices and recommended actions for Public Administrations. Although the adoption of Free and Open Source Software as a strategic choice has certain advantages for public organisations, the guidelines and resources provided in this paper also apply to both open source and proprietary software procurement procedures and scenarios, such as downloading and purchasing, in-house development and outsourcing. The main aspects addressed and guidelines provided include: planning and defining a procurement method, estimating costs and benefits, setting interoperability and the use of open standards as a priority, avoiding discriminating practices such as naming trademarks, understanding and assessing licensing schemes, software provision models and suppliers, and establishing fair tendering processes.


David Sellu, the surgeon jailed for gross negligence manslaughter who later had his conviction overturned, has been comprehensively cleared of misconduct by a medical practitioners tribunal.

The General Medical Council alleged that he failed to provide good clinical care to James Hughes, the patient whose death had been at the centre of the criminal case against him.1 But after a six week hearing in which the tribunal took extensive evidence from many witnesses, many of them staff and clinicians working at the private hospital where Hughes had died, not one of the allegations against Sellu was found proved.

The result means in effect that charges that were found proved to the higher criminal standard (beyond reasonable doubt) by a crown court jury did not even reach the lower standard of proof applying in the tribunal (on the balance of probabilities).

The outcome will fuel concern, already widespread, about the use of the criminal law to pin the blame for a patient's death on a single individual working in a complex system where multiple factors are at play.

> The outcome will …


This research represent research of case study at RS. HVA. Toeloengredjo with title "Tax Planning as effort Thrift of Income Tax". Target of this research is to know the level of accounted by debt Iease a company before and after doing tax planning of production, and also make tax planning of production pursuant to rule of UU taxation going into effect. Result of this research indicate that at RS. HVA. Toeloengredjo not yet executed tax planning in an optimal fashion. This matter can be seen from sstill to the number of used by costs company to give enjoyment to employees in the form of natura. Besides also still there are costs which in taxation cannot confess as expense, so that the expense cannot be tapered down from production hit Iease. If company apply tax planning such as those which proposed by researcher then will happened thrift of Iease equal to Rp. 33.367.709 or equal to 2.31%. Proposed tax planning by researcher for example gift of enjoyment in the form of natura changed with gift of subsidy (cash), besides also by transferring or commercial cost allocation to fiscal. From result of analysis above can be concluded that with existence of correct tax planning in meaning as according to UU and regulation of taxation going into effect then will be able to economize income tax which is debt at body taxpayer Key Words : Tax saving, Hospital, and Tax Planning Keyword : Penghematan Pajak, Rumah Sakit dan Perencanaan Pajak


Diagnostic tests are a core component of modern health care practice: they determine a patient's susceptibility to developing cancer and other disorders; they diagnose biological conditions; they monitor the progress of disease; and they can assess the risk of disease recurrence. Ensuring their innovative growth is therefore an important issue in innovation policy. While legal scholarship addresses much about the relevance of patents and other forms of intellectual property protection for diagnostic methods as a general matter, far less attention has been paid to a distinct class of diagnostic tests that deserves its own innovation policy debate: companion diagnostic tests. This note seeks to draw more attention to the economic challenges facing the companion diagnostics industry. It begins by providing the necessary background to understand what companion diagnostic tests are, and why they are vital to the future of modern healthcare. It then explores the unique underlying incentive structure amongst the key industry stakeholders, revealing how the incentives of these stakeholders are misaligned in ways that impede the industry's growth. Relying on empirical data from case studies collected in pharmacology and biotechnology business literature, this note ultimately argues that the microeconomics of the companion diagnostics industry present a compelling case for invigorated patent protection of companion diagnostic tests.


Gauge-based radar rainfall adjustment techniques have been widely used to improve the applicability of radar rainfall estimates to large-scale hydrological modelling. However, their use for urban hydrological applications is limited as they were mostly developed based upon Gaussian approximations and therefore tend to smooth off so-called "singularities" (features of a non-Gaussian field) that can be observed in the fine-scale rainfall structure. Overlooking the singularities could be critical, given that their distribution is highly consistent with that of local extreme magnitudes. This deficiency may cause large errors in the subsequent urban hydrological modelling. To address this limitation and improve the applicability of adjustment techniques at urban scales, a method is proposed herein which incorporates a local singularity analysis into existing adjustment techniques and allows the preservation of the singularity structures throughout the adjustment process. In this paper the proposed singularity analysis is incorporated into the Bayesian merging technique and the performance of the resulting singularity-sensitive method is compared with that of the original Bayesian (non singularity-sensitive) technique and the commonly used mean field bias adjustment. This test is conducted using as case study four storm events observed in the Portobello catchment (53 km 2 ) (Edinburgh, UK) during 2011 and for which radar estimates, dense rain gauge and sewer flow records, as well as a recently calibrated urban drainage model were available. The results suggest that, in general, the proposed singularity-sensitive method can effectively preserve the non-normality in local rainfall structure, while retaining the ability of the original adjustment techniques to generate nearly unbiased estimates. Moreover, the ability of the singularity-sensitive technique to preserve the non-normality in rainfall estimates often leads to better reproduction of the urban drainage system's dynamics, particularly of peak runoff flows.


Abstract The central question of this paper is how international trade and specialization are affected by different designs of pension schemes and asymmetric demographic changes. In a model with two goods, two countries and two production factors, we find that countries with a relatively large unfunded pension scheme will specialize in the production of labour intensive goods. If these countries are hit by a negative demographic shock, this specialization will intensify in the long run. Eventually, these countries may even completely specialize in the production of those goods. The effects spill over to other countries, which will move away from complete specialization in capital intensive goods as the relative size of their labour intensive goods sector will also increase.


Programming can be unpopular with some university students of computing, who may then go on to graduate without good programming skills. This unpopularity threatens student recruitment into the core computing courses and professions, and may weaken the economy. It may be that negative attitudes harm the student's interest and confidence in programming, making for an unsatisfying learning experience. In this pilot study, student attitudes towards programming, and possible changes in attitude, were investigated by means of a survey on a university's introductory programming course. Results indicate that some students have negative attitudes toward programming, and programmers; and this applies to school pupils as well. A minority of the students questioned retained their frustration and dislike of programming throughout the course, but others came to love it in the end. Interpretation of the results leads to speculation regarding the quality of the teaching of programming, both at school and at university.


We propose a new probabilistic pattern formation algorithm for oblivious mobile robots that operates in
the ASYNC model. Unlike previous work, our algorithm makes no assumptions about the local coordinate
systems of robots (the robots do not share a common "North" nor a common "Right"), yet it preserves the
ability from any initial configuration that contains at least 5 robots to form any general pattern (and not just
patterns that satisfy symmetricity predicates). Our proposal also gets rid of the previous assumption (in the
same model) that robots do not pause while moving (so, our robots really are fully asynchronous), and the
amount of randomness is kept low – a single random bit per robot per Look-Compute-Move cycle is used.
Our protocol consists in the combination of two phases, a probabilistic leader election phase, and a deterministic
pattern formation one. As the deterministic phase does not use chirality, it may be of independent
interest in the deterministic context. A noteworthy feature of our algorithm is the ability to form patterns
with multiplicity points (except the gathering case due to impossibility results), a new feature in the context
of pattern formation that we believe is an important asset of our approach.


ABSTRACTThis article discusses the role of the United States of America in the failure of the democratic revolution in Egypt during the Arab Spring. While appreciating the role of internal actors and the domestic dynamics, it demonstrates that regime change in Egypt was largely a consequence and a reflection of the US's interests in Egypt and the region in general. It argues that the seemingly successful removal of the Hosni Mubarak regime by popular uprisings and the rise of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood signalled the success of democracy. However, Morsi's controversial overthrow and imprisonment, notwithstanding his weaknesses, led to the backfiring of the regime-change strategy. The subsequent rise to power of a former military man, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and his administration has, thus far, demonstrated a contradiction to all the promises of the Egyptian revolution. It concludes that the drivers of regime change should re-examine the merits of their strategy in an effort to establish lasting...


Self-directed professional learning is distinct from the traditional approach of directed professional development. The introduction of the Internet into Indonesian society provides the opportunity for teachers to use digital tools for their teaching and to access professional learning without attending mandated professional development. An emerging phenomenon in Indonesia is the establishment and use of Google Education Groups (GEGs) for professional learning about the use of educational technology (ed-tech) in the schooling sector. Two research questions guided the examination of Indonesian educators' experiences of GEGs: (1) how do Indonesian educators participate in the GEGs for ed-tech professional learning? and (2) how do the GEGs function to enable Indonesian educators' ed-tech professional learning? Collective case study methodology was applied, and three Google Education Groups were examined, one from a metropolitan area, one from an urban area and the third from a rural context. In each case study, the leader of the group and three group members with varying levels of online engagement were interviewed and online forum conversations were examined. Data were analysed using Stake's method of categorical aggregation leading to within-case assertions and cross-case analysis. A social cognitive perspective was used as a framework to analyse and interpret findings. It was found that the Indonesian educators had an agentic approach to professional learning, which was context-dependent with three major interrelated aspects: the regional-technological environment as context, the individuals as agentic learners, and the connectedness as social learners enabled meaningful learning experiences. The regional-technological environment influenced how the GEGs functioned. The Metropolitan group was innovative and collaborative, focusing on the use of web-based tools to improve productivity of ed-tech practices. The Urban group aimed to explore how they could use web-based tools to improve efficiency through paperless classroom practices and school administration. The Rural group sought to use of web-based tools for simple teaching and learning practices within a context of low bandwidth and limited ICT infrastructure. In addition, certain conditions that support online collaboration and factors that can minimise and optimise ed-tech learning opportunities are identified. Participants overcame limitations and constraints by enacting agency and developing social connectedness in learning through the groups. The group leadership positions were voluntary and found to be driven by a desire to share expertise and practices that support, inspire, and empower others rather than about gaining positional authority. Participation in online informal groups such as Google Education Groups appears to be a supportive method of professional learning that facilitates agentic and experiential learning about the use of educational technology in Indonesia. This model can enhance professional learning opportunities for Indonesian educators. It can also be implemented into the design of government-supported ed-tech PD programmes, to create an empowering and safe learning environment that can optimise their potential in learning and improve practice.


Buried deep within the 2,232-page omnibus federal spending bill passed by Congress in March 2, was an obscure, half-page provision entitled the "Save America's Pastime Act" (SAPA). The SAPA was inserted into the spending bill at the last minute at the behest of Major League Baseball (MLB), following several years—and several million dollars—worth of lobbying efforts. MLB pursued the legislation to insulate its minor-league pay practices from legal challenge after they had become the subject of a federal class-action lawsuit alleging that the league's teams failed to pay minor-league players in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) minimum-wage and overtime provisions. The SAPA helps shield MLB from these claims by creating a new statutory exemption largely excluding most professional baseball players from the protections of the FLSA.
This article provides the first substantive analysis of the SAPA. Specifically, it asserts that although initial assessments concluded that the provision would shield MLB from any future liability for its minor-league pay practices, a closer reading of the statute reveals that it contains several potential ambiguities that could arguably give rise to unanticipated liability for the league. Nevertheless, the article asserts that the SAPA significantly reduces the odds that MLB will be forced to substantially change its minor-league pay practices in the future. At the same time, the article also evaluates the broader implications of the SAPA for federal minimum-wage and maximum-hour law generally.


Professional classical singing requires dedication and a significant amount of practice in
order to properly sing the challenging pieces. Classical singers not only practice to become
an expert in their techniques but also must understand the context, emotions and delivery of
each musical piece. Acoustics of practice rooms are crucial as the singers spend most of
their learning process in these rooms.
Previous research on singers' voice focused on the voice and vocal health issues. This
allowed improved treatments and techniques in the clinical practice for singers' vocal
health. However, little research has been undertaken on how room acoustics affect the voice
dosimetry and perception of classical singers. This research examines singers' objective
vocal dosimetry and subjective perception data together with the room acoustic parameters
with an aim to find the preferred practice room conditions of the Opera singers. Singers are
known to be professional voice users which are a group at risk from voice disorders.
Therefore improving their singing environment for their vocal health is as necessary as the
improvement of clinical practice.
This research aims to find out the effect of the room environment on the vocal loading
parameters and subjective parameters of the Opera singers with a focus on the practice
rooms then to find out singers' preferred practicing conditions to suggest target values for
the room parameters that show correlation with the singers' parameters. For this purpose,
research was undertaken with the kind assistance of 117 Opera singers. First a pilot study
was conducted in the Acoustic Laboratories of the London South Bank University in order
to determine and validate the methodology of the research, second a Field study in the
practice rooms of the Royal Academy of Music was conducted with an aim to find the
relationship between singers' data regarding their vocal dose parameters, perception and
preferences of the acoustics of the practice rooms and thirdly, as a side study of the research,
to find out Opera singers' daily vocal load during a typical working day in order to make a
comparison with daily vocal loading of professional voice users.
It was found that there was no significant change in the Opera singers' vocal loading in the
laboratory spaces even though these rooms had extreme acoustic conditions in terms of
background noise and reverberation. Likewise, no significant change was observed in their
vocal loading parameters in the practice rooms. However, students' subjective response to
the different acoustic conditions of the practice rooms showed significant change and very
strong correlations were observed with the T30 room acoustic parameter at 4k octave band
and C80 from 500 Hz to 4 kHz. Using the information a preferred design for practice room
acoustics for Opera singers was established based on room dimension, T30, C80 and G
parameters at the frequencies showing the greatest correlation with the singers' data that
correspond to singers' preferred ratings.
In addition, the results of the side study showed that the Opera singers' daily sound pressure
levels due to overall vocal activity including both speech and singing and due to only singing
were higher than other professional voice users such as teachers and call-centre operators
and these levels were found to be reached over a shorter phonation time which showed that
they are exposed to higher vocal loading


Literary work, manifested in its various forms such as a short story, novels, drama, and poetry, represents the condition and historical moments existing in the region, country, and world. Literary work plays a role to reveal the truth through their language and symbols behind the works. Song, a lyrical poetry is a representative of music, which can transmit ideas and emotions to its listeners. Madonna, as a singer from Bay City, Michigan with her concerns attempted to imply the ideas through the songs she sung and brought the listeners to the events inspiring her in writing the songs. The three major purpose considered being the main problems in analyzing Madonna's song were to: (1) Finding Out the Themes of Madonna song, (2) Figuring Out the meaning expressed by author, and (3) Describin" the message inspiring the son" writing The study uses a descriptive qualitative research design to analyze the data. The approaches that were suitable with thesis analysis were objective and historical approaches. The objective approach was used because the objects as a part of the research, are themes, meaning and message in Madonna's song. The historical approach was used to find basic clues related to the events behind the lyrics writing in the current times. Here, one song was selected. The song is: Don't Cry For Me gentina. The results of this study were: the theme of die song based on "Evita" soundtrack was the struggle. The message conveyed in the song was: the success of the woman to save citizen and the nation from the poverty and starvation in Argentina so she was a Noble as number 1 woman in Argentina. The meaning based on soundtrack that lied behind the song writing was the disturbance and demonstration that occurred at Argentina in 1943.