The significant advances made in the design and construction of anthropomorphic robot hands, endow them with prehensile abilities reaching that of humans. However, using these powerful hands with the same level of expertise that humans display is a big challenge for robots. Traditional approaches use finger-tip (precision) or enveloping (power) methods to generate the best force closure grasps. However, this ignores the variety of prehensile postures available to the hand and also the larger context of arm action. This thesis explores a paradigm for grasp formation based on generating oppositional pressure within the hand, which has been proposed as a functional basis for grasping in humans (MacKenzie and Iberall, 1994). A set of opposition primitives encapsulates the hand's ability to generate oppositional forces. The oppositional intention encoded in a primitive serves as a guide to match the hand to the object, quantify its functional ability and relate this to the arm. In this thesis we leverage the properties of opposition primitives to both interpret grasps formed by humans and to construct grasps for a robot considering the larger context of arm action. In the first part of the thesis we examine the hypothesis that hand representation schemes based on opposition are correlated with hand function. We propose hand-parameters describing oppositional intention and compare these with commonly used methods such as joint angles, joint synergies and shape features. We expect that opposition-based parameterizations, which take an interaction-based perspective of a grasp, are able to discriminate between grasps that are similar in shape but different in functional intent. We test this hypothesis using qualitative assessment of precision and power capabilities found in existing grasp taxonomies. The next part of the thesis presents a general method to recognize oppositional intention manifested in human grasp demonstrations. A data glove instrumented with tactile sensors is used to provide the raw information regarding hand configuration and interaction force. For a grasp combining several cooperating oppositional intentions, hand surfaces can be simultaneously involved in multiple oppositional roles. We characterize the low-level interactions between different surfaces of the hand based on captured interaction force and reconstructed hand surface geometry. This is subsequently used to separate out and prioritize multiple and possibly overlapping oppositional intentions present in the demonstrated grasp. We evaluate our method on several human subjects across a wide range of hand functions. The last part of the thesis applies the properties encoded in opposition primitives to optimize task performance of the arm, for tasks where the arm assumes the dominant role. For these tasks, choosing the strongest power grasp available (from a force-closure sense) may constrain the arm to a sub-optimal configuration. Weaker grasp components impose fewer constraints on the hand, and can therefore explore a wider region of the object relative pose space. We take advantage of this to find the good arm configurations from a task perspective. The final hand-arm configuration is obtained by trading of overall robustness in the grasp with ability of the arm to perform the task. We validate our approach, using the tasks of cutting, hammering, screw-driving and opening a bottle-cap, for both human and robotic hand-arm systems.


We read with interest the recent article on adiponectin in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by Hui et al.1 The authors reported that plasma adiponectin levels (1) are reduced in patients with NASH and (2) are inversely correlated with the histologically assessed degree of necroinflammation. These observations are highly relevant and bear therapeutic potential for the treatment of NASH; however, we feel that a potentially important point regarding the underlying basis of reduced adiponectin in NASH is underestimated in this report. In a number of studies, plasma adiponectin is negatively associated with body fat mass.2,3 Although body mass index and waist/hip ratio were given, Hui and colleagues did not provide a direct assessment of body fat mass. We measured plasma adiponectin levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (B-Bridge International, San Jose, CA4) in 34 patients with a histological diagnosis of NASH and in 23 controls (all values are given as the mean SD) matched for age (46.9 12.2 vs. 46.0 13.5 years), sex (female/male: 23:11 vs. 15:8), body mass index (29.8 5.2 vs. 28.1 3.6 kg/m2), and body fat mass (37.9% 10.0% vs. 37.4% 8.7%) as determined via bioelectrical impedance analysis.5 Although body fat mass was identical, the waist-to-hip ratio as measure of central obesity was significantly higher in the subjects with NASH compared with controls (0.95 0.09 vs. 0.88 0.13, respectively; P .05). In the study by Hui et al., the waist-to-hip ratio was also significantly higher in the patients presenting with NASH compared with the control group, despite having a similar body mass index. In our study population, plasma adiponectin was significantly decreased in patients with NASH compared with controls (6.0 2.7 vs. 10.7 5.1 g/mL; P .001), consistent with the report by Hui et al. Taken together, although the control group had exactly the same degree of obesity, the patients with NASH had a significantly altered body fat distribution toward central obesity and significantly lower plasma adiponectin levels. Data in the literature indicate that different fat stores might have different metabolic and inflammatory activity and that central obesity, as indicated by a high waist-to-hip ratio, is associated with unfavorable factors.6–8 Obesity is an established risk factor for the development of hepatic steatosis.9 Based on our data and the literature, we propose that the transition toward a hepatic inflammatory response and the development of NASH within a fatty liver are dependent on a shift in body fat distribution. Increasing visceral obesity results in (1) increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and adipokines such as leptin, tumor necrosis factor , and interleukin 68,10,11 and (2) decreased production of protective adipokines such as adiponectin.8,12 This abnormal balance might ultimately lead to the clinical and histopathological occurence of NASH. In conclusion, visceral obesity might be an important causative risk factor for NASH. Prospective multicenter studies with long-term follow-ups are necessary to further investigate the role of visceral obesity in the pathogenesis of NASH to identify patients at risk and thus provide early treatment for them.


A small noncoding RNA helps regulate cholesterol levels in mice. With the well-established link between serum cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease and the availability of effective cholesterol-lowering drugs, cholesterol screening has rapidly become a routine part of health care. Yet, much remains to be learned about how cholesterol levels are regulated at the cellular level (see the Perspective by Brown et al.). Now, Najafi-Shoushtari et al. and Rayner et al. have discovered a new molecular player in cholesterol control—a small noncoding RNA that, intriguingly, is embedded within the genes coding for sterol regulatory element–binding proteins (SREBPs), transcription factors already known to regulate cholesterol levels. This microRNA, called miR-33, represses expression of the adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette transporter A1, a protein that regulates synthesis of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol) and that helps to remove "bad" cholesterol from the blood. Reducing the levels of miR-33 in mice boosted serum HDL levels, suggesting that manipulation of this regulatory circuit might be therapeutically useful. S. H. Najafi-Shoushtari, F. Kristo, Y. Li, T. Shioda, D. E. Cohen, R. E. Gerszten, A. M. Näär, MicroRNA-33 and the SREBP host genes cooperate to control cholesterol homeostasis. Science 328, 1566–1569 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text] K. J. Rayner, Y. Suárez, A. Dávalos, S. Parathath, M. L. Fitzgerald, N. Tamehiro, E. A. Fisher, K. J. Moore, C. Fernández-Hernando, MiR-33 contributes to the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis. Science 328, 1570–1573 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text] M. S. Brown, J. Ye, J. L. Goldstein, HDL miR-ed down by SREBP introns. Science 328, 1495–1496 (2010). [Summary] [Full Text]


A Meshless Method for Magnetohydrodynamics and Applications to Protoplanetary Disks Colin P. McNally This thesis presents an algorithm for simulating the equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics and other systems of differential equations on an unstructured set of points represented by sample particles. Local, third-order, least-squares, polynomial interpolations (Moving Least Squares interpolations) are calculated from the field values of neighboring particles to obtain field values and spatial derivatives at the particle position. Field values and particle positions are advanced in time with a second order predictor-corrector scheme. The particles move with the fluid, so the time step is not limited by the Eulerian CourantFriedrichs-Lewy condition. Full spatial adaptivity is implemented to ensure the particles fill the computational volume, which gives the algorithm substantial flexibility and power. A target resolution is specified for each point in space, with particles being added and deleted as needed to meet this target. Particle addition and deletion is based on a local void and clump detection algorithm. Dynamic artificial viscosity fields provide stability to the integration. The resulting algorithm provides a robust solution for modeling flows that require Lagrangian or adaptive discritizations to resolve. The code has been parallelized by adapting the framework provided by GADGET-2. A set of standard test problems, including one part in a million amplitude linear MHD waves, magnetized shock tubes, and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities are presented. Finally we demonstrate good agreement with analytic predictions of linear growth rates for magnetorotational instability in a cylindrical geometry. We provide a rigorous methodology for verifying a numerical method on two dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The test problem was run in the Pencil Code, Athena, Enzo, NDSPMHD, and Phurbas. A strict comparison, judgment, or ranking, between codes is beyond the scope of this work, although this work provides the mathematical framework needed for such a study. Nonetheless, how the test is posed circumvents the issues raised by tests starting from a sharp contact discontinuity yet it still shows the poor performance of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics. We then comment on the connection between this behavior and the underlying lack of zeroth-order consistency in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics interpolation. In astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and electrodynamics simulations, numerically enforcing the divergence free constraint on the magnetic field has been difficult. We observe that for point-based discretization, as used in finite-difference type and pseudospectral methods, the divergence free constraint can be satisfied entirely by a choice of interpolation used to define the derivatives of the magnetic field. As an example we demonstrate a new class of finite-difference type derivative operators on a regular grid which has the divergence free property. This principle clarifies the nature of magnetic monopole errors. The principles and techniques demonstrated in this chapter are particularly useful for the magnetic field, but can be applied to any vector field. Finally, we examine global zoom-in simulations of turbulent magnetorotationally unstable flow. We extract and analyze the high-current regions produced in the turbulent flow. Basic parameters of these regions are abstracted, and we build one dimensional models including non-ideal MHD, and radiative transfer. For sufficiently high temperatures, an instability resulting from the temperature dependence of the Ohmic resistivity is found. This instability concentrates current sheets, resulting in the possibility of rapid heating from temperatures on the order of 600 Kelvin to 2000 Kelvin in magnetorotationally turbulent regions of protoplanetary disks. This is a possible local mechanism for the melting of chondrules and the formation of other high-temperature materials in protoplanetary disks.


We present the results of a thorough study of the specific heat and magnetocaloric properties of a ludwigite crystal Cu2MnBO5 over a temperature range of 60 - 350 K and in magnetic fields up to 18 kOe. It is found that at temperatures below the Curie temperature (92 K), capacity possesses a linear temperature-dependent behavior, which is associated with the predominance of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic interactions of magnons. The temperature independence of capacity is observed in the temperature range of 95 - 160 K, which can be attributed to the excitation of the Wigner glass phase. The magnetocaloric effect (i.e. the adiabatic temperature change) was assessed through a direct measurement or an indirect method using the capacity data. Owing to its strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy, an anisotropic MCE or the rotating MCE is observed in Cu2MnBO5. A deep minimum in the rotating MCE near the TC is observed and may be associated with the anisotropy of the paramagnetic susceptibility.


Abstract:This article begins by examining how depictions of the fantastic in Balzac's La Peau de chagrin rely on associations with the Orient. Extending Edward Said's argument that the nineteenth-century French Realist novel expressed the West's desire for imperial mastery over the Orient, this article argues that the fantastic elements in Balzac's novel illustrate the failure to achieve this wished-for mastery. In fact, the misrepresentations and mistranslations surrounding the Orientalist interpretation of the eponymous supernatural talisman's inscription cast doubt on the idea that European scientific thinking and Realist writing produce reliable knowledge about either Europe or the Orient. Finally, the misinterpretation of the talisman's script prompts a discussion of the history of the arabesque, which provides a model for thinking about how Orientalist interpretation, as a series of misrepresentations, is intertwined with the mimetic practices of Balzac's novel.


It has been predicted that if you were born in the 1980s and 1990s, there was a one in two chance of either living in a blended family as a child or as an adult (Coleman, Ganong, & Fine, 2000). In 1989, Glick predicted that in the 21 century, blended families would be the leading family form. Today in 2010, they are far from being a new phenomenon (Stewart, 2008). They are a rapidly growing part of the American population according to Census data and over half of American families may be blended, i.e., formed by (married or non-married) partners with children. This investigation is a small scale, exploratory, and descriptive study of diverse blended family couples who are formed from married parents, non-married parents, gay parents and lesbian parents with biological children who live in the residence and are the product of former relationships. The main focus was to investigate dominant cultural models of these families and given those constructs, how did the couples conform to, transform, resist or revoice dominant or alternate-cultural models? Five diverse blended family couples were recruited and interviewed in their homes. The small sample is not representative, but largely heterogeneous. Participants varied in terms of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, educational level, socioeconomic background and family structure. Data analysis methods consisted of a 2-step process integrating Grounded Theory (Glaser 1998) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The interest was not only in what these families were saying, but how did they say it, and what identities they took on as they said it. The findings suggested that although the couples were unanimous in defining their relationships in positive and complementary ways, depending on various variables, some of the couples had overlapping and conflicting positioning. All five couples fit into three overlapping categories: (1) Resist-Transform: two couples; (2) ResistConform-Revoice: one couple; and (3) Resist-Transform-Revoice: two couples. The data is voluminous, providing numerous opportunities for additional investigation into the unique worlds of diverse blended families. A call for innovative approaches that define them positively and culturally variant studies that normalize their experiences with less comparable investigations are discussed.


In multilingual societies, the language system as a communication tool is so complex. In the broader context the communication process in society is not only in the form of verbal but also nonverbal which is more abstract and symbolic value. Nonverbal languages deal with body cues, such as hand gestures, facial expressions, smiles, hand waves, and others are called kinesics. However, there are also nonverbal languages in other forms, namely symbols, colors and sounds. Deals with symbols, such as eagle (state symbol), star (divinity), symbol of rank (police and army); red (bravery), white (holy), black (sad, mourning), blue (love); kentongan (sound of instrument hit as a sign of time and danger), syringe sound (ask for road), whistle sound (warning or morse language), etc. Which the meaning requires a cultural understanding. Kinesics itself includes a paralinguistic study which meaning involves a relatively loose aspect of culture, so it is often cause misinterpretation, but not so in symbolic language. The symbol system of meaning is more certain. As part of cultural element, the understanding process of symbols language is more directed references and relatively inconvenience to the whole community supporters.


Cells use biochemical signaling mechanisms known as checkpoints to monitor the status of the cell so that cell division occurs only when conditions allow for successful mitosis. One such checkpoint allows cell division to occur only if DNA replication is complete and no active replication forks are present. However, Torres-Rosell et al. (see the Perspective by Weinert) describe experiments in which uncompleted replication of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes does not prevent cells from proceeding into anaphase. Thus, at least in the scenario studied, in which yeast bear mutations in the genes encoding the Smc5 and Smc6 proteins (which function as a heterodimer in DNA repair), the delayed replication of rDNA did not trigger a checkpoint that blocks progression of the cells into mitosis. J. Torres-Rosell, G. De Piccoli, V. Cordon-Preciado, S. Farmer, A. Jarmuz, F. Machin, P. Pasero, M. Lisby, J. E. Haber, L. Aragón, Anaphase onset before complete DNA replication with intact checkpoint responses. Science 315, 1411-1415 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text] T. Weinert, What a cell should know (but may not). Science 315, 1374-1375 (2007). [Summary] [Full Text]


Abstract. A climatology of moisture sources linked with Central American precipitation was computed based upon Lagrangian trajectories for the analysis period 1980–2013. The response of the annual cycle of precipitation in terms of moisture supply from the sources was analysed. Regional precipitation patterns are mostly driven by moisture transport from the Caribbean Sea (CS). Moisture supply from the eastern tropical Pacific (ETPac) and northern South America (NSA) exhibits a strong seasonal pattern but weaker compared to CS. The regional distribution of rainfall is largely influenced by a local signal associated with surface fluxes during the first part of the rainy season, whereas large-scale dynamics forces rainfall during the second part of the rainy season. The Caribbean Low Level Jet (CLLJ) and the Choco Jet (CJ) are the main conveyors of regional moisture, being key to define the seasonality of large-scale forced rainfall. Therefore, interannual variability of rainfall is highly dependent of the regional LLJs to the atmospheric variability modes. The El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was found to be the dominant mode affecting moisture supply for Central American precipitation via the modulation of regional phenomena. Evaporative sources show opposite anomaly patterns during warm and cold ENSO phases, as a result of the strengthening and weakening, respectively, of the CLLJ during the summer months. Trends in both moisture supply and precipitation over the last three decades were computed, results suggest that precipitation trends are not homogeneous for Central America. Trends in moisture supply from the sources identified show a marked north–south seesaw, with an increasing supply from the CS Sea to northern Central America. Long-term trends in moisture supply are larger for the transition months (March and October). This might have important implications given that any changes in the conditions seen during the transition to the rainy season may induce stronger precipitation trends.


A surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) for estimating evapotranspiration (ET) has been parameterized and tested in a 400-ha drip irrigated citrus orchard. Simultaneously, during three growing seasons, energy fluxes were measured using Eddy Covariance. Instantaneous fluxes obtained with SEBAL using 10 images from Landsat-5 were compared with the measured fluxes. The Perrier function was the best method for properly estimating the roughness momentum length for discontinuous canopies, as in citrus orchards. Crop height was estimated using LIDAR data. In general, SEBAL performed well for net radiation estimation but failed in soil heat flux estimation. Latent heat estimations from the SEBAL model had a relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of 0.06 when compared with measurements obtained by Eddy Covariance. Three procedures were tested for up-scaling the instantaneous ET estimates from SEBAL to daily ET values: 1) assuming the fraction between the actual ET and the reference ET is constant throughout the day; 2) using actual local crop coefficient curves; and 3) using an up-scaling factor where the fraction of hourly ET to daily ET equals the ratio of hourly to daily global solar radiation. This last method gave acceptable results for daily ET estimations (rRMSE = 0.09) and for 15day ET (rRMSE = 0.19), and its main advantage is that no local data are required. It is concluded that the SEBAL methodology can be successfully applied for determining actual ET, even in discontinuous citrus canopies. However, additional parameterizations of momentum roughness length were needed in order to obtain reliable ET determinations.


Using data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider at center-of-mass energies of root s = 4.23, 4.26, and 4.36 GeV, we observe e(+)e(-) -> pi(0)pi(0)h(c) for the first time. The Born cross sections are measured and found to be about half of those of e(+)e(-) -> pi(+)pi(-)h(c) within less than 2 sigma. In the pi(0)h(c) mass spectrum, a structure at 4.02 GeV/c(2) is found. It is most likely to be the neutral isospin partner of the Z(c)(4020)(+/-) observed in the process of e(+)e(-) -> pi(+)pi(-)h(c) being found. A fit to the pi(0)h(c) invariant mass spectrum, with the width of the Z(c)(4020)(0) fixed to that of its charged isospin partner and possible interferences with non-Z(c)(4020)(0) amplitudes neglected, gives a mass of (4023.9 +/- 2.2 +/- 3.8) MeV/c(2) for the Z(c)(4020)(0), where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.


Rigid registration of two geometric data sets is essential in many applications, including robot navigation, surface reconstruction, and shape matching. Most commonly, variants of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm are employed for this task. These methods alternate between closest point computations to establish correspondences between two data sets, and solving for the optimal transformation that brings these correspondences into alignment. A major difficulty for this approach is the sensitivity to outliers and missing data often observed in 3D scans. Most practical implementations of the ICP algorithm address this issue with a number of heuristics to prune or reweight correspondences. However, these heuristics can be unreliable and difficult to tune, which often requires substantial manual assistance. We propose a new formulation of the ICP algorithm that avoids these difficulties by formulating the registration optimization using sparsity inducing norms. Our new algorithm retains the simple structure of the ICP algorithm, while achieving superior registration results when dealing with outliers and incomplete data. The complete source code of our implementation is provided at http://lgg.epfl.ch/sparseicp.


Traditional solvents are harmful to human health and the environment. Here, we use a green solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), to replace traditional solvents partly as well as improve membrane performance. The amphiphilic copolymer poly(vinyl chloride)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PVC-g-PEGMA) is blended with PVC to improve the membrane performance. PVC cannot dissolve in DMSO, so based on the Hansen solubility parameter calculation, we investigated the mixture solvents of traditional solvents and DMSO. We found that membranes fabricated by solvent 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP)/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/DMSO = 4/3/3 had the highest pure water flux of 891.54 ± 64.41 L m–2 h–1 bar–1 and the highest sodium alginate (SA) rejection of 94.7 ± 1.3%. Other studies have rarely reported modified PVC membranes with such good performance. This membrane was a successful attempt to use a green solvent in membrane fabrication, meeting the challenges of sustainability in chemical enterprises.


December, 1985: A man squats on a bed of nails. Head turned sideways, he grins out of the smudged greys and blacks of the newspaper page. His matted hair is wound like a turban above his bearded face, and his bare limbs are smeared with ash. "Some people could care less about the cushioning in the 735," proclaims a caption above his head. Beside him, positioned at the same angle as his bare feet, is a running shoe identified as the New Balance 735.

This is a page from The New York Times. It has been spread out on the kitchen floor for an incontinent collie by the friends with whom I am staying when, after a second bout of fieldwork with a Hindu holy man in western India, I return to Berkeley to reconstitute my American academic life. Looking down at the newspaper, I find it disorienting and wickedly entertaining to see a fragment of India—a shard of my fieldwork interests—repositioned in such an inglorious fashion. The same general figure I have just encountered as a site of sacredness is here used to market running shoes and by implication, beautiful bodies; the same figure I have seen worshiped in altars is implicated in canine toiletry. I stare at the holy man in the advertisement, noticing that he has not been identified in any way. It appears that the allegedly endemic Hindu ascetic practice of lounging on a bed of nails is so familiar to the American public that there is no need for an explanatory note.


3G networks are currently overloaded, due to the increasing popularity of various applications for smartphones. Offloading mobile data traffic through opportunistic communications is a promising solution to partially solve this problem, because there is almost no monetary cost for it. We propose to exploit opportunistic communications to facilitate information dissemination in the emerging Mobile Social Networks (MoSoNets) and thus reduce the amount of mobile data traffic. As a case study, we investigate the target-set selection problem for information delivery. In particular, we study how to select the target set with only k users, such that we can minimize the mobile data traffic over cellular networks. We propose three algorithms, called Greedy, Heuristic, and Random, for this problem and evaluate their performance through an extensive trace-driven simulation study. Our simulation results verify the efficiency of these algorithms for both synthetic and real-world mobility traces. For example, the Heuristic algorithm can offload mobile data traffic by up to 73.66 percent for a real-world mobility trace. Moreover, to investigate the feasibility of opportunistic communications for mobile phones, we implement a proof-of-concept prototype, called Opp-off, on Nokia N900 smartphones, which utilizes their Bluetooth interface for device/service discovery and content transfer.


An exceptional river platform exposure on the farm Nooitgedacht, located on the northern half of the Johannesburg Dome, has been mapped and studied with the view to obtaining information that might assist in understanding the Archaean crustal evolution of the central Kaapvaal Craton. The investigation complements previous studies that provided a regional assessment of the geology of the Johannesburg Dome and which resulted in the recognition of several stages of granite-greenstone development. Successive events led to the emplacement of: (1) mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks comprising komatiites, basaltic komatiites, high-magnesian basalts and tholeiites, as well as their plutonic equivalents consisting of serpentinized dunites, harzburgites, pyroxenites and gabbros; and (2) a suite of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) granitoid rocks that were intruded into the greenstones, thereby resulting in their fragmentation, metamorphism, assimilation and migmatization. The Nooitgedacht platform provides a glimpse of these latter processes that are believed to have ensued following the TTG emplacement. Characterization of the exposure is achieved with the aid of a detailed outcrop map and carefully selected sampling of the various lithological components on display. Petrological analysis and major-and trace-element geochemical data, including rare-earth-element (REE) abundances obtained from a range of rock types that include early-stage amphibolitic greenstones, trondhjemitic-tonalitic-dioritic gneisses, and amphibolitic dykes, together with later-stage homogeneous trondhjemitic-granodioritic-pegmatitic granitoids, are employed to support the view that processes of metamorphism, assimilation and metasomatism have been variously responsible for generating the mixed assemblages seen in outcrop. The chondrite-normalized REE data suggests that the Archaean Nooitgedacht amphibolites, with their moderately flat to slightly depleted HREE patterns, are similar to those reported elsewhere for oceanic island volcanic rocks. REE patterns for the range of dioritic-tonalitic granitoids are generally similar to those of the amphibolites and show moderate LREE enrichment and flattish to slight HREE depletion suggestive of some genetic link with the mafic rocks. Two mafic dyke varieties that post-date the trondhjemitic gneisses were identified on the basis of distinctive REE signatures and their outcropping structural disposition. The Nooitgedacht trondhjemitic granitoids consist of a low- and a high-Al 2 O 3 variety and display steep REE patterns with strong LREE. enrichment and moderate to strong HREE depletion, similar to granitoids described from Archaean terranes elsewhere in the world. Plots of the Nooitgedacht geochemical data in various discrimination diagrams suggest that the Archaean events displayed on the Johannesburg Dome probably occurred in a tectono-magmatic setting analogous to that found in modern-day, volcanic-arc environments.


The search for non-toxic and cost effective carriers for solid dispersion formulations has increased the focus of researchers on renewable resources. In this study, gum was extracted from the leaves of Sesamum radiatum (SRG) and its role in solid dispersion formulations of Ibuprofen (IBU) investigated. Physical mixing and comilling using different ratios of IBU to SRG (4:1, 1:1, 1:4) and milling times of 1 min, 5 min, and 10 min was employed. Solid state of these formulations was characterized using DSC, FT-IR and XRPD. The effect of the co-milling ratio and time on drug dissolution was also studied. Solid state characterization showed that SRG does not interact with IBU in the solid dispersion formulations. However, SRG retarded the release of IBU from all the formulations. Although the co-milled solid dispersions gave a higher dissolution than the physical mixes (PM), with the dissolution rate increasing as the ratio of SRG decreases, the technique did not result in appreciable improvement in the dissolution of IBU. The gel layer that surrounded the formulations suggest SRG may prove useful as a hydrophilic carrier in matrices for extended release and perhaps a modified form of the gum could be used in solid dispersions.


Abstract Finding ways for people and wildlife to coexist requires affording both parties access to critical resources and space, but also a behavioural change by both to avoid conflict. We investigated pathway use in a population of free-ranging African elephants Loxodonta africana in the Okavango Panhandle, Botswana that share their range with humans in a multi-use, heterogeneous landscape. We used detailed ground surveys to identify and map elephant movement pathways, and mixed-effect models to explore factors influencing elephant numbers and movement behaviour on and around these pathways. We found deviation in pathway use among the elephant population, suggesting behavioural adaptations to avoid human-associated risk: avoiding pathways near settlements, particularly near larger settlements; avoiding pathways close to cultivated land; and adopting a safety-in-numbers strategy when moving through areas of human use. Our findings suggest there is opportunity to capitalize on risk avoidance by elephant populations, to minimize resource-use overlap and reduce conflict between humans and elephants. We discuss a strategy that involves ensuring appropriate protection of elephant pathways in land-use planning, using development-free buffer zones, combined with mitigation techniques along the interface with agricultural lands to increase risk levels and reinforce human–elephant interface boundaries. We recommend further examination of the use of landscape-level mitigation techniques that encourage elephants to use pathways away from human activity and help define spatial boundaries for management of human–elephant conflict in multi-use landscapes.


This thesis presents methods to statically modify programs at compile-time to improve the effectiveness of power consumption based program analyses. Two related applications are considered, and algorithms are introduced for both. The first is power consumption based program tracing, and the second is software attestation with power consumption as a side-effect. We propose a framework for increasing the effectiveness of power-based program tracing techniques. These systems determine the most likely block of source code that produced an observed power trace. Our framework maximizes distinguishability between power traces for different code sections. To this end, we introduce a static transformation to reduce the probability of misclassification by reordering intermediate representation (IR) to find the ordering that produces power traces with the highest distances between them. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our technique. We also consider improvements to the algorithm, replacing the näıve, exhaustive permutation algorithm used in the original solution with Monte Carlo permutations. Due to the complexity of the näıve solution, its search space is constrained, making it unlikely to find a good solution when the number of instructions in a program section is too large. Variations on a basic stochastic implementation are described, and their expected results are compared. The Monte Carlo algorithms consistently found better solutions than their exhaustive counterpart while showing improved scalability. We then introduce a related technique to statically transform programs to use power consumption as the side-effect for software attestation. We show how to circumvent the undecidable nature of program execution for this purpose and present a static compiler transformation which implements the algorithm. Our approach is less intrusive than traditional software attestation because the system does not require interruption to compute a cryptographic checksum. It is particularly well suited to real-time systems where consistent timing is more important than speed.


Despite some increased visibility in recent years, the asexual community and asexuality generally remain largely unknown. Aiming to demystify asexuality, this paper discusses the context of anti-asexual animosity in which the (largely American) asexual community is situated. Specifically, the asexual community constructed itself in response to hostility, including explicit anti-asexual discrimination, homophobia against asexual people perceived to be lesbian or gay, and the negative impact of (implicit) pathologising low sexual desire. This theoretical paper outlines some of the unique challenges asexual people face negotiating identities and relationships; the collective sense-making strategies they use (generating language and discourse) to do so; and why these things are central to understanding asexual people's experiences. This is accomplished through a purposeful review of literature and a case study of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network as an asexual community space. Understanding the challenges asexual people face and the resources they invoke to overcome them helps applied psychologists develop the cultural competence they need to work effectively with the asexual people they will encounter. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A new generation of aeromagnetic surveys highlights the Caledonian basement grain and pre-Permian basin architecture of the southwestern Barents Sea. This configuration involved several Caledonian thrust sheets that reactivated and controlled the post-Caledonian rift development of the southwestern Barents Sea during Late Palaeozoic time. Contrary to previous geological models, we consider that the sub-Permian basins and underlying basement grain have a dominantly NNW–SSE orientation in most of the southwestern Barents Sea. Moreover, we do not see magnetic evidence that could support a major NE–SW or NNE–SSW regional axis that has commonly been proposed for the Late Palaeozoic rift system and inherited Caledonian structural grain in the Barents Sea. Supplementary material: An outline of the new magnetic profiles acquired during the BASAR project and an outline of the vintage magnetic profiles available before the BASAR project are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18524.


Abstract The proposal that the 'Anthropocene' should be ratified as a unit of the International Chronostratigraphic Chart/Geological Time Scale deserves serious consideration by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). The 'Anthropocene' task group within the ICS Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy is responsible for producing a recommendation to be evaluated and considered for approval at high levels in the ICS organization. It must consider the rank and extent of the unit as well as a GSSP or GSSA that defines its lower boundary or beginning. Furthermore, the task group must address several questions related to the proposed unit and the nature of the ICS chart/timescale that are unique to it. Is the 'Anthropocene' a concept in search of a distinct stratigraphic record? Should it be defined on a stratigraphic signal or on a date in human history? Is the 'Anthropocene' a unit of Earth history or human history or primarily a future projection? Is the 'Anthropocene' useful as a chronostratigraphic unit on geological maps? Has the perceived change to a human-dominated Earth system overwhelmed the natural Earth system? What is the conceptual basis of the International Chronostratigraphic Chart/Geologic Time Scale? Will the term 'Anthropocene' have value even if not ratified as a formal unit?


Dambisa Moyo's "Dead Aid" reveals why millions are actually poorer because of aid, unable to escape corruption and reduced, in the West's eyes, to a childlike state of beggary. We all want to help. Over the past fifty years $1 trillion of development aid has flowed from Western governments to Africa, with rock stars and actors campaigning for more. But this has not helped Africa. It has ruined it. "Dead Aid" shows us another way. Using hard evidence to illustrate her case, Moyo shows how, with access to capital and with the right policies, even the poorest nations can turn themselves around. First we must destroy the myth that aid works - and make charity history. "Articulate, self-confident and angry ...this book marks a turning point". ("Spectator"). "A damning assessment of the failures of sixty years of western development". ("Financial Times"). "Kicks over the traditional piety that Western aid benefits the third world". ("Sunday Herald Books of the Year"). "Dambisa Moyo makes a compelling case for a new approach". (Kofi Annan). "This reader was left wanting a lot more Moyo, a lot less Bono". (Niall Ferguson). Dambisa Moyo worked at Goldman Sachs for eight years, having previously worked for the World Bank as a consultant. Moyo completed a PhD in Economics at Oxford University, and holds a Masters from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Her other books include "Winner Take All" and "How the West was Lost". She was born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia.


Pamela Ballinger, History in Exile: Memory and Identity at the Borders of the Balkans. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003, 368 pp. History in Exile: Memory and Identity at the Borders of the Balkans concerns a little-known region: the border zone between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia known as the Julian March. Historically part of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire, this region became part of Italy after World War I. At the end of World War II, the Julian March was partitioned by Italy and Yugoslavia, followed by the exodus of the majority of the ethnically Italian population. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, the region was divided between Slovenia and Croatia. Today, ethnic Italians form a minority amongst a largely Slavic population. The book narrates the history of the Julian March during the course of the twentieth century, focusing in particular on violence associated with war which is variously silenced or voiced in different periods by different actors and groups. The study is centered in particular on a comparison between the ethnic Italians who left the Julian March for Trieste after World War Il and the remaining Italian minority. Ballinger, who conducted multi-sited archival, ethnographic and oral history research in the Julian March in 1995-1996, focuses in her study on how marginal populations located in transborder zones experience and narrate the processes of state formation and break-up. She asks, what is the relationship between national(ist) history and the history and identity of local groups? How is the history of violence silenced/voiced in official/individual narratives? The organization of History in Exile demonstrates the meticulous historical research conducted by the author on the region. In Part I, "Making and Breaking States," she examines how the history of the Julian March at three important junctures, World War I, World War II, and the break-up of Yugoslavia, is narrated by different local actors and groups. She shows how different groups narrate differently their experiences of war and violence. In Part II, "Making Memory," Ballinger relies in particular on oral histories to demonstrate how different groups create narratives of suffering and victimization based on claims about purity or hybridity. She shows how local groups link their more marginal histories to national histories in order to make claims for reparations in a contemporary environment in which the term "genocide" is increasingly used to resuscitate silenced histories of violence. In an intricately layered narrative, Ballinger shows how different and opposed groups mutually construct a story of their own victimization. …


PURPOSE
Ordinary least squares linear regression (OLSLR) analyses are inappropriate for performing trend analysis on repeatedly measured longitudinal data. This study examines multilevel linear mixed-effects (LME) and nonlinear mixed-effects (NLME) methods to model longitudinally collected perimetry data and determines whether NLME methods provide significant improvements over LME methods and OLSLR.

METHODS
Models of LME and NLME (exponential, whereby the rate of change in sensitivity worsens over time) were examined with two levels of nesting (subject and eye within subject) to predict the mean deviation. Models were compared using analysis of variance or Akaike's information criterion and Bayesian information criterion, as appropriate.

RESULTS
Nonlinear (exponential) models provided significantly better fits than linear models (P < 0.0001). Nonlinear fits markedly improved the validity of the model, as evidenced by the lack of significant autocorrelation, residuals that are closer to being normally distributed, and improved homogeneity. From the fitted exponential model, the rate of glaucomatous progression for an average subject of age 70 years was -0.07 decibels (dB) per year. Ten years later, the same eye would be deteriorating at -0.12 dB/y.

CONCLUSIONS
Multilevel mixed-effects models provide better fits to the test data than OLSLR by accounting for group effects and/or within-group correlation. However, the fitted LME model poorly tracks visual field (VF) change over time. An exponential model provides a significant improvement over linear models and more accurately tracks VF change over time in this cohort.


This paper presents the theoretical aspects of the concept of empowerment and presents the empirical results, implying the expression of empowerment at different levels in the context of social services in Lithuania. Empowerment is discussed in several aspects – power relations, empowerment levels, sources of empowerment, empowerment as a professional social work, the strengths perspective, and empowerment criticism. Empirical research was conducted to uncover how social experiences are evaluated from the point of view by different social actors: users and service providers. The empowerment issue relates to the interpretation of power. Power is considered to be the defining element and main construct of the society. Understanding the phenomena of power and empowerment respectively can only be possible by detecting their reflections in macro, mezzo and micro levels. According Foucault, it is important to understand not only how the power occurs, but how the resistance to it is possible. The challenge of resistance to power, according to Foucault, lies in the individual level. So, an individual has ability to not only obey and demonstrate self-disciplined, but also a man is able to liberate his own self. Resistance is possible in the context of everyday life, after understanding and identifying the hindering powers of social environment, and stopping the reproduction of power relations imposed by authorities and institutions. Power dwells in human relations and subjectivity. Power as such is referred to certain individuals' and organizations' ability to reach their targeted, intended or unintended consequences towards other persons or organizations (Lord, Hutchison, 1993). According to Foucault's perspective, the social worker obtains a "pastoral power" when he begins to perform the roles of care and control, which are designated to him by the laws and the system itself. Seemingly, social work practice is closely linked to the political welfare provisions. The analysis of empowerment is provided in different empowering levels: individual, group, local community, organizational and political. Political empowerment level – development of critical consciousness. Freire (1970) describes a critical awareness as a process through which people gain a better understanding of the social and cultural conditions surrounding their lives. Therefore, knowing that man lives not only in the present but has also his own history, one can not only interpret events, but one can also interpret the interpretations. Service users' experience and knowledge is a source of their own empowerment. The policy of increasing the participation in the system of provision of social services and the system of social welfare, presume a greater activity and involvement of beneficiaries by increasing the users' feedback, the development and management of individual social services planning, and others. Cochran (1986) believes that people are better than anyone else aware of their own needs, so they can have the power to define and plan social services concerned and act with service providers towards satisfaction of their needs. Beresford and Croft (2001) argues that experiences and knowledge social service users increasingly becomes as a part of social work practices and activities of organizations. Sadan (2004) clearly identifies empowerment as professional work, bearing in mind that the concept of empowerment has been born in the context of professional discourse of social problems. Empowerment as a professional work must be based on values and strive to open a perspective for problem solving built upon opportunities of overcoming the barriers. Empowering social work is possible if the social workers feel enabled. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that good intentions can easily turn into oppressive practices as empowering relationship already is a power relationship, while maintaining tension between obedience and resistance. Sometimes the same experience by some people can be understood as empowerment, while others can perceive it as powerlessness. In fact, that what enables one person, another can receive as an act of weakening one's powers. Therefore, it is important to understand user's empowerment in the context of social interactions using a person-in-environment approach. Empirical results of the study are partially presented. The study, during which the respondents for all over Lithuania were interviewed (567 respondents), including 303 service providers and 264 recipients. The study was designed to reveal how different actors participating in social services organization and delivery (users and providers) evaluate the provision of services in micro, mezzo and macro levels. The findings suggest that social service recipients and providers are critical of the current state of social services and express the expectation of receiving a type of mixed social services.


We examined the potential role of food limitation in constraining the recovery of sea otters Enhydra lutris in Prince William Sound, Alaska, following the 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill. The spill resulted in the removal of a large number of sea otters in 1989, and as of 1998, the portion of the pop- ulation in the heavily oiled northern Knight Island region had not fully recovered. Between 1996 and 1998, prey consumption rate was higher and the condition of sea otters was better at northern Knight Island than in an unoiled area of the sound (Montague Island). Estimates of prey energy available per unit mass of sea otter were about 4 times higher at Knight than Montague Island, albeit not signifi- cantly different between the 2 areas. Over this same period, the number of sea otters remained con- stant at northern Knight Island but increased at Montague Island. These data suggest that food was at least as abundant at Knight than at Montague Island, and that recovery of sea otters via intrinsic population growth was limited by factors other than food. However, the availability of food, the prey consumption rate, and the condition of sea otters were all much lower at both Knight and Montague Islands than in areas newly occupied by sea otters where the population growth rate was near the theoretical maximum. It is possible that the relatively short supply of food (compared to areas where sea otter population growth rate was high) may have inhibited immigration or interacted with other factors (e.g. oil-induced mortality or predation) to restrict sea otter population growth. Nonetheless, these data suggest that impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on large, often food-limited vertebrate predators can persist in spite of the availability of food resources that are sufficient for intrinsic population growth.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: One of the complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is trocar incision hernia (TSIH: Trocar Site Incisional Hernia), which occurs almost exclusively in the navel area and could cause significant problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hiatal hernia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy and identify the associated risk factors. METHODS: This cross sectional study was done on patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy during one year in different hospitals of Babol. Information including age, gender, BMI, diagnosis prior to surgery, duration of hospitalization, duration of surgery, the thickness of the lining of the gallbladder, surgical site infection and umbilical hernia during 12 months follow-up for patients were confirmed and examined. FINDINGS: Among 270 studied patients, there were 236 women (87.4%) and 34 men (12.59 %). Eleven patients (4.07%) during the 12-month follow-up; they had a hiatal hernia surgical site infection in the navel area (223.82-4.33: CI-95%, OR: 31.14) and BMI (60.18-1.72 CI-95%; OR: 10.21) were associated with increased incidence of inguinal hernias. There was no relationship between other variables and umbilical hernia. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study obesity and surgical site infections have been linked with an increased incidence of inguinal hernias.


Petermann Gletscher in North Greenland features the second largest floating ice shelf in the Northern Hemisphere. This paper describes the history of its exploration and presents new ocean and glacier observations. We find that the floating ice shelf is strongly coupled to the ocean below and to Nares Strait at time scales from tidal to interannual. Our observations cover the 2012 to 2016 period after two large calving events took place in 2010 and 2012 that reduced the ice shelf area by 380 km2 to about 870 km2 today. A potential third breakup, of an additional 150 km2, is anticipated by a large fracture that extends from the margin to the center of the glacier.


A new secure image transmission technique is proposed, which transforms automatically a given large-volume secret image into a so-called secret-fragment-visible mosaic image of the same size. The mosaic image, which looks similar to an arbitrarily selected target image and may be used as a camouflage of the secret image, is yielded by dividing the secret image into fragments and transforming their color characteristics to be those of the corresponding blocks of the target image. Skillful techniques are designed to conduct the color transformation process so that the secret image may be recovered nearly losslessly. A scheme of handling the overflows/underflows in the converted pixels' color values by recording the color differences in the untransformed color space is also proposed. The information required for recovering the secret image is embedded into the created mosaic image by a lossless data hiding scheme using a key. Good experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed method.


ABSTRACT This paper analyses the relationship between intermunicipal cooperation and efficiency of public service provision. Organisational arrangements of public service production, including self-provision, joint provision or contracting, affect incentives and internal transaction costs. Hence, cooperation gains from scale effects need to be balanced against technical inefficiencies. We analyse relative efficiency of wastewater disposal for German municipalities. We employ a conditional analysis in conjunction with a metafrontier approach to calculate relative efficiency measures and technology gap ratios controlling for organisational arrangements and further environmental variables. Jointly providing municipalities and contractor municipalities exhibit lower technical efficiency than self-providing and contracting municipalities. As confirmed by previous research, scale effects from cooperation and contracting apply to small municipalities primarily.


The number of children enrolled in daycare centres is increasing, while indoor environmental quality of Slovenian children daycare centres remains insufficiently investigated. The purpose of this paper, as Part I of the larger study "Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in Slovenian children daycare centres", was to holistically assess indoor environmental quality of 24 playrooms in 17 publicly funded children daycare centres in Slovenia. The performed holistic assessment included simultaneous in-situ measurements of the selected comfort parameters (i.e. indoor air quality, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort), which were compared with legal requirements and recommendations. The results of in-situ measurements showed that the most critical field was the indoor air quality (in 63% of playrooms cCO2i,avg >1667 ppm) and that the indoor environmental quality conditions met all of the legal requirements and recommendations only in 8% of the investigated playrooms. In general, if compared to other EU countries, the conditions in Slovenian
facilities were slightly worse. Therefore, a holistic approach to the assessment of indoor environmental quality is vital to achieve a universally comfortable and healthy indoor environment. Part II of this study presents further investigation of interrelationship between different building characteristics and IEQ.


Muscle contractions that load in-series springs with slow speed over a long duration do maximal work and store the most elastic energy. However, time constraints, such as those experienced during escape and predation behaviours, may prevent animals from achieving maximal force capacity from their muscles during spring-loading. Here, we ask whether animals that have limited time for elastic energy storage operate with springs that are tuned to submaximal force production. To answer this question, we used a dynamic model of a muscle–spring system undergoing a fixed-end contraction, with parameters from a time-limited spring-loader (bullfrog: Lithobates catesbeiana) and a non-time-limited spring-loader (grasshopper: Schistocerca gregaria). We found that when muscles have less time to contract, stored elastic energy is maximized with lower spring stiffness (quantified as spring constant). The spring stiffness measured in bullfrog tendons permitted less elastic energy storage than was predicted by a modelled, maximal muscle contraction. However, when muscle contractions were modelled using biologically relevant loading times for bullfrog jumps (50 ms), tendon stiffness actually maximized elastic energy storage. In contrast, grasshoppers, which are not time limited, exhibited spring stiffness that maximized elastic energy storage when modelled with a maximal muscle contraction. These findings demonstrate the significance of evolutionary variation in tendon and apodeme properties to realistic jumping contexts as well as the importance of considering the effect of muscle dynamics and behavioural constraints on energy storage in muscle–spring systems.


Remarkable advances have been made in the last few years in biomedical strategies to prevent onward transmission of HIV (treatment as prevention (TasP)) and prevent infection among at-risk populations through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Numerous issues remain heavily debated, primarily concerning the feasibility of leveraging resources for both widespread access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for those living with HIV and access to effective prevention antiretrovirals (ARVs) among those at risk for infection. Even with consistent and wide-spread access to ARVs, the behavioural pathway from ARV access to successful rapid and durable suppression or reaching levels of PrEP adherence that confer high rates of protection is increasingly well recognised. For either 'biobehavioural' strategy to have maximal individual and community benefit, individuals accessing them must actually use them. In this review, the unique and overlapping factors influencing adherence to ART and PrEP are identified, with an emphasis on the behavioural, social and structural facilitators and barriers to TasP and PrEP success. The implications of the current research base and evidence generated specifically within the Asia-Pacific region are discussed.


Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mycobaterium bovis, and is transmissible to humans, wildlife and domestic livestock. In the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) serve as a reservoir for the disease and pose a significant threat to domestic cattle and captive cervids. Scientists at USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center have designed a variety of laboratory and field studies aimed at reducing or eliminating bTB infection in cattle by interrupting the transmission of the disease from wildlife reservoirs. These strategies include reducing bTB in deer by delivery of oral vaccines, creating effective barriers to cattle/wildlife interactions, determining the role of other wildlife species in the transmission of M. bovis, and evaluating a sentinel species to monitor prevalence of bTB in the environment. In addition, studies are being conducted to assess transmission risks between deer and cattle on cattle farms and to recommend mitigation measures to reduce these risks. These studies will provide comprehensive information on the role of wildlife-livestock interactions in the maintenance and spread of bTB as well as recommendations of measures to contribute toward its eventual eradication in domestic cattle in cases where wildlife is the source of infection.


In this paper, we extend the generalized approximate message passing (G-AMP) approach, originally proposed for high-dimensional generalized-linear regression in the context of compressive sensing, to the generalized-bilinear case, which enables its application to matrix completion, robust PCA, dictionary learning, and related matrix-factorization problems. Here, in Part I of a two-part paper, we derive our Bilinear G-AMP (BiG-AMP) algorithm as an approximation of the sum-product belief propagation algorithm in the high-dimensional limit, where central-limit theorem arguments and Taylor-series approximations apply, and under the assumption of statistically independent matrix entries with known priors. In addition, we propose an adaptive damping mechanism that aids convergence under finite problem sizes, an expectation-maximization (EM)-based method to automatically tune the parameters of the assumed priors, and two rank-selection strategies. In Part II of the paper, we will discuss the specializations of EM-BiG-AMP to the problems of matrix completion, robust PCA, and dictionary learning, and we will present the results of an extensive empirical study comparing EM-BiG-AMP to state-of-the-art algorithms on each problem.


A mixture of [NBu4][VO3] and pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid (Hpca) in acetonitrile catalysed smoothly the reaction of alkanes RH (R = CH3 or C6H11) with molecular oxygen (from air) and hydrogen peroxide to give the corresponding alkyl hydroperoxide ROOH as the primary product. The oxo and peroxo anions [VO2(pca)2]– and [VO(O2)(pca)2]–, isolated as the tetrabutylammonium or ammonium salts from acetonitrile solution and fully characterised by single crystal structure analyses, are assumed to be involved in the catalytic process. A screening of different N,O ligands showed Hpca to be the best co-catalyst, while anthranilic acid (Hana) proved to be almost inactive. The isolation and crystal structure analysis of the analogous oxo compound [NBu4][VO2(ana)2] showed a fundamental difference in the co-ordination of the bidentate N,O ligands which might explain the different catalytic activities: while in [VO2(pca)2]– the two pca ligands are bonded through a nitrogen and an oxygen atom (N,O co-ordination), in [VO2(ana)2]– the two ana ligands are co-ordinated via two oxygen atoms of the carboxylato group (O,O co-ordination).


Shipping has always involved high-risk operations and the accidental loss of a ship, has always been a serious matter for the industry. In addition to ship loss, the international community has always been sensitive to the fact that such accidents may lead to serious environmental damage. Recently, after the Prestige accident (2002), maritime safety and effective protection of the marine environment, in cases where a ship finds itself in serious difficulty or in need of assistance, without presenting a risk to the safety of life of persons onboard, were placed high on the agenda. In response to the above, the international community (IMO) as well as the European Union, have undertaken to develop and implement a series of measures and policies aimed at increasing efficiency when facing incidents as well as serious accidents at sea. The recent debate initiated by the Green paper on EU Maritime Policy is indicative of the need to develop an overall maritime policy that will ensure a sustainable future for the industry. The framework described as "places of refuge" has already supported several countries to develop plans to accommodate ships in distress, in waters under their jurisdiction. Such plans have incorporated the necessary procedures to provide a ship in distress with a network of areas, where adequate means and facilities for assistance, repair, and salvage and pollution response exist, as well as criteria for selecting and designating such areas. This paper discusses issues that inevitably arise when a balance needs to be established between both the prerogative of a ship in need of assistance to seek a place of refuge and the prerogative of a coastal State to protect its coastline, in the context of enhancing maritime safety, as well as preventing and controlling marine pollution from the maritime industry.


DNA sequences attaching loops of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA to underlying structures in HeLa cells have been cloned and 106 representative clones sequenced; 10 clones containing random genomic fragments served as controls. As chromatin is prone to rearrangement, care was taken to isolate sequences using 'physiological' conditions that did not create additional attachments. Comparison (by Southern blotting) of the concentration of each cloned sequence in 'total' and 'attached' fractions of DNA showed that most clones did contain attached sequences, but even highly-attached sequences were not attached in all cells in the population. Results demonstrated that 28% of clones were derived from three specific parts of the mitochondrial genome and 22% from different parts of the alu repeat. In addition, 41% of clones contained unique nuclear sequences; these contained no more of the motifs found attached to nuclear scaffolds or matrices (ie SARs or MARs) than would be expected from their base composition. No other attachment motif(s) could be identified by sequence analysis. However, Northern blotting showed that all the mitochondrial clones and 76% of clones containing unique sequences were transcribed; the degree of attachment correlated with transcriptional activity. These results are consistent with transcription being responsible for ever-changing attachments in both nuclei and mitochondria.


This paper presents a review of techniques to mitigate jamming in Electromechanical Actuators (EMA) for safety critical applications in aerospace. Published progress to date is evaluated, with the remaining challenges highlighted. Through the use of Hierarchical Process Modelling (HPM), two key approaches to mitigate jamming were identified: (1) Fault Diagnostics (FD) and (2) Fault tolerant design. The development of a fault tolerant EMA system is currently at an early stage for implementation within safety critical systems due to the increased complexity of such systems (for example the anti-jamming system may require FD functionality itself). Challenges also exist for FD approaches particularly in achieving a robust means of fault detection. It is proposed that a hybrid FD approach, using a combination of model based and data-driven techniques to predict the onset of jamming, would be beneficial in capturing the discrepancies between the predicted and observed behaviour used to isolate and identify faults. Furthermore, several aspects of modelling and of data-driven methodologies for FD in the literature omit potentially important behaviours, and recommendations are made to improve upon this. For example, the simulation of faults in test stand analysis and the fidelity modelling of the motor and mechanical components are key areas to develop.


This paper presents a complete validation of the new behavioral model called the multiharmonic Volterra (MHV) model for designing wideband and highly efficient power amplifiers with packaged transistors in computer-aided design (CAD) software. The proposed model topology is based on the principle of the harmonic superposition introduced by the Agilent X-parameters, which is combined with the dynamic Volterra theory to give an MHV model that can handle short-term memory effects. The MHV models of 10- and 100-W packaged GaN transistors have been extracted from time-domain load-pull measurements under continuous wave and pulsed modes, respectively. Both MHV models have been implemented into CAD software to design 10- and 85-W power amplifiers in L- and S-bands. Finally, the first power amplifier exhibited mean measured values of 10-W output power and 65% power-added efficiency over 36% bandwidth centered at 2.2 GHz, while the second one exhibited 85-W output power and 65% drain efficiency over 50% bandwidth centered at 1.6 GHz.


The article examines the hospitality industry in France as one of the important components of the country's economy. France remains a leader in world tourism and one of the most visited countries in the world. This demonstrates its tourist attractiveness and high competitiveness in the world market of tourist services. Analysing overnight stays in France during the global pandemic, it was found that the number of international tourists in the country has decreased, especially in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Tourist activity in France was practically absent from mid-March to May 2020 due to a number of forced restrictive measures that were introduced in the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, due to state support and active promotion of domestic tourism, tourism development indicators were, overall, better than in neighbouring European countries. It was found that the majority of domestic tourists preferred outdoor activities, rural tourism, recreation on the coast.

The article analyses the number of overnight stays in hotels in France, it is found that during the summer season of 2020, on average, the overnight stays decreased by 58% compared to the same period in 2019. The number of non-resident tourists decreased by 81%, partially due to the absence of tourists from countries such North America, the Middle East and Asia, which in the pre-crisis period, played a significant role in non-resident tourist influx in France. Furthermore, it was revealed that there are regional differences in the number of overnight stays in hotels. Overall, France's coastal regions have a smaller decrease in tourist numbers than other parts of the country.

It is considered that the prospects for the development of the hospitality industry in France, primarily the hotel sector, associated with the adoption of the modern technologies in the hotel enterprises' activities. Such technologies are aimed at improving the quality of customer service. In the current circumstances, special attention should be paid to measures that are focused on ensuring the safety of tourists.


Whether it be in the packaging of electronic components or in the design of systems for the cryogenics field, the understanding of liquid boiling phenomena and the ability to predict boiling behavior are important assets to the design engineer so involved. This paper offers an already sifted compilation of information and analyses which relates studies of all the occurrences from nucleate bailing to film boiling in a fluent story. Herein are discussed the influence of the system pressure, the cleanliness, roughness and chemical nature of the heating surface, and the wettability and degree of subcooling of the liquid. In the final partion of the paper an effort is made to tie the information presented together in what might be considered advisory remarks relative to its application.


Objectives: The most common problem that delinquent children and juveniles deal with at every moment is the lack of sufficient control over their aggression. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of mental rehabilitation group therapy based on acceptance and commitment on decreasing aggression in juvenile delinquents. Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental method with a pretest-post-test design and a 2month follow-up with both the experimental and the control group. To conduct this study, 30 cases of delinquent juveniles were selected by the Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The Experimental group received 8 sessions of acceptance and commitment group therapy. Results: Results were analyzed using ANOVA, and showed that the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in aggression and its aspects (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility) compared with the control group. This difference was also maintained in the follow-up phase (P< 0.001). Discussion: The results showed that acceptance and commitment group therapy can effectively reduce overall aggression and its dimension (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility), and that the results last to the follow-up phase.


Research on lead-free piezoceramics has dramatically increased over the last years due to stringent legislation demanding to phase out current lead- containing piezoceramics. The use of electrostrictive materials for electric-field induced strain has been largely overlooked. In this paper we demonstrate that electrostrictive materials around a ferroelectric-antiferroelectric transition are capable of providing high strains over a wide temperature regime that was not accessible before.


Folds commonly form along transform fault systems. In the San Andreas strike-slip fault, two mechanisms of folding have been described that are regarded as incompatible: (1) wrench tectonics, or distributed shear, and (2) strain partitioning, shortening being perpendicular to the fault. The compatibility and relative importance of these two mechanisms are not well understood, in part because folds are the result of lengthy deformation. This paper synthesizes paleomagnetic data, sedimentary thickness maps, fault patterns, and seismic reflection profiling data along the San Andreas transform fault system that indicate a 20°–30° clockwise (map view) reorientation of Pliocene en echelon folds to their present position, subparallel to the San Andreas fault. The folds continue to develop today as a result of shortening perpendicular to the fault. Folds apparently rotated with continuing strain in the wrench zone and with increasing shortening across the shear zone. Rotation likely occurred when changing Pacific plate motions increased the component of convergence across the fault system. This field example documents deformation by these two different mechanisms in the same fold belt, which has broad implications for interpreting other fold belts formed in similar settings. The geologic record suggests that the opposing theories of wrench deformation and strain-partitioned shortening perpendicular to the fault are both important and compatible processes that act at different times and places.


Background:
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) carry an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular death compared to age- and sex-matched controls. This risk appears to be related to cumulative inflammatory burden, and can be at least partially ameliorated by successful treatment of the disease with conventional or biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS). However, RA patients typically exhibit reduced serum levels of cholesterol, which can be increased following DMARD therapy; this is in contrast to the general population, where serum cholesterol is directly proportional to cardiovascular risk. The magnitude and nature of this increase varies between therapeutic agents. Blockade of interleukin-6 (IL-6) signalling with the drug tocilizumab conveys perhaps the most profound lipid changes, leading to average increases in LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) of around 20% as well as changes in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) and triglycerides.
The mechanisms behind this so-called "lipid paradox", and its impact on cardiovascular outcomes following RA therapy, are not fully understood. Animal studies have shown that hypercatabolism of LDL can lead to reduced circulating LDL-c, possibly due to increased consumption by the reticulo-endothelial system. A deeper understanding of the lipid paradox, and its implications for cardiovascular risk, is vital to allow physicians to provide optimal management of both articular RA and its cardiovascular manifestations. Using IL-6 blockade as a molecular tool, I attempted to unravel the physiological processes underlying the lipid changes observed in RA, and to understand what these changes might mean in term of cardiovascular risk for patients.
Objectives:
1) To investigate lipid changes in patients treated with tocilizumab as assessed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
2) To determine whether increased LDL-c following IL-6 blockade is due to increased production or reduced catabolism of LDL
3) To explore the lipid-handling behaviour of macrophages in response to IL-6
Methods: The MEASURE study was a placebo-controlled, randomised controlled trial evaluating NMR lipid profiles in patients with severe active RA following treatment with tocilizumab or placebo, with the placebo group switching to open-label tocilizumab after 24 weeks. Results to week 12 have been published previously. Data on all patients to 52 weeks using an updated NMR platform were evaluated, and changes in lipid values were correlated with markers of disease activity, including the acute phase markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and the composite clinical score DAS28. NMR analysis also yielded the novel marker GlycA, a composite NMR signal reflecting a measure of the acute phase response. GlycA levels were compared to other markers of disease activity, and GlycA's utility as a marker of future response to therapy and of persistent disease activity in those with normal ESR or CRP was assessed.
The KALIBRA study analysed the kinetics of the apoB-containing lipoproteins before and after IL-6 blockade. Patients with severe active RA (defined as DAS28 ≥5.1) and who were eligible for tocilizumab therapy underwent kinetic modelling of VLDL, IDL and LDL at baseline and again following at least three months' treatment with tocilizumab. The primary outcome measure was the fractional catabolic rate of LDL, though LDL production rate was also assessed as well as a variety of other lipid parameters. Changes in LDL production and catabolic rates were correlated with serum LDL-cholesterol ester content and with measures of disease activity.
To provide information on the cellular processes underlying kinetic changes, macrophages were generated in vitro from the THP-1 monocyte cell line or from healthy human donor monocytes. These cells were then exposed to IL-6 and assessed for signs of response, including phosphorylation of STAT3 and production of TNF-α. Macrophage lipid loading (and subsequent foam cell formation) following stimulation with 10ng/ml IL-6 for 24 hours was assessed by staining with oil red O and fluorimetry following culture with fluorescently-labelled oxidised LDL. Altered expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, including surface receptors for both native and oxidised LDL, was assessed at the RNA level using quantitiative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Taqman Low-Density Array (TLDA) plates, with fold change of ≥2 considered significant. Outcomes from these experiments were then validated at the protein level by flow cytometry.
Results:
The MEASURE study showed no change in small LDL particles with tocilizumab therapy. Increases were seen in large LDL, small HDL and some VLDL particles in the tocilizumab group, with change seen by the earliest assessment timepoint of 2 weeks. At 52 weeks follow-up, the same changes were observed in placebo patients who had switched to open-label tocilizumab. Greater increases in large LDL and small HDL tended to associate with falls in CRP, but less so with disease activity as measures by CDAI.
GlycA levels correlated significantly at baseline with CRP (r=0.70, p<0.001) and ESR (r=0.44, p<0.001) but not with CDAI, and fell in a similarly precipitous manner following IL-6 blockade. Neither baseline (area under curve =0.60) or week 2 (AUC=0.53) GlycA levels were effective at predicting response at week 24 as measured by CDAI. In treated patients, with CRP<5mg/l, GlycA did not associate with persistent clinical disease activity.
In KALIBRA, 12 patients were recruited of whom complete data was available for 11. As expected, significant increases in mean serum LDL-c (2.90 v 3.40mmol/L, p=0.014) and HDL-c (1.23 v 1.52 mmol/L, p=0.006) were observed after treatment. IL-6 blockade led to a reduction in median LDL fractional catabolic rate (FCR) from 0.53 to 0.27 pools/day, (p=0.006) with median reduction of 30%, and the change in LDL FCR correlated tightly with that of serum LDL cholesterol ester content (r=-0.74, p=0.011). LDL FCR correlated at baseline with CRP (r=0.74 p=0.012) but not CDAI (r=0.04, p=0.91). The degree of change in CRP with treatment showed a trend to association with change in FCR (r=0.46, p=0.15) and LDL cholesterol ester (r=-0.43, p=0.18). LDL production rate did not increase, and in fact fell (median 763.8 v 442 mg/kg/day, p=0.002). No changes were seen in the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL), cholesterol-ester transfer protein (CETP) or PCSK9.
Human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM) displayed altered TNF-α production and increased STAT3 phosphorylation in response to IL-6; THP-1 macrophages did not, and appeared to lose their IL-6 receptor in the process of differentiation from monocytes. Neither cell type displayed increased uptake of oxidised LDL following culture with IL-6. TLDA analysis showed altered expression of scavenger receptors with an increase in the "macrophage receptor with collagenous structure" (MARCO) and a reduction in LOX-1 in HMDM, though this was not observed at the protein level on flow cytometry.
Conclusions
 IL-6 blockade in RA elevates numbers of large LDL and small HDL particles, but not the most pro-atherogenic small LDL particles. These changes are maintained up to 52 weeks follow-up, and seem to be more prominent in subjects with greater reductions in the acute phase response. The KALIBRA study showed that the elevation in LDL is almost entirely due to a reduction in LDL fractional catabolic rate, from a baseline state of hypercatabolism in severe active disease to values approximating the population average after treatment. Greater changes in FCR were associated with greater reductions in acute phase reactants, regardless of RA activity as assessed clinically by CDAI. Lipid changes did not appear to be explicable by changes in activity of lipolytic enzymes, CETP or PCSK9. IL-6 does not appear to exert its lipidaemic effects via augmented macrophage lipid metabolism or increased foam cell formation. These findings are consistent with a normalisation of a pathological, IL-6 driven state of hypercatabolism leading to LDL-c increases following IL-6 blockade, with hepatocytes as the possible main effector cell type. This suggests that LDL-c elevations observed during treatment for RA may not be pro-atherogenic or contribute to increased CVD risk, though confirmation of this hypothesis is required with trials reporting clinical cardiovascular outcomes.


This title offers an entertaining account of an extraordinary cultural and historical event: the establishment by one highly intelligent woman of a salon of the arts in a beautiful country house in Northumberland. Wallington Hall was remote from the major centres of artistic activity, such as London and Edinburgh. Yet Pauline Trevelyan single handedly made it the focus of High Victorian cultural life. Among those, she attracted into her orbit were Ruskin, Swinburne, the Brownings, the Rossettis (Dante Gabriel, Christina and William Michael), Carlyle, and Millais and other members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The penniless but clever daughter of a clergyman, Pauline Jermyn married an older man whom she met through a shared passion for geology. Sir Walter Trevelyan was a philanthropist, teetotal, vegetarian, pacificist...and very rich. With his encouragement, she collected works of art and decorated Wallington Hall with a cycle of vast paintings on the history of Northumberland. She was a patron of the arts who provided a fostering environment for many of the geniuses of her day. After her death, Swinburne wept every time her name was mentioned.


Best known for their role in transducing extracellular signals to the intracellular pathways that mediate their effects, heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) are also found on intracellular membranes, where they have been hypothesized to play a role in membrane trafficking. Zheng et al., who previously identified RGS-PX1, which acts as a Gαs GTPase activating protein and also as a sorting nexin (SNX, a family of proteins implicated in endosomal trafficking) that affects epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) degradation, investigated the role of Gαs in EGFR trafficking. When overexpressed in HEK293 cells also transfected with pXER-EGFR, Gαs enhanced degradation of EGF and the EGFR (following stimulation with EGF). In contrast, Gαs knockdown with siRNA delayed EGFR degradation in Cos7 cells, as did knockdown of the endosomal protein hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (Hrs). Knockdown of both Gαs and Hrs led to a greater delay in EGFR degradation than knockdown of either Gαs or Hrs alone. The authors used glutathione-S-transferase pull-down assays to show that both Gαs and RGS-PX1 bound Hrs in vitro and used coimmunoprecipitation to show that Gαs, RGS-PX1, and Hrs formed a complex in vivo. Gαs transfected into Cos7 cells colocalized with Hrs or RGS-Px1 in endosomes; moreover, overexpression of either RGS-PX1 or Hrs promoted the endosomal localization of Gαs. Thus, Gαs, acting in association with RGS-PX1 and Hrs, appears to play a role in regulating EGFR trafficking and degradation. B. Zheng, C. Lavoie, T.-D. Tang, P. Ma, T. Meerloo, A. Beas, M. G. Farquhar, Regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor degradation by heterotrimeric Gαs protein. Mol. Biol. Cell 15, 5538-5550 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


When he accepted the invitation to deliver The Jefferson Lecture--our nation's highest honor for distinguished intellectual achievement--Wendell Berry decided to take on the obligation of thinking again about the problems that have engaged him throughout his long career. He wanted a fresh start, not only in looking at the groundwork of the problems facing our nation and the earth itself, but in gaining hope from some examples of repair and healing even in these times of Late Capitalism and its destructive contagions. As a poet and writer he understood already that much can be gleaned from looking at the vocabulary of these problems themselves and how we describe them. And he settled on "affection" as a method of engagement and solution. The result is the greatest speech he has delivered in his six decades of public life. "It All Turns on Affection" will take its place alongside "The Unsettling of America" and "The Gift of Good Land" as major testaments to the power and clarity of his contribution to American thought. We have taken this opportunity to include a small handful of other recent essays and a wonderful conversation between Mr. Berry, his wife Tanya Berry, and the head of the National Endowment of the Humanities Jim Leech, which took place just after the award was announced. The result offers a wonderful continuation of the long conversation Berry has had with his readers over many years and as well as a fine introduction to his life and work.


This analysis studies how variation in individuals' motivation to form accurate judgments affects the process of political discussion. I use a small-group experiment in which participants compete to elect the simulated candidate who best represents their true preferences. I manipulate economic incentives to control participants' accuracy motivations. The results show that accuracy-motivated participants, compared to those with weaker accuracy goals, seek discussants with more expertise and a more diverse set of viewpoints, place greater emphasis on socially provided messages, and reduce emphasis on political predispositions. As a result of these differences, however, accuracy-motivated participants rely more heavily on biased information. Hence, accuracy motivations do not produce more accurate judgments or better decisions. Although previous work on political discussion has largely ignored the role of motivations, these results suggest that accuracy motivations play an important but nuanced role in this process. Strengthened accuracy motivations increase individuals' exposure to political expertise and ideological diversity but also increase their potential to be misled.


While reading for pleasure is its own reward, an issue for classroom teachers is whether leisure reading and recreational reading have a place in the classroom. The question for this research study is, what precisely is "recreational reading" and what is its role in an elementary classroom? The most appropriate way to answer this question is with an extensive literature review and synthesis. Results of the synthesis indicate that students from grade four to college age who enjoy and engage in recreational reading experience higher academic achievement than those who do not, while time spent by students reading outside of school is impacted by factors such as access to reading materials, reading enjoyment, and other ways available to occupy their time. Results also indicate that student positive attitude toward reading declines as a student progresses through elementary school, that attitudes appear to be gender related (with girls having a more positive attitude than boys), and by adolescence, students prefer the text format of magazines. Student enjoyment of reading appears to develop in part from support and encouragement from adults who discuss what students are reading, and the common classroom practice of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) appears to be most effective when teachers include discussion of student self-selected reading material. In addition, results suggest that classroom teachers can further encourage recreational reading by making themselves more knowledgeable about children's literature and by providing access to student-preferred reading materials in both the school and classroom library. These results are applicable to elementary teachers and therefore will be presented in the form of a professional development video.


The Seyfert 1 galaxy Zw 229-015 is among the brightest active galaxies being monitored by the Kepler mission. In order to determine the black hole mass in Zw 229-015 from Hβ reverberation mapping, we have carried out nightly observations with the Kast Spectrograph at the Lick 3 m telescope during the dark runs from 2010 June through December, obtaining 54 spectroscopic observations in total. We have also obtained nightly V-band imaging with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope at Lick Observatory and with the 0.9 m telescope at the Brigham Young University West Mountain Observatory over the same period. We detect strong variability in the source, which exhibited more than a factor of two change in broad Hβ flux. From cross-correlation measurements, we find that the Hβ light curve has a rest-frame lag of 3.86+0.69−0.90 days with respect to the V-band continuum variations. We also measure reverberation lags for Hα and Hγ and find an upper limit to the Hδ lag. Combining the Hβ lag measurement with a broad Hβ width of σline = 1590 ± 47 km s−1 measured from the rms variability spectrum, we obtain a virial estimate of MBH = 1.00+0.19−0.24 × 107 M☉ for the black hole in Zw 229-015. As a Kepler target, Zw 229-015 will eventually have one of the highest-quality optical light curves ever measured for any active galaxy, and the black hole mass determined from reverberation mapping will serve as a benchmark for testing relationships between black hole mass and continuum variability characteristics in active galactic nuclei.


Building the future now. The iconic work of a singular architect. Zaha Hadid is a wildly controversial architect, who for many years built almost nothing, despite her designs winning prizes and critical acclaim. Some even said her work was unbuildable. Yet over the past decade she has completed numerous structures including the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (which the "New York Times" called "the most important new building in America since the Cold War"), the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, and the Central Building of the new BMW Assembly Plant in Leipzig. Today, Hadid is firmly established among the elite of world architecture, her audacious and futuristic designs having catapulted her to international fame. Every book in TASCHEN's "Basic Architecture Series" features: approximately 120 images, including photographs, sketches, drawings, and floor plans; introductory essays exploring the architect's life and work, touching on family and background as well as collaborations with other architects; the most important works presented in chronological order, with descriptions of client and/or architect wishes as well as construction problems and resolutions; and an appendix including a list of complete or selected works, biography, bibliography and a map indicating the locations of the architect's most famous buildings.


Since the Second World War, academic publishing practices have had to cope with enormous changes
in the scale of the research enterprise, in the culture and management of higher education, and in the
ecosystem of scholarly publishers. The pace of change has been particularly rapid in the last twenty-five
years, thanks to digital technologies. This has also been a time of growing divergence between the different
roles of academic publishing: as a means of disseminating validated knowledge, as a form of symbolic
capital for academic career progression, and as a profitable business enterprise.
This briefing paper aims to provide a historical perspective that can inform the debates about what
the future of academic publishing should look like. We argue that current policy regarding open
access publishing, and many of the other proposals for the reform of academic publishing, have
been too focused on the opportunities and financial challenges of the most recent changes in digital
communications technologies and have given undue weight to commercial concerns.
We show that the business practices and the cultural significance of academic publishing have been
significantly transformed since the late nineteenth century as increasing government funding drove the
expansion and professionalization of the research community, a process that accelerated rapidly after the
Second World War. We examine how academic publishing practices have responded to the increasing
number of researchers and publications worldwide, the changing expectations of academic workloads
and outputs in the higher education sector, and the new business models in the publishing industry.
A key phenomenon has been the growing importance of published works as career-defining tokens of
prestige for academics. Although the new technologies that emerged in the late twentieth century offer
great potential for improving the speed and efficiency of scholarly communication, the publishing model
has been relatively slow to change.


Energy flexible buildings in combination with demand response will play a key role in the future smart grid. To implement control strategies, which enable demand response, like model predictive control, thermal building models are necessary. Therefore, three lumped capacitance models, are compared with a k-Nearest Neighbor regression model. All models show accurate prediction results, if the operating condition of the building is similar during parameter identification or rather during training and the validation period. Parameter identification of lumped capacitance models is a time-consuming task. Especially for complex lumped capacitance models, the search space for certain parameters has to be reduced to avoid local minima. The investigated k-Nearest Neighbor algorithm has the advantage of easy implementation, very fast training and minimal effort for parameter identification in combination with accurate predictions. But its seasonal dependency is very strong, which can be easily overcome with periodically data update, as it is an instance-based learning algorithm.